Changes in the sky
Volume 2: The Edge of Heaven
Chapter 158: The Phoenix Arrives
Title: "Book of Documents - Yi Ji": When the Shao flute is played to the ninth level, the phoenix (called emperor in ancient books) arrives.
I fell asleep, but it seemed like I was having nightmares.
This is the most annoying thing. Actually, I seldom dream on weekdays. I even asked Yinling what was wrong. She said that there was nothing complicated in my head, so I could sleep easily and didn't dream.
I would describe my sleeping method as closing my eyes and opening them again to start a new day.
Others describe my sleeping style as starting with snoring as soon as my head hits the pillow. When the snoring stops, it marks the beginning of a new day.
But having sweet dreams is fine, but having nightmares is disgusting.
I always dream of seeing the white breath exhaled by the tiger at the edge of the pit, and the giant tiger would always jump out suddenly, but I could not stand up no matter what I did. I could only hear Yinling's terrified cry beside me, but I was helpless; or I was protecting Yinling behind me, but was surrounded by five tigers against the wall, as if they would rush up at any time, but I was unarmed; or I was trying to bring Qiu Luan and ** together, but Huang Yi suddenly appeared and stood with me, and Yinling misunderstood me. I was worried that Sister Pei would be sad again, and she cried too. Naturally, I panicked and kept explaining and coaxing her to let it go.
Sometimes I would repeat the past two days, which made me feel even more guilty. I had to go down to the tiger pit every time. If I had to do this again, I would never do it. Unfortunately, I would go down there for no reason. Every time I killed two tigers, I knew that the tiger behind me would attack me, so I wanted to kill it, but suddenly I couldn't find it. As a result, when I had no choice but to go up, I would suddenly be scratched and feel the pain on my legs.
I would also dream of Brother Zhongdao vomiting blood, and he would vomit again and again. After he sprayed blood around me countless times, I finally couldn't bear it anymore. I didn't do what I said that day, but said, "Are you done yet?"
Then, as if the scene had happened the next day, Zishi would summarize for me again and again what everyone had reported, such as which gardens and hunting grounds were being reclaimed by individuals; how many boats were in tatters and could not sail; which rivers were blocked, etc., which was extremely annoying.
Suddenly, the scene came back to the day when the imperial edict was announced. He was giving orders to a group of people one after another, each time more angry and frustrated than the last. He repeated the same words over and over again. After each time, he turned around and saw Yin Ling.
So I knew I was still dreaming.
I suddenly felt myself awake, my back was covered in cold sweat, the fever seemed to have subsided, and my body felt much lighter, but I was still a little dizzy.
I immediately turned over and seemed to hear the sound of silver bells in my ears, "Slow down."
There were many more people below, many of them dressed as officials. They should be arranged by Brother Zishi to be ready to take my orders at any time under the special circumstances. I didn't know many of them. In the crowd, I saw Song near the door, and I waved him over. I saw some bamboo slips piled up beside me, thinking they were for me. I picked one up and pointed to the direction outside the door: "Go to Chang'an and ask Brother Zhongdao how we should arrange according to various etiquette. The emperor is coming soon. Whether we are prepared or not, we must do our best. If we succeed, it will be his, and if we fail, it will be the fault of those in prison. After that, you send his copy to me. Then you can do whatever you want. We don't need you here for the time being."
Is there any agricultural official from Shanglinyuan here
I am in this position.
Quickly check all cultivated land in the park, whether there are people or not, where they are, how much, who cultivates them, and confirm it to me, and report it immediately after completion. But if there are any concealed and inaccurate numbers, you know the number in your mind!
Are there any officials below who monitor ponds and water
I, a humble official, will temporarily take over his post.
Wash all the boats and prepare the ceremonial equipment for me. If there are not enough, go to Jingzhao Yin to borrow some for me. It's mine! If he doesn't give it to me, come and report it to me. Dig up the silted-up parts of the river quickly to ensure that the boats can sail. If you make the emperor unhappy, you will lose your head!
This time, I arranged everything I had already arranged in the dream again, and my tone was even more vicious, as if I was venting all the nightmares that had come to me. After a while, I sent everyone away. In fact, it seemed that I had already made arrangements after announcing the imperial decree. This time, I made it more clear what everyone's responsibilities were and the consequences of whether they succeeded or failed.
There was no one in front of him. Thinking of the hot springs that Qiu Luan mentioned, he wanted to go take a bath. Now that he was sweating, he felt uncomfortable. The scar on his leg would be soaked and healed again. It would be better to make his body feel better quickly.
He stood up and turned around to see Yinling again.
I was immediately deflated.
I am still dreaming!
Suddenly I felt a real pain in my ear: What does it mean to still be dreaming
Ah, ah, let go! Madam, I was wrong.
What did you do wrong
You are wrong wherever you are wrong.
Yiren seemed to be unable to hold back her laughter. She pulled me to sit down and covered me with a quilt.
Why are you here
Immediately, the pain in my ear started again: What do you mean, I can’t come
It is possible, but your husband just didn’t think of it.
Didn't Zishi tell you? As soon as you left, my father's letter arrived. The letter probably said that he would pay tribute to the emperor again. We don't have to pay, but my father will pay. But we have to send someone to go through the motions. Mr. Zhang sent the letter to me overnight. I was still in Tanzhong at that time, thinking that Mr. Zhang was not suitable to come. Lord Xu brought it to you, and General Bō and General Han could not come. Now we are at war with the Xianbei people in the north, and it is not convenient to send people from Beihai. Although Tian Jian, Zhang Hua and others are efficient and reliable, they are of low rank and are disrespectful. After thinking about it, only I, the wife of Yue Guoping, can come. Of course, I still brought money with me. There are constant wars on my father's side, and the sales are also high. So I set out on the day I received the letter. I told Lie Ya and Guo Xu about the matter. They didn't go back to Guangxin. They directly wrote a letter and asked someone to pick up the money and meet me at Xie Mu. This car traveled day and night, and I changed countless horses. Fortunately, there was no rain or snow along the way, so it was relatively smooth. As a result, I rushed to Luoyang just after you went to Shanglinyuan, but I didn't run into you. It was not easy to chase you, so I could only set off with my father, mother, and the emperor. Did Zishi really not tell you
There was a noise at the door. Zishi just came in, looked at us, and suddenly said with a smile: Zirui, I think you should put two bowls on your ears.
There is actually only one terrible thing waiting for me, and it's not you.
Sister Yinling, I have military duties to attend to, so I will take my leave first. This person immediately realized that something was wrong and ran away very quickly. However, his words helped me escape from the predicament, and my ears were immediately free. It was a pity that they could not evacuate the dangerous place first.
The door was closed again, but Yin Ling sighed: "Every time you stay in Luoyang for a while, you change. I don't know if it's good or bad, but you have to come to Luoyang to govern in the end, so this is the only way."
I held her in my arms again. She covered her nose, fanned herself with her hands, and said with a smile: "Zi Rui stinks." But she didn't mean to leave.
I pulled her hand and placed it between my hands. The size difference was indeed too big. I couldn't help but squeeze it gently, not wanting to let go.
I really want to live in seclusion in a mountain forest with you and Pei'er. I can't be a great hermit, but I can still be a hermit, go hunting, and spend my life with you. Even if it's simple food, it's much more comfortable than living in luxury.
I shouldn't have mentioned hunting. As soon as I mentioned it, my ears started to hurt again.
Are you planning to abandon us? You actually dared to jump into the tiger pit. You really messed up. When my father heard the news that you were injured in the tiger pit, he was furious and my mother almost fainted. The princes and ministers were all in an uproar when they heard it. The emperor praised you very much and allowed me to come first. I drove the carriage all day and night and arrived this morning. I didn't even sleep. Fortunately, it was just a superficial injury and the wound has already scarred, otherwise I really don't know what to do. It's because of you... You bad guy, but just now I saw that you were commanding with confidence and reasoning, but I was wondering if you were going to use some tricks but use torture.
To be honest, I didn't. I asked them to report that I was trying to get skin from a tiger for the emperor, but of course it wasn't true. But you have to help me say something good to my father and mother. This thing of jumping into a tiger pit to get skin was actually just for my parents, you and Pei'er might.
Not even for us!
I know, I know. Don’t be so harsh. I missed you so much when you were not around. Don’t be so harsh to your husband as soon as you get here.
Ah, you won’t give it to me if I’m angry! Are you not going to take it anymore
Yiren suddenly started to act like a spoiled child, and it was me who allowed her to act like a spoiled child. My mood also improved, because her acting like a spoiled child actually meant that she had forgiven me.
Of course, my mood improved not only because of this.
Maybe it's because we grew up together. Only now when Yiren acts like a spoiled child can I feel that I am indeed the husband, and Yinling no longer has the flavor of a sister. She needs my care and my persuasion to satisfy her husband's sanctimonious manliness. This is what I need as a husband. Yinling seems to have sensed it, or maybe she is really gifted in acting like a spoiled child. But Yiren shouldn't act like a spoiled child without letting go of my ears.
I could only point to my ears, but she pouted: Is it fun to pull them? Zirui is so big now, and he still remembers the meatball in the swaddling clothes. Now there is no more cheeks to pull, so I can only pull the ears. She didn't even give me this request... How pitiful!
I really didn't feel that this girl who seemed to be looking at the room was pitiful, but I felt that my ears were pitiful.
Yiren suddenly sighed: "Ling Pei is a girl from the countryside. She doesn't envy the current extravagance, nor does she admire the current luxury. She only needs coarse clothes and simple meals. We don't care about tiger skins, mink skins, or delicacies from the mountains and the sea. As long as we have you, that's enough. But Zirui still needs to be in the court, so we will live a good life with you for a while." Yiren smiled at me after she finished speaking, and finally put her hand down from her ear and rubbed my cheek.
I wrote to you on my way here, but you may have to return to Yue to see it.
Otherwise, I received your letter in Luoyang. The messenger was smart. When he heard that I was coming, he turned his horse and went to Luoyang to deliver it to Zhao Gongfu. This saved him from going all the way to Jiaozhou. Yiren suddenly smiled: I will find someone else to deliver the letter to Sister Pei. Sister Pei will definitely be very happy when she sees it. But the letter Zirui gave me was a little...
I thought it must be the word "ròu ma".
But your letter to Sister Pei is fine. Sister Pei must be so happy when she reads it!
Did you read my letter to Pearl
Is it not possible? Anyway, she didn't seal her mouth. The woman had her heart set on sex. Since she was passing by, she couldn't miss it. She raised her eyebrows, quite proud.
Yinling, you have learned bad things.
If you think others have learned bad things, then you don’t plan to…
I want it!
You're still holding me back... and not letting me finish.
I was helpless as I watched her pouting and pointing her finger at me, acting like a spoiled brat. If I had a daughter like this in the future, I would definitely spoil her.
So I raised this question. Her child cannot be spoiled too much, or he will be spoiled. What about you? You can certainly spoil him, and he will not be spoiled anyway. Why can't the child be spoiled? It is not possible. I can't do anything about you. If my daughter is like this, I will definitely have no way to deal with it. Then I, as a mother, will take care of it.
Yinling, go close the door and bolt it.
What for
You know, quick!
You are still sick and have just been injured.
All my illnesses are cured when you come. Come on! Stop talking nonsense... Be good... Oh, if you don't go, I will go.
The following is not suitable to be recorded in history or any books, but once this matter has results it will definitely be suitable for recording, but it will take more than half a year.
After finishing my work, I felt even weaker, so I wanted to go to the hot spring to take a bath and have a good rest. But she said that there was a wound on my leg that was scarring and I couldn't take a bath, and we were in a stalemate for a while. Finally, she asked someone to fetch water to wipe it for me.
Yinling put some spices in the water, and asked me to rub it well. I had turned into a stinky monkey, so I naturally let her do whatever she wanted. Before that, she ordered people to light a fire next to me. She kept complaining that the weather was so warm the day before, but there was still a fire in the house. I felt hot at night and kicked off the quilt. As a result, the fire went out at night, and the house became cold again. No one helped me cover the quilt, and I caught a cold. Suddenly, there was another "ah" from below, which made us all pay attention to the person who helped us light the fire. It was indeed Qiuluan. This girl is very diligent. Yinling asked: What's wrong, are you burned? Qiuluan quickly replied, I was accidentally burned.
But I quickly changed the subject: Madam, you just came this morning, how do you know what happened the night before yesterday
When you were in a coma with a fever yesterday, the doctor came to see you and guessed after looking at the furnishings in the house. Yudong thought it should be like this, so he reported it to me.
Actually, it's okay. I'm strong and will be well soon. You go away. Madam is going to wipe my body for me.
I always feel that Yinling and that maid look familiar.
I used to live in the residence of the General of the Cavalry, the Commander of the Imperial Guards. She thought for a moment, yes, why do I feel familiar with her? It seems that Sister Pei has granted her leave.
Actually, I am very curious and don’t know what kind of leave has been granted. However, in order to avoid being misunderstood in the dream, I just pretend that I am not interested.
So I just said "oh" and let it go.
Yinling bolted the door again, but while she was wiping, she realized that the misunderstanding in her dream was not over yet.
According to reports, did you bring Huang Xin here
Well, I promised her two things. One was to bring her to Shanglin Garden, and the other was to meet you two my wives.
She won't kill us, will she
Yinling was so worried, was it really that scary? Sister Huang was not a vicious person.
I've listened to her music, it's very sad.
It's not that serious. Yinling is not like Yinling recently. My heart suddenly tightened. If I make another mistake, someone might die. I immediately faced the pretty face behind me who suddenly frowned deliberately: She looks more and more like my lovely wife.
Humph, that's more like it. Actually, if you really want her, we can't stop you. But if you really don't want to take her in, we'll be happy, but we need you to reject her decisively. If you drag her and let her still have thoughts, then it's not protecting her, but hurting her. I really don't want our child to grow up and see Miss Huang and suddenly ask: Who is this aunt? It will be a great harm to her.
I understand, so I feel very uncomfortable, this is hurtful. However, a long pain is naturally better than a short pain, and besides, you can't do this, only I can do it. So I ran into her in Taichang Mansion on the Lantern Festival. But she and I, since we can't breathe and support each other, it's better to forget each other in the world.
If that's the case, that's good. I hope she can find her ideal husband after meeting us.
Yiren sighed again, and suddenly seemed to have discovered something, and started pointing at me: I raised you to be plump and white, without a single scar on your body, but now you are covered with scars, which makes me feel so sad.
Just after I finished wiping, I held her in my arms; don’t do this.
After saying that, he sealed her mouth with a kiss.
She reciprocated and replied: Why not
If the children heard this, they would ask their mother why she did that, as if their father was raised by their mother just like them.
Isn't that true
You were just a girl three years older than me at that time, and Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang were the ones who did all the work, so why were you pretending to be an elder
But later on, I was the one who taught you how to read and write, cooked for you and washed your clothes. Okay, okay, no. But now I really miss them. Why don't I take them to Guangxin
I have thought about it, but it is either hot or humid there. Uncle Zhang has rheumatism, and I am afraid that he will suffer instead of enjoying the good things there. Aunt Zhang is also in poor health, and I am afraid that she will get sick again after such a bumpy journey. After thinking about it, I feel that it is better to stay in Xiangyang. After all, the old couple have lived there for so many years, and they have many acquaintances and friends, and they can take care of them. Moreover, there are official servants who take care of them, which may be better. This time when we go back, we will go to Xiangyang to see them.
Well, let’s follow Zirui’s advice!
Yiren suddenly smiled foolishly and asked me what I would name her child if she was pregnant, and also what name I would like to give to Sister Pei's child.
I was silent for a while. Yinling seemed to lose patience. I didn't care about them at all. She was about to get angry and move her hands. I immediately thought of the name. But she suddenly relaxed. She knew she had to make me anxious.
"Sly!" I snorted.
La la! She didn't intend to act like a spoiled child for the moment.
We were able to be together after going through a lot of hardships, so my daughter was named Miao and my son was named Yan.
Well, it sounds interesting. Miao'er and Yan'er both sound very nice... What about Sister Pei's
Pei'er and I named our children Guangxin and Xin: our son Guang and our daughter Xin.
But aren’t the children’s names a bit irregular
So what? This way you can tell whose child it is at a glance and by the sound of his voice, and avoid outsiders flattering the wrong person, saving a lot of embarrassment.
Zirui is thinking really far ahead.
Well, you are impatient and think too much.
Is this ok
At least there's no problem, right
What if we have children
Silver bells are named Sen, Jing, Xin, Lin (Gu Lei, Lei), Ben, Nie (Nie traditional Chinese), and Pin. Pearls are named Xiang, Yang, Ru, Nan, Zheng, Qiang, Chang, Sha, Tan, and Zhong.
Who helped you give birth to so many children
You and Pearl.
No way! Yiren's voice seemed to have a Yue accent, which made it even cuter.
You have no choice. I don’t want anyone else. I just want you two to help me give birth.
My body's ability to recover is still very strong. It doesn't mean that the injury on my leg has healed, but I have quietly regained my fighting power in terms of believing in the righteousness of heaven and earth, and observing the moral principles of mankind.
So they regrouped, fought hard, and finally won a great victory.
It's just that the troops involved in the combat seem to be in urgent need of rest.
So I fell asleep again, until I woke up from hunger. Yiren was also sleeping beside me. As soon as I woke up, she seemed to wake up with a start, her eyes were almost unable to open, but she smiled and opened her arms to hug me.
I ate desperately, because I knew the more I ate, the happier Yinling would be. She had a very simple criterion: if she could eat, she was healthy.
That afternoon, my wife and I were drinking wine and chatting in the house. However, Yinling herself cannot drink too much, for fear of hurting the baby if she gets pregnant. So she seemed to prefer to appreciate the exquisitely carved wine cup in her hand; and this cup might be wine produced in Lantian. From what she said, it seemed that Lantian was in the former Shanglin Garden, but now it has been excluded together with the Ba and Chan rivers. Most of her stories were heard from Pei'er, and I really hope Pei'er can come and join us. But Pei'er may not be very satisfied with the current situation in Shanglin Garden; and when the two of them are around me, I am at a loss.
Zishi finally returned from the refuge, and seeing our facial expressions, he came over to pour wine with more confidence and boldness. He also asked me what I would do tomorrow. I arranged a light car, and I took your sister Yinling around. I deliberately emphasized the part about your sister Yinling, but this person pretended to drink like a cow, didn't care at all, and just said okay.
He also took the opportunity to praise me for the scene where I arranged the next few days' affairs for those officials. I acted very aggressively and skillfully.
I thought to myself, if you had the same nightmare as me and woke up from it, I'm afraid you would be even more ferocious than me.
After dinner, Yinling wanted to go out to meet someone. I knew who she was going to meet, which made me a little worried, but I thought it was reasonable. So I let her go and casually looked through the various bamboo slips of reports, but I couldn't calm down.
That day, he seemed to be not in good health. He had done so many hard things, and Yinling was not around. After a while, he felt very sleepy and soon fell asleep leaning on the couch.
It was as if someone came and tidied my bedding by the couch; then Yinling came back, and it seemed as if the two of them chatted for a while, and then the person who tidied my bedding left, and I didn't know what they talked about.
Yinling seemed to have not slept for a long time beside me. She seemed to wipe the sweat off my head, tucked in the other corner of the quilt and lay down beside me. Yiren did not fall asleep immediately, but rubbed my beard and seemed to kiss me on the cheek.
Yiren might have said something to me, but I didn’t hear anything. Or maybe she heard it but completely forgot it after falling asleep.
Finally, I didn't have any nightmares that night, and it seemed as if the sky was bright as soon as I opened my eyes.
When I woke up, Yiren was still beside me, looking at me with her watery eyes, but she didn't say anything. Seeing that I woke up, she smiled and playfully pointed at my arm, indicating that I should leave some space for her in my arms.
I laughed and held her in my arms. I felt a little dizzy after just waking up, so I suddenly asked her, "Do you feel like you are pregnant?"
I was immediately slapped on the lips: How can it be so fast? Even if you are pregnant, it will take at least more than a month to find out.
Oh, I really hope that this time my Yinling can get pregnant with our child.
Yinling stopped talking and buried her head in my arms, not saying anything more about my ignorance.
I know I don't know anything about this. I always thought that thing was used for peeing and it was very convenient. Later, I learned from the neighbor that the big brother knew that the place of men and women was different. For this reason, I climbed up to the beam above the bathing room at home and peeked at my sister Yinling bathing, and then I confirmed it. It seems that I did it when I was young and sensible. It was really bold.
When I was older, I entered the academy and hung out with people like Yunshu. Naturally, I was often taught about how to believe in the great principles of heaven and earth and observe the great ethics of human relationships.
But I really don't know how long it will take for pregnancy to be discovered.
After all, the academy is full of men, and Brother Chen never shared this experience with us. Even if there were women, they probably wouldn't care about our questions. But it's possible to have more girls in the academy, so that everyone can work harder; for example, Mr. Huang's daughter, who looks quite similar to Chen Wu, made Kong Ming work harder.
After eating something that morning, we naturally discussed where to go.
What do we do today
I spent yesterday's day with Zishi, and today I'm going to take my lovely Yinling out for a stroll in a light car. This place is big, and we can't go to many places, so let's go and see Kunming Lake, it's still a while before the emperor comes.
Are you okay
Take a car, not walk.
Okay, okay. I'll wash and dress up right away.
Well... yes... you are very beautiful even without makeup.
I thought to myself, it wasn't like this when you took me out to play before, but now it's so troublesome for me to take you out; especially when you hesitated a little when saying "OK", you almost got yourself killed. Fortunately, my husband is a man who can handle situations in critical moments, otherwise I would have been killed.
Yiren smiled and said something smooth-talking, then asked a few maids to help her.
I dressed in an instant, but found that I had put it on the wrong way, so I took it off and put it on again. After putting it on, I found something touching my back, so I took it off and looked carefully, and then I saw a piece of bamboo slip that had been scattered from somewhere stuck in a hole in the lining of the clothes. I took it off and put on the clothes again. Seeing that Yinling didn't come out, I had nothing to do, so I turned over the bamboo slips on the table in front of the couch one by one to find a home for this old man.
After looking through all the books, I still couldn't find who had this missing item. I felt strange, so I looked at the bamboo slips. There was only one sentence on it: "My husband Zhi respectfully presents this to you." I immediately looked around like a thief, but luckily no one was there. Naturally, I knew where this item came from. Maybe the original item was still with Yin Ling, so I put it away first and didn't let anyone else see it.
He sat on the edge of the couch with his chin in his hand. Apart from waiting for his wife, he had nothing to do for the time being. He looked around to see if there was anyone around, so he took out the bamboo slip from his sleeve and pondered it again. He felt as if it had been taken down on purpose. He didn't know what the meaning of taking it down was, and he couldn't think of any reason, so he put it away again.
Qiu Luan brought in some water. She was thirsty, so she quickly drank a few cups.
I asked her to go outside to see if there was a carriage. She said yes, someone was waiting. I asked her if Brother Song had come back. She said he came back last night and bought some new clothes, shoes and socks for them. I called him over. She said he was still sleeping and asked if I should wake him up now. I didn't care. I also asked if ** was there. She said she hadn't seen him since early morning. I spent the night with her and wanted to help her shoot a deer.
I let her leave. There was still nothing to do. I read the more than ten pounds of bamboo slips on the table again. I already knew the basic content in my mind, especially after I had that dream. I felt that I could recite some of the content by heart.
He looked at the scars on his leg again. The medicine seemed to be used to heal the scars. He saw three black, cracked scars on the side of his leg. It looked really scary, so he quickly bandaged it.
I've been busy for so long, but she hasn't finished dressing up yet.
So I could only choose to sleep in anger, and I have always been good at this. When the teacher was talking to others, or even quarreling, I could fall asleep beside them without being affected. This is another talent of mine.
This was much faster. Between closing my eyes and opening them again, the silver bell appeared before my eyes.
But the situation was slightly different, I seemed to be stunned, and immediately turned over, standing up without paying any attention to the scars on my legs, and looked at my wife.
It turns out that there is such a big difference between a woman before and after makeup. The originally beautiful Yin Ling suddenly became extremely beautiful. Thinking of Song Yu—of course not the Song Yu from Yue State—'Deng Tu Zi Hao Se Fu', I finally understood what it meant to "add one point and it's too long, subtract one point and it's too short, eyebrows like emerald feathers, waist like a bundle of silk, teeth like pearls." Note 1 When she smiled sweetly, she immediately scared her husband, fearing that he would leave and miss Shanglin. Note
Apart from being able to recognize her as my Yin Ling, I couldn't confirm anything else, for example, whether I was dreaming or not.
But I immediately felt that something was wrong. I looked around and said to the maid beside Yin Ling: "Where is my dress? Go and find it quickly."
Yiren walked up to me, wearing a red dress, and straightened my clothes for me: Are you still wearing the clothes I made for you
Well, that's what you did.
They are all old.
The old ones are good... and comfortable to wear... Uh, why don’t you wear white.
We were commoners before, but now we are different from before. After all, Zirui is the regent and I am the king's wife. We need to behave ourselves in front of these people in order to be respected by them.
Ling'er, please comb my hair for me. Today, Ling'er is so beautiful. I must not let her down when we go out to the garden.
You call me Ling'er
Well, of course, since you call yourselves Ling and Pei, and you are Sister Pei and I am Pei'er, how can you not be called Ling'er? Or maybe I should call you Zhu, or Zhu'er.
Yiren put on makeup and her temper seemed to have improved a lot. She just pulled my ear slightly, snorted softly, and then laughed.
I came out as a wife, so I wanted to let Zirui see me, because I had never done this before, and I didn't know how I looked dressed like this. She looked down at herself, raised her right sleeve, and shook it a little, with a smile that still showed some uncertainty. After a moment, she became a little angry again, because she didn't expect Zirui to be so lazy and actually fell asleep again.
It’s so beautiful, but I’m not good at speaking and I’m not good at praising people... However, there is something in me that proves that what I said is true.
Yiren's face turned red, but she smiled even more happily. I don't want to and dare not wait for you for a long time to avoid being retaliated by this person.
I quickly put on my formal clothes, and she helped me to tie my belt and put on my hat, and then I went out with my wife. Yinling was always worried about my legs, and I could only use my expression and steps to show that everything was fine. Of course, only I knew the actual situation. Yinling still let a few guards support me, and she went to give a few instructions to the coachman, and tidied up the carriage a little bit, and kept directing everyone in the carriage how to help me get on the carriage.
After getting on the car, ** and others didn't see us, and we didn't want to disturb them. We were even happier to go out alone, so we set off with just a few maids, a carriage, and several strong knights as guards.
Yiren came up the road, not afraid of anyone or anything, she directly opened my arms and came in, looking at the surrounding scenery with me in my arms.
Strangely, the surrounding scenery suddenly became very warm and lively. Although the grass was yellow, it was shimmering with golden light. The pond was dark green and also shimmering with rosy clouds. There were deer and rabbits in pairs or groups of three or five, often stopping to look at us. Sometimes they would be driven away by the sound of horse hooves and happily run into the grass and trees. I don’t know where the deer are going to be hunted. It seems that there are many of them in the garden. The terrain gradually rises, and there are often unique hills around, planted with green pines and cypresses. There are other gardens and pavilions faintly hidden in them, standing by the hillside and pond. Although the sun is low on Mount Zhongnan, it still emits warm light, which makes people feel very comfortable.
But I felt a little strange looking at the sun. The car seemed to be heading southwest. I was a little puzzled: Aren't we going to Kunming Lake? Why is Kunming Lake in the northwest, and our car seems to be heading to Zhongnan Mountain
Let’s go and see Shita Weir first.
What is Shita Weir? It was Pei'er who told you again.
This was not told to me by Sister Pei. Zirui, do you know what Kunming Lake is used for
It seemed as if Emperor Xiaowu wanted to train a navy to deal with the Southwestern Yi.
Yiren shook her head, not just that.
Touring and having fun
Not completely either.
Why else
What do ordinary people need every day
Have a meal.
He was hit on the head immediately, but this person seemed to be concerned about his image today and looked around stealthily.
You glutton, you only know how to eat, don’t you want to drink water
Need to drink... Oh, drinking water supplied to Chang'an
Well, Zirui is teachable… During the 400 years of the Han Dynasty, there was a drought every four years (the truth). The year when the lake was built (the third year of Yuanshou), there was a severe drought in the country. Many rivers dried up. The Taiye Pond (water from the Weihe River) that was used to supply water to the Jianzhang Palace was far from enough to guarantee the water supply to Chang'an. The Hao Pond, another reservoir for Chang'an's water supply, also dried up. So the Kunming Pond was built south of the Hao Pond. However, the name was indeed because the passage to the southwest was blocked by Kunming at that time, and Emperor Xiaowu was furious, so he named it after it and said that he must take it. The Shi'e Weir we went to is the water source entrance of Kunming Pond.
How did Ling'er know this
My father taught me that the first thing a city's people need is water. He mentioned this to me, saying that if you become a county magistrate or governor, you might need it. He gave me the opportunity to see how to get water in various places and teach you. I didn't expect that you would become a local lord before you were twenty. At that time, my father specifically mentioned the Kunming Lake in Shanglin Garden, but unfortunately he had never seen it. When I followed you in Luoyang, I looked up some classics, but I couldn't get the gist of it, so I thought I would show you, which would be helpful to you.
Very good, I have never paid much attention to these things, so it is a good opportunity to take a look. But it seems better to see you!
Zirui is being naughty again.
However, this is more than 20 miles, and although our carriage is light, Yinling asked the driver to go a little slower to avoid excessive vibration and causing my wound to crack. Therefore, it will take an hour or so.
So we started chatting on the way and talked about a lot of disturbing topics.
But everything seemed fine at the beginning. We talked about the Kingdom of Yue. I pulled out a bamboo slip from my inner sleeve and asked Yinling to keep it. I asked her why she took this one out of her letter. But it was not her letter, but to Sister Pei. I was surprised and asked why. She replied that Sister Pei was knowledgeable and quick-witted, and I was afraid that Miss Huang would not be able to surpass her. But after marrying you, she never showed off in front of you, for fear of making you ashamed. This letter, she would probably understand the reason for the respectful words. I think the first part of your letter is very good, Sister Pei would be happy to see it and take it out to read. But the last sentence was an eyesore, so I took it out after thinking about it and replaced it with a blank one, and let it end with your sentence "When I return home, I will talk about my love with my beloved wife again."
Ling'er remembers it very well... However, from what you said, this arrangement is indeed a good one.
Humph, you didn't treat me well in Guangxin before, and now you are grateful for my kindness. Sister Pei is too humiliated to follow you. But with her teaching Kong Ming, Kong Ming's future talents will be limitless.
Oh, I met the daughter of Master Cai Bojie, named Yan. She is twelve years old, very smart, and pretty. I like her very much...
Zirui... What do you mean...
Don't get me wrong. Kong Ming is almost ten years old. I want to arrange a marriage for him when he is eleven or twelve. I think Cai Yan is a good match. I will send her to Uncle Cai. Uncle Cai is a man of outstanding talent and loves talents. I think Kong Ming is such a smart kid, and he is not only handsome. I think it will work out.
Isn't he too much
So what? Dad, if I had lived with him from the beginning, he would have arranged five or six marriages for me when I was ten years old... Hey, that's Dad's, it has nothing to do with me... So, I plan to arrange a marriage for Kong Ming first. To be honest, I was thinking about our children, but now that the age gap is too big, I'm afraid my son won't like it, so forget it.
Fortunately, she knew to take care of her image outside, so she didn't take too long or use too much force. So, I felt much better after I moaned her ears, and I was still excited to talk about my plans for this member of our family.
If he gets married, I will give him a county to manage in a few years to see if he can do it. If he can, when I go to Luoyang to assist in the administration, if our Guang'er and Yan'er are not yet able to govern themselves, let their elder brother Kong Ming assist them, so that I can take you to Luoyang. If he can still do it, I will take him to Luoyang when I go to the court to assist in the administration, and when I return to Yue, I will give him a position of 2,000 stones to his father. Then, as long as Cai Yan is not very opposed, I will help Kong Ming to find one or two more marriages to secure his position in the court. If this boy is really a great talent, when he is about 40 years old, he will resume the title of prime minister with his father and teacher, and let Kong Ming take over, and I won't have to work hard.
Zirui is thinking too far ahead...
There is no way. As a husband, I am not talented in this area. There are some things I just don't understand, and some things I understand, but I am unwilling to do. I am different from most people in this court, and there is nothing I can do about it.
Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you. Why did Zirui insist on Kongming doing this
When he was five years old, he came to our house with the word "Kong Ming" embroidered on his clothes. His parents must have high expectations for him, right? I must make his parents' wishes come true and make it worthwhile for him to grow up in our family. As a brother and sister, this is also our responsibility. And I don't understand those things because I am stupid, but Kong Ming is not stupid.
I just like my stupid Rui. And it seems that there are many people who like my stupid Rui.
You Huang Yi? You two seemed to have had a good conversation last night. You came back so late.
It's not just her.
Who else
And your maids, especially the one called...
Oh, maybe I'm more polite and won't be too harsh on them. I could sense that she was going to name something, so I interrupted her quickly. I don't want to be involved in so many things. In fact, this morning I found that she seemed to have deliberately not taken a certain girl to her dressing room, and she didn't take her with her on this trip, so I know who it is.
Well, my good baby, yes, yes!
Ling'er's words became more and more inappropriate.
The woman beside me smiled very charmingly, but it was a pity that the light car could not be covered. Otherwise, I must continue to do something. Some parts of my body were obviously very active. Fortunately, my head was still the current court, and its jurisdiction was still effective.
After you went to the pond, Sister Pei'er and I had nothing to do. Suddenly one day, she was in a good mood and told you about your fortune for the year. Sister Pei could tell you anything... After the divination, she opened her various notebooks of deductions and slowly interpreted them, frowning.
What's wrong
You have been in trouble this year... But I saw a saying that a gentleman can keep it and there will be no fault. I advised her that Zirui is such a heroic young man, so it is natural for him to be like this. Since he is a gentleman, there should be no fault, so don't worry about it.
What's the meaning
There will be a lot of huāhuā things happening, but you are honest and won’t let us down…
Anything else
There is also a note in the book: "If there is a hidden person to help, it can be saved." Ah, should I not have taken you to Kunming Lake
I don't even have control over my own destiny, so don't believe those rumors. I showed her my broken palm, which made Yin Ling sigh and finally stopped talking about it.
It was almost noon when we finally arrived at the place called Shita Weir. Note: The terrain here is slightly higher than that in the north. A stream flows from the southeast to the northwest from the Zhongnan Mountains. There is a low stone dam in the water that is diagonally across the water. Yinling called this water "Jiaoshui" and this dam "Shijie". At this time, the water level was not high, and the Jiaoshui was blocked by the dam and all flowed into a channel heading north. Yinling, along this channel heading north, the water will flow into the Kunming Lake, and then go north to the destination. She also looked carefully and suddenly realized that when the water was strong, it would flow over the Shijie and flow into the Fengshui River, so that it would not be completely flooded into the Kunming Lake, and finally flooded Chang'an. She also explained that the name "Jie" means steps.
She was very excited, and it was obvious that she had matched the things in the book with what was in front of her, and she was very happy after she figured out the principle. I was also very happy, looking at this simple and effective method, I had a lot of ideas in my mind, but I was a little confused and couldn't understand it for a while.
Then why build the Kunming Lake? A stone tablet and a canal leading to Chang'an would be enough.
So why does it just keep flowing? Naturally, there needs to be a place to store water, and Kunming Lake is that place. The stone tablet is for flood control, and Kunming Lake is for storing water to prevent drought. On weekdays, your brain is really not very useful.
Yiren was in high spirits, and after having a meal at Shidayan, she immediately urged the coachman to turn north. On the way, the coachman did not urge the horses, but the carriage went faster. Yinling felt strange, and it was finally my turn to criticize her. We were like going downhill, the carriage went down naturally without being pulled, and the horses ran naturally without being urged. Ling'er was actually confused for once.
It's not that I'm so smart. I've done a lot of charging into battle, so I naturally understand the hardships and conveniences of going up and down hills much better than she does.
This retribution was certain, she looked around first, although her ears were not hurt, her thigh was grabbed. Suddenly she felt as if she had made a big mistake: Are you okay, thigh, does it hurt
I was fine at first, but suddenly I felt nauseous, and wanted to cheer up Yinling, who looked apologetic. At first, my face looked as if nothing had happened. After a few moments of silence, I suddenly grimaced, and then it hurt so much!
Yiren immediately laughed so hard that she couldn't stop like a carriage, and in the end she could only hum in my arms. I was really bad.
The journey was several dozen miles. Yinling was sleepy and the road was relatively smooth, so she soon fell asleep in my arms. I wanted to look after her, but the rocking was really hypnotic, and soon I fell asleep too.
When I woke up, it seemed to be nearly dusk. While my eyes were still blurry, I could see that we had come to the edge of a vast, misty lake. In the water stood a huge statue, its body shaped like a tree, with several vague human figures standing below and above it.
Kunming Lake! Yiren seemed to be woken up by me again, but she looked at the scene in front of her without any intention of blaming me, and her tone was full of joy and excitement.
Kunming Lake is 40 miles in radius, but in my eyes it is just a sea. There is no wind around, but the water still hits the shore constantly, which makes it look more like a seaside scene. Yinling seemed to have returned to the past, pointing happily at me; but I was wondering how many people and how much time it would take to dig it, and whether it was necessary.
Note 1: There are some omissions. If you compare the original text, you will know which sentences I deleted.
Note: The makeup of the people in the Han Dynasty was quite different from the aesthetics of modern people. In fact, everyone who has watched "The Emperor Wu of Han" has this theory in mind. To avoid your emotions after watching it, I have made all the women's makeup in a way that is slightly more acceptable to modern people. Dear readers, please don't worry about it.
Note: Please refer to Huang Shengzhang’s “Collection of Historical Geography Theory”.