October 24, Jiangling, Huguang Governor Yamen.

Early winter has arrived, and the sky is getting darker and darker day by day.

The last year of Chongzhen was in the Xiaoice period, and the climate was even colder, and frost had fallen in the morning and evening. On this day, it was the first snow in the winter of the fourteenth year of Chongzhen.

At the end of the day (3 o'clock in the afternoon), it was not yet the point of dispersion.

But it snowed for the first time today, and Fang Kongzhi's literati Yaxing had some seizures, plus he was busy with military affairs and government affairs a while ago, and he was worried every day, so he could finally breathe a sigh of relief when he saw the snow.

He ordered his staff to disperse early and go back to the house to cook wine and enjoy the snow with his family.

His sons are all officials in other places, and there are only female rolls by his side. A few concubines were also funny, helping with the cloth vegetables and accompanying them for a drink: "The master is so interested, it seems that today is to appreciate the snow and poetry, and our sisters don't understand poetry, so we have to be a wine barrel." ”

Fang Kongzhi just twisted his beard and smiled silently, but he was a little lonely in his heart: in the end, the hair is long and the knowledge is short, how can we know what we think in our hearts.

Seeing that he didn't speak, the concubines and servants observed their words and looks, and they all knew that they hadn't guessed the master's thoughts, so they each took care of eating to cover up and relieve the embarrassment.

is still the youngest daughter Fang Ziling, who is sweeping the snow of plum trees on the side, who reads a lot, and often asks him for common sense of government affairs, and has already guessed her father's thoughts.

I saw that she swept for a while, and swept all the superficial layer of snow on the plum leaves into a small urn, which was enough for about one or two liters.

So he took it to the small red clay stove where the wine was boiling, took away the wine urn, put the snow urn on it, added two silver frost charcoals, and picked up a small fan to cook tea, in case my father and aunts drank too much to sober up.

Fang Ziling slapped a few times, had to chat freely, and then said prominently: "In the past few years, the water and drought have continued, and it has become colder and colder year by year, and it is a graceful thing to appreciate the snow, but the poor people don't know how to survive the cold winter. ”

When several aunts heard this, their expressions were a little sneering, and they hurriedly admitted their mistakes: "It's still Miss Clever and Intelligent, we don't read, but we can't see everywhere." ”

There are also a few young and knowledgeable people, relying on the favor of the master, and asking the bottom of the matter: "Master, then why are you cooking wine and enjoying the snow today?" ”

Fang Kongzhi saw that his daughter understood him, and he was also very relieved, so he wanted to test his daughter, so he followed the concubine's intention to ask.

Fang Ziling stroked his sideburns so as not to be smoked by the charcoal fire, and then said: "What's so difficult about this, since the snow is not good for the people, my father can still be happy about it, there must be other aspects that are conducive to national politics."

My father had been worried that Zhang Xianzhong would send stragglers to fight and loot out of Sichuan. Now that it is snowing, it must be difficult to walk on the mountain road between Yiling and Zigui, and most of this winter has been survived. ”

Since the surprise attack on Xiangyang in August cost 2,000 cavalry, Zhang Xianzhong's mobile forces have also suffered considerable damage.

In the past two months, Fang Kongzhi is no longer afraid that Zhang Xianzhong will come forward to attack the city again, but he is afraid that he will send a small force of highly mobile troops and run away after a wave of killing and looting.

There are also few cavalry in the southern official army, and the cavalry under Fang Kongzhi is especially few, and the previous 8,000 descendant troops have only 1,000 cavalry, and the miscellaneous armies in other local guards have almost no cavalry, and only more than 100 officers have war horses to ride.

Let him pursue Zhang Xianzhong's small group of robbery troops, it is simply impossible to do it.

Seeing that his daughter was so smart, Fang Kongzhi was also very relieved, took a sip of rice wine, and said proudly: "Our Fang family should be so knowledgeable, if you are a man, you are no worse than your eldest brother, it's a pity." ”

Fang Kongzhi drank wine and boasted to himself, which was not too much. Their family was one of the few scholars who had strong liberal arts and sciences at that time.

Fang Yizhi was able to write "Physics" later, not out of thin air, but from a family history. His father, Fang Kongzhi, studied mathematics, astronomy, and geography, and wrote "Zhou Yishi".

Don't look at the title of the book with "Zhou Yi", it seems to be an interpretation of the Confucian Five Classics, but in fact there is a lot of astronomical and mathematical content. The youngest daughter Fang Ziling followed her father and brother, and they were also eclectic and well-read, which was extraordinary.

The father and daughter talked about the situation for a while, and the topic inevitably turned to predicting the future of the bandits.

Fang Kongzhi took the opportunity to test his daughter, and asked her to talk about the prediction of the ability of each thief and whether she would be able to make a success next year.

Fang Ziling cooked tea, poured one for his father, frowned slightly and said: "Father, you often say that whether this thief can be exterminated depends not on me Daming and the thief, but also on the tartars outside the gate."

Last year, the situation was already very good, but this year it has been repeated, is it not because Hong Chengchou transferred the elite of the nine sides to Liaodong to fight Huangtaiji? Yang Ge's elite also had to make up for the gap left by Hong Chengchou.

Fortunately, the soldiers left by Yang Ge Lao were enough to use their lives, and this year they finally destroyed two or three of the thieves, forced Zhang Xianzhong to retreat, and turned Huguang into safety. However, Li Zicheng, Luo Rucai, and Ma Shouying have already converged, and there is still hope for the south next year, and the north is afraid that it will be even more erosive.

Moreover, we have to hope that next year, the Hongge Department will be outside the Guan, and there will be no new mistakes. Otherwise, maybe the south will not be able to count on peace. ”

After Fang Ziling finished speaking, Fang Kongzhi smiled, and the little concubine next to her observed her words, and hurriedly helped the sedan chair to carry people: "The second lady is really smart, the daughter's family can say such a big truth, we don't read much, but we can only envy." ”

Fang Kongzhi wanted to prevent his children from being proud, so he hurriedly pretended to beat him dotingly: "Where, her words are just clichés and slight improvements." Most of the points of view are not what I often say, that is, the last time Shen Bingbei came to the house to discuss military affairs, I mentioned that she was just picking up people's teeth. ”

Fang Ziling's face turned red, she didn't want to be said to steal from her father's colleagues' current political and academic views, so she hurriedly clarified: "What's the matter, my daughter's insight is completely different from the last time I came to Shendaotai!"

His unashamed "Theory of Thieves" said that 'only a thief chief who has cut off his children and grandchildren can recruit more people to be used by him'...... What a fallacy this is!

When he wrote that book, the thief hadn't merged with Luo Rucai and Ma Shouying yet, right? He dared to make a straight judgment that in the future, the three thieves would conspire to major events and there would be a fire, and it would be the thieves who would be more able to entrap Luo and Mabu.

Now that the thieves have broken Luoyang and attacked Kaifeng, Luo Rucai and Ma Shouying are only looking at their horses, and it has been three or four months, why don't they see them trying to harm each other and merge?

At first, I thought he was really a genius and visionary, but I didn't expect him to be a fool. Since ancient times, no matter how deep the wise man is who understands easy reasoning and is good at speculation, no matter how arrogant and straightforward he is, no matter how arrogant and straightforward he is? ”

The more Fang Ziling spoke, the more unconvinced she became, but she could hear that she was not completely unconvinced, but she hated the details of Shen Shuren's predictions.

No matter how strong a wise man is since ancient times, he will not speak so carefully, otherwise he will become a god stick who gambles and prophecies, not a gentleman who holds weight.

Fang Kongzhi listened, but he didn't care, and just continued to twist his beard to examine his daughter.

Seeing that Fang Ziling's heart was furious, he secretly said that it was not good: he had fallen for his father's plan again!

Sure enough, Fang Kongzhi saw her panic, so he pierced and said:

"And say that your insight doesn't come from Shen Bingbei? Listening to what you just said, not only have you read "The Theory of Thieves", but I am afraid that you have even read through the "Rizhi Shijian" published last year, otherwise how can you find the fault in it? Academics have their own opinions, and it's not a big deal, gentlemen are harmonious but different, group but not party. ”

The "Theory of Thieves" he mentioned is the recent popular rehearsal of Li Zicheng's work that will annex Luo Rucai and Ma Shouying.

The "Rizhi Shijian" is a political philosophy work written by Gu Yanwu at the beginning of last year, before Shen Shuren was appointed to Huangzhou, taking advantage of the last period of the Gangdian trial to serve as the Hanlin revisionist, which also allowed Gu Yanwu to catch the knife, mainly expounding the principles of "using civilization to defeat barbarism, the Northern Expedition can also win", "The rise and fall of the world, the husband is responsible".

To put it bluntly, on the basis of the "Daily Knowledge" written by Gu Yanwu himself many years later in history, many private goods that Shen Shuren felt would be helpful to unite the people of the anti-Qing Dynasty and stabilize their morale in the future.

Fang Ziling was exposed by her father, and she was inevitably a little cramped.

She was about to find a way to turn the tables, but fortunately, the housekeeper of the house suddenly came to the backyard and asked the maid to come in to report.

The maid stepped forward in an anxious step and whispered, "Master, Uncle Zeng said that there are dignitaries from the officialdom visiting outside, so let you decide whether to see it or not." ”

Before Fang Kongzhi could answer, a few concubines around him were a little dissatisfied, they were rare to visit the garden and drink with the master, the master has been busy with government affairs recently, and there are few Yaxing.

The concubine in the fifth room relied on her favor and took a sip: "The governor's yamen has been dispersed, and there are still any sesame officials in this Jiangling realm who can disturb it." ”

Fang Kongzhi's face was pale: "Don't be presumptuous!" What if it's an urgent matter? I'm going to ask. ”

There are female rolls in the backyard, so the housekeepers and staff are not allowed to enter, but they are just waiting outside the hanging flower gate. Fang Kongzhi followed the maid to the door of the weeping flower, talked to the visitor for a few words, and immediately paid attention to it and ordered the guest to be brought.

After the order, he turned around and returned to the plum garden, sat by the stove, and said to a few concubines: "If you want to avoid it, just avoid it, there are colleagues from Wuchang who are visiting, and you can't see it." This is just Shen Shizheng, and today is indeed a bit of a frenzy in government affairs. ”

Fang Kongzhi looked at the sky, Shen Shizheng was at four o'clock in the afternoon, and at this point, he was drinking and enjoying the snow in the plum garden, and he was indeed passive and slacking off.

After instructing his wife and concubine, he turned to his daughter again: "Ling'er, it is Shen Shuren who came, I haven't seen him for half a year, he also added the imperial history of the capital, and he is only half a step away from being the governor of his father, and the officialdom is really unpredictable."

For the sake of your father, you are very dissatisfied with his learning, and you will have to ask for advice in person for a while? Or do you want to avoid it with your aunts? ”

Fang Ziling bit her lip unconsciously, and decided to be more serious, first avoid it with her aunts, change into a more formal scholar's uniform, and then come to academic debate.

It's a shame to argue with someone in women's clothing.

Fang Ziling had just flashed away, and there were already footsteps outside the Hanging Flower Gate, and it was the Shen Shuren who was introduced inside.

"Futai is good Yaxing, this year has just snowed, and I began to enjoy the snow. It seems that I disturbed Futai Yaxing. The Sinking Tree Man paced in the snow, waved his hand to dispel the smell of barbecue in the air, and laughed playfully.

Fang Kongzhi didn't see him either, and pointed to the vacant seat opposite: "It's okay, it's the old man who is ridiculous, it's not as energetic as you young people, and you are diligent in government day and night."

What support do you want to ask for this time? Recently, I have come to the old man to sue you for a bad situation, and the old man saw that it was not easy for you, so he helped you stop it. You are bold, you only have the right to do defense in Wuchang Mansion, and you dare to make such a bold move to criticize the civil affairs! ”

Shen Shuren sat down opposite and frankly admitted: "In extraordinary times, do extraordinary things, as long as we can work together to stabilize the place, drive out the thieves, often win battles, and behead the thief chieftains, Your Majesty and the elders will understand our urgent affairs." ”