In the courtyard of the Prefect's Mansion, Xi Yangyu was having a drink with the Yue King Li Hui.
"... When I was traveling in my early years, I stayed overnight in a remote mountain in the Kingdom of Jing. In my dream, I saw a strange beast as big as an elephant and with a short nose like a pig. Its teeth were shaped like saw teeth. When it spoke, It will turn the whole body out of the mouth. Now that I think about it, it may be the '彖' in the Book of Changes. The word "彖" means an elephant (彖 said), and the word Yao means a small elephant ("xiang said"). The word "xiang" means "xiang". Those who are like all things are also..."
"'Yu' is a rare and exotic beast that has been extinct for many years. It is very timid and will be frightened by any disturbance. Therefore, it has to climb to the treetop every day and look around to make sure there is no risk. After climbing down from the tree, it is still not safe. Don't worry, I have to climb the tree again. I am so hesitant and hesitant, so there is a word "hesitation" in the world. In my early years, I was lucky enough to buy a piece of leather from a Zhou merchant.
If His Highness is interested, I will send him to the palace after the plague dissipates. "
Xi Yangyu fanned his fan gracefully and talked eloquently, from Nianxue to Taoist scriptures, and then from Taoist scriptures to strange beasts.
Li Hui always smiled and nodded in agreement from time to time, "Thank you so much, Xi Siye.
Every time I talk to Xi Siye, I can broaden my horizons. If it weren't for the heavy burden of being a prince, I would really like to travel all over the world like previous tours. "
"It's not a bad thing to travel around the world. There are poisonous insects, ferocious beasts, and evil cultivators. The danger is still too great."
Xi Yangyu smiled and said: "His Royal Highness is a prince, and he is the governor of a remote state, and the military governor of the seven states of Xiang, Wei, Li, Wei, Ming, Xing and Bei. He has a high position and a distinguished status.
As the saying goes, a gentleman does not stand behind a dangerous wall. This kind of thing should be left to his subordinates. "
"Si Ye's statement is exactly the same as the old gentleman in my house."
Li Hui smiled helplessly, "These years in the Academy may be the happiest and freest days in my life."
When Xi Yangyu heard this, his eyes moved slightly, but he just sighed slightly.
Li Hui casually picked up the porcelain wine glass on the table, admired the patterns on it, and suddenly said: "Xi Siye, you are well-informed. When I was supervising the military in Xiangzhou, I accidentally heard a folk story."
"oh?"
Xi Yangyu's smile was a little forced, "What is it?"
"It's about the former Sui Dynasty. Yuchi Jiong, the general manager of the Yecheng government at that time, was unruly and wanted to coerce the people and soldiers of Yecheng to rebel. In the end, his deeds were exposed, and Yecheng was burned down by the former Sui court. And the people of Yecheng have since It was moved to Xiangzhou for governance."
Li Hui said unhurriedly: "This matter is full of doubts. I wonder how Yuchijiong, who is just a general manager, can convince the people and soldiers in the city to join him in rebellion.
When the former Sui court heard the news of the rebellion, they actually chose the most violent and cruel method of burning down the entire city, not just the first culprit.
I checked the libraries in the academy and the palace, and found that most of the classics in them were unclear. "
Li Hui glanced at Xi Yangyu, but when he saw that the other party still had no response, he continued: "I was very interested in this, so I asked my subordinates to investigate again. I visited the elderly in the mountain villages around Xiangzhou and heard another version of the story.
Yecheng was the Buddhist capital at that time, and the people in the city worshiped and worshiped Buddha. The Buddha they worship is called Thousand-headed Buddha. It looks like a pagoda with a thousand heads and tens of thousands of arms. It looks like a Buddha but not a Buddha.
At that time, Yuchi Jiong saw the true form of the Thousand-headed Buddha and almost fell into madness.
What frightened him even more was that, except for him, no one in the city thought there was anything abnormal about enshrining such a 'thing'.
So he ordered the whole city to be set on fire, and the precarious Sui court, in order to cover up such an evil scandal, also described the matter as a failed rebellion. "
After that, Li Hui took out a stone box with a magic sealing talisman from his arms, placed it gently on the table, opened it and pushed it towards Xi Yangyu, "This is the Thousand-headed Buddha statue that my men collected from that mountain village. .”
I saw a conical stone Buddha statue lying quietly among the pure white silk cushioned by the stone box. The carving was poor and full of traces of wind and rain erosion. Countless Buddha heads and hands could be vaguely seen.
"It's also a rare thing. Just think of it as a return gift from Xi Siye for your beast leather."
Li Hui smiled.
Xi Yangyu's eyes were fixed on the Buddha statue. After a moment, he pulled away and said with a forced smile: "His Highness is so kind to me. It's really embarrassing."
"Why bother saying that, Xi Siye, you are my teacher who inspired me to study, please accept it."
"Then I would rather be respectful than obey your orders."
Xi Yangyu slowly closed the lid of the stone box, stood up and said, "I suddenly remembered that there are still some documents brought from the academy that have not been processed. Please leave first."
"Sir, walk slowly."
Li Hui looked at Xi Yangyu's back as he turned away. When the other party was completely far away and the guard standing like a stake in the corner of the courtyard nodded to indicate to him, he slowly let out a breath of filthy breath.
Dealing with smart people is hard work.
What they said just now seems to be ordinary, but in fact it is a mutual test between Li Hui and Xi Yangyu.
Nowadays, the overt and covert struggle between the King of Yue and the Crown Prince has become more and more obvious. Both sides are recruiting troops in the court, and even extend their connections to the army, the Zhenfu Division, and the Academy.
The King of Yue always wanted to conquer Xi Yangyu for his own use.
Xi Yangyu first mentioned "彖", "彖" means "huxiang". It means to determine bad luck. As the secretary of the academy, Xi Yangyu has a transcendent status. He does not want to get involved in the unpredictable succession dispute when His Majesty is at the peak of his power and the Mountain Chief has not yet retired.
Juju's explanation also speaks of his hesitation.
The King of Yue mentioned that he also wanted to travel like a school tour, which elicited Xi Yangyu's persuasion that was neither salty nor bland, and just brought the topic to Xi Yangyu's words, which were very similar to the nagging persuasion of the old gentlemen in his palace.
This is the second implicit invitation.
"These years in the academy may have been the happiest and freest days in my life,"
It also expresses the determination of the King of Yue who does not want to succumb to the status of a prince and wants to take a step towards the more claustrophobic and profound palace.
If you are an ordinary bureaucrat,
Li Hui didn't need to spend so much thought on creating an atmosphere, carefully crafting the meaning behind every sentence, constantly inviting the other party warmly, and tying the other party to his chariot.
Just show your identity and future.
But for the aloof status of the Academy Secretary, Li Hui could only proceed step by step and test again and again.
Fortunately, the result is still perfect.
At the end of the conversation, Xi Yangyu still called himself "Chen".
'It seems that, as the person I arranged in the Zhenfu Division said, Xi Yangyu was interested in the Thousand-headed Buddha in Xiangzhou during the pre-Sui Dynasty.
But, what's the secret behind this? Could it be related to Xi Yangyu's left hand, which was always invisible? '
Li Hui paused, shook his head, and put the matter behind him.
There was no way he could force a Zhuxiao monk to tell the secrets about his wealth and life, not to mention which Zhuxiao monk didn't have some secrets. As a superior, there was no need to make it so clear.
"Xi Yangyu is gone?"
The girl's voice came from outside the courtyard. Li Hui looked at Li Leling walking towards him with curled lips, and rubbed his brows helplessly, "After all, he is our secretary in the academy, so it's better to show some respect."
Li Leling said in a cold tone: "The plague in the city is so serious. As a telepathic master who receives a salary from the Yu State, instead of using telepathy to help build wards and dig waterways, he drinks and chats in the mansion. Why should he be too respectful?"
"The Chang'an court did not appoint him here. He is mainly here to protect his only daughter. It is normal not to help with repairs and construction."
Regarding the person he was recruiting, Li Hui still defended Xi Yangyu,
Li Hui rubbed her chin, squinted her eyes, looked at Li Leling, and said with a smile: "Why, someone already loves the house and hates the house and the bird before they have even walked in?"
The personal grudge between Li Ang and Xi Yangyu is not a secret in the academy.
The reason why Li Leling dislikes Xi Yangyu is largely because Li Ang, a mere ordinary student, is exhausted from developing special medicines.
Xi Yangyu, who is the secretary of the Academy, can drink tea leisurely all day long.
"Fourth brother!"
When she mentioned the affair, Li Leling's face turned red, she folded her hands in front of her angrily, and her mouth pursed unconsciously.
"Okay, okay, I made a mistake because of my brother, can I punish myself with a drink?"
Li Hui poured herself a glass of wine with a playful smile and drank it all in one gulp. I feel a little sad in my heart.
Since attending school in the academy and getting to know Li Ang, Li Leling is no longer as languid as when she was ill. There are many more smiles on her face, and her coquettish behavior is still the same as when she was a child.
But...
Li Hui put down the wine glass for a moment. Li Ang was indeed very good. Even after thousands of years,
The state of Yu, Li Yu's clan, and Li Hui himself were all buried in the loess.
Li Ang can also rely on penicillium and artemisinin to shine in the annals of history.
But being a saint does not necessarily mean that he is a good husband...
"Fourth brother? Fourth brother?"
Li Leling's voice brought Li Hui back to reality, and the girl said angrily: "I'm talking to you."
"Sorry, I got distracted after drinking."
Li Hui smiled apologetically, "What did you say just now?"
Li Leling babbled: "I said, you are also very concerned about the affairs of Taiyuan Mansion.
In addition to the plague, there is also the autumn harvest outside the city. There is so much food to harvest. Thousands of villagers are trapped in isolation on their farms. They can wait, but the food in the fields cannot wait. "
"Understood, I will let people do it. The soldiers and monks will help harvest the grain, and each business will transfer, sell, hoard, and turn it over. The money obtained from selling the grain will be returned to the villagers, and any excess will be refunded. No. Let the villagers suffer.
Is this okay? "
Li Hui said to her sister with a smile, sighing again in her heart.
Li Leling has been smart since she was a child, but now that autumn is almost over, the food in the fields cannot wait any longer. If it is not harvested early, it will be the people at the bottom who will suffer in the end.
By then, there might be villains who would blame the reduction of grain production and the bankruptcy of farmers on the strategy to contain the plague and Li Ang, who formulated the strategy.
The majestic Princess Guanghua, the most favored pearl of the empire by the emperor and empress, considers Li Ang so considerately and meticulously,
The latter still spent all day and night in the laboratory with Dr. Qiu Feng. The folding beds they slept on were put together and they almost covered themselves with the same quilt.
This is really a bit...
Tauren feeling?
Li Hui rubbed his smooth chin and once again thought of the novel terms spread from the Chang'an Lanling Newspaper.
Li Leling had no idea what was going on in Li Hui's head, and was still talking about the plague.
Until the guard in the corner of the courtyard stepped forward with a solemn expression holding a piece of paper, "Your Highness, we just received a secret report."
"What a secret report."
Li Hui took the note and glanced at it casually. Then his expression changed suddenly and he said in a deep voice: "Summon the Taiyuan Prefect immediately, no, not just the Prefect, call Xi Siye, He Fanshuang and the others."
————
After a while, most of the important people in Taiyuan Mansion, such as the captain of Zhenfusi, the general of Zhechong Mansion, etc., were summoned to the hall of the Taishou Mansion.
Li Hui deliberately did not call the leader of the Haotian Taoist Temple in Taiyuan Prefecture, the representative of the Wang family, etc. to ensure that the people present were all his own.
"Let's take a look."
Li Hui glanced across the hall and threw the secret report and a few talismans on the table with the ink not yet completely dry.
"Is this...a talisman?"
The general of Zhe Chong Mansion looked at the talismans with strange images of children on them, and looked puzzled, "Don't all talismans have words on them?"
"Not all talismans are words,"
The Lieutenant of the Zhenfu Division of Taiyuan Prefecture said with a solemn expression: "Like the Shensha Yunlu, the inscriptions inside are a mixture of words and images.
The more parts of the image, the older the origin of the talisman. "
"This is the Plague Ghost Talisman."
Xi Yangyu and He Fanshuang spoke at the same time. He Fanshuang paused and did not continue.
Xi Yangyu explained with an indifferent expression: "It originated in the late Han Dynasty. It is said to be able to resist epidemic ghosts.
However, it has been tested by monks and schools of all ages and has no effect. It is most likely an ineffective invention used by some country monk to make money. "
After saying that, he paused, observed the characteristics of the talismans again, and said solemnly: "It's just that the paper, ink marks, brushwork, and drying time of these talismans are all different.
It was written by different people, at different times, in different places, using different materials.
The shape of the pattern is also different from the original plague ghost talisman. "
"Yes, this is what a retainer of my house found in the slums in the south of the city. Someone posted these talismans and the instructions for using them on the doors of every house."
Li Hui nodded, and with a wave of his hand, the guard behind him placed a stack of paper on the table.
It contains the specific effects of the Plague Ghost Talisman and detailed usage methods.
"...By posting the plague ghost charm on the doorstep of other people's homes, you can transfer the plague ghost to others and protect yourself from disaster."
The captain of the Zhenfu Division read the above words word for word, his face turned livid, "This must be a conspiracy of evil heretics!"
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