Qin Official

To the south of Jiangling City, the thousands-mile-long river flows mightily. Heifu stood on the beach by the river, listening to the sound of the tide lapping against the embankment, the green water, the curved sandbar, and the Bashu ship sailing slowly from west to east. forming an intertwined painting.

Of course, people are indispensable in this painting. There are young men and women standing on both sides of the black husband. They are wearing newly made spring clothes. The rich ones wear silk and the poor ones wear linen. They stood by different bodies of water according to their clothes and levels, but they all looked at the river with expectations on their faces.

Today is the first day of March, which is a very important festival. Hei Fu can also rest and come to the riverside with his colleague Feng Jing to watch the excitement.

"In late spring, the spring clothes are ready, five or six crowned men, six or seven boys, bathing in Yi, the wind is dancing with the wind, singing and returning..."

Heifu thought to himself: "If Feng Jing hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known. This text is about the Shangsi Festival, when Confucius took his disciples to the water for spring outings and bathing."

The theme of the Shangsi Festival is spring outing. The soldiers and people in the city came out of the city in droves and went to the riverside ponds to bathe or wash themselves with herbs and drink from cups of flowing water.

Feng Jing looked around curiously and said softly: "This custom also exists in the Central Plains and Guanzhong, but I heard that Zheng Di and Jingchu Jiangling are the places where this custom is most popular, but I don't know what the difference is..."

They were chatting in a low voice when they heard the sound of a chime. They saw a large ship sailing downstream from Jiangling Pier. When it arrived at the shore, it anchored and stopped. They saw that a large building had been built on the deck of the ship. On the altar decorated with flowers and herbs, there is a wizard wearing sacrificial robes, a lotus robe, a sash belt, an orchid crown, a peluli, and colorful paintings on his face.

Although the county governor, Ye Teng, was responsible for controlling the local "obscene customs" and destroying many obscene temples in Nan County, there were also officially recognized shamans, and the man in front of him was one of them. But they saw her and a group of dancers ringing the bronze chime on the boat and dancing as a sacrifice. Everyone on the shore also responded, either joining in the dance, or kneeling by the river, closing their eyes, and making sacrifices on their own.

"What are they talking about?"

When Feng Jing came to Nanjun for the first time, he couldn't understand the sacrificial words with strong accents by the wizard and the people on the shore. Heifu explained on his behalf: "I am praying to the gods to bless the earth. May the grains be abundant, the orchids be full of the garden, evil spirits can be driven away, and the heirs will be blessed." Reproduce.”

"This is pretty much what he said when he was offering sacrifices to the Weishui River in Xianyang."

Feng Jing smiled. At this time, after the wizard's dance and sacrifice, there was a sound of a chime, and many young men and women dressed as witches ran past the shore and distributed the orchid grass that the wizard prayed to the gods for blessing to everyone. Basically everyone has one in their hands.

"Hu Jiangli and Pi Zhixi admired Ren Qiulan." Like Qu Yuan, people in the Chu region love orchids. In this activity, orchids have always been used as spiritual objects.

After getting the orchid grass, everyone on the shore burst into laughter as if they had received an order. Both men and women took off their clothes and walked into the river...

This is the main activity of the Shangsi Festival, "Exorcism" (xi). To put it more simply, it means taking a bath by the water. It is said that it can wash away the bad luck on the body.

Of course it's not like taking off all your clothes and throwing yourself into the river, that would be a joke. Don't expect large-scale mixed bathing. Let's be frank. It is said that this was true during the rule of Chu State, but since Ye Teng came to Nanjun, this custom has been banned as "obscene customs".

Hei Fu, Feng Jing and other men just took off their upper garments and scooped up river water to wash their upper bodies. A group of women who were dozens of steps away from them untied their hair and washed their hair with aromatic orchid. Although there was a slight distance, the lotus-like arms of the girls could still be seen.

On the other side, there were also women who secretly looked out. Seeing Hei Fu's strong and muscular body, several girls blushed and whispered and laughed with their female companions.

Spring has arrived, and the air along the Yangtze River is filled with an ambiguous atmosphere...

That’s right, this is the second function of Shangsi Festival: getting out of singles!

During the Warring States Period, the people were simple and open, especially in the Chu region. Large groups of mixed bathing in the open air naturally involve men and women hooking up, which can easily lead to free love, that is, elopement.

But elopement today would not be condemned.

"The moon of mid-spring brings men and women together, so at this time, those who run can't help it." Probably to encourage fertility, even the government is endorsing unmarried men and women to leave their single lives.

This is also the reason why Heifu and Feng Jing were rushed to the riverside by County Lieutenant Li You to participate in the activities, because they were not married.

"I thought Feng Jun was already engaged in Xianyang." Hei Fu finished bathing and put on his clothes.

Feng Jing smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Don't mention it, I haven't met the right one yet."

The two men broke off wicker sticks from the willow trees on the shore and stuck them in their hair. "On March 3rd and above, they picked moxa and catkins." It is said that wicker sticks have the effect of exorcising evil spirits.

At this time, there were already many young men and women sitting on the lawn on the shore. The single men and women were jealous while bathing, and many of them immediately went into the woods afterward.

The female relatives of the children of nobles and officials are more reserved. They will look for partners who are well-matched and pleasing to their eyes at blind dates of similar status.

What Heifu and the others are going to is such a gathering place, a high platform located on the riverside: Lantai.

…

"Lantai is said to be the palace of the King of Chu on the riverside. King Qingxiang of Chu often used this platform to compose poems with Song Yu when he did not move eastward."

Looking up at the high-rise building next to the water, Heifu only felt ironic. The kings of Chu in the past built many palaces on the Yangtze River. It is said that they were built to the west as far as Wushan, but Wushan Yunyu can be seen, and to the east they were built as far as Yunmengze, where you can see Xiangshan Mountain. Red leaves. But nowadays, most of the most splendid towers, such as Zhanghua, Yunmeng and Gaotang, were destroyed by the war. Only a few such as Lantai remain.

There are people guarding outside the palace platform, checking the identities of people entering. The most advanced blind date meeting in Jiangling is taking place here, and those who are not officials or above are not allowed to enter.

Heifu obviously meets the criteria, and Feng Jing's father is the fifth doctor. He has been appointed as the queen and can also enter.

The Orchid Terrace is seven or eight feet high, but the high platform is only open to the public when the governor and lieutenant come. They went to the Liushui Pavilion below the platform.

As Hei Fu walked away, he said: "I still feel that Mr. Feng has come to this kind of occasion and there is no need to involve me. I must not know anyone here, so it will inevitably be embarrassing."

Indeed, even though he arrived in the county town, Heifu's social circle had always been very narrow. At most, he could only meet up with Manchu and others to reminisce about the past. Those Cao officials and descendants of noble families with titles equivalent to his had little contact with him.

"Is there anyone I am familiar with for the first time? It will not hurt Zuo Bing Cao Shi to interact with these people more often."

Feng Jing smiled and said: "When you reach the position of Zuo Bing Cao Shi, things like this are inevitable. What's more, today is still the Shangsi Festival."

While they were talking, the two of them had already arrived. The reason why it is called Liushui Pavilion is because the pavilion is built on a pool of running water. With the railings, you can play the popular game "Flowing the Waves".

There are already more than twenty young men and women sitting here. The man with wicker in his bun is sitting on the right, and the woman with wet hair just washed is sitting on the left. There were no restrictions from later generations of ethics, and everyone was acquaintances. They were talking and laughing all the time, which was very lively.

Feng Jing came from Xianyang, the capital of the country, and had a father like Feng Wuze. There were many people in Jiangling who wanted to curry favor with him. In more than a month, he had eaten the Fengfeng Banquet ten times, so he was already familiar with this circle, so he went there in advance. Introduce it to Heifu.

"Most of the people sitting inside are the children of officials, including the sons of county magistrates, sons of meritorious officials, and daughters of thieves and thieves... Most of them do not have their own titles, but they are following their fathers' business and studying laws and regulations in the school."

At this time, the group of officials' children also saw Feng Jing, and immediately several people stood up and bowed to him.

"It turns out that Mr. Feng is also here to ward off evil spirits today."

Although Feng Jing was a respected person, he was polite and returned the favor to everyone.

Many women looked at the jade-faced gentleman with ardent eyes. It was not until Feng Jing sat down that they saw the dark-faced young man next to him.

Although Heifu's skin is a little darker, he is not ugly. He is now seven feet seven inches tall. He has kept exercising to make his body strong. After experiencing life and death in battle, he also has an unusual temperament. As for his appearance? When he looked at the bronze mirror, he always felt that he looked like Louis Koo after turning dark...

So Heifu quickly attracted everyone's attention. When they saw the new face, they thought he was a friend brought by Feng Jing, so they asked him to introduce him.

Feng Jing smiled and said: "This is Zuo Bing Cao Shi. He is an official at a young age! His rank is higher than that of my little soldier Shi."

Everyone looked surprised. This was a man of the hour in Nanjun recently. Speaking from afar, when the other Qin armies were defeated, this man had assisted the county captain in the army and returned in triumph with the Nanjun soldiers. The most recent deed is his suggestion, which made Jishan copper officials create a water turbine that can operate automatically without manpower. It is said to be a legend.

After attracting everyone's attention, Hei Fu had to introduce himself: "I am Hei Fu, I have met the second and third sons."

Upon hearing this name, many officials' children looked at each other, and the son of the meritorious officer couldn't help laughing: "Hei Fu? Could it be that Cao Shi, the left soldier, took Hei as his surname? It's quite rare."

Heifu thought for a while, and then said: "Heifu is just a name, I have no surname."

"Wu Shi?"

This group of young men and women from noble official families began to whisper. The women who knew less about the outside world found it incredible. These days, even women have begun to get used to adding family names to their names, but men don't?

The son of the county magistrate also shook his head and said: "When a man is born, he inherits his father's surname. How can he have no surname? Unless..."

Unless they are low-status common people in Guizhou.

Everyone's eyes were focused on him, but Hei Fu was not shy to admit the fact: "Unfortunately, my ancestors for three generations have all been farmers without clan names."

The atmosphere was a little awkward now, and some people suddenly realized it. Although they didn't dare to say it openly, there was a trace of contempt in their hearts. Most of the people present have prominent family backgrounds. Their ancestors not only served as officials in the Qin Kingdom for generations, but also became officials and even ministers during the rule of the Chu Kingdom!

The son of the meritorious officer seemed to be very sociable at first glance. He seemed to be concerned and said: "Why didn't Zuo Bing Cao Shi give himself a surname? Just change the surname in the place of birth. I saw that many of the meritorious officers came from the county and township. All junior officials who have been promoted will do this."

But in their eyes, even this could not cover up the originally inferior status of Hei Fu's ancestors. Just like his dark skin that had been exposed to the sun and weather, he was not suitable for this small banquet and was not from the same circle as them.

How dare such a person come to Shangsi's gathering with a vulgar name? The dozen or so women present asked themselves that they would not choose a person without a family name.

Feng Jing remained silent and did not help Heifu because he wanted to see how Heifu would react.

"A group of people who are not pragmatic and love fame."

Hei Fu sneered in his heart, feeling that he was wasting his time here and might as well go to a party with Pao Ze. If all the men and women in front of him were so shallow, then there would be no need for this kiss.

However, if you leave in anger at this time, you will be laughed at, and you will have to think of a way to deal with it.

However, before Heifu could say anything, a soft female voice sounded outside the pavilion.

"I heard from my father that surnames are not born with them. The ancients gave them surnames when they were born, and named them based on the soil. The fact that everyone here has a surname can only mean that our ancestors or the princes and officials have left their legacy to this day."

"But the Qin State has long ceased to be a country where relatives and respecters are respected. They no longer look at the birthplace of their ancestors, but are awarded titles based on military merit. Those who have made great achievements will be honored. Those who have made great achievements will be rewarded and officials will be awarded because of their ability. Everyone present today does not regard themselves as It is shameful to have no achievements and no title, but it is not absurd to think that Cao Shi, the left soldier who has obtained the title of official by his own efforts, should be ashamed of having no family name?"

Hei Fu and everyone present heard the sound and immediately turned around, only to see a girl wearing a green skirt and wooden clogs standing outside the pavilion with her hair hanging down after bathing.

Her body has not yet fully grown, her shoulders are slightly thin, but her appearance is like finely carved white jade. She looks surprisingly young, probably only fourteen or fifteen years old. It is hard to believe that the words just now came from her.

"It turns out she is the daughter of the county governor!"

Everyone stood up and saluted, and the son of the meritorious officer and the son of the county magistrate looked at him eagerly.

Seeing everyone looking back, the girl bowed slightly and gave them a blessing salute. She looked at Hei Fu and smiled politely as if they were meeting for the first time.

"I am still young and have superficial opinions. I hope you will not blame me..."