Chongzhen nine years, Henan, Zhangzhuang

The weather is still cold, and the whole Zhangzhuang has not yet radiated the vitality of spring.

Pan family

Here is to build a row of houses, enclose a large area of courtyard, this is the Pan family's mansion, the Pan family is also the largest landlord in Zhangzhuang.

The name of the Pan family is Pan Hongping, who was born in the Apocalypse, and his son Pan Guangyao also won the lifting department in the third year of Chongzhen, a double lifter.

In the fourth year of Chongzhen, the imperial court increased the salary, and the people were not able to make a living.

However, the land of the Pan family has swelled rapidly, Tian Lianqian Mo, all the land of the Pan family at the beginning was only 1,000 mu, and in just five years, this land has reached 20,000 mu.

The imperial court levied, coupled with natural disasters for many years, especially the locust plague and drought in the eighth year of Chongzhen, led to a poor harvest and the displacement of the people.

The Pan family relied on clever seizures and quickly accumulated wealth, as if they were a well-known figure in Longyan Township.

Today, Pan Juren's son, Pan Guangyao, is also studying, reviewing his homework, and preparing to prepare for the Graduate School.

The whole mansion of the Pan family is made of large stones and adobe, and the walls are not high, only slightly equal to the height of an adult, but the inside of the wall is different from the outside of the wall.

Within the walls, Pan Juren chanted poems against him, and little Pan Juren was preparing for the Jinshi exam, just for the family to be brilliant step by step and go to the next level.

Outside the wall, there were hungry people everywhere, and there were some peasants, holding the title deed, whispering, thinking that their land could be exchanged for a few more grains of grain.

They were hungry and hungry, and they begged bitterly.

Shen Laojiu, the housekeeper of Pan Juren, carefully counted grains of rice and stuffed them into the pockets of the hungry.

"Long live Master Pan, Marquis Wandai!" A hungry man handed over the land on which he depended, made a respectful voice, and carefully brought the bag of rice home.

"Steward Shen, my family still has ten acres of land, I implore Master Pan to smile, and I implore Master Pan to be merciful and take me as a slave!"

"Steward Shen, my family also has thirty acres of land, all of which are good land, Master Pan is merciful, may Master Pan saddle the horse before and after!"

"Steward Shen!"

At this moment, a man about forty years old nodded and came to Shen Laojiu: "Excuse me, introduce Master Pan!" ”

Shen Laojiu glanced at the man with slanted eyes and said, "Yo, isn't this Mr. Zhang?" What, you still have land to sell to my master? ”

This Mr. Zhang is called Zhang Xingyuan.

It's an old boy's birth.

Hearing Shen Laojiu's inquiry, he could only laugh dryly: "At home, there is no land!" ”

Shen Laojiu raised his chin, aimed his nostrils at Zhang Xingyuan and said, "What's the matter, there's no land?" Want to come and ask my lord for alms? That's not good, this natural disaster is desolate, and my lord has no food leftover! ”

"Don't dare, I still have an heirloom here!" Zhang Xingyuan said respectfully: "Please Master Pan appreciate, appreciate!" ”

Shen Laojiu's original intention was to send Zhang Xingyuan away, but after thinking about it, the ancestors of the Zhang family were also generous, and if you want to say that this Zhang family may really have some heirlooms.

At that moment, Shen Laojiu said: "You wait!" ”

After a while, Shen Laojiu went out and said, "Come in!" ”

Zhang Xingyuan bent down and entered the gate of Pan's Mansion, and when he entered the gate, it was a room.

This Pan Juren is also a more sophisticated family, and will set up a fire in the courtyard to cook so that the smoke from burning wood will not smoke the bricks and stones in the house.

In the other corner of the courtyard is a shed in the shape of a shed, in which there are still a lot of livestock.

At this time, the house was cooking, and the people were slaughtering the lambs, and there was a burst of fragrance, and Zhang Xingyuan couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

"What are you doing? Let's go! ”

Shen Laojiu snorted and said, "Don't let my master wait in a hurry!" ”

"Yes, yes, yes!" Zhang Xingyuan nodded respectfully.

After a while, I saw Pan Juren in a study, but this Pan Juren was mellow, and natural and man-made disasters obviously did not affect Pan Juren's full stomach.

A double lifter, said to be in Zhangzhuang, is also a wealthy family in Dengzhou County.

Especially the child Pan Guangyao is only twenty years old this year, and he has a great future, and if he is admitted to the Jinshi department, he will have an unlimited future.

Zhang Xingyuan is thin and thin, but standing in front of Pan Juren looks a little funny.

Pan Juren raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he made a voice with his nose: "Zhang Xingyuan, you say, there is a family heirloom?" What is it? ”

Zhang Xingyuan said respectfully: "Please also ask Master Pan to taste one or two!" ”

While speaking, Zhang Xingyuan came to the desk and spread out the calligraphy and paintings he carried.

Suddenly

Pan Juren sat up straight, looked at the calligraphy and painting in front of him in disbelief, and then muttered to himself: "This is the "Crane Picture"? ”

This "Ruihe Picture" was created by Zhao Ji of Huizong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Ji was not good as the emperor, but the calligraphy and painting were a must, and he created his own calligraphy "thin gold body".

"Rui Crane Picture" paints the Xuande Gate of Bianliang surrounded by colorful clouds, the flying cranes hovering in the sky, and above the tail of the owl, there are two cranes standing, echoing each other. The picture only shows the backbone of the palace gate, highlighting the gathering of cranes, revealing a mysterious and auspicious atmosphere in solemnity.

Pan Juren glanced at Zhang Xingyuan and said, "This is your family's heirloom?" ”

"Exactly!"

Zhang Xingyuan politely said: "My ancestors also served as officials in the Zhao and Song dynasties, and in the past, the Jin soldiers captured the capital Bianliang, and plundered the gold and silver treasures, calligraphy and paintings, etc., accumulated in the ninety-two treasury for more than 160 years, together with Hui, the second emperor of Qin and the royal family, and more than 3,000 ministers swept north, and the "Ruihe Map" fell into the hands of my ancestors! ”

Pan Juren carefully observed, carefully looking at every detail.

He also knows something about calligraphy and painting, but he doesn't know whether this "Crane Picture" is real or fake, but after reading it carefully, he feels more and more that it is genuine.

If it's genuine, it's really developed.

Pan Juren took a long breath, and then said, "Xingyuan, didn't you come to my house just to let me taste it, right?" ”

"Master Pan!" Zhang Xingyuan said: "The villain is willing to mortgage the "Ruihe Picture" to Master Pan in exchange for some silver, there is no rice at home to cook, and please have mercy on Master Pan!" ”

Pan Juren smiled, took a sip of tea from the teacup on the desk, and said slowly: "How do I know if this "Ruihe Picture" is real or fake? ”

Zhang Xingyuan said: "Pan Juren, this "Ruihe Picture" has been passed down in my family for several generations, how can it be fake? ”

"How can you guarantee that your ancestors' collection of Cranes is genuine?" Pan Juren asked rhetorically.

"I ......" Zhang Xingyuan was speechless for a moment.

Pan Juren was unhurried: "Lao Jiu, you go to the account room to pay one hundred taels of silver, and give him ten buckets of rice!" ”

Zhang Xingyuan was anxious and said, "Master Pan, this ......"

Pan Juren said lightly: "How do I know if this "Ruihe Picture" is true or false? I always have to find an antique dealer to identify it, this hundred taels of silver and ten buckets of rice I count as fakes, if it is genuine, how about I make it up for you? ”

Zhang Xingyuan pondered for a moment: "Please, Master Pan set up a note!" ”

Pan Juren's eyes showed a few unhappiness: "What, Zhang Xingyuan, you can't trust me?" ”

"There is no basis for what you say, please ask Pan Juren to set up a note!" Zhang Xingyuan insisted.

Pan Juren snorted coldly, took a pen and paper, wrote a note, and handed it to Zhang Xingyuan, Zhang Xingyuan glanced at it a few times, and after confirming that it was correct, he kowtowed and said: "Long life for Master Pan, long for the princess!" ”

Pan Juren waved his hand, as if sending a dog: "Let's go, sir, I'm going to eat!" ”

……

……

Outside the bookkeeper.

张行远呆滞了许久，瞪着申老九道：“申管家，潘老爷明明说是要给我一百两银子，十斗米，你怎给我八十两银子和八斗米？ ”

Shen Laojiu just sneered and said: "Oh, that's my lord doesn't know, now, the price of this rice has risen, and it would be good to buy four or five buckets of rice for twenty taels!" ”

Zhang Xingyuan said angrily: "I'll go to Master Pan and say go!" ”

Shen Laojiu just sneered: "Okay, you go, you can go, let my master have a bad meal, this end, you try!" ”

"You!"

Zhang Xingyuan was stunned, the fragrant words almost jumped out of his throat, his fists were clenched, but in the end, he let go weakly, and could only arch his hand: "Thank you Steward Shen!" ”

Judging Lao Jiu just mocked: "Let's go, let's go!" ”

Zhang Xingyuan carefully put away the silver, put the old rice on a small cart and carefully pushed it home.

But it's a dilapidated courtyard.

There are four people in the family.

Zhang Xingyuan, eldest son Daniel Zhang, second son Zhang Mu, younger son Zhang Xin.

Although the courtyard is ruined, there are four rooms for Zhang Xingyuan, Daniel Zhang, Zhang Mu, and Zhang Xin to live in, but now, the Zhang family is dilapidated, the house is messy, and no one has cleaned it up for a long time.

The boss Daniel Zhang worked as a tenant for Pan Juren, worked long hours, and barely managed to make ends meet.

The second child, Zhang Mu, had an illness not long ago, lying in bed and dying, only the third child was still studying, which was also the only hope for the whole family.

The third Zhang Xin passed the county examination and the government examination not long ago, and as long as he passed the final hospital examination, he was a talent.

In addition, Xiucai can be exempted from food in the house, although it is not as good as lifting people, but it can also save a lot of food at home.

A middle-class peasant with 20 acres of land may go bankrupt when he is sent to the errand service. Since the fourth year of Chongzhen, the Zhang family has 60 acres of land, but in the fifth year of Chongzhen, the 60 acres of land in the hands of the Zhang family have become 20 acres.

And now, it's really not an acre of land.

Sixty acres of land were exchanged for grain, and the whole family became a tenant farmer and long-term laborer of Pan Juren.

For extreme poverty, this is the best way, as long as you pay the rent to Pan Juren, there will not be so many taxes, and the court will not be able to loot the taxes on your head.

It's just that since last year, it is no longer possible to be a tenant farmer.

In the eighth year of Chongzhen, there was a locust plague and a drought, and the harvest in the fields became less and less.

Pan Juren's rent can't be paid.

A few days ago, the second son Zhang Mu didn't know what he had eaten, he had a bad stomach, vomited and diarrhea, and lay on the bed dying.

Zhang Xingyuan, who was forced, had to mortgage his family heirloom.

Since the beginning of the fourth year of Chongzhen, the imperial court has raised taxes again and again, and forced labor, which has caused Zhang Xingyuan's family, which is still a solid family, to decline rapidly.

Before the imperial court collected taxes, it was still able to survive to some extent, and it could even give the Zhang family a little extra money for the three children to study.

And now even food and clothing have become a problem.

"Daddy!"

As soon as he saw Zhang Xingyuan coming back, Zhang Xin hurriedly stood up: "Pan Juren is silver?" ”

"Gave a total of eighty taels!"

Zhang Xingyuan recalled today's encounter, and couldn't help clenching his fists: "Son, you have to study hard, in the future, win Xiucai, Zhongjuren, Zhongjinshi, redeem our family's heirlooms, the things that our ancestors passed down to our family can't be broken in my hands!" ”

"I understand!"

Zhang Xin nodded, and then, he said: "Dad, now, the college exam is coming, son, if you want to visit He Fuchen, the chief examiner of the college exam, you need to prepare some gifts, so you can show no worries, but this silver is ......!" ”

Zhang Xingyuan pondered slightly: "How much do you need!" ”

Zhang Xin gestured his fingers: "Sixty taels!" ”

Zhang Xingyuan said: "Tomorrow, I'll go with you, you take care of the second brother at home first, cook the rice, and I'll go to the doctor!" ”

……

……

Pan family

The father and son of the Pan family were carefully observing the calligraphy and painting, and Xiao Pan Juren couldn't help but say: "Dad, this is the real thing?" ”

"Eighty percent is genuine!" Pan Juren smiled, carefully observed the Ruihe diagram, but laughed for a long time: "I didn't expect that the Zhang family still has such a treasure!" ”

"Sir!"

At this time, a respectful voice came from outside the door: "Chen Zhutou is here!" ”

Pan Juren put away the calligraphy and paintings, and said, "Let him in!" ”

Then, I saw a burly man walk in, clasping his hands into fists: "I've seen Pan Juren!" ”

Pan Juren nodded slightly and said, "Chen Zhutou, I still have a troublesome matter here, please solve one or two!" ”

Chen Zhutou said politely: "Pan Juren but it doesn't hurt to say it, the villain has a point of strength, so he will make a point of strength, and he will definitely not disappoint Master Pan!" ”

"That Zhang Xingyuan's family!" Pan Juren said unhurriedly: "Give him a charge of thief!" ”