The next morning, Mrs. Gu still went to the Dragon King Temple to pray for rain. The weather was even hotter today, and the rain praying ceremony was dispersed early because everyone had lost faith in the Dragon King after failing to pray for rain for many days.
Because of the hot weather and disappointment, two people lost control and started a riot in front of the rain praying site, knocking over the tributes on the incense table and getting out of hand. So the ceremony was dismissed early.
This was in line with Mrs. Gu's wishes. Her son Li Hui was waiting for her at home to go to the master's house to seek employment. Mrs. Gu did not want to go to the master's house with her son because she was afraid that her son's self-esteem would be hurt if she was rejected. But Li Hui
Insisting on going together, she had no choice but to agree.
Soon after, Gu and Li Hui left the courtyard together and headed to the Gu family mansion inside the east city gate.
The Gu family in Wu County is a large family in the south of the Yangtze River, and its history can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty. The most glorious period was during the Three Kingdoms period. At that time, the four families in Wu County supported the Sun family in Dongwu. Among the ancestors of the Gu family, Gu Shao was Sun Ce's son-in-law, and Gu Yong was the son-in-law of Sun Ce.
In the 19th year of the Eastern Wu Dynasty, the prime minister assisted Sun Quan to defend Jiangdong, which shows the glory of the family.
After the southern crossing from Yongjia, the Gu family, as a powerful clan in Wudi, once again received attention. The Eastern Jin Dynasty who made the southern crossing had to win the support of the southern powerful clans and therefore gave them political status.
Gu Rong, Gu Xiang, Gu He and others all held important positions in the imperial court. Gu He once served as a minister, which was extremely honorable. Many of his family members served as county officials.
Since the Gu family has been rooted in Wuxian for generations, the Gu family has always lived in the east area of the city. Several streets and alleys within the east city gate are occupied by the Gu family, so the main street in the east of Wuxian County has been habitually called Gujia Street.
The Gu family's mansion is located on the main street leading to the east gate of the city. It spans the north and south of the long street and is divided into two mansions, north and south. Both are mansions with four bays and eight bays, and numerous auxiliary mansions. White walls and blue tiles, row upon row, are impressive.
It is magnificent and shows the atmosphere of a wealthy family.
Today, the head of the Gu family belongs to the lineage of Gu He. Gu He's eldest grandson, Gu Chen, serves in the court and is the prefect of Dongyang County in Yangzhou. Last year, Gu Chen's father, Gu Chun, retired from his post as the Minister of Public Affairs and took care of himself at home. The position of the head of the family is actually
It has been handed over to Gu Chen. Gu Chun, Gu Chen and others live in Beizhai.
The Nanzhai on the south side of the street is inhabited by members of the Gu clan with the surname Gu Rong. Gu Rong’s grandson is Gu Bi. Gu Yuezhi, Gu Bi’s son, once served as a middle official in the court and became Shangshu Youcheng. His son became famous in later generations.
Gu Kaizhi.
However, Gu Pi moved to Jinling in his early years to buy property and lived in Wuxi County, Jinling. His son Gu Yuezhi also lived in Wuxi for a long time. Gu Kaizhi was born in Jinling, so the property and buildings in Wu County were temporarily handed over to Gu Yuezhi.
His cousin Gu Qian took care of him. Gu Qian also lived in the south house and assisted Gu Chen, the young head of the Gu family, in managing some of the Gu family's properties.
Today, it is this Gu Qian who Mrs. Gu brought her son to ask for permission.
…
The midday sun was scorching. Li Hui stood on the long street, looking at the splendid mansion and buildings in front of him, and was filled with admiration. Although he didn't know much about the history of the Gu family in Jiangnan, the scale and atmosphere of the mansion
It best demonstrates the prosperity of the family. The high-rise mansion with tall walls, rich doors, and overlapping eaves directly made Li Hui realize the identity and status of the Gu family in the south of the Yangtze River.
Gu's mother and son entered the courtyard of the south house from a corner door. In the front courtyard, there were tall trees with dense shade. It was still scorching hot on the street just now, but it was extremely cool after entering the courtyard.
As Li Hui followed his mother inside, he looked at the scene in the courtyard. There were luxuriant flowers and trees in the courtyard, rockeries, fish ponds, and winding corridors. There were many male and female servants coming and going, and they were dressed cleanly and neatly. They were more respectable than ordinary people in the market. .This made Li Hui understand the wealth and strength of the aristocratic family.
"Why are you here? Aren't you helping in the North House today? Why are you here in the South House?" A man's voice sounded from the front.
Li Hui turned around and saw a fat man in a black silk robe standing on the steps of the hall, staring at his mother and son.
"Oh, Mr. Han, I'm here to greet you. Hui'er, come to see Mr. Han." Mrs. Gu saluted and winked at Li Hui.
Li Hui knew this person. He was Han Yong, the manager of the South House of the Gu family. He was in charge of some affairs of the South House. He liked learning from celebrities and being elegant, so he was known as Mr. Han.
"I've met Mr. Han." Li Hui cupped his hands and said.
Han Yong waved his hand and said, "What are you doing here?"
Mrs. Gu hurriedly said: "Please, Mr. Han, please call our uncle for us and say that Lanzhi needs to see his old man for something."
Han Yong frowned and said: "You don't look at the time. Dong Weng has just returned from Zhuangzi in the east. He is tired and hot and is taking a rest and drinking tea. Why bother at this time? If anything happens, we will talk about it later."
Mrs. Gu smiled apologetically and said, "Mr. Han, we know it's not the right time to come, but my uncle is very busy and we don't get to see him normally. Please let me know. I really have something to report to my uncle."
Han Yong frowned and looked at the mother and son, smacking his lips and said: "You people have so many things to do. People come to see you every day and bother Dong Weng with trivial matters. People of your age are working hard every day, but you don't do it." I know I feel sorry for him."
Mrs. Gu smiled apologetically and nodded: "Yes, yes, Mr. Han taught me a lesson."
Mrs. Gu stepped forward, reached over, took out a bulging linen bag from her sleeve, and quietly stuffed it into Han Yong's hand, and said softly: "Mr. Han is a kind-hearted person. We, mother and son, really have something to see my uncle, so please report back." One sound."
Han Yong weighed it with his hand and knew that there were some five-baht coins in the cloth bag. But the amount was obviously not much. He estimated that the most money was a pound, and a look of contempt suddenly appeared on his face. Copper coins are not valuable these days, and a pound of gold is only enough to drink two pots. Drink and eat a few dishes.
However, fly legs are also meat, which is better than nothing. Don't waste it, as a little can make a lot. So I put the cloth bag into my sleeve, turned around and walked inside.
"I'm just reporting. Dong Weng doesn't dare to guarantee whether he sees you or not."
Mrs. Gu hurriedly said: "Of course, thank you Mr. Han."
Li Hui saw everything in his eyes and felt an indescribable feeling in his heart. His mother needed to use this method to meet the people of the Gu family. There was a real difference between closeness and distance. People with the same surname and the same clan were not as good as these outsiders. Look at how skilled his mother was. Apparently this has become a trend. Mother had already prepared money bags to send these people away before they came.
And Han Yong, the stewards around the master's family, thought that they actually accepted people's money to do things, which also gave Li Hui a bad impression of the Gu family. It was obvious that the master of the Gu family didn't know people well. What good could come from having such people around him?
Seeing Li Hui standing aside with a frown on his face, Gu said in a low voice: "Hui'er, when you meet your uncle, remember to salute respectfully and don't say too much. Mother comes to ask him, even if he doesn't agree, you can't say too much. Do you understand? ?”
Li Hui nodded and said, "My child understands."
Not long after, Han Yong returned to the front of the hall and said in a deep voice: "Madam of the Li family, come with me."
Mrs. Gu thanked her profusely and asked Li Hui to follow Han Yong to the back of the hall. After the hall, there was another courtyard with lush flowers and trees. Although it was smaller than the previous courtyard, it was more exquisitely decorated.
A green brick path leads to the second flower hall. The three of them came to the side of the hall. Han Yong stopped and said in a deep voice: "Waiting here, Dong Weng is talking to someone. I have informed him that he will be free for a while."
I will ask you to come in."
Mrs. Gu thanked her in a low voice and pulled Li Hui to stand under the shade of a tree on the east side of the second flower hall. Han Yong went into the flower hall by himself.
It was almost noon, the sun was shining hotly on the ground, and the cicadas were chirping in the yard, adding to the feeling of heat. Although the mother and son were standing in the shade of the tree, waiting for the summons. Amidst the noisy cicadas, the time seemed extremely long and hot.
And unbearable.
Li Hui sighed in his heart, is this the day after time travel? The mother and son stood here waiting for others to call, as humble as dust. For many years to come, Li Hui will remember today's situation. This is his time travel
It was the first time since then that he intuitively felt humiliation and humiliation, and it was from this moment on that his fighting spirit was aroused.
When he entered the flower hall, two men were talking. Li Hui didn't want to listen, but their voices were really loud.
"Xun'er, the situation is not good. In the morning, I went to Donghu Zhuangzi to take a look. The seedlings were almost dry. In some fields, the seedlings were like dry grass. They could be burned by a little fire. Oh my god.
If it doesn't rain again, something big will happen. Our Gu family will suffer huge losses this year. Hey, it's really worrying." An old man's voice said.
This person is Gu Qian, the owner of the Gu family's south residence, and the son he refers to is Gu Qian's son, Gu Xun.
"Grandpa, it's true. East Lake Manor is the best farmland of our Gu family. Now that nearly 10,000 acres of fertile farmland is suffering from drought, it really makes people anxious. If Mo Mo ordered the tenants to get water from Tantai Lake to save seedlings, it should be able to alleviate the urgent need."
He bowed and said.
"The water level in Tantai Lake has bottomed out. How to get water?" Gu Qian frowned.
"Well... I have no choice but to ask the tenant farmers to carry water from the bottom of the lake to water the seedlings. Although it is a stupid way, there is no other way. Otherwise, there is no other way to get water." Gu Xun said in a deep voice.
"Carrying water to water the seedlings? What kind of stupid idea is this? The water in Tantai Lake has bottomed out. There is indeed some water in the center of the lake, but just walking from the center of the lake to the embankment is two or three miles. Then it is carried to the fields everywhere.
, What’s the point of walking five or six miles back and forth? Just pour a ladle of water and it will dry up in a blink of an eye, and it’s useless to exhaust the tenants of the manor. Your idea is not very smart, it sounds annoying." Gu Qian shook his folding fan.
road.
Gu Xun was a little embarrassed and bowed and said: "Master, I also know that this method is not good, but what can I do? If it doesn't rain, there is nothing I can do. Master, don't be anxious, you will always find a way."
Gu Qian sighed and said: "Xun'er, I don't mean to scold you, it's just that the master of the family has entrusted me with managing the affairs of the farm, but I can't manage it well. How can I explain it to the master of the family? The young master of the family heard about the severe drought and wrote
The letter came back and specifically told me to resolve the matter. How could I not be anxious?"
Gu Xun said: "But God doesn't rain, so what? You can't blame me, right?"
Gu Qian shook his head and said: "Xun'er, you don't understand. This year is different from previous years. You should know that Sima Huan sent troops from his school to the north in April, right? Once the army moves, countless supplies of food and grass will be consumed. The young master of the family
Immediately write to Chief Huan, willing to provide 50,000 shi of grain and grass to support the army. If the rice harvest fails this year, it will have a huge impact. Sanwu is the grain-producing land of our Jin Dynasty. Now we are experiencing a severe drought and will not be able to raise funds at that time. Wouldn't the family owner break his promise?
Huan Da Sima?"
Gu Xun frowned and said: "Master, it's not my son who talks too much. Why did the young master of the family take the initiative to provide military rations to Sima Huan? During the Northern Expedition of Sima Huan, military rations were provided by the imperial court. Why did our Gu family have to go through this muddy water? We asked the noble family to provide military rations.
, then it should be the gentry with the overseas Chinese surname in the north who take the initiative to do it. How have we, the gentry from the south of the Yangtze River, been suppressed by them? Yet they still take the initiative to provide food? Why is this justified?"
Gu Qian frowned and looked at his son, sighing: "Don't you understand this? It is precisely because our Jiangnan gentry are in a bad situation now that we do this. Da Sima's Northern Expedition is a great achievement. In this matter, we must
Support, my Gu family also contributed to the victory of the Northern Expedition. Only with Da Sima's approval can we, the southern gentry, turn around. Do you understand? That's all, I can't explain this to you at the moment. You don't have this ambition, so I can't tell you.
It’s useless. In short, not only my Gu family, but also the Lu family of Wu County also took the initiative to provide military supplies, all for the sake of the family."
Gu Xun said: "My son is stupid and it is difficult to understand for a while. I heard that the people are praying for rain. Maybe God is merciful and there is no way of knowing that there will be a heavy rain tomorrow to alleviate the drought."
Gu Qian sighed and seemed to be talking to himself: "Relying on God's mercy? I'm afraid it's a long shot."
Outside the hall, Li Hui listened to the conversations of the people in the hall intermittently. Li Hui naturally knew about the drought. But Li Hui was actually more interested in what he heard later.
Gu Qian personally told Huan Da Sima’s Northern Expedition in April, which also confirmed the memory in his mind. Li Hui remembered that Huan Wen made three Northern Expeditions in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and the last one was in April of the fourth year of Taihe, when he sent troops to attack Qian Yan. All of this
All consistent with real history.
Li Hui also truly believed that he had indeed traveled through Taihe in the Eastern Jin Dynasty for four years.
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