weaving

Chapter 394 Place You in Honglu Temple
On the seventh day of the first lunar month in the 13th year of Chongzhen, the sky was fine, the cold wind was howling, the land was silvery white, and slightly sparse snowflakes rolled back and forth in the wilderness with the cold wind.

Although the capital of the Ming Dynasty is no longer as prosperous as it used to be, it is the capital of the first beneficence after all, and its heritage is still there. On the surface, it still looks prosperous. It seems to have forgotten the ravages of the slaves in the past, and the scourge of the bandits in Huguang. It has not affected life here in the slightest.

In the Yuanlongchang Chariot and Horse Shop outside Deshengmen in the north of the capital, there was a din of people, mules and horses neighing constantly, accompanied by gusts of cold wind, and more than 100 horses and horses stayed here to rest.

Yuan Longchang Chariot & Horse Shop was supposed to be closed during the Spring Festival, and didn't open until after the beginning of the year, but this year was indeed an exception, because the big owner Zhang Cheng needed to settle here when he came to Beijing during the Spring Festival.

Niu Sheng was busy arranging all kinds of affairs, and Wang Zhaozheng also rushed here to be busy. He arranged for the men to feed the horses, mules and horses, and ordered his subordinates to arrange food and drinks quickly to drive away the cold air for Lin Fangping and others.

A special person with an amiable smile on his face is greeting every clerk in Yuanlongchang. He can't show anyone. No matter who he meets, he always has that smile on his face.

It was Lu Dachun, the former postman of the Yunzhou posthouse, who was arranged by Zhang Cheng to receive guests from all over the world during his wedding, and he did everything very meticulously and thoughtfully, which made Zhang Cheng very satisfied.

Therefore, this time he was brought to the capital, planning to place him here to coordinate the relations between all parties. Niu Sheng was in charge of arranging action teams everywhere, Wang Zhaozheng was in charge of management, and Lu Dachun was going to roam among the officials. .

In the independent Tianzihao courtyard hall behind the Yuanlongchang Chariot and Horse Shop, Zhang Cheng sits at the front seat, Niu Sheng, Wang Zhaozheng, Lu Dachun and others are at the bottom seat on the right, and Lin Fangping, Zhang Chengfang, Zhang Jintai and others are at the bottom. Head down on the right.

"Lu Dachun, you will stay in the capital from now on, and travel among the officials in the court for my commander. I will find you a free job in Honglu Temple, so that you can travel among the officials in the future." Zhang Cheng said to Lu Dachun said.

Lu Dachun's breezy expression froze at this moment. He seemed a little dull, and he didn't know how to express his gratitude to Zhang Cheng.

"Pfft!"

He suddenly got up and knelt at the same spot, kowtowed continuously and said: "Lv Dachun thank you for your support... Dachun will definitely serve you with all your heart... Mountains of swords and seas of fire... I will never hesitate to die..."

"Get up, all of you are going to die, you are all dead, and that one is here to work for me again!"

Zhang Cheng continued in a deep voice: "I only need you to do things with all your heart. As long as things are done well, you will be considered loyal to me, and you will not be treated badly."

His eyes flashed, he stared at Niu Sheng and the other three, and continued in a deep voice: "Niu Sheng, he is the direct descendant of this handsome confidant, you and the other three should be headed by him. The matter should be reported to Niu Sheng to know the decision, but he knows it!"

"The villain will know." Wang Zhaozheng and Lu Dachun replied one after another.

Zhang Cheng nodded, and then asked Niu Sheng: "Niu Sheng, where is Liu Jinhai now, why haven't I seen him?"

Niu Sheng hurriedly got up and replied: "I want to report to the Commander-in-Chief, Mr. Liu has been active in the borders of Jinan for a while, and his subordinates have detected Mr. Liu's whereabouts in the carriage and horse shops in Baoding and Zhending.

The news of the commander-in-chief's visit to the capital has also reached Mr. Liu, who also said that he will definitely return to the capital to report to the commander-in-chief all the events in the past few months. It is estimated that he will be able to return to the capital within a day or two Meet the superintendent. "

Zhang Cheng nodded, and said to Wang Zhaozheng: "Wang Zhaozheng, this commander will stay in the capital for a longer time, and will return to Xuanzhen after the Lantern Festival. Please make an appointment with Yu Shangyou and the others for me, and set a time , let’s have a gathering at Tongchunlou!”

Wang Zhaozheng hurriedly stood up and replied, "Yes, the villain takes orders."

At this moment, Zhang Cheng raised his hand and pointed at Lu Dachun, and said to Niu Sheng and Wang Zhaozheng: "Lv Dachun arrived in the capital at the beginning, you two should take care of him, Wang Zhaozheng, I will help you find a place to live in the city for a few days , so that Lu Dachun can settle down temporarily, and the money needed will be paid from Tongchun Building."

"Here!"

Everyone chatted for a while, and Niu Sheng reported on opening stores and setting up secret posts in various places in Gyeonggi. Zhang Cheng was very satisfied with this, and especially told him not to be afraid of using money, and that he must make more preparations for those key points.

Wang Zhaozheng was also eager to report the income and expenditure of Tongchun Tower, but Zhang Cheng was not interested, so he only listened to it for a while, and then ended hastily.

That night, everyone had a banquet, but Zhang Cheng didn't drink much, he just had fun with everyone for a while, then left the banquet.

…………

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, at Sishi, the sky was clear and cloudless, and the streets of the capital were crowded with people. The scene of prosperity concealed the doomsday atmosphere of the Ming Dynasty.

On the bustling street, there were five carriages moving forward slowly. In front were twenty strong knights riding on horses to open the way, and behind them were twenty strong women, also riding horses to guard the five carriages.

At this moment in the capital, the annual lantern market has started again.

From outside Dong'an Gate in the west to the east exit of Dengshikou Street in the east, for a distance of about two miles, several streets are full of Dengshi.

In Jingshili, every year, it starts on the eighth day of the first lunar month and ends on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month. The entire lantern market lasts for ten days. During the day it is the market, and at night everyone goes out to watch the lanterns together.

In the lamp market in previous years, merchants from all over the country will gather, with various goods from the north and south, provinces, and foreign countries.

There are fashionable brocade, silk, embroidery, cloth, handicrafts, household utensils, as well as Western chime clocks and exotic gadgets. The shops are classified by industry, each occupying a section of the street.

In the capital at this time, people had already had their breakfast, and the streets and alleys were crowded with people, and it was already extremely crowded.

There are people in the market who are shopping, watching the excitement, seeing something strange and eye-opening, and there are people who just want to watch people. It can be said that there are all kinds of people.

In the hustle and bustle, some people had their boots trampled off, some had their money taken away from them, and some even had their companions or children scattered, shouting and yelling, as if the pot was boiling.

As the saying goes, the Lantern Market in the capital is the "opening of nine markets", which means that many nearby streets and alleys are bustling with activity during the Lantern Market.

At this time, although it was only the morning of the eighth day of the lunar new year, the entire market in the capital was open for business. Zhang Cheng was sitting in the carriage holding Ji Xuanzhu's hand tightly, watching the bustling outside through the curtain of the carriage.

The carriage moved forward slowly, Zhang Cheng and his party of four, no.

(End of this chapter)