Jixi County ordered Shu Bangru to go to the government to sue Hu Songqi, the second son of Hu Zongxian in Xialongchuan Village, for not paying taxes for several years, and at the same time unveiled the lid of the first two county orders to distribute the taxes due to the Hu family to other people's fields. However, after Mrs. Xu and other Huizhou gentry jointly proposed to collectively worship Hu Zongxian on the third day of November this year, the matter was temporarily shelved by Duan Chaozong, the prefect of Huizhou, and suddenly faded out of the sight of most people.

Although nearly five years have passed since Hu Zongxian committed suicide after being imprisoned, there have been many celebrities in one of Huizhou's six counties, and it is not without others who have risen step by step in the court, such as Yin Zhengmao's replacement of Li Yan, the war in Guangxi is smooth, and there is a great potential to create another famous minister with both civil and military skills, but it still cannot replace Hu Zongxian's status in the eyes of Huizhou people. Just like the stone plaque of the southeast pillar inscribed by Wang Daokun himself in the West Garden, which has been repeatedly repaired but still cannot hide the trend of decay, no matter how those officials in the court and the central government held on to Hu Zongxian at the beginning, but time has passed, and people have been dead for so many years, and the majority of them are unhappy.

Even acquaintances on the streets and alleys will chat a few words about the upcoming fifth anniversary of death when they see each other. This worship is different from the public sacrifice when Hu Zongxian just died, those staff guests and friends came from all directions, or sent the sacrifice from afar, and the head of the ceremony was the court officials, among whom there were many officials and famous scholars, and this time it was completely a folk act. Shortly after returning from Lianghuai, the old lady Xu, who was no longer in charge of the salt business at home, took the lead, and raised various sums of up and down as high as 3,000 taels, which were divided into two stages: the first sacrifice and the main sacrifice on the death day.

On the first day of the 11th lunar month, worship was made in front of the Grand Governor's Square, which still stood silently in the city of Fucheng. The death day is to go to the ancestors of the Hu family in Longchuan Village, Jixi.

For this. Longchuan Hu also didn't know how many people were urgently mobilized. When the time comes, we will provide free accommodation and food for the festival guests. However, the prefect of Huizhou, Duan Chaozong, and the county commander Ye Junyao have already scheduled not to attend the worship on the main day, but will appear at the first festival of the Grand Governor's Workshop in Fucheng, after all, as a parent official, he can't leave the place of governance casually, and some people from other counties and county orders will also take time to come to Fucheng. As for Hu Songqi, after going to Fucheng in a hurry before, he took three days before going back. began to make preparations, as if he didn't care at all about Shu Bangru's accusation that he had failed to pay summer taxes and autumn grains for many years.

Now that Hu Zongxian's death day is approaching, even those people of the same clan are not very good at taking this matter to force it, but there are many people who mutter in their hearts or sigh for Hu Zongxian's children and grandchildren.

Under such a big wave that swept through the six counties of Huizhou, those grain merchants in Xiuning found out that Wang Fulin was often arrested by Old Lady Xu, as the representative of the Wang family in Songming Mountain, and was deeply involved in Hu Zongxian's death, so they were naturally happy to secretly laugh. I bargained with the merchants on my own, and I just wanted to sell the high price of this batch of rice that had just been harvested after the autumn harvest to those merchants. Anyway, those people were in a hurry to transport the rice to Hangzhou, where the price of rice was high. As for the spring grain shortage, Xiuning still has those grain merchants who specialize in Huguang and other major grain producing areas in Nanzhili and Jiangxi, so they can naturally make up for the spring grain shortage gap in Huizhou.

However, at this time, the rumor that the price of rice in Hangzhou fell by 30% suddenly spread!

At first, the grain merchants thought that the news was deliberately spread to reduce the price, but as a ship came from Hangzhou, it was true that the previous harvest was poor, but for several days, there were continuous shipments of rice from Huguang, Guangzhou, and Zhejiang, so that the price of rice plummeted, and these merchants, including Wu Xingcai, suddenly panicked. Before they even had time to bargain with the few rice collectors, they had already left them and run away! You know, Huizhou rice market is originally higher than other places in Nanzhili, if it is not for the convenience of the waterway, Hangzhou rice is expensive, a return to ten days can be profitable, who will rush to buy rice from Huizhou to Hangzhou to sell?

At this moment, some people want to contact other traders again, and they would rather sell it at a lower price, and some people will hoard rice until the highest point next year before selling it, but most grain merchants are a little unwilling. So, at this time, Ye Qinglong, the little shopkeeper of the Yidian, sent a post inviting everyone to gather to discuss the matter of the rice industry guild, and many grain merchants remembered that there was such an organization, and even thought that there was a Wang Fulin behind the shopkeeper Ye. But as soon as they arrived at the ground, what made them extremely annoyed was that not to mention that Wang Fulin didn't see anyone, even Cheng Naixuan couldn't see anyone, but only Ye Qinglong, who was just a young man before, was present.

"I know that you haven't seen the little officials, and you are a little unhappy, but today the little officials were invited by Duan Fuzun, so they can't spare time." Ye Qinglong made an opening remark with a smile, and then said bluntly, "I know that you are all busy people, and what you are most worried about now, I will not waste time." I heard that some people are ready to sell to other grain merchants at a certain price, and some people are ready to continue to grit their teeth and stock up, but more people are thinking that those traders must be playing a trick to get away with it, after all, it is not only Hangzhou that has a bad harvest this year, but also the shortage in Suzhou is also because there are more and more people planting mulberry fields and cotton fields, so the food gap is very large. However, what I want to tell you is that the sharp drop in the price of rice in Hangzhou is true, and those merchants are really leaving, not playing a plan to get away with it. ”

At this moment, even if he looked down on Ye Qinglong's grain merchant anymore, he couldn't help but sit up straight, his face was solemn and angry. And the other words that Ye Qinglong said next made them happy.

"If you don't believe me, you can go back and wait. If there is still no one to come to the door to make an offer, my petty official said that as the first president of the Rice Industry Guild, he is willing to accept the grain that you were originally going to sell according to the price you negotiated with those rice before. This is a benefit from the president. ”

The grain merchants were dumbfounded. What kind of medicine is this sold in the gourd?

However, the entanglement of the grain merchants is just a small matter, a very small matter, and Hu Zongxian's death day is a big thing, a big big thing. Because this matter has spread rapidly from Huizhou Mansion to Yanzhou Mansion, Hangzhou Mansion, and Shaoxing Mansion...... Since mid-October, I have been rushing to Huizhou by land and water, and I don't know how many cars, horses, and ships there are. So much so that it was five days before the main day. From the capital city of Huizhou to the county seat of Shexian County. All Rest Home Inns and Hostels. All of them are stuffed to the brim, not to mention the empty houses, and even many houses have started the business of sleeping overnight!

Even Shen Mingchen, who had entered the shogunate of Hu Zongxian, also came, and many former guests may not have had time to come, but some disciples arrived to participate in the worship and salute at the same time.

Wait until the first day of November. On the day of the first sacrifice under the Governor of Fucheng, I saw countless Huizhou people helping the old and the young, silently watching the ceremony. Huizhou Governor Duan Chaozong and Shexian Commander Ye Junyao led, Qimen County Commander and Wuyuan County Commander also appeared, and even Wang Fulin thought that he would never come Jixi County Commander Shu Bangru actually came, although he had a straight face.

After joining the patriarch Wang Daohan and following those eunuchs and gentry on behalf of the Wang clan of Songming Mountain, Wang Fulin quietly retreated to an inn next to the Grand Governor's Square, which he had already chartered. talked to Cheng Naixuan about the grain merchants. When Cheng Naixuan quietly went back, he was behind the scenes. Looking around, I saw a group of village eunuchs and scholars, and I don't know how many people chose to kowtow in front of the Grand Governor's Square, or make a gesture and leave a stick of fragrance. At this moment, he couldn't help but feel that the deceased was gone, and the glory was still there. But when he saw Hu Songqi, he was a little calm.

He said to Mrs. Xu that this person is the best, and now he wants to add two more words after the best, the best bastard! I didn't shed tears when I didn't see the coffin, thinking that Jixi County Ling Shu Bangru came to the government to complain before, it was just thunder and rain, and even salivated and begged him if he could say a word to many gentlemen, if Shu Bangru mentioned this matter later, ask him to help raise money among these people to help them tide over the difficulties. He didn't plan to go too far, but now in the face of such a good show of Lao Tzu's heroes, although he said that he knew some signs, he was also deliberately giving people a bad idea!

"Flin!"

Hearing this shout, Wang Fulin turned his head and saw that Mrs. Su had also entered here with Xiaobei and Ye Mingyue on the left and right. Seeing that she was dressed in cloth, her bearing was completely different from that of ordinary women, and the two people on the side were also dressed plainly, without any jewelry on their bodies. Thinking that Duan Chaozong and Ye Junyao were both here this time, Duan Gongzi also sacrificed in front with Ye Xiaopang, he asked everyone if they were mixed with those women to participate in the worship, and couldn't help but secretly praise Mrs. Su's hearty temperament that was not afraid of showing up.

"Although today's scene is big, it is estimated that it is a little worse than the main festival in Longchuan Village at that time. According to Mr. Shen Mingchen Shen, Mr. Mao Kun Mao, Mr. He Xinyin, Mr. He, will all come when the time comes. ”

Speaking of this, he looked at Xiaobei and said, "If these people are here, and they have seen you before, it will not be difficult to uphold justice for you, and you still don't plan to return to the sect?" ”

"What are you doing with your ancestors? The eldest brother is like a father, waiting for him to marry me in a random marriage? Xiaobei stared at Hu Songqi with bitter hatred, and suddenly deflated again, "If it weren't for my father's death, I really want to teach him a bigger lesson!" Dad's reputation is about to be ruined by him! ”

Mrs. Su blinked when she saw Wang Fulin hearing this, and knew that he was not persuading Xiaobei to return to the sect at all, but to make her firm in her determination. She kindly glanced at this little girl who she had personally taught for four or five years, and then said to Ye Mingyue: "This time in Longchuan Village, you accompany Xiaobei to go, I won't go." Mr. Merlin used to be a hero, but now although the fifth anniversary of his death is a big scene, think about Xu Wenchang because of this, he is still in prison because of the murder of his wife, and the rest of the guests are also depressed. He himself was a hero, but after his death, he carried a stigma, and his children and grandchildren did not have any instrument, which is really embarrassing. ”

Seeing that Xiaobei was looking at Mrs. Su with blank eyes, and Ye Mingyue was also desperately glaring at herself, as if instructing herself to persuade Mrs. Su, Wang Fulin asked solemnly: "Madame really doesn't go to Longchuan Village?" Maybe this time in Longchuan Village, in addition to the main festival, there is also a big excitement to watch. ”

Mrs. Su had also heard that Shu Bangru had made trouble in Huizhou because of the summer tax and autumn grain that the Hu family had not paid, but today people also came, and she couldn't believe that this Jixi County Commander would pick such an occasion for the main sacrifice to make trouble. She stared at Wang Fulin for a long time, and finally deliberately said with a straight face: "Mr. Merlin's death day is such a big day, can't you postpone this excitement?" ”

"I would like to, but unfortunately others don't seem to think about it. Therefore, it is better for the lady to go together. ”

Seeing that Wang Fulin put on a particularly sincere expression, Mrs. Su knew that she shouldn't laugh on this strict occasion today, but her eyebrows and eyes were still bent.

"Okay then, I'll go and see what kind of medicine you sell in your gourd!" (To be continued......)