Chapter 149 The Great Earthquake's Commercial Village (2)
Chapter 149 The Shangtun Village of the Great Earthquake (2)
"Dad, Magistrate Deng is gone!"
After sending Deng Ji and Cao Peng away, Mai Ren returned to the small courtyard.
He climbed onto the attic porch and reported under the window. A thick curtain blocked the door. There was a rapid coughing sound from inside, accompanied by heavy breathing. After a while, the curtain was raised, and from inside
A man walked out. He had dark skin and a short stature.
"Sir, it's windy outside. Please come in and talk."
Mai Ren nodded and walked in.
But when he passed by the man, a look of deep disgust suddenly appeared on his face.
That man was none other than Mai Cheng.
To be honest, Mai Ren didn't know why Mai Xiong trusted Mai Cheng.
I think when Mai Cheng defected to him, Mai Ren didn't think much of him. I don't know how many twists and turns he was, but he was a relative who had never heard of this person before. When he suddenly came over, what happened to Mai Ren?
Maybe he would like it? Moreover, Mai grew up a bit obscene, which doesn't give people a particularly good sense. He also has vulgar language, and sometimes he can inadvertently reveal his evil spirit.
After all, he was from a scholarly family. No matter what he said, Mai Ren was also a talented scholar. How could he care about such a relative?
But it just so happens that Wheat Bear likes it.
Not only did Mai Cheng stay by his side, he also took great care of me.
Previously, Mai Cheng stayed at the county government office, but Mai Ren felt it was inappropriate.
After Deng Ji took office, he immediately captured Mai Cheng. Mai Ren didn't want to pay attention to it at first, but it was Mai Xiong who sent the message and he came forward.
Fortunately, Deng Ji gave him face.
There was a strong medicinal smell in the room.
In the fire pond, the charcoal fire was burning brightly, making the hall very warm.
In the center is a bed, with a screen behind it. There is a bronze mirror inlaid on the screen, and an old man is lying on the couch.
"Father!"
"Magistrate Deng is gone?"
The old man's speech was very vague, and there was a bit of Haixi's unique nasal sound mixed in.
If you don't listen carefully, it might be difficult to understand what he is saying. Fortunately, Mai Ren is used to it, so it's not particularly difficult.
"Yes, he's gone!"
"What is he here for?"
"The first is to visit my father and want to listen to his teachings; the second is to tell me that in three days, he will hold a banquet at the county government office and invite the children to the banquet."
"Going to a banquet?"
"Yes, it is said that there are others."
Wheat Bear coughed, moved his slightly bloated body, and turned over on the bed.
An extremely ugly face was revealed. The wrinkles on his face almost covered his mouth, nose and eyes. A scar ran from his forehead to the base of his ears, making him look even more ferocious. Back then, Wheat Bear organized the neighbors
Resisting bandits, he was injured by bandits. This scar was left at that time, and it is still bright red after many years. As soon as he opens his mouth, the scar will squirm slightly, like an earthworm. Mai Ren can't help but lower his head,
So after all these years, he still doesn't get used to it.
"who!"
"It seems that anyone with good reputation in Haixi will be invited, including children."
"kindness."
"Dad, do you want me to go or not?"
"It's up to you...cough, cough, cough!"
Before Mai Xiong could finish his sentence, he coughed violently, and then spit out a mouthful of thick, yellowish phlegm.
Mai Cheng quickly stepped forward and helped Mai Xiong.
"Sir, I'm afraid I can't say much because my body is weak."
Mai Ren's expression changed, and he was about to speak when he saw Mai Xiong weakly wave his hand at him. He swallowed the rebuke on his lips.
This Mai Cheng is so rude!
Aristocratic families have their own rules.
Although the Mai family is not a wealthy family, it can still be regarded as an official family and a scholarly family, and they have their own rules...
When the master is talking, how can he allow a small aside to interrupt?
What's more, Mai Ren never took Mai Cheng seriously, let alone regarded him as a descendant of the Mai family.
After snorting, Mai Ren rolled up his sleeves and left.
After leaving the attic, he stopped again and said outside the door: "By the way, there is one more thing. Magistrate Deng asked me something just now."
"Ahem, what's the matter?"
"He asked me if I knew anything about Yuki Copper Town."
Behind the door curtain, there was a soft sound, like the sound of a copper bowl being knocked over.
"Fish Kiss Copper Town?"
"Yes, County Magistrate Deng said that he found a secret compartment in the county government's study room, and discovered Yuki Copper Town from the secret compartment... Haha, he also asked me if Yuki Copper Town is the same as Yuki Copper Town.
It has something to do with Li Guangli's treasure. The child can only say that he doesn't know... In my opinion, Magistrate Deng's moral character is not very good. Since he took office, he has made many strange moves, all of which are seeking wealth.
If such people stay in Haixi, they will be no different from Haixi County.
I want to go to Guangling and visit Chen Yuanlong... If that doesn't work, I'll drive him back. After all, he's not from Haixi, so how can he care about Haixi?"
There was silence behind the door curtain. After a while, Wheat Bear's obscene voice sounded again.
"Now that my son has an idea, he will do it."
"Here!"
Mai Ren responded: "After the banquet in three days, I won't go!"
"Um……"
After receiving Mai Xiong's approval, Mai Ren seemed relieved.
Even though the Mai family is famous in Haixi, it is nothing in Guangling County. In terms of family background, the Chen family is the first choice in Guangling County; in terms of wealth, the Xutai Lu family is the first choice in Guangling County.
.Anyway, it’s not the Mai family’s turn... If in the past, when Mai Xiong was healthy, he could still speak, but now that Mai Xiong is ill, the Mai family’s right to speak has also been reduced.
Although Mai Ren is a talented person, he is not very conspicuous in Guangling.
Without the support of Mai Xiong, how could Mai Ren drive away Deng Ji? No matter what, Deng Ji was an official of the imperial court. Mai Ren did not have the confidence to persuade Chen Deng to resist the imperial edict. But what if?
If Mai Xiong agrees, the feasibility will increase accordingly.
Deng Ji was driven away...
A smile appeared on Mai Ren's round face.
In the end, this Haixi County still belongs to my Mai family!
Deng Ji is going to hold a banquet at the county government office to entertain guests.
The news spread quickly, and Jiuda Xingshou's hanging heart suddenly returned to his stomach.
I am not afraid that you will make a move, but I am afraid that you will remain silent. Anyone with some experience can feel that Deng Ji's recent calmness seems to be preparation for a big move. What big move is it? What will happen to Haixi?
What changes will it bring? Everyone is a little uneasy.
Because Deng Ji was obviously different from previous county magistrates.
He seems to be more tolerant and understands the importance of things...
Chen Sheng was so arrogant and domineering before. Everyone thought that Deng Ji would not be able to stay in Haixi for long, but they did not expect that Deng Ji suddenly broke out in silence. Not only did he solve the problem, but he also wiped out Chen Sheng's family. His method was one of
Vicious and shocking.
Then the Beiji Market was reorganized and Cao's Office was established.
Its toughness is beginning to show.
Those who were unwilling to cooperate were eliminated in just a few days.
Either they are found to be short of past taxes, or they are suspected of colluding with bandits.
Either he was thrown into jail, or he was expelled from his home, his property was confiscated, and he was also driven out of Haixi County.
Deng Ji's previous targets were mostly small businessmen. But everyone knows that as Deng Ji's position in Haixi gradually consolidates, he will make other moves sooner or later. The merchants' thinking is very simple, the people will not fight with the officials.
!A problem that can be solved with money and silk is not a problem.
They waited for Deng Ji to take action, but Deng Ji took no action.
This also made the merchants start to worry that Deng Ji's next move would be against them...
It’s not like the merchants have never thought of joining forces to fight against Deng Ji. But Chen Sheng’s mistakes are still fresh in their minds, and they really don’t want to confront the government unless they have to. Now, they finally waited! Deng Ji hosted a banquet at the county government office to explain all this.
All can be discussed.
This is also the second time Deng Ji holds a banquet in the county government.
Compared with the first time, there was a clear change in the situation this time.
After the news came out, people rushed to find out who the county government would invite to the banquet this time. Needless to say, the heads of the nine major groups, some celebrities and gentry in Haixi, may also be invited. But other people
What? For a while, the merchants in Haixi were trying to get an invitation. Although the purpose of this banquet was not yet clear, it can be inferred that something big must have happened.
The last time, Deng Ji hosted a banquet, which destroyed the foundation that Chen Sheng had established in Haixi for several years.
So this time...
People were talking a lot.
Time flies so fast, three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The county government did not go to any extravagant decorations. Just like before, it just cleaned the streets.
There are five horse-bolting stakes on each side of the gate, which are specially used to park cars and horses. As soon as it gets dark, the outside of the gate becomes lively.
The first person to arrive was Huang Zheng, the head of the gold market, with clear writing.
Not only did he come, but he also brought a valuable gift, a set of stone tablets of the Analects of Confucius made by Cai Yong, a famous scholar in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.
Note that it is a stone tablet, not an inscription.
In his early years, Cai Yong was imprisoned and sent to Jiangbei for offending the ten regular attendants.
Needless to say, Cai Yong's talent is not bad, and his moral character is not bad, but he is a bit more bookish. In the first half of his life, he fought against the Shichangshi and gained such a great reputation. However, in his later years, he was coerced by Dong Zhuo and had to become an official. But he became an official.
The purpose was to compile "Dongguan Han Ji". Although Dong Zhuo was vulgar, he still valued scholars and gave Cai Yong extremely high treatment...
Therefore, after Dong Zhuo died, Cai Yong mourned for him.
But he didn't want to offend Situ Wang Yun.
Bookish...
Under the premise of such a cruel anti-Japanese struggle, if you don't do your knowledge well, but go to mourn for Dong Zhuo, wouldn't it bring shame on Wang Yun's face?
As a result, Cai Yong was killed by Wang Yun.
Throughout Cai Yong's life, he was unparalleled in talent and learning, and he attached great importance to teaching.
During his days in Jiangbei, Cai Yong also wrote "The Analects of Confucius" specifically for a local academy, carved it into a stele, and erected it in the academy. After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the stone stele named "The Analects of Confucius" was
His whereabouts were unknown. Huang Zheng didn't know where he heard the news about Cao Penghao's "On", so he tried his best to ask someone to buy a gift, but unexpectedly he bought such a stone tablet.
Although it is not a gold or silver treasure, it is enough to reflect Huang Zheng's thoughts.
There are many gifts like this.
The capitals of the nine major industries are all human beings, and none of them is a fuel-efficient lamp.
The gifts sent were all kinds of strange, but each one showed their true feelings.
When the lanterns first came on, lanterns were hung on the wooden piles in front of the county government office.
Guests also arrived one after another, including Xili Jiaoyu Wang Cheng, who had not been seen for a long time.
As soon as he entered the door, Wang Chengcheng greeted everyone with a smile.
Huang Zheng joked: "Mr. Wang, you have been so elusive recently that you are hard to find."
"Zhu Gong Haihan, Zhu Gong Haihan... Cheng had some trivial matters a few days ago, so he was not at home. He just returned early this morning. As soon as he came back, he heard that Magistrate Deng was hosting a banquet. How could Cheng not come? I heard that Zhu Gong had held a banquet.
How many days are you looking for me? Not being able to meet, offends, offends."
With a smile on his face, he walked among the crowd.
"Why is Mr. Mac missing?"
Wang Cheng suddenly asked.
"Uh... I don't know!" Pan Yong, the head of Mu Zuo's team, glanced at everyone in the hall and couldn't help but said a little strangely: "Logically, Mr. Mai should be here too, but why is there still no sign of him yet?"
While he was talking, he suddenly heard a voice coming from the back hall: "Magistrate Deng is here!"
Immediately afterwards, Deng Ji walked out quickly from the back hall.
"I've been tired of waiting for so long, thank you, thank you."
He waved his hand with a smile and said: "Since everyone is here, let's start the banquet."
"County Magistrate Deng, it seems that Mr. Magong has not arrived yet."
"oh?"
Deng Ji raised his eyebrows and his eyes flashed across the banquet.
Then he smiled and said, "Since you haven't come, there's no need to wait any longer."
When everyone heard these words, their hearts couldn't help but tingle. Huang Zheng and others looked at each other with shock in their eyes...
Could it be said that Magistrate Deng and Mai Ren had a falling out?
Probably not!
When Magistrate Deng held a banquet before, only Wang Cheng and Mai Ren came to support it.
I heard that Magistrate Deng went to Mai Ren's house a few days ago, and the two had a very happy conversation at that time. Why did they fall out in the blink of an eye?
The situation of Mai Ren and Chen Sheng is different.
Chen Sheng is just a nouveau riche. Although he is powerful, his foundation is not deep.
But Mai Ren is a local veteran gentry, and behind his back, he represents local interests. If Deng Ji and Mai Ren had a falling out, wouldn't it mean that...
As the saying goes, there is no such thing as a good feast.
If Deng Ji and Mai Ren really fell out, wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to appear here?
The expressions of several local gentry were constantly changing, and they seemed to be hesitant.
Deng Ji smiled and said: "Come, let's serve the wine."
"slow!"
An old man stood up suddenly, cupped his hands and said, "Magistrate Deng is hosting a banquet today. It is really an honor for us and the common people to entertain us and everyone at this banquet.
It's just... what is the purpose of Magistrate Deng inviting us here today?"
"Uh, well, you can have a drink first, and we can talk while eating."
"County Magistrate Deng, you'd better explain the matter clearly first. Otherwise, we will always be worried, and we won't be able to eat even the delicacies from the mountains and the sea."
A veteran local gentry showed an extremely tough attitude.
Mai Ren's absence seemed to give the banquet an unusual flavor...
Deng Ji's face remained as usual, with a faint smile on his face.
He put down the wine glass in his hand and looked at the old man. He didn't seem to care about his tough attitude, but nodded lightly.
