In just a quarter of an hour, Jining's city wall was already invisible.
There is a row of tea stalls outside the official road at several intersections. Almost every tea stall is overcrowded.
The tea stalls in other places are just a shed with a table, a large teapot and a stack of pottery bowls on the table. There are no long stools. The customers squat on the ground with the tea bowls and just drink.
But the tea stall in front of me not only had tables, chairs, and tureens, but also some pastries, candied fruits, etc., which was strange.
"Let's go take a look, have a cup of tea and take a rest, and listen to any news about Qufu!"
A group of eight people asked for two tables, ordered two pots of tea, ordered several plates of snacks, and slowly looked around.
It only took a moment for the tea to be served. Li Ruolian called to the waiter who brought the tea: "Second brother, your boss is really interesting. Why did you think of opening such an extra store in this deserted suburb? Seeing so many customers, there are so many Earn it!”
"Hey, I don't know if it's a loss or not, but I guess I didn't make much money, and the shopkeeper doesn't want to make money here!"
"What do you mean? If you don't make money, what are you doing driving?"
The waiter put the plate on the plate and said softly: "Are you guys going to Qufu to participate in the ceremony to kill...to commemorate Confucius, or are you going to buy a shop?"
"What does it have to do with whether you make money or not and going to Qufu? Besides, of course we are going to attend the Confucius Memorial Ceremony, so why go such a long way to buy a shop?"
"Masters, if you are going to Qufu, I would like to advise you not to go for the time being. Qufu County is already full at this time.
Let alone staying in an inn, it’s hard to find a clean place.
And in the past few days, for some reason, Qufu County has been blocked by the Tianxiong Army stationed in Qufu. You can only enter but not leave.
Hmm... That's not right. You can export it, but you need to register.
Our city of Jining is only a hundred or so miles away from Qufu. The emperor must have passed through Jining when he came from Nanjing to Qufu. We have first-hand information.
When the time comes, we will start from Jining and we will be there in just one morning. There is no need to listen to those scholars yelling at the world every day.
Eating Jining's famous large intestine, grilled fish, roast chicken, fried cakes and other snacks, and visiting places such as Peony Garden and Meng Temple are better than sleeping in the open air in Qufu.
I'll give you an order from our Jun Lai Restaurant. If you guys follow my advice and come back to Jining City, you'll get a discount at Jun Lai Restaurant! "
Looking at the list on the table, everyone looked at each other, actually waiting here.
Even more curious, this gentleman came to the restaurant owner's cleverness, cheap tea and snacks, and the pros and cons of the situation, and moved the guests with his emotions, and detained the guests in his own inn in the city.
Seeing the surprised and suspicious expressions on their faces, the second brother looked around and whispered: "Masters, please don't think that I am just trying to keep you here. I am really doing it for your own good.
It was said to be a ceremony to commemorate Confucius, but the guest officials who heard it said it was a ceremony to kill Confucius! "
"Killing Ceremony?"
Li Ruolian's face darkened and she whispered, "You dare to say this and risk your life?"
Before the waiter could respond, a few tables next door started talking.
"Hey, the emperor beheaded so many people in South Zhili. It must be a shock. Now that Qufu is making such a fuss, maybe some of them will be beheaded!"
"It's not impossible, it's certain. Otherwise, if Tianxiong's army blocked the gate of Qufu and registered it in such detail, wouldn't it be just settling accounts after the fall?"
"What a contradiction. So many things have been revealed in the Qufu County Government about Confucius's violation of the Ming Dynasty. I really didn't expect that a saint's family could be so bad. We are ashamed to be associated with it.
To be honest, I really don’t want to go into this muddy water, but we have been taught by sages since childhood, and now the emperor has made it clear that he wants to liquidate the Kong family. If we go to make trouble, we may also be liquidated! "
"Brother Huo, you have gone into a misunderstanding. The Kong family is the Kong family, and Kong Sheng is the Kong Sheng. These are two different things. The Kong family is just a title.
Not only the Qufu Confucius family, but also other Confucius families. Aren’t the other branches descendants of Confucius?
Why can only the main line enjoy the imperial reward? "
"Yes, the Holy Son of the Kong family collaborates with the enemy, has impure blood, etc. It is difficult to say whether these things are true or false, but as long as there is a slight possibility, the imperial court will not let the Kong family in Qufu continue to attack Yan Shenggong. No one can bear it. suffered the consequences.”
"Then why don't you go to Qufu?"
"Go, but don't enter the city. I heard that Kong Zhenyun, the 62nd generation patriarch of Nankong, has come in person, and classes are now being held at Nishan in the southeast of Qufu. We will definitely benefit a lot from the teachings of such a great scholar. "
"Yes, drink quickly. After drinking, we will go to the lectures. No matter what the Qufu Kong family does, Kong Sheng is still here."
…
Several people drank the tea in one gulp, threw out some copper coins, and headed towards Qufu.
When the people at the next table saw this, they all followed suit.
It was just a matter of seconds, but the crowded tea shed was already empty.
"You guys must have heard it, it's not just a small talk, it's been spread like this in private now.
If the imperial court wants to liquidate the Confucius family, then the shops in Qufu that the Kong family has a monopoly on will probably be confiscated by the imperial court. Judging from the confiscation of the property of wealthy gentry and wealthy merchants by the imperial court in the past two years, the shops are basically sold.
Although Beikong has been dealt with, it is very likely that Nankong will be recalled. By then, Qufu will still be a holy place for scholars.
Every year there is a ceremony to commemorate Confucius and countless students come to make pilgrimages. Buying a shop is a sure profit.
Now tens of thousands of people have come to Qufu City, and businessmen may account for 20%, all of whom are planning to buy shops. Now in the entire Jining City, wealthy businessmen from all over the country have brought in at least one million taels of silver.
I heard that the first store in Quelifang, next to the east wall of the Confucius Temple, sold for a sky-high price of 50,000 taels.
If I want to offend you, except for this young master who is quite bookish, you guys don't look like scholars, but rather like businessmen who are walking around all year round.
Since he is a businessman, he naturally sees the value of shops in Qufu County. "
"Hahaha, you little second brother is really interesting, this..."
Before Chongzhen finished speaking, someone walked over quickly and handed Li Ruolian a small package. Looking at the mark on the package, Li Ruolian's face changed slightly: "My boss, a letter from home!"
"Letter from home?"
Chongzhen repeated softly, a trace of solemnity flashed in his eyes, and then he whispered: "Let's go, talk as we go!"
After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the carriage. Looking at Chongzhen who got on the carriage, the second brother looked a little disappointed and said to himself: "Another group of people who are not afraid of death.
Hey, these people are really stingy. They provided so much information and didn't even give me any reward. However, the cake was not touched, so it was an advantage for me! "
The second brother complained in his mouth, but his hands kept moving, stuffing the pastries on the plate into his mouth, mumbling indistinctly.
"Hey, the Kong Mansion is going to be dealt with, and this business won't last a few days."
