Travel back in time and become Chongzhen, watch me turn the tide

"Chaozong, how about we go out for a walk?" Chongzhen put down the pen in his hand and asked the young man beside him with a smile.

"Mr. Zhu, to be honest, I have wanted to take you out for a walk for a long time. But seeing that you are busy all day, I didn't have the courage to ask." The young man responded with a smile.

This young man was truly extraordinary. He was one of the Four Young Masters of the late Ming Dynasty, widely known to later generations—Hou Fangyu.

Hou Fangyu, courtesy name Chaozong, and pseudonyms Xueyuan and Zayongzi, was known historically as one of the three great prose writers of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, one of the "Four Young Masters" of the late Ming dynasty, and a leader of the Fushe Society. He met and fell in love with Li Xiangjun, one of the "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai" in Nanjing. Their love story was adapted into the famous play "Peach Blossom Fan" by Qing Dynasty dramatist Kong Shangren, which has since become a classic in Chinese drama history.

This incident was quite a coincidence. Shi Kefa, seeing that Chongzhen lacked capable scholars, recommended Hou Fangyu to him.

The reason why Hou Fangyu was in Shi Kefa's army at this time was because of his love with Li Xiangjun.

When the two were engaged, Hou Fangyu presented Li Xiangjun with a fan inscribed with a poem as a token of his love. At the time, Ruan Dacheng, a remnant of Wei Zhongxian, who was living in seclusion in Nanjing, was being ostracized by the Fushe scholars. Learning of Hou Fangyu's financial difficulties, Ruan Dacheng seized the opportunity to purchase a dowry and entrust his sworn brother Yang Longyou to deliver it, hoping to win over Hou Fangyu and thereby ease relations with the Fushe.

However, Li Xiangjun saw through his actions and was filled with righteous indignation. She resolutely returned the dowry. Ruan Dacheng therefore bore a grudge against Hou Fangyu.

Now that Ruan Dayue was in power in the Southern Ming Hongguang court, he began to retaliate frantically against the members of the Fushe Society, and Hou Fangyu's situation in Nanjing became precarious. In order to avoid Ruan Dacheng's persecution, Hou Fangyu had to flee Nanjing and come to Shi Kefa's army to avoid the limelight temporarily.

Hou Fangyu's grandfather and father were both members of the Donglin Party, so they were naturally familiar with Shi Kefa. Shi Kefa also admired Hou Fangyu's talent very much and was very happy about his arrival. This time he recommended him to Chongzhen.

After these few days of interaction, Chongzhen was quite satisfied with Hou Fangyu. Although Hou Fangyu still had some scholarly aura, he possessed a solid literary foundation, was intelligent, and was hardworking. With proper guidance, he would surely have a promising future.

Now, Shi Kefa naturally would not tell Hou Fangyu Chongzhen's true identity, but only asked him to call Chongzhen "Mr. Zhu". Despite this, Hou Fangyu had great respect for this mysterious Mr. Zhu.

After all, whether it is the imperial temperament exuded by Chongzhen today, or the insights from later generations of the novice writer Zhu Youjian before time travel, they all have an overwhelming advantage over Hou Fangyu.

In the past few days, Chongzhen has successfully turned Hou Fangyu into his little fan.

During this time, Chongzhen sorted out the useful knowledge he had learned before he could forget it, and on the other hand, he reorganized and planned what he was going to do next. Therefore, although he arrived in Yangzhou, he had not had time to go out and see this prosperous city.

Today, seeing the beautiful weather outside, Chongzhen couldn't help but think of visiting Yangzhou. However, he had also passed by Yangzhou in his later life, but he just took a quick look at the commercialized Dongguan Street and didn't find it special.

Now that I have come to the historical Yangzhou, I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t take a closer look.

Yangzhou's prosperity, which has continued from the Han and Tang dynasties to the present day, can be described as a comprehensive history of prosperity, which is mainly reflected in its unique geographical location, developed industries, rich history and culture, and diverse art forms.

Located at the confluence of the Grand Canal and the Yangtze River, Yangzhou possesses a natural geographical advantage. Coupled with its abundant agricultural and commercial resources, this city became one of the most economically prosperous cities in ancient China.

After Chongzhen greeted Shi Kefa, he and Hou Fangyu came to the street with Zhu Tie and Zhu Ge.

"Where would you like to go, Mr. Zhu?" Hou Fangyu asked softly with a smile on his face.

"With a fortune of one hundred thousand taels, I ride a crane to Yangzhou! I've heard of Yangzhou's prosperity for a long time, but I don't know where to truly experience it," Chongzhen said with a smile. "Does Emperor Chaozong know anything about Yangzhou?"

"Mr. Zhu, you've asked the right person," Hou Fangyu replied with a smile. "Although I haven't been to Yangzhou very often, I know it quite well. Among the bustling areas of Yangzhou today, Dongguan Street, Xiaoqinhuai, and Caiyi Street are undoubtedly the most famous."

"Oh? I'd like to hear the details!"

"Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Dongguan Street, relying on the canal docks, has gradually prospered and flourished, gradually becoming the commercial center of Yangzhou City. The old street is lined with shops, and various industries are thriving. Silk shops, tea shops, trading companies, and salt shops are spread throughout the block. This is the largest salt distribution center in the country, and it is also a gathering place for salt merchants. The area is dotted with salt merchants' mansions, the former residences of celebrities, temples and gardens, academies and schools, and time-honored shops. The salt merchants brought endless wealth and business opportunities, greatly promoting the prosperity of Dongguan Street..."

"After the 24th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, Yangzhou built a new city. The Xiao Qinhuai River became the boundary and main thoroughfare between the old and new cities, and prosperity began. Thanks to convenient transportation and a thriving salt industry, by the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, its banks were lined with wine shops and numerous mansions and gardens. Like a jade belt, the Xiao Qinhuai River connects more than ten bridges, including Dadongmen Bridge, Wuben Bridge, Sanyuan Road Bridge, Cuiyuan Bridge, Xiaohong Bridge, Xinqiao Bridge, Gongyuan Bridge, Xiaodongmen Bridge, and Ruyi Bridge. These bridges still survive even after hundreds of years. Their shapes vary, including suspension bridges, beam bridges, and plank bridges. The most important of these are arch bridges. Ruyi Bridge and Xiaohong Bridge are both representative of Yangzhou's brick arch bridges, rich in local characteristics. Thus, the Xiao Qinhuai River, transformed from a moat, gradually became a prosperous commercial area in Yangzhou..."

"Besides Dongguan Street and the Little Qinhuai River, Caiyi Street is also a bustling area in Yangzhou City. Caiyi Street connects to Dongguan Street in the east and runs through the West Gate of Yangzhou City in the west. The Salt Transport Commissioner's Office, located not far from Caiyi Street, contributed to its gradual prosperity and the increase in the number of businesses. Caiyi Street's name comes from its history as a clothing retail street. Furthermore, the high number of businesses here is also related to the former temple of the God of Wealth at the east end of Caiyi Street. This temple was very popular, attracting many merchants and greatly promoting the commercial development of Caiyi Street..."

"Then where are we closer?" Chongzhen asked after thinking for a while.

"Our current location is closer to the Xiao Qinhuai River," Hou Fangyu said after thinking for a while.

"Since we're close to the Xiao Qinhuai River, let's go there first. If time is of the essence, we can go somewhere else," Chongzhen said with a smile. "Today we should really enjoy the delicious food of Yangzhou!"

"Okay, I want to eat meat!" Zhu Tie said with a silly smile.

"Okay! Eat as much as you want today!"

Chongzhen laughed heartily, his nerves, which had been tense since he traveled through time, now relaxed a little...