Crossing Prince Yinren

The little boy was surprised: "Didn't you figure it out?"

The scholar proudly said: "Xiao'er, do you still remember what that Master Hu said when he asked me to test the characters?"

"He said he asked you to test whether a person is still alive. My son, that's all he said. How do you know that he asked you to test whether it was his daughter or if it was lost?" Xiao Tong wondered.

The scholar said, "I don't know, he told me all this himself."

Xiaotong was even more surprised, "When did he say it, why didn't I hear it?"

The scholar smiled complacently, and said when he had had enough of it, "Actually, it's not surprising at all."

"Xiaoer, have you paid attention to the complexion of Mr. Hu? His complexion is sad and worried. The person who asked must be a relative. He is worried and regretful. He is naturally a junior, and most of them are close relatives. Look at his haggard appearance. , This person had an accident at least within ten months, I will tell these four points, and he will immediately tell me what happened and what happened after the accident."

"He said that since he left the house angrily, he couldn't find him anymore. There were no relatives, no places he frequented, monasteries, temples, even kidnappers, renzizi, and flower houses. I've searched all over for relationships—"

"Think about it, relatives' homes, monasteries, temples, flower houses, are these the places where the lost boy will go? If the boy is lost and can't be found, most people only think about kidnapping, ransom, or even being killed. ? So, who and why this Master Hu wants to test is about to be revealed."

The little boy admired him even more: "My lord, you are so smart! Then how do you know that girl is hiding in your house?"

The scholar said triumphantly: "This is just speculation as usual. You think, that Master Hu said that he has traveled all the roads he can go, so he can't find any results if he keeps searching, but he obviously intends to continue searching. Go on. And you listen to the tone of that master when he asked me to test the word. I dare say that the person he wants to test is no longer there. I wouldn’t say that the person I’m looking for is dead, as soon as he says he can’t stand it—besides, we’ve been in the capital for so many days, and we haven’t heard of any dead people, so the girl should be fine, so I suggested him He looked for it nearby, and I didn't make it clear that even if he couldn't find it, he had no reason to bother us. I didn't expect to find it, so it's time for us to get rich!" After finishing speaking, he couldn't help but said Hey hey smirk.

The little boy exclaimed: "It turned out to be like this!..."

He opened his mouth and was about to say something else, but there were two sneers from behind them, saying: "It turned out to be like this! It's also suitable for my brother to make a fortune!"

The scholar and the boy turned their heads together, only to realize that they had walked into a secluded alley at some point in order to take a shortcut, and behind them was a big man with a height of eight feet and a hideous complexion, who was standing with his arms around them and staring at them maliciously. watching them.

This big man is the idle man who was standing under the wall not far from the scholar and basking in the sun. He had a bad intention early on, but was scared back by the big accident when the emperor and princess went through this accident. The scene of the "magic fortune teller" performed by the scholar and the middle-aged man was in awe. Unexpectedly, he went home and walked with the scholar. The scholar didn't notice that there was someone behind him, but he shook off this burden, which made him feel a sense of mysterious awe. I can't help itching.

Seeing the scholar turning his head, the big man lowered his head and grinned at him—he was a full head taller than the scholar—and punched the broken table and stool carried by the scholar. wood.

The scholar staggered, stunned, the big man stretched out his hand, lifted him into the air like a chicken, and asked, "You are so smart, did you think you would encounter robbery today?" Before he could reply, he snorted He tore his old padded jacket in half, shook it, and the banknotes and copper coins he had hidden in the jacket fell lightly to the ground.

The big man's eyes lit up, he threw him and the cotton-padded jacket away casually, and squatted down to pick them up. The little boy, who was carrying the jacket and a stool with his eyes wide open, was stunned. Seeing his master fall to the ground, he finally came to his senses and exclaimed Said: "My lord!" Seeing that he was about to snatch away those several colorful banknotes and copper coins, which were full of food and new clothes, he immediately forgot everything and tore the bamboo pole on his shoulder. Throwing away the cover and another stool, he rushed forward to grab it, shouting, "This is our money! Come here! Help! Someone is robbing—!..."

Although the place is secluded, it is not far from the busy street. The big man was afraid that someone would hear him, and panicked, he waved him away with his arm and said, "Go away!" Far away, I fell into a muddy puddle and couldn't get up for a long time. The thin cotton clothes were immediately soaked in muddy water.The scholar exclaimed, "Smile!" He got up, stumbled and ran to Xiao Tong's side to pull him.

The big man hurriedly stuffed all the money into his arms and ran to the other side of the alley.Two or three people just walked into this alley at the other end, when a little girl came out from under the cloak of the first person, she said pleasantly, "Ah, someone really robbed you!"

Just then the big man was running up to them, and the little girl reached out and grabbed the big man.

The big man was going to twist her wrist with his backhand, and shouted: "Midget your own business!" A person walking behind suddenly jumped forward, grabbed the big man's wrist like lightning and twisted it, stumbled and pinned him to the ground , unable to move at all.

The little girl made a funny face at him, then looked at the poor man who had been robbed by him, but exclaimed, "It's them!"

At this time, the scholar pulled out from the muddy water, took off his wet coat for him, and wrapped his old padded jacket that had been torn into two pieces around him. Hearing this, he also looked at the few people in astonishment. Wearing a light ink cloak, her figure is as tall as a black crane, and the little girl in her arms is wearing a rabbit-headed hat, Yuxue, who is so cute, she passed by the city wall at noon, and she is considered to be the emperor and princess, half of the people in the market It was a sensation to the father and daughter who chased after them but couldn't find them again!

The man led the people forward slowly, and when he came close, the little girl saw his condition clearly, covered her little mouth sympathetically, and said, "It's so pitiful!" Turning around, she skillfully untied her father's cloak and leaned forward to throw it to the scholar. Said: "Quick, you are also wearing very thin clothes, let's block the wind together!"

The man took off his cloak, and he became taller and taller, with outstanding demeanor. His plain clothes seemed to shine in the alleys where the dusk fell. He glanced at the little girl, who stuck out her tongue at him.

The scholar received the cloak and held it in both hands, stammering in fear and trepidation: "This, this, this, how dare the student?"

The man glanced at him, and said calmly: "Here, you can wear it." His eyes flicked to the little boy, "Don't freeze the kid." After speaking, he carried the little girl by himself.The little girl lay on his shoulder and waved back.

Another handsome and quiet man who followed the man looked at the inscription on the rag cover thrown by the scholar in the mud, took out a piece of silver and put it in front of him, saying: "You are the Juren who came to Beijing to take the exam this year, right?" Take the exam well." After speaking, he followed the man and left.

Another man who restrained the big man also walked up to him, smiled slightly, and lifted the big man's feet for a while, and shook out the banknotes and copper coins that the scholar had been robbed by the big man before.The big man's huge body was as light as paper in his hands, and his mouth was stuffed with mud before he knew it, and he couldn't say anything, he could only whine.

Afterwards, the man also left with the big man in his hand, and the figures of the three disappeared in the alley of Hongxia and Anjin against the light.

It took a long time for the scholar to come back to his senses this time. After he came back to his senses, he hurriedly picked up the money on the ground. The ingot of silver left by the second man just now was not light, at least more than ten taels. Got rich.

After collecting the money, he hesitated for a while, and finally unfolded the cloak and wrapped it around himself and Tong'er. The texture of this cloak is unknown, but it is extremely light, warm and soft. It seems that the body temperature of the former owner is still there, and there seems to be a hint of sweetness in it. And a touch of sandalwood, the scholar smelled it, his heart skipped a beat, and he didn't dare to smell it again.The little boy gradually stopped trembling in the cloak, and he also sensitively noticed that the sweet fragrance on the cloak was the same as that of the beautiful little princess he had inadvertently smelled before, and suddenly blushed for some reason.

Let’s talk about this side, the unlucky man who failed to rob but was restrained and taken away came out of the alley, saw the faces of the four people who hadn’t noticed in a hurry, and was so shocked that he almost died. Isn’t this said to be the emperor and the princess? Is that a group of people?He got his hands on the princess!

The little girl seemed to know what he was thinking, and kept grinning at her father as she leaned on her father's shoulder.

Out of the alley, a person flashed out without a sound and presented a dark green cloak. It is said that the emperor's man put down the little girl, squinted at her and said, "Are you not dozing off this time?"

The little girl took the cloak flatteringly, spread her toes and handed it to her father. The man took the cloak and put it on. In the twilight, his fair, clean, and beautiful fingers glowed with a soft gleam. The bending and stretching is breathtaking.

The big man had never liked masculinity, but when he saw this scene, he swallowed his saliva for some reason.When he came back to his senses and thought about the identity of this man, he immediately wanted to slap himself.

After the man fastened his cloak, the little girl immediately salivated innocently and opened her hands in a "hug" gesture.

The man squinted and said, "Go by yourself."

The little girl acted like a baby: "There is still a long way to go, Daddy hugs~~~~~" The sweet child's voice can melt stones.

But the man was hard-hearted: "No hug."

"Hug~~~~~"

"No hug."

"Hold~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

……

The big man didn't see who would win the confrontation between the father and daughter, because the man who restrained him picked him up at this moment and handed him over to the man who brought him the cloak. He smiled strangely at him, and the man slapped him The back of his neck, his eyes darkened into darkness.

Due to the accident of being robbed, the scholar and the boy, who only had the winter clothes on, had to go and buy a ready-made clothes in advance. Fortunately, the second windfall was large enough, even if they bought the clothes, they were rented to a man who lived in a remote courtyard. After this year, the two are no longer a problem.

That night, the scholar and the boy, each wearing a new and neat cotton-padded jacket, returned to the courtyard, and immediately caused a sensation in the courtyard, and they all speculated whether he was outstanding in learning and met some noble people's appreciation.I don't know if the nobleman appreciates it or not. The nobleman sometimes fights and hugs injustice, but the status of the nobleman is too precious. The scholar dare not speak nonsense, and he also told the boy not to speak out. He only said that the two of them were robbed and rescued by righteousness. As for the next thing, the money to buy the cotton-padded clothes was also said to be given by the benefactor kindly, and everyone lamented his good luck.

Going back to the broken room with air leaks on all sides that I rented for two cents a month, I lit the oil lamp and the charcoal basin—today the landlord specially gave me two extra charcoal—closed the door, the scholar and the boy looked at each other, He smiled, nestled on the bed, and counted up today's earnings.

Big and small banknotes of different denominations, jingling copper coins and a few dimes of silver, counting them bit by bit, excluding the cost of buying clothes, there are still as much as 12 taels and a half.The little boy said excitedly: "It's more than what we've earned all the way. People in the capital are rich!"

The scholar nodded with a beaming face, no!The richest landlords in their ten miles and eight townships may not have so much money. If fortune telling can earn this amount every day in the future, then why do they have to be a Jinshi or an official? Why not just tell fortunes here!

The little boy had never seen so much money before, and he held it full in his hands. The heavy texture made people feel indescribably satisfied, and dreamily said: "Young master, if you change all the banknotes into copper coins, then you will be fine." How much should it be, if we can fall, we can't walk."

The scholar is also similar to the little boy, taking the money with infinite satisfaction, and letting them ding ding dongdong from the fingers to the bed, listening to the pleasant sound, enjoying it for a while, and then saying: "It's a pity that although the copper coins and silver are good, we will pay them tomorrow." You have to change it into banknotes, it's convenient to hold."

Change it into banknotes?That doesn't seem to be so much... The little boy reluctantly picked up the copper coins and silver to play with, but he also knew that what the young master said was right.Now who goes around with a lot of silver and copper coins, how cumbersome and shabby, only the most ignorant country people do that.

The scholar flattened a few banknotes. These banknotes were handed down by too many people. They were crumpled, big and small, and had different denominations. It is solemn and extraordinary, and it is said to be written by famous masters. The largest official script "one thousand characters" is also the largest face value of ordinary banknotes.No matter how large the denomination is, it is a silver bill, not a banknote.

There are a total of ten denominations of banknotes: one Wen, two Wen, Wu Wen, Shi Wen, Er Shi Wen, Wu Shi Wen, One Hundred Wen, Two Hundred Wen, Five Hundred Wen, and One Thousand Wen. up.

He also remembered exactly that the banknotes had been issued since seven years ago.Seven years ago, that is, the 29th year of Kangxi, Emperor Kangxi decreed to open the four treaty ports of Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Hangzhou and Ningbo. Zhang, Li and Zhao's three companies, which developed as quickly as steamed buns due to maritime incidents, somehow persuaded the No. [-] bank in Jiangnan to communicate with them. Sheng Qianzhuang jointly issued banknotes.Tongsheng Bank spread all over the country, and after the union, even small corners were filled with semicolons, declaring that people who use their notes, no matter who they are, can exchange them at any firm whenever they want to exchange cash. There is no fee.I even communicated with several other reputable banks and asked them to exchange them. On a fixed day, I took the initiative to bring cash and exchange them back for banknotes.

Gradually, unknowingly, all commercial banks and even ordinary people in the country now recognize and get used to Tongsheng’s circulation, and regard it as almost equal to cash, and even seem to be more reputable and convenient, because it eliminates the need for scattered money. The fire consumption when the broken silver is turned into a whole ingot is as much as it is, and it will always be the same as the official silver.

At first, everyone didn't understand why Tongsheng made such an unnecessary move. The circulation of such small-denomination banknotes has no benefits, and a lot of manpower and material resources have to be invested. Unlike ordinary large-denomination banknotes, depositors have to pay storage fees. Borrowing out and paying a lot of interest, Tongsheng is asking for trouble.But as Tongsheng's small-amount banknotes circulated all over the world, even laypeople gradually understood that Tongsheng was originally just a large bank in the south of the Yangtze River, but now it is undoubtedly the number one bank in the world. Tongsheng is at the helm The man Bai Jiang Baiye's foresight and boldness make people admire.

The scholar saw that Tongsheng's small-denomination notes had been difficultly implemented in the beginning and now circulated all over the world, and he also admired that Bai Ye. After sorting out the notes tonight, he suddenly felt that Tongsheng's move seemed to have more profound meaning than that.Among other things, the money shortage that first appeared in the southeast a few years ago and then disappeared without a trace is an obvious achievement.

Money shortage is a strange phenomenon in currency circulation. It means that the copper coins minted by the country are not enough, which affects normal economic activities.

The reason why I say "strange" is that this phenomenon is not because the country has not enough copper coins, but because the value of the copper coins itself is greater than its face value, and the people collect the money to do other things instead of As a currency exchange, it caused a shortage of money.

Copper coins are melted and cast into bronze wares and sold, which can get more than ten times the profit. The purchasing power of copper coins in Korea, Japan and other foreign countries is more than ten times stronger than that in their own countries, which also caused a large outflow of copper coins. not enough.Even though the imperial court had already issued a civil order to prohibit copper coins from going out to sea and folks to privately cast bronze wares, the punishment was very severe, but ten times the profit can already make people risk their lives, so the ban is still repeated until now.When the money shortage is severe, the depreciation of the prices of many goods can make ordinary people bankrupt. The circulation of Tongsheng's small-denomination bills has greatly alleviated this dilemma.

Moreover, the scholar vaguely realized that apart from this, the significance of the appearance of the small banknotes would be far more than this, so he couldn't help but stop his hands arranging the banknotes, thoughtful.

The little boy saw that he suddenly became dazed, and called out, "Young Master? Young Master!"

He shook his hand and said, "Don't make noise, I have something to think about..."

"In the present and ancient love scene, who is the true heart? But if there is sincerity, it will eventually be married. There is no need to worry about the south and the north. The two hearts talk about life and death. Laughing at the children of the world, they are ruthless. Feeling gold and stone, returning to heaven and earth .Show the day, look down on history. Seeing the loyalty of the ministers and the filial piety, it is always based on love. The first sages never deleted Zheng and Wei, and we took righteousness to turn over the palace and levy. Using Taizhen to spread new words, it’s just love..."

On the 1th day of the twelfth lunar month this winter, there will be an unprecedented grand event in Liyuan, the capital. The No.[-] actress in the world, Taishan Beidou Han Xiangsi in the Kunqu opera circle, invites famous Kunqu opera masters from the north and south to rehearse the complete version of "The Palace of Eternal Life". The great talent who wrote this play will be Hong Sheng. They were also invited to the capital, and a stage was set up outside the Zhengyang Gate for public performances.

Kunqu opera has been the most popular repertoire since the end of Ming Dynasty. There is no one who doesn’t like it, from all over the country, from high to low. The mountain is like thunder", or it is not just love, but fanatical love. People who fell into the full moon of the twelfth lunar month began to have no intention of doing things. The whole country is crazy.

On this day, Zhengyang Gate was crowded with people early in the morning. Weishi (1:[-] p.m.) opened, and before Sishi ([-]:[-] p.m.), the crowds were too crowded to get in. They only sold sesame seed cakes and fried dough sticks in a basket, and they didn’t come for dinner. There are hundreds of hawkers who buy it to satisfy their hunger.Needless to say, the rest are selling almond tea, hand towels, melon seeds, peanuts and walnuts with large teapots.

The [-]th day of the twelfth lunar month is the opening day of "The Palace of Eternal Life". For this scene, famous actors from all over the world have been preparing for the rehearsal for nearly half a year. , all are specially made by the best embroiderers in Suzhou and Hangzhou, and the colorful embroidery is brilliant and eye-catching.

Seats in the first few rows in front of the stage are hard to come by, ordinary celebrities and gentlemen can't sit there, and those who can get a seat are regarded as rare honors, even the idle princes and nobles can't sit in the front without talent and fame.

At this moment, Hong Sheng, a commoner, sat on the seat.

Speaking of Hong Sheng, he is not from an ordinary background. The Hong family is a prominent family in Qiantang, and has been a scholar for generations. The prototype of the Wang family in "Dream of Red Mansions", Huang Ji himself is the prototype of Wang Ziteng, and the prototypes of Mrs. Wang and Wang Xifeng are Huang Ji's mother and wife.Hong Sheng himself is also outstanding in talent, but he is too arrogant, he often sits with blank eyes at parties and banquets, pointing at the past and picking the present, which is disliked by the world.

It's just that today he restrained himself a lot. Although he was sitting still, he didn't show his unbridled temper - not just because of giving face to the famous actress Han Xiangsi who had helped him out of righteousness, but because there was a person in the seat today who let Fang He was born like Hong Sheng, and he is a little bit proud-this person is Nalan Rongruo, the first talented man in the Qing Dynasty and now the Prime Minister of Grassland Affairs.

Nalan Rongruo's father was Nalan Mingzhu, the prime minister with power in the early years of the Kangxi Dynasty. His family background was not lower than that of Hong Sheng, and he himself was also very talented. , "Ci Lin Zheng Lue", edited "Da Yi Ji Yi Cui Yan", "Chen Shi Li Ji Shuo Supplement", and edited "Chu Jin Ci", "Famous Quatrains", "Selected Poems of the Tang Dynasty", etc. All the books are amazingly written, and the collections of Ci "Side Hat" and "Drinking Water" are even more popular among families. And Li, who is known as the three great masters in the Ci world, has a reputation in the literary world that Hong Sheng can't match, he is almost a whole person.

Nalan Rongruo is 43 years old this year. He served as the governor of Khalkha in the 30th year of Kangxi. The six years of wind and frost outside the Great Wall left some marks on his eyebrows and eyes, but it also erased the beautiful flowers that grew up in the gentle and rich town. Soft willow air, sparse and quiet, that is the openness after the wind and rain.

He happened to be returning to Beijing this time to report on his duties. He and Han Xiangsi had long been on good terms, and moreover, half of the literary celebrities from the north and south of the country had come to this grand event. Naturally, he had no reason not to come to join him.Sitting with him were Gu Zhenguan, Zhu Yizun, and Jiangnan weaving Cao Yin who also returned to Beijing to report his duties.

Cao Yin and Rong Ruo used to be the guards of Qianqing Palace in the early years, and they had an extraordinary friendship, but since Cao Yin stayed in Suzhou to work as weaving during the emperor's southern tour in the 28th year of Kangxi, the two had not seen each other for eight years. When we met again, we were full of emotions.

"It's bitterly cold outside the Great Wall. I thought that seeing my brother again would be haggard and torn apart. I didn't want to be more handsome and less gloomy than before, so Jiao Yinbai was worried." Cao Yin said sincerely.

Rong Ruo is no longer the young master Yu Yujia from a few years ago, but time still treats him far more preferentially than others, he is still handsome and upright, only about thirty people, and when he smiles like a breeze and a bright moon, it is heart-warming. Yiqing said: "Only when you go out of the fortress will you know the vastness of the world."

Cao Yin said eagerly: "That's right. I haven't seen the scenery of the frontier fortress for many years. This time I have the opportunity, maybe I will change places..."

Rong Ruo heard the meaning of his words, glanced at him, smiled slightly, picked up the tea bowl and took a sip.

Gu Zhenguan and Zhu Yizun looked at each other, and each smiled. One looked at the stage, shaking his head and continued to beat the time, while the other picked up a few rose pine nuts and tasted them leisurely.

The melodious rhyme is melodious, and the beautiful and beautiful concubine on the stage sang lingeringly: "... I am lucky to be able to serve the king from now on after the feast. The Yao rank is small, the spring is born, the heavenly language is born, the fragrance is lingering on the fairy rod, and the jade dew is cold. Gazing, the mandarin ducks live in the palace of heavy gold..."

In a corner far away from the stage, a seven or eight-year-old child climbed on an old tree branch that had lost all its branches and leaves in winter, and stretched his neck to look at the place floating in the dark, occasionally mixed with a few heads of different colors. The magnificence on the stage is like a stage in a fairyland, and the joys and sorrows are performed on the stage. He shook his head and praised: "That's great, the acting is really great, it's worthy of being a famous actor..."