The situation in Jinling is more complicated than Zhao Yao imagined. Another meaning of complexity is danger. The more complicated it is, the more dangerous it will be.
The more Zhao Yao thought about it, the more he felt that he had made a mistake in going to Jiangnan this time. He felt more and more like he was in a wolf's den.
Alas, there is no point in regretting now. It's coming, just take it as it comes. If something really happened, we would have to resort to tactics.
The most important thing at hand is to accompany Mr. Meng well. As for other things, he didn't want to interfere, and it was beyond his control.
Because of Zhao Yao's arrival, Mr. Meng's spirit and complexion are getting better day by day, and his physical condition seems to be getting better. It was only slightly better than before, but still very weak.
Every day when Mr. Meng wakes up, Zhao Yao will talk to him for a while. When he was tired and fell asleep, Zhao Yao quietly retreated.
Since they were here to visit Mr. Meng, Zhao Yao couldn't take Song Jicai and the four of them to visit Jinling City in a swaggering way.
Although Mr. Meng didn't care, Zhao Yao felt that if they did this, it would be a bit excessive. After all, they did not come to Jinling to have fun. Besides, there are dangers hidden everywhere in Jinling City, so it's better to stay calm.
In the past two days, it has been raining in Jinling City. Even if I wanted to go out to play, I couldn't.
Jiangnan in early spring is not warm, especially after it rains. Jinling City instantly returns to the deep winter of last year, making people shiver from the cold.
Mr. Meng, who finally felt better, became worse again because of the rain and cooling.
After feeding Mr. Meng and drinking the medicine, Zheng Xilin took Zhao Yao out.
There was a fire burning in Zheng Xilin's room. The uncle and nephew sat in front of the brazier, drinking tea and warming themselves up.
"Third uncle, why don't Mr. Meng have any disciples around him?" It had been a while since they had been here with Mr. Meng, and Zhao Yao and the others only saw a few people every day. Except for Zheng Xilin, there was a middle-aged and elderly housekeeper and two book boys, and there was no one else.
"He has no personal disciples." Zheng Xilin just finished speaking, and realized that what he said was not right, so he added, "Many years ago, he had a personal disciple, but he was betrayed by his disciples. Since then, he has not I have never accepted a direct disciple again.”
Hearing what Zheng Xilin said, Zhao Yao remembered that Mr. Meng had gone out to serve in the court in the previous dynasty. Later, due to certain things, he was demoted, and then he retired to the mountains and forests in anger, and then did not leave the mountain for decades. It seems that some of the things that happened back then were related to Mr. Meng’s former disciples.
Zheng Xilin added: "He also said that he can't teach disciples well, and if he accepts any more disciples, he will only mislead others."
After hearing this, Zhao Yao nodded, but he suddenly remembered something and said with surprise: "Hey, Mr. Meng wanted to accept me as his student before."
Zheng Xilin laughed and said, "That's because he wants to support you. Didn't you refuse?"
"I refused."
"You are the first person to refuse to be his student." Zheng Xilin teased Zhao Yao, "There are scholars in this world who want to be his student at all costs. You are better off, but you dislike him for being too famous and refuse to be his student."
"I'm not good at studying, and besides, I don't want to be famous, so I can only decline Mr. Meng's kindness." Zhao Yao does not regret refusing to be Mr. Meng's student. Give him another chance and he still won't agree. "I think Mr. Meng should accept a disciple, let the disciple inherit his mantle and carry forward his knowledge."
"He gave lectures last year just because he wanted to share what he had learned with everyone, so that the students who listened could be regarded as inheriting his legacy." Zheng Xilin said with emotion, "He has studied and studied knowledge all his life, not for fame, nor for The purpose of prosperity and wealth is to benefit the common people, but it is a pity that he always felt that he was a loser and failed to help the common people."
After hearing this, Zhao Yao said with a look of astonishment: "How could this old man think so?"
"He thinks you are the one who really benefits the people. The things you made have changed people's lives, so he likes you very much and admires you very much." Zheng Xilin thought of Mr. Meng praising Zhao Yao's things constantly. With an expression on his face, he couldn't help but laugh, "He saw that you were not loved by the emperor, so he wanted to accept you as a student and use his false reputation as a great scholar to support you."
"Mr. Meng is too arrogant to belittle himself." Zhao Yao felt that Mr. Meng had a great misunderstanding of him. "The things I make can change people's lives, but his knowledge will not only change people's lives, but also change the development of social civilization, which is much more powerful than what I make."
Zheng Xilin has long been accustomed to hearing the novel words "development of social civilization" over the years. Like He Lianfang, he had long been numbly accustomed to Zhao Yao occasionally saying strange but very appropriate words and phrases that they had never heard before.
"When he wakes up, tell him carefully about the development of social civilization."
Zhao Yao nodded seriously and said, "I will definitely tell him properly."
Zheng Xilin held the tea cup in his hands to warm his hands, and looked at Zhao Yao, who was sitting opposite him, kindly: "When the weather clears, you can take your four good brothers down the mountain for a walk."
"This is not good."
"The old man is still alive, what's wrong with it." Zheng Xilin said, glancing out the window, "It's rare for you to come to Jiangnan, so you should go out and see more to understand the lives of the people in Jiangnan."
Since Zheng Xilin said so, Zhao Yao did not refuse.
"Okay, when the weather clears, I'll go out and take a look."
Zheng Xilin put down the tea cup in his hand, and his charitable expression turned serious instantly: "Come, let's talk about water transportation and salt in the south of the Yangtze River."
"Are these two things I should know?" Zhao Yao wondered what the water transportation and salt in Jiangnan had to do with him.
"As the prince of Dazhou, shouldn't you care about the people?" Zheng Xilin naturally knew Zhao Yao's little thoughts, "You will also face these two things when you go to Lingnan in the future. Maybe in Lingnan, these two things will Things will be more complicated.”
Hearing what Zheng Xilin said, Zhao Yao thought of the complicated situation in Lingnan. According to surveys, the most profitable businesses in Lingnan are controlled by chieftains from various tribes. When he goes to Lingnan in the future, he will have to take these two things back.
"Third uncle, please tell me." Zhao Yao put on a posture of listening attentively.
Zheng Xilin told Zhao Yao in detail about Jinling's water transportation, salt, iron smelting and other matters. The aristocratic families in Jinling are not gentler and kinder than those in Yangzhou. On the contrary, they are just as greedy and selfish, but they are smarter than those in Yangzhou. They have long been secretly colluding with the Zhenguo Palace and the East Palace. This was also the reason why Zhen Guogong refused to cooperate with those aristocratic families in Yangzhou.
Jinling City has been the most prosperous state capital in the south of the Yangtze River since ancient times. It was also set as the southern capital in the previous dynasty, and it was very prosperous at that time. It is surrounded by large and small rivers, and water transportation is very developed. If nothing else, let’s talk about water transportation. It supports many people in Jinling City and brings great wealth to many people.
The interests involved in water transportation were too great. No matter in the previous dynasty or in the Chen Dynasty, the emperors did not dare to easily touch the water transportation in Jiangnan. If you want to move, it's just a small fight, and you don't dare to go to war, because the Caogang in Jiangnan are a group of lawless and cruel people. They only have money in their eyes, not life. In the previous dynasty, the water transporters had rebelled, and the trouble was particularly serious.
After listening to Zheng Xilin's analysis of Jinling's canal transportation, Zhao Yao frowned and looked very solemn: "Are these people from the canal gang so crazy and domineering?"
"It's always been like this with them and those Salt Gang guys."
"The prince and the king actually colluded with these lunatics, aren't they afraid of being backlashed by them in the future?"
Zheng Xilin sneered: "Who can resist the temptation of money?"
"No wonder my father repeatedly told me not to show off." Zhao Yao said sarcastically with a stern face, "Jiangnan is really a crouching tiger, hidden dragon."
"If the water transport and salt gangs in Jinling and Suzhou are not eliminated, Jiangnan will be in chaos sooner or later." Zheng Xilin said with a stern expression, "These have always been the two major beetles in Jiangnan. If they are not eliminated, there will be no peace."
Zhao Yao suddenly thought of what happened in Yangzhou before. At the beginning, my father planned the layout for several years in advance in order to serve the Yangzhou aristocratic families in one pot. So in Jinling and Suzhou, it is impossible that the father has not made any moves, and must have made secret arrangements.
"Father should have already made plans, there is no need for me to do anything."
After Zheng Xilin finished speaking, he stared sharply into Zhao Yao's eyes and said, "No, there is something you need to do."
Dear friends, I'm sorry, there is a very important character appearing in the new chapter, but I have written and revised it, revised it and written it again, but I still feel that it is not written well, and it has not been updated until now. This character is too important. If it is not written well, it will affect the following plot. Tonight's update can only be temporarily canceled and will be resumed tomorrow.
