In the twelfth lunar month of the first year of Taichu, the north and south streets of Junzhou City were desolate and deserted. The pilgrims who used to be densely packed on all sides had disappeared, and even the number of merchants traveling from north to south on the street had also decreased a lot.
Instead, Qi soldiers wearing black hats and black armor, holding firecrackers and spears, guarded the four gates of Junzhou and strictly prohibited the people from entering and exiting at will.
After Emperor Wu Ding returned to Junzhou City, his hometown did not suffer from the glory of the Supreme Emperor. On the contrary, what Liu Zhaosun brought was boundless fear and bloody and cruel killings.
Those Taoist priests who were smart and hoped to be promoted by offering auspicious blessings offended Emperor Zhenwu because of their dishonest prayers. They fell to death under the cliff of Longtou Xiangzhang while offering incense.
After the death of Taoist priest Long Touxiang, it did not shake the determination of other Taoist priests to flatter the Supreme Emperor.
The next day, several desperate Taoist priests went to Jingle Palace to seek an audience with the Supreme Emperor. They heard that the Supreme Emperor was in poor health - this understanding probably originated from the outside world's stereotype of Liu Zhaosun before the explosion of Wang Gongchang.
The Taoist priests sang the Fuqi ballad, which roughly talked about the relationship between Dantian and longevity:
My family grows their own fields, which can produce spiritual seedlings that can live for thousands of years.
The flowers are like golden buds but not big, and the seeds are like jade. The fruits are all round.
Cultivation is all done with the soil of Zhonggong, and irrigation is done with Shangguquan.
One day, when his merits are fulfilled, he will be the Great Immortal of Penglai.
Liu Zhaosun was deeply impressed by this limerick. After listening to the Taoist priest's nonsense, he took the medicine gourd presented and carefully poured out the "elixir" one by one.
"What does this smell like?"
The Taoist priest who offered the elixir could not kneel down and replied with a loud sound:
"Your Majesty, this is Wudang Millennium Ganoderma lucidum, Polygonum multiflorum, Chuanxiong, Angelica sinensis, Atractylodes..."
Liu Zhaosun put the elixir in front of his nose, which was more powerful than a dog, and sniffed it carefully, judging that it was rich in mercury, heavy metals, sulfur, arsenic and other deadly medicinal materials.
He wondered whether the Taoist priest was offering medicine or plotting an assassination.
"Someone, take down the assassin!"
Zhang Dong and others rushed forward like hungry tigers.
The Supreme Emperor characterized this matter as a great disrespect to the gods and the country, and a serious crime of treason. He used this as an excuse to massacre Taoists. Thousands of Taoist priests were implicated, either executed or arrested and imprisoned.
The First Corps has completely controlled the entire city of Junzhou, and then the Zhenfu soldiers entered the city and began to search the city. They arrested the rebels in an orderly manner, hurriedly interrogated, and then escorted the prisoners to the Longshan Tower in the southeast of the city and executed them in public.
There is a Longshan Pagoda, also known as Wenbi Pagoda, on the North Rock of Longshan seven miles southeast of Junzhou City (i.e. Shaoshui Kou). It was built during the Jiajing period and sits on a cliff near the river. It is as simple as ever. It faces Canglang Pavilion across the water, and to the south is the undulating mountains. The mountains are steep and steep, with clouds surrounding the mountains, mist over the peaks, water mist and mist, and a vast expanse of sky. Whenever it drizzles and the smoke is misty, the smoke and clouds match the colors of the trees, the peaks tower like dragons, the mountains look like colorful dragons in the smoke, and the towers look like mirages in the sea, just like a fairyland.
"Longshan Smoke and Rain" is one of the eight scenic spots in ancient Junzhou. It refers to a unique natural landscape that occurs on Longshan Mountain. Whenever the weather is about to change, smoke will rise from Longshan Mountain, which indicates that rainy days are coming.
"Junzhou Chronicles" records: "The rain is about to come, and the wind fills the building. When there is rain in Junzhou, you can see Longshan."
The remaining seven scenes are: Fangshan Qingxue, Huaiyin Ancient Ferry, Canglang Green Water, Huangfeng Evening Green, Wild Geese and Lotus Pond, East Tower Watching the Moon, and Tianzhu Xiaoqing.
In this era, you can pick up any remote place at random, and with the careful analysis of literati and poets, you can make up eight scenic spots for you if there are not ten.
When Chinese people look at mountains and rivers, what they see is the actual scene, but what they think about is the artistic conception, as well as the history and culture behind it.
Scenes are named after literature, so many scenic spots like to add various histories and celebrity anecdotes. For example, Canglang Pavilion, one of the eight scenic spots in Junzhou, actually does not matter when it was built. Qu Yuan once wrote a poem here. (Note 1) is important.
Of course, more importantly, the eight scenic spots in Junzhou are of great significance to the founding emperor of Da Qi. Liu Zhaosun spent his childhood beside the Yanluo Lotus Pond, one of the eight scenic spots. The memory of his childhood will accompany people throughout his life.
Therefore, one day Emperor Wu Ding returned to his hometown again. He did not "win the crown" like Xiang Yu, nor did he sing any big wind songs like Liu Bang. He wished that everyone in the world would know that he was prosperous.
Emperor Wu Ding wanted to give his hometown a new meaning and give the ancient city of Junzhou a new life amidst the ashes.
This small town in northern Hubei with a history of thousands of years has officially entered its darkest moment.
After the Taoist priests failed to seek immortality and fell into the abyss, a large number of Taoist priests, gentry and subordinate officials around Junzhou were arrested and imprisoned at the same time.
~~~~
"Why does Your Majesty want to kill all these monks?"
These days, Jin Yuji has gradually become accustomed to the cruelty displayed by her husband.
However, I really can't bear to see my husband attack these kind-looking monks today.
The Empress Dowager Cisheng's impression of Taoist priests mainly came from Taoist Zhang Yixing who lived in the Qing Palace on the outskirts of Shenyang. Taoist Zhang was a model of Taoism because of his profound magic and warm ancient ways.
"The Queen Mother doesn't know something," Emperor Wu Ding patiently explained to Jin Yuji.
"This place is a royal monastery, and even the surrounding mountains and forests are forbidden areas. If ordinary people break in, it is a serious crime of beheading. When I was young, I witnessed someone accidentally entering the mountains and forests, and being arrested and put into state and county jails. They entered alive and came out dead. .”
The person Liu Zhaosun was talking about was his childhood friend, a sheepherder who was not afraid of anything. His name was Tianxing. Because his family could not pay the fine, he finally died of illness in the county jail. If he were still alive now, he might be the right-hand man of Emperor Wu Ding. .
"Did you know that we, the people of Junzhou, have three huge mountains above our heads, weighing us down so much that we can hardly breathe?"
Emperor Wu Ding's eyes were slightly red. Jin Yuji realized her husband's mood changes and quickly opened her beautiful big eyes to listen carefully.
"Civil officials sent by the imperial court, Ti Dian (stationed eunuchs) sent by the emperor, and local garrison troops. These gentlemen are each more greedy than the last and collude with each other. They are not only greedy for incense and money, but they also abuse the people's bones and marrow."
Liu Zhaosun seemed to have gone back many years ago. He did not care that he was already the Supreme Emperor of Qi. He gritted his teeth when he mentioned the officials, Taoists and eunuchs in Junzhou, as if he was mentioning the enemy who killed his father.
"More than half of the land in Junzhou is occupied by Taoist priests. As a royal dojo, if the people want to survive, they must either fish hard in the Han River or work as tenants for the Taoist priests. The tenant rent collected by the Jiugong Taoist priests It reaches 70%, which is comparable to Duke Yansheng in Qufu who was cut to pieces by me with a thousand swords."
"The common people's rents are heavy and their lives are difficult. They have to bear various corvées every year, such as repairing Taoist temples and setting up monasteries. Rich people hire people to do these things. But poor people without money have no choice but to go out and escape to nearby areas when life goes on. Many people died on the road in Jingxiang Mountain Forest."
The so-called Jing and Xiangyang areas refer to the large area located in the east of Zhongnan Mountain, to Tongbai Mountain and Dabie Mountain in the southeast, to Funiu Mountain in the northeast, and at the junction of Hubei, Henan and Shaanxi provinces.
This area is densely forested and fertile, suitable for agricultural operations. It was one of the important granaries of Huguang at that time.
The Empress Dowager Cisheng became trembling when she heard the Emperor's voice. After hesitating for a while, she still asked:
"Husband, what about your parents? Where were they at that time?"
Emperor Wu Ding was slightly startled. He did not expect Jin Yuji to ask this question:
"My parents sold everything they could sell at home and took my brother and me to flee to Yunyang. My parents and brother died of illness one after another. I buried them with straw mats on a grassy path in Yunyang Mountain."
"Just when I was about to die, I happened to meet my adoptive father who went south to fight the rebellion. My adoptive father took me in the army. That happened in the autumn of the thirty-seventh year of Wanli..."
The long-lost memories were reawakened. The memories that were originally thought to have been forgotten suddenly became extremely clear at this moment, playing in front of Liu Zhaosun's eyes over and over like a slide.
"How old were you then?"
"Eleven years old."
Liu Zhaosun looked up at his woman.
"Jin Yuji, tell me, should I kill these borers?"
"Deserves to be killed."
"I promised you to take you boating on the Han River. Now that the Han River is right in front of you, are you still willing to sleep together in the boat?"
Jin Yuji raised her head and looked at the misty rain of Longshan Mountain stained red with human blood above the Han River, and said without thinking:
"willing."
Note:
1. Qu Yuan said: "I heard that those who are newly bathed must flick their crowns, and those who are newly bathed must shake their clothes. How can one be able to inspect the body and receive the warmth of things? I would rather go to the Xiang River and be buried in the river fish. In the belly, how can it be so white and covered with the dust of the world?"
The fisherman smiled and walked away, singing: "The water in Canglang is clear, so I can wash my tassel; the water in Canglang is turbid, I can wash my feet." Then he left and said nothing more. ——"Li Sao"
7017k
