Great time travel

Chapter 11, 27 moments in the four years of Chongzhen ([-])

No. 11 moments: the fright of a newborn tiger cub

November of the fourth year of Chongzhen, Hangzhou, beside the Grand Canal, Gongchen Bridge Wharf

"...You two young masters, our ship has arrived in Hangzhou!"

Accompanied by the boatman's yell, Fang Yizhi, a young and well-known Fushe scholar from Tongcheng, Anhui, let out a breath of air, jumped off the passenger ship, and stood side by side with his friend Yu Guozhen on the trestle of Gongchen Bridge Wharf , silently looking at this famous and strange city:
Looking from the Gongchen Bridge Wharf, there are endless streams of vehicles, horses and pedestrians everywhere. The bustling streets make it hard to believe that this is the end of the Ming Dynasty.Although it is winter now, the weather is very clear. The warm sunlight slanted down from the clear blue sky, casting the shadow of the row of houses on the left onto the spacious road paved with bluestone slabs, and onto the paved road of sedan chairs. on donkeys, on donkeys, and on foot.The shops on both sides of the street are next to each other—since the automobile was not invented, the streets of ancient cities were generally narrow. According to modern standards, the widest "streets" are nothing more than a wider "alley" with a width of no more than five Only six meters.Barely can run the level of two cars.However, the ground is paved with stone slabs, which is fairly neat.In addition to the shops, there are many vendors along the street that occupy more than half of the street, and the signboards of the shops on both sides are still extending to the center of the street, which looks dense and crowded, especially crowded.Merchants from all over the world are selling goods and bargaining with customers.Rich gentry and Confucian scholars from all over the world talked and talked in the tea house with exquisite lanterns hanging in front of the door and various kinds of bamboo, wood and flowers.The teahouse is full of seats, and the business is booming; the restaurant is full of voices and songs, all kinds of coquettish smiles are wafting in the wind, and the seductive aroma of exquisite wine and food...

——Has not come to the legendary poetic, romantic West Lake, the bustling street scene in Hangzhou has already made people linger and forget to return.

Although more and more news of "building captives" and "rogue bandits" have appeared in people's ears, many people know that all provinces in the world are suffering from disasters year after year, such as "mourned people everywhere" and "starved to death". The news is everywhere.Even the terrible news of "changing sons and eating" that I didn't hear often in the past, I heard from time to time... There are bad news of famines, defeats, additional factions, and civil uprisings everywhere. Even in Jiangnan, which has always been considered affluent, the price of rice once rose to three taels of silver per stone-since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the price of rice in Jiangnan had never risen so high.However, all these ominous omens do not seem to have cast much shadow on the colorful world of Yinggeyanwu in the south of Jinxiu.Those horrific news from afar seem to be mere chatter for those "gentlemen in the south of the Yangtze River" who know everything about poetry, books, wine and chess.

However, some disturbing shadows have gradually appeared here—the number of refugees and beggars on the street has increased significantly, and there are more and more trends.In the winters of the past few years, there have been many more "roadside" corpses picked up in the city than in previous years.There were so many refugees fleeing famine from all over the world, and a large number of down-and-out refugees who sold themselves into slavery filled the city outside the city.So that the price of the population plummeted.In the brothels and restaurants, there are many big gentry with foreign accents. The famine, turmoil and war in the north at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the unprecedented defeat on the Liaodong front, the She'an rebellion that swept the southwest, and the endless and numerous civil uprisings and rebellions made the war The gentry in the region left their hometowns one after another, and migrated in groups to Jiangnan, where the social order was relatively stable, to "escape from the noise" in this gentle township and selling gold caves.Most of them brought the family servants of a large family and a lot of gold and silver treasures, bought houses and land in various cities in the south of the Yangtze River, and continued to live a luxurious and corrupt life, thus creating a deformed prosperity...

While the two were standing at the Gongchen Bridge Wharf, looking around and chatting from time to time, Ding Fangsi, the accompanying family member brought by Fang Yizhi, finally found a middle-aged man who came to greet his master.This person smiled and claimed to be the steward of Zhang Dai's mansion, and was ordered to come here to welcome the two distinguished guests.

——In Hangzhou in the late Ming Dynasty, Zhang Dai was a famous figure.He is originally from Shaoxing, but he has lived in Hangzhou for a long time, so he is considered a half-Hangzhou native.His family has been officials for generations. His great-grandfather went to Yunnan to serve as the deputy envoy, and his great-grandfather went to serve as a student at the Imperial Academy.Grandfather went to Guangxi to participate in the council.His father was the right chief of Lu Wangfu, and he was a well-known family of nobles and gentry in Shaoxing.In the late next year, the Zhang family in Shaoxing was not only a prestigious family of officials and officials, but also a scholarly family with high cultural literacy. For generations, their ancestors and grandchildren were good at poetry and prose, and they wrote a lot, as well as opera, antiques, gold and stone, calligraphy and painting Very deep attainments.

Moreover, Zhang Dai is not the kind of glamorous and arrogant pedantic literati, but he behaves quite freely in his dealings with others. He said, "I'm not a playboy, but I love prosperity. He's a good mansion, a beautiful maid, a good wife and fresh clothes, Good food, good horses, good lanterns, good fireworks, good pear gardens, good advocacy, good antiques, good flowers and birds." It can be said that the luxury and pleasure habits of the playboys and the decadent and cynical style of the celebrities and literati in the late Ming Dynasty are combined.He is good at making friends on weekdays, and has a lot of friends in the south of the Yangtze River. At the same time, he can be regarded as Donglin Fushe's lineage, and he has a little friendship with Fang Yizhi, a famous scholar in Tongcheng.Fang Yizhi's visit to Hangzhou this time is because he was warmly invited by Zhang Dai when the Fushe scholars gathered in Nanjing last time.Before Fang Yizhi brought his new friend Yu Guozhen to Hangzhou, he sent someone to inform Zhang Dai of the sailing schedule in advance, so from three days ago, the steward has been waiting on the pier every day.

Closer to home, according to the manager of the Zhang family, his master has hosted a banquet at the Ziming Building in Hangzhou to welcome the two distinguished guests.The steward originally planned to use the sedan chair in the house to welcome the distinguished guests.But Zhang Dai said that because of Mizhi's temperament (Fang Yizhi's nickname), he might prefer some new gadgets, so he ordered him to go to the new car dealership and call two "Australian cars". The thoughts of the two honored guests...

Fang Yizhi looked curiously at the hand of the manager. Two men in short coats were pulling a strange hooded cart, and they were smiling obsequiously at him.The man in the lead, who seemed to be more clever, even lowered his eyebrows and said pleasingly: "...This is the first time for the two young masters to come to Hangzhou, right? Young Chen Er, his name is Zhang Ba, and our Shentong car is fast and stable. Familiar with the major places in Hangzhou, whether you are doing business or looking for fun, you will be satisfied!"

This black cart is not at all like the carriage or small cart that Fang Yizhi has seen before, but more like an armchair with a cloth curtain on the outside and wheels on it. There are two long handles on the front for the driver to pull, and the backrest There are a few bamboo bones here, which seem to be able to support a car roof.

"... Tsk tsk, this is really an eye-opener. Is this the rickshaw made by the 'Australian Shorthair'?" Fang Yizhi secretly guessed, followed the driver's instructions to get on the rickshaw, and then narrowed his eyes comfortably , "...Well, it is indeed more comfortable than sitting in a sedan chair!"

Seeing that Yu Guozhen who came with him also got into another "black car", the steward of Zhang's family straightened his waist, turned around and said to the two coachmen arrogantly, "...the purple car to Qinghefang Minglou, if there are any beautiful Nanyang scenery along the way, I will do my best to show the two distinguished guests!"

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Fang Yizhi came to Hangzhou this time, in fact, there was nothing important, it was purely for entertainment and eye-opening.

As a rehabilitated scholar with many contacts and many friends, Fang Yizhi was considered a rare "well-informed person" in the late Ming Dynasty. He has dabbled in everything from political disputes in the court to anecdotes in the countryside, and he is interested in it. Anran (to put it nicely, he cares about the world, and to put it bluntly, he is born to gossip), he can be called a kind of person like "a hundred young men in the rivers and lakes".During recent scholarly gatherings, Fang Yizhi often heard several Lingnan scholars talk about the various "Australian scenery" brought by the "Kun people" in Guangzhou in the past two years, and he couldn't help being curious and yearning.In particular, he was envious of the heavenly enjoyments in the "Ziming Tower" in Guangzhou. In Fang Yizhi's latest volume of "Kun Shi Zhi Lu", there are the following: vivid description:

"...The Kun people came from all over the sea, and their main business was merchants. When they first occupied Lingao, they traded with the villagers. They collected more grain, rice, cloth, silk, copper, iron, firewood, etc., and sold glass and various overseas treasures. The Gai Kun people also Knowing that food is the foundation of the world, so it is managed. It also sent Zhen Kun Guo Yi, who pretended to be a Cantonese, to store and send Chinese clothes, and entered Guangzhou for trading. He set up a shop named "Zi Cheng Ji". All contacts are giants, selling Australian treasures One piece is worth thousands of gold, and the profit is huge. If it is more than one year old, the wealth can rival the country...Yi is a wealthy businessman, living in a luxurious life, especially not enough, so he brought a concubine. His concubine, Pei Lixiu, was originally a famous Australian prostitute, and she was extremely beautiful. When entering Huaxia from Guoyi, Ziming Building was set up. The furnishings in the building are rich and magnificent, which is the best in Guangdong and Guangxi. Yu You Zeng Ziming, a native of Kuaiji, lived in Dongguan during Shimu, and he tasted Ziming Building. He told his servants in detail. The small pavilions are called "Private Rooms". Each pavilion has its own name, and the carvings are also different according to its name and color. There are also cunning children and prostitutes, foreign delicacies, wine and good fruits. Once you enter the building, you will be fascinated by five colors, full of luxury , It is dazzling and fascinated, I don’t know where I am. There is a bath house, which is especially amazing. There is a pond in the middle, the walls are all made of porcelain, there are fountains in the center, Gao Keren Xu, Qiongbo Broken Jade, The warmth and coolness follow the person. The spring water is inexhaustible, the pool water does not overflow, and the temperature is constant in four seasons. The spring water has its own fragrance, and the whole body is fragrant after bathing, and the fragrance will last for three days. It is called "Dixiang soup". Among them, even if a lot of money is thrown away, it cannot be established. It needs to be agreed ten days ago. Since then, Guo Yi has become rich in Guangdong and Guangxi. It was broadcast in the sea. The queen king supervised the battle against Kun, and it was really a disaster..."

Fang Yizhi, who has always been very curious, was naturally very interested in such a novel, luxurious, eclectic and wonderful selling gold cave.It's a pity that half of China is separated from Guangzhou and Tongcheng, the distance is too far, and now the world is in turmoil, and the road is not safe. Even in the south, it is not very peaceful, so Fang Yizhi has been unable to make the trip.However, I heard that a branch of "Ziminglou" opened in Hangzhou this year, so I decided to go and have a look. Although the branch in Hangzhou is definitely not as good as the main store in Guangzhou, I am afraid it will be difficult to see that "Australian famous prostitute" Pei Lixiu is What a peerless beauty, but to some extent, you can also appreciate the sensual entertainment that is different from the middle-earth, and even enjoy the taste of the legendary "Australian secret drama"
However, Fang Yizhi has heard people say before that the "Zi Ming Building" of "Australian Kunren" implements a "membership system". Without the recommendation of other members, even if you have money, you may not be able to enter the door.So when he met Hangzhou Zhang Dai at the party, he brought up the matter intentionally or unintentionally... Sure enough, as Fang Yizhi expected, Zhang Dai, who was familiar with him, immediately warmly invited him to come to Hangzhou for entertainment when he had time.But Fang Yizhi took advantage of the situation and agreed half-heartedly, went home to pack his luggage, and came to Hangzhou Kaiyanghu with his new friend, Yu Guozhen, the "Wuwei Young Tiger" from Xiang'an County, Wuwei Prefecture, Anhui.

In general, after leaving Gongchenqiao Wharf, Fang Yizhi looked around carefully and found that the ground along the way was fairly flat, and there was very little smelly feces and garbage.Sitting on this rickshaw is also very fast, and it is not bumpy at all.In addition, like myself, I met quite a few wealthy businessmen in Australian rickshaws along the way. It seems that this has become one of the latest fashions in Hangzhou.

After walking for another distance, the pedestrians, cars and sedan chairs on the street began to become crowded again, and the driver pulling the cart in front also enthusiastically introduced Fang Yizhi: "...Young Master, Qinghefang is in front of you, and the last It is prosperous, but there are all kinds of food and entertainment. This year, there are merchants from Guangdong who have created a "Nanyang Street" that sells all kinds of Australian and overseas foreign goods. If you come to Hangzhou for the first time, young master, you can do it. Don't miss it!"

Sure enough, after passing a memorial archway, there were suddenly more stalls and hawkers on the street. Along the way, Fang Yizhi first heard a half-sized boy with a big square box peddling: "Cigarettes and sweet-scented osmanthus candies!" Several little dolls were holding a stack of printed paper and chasing after the car to sell: "CIF price, Guangzhou Shanghai Manila, today's latest CIF price!" The wretched man in the square box is shouting: "Putting Australian films, pulling Australian films, new arrivals in Australian films recently! A romantic affair in Bianliang, Tokyo, Song Dynasty!" "New authentic Australian dishes! Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, fried broccoli, deep-fried French fries dipped in tomato sauce, fried golden corn! Cheap and affordable!" "Big meat buns, big meat buns, white flour big meat buns! White skin and meat Bite a bag of oil!"

As for the street vendors and shop fronts pushing carts, it is even more dizzying. There are a variety of goods on the shelves, and some even set up stalls at the door of the shop to sell goods: "Australian Takoyaki", "Australian Sushi", "Da Kun Candy", "Nanyang Dried Fruit", "Taiwan Betel Nut", "Nanyang Department Store", "Australian Magic Medicine Sulfonamide Monopoly", "Lingao Rice Noodles", "Lanzhou Ramen", "Australian Yo-Yo ", "Western Egg Roll", "Australian Spicy Hot Pot"... There are so many things, it is really a rare place in the world where rare and exotic goods gather from all directions, making Fang Yizhi feel that his eyes are not enough to see, thinking that he has entered the world. After visiting the legendary Yingzhou sea market, everything was so novel that he wished he could buy a copy of them all—not to mention, there were many kinds of food and snacks sold at the roadside stalls that he had never seen before. Yes, I just feel the fragrance is tangy, which makes Fang Yizhi swallow from time to time.

So, Fang Yizhi asked the driver to stop, and at the same time hurriedly greeted Fang Si, who had been running beside the rickshaw, and asked him to buy some rare snacks for himself to try.Unexpectedly, before he finished speaking, the coachman interrupted the conversation: "...Young master! Please excuse me, you are the young master who is going to the Ziming Tower, so ordinary people can't get it, so why should the young master care about these things?" Cheap goods on the street. As long as you want foreign goods, don’t care about food and entertainment, I haven’t heard that Ziminglou can’t get them, but you want bulk goods. Zizhenji has an unusual relationship with various sea merchants , it's easy to draw a line for you."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yizhi immediately became interested: "...Oh? Is this Ziming Building so powerful?"

"...Returning to the young master, although this Ziming building is called a building, it actually covers an area of ​​several acres. The entire alley is Ziji's property. I heard that there are all kinds of food, drink and entertainment in it, and it is also the first class in the whole world. Those who come and go are either rich or noble, and there is such a membership system that you have to be recommended to enter. Young master, you have a full sky and a handsome face. You can see that you are a rich person. This Ziming Building is like a The young master set it up so-so."

Hearing the coachman flattering him so much, Fang Yizhi couldn't help being a little happy: "...Haha, do you know how to read faces?"

"...Going back to the old man, the small ones are greeted and sent every day, and the merchants, big and small, and high-ranking officials have seen many of them, so it is natural to have a little discernment..."

Before he finished speaking, he saw a cigarette stall in front of him being overturned by a group of people. Golden shredded tobacco and packs of cigarettes were scattered all over the ground. A woman in a bun in the lead pointed at the stall with her hips akimbo and shouted: "... Smash it on me! Smash it all! You dare to take Wen Dengxiang's name, you don't want to live!"

The stall owner was also a lazy person. Even though he was knocked to the ground with blood streaming down his face, he still looked at the woman with a sneer and said, "... Shopkeeper Wang is so majestic. This Hangzhou is not your Dengzhou Guard. Why bother to be so majestic?" I am waiting for you, Xiao Xiami? A few packs of fake cigarettes will hinder you when you grow old? Your Wendengxiang business can be grabbed by me and Xiaomin? A ship of holy boat cigarettes was unloaded on the pier yesterday. , have the ability to do what you did in Linqing, and do it again in Hangzhou!" Halfway through the speech, his voice suddenly became louder, "...Everyone, young and old, I have been traveling with leopards for decades It’s the first time I’ve seen the Australian scenery! Twelve people hang like lanterns at the gate of the yamen! It’s spectacular! Shopkeeper Wang, don’t you think so?”

Hearing what the cigarette dealer Yu Baozi said, the pedestrians and vendors who were watching all around burst into laughter.And the woman was also choked up by these few words, she first blushed and hesitated for a moment, then stomped her feet resentfully, turned around and left with the group of thugs.

Seeing this, Fang Yizhi wondered: "...Who is that woman? Why did she smash people's business in broad daylight? What's the reason for this?"

"...Returning to the master, this woman is the female shopkeeper of Chen Xin and Chen Zongbing in Dengzhou Town, and her name is Wang Erya. The entire Grand Canal runs from south to north, and it's not once or twice that people smashed shops and venues. Everyone privately called her a dominatrix. But the local yamen knew that Dengzhou Chen Zongbing had won many battles and was on the right track. No one dares to take care of the holy family." The coachman replied.

Of course, Fang Yizhi knew about Wen Dengxiang—the cigarettes produced in Dengzhou Town are said to have the effect of strengthening essence and nourishing. The flavor of spices, although it is stronger than the bitter, spicy and smoky dry pouches, but I still don’t have a good impression of this cigarette, but there are still many people in the market who like to smoke Wendeng incense, it seems that they like this taste, which is also considered Everyone is better.

The coachman went on to say: "... Yu Baozi is a green-skinned rascal who often engages in fraudulent activities. This time, I don't know where he got a batch of counterfeit Wendeng incense, so he grabbed a booth and sold it in a grandiose way. Shopkeeper Wang originally had an extremely pungent temper, and was used to running rampant on the ground in Shandong. Now she happened to be discussing business in Hangzhou, and bumped into Yu Baozi selling fake Wendeng incense in front of her. If she didn't come, she would ruin the stall. Strange!"

"... Oh, so that's the case, but what did Yu Baozi say about the twelve people hanging at the gate of the yamen?" Fang Yizhi continued to ask.

"... The young master asked a good question. This is the biggest anecdote since the beginning of autumn in Hangzhou this year. I heard that there was a headless case in Linqing, Shandong Province last winter. The owner of Dongyue Tobacco Factory and Tong Zhi in Linqing Prefecture was wiped out overnight by gangsters, and the tobacco factory and warehouse were burned to the ground. After that, the murderer was never caught, but Wendeng Tobacco Factory was built directly on the old factory in Dongyue. It is still called Dongyue Factory. It is said that this shopkeeper Wang Erya Wang is in charge of it. Hehe, let alone murdering the whole family, but also stealing people's name and property, this woman is ruthless!"

Seeing that the young master was interested, the coachman started chattering endlessly, "... What's even more strange is that in this autumn, when the Hangzhou prefect's yamen opened one day, twelve people were hanged at the door. The scene, when I looked at it when I was young, my legs were so frightened. There was also a line of blood written on the ground, Linqing wiped out the door, and the injustice was snowed. It’s terrible, all the Jiangyang thieves and bandit leaders who hang there are the most famous in Shandong, and the heads of several of them were taken by Chen Zongbing three years before Chongzhen to avenge the imperial court! Later, this matter was never heard. After reading the following, in all likelihood, I was fooled again.

However, all the old and young men in Hangzhou City said in private that the case is probably due to the fact that there was only Wendengxiang cigarettes on the market in Hangzhou, which took up all the business. The record company started to sell cigarettes in Hangzhou. The Australian cigarettes are called "holy boats". They are rolled more finely and have a long aftertaste after smoking, which is more suitable for the taste of us southerners.This offended Wang Erya who was in charge of Wendengxiang's business for Chen Zongbing, so he imagined that he had wiped out the whole family of Ziji's Australians just like he did in Linqing last year.Unexpectedly, the gang of Jiangyang thieves she sent were not good at learning, but they all fell into the hands of the other party, making a fool of themselves.

Hangzhou is thousands of miles away from Dengzhou Guard, no matter how domineering Chen Zongbing is, he would not dare to send soldiers from Wendeng camp to suppress them, so he could only suffer from being dumb.For this reason, many old and young men in Hangzhou City would like to praise the job well done in private. Since then, no one dared to offend Australian companies.The Australian business is getting bigger and bigger, and more and more people are eating the Australian business. In just one year, there is this Nanyang Street in Qinghefang..."

"...I see." Hearing such a tragic and strange case, Fang Yizhi couldn't help but sighed repeatedly: "...for the convenience of promotion, such domineering warriors are still regarded as the pillars of the country! It's really a moral decline and a loss of people's hearts." It’s not ancient.” At the same time, I felt more and more admiration for the Australians in my heart.

"...Hey, there are no fathers and sons in the business world! People in the world have always used everything to compete for fame and fortune. As long as the word 'profit' is touched, even blood relatives will face each other with swords. Not to mention the business world The opponent in the world. Brother Mi, don't be too pedantic when looking at things!"

Yu Guozhen, who came with him, felt a little disapproved of the other party's sigh, and Fang Yizhi couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed when he thought of this friend's experience-as far as Fang Yizhi knew, although Yu Guozhen was knowledgeable and insightful about current affairs. He is extraordinary, but his fate is very bumpy: first, his parents died when he was young. Although he has a lot of inheritance, he has become fat in the eyes of the uncles of the Yu family.Fortunately, he was young and heroic, and he pulled up a team of strong and skilled servants, and survived a series of bloody battles.

Afterwards, relying on a certain secret technique of cultivating mussels to obtain pearls, Yu Guozhen finally revived his family business by selling pearls. Unfortunately, this also attracted the red eyes and coveted eyes of all ghosts and snakes. It almost never stops, and even the Yu clan, which has benefited a lot from this, is also very rebellious, and even the Yu clan head seems to have some problems, which makes Yu Guozhen very headache.

The two were silent for a while, and they were about to start their journey again, but they saw a Western-eyed man in black robes, holding a cross and strutting through the market, chanting something in blunt Chinese, and there were several believers behind him echoed.Fang Yizhi couldn't help frowning and listening carefully, and vaguely recognized it was: "...God loves everyone...Whether you believe it or not, now it's the last moment as the Bible says...God's final judgment...War, famine, rebellion and more... There are disasters... All these things are God's warnings and tools of judgment...According to the Bible, war will become a prophecy, and now the final war is coming... It is not the death of the body that will end everything, in the final judgment At that time, those who do not have a name on the book of life will be thrown into the eternal fire... Believe in Jesus and wait for His coming... Don't miss the kingdom of heaven..."

Hearing this verse, Fang Yizhi couldn't hold back anymore, "...How can this be reasonable? How is this barbarian sect that threatens the foolish people different from the Bailian rebel?"

Having said that, Yi Fang Yizhi is well-informed, and actually knows that since the introduction of Western Catholicism to China, there have been quite a few fresh "Westernization School" scholar-officials in various parts of the south of the Yangtze River who have joined the Catholic Church, or at least followed that Catholicism. Western missionaries have contacts, inquiring about some overseas anecdotes as a pastime.Moreover, the Christian churches in China at this time mainly took the upper-level route in terms of missionary work. At present, a group of believers that has begun to take shape has formed among the scholar-bureaucrats of the Ming Dynasty. Governor Sun Yuanhua and other officials in power have descended to many local rich and wealthy gentry in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong, and their influence can be described as intertwined.Unless these Christians raise the flag of rebellion, no one will easily become an enemy of this group.

On the other hand, people of insight in the imperial court have also seen that although Catholicism has obtained the umbrella of missionary work in China by taking the upper-level route, it has also made Christianity "high-ranked and few" in China, and many believers As the home of the gentry, there are few followers of the poor. It is not as "down-to-earth" as the "grassroots" Bailian Sect and Wenxiang Sect.

In the previous conversation with Yu Guozhen, Fang Yizhi also raised the above question, and came to the same conclusion - at the moment when Daming was on fire from all sides, smoke was rising from all directions, and Bailian and Wenxiang believers were all dancing with demons, the mere Catholic The spread is not worth caring about at all.But seeing these Semu people blatantly proclaiming the end of the world on the street, he still couldn't help but have a vague premonition that "the country is about to perish, and evildoers must be born".

However, at this time, just outside Fang Yizhi and Yu Guozhen's field of vision, there were a few strong men with wigs on their hair and dark skin, staring at the overturned counterfeit cigarette stand, and beside them were giving spectators "" The wretched men of "Lao-Australia Movies" all had gloomy faces and frowned.

"...Captain, it seems that this time and space really has the power established by the traversers, and there is more than one! Our Far East Company has a rival!"

A young man leaned into the ear of a middle-aged man who seemed to be the leader, and whispered, "...I heard that the group of guys who claimed to be Australians set up a stronghold in Ziminglou, Hangzhou. If the Chinese are pretending to be It's okay to say, if it's a real Australian... then it's going to be a big problem!"

"...The traversers of modern Australia? No way! Didn't the locals who have seen them say that those 'Australians' are not white?"

"...It's not easy to say! In modern Australia, there are many Chinese citizens, as well as many Korean and Japanese immigrants. The number of yellow people is not small. But even Chinese Australians, maybe they will say a little bit Chinese. But the positioning of themselves is probably... hey, it’s hard to say whether they will regard themselves as Chinese! Captain, do you think we should go to the Ziming Building to have a look?"

"...Don't worry too much! Xiao Li! Xiao Zhang! Don't forget, our mission to sneak into the south of the Yangtze River this time is to buy food! There are still tens of thousands of refugees on Jeju Island waiting to be fed! Now that we have contacted the food Shang, you should transport the grain back as quickly as possible, and don't make any more troubles!"

The captain snorted coldly, interrupted the dispute between the two young people, and at the same time stuffed the newly purchased "Guidelines of the Infernal Affairs" into the bag behind his back, "... Regarding other time-traveling forces, we can collect them through public channels." We have already collected almost all the information we have received. I have also secretly photographed the things I saw on the street and in the shops with a digital camera. The rest of the work will be done by the company's senior management when we return to Vladivostok. Decide!"

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In short, after the group of Christians from Hangzhou passed by, the two rickshaws continued to squirm among the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd for a while, and finally arrived in front of the Ziming Building in Hangzhou.After sending the coachman away, Fang Yizhi looked up, and saw that the facade of Ziming Building was quite ordinary. At first glance, it was just a very ordinary three-story building, but the courtyard walls on both sides extended far away, only the windows The shiny glass on the roof shows the uniqueness of this facade.

While Fang Yizhi and Yu Guozhen were looking at the Ziming Building, Mr. Zhang Dai and Zhang Xianggong, who were hosting guests at the Ziming Building this time, had already been notified by the servants, and greeted them with a happy face. After bowing to each other for a few words, and being introduced by Fang Yizhi, he got to know Yu Guozhen and praised each other, and then Zhang Dai sighed regretfully, "...Brother Mizhi was late this time, so he came late. How many days! The hostess here, Pei Lixiu, has been wandering in Hangzhou this autumn, making friends with rich guests from all over the world, and holding many poetry and receptions. I just set off to return to Guangdong yesterday. I don’t think Mi’s virtuous brother just arrived today, what a pity!”

Hearing that Pei Lixiu, the "Australian famous prostitute" whom he had admired for a long time, happened to pass by him, Fang Yizhi couldn't help but feel a little depressed, but soon regained his spirits and smiled freely, "... As the saying goes, if you are destined to meet thousands of miles away, if you are not destined to meet you face to face, there are always some things in this world that cannot be forced. Since you are not destined to meet a beautiful woman this time, you may as well concentrate on seeing the famous places in Ziming Tower!"

——What he didn't notice was that Yu Guozhen, who was originally reserved, breathed a sigh of relief after learning that Pei Lixiu was not there...

After chatting for a while, the three of them walked into the Ziming Building side by side. When they entered the door, there was a marble screen, which was polished very smooth. The natural marble patterns on it looked like landscape paintings, but they had a special flavor.

"...This screen is a big deal. It's a whole piece of marble the size of a tabletop. I don't know how it was inserted." Fang Yizhi thought to himself.

Next, the outer room of Ziming Building is a very common hall, but the high-quality mahogany furniture is very valuable at first glance, but there are no stools for the guest seats, only a few cloth chairs like soft couch , Fang Yizhi sat down for a while while waiting to apply for the "membership card". The elastic and soft touch is indeed much more comfortable than those armchairs at home. It is estimated that this is probably the sofa chair mentioned by those Lingnan scholars, and it does have its unusual features.

Although it seemed absurd to Fang Yizhi at the beginning, the procedures for applying for the so-called "membership card" at Ziminglou were actually not complicated. Yu Guozhen and the two left their greeting cards and signatures, and after a while, two gold and silver interlaced cards were sent out from the counter, with their names and five Dashi numbers engraved on them.

"...Master Fang, your membership card has been processed, and the card number is 9526. And this Master Yu, your membership card number is 9527..." The clerk who handled the membership card smiled and handed the card to Fang Yizhi and Yu Guozhen.The clerk was wearing a well-fitting navy blue jacket with narrow sleeves and short fronts, navy blue straight-leg trousers underneath, and a pair of polished shoes on his feet. The material looked like leather, but the style was something Fang Yizhi had never seen before. .Inside the jacket was a snow-white shirt, the collar and cuffs were starched, a blue belt was tied in the middle of the collar, and a small shiny plaque hung on the chest, with a few big food numbers written on it.The whole set of clothes doesn't have the slightest appearance of Huaxia, but it looks very energetic and quite exotic.

"... If the two young masters are here to relax, you might as well let the young one show you around. The young one is the waiter No. 63. If the two young masters have any requests, the young one will do their best to meet them." After handing over the membership card, The clerk continued to be courteous, rambling on.

"...No need, I brought these two, and then I will continue to take a look at them, you can go back!"

But Zhang Dai dismissed the clerk with a wave of his hand, and then he took Fang Yizhi and Yu Guozhen inside, turned around a screen wall, and suddenly saw a large garden. In the middle of the garden was a baroque style white marble The fountain was spraying water, and the bushes in the garden were still green and trimmed in a square shape. It didn't fit the traditional garden pattern at all, but it was a bit like the way the Thais built churches.

Going inside again, there is another wider hall. In the center of the hall, there is actually an indoor pool, and pebbles are laid in the pool to raise goldfish.In the middle of the pool stands a rockery with a height of one person. Bamboo pipes are used to divert water to make the shape of a waterfall.In addition to the huge crystal glass chandelier on the ceiling, all kinds of huge mirrors and glass windows around, Fang Yizhi was dazzled by seeing all of them, and couldn't stop admiring them.

Zhang Dai pointed to the price list hanging on the wall of the hall, as well as the plaques on the small doors around, and introduced that this is the "fragrant soup bathing place" of Ziming Building, which has a large bathing pool that can accommodate dozens of people. , there is also the exquisite and luxurious "Dixiang Tang" single room, which provides petal baths, bubble baths, milk baths, herbal baths and many other enjoyments... Fang Yizhi was fascinated by hearing this, but Yu Guozhen murmured to himself: Isn't this the modern bathing city? That set?
Then, Zhang Dai led them to see the most spectacular large bath, and saw a large oval bath sunken into the ground, surrounded by wide steps.Bathers can easily enter and exit the bath along the steps.Several animal head sculptures are installed in the four corners of the bath, spitting water into the pool from its mouth.The inside and outside of the bath are covered with ceramic tiles, and there is a mosaic mural of "West Lake Scenery" on the wall. There is also a steam room and a massage room next to it... Of course, in the massage room, I am afraid that heterosexual massage is also popular among the masses. content.

However, there is no water in the large bathing place right now, and there are no guests. There are only a few maids cleaning the ground with mops... Fang Yizhi narrowed his eyes and casually looked at the maid closest to him. I can’t move my eyes: I saw this woman wearing a blue and white dress, her chest was held up by the skirt, the two round balls of agar swayed when she walked, her neckline was very low, and her chest was a piece of white skin Being exposed outside, people don't know where to put their eyes.The skirt below the waist is extremely short, the hem of the skirt only covers more than three inches above the knees, and between the bright white silk stockings on the feet, there are still a few inches of white and tender thighs exposed. It stirred up the flame in Fang Yizhi's heart.

Seeing Fang Yizhi staring straight at the maid, Zhang Dai immediately whispered into his ear knowingly, "...this maid is wearing a blue maid outfit, and she only cares about serving and doesn't care about serving. If Mizhi is really interested, so I will ask them to arrange a few bunny girls for my brother at night to share with my virtuous brother."

"...Okay, okay, okay!" After saying three good words, Fang Yizhi smiled with an expression that any man could understand.

It’s just that it’s morning after all, not to mention that it’s too early to sleep in flowers and sleep in willows, and even the baths in various places haven’t opened yet—the boiler has just been overhauled routinely, and hot water hasn’t come out for a while.So Fang Yizhi only used the new Australian toilet once after wandering around.But even the white porcelain flush toilet and the soft toilet paper smoked with spices gave him a more intuitive impression of the luxury of Australians.

Just as he put on his clothes again, rubbed the toilet bowl in the toilet carefully again, lifted the top cover, looked at the structure inside, and finally walked out full of satisfaction, he suddenly heard a singing voice from somewhere next door: "I suddenly heard the sound of golden drums and horns..." It sounded like Kunqu opera but different, so I asked Zhang Dai: "...Brother Zongzi (Zhang Dai's cousin), who is singing this? And who is it?" track?"

"...Oh, this is the personal apprentice of Mr. Mei Lanfang, a famous Australian opera critic, performing on stage at the Ziminglou Grand Theater. Mr. Mei Lanfang is from Australia. When he comes to Hangzhou to perform this fall, it should be a It is really famous in the south of the Yangtze River, and even high-ranking officials and nobles rarely listen to it. It is a pity that the gentleman went back to Lingnan with Miss Pei Lixiu yesterday, leaving only a few of his apprentices to support the scene in the Ziming Building, but at any rate it is not worth it. I got six or seven points of true biography from everyone in Mei Lanfang... As far as I know, Mu Guiying should be in charge of today's play."

Zhang Dai said with a faint smile, "...There is still more than half an hour before lunch. I have specially invited a lot of guests for the two of you this time, but they haven't arrived yet, so it is not convenient for us to start the banquet. There are some free time left and right. Brother Zhi, can you go over and listen to a song first, and talk about it with some tea and fruit?"

This immediately scratched Fang Yizhi's itching spot. Although the Fang family in Tongcheng, where he was born, was considered famous, Tongcheng, Anhui is located in the countryside after all, and various entertainment activities are not as exciting as those in big cities. This Pingju opera sounds melodious. Euphemistic, the soundtrack is also very rich, really interesting.

So, he followed Zhang Dai into another hall. In the front half of the hall was a large stage with a height of half a person. Below were tables of eight immortals, decorated in an antique style. Many people had already sat down in the hall, listening with gusto.Finding a seat near the front and sitting down, Fang Yizhi also began to concentrate on appreciating the Pingju.I saw a tall and straight man on the stage, fair complexion, peach blossom face, phoenix eyes with spring, wearing a red and gold armor, carrying four flags with Mu characters on his back, holding a bright silver gun, singing on the stage. That's it... Whether it's literary, martial arts, singing, or soundtrack, this Pingju is very suitable for Fang Yizhi's appetite. The more he listens, the more energetic he becomes, and he is so fascinated by it that he looks at Mu Guiying on the stage. Fascinated.

sex

But at the same time, Yu Guozhen, who came with him, didn't care much about operas. He just watched the various living beings around him with cold eyes. , cooking oil over high heat.They only see the deep courtyard, the bustling street scene, the antiques on the red sandalwood shelves, the maids with beautiful eyes and gorgeous clothes and sedan chairs, the melodious songs and dances in the pear garden, the lively beating of gongs and drums, and the fireworks in the blue sky. Blooming in the night sky...but they don't know that the barbarians in the north are crashing into the Great Wall of the Empire, and they don't know that a silent, hungry and hateful army is gathering behind a laid-off postman.Unaware that the desolate winter of this ancient civilization has come.What's more, they don't know that the world they are familiar with is collapsing, the terrible doomsday judgment is coming, the pillars of the sky are about to break, the four dimensions are about to split, and soon they will end up in a "white and vast land is really clean"...

Of course, after so many time travelers have broken into this world, the future history of development may be different!
He smiled self-deprecatingly, took out a few things from his pocket, and looked at them one by one: a pack of "Wendeng incense" from Dengzhou, a pack of "Holy Ship Smoke" from Qiongzhou, a small glass mirror with a plastic shell , a box of sewing needles that are obviously of modern craftsmanship... I can't help thinking for a while.

As a very ambitious traveler, Yu Guozhen has been fighting and struggling ever since he came to the countryside of Xiang'an County, Wuwei Prefecture, Anhui Province in this tragic era. He successfully sent all the relatives in the Yu clan who coveted his property to see God; then, with the freshwater pearl cultivation technology of later generations, he earned the first pot of gold to make a fortune.

Then, relying on this small armed force trained by himself, Yu Guozhen fought against bandits and water bandits from all walks of life repeatedly, accumulated war experience, and finally won successive victories, thus earning the brave name of "Young Tiger of Nothing".At the same time, he used the novel knowledge of "Gewu" and "Western Learning" as bait to establish a relationship with Fang Yizhi, a famous scholar in Tongcheng, and then entered "Fushe", a group with great influence in the south of the Yangtze River in the late Ming Dynasty.

However, just as Yu Guozhen was consolidating his foundation step by step, expanding his strength, gearing up, and preparing to reinvigorate China's destiny, all kinds of social information obtained through the Fushe channel gave him a blow to the head. The full of ambitions and ambitions disappeared almost instantly - he was obviously not the only time traveler who appeared in this world, and they were obviously much more powerful than him, the country rich man.

——He knew the heroic legend of Huangshi leading the Changsheng Army to sweep Liaodong and kill the slave chieftains in the past. He also heard about the success of Chen Xin's Dengzhou Army in the north. He also heard about the "Australian Kun people" "All kinds of anecdotes on Hainan Island... Whether it is Huangshi or Chen Xin, they all have an elite army that is invincible in this era, and they have the reputation of being brave and invincible.The "Australian" from Hainan Island even came to this world with industrial equipment stuffed into a large freighter, but what he brought with him, Yu Guozhen, was only a head and a pair of hands...

For a moment, Yu Guozhen couldn't help feeling disheartened, feeling that he seemed to be a superfluous person.

Obviously, no matter how the next fortune develops, the Ming Empire in this era no longer needs a small person like him to save it.No matter which way the traversers finally gained power, whether they adopted the socialist or capitalist system to govern the country, at the very least, it was far better than entering the Qing Dynasty.

All in all, the bright future of this country and this nation seems to have been determined, and Yu Guozhen no longer needs to risk his life to save it... But if this is the case, what should I do?Fate let me travel to this time and space, and for what purpose?
Thinking of this, Yu Guozhen couldn't help being full of melancholy, but he didn't dare to recognize anyone who traveled all the way, lest the other party has the narrow personality of Long Aotian, who firmly believed that "the biggest enemy of a group of traversers is another group of traversers. "... This kind of worry made Yu Guozhen more frightened and panicked, but he was helpless... Is it true that like Zhang Dai, he regards life as a big bustle and enjoys the bustling until the last moment?
Yu Guozhen obviously doesn't approve of such a heartless attitude towards life, but if he wants to be proactive, he doesn't know how to start...

With my meager foundation in Wuwei in Anhui, how can I compete with those who have been famous for a long time or have strong influence?

Could it be that I can only drift with the tide in this turbulent world, and sit and watch other traversers flourish and scold Fang Qiu?
——Yu Guozhen, who found out that he was not the protagonist on the stage of the times, has since fallen into deep depression and bewilderment.

However, although Yu Guozhen claims to be a sober bystander, what he really sees is actually only a small corner of this vast world

Moreover, the changes brought to this world by the traversers not only have a bright and progressive side, but also bloody and dark scenes...