The lightning lit up the window paper, making the dark room shine brightly, and for a moment Tang was plunged into darkness again. 【Read the latest chapter】
The sound of rain was like the sky river bursting its banks. The heavy rain had been going on for an hour.
Thunderstorms in summer come quickly and rain heavily, but they also go away quickly. It is rare for them to last for more than half an hour. However, heavy rains lasting for half an hour are not uncommon here. Zhang Yingchen knew that this was probably due to the abnormal climate of the Little Ice Age.
"It's a pity that there was heavy rain and thunder!" Zhang Yingchen couldn't help but sigh secretly. Otherwise, on such a thunderstorm night, he could have shown off his "magic power" and made a big show of making thunder and magic medicine. But so far, this lightning has never hit the cage. The ridges and big trees around here are all higher than this iron cage. It is really difficult for lightning to hit the cage. It was difficult to "do it" in the cage by myself. It seems that there is no such thing as a lightning rod to attract lightning. It is difficult to attract lightning by just relying on an iron cage.
Although he had already thought of other ways: making a wooden pole, attaching an iron tip to the top, and then using a thin iron chain to lead it down the pole, the blacksmith shop replied that there was too much work making iron chains recently and he was busy. But come on, you have to wait several days to build it. The banker's servants visited several blacksmith shops in and outside the city, and they all gave the same answer.
"It's really strange. Why are everyone making iron chains for no reason?" Zhang Daozhang never came up with a trick.
Strangely enough, since he couldn't act in law, he had no choice but to continue his job: lobbying for bankers.
Through these days of activities, he learned a lot about bookmakers. He originally thought that this family was just an ordinary country gentleman, but he didn't expect that it was still very powerful in the local area.
The Dadianzhuang family moved from Linhai, Jiangsu Province in the early Ming Dynasty. The current Mr. Zhuang Qianzhuang is the fifth generation grandson of the Dadianzhuang family. Originally, the Zhuang family was just a poor man in Dadianzhuang, and his family was very poor. Zhuang Qian sold sesame cakes when he was young. Later, he benefited from the appreciation of Wang Kai, a teacher in the local school, and became a student for free. From then on, he had the opportunity to enroll in school. He was a Jinshi in the 47th year of Wanli Dynasty and served as a promotion official in Runing Mansion. He was later promoted to be the censor of Zhejiang Province and the censor of Shaanxi Province. Two years after Chongzhen, Jin entered the pass, and Zhuang Qian led his troops north to pass King Qin. The next year he retired and returned to his hometown.
It is said that he is retiring from old age and returning to his hometown. In fact, Zhuang Qian is not very old. But my health is no longer good. Zhang Yingchen took advantage of the situation and taught many ways to take care of the body, and prescribed various medicines for taking care of the body. Under his careful care, Mr. Zhuang's body improved a little, and everyone in the village became more respectful to him as a Taoist priest.
In addition to Mr. Zhuang, who was capable of both literary and martial arts, Zhuang Qian also had a cousin who was born in Wuxiang. During the Tianqi period, he was awarded Luokou garrison for his military merits and was a military attaché. Zhuang Qian's second brother, Zhuang Sheng, was born in Suigong. His third brother, Zhuang Bi, and his cousin, Zhuang Ding, were both born in Lin. Zhuang Qian's eldest son, Zhuang Xialing, was also born in Suigong, and his second son, Zhuang Heling, was born in Lin.
Generally speaking, the banker is a standard wealthy family with educated officials. They are famous and powerful Jin gentry families in Dadianzhuang and even the entire Yizhou area.
If this family can be loyal to the Senate, it will be a huge help in the Lunan area. At least in Yizhou, you have the ability to control the wind and rain.
He has sent a letter to the center, requesting the Great Library to immediately inquire about the detailed information on the Zhuang family in Dadian, Yizhou. Send the materials to Linqing as soon as possible and forward them to him.
If he could master more specific information about bookmakers, his work here would be more targeted. Just as I was thinking about it, there were footsteps outside the door, and a servant of the banker came in. "Is the Taoist ready for dinner?"
"Okay, you can take it away." Zhang Yingchen waved his hand and suddenly asked, "Why didn't Lao Zhao come today?"
Lao Zhao was assigned by the banker to serve him specially. On weekdays, he delivered meals and water and did all the menial work.
"Yes, Lao Zhao has something to do at home and has gone home." The servant answered while packing his things, "Can Taoist Master have dinner?"
"Okay." Zhang Yingchen nodded and asked him to retreat.
Zhang Yingchen carefully studied a stack of pulse records under the candle, thinking about how to continue to nurse Mr. Zhuang back to health. Suddenly there was a burst of lightning and thunder outside, the candle dimmed, and the fire flickered. He quickly protected the light, and the light gradually became brighter.
Originally, the brightness of such candles was extremely limited. The earthen wax made of animal and vegetable fats not only had low brightness, but also had to be trimmed all the time to maintain the brightness.
Zhang Yingchen picked up the scissors and trimmed the candle flowers, but the light became increasingly dim.
"Weird!" He put down the scissors, and suddenly a faint fragrance appeared on his nose.
In a small courtyard dedicated to stacking sundries, dozens of believers among the banker's servants have gathered in the corridor. They all said with solemn expressions that today the guardian messenger will come here in person to deliver the Dharma and kill the banker with the Heavenly Thunder Dharma. The "demon" in the house.
In the middle of the yard, there is a small black iron tripod, which has accumulated less than half of the water because it was left in the rain.
Xiangtou did not say who the "demon" in the house was. Anyone with a little more intelligence knows that he is probably Taoist Zhang who lives in the west courtyard next to the warehouse.
Some of the believers said that Daozhang Zhang was a demon, because Daozhang Zhang practiced medicine and medicine in his house and even in the city, and cured many people. On weekdays, everyone was kind and treated everyone equally, regardless of high or low, poor or low. No matter how you look at it, he is a good person.
But they dare not disobey the "will" of "above". Xiangtou has already said that this is a matter under the personal care of the altar owner. Speaking of the altar owner, many of them ordinary believers have never seen him, but everyone says that he has extremely high magic power. This time, his power is very high. If he hadn't cast a spell secretly, I don't know how many people would still have to endure the calamity.
"I heard that there are also guardian envoys from Jinan Zongtan who are coming..." The crowd murmured.
Dozens of believers, men, women, old and young. However, every one of them holds incense and candles devoutly, waiting for the arrival of the guardian angel. To them, the arrival of the guardian angel is nothing more than the arrival of gods.
Thunder was rumbling, and lightning pierced the sky from time to time, illuminating the dark yard brightly.
Xiangtou, who had been looking at the sky, suddenly screamed: "The time has come! Burn incense and welcome the messenger!"
A large bunch of lit incense was thrown into the small iron cauldron in the courtyard. There was water in the iron cauldron, but the incense did not go out when it fell. Instead, it burned more violently. The flames intersect with the rain, the smoke fills the air, and a strange aroma suddenly fills the courtyard.
Xiangtou took the lead in reciting the scriptures. Amidst the muttering of mantras, the believers shook their bodies one by one and fell into a state of intoxication.
During the chanting, the incense on the stove started to act strangely. Green smoke slowly rose up. The smoke became heavier and heavier, gradually filling the entire courtyard with a blur. Countless tongues of fire began to make a slight explosion. Jumping, like lightning, like flowing fire, hidden in the haze and constantly jumping. In the míméng, a red-clothed figure seemed to be seen descending from the sky. Suddenly there was a thunder and a ball of fire rose into the sky. Everyone looked confused, as if they had just woken up from a dream, and stood there blankly. The flames in the cauldron had burned out, and even the embers were gone. There was still only half a cauldron of clear water, as if nothing had happened.
However, in the middle of the courtyard under the eaves, a girl in red was already standing. Wearing a pomegranate red dress, covered with a yellow gauze robe, her hair combed, and a seven-star sword hanging from her waist, she looked both elegant and weird. The ten-thousand-character picture and lotus flower embroidered on the robe flicker and change.
It rained heavily in the courtyard, but the girl in the courtyard did not get wet or wet. As if coming back to his senses, the incense owner shouted: "Welcome the guardian envoy!"
All the believers had been intoxicated for a long time, and immediately they all knelt down and chanted sutras together, intoxicated.
Under the cover of the dark rainy night, Min Zhanlian led his men into the store.
The journey was very smooth. With the support of the believers in the village, they quickly crossed the gap in the fence, and then with the support of the believers among the villagers' servants, they successfully sneaked into the manor house through the corner door in the backyard.
The guardian envoy had already entered the manor a few steps ahead of him. According to the plan agreed upon by both parties, she should be "performing the Dharma" in the manor at this moment, preparing to let the believers see the power of the "righteous/Dao/Great/Fa" once again. It was not just the Taoist priest who deepened their impression and worked hard to preach in the village and valued Zhuang Qian's family. Although the members of folk religion in the late Ming Dynasty were overwhelmingly from the bottom of society: farmers, craftsmen, soldiers, sailors, and small traders, there were very few intellectuals and gentry. But this does not mean that the upper class of these guilds are shut out of the social elite.
In fact, at the beginning of Zhuang Qian's illness, the sect had already lobbied the Zhuang family's family members through the believers among the servants of the village to let the "magic" from the sect to treat the illness, but they were all rejected because Lu Nan was a member of the White Lotus Sect. , Jin gentry families are extremely wary of such folk sects.
Min Zhanlian wiped the rain off his face and waited for the last door in the corridor to open. He walked to the bottom of the corridor and opened a door, which was the courtyard where Taoist Zhang lived.
After knocking three times on the door as agreed, the door immediately opened, and two people dressed as servants flashed out, and they let the group in silently.
He was startled, and a group of people had quietly arrived in the corridor. They were all dressed in black and wearing bamboo hats, squatting silently in the shadow of the corner. The sound of rain, thunder and dense rain blocked his senses. If it hadn't been for a flash of lightning, he would have almost missed it.
"They are from our sect. They came with the envoy." The servant whispered, "Your things are behind that door. The door opposite is the courtyard where the Taoist priest lives."
Min Zhanlian nodded: the kites and chains had been quietly transported into the mansion through the believers a few days ago, and now they just need to assemble them on the spot. ! .
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