It often rains in Liangzhu City, and it was raining heavily on the street outside Ji's Mansion in the afternoon.
Mrs. Ji frowned and asked the servant beside her, "How long has it been raining?"
"Reply to my wife, it will take about an hour."
She seemed to have asked accidentally, "Liang'er is still waiting outside the door?"
"This..." The servant was embarrassed to say that Ji Liyou had left long ago.
"Did you run away again?"
"Madam, Xie Li went out for a trip and hasn't come back yet. Maybe he is staying with Mr. Liang." She could see that the old lady was worried about Ji Liyou.
"It's raining endlessly. If there's water on the ground, it's a bit dangerous to ride by on horseback. Go clean it up before someone steps into the puddle outside the door."
The maid asked in surprise, "Not only the water inside the house, but also outside the door must be cleaned up, right?"
"When do I need to say it again?"
"Yes, I will give you the instructions immediately."
While walking around the market, the sun was still early. Ji Liyou saw a teahouse in Guifang and pointed at it, "Taiping Teahouse. The name of this teahouse is much more profound than ours. Old man Wen, don't you think so?"
He was speechless.
After the two of them sat down and ordered a pot of tea, the storyteller slowly said, "The Sanqi Teahouse was taken by Ji Fuwei."
Ji Liyou then realized that he had never thought about the origin of the name of the teahouse, "Panax Panax notoginseng is a medicinal material?"
"After a person dies, counting from the day of death, every seven days is a sacrificial day, which is commonly known as the first seven, two seven, three seven, four seven, five seven until the last seven, a total of seven, seven and forty-nine days. There are three souls and seven souls. One soul disappears one year after death, and one soul disappears every seven days. Therefore, after three years, the soul will be gone, and the seven full souls will be scattered. Three and seven, this is what they mean."
Ji Liyou seemed to understand, "My grandfather opened this teahouse as soon as he arrived in Bolu. What did he mean? He already knew you at that time?"
"The fact that he opened Sanqi Teahouse has nothing to do with me, but I came here because of the name Sanqi Teahouse."
"Grandpa is so good, why did you give the teahouse such a weird name?"
The storyteller took a sip and said, "During the March 7th period, we welcome the homeless souls."
"The homeless soul? Who is grandfather going to welcome?" Ji Liyou became more and more curious about Ji Fuwei.
Ji Liyou asked, "My grandfather, is he as perceptive as you are?"
"Ji Fuwei is just a mortal. His shooting skills are good, but... after all, he is a mortal without divine power."
"Don't talk like a mortal. I'm a mortal too. When you say the word "mortal" from the corner of your lips, it's all with disdain. It's really uncomfortable."
"Really?" He raised his eyebrows.
"Yes, of course."
The storyteller at Taiping Teahouse has been telling the story for a long time.
Ji Liyou held his chin in his hands and listened for a while, "The story is not as lively as yours."
The storyteller couldn't help but smile, "Thank you for the compliment."
"The world will be in order, and the earth's energy will flow from north to south. The world will be in chaos, and the earth's energy will move from south to north. Today, the great depression in the north of Liangzhu is caused by the earth's energy from south to north..." The storyteller muttered something in his mouth.
Ji Liyou shook his head and whispered, "This person is really bold, daring to be upright and deceive the people."
The storyteller nodded and counted down a few numbers, "Three, two, one."
After one count, officers and soldiers entered and arrested the storyteller just now.
Although Liangzhu was considered an enlightened city, the storytellers who dared to say that the world was about to be in chaos were clearly rebellious officials and traitors at the feet of the emperor.
"Tell me, how many of these people are spies? The officers and soldiers came too quickly."
The storyteller said, "How should I know?"
While talking, Xie Li came back, "Sir, the old lady wants you to go back to the house."
Ji Liyou nodded, "I understand."
"The carriage is waiting outside."
Ji Liyou nodded, "You want to go back with me..."
Looking around again, there was no one there.
"This little old man runs very fast."
Xie Li didn't hear what he whispered, "What are you talking about, Master?"
"Nothing, let's go."
The sedan entered Ji's Mansion and walked around in the huge Ji's Mansion.
Ji Liyou got off the sedan chair and followed the servants to visit the old lady. The first few times he saw her were when he was a child.
"coming?"
"Yes, grandma." Ji Liyou knelt on the ground and bowed his head respectfully.
The Ji family is now in an invincible position among many aristocratic families in Liangzhu, and Mrs. Ji also has a share of the credit.
She had a title that no one in Liangzhu knew about decades ago.
Princess Jianqu.
Nowadays, my grandmother is over ninety years old, and her hair is gray, but the majesty between her brows remains the same as before.
Ji Liyou had seen her in the portrait. She was so beautiful when she was young that she shocked the imperial city.
It's a pity that her grandfather divorced her early.
My grandfather was probably the first person in the world to ask for a divorce from the princess. With such nonsense, the princess did not leave the Ji family. Instead, after the two elders of the Ji family passed away, she took over the Ji family and became the head of the Ji family.
There were so many amazing things that happened to my grandfather, but it happened to him alone.
For such a legendary person, did the storyteller really not have any thoughts about him
If not, why make a deal with him
Ji Liyou wanted to connect all the clues together. He felt that the first priority was to start with the woman named Shi Wei. She must have an unknown past with her grandfather and grandmother.
A woman disguised herself as a man and went to the Sixth Academy to study, and was extremely close to the consort. Of course, Ji Liyou felt that her grandfather did not necessarily become attracted to the woman named Shi Wei after he became the consort. Maybe the order needs to be rearranged. .
It was dark at night, but her grandmother asked someone to hold the candlelight in front of Ji Liyou's eyes.
"Grandma?" He didn't know what the old man meant.
Grandma stared at him for a long, long time.
"Are you hungry?" After a while, she suddenly said.
Ji Liyou was flattered, "No, I just came back after eating out."
"Yeah." She regained her dignity.
"Why are you here?"
Ji Li said worriedly, "Didn't you ask me to come back?"
He said, "I came here for my grandmother's birthday."
She paused and said a few words for a long time.
After Ji Liyou heard this, she finally said, "I've prepared a room for you, so don't go out to live there."
He cupped his hands and said, "Yes."
The Ji family is not in an easy situation at the moment. Ji Liyou analyzes the situation and finds that unless the head of the Ji family completely dispels His Majesty's suspicion, every next step for the Ji family will be filled with dangers.
Wan Cheng was a reformer and Ji Sikong was also a member of the New Law faction. However, not long ago, Wan Cheng had already quit the New Law faction and even resigned from office.
This is strange to say.
Wan Cheng's beloved son died of a back disease a year ago. Wan Cheng was busy with government affairs and rarely paid attention to his children. After his beloved son's death, Wan Cheng was deeply saddened.
After thinking deeply, he decided to recruit eminent monks from all over the world and hold fasts for seven or forty-nine days to pray for the souls of the dead.
On the one hand, he personally offered incense and paid homage to the emperor to comfort the soul of his beloved son.
On the forty-ninth day, when the fasting ceremony was over, four drums were missed.
Wan Cheng and his wife were burning incense to send to the Buddha. Suddenly, Wan Cheng fainted on the prayer mat and couldn't wake up when he called from left and right. His wife, with tears in her eyes, called for him to wake up.
At the fifth watch, he woke up as if from a dream, and said: "Strange, strange."
Help him from left to right to enter the middle door.
The lady waited for him to calm down for a while, then went to bed and asked Wan Cheng why.
I saw tears in Wan Cheng's eyes: "Just now when I was in a daze, I suddenly arrived at a strange place, such as the land of the government, and the gate was still closed. I saw my son wearing shackles on his shoulders, weighing a hundred kilograms, and strong. Unfortunately, he looked disheveled and looked closer. He saw his son bleeding all over his body, standing outside the door, crying and complaining to me."
Madam Wan was puzzled, "What did Lin'er cry to you about?"
Wan Cheng thought of his son and said: "In the underworld, because my father has been in a high position for a long time, he not only does not want to do good, but he is willful and stubborn as an official. He only cares about enforcing new laws, harming the country and harming the people, and is full of resentment." Unfortunately, my fortune died first, and I suffered terribly. The fasting ceremony my father made for me was incomprehensible. I hope my father will look back and stop being greedy for wealth. "
The lady said, "My husband thinks too much. You owe nothing to Lin'er. You are a good father and a good official. It must be that your husband has been tired recently and is thinking about these things."
Wan Cheng said: "I would rather believe what is there than what is not. I have long been unable to support what outsiders say. Maybe it was the advice given to me by my children, so that I could get out of the officialdom as soon as possible to avoid getting deeper into it."
When the lady heard that he had made up his mind to resign, she said, "It's good to retreat bravely from the rapids. If you go one day earlier, you will save a day of curses."
Wan Cheng said ten times in a row that he was sick and resigned.
After his departure, the only supporters of the new law faction are Ji Sikong, Dai Shangshu and others.
Looking at the defenders of the old law, there are not only the Meng family, which is growing in power, but also many aristocratic families in Liangzhu.
If the reform succeeds, the Ji family's status will be stable and it will also bring happiness to the people.
Ji Liyou had heard a little about the new law. Those who supported the new law believed that the current imperial court's desire to return to the prosperity of ten years ago did not lie in saving money. The country's current problem lies in its weak foundation.
The aristocratic family has appropriated a large amount of land and the corvee labor is heavy. If this continues, sooner or later the people will be unable to hold on.
Therefore, in response to various weaknesses, the new law officials wrote to request the promulgation of the Baojia Law, the Recruitment Law, the Market Transaction Law, etc., in order to change the weakening folk customs, establish laws, and return to prosperity.
However, the new law will inevitably harm the interests of many aristocratic families, so it is obvious that most Liangzhu aristocratic families will confront the Ji family this time.
In fact, Ji Liyou didn't understand why the Ji family did such a thankless and stupid thing.
If we govern the country according to the current laws, we may be able to recuperate and recuperate in a hundred years. If we use new laws, we may speed up the recovery of the country's vitality. But if we are not careful, if there are mistakes in the new laws, everyone will point the finger at the Ji family.
Ji Liyou felt that Ji Shanjing didn't know how to play this move, and it should be controlled by the grandmother behind Ji Shanjing.
But she probably wouldn't make such a choice. Ji Liyou thought about it, but couldn't think of a reason.
The courtyards of the Ji family are intertwined with each other and connected to the left and right. He took a few steps and Jie Li came out from nowhere and said, "Young Master."
It startled him.
"Why... why are you waiting for me here?"
"Sir, I was outside just now..."
Before he finished speaking, he heard rustling on the high wall beside him.
"Who?" Ji Liyou asked.
A woman's voice came over the wall, "It's me."
Ji Liyou didn't know the situation, "Who is this?"
When Xie Li saw it, he said, "Sir, it's okay. Let's go first."
"Who is it? Climbing the wall into Ji's house. What little thief can climb the high wall of Ji's house now?"
Xie Li came closer and said, "It's Miss Yang."
"who is she?"
"Yes -" Xie Li was thinking about how to finish his sentence.
"Ah—" She suddenly lost her footing and fell in the direction of Ji Liyou.
Ji Liyou subconsciously stepped forward to Ichigo and supported her with his arm, "Is the girl okay?"
The little girl shook her head, "Thank you, brother, I'm fine."
Jumped and ran away.
"Who is this little girl?"
"She is someone the owner of the house doesn't dare to chase away. She wants to stay with her for the next few days, but the owner thinks she is noisy and does not allow her to visit in the evening. She also begs the old lady to give orders to the owner, but the old lady only says, The owner of the house is no longer a child and lets her figure out her own solution. She has no choice but to climb the wall these days. The owner of the house said that if she can come in quietly, he will let her live here. "
Ji Liyou walked a few steps and said with a smile, "Ji Shanjing would actually say such a thing?"
"The head of the family is also forced to do nothing."
"He is indeed a ruthless character." He joked.
"Do you think that girl looks like the same person?" Ji Liyou suddenly asked Jie Li.
"Who does the young master say he looks like?"
"Forget it, I was wrong," he said.
In the early morning of the next day, Ji Liyou met the girl from last night at Ji Mansion again.
"Hey, weren't you the one who picked me up last night?" The little girl smiled.
"Girl, can you still recognize me?"
"Of course, who are you, and why have I never seen you at Ji's house?"
"Ji Liang, whose name is Liyou."
"Ji Liang?"
"It's natural that you don't know me. I'm not considered a member of the master's family. I always live in Bolu."
The little girl patted her forehead and said, "Oh, I understand. You are the head of the Boluji family, right?"
Ji Liyou is really embarrassed to admit that now that he is the only one left in the Boluji family, who will he be the head of the family
"Exactly."
After saying a few words, Ji Liyou noticed a cold wind coming from not far away, and he shut up.
Ji Shanjing bowed and said, "My dear brother is back? Did he come back last night?"
"Brother, I came back last night."
"Was it a hard journey?"
"It's not in a hurry, so it's not too tiring."
"How long will you stay at home this time?"
Ji Li was worried and tired, so he started to ask him directly how long he wanted to stay at Ji's house. He had always disliked him staying in Liangzhu. For some reason, Ji Liyou felt that he was very jealous of him, but to be fair, he had no conditions that threatened him. Based on his identity, Ji Shanjing was the head of the family brought out by his grandmother, and based on his official title , he was already a famous Sikong in the dynasty.
There was absolutely no possibility for him to replace him, but Ji Shanjing's hostility towards him came out of nowhere.
"About half a month."
Ji Shanjing held the little girl's wrist and said to Ji Liyou, "Liangzhu is not a place to raise people. It is not as good as Huadu Bolu where you live."
He took the little girl and left.
After walking far away, Ji Liyou heard the little girl ask him, "Why aren't I allowed to talk to him? Is he a bad person?"
Xie Li came over and said, "Master, don't think too much. The master of the family just wants the peace of the master's family."
Ji Liyou asked back, "What have I done to make your master's family uneasy?"
Xie Li knew that he was stupid and what he said just now was hurtful, so he had to keep his mouth shut.
Seeing his silence, Ji Liyou sighed, "Sometimes, existence is a mistake, and whether you do something annoying or not is not that important."
He thought of Sanqi Teahouse, which was a hundred times better than Ji's Mansion.
(End of chapter)