Ninggu Pagoda.
It was the beginning of winter, with thick clouds and a strong wind blowing through the night, and the heavy snow covered this bitter cold land again.
As the sky dimmed, the Balipu Military Station opened the barracks door early. A group of soldiers came out of the barracks and immediately got busy, clearing away the snow and dumping horse manure.
The surroundings gradually became lively, birds and smoke rose from the ground, and vehicles and horses began to come and go from this little imperial soldier station.
Since the end of the Eastern Expedition to Japan, there has been no fighting between the north and the south of Da Qi for more than a year. Like other military depots, Balipu Military Depot has lost the hustle and bustle of the past.
In May of the sixth year of Guangde, the newly enthroned Emperor Guangde issued an order to disband the army. In addition to the major corps, nearly a thousand military depots and more than 30,000 depot soldiers across the country were also disbanded.
It is still doubtful whether there is Li Zicheng in parallel time and space among these more than 30,000 post soldiers. However, what is certain is that the status and role of the military station are not as good as before.
In an extremely cold place, the days are short in winter and it reaches noon very quickly.
The soldiers who had been busy for a long time put down their work and sat around the square table, chewing meat cakes and drinking hot mutton soup. After several bowls of hot soup, everyone's face was red, and waves of warmth rose from the soles of their feet. .
"Being able to drink a steaming bowl of mutton soup and meatloaf on this snowy day is really a blessing from my past life."
A plump postman chuckled.
"Fat Wang, you have to thank Zhong Tou'er. Without his care, we would have been like the military station next door, drinking from the northwest wind."
Another buck-toothed postman said, nodding to the flag captain sitting next to him.
The flag captain looked at Buck Teeth with a complicated expression, the scar on his face trembled slightly. Buck Teeth immediately stopped talking, picked up a piece of meat pie, and handed it to Zhong Tou respectfully.
"Zhongshou, please."
Zhong Dafa took the meat pie, stuffed it into his mouth, pulled hard, pulled off a piece, and threw the rest of the pie on the table. He lowered his voice to several confidants around him and said:
"The emperor has changed, the limelight has changed, and we must also change. This is what we relied on before,"
Zhong Dafa patted the fire gun hanging on his waist, pointed to the scar on his face and said:
"This is when I followed the Supreme Emperor to attack North Korea and let North Korean bows and arrows shoot."
Even though Zhong Dafa had recounted his arrow wound not eight hundred times but a thousand times, the faces of his subordinates still showed signs of astonishment.
"What a waste of this arrow! Just transfer me back to the pass from Pyongyang. After I recover from my injury, I will come to Ninggu Pagoda to be your messenger."
"In the past, the imperial court valued military merit, so we common people thought about fighting day and night. Now, what matters is white silver and yellow gold. The new emperor is now selling fields and mines. , I heard that even the military depot wants to rent it out..."
After hearing this, all the subordinates burst into hearty laughter and echoed with inappropriately bucked teeth:
"Twelve of the eighteen military stations in Ningguta have been laid off. Among the remaining six, we are the ones who have the best life. Thanks to such a talented person as Zhong, who can kill the enemy in battle and dismount. Doing business, what the hell, being both civil and military."
Zhongda raised his hand to signal Bucktooth to stop talking.
"A horse will not be fat without weeds, and a man will not be rich without windfall. In this Ninggu Pagoda, if you want to get money, you have to be ruthless and have dark hands. You can follow me, Zhong Dafa, eat meat and drink soup, but don't smack your lips, it will make people jealous. It’s easy to cause trouble, you know?”
All the confidants said yes one after another.
"Stop talking, eat meat and drink wine."
A group of post soldiers were having a good time with wine. The sound of horse hooves could be heard outside. Zhong Dafa frowned. It was snowing and the mountains were closed. Someone came to the military station so early to deliver a message?
He put down the wine bowl and motioned for Buck Teeth to go out and take a look. Buck Teeth muttered, "I'm afraid the colt that got lost the day before yesterday came back..."
Before Buck Teeth could finish speaking, a eunuch's shout rang out from outside.
"Where have all the people died? The imperial envoy checked and didn't come out to greet us!"
When Zhong Dafa heard this, he was half sober. He kicked over the wine table, hurriedly straightened his clothes, led a group of postmen and went out.
The door is gone.
As soon as I walked out of the gate of the military station, I saw seven or eight eunuchs in black robes with black pythons tattooed on their sleeves. They were surrounded by a carriage and had been waiting in the snow for a long time.
After all, Zhong Dafa was well-informed. He had been to the capital in his early years and could tell at a glance that these were all people in the palace, and all of them were of high rank. As for the people in the sedan, they were extremely noble.
He quickly fell to his knees and said he should die.
A group of postmen behind him also knelt down before they could figure out what was going on.
After a while, a high-pitched and hoarse voice came from the carriage:
"It is said that Ninggu Pagoda is the gate of hell. The several military stations in Ninggu Pagoda are the Naihe Bridge where the gate of hell is closed. The gods and little ghosts have to shed a layer of skin every time they go there. It seems that our family has been in the palace for a long time, so we still know. Too little,"
After saying that, with the support of his two father-in-laws, he stepped out of the carriage, walked straight to Zhong Dafa, and whispered:
"Zhong Dafa, how dare you take money from me? Do you still want to take money from the emperor?"
Zhong Dafa quickly explained: "It's all the people below who don't understand the rules. They didn't know the two in front were your subordinates just now..."
As Zhong Dafa spoke, he looked around hurriedly, and all his subordinates turned their heads to the side knowingly.
"Eunuch Li, this is the official's wish. Quan is supposed to be a blessing to Eunuch Li. My father-in-law is here on official business. I have other filial piety for the past few days."
Li Juying took the Dongzhu from Zhong Dafa from her sleeve and weighed it in her hand. It was quite heavy.
Then the expression on his face softened slightly and he said with a smile: "Otherwise, I would say you, Zhong Dafa, are sensible."
After that, without looking at the person kneeling in front of him, he walked straight towards the wing.
Zhong Dafa shouted from behind: "Please clean up the five upper rooms for the superiors!"
~~~~
That night, Zhong Dafa held a grand banquet to entertain Li Juying and his party.
After having enough wine and food, Li Juying retreated from everyone, leaving only Zhong Dafa alone.
"Father, who should I take this time? Zhang Dai or..."
Eunuch Li shook his head and said with a smile:
"This time our family came to Ningguta, not to pick up anyone,"
"That's it?" Zhong Dafa respectfully held up a stack of dried fruits.
Li Juying picked up a preserved apricot from the plate and put it in her mouth.
"Looking up a letter, to be precise, it is a treasonous letter,"
Zhong Dafa's face was full of surprise, and he wanted to ask again, but Li Juying said coldly:
"Old Zhong, how did you get from an auxiliary soldier to a postmaster?"
Zhong Dafa quickly knelt down and said, "They were all cultivated by Emperor Guangde. Without Emperor Guangde, I, Zhong Dafa, would not be where I am today."
Li Juying smiled and helped Zhong Dafa up.
"The Coil Yiwei found an official writing a letter to a certain criminal in Ninggu Tower in the pass. The criminal was sent here because he opposed the emperor's new policy. The official advised the criminal to be careful and not to be too public, and he didn't want the criminal to do anything. Without repentance, he is getting more and more rampant. The official in the customs has already recruited him. Our family came here just to find the original letter, which should still be at your military station."
Zhong Dafa was surprised and said: "It's just a letter. Why don't Eunuch Li leave in person? Just send a raincoat guard."
Eunuch Li waved his hand and said: "This matter is of great importance. Someone from the imperial court is already involved in it. It is also related to the safety of the New Deal. The emperor wants to catch a model..."
~~~~~
A letter sent from Ning Guta to Nanjing was held in Li Juying's hand at this moment.
Zhong Dafa stood under the bright whale oil lamp and listened uneasily to Eunuch Li's reading.
"My talents are low, my behavior is despicable, and my external performance and internal qualities have not been fully cultivated. Fortunately, I rely on the merits left by my ancestors to serve as the commander of the corps. I also encountered an extraordinary incident, so I was named a marquis, but I have never been competent. , and eventually suffered a disaster. You pitied my ignorance and wrote a letter to teach me about my lack of discipline. Your sincerity is very deep. But I personally
I blame you for not delving into the root cause of the matter, but for rashly following the world's damage and praise. Let me tell you my humble opinion, which seems to be contrary to the purpose of your letter and cover up my own fault; if I keep silent, I am afraid it violates the principle of Confucius that everyone should express his or her own ambition. That's why I dare to briefly talk about my humble opinion. I hope you can think about it.
When the Pu family was prosperous, I was also among the nine ministers, with the title of Tonghou, in charge of an army of 50,000, and participated in the major affairs of the country. I can't make any achievements at such a time to promote the emperor's virtues, and I can't work together with my colleagues to assist the court and make up for the shortcomings. I have been accused for a long time of stealing high positions and free salary. I was greedy for salary, position and power, so I couldn't resign voluntarily. Finally, something unexpected happened and I was reported for nothing. First, he was imprisoned in the building in the north of the palace, and his wife and children were all imprisoned in the prison.
Now that he has been sent to Ninggu Pagoda, at this time, he feels that killing the entire clan is not enough to pay for his crime. How could he expect to save his head and go to worship the tombs of his ancestors? I fell on my face and thought about the Lord's kindness that is beyond measure. The gentleman's body and mind are immersed in morality and he is so happy that he forgets his sorrow; the villain saves his life and is so happy that he forgets his own sins. Privately, I reflected on myself that my fault had been too great and my behavior had fallen short. I was going to spend my life as a farmer for a long time. Therefore, he personally led his wife and children in this bitter cold land and worked hard to cultivate crops, plant mulberry and raise silkworms, irrigate orchards, and run industries to pay taxes to the government. Unexpectedly, he was criticized and criticized for doing so.
Sages also do not prohibit things that cannot be restricted by human emotions. Therefore, even if the most noble king and the closest father are in mourning for them, there will be an end. It has been a year since I was offended. Farmers work hard, and when they hold sacrifices during the Dog Day and Winter Day of the year, they cook mutton, roast lamb, and pour a pot of wine to comfort themselves. My hometown is in Chudi, so I am good at Chudi musical instruments. His wife is a woman from Zhao Di, and she is always good at playing the harp. There are also some slaves who can sing. After drinking, my ears feel hot, I face the sky with my head held high, I bang the fou with my free hand, and sing to the beat.
The lyrics are: "I work hard in farming on Nanshan, and there are too many thorns and weeds to clear out. I plant beans for an acre of land, but only receive a useless beanstalk. In life, it is better to enjoy life in time. Who knows when you will enjoy wealth and wealth? What time!"
On days like this, I was so excited that I swung my sleeves up and down, kicked my feet hard on the ground, and danced at will. It was true that I was having fun without restraint, but I didn't understand what was wrong with this. Fortunately, I still have some savings from my salary, and I am running a business of buying at low prices and selling at high prices, pursuing the tenth of a small profit. This is something that gentlemen disdain only businessmen can do. It is despised and humiliated, but I did it myself. I often shudder at the fact that people of low status are the targets of slander. Even if people who know me well are willing to ridicule me, how can anyone praise me? Didn't Dong Zhongshu once say: "Being hasty in seeking benevolence and righteousness, often worrying about not being able to influence the people with benevolence and righteousness, this is the intention of the high officials. Being hasty in seeking wealth and profit, often worrying about poverty and poverty, is this the common people Things." Therefore, people with different beliefs have nothing to discuss with each other. How can you blame me now with Doctor Qing's request?
Nowadays, the prosperous Daqi is at its peak. The emperor is wise and all officials are honest. I hope you will work hard, so I won’t say more.
Pu Gang
On the eighth day of October in the sixth year of Guangde, at Ninggu Pagoda
