The Fei family in Qianshan originally had three main clans: the Fei family in Henglin, the Fei family in Fanwu, and the Fei family in Feidun.
During the Xuande period, the Henglin Fei family prospered due to business. Before getting involved in officialdom, they had already established business in Zhejiang and Fujian.
They passed through Hukou County and stayed in Jiujiang for two days, then crossed Poyang Lake and entered the Xinhe River, taking a boat all the way to Hekou Town in Qianshan County.
Despite Jiangxi's economic backwardness in modern times, in ancient times it was known as the thoroughfare of eight provinces. There is a saying: "There is endless Hankou to buy, and endless Hekou to load."
Hekou Town is the territory of the Qianshan Fei family. Our ancestors relied on this commercial town to rise!
From here, you can reach Zhejiang to the east and Fujian to the southeast. If you return to Poyang Lake, you can reach Guangdong in the south, Huguang in the west, and the Yangtze River in the north. There are many rivers and lakes on all roads, and they are connected by official roads. The trade is astonishingly prosperous.
When passing by Hekou Town, Zhao Han was dumbfounded. He never imagined that a "remote town" could be so corrupt.
If you want to sell porcelain and tea from Jingdezhen to Fujian, you must pass through Hekou Town. If you want to sell to Zhejiang quickly, you can also take the Xinhe River and then follow the official road to Jinhua. Hekou Town is also a must-pass.
Porcelain of the Ming Dynasty was exported to Europe. Taking Jingdezhen porcelain alone, at least half of it was shipped to coastal ports via Hekou Town.
No wonder Fei is so awesome, no wonder Fei Yinghuan is generous and has occupied this precious land for two hundred years.
Between the town and Fei's ancestral home in Henglin, there is a bluestone avenue, with a series of archways standing in the distance: Zhuangyuanfang, Tanhuafang, Jinshifang, University Scholars'fang, Shangshufang...
The boat slowly sailed through Hekou Town and continued up the Xin River. Wei Jianxiong explained: "The young master's family is at the foot of Ehu Mountain and has been separated from the main clan of Henglin for many years."
To put it more bluntly, although Fei Yinghuan's clan cannot touch Hekou Town, it controls the nearest commercial waterway from Jiangxi to Zhejiang!
Xinhe was renamed Xinjiang in the Qing Dynasty. Zhao Han has never been there.
Enjoying the scenery of the water town along the way, we soon arrived at Ehu Town. Although this town is not as prosperous as Hekou Town, it is also a large commercial town. Countless Jingdezhen tea and porcelain are shipped eastward from here to various places in Zhejiang.
Most of the shops in Ehu Town belong to Fei Yinghuan's family.
Fei Yinghuan's family also owns less than half of the land around Ehu Town.
"The eldest young master is back! The eldest young master is back!"
The moment Fei Yinghuan stepped out of the cabin, a dock worker recognized him and started yelling at the top of his lungs.
Then, the shouts came one after another, spreading from the pier to the streets.
Soon, several young people were running towards Ehu Mountain, chasing each other like a race. Whoever went to the Fei family first to report the news would get more rewards. How could such a good thing be left behind?
"Young Master!"
"Young Master!"
Along the way, everyone I met along the way stopped to say hello.
Fei Yinghuan held his head high and always smiled, as if a big star was inspecting his fans.
In Zhao Han's mind, Mr. Fei's image changed drastically at this moment, and he transformed perfectly into... the silly son of a landlord's family.
Observing these ordinary people carefully, Zhao Han found that they were in good spirits, and it was clear that they were living a good life for the time being.
After leaving the town, there is a vast field of fields.
Many farmers are working in the fields, and the autumn grain seedlings are lush and green. It seems that there will be another bumper harvest this year.
If we only look at the surface, it seems that everyone here has entered a moderately prosperous society!
After walking for a while, a group of people came in a hurry.
The two father-in-laws rushed to Fei Yinghuan, put down the sliding pole and said respectfully: "Young master, please get on the sedan."
Fei Yinghuan didn't say much and sat down as usual.
"Get up the sedan, hold the umbrella!" Another middle-aged slave shouted, but it was the book boy who grew up with Fei Yinghuan and now serves as a middle-level steward in the Fei family.
The father-in-law carried the slide pole forward, and a healthy servant held up a sun umbrella to prevent Mr. Fei from being exposed to the sun.
There is a slave in front of the sliding pole to clear the way to prevent people and animals from accidentally escaping and bumping into the young master.
Following the slide were three boys, all of whom were Fei Yinghuan's servants.
The bookcase carried by Wei Jianxiong and the luggage in Zhao Han's hand were also taken over by other slaves.
The steward, who was born as a book boy, protected the sliding pole and shouted all the way: "The eldest young master is home, the eldest young master is home!"
Damn it!
Zhao Han was dumbfounded. He was just sending people home, and the battle was like a feudal official going on patrol.
The most ridiculous thing is that the three boys following the slide are just servant boys, and they are all wearing silk.
The gentlemen of the world deserve to die!
A farmer came over with a bucket of dung, but he chose to stay away from it and hid dozens of steps away, for fear that the dung would stink up the eldest son of the Fei family.
Now we know why the Qianshan Fei family has not produced a Jinshi for two consecutive generations. This generation even has only one single Miao Juren, right?
The family tradition is broken!
When Fei Hong and Fei Cai were alive, the Fei family was not allowed to divide the family and property, and the brothers and sisters must be united and friendly. The Fei family's descendants were not allowed to indulge in pleasure. Even if they had the reputation of being a civil servant, the number of slaves was strictly regulated. They could only take one or two with them when they went out.
But now, the clan rules that prohibit family divisions have long been completely broken, and countless branches have been branched out.
Instead of working together, the various sects competed and annexed each other, and even secretly colluded with outsiders.
The business clan members who were sent to Fujian and Zhejiang directly established their own businesses in other provinces, and the huge family power was dismembered into countless parts.
People's hearts are scattered and cannot be gathered together.
The descendants of the Fei family gradually became less interested in taking the imperial examinations. They indulged themselves in daily life, and if they passed the examination as a scholar, they could buy a minor official position.
After a while, a group of buildings nestled against the mountain appeared in Zhao Han's sight, covering an area of at least two to three hundred acres.
More than a hundred tribesmen and domestic slaves stood at the door waiting for the eldest young master to return.
The leader is Fei Yinghuan's second brother Fei Yingqi, followed by his third brother Fei Yingke.
"Brother!" The two brothers stepped forward to greet him.
As soon as the sliding pole landed, a house slave immediately helped Fei Yinghuan down.
Young Master Fei bowed in return and asked, "Where is the fourth brother?"
Fei Yingqi replied: "My fourth brother has been away from home all day, and I don't know where he went crazy. Big brother, come in quickly, the two elders are waiting for you at home."
There is a brazier placed on the threshold of the main entrance.
Fei Yinghuan stepped over the brazier to get rid of the bad luck he had contracted along the way.
As for the Zhao Han brothers and sisters, as well as Fei Jianxiong and other domestic slaves, they could only enter through a side door.
The strict etiquette and rules were immediately revealed.
No matter how close Fei Yinghuan and Wei Jianxiong are, even if they are as close as brothers, the master is the master and the slave is the slave. The status gap is insurmountable.
Zhao Han held the little sister's hand and followed Wei Jianxiong into the side door, twisting and turning to a courtyard.
Wei Jianxiong explained: "This is the Young Master's Jingxing Garden. There are more than 20 rooms nearby, all of which are the Young Master's private land. Unless summoned, you are not allowed to break into the third courtyard."
"Thank you, Uncle Wei, for your advice." Zhao Han said, cupping his fists.
The three of them came to Wei Jianxiong's room and waited to hear what happened.
After waiting for a while, Fei Yinghuan did not return from visiting his parents, but the book boy who grew up with him came.
Wei Jianxiong introduced: "This is Mr. Fei Lin, the general manager of Jingxingyuan."
Zhao Han immediately pulled his sister to greet him: "I've seen Guanshi Fei."
"Brother Wei, how are you?" Fei Lin first smiled and reminisced with Wei Jianxiong, then suddenly asked Zhao Han expressionlessly, "Are you the boy brought back by the eldest young master?"
Zhao Han could only salute again: "Young man, Zhao Han, I have seen Manager Fei."
Fei Lin immediately called a maid and ordered: "Mo Xiang, take these brothers and sisters to Zhongqin Yuan and choose a good house for them."
Before Zhao Han left, Fei Lin was smiling again and hugged Wei Jianxiong: "Brother Wei, we haven't seen you for more than half a year, let's go have a drink."
Under the ethical family rules, servants are also divided into many levels.
Perhaps Fei Yinghuan was easier to talk to, but Fei Lin, the steward, had to be careful.
