Chapter 82: Argument Song Jin added another knife
The city gate was lowered, and everyone crossed the moat via the suspension bridge. There was a bustling scene on the other side of the river.
There were all kinds of vendors bustling about, cart drivers and pedestrians coming and going in an endless stream, and tea stalls and wine shops were crowded together, but when they saw Song Jin and his group, they all consciously made way for him. There was no need to elaborate on the reason, it was clear in their minds.
The group passed through the crowd until the horses were on the wide official road, and immediately sped up, while Qingshan approached Song Jin unknowingly.
"Where are we going?" Song Jin asked.
Qingshan replied while controlling the horse: "I'll take you to the riverside to play."
Song Jin was stunned for a moment.
What does "take you" mean? Who does it mean?
Who else could it be except Ji Shubai?
Song Jin couldn't help but feel excited. Ji Shubai was a pretty good person.
The river Qingshan was talking about was the Wusong River, which flows out of Taihu Lake and flows into Songjiang Prefecture, which is Shanghai in the 21st century. The section that enters Shanghai was later called the Suzhou River.
Speaking of the Wusong River, it caused a lot of trouble during the Ming Dynasty, so it took a lot of effort to manage it.
The group rode on horses, Qingshan stayed close to Song Jin and followed closely by Ji Shubai, and soon they arrived at the Wusong River.
The Wusong River is not as wide as the Yangtze River section that Song Jin had seen before, but it is not narrow either.
Below the high embankment is the sparkling river water. Not far away you can see willows swaying, herons strolling leisurely, and low grass extending all the way to the riverside.
The view was broad and spectacular. Song Jin immediately forgot the bloody scene just now and felt much more relaxed.
"Follow me, we'll walk along the embankment."
Ji Shubai was talking in front, Qingshan was behind and asking everyone to follow from a distance. Song Jin lightly squeezed the horse's belly and caught up with Ji Shubai.
The two men rode their horses side by side, and Ji Shubai seemed to be in a good mood.
"How are you? Are you feeling better?"
Song Jin was still immersed in his excitement, and said "hmm" shyly, and then asked: "When the adults went back just now, they didn't say anything, right?"
There are probably not many people like him who run away and vomit during a banquet in the Ming Dynasty.
Ji Shubai said calmly: "It doesn't matter, I'll explain to them that you haven't seen the world."
Song Jin: “…”
"snort!"
The installation failed.
Ji Shubai smiled and said, "Come to think of it, I have to thank you. If it weren't for you, I don't know when I would be able to get out of this situation."
"So you don't like it either."
Ji Shubai was riding on a horse, holding the reins with one hand and the other hand casually resting on his leg, his back straight and his shoulders swaying gently with the horse's pace.
He raised his chin, with a faint smile on his lips, like a dragonfly's tail touching the calm lake water in the summer evening, causing a tiny ripple. His beautiful phoenix eyes were slightly narrowed by the setting sun, and his dark blue robe added a sense of maturity to his not-so-old age.
This is probably what is meant by being in high spirits.
A gust of wind blew up the hem of Ji Shubai's clothes at his feet, and his face turned toward the center of the lake, revealing his beautiful jawline.
"In the first year of Yongle, there was a major flood in western Zhejiang. Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Revenue, wrote a letter to the emperor asking for dredging. He said that the lake sand in the section from Wusong River to Shanghai County had gradually risen and almost turned into flat land, making it difficult to manage. Therefore, he suggested modifying the river course, which ensured peace for many years."
"During the time of the previous emperor, Wuxian and Jiaxing were frequently hit by floods, and after several years of governance, the situation did not improve. About eleven years ago, the then Yingtian Governor Hai also encountered a flood, so he ordered the dredging of a new river channel, which led to the current appearance."
Ji Shubai's voice was loud and excited at first, but later it got lower and lower, and he sounded more and more regretful. In the end, he didn't hear Song Jin's voice when he finished speaking, and was startled when he turned around.
The more Song Jin listened to Ji Shubai's words, the more regretful he felt.
Hai Rui served as prefect for only half a year, but he had almost managed the Wusong River. Before that, no one knew how many people had participated in the management, but the result was not any improvement. The reasons can be guessed.
When it comes to Hai Rui's official ethics, he is obvious to all, and when it comes to his path to becoming an official, it is even more obvious to all.
I'm afraid Hai Rui is now working as a peasant in Hainan.
As for regrets, Song Jin didn't think so. Hai Rui's way of being an official was to act on his own will. Not to mention that it was difficult for him to last long in the Ming Dynasty, even in the past five thousand years, it would be difficult to find a few periods for Hai Rui to be promoted.
As for Hai Rui, she had never seen him. To Song Jin, he was just a name in history books. There were too many names in history books, some black and some red, some good and some bad, some high and some low. Song Jin could not hate them all, nor could she regret them all.
What she regretted was that the person in front of her, the person with whom she had real contact, the person who had helped her, the person with whom she had talked, quarreled and fought, was much more real to her than the name in the history books.
Ji Shubai was talking in front of her. She was listening at first, but later she couldn't hear a word he said.
She knew Hai Rui's fate, but what about Ji Shubai?
That Ji Yun, there is already a very famous Ji Yun in history, so what about this Ji Yun in front of us?
Song Jin looked at Ji Shubai. The summer sunshine could not resist the chill in his heart. Goose bumps covered Song Jin's body. His vision gradually blurred. Ji Shubai finally became a dark blue shadow engraved in his eyes.
Ji Shubai turned around and saw this scene. Song Jin's face was full of compassion, like the compassion of a god or Buddha looking down on all living beings.
The expression on his face froze, and the first reason he guessed was: "Are you feeling sorry for Mr. Hai?"
Song Jin came to his senses slightly, blinked, and two tears fell.
She forced a smile: "No."
"No?" Ji Shubai also forced a smile: "Didn't you admire Mr. Hai very much before?"
Song Jin was silent for a moment, then found another way to make an entry.
"Sir, I saw an interesting thing at Gaoju's house today."
"Funny? What funny?"
Song Jin said, "When I was waiting for you in the courtyard, I heard a quarrel. From what they said, it sounded like the owner of a restaurant was sending food for the banquet to Gaoju's family, but the manager only paid them two coins."
Ji Shubai frowned and asked, "Do you think Gao Juren didn't pay enough money?"
Song Jin thought for a moment and said, "It's certain that they didn't pay enough, but the shopkeeper didn't seem to care. He even avoided me when he met me. But the manager who didn't pay was arrogant."
Ji Shubai took a long breath and said, "I know what you are thinking, but sometimes the people don't report it, and the officials don't correct it. This is not a matter for a high official, nor is it a matter for a shopkeeper to suffer a loss, but everyone has tacitly accepted this rule. If the shopkeeper insists on pursuing it, the money will be recovered, but this business will be more difficult in the future. I can be his boss for a while, but I can't be his boss for a lifetime."
He glanced at Song Jin and said, "You used to be a businessman, have you ever encountered this?"
Song Jin thought about it and shook his head: "No."
"You have only been in business for a short time and you have not seen many things yet. Take your time."
Song Jin thought slowly, it seems that he had not met many officials, businessmen, and wealthy people in the past, but there was no case of anyone owing money and not paying it back.
Just like Ji Shubai said, she has only been in business for a short time and has very little experience. The rules that she once put into her head may not be applicable in this world.
The word "privilege" is not just talk.
After thinking about it, Song Jin felt somewhat unwilling and decided to continue.
"Does your Excellency want to hear the story of the mistress I told you today?"
Ji Shubai didn't want to listen at first, but Song Jin's expression relaxed a little, and guessing that she wanted to say it, she said yes.
So Song Jin told him the story of the Lady of the Camellias, a story about a woman who depended on rich men and exchanged her youth and beauty for money.
Song Jin spoke slowly and Ji Shubai listened attentively. However, he still hadn't guessed the moral of the story until Song Jin finished speaking.
"What do you want to say?"
Song Jin smiled and said, "The most interesting part of this story is not that the woman followed the man, but that she gave up everything for him in the end, just to fulfill his reputation."
"Where is that?"
Song Jin said: "In another version."
In reality, Marguerite did not follow Armand at all. She was addicted to that luxurious life and did not listen to anyone's preaching. She did not turn over a new leaf and had no spiritual holiness. It was just the author's forced sublimation after the death of her former lover.
She just sank to the bottom of that kind of life until she drowned.
The love of the Lady of the Camellias is nothing more than a man's unfulfilled desire.
"What exactly do you want to say?" Ji Shubai frowned slightly, not quite understanding what Song Jin wanted to say.
"I say, the High Priest is like the Lady of the Camellias, like a mistress, like a vampire."
Song Jin said calmly, watching Ji Shubai's eyes suddenly widen and his pupils tremble.
"The only difference is that this mistress only sucks the blood of rich people, while Gao Juren sucks the blood of poor people."
Song Jin added another knife.
"Are you crazy? Listen to what you are saying!"
Ji Shubai was very angry, but Song Jin did not stop: "Isn't it? Sacrificing the interests of the lower class to infinitely support the upper class is just like the mistress being supported by the rich man, but that woman relies on her beauty and charm, while the scholar relies on fame."
"This country is run by scholars, and the rules are set by scholars, so the benefits naturally go to scholars."
"If it's not the scholars who are in charge, then who should be in charge? You?" Ji Shubai scolded: "Since the establishment of our Chinese civilization, scholars have been in charge. If even books..."
"What's so great about that? From the Yao, Shun and Yu in mythology to the emperor today, there have been so many dynasties, and it's obvious that the government is in a mess."
Song Jin retorted without hesitation, watching Ji Shubai's chest swell several sizes with anger.
"Are you saying that everything we are doing now is a waste of effort? Have you never seen the past? Do you think today's peace and stability are taken for granted?" Ji Shubai spoke with his remaining upbringing.
"You have never seen the floods in western Zhejiang, you have never experienced the invasion of Japanese pirates, and the Bozhou toast and Jianzhou Jurchens have never been at peace. You were born in Suzhou and lived in the Bai family courtyard. You thought that being a servant was the most painful and difficult thing, but do you know what the world outside is like? Do you think the current peace and prosperity are naturally obtained?"
Ji Shubai became more and more annoyed as he spoke, and tears welled up in Song Jin's eyes. This was not what she meant, but the more she spoke, the more she was wrong.
"My Lord, I don't mean to tell you this..."
"So what do you want to say?"
Song Jin bit his lip. It would be wrong to say it or not to say it at this moment. So he said with a hard heart: "What I want to say is that the rich people have made enough money now, and it's time to stop. If you can't do this, you should withdraw in time and don't get involved with the people in the vortex, so as to avoid getting into trouble in the future."
Song Jin thought about it for a long time. She wondered where Ji Shubai would end up if he failed in the future.
Zhang Juzheng, this is Song Jin’s answer.
If I remember correctly, Ji Shubai was recommended by Zhang Juzheng, and he was purged after Zhang Juzheng's death, just like he purged those who attached themselves to Li Gaogong when he came to power.
It is said that a new emperor appoints his own ministers, and in fact the ministers are no exception.
She remembered that when it came to Zhang Juzheng, some people were transferred at the very least, like Qi Jiguang, while others lost their lives, like the descendants of the Zhang family. Of course, there were also people who benefited from this and were reinstated, like Hai Rui.
As for where Ji Shubai was, Song Jin could only be sure that he was not in the last position.
"What do you mean by a person in a vortex?" Ji Shubai's anger did not subside even though Song Jin said that he was thinking about him. "In the officialdom, do you think you can just stay out of trouble? You seem to have forgotten how you used me in the first place."
Ji Shubai hit Song Jin's sore spot. She had never thought that the immoral things she had done would one day be used to negate her own views.
Tears welled up in her eyes: "Master Ji, I never thought of harming you..."
"But you are not that upright. How can you, a person with evil intentions, tell me to stay away from the vortex? Aren't you my vortex too?"
Song Jin was speechless, his heart suddenly tightened, and his whole body was shrouded in a feeling of sadness.
"I won't bother with what you said today. If you bring it up again in the future, don't blame me for getting angry with you."
After saying that, he reined in his horse, turned around, left Song Jin there and walked back. Song Jin had no choice but to turn around and catch up, but his skills were not good enough and he fell far behind.
The two of them had a conversation and said a lot. The sun began to approach the top of the western mountain. The surface of the river changed from silver to golden, and dusk was just around the corner.
It is said that people will feel panic at dusk. That is an ancient memory left over from the time when people lived in caves. It indicates that it is not safe outside and it is time to go home.
But where is Song Jin's home? The home that used incandescent lights to repel the panic of dusk is out of reach.
Song Jin rode his horse on the embankment. As excited as he was when he came here, he felt as desolate now.
She fell on her horse, weeping.
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