Excerpts from the story of Shaoxing Master

The story of Master Shaoxing

Cherish ink like gold and pen like knife

During the former Qing Dynasty, there was a general in Zhejiang who was at odds with the governor. The general was narrow-minded and always wanted to find fault with the governor, but he never found it.

Once, they were all ordered to the capital. Before the official business was finished, it was already the end of winter in the twelfth lunar month. At this time, it happened that the imperial court was about to send a county magistrate to Zhejiang, so he gave the order to the governor in person and ordered him to take it back for his use. The governor is the magistrate's immediate superior, so naturally the magistrate has more contact with him; in contrast, he is not so warm to the general. As a result, the general blamed the governor again, and he held a grudge against the governor even more.

After New Year’s Eve, it’s New Year’s Day. Every New Year's Day, all civil and military officials in the capital go to the Jinluan Hall to pay tribute to the emperor. If there are foreign officials in Beijing at this time, it is no exception. After the congratulations that day, the general returned to his apartment. An idea struck him, so he wrote a memorial and submitted it. It is said that the magistrate's congratulations are disrespectful, and that the governor has not only failed to observe before, but also protected behind, which is a great sin. When the emperor saw the memorial, he was very angry. Without asking any questions, he sternly reprimanded the governor and ordered him to examine himself for his guilt. The governor was wronged, but he had trouble defending himself.

The governor had an entourage who had nothing to do that day. He went to the teahouse to talk to a close friend and accidentally talked about this embarrassing matter. A Shaoxing master sitting next to him listened and stroked his beard and said: "What's so difficult about this? If you want to overturn the verdict, you don't need to use too many words. Eight characters are enough."

The entourage then asked him which eight words he had. Character. Master Shaoxing said: "This is not the place to talk. Go and tell your master that I, Qi Sanshan, am here."

After the follower returned, he told the governor truthfully. When the governor heard it was Qi Sanshan, he was my young classmate! So he ordered his entourage to lead the way and personally invited Qi Sanshan to his apartment, where they immediately served wine and talked about old times.

After three rounds of drinking, Qi Sanshan took the pen, wrote eight words on the paper and handed it to the governor. When the governor took it and took a look, he saw it said: Join the front line, how dare you look back.

When the governor faced these eight words, the more he read them, the more sense they became. Each word was like a knife, cutting into it. He unconsciously touched his scalp and said: "Yes, yes, alas, how can I Unexpectedly! My brother is so talented that I am willing to be inferior to you!" So he immediately wrote a memorandum, using the words "How dare you look back when you are on the front line". Sure enough, when the emperor saw this memorial, his attitude changed drastically - the governor was fine, but the general was convicted.

So why do these eight words have such a big effect? It turns out that governors and generals have relatively high official positions, and they kneel in front when paying greetings, while the magistrate is a seventh-rank minor official, and kneel in the back when paying greetings. When worshiping the emperor, all officials, big or small, must be respectful, and no one can look forward or backward. Now that the general has seen the county magistrate behind him, it just proves that he acted improperly during the greetings and had no regard for the emperor. In this way, his crime cannot be escaped no matter what: either you honestly admit that it is a false accusation, or you are charged with "disrespect". ——This is the power of Master Shaoxing’s pen.

Zhi Ge Arrangement

Persuading Mr. Chen Ge

Mr. Chen Ge retired and returned to his hometown. The emperor of the Qing Dynasty gave him a white goose weighing twenty-three kilograms. , let him relax at home. Mr. Chen Ge took the white goose given by the emperor back to Haining.

In order to show that the white goose was a gift from the emperor, Mr. Chen Ge hung a gold medal on the head and neck of the white goose, with the words "Twenty-three catties of white goose given by the emperor" engraved on the plate. From time to time, he put the goose at the door of the house and let it pace back and forth freely.

One day, the white goose "Cang Da, Cang Da" walked onto the street, stretched its head and neck in front of a tofu shop, and ate all the tofu on the counter. The tofu shopkeeper knew that the goose belonged to Ge Laofu, so he didn't dare to drive it away, so he had to let it eat. Who would have thought that from that day on, the white goose had a taste for tofu and would come to eat tofu every day. The kind-hearted man next to him said to the tofu shopkeeper: "How can you, a small manager, lose a plate of tofu every day?" There was a bolder man who saw that the tofu shopkeeper was pitiful and went to Ge Laofu to book the room on his behalf. It's about human relationships. When the accountant heard this, he said: "As long as you eat as much tofu as before, you will be paid. From now on, I will feed him a plate of tofu every day, and I will pay him at thirty every month." The tofu shopkeeper was relieved.

But some people in the neighborhood said: "In this world, people are worse than animals!"

The good times did not last long. One day, the white goose was eating tofu, and suddenly a spotted dog came and competed with the goose for food. The white goose went to bite the flower dog, but the flower dog bit the white goose's head and neck. After dragging it, the white goose died.

The white goose was bitten to death by a dog. The tofu shopman was so frightened that he broke into a cold sweat and immediately went to report it to Ge Laofu. Upon hearing this, Mr. Chen Ge was furious and said: "What?

I take care of you a plate of tofu every day, but you don't even care about the dog biting the goose. You are obviously a troublemaker!" Then he called Hainingzhou Zhengtang to kill the tofu shop owner. Imprisoned.

A sudden disaster happened in this small tofu shop: the man was imprisoned and the business could not be completed. The wife cried sadly at the door.

At this time, a Shaoxing master walked by. Seeing her crying miserably, he asked her why, and then comforted her: "Don't cry, take a month off and I will help you. I will definitely get your husband." Come back." The tofu shopkeeper's wife was dubious after hearing this.

One month passed quickly, and the Shaoxing master really did not break his promise.

He gave the tofu shop owner's wife a notice and said, "Hurry up and hand it over to Mr. Ge." In order to save her husband, she had no choice but to go. So what was written in the letter? It originally read:

The goose wears a gold medal, but the dog cannot read.

When animals fight, what does it have to do with humans?

The wise old man in the pavilion, please release the slave.

When Mr. Chen Ge saw the complaint, he knew that he was in the wrong and thought: If he is not released, it will definitely arouse public outrage. It is better to go with the flow and get a reasonable name. So they asked Hainingzhou Zhengtang to release the tofu shopkeeper.

Later someone asked the Shaoxing master why he had to rest for a month before pleading for release. Couldn't he have done it earlier? Master Shaoxing smiled and said: "He is Mr. Chen Ge! Handing in the message at that time would add fuel to the fire and could not save the person, so we had to give him three points first. Only when he calms down can we defeat him with reason."

A memorial to abolish the old regulations

It is said that in the Qing Dynasty, salt could not be transported from the south of the Yangtze River to the north of the Yangtze River, nor could it be transported from the north of the Yangtze River to the Yangtze River to the south.

One year, the salt harvest in Jiangnan failed and the supply was temporarily unavailable. The prefect of Hangzhou sent a group of salt merchants to secretly transport salt to Jiangbei. Unexpectedly, he accidentally crossed the river and was intercepted by the opponent.

The salt merchants returned to Hangzhou dejectedly and reported the details to the prefect. The prefect of Hangzhou wrote a letter and sent someone to deliver it quickly, begging to understand the true situation and take care of him. Unexpectedly, the other party was not willing to show mercy at all, saying that this was a rule passed down from the previous dynasty and no one could exceed it. The prefect was worried about this all day long, and his subordinates were helpless.

On this day, a staff member suddenly remembered a book friend of his named Li. This book friend was born as a scholar and lived in Tieyeling Layer Garden. He was erudite and a first-class "swordsman and pen", but he was usually reluctant to take action easily. If he was willing to take action, he would be sure to succeed immediately. So, the staff recommended Li Xiucai to the prefect. The prefect prepared a note asking him to invite him.

The aide went to Tieyeling Layer Garden to find Li Xiucai, and explained his purpose straight to the point. As soon as Li Xiucai heard that this matter was related to the lives of the people in Jiangnan, he readily agreed.

The two came to the magistrate's office, and the magistrate personally received them. Li Xiucai said: "To solve this matter, it is bound to reach the sky. But it is not easy to get rid of the old rules. The emperor's accurate performance will certainly benefit the people; if it is not accurate, it will be a big deal if he is blamed. I wonder if your Excellency is willing to take this risk?" "

The magistrate thought about it and said: "As long as I stand upright, I will bear the risk!" Li Xiucai said happily: "Refreshing, refreshing" and wrote on the spot. made a memorial. There are two main sentences:

There are disputes among the countries, and even immigrants move millet;

When the Qing Dynasty unified the country, there was no division between the north and the south of the Yangtze River.

The prefect was overjoyed when he saw it and immediately sent someone to send this memorial to the capital.

The emperor read it and approved it to the Ministry of Revenue. The Ministry of Revenue felt that every sentence was reasonable and irrefutable, so he lifted the ban below. From then on, salt could be transported from north to south.

Oral narration by Jiang Feng

Collected and organized by Zhuge Pei

Buying "Yongjin" for three sesame seed cakes

The prefect of Hangzhou wanted to ask Xu Wenchang to write " The three characters "Yongjinmen" decorate the garden. In fact, he wanted to use Xu Wenchang's fame to increase his own worth. He reached out to acquaintances, asked relatives, and made several offers to Xu Wenchang: "I am willing to pay three hundred taels of silver." Unexpectedly, he ran into trouble again and again, and Xu Wenchang refused to write anything.

In this way, the government has nothing to do. A master said to the prefect: "Xu Wenchang used to be a member of our industry, and I am very familiar with him. This man is very smart and will not be fooled."

However, he has a strange temper. If you don't invite anyone he likes, he will write a couplet or draw a picture for you; otherwise, even if the gold ingot is held in front of him, it will be difficult to get half of his star. Ink marks. Don't worry, adults. As the saying goes, as long as you know yourself and the enemy, you can win every battle! "

The magistrate of Hangzhou heard that there was something in the master's words and asked him for advice. The master said: "There are ways. However, it should not be ostentatious. It may take a little longer. This is called ‘delaying urgent matters’. ”

The prefect nodded and smiled, and invited the master into the inner room to discuss countermeasures.

A few days later, a new sesame cake stall was set up at the entrance of Qianguan Lane, Shaoxing.

The chef’s surname is Jin, and he specializes in lard and scallion pancakes, which cost two cents each. They are really delicious, crispy, and cheap.

A few days later, Xu Wenchang felt a little strange: The sesame cakes made by Master Jin were much larger and tasted much better than those at other stalls. Why were they not expensive at two cents each? , Aren’t you afraid of losing money? So I went to ask Master Jin.

Master Jin said: “I make small profits but make quick profits. Besides, most of the people who come to buy sesame seed cakes are poor brothers, so it’s not easy to make more of their hard-earned money. "

Xu Wenchang thought to himself that there are many people doing business, and kind people like Master Jin are really rare. So he became concerned about his livelihood: "Master Jin, why don't you rent a house? A hut on the street? How inconvenient it is to move in and out every day. ”

Master Jin said: “Sir, I am new to Baodi and I am not familiar with the place. How can I rent a house on the street?” "

Xu Wenchang said: "This is easy, I will find a way for you. ”

Master Jin said: “Then I must thank you very much.” ”

Xu Wenchang really rented a small house on the street for Master Jin. Master Jin painted the house and moved there to start business.

The next day, Xu Wenchang came to buy sesame cakes again . He looked around the new house inside and out, and said happily: "This is much better, much better. It's a pity that there is still a signboard missing! Master Jin said tactfully: "We have to give up on this." I don’t have the power to ask someone to write a signboard! "

Xu Wenchang said quickly: "I am willing to serve, I am willing to serve. ”

Master Jin scratched his head and said, “I’m so sorry to bother you all the time.” "

Xu Wenchang smiled and said: "Why worry about trivial matters. Tell me quickly, what's your name. "

Master Jin pointed to the pink basket on the ground with the two characters "Yong Ji" and said: "My nickname is A Yong, which is very vulgar. "

Xu Wenchang said: "Okay, I will write to you right away. " Turned around and left.

Master Jin picked up three lard and scallion pancakes and chased after them excitedly, shouting as he chased: "Mr. Go up and get it. "

When Master Jin arrived at the "Ivy Bookstore", Xu Wenchang had already written the signboard - "Jin Yongji Crispy Shaobing, available at the door." "Xu Wei Shu"

The fourteen big characters were dazzling. Master Jin smiled happily and thanked him repeatedly. While handing over three sesame seed cakes, he said angrily: "Sir, you are so kind. For I even forgot the sesame cakes in the shop. "After that, he hurriedly took the sign and said goodbye with a lot of thanks. He walked out of the "Ivy Bookstore", stepped up his steps, didn't care about packing anything, and went straight to Hangzhou.

Xu Wenchang After watching Master Jin go out, he felt a little hungry, so he took a bite of the cake. He thought: Master Jin came in a hurry and left in a hurry. What was he doing? He lowered his head and thought, eh, no, Dashui. Overthrowing the Dragon King Temple - Falling into the trap of the master of Hangzhou Prefecture, the word "Yongjinmen" was deceived!

Collected and compiled by Yang Naijun

The origin of "extortion"

Nowadays, people often use the term "Shaoxing Master" to describe people who are cunning and mean. In fact, the original "Shaoxing Master" were scholars who failed in the imperial examination. They were knowledgeable, scheming, and honest. Later, an accidental incident made "Shaoxing Master" and "rip-off" invisibly linked, so the term "Shaoxing Master" had a derogatory connotation.

In the late Qing Dynasty, tobacco was sold along the coast. As a result, the Qing government set up checkpoints in various places to strictly prohibit the sale of tobacco. There was a cunning merchant from Yunnan who often transported tobacco between Yunnan, Guizhou and Jiangsu and Zhejiang in the name of selling homespun cloth and yam. It has not been detected by checkpoints.

It turns out that when the moso bamboo was just growing, he secretly cut open the young bamboo and hid it in the smoke soil. When the moso bamboo grew up, he made bamboo poles and boat poles from these moso bamboos. Therefore, outside the bamboo pole, it is seamless and there is no trace at all.

On this day, a Yunnan merchant ship arrived at the Shaoxing Wharf in Zhejiang Province. The customs inspectors boarded the ship for inspection as usual. They rummaged from the bottom of the cabin to the top of the cabin, from homespun cloth to medicinal materials, but could not find any smoke. When they were about to release the ship, a Shaoxing master who was working at the checkpoint suddenly came to the ship and seemed to want to search it again. At this time, he was smoking a long pipe of dry tobacco, and while puffing away the smoke, he walked into the cabin, lifted up the long pipe, and knocked on the bamboo stick placed on the cabin. A few times, ready to knock off the ash.

Unexpectedly, this "duk duk duk" knock was so serious that the Yunnan merchants hurriedly got out of the cabin. He looked panicked, thinking that Master Shaoxing had discovered his secret of hiding forbidden items and was extorting money from him, giving him a secret code.

The Yunnan merchants were well prepared. They quickly took out a bag of silver from their arms and pretended to call it "Yunnan Dry Tobacco." Waiting for the 'Yunnan dry tobacco', the smoke is mellow and different from other dry tobacco, please accept it."

The master from Shaoxing glanced at the Yunnan merchant, weighed it with his hand, and knew that it was heavy. I thought: since he had given me a lot of money, there must be contraband hidden in the boat, but I couldn't find it for a while. Now that I was happy to be a favor, I quietly stuffed the "Yunnan Dry Tobacco" into my pocket and walked ashore. .

Later, the cigarettes carried by the Yunnan passenger ship were seized by other checkpoints, and it was discovered that the cigarettes were hidden in the bamboo poles on the ship. From then on, the word "rip-off" was connected with "Shaoxing Master" and became popular among the people.

Collected and compiled by Lu Xin

Zhou Shengsan changed his suit

Zhou Shengsan, the chief criminal master of Hangzhou Prefecture, was originally from Kuaiji County, Shaoxing Prefecture. On this day, he was reading official documents and taking great pains to solve an unjust case.

What an unjust case, because an old relative in his hometown had a daughter named Lanxiang, who worked as a maid in the house of a big salt merchant named Bao in Kuaiji County. The woman surnamed Bao was over fifty and had no children. She married a second wife who was in her twenties. A year later, she gave birth to a fat son. Unexpectedly, the mother-in-law died after eating a bowl of white sugar West Lake lotus root noodles brought by Lan Xiang. . The eldest grandmother of the Bao family insisted that it was Xiao Lanxiang who was competing with her dead second wife, and she had the intention of murdering her.

A complaint accused Xiao Lanxiang of a capital crime, and she is now in prison. This old relative tried to save his family and sold his land, but he still couldn't save his daughter, so he rushed to Hangzhou to ask Master Zhou for help. In feudal society, those who committed capital crimes were usually executed after autumn. If they were implicated, they would explain the situation and withdraw their perjury. In this way, the culprit himself was exposed. The culprit is none other than the grandma of the Bao family. Because she wanted to spread the "incense" and remove the "thorn in her side", she put the blame on Xiao Lanxiang. He thought he could hide the truth by "stealing a trick", but he didn't know that he was hurting others instead of himself, and he ended up in jail.

Collected and organized by Xu Tao

False "A Millennium"

There is a hilltop by the river, which has been the property of the Li family for generations. One year, a Feng Shui master came and said that the Feng Shui of this mountain was good, and if ancestral graves were buried on it, the descendants would surely be high-ranking officials and well-paid. This news reached the ears of Zhang Yuanwai from the neighboring village. Zhang Yuanwai had a bad idea and said that the mountain belonged to his family and there were ancestral graves of the Zhang surname on it. From then on, the Zhang and Li families started a lawsuit.

Zhang Yuanwai had a guilty conscience. In order to achieve the goal of occupying this hill, he picked up a jar of wine and a pig's head and asked the Shaoxing master to help him.

Master Shaoxing was extremely disgusted with Zhang Yuanwai's behavior. He knew it in his heart without saying anything, so he leaned over and whispered for a while, which made Zhang Yuanwai smile. In order to convince him, Master Shaoxing added:...