Changes in the sky
Volume 2: The Edge of Heaven
Chapter 157 Shanglin Garden
The Shanglin Garden in front of us looked as if no one had come here since Emperor Xiaowu passed away, and no one had taken care of it. It was desolate and dilapidated, lifeless. There were broken tiles and bricks on the roadside that no one cared about. As the sun set, the low hills looked like tombs. Sometimes a gust of wind would blow through, stirring up some dead leaves and broken grass. The magnificent Shanglin Garden looked even more like a desolate cemetery with no one to worship and no one to take care of it.
But Song's almost alarmist words made me think through everything after a while. Zishi heard Song's soft words and seemed to have discovered that there was a "higher" person here. He politely approached Song to talk, but his voice was very low.
They had known each other in Jingzhou, and now they became good friends in a short while. I saw Brother Zishi raise his fist and lightly hit Song's shoulder halfway through, just like me kicking someone in the butt.
However, the more I thought about it, the more frightened I became, and I had no time to talk to them.
I walked quickly towards Brother Zhongdao. He was also looking at Shanglin Garden, which was shrouded in the blood-red color of the setting sun, with an incredible look on his face.
I tried my best to act calm and asked him to go to a quiet place nearby, but I said with a sad heart, "Brother Zhongdao, please forgive me. I am afraid that I have harmed you by bringing you here this time."
An idea immediately flashed through his mind, and he leaned close to his ear and said, "I'm sorry for you this time, brother, please get seriously ill and get well soon!"
He turned to look at me and frowned. He stared at me for a moment, then glanced around. A smile gradually appeared on his thin, pale, yet calm and peaceful face. Suddenly, he frowned and actually vomited blood!
"The Doctor is vomiting blood!" I said in panic, "Hurry up and get some help!"
The crowd was a little confused, and Shanglinyuan Ling rushed over to ask what was going on. Brother Zhongdao's mouth was still bleeding, but he covered his mouth with his hands, "I have always had lung disease, and I'm afraid it has relapsed after this bumpy journey."
"What should I do?" I asked in a panic.
"Don't worry, Marquis Fengyun." The Shanglinyuan Commander seemed to know me. "Although there are doctors here, Chang'an is not far to the northeast. It might be better to send the Doctor Jijiu to Chang'an for treatment and recuperation immediately."
"Thank you very much. I have not asked for Yuan Ling's name yet."
I sent Brother Zhongdao and Cai Yan to Chang'an. This place is no longer suitable for them.
After settling down for a while and arranging accommodations for everyone, I went out alone to ride a horse through the withered grass and dead forest.
I am silent and go out alone, naturally there will be smart people to come and find me on horseback. Shanglinyuan is surrounded by mountains to the north and south, and the middle is flat, with only some hills and earth slopes here and there, which is convenient for riding horses. I think of the line "Where is the grass to ride horses" in Yinling's song, but unfortunately there are only some withered grasses to accompany me.
Zishi was the first to rush forward and looked around to make sure there was no one else around.
"Don't worry, I have an order." He said to me calmly: "Just now, Master Doctor, it was you who asked him to do this, right?"
I raised my head, but my back felt cold because of his previous words.
"My lord, you are really quick-witted. Yudong admires you very much. The general of the cavalry saw through me and I was discovered by Zirui at once." His behavior is really like Brother Zhongdao. This is how people learn to be bad. In fact, if it weren't for his words, I might not have woken up.
"I know he's faking it when I see him panicking. Unless Sister Yinling is sick or something happens to her. Uh, I'm just giving an example, don't glare at me. In that case, he might panic. In other cases, even if there are thousands of troops ahead, he won't panic no matter how anxious he is."
"But how did Brother Zhongdao spit out blood? That blood is really real. I also had tuberculosis in the past, and I also had to cough for a long time before I could spit out some blood. He looks like he really has lung disease, but I don't know why he can do that." It seems that Song also wants to learn Brother Zhongdao's advanced ability to spit out blood. If he had heard it normally, he would have made some jokes and criticized him, and even kicked him. But at this moment, he didn't know what to say, so he could only smile and shake his head, but his heart was a little relieved.
"Maybe he bit his tongue?" Zishi suddenly sighed, "Why did you ask for his name? Forget about guaranteeing him. This matter has nothing to do with you or me. I have sent my memorial. I am afraid that the imperial edict will be issued soon. I brought three hundred Yulin cavalry for this purpose."
"Whose idea was this? Was it my father's? Why did my sister Jin come back during the Lantern Festival? I came here the next day. There must be another important person in the team protecting her."
"Don't blame your uncle for this. It was decided by the teacher and Duke Wei. I asked you to come here because..."
"I am a pawn of the three elders." His heart immediately tightened again, and he couldn't help but sigh, but it was difficult to express the indescribable resentment in his heart, "It seems that they are determined to force me to do something I don't want to do."
"You are one of the four regents, but the court has awe for the other three, but not you. They do this to establish your authority! So that no one will dare to oppose you in the future. You took the blame for Meng De, and the common people and servants may not agree, but all the ministers in the court know that you are not that cruel! I know what kind of person you are. No matter what position you are in, you treat people with the same mind. In the past, when you were already the Marquis of Fengyun and I was just a captain of the city gate, you treated me like this; when you were dismissed and left us, you were still like this; to this day, you are still like this. . We all know that you were able to lead people to rob the Huangmen Temple prison to save Ziyu, and that you were able to break the flag and burn the banner for the people of Yizhou. But the court is not like our Xiangyang Academy, and not all officials are like us. Do you understand? Not everyone knows what kind of person you, Xie Zirui, are! Do you understand? That morning I proposed to fight with you just to relax with you, do you understand! Because I know that sooner or later, you will know these things. I just didn't expect it to be so soon. But you have to understand! You are in such a position, you must let others respect you, let others be afraid of you, you must do this!"
Brother Zishi threw his spear to the ground, and he was in a bad mood: "This is an opportunity. Because you have managed political affairs in Yue State, you can be more ruthless this time and make others believe you. In two days, the imperial edict should arrive. After the edict is announced, you must follow it and make it look like you are the one making the request. I can do the dirty work for you, but you have to respond to this matter in front of the emperor and his ministers. Do you understand? You didn't set the rules of this game, but you have to play it because you are still alive!"
I didn't say anything. I looked at him, then at Song, and he nodded at me. I looked back at Zishi, with a smile that I didn't even understand, and nodded as well.
Suddenly, we heard a tiger roar, and the horses of the three of us seemed to be startled. Zishi was quick and grabbed Song's horse to prevent him from being thrown off. But I was a little distracted and almost got thrown off. Fortunately, my legs were strong and my hands had some strength, so I managed to hold the horse.
I don't know when, but we came to a courtyard, and the roar came from there. An old soldier ran over and saluted us: "We were feeding the tigers, and the tigers were fighting for food, so they roared and disturbed your horse. Please forgive me."
We naturally had no problem, so we all got off our horses and went in to watch. I had never seen a tiger before, but after going to the north, I felt like I had heard this kind of roar before, but I had never seen a live tiger. They should be similar to me, and they must have never even heard the roar of a tiger.
The old soldier introduced to me that most of the lions and tigers were kept in Jianzhang Palace. Note 1 There are only three here, and they were just transported from Jianzhang Palace to be shown to the emperor this time.
We came to the tiger enclosure. There were viewing platforms around it, and a large circular pit was dug on the flat ground, more than two feet deep and forty feet in diameter. At this moment, three giant beasts with yellow and black stripes appeared in front of us. One of the tigers was stronger than the other two, eating the meat on the plate in the enclosure. The other two tigers circled around, roaring softly, but did not come forward. Outside the pit, there were several strong men holding bamboo poles seven or eight feet long with a rope loop on them, shouting at the beasts in the pit casually, as if they were just on guard against any changes. Some people laughed at each other, and others looked in our direction.
At this time, another person came over, using a bamboo pole of similar length with a hook on the front end, picked up a large piece of raw meat, stretched it into the circle and threw it down.
A tiger in the outer circle suddenly rushed forward to grab some food, and the tiger in the middle roared at it and rushed forward two steps, which immediately frightened the tiger. The third tiger did not dare to move at all, just looking at the middle one.
Song seemed to be frightened by the sound, took a breath of cold air, and even coughed. Zishi laughed at his courage and asked casually, what tricks can these tigers play
The old soldier thought for a while: I haven't done anything for many years, but during the time of the previous emperor, several rebellious members of the army were thrown in and forced to fight tigers. If they survived, they would be forgiven, but in the end they all lost their lives.
Is there such a thing
The old soldier didn't know what I meant, and started to talk about the beasts in the tiger garden of Jianzhang Palace. He told me an anecdote: Emperor Xiaowu once ordered Li Guang's grandson Li Yu to fight tigers in a cage. Li Yu had a rope on his body, so he could be pulled up at any time. Li Yu cut the rope with his sword. There were more than a dozen tigers in the cage. The emperor praised his bravery and ordered people to rescue him. But Li Yu was a tough guy. He cursed Emperor Xiaowu for being a tyrant who enjoyed fighting beasts, and then committed suicide with a sword.
At this time, the tiger in the middle seemed to have finished eating, and walked back to the corner contentedly, chewing something by itself, scratching its ears and mouth with its claws. The tiger that had just rushed up came up and enjoyed the food slowly, while the third tiger was still staring at the meat plate in the corner, still not daring to act rashly.
Everyone exclaimed, but it was not because of the tigers' mischief, but because I jumped down. The three tigers stood up and looked in my direction.
The one who was full suddenly lowered his head again. The people above started shouting, "You want to die? What are you doing?"
This is Ping An Fengyun Hou. The voice came from a few feet behind him.
Why are you following me
He also asked me, why did you come down
Do you want to live
I should be the one asking you this!
The tiger over there must have been starving, and without any delay, it rushed straight towards us. When it was ten steps away, it suddenly jumped up and pounced on me!
Both guns were fired, I was in front, the gun reached its throat first, but Zishi's gun helped me to make up for the three attacks. The tiger's body immediately froze, and then it collapsed on my gun. When I pulled out the gun, the second tiger had already approached me, but I used Zishi's gun to help me push it away. The people on the pit were already anxious, and I saw several traps trying to help me trap this tiger. This tiger pushed away several with its front paws, and it was very flexible, but it couldn't get close for a while. The tiger farthest away still looked at us coldly, as if it had nothing to do with it.
I just pulled the gun out of the first tiger, and Zishi stood to my right.
I got a little carried away and shouted at the people above me, "Get out of the way, leave these beasts to me." I shot the meat plate away and said to the two tigers fiercely, "The people can't even eat so much meat in a year, but you are only feeding you. I don't know how many people are going hungry."
The big tiger at the edge of the pit seemed to be a little angry and stood up, but was immediately trapped by the rope and lay down again. The other tiger was in the middle, farthest away from the bamboo poles, so the bamboo poles were not very effective, and they could not do anything to the tiger for a while.
Zishi, on the other hand, stared ahead and kept telling me, "That's enough, Zirui, stop being so childish! I know you're in a bad mood, but if Yinling knew, she would think you don't care about her at all. If she really knew, she would be very upset. Do you understand? Think about her. Zirui!"
I let out a long breath, calmed down a little, and turned my head. Zishi looked at me and smiled, and also turned his head, but asked the people behind to put down the rope ladder for us to go up. At this moment, the tiger suddenly approached. I noticed something strange around me, and in a blink of an eye, I saw a bloody mouth coming towards me. I didn't have time to think about it, and I blocked the tiger's mouth with my spear. I felt that I couldn't stand on my feet, and the whole person retreated backwards; Zishi was shocked, and just when he was about to draw his spear to stab the tiger, he was entangled with the rope of the bamboo pole that came to rescue me, and he couldn't pull it out for a while.
A noose was thrown over the tiger's head, but because the tiger held my gun in its mouth, it couldn't be put on, so it slipped away. I kicked the pit wall behind me with one foot, stood on the ground with one foot, and held the gun in front of the beast with both hands. I couldn't free my hands and feet to control the tiger. The tiger didn't let go, just scratched with its two front paws. Fortunately, my arms were long, so I saw two hairy and colorful claws waving in front of me, but they didn't hurt me.
Zishi pulled a few times and pulled the bamboo pole down, but failed to separate it as he wished. He threw away his gun and drew his sword from his waist to help me. The tiger seemed to be alert and immediately let go, turned around and kicked on the ground, ready to pounce on Zishi. When he was about to grab the gun and stab Zishi, he felt that he was in time before he could fully stretch out his hand, so he threw away the gun and pounced on it.
Immediately, I crossed my arms around its neck and wrapped my legs around its abdomen, strangling it tightly. Zishi held the sword at his side, but it was difficult for him to stab because we both rolled on the ground. In this situation, I had the upper hand, and none of its four claws could catch me. I could even remind Brother Zishi of the tiger at his side.
But the tiger didn't seem to care while rolling over; it just stood quietly by the pit, watching everything coldly.
So I kept exerting my strength, and after about half a minute it finally calmed down and stopped rolling around. Zishi helped me to give the tiger another sword strike in the belly, and the tiger became motionless.
I loosened my arms and stood up shakily. Firstly, I felt a little dizzy, and secondly, it was really strenuous work, and my arms and legs were a little numb.
Zishi picked up my gun, pointed the tip of the gun at the tiger at the edge of the pit, and panted like me; Go ahead.
I looked at the tiger at the edge of the pit, which had no intention of being my enemy.
The rope ladder had been lowered long ago, but Zishi was still looking at the tiger and said to me, "You go up first."
"Brother, please go first and pull me up. My arms are sore. The tiger is full and will not come to eat me."
Zishi supported me, pushed me, hit my shoulder, handed me the gun as a walking stick, and went up first.
Zirui, grab the rope ladder and we will pull you up.
I grabbed the rope ladder and was moving up when I suddenly felt a strong force pulling me up, and at the same time a scream was heard from the surrounding area.
I could understand what was going on, so I didn't even look back and held on to the rope ladder tightly. I felt a sharp pain in my right leg, and I managed to get out of the pit.
I could see the hot air coming from the edge of the pit and hear the frightening growls; I could see the look on the face of the tiger herders rushing towards me. Several bamboo poles were thrown down from the direction I came from. Several strong men pursed their lips and struggled to hold the bamboo poles. One of them picked up a crossbow and walked past us to the edge of the pit to shoot it.
"Don't hurt it! I'm coming up. Forget it! It has already had its dinner. It would be a waste of the meal if it was killed. Tomorrow you can transfer two more from Jianzhang Palace. They are just animals. I was a little impulsive just now. If it weren't for the help of the General of the Cavalry, I would be dead now. Besides, this tiger is quite strategic. I, the Marquis of Ping'an Fengyun, was deceived by it. This tiger is quite remarkable. Let's let it go this time."
Although I said I was magnanimous, I was muttering in my heart: I was injured on my right leg again. My right leg is the most unlucky part. Even animals choose to attack there.
Brother Zishi, we may need to go to Jianzhang Palace to fetch the tiger tomorrow. I will trouble you for this.
How to deal with this dead tiger
Tiger skin seems to be a good thing. I heard from our useless Beihai that tiger skin is very warm. I will lend it to the emperor to show my generosity. It seems that the emperor has been in poor health recently and caught a cold. He asked someone to peel the skin of this animal and send two whole skins to him. Then, I thought about this and wanted to get the skin of the tiger. I was anxious and did something stupid.
Zirui is really becoming more and more dishonest, but he did have a good idea. I didn't expect such flattering words to come out of your mouth. You must know that the situation is serious.
Well, there is no way! I am injured, and this matter cannot be concealed. Not only will everyone here know, I am afraid that Yinling Pei'er will also know, and I am also worried about how to face my two wives when I return immediately!
It's okay, your legs are injured, I guess Sister Yinling won't punish you to kneel. Just find two bowls to cover your ears, fasten them with a rope, and your ears will be injured.
Please help me find someone to check my legs. They don't seem too heavy. I think I can still stand.
Don't stand there. Didn't you see they all left? I asked them to go find a doctor immediately. Also, there may be something very tragic waiting for you.
What's the matter
It looks like there may be two.
The first medical officer who came was a veterinarian. The veterinarian was obviously embarrassed to see me, but our General of the Cavalry said: Look, Fengyunhou is no different from an animal.
I guess this guy is the only one in Shanglinyuan who dares to do this to me, but there will be many more in Jingzhou.
There were three deep scars on my body. They were not very long, but they were still bleeding. They helped me to sprinkle some medicine powder to stop the bleeding and bandaged my wound. The medicine for animals was really strong. I immediately understood the meaning of a very tragic thing. They made my facial features explode. I don't know what it means to explode. At least I didn't scream in pain, but I felt an extremely burning pain at the wound. I couldn't help scratching several times, but ended up slapping our cavalry general. He smiled at me and didn't fight back. As a result, I forgot that he had two, until the other one happened and I understood.
I have figured it out: a hungry tiger will eat people, and a well-fed tiger will also hurt people. As long as it is a tiger, it has this nature.
We can let some tigers eat well, and some tigers are hungry. We can deal with the ones that have not eaten first, but we still have to watch those that have eaten. Now Shanglinyuan is a very good tiger cage, waiting for these tigers to come.
However, I don’t know what the point of thinking about this matter is at this time.
The Shanglinyuan Ling and his two deputies arrived soon, and my father's car also came. I was lifted into the car, and the Shanglinyuan Ling was asked to come in and ask him if anyone had asked them to prepare anything. His minister had been here, so there was no need to repair it specially. This was the emperor's intention to let the princes pay for the repairs. It was better for some places to be dilapidated. I understand, you can choose not to repair other things, but you must repair the places for the emperor and the princess to live. And all the palaces and pavilions must be cleaned up, they can't look like a desolate wilderness. He understood. But I thought to myself, I don't know if you really understand.
Zishi asked me if I wanted to go to Chang'an as well. I asked him, "Don't you want me to stay?" He was silent for a while, then asked me leisurely, "Are you willing to stay?"
My boss, you can't bear this responsibility. You help me kill the tiger and I will help you get rid of it.
You killed the tiger, and this may seem like a great event, but you will be scolded, not necessarily punished. Since you want to be drenched in boiling water, you are like a dead pig that is not afraid of boiling water. I will just be a dead pig that is drenched in boiling water, and not appear in such a glorious and great event as your killing of the tiger.
I feel much better. Since I have to do it, I will do it. Life has to go on. Wouldn't it be better to live happily
That night, the second doctor examined me and asked what the medicine was. Song was beside me and stopped bleeding. The doctor couldn't figure out what the medicine was for a long time. After smelling it, he seemed to understand how veterinary medicine could be used on humans. Song learned from a good friend he had recently made a few words, but changed them a little: At that time, the General of the Cavalry and the Marquis of Fengyun were almost like animals. The veterinarian used the medicine. The doctor must have been very surprised at the unrestrained and unreserved words of our Yue court. He looked at Song for a long time before he hurriedly helped me clean the wound. After changing the medicine, he asked him how he dared to say that in front of me. He looked at me leaning peacefully on the couch, without any sign of life, and became even more unscrupulous. Young people are sometimes prone to being crazy, but I am still more indulgent to this brother.
Doctor, every court needs ministers of remonstration. I am the minister of remonstration of Yue State. If I feel any strategy is inappropriate, I will shout loudly in the court: Lord Yue, I cannot agree with Lord Yue's behavior!
Zishi seemed to have finished his work and came over to chat with me. I heard him at the door and said in a joking tone: I dare to do that, and I dare to do that to His Majesty.
The doctor was shocked and saluted to Brother Zishi first, then asked: How dare the General of Cavalry disobey the emperor like this
It's not disobedience, I'm just doing my duty as a subject.
Song disagreed: I don’t think you dare.
What happened to you just now
Song immediately repeated it.
Look at me.
After saying this, Zishi pretended to sit down next to us, then suddenly stood up and turned around, as if he had walked in front of Your Majesty, knelt on one knee, and faced the ground behind us: Your Majesty, I cannot agree with Marquis Yue’s behavior!
Then he stood up in a cool manner, looked at the three of us looking at him, and shook his sleeves: It's that simple.
If it weren't for the wound on his leg, I would have beaten him. Song laughed so hard that he almost couldn't breathe and kept coughing. The doctor also thought it was funny, but in front of us, he kept pursing his lips and holding back his laughter.
About half an hour later, the doctor saw that I had no other problems and there was no other reaction at the place where I applied the medicine, so he said goodbye and left. He would be called back only when needed. Zishi sent him away and asked us when he turned around, "Isn't this a veterinarian?"
Then my pillow was given to him, but it wasn't from me.
The captain arrived later, and the situation there was worse, not as bad as mine. But the place prepared for the princess was later cleaned up by the Shanglinyuan Ling, and it was relatively neat and clean. All the necessary things were ready, so there was nothing to do. He also heard about my fight with the tiger, and the Yulin riders there were very impressed and were talking about it; he asked me if my injury was okay, and I was fine. After changing the medicine, the wound was indeed much better, not like pickled meat just now.
Then he was given a task: from now on, guard and take care of Miss Ren who was going to play for the emperor, and do not leave without permission, and ensure her safety in any way. For this last sentence, a brother hit him on the waist.
The captain blushed and we all laughed.
The captain really went to carry out my order, leaving the three of us in the room to continue chatting. Of course, when we really couldn't find any topic to talk about, we would also talk about business.
Brother Zishi, it is getting late today, so he has sent some people to various gardens and temples in the west to stay overnight. They will take a look at the situation tomorrow morning and come back to report.
My boss mentioned that I would find a car tomorrow morning and take a look around. At the very least, this is Shanglinyuan, so I need to take a good look at it.
Zishi suddenly looked around and asked me in confusion, "Didn't you bring a group of maids with you? Why is there no one here? There's not even anyone to bring me water or clothes. I've been thirsty for a long time."
Song immediately stood up and went to ask.
After he left, Zishi asked me if he had any affair with any maid.
I originally wanted to match him with a girl named Qiu Luan, but that girl always called her "big brother", and it seemed like things were not going well.
After a while, Song returned, and as soon as they came, they helped clean the place where I lived, and they were covered with dust. After cleaning my place, they cleaned their own place. After they were done, they took a bath and washed their clothes, shoes and socks. Now all the maids were drying their clothes in the side room, and they would come when they were dry.
Before he finished speaking, the sound of wooden clogs was heard outside the house, and soon Qiu Luan's voice of apology arrived.
If you are not dressed properly, you don't need to come in. Go back and warm yourself by the fire. I thought to myself that although it has been warm these days, it is the New Year after all, and it would be bad to catch a cold if you wear thin clothes.
There was nothing wrong over there, as she had all the clothes on, but they were not the usual attire of a maid.
Soon the woman came in, and she was indeed dressed in the clothes of ordinary people. Her face was flushed, like a sweet potato out of the pot, and Yinling was probably like this after taking a bath; she walked forward barefoot, and her feet rubbed against the floor, making a sound that gave me goosebumps. It was not like the sound of our big steps like drums, nor was it like the silent steps of Yinling.
Uh, Qiuluan, you've worked hard today. First, light the fire over there. Your clothes are a little thin, don't catch a cold. Then bring us some water.
The woman agreed and followed his advice.
After she went away, Zi Shi turned his gaze to Song. This girl was beautiful and intelligent, and her voice was quite spiritual, so why not marry her
Song shook his head. Qiu Luan was young and innocent, and didn't know anything about the relationship between men and women. She was also kind-hearted, so he couldn't bear to treat her lightly, and they were willing to become brother and sister.
Well, then I will consider her as your sister and take her to Yue State. She doesn't need to enter my Yue Marquis's residence, but go to your residence. You should take good care of her and find a good husband for her. She has a very ancient and righteous style, and I respect her.
What is the ancient style
It would be troublesome to explain this matter to them, but of course I have my own excuse: I once heard that there was someone who asked her to do something, but she went to bed and fell asleep without saying anything. When she woke up the next day, she was still there, waiting for the thing she had been asked to do.
After looking at the two of them, I thought to myself, even if Song asked Qiu Luan about this matter and she answered that it was nothing, I could still say that it seemed that the person was not her.
When Qiu Luan returned, she brought water over. Zishi took it first and handed me a cup: Come, let me toast to the tiger-fighting hero.
We both laughed. Zishi drank some water and said to his brother, "Have a good rest. We really need to go on another patrol."
I told you not to leave yet, because talking about matters between men and women just now reminded me to ask: Is my sister, General Hongxiu, pregnant
He sighed and shook his head.
It seems that my brother is also incompetent in this matter. After saying this, I felt very happy. Since Pei'er got pregnant, Zhi finally got to be proud of himself and could also tease others.
It's not that I'm incompetent, but Yu'er's period is very abnormal. I asked the imperial physician to take a look. Yu'er has been in the army for many years and has experienced many battles. She has not been able to nourish her blood and qi well, so she is not like an ordinary woman. If she wants to get pregnant, she needs to take good care of herself.
What was that matter
Brother Zishi suddenly looked at me, which made me feel puzzled. My head still had no horns.
You have two wives, but you don’t know anything about women
He looked at my expression, which I had developed in front of Yin Ling and could be considered extremely innocent, simple and honest, and knew that I was not lying. He shook his head, turned around, said to me, "Silly brother," and left.
I turned around and asked Song, what was that matter
Song shook his head and said, "Unknown." From the tone of his voice, it seemed that he knew it after marriage.
I also shook my head. Both of my wives and I have been married several times, so I don’t know.
Since it was a woman's matter, I involuntarily looked at Qiu Luan who was standing next to me. She obviously saw what I was thinking, and before I asked, her face became even redder.
I sighed and said, "Forget it, forget it. I'll ask my wife later." I also explained that after I arrived in Yue State, I rarely lived with my two wives. I often rested on the spot where I was handling government affairs, and I really didn't pay much attention.
Qiu Luan uttered a few words timidly and intermittently: My Lord and Madam Pingguo... have been together for so long... Haven't you noticed... that there is something wrong with Madam for a few days every month
This reminded me of something. It seemed that since I was about ten years old, Yinling would turn pale and often have abdominal pain on almost every day of the month. I asked her what was wrong, and she said, "You are the child, don't worry about it." During that period, Yinling's temper was usually not very good, and then she would get better after a while, but Yinling had to wash her clothes afterwards, and there were usually blood stains on them. Sometimes in a certain month, my sister didn't seem to have any problems, but she was still a little anxious and would go to the doctor, so in the next few days, she would boil medicine again. I was afraid that she would get angry, so I didn't dare to ask. I had to ask Aunt Zhang what was going on, and she also said, "I'll know when I grow up."
As a result, I grew up, got married, and still seemed to know nothing.
Suddenly I remembered the scene with Huang Yi or Huang Xin in Qianshan. It seemed to be a woman's affair.
I can't think of a clue, so I can only change my ideas.
There are too few people in Shanglin Garden. We have to come here to clean up. Thank you for the hard work of Qiuluan and the sisters. There will be rewards when we go back. Yudong, please take some time to go to Chang'an tomorrow and buy more clothes, shoes and socks for your sister Qiuluan and the others. I really can't spare anyone, so I can only trouble you.
The manpower is like this. Since the Han Dynasty was rebuilt in Luoyang, because the great rebellion in the world had just begun and people's livelihood was in decline, many officials in Shanglin Garden were dismissed. For example, the Ten Pool Supervisors and the Du Heng were all dismissed. Generally, there was only one garden commander, one assistant, and one lieutenant. Only when needed, some officials were temporarily appointed. However, Shanglin Garden was more than 300 miles in radius, which was larger than the jurisdiction of many counties, so it seemed that there was a shortage of manpower, which was also true.
Where do we live
Pingle Pavilion next to Pingle Temple was chosen by the emperor for you. The word "Ping" suits you.
Well, the place where I am buried after my death is called Yueping Mausoleum. The word "ping" is in my original title, and my wife's title also has "ping". If my life can really be so peaceful, I should also be fair and enjoy peace.
Haha, Yue Hou is really funny. I learned all this from Brother Zhongdao along the way. I don't know how the Doctor Jijiu is doing now.
He's fine, you should know that.
kindness.
Anyway, he can't stay here. Who knows how serious the problem will be.
I looked at Qiu Luan again. She didn't seem to understand what we were talking about. In order to avoid any leaks later, I had to find a way to get rid of her.
Qiu Luan, please bring some wine. Do you know where the wine is
Knowing this, the person who brought us here told us where to find various things.
Then take some. Since the emperor has given it to me, I can naturally enjoy some of the things here.
Qiu Luan agreed and left, giving us a tip before she left. There is a hot spring in Pingle Temple, and they just took a bath there. It was said to be very good, and she also suggested that her brother and I should give it a try.
Song said directly, you can't wash it, the wound on your leg may not be able to get close to water for half a month.
Ah, the Marquis is injured? Qiu Luan, who had already reached the door, suddenly asked.
Well, the Marquis helped the Emperor to get something for the tiger, and he was very brave.
Don't listen to your brother's nonsense, I'm fine, you can go.
Qiu Luan hesitated for a moment, but still left.
Has Lord Xu settled down
Xu Situ is next to you, and asked Qiu Luan and the others to clean up early. Now, it's time to go to bed. This old man has been sleeping almost all the time since he came to Luoyang. This journey has been enough for him.
Well, there's no other way. I have to let him work hard. I have to make sure Yinling has no worries over there. Hey, where's **
I went hunting. I think I'll be back soon.
Well, okay, I'll give him a big forest for hunting, and now I'm borrowing the emperor's to repay the favor.
**, ** arrived. Holding my bow and arrow, carrying a few rabbits.
The deer were gone now; I shot a few rabbits that were out grazing, but unfortunately I couldn't find their burrows.
Rabbits don't eat grass near their burrows, so you may have to look for one in dense grass. You can skin the rabbit, roast it over the fire, and I'll share some with you.
Did Lord Yue go to bed so early today
No, the Marquis of Yue tried to get the skin of the tiger and ended up hurting himself.
Tiger? There is a tiger here? Where
What are you making such a fuss about? They were kept in the tiger enclosure, three in total, Yue Hou killed two, skinned them and sent them to the emperor. The other one attacked Yue Hou.
It turns out that Brother Yuehou can also catch tigers. Unfortunately, when I was young, my father killed all the tigers on my mountain. He killed them all so that I wouldn’t have to worry about encountering them in the future. My mother was injured by a tiger when she was young… I have seen tiger skins, but I don’t know what a live tiger looks like. Hey, Brother Yuehou, what does it sound like when it barks
I imitated roaring a few times, Song thought it was not like that, so he also imitated it a few times, and even coughed. I also thought it was not like that, I will take you to the tiger enclosure tomorrow.
How is Yue Hou's tǐ? I thought to myself that you are finally thinking about your elder brother's tǐ.
No problem.
Suddenly he remembered that his mother was injured by a tiger, and he couldn't help but apologize: **, your mother was injured by a tiger, what happened later
His face was somewhat sad: "Father had no money for medical treatment at that time. Father accompanied mother for a few days without hunting, but mother still died. Mother asked father to tell me that she was going to heaven to look after us father and son. Father would go there in the future, and I would go there in the end, too. Then the family would be reunited, and there was no need to feel sad."
Today, Yue Hou has avenged you.
Actually, it is not necessary... We hunters also kill these birds and beasts all day long. My mother comforted my father that we are also killing living creatures, and if they die at our hands, it is justified and we should not feel resentful.
I really want to go and pay my respects to **'s parents. It's just that a child raised by such parents is loyal and reliable, but I don't know where he learned to be so lustful.
Suddenly I thought of Xing Xi and Xi. Maybe this child has been with them all year round. Watching them loving each other, laughing, flirting, being sticky and sour for so many years, he knew he needed a companion, so he did this.
Since Song and Qiuluan are brother and sister and have no thoughts of love between men and women, it would be better to bring them together so that the water does not flow into outsiders' fields.
Sister Qiuluan has accepted your elder brother Song as her brother. If you want to achieve something good, you should please your elder brother Song.
** immediately smiled and said: "Brother Song, I will roast a rabbit for you." He took a few steps and turned around: "Yue Hou, I will roast a few for you too, and leave all the rabbit tuǐ for you." My father taught me that what you eat is what you need.
We both looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.
** almost knocked over the tray in Qiu Luan's hand at the door, but fortunately this guy was quick and helped to hold it up. He apologized repeatedly, and his attitude could be called "fawning". He also roasted rabbit meat for her, but she hurriedly declined, but ** just left with a hum.
Qiu Luan came in again, and I quickly blocked my ears. The palace's walking rules were really not something my ears could handle. I couldn't handle the firecrackers during the New Year. There was really something wrong with my ears.
The pot had just been cleaned, and it looked like it had been stored for a long time. It was not the ordinary rice wine in the ordinary wine shop, and it was not numbing and hard to drink, and it became sour when it was old.
But the cup is indeed unique, it's yù!
Song took the cup and looked it up and down. He had never used such an exquisite wine vessel before.
My head: Yes, wisdom has never been used.
Why not warm it up with hot water? It was just right to warm Qiu Luan up. Her hands, feet and face were even redder, probably because she had been exposed to the wind outside.
Big brother, no! Qiu Luan stopped him with a smile, saying that this wine is red wine, and it cannot be warmed up for drinking, or it will become sour.
Wine? I heard that this grape is produced in abundance in the Western Regions Protectorate and has been introduced to Shanglin Garden. After saying this, he gestured with his hand to show a large, round grape.
Yudong's experience was indeed greater than his brother's. Grape seemed to have heard of it before, but had never seen what it looked like.
I have seen it, just as my elder brother did, at a banquet in the palace. It was this big and purple-red in color.
Have you eaten it
My mother once secretly left some for me to eat, but it was almost discovered. It seems that the Ye Ting Ling did not pursue the matter because I was too young.
I thought to myself that this matter should not be handled by the eunuch, and that the current government was so chaotic, and the inner court was also like this. However, when she mentioned her mother, I couldn't help but feel sympathetic, so I quickly changed the subject.
What about wine? Have you tried it
Qiu Luan has never drunk alcohol.
How about some? It's not as cold as in previous years, but it's not warm either. Drink some to keep warm.
She was about to pour the wine herself, but I snatched it from her. I poured it for them both, but Qiu Luan naturally didn't dare. Yudong wanted to take it and pour it for himself. When she was about to snatch it, I shouted, "Do you dare?" Sit down obediently.
Qiu Luan took the cup very carefully, pursed her lips, looked at the purple-red wine in it, and then looked at us.
I looked at the color of the wine and hesitated. I had never seen this color before, darker than blood. I remembered the bag of blood wine that our fourth child had, which also contained some drugs. It was indeed a bit irritating. But seeing that both of them were looking at me, it was time for me to be brave.
The wine is sweet and fragrant, mellow but not noisy, and I can't help but drink more. It seems like I have drunk this somewhere before, but this one tastes more mellow.
As I drank, my body became hot. I watched Yudong's sallow face turn red, and listened to him talk about his past as an adult. He also mentioned that he had done something wrong, which was to give the letter I gave to Yinling, which Feng Engong brought to my teacher instead of me. Later, I heard that Yinling, who was still my sister at that time, was waiting for my letter anxiously, but was too embarrassed to ask the teacher for my letter. I really wanted to kick him off the bed, but it was a pity that I didn't have the conditions now. I wondered why the cover of the first letter was written by Brother Yan for me, and it turned out to be this reason; but I didn't care after drinking. I smiled and scolded him, and that was it. Qiu Luan, on the other hand, seemed to have nothing to do, and just began to smile at us with squinting eyes, and the wine smelled good.
** came in with a few meat forks. It smelled great as soon as he came in and asked what it was.
I quickly poured it for him and exchanged it for rabbit meat.
The three of us are a bit talkative, even Qiuluan can say something witty, but ** is less talkative. She kept drinking cup after cup, and smiled at Qiuluan. Qiuluan also talked a lot, and praised the rabbit meat for its delicious taste. But in the end, she found some lotus leaves to wrap some and didn't eat it. The sisters didn't eat much meat in the evening, so I brought some for them. We all praised her, especially **.
I'll let you go deliver the meat first and come back soon.
There was no meat sauce around, it was just that ** poured some brine on the rabbit when it was roasted, but it was indeed delicious. Song felt it was a bit hard, the meat was tight, and it was a bit stuck in the teeth. **, Qiu Luan and I didn't have this reaction when we ate it. I also told him that when you go to Shanghe to eat Guokui, you will know what hard means.
When I finished eating, Qiu Luan also rushed back. The only difference was that she was wearing socks, so the sound was much quieter and my ears could bear it. She seemed to be more awake, and hurried to help us clean up. She also asked if there was anything wrong with my legs and whether she wanted her to ask the doctor to take a look.
I said it's okay, no need to work hard.
The Shanglinyuan official suddenly came to visit. When I was waiting for orders, I saw Qiu Luan straightening her clothes and suddenly seemed to be much more sober. Her face was panicked and she didn't know where to go. So I ordered her to sit near the brazier in the distance and wait for orders. Song also straightened his clothes, put down his wine glass and sat on the side of the couch. ** wanted to find a place to run away, and even prepared to climb out the window to escape, but after seeing the look in my eyes, he had to straighten his clothes and sit down under Song.
Yuan Ling naturally performed all the formalities first, unlike Brother Wensheng who slammed the table first, Brother Zishi hit your shoulder, I kicked someone in the butt, and Yunshu uttered some disgusting swear words.
But he just served a large plate of grapes. Grapes are ripe in summer and autumn, but they are grown in a greenhouse in the Grape Palace (Shanglin Palace). In order to provide the emperor with food at other times of the year, a fire was lit in the greenhouse to keep it warm. The fire was kept burning all day in winter, so grapes are ripe in all seasons. (Greenhouse cultivation began in the Western Han Dynasty, and there was one in Shanglin Garden. This is a historical fact.)
The grapes were indeed as big as Song had shown, and there was some frost on them (which were crystals of sugar and contained yeast, so no special yeast was needed to make wine from grapes). They tasted very sweet and smooth in the mouth, with a bit of sourness.
This person is respectful to me and should be considered a cautious person, but I don't know why he can't see through the pros and cons. He ate grapes and asked the two men to eat some. He also asked Song to pour a glass of wine for this gentleman.
The man declined, saying that he was a lowly official in the audience and could not drink.
What does this grape vine look like
According to Marquis Yue, these grapes are not grown on the tree, but on vines climbing on the wooden frame, with dozens of grapes hanging in a bunch.
Suddenly, he saw the frost on the grapes, rubbing against the clothes on his arms that were not covered by the armor, as if the frost was something dirty. He asked Yuan Ling what was going on with the frost on the grapes.
Yuan Ling seemed to have noticed **'s behavior: General, the frost on the grapes is the grapes themselves. It is sweet and edible. There is no need to wipe it off.
The stupid guy just threw it into his mouth.
Thinking about how to wake him up, he continued to talk about grapes.
Do all grapes taste like this? The emperor has a strong taste recently. Do you have any grapes with a strong sweet taste? You know, the emperor will never neglect it!
Of course, this humble official knew about it. I thought to myself, I didn't think you knew about it. Situ came and told you what to do, and you did it, but you didn't expect what the emperor was thinking.
He continued: "To get sweet grapes, they need to be dry. Now we need to expose them to sunlight during the day, light fires around them, and extinguish the fires at night to prevent the grapes from freezing to death. Water them less in the last few days, and you will know how sweet they are by looking at the frost on the skin. We have calculated the date, and the grapes presented to Fengyun Hou today may still taste a little sour, just because they were picked a few days early. In a few days, when the emperor comes, the grapes picked will be the sweetest."
That really bothers me, Yuan Ling. I didn't expect that you would have to take care of this matter.
As a minister, I naturally have to devote all my energy to His Majesty's affairs to repay His Majesty's grace. But I wondered if there was really any grace.
Well, it sounds like this kind of grapes need a little drought to be sweet. On the contrary, if the weather is good and the weather is fine, the grapes will not be sweet. It seems that you need to work harder on this. Pay more attention to the palace gardens and ensure that they are sheltered from the wind and rain. I am afraid that only then can the grapes be sweeter and the emperor will be happier.
Fengyun Hou is wise, it is true. But if the weather is good, even if we block the rain, the grapes will not be as sweet as they are in drought. I don't know what to do.
I was holding a grape in my hand, and I was angry. I said, "This is a sycophantic fruit! It is sweet when the people are in trouble, but sour when the people are happy. Why is that?"
Then throw the fruit on the plate.
The garden magistrate nodded, with a look of fear on his face, he apologized and left.
** was still unaware of this and said: Since it is a fruit of evil, I will help Brother Yuehou eat it all and then defecate it into the toilet.
I stayed away from this guy and my leg was injured, otherwise I would have kicked him out.
Song couldn't help it and slapped him on the head. He choked a few times, raised his head, and was not estranged from Song. He put down the plate and was about to fight back, saying: Brother, why did you hit me again, but let me swallow one alive, almost choking to death, and let me hit you back.
Qiu Luan screamed from the other side, and just as Brother Zi Shi came in from the door, he started punching ** on the head.
He didn't dare to act rashly with Brother Zishi, and could only ask with some grievance, "Why did the General of Cavalry also hit me?"
Zishi glanced at Qiu Luan over there, but he said to me first: Hearing the noises here, he thought you were asleep, and when he found out that Shanglinyuanling's carriage was outside, he dismounted and secretly came over to listen.
Then he took the plate and said: Oh, he also gave you grapes.
He immediately put a few into his mouth, and while eating, he mumbled to his wife: You don't know what your Yue Hou is thinking... He wasn't scolding grapes... Don't talk nonsense... And such dirty words... Fortunately, I don't care.
He turned to me again, took out a scroll from his arms and threw it to me: Take a look, now I have a solution.
I saw that this kind of thing might be happening everywhere, and it might not be appropriate to draw a conclusion based on this.
He replied: That depends on whether someone impeaches him.
He also poured some wine and drank it all in one gulp: it was sweet, but a little sour. Hey, why is there still a smell of roasted meat in the room
I threw away the scroll and sighed: I have tried my best, but you don't understand and there is no hope for you.
The next day, I was unable to get up and go out to play in Shanglin Garden because I had a fever.
But on the third day, I still managed to listen to the imperial edict and issued orders to the people below: arrest the Shanglin Garden magistrate, the chancellor, and the lieutenant and put them in prison, and have the officials from various Shanglin departments temporarily take over their duties and put them under the command of Yue Hou.
Soon after, an official accused the magistrate of the garden and others of favoring the emperor. They gave the fertile land in the Shanglin Garden to their relatives, reduced taxes, and withheld the funds of the Shaofu.
There were also officials who accused the Shanglinyuan magistrate of neglecting state affairs and failing to repair the emperor's residence, causing the palace to become dilapidated and deserted, making it unable to welcome the emperor's visit.
Shanglinyuan Ling did not argue, but just sighed deeply and looked at me sadly.
I couldn't say anything more to him, so I ordered someone to take them down and keep a good look after them. I told the others what to do, and then I ordered them to go back to Pingle Pavilion to rest.
It was as if I wanted to say one more thing to him before going to bed: We have done our best, and whether you three can save yourselves and your family's lives depends on what happens after the emperor arrives.
Unable to resist the fatigue any longer, I fell into a deep sleep.
Note 1: Jianzhang Palace and Shanglin Garden are indeed close to each other. So some people think that Jianzhang Palace belongs to Shanglin Garden, but it seems not to be the case from today's archaeological discoveries. Jianzhang Palace and Shanglin Garden are separate. Jianzhang Palace belongs to a royal garden system later called Xijiao Garden, and does not belong to Shanglin Garden. This book does not follow this. An example can be found in the Biography of Yifeng in the Book of Han: "At that time, there were no palaces in Ganquan, Jianzhang, and Shanglin Garden." Obviously, Ganquan Palace and Jianzhang Palace did not belong to Shanglin Garden.
Note: The story of Li Yu fighting a tiger is true, but the rest of the story is just a myth.
Note: This was two thousand years ago. Now both the Siberian tiger and the South China tiger are facing the problem of extinction in the wild. Please protect tigers and all endangered animals.