Firmament

Take care of it after getting married.

- Uzbek proverb

Gong Shixiang's descendant, Gong Runzu, returned from Lin'an, the capital of the southern country, and lived in seclusion in the bamboo alley of Jinling, passing the time by reading books and writing poems. Although he made up his mind not to set foot in officialdom again, he was always concerned about the future and destiny of the country with patriotic enthusiasm.

Every day the news came that either the army of the eastern kingdom had been defeated or that the king had fled south. Gong Runzu was always sad and angry, and hated the cowardly and cowardly surrender faction. However, in the face of the historical trend that he could not change, in addition to sighing and helplessness, he also added endless troubles and sorrows.

The army of the northern country occupied Jinling, and favored the Yunjin produced in Jinling very much, and designated it as the royal family's royal goods. The government has two weaving and dyeing bureaus in the city, east and west, and organizes more than 6,000 professional craftsmen to produce exquisite silk fabrics for the royal family. Jinling gradually became the center of the textile industry in the Jiangnan region.

In 1278, the news of the crushing defeat of the remnants of the Eastern Kingdom at Hanging Mountain came, and Gong Runzu's sincere heart was instantly shattered. He lamented: "The kingdom of the East, which I have been loyal to all my life, has perished!" For many days to come, he ignored his clothes and was unkempt, and he did not eat rice and vegetables, and he used wine to drown his sorrows, like a walking corpse.

Sometimes, Gong Runzu led his children and grandchildren to Niushou Mountain in the southern suburbs of Jinling, and paid his respects in front of the old castle where he fought against the Nuzhiguo, remembering the famous generals who had defeated the enemy here, and paying tribute to the 100,000 soldiers and civilians who died in the South China Sea.

In 1314, in order to recruit a wide range of talents to govern the country, the northern kingdom restored the imperial examination that had been practiced in the eastern country.

The Gong family is a scholarly family and has a unique cultural advantage in participating in the imperial examination. The young people in the family are gearing up and eager to try.

A man named Gong Bi of the Gong family is outside the world, staying in his small yard all day long, planting plum orchids, bamboo chrysanthemums, painting poems, and singing poems, and living a life of self-entertainment.

One day, a group of soldiers broke into the courtyard of the Gong family's house, shouting that they would cut down a large clump of bamboo growing in the corner of the courtyard.

Gong Bi asked with a displeased face, "Why did you cut down my bamboo?"

The petty officer replied, "The chief has an order, and the traitors are plotting to rebel." In order to prevent them from secretly making bows and arrows from bamboo, from today onwards, the buying and selling of bamboo in the market is prohibited, and citizens are not allowed to grow bamboo in their courtyards without permission. "

Gong Bi was so angry at the absurd order of the chief for a while that he was speechless.

The soldiers wielded machetes and cut down a patch of emerald green bamboo to the ground, then tied it up with ropes and carried it away.

Gong Bi scolded in a low voice at the back of the soldier, "These bastards! God will punish you one day." Let's wait and see!".

Gong Bi, like most of the citizens of Jinling City, had special rights to the government and army, and he could only curse a few words in private to relieve the hatred in his heart.

The

government deployed a number of regular troops and Tanma Red Army in various places, allowing them to work with the local peasants to cultivate the fields and monitor the peasants' every move, especially to prevent the rebellion of the common people in the south.

The government also banned the use of iron farming tools by farmers in Jiangnan. Farmers have to use rudimentary wooden tools to cultivate their fields, which is not only inefficient, but also miserable.

Wang Changshun, a descendant of Wang Chen, a native of Bingzhou, has passed away. Inheriting the Wang family business and opening a restaurant was Wang Jinyi, the grandson of Wang Changshun.

Wang Jinyi is lively and active by nature, and likes to gather crowds to be lively, and his friends include three religions and nine streams. In addition to opening a store on weekdays, he also likes to play and sing, and often recruits a group of folk artists to sing in the store, and provides them with tea and rice for free, which not only satisfies his hobby, but also solves the problem of the artist's full stomach, and also attracts many customers who listen to the play while eating for the store.

The army of the northern country was stationed in the annexed state, and the common people were divided into one class according to every 20 families. The first lord is an official, mainly monitoring the words and deeds of the common people, prohibiting the common people from lighting lights, traveling and activities after the first watch in the evening, and the martial law is not lifted until the fifth watch the next morning. The cost of eating and drinking for Lord A will also be shared equally by these 20 ordinary people.

One day, the round-faced owner came to the restaurant with square steps and saw Wang Jinyi and folk artists singing.

He put on a straight face and announced: "This official is ordered to announce that in order to prevent the traitors from taking the opportunity to gather a crowd to make trouble, it is forbidden to pray for the gods, play with guns and sticks, learn martial arts, and sing operas. Violators will be arrested and imprisoned. "

Wang Jinyi and the folk artists dared to be angry and did not dare to speak, so they had to stop the entertainment performance.

Master A continued: "From now on, every five families will share a kitchen knife, and the excess will be handed over to the public. In addition, citizens are not allowed to travel on horseback, horse-drawn carts and ploughed land, and all horses are handed over. The officer was to send them to the front line for the officers and men to use in the conquest of the enemy. "

Wang Jinyi immediately panicked when he heard Lord A's words, and hurriedly begged: "Sir, I run a restaurant, and I can't do without a kitchen knife for a moment." If 5 families share the same kitchen knife, how will my business go on?"

Master A looked at Wang Jinyi for a while with small eyes that narrowed into a slit, and then said: "Kitchen knives are resolutely not allowed to stay overnight in the shop! In this case, restaurants and butcher shops can make an exception to use a kitchen knife. However, you have to hand me the kitchen knife when the door closes every night and pick it up from me the next morning. In return, the shops that used kitchen knives had to bear the food for the officers and soldiers. "

Wang Jinyi's head quickly calculated the account: Although it will cost a lot of money to provide free meals to officers and soldiers, as long as the restaurant is open normally, he will not worry about making money. A smile of relief immediately appeared on his face.

He said to Master A: "Thank you, sir, I have been so polite!"

Unexpectedly, Lord A's face changed abruptly, and he scolded sharply: "Don't act

!"

Wang Jinyi immediately restrained his smile and didn't dare to joke with Master A anymore.

One morning, Nuhai had just finished breakfast in Dadu New Town, and walked alone in the spacious mansion. Suddenly, he heard someone knocking on the door outside.

Who was it early in the morning? Nuhai immediately ordered his subordinates to open the gate of the courtyard to see who it was.

No sooner had the servant opened a small crack than three or five heralds from the palace hurried into the gate.

The

leading petty official announced in a loud voice: "The king has decreed that Sai Azar, the son of Nuhai, a meritorious man of the northern country, will enter the palace immediately. "

When Nuhai heard the decree, he couldn't help but think: Now that the whole world is basically peaceful, why is the king summoning my son into the palace in such a hurry?

Time is of the essence, and there is no room for Nuhai to think.

He hurriedly arranged for his subordinates to dress Sai Azar neatly, and specially instructed his son on the precautions for meeting the king, urging him to go on the road quickly.

At noon, Nuhai leaned on his mattress and took a nap.

Suddenly, he heard the cheerful sound of gongs, drums, and suona from the courtyard, and pushed open the window to look out.

Sai Azar wore red and walked through the gate beaming. He was followed by a group of drummers dressed in royal palace dresses.

Sai Azar stepped into the threshold of the main hall and immediately saluted Nuhai and reported: "Father, the king has appointed me as Minister of Finance. "

Hearing this, Nuhai's heart that had been hanging high finally relaxed.

He said happily, "Thank you King Shengming for your appreciation and support. The responsibility of the Minister of Finance is significant. None of the previous finance ministers died well. You must remember that you must be innocent, work cleanly, and never fail the king's trust in you!"

Sai Azar replied: "The son remembers. "

Brothers, sisters, and children gathered around to congratulate Sai Azar on his promotion to high office, gaining face for the Ali family and glory for the Saltas.

Su Li, an elderly mother, smiled and said, "The official position of the Minister of Finance has a good reputation. What kind of general did you Ada be in the past, you know how to siege and kill people all day long, and you scared me so much that I couldn't eat well or sleep well every day. "

Nu Hai's eyes widened when he heard this, and he shouted at Su Li: "I'm destroying the enemy and defending the country! You old grandma Sarta, you're talking nonsense all day long!"

Su Li was not annoyed when she heard Nu Hai's count, and retorted softly: "You and I are both Hu people. What the Hu people say is naturally nonsense. "

The family, young and old, couldn't help but pause when they heard Su Li's words, and after savoring it, they burst into a burst of happy and playful laughter.

Since then, Sai Azar has entrusted the management of the family business and the affairs of the Caimu Chamber of Commerce to his younger brother Salman (Salta, security), and he has served the country wholeheartedly.