Zhi Xuan

On the day of the sacrifice, there was a heavy snowfall at Zhi.

The wind blows snowflakes whizzing past, no matter the new city or the old city, it will be covered in snow overnight.

The earth is covered with silvery white, and the farmlands, dirt roads and bridges are covered with a thick white blanket.

The beasts in the forest disappeared without a trace. With the howling north wind, there were occasional roars of beasts, but it was difficult to see the shadows of beasts in groups.

The tree farm is temporarily closed.

Ding Bao and Luo Gong set out together to lead the tribute team, but they have not yet returned from the capital city.The assistant officer who replaced him in charge of the forest farm had limited ability, and all the projects stopped after winter, so there was no need for more wood, and the wood stored in advance was enough to handle it. Zhi Xuan ordered all the staff to be transferred back to the new city, and they would wait until the beginning of spring to start logging.

This move is mainly to avoid risks.

The winter in the frontier is extremely cold, and the number of deer has dropped sharply.Wild animals such as tigers and leopards cannot catch their prey, and are likely to venture into the forest farm, causing casualties.

After careful consideration, Zhi Xuan ordered the forest farm to be closed, and everyone returned.Even if someone didn't want to, they were forced to leave.

After winter, the entire forest farm became empty, and there was no one in sight.Occasionally, hunters pass by and will find many small animals gathered in the wooden walls, mainly hares and chickens, and squirrels can also be seen from time to time.

After a heavy snowfall, more than a dozen wild boars suddenly appeared, broke the fence outside the forest farm, and destroyed three wooden houses in a row.Fortunately, no one was there, otherwise even greater losses would have been caused.

Everyone in the forest farm was recalled to the new city, and lived together in three workshops, where they were still neighbors.

At first, everyone was not used to it.After all, the rules of the new city are different from those of the forest farm, and there are too many things to pay attention to.After a long time, they gradually discovered the benefits, and everyone began to learn to let themselves get used to it, and quickly integrated into it.

As life gets better day by day, the subjects in the fief are grateful wholeheartedly, and Zhi Xuan's prestige has reached a new level.

On the day of the ceremony, the sky had just dawned and the gates of the new city opened. Zhixuan took a car to the outside of the city and stopped in front of an earthen platform that was over three meters high.

The witch doctor is dressed in colorful robes, with animal skins wrapped around his feet, and bright red patterns painted on his forehead and cheeks.Pigments made of blood and herbs, sweat and snow can't be melted, and only special concoctions can erase them.

Seeing the witch doctor's attire, Zhi Xuan couldn't help thinking of the witch who knew how to hunt.

It's also winter, and it's also a sacrifice. Those witches are shirtless and barefoot, and they look extremely dedicated.This one is so tightly wrapped, is it really good?

Sensing Zhi Xuan's gaze, the witch doctor understood his expression, and immediately put his fist on his lips and coughed twice, expressing that he is old and cannot compare to a young man, please forgive me.

Zhi Xuan: "..."

He clearly remembered that not long ago, the old man was walking like flying with more than a hundred catties of mutton, and the two wild wolves couldn't catch up.He dared to assert that this old man's physical strength was better than his own, and he couldn't even dream of exercising his tendons.

Now pretending to be weak in front of him?

Is there any reason!

When Young Master Xuan and the witch doctor made eye contact, the subjects of the new city came out of the city one after another, and the Chinese and ordinary people who lived in the old city and nearby villages also continued to gather.

Some people have a long journey, so in order not to miss the sacrifice, they set off from home in the middle of the night.On the road, they met a wild boar looking for food, and they fought it down together, and several people carried it as a sacrifice.

The sun was just rising, the sky was covered by dark clouds, and it was gray, with only a little sunlight peeking through the cracks.

The witch doctor went to the altar, looked up at the sky, and ordered people to bring live cattle, sheep and wild animals, and tie them to the pillars erected in advance.The cries of sacrifice were mixed, and the two wild boars were the loudest.

After reading a sacrificial oration, the witch doctor came to Zhixuan, held up the dagger in both hands, and solemnly said: "Young master, please offer sacrifices."

The etiquette of offering sacrifices has existed since the tribal period. People offer tribute to the gods and pray for good weather and abundant grains in the coming year.

For quite a long period of time, the victims of the sacrifices were slaves and prisoners of war. Whenever a large tribe performed sacrifices, the number of sacrifices could exceed a hundred.

As time passed, the tribe was replaced by the state, and the sacrifices still existed. The ceremonies were more grand than in the tribal period, but the sacrifices were no longer people, but cattle, sheep and wild animals.

Even today, human sacrifices still exist in remote barbarians.But in the Central Plains, there are no sacrifices in the various vassal states, and any country that dares to be disrespectful will be held accountable by the Central Capital.

Zhi Xuan solemnly took the dagger, and following the guidance of the witch doctor, he stepped up to the altar and took the sacrificed blood as an offering to the gods.

During the sacrificial ceremony, all the people held their breaths and concentrated, and no one whispered.

Surrounding the altar, there was only the cold wind, and the voice of the witch doctor praying in the wind.

Doctor Zhong was allowed to participate in the sacrificial ceremony, but he just held his breath, and because of the limitations of etiquette, he never got close to Zhixuan from the beginning to the end.

The more than 200 people who defected did not appear outside the city.

Zhi Xuan allowed them to stay in the city, provided them with warm clothes and meals, and gave them no further instructions, which made them feel uneasy.

As the backbone of everyone, the old man had no idea at this time.

He couldn't see Zhi Xuan, and he didn't have the next order, so he really had no idea.Rather than doing nothing every day, they would rather work immediately.

Only by working can you be stable, and by doing things can you prove to be useful.

Only by showing enough value can they stay here with peace of mind, without worrying about being driven away at any time.

Unlike how he treated the Chinese doctors, Zhi Xuan did not intend to leave them alone, but instead intended to reuse them.

Reluctantly, things were gathered together, and none of them could be delayed. He was really at a loss.We can only let them stay in the workshop temporarily to raise their bodies, and wait for him to talk about the rest when he is free.

What I didn't expect was that these people would feel uneasy because of this, and they would have to ask every now and then when they would be able to work.Unable to cast bronze ware immediately, they can fire pottery and find suitable materials to start a kiln immediately.

The slave who delivered the food reported it to the servant, who then informed the government order.The government order is also helpless, so they can only send a few clever servants over there, tell them not to worry, and find something for them to do by the way, so as not to think too much.

Knowing the situation from the government order, Zhi Xuan also had a bit of a headache.But he really couldn't spare the time.I can only put it on hold for now, and make arrangements after the sacrifice is over.

Accompanied by the prayers of the witch doctor, the sacrificial blood filled the sacrificial vessel.

The thick red swayed and flowed, and part of it hung on the edge of the ritual vessel, freezing in the cold wind.

The witch doctor stepped forward to hold up the sacrificial vessel, dipped a little from it, applied it on his forehead, and then shouted: "Sacrifice!"

Zhi Xuan stepped onto the altar, stood still on the altar, and bowed down to worship.Sanbai stood up, the wind puffed up his sleeves, making a rustling sound.

Around the altar, regardless of the snow on the ground, the subordinates bent down to the ground one after another, and shouted together with the witch doctor: "Sacrifice!"

The voices were loud and merged into one stream, overwhelming the cold wind for a while.

At this moment, Doctor Zhong behind the crowd seemed particularly abrupt.

When he was hesitating whether to salute, the voice of the witch doctor suddenly became high-pitched, and Zhi Xuan on the altar held up the sacrificial vessel, and splashed uncoagulated blood around the altar.

The subjects stood up one after another, surrounded the entire altar, and followed the rhythm of the witch doctor, shouting like a tide.The sound was higher than the wave, swept past, and went straight to the sky.

At noon, the sacrifice is coming to an end.

The sacrificed cattle and sheep are untied from the pillars, which is to dig a pit stove and set up a pot to boil water and stew.

According to the rules, no salt is added when the meat is cooked, and there is no seasoning to remove the fishy smell. If it changes color, take it out, and the taste will not be very good.However, as part of the sacrifice, the sacrificed meat is very precious. Even if the taste is not good, everyone will eat it very cherished. Even the blood left on the bottom of the bowl is licked clean, so there will be no waste.

After the sacrifice, there was no need for soldiers to open the way, and the subordinates moved to separate sides, watching Zhixuan's cars pass by before they dispersed one after another, either returning to the city, or returning to the village together.

Dr. Zhong fell behind the crowd, witnessed Zhixuan's prestige among his subjects, remembered what the assistant officer said to persuade him, his anger and irritability gradually subsided, his reason returned, and he finally realized that he had made a big mistake.He shouldn't have written that letter at all.Even if it is written, it should not mention Mie!

Self-defeating, self-defeating, superfluous, I really regret it.

The letter of Naihe has been sent, and I can't get it back even if I want to chase it.Considering the possible consequences of this letter, Dr. Zhong couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat.

Before he could come up with a solution, suddenly a servant came to send a message that Taoist son Xuan wanted to see him.

If it was changed to two days ago, the Chinese doctor would definitely be overjoyed.But at this moment, he only felt cold hands and feet, and the chill continued to rise.

A terrifying thought came to mind, he suspected that Young Master Xuan set up a trap, intentionally not to see him, in order to anger him and make him act unwisely.

If this is the case, does it mean that his every move is controlled by the other party?

The more he thought about it, the colder he felt, Doctor Zhong even had the urge to set off immediately to return to the Western Capital without seeing Young Master Xuan.

Unfortunately, this is an unfulfilled wish.

Arriving at the Young Master's Mansion by car, seeing the government order who had perfunctory him many times before but now smiling, Doctor Zhong became more and more sure of his guess, and immediately his legs went weak.Although he tried to maintain his composure, his pale face betrayed him.

There was neither comfort nor sarcasm in the government order, but he followed the order and took him to the study in person.

"Please."

Dr. Zhong stepped forward, every step was like stepping on wet mud, he might sink in anytime and anywhere, and he would never recover.

Zhi Xuan was still wearing the black robe he wore during the sacrificial ceremony, the jade crown on his head, and jade ornaments and colored treasures around his waist.The saber has been untied and placed on the shelf next to the case.

Doctor Zhong walked into the room, no matter what he thought in his heart, the etiquette was still the same.

"I've seen your son."

Zhi Xuan got up to return the salute, and then said: "Sir, please sit down."

The two sat down, no matter how panicked the doctor was, he finally remembered his duty and handed out Xi Yuanhou's will face to face.

Zhi Xuan took it with both hands, unfolded it and looked at it again, and said, "Your Majesty has a decree, and Xuan Zi must abide by it."

Doctor Zhong didn't make a sound, but his intuition told him that Zhi Xuan didn't finish what he said.

Sure enough, Zhi Xuan said in the next moment: "It just so happens that Xuan also has something important to report to Your Majesty."

Facing Dr. Shangzhong's gaze, Zhi Xuan picked up the marriage letter on the case, and said: "I have made a marriage contract with Gong Zihao, and I will report it to Your Majesty."

what? !

Young Master Hao?

Prince Hao of Bei'an Kingdom?

Doctor Zhong was stunned on the spot, and it took him a long time to find his voice: "My lord, is this serious?"

Zhixuan unfolded the marriage letter and motioned for Dr. Zhong to read it for himself.

Seeing the content on the bamboo slips, he was sure that Gong Zixuan was not lying. Doctor Zhong began to sweat on his forehead and his cheeks trembled. He couldn't hold on longer, so he prostrated himself on the ground on the spot and said in a trembling voice, "Please spare my life, sir!"

"Why did you say that?" Zhi Xuan seemed puzzled.

Doctor Zhong could only smile wryly.

Anyone with a little political awareness will know what this marriage alliance represents.

Once the content of the marriage letter is made public, Gong Zixuan's position as the heir is a certainty.

Unless the Mi Clan has the means to reach the sky, or Gongzixuan suddenly has an accident, otherwise, due to various considerations, the court official must push Gongzixuan to the top.

After thinking it over, Doctor Zhong suddenly calmed down.

As the helm of a family, since he dared to be a young man, he was naturally capable.It was because he was too arrogant and underestimated Gongzi Xuan before that he made a fatal mistake.Now that I wake up, I will naturally try to make up for it.

Thinking of this, Doctor Zhong changed his previous anxiety, sat upright, and cupped his hands to Zhixuan.

He intends to make a big gamble for himself and his family.

If you win, the family will go to the next level.

Lost, the end is also predictable.

He already figured it out that he would fall into the trap after returning from Young Master Xuan, and he should step into it by himself and not blame others.

When that letter was sent to Xiducheng, Marquis Xiyuan would no longer use him, Clan Mi would no longer trust him, and his political career would never be mentioned, even his life might not be saved.

If he wanted to get out of the predicament, he had to take the third path, and the son Xuan in front of him was the best choice.

"Ju Yan is willing to be driven by the young master. The young master lives my life, and the Ju family is only the young master who will follow the lead!"

After the words fell, Ju Yan bowed his hands and bowed down, saluting Zhi Xuanxing's courtiers as a doctor of Chinese medicine.