China has one of the longest shipbuilding histories in world history. Throughout the ages, a variety of wooden boats have emerged in an endless stream. The most famous ones are the sand boats, the Fukubune and the Hirobune. However, during the Ming Dynasty, the largest number of ships was the Cao boat.

There are different styles of boats, including single-sail, three-sail, and even five-sail. In the Ming Dynasty, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal can be said to be the lifeline, and a large number of materials were transported from Shandong, Huaiyang, and Jiangnan every year to supply the north, so the Cao boat can be said to be the top priority. Since the Yongle period, the law has basically been implemented in ten to fifteen years. In the Chenghua years, the number of cao ships at that time had reached 10,000, and the grain sent to the north by the thieves was 4 million stones every year. These are official, i.e., the civilian clique can manipulate or influence. It is very difficult to navigate the canal without the support of power. So who is in the hands of the other folk boats?

One is the businessman supported by the civilian clique, and the other is the declining Xungui clique. The profits of the southern and northern shipments are moving, and no one can refuse. In addition to the royal family, the upper class will basically come here to get a piece of the pie.

This time, Zhu Houzhao can send these things in time is the Xungui Group, just so far, the number of boats used for the royal family has reached 1,000. Sending food from the north to the south, sending people from the south to the north, and cooperating with the nobles, Zhu Houzhao enjoyed great convenience, and also saw that the "declining" nobles did not really fall to the ground, but were dormant.

Zhu Houzhao and the others added up to less than 60 people, and a boat could already sit down. This cao ship is the ship of Xu Li, the Duke of Wei, and of course, on the surface he is the passenger ship of the Nanjing Xu Fu Ji firm.

Xu Li's ancestor was Xu Da at the time of the founding of the country, and the Duke of Wei also belonged to the old Guogong. Generally speaking, only after the founding of the country and the pacification of the world will the lord be crowned, as for the last generation, not to mention the kind of random sealing. The Ming Dynasty in the Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di periods had a large number of vassals, Zhu Yuanzhang was the prince of the country alone, and the county duke was crowned thirty-nine, and the Duke of Wei was one of them.

After talking about the ancestors, let's talk about Xu Li himself. Xu Li, the word Gongfu, male, 58 years old, from Fengyang, was born in 1450, that is, the first year of Jingtai. In the first year of Chenghua (1465), he was knighted, enshrined in the year of filial piety, and was in charge of the governor's office of the left army in Nanjing. In the ninth year of Hongzhi (1496), he was in charge of the military capital and garrisoned Nanjing. Hongzhi resigned in the thirteenth year and was allowed to add the crown prince. There must be such a great official ability, otherwise there are so many veteran princes, why are you so good.

In Jin Yiwei's file, it is written: "Xu Li has been an official for decades, the most filial piety, and honest and prudent. For the powerful, they are strict and strict, and many of them are suppressed, and those who see them are not afraid. "He is filial piety and has a good personality and morality, which shows that Lao Xu is very powerful.

This time, Lao Xu's support was very strong, and the Cao boat alone supported two hundred, which left a good image in the hearts of the Zhu Houzhao brothers.

Except for the bow, the boat on which Zhu Houzhao rode was covered by a shipbuilding, with a length of 23 meters and a maximum width of 9 meters. With two masts and three sails, it can carry about 250 tons, which can be regarded as a big ship in the canal.

Sitting in the cabin, blowing the breeze with the smell of the lake, listening to the sound of the river, a cup of tea, watching the boundless autumn colors on both sides of the river, everyone suddenly quieted down, revealing a look of tranquility, and there was no interest in talking.

In the afternoon of the next day, the boat had arrived in Linqing. In the distance, I saw a dense crowd of people in the open space of the wharf, at least 30,000 or 40,000 people. But fortunately, there was no chaos, although the atmosphere was a little depressing and tense, but not irritable.

When I got closer, I found that in this dense crowd, there was still a group of people who were maintaining order. It is not difficult to distinguish that this is the men and horses of the land and water battalion, and there are boats unloading on the dock, all of which are full bags of rice, and the people can't help but smile when they look at the convoy carrying grain.

Soon, Zhu Houzhao and the others went ashore, and as soon as they got off the boat, they saw five or six people running from the distance of the path that the crowd had given way.

When they arrived, Zhu Yuan and the others arched their hands, and only Zhu Yuan said, "I've seen two young masters." The Zhu Houzhao brothers all nodded, there are many people, this title is the best. Both of them were wearing ordinary Confucian robes, wrapped in a scarf on their heads, and they looked like rich children who had gone on a long trip, and they didn't attract much attention.

Zhu Houwei said in a low voice, "Let everyone be careful, I can only hide from ordinary people, but not from those who have a heart." Zhu Yuan smiled and nodded, and also said in a low voice, "It has been arranged a long time ago, and there are five hundred people in Linqing this time." ”

Under the leadership of Zhu Yuan, Zhu Houzhao and his party entered Linqing City. Linqing was upgraded to Linqing Prefecture in the second year of Hongzhi, with the consulate Tao County and Qiu County, which belonged to the jurisdiction of Dongchang Prefecture. The status can be said to be above the county and below the government, which is very special.

The reason is that the geographical location is excellent, at the intersection of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Sui-Tang Grand Canal, north to the capital, west to Luoyang, south to Hangzhou. It has the reputation of "prosperous and prosperous Jiaqi County", and the population is more than one million. Nowadays, the city is very crowded, and there are already ministers who want to build another city or build it.

As soon as I entered the city, I immediately felt a different world from the docks outside the city. To paraphrase the words of "Golden Vase Plum Words", that is, "this Linqing gate is a lively and prosperous place to go, a place for businessmen to come and go, and a place where vehicles converge, there are 32 flower willow lanes and 72 orchestra buildings." This is not far from the city, Linqing horse head, there is a Yangong temple. There is a land of fish and rice, a land of boats and boats, a wide range of money and food, quiet and chic. (Disclaimer: "The author has not read this famous book)

At noon, he simply ate some on the boat, and Zhu Houzhao asked, "What are the good places to eat here?" Zhu Yuan thought for a while and said, "Zhixian invited me to go once, the food is first, the dishes are good, and the price is not high." The main thing is that the third floor is quiet and easy to talk to. "Okay, let's go eat first." Zhu Houzhao decided with a smile.

Zhu Houwei frowned and knocked on Ma Sanniang, who was watching the pedestrian shops on both sides of the road, as soon as Ma Sanniang turned around, her smiling face immediately became expressionless, which made Zhu Houwei very depressed, thinking, "I offended you?" To be so faceless? But he still said with a smile: "Sanniang, this food is the first, is it available all over Shandong?" Do you know their owners? ”

Ma Sanniang also frowned when she listened to Zhu Houwei's question, "This food is the first, it is indeed found all over Shandong, and there is basically one in any prosperous place." The most amazing thing is that the owner is very mysterious, no one knows about it, but the background is huge. I heard that a few years ago in Jinan, there was a big official's son who feasted guests, but he didn't pay after eating, drunk and babbled, and made nonsense at the restaurant shopkeeper, but three days later, the big official lost his official position, and the family was relegated to Yunnan. Since then, there has been nothing wrong with food first, and officials basically choose there for banquets. ”

Zhu Houwei listened and thought quietly, Ma Sanniang didn't ask, and continued to look at the streets one after another, but there was no smile on his face.

Since the streets were very crowded, not to mention the horses, people were reluctant to walk. It took about three quarters of an hour to walk slowly, and then it was time to eat first.

Linqing's food is quite atmospheric, just the store is as big as five or six stores, and the three-story floor is beyond the side.

Under the leadership of Xiao Er, everyone came to the third floor where there were few people. Since it is not a meal, there are few diners. A group of about 30 people sat in three rooms, and Brother Zhu Houzhao was the one in the middle.

The dishes have not yet been served, and during this time, Zhu Houzhao opened his mouth and asked, "How is the situation in Linqing?" ”

Zhu Yuan replied solemnly, "We came here five days, and there are 500 people invited this time, but they are all recruits recruited in June. It looks good, but the combat effectiveness is not enough. Lieutenant Dong took a thousand people to Texas, including 600 veterans and 400 recruits. When we arrived, it was relatively peaceful, with our food and soldiers to maintain order, and there were no problems. More than 10,000 refugees have also been transported, but the manpower is still a little short, and the subordinates are still a little worried. "In addition to Zhu Houzhao's brother in the house, Ma Sanniang is Ma Sanniang, since Zhu Houzhao asked, then Ma Sanniang is his own person who can be trusted.

Zhu Houwei spoke, "Actually, just be careful today, many people saw it when we came." If you want to make trouble, waiting for us to go back to the docks is the best time to do it. After today, Linqing will be considered peaceful. ”

"Dong Qinghai, what's the news there?"

"Good news, just arrived yesterday. After the land and water battalion landed the day before yesterday, it first eliminated the vanguard of the rebels, then increased the isolation of refugees and rebels, and launched an attack when the rebels were not well organized, breaking up the rebels besieging Texas in one fell swoop. However, during the fighting, more than 200 hidden rebels rushed out from the refugees behind, resulting in three casualties and 32 wounded. Now Zhong Guan Dong should still be chasing the leader of the rebels, and he learned from the battle report that the rebels launched this time are all from the cult, including Maitreya, Dragon and Tiger Sect, White Elephant Sect, and the most important is the leader of the Wuwei Sect (Luo Sect) called Luo Xing, who seems to be the youngest son of the founder Luo Menghong. ”

Zhu Houzhao wanted to ask something, but the second little man who passed the dishes came. Zhu Houwei said to Xiao Er, "Call your shopkeeper, I have some questions to ask." Xiao Er was a little nervous, "This guest officer, but where is the little one not attentive?" Zhu Houwei smiled, took out a silver particle of about five coins of silver and gave it to Xiao Er, "Don't be nervous, I'm just asking him a few questions." ”

Xiao Er took the reward, his heart was settled, he nodded and said, "Thank you, guest officer, the little one is going to call our shopkeeper." ”

Xiao Er went downstairs, and Zhu Houzhao asked, "What's wrong, suddenly became interested in food first?" Zhu Houwei shook his head, "Just ask the owner of this restaurant, it's not that there is any problem, at least it seems that there is no problem now." Jining follows the soup kitchen, and food comes first, which is still a good business. ”

After a while, a middle-aged man in his forties walked into the open door, bowed his hands, and said hello in his mouth, "The villain's surname is Lin, and Tian is the shopkeeper who puts Qing food first, and I have seen a few guest officials." I don't know if a few people are dissatisfied, the small shop must try to be satisfied. ”

Zhu Houwei smiled and said, "Don't worry, shopkeeper Lin, there is nothing dissatisfied, can you tell me about these dishes first, and then answer a few questions for me?" ”

Shopkeeper Lin smiled, "That's okay, the little one will tell you, don't think the villain is unknown." After speaking, stretch out your hand and spread out" This dish is called Fish Leaping Dragon Gate, the fish is the Yellow River carp that was only sent today, it is absolutely fresh, after frying, the fish skin is crispy and fragrant, and the fish meat is still fresh and tender. There are also quail eggs soaked in chicken broth in the belly of the fish, which is delicious and delicious. The door under the body of the fish is carved with radish, and this dish is Shaoxing white chopped chicken."

explained a lot fluently, and the shopkeeper did not have the slightest feeling of dry mouth, and Zhu Houwei who watched it was a little admired. After Zhu Houwei and the shopkeeper finished speaking, he asked, "Is this food first available everywhere in Shandong, I have seen it in Dengzhou and Jining." ”

The shopkeeper's face was proud, "That's not a small boast, now not only in Shandong, but also in some prefectures and counties in Henan, we have food first." Now there is also a restaurant in Nanjing that is being renovated, if the guest officer goes to Nanjing, it is estimated that at the end of the year, he will be able to see us there to open first. ”

"Yo, good fellow, it's a big deal. I don't know who the owner of this food is first. It's not that I'm bragging, my eldest brother and I are also some face-staking figures in the capital, Dengzhou, Jining's food first, I have also been there. The taste is good, and the shop is more elegant. I just want to meet with your owner, to see if we can open a family in the capital together, not to mention the daily income, I have absolutely no problem supporting my wife and children. Zhu Houwei said quite "enthusiastically", as if he was really here to talk about business.

The shopkeeper was smiling at first, but when he heard it, he was a little embarrassed, and said with a smile, "Don't hide it from this guest officer, I haven't seen who the owner is." We shopkeepers basically don't know who the proprietor is, and every month we write a letter and hand it over to the big shopkeeper from Jinan. Why don't you go to Jinan and have a look? Maybe the big shopkeeper knows where the owner is? If you can wait, the little one will write immediately, and after five or six days, it is estimated that there will be a reply. ”

Zhu Houwei smiled and said, "That's okay, you go to write, but we are going to Texas today, if your host is interested, come to Texas, you also have it there." ”

Shopkeeper Lin frowned and said, "Yes, yes, but Rong Xiao said a few more words." Now that Texas is in chaos, what about people attacking the government? If you're not in a hurry, you'd better not go there. ”

Zhu Houwei nodded and said, "I know it in my heart, by the way, you can write my eldest brother's name." Well, just write about Zhu Shou in the capital. Shopkeeper Lin knew that he couldn't be persuaded, so he nodded, "That's okay, a few guest officers take care, and the little ones go down to say hello." ”

After Shopkeeper Lin left, Zhu Houzhao spoke, "Why do you want to use my name?" Besides, this name is not loud, and you can't find anything if you ask. ”

Zhu Houwei smiled and said, "Don't worry, just one surname is enough, if their owner has a little brain, they won't not come." Then he turned his head to look at Ma Sanniang.

Ma Sanniang said expressionlessly, "There are no calluses on your hands, your steps are vain, and you are not a practitioner." I couldn't see the appearance of lying just now, I should just be an ordinary person. ”

Zhu Houwei just looked at her with a smile and didn't speak. Ma Sanniang frowned slightly, and said lightly, "Let's eat some, and we will go to Texas later." After speaking, he didn't care about Zhu Houwei, and after Zhu Houzhao moved his chopsticks, he also ate vegetables.

Zhu Houwei sighed lightly, Zhu Houzhao chewed the fish in his mouth, shook his head slightly, Zhu Yuan looked at Zhu Houwei with very obscene eyes for a while, and looked at Ma Sanniang for a while, as if he had found something interesting.

Zhu Houwei said very plainly while picking up vegetables: "I want to know if you can still see two quail eggs in the hole in your eyes?" Zhu Yuan immediately "sat upright", only eating the food on the table, and did not hear other sounds in his ears.