At present, the Ming Dynasty has formed a pattern of civil and military nobility, and even if the military attache sits in the first grade, it is not as high as the third or fourth grade of the civil official. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

Due to the fact that the system of guards is seriously inconsistent with the actual national conditions of the Ming Dynasty, the desertion of the guards is serious, and Guangdong is no exception. Some guards actually have insufficient troops and have basically lost their original functions. If an army is unable to perform its functions, it will be difficult for the commander to be looked down upon, so the vicious circle will be that the status of the guard will be lower. Even if you lift people, you can make the guards work for you.

As the Jinyi Guard, who exists as the pro-army of the Son of Heaven, belongs to a rare outlier in this environment, although he does not dare to provoke civilian officials, he can basically maintain his dignity.

The Ming Dynasty has 13 provinces in Beijing, and there are 14 Jinyi Wei thousand households, and each thousand households command the Jinyi school captain in the province. Because there is no fixed number of Jinyi, the name is 1,000 households, and the actual number of commanders is more than 10,000, plus the surplus of the wrestlers who are only under the commander and have not been listed, etc., 350,000 people are not unusual.

The Son of Heaven Chong Ling ascended the throne, the first assistant was the country, and since the death of Lu Bing in the Jiajing Dynasty, the power of Jinyi is not as good as before, and now Ti Shuai Liu Shouyou, most of the power was seized by Dongchang. But at the local level, it is still a force to be reckoned with.

In particular, as the eyes and ears of the Son of Heaven, the Jinyi official has always had the power to go on the book alone, and the performance is not through the political envoy, and is transferred to the capital along the way by the Jinyi Guard, and the content of the performance is unknown to outsiders. This kind of power is like a sharp sword half out of its sheath, so that no one dares to try its edge easily.

In addition, Jinyiwei has an influence on the water and dry wharf, no matter how the status declines, there will always be a profit sharing, and the power is weak and the financial resources are not declining.

Guangdong Jinyi Qianhu Sabao's ancestral home is Fujian, his ancestors in the Jing disaster to transport grain into Yanjing made great contributions, and then followed Zheng He to the sea to the West, seven sons went to sea and five sons died. Relying on the merit of this human life, earning back the hereditary title of commander and serving as a commander, and actually awarding thousands of households, is also a force that cannot be underestimated in Guangdong. Just the food, money and food of tens of thousands of people in his hands, coupled with the filial piety of the cargo ships on the dock, his wealth is not known.

Although Sa Shizhong is a martial artist, he likes to study, and he has a reputation for showing talent on his head, so he did not continue to take the exam. The respect for scholars, especially for talents, made his attitude towards Fan Jin very different from those of the Zhang family's servants.

Along the way, he asked Fan Jin if his arm was injured, and gave him a bottle of good injury medicine used inside Jinyiwei for treatment. When the carriage stopped and Tianfu lifted the curtain, he took the initiative to pull Fan Jin's arm and get out of the car, and swam with his arm, as if he was reversible.

The military attache in brocade clothes is not a clear stream, and he does not need to decorate the façade with the image of poverty, and the extravagant atmosphere of the Ming Dynasty at this time also affects the food and clothing of the Sa family. The mansion is very large, the courtyard is heavy, the winding path is secluded, and among the maids and maids who greet Sa Shizhong, there are both Han and Semu people, and there are even a few dark-skinned Yangyi. Thinking about the time now, the Portuguese have almost taken root in the trenches, and it is not surprising that there are these black slave traders.

Fan Jin was a man in two lifetimes, and he had seen the tall and magnificent buildings of later generations, and even the Forbidden City had been to the Forbidden City many times. Therefore, although he was full of praise along the way, he looked calm, as if he didn't care about all this.

The scope of Sa Shizhong's travels is very wide, and the literati have seen a lot. No matter how he said that he looked down on fame and fortune, as soon as he entered the Sa family, he was either attracted by the luxury of these buildings, or he couldn't bear to stagger his eyes when he stared at those beautiful maids. In his opinion, Fan Jin's behavior felt that this was a real gentleman with a noble temperament and wealth that could not move his heart, and his admiration was even stronger.

Along the way, the two talked about calligraphy, and it was very deed, and Sa Shizhong said: "I have heard that calligraphy and painting are a family. People who write well, Danqing kung fu will not be bad, from Brother Fan this is an excellent example, we are in the city of Guangzhou, if you want to talk about painting, I am afraid that no one can compare with Brother Fan. Especially what...... Pencil drawing, yes, that's the name, pencil. This kind of pen brother is the first time to see, like a woman's eyebrow pencil, but there is a difference, with this to paint, than the brush to be more difficult, Brother Fan's pencil drawing ability, I don't know which one to learn from? ”

"It's a joke for Brother Sa, the pencil making method is the younger brother who read it from an ancient book, the ancient book is old for a long time, and the name is unknown, it records the pencil making method, and the younger brother is also imitating the ancients, and it is just made in the same way. As for this painter, he came by mistake and couldn't get into the hall of elegance. ”

"No, no, Brother Fan's words are wrong. My father was very interested in pencil drawing, and when you talk to each other after you meet, you will know his old man's intentions. According to his old man, this pencil is very useful and must be used properly. I just don't know, can Brother Fan see this pencil method? ”

"It's not difficult, I'll write a list when I go back, and I'll list the specific methods."

The two were talking, and they had already come to the upper room, and after the servant passed it, there was a letter of invitation, and when they entered the room, on the chair of the Taishi in the middle, an old man in his fifties was sitting with a golden knife. Like Sa Shizhong, this old man's appearance is majestic, and he has obvious characteristics of a man with color eyes, so he can know that he is naturally the owner of this house, Sabao.

The leader of the brocade-clothed cavalry was as polite to Fan Jin as his son, and apologized again and again to ask for forgiveness as soon as they met.

"Fan Gongzi, I'm sorry to say this, Shizhong lied to you, I wanted to see you, not some guests at home. But there are a lot of people who invite Fan Gongzi right now, if you don't tell such a lie, you are afraid that you will have no time to doppelgänger, and I am also a clumsy trick of last resort, don't be surprised. ”

"You're polite, if you have a move, the students don't dare not come, not to mention that Brother Sa has just helped to relieve the siege, in public and private, the students have no reason not to come, let alone be surprised."

Sa Bao asked what he had helped, and after listening to Sa Shizhong's relay, he shook his head and said, "Mr. Zhang is a benevolent elder, but unfortunately he can't speak when he gets down." Zhang Shilu himself is very ridiculous, and his subordinates are even more indecent, what kind of women are not in order, most of them are fictitious to the wall, and even Mr. Zhang himself may not know about it. As for the matter of the house, it is just a ghost made by a few housekeepers, and blackmailing scholars is even more unforgivable. Shizhong turned around and said to Zhang Shilu, if anyone dares to blackmail scholars, don't blame me for being rude. Fan Gongzi, I invited you here today, I really want to borrow your big money to do a very tricky thing. ”

"But I don't know what the Protectors command?"

"I don't dare to do it, I really ask Gongzi for help, Gongzi Danqing painting art, Guangzhou doesn't think about the second person. Especially the pencil drawing, the characters in the painting, like resurrection, are simply fairy-like skills. Today's decay is on this, there is a reluctant request, first of all, I want to ask, assuming that this party is not in front of him, can Fan Gongzi paint it? ”

Fan Jin thought for a while, "If people are not in front of them, someone has to describe to me in detail what they should draw, and they can only use pencils." Because people say that I listen, there must be discrepancies, and it is very inconvenient to modify it with a brush at any time. ”

"Yes, yes, I said pencils are convenient, and that's one of the reasons, it's easy to modify and saves a lot of effort. The narrator has it, and he can say it clearly, but he doesn't know what the drawing looks like? ”

Fan Jin said: "Students don't dare to say this, after all, it is someone else, they can't see it in person, and they don't dare to say that it must be like it." Before the student for the carpenter Li Lao's family did not go out of the boudoir portrait, but also do not see people, can only rely on the description to paint, Master Li lifted, said that there are eight points similar, I think this is a prize, it is not easy to have six points of similarity. ”

Sabao said: "I've seen that painting, and it's not an award to say that it's eight points, it's really appropriate, but it's just that his daughter is a little beautiful." If it is used to deceive the son-in-law, it doesn't hurt to paint more beautifully, but I want to draw as similar as possible, not too beautiful and not too ugly, as long as it is just right. ”

Fan Jin nodded, "It's not that it can't be, it just takes some effort." Students don't dare to protect it, it must be what they are. ”

"This is certain, even if you invite the painter in the palace to come, you don't dare to say that it must be like me, and the old man understands this. Just try to be as similar as possible, not like the shadow graphics in the yamen. In addition, there is a reluctance, which is also a massive inclusion of Fan Gongzi. This portrait must be kept secret, and the prince can neither ask who he painted, nor can he tell anyone else who you have painted after leaving the house. I can't say it until it's done. ”

Fan Jin thought for a while, "According to the orders of the guards, students have to push off the future banquet in order to keep their mouths shut, otherwise they will inevitably lose their speech during the banquet, even if the students can keep secrets, they also need to avoid suspicion." If the time is not long, it is good to arrange, but if it is protracted, it will take some weeks for students to eat three meals and one night. ”

What Fan Gongzi said was, after all, Gongzi is currently selling paintings for a living, and if he does not show up for a long time and his fame is gone, his livelihood will become a problem. This official is not an unkind person, and some things have to be said in advance. Gongzi's house tried a small setback, but he was still young, so he couldn't give up his fame and concentrate on calligraphy and painting. After the government test, there was another big test, and the son only thanked the guests on the grounds of studying behind closed doors, and the masters were not good at each other. I'm here to say a word to Gongzi that shouldn't be said, Fan Gongzi has the head of the Zhongnanhai case, he must be full of money, and as long as the big test ends, there is no reason not to win. Therefore, although the article cannot be wasted, it does not have to work too hard. As long as you paint with peace of mind, you don't have to worry about your future. As for expenses, I won't embarrass Childe. Shizhong, you go and get Mr. Fan's pen. ”

When his son went out, Sabao pondered for a moment, and then said: "There is another matter, just give it to Fan Gongzi with a joint." You have a friend who has dealt with the dental industry before, and procured military food, right? You tell her not to leave Guangzhou in the near future, and then there is a big military food business for her to do, and the Zhang family's military food business will not be done for a long time. ”

Due to the great success of Nanhai County's silver conversion method, the counties of Guangzhou had to follow Nanhai's example and also engage in silver as a substitute for service. A lot of silver was collected, and the next purchase of grain with silver became an extremely important shortage. Originally, Fan Jin and Liang Pandi were in charge of the grain purchase errand in Nanhai County, but with the transfer of Hou Shouyong, it naturally belonged to others.

Zhang, Wei and several other local gentry in Guangzhou each contributed a part of their share capital and contracted the work of purchasing and transporting military rations. Compared with Fan Jin, who can only rely on empty envelopes to buy grain on credit, these big families have quite a lot of furniture, and they have rice at home, so it is indeed more convenient and suitable to start this business.

These people have a relationship with the yamen, and it is much more convenient to do things than Fan Jin, and Fan Jin doesn't think he can compete. But according to Sabao, things seem to be turning around, or is there something wrong with those big households?

At this time, Sa Shizhong had already returned, and he did not see any gold or silver in his hand, but only brought a man. This man was forty miles old, short and thin, with dark skin, and extremely shabby clothes, which looked out of place in the environment of the Sa family. He looked around with his eyes in all directions, his expression was nervous and a little restrained, and Sa Bao said: "Master Fan, let him explain to you what that person looks like." ”

"Students are destined to be. If the drawing doesn't look like it, ask him to point out any deficiencies and I'll correct them. Fan Jin said as he opened his painting box, took out a pencil and paper from it, and smiled at the man: "Don't worry, speak slowly." ”

Time passed little by little, the study was surprisingly quiet, the people of the Sa family had been ordered, the study was surrounded by forbidden places, forbidden to come and go, the servants avoided from afar, not daring to take a second look here. Full-time servants are on guard all sides to keep people from approaching.

The thin black man could see that he was very nervous, stumbling in his speech, occasionally making mistakes, and in a hurry to correct them. Every now and then, he would peek at Sabao. Fan Jin knew that the more he did this, the more he would not be able to draw something, but it would delay time, so he said to Sa Bao: "Protector, students want to bother the house, prepare some refreshments." ”

"Fan Gongzi doesn't have to be polite, Shizhong will go and bring tea and snacks."

Sa Shizhong didn't need a servant to take over, he went out by himself, and after a short time, he came back with a pot of tea, a plate of pineapple cake, and a plate of cloud cake. Fan Jin took two sips of tea first, and then beckoned to the man and said, "This old man, you also drink a little to moisten your throat." ”

The man cowered and hesitated and didn't dare to step forward, Sabao said coldly: "Fan Gongzi lets you drink it, why is it so troublesome, and she is not a girl." ”

When the man put down the tea bowl and was emotionally calmer, Fan Jin motioned for him to take a snack to eat, and took this opportunity to draw on the paper first. After the man had used the refreshments, Fan Jin sent the paper to him, "Take a good look, in these eyes, is there any one who is a little similar to the person you said?" ”

It turned out that Fan Jin took advantage of this moment and drew dozens of eyes on paper. These eyes are large and small, and have different shapes, but they are somewhat related to the description of the talented man. The man was originally clumsy in his words, and it was still a little difficult for him to describe the appearance of the target, but it was much easier to pick and choose after the finished product.

In addition, after eating and drinking just now, he was slightly more emotionally stable, and he looked carefully, and after a while, he pointed to a pair of eyes inside and said, "This!" That's it, that's the man's eyes. ”

Fan Jin nodded and said, "Okay, it's easy to do with eyes, let's take a look at the face plate next." Tell me what his face looks like, and we'll draw it again. ”

Compared with ordinary painters, in addition to his skills, Fan Jin's other advantage is that he is not afraid of trouble. If the painters were faced with this kind of scripted way of painting, most of them had to cope with errands, otherwise they would have to follow their imagination. For example, the wicked should be as ugly as possible, and the good people should be beautified as much as possible, and the portraits drawn will be difficult to be realistic.

Fan Jin's spirit of painting hundreds of faces for people to choose from made Sa Bao nod his head when he looked at it, quietly called Sa Shizhong, and instructed in his ear: "Let the kitchen prepare wine and food, dinner will be opened here, pick up good things and make some, this Fan Gongzi is very on the road, this time our credit will fall on him, and we can't treat him badly." ”