I'm watching the gate in the jail

After some "persuasion" by Wanda, Qiu Zijin's marriage was finally put on hold.

After all, Qiu Zijin really has a lot of things to do when he returns to his hometown. No matter how arrogant Qiu's mother is, she can't interfere with her son's official affairs.

The news spread to the Qiu family's other courtyard, and it was said that Miss Rong, who was about to get married there, was very displeased.

"It would be best if she was unhappy. It would be even better if she could take the initiative to withdraw from the engagement."

Walking barefoot on the ridge of the field, Qiu Zijin, wearing a bamboo hat, held a bunch of rice ears in his hand and pinched the ears with his hands.Looking at the rippling dark green rice fields blown by the wind on both sides, and the ears of grain hanging down heavily, Qiu Zijin showed a rare smile after returning home.

"It seems that this year is another good year."

"Su Lake is ripe, and the world is full. The most important thing now is to open the river channel blocked by silt before the autumn harvest, so that the grain from the south can be sent to the north as soon as possible. The price of grain in Kyoto will be stabilized."

Seeing that the food supply in the south of the Yangtze River is not worrying, and the people live and work in peace and contentment, Wanda and the others are relieved a little.

Due to the high food prices in the capital, this year's Dragon Boat Festival in Kyoto was almost impossible to survive.

In the end, the emperor ordered to open several large granaries in Beizhili to distribute the grain stored in previous years, which solved the urgent need.

However, the granary in Beizhili is directly related to the food and pay of the garrison in the north and west, and opening the granary to release grain is not a long-term solution after all.

The Tatars and Wala did not let go of their covetous eyes on Daming for a day.If Daming really shows that the grain depot has been empty for a long time, and the problem of food shortage in the capital has not been resolved for a long time, I am afraid that these people will start to use their brains.

The noon sun was too hot, Wanda and the others were all young men in their twenties, fortunately, the county magistrate, county magistrate and others accompanying Qiu Zijin were already overheated by the steaming heat.

Fortunately, there was a pergola built by a farmer not far from the road. There was a table and two chairs under the pergola. It was like an oasis in the rice field, where people could enjoy the cool and rest. Everyone walked towards the shed.

This kind of pergola is very common on the roadside in the country, and there is often a large celadon teapot filled with herbal tea on the table.On one side of the teapot was a stack of clay bowls, and on the other was an empty saucer for collecting money.

The pergola is usually built by the nearby villagers. If passers-by drink his tea, they will put some copper plates in the empty saucer, meaning.

Quite a bit of the taste of self-service shopping 600 years ago.

However, the folk customs in the countryside are simple, and the people who come and go are all acquaintances. Although it is not ruled out that some people take advantage of it and don't give money, most people still consciously put some tea money on the plate.

The super rich man Qiu Zijin threw a piece of broken silver into it and called everyone to drink tea.

Wanda originally thought that the tea in such a small place must taste terrible, maybe it also smelled like swill.Who knew that after one sip, the cold tea soup was actually very refreshing, with a faint fragrance, which surprised him greatly.

"My lord, don't forget where this place is? In the "Pipa Xing" written by Bai Letian in the past, there is a sentence "Go to Fuliang to buy tea the night before." This is the place where "Fuliang tea" is produced."

Song Zhixian, who was standing aside, looked at Wanda's surprised face, smiled and took off his bamboo hat, and fanned himself.

"This Fuliang tea can be drunk in the fields here, but once it is sold to the north where the capital is located, it will be worth a thousand gold."

The county magistrate laughed.

Wanda feels ashamed and ashamed...

I know Bai Juyi, and I also know "Pipa Xing", but "Fuliang" refers to Jingdezhen, so I only found out after I came here...

"The first half of the line is more famous."

Qiu Zijin put down the tea bowl and smiled faintly, "'Businessmen value profit and leave farewell'."

"My lord, tell me, this boat is blocked on the river, who can benefit from it?"

Qiu Zijin looked at Wanda and asked.

"merchant?"

Wanda froze for a moment, then had a flash of inspiration, "A grain merchant in the capital?"

"Correctly speaking, it is the North Zhili grain merchants who have monopolized the northern grain road."

After the entire Ming Empire experienced military strikes at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, it quickly recovered under a series of policies designated by Zhu Yuanzhang, the "agriculturally oriented" Emperor Hongwu, such as: emigrating the rich people, restraining the powerful, reclaiming land and building water conservancy. agricultural production.

It turned out that the main grain production scale in the south continued to expand, from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Huizhou, to the two lakes.

In the north, the original immigrants from the Yuan Dynasty migrated from the desert to North Zhili and northern rural areas, especially Shandong, Henan and other areas, which have become the main areas for grain production in the north.

After the Battle of Jingnan, Emperor Yongle Zhu Di forced more than [-] wealthy households and peasants from Suzhou and eastern Zhejiang to move to North Zhili to fill the vast farmland near the capital.

In the Tianshun period of the previous dynasty, although the grain output in the north was not comparable to that in the south where two or three crops were harvested a year, it was still on a considerable scale.Not to mention that each border town also has military farmland and salt merchants' business villages that open up wasteland there.

The development of agriculture in the north is originally a good thing for the capital city where "the son of heaven guards the country". However, in the case of the soaring food prices in the capital that have intensified in the past two years, it seems that it is not the farmers in the north that benefit, but the farmers in the north. Those big grain merchants in Beizhili...

The grain in the north was also transported from north to south to the capital through the Grand Canal.However, unlike the trade route from south to north, grain usually enters Beijing by land after being transported to Tianjin Port.

Therefore, the blockage of the canal does not have a particularly direct impact on the grain merchants in the north.

"If this is the case, then this is not something that we can solve during our southward inspection."

Wanda put the water bowl back on the table.

"It seems that the dredging and gate repair of the lower reaches of the canal is imperative. Otherwise, the price increase will not only be as simple as food. Tea, ceramics, cloth, silk, all these special products in the south. If you really have to go north by land, The price is bound to skyrocket. Maybe even the procurement of court tributes will cause problems at that time."

Qiu Zijin thought for a while, but didn't say the next sentence.

The "city side" of the important northern town may also be affected by then.

Now that the imperial court and the Oirats are trading at the border, the most important commodities of the Ming Dynasty are tea and porcelain from the south. The prices have been relatively stable for many years.

If not long after, the prices of tea and porcelain would skyrocket due to transportation problems.

Qiu Zijin didn't think that those northern barbarians would sit down and listen to their explanations, saying that it was helpless for the Millennium Grand Canal to be blocked, but he thought that you Han people don't keep their promises and set prices on the ground when doing business.

Tea and porcelain that used to be exchanged for one horse can now be exchanged for two horses. Doesn't that mean that the Han emperor wants to go to war?

The normal operation of the capital depends entirely on the maintenance of the Grand Canal.With this lifeline blocked, the capital is not far from crisis.

"Master Song."

"Don't dare."

Qiu Zijin asked the county magistrate to sit down, and the other party humbly waved his hand, not daring to compete with Qiu Zijin and Wanda for a seat.

Officials only look at the size of the official rank, not to mention that Mr. Song is fifty this year, even if he is seventy, he can only stand in front of the Shangguan who is less than 20 years old.

"How is the firing of the imperial kiln this year? Who is the supervisor in charge of firing the imperial kiln?"

Jingdezhen, as the supplier of imperial porcelain for the Ming Dynasty, not only had a large number of local folk porcelain kilns, but also the so-called "imperial kiln" and "official kiln".

Among them, the Imperial Ware Factory located in Zhushan was responsible for the special supply of royal porcelain. There were so-called "pottery supervisors" in the official kilns, that is, eunuchs, officials from the Ministry of Industry and some local officials who supervised the firing of ceramics.

"My lord, the subordinate is here."

Following the county magistrate, the doctor Yu Hengsi of the Ministry of Industry came out and saluted Qiu Zijin and Wanda.

Hearing that the governor was here, all the officials in Jingdezhen became active.Naturally, it also included the big and small officials in charge of the Imperial Ware Factory and the Imperial Tea Garden. They gathered under the archway of Qiu's house early this morning and followed them all the way, waiting for the Shangguan to summon them for questioning.

"Are you He Yu, the pottery supervisor?"

Qiu Zijin looked at the middle-aged man with a beard in front of him and asked.

"It's down."

The pottery supervisor, surnamed He Mingyu, is from Huating County, Songjiang Prefecture, and has been working here for nearly three years.

Before Qiu Zijin left his hometown, he hadn't taken office yet, but he had also heard about Langzhong He's official voice along the way.

He is a clean and honest official who is sympathetic to the kiln workers. He is quite popular in the local area and is deeply loved by the local potters.

"He Langzhong has benefited the people, and this inspector has heard about it for a long time."

"Your honor."

The pottery supervisor is only responsible for the construction of the imperial kiln, and ignores other vulgar objects. It is not easy to make such a reputation.

"Who is the supervising eunuch? Why isn't he here today?"

Qiu Zijin glanced at the two potters behind him, feeling something was wrong.

A specialty of Taiming, the powers of supervising eunuchs and guarding eunuchs override local officials.On such an occasion, it stands to reason that the father-in-law should show his face.

What's more, standing here is Mr. Xiaoguo Uncle Wan, who has a first-class reputation in the circle of servants. If he doesn't come out to flatter him, he will be sorry for the word "eunuch".

"This……"

He Langzhong's eyes wandered, obviously a little embarrassed.

"But it doesn't matter."

Wanda said from the side.

"Eunuch Liang...he has something to go back to the capital."

After He Langzhong finished speaking, he bowed his head deeply.

"Back to the capital? Could it be that something important happened in the imperial equipment factory and needs to be reported back to Beijing? Or is there a new style in the palace?"

In the past two years, Jingdezhen's ceramic firing technology has advanced by leaps and bounds. There is a kind of "Doucai Porcelain" formed in the Xuande period, which has recently won the favor of His Majesty and Empress.

Qiu Zijin thought that the palace had made a new pattern and needed to be fired at the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln, so he recruited the supervising eunuch back, thinking that this is also a common thing.

Wanda's daily visits to Zhaode Palace have also given him an immersive experience of his brother-in-law's "artistic cells" for a long time.In the county government of Shexian County before, didn't you just experience the power of "A Tuan Harmony Map"?

Wanda also thinks that his brother-in-law may have come up with some new tricks, or that his "beloved wife" has a problem again, and he wants to burn a set of porcelain for his sister or the little prince, so he asks the people from the Eighth Bureau of the Inner Palace to The Zaoban recruited that "eunuch Liang" into the inner palace.

"Before, a batch of kiln-made porcelain was fired in the imperial kiln factory, and Mr. Liang sent it to the capital specially."

He Langzhong saw that he couldn't hide it, so he could only tell the truth.

"Now counting, it has been more than a month."

"Kiln transformation? Master He, although the porcelain in the kiln transformation is precious, is it too inappropriate to offer it as a tribute...?"

Qiu Zijin frowned, and his tone became tough.

"What's the situation? What is 'kiln change'? Why is it inappropriate?"

Wanda didn't study these bottles and cans at all, pulled Yang Xiuxian's sleeve in puzzlement, and asked in a low voice.

"To make porcelain, in addition to the ratio of clay, shaping, glazing and other processes. The most important thing is to control the temperature of the fire."

Yang Xiuxian leaned into his ear and explained, "'Kiln Transformation' means that there is something wrong with the heating."

"Isn't it the same as cooking with me?"

Wanda thought to himself, I am familiar with this.

This cooking also pays attention to the source of ingredients and the quality of the knife, but the most test of the cook is the control of the fire.There is no shortcut to this kind of skill other than continuous training.

"Of course it's different. After all, the stove fire can be controlled by people. But the kiln fire has many variables. When it becomes good, it gets the essence of 'fire energy', and the fired porcelain is full of brilliance and eccentricity. It becomes bad. , is the so-called 'dead organ', not to mention the dull glaze color, the entire fetal organ may be cracked, causing all the hard work of the previous few days or even months to be wasted."

Yang Xiuxian added.

If there is an eunuch urging the work, and the capital is waiting for this batch of utensils to be used as a tribute, it will really kill people.

"There is even a so-called 'exploding kiln'. If the number of days is wrong, all the porcelain in the entire kiln will be destroyed. Even the kiln itself may be in danger, and even human life."

Because there are so many uncontrollable variables, before the kiln was fired, including the day when the kiln was opened, the craftsmen would choose an auspicious day, and worship Huode Xingjun, and open the kiln on the auspicious day that was calculated to pray for safety.

Not to mention that in the ancient times when burning wood and charcoal, it was impossible to accurately control the temperature, even porcelain and pottery artists 600 years later would experience "fried kiln" and "kiln transformation" when faced with an induction cooker that can control temperature and humidity.

Except for the sentence "number of days", there is really no way to explain why all this happened.

Hearing Yang Xiuxian's explanation, Wanda grasped some key points in a daze

"That is to say, during the recent 'Kiln Transformation', a batch of high-quality porcelain was fired by accident, which was more exciting than expected, so the eunuch Liang couldn't wait to send them to the capital for offerings, didn't he?"

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Wanda thought for granted.

Isn't this a "limited edition"? It's only natural for good things to be sent to the palace.

"Of course not a good thing."

Qiu Zijin also heard their conversation and turned to look at Wanda.

"The 'Kiln Transformation' is something that can be encountered but not sought after. This time it was fired in such a way that it was earth-shattering and radiant, and the emperor saw the joy of Long Yan. But what about the next time? The royal tribute is required to be offered in the same shape every year. .How can you get the favor of God every time? If you can get it all the time, is it still a 'kiln change'?"

Wanda nodded thoughtfully, feeling a little incomprehensible.

According to Chen Sishan who is beside my sister, the daily diet in this palace is actually much more boring than that of the rich families outside the palace.

Especially the point of "not eating from time to time", except because the emperor, as the "Son of Heaven", must follow the laws of heaven and not be contrary to the weather and seasons.

What's more important - what if the emperor ate watermelon in winter by chance, and wanted to eat watermelon every winter after that?

Once it becomes a tribute, it means that it becomes a routine, and the routine cannot be changed. If it is changed, it will be a waste of time and money.

The same is true for tribute tea, tribute porcelain and tribute satin.

As an emperor, he was trapped by palace walls all his life, so it was understandable that he didn't know the changes of the solar terms outside.

It would be a big mistake if the eunuchs and eunuchs around him please the emperor and empress for their own selfish desires, causing the "special case" to become the "regular rule".

Qiu Zijin turned to He Yu displeasedly, "Mr. He, I heard that ever since you became the supervisor of pottery, you have never offered the porcelain from the kiln as a finished product, but sealed it up on the spot. It is to prevent the insiders from persecuting the potters. Fire ceramics with the same effect. Why is it such a trend now?"

The reason why the local potters love Langzhong He is that he is willing to fight for a reasonable construction period and remuneration with the eunuch in charge of supervising the construction in order to speak to the potters. "porcelain.

Why does it look like this word of mouth is false?

"My lord, we can't blame our lord He for this matter."

Seeing Qiu Zijin speak harshly to He Langzhong, the foreman of the kiln factory who accompanied He Langzhong took the initiative to speak out.

Just as the officials standing by were about to reprimand, Wanda quickly stopped him.

"You say, we listen."

"The old man's surname is Zhuang. He has been working in this imperial ware factory for more than 20 years. When he was still the old emperor, he had already started firing ceramics for the inner court."

The old man bowed his hands to everyone.

"The father-in-law who was in charge of supervising the construction in the past was surnamed Zhang. That father-in-law was unhurried and unhurried, and he cooperated perfectly with our Mr. He. Mr. He's proposal not to hand over the kiln-made porcelain was also agreed by Mr. Zhang. For this reason, we also A warehouse was purposely built in the north of the kiln factory to store kiln transformers."

Qiu Zijin listened and nodded in agreement.

Wanda is a heartbeat

A whole warehouse of "limited editions"?Then you have to go and see!

In the imperial palace, the one with the most rare treasures is the Zhaode Palace where my sister Wan Zhener lives. Are the things in this "limited edition" warehouse more beautiful than the Zhaode Palace?

He cast his longing eyes on Qiu Zijin, and six words flashed in his big almond eyes—Jin Jin, beautiful, look!

Qiu Zijin turned his head away speechlessly, and continued to talk to that Zhuang potter.

"You mean to say that this situation will only happen after a new supervising eunuch is replaced?"

"Exactly!"

Zhuang potter said firmly, "I am old and can't do it any more, and none of my descendants can inherit my craftsmanship. No one dares to say it, so I will say it."

Old man Zhuang seems to be a fierce man.

"Although the new Eunuch Liang has only been in office for less than a year, he is at odds with Mr. He in every way. The rules set before have also been changed by him in various ways. The latest kiln change even almost made a mistake. ..."

"Old Zhuang! Enough!"

He Langzhong interrupted Zhuang Taogong's narration with a loud voice, turned around and bowed to Qiu Zijin, "My lord, Lao Zhuang is outspoken. He definitely didn't mean to offend Eunuch Liang. Please don't take it to heart."

Qiu Zijin's deeds of punishing local powerful gentry in She County had already spread to Jingdezhen.

According to legend, the festive-looking Master Wan in front of him was even more "tyrannical" and "extremely ferocious". He hung up two old village sages in She County to torture the public.

He Langzhong didn't dare to let the potter continue talking, lest he offend others and lose his life.

"Eunuch Liang...who is it?"

Wanda touched his chin.

The servants and eunuchs who look like scourges in the eyes of others are nothing to Wanda.

Not to mention a supervising eunuch, even if it is a guarding eunuch of the Five Armies Protectorate, or a big official in the frontier, if he really breaks the law, he will have a way to punish him.

"It's not urgent, it's just a eunuch, just ask the East Factory."

Hearing that Master Xiaowan was so loud, it made He Langzhong and others who were hurt by the eunuch lose their temper.

Listen to what this said - it's just a eunuch, just ask Dongchang - are the people in Dongchang so easy to dispatch?

When Qiu Zijin heard this, he was also filled with emotion.

No matter how good his official position of supervisory censor is, what if the memorial can reach the heavens?

When it comes to actually handling a case, compared to Master Wan, who walks on the fringes of various forces, he really doesn't have the confidence to be domineering.

"Oh, stop talking about this, where is the 'limited edition' warehouse? Take me to see it."

The weather was really too hot, and Wanda felt like he was about to explode if he walked under the scorching sun.It's better to visit the Imperial Ware Factory and see the treasures indoors.

"He Langzhong, don't worry."

A group of people left the arbor and walked towards the kiln.

"I'll just take a look, I won't take it."

Wanda said sincerely.

After all, in his eyes, the bottles and cans of the Marquis's Mansion are not very different from the things sold in the porcelain shop on the roadside with the sign of "jumping off the building and clearing the warehouse, don't miss it when you pass by" 600 years later. the difference.

He Langzhong gave a wry smile, and exchanged a helpless look with Magistrate Song.

Inside the Forbidden City Ningqing Palace

The Empress Dowager Zhou was lying on the couch, tears streaming down her face.

The corners of the eyes that had crept up into faint fine lines were slightly swollen from crying for a long time, and the overly hot weather made the originally boxy imperial city even more oppressive. The Queen Mother, who had been crying for nearly a morning, could barely breathe.

"Your Majesty, you can't be sad anymore, or His Majesty the King will feel uncomfortable walking on the road knowing that you are torturing your body like this."

Her eldest maid knelt by the couch, fanning her while comforting her.

"On such a hot day, as an older brother, he is willing to let his younger brother go on the road. Ru Ning is thousands of miles away from the capital, and Ji'er is on the road. What if something happens?"

Early this morning, King Chong Zhu Jianji came to Ningqing Palace to bid farewell to Queen Mother Zhou, and then set off for the enfeoffed land of Runing.

The mother and son knew each other well, no matter according to the ancestral family law or according to the current majesty's thoughts, as long as King Chong leaves the palace, it means that even if the body dies and the soul disappears, the mother and son will never see each other again.

According to the original plan of the Empress Dowager Zhou, at least it would be delayed until King Chong became an adult and married the concubine. It would be best if the whole family happily went to the fief after having a few children.

Then she begged the emperor's son to grant more farms to the youngest son, so as to ensure that the youngest son's family has no worries about food and clothing.

As a result, now only the youngest son is alone in the feudal domain, and even the farm is only a hundred hectares. His Majesty said that everything is subject to the old rules, referring to the rewards given by Zheng Wang Zhu Zhanyu back then.

The first King Zheng had a violent temper and beat people to death several times.

When Empress Dowager Zhou's husband Zhu Qizhen was in power, in order to discipline the uncle of King Zheng, he specially sent Zhou Ying, the censor beside him, to be the envoy of King Zheng.

It was named "Long Envoy", but it was actually "surveillance". Since then, His Royal Highness Zheng Wang has been honest all his life, and has never committed any crimes again.

Zhu Jianshen took this senior as a "model" and rewarded his younger brother. The meaning of intimidation is self-evident.

"Where's Ah Shou? What has he been up to lately? It stands to reason that his nephew is Fan, and his uncle should at least accompany him all the way."

Empress Dowager Zhou got up, took the handkerchief handed over by another court lady, and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

What she was asking was her only younger brother, Jin Yiwei Qianhu Zhoushou of the "old uncle of the country".

"Uncle Guo, he took the tribute mission of the imperial kiln, and he has been busy with the affairs of the Internal Affairs Bureau during this time."

The palace maid fanned the Queen Mother Zhou, and whispered to her ear, "Because King Chong left the feudal domain in a hurry, His Majesty didn't give any good rewards, which is very desolate. It just so happened that Uncle Guo got a batch of good things from Jingdezhen. To pay tribute to the inner mansion, many of them have already been ordered to be sent to Jiufan's convoy."

"Speaking of which, this is 'my family'... It's not in vain that I love him so much."

Thinking that her father was dead, her youngest son was a vassal, and now she had only such a capable "maternal family" left outside the palace, the Queen Mother Zhou felt that she was alone and helpless.

Look at her daughter-in-law Wan Zhen'er who is as old as her...

Not to mention how much her two brothers are highly regarded by His Majesty, the father of one of her concubines has actually been named a "Marquis".

One must know that as a mother-in-law, she was granted the title of "Uncle Qingyun" until her father Zhou Neng passed away.

"The Eunuch Liang who was newly sent to Jiangxi is a clever boy, but the tribute he sent in just one year is many times that of the previous Internal Affairs Bureau."

The grand maid ordered the palace servants to fetch the chilled sour plum soup, turned around and said courteously to Queen Mother Zhou.

"He has been taken care of by our country's uncle, and he will repay his mother a hundred times and a thousand times."

"I'm an old woman, and I can't leave the palace. What do you want his 'repayment' for?"

The Empress Dowager Zhou drank the cold sour plum soup, and finally felt that the stuffiness in her chest had calmed down a bit.

"It is true that Ji'er sent all these belongings to me. Runing... hey, Ai's family has never been to that place, and I don't know where it is. But money is useful wherever it goes, His brother refuses to give him the land, so I can only worry about it."

The Empress Dowager Zhou sighed, and looked in the direction of Zhaode Palace mournfully.

"That...Master He..."

Looking at the seal that was still intact in his hand, Wanda turned around in embarrassment, and asked He Langzhong, who was full of horror.

"What you said - the limited number of 'Kiln Changes' that fills the room, is this the only thing left?"

He pointed to the seven or eight large boxes that were empty in the room and asked.

He Yu and the kiln workers behind him knelt down and kowtowed in shock.

But Yang Xiuxian, who was standing beside Wanda, was not very surprised.

He lowered his head, looked at Qiu Zijin who was also flustered, and once again praised this scholar Qiu's scheming as well as his acting skills.

The author has something to say: When Emperor Chenghua was there, the fighting color technique of the Ming Dynasty reached its peak.

In addition to the most famous Chenghua Doucai Chicken Crock Cup, there is also a set of Chenghua Doucai Sanqiu Cup which enjoys a high reputation.This set of two quilts is said to be a testimony of the love between Emperor Chenghua and Wan Zhener.