The tenth chapter of the Kangxi Association of Gu'an County, the Ming Dynasty, the Yongdinghe County Commander
Kangxi drove back from Wutai Mountain and arrived at Gu'an County, Zhili. The second arrangement of the "Golden Cicada Escape" plan went very smoothly. Kangxi only took Wei Dongting alone to inspect the public sentiment. The remaining guards were led by Lang Ling to escort the Empress Dowager in the car.
We returned to Beijing without any troubles along the way.
Gu'an County is close to the capital, and the garrisoned flag camp is under Wei Dongting. Despite this, Wei Dongting was still very careful. When passing the camp outside the city, he went in specifically to explain to the commander. Then he rode into the city with Kangxi.
It was already early in the morning, and the streets were covered with green hemp. The shops had closed their doors. Roast chicken, wontons, and tofu breakfast were sold in the alleys. Clusters of croissant lanterns were popping up one after another.
The shouts of hawkers echoed one after another at various street corners and deep in the alleys, continuously.
"The customs are different three miles away from home," Kangxi said with great interest. "The hawking sounds here are different from those in Beijing, which makes people salivate." Wei Dongting was in a hurry to find a shop, fearing that Kangxi would be the same as usual.
He wandered around looking for someone to talk to. When Kangxi said this, he rubbed his legs and replied, "Isn't that an old store in front? Let's live in it. If the master wants to use it, he can ask the waiter to come out and buy it. Wouldn't it be good?" Kangxi said.
Understanding what he meant, he nodded with a smile and said, "It's up to you." Then he followed Wei Dongting into a nearby "Wangji Old Store".
"Oh, you two!" A shop assistant in his mid-twenties, wearing an indigo cloth robe and a black bamboo cloth jacket, with his snow-white sleeves slightly rolled up, looked very neat and tidy. He had just settled down under the lamp and suddenly
He looked up and saw Wei Dongting and Kangxi coming in one after another. He hurriedly got up and left the counter. While giving up his seat, he made tea and kept saying, "Why have you been away for several months and only come back now? You must be here."
I made a fortune! I wonder if there was something wrong with our shop that offended two old customers and they ended up staying at someone else’s place! I don’t want you two to be thinking about our old friendship and come back again! You’ll have to stay longer this time.
How long has it been?" As he kept talking, he handed them two hot towels to wipe their faces, and brought two basins of steaming water. "The two old guests washed their feet first and settled in their houses.
Come get us some food, little one!" His words were both kind and "complaining", which made Kangxi look confused.
Wei Dongting smiled faintly. He had seen this kind of store tactics to attract customers. He didn't say anything at the time, wiped his face, washed Kangxi's feet, and said: "I want a good house, clean, not cluttered."
If people are disturbing us, let’s rest for one night and then leave. Pay more for the room—what’s so busy in the West Wing over there?”
The waiter agreed "Yes" repeatedly, and then said: "In the West Room, there live a few candidates who came to Beijing to take the exam, and there is also a businessman, Uncle Yang, who lives next door to them. They are in Huiwen, and Uncle Yang is here
Just watch the excitement. If you don't like the excitement, there is a big house in the backyard, which is quiet and clean, but the price is higher..." As he continued to talk, Kangxi had already put on his boots and stood up to face Wei Dongting.
Said: "Of course we live in a big house, let's go!"
After dinner, Kangxi walked to the front yard for a walk. When he saw Wei Dongting following closely behind him, he smiled and said, "You are not a slave like a slave, and you are not a companion like a companion. You are too careful. How can something happen to this store?"
"It's a birth place after all," Wei Dongting said with a smile, "but nothing can go wrong. I just took a look in the courtyard. Most of them are people who were born in spring in March, and there are also a few businessmen. The brand of this store is also very good.
Old..." As he said this, he saw Kangxi entering the west room, so he followed him in.
This is a large suite of three rooms in a row. Four people are sitting at the table outside, playing riddles with the "Four Books" and "The Book of Changes". The merchant surnamed Yang is sitting on a chair against the wall, holding a child in his arms.
Covering the bowl, he was looking at it intently when he saw Kangxi and two people coming in. Several people were sitting quietly and meditating. He ignored them and nodded with a smile and gave up his hand. Kangxi sat on the chair next to him and asked softly: "They sit like a Bodhisattva."
What are you doing?"
"We are playing a riddle!" Merchant Yang smiled kindly, stared at a thin scholar and said, "This gentleman is very knowledgeable and has won a lot of goodies. The riddle he came up with right now is 'Born to be able'
"Yan', make a sentence from the "Four Books"."
"What's your surname, Taifu?"
"I don't dare, otherwise my surname is Yang and my humble name is Qi Long." The merchant replied with a smile, then leaned forward and asked politely, "What about you?"
"My surname is Long." Kangxi glanced at Yang Qilong and replied casually, "My courtesy name is Yingzhen." The two stopped talking and looked at Juren who was meditating thoughtfully.
"I have it!" A short fat man hit the table and said, "But he is silent?" Slender Juren turned away and asked: "How to explain?" The short fat man said: "It's strange that he is silent. This man'
Isn't it also 'weird' to be born able to speak?"
Everyone exclaimed, and Yang Qilong couldn't hold back and spit out a sip of tea. He coughed and covered it up. A young man lifted the curtain and came in, laughing: "The answer to this riddle is too clear. 'Being born with the ability to speak' is the answer."
"Is that right?" She said and took something sharp from the table - a small silver coin worth two yuan and one piece.
"Wait a minute!" Shou Juren held it down and took out six silver coins from his arms and put them on it. "This is a sharp thing. Let's compete again - what do you want to bet on?"
"This piece is already mine." Later, the young Juren took out another two ounces of silver from his arms and said with a smile: "You can make friends through literature, why are you so arrogant? If I lose, you can just take the silver!"
"
"Good!" The other three candidates were probably annoyed by this thin man's cowardice. Seeing the new young man's extraordinary bearing, they all clapped and praised. When Kangxi looked at Wei Dongting, he was looking at Yang Qilong beside him, but Yang Qilong was upright.
Have tea in style and watch the excitement.
"Carry the treasure and come to the court!" The thin scholar's voice made the room buzz.
"Is this the behavior of a gentleman?" The young man shook his head and said, "But - to serve the king with benefit?"
"A little rouge!"
"Old is also young."
"Throwing books away when your hands are tired?"
"Staying and not learning!"
"With you - what is the 'old road'?" At this time, Shou Juren knew that he had encountered a strong enemy, and sweat was pouring from his head.
"Is it the old road?" Young Juren said with a smile, "The ancients had their own way."
"Every tenth is the first, every eight is the eleventh, every nine is the first, every tenth is the first, every tenth is the first!" The thin scholar said this string of words in rapid succession.
The young judge was startled, took two steps with his hands behind his back, glanced at the dumbfounded people in the house, and nodded slightly to Kangxi, who was staring at him with approval, and replied: "This is a good riddle! But you are studying for it."
People who nourish their Qi should focus on self-cultivation - the answer is 'Shao Gui'!"
"I wish I could be the first!" Shou Juren suddenly became very discouraged and sat down with a sigh. Seeing his repeated defeats, Kangxi sympathized with him and was about to say a few words of comfort when the young Juren smiled and put away all the money.
Said: "My dear friend, Yan Bo is a scholar, I admire him very much. But this time, my dear friend, I can only be the second person. This 'I hate to be the first person' is just a matter of anger!"
At this point, the Shouju people had been completely wiped out, and everyone couldn't help but look at each other in shock. Seeing this scene, Kangxi suddenly remembered that the confrontation between Wu Ciyou and Sumala Aunt back then had become a thing of the past, and he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Yang Qilong stood up with a smile and said: "Both of you are great talents, I really admire them very much. I also have some gifts here, so why not fight again, but first I want to ask you about your surnames and masters."
After that, he took out twelve large ingots of silver and put them on the table.
"I don't dare, student Li Guangdi." The young Juren later smiled humbly, "I'm from Anxi, Fujian."
"Then what else are we competing against?" The thin scholar laughed loudly, "Mr. Li is a disciple of the old master Wu Zhisun. Chen Menglei doesn't want to compete with you anymore. Meet a fellow countryman. I am a Houguan from Fujian!" Kangxi originally thought that Chen Menglei was a little bit.
Impetuous, it was only then that he realized that he was a very forthright person, but he seemed to have heard the word "Wu Zhixun" somewhere, so he asked Wei Dongting with his eyes. Wei Dongting understood, leaned into Kangxi's ear and said: "Wu Zhixun"
Xun was the prime minister of the former Ming Dynasty and was Mr. Wu's respected father." Kangxi's eyes flashed brightly when he heard this, and he soon calmed down. Just as he was about to get up and invite Li Guangdi and Chen Mengrui to talk to him in his room, Yang Qilong straightened up.
He stood up and said with a smile: "You two gentlemen, let's not compare, but what should we do with this valuable thing?"
"What do you think?" Chen Menglei lost to Li Guangdi one after another. He was about to grab a backer. Seeing the sarcasm in Yang Qilong's smile, he said, "You also want to test us?"
"I don't dare, I'm just asking for advice." Yang Qilong took a few steps and said with a half-smile, "What I say is all common saying - 'walk on tiptoe.'"
"I can't do it yet, but I'm afraid someone will hear about it!" Li Guangdi replied.
"Okay! Dragon Boat Festival realgar, Mid-Autumn moon cake?"
"As expected of a businessman," Chen Menglei said with a smile, "The answer is the 'diet and diet' in the Book of Changes!"
"Flower monk punches to conquer Kansai!"
Li Guangdi was stunned for a moment after hearing this. Chen Menglei smiled and continued: "Those who don't know think it's meat. Those who know it think it's rude."
"Excellent talent!" Yang Qilong boasted, and his smile suddenly faded, "And - Temur's wasteland destroys his clothes!" He asked one question after another without even thinking about it. Everyone who heard this could not help but be stunned. Obviously,
No one thought that the young merchants watching the battle would actually be veterans.
Li Guangdi and Chen Menglei, who had always been very responsive, were silent this time and looked at each other. Chen Menglei walked over and pushed all the money on the table to Yang Qilong and said: "Everyone has his own ambitions, and no one has to force anyone. Brother Guangdi and I
If you lose, I'll give these to you!" After saying that, he pulled Li Guangtong off and said, "I'm very disappointed. Brother Li, please move over and come to my room to have a drink and spend the night." After saying that, the two of them clasped their fists and bowed to each other.
, walked out.
"You two, stay!" The two of them walked to the courtyard when they suddenly heard someone calling. When they turned around, they saw that it was the young man sitting next to Yang Qilong. They stopped and asked, "What's the matter?" Kangxi said with a smile, "I see.
It’s not like you two can’t figure out this riddle, but it seems like you have something to hide and would like to ask for advice.”
"Little brother, you are very clever." Chen Menglei said with a smile, "This riddle is not difficult to guess, but it is difficult for us to answer it here and now, so it is very tricky!"
"What is it?" Kangxi stared and asked.
"It is better for the Yi and Di to have a king than for the Xia to perish." Li Guangdi said softly, and then left hand in hand with Chen Menglei. Kangxi stood there, his face suddenly pale and bloodless.
Kangxi did not sleep well that night. "It is better for the Yi and Di to have kings than for the Xia to perish." This Confucius quotation chased him like a nightmare: Han scholars are all disciples of saints, and they must be used to rule this huge nation. He himself
They are Manchus, and of course they are also among the "Barbarians". How should we explain this theory? Since entering the Pass, from Emperor Daxing to Shunzhi to him, this has been the most troublesome thing. Scholars all have this thought.
It is said that as Han people, the Three Feuds are very likely to rebel. Even if they do not rebel, how can they bring prosperity to the world and spread their merits to hundreds of generations?
Kangxi tossed and turned, in a daze, and fell asleep until the fourth watch. When he woke up, it was already past midnight. He quickly got up, washed his face carelessly, and then ordered Wei Dongting to call the owner of the shop to come in and settle the accounts.
"It wasn't you who picked up the customers last night!" Kangxi looked at the mustachioed shop owner in surprise and asked, "Wasn't he a young man last night?"
The shopkeeper seemed to be much more experienced than the waiter and was not that talkative. Seeing that the rent given by Wei Dongting was very generous, he thanked him again and again, and said: "As for me, I went to worship last night and came back very late, so I didn't dare
Come here and alert me."
"Worship?" Kangxi asked in astonishment: "Are you breaking the string and then resuming it?"
"No, it's not a marriage, it's -" The shopkeeper knew that he had misunderstood, so he hesitated and then said: "The younger one has joined the teachings of the Great Immortal Zhong Sanlang. He comes to pray to the gods at night. The altar owner lights up the flames, and the younger one also goes to offer some incense money.
.”
"Oh... Zhong Sanlang." Kangxi tried his best to recall the stories of the characters in "The Romance of the Gods" and said, "I have never heard of this god..."
Seeing his confusion, the owner of the shop asked the waiter to serve breakfast to the guests, and lowered his voice and told Kangxi: "Zhong Sanlang is a newly-named immortal by the Jade Emperor. He comes to the mortal world to save those of us who open shops and do business as long-term followers."
... If we believe in him, we will be able to have good fortune and safety. Anyone who offends him will suffer bloody disasters..." He said cautiously, with a trembling voice. Wei Dongting asked with a smile on the side:
"What evidence do you have? You don't have to be afraid of this - Zhong Sanlang is not a donkey, he won't have such long ears!" "Sin, sin, sin!" The shop owner is obviously a very devout believer, "You are a long follower, right? Then
Even you are in charge - there are a lot of proofs, and I know a lot. When the Great Immortal descended on the altar in Tongzhou, some shops didn't believe it, and a fire burned down seven of them in one night!" After finishing speaking,
, gave Kangxi a thousand dollars and retreated. Seeing the wind blowing outside, Kangxi ordered Wei Dongting to take out a Batulu vest of gray ermine skin, fasten the buckle, and said: "We will go back immediately
Beijing." Wei Dongting saw that Kangxi's face was not good-looking, so he agreed with a "yes" and prepared his horse to go.
It's Chenpai time. Outside Gu'an City, the yellow wind is rolling, the cold sun is dim, and there is a bay of Yongding River, covered with ice and glass, with a gurgling undercurrent. The weeping willows on the river embankment sway with the wind, making a whooshing sound. Wei Dongting
Seeing that Kangxi was silent on the horse and seemed to be very worried, he rode up to catch up and said with a smile: "This Wuding River, changing its name cannot change its temper. It still behaves like a wild horse when it is angry, but it is like a cold girl when it is quiet.
!”
"If Mr. Wu were here, last night's mystery would have been more interesting!" Kangxi ignored Wei Dongting's words, took a deep breath and said, "Although there are many talents in the world, they are unwilling to be used by me. What can I do?"
When Wei Dongting saw that he had made it clear, he felt speechless. After a while, he smiled and said: "Master, don't listen to Hu Xi's surname Yang. 'The emperor has no relatives, only virtue is his assistant'. Isn't that what a saint said?" Kangxi nodded and sighed.
"Of course you are right, but there should be a good explanation for what Confucius said." As he spoke, he suddenly discovered something. He raised his whip and pointed to the distance and asked: "Dongting, in the distance.
What do those people do?”
Wei Dongting glanced at it and saw a group of civilians, about four to five hundred people, who had just come out of the city, lazily and slowly moving towards the bank of the Yongding River, carrying spades, spades, shovels, and dustpans on their backs, and then turned back to Kangxi
He said: "Master, he is very much like a civil servant who manages the river."
"No way?" Kangxi said in surprise. He paid special attention to any place where there was river construction along the way. River management usually started after the autumn floods and stopped after the beginning of winter. But Gu'an County was surprised that there was still river construction at such a time?
Then he said to Wei Dongting: "Go over and have a look." Wei Dongting agreed and was about to go over when he saw a blue woolen sedan carrying water and fire in front of him along the river embankment. There were two tiger-head signs in front, followed by more than a dozen government servants carrying water and fire.
As he walked along the road with sticks, he could see at a glance that it was the guard of honor of the fourth-level Taoist platform. Kangxi thought: The person riding the sedan must be a river, so he said to Wei Dongting: "Let's catch up with the group in front and see what happens!"
After a while, the sedan behind them caught up and stopped on the river embankment. An official got out of the sedan with a hunched waist - wearing a blue nirvana glass top on his head, and the official robe with eight pythons and five claws was not patched.
Wearing a purple lamb fur coat, he was in his forties, fair and plump, and looked very energetic. He got out of the sedan chair and stood on the river embankment. He saw the people shrinking by the river and unwilling to go into the river. He
Then he asked loudly with a sullen face: "Who is the foreman?"
"Zhu Zhu." An official squeezed in from behind, slapped Qian'er, and said with a smile on his face, "I'd like to give you my best regards, little one!"
Zhu Daotai pointed his finger at the three-pole-high sun and cursed: "You slippery thief! You must have been drunk with yellow soup last night and misbehaved with the official affairs of the court! Look, when did this happen? No one has gone into the river yet!"
Seeing that Daotai had a bad look on his face, he muttered and said: "You, Mr. Mingjian, are not lazy. The water is actually very cold and you can't go down... It's very easy to go down at this time -" "Nonsense!"
Zhu Daotai Niudan's eyes widened and he said: "In the early autumn, I informed you to start work, but you pushed back and forth, saying that you were three cents a day, the commission was not enough, and you were unwilling to work hard. Now that it has risen to five cents, you are here to let it go again.
Shit! Come on, drag me down and give you twenty lashes!"
"Observe your lord..." The official suddenly panicked, his legs softened and he knelt down, kowtowing and said, "It's not that I'm bold, it's because Mr. Yang ordered me to start work at the end of the day and finish at the end of the day..." Zhu Daotai "Well
Humph." He sneered and said, "Yang Fu is an upright official who loves the people like his own son. Are you here?" After saying that, he looked around with his eyes, and his face looked like he was looking for trouble.
At this time, Kangxi had already heard that the commission price for river workers was fixed by the imperial court according to the region. Even in summer, it could not be less than five cents. Two cents of industrial silver was deducted for this river, so of course it was a mistake.
A river worker, at this time, forced the people to work on the glacier. This slave's heart is really bad.
"Lord Zhu!" A young man of about twenty years old, wearing a crimson cotton robe with a corner tucked into his belt, strode up from behind the civil servants, bowed and said, "You are here, my lord.
What's the order?"
"Oh, it's to celebrate the New Year, look how you are dressed like this?" Zhu Daotai laughed and said with a half-smile, "This slave actually falsely accuses you of slow work, which is really abominable. The imperial court has repeatedly issued strict orders regarding this river work.
, when Duke Bilong visited the river last year, my brother was already condemned, and I know it - how do you think you will handle this matter today?"
Yang Fu was a Jinshi in the sixth year of Kangxi's reign when he was seventeen years old. He was immediately appointed as the magistrate of Gu'an County. In the second year, his assistant minister Bi Long went to Wuhu to raise food. When he returned to Beijing, he inspected the river works. This Zhu Daotai was named Zhu
Fuxiang, who was still a prefect at that time, accepted Wu Sangui's secret letter and neglected the river work. He was slapped by Bilong in front of all the officials. At the same time, he praised Yang Fu, the magistrate of Gu'an County, for his "willingness to show strength" in his work. Zhu Fuxiang was embarrassed because
He was angry and hated Yang Fu, and he always held a grudge against him. Of course Yang Fu knew that the man named Zhu was trying to use an excuse to get at himself. He pondered for a long time and then said slowly: "What this official said was not a slanderous accusation against the subordinate. I had issued an order seven days ago.
They have just started work and are finishing work at the beginning of time."
"Oh?" Seeing that he recognized it, Zhu Fuxiang turned around, bit his lower lip with his teeth, and asked, "Why?"
Yang Fu calmly replied: "I think this is a useless move that wastes people and money, so I should ask for a constitutional order to stop the treatment immediately." Kangxi was listening to Yang Fu, who was neither humble nor overbearing, talking freely, and couldn't help but secretly praise: "This man has courage.
"
"Is your county magistrate too bold? This is an official order from the imperial court!" Zhu Fuxiang raised his voice.
"I know it's an official order from the imperial court!" Yang Fu also raised his voice and responded loudly. His voice trembled slightly, and you could tell that he was trying his best to suppress his angry emotions. Hundreds of civil servants looked at them and became more and more stiff as they spoke.
, were all shocked. Two old people went up to persuade Yang Fu: "Master, don't argue with Master Daotai, the little people just go into the water..." After saying that, they took off their shoes and rolled up their trouser legs and went into the river. Dozens of migrant workers
They all took off their shoes and stomped their feet to get into the water. The women pushing the carts selling rice wine were also busy lighting the stove and lighting the fire, kneading the dough and scalding the wine. Kangxi, who was standing next to him, saw that the thighs of the people who were entering the water were pricked by ice flowers.
He was covered in dense bloody wounds, some of which were still dripping with bright red blood. His heart suddenly felt hot, and he was about to speak when he heard Yang Fu shout loudly: "Come up, no one wants to come down!"
"You...you!" Zhu Fuxiang turned pale with anger and stammered when he spoke, "Your eyes...are supreme and you resist...resist the emperor's order...just listen - listen!"
As he said this, he was about to get into the sedan chair with a flick of his sleeves. Unexpectedly, he was grabbed by Yang Fu and asked:
"Zhu Fuxiang, where are you going?"
"Go back to the office to check on you!" Seeing that he dared to call him by his name, Zhu Fuxiang roared loudly, "You - you are wearing a plain gold hat, and you have lost your replenishment!"
"Come, come, come!" Yang Fu grabbed Zhu Fuxiang, his face flushed, "It's past three o'clock in the morning, you are wearing a brocade robe and heavy fur, your hands and feet are so cold, but you want the people to go to the river early in the morning! It's okay!
, if you can get into the water, the common people can too!" After saying that, he dragged Zhu Fuxiang, who was already mad, down the embankment and stepped on the ice.
The river ice exploded with a "click", and Zhu Fuxiang woke up with a start. When he hurriedly grabbed his hand to break free, he was tightly held by Yang Fu and almost slipped. Seeing the county magistrate, Zhu Fuxiang's two masters pulled him to observe the master.
When they all pulled up the river together with a cry of surprise, the ice in the river couldn't bear it and cracked with a "squeak". The ice water suddenly reached the thighs, and everyone was so cold that they grinned and bared their teeth. The people saw that things were getting worse and worse.
The crowd came around and helped them up. When Kangxi saw this, he couldn't help but cheer loudly: "Okay!"
Zhu Fuxiang came ashore. He didn't know whether he was angry or cold. His face was pale and blue, his upper and lower teeth were chattering. He stamped his feet on the ground and shook the water. When he saw Kangxi clapping and laughing beside him, he thought it was the county officials.
The chief official was gloating about his misfortune, and suddenly he became furious. He raised his hand and shouted: "Take down this shameless bastard!" (To be continued)
