Chapter 711: The dragon boat is sick, and the shock changes

Since the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Guangzhou has held a dragon boat race every year during the Dragon Boat Festival, which is located on the Pearl River opposite Haizhu Island, close to Huangpu Town. The Pearl River, which flows through the south of Guangzhou today, is no better than the Pearl River, which will gradually silt up in the future, and the widest part of the river is two miles, and the locals have always called it Xiaohai. Racing dragon boats on such a wide river, the dragon boats are naturally unusually tall and gorgeous, although sponsored by the government, each dragon boat is paid by local wealthy businessmen, and the largest number of participants can reach twenty or thirty.

Although last year was the great funeral of the Son of Heaven, because Emperor Hongxi Zhu Gaochi left a system that the funeral should be simple and the people could not help marrying, so this year's dragon boat racing was not affected, but the government in order not to publicize, the number of dragon boats was reduced to ten.

Each of these dragon boats is more than ten zhang long, six or seven feet high, and there are pavilions on the dragon boats, which are painted and painted, and they are particularly dazzling in the blazing sun. In the center, one of the most conspicuous and beautiful dragon boats carried nearly 100 people, and there were as many as forty or fifty pairs of oars sticking out of the boat. The rowing men were all sturdy, wearing red cloth shoulders and red shorts and red turbans. The person who led the drumming was even naked, and the muscles of the tomb were hard and shiny, and the red silk tied to the drumstick was also fluttering in the wind. At the end of the dragon boat, there is a middle-aged man wearing a unicorn suit.

Zhang Yue hired a boat early in the morning to take his family to Haizhu Island. Although he politely declined the Guangzhou prefect's suggestion to invite him to preside over the dragon boat race, he brought his family members to the scene, which naturally made the officials above and below the government very happy. It's just that this time, Qin Huaijin, the governor and eunuch of the city, went into battle in person under the pretext of praying for the safety of the emperor in the palace, and their spirits were divided into more than half of the past, but they also had to circle around their bosses before and after the saddle. At this time, Zhang Yue saw the order flag lowered on the high platform, and the ten dragon boats on the wide river were advancing with their heads held high, and he couldn't help but feel excited, and Fang Jing next to him was also amazed.

"When I was in Shaanxi in the past, I also saw big rivers, but where the water flow of those rivers is as wide and calm as here, and you can also race dragon boats, which is really exciting! Big brother, look at how fast that red dragon boat is! ”

Zhang Yue knew that there were also dragon boat races in the Imperial Garden, but after all, it was mostly a performance, and they were all forbidden army athletes competing in their own skills, the rules were greater than the competition, and the rewards were greater than the fun. Seeing those men competing for the lead, the cheers below, standing on the high platform set up by the government office, he couldn't help but feel cheerful.

On the big river, the armhands on each dragon boat deliberately insert the paddle blades into the water and pick it up, for a time the water splashes, and the oarsmen at the bow and stern of the boat are in accordance with the rhythm of the drum to press the boat, for a time, the dragon boat undulates like a dragon playing in the water, which arouses the loud cheers of the onlookers on both sides of the strait. And when there was a commotion below, some of the officials on the high platform started to say that they were going to make poems. Zhang Yue, who was originally just thinking about coming out to play, naturally didn't bother to mix with these, and pushed back for a while before deliberately retreating. Although he had the heart to see how Du Juan and the others were doing, he saw that there were drapery on all sides of the other high platform, and they were all women, so he immediately dispelled the interest of joining in the fun.

However, before he came down from the tall building and stood still, he heard someone calling behind him, and when he turned his head to look, he realized that it was Peng Shisan, who had stayed at the Yamen of the Political Secretary. Seeing that this dusty servant was sweating profusely, seeing that he just arched his hand, and then looked around, he couldn't help but laugh and quipped: "What, I miss your daughter-in-law after not seeing you for a day?" ”

"Don't these husbands and wives have to think of each other?" Peng Shisan didn't take this joke seriously at all, and replied confidently, and then said seriously, "I just received a letter from the master from the capital, and it was a month ago to see that the payment was made." The messenger also brought me a message, saying that the letter master had sorted out a lot of old lady's relics, some of which were to be left for Lingxi, and I wanted to ask her what to do. After all, there are several wives and grandmothers above, and she is not good at living. ”

The Gu family had already assigned the affairs of the family in an orderly manner before he died, so hearing Peng Shisan say this at this time, Zhang Yue felt abrupt, and after thinking for a while, he put his hand away, after all, this is not a big deal. Taking the letter handed over by Peng Shisan, he looked around, and saw that there was no one else, so he opened the envelope and took out the two neatly folded letterheads. originally thought that Zhang Fu was just routinely explaining the situation in the capital, but he was surprised when he glanced at it.

The eldest uncle Zhang Xin changed from a civilian position to a military position, and suddenly moved from the left attendant of the military department to the commander of the Jinyi Guard, and the emperor even designated the hereditary commander to inherit the hereditary position of the commander! Compared with such a completely unexpected piece of news, he almost ignored the latter piece of news, that is, the new admiral eunuch of the City Ship Division has appointed the former imperial eunuch Zhang Qian.

"Young Master?"

Peng Shisan saw Zhang Yue's face change several times, and he didn't know that things had changed. Although he is a member of the British government, he has followed Zhang Yue more than Zhang Fu over the years, and he married Lingxi, this time the master Zhang Fu just asked, and he took it down as a deserved, and followed him to Guangzhou thousands of miles away. At this moment, after he asked, he saw Zhang Yue hand the letterhead back, so he took it and quickly browsed it without hesitation.

"This ...... It's so ridiculous, a soldier in the military department actually changed to a brocade guard commander Tongzhi? ”

Although Peng Shisan is not a resourceful strategist and military advisor, but after following Zhang Fuzhang for more years, his knowledge is naturally first-class, and he can see through the trickiness at a glance: "The hereditary military position is a favor, but there are so many princes and uncles in Beijing, and a hereditary commander is just how much he inherits?" If you had changed from civil to military at the beginning, you would have barely been able to get by for such a military position, you can trust the master...... To put it mildly, where does the old man know martial arts, Brother Zhen'er's martial arts are ten times more sparse than the young master's original! ”

Although Peng Shisan was telling the truth, Zhang Yue was still a little annoyed when he compared himself, and couldn't help glaring at him angrily. Uncle Zhang Xin and his entourage rushed to the capital from Kaifeng in the first month, when Ding Wei's period expired, and he was just about to leave, so he didn't have time to say too much. It's just that before he left, he learned that Lu Zhen, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, recommended Zhang Xin to serve as the squire of the Ministry of War, and he felt a little strange. Unexpectedly, Zhang Xin didn't sit in that seat for long, and suddenly became a military attaché.

For his parents, brothers and family, Zhang Yue has always adhered to the heart of protection, but he can't understand the cause and effect of this matter, even if he rises and falls, he is thousands of miles away, and he is really confused. Zhang Fu said simply in the letter, but what the real situation is, I may have to wait until he returns to Beijing to figure it out.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yue accepted the letter. His father Zhang Zuo is now sick and absent at home, no better than Zhang Fu, the prince of the country, so it is naturally not good to send someone to send a letter at any time. Counting the two-and-a-half-month delay on the way and the month after arriving in Guangzhou, he had not communicated with his father for nearly four months. Because Zhang Fu didn't mention it in the letter, he asked Peng Shisan: "Did the sender also mention the situation at home in the capital?" ”

"He mentioned that everything else in the family is fine, and the people are still waiting at the Yamen of the Political Secretary, and the young master will be able to see him when he goes back."

"That's good."

Knowing that the capital has been cleaned up now, although the Zhang family does not say An Ruo Taishan, but the most that those overly vigilant bosses can do is to weaken the strength of the Zhang family, and they will never go too far, so Zhang Yue naturally has no doubt about this. Seeing that there were many shrewd vendors selling zongzi by the riverside, he greeted Peng Shisan.

In such a place where the time is right, almost all of those vendors are good business. Whether it's meat dumplings, white rice dumplings, bean paste dumplings, red bean dumplings, ...... Strings of cooked zongzi were sold out continuously, and many people who watched the dragon boat race were holding the zongzi by the river while eating and watching, and after a while, the hawkers were only left raw, and they didn't even have time to cook them in the pot. While these people are doing a lot of business, there are even more people who are talking about the victory or defeat of the dragon boat race.

"If you want me to say, the Chu family business is going to win this time, and for this dragon boat race, I heard that Chu Fatzi has given a reward of 100 yuan per person!"

"A hundred banknotes is a fart, and besides, Chu Fatzi is also in the middle of the various commercial houses. If you want me to say, it is still the Qin family's Zhujiang business that has a big chance of winning, he is very good in officialdom and shopping malls, and I heard that everyone is optimistic about him in the bets of various merchants. ”

"You just save it, and don't look at the backstage of the biggest boat. There is the admiral eunuch Qin Gonggong of the city division who supports him, who dares to cross him, and do you want to do business with those people? ”

"Alright, well, you all have to argue a few words. I know this well, I have a relative who works as a handyman in the city, and I heard that Father-in-law Qin has sold a lot of big guys who don't need them in the past few days and exchanged them for a lot of cash. A few people who sold lottery tickets just now saw it, although this was a way for those rich businessmen in Guangzhou City to have fun, but that Qin Gonggong spent a whole thousand yuan to buy a win! That's not a treasure banknote, it's Huang Chengcheng's money! I heard that he didn't know what was crazy today, and he actually got on the dragon boat himself...... Isn't this eunuch going into the water for a long time? ”

Zhang Yue and Peng Shisan, who were carrying two zongzi in their hands, squeezed forward from the end, and those buzzing discussions kept drilling into their ears. When Zhang Yue relied on Peng Shisan's huge body and strength to get to the first row, not only did he complain constantly, but he heard more than a dozen insider versions of the victory and defeat of the dragon boat race, each of which was different, and some people even said that the victory or defeat was determined by him. Although he thought it was funny, he thought that the prefect had just said that the winner would receive a plaque from the government of Zhujiang Yingjie, as well as a bonus of Wanguan treasure banknotes jointly provided by various firms, plus bets everywhere openly and secretly, he was also relieved.

This single gambling word could have derived countless stories.

"It's a sprint, a few ships over there are sprinting!"

In order to make it easier for the families of officials to watch the dragon boat race, it was originally close to the final destination. Therefore, after such a shout, the eyes of the people in front of them widened, and the people behind them had to stand on tiptoe to look around, and even directly grabbed the shoulders of the people in front of them. Thanks to Peng Shisan's protection behind him, Zhang Yue finally stood firmly. Just as he squinted his eyes to determine which dragon boat had crossed the finish line first, he suddenly saw the largest dragon boat break off from the middle, and everyone on it fell into the water at once. For a while, the onlookers naturally shouted.

"It's Qin Huaijin's dragon boat!"

Without Peng Shisan's reminder, Zhang Yue naturally recognized the most ostentatious dragon boat. For the guy who was about to pass his anger, he didn't put too much thought into it, and there were not enough people around him, but he also ordered his eyes to stare - after all, Wang Jin had already made a gesture, and this person would not end well even if he returned to Beijing, so he didn't bother to continue his eunuch nemesis banner - and he just copied this person's home, and those gold and silver treasures couldn't enter the treasury. Therefore, for Qin Huaijin's last performance today, he naturally had the intention of watching the excitement, and he didn't pay too much attention to it.

The Pearl River Estuary raced dragon boats every year, and occasionally there were past incidents of capsizing and falling into the water, but because the rowing men were all good at water, there was never anything too big in the past. It wasn't until someone muttered a sentence that Gonggong Qin fell into the water that there was a commotion in the crowd. At this moment, there was also a commotion on the high platform behind him, and it was not long before several officers ran forward panting and shouted loudly.

"The Lord of the Mansion has a reward, and whoever rescues the city's father-in-law, Qin, will be rewarded with thousands of new bills!"

Although today's treasure banknotes have been depreciated to almost worthless, but a thousand new banknotes are worth more than ten copper coins, enough for a medium-sized family to live for a year, for a while, on the riverside, but only to see many people without saying a word to take off their clothes, plunged into the water. After a while, Zhang Yue felt that his side had become empty, and in the river in front of him, many people were paddling hard to swim to the center of the river, and no one cared about who won the dragon boat race this time.

Finding that there were dozens of people in the water, he frowned and turned around and walked towards the high platform. Far away, more than a hundred paces away, he suddenly heard a few accents that he didn't understand at all, and when he looked closely, it was a few men in short shirts who were holding bright and dangling blades and slashed up to the high platform. Only one of them looked at the face, and several of the servants under the high platform were taken by the murderous aura, one was slashed by someone, one was slashed by a cannibal and slashed his arm and fled in a hurry, and the other instincts gave way to the way, and actually watched them go to the wooden staircase.

Seeing that such a few people were about to rush to the high platform full of officials, five or six big men suddenly burst out of the oblique, which just blocked the people. Although the assassins were brave, those big men were originally the guards brought out by Zhang Yue, except for Niu Dare and the two of them, the rest were tough guys who fought in the army, and there was no ambiguity under them. Peng Shisan was afraid that there would be assassins, so he didn't dare to leave Zhang Yue's side a little.

Accustomed to seeing the scene of flesh and blood, although he was shocked at first, Zhang Yue quickly came back to his senses, and Zhang Yue naturally stopped. Seeing that most of the civil officials on the high platform who were still leisurely chanting poems against each other were panicked, the Li Governor was still calm and scolded a few words, he couldn't help but look back at the river again, and found that there was still a mess, and he only felt that there was a lot of fog in front of him.