Back to Daming to be a genius

Chapter 87
The case of Young Master Zhang's assassination came to a stalemate with the discovery of the body of a Japanese pirate who committed suicide by cutting off his hand. Without this most obvious feature, he wanted to catch those masked Japanese pirates in Songjiang Mansion, which has a long coastline. , is tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack.Therefore, although Zhang Zongheng, the prefect of Songjiang, and Yang Yicheng, the general soldier of Songjiang, tried their best, they still found nothing. Even the Ming army's water warfare arson weapon used by the Japanese pirates to assassinate Master Zhang, the fire dragon came out of that army, and when did it disappear from the water army? Going out, both Zhang Zongheng and Yang Yicheng were at a loss and didn't know what to do.In desperation, time was pressing, so Young Master Zhang had no choice but to return to Suzhou on June 26th, determined to track down the real culprit behind the scenes.

To the relief of Young Master Zhang, this trip to Songjiang Mansion was not in vain. Before leaving, Xu Guangqi, who had been thinking about it for several days, finally agreed to go out and take up the official position to lead the firearms research again, but the condition Xu Guangqi proposed was the funds for the research And manpower and material resources must be sufficient, and must not be interrupted - Xu Guangqi resigned angrily in the first year of Tianqi, because the imperial court controlled by Donglin Party members refused to provide him with sufficient research funds, and Wei Zhongxian re-activated Xu Guangqi in the third year of Tianqi. The refusal was also because Wei Zhongxian recommended Xu Guangqi to be the minister of the Ministry of Rites improperly, and did not arrange Xu Guangqi to work in the Ministry of Industry in charge of firearms development, so Xu Guangqi was not tempted.

Faced with Xu Guangqi's request, Young Master Zhang patted his chest and promised, "Don't worry, Mr. Xu, as long as you are willing to come out of the mountain again, the next official will definitely recommend you a good job who can wholeheartedly study firearms, and I guarantee that no one will dare to detain you." Master Xu has as much research funding as you want.” And Xu Guangqi shook his head with a wry smile, and said, “Master Zhang, you are still too young to know about the affairs of the court, and the old man only wants funds not to be deducted. If you want to spend as much money as you want, it will be as difficult as the sky."

"Master Xu, are you worried about those speech officials and censors who only gossip and don't do practical things? Don't worry, dealing with these people is Wansheng's forte." Young Master Zhang laughed, his face full of confidence.Xu Guangqi glanced at Young Master Zhang suspiciously, and said with a smile, "Okay, the old man will wait and see what earth-shattering event Master Zhang will do." Young Master Zhang laughed triumphantly, and then bid farewell to Xu Guangqi, At the same time, he took a peek at Zhang Fengyi and Ma Xiangling's sisters-in-law in the distance, and saw that the two sisters-in-law were expressionless, turning a blind eye to him, and had no intention of coming up to say goodbye at all, so Young Master Zhang couldn't help but sighed softly and muttered in a low voice Said: "Unfortunately, what a standard model figure."

The wound on Young Master Zhang’s back was still healed, and he didn’t dare to ride a fast horse, so this time it took two full days to return to Suzhou. A large group of officials and gentry came to say hello, hypocritical and polite, and tossed for another whole night.And in the early morning of the next day, which is also the morning of June 29, Li Shi, the weaving eunuch in the south of the Yangtze River, sent someone to send a message quickly, saying that the things that Master Zhang had entrusted him to print at the Jiangnan Bookstore had basically been prepared. Song Jin, the factory supervisor and eunuch, also reported that the first batch of 20 shi of grain purchased had already started to be shipped, and they would be able to leave within a day or two. He asked Master Zhang when he would return to Yingtianfu to start his work, and when would the grain transport fleet depart?

"Go back and tell Eunuch Li that I will respond to Tianfu tomorrow." Young Master Zhang explained to the messenger, "And tell Eunuch Song, Jin and Song to set off immediately after the grain is loaded, and first send it to Jinan, where the disaster is the worst and where the victims are most concentrated. We must arrange two Jiangnan literati to accompany the ship to supervise." The messenger left as promised, and Master Zhang ordered again: "Come here, go and invite Pan Ruzhen, Master Pan and Master Hu Zanzong to come here. I have something to say. to speak to them."

After a while, two local officials who were able to cooperate with Young Master Zhang were invited to the Humble Administrator's Garden. After the meeting, Young Master Zhang was not polite, and said straight to the point: "Master Pan, Mr. Hu, the next official will leave tomorrow. I want to respond to Tianfu. Thank you for your full support for Xiaguan’s fundraising and disaster relief these days. I am very grateful. The two adults do not need to stay. Xiaguan is going to do a big event. At the same time, I also hope that you can send a few A close friend accompanied the official to Yingtian, to observe and learn the fundraising methods of the official, maybe it can open up a new source of income for the imperial court and your local government in the south of the Yangtze River."

"Open up a new source of income for the imperial court and the local government in the south of the Yangtze River?" Pan Ruzhen and Hu Zanzong looked at each other with some trepidation, and Hu Zanzong kindly reminded: "Master Imperial Envoy, please forgive me for speaking bluntly. Although the Jiangnan area is rich in the world, the people are relatively rich. , but I promulgated the tax law with the Taizu, [-] one tax for land, [-] one tax for business and trade, and decreed that there will never be any additional taxation. No one in the past emperors dared to go one step further. Fearing that the army and people in the south of the Yangtze River will not accept it, the emperor and Jiu Qiansui will not agree."

"Yes, you have to act cautiously, my lord." Pan Ruzhen also kindly reminded: "My lord, you have raised more than 100 million taels of silver in the south of the Yangtze River. Before the rewards for you have been announced, the rumors slandering you from the people and the memorials to impeach you from officials are already flying all over the sky. Not only the officials and censors of the Donglin treacherous party impeached you for extorting money in the south of the Yangtze River and extorting small people, even the officials who are not Donglin Many officials of the traitorous party are also envious of your meritorious deeds, and they wrote a letter to slander and criticize you, saying that you have been corrupt and bribed during the fundraising process, filling your own pockets, and demanding that the court strictly check your disaster relief accounts—— ——As far as I know, more than half of the thirteen Dao Yushi who have been appointed as political envoys from the north and the south have come forward to impeach you. If you increase taxes and taxes at this time, my lord, I am afraid that you will be punished by those Someone caught the handle."

"My lords, thank you for your kindness. I am not afraid of being crooked, or impeached by them." Young Master Zhang agreed with a smile, then shook his head and said, "And don't worry, I won't levy an extra penny from ordinary people and gentry. Instead, the common people and gentry should willingly hand over money to the imperial court.”

If someone else said this, Pan Ruzhen and Hu Zanzong, who have been magistrates in Jiangnan for many years, can spit thick phlegm on his face-it is so easy to make the people and gentry in Jiangnan willingly give money to the court for free, then I And you won't be scolded bloody for collecting taxes from them!But when these words came from Young Master Zhang, Pan Ruzhen and Hu Zanzong had three hopes - after all, they saw with their own eyes the scene of Suzhou and Hangzhou weavers scrambling to give money to Young Master Zhang.Out of curiosity, Pan Ruzhen and Hu Zanzong asked together: "My lord, what are you going to do?"

"In the short term, the disaster relief lottery will be issued immediately." Young Master Zhang said with a sinister smile: "In the long term, the Mark Six lottery will be issued regularly, and the common people and gentry will obediently pay for it."

"Instant disaster relief lottery? Mark Six?" Pan Ruzhen and Hu Zanzong glanced at each other again, confused by the two new terms that came out of Young Master Zhang's mouth.It wasn't until Young Master Zhang explained these two terms clearly that Pan Ruzhen's eyes lit up and he exclaimed: "Master Imperial Envoy, this official admires you so much. For such a thing, my official Why can’t you figure it out?” Hu Zanzong asked worriedly: “Master Imperial Envoy, isn’t this a disguised form of gambling? Will the court allow you to do this?”

"Mr. Hu's words are wrong. The lottery tickets issued by the lower officials are just to take from the people and use them for the people, so that the people, gentry, and gentry can reap both love and money." Young Master Zhang shook his head and said with a smile: "As for the imperial court——Da Ming Law Li , Is there any article that prohibits the local government from issuing lottery tickets to raise funds for disaster relief? Besides, even if it is gambling, instead of letting private casinos earn money from gamblers, it is better to let the court and local government earn it themselves? At the very least, the court and the local government When the government receives the money, in addition to eating and using it for yourself, it can also be used to benefit the people, right?"

"That's the truth..." Hu Zanzong still wanted to object, but Pan Ruzhen bumped him, winked, and said with a smile on his face: "Your Imperial Envoy is right. Taking it from the people and using it for the people, the imperial court will definitely support it. Besides, from ancient times to the present, in the codes of all dynasties, is there any article that prohibits the government from issuing lottery tickets to raise funds for disaster relief? If the lottery is really effective, we will continue to promote it and ask the court to legislate and manage it. If it does not work, what loss do we have?"

"Oh, that's right." Hu Zanzong also came to his senses and said he was right. If the imperial envoy Zhang Haogu wanted to start the disaster relief lottery and the Mark Six lottery, let him do it. If it's done, let's not talk about it, and we can get another one to make a fortune in the future Even if we mess up the way, what do we have to lose?Even if the court wanted to investigate the crime, wouldn't Zhang Haogu alone carry it?At this point, Hu Zanzong quickly raised his hands in support, "Master Imperial Envoy, I think what you said is right. The disaster relief lottery is taken from the people and used by the people. It can not only encourage the people to do charity, but also increase the income for the court. The lower officials are determined." support."

"Very good, what I mean is to issue an instant disaster relief lottery in Yingtianfu first. If the effect is good, it will be issued in Suzhou, Hangzhou, Songjiang and Yangzhou, which are wealthy prefectures, and finally spread to the whole of Jiangnan. "Master Zhang said with a sinister smile: "But before that, I hope that the two adults will cooperate closely and severely crack down on the big and small casinos in Suzhou and Hangzhou in the past few days. ——To tell the truth from the two adults, the governor of Yingtian Mao Yilu Master Mao has already taken action, and in the past few days, more than 100 casinos have been seized under the pretext of anti-gambling."

"Your Imperial Envoy, don't worry, I'll arrange it right away." Pan Ruzhen and Hu Zanzong understood, and said in unison: "Hangzhou (Suzhou) casinos are rampant, breaking laws and regulations, harming the people, and disturbing public order. It's time to crack down on them." , Young Master Zhang, Pan Ruzhen, and Hu Zanzong looked at each other and laughed, and they each muttered in their hearts. What Young Master Zhang muttered in his heart was, "Damn it, you want me to use you as a shield to spy out the wind, can I not know? If the young master doesn't engage in this instant lottery, this trip to Jiangnan will really be in vain."

After the discussion, Hu Zanzong and Pan Ruzhen expressed on the spot that they would accompany Young Master Zhang to Yingtian Mansion to observe and learn about lottery distribution, and Young Master Zhang, who was confident in lottery distribution, agreed without hesitation.Pan Ruzhen and Hu Zanzong bid farewell happily, but Young Master Zhang remembered something again, so he hurriedly stopped Hu Zanzong, the prefect of Suzhou, and asked him cheekily: "Master Hu, I have a private matter to ask you. May I ask if there is a person named Chen Yuanyuan in Suzhou City?" Suzhou courtesan?"

"Chen Yuanyuan? Never heard of it?" Hu Zanzong shook his head blankly.Young Master Zhang was greatly disappointed, and asked persistently: "Then are there any famous prostitutes named Liu Rushi, Li Xiangjun, Gu Hengbo, and Dong Xiaowan?"

"The officials are dull, and I have never heard of the names of these famous prostitutes." Hu Zanzong still shook his head, and said: "Now in Suzhou, the most popular famous prostitute is Miss Yang Wanyang. Since she came to Suzhou, Suzhou The Xunfang Ke almost flattened the ancient wharf in Wu County where her flower boat was docked, and it is so popular that there is no yard and flower boat in Suzhou that can match it.”

"Oh, forget it." Young Master Zhang was very disappointed, and said to himself that I came too early. Chen Yuanyuan and Gu Hengbo should be young and not famous yet, but it doesn't matter much. I am still young and can wait They grow up.Over there, Pan Ruzhen and Hu Zanzong saw that Young Master Zhang had nothing else to say, so they bowed their hands and said goodbye, but as soon as they left, Zhang Qingyun, who was still wearing men's clothes, tiptoed out from the back hall and hummed to Young Master Zhang with a straight face: "No wonder! They are clamoring to come to Suzhou, but they really have other plans, Chen Yuanyuan, Gu Hengbo, Liu Rushi, and Li Xiangjun, there are so many good friends."

"What? Are you jealous?" Young Master Zhang said with a smile, "But don't forget, our surname is Zhang, and I'm destined to be out of your hands in my personal affairs for the rest of my life."

"Even if my surname is not Zhang, I don't care about you, a pervert!" Thinking of Young Master Zhang's underwater sneak attack that night, Zhang Qingyun blushed, and angrily shouted at Young Master Zhang, "Go find it if you have the ability? Just now Didn’t Hu Zanzong, the prefect of Suzhou, say that Yang Wan’s flower boat was parked at the ancient wharf in Wu County, and the literati who went looking for her almost knocked down the wharf, so why don’t you go too?!”

"Forget it, lest you get jealous, I still won't go." Young Master Zhang smiled and shook his head, Zhang Qingyun was even more furious, and was about to rush up to argue with Young Master Zhang about the implication of the words, but Young Master Zhang slapped his thigh fiercely and shouted : "Yes, Yang Wan is so famous in Jiangnan, if I invite her to the disaster relief lottery distribution site and sing "Love's Dedication" to promote the publicity, I'm not afraid that those rich people will make the disaster relief lottery distribution site Is it crowded? Yes, I must go to Yang Wan immediately."

"Are you really going?" Zhang Qingyun was a little dumbfounded. Just as she was about to get angry, Young Master Zhang raised her hand and surrendered, "Sister Qingyun, don't worry, I'm here to invite Miss Yang to sing at Yingtian Mansion for the purpose of raising funds for disaster relief. Qu, it's not about flirting. If you're worried, you can follow me and watch me."

"Bah! Who wants to watch you?" Zhang Qingyun pouted with a straight face, then said with a blushing face, "But when I left the capital, my father told me to watch you, lest you do anything that would damage the court's face. So I still have to go."

It was still early in the sky, and it was estimated that Yang Wan's guests would not be too many. After learning the lesson, Master Zhang hurriedly took a team of Dongchang fans to the ancient wharf in Wu County. Although Zhang Qingyun, who was not at all at ease with Master Zhang, went with him But he refused to ride in the same carriage with Young Master Zhang—mainly because Zhang Qingyun was also afraid of Young Master Zhang's tricks.When she was hugged by Young Master Zhang before, Zhang Qingyun even touched her waist and abdomen many times. At that time, Zhang Qingyun thought that it was Young Master Zhang who didn't know her daughter's body and dared to be so presumptuous, so although she was shy, she didn't dare to touch her. She refused, and when her identity was revealed later, Zhang Qingyun finally realized that Young Master Zhang did it on purpose, and she had already taken advantage of him unknowingly, so out of embarrassment, Zhang Qingyun naturally never gave Young Master Zhang another chance.

Originally thinking that it was still noon, Yang Wan’s guests might not be too many, but after a closer look at the wharf where Yang Wan’s flower boats docked, Young Master Zhang couldn’t help being dumbfounded. On the street, tourists are like a cloud, and vendors are like scales, almost crowding a civilian wharf in Nuoda.Surprised by Yang Wan's great appeal, Young Master Zhang quickly got out of the car, led the guards to squeeze into the crowd, and began to search for the location of Yang Wan's flower boat, while Zhang Qingyun followed behind Young Master Zhang with a straight face, without saying a word .

"It squeezed me to death. I didn't expect that people in Jiangnan in this era would have such a mind for market economy." In the scorching sun, Mr. Zhang was sweating profusely when he was squeezed by the huge crowd. He couldn't help complaining that Jiangnan was too prosperous. Next to him, before he could find out where Yang Wan's flower boat was, what happened next to the springboard of a local flower boat in Suzhou caught the attention of Young Master Zhang and his party.A little girl who was about five or six years old was dragged by a middle-aged man in ragged clothes, where she cried and made noises, and kept begging: "Uncle, don't sell me, don't sell me on a flower boat. I don't want anything." I can do, sculpt, paper-cut, I can do anything, don't sell me." The voice was tender and pitiful.

"Zhang Gou Shao, what's the matter?" Zhang Qingyun was born in a wealthy family and didn't know much about it. She just felt that the little girl was crying very pitifully, so she couldn't help asking Eldest Young Master Zhang with a straight face.Young Master Zhang shrugged his shoulders and replied: "It may be that the poor family can't afford to raise their daughter, so they sell their children to Huachuan or brothels to train them from a young age, and when they grow up, they will make money for Huachuan brothels. Don't worry, we can't care so much. "

"Inhumane, that little girl is so pitiful." Zhang Qingyun gave Young Master Zhang a blank look, and when she went to look at the scene over there, she saw that the middle-aged man had already scolded the little girl: "Damn girl, shut up for me, you Father and mother have died a long time ago, so is it easy for me to raise you to such an old age? Now I can’t afford to support you anymore, what should I do if I don’t sell you?” Then, the middle-aged man turned to the flower boat next to him The old bustard said: "Mom, don't look at me as a young niece, but she can do everything, serving tea, pouring water, washing clothes, and serving girls is absolutely no problem."

"It's too young." The old bustard shook his head, picked up the little girl's chin and looked carefully, and found that although the little girl was young, her facial features were quite delicate, her skin was fair, and her black hair didn't look like Ordinary poor people's daughters are so withered and yellow, and they are afraid that their appearance will not be bad in time, so they reluctantly said: "Okay, I will give you two taels of silver, will you sell it or not?"

"Two taels of silver? Is it too little? How about five taels?" the middle-aged man bargained.The old bustard shook her head and snorted, "How much money will it take to raise her to the age where she can work at such a young age? At most two or five dollars, and any extra cents will be sold elsewhere."

"Mom, can you add more, three or eight dollars?" The middle-aged man continued to bargain.The little girl next to her knew that she had stepped into the fire pit with one foot, and couldn't help crying even more sadly. The middle-aged man was upset by her, so he slapped him on the face, making the little girl's face red and swollen, "Shut up, cry again!" One sentence, I will throw you into the river!" Cursing, the middle-aged man waved and hit again.

"Stop!" Zhang Qingyun couldn't look any longer, and yelled to stop it.Young Master Zhang next to him sighed and said, "Qing Yun, why bother? There are too many suffering people in this world, and we can't save so many."

"Saving one is one." Zhang Qingyun glared at Young Master Zhang, rushed up to stop the middle-aged man, snatched the little girl from him, and shouted: "Buying and selling people in broad daylight, and forcing girls into prostitution, and There is no law of the king?"

"Wang Fa? Can Wang Fa be eaten?" The middle-aged man confronted Zhang Qingyun and said, "If you think she is pitiful, then you can buy her for five taels of silver and let her do whatever she wants. Anyway, I am now I can't afford it anymore."

"Buy it, buy it, I'll buy it and be a maid, it's better than letting her into the fire pit." Zhang Qingyun snorted, turned her head and shouted at Young Master Zhang: "Master Zhang Gou, come here and give me the money!"

"Why do you buy a maid and I pay for it?" Young Master Zhang murmured in his heart, but he obediently came over and handed over five taels of silver to buy that poor girl for Zhang Qingyun.The middle-aged man didn't thank you after receiving the money, but just smiled at the little girl: "My dear niece, you went to enjoy the blessings with a good family, and my uncle left first. If you get rich in the future, remember to come to Taohuawu to find your uncle and aunt .”

"Fuck you! I look down on a man like you the most! My niece is willing to push into the fire pit!" Young Master Zhang also became angry, and kicked the middle-aged man to eat shit.The middle-aged man got up angrily, and was about to start a fight with Young Master Zhang, but seeing a group of strong men with swords and swords standing behind Young Master Zhang, he still obediently ran away with his head in his arms.On the other side, Zhang Qingyun gave Young Master Zhang a rare look of admiration, then knelt down again, first wiped away the little girl's tears with a handkerchief, and said softly: "Little sister, don't be afraid, you will follow me from now on, I will I won't beat you and starve you, will you?"

The little girl was very smart, knowing that she had met a good person, she choked up and nodded.Zhang Qingyun smiled happily, and asked again: "What's your name?" The little girl replied with a sob, "My name is Xing Yuan."

"Xing Yuan?" Eldest Young Master Zhang curled his lips with a wry smile, and muttered, "I thought I would be lucky enough to buy a young Qinhuai Bayan. Alas, five liang of silver is thrown into the water, and the loss is just a word."

(End of this chapter)