In the golden autumn of October, the osmanthus is fragrant.

The obedient official was dressed in a Confucian shirt, wearing a village on his waist, riding on a small white horse, wearing a green shirt with a big head, high-top shoes, and a pig dragon belt tied around his waist. Although this belt is only made of the skin of the belly of the pig dragon, it is the scrap material of the belt around the waist of the Yan boat owner, but it is also very valuable, it is the reward of Xiaoqian, the Yan family sent all her clothes and head jewelry to the Zheng family, this belt is also among them, she was going to give it to her young master, the obedient official smiled and said to her that she should give it to the big head, and the big head got this belt, and then I heard that it was made of dragon skin, and the smile was like a bloom on the face, there was no mouth Sister Xiaoqian was long Sister Xiaoqian was short, she vaguely listened to some " from the mouth of the big head The story of two corpses and three lives in Daxing County, Zheng Chengguan bravely cut off his head", so I know why the father and son of the single housekeeper look at themselves are always a little strange, and then I understand that the young master let himself send a belt to the big head, which is a way to lift himself to protect himself, and I am very moved in my heart, and I feel that the young master is willing to be so attentive to a little girl, which is really a worthy trust, but I don't understand why I always don't see each other with the young lady.

The big head led the reins of the horse and walked in front, from time to time to touch the belt of the pig dragon around his waist, so beautiful that the corners of his mouth were about to grin to the root of his ears, the good official looked at his appearance, couldn't help but laugh, and turned his head to see the smoke outside the city of Ningbo.

One of the most striking features of the towns in the south of the Yangtze River is that the city is very small, unlike in the north, where all the dwellings are enclosed and the city walls can resist the invasion of invaders. The cities in the south of the Yangtze River also have characteristics, most of them are pear-shaped cities, this is because the south of the Yangtze River is mountainous and watery, and must be limited by the mountains and rivers, so the shape is irregular, while most of the northern cities are boxy.

The ancient city of Ningbo has been hundreds of years old, many places have already collapsed, the Yuan court of the Mengyuan Dynasty in the previous dynasty did not allow the southerners to build the city, and so on Zhu Hongwu opened the country, because the Ming Dynasty was fought all the way up from the south to the north, so the Ming Dynasty opened the country, the south was determined, and there was no need to build the city at all.

In fact, this is also a reason why the Jiaqing Dynasty Jiangnan Wokou was rampant, most of the towns did not even have a solid and complete city, how could the common people resist the wolf-like Wako.

Like the good official and the big head from the Taohuawu all the way, the population gradually densed, from a distance, the city gate is like a few looks, the city wall, but like the dog gnawed baked cakes, there are nearly a thousand years of history of the inner city is decent, every few years, Ningbo Mansion has to repair it, this is also one of the few cities in the whole Ming Dynasty with an inner city, or the Tang Dynasty Kaiyuan period was built, now the Ningbo Mansion Yamen is located in the inner city, in addition to some official eunuchs, wealthy businessmen also live in the inner city.

The obedient official and the big head walked slowly on the road, far away, you can see the Lingshan Baoguo Temple, and you can vaguely hear the sound of the monks hitting the bell, the big head pointed over there and asked, "Young master, where is that monk temple?" It looks a bit like our Shuntianfu Tanzhe Temple, but the mountain is a little short, like a small mound. ”

Tanzhe Temple is to send "Yongle Imperial Monk Biography" to Zheng Guofan and said [The little donor Su Hui in his previous life, the monk was reincarnated, it is better to follow the old man!] The temple where the monk is located, was built in the Western Jin Dynasty, the Yongle Emperor built the Forbidden City is the imitation of the Tan Zhe Temple, the Yongle Emperor is the founder of the cottage, the cottage is everywhere.

Where do you know what the temple is called, but there are a lot of pedestrians on this official road, and there is a pedestrian next to him who sees that the good official master and servant are both very magnificent, and the accent seems to come out of the feet of the Son of Heaven, so he said casually: "This little official, the mountain is called Hussar Mountain, the temple name is Baoguo Temple, the incense is prosperous, and the sign is quite effective, if your little minister wants to ask about the future, go to Baoguo Temple to ask for a sign, but there is a ** spirit, that is, the sesame oil money is a little expensive." ”

"Such a small dirt slope is actually called Hussar Mountain, if the Hussar General knows, he will be so angry that he will crawl out of the tomb." The big head saw that the small hill was not imposing but it was called a hussar, and he couldn't help muttering, and the kind Samaritan next to him choked, and couldn't help but blame himself in his heart for talking too much.

He nodded and smiled at the pedestrian and thanked him, "The servant is rude, please don't be surprised. The pedestrian didn't even dare to say anything, saying that the little minister was polite, but he slowed down and walked to the back. The obedient official turned his head and said to the big head: "If you talk nonsense again, I won't take you out next time." "This kid is a little open-mouthed, and he wants to teach him good rules.

Shan Sinan sighed, afraid of being scolded by the young master on the official road, this person came and went, and he would lose face, so he lowered his head and led the horse forward.

After walking a little ahead, the population became more and more dense, and the obedient official got off the horse, let Shan Sinan lead the horse behind him, and asked for directions.

The obedient official thanked him, and slowly went to the direction of Baoguo Temple, at this time it was the morning, and it was the season of high autumn air, many people on the road looked at the incense to Baoguo Temple, and sure enough, as people said, the incense was prosperous.

Naturally, the good official didn't want to burn incense and worship the Buddha, in case he was dragged by some white-bearded old monk and said [The little donor Su Hui in his previous life, it is better to follow the old man!] That's really wronged. Although he understands his own family affairs, through this phenomenon, in the words of Buddhism, I am afraid that it is really the previous life Su Hui, many monks in history, obviously illiterate, but after enlightenment, writing poems and verses is the Tao, it can only be described by being born to know.

The two walked all the way, and there were many fragrant big girls and little daughters-in-law on the road, seeing that the good official's lips were red and white, his eyebrows were straight into his temples, he was wearing a gorgeous sword around his waist, and he was followed by a little girl who was leading a white horse.

Fortunately, the obedient official has been accustomed to being watched, and he doesn't care much, in front of the Baoguo Temple, only to see a crowd of people going up the mountain, countless incense people asking for signatures, men and women of all colors, etc., and on the other side, it is the eaves of the tile, the road paved with bluestone more than two zhang wide is mostly the characters of the long shirt, the houses on both sides are one after another, and the cloth picks and cloth sheds are propped up against the street, and the wooden planks are rested below, and all kinds of books are spread on the top, and some shops are at the door, The carvers sat directly on the stool and lowered their heads to concentrate on carving.

The big head snorted, "Young master, there are many bookstores, much more prosperous than ours." ”

The obedient official said that the difference between the literary style of the north and the south was not for fun, so he walked to the street over there.

The two walked slowly, looked back and forth, and the good official picked a shop that looked the most magnificent and largest, the façade of the shop was enough for three people to go in and out side by side, and when they looked up, there was a plaque hanging on it, Fu Zitang.

He let the big head wait outside, and walked in with his feet raised.

It looks like a bookstore, with a very large space, several rows of cabinets with wooden boards, and a cabinet with various current texts, these things similar to the college entrance examination exercises in later generations have always been the most expensive, and no one will ever buy them. On the other hand, there are all kinds of stories about history and romance on it, and some newspaper transcriptions, etc., which are sold to those old bookworms, most of them are some unambitious literati, or they have read books for many years, and they have disdained the books of talented and beautiful women or ordinary romances, etc., and they have to dig into the pile of old papers to find the books they like to read.

The outermost is a variety of best-selling numbers, such as "Spring Dream Trivia", "Huaichun Liji", "Sui Yang Emperor Yan History", "Emperor ** Secret History", which has flowers and goods at a glance, as well as a description of the family's broken children, and was taken by Miss Guan, Miss Gift in the back garden, either overseas, got the treasure of the Dragon King, made a fortune, and so on, in short, these are sold to those who pass the time, in the words of Master Gao, that is, [I have to be counted as literate, not good at reading], This large literate population is the largest buyer of such books, and the owner of the books.

The obedient official looked carefully with his backhand, there was a door leading to the back, presumably behind was the craftsman who carved the book, there were a few talented people dressed up in the history of the Yanyi Mansion newspaper counter holding a book, and then inside, there were only ten years old and old enough to be a grandfather, the number of people was afraid that there were twenty or thirty, swaying back and forth by the Shiwen counter to select, there was a fifty-year-old, the robe on his body was torn and leaking, still holding a book of Shiwen and looking there, his eyes were going to the book, These are all children who have the qualifications of a child but have not been officially admitted to the status of Xiucai, no matter how old you are, even if you are eighty years old, you have to be called a child if you are not admitted, these people are looking forward to seeing a way out from the text.

And the outermost, all kinds of people are not the same, some wear short shirts and look like the shopkeepers, still holding a copy of "The Secret History of the Emperor **" to see with relish, there are talented but luxuriously dressed, holding "Spring Dream Trivia" with a lewd smile on his face, and even the one who looks like a rich lady with a maid next to her, also mixed in the crowd, seeing a new book of talented and beautiful women, she refused to put it down when she held it in her arms, read it carefully, and immediately asked the maid to take the purse embroidered with flowers and incense to pay for the silver.

Mud horses, sure enough, are the best money for dementia women.

The obedient official turned around and came to the counter in the corner of the room, where an old man in a Taoist robe, holding tea, was talking to another old gentleman in a Confucian shirt.

"Yuan Yi, my brother, you Fu Zitang seems to have a good business!" The old man in the Taoist robe who spoke had a clear face, a slight beard under his chin, and said after taking a sip of the tea cup.

"Hey! It's not as good as Brother Damu, your Zhongzheng Hall! Another old gentleman holding a tea cup, his face seemed to be colorful, and the old gentleman who spoke was his son and daughter, the heir of the three major engraved book families, although the two had been friends for decades, but he had always had the idea of competing with this friend.

"Two old gentlemen, please." A beautiful young man walked over, bent over and raised his head, his eyebrows were handsome, and the two well-informed old men couldn't help but secretly praise him, what a handsome little official.

Naturally, it was Zheng Guofan who spoke, he looked at the side for a long time, and then he was sure that the old man in the ruddy shirt was the shopkeeper here, and the other old man in a Taoist robe seemed to be famous, but listening to the words, it seemed that he didn't care about the fame anymore, but in his gestures, there was still a sense of literati.

Zheng Guofan first greeted and asked for advice, and took out the white lady book in his arms and handed it over.

I have to say that good-looking people always have to take advantage of anything to do anything, and they changed to others, teenage little hairy children, took a notebook and said that they wrote it, and the two old gentlemen said that they were not allowed to read it or read it.

That old Mr. Yu Xuanyu, as the master, and the master of this Fu Zitang, since he took it first, he glanced at it casually, his eyes were fixed, and he called out to the man, "Go quickly, take the "Embroidered Portrait of a Chinese Ghost Story: Nie Xiaoqian" sent by Shuntianfu yesterday." ”

The guy got the shopkeeper's order, turned his head and went to get the book, "Master, this book is not on the shelves yet!" Mr. Yu Xuanyu took the book, waved at him without speaking.

The obedient official, who had been silent, breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, and his feelings "Nie Xiaoqian" had been shipped to Ningbo, which is good, it is estimated that he will not be worried about the price.

After comparing the two before and after, and after reading about 10,000 words, the master of Fu Zitang smacked his lips and slowly closed the manuscript in his hand, "The book is good, but Xiao Xiucai was written by your mentor and friend?" If you want to sell it, the old man will sell five taels of silver. ”

What? Five taels of silver?

Looking at this old gentleman with a ruddy and rich face and squinting small eyes, the good official really wanted to punch him in the old face.

Lying in the mud of the Gobi, sure enough, the cheekiness of the reader is really limitless! Even Zhao Cangjing, the owner of Deyi Fang, who felt that the good official was quite stingy, also offered ten taels of silver when he watched "Nie Xiaoqian" for the first time, this one is good, one mouth, five taels.

Therefore, the good official's face changed immediately, and he reached over and dragged his manuscript, "The old gentleman said a good joke, if I write "The Legend of Xiaolin Guangji" in the future, I must ask the old gentleman to say two." ”

The words of the obedient official are neither soft nor hard, neither humble nor arrogant, and the words faintly point out that he is the author of the book, and also secretly satirize this old Mr. Yu Xuanyu.

"Little brother, don't be in a hurry." The old gentleman said that he was not in a hurry, and together he knocked over the teacup on the counter, and stretched out his hand to grab the good official, "You can discuss, you can discuss!" ”

Mud horse, what is there to discuss, the more scholars turn to businessmen, the so-called Confucian merchants, the more they buckle their assholes and fingers, there is really no good thing.

The good official didn't want to discuss with this at all, Ningbo is so big, and there are all bookstores outside, I don't believe it yet. Reaching out to pull away the fingers of this old man Yu slamming the door, "Old man, I don't think we can discuss going together." ”

After he finished speaking, he turned his head and left, and the old man in the Taoist robe who had not spoken suddenly spoke, "Little brother stays, old man Xiong Damu, the hall master of Zhongzheng Hall, can you take a look at the little brother's book?" ”

As soon as these words entered the ears of the good official, the good official didn't want to deal with it, these two guys looked like a family, and Grande's friend was not another Grande, but Xiong Damu's three words made him pause.

Turning around slowly, he said: "But Zhong Guzi Xiong Damu, who wrote "The Romance of the Yang Family", "The Biography of the Northern Song Dynasty", "The Popular Romance of Zhongxing in the Great Song Dynasty", "The Romance of the Monarchs and Ministers of the Song Dynasty", "The Yue Family", "The Biography of the Han Dynasty", and "The Sequel to the Song Biography"? ”

Mud Horse Crossing River Xiong Damu, Mingfu Town, the word Damu, the number Zhong Guzi, the master of Zhongzheng Hall, one of the three major carving families in Jianyang, Fujian, and the inventor of the mud horse phenomenon.

This is a person who writes novels can not bypass the cattle man, Xiucai was born, abandoned Confucianism and took over the business of carving books in the family bookstore, as a bookstore owner to write his own history story, the first in the history of the romance of the head of the matter [mud horse crossing the river], said that the Northern Song Dynasty Kang King Zhao Gou was chased by the Jin people, in a panic on a horse and ran, crossed the river, found that the horse under the crotch was a clay horse, the myth was written into the history of the history, resulting in all the Ming Dynasty history and current affairs romance all became jokes, Later generations called the mud horse crossing the river bear big wood.

You like this or not! As long as you are engaged in creation, especially if you study Ming and Qing novels, this is a great man you can't bypass.