Since the beginning of the world, I have always been alone. Now I have resigned from my post and left, and now I have only one more horse. I ride my horse among the dead leaves and withered grass, and I only look to the east, not caring where I am.
After walking thirty miles, he was stopped by someone. The person clasped his fists and greeted him immediately, "Mr. Zirui, Xi Zhicai has been waiting for you for a long time. My master is by my side. Please follow me."
My heart warmed up. Brother Meng De was really a man who valued friendship and loyalty. He came here without hesitation at this time. Apart from the brothers, it must be him. However, thinking that there were no other old friends in the city, I felt relieved, but I still felt that I couldn't let go.
Then we were invited into the depths of the wormwood, and after a moment we saw a banquet set up in a pavilion of dry grass by an unknown waterside. Brother Meng De also came to greet me in commoner clothes.
"Brother Mengde, why do you have to do this? Zirui asked to do this of his own accord, so why is he inviting criticism?" I felt like I needed to pretend to be magnanimous, ignoring the sour feeling that was spreading.
"An eighteen-year-old boy can be so magnanimous and kind-hearted, my brother is not as good as him. However, I can't even send him off like this. It's a big mistake for both my brother and my friends. What's more, doing so can make me appear more understanding of human nature. Those people will not doubt me if they know about it." Brother Meng De said with a slightly sad face.
"Brother Meng De, please take care of the major plans from now on." After saying this, he bowed. I really don't want to let all this hard work go to waste.
"Zirui has entrusted his entire career and fortune to you. If Meng De cannot clear the emperor's side and eliminate the trouble caused by the foreign relatives, how can he face his brothers again?" Brother Meng De hurried to support me.
"Brother Meng De, don't worry, there is a powerful force behind Dong Zhong. I was at a banquet at his house that day, but this person openly looked down on me. Without sufficient strength, he would never dare to do that." I frowned, feeling that I still needed to give him a warning.
"I will remember your words. Come, eat something and get on the road early. There may be people who will harm you on the road. You are alone without any weapons. Be careful." Brother Meng De's words made sense. I didn't eat much at lunch because this elder gave me some instructions, I agreed to some, and that elder gave me some instructions. Then, the brothers all saw me off. I had to share the lunch several times. So, after a little politeness, I sat down and started eating.
Brother Meng De dismissed everyone, and then said nastily: "Eat as much as you want. I think you will be listening to my teachings at noon today."
What was supposed to be a very touching farewell by a gentleman ended up turning into one person eating a sumptuous meal while the other spoke eloquently.
After we said goodbye, Brother Meng De still walked me for more than 20 miles. His last words to me sounded very familiar: "If things don't go well, you can come to my place at any time."
I can only thank you. When I turned around, I was still thinking about the meaning of this sentence. A year ago, I was the Marquis of Ping'an Fengyun, and he was still a captain of the city gate. Now I have become a commoner, but he is still the regent. Now he is recruiting me, but I can only laugh it off.
Perhaps I acted too hastily and harshly in this move. Although it is a good thing for the world, I am afraid I am being too unfair to myself.
But I soon realized that I was still young and would have many more opportunities in the future. This also gave me a lot of free time, and I remembered what I should do as a man.
Then my mood improved again, and the setting sun was shining brightly.
Yes, the first person I thought of that night was Yi Yue. I don’t know what happened to this girl. I felt the same way as a father, even though her blood was not mine.
I may be sorry for everyone, but I am sorry for myself.
The post station door will no longer be open for me, so I can't take the official road, and it will cost a lot of money. Fortunately, the teacher seemed to know what I would encounter and left me a surprising amount of money. Before I left, I had to follow my sister's instructions - I have to admit that this made me realize that Yinling still lived in every moment of my life - and divide the money into several parts and store them in various places on my body.
My master was worried and wanted my teacher to find someone to protect me, but my teacher thought it would be safer for me to be alone. And if we send someone away now, we will be criticized and give them something to hold against us. My master got angry and was very unkind. But my teacher didn't argue, which made me have to persuade both sides.
The farmers along the way were probably preparing for spring ploughing, and while the sun was nice, they were drying something inside and outside their houses. The farmers were not surprised to see me, and just paid some attention to me, treating me as an ordinary passerby on horseback. To them, I was just an insignificant sight when they were resting or bored, and to them, my existence had no real meaning.
I think my greatest advantage is that I can always find reasons to be happy and not be noticed, which shows my safety and freedom. I can laugh as much as I want without caring about other people's opinions, because they don't care and don't care.
When staying overnight and having a meal, he no longer had to care about others talking about Marquis Ping'an Fengyun, and he could even join in their heated discussions. It seemed as if he had nothing to do with the title, although there was a sour feeling.
There was nothing else to think about at night. I just listened to the coming and going of people outside and their trivial conversations, until the silence gradually faded away and I fell into a deep sleep.
On the second day, no one woke me up. I was awakened by the various noises outside the window. I didn't dream all night, or I forgot what I had. According to the teacher's request, I searched the purses on my body. Everything was normal, nothing was missing. At least the ones I remembered were in their places. I thought I had finally lived up to the teacher's instructions.
I admit that I was in a low mood today, and I could only think that I would feel better after returning home. But when I thought of the "wife" at home, I felt a little confused about the way home, just like the thick fog this morning.
The people at the ferry asked me for three times the money because I had an extra horse and he had to pull two less people. At that time, someone spoke up for me and the boatman was greedy, but I didn't say much. I gave the money and thanked the person who spoke up for me with a smile. It was no problem for me.
I got off the boat and headed south. I recalled that when I passed Hulao Pass yesterday evening, I climbed a high hill and looked out at the camps outside the pass. The imposing manner stretched for hundreds of miles. But at that time, I just felt that what was happening below had nothing to do with me, so I just took a quick look and left. I didn't realize it yesterday, but today I suddenly felt that I only cared about myself, was too self-centered, and had a narrow mind. When things went wrong, and it was all my own fault, I was so decadent. I was really not a person who could accomplish great things. The other me persuaded myself: I don't want to accomplish great things, I just want to live a stable life. This self immediately became angry again: I pity my people, and I shed tears when I think of them; the people can abandon me, but I will never abandon them. Once I had this thought, I immediately felt that the world was vast, and I was traveling with it. I felt comfortable and guilt-free.
I did the right thing, especially since I accidentally offended these powerful court officials. This will make them let down their guard against the Four Ministers and think that the Four Ministers are nothing special. Others will also believe that the Three Ministers will definitely give everyone a good result.
Then, we must let the powerful people outside the pass get considerable benefits, so that they don't need to rely on the people inside the court, and we can easily eliminate those people. However, if new powerful princes are cultivated, then the world will be in chaos in the future. Teacher, it's not easy for them! I think I still can't do it, I can't think of it.
This thought slowed me down on the way, and I still hadn't reached Wancheng by night. I knew that the three cities in Wan were in the hands of the Jingzhou army, and Yunshu was there. The teacher only told me a little bit that day, and now I am very interested in asking Yunshu to tell me about it. This matter must be very interesting, especially when he tells me.
That afternoon, the road was covered with tall dead wormwood and reeds. At this moment, the scenery was different every thousand miles. After being used to the splendor of the imperial city, this gray and yellow scenery seemed even more magnificent and beautiful. It was really a great pleasure to walk along the way.
It was already dark, but I was not tired at all. I passed the town where I had planned to rest. I walked for another hour, but found that I was walking slower and slower. Only then did I remember that even if I was not tired, the horse must be tired. I rode it but forgot about it. With some guilt, I dismounted and walked with it.
That night, there was no moon or stars in the sky, and the wind was still, making the rustling of the reeds around me for a hundred miles louder and louder, coming from far away and then far away again, just like the wind blowing over the water, making waves for a hundred miles. But the wind always made me feel that the weather was going to change, and I was more worried about rain, so I thought it would rain. The wind got stronger, and the road became more and more difficult to walk on. I knew the disadvantages of getting carried away. It just so happened that I was the kind of person who would go all the way and not give up until I saw the coffin. Given my recent bad luck, this must mean that half an hour later, I was already in a gray and vast waterfall with my poor horse that was forced to accompany me.
Yinling once told me that when a person is unlucky, drinking cold water will cause his teeth to get stuck; so I took it for granted that I would not be able to find a place to take shelter before the rain stopped. But after being in the rain for an hour, with the rain not weakening at all, I actually saw a dilapidated house on the roadside in front of me. The firelight coming out of the broken wall at one end gave me a warm hope. So I happily pulled the horse over, feeling that I was not that unlucky.
"Excuse me, my friend inside, can you let me in to take shelter from the rain?" I was outside the house and saw the door was closed, so I asked politely. After all, I felt that they had no reason to refuse.
"Sir, I'm sorry, my wife and I are taking shelter here. It's inconvenient for you to come in, so please take shelter under the eaves. I'm sorry for being so rude. I hope you will be considerate of my weak body and can't stand the wind and frost." The polite voice of the young woman disappointed me a little. However, I could only let the horse and I stay under the eaves for a while. At least we could block a lot of rain, but I suddenly felt that it was still unlucky. But the horse didn't want to be outside, and it wanted to go inside to avoid the rain.
"You are a stallion, you have to pay attention to the rules of physical contact between men and women." I taught my horse with a sly smile, but I didn't think it was of much use, it still needed me to lead it to stay at ease; I attributed this to my own hypocrisy, so the simple, honest, upright and impartial horse would never fall for it.
I must have made it angry, because it kicked me. I was caught off guard and covered my right leg in extreme pain, wondering why even horses only kick here. But I was afraid that they would be frightened and let the crazy horse kick them, so I ignored the pain in my leg, bowed my head, padded and apologized, and went in, dragging the rude horse, but I could clearly hear the sound of a sword being unsheathed behind me.
"Who are you two? Are you an orphan or a widow?" He turned around in surprise and saw that they were both wearing tight black short-sleeved clothes, with unsheathed swords held behind their backs, as if they were trying to hide it. However, their postures were the same, and one of the boys was short, so he couldn't hide the edge of the sword. Therefore, he knew at first sight that the man and woman in front of him were not friendly.
The widow was about twenty years old, perhaps older than Yinling, with a thin face, as if due to overwork, but few wrinkles, still able to reveal a youthful appearance; the young man looked like a scholar, fair and clean, but now to me, the way these two were dressed was really not a good sign.
"Who are you, sir? Why did you ride in here on purpose? What's your intention?" The woman held down the eager young man and asked loudly, with quite a bit of momentum.
"Heaven and earth can see that the horse couldn't stand the rain and ran away with me. It was really not what I wanted." I felt very wronged and pointed to the mud mark on the hem of my long skirt.
"This is not what you want, I don't care. Here are some broken gold. If someone comes to you to ask about us in the future, just don't see us. Otherwise, we will definitely kill you." This woman seemed weak, but her words were strong enough, which hurt my self-esteem. According to their attire, the two people should be thieves. While thinking, I saw a purse flying over. I took it down and threw it back immediately, saying: "I have a bad memory. Maybe I will forget you before I walk thirty miles. I don't need money. I am not in need. Just let me take shelter from the rain and warm myself by the fire."
After that, I didn't care about anything else, I sat down in front of the fire and started to warm myself, but I was fully focused on the movements of the man and woman. I thought they were also a pair of siblings, and they probably couldn't survive, so they became thieves. After all, there was nothing to steal from poor families, and rich families wouldn't starve to death if they were stolen. I didn't want to care about this kind of thing anymore. It would cost two lives, what's the point.
They seemed surprised by my performance, hesitated for a moment, and retracted their swords, but they were still wary of me. However, their retracting of the swords made me more certain that they were being taken for thieves. Both of them were too simple and naive, and I doubted how long their career of thieves could last.
However, another self-inflated thought of mine was: since I dared to sit down and warm myself by the fire under two swords, and considering my stature, they must be a little afraid of me.
I knew I was taking a risk, and I was enjoying it. So after a moment, I stood up and went back to the horse, scaring them so much that they took a step back and put their hands on the hilts of the swords they had just put away. But I just took out some slightly drier clothes from the oilcloth in the bag, put them on hastily behind the horse, and held the wet clothes in my hands to dry them by the fire.
Time passed slowly, until my hands were numb, my clothes were dry, and the fire was almost out, but the rain still didn't stop. I still couldn't sleep, and the boy had already collapsed into my sister's arms, but the girl still stared at me vigilantly. During this time, because the rain was blown into the house through the cracks and there were many holes in the roof, the water accumulated in various places in the house. She and I changed positions and postures many times, and the rest of the time we spent in this atmosphere of mutual distrust and vigilance.
It was almost dawn, the rain was still falling, and it seemed to have stopped a little, but the wind seemed to suddenly get stronger again. There was nothing in the house to start a fire, and after we tried to look for it everywhere, we could only watch the fire getting smaller and smaller, while the house became colder and colder.
The woman hugged the child tightly to her chest, using her own body to block the wind that could not be suppressed from blowing in and warm the child who was still sleeping soundly. And I seemed to feel the similarities between myself and her, except that the age gap between the siblings was too big compared to us.
I admit that they made me feel good about them, so I handed over the dried clothes. She looked at me, took it with a grateful look, and gently covered the boy with it. The boy was still sleeping soundly, but when I covered him with the clothes, he made a popping sound and curled up hard in my clothes.
The day dawned, and there were only a few sparks in the fire. It rained a little, but the fog was constantly seeping in from every crack. I also felt a little cold. I didn't eat dinner yesterday, and I was very sleepy at the moment. After thinking for a long time, I got up and went back to the horse again. The horse didn't react to my approach, and didn't move at all. It seemed to be sleeping, but its tail seemed to move slightly, so it seemed that it might not be considered motionless. In my wild thoughts, I forgot what I came here for, and I was stupidly standing there. Suddenly I shivered, and then I remembered, and hurriedly took out all the dry clothes in the bag, handed one to her first, and wrapped myself in two layers. Seeing that there was still one in my hand, I handed it to her again. She put the clothes on herself, smiled slightly to thank me, and I nodded, sat there, felt much warmer, and began to doze off. In a trance, I saw her carefully covered the boy with another piece of clothes, and then slowly put on one for herself.
Afterwards, I was surprised that I dared to sleep at that time. I think I must have felt that I was not in danger at that time, because I really didn't see any reason why she would want to kill me. But it may also be that I was too sleepy, and I felt that life and death depended on my attitude and determination.
I didn't have a good nap because I was very hungry. Soon, the growling of my stomach woke me up. After I woke up and thought about it, I was sure that I didn't bring any dry food, so I could only smack my lips and continue to doze off.
Suddenly, a soft "hmm" call woke me up. With the strong aroma of noodles, I opened my eyes and found that she handed me a piece of noodles. I quickly took it and responded with a very bright smile. Suddenly I thought that I was too easy to bribe. But she put her finger to her mouth to let me not take anything, and then she picked up a piece of noodles and slowly ate it. I didn't have any politeness, shame or principles anymore, and just ate it with big mouthfuls.
The cake should actually be very big, but it seemed to be much bigger in my hands, and even smaller in my mouth. It seemed that it disappeared in no time. To be honest, I almost thought it was a dream, but I bit my cheek during the process, and the faint flour fragrance that still lingers in my mouth makes me sure that there was such a cake in front of me, in my hands, and in my mouth, but it is now missing.
Although I was reluctant to part with the pleasure just now, I still had to be polite, and I was looking forward to what was going to happen next. When I looked at her again to express my gratitude, I found that she was staring at me in amazement, and the cake in her hand was still as round as a moon, which made me feel a little embarrassed. She smiled, turned around, opened a piece of wrapping, took out a cake and handed it to me again.
But this time I was determined not to take it, although I had some intentions at first, but at this moment I just made one move, pointed at the sleeping child, and waved my hand to reject her kindness, because I only saw that it was the last cake.
I turned around, ignoring her good intentions, and found a slightly larger dry spot to lie down on, turning my back to them and falling asleep as if I was deliberately angry. In fact, I was thinking to myself: Am I too bold
Looking back, I feel that I was still a little childish that night. I feel a little worried when I think about it. How can I persuade my father-in-law Sima the old hunchback like this
Confucius said that we should examine ourselves three times a day, which is absolutely correct. So I have always followed his advice, but after I examine myself, I also avoid making corrections.
Just as I was drifting off into a dream, I suddenly heard the sound of hurried horse hooves in the distance, and then I heard someone behind me exclaim, "Yu'er, get up quickly."
I immediately stood up and looked at them with a confused look, but they didn't look at me and were busy packing their things. After packing up their things, the woman walked to the gate and looked south through the mist.
"Mother, is it them?" The young man was also a little flustered. He held the sword tightly and leaned on the mat.
The woman shook her head.
"That's good." The child breathed a sigh of relief.
"No, Yu'er, mother can't see clearly." The woman shook her head anxiously.
I feel like this is the time for me to be useful, because now I am truly settled.
"What's going on? There's still a moment before they arrive. I used to lead an army and I know that sounds in the fog can be heard farther than usual. There's still more than a moment before they arrive, so I'm asking you what's going on?" I asked calmly.
"This matter has nothing to do with you, sir. We will immediately abandon the road and head east from the grass. They will definitely not be able to catch up with us."
"The withered grass is wet now, and you will fall down if you step on it. If someone pays a little attention, they will find you. Besides, this reed bush covers an area of hundreds of miles. Even if you can get in, you may not be able to get out. If the black color is very conspicuous among the gray and yellow reeds in the white fog, then you really have no way to hide, escape or run away." In fact, they still have a great chance of escaping, but I have thought of a plan, and I think it will be a pity if I can't use it, especially because I just finished stroking the beard on my cheeks.
But they seemed convinced by me, which made me very happy. But at this moment, I suddenly remembered a big thing that I had just overlooked, "Are you mother and son?" I felt that my mind seemed to be very slow.
"Yes, sir, please excuse me, but the girl had Yu'er when she was thirteen years old." After saying this, which shocked me the most, she told me her story in a very concise manner, saving money and squeezing out the useful parts, word by word, so that even someone with such a high level of comprehension could only understand that she didn't want me to understand this matter.
However, I still decided to help them. I gave them instructions, asked a few important questions, and finally got the corresponding answers. Then I asked for one of their swords. The mother decided to listen to me and did everything I asked.
I cleared my throat slightly and made a new discovery: staying up all night and eating a dry biscuit can make the throat hoarse, which was a good thing at the time.
Just as he finished, he heard the sound of horse hooves approaching. He turned around and told me to do as I told him, then he got ready, took his sword and went out, pretending to look south.
A group of people wearing straw raincoats and straw hats came riding on horses. It was hard to think of a reason why such a large number of people came here at this time of year, except for the people behind them.
I watched like a passerby, but they would never let me go as just a passerby. After all, I was a rare person they saw in their journey of a hundred miles.
Then I became distracted, and when they stopped their horses to ask me, and I stared at them, I was still wondering where the area was a hundred miles away.
"Who is this?" One of the leading yins, with a scruffy beard under his bamboo hat, looked unhappy and asked me in a listless tone. I, who had just come to my senses, immediately straightened my throat and asked back.
"Oh, who are you? Why are so many people out in this kind of weather?" He deliberately put his hand on the sword.
The man looked behind him and said to me in a slightly more polite tone, "There was a thief in the mansion last night. Because of the heavy rain and darkness, we thought the thieves couldn't get far, so we came out to catch them now. It seems that you are staying here tonight. Have you seen anyone who looks like a thief?"
"I am a military officer from Jingzhou. At the beginning of the year, I went to Luoyang to visit my relatives with my wife and children. Unexpectedly, a scandal occurred. Now that things have been settled, nothing has happened. I can come back." I said with a hint of resentment.
"So it's the official. Is everything alright now? Nothing bad will happen." They seemed to have forgotten what they came for. Suddenly, they became very interested in the latest news from the north.
"Yes." I seemed to have forgotten what they were here for, and quickly answered: "The King of Heping County, Lord Wei, Duke of Han Chu of Jingzhou, Lord Xie, Marquis of Jingzhou Ping'an Fengyun, and Lord Gaoling Marquis are assisting in the administration. They have generously rewarded those who have made contributions to the changes at the beginning of the year, issued an edict to appease the people of the world, changed the year to Chuping, and added a leap month. Don't you know about this?" I said with the pride that a Jingzhou person should have.
“Sir, everyone already knows about the change of the reign title and the inclusion of a leap year, but I heard that there is still some rumors in the capital…” The man showed obvious respect to me.
"Everything is quiet now." I shook my head, as if suddenly remembering something: "How many thieves are there among you, and what do they look like?"
"It could be one, it could be two. They should be wearing black clothes and not carrying anything." Sure enough, they were not very clear either.
So, I pretended to be surprised and said, "How can you find it if that's the case?"
"You're not? We brothers don't want to do that either, sir. You didn't lose much, and we don't know what the person looks like. Why don't we just report it to the authorities and let them investigate? But he insisted that we go after him." The leader was obviously also full of grievances, and immediately there was a burst of wailing and shouting behind him, which showed that they were very dissatisfied with the job.
"It's raining heavily outside, you can just dismount and come in to rest." I said sympathetically.
"I dare not. The master and the young master have been kind to us. Although it is difficult, let's do our best." The leader was quite loyal and saved me from other troubles. I couldn't help but feel grateful to him. They greeted me, saluted, and then continued to ride their horses. The owner of these people was probably also a scholar, so these etiquettes were not missing.
It's just that why he didn't report it to the authorities, which is a bit strange. Is there something wrong with the government in his city? If I were still the Marquis of Ping An Fengyun, I would have to take care of it when I went there. Now I can only go back like this, sighing, looking back, and seeing two pairs of extremely surprised and doubtful eyes flashing.
I threw back my sword and found a place to lie down. Then I suddenly sat up, which startled the two men. In fact, I just apologized to the woman, after all, I was suspected of taking advantage of her. However, the two of them didn't seem to mind it, but they must have some doubts about my identity.
And I just lay there, because I couldn't sleep, not because of the swords in their hands, nor because the two people wrapped in my huge clothes looked very interesting, but because of their relationship. A thirteen-year-old woman has a son, and the emperor has a daughter at the age of twelve. Isn't it very unprogressive? I have to make up for the lost time. With a wicked smile and sleepiness, I finally fell asleep.
I slept very soundly and comfortably. When I woke up, the rain seemed to have stopped, but the sky was not clear, and it should be afternoon. I was too lazy to get up, and Yinling regretted that she would not let me take a nap. At first, I refused to sleep and tossed around everywhere, making the whole family restless. If I woke up, I would be in trouble again. I tossed and turned, tossed and turned, and after a while, I suddenly felt a foul smell around me. I looked carefully and saw a hot thing under the horse's butt two feet away from my head. I cursed this thing that defecated everywhere, and hurriedly got up, but suddenly found that I was covered by several pieces of my clothes. When I looked around, the mother and son had disappeared.
He got up and tidied himself up to see if anything was missing. He looked at the pile of things and changed his clothes. Only then did he feel much better. He then pulled the extremely bad horse away, but he was still thinking about the two people.
The road to the south was still the same, except that it was very muddy and difficult to walk on. Listening to the mud pattering under the horse's hooves, I was determined not to get off and walk with him, but the horse seemed very strong and I wondered what it had chewed in the house. Then I thought of the pile of shit the horse had dropped in the house and felt disgusted.
That night I stayed at an inn in the town. I saw an old man slowly telling something, so I went over to him and listened to his old stories while drinking and eating. It was a good thing to have a full meal, and it was even better to have a story to listen to. But the wound on my cheek was still aching.
The old man talked for a while, and suddenly noticed me. I smiled at him, and he smiled back at me: "Hey, boy, what's wrong with your mouth? It seems like you're not eating very well."
"Oh, I was in a hurry while eating breakfast and bit my cheek. Sorry, I have a big appetite." I smiled foolishly.
"You must have been hungry. It's good to be able to eat. I'm old and my teeth are almost gone. I can't hold my mouth." This must be a very wise old man. His tone is always unhurried, but at this moment he has a smile. It should be that older people like me very much. Yinling summarized the reason for me. She likes me because I am a glutton. This makes me very depressed. I didn't expect that the old man would prove it again soon.
"Grandpa, has this field of reeds stretching for hundreds of miles outside always been like this? Why hasn't it been turned into fields?" The last time I went north, I took the official road. Although I took a detour, there were post stations. This time, I took a detour and saw these scenes, which was indeed a bit strange.
"Hey boy, how old are you? You look and sound mature, but why do you sound so childish and ignorant?"
"eighteen."
"Oh, I would believe you if you were 28, you look old." He seemed to be lamenting the tone and speed of his voice. "Well, since you call me grandpa, I have to tell you. This place was originally farmland for hundreds of miles, and there were several rivers for irrigation. It was a rich and fertile place. But the severe drought in the sixth year of Guanghe caused several rivers to dry up. Nothing can grow in everyone's fields. In fact, people don't even have water to drink, let alone take care of seedlings. The only river that still has water was occupied by a relative of one of the Ten Constant Servants, who built a flower garden and diverted it. They also sent people to patrol the upper and lower reaches of the river, and beat and drove away any people who came to take water."
"Fortunately, all the Shi Changs were killed this time." I couldn't help but say.
"Yes, this is a good thing." The old man sighed, "But many people died at that time. At that time, everyone was eagerly waiting for rain, which was actually waiting for death. That year, no rain fell until the autumn harvest. Many people went out early to escape the famine. Those who were in poor health and too old to go out were the only ones who died that year, except me, who was a fortune teller and had a filial son who went to the mountains dozens of miles away every day to pick fruits and fetch some mountain spring water to make ends meet. Most of the others also died that year. Once I fainted and went out to see my old brother. Before I entered his house, I saw something in his pot. It was a child's leg!"
In the sixth year of Guanghe, there was a great drought. My memory of it was just the legend that the sky was full of yellow sand in the north and people were eating people everywhere. Although it was scary, it was much milder than the child's tuǐ. But this time, after his slow and cryptic description, it made people feel as if they had experienced it themselves.
"In the seventh year of Guanghe, which was also the first year of Zhongping, the weather got hot early that year and there was water in the river. Everyone planted seeds and waited for the harvest, but the Yellow Turban bandits started causing chaos."
"Grandpa, why do you call them Yellow Turban bandits? Do they plunder everywhere?"
"Child, there are no rules. This is the land of the Han Dynasty. The Emperor is above you. You cannot be so disrespectful to him and speak for the rebels." I nodded in agreement and quickly admitted my mistake. Only then did he calm down. I realized that this was the only time he spoke in a hurry. "It is the corrupt officials who are bad. The Emperor is the Son of Heaven, but he has no way to control them. Now that He Jin and Shi Changshi have been removed with great difficulty, four ministers have appeared. I don't know what kind of people these four are. I hope they are good officials." Someone nearby was also praising the old man for knowing a lot of things. For example, they didn't know about the four ministers. He just liked to ask people about things on a daily basis, and he always knew something from the merchants who traveled from north to south.
"It's too far. Let me tell you about Baili Luhao. When the government troops and the bandit troops were fighting here, our whole family hid in the mountains. We only dared to take a peek at the battlefield below the mountain. We dared not look at it again. The strong stench of corpses could be smelled in the mountains. In the dead of night, we could hear the sound of jackals tearing the skeletons apart by listening in the quilt. Those months were hard. Hiding in the cave, the bedding on our bodies was moldy, and we dared not go out to dry them. The two sides fought this way and that way." The old man suddenly cried, "Those months were miserable."
I waited for the old man for a long time, not knowing what to do, but hoping to continue listening. He gradually calmed down and came to his senses. He said with some self-mockery: "I am old and have no future... That year we defeated the Yellow Turban Rebellion and changed the reign to Zhongping, but it was already autumn. The corpses were exposed in the wild, but no one cared, and we didn't dare to go back to live. That year we endured another winter in the mountains. I am so old, I know one thing: wherever there are corpses under the soil, the corpse oil will be buried in the soil, and the thatch will grow particularly lush the next year. Moreover, there were so many corpses left in the wilderness, and the weather got hot quickly the next year. Many villages were submerged in the endless sea of grass within a dozen days." He paused before he mustered up the courage to continue: "We didn't dare to go back to the village, so we could only live on the edge of this sea of grass. We thought we could get a pretty good harvest, but we encountered a heavy snow... The seedlings died... Where can we get new seeds? The grass is growing more and more crazy, but we can't eat grass." The old man actually cried again, very sad.
I lowered my head and said nothing. I don't know when my eyes were wet. The people around me tried to comfort the old man, but the old man just laughed at himself and didn't say anything for a while. After a long while, he replied to other people and then turned to me again: "Boy, you look like a scholar. Look at your clothes and your appearance. You should have no worries about food and clothing. You have been hungry for a day, maybe it's okay. Now you have such a big meal, it will be okay. But have you ever thought about being hungry for three years? We were hungry for three whole years, never full, and in the end we didn't even have the luxury of being full. We endured like this for three years, hungry for three years, three years of being hungry, and we didn't feel anything else."
I tried to think about it, but I admit I couldn't think of it. But at this time, a man came into the hall. When the old man saw him, he said to me: "A lot of my news came from them. Second son, you came back from Luoyang. What happened there?"
"It's a big deal." The man was a little tired, but when he heard someone asking, he immediately became energetic. He immediately sat down in the middle and asked someone to bring a bowl of water. When the water arrived, he drank it all in one gulp, and then said politely like a scholar: "Such a good wine, it's as sweet as honey, how wonderful." Everyone laughed, and then he began to speak.
"I was in Luoyang and heard that Xiliang Flying General Lu Fengxian was going to compete with the Regent Minister Ping An Fengyun Hou in the parade ground that afternoon." The interest of the young man nearby was immediately aroused, and someone immediately asked this person what the result was.
"I'm not a minister or an official, how can I get in? But the cheers in the parade ground were so loud that I could hear them when I was shopping in the East Market. But later I heard that the game was a draw, but Ping An Fengyun Hou himself couldn't hold on any longer."
"Why is Marquis Ping'an Fengyun doing this? If I were Marquis Ping'an Fengyun, I would never admit it." One of the young men said in confusion.
"So you will never become the Marquis of Ping'an Fengyun. This is called martial virtue." An elder patted the boy on the head and taught him a lesson with a smile.
Many of the older people present were not interested in this topic, especially the old man who just told me the story, who even said, "It's already this season, why are we still competing in martial arts? The world will be misled by these martial artists."
This old man had no idea of the reasons for various things in Beijing, but he thought his ideas were correct, which made me want to refute his ideas. However, I stopped immediately.
"Also, a few days later, when I was about to leave, I heard that Ping'an Fengyun Hou had been arrested. He was arrested at a banquet and immediately thrown into prison." The young man pretended to be mysterious and deliberately lowered his voice. Others immediately asked him the reason.
"Listen, at the banquet hosted by the Emperor, Marquis Ping'an Fengyun wanted to execute the entire Dong family. You have to know that after He Jin fell, Concubine Dong's family was favored. The other three ministers were afraid of Concubine Dong's pillow talk, so they gave in everywhere. Alas, this Marquis Fengyun, who has no father or mother, is so bold that he wants to execute the entire Dong family. Aren't you looking for death?"
"If you say so, this Marquis Ping'an Fengyun is indeed a character." The old man spoke again.
"Listen to me, listen to me, this Ping An Feng Yun Hou was the bastard of Empress Dowager He, and now his uncle has fallen, how can he not come out to help his mother." I was drinking water at the time, and when I heard this, I spit out a mouthful of water, causing everyone to stop and look at me. I didn't explain the reason and asked directly: "Hey brother, where did you hear this?"
"Who in the capital doesn't know about this?" He put on a righteous and upright look, which almost made me jump. I really don't know which bastard made up this rumor.
Then I started to defend myself, using my own abundant first-hand materials to show everyone that this person was not bad. And they also found reasons to refute me, the most difficult of which was: if his uncle was not in power, which 17-year-old child could be made a marquis, and this person was originally a commoner.
The more I explained, the more confused I became, and the more I stuttered. In the end, the group of old farmers who were good at talking made me want to kill them. It was the first time I realized that people from Jingzhou could lose in a quarrel.
I was so upset that I finally left the place early the next morning, and also left the 100-mile reed wormwood dam. When I left, I was still frightened, and there was always a cold wind blowing behind me.
That afternoon, I arrived at Ye City and found it funny to see the big banner with the word "Ye" on it. I picked up a phrase casually, "Leaf over leaf..." Suddenly I remembered what happened with Yin Ling that day, and I couldn't help but sigh, and then I continued: "The wind suddenly rises, a leaf is blown away, a leaf is gone without a trace, the one who is blown away is heartbroken, and where is the one who is gone without a trace?"
I felt a little lost and didn't want to look for old friends for the moment, so I just wandered around the city casually. I thought that because I looked dusty and had an untidy beard, and many people didn't expect me to come, I just ignored a few suspicious looks and walked around Ye City like an ordinary person.
At this time, Yecheng was quite lively, at least it seemed very lively. So, my mood also improved in this spring day with faint clouds and thin sun.
Suddenly, I was attracted by the conversation of several soldiers who seemed to have just changed their posts. This started a very interesting conversation.
"Zhaozi, hurry up, it's time to start over there." It was a very familiar greeting, and I wanted to reply.
"I want to take a shit first, then go with you guys." I think he should change the place when he talked, at least shouting loudly in front of the steamed bun shop is very disgusting. It seems that many people around me feel the same as me, especially some girls, who covered their noses as if they smelled something.
"Don't poop anymore, it will be digested in a few days!" It's really wonderful. I have never thought that there is such a method to solve this problem, and after listening to it, I definitely don't plan to try it.
Then the man called "Hood" immediately made the decision to digest those things and followed the group of people.
I suddenly became interested. What a person who could make such a big decision to do must be very interesting. So I followed him immediately.
It turned out to be a singer, and his story had already begun. The Mao leaders who came later kept asking what was said before. But I understood it as soon as I heard his story. If I am not mistaken, I am very familiar with the protagonist of this story. Because this is a story about a female thief, and this female thief seems to have an assistant. This assistant may be a civet cat or a monkey. In short, the appearance of each action is different. Maybe the child will be very dissatisfied when he hears it, but at this time, this is what I heard.
This person is quite talented. He can make people laugh non-stop even though things are not funny at all. He also continues the story by using male and female voices to talk to each other. For this, I am reminded of the "beautiful" Captain Sun in our army. If that person also spoke in a female voice, I wonder who in the world would suspect that he is a woman.
After he finished speaking, everyone cheered loudly, gave money, and left. The man sorted out the tips from others and was about to leave, but he found a giant still standing in front of him.
"Sir, what can I do for you?" He seemed a little at a loss, and it was obvious that my look might be a little strange.
"Don't worry." I seemed to still have some authority, and I listened to him, pointing and gesturing, "How do you know so many stories about this female thief?"
"Oh, you asked this. To be honest, everyone knows... You are a scholar, right?" He felt relieved and said to me while packing his things.
"Yes." I felt strange, as if many people could sense that I was a scholar.
"The scholars don't know about the things of us common people. We rely on our mouths because we can't remember them. We can only pass on as much as we can from generation to generation. The main thing is to teach the method. In fact, we make up words wherever we are. We want those that are of interest to everyone and that don't cost me my head."
"It sounds interesting, pay attention." My interest immediately piqued.
"I want to eat. I'm hungry. If you are interested, I'll talk to you next time we meet." He was direct.
"I'm treating you to a meal. Where would you like to eat?" I immediately acted like a rich man.
"Oh, well, you're welcome. Thank you, sir." He seemed to be very interested in me as well.
I was about to go back, so I didn't have to save money. So I ordered a table of delicious food, which really surprised the young man. He certainly didn't expect me to be so generous. He couldn't eat so much, I was too polite, and I told him not to be polite because I could eat it.
While eating, I continued to ask him questions. He carefully savored the taste of the beef before putting down his chopsticks and continuing to talk to me.
"For these things, I only need to know the general idea, and then I have to think about it myself and think of some interesting things to insert into it. That way there will be a story." He said it very easily, but the listeners were not so relaxed.
"Then aren't you lying?" I felt a little cheated.
"So what?" He seemed very puzzled: "I am not compiling history books. My purpose is to make everyone happy and to tell stories about the romantic affairs in Luoyang. Maybe the aunties on the street are willing to listen, but most ordinary people don't want to. As for talking about officialdom, we ordinary people have only one head and dare not. So, when we get to a place, we all have one skill, which is to find out the latest topic of the place as quickly as possible, and then know as many things as possible. Then we make it up, otherwise how can anyone listen." His story made sense, but something was missing in the middle and it was a bit too brief. The main reason was that he was chewing from time to time.
"The main thing is that there is one thing in these stories that ordinary people like, because the female thief only targets those who are rich and unkind. It helps ordinary people vent their anger, and they feel good and are willing to listen." He seemed to be introducing his own experience in making up stories, but I was thoughtful.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of horse hooves outside, and Ye Jian came in under the guidance of someone. When he saw me, he bowed and said, "Brother Zhi, why didn't you look for me when you came?"
"Oh, Jian, this armor fits me very well... I returned to Jingzhou alone and didn't want anything to happen. I planned to look for you after dark... How did you find me?" Just then, I suddenly remembered this incident and felt very strange.
"Oh, isn't it dinner time? I went to patrol the city and heard some people. There was a big man coming in from the north gate. He was more than ten feet tall and had an extremely high belt. I thought it could only be you. Then I heard someone say that you went to listen to the singing, and then you came in here. I'm coming over now."
I stood up to greet him and hit him, "Your nose is getting bigger again."
"Oh, Ye Jian is not worthy of the gift from Marquis Ping'an Fengyun. Come with your brothers." The young man made a motion of leaning backwards, which made me laugh.
"Okay." I turned around and looked at the singer. He stood there, with half of the beef stuffed into his mouth. "Brother, I'm leaving now. I'll listen to your story about the female thief later when I have time."
Then he took out a purse, threw it to the shopkeeper, and ordered, "Give me everything this boy needs." Then he and Ye Jian said goodbye and left.
As soon as I walked out of the tavern, I heard someone behind me mumbling, "Oh my god, I'm actually having dinner with Ping An Fengyun Hou."
Hearing the tone, it seemed that he didn't believe it was true, or maybe he was a little complacent, so he didn't hear Ye Jian's question clearly, and asked Ye Jian what he asked me apologetically. Then he asked again: "I'm asking you, are you okay on the way here?"
I thought about it and smiled: "Safe journey, safe journey."