Chapter 13 A gentle breeze swept through the Xiangjun Temple, carrying the hanging lanterns...
A draft swept through the Xiangjun Temple, lifting the hanging cloths. Patches of orange-red sunset shone through the gaps into the temple, staining Lin Fengzhi's sacrificial robes crimson, making the phoenix appear as if reborn from the ashes.
Lin Fengzhi pondered. She had already defeated the Qu Clan's Great Shaman in the challenge, and according to custom, she could take over a portion of the Qu Clan's power in the Xiang River basin. The Great Shaman was one of the most powerful figures in the Qu Clan, and genuine submission was more reassuring than pretense.
As Lin Fengzhi pondered, everyone present remained silent. Her silky-smooth combo had finally stunned everyone. Her hard work over the past two days had not been in vain.
“Of course, but I also have something I need you to do.” She bent down to help the high shaman up and stated her original purpose: “Abolish the current system for selecting shamans. How can a shaman who can truly communicate with the gods be selected by rules set by mortals?”
The Qu family members seemed to want to refute this.
Lin Fengzhi glanced at the other party, who immediately lowered his head obediently, not daring to say another word.
“I know some people are thinking that I was also selected through the current shamanistic system. Besides me, who else has survived disease and darkness? How many people died before me? Can others be as lucky as me, receiving divine favor? Does the Qu clan select shamans in the same way as the Keluo people? I doubt it.” Lin Fengzhi grabbed the high shaman’s arm, looked into her eyes, and asked, “How do you select them?”
The high shaman's lips trembled, her faith in the gods outweighing her protection of the clan. As the high shaman, she knew all too well that "the selection of shamans in the clan only requires mastery of divination, spirit summoning, memorization of sacrificial incantations, and dance."
Lin Fengzhi's expression was one of sorrow for those who died in the selection of shamans established by the Qu family.
The original body was Qing, Yue, and many other people whose names she didn't know.
“You know this is unreasonable, right?” Lin Fengzhi said, and she saw the Great Shaman nod.
Those who benefit from the system will unconsciously maintain the system that is advantageous to them. The monopoly on sacrificial knowledge brought the Qu family immeasurable wealth and the power to participate in some politics.
“I have defeated you, so from this moment on, I am the only Great Shaman of the Xiang River Basin. Since it is known to be unreasonable, why should I remain in this world?” Lin Fengzhi’s expression turned cold: “From now on, the selection of shamans will change. As for how to change it, I ask that you, Great Shaman, understand the shamans of the Xiang River Basin. Come to the Xiangjun Shrine in seven days, and I will explain it to you in detail.”
"Please don't call me Great Shaman anymore, please call me Qu He." Qu He looked ashamed: "You are the Great Shaman now."
Seeing Qu He's guilt, Lin Fengzhi couldn't help but find it absurd. What was this all about?
She ceased her pursuit of the shamanic matter, only instructing Yong to lead a few able-bodied men to accompany the Qu clan back to their territory to reclaim the spoils of this challenge. The entire Keluo tribe trusted her enough to allow her to conduct the Great Shaman Challenge; she would not deprive the Qu clan of anything they had gained. If the Qu clan dared to break their agreement, they would be expelled from all tribes along the Xiang River.
Of course, just to be on the safe side, she also asked the county magistrate and the Zhao clan chief to be two witnesses.
The magistrate watched silently, his intuition telling him that although the new high priestess appeared young, she was not someone easily fooled. On the contrary, her abolition of the selection system for shamans as soon as she took office demonstrated her formidable power.
More importantly, from this day forward, her miraculous deeds at the Xiangjun Temple will be passed down through the ages. People will only regard her as a new, living deity.
This is much more difficult to deal with than the original Great Shaman.
The magistrate sighed inwardly, wondering if it was true what his friend, an official in Xianyang, had said—that the First Emperor had recently developed a fondness for immortals and alchemists. If it was true, as long as he relayed Lin Fengzhi's message to Xianyang, perhaps he could have a bright future.
Even the most skilled sorcerer could not summon the spirit of Xiangjun, nor could he bring thunder down to the mortal realm.
The magistrate didn't believe it. He had met both sorcerers and shamans and thought they were just ordinary people.
He was lost in thought when Lin Fengzhi walked towards them. The magistrate, still retaining a touch of the reserve of a Qin official, did not immediately go to greet her.
The Zhao clan chief beside him was much more proactive. The Zhao clan in Yunmengze was weaker than the Qu clan, and being weaker meant they were bound to suffer some setbacks in their interactions. The Zhao clan chief had long disliked the Qu clan. As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and the Zhao clan chief preferred the rise of the Keluo people.
Moreover, Zhao Shi was closely associated with the sacrifices of Yunmengze, and he was not entirely ignorant of the séance of the gods.
The moment Xiangjun appeared in his dragon chariot, he was completely convinced that Lin Fengzhi would win the battle and that Lin Fengzhi was Xiangjun's messenger on earth.
The Zhao clan chief was somewhat grateful to his unreliable brother-in-law.
So, seeing Lin Fengzhi approach, he immediately went up to greet him and struck up a conversation with a smile: "Great Shaman, the Xiang River flows through Yunmeng Marsh, and our Zhao Clan also holds Xiangjun and Xiangfuren in high esteem. Yunzhongjun resides in Yunmeng Marsh and controls wind, rain, thunder and lightning. The thunder you just made was just like Yunzhongjun descending from the heavens."
Lin Fengzhi smiled and said, "You flatter me, clan leader."
She shook the piece of cloth she had taken apart and showed it to the county magistrate and the Zhao clan chief from all angles: "What do you two think of this piece of cloth?"
What completely unrelated questions are these?
The Zhao clan chief was embarrassed for a moment, but quickly realized what was going on. He carefully looked for any redeeming qualities in the cloth with a hole in it, while secretly wondering if he was going to sell this rag to him.
It's not impossible; you could buy a few bolts of rags to make a friend. Besides, the rag isn't really torn; it just has a hole in it, so it can still be used to make clothes. The stitches are fine, and it looks quite lustrous.
The Zhao clan chief nodded secretly, then touched the fabric; it was unexpectedly soft and delicate.
His eyes lit up. These days, most people wore linen, which was short, monochromatic, and coarse. It was nothing like the soft, dense linen in his hand. He, as the clan chief, was wealthy enough to afford silk, but many in his Yunmeng Marsh were struggling to make ends meet.
"How much is the Great Shaman offering? Our Zhao Clan can take all of these bolts of cloth!"
The county magistrate was surprised by the Zhao clan chief's eagerness and secretly sighed that he had been a step too late.
Lin Fengzhi waved her hand and said, "I am not selling cloth. I just want the magistrate and the clan chief to know that the cloth in my hand was woven by the women of the clan within three days."
The county magistrate and the Zhao clan chief were both taken aback. They were not completely ignorant of the affairs of the common people, which was why they were so surprised.
Because it takes an ordinary weaver half a month to weave a single bolt of cloth. Even a skilled weaver can only shorten the weaving time by three days, and the width of the cloth is limited, far less than the bolt of cloth in Lin Fengzhi's hands.
The magistrate had a broader perspective. While everyone was captivated by Lin Fengzhi's extraordinary abilities, his gaze was drawn to the hanging bolts of cloth. If everyone in the county could weave wide and long bolts of cloth, why worry about finding a market, or about hindering one's official career?
The magistrate eagerly inquired, "How was this woven?"
Lin Fengzhi closed her eyes and skillfully began to weave: "I saw that the women in my tribe used waist looms to weave cloth. After working for a long time, their backs and necks ached, and the cloth they wove was not wide. I wondered how to make the cloth wider and weave it faster. Fortunately, Xiangjun gave me some pointers, and I invented the slant loom..."
The county magistrate and the Zhao clan chief, understanding the implied meaning behind the music, first praised Xiangjun's love for the people and Lin Fengzhi's ingenuity. Then, they subtly inquired about the price of the slanted loom, and that Lin Fengzhi could mention any conditions she had, which they said they would try their best to meet.
Lin Fengzhi smiled slightly, and the power in the Xiangshan area was finally open to her.
Her knowledge and hard work paid off.
She stated her conditions one by one, saying to the magistrate, "Does Your Excellency have any skilled farmers who are proficient in rice cultivation and hemp planting? If not, agricultural books would also be helpful. Our clan has many skilled fishermen, hunters, and weavers, but we lack expertise in cultivating the fields..."
Lin Fengzhi had considered and inquired about why he needed to find the county magistrate to request agricultural books and talent. The county magistrate was a civil official who accompanied General Wang Jian of Qin during his conquest of Chu. After Qin conquered Chu, it divided the land into prefectures and counties, and he became the county magistrate of this area. However, he frequently corresponded with Xianyang, and his network of connections was unmatched by the Zhao and Qu families.
Furthermore, the fact that the magistrate could befriend Sheng Kuan, a disciple of the Mohist school, indicates that he did not harbor strong aversion to other schools of thought. Lin Fengzhi also learned from Sheng Kuan that the magistrate did indeed have friends from the peasant school.
After a moment's thought, the magistrate quickly agreed. Lin Fengzhi had no reason to lie to him; if she could weave a bolt of cloth in three days, one could imagine how much ramie she would need in the future, so she had to prepare it in advance.
The Zhao clan chief was at a loss. They had lived in Yunmeng Marsh for a long time and didn't really have much say in cultivating the land, because they also practiced slash-and-burn agriculture.
"Chieftain, I wonder if any of your people would be willing to come to Xiangshan to work. The men will make the slanted looms, and the women will use them to weave cloth. The first batch will be supplied to our clan, and the rest of the cloth will be sold by the county magistrate and the chieftain, with the profits split equally among the three of us. After one month, whether in the county or Yunmengze, everyone can use the slanted looms that Xiangjun bestowed upon me."
The Keluo people number only a few hundred; it's impossible for them to completely absorb all the profits generated by the oblique weaving machine. Lin Fengzhi also hopes that the Keluo people can live a prosperous and peaceful life with a skill.
Lin Fengzhi was well aware that now that the initial version of the oblique loom existed, she could not and would not stop technological innovation and progress. Rather than waiting for others to learn from her, it was better to establish rules first, profit from them, and achieve a win-win situation for all parties.
Therefore, she emphasized the three-tenths interest and the gift from Xiangjun.
The bond of interests and the truth that "there are gods three feet above your head."
Moreover, Lin Fengzhi also believes that no one understands the current upgrades and replacements of looms better than her.
Even if the county magistrate and the Zhao clan chief later became greedy and intended to monopolize the cloth business, Lin Fengzhi was not one to be trifled with and would not sit idly by while such a thing happened. Besides, she had never said that the only technology she possessed was the loom.
She was willing to try everything, from papermaking and printing to refined salt and gunpowder.
“Great!” The Zhao clan chief began to consider who to sell the cloth to once they had it. The Zhao clan had boats, so they could go to the water-rich Yunmeng Marsh to sell their goods.
He immediately selected a group of people and told them to follow Lin Fengzhi, and he would send the rest over later.
It was also unexpectedly swift and decisive.
The magistrate gave Lin Fengzhi a deep look, as if he were seeing her in a new light: "Great Shaman, if this cloth is cheaper than ordinary cloth—no, even if the price is the same—the common people will still flock to it. Have you thought about how you're going to deal with this?"
Lin Fengzhi smiled and said, "I am young and don't understand many things, but don't I still have you and the Zhao clan chief?"
The magistrate finally smiled and left the Xiangjun Temple with his trusted confidants.
The once bustling Xiangjun Temple gradually fell silent, leaving only the people of Keluo behind.
And Seungkwan, who has been waiting all along.
Shengkuan was still pondering how Lin Fengzhi had managed it. He could only deduce the principle behind Xiangjun's descent; the rest he simply couldn't understand.
Now that Lin Fengzhi finally had some free time, he couldn't wait to ask her, "You used cloth to surround the Xiangjun Temple to reduce the brightness of the light, and you made a small hole in the cloth to let Xiangjun appear on the altar. But I still can't understand how you managed to make that thunderous sound?"
Sheng Kuan was a disciple of the Mohist school, so Lin Fengzhi was not surprised that he knew the principle of pinhole imaging. The earliest record of pinhole imaging dates back to the Warring States period and was recorded by Mohist scholars in the "Mo Jing" (Mohist Canon). In the book, the phenomenon of pinhole imaging was called "Jing Dao" (景倒), indicating that the Mohists at that time had already grasped the core principle of pinhole imaging.
They also demonstrated through experiments that light travels in a straight line, and the light rays from different parts of an object intersect after passing through a small hole, causing the image to be inverted.
"Are you sure you want to know?" Lin Fengzhi raised an eyebrow.
Sheng Kuan scratched his head, even though Lei Ming might involve Lin Fengzhi's secret. But the answer was right in front of him. He gritted his teeth and said, "If I hear the truth in the morning, I can die happy in the evening. No matter what, I want to know."
Gunpowder is a weapon of indiscriminate destructive power, and Lin Fengzhi would not easily hand over its formula to others.
"I can't tell you right now."
As expected.
Sheng Kuan was slightly disappointed, but quickly realized Lin Fengzhi's choice of words.
"Soon." Doesn't that mean he'll still find out later?
Seungkwan regained his spirits.
Lin Fengzhi then spoke to him about the slanted loom: "You heard it just now, the Zhao clan will send people to make slanted looms. Our clan has also been making slanted looms these past two days, and I've discovered that if only one person assembles the slanted loom, it will be difficult to complete it in seven days. But if the processes of selecting materials, sawing wood, polishing, and assembling are done by different craftsmen, two slanted looms can be assembled in a single day."
Sheng Kuan looked at Lin Fengzhi in surprise. He had only ever heard of such a division of labor in the state-run workshops of Qin.
Before the Mohists completely separated, he still maintained contact with Xiangli Mohists. In their letters, they mentioned with no small amount of pride the division of labor, standardization, and accountability system in the Qin state. Under this system, the efficiency of weapon production was greatly improved, which also helped the Qin state go further and further in its unification of the six states.
Unexpectedly, Lin Fengzhi applied it to the production of the slant loom.
“Such assembly line operations can indeed speed up the development of the slant loom.” Lin Fengzhi thought of the slant loom in the clan’s open space that frequently malfunctioned due to improper operation, and said, “The more delicate parts will need your expertise, is that alright?”
Assembly line operation.
Seung-kwan carefully considered the word and sighed inwardly, "It's so fitting."
As for Lin Fengzhi's request, he readily agreed.
Seeing how readily he agreed, Lin Fengzhi smiled. She called out Qi's name loudly, inviting him in.
Qi came in carrying a lamp.
The lamp was quite peculiar. When a candle was lit inside, the axle would turn, and there were paper cutouts on the axle. The candlelight would project the shadows of the paper cutouts onto the screen, making the paper cutouts appear to move continuously, like a moving painting.
Shengkuan looked closely and saw that the lantern was indeed a Panchi lantern, also known as a revolving lantern in some places. The silhouette on the lantern was clearly Xiangjun riding a dragon, only smaller and more lifelike than the one on the altar.
In the blink of an eye, Shengkuan fully understood the truth behind Xiangjun's arrival today.
They also learned why they didn't see Qi until the end of the challenge.
As expected, Lin Fengzhi smiled and handed him the Pan Chi Lantern: "This is the gift I promised you."
"You figured out from when you were with me that you wanted to bring about the descent of Xiangjun?"
Lin Fengzhi did not reply.
Everything is understood without words.
-
It started raining in the mountains for no apparent reason, a light drizzle.
The subordinate quickly found a place to shelter from the rain and shook the raindrops off the magistrate's clothes. Just as the subordinate was about to say something, the magistrate, having noticed something, raised his hand to stop him.
Following the magistrate's perspective, the subordinate saw two distinct groups of people standing in the pavilion ahead. Upon closer inspection, the subordinate exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that the Qu family? Logically, they left before us and should have arrived at their place long ago."
The two groups argued amongst themselves.
The magistrate glanced at it and said knowingly, "Internal strife."
The subordinate had excellent eyesight and could read lips, so he immediately began to vividly describe what happened in the pavilion to the magistrate.
One group, led by Qu He, and another group, led by a young man with sullen eyes, both accused Qu He.
Xia Sanbai said, "Great Shaman, what a great Shaman! We, the Qu family, supported you not to see you bow your head and admit defeat to a teenage girl. You bowed your head and admitted defeat before the second round even started. All the preparations we made were useless. It would have been fine if you had won the third round, but it was obvious to everyone that you had lost again."
Qu He first let the three white men speak without refuting them.
Xia Sanbai said sarcastically, "If I had known you were no good, I would have recommended me to be the Grand Master. Even if I lose all three rounds today, I will still fight her to the end. This time, my Qu clan has lost all face. If I had known her methods, I would have killed her to protect the reputation of my clan."
Hearing this, Qu He finally spoke: "Don't you understand why the Keluo people insist on challenging the Great Shaman? Because we've been too coercive! Even if there are no Keluo people today, others will rebel against us tomorrow. You only regret not killing her when she first showed her talent, not that you genuinely feel ashamed. Is losing to someone like her truly a disgrace? Can you do what she did—summon the Xiangjun to descend and send down heavenly lightning with a flick of your sleeve?"
He was speechless.
Qu He continued, "In today's three competitions, you were inferior to me in all of them. Even if you were to participate, what could you do? Would you resort to your underhanded and dirty tricks? Drugging, hiding needles, carving words on tortoise shells—do I need to repeat myself?"
The subordinate's vivid performance almost made the county magistrate laugh.
The magistrate asked, "Where are our men?"
This refers to the followers who were just given to Yong to collect the spoils of war from the Qu family.
The subordinate gazed into the distance through the light drizzle, and after a long while said, "I didn't see anything. It seems there's some internal strife within the Qu family, and they don't want outsiders to know."
Who do you think will win?
"The former Grand Shaman, I suppose. I've been in the county for so many years, and it's always been Qu He who has led the Qu clan, with everyone else overshadowed by her. Although the Grand Shaman lost this challenge to Qu He, how bad could her reputation be if she lost to someone like that?"
The magistrate raised an eyebrow: "It all depends on whether she can be ruthless in governing the clan. If she can't, I'll take a bite out of this fat piece of meat, the Qu family."
A note from the author:
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Wow, I've added this to my favorites 100 times! [starry-eyed emojis]
By the way, I'll also include some nutrient solution for my baby, hehehe [panda head][panda head]
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