The Golden Basin Washing Hands Conference ended just as naturally as it began.
After inspection, Shang Zhixin seemed to be suffering from a sudden rage. No one knew why he was so afraid of Master Jianjiang. Luo Yuantong said lightly that he must have been drinking too much and losing control of his emotions, so he sent his disciples to set out together.
, escorted him back to Pingnan Palace in a car.
The martial arts people who came from afar did not leave immediately after the conference, because as the host, the Luo family, as a rule, had to pay for the entertainment of guests from all over the world. Food and accommodation were provided for the first two days, and there would be a feast for all the heroes on the third day.
It is not until the guests and hosts are enjoying each other's drinks, and the Golden Basin Washing Ceremony is complete.
Some people may think that this is being taken advantage of, but you must know that after washing hands in the golden basin, this meal is no longer Luo Yuantong's face, but belongs to Luo Shuang'er's own favor.
Zhou Long was naturally overjoyed for such a good thing, and he could take the disciples of the Vajra Sect to eat and drink for free. But people like Jiang Wen who had a place to stay basically left first, but
Promise to attend the cocktail party three days later.
It can be said that in addition to Tiedan Village, several other major forces also acted in the same way.
Fan Xinghan hurriedly left without waiting for the Luo family to persuade him to stay. His expression was already full of worries, which could be seen without any need for careful identification. The Songyang faction escorted the fainted Shang Zhixin away with worry, and the leader Bai Zhen wore official clothes.
The uniform leader walked through the city in a swagger; the Qingqi Gang did not say a word, and everyone from the Red Flower Club left front and back. For a time, the severe situation in the Luo Mansion caused by the marriage proposal was relieved a lot.
Yuan Ziyi ran to have a chat with Luo Shuang'er, admiring the pair of Hanwang green knives in her hand with admiration, and then said that Jiang Wen and the others would go back first, and that he wanted to chat with sister Shuang'er for a while, and would not go back for dinner.
"Then remember to go back. We'll leave first."
Jiang Wen was not polite, and turned around to leave. Suddenly he remembered the team of musicians he had brought with him, and they were still following behind him eagerly waiting for their wages to be settled.
At this time, most of the people in the mansion had dispersed, but to Jiang Wen's surprise, several troupe musicians came together. Although it was rare for him to settle the reward in full, they hesitated one by one and refused to leave, saying nothing.
Stop hinting to Jiang Wen whether he will have similar errands in the future, and they can always work for the Wuyi faction.
"Masters, what do you mean by this? You might as well speak more clearly."
Jiang Wen was a little confused. Could it be that after this battle, they also had the desire to make a debut in the world, and planned to ask for the title of "a heartbroken song, where can I find a close friend in the world"?
Faced with doubts, the troupe musicians honestly expressed their thoughts.
Jin Pingcai and Guan Pi Tuan Tiao Liu, these are half of the world, and the musicians are all single men.
The "Eight Immortals Troupe" they belong to does not have a well-known name in Guangzhou, and it has no famous supporting platform. It has long been crumbling and falling apart. Now it is reduced to staging the Red Boat Magic Play on Zhilan Lake. It is said that several small platforms and pillars are promising.
As a way out, I was planning to run away and become the husband-in-law of a wealthy family at any time.
Seeing Jiang Wen's generous spending and flamboyant behavior, the musicians have now figured out that if they could often have such exposure to the world and be in the limelight by following the Wuyi sect, it would be better than struggling in the Caotai Opera Troupe.
To take a step back, even if the grand occasion stops in the future, they can still learn more new songs from Jiang Wen, and go out to do some work to promote celebrations in the future, so they will not starve to death.
After Jiang Wen heard this, he couldn't help but sigh. No wonder these people looked disheveled and were dressed in rags. At first, he thought it was the artist who deliberately dressed up as a superior person.
After all, the world is still in trouble, which puts pressure on them to change careers to make a living. If these musicians don't learn some new skills, they may not even be able to steal money from others for weddings and weddings in the future.
"But I am a martial arts sect, and it is nothing for me to support a few musicians..."
One of the sallow-skinned musicians hurriedly explained: "Master Jiang, it is normal for a wealthy family to have a troupe of musicians. The Wuyi Sect has such a reputation, so it is natural that it can be raised."
After the other party's explanation and combined with his own knowledge reserves, Jiang Wen finally understood some of the reasons behind the doorway.
It turns out that as early as the early Ming Dynasty, Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang learned the lesson of the late Yuan Dynasty when the monarchs and ministers perished due to enjoyment and neglect of government, and implemented the strategy of governing the country with severe punishments and laws. He believed that all ancient music in the Yuan Dynasty was abandoned, but lewd lyrics and songs were sung repeatedly, which had a great impact on society.
The licentious and hedonistic culture had a negative impact, so Yuefu dramas were abandoned and suppressed, and a series of restrictive policies were adopted for dramatic activities that promoted excellence.
However, folk opera became self-contained. It gradually became more prosperous during the Hongzhi period and reached its peak during the Longqing period, with countless people joining in. Professional opera troupes like the "Eight Immortals Troupe" became more common. In Su and Hangzhou, with the help of
The charm of Kun Opera attracts many theater troupes. If you can learn the big plays planned by celebrities from both the government and the public, such as "The Story of the Ice Mountain", "The Story of the West Chamber" and "The Story of the Hosta", you can easily attract tens of thousands of viewers, with rows of stages and crowded venues.
The grand scene outside the gate.
But the rules set by Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang have not changed. All actors will be relegated to low status. Theater troupes composed of local artists, such as the "Eight Immortals Troupe", which are called "local elites" and "local troupes", are just
He is proficient in writing and calligraphy, and he also sings in the "Guangzhou tune" of "one person sings in harmony with others, and the wild sounds are mixed".
They occasionally hired a poor scholar to write, but they still only performed some vulgar little plays, and the lyrics and music they wrote and performed were not accurate, and they could only make ends meet with the rewards they earned. In a prosperous town like Guangzhou, with its unique
Due to its advantages of geography and dense population, it has naturally become a place where professional theater troupes gather, and there are even more frustrated people among them.
The opera troupe mentioned by the musicians originally refers to the activities of aristocratic families raising actors. They are called into the mansion since childhood, where they build gardens, store musical instruments, and tune silk and bamboo. Every day, famous people gather together to sing and sing, and the level of opera is natural.
This should not be underestimated. As the rich and wealthy families in Guangzhou City follow the arty trend, they often have theatrical troupes that sponsor and support them. Whenever important events occur, they will pay for performances in temples to honor the gods.
Jiang Wen could already predict that after today, when famous people went out to go out, they would probably lead a band to show their prestige like him. These musicians were also able to adapt quickly, and it was indeed nothing out of the ordinary, so he made a big show of it.
He replied compassionately.
"This seems feasible, but there are too many of you. To be honest, our Wuyi sect, including people and horses, can't keep up with your numbers. From now on, Jiang will only be responsible for the rewards when going out, and there will be others to pay for the daily wages. Several
Master, come back with us."
Several musicians immediately thanked him profusely and were overjoyed. They packed up their instruments and followed Jiang Wen away. No one cared that just because of his words, an extra band of musicians appeared out of thin air in Guangzhou city.
Lu, the hapless theater troupe whose leader is at a loss.
Jiang Wen also inquired about it on the way and found that the local theater troupe belonged to the theater style of Wu Dawen. The actors were skilled in martial arts and played with human beings. They performed many absurd stories that could not be investigated. The words were neither written nor the facts, "
The original most popular piece of the "Eight Immortals Class" was the martial arts drama "Thunder Killing" which the old class leader learned from Leizhou Nuo dance. It tells the story of a strange scoundrel who was killed by thunder. Unfortunately, with the accidental death of the old class leader, it was no longer possible.
No one can perform it anymore.
On the way back, Hong Wending passed by the closed door of the Meng Xue Private School. He vaguely saw an old figure walking alone in the distance in the pouring rain. But when he looked back, the lonely figure was scattered by the raindrops, as if
What just happened was just an illusion.
"Senior Brother Wending, what are you looking at?"
Fu Ningdie had been looking overjoyed since she left Luo Mansion. At this time, she stopped and asked Hong Wending.
Hong Wending always felt that the white-haired Mengxue teacher was as full of worries as his father Hong Xiguan before, and he could hardly walk with him on his back.
"Oh, nothing."
Hong Wending shook his head and followed the footsteps of the others.
After trudging through the streets and alleys of Jishui, everyone finally arrived at Lei Huo's house on Xiguan Street. They bumped into Lei Huo, who was dressed in silk and luxurious clothes, standing at the door eagerly looking forward to it. Seeing Jiang Wen and the others appeared, they quickly shouted with joy.
Yell.
"Director Jiang, Director Jiang! You are finally back!"
"What happened?"
Jiang Wen calmly closed the oil-paper umbrella and shook off the remaining water stains on it. He first introduced to the musicians following him, "From now on, this Mr. Lei will pay for your wages. You must remember this!"
The musicians hurriedly bowed and saluted, saying in unison: "I've seen Mr. Lei!"
"Now that Director Jiang has spoken, you will be members of my Lei family from now on, and your wages will be paid to the cook first."
Lei Laohu patted his chest nonchalantly and said to Jiang Wen somewhat flatteringly: "Anyway, Director Jiang's business is mine, Mr. Lei's, Mr. Jiang's friends are my friends, Mr. Jiang's, Mr. Jiang's face is mine, Mr. Lei's."
Someone's face, Director Jiang's money is my money to cheat someone..."
At this point, he himself felt a little inappropriate, and he almost told the truth, but changed his words in a hurry and vaguely, "Anyway, just ask me... Director Jiang, fortunately you are back, I received something at my house today.
, I dare not open it until now. Just looking at the writing on it, it seems that it is to be handed over to you..."
Several people crossed the book side room and crossed Qingyun Lane, which leads directly to the main hall. They immediately saw the Eight Immortals table in the middle of the hall. There was an object wrapped in layers of oil paper and repeatedly wrapped with hemp rope, and it was printed with thick ink.
There is a big word "jiang" on it. Due to the recent humid climate, traces like insect mycelium seep out between the ink writing, making it look even more sinister and terrifying.
"That's it. It probably came with the Lei family's convoy transporting silk and satin two days ago. Someone unknowingly stuffed it into the pile of goods. It wasn't until the housekeeper took stock of the goods this morning that he discovered it."
Thunder Tiger's expression was a little overly nervous, as if what was in front of him was not a paper bag, but some savage beast that preyed on people and would be doomed once it was opened.
Jiang Wen patted his shoulder and comforted him.
"Mr. Lei, are you a little too nervous? I think the moisture-proof workmanship is rigorous and the materials used are not cheap. It may be that the medicinal materials ordered by a drug store were loaded into the wrong car. The 'Jiang' written on it is probably Jiang Zhu.
It’s the abbreviation of gardenia and other medicinal materials.”
However, Jiang Wen's comfort had no effect. The corners of Lei Hu's mouth twitched slightly and he whispered in Jiang Wen's ear.
"Director Jiang, you don't know something... In fact, the outermost layer of this paper bag originally had a layer of paper with the words 'Mr. Ma Jiashan' written on it. Fortunately, it was not seen by outsiders and was torn into pieces by the housekeeper and burned..."
Jiang Wen suddenly frowned, seeing that this thing was really prepared.
Ma Jiashan, that was Lei Huhu’s original name in Xiamei Town, and it also represented the past disputes he had with the Qing court. The person who sent the things took the initiative to mention this matter, obviously with the intention of intimidation, and warned Lei Hu
This thing must be handed over, otherwise I will send it to the government to prove that you have colluded with Southern Shaolin.
"Pretending to be suspicious and using phrases to attack people's hearts, this person is quite capable."
Jiang Wen sneered and stretched out his hand to tear open the layers of oil paper, revealing what was hidden deep inside.
The three apprentices immediately gathered around him out of curiosity. Only Xiao Shitou saw that there was no food inside, so he took the first step back in a dignified manner.
There were no medicinal materials inside, but a hand-copied book. The paper was intact and the ink was still fresh. However, only the cover pages seemed to be intact, but most of the back pages had been torn away with brute force.
There were only some scattered debris hanging there.
""Guigu Fengtu Ji"?"
Jiang Wen slowly opened the book and read out the title.
After a few days of studying in private school, Hong Wending was already familiar with commonly used written words, but he was still more curious about the origin of this book.
"Master, who sent this? Is this person an enemy or a friend?"
After Jiang Wen read the remaining page, he put the remaining book back on the table and sat down in the Grand Master's chair next to the Eight Immortals' table, with a thoughtful look on his brows.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "I seem to be an enemy and a friend, but I am neither an enemy nor a friend..."
Jiang Wen said slowly, "Our arrival in Guangzhou was not obvious at first. It was not widely announced until today. The only ones who were able to send books to Guangzhou so far in advance are the Holy Mother of Red Lotus and others."
Fu Ningdie poked her head out curiously: "Then why do you say neither enemy nor friend?"
"That's the problem."
Jiang Wen unfolded the broken book with only the first few pages left and said, "The few hundred words left in this book are clearly the fragments of "Fengtu Ji" written by Zhou Chu of the Jin Dynasty. I wrote it down without mentioning it.
There is nothing weird about the local customs or the origin of the festival, so why would Our Lady of the Red Lotus send it here without any explanation?"
The customs mentioned in "Fengtu Ji" actually only refer to the customs of Yixing. Yixing was called Jingyi in ancient times, and it belonged to Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period. In the 26th year of the Qin Dynasty, Jingyi was renamed Yangxian County, so the opening chapter of the incomplete book is
"There is Taihu Lake in the east of Yangxian County, Baoshan Mountain in the middle, and caves at the foot of the mountain. The clouds are hidden in the ground, which is called the Dongting Geoline."
The author of this book is Zhou Chu, the protagonist of "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils". From the second year of Tai'an to the fourth year of Yongjia in the Western Jin Dynasty, in order to commend Zhou Qi (the eldest son of Zhou Chu) for his three-pronged volunteer army to quell the rebellion, the imperial court established
Yixing County, so it can be said that Zhou Chu is not only a local celebrity in Yixing, but also a part of the origin of humanities.
There are only a few words in the remaining "Fengtu Ji", and the remaining pages are devoted to the origins of customs such as July 7th and September 9th, staying up late on the New Year's Eve, etc. There is also a section about the local "more customs, drinking banquets with drums and pans for fun."
The record of taking a Taisu round disk with a width of six feet and holding it on the abdomen, using the five fingers of the left hand to play it as a knot, and the dancers dancing according to the knot is also confusing.
"To put it another way, could it be that the answer lies in the riddle?"
Jiang Wen muttered to himself, then focused his attention on the cover of the broken book, looking at the word "睽古" on it and lost in thought.
From the content point of view, there is no difference between the content of this book and the "Fengtu Ji" circulating in the market, except that this nickname is unheard of, and I am afraid there is some explanation in it.
The word "Guigu" comes from the nine lines of the Sui hexagram in the "Book of Changes". The hexagram says: "Suigu, seeing a pig carrying Tu, carrying a ghost in a cart, first unfolding the arc, then describing the arc, the bandits and bandits are engaged in marriage."
, if it rains, it will be auspicious."
The two sentences "Seeing a pig carrying a coat of paint, carrying a cart full of ghosts" have been interpreted by many Yi scholars as meaning that someone saw a pig with mud on its back struggling to pull a cart, and when he came over, he saw that the cart was full of ghosts. This interpretation
It's scary enough, and bizarre enough, to the point where it's almost an absurd fantasy.
Even Kong Yingda, a master of Yi studies, said in "Comments on the Book of Changes": "'Carrying ghosts on a carriage, first draw the arc, and then explain the arc', the carriage is full of ghosts, which is very weird." Zhu Xi of the Southern Song Dynasty said: "Carrying ghosts
A ghost and a car are different things." What is a "difference" thing? In short, I can't explain it myself. It's very strange.
This hexagram was difficult to explain. Later, "carriage with ghosts" evolved into an idiom, which as the name suggests means very absurd and bizarre.
However, Jiang Wen knew that later, relying on the efforts of historians in this regard, he gave a different explanation than before, boldly interpreting the word "ghost" as ghost place or ghost place, and this opened up a new situation.
After all, the writing of a book is inseparable from the influence of the era and environment in which it is written. Therefore, some people believe that ghosts should refer to Guifang, the yangnu, a minority ethnic group in northern China, who later became the Xiongnu.
During the Yin, Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Central Plains was invaded by the Guifang people, so they were hostile to the Guifang people, so they were called bandits. And marriage was a way to resolve ethnic conflicts, and this tradition is also very old.
Therefore, this hexagram should be understood as: Suiguai was suspicious. He first saw a pig appearing on the road, and then saw a car full of ghosts, so he set up his bow and arrow, and then put down his bow and arrow. It turned out that these people were not bandits.
It is a procession coming to get married. If you encounter rain as you go forward, it will be auspicious.
According to this explanation, I thought I was here to fight, but in the end I found out that I was here to propose marriage. It seemed to vaguely refer to Luo Shuang'er's proposal of marriage, implying that marriage would be used to resolve the crisis and turn enemies into friends?
Another explanation of ghosts comes from the ancient understanding that "for more than three generations, everyone knows astronomy". The farmer's words about the burning fire in July, and the words of the woman with three stars in the sky. At that time, people looked at the sky and worked.
He is accustomed to integrating various celestial phenomena and astronomical phenomena into literature and poetry.
Combined with "Historical Records·Tianguan Shu": "Ghosts are worshiped and ghost temples are held; the white ones are the substance." The astronomical explanation says: "The white ones in the ghost residence are as white as powder, which is called accumulated corpses. One is called heavenly corpses, such as
The clouds are not clouds, just like the stars are not stars, they are just gas." This is a sign that it is about to rain.
This explanation is that there is wet mud on the back of a nearby pig, and the people who are about to get married look up at the sky, and sure enough, they see the ghost star in the south sky condensed with corpse energy (because the ghost star has four stars, and its shape is square, just like a chariot, so
Taking this symbol), it seemed that it was going to rain. Then I sent someone to ask the man driving the bullock cart, and he said that he was just passing by and not here to cause trouble. A rain resolved a misunderstanding, the marriage was able to continue, and I also made a friend from afar.
Good things happen to my friends.
This explanation is also reasonable and consistent with the fact that the upper and lower parts of the Gua Gua are in conflict with each other, and their ambitions are different. Later, they deviate and then reverse their divergence, and finally reach the situation where it is said in "Yun Ci" that "men and women see each other, but their ambitions are connected."
But this explanation is also a bit mysterious. How could Our Lady of the Red Lotus be thousands of miles away? She could have predicted that Jiang Wen would encounter heavy rain during this trip...
"...Is she a qigong practitioner or a fortune teller?"
The two interpretations have different directions, but they are connected with the two things at hand.
This is the magic of the Book of Changes. After a thorough analysis in Jiang Wen's mind, he was able to review the situation of his trip from the simple word "罽古". It fit perfectly as if it were tailor-made.
Customized, even the continuous heavy rain in Guangzhou was calculated and became a good omen...
"No, I can't be fooled by these pretentious tricks. No wonder the smarter the person, the less able he is to break free from superstition."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Jiang Wen shook his head and decided to disenchant his own cognition first, so that he could think truly logically.
Of course, the disenchantment he talks about is not directed at the I Ching. The all-encompassing content of the I Ching is itself extremely philosophical and inspiring, and does not violate the logic of thinking. It is also reasonable to distinguish between friends and foes when going out.
What needs to be re-examined is simply the Holy Mother of Red Lotus.
There is absolutely no way that the other party has the ability to foresee things from thousands of miles away. Otherwise, the young master of the Ding family would have lost his love for her and quickly staged a scene where the two of them died happily. There is absolutely no need for her to find ways to contact her while also
Pretend to be inscrutable in front of yourself.
Let's change the way of thinking and analyze it from a rational point of view. The thing sent by the Red Lotus Virgin must have been a complete and accurate message, and it was clearly destined to be delivered to him. It was only that it was deliberately damaged in the middle.
It became a puzzle in my own hands.
The Ming Zun Sect has been weakened for a long time, and its control over local rudders has also become weaker. This can be seen from the Virgin Mary of the Red Lotus breaking into Fuzhou City alone. The protectors in various places are not necessarily as present in Cao Ying as Huang Ji is.
In the Han Dynasty, there was nothing we could do about everything.
But the question is, who is causing trouble?
Jiang Wen slowly waved the sword with his hand, and then a tall figure with disheveled beard and hair, wrapped in chains, appeared in front of his eyes. With his half-smiling face, all the states and counties in the world turned into him, fighting and killing each other.
There was a chessboard, but he himself was hiding in the deep valley shrouded in clouds and smoke. He couldn't see the beginning but the end. Thousands of unsolvable puzzles were scattered all over the place with his wave of hands, falling in front of his opponent one by one.
"Thinking about it this way, it really seems like the work of Zhao Wuji who drew the ground as a prison and spread the beans to make soldiers. Ordinary people are frightened and dare not move, but he may have hidden tens of millions of Qingyang Sect's magic soldiers in any corner.
, just waiting for the person who has cracked the mystery to come and learn from it.”
The Qingyang Sect's encroachment on the Fuzhou Hongyang Sect was far beyond imagination. The Hongyang Holy Child had been secretly planning for ten years, but only had time to retain the Ding family master as the winner. Therefore, it was logical that the order of the Red Lotus Virgin was intercepted and known.
But one thing Jiang Wen is sure of is that with Zhao Wuji's acting style, the focus should not be on the city of Guangzhou. His purpose of doing this is just to test Jiang Wen again to see what Jiang Wen had previously done in Fuzhou Prefecture.
Is the feat of holding the sky with your hands just a matter of luck?
"Interesting, really interesting..."
Jiang Wen smiled slightly, resisting the suspicion that he had been spied on by all directions, and then once again overturned his previous guess and simplified his thinking to the extreme.
Is there a possibility, for example, that this is just a sloppy work of Our Lady of the Red Lotus?
The previous guesses can naturally be established, but the main problem is that Jiang Wen and the others are currently in Guangzhou, and the content of "Fengtu Ji" is written in Yixing, which is obviously wrong. Is there really anything important to send?
I should give it to Gu Wei’s "Guangzhou Chronicles" written during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, right?!
Guangzhou is more than a thousand miles away from Yixing in the south of the Yangtze River. This is equivalent to your friend knowing that you are going to visit Texas and bringing you a Shandong travel guide. It is really hard to guess what is going on in her brain.
.
"It's not good... Could it be that the condition of the Holy Fire Technique has worsened and the Red Lotus Virgin's mind has become completely confused?"
Lei Huhu and Jiang Wen's disciples saw Jiang Wen talking to himself. His expressions were sometimes serious and sometimes speechless, and the changes were frighteningly fast.
"Master, what are you thinking about?"
Finally, Fu Ningdie asked, making Jiang Wen come out of his thoughts.
"It's nothing, nothing. I can't even take care of the things in front of me. How can I have time to care about things far away?"
Jiang Wen casually put aside his doubts and turned to Lei Huhu and said, "Master Lei, do you have any caravans going to Fujian recently? Either water or land will do, just send me a letter to Quanzhou."
Why do you think so much? Jiang Wen decided to write a letter directly to ask. Even if there were some flaws in the time span, it was still a way to find out the problem.
However, upon hearing Jiang Wen's request, Lei Laohu sighed deeply.
"Master Jiang, you don't know something. I'm afraid I won't be able to get out of Guangzhou these days."
Jiang Wen asked in confusion: "Ah? What's the meaning of this?"
What happened? The city of Guangzhou was really washed into the sea by heavy rain?
Thunder Tiger turned the tourmaline bracelet on his hand, summoned the butler in front of him, asked for a notice delivered to his door by the Guangzhou government office, and explained quickly.
"The government released the results this morning. Since the imperial navy is about to leave for the war, the sea and fishing will be banned from now on. No sails will be launched into the water. Anyone who disobeys will be punished as a bandit and treason, and everyone will be punished without mercy. Several major business houses are now in a hurry.
Like an ant on a hot pot, there is nothing you can do."
After saying that, he said with some gloating, "Fortunately, our goods were delivered ahead of schedule two days ago, so I can give them a big blow this time!"
Only then did the Wuyi sect suddenly realize that this was the case.
As early as in the city of Fuzhou, Jiang Wen met Dasu, the general who conquered the south. His mission for this trip was to assemble the cavalry and navy, and take advantage of the Zheng family's loss of troops and generals in the south of the Yangtze River, and their vitality to disrupt Zheng Chenggong who was harming the coast.
The power was eradicated in one fell swoop.
The war was carried out quickly, so we decided not to disclose the purpose to the outside world in advance. The emergency ban on the sea must also be for the purpose of cooperating with military operations. Now we can kill first and then report the land and sea, and we can also prevent the city's elite from coming to report the news. It can be said that it is
Kill two birds with one stone.
"Master Lei, if we can't go by water, we can still go by land."
Fu Ningdie stuck out her little head and suggested, "Even if the heavy rain for days destroys several official roads, you can still go by boat and go north and west along the inland river. This is what we did when we came here."
Thunder Tiger looked at Ningdie and showed a slightly kind smile.
"Little girl, what you said is correct, but the eight water and land gates in the southeast, northwest and northwest of Guangzhou City are now closed."
"Isn't this approach too confusing?" Jiang Wen said.
The steward of the Lei Mansion replied at this time: "My lords, I happened to find out the reason for the closure of the city today. It is said that a group of Japanese pirates secretly came ashore with the intention of attacking Guangzhou City and destroying the bandit suppression plan, so Pingnan Palace ordered the closure of the city.
Guard the door and wait for the thief to show his weakness."
What? Japanese pirates? There are still Japanese pirates these days?
Jiang Wen almost laughed out loud.
The components of the so-called Japanese pirates are relatively complex, but they generally refer to Japanese pirates sent by feudal lords of Japan who collude with Chinese pirates such as Wang Zhi and Xu Hai.
They attacked towns and cities along the coasts of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian, which led to the rise of Japanese invasion in the southeast of the Ming Dynasty. The Ming court repeatedly appointed officials to manage coastal defense, but it was difficult to achieve results due to corruption in the government. It was not until the late Jiajing period that generals Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou and others successively pacified Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
, Japanese pirates in Fujian and Guangdong, the Japanese invasion began to subside.
The last Japanese pirates recorded in history invaded the coast of Fujian in July of the fourth year of the Apocalypse (1624). Subsequently, due to Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s issuance of the Hachiman Ship Prohibition Order (piracy prohibition) and the stability of Japan’s domestic political situation, the activities of Japanese pirates
It began to decrease, and it can be said that the traces of Japanese pirates have been extinct for a long time.
Now thirty or forty years have passed, and Shang Kexi said that there were traces of Japanese pirates in Guangdong. Wouldn't this make people laugh out loud, and he was not afraid that the Qing court would order him to ask what his intentions were.
What gave Jiang Wen the confidence to conclude that the Japanese pirates were innocent was the change in the current political situation.
Recently, the "maritime overlord" Zheng family is the number one pirate in the southeast coast, Taiwan and Japan. The private navy he organized and worked hard to manage is very powerful. Zheng Zhilong even returned triumphantly in the Battle of Liaoluo Bay, defeating the Western maritime groups and Japan.
Even if pirates wanted to plunder, they would never be able to use the hated name of "Japanese pirates" in such a big way.
Moreover, Zheng Chenggong, who is now at the helm, has a clear distinction between love and hate. Even if the Japanese pirates really want to take action, they can only disguise themselves as Han people and come over to steal. Otherwise, where do they want to put the Zheng family's face?
But when Jiang Wen told his speculation and basis, the housekeeper of Lei Mansion could only spread his hands innocently.
"I don't know this little thing. I vaguely heard that this group of Japanese pirates had fierce swords and killed many travelers. After hearing the news, Miss Yan in the house also rushed out of the city at the last moment. It is said that they
It was the order of Zheng Sen's cousin Zheng Tai, who came to harass the army on the expedition."
Zheng Tai is currently the second-in-command of the Zheng family and is also Zheng Chenggong's chief steward. When Zheng Chenggong leads his troops on an expedition, Zheng Tai is often responsible for staying in the base area and cooperates with each other internally and externally.
Jiang Wen had doubts in his heart, but he didn't say anything else. He just understood that this matter was not that simple.
"It's a bit dangerous for Miss Yan to go out of the city. I hope she can be safe."
Jiang Wen said lightly and fell into thinking again.
At this time, the rain was gurgling in the sky hall, never stopping from far to near, and Jiang Wen silently listened to the sound of raindrops, letting his thoughts flow, while watching Lei Huhu and the housekeeper discuss how to make this business prosperous.
In order to make money, I also want to take revenge for being squeezed out by the local merchants.
"Butler, please go down first. Remember to mark the goods this time at three times the price and put them out, and make sure they are properly accounted for. If the tax levied by Guangdong is less than one share, you can hang yourself at the gate of the government."
Lei Laohu said calmly, obviously he had planned to take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune, but he kept mentioning taxes in his words, which was something Jiang Wen couldn't think of.
"Mr. Lei, I didn't expect you to have a strong sense of paying taxes." Jiang Wen joked.
Lei Laohu said with a wry smile: "You have to be careful. Now the Prince of Pingnan is checking the details of tax collection. If you are not careful, your home will be confiscated and you will be charged. Their business property will be taxed 20-1. Those of us who have textile looms
Forty taxes per one, and if a boat owner owns a boat that is more than five feet long, a tax will also be levied. With such a sword and gun targeting, it can be said that everyone is in danger."
"Is this a tax imposed by the Shang family themselves? Who can bear such a high tax?" Jiang Wen said in surprise.
"A small family, an ordinary family, has gone bankrupt and thrown into the sea."
Lei Huhu could only say helplessly: "But there is nothing we can do about it. Prince Pingnan launched an expedition to Guangdong in the name of quelling the rebellion and suppressing the bandits. He said that there was only one day left to fight, and the soldiers of the Shang family would have to eat horse chews.
Count it on our heads."
"That shouldn't stop everyone from hiding it, right? Just keep the money somewhere else so it won't be found out, right?" Jiang Wen suddenly thought.
"It's not that easy. They've already thought of a backup plan!"
When Lei Hu said this, he was filled with resentment, "In addition to launching the Guangdong Expedition, Pingnan Palace also launched a levy. Whenever someone secretly transfers property and is reported to the government, half of the money confiscated will go to the government and half to the prosecutor.
people."
There are always ups and downs in doing business. Once the business happens, God knows what you know and what I know. Unless you don’t do business in Guangzhou at all, there is really nothing to stop someone from wanting to make a fortune. But under the three trees, whether the property is really
If you are hiding something, how can you have the final say?
The more Jiang Wen heard, the more familiar he became. This method was clearly a replica of the calculation method and the suing method in the early Western Han Dynasty.
Min, originally meant a rope through which copper coins were threaded, later became a unit of currency. One Min coin was a thousand coins. And it was also a unit, one hundred and twenty coins. In the fourth year of Yuan Shou, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty accepted the Imperial
On the advice of Dr. Shi Zhang Tang and his attendant Sang Hongyang, they ordered the collection of 120 coins from everyone involved.
And "gao" means to report. In order to make the trend of reporting popular, the imperial court promised generous rewards to the whistle-blowers - "Anyone who can report will be rewarded with half of it."
This method was both profitable and damaging. It was a bad policy in history. It was also directly related to the war between Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu at that time. It was mainly to fill the bottomless pit of wealth consumed by the war.
"What a vicious trick. Who came up with this method?"
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Jiang Wen suddenly asked.
Lei Hu thought for a moment and said with uncertainty: "There are rumors in the market that this was proposed by Li Xinghe, a popular figure in front of Prince Shang, but no one has any evidence. But except him, no one can say this.
Big plan."
Is it Li Xinghe, the charlatan again?
Jiang Wen's impression of him was originally a slightly contradictory one. He was both extremely life-saving and bold, and he was both submissive and disrespectful of human life. He had deliberately deceived Jiang Wen before, but she didn't know why he acted like this when he opened his mouth.
A decree to inherit the family tradition?
The complex contradictions made his smooth and sophisticated appearance even more confusing. The only thing that remained unchanged was that this man's deep understanding of people's scheming has emerged more and more.
The method of accounting and reporting during the Western Han Dynasty was naturally an irrefutable bad policy and violated the national policy of resting with the people. As a result, the people in the country were unable to farm enough for food and clothing, and their textile production was insufficient for clothing. However, if it were placed a thousand years later, it would be
It's a different look.
First of all, the Shang family is not a human king and landlord. The purpose of the Pingnan Palace is to rule the local area and suppress rebellion. Therefore, exhausting the people's power and exhausting the local area is an optional governance policy.
Secondly, the money collected can effectively support the suppression of Zheng Daye. As long as half of the increased taxes are finally used for actual purposes, it will be a windfall for the Qing government. Then Shang Kexi's practice of private taxation has no merit.
Finally, the Shang family doesn't have to care about the popular support. Ten years ago, he came with his iron cavalry and killed people in droves. As long as the palace is full of swords and guns and there is an endless supply of soldiers, he will naturally have a place that is gratifying for him. This is what anyone can do.
Something that is unbreakable.
But this evil on the surface was so naked that Jiang Wen had to lament that those who could put forward this idea and implement this policy could be called true and undisguised villains.
But the most ridiculous part of the world is here. People like this who unabashedly absorb the people's support are actually the least threatening existence among the three vassals that the Qing government relied on as Qiancheng.
Among the other two vassal kings, Wu Sangui had outstanding achievements in military affairs. When he first arrived in Yunnan and Guizhou, the Qing court allowed him to "act cheaply", that is, he was allowed to appoint officials privately, which was called "Western Selection" at that time. As a result, he became the civil servants and generals in southwest China.
All his cronies are under his control, and in a few years there will be a saying that "officials elected from the West will spread all over the world", and it will be like a hegemonic power in the southwest.
If Geng Jingzhong, the second of the three vassals, succeeds in inheriting the throne of the vassal, history books will also record that he "used taxes to extort money from Fujian", even though his subordinates "sent out laborers harshly and extorted silver rice", and it will also be said that he gathered "little people"
, spread the rumor that "the Emperor's clone is the Fire Ear", and falsely claimed that "the person with the Fire Ear is Geng Ye. There is a reason in the world, and if you use Fujian to make progress, you can succeed." He brazenly tied people from Fujian to his chariot without any explanation.
Driving towards destruction.
Compared with their two political ambitions, Shang Kexi's private establishment of a city in Guangdong, private collection of taxes, and private opening of foreign trade ports seems not so eye-catching, but who knows how many people are out there.
Will he end up with his family ruined by his wanton profit-making activities?
What's even more cruel is that at this time, even the only way out after the house was confiscated and bankrupted and became a beggar, is actually in the hands of Shang Kexi...
"It's time to eat!"
Xiao Shitou happily came to announce the start of dinner. Ningdie and Wen Ding walked away without hesitation. Everyone left the main hall, leaving Jiang Wen alone, holding the broken book in his hand, motionless.
Jiang Wen turned around and smiled pretending to be relieved, and then continued to look at the sky in confusion and spoke slowly.
"Then let's wait until the rain passes and the sky clears up. Either I continue to wait, or the sky clears up. One of them will end first."
Wash your hands in the golden basin, the heavy rain has not stopped. At this time of sudden change in the situation, similar comments in Guangzhou Prefecture also exist among different people.
Their mutual emotions may be sad or happy, and the things they talk about may be straightforward or confusing. They will eventually be annihilated and disappear in the heavy rain. It seems that this rolling heavy rain is the only one between heaven and earth, and it will become the only eternal one.