On February 2, the festival of praying for rain.
It was before and after Jing Zhe that spring ploughing needed rain, and almost every household was looking forward to the rain.
If it is in the south of the Yangtze River, the festival of praying for rain is more like a folk custom. Generally, a temple fair is held to catch a fair, then burn incense and kowtow to pray, and then go home to make steamed cakes and eat Longxu noodles.
However, in Yongzhou, February 2 is a big day.
It used to be less rainy than the nearby state capital, and now there has been a severe drought for several years.
The Jianghu people who happened to pass by Yongzhou did a few good things by accident.
In some remote and ignorant villages, after listening to the nonsense of the goddess in the village, they killed young women and sacrificed to the Dragon King.
They dressed up the woman and locked her in the Dragon King Temple, where they would kill people the next day when they offered sacrifices to the gods.
Although there are mixed good and bad people in the arena, some people in the orthodox sect claim to be righteous, but in fact they have done nothing good, and some people are hypocritical hypocrites, but for various reasons, they will not just watch one The beautiful young woman was killed.
Therefore, overnight, there were many rumors on the way from Yongzhou to Taijing, all of which were about being chivalrous and righteous.
Even the young heroes of Jianghu who have not met the "Daughter of the Dragon" have their own deeds to say.
No fame, no one knows what to do with their deeds
Then pretend to be a coincidence, and then tout each other!
For example, you said that the mountain bandits I killed last year, I praised the flower thieves you caught last month. Just standing in the middle of the road, with a polite smile, raising your voice, you come and go to talk to me, and then go away satisfied with the pointers of passers-by.
- The so-called passers-by may have been arranged in advance.
He must nod his head in a pretentious manner at the right time, and say to the people watching the excitement, "So this is XX, I've heard the name for a long time, but I didn't expect this person to be so young and promising/good-looking/ The style is extraordinary, it is really amazing.”
As soon as the chatterbox is opened, the rest is easy.
You can continue to praise someone's extraordinary qualities, or you can show off that person's mastery. In this way, from the story to the identity and origin, coupled with the fact that he has practiced a certain practice for several years, he is really talented, and finally he was named as a senior in the rivers and lakes, indicating that they have also spoken and praised.
The words were so eloquent that other passersby were stunned for a moment.
Such a whole set of bragging, even if everyone has never heard of such a person on the rivers and lakes, it is now written down.
Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes, and where there are rivers and lakes, it is inevitable to do dramas.
In front of the inn, in front of the tea stall, on the edge of the well…
Similar scenes have been staged many times, and the old rivers and lakes laughed secretly in their hearts, and took advantage of the time to rest, picking their teeth to watch the excitement.
When Chunshan sent Elder Songya stumbled over, many people didn't react. As soon as they saw a flower, there was an old scholar whose body was half covered in blood, as if he had been seriously injured.
The two righteous young heroes who were "greeting" took a few steps back in fright.
“… save me, save…”
Song Ya could have been able to support it originally, but when he came here, his heart was suddenly hit by a dark force. This force seemed to be lurking in the pipa's bone injury before that, and he was caught off guard.
He fell to the ground, struggling hard.
There were vague figures in front of him, and Song Ya couldn't really recognize who they were.
But the revenge of killing oneself must not just be forgotten like this!
The old scholar was panting heavily, blood dripping from his mouth, and his eyes were dull, and anyone could see that he was about to die.
"Chunshan faction... whoever... spread the word to the spring mountain faction for me, there must be a heavy thank you." Song Ya was ruthless, and used the last inner strength to save her life. When her inner strength was exhausted, she could no longer suppress the injury.
The effect was immediate, his voice was much clearer, and he could barely see the surroundings.
Songya was very disappointed to find that there were some juniors in the arena nearby.
He could only seize the last moment and said with difficulty: "The golden armor was born, and someone got that golden armor! He is nearby..."
Everyone was in an uproar, shocked.
They hurriedly discussed, and someone called out subconsciously, but the noise drowned out Song Ya's voice.
How can a dying man have the strength to raise his voice? The old scholar was eager to say something, but the people closest to him didn't have the heart to listen. His face was getting worse and worse, and he was about to die of anger in advance.
How can the younger generation of Jianghu have this kind of virtue? Things are not figured out, and they are excitedly discussing
When someone reacted and eagerly questioned the identity of the person who took the golden armor, the elder of the Spring Mountain Sect was already in a state of anger, and his consciousness collapsed.
"... State teacher... Chu Dynasty..."
The old scholar muttered, and everyone looked at each other.
Is this insane? The Chu Dynasty has been gone for sixteen years.
Just when they were annoyed, the old Confucian scholar returned to the light, he sat up abruptly, and shouted clearly, "Meng Qi!"
The person closest to Songya was so startled that he fell backwards and almost fell.
"Is that the man's name?"
"Meng Qi? Or Meng Qi?"
I couldn't wait to ask again, only to find that the old scholar stared at him, his body was motionless, and he was out of breath.
"Is the golden silk armor really reappearing? Or after the news of Emperor Li's Mausoleum came out? Is there any fraud in this?"
"...Are you deaf? Didn't hear those three words? Spring Mountain School!"
The old rivers and lakes resting on the tea stand looked at each other.
The Chunshan Sect is not a high-ranking sect in the arena. Not many.
The evil way is not recognized, the right way is not ashamed, and the reputation has plummeted.
However, a bad reputation does not mean that the Chunshan faction is not strong. In fact, it is stronger than many sects of the right way.
"Golden Silk Armor, Emperor Li's Mausoleum, Chunshan Sect... This is going to happen!"
Those who saw that the situation was not good, hurriedly left, daring not to cause trouble.
Naturally, there are also Jianghu people who covet the so-called "heavy thanks", and they discussed sending Songya's body to the Spring Mountain School.
They first bought a thin coffin and put the body in it.
The coffin didn't have a nailed lid, so there must be someone looking at it anyway, so why bother with that
The news of the Golden Silk Armor spread like wildfire, and on the second day of the second month of the second month, it was spread in every wine shop and tea shop where Jianghu people gathered.
It was originally just a treasure. Although everyone was interested, it would not cause such a heated discussion, but it turned out to be a golden armor! Why do you go to Taijing, not because of the treasures of the imperial mausoleum!
Gold wire armor is invulnerable to swords and guns, and it is invaluable, but it is only one of the treasures in the tomb of Emperor Li's mausoleum.
When the entire martial arts scrambled for the golden armor, ordinary people in Jianghu knew that there was no chance, but the treasures of the imperial mausoleum were different. I heard that the bricks in the tomb were all gold, and you would not have to worry about eating and drinking when you pry a few pieces back!
They talked excitedly, talking about the golden armor, and also about the extravagance of Emperor Chen Li.
I can't wait to see the golden armor with my own eyes and touch it with my own hands.
It seems that the more valuable the gold wire armor is, the more it can prove the greatness of this wealth.
After Mo Li entered Qiong County, in addition to seeing the lively posture of the government and the people in order to pray for the rain, it was the Jianghu people who gathered together in twos and threes. They were excited and whispered.
From Mo Li's point of view, there was a strange atmosphere in the county town, and everyone's face was flushed, as if they were going to do something big.
The people praying for good weather kowtow one step at a time in order to show their piety.
On almost every street, there are people dressed as Taoist priests, waving peach wood swords, drawing cinnabar charms in their hands, stepping on seven star steps, and chanting words like a dancer.
In the back, there are yamen, Baojia, Lichang and others holding incense burners.
A sacrificial table has been set up in front of the Longwang Temple, and three animals and fruits are placed on it.
The Taoist standing in front of the sacrificial table wears gossip robes.
With a flick of the dust in his hand, the blue smoke rose straight up, and from a distance it seemed to go straight into the sky.
"...Please Long Xingyun, pray for the dragon to bring rain, Liuding Liujia, come quickly."
The Taoist thought vigorously, and suddenly saw a small Taoist boy beside the sacrificial table with his head and head stretched out. Float to the crowd.
The crowd could not afford to bow down, the Taoist had already retreated to the side and scolded Daotong in a low voice: "What are you doing in such a hurry? Didn't you see that it was offering sacrifices to the heaven? It's so dignified, the Dragon King blamed you, and you are responsible for the people of this place. ?"
Xiaotong was about eight years old, and he couldn't tell the truth from what the Taoist said. He lowered his head and said, "Yes, something happened."
"What's up?"
"Golden Wire Armor..."
The Taoist said impatiently: "You are young, don't always listen to people's nonsense on the street. We hide the wind and watch the sky, and there are all kinds of wonderful methods. You listen to the wind and it is rain, how can you become a great thing in the future?"
Xiao Daotong hesitated for a while, but still mustered up his courage and said: "But they all talk about nose and eyes, unlike the editor, Guanzhu went to Taijing again, I heard them say..."
The Taoist glared at him, and the little boy shivered, not daring to go around again, and quickly said: "There were people from several sects who went to see the dead person from the Spring Mountain sect, Master, guess what, they recognized the body as Elder Songya! "
"What?" The Taoist was startled and said sharply, "Where did you hear that?"
"... Outside, it's already spread outside."
Xiaotong shrank his neck in fright, and said timidly, "Master, do you think we should pass a letter to the watcher?"
The man moved the corners of his mouth, showing a smirk but not smiling, and said in a bad tone: "You don't need to bother, and I don't need to bother. There are so many people in the Tibetan style view, which one won't report it?"
The Taoist said, and suddenly felt a chill behind him.
He turned his head quickly, suspicious that someone was staring at him.
However, there were too many people in front of the Dragon King Temple. After the ceremony, the county magistrate and others also came over.
Once the Taoist was disturbed by them, it was impossible to find the person who peeped at him before.
"Let's go." Mo Li pressed his hat and said to Meng Qi behind him.
Meng Qi didn't wear a hat, he restrained his breath, and no one paid special attention to his existence.
This is a very wonderful thing. It is not that Meng Qi has become non-existent in their eyes, but that people who are close to him will always focus on other things nearby and miss seeing his face. Opportunity.
This is the characteristic of martial arts reaching the realm of transformation. Flying flowers and picking leaves can also hurt people, and they are no different from a sand or a stone.
However, this is a legend. It is not difficult to hurt people with blades of grass, and even the best experts can't do it without being noticed.
Meng Qi has always had this ability, Mo Li also asked, but unfortunately Meng Qi himself can't tell.
After a long time, Mo Li even thought that this was the talent of Dragon Vein.
The alchemists like to talk about the dragon veins, and they are busy looking for the dragon veins. As a result, the dragon veins really appeared in front of them. Who recognized it
"This person is a bit of a kung fu, but he doesn't seem to be the confidant of the Qingwu ancestor."
The Daoist and Xiao Daotong spoke in a very low voice, and in such a noisy place, even Meng Qi couldn't hear what they were saying, but they didn't cover their mouths when they talked, and Meng Qi could tell the effect.
Mo Li originally planned to follow the messenger from Zangfengguan to Qingwu ancestors. Since this Taoist did not intend to get involved in this storm, it was useless to stare at him.
"There are always thirty or forty Taoists, monks, and goddesses who practice in the city today. Only this one was invited by the government. The Tibetan Wind View has a huge impact on the boundaries of Yongzhou."
Meng Qi did not make a decision after making the judgment, but instead asked Mo Li, "Doctor, where are we going next?"
"Imperial Mausoleum."
Qiong County is very small, but it is very special.
This is the ancestral home of Lu Zhang, the emperor of the Qi Dynasty, and it is said that some members of the Lu clan lived here.
When the Qi Dynasty sat in the world, these clansmen did not follow the chickens and dogs to the sky, but lived tremblingly in the Lujiazhuang outside the county town. Near Zhuangzi was the imperial mausoleum built by the Qi Dynasty.
There are many garrisoned troops in the imperial mausoleum. Except for the Lu clan, ordinary people are not allowed to approach.
Therefore, these Lu clan people lived very hard, no different from Shouling.
I can't complain yet, because all the ancestors of the Lu family have moved into the imperial mausoleum. Who would dare to complain
"Why did Lu Zhang do this?" Mo Li asked curiously.
After all, according to Meng Qi, Lu Zhang was a respectable emperor. Although he usurped the throne, he never forgot to put on a fig leaf. The banner of the rebellion was that the emperor of the Chu Dynasty was mean and unkind.
The so-called monarch regards his subjects as brothers and feet, then the subject regards the monarch as his belly; when the monarch regards his subjects as a mustard, then the subject regards the monarch as an enemy.
In fact, it was Emperor Chu Yuan who did everything right. Although the later Emperor Chu Ling treated his ministers badly, he was definitely worthy of the general Lu Zhang. Otherwise, no matter how hard Lu Zhang himself worked, he wouldn't be able to get it in his thirties. Commander of the General.
Lu Zhang deliberately made things vague, what the people could know, they only knew what was said in the teahouse, and they only knew that the marquis of Jingyuan, who pacified the world, died inexplicably.
According to Meng Qi, after Lu Zhang became emperor, he set up Jinyiwei as a secret subordinate to limit the power of generals. On the surface, he was very tolerant and generous to his courtiers.
Not to mention gold and silver jewelry, even the elixir will be given, that's how Liu Dan was targeted by Meng Guoshi.
"He likes to do superficial kung fu so much, but he puts the Lu clan under house arrest. It's easy for a discerning person to see the problem, and he doesn't care. Is this a grudge against the family?" Mo Li asked as he walked.
The people of Zhushan County didn't even know what the emperor's surname was, and naturally there was no secret information about the emperor.
These days, the clan is very powerful.
Some villages were brought together by ancestors who escaped and intermarryed each other.
Sometimes there is only one surname in a village, and they are all related by blood. What Zong Lao said is better than the government. If someone deviates from the clan, no matter how big the reasons are, in the eyes of the world, they are unfilial and disloyal.
Who would believe someone who doesn't even recognize their own ancestors, who doesn't even take care of their blood relatives
"The teacher said that these are all fallacies. The more such a clan is, the easier it is for dark things to happen." Mo Li recalled.
Qin Lu is a very contradictory person. He is a gentleman who upholds etiquette, but also a person who despises the old. For Mr. Qin, etiquette is self-cultivation, not an iron chain. The world should not tie themselves to those rules and regulations, and others say what they say.
Meng Qi put his hands behind his back, while observing the Jianghu people on the side of the road, he said casually: "The doctor guessed right, Lu Zhang and his clan not only have a grudge, but also have a big grudge!"
"Appreciate further details."
"He joined the army at a young age, gained military merit at the border, was promoted, and moved to the capital step by step..."
Meng Qi couldn't help but stop and judge in the middle of his speech, "This experience sounds similar to Liu Qiandai, no wonder Lu Zhang has an eye for him."
"We still have money." Mo Li politely reminded Meng Qi not to always remember other people's money bags.
"Money, who would think too much?"
Meng Qi said, quite meaningfully, "I have checked Liu Dan's background, although his family is poor, his parents died early, and his relatives cannot rely on him. Compared with Liu Qiandai, Lu Zhang was much more miserable in his youth. At that time, there were almost no foreign enemies in the Chu Dynasty, and he could not earn much military merit if he worked hard. An eye-catching official rank."
When they walked out of the city gate of Qiong County, they could see an archway in the distance twenty miles to the east.
"It's about to start with this archway."
Lu Zhang's father died early, and his mother was forced to hang himself. The Lu clan members wrote a good article, and then reported to the government that it was a voluntary sacrifice.
Doing this can not only devour the dowry of the woman, but also the land and property of the orphans and children, and also earn a chastity memorial for the clan.
What is the function of the Chastity Arch
The government's reward is not only a beautiful archway, but also reduces or exempts the tax or corvée of this family.
"...In short, it's all about money! The Lu family in Qiongxian County was not the first to do this, nor the last." When Meng Qi said these words, his expression was neither happy nor angry, as if he had seen it many times before. tragedy.
Mo Li frowned deeply and asked inexplicably, "Isn't anyone exposed?"
"It has always been a family with a certain foundation to do this, because not only does it have to brag about the virtue of being a "fair wife", but also talk about how outstanding her husband who died prematurely was, read well, and behaved with integrity.
"I hired people to talk desperately in the four fields and eight townships. In the end, there was no need for a good article. Those local officials are often not familiar with the general affairs. , so this happened.
"On the official and shepherd side, if you want to be promoted, this dutiful woman is also part of the evaluation of the Ministry of Personnel. If you have it, it can prove that the place is well governed. After all, Cang Lin knows the etiquette, and knows the honor and disgrace when they have enough food and clothing."
If a village woman dies, it is impossible to make an essay.
Only the big family members in the countryside, farming and reading family heirlooms, and even the county annals have records, it would be better.
When a chastity archway is erected, the county magistrate can also put a name on the county annals, and it is a good name for the local clan to be awarded by the court.
Meng Qi said solemnly: "With so many people's interests involved, who would give a dead person a head start? A woman's husband's family and her parents' family can get awards, and the closest people don't speak, who else is there? Some big clans want face , The selected women are widows without children, and if they have children, they have to seek death. First, outsiders don’t believe it, and second, if the children grow up, if they are too promising, it will be troublesome.”
The current emperor of the Qi Dynasty, Lu Zhang, is undoubtedly the troublesome one.
"... Doctor Mo has been in Zhushan County for a long time, and when your master traveled around the rivers and lakes, he mostly saw the poor people. I'm afraid he didn't know the face of the rich people in the village. Even if they forced people to die, they rarely did it by themselves. Yes, the women in the family and the women they married were taught to be obedient long ago. Even if they were unwilling, they would not die if they insisted on it. The clan would not strangle people, but Slowly sparring her on various trivial matters, and sparring her beyond recognition, so that all the female relatives in the clan can see it so clearly that they can't bear to look directly at her, making them fearful. The husband died, and he had no children to rely on. As soon as the clansmen came to persuade him to die, they cried and hung themselves on the beam of the house. They all said that it is better to die than to live, but the reality is often the opposite. Everyone would rather die early."
Mo Li was speechless, he looked at the old archway in the distance, and said after a long time, "There is still such a custom? Under the Qi Dynasty, the government should not allow the building of the chastity archway?"
"Can the government not build an archway, can it still prevent the widow from hanging in the middle of the night?"
If a widow lives longer, how much of the family wealth and her own dowry left by her husband will be left when she eats and drinks until she is seventy years old? Naturally, it is better to die early, and the elders will share the money.
Meng Qi looked solemn and sighed: "Not only did the Qi Dynasty not allow it, but also the Chu Dynasty later did not allow the building of archways, and even issued a decree to reprimand it several times, but the teacher was unknown. Those women died of their own free will, how should they be punished? Clan disaster, especially victory Eating beasts."
Mo Li was silent for a long time, Fang said: "This archway was given by the government of the Chu Dynasty? Is the Chu Dynasty also on his hatred list?"
"No, this archway should belong to the Chen Dynasty. When Lu Zhang's mother died, the officials of the Ministry of Rites of the Chu Dynasty already knew about these drawbacks and no longer gave the archway of chastity easily, so they dismissed it. After the Yuan Emperor's seven years, every archway was not built. It belongs to the martyred women, but to those old women who are famous in the country and do good deeds, and women whose adopted children are exceptionally prosperous.”
Meng Qi lowered his voice, shook his head and said, "Lu Zhang's family wealth belongs to the clan elder and the clan chief, and all the clan can enjoy is the reduction of money and rations and corvée, but they are full of expectations, but even this is gone, Lu Zhang's situation when he was young can be imagined. ."
Mo Li found speechlessly that, in this matter, whether the Chu Dynasty gave the archway or not, there was something wrong in Lu Zhang's eyes.
The author has something to say:
The emperor of the Qi Dynasty is because of the late plot of the world [not] the court drama [the imperial physician suffers], so I want to talk about it
Of course, Lu Zhang rebelled not because he hated the Chu Dynasty, but he was born in a prosperous world and had no gratitude for the rulers and ministers of the Chu Dynasty who created the world.
————
The two dragon veins in this chapter wander through the sound of begging for rain and offering sacrifices to the dragon god.
Meng Qi: Ask for a ball! I have to find water myself! !