After taking a carriage back and forth, Sun Yuan Hua went back to the inn to sleep gloomily. At six o 'clock the next morning, he heard a loud bell ringing outside the window while he was still lying in bed. There was an idiom called' morning bell and evening drum '. In ancient times, people were not careless about telling the time. But today, the sound of the bell was exceptionally loud. It was really puzzling.
Sun Yuan Hua got up from the bed with sleepy eyes. He pushed the window open and looked outside. The bell was even more noisy. It seemed to be coming from the direction of the drum tower. The drum tower was originally a place to tell the time. But what was with this disturbing bell ringing?
It seemed that he couldn't sleep.
Sun Yuan Hua could only get up and wash up before picking up the morning newspaper. He had only been in Tianjin for two or three days, but he knew that he had to read more newspapers published by the Revolutionary Army every day. The news in it was very valuable. Today's front page was about the daily time reform. The 12-hour interval was too big, so Zhou Qingfeng changed it to a 24-hour system. The cities and towns around Tianjin would also set up bell towers to tell the time all day.
Accurate time was very important for production and life. The ancient people had a poor concept of time. The difficulty of keeping time was also a problem. Zhou Qingfeng also couldn't take out a large number of accurate watches in one go. He still used the hourglass to keep time and arranged people to ring the bell at a fixed time. At most, the people who rang the bell would have more energy after eating and ring the bell louder.
In addition to the time reform, other news covered all aspects. There was even a lot of news about the capital. For example, the newly ascended Taichang Emperor had issued a series of reform measures to eliminate the corrupt government, set things right, and reorganize the law. Regarding this matter, Sun Yuan Hua was inexplicably excited early in the morning. He immediately felt the joy and expectation of Daming's resurgence.
The Revolutionary Army didn't forcibly conceal the news of these enemies. But the newspaper immediately had a 'special commentator article' written by Mu Sinian, the propaganda section chief. The article directly pointed out that the new ruler of the Ming court, Zhu Changluo, was addicted to wine and women, indulged in debauchery, and had a weak body. It was likely that he wouldn't be the emperor for long. The Ming court couldn't rise again. It couldn't be changed by a mere emperor.
Section Chief Mu used a mocking tone to recount the recent absurdities of the Ming court. He also interviewed many officials of the Ming court who had defected to them and revealed all of the scandals that had happened in the Ming court. These things made people feel that Daming's previous excitement was just lip service.
In order to strengthen the publicity, Police Chief Ma Keshi even set up a column as a witness to Daming's palace secrets. He wrote all the secrets he knew into articles — The Story Between Ming Ting and I Must Be Told.
The Ming court's Emperor, Empress, imperial concubines, princes, eunuchs, palace maids, high-ranking ministers, low-ranking officials, there were too many messy things. Eunuch Ma had worked in the East Faction Guards before, so what did he not know about the Imperial Palace? He was well aware of all the shady and shady dealings over the years, the intrigue and scheming in the imperial court, the clique outside the palace fighting against the dissidents. These things were enough for Eunuch Ma to write for the rest of his life.
The first article that Eunuch Ma wrote was the story of Taichang Emperor Zhu Changluo's birth. He was a palace maid of the Wang family that his father, Emperor Wanli, had unintentionally slept with. Unfortunately, she became pregnant. However, Emperor Wanli refused to admit it at first and even acted shamelessly. At that time, Empress Dowager Li had forced him to be born.
Outsiders had never heard of such palace secrets. Once Eunuch Ma's column was opened, it was like a skylight. Paper was expensive in Tianjin. All the people in the city were stirred up and scrambled to read it. Even if the newspapers were to print at full capacity, they still could not meet the demand. There was a lot of discussion in society. The teahouses were full of people. The Emperor, who used to be high above, was now being discussed by the ignorant people at the bottom.
The first article of this column made people curious, especially when they saw the words "Next Time Breakdown". It made people's hearts itch. In the past, if there was nothing to do, who would go to the East Faction Guards to chat? But now was different. Eunuch Ma was also someone who came out of the study room of Song Dynasty: Director Of Ceremonies to read books. He wrote a good story, but the result was … …
"Eunuch Ma, quickly come out and update!"
"Eunuch Ma, three chapters a day must be guaranteed!"
"Eunuch Ma, quickly write, we are all waiting to see!"
"Eunuch Ma, we want to give you a reward!"
Ma Keshi stood at the window on the second floor of the police station and looked out. He was stunned. He thought to himself, "When I joined the 'Revolutionary Army', I never thought that I would encounter such a situation. It was already strange that someone gave me a silk banner, but now there are a lot of people who want to read the article I wrote. It seems that after I retire, I will be able to earn money by writing my memoirs. "
The impact of this column was something no one could have imagined.
Not everyone liked Eunuch Ma's revealing article. After Sun Yuan Hua read the comments of Chief Mu, he was full of anger. After reading Eunuch Ma's article, he even jumped up and scolded, "Traitor, traitor, how dare you slander me, the Emperor Daming, like this. I will not coexist with you." But after scolding, he read Eunuch Ma's article word by word and had a new understanding of the affairs of the court.
After reading the newspaper that day, Sun Yuan Hua was so angry that he lost his temper. He felt that his heart was empty and he did not want to do anything. He sat in the lobby of the inn and listened to the travelers from south to north talking about the Emperor's family affairs. He felt that the Emperor's image had fallen to such a point, which was really depressing. While he was in a daze, he suddenly heard the sound of a newspaper seller coming from outside the inn.
"In order to meet the needs of the vast number of readers, Eunuch Ma has added a special edition of the newspaper."
"Everyone, come and buy it. Being favored by Emperor Wanli for 30 years, how seductive is Imperial Concubine Zheng? The secret history of Emperor Daming's harem. "
"The Emperor is also a mortal, Zhu Yijun's love and hatred. The Emperor's secret that has never been revealed in a thousand years. "
"Imperial Concubine Zheng's life as a stepmother, the unspeakable thing between her and her son, Emperor Taichang. The famous writer Ma Keshi, Eunuch Ma, will tell you one by one. "
Holy shit …!
There was actually someone who wrote such a thing?
The people in the inn came from all over the country and were attracted by Eunuch Ma's article. When they heard these words, they all jumped up and squeezed out of the inn. More than ten people shouted at the same time, "Newspaper seller, give me a copy." "Eunuch Ma is auspicious, good people live a peaceful life." "Eunuch Ma, write more, we want to see the secret."
Seeing the people running out, Sun Yuan Hua, who was sitting in the hall of the inn, was immediately dumbfounded. The strong servant beside him stretched his neck and looked outside. After a long time, he said to Sun Yuan Hua, "Master, should we buy a copy? This is a special edition, Eunuch Ma, that eunuch has left the palace! "
Sun Yuan Hua immediately became furious and scolded the servant, "Buy what? You can't read! "
When he saw that the newspaper of the 'Revolutionary Army' actually reported the news of the capital and the news of Emperor Daming pulling himself together, Sun Yuan Hua thought that there was something wrong with this group of rebels' heads. Now it seemed that there was indeed something wrong with this group of rebels' heads. There was a big problem — how did these rebels think of something that no one else could think of? Now, he hoped that there was no news of the capital in the newspaper.
"Inverting black and white, slandering without basis, this group of rebels is so vicious!" Sun Yuan Hua felt that his brain was numb from anger, and he could no longer think. His servant saw that he was in a daze, so he took out 4 li to buy a special edition.
When he opened the special edition, it turned out to be a portrait of a woman in a palace dress. She wore a crown with dragon and phoenix pearls on her head, and a robe with dragon and phoenix patterns on it. This was the appearance of Imperial Concubine Zheng, confirmed by Eunuch Ma. It was the first time for ordinary people to see what an imperial concubine looked like. This portrait alone was worth the price of today's special edition.
The people who read the newspaper were all amazed and commented on the portrait with great interest. They were addicted to gossiping about the royal family. The strong servant bought the special edition and stared at the portrait, then looked at his master's gloomy face. He quickly restrained himself, presented the special edition, and asked, "Master, does Imperial Concubine Zheng really look like this?"
"How can we, the officials, peep into the Emperor's harem?" Sun Yuan Hua scolded righteously, but he still couldn't help glancing at the newspaper and sighed in his heart, "Ah … so this is the appearance of Imperial Concubine Zheng, who favored the harem, overshadowed the Empress, and caused a mess in Daming's court?"
Because of the power to determine the heir, Imperial Concubine Zheng's presence in the Wanli Dynasty had always been very strong. It was hard for Sun Yuan Hua not to know her. But he only knew, and he didn't know what she looked like.
The strong servant whispered, "Ma Keshi is a person from the Song: Director Of Ceremonies. It says that this portrait was confirmed by Eunuch Ma, so it must be true." After the servant finished speaking, he said happily, "I didn't expect that my nameless servant would one day see the appearance of the imperial concubine. This' Revolutionary Army 'really dares to do anything."
Sun Yuan Hua rolled his eyes, sighed, and took the special edition to read carefully. He thought in his heart, "This' Revolutionary Army 'even dares to rebel, what else do they not dare to do? I really can't believe they can think of such a thing. They actually wrote the royal family's affairs into a story and published it in this magazine. "
Although Ma Keshi was a eunuch, he was still full of integrity. There was no need for him to fabricate nonsense. After all, there were many strange things in the palace. It was enough to surprise people as long as he wrote it truthfully. Sun Yuan Hua read his special edition, and his heart couldn't help but feel really heavy. According to Eunuch Ma's description, Taichang Emperor Zhu Changluo's health was really not good.
Sun Yuan Hua let out a long sigh. He could only put off the idea of going outside the city to see the new farming tools. In any case, he didn't have the strength to go out today. He put away the newspaper and the special edition, returned to his room, spread out the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the table, and wrote a letter to his teacher, Xu Guangqi. After greeting him, he wrote down what he had seen and felt in the past two days, and also asked for his teacher's opinion.
Although Tianjin and Tongzhou were now divided into two worlds, the trade personnel of both sides were very close. After Sun Yuan Hua sent out the letter and newspaper, he didn't go anywhere. He read the newspaper every day, waiting for Eunuch Ma's updates. He felt that his days in Tianjin were also very easy.
The 'Revolutionary Army's' offshore fishing was getting bigger and bigger. The supply of fish and shrimp in Tianjin was very abundant. There was a fleet of ships fishing outside Dagu Pass. Every day, a large amount of fish would be delivered, and the price was also very cheap. Sun Yuan Hua ate and drank like this, leisurely and at ease, waiting for his teacher's reply.
After waiting for four days, the reply came from Tongzhou.
Xu Guangqi began by reprimanding his proud disciple for being confused when he arrived at the bandit camp. He was not diligent in the affairs of the king, but focused on the evil words of the rebellious bandit. As a result, he was confused and did not bring any benefits. Sun Yuan Hua was sweating profusely from his teacher's scolding. He felt very ashamed in his heart. He felt that he had failed his teacher's teachings and had committed a grave sin.
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