Qiu Chengyun, the tax supervisor of Yunnan silver mines, is in his forties, with a sharp nose and a sharp mouth, a thin face, two slender eyes often squinted, squinting does not mean that he is laughing, but angry, Qiu Chengyun always has inexplicable anger, at this time, he is squinting his eyes on the eight-step big bed in the cabin of the big ship, panting and tossing his little concubine - the golden horde of the big red Luo circle trembles endlessly, and the swaying brocade silver hook shines silver under the illumination of the Yunnan filament lamp, as if it is blown and shaken by the wheezing of the eunuch and the concubine on the bed, for a long time, The little concubine finally couldn't bear it anymore and cried out: "Master, spare the slave, it's so painful that I can't do it-" Then her mouth seemed to be gagged, and only her nose gasped, and she hummed incessantly.

After a long while, I heard a "pounding" sound, as if someone was lying down on his back to the sky, and then it was the sound of Eunuch Qiu's wheezing, who seemed to be very relaxed, and then he was holding back his strength - "Go and order to prepare water, our family has to bathe, you slut makes our family sweat." Eunuch Qiu seemed to be in a good mood, and he didn't know where to pat the woman with his hand, and the flesh was crispy.

A beautiful woman in her twenties, with her hair unkempt out of the red curtain, stood naked on the side of the eight-step bed and tied her skirt, her breasts and thighs were full of scratches, the scratches oozed blood, and the marks of teeth biting, anyway, there were bruises all over her body - soon, the large bath bucket was carried in, and the water in the bucket was steaming, and the woman said, "Master, you can wash your body." ”

Eunuch Qiu got out of bed in his small clothes, climbed into the bathtub, sat in the water, and said to the woman, "You can also wash together." ”

The woman was in hot pain with scratches, and begged for mercy: "Master, the slave has pain on his body, and he can't wash it, so he has to rest for two or three days to get well." ”

Eunuch Qiu shouted: "If you are told to wash, you will wash." ”

The woman couldn't help it, took off her dress and stepped into the bathtub tremblingly, and the moment she squatted down, the scars on her whole body were soaked in hot water, as if countless small knives were cutting on her body, her mouth and face were twisted in pain, and she inhaled "sizzle" - the eunuch Qiu looked at him face to face, his eyes were smiling, he was in a happy mood, and nodded and said: "I will reward you with ten taels of silver, as well as two horses of Shu brocade." ”

The pain of the knife cut for a short time was numb immediately, and the woman smiled and said, "Thank you for the reward." "Serve the eunuch to bathe, dry himself, and go to bed to rest.

…… At the beginning of the night, Qiu Chengyun led a fleet of 500 people to arrive at the Hangzhou Hushu Wharf in nine large boats, and there were already subordinate officials of the Zhejiang Political Department Yamen and the Hangzhou Mansion Yamen, who wanted to invite the eunuch Qiu to go to the city to rest in the pavilion, Qiu Chengyun said: "It's too late today, so I won't enter the city, and I will enter the city again in the afternoon tomorrow to meet you." ”

After successfully arriving in Hangzhou, Eunuch Qiu felt at ease, the evil fire was rising, and he tossed a concubine at night, scratching and biting all over his body, and tossing and sweating, and the evil fire went down, and this concubine was tired and sick for a few days, and Eunuch Qiu had three concubines waiting for him to toss - the next morning, Eunuch Qiu said that he was tired and wanted to rest on the boat, and he did not see any guests, nor did he enter the city, and the eunuchs were all strange-tempered, and those officials in Hangzhou naturally let him and only send more than 100 loads of wine and food to the ship.

At three o'clock, the entourage came to report that Mrs. Qiu was here, and the eunuch with status in the palace was respected by his subordinates, and the father's father was of course the old lady.

Eunuch Qiu commanded, "Help in." ”

After a while, Qiu Laohan got on the big ship with the help of his two sons, and when he entered the cabin, Eunuch Qiu only owed a debt and said, "Daddy is here, sit down." He ignored his two brothers, who were smiling and saying some affectionate and flattering words.

Eunuch Qiu ranked fifth in the family, Qiu Laohan had many sons, and the family was poor and couldn't live, so he castrated a younger son to let people take it to the capital, his luck was not bad, he entered the palace smoothly, and he got ahead in 20 years, became a eunuch in the silver mine, and the big man of the political envoy can fight against each other, the Qiu family, which was originally poor, also developed with a strong situation, and Eunuch Qiu is in a complicated mood about this, on the one hand, he is willing to see his family rich and generous, on the other hand, he is angry about his own castration, thinking that the development of the Qiu family depends on him to cut off the crotch, which really makes him angry, so every time I see my brothers and nephews, I don't have a good face, but some things have to be entrusted to my family more reliable-Eunuch Qiu said: "Daddy, our family came from Yunnan this time and brought some local products to Daddy, Daddy asked people to move home, don't rush to use it first, and then slowly buy land, buy a house, and buy a shop in three or five years-"

As soon as Qiu Laohan heard this, he knew that his son had really framed someone else for 50,000 taels, although Qiu Laohan loved money, but he grew up in the countryside and was quite simple, and the old people were always more serious, so he said: "Decaying dog-"

"Daddy," Eunuch Qiu said unhappily: "Our family has already told you, don't call me a weak dog anymore, and our family will be angry when you mention the old things, you said that you gave me nothing but a life and an ugly nickname!" ”

Qiu Laohan hurriedly said: "Okay, don't mention that name, don't mention that name-" said in his heart: "That time I called you by your nickname before you spared me and didn't beat me to recognize me, and then I didn't let me call it like that, decay dog, your father can't guess it now." ”

"Son-" Qiu Laohan changed his name, and then said that the Confucian surnamed Qin came to the door with a few strange-shaped natives a few days ago, and finally said: "Son, the natives are vicious, let's not provoke it, and be kind to others in everything." ”

Eunuch Qiu's face was extremely ugly, and he thought: "It is said that the people are difficult, and sure enough, they tracked down to my Yuhang Qiu family." In an irritable mood, he waved his hand and said, "Okay, okay, you go back first, and our family will see you again tomorrow." ”

Qiu Laohan didn't dare to say more, got up and went out of the cabin, and the two brothers of Eunuch Qiu asked with a smile: "Fifth brother, where is the Yunnan native product, let people take it off the boat." ”

Eunuch Qiu was angry, and said sharply: "What kind of local products, there is no point, hurry up and get off the boat!" ”

The two brothers of the Qiu family hurriedly withdrew from the cabin, and they had to complain about the fifth brother of the decaying dog behind their backs, and the two brothers agreed that the decaying dog was not allowed to set up a tablet in the ancestral hall even if the decaying dog died, and the eunuchs had no shame to see their ancestors, and they were so rude to their family and brothers before their deaths-Eunuch Qiu sat alone in the cabin hall and sulked, listening to Daddy's tone, he didn't dare to ask for this silver for him, for fear of retaliation from the natives--Eunuch Qiu sneered, and said in his heart: "What are our families afraid of, you don't dare to ask for it, then I will take it to the capital, buy real estate, buy beautiful concubines, and don't know how to spend if you have silver!" Although I think so, I always feel uncomfortable.

The servant came in to send a post, Eunuch Qiu saw that it was the Hangzhou weaving eunuch Zhong Benhua who asked him to visit the West Lake to listen to the southern opera, Eunuch Qiu was in a happy mood, watching the drama and listening to the opera was his biggest hobby, Eunuch Zhong was originally in the palace was one of the twelve eunuchs in the official eunuch's young eunuch, he was one of the eight bureaus of the silver bureau, at that time Zhong Benhua's status was still above him, and now everyone is a eunuch, the status is quite - Eunuch Qiu said: "Give the person who comes to reward money, just say that our family will go to the weaving department to visit Gonggong Zhong." ”

In the afternoon, Eunuch Qiu entered the city, all commanded the envoy, the political envoy, and the head of the three divisions to feast on him, and the Eunuch Zhong of the Weaving Bureau also came, and the eunuch saw the eunuch, very much the taste of meeting the old acquaintance in a foreign country, the two of them sat side by side, drinking and laughing, quite harmonious, Eunuch Zhong said: "Gonggong Qiu said that he must appreciate his face, our family prepared a boat in the West Lake, and invited a group of sound tricks, while swimming in the lake, while performing a good show, our family said that it was specially invited to Gonggong Qiu." ”

Eunuch Qiu said happily: "Then it's a nuisance, Ming said that our family first came to the Weaving Bureau to visit Gonggong Zhong, and then went to the lake to watch the play together. ”

Early in the morning of the 30th, Eunuch Qiu took a team of guards from the Hushu Wharf to the Weaving Bureau outside the Yongjin Gate, and carried the gift box in, with Yunnan jade, jadeite, ivory carving, silverware, as well as notoginseng, Poria cocos and other precious medicinal materials, worth thousands of gold - Eunuch Zhong said happily: "How dare you work hard for Father-in-law Qiu's generous gift, our family will have a reward." Thinking that Qiu Chengyun had not learned before, but now that he has been sent abroad for many years, he should also be elegant in interacting with the local gentry, so he said: "Father-in-law Qiu, please go to our study to take a look, our family has a few good things to give." ”

The two eunuchs came to the study room in the inner courtyard of the weaving official office hand in hand, Eunuch Qiu saw that there was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy in the study to watch a few kinds of jade and bronze ware, Eunuch Qiu thought at first that this was the small inner supervisor of the Weaving Bureau, but immediately felt that it was wrong, this young Confucian boy was dressed in a young man's outfit, and his eyebrows did not have that kind of low-voiced appearance, which little eunuch dared to look like this in front of the big eunuch, isn't this begging - "This is?" Eunuch Qiu looked at the young scholar and asked Eunuch Zhong.

Eunuch Zhong said with a smile: "This Zhang Gongzi is our family's New Year's friend, the son of the Zhang family in Shanyin, his ancestor is the champion of Longqing, Zhang Gongzi is sixteen years old, and he won the county examination for the first time this month. ”

Zhang Yuan got up and crossed his hands and said, "Shanyin Zhang Yuan pays a visit to Gonggong Qiu." ”

When Eunuch Qiu saw Eunuch Zhong praising this young man like this, he naturally smiled, followed a few words of praise, and listened to Eunuch Zhong say: "This Zhang Gongzi is good at appreciation, our family invited him to come and see if there are any fakes in these desk confessions and calligraphy and painting posters in our collection, and Father-in-law Qiu will also take a look together." ”

Zhang Yuan picked up a jade Maitreya and said: "Father-in-law Qiu, please see, this is the jade Buddha carved by Lu Zigang, a famous jade master of Wu Zhongzhi, with exquisite craftsmanship and lifelikeness. ”

Eunuch Qiu didn't know anything about Lu Zigang, nodded and said, "It's a good jade, and it's carved well." ”

Zhang Yuan picked up a Xuande furnace again and said: "The color of the Xuande furnace is divided into five grades, and the color of the Tibetan scripture paper is the best. ”

Eunuch Qiu said: "Yes, yes, this straight-legged stove is strong and easy to use." ”

Eunuch Zhong saw that Eunuch Qiu didn't seem interested in these, so he said: "Let's take a look at the paintings of the two famous artists in the world, the masterpieces of Chen Meigong and Dong Hanlin, this is Dong Hanlin's picture of the lonely smoke and distant village, what does Gonggong Qiu think?" ”

Eunuch Qiu looked at it and said, "Dong Hanlin is recognized by our family, he writes well and draws well." In order to show that he has insight, he said: "It's just that there is too much blank space above this painting, and it is best to add another three-Ying battle Lu Bu." ”

Eunuch Zhong and Zhang Yuan glanced at each other, and had nothing to say for a while.

(To be continued)