Chapter 552: Daily life

“Sir, you’re finally back.” Seeing Ruixiang jumping up and down, Feng Ziying’s face moved, “What’s wrong?”

Ruixiang rushed forward and said in a low voice: "My father-in-law is here in the palace. I have been waiting for a long time."

"Oh?" Feng Ziying didn't dare to neglect it. It had only been a few days, why couldn't Emperor Yonglong sit still again? "Is it Eunuch Zhou?"

“No, they are from Renshou Palace.” Ruixiang said anxiously.

Renshou Palace?

 Feng Ziying was shocked.

Renshou Palace is the residence of the concubine. The Daming Palace, where the Supreme Emperor was raised, is adjacent to Renshou Palace. Sometimes the Supreme Emperor would rest in Renshou Palace.

But he has never had any contact with Renshou Palace, not even the Daming Palace on the Supreme Emperor's side. Why did Renshou Palace come to look for him?

 Besides, it is not in line with the rules to summon foreign ministers in the palace.

 Except for the emperor, even the Supreme Emperor rarely summoned foreign ministers.

Even in a sense, summoning foreign ministers by the Supreme Emperor would cause unnecessary trouble. Therefore, since Emperor Yuanxi abdicated, he generally did not summon foreign ministers.

Even if they are summoned, they must be summoned at special times, such as at the end of the year and the beginning of the year, to show their favor.

Normally, when some foreign ministers heard that the Supreme Emperor was ill, they would take the initiative to visit him, usually with military honors and military generals. Basically, civil servants would not go in person, but would send gifts in the form of posts.

After hesitating for a moment, Feng Ziying's mind was rapidly thinking about how to deal with this matter.

Since they are here and waiting like this, they must have made up their mind to see me before leaving.

This is different from the chamberlains sent by Emperor Yonglong. Most of them left after passing on the message. Even when he was away, he just left a message.

Having been here for so long, everyone who needs to know knows it. It is neither necessary nor possible to hide it.

I am afraid that there is someone like Long Jinwei's spy in my house, and I am afraid that even the fact that I have combed Xiang Ling and Jin Chuan'er will be spread to some people's ears.

 “Invite him to the outer study room.” After thinking about it, Feng Ziying nodded and said calmly.

 There is no need to make a fuss if the troops come to block it and the water comes to cover it.

 When embarking on an official career, and it is an official career in a feudal dynasty like this, it is natural to avoid factions, factions, intrigues and intrigues.

 Feng Ziying has long been mentally prepared for this.

 Feng Ziying met the chamberlain in the study outside.

There is something different from that chamberlain in Zhou Dynasty. This chamberlain's clothes are obviously much more high-profile and bright.

The indigo robe is trimmed with gold piping, the belt and high shoes with the unique palace forbidden pattern, and the Eguan that is filled with a depressing atmosphere are completely different from the Eunuch Zhou he saw in the east study.

 “Feng Keng, editor of Hanlin Academy, met my father-in-law.” Feng Ziying bowed her hands in a neither humble nor overbearing manner, looking directly at the other person with clear eyes.

 The person who came here should be in his thirties. Apart from the beard, he could not be seen as a chamberlain at all.

Her face was full of vigor, with thick eyebrows, a big nose and a wide mouth, and even her hands were thick-jointed. However, when she saw Feng Ziying, she still bowed and saluted in a formal manner, "See Mr. Xiuzhuan."

“You’re welcome, father-in-law, what’s your surname?”

“My surname is Dai.” The capable man smiled and said, “Perhaps Mr. Xiu Zhuan is a little surprised that our family is in your residence. Our family is also entrusted by others.”

"Oh?" Feng Ziying picked up the tea cup and took a sip. At this time, serving tea was certainly not a farewell, but a gesture of self-effacement and distance.

I thought Feng Ziying would be curious and ask who entrusted her to her, but she didn't expect that Feng Ziying seemed to know the inside story. She just said "oh" and kept silent, just enjoying the tea.

This made the strong man stunned.

 I still underestimated how this young scholar, who is said to be the first new scholar since the founding of the Zhou Dynasty who entered the Hanlin Academy as a new scholar without the title of No. 1 Scholar, was dismissed from official positions and compiled, could be so calm.

“Eunuch, please taste some tea. This is the fragrant Taihu tea I brought back from Suzhou. It tastes amazing. You must try it.”

The capable man was a little embarrassed, but he still picked up the tea cup knowingly, took a sip, closed his eyes slightly, and then nodded: "It is really fragrant and mellow, and it deserves to be a famous Taihu tea."

Feng Ziying smiled leisurely but said nothing.

The capable man knew that if he didn't speak today, he would probably sit quietly with her all the time. He somewhat admired his forbearance and fortitude. Of course, he had some background if he dared to do this.

Putting down the tea cup, the chamberlain surnamed Dai cleared his throat and then said: "Master Xiu Zhuan, our family was entrusted by someone today to ask about the strategy of borrowing money to open the sea, the franchise and the bank matter. .”

As soon as the other party's words came out, Feng Ziying felt confident.

Although it is impossible to determine which group of people, or which group of people, took action, there is no doubt that the debt-raising and bank affairs have touched the interests of some people.

 For a period of time, I have only received posts and seen no one except for certain people, which makes some people restless.

Civil officials can certainly learn about it through some channels, but after all, when it comes to specific strategies, they can neither ask too detailed questions nor understand the details.

Therefore, even though Feng Ziying often visited Wenyuan Pavilion and the Ministry of Household Affairs, Ministry of Industry and Ministry of War, ordinary people were not qualified to ask for an explanation from Feng Ziying. The ministers and ministers could only understand the general framework due to their status, which made many People are on pins and needles.

 These people are certainly not ordinary businessmen, and it can even be said that they cannot be called businessmen. They are more of a mixture.

However, being able to mobilize this Eunuch Dai, and not worrying about his identity being known, shows that it is not just the merchants who are anxious, but also the people behind them.

Before going to Jiangnan, Feng Ziying had already done some research on the so-called Jiangnan, and even studied the contradictory combination of the gentry and merchants in Jiangnan.

On the surface, the gentry and merchants in the south of the Yangtze River were diametrically opposed to each other. The gentry took the land as their foundation, reading as their ethos, and making friends with the government as their style. They looked down upon merchants even more.

Merchants, on the other hand, are based on making a living and using capital as a link. They rely more on specific personnel in the government and some wealthy families in the south of the Yangtze River as support.

But this was only the situation in the early days of the founding of the Zhou Dynasty. As the Tianping era passed, and after Emperor Yuanxi succeeded to the throne, especially after the 20th year of Yuanxi, the boundaries between gentry and merchants in Jiangnan rapidly blurred.

The gentry participated in business operations, especially the children of common people, who actively engaged in business. Merchants purchased land, and their children enrolled in top academies in Jiangnan, such as Baima and Chongwen Academy, and frequently obtained good rankings in scientific examinations.

This has greatly confused the boundaries between the two groups, presenting a situation where you are in me and I am in you.

"Oh, I didn't expect that Eunuch Dai would also be interested in such methods of running the world and benefiting the people." Feng Ziying didn't make any assumptions, "It's just that the franchise and the Yinzhuang matter are closely involved, and there are many details involved. The court also has various Consideration, and even specific judgments must be made based on specific regions, industry categories, etc., and a plan must be made on the qualifications, reputation, strength, etc. of those who want to participate, and it cannot be done by just one person or department. It’s hard to sum it up in a nutshell, so I would like to ask, what exactly do you want to ask, what do you want to do, and what do you want?”

The chamberlain named Dai frowned.

He knew that this person would definitely be difficult to deal with, but he thought that after all, he was just a sixteen-year-old young man. He came with the force of his own. Even if there were people behind him, it was impossible to ignore the people behind him, and he would not I believe the other party will not know what Renshou Palace represents.

But I didn't expect that this guy was like an old official who had been in the officialdom for decades. He spoke out a series of official technical terms, which made it impossible for me who didn't know the inside story to ask any questions. I don't even know how to deal with the opponent's question of attacking instead of defending.

 How do I know exactly what to ask, what to do, what to ask for?

The chamberlain surnamed Dai secretly hated him, but he also knew that the other party was not easy to handle.

The three questions people asked are correct. This mouth has such big questions. How can I answer you?

"Haha, Mr. Xiuzhan has failed our test." The chamberlain surnamed Dai smiled calmly, "We have already told you that we are here to ask questions for others. How do we understand the joints? Why don't you, Master Xianzhuan, do it for me? Is it possible to explain and explain?”

"Of course, in terms of concessions, the imperial court is preparing to convert maritime trade affairs into fair trade, compared with the original privately operated trade in coastal areas. However, in view of the change in imperial policy, it may bring chaos to trade in coastal areas, which will To avoid this kind of confusion, it is natural to adjust measures to local conditions according to the region, such as Nanzhi, Shandong, Liaodong, and even Zhejiang and Fujian, etc., according to the scale of the output of goods produced in each region, as well as the port throughput capacity. Of course, the more important thing is to The experience, scale of strength, and external channels in this industry are combined with many factors, including its local business reputation. The local government will first make a basic prediction, and then..."

"In addition, those engaged in the licensed industry also need to be classified in detail, with a long-term perspective, those that are beneficial to the court, can help the court develop routes and channels, and can even help the Department of Public Security and the Ministry of War to provide support in intelligence collection. There are also some Preferential support,…”

 Before he heard anything substantial, the chamberlain named Dai was already confused by the deception.

This is so eloquent, but what they said seemed to be very professional and clear. After listening carefully, it seemed that it was really the case.

This does require classified guidance, allocation according to needs, adaptability to local conditions, flexible adjustment, based on reality, long-term perspective,...

Ma Dan, this is too high-spirited. I seem to understand the meaning of every word, but why is it mixed with these words that I don't quite understand what it means?

When the chamberlain named Dai left, his eyes were a little blurry, and he was mumbling something. He probably had too much information fed into him, and he was afraid that he would not be able to remember it. When he went out, he almost tripped over the threshold and somersaulted.

 Watching the **** named Dai leave, Feng Ziying sneered from the bottom of her heart.

This guy doesn't know who brought it to him, but it seems to him that it's not the Supreme Emperor and the Dowager Concubine.

If the emperor and concubine want to intervene, there is no need to find such a character to talk to them. There are too many ways to deliver the message.

No one dares to ignore the Emperor and the Concubine now, even the emperor has to nod.

He was too lazy to guess.

 It is nothing more than a character who has some interests with the emperor and the concubine.

Maybe they were imperial merchants, or they could be maritime merchants, or they could be those wealthy merchants in the south of the Yangtze River. In short, they could be related to sea trade.

They asked the chamberlain named Dai to come forward because they felt that the court seemed to be ignoring their interests. Previously, they planned to observe the situation, but now it seems that the court really intends to bypass them, so they can't sit still.

He was too lazy to talk to the guy who was pushed out by those people to inquire about the news, but he still had to maintain courtesy and respect. For this kind of character, he could not accomplish anything, but he could do more bad things, so there was no need to make enemies.

 So I took this call back and let them understand that if they want to participate, they can do it according to their own rules. If they understand, prepare quickly. If they don’t understand, they will be eliminated. There is no shortage of these people.

However, there is still one thing that makes Feng Ziying a little wary. Since these people have already given their connections to the servants of the Daming Palace, they will inevitably not put any more thought into using their connections to the Supreme Emperor and the Dowager Concubine. Interests come first, and no one can Unconventional, money can make ghosts go round, let alone people?

Moreover, when the Supreme Emperor was in power, he visited the south of the Yangtze River six times and was extravagant and licentious. I am afraid that he made many promises and favors in the south of the Yangtze River. At this time, it is inevitable that someone will come to visit him.

But as long as they follow the rules, obey the greetings, and obey the rules, I can't give them this opportunity.

And for this group of people, they are more likely to be obedient in the future. As the power of the Supreme Emperor fades day by day, this group of people will only become more and more obedient, which is in their own interests.

With some thoughts, Feng Ziying returned to the inner courtyard.

 The inner courtyard was filled with joy.

This also surprised Feng Ziying.

“What’s wrong?” Feng Ziying asked Yun Shang curiously.

"Today is Yu Chuan'er's birthday, have you forgotten?" Yun Shang pursed her lips and said unhappily, "I knew that I wouldn't take these things to heart. I told you about it two days ago, and I told you I said I was going to prepare a gift for Yu Chuan'er, but I forgot about it so quickly."

The goose yellow duvet is covered over the emerald green cotton skirt. Yun Shang's slender pink neck is as clear as jade, and her small and delicate ears are like jade, which are somewhat transparent under the noon sun.

The cheeks with a bit of fresh cherry red smell are particularly vivid in front of Feng Ziying. The slender but youthful figure is full of a healthy rhythm. The double peaks are competing, and the unhappy look of twisting the sweat towel makes her even more... Feng Ziying's heart was pounding.

One hand smoothly pulled Yun Shang's waist, and Yun Shang was taken into his arms in surprise and panic. Looking at the slightly opened pink lips, he pressed his head deeply, while the other hand unceremoniously Peering into the bed,...

Until a surprised voice came from outside the door, "Ah, I didn't see this, I didn't see anything..."

Only then did Yun Shang wake up from her intoxication. She suddenly jumped to the side like a deer escaping from the sharp claws of a tiger. She grabbed Yu Chuan'er who was about to run away. Her face turned blood red and she said in a hateful voice, "It's not because of that." you?"

 Wearing a scarlet silk jacket and an azure-colored waistcoat, her beady face is somewhat similar to her sister's, and her crescent-shaped eyes that look particularly beautiful when she smiles are even more gleaming with a smile.

Yu Chuan'er just pretended to be panic. After being pulled by Yun Shang, she stopped struggling. She smiled and clapped her hands and said, "Why are you relying on me again? It's obvious that my sister misses me, so she can't wait..."

Yun Shang was so ashamed that she stretched out her hand to tear Yu Chuan'er's mouth off, trying to defend the little hoof herself. Unexpectedly, she fell into it and almost lost her face.

“Master, look at these little hooves. They are like this just after they are fourteen years old. I don’t know what will happen if I wait for another two years? My slave asked, why does this girl look nothing like Sister Jinchuaner?”

Yunshang finally caught Yuchuan'er's plump and smooth cheeks and wanted to squeeze them hard, but she couldn't do it, which made Feng Ziying laugh.

“Yun Shang, since you are so angry that you can’t help but grit your teeth, why don’t you come and help you, pull me over, and let me vent your anger for you!”

"That's great!" Yun Shang was overjoyed and pulled Yu Chuan'er towards Feng Ziying.

Yuchai'er, who was still there proudly before, suddenly panicked and struggled desperately, "Sister Yunshang, I was wrong. I won't dare to do it again..."

Although they are all Feng Ziying's personal maids, Yu Chuan'er knows that she is still a little different from the other sisters.

The other sisters are all over sixteen, and Sister Xiangling and Jinchuaner have already slept with each other, and Sister Yunshang is old enough.

There is also a rule in the house that everyone is well aware of. You must be over sixteen before losing your virginity. This is also set by the master. It is said that it is for everyone's health.

Although there are many people outside the country who get married and have children at the age of fourteen, I strictly follow this rule. Sister Xiangling did not go to bed until she was sixteen, and Jin Chuaner was not married until she was seventeen. Combed.

She is only fourteen, so although Yuchuan'er has also envied her sister and Xiangling, she also knows and has said it a long time ago, either don't enter his room. Once you enter his room, you are his, so don't even think about going out. , these words made several sisters feel excited and shy, but also felt gratified and satisfied.

 Yuchuaner is no exception.

Everyone in the wife's house dreamed of entering the master's room, but the master refused. This made Ming Huan and Mingzhu envy and hate them, but they were helpless.

I don’t like it, I only like the people around me, what can I do?

Everyone knows that the Feng family is now prosperous. The master is now the commander-in-chief of the border customs. The master is now the sixth-rank editor of the Hanlin Academy. He is favored by the emperor and the court, and now has a large family. If he can always stay with him, Thanks to the blessings of rain and dew, as long as there is no problem with my health, I will be lucky enough to give birth to a boy and a half girl, and I will be able to raise a concubine in the future.

 This is also the greatest extravagance and best yearning of several maids.

 She is only fourteen, and there are still two years left.

Therefore, although she has to stay on duty every three days like her sisters, she is very polite and is only responsible for washing and dressing her husband. She rarely enters the inner room, for fear that he or she will lose control and break the rules.

Yun Shang's joking words made her panic all of a sudden. She must not let him change his mind. The ladies in the house would definitely blame him if they found out.

But she couldn't struggle with Yun Shang, maybe she was half-hearted in her heart, so she was pulled by Yun Shang to Feng Ziying's side.

Feng Ziying stood up, picked up Yu Chuan'er's shy and bright red dimple, looked at it, nodded, took Yu Chuan'er's arm again, pushed up the sleeves, and exposed a lotus-rooted arm with pink makeup and jade in the sun, which looked particularly special. Dazzling and dazzling.

Feng Ziying then took a box from the bookshelf behind her and opened the lid.

There are several compartments in the box, all wrapped in embroidered scarves.

The maids are all very sensible. Although they have to clean the inner study, Feng Ziying didn't ask him to open it, and they never touched it. Today is the first time they saw Feng Ziying open it.

Feng Ziying took out one and opened the embroidered scarf, revealing a string of glittering and translucent seven-color jade bracelets in front of her eyes.

Feng Ziying didn't say much. She picked up the jade bracelet and put it on her arm. She looked it up and down, nodded with satisfaction, and then put it down, "Well, it matches well. I bought it in Suzhou. I think it matches the jade bracelet." The name Chuo'er is quite suitable..."

The jade bracelet hanging on Yu Chuan'er's arm suddenly turned into a soldering iron. It was so hot that Yu Chuan'er retracted her hand in panic and was about to wipe it off, "Master, I can't do it, I can't do it! This is too precious. !”

"Whether it's valuable or not depends on the heart rather than things. The gifts you gave me during my lifetime were all made by my own hands. I'm even happier because they represent sincerity. It's just that my hands are clumsy and I can only choose those that I feel satisfied with." Something."

Feng Ziying waved her hand, her gentle smile was like a wedge that pried open Yu Chuan'er's defenses, which also made Yun Shang fascinated.

"I never take back the things I give you. Just like the jade bracelet." Feng Ziying said with a smile: "Just now, your sister Yun Shang was complaining that I forget things and forget your birthday. , so I gave her a small punishment. Well, when Yuchuan'er turns sixteen, I will also give you a punishment..."

These words are very meaningful, Yun Shang and Yu Chuan'er both blushed.

If it were normal, Yun Shang would at least spit to show his shame and annoyance, but today Yun Shang could not have such thoughts, and even looked forward to it a little.

Not long after Yun Shang and Yu Chuan'er went out, Jin Chuan'er hurried in.

Seeing Feng Ziying reading a book, Jin Chuan'er was also holding a sweat towel and hesitated to speak.

"What do you want to say?" Feng Ziying put down the book and motioned for the other party to come over.

Jin Chuan'er bit her lip and limped over. After having **** in bed, Feng Ziying would not be so self-restrained. She grabbed the other person's plump waist and let Jin Chuan'er sit on her lap, holding her hand. On Fang Hao's wrist.

“Master, it’s too expensive and inappropriate. I’m afraid of the jade bracelet...”

"What are you afraid of? Are you afraid that Yuchuan'er will be arrogant because of his favor? Or are you getting carried away?" Feng Ziying smiled, "My eyes can still see people. Although Yuchuan'er is a little more lively in comparison, he is not the kind of person who doesn't know how to see people." Of course, you have a temper that is hot inside and cold outside, Yu Chuan'er is lively and friendly, Xiang Ling is honest, and Yun Shang is delicate, but they are not the kind of temper that I don't like, so you don't have to worry. Of course, as your sister, you should be more careful. Just take care of her, after all, she is still a bit young and her temperament is still uncertain."

 (End of this chapter)