Chapter 243: Prefer to travel to Hushan (please vote for me!)
Zheng Zhiyan, a great salt merchant, is currently the richest man in Yangzhou City. No one can tell how much his family property is.
Anyway, in history, Zheng Zhiyan had four sons, all of whom were squanderers, and all of them were building gardens. The famous Xiu Garden in later generations was built by one of Zheng Zhiyan's sons.
Being able to accommodate four sons at the same time and still sustain the prodigal family can only imagine how rich Zheng Zhiyan's family is.
Zheng Zhiyan is in a good mood recently, and his plan to expand his family's influence in the Shilin literary world has made substantial progress.
In addition to renovating the Pingshan Hall and holding an elegant gathering, and the Suzhou oiran as a reward gimmick, he has also secretly invited important ministers to show their appreciation.
After laying a good foundation, we urge our sons to study and study. Even if they don't get any great honors in the exams, they still need to have basic cultural literacy and become half Confucian and half businessman.
Today at dinner time, Zheng Zheng was faced with more than a dozen dishes on the table and was wondering where to start.
Suddenly, an old steward stood outside the door and greeted softly: "Master!"
Zheng Zhiyan put down his chopsticks and shouted: "If anything happens, come and disturb me during meal time!"
The old steward reported: "Something happened over there at Bai Huakui's Courtyard, and a Suzhou Linsheng came to make a noise."
After listening, Zheng Zhiyan frowned and said, "Why is he here?"
As someone who does business with Suzhou and has just been to Suzhou, Zheng Yuanwai certainly knows who this "Lin Jieyuan" is.
When I first went to Suzhou to buy Bai Oiran, someone reminded me that Lin Jieyuan seemed to have always been interested in this Oiran, but he just refused to pay for it.
But he didn't care at that time. He paid the money with one hand and received the money with the other. This was the only way of justice.
If you Lin Jieyuan refuses to spend money, or can't afford it, who will blame you?
Then Zheng Zhiyan remembered Lin Tailai's deeds and asked, "Did he take action?"
The old steward reported: "He just dodged and did not take action."
Member Zheng smiled lightly and said: "It seems that Lin Jieyuan is not stupid, and he knows that a strong dragon will not overwhelm a local snake.
When people go to other places, they have no advantage in numbers, and they have no advantage in the government, so what can they use to fight?"
The old steward reported again: "Lin Jieyuan wrote two very affectionate and sad poems that have been circulated, so now there are some unpleasant comments.
It is said that Lin and Bai were in love with each other and had a private life-long relationship, but you, sir, were rich and unkind and took advantage of your wealth to forcefully break up the couple."
"Another ignorant person is talking nonsense!" Zheng Yuanwai was a little unhappy.
As the richest man in Yangzhou City, although he is used to being gossiped about, he still doesn't feel happy every time he hears it.
The old steward asked: "Please tell me how to arrange it?"
Zheng Yuanwai instructed: "I estimate that the man surnamed Lin has to go to Beijing to take the exam, so he is probably just passing through Yangzhou City and may not have much energy to spend.
He doesn’t dare to take action anyway, so we will send more manpower tomorrow to wait for him to show up and drive him away!”
After receiving the order, the old steward passed on Master Zheng's words.
The next day, the number of people gathering on the street outside the gate of Zheng's villa to watch the excitement further increased.
The streets and alleys were not very wide to begin with, but now they were a bit blocked.
When Lin Tai came over, he almost couldn't squeeze in. Fortunately, someone recognized the protagonist and gave way.
When Mr. Lin walked outside the gate of Zheng's courtyard, before he could step forward and kick the door open, the gate opened automatically.
Then a dozen people poured out of the courtyard and blocked Lin Tailai's front.
Lin Tailai quickly retreated until he was close to the crowd, and then shouted: "You, the Zheng family, actually had a premeditated plan to ambush you here!"
The leader of the house slave scolded: "Get away quickly! Otherwise, I will make you taste the feeling of life and death!"
Before he finished speaking, more than twenty people suddenly rushed out from the crowd.
Moreover, everyone was armed with sticks and started to fight without saying a word.
The Zheng family slave's attention was focused on Lin Jieyuan, and he was suddenly beaten into a panic.
By the time they reacted, the situation was already one-sided. A dozen Zheng family slaves either fell to the ground or ran away with their heads in their hands.
Lin Jieyuan stood outside and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Don't fight me! It's all my fault!"
After a few rounds, the fight was over, and the slaves of the Zheng family were unprepared and suffered a heavy loss.
After the beating, the more than 20 people threw down their sticks, squeezed out of the crowd, and fled in all directions.
Everyone who came to eat the melon was stunned and felt that their trip was worthwhile.
In the city of Yangzhou, there were not many people who dared to beat up the slaves of the Zheng family. The salt merchants not only sold salt, but also represented a force.
Now it is a trivial matter for a dozen people to be beaten, but it will definitely trigger a chain reaction. It is hard to say what will happen next.
Just as everyone was lost in their thoughts, Lin Tailai shouted to the crowd: "May the local elders testify for me that I did not do anything, and their actions have nothing to do with me!"
Everyone was speechless, Lin Jieyuan, are you really stupid? Is this something that you do or not?
The current situation is that if the Zheng family doesn't get this place back, they won't have any hope of having any face in Yangzhou City.
What if the Zheng family can't find the "real murderer"? If they don't use you, Lin Jieyuan, to bring the situation back, who can they use?
At this time, outside the gate of Zheng's villa, there was only a mess left. The few remaining slaves who could still move stood shivering in the gate.
Now if they are rushed in by outsiders, they really have no power to fight back.
Official Lin poked his head into the door and looked a few times, then shouted: "Yanzi! Yanzi! Are you okay?"
But at this time, no one came up to stop Mr. Lin. Just when everyone thought that Mr. Lin was about to walk in, he backed out of the door again.
Then he skillfully wrote on the wall again, still a small poem.
The title is obviously the same as yesterday's poem, it's called "Reflecting Heartfelt Feelings, Remembering Bai Ji", and the text is:
"Try Luo Shang under the peach branch. The butterfly powder fights with the lingering fragrance."
The moon flattens the fragrant grass, half of the face is made up red.
The wind is getting warmer, the sun is getting longer, and the poplars are weeping.
A pair of dancing swallows, thousands of flying flowers, and the setting sun all over the ground."
The content seems to be written about the excitement of spring outings in the past, but under the background of the first two poems, it is more like a reminiscence of a good time that will never come again.
Compared with the first two poems, it reveals a touch of sadness, and the memory seems to have turned into a fantasy.
The readers gradually came up with the idea that if Lin Jieyuan took action, would he have any hope of winning the first prize in the Pingshan Hall Poetry Competition?
I heard that when Lin Jieyuan was in Suzhou and Nanjing, even Wang Shizhen, the leader of the literary world, was defeated several times.
And sure enough, as the rumors said, this Lin Jieyuan published poems and liked to wholesale them in complete sets, so he lived up to his reputation!
As expected, there were still a few people handing out manuscripts to the crowd to prevent everyone from having an incomplete meal.
Also as expected, a roar came from outside the gate: "I, Suzhou Linsheng, will never give up easily! I will come again tomorrow morning!"
Everyone is really shocked this time. You, Lin Jieyuan, still dare to come?
Now any fool can tell that the Zheng family is going to go crazy. How much life and courage do you, Lin Jieyuan, dare to go to Hushan?
I can only make up so much. I am exhausted and at the end of my struggle. If I don’t slow down, I will collapse. Let me take a breath first.
The new month has arrived, please give me a guaranteed monthly ticket! Wait until you get up tomorrow to continue.