National Division

Chapter 62 Sacrifice to God

The exam in early June is really a test for the candidates.The test shed was in the open air, and the scorching sun poured down, only a thin layer of roof covered it, and even the ground was scorching hot.After the three exams, several candidates fainted due to heat stroke and were carried out of the exam hall.Qi Jun didn't sympathize with this: "Studies are so weak, such a person is an official, do you expect him to go up and down the mountain to do some practical things? I'm afraid he can't stand it even if he is a document. It's not a pity to fail the exam." .”

After the three rankings were released, Qi Jun personally read the test papers of the top [-]. Su Rui took the top spot, and his two friends were also on the list. Although they were not as good as him, they were both in the top [-]. .Candidates who got in the list were all rejoicing. Although they had suffered a lot of crimes, but the emperor came in person in this exam, they will all be "disciples of the emperor" in the future. Juren's reputation is much better.

Amidst all the joy, Qi Jun looked serious in the station: "Is this batch of goods sent to Northwest Shima?"

The person sent out to inquire about the situation didn't even dare to lift his head: "Yes, I followed the clues that the villager said all the way, and I am sure that this batch of goods was exchanged for horses in the northwest." Tea, silk, grain, these They are all things that people on the grassland need. This large amount of goods can be exchanged for hundreds of good horses!

"How are these horses transported away?" Qi Jun asked coldly.The control of horses and iron mines in the Sheng Dynasty was relatively strict. After all, having horses and iron means being able to raise soldiers, which is the most taboo of people on the throne.Local officials must report the sale and transportation of such hundreds of horses.

"At present, it seems that they are still raised in the northwest, and the fodder is transported from here for feeding. My subordinates have inquired carefully, and it seems that this is only the first batch of sales. After the sorghum comes down this year, I am afraid that I will buy the second batch. I estimate that the subordinates only I am afraid that it is also because it is difficult to transport the horses in, so it is temporarily placed in the northwest."

"This is a conspiracy..." Qi Jun took a long breath.The horses in the northwest are good horses suitable for cavalry. They are tall and long-legged, and they run fast.

"Where did these goods come from, can you figure it out?"

"The subordinates managed to see the batch of silk, most of which are Shu embroidery."

Qi Jun laughed out loud and said, "I knew it, there is no one other than King Ping!" Isn't Shu embroidery a special product of King Ping's fiefdom, and there is also tea, which is also produced in Shu.

"Your Majesty—" Su Rui came here today to thank the emperor for his kindness, but he never expected that the emperor would mention such an important event in front of him, and his heart was beating wildly for a while. This is a matter of life and death, the emperor It is clearly a great trust to let him, a little boy, listen in.It is said that if you learn literary and martial arts, you can sell them to the emperor's family, but how to sell them is also very different.Su Rui is a scholar, even though he is pragmatic, he still has the arrogance of a scholar. If a scholar meets me, the scholar will repay him, and when everyone meets me, everyone will repay him.Now that he hasn't even taken the Jinshi exam, the emperor gives him such trust, why not let his blood surge?Even though he was an experienced man, his voice was a little unstable for a while, and he pinched his palm hard to calm down: "Your Majesty, there is all grain in Shu, why do you want to come to Shandong to collect grain?"

Qi Jun said coldly: "There is grain in Shu, but the imperial court has always kept a close eye on grain and rice. If there is a large amount of grain and rice shipped out from King Ping's fief, the imperial court must know." If there is eyeliner in King Ping's fiefdom, if King Ping transported rice grains from Shu, he would have known it a long time ago.

Su Rui bowed and said: "Your Majesty, the student is bold and nonsense. It will cost a lot of money to come from afar to buy grain and then transport it to the northwest." Inexhaustible, "Although the land of Shu is rich, how could the imperial court not know if tax money and the like were to be embezzled? Where did the money—and silk and tea, which cost a lot—come from? "

One sentence reminded Qi Jun.No matter how rich the land of Shu was, the vassal kings only collected taxes, and how to use the tax money had to be reported to the imperial court. His eyeliner was not only focused on food, but also salt, iron and tax money, all of which had to be monitored.When Qizhang was the prince, he was indeed favored by Emperor Jing'an, but in the palace, no matter how much you love him, it is nothing more than rich clothes and fine food, and if you reward some rare treasures, it is really not so convenient to exchange them for money, let alone it is not 8000. Two silver coins can make things happen. From the point of view of sorghum alone, it is not a matter of buying once or twice. I am afraid that there must be a mountain of gold and silver for this expense.

Su Rui asked cautiously: "Could it be the money from the southeast side?" No one knows the relationship between King Ping and General Ye in the southwest. If King Ping wants to rebel, it would be strange without the support of General Ye.

Qi Jun shook his head resolutely: "The Southwest can't come up with this much money." If the Ye family really had so much spare money in their hands, the private soldiers they raised back then were more than those hundreds of people, so why bother to go to the Northwest at this time? To buy a horse?

Su Rui frowned in thought, Qi Jun glanced at him with a slight smile in his eyes: "Su Rui, you are not bad."

"Ah, student, thank you for your compliment from the emperor." Su Rui was stunned for a moment, and immediately pulled up his clothes and knelt down, "If the emperor didn't know clearly, the student would be just a failed student at this moment. Students don't dare to boast about their lofty ambitions, the only word is loyalty." , I am willing to be sent by the emperor, and I swear to die."

"Very well, go prepare for next year's spring. At that time, I will see you in the palace examination. Don't let people say that I promoted you because of my personal affair. That will not be good for your future."

"Student obey." Su Rui kowtowed his head again before getting up, and said in a low voice, "Student resigns, he must keep his mouth shut." Then he backed out.

Zhibai had been writing in the inner room, and only came out when he heard people leaving: "This Su Rui is quite smart."

Qi Jun nodded slightly: "It's a talent that can be used. It's just that he is too shrewd. If he hadn't been subdued by the cheating in the scientific examination, I wouldn't dare to use him deeply. Now it seems that next year, with his talent and learning, if he can be ranked top three, he will be It can be used immediately." Leaning back in the chair, he put his hand between his eyebrows and let out a long sigh, "The headache now is, where did my good second brother get this money..."

He has been a prince since he was a child, so he has rules in his actions, and he rarely leans back on the chair in such a disfigured manner, it can be seen that he is very tired.Zhibai felt a little distressed, went over to rub his temples on both sides, and said casually: "If you want to make a lot of money, what can you do?"

Qi Jun understood what he meant, and said: "If you talk about making money, it's nothing more than doing business. Shu is rich in production and there are rich merchants, but if you want to use money to help him rebel, I'm afraid few people have the courage to do so." .”

Zhibai said: "What if King Qi marries his daughter?"

Qi Jun raised his eyebrows and turned to look at him: "Yes, I didn't even think of it, how did you think of it?"

Zhibai made a face at him: "Isn't the emperor preparing for a draft, I naturally thought of it from the emperor."

Qi Jun let out a chuckle, raised his hand and twisted his face: "You are shrewd. But - he is a vassal king, whether he marries a main concubine or a side concubine, he needs to report to the court for record. I'm afraid that the registered concubines and the like can't be exchanged for such a large sum of money."

Zhibai scratched his head: "Then—tax increase?"

Qi Jun shook his head again: "Although exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes can raise money, they will make people resentful. This cannot be hidden." It sounds good, and it can store troops, but whenever money, food and grass come in and out, they all have to report to the court, and they can be monitored.But now it seems that it is clear that Qizhang has another way to make money, so that the eyeliner he planted did not get any news.

Now Zhibai couldn't figure it out: "Then what else can I do?"

Qi Jun smiled wryly: "Unless he can conjure a golden mountain."

Zhibai disagrees: "If there is a gold mine, it is not a gold mountain."

"Where is the gold mine so easy--" Qi Jun suddenly lost his voice when he said this, and it took a long time to clamor, "Come here, send a message to Shu, and ask where King Ping usually goes, or where his Confidant, is there a place you often go to!" A gold mine or a silver mine may sound unimaginable, but it is not impossible.

The land of Shu is far away from Shandong. Although the royal spies used flying pigeons to deliver letters faster than horses, it was not a day or two to get the news. Qi Jun took Zhibai and wandered around the territory of Shandong.

In Shandong, the most troublesome thing is the Yellow River. Every year, a lot of money is spent on river construction, but every time something goes wrong. Now that Qi Jun is here, he has to check along the river bank.He started from the upper reaches and went straight to the mouth of the sea. Seven or eight days later, he had arrived at Mengjin County where the mouth of the sea was located.

"My lord, the front is so crowded that the carriage can't pass." Qi Jun was dressed in modest clothes this time, and the guards driving the carriage outside also changed their titles, so as not to reveal their flaws and harm the emperor's safety.

Qi Jun is fighting Shuanglu with Zhibai.The weather is hot, and an ice basin is placed in the carriage, which is much cooler than outside.Although Qi Jun was not spoiled like that, he grew up in a well-clothed and well-fed environment after all. Since he had an ice basin, he naturally didn't bother to go outside to bask in the sun.

"Stop playing." The guard outside shouted, and Qi Jun took advantage of the situation and threw down the dice.Knowing this kid, Shuanglu is still a new learner from him, but every time he rolls the dice, he is better than him. Along the way, he lost nine times out of ten, and lost the slightest temper. I wondered if this kid was haunted by ghosts. thousand.

Zhibai grinned, and put away a pile of odds and ends beside him: "You have nothing to lose, do you?"

Qi Jun patted his body, really, what purse pendant, fan with hook, all lost, even an agarwood hairpin on his head, just because he had to pull his hair off, Zhibai still has it for the time being. He left it on his head: "You must have done something!" He stretched out his hand and pinched his face hard to vent his hatred.

Zhibai rubbed his face indifferently, leaned towards him with a smile, and stretched his head to look out through the gap in the car curtain: "What happened outside? It's so lively."

"Pull the carriage aside, and go to inquire about it." Qi Jun ordered casually, and then pinched his face, "If there is any excitement, you are indispensable." Along the way, if there are any dragon dances and yangko in Jufan county towns and villages, Zhibai is very interested, so he must go and see it.

The guard ran fast, and after a while wiped his sweat and got out of the crowd: "Master, we are offering sacrifices to the gods ahead. The sacrifice is to the God of the Yellow River. It is said that sacrifices are held every year before the summer flood season, so that the dam will not collapse when the summer flood season comes. decided."

"Oh?" Qi Jun frowned slightly, "What's the use of this!" Whether the dam will collapse or not depends on whether it is built firmly or not. It is very important to the God of the River, not to mention, there is no such thing as the God of the River.

The guard smiled and said: "It is said that there is a deep pool near the mouth of the sea, and there is a river god in the pool. If it is sacrificed, the peach blossom flood, cauliflower flood, summer flood, and ice flood will all be smaller, especially Xia Xun, when there was no sacrifice at the beginning, it was very hot."

Qi Jun frowned again: "Let's go and have a look." The teaching of Shinto is for the enlightenment of the people, not for people to bluff and deceive people to make money.

The river bank was really bustling, people were so crowded, if it wasn't for the guards with big arms and round waists to open the way, Zhibai's small body might not be able to squeeze in.Even so, by the time they squeezed onto the embankment, they were already drenched in sweat.

As soon as Zhibai stood still, he looked around: "Where is the sacrifice?"

A guard has already seen it: "Over there, there are incense tables and three animals."

Zhibai looked over on tiptoe, and clicked his tongue a few times: "There are quite a lot of things."

Qi Jun frowned: "Just for the river god who is so small, so much wasted!" On the incense table are not only pigs, sheep and cattle, but also piles of steamed buns made of new wheat noodles piled up like a hill, and many dyed Eggs with red dots are good things that poor peasants are reluctant to eat casually all year round.

An old man who was watching the excitement next to him turned his head when he heard Qi Jun's words: "This young man, isn't he a local? No wonder he doesn't know about our place. There really is a river god in this river!"

Qi Jun raised his eyebrows: "Is there really a river god?"

"It's true!" The old man said solemnly, "My little old man has lived by this river for almost 60 years, but he knows it for real. In the past, when the Yellow River flooded, whether it was peach blossom flood, cauliflower flood, or summer flood and ice flood, , what it looks like, the little old man has seen it. Since the river god came to this river ten years ago, the flood season is very different than before. Upwards, two waves collided, and the dam was like paper. In the first year, everyone didn’t know there was a river god, but the dam collapsed. Our village was so close that a whole village was killed. Most of them were drowned..." The old man became sad as he spoke, "That's the little old man's family. They went to see their grandson at the daughter's house that day, and they survived because they were not in the village."

Qi Jun's eyebrows raised higher and higher: "In this way, what kind of river god is this? It is clearly a water monster and a water monster who caused great waves and harmed the people!"

The old man was so frightened that he almost wanted to stop him, but seeing that his clothes were expensive and elegant, and there were obviously some guards around him, he didn't dare to make a mistake, so he hurriedly shook his hand and said: "Don't offend the river god, don't say anything These words!"

Zhibai pulled Qi Jun's clothes from behind, and poked his face out with a smile: "Old man, what does this river god look like, have you seen it before?"

The old man saw that he was really good-looking, with a pleasant expression, and he was not as frightening as Qi Jun, so he relaxed and said with a smile: "Young master, don't believe me, I really saw him once. Four When I married the River God a wife years ago, the girl was well chosen, and the River God actually showed her real body and came to greet her in person. She was dressed in a green armor. It is three or four feet high, and there are shrimp soldiers and crab generals guarding beside it—”

Qi Jun interrupted him: "The God of the River married a wife? Why do you want to marry a wife?"

The old man pointed to the distance with his hand: "The sedan chair will come in a while. This is what Hu Banxian invited by the county magistrate said. To sacrifice to the river god, not only must there be three offerings of incense, but also a girl with yellow flowers to show sincerity. It has been six years, and every year at this time, I send a daughter to the God of the River—not to mention, the floods in this year will not be so big after marrying the God of the River. "

Qi Jun's eyebrows almost protruded from his forehead: "Nonsense! What does the River God want a woman for? This is obviously nonsense, do you believe him?"

The old man waved his hands again and again: "Don't say that, every family must have a wife, and the River God naturally wants it too. That year, the county magistrate didn't believe it. He only offered incense and didn't marry a daughter. Come on, the waves in the deep pool downstream - the embankment broke with a bang."

"That's just because the floods were so big that year!"

The old man shook his head like a drum: "Young master has never lived by the river, so he doesn't know. The old man who has lived his whole life doesn't know what the flood is like? What's more, it's not just the old man. One person, everyone knows. The county magistrate had no choice, so he quickly chose an eldest daughter to marry the river god, and then the autumn flood was much smaller than in previous years. After two years, he changed the county magistrate. Marrying people over, when the summer floods broke out that year, the county magistrate supervised people on the embankment, was swept down by the water and drowned—oh, speaking of which, he was really a good official, because he didn’t marry a wife for the river god , just died like that, what a pity. After that, no one dared to break the rules."

When the old man shook his head and sighed, the sound of blowing and beating could be heard faintly in the distance. Qi Jun looked over and saw that the crowd crowded on the embankment had automatically moved out of the way. It was a trumpeter, blowing and beating, but behind the sedan chair was a group of weeping people. Although they were also wearing festive red clothes, they were crying so hard that they couldn't walk.

The old man also watched and sighed: "It's like this every year. Although the married woman is for the whole county, it doesn't feel bad for any family to send the daughter out..."

Qi Jun's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and he whispered to the guards: "Come closer, if there is anything, stop it!" He wants to see what this river god is, and it kills a person every year!