The Most Romantic of the Three Kingdoms

Supplement for May 24th.

——

Xun Zhen's greatest luck since time travel was to worship Xun Qu as her teacher. For more than ten years under Xunqu's school, he not only learned literature and swords, but also often heard some allusions to the dynasty, anecdotes from all over the world, and stories of famous people. He heard this story in Runan County five or six years ago.

Xiao Ren noticed his abnormality and asked, "Jun Xun, why is your color changing?"

"The last sentence the prisoner said here reminded me of something."

"What's up?"

"Do you know Jia Wei Festival?"

Xuankang said: "But is it the Jia Wei Festival that is called by the world: 'The Three Tigers of the Jia Family, the Wei Festival is the Angriest'?"

"Exactly."

"I know him. He is a native of Dingling in this county. He has three brothers in total and has a high reputation. He is the best, so people in the world call him: 'Jia's three tigers, Weijie is the most angry'.  …, Xun Jun , why did you mention him? Does it have anything to do with the last sentence the prison sect said there?"

"Jia Weijie and my father, Mr. Liulong, were teachers of Duke Taiqiu of Xu County, and they are equally famous in the county. Therefore, my family is familiar with him. Many years ago, I heard my brother Zhong tell a story about his new life in Runan County. something you've done for a long time."

"New interest?"

"Yes, Xinxi. I heard my brother Zhong say that this county is not big, much smaller than Yingyin, and there are less than 10,000 households under its jurisdiction. During the reign of Emperor Huan of the previous dynasty, Duke Jia was sent here to be the county magistrate. After taking office, he discovered something."

"what's up?"

"Many households in the county do not adopt children."

"Don't adopt a child?" Xiao Ren smiled and said, "What's the matter? We also have children in Xixiang. There is a saying: 'If you give birth to a child on May 5th, the man will harm the father and the woman will harm the mother'. Xun Jun, you Do you know what month and what month I was born? I was born on May 5th. If I hadn't saved me from Aon, I would have been drowned the day I was born."

Not raising children born on May 5th is a bad custom from the time of the former Qin Dynasty. If Xiao Ren didn't say it, Xun Zhen really didn't know that he was born on this day. He shook his head and said: "It's a bad custom not to give birth to children on May 5th, but the people of Xinxi County not only do not give birth to children born on May 5th, but kill them when they give birth. Although Xinxi is small, it is also There are thousands of households and hundreds of children are born every year. Hundreds of babies are killed in a year, and thousands of babies are killed in ten years. Jia Gong travels in private and travels in various townships in the county. It is common to find baby corpses in the fields and ditches. The tragedy is unspeakable.”

Xuankang thought for a while, and said, "Is it because the people don't kill their children because the family is poor? When I was studying from my clan father, I remembered that I had heard my clan father's words that during the years of filial piety to the emperor, Zong Qing was the prefect of Changsha, and there were many people with Lack of food and clothing, and giving birth to children. Do people kill their children because of poverty?"

"Yeah. 'Tiger poison does not eat offspring'. Tigers are still like this, and what about people? There is a proverb: 'The lonely calf touches the milk, the proud son curses the mother'. It is not easy to conceive in October, and it is not easy to give birth to a child. It is the nature of parents to love their children. I have heard of unfilial children, but I have never heard of unfilial parents, but because of poverty, the people of Xinxi County have not given birth to children and killed them with their own hands. There is nothing more tragic in the world than this! Duke Jia ordered: Killing a child is the same crime as murder. Over the years, thousands of babies have been saved. People say: These children survived because of Jia's father. All males are named 'Jia Zi', and all daughters are named 'Jia Nu'."

Xiao Ren said: "The prison gate at Shicai finally said: 'Because the people can't afford to talk, they don't even have children...'. Xun Jun suspects that what he wants to say is: don't even raise children?"

Xun Zhen nodded, seeing that the school gate was still closed, he pondered for a moment, and said, "The prison gate here is unwilling to finish the sentence, so even if we ask him again, we probably won't be able to ask anything." At the sound of the children's playfulness, he turned his face to look at it for a while, and said to Xiao Ren, "Xiao Ren, the children have no scruples, children have no scruples. You go and coax them and see if you can ask something.  …, Uncle Ye, let's go around the fields and see that manor."

Xiao Ren and Xuan Kang agreed to promise.

The three parked the car on the side of the road, tied their mounts to a tree, and split into two paths.

Xiao Ren brought a few dry food cakes, intending to use this as bait to entice the children to talk.

Xun Zhen, dressed in her clothes, walked cautiously into the ridge in the field, always keeping an eye on her feet so as not to step on the wheat seedlings. Xuan Kang followed behind him. The two walked for several miles and gradually approached the manor.

The manor is located in the field, opposite to "Jieli", covering a very wide area, estimated to be hundreds of acres. It is surrounded by ditch and wall, and a wooden bridge is erected on the ditch for people to enter and exit. The ditch is deep and high, and the tower on the wall is towering, like a small city. The walls and outside the door were guarded by guests with bows and spears.

Xuankang said: "This village is really not small, it is much bigger than the villages of our Gao family and Fei family in Xixiang. Look at it, in addition to vegetable fields, mulberry orchards, wheat and rice fields, it can live for several hundred more. People. I forgot to ask that Lijian Sect just now, and I don't know who the master of this village is?"

There are fertile fields outside the village, and many shirtless farmers work there. The guests in the village saw them and glanced at them a few times. In order not to disturb them, Xun Zhen stopped, greeted an old farmer by the ridge, and said with a smile, "Are you busy?"

The old farmer was in his fifties and his face was wrinkled. He probably felt that the two of them had extraordinary temperament and were not like ordinary people. Is it?"

Xuankang asked, "To a banquet?"

"Didn't the two nobles come to congratulate the owner of the village?"

"Is it the owner's birthday today?"

"Yes. The village owner invited a lot of people. I heard that the county prince, the prime minister, and the Wei are also coming. ... Since the two nobles are not here to celebrate the village owner's birthday, what are they here for?"

"Oh, we are from Yangzhai, and we went to the capital to study. We passed by the expensive land. Since we saw the majestic and majestic village, we came to see it. I dare to ask the old man, is he from the village?"

When the old man heard that they were going to Luoyang to study, his expression relaxed a little, but out of respect for the scholars, he was still quite polite, and said: "About a dozen miles away, almost half of the villagers in the township are guests of the village owner, Du Fu. This old man has a family of six, and his wife, son, daughter, and grandson all serve in the village.”

Xuankang stuttered and said, "A dozen or so li, half a township's villagers? Isn't there a few hundred or nearly a thousand disciples in the house of the owner of the Guizhuang Village?" Hundreds of landlords abounded, and they thought that the whole world should be similar to Xixiang, so they were surprised. ——Although there are a few wealthy families in Xixiang, the Gao family mainly got rich by doing business. The Fei family made their fortune late and their foundation was still shallow. Being included in the former "Four Surnames in the Township" is more because of "reading" rather than "land", so no one has as many guests and followers as the owner of this village.

The old peasant smiled and said, "What counts as hundreds of thousands? I have a person in Yangcheng who is a wealthy family member. He became an iron official a few years ago. In the rich and noble county, there are many fertile fields, and there are more than thousands of followers! For: 'Rich than Qiancheng Shen Bochun'."

Xun Zhen said, "Is the surname of the person that the old man said is Shen Mingtun?"

"The nobles also know him?"

"I've heard its name for a long time."

In Yingchuan County, only Yangcheng has iron, and as early as the former Han Dynasty, iron officials were placed here. In the early years of this dynasty and the emperor, "the prohibition of salt and iron was lifted", and the system of monopoly of salt and iron was no longer implemented. Therefore, in addition to the official iron officials, some private iron smelting workshops appeared here, and the Shen family was the largest among them. one of. A few years ago, this Shen Xun was expelled by the county government as an iron official. He was both privately owned and in charge of the official business. He almost monopolized the iron casting of the entire Yingchuan County, and his family wealth was huge. If the noble families in Yingchuan County are divided into two types: nobles and merchants, this Shen Xun is the leader of the merchants. Of course Xun Zhen knew this person.

Xuankang said: "'Rich than Qiancheng Shen Bochun'? I also know this person. But I heard that he is not a privately smelted iron man? When did he become the iron official?"

"The noble person doesn't know. Shen Bochun has a daughter who gave Zhao Changshi's nephew as his little wife a few years ago. Because of this, he was appointed as the chief iron officer by the county."

Xuankang was very surprised: "His daughter is the wife of Zhao Changshi's nephew? I don't know that." There is only one Zhao Changshi in the world: Zhong Changshi Zhao Zhong. After being surprised, he kept in mind the task that Xun Zhen assigned him—recording what he saw and heard along the way, and kept this matter in his mind, only to return to the car to write it down after a while, and then turned back to the topic and said, "Shen Bo Chunye The Tie Shi family, now in charge of the iron officials in the county, runs both public and private businesses. On his birthday, even the county magistrate came to congratulate him?"

"The owner of the village, Mrs. Ding, is a taboo in Handan, and has a big family name in the township. Many of the children of the clan are officials in the county and township. ... You are from Yangzhai, should you know the northern superintendent?"

Xun Zhen replied nonchalantly, "I know."

"The village owner is very close to the northern post supervisor, and because of the northern post supervisor, he is also very close to Shen Bochun. ..., there is a relationship between the northern post supervisor and Shen Bochun, you say, on his birthday, the county lord, Can Cheng and Wei not come? According to the practice of previous years, Shen Bochun will also send his son and nephew to come!"

"'Because of the relationship between the Northern Superintendent of Posts, and Shen Bochun are also very close'. ..., old man, is the relationship between the Northern Superintendent and Shen Bochun very good?"

"That's natural. If their relationship is not good, how could the owner of the village get to know Shen Bochun through the northern postal supervisor?"

Xun Zhen smiled and said: "So, your village owner is really a hero. One is Zhang Changshi's guest, and the other is Zhao Changshi's relative. One is the postal supervisor in the north of the county, and the other is rich than Qiancheng. Hao everyone, he can make friends with him." The "Northern Postmaster" the old man said was obviously not Xun Zhen, but his predecessor Fei Chang. Not long after Fei Chang left office, the old man was just a farmer, and there were few sources, so he probably didn't know about it.

The old man corrected Xun Zhen: "Shen Bochun is not only rich and better than Qiancheng, but Chief Tie is also a high-ranking official. Last time I went to the county, I happened to meet him on a trip. He leads the way and obeys, and he is majestic." Tsk tsk admiration. He probably rarely sees officials traveling, and he seems to have a deep impression on this encounter, recalling, "In front of them were four infantrymen with big fans, and behind the infantry was a cart with several musicians on top. Sitting and advocating. Behind the music are several small cars, all of them are officials with blue and blue ribbons sitting on them. Behind them is Shen Bochun's car, with a large black hood and a red car side, four holding The little official with the wooden halberd raised his chest and raised his head and rode a high-headed horse, guarding both sides of the car.... tsk tsk, tsk tsk, full of majesty."

The rank of Tie Guanchang is the same as that of the county magistrate, with six hundred stones and a black ribbon and bronze seal. He can be called a "subordinate doctor". He is indeed a high official, but from the description of the old man, Xun Zhen heard it. One question: Shen Bochun has overruled the scale of car driving.

What the old man said, "Four little officials holding wooden halberds and riding high-headed horses with their chests raised up," so to speak, should be referring to the horsemen carrying the halberds. According to the system, officials of 600 stone can only be accompanied by two horsemen with halberds, and only four horsemen with more than 2,000 stones. Last spring, Yin Xiu and Zhu Chang went to Xixiang. Zhu Chang was the county magistrate, with a rank of 1,000 shi, and he only had two cavalry servants. Xun Zhen motioned to Xuankang, who nodded clearly, indicating that he had written down this point as well.

Surrounding Shen Bochun and Ding Han, Xun Zhen asked a few more questions, until she couldn't ask any more, then she thanked the old man, turned to the village road, and returned to understand the inside and outside. Xiao Ren had been waiting for a long time beside the car. The smile on Xun Zhen's face had long since disappeared, and she asked solemnly, "How?"

"Xunjun guessed right. If there is infanticide in this place, I don't know if it is more or less, but in the past few years, among those children, two parents have failed to give birth to children."

"Oh? How did you ask?" This is a big deal, and the process needs to be asked.

"I took the dry food and cakes to coax them. The poor children haven't had enough food for some time, and they devoured them one by one. At the end, I asked them: 'Are there any brothers and sisters'? Some have, some don't, children Most of the answers were straightforward, except for two of the kids who answered oddly."

"How did you answer?"

"It's said that Ben has a younger brother, but he couldn't find it within a few days after he was born." Xiao Ren said, "I asked other children, and the older ones can prove that they are not lying. Their grandmother did give birth to a child, and indeed within a few days, the child born disappeared. The child could only be killed or abandoned by their parents."

Xun Zhen didn't ask any more questions. After a moment of silence, she asked Xuankang, "Have you remembered what the old man said just now?"

"remember."

"After you get on the official road, you can write them all down. When you go back to Yangzhai, I will meet you."

"Yes."

Xun Zhen straightened her robes and wanted to leave, but she felt like something was rolling in her chest. She turned around, supported the tree, and looked at the farmland in front of her. Farmers are busy. He said: "With such a plastered and beautiful field, the people can't live happily. The poor kill their children, and the rich are rich and rich. In a township, the people of more than a dozen li depend on the Ding family, and the whole family is slaves and maids. Shen Bochun is richer than a thousand. Cheng. …, the life of the people in the north of the county is not easy. Uncle Ye, do you know what I'm thinking?"

"what?"

"I'm thinking..." Xun Zhen smiled, and stopped when the words reached her lips, but she also learned from the prison gate of Jieli, who was still hiding in the school, and refused to say any more.

Xiao Ren said, "Compared with our county south, this county is two worlds apart!"

Xuankang has little knowledge and is not stupid. He quickly found the reason for the two days in the south of the county and the north of the county, and said: "That's because there are many celebrities and nobles in the south of the county. In the past, the 'four chiefs of Yingchuan' were all We are from the south of the county. The nobles in the south of our county, the Xunjun family, the Chen family in Xu County, the Zhong family in Changshe, the Zhang family in Yanling, the Han family in Wuyang, and the Jiaduding family in Dingling. Well-known or famous prefecture. There is also the Li family in Xiangcheng, although it is in the north of the county, it is not far from the south of our county. Chen Taiqiu, Zhong Gongcao's father Zhong Hao, Jia's three tigers, Xun's eight dragons, the world The role model Li Yuanli is famous all over the world, and which corrupt official dares to be left in the south of our county?

"In contrast, although there are celebrities and aristocrats in the north of the county, only the Du clan in Yangcheng is famous, and after Du Mi committed suicide because of the party, the talents in the clan gradually withered."

Xun Zhen let out a sigh of relief, looked away, unfastened the reins of the mount from the tree, and said, "Let's go!"

——

1. A child is born on the 5th day of the fifth month of the fifth lunar month. The male harms the father and the daughter harms the mother.

The Western Han relative, the elder brother of the Empress Yuandi of the Han Dynasty, the uncle of Emperor Chengdi of the Han Dynasty, and Wang Feng, who was in power for a while, almost failed to survive because of the vulgar customs. "Wang Feng was born on the fifth day of the fifth month, and his father wanted not to lift it up, saying: 'It is a common saying to lift five days, and if it reaches the household, it will harm oneself, otherwise it will harm his parents'. His uncle said: 'Xi Tianwen was born on this day, His father instructed his mother: "Don't lift it. His mother steals it. Later, it was Lord Mengchang, and his mother was called Duke Xue Dajia. It is not ominous to push it on the basis of ancient things." Born on the fifth day, he almost failed to survive.

In the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Hu Guang, a famous official who was "five as a nobleman, seven in the phase, and three in the tomb" was also harmed by this vulgar custom and abandoned by his parents. Fortunately, he was rescued by others. "Hu Guang's original surname was Huang, born on May 5th. His parents hated him, so he set up an urn and threw it into the rivers and lakes. Seeing the urn flowing down, hearing the cries of his children, he took them and raised them. He was then appointed to the third division. This parent regards me as a dead person. I am deeply ridiculed."

Wang Chong believes that this custom is related to the Five Elements Theory, "On Heng? Four Wefts": "The first month begins, the fifth month hurts the yang, and the child is born in (this month), and the energy is fervent and hates the parents, the parents are unbearable, and they will suffer from them. ". "Judging from the existing records that do not cite the earliest instance of the fifth day of the fifth month in the Warring States Period, where the Five Elements Theory originated in Qidi, Wang Chong's speculation is justified."

Although since the beginning of this custom, there are many wise men who have criticized it for its absurdity, but this custom still existed until the Southern Dynasties. The famous general of Liu Song Dynasty in the Southern Dynasty, Wang Zhen'e, got his name because he was born on May 5th: "Zhen'e was born on May 5th~www.wuxiaspot.com~ his family was taboo and wanted to order the descendants of Shuzong." ) Meng saw Qizhi and said: 'This is very unusual. In the past, Lord Mengchang was born with the evil moon, and this child will also prosper my family.' Hence the name "Suppressing Evil"." - His grandfather was Wang Mengqian Qin Mingxiang definitely doesn't believe in the saying "I don't give birth to a child on May 5th", so "odd" and "named as 'suppressing evil'" are inherently taboo, but more importantly, he should not want to put himself The grandson went out.

In addition to this taboo, there were many other taboos of childbirth during the Han Dynasty.

Another example is "If you don't raise your father to have the same confinement son, you say that you will hinder your father." Another example is "do not give birth to sideburns", "be born with (beard), and hinder parents". Another example is "I don't give birth to three children (triplets), it is commonly said that when three children are born, the children are like six animals, and it is said that it is a hindrance to the parents, so it is not recommended." Another example is "If you don't give birth to a child (those who fall to the ground and fail to open their eyes), ... give birth to a child to harm your parents".

2. Zong Qing was the prefect of Changsha. Many people lacked food and clothing, and gave birth to children. Zong Qing ordered the county and township elders to forbid the people to kill their children. In one year, there were more than 3,000 living children.

Xie Cheng's "Book of the Later Han Dynasty" recorded it as Songdu, "both men and women take the name of Song". "Dongguan Han Ji" is recorded as Zong Qing.

3. I have a wealthy family in Yangcheng. The surname is Shen and the name is Tun.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Hedi lifted the ban on salt and iron, but it should not have abolished the salt and iron officials. The prefect said in the letter: "Forty counties belong to the county, salt and iron facial features, each with its own history."

Tieguan official system: According to the records in the "Following the Book of Han": "Tieguan officials in the two Han dynasties were busy with things, and there were iron officials and iron officials, and their deputies were iron officials, etc. The official salary is roughly the same as the same Level local officials are similar.”