Wang Chonggu has been more annoyed recently, as the prefect of Songjiang, he is under a lot of pressure, insomnia, anorexia, and anxiety, and even his wife has made him three whips of wine, which shows that even something has been affected.

The source of his troubles is nothing more than the problem of food. Driven by the Suzhou Prefecture, the grain prices in Songjiang have been red all the way, and it has reached a shocking point, and he does not have the kind of cattle who can control the field like Hai Rui, and the city is naturally chaotic, there are many hoarders, countless robbers and thieves, and the prison is already overcrowded, but the public order has not improved.

What's even more serious is that Songjiang is still the front line to resist the Japanese invaders, and the shortage of food has made the army's morale unstable, and the annihilators have been repeatedly banned, and the combat effectiveness has declined very sharply.

Seeing that her husband was sad and at a loss, Mrs. Wang, who had never believed in gods and Buddhas, also set up incense cases in the house, and offered to the Buddha every time to kneel and worship, and prayed sincerely that the wouldn't come.

After dinner that day, I saw Mrs. in Shangxiang, Wang Chonggu was happy in the bitterness, and laughed at her: "I received Madame's heart, but now we are in the world of Taoism, and there is a way that the county official is not as good as the current management, or worship Sanqing." ”

His wife disagreed: "People say that family cultivation is too forgetful, which is not false at all." If you don't believe it, look at our saints today, cultivating so much that they don't even see their own sons. By extension, Sanqing may be even more tasteless and unexpected. Saying that, the Buddha said: "It's still good in the West, and it's human." ”

"A monk is the six pure roots, no matter what the world," Wang Chonggu laughed and said: "Don't keep your hair, don't marry a wife, don't have children, cut off the Gangchang, and jump out of the five elements, what kind of human flavor can you speak of?" ”

"You can't say that," Mrs. Wang said, "I listened to 'Journey to the West' in the past year, and I realized that this holy land of the Western Heavenly Buddha Gate is just like your yamen......

Wang Chonggu became interested at this time, and asked with a smile: "Do you want to listen to the holy land of Buddhism, can it be the same as my pickled yamen?" "Talking after dinner is just a good relaxation.

"Don't believe it." Mrs. Wang said with a heartfelt voice: "There is a fold called 'Black Chicken Country', which means that the King of Black Chicken used to be a good monk, and the Buddha sent Manjushri Bodhisattva to help him go to Bliss and enjoy happiness. Manjushri was very jealous and didn't want to look down on others, so he deliberately turned into a monk and turned his fate to the king. ”

"You woman is making up things blindly," Wang Chonggu said with a smile: "How can the true body of the Bodhisattva be easily revealed, how can it be related to jealousy?" "He doesn't like to watch dramas, so he doesn't know these episodes.

"How is it not jealousy?" Mrs. Wang said: "Even if you can't see each other, just tell the king with good words, he prefers to speak ill of each other and make things difficult for the king of the black chicken for no reason." The king did not know that he was a bodhisattva, so in a fit of anger he tied him up and sent him to the river, where he soaked him for three days and three nights. ”

Hearing her say this, Wang Chonggu nodded and said: "This king is still too benevolent, if it were in our Ming Dynasty, he would have a hundred rods and three thousand miles." He smiled and said: "This drama is bruised, how much mana can Manjushri Bodhisattva be captured by mortals and immersed in water?" ”

"That's where his insidiousness lies. Three days later, the king released him, and he went back to cry to Rulai, accusing the king of blasphemy against the Buddha, and even daring to bully him, the messenger of the messenger. If he came, he pushed the king down the well and immersed him for three years to avenge the hatred of the flood. Madame Wang said angrily: "That Manjushri is especially disgusted, and he turned his mount into a false king, and every time he slept with the harem mother, although later he said that the beast was a gelding, and there was no blessing to suffer." But this move also violates the ethics of Gangchang, and it is extremely hateful! ”

After speaking, Mrs. Wang concluded: "Isn't this just like the dirty officials in the yamen, who do all kinds of bad things under the guise of the master, eat and take cards, bully men and women, and even kill people's surnames at every turn, but let people settle all the accounts on the master's head?" ”

"Well, you have a point." Wang Chonggu couldn't help but laugh dumbly: "But it can't be said that the Buddha is also a layman, after all, it was the people below who deceived him and hid it from him." ”

"Well, I'll give you an example of the Buddha." Mrs. Wang seemed to be completely convinced by her husband, and said: "After listening to the last time a few days ago, Tang monks and apprentices went through tribulations, and finally arrived in the west and saw Rulai, because they didn't understand the 'rules', they didn't give the two 'secretaries' who were in charge of the scriptures a little 'personnel', and they were given blank scriptures. If it weren't for the benevolent elders who couldn't look past it and secretly broke it, wouldn't the hard work of the four masters and apprentices be in vain. ”

"Find the Buddha to complain and punish those two clerks!" Wang Chonggu also aired.

"I found it, but the Buddha didn't punish those two scholars." Mrs. Wang looked incredulous.

"Why?" This is too far from the Buddha in Wang Chonggu's heart.

"The Buddha explained: 'When I went down the mountain to all the bhikshus and holy monks, I recited this sutra to him at the house of the elder Zhao of the Shewei Kingdom, to ensure the safety of the living in his family, and the dead were detached, and only asked him to come back with three buckets and three liters of rice and gold, and I also said that they were sold cheaply, and the children and grandchildren of the future generations had no money to use it.' Mrs. Wang glanced at Wang Chonggudao, "In the end, the masters and apprentices still took out the purple gold bowl for dinner, and then exchanged for the scriptures with words. ”

Wang Chonggu smiled dumbly again: "It turns out that the Buddha is also good at this, it seems that Mrs. is right, there is indeed a similarity between Xitian Lingshan and our yamen." ”

"So, it's like your man's hands are short, and it's not good not to do things for others." Mrs. Wang said with a smile: "As long as I make more offerings and kowtow more, after the Buddha receives it, he will definitely not manifest himself." ”

"Haha, I hope so!" Wang Chonggu laughed loudly, and it seemed that even the haze that had come had dissipated a lot.

The couple was talking and laughing, and they heard the knock on the door and remembered, the two quickly stopped laughing and sat down, Wang Chonggu asked in a deep voice: "What's the matter?" ”

"My lord, there is a scholar outside the door, and he posted a post saying that he wants to see you." The voice is the steward of the house.

"Don't you know the rules? The doors of the house are locked, what else can you see? Wang Chonggu said unhappily: "Let him come again tomorrow!" ”

"He said that if you read the prayer post, you will see him immediately." The steward outside said depressedly: "Listening to his big tone, the villain doesn't dare to refuse without permission." ”

"What's your name?" Wang Chonggu asked.

"Zhang Fengpan." The steward replied.

"What? Ziwei? "His nephew Zhang Siwei is called Fengpan, but he is an official in Yanjing, Wang Chonggu was so shocked that he immediately opened the door, took a look at the post, and sure enough, he saw that there were three big characters written on it, but looking at the font, it didn't look like it was written by Zhang Siwei.

After a closer look, Wang Chonggu found that there was a line of small characters the size of a grain of rice under the three big characters, and he went to the lamp to look at it carefully, only to see clearly that it was the five words "colleague friend", and he read it softly and completely: "Zhang Fengpan's colleague and friend? ”

"It turned out to be a liar!" The person in charge seemed to have been greatly fooled, and said angrily: "Dare to deceive our prefect's yamen, it's just tired and crooked, I'm going to arrest him!" ”

"Slow!" Wang Chonggu shook his head and said, "Please let him in." ”

"Huh?" The steward had no choice but to sullenly say, "Yes." ”

"You're welcome." Wang Chonggu said in a deep voice: "Keep a low profile. ”

Seeing the solemnity on the face of the adult, where did the person in charge dare to be lazy, and hurriedly went out to invite someone.

"Madame, please help me get dressed." Wang Chonggu said, he is now wearing a home robe, although it is loose and comfortable, but if he sees someone, it is too rude.

While Mrs. Wang took his maroon moire back and served him to put it on, she asked, "Master, who is that?" ”

"Eighty percent is Shen Cunyan." Wang Chonggu said softly: "Ziwei is on an errand in the cabinet, and he doesn't have many colleagues, and there is only one 'Shen Suzhou' in Jiangnan." ”

"Does Lord Shen need to find such a beat-around?" Mrs. Wang was surprised: "As long as we report our names, we can't open the door to greet us?" ”

"Of course there's a reason for him." Wang Chonggu said in a low voice: "If you don't say anything else, it's very troublesome to 'leave your post without permission' alone." At this time, when the clothes were dressed, he said to the lady, "It may be late, you go to bed first, don't wait for me." ”

"Yes." When it comes to business, Mrs. Wang will not hold back.

When Wang Chonggu stepped into the study, he saw Shen Mo wearing a blue yarn straight, sitting in a guest seat and drinking tea leisurely.

Closing the door with his backhand, Wang Chonggu lowered his voice and smiled: "Oh, my Lord Shen, which one are you singing?" Came from Suzhou to our Songjiang? ”

"Sing your Shanxi Bangzi 'Little Borrowed Year'," Shen Mo smiled and said: "Jianchuan Gong, you have to pull your brother." ”

Wang Chonggu smiled and asked him to sit down and said, "I want to help you, but I am now a mud bodhisattva crossing the river, and it is difficult to protect myself, except for waving the flag and shouting for you, there is no way at all." He naturally knew what Shen Mo was here for, to preemptively plug the opening.

"Jianchuan Gong is a person who understands, he should know that this accident originated in Suzhou, Suzhou is determined by Songjiang, and Suzhou is uncertain and Songjiang is also uncertain," Shen Mo said with a bitter face: "To help others is to help yourself, for the sake of my Baba's hundreds of miles of running over, Lord Wang also asks for help." ”

"Humble brother, I admit you're right." Wang Chonggu smiled bitterly: "But although I Songjiang produces grain, I also produce large landlords, and there is not much grain that can be collected, so I have to prepare grain and military rations on the front line." As he spoke, he spread his hands and said, "How many nails do I have to hit with iron?" It's really powerless, please forgive me. ”

"Hey, can't you really help?" Shen Mo said with a bitter face.

A few beautiful words, Wang Chonggu still has to say: "This is a fallacy! You and I are in the house, of course we have to support each other......" said and patted his chest and said, "That's it! Stay with me first, and I'll borrow it for you tomorrow!" ”

Shen Mo Zhengse said: "Thank you for the kindness of my brother" said and shook his head: "But when it comes to borrowing food, I should come by myself, you are a local parent official, and you owe the people favors, and it will not be good for your majesty in the future." ”

Seeing him thinking about others so much, Wang Chonggu was embarrassed and said, "It's okay, it's okay." But Shen Mo's idea was very right, and he insisted on not letting him ask for help, so Wang Chonggu also pushed the boat down the river and said: "Okay, you can borrow whatever you want in Songjiang Mansion, and you can take all the money you borrow!" I don't have a grain of grain left! ”

This is the intention of Shen Mo's contrivedness...... He ran to the territory of Wang Chonggu, and pulled away more than a dozen or hundreds of thousands of stone grains at once, if he didn't say hello in advance and obtain his consent, Lord Wang would definitely be unhappy, and it would be too bad - because although a Wang Chonggu is nothing, the huge group behind him looming is something that Shen Mo must face and pay attention to.

"With my brother's words, my heart is much more steady." Shen Mo smiled: "Don't worry, as long as the trouble in Suzhou is solved, Songjiang's predicament will be solved." ”

"I hope so!" Wang Chonggu was silent for a moment before he said quietly: "Humble words, have you thought about it, why did things come to this point?" ”

"Because I'm going to open a port," Shen Mo sneered, "The city boss is in the way of these people's eyes." ”

"Some people say that officials should think twice," Wang Chonggu said: "Have you heard of this sentence?" ”

"Think of danger, think of change, think of retreat." Shen Mo nodded.

"That's right," Wang Chonggu said, "Then have you thought about your own way out?" ”

"I have no way back." Shen Mo smiled and said, "There is only one way, and that is to keep going." ”

"Young and vigorous!" Wang Chonggu sighed and said: "Those people are not something you can deal with alone, if you continue to do it single-handedly, even if you get lucky this time, there will always be a day when you will lose the sand." ”

"What do you mean, sir?" Silent and solemn: "Do you want to give up now, beg for bones, and return to your hometown?" ”

"Hehe......" Wang Chonggu laughed and said: "How old are you, just say goodbye to the old man and return to his hometown." Then he said, "I mean, you should join forces and fight side by side, so that the odds will be better." ”

"Jianchuan Gong's words are true." Shen Mo's heart moved: "I just don't know, where to ask for reinforcements?" ”

"What is this...... Wang Chonggu said slowly: "I know a few, I can introduce you to them." He said and said with a smile: "But it's too early to say anything, let's wait until you pass this level, and then find a chance to talk slowly." ”

Shen Mo nodded calmly, although Wang Chonggu didn't say it explicitly, but he knew who the other party was referring to!

That is the famous, powerful and wealthy man, far away in the sky and close in front of him - Jin Shang!

The so-called Jin merchants are the Shanxi merchant gangs, they are the outliers of northern China where the agricultural ideology is absolutely dominant, and their mercantile culture is even stronger than that of the most restless Fujian and Guangzhou.

In the past 200 years, Shanxi's vegetation has been severely degraded, the land has become more and more barren, and the land has been unable to feed the people of the Sanjin Dynasty due to the perennial drought and lack of rainfall. If you don't want to be starved to death by the whole family, you have to find a way to find a way. When they decided they wanted to go out and make a way out, they chose to go west!

Because Shanxi people know that if they are separated from the land, they can only do business, and the best business opportunities will appear around them as if they are destined!

At that time, in order to defend Mongolia, the imperial court set up nine sides, stationed the army in the Xuanda line, the army consumed a huge amount of grain and rice, the transportation cost was huge, the imperial court could not afford it, so it adopted the 'method of opening the middle', allowing merchants to provide grain and rice, cloth, and various needs to the border town army, as a consideration, in exchange for salt, to the designated salt field to support salt and traffic salt. At least for a certain period of time, through the implementation of this method, the imperial court not only solved the military salary of the northern border towns, but also received the salt tax, and the merchants of Shanxi also rose as a result.

In the process of going to the west, Shanxi has also formed a group of wealthy and wealthy households, they train their children to study, the combination of government and business, and further consolidate their position, so that in recent years, Yangzhou salt merchants, almost all of their origins are Shanxi - squeezing the rest of the competitors out of Yangzhou is not something that can be done by commercial means alone, and the Jin merchants rely on their own training of scholars.

For many years, the officials from the Shanxi business gang have taken deep roots in the court, flourishing and fighting the world together! For example, the old one has Yang Bo, the secretary of the military department, the middle-aged one is Wang Chonggu, and the young one is Zhang Siwei, and the three generations of the old, middle and young are combined, and their combat effectiveness should not be underestimated.

What made Shen Mo even more interesting was that these people were very low-key, inconspicuous, and neutral in almost all disputes, as if the purpose of their existence was to protect the interests of the huge Jin merchant group...... What kind of interests would make these 'noble' officials willing to serve the copper-smelling merchants?

Ruohan, who is well versed in this, has calculated an account for Shen Mo...... She didn't know the west piece, but only said in Yangzhou in front of her that the capital of Shanxi salt merchants was 30 million taels, and they could make a profit of 9 million taels a year, and these profits were used in 1 million taels of tax silver; It is about 3 million taels of alms to monks and beggars, building bridges and buildings, donating money for education, and dredging and repairing the dots...... Of course, this is not a brain into the water, but a shrewd Shanxi businessman, who understands the truth that the tree is big and the money is so popular that people are blushing, they spend this huge amount of money fixedly, on the one hand, they are cultivating people who are inclined to their own reading, on the other hand, they are also accumulating character for themselves, winning the favor of the people, and then making friends with officials up and down through bribery, under the three-pronged approach, the position is extremely stable, and no one can shake it.

And even if you spend three million taels a year, there is still a net profit of five million taels left - just one Yangzhou, the net income of a group of salt merchants in Shanxi, is equivalent to the income of the Ming Dynasty! If you add those border Jin merchants in Xuanda and Zhangjiakou, what is their total annual profit?

Ruohan said that it should be no less than seven million taels.

Please note that it is annual.

It is not difficult to understand why Wang Chonggu's interests are very different from those of his colleagues.

(To be continued)