The ruthless emperor in the late Ming Dynasty forced Chongzhen to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 130 Zuo Liangyu is the only one left
On the banks of the Qinhuai River, although there are many brothel and painting workshops that have been operating normally for many days, the bustle of the past is no longer there, and it looks gloomy.

The reason is that the top dozens of brothels are still sealed, and the hundreds of luxurious flower boats are always docked on the shore.

Under the name of these dozens of brothels, there are not only top famous prostitutes like Qinhuai Bayan, but also a large number of rising stars. It can be said that it is because of the existence of these famous prostitutes that half the sky of the Qinhuai River is supported.

Countless literati, rich businessmen and tycoons came here admiringly.

Now that these brothels are closed, it's as if the Qinhuai River has lost its vitality. As a result, countless romantic talents, wealthy businessmen and wealthy businessmen come here every day, and then go back sighing.

More people are still waiting to buy these properties, among which the salt merchants in Lianghuai River are the most important. But today, when a group of salt merchants came to the Qinhuai River again, they found that dozens of brothels that were still sealed yesterday, were in succession. It's open for business.

What surprised everyone even more was that these brothels had changed their rules, some ordinary prostitutes stopped accepting customers, and only two famous prostitutes and some young apprentices were left in each brothel.

These hundreds of popular courtesans are all performers but not their bodies, and there is an additional list outside each brothel, called the Hundred Flowers List.

Talented scholars and wealthy businessmen can reward their favorite famous prostitutes with flowers. After two months, the ten famous prostitutes who get the most flowers will compete for the top of the hundred flowers.

Every famous prostitute has her own flower boat, and she will perform her talents on the flower boat every night to gather popular flowers for herself.

And if you want to board these flower boats, you must tip a flower at least, and then draw lots to decide, each flower boat is limited to [-] places.

Of course, in addition to rewarding flowers and drawing lots, whoever can write a decent poem can board any flower boat, count it as ten flowers, and add it to the head of the flower boat owner.

If you can make a masterpiece, you can add a hundred flowers, and you can board any flower boat for one month in a row.

The quality of the poems will be judged by six of the eight beauties of the Qinhuai River. On the flower boat, all food and drink are free.

Five taels of silver for each flower.

Of course, Chen Yuanyuan and the others started this Hundred Beauty Contest. As they have been in the brothel for many years, they are very clear about the nature of those talented and wealthy businessmen.

They are also more playful than those honorable and talented scholars. Compared with the selection of oirans in the past, they are full of strong smell of copper. This time, they choose to go on the flower boat by drawing lots and poetry. Drinks are free, indeed. Much more elegant.

Because of this, the whole of Nanjing became a sensation when the news spread. Compared with the previous selection of oirans, this time it is indeed more innovative and elegant.

Some poor talented scholars can also go to the flower boat to join in the fun by writing two limericks, and they can also add ten flowers to the famous prostitutes they support, which they couldn't afford before.

I can only watch those rich talents and wealthy businessmen spend their pennies like gold.

In just a few days, the Qinhuai River not only returned to its former bustle, but even became more lively.

But while having fun, more people are still asking who are the new owners of these brothels, especially the rich and oily salt merchants.

I don't know if I don't ask, but when I inquired, everyone's jaws were shocked. The new owner of these brothels turned out to be Chen Yuanyuan, a famous Qinhuai prostitute in the past.

Adding that Chen Yuanyuan came with the imperial concubine, almost everyone understood what was going on.

Those noble mansions and manors, no one dared to think about or want them. Those millions of acres of fertile land and mulberry fields were occupied by noble concubines and empresses and they would not sell them. Couldn't be more clear.

Now that the Empress wants to occupy her own business, it is too much, this is not just a matter of profiting from the people.

The officials took the lead and planned to impeach Hong Niangzi in court, but unfortunately Hong Niangzi was too lazy to go to court now, and had no time to chat with those civil officials.

The crowd had no choice but to summon some scholars and business gentry to petition at the gate of the palace, trying to use strong public pressure to force Hong Niangzi to sell the brothel.

"Ying'er, what's going on here? Haven't those brothels been sold?"

"Yes, I sold it to Chen Yuanyuan. If Auntie doesn't believe me, I can show you the document."

As the red lady spoke, she took out the document and handed it to her.

Zhang Yan didn't answer, but said angrily: "Ying'er, you are just deceiving yourself! Alas! Auntie doesn't know what to say about you, and you are too ignorant. You are a noble concubine, how can you?" What about opening a brothel? When word spreads, what will the world think? What will Langer think?"

"Auntie, didn't I say that, I've already sold these brothels to Chen Yuanyuan, it's clearly written in black and white, what's the matter with me?"

"But someone has to believe it. As the saying goes, a piece of paper makes money, how can your official document be worth the mouth of a literati? Ying'er, listen to your aunt and sell it soon!"

"Hmph! If they don't recognize what's written in black and white and insist on blaming me, then it's unreasonable, and there's nothing to say!"

The red lady snorted coldly, and slapped the official document on the table.

"You can make trouble however you like, Auntie doesn't care."

Seeing that she didn't listen to persuasion at all, Zhang Yan didn't bother to talk anymore.

"Xu Lan, show this official document to the scholars outside the palace. If they still don't leave after reading it, if they continue to make trouble, they will be arrested and sent to Qiongzhou.

Tell them that if there are still people coming tomorrow, or if there are rumors about the relationship between the Palace and the brothels in the future, the Palace will seal all the brothels in the entire Jiangnan, and everyone should stay away. "

When Hong Niangzi said that she hammered the table fiercely at the end, she was obviously also very angry at the shamelessness of those literati, saying so much was not because she was envious of the millions of taels of silver earned by the dozens of brothels every year.

"Yes!"

Xu Lan immediately picked up the official document, took it away and killed him outside the palace.

At this moment, thousands of scholars and a large number of common people have gathered outside the palace. The scholars came spontaneously, and the common people were hired by merchants.

A group of scholars looked at each other after reading the documents. They heard that there was a commotion and they were about to be dispatched to Qiongzhou. They also heard that all the brothels were going to be closed, and they all ran away in fright.

Regardless of whether it is an official, a wealthy businessman, or a scholar, seeing that the red lady is going to take the bottom line and close all the brothels, they are too scared to make any more trouble.

After all, with the temper of that noble concubine, she really could do such a thing if she was in a hurry.

In this way, under the threat of the red lady's death, the scholars and wealthy merchants in the south of the Yangtze River had no choice but to acquiesce in the matter of the brothel, and did not mention it.

And as the queen mother and noble concubine came to Nanjing to sit in town, after the news spread that all the nobles would be eradicated as soon as they came, the civil and military officials of the southern provinces and local tyrants could not help but restrain themselves a lot.

For example, Zheng Zhilong in Fujian has turned Fujian into a miasma in the past two years. His subordinates have killed innocent people indiscriminately and destroyed villages and villages frequently. exist.

But now they have to restrain themselves, but the memorials to impeach the Zheng family are still flying from Fujian to Nanjing like snowflakes.

But the current Hong Niangzi doesn't care about the Zheng family in Fujian. In Fengtian Hall, Ma Shiying was the first to jump out after listening to the angel who came back from Wuchang.

"Empress Dowager Qizuo, ma'am, this Zuo Liangyu is clearly a supporter of his own self-esteem, harboring evil intentions, guilty conscience and dare not come to Nanjing, so he pretends to be sick, it is really treasonous."

"Empress Dowager, Madam, Zongbing Zuo has always been loyal to the imperial court. Over the years, he has made great achievements in chasing and suppressing rebels. If it weren't for Zongbing Zuo, the entire Huguang would have already fallen to the hands of the bandits.

This time I think it is true that the old illness has relapsed, so I can’t come to Nanjing to see the Queen Mother and the Empress. "

Hou Xun hurriedly stood up, and stared at Ma Shiying viciously after speaking, wishing to eat his flesh and sleep his skin.

But Ma Shiying sneered: "Resisting the decree and disrespecting it means disobeying the decree and disrespecting it. If you are sick, you can disobey the decree. Can other generals in the world use pretending to be sick as an excuse to resist the decree?"

"you…"

Hou Xun pointed at Ma Shiying, his face turned red, but he didn't know how to refute, so he had to pay homage to Hong Niangzi and Zhang Yan again: "Queen Mother, Madam, there are millions of people under Zuo Zongbing. Suspicion, but after all, there is a reason for the incident, and I would like to go to Wuchang in person to persuade him to come to Nanjing for an audience."

Hou Xun knew that if Zuo Liangyu still had the idea of ​​supporting the soldiers and disobeying the court's order at this time, he would definitely not end well.

At that time, he will definitely be implicated, so he wants to go to Wuchang to persuade him.

Because just came the news that half a month ago even that Zhang Xianzhong surrendered in Chengdu and accepted the canonization of the imperial court.

Looking around the world, Zuo Liangyu has millions of soldiers in Huguang, His Majesty and Empress will never let him go.

Not to mention that Hou Xun really guessed wrong this time, Zhu Cihong really planned to ignore Zuo Liangyu and wait for him to die of illness, so when he came, he also told Hong Niangzi that he could ignore Zuo Liangyu for the time being.

But now Zuo Liangyu is the only one in the south, supporting himself in Huguang, and has sent a memorial to Beijing and Nanjing, but he has not expressed anything.

"Okay! Then I will give Zuo Liangyu one last chance. You tell him that he will not be in Nanjing at the end of November. After the new year, I will personally go to Wuchang to meet his million-dollar army."

The red lady said with a last sneer.

Even if she was killed, she wouldn't believe that Zuo Liangyu really had an army of one million, and that she could have 15 soldiers with real swords and guns, so she admired Zuo Liangyu's ability.

There are probably only 8 or [-] soldiers who can really fight. If His Majesty hadn't told her, she would lead an army of [-] to the west along the Yangtze River, and then let Gao Jie go south along the Han River to attack from both sides. , can easily clean up Zuo Liangyu's mob.

"Yes!"

Seeing that Hong Niangzi agreed with him to persuade him, Hou Xun was also relieved.

Zhang Yan on the side thought about it and added: "Hou Aiqing, please convey a message to Zuo Liangyu on behalf of the Ai family. As long as he is willing to come to Nanjing, the Ai family can protect him from any worries, and the emperor will ask for a seal for him."

Hou Xun was also overjoyed to see what the queen mother said, he naturally knew that Zuo Liangyu's reluctance to come to Nanjing was mainly because he was dissatisfied with His Majesty for appointing all the general soldiers, except for Zuo Liangyu.

After all, Gao Jie, Liu Liangzuo, Huang Degong, Liu Zeqing and others were all incomparable to Zuo Liangyu in terms of seniority, military exploits, or soldiers and horses in their hands.

(End of this chapter)