Ah, he felt that there was so much he didn't know, especially about women.
Zhuangzi said that life has limits but knowledge has no limits. It is indeed a wise saying. It is a wise saying.
Fortunately, the person selling used clothes was a woman.
The woman wanted to sell more clothes and offered her advice sincerely. Iwakora finally bought two sets of used clothes and breathed a sigh of relief.
He walked out of the city and returned to the riverside where he met the girl. The girl was still there, and it almost seemed that she had not changed her sitting position.
Iwakora handed the clothes to the girl, expecting to see her surprised and happy eyes.
The girl only glanced at it lightly, then stood up and took off her rags.
This time, it was Yankong who was shocked. The dirt on the girl's body could not hide her charming aura, let alone her nakedness. Yankong hurriedly turned around, put down his clothes, and sat aside.
He heard the girl stepping into the river, and he also heard the river water being fiddled with. It seemed that the girl was cleaning the dirt.
Soon, the girl returned to the shore. Yankong couldn't hear any sound. It seemed that the girl was getting dressed. The material of the clothes was not bad and there was no friction sound.
When the girl walked up to him, Yankong's beating heart finally calmed down.
She is indeed a beautiful girl, with a generous demeanor, but she lacks a smile.
The girl didn't say anything and turned around to show Iwakora how she was dressed.
Yankong smiled helplessly: "I'm sorry, I haven't bought girls' clothes."
The girl was stunned for a moment and stared at Yan Kong's graying hair for a while. Then she bent down and picked up a stone, slowly caressing it in her hand. A yellow flower suddenly bloomed on the stone, and it bloomed brilliantly. , so bright that you want to bite it in one bite.
Yankong took the stone and looked at the flowers, feeling suddenly filled with emotion.
The girl went back to the river again and continued to look at the water.
The two of them stayed by the river all night.
"Senior brother's disciple is a girl?" Yun Kong asked in surprise.
Iwakong nodded: "A good girl."
The girl wandered around with Yan Kong, but rarely spoke on weekdays.
"This reminds me of you," Yankong said. "You were so taciturn when you were a child. I don't know what weird thoughts you have in your little heart."
"She is a little similar to me." Yun Kong said quietly.
"She has a 'wisdom root'." Yankong agreed.
Yun Kong has been able to see things that others cannot see since he was a child. When his master broke his shoes, he discovered that he had wisdom.
"But you are young." As a senior brother, Yan Kong's tone was unforgiving.
"Yes." Yun Kong smiled lightly, without saying anything.
"She followed me around the world, watching me perform fortune-telling and setting up altars to ward off disasters every day. She also learned a few things from me and called me master, but she never officially became a master."
Seeing the longing in Yankong's eyes, Yunkong deeply felt his senior brother's mood: "But, you have already regarded her as an official disciple in your heart, right?"
Yankong did not answer Yunkong's question: "I never asked about her past, but I always called her by her name. When she told me her name, she also told me her origin."
Yankong sighed tiredly: "The origin of this story begins one hundred and eighty years ago..."
This time, Yankong was silent for a long time... It is said that one hundred and eighty years ago, during the founding of the Song Dynasty and the third year after Zhao Kuangyin came to the throne, a monument was secretly engraved.
In the Imperial Ancestral Temple, where ancestors are worshiped, there is a small alcove in the side chamber. The secret stele is erected there, which is called the "Oath Stele." The alcove is closed all day long, and a guard is posted to guard the door. Generally, no one can see it. arrive.
At that time, Zhao Kuangyin established a system. In the future, when the new emperor ascends the throne, he must respectfully read the oath and swear to abide by it. When the new emperor reads the oath, he will be led in by a young eunuch, who must also be illiterate.
Therefore, for three hundred years, only the emperor knew the oath.
It wasn't until the Jingkang Incident that the Jin people broke into the palace and went straight to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. No one saw the three lines of the oath. The content was: If the descendants of the Chai family are guilty, their punishments will not be increased and they will not kill the scholar-bureaucrats and the descendants of the person who wrote the letter. Those who swear this oath will be killed by God. "Yunkong, do you believe the prophecy?"
Yankong smiled bitterly and said, "Look, the oath states that if the descendants of the Zhao family break the oath, heaven will be punished. Now half of the Song Dynasty has been destroyed. Can it be said that it is not a divine punishment?"
"What my senior brother said is that there are indeed many scholar-bureaucrats who have been killed and people who have written petitions over the years."
"They are still killing after crossing south."
"Then why can't the Chai family be punished even more?"
Yunkong asked.
Yankong stopped the grain porridge in his mouth: "Have you forgotten how Zhao Kuangyin came to be the emperor?"
During the great chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, each country's lifespan was very short, and soldiers continued to overthrow the old regime and establish themselves as kings.
The last state of the Five Dynasties was "Zhou", known as "Later Zhou" in history. Guo Wei, the privy envoy of the previous state "Later Han", took advantage of the death of Emperor Liu Zhiyuan of the Later Han Dynasty and usurped the throne to establish "Zhou".
Guo Wei only served as emperor for four years. After his death, the throne was handed over to his adopted son Chai Rong, the nephew of his beloved Empress Chai.
Chai Rong only served as emperor for five years.
Chai Rong was very ill before his death. He wanted his seven-year-old son Chai Zongxun to succeed him, and arranged for "checks in front of the palace" to guide the child.
It is conceivable that the "inspections in front of the palace" have the power to influence the government. In the chaotic Five Dynasties, they are more likely to usurp the throne, repeating the incident of Guo Wei usurping the "Later Han" and establishing the "Later Zhou" nine years ago.
At that time, all the people in front of the palace were inspected. It was Guo Wei's son-in-law Zhang Yongde. He had outstanding military achievements and many accomplices in the court. Naturally, Chai Rong was very worried.
What finally made Chai Rong make up his mind was a rumor at that time that said: "He will be emperor after inspection."
Therefore, Chai Rong made the decision to change Zhang Yongde to the position of prime minister, and promoted Zhao Kuangyin, whom he had cultivated, to be the general inspector in front of the palace. Only then did he die of illness with an uneasy heart.
"So, without the promotion of the Chai family, Taizu would not have been the emperor, and the Song Dynasty would not have emerged."
Iwakora said.
"I understand, senior brother."
Yun Kong nodded.
The stories of Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin's "Chenqiao Mutiny" and "Yellow Robe Adornment" are well known. The Zhao family's empire was directly derived from the Chai family, and the "Oath Stele" stated that the Chai family should be treated politely, which is reasonable.
"I understand, but what does this have to do with this tomb?"
"Chai Rong had seven sons, three were killed by the Later Han Dynasty, one was deposed by Taizu after he became emperor, one died in the early years of the Song Dynasty, and the other two have no records in history and their fate is unknown."
Yun Kong said: "Could it be Taizu..."
"Taizu established an oath monument three years after he ascended the throne. Chai Xirang, Chai Rong's fifth son, died in the second year after Taizu ascended the throne. Chai Zongxun, the emperor, died in the twelfth year after Taizu ascended the throne. Since he ascended the throne, Taizu has used "Release military power over a glass of wine" and other tolerant policies, and the Chai family has been kind to him, so they should not violate their oath." Yankong shook his head, "I don't think it was Taizu who killed him."
"Senior brother has been talking about the Chai family... So," Yun Kong said doubtfully, "is your female disciple the Chai family?"
"Her name is Xiang."
"Chai Xiang..." Yun Kong muttered.
"Xiao Xiang is a daughter of a famous family. Decades ago, there was Chai Jin in Cangzhou. Have you heard of him, junior brother?"
"I've heard of it. I heard that he is the direct descendant of Chai Rong. He has attracted heroes from all over the world, just like Lord Xinling back then."
"Not only here, he also holds the iron certificate of the Alchemy Book, which was given to the Chai family by the ancestor Emperor Taizu, so he is so bold to recruit heroes," Yankong sighed, "But there are villains in the court, and there are no villains at all. Not taking the iron certificate of the alchemy book seriously, even the emperor forgot the oath at the back of the palace, so Chai Jin was forced to rebel and join Song Jiang's group in Liangshan Bo."
"But didn't Song Jiang surrender later? After being recruited, he went to conquer another rebel Fang La."
"Yes, Chai Jin also surrendered, but you see, later on, Liangshanbo's group of people were either sentenced to death, assassinated, retired, or committed suicide. The villain is in power, how can there be room for heroes? So Chai Jin did not end well. "
"What's wrong with Chai Jin?"
"After Chai Jin resigned and retired, robbers broke into his home one day and killed everyone on sight. Xiao Xiang escaped because he happened to be out and did not return."
Yankong said, "Although the 'oath' stated that the descendants of the Chai family should not be given additional punishments for their crimes, no one could prevent natural disasters and robbers from destroying the Chai family. There is just one strange thing: those robbers did not steal any property."
"Could he be the emperor...?"
"It may also be that the villains want to 'cater to the holy will' and do it in private."
Yankong shook his head, "Junior brother can just listen to the conjectures."
"I understand," Yun Kong said, "What I don't understand is, what is in the palm of her hand?"
