Chapter 674: Overrated
When the abbot heard what Old Man Geng said, he felt that this old man was a man with a clear mind and a sharp eye.
Most people in the world are ignorant.
They only know that they cannot go up the mountain to cut wood or go down the river to fish at will.
Even though he was so hungry that he could only chew tree bark and eat Guanyin soil, he would not dare to touch the fish in the river.
This is the rule that was taught to them at the cost of countless lives.
The old man in front of him can see clearly that originally, many hardships could have been avoided.
Originally, many people didn’t have to endure hunger.
Perhaps if we leave this protective umbrella, we will find that it is not raining outside.
The master of the temple looked at Old Man Geng with admiration. As there were too many people present, it was difficult to have a deep conversation with him, so he invited him, "Old man, please come in quickly."
Old Man Geng didn't understand what was going on and turned to look at Nan Xi.
Gu Nanxi winked at Old Man Geng.
Old Man Geng understood and replied with a stiff upper lip: "Thank you, Master, but we may have too many companions."
“Haha, no matter how many there are, our Jiucheng Palace can accommodate them all.” The master of the temple laughed heartily, and looked in the direction where Old Man Geng was looking, and his smile suddenly froze on his face.
There must be about two or three hundred people, right?
What a coincidence, he is similar to the Taoist priest in the temple.
The temple master did not dare to look at Taoist Qingning's expression and pulled Old Man Geng inside.
I secretly admired in my heart that my father-in-law was worthy of such an insight. His men looked even more powerful than the soldiers sent by General Li.
Taoist Qingning rolled his eyes when he saw this.
Come on, there are two hundred more mouths to feed in the temple! This mountain gate can't be closed in a short time.
Most of the Yunzhou soldiers had seen blood and were filled with murderous intent, which made the surrounding villagers afraid to approach them.
Sometimes, the soldiers just looked over and the villagers ran away like frightened rabbits.
The abbot brought Old Man Geng to his room. Seeing Gu Nanxi following them, he felt strange but did not ask.
Maybe, this beautiful girl is the favorite descendant of her father-in-law.
Taoist Priest Qingning arranged these two hundred people in the back hall, which had not been repaired for a long time and was a bit shabby.
Taoist Qingning wanted to explain, but he saw that this group of young men divided themselves into groups without being told. Some fetched water, some swept the floor, and some repaired the roof.
In just a stick of incense's time, the originally shabby back hall was restored to its presentable state.
Taoist Qingning was deeply envious. If his fellow disciples in the temple had such self-awareness and discipline, he would die with peace of mind!
"Little brother, tell me the truth, what do you do?"
Taoist Qingning stopped Wan Huyun and asked.
Wan Huyun was wearing a thick coat, but underneath it was a leather armor.
His jacket was newly issued, with stars and moons embroidered on his right arm.
Although this star-moon chess embroidery is very simple in order to save costs, you should be able to see it, right?
Wan Huyun looked at his sleeves, then looked at Taoist Qingning: "Protect our home."
Taoist Priest Qingning: "I understand. You are a family guard! What I want to ask is what does your master do?"
Wan Huyun thought for a moment and said, "I can do anything. Farming, doing business, building a workshop, opening a school..."
Taoist Priest Qingning asked, "Are you treated well?"
Wan Huyun nodded without hesitation: "That's great! If we die, the elderly and children at home don't have to worry, the host family will make arrangements. The children can go to school for free, and they can go to the doctor if they are sick, and the medicine is cheap..."
After listening to Wan Huyun’s recommendation, Taoist Qingning completely gave up.
These good guys can’t be poached away!
Gu Nanxi didn't know that someone was trying to steal her girl. She was openly listening to the master of the temple and Old Man Geng talking about the world while drinking tea.
Gu Nanxi skillfully divided and brewed the tea, then handed two cups of tea to the temple master and old man Geng respectively.
The master drank a cup and praised: "My dear father, this girl's tea-making skills are really good. The most important thing is that she is calm. This mentality is rare."
Old man Geng took the tea with both hands, his hands trembled slightly unconsciously, and his heart was trembling.
Oh my god.
If the old woman knew that the master made tea for her, and that the master stood aside while she sat, wouldn't she be punished to kneel for the whole night? !
"Haha, yes! She is naturally the best!" Old man Geng felt uneasy.
The master of the temple was completely unaware of this and thought that Old Man Geng was his confidant: "My father-in-law, I see that your family should be very wealthy and you have such strong guards. Why do you want to go into the mountains in the middle of winter? Things have been turbulent recently. Not only are there bandits everywhere, but more importantly, those two are fighting each other!"
Old man Geng kept stealing glances at Gu Nanxi. How should he answer this?
Fortunately, the temple master is a chatterbox, and he can continue the conversation on his own without the help of Old Man Geng.
"What a sin! You don't know that in previous years, only a few dozen villagers came to Jiucheng Palace in winter. This year, the number has doubled or tripled! Because of this, my little disciple Qingning has given me a lot of cold looks. But what can I do? I can't just stand by and watch them die!"
The master of the temple looked sad: "Old man, if it were you, would you be able to ignore it?"
"Of course not!"
"That's right!" The temple master felt more and more compatible with Old Man Geng. "Everyone says that God doesn't give us a way to live. In my opinion, what does God have to do with it? It's obviously the court that doesn't give us a way to live! If the court didn't impose such high taxes, if the court didn't sell the mountains and rivers to wealthy families, the people would be able to make a living anywhere!"
Old Man Geng nodded in agreement. Yunzhou had done a good job in this regard. Although they had not opened up all the mountains and rivers, they were worried that the people would exhaust the fish and cut down the mountains.
It was rare that someone was willing to listen to him talk about these things, so the master was very excited: "Old man, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart. If you have the ability, go to the north. The people in the north are much stronger than us."
"oh?"
"Trust me! Even though the court says that Duke Yun is a traitor, in fact, the people under Duke Yun's rule have a very good life! It's just that Duke Yun has only been in power for a short time. If she is given a few more years, it won't be a dream for her to conquer Kyoto in one fell swoop!"
Old Man Geng smiled sincerely: "Do you admire Duke Yun so much?"
"Of course!"
The temple master's eyes sparkled: "Duke Yun's virtue is as bright as the sun and moon, and her achievements are as long-lasting as the rivers. Looking back at the past and judging the present, only Duke Yun has the wisdom of the Three Sovereigns and the benevolence of the Five Emperors. She will surely be a holy ruler who will usher in eternal peace in the future!"
Gu Nanxi felt a little embarrassed by the praise.
Old man Geng slapped his thigh, thinking that the master had good vision: "Master, you are really good at talking. You are so good at talking. Say more!"
The master of the temple is like a child chasing stars in later generations, who is eager to spread the glory and achievements of his idol to the world.
"Duke Yun drove the Tartars northwards as if Wei and Huo were still alive, reduced taxes and levies as if Emperor Wen of Han ruled, and rectified the administration as if Emperor Guangwu restored the country. Duke Yun emphasized agriculture and sericulture, and dug ditches, so that those who carried scriptures and hoeed the fields could enjoy the pleasure of farming, and those who carried hoes and slept across the fields could enjoy the pleasure of music and singing. Duke Yun expanded the imperial examination system and built academies, so that the poor could have a chance to ascend to the throne, and the common people could have a chance to express their opinions!"
Gu Nanxi wanted to cover her face: "You're too flattering! You're too flattering!"
The master of the temple was dissatisfied: "You little lady, please tell me clearly, how did I praise you too much?!"
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