This gold mine is located in the deep mountains more than 20 miles southwest of Caishi Town. This is already the hinterland of Nanshan, with undulating mountains, dense vegetation, and few people.
When Huang Hansheng was running the gold mine, there were only about 20 craftsmen's households in it, and together with the Bailai miners, the scale was very small. It was actually just an earthen workshop. But since the mine supervisor took over, not only the mines from Laiwu, Xintai, and Tai'an
Fifty or sixty craftsmen's households were mobilized from other places, and five to six hundred miners were tricked and captured. They then dug a small, gentle canal using human power based on the original creek.
Gold mines are different from coal mines and iron ores. They are more refined and the processes are more complex. They require a lot of water flow. A few hundred years later, during the gold rush in North America, gold prospectors only needed to search carefully along the rivers to find gold sands.
, or even gold nuggets. But it is different here. The miners first need to extract the ore, then manually crush the ore, and then put it into the river to wash and filter out the impurities. Only the little bit left behind may be
Sands.
It is still the seventeenth century, and the raging fire of the technological revolution has not yet started. The productivity of the entire world is very low, and all processes are completed manually! And the supervisors and leaders only pursue production efficiency, how can they care about the miners?
Life and death? One can imagine the living conditions of these miners, which are almost the same as those of slaves!
Starting from ten minutes at noon, it was not until late afternoon that Liu Ruyi and his party arrived at the foot of the mountain on the edge of the gold mine. The journey of more than twenty miles took more than two hours.
"Sir, this place has entered their sphere of influence. We can't move forward rashly! Do you want to humble yourself and send someone in first to send a message?" Zhao Canghai pointed forward.
"Be careful!" Liu Ruyi nodded. Although they were very close, this was his first time coming to this place.
This mountain is not too steep, more like a bun-shaped earth bag. There is a narrow stream flowing at the foot of the mountain. The trees on both sides have long been cut down. Standing here, you can clearly see the mountainside.
Several faults were dug out, and black and white ore was exposed in the air.
The path in the mountain is not paved. There are more than a dozen lookout towers several people high on both sides. You can faintly see people moving on them. There is only one exit to enter and exit the mountain. The location is very dangerous.
Not long after, the soldier who went to report came back and said, "Sir, they let us pass!"
Liu Ruyi nodded, "Let's go and meet these gentlemen!"
As soon as they reached the intersection in the mountains, seven or eight Jin Yiwei wearing knight uniforms and embroidered spring knives on their waists came forward. The leader was in his thirties and had an unshaven beard. He glanced at Liu Ruyi, who was wearing a Baihu uniform.
The man in the official robe said angrily: "Oh, Mr. Hundred Households, why do you have the leisure to come to this ungrateful place like ours?"
Liu Ruyi glanced at the man and saw that his clothes were full of dirt and his body was a little thin. He thought he was used to living a simple life and now he was not comfortable here.
"Haha, this brother, he has nothing to do without going to the Three Treasures Hall! Liu came here today because he has a big deal to discuss with all the brothers and the young father-in-law. Come on, brothers, you have worked hard in this deep mountain. We meet for the first time.
It’s just a small thing, brothers, let’s buy some wine!” Liu Ruyi smiled and took out a few banknotes and handed them to the leading man.
The man took the banknotes and glanced at them. They were all twelve taels each. They were probably seventy or eighty taels. He immediately beamed and his attitude changed instantly. With a smile on his face, he pretended to be evasive and said: "This
Master, you are so polite! How does this make us brothers embarrassed?"
He seemed to want to return the banknote to Liu Ruyi, but his big hand grabbed most of the banknote, leaving only a small corner. Even if he grabbed it, it would be difficult to snatch it from his hand.
Liu Ruyi smiled and said, "We are all neighbors. Why do we need to be so strangers to our brothers? We are familiar with each other after one time! Haha! If the brothers come to Caishi Town in time, Liu will definitely sweep up the couch to welcome them!"
This leading man is just a small flag. Although Jinyiwei's status is aloof, Liu Ruyi's status as a member of a hundred households can be regarded as giving him enough face.
As expected, he smiled brightly and said respectfully: "Master, you are so happy! Little Qiu San admires you!"
He glanced at the dozens of guards behind Liu Ruyi, thought for a moment, gritted his teeth and said: "Sir, I wonder what kind of deal you want to discuss? If it's a smaller one, brother, I can make the decision!"
These Jin Yiwei were the supervisors of the mines. Occasionally, they would secretly take out a little gold and trade it with profiteers from the outside world in exchange for silver. Gold in the Ming Dynasty was a precious metal and was not circulated. Silver was the currency.
Liu Ru thought that he might have misunderstood, so he couldn't help but smile bitterly, took half a step closer, and whispered a few words in his ear.
The man was startled, and laughed and said: "That's it, sir, don't wait here, my brother will send someone to report it immediately!"
After he finished speaking, he said to a follower beside him: "Go, hurry up and report to the young father-in-law that a distinguished guest is coming! If the father-in-law has time, it is best to come and greet him in person!"
"Yes!" The servant hurriedly ran towards the mountain.
…………
This mine has now been taken over by the mine supervisor, and the mine supervisor is responsible for collecting money for the emperor, which is equivalent to the emperor's property. Although Liu Ruyi wanted to eat it, it was not the right time now, so Zhao Canghai proposed to do it.
, Liu Ruyi did not agree!
Although the Ming Dynasty is in decline, after all, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse, and Liu Ruyi is only a strong baby at best. If he brazenly usurped the emperor's property, it would be tantamount to asking for death.
What really moved Liu Ruyi was the nearly 100 craftsmen here!
While the servant went to report, Liu Ruyi started chatting with the little leader of Jin Yiwei.
These Jin Yiwei had been staying in Laiwu City, under the command of the chief eunuch Ding Si. However, Ding Si had seized the gold mine and was a little worried, so he sent them here. But they are usually only responsible for maintaining the gold mine.
The security of the mine and the rectification of disobedient miners can be regarded as a little bit of trouble at most, but the real decision-making power is still in the hands of the little father-in-law.
The little father-in-law was not an ordinary man. Although he was only eighteen or nineteen years old, he had been living in the palace for more than ten years. He was originally the disciple of Wang Chengen, the eunuch of Emperor Chongzhen. Later, he was attracted by Ding Si, the eunuch of Laiwu.
He was adopted as a fake son and kept with him until recently, when he was sent to this mine.
As the saying goes, what goes above leads to results!
The emperor was not worried about his ministers, so he appointed his trusted eunuchs to control the East and West factories. He was worried about the military generals, so he appointed his trusted eunuchs to serve as supervisors. In the same way, Ding Si was also worried about the big men of the Imperial Guard, so he appointed his trusted eunuchs.
Come be the leader!
Not long after, dozens of people gathered on the mountain path, surrounded by a child, who came rushing down with cheers.
Beforehand, Zhao Canghai had already explored the inside of the gold mine, and Liu Ruyi also had an overview of it.
The scale of this gold mine is not too big. Although Ding Si sent so many people to mine it by force, the results have been minimal. Ding Si has always suspected that Jin Yiwei was behind it and took most of the money, so he sent his own fake gold mine.
The son came to monitor.
Ding Si's goal for this gold mine was to produce twenty kilograms of gold per month, but the actual situation is that this gold mine can produce fifteen or six kilograms of gold per day. The price difference of five or six kilograms is enough for that gold mine to produce 20 kilograms of gold per month.
The young father-in-law had a headache. Only then did Liu Ruyi gain the confidence to discuss this deal with the young father-in-law!
As the saying goes, when there is demand, there will be supply!
While thinking about it, the group of people had already come closer. The young father-in-law glanced at Liu Ruyi and said sharply: "Master Baihu, why do you come to the Zajia family?"
Liu Ruyi glanced at him intently, and saw that he had handsome features, very white skin, and no Adam's apple in his throat. If he didn't look carefully, he would have thought he was a woman! However, there was a trace of urine floating around him -
Although he had used perfume to cover up the smell, he still couldn't cover it up.
"I'm Liu Ruyi from Caishi Town. I've met my father-in-law!" Liu Ruyi quickly calmed down and bowed respectfully to the little father-in-law.
Eunuchs are strange creatures. They have lost the most important things, and their personalities tend to split accordingly.
In her previous life, Liu Ruyi once read a notebook novel, which told such an interesting story: There was a young eunuch in one dynasty. After he entered the palace, he was often bullied and abused. No one sympathized with him, and some just
Ridicule and indifference. One day, the little eunuch accidentally broke the tea cup of a noble concubine because of a mistake. This concubine was the daughter of the prime minister of the dynasty. She had a noble status and would become a queen in the future! Such people naturally have bad tempers.
It was so good that he almost beat the little eunuch half to death! Fortunately, an old palace maid saw that he was pitiful, so she secretly stole some wound medicine and applied it on him, which saved his life.
The young eunuch swore at that time that he must remember today's kindness and today's shame, and one day he would get this place back.
But it was a pity that before he had time to work hard, the aliens invaded, captured the capital, and robbed the emperor and queen. The noble concubine was also taken away by the aliens and became someone else's plaything! This little eunuch was not immune, either.
From a slave to a slave! But he was not discouraged, he was cautious, clinging to his last breath, and working hard towards the front step by step.
Decades later, this little eunuch had become the most famous person in front of the foreign emperor. Later, the foreign army swept across the Central Plains, replaced the Han family, and ascended to the throne of the Ninth Five-Year Plan. At that time, the family of the imperial concubine also became the most popular person due to the
He changed his attitude quickly and was not affected too much. On the contrary, he was from a first-class family with a prominent family. How could this young eunuch be willing to devise means and work hard to impose a rebellion on the imperial concubine's family, so that they
The whole family was copied and beheaded.
The palace maid that day had already become the child's grandmother, and the foreign emperor was weak and sick, and passed away not long after. The little eunuch actually tried his best to exchange the palace maid's grandson with the emperor's prince, and staged a civet cat play.
Replace the prince to repay the kindness of the palace maid!
Although it is only an unofficial historical record and cannot be taken seriously, the content is thought-provoking.
Eunuchs already lack love and love. Things that ordinary people don't care about may be higher than the sky and heavier than the earth in their eyes.
If you show respect, you may receive unexpected goods!
Sure enough, when the young father-in-law saw that Liu Ruyi did not look down on him because of his age, his attitude was very respectful, and he couldn't help showing a smile at the corner of his mouth.
Stand and talk! Come on, please come to the mountain!"
Liu Ruyi smiled slightly and said, "Thank you so much, father-in-law! Please come first!"