"As the Governor, of course, I want the city to prosper and make a lot of money." Hu Zongxian said: "Last year, Yu Dayou's navy became an army, and all localities began to train new armies, Lu Bo, Tan Lun, Qi Jiguang and others all became debt collectors on my ass. He sighed and said: "This year's military budget has been fully doubled in the 34 years of Jiajing...... Jiangsu and Zhejiang are a golden mountain, and they are about to be hollowed out. ”

"There's no way, this year it's absolutely impossible to increase the distribution." Hu Zongxian said with a bitter face: "It is said that I now have the nickname of 'Governor Yinshan', and the big families and people in Zhejiang hate me so much that they hate me. ”

Shen Mo comforted softly: "They just don't know the truth, sooner or later they will understand your painstaking intentions." ”

"Yes, the people who are not understood are the most miserable." Hu Zongxian raised the wine glass to his mouth, frowned, and said: "I have no choice but to do it as a last resort because I am infamous and proceed from the overall situation of the anti-Japanese war. Besides, the increase is only one of the ways for me to raise military expenses, and I have also used many channels to raise military salaries," he said, "either from the government, or from the rich family, or from the New Year's faction...... Since last year, Zhejiang has paid 150,000 taels to the province, but the Ministry of Industry has been reluctant. and left two hundred thousand taels of salt and silver, which offended the household; Again, please ask the two transport divisions of Huai and Zhejiang to issue 100,000 taels of silver each, and the direct army of Zhejiang will be paid, and they will offend a group of people. As for the expenses of soldiers and horses transferred from other provinces, I also asked the provinces to pay for them, and tried my best to reduce the burden on Jiangsu and Zhejiang to a minimum, but I offended my colleagues in the provinces. ”

"All this, those who call me 'Governor Yinshan' turn a blind eye," said with a sad face: "Now I am Zhu Bajie looking in the mirror, and I am not a person inside and outside." ”

Silent comforted Hu Zongxian with sympathy on his face: "If you want not to be scolded, you have to not do things, if you want to do something, you have to be scolded, and the bigger you do, the more people will be scolded, which is helpless." "But he secretly said in his heart: 'Sure enough, the country is easy to change, and the surname is difficult to change, when will you Hu Zongxian not be able to change this habit of 'manipulating power'."

At first, he said that as a governor, he wanted you to do a good job, and as a brother, he didn't want you to wade into troubled waters, but now such a 'governor's complaint' shows his true attitude...... Help, brother, but do your best and make more money. Let Shen Mo, who is a younger brother, can't even say half a word, he is indeed a master.

The hypocritical 'brother worried' in the back naturally became nonsense without nutrition, and he listened to it silently, and said with a grateful face: "Brother cares too much about me, don't worry, the little brother will not let you down." ”

"So, you're going to do it?" Hu Zongxian couldn't bear to say.

"There is no hesitation," Shen Mo said indignantly: "Even if it is not for the court, I have to share my brother's worries!" ”

Hu Zongxian was emotional, clasped his silent hands tightly, and choked up: "Good brother, it's really a good brother, you can do it boldly, no matter what happens, our brothers will bear it together!" "I guess if I change someone else and is sold by him, I have to help him count the money.

But Shen Mo is not a fuel-efficient lamp, he held Hu Zongxian's hand tightly, and said excitedly: "Brother, please rest assured, no matter what happens, I will bear it alone, brother, and I will never involve you!" Hu Zongxian was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but he changed his words and said, "As long as you do me a small favor, brother." Shen Mo knew very well that if something really happened, Hu Zongxian couldn't count on it at all, so it was better to get some benefits.

Hu Zongxian was forced into a corner by his own words, and he couldn't help but agree to be silent, so he had to say in a trembling voice: "You just say it." ”

"Regarding the troops stationed in Suzhou Prefecture, I would like to ask Qi Jiguang to come over." Shen Mo didn't go around the corner with him: "On the premise of not affecting your battle, he is the most suitable person, and he still has a little friendship with me." ”

Hu Zongxian secretly breathed a sigh of relief, although he was very optimistic about Qi Jiguang's future, but a general who was less than thirty years old was not enough to be in charge of himself under his command, so he naturally pushed the boat down the river to send personal favors and agreed to Shen Mo's request.

After talking about official business, it was already late at night, Hu Zongxian stayed overnight, but Shen Mo insisted on going to Shen Jing's house to live, but Shen Jing was a little unusually cramped, although he did not object in front of the governor, but obviously Shen Mo was not welcome.

This made Shen Mo very curious, and on the way to Shen Jing's house after leaving the Governor's Mansion, he repeatedly interrogated Shen Jing about what he had done.

Shen Jing didn't say anything at first, but then he was forced to ask in a hurry, so he grinned and said, "Forget it, you'll see you later, so I'll tell you." He lowered his voice and said, "I have it." ”

"You have it?" Shen Mo looked at Shen Jing's flat belly and said, "It's not like it." ”

"It's not that I'm pregnant," Shen Jing still had to argue, and after speaking, he realized that Shen Mo was playing on himself, and couldn't help but be annoyed: "I talk to you very seriously, can't I be serious?" ”

"Are you interested in someone?" Shen Mo smiled and said, "And you already live together?" ”

"That's what it means." Shen Jing scratched his ears and cheeks and said, "It's almost worrying me to death." ”

"You made her belly bigger?" Asked in a deep voice, if this is the case, it will be a big trouble.

"Not really," Shen Jing shook his head.

"Are you afraid of a ball?" Shen Mo laughed and said, "I'll write a letter to the eldest master and ask him to come to the door to propose...... By the way, which girl is it? ”

"Yes...... Hey, you'll know when you get there. Shen Jing pointed to the alley in front of him and said, "Oh, it's here." ”

Silent no longer asked, straightened his clothes, and prepared a gouache from Rouge Zhai as a meeting gift...... It was originally intended to be given to Qi Jiguang's wife, but it was obviously more important for the future siblings.

I entered his house with Shen Jing, which is a typical Jiangnan residence. But entering the gate, passing through the corridor, passing through the front hall, turning two more corners, and entering a small garden, the moon shadow sprinkled on the ground through the rockery, which seemed particularly quiet and cold.

Walking on the cobblestone path, Shen Mo smiled softly: "I haven't seen that you are still an elegant person all these years." ”

Shen Jing couldn't laugh, he walked around the rockery with silence, and a small wooden house was revealed.

Then in the bright moonlight, I saw in silence that the wooden house was very different from the southern one, and I saw that the roof of the wooden house was very large, like a box with a hat on it. The short corridor in front of the door is knee-high and is supported by wooden pillars below.

The words 'Architecture' came to his mind, but he didn't say anything because the door opened. The exterior wall of the entire house was a sliding wooden door, which slowly opened from the inside, and in the orange light, a young woman on her knees, wearing a high bun and a kimono, appeared in front of Shen Mo's eyes.

"You're back......" The woman first smiled gently, but as soon as she saw an outsider, she immediately pleaded guilty: "It's a strange guest." ”

Shen Jing had been looking at Shen Mo nervously, and seeing that the surprise on his face was only a flash, he couldn't help but make up his mind, and said with a forced laugh: "Come, Nanako, let me introduce you, this is my cousin, the Wen Kuixing I often tell you about." ”

The woman who was called 'Nanako' saluted Shen Mo and said, "The concubine is the youngest daughter of the Matsuura family, and I have seen an adult. ”

"Don't be so outward." Shen Jing smiled: "Just call uncle." ”

"Miss Matsuura." Shen Mo smiled faintly: "Hello, first time we met, please smile at the gifts." ”

Nanako Matsuura didn't expect such a polite guest...... When ordinary people see that she is a widow, they will show some or less forced eyes, which makes her feel inferior. But this 'most knowledgeable adult in the Ming Dynasty' makes people feel like a spring breeze, and they don't feel restrained at all.

"Even if I don't have a gift, I'm already happy." Nanako was very happy and said, "Welcome to your visit. ”

"Let's go in and talk." Shen Jing nodded and said, "It's not pestle outside." Saying that, he took off his boots and climbed the stairs inside, but he was afraid that he would not be used to the silence, so he said: "If you don't want to take it off, forget it, I just want to relax my feet." ”

He smiled silently, took off his official boots, and stepped into the short corridor.

When I entered the room, I saw more than ten rectangular straw mats laid on the ground, and a large brazier was placed in the middle of the straw mat, and there were coals burning in it. A small rack of red clay was placed on top of the coals, and something seemed to be boiling inside, and from time to time heat came out.

On the wall, there is a picture of the West Lake painted by Gongbi, and there is a small poem in the blank space: "I saw this lake in the past, but I don't believe that there is this lake in the world." Today, I said that I had passed from the lake, and the painters still owed their work. The payment turned out to be the little daughter of the Matsuura family on Kyushu Island, the outer domain. ’

Shen Mo couldn't help but laugh to himself, it seems that this daughter-in-law's attainments in Chinese studies are much stronger than Shen Jing.

Nanako walked to the corner of the wall, brought a low table over, put it at one end of the brazier, and then took off two of the square cloth mats that had been stacked next to the brazier, put them on both sides of the low table, asked the two of them to sit down, said to herself, 'I was out of company for a while', and went to work next door.

Shen Mo sat cross-legged on the low side, his mouth was in his mouth, and he whispered, "How did you hook up?" ”

"It's been a long time." Shen Jing shrugged his shoulders and said: "Before we saw Wang Zhi again, we lived in the Matsupu family for a while, and their youngest daughter, that is, Nanako, admired Daming very much, and often asked me for poetry and songs, customs and customs," said with a look that a man understands: "Come and go, that's it." ”

"Although the man is smelly and filed, and his temper is still short-tempered, the woman is really good." Shen Jing said with a smile: "Take Nanako as an example, the most beautiful woman on Kyushu Island, and the daughter of a daimyo, is equivalent to the county lord in our Ming Dynasty, right?" But she was obedient to me, and she was desperate, so I couldn't be ruthless when I got it. ”

"And then take it back home?" asked silently with a smile. Before the words fell, the sliding door in the middle rang, and Nanako Matsuura changed into a Ming paddy field coat and a plain white multi-folded long skirt, came out with a tray, walked in front of the two, and put the tray on the low table.

Shen Mo saw that there were two bowls, a small bowl, and a bamboo brush made of bamboo skewers. There is also a small bamboo ladle. I saw her pick up the small bamboo ladle, open the lid of the small bowl, shake out a few ladles of green powder from it, and put it in a bowl. Then put the small bowl and bamboo ladle, pick up the small pot of red clay that has been steaming, pour some water into the bowl, and then take the bamboo brush and keep brushing in the bowl.

Until the tea was already viscous, she removed the small pot of red clay and poured boiling water into the bowl. Then he offered the tea bowl and said, "Uncle, please drink tea." ”

Shen thanked her silently and asked her, "Your Chinese is very good, who did you learn it from?" ”

"Since I was a child, I have been taught by a teacher," Nanako said respectfully: "The teacher is a talented man of the Ming Dynasty, because he offended the powerful, he went to our Kyushu to take refuge, and finally worked as a bookstore in my father's house, and at the same time taught our brothers and sisters to read." Although Shen Mo just asked casually, she answered very seriously, I don't know if it was because of the surname of God, or because no one talked to her.

Shen Jing said: "You can go and rest first after some snacks, my brother and I have something to say." ”

Nanako responded obediently, and after a while, she held a lacquer tray, presenting eight-colored fine dots, pine nut candy, walnut cake, walnut slices, rose cake, etc., but they were all Soviet-style dim sum, which had nothing to do with the book.

Nanako also explained apologetically: "Kyushu's dim sum is coarse, I'm afraid you don't like it, so please use the Su style." ”

Shen Mo asked her not to care, so she bowed and saluted, "Please call me at any time if you have anything." He bowed to each of them and retreated into the room.

After Nanako left, Shen Jingcai said: "I really don't want to take her back to China, you say that I am a Ming person, what kind of system will I become if I marry a Japanese lady?" ”

"How did that come about?" Shen Mo glanced at the green tea in the cup, took a sip, and said in his heart, Don't talk about Longjing, even Zhao tea is better than this.

"Hey, the day before I returned to China, I made it clear to her that she didn't want to die or live," Shen Jing smiled bitterly: "As a result, not long after the boat sailed the next day, she ran out of the cabin." Said a little depressed and said: "The Songpu family and Wang Zhi are iron buddies who do not exchange gold, and it is not difficult for the little county lord of their family to run to Wang Zhi's ship, but they are so desperate to come back with me, I can't get rid of it, to be honest, I don't want to shake it off, so it has dragged on until now, and I didn't dare to go home for the New Year." ”

"Actually, it's not that serious," Shen was silent, and said lightly: "It's not that I married you to the Japanese country, I can't lose the national body, and no official will participate in you." "Great power chauvinism is inevitably accompanied by machismo, which allows only domestic men to possess foreign women, but does not tolerate foreign men to possess their own women.

"I know people will only laugh at me, but they won't talk about it." Shen Jing hugged his head and said: "But my father, who is old and old-fashioned who wants to save face, you don't know that he will kill me." ”

"I can't blame the uncle." Silent smiled: "If I were replaced, I would have killed you as well." ”

"I'm sad to death, you still laugh, aren't you brothers?" Shen Jing said angrily: "Why don't you help me figure out a way?" ”

"I can't help this," Shen Mo shook his head and said, "Let's do this first, and see if there is a suitable opportunity to take it back." ”

"Alas......" Shen Jing said with a sad face, "I thought you must have a way." ”

"I really can't help it," said silently, "But I have to remind you that this time you went back wearing a seven-grade official uniform, so that the villagers mistakenly thought that you were developed, and the number of people who came to the door to propose relatives gradually increased." It is said that the uncle is looking for a candidate, and he will marry you at any time, and it will be irretrievable at that time. ”

"Ah......" Shen Jing said: "Why didn't you discuss it with me?" ”

"Every time you show up, it's like burning your tail," Shen Mo smiled, "How can people discuss with you?" ”

"No, I'll have to figure out a way." Shen Jing rubbed his hands a few times, then looked at Shen Mo and said, "Oh no, you have to help me find a way." Saying that, he kowtowed and said: "I know that you are Zhiduoxing, there will definitely be a way......" Yunyun, silently did not agree, he was tricked, there was no way, so he had to take this hot potato.

After talking about Shen Jing, Shen Mo asked, "Didn't you say that Mao Haifeng lived in your house like this, where is he now?" ”

"In the Qinglou," Shen Jing said: "That kid has a lot of money and stupid donkeys, and he is the favorite of his sisters, and now he lives there, and I will send someone to call him back early tomorrow morning." ”

"That kid is doing a good job, huh?" pinched a piece of dim sum and tasted it silently: "I still visit the Qinglou, I have never been there?" ”

"It's not simple, I'll take you there tomorrow, the best girl, the best service......" Shen Jing suddenly came to his senses, and spat and said: "Make sure you feel at home." ”

"Stop, stop," Shen Mo scolded with a smile, "I asked you about Mao Haifeng's situation." ”

"He, Governor Hu treats him very politely, treats him with good wine and meat every day, and asks me to accompany him to visit the kiln." Shen Jing scolded with a smile: "Public money scoop prostitute, cow, right?" ”

In this era, it is indeed relatively good, but silence has become commonplace, and said with a smile: "What is Mao Haifeng's reaction?" ”

"This person is still relatively realistic, maybe he eats other people's soft mouths, and he feels embarrassed, so he expressed to Hu Butang that he hopes to help." Shen Jingdao: "But Hu Butang didn't let him do anything, this guy is relatively thin-skinned, and he was in a hurry. ”

"Let him come to me tomorrow." Shen Mo stretched and said, "Go to sleep." ”

"Don't worry, I have a question," Shen Jing stopped him and said, "Just if you asked me, I haven't asked you yet." ”

"Just ask." Shen Mo nodded and sat down again.

"Then I'll ask," Shen Jing asked with a grin, "What's the difference between the women in the north and our women in the south of the Yangtze River?" ”

(To be continued)