Aggrieved Fish Sprite

Lu Zhang had a hard time when he was young, but later he skyrocketed.

He's ambitious, capable and has the best timing.

However, the fall of the Chu Dynasty cannot be blamed on the Lu family.

Many things in the world are like this, seemingly inextricably linked, as if a single thought can rewrite history, but this is not the case.Without Lu Zhang, there will be a second conspirator.

The houses in Lujiazhuang are half old and not new, and the writing on the archway facing them is still clearly visible.

The surname of the husband's family and the surname of the maiden's family are added together to form a name that is not a first name: Jie Fu Lu Zhang's.

This archway is like the facade of Lujiazhuang. There are no weeds around and no moss on it. It is about ten feet high and can be seen from a long distance.

"There are many ills in the world, even if you try hard, it is difficult to find a solution." Meng Qi looked unpredictable, and he said in a deep voice, "It's like throwing a gourd into the water, hold down one end, and the other end floats up again. If Put your hands together, it’s like forced suppression, press and hold, but the gourd is still thinking about how to break free from the force you exerted. There are decrees on the top, and the way to go down, isn’t a person much more complicated than a gourd?”

The Chu Dynasty once promulgated a decree that if a married woman dies and has no children, her husband's family must return the remaining dowry.

This decree is logical. A woman’s dowry is the natal family’s hope that she will live well in her husband’s house. Those rich families have everything in the dowry. Even the cloth has to be divided into clothing, bed curtains, combs, mirrors and jewelry. , a complete set of furniture, and even a gold-painted toilet.Strictly speaking, these properties do not belong to the husband's family, but to the children born of the woman.

Even if the house is confiscated, it can be divided into two cases: confiscating all of it and not keeping the dowry of the female relatives.

If the natal family has always been strong and hates the son-in-law, it is indeed possible to ask for the dowry back because the daughter has nowhere to go, but this is not on the law, and if you really do it, you will be scolded.

Common people's families don't have so much talk, and it's impossible for a woman's natal family to have power, so naturally they will suffer.

However, the implementation of this decree to prevent close relatives of the husband's family from forcing the woman to embezzle the dowry was not smooth.

The mother's family asked for the dowry, but the husband's family shirked it. The value of the dowry list back then was different.

There are also people who shoddy when returning their dowry. A good set of pear blossom wood furniture was calculated as the price of a broken table and chairs.

Some men, not engaged in childbirth, idle about, and spent their wives' dowry long ago.

So how things are depreciated, how much they have been used over the years, and whether they have been used reasonably... It can take three days and three nights.

The decree is good, but when it is time to implement it, everyone complains, so it becomes a dissatisfied government, and the decree cannot be enforced.

There were even many murders because of this.

Crying for money or not, there are many people who want to die.

It's nothing more than cheating, a widower started from the heart, picked up a knife and killed all the members of the Yue family who asked for the dowry.

There is another case in which the parents of the woman's family are dead, and the elder brother is unable to repay the debts. The sister-in-law came up with an idea to murder the sister-in-law who married out and had nothing to pay, so as to claim back the dowry.

For various reasons, this decree came to an abrupt end within less than a year.

After hearing this, Mo Li was speechless for a long time.

In the past, Mo Li only wanted to be a doctor, and he was not even interested in being a famous martial arts master. Zhushan County has few people and things are simple. He never thought that being a capable minister is so difficult.

It's not that you can save the country and the people with a passion.

No matter how much ingenuity you have, coping with endless troubles will also exhaust you mentally and physically.

Mo Li was worried that Meng Qi would be addicted to the past and his illness would flare up again, so he wanted to persuade him, but now was not the time.

— There are others here.

This person was passing by here originally, but was attracted by Meng Qi's words, and tiptoed behind a tree.

Mo Li heard it all, and Meng Qi was no exception, but he still finished speaking slowly.

Meng Qi winked at Mo Li, and the two left around Lujiazhuang.

Meng Qi said as he walked: "Like the Lu clan, they are not too poor to eat, and even some clans have produced scholars and promoted people. Don't they have no sense of propriety, righteousness and shame? On the contrary, they grow up in the clan and are used to This way of thinking thinks that things in the world are like this. The king guides his ministers, the father guides his sons, and the husband guides his wife. Loyal ministers do not serve two masters. A good woman does not marry two husbands. Do you know what that means?"

"They don't think it's wrong to force a widowed woman to death." Mo Li replied.

Because of the presence of outsiders, Mo Li didn't call Meng Qi's name, just like Meng Qi didn't mention the title "doctor" anymore.

"The three cardinal principles and five constant principles are the foundation of the country in the eyes of many people."

Mo Li divided his mind a little, paying attention to the person who was stalking them secretly.

That person's Qinggong is half-baked, but he excels in his quick movements and thin stature.

This kind of agility is different from Li Konger's wretched demeanor of a gentleman on the beam. He is more like eavesdropping on people's conversations, his breath is steady and undisturbed, he is very good at hiding himself, and he can always find a suitable hiding place without thinking.

When most people want to hide, they tend to look for big trees or big rocks, because they feel safer there.

And this person can pick the occlusion that just covers his figure just by visual inspection. It may not be the biggest, but it is the most suitable. To the corner of this man's clothes.

If it weren't for the sharp ears of martial arts masters, he would probably be fooled by him.

A few times Mo Li pretended to look around and turned around on purpose, and the opponent dodged in time.

"..."

What about people who have no killing intent, no obvious malice, and just want to eavesdrop?

Mo Li was about to use lightness kung fu to get rid of this man, but seeing that Meng Qi seemed to want to continue testing, he could only slow down and continue walking and talking with Meng Qi.

"Has the court never restricted the clan's power?"

"In the Chu Dynasty, local officials were ordered to prevent the clan from enforcing the family law in private. The clan has no right to execute prisoners without authorization. If they are found in the pond or beaten to death, they need to be investigated carefully. According to the circumstances, the fine is fined. The heavy is exiled. .”

After Meng Qi finished speaking, he said, "Then the whole court will argue and the whole country will oppose it."

"Why?" Mo Li didn't understand. It was just to prevent indiscriminate killing, not to abolish the clan system.

"...Because the clan must have authority, just like a father has the right to make decisions over his children, they believe that the so-called national foundation should be based on this."

Only obeying parents at home, and being a courtier will obey the imperial power.

The so-called governing the world with filial piety, and the three cardinal principles and five constant principles, after all, are all the same.

"They want authority, absolute, unquestionable authority."

"So what's the use of the law?"

Mo Li was not used to it. Xuezhi County of Zhushan County was not like this when adjudicating cases. He always had to talk about which one was wrong and which one was responsible. He explained things clearly and everyone was convinced.

It can be seen that even if the common people are illiterate, they are not completely ignorant of the truth.

"This is naturally because... the emperor himself did not abide by the laws of the country, and suddenly became angry and wanted to kill people. Isn't this the reason why the emperor laid down millions of corpses when he was angry? The dynasties of all dynasties have never given such power to the clan, this power It was formed naturally, it was tacitly approved, and no one can shake it, so the person who stopped it was not stupid, but my old friends and I were too naive."

Meng Qi looked at the imperial tomb in the distance, and said in a low voice, "I used to think that Li Yuanze was not that kind of person."

The voice of this sentence was very low, only the ink carp beside him could hear it.

——It is difficult to conquer the world, and it is even more difficult to rule the world.

Meng Qi never thought so much when he was fighting the world.

When the Chu Dynasty ruled the world, Meng Qi was vaguely aware of some resistance, but out of the trust of many years of acquaintances, and the fact that Emperor Chu Yuan was not the kind of person who could follow his emotions and anger. He had been in power for many years, and he didn't even kill a maidservant, Huangmen. But, so he ignored it.

"The emperor can ignore the law if he doesn't want to abide by the law, and the father can be unreasonable if he wants to be unreasonable. There is no difference between being a courtier and being a child."

Meng Qi was talking, when he suddenly heard a slight sound behind him, a stone was trampled down.

It was as if the person who eavesdropped was shocked and lost control.

When Mo Li turned his head, he happened to see half of the man's face that he couldn't hide in time.

——So young, not yet crowned.

Judging by the clothes on his body, his family background is very good. How could such a person appear near the imperial tomb?

The ten or so miles around the imperial mausoleum were surrounded by garrisons, and the location of Lujiazhuang happened to be among them.Ordinary people are not allowed to get close, and it is not easy for people in Lujiazhuang to go out.

There are fields, wells, a small hillside and two sparse jujube forests.

Not a prison, but better than a prison.

If you want to sneak in without disturbing others, your martial arts are probably not good enough.

At this time, there was a commotion in the distance, from the direction of the barracks, Mo Li couldn't hear what they were saying, and only saw a group of soldiers scattered around to search, as if they were looking for someone.

Mo Li winked at Meng Qi, but Meng Qi didn't look back, as if he didn't know there was someone behind him.

"In front of Lujiazhuang is the imperial mausoleum, there are people nearby, let's avoid it first."

While speaking, they had already arrived at the field of Lujiazhuang.

The people of the Lu clan were not praying for rain, but farming.

After walking for a while, Mo Li found that there was no movement behind him. He listened attentively to make sure that the man really hadn't followed.

"Brother Meng, where do you think that man came from?"

"It's not like people from Lujiazhuang." Meng Qi pondered.

He was well dressed and looked good, completely different from those Lu clan members in the fields who were numb and indifferent to the noise.

Mo Li guessed: "Could it be that he is from the Jianghu?"

"It doesn't look like that either." Meng Qi shook his head and said, "What the two of us just said, ordinary people in the Jianghu are not interested."

Maybe that is an unusual rivers and lakes person?Mo Li thought about it, but didn't refute it, because the young man's lightness kung fu was really bad, he seemed to have learned it indiscriminately, but he dressed like a young son from a rich family.

Meng Qi stood still on the slope, and saw that there was another village not far away, which had already moved away, leaving only a piece of dilapidated houses.

The scale of this Zhuangzi is not smaller than that of Lujiazhuang, but there is one less archway in front of Zhuangzi.

"Yongzhou lacks water, and between the clans, they have to dig canals to divert water every spring. For the water source, the two villages can be beaten to death, so there are few villages with many surnames here, but most of them are single-surnamed clans. .”

It is difficult for people who leave the clan and make a living from the land to survive.

There is only a small source of water, how can those who are weak and weak fight for it?

Clans cannot and cannot be abolished.

"In this world, not all clans will force widows to death for a memorial archway, and more people can't live without the clan. Even with a bad temper like Deng Shusheng, he finally endured the sand in his eyes. At that time, he thought If every family is rich, maybe the world will change, but the years are not as expected.”

How can there be good things like good weather every year?

The lack of water in Yongzhou has been a problem since ancient times, and it cannot be solved by peace in the world.

The people in Lujiazhuang don't have to worry about food and drink, but this need to be cultivated every year. If the fields are not harvested, how long can the stored grain last?How long can the savings last?It's just sitting and eating, so whatever you say, you have to fight for water.

Mo Li suddenly thought of what Meng Qi had said, and couldn't help saying: "If one day, the output of one household's field can support three or even ten households, and the people will have other ways of making a living, and they will no longer be trapped in the land. Then the battles for spring plowing and grabbing water will be much reduced. People don’t need clans, and the power of clans will naturally decline.”

Meng Qi smiled, very happy.

"The doctor is indeed my confidant."

"There are many capable people in the world, as long as you want to find them, you will never lack a confidant." Mo Li was not happy, he reminded, "You can meet many friends back then, so naturally you can find them today."

"But none of them are you."

"...The difference between me and them is probably that I won't die without you." After Mo Li finished speaking, he regretted it, his words were too straightforward.

The two dragon veins of Qimao Mountain and Shangyun Mountain, one in the other, were human beings. Before they met, Mo Li had good teachers, and Meng Qi had good friends.It's hard to say who envies the other more, but I always care about what I don't have.

Meng Qi tilted his head to look at Mo Li, as if he was evaluating how much the doctor cared about him.

However, to his disappointment, Mo Li seemed to just get used to his existence and acknowledged his irreplaceability, but it was not the development he was happy to see.

For example, Mo Li might be willing to take him back to Zhushan County to meet Qin Lu, Xue Ting and others, but this is no different from close friends who are promoted to worship their mothers, it's just a good family relationship.

Each other's relatives and friends have to get acquainted, which can only prove the deep friendship.

And now only Mo Li needs it, Meng Qi is basically alone.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned this." Mo Li also realized that he had touched a topic that could not be mentioned now.

At this time, the wind direction changed, and a sandalwood fragrance wafted along with the wind.

Mo Carp's nose was itchy, and he couldn't help asking, "Where is this begging for rain?"

The smell is so strong, could it be that the incense is used as firewood?

When it comes to begging for rain, Meng Qi's expression is a little uncomfortable.

He thinks that the mountain spirit is the dragon vein that people often say, but the dragon is different from the dragon, he lives in the mountain, and the dragon king lives in the sea.The matter of spreading clouds and rain is not under Shanling's control, nor can it.

There is no Dragon King of the Four Seas in the world!

Burning incense and worshiping gods in such a mobilizing way has no effect other than choking people.

"Ah!"

Meng Qi turned his head when he heard the sound, and met Mo Li's eyes.

When the two heard this sound, they both thought that the other had sneezed, but it turned out not to be, and then they all started to lose their minds by coincidence.

—Do fish sneeze?What is that like?

——When a gerbil sneezes, its whiskers will probably be blown up, and the flesh on its cheeks will shake.

It is also interesting to think about.

The one who sneezed was a small military officer, his hat was not on his head, and there were a few soldiers behind him. They seemed to be looking for someone who happened to be passing down the hillside.

"The people from the capital are poor and fastidious!" The little military officer raised his palm and said dissatisfiedly.

"Inspector, don't say a word, that's a third-rank member of the Ministry of Rites!"

The soldiers persuaded from behind, the little military officer kicked up a stone, and said angrily: "It's fine for the civil servants of the third grade, anyway, they are always pedantic and nagging, but this is very good, what kind of ancestral temple is the prince coming to worship! If the boy doesn't come, don't say it." The third-rank civil servants, I'm afraid even the fifth-rank officials won't rush over at this moment, mobilizing the crowd... Tsk, I don't know where they have gone at this moment, and I am in a hurry to find them, what did I do early? It made me sleep in the afternoon Can't even sleep."

The inspector had no one to guard his mouth, he was swearing, and the soldiers wanted to persuade him again, but they almost couldn't get in.

"...You've said it all, what about the prince! We'll lose our heads if he says a word!"

"fart!"

The inspector scolded, "We've all been sent to guard the imperial mausoleum, what future do we want? We're just eating and waiting to die, with a bowl-sized scar on our heads, what a ghost!"

The soldier's face became even more bitter, and he muttered that the inspector was able to feed the whole family alone, and they had a family in Qiong County, and they still had wives and children to support, so they couldn't die in vain.

Seeing them walking away, Mo Li was still in a daze.

Was it the prince who eavesdropped just now?

Lu Zhang's son?

Mo Li came to the imperial tomb because the Qingwu Patriarch of Zangfengguan wanted to cut off the dragon veins of the Qi Dynasty, so he probably wouldn't let this place go, maybe there are confidantes squatting near the imperial tomb.Anyway, going to Taijing is also in this direction, so Mo Li simply took a walk along the way, it would be best if he could catch someone who knew the truth about Emperor Li's Mausoleum, and it didn't matter if he couldn't.

As a result, the alchemist's tail was not caught, but he met Lu Zhang's son.

"Strange." Meng Qi said to himself.

"What's wrong?" Mo Li asked.

Meng Qi pondered, "I think he looks familiar."

With a quick glance just now, only half of his face could be seen.

"have you seen?"

"No, this kind of familiarity... I should have seen his blood relatives. I'm not that keen on people's appearance." When Meng Qi said the second half of the sentence, seeing Mo Li's expression, he couldn't help laughing, "Look Come on, this is a problem that all our mountain spirits have."

Mo Li said casually, "Maybe you have met Lu Zhang."

"I don't remember this incident." Meng Qi pressed his forehead and recalled, "I didn't have it as a national teacher, but I still have many strange memories, which seem to only come from dreams, such as overlooking the entire Taijing, or Floating across the street..."

"It's a way to use spiritual power. Sometimes there will be this state, and I can see the situation of most of the mountain." Mo Li interrupted.

Meng Qi's eyes lit up.

Mo Li knew what he was thinking, so he added the second half of the sentence expressionlessly: "...I can only do it in Zhushan County. I suspect that you can only have this ability when you enter Taijing."

"It's a pity." Meng Qi thought to himself, if he could have it now, why bother running around looking for clues.

In minutes, the people from the Tibetan Wind Temple were pulled out.

That prince running around can also be caught and frightened, and let him eavesdrop on other people's conversations casually!

Both Mo Li and Meng Qi are people with keen minds, and they have not forgotten the weirdness of that young man.

Although it's strange for the prince to learn martial arts, it's not impossible. There are still some masters in the court. The half-baked ones may be because they can't endure hardship, or they may not have enough talent.

But—good at hiding?What prince is this?

And when he heard a certain sentence, his mind was agitated and he made noise out of control?

Meng Qi is a national teacher, not an emperor's teacher. He has no interest in the profession of an emperor's teacher. He will not think that his words are deafening, and that the prince is a teachable talent.

When you lose your composure when you hear a certain sentence, the clue is naturally in that sentence.

There is no difference between being a courtier and being a child...Meng Qi thinks this is very common, and there is no difficult truth. If others don't understand, how can the prince understand?

The boy didn't look stupid either.

"Let's go, while they are looking for someone, go to the imperial tomb to have a look." Mo Li held his breath, and the scent of the incense became stronger.

Even if there is a dragon, it will be choked to death. Why is it raining?

etc--

Meng Qi thought to himself, if he is a local mountain spirit and can make clouds and rain, then he must be so annoyed to strike a thunderbolt right now, and then pour water to wipe out all the incense. Is this the true meaning of praying for rain?

Meng Guoshi felt that he still knew too little about the origin of these folk traditions.

Maybe there really are dragons?

Besides, in front of the ancestral temple of the imperial mausoleum, the officials from the Ministry of Rites from the capital were extremely anxious. Although there were troops stationed nearby, if something happened to the prince, he would be in serious trouble.

"Have you found His Royal Highness the Sixth Prince?"

"Don't worry He Shilang. Didn't the sixth prince have learned martial arts? What else can happen in the realm of the imperial mausoleum?"

The speaker was not wearing armor, and his face was pale after recovering from a serious illness. He said a few words lazily, and found that He Shilang was staring at him, his beard shaking with anger, so he cupped his hands boredly, "I'm coming in Beijing reassignment, I heard that the sixth prince was missing, so I came to help. If He Shilang thinks that the official is not enough, I will take someone to the county to look for it. Today is the rain festival, and the county is very lively. The sixth prince When I was young, I might have slipped out to play."

After finishing speaking, he didn't wait for He Shilang to speak, so he went out calmly.

"Warrior!" He Shilang scolded.

"General Liu, you have offended He Shilang, and you will go to court in the future..."

"Have I offended them enough?" Liu Dan didn't think so, he walked out of the imperial tomb leisurely with his hands clasped, and suddenly turned around, staring at a row of stone sculptures near the imperial tomb.

Ink Carp: "..."

Meng Qi: "..."

Hey, the money bag seems to be more vigilant than ordinary people.

The author has something to say:

Liu Dan: My purse tells me that there is danger!

Liu Dan: The wind is tight!Crap!