Xie Ming

Chapter 416: Entering Yangzhou
To sum up, the selection of empresses and concubines in the Ming Dynasty was unique and had many rules!
But, then again, times have changed!

In the Hongguang Southern Dynasty where most of the territory was lost, in order to solve the current difficulties, the nature of this selection of concubines has completely changed since the beginning!

Of course, this is a reservation unless you become a court official or a noble.

As for the background consideration, this time the new method led by Qiu Weizheng and discussed by the cabinet members together with the emperor did open the door and allow the gentry and wealthy families in the opposition in the south, as well as the wealthy business families, to run for the imperial examination!
In terms of policy, the purpose of opening up this channel is clear as day!
The purpose is to gain the support of the gentry and wealthy merchants as much as possible through the promotion and supplementation of the harem!

You know, actually since the Wanli Dynasty, many aristocratic families in the south have gradually grown and emerged!
Until the end of the Chongzhen period, there were six major families that could be ranked at the top in terms of fame, status, and power!

The Dong family of Songjiang, the Tang family of Huguang, the Mei family of Ningguo in Nanzhili, the Zheng family in Fujian, the Zhou family in southern Hunan, and the Chen family of Haining in Zhejiang!

These late Ming scholars took advantage of the situation of suppressing the rebellion and the fact that the court had no time to look south, and stood at the forefront of the storm one by one from the local areas! Gradually, they mastered some local power and competed to become the spiritual leaders of the people in their jurisdiction. For a time, they were all in the limelight!
Their family is large and well-known, and they also have a certain influence in the political arena!
Therefore, in this selection, Zhu Cilang intentionally opened the door to these big families for promotion, in order to find an opportunity to quickly win over the local forces in the Southern Court, and use the matter of selecting the empress and concubines to completely gain a firm foothold in the southern border!
Besides that!

Apart from these children of aristocratic families, the wealth of wealthy merchants is also enormous, and their accumulation of active money and wealth should not be underestimated!

Therefore, this selection of candidates for the imperial court was to select the wives of businessmen, which was obviously a matter of donation!
When talking about wealthy merchants, we inevitably have to mention Yangzhou!

Now they are in the Jin and Hui Chambers of Commerce in Yangzhou, that's where the rich are!
During this period, the Shanxi merchants' factions were mainly headed by the Fan family and the Zhao family!
As for the Huizhou Merchants Association, it consists of three families: Shen, Jiang, and Huang!

The previous article mentioned Shen Chaozong, and he was in charge of the affairs of the Chairman of the Huizhou Merchants Association!

That’s why!

Therefore, after the official announcement of the imperial court's selection of a queen and concubines was sent to all prefectures on the third day of August, it quickly spread throughout the southern border, and became a hot topic of discussion in the streets and alleys!
All the noble families and local tycoons were eager to try it out, and they wished they could have more beautiful daughters so that they could send them all to the palace!

Even some poor or ordinary families felt that this was a rare opportunity to turn their fortunes around, and they all whitewashed themselves and began to build momentum and use their connections to get things done! How ridiculous!

Two more days!
Talk about Yangzhou!

On the fifth day of August, the Jin and Hui factions in Yangzhou showed off their talents in the imperial court's selection process, and the two sides made many calculations against each other!

It was a big fuss and very lively!
And Shen Chaozong, the chairman of the Huizhou Merchants Association who is at the center of the vortex, has another lawsuit to deal with!
In the past two days, he has lost his appetite and feels quite anxious!

And if you want to ask the reason?

If we want to explain this matter clearly, we have to go back to a month ago!
It is said that at the end of June, after the swordsman Yuan Ping received the letter and returned north, the two sisters Yuzhen and Xiao'e spent a few days of comfort in the Shen Mansion.

But the good times did not last long. In early July, my brother Shen Zhengwen was assigned by the Chamber of Commerce to transport salt to other provinces, and thus left Yangzhou!

Logically speaking, this kind of overseas business trips have been done countless times in the past, and have become a common occurrence. Nothing serious will go wrong, and it's all business in Changshu!

But as the saying goes, if you walk along the river, you will get your clothes wet! Nowadays, the northern border has been lost, and there are wars everywhere. Although the southern provinces are relatively peaceful, they cannot stand the sight of war!
But people’s hearts were divided and after natural disasters and man-made disasters, bandits and robbers abounded everywhere!
So this time, Shen Zhengwen followed the caravan and went to the Sheshan-Luzhou-Liu'an line. On the waterway, they actually encountered a group of pirates!
The four merchant ships they were carrying were all looted!

Those ruffians who live on the edge of a knife have lost all moral principles. They not only rob people of their money but also take their lives!
Soon, around mid-July, one of the guys who was chopped and fell into the water escaped back to Yangzhou. Only then did the Shen family and the Chamber of Commerce know about the incident!

Later, Yuzhen Xiao'e from the Shen residence also found out about it and cried bitterly!
Yuzhen also felt that her fate was unfortunate. She lost control of herself for a moment and cried herself unconscious in Shen's house. She was ill for many days.

Thanks to Shen Chaozong and Aunt Liu seeking medical advice and a lot of trouble, the condition gradually improved.

But I never expected that Shen Zhengwen's life or death was still uncertain!
As the days passed and August came to the beginning, the Shen family and Yuzhen got into trouble again!

It is true that disaster may come from the sky while you are at home!

Speaking of this matter, it is also related to the old man of the Shen family, the dull bully Shen Hongpan!
I remember that on the second day when Yuzhen and Xiao'e sisters first entered the Shen Mansion, this playboy took Aunt Liu and the two sisters to Fujinji to purchase silk!
This Hong Pan Gui was beaten by Yuan Ping, and he never encountered Zhen and E again afterwards.

However, once the two beauties showed up at Yu De Commercial Bank, their stunning beauty attracted everyone's attention!

I don't know exactly when it happened, or who told it, but it slipped out!

In the city of Yangzhou, Gu San, the man of the Gu family who had many bad habits such as drinking, gambling and whoring, heard the news and knew about the existence of the stunningly beautiful Shen Yuzhen in the Shen Mansion!

Now, in order to catch a glimpse of Miss Yuzhen's beauty, Gu San will do anything he can!

He and Shen Hongpan had similar interests and already had some friendship, so he made many arrangements, hoping to take advantage of the opportunity to visit her at her mansion to see her true appearance and fulfill his lustful wishes.

Although Hong Pan was a bit confused in daily life, his son was still able to handle things clearly when things happened to his family.

So, Gu Sansan made vows again and again, but Shen Hongpan refused to accept the challenge!

After a few exchanges, Gu San began to show his impatience!

So this playboy, seeing that this road was taking a different direction, made a stupid move and brought about an even greater disaster!

In order to win Yuzhen over to fulfill his wish, he actually reported it to the Yangzhou prefect, Mr. Zhao!

The idea is to ask the local authorities to put pressure on him, use three matchmakers and six proposals, and marry Yuzhen off properly, so that they can live happily!
Extra:

Dear readers, the National Day holiday is coming soon, and Qingshan has no choice but to ask for a few days off!
I haven't been home for a long time. I need to take my wife and children home to let my grandparents see their granddaughter.
This may mean a break for three or four days!
When I get home, if I have time, I will try my best to write something. If I really can't spare the time, I hope you can forgive me!

I wish you all a happy holiday in advance and celebrate with the country!
Thank you very much! Thank you very much!
(End of this chapter)