Chapter 75 Wedding
Mianchi (pronounced "free") is a small county with a sparsely populated area. If it were not for the record of the meeting of Mianchi in "Historical Records of Lianlin", few people would know about this place. After the "Return of the Complete Bibi to Zhao" incident, King Qin Zhaoxiang Invite King Zhao Huiwen to meet him in Mianchi. During the dinner, the King of Qin said, "I have heard for a long time that King Zhao is proficient in music. Please help me entertain him." He asked King Zhao to play the harp. King Zhao might be stupid or afraid, so he played a tune. The historian of the State of Qin then took the bamboo slips with a knife and pen, and read while carving: "On a certain year, month and day, the King of Zhao obeyed the order of the King of Qin and played the harp for the King of Qin." Lin Xiangru then stepped forward and forced the King of Qin to hit the fou with the words "Within five steps, Xiangru will be able to splash blood on the neck of the king." He turned around and ordered the Zhao State Historian to record: "On a certain year, month and day, the King of Qin hit the fou for the King of Zhao." Later, the officials of Qin asked King Zhao to cede fifteen cities in the name of congratulating King Qin on his birthday. Lin Xiangru asked King Qin to give up the capital Xianyang in the name of congratulating King Zhao on his birthday... Finally, he saved the dignity of the country for the unsatisfactory King Zhao.
Time flies, and Mianchi is gradually forgotten.
In a place like this, Fu Yuehui, the county magistrate, lives a relatively miserable life. After going through many ups and downs in the officialdom, I also figured out my fame and fortune. I didn’t want to do any more speculation, so I wrote a couplet in the back hall:
Fame, profit, and friends only add to a lot of troubles
A few chickens, a few geese, accompanied by poetry and wine, feeling like a fairy at ease
I was used to being idle, and didn't do much serious things. I raised a few chickens and geese in the Yamen, and planted a few peonies, but I ended up being at ease.
On this day, I suddenly received a report that Ding Shichang, the prefect of Luoyang Prefecture and his co-prefect, had arrived in the county and must go out to greet him immediately. Then I suddenly remembered that a while ago, several people came to Fucheng and said they were going to Shaanzhou to deliver official documents. They changed horses in the county seat and left. They have not returned yet, and I felt a little uneasy.
When they met, they discovered that Cai Wenying, the magistrate of Xin'an County, was coming with Ding Shichang. Fu Yuehui was secretly surprised again: it must be a big deal for the head of a county to put down his official duties and follow Shangguan to his place.
Sure enough, Ding Shichang asked about the situation in Shaanzhou as soon as he sat down. Fu Yuehui was at a loss and replied: "Sir Hui Ding, although our county is under the jurisdiction of Shaanxi Province, it is only about Qiangu. The land tax is handed over according to customs, and the labor force is dispatched as ordered. Mr. Kuang Ma is very... well, very unique. , Xiaguan, cough cough, to be honest, Xiaguan knows he is stupid and is frightened inside, so he is afraid of avoiding it. Xiaguan really doesn’t know what happened in Shaanzhou. A few days ago, people from Fucheng went to Shaanzhou for business, and they have not returned yet. , it is not convenient for me to inquire about what happened and how long it will take, so I have not reported back to the city, please forgive me."
Ding Shichang sighed: "Brother Xiaomang (Fu Yuehui's nickname), you and I, and Brother Wenlan (Cai Wenying's nickname) have known each other for many years. I won't hide it from you, including Mr. Fu Zun, for that person," he said Pouting in the direction of Shaanzhou to the west, "It's not that I don't have any opinions. However, they are so popular that even Mr. Qi has to give in. I am coming here this time to accept Mr. Qi from the mansion. "It's my order." He said, with a calm look on his face, and continued: "It's been nearly a month, and the mansion hasn't received any news from there. That's why we sent people there a few days ago. Mr. Qi heard someone coming from Huaiqing mansion a few days ago. There are rumors among merchants that a giant bandit has appeared out of nowhere and occupied Shaanzhou. So, let me find out the news. When passing through Xin'an, Brother Wenlan was not worried, so he came together. Brother Xiaomang had five Mr. Liu (Tao Yuanming) is so elegant that ordinary people like us often feel ashamed. However, the matter is serious and everyone's lives are at stake. It is not comparable to ordinary official matters, so we must not be careless."
Fu Yuehui was surprised when he heard this: "Is there such a thing?"
Ding Shichang looked at Fu Yuehui intently, spread his hands, and did not answer.
Cai Wenying continued: "Brother Xiaomang, if the rumors are true, you and I will be the first to bear the brunt of this huge bandit. The thieves will not care about your indifference to fame and fortune. As long as you wear this official uniform, you will fight to the death. So I will Let’s come together and see what happens.”
Fu Yuehui frowned and muttered: "It's clear, it's clear. However, there is only one road from our county to Shaanzhou. Forty miles to the west is the Xia Shiguan natural barrier. There is a line between two mountains. If the thieves set up heavy troops here, they will It has become a situation where one man is in charge. The lower official believes that if the rumors are true, the government officials should have been trapped here a few days ago. If we rush forward again, we may inevitably make the same mistake again, and we need to carefully consider it."
It has been five days since we occupied Shaanzhou. Gong Derun, who stayed in Lingbao to serve as the rear guard of the large army, also rushed to Shaanzhou to join everyone. Guan Shengyun was preparing to set off as a whole in a day or two.
In the past few days, in addition to renovating the troops, they also collected grain, grass, materials, craftsmen, and recruited people to replenish the auxiliary barracks. There are dedicated people responsible for these specific tasks, so Guan Shengyun doesn't need to worry about them. He discussed in detail the next route arrangement with Luo Yonghao.
Except for Luo Yonghao and his son, almost no one in the army knew anything about the divisions of provinces in the Ming Dynasty. Even Luo Yonghao himself only knew a rough idea of how to get to Huguang after leaving Shaanxi Province. Military Advisor Luo only knew that he should go south. As for the rest, he could only remember a few big cities, and other than that, he only had a black eye.
But that's not the problem.
There is a map of the entire Henan Province in the Shaanzhou Prefecture. Although it is as abstract as a landscape painting, the important cities, official roads, and approximate directions and distances can still be seen at a glance. Compared with modern maps, although the accuracy is completely incomparable, this kind of map still has an obvious advantage: wherever there are mountains and rivers, they are all mapped. So it is still very helpful when formulating a march plan. Luo Yonghao also tried to learn some key information through Pan Ding, Jing Xiangshan and others, but as expected, he was severely rejected by them. Guan Shengyun once wanted to use torture, but Luo Yonghao stopped him. The excuse was that if they couldn't survive the pain, the army might fall into death. In fact, Military Master Luo had another thought in his heart: After all, he was once in another camp like them. If he wasn't completely desperate, he wouldn't have used himself as a thief... Oh, well, he would have used himself as a righteous teacher for the commander-in-chief. Somewhat intolerable. Guan Shengyun also knew this very well.
Unexpectedly, the greatest help came from Ma Wensheng - Luo Shifan had deliberately caused mischief by biting his ears and asking Guanye Huo to imprison four captured officials in the same cell. He was just out of mischief: these guys would have to be beheaded in the end anyway, so it would be good for a few subordinates to take care of this brawl and let everyone watch the fun. Sure enough, the first one to curse was Jing Xiangshan, who had a broken leg. Ma Wensheng pretended to be deaf and mute at first, but then he got angry after being scolded and went to fight the Jingzhou judge. Pan Dingla deflected, and Ma Wensheng simply continued. Pan Ding beat him together until Wang Jian couldn't bear it anymore and jumped to his feet... When Guan Yehuo and Luo Shifan asked someone to pull them apart, Ma Wensheng was already being whipped by Wang Jian so hard that his mother couldn't even recognize him.
Master Ma, who was awakened by the cold water, cried and kowtowed, begging to be locked up alone and never share a cage with those dogs again. As the saying goes, if you don't have desires, you will be strong - if you have desires, it will be easier. Pointing at the map of Henan Province, he told Guan Shengyun everything he knew about the towns and roads, and the rough march route was decided. As for the details, that one is easier: most of Hongnongwei's postmen were captured alive. With a few strokes of the knife to the neck, you will get a dozen good and dedicated guides.
Another big event is Gu Baihua's wedding.
The girl Gu Baihua rescued was named Zhao, and she had a great background—she was actually a member of the lineage of Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty!
In fact, although it sounds mysterious, there is really nothing to make a fuss about. Zhao Kuangyin's attitude towards his own children was much more open-minded than Zhu Yuanzhang. The reason is that in the Song Dynasty, the clan was just an identity and had no privileges. Moreover, the court did not interfere or restrict the clan's various political and economic activities: you can take part in the imperial examination and you can become an official if you pass, but you must rely on your true ability. , no one will give you a break, you can do business, but you have to rely on your own ability, the royal family will not endorse you, you can even be a lawyer, a profession that was looked down upon in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, but lawsuits Winning or losing depends on your ability. Even a seventh-grade county magistrate will not care about your clan status! Therefore, despite the large scale of the clan, it did not cause a serious financial burden on the country. Throughout the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties, there were no rebellions by vassal kings.
Therefore, despite the change of dynasties, the clan of Zhao and Song was not exterminated like Zhu Ming. The descendants of Zhao Kuangyin are still living with us today.
Miss Zhao was alone. Because of everything that had happened before, everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before she got together with Gu Baihua. When things came to pass, it was Gu Baihua who couldn't save face.
Although this guy kills people without batting an eyelid, he actually becomes coquettish when he gets to this point. As the army was about to set off, Luo Yonghao simply stood up and first generously accepted Miss Zhao as his adopted daughter - this was not just a formality. In those days, adopting an adopted son and adopted daughter was a very serious matter, almost as serious as his biological daughter. There is not much difference between flesh and blood - and then he presided over the wedding of the two as ordered by his parents.
A great victory plus a big wedding, a double happiness.
Even ordinary people would be very excited about this kind of thing, let alone this group of soldiers who want to make trouble even if they have nothing to do!
The largest restaurant in Shaanzhou City was brightly lit, and the master chefs from various famous restaurants were "invited". Each master chef brought two waiters, using food boxes to carry his own unique ingredients. At first, they were afraid that others would steal their secrets, so they were more or less reserved. After a while, the group of people began to have competitive ideas, and they were sweating profusely in front of the stove. Serves its own signature dishes: braised Yellow River carp, pan-fried herring head and tail, fried perilla meat, braised broad belly, braised mutton with green onions, fried eight pieces, Bianjing roast duck, braised three bags... One after another delicacies are passed down from the kitchen like water. out, and then into a wide-open mouth.
Baiba Li is the head chef of Bianjing House. Since Bianjing is in the name, roast duck is naturally a specialty - Beijing roast duck, which is famous at home and abroad, is developed and improved from Bianjing roast duck. Baibali's nickname comes from his superb knife skills: a roast duck is cut a total of 108 times from beginning to end. Each piece of meat, including the skin, is exactly the same size, thickness, and size. With the last cut, the duck frame looks like a skeleton specimen. Served on the table together, and then pulled out a pot of thick duck soup amidst the roar of the guests. The milky white soup is sprinkled with a few chopped green chives. No matter how much wine you drink, you can't resist the temptation of this aroma and color! In order to live up to the golden name of himself and Bianjing Tower, Baiba Li brought two knives with him. He sharpened them again and again before setting off. He also pulled two hairs from his apprentice's head (Baiba Li himself was bald) and put them away. Blow gently on the edge of the knife - it will break, it is a good knife!
Sure enough, the roast duck, which is roasted into a maroon color and dripping with fat, is one of the most popular dishes among the kings. The only small problem was that the kings ate a little too fast, and Baiba Li couldn't catch up even though he tried his best to keep urging. Baiba Li was a little puzzled: a thin steamed cake filled with two slices of duck meat, scallions, melon strips, and then smeared with a sauce prepared with a unique secret recipe... it would take a lot of time. Each piece is a full 108 pieces, which is enough for the kings to eat at any table! He pressed harder with his hands, and the speed became faster - only then did Lao Li's skill really show: every piece of roast duck was still in order, the same!
After sending out a few more, the waiter who served the dishes came to the kitchen and said hesitantly to Bai Bali: "Master, the kings want you to come over."
Baiba Li laughed loudly when he heard this: "Haha, this is the kings praising my craftsmanship! Anyway, let me show my skills to the kings on the spot! Come, take the duck and follow me!"
Baiba Li came to the front with great ambitions and asked with a smile on his face: "My lords, do you like this roast duck?"
You Futian, who had already drunk a lot of wine, was the first to shout: "It's hit! It's hit! It's so hit! It's delicious!"
Before the pleased Baibali could say anything modest, Gao Tengdou added: "It's just that the cut was a little bad."
Hearing this, Baiba Li was immediately shocked: after more than 20 years of training, this was the first time that a customer was critical of his knife skills! When I was an apprentice, I heard from the master that there is a knife technique in the world that can peel off the crispy skin on a duck's neck. After one hundred and eight cuts, only one duck head is left in the whole duck! It's a pity that this kind of sword technique is only a legend in the world, and the master himself doesn't know it. Could it be...
Thinking of this, Baiba Li broke into a cold sweat at that moment. He was filled with surprise, clasped his fists, bowed and said sincerely, "I am ashamed of myself! I am so bold. I dare to ask your Majesty to show me. I am grateful and grateful!" I thought to myself. Thinking about it, I was an apprentice for three years and worked for two years. How many times did I get beaten by my master before I mastered this skill? If you can take advantage of the king's drunkenness to steal such a unique skill, it will be a huge advantage! From now on, let alone Shaanzhou, let alone Yu Province, if you are in the entire Central Plains region, then you will be famous!
Gao Tengdou, who was a little drunk, did not refuse. He stood up and walked to the cart where the roast duck was placed. He waved his hand and rejected the knife Baibali handed over by turning the handle upside down. He pulled out the dagger from his waist with a swipe.
Baiba Li was even more shocked when he saw it: The so-called cleverness but no workmanship! Not to mention the knife skills that I am proud of, don’t I still need a special knife? Look at this king, he can use any dagger! How many years of hard work does it take...well, hard work alone is not enough, you need talent, talent! I just don’t know if I have the talent to learn such stunts in the blink of an eye...
Before Bai Bali could think any more, Gao Tengdou picked up the duck's neck and cut it with a swipe of a dagger. The roast duck was cut into two halves! What a tall vine bean, he picked up half of the duck and threw it to Gu Baihua in the air: "Catch it!" He picked up the other half and took a big bite of the duck leg while saying vaguely: "Why do you have to cut it so much? Eating is too troublesome. ! Just do it like this!”
Suddenly, a burst of color burst out from all the tables!
Before Gao Tengdou, who had a mouth full of duck meat, could walk back to his seat, a young boy's voice came from behind him: "Master, why are you fainting? Master, please wake up!"
Baiba Li didn't know how he staggered back to the kitchen. Many years later, the only thing he remembered was that he was sitting slumped by the stove, and from time to time he heard loud shouts in his ears: "Two more, they should be whole, not cut..."
Full of wine and food, bridal chamber.
All the big and small bosses came - the bridal chamber was chosen to be in the back hall of the state government office. Guan Shengyun naturally acted like the boss of his brother's big wedding and gave up Ma Wensheng's bedroom to the newcomer. Not counting the drinks we had earlier, there will be another drink in the bridal chamber. Gu Baisong obliged and helped his brother to stop the wine - within a moment, he was frothing at the mouth and was thrown out like mud.
Gu Baihua knew that begging for mercy was useless, so just drink.
The one who made the most fuss was Liang Laosi, who seemed to be honest and kind - after all, he was one of the few guys in the group who had ever married a wife! Having had the painful personal experience of being almost beaten to death on the wedding night, she naturally had more connections than those bachelors... Gu Baihua, whose face was painted in colorful colors, was pinched by the nose and guzzled down by everyone until she vomited all over the floor of the new house. It was a mess, and everyone dispersed in a noisy manner.
Miss Zhao, who was wearing a red hijab, didn't care much. When the others were gone, she groped over to help Gu Baihua, but was pushed away by the latter. Before Miss Zhao could recover from her shock, Gu Baihua staggered to the closet, opened the door, and without looking, reached out... and pulled Zhang Ding out from inside!
From the gap under the hijab, Miss Zhao stared dumbfoundedly at her husband pushing and kicking the playful Zhang Ding out of the door. She was ashamed and angry, and sat on the edge of the bed at a loss. Then Gu Baihua came closer with a washbasin. .
What is this for? Is it the custom in Yunnan to wash the bride’s face? Miss Zhao was wondering when Gu Baihua possessed her and a basin of water splashed under the bed with a splash! Several strange screams were heard, and several people came out from under the bed, rolling and crawling on the ground, laughing and escaping out of the house!
Gu Baihua cursed vaguely and closed the door, and then returned to the bedside. Just as he was about to reach out to take off the red hijab, a water arrow shot through the crack of the door and hit Gu Baihua in the back of the heart - I don't know which one, with Pig urine was filled with water and snorted in through the crack in the door...
Gu Baihua turned around and looked angrily. In the candlelight, he saw that black holes had been poked out of the window paper, and in each hole there was an eye staring at him unblinkingly...
