Chapter 175 Cousins of the Zhou family and the hostility of Beikong (please subscribe)
The leader of the Luo Jiao quickly fell into deep thought. Xu Qing’s request was very simple, to help the Red Flower Society resist the threat of Heshan Road in Lingnan and Southern Fujian. Let the Red Flower Society truly gain a foothold in the southern part of the world.
The predecessor of the Red Flower Society was the Lotus Sect, so the change of appearance could not be hidden from the Luo Sect.
In fact, it is not new at all for official figures to control the underworld forces.
Even Luo Jiao is related to important figures in the court, but the relationship is not that deep.
In addition, some of the important ministers in the court even came from evil and heretical backgrounds.
The pool of water in the imperial court is the turbidest place in the world. It is so diverse that if you really want to distinguish the clear from the turbid, even the resurrection of Emperor Taizu of Dayu would not be able to do it, let alone unnecessary.
The leader of the Luo Jiao burned Su Lianqing's secret letter and then wrote a reply. He wanted to know what price Xu Gongming could offer to cooperate with the Luo Jiao.
In fact, he knew in his heart that his reply to the price inquiry had already fallen into Xu Gongming's trap.
The question is, what’s the benefit of saying no?
He might as well take advantage of this to find out what Xu Gongming was thinking.
…
…
When the leader of Luo Jiao replied, an uninvited guest came to Xu Mansion.
“I met my brother-in-law.”
The girl in front of me is about thirteen years old. It corresponds to the poem - "The curling Tingting is more than thirteen years old, and the cardamom shoots are in early February."
The posture is beautiful, like a flower bud in February.
Xu Qing got Feng Wu to explain, and then he realized that the cousin in front of him was Zhou Tixue's daughter, and she was so old.
My cousin’s name is Pingting.
Xu Qing greeted her, then took Feng Wu to the study and asked, "What is going on?"
It is not unusual for a daughter from a wealthy family to live with relatives. The key point is that such relatives are usually elders. How can there be any reason to visit her cousin-in-law's house alone and seem to be staying for a long time?
This kind of thing is obviously not normal.
Feng Wu then told the whole story.
It turns out that the Taicang Zhou family is a powerful family in the north and has good relations with the Duke Kongyan's Mansion in the north. Zhou Pingting and Yan Shenggong's second son were engaged not long ago, but the Zhou family elders discovered that Zhou Pingting's feet were not bound, and the matter naturally became a big deal.
“Do Zhou’s daughters also have their feet bound?”
"In the past hundred years, there have indeed been quite a few, but if the parents insist on not binding their feet or hide it, it doesn't matter. My mother doesn't have it. However, I heard that this trend is getting worse and worse, and many daughters of wealthy families have to bind their feet. My uncle and aunt didn't let my cousin have her feet bound. , but my aunt felt that it was a good thing to marry Yan Shenggong. When she asked which young ladies from the clan had bound feet, her aunt kept it secret and reported her cousin's name. Probably because her uncle is now the chief minister. Because of his position as an envoy, his room is now particularly prestigious, so Kong The government is very satisfied with this marriage." Feng Wu paused and continued: "Because the marriage has been decided, my aunt is afraid that she will not be able to keep it secret, and she wants my cousin to have her feet bound to prevent the marriage from being ruined."
Xu Qing. The corner of his mouth twitched, "Normal people start binding their feet when they are four or five years old, but later. He is also six or seven years old, how can anyone have bound feet at this age?"
Feng Wu: "If my aunt breaks off the engagement, my cousin will be ruined for the rest of her life."
Xu Qing thought to herself, this is some kind of magic trick. , fearing that breaking off the engagement would ruin her daughter’s life, she signed up specifically.
He then said: "Then why did our cousin come to our house? She doesn't want to have her feet bound, so isn't she looking for her uncle or your father?"
When he said this, he also thought that the climate in Lingnan is harsh, and Zhou Tixue, as a feudal official, is always being watched. If his daughter escapes from marriage and goes to live with him, there will be too many reasons for criticism...
As for Mr. Feng in the capital, although he is in charge of the Sixth Section, he cannot always look after his little cousin.
Beikong and the Zhou family are obviously very powerful in the north.
Feng Wu said the same thing.
Xu Qing muttered: "This matter is still a bit strange. There is something wrong with my cousin coming to our house smoothly."
He was habitually suspicious and felt something was wrong.
Feng Wu: "Husband, you mean that the Zhou family or Beikong want to make a fuss about this matter? Are you deliberately letting your cousin Nan come to join us?"
Xu Qing, "The Zhou family is not like that. , but it’s hard to say in Beikong. I have to ask Mr. Xie for advice on this matter. He has been studying in the north for many years and knows many things better than us.”
He paused and continued: "Uncle has helped us a lot. No matter what is wrong with this matter, I still believe in him. You should take good care of Pingting. If you are really in trouble, it won't be a problem when you get to Jiangning Mansion. You don't have to worry. "
Trouble is trouble, but Xu Qing has to take care of Master Zhou's daughter's affairs, regardless of Feng Wu's factors.
A man has clear grudges and grudges, and Xu Qing has to repay Mr. Zhou's kindness to him.
…
…
Xu Qing came directly to Jiangning Weaving Yamen, found Xie Quan, and talked about the matter straight to the point.
After hearing this, Xie Quan smiled slightly: "You have found the right person. Without your little cousin, I guess Beikong would also have trouble with you."
Xu Qing was confused, "What conflict does Beikong and I have?"
Xie Quan laughed loudly: "You, Xu Gongming, also have times when you are obsessed with the authorities. This trouble started when you changed the name of rice to mulberry and sea trade. ”
Xu Qing One point revealed, and he asked: "I don't know much about Beikong's business. Do they also smuggle and do silk business?" The Kong family has always been arrogant and dared to interfere in any business. If there is a business conflict, Xu Qing will still do it, otherwise Can this business still be done?
Conflicts are not scary. The key is to understand the causes and consequences and prescribe the right medicine.
Scholars all over the world regard the Confucius family as the face of a famous religion and should not be blasphemed, but in Xu Qing's eyes, aren't they just the urinals of imperial power.
He respected the Master in his heart, but he had no respect for the Confucius family.
What’s more, when he respects the Master, he also respects other people’s lives, rather than deifying them.
Xie Quan: "The Kong family owns more than 100,000 fertile fields, many of which are mulberry forests. Therefore, the Kong family occupies a huge share of the raw silk trade in the north. But you kid changed the rice to mulberry trees Not to mention, most of the raw silk used in the north comes from the He family in Nanyang, which has greatly affected the raw silk business of the Confucius family. "
He is a weaver in Jiangning and knows a lot about this matter.
In fact, it is somewhat exaggerated to say that it has a great influence. The fundamental reason is that Xu Qing has no birds in the Kong family.
On Xu Qing’s side, it naturally makes sense.
Lao He has a good relationship with him, and he is from the He family in Nanyang. Now he is participating in politics in Nanzhili. As for the Yanshenggong Mansion, Xu Qing needs to consider their attitude when doing business. Can't you just send business to your doorstep?
But in terms of scholars, Yanshenggong Mansion is equivalent to the talker of scholars in the world. Xu Qing is at best the most powerful hall master and incense master in Nanzhili recently. After Xu Qingzhong's liberation, What’s more, he has no contact with Yan Shenggong’s Mansion at all, and he doesn’t come to Dongshan Province to ask for advice on gilding. It also indirectly affects the business of Yan Shenggong’s Mansion. This is really intolerable.
If it weren’t for Zhou’s cousin, there would be other things.
Xie Quan was afraid that Xu Qing would not understand the inner secrets, so he spoke extra carefully.
No matter what, as a member of the famous religion, I cannot avoid the Three Cardinal Guidelines and Five Constant Rules, nor can I avoid the Yanshenggong Mansion.
Xie Quan then explained to Xu Qing why the custom of foot binding has become a commonly used tool among famous religious practitioners today.
Because after foot binding, a woman’s ability to engage in productive activities becomes weaker, and foot binding itself has an expense. In this way, some land-owning farmers, who originally relied on the husband and wife to work together, can Support family expenses, meet good years, and save savings.
If you are affected by the custom of foot-binding, you will inevitably not have enough to eat in a disaster year. In this case, it is inevitable to borrow food from big families. In the end, you will end up losing land, which will naturally become the responsibility of the big families. Tenants, the land is also owned by the gentry.
This is actually just the tip of the iceberg of how big businesses exploit small people.
For example, in the former Han Dynasty, rich burials were popular, and death was as important as life. Even small and medium-sized landowners could go bankrupt due to funerals. This also gave the wealthy families the opportunity to annex land.
Therefore, the reason why Emperor Wu of the former Han Dynasty was able to attack the wealthy families was because the middle and lower classes could not tolerate these powerful families. In the early stage, Emperor Wu was very cooperative in attacking the powerful and powerful people, but Emperor Wu was a fair man. Regardless of whether they were big or small, or ordinary people, they would always treat them equally and work together.
Of course, this is also the reason why Emperor Wu had to do this because the undertaking he wanted to do was too big and he urgently needed money. If future generations want to imitate Emperor Wu, they must first have Emperor Wen of Han as their grandfather.
Xu Qing: "Is this the trend in southern Zhili now?"
Xie Quan: "Yes, but not much. Because my daughter's family is also useful, whether she is picking mulberry or working as a textile worker, I can make a lot of money. If it is too harsh, it will easily cause a backlash..."
Xu Qingtan Said: "Everything in the world is for profit. Everything is for your own benefit. People can’t help themselves in the world. Mr. Xie, I’m going to write an article and ask you to correct me.” The answer sheet, even if Han Liu is resurrected, cannot change its literature and science.
When he saw Xu Qing's sentiments, he had to look forward to what shocking article Xu Gongming would write.
Xu Qing pondered first.
He was looking for some information in his own memory, comparing and making choices with contemporary historical data.
Under the operation of the soul at the peak level of manifestation, coupled with the state of absolute concentration, Xu Qing's mind is running rapidly.
Xie Quan looked into his eyes, as if electric sparks were about to appear.
About two-quarters of an hour passed, Xu Qing picked up his pen and wrote down words one by one on the white paper like a dragon or a snake. This is the standard Guange style, and the words are clearly visible.
Xie Quan read along Xu Qing's writing style.
The more he read, the more shocked he became.
When Xu Qing finished writing, Xie Quan followed suit and finished reading Xu Qing’s article.
Xu Qing put down the pen and sighed, and then asked Xie Quan for advice: "Mr. Wenyuan, do you think there are any flaws in my article?"
Xie Wenyuan looked extremely strange and said: "Gong Ming , what are you planning to do by writing this article?”
Xu Qing: “Of course the article is written for people to read, so we can publish a newspaper accordingly.”
Xie Wenyuan is no stranger to the newspaper thing. This thing has been around since the Song Dynasty. Shuntian Prefecture also has an official newspaper office such as the "Shuntian Times". Nowadays, the Prime Minister's Reform also allows private newspapers to be run.
But other people’s newspapers usually discuss current affairs.
The content of Xu Qing's article is too explosive. It is worse than criticizing current affairs or scolding the chief minister and his wife.
“No, Gongming, that’s not the case.”
“Are there any mistakes or omissions in my article?”
"I can't see it at the moment."
Xie Quan's forehead darkened, but to be honest, the context of Xu Qing's article was as clear as a historian's stylus, and he could not find any obvious logical problems.
The problem is that the content of the article is clearly from the Northern Confucius and is not a Confucius, and he is of Hu origin.
They just pulled out a piece of your beard to test it out. Are you trying to dig their ancestral graves?
Is there any heavenly principle?
(End of this chapter)