The next day, Lin Tai arrived at the port. There is a tax booth here, which is responsible for collecting taxes from passing ships.
After greeting the clerk at the tax shed, I learned that he was also transferred from the Wuxian County Government Office, so I established a relationship with him.
The clerk heard that the tax envoy Wang was very kind to Lin Tailai. He even moved out another bamboo deck chair, invited Lin Tailai to sit down, and took out a wine bottle.
Lin Tailai was leaning on the lounge chair, drinking a small drink and looking at the channel of the Grand Canal, and suddenly found a little bit of the leisurely feeling he had when he was guarding the fish market.
The young man who was working hard outside seemed to have not gone back for a while.
I don’t know if Huang Xiaomei can adapt to small town life. Isn’t she already learning how to sell fish from Old Man Tang?
After Professor Lin recovered his thoughts, he saw that the three boats and river boats allocated by the Wang Tax Envoy were already patrolling the river.
The river here is fast, which means fast fishing.
"With so many boats on the river, how do you collect taxes?" Lin Tailai asked curiously.
The clerk replied very professionally: "First look at the type of ship, and then look at the size and draft of the ship, and then you can estimate the tax amount."
Lin Tailai lamented that Ming Dynasty's commercial taxation was too rough, and of course this has nothing to do with him now.
Most of the day passed, the sun started to set in the west, and nothing happened.
Lin Tailai and his men thought they would wait in vain today, but they saw several fleets of suspected flower boats being "guided" by the river to dock.
"Come on!" Zhang brothers shouted excitedly and stood up.
According to the pre-agreed plan, when the green-turbaned Wangba or the old bustard got off the flower boat, the Zhang brothers first went to have friendly negotiations to persuade each other to return.
The pedal was lowered, and a graceful woman wearing a fashionable pomegranate skirt emerged from the large cabin. With the support of the maid, she walked steadily ashore along the pedal.
Zhang Wu and Zhang Erlang walked out of the pavilion with steps as if they didn't recognize their relatives, ready to go forward to negotiate.
Suddenly, a pair of hands as strong as a mountain held down Zhang Erlang, making him unable to move.
Zhang Wu looked back in surprise.
But I heard Lin Tailai say calmly and cautiously: "Ah Wu, I think the opponent is too strong and you can't control it, so I'll go for it."
Zhang Wu: "."
After Professor Lin stopped the impulsive Zhang Wu from advancing, he took the lead and strode forward.
"Idiot!" Zhang Wen, the eldest son of the Zhang family, cursed Zhang Wu in a low voice, "You are just a younger brother!"
Zhang Wu said dissatisfied: "I am your brother."
Lin Tailai walked closer to the shore and saw more clearly. The woman who got off the boat was actually in her thirties, and her appearance was not stunning.
But she has fair skin, outstanding temperament, full of charm, and her whole body is still full of attraction to men. She is a very good young woman!
The elegant young woman also raised her head and saw Professor Lin coming towards her, and secretly thought to herself, those colleagues in Suzhou actually found such a powerful person!
But she calmly said a blessing and asked proactively: "The slave's Ma Shouzhen is called Xianglan. What can this strong man say?"
Lin Tailai was a little surprised. He didn't expect that the first opponent he encountered during the blocking battle at Xushuguan was the famous Ma Xianglan.
In the history of the late Ming Dynasty, everyone knows the name of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai, and Ma Xianglan is one of the Eight Beauties.
But Ma Xianglan and the other people in Ba Yanli are not from the same era, and are several generations apart.
It was not until 20 years after Ma Xianglan died of old age that she, Ba Yan, was born.
But why was Ma Xianglan, who was born eighty years earlier, included in the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai?
Lin Tailai speculated that it might be because Ma Xianglan was the first to lead the trend, a pioneer in the transformation of courtesans into celebrities, and the founder of the model of learning unique skills to become a celebrity.
In fact, in the middle and early Wanli period, the most famous courtesans in Nanjing were called the Twelve Beauties of Jinling, but they were still headed by Ma Xianglan.
Even though Ma Xianglan is the oldest, now in her thirties, she is still the top socialite in Qinhuaihe. This is a status symbol in the industry.
The most legendary thing in history is that Ma Xianglan has been deeply in love with Wang Zhideng, the leader of the local literary circle in Suzhou for thirty years, and she will love him even if he dies.
I wonder if Ma Xianglan broke into Suzhou City this time because she wanted to help Wang Zhideng wave the flag and cheer for him at the martial arts conference.
This may be the most famous person Professor Lin has met so far.
The top tool man is here! Lin Tailai snickered a few times and said:
"It turns out it's Ma Ji who has never known Ma Xianglan in his life. He has traveled all over Zhangtai in vain. I have admired him for a long time! I, Lin Tailai, am here to..."
But Ma Xianglan was the first to say: "A strong man doesn't need to say much. Of course I, Ma Xianglan, understand your intention!"
If I had known that your Suzhou City Flower Industry would definitely take some action, I would take the lead on behalf of my fellow sisters from the South Campus."
Directly skipping the boring interactive session at the beginning, Lin Tailai responded: "Not just any vulgar rouge can come to Suzhou to make a living.
I, Lin Tailai, was ordered to stay here, just four words, I will make friends with my writing! What I mean is"
Ma Xianglan didn't seem to listen to Professor Lin's speech. She showed the banknote to herself and said in a very arrogant way:
"I, Ma Xianglan, am not an ignorant person. This is just a small gift. Please accept it with a smile. A strong man can accept it!
Wouldn't it be wonderful if a strong man could raise his noble hand and let the girl in our Southern Courtyard play a horse, so that the name of righteousness could be spread throughout the south of the Yangtze River?"
These words were spoken with openness and boldness, worthy of being the eldest sister of the Jinling flower community.
Lin Tailai, who was interrupted twice in a row, was very angry. I want to talk about literature with you, but you use silver paper to humiliate me?
I, the horse rider, talked for a long time about calling Lin Tailai. You, the horse rider, still sound like a strong man. Did you listen to what others said?
"Take your banknotes back!" Lin Tailai shouted: "I don't value money, and I have only devoted myself to literature in my life!"
Ma Xianglan has experienced countless experiences since her debut. Whether she is down or out, whether she is poor or rich, what kind of literati has not seen her?
My evaluation of the giant man in long robe in front of me is that he doesn't look like a prince wearing a dragon robe.
What kind of literature can a thick local thug talk about? He is just deliberately teasing and provoking ladies like them who rely on literature and art to gain fame!
Why didn't you accept the cashier? It was clear that you disliked the small amount and really thought she was a little girl who had never seen the world?
Since Ma Xianglan dared to take the lead in breaking into Suzhou City, of course he had a plan.
"I didn't expect that the local gangs were so rude." Ma Xianglan put away the banknotes and lamented: "The human heart can be so insatiable and greedy. I wonder when the style of the ancients will return."
Lin Tailai: "."
Why are celebrities in this era so good at pretending? This makes Professor Lin feel a lot of pressure.
Just pretend to be cool, but could you please listen to what others are saying and match their rhythm?
You have to pretend to be together, don’t be so egotistical!
At some point, forty or fifty people disembarked from several nearby boats, all holding wooden sticks and speaking with a Nanjing Mandarin accent.
Ma Xianglan was covered behind, looking at the dozen or so subordinates around Lin Tailai, and said confidently:
"Don't you, the evil man who cuts the path, think that weak women from other places are easy to bully?
The slave family took the lead in donating funds, and together with colleagues in the Jinling flower industry, we recruited a hundred martyrs to escort us to Suzhou Prefecture.
The slave family did their part and came here with fifty volunteers to be a pioneer officer.
When Old Alliance Leader Wang arrives from Nanjing, let’s see if you guys still dare to commit suicide!”
Facing a woman who was already preconceived, moved by herself, and kept talking to herself, Professor Lin felt tired at the moment and didn't want to talk anymore.
The Zhang brothers untied the leather bag in their arms and took out the stuff. At the same time, they said to Lin Tai:
"Look here, we have long said that to deal with these famous concubines, we still have to rely on iron whips! What are you trying to do with your words? It won't be over with just one whip!"
I wanted to finish writing this long paragraph and post it together, but I have to go out for something in the morning, so I will post the previous part first and continue writing when I come back.