By Jia Xiuzhen

It was almost dusk when Nanny Xu led Ruyi out of the mansion. After Li Wan came back from Jiamu's place, he sat on the couch in the east room and looked at the flowers and plants in the garden through the green screen window.The ginkgo and sycamore trees planted in the ceramic pots last year have not grown much, but the green leaves are also very interesting.

What I gave to Ruyi today was that she and Feng Xueye Guiyi got it from a shop in Cang Geng. That shop specializes in selling some hunting equipment. There are two strings of this amulet, called "Jiao Jiao Hunting Talisman" , there are two beads falling from the bottom, one is called "fixing wind" and the other is called "avoiding water". Just by hearing these names, one knows that those cultivators wore them when hunting monsters in the sea.After all, I haven't tried it myself, so I don't know how useful it is, but that's all I can help.

There are several people in the first courtyard of Jia's mansion, and there are many things happening every day, and the situation outside is even more changing, especially this year, after the cold spring, since it started to heat up, it has been holding back the rain, and the people on the street sprinkle water every day, so the sky is full of yellow. Dust, frequent droughts in various places.Officials from one side visited the temple to pray for rain, and the Qintian Supervisor did the divination again and again. The Ministry of Households was busy planning disaster relief, and the Ministry of Works was worried that the prolonged drought would lead to waterlogging.

After falling into ambush, the drought worsened, and the imperial decree ordered the fourth and fifth princes to go to the most drought-stricken place to worship the sky and pray for rain.Or heaven and man responded, and it really rained. It was really a long drought and rain, and the people were ecstatic.It's just that once the rain started to fall, it didn't stop. Half a month later, the drought turned to waterlogging, and the river and Huaihe areas were full of embankments, fields were destroyed and houses collapsed, and animals and people died.The imperial decree ordered several princes to go to various places to supervise the disaster relief, and the seventh and tenth princes went to the Jianghuai area where the disaster was the worst.

Although the capital also experienced frequent torrential rains, it did not become flooded. Li Wan and other women in the deep house only heard about what was going on outside every day, but never saw it in person, so it was hard to know the suffering.Knowing that Ji Liang and the others are in good condition, Li Wan also feels a little relieved, telling Madam Xu and Ji Liangdao that if they can contribute, they will spare no money to help the victims, just remember not to show their fame and attract people's attention.

Half a month later, I received a letter from the south, saying that natural disasters coincided with man-made disasters, rich merchants were hoarding and there was a serious shortage of food in the disaster preparedness granary.Fortunately, as early as when the disaster spread, the Four Seas Trading Company and others had already started raising funds and preparing goods. They exchanged tens of thousands of shi rice from foreign merchants such as Siam, Nanzhang, and Sulu, and they were just solving the urgent need.

In addition, Jiuzhou Commercial Bank and other major commercial firms are shipping grain to the sea this year, which happens to be grain, which is being transported northward from Guangzhou in batches.As a result, the price of grain in the Jianghuai area dropped sharply, and merchants who hoarded grain in preparation for a windfall had begun to sell grain.Ji Liang also sold more than [-] taels worth of tea through the Four Seas Trading Company in exchange for rice to participate in disaster relief.

Not to mention the constant natural disasters in the world, in Jia's mansion, Sister Feng suddenly mobilized on the sixth day of the seventh month, and gave birth to a baby girl on the second day.Both Jia's mother and Mrs. Wang said that they bloom first and then bear fruit. All kinds of rewards flowed into Sister Feng's small courtyard like flowing water.Some people were waiting to see Sister Feng's jokes, but they didn't expect such a situation, and they just spat a few "losing money" in secret.

Mrs. Xing didn't care if Sister Feng gave birth to a boy or a girl. Having a daughter saved her a lot of money, which was a blessing.Only Sister Feng wanted to be strong, and she only wanted to catch a "big carp" for the first child, but she didn't expect that heaven would not obey people's wishes. Secretly saddened, this confinement is not sitting well.Although Jia Lian also thought about his son, but Sister Feng and herself were both very young and had a bright future, so they had no other thoughts.When Sister Feng was out of confinement, Mrs. Wang handed over the power of housekeeper to her, and she still lived a busy life as a housekeeper grandma.

Jia's family comes from Jinling, a great flood in the south. Jia's mother discussed with Jia She and Jia Zheng. They wanted to send people to see the old house and the situation of the Zhuangzi in the south. What's more important was to give porridge and medicine to the south. Jia Zhen invited over.When Jia Zhen heard this, she said that she had the same intention, but she had to send an appropriate person to this matter.Especially this time, several of the princes from Jingzhong have gone, and only Lai Dalaisheng and others are sent because they are afraid that many joints will not be able to be dealt with.

When Jia Mu heard this, she felt that it made sense.Jia Zhen took the opportunity to let Jia Rong go to the East Mansion, which was also an experience. This place should have been Jia Lian, but now that Sister Feng has just given birth, it is not suitable.It was inconvenient for Jia Zheng to speak about this matter, so Jia Amnesty kept silent, so Jia Mu sent Mrs. Wang to talk to Sister Feng.Sister Feng was depressed when she failed to give birth to Lin'er, and when she heard that Jia Lian was going to be sent to the flood-affected area in the south, she was not very happy.

When Jia Lian heard about it, he had another plan in mind.First, Sister Feng was pregnant and gave birth. Although Ping'er took over the house, it prevented Sister Feng from being able to enjoy herself to the fullest. Now that she has a chance to go out, she is going to a place like Jinling, so she is very happy; Joint, which one is free?Droughts and floods, the price of rice and grain is uncertain, and it varies from time to time. Isn't it a place where you can move?Thinking about it this way, it was really a good job for both money and sex.

But he knew Sister Feng's character very well, and felt sorry for her difficult childbirth, so he hid his joy, and talked about the big truth, and finally mentioned a few words about money.Sure enough, when Sister Feng heard the principle of the family's foundation of doing good and accumulating virtue, she still looked unhappy, but when she heard the words "it's not a decimal amount of money, how can I rest assured when I hand it over to others" and so on, her face relaxed.

It's just that she couldn't bear her husband's long journey, and Jia Lian made another coaxing call. After staying for the second day, the two said that they had discussed it, and that the most important thing was always important. Jia Lian and Jia Rong went to Jinling together.Naturally, Jia's mother and Mrs. Wang praised Sister Feng again, and Jia Lian began to get busy with all the preparations in advance.

Jia Zhen went back to the mansion, called Jia Rong to the study, and talked about the affairs in the south. "How could I have thought that the prince would be sent there, and those two were sent. I was supposed to make a good fortune and earn a big favor, but now it's hard to say, and I don't know the origin of those firms. I'm afraid they have something to do with them. Those two are related, why did they find so much rice!

When you go this time, hurry up to finalize the matter of donating porridge and donating medicine, and then say that there will be disasters, and you should bring in more rice grains at a time so as not to fail to pick up later.After setting the quantity, I bought it from Yu's family. You should drag your second uncle Lian a little bit over this matter. He doesn't like to care about these things by nature. Just leave it to him a little bit. "

Jia Rong asked, "What if Second Uncle Lian asks?"

Jia Zhen laughed and said, "Ask? What are you asking? It's just to gain some benefits by doing something. Do you think he doesn't want to? What else can he ask! You just introduce him to the Yu family, and the members of the Yu family themselves I will take him on a tour of Jinling, so you think he still has the mind to ask something. You are just doing something between the two of you, and I don't even know about it, so let it be."

Jia Rong said, "If Uncle Lian also has a merchant he wants to buy from?"

Jia Zhendao: "The old acquaintances of the old man in the west are all on the way to march and fight. The second master has made friends with some literati. How can he know how to do business? There is Xue's family, but it is connected with the second wife. Can your second uncle Lian Do you have the courage to find someone to add to your head? You, think less about what you have, and you will try your best to make it. Tens of thousands of taels of silver, will your life be better if you lose it? "

After hearing this, Jia Rong bowed her head in embarrassment.Jia Zhen said again: "The Zhen family may find them. Now is the time of chaos. Although we are all from the other side, we are not walking in the same way. Let's just be old relatives." Jia Rong asked some more questions Jia Zhen was too lazy to talk about the trivial matters of giving porridge and medicine, and only asked him to discuss with the housekeepers.

Let's say that Jia Lian and Jia Rong packed up their luggage and went to Jinling.Lin Ruhai was having a drink with a scribe in a black robe at the Yamen after the Salt Class in Yangzhou City.There were only a few wine plates on the table, the old Cangtou who warmed the wine and Tong'er who kept the tea had already been sent out.

Lin Ruhai held the pot and poured a cup for the scribe, and sighed lowly: "Now this Jiangnan is really a quagmire, but I can't find a way out."

The scholar smiled and said nothing, Lin Ruhai said again: "I don't know when the sky above will be stable."

The scribe took a sip from his cup and said, "Brother Lin, what's the use of worrying about these things, it's better to think about how to get out of this fire stool."

Lin Ruhai said: "It will be full this year, and you can always relax next year."

The scribe smiled and shook his head and said, "Brother Lin took it for granted. The weather is turbulent now, Jiangnan is an important town, and the salt tax is a big deal. Who will get involved in a while? I think, nine out of ten To say less, it should be said that it is [-]% and [-]%; next year, the salt class will still need some of you, dude."

Lin Ruhai smiled wryly and said, "Oh, I can't think of anyone who can replace me. That's why I hope that the weather will be settled soon."

The scribe shook his head again and said: "Brother Lin is thinking wrong again. Whether it is fixed or not, it is not a matter of one seat and one name. Now that each has a full-fledged wing, there is really a so-called 'fixed', I'm afraid it will be 'chaos' instead. Let’s start. Let’s look at today’s Jiangnan. The common people are just wontons in the water, and life and death are the bargaining chips of others. This is still kept. If it is really torn apart, I’m afraid the world will be a bargaining chip. Where can there be brother Lin The 'fix' you want?"

Lin Ruhai said: "The so-called prosperity, the people suffer; death, the people suffer."

The scribe picked up his wine glass and drank it down. He said with a smile, "I'm not a benevolent person, nor do I take the world as my responsibility. The world is not benevolent and treats all things as dogs. Benevolence is just a cover for you Confucian scholars to coax people. The people suffer. It’s not bitter, why did you ever take it to your heart? If you took it to your heart, it must be that the suffering of the people is already coming to you, so it’s just a show.”

Lin Ruhai smiled wryly and said, "It really doesn't make sense to you." The middle-aged scribe poured himself a cup with a relaxed expression.Lin Ruhai said: "The sage is still in power, and the situation has already become like this. Could it be that this person is really fighting for it?"

The scribe laughed and said: "The person who was born there is a man. If the mother clan has some strength, it is impossible for him not to fight. A piece of fat hanging from the pack of vicious dogs, who would not want to follow you?" Rubbing some oil on your body? Without courtiers and wealthy businessmen to support you, what capital do you have to pretend to be noble? Or if you become powerful alone, you will be coerced by others if you are not powerful. After a catastrophe, otherwise, it is inevitable to become a human shield in the contest between forces." Lin Ruhai sighed after hearing this, and remained silent.

The scribe drank the wine in his glass and said: "Brother Lin should know by now that asking for 'nothing' is much more difficult for some people than asking for 'something'."

Lin Ruhai smiled wryly for a few times, then turned the subject, and said, "Looking at it now, the momentum of four or five is very strong, and I'm afraid it's hard to get good results."

The scribe put down his wine glass, picked up a fan beside him, and shook it: "Brother Lin is really different from others. Now those who are attached to Si Wu may be smiling, but Brother Lin can see the danger. , the old man chose to be in the year of the Grand Competition, and I was the only one who got the inheritance. Let me ask Brother Lin, what should I do if the throne is abdicated?"

After hearing this, Lin Ruhai stood up abruptly, stood there for a while, then sat down slowly, and asked, "Is this true?"

The scribe laughed and said, "What did I say? What is true or false?"

Lin Ruhai closed his eyes and thought about it for a while, before saying: "If that's the case, there will be no chance in four or five, but as Brother Mo said, there will be no more peaceful days."

The scribe said: "This Qiqiao has something interesting. It can be thought of to break the formation with business. Since ancient times, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and merchants have been included in many dynasties. He doesn't stick to it. It really is a coincidence."

Lin Ruhai said: "Looking at this behavior, I know that there may not be much support in the court, so I made this bad plan."

The scribe raised his eyebrows and said, "Bad policy? Hey, if this is considered a bad policy, then there is no good policy."

Lin Ruhai said: "How do you say that?"

The scribe said: "You have learned your brains into mud lumps. Isn't this obvious? If you have seventeen or eight sons, tens of millions of taels of property, and you are old and weak, and you are fighting fiercely, what will you do? Find a suitable one, and help him secure a seat while he still has a few years to live.

It's just that you don't know how long you can live. Could it be that you can find a capable son who can get along well with the big shopkeeper at the bottom and make you a "top shopkeeper" at any time?And I can't find someone who is stupid, and then I dare not see my ancestors with my eyes closed.How best?Naturally, he is honest and clever, and his brain is still quick but not basic, which is the most appropriate.Tell me, but this principle? "

Lin Ruhai said: "How can those sons who have already become powerful give up?"

The scribe said with a smile: "It seems that it is true to rule the world with benevolence. After gaining power and rectifying the name, the layout will be cut off in three to five years, and his arms and legs will be chopped off. It's just to find some excuses. How many times can he become a big shopkeeper?" One is clean? Even... brotherly killing is nothing more than killing someone who has some blood relationship, but it is just a person, what does it matter?"

Lin Ruhai said: "This statement is wrong. Tang Taizong has such great achievements, but he still has to carry the Xuanwu sect for the rest of his life. How can he explain to the world that brothers and sisters are fighting each other?"

The scholar laughed loudly, and said: "Recite Xuanwumen for a lifetime? May I ask Brother Lin, where is the rebellion? Is it preventing him from becoming the emperor or preventing him from accepting his brother-in-law as a concubine? Explain to the world, hahaha, you can't play with the world The one with the palm of your hand won’t be able to sit in that seat. Brother Lin, this is the ridiculous reason why you foolish courtiers think and insist.”

Lin Ruhai thought for a while, then slowly said: "Leave aside these, if this is the case, I am really a guillotine."

The scribe also stood up, waved his fan and said with a smile, "It's a battleground for military strategists." He tapped the fan at Lin Ruhai and said, "Nud Bodhisattva." Immortal, why don't you get a feather fan? It's really awkward to swing around with a cattail fan and point it."

The scribe rolled his eyes and said, "When I shake the fan, it's not because the fan shakes me."