Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 599: Songjiang New Town with Complex Quality

The Spring Festival is approaching.

This early spring of 1781 was full of vitality and wildness.

The empire is growing wildly.

However, Li Yu encountered collective advice from his loyal ministers - Your Majesty, you must strengthen the foundation of the country.

Translated into human language, it means: Your Majesty, you need to take more concubines and have more children~
……

The impression that Duoduona is a tyrant is purely a popular imagination.

Play~How much money can a woman spend?
Even if Your Majesty stays in one palace a day and takes one concubine a day, compared with the expenses of traveling to the south of the Yangtze River, digging the canal, and military expeditions, this amount of money is just a drop in the bucket.

Therefore,
For the emperor, taking a concubine is actually an act of diligence.

The more princes there are, the greater the risk resistance.

then,

The "Concubine Selection Group" with the Queen as the team leader and the Zhao sisters as members was formally established, with Madam Rong and several old maids serving as consultants.

Select a qualified concubine for Your Majesty from among the 100 million women in the empire.

The scope is initially set at:

Descendants of meritorious generals and soldiers, beautiful women from the folk, descendants of loyal merchants, descendants of qualified Confucian scholars, and girls' schools in Jiangning and Hangzhou.

The threshold for climbing onto the dragon bed is quite high.

……

During the whole process, it was not Li Yu's turn to interrupt.

He could only listen with his hands behind his back, nodding and smiling occasionally.

For ordinary people, taking a concubine is called lustful.

When an emperor takes a concubine, it is called strengthening the foundation of the country.

Rong Mama told herself sincerely:

Let’s strengthen our relationship!
His Majesty.

The emperor's ethics are of the same nature as a farmer tilling the land, a soldier fighting a war, or a worker making steel.

To respect ethics means to be diligent in government affairs.

To uphold ethics is to be a sage king.

……

This Spring Festival, the family gathering at the Wu Palace was particularly lively.

The guests were exceptionally complete.

For 7 consecutive days, once at noon and once at night, the largest number of tables reached 49.

They targeted important officials, military officers, wealthy businessmen, scientific and technological personnel, civilian elites, embassy personnel, and opposition elements.
In order to host the first and largest palace banquet in the history of the empire.

Famous chefs from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Shandong all came. Smart restaurant owners would rather close their business for half a month and send their best chefs to Suzhou to share the honor.

The loss from being closed for half a month can be made up later.

Anyway,

The Grand Canal and inter-provincial cement roads were full of boats and cars, and their destination was Suzhou Prefecture. Those who knew about it knew that this was called "birthday plan".

Present gifts to the royal family and make friends with important officials.

Anyway,

Traffic and boat jams lasted from the beginning of the twelfth lunar month to New Year's Eve.

All the restaurants and inns in Suzhou were packed. People in silk clothes were talking and laughing, and there were no white people coming and going.

After completing their mission, the stewards who escorted the birthday gift always had to sit down to eat, make friends and expand their network.

……

The things that happened in the old city have changed their location and packaging.

The form has changed, but the essence remains the same.

It used to be - Hey, there's a new chick coming to the Bada Hutong today, please come and show me your presence, shall we go?

Now it’s - my friend, do you want to play with women in Songjiang Prefecture together?

Since His Majesty did not want to see too many entertainment industries under his nose, all the chickens, ducks and geese moved to the new city on the banks of the Huangpu River in Songjiang Prefecture.

This is a two-way rush for buyers and sellers.

The southwestern chieftains, old gentry, local tyrants, former Qing officials, Beijing bannermen, and Sichuan gang leaders who were won over now all live along the banks of the Huangpu River.

Wu Ting called them "opposition elements."

Among the opposition elements, except for the Jingqi group, the other groups are quite wealthy. These people only do one thing every day - consumption.

……

This is a new city built on a wasteland.

The road is a brand new cement road.

The house is a new garden building with novel design.

There is also an underground tunnel of conscience under the town.

Clothing stores, jewelry stores, home furnishing stores, flower shops, luxury goods stores, pet stores, pastry shops, snack shops, antique shops, bookstores, restaurants, teahouses, tobacco and alcohol stores, foreign goods stores, food stores, and global finance.

The infrastructure includes public baths, theaters, stadiums, hospitals, car dealerships, and temples.

Bathhouse, purification.

Theater, purification.

Temple, purification.

Stadium, exercise.

Your Majesty's starting point was good, but the people under you failed to execute it well.

……

Outside Guangming Grand Theatre.

A sturdy chieftain wearing a fur robe and a bird-feather hat came over and asked skillfully:
"What's the next show?"

"Kunqu Opera, Du Shiniang."

The chieftain was very disappointed. He couldn't understand, he really couldn't understand.

He asked unwillingly:

“Are there any Yunnan love songs that are worth watching?”

"Sorry, there is no schedule today. However, there will be an island-style fashion show after dinner."

"Does it look good?"

“Vulgar.”

The chieftain laughed and took out some silver:
"I have never seen the ocean in my life. Buy two tickets. I want the front row."

……

Inside the stadium.

Horseback archery, Cuju, pot throwing, boating and shooting. In addition, there are some new projects, such as billiards, glass marbles and mahjong.

obviously,
It is impossible for ordinary people to spend money to exercise.

A gentleman walked in. He was wearing a melon-shaped hat, had short hair cut to the ears, and a silk robe. He was holding two walnuts in his hands.

Slowly put out 5 silver coins:
"Tossing pots."

The sport of throwing pots fits in with Confucius' six arts of a gentleman and is particularly suitable for the physique of the gentry in the Qing Dynasty.

……

Front desk smile:

"Sir, would you like to hire a sparring partner?"

"What is sparring?"

After a while, the sparring partner arrived.

A female sparring partner walked over slowly.

She was wearing riding boots, a new hunting suit, and her long hair was tied up. She looked like she had just come from the horse farm, and her whole body exuded a healthy beauty.

The gentleman nodded secretly:

"want!"

Another 10 silver coins were placed.

Before they knew it, two quarters of an hour had passed elegantly, and the female sparring partner hinted that renewal was needed.

The gentleman gritted his teeth and recharged 500 big-head coins, hoping to leave a good impression and take her home as his fifth concubine.

I am the pen and she is the ink.

I am the arrow and she is the pot.

A red sleeve adds fragrance, which is a great elegance in the world!

……

In the billiard court, young men with slicked-back hair and powdered faces were holding billiard cues and hitting them with loud clanging sounds.

A group of female sparring partners dressed in new Hanfu were walking around with their beautiful smiles.

From time to time she cried:

"Sir, that's great! A hole-in-one."

At the shooting range, the smoke of gunpowder was pungent.

The former Qing Dynasty officers were full of praise for the well-made flintlock rifles. If they were willing to spend money, they could even pull a two-pound cannon to smash the target.

There are still female sparring partners at the shooting range, and they are responsible for loading bullets.

From time to time, persuade:

"Sir, would you like to fire a cannon? The Empire's newest field cannon, one round costs only 50 silver coins."

……

Foreigners from various countries' trading houses also liked to come here. Their first interest was boating. Women held small parasols while men rowed, and they sailed back and forth in the Suzhou River.

My second favorite game is Cuju, playing against the brats from the southwestern chieftains.

Third, he likes riding horses and competing in horsemanship with the young chieftains from the southwest.

The old guys can only play mahjong.

There is a sparring partner sitting behind each person.

Responsible for serving tea, smoking cigarettes, and giving some advice.

The gentry and the chieftains sat opposite each other, and the governor and the prince sat opposite each other.

Anyway, we are all remnants of the previous dynasty, so no one should look down on anyone. We sit in a private room by the river, have tea and snacks, and gamble to our heart's content.

Live happily every day. …

At night, there are groups of pleasure boats on the Huangpu River.

There was thunderous applause in the theater.

The dissidents in the empire indulged in a life of drunkenness and debauchery every day, spending all their wealth, first sending their family property to the pawnshop, and then dismissing their servants, cooks, and gardeners.

Finally, they moved out of the new garden house quietly.

The new city is permanent, but its residents come and go.

The old city on the north side of the Wusong River is their final destination.

Everyone thinks that Your Majesty is very kind.

Your Majesty could have settled scores later and killed all the opposition elements, but Your Majesty used the gentle knife of business to cut them slowly.

It embodies civilization!
……

There are also objections within the Wu court to the current means of placing opposition and dissident elements.

E.g,

The Minister of War and the Minister of Finance thought it was too lenient.

But, His Majesty insisted on doing so.

If the empire wants to go further, killing cannot become a habit. We must cultivate civilization and tolerance.

Only Li Yu understood that the Songjiang New City, which was built with a huge investment, was not only a thought experiment, but also a business experiment.

Although the initial investment in building the new dynasty was huge, the returns were equally astonishing. The garden building, shop rents, and business taxes were all income.

……

In Li Yu's plan,
The influx of dissidents into the Jiang Mansion was just a catalyst; once they heated up the business environment, young men from all over Jiangnan came.

Because the luxury of this new city on the banks of the Huangpu River exceeds the imagination of everyone of this era. It is a new luxury experience from the inside to the outside, from concept to living.

Opera house, stadium, hardened road surface, street gardens, sewers, white porcelain toilets, horse-drawn carriages for hire, tap water (water tower supply, steam engine pumping).

Except for Songjiang New Town, you can't buy it with money anywhere else in the empire.

……

In just half a year,

"With a fortune of one hundred thousand taels, you can take a boat to Songjiang" became a popular saying among the wealthy in the south of the Yangtze River.

It is probably inaccurate to describe Songjiang New City as a money printing machine.

A money recycling machine would be more appropriate.

The wealthy people in Jiangnan consumed and settled here, and the money they spent was like the endless flow of the Huangpu River, eventually flowing into the great river of the empire.

Your Majesty - the greatest social economist of the 18th century.

……

Among the opposition elements in Songjiang Prefecture, the largest proportion was composed of children of Beijing Bannermen, and they were also the most impoverished.

During the Northern Expedition, Li Yu ordered the exile of 12 people in Yanjing City.

The shipping capacity was tight, and the idea of ​​exiling Lan Fang was unrealistic. So, they decided to exile him to the Indochina Peninsula instead.

As long as you leave Zhennan Pass, Wu Ting will no longer care about you and you will be left to fend for yourself.

Want to stay in Songjiang?
You have to pay 2000 taels of urban construction fee.

Although he was kicked out of the house and exiled alone.

As a result, some shrewd people groped for a few silver bills or one or two rare pieces of jewelry and gems, and barely made up the 2000 taels.

From then on, I became a Songjiang citizen.

The poor Eight Banners who could not pay the money all went to Southeast Asia.

Only the Eight Banners stationed in Chengdu were relocated as a whole to the Mekong Delta in the southernmost part of Annan, and lived along the river.

……

The dividing line between the old city and the new city is the Wusong River, and the lower reaches are also called "Suzhou River".

To the north of the Wusong River is the old city.

To the south of the Wusong River is a new city that is more than 100 years ahead of its time, and its residents are wealthy people from all over the world.

Every morning, the red sun rises.

The Beijing bannermen who lived in the old city, washed and dressed neatly, hurried to the riverside, gave the boatman five copper coins, and took a boat to cross the narrow Wusong River.

Go make a living!
All the people on this ship were once your benefactors.

The boatman was a farmer from nearby Songjiang. He earned a small amount of money every day and then went home to farm.

……

Arrived at the South Bank.

The passengers disembarked and lamented that the daily commuting cost was too high, a full 10 copper coins.

Then, scattered.

Go to Xincheng to find a place to eat.

New city, no walls.

But there is the obstacle of planting trees.

Men in black clothes carried short sticks during routine patrols, staring at every pedestrian with stern eyes.

Anyone who comes in a four-wheeled carriage must be a good person.

If you come here on foot, your clothes should be taken into consideration!

The gentlemen living in the new city are particularly kind-hearted and cannot bear to see poor people wearing tattered clothes.

If the masters and ladies see the truly poor people and cry, the security guards will also shed tears.

……

When the old guys from Zhenghongqi saw the security guards in black, they immediately took off their melon-shaped hats, bent down and smiled.

A young security guard turned and walked away.

No patches!

He is a good person!
Ten feet away, the young security guard intercepted a burly man who was cowering with his hands in his sleeves.

"You, stop."

There were at least six patches on the burly man's clothes.

6 patches!!
In the eyes of the security guards, it was even more terrifying than meeting a naked person.

"roll."

"Sir, I'm not a thief. I just want to go in and find some rough work to do."

"Bullshit, get out of here."

Although he was yelled at by the security guard, the burly man was still reluctant to leave.

He knew that if he could get into this beautiful town, he would be able to fill his stomach whether he carried a heavy bag or begged on the street.

……

bang~
The burly man was hit on the head with a stick and was bleeding.

"Why do you hit someone?"

"Get out! Or I'll blow your head off."

The two men wrestled with each other.

The security guard fought for his job, and the sturdy man fought for his survival. Soon, the security guard was beaten unconscious by the sandbag-sized fists.

No one could have imagined that several Zhenghongqi gentlemen who were watching would take action.

They trotted all the way to the security booth:

"Sir, there are some unruly people causing trouble over there, and they beat up your people."

The police whistle sounded, and a large group of people in black silk clothes rushed out with short sticks.

This situation and situation,

Several enthusiastic Zhenghongqi gentlemen straightened their chests and felt honored.

I don’t know why~
Although they were down and out, although they were exiled, and although the Qing Dynasty had fallen, they still unconsciously stood on the side of the rich.

……

The Fifth Master walked on the smooth concrete floor, passed through the beautiful and exquisite small garden, and came to the spacious Imperial Street.

Four-wheeled horse-drawn carriages for hire shuttled back and forth, stopping when waved.

There are shops on both sides, with shiny glass windows and the reception girls standing inside are so pretty that they make people feel ashamed of themselves.

That neckline, those white arms, that little skirt.

There is only one word for it:

Confidence~
There's no way around it. A high-end leather jacket in the shop costs hundreds or even thousands of silver coins.

As a clerk in a luxury goods store, it is impossible not to be confident.

……

Mr. Wu admired the display through the glass window for 3 seconds and then looked away silently.

The sense of proportion is just right.

If you don't look at it, you will show your cowardice.

If you look too much, you will get beaten.

3 seconds, no more, no less, just right.

After being exiled to Songjiang Prefecture, Na Ye adjusted his mentality quickly. He adapted to the new life after only half a month of depression and fell in love with the new city.

……

He took square steps and began to look for today's meal.

A day of freedom starts from your feet.

"He~tui."

A female mounted police officer came slowly towards us on horseback.

"stop!"

The Fifth Master stopped and took off his melon-shaped hat.

Bowing slightly:

"Hello, officer. I am the fifth master under the red flag. I am a good citizen. I have never carried a gun. I have received education. I have 6 people in my family. I live in the first house in the fifth alley of the third block on the north bank of the Wusong River. I have cut my braids, have no infectious diseases, and support your majesty ideologically."

"This is my identification."

Speak it in one breath, clearly and fluently.

(End of this chapter)