Dragon Sea Empire

A group of people walked on the streets of Yazhou, and the onlookers followed all the way, gathering more and more, whispering to each other.

Yin Feng walked among the yamen servants like a flock, nodding and smiling to the people around him frequently.

Many people had already gathered outside the gate of the state capital, competing to be crowded, including men, women, old and young.

Yin Feng walked into the gate with a wry smile, feeling like he was parading through the streets.

Lord Zhizhou did not meet him in the main hall, but asked someone to take him to the Jieshi Mingting Pavilion in the garden south of the main hall. The stele in the passageway passing by was engraved with "Your salary is rich, the people anoint the people. The people are easy to abuse, but the sky is hard to bully." "Sixteen characters, called "Jie Shi Ming", Yin Feng took a few more glances.

Under the stone pavilion at the end of the corridor, a thin man under the age of 50, wearing a fifth-rank official uniform, Mr. Zheng Bangzhi, Zhizhou, sat beside the stone table in the pavilion, holding tea and reading a book, the book is "The Analects of Confucius".

"Yin Feng, a small citizen who has returned from overseas, see Master Zhizhou." Yin Feng bowed to salute Zeng Qi, who was judged by the state of etiquette, but did not kneel down, making Zeng Qi behind Zhizhou frowned.

Zhizhou Zheng Bangzhi was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "He really came back from overseas. I don't know the etiquette in China. It's okay, let's do whatever you want." He put down his book and asked about Yin Feng's situation casually.Yin Feng presented the so-called overseas wonders he had chosen: a magnifying glass, an outdated world map, a beautifully bound Bible, etc. Yin Feng was not willing to take out the revolver pistol as a gift.

The "states" of the Ming Dynasty were divided into two types: Zhili prefectures and subordinate prefectures. Zhili prefectures were directly subordinate to the chief secretary and had the same status as the government.In this remote state where the sky is high and the emperor is far away, Lord Zhizhou has the highest power.

But Zheng Zhizhou is indeed a good-tempered official.

At that time, for the so-called returned overseas Chinese, the government all regarded them as abandoned people from the celestial dynasty who had returned to the DPRK.People with unknown origins like Yin Feng can be reported to Guangzhou as pirates and Japanese pirates, and all their belongings will be confiscated.Yin Feng's current identity is very delicate, and everything is in the hands of the unattractive Master Zhizhou in front of him.

However, Master Zhizhou's thoughts are not on Yin Feng at all.

Zheng Bangzhi came back from Qiongzhou Mansion and accepted a very hot potato; Guangdong Tax Supervisor Li Feng appointed Li Jing, an official in Zhuchi, to supervise the mining of Zhuchi in Guangdong, and will soon send personnel to Yazhou to handle related matters.

At the same time, the Hainan Guard reported that the giant thieves Li Mao and Chen Liangde Yudang (Note: Local pirates on Hainan Island who were active in the late Jiajing period and the early Wanli period, at most there were about a thousand people, but they were greatly affected by defeating the official army many times) seemed to have revived Recently, pirate ships invaded Lehui County.

In contrast, the coming of the special envoy of the tax supervisor to Yazhou is more urgent.

The state judge Zeng Qi told Yin Feng after the reception ceremony. The magistrate only accepted the magnifying glass and the world map, and returned the Bible to him.Zheng Zhizhou promised to handle his household registration and solve livelihood problems for him, but when Yin Feng proposed that he wanted to return to his ancestral home in Hangzhou, he said that he could fight for him.In fact, at this time, the court and all parties are arguing endlessly over the matter of the mine supervisor and tax envoy. Yin Feng only needs to report to Guangzhou for approval to settle in this state.The state judge Zeng Qi asked him to wait patiently for the result, and said that Master Zhizhou was not in the mood to deal with other things right now, because the disaster in Yazhou was coming.

In the next few days, Yin Feng received a settling fee of 10 taels of silver, and the small courtyard of the original Hebo House officially became his residence. The state judge Zengqi sent a young man to help him with the housing matters, and he enthusiastically introduced He went to the only jeweler in Yazhou and sold some silverware from his previous life.

With the keenness of a reporter, Yin Feng felt that the plump jeweler surnamed Li was very affectionate to the young people of the Zeng family, not the kind of affection that ordinary low-status businessmen show to bureaucrats, but a kind of love from elders to younger generations.In any case, this situation should not be against oneself.

What Yin Feng has in hand is the harvest of his travels in Tibet, a batch of silver pendants and a gold-plated silver three-dimensional Xianglin statue, which is a miniature version of the eight-spoke gold wheel with two deer on the left and right sides; Fatty Li is very fond of this gold-plated object. Interested, Yin Feng told him embarrassingly: This is just an imitation of the real thing, the original one is an ornament placed in front of the roof of monasteries and temples, the light it emits symbolizes Buddhism, it comes from Tibet, and the material is real .

"Tibet? Where is this?" The Zeng family youth was also very interested in this object, and couldn't help asking.

Yin Feng gritted his teeth secretly, and almost gave up again: "Tibet is the area under the jurisdiction of the Commander and Envoy of the Tibetan capital of Duoganwusi. This eight-spoke gold-plated body comes from Lhasa, the capital where the monk king lives; look at this pair of deer. , Kneeling obediently and silently on both sides of the golden wheel, the male deer is on the right and the female deer is on the left. Fan monks said that the kindness and elegance of this deer embodies the qualities of a true Buddhist monk."

The young man from the Zeng family and the businessman Fatty Li were successfully distracted, so they watched the golden wheel carefully.However, since Merchant Li had never touched Xifan's treasures, he didn't know how to bid.He told Yin Feng honestly: He can keep this item for him until a customer who knows the goods shows up and can pay the corresponding price. Once the transaction can be made, he must inform Yin Feng immediately.

Yin Feng has no reason not to believe him.

Other small silverware and pendants were sold for a total of 24 taels of silver, which is a very favorable price.Yin Feng knew in his heart that the face of the young Zeng family probably played a role.

In the era of Zhengde and Jiajing, people once regarded land as a big burden, and some people gave it away but people refused to take it.Yin Feng inquired about it. Land in the south can usually be sold for ten or eight taels of silver per mu. Hainan Island is still sparsely populated at this time, but the best arable land is all along the coast.According to Yin Feng's current net worth, he can buy about 3 mu of mountain land in Yazhou, and he can still support himself as a farmer.

Three days later, about the 3th day after Yin Feng came to this ancient world, Li Jing, an official in charge of Zhuchi in Guangdong Province, sent to supervise the mining of pearl ponds in various places in Guangdong came to Yazhou. Seventh-rank Fengyu Wang An is the confidant of Li Feng, the Guangdong tax supervisor.

On the day when Yin Feng was picking pearls, he was called by the state judge Zeng Qi to accompany him, saying that he had the opportunity to meet eunuchs and eunuchs, which might help him to return to his hometown.

Even though he came from Qipin to serve as an imperial officer, our Qipinzhou judge Zeng Qi became the supervisor of the reception work, and he didn't get a good night's sleep for several days and nights.When Yin Feng saw him, he was at the gate of the state capital, with dark circles under his eyes, personally arranging the carriages and horses.When Wang An, the internal official, appeared on the stage, the pomp was really extraordinary; the long-term entourage he brought should have 80 to 150 people, and they rushed out of the posthouse in disorder—these were not eunuchs, but local hooligans Wang An recruited in Guangzhou; There were as many as 18 guards and eunuchs who followed.In fact, Wang An himself is only [-] years old, with a slender figure and a fairly handsome face—it is impossible not to be handsome, because there is no need for him.It is said that he has been in the palace since he was a child, and has been doing things with the emperor for a long time, moving his body and raising his energy, and his demeanor naturally carries the arrogance of a superior.Because of his young age, the young eunuch Wang An's business trip this time can be regarded as a mixed salary. Of course, he himself also wants to return to Guangzhou with a rich harvest.

Therefore, these long-term companions of his should be immediately distributed to the four gates of Yazhou City, and the "city gate tax" will be levied no matter whether they leave the city or enter the city.

At the same time, those little eunuchs, accompanied by long entourages and guards in the uniforms of subordinate officials, began to mop up Yazhou City.

For a while, the city was full of chickens and dogs, and the vendors fled everywhere. They were beaten from time to time and forced to pay the so-called commercial tax. The treatment they suffered was worse than that of the urban management in later generations; Some eunuchs led people into the store, set a tax amount at will, and forced the store owner to pay.

Sitting in a sedan chair, Wang An kept waving his fan, wiped his sweat with a silk handkerchief, and said displeasedly, "Is it always this hot in Hainan?"

Zeng Qi, the state judge next to him, answered, "It's the hottest season here, but Yazhou has no seasons, so it's really hot."

"Can Big Dan's bead pool be properly arranged? How long will it be?"

"Pearl hunting has been properly arranged, please rest assured, the angel. It takes only 10 miles out of the city to arrive at the Pearl Pond."

The state judge Zeng Qi was also wiping away his sweat, answering questions respectfully while peeking at the chaotic scene on the street.

Yin Feng was at the end of the entourage, wearing the Confucian long gown he wore when he visited Zhizhou, and kept wiping his sweat, while he kept slandering Wang An in his heart for picking some sea pearls in such a hot weather.With him was a young man surnamed Zeng, called Zeng Yue, styled Shan Yue, who was the nephew of the state judge Zeng Qi.

When passing by Fatty Li’s jewelry store, Yin Feng saw that the store’s door was down on the street. There were already more than 10 Wang An’s subordinates making noise at the door. In the crowd, Fatty Li was bending over and bowing. The guy raised his hand and slapped his fat face.Yin Feng frowned, and as soon as he lifted his foot, Zeng Yue grabbed him, shook his head and said, "Don't make trouble, you can't afford it."

Yin Feng looked back at him, the slender young man had no expression on his face, he just said lightly: "It's useless, even if Master Zhizhou is here, he won't care about it."

Yes, what's the use of taking care of it?During the period when mining supervisors and tax envoys were rampant in history, except for a few civil uprisings, almost no one was able to restrain them a little bit.Yin Feng had no choice but to continue walking with the team. The streets that were bustling with people and people along the way have become very deserted: the tax envoys who have cleaned up this place have moved to other places to cause harm.

During the Ming Dynasty, the best source of sea pearls was Hepu, Guangdong. At that time, all the government-run pearl farms were located in the two mansions of Lei and Lian. bead pond.The so-called "Pearl Pond" is actually the offshore waters surrounded by islands, and it is generally the place where the coastal Dan people live, and these Dan people are responsible for picking pearls.

Zeng Yue couldn't stop talking to Yin Feng who was depressed all the way, and he had a good impression of Yin Feng.From him, Yin Feng learned that Hainan is rich in small pearls, and their quality and value are far inferior to Hepu sea pearls.This time Wang An came to Yazhou to fish for pearls, which is actually the result of these years of fishing in the dry lake: because the production of sea pearls in the Hepu area has decreased greatly, why?Because the imperial court has been picking pearls too frequently in recent years.The normal production cycle of the Pearl Pond is once every ten years. In recent years, Emperor Wanli’s tax has sent mine supervisors all over the country. The Pearl Pond in Hepu, Guangdong has also been patronized by too many eunuchs. After two years of continuous mining, there is no sufficient supply of pearl oysters. It's time to recuperate, so production plummets.So, the eunuchs thought of the small pearls in Hainan. Although they are small, they are also pearls after all.

From a distance, I saw a reef, and the Dan people were setting off firecrackers, slaughtering pigs and sheep to sacrifice to the sea god.Thousands of Dan people and fishermen from Dayan Port and nearby came, and more than a dozen fishing boats were waiting at the beach.

Yazhou government servants arranged seats on one side of the reef, the young eunuch Wang Angao took the seat, and Zeng Qi accompanied him.

Wang An's guards and eunuchs surrounded the reef area, and Yin Feng and others could only linger by the sea.His eyes lit up, and he saw Mai Bo and his daughter kneeling on the beach.

I saw that Mai Wan'er's attire was very strange. Her thin body was almost like a junior high school girl in later generations, but the skin on her arms was a healthy wheat color.Today she is wearing short clothes and trousers, ropes are wrapped around her thin waist, and her hair is all tied up. Does she want to go into the sea?

There are many other old Dan people who wear short clothes like this and carry long ropes with them. Among the dozens of them, only Wan'er is a woman.

"Is this probably the legendary sea girl?" Yin Feng thought.After the Dan people sacrificed, a little eunuch stood on the reef and loudly announced the start of pearl hunting. The Dan people who were about to go to the sea went to their boats and began to wear a leather utensil with a long metal pipe around their necks. The softness of the metal tube should be made of tin, so it is very similar to the shallow water diving equipment of Yin Feng's era.Reporter Yin Feng's curiosity arose, and he went to Mai Bo's boat to study the diving equipment of this era.

But before he got on the boat, Mai Bo pointed and shouted, "Don't move!!"

The shout was so loud that Yin Feng was shaken all over, stepped back a few steps, opened his mouth and made no sound.Mai Bo got off the boat in a hurry, pulled him aside, and said kindly: "My lord, don't blame me, you can't get on the boat without worshiping Mazu Sea God and Dragon King."

Yin Feng was extremely embarrassed, if he was speechless, his face was very embarrassed.Mai Bo patiently explained that before picking pearls, one should pray and sacrifice devoutly, so as to obtain a calm and fine weather.If you are a little ungodly, the sea will be disturbed by strong winds, or there will be big fish around clams, and you will not be able to get pearls.Yin Feng apologized repeatedly, fled in despair, and felt even more embarrassed when he heard Mai Wan'er's crisp laughter when he turned around.

Unexpectedly, Danmin was so serious about picking pearls.

However, it seems that Yin Feng really brought bad luck, and the pearl hunting work in this pearl pond did not go smoothly at the beginning.A gust of wind delayed the pearling work.

Fortunately, before the eunuch Wang An got impatient, the wind finally stopped, and Mai Bo's boat went into the sea first.When she was about 300 meters away from the shore, Mai Waner took a primitive respirator, tied a long rope around her waist to the boat, and jumped into the sea with a fish leap; at the same time, net bags loaded with stones were placed on both sides of the fishing boat to stabilize the boat. .

It was already noon at this time, and the fierce sun shone on the beach, making people sweat all over.