The Golden Basin Washing Hands Conference ended just as naturally as it began.
After inspection, Shang Zhixin seemed to be in a state of rage, and no one knew why he was so afraid of Master Jianjiang. Luo Yuantong said lightly that he must have been drinking too much and losing control of his mood, so he sent his disciples to set off together and escorted him back to Pingnan Palace in a car.
The martial arts people who came from afar did not leave immediately after the conference, because as the host, the Luo family, as a rule, had to pay for the entertainment of guests from all over the world. Food and accommodation were provided for the first two days, and there would be a feast for all the heroes on the third day. The Golden Basin Washing Ceremony will not be considered complete until the guests and hosts enjoy the feast.
Some people may think that this is a favor, but you must know that after washing hands in the golden basin, this meal is no longer Luo Yuantong's face, but belongs to Luo Shuang'er's own favor.
Zhou Long was naturally overjoyed for such a good thing. He could take the disciples of the Vajra Sect to eat and drink for free again. However, people like Jiang Wen who had a place to stay basically left first. Promise to attend the cocktail party three days later.
It can be said that except for Tiedan Village, several other major forces also have the same approach.
Fan Xinghan hurriedly left without waiting for the Luo family to persuade him to stay. His expression was already full of worries, which could be seen without the need for careful identification. The Songyang faction escorted the fainted Shang Zhixin away worriedly. The leader, Bai Zhen, wore official uniforms. The service leaders walked through the city in a swagger; while the Qingqi Gang did not say a word and left with everyone in the Red Flower Club. For a time, the severe situation in the Luo Mansion caused by the marriage proposal was relieved a lot.
Yuan Ziyi ran to have a chat with Luo Shuang'er, admiring the pair of Hanwang green knives in her hand with admiration, and then said that Jiang Wen and the others would go back first, and that he wanted to chat with sister Shuang'er for a while, and would not go back for dinner.
"Then remember to go back. We're leaving first."
Jiang Wen was not polite, and turned around to leave. Suddenly he remembered the team of musicians he had brought with him, and they were still following behind him eagerly waiting for their wages to be settled.
At this time, most of the people in the mansion had dispersed, but to Jiang Wen's surprise, several troupe musicians came together. Even though it was rare for him to settle the reward in full, they hesitated one by one and refused to leave, talking incomprehensively. Stop hinting to Jiang Wen whether he will have similar errands in the future, and they can work for the Wuyi faction at any time.
"Masters, what do you mean by this? You might as well speak more clearly."
Jiang Wen was a little confused. Could it be that after this battle, they also had the desire to make a debut in the world, and planned to ask for the title of "a heartbroken song, where can I find a close friend in the world"?
Faced with doubts, the troupe musicians honestly expressed their thoughts.
Jin Pingcai, who is a member of the public, is considered to be half of the world, and the musicians are all single men.
The "Eight Immortals Troupe" they belong to does not have a well-known name in Guangzhou, and it has no famous supporting platform. It has long been crumbling and falling apart. Now it is reduced to staging the Red Boat Magic Play on Zhilan Lake. It is said that several small platforms and pillars are promising. As for the future, I am planning to sneak away to a wealthy family and become the husband-in-law at any time.
The musicians saw Jiang Wen's generous spending and flamboyant behavior, and now they have figured out that if they could often have such opportunities to see the world and be in the limelight by following the Wuyi sect, it would be better than struggling in the Caotai Opera Troupe.
To take a step back, even if the grand occasion stops in the future, they can still learn more new songs from Jiang Wen, and go out to do some work to promote celebrations in the future, so they will not starve to death.
After Jiang Wen heard this, he couldn't help sighing. No wonder these people looked disheveled and were dressed in rags. At first, he thought it was the artist who deliberately dressed up to be a superior person.
After all, the world is still in trouble, which puts pressure on them to change careers to make a living. If these musicians don't learn some new skills, they may not even be able to steal money from others for weddings and weddings in the future.
"But I am a martial arts sect, how can I support a few musicians..."
One of the sallow-skinned musicians hurriedly explained: "Master Jiang, it is normal for a wealthy family to have a troupe of musicians. The Wuyi Sect has such a reputation, so it is natural that it can be raised."
After the other party's explanation and combined with his own knowledge reserves, Jiang Wen finally understood some of the reasons behind the doorway.
It turns out that as early as the early Ming Dynasty, Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang learned the lesson of the late Yuan Dynasty when the monarchs and ministers perished due to enjoyment and neglect of government, and implemented the strategy of governing the country with severe punishment and law. He believed that all ancient music in the Yuan Dynasty was abandoned, but lewd lyrics and songs were sung again and again, which had a great impact on society. The licentious and hedonistic culture had a negative impact, so Yuefu dramas were abandoned and suppressed, and a series of restrictive policies were adopted for dramatic activities that promoted excellence.
However, folk opera gradually became more prosperous in the Chenghua and Hongzhi years, and reached its peak in the Zhengde and Longqing years. Countless literati also participated in it, and professional theater troupes like the "Eight Immortals Troupe" became more common. Suzhou and Hangzhou have attracted many theater troupes with the help of the charm of Kun Opera. If they can learn the big plays planned by celebrities from both the government and the public, such as "The Ice Mountain", "The Romance of the West Chamber" and "The Story of the Hosta", they can easily attract tens of thousands of viewers. It was a grand occasion when people and sites crowded together outside the gate.
But the rules set by Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang have not changed. All actors will be relegated to low status. Theater troupes like the "Eight Immortals Troupe", which are called "local elites" and "local troupes" and are composed of local artists, are just He is proficient in writing and ink, and he also sings in the "Guangzhou tune" of "one person sings in harmony with the others, and the wild sounds are mixed".
Occasionally they hired a poor scholar to write, but they still only performed vulgar and vulgar dramas. The lyrics and music they wrote and performed were not accurate, and the rewards they earned could only make ends meet. In a prosperous town like Guangzhou, with its unique geography and dense population, it has naturally become a gathering place for professional theater troupes, and there are even more frustrated people among them.
The opera troupe mentioned by the musicians originally refers to the activities of aristocratic families raising actors. They are called into the mansion from a young age to build a garden, store vocals, tune silk and bamboo, and gather famous people every day to perform music and perform songs. The level of opera is natural. Not to be underestimated. As the wealthy families in Guangzhou became more fashionable, they often had theatrical troupes that sponsored and supported them. Whenever important events occurred, they would pay for plays in temples to honor the gods.
Jiang Wen could already predict that after today, when famous families went out to go out, they would probably bring their bands with them to show their prestige. These musicians were also very clever and adaptable, and it was indeed nothing out of the ordinary, so he made a big show of it. replied compassionately.
"This seems feasible, but there are too many of you. To be honest, our Wuyi sect, even counting people and horses, can't keep up with your numbers. From now on, Jiang will only be responsible for the rewards when going out, and there will be others to pay for the daily wages. Several people will be paid." Master, come back with us."
Several musicians immediately thanked him profusely and were overjoyed. They packed up their instruments and followed Jiang Wen away. No one cared that just because of his words, an extra band of musicians appeared out of thin air in Guangzhou city. Lu, the hapless theater troupe whose leader is at a loss.
Jiang Wen also inquired about it on the way and found that the local theater troupe belonged to the theater style of Wu Dawen. The actors were skilled in martial arts and played with human beings. They performed many absurd stories that could not be investigated. The words were neither written nor the things were done. " The original most popular piece of the "Eight Immortals Class" was the martial arts drama "Killing by Thunder" which the old class leader learned from Leizhou Nuo dance. It tells the story of a strange scoundrel who was killed by thunder. Unfortunately, with the accidental death of the old class leader, it was no longer possible. No one can perform it anymore.
On the way back, Hong Wending passed by the closed door of the Meng Xue Private School. He vaguely saw an old figure walking alone in the distance in the pouring rain. But when he looked back, the lonely figure was scattered by the raindrops, as if What just happened was just an illusion.
"Senior Brother Wending, what are you looking at?"
Fu Ningdie had been looking overjoyed since she left Luo Mansion. At this time, she stopped and asked Hong Wending.
Hong Wending always felt that the white-haired Mengxue teacher was as full of worries as his father Hong Xiguan before, and he could hardly walk with him on his back.
"Oh, nothing."
Hong Wending shook his head and followed the footsteps of the others.
After trudging through the streets and alleys of Jishui, everyone finally arrived at Lei Huo's house on Xiguan Street. They bumped into Lei Huo, who was dressed in silk and luxurious clothes, standing at the door eagerly looking forward to it. Seeing Jiang Wen and the others appeared, they quickly shouted with joy. Yell.
"Director Jiang, Director Jiang! You are finally back!"
"What happened?"
Jiang Wen calmly closed the oil-paper umbrella and shook off the remaining water stains on it. He first introduced to the musicians following him, "From now on, Mr. Lei will pay for your wages. You must remember!"
The musicians hurriedly bowed and saluted, saying in unison: "I've seen Mr. Lei!"
"Now that Director Jiang has spoken, you will be members of my Lei family from now on, and your wages will be paid to the cook first."
Lei Laohu patted his chest nonchalantly and said to Jiang Wen somewhat flatteringly: "Anyway, Director Jiang's business is mine, Mr. Lei's, Mr. Jiang's friends are my friends, Mr. Jiang's, Mr. Jiang's face is mine, Mr. Lei's." Someone's face, Director Jiang's money is my money to cheat someone..."
At this point, he himself felt a little inappropriate. He almost told the truth, but he changed his words in a hasty and vague manner, "Anyway, just ask me... Mr. Jiang, fortunately you are back. I received something at home today." , I dare not open it until now. Just looking at the writing on it, it seems that it is to be handed over to you..."
Several people crossed the book side room and crossed the Qingyun Lane that leads directly to the main hall. They immediately saw the Eight Immortals table in the middle of the hall. There was an object wrapped in layers of oil paper and repeatedly wound with hemp rope. It was also printed with thick ink. There is a big word "jiang" in it. Moreover, due to the recent humid climate, traces like insect mycelium seeped out between the ink writing, making it look even more sinister and terrifying.
"That's it. It should have come with the Lei family's convoy transporting silk and satin two days ago. It was stuffed into the cargo pile by someone without knowing it. It wasn't until the housekeeper took stock of the cargo this morning that he discovered it."
Thunder Tiger's expression was a little overly nervous, as if what was in front of him was not a paper bag, but some savage beast that preyed on people, and would be doomed once it was opened.
Jiang Wen patted his shoulder and comforted him.
"Mr. Lei, are you a little too nervous? I think the moisture-proof workmanship is rigorous and the materials used are not cheap. It may be that the medicinal materials ordered by a drug store were loaded into the wrong car. The 'Jiang' written on it is probably Jiang Zhu, It’s the abbreviation of gardenia and other medicinal materials.”
However, Jiang Wen's comfort had no effect. The corners of Lei Hu's mouth twitched slightly and he whispered in Jiang Wen's ear.
"Director Jiang, you don't know something... In fact, there was a layer of paper on the outermost layer of this paper bag, which said 'Mr. Ma Jiashan'. Fortunately, it was not seen by outsiders. It had been torn into pieces by the housekeeper and burned..."
Jiang Wen frowned immediately, seeing that this thing was really prepared.
Ma Jiashan, that was Lei Huhu’s original name in Xiamei Town, and it also represented the past history of right and wrong he had with the Qing court. The person who brought the thing took the initiative to mention it, obviously with the intention of coercion, and warned Lei Laohu that he must hand over this thing, otherwise I will send it to the government as evidence that you have colluded with Southern Shaolin.
"This person is quite capable of pretending to be suspicious and attacking people's hearts with a few words."
Jiang Wen sneered and stretched out his hand to tear open the layers of oil paper, revealing what was hidden deep inside.
The three apprentices immediately gathered around him out of curiosity. Only Xiao Shitou saw that there was no food inside, so he took the first step back.
There were no medicinal materials inside, but a hand-copied book. The paper was intact and the ink was still fresh. However, only the cover pages seemed to be intact, but most of the back pages had been torn away with brute force. There were only some scattered debris hanging there.
""Guigu Fengtu Ji"?"
Jiang Wen slowly opened the book and read out the title.
After a few days of studying in private school, Hong Wending was already familiar with commonly used written words, but he was still more curious about the origin of this book.
"Master, who sent this? Is this person an enemy or a friend?"
After Jiang Wen read the remaining page, he put the remaining book back on the table and sat down in the Grand Master's chair next to the Eight Immortals' table, with a thoughtful look on his brows.
"I seem to be an enemy but also a friend. I am neither an enemy nor a friend..."
Jiang Wen said slowly, "Our arrival in Guangzhou was not obvious at first. It was not widely announced until today. The only ones who could send books to Guangzhou so far in advance are the Red Lotus Virgin and others."
Fu Ningdie poked her head out curiously: "Then why do you say you are neither an enemy nor a friend?"
"That's the problem."
Jiang Wen unfolded the broken book with only the first few pages left and said, "The few hundred words left in this book are clearly the fragments of "Fengtu Ji" written by Zhou Chu of the Jin Dynasty. I wrote it down without saying anything. There’s nothing weird about the local customs or the origin of the festival, so why would Our Lady of the Red Lotus send it here without any explanation?”
The customs mentioned in "Fengtu Ji" actually refer to the customs of Yixing. Yixing was called Jingyi in ancient times and belonged to Wu in the Spring and Autumn Period. In the 26th year of the Qin Dynasty, Jingyi was renamed Yangxian County. Therefore, the opening line of the incomplete book is: "Yangxian County has Taihu Lake in the east, Baoshan Mountain in the middle, and caves at the foot of the mountain. In the earth, clouds can reach everything, which is called the Dongting earth vein."
The author of this book is Zhou Chu, the protagonist of "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils". From the second year of Tai'an to the fourth year of Yongjia in the Western Jin Dynasty, in order to commend Zhou Qi (the eldest son of Zhou Chu) for his contribution to the three-pronged righteous army to quell the rebellion, the imperial court set up Yixing County, so it can be said that Zhou Chu is not only a local celebrity in Yixing, but also a part of the origin of humanities.
There are only a few words in the remaining "Fengtu Ji", and the remaining pages are devoted to the origins of customs such as July 7th, September 9th, and keeping the year old. There is also a section about the local "more customs, drinking banquets with drums and pans for fun." The record of taking a Taisu round disk with a width of six feet and holding it on the abdomen, using the five fingers of the left hand to play it as a knot, and the dancers dancing according to the knot is also puzzling.
"To put it another way, could it be that the answer lies in the riddle?"
Jiang Wen muttered to himself, and then focused his attention on the cover of the broken book. He looked at the word "Gui Gu" on it and fell into thought.
From the content point of view, there is no difference between the content of this book and the "Fengtu Ji" circulating on the market, except that this nickname is unheard of, and I am afraid there is some explanation in it.
The word "Guigu" comes from the nine lines on the Gua hexagram in the "Book of Changes". The hexagram says: "Guigu, seeing a pig carrying a coat, carrying a ghost in a cart, opening the arc first, then telling the arc, the bandit and bandits are having a marriage. , If it rains, it will be lucky."
The two sentences "Seeing a pig carrying a coat of paint, carrying ghosts on a cart" have been interpreted by many Yi scholars as meaning that someone saw a pig with mud on its back pulling the cart with difficulty. When he came over, he saw that the cart was full of ghosts. This interpretation It's scary enough, and bizarre enough, to the point where it's almost an absurd fantasy.
Even Kong Yingda, a master of Yi studies, said in "Comments on the Book of Changes": "If a carriage carries ghosts, the arc should be drawn first, and then the arc can be explained later. The carriage is filled with ghosts and ghosts, which is very strange." Zhu Xi of the Southern Song Dynasty said: "A carriage carrying ghosts is a different thing." What is a "different" thing? In short, I can't explain it clearly, it is very strange.
This hexagram was difficult to explain until later, "carriage carrying ghosts" evolved into an idiom, which as the name suggests means very absurd and bizarre.
However, Jiang Wen knew that later, relying on the efforts of historians in this regard, he gave a different explanation than before, boldly interpreting the word "ghost" as ghost place or ghost place, and this opened up a new situation.
After all, the writing of a book is inseparable from the influence of the era and environment in which it is written. Therefore, some people believe that ghosts should refer to Guifang, the yangnu, a minority ethnic group in northern China, who later became the Xiongnu.
During the Yin, Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Central Plains was invaded by the Guifang people, so they were hostile to the Guifang people, so they were called bandits. Marriage is a way to resolve ethnic conflicts, and this tradition is also very old.
Therefore, this hexagram should be understood as: Sui Guai was suspicious. He first saw a pig appearing on the road, and then saw a car full of Guifang people, so he set up his bow and arrow, and then put down his bow and arrow. It turned out that these people were not bandits. But the team that came to get married. If you go forward and encounter rain, it will be auspicious.
According to this explanation, I thought they were here to fight, but in the end I found out that they were here to propose marriage. It seemed to vaguely refer to Luo Shuang'er's marriage proposal, implying that marriage would be used to resolve crises and turn enemies into friends?
Another explanation of ghosts comes from the ancient understanding that "for more than three generations, everyone knows astronomy". The farmer's words about the burning fire in July, and the words of the woman with three stars in the sky. At that time, people looked at the sky and worked. He is accustomed to integrating various astronomical phenomena such as stars and climate into literature and poetry.
Combined with "Historical Records·Tianguan Shu": "Ghosts are responsible for ghost temple affairs; the white ones are the pledge." The astronomical explanation says: "The white ones in the ghost residence are as white as powder, which is called accumulated corpses. One is called heavenly corpses, such as The clouds are not clouds, just like the stars are not stars, they are just gas." This is a sign that it is about to rain.
The explanation is that there was wet mud on the back of a nearby piglet. The people who were about to get married looked up at the sky and saw that the ghost star in the south sky was condensed with corpse energy (because the ghost star has four stars and its shape is square, just like a carriage, so Taking this image), it looks like it’s going to rain. Then he sent someone to ask the man driving the bullock cart, and he said he was just passing by and not here to cause trouble. A rain resolved a misunderstanding, the marriage continued, and a friend from afar was made, and good things continued.
This explanation is also reasonable, and it is consistent with the fact that the upper and lower parts of the Gua Gua are in conflict with each other, and their ambitions are different. Later, they deviate and then reverse their divergence, and finally reach the situation where it is said in "Yun Ci" that "men and women see each other, but their ambitions are connected."
But this explanation is also a bit mysterious. How could Our Lady of the Red Lotus be thousands of miles away? She could have predicted that Jiang Wen would encounter heavy rain during this trip...
"...Is she a qigong practitioner or a fortune teller?"
The two interpretations in different directions are connected with the two things at hand.
This is the magic of the Book of Changes. After a thorough analysis in Jiang Wen's mind, he was able to review the situation of his trip from the simple word "睽ugu". It fit perfectly as if it were a tailor-made. Customized, even the continuous heavy rain in Guangzhou was calculated and became a good omen...
"No, I can't be fooled by these pretentious tricks. No wonder the smarter the person, the less able he is to escape from superstition."
Jiang Wen shook his head and decided to disenchant his own cognition first, so that he could think truly logically.
Of course, the disenchantment he talks about is not directed at the I Ching. The all-encompassing content in the Book of Changes is very philosophical and inspiring in itself, and does not violate the logic of thinking. It is reasonable to distinguish between friends and foes when going out. What he wants to re-examine is simply the Virgin Mary of the Red Lotus. .
There is absolutely no way that the other party has the ability to predict the situation thousands of miles away. Otherwise, the young master of the Ding family would have lost his love for me and quickly staged a drama between the two of them. There is absolutely no need for the other party to try to contact him at the same time. You also have to pretend to be sophisticated in front of yourself.
From a different perspective and analyzing it from a rational point of view, what the Red Lotus Virgin sent must have been a complete and accurate message, and she had clearly ordered it to be delivered to her. However, it was only deliberately damaged in the process that it became a complete and accurate message. It became a puzzle that came into my own hands.
The Ming Zun Sect has been weakened for a long time, and its control over local rudders has also become weaker. This can be seen from the Red Lotus Virgin breaking into Fuzhou City alone. The protectors in various places may not necessarily be as present in Cao Ying as Huang Ji is. Han, there is nothing you can do about everything.
But the question is, who is causing trouble?
Jiang Wen slowly waved the sword with his hand, and then a tall figure with disheveled beard and hair, wrapped in chains, appeared in front of his eyes. With his half-smiling face, all the states and counties in the world turned into him, fighting and killing each other. There is a chessboard, but he himself is hiding in the deep valley shrouded in clouds and smoke. He sees the beginning but not the end. Thousands of difficult puzzles are scattered all over the place with his wave of hands, falling in front of his opponent one by one.
"Thinking about it this way, it really looks like the work of Zao Wuji who drew the ground to serve as a prison and spread the beans into soldiers. Ordinary people are frightened and dare not move, but he may have hidden tens of millions of Qingyang Sect's magic soldiers in any corner. , only waiting for those who have cracked the mystery to come and learn from it.”
The Qingyang Sect's encroachment on the Fuzhou Hongyang Sect was far beyond imagination. The Hongyang Holy Child had been secretly planning for ten years, but it only had time to retain the Ding family master as the winner. Therefore, it was logical that the order of the Red Lotus Virgin was intercepted and known.
But one thing Jiang Wen is sure of is that with Zhao Wuji's acting style, the focus should not be on the city of Guangzhou. His purpose in doing this was just to test Jiang Wen again to see if Jiang's previous feat of holding the sky with one hand in Fuzhou Prefecture was just a matter of luck.
"Interesting, really interesting..."
Jiang Wen smiled slightly, resisting the suspicion that he had been spied on by all directions, and then once again overturned his previous guess and simplified his thinking to the extreme.
Is there a possibility that this is just a sloppy work of the Red Lotus Virgin?
The previous guesses can naturally be established, but the main problem is that Jiang Wen and the others are currently in Guangzhou, and the content of "Fengtu Ji" is written in Yixing, which is clearly wrong. If there is really something important to give, it should also be "Guangzhou Ji" written by Gu Wei during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, right? !
Guangzhou is more than a thousand miles away from Yixing in the south of the Yangtze River. This is equivalent to your friend knowing that you are going to Texas to travel, and specially brought you a Shandong travel guide. It is really hard to guess what is going on in her brain. .
"It's not good... Could it be that the condition of the Holy Fire Technique has worsened, and the Red Lotus Virgin's mind has become completely confused?"
Lei Huhu and Jiang Wen's disciples saw Jiang Wen talking to himself. His expressions were sometimes serious and sometimes speechless, and the changes were frighteningly fast.
"Master, what are you thinking about?"
Finally, Fu Ningdie asked, making Jiang Wen come out of his thoughts.
"It's nothing, nothing. I can't even take care of the things in front of me. How can I have time to care about things far away?"
Jiang Wen casually put aside his doubts and turned to Lei Huhu and said, "Master Lei, do you have any caravans going to Fujian recently? Either water or land will do, just send me a letter to Quanzhou."
Why do you think so much? Jiang Wen decided to write a letter directly to ask. Even if there were some flaws in the time span, it was still a way to find out the problem.
However, upon hearing Jiang Wen's request, Lei Laohu sighed deeply.
"Master Jiang, you don't know something. I'm afraid I won't be able to get out of Guangzhou City these days."
Jiang Wen asked in confusion: "Ah? What's the meaning of this?"
what happened? Is the city of Guangzhou really washed into the sea by heavy rain?
Thunder Tiger turned the tourmaline bracelet on his hand, summoned the butler in front of him, asked for a notice delivered to his door by the Guangzhou government office, and explained quickly.
"The government released the results this morning. Since the imperial navy is about to leave for the war, fishing and fishing will be banned from now on. No sails will be launched into the water. Anyone who disobeys will be punished as a bandit and treason, and everyone will be punished without mercy. Several major business houses are now anxious. Like an ant on a hot pot, there is nothing you can do.”
After saying that, he said with some schadenfreude, "Fortunately, the Lei family's goods were delivered in advance two days ago, so I can give them a lot of money this time!"
Only then did a few people from the Wuyi Sect suddenly realize that this was the case.
As early as in the city of Fuzhou, Jiang Wen met Da Su, the general who conquered the south. His mission for this trip was to assemble the cavalry navy and take advantage of the Zheng family's loss of troops and vitality in Jiangnan to disrupt Zheng Chenggong's forces that were harming the coast. Remove it in one fell swoop.
Since the war effort requires rapidity, they are determined not to reveal their purpose to the outside world in advance. The current emergency sea ban must also be for the purpose of cooperating with military operations. Now, behead first and then announce the forbidden sea, and also be able to prevent the fine craftsmen in the city from going to report the news, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.
"Master Lei, if the waterway is impassable, we should still be able to take the land route."
Fu Ningdie stuck out her little head and suggested, "Even if the heavy rain for days destroys several official roads, you can still go by boat and go north and west along the inland river. This is what we did when we came here."
Thunder Tiger looked at Ningdie and showed a slightly kind smile.
"Little girl, what you said is correct, but the eight water and land gates in the southeast, northwest and northwest of Guangzhou City are now closed."
"Isn't this approach too confusing?" Jiang Wen said.
The steward of the Lei Mansion replied at this time: "My lords, I happened to find out the reason for the closure of the city today. It is said that a group of Japanese pirates secretly came ashore with the intention of attacking Guangzhou City and sabotaging the bandit suppression plan, so Pingnan Palace ordered the closure of the city. Hold the door tightly and wait for the thief to reveal a flaw."
What? Japanese pirates? Are there still Japanese pirates these days?
Jiang Wen almost laughed out loud.
The composition of the so-called Japanese pirates is relatively complex, but they generally refer to Japanese pirates sent by Japanese feudal lords who collude with Chinese pirates such as Wang Zhi and Xu Hai.
They raided towns and cities along the coasts of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian, which led to the rise of Japanese pirates in the southeast of the Ming Dynasty. The Ming court repeatedly appointed officials to manage coastal defense, but it was difficult to achieve results due to corruption in the government. It was not until the late Jiajing period that generals Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou and others pacified the Japanese pirates in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong, and the Japanese invasion began to end.
The last Japanese pirates recorded in history invaded the coast of Fujian in July of the fourth year of the Apocalypse (1624). Subsequently, due to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's issuance of the Hachiman Ship Prohibition Order (piracy prohibition) and the stability of Japan's domestic political situation, the activities of Japanese pirates It began to decrease, and it can be said that the traces of Japanese pirates have been extinct for a long time.
Now thirty or forty years have passed, and Shang Kexi has said that there are traces of Japanese pirates in Guangdong. Doesn't this make people laugh out loud, and he is not afraid that the Qing court will ask him what his intentions are.
What gave Jiang Wen the confidence to conclude that the Japanese pirates were innocent was the change in the current political situation.
Recently, the "maritime overlord" Zheng Jiainai is the number one pirate in the southeastern coast, Taiwan and Japan. The private navy he organized and worked hard to manage is very powerful. Zheng Zhilong even returned triumphantly in the Battle of Liaoluo Bay, defeating the Western maritime groups and Japan. Even if pirates wanted to rob, they would never be able to use the hated name of "Japanese pirates" in such a big way.
Moreover, Zheng Chenggong, who is now at the helm, has a clear distinction between love and hate. Even if the Japanese pirates really want to take action, they can only disguise themselves as Han people and come over to steal. Otherwise, where will the Zheng family's face be put?
But when Jiang Wen told his speculation and basis, the housekeeper of Lei Mansion could only spread his hands innocently.
"I don't know this little thing. I vaguely heard that this group of Japanese pirates had fierce swords and killed many travelers. After hearing the news, Miss Yan from the house also rushed out of the city at the last moment. It is said that they were given the gift of It is the order of Zheng Sen’s cousin Zheng Tai who intends to come to harass the army on the expedition.”
Zheng Tai is currently the second-in-command of the Zheng family and Zheng Chenggong's chief steward. When Zheng Chenggong leads his troops on an expedition, Zheng Tai is often responsible for staying in the base area, and they cooperate with each other internally and externally.
Jiang Wen had doubts in his heart, but he didn't say anything else. He just understood that this matter was not that simple.
"It's a bit dangerous for Miss Yan to go out of the city. I hope she will be safe."
Jiang Wen said lightly and fell into thinking again.
At this time, the rain was gurgling in the sky hall, never stopping from far to near, and Jiang Wen silently listened to the sound of raindrops, letting his thoughts flow, while watching Lei Huhu and the housekeeper discuss how to make this business prosperous. In order to make money, he also wanted to take revenge for being squeezed out by the local business firm.
"Butler, please go down first. Remember to mark the goods at three times the price and put them in the account. If the tax levied by Guangdong is less than one share, you can hang yourself at the gate of the government."
Lei Laohu said calmly, obviously he had planned to take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune, but he kept mentioning taxes in his words, which was something Jiang Wen could not have imagined.
"Mr. Lei, I didn't expect you to have a strong sense of paying taxes." Jiang Wen joked.
Lei Laohu said with a wry smile: "You have to be careful. Now the Prince of Pingnan is checking the details of tax collection. If you are not careful, your home will be confiscated and you will be charged. Their business property will be taxed 20-1. Those of us who have textile looms A tax of forty and one. If a boat owner owns a boat that is more than five feet long, he will also be levied a tax. With such a sword and gun targeting, everyone is in danger."
"Is this a tax imposed by the Shang family themselves? Who can bear such a high tax?" Jiang Wen said in surprise.
"A small family, an ordinary family, has gone bankrupt and thrown into the sea."
Lei Huhu could only say helplessly: "But there is nothing we can do. Prince Pingnan launched the Guangdong expedition in the name of quelling the rebellion and suppressing the bandits. He said that there was only one day left to fight, and the soldiers of the Shang family would have to eat horse chews. Count it on us."
"That shouldn't stop everyone from hiding it, right? Just keep the money somewhere else so it won't be found out, right?" Jiang Wen suddenly thought.
"It's not that easy. They have already thought of a backup plan!"
When Lei Hu said this, he was filled with resentment, "In addition to launching the Guangdong Expedition, Pingnan Prince's Palace also launched a levy. Whenever someone secretly transfers property and is reported to the government, half of the money confiscated will go to the government and half to the prosecutor." people."
There are always ups and downs in doing business. Once business happens, God knows you know it and I know it. Unless you don’t do business in Guangzhou city at all, there is really nothing to stop someone from wanting to make a fortune. But under the three trees, whether the property is really If you are hiding something, how can you have the final say?
The more Jiang Wen heard, the more familiar he became. This method was clearly a replica of the suanmin and suomin in the early Western Han Dynasty.
Min, the original meaning is a rope through which copper coins are threaded. Later it became a unit of currency. One Minqian is equivalent to one thousand yuan. And when calculated as a unit, it is one hundred and twenty yuan. In the fourth year of Yuanshou, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty accepted the advice of Zhang Tang, the imperial censor, and Sang Hongyang, the minister, and ordered the collection of 120 coins from everyone involved.
And gao means to report. In order to make the trend of reporting popular, the imperial court promised rich rewards to the whistle-blowers - "Anyone who can report will be rewarded with half of it."
This method was both profitable and damaging. It was a bad policy in history. It was also directly related to the war between Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu at that time. It was mainly to fill the bottomless pit of wealth consumed by the war.
"What a vicious trick. Who came up with this method?"
Jiang Wen suddenly asked.
Lei Hu thought for a moment and said uncertainly: "There are rumors in the market that this was proposed by Li Xinghe, a popular figure in front of Prince Shang, but no one has any evidence. But except for him, no one can say this. Big plan."
Is it Li Xinghe, the charlatan again?
Jiang Wen's impression of him was originally a slightly contradictory one. He was both extremely caring and bold, both submissive and disrespectful of human life. He had deliberately deceived Jiang Wen before, but she didn't know why he acted like this when he opened his mouth. A family legacy policy?
The complex contradictions made his smooth and sophisticated appearance even more confusing. The only thing that remained unchanged was that this person's deep understanding of people's scheming has emerged more and more.
During the Western Han Dynasty, the method of accounting and reporting was naturally an irrefutable bad policy. It violated the national policy of resting with the people and resulted in the people in the country being unable to farm enough for food and clothing, and their textile production was insufficient for clothing. It's a different look.
First of all, the Shang family is not a human king and landlord. The purpose of the Pingnan Palace is to rule the local area and suppress rebellion. Therefore, exhausting the people's power and exhausting the local area is an optional governance policy.
Secondly, the money collected can effectively support the suppression of Zheng Daye. As long as half of the increased taxes are ultimately used for actual purposes, it will be a windfall for the Qing court. Then Shang Kexi's practice of private taxation has no merit.
In the end, the Shang family didn't have to care about public support. He came here with his iron cavalry ten years ago and killed people in droves. As long as the palace is full of swords and guns and there is an endless supply of soldiers, he will naturally have a gratifying place. This is something that no one can defeat.
But this evil on the surface was so naked that Jiang Wen had to lament that those who could put forward this idea and implement this policy could be called true and undisguised villains.
But the most ridiculous part of the world is here. People like this who unabashedly absorb the people's support are actually the least threatening existence among the three vassals that the Qing government relied on as Qiancheng.
Among the other two vassal kings, Wu Sangui was the most powerful. When he first arrived in Yunnan and Guizhou, the Qing court allowed him to "act cheaply", that is, he was allowed to appoint officials privately, which was called "Western Selection" at the time. As a result, the civil servants and generals in the southwest are all his cronies and are all under his control. In a few years, it will be said that "officials selected from the west are all over the world", and the hegemony in the southwest will be overwhelming.
If Geng Jingzhong, the second of the three vassals, succeeds in inheriting the throne of the vassal, history books will also record that he "used taxes to extort money from Fujian", even though his subordinates "sent hard laborers and extorted silver rice", and it will also be said that he gathered "little people" ", spread the rumor that "the Emperor is a clone of the Fire Ear", and falsely claimed that "the one with the Fire Ear is Geng Ye. There is a reason in the world, and if you use Fujian to make progress, you can succeed", and brazenly tied the people of Fujian to his chariot without any explanation. , sailing towards destruction.
Compared with their two political ambitions, Shang Kexi's private establishment of a city in Guangdong, private collection of taxes, and private opening of foreign trade ports seems not so eye-catching, but who knows how many people are treacherous. Will he end up with his family broken up and his family destroyed by his wanton pursuit of profit?
What's even more cruel is that at this time, even the only way out after the house was confiscated and bankrupted and became a beggar, is actually in the hands of Shang Kexi...
"It's time to eat!"
Xiao Shitou happily came to announce the start of dinner, Ningdie and Wen Ding left without hesitation, and everyone left the main hall. Only Jiang Wen was left holding the broken book in his hand, motionless.
Jiang Wen turned around and smiled pretending to be relieved, and then continued to look at the sky in despair and spoke slowly.
"Then let's wait until the rain passes and the sky clears up. Either I continue to wait, or the sky clears up. One of them will end first."
The golden basin washed hands, and the rain was not rest. At the time of this situation mutation, the similar talks of Guangzhou Prefecture also existed between different people.
They are emotional or anxious or happy, and they will eventually disappear in the heavy rain of Bo Bo, and there seems to be only this rolling heavy rain between the heavens and the earth, which will become the only eternal or not. Change.
