On the sixth day of October in the ninth year of Chongzhen, the autumn wind blew across the earth, blowing waves of coolness. The golden wheat waves in the rice fields kept rising and falling in the breeze, looking like turbulent waves. It was a charming field scenery.
Barefooted, wearing a set of tattered clothes, with a hoe on his shoulder, Li Xian, dressed as a typical old farmer, and several old farmers walked over from the fields, laughing constantly as they walked.
An old farmer who was about the same age as Li Xian but had deep wrinkles on his face joked as he walked: "Li Dianli, the eldest son of your family has become a member of a thousand households. You also have your own errand in Lingshan Guard. Say
You can be regarded as an official, why are you still working in the fields like us Kuhaha? Why don't you rent the fields to us for a few crops?"
Li Xian pretended to be angry and said: "You old Wangtou, I know you are only thinking about my twenty acres of paddy fields. I tell you, don't even think about it."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... Look at you, you are so anxious when I say this. We are not trying to steal your land, we are just farming it for you. We also give you rice every year, how can you return it?"
Are you unhappy?"
"No, no, that's land allocated to our family by Pang Pang. What would it look like if I gave it to you to cultivate? Would it be worthy of Pang Pang's hard work?" Li Xian shook his head like a wave drum.
Yes, he will never let go.
"Okay, okay, it's up to you, but I say Li Dianli, you have to work as an errand and take care of these lands, how can you handle it?" The old farmer next to him still refused to give up and continued to make innuendoes.
"It doesn't matter whether I can be busy or not. Anyway, you don't expect me to let you take care of my fields. Pang Pang has been building water trucks and repairing canals for more than a year. It's easy for him. If we still
If you don't work hard to take care of those fields, you would be sorry to the great people."
"Well, my opponent, Mr. Pang Pang, is a really good man. We can't let him be sorry." The old farmers around him also nodded. After a while, an old farmer asked with some confusion: "Li Dianli, I heard that there was something wrong yesterday.
A merchant came to us and wanted to collect grain, and the price he offered was quite high. He paid three taels of silver for one stone of grain."
Li Xian shook his head and said, "Brother, don't be fooled. If you sell it to them, how will you pay taxes? If so, your family will be hungry. Brother, don't do stupid things."
The old farmer smiled brightly and said: "How can we do that? Mr. Pang Da is not easy to lead us. No matter what, we have to pay the grain tax first."
"Well, I hope you won't forget what you said. Otherwise, if you can't pay the grain tax then, don't blame me, Old Li, for not remembering the old relationship." Li Xian solemnly told the old farmer, but a trace of worry arose in his heart. These days
Since then, seeing that Lingshanwei's wasteland has achieved a good harvest, it has attracted the prying eyes of some grain merchants. They have come to the fields with money, hoping to buy these grains from military households and farmers. This situation quickly caused
Li Xian was alert.
"No, I have to tell him when Pang Pang comes back." Li Xian thought as he walked away.
In the lobby of the Qingzhou magistrate's office, silver-haired Yan Benge and Wei Tongnian were sipping tea and talking.
There is also a young man standing behind Yan Benge. This young man is tall and tall, handsome and handsome. He is wearing a white gown and looks like a handsome young man.
Wei Tongnian put down the tea cup in his hand, glanced at the young man and praised: "Master Yan really taught Sun a good way, and made Sun look elegant and talented. As a famous talent in Suzhou and Hangzhou, I think he will definitely win the first prize in the examination next year."
Win glory for Suzhou and Hangzhou."
Yan Benge laughed, turned to look at the young man, his eyes were full of doting, and said with a smile: "Master Wei, thank you for your praise. Zheng'er has been high-spirited since he was a child. Although he has studied for several years, he has always been
He thinks he is the best in the world, so if someone fails him in this exam, it will help him remember the truth and understand that there are people who are better than others and others are better than others."
It turned out that the young man standing behind Yan Benge was Yan Zheng, who had just returned from the capital. Today, for some unknown reason, he and his grandfather came to Wei Tongnian's mansion together.
Wei Tongnian waved his hand indifferently, "Hey... It's a good thing that young people are high-spirited. Don't they have to be like us old men? Nephew Yan Xian, you must take the first-level exam next year
The second-level Jinshi comes out to show your grandpa and make him happy too."
Today's Yan Zheng changed from his usual arrogance and bowed respectfully: "Yes, thank you Mr. Wei for your concern. My nephew will study hard and live up to the expectations of your two elders."
"Well, he is knowledgeable but also polite. He is a good boy." Wei Tongnian nodded with satisfaction.
While they were talking, a pretty maid came over with a teapot to add tea to the two of them.
Seeing that Wei Tongnian had a good impression of his grandson, Yan Benge was also secretly happy. He smiled and said: "Master Wei, I brought my grandson here this time. Firstly, I came to Qingzhou to visit relatives and friends, and secondly, it was because of me.
A grandson who strives for success. You don’t know that my grandson has always been arrogant and arrogant. He still looks down on women from other people’s families. Now he is in his early twenties and has yet to get married. I’m really worried about this.
My heart is broken.”
Speaking of this, Yan Benge secretly glanced at Wei Tongnian's face from the corner of his eyes. Seeing that there was no abnormal expression on the other person's face, he boldly continued, "I heard that there is a woman in Mr. Wei's house who is known as a talented woman. She is beautiful and smart.
I haven't been betrothed to anyone yet, so today I came here shamelessly to propose marriage to Mr. Wei, hoping that our two families will become in-laws. What do you think?"
"Oops..." When she said this, the maid who was pouring tea for Yan Benge and Wei Tongnian couldn't help but relax her hands, and the tea overflowed out of the tea cup.
When Wei Tongnian saw this, he couldn't help but glared at the famous maid in displeasure, "Those with rough hands and feet, please step aside quickly."
"Yes!" The maid quickly lowered her head and stepped back quickly.
Wei Tongnian picked up the filled teacup and took a slow sip. After a long time, he put down the teacup with a wry smile on his face: "Master Yan, to be honest, my daughter has not been betrothed to anyone yet. It's just that she has a heart when she is young.
The arrogant Lord has always had great ideas in this life-long matter, otherwise he would not have been betrothed to her until now. Although I am his father, I have always been unable to do anything with her in this matter."
"Oh! There is such a thing?" Although Yan Benge was a little unhappy in his heart, he was still smiling on the surface: "Mr. Wei, I have always believed that the most important thing in marriage is the order of the parents and the words of the matchmaker. How can you let a man
What if a woman makes the decision without authorization? This is not in line with the words of a saint!"
When Wei Tongnian was squeezed by Yan Benge, he immediately smiled bitterly, but he couldn't say anything. Who could make his words reasonable? He could only talk about it and practice Tai Chi with Yan Benge.
While the two were talking, the maid who had just served them tea was running hurriedly to the backyard, her face turned red from running in such a hurry, and thin beads of sweat broke out from her forehead.
, she didn't have time to wipe her sweat, and ran into a small attic.
"Miss, miss, come out quickly, something big is going to happen..."
After entering the small attic, the clear voice of the little maid immediately rang out.
"Hey...here you go, Qiao'er, what are you shouting in a hurry? Didn't you go to replace the peach blossom in the outer courtyard to serve the master today? Why did you sneak back? Be careful that the master punishes you. Don't cry when the time comes.
Come to me and beg for mercy."
While they were talking, a beautiful lady in her twenties, holding a book in her hand, slowly walked out with a smile. It was Wei Manying, the daughter of the same year as Wei.
I saw Wei Manting smiling and asking: "What happened? Seeing that you are so anxious, could it be that you have caused trouble again?"
Qiaoer said anxiously: "Hey, miss, you still have time to read here. Although the sky has not fallen, it's almost the same for you."
"Well, what's going on?" Wei Manting also suppressed a smile when she saw this.
"It's like this. Two guests came to the house today. I heard they were from Hangzhou. I didn't expect that just now they actually proposed to the master..." Qiao'er said this in the living room just now.
The words I heard came out exactly as they were.
"Is there such a thing?" After hearing this, Wei Manting's beautiful eyebrows suddenly wrinkled.
"Yes, miss, I heard clearly that Mr. Yan proposed marriage to me on the spot."
"Did father agree?"
"Not yet, but the slave looks like the master is hesitating. This slave doesn't know."
"Let's go take a look." Wei Manting put the book in her hand on the table, moved her steps lightly, and walked towards the front...
Outside the hall of the outer courtyard, Yan Benge was eloquently encouraging Wei Tongnian to agree to the marriage, and hinted in his words that if the marriage was successful, he would find a way to get Wei Tongnian to move up.
I also gradually started to feel a little moved.
After seeing this, Yan Benge added more fire and said: "Master Wei, if you and I become in-laws, we will be one family. I also know that you and your daughter are deeply in love, but it doesn't matter. We can find a way to transfer you to
If you are appointed to a post in Hangzhou, I believe there will be no problem in governing the city of Hangzhou with your ability!"
If Yan Benge just hinted, then this sentence is a naked inducement. Although the prefect of Hangzhou and the prefect of Qingzhou are the same prefects, their powers and interests are completely different.
Judging from the saying that there is heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below, we know that there is a huge difference between being an official in Hangzhou and being an official in Qingzhou.
When Wei Tongnian heard this, he immediately began to ponder. He kept grinding the tea cup with the tea lid in his hand. After a while, he put down the tea cup and said, "Okay, then..."
"Wait a minute, my daughter has something to say!"