Zhang Cai is worthy of being a person that Chang Feng fancy. Extremely efficient.

Coupled with the blessing of Jinyiwei's pervasive intelligence network, in just two days, Zhang Cai found out the source of the goods for the two uncles.

On this day, Chang Feng was playing chess with Xu Fatzi in the room.

Xu Fatzi played chess with a sad look.

Chang Feng asked, "What's wrong with you?" listless, as if he hadn't woken up. ”

Xu Fatzi replied: "My old man's health has deteriorated in recent years. Last night, I had a diarrhea. I waited for the old man to go to bed until the time of the unitary. ”

Dingguo Gong Xu Yongning is sixty-one years old and in poor health. He suffers from severe thirst-quenching disorder and is not long in life.

If Xu Yongning returns to heaven, Xu Fatzi will become the Duke of the Ming Dynasty, a top noble.

Chang Feng put down the chess pieces in his hand: "If I have time these days, I will go to your house to visit the old man." ”

At this moment, Zhang Cai came to the two of them, and bowed his hand respectfully: "Disturb Chang Ye and Xu Ye playing chess." ”

Chang stared at the chessboard without raising his head: "Did you find out the result?" ”

Zhang Cai replied: "Yu Changye, the supplier to Deshengchang Commercial Bank is the Quanzhou maritime merchant Lin family. ”

Chang Feng glanced up at Zhang Cai: "Lin family? ”

The Lin family in Quanzhou, a well-known maritime merchant family.

There is a folk proverb in Fujian: "Quanzhou Hai Quanzhou Sea, Zhu family world Lin family wealth." ”

Because their ancestors had assisted Zheng He in going to the West, the Lin family had been granted permission by the imperial court since the Yongle Dynasty to engage in maritime trade with the countries of the South Seas.

During the reign of Xianzong, he cracked down on the Quanzhou maritime merchants, and many Quanzhou maritime merchants were either arrested or killed. All the family wealth was confiscated.

It is said that the confiscated huge wealth was just used for the military expenses of the Chenghua Plough Court and the Northern Attack Grassland.

Strangely, the Lin family was unharmed and unstruck by the imperial court.

Not only that, but the imperial court's crackdown on the rest of the maritime merchants was tantamount to helping the Lin family. Let the Lin family dominate in Quanzhou.

Folklore has it that the Lin family's wealth topped the upper half of the treasury.

Naturally, relying on the limited Nanyang trade approved by the imperial court, the Lin family would definitely not be able to amass so much wealth.

The unclear smuggling trade with the Japanese is the real source of wealth for the Lin family.

Chang Feng said: "The Lin family should send someone to do things in Beijing, right?" Grab it. ”

Zhang Cai said: "Master Chang, I got reliable news. Lin Sheng, the head of the Lin family, will enter Beijing in a few days. ”

Lin Sheng was only 17 years old. Due to his father's early death, he became the head of the Lin family at the age of thirteen.

The businessmen in Zhejiang, Zhejiang, and Fujian saw that Lin Sheng was not called "Boss Lin", but "big boss" to show respect.

The Lin family has rules, every three years, the family has to go to Beijing to do business. As for what to do, only God knows.

Chang Feng threw the chess pieces back into the chess pot: "That's good." Let's stop arresting people yet. Let's wait for Lin Sheng to enter Beijing, and I will meet this 'big boss'." ”

At the end of the morning, Chang Feng came to the cabinet room. The cabinet has just recommended that Emperor Hongzhi be dismissed from his post as the political envoy of Sichuan. Chang Feng came to talk to them about sending people to Chengdu to raid their homes.

After the official talks, Li Dongyang said: "It's so easy for you to come to the cabinet." Have a cup of tea and go. ”

Chang Feng smiled: "Thank you Li Cifu for enjoying the tea." ”

Chang Feng sat and drank tea with the three elders.

Da flickered Xie Qian and said, "Everyone, I just got a joke. It's funny. I'll tell you. ”

Xie Qian likes to tell jokes the most. His jokes often have a deep meaning. In many things, he can always point out his position by telling jokes.

Xie Qian said with a smile: "In the winter, a bird that has not yet reached adulthood was so hungry that it fainted and fell to the ground. ”

"The bird was about to freeze to death on the ground. It's too late, it's too soon. A strong cow walked over. ”

"Don't get me wrong, the bull didn't trample the bird. Instead, he stopped on top of the bird and pulled a bubble of stinky, steaming cow dung. ”

"Pop, the cow dung is impartial, and it just falls on the bird."

"The strong ox finished pulling the dung and left. The little bird was a blessing in disguise, and was warmed by the heat of cow dung, and woke up. ”

The bird was so happy. Wow, I don't deserve to die! ”

"It fluttered happily in the cow dung and chirped."

"Since ancient times, it has been a source of blessings and misfortunes, and misfortunes and blessings have been lurking."

"The bird escaped death, and the joy was fluttering and the bird chirping, and the movement attracted a weasel."

"The weasel ate it."

It's a bad joke that's not funny.

Li Dongyang asked, "Is this the end?" ”

Xie Qian nodded: "It's over." ”

Chang Feng thought thoughtfully: "Xie Ge Lao's jokes have always been full of meaning. I wonder what the moral of this joke is? ”

Xie Qian smiled: "This joke tells us that if you are in a dung pit, it is best to keep your mouth shut and not toss around. ”

Cesspool?

Chang Feng raised his eyebrows slightly, and said secretly in his heart: What is Xie Qian hinting at me?

Officials in the capital always love to laugh at themselves, and the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty is a big dung pit. There are very few people who can get out of the mud without staining.

Listening to Xie Qian's meaning, is it to shut up me in the big dung pit of officialdom and don't toss around?

It's weird, I haven't been bothered about anything lately. Don't.

Chang Feng remembered one thing: Xie Qian was originally from Yuyao County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang.

Yuyao County is close to the sea. In terms of government affairs, it is under the jurisdiction of the Shaoxing Prefect's Yamen. In commercial matters, it is under the jurisdiction of Ningbo City.

Could it be that the Xie family was also involved in maritime trade? Xie Qian is hinting to me that I don't care about maritime smuggling?

Weird. I asked Zhang Cai to investigate the source of the smuggled goods, which is a secret known to a limited number of people in Jinyiwei.

How did Xie Qian know? Could it be that someone gave Xie Qian a good idea?

Li Dongyang suddenly spoke: "Brother Xie's joke is more like a fable, it is really philosophical." ”

Liu Jian also spoke: "This is a joke that only smart people can understand." At the moment, all of us sitting in the room are smart people. ”

"Presumably, everyone can understand. yes, Changfeng. ”

Chang Feng pretended to be confused: "Ah." and below are the dull ones. A fool who couldn't even take the five exams and couldn't pull out the tribute. ”

"Xie Ge has always been the champion of Chenghua for eleven years, and his jokes and fables are incomprehensible to foolish people."

Chang Feng has taken the Hongzhi three years, the sixth year of Hongzhi, the ninth year of Hongzhi, the twelfth year of Hongzhi, and the fifteenth year of Hongzhi.

The second place fell to Sun Mountain.

Three years ago, his fourth meeting was the closest he had ever been to Bagong. It's just one place off.

In the spring of this year, he entered the Tribute House again. is still named Sun Mountain. And this time, he was "many, many laps" behind.

The first few times he missed, Chang Feng thought that he was not good at learning.

The fifth time he missed, Chang Feng began to suspect that the examiners deliberately made him fall off the list.

Behind the examiners stood a clique of civil servants. Since the imperial examination fraud case three years ago, Chang Feng has been on the same page as the civilian clique.

If the butcher of Jinyiwei has the reputation of Jinshi, he can be transferred to or concurrently hold important civil official positions, and with the trust of Emperor Hongzhi, Chang Butcher will become a big problem for the civilian group.

Li Dongyang and Xie Qian glanced at each other and stopped talking.

Chang Feng doesn't bother himself. The three pavilion elders stopped talking, and he couldn't stay in the duty room and not leave.

Chang Feng got up: "The three elders, the lower officials will leave." ”

In the evening, Chang Feng returned home.

Xu Fatzi followed Changfeng to Changfu to fight the autumn breeze.

Chang Ponu is holding two stone strings in the front yard to practice arm strength.

Xu Fatzi laughed at him: "I said eldest nephew, you can't do it with your arm strength." With just these two twenty-pound stone skewers, I can lift them up with two fingers. ”

Chang Feng scolded: "How many pounds of fat meat are you?" How many pounds is a broken slave? You're embarrassed to tease your nephew, who is less than half as heavy as you. ”

Soon, the dining room is open.

Old Taishan Liu Bingyi is old and has white hair. But he is very much like Ma Wensheng, old and strong, old and strong.

Last summer, Chang Feng specially bought a twenty-eight-year-old maid to take care of his diet and daily life.

Three to take care of two care, the maid was taken care of by Liu Bingyi to the bed.

Liu Bingyi, who was in his prime, actually made the maid's belly bigger.

Chang Feng stretched out and asked Liu Bingyi to take the maid into the room and become a concubine.

Liu Xiaoyan saw that she was going to be a sister at the age of thirty-seven. However, the heavens did not fulfill people's wishes, and the concubine slipped when she was six months pregnant.

Otherwise, Chang Feng will have an extra brother-in-law or sister-in-law.

The family was happy, talking and laughing at dinner.

Chang Feng regards Xu Fatzi as his half-brother and the most trustworthy person in the world.

After chatting, he turned the topic to business: "The first maritime merchant in the southeast, the main owner of the Lin family in Quanzhou has entered Beijing. I'm going to meet him. ”

Xu Fatzi said: "The Lin family in Quanzhou is very famous. I've heard about it for a long time. ”

Liu Bingyi frowned: "Quanzhou Lin family, why is it so familiar?" ”

Chang Feng asked: "Old Taishan, did you deal with the Lin family when you were an official?" ”

Liu Bingyi said: "That's not true. ”

After a while, Liu Bingyi patted his brain: "I remember!" Miao'er, you go to my bedroom and bring me the congratulatory gift list I received when I accepted you last year. ”

Liu Bingyi's concubine's name is Miao'er, and she looks like a water spirit. In the words of later generations, it is a typical white thin child.

After a while, Miao Er brought a gift list.

Before Miao'er was pregnant, Chang Feng felt that he couldn't be sorry for others. The concubinage ceremony was held like a continuation ceremony.

With Chang Feng's face, many officials and nobles in the capital came to send congratulatory gifts, and Liu Bingyi's protégé also came to congratulate him. There are hundreds of names on the list.

Liu Bingyi rummaged through the gift list.

He put the gift list in front of Chang Feng and pointed with his hand: "Look." According to the envoy Wang Younian, the North Zhili congratulated Master Liu on behalf of the Lin family in Quanzhou, and presented a South Sea coral. ”

Chang Feng frowned: "The Lin family also gave gifts to our family?" ”

Chang Feng didn't know that no matter which high-ranking official in the capital got married or mourned, the Lin family could always find a related official to congratulate and give gifts on behalf of him.

This is evident in its huge network of relationships in officialdom.

Xu Fatzi said: "Be good." The mouth of the eater is short, the hand of the taker is short, and the leg of the sleeping man is weak. ”

"The Chang family has received the Lin family's gift, and your hands are going to be shorter."

Chang Feng instructed his subordinates: "Go find that coral." When the head of the Lin family enters Beijing, I will return it to him in person. And there is no relationship, what gift did he give? ”

Let's say that three days later, Jinyi Wei is on duty.

Zhang Caiyu reported: "Master Chang, Lin Sheng has entered Beijing." It lives in the Chengxi Fujian Chamber of Commerce. ”

"The officials in the capital actually want to give a banquet to a businessman. The reception feast is tonight. ”

Chang Feng sneered: "Heh, Shinong Industry and Commerce, business is the last." When the great grandfather founded the country, there were regulations that merchants could not even wear silk. ”

"When a businessman entered Beijing, the Beijing officials wanted to give him a reception. What a show! ”

"Send more ears and eyes. Keep an eye on him for me. ”

At this moment, a voice came from outside the duty room: "Who do you want to stare at?" ”

Then Qian Neng, the governor of Dongchang, led his son Qian Ning in.

Chang Feng hurriedly bowed his hand: "Dugong." ”

Qian Neng sat on the chair: "Who did you just say you were going to stare at?" ”

Chang Feng replied: "Staring at a maritime merchant who doesn't know the height of the sky and is suspected of smuggling." Oh, this man's surname is Lin. ”

Qian Neng's face changed: "Are you talking about Lin Sheng, the head of the Lin family in Quanzhou?" ”

Chang Feng nodded: "Yes." Have you heard of him before? ”

Qian Neng said: "I've heard of it! Lin Sheng is young, only seventeen years old, but he is a great and good person. ”

"Last year, he donated 8,000 taels of silver to Zhongguantun."

There were 60,000 eunuchs in the imperial palace of the Hongzhi Dynasty.

Not everyone can achieve the prominent position of eunuch, young eunuch, and eunuch.

Most of the eunuchs spent their lives in the palace doing nothing. When I'm old, I'm still a fire man or something.

A eunuch is a servant servant. There are no idlers in the palace, and they will leave the palace when they are old.

Those who have no roots, the old family is not waiting to see them. They retired in Zhongguantun in the capital.

Zhongguantun is the retirement home of eunuchs. Of course, later it changed its name, and the world is familiar with it: Zhongguancun.

Chang Feng was surprised: "The Lin family donated silver to Zhongguantun? ”

Qian Neng said: "Since the first year of Hongzhi, the Lin family has donated silver to Zhongguantun every three or five times. ”

"Boss Lin entered Beijing, and there is a reception banquet in the Fujian Chamber of Commerce tonight. I'm going to a feast and thank him in person. ”

"You said you were going to keep an eye on him? How did he recruit you? ”

Chang Feng chuckled in his heart: My God, the Lin family and the Duke have a relationship?

Chang Feng had to be perfunctory: "My subordinates heard that many Beijing officials are going to the Fujian Chamber of Commerce tonight. I was afraid that something would go wrong, so I sent someone to keep an eye on it. ”

Qian Neng said: "When a good person enters Beijing, everyone goes to pick him up, what kind of chaos can happen." Don't send anyone. ”

"Jinyiwei's ears and eyes are staring at him for a while, and those who don't know think that the factory guard is going to move him."

Chang Feng arched his hand: "Yes." By the way, the governor, last year, my old Taishan took a concubine, and the Lin family gave a gift. I'm going with you tonight to thank the head of the Lin family. What do you think? ”

Qian Neng picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea: "Okay." There is no harm in getting acquainted with great good people. I'll lead you there. ”

Qian can be a "great good person", and it seems that he has a lot to do with the Lin family.

Chang Feng guessed that in addition to donating silver to Zhongguantun, the Lin family should also be filial piety to Qian Neng on weekdays.

Qian Neng changed his words: "That's right." If you go to the Fujian Chamber of Commerce tonight, you can meet one of my seniors. ”

Among the eunuchs in the palace, Xiao Jing and Qian Neng have the most seniority.

Chang Feng's reaction is extremely fast, and there is probably only one person in the world who can be called an "old-timer" by Father-in-law Qian.

Oh my God, is that person in Beijing?

Chang Feng asked: "Dugong, the old-timer you said, but the one who guarded the tomb for the great grandfather in Yingtian?" ”

Qian Neng smiled: "It's him." I haven't seen him in years. He also has a good relationship with your godfather. ”

Chang Feng suddenly remembered that Chang Tian went to Yingtian with his godfather Huaien when he was a child, and he had seen that person.

That person is the legend among the eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty, the first governor of Xichang, the nemesis of the Tatars of the steppe, and the fierce general among the eunuchs - Wang Zhi.

(End of chapter)