Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Zhu Ming was about to ask for more information when a young man stood up behind Fatty Zheng, took out a letter and handed it over: "Village Chief."

As soon as he heard this title, he knew he was from Daming Village.

Ju Ming opened the letter and read it, his expression immediately became serious.

This letter is half in Chinese characters and half in Pinyin.

The normal content is written in Chinese characters, and the pinyin part is of course kept confidential.

Zhu Guoxiang wrote down the general situation clearly and asked Ju Ming to wait slowly and not to look for him in the palace. The main thing is to have the same tone of voice in the letter so as not to reveal your secrets when asked.

In addition, he also introduced the situation of Daming Village, saying that the county's chief secretary Zhang had been taken care of.

If you have any doubts, you can ask the boy who delivered the letter.

Zhu Ming invited Zheng Hong, Hou Xuan and others into the courtyard to listen to Chen Yuan's lectures, while he took the young man to the study.

The boy who delivered the letter was called Liang Yi, and Zhu Guoxiang himself gave this name. This person was a runaway from the mountains. His parents were both dead and he followed his uncle to Daming Village.

Because of his intelligence, Liang Yi was chosen by Zhu Guoxiang as his personal follower, and he usually ate with him, already feeling a bit like an adopted son.

After closing the door and making sure no one was outside, Ju Ming asked, "My father is really not in danger?"

Liang Yi said: "Those eunuchs and imperial guards have already been put in order. My husband just asked Da Lang to wait. Don't go to see the officials. If one more person enters the palace, there may be more variables."

"Why are the Zheng brothers and sisters here?" Zhu Ming asked again.

Liang Yi said: "I don't know, I said I came to Tokyo to visit relatives."

When Zhu Ming asked about the situation along the way, Liang Yidu answered carefully. He spoke clearly and with his own observation and understanding, and his intelligence was obviously better than that of Bai Sheng.

No wonder there are so many people in Daming Village, but this young man is the only one who is attracted by Zhu Guoxiang.

Ju Ming asked: "How old are you?"

Liang Yi replied: "Sixteen years old."

"How many words have you learned?" Zhu Ming asked again.

Liang Yi said: "I have been studying along the way and have already recognized four to five hundred characters. But I can only recognize some characters but forget the strokes when writing. I have also learned some addition, subtraction, multiplication and division."

After discussing with Liang Yi, Ju Ming said, "Go and invite Mr. Zheng Xiaoguan."

Liang Yi immediately left the room and quickly brought Fatty Zheng over.

Zheng Hong closed the door, smiled and clasped his fists: "Dalang, long time no see."

Ju Ming said angrily: "Tell me, why is there another relative of the Zheng family in Tokyo?"

Fatty Zheng said: "Isn't Dalang a relative of ours?"

"What are you doing here, young lady?" Zhu Ming asked.

Fatty Zheng said: "My sister is lovesick. Ever since Dalang left, she misses her day and night and misses food and tea. The elders in the family saw how pitiful she was, so they asked me to be sent to Tokyo to meet Dalang."

Ju Ming was silent.

Zheng Hong simply made it clear: "I know that the sergeants look down on merchants, so my young wife will definitely not be able to reach a higher level. I don't want to be the head wife, I can just be a concubine."

Although the Zhu family father and son and the Yangzhou Zheng family are mutually beneficial in general, they still have feelings for each other.

Ju Ming still owes him the hundreds of dollars he spent to build three weapons.

It is true that the Zheng family received tea-frying technology for free, but they also helped Daming Village to immigrate every year. When Zhu Guoxiang didn't have enough money and food, it was the Zheng family who helped transport the food, and the credit was deducted from the money for tea.

After traveling thousands of miles to send his daughter as a concubine, could Ju Ming still send her back? How will Zheng Yuanyi meet people in the future?

Moreover, he is not even willing to take a concubine and clearly looks down on the Zheng family, which will cause a rift in the relationship between the two parties.

Ju Ming was speechless and asked, "Do you plan to live in Tokyo?"

"It's not easy for me to come here, but I still have to play for half a year," Fatty Zheng smiled and took out a gift list, "This is the dowry for the young lady."

Ju Ming glanced at it and saw that it read: eighty taels of gold, three hundred taels of silver, some jewelry, bedding, lacquerware, seven male and female servants, and five hundred shi of rice (shipped directly to Daming Village).

If the dowry is heavy enough, the gold and silver alone are worth two to three thousand guan.

(During the Jingkang period, the Jin people asked for gold and silver, but the Song Dynasty did not have enough spot goods, so they had to buy it from the people of Tokyo. The market price at that time was: 1 tael of gold was equal to 32 guan, and 1 tael of silver was equal to 2 guan of 500 wen. It was slightly cheaper at this time. , but 1 tael of gold can also be exchanged for more than 20 copper coins.)

With so many people coming all at once, the rented house will definitely not be enough to live in.

I have to wait until my father leaves the palace, so I can only stay in an inn for the time being.

Zhu Ming took Zheng Hong out, and Zheng Yuanyi and the Zheng family servants followed. They met many people along the way, and passers-by took the initiative to say hello from time to time.

Zheng Yuanyi sat on the carriage, opened the curtain and said, "Brother Zhu, you are so famous in Tokyo. They all call you Tanhualang!"

"I was born handsome." Ju Ming joked.

Zheng Yuanyi said: "I also think my brother is handsome."

Ju Ming asked: "Why do you call yourself a slave?"

Zheng Yuanyi said: "I asked the female teacher at school, and he said that women from official families are called slaves."

This is true. Regardless of its original meaning, "slave" is now a fashionable and modest term.

Even the concubines in the palace and the female relatives of the prime minister often call themselves "slaves". This is true not only when facing your husband, but also when meeting elders or outsiders of your own generation.

The meaning of the word has changed subtly, becoming a bit doting and endearing.

For example, cats are also known as "raccoon slaves".

Zhu Ming didn't bother to argue about the title, and just said: "Sister, I will stay in the inn for a few days, and I will move here after I find another house."

"You know, brother, don't worry." Zheng Yuanyi smiled.

After putting the brother and sister at the inn and having dinner with them, Ju Ming rode back.

It was almost dark. When I returned home, I saw Deng Chun and the security team were there.

Ju Ming asked: "Where is my father?"

Deng Chun replied: "My husband is still in the palace, and we have been released by the officials. The palace people only focus on the Ganoderma lucidum, and even the black tea, corn and sweet potatoes have no chance to be presented to the officials."

Ju Ming asked again: "Have you eaten yet?"

Deng Chun said: "Eat in the palace."

Ju Ming arranged: "Let's lay the floor in the main room tonight and find a place for you to live tomorrow."

A few days later, Zhu Guoxiang did not leave the palace, but Yin Shengzhang of Kaifeng Prefecture came.

This person is not a close confidant of Cai Jing, but he rose to power by currying favor with Zhu Meng.

He was an extremely pure villain. Sheng Zhang would please anyone who was favored by the emperor. And he is so versatile that even if Cai Jing and Zheng Juzhong are in a hostile relationship, he can still make friends with them both at the same time.

"Zhang, meet Tan Hua Lang!" Not only did this guy come to visit in person, he also lowered his status when they met.

Zhu Ming frowned and said, "Your Excellency is the governor of Kaifeng. I am only an eighth-grade official. How can I break the etiquette system so much?"

Sheng Zhang forced a smile: "I admire Tanhua Lang's talent and learning. As the saying goes, those who master the Tao are teachers. Zhang is willing to hold the disciple ceremony and ask for advice day and night on how to use the Tao."

Ju Ming asked: "Didn't you say that the study of Taoism is evil talk and strange theories?"

"I am not good at academics and even had misunderstandings, but now I understand the truth." Sheng Zhang said.

Zhu Ming didn't want to have a quarrel with Kaifeng Fuyin, and he found out clearly that the person in front of him was not from any faction, and he was really an opportunist. Ju Ming smiled and said: "Now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, there is no need to mention the past things."

Sheng Zhang finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had spies in the palace and knew how favored Zhu Guoxiang was.

And I had a conflict with Zhu Ming. If Zhu Guoxiang said a few bad words, my future would be ruined!

A few days later, Shengzhang heard that the emperor was looking for land and wanted to give Zhu Guoxiang a mansion, but Zhu Guoxiang refused.

Sheng Zhang immediately seized the opportunity to please the emperor and Zhu Guoxiang at the same time.

He asked to enter the palace to meet the saint, and after waiting for three or four days, he was finally summoned to Yanfu Palace by the eunuch.

"Why are you here, you thief?" Song Huizong laughed and scolded.

Sheng Zhang said shamelessly: "I haven't seen the official family for many days. I miss you very much. I just want to see the beauty of the sky and sleep well tonight."

Song Huizong laughed loudly: "The mouth is very sweet, as if it has been smeared with honey."

Shengzhang was favored purely because of the demolition.

No matter where the emperor or important ministers want to demolish, Shengzhang can do it properly. So far, there has never been any trouble due to forced demolition.

He and Zhu Meng are a perfect match. One is responsible for demolishing houses in Tokyo, and the other is transporting building materials from Jiangnan.

Sheng Zhang flattered for a while and casually mentioned: "The official family, Zhuang Xiaomingyi's eldest son, Emperor Ji's mansion, has been abandoned for many years. Now that there is a shortage of houses in Tokyo, the emperor's mansion should also be used. I don't know what the official family has." arrange?"

Song Huizong immediately remembered the princess and asked in surprise: "Is her mansion always empty?"

Shengzhang replied: "It's always been empty."

Zhuang Xiaomingyi's eldest daughter, Princess Yan, was the daughter of Song Renzong.

Song Renzong liked this daughter the most. When he got married, hundreds of thousands of guan were spent on building the princess's mansion. The princess's monthly pocket money was 1,000 guan.

Moreover, the consort Li Wei was not only a relative of the emperor, he was also versatile and his calligraphy was the best in the world.

What appears to be a marriage between a talented man and a beautiful woman is actually a tragedy.

Because the princess of Yan State was a beauty-obsessed person, she disliked her husband-in-law for being too ugly, and she wanted to divorce her many times. After he injured his mother-in-law, he ran back to the palace at night and asked the guards to open the palace door at night against the rules.

Anyway, the quarrel has been going on for several years, and it has become known throughout the city.

The prince-in-law and the princess had no choice but to live apart. The prince-son-in-law was thrown to a local official, but the princess still did not want to live outside. She set fire to the princess's mansion and burned several houses. Then she moved back to the palace and died of illness in the palace in her thirties.

Song Huizong was particularly fond of the calligraphy and paintings of his consort Li Wei. Even after decades, he was still deeply impressed by this incident.

Song Huizong said: "Since it has been abandoned, it will be renovated and given to Mr. Tongsuan (Zhu Guoxiang). I will leave this matter to you."

"I obey the decree!" Sheng Zhang jumped for joy and finally showed his face in front of the emperor again.

How could it be abandoned?

The consort’s children and grandchildren still live there!

After receiving the emperor's order, Sheng Zhang led his people to the Yanguo Princess's Mansion: "The official has ordered that all of you must move out within three days. Otherwise, don't live in the Emperor Ji's Mansion, and go to Kaifeng Mansion to sleep in the prison." Bar!"

It is easier to bully the descendants of a prince-in-law than to bully a person who is taking the exam.

Because the princess disliked the prince-in-law for being too ugly, they didn't even sleep together a few times. The children and grandchildren left by the prince-in-law were all sons of concubines born to concubines.

When the princess died of illness, the emperor did not give the consort a good look, and his life was miserable.

After the death of the consort, things went from bad to worse, and his descendants only received a small official who was kind and supportive.

Facing the menacing Kaifeng governor and carrying the emperor's orders, how could these people dare to resist?

Shengzhang said again: "Slave stay!"

So, the slaves were left to Zhu Guoxiang, and a dozen or so members of his family moved away with their few belongings in tears.

After the whole thing was done, it didn't even attract much attention, because the presence of the prince's descendants was too low.

Dean Zhu has a mansion worth hundreds of thousands of dollars!

This large family of more than ten people, old and young, came to us crying and begging when they found out where Ju Ming lived.

"Tan Hua Lang, my father is going to live in Di Ji's Mansion, and I have to pay for a house!"

The concubine of Song Renzong's son-in-law, who was already over fifty years old, knelt down in front of Ju Ming and cried loudly.

Zhu Tanhua looked confused.