Haisheng Mingdi

Chapter 277

Early in the morning.

Xu Fanxue from the Xu family on the East-West Henghe Bridge in Hangzhou City took a bath and changed his clothes in high spirits. He looked at the braided hair on his head in the mirror, couldn't help frowning, and secretly cursed a damned thief.

"Where's the braid, haven't you done it yet?"

Xu Fanxue couldn't help urging, and his servants rushed in to respond, "It's ready, master."

"Then hurry up and connect it to me."

Two ingenious maidservants hurried in with a tray, on which were several black and glossy braids.When Boluo entered the city, he shaved his hair and left his braids immediately, but when the Ming army invaded, he was forced to cut off his braids. Now that the Qing army has regained Hangzhou, the braids that were cut off cannot grow back immediately.

In a hurry, he had no choice but to connect the braids. He thought the braids left before were not good, so he even asked some maidservants in the family to cut off the shiny black hair for his own use.

"Master, you choose one."

Xu Fanxue chose a black and shiny one, and the maid began to connect fake braids for him. In fact, many gentry in Hangzhou have another way, which is to nail the braids that were cut and hidden behind the hat. He already had a braid, but Xu Fanxue felt that it was not worthy of his status.

The Hengheqiao Xu family is known as one of the four major families in Hangzhou, and one of the eight surnames that have been passed down for hundreds of years.

To be called the Four Great Families is not only a large population, a large number of houses, a large courtyard, or a huge industry. These are just the basic conditions. Influence is very important in the local area, and it is the kind that can be shaken by stomping a few times.

Otherwise, not only will he become a famous family, but he will not even be worthy of the title of aristocratic family.

The Xu family all met these conditions. The Xihenghe Xu family, named after the Xihenghe bridge in the east of the city, was born in Fuchun and was the first to make tea as a business. By this time, the Xu family’s mansion was more than 100 meters wide and deep About [-] meters long, there are hundreds of two-story buildings with seven entrances, twelve squares of large and small courtyards, eight rooms for living, and more than [-] clan members.

It is the most prosperous family in the east of Hangzhou, and if the family members who are officials and businessmen in the provinces of the two capitals are included, the total population of the family exceeds [-].

Xu Fanxue was old, and he was only a Juren, but he had seven sons, but three were Jinshi and four were Juren, which can be said to be famous in the south of the Yangtze River.

In the son's generation, the family has a total of 29 males, a total of [-] scholars, [-] candidates and five Jinshi, and all five Jinshi were admitted to the Imperial Academy.

So in Hangzhou, the Xu family has seven sons Dengke and five phoenixes flying together on Fuqian Street.

In the Zhejiang examination room, there is even a saying that there is no promise to open the list.

Xu Fanxue's grandfather also served as a governor and a provincial official, and his father also served as a political envoy in Jiangxi.

The river outside Xu's house is usually full of boats, so it is called a hundred birds chasing the phoenix.

"Have you posted a sticker for your in-laws?"

Xu Fanxue's in-laws are Ding Guoen, the patriarch of the Ding family in Hair Lane. Speaking of which, the Ding family is more famous than the Xu family, and the family background is more prestigious. The lineage originated from Jiyang, Shandong, and then moved to Hebei, and then moved to Shaoxing, Zhejiang, and then moved to Hangzhou. .

The largest industry of the Xu family is tea, while the largest industry of the Ding family is cloth.

The Ding family settled in Meidongli, North Fafa Alley, Tianjiayuan. They were engaged in the cloth industry and other businesses. They were good at wealth and became the richest man in Hangzhou.

When the ancestor of the Ding family went to the Northern Song Dynasty, Ding Wei was said to be a good reader. He once collected [-] volumes of books. Ding Guoen admired his ancestors, so he spent a lot of money to build a library building in Meidongli. The actual collection is more than [-] volumes.

There are a large number of precious original editions such as the Song edition and Yuan edition, and many authentic paintings and calligraphy handed down by famous masters.

Before the war, the Ding family was the largest silk and textile tycoon in Hangzhou, and they were even married to the Xu family for generations.

The housekeeper stood aside and reported, "The Gao family in Shuangchen Lane, the Zheng family in Zhuangyuan Lane, the Wu family in Yueguan Lane, the Ye family in Muchang Lane, the Wan family in Chaimu Lane, the Xu family in Jindongqiao, and the Zhong family in Dongshan Lane. , Yuanbao Street Zhu’s, Luotuoqiao Wang’s, Cuijiaxiang’s Yang’s, etc., the twelve most prestigious families in Hangzhou, have sent out invitations, and they all replied that they would come to visit.”

Xu Fanxue looked at the shiny braid on the back of his head, and felt that it was a bit unreal. The thick, black and shiny braid was very heavy, and it didn't match his dry little head, especially his gray head. The hair doesn't match.

But he shook it a few times, but he didn't intend to change it, it's good to be conspicuous.

"The thieves are in panic, the officers and soldiers have entered the city, and Hangzhou is finally going to restore peace. During this period of time, everyone has suffered. Our four families and eight surnames are famous in Hangzhou. Now of course we have to stand up and help the governor to stabilize the city and restore industry and commerce. , let's do our part."

The housekeeper also said, "Those hypocrites are just messing around. What kind of government and gentry pay food together, and also pursue arrears and deficits, and levy lijin and commercial taxes. How can there be such a thing? Isn't this robbery? Fortunately, they are perverse I can't stand on my feet, and now I have fled in a panic, so I have to write to the governor, asking for the abolition of these chaotic policies."

Xu Fanxue coughed twice, and a maid immediately understood the meaning.

"Master, do you want to eat jujubes? This slave girl will go to Thirteenth Aunt to get them."

After a while, the maid handed over a small cup with both hands.

The two big red dates with soaked hair inside were plump and round, with crystal water in them. Xu Fanxue put them in front of him, lowered his head and took a deep sniff, feeling very intoxicated.

Then eat one straight away.

The waiter took the cup with one jujube left, added a spoonful of sweet distiller's grains into it, added an egg, put in a pinch of West Lake Longjing tea, and brewed it with boiling water.

Xu Fanxue stirred it up and ate it.

This is his daily customized breakfast. Although West Lake Longjing is expensive, it is not the most rare of this breakfast. The most troublesome thing is that the two dates must be soaked by his aunt and wife in person every night. In order to soak the dates, he Every year, one house and twenty-eight beauties are accepted as concubines.

Eating this breakfast will make him look radiant and energetic.

Soon after the meal, people from the other eleven major families came one after another.

"The new governor takes office, we have to visit, each family will pay 3000 taels of silver, and make up a meeting gift, the governor is 1 taels, the governor is [-] taels, and the admiral is [-] taels, how about it?"

Xu Fanxue greeted the guests to sit down and made a suggestion.

His in-law Ding Guoen nodded, "This is what should be done, but the newly-appointed inspectors, chief soldiers, vassals, regulars, and Taoists should not be left behind, and we cannot treat one more favorably than another."

"Then each person will pay another 2000 taels of silver, and the inspectors, general soldiers, feudal lords, and standard taiwans will each be given 5000 taels, and other Taoists and generals will be given 800 taels of silver. How about it?"

"can."

5000 taels of silver is a huge amount of money for ordinary people, and it may not be saved in ten lifetimes, but for these twelve big families, it is just a drop in the bucket.

"Then it's settled, everyone ask the housekeeper to go back to collect the money, and I'll give you an appointment time!"

(End of this chapter)