Dominate the Country

Qigong, not Hong Qigong. This is Chen Ming's great uncle, or uncle grandpa. If it were according to the custom of Chen Ming's hometown in his previous life, he would directly call him Qiye. But now it is the Qing Dynasty, and the clan rules are very strict.

Although Chen Hui is the patriarch of the entire Chen family, he must be polite to his elders, not to mention Chen Ming.

So Chen Ming, who wiped his mouth and rushed over, greeted Qigong very respectfully, and said, "Meet the seventh uncle."

Qigong came today to express condolences. Chen Ming's safety is directly related to the stability of the entire Chen family. If Chen Ming's cheap elder brother had not gone to Kaifeng two months ago, he would definitely have visited his home.

This year is Chen Gang's second time to take the autumn examination - the provincial examination, that is, the examination for the juren. Chen Gang had already taken his book boy to Kaifeng.

If he can pass this year, next year - the spring examination of Bingxu in the 31st year of Qianlong, he can try to pick the most dazzling pearl in the imperial examination. Chen Ming's cheap sister-in-law is already pregnant, so the old lady gave instructions before rushing to the county town from Tumen, so she didn't need to go.

The Chen family is now running smoothly. When Qigong came to the city, although he came early, those who didn't know would think that he got up before dawn. In fact, this seventh uncle of Chen Ming has a yard outside the city, which is specially used for staying when he comes to the city. For example, during the New Year's Day every year, you can't just stay at Chen Ming's house when you arrive in the city!

It's not like you don't have money!

The Chen family is the most traditional family-style group in China. The people who occupy key positions in the entire interest chain are most likely surnamed Chen. The Chen Hui family eats meat, and they also gnaw bones and drink meat soup. For an elder like Qigong who is still alive and still in charge, it is easy for the family to get one or two hundred acres of land and one or two houses.

Don't think that one or two hundred acres of land is not enough. This is Lushan, not the great plains of eastern Henan. In Lushan County, where the population exceeds 200,000 and the per capita land is less than two mu, one or two hundred mu of land is already very good. This is not the time of Kangxi. At that time, the fertile land in Jiangnan was only 2 or 3 taels of silver per mu. Now is the 30th year of Qianlong. China's population has reached 200 million, and the price of land in Jiangnan has soared to 10 taels of silver per mu.

The price of land in Lushan County is certainly not as good as the fertile land in Jiangnan, but because there are few fields and a dense population, the land price is higher than that of Chenzhou and Guide, which are rich prefectures and counties in eastern Henan.

The dry land depends on the grade, from the lowest 2 taels of silver per mu to the highest 5 taels of silver per mu. As for the most valuable irrigated land in Lushan County, the total value of 13,000 mu of land around Zhaoping Lake is absolutely over 100,000 taels. In the past five years, there have been only three transactions of paddy fields around Zhaoping Lake, and the transaction price has never been lower than 8 taels of silver per mu. And unless it is a last resort, almost no one will sell this piece of land.

One or two hundred mu of land is worth at least five hundred taels of silver. In the whole of China, a family with five hundred taels of silver is not considered poor no matter where they go.

The "family meeting" did not last long, and Chen Ming had no chance to interrupt. Not long after Chen Ming arrived, Chen Hui went to the study with Qi Gong for a secret meeting, which made Chen Ming wonder if they were waiting for him on purpose.

After chatting with his kind and loving cheap grandmother and cheap mother for a while, Chen Ming returned to his room. The Chen family's house is not big. There are three courtyards, where Chen Hui, Chen Ming + mother, and the two concubines who are still there live, so Chen Hui bought out the neighbors on the left and right early, and opened up the courtyard walls of two small courtyards with two entrances, and used them as the cross-courtyard of the Chen family. Chen Ming's residence is the north courtyard, and the south courtyard is the fixed place for the old lady to stay when she comes to the city. On weekdays, there are servants who often clean it, and no one lives there.

Chen Ming decided to take root in the Chen family's base while sending the old lady back to Tumen. Since his grandfather died of illness, the old lady didn't want to stay in the city and insisted on returning to her hometown in Tumen, where her parents' home was. That's why the second uncle, who was born out of wedlock, took care of the old lady, and the legitimate father was alone in the city.

Chen Ming and his father Chen Hui have different ideas, and their outlook on life and ideals determine the difference in their paths. In Chen Hui's eyes, the most important thing for the Chen family is not the 1,500 acres of land, not the stores and private mines, but the position under his buttocks.

Without standing in the Lushan County Yamen, the Chen family is at most a gentry bully. No matter how much wealth they accumulate, they are still a fat pig in the eyes of those wearing official skins. As long as you want to kill and eat meat, there is nothing that can't be killed.

Therefore, in Chen Hui's eyes, the most important thing for the Chen family is this official skin that has been passed down from generation to generation. Yamen runners and clerks are not officials. But among the people, they represent officials.

But Chen Ming is a man of the 21st century. Even if he has not made up his mind to rebel yet, if you want him to waste time in Lushan County, it is like asking him to commit suicide slowly. He wants to return to where he thinks he is truly powerful and to seize real power in the old base of the Chen family.

Bone china, small blast furnace, maybe.

Making money is by no means Chen Ming's first priority. The most important thing is to control part of the Chen family's armed forces. This is the most important thing. The Chen family has been engaged in private salt for more than one or two years. The private salt team on hand can be called a powerful army that is "capable of fighting and fighting". Chen Ming does not know the exact number of people, but it is definitely more than fifty.

For Lushan County, a county with only one station of green camp soldiers, fifty men who dare to fight and kill are already a force that cannot be underestimated. If the power of local gentry is blocked, fifty men who dare to fight and kill can already rush straight to the county. If those green camp soldiers dare to go out of the city to fight, the ones who will eventually meet the King of Hell will definitely not be the private salt team, but these Qing Dynasty's regular soldiers.

Chen Ming himself didn't realize in his heart that in addition to the 'burden of history', he was actually also affected by a sense of fear. He was afraid that his identity would be exposed, so subconsciously he wanted to stay away from Chen Hui and his wife. There must be many people in Tumen who know Chen Ming, but when it comes to familiarity, even his loving and cheap grandmother may not be as familiar as a girl from the Chen family. Therefore, he had always had a vague rejection of this family in the county. Now sending the old lady back to Tumen was such a good opportunity that he immediately took advantage of it.

There are not many servants in the Chen family. There are maids, women, servants, housekeepers, and concierges, a total of ten people. Chen Ming usually has only one servant accompanying him, a maid for each of his two aunts, and a maid and a mother-in-law beside Chen Gao. This woman is the mother of Chen Ming's personal servant Liu Wu, and the concierge is his father. The housekeeper is a domestic servant, his wife and children are at the farm, and there are three left. One is a coachman and a couple with the cook. Their children are also at the farm, and there is a little girl who works as a helper.

The Chen family has 1,500 acres of land. Counting the hidden fields, there are 1,700 acres. The 400 meters of paddy fields cannot be faked. The remaining 1,300 acres are two villages. Not only is the Chen family resettling their servants A good place to reward heroes. For servants, if you are loyal and hard-working, you can make your master look good on you. If you give some guidance to your sons and become the head of the village, then your descendants will be able to prosper.

Chen Ming rested at home for another four days, and then after dinner, he proposed to follow his grandma to meet Tumen for a while. Chen Hui thought for a while and agreed. Only Mrs. Chen Gao is very worried. She is now determined to arrange a good marriage for Chen Ming as soon as possible. She will get married early and give birth to an heir, which will give her peace of mind. The three days Chen Ming was in coma frightened her.

The next morning, Chen Ming rode a horse and followed a two-wheeled carriage, clattering out of Lushan County. He was accompanied by Liu Wu, riding a mule.

Liu Wu was not happy with Chen Ming's idea of ​​returning to his hometown. Tumen was not as comfortable as staying in a county town. Chen Ming was very happy to see this happen. He always wanted to throw this personal servant far away, but this was obviously impossible. Servants during this period had no human rights, but they could not be replaced without reason.

Liu Wu's little thoughts were of no use, and Chen Ming's parents didn't even need to say anything. Liu Wu's parents took the initiative to deal with this kid. So Liu Wu packed up the parcel obediently and rode a mule to the countryside.

After traveling so far, Chen Ming walked out of the Chen family's door for the first time. On the crowded South Street, Chen Ming was very nervous the moment he got on the horse, but the horse was docile and there was no such bad scene as he expected. He calmed the horse with a slightly unfamiliar movement and pulled the reins. The horse turned half of its body obediently, and Chen Ming was completely relieved. ——I can really ride a horse!

After calming down, Chen Ming relaxed and admired Lushan County.

Tumen is in the west of Lushan County. To go to Tumen, they need to go from the south of the city to the west of the city and go out of the west gate.

This is a scene that is very different from the braid drama in TV movies. It is a real folk life in the middle of the Qing Dynasty, and the breath of history comes to your face. Chen Ming walked from South Street to the center of the city, then turned west to the West Gate. He walked all the way and watched all the way. If after traveling back in time, he could point at the noses of those braided drama directors and curse them, they were filming streets and alleys. Don't always fill in the shadow of women. How many women are there on the street?

As an ordinary county town, Lushan County does not have that many people walking in the streets and alleys, not to mention that both sides of the streets are filled with various stalls. What should I do if I want to open a shop facing the street?

Another thing is that men’s braids are not that thick. Thick and shiny big braids may only exist on the heads of the rich and powerful in Beijing. This period is not the Daoguang period, nor is it the period after the Second Opium and Opium War. The hairstyle of men in this era is only a little better than the money rat tail in the Kang and Yong period. The long hair on the head can be as big as the mouth of a bowl. , it’s not that big porcelain bowl. If the braid is as thick as a thumb, it means the hair is good. It’s not the yin and yang hair in movies and TV shows. [Looking at the portraits of Kang Mazi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong, there are sideburns in front of the ears. Damn, Han people can't do that. Looking at the paintings depicting the Qing Dynasty during Macartney's mission to China in 1792, the Han people's hair style is to leave their hair in a palm-sized piece on the back of the head] and as for the shiny braids, it is not nutritious, it is dirt and oil. Do you think washing your hair in this era is as convenient and easy as in the 21st century? Soap, also known as soap and soap, has been around for a long time, but is it something that ordinary people can use? Just honey locust!

It's also inconvenient to wash, and there's no one to take care of you. Don't expect your braids to stay shiny if you do it alone.

Finally, there are the streets. Restaurants, pharmacies, banks, and pawn shops are all covered with disguises. They are densely packed and different. The only thing they have in common is that they need to be conspicuous. It is very different from the clean streets in many braided dramas, or the appearance of only a few houses with disguises. Shops in the Manchu and Qing Dynasties had not only signs but also camouflage, which was very different from today's facades. Or, to a certain extent, this cover is an advertisement for the Manchu business community.