In the golden month of September, the tax officer arrived in Liang Province with his men.
Before he could mock Liang Province for being able to survive until today, the tax officer was taken by the county magistrate to a treasury that was heavily guarded by soldiers. He saw the mirror that was as smooth as glass and as ingenious as a gift from heaven.
Looking at the arrogant figure in the mirror, the tax officer was so excited that his fingers trembled. He did not dare to touch the treasure. He turned to the county magistrate and showed his greedy face, and began to ask for it verbally.
The county magistrate understood and was very understanding. The two had a good conversation in the storehouse. The tax officer did not mention any tax increase. Those things were not as important as such a treasure that could be passed down for a thousand years. Of course, he would give some benefits to get the treasure first.
He only wanted to present the mirror to the emperor in exchange for a reward, so he ordered a group of his men to carefully deliver this fragile treasure to the car. He was afraid of bumping it all the way, so he followed the team and rushed back to the capital as soon as possible
. The county magistrate looked at his extremely happy back, snorted in his heart, and turned around to straighten his clothes in front of the larger mirror in his bedroom, feeling a sense of pleasure that he had indirectly crushed the emperor.
Yes, he is so useless~
When the clerk came back, he saw the smug look of the county magistrate and others.
This summer, a locust plague occurred in a county in Qu Province. In order to prevent other counties from being affected by the flying locusts, the clerk led people to rush there.
According to common sense, locust plagues occur every few years. What needs to be done is to discover them in advance in the spring, take precautions in advance, and nip the disaster in the bud.
But thanks to the sorcerers of the Qiu Dynasty, the Qiu Dynasty has not seen this group of mobile natural disasters that cover the sky and the sun for many years. The people have no concept of this at all, so they naturally don’t remember to take precautions.
Now the locusts swarmed in, eating the food that they had worked hard to cultivate for several months in the fields until only a piece of grass was left. The people who saw this scene were devastated. They looked at the dense swarm of insects and didn’t know what to do. They could only watch their future food being eaten up bit by bit.
The local officials were anxious and asked the court for help. The result was predictable.
Isolated and helpless, Mr. Si (whose disciple) had been heard of countless times in the legends came with people and food. This was more touching than timely help.
Before he could host a banquet to entertain Si Yi, Si Yi said he would leave immediately because the locusts that had eaten up this field would soon fly to other counties along the way, so they had to make preparations in advance.
The county magistrate gnashed his teeth when he heard that the locusts had eaten up their food and were still alive and well, and even wanted to destroy food in other places.
He subconsciously asked, "Is there anything I can help with?" Si Yi nodded very straightforwardly, "It would be great if you could help."
So, a group of chickens and ducks, and even scabies in the fields, were carried by the indignant people of the county, and they all rushed to the next county town, scaring the county magistrate of that county town.
Fortunately, Si Qi's reputation is still very wide. The powerful people in the capital don't care who helps the people in such remote places to survive, but the people living here care especially.
Hearing that the locust plague in Lin County might come to his side, the county magistrate quickly opened the city gate, invited Si Yi in, and asked him what he could do.
Siyi asked the county magistrate to take people to the fields to search for locust eggs, and then released the borrowed chickens and ducks by the fields. He asked the county magistrate to tell everyone not to kill birds during this period, and then asked the county magistrate to set up fires in different places, preparing to use the light-attracting properties of locusts to burn them. Seeing that Siyi was so confident and spoke in an orderly manner, the county magistrate did as he was told, even though he did not understand why Siyi did this at first. When
the people heard the request sent by the county magistrate, they were a little confused. Looking at the chickens and ducks sent for rescue, they even thought about secretly catching two and eating them.
Later, the people from Lin County were assigned to help in various places. They wiped their tears while describing the evil of locusts. They vividly described the scene of the fields that were damaged by locusts and there was no grass growing. The people were so scared that their backs went cold after hearing it. They did not dare to delay and went to the fields to look for locust eggs.
Then, the locusts really came unexpectedly, covering the sun and the sky like the incarnation of a nightmare.
But the amazing thing is that the scope of the locust swarm this time did not increase, but was smaller than that in Lin County, which shows that the preparatory work of the celebrant was effective.
Some people who had never seen such a horrific scene were frightened on the spot, while the chicken and duck army, which was originally complained by some people for wasting food, did not care about the horror of the insects flying at their faces. They rushed to the insects in the ground and ate them one by one with great joy. Their efficiency was even stronger than that of the local farmers who were crazy!
Only then did everyone understand the role of the chicken and duck army, and they admired the wisdom of the young master. They claimed that they would not be worse than a chicken, so they rolled up their sleeves and rushed to the fields to hunt locusts crazily.
After working together day and night, the locusts suffered heavy casualties in the ignition site. After the ceremonial officer taught the method, he was busy going to the next county to notify. The local people witnessed with their own eyes how Si Yi worked hard to stop the locust plague, and they were extremely grateful to him. From then on, the legend about the master and apprentice had one more deed.
After such a busy autumn, Si Yi finally completed the entrustment given by the master and returned to Liang Province without failing in his responsibility.
He saw the mirror at the market there.
Si Yi didn't like the mirror. This thing easily reminded him of his ugly appearance and made him realize how unsuitable he was standing next to the mister who was as ethereal as an immortal.
In particular, he would think of the handsome man who looked like a god on the drawing paper given by the master. The other party's curved lips seemed to him to be mocking, as if trying to make him retreat.
Si Yi casually put down the "worth a thousand gold" treasures displayed in the market, without the look of the emperor who was far away in the capital city who couldn't let go of them. He first went to his own yard to bathe and change clothes, put on clean and nice clothes, sprayed some refreshing and pleasant perfume, and trimmed his growing nails carefully.
After making sure that his dress was absolutely fine, Si Yi went to the master's yard not far away, with the "you are so conceited" expressions on the faces of his subordinates waiting outside the yard.
Si Qi was leisurely leaning in the yard having afternoon tea.
Others would starve their masters to death after teaching their apprentices, but Si Qi could be the manager of the store after teaching his apprentices.
The busy apprentice did not dislike the tedious tasks given by his master. He had been away from home for several months, and was busy all day long. The fatigue that had accumulated in his body disappeared instantly when he saw Si Qi, and his whole body seemed to be floating in the air.
He floated in front of Si Qi like a sleepwalker, and whispered "Sir". His dull appearance was enough to surprise those who knew him outside.
Si Qi looked at his apprentice, asked him to sit down, poured him a cup of tea, and stuffed a snack into his hand.
The boy's ears under the mask were so red that they seemed to be on fire, and he couldn't utter a word for a long time.
Only his eyes exposed outside the mask were exceptionally bright, filled with love and longing that were about to burst out.
"What happened after you got out, and did you gain anything?" Si Qi asked gently.
Now that the boy had a topic to talk about, he was no longer constrained by not knowing how to start. He left out all the things that made people angry, sad, and unhappy, and only picked things that made people happy. He spoke vividly and interestingly, and made Si Qi laugh along.
His smile was cold and casual, as if he was an immortal who was high above and far away from the world, not affected by the world's fireworks, and his every move was full of heart-beating charm.
Si Yi stared at the gentleman in front of him infatuatedly, not knowing how to move for a long time.
Si Qi raised his eyebrows and flicked the boy's forehead. The boy cried out in pain and covered his head, as if complaining or acting coquettishly.
"Sir!"
Si Qi glanced at him: "If someone else looked at me like this, it would not be as simple as flicking."
The boy was delighted: "Students are really special to you!"
Si Qi looked at this demanding person: "Do you want me to send you out again?"
Si Yi had no choice but to give up in a huff: "Sir, please don't..."
Seeing that Si Qi ignored him completely, Si Yi felt jealous and whispered: "Why does the sir favor that person so much? What's so good about him?" "
People I like are naturally good in everything." Si Qi snorted.
"For example?" Si Yi was not convinced.
"For example, he is good-looking."
Si Yi paused, subconsciously touched his masked face, and lowered his head in despair: "The teacher is used to bullying people."
He knew his biggest pain point, but he deliberately poked it.
Then he quickly became happy: "But the teacher only bullies me, never bullies others, the teacher really still likes me."
Si Qi: "…………"
Si Qi glanced at the man: "You have not only grown taller in recent years, but also become more handsome."
The young man chuckled: "Not only that, the students' respect and love for the teacher is also growing day by day."
Si Qi shook his head with amusement.
Seeing that Si Qi did not show any displeasure, Si Yi's heart was completely at peace.
I just hope that Chu Feng can show up later, so that he can have more contact with the teacher and boil the frog in warm water.
When he becomes the master of the world and holds the greatest power, he does not believe that there is anyone in the world who is better than him and more worthy of him.
He will definitely forget the old man who has been missing for many years and fall in love with a young and outstanding young talent like him.
...
The glass mirror appeared in the court, and the court officials who watched the mirror praised the detailed images in countless articles. Everyone in the capital knew about the existence of the glass mirror through endless praises, and they wished they could see the appearance of such a treasure in this life to satisfy their wishes.
Along with the articles, there were also caravans traveling between various places in the Autumn Dynasty.
Because remote areas are poor and barren, and there is not much profit, the caravans that travel around the capital all year round don't like to go to such desolate places. They don't want to make money, but get robbed by dirty and rude disaster victims.
This year is slightly different. The cold winter has just passed, and the spring is blooming. It is a pleasant time. The North City Caravan came to Liang Province leisurely.
They didn't carry much goods in their team, but the tall and strong followers brought a lot.
The young man who followed the team muttered to his elder brother: "I see that the scenery here is dilapidated. I guess the luck is very bad. Why do you come here to do business?"
The elder brother smiled and explained to his younger brother: "The land with lush vegetation has strong luck. You should choose such a Feng Shui place to do business. However, although the area around Liang Province is dilapidated, there are still people living there. As long as there are people, there will be business to do."
The younger brother retorted: "But they can't even afford to eat. How can they do business here? " How can there be money?"
The eldest brother laughed: "Why should I buy it with money? Do you know that human life is sometimes cheaper than a blade of grass?"
The younger brother was at a loss: "Brother, I don't understand."
The eldest brother tapped his younger brother's head gently with his fan: "You will understand later."
The further they went, the drier the land became, and the more desolate the vegetation became. After walking for dozens of miles, they couldn't even find a small stream. It was hard to imagine that there were still living things that could survive here.
The group of people were in a bad mood when they saw such a dilapidated scene, but the eldest brother showed a satisfied look on his face and said to the younger brother: "The Liang Province area has suffered from disasters for years, and the court has been receiving messages for help. Now it seems that life is really unbearable." The
younger brother muttered in his heart, wondering why the eldest brother's words sounded like he was in a good mood.
"Later, please look around for me to see if there are any beautiful girls or tall and efficient men."
I was surprised, "Brother?"
He smiled and said, "I brought them out of the sea of suffering, fed them and clothed them, and sent them to a place where they will have no worries about food and clothing. They should be grateful to me."
I suddenly understood what my brother meant and stammered, "But, but you want to sell them as..."
"Prostitutes and slaves at least can fill their stomachs," my brother said as a matter of course, "You don't know how uncomfortable it feels to be hungry. I will take a piece of dry food and send them to a place where they can live a good life. They will surely scramble to kneel down and beg me to accept them." I have
lived in a place where I have no worries about food and clothing for many years, but when I suddenly heard these words, my heart started beating very fast and I felt a little panicked.
"Well, you have to know that they sold themselves as slaves, at least they can be considered human beings. If they are caught by the court, they will end up like pigs and dogs." The elder brother taught his younger brother with a smile: "We are completely different from them. We were born in the capital and are naturally noble. Don't be so kind and cut off your brother's financial resources, otherwise your parents will be disappointed in you."
The younger brother's throat was dry: "Do your parents think so too?"
"Everyone is like this, otherwise why do we have no worries about food and clothing, but they are constantly hit by natural disasters." The elder brother taught his younger brother: "Do you think that luck is obtained for nothing? If you want to live a good life, there will always be others who suffer."
The younger brother pursed his lips, and the young him felt that his worldview was a little shattered.
At this moment, the follower walking in front shouted that he saw the city wall. Everyone quickened their pace, just wanting to get into the city quickly and find a place to rest for a while.
The younger brother had thought it through. He would see a group of skinny, dying guys lying on the ground like dead dogs, emitting a foul smell and stretching out their arms to ask for food from them. He covered his mouth and nose with his hands in advance.
However, after the city gate was opened, before his eyes could see the scene in front of him, he could already hear the bustling sounds.
The people standing at the door were all stunned.
The gatekeeper in armor and holding a weapon frowned and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
The eldest brother saw the scene in front of him and was confused. He asked, "Isn't this Liang Province?"
The gatekeeper was speechless: "Of course this is Liang Province, don't you even know where you are going?"
The eldest brother: "No, but..."
"Are you coming in?" The soldier urged.
"Here, go in, go in..."
"The entrance fee is one cent per person, and three cents per cart of goods."
"So cheap?" The innocent younger brother muttered, and was glared at by the shrewd elder brother.
Although he was still in a state of confusion, he still had to take advantage of what he should take.
The younger brother stuck out his tongue.
A group of people walked into the city gate, staring at the passers-by with their eyes wide open.
It's not that they find it incredible that the people here are still alive and well.
The key is, what are these people wearing and stepping on? The soldiers guarding the city
saw their shocked faces and felt pity for them. They asked: "Where did you flee from?"
The merchants from the prosperous capital: "Ah, ah?"
"I can tell at a glance. You must have had a hard time before." The soldier said in a comforting tone: "Okay, you'll be fine once you get here. Go in."
Everyone was speechless and felt a little offended.
"We're not fleeing, we're here to do business!" The younger brother shouted with a red face.
The soldier was stunned and observed the appearance of the people. He saw that they were muscular and did not look like they had not eaten enough. He looked at the long linen robe and realized something in his heart.
The voice unconsciously became a little cold: "So you are doing business, what are you going to buy and sell?"
"We..." The younger brother was suddenly speechless and looked at his elder brother with a guilty look.
In other words, do they really want to use those dry and inedible cakes to make these people work like slaves for them, make them willingly serve as slaves and servants, and sell smiles in brothels?
If he said this, he would be beaten to death.
The eldest brother's face flushed, and his voice squeezed out from his teeth: "Of course, they are some good things from the capital."
Although they are defective products eliminated by the dignitaries there, they are good things that these rogues will never see in their lifetime.
When the soldiers guarding the city heard that these were good things from the capital, they became somewhat interested.
They had not encountered a caravan from the capital for many years.
Seeing the soldiers guarding the city looking longing, the eldest brother felt proud at first, then nervous, and was ready to be blackmailed.
However, the other party just glanced at the truck, did not even move a step, and did not say any hints.
The eldest brother:? ?
Why don't you play by the rules?
Seeing the elder brother staring at him, the soldier thought he understood what the elder brother meant and said, "If you want to sell something, go to the market in the west. There are many people there and it is easier to buy and sell things."
The elder brother felt awkward and thought that the man was waiting for him to take the initiative, so he smiled and took out his wallet and stuffed it into the man's pocket to prevent him from setting a trap for himself later.
However, the man had no idea what he was going to do. Suddenly, something was stuffed into his hand, and he shook his hand away warily and asked him what he wanted.
He was speechless and could only open the wallet and said with a smile that it was a little gift from him.
The soldier finally understood what he meant, and his expression was very strange. That reaction was really something that the eldest brother would never forget: "Don't you know that accepting bribes is illegal?"
The eldest brother: "…………"
The eldest brother was speechless. He could only bow his hands with a depressed look on his face and waved his men to leave.
It seemed that since entering Liang Province, nothing had gone as he expected.
On the way to the west market, they observed the passers-by along the way. They saw that these people had rosy complexions and plump skin, and they did not look hungry as imagined. Compared with the desolate scenery seen along the way, the more he thought about it, the weirder it seemed.
The younger brother tugged at his sleeve: "Brother, didn't they say that the place was barren and had no luck? What on earth are these people..."
The eldest brother didn't care about his brother's face and confessed: "I don't know, there's something weird about this place."
The younger brother was shocked: "Could we have entered a ghost town? These are all illusions created by ghosts!"
Everyone was frightened by these words and their hair stood on end. The eldest brother's forehead was bulging with veins, and he hit his younger brother's head with a fan: "Are you awake now?!"
The younger brother screamed in pain, covered his head with tears in his eyes and looked around. Seeing that the scenery had not changed, he said innocently: "If it was a dream, I should be awake."
"Then it seems you didn't dream just now." The eldest brother said unhappily.
The younger brother felt aggrieved, and saw a little girl about six or seven years old holding a candied haws and looking at him. He felt embarrassed and said to her, "Are you a spirit?"
The little girl looked confused, and the younger brother said eloquently, "I mean you are good-looking, like a spirit in a dream."
The woman who was with the little girl chuckled, picked up her daughter and said, "Little brother, you are not ugly either, with red lips and white teeth, like the little fairy in the New Year pictures."
The younger brother had never been praised like this before, and his face turned red immediately.
The elder brother glanced at the woman and saw that she was dressed very well and had no servants following her. She was talking to a stranger casually. He mocked her in his heart for being unfaithful to her husband, but his face showed no sign of it. He smiled and asked, "Madam, I see that the fabric you are wearing is very delicate and the color is very bright. I wonder where did you buy it from?"
The lady had already seen that the group of people in front of them were dusty and dressed in ordinary clothes, but she didn't mean to laugh at them at all. She smiled and said, "This is cotton cloth. If you want to buy it, just go to the market over there and buy it."
After that, she asked curiously, "Where did you flee from?"
Most of the people who came here were unable to make a living and fled here to seek a way out. If you meet someone in the city wearing linen clothes and without the special accessories of Liang Province, you can basically tell at a glance that they are outsiders, and they are the kind who have just arrived.
Everyone was shocked and felt humiliated again.
The eldest brother suppressed his anger and said, "We are not fleeing, we are a caravan from [the capital]!" He emphasized the word "capital".
"Wow, Beijing!" The woman's expression suddenly became shocked, and she looked at everyone with a little awe: "I just spoke without restraint, please..."
"Just know it." The eldest brother looked unhappy, interrupted the woman's apology with a cold face, turned around and left.
The younger brother looked at the flustered woman, and then looked at the eldest brother with a bad face. He always felt that the woman did not mean to offend. He wanted to mediate, but he didn't know how to start. He could only hurriedly bow slightly to the woman to apologize, and then turned around and quickly followed his brother.
"Brother, don't be angry. She said she didn't mean it..."
"You are short-sighted." The elder brother said unkindly, "I see women here walking casually on the street and chatting with men around them. I guess they haven't had enough food in recent years and have done everything. That's why they don't care about their reputation."
The younger brother's expression froze. He understood what his brother meant and felt very uncomfortable: "Why are you..."
His brother, who always treated people with gentleness and smiled at everyone, was so harsh to the people here.
The other party kindly explained the origin of the cloth on his body and showed them the way. He was just curious about where they came from.
The elder brother warned with a stern face: "Have you forgotten what I said to you before?" Those
who live here are all scumbags, trapped beasts destined to be desperate, and they are different from them.
"...I know."
The boy looked sad and was careful to apologize. He accidentally caught a glimpse of something from the corner of his eye. His body suddenly tensed up and he ran over quickly.
"You!" The eldest brother was angry and chased after him: "I just scolded you a few words, why are you so ignorant?"
"No," the boy was so excited that his face turned red. He carefully picked up something from the stall and said to his brother: "Brother, look, is this a glass mirror?"
The eldest brother paused and his eyes fell on the man in the mirror.
He reached out and snatched the thing from his brother's hand, his fingertips trembling slightly.
The man in the mirror was excited, and even the slightly trembling eyelashes on his eyes could be seen clearly. It was indeed as delicate and smooth as jade as the legend said.
He quickly hid the things carefully in his arms and shouted to his brother: "Go!"
"Hey hey hey! What are you doing!" The stall owner who was guarding the stall quickly stopped him: "Are you stealing things?!"
The passers-by all looked over, and the eldest brother stopped in his tracks with a bad look on his face.
The servants who were accompanying him subconsciously wanted to draw their weapons and kill their way out, but the younger brother saw that there were still many glass mirrors like this on the stall, so he quickly pulled his brother's sleeve and shouted: "Brother, brother, look!"
The author has something to say:
Thank you for the mines of the people in the game~ (*≧▽≦)
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