Chapter 36 Winter Fishing and Spring Farming (I) Update
Fu Yu Changqing paused. She had no idea what other bizarre ideas the Marquis in front of her would have, but in this situation, it was difficult for her to say no.
Then he said, "Of course. If it's a win-win situation for both parties, Changqing will never refuse."
She remembered her second reason for wading through the snow and said, "Fuyu Changqing would like to ask the young marquis and Chief Fu if they plan to use this area as a fishing hole?"
At this time, Fu Mingyi was leading the craftsmen of his clan and the people from the royal palace to assemble the mechanical parts that had been transported here.
Although he saw Fu Yu Chang Qing coming, he couldn't get away for a while.
Fu Zhener nodded upon hearing this: "That's right."
Fuyu Changqing knew that Fu Zhen'er was very popular within the Fu clan and was willing to treat him as the leader of the Fu clan. He said, "Changqing is very confused. With the heavy snow just falling and the lake frozen, why did the Fu clan leader and the Fu clan leader choose this most difficult place to dig a cave?"
Fu Zhener admitted that she was a junior, unlike Liu Ziye, who sat upright on the sled and talked to Fuyu Changqing from a superior position.
He got off the sled and replied to Fuyu Changqing, "Zhen'er understands the meaning of Fuyu Clan Leader's reminder. This part of the lake is the deepest, with both ice and snow frozen deep. However, it's also where the fish are most abundant, so we chose this spot."
Fuyu Changqing wondered, "Since Chief Fu Xiao knew about this, why did he insist on doing this?"
"The Buyeo leader will understand later."
Fu Zhen'er didn't say much, just explained it this way.
Fu Yu Changqing wanted to say something, but at this moment he suddenly heard shouting and scolding coming from the direction where the Fu Yu clan was digging through the lake.
She looked back and saw that soldiers dressed in the uniforms of the Xiguan Governor's Office had arrived at the open space they had dug out and surrounded their Fuyu fishing team.
Fuyu Changqing was shocked and didn't bother to persuade Fu Zhener anymore. He ran back in the snow in a rather embarrassed manner.
Liu Ziye and Fu Zhen'er also saw the commotion over there. She shook her head and said, "A governor of a county in the Great Zhou Dynasty is actually here to rob the people. This is really embarrassing for my uncle the Emperor and my brother the Crown Prince! It seems that clearing the two gate towers in Yucheng hasn't exhausted the little energy the Governor's Office has saved."
Fu Zhen'er thought of his behavior some time ago, which was a hundred times more arrogant than that of the Xiguan Governor. When she heard him speak at this moment, she couldn't help but smile.
He only asked: "Ziye, do you want to take care of it?"
"Why should I care? Fuyu clan is not Fu clan, what does it have to do with me? Do you want me to stand up for them when they are bullied? Let them bite first."
Liu Ziye said nonchalantly, and then she got off the sled: "Let's go and see how the ice drill is being assembled."
Although these words sounded cold and heartless, they clearly distinguished the Fu family from others, and made it clear that Liu Ziye had a completely different attitude towards the Fu family, which made Fu Zhener feel both heartbroken and helpless.
Du Hui saw Liu Ziye coming over, but did not explain much. After all, he knew the complete and disassembly design drawings of these parts. He had taken them all from Liu Ziye and then handed them over to the newly formed design and production team of the Marquis' Mansion and the Fu family craftsmen to complete their respective division of labor.
Liu Ziye could naturally tell the progress at a glance.
She looked around the lake and saw some scattered small fishing teams. They had obviously suffered a great setback. They were frustrated and desperate, but still refused to give up trying to dig. She hoped that God would have mercy on them and give them a way to survive.
There were also some quick-witted people who had been paying close attention to the progress of the Buyeo fishing team.
I was thinking that once the Fuyu clan finished digging, I could go up there and beg for a living, at least in exchange for some of their catches.
Before the snow fell, Du Hui and Hao Wenchang's two-way lobbying efforts failed in Qingcheng. They also did not have enough time to visit all the other thirteen towns, so they only visited five nearby towns. Among the five towns, only three agreed to Hao Wenchang's proposal.
Everyone in the town was gathered together, some collected salt, some played sledding, some played snow barrel rolling, and some played fishing games.
However, their craftsmen were still far inferior to those of the Fu family, and even the relatively simplified fishing machines were not ready. Therefore, there was no trace of these three towns on Qiansai Lake at that time.
Those who rushed to arrive early were in the same situation as the Qingcheng Fuyu clan.
Seeing that another powerful Xiguan family, the Fu family, had arrived, many of these people naturally placed their hopes on them.
However, they were all like Fu Yu Changqing, who could see the problem with Fu's choice of location at a glance, but they had no idea why the Fu family had lost their minds this year?
It seems that we still have to place our hopes on the Buyeo clan.
However, just as Fuyu was about to dig a famous fishing cave, it was surrounded by the governor's mansion.
Fuyu Changqing rushed back to where his clan's fishing team was. Even though he was so angry that his blood was boiling, he held back and did not dare to lose his temper. He just went to the leader of the team of palace soldiers and negotiated with them in a proper manner.
She looked at the leader's uniform and said, "Master, I am the chief of the Fuyu clan. This is the fishing spot chosen by the Fuyu clan. Xiguan County conducts winter fishing every year, and there is nothing wrong with it. I wonder what your meaning is?"
The leader was a captain in charge of a hundred soldiers from the palace. He looked at the man from the Buyeo clan who had come forward.
"So you're the Fuyu clan leader, huh? Well, this year, Xiguan County has been hit by a heavy snowfall the likes of which hasn't been seen in decades. The governor is deeply concerned about the livelihoods of the border residents, so he ordered us to lead the team here," he said, feigning politeness and concern. "Fuyu clan leader, rest assured, continue digging; the situation this winter is different than before." "Have you seen those fishing fleets from the Thirteen Towns, who are eyeing us with such eagerness?"
The captain pointed around the lake and said, "If you, the Fuyu clan, dig out this fishing cave, it will easily attract looting! However, if our governor comes forward and our palace soldiers lead the troops to guard it, naturally no one will dare to act rashly."
Fuyu Changqing was shocked.
She is not stupid, in fact, she has always been very smart in her plans.
How could I not know that the team in front of me was saying this, but it was obvious that they were going to wait until they finished digging and then the governor's office would directly take over this fishing ice cave.
By then, no other refugees would dare to come and provoke us.
But the Fuyu clan was also unable to catch any fish, so this fishing cave was completely wasted!
"But there has never been such a case before." Fu Yu Changqing protested.
"There has never been much resentment among the people of our Western Border. Even if someone wants to take advantage of the produce from this fishing cave, they would never be so brutal and rude as Dui Jiao suggests. The captain has good intentions, but the Fuyu clan would never dare to burden the governor's soldiers with such a trivial matter."
"There hasn't been any in the past, but isn't this year different from the past?!"
After being polite, the leader of the palace soldiers became a little impatient and waved his hand: "Be smart and tell your men to continue digging."
Fuyu Changqing's face looked grim. The attitude of this group of palace soldiers showed that they were already defeated.
Even if he and his men gave up this excavation site and looked for a new location, once there was any progress, it would still attract the palace soldiers to gather again.
In previous years, the Governor's Office naturally looked down upon the winter fishing and hunting harvests. The Governor's Office treasury was full all year round. In winter, all parts of Xiguan County had to hand over a portion of their respective fishing and hunting harvests in proportion, saying that it was for the fiefdom and salary of the King of Xiguan. However, Fuyu Changqing also knew that most of these harvests went into the Xiguan Governor's Office, and it would be good if the King of Xiguan could get one or two out of ten.
For some reason, the treasury of the Xiguan Governor's Mansion was empty this year. Faced with such a heavy snow, the entire governor's mansion and even thousands of soldiers had to survive the winter, so they set their eyes on their fishing spots.
Half of the provincial governor's army consisted of standing guard soldiers. Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, they had long since grown accustomed to a life of government support, having long since lost touch with the realities of farming, fishing, and hunting. The remaining half was filled by civilians from various regions on a rotating basis. However, these soldiers had little say and were usually limited to simple tasks like apprehending thieves or performing odd jobs. They had not developed the extravagant habits typical of soldiers, so their daily expenses were not significant.
The captain of the palace soldiers looked at Fuyu Changqing's face and couldn't help but smile: "Why, is the Fuyu clan leader not convinced?"
Fu Yu Changqing was of course not convinced.
She realized that her people would end up working in vain and only be a tool for others.
Once the government soldiers officially took over these fishing and hunting outlets, they would not leave any decent share for the Fuyu clan.
Thinking of this, Fuyu Changqing let out a long sigh and said, "I dare not. I just think that after this heavy snow, the Fuyu clan was the first to wade through the snow-blocked roads and rush to Qiansai Lake. The fishing spot they chose is also the best location this year. Since our governor's office has set its sights on this fishing spot, we, the Fuyu clan, dare not monopolize it. We will give it to the governor's office. We will find another site and dig and fish on our own. If we encounter people from other towns looting and causing trouble, the Fuyu clan will deal with it ourselves and will not cause any trouble to the governor's soldiers. What do you think?"
The team just finished listening, thought for a moment and said: "That's not impossible."
"However, if you want to leave, you must first catch all the fish here." The palace soldier stopped pretending and stated their direct purpose clearly.
Fu Yu Chang Qing saw that this team had clearly lost all shame, so she stopped pretending to be respectful and asked with a sneer, "In this great disaster, it's already extremely difficult for ordinary people like us to survive. Why do the officials in the Governor's Mansion have to go so far as to bully us?"
"Who are you calling too much of a bully?!"
The captain's face changed. "I see you're a clan leader, so I'm going to talk to you nicely, but you're being ungrateful! Come, whip them! Drive all the members of the Fuyu clan, including this idiotic clan leader, under the snow. No one is allowed to leave until every last fish in this fishing hole is caught!"
As he spoke, he pointed at Fuyu Changqing with his whip in hand and said, "You go in too and chop ice for me!"
Seeing that Fu Yu Changqing was obviously angry and dissatisfied, the captain of the palace soldiers immediately raised his whip and was about to hit Fu Yu Changqing in the face.
When the whip was halfway in its stroke, it was caught by another long whip that came from nowhere. The captain of the imperial guards' whip lost its direction and was caught by the long whip and pulled hard, causing him to fall off the horse's back into the snow.
The surface of the snow was still soft, so the captain of the palace soldiers didn't feel any pain when he fell, but the situation was really embarrassing.
There was a layer of snow on his eyelashes, and before he could see clearly, he shouted, "Who are you? How dare you tease this captain!"
However, he was hit hard on the face by a whip right after. A clear, slightly angry voice said, "Who the hell are you? How dare you roar at the young Marquis of Xiguan?"
Young Marquis of Xiguan?
The captain of the palace guards heard the key point. Although he had just seen several other groups of people on the lake, one of which was the Fu family of Yucheng, but the Fu family had obviously just arrived today. Not only had the good positions been occupied by others, but they had not even started working yet. So he didn't put much energy into it. How could he have known that among so many people, there was also the young marquis of Xiguan?
He endured the burning pain on his face, wiped away the snow that blocked his vision, and finally saw the situation clearly.
A few steps in front of him, holding a whip, was a young man dressed as a guard. Looking further back, he saw the unmistakable young marquis of Xiguan.
"Your humble servant, your humble servant greets the young Marquis of Xiguan." The captain of the palace guards had to crawl on the snow and kneel down to salute.
Xiying pointed a whip at the other guards surrounding the Buyeo fishing team and asked, "What about these people? Don't they know how to behave when meeting the young marquis?"
The captain of the palace guards held back for a moment before saying, "Our palace guards are under the jurisdiction of the Xiguan Governor's Mansion. If it was the previous Xiguan King, he still had the power to control the Governor and the governor's mansion soldiers. But now the Xiguan Young Marquis..."
Before he could finish his words, the sound of a whip breaking through the air came again, and the other side of his face was whipped again, and blood was immediately dripping.
Xiying simply said, "Whether the young marquis has power or not is not your place to say. Just because he's a direct descendant of the royal family, everyone must bow down and pay their respects!"
This statement was powerful and resounding. After what happened between Pan Yi and Iberly, everyone had learned a clear lesson.
That is the young Marquis of Xiguan who was exiled to the frontier. Even though he was unpopular and down and out in the eyes of the Emperor and his son in Yanjing, he would never allow others to look down on him.
They all remember vividly how imposing the Yanjing Imperial Guards were when Chi Mu led them.
The captain of the palace guards endured the severe pain and called all the palace guards he had brought with him today to gather their troops. They lined up in a row on the snowy ground above the lake and knelt down to pay their respects. "Greetings to the young Marquis of Xiguan."
Liu Ziye was very satisfied with Xiying's reaction just now and gave him an encouraging look.
Then he said to the soldiers of the Xiguan Governor's Mansion who were spread all over the ground: "Everyone, get up."
"yes."
The palace soldiers stood up from their snow nests with a loud noise, not daring to show any impatience in their expressions.
This young marquis has an unpredictable temperament and a bad temper. If anyone runs into him, he would even dare to kill the eunuchs around the Emperor of Yanjing with his sword, let alone ordinary soldiers like them from the border area?
"Where is Wang Yanpeng?"
Liu Ziye asked the captain of the palace guards.
The captain of the palace guards had been beaten so badly that he couldn't speak. He immediately kicked another palace guard nearby. The soldier hurriedly said, "The governor is still in the governor's mansion."
"The roads are difficult to travel after the snow, but he knows how to hide and enjoy his comfort, and let you out to bark and bully others."
Liu Ziye asked with a smile: "Why, with a governor's office and hundreds of soldiers who can run and jump, can't you catch fish yourself? Instead of being so useless as to rob others of theirs?"
"That's not the case. We came here on orders because we were worried that the people were ignorant and uncivilized and that a dispute might arise over fishing..."
"Stop talking to me about this nonsense."
Liu Ziye interrupted him and said, "If it's true, as you say, that you're here to help maintain order, then do it properly and don't try anything shady. This winter, if I hear from any of the people in Xiguan that the governor's soldiers are seizing their fishing and hunting harvests, tell Wang Yanpeng to expect me!"
After Liu Ziye finished speaking, the captain of the palace guards and his entourage were speechless. They could not refuse directly, so they could only endure the pain and agree.
However, at this moment, another person from the palace guards stood up and said, "Young Marquis, the Governor and I respect you. We will do whatever you say. However, the Governor is, after all, a local official of our Great Zhou Dynasty. We are here today on his orders. If we don't have even the slightest explanation to report, the Governor will report it directly to the emperor. As a member of the Great Zhou royal family, you should understand your earnest intentions, right?"
Liu Ziye originally thought that by showing off his power, he might be able to fool these people and ask these palace soldiers who were used to being bullied, and even the governor Wang Yanpeng, to stop causing trouble.
Unexpectedly, I met such a troublemaker.
She wasn't impressed. She tilted her head slightly to observe the person who dared to speak, and asked, "Then please speak for me, the Marquis. What do you think?"
The man had already started and was now in a state of slight excitement, greatly encouraged by his courage to resist.
Hearing that the young Marquis of Xiguan actually asked him to continue speaking, he pointed directly towards the fishing hole of the Fuyu clan and said, "Young Marquis, please leave this fishing hole to our Governor's Mansion!"
"I see."
Liu Ziye nodded and turned to ask Fuyu Changqing: "Fuyu clan leader, what do you think?"
Fu Yu Changqing was extremely angry, but he also knew that if they really tried to confront these governor's soldiers head-on, they would not gain any benefit at all.
So he said, "We, the Fuyu clan, can give this one catch to the Governor's Office as our share of the winter fishing tax. However, other than this one, we hope the Governor's Office will give us a clear promise not to interfere with any other fishing spots that we, the Fuyu clan, will open later."
"Of course!" The man agreed immediately after hearing this.
The expressions of the other soldiers in the palace guards, including the captain of the palace guards, eased a little after hearing this.
Before they surrounded the Fuyu fishing fleet, they knew that the location chosen by the Fuyu clan was the best, and they already had hope of breaking through. With this opening, they could at most mobilize some of the conscripted soldiers from the government to work, and the fish produced from this opening would be enough for their governor's office and the government troops.
"In that case, young marquis, Fu Yu Changqing is willing to hand over this fish." Fu Yu Changqing turned around and bowed to Liu Ziye.
Although they failed to save this hunting ground, if Liu Ziye had not stepped forward, they would not even have the opportunity to build a new cave for their own use. She had to accept this favor from the young Marquis of Xiguan.
Xiying was obviously dissatisfied with the result. In his opinion, these palace soldiers dared to bargain unreasonably with their young marquis, which was a provocation.
Given their young marquis's personality, how could he possibly accept others negotiating terms with him?
Their young marquis is lawless...
Oh, no, I am a fearless person. Even if I turn the Qiansai Lake upside down today, I will never let anyone take advantage of me!
Xiying said: "Young Marquis..."
Unexpectedly, Liu Ziye smiled incomprehensibly, looking at Fuyu Changqing and the palace soldiers: "You, tear off a piece of clothing, dip it in blood and swear an oath right here and now. As long as you keep your promise, I will never bother Wang Yanpeng afterwards."
Xiying looked at their young marquis in surprise. She never expected that Liu Ziye would be so easy to talk to and agree.
But now he also understood a little bit. He could not raise any objection to the decision made by their young marquis in public. Xiying shut up and stood aside, continuing to play the role that he should play as a personal guard.
The captain of the palace guards was speechless for a moment and could only signal the person who had just spoken with his eyes.
The man knew that he had made a great contribution today, so he was naturally willing to take the lead in swearing this oath. He tore off a piece of light-colored cloth from under his robe without hesitation, spread it on the snow, bit his finger, and dipped it in blood to write.
After a moment, he handed it out respectfully.
Xiying stepped forward, took it, and handed it to Liu Ziye to look at.
Liu Ziye quickly glanced through it and threw it back: "The content is acceptable. Send someone back now and ask Wang Yanpeng to add his governor's seal, and the matter will be settled."
Several soldiers discussed it briefly and decided that they had to report what happened here to the governor anyway, so they nodded in agreement. They immediately sent out several people, led by the soldier who had come forward today, and disappeared into the snow with the blood letter in their pockets.
After things settled down a bit, Fuyu Changqing asked his clan's fishing team to pack up their equipment and prepare to collectively thank the young Marquis of Xiguan before choosing another location.
After experiencing such a series of twists and turns, all the hard work of the past few days was wasted, and everyone in the Fuyu clan looked a little depressed.
Fuyu Changqing and his men paid their respects and, after once again expressing their sincere gratitude, were about to lead the Fuyu fishing team to select another site on Qiansai Lake when they heard the young marquis say, "I do have a suggestion."
Fu Yu Changqing paused and listened carefully to Liu Ziye's next words: "Young Marquis, please speak."
Liu Ziye: "If you are willing to accept the offer, I would like to do another business with you."
Fuyu Changqing: ...
Doing business again?
However, at this moment, she no longer asked questions and accused harshly as she did when she first saw the young marquis from Xiguan breaking into her yard. Instead, she was extremely curious and hopeful about this deal from the bottom of her heart.
"What kind of business does the young marquis want to do?"
Liu Ziye said, "There aren't many fishing spots on this frozen Qiansai Lake that Fuyu Clan Leader considers the best. The remaining ones are pretty much the same. Fuyu Clan Leader, there's no need to rush to open new ones in a day or two. Why don't you come with me and see for yourself first? Then, Fuyu Clan Leader, you can decide whether to do this business or not. Okay?"
After hearing this, Fu Yu Changqing almost burst into tears of gratitude.
good.
The young marquis has thought so carefully, how could it be bad?
This time, the young Marquis of Xiguan politely let her decide for herself whether to do business or not. Isn't that much better than the last time when he used force to suppress her and force her to buy or sell? What reason or room did she have to disagree?
Fuyu Changqing raised his hands and bowed, saying, "The Fuyu clan is willing to obey the arrangements of the young marquis."
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