Antique Story

Since the "Ruyi Fish" was caught and presented to Mr. Wang, the rumors about "Ruyi Fish" gradually disappeared. Mr. Wang regards these "wishful fish" as treasures, takes good care of them, orders people to wait on them and feeds them on time every day. Naturally, he got tangible benefits from it.

It is obvious that the business is booming, and what makes Mr. Wang more gratified is that his three sons have successively become officials and court officials.

In his early years, Mr. Wang traveled widely and learned a lot. He is generous and does not hesitate to spend money. Therefore, his friends are all over the world, and many people are very close to him because of his kindness. They would rather revolve around him and swear allegiance to the death. Poor scholar Zhang Yinchu is one of them.

Zhang Xiucai, who knows astronomy above and geography below, is a child prodigy who has read many poems and books. However, he failed many times and ended up disheartened and down and out. Mr. Wang and Zhang Xiucai hit it off at once. Mr. Wang cherishes his talent and keeps him around to teach his son to read and understand.

It is said that Wang's three sons are talented and studious, and their knowledge is improving day by day under the careful guidance of Zhang Xiucai.

It's been years.

In the 11th year of Kangxi, Wang Jinlong, the eldest brother, was appointed as the No.1 in palace examination, and was awarded the position of Jinshi, a bachelor of cabinet, etc. He advised the emperor of the dynasty and handled important affairs.

When the team that reported the good news was fighting and the champion of the new department was sent back to the Wang family mansion, Mr. Wang's family greeted him early. Mr. Wang grabbed his son who was red and blue and couldn't help crying.

Since the Wangs won the top prize, people often see a purple light on the mountain in the backyard of the Wangs, and the mysterious atmosphere of the Wangs is even stronger.

The wealth of the Wangs does not stop there.

Three years later, the second son, Wang Jinhu, was appointed as the governor of Jinan Prefecture, and the third son, Wang Jinbao, was promoted to the secretariat of Suzhou Prefecture. The three brothers hold important positions and have made outstanding achievements. They are interdependent and interconnected. A few years later, they were arrogant in officialdom, and many students came here. The Wang brothers became a powerful political force in the dynasty.

Although Mr. Wang is old, he is getting more and more energetic. He is still in his sixties, and his face is red. His concubine married room after room.

The well in the backyard of the Wangs is smoky all the year round, surrounded by flowers and green grass, which is a bustling scene.

Mr. Wang often wanders around the well. He knows in his heart that the family's glory is more or less because of the "Ruyi Fish", so he is more awed by the "Ruyi Fish" raised in the well.

2

Wang Jinlong served beside Emperor Kangxi. He is eloquent, intelligent and honest, and won the favor of the emperor. Relying on the support of two foreign officials, the second brother and the third brother, he won the hearts of the people all over the country, formed a small group for personal gain, and woven a huge network of contacts among officials in Beijing. They shield each other, deceive the superior and deceive the inferior, control state affairs and exclude dissidents. At that time, smoke billowed inside and outside the court.

Because they have great potential, no one dares to compete with them. A few honest officials often hide their faces and sigh, sobbing, and dare to be angry but dare not speak.

As the saying goes, with the protection of Beijing boss, Wang Jinhu and Wang Jinbao have to make trouble in their posts. They extort money and fish people. After several years of hard work, they earned a lot of money and lived a happy life.

The Wang family mansion is beautifully decorated and resplendent, with various gardens, landscapes, pavilions and pavilions, comparable to the royal gardens. The underwear in the mansion is extremely luxurious, and there are countless treasures. The two lords and ladies were in droves, and the servants shuttled back and forth, just like a royal scene.

People who are in favor of the situation have existed since ancient times. Wang Fu's wealth makes all kinds of tycoons, nobles and dignitaries flock to him. The house is often crowded with guests, and the songs and dances are endless.

The three brothers are in power, they are separated from the central and local governments, and there is a tendency of tripartite confrontation. They colluded with each other, hand in hand, and showed no mercy. Money flows like water to the Wangs.

After years of operation, the Wang family was once in power, dominating one side and as rich as an enemy.

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In the 19th year of Kangxi, the weather in the south of the Yangtze River was favorable, which was a rare year.

This year, there was a bumper rice harvest in the south, and the people were exploited by the government for several years, and their lives were miserable. This harvest may make their lives better, and the people are eagerly looking forward to it.

Wang Jinlong got the news early. Years of experience in officialdom made him have a keen sense of money and turned his eyes to his heart.

He went up and down, colluded with court officials to play a game together, and begged the emperor to write a letter to reduce taxes. The paper is sincere and eloquent, and it reads:

Report to Your Majesty: There have been years of famine in the south of the Yangtze River, and the people are miserable, and several industries are abandoned. Jiangnan is the granary of the country. The disadvantage here is a taboo in the Qing Dynasty. His holiness is affectionate, unable to sleep at night, deeply in love and deeply impressed. God misses the pain of his holiness, it rains in the south of the Yangtze River, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. This is a great event in the south of the Yangtze River.

Looking back on the years, victims are everywhere, and the days are like years. This is the pain of the people and the sorrow of the country. According to the ancient law of our ancestors, in this rich year, it is advisable to pay less taxes and share the interest with the people. Manchu civil servants knelt down and asked the holy family for permission, exempted from taxes in the south of the Yangtze River, lightened the corvee of the people, so as to reassure the people and consolidate the country, showing the holy family's eagerness to love the people and great benevolence.

Emperor Kangxi was overjoyed when he finished reading it. He dipped in cinnabar and wrote a note with a stroke of his hand: quasi!

Guan Bai knelt on the ground and prayed to God for wisdom. Long live the emperor.

The imperial edict was expedited by three hundred Li, and it soon arrived in Suzhou, and was sent directly to the official residence of the ancient imperial doctor in Suzhou.

Before the eunuch read the imperial edict, Wang Jinbao took out two gold ingots from the cuff and put them in the eunuch's arms. With a smile on his face, he warmly complimented: "Grandpa has worked hard all the way, and there is nothing to pay tribute to. Xiaguan has prepared a thin wine to welcome him ... "

Eunuch got the message. He doesn't stick to etiquette. As he handed the imperial edict to Wang Jinbao, he smiled and replied, "You're welcome. This is the imperial edict. Please take it away. Before leaving, Master Wang, the bachelor of cabinet, specially told this official that after the imperial edict was issued, we should obey the arrangement of the Taoist master, so that we can get rid of the red tape of the court. "

The two men smiled at each other. The eunuch added, "Beijing is famous for its beautiful scenery in August in the south of the Yangtze River. It' s beautiful to come all the way! "

Wang Jinbao replied: "My father-in-law might as well stay here for a few more days, enjoy the beautiful scenery of this world, and give my aunt a chance to make the best of the friendship of the landlord."

"Good good ..."

It's natural to push a cup for a change, sing and dance during the dinner.

A few days later, the eunuch was sent away, and Wang Jinbao called the eunuch chief. He falsely proclaimed the imperial edict, informed the government offices at all levels, and ordered them to increase taxes and urge food. The local people know nothing about the approval of the court. Years of exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous fees have already numbed them, and they are lucky to be able to barely make ends meet. People have no choice but to sigh.

This year, the Wang brothers cooperated and really made a fortune.

four

In the 22nd year of Kangxi, the Qing army overthrew Zheng's regime and formally recovered Taiwan Province Province. From then on, the world was at peace. The following year, Emperor Kangxi made his first southern tour, and Jinan was the only way for his southern tour.

The emperor's southern tour affects the whole country and always has a royal style. It is imperative to build palaces everywhere. Of all the palaces, Jinan Palace is the largest and most luxurious. In order to build the Jinan Palace, Wang Jinlong allocated122,000 silver from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This huge sum of money has not been touched so far, and it is all secretly sealed in the mansion of Wang Jinhu, the inspection department of Jinan.

Wang Jinhu then drew up a document, and he ordered the local gentry to donate money to build a palace.

Jinan is an important trading center for porcelain and grain in China. There are many tycoons. They are under the control of Wang Jinhu. Although they have many complaints, they never dare to ignore their actions. They responded enthusiastically and donated money and materials. Within two months, a magnificent palace was successfully completed.

Emperor Kangxi visited Jinan for two days, during which Wang Jinhu was accompanied by local officials and scholars. In front of the emperor, he could say anything and tried to flatter himself, so he won the emperor's favor. Before he left, Emperor Kangxi took off a picture of Yu Pei and gave it to him, and gave him the four characters of "Quancheng Loyalty".

In addition to the holy drive, Wang Jinhu hosted a banquet at Daming Lake to entertain officials at all levels and many gentry. That night, the moon was bright and the breeze was blowing gently, and Wang Jinhu was in a good mood. He rewarded officials and gentry with his own achievements, which really gave them a lot of benefits. Everyone raised their glasses and made a toast. Everyone was very happy.

After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Wang Jinhu gradually got a little drunk. He started talking nonsense and told a strange story about the ghost fox essence. Officials around him are not surprised by this. Everyone talked and laughed and regarded it as a pastime.

Bao Tianhao, the magistrate of Jinan, has a close relationship with Wang Jinhu. He teased Wang Jinhu with a little banter: "Governor, you have told these ghost legends for more than a hundred times, and Xiaguan is already familiar with them. Can you tell me some other rumors? Ha ha ha! "

At this point, Wang Jinhu was as drunk as a fiddler and was swept off your feet by Bao Tianhao. On the contrary, he became interested. He scratched his head and stammered, "I heard many rumors when I was a child. Since you are not interested in ghosts and foxes, I will tell you a fresh one! " He had another drink and his body began to tremble. "When I was young, there was a rarity in my hometown. People call it ruyi fish. Anyone who gets the best fish can be promoted and made a fortune. Everyone yearns for it. Guess what happened later ... "He took a long breath and sold it.

Everyone here opened their eyes wide and listened with relish. The crowd gave a unanimous voice: "What happened later ..."

"Later ... later, Ruyi fish was caught by my old man. He keeps those wishful fish in my back garden and takes good care of them all year round. In fact, we three brothers have never seen the true face of this fish. My dad said that this wishful fish is spiritual, and it helped our Wang family to develop. Bullshit! Didn't we three brothers get here on our own? This old man is really confused! Ha ha ha ... "

"Yes, yes, the governor's opinion!" "A fish can bring blessings, interesting, interesting ..."

All kinds of voices in the crowd came and went. Everyone took Ruyi fish as a talk, sipped the taste with relish, and then it ended, and soon changed the subject.

The speaker was not interested in listening. Among these officials, there is a county magistrate named Jiang Chunheng. He has no roots and no bottom, and his knowledge is shallow. He believes in divination in Zhouyi, and pays special attention to some anecdotes. He suffers from hopeless promotion and is often depressed. During the dinner, when he heard Wang Jinhu's words, an evil idea suddenly occurred to him.

five

He bribed a servant named Ergouzi in the old house of the Wangs. In the middle of the night, Ergouzi stole some wishful fish from the backyard of the Wangs. He trotted off and sent the bucket containing Ruyi fish to the inn, ready to give it to Jiang Chunheng as a reward.

It was not long before the two dogs ran out, and the matter was immediately exposed.

At this time, the Wangs' old house was brightly lit and the gongs and drums were deafening. Servants and maids rushed out of their nests. They caught two dogs on the hillside, tore at the bucket and suddenly fell to the ground. Four or five ruyi fish were tumbling and jumping on the dry ground, struggling painfully and surviving with their mouths open.

They were blindsided at once. Mr. Wang became angry from embarrassment and stamped his toes and cried. He looked at these little fish and burst into tears.

Strangely, Wan Li is clear and starry. In a blink of an eye, dark clouds were gathering and it rained cats and dogs. Rain soon flooded the hillside square, and several small fish drifted along the rain, and I don't know where they went.

From then on, the Wangs were frustrated in the officialdom, as if they had a lot of strong enemies overnight, and the two forces were tit for tat. One day, someone complained to the emperor.

The pen of a scholar is as quick as a knife, and the knife cuts blood.

The complaint lists ten major crimes committed by the Wang brothers since they became officials. There is no room for denial. Every crime is enough to kill them thousands of times.

Emperor Kangxi flew into a rage at the court and immediately ordered a quick investigation. The civil and military officials hugged each other left and right, and the court was silent. Soon, they were indignant and passionate, exposing many misdeeds of the Wang brothers, and were scolded, reprimanded and cried for a while. It is no wonder that although we are brothers and sisters at ordinary times and have done all kinds of bad things, we all understand the truth of preserving our sanity, and getting rid of it as soon as possible is the key.

The Wang brothers were successively escorted to Beijing. Torture forced them to confess.

According to the law of the present dynasty, the crime they committed was punished by killing all nine families. While the executioner was still on the road, someone tipped off Mr. Wang, and Mr. Wang and his family fled to Hong Tong, Shaanxi Province overnight, where they lived an anonymous life.

He also took away a few wishful fish left in the well.

Since then, Mr. Wang has been very strict with his younger generation. He made family rules and warned future generations not to be an official and participate in politics. Since then, the descendants of the Wangs have followed the Confucian and Mencius' principles, been strict with themselves, read only sage books wholeheartedly, and never dared to cross the line again.

As a family heirloom, "Ruyi Fish" has been passed down from generation to generation. Nowadays, many old houses in the Wang family have the figure of "Ruyi Fish", and it is precisely because of this that the descendants of the Wang family have come forth in large numbers and gradually developed into an important surname in the country.

six

Times change, ups and downs alternate, "Ruyi Fish" may still exist in the world, or it may have been lost in the dust of history, and its ending is like a mystery. Who can make it clear?

Someone asked, "What happened to that rogue Niu Erhou?"

After he got the money, he ate, drank and gambled, and was really happy for a while. On the cold morning of that winter, he was found frozen to death on the side of the road, naked and cruel.

As for the "Ruyi Well", it still stays in the mountain village. Despite the vicissitudes of the world, it still silently nourishes and protects the local villagers.