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This is Qin Mu's first New Year's Eve in the Ming Dynasty. Perhaps this will be the only relatively peaceful Spring Festival he will have the opportunity to spend in the next few years, because after this New Year's Eve, it will be the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, a year when the dynasty will be destroyed and the mountains and rivers will be shattered. From then on, the land of China will become a land of blood and mountains and rivers, and there will never be peace again.
Therefore, Qin Mu cherished this peaceful Spring Festival very much, but he felt a little regretful that Yun Qiaoer was not in Ganzhou.
In the morning, he made a special trip to the military camp to visit the soldiers and had a meal with them.
At noon, important officials and gentry from Ganzhou were invited to a banquet at Tongqing Tower in the city, and New Year's greetings were extended to everyone in advance.
At the same time, it was solemnly announced that the palace would be closed to visitors from the first to the third day of the first lunar month.
In the afternoon, when we returned to the governor's office, it was also very lively. Sima An, Tian Yimu, Wu Youcai, Cui Feng, Xiang Liancheng, the core figures of Qin Mu's faction and their families, including Xu Yingjie's family, all gathered at the governor's office to have the New Year's Eve dinner. There were more than a hundred people, and more than ten tables were set up.
Since they were all family, the New Year's Eve dinner was free of all the formalities, so it was much easier to eat. Even Sima An, who was always elegant, put aside his scholarly airs and played finger-guessing with everyone.
Qin Mu was forced to drink a lot of wine, but fortunately when the children from various families came up to kowtow to him, he was still sober and laughed, "All good children, good children, get up quickly."
Twenty or thirty children had all stood up, except for the seven or eight-year-old boy from Tian Yimu's family who was still lying on his stomach. He said in a childish voice, "I can't get up, sir. I heard that you will close the door and refuse visitors tomorrow, so I can't kowtow to you tomorrow. You have to give me New Year's money first today. I will kowtow to you now to make up for tomorrow's."
Qin Mu was stunned when he heard this, and Tian Yimu was very anxious. His rat-beard shook and he cursed: "You rebellious son, you have disgraced your father, I will beat you to death..."
"Hey, Yimu, stop, stop, stop. Today is New Year's Eve, we want to have a good time, why are you so angry?" Qin Mu grabbed Tian Yimu and looked very happy. "Hahaha... Your son is interesting, I like him, hahaha... You are quite courageous, tell me, what is your name?"
That kid was really interesting. When his father stood up to beat him, he ran away, but when he saw his father being held back, he immediately ran back to kowtow to Qin Mu and replied respectfully: "My Lord, my name is Tian Ye. Are you going to give me New Year's money?"
"It's really wild. But I like it, hahaha... Momo Ruru, go get some silver, he's already kowtowed. It would be unreasonable for us not to give him New Year's money, hahaha..."
Not only Qin Mu was very happy, Sima An and others also laughed heartily. Only Tian Yimu's face was purple, and he apologized to Qin Mu again and again: "I am sorry that I did not teach my son well, sir. Alas, it is also my fault. I have been away from home for many years, and my wife and children have stayed in my hometown, neglecting to discipline them..."
"Yimu, you don't have to sigh like that. The child was a little wild when he was young. As long as he is guided well, he will definitely be a responsible and promising man in the future. I like this child. If he gets older, I will definitely keep him by my side, hahaha..."
After hearing what Qin Mu said, Tian Yimu was surprised and happy, feeling that it was a blessing in disguise, but at the same time, he felt it was a great pity. If his son could really be brought up by Qin Mu, he wouldn't have to worry about his future. What a pity.
Tian Yimu's son was too young and had no harvest. Sima An's second son, Sima Kai, was seventeen years old. Although he was thin and plain-looking, he had his father's calm demeanor and was well educated. Qin Mu decided to keep him by his side and let him do some clerical work for the time being.
Seeing Qin Mu take the initiative to ask his son to follow him, Sima An immediately said humbly on his son's behalf: "I am grateful for your kindness, sir. However, my son is young and ignorant, and his talent is stupid. I am afraid that he is not worthy of being trained. If he ruins your plan, it will be bad."
"Mr. Sima, there is no need to be modest. Your son is calm and dignified, and has learned a lot. He follows me to sort out some documents. I am worried that I will not do him any harm."
"Your Excellency's kindness is too great for me to accept." Sima An was obviously a strict father. After paying his respects to Qin Mu, he turned around and shouted at his son, "You evil son, why don't you come up and thank your Excellency for your kindness."
Sima Kai came over to thank him, and Qin Mu accepted his greeting calmly and gave him some words of encouragement. Sima An then scolded him again: "From now on, stay with the adults, learn more and make less trouble. If you dare to slack off in the slightest and make a big mistake, I will break your legs."
"Okay, okay, Mr. Sima, today is New Year's Eve, and it's a rare occasion for us to get together, so just stop scolding us." Qin Mu couldn't help but smile when he heard him scolding his son. As the saying goes, the deeper the love, the more severe the criticism. In addition, China has this tradition, and the education of sons is always strict. It is normal for Sima An to behave like this.
Momo and Ruoruo brought a few bags of silver coins, and Qin Mu distributed New Year's money to the children one by one. When it was the turn of the boy from Tian Yimu's family, Qin Mu patted his head and laughed, "You kowtowed the most, well, I'll give you an extra tael. Remember to study hard and grow up quickly. You can't take my money for nothing, I'll test you in the future."
"Thank you, sir. Don't worry, I will study hard."
Seeing him acting like a little adult, Qin Mu couldn't help but laugh. He really liked this wild boy, but he was too young, otherwise he would have kept him by his side.
Of course, the intention of doing so is to win the hearts of subordinates. Zhang Xianzhong adopted four godsons. Later, when Chiang Kai-shek first started to become successful, he made sworn brothers with everyone everywhere. Throughout history, this phenomenon is very common, and this trick is very effective, especially when used to win over subordinates. It can be said that it has been tried and tested and has never failed.
Although Qin Mu did not adopt a godson, he brought Sima An's nephews and nieces around him, which meant that he would take them as "close ministers of the emperor";
When people get along with each other for a long time, they will have some feelings for each other. In the future, those who follow Qin Mu will naturally have a more secure future than others. This is like a bond of interests, and Si An and others will naturally follow Qin Mu more wholeheartedly.
The New Year's Eve dinner lasted until dusk. After Yang Zhi and Dong Xiaowan sent the female family members out, everyone went back to their homes to stay up until the end of the year.
Yang Zhi was pregnant, so Dong Xiaowan was actually in charge of receiving the female family members and arranging gifts. After seeing off the guests and returning to the back hall, Qin Mu said to her, "Fortunately, Xiaowan has been in charge these days. Well, things have been handled very well. I am very satisfied. Thank you for your hard work."
Qin Mu suddenly said such words, and Dong Xiaowan was not prepared at all. She was stunned at first, and then she quickly bowed and said, "Master, don't say that. I don't deserve it. I didn't do anything..."
"Okay, get up. I know who is in the right position." Qin Mu reached out and helped her up, then hugged Yang Zhi and said with a smile, "Of course, your contribution is also great."
"Hehe, husband, what credit have I done?" Although she was hugged by Qin Mu, there were only Dong Xiaowan and Mo Mo Ruoruo in the room. When they were on the boat, she, Dong Xiaowan, and Qin Mu had slept on the same bed. Although Qin Mu had not made love with Dong Xiaowan in front of her, they had finally cuddled in the same bed, so she was used to doing some intimate actions with Qin Mu in front of Dong Xiaowan.
"My lady, you are becoming more and more naughty." Qin Mu gently scratched her nose.
Yang Zhi wrinkled her nose and replied, "I am like this all along. If you don't believe me, ask Momo and Ruoruo."
"I know. Otherwise I wouldn't have been hooked on the rose thorns."
"Ah, husband, you... I'm not going to pay attention to you anymore."
"Hahaha... ... ... "
"My dear husband, please don't laugh. You haven't even mentioned my contribution yet. It's not enough to just praise Sister Dong. She'll get jealous."
Yang Zhi was two or three years younger than Dong Xiaowan. Every time she heard her call Dong Xiaowan "sister Qin Mu", she felt funny. Qin Mu sat down on the armchair and stretched out his hand. Mo Mo handed him a cup of steaming hot tea accurately like a magic trick. Qin Mu took a sip and smiled, "Your greatest contribution is ruling by doing nothing."
"Humph, my husband might as well just say that I am of no use to you, my husband is biased..."
"Stop being naughty and sit down. You've been entertaining people for a long time today, so take a break."
Dusk has fallen, and the maids in the mansion have already hung up red lanterns, lighting up the backyard with a festive atmosphere. Snowflakes are falling in front of the courtyard, fluttering in the air. This winter is quite cold. According to later scientists, the late Ming Dynasty was in the Little Ice Age, and the temperature was low all year round. It was normal for light snow in southern Jiangxi in the twelfth lunar month.
However, there were several stoves in the room, so it was quite warm. There were fruits on the table, and the aroma of tea wafted from the stove. On the Japanese floor-standing screen was a painting of several children rowing a boat, using lotus leaves as umbrellas to keep out the rain, and the picture was full of childishness.
"My wife, you are pregnant. If you are tired, go back to your room and rest. I will take Xiaowan and the others to stay up all night. Momo Ruoruo, quickly get the cards and let's play mahjong together." According to current customs, people have to stay up all night on New Year's Eve, but they can't just sit there and do nothing.
Mahjong is a kind of paper card. There are 40 cards in a deck, divided into 4 suits: Shiwanguan, Wanguan, Suozi, and Wenqian. It is played by four people. Each person takes eight cards first, and the remaining eight cards are placed in the middle of the table. The four people take turns to play and take cards, and the big cards are played to attack the small ones. There are two sides in Mahjong. There is no fixed owner, and the seat can be taken in turns. Therefore, the three players work together to attack the dealer, making him lose the dealer.
Playing mahjong was very popular in the Ming Dynasty. Some officials played it when they went to the government office. Some even lost their jobs because of playing mahjong and neglecting their work.
Qin Mu's proposal was immediately responded to by Momo and Ruoruo, and the two sisters ran to get the cards. Even Yang Zhi came up and begged, "Husband, please let me play for a while. I promise you, I will go back to my room to rest after playing for a while."
"Well, how about this, my lady, you play first, and your husband will be in the same group with you. If we make any money, we'll share it together, and if we lose, we'll share it equally." In fact, Qin Mu had only seen others play occasionally, and he didn't know how to play, so he planned to observe first. Yang Zhi didn't know what he was thinking, and thought that he was worried about her, so she agreed immediately.
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ps: Please vote for recommendation, please vote for recommendation. (To be continued..)
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