Chapter 56 The twenty-ninth return tour housekeeper hypocritically helped wealthy businessman Jin Xiucai talk about cricket classics

Jin Xiucai and Yalang finished the delivery of the bank notes, and he was overjoyed. He was about to leave when someone patted him on the shoulder suddenly.Looking back, it was a man slightly older than himself, who seemed to be the housekeeper of a rich family from the looks of his clothes. "Sir, there is someone upstairs," said the man. "Who?" Jin Xiucai asked. "My master." "Who is your master?" "Qicaixia's boss." "Boss Hao?" "Exactly." "I do not know him." "What's the point? You'll know it when you go up."

Jin Xiucai was still hesitant. The man looked around and said in a low voice, "Do you think this ten thousand taels of silver is easy to earn? There are many people outside waiting to deal with you." Jin Xiucai looked up, and sure enough, he found many malicious eyes around him, so he said "Okay", and followed the man upstairs into a room in the back. There were three people sitting in the room, they were Ma Hao Yibiao, Xu Jue and You Qi who were in Huaiyang Restaurant that day.The three of them sat around the table, and there were several plates of delicate refreshments on the table.

These three people are often mixed together these days.You Qi, who is usually quite honest, has experienced everything from eating, drinking, prostitution and gambling to Hao Yibiao in just over ten days since he met Hao Yibiao.Zhang Juzheng is very strict in managing his family, if his family members cause trouble outside, he will always punish them severely.Last year, there was a servant who accepted a bribe of ten taels of silver from others and ran to Fang County to intervene in a lawsuit under his name.In this way, it has indeed played the role of killing chickens and scaring monkeys.After Zhang Juzheng became the first assistant, he tacitly allowed You Qi to associate with Xu Jue in order to establish a channel and maintain his close contact with Feng Bao.As for Hao Yibiao, it was because he needed his help due to the salary reduction of pepper and sumac.In this way, You Qi often left home to fool around with these two people, and he had a grandiose reason.This afternoon, Xu Jue sent someone to send a letter to Zhang Dashi's mansion, asking You Qi to meet at Qiukui's mansion in the evening, saying that he had something important to discuss.You Qi asked Mrs. Zhang for leave, and came to Qiukui's mansion in a small sedan chair as promised.

When the servant led You Qi into the elegant room on the second floor of Qiukui's mansion, Hao Yibiao and Xu Jue had already arrived.The three sat down, You Qi asked: "Why are you two guys here? Maybe you all have the passion for cricket fighting?" "If you have nothing to do, this is also the best place to have fun in the capital," Hao Yibiao said with a smile, "Besides, we have also made it clear that all the famous places to enjoy in the capital, you must let your brother leisurely appreciate it." "It always costs you money." You Qi said politely.

"Old You, I haven't seen you for two days, why is your back bent?" Xu Jue slid around You Qi with a pair of fishy eyes, and You Qi felt uncomfortable when he looked at him, so he retorted: "I'm so busy every day that my feet don't touch the ground. How can you be so happy as Mr. Xu, singing and singing every night, as happy as a fairy." "Hey, look at this old You," Xu Jue pointed at You Qi, looked at Hao Yibiao, and said with a playful smile, "He treats the most bitter thing in the world as a fairy life. What's so good about singing every night? One night, you opened the bag for Miaohui, are you tired? We are next door, and when we heard that little Taoist howl like a murderer, we know how much effort you put in. It’s no wonder if you don’t bend! Lao Hao, what can you do for Lao You tonight?”

Xu Jue has always been a teaser, and he saw that You Qi was a persimmon that was easy to pinch, so he made fun of him as soon as they met.Although You Qi had a lot of bad ideas in his stomach, but he was born with a dull tongue, and he was not Xu Jue's opponent in the lawsuit.After being mocked by Xu Jue, he had no choice but to shake his head and giggle. Fortunately, Hao Yibiao came forward to save him, and changed the subject and said: "Brother You, have you ever played cricket fighting?" "I played it when I was a kid." "What about after coming to the capital?"

"No," You Qi shook his head, "I've heard of the name of the Qiukui Mansion a long time ago, and this is the first time I've come here." "In this way, there are also university questions." As Hao Yibiao said, he talked about the cricket scriptures in the tone of an expert.You Qiben was not in the mood, and was afraid that they would laugh at him as "old-fashioned", so he could only pretend to be interested.As soon as Hao Yibiao finished speaking, he asked: "I heard that the set of clothes for playing crickets is also very particular. Just one cricket bowl costs three or two copper coins for cheap ones, and several taels of silver for expensive ones."

"Several taels of silver," Hao Yibiao laughed, "Brother You, another day I will invite you to my humble house to have a look at my collection of more than a dozen cricket bowls from the Xuande Kiln. The most expensive one is worth two hundred taels of silver." "My God," You Qi stuck out his tongue in shock, "This is purely lifted, even a golden basin is not worth the price." "The best Xuande kiln cricket bowl in my collection is from Suzhou," Hao Yibiao patted his head at this point, as if suddenly remembering something, looked at You Qi and said, "When it comes to Suzhou, I have something I want to ask You Qixiong to die quietly."

"What's the matter?" You Qi asked. "It's not a big deal, as long as Brother You is willing to help, it will be easy." "Ah, it's that simple." You Qi touched the cinnabar mole on his face, squinted his eyes and smiled, waiting for the next sentence. Hao Yibiao thought about it and said: "The season is about to change, we have ordered some clothing materials from Hangzhou, Suzhou and other places, and plan to transport them to the capital. I would like to ask Brother You to get three boats, two in Hangzhou, and one in Suzhou." "Let me get a boat?" You Qi's eyes widened all of a sudden, "Brother Hao, are you kidding me? Where am I going to get a boat?"

"Old You, since Brother Hao opened his mouth, he knew that you would definitely get these three boats." Xu Jue interjected. "Where do I get it?" "Look for your master, Lord Shoufu." "Looking for him?" You Qi was startled. "Yes, look for him!" Xu Jue replied simply, "On the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the person who manages the water transport is Cao Jiang Yushi, whose yamen is located in Yangzhou. Right now it is the summer grain and there are thousands of water boats on the canal. Mr. Shoufu wrote a letter to Yushi Caojiang, asking him to allocate three boats for brother Hao, isn’t it a piece of cake?”

You Qi hesitated and asked: "Aren't there still merchant ships on the canal? Why do you have to use Caojiang's tank boats?" When Xu Jue saw You Qi asking such stupid words, he was annoyed and funny: "Old You, are you pretending to be stupid, or do you really not understand?" "I really don't understand." You Qi insisted. Xu Jue had no choice but to explain: "On the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which is more than 2,000 miles away, there are tens of thousands of boats traveling from south to north, but the number of officials and bandits who rely on boats for food along the way is even more numerous. Departure, along the way, you have to pass through five customs clearances in Suzhou, Yangzhou, Jinanwei, Tongzhou, and Zhangjiawan. These are the tax customs of the imperial court. After passing one customs, you have to pay the tax once. After the tax is paid four times, the value of a shipment of goods is already Half of it was taken away, which is still relatively light. If you meet a guy who has plucked the wild goose, maybe the whole cargo will be lost to you. This is an official card. There are also bandits along the way. A group of robbers came out, killing people and stealing goods. If they did not rob the ship, the person who escorted the ship would have to take their lives. Therefore, ordinary merchants would never dare to hire a ship to transport goods. But there are two kinds of ships on the canal that are very safe. There are post boats, which are used to transport officials; there are also water boats, which are designed to transport food and official goods. They are all Cao Jun under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War, and they are all soldiers who eat imperial food. Who would dare to provoke them? Brother Hao’s reason for getting a few tank boats to transport the goods is firstly for the sake of safety; secondly, we Ming people don’t slander, and we can save a lot of tax money just by negotiating customs.” You Qi had heard what Xu Jue said for a long time.Merchants from the north and the south often entrusted powerful ministers in the capital to write notes to the censor Caojiang to buy tank boats, earning a lot of black money a year.The reason why he pretended to be confused was to force Hao Yibiao to tell the truth.When the impatient Xu Jue confided everything, he calculated in his heart: Each large tank boat can hold ten thousand shi of grain, and even the small one can hold six thousand shi.Hao Yibiao has three tank boats, all of which must be loaded with high-quality silk fabrics.Taking a middle price, the cargo of a ship is also worth one hundred thousand taels of silver, not to mention anything else, just how much silver will it cost for the four barriers? Thinking of this, You Qi had a plan in his mind, so he put aside the topic , Dang opened a sentence and asked: "Brother Xu, do you know? One of Wang Zhuan's subordinates, Jiang Erwang, was detained in the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice a few days ago." Xu Jue nodded to show that he knew, and said, "I heard that he was short of money. We read Wang Zhuan's note to the emperor today, saying that we want to investigate this matter strictly." "Can you read the scriptures?" You Qi asked boldly. "What's all the fuss about?" Xu Jue rolled his eyes at You Qi, "Our master can read any book that the emperor can read, and as long as our master can read it, we can read it." "So, we, brother Xu, are half the emperor. You, brother You, are also half the chief assistant." Hao Yibiao said a joke, which was meant to please, but unexpectedly the two big butlers changed their faces at the same time, You Qi hurriedly said: "Brother Hao, this is not a joke." "Yes, this is a crime of deceiving the emperor, and we can't afford it," Xu Jue echoed, and then picked up what he said earlier, and said to You Qi, "Wang Zhuan said that the cabinet has drawn up a vote. Tomorrow The decree will come out, requiring all yamen to do what the Wucheng Bingmasi did, and strictly investigate the corrupt officials of this department." "This is the main content of Jingcha." You Qi replied. "It's also a stroke of genius from Mr. Shoufu," Xu Jue suddenly felt a little resentful, "However, gongs are used as gongs, drums are used as drums, and the 18th yamen in the capital is anti-corruption. It does not prevent You Qi from doing this kind of favor." You Qi didn't say it was difficult or that it wasn't difficult, but just asked with a smile: "Brother Xu, tell me, once the emperor's imperial decree is issued tomorrow, can our master still write a letter to Yushi Caojiang?" "Why not?" Xu Jue said confidently, "Some time ago, the Beijing officials made a fuss over the discounting of pepper sumu. Your master asked Brother Hao to list for the purchase of pepper sumu. Brother Hao didn't say a word. The next day Just do it, and now ask the old man to write a note, which is considered a reward." You Qi knew that Xu Jue would bring up this matter, and he also felt that this was indeed a legitimate reason to ask the master to write a note, but he still refused to readily agree, and said perfunctorily: "Our master has strict rules. Don't say that I am a servant, even his relatives never dare to ask him to do something." "Brother You is really in trouble," Hao Yibiao, who had been listening to the conversation quietly, said at this moment, "However, if this matter can be done, I, Hao, will never let you work in vain." "Brother Hao's words are off the table," You Qi complained, and what he wanted in his heart was this sentence, "I will explain this matter to the master in a tactful way tomorrow. If it can be done, it will be your brother Hao. Luck, if it doesn’t work, don’t blame me.” "Okay, with your words, brother Hao will be reassured." Xu Jue stretched his waist and complained, "After chewing my tongue for a long time, I should get some wine to eat." The boy sifted a pot of hot wine, brought some refreshments to the table, the three of them had just finished a cup, when they suddenly heard a commotion downstairs, it turned out that the battle between the Golden Winged General and the Black Widow had reached a critical juncture: As soon as Jin Xiucai entered, Hao Yibiao got up and gave him a bow, saying, "Congratulations Mr. Jin, you have won a big victory tonight." "This is Mr. Hao in our house." The housekeeper introduced. "Ah, it's a pleasure to meet Mr. Hao," Jin Xiucai bowed his hand and said, "It's a small skill, but it's just mediocre, so I don't need Mr. Hao's congratulations." Hao Yibiao invited Jin Xiucai to take a seat, pointed to Xu Jue and You Qi and said, "These two are my friends." Both Xu Jue and You Qi bowed to welcome them. Both Hao Yibiao and Xu Jue have a hobby of raising and promoting weaving. Although they are not first-class masters, they are also well-known in the circle.Tonight, Jin Xiucai, whom no one has heard of, suddenly appeared, and pulled down Bi Lianzi, who had ruled the weaving field in the capital for more than ten years, which really surprised the two of them. Scholar, please come up for a while.As for You Qi, although he is a layman, since he is sitting in this room, he can only act on occasion. Jin Xiucai was seated, and the four of them happened to occupy one side, Hao Yibiao's butler withdrew and closed the door again.Jin Xiucai put the bamboo tube in his hand on the table. Xu Jue opened his eyes and said with a dry smile: "Mr. Jin, is the black widow in the bamboo tube?" "Yes." Jin Xiucai nodded. "Can we get to know each other?" "Why not." Jin Xiucai pushed the bamboo tube in front of Xu Jue as he spoke.Xu Jue held it up with both hands, and looked in through the gap in the grass, and saw that the black widow was very lazy at the moment, lying on the bottom of the tube and not wanting to move.Xu Jue then handed the bamboo tube to Hao Yibiao, Hao Yibiao stretched a piece of grass in and fiddled with it, and the black widow only moved slightly. "This black widow, how come people can't see the appearance of a king?" Hao Yibiao asked. Jin Xiucai took a sip of tea and asked, "Master Hao, what should the majesty look like?" Hao Yibiao replied: "Bi Lengzi's golden-winged general, in terms of color, is a spotless crab shell blue, with golden wings, red pincers, a mouth like a lion's mouth, a head like a dragonfly's head, and legs like a grasshopper's. And it's frizzy, which makes people's eyes hot at first sight. But you black widow is always so shriveled and listless. We really don't know how it can defeat the golden-winged general." Jin Xiucai smiled lightly, and replied, "Master Hao must have been poisoned by Jia Sidao too deeply." "how do I say this?" "Master Hao used the original words in "Autumn Insect Spectrum" written by Jia Sidao just now when he commented on whether weaving is a king. This Jia Sidao can be called the number one player in the Southern Song Dynasty. It is unrivaled at the time to gather the great achievements of the predecessors and have original ideas. But Jia Sidao has been dead for nearly three hundred years. How much change should there be during this period? Although crickets are stupid, they cannot remain unchanged. What's more, Jia Sidao also has unexplored the subtleties of crickets." When Hao Yibiao talked with Jin Xiucai, Xu Jue listened attentively.At this time, he interjected and asked, "According to Mr. Jin, where is the black widow winning?" Jin Xiucai replied: "Uncle Bi's Golden Winged General is indeed a divine product, but one can tell from its movement that it was produced in a defeated kiln." "Defeated kiln? How did you see it?" Xu Jue asked. "After a kiln was defeated, the fire of the kiln was completely quenched in the bricks. Although weeds grew everywhere for a long time, the dryness in the bricks was still strong. The weaving that grows in the cracks of this kind of bricks has pure yang energy and is blue in color. The body is red with pincers and golden wings, and everywhere is like burning oil, showing a heroic spirit. Uncle Bi's Golden Winged General has these characteristics. It is a bit of a disadvantage to say that it is one in a million, and it is hard to find it. The concubine is close to him. Judging from his appearance, the Golden Winged General does have the demeanor of a king." "If that's the case, why did it die at the hands of the black widow?" "It's called tofu in brine, one thing down one thing," Jin Xiucai blinked, and said with a sly smile, "The black widow below was born in an ancient tomb." "What ancient tomb?" Xu Jue didn't understand for a while. "It's an old grave from a long time ago." You Qi helped explain. Jin Xiucai glanced at You Qi, and continued: "This gentleman is right. The ancient tomb has a long history and is condensed to the essence of yin. The weaving produced in it is darker in color, with shorter limbs, and the whole body is black. .Because the cave is extremely cold, it seems to be awake or sleepy and not active. Once it is caught in the hand, let it go with its nature to raise it, raise its sharpness and accumulate its courage, and let it go into fighting, and it will have a miraculous effect." "Where did you catch you black widow?" "Xiangshan." "Well, there are a lot of old graves there," Xu Jue nodded, and then asked suspiciously, "The production of old graves can beat the production of defeated kilns, isn't it certain?" "If they are all top-grade, the products from the ancient tombs will definitely be better than the products from the defeated kilns. Although it is a Taoist saying to use yin to restrain yang, it is also a military strategy." Jin Xiucai speaks eloquently and clearly, and everyone who hears it is convinced.While Xu Jue was sipping tea, Hao Yibiao asked again: "Just now, Mr. Jin said that you can raise it according to its nature. What kind of raising method is this?" Jin Xiucai saw that the three people in front of him were sincerely asking for advice and had no malicious intentions, so he told the truth: "The method of raising varies with insects, so don't stick to it. Let's say that this black widow comes from an ancient tomb and is a female. It can be said that yin is added to yin. First of all, we must try to cure it of laziness and stimulate its fighting spirit. Prescribe the right medicine, and divide it into hydrotherapy and water treatment. Diet therapy. Let’s talk about hydrotherapy first. When the black widow was first caught up, from the cold crypt to the sun-drenched ground, the heat was unbearable all of a sudden, which doubled the fatigue. In order for it to adapt to the heat of the ground, it must be crushed with green grass. Mix human honey water thoroughly, then infiltrate river water to bathe it slowly. The important point here is that river water must be used, well water and spring water are not acceptable. Because these two kinds of water are too cold, the insects will inevitably tremble when poured on them. Fever, severe cases may even kill you. The river water is warm, and after watering it one time at a time, the black widow will adapt to the ground as usual in less than three days. Then there is diet therapy, the black widow is good at the crypt, and eat more cool bugs. It is good, but it still cannot cultivate fighting spirit. The correct method is to feed the tender flowers of Eclipta chinensis, and each meal is accompanied by four or five flies flying around the dry dung. Mix clear water and let her drink it. For several days, although the black widow is still lazy on the surface, her body is full of vitality. When encountering a battle, she will be able to get rid of her inertia after three or two rounds, and the more she fights, the better she will be. If you are brave, you must put the enemy and insects to death and then be quick." Jin Xiucai was not in a hurry, and he calmly uttered this high-level statement, and all the players present were in admiration.Hao Yibiao picked up the bamboo tube again, looked at the black widow carefully, and sighed: "It's such a good bug, it's a pity that it has a broken leg." "It doesn't matter, as long as it is recuperated for a few days, it will still be a hero in the world." "May I ask how to take care of you?" "Use the slug worms on the fence, and then add the flat worms, dry them together, grind them, and feed them, and then use strong ginger tea and the children's feces soaked in a copper pot for three days as a drink, and take care of them for seven days. The black widow Still as brave as ever:" "But he has a broken leg after all." "Aren't people who lose their arms and become heroes often appear?" "That's true," Hao Yibiao smiled dumbly, and then asked tentatively, "This black widow, I wonder if Mr. Jin can give up his love?" "Why, Mr. Hao wants to buy it?" "Yes, if Mr. Jin is interested, he can make an offer." Jin Xiucai took another look at the three present and said, "Since Mr. Hao intends to buy it, you should make the price." Hao Yibiao raised one hand and said, "Five hundred taels of silver, what do you think?" Jin Xiucai smiled and didn't answer. Hao Yibiao was stunned for a moment, and said impatiently: "Last time, Bi Lianzi's Golden Winged General, we offered 800 taels of silver and he refused to give it up. Since the Black Widow has defeated her, I will simply add another 200 taels of silver. Thousand taels of silver, will you sell it or not?" Jin Xiucai burst out laughing, and the three people present made him laugh. "What are you laughing at?" Xu Jue asked with a straight face. Jin Xiucai stopped laughing, and said: "Master Hao is rich and powerful. He is willing to pay a thousand taels of silver to buy a worm, which is considered a hero, but I, Jin, refuse to sell it!" When Xu Jue saw Jin Xiucai getting mad, he threatened, "Mr. Jin probably doesn't know Master Hao's reputation?" "Although I, Jin, have little talent, I still know Master Hao's reputation. He is so rich that the country spends money like water. A few days ago, he posted a notice to buy a large amount of pepper sumac to solve the difficulties of the household department. The 18th yamen in the capital, the 20th internal prison All the four bureaus have buddies and friends, and they are all masters." "Since you know this, why don't you sell it?" "If you sell it, I will offend everyone here." "Ah? When Zhou Yu beat Huang Gai, one was willing to fight and the other was willing to suffer. How could he offend Huang Gai?" Hao Yibiao asked.In contrast, he seemed reasonable. "I, Jin, made 10,000 taels of silver just now. That's gambling. There is only winning or losing at the gambling table, and there is no morality. Now you, Mr. Hao, want to spend 1,000 taels of silver to buy the black widow. This is a business. If it is a business, it must be fair. Trade. How can a bug caught from a broken coffin be worth a thousand taels! Even if you, Mr. Hao, are willing to pay this price, if I, Jin, want it, wouldn’t it be cheating on you?” "Mr. Jin is a scholar, he speaks morally." You Qi sighed. "Then you have to set a price for how much it is worth." Hao Yibiao urged. Jin Xiucai pushed the bamboo tube towards Hao Yibiao, and said generously: "I think Master Hao is a man of Taoism, and he has the legacy of a chivalrous man who bought horse bones with thousands of dollars. Anyway, this black widow will be given to you." "This……" Hao Yibiao was embarrassed that Jin Xiucai was so generous.The sullen Xu Jue forced a smile again, and praised: "Mr. Jin is a cheerful person after all." "This master doesn't need to praise, there is a small condition for Jin to present the black widow." Hao Yibiao raised his hand: "Please tell me." Jin Xiucai said: "Before going down into this room, I was reminded by Master Hao's butler that Jin won the ten thousand taels of silver, and I am afraid that going out would be dangerous. Therefore, I asked Master Hao, can you send someone to escort me back to the humble house?" .” "What's so difficult about it, we don't need Mr. Hao, our old Xu can do it." Xu Jue replied generously, then slapped his hands and shouted, "Come on!" In response to the sound of the door, the "scraper face" from Dongchang walked in. Xu Jue said to him: "You send a few brothers to escort this Mr. Jin home. If there is any mistake, I will take you as a questioner." "Yes." Xie Daomian stepped back outside the door and waited. Jin Xiucai immediately stood up, bowed his hands to the three present, and said, "Thank you all, Jin will take a step first."