Chapter 84 two

Yuyuan is located in the north of Dadu, and it was the private estate of Ahema, the political affairs officer of Pingzhang. This is a luxurious mansion.Below the gate tower with overhanging eaves and beams, two eight-foot-high white marble lions peering majestically at the carriages, horses and pedestrians outside.All the officials who come to Yuyuan capital have to dismount and stand in front of the horse station 20 steps in front of the gate, waiting for the notice of the gatekeeper. How did "Jade Garden" get its name?It turned out that before the construction of Yuyuan started, Ahema, his eldest wife Hezhe, and his eldest son Huxin discussed repeatedly, and finally decided to use the homonym of "Yu" as "Yu", in order to promote his power and prestige under one person and above ten thousand people.

The main entrance of Yuyuan is two vermilion lacquer gates nailed with gold nails. The number "eight eight sixty-four" is used to distinguish it from the number "nine nine eighty-one" of the imperial palace.Ah He immediately went up and down and went hunting, all of them went through this gate.The side doors on both sides are slightly smaller than the main entrance, and the two tiger-headed copper buttons on the door are also slightly smaller than the tiger-headed silver buttons on the front door.Civil and military officials, foreign envoys, and special envoys of the imperial court all came in and out through the side door when they visited Ahema.

Entering Yuyuan from the main entrance, you will be faced with a corridor about 500 steps long. Various colorful flowers and stones are arranged in it, attracting countless colorful butterflies.At the end of the corridor, a group of buildings full of western style and Chinese classical style suddenly appeared, which is really breathtaking. There are no less than a thousand pavilions and pavilions of various colors in Yuyuan, such as dining rooms, bed rooms, rest rooms, and entertainment pavilions. There are forty wives and more than four hundred concubines of Ahema living in them, as well as hundreds of concubines. child.

Ahema has amazing fertility and financial management ability. In this regard, he may have inherited "innate genes" from his ancestors. At this time, Ahema was drinking and having fun with his two concubines, Ayiguli and Yadai, in Lancui Pavilion, which was surrounded by mountains and rivers.Yadai was originally Zhenjin's maid, she was coveted by Ahema because of her beautiful appearance.Ahema asked Empress Chabi, and Yadai expressed her willingness to marry, and then married into Yuyuan. Lancui Pavilion is surrounded by a verdant purple bamboo garden, which is located 900 steps north of the pavilion residence, during which two small streams, an artificial lake and two white marble arch bridges are passed through. .

Ahma Xinna's favorite concubine Ayiguli couldn't help but eat the melon and grapes that had just been served. Seeing her like that, Ahema said angrily: "Look at your greedy behavior! If you are like this If you eat it, you will become as fat as the master and me, be careful that the master divorces you." "Hmph! The master thinks I can eat today, but why did he say last night that my soft 'Nassu' is more comfortable than sitting on a dragon chair." Ayiguli glanced at Yadai and said in a long tone on purpose. Yadai stared at the green bamboo outside the pavilion indifferently.

Different from Ahema's other wives and concubines, as the maid of Prince Zhenjin, Yadai is not only elegant and elegant, but also skilled in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting.Although she took the initiative to ask for marriage and committed herself to Ah Hema back then, she had no love for Ah Hema. "Yadai, can't you say a few words of concern to the master?" Ahema said, hugging Yadai in annoyance. Yadai frowned slightly, and instinctively avoided Ahema's alcohol-smelling mouth. "Master's power is in the government, under one person, above ten thousand people, and now which minister of civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty dares to say no to the master, what trouble does the master have!" Yadai said lightly, her tone was not without teasing.

But Ahema didn't hear it: "You don't understand this, those civil and military men of the Manchu dynasty, who are really afraid of me, Ahema, they are afraid of the authority of the current emperor." "Master, the eldest son and the second son are here." The servant guarding outside the pavilion announced. Aheman pursed his lips, Ayiguli and Yadai immediately got up and left the table.Just as he walked down the gazebo, he ran into Hu Xin and Ah San, the two sons of Ah He Ma.Hu Xin's greedy eyes covered Yadai's uneven figure without any scruples, and secretly swallowed.Yadai didn't seem to realize it, she turned sideways to pass the two of them, and walked away slowly.But Ayiguli winked at A San and walked away from another direction with a playful smile.

Hu Xin and Ah San saw their father, they stood with their hands down. "What are you doing standing up? Sit down, sit down." Ahema waved his hand, and the servant immediately came over and filled the wine for the two young masters. "Father, when will our official position be properly settled? We have been waiting for almost a month, and there is no confirmation yet." Hu Xin ignored the drink and asked straightforwardly. Ah San was even more anxious: "These days, your old man has sent more than 700 officials to all parts of the country, why don't you only consider our brothers?"

Ahema looked at his two sons calmly.These two brothers, one tall and one short, one fat and one thin, really don't look like a compatriot.For a moment, Ahema smiled slyly. "Why are you so anxious! The so-called brothers who fight tigers, father and son soldiers, what is the purpose of being an official? Isn't it just for wine, sex and wealth. Those officials have positions and powers but no money. What kind of officials are you? .Abba has already made a plan for you. A few days ago, I sent an urgent envoy to Shangdu to report to the emperor to restore the transfer department of the capital because of the lack of national use. , Prohibit the private manufacture of bronze wares. And set up the Eleventh Branch of the Zhulu Transshipment Department, when the time comes, if these two vacancies are not your brothers', who will they be?"

Hu Xin and Ah San looked at each other, overjoyed. "Either way, it's my father's scheming. From now on, the two of us have to learn from my father." Hu Xin diligently poured a glass of wine for Ahema. "That is. As far as I am an official, it is enough for you two to learn for a few years." "Abba, I heard something, it doesn't seem very good. I don't know if I heard about it, too?" "What's up?" "A few friends of mine told me that Yao Shu and Dou Mo made a booklet asking the emperor to approve Beiyan medicinal materials so that the people can easily sell them. If the emperor approves, in this respect alone, our family will lose a lot of money every year. Income."

"How can this matter be hidden from me! Yao Shu made a report, and I also made a report. I said that if this matter is done by ordinary people, there may be confusion. In order to prevent the source of wealth from going to the people, it is planned to be distributed in Nanjing, Weihui and other roads. , Caizhou issued 120,000 catties of salt for medicinal materials, and private trade is prohibited. First, the collection will be monopolized by the imperial court, and we will take this opportunity to make a fortune from it." "Smart! Smart! Abba kills two birds with one stone, really clever!" Ahema looked contentedly at his two precious sons.Yes, this is his property, his hope, the continuation of his life.The hundreds of millions of fortunes he scavenged, he will not bring them with him when he is born, and he will not take them with him when he dies. He just hopes that his two most proud sons can inherit his father's will, do big business in the Central Plains, or Central Asia, West Asia, and Europe, and become big businessmen. Merchants.He didn't want them to be high-ranking officials in the court like him, worrying all day long, and often being impeached by former officials of Kublai Khan's palace.He had a hunch that he would be plotted against by others at any time, so he always acted cautiously and never dared to be careless. "You two come with me." Ahema greeted his two sons, "I will let you open your eyes and appreciate two authentic calligraphy from the prosperous Tang Dynasty." Ahema led his son through the purple bamboo forest to the Treasure Pavilion, opened a cabinet door inlaid with gold and jade, and took out two scrolls of scrolls.Hu Xin unfolded one of them carefully, and spread it on a big desk, suddenly, Ah exclaimed. "Mrs. Guo Guo's Outing in Spring"!" "That's right, it's "Mrs. Guoguo's Outing in Spring". You still have some eyesight. Isn't it beautiful? This is a veritable authentic work." Although Ahema is obsessed with making money, in his spare time, he also likes to be elegant and collect calligraphy, painting and antiques such as. "Mrs. Guo Guo's Outing in Spring" depicts the scene of Mrs. Guo Guo's spring outing when the elder sister of Yang Yuhuan, the favorite concubine of Tang Xuanzong.The whole picture is colorful and elaborate, and it is one of the most influential paintings in the heyday of Tang Dynasty.There are eight horses of different shapes in the front and back of the picture, and a maid in a brocade dress guards a girl riding carefully.On the upper right of the picture is Mrs. Guo Guo. She is surrounded by Ma Bian and looks back at the little princess, expressing her motherly love.In terms of conception, the painter can also be said to have unique ingenuity.He intentionally omitted the scenery of spring, but through the elegant spring clothes, lightly lifting horseshoes, and leisurely characters, he created a kind of spring atmosphere.Eight horses, nine people, warm tones, fine texture, rich connotations and endless meanings. Hu Xin likes antiques and knows a thing or two about painting art.Ah San, on the other hand, prefers famous paintings and copybooks, almost to the point of being intoxicated. "A San, open that picture again." Asan obeyed, he pushed up "The Picture of Mrs. Guo Guo's Outing in Spring" and spread out another painting. "Hey! Dad, isn't this the famous "Picture of Lady Waving a Fan" in the Tang Dynasty? Zhang Xuan, a native of Jingzhao, is the representative figure of the Tang Dynasty's "Qiluo Figure" painting school. Life. However, the master of this school of painting has to be said to be the rising star Zhou Fang. The ladies in Zhou Fang's works are smart and exquisite, and the workmanship is extremely skillful. .” Although Ahema has a certain appreciation of ancient calligraphy and painting, he is clumsy at commenting.Seeing that my son has researched and gained insight into various painting styles and schools, I am surprised and proud. "What else?" "Abba, please take a closer look at these two paintings. "Madame Guoguo's Outing in Spring" has 18 round or oval seals in total. Although "Lady Waving a Fan" is a long scroll, not too many seals are used. This "treasure of the present emperor" is invaluable. It was obviously painted by Zhou Fang and presented to Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, which was covered by Emperor Xuanzong's jade seal." "Well—" Ahema compared the two paintings carefully, "If that's the case, it's better for me to read carefully. Go on, go on." "Picture of Ladies Swinging Fans" depicts the lives of thirteen court ladies, divided into several groups, such as sitting alone, playing the piano, facing the mirror, embroidering, and leaning on the tung tree. The costumes and plump body form a stark contrast. Being imprisoned in the high palace wall, waiting for the arrangement of fate, what kind of torment is hesitant to talk about! And the sadness caused by it seems like The sunshine in late autumn has faded to the extreme, and it contains deep melancholy." Ahema fell in love with the scene, and his mood plummeted. "Yeah, think about your dad and my situation, don't you have many similarities with these court ladies? As an important court official, I seem to be well-dressed and well-dressed on the surface, bossy and responsive, but once I offend Longyan, I'm afraid my ending will be worse than these maids." Ahema fell heavily into the large grand master's chair, and became dazed in a daze. Seeing this, Hu Xin winked at Asan, and the two quietly exited the Treasure Pavilion.