Fei Yinghuan entered Jiangxi by land from Jiangshan County in Zhejiang.
Officials were alerted along the way, and prefecture and county officials were dispatched one after another.
The prefect of Guangxin received the news early and prepared a boat to wait for him in Yushan County. The magistrate of Yushan welcomed him to the county boundary, and the magistrate of Shangrao connected seamlessly, while the magistrate of Qianshan was already waiting east of Ehu Town.
At the beginning of the new dynasty, this kind of behavior was prohibited, and local officials were not allowed to mobilize troops to meet the powerful.
More than thirty years have passed, and bad habits in officialdom have resurfaced, and it has become normal to follow the crowd.
Shangrao Water Station.
Fei Yinghuan was over eighty years old. After arriving at the inn, he did not get off the boat for fun.
The prefect, Hou Chang, did not dare to disturb us, so he just waited beside the boat. Near dusk, the county magistrate came over by boat and said, "Your Majesty, Mr. Yifang is here."
"Please!" Hou Chang said quickly.
Fei Yinghuan's old acquaintances in his hometown have all died of illness one after another, and now only this "Mr. One Fang" is left.
This king's name is Wang Yong, his courtesy name is Menghou, and his nickname is Yifang.
In the fourth year of Chongzhen's reign, Fei Yinghuan, Hu Mengtai, Wang Tao and other fellow countrymen went to Beijing to take the exam together. Fei Yinghuan and Hu Mengtai both failed, but Wang Tao passed the Jinshi exam and was already serving as a councilor of Shandong Province when the Ming Dynasty fell.
At that time, Shandong was corrupt, and Wang Tao, the councilor, had no real power, so he simply returned to his hometown with his seal. However, the Ming Dynasty was not yet destroyed, and Wang Tao couldn't bear to join the "traitor Zhao Han", so he set up a private school in the countryside to teach. He did not teach for two years.
, all the children in the countryside who wanted to study went to official primary schools, and Wang Yong could only make a living by farming and studying at home.
It was not until the new dynasty that the mind opened up and the teaching style flourished that Wang Yong, who had devoted himself to studying for many years, finally established a sect in Shangrao County.
"My lord, Mr. Yifang is here to pay his respects."
"Wang Menghou? Please come quickly!"
Fei Yinghuan, who was in his eighties, was actually quite healthy. He was supported by a healthy servant and walked out of the cabin to greet him personally with a cane in hand.
Wang Yong was a few years younger than Fei Yinghuan. He was dressed in commoner clothes and stood quietly on the bow of the boat.
As the two boats approached, Wang Yong cupped his hands and said loudly: "Ling Weng, long time no see!"
"Brother, please come on board and have a drink!" Fei Yinghuan said happily.
When Fei Yinghuan was in his sixties, he built a villa in Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou and called himself "Lingyuan Jushi" and "Lingsou". He did not establish a sect academically, but specialized in history, literature, calligraphy and painting.
He also participated in the compilation of "The Complete Book of the Republic of China" and was well-known in the academic circles of Datong and the New Dynasty.
Wang Yong was immediately invited to board the boat, and the prefect Hou Chang also hitched a ride. The other disciples and officials were waiting on the boat next to him.
"Please sit down, Magistrate Hou also invites you." Fei Yinghuan was in a happy mood.
"Thank you, sir!" Hou Chang sat down carefully, with half of his butt hanging in the air.
Mrs. Lou was also helped over by the maid. Wang Yong and Hou Chang quickly stood up and said: "Sister-in-law (old lady) is well!"
"Let's all sit down." Lou smiled with a smile on his face and poured tea for them himself.
Fei Yinghuan asked: "How is your health, my dear brother?"
Wang Yong replied: "It's not bad. I don't have any major illnesses, but I have constant minor illnesses."
Fei Yinghuan was a little melancholy: "Well, the only scholars in Shangrao who rushed to take the exam back then are you and me. I remember that we went to Beijing to take the exam together three times, and I took the exam five times with Lao Hu (Hu Mengtai).
"
Wang Yong smiled and said: "It was supposed to be four times, but in the first year of Chongzhen's reign, I fell ill before leaving."
Fei Yinghuan also laughed: "That time, I was also ill in Beijing. But I never thought that I would be delayed due to illness, and on the way back, I would meet His Majesty. How could I have expected at that time that I would take him with me so easily?
The little baby who comes back can do such a big thing as changing the dynasty."
"This is destiny!" Wang Yong said flatteringly, "It is also the blessing of the old man, and it is also the blessing left by the sages of the Fei family."
Fei Yinghuan stroked his beard proudly, nodded and said: "Back then, I was rushing to take the exam again and again, and I wanted to get a government job. In the end, I had no choice but to spend money to buy a county magistrate. But after failing the exam several times, it was not without gain.
Along the way, I realized the sufferings of the people, and I was no longer an ignorant scholar studying hard behind closed doors. As the saying goes, it is better to travel thousands of miles than to read thousands of books. Nowadays, traveling far and wide with a sword is more popular, and young students have caught up with the good times."
Wang Yong echoed: "Yes, today's young people have really caught up with the good times. The world is stable, there are no grass bandits raging; the people are rich, food prices are stable, and it is much easier to go out than before. Recently I heard,
With the steamships on the Ganjiang River, they can travel thousands of miles a day burning coal."
"A journey of a thousand miles a day is just a lie, but it is possible to travel two hundred or three hundred miles a day," Fei Yinghuan said with a smile. "As long as the boatman adds coal to the boiler, the steamship will be able to move without wind. I heard that it is still being improved, maybe it will go there."
The latter will make the ship faster. In addition, coal stations must be built along the way. Without coal, the ship cannot run."
Hou Chang, the prefect, suddenly interrupted: "Guangxin Prefecture is already planning to build a coal station, and steamships will be accessible within two or three years."
Fei Yinghuan nodded and said, "That's very good."
Suddenly, Fei Yinghuan asked again: "Are any of the descendants of virtuous disciples serving as officials?"
Wang Yong shook his head and sighed: "My incompetent sons are not good at studying. They can only go to the civil service examination and do chores. But I have a good grandson who won the Jinshi at the bottom a few years ago. That boy can endure hardships.
He took the initiative to transfer to Ezo Prefecture to deal with the indigenous people on the island, and now he has become the magistrate of Ezo Prefecture."
Fei Yinghuan asked: "I've heard of Ezo Prefecture, which is the big island in the north of Japan?"
"Of course," Wang Yong explained in detail, "the island is divided into three groups, one is the Ezo savages, the other is the Japanese immigrants, and the third is the Han immigrants. My sweet grandson wrote a letter saying that he introduced rice in Ezo County, and the island
The people of all ethnic groups in the land are obedient. In the past, there was no rice produced there, but from now on there will be rice to eat, and it tastes good, and all the rice grown there is of good quality."
Fei Yinghuan praised and said: "This is a great achievement. My dear brother has raised a good grandson."
After chatting for a while, Wang Tao said: "Ling Weng, it's getting late. How about moving to a humble house to stay for a few days? I have a large pond where I raise many carps and grass carp. Drinking tea and fishing are indescribably comfortable."
Fei Yinghuan declined politely: "I am returning to Qianshan to settle down this time. I have plenty of time to travel around. Ehu Town is next to Shangrao. I will go there after I have settled in."
"Then let's make an appointment," Wang Tao said with a smile, "then we'll invite the elderly and famous people from the surrounding area to go fishing and drink tea while reciting poems and composing poems."
Fei Yinghuan smiled and said: "This is also a beautiful thing."
Everyone moved to the deck, and Fei Yinghuan looked far into the distance. On the dim river surface, fishing fires were faintly visible.
The prefect Hou Chang took the opportunity to talk about his political achievements: "My husband Rong Bing, today's Guangxin Prefecture can be said to be prosperous and prosperous. The population has quadrupled compared to the Chongzhen period. Although the population is large, the people can have enough food and clothing. There is not enough land at home.
, have all entered the tea factory and the paper factory. Especially the paper factory, the paper produced in the counties of Guangxin Prefecture is one of the best in the country. In addition, now that business is booming, Guangxin Prefecture is the thoroughfare of four provinces, and the only goods transportation
It can feed countless people.”
Fei Yinghuan nodded and said: "It's not easy. I still remember when I was young, there would be a famine about every ten years. A cabbage monument was erected in Qianshan County, and the magistrate led the people to eat cabbage together.
He persuaded wealthy households to donate food and saved countless hungry people."
Wang Yong smiled and said: "Thanks to your majesty's pioneering work, there are many grain-producing areas overseas. Countless grains are shipped back every year, and several coastal provinces have no worries about food, and grain prices are gradually stabilizing. Unlike the previous Ming Dynasty,
"Son, water transportation costs countless dollars every year, and food prices in the southern provinces rise accordingly."
"The world is at peace, the people are happy, the territory has been opened thousands of miles away, and the four seas have been conquered. This is a prosperous age unprecedented in ancient times." The prefect Hou Chang continued to flatter the emperor.
Wang Tao smiled and said: "If I hadn't been old, I wouldn't have gone to Beihai, Congling, and Dawan to see it. Especially the city of Suzhou in Beihai. I read in the newspaper that the Suwu Temple was built last year. You can know it under the spring of Suzhou.
Rest in peace.”
That night, Wang Yong rested on the boat and said goodbye and returned home early the next morning.
Fei Yinghuan and Lou continued their journey westward by boat and arrived at Ehu Town at noon that day. The news quickly spread throughout the country.
All the descendants of the Fei family came together to greet him, including the old and the young. People nearby also came to pay homage to their old man.
"Master, do you still remember me?" An old man came forward supported by his grandchildren.
Fei Yinghuan was a bit presbyopic, so he put on his glasses and looked carefully, and then said happily: "Are you... Jian Gu?"
Jian Dan smiled and said, "That's me!"
Fei Yinghuan asked: "Are Qin Xin and Jiupo still there?"
Jian Dan said sadly: "They are all gone."
"Yes, you are not young anymore." Fei Yinghuan sighed.
Descendants of Qin Xin and Jiupo came forward to pay their respects one after another. Fei Yinghuan and Lou felt as if they were seeing their own children and grandchildren, and they felt extremely cordial no matter how they looked at them.
Fei Wenwei suddenly shouted outside the crowd: "Master, master... let me go quickly!"
After a lot of hard work, this guy was finally allowed to see him, but his uncles didn't have a good reputation. Of course, the family scandal should not be made public, and the matter of the alcoholic descendants filing a lawsuit to divide the family property would not be brought to Fei Yinghuan's face.
Lou glanced at the group of Bengalis and asked, "Is this the servant concubine you bought?"
Fei Wenwei replied with dignity: "Reporting to the old lady, this junior couldn't sit still, so he went to Bangladesh to make a living. In Bangladesh, he started from scratch and earned thousands of acres of fertile land. These are all the juniors brought back from Bangladesh, and they will continue to work in Bangladesh next year.
Take some fellow countrymen to Bangladesh to make a fortune."
Fei Yinghuan praised: "With ambition and loyalty, my grandchildren are so outstanding that they can even smile even when they are drunk."
As soon as these words came out, the neighbors who knew Fei Wenwei's details covered their mouths and snickered, and at the same time they were extremely envious of him.
Fei Yinghuan had four brothers at that time. The fourth brother was granted the title of Marquis and settled in Hunan, and rarely came back.
The other two brothers have died of illness, leaving behind a group of useless children and grandchildren, who are now living in Fei's old house in Ehu. Not to mention rich and powerful, life is still relatively prosperous. One of the dandy boys was exiled to the snow for beating someone to death.
Ou——If it weren't for the sake of the Fei family's face, Queen Qiu would have been executed long ago.
Fei Yinghuan, Lou and his wife went home surrounded by their nephews and grandnephews.
They asked about the situation along the way, and of course they reported good news but not bad news. They only said that the fourth child of the eldest family had studied well and studied at Nanchang University at public expense. He would probably be admitted to the Jinshi in the next few years. The brothers left more than ten descendants, and this was the only one.
Those who are successful can be regarded as the face of the future.
Fei Yinghuan used to go home every year to pay homage to his ancestors, but he has not moved around since the age of 65. Now, more than ten years later, when he returns to his hometown and old house, he is struck by emotion and filled with emotion.
It's a pity that most of them are new faces, and the younger generation doesn't know any of them.
Occasionally, an old man came up to say hello on the road. Although Fei Yinghuan and Lou couldn't remember clearly, they were very happy and asked their entourage to hand over some copper coins as a greeting gift.
After having lunch at the Fei family's old house, Fei Yinghuan took his wife Lou and couldn't wait to go for a walk in the countryside.
There are tea mountains near the house, and there is a paper mill further away.
Fei Yinghuan pointed to a mountainous area where tea was not grown and said, "That used to be my family's land, right?"
Fei Yinghuan's elder brother's second son said: "Uncle, that land used to be the Fei family's land, but it was allotted to tenants when the dynasty was first established."
"It's okay to split it up," Fei Yinghuan said with a smile.
He walked forward on crutches, and saw an old farmer in the field, cutting potato vines and putting them into bamboo baskets.
Fei Yinghuan shouted from afar: "Where are you harvesting sweet potatoes?"
After hearing this, the old farmer turned around and stood up. After seeing the situation clearly, he quickly came over to pay his respects: "Young Master, the sweet potatoes can still grow again. I will cut some potato vines and feed them to the pigs."
"Do you want to call me young master?" Fei Yinghuan asked.
The old farmer said: "Master, I used to work as a boy in the Fei family and lived in the courtyard for several years. When the master returned to Ehu, I took my family to the town to welcome him. I was very happy to see him."
Fei Yinghuan said happily: "We are also old friends. What is your name? How old are you?"
The old farmer said: "My name is Fei Cong, I am 62 this year."
Fei Yinghuan asked again: "How are you doing at home?"
The old farmer started chatting and said: "In the early days, we had enough food and clothing by farming. Later, when we had more children and grandchildren, it was not enough to plow the land. My eldest son is a boatman in Hekou Town, and he has become the second in command. The whole family moved
Went to Hekou Town. The second child couldn't live up to expectations and had no choice but to farm with me. The third child was unlucky and had very good academic performance. He went to the river to take a bath during the summer vacation and drowned. There are also two daughters, one of whom married to Hengtang.
, one married and went to Chengguan. My eldest grandson also got paid and worked as an apprentice in a paper factory for several years. The second grandson joined the tea factory and is about to graduate. The third grandson..."
"Have more children, more blessings, you are so lucky." Fei Yinghuan said with a smile.
The old farmer said: "Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. It's up to them to earn it themselves."
A few discerning followers helped the old farmer cut potato vines, and then helped the old farmer pick them home.
Fei Yinghuan chatted with the old farmer along the way, followed by a large group of people.
The old farmer's home is a four-and-a-half-room mud house, and the half of it belongs to the pig house, where two big fat pigs are being raised.
"Woof woof woof..."
The big yellow dog tied in front of the pig house barked viciously when he saw the crowd, but he stopped after being scolded twice by the old farmer.
The old farmer's family members came out one after another, brought stools for Fei's family to sit on, and brewed several bowls of broken tea in clay bowls. This kind of broken tea is very cheap in tea-producing areas.
Fei Yinghuan walked into the main room and found several pieces of bacon hanging from the beams.
Fei Yinghuan smiled and said: "This is the joy of peace and quiet."
The old farmer said: "Those of us who farm can only enjoy happiness if we have a good emperor."
Fei Yinghuan took a bowl of broken tea and took a sip. It didn't taste good. He came to the courtyard and listened to the sound of troughs in the pig house. Suddenly, there was a rooster crowing in the distance and the big yellow dog in front of the pig house.
, also followed by nervous calls.
Looking at the tea mountains and farmland in the distance, Fei Yinghuan asked his wife: "Madam, you can live in peace and quiet here forever."
Mr. Lou smiled and said: "There is traffic on the streets and chickens and dogs hear each other. It is indeed a good place to retire."
