The Concubine Wushuang of Red Mansion

Chapter 19
When Zheng Haoshi came to the door, it happened that the young master's family had not left. He got this piece of paper as if he had obtained a treasure. He hurriedly held it in front of Gu Chuming, "Young master, the Jia family sent it. They said they were going to issue a separate book. Do you think? "

Gu Chuming had already heard of "Two Swallows on the Liang". When he saw this poem, he tasted it carefully again and handed it to his companions to see, "What a good poem!"

He turned to Dai Renjie and said, "Since it's been sent to him, let's issue it to him according to the rules!"

Gu Chuming and others also suspected that the so-called Young Master of the Red Chamber was the concubine of the Jia family.

One of them said, "This young master from the Red Mansion is quite interesting. Didn't he just exchange poems for some pocket money behind the back of his family's back?"

Everyone laughed. Gu Chuming handed the finished copy of "Two Swallows on the Liang" to Dai Renjie and said, "Follow this post without finishing every word!"

"Chu Ming, you were still feeling regretful just now, don't feel sorry now! What is lost is harvested in the east. Yu Qingtang of the Ji family cooperates with Mr. Honglou, and you cooperate with Mr. Honglou's father. Which one do you think is safer?"

Gu Chuming smiled reservedly, "It's normal for children to be arrogant if they have some talent. Come on, let's have a drink!"

Zheng Haoshi finished the matter, and after being entertained by Dai Renjie, he came back drunkenly at sunset.

After Meng Jixi sent Jia Cong to Ningrong Street, he went to Prince Zhongshun's Mansion and waited at the concierge for about a cup of tea before being invited in.

In the huge house, the windows were all open, and the gauze curtains blew in the cold wind like a hundred dancers fluttering their sleeves.

King Zhongshun was the twelfth eldest son of the Supreme Emperor, and he was not a brother of the same mother as the current emperor. His biological mother passed away when he was young, and he grew up with his fourth brother who was 12 years older than him. Later, when his fourth brother opened a palace and built a family, he followed him from the palace. He moved out and lived in his fourth brother's house. His fourth sister-in-law treated him like a mother.

They survived the turbulent years together, and the fourth brother ascended to the throne, and he was naturally named a prince.

"Your Majesty!" Prince Palace Chief Shi called softly at the door.

King Zhongshun came to his senses and nodded. Chang Shi hurriedly went in, followed by a group of eunuchs. They all worked together to close the windows, put on the brazier, and then closed the door.

"When did you arrive in Beijing? Is the road going well?"

Meng Jixi watched the great eunuch Cao Wan put a cloak on King Zhongshun, then knelt down and said, "I have arrived three days ago to pay homage to the prince. When the prince is busy with something, I will go and do some work myself." matter."

"Tell me about what happened in the south. I will listen to it. Is there any difference from the news from the court?" King Zhongshun sat on an elm bed with dragon patterns and received a lamp from Cao Wan. Tea.

"Although the emperor re-ordered the salt inspector over there and changed all the people, there is still no improvement." Meng Jixi considered it and said, "I heard that it is now the second year of Taiqi. The newly appointed salt administration has already prepared the guidelines for next year."

King Zhongshun didn't understand for a while, "You have advanced the outline for next year? This outline can still be advanced?"

Meng Jixi knew that he had said something wrong, so he had to remind him, "Your Majesty, in the 11th year of Wanqing's reign, the salt administration at that time asked the Emperor to pre-sell salt. Although the Emperor agreed, he also made a request. On the basis of tax, an additional tax of thirty taels will be added to each pre-sale ticket.”

Meng Jixi came from Jinling. King Zhongshun asked casually, but unexpectedly he asked about the salt administration.

As for the transportation and marketing of salt, Dashun followed the Jin system and implemented the Kaizhong method.That is, the Ministry of Household Affairs of the imperial court would recruit merchants, and the merchants would transport nanometer grains to the designated border prefectures, prefectures, and county guards for storage.After the merchant hands over the rice grain, the Salt Transportation Department will issue the salt quotation to the merchant based on the quantity of rice grain.

A salt license is a license to sell salt. With a salt license, merchants can go to the Salt Transportation Department to collect salt goods and then sell them in specified prefectures and counties.

Each salt guide has a useful life. When the salt guide expires, the merchant must turn it in.

"Salt monopoly" has always been a magic weapon for generating income in ancient feudal dynasties. During the Warring States Period, Qi State's Prime Minister Huan Gong calculated the amount of salt and taxes, and the dynasty could see who controlled the production and sales of salt. , whoever has an inexhaustible mountain of gold and silver sea.

The essence of the Kaizhong Law was that the production of salt was controlled by the imperial court, and only the imperial court could purchase salt from kitchen households and wholesale it to salt merchants, who would then transport the salt to prefectures, counties and villages and earn profits from it.

Salt is a monopoly, and salt is very important.

King Zhongshun wanted to ask again, but a delicate voice came from outside the door, like an oriole coming out of the valley. It was clear and graceful, and it immediately dispelled the depression in King Zhongshun's chest. He raised his hand, "You go to rest first, and I will come back." I’ll call you for questioning again.”

Meng Jixi hurriedly responded and took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, "Your Majesty, this is a slave that I got recently. I am about to publish a separate book, so I will give it to Your Majesty to play with first."

King Zhongshun hurriedly took it in his hands and couldn't wait to unfold it.

When Xian Ning came in, King Zhongshun was chanting, tapping his fingers gently on the Arhat bed, his brows stretched, his eyes shining, and he looked in a very good mood.

After Xian Ning came over, he sat down next to his father, leaned over and asked, "Dad, what are you looking at?"

As he spoke, he leaned over King Zhongshun's knee and looked at the piece of paper he held in his right hand. The title on it was "Two Swallows on the Liang" and exclaimed, "Oh, this poem has already arrived at Daddy's place." !”

But he saw that it was clearly longer than what he had recorded. He impatiently grabbed his father's wrist and pulled it closer to see clearly.

King Zhongshun simply handed the piece of paper to his daughter. Seeing his daughter's face growing more and more like his deceased wife, he couldn't help but stroke her hair and asked, "Why did you come to see Daddy?" ?”

Xian Ning looked at the signature of Mr. Red Mansion and didn't bother to answer his father's words. He only asked eagerly, "Dad, who sent this? Who added the last few sentences?"

"Where do you start talking about this?" Is it possible that there is still a suspicion of following the dog's tail?But it's clearly the same person's tone of voice.

Xian Ning had already forgotten Xia Jin's instructions. He came back from the palace yesterday, passed by Ningrong Street and saw a lively event and said, "These last few sentences, when I listened to them, I didn't understand them at all." Yes!"

Just as Meng Jixi was about to leave, he was chased back again.

Kneeling on the ground, he told what happened early in the morning in the Jixian Hall of his rival's bookstore, "Yesterday when I was watching the excitement on Ningrong Street, I saw that Mr. Jia San was really smart even though he was young. Wushuang, if I hadn't seen his two poems with my own eyes, it would be hard for me to believe that they were written by a seven-year-old child, and I would cherish his talent."

　The first!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)