Win the Ding 1617

In the 14th year of Yingzong Zhengtong (AD 1449), the Huang Xiaoyang rebellion broke out in Chonghebaofan Village, Nanhai County, Guangdong Province, and the rebellion was quickly quelled by local officials.In order to prevent similar incidents from happening again, in the third year of Jingtai (AD 1452), the Ming Dynasty set aside the four capitals of Dongchong, Maning, Ding'an, and Xilin in the South China Sea, and Baiteng Fort in Xinhui, and set up Shunde County. Among them, Taigenbao became the county seat and was renamed Daliang.

In Daliang, where the county seat is located, two people who were obviously foreigners and dressed as scholars, had just sat down on the teahouse when a doctor of tea came forward to say hello.While chatting with the guests, the window on the second floor is pushed open, allowing the cool breeze on the water to blow in, and at the same time allowing the guests to overlook the nearby scenery.

"What's delicious?" The older scholar discussed with Dr. Tea about some refreshments, while the younger scholar sat on the table and looked out the window.

On Hebutou outside the window, there is a store with the words "Wansheng Rice Bank" hanging on it, which is the largest grain store here.Under the stone steps of Hefutou, open boats from nearby villages and towns were moored in a mess.The boat is loaded with new rice, which keeps the boat very low.Vegetable leaves and garbage fluctuated up and down with the waves in the river, as if they could be flooded into the cabin at any time.

The tea doctor rolled his tongue in Mandarin, recommending the characteristics of our shop to the elderly scholars.Tea and refreshments.

"The small shop has always been famous for its beautiful tea and water, exquisite snacks, and a wide variety of patterns. The tea is beautiful, the quality of the tea is high, and it can satisfy the tastes of your guests; the water is boiled, using the nearby mountain spring water. The fire is wide open Yes. Only with boiling water can the true taste of tea be brewed."

"Okay! Don't brag about yourself here, let me ask you, how much do you pay for tea here?"

Older scholars are thinking about the actual issues of prices and consumption, instead of just staring at the rice store opposite like young people.

"Sir, you just have to rest assured. Although the small shop is located in the South China Sea, it is also cheap and affordable. There is a song in the nearby folks that goes like this, 'go to the Erli Pavilion for tea, tea and silver are not worth the price. Lots of flowers. Cakes and cakes are worth eating, and they are the best.'”

"Erli?" The young man looked back from the window. "I have traveled all over the world. I have seen some things in the world, and I have never heard of a place where Erli can drink casually!"

"Sir, this way, you just use it. If it exceeds [-]% in a while, it's a small treat, how about honoring the two of you once?"

"Zhenzhi. Maybe the price here is so low? Regardless of him, walking all the way is very tiring, just drink tea and eat snacks."

"Brother Zhong Zhao. I hope it's as you said, I hope that I won't be asked to take off my padded jacket as a mortgage for the restaurant bill."

"Haha! You, you!"

The so-called brother Zhong Zhao pointed at Xu Hongzu with his finger, and kept laughing.

Yes, the person who came was the famous donkey friend. In the eyes of people at that time, he was a slugger who had tried and failed.In the past few years, Xu Hongzu or the famous Xu Xiake has not shunned the wind and rain, tigers and wolves, accompanied by the wind and clouds, satiated his hunger with wild fruits, quenched his thirst with clear springs, and traveled to famous mountains and rivers in various places, which can be regarded as fulfilling his wish.

When I came to Guangdong this time, I planned to visit the scenery of Luofu Mountain with my clan brother Xu Zhongzhao. If I had money, I would buy a boat and go west to Guangxi to see the scenery of Guilin.

The morning sun shines on the bluestone road on the river port where only two or three people can walk side by side. On some old bamboo hats on the rice bank.

Those who wore the old bamboo hats probably came out before it was dark. When they reached the gate of the rice shop, they didn't even have time to catch their breath, so they went directly to the counter to inquire about the price of rice this year. "Five qian for brown rice, three qian for grain." The gentleman in the rice shop answered them like this.

"What!" The old bamboo hats could hardly believe their ears.The eager hope suddenly sank, and everyone was stunned.

"Didn't you sell it for one, two or three dollars in March?"

"One or two halves were sold in April, not to mention one or two or three dollars."

"How can there be such a sharp fall!"

"What time is it now, don't you know? It's the time when Xingu is off the market! Not only in Shunde, but also in Sanshui, Gaoming, and Nanhai! The rice everywhere is like the tide, and it may fall even after a few days!"

The old bamboo hats seemed to have been sucked away from their bodies, and they sat limply on the stone steps at the door. After overcharging so much, everyone thought that the farmers could breathe a sigh of relief.How did you know that when you arrived at the rice shop, you got such a price!Isn't this even more difficult for farm workers than in previous years?

"Throw that mother! I'm not going to sell it anymore, okay? I'm going to ship it back and eat it at home, okay?!" Someone made such a voice, planning to use retreat as an advance tactic, threatening Mi Xing to buy Raise the price up, even if it only costs one or two dollars.

"Doo!" The gentleman sneered, "The real country heads! If you don't sell them, the Cantonese will starve to death? Take a boat to see both sides of the Pearl River! There are many places in Nanmi and Nangu. After eating, the Nanyang galleons brought in a few more batches."

Nanmi, Nangu, and Nanyang galleons are far away, and they seem to have nothing to do with the price of rice here, so they can be ignored.Not to sell the rice that has already been shipped to the city, since it was declared invalid as a tactic to raise prices, it can only be used as a complaint.How can you not sell it?Landlords have to pay the rent, as well as fire consumption, three rates, and sacrificial money in the ancestral hall. The debts borrowed everywhere always have to pay some interest.

"How about, let's go to Foshan to have a look!" Foshan is known as the place where the world gathers, and there are a large number of smelting plants. The grain there has always been imported. Maybe there will be a better price waiting for them in Foshan. , some people think so.

But again, Mister is a "Doo!".He at the counter twisted his thin short beard and said: "Don't talk about Foshan, even if you go to the provincial capital. The rice industry bosses in the whole province have already discussed with Mr. Li Ergong before Xingu came down. The price of peers is public, and the price for these two months is five qian for brown rice and three qian for grain. Which family dares to eat the bear's heart and leopard gall?! Go against the peers in the whole province?!"

"It's not good to go to Foshan to do business," the companions also raised objections. "I'm afraid it will take dozens of miles of water to get to Foshan! The road is not smooth. I heard that there are several 'Da Tian Er' collecting tolls along the way. I ran into them. I am afraid that even the boat will have to pay for it!"

"Sir, can you raise your voice a little bit?" It was almost a pleading voice.

"Raise it a little bit higher? You eat a piece of lamp grass to put it lightly! First, our rice shop is opened with capital. You must know that if you raise it a little higher, it means working for you for free. Second, the price has been raised. How can we do business in the future if we go against our counterparts in the whole province? Who would do such a stupid thing?"

"The price is so low that we never imagined it in our wildest dreams. Last year's price was seven and a half cents, and this year the price of rice was sold for one, two and three cents. My Qidi just said it. We also sold one or two and a half cents; we Think. This year, it should be a little more than seven and a half cents. How did you know it was only five cents!"

"Sir, it's the old price from last year, seven and a half cents."

"Sir, the farmers are poor, please do your best to earn less."

Waves of begging voices came along the river. Although Xu Hongzu couldn't understand the local dialect of Shunde's countryside, he could roughly guess from this scene that Mihang was exploiting the harvested farmers again. .

"Sir, your tea!"

Dr. Tea holds two teacups with tea leaves in his left hand; holds a large copper kettle in his right hand, and comes to Xu Hongzu, picks up the lid of the teacup with his left hand; lifts up his right hand, and suddenly, a stream of boiling water pours down from the copper spout , like a green dragon spitting water.Xu Hongzu was startled immediately.Taking a closer look at the teacup, it happened to be half full of tea, and there was no leakage around.

"Brother, good tricks!"

Even though Xu Hongzu traveled all over the world, he had never seen such a scene.He couldn't help but admire it.

"No way, it's just practice makes perfect! Sir, your snacks."

Several plates of pastries were placed on the table for the Xu brothers to eat.

"Brother, did you order the wrong dessert?"

Xu Zhongzhao called Dr. Cha back who was about to leave, and pointed to the dim sum plate on the table to question him.

Nothing else matters, the top of the cake is actually sprinkled with a layer of fine white sugar, how can this be done?If he eats this plate of dim sum, he will travel to Guangdong and Guangxi. I'm afraid the two brothers will leave their clothes in the pawn shop again!

"Sir, you can just use it with confidence. The two plates of dim sum and a pot of tea really only cost [-]%. Small shops will never dare to embarrass customers or deceive customers."

After hearing Xu Zhongzhao's questioning, Dr. Cha was also quite aggrieved. When had he seen such a Yankee?Really not a refreshing person!For two cents of silver, Luo Hao is like this!

Xu Zhongzhao was dubious, and handed a piece of broken silver to Dr. Tea, "Well, this is our tea money, don't take it again later!"

"What are you talking about? The money for this tea is too much. You can drink it twice in the small shop."

Weighing the broken piece of silver, Dr. Cha smiled.

"Brother, what's going on at the entrance of Mihang?"

"It's nothing new. This is not the season for rice to go on the market, and a large number of new rice from Nanyang has arrived in Guangdong. Naturally, the price of local rice will not go up!"

"Huh! Nanyang's new rice? How much does his rice cost?"

"New rice costs eight coins and one stone."

"I just said that Caomi, five qian, and three qian are related to this?"

"Sir, do you think, would you rather spend five renminbi for a stone of brown rice with rice and husks in it, or would you like to buy eight renminbi for a stone that has been milled twice?"

I see!No wonder prices in Guangdong are so low.Only then did Xu Hongzu feel relieved to chew the pastry in front of him that was sprinkled with western fine sugar.

"Is this dim sum cheap because rice is cheap?"

"You're half right."

Dr. Cha still had a smile all over his face, "The price of rice is indeed cheap, but the fine sugar from Nanyang is also cheap, and the jar of [-]-jin vegetable oil is extremely cheap. Put the three together This is what really makes dim sum fruit cheap."

"If the price of rice is cheap, isn't it the same as when Emperor Wanli was alive? Rice, oil, salt, chicken, geese, fish, and other foods are all cheap? Even if a family of several eats a lot of fish and meat every day, it only costs two or three dollars. This is extremely rich. If you want to come to that small family and earn twenty or thirty Wen a day, you can live a day."

Both Xu Hongzu and Xu Zhongzhao recalled the scene of Emperor Wanli when he was alive, and couldn't help but be amazed. In this troubled world, Lingnan is a scene of peace.

"We don't know anything else, but our Lord Governor of Guangdong was promoted to Beijing because of the low price of rice and oil."

Speaking of his parents being promoted and going to the capital, Dr. Cha is also honored, as if he was the one who got promoted.

During the conversation.Two more boats stopped there in the river.Three or four old bamboo hats rose up from the stone steps.Under the old bamboo hat is a red face expressing hope.They immediately joined the group of people who arrived first, and the beam of light extending obliquely fell on their black trousers and coats.

"Tell me, what's the price this year."

"It's not as good as last year, only five renminbi!" Accompanied by a dejected and helpless look.

"what!"

Hope is dashed though.The Miko carried in the open boat had to be sold out.Is it really time and travel expenses?Go to Foshan, where the harvest may not be as good as Shunde, to sell rice?As fate would have it, only Wansheng Rice Shop sold to this city.There is plenty of silver in the rice bank, but the black trousers and coats of the old bamboo hats are just in need of silver.

Listen to the quarrel of chirping and quacking.Xu Hongzu thought it was the old bamboo hats that made rice and the gentlemen of the rice shop who were arguing about the quality of rice, and whether the rice was light or full.The open-top boat transporting rice immediately floated a lot, and the vegetable leaves and garbage that were still undulating between the boats just now disappeared immediately.The old bamboo hats sent their one-year hard-earned income to the workshop of Wansheng Rice Bank, and what they got in exchange was more or less strings of money.

"Sir, is it okay to give me money?" Baibai rice can't be exchanged for white money, it seems that they have discounted it again, and I always feel weird.

"Country bumpkin!" The hand holding a writing brush was pressed on the abacus beads, and contemptuous eyes shot out from the top of the glasses, "The usual money is used for one tael of silver, who can save you a copper plate. We don't have silver here. Only making money."

"Then, change to Nanzhong Tongbao, Jiajing Tongbao and Tianqi Tongbao." Judging from the horse behind the money making, it is known that Chongzhen is holding a horse in his hand.Moreover, the feel and the color of the copper plate tell the old bamboo hats that the money is not easy to spend!

"Scared!" The voice was very stern, and the index finger of the left hand pointed forcefully, "Emperor Chongzhen's Jiangshan must use the Tongbao of Emperor Chongzhen! This is Chongzhen Tongbao, you don't want it, but you want to go to prison?"

If you don't want to make money, you have to go to court. I don't understand the truth.But no one wanted to figure it out, everyone looked at the horse race after the money was made, exchanged suspicious glances with each other, and stuffed the money into the empty pocket of the old trousers coat or the empty bag wrapped around the waist of the trousers. "

The street soon became lively.

The old bamboo hats came to town today, and they had a lot of plans: Nanzao was used up, so they had to buy ten or eight yuan to go back.Nanyan also needs to bring a few catties.Nanyou is bought from peddlers who carry burdens to the village. It is a small scoop for ten zhiqian, which is a disadvantage; if several families buy a can and share it, it will be much cheaper.The colorful Nanbu placed on the counter of the cloth shop is said to only be eight and a half feet long, and the woman has been jealous for a long time. Today, Li Mi clamored to come out together, how many feet are he, how many feet is Ah Da, how many feet is Ah Er , have a budget.Some women even want to buy a glass mirror, this thing is really weird, it can show every detail of a person; compared with the copper mirror at home, which is full of verdant green, one is in the sky and the other is in the ground.It’s rare that this year, the day will take care of it, and the harvest of one mu of land will be so much more than three or five buckets, so that the hands that have always been tightly squeezed can relax a little bit, who says it shouldn’t?Paying rent, paying taxes, paying three rates, paying all kinds of apportionments of the ancestral hall, paying off debts, and repaying the settlement money can probably be used to deal with the past;In such a state of mind, people are full of hope.

But as the saying goes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

They only know that none of the money they get from selling this year's new rice is their own.

Anyway, the money in my pocket is not my own, and I have to make up for the shortfall. Since the shortfall cannot be filled up, I simply put the shortfall aside, don’t bite if there are too many lice, and don’t worry if there are too many debts!And some things are really necessary to live.

People walked in groups of three and five in the narrow and dirty streets, cursing and cursing the damned plague-stricken rice shop, as well as those southern barbarians thousands of miles away, so that they could have had a better life. slightly better days.got worse.

"The Nanci washbasin is screaming, ten copper plates are really fair, brother, come and go?"

"Hey, brother, here are all kinds of Huanan cloth, special discount, [-] cents and [-] cents a foot, add three to the full foot, do you want to cut some back?"

Although the yelling of the guys is full of real gold and plus three feet.But today, although the folks have Tongbao in their bags.It's a pity that it's just temporarily carrying them on their backs for a while.

After haggling with the shop assistants, arguing about the appearance of Chongzhen Tongbao and many other issues, the strings of coins that had just been obtained became Nanbu, Nansoap, Nanyan and other necessities.

same.Some old bamboo hats also returned to their boats.Let the woman start cooking.I took out the pickles, and bought a little char siu and two jiao rice wine from the roast meat stall downstairs in the teahouse.start drinking.

After two sips of wine and a few complaints and curses, the river became more and more lively. Words such as "Brother, Qidi" floated on the water.

"Five coins and a load of silver, I really met a ghost!"

"Last year was flooded, the harvest was not good, and we lost money. This year is considered a good year, but the harvest is good, but we still lost money!"

"This year's loss is worse than last year's; last year it cost seven and a half cents."

"I have to sell the rice I ate again. Sigh, sell the rice I grew, and then go buy that beheaded and short-lived Nanmi!"

"Why do you want to sell out, you bastard! I must stay at home and feed my wife and son. I don't pay rent, I would rather go to prison and let them lock them up!"

"I have no choice but to not pay the rent! Liao pay, practice pay, and suppress pay! Throw that mother! What does Liaodong care about my fathers in Guangdong? Why should we farmer pay the money for suppressing thieves?!"

"It used to be the foundation of wealth, but now it is the beginning of tiredness! This field is really amazing!"

"Refunded the rent and fled the famine. I think those who fled the famine are quite satisfied."

"Fleeing from the famine, the debts are also owed, and the money for the ancestral hall doesn't have to be paid. It's easy to calculate, let's go together!"

"Who came out to be the head? How many of them fled the famine, men and women, old and young, and they all listened to the head."

"I think it's not bad to work in Nanzhong. Xiao Wang in our village, isn't he? I heard that he works in a factory in Nanzhong. I heard that one month's wages are one or two and a half. One and two half, according to today's price, is three Tammy!"

"Why are you looking through the old calendar of the next year! Nanzhong's wages have already risen to two or two months, and they still take care of food and lodging, three meals a day, white rice and meat every day! Don't you know?"

"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up!"

"Why are you going? A notice has been issued in the yamen, you are not allowed to go. Who dares to arrest the cage for a day!"

"Grandpa, the bill will be settled in a long time, who dares to go?"

"Do you still dare to go? The accountant of the landlord's house said that people who go there will be locked up first, and then they will give you some medicine to turn you into a bull monster! It's the kind with horns on your head." ! Then go to work in the mine that stretches dozens of miles underground! Or go to the old forest to drag logs!"

"I'm on my lungs! I've worked so hard to plant the fields for whom?" A person asked nonchalantly after taking a sip of wine.

"Who planted it for? For the landlord! There are also officials who collect taxes and donations! It's just that there are no farmers themselves!"

Another person pointed to the black-painted money-refund signboard of Wansheng Rice Bank and said, "It's right in front of us, and it was planted for them. We were exposed to the wind and the sun, braved the wind and rain, paid heavy interest and borrowed money, paid rent and taxes, and planted rice. When they came out, they said 'five renminbi and a load of silver!' and swallowed our oil and water in one go!"

"It would be great if we could set the price ourselves. In my conscience, I don't want to ask for more than eight cents a load."

"I'll cut you off with a knife! What dream are you doing there! Don't you hear? They start the rice shop with money, and they don't want to work for us for nothing."

"Then, our fields are also planted with capital, why should we work for them for nothing! Why should we work for the landlord for nothing!"

"I thought this way in the room just now: I'll let you take advantage of it now, and put the rice here; in the future, if you don't have anything to eat, I'll eat yours!" I deliberately lowered my voice, and looked towards the bank with red eyes. Diagonal.

"When there is really nothing to eat, if there is rice anywhere, it is not against the king's law to eat some!" He said confidently.

"Didn't Xin'an County have a rice rush this spring?"

"I heard that the Dapeng Institute sent troops, killed many people, and hung their heads on the county wall!"

"Those who are here today may also have their heads chopped off, who knows?"

The peasants who came to make rice spoke the local dialect of Shunde, which made Xu Hongzu confused when he heard it in the teahouse. It happened that the tea doctor came to make some water, so he asked him.

"Brother, what are the people below talking about?"

The doctor of tea listened for a while, then smiled, "Sir, I have seen such things often since Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne, and I haven't seen them do anything, it's just talk. Some people drank two liang of yellow soup Open your mouth."

"Every year when Xingu comes down, these people will scold here for a while. Because we are opposite Mihang, such things are really not uncommon. It can be seen almost every year, and it's not just us in Shunde. You walk on both sides of the Dongjiang River, It can be seen almost everywhere, usually tight!"

After drinking a pot of Fenghuang Dancong tea and two plates of snacks, the Xu brothers got up and left. As the tea doctor said, it was only two cents of silver.

Back at the inn, Xu Hongzu opened the diary, and he wanted to record what he saw and heard today.

"Drinking tea with Brother Zhong Zhao on the street today, the prices here are far lower than those in the south of the Yangtze River. A pot of tea and two plates of sugar cakes are only two cents of silver. Seeing the scene of farmers selling grain, I feel quite worried! "

"Let's make tea. Dr. Cha asked Dr. Cha to look for a ship to go west to Guangxi on his behalf. He agreed that five taels of silver would cover the food. Some people in the teahouse said that the road to Guangxi is quite unstable, and there are often small groups of bandits lying in the bushes. .”

Closing the diary, Xu Hongzu always felt that today's events, although the low prices here benefited him as an outsider, but the situation of those farmers always made him feel as if something big was about to happen. (To be continued..)

ps: Salute to Mr. Ye Shengtao!It seems that we should ask for a monthly pass at the end of the month.Although the great gods are not bad for those few photos, they have extremely important meanings to me.thank you all!