Late Ming sea owl

Chapter 108 A New Beginning

A loud cry of "Wow" cut through the long night. Lin Hai, who had been waiting anxiously in the corridor all night, quickly got up, only to hear Po Wen's cry coming from Zhu's mother's room: "Mother and son are safe——"

"It's my son! No, this cry sounds like a girl..."

Lin Hai, who was a father for the first time and had no experience, could not stop thinking wildly in his mind as he walked forward quickly.

Before he could reach the door, he saw Xiu'e pushing open the door and walking out. As she closed the door, she announced the good news to him with a happy face: "Congratulations to Brother Lin, my wife has given birth to a big fat boy for you!"

Hey!What a son!Lin Hai was now convinced, and his heart was filled with unspeakable joy.

This is not really because he favors sons over daughters. The main reason is that for the career he pursues, having a son early is really the core competitiveness.

Even Liu Jinu, who had the strongest military ability among the founding emperors of the past, ended up ruining his great cause of the Northern Expedition because his son was born late.The Toyotomi family of the Japanese country is also an example. If the son hadn't been too young when Brother Monkey died, there would have been nothing wrong with the old turtle.

What's more, because Jingtai Emperor Zhu Qiyu had no sons, he was eventually called the Emperor and was restored to power. This can be called a great tragedy in the history of the Ming Dynasty.

Lin Hai is already Ben San's age, and in this era, he can almost be regarded as a middle-aged son.His starting point is too low, and it will take at least more than ten years to realize his ambition. In other words, if the eldest son can successfully reach adulthood, he may be able to help his father in time.

Without time to think so much, Lin Hai quickly stepped forward and pushed the door open, and saw a red, wrinkled baby lying next to Zhu Niang.

"Come in quickly and close the door. The pregnant woman cannot see the wind." Mrs. Wen gave the order. Lin Hai hurriedly entered the door and almost tripped over the threshold.

"Congratulations, sir! Congratulations, sir! You have a new baby in your house." Na Wenpo stood up and saluted Lin Hai.

Lin Hai didn't bother to talk to her at this time, he went straight to the bedside and said to Zhu Niang: "Madam, thank you for your hard work!"

Even though Zhu Niang was strong, she was still weak at this time. She managed to smile at Lin Hai and went to see the newborn baby.

At this time, the old woman who usually took care of Zhu Niang took the scale and weighed the little baby boy - oh!It weighed a full six kilograms and five taels. According to the weights and measures of later generations, it would have been more than seven kilograms!

When Mrs. Wen heard what the old lady said about the baby's weight, she exclaimed exaggeratedly: "Six pounds and five taels? I have never seen such a heavy newborn. Fortunately, my wife had the energy to give birth to such a fat boy."

The old woman continued: "Thanks to you, old man, for your ability to keep mother and son safe. I will definitely not shortchange you of your reward."

Lin Hai heard the two people singing and knew that he had forgotten to pay the reward, so he hurriedly said to the old woman: "Take Wenpo to Xiu'e to receive the reward, 100 taels, just say it was me, and report it to the old man by the way." happiness."

During the days when Zhu Niang was about to give birth, Xiu'e took care of the money in the inner house for her. After hearing this, the old woman happily took Wen Po to receive the reward.

At this time, Xiu'e had already reported the good news to Shi Wusi and others who had not slept all night, and the front yard suddenly burst into excitement.

Qizai got up from the bed when he heard the noise. He clamored to go see his cousin, but was grabbed by Shi Wusi, who was grinning from ear to ear: "It's windy at night, don't bother your aunt, wait until tomorrow." It’s not too late to go see it again.”

Everyone tacitly agreed not to disturb the back house. Lin Hai looked at his son who was lying in Zhu Niang's arms and sucking milk, feeling the joy of becoming a father for the first time.

For some reason, Lin Hai had a strange feeling. He felt that until this moment, he had completely integrated into this era.

"Zhu Niang, what do you think we should name our baby?"

"How can someone be named at such a young age? Let's just give him a baby name first."

"Hmm... He smells good to me. Why don't you call him Xiangba'er?"

"No, you have to give me a cheap name so that you can make a living. I think you should call her Piggy instead?"

Um... Song Taizu's nickname is not mean enough, so if he were replaced by Emperor Wu of Han... Taizu should be his father.

The little guy fell asleep after sucking milk, but neither Lin Hai nor Zhu Niang was sleepy. They talked for a while, and Zhu Niang suddenly said: "We can't delay it any longer in Zhoushan. Now that Pig is born, you can Let’s go take office first.”

Lin Hai said: "How can this be good? You have just given birth, how can I leave you behind again?"

"Don't talk sweet talk, I know your thoughts are not here anymore..." Zhu Niang saw Lin Hai wanted to argue, so she quickly changed her words, "You are a man, how can you delay important matters for the sake of the love between your children? Can you hurry up before Swine? I will be satisfied if I come back before my son is born."

Lin Hai was still a little embarrassed, so he heard Zhu Niang say again: "Go. I know you want to recruit troops earlier. I will always remember what you said that day. The men in my family want to save the world. Don't let me down." Mom entrusted me."

Lin Hai was completely speechless. With such a wife, what more could a husband ask for?

After a long while, he finally choked out a sentence: "Then when will you come to Zhoushan? My mother said that there will be no peace along the coast of Fujian next year."

"When I am out of confinement, don't worry, I will take Pigeon to Zhoushan to celebrate the New Year with you."

"Okay, I'll send a boat to pick you up then, and I'll send Uncle Xu a holiday by the way. If you don't have a good health, you can wait until the first month. There are still many years to spend together."

As he spoke, Lin Hai glanced at Xie'er, who was sleeping soundly, and thought to himself: Your father and I are working so hard not just for your kid's future. You must never let down such a domineering name given to you by your mother... …

Three days later, Lin Hai stood by the side of the Fenyang and waved goodbye to the Xu family and his son.

The so-called Fenyang is the new Guangzhou ship Lin Hai bought from Yang Ce. The reason for this name is largely related to Lin Hai's state of mind before he got his son.

The Prince of Fenyang County was a knight of Guo Ziyi, a famous general in the mid-Tang Dynasty. The longevity of Guo Linggong was rare among famous generals in ancient times. He was famous for having many children and many blessings in history.

Not long ago, Xu Xinsu's well-educated Jia Le performed a play for Lin Hai called "The Bed Full of Wat". It was about Guo Ziyi's sixtieth birthday, and the scene of seven high-ranking sons and eight sons-in-law came to celebrate his birthday.

After watching this play, Lin Hai named the newly purchased Guangzhou ship Fenyang. On the one hand, it was out of his admiration for this national hero, and on the other hand, he also wanted to get the blessing of Guo Laolinggong.

After all, the infant mortality rate in this era is very high. Lin Hai also wanted to get some luck. Unknowingly, his thinking model was getting closer and closer to that of people of this era.Zhu Niang was still in bed, and those who came to see her off were mainly the Xu family's father and son, brothers Yang Lu and Yang Ce, as well as Shi Wusi, Qizai and others.

Xu Xinsu clasped her fists at Lin Hai and said, "My good nephew is here, so that he can do something good. I only hope that my good nephew will train a strong army and lead the warships to the south as soon as possible. I am here to look forward to it day and night."

"Third uncle, don't worry. With Uncle Lan's help, my nephew will be able to quickly open up the situation in Zhoushan." Lin Hai said, returning the gift to Xu Xinsu, and then smiled at Xu Xinlan beside him.

This person is Xu Xinsu's younger brother. He is over forty years old. He has worked as a swordsman and pen clerk in the Zhongzuo Institute for many years. He is well versed in officialdom and guard affairs. Therefore, Xu Xinsu sent him to Zhoushan to serve as Lin Hai's master this time.

Of course, the title "Master" had not yet become popular at this time, and close aides were generally still called "Old Master" in the Ming Dynasty.

Xu Xinsu gave some instructions to his younger brother, and Lin Hai also clasped his fists at Yang Lu and Yang Ce and said, "Six elders and seven elders, let's say goodbye to each other. One day, I will kill the Zheng thief together with my two elder brothers, and then we will have a drink to celebrate the victory."

The Yang brothers also returned the gift to Lin Hai. At this time, the auspicious time had come, and the Fenyang and Ganfu set sail and moved forward slowly in Xiamen Port.

Lun Yi was still standing with Wu Lang beside the side of the Fenyang, his eyes looking at the shore a little absent-mindedly.

"Forget it, your girl won't come." Wu Lang's voice rang in his ears, and Lun First sighed after hearing the words.

Just as he felt lost, a beautiful figure broke into his eyes, and Lun Yi's eyes suddenly became bright.He waved to Xiu'e excitedly, and Xiu'e in the distance also smiled sweetly at him.

Lun Di excitedly said to Wu Lang in Basai: "Come, come, she's here to see me off, she doesn't blame me anymore!"

Wu Lang shook his head and said, "I still don't understand why you don't propose marriage to Shopkeeper Lin."

"If you don't understand, just don't understand. Anyway, Xiu'e doesn't blame me." Lun Yi kept waving to Xiu'e until her face could no longer be seen clearly.

These days, he was full of worries, but found it difficult to talk to others. In the end, he could only communicate with Wu Lang, who did not speak Chinese.Ever since Wu Lang boarded the ship, the two of them had been eating and sleeping together, and unknowingly they were even better friends than they had been in Dongfan.

Lun Yi's main concern was whether to propose marriage to Lin Hai. He hesitated for a long time, and finally decided to let her and Xiu'e go.Because he was afraid that Lin Hai would think that he was greedy for his children's personal affairs and did not put his mind on the right path.

Ever since the conversation with Lin Hai in Dongfan, Lun No. [-] had a hunch in his heart that Lin Hai's career would be in a period of rapid growth in the past few years. His personal future would largely depend on the past few years. Performance.

Now that Chen Yaozu has been sent to Haojing and entrusted with important tasks, Zhang Yong's purpose of staying in Dongfan seems to be very unusual, which makes Lun Yi, the earliest follower, feel a sense of crisis.

Xiu'e was very disappointed with Lun Yi's decision and didn't talk to him for several days. It was only today that she finally came to see him off.

Although the two of them didn't say a word, the excitement in Lun Yi's heart was hard to express.He and Xiu'e had already been in love before they defected to Lin Hai. If they parted ways because of this incident, I'm afraid he would never let go of it in his life.

The Fenyang slowly sailed out of Xiamen Bay, and Lin Hai and Xu Xinlan were talking in the official hall.

"My nephew is an outsider and has never been familiar with official affairs. I am going to Zhoushan, and fortunately I have Uncle Lan to help me. I feel like a fish in water." Xu Xinlan is Xu Xinsu's direct brother, and Lin Hai does not dare to be rude to him.

This person is the most core figure in the Xu family besides Xu Xinsu and his son, and he can also talk to Hong Chengchou.Xu Xinsu sent him to follow Lin Hai. Although it was to help him, he did not mean to monitor him.

Xu Xinlan has been wallowing in the palace all year round, and she is also a slippery person. Hearing this, she hurriedly said: "Dong Weng, please call me Mr. Xu, so as not to offend others. Now that I am taking advantage of Dong Weng's curtain, I will serve you wholeheartedly, Dong Weng must not treat Xu differently in my brother’s honor.”

"In this case, it is better for Lin to be respectful than to obey." Lin Hai also knew that if the relationship was not smoothed out, it would be uncomfortable for the two of them to get along with each other in the future, so he was no longer polite.

He then added: "I am going to Zhoushan to take up my post. I hope Master Xu can teach me what I need to pay special attention to."

"How dare you teach me? Xu prepared some small books for Dong Weng here, and asked Dong Weng to read them in his spare time." Xu Xinlan opened the sandalwood box at her feet and took out two books from it.

Lin Hai took it and took a look. One was "Ritual Notes on the Arrival of New Officials" and the other was "Standards for New Officials." He couldn't help but laugh and said, "I didn't expect there to be books specifically designed to guide new officials on taking up their posts."

"This is called a book of official admonitions. There are many of them in all dynasties. Even the Taizu of this dynasty personally wrote a book called "Instructions for Arrival." However, that book is not very practical. Dong Weng will first take a look at the two books that Xu chose. That’s enough.”

Lin Hai opened the "Notes on the Arrival Ceremony of New Officials", glanced at it briefly and said, "Is this for state and county officials? The ceremony of taking office is so complicated. Is it true that I have thousands of households in the guard station? "

Xu Xinlan said with a smile: "In fact, the Tuwei station not only has military households under its control, but also has territory and territory. It is also a parent official. Therefore, the appointment ceremony of the guard station is very similar to that of the main hall of the state and county. Dong Weng, let's take a look first. There are some Regarding the differences, Xu will discuss it with Dong Weng in detail later."

Lin Hai felt a little dizzy when he heard this. He noticed that there was a large pile of clothes stacked in the wooden box, which looked like official uniforms, so he said again: "What are my official uniforms there? After he took office in Zhoushan, the imperial court Don’t you want to send it?”

As soon as Lin Hai said these words, Xu Xinlan knew that this rich man really didn't understand, and quickly explained: "Official uniforms have been provided by oneself since ancient times, but they must follow the style set by the imperial court."

As he spoke, he opened the box again and said: "There are court clothes, public clothes, ordinary clothes and Yanfu. Two sets of each are essential. After Dong Weng arrives in Zhoushan, you can buy two more ordinary clothes and Yanfu. Set for replacement."

Xu Xinlan flipped through the pile of official uniforms as she spoke. Lin Hai saw that some had patchwork on them and some did not, which did not correspond to the four kinds of official uniforms Xu Xinlan mentioned.

He noticed that two kinds of official uniforms were patched, one was embroidered with bear embroidery, and the other was embroidered with lions, so he was surprised and said: "Why are there patches of lions? That's not a military attaché of the second rank or above." Can I wear it?"

"This is a uniform." Xu Xinlan laughed and said, "Today's military attachés no longer pay attention to this. The eighth-grade guard flags all embroider lions on their uniforms, and even embroider Baize, Qilin, Feiyu, etc. The person sitting on the python has been ignored for a long time."

"So that's it." Lin Hai thought to himself. The late Ming Dynasty was indeed an era of broken etiquette and music. Even the court officials no longer paid attention to the level of clothing.

I don’t know whether to say this was the inaction of the court or social freedom. Anyway, it should be unlikely that this would be the case in the later dynasties that engaged in literary inquisition.

When rituals collapse and music collapses, new things often emerge. Society at this time is generally more dynamic, and if it continues to develop normally, huge changes will occur.

This was true in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, this was true in the late Tang and Five Dynasties, and it was also true in the late Ming Dynasty. The only difference was that the process of social change in the late Ming Dynasty was later interrupted.

Lin Hai thought silently in his heart: This is the worst era, but it may not be the best era...

(End of this chapter)