Chapter 93 Disaster
The city has become a mess. Fortunately, Gao and You had already given orders: no killings without reason, let alone arson, so it did not lead to an uncontrollable tragedy.
The rebels were looting along the streets. Luo Shifan did not enter Song County when he was exploring the road not long ago, and now he was just wandering around in the city. The rogue soldiers who were looting like fierce ghosts all stopped in unison when they saw the young military advisor, and smiled and saluted with a smile. Luo Shifan just nodded, but kept walking, turning a deaf ear to the noise that sounded again behind him. When he saw that there were no rioters in a small alley, he smiled knowingly and walked in.
Sun Chunlong and the others were all country bumpkins who had never been to the city many times. They were startled when they saw this: If you don't go shopping in such a lively street, why would the young military advisor go into an alley with high walls on both sides? However, since the young military advisor went in, he had to follow.
After walking a few feet, I saw two dark brown doors - because they were recessed in the door openings, they could not be seen from outside the alley unless they paid close attention. Sun Chunlong and the others couldn't help but clicked their tongues: He is indeed a young military advisor with great scheming. The harvest from a deep house and compound here is much greater than trying to rob a dozen households along the street!
Before anyone could knock on the door, the door creaked open, and an old man timidly saluted: "Hero, oh, no, no, no, please, my kings."
Luo Shifan smiled at his family and entered the door. An old man wearing a long gown with wide sleeves and a square scarf was already waiting in the yard with his waist bowed respectfully. Next to him knelt a young man who was also wearing a long gown. Seeing everyone, the old man muttered "Your Majesty, spare my life" and made a gesture to kneel down. Luo Shifan stepped forward to give him a hand and said, "Old sir, you don't have to be like this." The old man took a peek and saw that the man leading several men with fierce looks was actually a handsome young man. He felt a little relieved and still bowed: "Old King , oh, no, little king..."
Luo Shifan waved his hand: "My surname is Luo, and I am not a great king."
Sun Chunlong pulled his neck and shouted: "This is my commander-in-chief's young military advisor!"
The old man bowed his head to the ground again: "Military Commander Luo is here, please forgive me for my neglect..."
Luo Shifan said: "May I ask the old gentleman what your name is?"
The old man said hurriedly: "No need to be expensive, no need to be expensive. The little old man's surname is Qi, and his humble name is Li Lun." He pointed to the ground and said, "This is the dog Qi Shiyi. Come and see Military Advisor Luo."
Qi Shiyi hurriedly knelt down again, kowtowed and said, "I've seen Military Master Luo."
Luo Shifan made a gesture to avoid it, and then stretched out his hand to pull: "Mr. Qi and your son are both scholars, right? You don't bow to the official, and there is no need to pay any courtesy to Luo, a bandit who has gone astray. Luo is just passing by, asking for a cup. It’s just tea, old gentleman, don’t be afraid.”
Qi Lilun hurriedly said to the main hall: "Commander Luo, please, please. Qi Fu, please entertain these four heroes."
Luo Shifan turned around and nodded to Sun Chunlong, then walked toward the main hall, accompanied by Qi Lilun and his son, who were hunched over behind him. Qi Fu, an old family member, led the four of them to the side room without mentioning it.
Drinking tea, they chatted for a while. Before the banquet was served, Luo Shifan already knew everything about the Qi family. Qi Lilun's father, Lao Lao Qi, once served as the salt inspector of Huaihe and Huaihe Rivers. Regardless of his low rank, this is a lucrative position, so his family is quite wealthy. Later, because the backers in the court did not agree to recognize a new father for the emperor during the "Great Ceremony Discussion" controversy, he was soon captured by the former chief minister Yang Tinghe with excuses. The big tree fell, and Lao Lao Qi simply resigned from his job and went home to take care of himself in order to avoid disaster. At that time, the unwritten rule of infighting in the officialdom was to give up as soon as it was good, and it had not yet developed to the point where Dong Lin and the eunuchs later became obsessed with each other and said, "If you can't admit defeat, one of us will have to die." Since they took the initiative to give up their position, the Yangge elders did not delve too deeply into it. After Qi Lilun passed the exam, because his father had seen too much intrigue among the ministers in the DPRK and his family was well off, he stopped taking the scientific examination. Qi Shiyi is a scholar, and he plans to stop there after the provincial examination.
During this period, there were several riots outside, and rioters finally entered the alley. The door was smashed from time to time with frightening banging noises. However, with Sun Chunlong and others in the wing acting as temporary doorkeepers, the rebels spread the word, and no one bothered them again.
After a while, dinner was served. Although it cannot be said to be delicacies, it is rich, not to mention chicken, pork and mutton. Luo Shifan was full of praise for the "hoof braised boxing dish", so he asked: "Mr. Qi, what kind of dish is this that tastes so delicious? "
Before Qi Lilun spoke, Qi Shiyi cupped his hands and replied: "Come back to the military advisor, this is called 'fist vegetable', which is a local specialty. It is shaped like a fist, tastes delicious, and is the most nutritious. It is known as the king of mountain vegetables. Harvested every spring, use Boil it in boiling water and dry it thoroughly before putting it away for consumption. The output is not large, so it is more expensive than pork and mutton."
Luo Shifan praised "Brother Qi is knowledgeable" and picked up another chopstick. Then he sighed: "I never expected that your hometown would have such beautiful things. It's really a treasure."
Unexpectedly, Qi Lilun sighed: "Oh. No matter how good it is, it's nothing more than wild vegetables. In the past, I would save dozens of kilograms every year. This thing is long-lasting, so I can give some to Military Advisor Luo. Military Advisor Luo How can I repay the kindness of preserving my house with some wild vegetables? However, to be honest with Military Advisor Luo, in the past two or three years, these things have been almost extinct, and these on the table are the old man’s last inventory."
Luo Shifan heard this and asked, "Could it be that the government forced them to conscript them?"
Qi Shiyi said angrily: "It would be better if the government conscripted it. After all, it fell into people's mouths. They were all wasted in vain, and the beasts got an advantage!"
Luo Shifan was startled, wondering if this guy was making oblique remarks about Sang and Huaihuai. Unexpectedly, when Qi Lilun heard this, tears welled up in his eyes and dripped down his wrinkles and beard.
Seeing this, Qi Shiyi hurriedly stood up and said, "Dad, I know I was wrong. I've made you sad again."
Although Luo Shifan didn't know what was going on, he knew that this was a private matter of the Qi family, so he didn't want to ask further. He was looking for an excuse to divert the conversation, but he didn't expect that Qi Juren actually left his seat and knelt down to him. He hurriedly left his seat and helped me: "Old sir, please get up quickly. I have something to say."
Qi Lilun did not stand up, but a pair of turbid old eyes actually shone with light. He looked straight at Luo Shifan and said: "Commander Luo, I don't dare to speculate on the conduct of your army. However, I have a ruthless request: Can your army do it?" Going south to Nanyang Mansion?"
If it hadn't been for this section, Luo Shifan would definitely be furious: Who knows what this old guy is worried about! But after all, this young military advisor was full of evil ideas. After talking for so long, the Qi family father and son already knew what was going on, so there must be something hidden in it. In order to find out more about the truth, he deliberately slapped his chopsticks on the table and said in a sinister voice, feigning anger: "Mr. Qi must be following the example of Duke Fan Wenzheng (Fan Zhongyan), who 'lived far away from the world and worried about his king', so he wanted to give it to the court." Can you make a new achievement?"
Qi Shiyi, who was helping his father, hurriedly knelt down and said, "Mr. Military Advisor, please don't misunderstand me. I guarantee it with my life. My father has no ill intentions at all! I just talked about the fist dish, and it was unintentional to touch on the pain of my father and son. It was an unintentional comment, but I felt it." "Fa, I have offended the military advisor, please forgive me." As he spoke, he kept kowtowing.
Luo Shifan pretended to say "Oh" and said in a lighter tone: "In that case, please get up and talk. However, the ins and outs need to be explained clearly. Spying on military intelligence is a serious crime of murder."
Qi Lilun bowed again and stood up, sighing: "To be honest with the military advisor, I have a son and a daughter." Pointing to Qi Shiyi, "Quan Zi also had a sister."
Qi Shiyi continued: "My sister is far more intelligent than my subordinates. She is also smart and eager to learn. She was familiar with the classics and history before she left the imperial court. My father has no intention of an official career, but love is like a pearl in the palm of his hand. However, my sister is a girl. If she were a boy, she would have already become famous. Luo Mansion. Later, she married into the Luo House in Nanyang Prefecture. The Luo family was considered a scholarly family, and she did not humiliate my sister. Unexpectedly, two years later, there was a locust plague, no crops were harvested, and hungry people were everywhere. Then Qian Yuchuan, the prefect of Nanyang Dedicated to showing off his merits, he not only suppressed the disaster but refused to report it, he even went so far as to show off his merits to the court, saying that the saintly monarch practiced Taoism and moved the heavens to make the wind and rain go smoothly, and the fields were blessed with a great harvest! Not only did he seize all the food and rations as land tax, but he also All the seeds and grains were looted! The most unbearable thing was that every morning they sent government officials and Li Zheng to check the feces from house to house - I wonder if the military advisor knew that people eat grass roots and bark, and the black particles and grains left behind are like sheep arrows (tongjiazi). The color is yellow... If a person's body is found to be yellow, the family will tear down the house and dig the ground to search for food. The person, old or young, will be tied up, hung, and beaten. The miserable condition is unspeakable. Some people can't bear the humiliation and want to save their family, so they mutilate themselves. If his belly is proven innocent, all the officials will laugh and go away, leaving him tossing and turning in a pool of blood crying..."
At this point, Luo Shifan almost wanted to start a crime. Qi Lilun sighed and said: "My son-in-law is also an official, and he went to the government office to ask for orders for the people. Unexpectedly, he was slandered and rebelled against him! First he took away his fame, and then he was sentenced to confiscation of his house and jailed, and his wife and daughter were admitted to the official position! My daughter wanted to avoid humiliation. , hanging from the beam and dying by itself.”
Luo Shifan gritted his teeth and said: "Gangguan! Don't the common people know how to be a dead end?"
Qi Shiyi said with splitting eyes and hatred: "A fish is dead and a net is broken? What if I said, these stupid people deserve to be killed more than dog officials!"
Luo Shifan asked curiously: "Brother Qi, how do you say this?"
Qi Lilun shed tears and said nothing, while Qi Shiyi said with gritted teeth: "Those stupid people are lingering, their stomachs are full of grass seeds and tree bark. Logically speaking, they should know who the culprit is, but they all seem to have been blinded by lard. The dog officer Qian Yuchuan is They deceived the ignorant people in the countryside. When they occasionally saw wild cats eating locusts, they said that the mountain spirits and ghosts were entrusted with wild cats to eat all the locusts and save the people from hanging upside down. So all the foolish people regarded the wild cats as gods and actually built temples for them. They burn incense and kneel down every day, and people are constantly worshiping them! From then on, not only do they pick all the vegetables every spring and offer them to the mountains and fields, but they also sacrifice living people! Nowadays in Nanyang, everyone is in the shape of an animal , The face is like a gaunt wood, already like a ghost!"
After hearing these words, Luo Shifan was filled with anger. Observing the words and expressions, I knew in my heart that most of them were true, but after all, it was too unbelievable, so I asked again: "According to the words of father and son, is there no one who understands in Nanyang City?"
"Those who have, such as my son-in-law." Qi Lilun said, "Over the past few years, Qian Yuchuan has found various excuses to kill them all. That guy wanted to take advantage of this to rise to the top, but he left Nanyang in ruins and ruined. When someone took over, he had no choice but to continue to serve as the prefect. However, from the Yazhong doctor to the deputy doctor, to the Tongyi doctor, and then to the official doctor...the honorary titles have been added along the way!"
Qi Shiyi continued: "This Nanyang Mansion is full of jackals and snakes and rats. I only hate that I am a useless scholar. If I can take revenge, even if I am shattered to pieces, I will have no regrets!"
Luo Shifan hesitated and said: "The dog officials deserve to be punished. I think those country fools, even if they are hateful, are still deceived by them. It seems that we should not generalize them, right?"
Qi Lilun stared at him and said, "This little old man is so bold, you are so bad as a military advisor. As the saying goes, poor people must be hateful. It is understandable that they are ignorant and ignorant in poor mountains and rivers. If they were simple and stupid, I would not be so hateful." Today, I am willing to be embarrassed and tell the truth to the military advisor. Does the military advisor know what the little girl's situation will be like after she has menstruation?"
Luo Shifan said blankly: "Everyone is dead, what else can we do?"
Qi Lilun gritted his teeth and said word by word: "Master Military Advisor, you are wrong! Those beasts are mostly bachelors and scoundrels who have never seen a woman. Before the little girl could be buried, these scoundrels got together and stripped the body naked. After all kinds of humiliation, they were disemboweled, disemboweled, and finally exposed in the wild! When the dogs rushed after hearing the news, there were no bones left! What a pity that my Qi family, which has been a scholar for generations, suffered such a tragic fate! Master Military Advisor, tell me, these things , Could it be that the dog officer taught me not to succeed!"
Qi Shiyi said: "My brother-in-law has a good reputation and a solid family background. Even if the money dog official comes around again, it will not damage his family at all. However, because of the foolish man and the foolish woman, he generously asked for life. After his house was ransacked, he was actually killed by that man. Those who petitioned for their lives were beaten to death alive in the street! Those beasts ate weeds and tree bark in their bellies, and chanted the evil spirit of lynx, jackal, and wolf in their mouths. Occasionally, when sensible people tried to persuade them, they would betray each other! What’s more, those beasts Things that are inferior to animals, in order to show respect for the evil spirit, not only the persuaders are sacrificed alive in evil temples, but also their own babies are killed as sacrifices to the evil gods!"
After hearing this tearful complaint, Luo Shifan had already lost his anger. He left his seat and said solemnly: "Mr. Qi, brother Qi, logically speaking, you are a gentry and Luo is a bandit. We should be on the same page. Luo today We know that such a tragic disaster caused by the anger of humans and gods, no matter how it happens in the future, this matter will fall on Luo. Luo swears here that he will give an explanation to you two. "
