After setting off from Shanghai, Zhao Xin and the others took a sand boat all the way north. By early morning on the third day, the boat had passed the Chaohe Lock of the South Canal and sailed out of Danyang County.
The heads of Cai Jiashu and his son and Tong Zhilin were pickled by Lu Shoushan and Pan Xiucheng with quicklime on the ship, put in oilcloth bags, and prepared to be held in homage when they arrived in Yangzhou. Modern people such as Zhao Xin really cannot accept the ancient practice of using dead heads to pay homage to the souls of the dead.
.But thinking about what happened to the poor Xu brothers and Shen Xuan, it was hard to stop them with words; I just hope that the contents of this bag don't stink along the way.
It is said that the use of human heads as sacrifices has appeared in ancient times. Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, people have been prohibited from using human beings for sacrifice. However, the feudal laws are just that, only state officials are allowed to set fires, and people are not allowed to light lamps. Therefore, although it is prohibited for people to use human heads as sacrifices,
By doing this, the rulers can still use human beings as sacrifices in a high-sounding manner.
For example, the murder sacrifice before leaving the army in the Ming Dynasty was a typical military ritual. The purpose of the whole set of behaviors was not just to kill people; it contained a large degree of moral punishment. The ancients believed that the human head
It is the seat of the soul and can communicate with the gods. Using the head of the enemy as a sacrifice to the soul of the dead can vent hatred to the maximum extent.
At this time, the sand ship had just passed the Yongning Bridge. Shen Jingdan said to Zhao Xin and others who were watching the scenery on the deck: "Everyone, we have arrived at Zhenjiang Prefecture now. When we cross the Yangtze River, we will enter the boundary of Yangzhou."
"Finally, it's here!" Zhao Xin and others are extremely uncomfortable with the speed of travel tools in this era. In later generations, the high-speed train took three hours to get from Shanghai to Yangzhou. Now it takes more than three days to take a boat all night without stopping, which is really...
It’s quite boring!
At this time, Liu Siting saw a very tall pagoda on the hill on the right front side of the bow, so she asked Shen Jingdan: "Boss Shen, where is that place?"
Shen Jingdan replied: "Oh, that's Jishan Temple."
"The person there is dedicated to Zhang Xun, who guarded Suiyang in the Tang Dynasty. I heard from the old people at home that there used to be a temple fair in Dutian Temple every year during the Dragon Boat Festival. I heard the old people said it was very lively." Wu Siyu said excitedly.
Everyone explained.
When Shen Jingdan and Lao Huang heard this, they couldn't help but look at each other. What the hell is Dutian Temple? It's obviously called Jishan Temple! But Jishan Temple does have temple fairs every Dragon Boat Festival; there are temple fairs in eight towns across the country, including Shanghai and Suzhou.
Businessmen came to the temple fair to sell goods.
Wu Siyu didn't know that he had let it slip. This Jishan Temple was not renamed Dutian Temple until the Xianfeng period, when Zhang Xun, the enshrined person inside, was added as "Emperor Dutian" by Xianfeng.
Shen Jingdan then raised his hand to Wu Siyu and asked, "May I ask Wu Da? Oh no, Wu Zhuang's ancestors were from Yangzhou? When did he leave and go overseas?"
"This. Late Ming Dynasty, late Ming Dynasty." Wu Siyu said sarcastically.
"Then do you still remember where your home is in Yangzhou?"
"Hey, I can't remember this." Wu Siyu's home was at the Yangzhou East Bus Station in later generations. But in the 18th century, it was a proper rural area. Wu Siyu himself didn't know that the location of his home community was in the Qing Dynasty.
what is it call.
After that, the sand boat went all the way north, passed the canal lock and entered the Yangtze River. In order to avoid the crowded South Canal, Shen Jingdan specially asked the sand boat to go east around Jiaoshan and sail from Shahe to Yangzhou City.
When it was dark, the sand boat docked at the pier outside Gongchen Gate in the north of Yangzhou City. Under Shen Jingdan's arrangement, everyone arrived at a house outside the city an hour later.
After the sand boat docked, Zhao Xin and others did not dare to talk casually; it was not until Shen Jingdan led everyone into the main entrance of the courtyard and sat down in the front hall that everyone relaxed.
Shen Jingdan originally wanted to arrange a banquet, but Zhao Xin and others refused, so he had to ask his servant to buy some food from a restaurant on the street. While waiting, Shen Jingdan introduced everyone The origin of this house.
The entire courtyard covers an area of three acres and faces south. There are more than 20 small courtyards on the front, back, left and right, plus gardens, and the layout is very regular. The layout of the courtyard is three parallel roads horizontally and three extensions vertically. There are courtyards on the left and right sides. Each courtyard It has sufficient ventilation and lighting, is connected vertically and horizontally, and can be freely separated and combined inside and outside. It is a typical courtyard architectural pattern in Yangzhou in this era.
However, due to being uninhabited for many years, many of the furniture in each courtyard were damaged; and the garden in the backyard was very dilapidated because no one had taken care of it. After Shen Jingdan took over, he hired people to clean various parts of the courtyard and repaired several It was quite a struggle to add furniture to a dilapidated house.
To elaborate, this yard was the property of Lu Jianzeng, the Lianghuai Salt Transport Envoy, decades ago. In the 33rd year of Qianlong's reign, the Lianghuai Salt Transport Case occurred, and Lu Jianzeng was arrested and imprisoned. After being hanged in prison, the Lu family sold the house in order to improve their relationship. After several twists and turns, it was finally bought by Ma Yu, one of the eight major salt merchants. When Shen Jingdan became familiar with the salt merchant Ma Yu because of cigarettes, After getting up, he casually mentioned that he wanted to buy a yard. Ma Yu, whose family was in decline, transferred the land to him for five thousand taels of silver.
When Shen Jingdan finished talking about the price, except for Lu Shoushan, Pan Xiucheng and Xu Dayong who were stunned, Zhao Xin and other modern people had no reaction. Shen Jingdan thought that Zhao Xin and the others were rich and did not take it seriously. I know that these people across from me are just a bunch of sticks, and have no idea about the purchasing power of five thousand taels of silver!
(There is very little information on housing prices in Jiangnan during the Qianlong period. However, taking the government-allocated housing built by the Qing government for the Eight Banners outside Beijing as an example, the market transaction price of each house at that time was close to 40 taels of silver, so a standard courtyard house with 17 rooms was More than six hundred taels. Considering that Yangzhou was the most prosperous city in the country at that time, five thousand taels of silver for this big house was quite cheap.)
After everyone chatted for a while, the food from the restaurant was also delivered.
During the dinner, Liu Siting suddenly asked Shen Jingdan: "Boss Shen, where do these Yangzhou thin horses usually live?"
"Skinny horse?" Shen Jingdan was stunned. He didn't expect that Dr. Liu actually knew about thin horse.
"Yes, isn't Yangzhou's thin horse famous all over the world?"
Lao Huang smiled and interjected: "To be honest, Doctor Liu, this thin horse is not an ordinary hooker girl. If you want to see it, you have to find a nanny to take it to someone's home; you can't usually see it in the market. .”
"Oh. So there is another one saying. What about the brothel?"
Zhao Xin and other men at the dinner table actually wanted to ask this, but they were too embarrassed to ask because Liu Siting was present. Who would have thought that Director Liu was more curious than anyone else, so everyone raised their ears and waited for the next step.
When Shen Jingdan saw the appearance of Zhao Xin and others, he knew what he was doing. So he put down his bowls and chopsticks and said with a smile: "The brothels and brothels are all in the Xiao Qinhuai area in the city. If you are interested, you can rent a boat tomorrow night and have a panoramic view of the small Qinhuai area. Scenery of Qinhuai."
"OK!"
"This is good!"
As soon as he finished saying this, Zhao Xin and others all nodded with smiles on their faces, saying that this arrangement was really good!
The Xiao Qinhuai that Shen Jingdan refers to is Jiahe outside the Xiaodong Gate of the old city of Yangzhou. This place is also called Liuxiang. Since the Ming Dynasty, there have been many Goulan brothels in the Xiao Qinhuai area. The doors of these brothels The streets and alleys in front of the brothels were called "Flower Streets and Willow Lanes". At the back door of each brothel, there was a dock leading to the Little Qinhuai River; there were painted boats moored by the river to facilitate guests to board the boats at any time and take a night tour of the Little Qinhuai River.
"Virtue!" Liu Siting glanced at Zhao Xin and others and muttered in her heart.
After taking two bites of rice, Director Liu asked curiously: "Boss Shen, is there a brothel called Li Chun Yuan in Yangzhou City?"
"Master Wei?" Zhao Xin interrupted.
"Yeah yeah."
Liu Sheng plucked the food from the bowl and said, "Director Liu, why are you, a woman, so interested in brothels?"
"It's fun. Boss Shen, have you heard of Li Chun Yuan in Yangzhou City? It seems to be on the edge of Slender West Lake. I heard it is the largest brothel in Yangzhou."
"Ah?!" Shen Jingdan said all this nonsense. Where did he hear it from? He even made up some idea of being number one in Yangzhou. He shook his head and said with a bitter smile: "Well, I'm sorry for my ignorance, but I've never heard of it. The place called Li Chun Yuan. I wonder where did you hear this, Dr. Liu?"
"Ah? I learned it from" Liu Siting can't say that she learned it from the martial arts novels of later generations.
"Oh. We heard from the Japanese people." Zhao Xin quickly covered up.
Shen Jingdan said "Oh" and said: "It's abominable for the Japanese to spread lies. There are many bookstores in the Slender West Lakeside Academy, and the villas and houses of wealthy salt merchants are also nearby. How can there be such a low-class Qin Dynasty?" Lou Chu Pavilion!”
Zhao Xin nodded in agreement and added: "Boss Shen's words make sense. For example, in Beijing, the Fireworks and Willow Alleys are all in the Bada Hui area in Nancheng. I have never heard of them near the residential areas of the dignitaries in Xicheng and Dongcheng."
Everyone had a hasty meal, and Xu Dayong was responsible for clearing the dishes. Shen Jingdan asked his servants Asi and Guisheng to hold lanterns and take Zhao Xin and others around the cleaned courtyards. The interior of the house is connected in all directions. The twists and turns made Zhao Xin and others feel dizzy. In the end, everyone decided to watch it again at dawn tomorrow, and to concentrate on the three entrances of the main room to deal with it all night. Shen Jingdan proposed to let Asi's son Guisheng stay. I wanted to serve here, but was declined by Zhao Xin. People like me have something to discuss later, so how can we let outsiders be present?
When Shen and Huang saw that it was almost time, they said goodbye and would come back tomorrow.
When Zhao Xin and others arrived outside the main gate, they noticed something like a shrine on the wall of the courtyard gate opposite, but when they touched it with their hands, they found it was made of bricks.
"Boss Shen, what is this?"
"This is called the 'Fu Temple', also called the Earth Temple. It is built with bricks on the wall. Incense is burned morning and evening on weekdays to worship the Earth God at home to ensure the safety of the house. Incense and candles have been prepared and placed in the concierge. .”
Shen Jingdan was about to take a step forward, then pulled back, turned around and said to Zhao Xin: "By the way, I will ask Guisheng to bring someone to deliver tomorrow's breakfast. As for noon."
"We won't need it at noon. We'll figure it out on our own. On the way here, I saw that there are quite a few restaurants nearby."
"In that case, I'll ask Ah Si to bring some money tomorrow for you to use on the streets."
Zhao Xin smiled and cupped his hands and said: "Boss Shen has to worry about it, but we have prepared the money."
Shen Jingdan shook his head and said solemnly: "The Qing Dynasty is different from the Japanese country. Generally, no one uses silver to buy things in the market. Please pay attention to this and be more careful."
Then, he reminded everyone in a low voice: "Don't use the thousand-foot silver bars from Beihai. Once someone pays attention to them, the government will be alerted."
"Ah? There is still such a saying!" A group of modern "bangchui" suddenly realized that the several thousand or two thousand pure silver bars they had prepared before were in vain, and they could only exchange them for money with Shen Jingdan.
Thinking of this, Zhao Xin took out two silver bars from his arms, handed them to Shen Jingdan and said, "Then please ask Boss Shen to help exchange for some money that can be used in the market."
The silver bars that Zhao Xin took out were made in a workshop. Zhao Liang melted and purified all the silver seized from the Fukang'an camp, and then molded it into 500-gram thousand-foot silver bars. Because it uses materials with a temperature below 1200 degrees High-temperature casting, coupled with manual polishing, the entire silver bar is in the shape of a rectangular column with extremely fine water lines. In order to prevent traces from being detected, only three Chinese characters "Nine" are embossed on the silver bar using a mold. To represent a thousand pure silver.
Shen Jingdan didn't show any pretense, he smiled and took it into his arms, and then he and Lao Huang said goodbye together.
Everyone returned to the outside of the main hall and took advantage of the lanterns hanging on the corridor and the moonlight to admire the carved beams and columns in the courtyard. They couldn't help but marvel. Shen and Huang were both there just now, and everyone was holding back for fear of showing their timidity.
Zhao Xin told Lu Shoushan on the side: "Shoushan, you and Xu Dayong should work hard tonight and stay in the concierge. Boss Shen will send someone to deliver breakfast tomorrow morning."
"Yes. Don't worry, sir, I've been used to doing these things before."
It was just after nine o'clock in the evening. A group of modern people were not sleepy at all, so they sat in the main hall and chatted happily. Lu Shoushan, Pan Xiucheng and Xu Dayong went to the kitchen to help boil water and make water. Tea.
Liu Siting suddenly remembered that Wu Siyu said that she was from Yangzhou, so she asked: "Hey, Wu Siyu. Is your home located in the city or outside the city?"
Wu Siyu thought for a while and said: "Outside the city, near the East Bus Station. It doesn't seem to be very far from here. Just follow Dongguan Street and cross the canal."
"His family is still a farmland now," Wang Yuanfang said with a smile.
"Maybe it's the courtyard of a landlord's house."
Seeing that Zhao Xin didn't speak for a long time, Liu Sheng asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking about how we will operate later." Zhao Xin has been thinking about what he has to do in Yangzhou this time, which is the "Skinny Horse Plan." The most important thing about the entire plan is that during the execution process, Shen Jing cannot be ignored. Dan and Lao Huang were involved.
"I thought about it again and again. I still have to find an opportunity to explain this matter to Shen Jingdan. Otherwise, once it is exposed, we will completely trick him. I also want to go to Xuzhou to see if there are any people fleeing the famine. According to the history books According to records, the drought in Henan has begun now and will turn into a severe drought nationwide next year. We must prepare in advance and plan the route."
"What if Shen Jingdan disagrees?" Liu Sheng asked.
"There is no other way. We are too short of people now, so we can only do this." Zhao Xin sighed.
Liu Siting did not speak. This matter had been discussed repeatedly in Beihai Town, and Director Liu Da finally agreed in view of the current situation. The reason why she came with her this time was to be responsible for the most critical part of the operation, to cast the spell on the target. Halothane and comfort during evacuation.
The current illiteracy rate in Beihai Town is too high. Even though there are literacy schools for children and literacy classes in the army, nothing can be done. If the cultural level is not improved, it will be difficult to master modern mechanical technology. Even the instructions Zhao Xin couldn't understand the maintenance manuals. A large number of equipment that Zhao Xin bought before could only gather dust. He didn't even know the words, let alone become a skilled worker.
The seven people discussed until late at night, and finally decided that Zhao Xin, Wu Siyu, Ding Guofeng, Liu Zheng, and Wang Yuanfang would pretend to be wealthy businessmen from the North, come forward to select thin horses, and pay close attention to the situation in the hospital. As for those who raise thin horses, Lu Shoushan and the others will be responsible for investigating the situation around the house.
As for how to tell the truth to Shen Jingdan and Lao Huang, Zhao Xin is responsible for this.