A group of people were walking on the streets of Yazhou, and onlookers followed them, gathering more and more, whispering to each other.
Yin Feng stood out among the government officials like a chicken, nodding and smiling at the people around him.
Many people had already gathered outside the gate of the state capital, and they were crowded, including men, women, old and young.
Yin Feng walked into the door with a wry smile, feeling like he was parading in the street.
Lord Zhizhou did not receive him in the main hall, but asked people to take him to the stone inscription pavilion in the garden south of the main hall. The stone tablet in the corridor he passed by was engraved with "Er salary and salary, the people anoint the people. It is easy for the people to be abused, but it is difficult for God to bully them."
"Sixteen words, called "Jie Stone Inscription", Yin Feng took a few more glances.
Under the stone pavilion at the end of the corridor, a thin man under the age of 50, wearing the uniform of a fifth-rank official, Master Zheng Bangzhi of Zhizhou, sat beside the stone table in the pavilion, holding tea and reading a book. The book was "The Analects of Confucius".
"Yin Feng, a young man who has returned from overseas, comes to see Master Zhizhou." Yin Feng bowed and saluted, following the etiquette of Zhizhou Pian Zeng Qi, but did not kneel down, which made Zeng Qi frown behind Zhizhou.
Zheng Bangzhi, the magistrate of the state, was stunned, then smiled and said: "You really have returned from overseas. You don't know the etiquette of China. That's fine, it's up to you." He put down the book and casually asked Yin Feng about his situation. Yin Feng offered him his choice.
The so-called overseas wonders: a magnifying glass, an outdated world map, a beautifully bound Bible, etc. Yin Feng was reluctant to take out the revolver as a treasure.
In the Ming Dynasty, "states" were divided into two types: Zhili Prefectures and subordinate prefectures. Zhili Prefectures were directly under the Chief Secretary and had the same status as prefectures. Yazhou was the so-called "Sanzhou", and those under the jurisdiction of prefectures had a slightly higher status than counties. In this case
Within the boundaries of the state, which is as far away as the sky and the emperor, the magistrate has the highest power.
But Zheng Zhizhou is indeed a good-tempered official.
At that time, the so-called returned overseas Chinese were regarded by the government as abandoned citizens of the Chinese dynasty and returned to the dynasty. People with unknown origins like Yin Feng could be reported to Guangzhou as pirates and Japanese pirates, and all their belongings would be confiscated. Yin Feng's current identity is very subtle.
, everything is in the hands of the humble-looking Lord Zhizhou in front of him.
However, Master Zhizhou's thoughts are not on Yin Feng at all now.
Zheng Bangzhi came back from Qiongzhou Prefecture and accepted an extremely hot potato; Guangdong Tax Supervisor Li Feng appointed Li Jing, the internal officer of the Pearl Pond, to supervise the mining of various pearl ponds in Guangdong, and will send personnel to Yazhou to handle related matters in the near future.
At the same time, Hainan Wei reported that the remaining pirates of Li Mao and Chen Liangde (note: the local pirates of Hainan Island who were active in the late Jiajing and early Wanli years, with about a thousand people at most, but had a great influence due to their repeated defeats of the official army) seemed to be resurrected.
Due to the trend, pirate ships have recently invaded Lehui County.
In contrast, the upcoming arrival of the tax supervisor's special envoy to Yazhou appears even more urgent.
This was what Zeng Qi, the state magistrate, told Yin Feng after the reception ceremony. Lord Zhizhou only accepted the magnifying glass and the world map, and returned the Bible to him. Zheng Zhizhou promised to apply for household registration and solve livelihood problems for him, but to Yin Feng
Feng mentioned that he wanted to return to his ancestral home in Hangzhou and said he could fight for it, but such matters had to be reported to the court, and there were too many joints involved, so there was little hope. In fact, at this time, both the court and the public were working for the mine tax inspector.
There were endless disputes over the matter. Yin Feng only needed to report to Guangzhou for approval when he settled in this state. If he wanted to go to Hangzhou, he would not know the results until the year of the monkey and the horse. The state magistrate Zeng Qi asked him to wait patiently for the results, and said that the magistrate of the state had no time to deal with other things at the moment, because
Yazhou's disaster is coming.
In the next few days, Yin Feng received a settlement fee of 10 taels of silver, and the small courtyard of the original Hebo residence officially became his residence. The state magistrate Zeng Qi sent a young man to help him purchase a residence, and he was very enthusiastic about introducing him.
He went to the only jeweler in Yazhou and sold some silverware he had brought with him in his previous life.
Yin Feng felt with the keenness of a reporter that this fat jeweler surnamed Li was very affectionate to the young man of the Zeng family. It was not the flattering affection of a low-status businessman to a bureaucrat, but a kind of care from an elder to a younger generation. In any case, this kind of affection
The situation should not be unfavorable to you.
What Yin Feng had on hand was a batch of silver pendants and a gold-plated silver three-dimensional Xianglin statue, which was a miniature version of the eight-spoke golden wheel with two deers on the left and right sides. Fatty Li was very fond of these gold-plated objects.
Interested, Yin Feng told him sheepishly: This is just an imitation of the real thing. The original one is an ornament placed in front of the roof of monasteries and temples. The light it emits symbolizes Buddhism. It comes from Tibet and the material is real.
.
"Tibet? Where is this?" The young man from the Zeng family was also very interested in this object and couldn't help but ask.
Yin Feng secretly gritted his teeth and almost betrayed the gang again: "Tibet is the area under the jurisdiction of the Commander-in-Chief of the Tibetan Capital of Duogan Wusi. This eight-spoke gold-plated gun comes from Lhasa, the capital of its monk king; look at these two deers.
, kneeling obediently and silently on both sides of the golden wheel, with the male deer on the right and the female deer on the left. The monk said that the gentleness and elegance of this deer reflected the qualities of a true Buddhist monk."
The young man from the Zeng family and the businessman Fatty Li were successfully distracted and began to look at the golden wheel carefully. However, because the businessman Li had never come into contact with Xifan's treasures, he did not know how to bid. He told Yin Feng honestly:
He can keep this item for him until a customer who knows the goods appears and can pay the corresponding price. Once the transaction can be concluded, he will inform Yin Feng immediately.
Yin Feng had no reason not to believe him.
Other small silverware and pendants were sold for a total of 24 taels of silver, which was considered a very favorable price. Yin Feng knew in his heart that it was probably the face of the young man of the Zeng family that played a role.
During the Zhengde and Jiajing eras, people once regarded farmland as a big burden, and some people would give it away but they would not take it. Yin Feng inquired about it and found that land in the south was generally sold for 12 to 80 taels of silver per acre. At this time in Hainan Island
The land is still vast and sparsely populated, but the best arable land is along the coast. Based on Yin Feng's current worth, he can buy about 3 acres of mountain fields in Yazhou, and he can still support himself as a farmer.
Three days later, which was about the 12th day after Yin Feng came to this ancient world, Guangdong's Pearl Pond Officer Li Jing was ordered to supervise the mining of various Pearl Ponds in Guangdong.
Wang An, a seventh-grade imperial concubine, is a close confidant of Li Feng, the tax superintendent of Guangdong.
On the day when Yin Feng was fishing for pearls, he was asked by the state magistrate Zeng Qi to accompany him. He said that it would be a chance to meet the eunuchs, which might be helpful for him to return to his hometown.
Although he was an internal official from the seventh rank, Zeng Qi, our seventh rank prefecture official, became the supervisor of the reception work. He had not had a good sleep for several days and nights. When Yin Feng saw him, he was at the gate of the state capital.
, with a pair of black eyes, personally arranged the carriages and horses. When Wang An, the eunuch, came out, the pomp was indeed extraordinary; he brought seventy or eighty people with him, and they poured out of the post in a chaotic manner - these were not eunuchs, but Wang An
The local gangsters recruited in Guangzhou; plus the guards sent by the Hainan Guard and the young eunuchs who followed them, there were a total of 150 people. In fact, Wang An himself was only 18 years old, with a slender figure and a pretty face - there was no way he could help it.
Delicate, because he has no beard. It is said that he has been purified and entered the palace since he was a child. He has been accompanying the emperor to do things for a long time, living in the body and nourishing the spirit. His demeanor naturally carries the arrogance of a superior. Because of his young age, the young eunuch Wang An’s business trip this time is considered
He came here to work as a job seeker, and of course he wanted to return to Guangzhou with a huge harvest.
Therefore, these long-term companions of his should be immediately distributed at the four gates of Yazhou City, and they should collect "city gate tax" regardless of whether they leave the city or enter the city.
At the same time, the young eunuchs, with their long entourage and guards in uniforms of subordinate officials, began to sweep Yazhou City.
For a time, the city was full of chaos, vendors were running around, being beaten from time to time, and forced to pay the so-called commercial tax. The treatment they received was worse than what the urban management officials would do in later generations; all the shops were closed one after another, and they were closed a little later.
Some eunuchs led people into the store, randomly set a tax amount, and forced the store owner to pay.
Wang An, an imperial official from the seventh rank, was sitting in a sedan chair. He kept waving the fan in his hand and wiping his sweat with a silk handkerchief. He said with an unhappy face: "Is it always so hot in Hainan?"
Zeng Qi, the magistrate of the state next to him, raised his hand and replied: "Nowadays it is the hottest season here, but Yazhou is really hot regardless of the four seasons."
"Can the arrangements for the bead pond in Da Dan be completed? How long will it take for it to arrive?"
"Everything about pearl fishing has been arranged, please rest assured, angel. We are only 10 miles away from the city and we can reach the Pearl Pond."
State Magistrate Zeng Qi was also wiping his sweat. While answering questions respectfully, he secretly looked at the chaotic scene on the street.
Yin Feng was at the end of the entourage, wearing the long Confucian dress he wore when he paid a visit to the magistrate. He kept wiping his sweat and slandering Wang An in his heart. He wanted to pick sea pearls with him in such a hot weather.
The young man named Zeng is called Zeng Yue, whose courtesy name is Shanyue. He is the nephew of the state magistrate Zeng Qi.
When passing by Fatty Li's jewelry store, Yin Feng saw the door of the store collapsed on the street. There were already more than 10 Wang An's men making noise at the door. Among the crowd, Fatty Li was bending over and bowing. A big man dressed as a subordinate official.
The guy raised his hand and slapped him on the fat face. Yin Feng frowned, and as soon as he raised his feet, Zeng Yue grabbed him, shook his head and said, "Don't cause trouble, you can't afford it."
Yin Feng looked back at him. The lanky young man had no expression on his face and just said lightly: "It's useless. Even if Lord Zhizhou is here, he won't care."
Yes, what's the use of being in charge? Historically, during the period when mine supervisors and tax envoys were rampant, apart from causing countless civil commotions, almost no one could restrain them. Yin Feng had no choice but to continue moving forward with the team, which was originally bustling with people along the way.
The streets with people coming and going have become very deserted: the tax envoy companions who have finished sweeping this place have moved to other places to cause trouble.
During the Ming Dynasty, the best place for producing sea pearls was Hepu, Guangdong. At that time, all government-run pearl farms were located in Lei and Lian Mansion. When the royal family needed pearls, the eunuchs who guarded the pearl pool were responsible for the actual pearl fishing; when pearls were not being fished, they were responsible for patrolling.
Pearl Pond. The so-called "Pearl Pond" is actually an offshore water area surrounded by islands. It is generally a place where coastal people live. These people are also responsible for pearl fishing.
Zeng Yue kept talking to the depressed Yin Feng along the way, and he had a good impression of Yin Feng. From him, Yin Feng learned that Hainan is rich in small pearls, and their taste and value are far inferior to those of Hepu Haizhu. This time Wang An came to Yazhou to collect
Pearls are actually the result of fishing due to drying up the lake in recent years: because the production of sea pearls in the Hepu area has dropped significantly. Why? Because the imperial court has conducted pearl fishing too frequently in recent years. The normal production cycle of the pearl pond is once every ten years, but in recent years
The Wanli Emperor's tax envoys spread mine supervisors all over the country, and the Pearl Pool in Hepu, Guangdong was also visited by too many eunuchs. After two consecutive years of mining, the pearl oysters did not have enough time to recuperate, so the output plummeted. So the eunuchs thought of the pearl oysters in Hainan.
Little pearls, although they are small, are they still pearls after all.
From a distance, I saw a reef where people were setting off firecrackers and killing pigs and sheep to worship the God of the Sea. Thousands of people and fishermen came from Dadan Harbor and nearby areas, and more than a dozen fishing boats were waiting at the beach.
The officials of Yazhou Prefecture arranged seats on a rock on one side. The young eunuch Wang Angao sat on the upper seat, accompanied by Zeng Qi at the lower end.
Wang An's guards and young eunuchs surrounded the reef area, and Yin Feng and others could only linger on the beach. His eyes lit up, and he saw Uncle Mai and his daughter kneeling on the beach.
I saw that Mai Wan'er's attire was very strange. Her thin body almost looked like a junior high school girl in later generations, and the skin on her arms was a healthy wheat color. Today she was wearing shorts and trousers, with a rope wrapped around her thin waist, and her hair was tied up.
Got up, is she going to go into the sea?
There are many other Dan people who have been around for many years, wearing short clothes and carrying long ropes with them. Among the dozens of people, only Wan'er is a woman.
"This is probably the legendary haenyeo, right?" Yin Feng thought to himself. After the people's sacrifices were over, a young eunuch stood on the rocks and loudly announced that pearl fishing had begun. The people who were about to go into the sea walked to their boats and began to put a kind of pearl into the sea.
A leather appliance with a long metal tube is worn around the neck. The metal tube should be made of tin based on its softness, so it looks very similar to the shallow water diving equipment of Yin Feng's era. Reporter Yin Feng's curiosity
When I got up, I ran to Uncle Ma's boat to study the diving equipment of this era.
But before he even got on the boat, Uncle Mai pointed his hand and shouted, "Don't move!!"
The shout was so loud that Yin Feng was shocked, took a few steps back, and opened his mouth without making a sound. Uncle Mai hurriedly got off the boat, pulled him aside, and said kindly: "Master, don't blame me, you didn't worship Mazu, the God of the Sea.
You and the Dragon King are not allowed to board the ship."
Yin Feng was extremely embarrassed, Ruoruo was speechless, and looked very embarrassed. Uncle Mai patiently explained that before fishing for pearls, one must pray devoutly and offer sacrifices, so that he can have good weather with calm weather. If he is not pious, there will be strong winds.
If the sea water is disturbed, or there are big fish around the clams, pearl hunting will be impossible. Yin Feng apologized repeatedly and ran away. When he turned around, he heard Mai Wan'er's clear laughter and felt even more embarrassed.
Unexpectedly, the Dan people took pearl fishing so seriously.
However, it seems that Yin Feng did bring bad luck, and the pearl fishing work in this pearl pond did not go smoothly at the beginning. A gust of wind blew by and delayed the pearl fishing work.
Fortunately, before eunuch Wang An became impatient, the wind finally stopped, and Uncle Mai's boat went into the sea first. When they arrived about 300 meters offshore, Mai Waner took a primitive respirator and tied it to the boat with a long rope around her waist.
A fish jumped into the sea; at the same time, nets loaded with stones were placed on both sides of the fishing boat to stabilize the boat.
It was already noon, and the fierce sun was shining on the beach, making people sweat all over their bodies.