Chengjiazhuang is located ten miles southeast of Jinan City, at the junction of the plains and the southern mountains. The terrain here is flat, with lush vegetation and abundant water systems. Within tens of miles, there are fertile grain fields.
Similar to later generations, although the powerful gentry and dignitaries of this era had a large number of houses and shops in the city, the foundations of their main houses were generally located on their ancestral land, and their families were no exception.
The family's ancestral home was Tongcheng, Anhui. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the world was in chaos. The ancestor of the family, Pei, became a teacher. He followed Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang in the southern and northern wars and made great military exploits. He was taciturn and did things without revealing anything. He won the trust of Zhu Yuanzhang and was always the emperor's wife.
The commander of my grandfather's personal soldiers. After the Ming Dynasty brought peace to the world, Chengshi Pei suffered from injuries and illnesses. In addition, he was old and could no longer serve Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Yuanzhang thought of his hard work and merit, so he was granted the title of Shandong Dusi in Licheng.
Yin's descendants are hereditary to thousands of households.
But the tragedy is that during the Battle of Jingnan, the Cheng family misread the direction of the wind and became the pawns of Emperor Jianwen's conquest of the north. Afterwards, Zhu Di, the founder of the family, was awarded the title of Dabao. For the sake of his ancestor Cheng Shi Pei, he did not send the Cheng family to the throne.
After killing them all, Chengjia's lineage was passed down, but Chengjia's vitality was severely damaged by this, and it was not until the Wanli period that Chengjia recovered.
Chengjiazhuang covers an area of nearly 80 acres and is a century-old house. Its main body is located between two gentle hills. A tributary of the Xiaoqing River flows through the middle, dividing the entire courtyard into two parts, the north and the south. The terrain in the south is slightly higher.
, Feng Shui is excellent, and it is where the main line of the family is located. The North Courtyard has a slightly gentler terrain and is a bit shorter in weather, so it is where the family lineage lives.
At present, the entire Ming Dynasty is experiencing natural and man-made disasters, and chaos has emerged in the world. Like all powerful men, Cheng Jia built forts, recruited troops, and hoarded supplies in order to protect himself.
At dusk, when the sky was getting dark, more than a dozen horses galloped straight towards Chengjiazhuang.
"Stop, who is it?" More than a dozen gatekeepers picked up their weapons and stopped in front of the visitor.
"You're blind! How dare you stand in Grandpa's way!" A big man with a cheeky face raised his whip and struck the leading servant with a hard whip. For a moment, dark red blood flowed from his thick skirt.
seeped out.
"Why did you hit someone?" The servant touched the wound, shocked and frightened, "Brothers, stop these grandsons! They dare to make trouble and come to our Chengjiazhuang!"
"Damn it, you're looking for death!" The big man showed a cruel smile, pulled out an Arabian scimitar from his waist, picked up the horse's reins, and rushed forward!
"Ahem, beard, come back!" A middle-aged man who was thin, seemingly frail, and dressed as a scholar coughed twice.
"Master, this, these grandsons dare to block our way! This..." The big man pulled the reins of the horse fiercely and stopped on the spot, indignantly.
"Huzi, we are here to see the noble man, not to cause trouble! Put away your bad temper, otherwise, I will never take you out again!" The scholar glared at Huzi.
"Yes!" Huzi wanted to say something more, but he didn't dare to look at the scholar's eyes and lowered his head obediently.
"Brother, I'm so sorry! The people below are all from the countryside and have never seen much of the world! It's not a big deal, brother, go back and recuperate!" The scholar smiled and took out a silver ingot from his arms and threw it away.
It was in the hands of the gatekeeper.
The servant grabbed the Yuanbao and looked at it, and was startled. There were actually as many as ten taels! He quickly showed a smile and put the pain in his body behind him, "Master, what is your surname? No,
What are your orders?"
The scholar smiled softly, as if he had expected such a reaction. He turned over and dismounted, gave a slight salute, and said with a hint of indescribable confidence, "Brother, please go and inform your master that Nanshan
If an old friend comes here, your master will understand!"
"Yes, yes! Sir, please take care of me!" The servant did not dare to neglect and hurried towards the inner courtyard.
"Master, he is just a rich man. If he disobeys, we will burn his village with fire! Master, why do you have to lower yourself?" The grumpy, bearded man said in front of the scholar.
But like an obedient cat.
The scholar glanced at him and sighed softly, "In this big world, who does this mean? Beard, be honest later, and if you cause trouble for me again, see if I don't break your legs!"
"Yes! Master, don't worry! I promise I won't even fart later!"
After a moment, the main door of Zhuangzi opened, and dozens of people came out quickly.
The leader is tall but very thin. He is wearing a luxurious silk robe and a white jade belt around his waist. There is an indescribable shrewdness in his twinkling small eyes. He is the current head of the Cheng family, Cheng.
The grandson of Tiger is currently the garrison of the North City of Jinan. Thousands of households have become prosperous.
"One morning, I heard the magpies chirping in the courtyard. It turns out that a noble person is here!" Cheng Shiming laughed and walked to the scholar. He bowed deeply and took the scholar's arm in person. "Master Mao'er, can you please
What a distinguished guest we can’t even invite! Hurry, hurry, invite us inside!”
Watching everyone walking towards the depths of the inner courtyard, a guard servant said to the leader who had just been beaten: "Brother, who are these people? Can the head of the family come out to greet them in person? Someone seems to have heard that they came from Nanshan
Are you here? Are there any dignitaries in Nanshan?"
The head servant seemed not to have heard his question and murmured: "Master Mao'er, Master Mao'er?"
"Brother, brother, what's wrong with you?" The servant looked at the leader's demented appearance and couldn't help but stretch out his hand and wave it in front of his eyes!
"Master Mao'er, Master Mao'er! Could it be possible, could it be him?" The leader of the servant was startled, and he touched the wound on his chest in disbelief, but his back was already wet!
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Deep in the inner courtyard of Chengjiazhuang, in a secluded side room, Cheng Shiming sat opposite the scholar.
The interior of the wing is very exquisitely decorated, with fine rosewood furniture on one side, luxurious Persian carpets on the floor, and two tiger skins on the two soft couches. Even the tea sets are made from the finest Wanli official kilns.
White porcelain.
Two pieces of fine sandalwood from the other side of the Red Sea were lit in the incense burner, and the faint smoke rose in the air, making people feel refreshed and clear-minded.
However, the two people in the scene did not put their minds on this exquisite display at all, and they looked at each other in silence for a long time.
After a while, Cheng Shiming raised his head and lowered his voice and said: "Master Cat, what's the matter? Is that rumor true? The Black-Hearted Rat didn't win?"
"Yes!" The scholar nodded dully, "Master Cheng, we have all underestimated him! This little boy named Liu is quite interesting. He is ruthless and decisive, and he has a bit of the demeanor of a certain person back in the day!"
"Master Cat, you overestimate him, don't you? How can he be compared with you?" Cheng Shiming smiled disdainfully, "Then Yang Yibin is just a fool, how can you believe his words? In my opinion, that is, that little
The bastard is lucky! If we were more serious, could he have turned the world upside down?"
The scholar glanced at Cheng Shiming, said nothing, and fell into deep thought.
Seeing that he didn't get a response, Cheng Shiming looked slightly embarrassed. He smiled coquettishly and said, "Master Cat, this matter is not urgent! Killing him from a mere hundred households will dirty our hands! However, this history
The Liu family in Chengdu is already a little panicked right now! We just took advantage of the trend and captured it in one fell swoop! The Liu family has been operating in Licheng for a hundred years, and their family fortune is..."
Cheng Shiming didn't say it clearly, but the greed in his eyes was clearly revealed, and his saliva was about to flow.
"The Liu family is not a trivial matter. A single move can affect the whole body. Don't act rashly on this matter!" The scholar ignored Cheng Shiming's reaction and just picked up the teacup and looked at the exquisite glaze on it.
Cheng Shiming was a little anxious, "Master Mao, when did you become so timid? Old man Liu is already old. The younger ones are useless and just idiots! If we don't catch them all now, we will wait even longer."
when?
"Oh? Could it be that Master Cheng, you are perfect?" The scholar looked at Cheng Shiming jokingly, with a cold light in his eyes.
"Master Cat, please don't misunderstand me!" Cheng Shiming was startled, stood up quickly, and bowed to the scholar, "We have been working together for so many years, Master Cat, you still don't know the temper of a certain person.
What? I deserve a slap for my bad mouth, I deserve a slap!" Cheng Shiming sneered and lightly slapped himself a few times!
The scholar stood up and took a deep breath, "The Liu family in Licheng is nothing to worry about. We just need to spend more time! It's just that that little kid killed my people and blocked my way. It's really hateful!"
Master Cheng, I leave this news to you!"
"That's natural, that's natural!" Cheng Shiming nodded repeatedly, "Master Cat, after everything is done, we will still be the same as before!" Cheng Shiming stretched out five fingers on each hand and said with a smile: "Look,
How is it?"
The scholar smiled nonchalantly and nodded lightly, "We'll talk about these things later! But the news is not careless at all! Mr. Cheng, the world is not peaceful right now, and we brothers have to think about it.
There is no way out!"
"What Mr. Cat said is true, what Mr. Cat said is true! This matter can be taken care of by someone!" Cheng Shiming promised again and again.
…………
…………
At the same time, in Liu's study room, Liu Hanyi held Liu Ruyi's hand tightly, "Ruyi, how sure are you of these things?"
Liu Ruyi looked at the eager elder brother in front of him, smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Brother, this matter is still my guess. I can't say with certainty! However, one thing is for sure, there are people who want to deal with it.
us!"
Liu Hanyi's face was livid, "Damn it! These gangsters, when they see me on weekdays, they wish they could call me grandpa. Unexpectedly, behind the scenes, they actually want to attack our old Liu family! They really deserve to die! Ruyi, so and so
Go back to Jinan City, deploy manpower, and straighten these bastards one by one!"
After Liu Hanyi finished speaking, he turned around and left!
Liu Ruyi grabbed his arm and said, "Brother, don't be impulsive! Right now, they are hiding and we are hiding. If you are not careful, you may fall into their trap!"
"This won't work, that won't work either! Brother, what do you think we should do? Are we brothers going to wait for those bastards to put knives on our necks?" Liu Hanyi patted the table bitterly.
Liu Ruyi tapped her fingers lightly on the table, pondered for a moment, and suddenly said: "Brother, how is your relationship with the big shopkeeper of Jibei Trading Company, Zhang Laocai?"
"Who?" Liu Hanyi was startled.
Liu Ruyi had to say it again.
"Brother, are you talking about him? That fat guy who knows Mr. Tian Fang's soles and heels?" Liu Hanyi was a little disdainful, as if he was ashamed to mention Zhang Laocai's name.
Liu Ruyi nodded, "That's him, brother, do you have any friendship with him?"
"That idiot is just a lucky upstart! Who among the powerful men in Jinan City has ever looked at him? Brother, why are you mentioning this idiot for no reason?" Liu Hanyi looked at Liu Ruyi in confusion. One glance.
Liu Ruyi smiled softly, but she did not say anything about Zhang Laocai's coming to report, "Brother, that man may have some skills! Maybe he can help us?"
"Brother, after listening to what you said, I seem to have figured out something!" Liu Hanyi rubbed his temples vigorously, "That Zhang Laocai has always been closely related to those old jealous people in Shanxi, and has not much involvement with the local tycoons in Shandong! Moreover, I heard that he had some connections outside the customs and could get good horses! A few years ago, when he was still working as a cook, he had a fight with Cheng Shiming, the eldest son of the married family at that time, and was badly repaired. Qing! So much so that this guy has always held a grudge against Cheng Jia! Could it be that this matter has something to do with Cheng Jia’s grandson?”
"Brother Yingming, there really is some connection!"
Liu Ruyi gave Liu Hanyi a thumbs up. Just when he was about to tell Liu Hanyi about the thieves with cat claw tattoos, he heard a maid report outside the door: "Master, Madam is here!"
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There was a little accident yesterday, but fortunately it's over!
I sincerely ask for your support, brothers, every collection and every red ticket you have is very important to the boat!
Hey, I have too many stalls spread out now, and there are many things that I can’t keep busy with!
However, if time permits every night, I will try to write as much as possible!