Chapter 2 Chapter Two

The land embraces Jinling, and the city flows back to the river. Yingtianfu is located in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, surrounded by Zhongshan Mountain in the east, and the Yangtze River in the west. As far back as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Fu Chai, King of Wu, sent people to smelt bronze wares in this city, which was called "Smelting City".After Yue destroyed Wu, another earthen city was built beside the Qinhuai River, called "Yue City".After Yue was destroyed by Chu, King Wei of Chu built a new city on Qingliang Mountain, named "Jinling Town", and the name of Jinling began here.

During the Three Kingdoms period, after the Battle of Chibi, Sun Quan of Soochow moved the capital to Jinling and renamed it Jianye. In the following year, the original site of Jinling Township in Stone Mountain was named Stone City.The city is surrounded by mountains, and because the river is a pond, the situation is dangerous, so it is known as "the stone city with tigers crouching". Since then, the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Song Dynasty, Qi Dynasty, Liang Dynasty, and Chen Dynasty all established their capitals here, and became an important town that determined success or failure in the North-South War.

When Zhu Yuanzhang ruled the world, he invited his ministers to discuss the issue of establishing the capital, and all the ministers expressed their views and proposed Luochang, Guanzhong, Bianliang and other places. Among them, Xu Ruowu and Liu Ji advocated that Beiping, the capital of Yuan people, should still be their capital. Both of them were from the Yuan Dynasty. Since then, because of their prospering martial arts and vast territory, they have long become the center of the world's longing. Water and land transportation all started here. From Zeshan Pass in the east to Suhe River in Jinzhou; Zhuo County, Hejian, Shandong and other southeastern provinces in the south; Juyongguan, Tongchahar, Suiyuan and Outer Mongolia in the northwest; Gubeikou in the north to Rehe.In fact, it is an unrivaled fortress in the world for military, transportation and economy.

At that time, there was quite a debate about the choice of the two major metropolises in the north and the south. Xu Ruowu further pointed out that since ancient times, whenever there was a division, the north would always win the south, and those who prefer the south would eventually be destroyed by the north. However, Zhu Yuanzhang fought for peace for a long time, and finally refused to accept the two people's arguments. He said: "Everything you say is good, but there are different ears! Chang'an, Luoyang, Bianliang Shizhou, Han, Tang, and Song Dynasty. But at the beginning of the peace, the people There is no rest. If the capital is built there, it will be provided with labor, and the south of the Yangtze River will be fully invested, and the people will be hard-working; if it is Beiping, the palace will not be without work. Jianye, the Yangtze River, and the dragon and the tiger are enough to build a country. Linhao The river in front and the Huai River in the back, there are dangers to rely on, and water to feed in, I want to build a central capital, how about it?"

All the ministers had nothing but praise, so Jinling was the capital, and it was renamed Yingtian Mansion to show the virtue of Yingtian and establish the Great Ming Dynasty. Beiping was renamed Shuntian Mansion, and granted the title of Yan Wang Zhudi, the son of the greatest military exploits, and the north fell under his control. From this, it can be seen that Xie Tingshi is actually the most powerful frontier minister among the thirteen chief secretaries in the world. Yingtianfu, the ancient capital that holds the lifeline of the Ming Dynasty, has a vast urban area. The Yangtze River runs across the north of the city from the southwest, and the famous Qinhuai River flows from the south of the city, around the west of the city, and then flows north into the river.

The section of the Qinhuai River before it enters the river is lined with brothels, most of which have a long history. Although the country has risen and fallen, this section of the river is always very lively, existing in another way of life and death. There are thousands of miles of plains on both sides of the river, and the Ningzhen mountain range in the east connects with the fertile Yangtze River Delta. At this time, the official ship was slowly leaning towards the bank on the Qinhuai River, which was as smooth as a mirror. The eight navy ships of the capital were deployed on both sides of the river, in front of and behind, blocking the approach of other ships.

In the distance outside the pier is Qingliang Mountain, which looks like a crouching tiger. On the mountain are winding, towering rocks and ancient wall fortresses, which are the ruins of Stone City. Han Bai, Fan Liangji, Xie Tingshi, Chen Lingfang and others all gathered beside the boat, waiting for the moment to disembark. Two firecracker towers with a height of four or five feet were set up on the shore, and the "splitting, cracking, crackling" flames flickered and burned from bottom to top, sending out a lot of smoke and the smell of fire debris, which added to the atmosphere.

On the open space beside the pier, there were more than a dozen rows of imperial guards in shining armor, angry horses and fresh clothes, with flags fluttering, so majestic. If you are not used to the scene, just looking at the formation will make your heart shudder. Han Bai was the one who had never seen such a scene, and asked in a low voice to Fan Liangji next to him, "Welcome us, why do we have nearly a thousand people here as if we are facing a big enemy, did they see us through and plan to trap us?" Seeing his pale face, Fan Liangji suppressed a smile and said to the four women behind him covered by light gauze: "Four envoys' wives, please look at your husband, he is as timid as a mouse, is he worthy to be your husband?"

Zuo Shi, Rou Rou and Zhao Xia were all trembling with fear, they were worse than Han Bai, they didn't have the heart to answer. The calm and immortal Qin Mengyao said leisurely: "There are always people who are as good at martial arts as he is, but there are only a few people who have reached his level of martial arts but are so timid. Should it be considered rare?" Fan Liangji asked in amazement: "Is Mengyao belittling him or praising him?" Hidden in her face veil, Qin Mengyao exuded an astonishingly mysterious beauty and sighed quietly, "Mengyao has no way to turn back, the only thing to do is to think on the bright side of everything related to him. What else can I do?"

Han Bai was most afraid that Qin Mengyao would not appreciate him. Hearing the words, he became demonic, his timidity was swept away, and his mind became extremely flexible. Take a look at Pu Wenzheng's good show, and teach you to never forget it." Seeing that he seemed to have changed into another person, Fan Liangji felt relieved, bumped him with the shoulder, and reminded: "Remember, you go first!" Amidst the rumble, the official ship berthed to the pier, and someone pulled the mooring boat and lowered the gangway. Suddenly nearly a thousand Royal Forest Army on the shore greeted them, and then crossed from left to right, and changed into different formations in an orderly manner. With the fluttering flags, it was both majestic and beautiful.

Then divide into two groups and recede like a tide. Amidst the sound of drums and music, two ornately decorated officials rode particularly tall horses, galloping towards the landing place boldly and slowly through the passage opened by the imperial guards, full of momentum. Chen Lingfang leaned over and said, "The tall, thin man on the left with five willows and long beard is Hu Weiyong. Alas! I really don't understand why he came to greet him in person." Fan Liangji pointed to Han Bai: "Look! The man next to the old beard has a white face and no beard, and the soft figure is an eunuch with incomplete six roots." He asked Chen Lingfang, "Who is that?" Chen Lingfang took a closer look and said: "To be honest, I really don't understand why the emperor attaches so much importance to you. This man is the most powerful eunuch in the palace, Eunuch Nie Qingtong, who is the fourth-rank eunuch. You have to be careful with flattery, because speaking of it, he is still Shurangama’s immediate boss. Oh! They got off the horse, and we should go down.” Han Bai took a deep breath, feeling full of confidence in his heart, and calmly stepped off the boat. Fan Liangji took the first two steps and acted as a leader, but he seemed to be the same, which added a lot of power to the fake Han Bai. Followed by Xie Tingshi and Chen Lingfang, followed by Qin Mengyao and others who seemed to be weak, came out of the boat with the help of the four angry girls who pretended to be maids. Then came Xie Tingshi's three bodyguards and Fan Bao who were holding the tribute, and they also had the air of a diplomatic mission coming to court. When Han Bai and Fan Liangji set foot on the shore, the music stopped and there was a solemn atmosphere. Han Bai sang a song, bowed to the ground and shouted: "Pu Wenzheng, Goguryeo Right Assistant Secretary Pu Wenzheng is sending greetings to Emperor Daming on the order of King Zhengde of Goguryeo!" He followed Chen Jinfang's instructions, put on an official stance, walked like a dragon and a tiger, although Hu Nie and the others thought he was tender enough, but seeing his demeanor, they were very pleasing to the eye, thinking that this young man would become a Goguryeo A senior official of the second rank, in addition to his family status, should have some ability, so he should be taken seriously. Hu Weiyong and Nie Qingtong hurriedly returned the salute. While being courteous to each other, Han Bai took the opportunity to look at the powerful Prime Minister of Zhongshu. I saw that this man was thin and about fifty years old, with a dignified appearance, but his face was gloomy, and his slender eyes were full, but his eyes were erratic. It can be seen that his nature is treacherous and sinister, and his stomach is full of bad water. It makes people wonder why Zhu Yuanzhang is so talented and bold. People will rely on it as their left and right hands. Nie Qingzhong, the supervisor of ceremonies, said in surprise: "A hero is born in a young age. It is surprising that Special Envoy Park is so young and powerful, and he can speak Chinese so well!" Fan Liangji interjected: "I don't know my father-in-law. Envoy Park is the most outstanding child prodigy in the history of our country. He knew how to write and count at the age of three, danced the sword at the age of six, and at the age of twelve... Hey! Know... Hey! My Fair Lady , The gentleman is so good...you understand." After speaking, he nodded towards the four women behind him with his chin. Hu Weiyong laughed. Of course Nie Qingzhong couldn't laugh, he thought to himself that this old monkey-like head guard really didn't know anything, knowing that he didn't have the ability to pick up girls, but brought up this matter. Hu Weiyong's eyes fell on Chen Lingfang, who was on the other side of Han Bai, and smiled slightly: "Hello, Mr. Chen! It's been three years since the last time. You are welcome to come back and work together, and do your best for all beings in the world." Chen Lingfang hurriedly thanked the Lord for his kindness, and thanked Prime Minister Hu for his support. Han Bai and Fan Liangji exchanged glances, and at the same time thought that they knew that Hu Weiyong was a traitor.But at this moment, he spoke with eloquence.He is full of kindness and caring, making it difficult for people to hate him. It can be seen that this is his charm, even if there is a knife hidden in his smile, it is easy to be accepted. Hu Weiyong said to Xie Tingshi again: "Master Xie has made meritorious service in escorting this time, and I will report it truthfully, so that the emperor can know your hard work." Xie Tingshi hastily expressed his thanks, if Han Bai and Fan Liangji hadn't known about the close relationship between the two, they would have mistakenly thought that Xie Tingshi was grateful. Fan Liang became a little impatient, and said: "Prime Minister Hu, Eunuch Zhang, the list of tributes we brought this time will be handed over to your court early, if we collect them first and complete the handover procedures, this guard can also put it on his shoulders burden." Hu Weiyong said respectfully to Nie Qingtong: "Thank you, Mr. Nie!" Nie Qingtongxian was very disappointed by Hu Weiyong's respectful attitude, so he happily and Fan Liang decided to go. Hu Weiyong moved closer to Han Bai, looked around at Qin Mengyao and others, and said in a low voice kindly: "Master Special Envoy not only has a unique vision, but also has clever means. I'm going to find one night for me to hold a banquet on a flower boat on the Qinhuai River. Invite the world's number one prostitute Lian Xiuxiu, Master Bao Bao is so happy that even your country is so happy that he forgets to go back." Han Bai was in the middle of his arms, winked and expressed his welcome, thinking that this villain might also be a pervert, fortunately Qin Mengyao and others had scarves to cover their peerless beauty, otherwise he would ask himself for one for fun, then It will be difficult. Hu Weiyong suddenly remembered something, and said happily: "In order to meet the special envoy, I specially asked someone to teach me a few words of your language, please advise." Then he spoke seven or eight sentences of Goguryeo in one breath. As soon as Chen Lingfang heard it, his soul was blown away. These few sentences were all praises, praising the cultural scenery of Goguryeo, and the last two sentences were the last two sentences, hoping to have the opportunity to visit Goguryeo. It is unknown whether Han Bai will do his best as a landlord. These are words that must be answered. He knew exactly how much Han Bai weighed, so it would be strange if he didn't panic. After hearing this, Han Bai put on a shocked expression, turned his head and exaggeratedly said to the two of them: "No wonder Master Zhihai praised Prime Minister Hu full of praise after returning to China. Look! He is not only good at governing the country, but also incomparable in terms of language. A genius who speaks better than us, as sweet as celestial music." Chen Lingfang had a tacit understanding with him for a long time, and while agreeing, he took the opportunity to nod violently and signaled to Han Bai that he agreed. Don't look at Han Bai's stupidity at ordinary times. Whenever there is a critical moment, his mind is clearer and more alert than anyone else. He smiled at Hu Weiyong and said, "I am praised and loved by the prime minister, how dare I not obey." Chen Lingfang was really convinced when he heard this, and secretly sighed that this person's nonsense skills are indeed superior to others. Hu Weiyong, who is so scheming and experienced in officialdom, was also deceived by him, and laughed along with him. At this time, the counting and handover procedures were completed, and Fan Liangji and Nie Qingtong walked back chatting and laughing happily.Han Bai and Chen Lingfang glanced at each other, knowing that Fan Liangji must have used the unparalleled secret technique of "befriending first before making friends" to Nie Qingzhong, and they smiled knowingly. Hu Weiyong said: "Everyone is tired from traveling and traveling, and you will go to the palace to see the emperor again in the Ming Dynasty, so you should take a good rest now." He nodded to Nie Qingtong with a smile. Under this person, Prime Minister Zhongshu, who is more than ten thousand people, behaves in accordance with etiquette, with a calm demeanor, which makes people have to be overwhelmed by it. It can be seen that success is not luck. Nie Qingtong coughed dryly, and said in his eunuch's unique high-pitched voice: "Knowing that the special envoy is coming from the east, our prison specially prepared a beautiful foreign hotel beside Mochou Lake, and transferred thirty maids from the palace. There are 50 people in charge of living, and their leader is Li Zhi, my right-hand young supervisor, if you have any special request, I will tell him to handle it properly." Hu Weiyong interjected, "As for Mr. Chen and the Secretary of the City, I have my own arrangements." Smiling to Han Bai, he said, "If the special envoy doesn't mind, you can take the same car with me and let me take the special envoy for a ride." Both Chen Lingfang and Xie Tingshi were stunned, and so far there was no doubt that they knew that Hu Weiyong must have a reason to be so considerate to Han Bai. Han Bai chuckled, and said to Hu Weiyong, "Your official is exactly what you want. Please, Prime Minister Hu." Hu Weiyong smiled and said: "Master Special Envoy, please!" With the sound of hoofbeats and the swaying of the carriage, Han Bai gazed at the famous ancient capital that became the capital through the window. The streets were at least half as wide as those in Wuchang, so other carriages and pedestrians could easily step aside as their procession passed. Although there are continuous houses and roads between Zhulou, there are always trees planted between the houses, so that people don't feel the oppressive feeling of being crowded and messy. The gates in front of the mansions are filled with stone beasts. Legendary mythical beasts such as Tianlu, Qilin, and Xiexie can be seen everywhere, in various forms, but they are all fat and healthy, with mouths and tongues, standing upright and holding their heads high, with extremely vivid expressions. . The unique feature is the large-scale temples. After less than half a cup of hot tea, Han Bai saw two ancient temples, especially the ancient temples far away on Qingliang Mountain. The reflection of each other made him even more amazed. Seeing that he was very interested in temples, Hu Weiguang murmured: "There are four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasty, how many buildings are in the mist and rain." Han Bai was fascinated by the brilliance of the ancient culture and the lush and beautiful scenery of the ancient city. Hearing this, he woke up and nodded, "This is indeed a beautiful metropolis." Hu Weiyong introduced with a smile: "Only in Yingtian Mansion, there are 160,000 households with a total of more than one million people. This does not include businessmen who come to do business, visit relatives or tourists. It should be the place with the highest population density in the country." After a pause, he said, "Master Envoy seems to be very interested in temples. Let me arrange for you to visit some of the most famous temples! Not only are there many places of interest here, but the craftsmanship is also well-known all over the world. There are only three brocade weaving workshops. There are countless workshops for silver, iron, bow, felt, wool, etc. There are also two craft streets, a big market and six livestock farms, which will make it interesting for adults.” Han Bai secretly thought that if he could drag Qin Mengyao and the three beautiful sisters by their little hands, wrap their arms around their waists, wander around these places without restraint, and borrow money from Fan Liangji to buy them favorite hand and play clothes, And personally for them to wear, really comfortable thing. Hu Weiyong saw the look of yearning and intoxication on his face, and misunderstood what he meant, and said: "My lord, please rest assured that when your lord returns to China, I can arrange craftsmen from all walks of life to accompany them back to China, and teach our country's top craftsmanship, and cooperate with your country. Craftsmanship communicates with each other.” Han Bai woke up from his daydream and thanked him repeatedly. The more he gets along with this villain, the more he likes him, which shows that this person does have an extraordinary charm that makes people admire. Hu Weiyong suddenly lowered his voice and said: "Master Zhihai once told Bencheng about the Xueling ginseng of your country. Its function can cure all diseases, prolong life, and bring the dead back to life. I don't know... Hey! , is it this kind of rare spiritual ginseng? Alas! The Emperor and Ben Cheng have been waiting for seven years." Han Bai laughed secretly in his heart, the old fox finally showed his tail, no wonder he didn't mention the matter of humiliating Hu Jie, and he looked at him so differently. It turned out that he was planning for Wannian Ginseng, but then he thought of giving him courage Forgive me, I dare not ask Zhu Yuanzhang to ask for ginseng to eat. Naturally, I have a secret deal with Zhihai, so I pretended to be mysterious and leaned into his ear and said: "I thought I would tell Prime Minister Hu when there is no one else. , when we left Koguryo, Master Zhi had a secret order, so we brought two more plants of this kind of ginseng to honor the prime minister. This matter is top secret, not only was it not included in the list of tributes, even my king did not I know. Hey! These two ginseng plants are the authentic ones I selected, they are no worse than the ones dedicated to your majesty. Hmph! Apart from the effects you just mentioned, the most powerful one is the effect of strengthening yang. Genshenxu, there are more than a dozen beauties waiting for me, none of them are my opponents, you understand!" He also nudged the other party lightly with his elbow to show his affection. Hu Weiyong was overjoyed when he heard this, and his heart was extremely moved, he thought to himself that this made the master more aware of current affairs than Zhihai, back then Zhihai only agreed to give him a ginseng plant in private, it was only a second-class product, now this professional Even if he gave two ginseng plants of the highest quality, but he was suspicious by nature and still didn't dare to believe it. Just as he was about to test it out, the sound of hooves suddenly sounded, approaching from far away. Hu Weiyong frowned, his originally benevolent face sank, and his eyes shot a cold murderous intent. Han Bai looked awe-inspiring, and it seemed that this was his true face of coldness and ruthlessness. The carriage stopped abruptly. Hu Weiyong returned a calm expression, lifted the curtains, and looked out. A knight rode his horse to the side of Gui's carriage, looked into the carriage and said, "Prime Minister Hu is well!" Hu Weiyong was stunned and said, "Hi Commander Ye!" Han Bai's heart was shocked, he secretly wondered if this person was actually one of the three elders in Xining, Ye Sudong, the commander of the Imperial Forest Army "Extermination of Love", hurriedly scrutinized him carefully. Commander Ye is of extremely high stature, with a pair of bright eyes, obviously a master of both internal and external cultivation, he does not feel "old" at all, just like a vigorous middle-aged man, only his temples are slightly gray, He looks handsome and mighty, with a masterful demeanor. Ye Sudong smiled and saluted the two immediately, then said to Hu Weiyong in a low voice: "The emperor has ordered, please enter the palace immediately to see him." Han Bai and Hu Weiyong shared the same astonishment, and they didn't understand why Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't wait for tomorrow, so he immediately summoned him as a fake envoy. Han Baisheng had a strange feeling that he was dreaming. He could actually meet the real old man, Emperor Lao Tzu.