national surname chiming

Chapter 27

Fang Yizhi was quite surprised when he heard that Shen Shuren also planned to go to the meeting to try his luck.

But after he figured it out, he could understand and quite supported this maverick good friend.He said that he could help him sharpen his guns before the battle and make up for stereotyped essays.

In Fang Yizhi's view, when the Ming Dynasty reached its present stage, it would be impossible to save the Ming Dynasty from finding some rotten Confucians as officials.

The imperial examination should recruit practical talents without sticking to one pattern!Shen Shuren and Gu Yanwu are the representatives.

After the matter was settled, Fang Yizhi did not return to Nanjing for the New Year, and asked his relatives to bring a letter back to explain the situation, and planned to spend the Lantern Festival in Suzhou, and then went north by sea boat to catch up with the exam.

His family members in Nanjing were a little worried and questioned his itinerary.It is said that the Bohai Sea will freeze in winter, and the Lantern Festival will go north, and I am afraid that the sea has not yet thawed in Tianjin.

Fang Yizhi didn't think about this question at first, and only asked Shen Shuren after reading the family's reply.

Shen Shuren also smiled: "Brother Fang, your family is also very cautious. I didn't want to say more about this, and it was also for the sake of official secrets, but the departure is imminent, and Brother Fang is also one of our own."

When Fang Yizhi heard this, he humbly said: "Since the matter is confidential, it's okay if you don't say it, brother Yu believes you. I'm ashamed to say that my second aunt is overhearted. My grandfather was an official in Beijing, and my aunt lived in the north for many years. She knows geography, but she went back to the South shortly after her marriage to be a widow, and she always talks and lectures us."

Fang Yizhi's three aunts, including the cousin, were all widows who died when they married young. They were quite famous at the time, and they were regarded as "the benchmark of cannibalism in feudal ethics."

The second aunt, Fang Weiyi, was also a famous poetess, well-informed, and Fang Yizhi relied on her to teach her knowledge when she was a child.

Shen Shuren understood the concern of Fang's parents and elders, so he explained: "My aunt does not know about this matter. The Bohai Sea is frozen in winter, and it does last for more than two months, but it is mainly in the shallow places along the coast of Tianjin and Shandong. The Shanhaiguan area will not be frozen.

My father wrote another letter to His Majesty last month, begging to further adjust the way of transporting grain to the north - stop transporting all the grain to Tongzhou and then to the capital for storage as usual.Instead, part of it was separated and transported directly to the front of the Shanhaiguan army. "

Shen Shuren explained, fearing that Fang Yizhi would not understand, he brought a chart and pointed out:
"Brother Fang, please look at the map. The rations of the troops stationed in Shanhaiguan and western Liaoning are not only self-sufficient by the local farms, but also a considerable part is distributed by the grain transported from the north to the capital.

When the canal was transported by water, the canal only went to Tongzhou, so there was no choice but to unload the cargo in Tongzhou, and then go to the coast of the Bohai Sea, or even transport it to Shanhaiguan by land, which was extremely costly.

After my father raised funds for sea transportation, he searched through the year files and discovered that one of the biggest advantages of sea transportation is that the cost of transporting grain to the northernmost part of the Grand Canal will be greatly reduced.The money-saving effect of this piece is far more significant than that of the part shipped to the capital!
After reading the memorial, His Majesty also felt that it was reasonable, and it was already secret.So this time we went north with the grain ship, in fact, we didn't go straight to Tianjin, but went to Shanhaiguan first to transport the army grain to Wu Sangui.Then return to the capital from western Liaoning.

If the weather is cold this year and the sea near Tianjin does not thaw for a long time, at worst, it will not take a few days to go back to the capital from Shanhaiguan to take the exam. "

Fang Yizhi looked up along the map, and in his heart he admired the planning of the Shen family and his son really well.

The biggest disadvantage of canal shipping is that it ends when you arrive in Beijing.For border crossings further north than Beijing, the cost of food supply is enormous.

Although sea transportation cannot solve the transportation cost of the inland border customs, it is very easy to go directly to Shanhaiguan.

Fang Yizhi thought about it, and couldn't help sighing: "It's a pity! If Mr. Shen had presided over the water transportation ten or even twenty years earlier, the places outside Liaoxi Pass would not have given up because of the difficulty of transshipment! The land of Liaodong is difficult to travel by land. However, the sea route is unimpeded. If the towns behind the enemy in Liaodong have been able to maintain restraint, how can the slavery be rampant in these years!"

This is one of the evil consequences of Daming only focusing on land and not on sea!
……

After the Lantern Festival, it was arranged to go north to rush for the exam and transport food by the way. Chongzhen's 12 years of busy work was basically over.

Shen Shuren went to Cao Zhende's place, followed the formal procedure and asked for a vacation, saying that he was going to rush for the exam, but Cao Zhende didn't make things difficult for him.

It's the 24th of the twelfth lunar month after taking leave.

When he came out of the Hedao Yamen in Wu County, Shen Shuren felt a little empty in his heart, and the rest was to go home to spend the Spring Festival, nothing else.

It is already the coldest time of the year, and the winter in the last year of Chongzhen was especially cold, and it snowed heavily in Suzhou.

The roads are snow-covered and difficult to walk, and no one rides a horse or travels by car.

The Shen family is a family of water transportation, so Shen Shuren naturally went down the Liuhe River by boat and returned to Taicang via Kunshan.There is a charcoal stove in the cabin, boiling hot water to warm wine, as well as warming stewed vegetables and grilling, which is very pleasant, in stark contrast to the bleak scene outside the boat.

The boat sailed for half a day, passed by Kunshan in the afternoon, and stopped for a while to rest.

Shen Shuren always felt that something was going on in his heart, and it was only when the boat stopped that he remembered that he had promised Chen Yuanyuan that he would wait for him for half a year, and that he would redeem her body before the money for the reservation expired.

A man must not break his promise. If he does not redeem this time, he will go to the capital to take the exam after the New Year's Eve, and he will be promoted, and he will not know when he will be able to return to Suzhou.

Shen Shuren immediately ordered his follower, Shen Fu, to prepare some silver and some jewelry that was originally intended to be given to his stepmother and aunts during the Chinese New Year. He asked a few capable and skilled servants to go ashore to Lixiangyuan.

"Master Shen is here! Sister Yuanyuan is Master Shen!"

He didn't show up for nearly half a year, and when he showed up, the girls in the courtyard immediately yelled.

Shen Shuren also gave a few taels of silver to girls who were flattering and flattering with a smiling face, and when he walked to the door of Chen Yuanyuan's boudoir, dozens of taels had already been thrown out.

Anyway, I don't come here often, and it's rare to be rich once, and it's a good relationship.

It also prevents someone from standing in the way when he redeems Chen Yuanyuan. This kind of thing is better to offend a gentleman than a villain.

Shen Shuren's money was really not in vain. After dozens of taels were distributed, a girl soon tipped him off: "Mr. Shen, sister Yuanyuan was locked up by her mother for a while last month, and she was not given good food. It's all left over from the night.

At that time, you went to Luzhou to transport grain, and some powerful guests came to listen to the music at night.Seeing that you haven't come to hold Yuanyuan for a long time, my mother is not popular anymore, so she wants to force her to show her face more.

Sister Yuanyuan refused, and told the guests that her place was all booked by you, son, and that if she offended the guests, her mother would punish her. "

When Shen Shuren heard this, he immediately became angry.Although he did not want to be blackmailed by others when he took Chen Yuanyuan under his bag and left it to dry, he just hoped that Chen Yuanyuan would not be popular and his value would drop, but this did not mean that he wanted to see Chen Yuanyuan suffer.

Since ancient times in Liyuan and his party, the man wanted to redeem a woman to escape, the more infatuated he was, the more he would be manipulated by the procuress.And if the woman can be more infatuated and find a way to cooperate so that she is not popular, the situation will be much better.

Shen Shuren didn't have time to think, and immediately rushed into Chen Yuanyuan's room.When Chen Yuanyuan saw him, her reaction was still a little sluggish, as if she couldn't believe it, she rushed over after a long time, and hugged him desperately for a long time, tears streaming down her face.

"Shen Lang, you are here. The slave family has been listening to you these days, but if you don't come again, the slave family is afraid that you will forget about him." Chen Yuanyuan cried for a while, and vented her emotions. Only then did she feel that her legs were a little weak, and she slowly Sit slowly and fall to the ground.

Shen Shuren grabbed her waist, prevented her from landing on the ground, hugged her domineeringly to the bed and snuggled up, then rolled up her skirt and rubbed her calf.

"You have been sitting for too long and haven't got up. Your legs are numb. You have lost a lot of weight than half a year ago. In the past six months, I haven't found a new woman. It's just that I have lawsuits, studies, and official duties. There is nothing I can do. But today I'll redeem you later."

Chen Yuanyuan's face is still slightly rounded, more like Xue Baochai's style. History books say that she has a "beautiful forehead", which means her face is full.However, after half a year of loneliness, I lost a lot of weight, and it has a different charm than when I first met.

And Chen Yuanyuan looked at him with a bit of obsession and puzzlement, and couldn't help stroking Shen Shuren's face, chest, and broad shoulders repeatedly.

Shen Shuren's physical body was originally dandy and evil, after more than half a year of hard work and hard work, he lost at least 30 catties compared to before, and his muscle content also increased a lot.

Chen Yuanyuan fell in love with him. Originally, she just thought that it was very rare for a Liyuan woman to have a lover who was so infatuated with her that she would not hesitate to suffer from heat stroke.Now that he found that the other party was much more handsome than before, it was a surprise and ecstasy.

After lingering for a long time, Chen Yuanyuan said quietly:

"My family is fine. My family knows that Shen Lang is busy with business. I heard from my sisters that many of the guests who have come here recently are talking about Shen Dian's good deeds in organizing military supplies. Even Su's parents praised you for being able Official. Hearing this, the slave family is also very happy."

While the two were talking, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a middle-aged beautiful woman in her thirties entered the room with a flattering smile, holding a fan and a handkerchief:
"Hey, isn't this Mr. Shen? You haven't been here for almost half a year. You are really a rare visitor. Although Yuanyuan hasn't combed the cage yet and can't keep guests overnight, Mr. Shen, you are finally destined to be with Yuanyuan, and you are so infatuated. Old man I can't bear to tear you apart..."

When Yuanyuan's adoptive mother, Mrs. Chen, saw Shen Shuren, she already bowed down to show weakness, trying to fool Shen Shuren over.

But how could Shen Shuren make her wish come true, his face turned cold, he put Chen Yuanyuan safely on the bed, got up and forced her to go:
"We signed a contract. We agreed that within half a year, as long as I don't come, Yuanyuan can't be allowed to sing on stage. I understand everything. Tomorrow, you can wait to go to Kunshan County for trial."

Mrs. Chen was also quite embarrassed by the fright. She was very knowledgeable in this area, so she finally explained with a smile: "Mr. She showed up a lot at the literati fair, but you spent 2000 taels of silver and then walked away, I thought you didn't want her anymore..."

Shen Shuren interrupted directly: "Whether I want it or not is my business. People who dare to provoke me in the lawsuit have never ended well-you should have heard that my servant killed a man who was fighting to buy a maid, so I went to see it." Nanjing, unscathed, entered the Imperial College and donated an official. Fight with our Shen family, think about the end."

Speaking of this, Mrs. Chen is fully aware that the Shen family is powerful. If she takes advantage of the reason, she may be able to find other customers to support her. But this time, even the reason is on the side of Shen Shuren. There may be odds.

Her expression immediately collapsed, and she still wanted to pay back, so she said quickly:
"Mr. Shen's redemption! I know I was wrong, and we dare not ask for 1 taels. You just pay 5000 taels, and you can take Yuanyuan away tonight. Let's count it as a settlement! Anyway, Yuanyuan didn't really give it to anyone. Sing, she also refused, you have nothing to lose."

Shen Shuren continued to sneer, and Chen's heart was trembling, and he gritted his teeth and explained: "You gave Yuanyuan the silver for half a year, anyway, you didn't let her sing a few times, at worst, it will be counted within the 5000 taels, and you will give another 3000 taels." Why don't you take her away?"

After some running, Shen Shuren also realized that it is better to give some money and go through formal procedures, so as to avoid future troubles.After arguing, they paid 2000 taels of silver, burned the deed of sale, wrote another paperwork, and took Chen Yuanyuan away.

……

After a lot of formalities, it was already evening, and the snow was falling even harder, so it was not suitable to take a night boat back to Taicang.

Chen Yuanyuan held Shen Shuren with her icy little hands, and walked along the Liuhe River against the snow, which still felt a bit unreal.

She was sold to Lixiangyuan when she was very young, and she was trained by her adoptive mother Chen Shi, but now she is free, and she is a little at a loss.

Although the weather was cold, she was panting greedily, as if the cold wind mixed with white snow smelled better than the soft, soft and sweet fragrance in Pear Fragrance Garden.

"Shen Lang, shall we rest on the boat at the pier tonight?" She asked cautiously.

Shen Shuren tightened his sister's waist domineeringly: "Sleeping boat, are you not afraid of the cold?"

Chen Yuanyuan smiled coquettishly: "How could the Shen family's boat be cold? Rich people like you have stoves burning in their cars, let alone a boat. As long as Shen Lang is willing to wrap up his slave's house, he won't even ruin the temple with you." cold."

Shen Shuren laughed. He didn't want to be poisoned by carbon monoxide while sleeping in a cabin with a charcoal basin at night. Of course, he had to live in a well-ventilated place for accommodation.

"Let's go, go to Shen's Embroidery Manor, how can I be willing to freeze you." Shen Shuren ordered his servants to bring carriages and horses, and go to Dong's Embroidery Manor to spend the night in an unquestionable tone.

Who told the Shen family to have manor villas in all the counties in Suzhou.

Chen Yuanyuan's eyes flashed, and he was a little nervous. After getting into the car, he dared to ask: "Shen Family Embroidery Village...is it the original Dong Family Embroidery Village? Younger sister Xiaobai should have been redeemed by the Lord long ago, right? Well, it must be very favored by your lord."

Shen Shuren smiled frankly:
"She works very hard, and she is very righteous. A few months ago, she worked hard every day, and under my guidance, she invented the flying shuttle, which made a lot of profits. I have already rewarded her for regaining her freedom, but she My family has no family for a long time, and she voluntarily continued to follow me as a guest.

She has always been obsessed with your kindness, knowing that you instructed me to redeem her body, and insisted on not having an affair with me before you escaped from the sea of ​​suffering.What's more, she was still behind her mother's filial piety before, how could I force her to do such dirty things. "

(End of this chapter)