Xu Zongwen lay on his side on the ground, rubbing his feet on the ground and approaching Xu Dao: "Old man, how long have you been imprisoned?"
The old Taoist raised his head, his eyes slowly followed, his face darkened, and he thought for a moment: "Only ten years? Twenty years?"
"So long?" Xu Zongwen opened his eyes wide and took a breath of air!
Xu Zongwen asked: "Old man, what did you commit? Why were you detained for so long?"
The old man snorted lightly and suddenly laughed for some reason: "Boy, knowing too much will not do you any good."
Xu Zongwen spent a lot of time observing this old man in the past two days. He was very slovenly. He ate everything he could find, including the jailer’s leftover food, moldy rice porridge mixed with sand and gravel, rats, cockroaches, etc. in the cell. spider……
Although it is disgusting, it is understandable. After all, no one wants to die and everyone wants to live.
Moreover, Xu Zongwen also ate what the old man had eaten when he was participating in wilderness survival training in the army. However, after a few years, he had already forgotten the situation at that time.
Now that he saw the old man in front of him peeling off the fur of the mouse, digging deep into the internal organs, removing the head and tail, and then chewing it raw like that, Xu Zongwen suddenly recalled it!
Survival is human nature!
On the surface, the old Taoist seemed to care about the current affairs more than anyone else. Xu Zongwen noticed that he had repeatedly inquired about the Five Pecks of Rice Road with the jailer he was friends with.
The Five Pecks of Rice Dao, also known as the Zhengyi Dao, Tianshi Dao, and Zhengyi Mengwei Dao, is the earliest sect of Taoism.
According to historical records, during the period of Emperor Shun of the Han Dynasty, it was founded by Zhang Daoling in Heming Mountain, Shu County.
According to records, anyone who enters the Tao must bring out five buckets of rice, hence the name, and it is also called the Five Bucks of Rice Tao.
Because the believers respect Zhang Daoling as the Celestial Master, it is also called Celestial Master Dao.
At present, the most prosperous Taoist school in Jiangzuo is Tianshi Dao. Its orthodox sect is Du Mingshi. Du Mingshi’s real name is Du Zigong. He has been an immortal for many years. The mantle is inherited by his second disciple Jingyuan Zhenren. This Jingyuan Zhenren is now the master. Today, with the favor of the Emperor of Jin Dynasty, entering and leaving Taicheng is like his own family, and his disciples and grandchildren are all over the states and counties in the south of the Yangtze River.
There are two trends among the gentry children in the south of the Yangtze River. One is to take Wushi Powder, and the other is to enter the Celestial Master's Way and take a Taoist name, which means adding a zigzag to the name. This zigzag is the symbol of the Celestial Master's Way.
At first glance, the names of Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, and Wang Ningzhi, father and son, are thought to be the ranking of brothers. In fact, they are not. Wang Xizhi is the father of Wang Xianzhi and Wang Ningzhi. Such examples are common among the Jiangnan gentry.
A glimpse of the whole thing reveals the influence of Tianshi Dao in the south of the Yangtze River!
"Old man, what is your relationship with Tianshi Dao?" Xu Zongwen asked tentatively.
The old Taoist blinked, and instantly hid the bright color in his eyes, with a slight smile: "I am a poor Taoist, I am just an ordinary disciple of Tianshi Tao!"
Although the old Taoist kept it extremely secretive, Xu Zongwen still noticed something strange. When Xu Zongwen mentioned the three words Tianshi Dao just now, the old Taoist's neck suddenly straightened up, and his eyes seemed to change. Although he could not see clearly, it was obvious that the old Taoist must have Covering something.
Xu Zongwen didn't expose it, but just laughed: "It turns out to be the Taoist Master of Tianshi Tao. I'm rude, I'm rude!"
"Cell leader, cell leader?" Xu Zongwen stood up and moved toward the small door of the cell. He didn't want to waste any more effort, "People? Are they all dead?"
Xu Zongwen's shout alerted the jailer, and also made the old man look at him slightly. He wanted to see what tricks Xu Zongwen was going to play.
The jailer was dozing off. He was woken up by Xu Zongwen. He was in a bad mood and was about to take out the whip from his waist. When Xu Zongwen saw this, he immediately took out a jewel from his pocket and handed it over.
"Brother, look at you like this and you haven't gotten married yet, right?" Xu Zongwen's face was filled with concern.
The jailer had a childish face, holding the orb, his eyes were shining, and he nodded repeatedly: "My family has announced a marriage, but the monthly salary is not enough. It will take a year to prepare for the wedding ceremony."
Xu Zongwen snickered, and he took out another orb: "With these two orbs, you will buy a betrothal gift immediately, and you can get a wife as soon as next month."
The jailer carefully hid the two orbs and bowed to Xu Zongwen: "Thank you so much, Master. You are my great benefactor! But such a precious orb is probably worth a lot, right? Although the younger one has only been on duty for two months, he is a worldly person. I still understand that if you have the truth, you will not be rewarded for your merits. The master has done such a great thing, how should the villain repay him?"
"No problem, it's just two hundred taels of silver, little brother, all you need is this, this..." Xu Zongwen asked the jailer to come over and whispered to him.
The old Taoist next door saw it so clearly that he was dumbfounded. This relationship was so good that they immediately became brothers!
Taicheng, East Hall of Tai Chi Hall.
Jin Emperor Sima Changming took Xie An's memorial from Zhonghuangmen Huaqi. After reading it hurriedly, Jin Emperor looked solemn.
"General Xu Xiao, the general of the Northern Expedition, wounded the Marquis of Xichang at Guanju Tower. Xu Xiao had just entered the capital not long ago. How could he get involved with the Marquis of Xichang?" Emperor Jin asked sideways.
Hua Qi from the Zhonghuang Gate meekly lowered his head: "The reputation of the Marquis of Xichang in Jiankang has never been very good. This Guanju Tower is probably also a brothel and the Chu Palace. Now we are in the period of national mourning. The Marquis of Xichang knowingly committed the crime!"
Emperor Jin hummed softly and said, "Indeed. You are right. Relying on the favor of the late emperor, the Marquis of Xichang has become accustomed to acting recklessly, and Xu Xiao is a member of the army, so the conflict is understandable."
"But why did Xu Xiao beat the Marquis of Xichang? Doesn't he know the identity of the Marquis of Xichang? Or did he do it on purpose? Did he enter and leave the Guanju Tower?"
Of course, the face of the royal family and the noble family must be taken into consideration, but for the emperor of Jin Dynasty, the emperor's majesty was more important. Xu Zongwen beat the Marquis of Xichang at the feet of the emperor, which was inappropriate, very inappropriate.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for saying one more word. You don't mind."
Emperor Jin stretched out his long sleeves and said loudly: "If you have anything to say, just say it. There is no need to hide it. You have been with me for more than ten years. Maybe you know more about the affairs of the government than me. "
Hua Qi knelt down with a bang and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty's words made me panic! The ancestors taught eunuchs not to interfere in politics. I just saw that Your Majesty was troubled, so I will truthfully tell you what I'm thinking. If I can relieve your Majesty's worries, , that is also the duty of a slave..."
"Okay, okay, I know you have always been cautious, I will pardon your innocence, just say it!"
Hua Qi slowly raised his head. There were sparse crow's feet in the corners of his eyes and the tips of his eyebrows turned white. He said: "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Xichang has a special status. He is the eldest son of Xun Qiaoqi and Princess Xunyang, and he also has the blood of the clan. He was also adopted in the palace, and the Marquis of Xichang is actually a special existence to His Majesty."
On the surface, Hua Qi said that Xun Chong, the Marquis of Xichang, was a noble person, but in fact he was emphasizing that this person was a threat to the throne!
"Xu Xiao, the general who conquered the north, is good at fighting and has repeatedly accomplished extraordinary feats. He is the pillar of the country and is your majesty's blessed general. With this person in your majesty's country, there will be no trouble. With this person here, treacherous ministers will not dare to offend your majesty. With this person here, your majesty will I feel confident in whatever I want to do, and there is no need to be cautious or humble to those people. It is only a matter of time before I take over the power of the Jin Dynasty to His Majesty..."
The rest, Hua Qi is unintentionally comparing the importance of Xun Chong and Xu Zongwen to the emperor. The two are good at each other, and the emperor's choice is particularly important!
Holding Taifu Xie'an's memorial in his hand, Jin Emperor Sima Changming listened to what Hua Qi said.
He remembered that he still needed Xu Zongwen to organize the Sixth Army of the Emperor for him. In order to control the military power, he had to win over Xu Zongwen and tie him tightly to his empty chariot against the nobles!
"I have my own arrangements, let's draft an edict!" Emperor Jin finally made up his mind. This time he was going to attack Xichang Hou Xunchong!
