Qin Official

Kushangli is located in the township of Hufu. It was named because it is close to the warehouse in the village. There are forty or fifty households in it, including rich households with millions of dollars in wealth, and poor people who live in the poor alleys and live in poor families. .

But every year on the first day of October in Mengdong, more than 200 people from Kushangli, regardless of their status, gather at the Lishe under the big locust tree. "She" is the god of the land. Offering sacrifices on time can bless you with good weather and good harvest in the coming year.

Social sacrifices are held four times a year, and the three in spring, summer, and autumn are just routine and small sacrifices. Only the social sacrifice in the month of Mengdong is called "big harvest". At this time, all the people in Kushangli go out to bring the newly harvested millet and rice and offer the best rice to the gods. It is also necessary for all the households in the area to jointly contribute money and perform sacrifices by killing a large number of animals, killing chickens and dogs, cooking sheep and pigs, and dancing with drums and bells.

Since it is so important, the person who presides over the community sacrifice cannot be careless. It is usually Li Zheng or a respected elder in the community.

But the social minister elected by Kushangli this year is a young scholar in his early twenties...

Chen Ping is more than eight feet tall and has a handsome appearance. Different from the brown clothes he wore a few years ago, he is now wearing brand new silk clothes, his hair is neatly combed and wrapped in a white scarf, and he looks neat and tidy. Performing the prescribed rituals and saying sacrificial hymns.

"With my Qi Ming, sacrifice sheep with me, and use the community with squares. When my fields are planted, it is the celebration of the farmers. The harp, harp, and drums are used to control the ancestors of the fields. They pray for sweet rain, to feed my millet, and to feed my ladies with grain!" "

Chen Ping, who claimed to be a student of "Huang Lao", also recited the poems with style. The people watching secretly sighed:

"I never thought that Chen Ping, who was not engaged in farming and business, spent all his time on leisure, was slandered as a wife thief, and was the laughing stock of the county, would now become the most famous person among the younger generation in Yangwu County..."

All these changes can be traced back to five years ago, when the Qin State occupied the county. Chen Ping cleared the false accusation of the thief sister-in-law and went to the Qin camp to work as an interpreter.

Since then, Chen Ping has climbed to the top. He first became a public servant through meritorious service and received a lot of gold. Qin officials also proposed marriage to the local tycoon Zhang Fu on Chen Ping's behalf, and married him the daughter of the Zhang family. Because Chen Ping was poor, the Zhang family lent him money to buy a banquet for him, which was a huge discount.

At that time, troubled people gloated and speculated, how soon would Chen Ping be killed by Zhang's daughter, who had been married five times? But not only was Chen Ping not dead, his career was on the rise. In the year when the Qin Dynasty destroyed the Chu Dynasty, the Zhang family paid him thousands of stones in exchange for the title of "Shangzao". Now he works as an official in the countryside, and his social status is very different from before.

Behind the scenes, some jealous people secretly slandered: Chen Ping had long been committed to the Qin official Heifu, and later married Zhang, the widow of Kefu.

But today during the community festival, Chen Ping slapped those people in the face with his actions!

Not only was the level of the sacrifice correct, the eulogy was melody, and the meat was divided after the sacrifice, it was also able to satisfy every household.

Dividing the sacrificial meat is not just as simple as cutting it evenly with a knife, but also taking into account the status of each household and the contribution of the community sacrifice: who should get more, who should get less, and who should get the special parts? Being a mother-in-law and a mother, and being trivial at the same time, how can we be fair and reasonable, and be happy with everyone? The most troublesome thing is that no one who is smart can handle it thoughtfully.

But Chen Ping did it. He invited the older people among them to come to the table. Li Dian, Tian Dian, Li Jianmen and others lined up in order. He personally held the knife and cut off the part and size of the sacrificial meat that best suited them. He respectfully placed it in front of the table, and then divided the meat of the other thirty or forty households one by one!

At this time, even the old scholar who looked down on Chen Ping the most in the past could not find any fault. He held the cold pork on the table and sighed: "Good, Chen Ping is the one to be slaughtered!"

There were endless compliments, most of them from the heart, and a few of them were flattering. Chen Ping kept a kind smile and looked at his brother, sister-in-law, and wife in the crowd.

Elder brother Chen Bo puffed up his chest with pride when he heard people praise his younger brother.

Chen Ping's brother-in-law, who was once divorced and later reunited with Uncle Chen, boasted about how knowledgeable his brother-in-law was. Even Xianyang's high official "You Shu Chang" sent a wedding invitation to invite him.

Chen Ping's wife, daughter Zhang, touched her round belly and looked at her husband lovingly.

At this time, the sky is getting dark, but the community sacrifice has just reached its climax. It is not only a solemn memorial day, but also a grand festival. Throughout the night, people within a mile are banqueting and drinking, and gods and people are having fun together.

Not only in Kushangli, but also in the entire Humo Township, poor communities, people hold urns and bottles, sing songs in harmony, and take pleasure in themselves. As for the big communities sponsored by wealthy businessmen, they even play the sheng and the harp, and promote various plays, which is a grand occasion. Unprecedented.

After returning home from the carnival and washing off the grease on his hands, Chen Pingan asked his wife to lie down while he held the lamp, and then studied the invitation from Xianyang under the anointing lamp...

…

This is Hei Fu's wedding invitation. It is covered with vermilion parchment paper, and the inside is made of fine linen paper. The words are modest, and the title is "Hei Fu says goodbye again." It was sent two months in advance to invite Chen Ping to the customs. .

"When will my beloved set off on his journey?" Miss Zhang asked softly.

Chen Ping felt a little guilty. He turned his head and looked at Dengzhu and said, "Your concubine's wedding is on the first day of the twelfth lunar month. It's a long way to go to Xianyang. I will be on my way tomorrow."

His wife was eight months pregnant and was due to give birth in December. If he went west to Xianyang at this time, he would definitely miss the delivery date. However, when Chen Ping received the wedding invitation, he did not hesitate at all.

He's going! Must go too!

Chen Ping gently caressed his wife's hand and explained: "First of all, this right concubine, Hei Fu, when he was an official in his hometown, personally negotiated with your family for me. When he left, he also gave a lot of money. I have nothing to repay. Now he is the chief minister of the right concubine, and is said to be a close minister of the emperor, but he still remembers me and actually sent me a wedding invitation two months in advance!"

Chen Ping didn't expect that he still remembered him even though they had a mild friendship five years ago.

"Secondly, although I am a village official now and have no worries about food and clothing, I don't want to be confined to a remote place all my life. Now that Hei Fu invites me to go to Xianyang, it may be an opportunity!"

Marriage is about profitability. When Chen Ping married a girl from the Zhang family, in addition to her beauty, he also coveted the Zhang family's status in Yangwu County. In the past five years, holding on to this thigh, not only has his reputation increased day by day, his wealth has become increasingly abundant, and his contacts have become wider and wider. As an official in the village, no one dares to disrespect him.

But Chen Ping is not satisfied with this!

"Today, as the social leader, I am praised by everyone for my good deeds."

"But, my talent and ability can only kill a mile of flesh?"

Although the sacrificial meat is small, it carries ritual norms. If etiquette is upright, the world will be stable; if etiquette is erroneous, the world will be in chaos. That's why Confucius insisted on not eating anything that was not cut properly. When the Marquis of Lu did not give him sacrificial meat after the community sacrifice, Confucius was disheartened, resigned from his post, and left the state of Lu.

In the Spring and Autumn Period, the head of the retainers under the Qing official was called the "family minister". Confucius served as the family minister of the Gao family of the Qing clan in Qi State.

The leader of the city is the "city chief", which is what Ran Qiu said: sixty or seventy, such as fifty or sixty, Qiu also does it, and in three years, he can make enough people. Confucius also served as the Prime Minister of Zhongdu. It is said that within one year, men and women in Zhongdu were separated from each other, no artifacts were picked up along the way, and the utensils were not forged.

Chen Ping's aspirations and ambitions far exceeded those of the social, family, and city governors.

His ultimate goal is to be the "Prime Minister", the head of a country's hundreds of officials!

"Sigh, even if you have to slaughter the world, you can be as competent as you are today when you divide the meat!"

When he was praised for sharing the meat today, he sighed like this in his heart.

But this ambition cannot be spoken out. If a person is poor but has great ambitions, others will only laugh at him for talking about dreams.

However, it was only one day that Chen Ping's hidden ambition was revealed five years ago!

"Could this king be able to conquer the world one day?"

These were Heifu's parting words, which shocked Chen Ping inexplicably, and it took a long time for him to recover.

The world is so big. I thought that I would never have a relationship with Hei Fu or the general from now on. I never thought that five years later, Chen Ping was still wallowing in Hufu Township. Sir, a close minister of the emperor!

The supporter of the Zhang family of Chen Ping's wife's family is Zhang Cang, but now, I heard that Zhang Cang has to work under Mr. Hei...

Chen Ping's utilitarianism aroused again. Hei Fu still remembered him and invited him from thousands of miles away, saying that he liked Chen Ping's talents. As a minister, Hei Fu was qualified to recruit staff and disciples.

Being a retainer in Xianyang is much better than being a clerk in the countryside. Chen Ping has also seen clearly in recent years that although Qin Law treats everyone equally in theory, in fact, as survivors of the Six Kingdoms, their official careers and titles are the same. It is difficult to get beyond the level of Bu Geng and township chief official.

And Heifu may be able to help him cross this natural chasm!

"Therefore, due to emotions and reasons, I should go to the banquet."

Chen Ping explained a lot, just hoping that his wife would understand. They had been married for more than three years, and Zhang finally became pregnant, but he went away when she needed it most, so he felt guilty.

Mrs. Zhang is a lady of the family. Although she has killed five husbands, she only has true love for Chen Ping.

Before getting married, Zhang Fu warned her: "Don't stop serving others because Chen Ping's family is poor. Although Chen Ping is not rich now, he will definitely do a great job in the future!"

She firmly remembers her grandfather's words and serves her elder brother Chen Bo like a father, and her sister-in-law like a mother. She treats Chen Ping with equal care and is very considerate.

She said considerately: "My beloved should go to Xianyang for a banquet. I have my sister-in-law, concubine, and Fu Mu to take care of me."

But then she frowned again: "It's just..."

Chen Ping was very happy to receive his wife's understanding and asked, "Just what?"

Mrs. Zhang's face was a little blushing. She didn't know whether she should mention that matter. She held it in for a long time before she said softly: "I heard rumors in the village that the reason why the black man fell in love with his beloved is because... because..."

She secretly glanced at Chen Ping's handsome face with a hint of elegance, but hesitated to speak.

Needless to say, Chen Ping already understood his wife's intention. He was very good-tempered and suddenly changed his expression and cursed:

"This is just jealousy and nonsense from a fellow villager! Back then, he falsely accused me of stealing my wife, and now he is slandering me with slanderous words. How vicious his intentions are! Think about it, not to mention that the black husband is interested in my talents, so he said that he is about to get married. , there is no lack of joy in getting a bride in the letter, how can he be a person who likes Longyang?"

…

Chen Ping left home in mid-October and rode the carriage presented by Zhang Fu, heading west. The road was in ruins, and there seemed to be countless ghosts flying around the beams at night. Passing through Xinzheng in Yingchuan County, we stopped in Luoyang in Sanchuan County to observe the old customs of the Zhou people, and together with countless merchants and scholars, we underwent quarantine at Hangu Pass.

Because Chen Ping had Heihu's wedding invitation and the accompanying talisman, he was able to enter the customs smoothly. However, something went wrong with the horse pulling the cart. He was quarantined for illness and was detained. Chen Ping could only use the gold he brought with him. Bo rented an ox cart again in Taolin, and when the first snow fell at the end of November, he rushed to Xianyang...

Chen Ping was cold and tired. He originally thought that he would go to Xianyang alone to find Heifu's mansion, but he didn't expect that Heifu calculated the date of departure after he replied to the letter, and sent a servant to wait in Baqiao, high in the snow. Holding the wooden sign of "Chen Ping", after successfully receiving him, he had someone rush to inform the owner, and then took Chen Ping to Heifu's mansion.

The mansion given to Heifu by Qin Shihuang was located in the main urban area of ​​Xianyang, so the carriage that picked up Chen Ping first headed west along the south bank of the Weishui River.

Snow fell one after another, and Chen Ping saw the looming towers of Zhangtai Palace in the distance covered in silver, and the capital city on the other side of the Wei River was also extremely beautiful.

Thinking that I have come from the distant village of Bi County to the center of the empire, every decision made here, including the abolition of feudalism, the establishment of counties, cars on the same track, and books on the same text in the past year, all affect the fate of tens of millions of people, The young people were inevitably a little excited. When the carriages and horses reached the middle, they felt like they were walking on the Milky Way Overpass...

"Chen Sheng!"

When the car reached the bridge, Chen Ping suddenly heard someone calling him. Chen Ping looked closely and saw a Heguan Qingshi wearing a thick bearskin fur, standing at the bridge with several servants, and cupping his hands.

He was stunned for a moment and then recognized it, it was Hei Fu!

"You're the right concubine!"

Chen Ping almost jumped off the moving carriage and almost slipped, but Hei Fu held him up.

"Chen Ping is a lowly man. He has no virtue and no ability. He dares to let the chief minister come here to greet him..."

"Chen Sheng and I are old acquaintances. We worked together in the past and even acted as a matchmaker for you. As the ancients said, it is a great pleasure to have friends come from far away. How could I not come out to greet them?"

When he looked up, Chen Ping found that either because of the snow or because Heifu had been away from the army for a long time, his complexion seemed not as dark as five years ago.

Hei Fu was not angry at all, he patted his shoulder boldly and said:

"Back then in Hufu Township, I said to Chen Sheng that we meet sometimes in life. We have to say goodbye after a long journey. It has been five years since we were apart. Five years is enough time for a lot of things to happen. I have made an appointment with Zhang Cang, I’ve prepared a banquet for you. Let’s drink some wine and eat some Xianyang soup cakes to keep your body warm. Tonight you and I will sleep on the same bed and have a good talk!”

"Sleep on the same bed as... on the same bed?"

This is a very good etiquette to express friendship among scholars, but after hearing this, Chen Ping, who was originally very moved, trembled slightly, his face was a little strange, and his smile gradually became stiff in the wind and snow...