Chapter 6 Private Visit on Weibo
As long as He Xi can agree to Princess Anqing's request, she will agree to it.
So, at the request of Princess Anqing. He Xi suddenly changed and became a descendant of Cao Guogong.
One person transfers to a small boat. Heading towards Songjiang.
The Jiangnan water town is well-deserved.
The water network is intertwined, and there are no waterways on many maps. It’s all here. Forming a very convenient transportation network, many people in small villages. With just one sampan, you can sail into big cities like Suzhou and Songjiang.
The convenience is amazing.
Don’t say anything else. This level of connectivity was not achieved in many later generations even after every village was connected to a road. Not to mention, water transportation is much easier than land transportation. One person, a small boat, and hundreds of kilograms of stuff can be transported easily. But on land, a person carrying it on his hands and shoulders can't withstand much.
The prosperity of Jiangnan is not without reason.
In front of He Xi was such a picture of prosperity in the south of the Yangtze River.
Both sides of the river are densely packed with reeds. Don’t underestimate these reeds. These seemingly wasted reed beds are not only reserve channels that can hold excess river water, but also serve as raw materials.
The reeds in the reed marsh, after harvesting, drying and weaving, become the best straw mats. There are also various kinds of fabrics. They are all indispensable things for people's daily lives, and they can even be sold. As a flagship product in many places.
People may have some misconceptions.
Think that the land is only used for farming. Little do they know that before industrial society, everything people needed was produced from the land.
Whether it is food, clothing, housing and transportation. or other required items.
Take dyes for example. Before there were chemical dyes, almost all dyes were grown from the ground. So He Xi stood on the bow of the boat and looked around at the crops. Of course there are large areas of rice fields and paddy fields. Countless people are working in the rice fields. Busy with spring plowing. But in some small corners, pieces of land are fragmented. Especially near the river bank, if there is a gap in the land, mulberry trees should be planted in every possible way. There are also other messy fruit trees and vegetables.
The occasional small village with its white walls and black tiles had a familiar feel to He Xi.
Gein, the so-called ancient village in later generations, was mostly established in the early Ming Dynasty. Therefore, in terms of architectural style, many places in Jiangnan were retained in later generations. It seems that little has changed in these ancient villages over the course of thousands of years.
Let He Xi occasionally feel homesick again.
Even in the rivers, occasionally at intersections, there will be a few boats, or dozens of boats crowded together. You have to wait a little while before you can pass by. This is because the boat He Xi used obviously looked like an official ship. It is very different from ordinary people's awning boats.
People are afraid of officials. They all made way for He Xi and his group. Otherwise, it will be delayed for a while.
Yao Guangxiao is from Suzhou.
He also explained to He Xi: "Sir, this is still the spring plowing time, the busy farming season. Therefore, there are not many boats in the river. If it comes to a lively time in the countryside, such as a social opera or something, the entire river may be filled with boats. . It’s so dense. That’s what’s spectacular.”
He Xi said: "Is this always the case in Jiangnan?"
Yao Guangxiao said: "That's not the case. This was during the Hongwu period, when the world was at peace, and Jiangnan regained its vitality."
He Xi said: "I heard that people in the south of the Yangtze River miss King Zhang? Has Mr. Yao ever heard of it?"
The so-called King Zhang is naturally Zhang Shicheng.
Yao Guangxiao said: "My lord, this is both true and false. Naturally, some people miss King Zhang. When Zhang Shicheng was here, Corporal Li Xian had the most respect for scholars. Anyone with a little literary name was his guest. That generous man Generous. But that may not be the case for the people. Your Excellency only knows that half of the land in the south of the Yangtze River is official land, but you don’t know that half of the land was confiscated from Zhang Shicheng and Zhang Shicheng’s relatives."
"Zhang Sijiu, before he became rich, was just a private salt dealer. Once he became powerful, he occupied more than half of the land in Jiangnan. Sir, do you think the people in Jiangnan miss him or not? If the people in Jiangnan all miss King Zhang, your Majesty will be able to pacify him so easily. Zhang Shicheng?"
"Only Zhang Shicheng thinks that the sun and the moon are shining on you but not on me."
He Xi smiled slightly. No more words were spoken.
He just wanted to see Yao Guangxiao's thoughts on a whim.
After all, Yao Guangxiao was so famous in history. He Xi wanted to know how loyal Yao Guangxiao was to the Ming Dynasty. Now it seems that Yao Guangxiao was not very loyal to the Ming Dynasty. But very aware of current affairs. It is absolutely impossible to die for the Ming Dynasty. But when the Ming Dynasty comes, he doesn't mind being a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty.
"Mr. Yao, Mr. Yao." Princess Anqing changed into a girl's outfit, looking smart and cute. She feasted her eyes on the spring scenery on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. After all, it was a good time in the south of the Yangtze River. It's just that it gets a little boring after watching it too much. She said: "Aren't we buying property? When can we get there? Are we going to Songjiang Mansion?"
Yao Guangxiao saluted and said: "Madam, Songjiang Prefecture is certainly a prosperous place, but if you want to buy furnishings, you don't need to go to Songjiang Prefecture. There is a place in the west of Songjiang Prefecture, Zhujing Town, where cotton cloth is produced. Just go wherever you want. .”
Princess Anqing murmured: "Zhu Jing." Suddenly she smiled and said: "What a good name. How long will it take to arrive?"
Yao Guangxiao said: "The river is a bit crowded. According to today's pace, we can arrive early tomorrow morning. I have sent Yang Yu to the front station."
Princess Anqing was slightly disappointed.
That's how it is in this era. Traveling is not a very comfortable thing, although there are beautiful scenery on the road. But most of the time is spent on the road. Nowadays, Princess Anqing spends most of her time on boats, which is already quite good.
But it’s hard to say how comfortable these days’ boats are.
Wandering around is inevitable.
He Xi said: "Okay. The boat will stop in a while. Let's look for some local side dishes. How about giving my wife a toothpaste as a gift?"
Princess Anqing said: "Look at what you said, as if I love eating." Although she said this, the twinkling eyes of Princess Anqing also showed that she actually wanted to enjoy Jiangnan delicacies.
He Xi kept his word. Stopped in a small town. We found the largest restaurant in the town for dinner.
The group packed up half of the restaurant. The restaurant naturally didn't dare to neglect.
Good wine and good food are served.
He Xi took a few bites and thought that was all. The taste of Jiangnan is the same as it was hundreds of years later, sweeter. It's just that the taste cannot be compared with that of later generations. Even compared to the royal chef in the Ming Dynasty Palace, it is much worse.
After all, Zhu Yuanzhang was the creator, how could he compromise his own appetites? The imperial chefs did not dare to fool anyone but Zhu Yuanzhang.
So the methods of the imperial chefs are pretty good.
It's just that Zhu Yuanzhang has a strong taste and likes big fish and meat. The taste also leans towards the Lianghuai region. It's just that the taste of Lianghuai cuisine in the early Ming Dynasty is completely different from the so-called Jianghuai cuisine. Princess Anqing's food in the palace all year round cannot be said to be bad. But I think Jiangnan cuisine is also very fresh.
He Xi was not attracted by the food, but by other things.
Ancient compartments are nothing more than screens. The sound can be separated very well. He Xi heard someone whispering next to him.
"Nephew, it's not that I don't feel sorry for you. It's just that you are coming back this time. If the government finds out, you will be beheaded. There are more than ten taels of silver here, take it and leave quickly." An old voice said said.
"Uncle, my father is dead. He died in Fengyang. My nephew really doesn't dare to go back. The life I lived in Fengyang was not like a human being at all. People are cheap when they leave their hometown. Everything is fine at home. But in other places, Even if you have money, it won't work. Uncle, please take your nephew in for your father's sake. My nephew just wants to live." said a young man.
The two tried to lower their voices. But He Xi still heard it.
Yao Guangxiao also noticed this and said in a low voice: "Sir, your Majesty moved to the south of the Yangtze River to become powerful in Fengyang. There are always people fleeing. I guess this person also escaped from Fengyang."
He Xi nodded, understanding in her heart.
Zhu Yuanzhang's powerful migration was different from ordinary immigrants. Contains the meaning of blow. Just like the Han Dynasty, when the powerful people from all over the world migrated to Guanzhong, it was the same.
