Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 68 Qiongxi

Lao Lu had already tied the boat to the river. Seeing Wang Heng wake up leisurely, he said to him: "The port is a mile or two to the east in front of you. The old man's boat can't go there. You have to walk there by yourselves, sir." Be sure to recognize this old bridge, the first bridge in Haimen.

Xiaocai's eyes were filled with drowsiness and he said in surprise: "We arrived at Liujiagang Pier in the blink of an eye?"

"You slept too deeply, and Uncle Lu was shaken all night." Speaking of this, Wang Heng was secretly annoyed that both of them slept to death. Fortunately, Lao Lu was not a bad person. He should at least take turns to rest when he was away from home. .

Wang Heng climbed up the stone steps, stood on the old bridge and looked eastward. He could see the black and green areas in the distance, and there were faint waves like rushing waves. He seemed to feel the turbulent force of the sea tide.

Walking more than a hundred steps eastward, the panoramic view of the port is in front of you.

Liujiagang began in the Southern Song Dynasty and flourished in the Yuan Dynasty.

Zhu Qing and Zhang Xuan, who were both pirates, pioneered sea water transportation and turned it into a prosperous seaport and terminal.

During the reign of Emperor Chengzu, the eunuch Sanbao made seven voyages to the West, all starting from here.There is a saying in the book of the predecessors: "Businessmen and businessmen gathered together, grain ships, merchant ships, high walls and masts, gathered like trees, Lin Palace, Buddhist temples, and wealthy houses. It is unforgettable. It is called the No. [-] wharf in the world from all directions." "

After Xuande, the treasure ships that sailed to the West were abolished, and the imperial court's policy on maritime trade was banned and changed frequently. The Jiajing Dynasty banned sea trade due to the Japanese Rebellion, and Liujiagang inevitably declined.

At this time, there was a glimmer of light in the sky, and there were more than a dozen ships moored in the port, including many large ships with thousands of materials.

"I heard from the little green girl that they are going to take the Qiongxi passenger ship." Wang Cai said.

Wang Heng said: "We will search one by one and we will always find it. Please look around. Maybe Yue'er is waiting for us in some corner."

A group of guards patrolled the pier. When they saw Wang Heng and his wife dressed in Lidu and behaving politely, they did not step forward to investigate.

Perhaps because of the upcoming voyage today, the Qiongxi stopped due east of the pier to facilitate boarding of passengers.

A strange thing happened. The whole ship was silent and seemed to be an empty ship.

Wang Heng and Wang Cai were stunned, and then turned their attention to other ships. It was already dawn, and sailors were walking around and washing themselves one after another on the ship. Apparently, only the Qiongxi was silent.

The gangway of the Qiongxi was hanging down, and it seemed that people were getting on and off the ship not long ago.The two of them boarded the passenger ship, and sure enough there was no one on this floor.

When he was about to go up again, Wang Cai pulled Wang Heng's arm and said softly: "It's evil here. I shouted Yue'er a few times, then ran up to the next floor and shouted all the way to the deck. No one answered me, so I came down immediately. , Master, you get off the boat first and guard the gangway."

Wang Hengxin understood and said: "Then you must be careful, the 36 strategies are the best."

The boy jumped up the stairs lightly. Wang Heng heard several shouts of "Miss Yue'er, Miss Yue'er", and then the voices gradually faded away. In a moment, someone came downstairs, Xiaocai jumped down the gangway and saw Wang Heng. Heng said hurriedly: "There is really no one, I don't know what happened."

The two of them wandered aimlessly at the pier. As the sky became brighter, more and more people started to get up early to work. There was a burst of crispy smoke from fireworks in the distance. When they got closer, they saw that it was a fried and stewed breakfast stall. There are a few bamboo chairs and stools, a penny for a fried stew and a bowl of tofu pudding, which is simply too fair.

The two of them took their seats and started to eat breakfast slowly. In fact, they only ate one taro each after lunch yesterday, and now they can fit several fried stew sticks in them. However, the most important thing is to sit down. You can listen to the conversation at the next table.As a result, his buttocks were very heavy. When some sergeants from the guard came in and talked loudly about the "Qiongxi No.", Wang Cai's belly was already round and he couldn't sit still, so he had to ask the store owner to bring him another cup of soy milk.

A sergeant who looked like a captain spoke in Henan dialect: "Dong Zhao of the Qiongxi is an open-minded man, and he can't be more beautiful in his work. Nowadays, there is no one more pious than him when the passenger ship is sailing, and he is fully prepared." I brought three whole cattle, sheep, and pigs to worship the Heavenly Concubine."

Another soldier joked: "The captain's fellow countryman, how can he not be outstanding."

The team leader smiled and said: "The high officials of Chengzhao are very affectionate, and I have recognized them as my fellow villagers from hundreds of years ago. The high officials are wealthy and well-connected, and their behavior is different from that of the people from the south of the Yangtze River. It is the behavior of us Central Plains men." group."

A few people were muttering and talking, but two friends caught hold of them half-clawed, that is, the crew of the Qiongxi went to pay homage to the Empress Tianfei. Yes, those who go to sea to make a living are the most convinced of the Empress Tianfei and get the empress. It is common sense to dare to set sail only with the blessing of others.

Wang Cai asked the shopkeeper about the direction of Tianfei Palace. It turned out that it was less than three miles away from the pier. The sky was bright and he kept walking north. At the end of the road, there was a palace surrounded by pines and cypresses. Green smoke curled up, and bursts of smoke could be heard. Bells and prayers.

Just as Wang Heng was about to enter the Tianfei Palace, a man jumped out of the tree and waved to them.

It turned out to be Yue'er. After half a night of separation, she was clinging to the stern of Qi Laosan's boat, and she must not be able to sleep. However, her expression did not show any signs of sluggishness, and her whole body was neatly tidied. She exudes a heroic spirit, which shows that her family The internal strength passed down is extremely brilliant.

Yue'er asked them to stand in the shade of a tree and talk. She said: "My father and his entourage, as well as a few people from the colorful troupe, and the sailors and passengers on the ship were all at the Tianfei Palace to pay homage to the empress, but they never saw Mr. Yuming."

Wang Cai said: "We just heard people talking about it and came here just now."

Yue'er hesitated for a moment and said, "There is a very strange phenomenon. My father was chatting and laughing with the rest of the people around him, and when he was talking about being in high spirits, I was standing on the side of the palace gate, but my father didn't even glance at me. "

Wang Heng was surprised and asked: "Could it be that you were dressed as a servant and your father didn't recognize you?"

Wang Cai said: "We can all recognize Yue'er, and his father is determined not to fail to recognize him."

Yue'er said sadly: "I think my father seems to be too happy. He used to be like this, focusing on one thing to the point of not worrying about anything else."

Wang Heng said: "Regardless of whether he has any difficulties, when they come out after worshiping the Heavenly Concubine, we will all pay homage to your father according to the etiquette."

Xiaocai said: "Sister Yue'er, the young master has found all the documents that can help your father to escape guilt."

Wang Heng took out the official certificate from his pocket, looked at it carefully, handed it to Yue'er, and said, "You should keep it."

Yu'er received it in her hand and was extremely happy after seeing it. She took out the silk handkerchief from her body, wrapped it up, put it in her pocket, and said in surprise: "Seventh Young Master, how did you find it? How many people couldn't find it."

Wang Heng smiled but did not answer, and Xiaocai said: "I'll tell you later when I have time."

The three of them said a few words, and the words of blessing in Tianfei Palace gradually became low, and groups of people gradually came out.

(End of this chapter)