Xinshun 1730

Chapter 1327 A Stylish Clique
These questions sound grand and philosophical, mixed with moral questions and beliefs.

But these questions are not really a problem for Hancock, or they are not worth thinking about at all.

In his early twenties, he was just a young boy.

When his uncle started his business, he might need some difficulty, courage, skills and so on.

When his uncle started his business, it was the golden age of piracy.Because the United Kingdom, from a country that supported pirates, immediately turned around and became the country that was most at odds with pirates following the end of the War of Spanish Succession.

A large number of pirates, retired soldiers, sailors, etc. flooded the Caribbean Sea.

Doing business at that time was indeed risky.

May be caught by a smuggling boat.

It may be eaten by Spanish or French warships, although it is more like a black eat black model.

Possibly caught by pirates, very likely, since that was the golden age of piracy.

It was an era of big waves washing over the sand.

Unlucky, he was caught, killed by pirates, intercepted by warships, and lost money and life.Most of them were directly thrown into the sea to feed the fish.

Good luck, get two or three votes.With more money, more ships, higher social status, and more contacts, everything that follows will be unimpeded.

The Governor is a friend.

Customs is buddy.

The plantation owners on the sugar islands of the Caribbean are all partners.

The golden age of piracy is over.

The difficulty of smuggling Eastern trade goods in Holland and Sweden has been reduced.

French honey is starting to drop in price.

New England brewery cauldrons developed.

So far, everything has been fine and smooth.

Hancock, in his early twenties, has no cousins. As soon as his uncle died, the title of the richest man in Boston fell directly on his head.

When the dick hurts after eating too much, he has to find something to do.

If you don't know the meaning of life, then you need others to guide you, at least do something, otherwise you have nothing to pursue.

Everyone is entitled to ponder the meaning of life, what is the purpose of living, what is the highest truth and so on.But at this time, people who are still full of food and drink are more likely to fall into such pondering.

Once the money has been accumulated to a certain level and the personal connections have been established, the current business environment is really an era where businessmen who have laid a solid foundation and have sufficient capital can make money lying down.

From the golden age of piracy, or this three and forty years after the signing of the Madrid Treaty of Utrecht, the big waves washed the sand.Many businessmen died in the process.

And those who survived are naturally winners take all.

Hancock's uncle has been able to specialize in luxury goods, export alcohol, and purchase the logistics of the army. Even the British government has to expel the French from Acadia.

It's all mixed up to this point, and it is already a "Colonial agent" certified by the British government-a colonial agent.

They were selected by the colonial government and paid a fixed salary.Since the information and communication in this era are unchanged, and it takes several months to deliver the news, they and the colonial officials have a lot of power to "do things cheaply".

Their main business was working with the Board of Trade on land issues, border disputes, military matters, and Indian affairs.They provided documents and news to British officials, ensured the acceptance of controversial colonial legislation, and tried to block policies the colonies opposed. …

This is not inconsistent with their opposition to British trade policy.

It should be noted that a large part of the "Colonial agents" are celebrities in the North American colonies.They are gentry and businessmen in North America, and the salaries given to them by the British government are useless.They mainly rely on this identity and their relationship with the governor and the government to obtain economic benefits.

Simply put, the British government pays them 10 yuan a month.But relying on this identity and official relationship, they can earn 10000 yuan a month through smuggling franchises and so on.

Therefore, they are not "officials" in the true sense, but more like local gentry.

In the officialdom of Dashun, there is a semi-hidden rule that existed in the Ming Dynasty: one cannot be an official within 800 miles of his hometown.That's what worries me.

And these "Colonial agents" in North America who receive the salary of the British government are not similar to those who theoretically live only on salary, and whose promotion has to go through the official government, who may become an official in Liaoning this year and be transferred to Guangdong next year. .

They can use the power of the British government to obtain orders, logistical arrangements, franchising, etc.

But they can also oppose the British honey tax, the French sugar tax increase and so on according to their real needs.

Thomas Hancock took John Hancock to the Bahamas this time, in the hope that John Hancock would be familiar with his business process and inherit his family business in the future.

But the unexpected result was to broaden Hancock's horizons.

Although before that, because of the existence of tea, porcelain and silk, it is of course impossible for Hancock not to know China.

But this is the first time that he has not only heard about the outside world from a well like North America, but has actually come into contact with the vast world outside.

He knows the world exists.

Know about the existence of Britain, France, the Holy Roman Empire, and more.

Know those magnificent churches, the remains of the Colosseum.

Heard of the far east, the mysterious country.

However, he hadn't seen it.

From his birth until he graduated from university, he grew up in this small town with tens of thousands of people.

by imagination.

Or rather, by description.

It is impossible to imagine what the world looks like.

How can a person who has never seen the remains of the Colosseum figure out what that thing looks like?
Here he was, seeing Negroes, Indians, and their own kind.

But for the first time, he touched another part of the world that seemed to come out of the background story and the background picture.

This feeling is amazing.It is a kind of wonder that can only be felt by people who have read many books in a small town of tens of thousands of people and are exposed to the larger world for the first time after growing up.

Strange and not unfamiliar.

Read in the book, listened to.But the strangeness of the first contact is not unfamiliar.

The illusion created by this contact with the outside world, the status quo that there is no need to worry about food, drink or even business, and the reality of being in his early 20s, coupled with the strong religious atmosphere here, all gave Hancock a kind of Very normal emotion.

A kind of thinking that later generations can be said to be in the second grade, or it can be said that the young intellectuals are fanatical and restless, or they can be regarded as idle birds who want to find something to do to find the meaning of life.

The idea itself is good.

But the difficulty with this thing is that this young restlessness, like a chicken, hardens at every turn.

If someone can give correct guidance and give a clear direction, they can still dedicate themselves to some ideal or the meaning of life.

But in this young and hot state at this time, I still hope to find the meaning of life.

Or join some high-profile mysterious organization that seems to affect the vast world that has been touched.

Or in a religious atmosphere, you want to seek the so-called supreme wisdom and supreme truth.

Undoubtedly, at this time the Freemasonry extended a hand to him, and he was excited.

Warren asked him to think about all this carefully, but he didn't think about it at all. It was more of a kind of "I joined a higher-level organization, and my life will have meaning other than making money." Excitement peculiar to melancholy young men.

After parting from the Grape Bunch Tavern, John Hancock has been in his residence, waiting excitedly and anxiously for the entrance examination and initiation ceremony of this mysterious organization with a high style.

Until a few days later, a carriage stopped in front of his house.

John Hancock ushered in a guest who seemed a bit forced.

The people who came to visit him were not very old. John Hancock seemed to have a little impression of the tavern before, but he couldn't remember clearly.

The person who came was wearing a black gown, a lambswool hat, and a white woolen scarf around his neck. He had a mysterious expression, and he was carrying a very delicate leather case in his hand. Not very big, but covered with some mysterious runic markings.

After entering the room, Hancock asked him to sit down nervously but excitedly, but the guest did not sit down, but said to him with a serious face: "Mr. Hancock, I have undertaken an important commission, so Come to see you."

"I'm sorry, please forgive me for not being able to tell who my client is. But in short, this person is entrusted to me to accept you into the association, and I will take you to the hut of brothers who are close to the highest wisdom."

"I regard fulfilling the will of my brother as a sacred duty."

"So before that, I would like to ask you to answer a question."

"Before answering this question, please put aside all distractions, and do not imagine that you may become a member of the Freemasonry in the future. Instead
I ask you, not as a future Mason, but as a human being, an honest man, to answer me sincerely and without thinking: Do you believe in God? "

Hearing such a conversation, Hancock felt even more excited and excited.

It can be heard that this is a very well-spoken way of talking, and no normal person would speak like this.

Even if you talk like this in a tavern, the drunk will slap a few bottles on the head.

But at this time, such a conversation gave Hancock a lot of stimulation.

This... is in line with the style of this mysterious organization that he had envisioned and envisioned.

It should be like this.Solemn and mysterious... At this moment, Hancock's heart is satisfied.

Satisfied that the Freemasonry formally issued an invitation to him.

He is also satisfied that the seemingly mysterious and stylish scene he imagined really appeared in his real life.

It was like, the scene he had been dreaming about these days was reproduced in reality.

So, he replied very simply and solemnly, even subconsciously, in a tone of tone: "Yes, of course, I answer you as an honest and educated gentleman. I believe in God."

"Very good. Then, before that, please close your eyes." The man who picked him up said so, and Hancock closed his eyes obediently.

There was darkness in front of him, and he wanted to open his eyes several times, but in the end, the temptation to join this high-profile organization made him try hard to suppress the thought of opening his eyes.

In particular, the mysterious demeanor and the tone of the stage play of the previous guide made him feel extremely yearning.

"Perhaps, this is a test of my honesty and respect for the Freemasons. I cannot open my eyes at this time."

"Ah, what an amazing experience. When I close my eyes, something that interests me is happening outside my eyes."

"Like the serpent that tempted Adam and Eve to eat the fruit, its whisper echoed in my head, only this time it echoed: Open your eyes and take a peek."

"Yes, I think, that's what makes me close my eyes. It's the temptation to experience the beginning of the fall of man, and even the temptation itself, maybe just to know something..."

When closing his eyes, Hancock's heart added a lot of drama.

The idea of ​​closing eyes at the beginning is the idea of ​​obedience testing, which is still a little bit off.

But with more and more drama in my heart, the fart of closing my eyes has already been associated with resisting the temptation to eat fruit in the Garden of Eden...

Soon, Hancock heard the slight click of the leather case being opened.

Then, he felt a dry and soft veil tied over his eyes.

The scarf was tight in front of his eyes, wrapped around the back of his head, and tied in a knot at the back of his head.And the person who tied the knot was very hard, and a few hairs got caught in the knot of the scarf, which made him feel a little painful.

When the blindfolded veil was finished, the voice of the person who greeted him rang in Hancock's ear again.

This is a very strange feeling, Hancock has never experienced this kind of experience: seeing the darkness, but can hear the voice of others in front of him, but he can't see the feeling of this person.

Most people will feel this kind of strange feeling, because unless it is a child playing blind catch, no adult will be idle, blindfolded and talk to people.

That voice is right next to my ear.

"This is the feeling at the beginning of the birth of the soul. Babies are like this. This is the purest feeling, which prevents the deception of the eyes and makes it easier for you to touch your own soul."

"There is darkness in front of your eyes. But there is a door there, open that door, and you will find light in the darkness. And the key to this door is the ancient wisdom passed down by brothers."

"No one can obtain the truth alone. From our ancestor Adam to our present, the inheritance of thousands of generations has shaped this door."

"Now, please follow me."

"Don't ask anything. When you feel as if the door is in front of you, you can open the veil in front of you."

"Hands, on your body."

"As for that door, you need to use your soul to perceive it. When you know that door exists, then that door exists."

After speaking, the man stretched out his hand, took Hancock's hand, and walked outside step by step.Then with the help of the man, Hancock got into the carriage.

Because he smelled a strong sour smell of horse sweat, as well as the neighing of the horse, and the sound of the wheels moving rhythmically on the road.

The scarf was tied tightly, but the scarf itself was not dark, so before getting into the carriage, Hancock could still feel a glimmer of light in front of his eyes.

Not much to see, but enough to feel the light ahead, at least until I got into the carriage.

The guide said that when his soul felt the existence of that door, he could untie the scarf by himself...

According to the previous hints, obviously, this should mean either feeling a faint light, or hearing some mysterious sounds, or something else.

Only in this way can Hancock have a feeling as if the soul really saw the door.

However, Hancock certainly didn't think so at this time.It's too materialistic, too boring, too tacky, and too tasteless to think so.

Ever since he got into the carriage, there was darkness in front of Hancock's eyes, and he fell into a strange perception.

And he was also trying to find the so-called feeling that the soul had sensed the door.After all, he went to Harvard, of course he knew "that door", it was a metaphor.

And the feeling of the soul is something that can only be understood and cannot be expressed in words, and he doesn't know how to be regarded as the soul perceives the door.

But he believes, just like every young man who pretentiously thinks that he is the protagonist in his own destiny, believes that he can perceive it.

But now, his eyes were dark, and even the faint light that had penetrated the veil before getting into the carriage was gone.

It seemed that all the real world he knew had disappeared around him, leaving only the pure darkness.

"My soul now only sees nothingness. I can feel the pulse beating, my heart is surging, and my body is still listening to me. But my soul is isolated from the outside world."

"It is this kind of emptiness and darkness that makes it easier for me to perceive that door..."

Hancock reminded himself like this, and then facing the darkness in front of him, or the magical feeling of not being asleep but seeing nothing in front of him, he couldn't help admiring: "What a magical feeling Ah. Darkness, nothingness... Another perception beyond the eyes, the perception of pure soul..."

That's how he admired it.

But in fact, it was only because the carriage he was riding in was wrapped in thick black cloth and had no windows.It was indeed dark inside.

(End of this chapter)