Kong Shangyi waved his hand, and the two servants immediately retreated.
?
Zheng Haizhu also said to Huang Zude: "You stay guard in the courtyard."
?
"yes."
?
Huang Zude responded, and when he stepped over the threshold, he turned back and closed the door.
?
Zheng Haizhu poured a puddle of water the size of a copper coin into the inkstone he was playing with and tasting, and began to sand the inkstone with sandpaper. He said to Kong Shangyi, "If you have anything to say, please tell me as soon as possible. This is a rare opportunity tonight."
?
Kong Shangyi was still dreaming about his big dream, so he naturally interpreted Zheng Haizhu's words in a different direction, thinking that she was eager to hear the number of the gift.
?
Kong Shangyi then went straight to the topic: "Our Kong family has a predestined relationship with Master Zheng, so we have to express our feelings. I will give you five thousand taels first. It is a small gift. Madam will definitely accept it. If you can find a treasure that is suitable for your eyes, you can enjoy it for your own entertainment." I am also happy for my wife."
?
Zheng Haizhu sanded the inkstone, threw the sandpaper to the corner of the table, added new water to the inkstone, and began to grind the ink.
?
Kong Shangyi saw that she was silent, but there was definitely no sign of categorical rejection in her expression, so he hurriedly said: "We in Yanshenggong's Mansion have visited Beijing less often in recent years and don't know the rules in Beijing very well. If this number is not suitable, Madam, please Give us some guidance. We also have arrangements for Eunuch Cao. Ah, of course, Madam, this is the first one."
?
Zheng Haizhu dipped his pen in ink and started writing on the paper in front of him.
?
Kong Shangyi suddenly became nervous.
?
The candlelight flickered, and across a large round table with a marble panel, Kong Shangyi couldn't see clearly what Zheng Haizhu wrote.
?
What is this woman doing? Do you want to write down what you just said?
?
He immediately remembered that his cousin Kong Shangxian, who lived in the capital, sometimes returned to Qufu to visit his relatives. During private meetings, he had mentioned to them, who were close friends of his family, whether they were sitting in the Beijing camp on an empty salary or those at the border who were really capable. The general soldiers and servants who fought were far less scary than Jin Yiwei and Dongchang Fanzi.
?
The latter was the insidious trick of the Long Live Lord. He was led by the emperor's cronies to record the words and deeds of the courtiers inside and outside the capital in preparation for punishment and condemnation.
?
"Mrs. Zheng, what are you..."
?
Zheng Haizhu stopped writing, picked up the paper, showed it to Kong Shangyi, and said softly: "Why is the third master so nervous? I am testing the ink. My calligraphy skills are poor, and the third master is laughing."
?
Kong Shangyi looked carefully and saw only two poems written on the paper: Looking at the virtuous countries and families in the past, success was caused by diligence and frugality, and destruction was caused by luxury.
?
Because it was written with my left hand, it is indeed a little crooked.
?
Kong Shangyi's vigilance turned to surprise. This woman didn't look left-handed. Why didn't she take off the steel glove on her right hand to test the ink?
?
Zheng Haizhu dipped the pen into the porcelain jar and carefully observed the situation of the ink sinking to the bottom of the water. Then he rinsed it clean, hung it on the bamboo stand on the round table, replaced it with another tube of wolf hair, continued to write two sentences, and then I went to wash the ink, then raised my head and stared at Kong Shangyi.
?
"Third Master, five thousand taels, is it cash or banknotes?"
?
Kong Shangyi concealed his pride at the immediate success, took out five banknotes and placed them on the table.
?
"One thousand taels per piece, there are several large docks along the canal, Linqing in this province, the capital and Tianjin in the north, Yangzhou and Hangzhou in the south, the exchanges and secret deposits are all different. Madam, if you have someone trustworthy around you, you can go to Linqing in Linqing Please redeem one first to verify its authenticity."
?
Seeing that Zheng Haizhu did not go to get the silver note, Kong Shangyi continued to add smartly: "Of course, if Madam feels that the bank note cannot be trusted, I can also get someone to set off tomorrow and deliver the cash to the capital's residence."
?
"Three elders
Master, let me ask you, can you make the decision for your nephew today? "
?
"Well, I already have my destiny in sight, and as a direct descendant of the Kong family, how can I deceive the lady? Although my nephew wants to inherit the title of Duke Yansheng, he and the other members of the family will listen to me on all matters this time. "
?
Zheng Haizhu looked at the face in front of him that was determined to win.
?
He is so similar to the rich and noble adult men in the empire.
?
In the daytime, on the high platform, in front of everyone, they looked majestic and righteous, talking about the country, the country, the country, and the welfare of the people.
?
In the dark night, in the secret room, behind the crowd, they are cold, selfish, and greedy, with no trace of the loyalty and compassion they preach.
?
In real history, after the Qing army entered the Pass, Kong Yinzhi wrote the "First Advancement Statement" to Huang Taiji, praising the Eight Banners' march south as "universal celebration", and wrote the "Head-Shaving Memorial" the following year. He took the lead in shaving his hair and combing his hair into long braids, and asked the entire Kong family to do the same.
?
That was twenty years later.
?
With Kong Shangyi's well-maintained body and clan power, he might have been "honored" by taking the lead in kneeling down and shaving his hair and leaving braids.
?
But at this moment, Zheng Haizhu decided to give the other party one last chance.
?
"Third Master, let me be clear with you. I am not short of silver flowers, and Eunuch Cao is not short of silver flowers either, but I, the Ming Dynasty, am short of silver. As a Tang Dynasty poem goes, I repay you the favor on the golden platform, and guide the jade dragon to die for you. Even if your Duke Yan Sheng's Mansion doesn't send out any disciples to guard the country and look forward to death, at least you can clear out 10/20 of the sacrificial fields in order to provide Taicang with enough military pay. Can you do your best?"
?
Kong Shangyi smiled and said: "Two out of ten? Tens of thousands of taels of real money and broken silver every year. Madam, it's really easy to talk about it."
"So, you, the Kong family, have already figured out how much privileges the Ming Dynasty has given you in terms of real money and silver, right? Third Master, come and take care of me. I only have five thousand taels of silver in one move, and you are still willing to go up. Come on. Why don’t you want to die in such a heartbreaking and heartbreaking way to collect money for the national treasury and the soldiers on the border?"
?
When Kong Shangyi saw the woman smearing her face and speaking so mercilessly, he already realized that the exchange of words a moment ago was all about the other party trying to test the Kong family's position and bottom line again.
?
Kong Shangyi was furious and said angrily: "This is not a matter of tens of thousands of taels of silver. This is a big deal, involving the ancestral system and the face of my Confucius family! How can I, the majestic Yanshenggong family, be polluted by you guys?" A clown playing tricks on your hands! Mr. Zheng, don’t think that we in Qufu are all soft persimmons. Do you really think that we have no one in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty? After you moved into our Yanshenggong Mansion, you ignored the protection of men and women, and you were still alive in Xuhai In and out of the palace of the eldest son of the emperor, the censors of the northern and southern capitals, don’t they have the guts to write about it?”
?
Kong Shangyi's last few words were obviously louder. After he finished speaking, two servants outside the door eagerly asked: "Master, do you have any orders?"
?
But then Huang Zude's shouts came out again, accompanied by the sound of clanking metal. It was obvious that several Jinyi guards were preventing the servants from entering.
?
Zheng Haizhu looked at Kong Shangyi with disdain: "Third Master, it's been a long time since I've seen you. I didn't expect that after you claimed to be a saint, the expedient measures you tried to suppress were just the things in the crotches of men and women."
?
When Kong Shangyi heard the clatter of embroidered spring knives outside the house, a sudden chill ran down his neck, and all kinds of horrifying stories from the past entered his mind.
?
After breaking up, it’s important to save your life first.
?
Kong Shangyi then ignored the other party and stood up, grabbing the banknotes on the table and preparing to leave.
Zheng Haizhu moved faster than him, grabbed the pen washer, raised his wrist, and the ink splashed out, not only staining the banknotes, but also making Kong Shangyi's palms and puff sleeves wet.
"You, you are such a slut
woman! "
As soon as Kong Shangyi finished speaking, Zheng Haizhu's right hand wearing a steel glove reached under the round table, pulled out a narrow and long steel knife, and stabbed it straight into the sleeve of Kong Shangyi's robe.
Kong Shangyi was a landowner who had lived well for decades. He didn't have any martial arts skills in close combat, so he couldn't dodge. Instead, he raised his sleeves to block because of his instinct to protect his chariot when losing soldiers.
But just when he shouted the three words "killer", the silver light that made him believe that it would be fatal in an instant of fear only flashed by.
It turned out that what was facing him was just the woven cowhide handle.
The right hand, wearing a steel glove and holding a double-edged blade, stabbed the tip of the knife into the owner's shoulder without any delay.
Immediately, an angry cry of pain came from the opposite side: "Are your Kong family going to rebel?"
Before Kong Shangyi could react, there was a bang and the door behind him was kicked open.
Huang Zude, the leader of Jinyiwei, raised his voice and ordered his men: "You, go to His Highness's courtyard and ask the imperial doctor to come over! Madam has been stabbed! You, tie up this old thief in the Confucius Mansion! You, go to the Confucius Temple and report to the general of the country, Qufu Kong At home, attack and kill the imperial officials!"
