Emperor Ming Dynasty

The fleet moved south and blocked the entire canal, making it impossible for merchant ships to pass.

Fortunately, water transportation was changed to sea transportation, which only delayed merchants and did not involve food.

Through the window, a pair of villains chattered.

"This boat is so small, not half as big as ours..."

"Hehe, this boat is so fun, and it even has a flag!"

"Is there any fish in this river? Father, can we fish?"

The twins were lying on the emperor's couch, very curious about the canal scenery outside the window.

The boats, people, piers, buildings, and even the muddy river water all surprised them.

The older one is Yu'er, the younger one is Jue'er, one is a blue and white skirt, the other is a blue and green skirt, with Nezha braids, pouted, holding Zhu Yixi's hands, coquettishly, want to fish.

Zhu Yixi couldn't laugh or cry: "There are no fish in this canal."

"Father is talking nonsense." Yu'er was full of disbelief: "This river is so long and there is so much water, there must be fish. We can catch fish in the mountains and under the house. We can definitely catch fish here."

"Yes, yes!" Jue'er agreed and echoed her sister.

"The house in the mountain was originally built on the water, but there are no fish in the canal because the boatmen have all caught them."

Zhu Yixi began to open his eyes and talk nonsense: "Look, there are so many boats, even if one person fishes one, it will be gone no matter what?"

"Ah?" Sister Yu'er pursed her mouth, looking like she was about to cry: "The fish are all gone, and Yu'er has no fish to eat."

"Jue'er has no fish left!"

Just like that, the two villains dropped their pearls and wept bitterly. Seeing that the battle was getting bigger and bigger, Zhu Yixi had no choice but to say:
"Don't cry, don't cry, when you get to Jinan City, Father will take you to see the bubbling spring water in the city, it's gurgling, it won't stop!"

"It's time to go fishing together."

"Okay!" My sister Yu'er hadn't spoken yet, but my younger sister Jue'er immediately changed and shouted, "There are so many bubbles in the spring, it must be the fish inside."

"There will definitely be a lot of fish to eat then."

"I want to eat grilled fish!"

"Steamed fish is delicious!" Sister Yu'er immediately reacted, raised her hand and said: "Grilled fish is not delicious!"

"No, I want to eat grilled fish." My sister Jue'er said unconvinced.

With that said, the two of them crossed their waists and began to quarrel mouth to mouth, biting up all the air on the opposite side, causing them to suffocate and collapse.

Zhu Yixi watched the quarrel between the two sisters with great interest, but did not interfere.

Because he knew that once he got involved, the conflict would escalate.

"Master, this is Laiyang pear."

At this time, Liu Afu handed over a plate of small fruits, which immediately attracted the attention of the two sisters.

"Is your mouth dry? Eat the fruit, it's very sweet!"

Zhu Yixi looked at the two with longing faces, and hurriedly greeted them.

The two sisters were forgetful very quickly, so they ran over to eat pears holding hands, holding them in both hands, nibbling them close together, and their little faces were all sticky.

In this regard, Zhu Yixi laughed, and then flipped through the memorial.

Although he was far away in Shandong, the cabinet draft came along the canal. Even if the queen approved it, he would read it again.

Governing the country must be rigorous.

Now the lunar calendar is in May, but the solar calendar is in June. The news from Russia finally arrived in front of the emperor after thousands of miles of transportation.

Russia and Poland have ceased fighting.

On January 1667, 1, representatives of Russia and Poland signed an armistice agreement in Andrew Sovo near Smolensk:

Parts of Ukraine and Belarus on the left bank of the Dnieper River and Smolensk and other provinces belonged to Russia.

Ukraine and part of Belarus on the right bank of the Dnieper River still belong to Poland.

The Russo-Polish War ends.

The Cossacks set off a big uprising, which benefited the Russians.

However, the Kingdom of Poland-Lithuania is still strong, and the Russians will not solve it in a day.

At the same time, news came from Europe that the Second Anglo-Dutch War was in full swing, but England had been exposed.

European countries have reached a consensus, and the two countries will inevitably reach an agreement this year.

Because this war lasted for nearly three years, it can be said that both sides suffered losses.

The Netherlands, supported by France and Denmark, has already shown signs of victory.

It's funny to say that what will end this war is not victory or defeat, but natural disasters.

The first is the Black Death, which ravaged London, killing and injuring tens of thousands of people, and the East End of London was almost reduced to vacant land.

Secondly, there was the Great Fire of London.

On September 1666, 9, a rare fire came to London. It burned continuously for 10 days and 4 nights, destroying 4/2 of the city of London, and the economic loss exceeded 3 to 800 million pounds (note: the economic loss has exceeded two After the cost of the first war with the Netherlands), Britain was unable to fight again. From January 1000, it kept in touch with the Netherlands, hoping to negotiate peace.

It can be said that even if England wants to fight again, its finances no longer allow it to mess around.

"Peace in Europe?"

Zhu Yixi couldn't help but laugh.

It is indeed a curious thing that both Eastern and Western Europe had to armistice in the same year.

However, through two Anglo-Dutch wars, Zhu Yixi smelled the key news:

The Netherlands, which is at its peak, is about to face the loss of its hegemony.

The British surrender was just a temporary way to recharge their batteries.

As long as the British navy exists, it will not stop provoking the Netherlands.

At the same time, Louis XIV, the hero, had grown up and began to seek hegemony over Western Europe, and the Netherlands was standing in his way.

At the same time, facing provocations from Britain and France, Zhu Yixi expressed pessimism about the prospects of the Netherlands.

There is Britain on the sea and France on land. How can the Netherlands, with a population of less than one million, persist?

“The East Indies are just around the corner too.”

Zhu Yixi showed a happy smile.

The Dutch East India Company, tens of thousands of troops, and a huge navy roamed the world. Even the Ming Dynasty did not want to provoke them.

Once the mother country suffered a heavy blow, the Dutch East India Company would be rootless.

When we arrived at Jinan Prefecture, it was already May 21, and the entire fleet traveled fifty miles a day, taking our time.

According to the usual practice, people in Jinan knelt by the canal to greet them.

Zhu Yixi fulfilled her promise and took the two little sisters to Jinan City.

Before this, the entire Jinan City had already been busy.

The filial sons, filial daughters, chaste wives, virtuous maidens, imperial wives, filial piety and honesty, etc. who have received the court's envoys in the province for several years also arrived in Jinan in order to prepare for the holy.

The filial son, filial friend, and filial piety are registered and recorded by the officials of the Ministry of Rites one by one, and then the officials of the protocol department are responsible for teaching everyone how to perform etiquette.

As for the women with different statuses, the eunuchs and aunts sent by the inner court were responsible for teaching them how to walk when meeting the concubines.

"The empress is now in the capital, and the concubine you will see is a noble concubine, you must not neglect..."

Aunt Li is in her fifties, wearing a fairly close-fitting skirt, with gray hair, a rosy complexion, her head held high, her face full of majesty, and the wrinkles on her face look like a list of her merits.

At this time, she walked around and said loudly, "Don't be afraid, everyone, wait for me to take a look, the appearance must be correct!"

She spoke in a crisp Beijing style, but her speech was deliberately slowed down so that everyone could understand her.

Aunt Li walked in front of the girls one by one, her eyes were very sharp, her eyes were everywhere, she argued with each other, and when she felt uncomfortable, she pulled the man's clothes:
"Your clothes are too gorgeous. This is not about choosing a concubine. Although you should pay attention to your appearance, the more expensive the clothes, the better!"

She sniffed and seemed to smell the smell of copper.

The woman's face was filled with shame.

However, she blinked wittily, stuffed a stack of banknotes into her bosom, then changed her clothes and returned to the team again.

Immediately, several ugly ones were also screened out.

Then, eight outstanding women were selected.

Each of them has fair skin, picturesque eyebrows, elegant demeanor, and each has its own style. At first glance, the eyes are fascinated, and it is impossible to tell which one is more beautiful.

Qi Qinshi was also one of them, and she felt something was wrong.

Isn't this meeting the imperial concubine?Why are you picking on your appearance?

For these eight people, Aunt Li not only looked at them, but also touched them with her hands, touching their skin and hair. Then she held their hands, inspected them repeatedly, and finally said, "Please sit down and bring some tea."

The deacon's aunt brought tea in person, sat and chatted with her, and Aunt Li asked Qi Qinshi:

"Name?"

"My mother's surname is Qin, and my husband's surname is Qi."

"Listen to you, but you have a southern accent, where are you from?"

"Yangzhou people."

"How many years have you been married in this province?" Qi Qin was a little hesitant, but still reported truthfully.

"Five years."

"Your hands are so thin and white, you can see that you were born in a good family." Aunt Li asked.

"Your husband is gone? When did he die? Who else is there in your family?"

"Yes, my late husband passed away before I came into the slave family. He has a sister-in-law who is just nine years old this year."

Qi Qin couldn't help but feel a little sad when she said this.

The fiancé has been in poor health since he was a child, and the key is that the in-laws are also in poor health.

Before she got married, her fiancé passed away. Within two years of her marriage, her parents-in-law passed away one after another because they missed her son so much. It was really tragic.

There is no way, her daughter-in-law has to pick up the door and continue the business, and the door cannot be let down and ruined.

At the same time, he raised his sister-in-law and married her in a glorious way.

Therefore, as usual, she had to adopt a child from the clan, inherit her husband's legacy, and raise him as an adult.

Her family and her natal family were very powerful, so they naturally applied for a chaste wife plaque for her.

But this doesn't completely bind her, so don't even think about remarrying.

Aunt Li smiled: "In this way, you are still a virgin."

For some reason, Qi Qinshi always felt that there was something in his words, and her smile made her panic.

Qi Qinshi blushed, nodded and replied, "Yes."

Aunt Li stopped asking any more questions and turned around to ask the people next to her. She asked them one by one. She knew everyone's net worth well before she spoke:
"Everyone don't move, let me see your feet."

After saying this, all the girls unanimously retracted their feet, hiding them deeper within the skirts.

Aunt Li smiled even more satisfied.

Ladies and gentlemen, the most important thing is to protect a pair of feet. They are extremely well protected. They pay attention to sitting without showing their toes, listening to their own words, and hiding their feet behind them.

She said this intentionally, just to use it as a test, and the result of the test is undoubtedly satisfactory.

This group of feisty women are obviously the same on the outside and inside, and they don't have that slutty stuff.

"In the future, when the ladies of each family arrive in front of the empress, I hope that you can still have such a regular ritual, and don't speak lightly until the empress asks."

As she spoke, she glanced at Qi Qin and left with a smile on her lips.

Qi Qinshi became more and more panicked: Why are you only looking at me?
Two days later, the emperor summoned the filial sons, filial friends, and filial piety in the province who had honored the imperial court;
On the day when the imperial concubine summons the chaste women and martyr girls, they get up early in the morning, and everyone puts on their clothes and goes to work at the gate of the garden early.

The others just paid it off, but Qi Qin had other feelings.

Forced by the situation, it was forced to give up, and after a new decoration, it will be used as the place where the emperor Xixing stayed.

The government has already sent people to contact her and the clan. When the emperor returns to Luan in the future, the garden will not be handed back to the Cao family, but will be used as an official school of Jinan Prefecture.

But even if there is a little money from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, what is the use of it?

This is the ancestral home!

It's just too deceiving.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has a rear car, and the children of all families are placed in it, so they don't suffer from the dust, but sitting in the car, looking at each other without saying a word, that feeling is not easy.

After waiting for Sishi, I saw someone flickering at the gate of the garden. It seemed that officials from the Ministry of Rites came out by order and called everyone into the garden to have an audience.

The girls entered the pavilion, in the bright light, six or seven women in splendid attire were sitting upright, looking at several people.

Remembering the rules taught by Aunt Li, Qi Qinshi did not dare to look too much when entering the door. He bowed and knelt down on the worship mat placed at the door first, and said in his mouth, "Women, please pay attention to the imperial concubine and empress."

After three kneelings and nine kowtows, all the women walked forward slowly, and then knelt down on the worship mat, waiting for the imperial concubine to interrogate.

Concubine Miaoxian has always been cold-tempered and kind-hearted. Seeing these women wearing long-sleeved gowns and heavy hairpins on their heads, they are inconvenient to move, and she feels compassion:
"Get up and talk."

She looked at the girls with a smile, but when she glanced at Qi Qin, her face was moved.

What a beautiful woman.

His face is beautiful, and his bearing is extraordinary.

Her skin is like snow, her beautiful eyes are flowing, her lips are as delicate as petals, as if a layer of elegant lip gloss has been applied, her cheeks are pink and smooth, like a girl in her teens, but she has the temperament of a young woman.

Vaguely, even with a touch of elegance.

Even though Miaoxian has always been elegant, she was still surprised by her:
If you are seen by the emperor later, is it okay?
……

At this time, the governor of Jinan government office, the governor of Shandong and the minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Wang He were drinking tea and listening to music, with a special feeling in their hearts.

"Brother Wang, is this really possible?" The Shandong governor's mouth was filled with distaste.

Good guy, presenting a beautiful woman to the emperor would be ruined in the past!

If Shihlin finds out, his official career will come to an end.

"Don't worry!" Wang He said with a faint smile: "If you are worried, I will say that I did it alone."

"That's not necessary! We'll all share the same responsibility!" the governor said hurriedly.

(End of this chapter)