After resting for a day in Changping, Yang Ning, Zhang Juzheng and other officials set off on their way back after finishing their errands. Changping County Magistrate Sun Liudou led his men to follow the convoy to Shahe Town, and then returned to Changping "reluctantly". And Yang Ning also...

Zhang Juzheng and his entourage split into two groups and turned towards the east. Along the Shahe River we could walk no more than a few dozen miles, which is where the Tangshan Imperial Mansion is.

In order to ensure the safety of Princess Yongning, Zhang Juzheng ordered Zhou He to detach more than half of the soldiers from the Beijing camp to escort Yang Ning and his party in two carriages to Tangshan Imperial Manor. This made Zhou He and other officials secretly puzzled and weighed in their hearts.

The extraordinary relationship between the two most important figures in the imperial court, the governor of the East Factory and the chief minister of the cabinet.

Leaving aside the fact that Zhang Juzheng and others returned to the south to return to Beijing, we will only talk about Yang Ning and Princess Yongning's master and servant, Xiao Lezi, and Wen Ziyan. Under the escort of a group of Shenshu camp cavalry, they arrived along the rugged road beside the Shahe River.

Tangshan Huangzhuang.

The carriage turned a corner and entered the boundary of Tangshan Imperial Manor. Yang Ning and others got out of the carriage and climbed onto a high slope nearby. Looking over, what appeared in front of them was an extremely vast area.

The wilderness extends to the north to the foot of the rolling mountains. To the south, it is divided by the broad sandy river that meanders through. The wilderness is dotted with dense forests, meadows, wastelands, lakes, rivers, and

Sparse villages.

What is strange is that in such a vast wilderness, there is not a single acre of cultivated land. There are also those sparse villages. The low thatched huts, dilapidated earth walls, and the few wisps of cooking smoke are everywhere.

A kind of lifeless twilight.

Yang Ning had long known about this abnormal phenomenon from Han Shan Linkou. This was because of the existence of underground hot springs near Tangshan Huangzhuang.

Hot springs are indeed a good thing. Because the water temperature is high, it also contains many minerals and trace elements that are beneficial to the human body. But everything has advantages and disadvantages. It is the water temperature, minerals, and elemental composition that are higher than the surface of the earth that make farmers in this era

The crops we depend on for survival cannot grow. As the saying goes, "Food is the most important thing for the people." Food cannot be cultivated on the land. Naturally, the villages here are barren and backward, and the population is depleted. According to Han Shanlin, there are many villages on this land.

The able-bodied young people went to seek a living elsewhere because they could no longer survive. Most of the people left in the village were old people, young women, and children.

Although the people in these villages are all "tenants" of the imperial village, the Tangshan imperial village can be said to be the poorest and most desolate of all the imperial villages. When Han Shanlin came to take over, there were only a few people in the imperial village.

A hungry, skinny, old and feeble eunuch in charge of the village. Zhuangzi was picked up on the first day. On the second day, they couldn’t wait to pack their bags and go back to the capital to retire. This shows that this imperial village can be said to exist in name only. Those "

Naturally, the tenants and villagers had long ago become indifferent to the master-servant bond between them and the imperial village. They dispersed and left. Anyway, they could not stay and starve to death.

Thinking of this, Yang Ning had to smile bitterly at Emperor Longqing's "favor" for him. He was given such a large-scale village with the glorious title of "Imperial Village", but it was so barren.

I don’t know why Longqing rewarded Wanli with such a village in the first place. Most likely, this old boy didn’t know that this village was so poor at the time. I found out later. He just took the “burden” as a “favor” and dumped it for his son.

I gave it to myself and got a lot of gratitude from me. No wonder this old boy gave up his career as emperor after only a few years. It was all because of his selfishness.

At the foot of the mountain in the distance, there is a large village on a higher ground with mountains on its back and water on its side. It doesn't look that shabby. Yang Ning knows that these eight achievements are the real "Tangshan Imperial Village".

Regarding the barrenness and desolation of the vast land in front of her, Princess Yongning expressed enough comfort to Yang Ning. However, Ying'er couldn't help but sarcastic and gloating about his misfortune. Yang Ning didn't care. On the way, Yang Ning looked out the window in surprise at the lakes and rivers in the wilderness that were not frozen, but were steaming up under the setting sun. He thought to himself: As long as these things are used well, in a few years, this place will become a The most prosperous imperial village... no, this place can no longer be called "imperial village" by then. From now on, I will become the new owner of this land.

When Yang Ning and others got off the carriage at the gate of Huangzhuang, Shuiling, Han Yuniang, Yue Feng, Zhang Changgen, and a lot of other people were waiting outside the gate. They all showed joy when they saw Yang Ning. look.

Everyone had seen her one after another. Because in front of so many people, Shuiling, Han Yuniang and others did not greet Princess Yongning. Instead, others only thought she was Princess Yongning, and Ying'er was the eunuch brought by Yang Ning.

After greeting Shui Ling and others, Zhang Changgen led an old man in his sixties over. The old man had a goatee, was thin, and had an ordinary appearance. But his eyes were as big as peas and bright. Showing great shrewdness, Yang Ning recognized this man. He was also a fellow villager of Zhang Changgen. They called him "Seventh Master". He was also the late "Sixth Master" who Yue Feng missed so much in the courtyard of the poor kiln. Brothers.

At the beginning, the seventh master joined Yang Ning in the Siheyuan with Zhang Changgen and others. I heard that he had been a bookkeeper in his hometown in Shandong all his life. He also served as a bookkeeper in Zhang Changgen Escort. Han Shanlin selected people to take over the palace at that time. He lacked this aspect. Zhang Changgen recommended the seventh master to him. Although this old man was old, he was not deaf or blind. He walked like flying and spoke like a bell. His brain was very good and he had rich accounting experience. , he has a photographic record of the accounts. He is even more impeccable in managing Zhuangzi's affairs and is thorough in every aspect. Taking over Huangzhuang this time has greatly helped Han Shanlin, a former military man.

Therefore, after Han Shanlin returned to the capital, he asked the Seventh Master to temporarily take charge of Zhuangzi. And Han Shanlin had already reported this to Yang Ning in detail after returning to the capital.

"Old slave, I have met my master." Master Qi shouted excitedly when he saw Yang Ning. Then he knelt down to greet Yang Ning.

"Hey, Master Qi. This is absolutely impossible..." Yang Ning said hurriedly, reaching out to hold him up. However, he didn't expect that Master Qi was so powerful. Yang Ning didn't stop him at all. After all, he knelt down on his knees. Bowed on the ground.

"Seventh Master, you, you are trying to shorten my life." Yang Ning said with a bitter smile. But she was secretly surprised at the strength of this seventh master. It seems that the old man is quite old, but he is also a "trainer" .

The Seventh Master stood up neatly, clasped his fists and said, "Master, from now on just call this old slave 'Zhang Laoqi'. This old slave cannot bear the title of 'Seventh Master'."

Yang Ning shook his head and said with a smile: "Master Qi, you are too polite. At your age, you still have to work here. I feel really sorry. Is there anything inappropriate in calling you 'Master Qi'? Even though we are famous I am a master's servant. I don't have so many rules here. As time goes by, you will gradually understand. Oh, by the way, don't call me 'Master' every time. From now on, the old man will call me 'Master'. That’s it, Young Master.”

Master Zhang Qi said with excitement: "Master... since the young master has a destiny, I should obey it. I will not hide it from the young master. From the day when the young master took us in, the lives of everyone in my Zhangjiazhuang have been sold to the young master. From now on, if the young master has any orders, go up to the mountain of swords and get off the oil pan. If any man from my Zhangjiazhuang frowns, I will cut off his balls first without the young master having to do anything..."

Zhang Qiye spoke sincerely and excitedly, with a sonorous voice. The faces of Zhang Changgen, San Huzi, Zhang Biao and others who were listening were also solemn. But the meat and vegetables all came out together. Several women around listened. It felt a little unnatural. Yang Ning hurriedly coughed twice and said: "Uh, that... Qiye, Uncle Gen. I, Yang Ning, absolutely understand your loyalty. Look, let's go in first and show me around. Turn around and find out how Zhuangzi's situation is."

"Oh, yes, yes. You see, this old slave is really confused. Master, please come in quickly." Master Zhang Qi hurriedly went to the village to invite Yang Ning.

The accompanying soldiers from Shenshu Camp set up camp in the open space around Huangzhuang. Yang Ning led Princess Yongning and others and followed Zhang Qiye into Huangzhuang.

As the saying goes: a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Although the Tangshan Imperial Villa is barren, it does not mean that what Zhuangzi built is also shabby and stingy. After all, it represents the dignity of the royal family. Therefore, the scale of this Zhuangzi is huge. It completely exceeded Yang Ning's imagination. Going around, Yang Ning roughly estimated that the size of this village is more than four times the size of his own house in the capital.

The protective walls around the village are tall and thick. There are also military towers and lookout posts at the four corners. The layout and architecture of the village are also extremely exquisite. The rockery, waterside pavilions, towers and palaces, and garden flowers and trees all show traces of the royal garden. .

What surprised Yang Ning even more was that there were a lot of ponds inside Zhuangzi. And they were all different from the ponds in the wilderness outside. They were not frozen and steamed up. However, the surroundings of these ponds were not exquisitely repaired, nor were the water conditions. In Yang Ning's opinion, living water is far from meeting the standards for bathing in hot springs. He knows in his heart that the selection and transformation of the location of the hot spring pool will have to be realized step by step in the future.

After finishing the tour of Zhuangzi, Yang Ning was still a little unfinished. She always felt that something was missing. At this time, they had arrived at the backyard of Huangzhuang, which was near the foot of the mountain. There was a back door on the wall of the backyard.

"Where does the door lead?" Yang Ning asked Zhang Qiye.

"Back to Young Master, the door leads to the back mountain, which is what people call 'Xiaotang Mountain'. It is said to be a mountain, but it is actually only 200 to 300 meters high. There is a mountain of 500 to 600 meters next to it. It is called 'Big Tang Mountain'. Further north from these two mountains are the continuous high mountains." In a few words, Zhang Qiye explained the terrain behind Zhuangzi clearly.
Chapter completed!