Kong Shangyi waved his hand, and the two servants immediately retreated.
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Zheng Haizhu also said to Huang Zude: "You stay guard in the courtyard."
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"yes."
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Huang Zude responded, and when he stepped over the threshold, he turned back and closed the door.
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Zheng Haizhu fed 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. At the same time, he said to Kong Shangyi: "Third Master, if you have anything to say, please tell me quickly. This is a rare opportunity tonight."
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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.
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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 some treasures that are suitable for your eyes, you can enjoy them for your own entertainment."
I am also happy for my wife."
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Zheng Haizhu sanded the inkstone once, threw the sandpaper to the corner of the table, added new water to the inkstone, and started grinding the ink.
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Kong Shangyi saw that she was silent, but there was definitely no sign of categorical rejection in her expression, so he hurriedly said: "We at Yanshenggong 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.
Give us some guidance. We also have arrangements for Eunuch Cao. Ah, of course, Madam, this is the first one."
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Zheng Haizhu dipped his pen in ink and started writing on the paper in front of him.
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Kong Shangyi suddenly became nervous.
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Under the flickering candlelight and separated by a large round table with a marble panel, Kong Shangyi couldn't see clearly what Zheng Haizhu wrote.
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What is this woman doing? Is she trying to write down what she just said?
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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 his relatives, such as them, that 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 terrifying than Jin Yiwei and Dongchang Fanzi.
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The latter was the dirty trick of the Long Live Lord. He was led by the emperor's cronies to record the words and deeds of the officials inside and outside the capital in preparation for punishment and condemnation.
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"Mrs. Zheng, what are you..."
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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 ink. My calligraphy skills are poor, and the third master is laughing."
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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 extravagance.
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Since it was written with my left hand, it does look a little crooked.
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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?
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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 pen, continued to write two sentences, and then
I went to wash off the ink, then raised my head and stared at Kong Shangyi.
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"Third Master, five thousand taels, is it cash or banknotes?"
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Kong Shangyi concealed his pride at the immediate success and took out five banknotes and placed them on the table.
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"One thousand taels per card, there are several large wharves along the canal, Linqing in this province, Beijing and Tianjin in the north, Yangzhou and Hangzhou in the south, the exchanges and secret deposits are all different. If Madam has someone trustworthy around her, you can go to Linqing in Linqing
Please redeem one first to verify its authenticity."
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Seeing that Zheng Haizhu did not go to get the banknote, Kong Shangyi continued to add smartly: "Of course, if Madam feels that the banknote cannot be trusted, I can also get someone to set off tomorrow and deliver the cash to the capital."
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"Third Master, let me ask, can you make the decision for your nephew today?"
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"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 of Yansheng, he and the other members of the family will listen to me on all matters in this matter.
"
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Zheng Haizhu looked at the face in front of him that was determined to win.
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He is so similar to many of the rich and noble adult men in the empire.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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That was twenty years later.
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With Kong Shangyi's well-maintained body and family power, he might have been "honored" when he took the lead in kneeling down and shaving his hair and growing braids.
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But at this moment, Zheng Haizhu decided to give the other party one last chance.
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"Third Master, I also want to be clear with you. I am not short of silver flowers, and neither is Eunuch Cao, but I, the Ming Dynasty, am short of silver. A Tang Dynasty poem goes like this: I repay you the favor on the golden platform, and support 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 one-tenth of the famous sacrificial fields so that Taicang can get enough military pay. Can you do your best?”
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Kong Shangyi smiled and said: "Two out of ten? Tens of thousands of taels of real money and discounted silver every year. Madam, it is really easy to talk about it."
"So, you, the Kong family, have already figured out clearly how much real money and silver the Ming Dynasty has given you, 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.
Add money to the national treasury and money to the soldiers on the frontier, why don’t you want to die in such a heartbreaking way?"
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Kong Shangyi saw the woman wipe her face and speak so mercilessly, and he already realized that the exchange of words a moment ago was all about her trying to test the Kong family's position and bottom line.
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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 the palm of your hand! Mr. Zheng, don’t think that all of us in Qufu are 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 defense of men and women and still stayed 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?”
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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?"
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But then Huang Zude's shouts came out again, accompanied by the sound of clanking metal. It was obvious that several guards in golden uniforms were preventing the servants from entering.
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Zheng Haizhu looked at Kong Shangyi with disdain: "Third Master, I have been alive for a long time. I never thought that after you claimed to be a saint, the expedients you came up with were just making up things about men and women's crotches."
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When Kong Shangyi heard the clatter of embroidered spring knives outside the house, he felt a sudden chill on the back of his neck, and all kinds of horrifying stories from the past entered his mind.
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After breaking up, it's important to save your life first.
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Kong Shangyi then ignored the quarrel with the other party, stood up, grabbed the banknotes on the table, and prepared 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 bitch!"
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 been well-dressed and well-off for decades. He didn't have any martial arts foundation in melee combat, so he didn't know how to dodge. Instead, he raised his sleeves to block because of his instinct of losing soldiers to protect his chariot.
But just when he yelled the words "killer", the silver light that made him believe it would be fatal in an instant of fear only flashed by.
It turned out that what was facing him was just a woven cowhide handle.
Wearing a steel glove, he held the right hand with both sides of the blade, and without any delay, he stabbed the tip of the knife into the owner's shoulder.
Immediately, a cry of pain and anger 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