Chapter 571: One whale falls and everything comes alive

After dinner, everyone came to the land temple in the west of the town.

They were holding four lanterns in their hands, and in the dim light, they could see many figures inside and outside the temple.

When I got closer and took a closer look, I saw that the place was crowded with people, men, women, old and young, in ragged clothes and with dirty faces and unkempt hair, lying or sitting together in groups of one family.

Some families took turns eating a piece of bread and drinking river water; some built a stove with stones, put a half-broken pot on it, and cooked some black and unknown thing.

They talked quietly.

The sound was like the chirping of insects in the surrounding wilderness, accompanied by the evening breeze and penetrating into everyone’s ears.

Their most talked about topic was Shanghai.

Shanghai!

In their words, Shanghai is a place full of hope.

There, they can easily enter a factory, find a job, earn money and support their families through their hard work and sweat.

They talked about Shanghai with a gleam in their eyes filled with longing and hope.

Hai Rui walked around the crowd, squatted down in front of an old man and asked, “Father, are you going to Shanghai?”

The father-in-law sat on the ground and asked with a smile: “Yes, you guys want to go too?”

Hai Rui lifted his shirt and sat down cross-legged beside him, “Yes, can we have a companion?”

“Okay.” The father-in-law answered with a smile, and then asked, “Were you also stopped by those bastards?”

“Yes, those wicked people. By the way, old man, why do you want to go to Shanghai?”

The father-in-law showed a look of misery and helplessness, “Ah, it’s a long story.”

Hai Rui fished out half a rice ball from his arms and handed it to the old man, “Don’t despise the leftovers, old man.”

“Haha, as long as there’s something to eat, why complain about it?” The father-in-law took it without hesitation and handed it to the woman and child next to him, “Second son’s, your child is still young, fill your stomach first.”

The old man turned around and looked at Hai Rui. “You look like an official, but there is no official in the world like you who doesn’t have the airs of an official. Why do you like to ask about these things?”

Hai Rui said with a smile: “I am an old scholar who can write storybooks. These are my juniors who follow me to travel around the world and make a living.

The storytelling book, fortune-telling, face reading, and ringing bells to diagnose illnesses. Oh, that young man is my student. He also recites sutras and performs Buddhist rituals for people, and works as a monk for a few days.

We originally wanted to go to Shanghai to pan for gold, but we were stopped by the Third Master of Prime Minister Xu.”

My father-in-law was amused by Hai Rui’s words and was completely relieved.

In his worldview, there is no official like Hai Rui.

The old man said, “So you are the old scholar. You want to hear my family’s story so that you can compile a book, right?”

“Yes, that’s what I mean.”

“My family’s hardships are very ordinary, not tragic enough, and not enough to attract attention.”

Having said that, my father-in-law began to talk, “Our family lives by the Dianshan Lake, across the lake from Huating County.

That year, Prime Minister Xu passed the imperial examination and returned home in glory to get married. My father went to watch the fun, saying that Huating had produced a literary star.

Decades later, Xu Jinshi became Xu Xiangguo, and Huating really gave birth to a literary star. When my father passed away more than ten years ago, he was still muttering that since our Wangli Town was so close, could we get some literary atmosphere and have a scholar or something like that in our family?

Hehe, if my father knew about this, would he regret it so much that he would carry the coffin and move away from Huating County and Xu Mansion overnight? “

In the dim light of the lantern, my father-in-law’s face was filled with bitter smiles and helplessness through the layers of wrinkles.

“In the past, my family also had about ten acres of land, and life was tight, but we could get by.

It’s just that we didn’t burn incense to the Buddha in the past few years, and bad luck came to the family. The child’s mother fell ill, and then the eldest child, the eldest family’s family, and the second child’s family fell ill one after another.

Several people fell ill one after another, and the money spent on medical treatment and medicine was like water. I had no choice but to borrow money from the Xu family.”

“Xu family?”

“Yes, Xu Bancheng, the Xu family of the Xu Mansion of the Prime Minister of Huating. Now in the entire Huating County, only their family is doing charity, and other families are not allowed to do it.”

“Doing good deeds?”

“Yes, in the past, there were several noble families in Huating County who said they wanted to learn from the style of Fan Wencheng in Suzhou and set up Qingmiao Money Box. When the people encountered famine, they borrowed money from the money box to survive the famine. The interest rate was not high, and they could basically pay it back in two or three years.

How could the Xu family lag behind in such a good deed? Once the Xu family did it, other families would not dare to do it. And the interest rate on the money borrowed by his family was high, even higher than the threshold of his family. “

Hai Rui nodded, and in the dim light, his face looked even darker.

“The money from the Xu family is just usury. It’s like a donkey rolling in the river. Don’t wait for two or three years to pay it back. Even if you wait for two or three lifetimes, you can’t pay it back.

Within two years, the ten acres of land owned by my family was changed to the name of Xu, but the official fish scale book still listed those ten acres of land as ours.

We lost our land, but we still had to pay taxes. This pushed our family to the brink of despair. The Xu family was kind enough to take us in as tenants. But being a tenant in the Xu family is not easy.

Someone nearby echoed, “Haha, Xu Fu is a famous philanthropist in the Three Wus. He has a kind face and is good at collecting money, occupying land, and hiding taxes. If anyone is treated kindly by his family, his family will either be destroyed or he will die.

Everyone burst into laughter, and the laughter swayed with the dim light, full of sadness.

“Later, someone came back from Shanghai and told us about the benefits of that place. At first, no one believed it, but some people who went there were reluctant to come back. Everyone began to believe it and rushed there. Word spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. In the past two years, everyone has been running there desperately.

We learned the news late, and when we were planning to go to Shanghai, the Xu family was so kind that they said they would give us land to farm and food to eat, but we were still not satisfied and were so ungrateful. “

Someone nearby echoed, “The Xu family’s insults were so harsh, saying that we were a bunch of lowly people. The Xu family is the head of the three Wu families, and their morality and righteousness are known all over the world.

We didn’t follow such a kind family, but instead degraded ourselves to follow the vulgar and lowly merchants. Those masters who were well-read in the classics were so angry that they beat their chests and stamped their feet, as if we had dug up their ancestral graves and stolen their wives. “

Everyone laughed again.

Hai Rui’s face turned even darker.

Huangfu Tan, Zhang Dao and others couldn’t laugh either.

Shu Youliang said quietly, “These kind-hearted people, who talk about morality and justice, are actually thieves and prostitutes. Now they are even trying to take away the last straw of the poor, so that they can continue to work like slaves for them and continue to exploit them.

He is truly a good disciple of Confucius and a pillar of the imperial court.” The people around him gathered around him and laughed, saying, “This old man said it well.”

“These kind-hearted people are totally inhumane.”

“There are jobs in Shanghai, but they are stopping us from going. They want us to work like slaves for them until we die!”

Hai Ruiqiang smiled along with everyone else, bowed to his father-in-law, stood up, and slowly walked to the side.

Huangfu Tan and others followed him and looked at the numerous figures swaying in the darkness.

“This is our Ming people, who try every possible means to seek a ray of light in the dark night but cannot get it. Today, I also understand what the emperor once said to me.”

“Teacher, what is the question?”

“At that time, I was very confused and even dissatisfied with the emperor’s strong support for industry and commerce. I said frankly that agriculture is the foundation of the country and cannot be easily changed.

The emperor told me that agriculture is the foundation of the country, but unfortunately some people are unwilling to give farmers a way to survive. The wealthy and powerful not only wantonly occupied and annexed farmland, but also concealed taxes and passed them on to the people.

The development of industry and commerce will not only make the country strong and the people rich, but also provide the people with a new way of making a living.

Only when the wealthy and powerful families realize that fields will not grow crops by themselves, and that only people can grow rice and wheat, and realize the importance of people, will they respect and care for the people.

However, those servile people will not understand this on their own. They will not wake up until someone starts to snatch the young and strong people from them and their population, until there is no one left to farm the land for them, then they will come to their senses.

I have always been confused, but now I finally understand. When many men want to marry a woman, that woman becomes extremely precious. “

Shu Youliang said from the side: “The aristocratic families now know that the people are precious, but they don’t follow the moral principles of martial arts and directly use force to block the key roads. They are just being hooligans.”

Hai Rui sneered, “Haha, that’s why the emperor sent me to Jiangnan. No one in this world dares to act like a hooligan under the emperor’s nose or to violate martial ethics in front of him.”

Shu Youliang laughed, “That’s right. The emperor is full of martial virtues. If you dare not talk about martial virtues in front of him, you are like an old man eating arsenic and thinking that you are too old.”

Hai Rui said grimly: “These aristocratic families not only exploit the people, but they also want to deprive them of their last hope. This is intolerable!

Zhang Dao! “

“Master, I am here!”

“Immediately after returning, I will send someone to write to Huating, telling him that I will not go to Xu’s house, but will open a government office in Suzhou. Ask old Xu Jie to come to my office to listen to my complaints!”

Shu Youliang deliberately fanned the flames and said in a sarcastic tone, “Master, Mr. Xu is a veteran of three dynasties and the former Prime Minister of the Cabinet. How dare you ask him to report to the government office?

If your words were to get out, you would be cut off from the literati and the officialdom!”

Hai Rui looked at him and sneered, “Stop talking nonsense here. I have impeached the late Emperor Shi Miao, Confucius and Duke Yan Sheng, Emperor Taizu, and even Buddha and Zhang Tianshi a few days ago.

A veteran of three dynasties and former Prime Minister of the Cabinet, in my impeachment list, you can only count from the back to the front to find his name Xu Jie! “

Brother Si Lian was sweating profusely and his teeth were chattering as he listened.

Oh my God, who did I meet?
Hai Qingtian?
I actually met the world-famous Hai Qingtian here?
The chattering sound of Brother Si Lian’s teeth attracted everyone’s attention. Oh, it turned out that there was a outsider.

Hai Rui glanced at him and said, “I am Hai Rui Hai Gangfeng from Hainan.”

Brother Si Lian’s legs went weak and he wanted to kneel down.

Wang Shiqiu and Fang Zhiyuan quickly supported him on both sides and said, “Don’t make any noise here. It’s dark here. If our master’s name gets out, there will definitely be a commotion and chaos.”

Hai Rui looked at him, thought for a few seconds, and said to Zhang Dao, “Zhang Dao, do you have any friends in Shanghai?”

“Have.”

“Write a letter of recommendation to this young man and ask him to help find him a good job.”

“Okay. Boy, go to Hushuguan Wharf at dawn tomorrow, find our master’s official ship, and tell me my name, Zhang Dao, to pick up the letter.”

Brother Si Lian quickly said, “Thank you, sir, and thank you, Hai Qingtian.”

“Don’t take the crooked path anymore. Do the right thing, start a family and a career soon, and be a decent person.”

Hai Rui’s words made Brother Si Lian burst into tears.

He fell to his knees with a thud: “Hai Qingtian, I will keep your words in mind.”

After returning to the official ship, everyone respectfully saw Hai Rui off to his cabin to rest. They couldn’t help but gather together and talk in a low voice.

Huangfu Tan asked softly, “Uncle Youliang, what does the teacher mean by this?”

“What’s the meaning?
Previously, the master had not had the heart to attack the Xu family, and was thinking of discussing with Xu Xiangguo to give him the last bit of dignity. Unexpectedly, what Xu Xiangguo and his two sons did was exactly what the master taboos, to put it bluntly, it stepped on the tail of our master. “

Huangfu Tan was as surprised as everyone else: “Xu Mansion, the most aristocratic family in the Three Wus.”

Shu Youliang said leisurely: “When a whale falls, all things come to life!”

Xu Mansion, Huating County, Songjiang Prefecture.

Xu Jie was enjoying the cool air in the backyard garden, looking a little anxious.

“Why hasn’t Hai Rui come yet?” He walked around the pavilion a few times and asked, “The second brother has been hanging around outside these days, why is the third brother nowhere to be seen?”

The steward quickly replied: “Master, the third young master is busy with work outside.”

“What business? What business can he be busy with?”

Before he could finish his words, a servant rushed in hurriedly.

“Master, urgent news has arrived. Urgent news has arrived from Suzhou.”

“say what?”

“An urgent report came from the Jiangsu Governor’s Suzhou Office, saying that the Governor-General Hai would not come to Huating, calling him Master.”

Xu Jie asked sternly, “What do you want me to do?”

“Tell the master to go to the Suzhou Governor’s Office to report and listen to the report!”

Xu Jie’s face turned pale.

(End of this chapter)