Chapter 7 Red Top Merchant (5)

People who live in foreign farms, especially those who often spend time and drink, have the habit of going to bed late and getting up late; Gu Yingchun got up early because he had a business to take care of, but he didn't get out of bed until nine o'clock.At eight o'clock that day, my aunt knocked on the door; she said that someone from the cell had come and had something to say. "What are you talking about?" Gu Yingchun asked through the window. "There is a third master Liu from Hangzhou. He is in the hall." "Which Mr. Liu?" The sleepy Gu Yingchun couldn't remember who it was.Grandma Qigu thought of it in the back room, opened the curtain and said, "Isn't it Liu Bucai, Mr. Liu?"

"It's him? It can't be him!" Gu Yingchun said, "Mr. Liu is also one of his own; once he comes, of course he will come here, what are he doing in the cell?" "The proprietress' words are good." In the cell The clerk spoke outside the window, "I was going to invite Mr. Liu to come home. He said he was embarrassed to come because he was in tatters." It really was Liu Bucai!This unexpected news brought confusion to Gu Yingchun, and he forgot to speak.Grandma Qigu still has a quick mind, she doesn't know the situation of Hu's family yet, maybe something unfortunate happened; if Hu Xueyan finds out, she must see him immediately, gong and drum face to face, and she can't hide anything from him. It is wrong.

Therefore, she made decisions for her husband, and ordered the staff to return to the account first, saying that Gu Yingchun would go to see him immediately; at the same time, she ordered the servants not to reveal the news that Liu Bucai had arrived in Shanghai in front of Hu Xueyan. "Unexpectedly, he came." Gu Yingchun said, "Do you want to go see him with me?" "Naturally!" The couple rushed to the hall in a carriage; when they met, they were silent for a moment.In the silence, Gu Yingchun and his wife looked at Liu Bucai from head to toe. Although his clothes were ragged, he was in good spirits, he didn't look like he was about to starve to death.

"Third Uncle Liu!" Finally, it was Grandma Qigu who spoke first, "How are you?" it is good!" Hearing this, Gu Yingchun and his wife both breathed a sigh of relief, "Where's the Hu family?" Grandma Qigu asked, "Is everything all right?" "It's a bit harder to run away, big and small take turns getting sick, and now they're all healed." "Ah—!" Grandma Qigu breathed a long sigh of relief, clasped her hands together, and bowed to her chest: "Thank God." Then she said: "But I'm sorry I don’t understand again, there are countless people starving to death in the city of Hangzhou——” She swallowed her saliva and retracted the last sentence.

That sentence is a question: Since there are countless people who starved to death, why didn't everyone in the Hu family starve to death?Liu Bucai understood what she meant, but he couldn't explain it in one sentence, "Bless the real Bodhisattva! We can talk about it for three days and three nights." He asked in a hurry: "I heard that Xueyan transported grain to After passing through Hangzhou, I can’t enter the city and return to Shanghai. Where is the person?” "He's been seriously ill and he hasn't recovered yet. But it doesn't matter." Grandma Qigu said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Uncle Liu, but you can't meet him yet; we'll talk about it after we get to know the matter clearly. Is Wang Futai the real one?" Did you die for martyrdom?" "A good death, a good death!" Liu Bucai, who has never done anything to teach him to be serious, exclaimed loudly, "Death is worthwhile. The official voice of Wang Futai, to be honest. It’s nothing good; this way, it’s just not bad, and even the long hair is admired.” According to Liu Bucai, on the day Hangzhou fell, the “loyal king” Li Xiucheng rode straight to the governor’s office alone. He would die for the festival, and wanted to stop him from dying; but it was a step too late, and Wang Youling had hanged himself under the osmanthus tree on the right side of the hall.Li Xiucheng respected his loyalty, untied his body, and put it on the left side of Peng Pavilion at Dongyuan Gate. He found a good coffin for burial. The Wang family, old and young, were naturally placed under protection.

"Long Mao finally has some support." Grandma Qigu asked, "Didn't you say that you want to send Wang Futai's coffin to Shanghai?" "That's not what I heard." "Where is the whole city? Gu Yingchun asked: "General Ruichang, probably also martyred? "It took three days for the whole city to break down——." " During these three days, Li Xiucheng suspended the attack and sent people to surrender. The conditions were quite lenient. The bannermen were allowed to leave freely. The purpose of showing it to Ruichang was to dispel their doubts, but the effect was counterproductive.Maybe the conditions are too lenient, which is unbelievable.Moreover, if the general of the defeated army returns to the banner, he must be punished, and he cannot escape death;

So after three days, Li Xiucheng ordered the attack and the garrison bannermen, all of them went into battle and resisted with all their strength; there were five gates in the nine miles around the city, and there were cannons in red clothes on the city, killing more than 3,000 people with long hair. By the afternoon of the first day of December, the city was broken.General Ruichang died by throwing himself into a lotus pond; vice capital Tong Jiechun and Guan Fu also committed suicide.Men, women and children set fire to themselves and threw themselves into the West Lake to death, countless.

Speaking of this, Liu Bucai panicked and turned pale; Gu Yingchun hurriedly asked someone to pour hot tea, let him take a breather, and then asked him about his personal experience. "When Hangzhou was in a tight spot, I was there. Xueyan discussed with me that Huzhou had also been besieged, and he couldn't go back for a while; he asked me to escort his family to Santianzhu to escape. Since then, we have never seen him again; Because later I saw that Santianzhu was not a good place, so I fled in step by step, and the real Bodhisattva blesses me, so I fled to stay." "Liu" is a place name, which is in the west of Hangzhou; The palace, which was also liked here, was ordered to "stay" as an alternative, so it is called stay.Its land is mountainous, surrounded by peaks and springs, and there are many hidden places, which are good places to escape.

"There are a lot of people fleeing, and there are so many people that there is no secret. When I saw that the situation was not good, I said to Mrs. Xueyan: "It is better to escape far and deep. The more desolate and poor the place is, the better."Mrs. Xueyan is very discerning, and what I say is right.I just found a place deep in the mountains, where there is really no place for people to visit; the best thing is that there is a stream, where there is water, I am not afraid of anything.I hired someone to build a thatched hut, only three feet high, with water boards on the bottom; I also brought up seven or eight dans of rice, a jar of salted vegetables, and a dozen sticks of ham.I can't believe it, but I don't know how many people starved to death in Hangzhou at that time.As far as we are there, there is not a day without dry rice. "

"No wonder. Uncle Liu doesn't look like he has nothing to eat." Grandma Qigu said, "Didn't Changmao find you there?" "A little bit." Liu Bucai said, "One day I will go to gamble—" "Slow down." Grandma Qigu interrupted and asked, "Is there still a place to gamble after fleeing disaster?" "Not only gambling, but also singing! The market is very lively." Markets are brought by those who flee.At first, someone built a thatched hut, selling some common sundries, without a brand name, and it was commonly called a "small shop"; then the small shop became a tea shop, a place for gatherings to inquire about news; Tao, so the tea shop turned into a casino again.Liu Bucai was unwilling to be isolated from the world at first, and walked seven or eight miles to the market that came into being to listen to the news every day. Later, he devoted himself to getting rid of his addiction to gambling, Pai Gow, making treasures, and throwing dice. If you have a banker, you will be the banker. If you don’t have a banker, you will bet at a disadvantage, and you will become the pillar of that casino.

That afternoon, Liu Bucai played small Pai Gow at the dealership.When he was having a good time gambling, someone suddenly shouted: "Long Mao is here!" Liu Bucai didn't quite believe it, because he had been fooled once; once he heard that "the long hair is coming", the gambler ran away in a hurry, but nothing happened, but when he returned to the casino, the table was empty.Afterwards, he found out that someone deliberately made trouble to grab the stage; he suspected that this time someone was also trying to take advantage of the fire, so everyone fled, but he didn't flee, so he calmly packed up his bets and went ahead. "Mr. Liu!" The casino owner came over to warn: "It's really long hair here." After saying this, Liu Bucai started to panic, and hurriedly stuffed dozens of taels of silver into his waist, carried five or six strings of copper coins on his back, and pulled his feet. Snatch the door and leave. But it was too late, and there were two long hairs chasing after him.Although Liu Bucai was in a hurry, he thought in his heart that his clothes were neater than others, and with copper coins on his shoulders, Chang Mao would never let him go.After running away and chasing like this, wouldn't it be "leading ghosts in" in the end? When the thoughts turn to this point, there is a way to deal with it; pull a string of copper coins, tear off the slipknot on the "string", and drop a thousand copper coins all over the ground with a "squeak"; Step, follow the same pattern.After the five or six strings of copper coins were scattered, the burden on his shoulders was completely relieved, and his steps became brisk; however, he still didn't dare to walk on the right path, fearing that the long hairs would find his residence, so he walked around in a long circle, and only arrived at night by detour. "Since that time, Mrs. Hu and Mrs. Xueyan have not allowed me to gamble again. In fact, the market has been broken up-that time, a small group of long hairs ran into there by mistake; the number of people was too large. The next day, or the third day, a large group of people came, raped, looted and set fire to; I don’t know how many refugees have been robbed?” Liu Bucai’s expression was quite complicated when he said this, with lingering fear and sorrow Now, but he seemed to be pleased with himself, "Fortunately, I saw the opportunity! This treasure finally caught my eye." Talking about such an important matter of life and death, she still kept the tone of a gambler. Grandma Qigu admired him and was funny, but she was more concerned: "Have you never met Chang Mao?" "No! But I heard voices several times; the smell of fear, only those who have tasted it will know how uncomfortable it is!" However, the days of fear at this moment are not completely over.When Changmao entered the city, due to Li Xiucheng's restraint, there would be burning, killing, rape, and looting as usual; .This is not all due to loyalty, but the lack of interest in life; it is further divided into several categories: one is afraid of being humiliated and suffers; Those who have no food or clothing, who want to linger on their last days but cannot obtain them, and who think that death is better sooner or later are another category; Like the Hu family who "jumped out of the calamity and is not in the five elements", I am afraid that one hundred thousand families will not be able to find one; but now they are in the calamity again.Naturally, we can no longer live in thatched huts on barren hills; the most important reason is that the food stocks are exhausted, and the whole family has to "go out of the mountains";The good thing is that Mrs. Hu originally believed in Buddhism. Since Hu Xueyan made a thunderbolt on the ground and became prosperous, she has even believed that it is the blessing of the Bodhisattva. As long as the monks and nuns come to the temples and nunneries, they will never return empty-handed; Everyone is familiar with all the temples, so it is not easy to find a place to settle down.The trouble is still food.The entire city of Hangzhou relied on Li Xiucheng to transport 20,000 shimi from Jiaxing; if the military rations were not included, it would be able to last for a period of time, but the military rations would be distributed first, and the ordinary people would not be able to benefit from it. "Now the whole family is big and small, and we only eat porridge once a day. I'm fine, but the old ones are the ones who are young, so I have to think of a way." "I can always figure out this way." Gu Yingchun said, "However, Uncle Liu, there is something I don't understand about you; you have always had a good appetite, and you can support yourself by eating a meal of porridge every day? And you said, 'It's okay. '!" Liu Bucai smiled, and replied embarrassedly: "I will go to Changmao Mansion to hunt wild food." Grandma Qigu also laughed, "Uncle Liu, you really are, you dare to snatch the food from the tiger's mouth." She said, "How do you fight?" "It's hard to tell you. Don't gossip, I have a serious thing. I want to discuss with you. There is a bastard who has come to trouble Xueyan; if you ignore him, something will happen." Liu Bucai said "Bastard "Dan" is called Yuan Zhongqing, who is the deputy magistrate of Qiantang County.This person turned out to be a "brave eye" of Yuan Jiasan's subordinates, who made a fortune in the war, and acted as a friend of Yuan Jiasan's aide, added a name to him in a "protection case", and won the reputation of "Six-Rank Lanling".Later, he violated the military order, and Yuan Jiasan wanted to kill him; he was so frightened that he deserted overnight and fled back to his hometown in Jiangxi. The governor of Jiangxi at that time was Zhang Fu, the same year of He Guiqing, and Mu Zhang'a's favorite student; Yuan Zhongqing falsely reported that he was the county magistrate of the sixth-rank Lanling, and went out of his way to serve Zhang Fu.Soon, Changmao attacked the capital of Jiangxi Province, and the people of Nanchang tried their best to help defend it, which made Zhang Fu feel good about it; Aiwujiwu, who was cheap "forget bastard", was actually appointed as the assistant of the manufacturing bureau to run the military uniform.This is a very lucrative job, and in Yuan Zhongqing's hands, it is even better, and it is well deserved. Soon, due to the victory of Ningguo, Zhang Fu took good care of Yuan Zhongqing and specially asked his friends to add a good commentary for him, and he was promoted to the county magistrate.This was originally great news, and of course others would be very happy, but Yuan Zhongqing was not only frowning, but even restless. Colleagues couldn't help but be surprised. It was rare for someone to ask him: "Old Yuan, you will be promoted every day! The superiors take special care of you, not a general recommendation with a single word; you are a sixteen-character test, and Beijing will definitely approve it. Seeing that it is a hundred Lihou'; how does it look like a mourning concubine." "What are you talking about? If you don't want to go to court, I'm afraid you have to rely on the virtues of your ancestors." Then, he shook his head again: "The lawsuit is settled! The virtues of our ancestors are useless." His colleague was very surprised: "Why? ?” Yuan Zhongqing didn't dare to say it first, he couldn't bear the sincerity and enthusiasm of that colleague, and he patted his chest to guarantee that he would try to share his worries, so Yuan Zhongqing revealed the secret in his heart. "To tell you the truth, my 'six-grade blue feather' is genuine; the county magistrate is a 'Xibei product'. How do you want to keep it?" "What? Your county magistrate is fake!" False ones cannot see the light of day.When Jiangxi's insurance case goes up, the official department will naturally investigate the case; Yuan Zhongqing can protect the magistrate because he is the county magistrate, and the magistrate must first ask him what "team" this county magistrate is?Once there is no case to investigate, it is necessary to ask in writing.May I ask whether Yuan Zhongqing can get the "ministry photos" or the "actual income" of the donated classes? It's not like there are such counterfeit things; the secretary of the Ministry of History, the nineteenth, is a long-standing slippery official who cannibalize people and never spits out his bones. , I am afraid that he will still be charged with "pretending to be an official" and will end up in exile. His colleague kept his word, and asked an expert for him to come up with a way to donate a county magistrate.Since the rise of the army, in order to raise salaries and open up donation cases, all provinces have first received a large number of blank receipts from the Ministry of Officials; that is, they are called "actual receipts"-there are various tricks and various discounts in the donation classes, and the actual donations are based on the actual donations. Counting and giving the receipt is called "actual receipt", which will be used to exchange for official ministry photos in the future; so it is easy, and it can be done immediately after the money is exchanged.However, it doesn’t matter if the dates don’t match; when the “actual receipt” is handed in for inspection, the trick is immediately exposed when it is seen that it is a donation after the insurance case. "There is no other way to do this, but to ask favors." "Ask for money, I know." Yuan Zhongqing said, "Although my errand is a bit tricky, I have made friends; I have eaten and used it, and it is almost the same. Now, it is all here!" Open the pillow box, there are quite a lot of banknotes in it, but the sum of the bits and pieces is only a hundred taels of silver; such a trick that dates back to the past has a great relationship, and at least it costs three hundred taels Two, his friend knew that Yuan Zhongqing was pretending on purpose; now that he is half-baked, he can't do something that is not good enough, so he has to add fifty taels of silver for him, and talk to "Qiantu" to settle this matter with him. down. However, Yuan Zhongqing's reputation of being "uninteresting" has already been transferred; Jiangxi can no longer be mixed up, and in fact he must leave, because he was promoted to a county magistrate and could not fill the vacancy in the province. . Yuan Zhongqing originally hoped to distribute to Guangdong, but because the entrusted person was not real, he changed to distribute to Zhejiang. He had no choice but to "shudder" as a substitute. , build long moats, add forts, and row upon row of barracks on the city; set up extremely strong cranes, install axle reels, and store guns and ammunition all day long.Looking around, the banner is clear, the swords and guns are sharp, and it seems that they must be able to defend. As a result, Yuan Zhongqing regained his spirits, followed the path of Linzhi, the feudal secretary, and had to "list" as an agent in Qiantang County.Within the city of Hangzhou, there are two counties, Qiantang and Renhe, and Qiantang is the first county.County magistrates are divided into different categories.Yuan Zhongqing is scheming and only has "internal talents"; Shouxian requires "outside talents" and pays attention to outstanding appearance, interesting conversation, gorgeous clothes, and smooth means. The most important thing is to be generous and good at socializing. Not an option.But at this time, the military situation is urgent, very few high-ranking officers pass through the border, and the errands for sending and receiving are not complicated, which can give full play to his strengths. Yuan Zhongqing's strength lies in making money; making money requires a name, and at this time when everything is in a hurry, why worry about not being able to find a name?For military supplies, it is a bad debt to apportion donations and catch errands to collect materials; as long as the higher-ups can pay the errands and the lower-level people do not stir up civil uprisings, no one will ask how much they get out of it. In September, Hangzhou was besieged, every family ran out of food, and everyone was barren, only Yuan Zhongqing seemed to be in good spirits; he was suspicious that he secretly hid rice grains and "eat alone" behind others, but there was no evidence to prove it. scold.Such a person, once the city is broken, will naturally not be martyred—some people say that he is still the one who opened the city gate and let Long Mao enter the city; It is true.The fake job he received was called "Qiantang Supervising Army", but the job he did was "old business", preparing military supplies for Chang Mao. The most urgent need for Chang Mao at this time is a ship, because on the one hand, a large number of fine jewelry, antique calligraphy and paintings obtained by looting will be transported to "Tianjing" to offer to the king of heaven; Zhongqing threw off the feather collar, took off the mending hanger, put on a red silk padded jacket, wrapped the collar with a piece of yellow silk, dressed like a long-haired man, held up Li Xiucheng's command arrow every day to seal the ship in the river.There are countless refugees outside the city, and it is difficult for a beautiful woman to keep her innocence when she meets the lustful Yuan Zhongqing. "You bastard!" Liu Bucai said angrily, "He actually went to Hu's house in person and told the people who stayed there: "Hu has received tens of thousands of silver in public money, and went to Shanghai to buy rice, why didn't he come back? You guys?" Bring him the letter, how many rice should there be, and send it to Hangzhou as soon as possible. Otherwise, he will suffer! Think about it, isn’t this intentionally asking for trouble?” This is indeed a problem.According to Yuan Zhongqing's despicable character and vicious methods, if he doesn't plan early; maybe he will find out where the Hu family members are hiding and abuse the old and young, women and children, shouldn't it be worrying? "The most worrying thing is that this is a bastard who didn't accomplish enough and failed. If he got the Hu family's size into it, entrusted him with favors, and released him according to the number, it doesn't matter. I'm afraid that he will be the same as Changmao. It is said that people are caught in it; if they want to be released, he can't be the master. In this way, if you want to find a way, it may be more difficult than going to heaven." Liu Bucai's words, coupled with the rare serious expression, made Grandma Qigu worried, and she also lost her usual bright and lively words.Of course Gu Yingchun was also quite worried; but he had always been deep and calm, half of which was influenced by Hu Xueyan, and he always felt that as long as everything was not afraid of difficulties, it would naturally not be difficult.The problem in front of me is not limited to this end; it is useless to worry about matters as far away as Hangzhou if something unexpected happens.If there is no danger at all, if you are not in a hurry and go to the doctor indiscriminately, you will speed up the disaster. However, Liu Bucai might be able to accept this reasoning, but Grandma Qigu would never listen to it.Therefore, he had no choice but to take it all on his shoulders first, as a means of comforting his wife. "It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter!" He patted his chest and said, "I have a solution; I have a way, and I will do it today. There is something in front of me, so I have to make a decision first." This thing is to spread the news of Hangzhou, Tell Hu Xueyan.His little family was caught by a thief and his best friend died, these were the two sad things he couldn't bear; but the good news that his mother was alive and the whole family was safe was more than enough to offset the good news, so Gu Yingchun agreed that Liu Bucai should go to interview him. Grandma Qigu agreed, and of course Liu Bucai complied, but he asked to take a bath first—this was a desire he had dreamed about for days. "That's easy." Grandma Qigu said to Gu Yingchun: "You go to the bathing pond with Uncle Liu first; I'll go home and tidy up the house." "No, no! Seventh Sister," Liu Bucai said, "I'd better live in a hotel, so I'll be more free." "Liu Sanshu likes to be free, so you let him go." Gu Yingchun echoed; he had other intentions, thinking that it might be inconvenient to say something in front of Hu Xueyan, it would be more convenient to meet Liu Bucai in the inn. On the newly opened "stone road", buy a full set of clothes, shoes and hats from inside to outside, from head to toe; logically speaking, the worn and dirty clothes that Liu Bucai took off can be thrown into the trash can in.However, he wants to keep it. "In the past, I really didn't know the hardships of farming. Although I was down and out, and I didn't know where the supper was after lunch, I never worried. I never thought that I should be frugal when I have money. After this I have changed after a disaster." Liu Bucai said, "I want to keep this dress as a 'family treasure'. This is not a joke, I want my children and grandchildren to know that their ancestors have eaten like this suffering!" Gu Yingchun was quite surprised, "Uncle Liu," he said, I didn't expect you to have such an idea. " "I was also a little bit stimulated; think about how hard it is for a person to live up to expectations." Liu Bucai said, "When I entered the city from Tianzhu, I was sad and miserable, needless to say, but nothing is as terrifying as the human heart. Xueyan is in the local area. In the end, I did a lot of hard work. I don’t know that there is no one out of ten who say he is good now. I am really not convinced. If Xueyan really collapses, or Hangzhou really can’t go back If you don't, then you will be wronged for the rest of your life, and your bad reputation will not be washed away. One day when you are restored, Xueyan will still be as proud as before, and when you return to Hangzhou, I want to see what those people say?" This is a complaint, Gu Yingchun has a strange feeling.Ever since he knew Liu Bucai, it was rare to hear him complain; occasionally once or twice, he would always use a cold and mocking tone, and this was the first time he heard such serious and angry words. After chewing the meaning of his words for a while, he finally discerned a little taste; "Uncle Liu," he asked tentatively, "You seem to have something to say, hidden in your stomach." "Liu Bucai raised his eyes suddenly, stared blankly at Gu Yingchun, and nodded deeply after a long while, "Brother Yingchun, you guessed it right.I still have a few words, but I really should talk to you.Xueyan's situation is very unfavorable——. " After listening to him talk, I realized that Hu Xueyan had become the target of public criticism.Some people say that he defrauded the treasury of a considerable amount of public funds in the name of buying rice;In addition, some people said how he used public affairs for personal gain; "These are people who are usually jealous of Xueyan, or who have suffered at the hands of Wang Xuegong and blamed him. Crazy dogs biting, just avoid them; you can ignore them, but Changmao also took a fancy to Xueyan Yan, this is troublesome." The more you talk about it, the more strange it becomes, how can you grow hair and like Hu Xueyan?Gu Yingchun was very puzzled; but it would not be surprising if he said it; "Xueyan always likes to stand out and do good things. Let's say with conscience, half of him is enthusiastic and lively; half is just trying to gain fame. Li Xiucheng found out He wanted to ask Xueyan to come out to deal with the aftermath for him. This made him more jealous; there were a group of people who were doing it, and if Xueyan came forward, it would not be easy for that group of people to do it, so the first step was Yuan Zhongqing. This bastard came to intimidate; this is fine, the second step is really vicious. It is said that those people are planning to instigate the Beijing officials to sue Xueyan, saying that he cheated Zhejiang of the public funds for rice purchases, which caused the military supplies and the people to eat, please The imperial court issued an order to investigate and deal with it." Hearing this, Gu Yingchun turned pale with shock, "Where do we start? Isn't it to destroy his family?" He shook his head, "But I don't understand. The investigation will force the young uncle to live in Shanghai, so he has to go to Changmao, what good will it do them?" "Don't be busy, I still have something to say." Liu Bucai said, "They made rumors again, saying that it's fine if Hu Xueyan doesn't return to Hangzhou. Once he returns to Hangzhou, they will ring the gong and gather the crowd to settle accounts with him." "What account?" "I don't know what they're trying to do? This sentence is poisonous in the words 'Bing the gong to gather the crowd'; if it really happens like that, Xueyan will become a street rat, and everyone will shout and beat him!" Gu Yingchun tapped his forehead, "Uncle Liu," he frowned, "I'm confused by what you said. On the one hand, he's not allowed to go back; , then what are they going to do? Could it be that they really want to force people to hang themselves, maybe it’s not that easy?” "Of course. If Xueyan wants them to be cornered, can he still become Hu Xueyan? They also know that this is impossible; the purpose is to force Xueyan to say a word; if you spare me, I will never come to hurt you matter. Brother Ying Chun, do you think Xueyan will say this?" "If you don't want to, you have to agree. The relationship between young and old is too important." "That's a good word. But there's another difficulty." This layer of difficulties is a puzzle. One of Li Xiucheng's capable subordinates, Chen Bingwen, who is actually in charge of the government affairs of Zhejiang Province, must Hu Xueyan come forward to handle the affairs because the aftermath work is difficult.It is said that he has found the backer of Fukang Bank and asked him to transfer the word.According to Liu Bucai's judgment, he will arrive in Shanghai within two or three days. "According to this, I can't hide it from my little uncle." Gu Yingchun felt that the situation was tricky, and asked Liu Bucai, "You are a person who has experienced the situation, and you have always thought about it these days. What is the remedy?" "Of course I have thought about it. There is only one way to protect the family: but—" Liu Bucai shook his head and said, "You won't agree if you say it." "Tell me what's wrong." "The matter is clearly there, there is only one word: go! To be honest, Xue Yan has really gone back to Hangzhou, what can those people do with him?" Gu Yingchun didn't think so.But because Liu Bucai said it first, it is expected that he would not agree; it would be inconvenient for him to say anything to blame. "Uncle Liu," he said slowly, "we have to deal with the immediate difficulties, and we have to think about the future. In my opinion, I can only let my uncle make up his own mind on this matter." Bringing the good news that the whole family is safe is tantamount to bringing the bad news of Wang Youling's martyrdom; Liu Bucai did not mention Wang Youling, the so-called "all is in silence", Hu Xueyan exchanged tears, but the grief can still be endured, because Wang Youling's end like this was unexpected. More than a month ago, he bowed in the Qiantang River, and the farewell was the eternal farewell; the saddest moment has passed. What about Wang Youling's survivors?He wanted to ask, but he was afraid that the question would reveal a miserable situation, so he dared not speak.Grandma Qigu, on the other hand, deliberately wanted to talk about things that could reassure people, so she deliberately asked the Hu family one by one, starting from the old lady; this made it even more impossible for Hu Xueyan to speak. Talking about dinner, it happened that Dr. Zhang came back, and after being introduced, we had a drink at the same table. The two of them, who run a pharmacy, have a special feeling for each other, so the conversation was very congenial.After the meal, Gu Yingchun specially asked Dr. Zhang to examine Hu Xueyan again; perhaps because of the good news, he was full of vigor and vitality, and he had entered the country again compared to the morning pulse diagnosis. "There is still a very troublesome thing to discuss with the patient." Gu Yingchun quietly asked Dr. Zhang, "I don't know if it is suitable for his illness?" "Troublesome things don't suit a patient. But he's a different person, and he can handle the irritation, so it doesn't matter." That being the case, Gu Yingchun didn't want to hide it any more—his wife was the one who wanted to hide it; so when Grandma Qigu went back to her bedroom to see her child, he told Liu Bucai about the unfavorable situation of Hangzhou to Hu Xueyan, very tactfully, But it was also detailed. Hu Xueyan was very calm, and of course his face was quite heavy.After listening, he sighed: "Troubled times will have bad intentions. It's no wonder that anyone who wants to be reasonable and loyal at this time is the only one who suffers. However, you can also talk about interests." Hearing this tone, Hu Xueyan seemed to have a solution, and Gu Yingchun immediately asked: "Uncle, it's not too late, no matter what idea you make, you have to do it quickly!" "It doesn't matter, 'slow as much as possible'!" At this time, Hu Xueyan still had the heart to say such a light-hearted one-liner, Gu Yingchun was a little unconvinced, "It seems that my uncle really doesn't care!" He said slightly dissatisfied, "Could it be that there is really something It's a magic trick?" "It's not a magic trick! The matter is clear, since they asked the people in my bank to send a message; of course, they have to wait for a reply, whether it is good or bad, and then make sense. The people haven't arrived yet, what's the rush? " Hearing this statement, Gu Yingchun couldn't help but admire it; it turned out to be a very superficial truth, and it was only a mess, so it couldn't be seen clearly.This kind of kung fu is easy to say, but it is not easy to do it in practice; it is Hu Xueyan's extraordinary strength. "That's good!" Gu Yingchun said with a smile, "I'm relieved to hear that my uncle said it. Let's discuss it slowly." The sense of loyalty that is in a hurry is fully revealed in his relaxed demeanor.This was a great comfort to Hu Xueyan; it also aroused more confidence, so his tone became more calm. "That Yuan Zhongqing, I can see his internal organs; he is a 'Nud Bodhisattva crossing the river, he can't protect himself', and he never dares to be troublesome. Everyone else should think about it carefully. My family members are embarrassed, and they know that I am not easy to mess with." Hu Xueyan said: "They will not force me! It is no good for them to push me: First, I can go back to Hangzhou. If Changmao wants me, he will Listen to me, they have to think for themselves, they can beat me, but they can't beat me. Second, if I don't go back to Hangzhou, they will always have relatives in Shanghai, in case I want to retaliate. Third - then there is no need to go Speak it; it is the word of the future." Gu Yingchun wanted to inquire, "What about the future?" "In the future, there will always be a day when we meet, so we have to leave room for it. Don't be too extreme. Take the present as an example, everyone is saying how bad I am. If they embarrass my family, it will be wrong for them. Reasonable Become an unreasonable, slightly wiser person who refuses to do such a thing." Gu Yingchun couldn't agree to this point, and it would be too roundabout to leave room for a meeting, but the first two reasons are enough.Gu Yingchun urged him to say: "Uncle, tell me your way!" "My solution is to make a deal. They don't want me to go back to Hangzhou, that's fine; not only will I not fight with them, but I will show them some friendship. One day, when the government and army recover Hangzhou, I have my own way to protect them. However, right now they want to find a way for me; take my family members and send them out of Hangzhou." Is such a deal possible?Gu Yingchun was rather skeptical; therefore he remained silent, only looking at Liu Bucai, wanting to hear his opinion. But Liu Bucai was very interested in what he said, "This is a way." He said, "In my opinion, those people want to eat mutton, but are also afraid that the sheep will smell bad; they are afraid that in the future, when the officers and soldiers are restored, they will count on them." If they are really sure of protecting them, those people are willing to follow our method. However, empty talk is not acceptable.” “Of course there is only empty talk now; Believe it." Hu Xueyan paused and said, "Third Uncle, you are the only one who has worked hard on this matter, so go again: because others will tell you, and it is not easy for them to believe it." How can I talk to them." "Of course I have to brag." Hu Xueyan stopped and said, "Let me think about it." I thought about it for a long time, or put it aside for the time being; all in all, I didn't see him Talking about it again, I asked myself about the situation in Hangzhou, and cared about everything.Xueyan has a lot of friends, but when asked about acquaintances, either they were martyred, or their whereabouts are unknown, and none of them survived.Even Gu Yingchun, who was irrelevant, was saddened to hear it. It was more than ten o'clock when Liu Bucai was tired all the way, and he never stopped talking. No matter how good his spirit was, he couldn't support it anymore.Gu Yingchun routinely advised him not to stay in the inn anymore, but to sleep well first; Liu Bucai complied, and the girl from the Gu family waited on him and went to bed to rest. Hu Xueyan's spirit is still very good, "Old Gu," he beckoned Gu Yingchun to sit in front of the bed, and said in a low voice, "I don't use dirty tricks with people, this time I will do it one hundred and one times at a time. The whole family is in the hands of those bastards. I have to guard against them. I'm going to bury a medicine thread there now; okay, okay, if it doesn't work well, I'll light the medicine thread and blast his mother. They will not be at ease either. The words have explained it, and you know it in your heart; please your God and do a business for me." 他是“话说明了”，古应春却如丈二金刚摸不着头脑，“小爷叔，”他皱着眉说，“我还莫名其妙；什么药线，什么公事？” “公事就是药线，药线就是公事。”胡雪岩说：“这件公事，是以我浙江候补道兼团练局委员，奉王抚台委派，筹划浙江军需民食，以及地方赈济事宜的身分，报给闽浙总督衙门庆制军。公事上要说明，王雪公生前就顾虑援兵不到，杭州恐怕保不住，特意嘱咐我，他是决定城亡人亡，一死报答朝廷；但是杭州的百姓，不可不顾，因为我不是地方官，并无守土之责，所以，万一杭州沦陷，必得顾念家乡，想办法保护地方百姓。这是第一段。” 古应春很仔细地听着，已理会得胡雪岩入手的意思，并即说道：“第二段当然是叙你运粮到杭州，不能进城的情形？”“对！不过转道宁波这一层不必提。”胡雪岩略停一下又说，“现在要叙顶要紧的第三段，要这样说法：我因为人在上海，不能回杭州，已经派人跟某某人、某某人联络，请他们保护地方百姓，并且暗中布置，以便官军一到，可以相机策应。这批人都是地方公正士绅，秉心忠义，目前身陷城中，不由自主；将来收复杭州，不但不能论他们在长毛那里干过什么职司，而且要大大地奖励他们。” “啊，啊！”古应春深深点头，“我懂了，我懂了，这就是替他们的将来留个退步。” “对了。这道公事要等庆制军的批示，他人在福州，一时办不到；所以要来个变通办法，一方面呈报庆制军，一方面请江苏巡抚衙门代咨闽浙总督衙门，同时给我个复文，拿我的原文都叙在里头，我好给他们看。” “嗯、嗯！”古应春想了一下，记起一句话：“那么什么叫'公事就是药线'呢？” “这你还不懂？”胡雪岩提醒他说：“你先从相机策应官军这句话上去想，就懂了。” 真所谓“光棍一点就透”，古应春恍然大悟，如果那批人不肯就范，甚至真个不利于胡家眷属；胡雪岩就可用这件公事作为报复，向长毛告密，说这班人勾结清军，江苏巡抚衙门的回文，便是铁证。那一来，后果就可想而知了。这一着实在狠。但原是为了报复，甚至可以作为防卫；如果那批人了解到这道公事是是一根一点便可轰发火药，炸得粉身碎骨的药线，自然不敢轻举妄动。 “小爷叔！”古应春赞叹着说“真正'死棋肚子里出仙着'；这一着，亏你怎么想出来的？” “也不是我发明的。我不过拿人家用过的办法，变通一下子。说起来，还要谢谢王雪公，他讲过一个故事给我听；这个故事出在他们家乡，康熙年间有位李中堂，据说在福建名气大得很，他的同年陈翰林跟他有段生死不解的仇——。” 王有龄告诉胡雪岩的故事如此：这位李中堂是福建安溪人，他的同年陈翰林是福州人。这年翰林散馆，两个人请假结伴回乡。不久就有三藩之乱，耿精忠响应吴三桂，在福州也叛变了，开府设官，陈翰林被迫受了伪职。 李中堂见猎心喜，也想到福州讨个一官半职。而陈翰林却看出耿精忠恐怕不成气候，便劝李中堂不必如此。而且两个人闭门密谈，定下一计，由李中堂写下一道密疏，指陈方略，请朝廷速派大兵入闽。这道密疏封在蜡丸之中，由李家派人取道江西入京，请同乡代为奏达御前。 “这是'刀切豆腐两面光'的打算。”胡雪岩说：“李中堂与陈翰林约定，如果朝廷大兵到福建，耿精忠垮台，李中堂当然就是大大的功臣，那时候他就可以替陈翰林洗刷，说他投贼完全是为了要打探机密，策应官军——。”“啊、啊，妙！如果耿精忠成了功，李中堂这首密疏，根本没有人知道；陈翰林依旧可以保荐他成为新贵。是不是这样的打算？” "Not bad." “那末后来呢？”古应春很感兴趣地问：“怎么说是成了生死不解的冤家？” “就为李中堂不是东西，出卖朋友。耿精忠垮台，朝廷收复福建，要办叛逆的罪；李中堂自己得意了，竟不替他洗刷。害得陈翰林充军到关外。”胡雪岩说，“我现在仿照他们的办法，但愿那批人很识相，我替他们留下的这条洗刷的路子，将来一定有用。” “对！小爷叔的意思，我完全懂了；这道公事我连夜替你预备起来。” “不忙。明天动笔也不迟。”胡雪岩说，“我还有件事要先跟你商量。” 这件事是为王有龄身后打算，自不外名利两字。王有龄的宦囊虽不太丰，却决不能说是一清如水；“三年清知府，十万雪花银”，许多收入象征粮的“羡余”；漕粮折实，碎角子熔铸为五十两银子一个的“官宝”，照例要加收的“火耗”，在雍正年间就已“化暗为明”，明定为地方官的“养廉银”。此外“三节两寿”——过年、端午、中秋三节；本人及太太的两个生日，属员必有馈敬，而且数目亦大致有定规，这都是朝廷所许的收入。 王有龄的积蓄，当然是交给胡雪岩营运；他现在要跟古应春商议的，就因为经手的款子，要有个交代。“他们说王雪公有钱在我手里，这是当然的。我跟死者的交情，当然也不会'起黑心'。不过，”说到这里，他有点烦躁，“这样的局面，放出去的款子；摆下去的本钱，一时哪里去回笼？真教我不好交代。” 这确是极为难的事。古应春的想法比胡雪岩还要深，王有龄已经殉节，遗属不少，眼前居家度日，将来男婚女嫁，不但在在要钱，而且有了钱也不能坐吃山空。所以，他说：“你还不能只顾眼前的交代，要替王家筹个久长之计才好。”“这倒没有什么好筹划的，反正只要胡雪岩一家有饭吃；决不会让王家吃粥，我愁的是眼前！”胡雪岩说：“王雪公跟我的交情，可以说他就是我，我就是他。他在天之灵，一定会谅解我的处境。不过王太太或者不晓得我的心，他家的亲友更加隔膜，只知道有钱在我这里，不知道这笔钱一时收不回来。现在外头既有这样的闲话，我如果不能拿白花花的现银子捧出来，人家只当我欺侮孤儿寡妇。这个名声，你想想，我怎么吃得消？” 古应春觉得这个看法不错，他也是熟透人情世故的人，心里又有进一步的想法：如果胡雪岩将王有龄名下的款子，如数交付，王家自然信任他，继续托他营运，手里仍可活动。否则，王家反倒有些不大放心，会要求收回。既然如此，就乐得做得漂亮些。 麻烦的是，杭州一陷，上海的生意又一时不能抽本，无法做得“漂亮”。那就要靠大家帮忙了。 “小爷叔，”他问：“王雪公有多少款子在你手里？”“王太太手里有帐的，大概有十万；另外还有两万在云南，不知道王太太知道不知道。” “那就奇怪了。怎么在云南会有两万银子？” “是这样子的，”胡雪岩说，“咸丰六年冬天，何根云交卸浙江巡抚，王雪公在浙江的官，也没有什么做头了；事先安排，调补云南粮道。我替他先汇了两万银子到云南。后来何根云调升两江，王雪公自然跟到江苏；云南的两万银子始终未动，存在昆明钱庄是生息。王雪公始终不忘云南，生前跟我说过，有机会很想做一任云南巡抚；能做到云贵总督，当然更好。这两万银子在云南迟早有用处，不必去动它。现在，当然再也用不着了！”说到这里，胡雪岩又生感触，泫然欲涕。 等他拭一拭眼睛，擤一擤鼻子，情绪略略平伏，古应春便接着话题顺：“款子放在钱庄里，总有折子；折子在谁手里？”“麻烦就在这里。折子是有一个，我交了给王雪公；大概是他弄掉了，也记不起这回事，反来问我。这原是无所谓的事；跟他们再补一个就是。后来事多，一直搁着未办；如今人已过世，倒麻烦了，只怕对方不肯承认。” “你是原经手。”古应春说，“似乎跟王雪公在世还是故世，不生关系。不过，钱庄的规矩，我也不大懂，不知道麻烦何在？” “钱庄第一讲信用；第二讲关系；第三才讲交情。云南这家同业，信用并不见得好；交情也谈不上；唯一讲得上的，就是关系。王雪公在日，现任的巡抚，云南方面说得上话；我自己呢，阜康在上海的生意不算大，浙江已经坐第一把交椅，云南有协饷之类的公款往来，我可以照应他们，论生意上的关系也够。不过，现在不同了，他们未见得再肯买帐。”这番分析，极其透彻。古应春听入心头，亦颇有感慨；如今做生意要想发展，似乎不是靠官场的势力关系，就得沾洋人的光。风气如此，夫复何言？看起来王有龄那笔款子，除非大有力者援手，恐怕要“泡汤”了。 “只有这样，托出人来，请云贵总督，或者云南巡抚，派人去关照一声。念在王雪公为国殉难，遗属理当照应。或者那批大老肯出头管这个闲事。” “也只好这样。”胡雪岩说，“交涉归交涉，眼前我先要赔出来。” “这一来总数就是十二万。”古应春沉吟了一下，毅然决然地说：“生意在一起，信用也是大家的。我想法子来替小爷叔凑足了就是。” 这就是朋友的可贵了。胡雪岩心情很复杂，既感激，又不安；自觉不能因为古应春一肩承担，自己就可以置身事外，所以还是要问一问。 “老古，你肯帮我这个忙，我说感激的话，是多余的，不过，不能因为我，拖垮了你。十二万银子，到底也不是个小数目；我自己能凑多少，还不晓得，想来不过三五万。还有七八万，要现款，只怕不容易。” “那就跟小爷叔说实话，七八万现款，我一下子也拿不出；只有暂时调动一下，希望王太太只是过一过目，仍旧交给你放出去生息。” “嗯，嗯！”胡雪岩说，'这个打算办得到的。不过，也要防个万一。 " “万一不成，只有硬挺。现在也顾不得那许多了。” 胡雪岩点点头，自己觉得这件事总有八成把握，也就不再去多想；接下来谈到另一件事。 “这件事，关系王雪公的千秋。”胡雪岩说，“听大书我也听得不少，忠臣也晓得几个；死得象王雪公这样惨的，实在不多。总要想办法替他表扬表扬，留下长远的纪念，才对得起死者。” “这又何劳你费心？朝廷表扬忠义，自然有一套恤典的。”朝廷的恤典，胡雪岩当然知道，象王有龄的这种情形，恤典必须优渥，除了照“巡抚例赐恤”，在赐谥、立传、赌祭以外，殉节的封疆大吏，照便可以入祀京师昭忠祠，子孙亦可获得云骑尉之类“世袭罔替”的“世职”。至于在本省及“立功省份”建立专祠，只要有人出面奏请，亦必可邀准，不在话下。 胡雪岩的意思，却不是指这些例行的恤典，“我心里一直在想，王雪公死得冤枉！”他说，“想起他'死不瞑目'那句话，只怕我夜里都会睡不着觉。我要替他伸冤。至少，他生前的冤屈，要教大家晓得。” 照胡雪岩的看法，王有龄的冤屈，不止一端：第一、王履谦处处掣肘，宁绍可守而失守，以致杭州粮路断绝，陷入无可挽救的困境；第二，李元度做浙江的官，领浙江的饷，却在衡州逗留不进。如果他肯在浙西拼命猛攻，至少可以牵制浙西的长毛，杭州亦不会被重重围困得毫无生路；第三，两江总督曾国藩奉旨援浙而袖手旁观，大有见死不救之意，未免心狠。 由于交情深厚，而且身历其境，同受荼毒，所以胡雪岩提到这些，情绪相当激动。而在古应春，看法却不尽相同；他的看法是就利害着眼，比较不涉感情。 “小爷叔，”古应春很冷静地问道：“你是打算怎么样替王雪公伸冤？” “我有两个办法，第一是要请人做一篇墓志铭，拿死者的这些冤屈都叙上去；第二是花几吊银子，到京里请一位'都老爷'出面，狠狠参他一本。” “参哪个？” “参王履谦、李元度、还有两江的曾制台。” “我看难！”古应春说，“曾制台现在正大红大紫的时候，参他不倒。再说句良心话，人家远在安庆，救江苏还没有力量，哪里又分得出兵来救浙江？” 胡雪岩心里不以为然，但不愿跟古应春争执，“那末，王履谦、李元度呢？”他说，“这两个人总是罪有应得吧？”“王履廉是一定要倒霉的；李元度就说不定了。而且，现在兵荒马乱，路又不通，朝廷要彻查也无从查起。只有等将来局势平定了再说。” 这一下惹得胡雪岩心头火发，咆哮着问：“照你这样说，莫非就让这两个人逍遥法外？” 胡雪岩从未有过这样的疾言厉色，古应春受惊发楞，好半天说不出话。那尴尬的脸色，亦是胡雪岩从未见过的；因而象镜子一样，使得他照见了自己的失态。 “对不起，老古！”他低着头说，声音虽轻缓了许多；但仍掩不住他内心的愤慨不平。当然，这愤慨决不是对古应春。他觉得胡雪岩可怜亦可敬，然而却不愿说些胡雪岩爱听的话去安慰他。“小爷叔，我知道你跟王雪公的交情。不过，做事不能只讲感情，要讲是非利害。” 这话胡雪岩自然同意，只一时想不出，在这件事上的是非利害是什么？一个人有了冤屈，难道连诉一诉苦都不能？然则何以叫“不平则鸣”？ 古应春见他不语，也就没有再说下去，其实他亦只是讲利害，未讲是非；这一阵子为了替胡雪岩打听杭州的消息，跟官场中人颇有往来，王有龄之殉节，以及各方面对杭州沦陷的感想批评，亦听了不少。大致说来，是同情王有龄的人多；但亦有人极力为曾国藩不救浙江辩护，其间党同伐异的论调，非常明显。王有龄孤军奋战，最有渊源的人，是何桂清，却是“泥菩萨过江，自身难保”。在这种情形之下，如果什么人要为王有龄打抱不平，争论是非，当然会触犯时忌；遭致不利，岂不太傻？ 古应春也知道自己的想法，庸俗卑下；但为了对胡雪岩的关切特甚，也就不能不从利害上去打算了。这些话一时说不透彻；而且最好是默喻而不必言传，他相信胡雪岩慢慢就会想明白，眼前最要紧的是筹划那十二万银子；以及替胡雪岩拟公文上闽浙总督。 从第二天起，古应春就为钱的事，全力奔走。草拟公文则不必自己动笔；他的交游亦很广，找了一个在江苏巡抚衙门当“文案委员”的候补知县雷子翰帮忙；一手包办，两天功夫连江苏巡抚薛焕批给胡雪岩的回文，都已拿到了。这时，胡雪岩才跟刘不才说明经过，“三叔，”最后他说，“事情是这样去进行。不过，我亦不打算一定要这样子办。为什么呢？因为这件事很难做。” 刘不才的性情，是恨人家看不起他；说他是纨绔，不能正事；因而听了胡雪岩的话，大不服气，“雪岩，”他凛然问道：“要什么人去做才容易。” “三叔，”胡雪岩知道自己言语不检点，触犯了他的心病，引起误会，急忙答道：“这件事哪个做都难；如果你也做不成功，就没有人能做成功了。” 这无形中的一顶高帽子，才将刘不才哄得化怒为喜，“你倒说说看，怎么办法？”他的声音缓和了。 “第一、路上要当心——。” “你看，”刘不才抢着说；回时伸手去解扎脚带；三寸宽的一条玄色丝带，其中却有花样，他指给胡雪岩看，那条带子里外两层，一端不缝，象是一个狭长的口袋，“我前两天在大马路定做的。我就晓得这以后，总少不得有啥机机密文件要带来带去，早就预备好了。” “好的，这一点不难。”胡雪岩说，“到了杭州，怎么样向那些人开口，三叔，你想过没有？” “你方始告诉我，我还没有想过，”刘不才略略沉吟了一下又说：“话太软了不好，硬了也不好。软了，当我怕他们；硬了又怕他心里有顾忌，不敢答应，或者索性出首。”“对了，难就难在这里。”胡雪岩说，“我有两句话，三叔记住：逢人只说三分话，未可全抛一片心。”