Chapter 4 Chapter Four

The relationship between Xia Yuxuan and the Chen family is extraordinary. Xia Yuxuan is from Tai'an, Shandong, and a close neighbor of Confucius.He came from a scholarly family, the so-called scholarly family, it's a bit pitiful to say the least.To be precise, there is only the fragrance of books, but not the family background.The ancestors of the Xia family have studied for generations, but they have never passed a single exam.If you can't be an official by studying, you have no other way out, you can only be a teacher.They work as bookkeepers in commercial shops, as teachers in Xiangxu private schools, and of course there are also bookkeepers in yamen, but there must be someone who has a way.Don't look down on the Xia family's chaipeng Jingmen, they are not arrogant, they look down on businessmen, and they don't even bother to wander in the mud of officialdom.Therefore, almost all the ancestors have studied for generations, and the ancestors have been teachers for generations.Knocking on the chaimen of Xia's house, seeing a man coming out, he respectfully called out to Mr., it would be easy to come to the door for anything.

When it was the turn of Xia Yuxuan's generation, fortune had a turning point.Xia Yuxuan is talented and talented.Xia Yuxuan was a posthumous child, and his father died of a sudden illness three months before his birth.He was educated and cultivated by his grandfather since he was a child. When his grandfather saw that he could never forget his reading and draw inferences from one example when he lectured, he was as ecstatic as if he had acquired a rare treasure, and devoted all his efforts to promote his success.Sure enough, Xia Yuxuan lived up to the high expectations of his grandfather and his family. He passed the college examination at the age of twelve and became a well-known young scholar.At the age of twenty-three, he won the provincial examination and won the title of Jieyuan.It should have been a matter of course to go to Beijing to take part in the examination, but my grandfather was old and suffering from eye disease.The livelihood of the whole family depends on the meager amount of Shu Xiu that my grandfather taught. Once my grandfather fell ill, the source of income was cut off.Xia Yuxuan had no choice but to shoulder Xiaolian's identity and become the king of children for his grandfather.This is an important reason, and there is another reason that is also very important. He is engaged to the youngest daughter of the Su family.The Xia and Su families are family friends, and they have a close relationship.As soon as his grandfather fell ill, the Su family knew that the Xia family was short of people, so they took the initiative to urge Xia Yuxuan to get married.Xia Yuxuan couldn't leave because of this matter, it was a major event in life after all.

It dragged on until he was twenty-nine years old. He was in a hurry, and his grandfather was even more anxious than him.The coming year will be Ji Chou, and the Spring Festival in March must rush to the capital before the winter of that year.One is that the Grand Canal is frozen and suspended in winter, and it is extremely inconvenient to catch the dry road; the other is that after entering Beijing, the teacher is required to pay homage to the master and familiarize himself with the rules of the examination, so some time must be allowed.Just after the Mid-Autumn Festival, his grandfather forced him to pack up and leave home.

To be honest, once he left, all the burdens of the family fell on the mother and daughter-in-law.There is a blind old grandfather who needs to be supported, and a four-year-old girl who needs to be taken care of.With no land industry, no shop management, and no savings, how can the three generations live? Grandpa said: "Don't worry about it, God won't die of starvation. After you leave, we will pick it if we can, borrow it if we can, and go out and beg for food if we can't pick it. I don't believe that I have taught it all my life. book, those children will watch me starve to death."

Grandfather had already talked about this, so he had no choice but to obey.He knew that his grandfather and deceased ancestors were all looking at him, hoping that he would be named on the gold list and glorify the family of the Xia family. He was gone, and all that was left in the house were four mouths waiting to be fed.And he also needs to eat with this mouth, and he also needs to wear clothes to keep out the cold.Penniless, what should I do along the way?What should we do when we arrive in Beijing?These grandfathers must have thought of it, but the grandfather didn't say it.He understood why his grandfather didn't say anything. The blind grandfather had nothing to do.Grandfather is a good-looking person, he left this difficult problem to his grandson, and he was too embarrassed to pierce the difficult problem, so he had to pretend to be confused, which is rare.

However, his mother knew his difficulties, and his daughter-in-law knew his difficulties.My mother rummaged through the box, found out the clothes she had put in the bottom of the box when she was married, and the clothes left by her father when she was alive. She put together and changed what she could, and made him a cotton coat and two unlined clothes.The daughter-in-law took out all her jewelry and sent them to the pawn shop, and then went to her mother's house to pick things up and borrow them, and collected a dozen or so pieces of silver, which were used as money for him to go to Beijing to rush for the exam.

Just like that, he knelt farewell to his grandfather and mother, hugged his wife and daughter farewell, and set off on the road in a state of embarrassment.Those who knew it was going to Beijing to rush for the exam, but those who didn't know thought it was going out to beg. The grandfather entrusted a friend to find a tank boat in Taizhou Wei.He went on a boat to do chores for others, and the work was done for nothing, and they didn't charge him for the boat, but he didn't care about the food, he had to take care of it himself.During the water transport period, the Grand Canal was a river flowing with grain.He can find rice by himself, and there are many ways to find rice.When the tank boat docked, he could go to the wharf to sweep up the rice grains that were spilled on the ground; is within your reach.There are no hungry mice guarding the granary, but he can only fill his stomach.As the boat sailed all the way, he cooked porridge for the whole journey.Sometimes with luck, he might be able to pick a few green vegetables, wash them, tear them and put them in the porridge pot, which can be regarded as improving his life.Of course, he was often invited when catching up with Yunding on the boat to drink.But he was very restrained, he drank very little wine, and didn't eat much food, so he wasted half of his intestines.

Along the way, he hardly spent a single penny. When he arrived at Tongzhou Water Transport Wharf, the ten taels of silver that his wife gave him was not a lot of money. At this time, it was already the winter season, and the Grand Canal began to form fine pieces of ice.The northwest wind blew day and night, and the leaves of the trees fell down, like birds caught in gunpowder.The cold wind was biting and his stomach was empty. He began to worry about food and survival.There is still a long winter before the spring in March next year, how will he spend this winter? No matter how big and prosperous Tongzhou City is, it is more difficult to find a free meal than to find a bodhisattva, and finding a free house is even more wishful thinking.He can only get by with this hard-earned money.

When the tank boats arrived at Tongtong, they had to rely on two dams, and the inspection of people and goods was very strict.All idlers on board must disembark at Zhangjiawan in advance.Xia Yuxuan set foot on this strange land in a daze with that life-like burden on his back. Zhangjiawan is an ancient water transport terminal, and it is still a noisy and prosperous place today.In the ancient town of Zhangjiawan, there are many remains of sages.In particular, the former residence of Li Sancai, a generation of Zhongliang, the Liuting where Li Zhuowu and Ma Jinglun, the great masters of a generation, recited poems and discussed Taoism, and the manor, pawnshop and dyeing house of Cao Xueqin's family, Xia Yuxuan wanted to pay his respects.But the sky is cold and the wind is strong, and his stomach is empty, so he has to find a way to survive first.

Xia Yuxuan walked through the bustling ancient town of Zhangjiawan, avoiding the temptation of fragrant food and warm hotels, and hurriedly walked towards Tongzhou City.He didn't know why he rushed towards Tongzhou City in such a hurry. It seemed that it was a goal, and he didn't know what goal it was.He is ignorant of everything now, like walking in another cold and strange world.He knew that he was going to Beijing for the exam, but there were still several months before Chunwei.During this period, he will undoubtedly have to study his homework, seek advice from teachers, and prepare for the exam.However, he was at a loss as to how to study his homework, where to seek advice from teachers, and what preparations to take for exams.The scientific examination is a very clear and very hazy goal. It is not his will to run to the examination room, but fate.

As he was walking, the northwest wind lashed at him, and his body was already completely cold. He did not expect the wind in Beijing to be so sharp and terrifying.He was trembling all over, his legs were weak, and his body was wobbly, always about to fall to the ground.He told himself not to fall, and he would never get up again when he fell to the ground. A small shop on the side of the road attracted him. This small shop has a name that makes his heart beat: Peony Pavilion. This is on the official road from Zhangjiawan to Tongzhou City, and the village next to the road is called Jiukeshu.Strangely, how could such a remote shop have such an elegant name?When he got closer, he was surprised. There was a couplet carved on the lintel of the small shop: "It's a beautiful day, but what kind of day is it? Whose yard is it for the pleasure?"After a closer look, he was even more dumbfounded. It turned out to be the handwriting of the great dramatist Tang Xianzu.He didn't care much, and his strong curiosity and spontaneous respect for the sages made him forget his poverty, and he almost subconsciously opened the door and entered the small shop. After entering, he realized that the Peony Pavilion is not big on the outside, but it has a hidden cave inside.The yard is divided into three floors, inside and outside. The outer yard is an ordinary small shop, Datong Shop, which also manages to store cars and feed livestock. The so-called big cart shop is specially prepared for poor people who drive cars, pull feet, and do small businesses; The courtyard is an ordinary shop with a small kang, one person can live alone, or two or three people can live in a room. It is said that it is prepared for some more particular businessmen, wandering artists, small servants or poor scholars; It is a detached courtyard, self-contained, quiet and tidy, and it is specially prepared for officials who go to Beijing and their families, businessmen who do big business, and candidates who come to Beijing to rush for the exam. As soon as Xia Yuxuan entered the courtyard, a boy of seventeen or eighteen years old greeted him. The boy had obviously seen the world, and he didn't judge people by their clothes.Although he was dressed in shabby clothes and looked disheveled, the young man led him to the backyard while introducing him to the specifications, conditions and charging standards of the three-story yard. He didn't care about being gentle, so he hurriedly pulled the boy back, blushing and said, "I... I'd better live in... the middle courtyard." He originally wanted to say he lived in the outer courtyard, but when he saw the boy's puzzled eyes, he gritted his teeth and said the middle courtyard. The little guy smiled: "Sir, you are welcome, don't look at you dressed casually, and you didn't bring a book boy to the people, but I don't rub the sand in my eyes, and the meat is not on the folds of the buns. Don't say anything, just listen to me." , if I misunderstood you, you gouged out my eyeballs and used them as bullshit. You are extraordinary, you are a scholar, a star of Wenqu. Didn’t you come to Beijing to catch the exam? You must be a juren, right? Don’t laugh, I’m here to welcome Bafang, who hasn't seen it?" Xia Yuxuan had to admire the young man's vision and insight, and even more admired the young man's business skills.However, he still hesitated to go to the backyard. The boy said, "Do you know why this place is called Peony Pavilion?" This was what Xia Yuxuan was most interested in, so he hurriedly said, "I don't know, I would like to learn." The little man said: "Master Tang Xianzu, do you know? You must know, what am I talking about in front of you? Isn't this recited in front of a saint. But you know Tang Xianzu, but you may not know it; you know, you may not know the ins and outs. Back then, As soon as I said it, it was more than two hundred years ago. In the 19th year of Wanli, Tang Xianzu and Li Sancai played a book by Prime Minister Shen Shixing together. As a result, Emperor Wanli was annoyed and was demoted to Leizhou , only across a strait from Hainan Island. Mr. Tang worked as a small historian in Xuwen County of Leizhou, and was later transferred to Suichang, Zhejiang Province as a county magistrate. The official was much smaller. Guess what? In the twenty-sixth year of Wanli, Mr. Tang came to Beijing again and offered to the emperor to continue to demand the punishment of corrupt officials. Emperor Wanli didn't listen to him, but he didn't do anything to him. He threw his black hat off in a fit of anger. Done. After Mr. Tang resigned from office, he left Chaoyangmen from Beijing and went to Tongzhou. He settled in this small shop. At that time, he lived in the small courtyard at the back and finished his work there. It is said that the first The play is not called, it is called "Resurrection". It is only because there is a small pavilion in the small courtyard, and peonies are planted in the pavilion. Mr. Tang is fascinated by the pavilion every day, smelling the fragrance of peony flowers and writing plays. Called. Don’t look at the fact that it has been more than two hundred years. The small courtyard where Mr. Tang wrote plays and the pavilion where peonies were planted are still there. If you live in that small courtyard, you will definitely get a lot of Mr. Tang’s love Immortal and literary, still worried about being ranked first? Mr. Tang is a Jinshi at the age of thirty-four, I am afraid you are younger than his old man, right?" Xia Yuxuan was convinced by this little guy.It turned out that I only heard that the people in the capital are generous, that the people in the capital are well-informed, that the people in the capital like to talk about officialdom and know everything about it, but I didn't expect that the people in the capital are so knowledgeable and talented.As for this teenage boy, his familiarity with Tang Xianzu really made scholars like them ashamed.This teenage guy spoke fluently and eloquently, which really made many foreign officials in important positions feel ashamed. The little guy didn't know whether it was to fulfill his dream of scientific research or trying to sell the private courtyard at the back, so he stared at him closely: "How is it? Do you want to live in Mr. Tang's courtyard?" Xia Yuxuan didn't dare to live there, but couldn't help asking: "How much does that small courtyard charge per day?" The little man said: "If someone else lives, it costs one or two taels of silver a day. If you live, you will be charged half of it. Who told you to be a scholar? The old rules of our host for more than 200 years are destined to be scholars, so we must not embarrass them." student." Xia Yuxuan was quite surprised in his heart, but he didn't show it on the surface.My God, it costs five renminbi to stay one night. The little money in my luggage was spent in less than half a month. What should I do next?People in Beijing are generous, but they really dare to pay the price.If this kind of small courtyard is in our Tai'an, it will not cost ten taels of silver to live in the first half of the year.Xia Yuxuan didn't care about these things, anyway, he was determined not to be taken advantage of, even though Tang Xianzu's fairy spirit was calling him.Without money, even if Mr. Tang comes, he won't let you live in vain.Another question aroused Xia Yuxuan's interest. He asked, "May I ask your boss's name, Gao?" The little boy cried out in humiliation: "What? You don't even know about our boss? It seems that this is your first visit to Beijing, right?" Xia Yuxuan nodded humbly, as an apology to the boy. The boy asked proudly: "Do you know that there is a Maqian household in Tongzhou?" Seeing Xia Yuxuan's bewildered face, the boy went on to say: "The ancestors of the Ma family made great achievements in the battle with the King of Yan, and were granted the title of Wei Qianhu in Tongzhou. If you don't know Ma Qianhu, you should know that Ma Qianhu's family had a Ma Yushi. ?” Xia Yuxuan said, "You mean Mr. Ma Jinglun Ma?" The boy raised his face, "Exactly." Xia Yuxuan said with infinite admiration: "Master Ma is a hero and courageous person, in order to save Mr. Li Zhuowu, he would go bankrupt and lose his fortune..." The little guy immediately shouted: "Yes, yes, sir, you are really knowledgeable, and you are absolutely right. The owner of our Peony Pavilion is not the current owner, but the old owner, the old old owner, the old owner who received Mr. Tang back then, you Do you know? He and Ma Yushi are the grandsons of the first master, cousins ​​who have not been born in five clothes." Xia Yuxuan said: "So your little master is also a descendant of the Ma family?" The little guy blushed: "I'm so sorry, don't call me little master, my surname is Geng. The Mr. Li Zhuowu you mentioned just now lives in Geng's family in Macheng, Hubei. The three Geng brothers, Geng Tingli , Geng Dingxing, and Geng Dingli are all great writers. Of course, some of them helped Mr. Li in the end, and some harmed Mr. Li. Otherwise, how could Mr. Li end up in Tongzhou... By the way, Xiao’s surname Geng, but it has nothing to do with the Geng family in Macheng..." Xia Yuxuan was silent, unexpectedly, the first lesson in Beijing was taught by a boy from a shop.He felt infinitely emotional in his heart, the water in the capital is too deep, it's bottomless! When Xia Yuxuan survived the catastrophe and met his savior Chen Rixiu, it was already two months later. After Quanliang went to the dam, the water transport terminal began to be deserted, and the military grain brokers also entered the most rare idle season of the year. There is nothing to do in winter, Chen Rixiu likes to go to school.The so-called school trips are to go to schools and private schools in four towns and eight towns to sell stationery, which are nothing more than the four treasures of the study, brushes, ink, paper and inkstones.Of course, it also sells some children's snacks and toys.There is a kind of people who take this as a profession, commonly known as the Chuanxueguan.People in Gyeonggi pronounce Xue as xiao, two tones, and it is easy to confuse it with "kiln" if you can't say it well or can't hear it clearly.A brothel is called a kiln, which is degrading.Chen Rixiu did not go to school to make money, the money he earned on the pier was enough for him to spend for a year.After all, he is a scholar. Although he is mixed in the three religions and nine streams, he does not lose his elegance and does not forget the words of the sages.People are divided into groups, and he regards the teachers who teach and the students who study as friends.What's more, he is still a scholar who passed the college examination. There are only 20 or 30 people in the county who can be admitted as a scholar, and most of the teachers have not been able to win this honor.His writing skills are profound and his writing is beautiful.When he arrived at the school, he could discuss moral articles with his husband, and he could also preach and teach the students to solve their doubts, so wherever he went to the school, he would be welcomed like a distinguished guest.Over time, he made many friends in schools and private schools, large and small. Chen Rixiu regards making friends with scholars as one of the great blessings in his life. He rides a donkey around villages and shops, and is often invited to stay overnight by his friends.If you stay with wine, you will sing about the wine and write lyrics with poems; if you stay overnight, you will drink tea in the stove and talk all night long.How enjoyable it is to stop and go like this.There is a village called Prince Consort in Majuqiao Town, south of Beijing, and there is an old scholar named Wang in the village.Although he was also a scholar, he did not pursue an official career. After being admitted as a scholar, he entered a class to learn from a teacher and became a carpenter.A scholar can still do a good job of working hard, just like he can be a good military ration broker.Carpenter Wang's craftsmanship is well-known, especially for making large carts. He also built a large cart workshop named Yishuntang.Chen Rixiu and Wang Carpenter share a similar fate, they have the same knowledge and interests, they cherish each other, and their friendship is especially similar.No matter how busy they are every year, they have to get together twice a year, either at the county seat Wang Carpenter, or at the consort Chen Rixiu's door.Every gathering must drink heartily and talk heartily.The two have a deep friendship and a little bit of the same taste, and they are both lovers of love. Recently, Carpenter Wang obtained several incomplete manuscripts of Cao Xueqin from the descendants of the Cao family in Zhangjiawan, and they are still the contents of the last forty chapters.After Chen Rixiu arrived, Carpenter Wang didn't even bother to serve the wine, so he eagerly took out the incomplete manuscript and studied its authenticity together.Chen Rixiu stayed at Wang's house for three consecutive days, and he reluctantly left the son-in-law's mansion because the work that Carpenter Wang had given him had to be done by others. He rode a donkey towards the direction of the city, wobbly.His body was wobbly because the donkey was walking on the uneven dirt road; his head was wobbly because he was still immersed in the atmosphere of arguing with Carpenter Wang.Walking like this, half awake.The wilderness in winter is bare and gray, and with the recent white snow, it is even more monotonous, and there are really no good scenes that arouse his interest.Unknowingly, the little donkey stopped near Jiukeshu.Chen Rixiu opened his eyes. The little donkey was snorting, puffing white air, pawing the hard ground with its front hooves, and shaking its long head towards the side of the road. Donkeys understand human nature, especially his little donkey, who is even an elf.Chen Rixiu knew that the little donkey must have seen something.What did you see?Except for a few pieces of residual snow and a few piles of fallen leaves, there was nothing on the side of the road. He patted the little donkey's buttocks and wanted to continue on his way.But the little donkey still shook his head and refused to move forward.He had no choice but to get off his donkey and walk towards the piles of flower straw piled up in the field.After the wheat harvest every year, farmers have to pile up some flower stalks and wheat residues. The inside is wheat residues and the outside is flower straws.Flower straw stacks are usually in the wild, so they become shelters for weasels, hedgehogs, snakes, and foxes.Villagers have always regarded these animals as great immortals, capable of producing evil spirits, possessing the human body, and communicating with ghosts and spirits.The flower straw stacks outside the village are also like tombs, which are frightening, especially in the eyes of children, they are a terrible place. The donkey not only understands human nature, but also has a spiritual eye, which can see evil things that human eyes cannot see.Chen Rixiu walked towards the stack of flowers and straws, there was indeed something strange here.The back of the straw pile collapsed, revealing a hole.The flower stalks in the hole were wriggling, as if something was hidden inside.Chen Rixiu immediately thought of fairy creatures like foxes and weasels. He didn't want to pay attention to them, and disturbing them easily would bring about many disputes and disasters.Chen Rixiu is a scholar, and he doesn't talk about strangeness, power, chaos, and gods. He shouldn't believe in these crooked ways, but he is still a little timid when things happen. The flower straw hole squirmed again, revealing a shoed foot.God, it's a person!Who is hiding here? In the three or nine days when a drop of water turns into ice, no matter how you hide inside, it will freeze into a popsicle.He leaned forward and shouted inside: "Who is it? What are you doing hiding in there?" No one answered, but the shoed foot moved again.This time Chen Rixiu saw clearly that the shoe on that foot was a mille-soled cloth shoe. Although the sole was almost worn out, the upper was still clean.It can be seen from this shoe that it is not a coolie, nor a tramp, but a scholar. Chen Rixiu squatted down and continued to shout inside: "Hey, who are you? Can you come out and speak?" The foot was moving again, obviously outward.After moving for a while, another foot appeared.Chen Rixiu knew that although this person was still alive, it was already very difficult to move and his life was dying. He couldn't care less about saving people, he bent down, grabbed the man's feet, and pulled them out... It was Xia Yuxuan who Chen Rixiu rescued from the pile of flower straw. Xia Yuxuan was kicked out because she couldn't afford the board and lodging expenses.The hotel written by Tang Xianzu is not like Tang Xianzu's "expression of love"; the hotel owner who claims to be a descendant of Ma Jinglun is not like Ma Jinglun who ruined his family by stabbing his friend.Xia Yuxuan was also daring, and dared to enter Beijing with ten taels of silver.Ten taels of silver may not be spent by a family for a year in a ravine in the countryside, but they cannot even live for a month in the famous Peony Pavilion Inn.Xia Yuxuan was self-aware. He originally wanted to stay for a night or two, pay his respects to Tang Xianzu's ruins, and then continue on his way.I didn't expect that I was hungry, cold and toiled all the way, and my heart was hot, and I fell ill as soon as I rested.Not to mention the fact that he couldn’t travel quickly when he was sick, and he had to seek medical treatment to buy medicine, which cost him most of his savings.He recovered from his illness, but his body was as weak as a pool of mud mixed with flower stalks.At this time, he was penniless, so he had to drag his broken body out of the cold Peony Pavilion Inn.He has nowhere to go, it can be said that the sky should not respond, and the ground is silent.The north wind howled, his stomach was empty, and he was shivering from the cold and hungry, making it difficult to move an inch.He was blown up to the stack of flower stalks by a whirlwind. After he fell, he tore the flower stalks one by one to cover himself in order to resist the wind and cold.The cover is torn off and the wind blows it away, tearing and tearing, and a hole is formed on the pile of flower straw.An instinct for survival made him burrow into the hole like a wounded beast, going deeper and deeper until his whole body got in, except for one foot.It was this foot that made him meet Chen Rixiu. When Xia Yuxuan was dragged out of the pile of flower straw by Chen Rixiu, he was already dying and lost his mind.Chen Rixiu immediately stopped a large vehicle from the road and asked for help to pull Xia Yuxuan to his home.He immediately asked a doctor to decoct medicine for him, poured soup and water, which made Xia Yuxuan wake up quickly. Xia Yuxuan did not leave after entering Chen's house.Chen Rixiu rescued the man to the end, not only provided him with food and lodging, but also bought him clothes, and took him to ask a teacher to pay homage to the door, preparing for the examination in March next year.It was also fate, the two hit it off right away and hated seeing each other later, so they became close friends of Jin Lan.Sure enough, Xia Yuxuan lived up to the expectations of his family and friends, and he took the entrance examination and passed the imperial examination.Soon, he took the second-class palace examination, and the emperor granted him a Jinshi background. After Xia Yuxuan entered the Hanlin Academy, he still regarded the Chen family as his own, and lived long and short, doing whatever he wanted.Later, Xia Yuxuan brought his wife and children from his hometown in Tai'an, and Chen Rixiu gave them a courtyard on the west side, which was an old house left by his ancestors. After Xia Yuxuan was promoted to the magistrate of Tongzhou, he was so busy that he didn't even go home, let alone visit Chen Rixiu.The avoidance system for local officials in the Qing Dynasty was very strict. It was absolutely not allowed to appoint local people in magistrates or prefectures.It was still Emperor Qianlong who was enlightened and paid attention to human relations and the way of nature. He issued an edict in the 41st year of Qianlong: "Civil and military officials who are magistrates over 40 years old and have no children are allowed to go there. I don't know where this case came from? It is unnecessary. The kingly way is based on human feelings, and the old rules are not allowed to be negotiated, and they will be allowed to carry it later." Family members can bring them, but the number of people is strictly limited. "External officials, in addition to their brothers and wives, Handu and Fuzhun bring 50 family members, Fan and Jiezhun bring 40 family members, Dao and Fuzhun bring 30, Tongzhizhun bring 20 people, The general judge, the state, and the county will bring twenty people." Xia Yuxuan has only one wife and one daughter, except for the newly hired Master Xing Ming and Master Qian Gu, he didn't bring anyone with him, and he doesn't want to bring any of them in the future.What made him hesitate was that in the past he was a Beijing official, and it was beyond reproach for his family to live in Tongzhou City.Now he has come to Tongzhou to be an official. Although he is at the foot of the emperor, he is a local official after all.It may not be suitable for the family members of local officials to live there. Xia Yuxuan had already asked someone to tidy up the Yamen's back house, but he hadn't talked to his wife about it yet, let alone consulted Chen Rixiu's opinion, so he didn't bother to move in.It's also because there are too many things to do after taking office, plus the matter of finding Lan'er for Tie Lin, everything is too late. To Xia Yuxuan's surprise, instead of visiting Chen Rixiu, his yamen servants arrested Chen Rixiu's son, Chen Tianlun.He took Chen Tianlun to the flower hall, and after listening to Chen Tianlun tell the story of Lan Er's gain and loss with Tie Lin, he went to Chen's house. When Xia Yuxuan arrived, Jin Rulin, the famous criminal master who was waiting here, had just left.Chen Rixiu's leg injury has not healed, and he is still lying on the kang.When Xia Yuxuan came in, Chen Rixiu wanted to stand up and salute, Xia Yuxuan hurried over to support him. Xia Yuxuan said guiltily: "Brother Chen, you still saluted me. I was the one who was rude. I'm so busy these days that my relatives don't recognize me." Chen Rixiu said: "Don't say that, the official can't help himself. I know you are busy, I should have done something for you, but I didn't expect the weasel to eat sick ducks. Look at my leg..." Xia Yuxuan asked with concern: "How is brother Chen's leg injury? Is it better?" Chen Rixiu said: "It's nothing to hurt, and Mr. Wei Da's medicine is also very effective. I was injured for a hundred days, and I was about to open the water again, so I had to call Tianlun back... Oh, speaking of Tianlun, just now you A few people came to the yamen, saying they were looking for that child. What is going on? Whose child is that?" Xia Yuxuan sighed: "Oh... this matter is in serious trouble." Chen Rixiu's heart rose again. Xia Yuxuan then told Chen Rixiu the ins and outs of the matter. Chen Rixiu asked anxiously: "What about that day Lun? Did the Governor of Cangchang blame Tian Lun?" Xia Yuxuan said: "How could he blame Tian Lun? You and Tian Lun have already done our best. Tie Lin is not a fool, I have a very close friendship with him, please rest assured, Brother Chen. Tian Lun came out with me, and he is always there. The grain office has gone, and there are still a lot of formalities to be done about the grain collection, he asked me to tell you and go home after finishing the work." Chen Rixiu pondered. Xia Yuxuan said: "Brother Chen, I think this matter is not trivial, I am afraid it is not an ordinary kidnapping case." Chen Rixiu said: "I also think it's unpredictable. I heard from Tian Lun that the paihuazi is a woman." Xia Yuxuan said: "I also asked some old servants in the yamen, and they said that the main reason for taking photos of children is for money. Most of the boys who are photographed are sold to destitute families without sons, and the girls are usually sold to brothels. Since the photo shoot was a girl, why did he take it to the countryside? There are no brothels in the countryside?" Chen Rixiu thought about it and said, "It seems that the auctioneer didn't want to sell the child, but to transfer the child." Xia Yuxuan's eyes lit up: "So, they're not doing it for money?" Chen Rixiu shook his head and said, "It doesn't look like it's for money." Xia Yuxuan asked: "It's not for money, so what is it for?" Chen Rixiu said, "I'm afraid they came to the governor of Cangchang." Xia Yuxuan fell silent, he felt more and more serious about the matter. Chen Rixiu continued to analyze and said: "I have been thinking about this topic. What is the Water Transport Wharf? This is not a territory, but a kingdom. But this kingdom is not a court with centralized power, but a state within a state. , There are tribes of all sizes under the king. There are grain halls, two storehouses in the middle and west, two dams of earth and rocks, and five river gates on the top. There are those who carry big ones, those who lift and pull fibers, those who sew the poor, and those who sweep the streets. This is the inside, which belongs to those who eat grain directly. There are also outside, merchants' clubs, tea houses, restaurants, flower boat brothels, performers, gambling, and playing Those with arms and three hands can be said to be five elements, eight works, three teachings and nine streams. These people are all eating water transport and living by water transport. But each has its own way of eating, and each has its own way of living. No matter how you eat or live, First, we have to gain a foothold in the water transportation and grab a site. After the Jin, Yuan, and Ming Dynasties to today's Qing Dynasty, the water transportation sites have been tightly occupied and full. There are kings on every hill, and every site All dominate, and there are dragons and crouching tigers hidden in every corner, intertwined roots, and interrelated interests. This is really a fortified barrier that is hard to penetrate and hard to get wet. No matter who it is, even if it is a trick with a small gong, if you want to win in the water transport A piece of space on the wharf that occupies as much as the buttocks has to go through a bloody fight. What is the Governor of the Cangchang? The king may not have power, and the overlord may not be powerful. It is a bit like Zhou Tianzi who is above the seven kingdoms. If you, the governor of the warehouse, are just a puppet held by the princes, that’s all. If you want to gain power , if you want to disrupt the original order, isn’t this taking meat out of the tiger’s mouth? It’s no wonder if you don’t make trouble for you..." What Chen Rixiu said made Xia Yuxuan tremble with fear.What he was worried about was not himself, but Tie Lin, the governor of the warehouse. Coming out of the grain sitting hall, Chen Tianlun walked towards the two dams of the canal.Every year before grain harvesting, military grain brokers would go to the grain hall to draw lots to decide who would receive and cash grain.The first batch of water boats belonged to Henan and Shandong. As a result of the lottery, Chen Tianlun was in charge of receiving the water grain from the six prefectures and counties of Linqing Weishan.The Linqing Weiqian gang has received the tiger head card from the grain hall and is approaching the dam. The Grand Canal was already crowded with grain-carrying tank boats, and the masts of the tank boats were lit with dangling wind and rain lanterns.The light reflected on the river surface, the stars are scattered, sifting gold and silver.On the bow of the ship and on the embankment, figures swayed, appearing and disappearing.Cooking smoke floated over from the bow of the ship, and the smell of food mixed together, strong and choking, but it turned off people's appetite.Small vendors on the shore also became active, shouting and crying one after another. Chen Tianlun walked south along the stone dam, looking for the tank boat of Linqing Weiqian Gang.It was getting dark, and although the tiger head was already hanging on the bow, it was still very difficult to identify which fleet.Chen Tianlun could only inquire one by one, as long as he heard a Shandong accent, he would ask carefully.As he walked and asked, he often ran down the embankment to approach the side of the boat to ask.Rows of weeping willows are planted on the river beach, looking up at the willows.The willow tree has spit out bright yellow, and stretched out its leaves as small as a bird's tongue.Suddenly, he felt the treetops above his head move. Just as he was about to avoid it, someone covered his mouth with his hand, and then a cold steel sword rested on his neck. A voice threatened him: "Don't bark, you will be killed if you bark, follow me honestly." Chen Tianlun was quite calm. After all, he grew up drinking water from the Grand Canal. He had never experienced or heard of big scenes.At this moment, it is useless to panic, no one will save you, only rely on your own wisdom and calmness. The person who hijacked him was a masked man. He couldn't tell his age, but he was not tall and he was single.Chen Tianlun was held hostage and walked forward. The hostage did not bind him, nor did he pull him. Instead, he pressed the point of his sword against his back tightly, and drove him forward like a sheep.They have been walking under the embankment of the canal, above which is the stone dam, and there are always people coming and going on the dam.But Chen Tianlun didn't dare to shout, he was afraid that if he really opened his mouth, the cold steel sword would pierce his heart.The ground was rough and uneven, he walked with his feet deep and his feet shallow, and the people behind him didn't speak.But the steel sword never left him, Chen Tianlun was hissing from his back all the time, he was afraid that someone behind would lose his hand and stab the point of the sword into his heart.After walking for a long time, no pedestrians passed by on the river beach. No wonder, it was dark, what did people do on the river beach?Chen Tianlun could only groan inwardly. In front is an open river beach, under the river are reeds, and on the river beach are melon fields.The river water has just thawed, and there are no reeds in the river bends, and there are no melon seedlings on the river beach.However, there is a thatched melon shed still standing alone on the river beach, which was left by the melon farmers last year.陈天伦被驱赶着进了瓜棚，瓜棚已经残破不堪了。后面的剑尖儿一拨，陈天伦转过身来，跟劫持他的人面对面地站在了一起，中间只隔着一把钢剑。 既然劫持他的人不说话，陈天伦也不便说话。在路上，他一边踉踉跄跄地走着，一边推测着各种各样的可能。有一条他是肯定的，劫持者绝不仅仅是为了要他的命。要是那样，还把他驱赶到这么远的地方来干什么？ 劫持者将蒙着面的黑巾扯下来，露出了一头瀑布似的乌发和两只晨星般的眼睛，陈天伦一下惊愣住了。 “你就叫陈天伦？”姑娘说话了，声音也很好听，一点儿也不像个劫匪。 陈天伦本来想向她施个礼，可是对着紧抵在他胸口上的剑尖儿，他一动也不敢动。 “兰儿哪儿去了？”姑娘威逼着他，好听的声音里夹带着威严与愤怒。 陈天伦一时没有明白：“你说谁？谁是兰儿？” 姑娘说：“就是那个小姑娘，她现在在哪儿？” 陈天伦说：“被人劫持走了，我已经跟知州和总督大人都说清楚了。” 姑娘说：“我不信，你骗得了知州和总督，可骗不了我。你说，是谁把兰儿劫持走了？劫持到哪儿去了？” 陈天伦说：“这么说，你怀疑我跟劫持兰儿的人是一伙儿的？” 姑娘说：“如果不是一伙儿的，他们怎么知道你拣到一个孩子？他们怎么知道你去给孩子看病？他们怎么知道你走哪一条路？” 姑娘一连气问了三个为什么，把陈天伦问急了：“姑娘说的好没道理！我跟他们要是一伙儿的，当初我为什么要救那个孩子？我要是不想救人救到底，为什么还去给那孩子看病？” 姑娘自有她的道理和推理：“你把兰儿卖了是不是？你卖了兰儿又不想承担罪名，就设计了这劫持的圈套儿是不是？告诉我，你把兰儿卖给谁了？你今日要是不交出兰儿，就别想活着回去，我这把宝剑可是不吃素的。” 陈天伦被这句话激火了，他也顾不上红颜怒目不吃素的宝剑了，冲着姑娘叫嚷起来：“要杀要砍随你便，我陈天伦好歹也是个国子监的生员，我能办这伤天害理的事情吗？你到漕运码头上打听打听，我们陈家算不上名门望族，可也是诗书礼仪之家，祖祖辈辈修善积德，你怎么随便侮辱人？你说我把兰儿卖了，有什么凭据？” 见陈天伦急了，姑娘的语调缓和下来：“这么说你跟劫持兰儿的人不是一伙儿的？” 陈天伦气怒地看了她一眼，不屑回答这令他屈辱的问题。 姑娘把宝剑放下来。 陈天伦站着没动，他不想趁机逃跑。 姑娘说：“虽说你跟劫匪不是一伙儿的，可是兰儿毕竟是从你手里被劫走的，你难逃其咎。” 陈天伦余怒未消：“那你说怎么办吧？” 姑娘说：“你得帮我找。” 陈天伦大胆地看了看姑娘：“我凭什么要帮你找？你是谁？你为什么要找兰儿？” 姑娘说：“没别的，是我把兰儿弄丢的。” 有关兰儿和兰儿丢失的情况，他在州府衙门时就听夏雨轩说了。现在他知道站在他面前的姑娘是谁了，心里不由得又紧张起来：“这么说，你是仓场总督铁大人的女公子了？” 姑娘说：“我叫甘戎。” 陈天伦不知道为什么，心里一阵发热，诚恳地说：“姑娘请放心，我一定帮助你找回兰儿。” 甘戎将剑朝外一指：“那就走吧。” 陈天伦问：“到哪儿去？” 甘戎说：“去找兰儿呀。” 陈天伦问：“到哪儿去找？” 甘戎说：“我哪儿知道呀。” 陈天伦心里想，怎么大户人家的女儿这么霸道啊？