A family like the Gongsun family, which is famous for its bells and whistles, naturally attaches great importance to hospitality.
It is said that after Liu Yi and the deceased Shichen went to Shuiheguan with the soldiers of Zhangwu County, Gongsun Haojin found a quiet and dustless courtyard in the Gongsun Mansion, and rushed to place Dongfang Chunsheng and the four others in the Gongsun family's mansion. Under Gongsun Haojin's careful care, everyone finally had a decent meal ten months after leaving Lingyuan north.
After Liu Yi's master and apprentice returned, they took Han Li back to the place where they stayed. That night, several people gathered together to talk and explained in detail what they saw, heard and felt at Shuihe Temple in the afternoon, which made everyone sigh.
Dongfang Chunsheng patted his chest and stamped his feet, resentful that this five-talented man had mistakenly chosen his disciple.
Xia Qing sighed repeatedly, as the saying goes, "The way of heaven is permanent, and it will not survive for Yao, nor will it perish for Jie."
Dongfang Yu happily praised her brother Yi for his extraordinary abilities.
Yi Xian was surprised that the Taoist cauldron technique was so powerful and that a small water river temple could have such magical powers.
Everyone talks to each other, passing through the windows at night, and the moon shines through the jade light.
In the silent sigh, the morning light begins to show, and it will still be the same tomorrow morning!
...
On the fifth day of the lunar month, I will seek financial resources on the fifth day of the lunar month. If I wish for this year, I will get it today.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, according to the rules and customs, people get up at dawn and set off firecrackers to drive away the "five poor" and welcome the God of Wealth.
Although there has been a severe plague in Zhangwucheng for several months, the sound of gunfire continued in the streets before the sun came out. When the firecrackers went off, many people looked sideways at Xuanwei Lane in the east of the city to pray for the health of their families or neighbors.
Fan Tingnan walked along the main street with several civil servants. After a little exploration of the public sentiment, he headed to Xuanwei Lane as usual. Along the way, the Zhangwu County Sheriff received greetings and encouragement from honest people. They believe that with Fan Tingnan here, everything will be fine!
At least, it won't get worse again.
Liu Yi was walking on the street. After thinking about what he saw and heard for a moment, he said to Dongfang Chunsheng, "Grandpa Dongfang, this Commander Fan is not partial to personal interests or mistaken for love. He governs well and has the support of the people. He is very popular in Zhangwu County." !”
Dongfang Chunsheng touched the copper coins on his waist, stroked his beard, nodded, and said in a low voice, "If things are really like what we saw and heard yesterday, Fan Tingnan is indeed a rare capable minister. But other than these, my child, you We also need to see the internal strife among the big clans, the power of Jianghu sects, and the changes in people’s hearts!”
Liu Yi thought about everything without saying a word.
"Of course, if you want to be a good official, you still need some luck. In your hometown of Huaxing County, Yingcheng's father, the county magistrate of Huaxing County, Ying Zhi, was directly promoted from Huang Menlang to the county magistrate, and his salary was from three to three. One hundred stones rose to two thousand stones, which is considered a great fortune. It may be that he spent all his luck that time. After arriving in Huaxing County, he was hampered by everything. In the past few years, he has not made any achievements. But I have to say that he did. He is considered a rare good official. Under his rule, Huaxing County is much better than other counties in Quzhou. At the very least, the three great families of Liu, Huang, and Zhao do not dare to make too many mistakes. !”
When Huaxing County and Yingzhi were mentioned, Liu Yi became interested and asked with great interest, "Grandpa, who are the three great families of Liu, Huang and Zhao?"
Dongfang Chunsheng raised his head slightly and said, "The Lingyuan Liu family, Fengyi Huang family, and Xuanhuai Zhao family are known to the world as the three major families in Huaxing County."
After saying this, Dongfang Chunsheng glanced at Liu Yi casually, his eyes a little complicated, and said, "The sun and the moon have different lights, and day and night have their own advantages. Huaxing County, as an important northeastern town that controls the Central Plains, is far more complicated than Zhangwu County There are many, in the whole Han Dynasty, they can be called the upper middle class. There are three families in Huaxing County: Zhao family, Huang family and Liu family. But grandpa makes a small bet with you. If one day, you should know that you have great power, holding evidence of crime, and stepping on your feet. Jingqi will definitely kill these three families and uproot them."
Hearing this, Liu Yi pouted and said casually, "Suddenly I don't want to open a restaurant anymore! I want to be a good official! If I leave a word in the history books, it will be a life of spring and autumn."
Dongfang Chunsheng was overjoyed when he heard this. The old man laughed loudly and was about to respond when a muffled sound from the east of the city broke the short-lived joy in the streets.
As the head of a county, Fan Tingnan needs to investigate carefully any signs of trouble. Fan Tingnan didn't bother to chat with his neighbors and went straight to the east city. People who were doing something good and had sick relatives followed them one after another. Some timid and indifferent people closed their doors for fear of getting into trouble at this moment.
Just when Dongfang Chunsheng and Liu Yi were standing next to them with doubts on their faces, Han Li, Xia Qing and Shi Shichen walked together. The three of them stood beside the young and old. Han Li was still wearing a coir raincoat and bamboo hat, and Shi Shichen and Xia Qing Then he changed into a big red coat, which made him look particularly prosperous. The three of them smelled of alcohol, and it seemed they had had a drink last night.
Xia Qing stretched out first, stretched her hands behind her head, and said calmly, "Young people don't know what it's like to be sad. The two children, Yi Xian and Dongfang Yu, have been sleeping soundly until now, and the firecrackers haven't even woken them up."
"Lao Xia, you are very naughty. I saw you last night. You old boy secretly drank half a glass of wine. Before going to bed, there was a vast ocean under your bed. This wine is really bad!" Death Shichen mocked Xia Qing severely.
Han Li smiled lightly and said, "Haha, Brother Chen is the smoothest among the killers, and Brother Xia is the smartest among the shopkeepers."
Han Li, standing beside Liu Yi, was different from his cold and stern appearance yesterday. Instead, he looked respectful and humble, which made people think of Jing Ke who was just, powerful, virtuous, and as quiet as a virgin.
"Meet in the deep alley, a magical way to get rid of old sorrows. Let's go! Let's go and see together. The thousands of young and old in Xuanwei Lane are counting on him!" Han Li seemed to have known about the things in the east of the city for a long time. Death Shichen, Xia Qing also showed no surprise.
Inspired by the thoughts of the suffering of the people, Han Li's mood became depressed. He raised his head and looked at the early sun, with determination on his face and hope in his eyes. Then, he walked like flying and disappeared after a while.
If you, the five-talented master, cannot save me, I, Han Li, am willing to give up all my thoughts and restore the health of this place!
The movement in the east of the city was far more powerful than everyone thought.
The East City Gate, which is several feet high, has been broken into pieces; people in Xuanwei Lane are crowded on the third floor and the third floor outside. The people whose families have been treated here because of the plague are trying to rush in, and a large number of them do not bring weapons. The county soldiers came from the county governor's house and formed a human wall to block the people from outside the alley. Xuanwei Alley was noisy and chaotic, and the people were even in danger of mutiny.
But inside Xuanwei Alley, there was a thin yellow mist, the medicinal gas was steaming, and there was no sound at all.
At this time, a person ran out of the alley. Everyone took a closer look and found that the person was the governor of Zhangwu County, Fan Tingnan.
The nine sons of the dragon are all different. In terms of appearance, Fan Tingnan has a short stature, thin bones, broad shoulders, and dark skin, which is far different from Fan Guanbei's appearance. But as a person, if you compare your mind, city, structure and nature, the two brothers are also far apart.
With the help of the county soldiers, Fan Tingnan finally made it through the crowd and climbed up to a nearby adobe house. Before he had time to straighten his clothes, he immediately blurted out an impassioned speech and shouted, "Father Zhangwu, the great plague is coming." In this month, the people's orders were lost, seasonal orders were not followed, and relatives passed away, and the whole city mourned. The whole county had no way to rescue the people for a long time. Thousands of mourning graves were established in the east of the city, which is really the responsibility of Tingnan's incompetence."
The noise gradually subsided, and the people held their breath and listened to Fan Tingnan's speech.
Fan Tingnan ignored it and continued to shout, "Today, a heavenly master came to Shuihe Temple to visit. He brought elixirs to suit the disease, offered sacrifices to the spirits, preached, and performed magic exercises to save Zhangwu from all kinds of difficulties and extinguish the great plague in the violent times. , This is Lingyuan's great fortune. I hope that all the fathers and fellow villagers will be patient and wait for the good news. My fellow citizens and I are with you. Tingnan swears an oath here. If Shuihe Tianshi is useless, the grave in the east of the city, today, Then there is me, Fan Tingnan!"
The chaotic scene was immediately audible. Whether it was the county soldiers, county officials or the common people, they all looked at Fan Tingnan with tears in their eyes. During this period, the county guard spent all his money to relieve the people's urgent needs. The family's wealth and hair have turned gray, which makes people feel distressed.
As mediocre common people, they may never leave Bozhou in this life, let alone see the powerful figures like the "Five Gongs and Twelve Ministers" who have overwhelming power. In their hearts, the governor in front of them, with a crooked mouth and a hunched back, short body and dark skin, who works day and night, is the saint who can erect monuments to praise him and carry on the incense forever.
What the people want, what the road wants, all the people, at this moment, chose to believe.
Liu Yi had an idea, found an inconspicuous position in the crowd, and shouted, "Scatter!"
The common people groaned and shouted, "Sir, take care".
Then they dispersed.
After the crowd had dispersed, Fan Tingnan got out of the room. The county soldiers, civil servants, Liu Yi, Dongfang Chunsheng and others who were waiting under the house all bowed their hands. Fan Tingnan just bowed his hands in return, then motioned for everyone to wrap their faces in white scarves and follow Fan Tingnan into Xuanwei Lane.
Along the way, the medicine was gone and the sound was silent. Except for the officials and attendants walking back and forth, the alley was deserted. There was a constant moaning in the house, and suddenly a scream would be heard, which was very penetrating.
In the middle of the journey, the crowd was stopped by a Taoist boy with his hand. In the increasingly dense yellow mist, a Taoist with white hair and white beard could be vaguely seen, sitting upright on the ground, placing a plate directly in front of him. The person forms a seal with his hands up and down, moves quickly around the vessel, and mist comes out of the vessel.
"Just wait and leave! It's useless to stay here. Don't disturb the ritual!"
For Liu Yi, Han Li, and Shi Shichen, this voice is very familiar. It is the five talented people!
Since the matter was serious, Fan Tingnan immediately led everyone out of the alley and found a secluded restaurant nearby. He ordered two drawers of mantou, a basin of hot goat milk, and three side dishes of onion, salt tofu, mushrooms, eggs, and dried pork. Sit at the same table with everyone and have breakfast.
Before the meal was served, the enthusiastic and considerate boss served everyone a bowl of Fu Yuanzi, which made it seem like the Lantern Festival was ahead of schedule.
Everyone sitting here is not a pedantic person. The pedantic Confucian rules of not speaking during eating and sleeping have been left behind. Fan Tingnan swallowed heavily while talking about what happened in Xuanwei Lane this morning. .
"When I came back yesterday, it was already dark, so Tingnan didn't bother me too much. If it weren't for your chivalry and courage yesterday, I, Fan Tingnan, would have been infamy for the ages. When this matter comes to an end, I will definitely thank you generously."
Fan Tingnan paused, choked a mouthful, and continued, "All of you righteous people must already know about Wucai Zhenren, so I won't go into details again. Just now, Wucai Zhenren and I were walking on the trail After chatting with Tong for a while, he roughly understood the reason why Master Wucai broke down the city gate today and came here."
After taking a sip of goat's milk, Fan Tingnan started talking, "The thing placed in front of Wu Caizhen is the Gui of the Heavenly Death of the Western Zhou Dynasty. This Gui is one foot and one inch high and nine inches and one minute in diameter. It has a square seat with four ears. It has a drooping square ear and a deep belly. It has a continuous cast square seat at the base of the circle. The belly and circle feet are decorated with snail and animal patterns. The bottom of the vessel has a large seal inscription with eight lines and seventy-eight characters, describing the "Tianshi" where King Wu of Zhou Dynasty destroyed the Shang Dynasty. About the sacrificial ceremony held.”
Liu Yi thought of the allusions in the book, and while Fan Tingnan was chewing, he slowly said, "It is rumored that King Wu of Zhou and eight hundred princes worshiped the Emperor and God on Taishi Mountain. Dropping dense leaves to cover the sky means luxuriant branches and leaves. King Wu was overjoyed and rewarded him with a royal ceremonial vessel and a guard. The Heavenly Death Gui was also known as an auspicious thing and was kept in the royal palace of the Zhou Dynasty. Later, King Wu of Zhou granted him the title of Duke of Zhao Yu Yan was given the Death Gui from heaven, and it has always stayed in the land of Yan. For some unknown reason, it was acquired by this five-talented master. This thing is a real treasure in the world!"
Everyone looked at Liu Yi, admiring his young erudition.
Fan Tingnan continued, "Yesterday, I sent out troops suddenly. It is initially speculated that the Five Talents Master is not a lie in Shuihe Temple. According to Tao Tong, after withdrawing the troops and returning to the county yesterday, the Five Talents Master spent one night refining After gathering all the medicinal herbs and elixirs that had been made in the temple, I melted them into seventeen mysterious pills, placed them in the Heavenly Death Gui, and came immediately."
Speaking of this, Fan Tingnan burst into laughter, "Wucai Zhenren has a bad temper. When he just entered the city, the county soldiers intercepted him. The old Taoist was eager to save people, so he broke in. After finding the middle of Xuanwei Lane, he immediately responded with a counterattack The sequence of Li Yanfeng's refining of medicine is to put the pills in one by one, and use the mind and Taoist skills to distribute the effect of the medicine in the form of yellow mist, which can be immersed in the patient's body during the breathing of the mouth and nose, and it can dissipate in about half an hour. The first grain has been dissipated and completed. I, the common people of Zhangwu, are saved!"
When Fan Tingnan said this, he finally showed a hint of joy, and a feeling of relief from a catastrophe appeared on his cheeks.
Regarding the actions of Master Wucai today, Shi Shichen was very appreciative, but he couldn't help but sigh, "This Master Wucai is risking his life! According to this treatment method, let's not say whether it is successful or not, Master Wucai must be It will ruin your life!"
Han Li followed up and explained, "A journey of cultivating the Tao, seven powers and five wisdoms, driving birds, breaking the wind, shaking trees, knocking down horses, removing armor, pushing monuments, and breaking the city. The mirror can be broken if the method is appropriate. To achieve the five realms of things, immortality, heavenly movement, imperial skills, and Tongxuan, you need to understand the way of heaven, be moved by your patience, and adapt to changes. Some people can break through several realms in one day, while others can't in their entire life. Enlightenment. The five talents are meant to peek at the secrets of heaven, and their realm is unstable. In addition, yesterday’s battle consumed a huge amount of mental energy. I’m afraid that with today’s consumption, my realm will plummet to the bottom.”
Juzi Hanli didn't like goat's milk, so he asked for a pot of hot water, poured it for himself and drank it. He said slowly in a hoarse voice, "Oh, no one can explain these two things, fate and destiny. Just like a hundred years ago In the chaotic situation of the war between the heroes and the conflict between the three kingdoms, the five good generals of Cao Wei and the five tiger generals of Shu Han were all qualified for a century in martial arts. However, they were ill-fated. Before reaching the peak, Lu Bu and Lu Fengxian were the only martial artists to reach the top. But he ended up with a tragic end: his body and head are missing. The destiny is shrinking, the spring and autumn are coming, the sea is shaking, how about a lonely boat!"
There was a moment of silence on the table. On one side was a local official and on the other was a martial arts hero. The two had distinct personalities. They all got acquainted because of the Great Plague, but they didn't understand each other. They were afraid that one mistake would offend them. Having learned a painful lesson from being settled by Liu Ruisheng's Qiu Hou last time, Dongfang Chunsheng, Xia Qing, and Liu Yi were also cautious in their words and deeds, so they ate with their heads down and stopped talking.
Half a moment later, Liu Yi suddenly put down his bowls and chopsticks, left his seat, straightened his clothes, respectfully bowed his hands to Fan Tingnan and said, "Sir, I have something to say. Should I say it or not?"
"Haha, Liu Yi, you are Liu Quansheng's only son, right?" Fan Tingnan also put down the bowl and chopsticks, stood up and helped Liu Yi up, looking up and down, as if the senior was admiring his favorite junior.
After looking at it carefully, Fan Tingnan laughed, "I still remember that day when the sky was filled with red clouds. Your father stood in front of the Sima Gate in Chang'an. He was proud of the spring breeze and put pen to paper. He wrote: 'The young man swept away the Hulu, and the storm was rolling; the horn alarmed "When you wake up from a dream, one ride will determine your ups and downs." These are the eternal quatrains. The country does not change, but the time is fleeting. In the blink of an eye, your father and I are already at the age when our temples are about to grow. Yesterday, I saw you scolding my brother, which was even more like your father back then. The majesty of ruling the world and guiding mountains and rivers. It seems that Liu Quansheng has someone to succeed him! Liu Yi, what do you suggest, but just say it, it doesn’t matter!"
Liu Yi did not respond to Fan Tingnan's compliments, but bowed even lower. He said respectfully, "Master Fan, your green sleeves can be used to surround incense, and your crocodile ribbons can be used to cage jade. Just now, I saw this yellow The fog is thick enough to spread to the end of Xuanwei Alley. There is a lot of medicinal mist leaking horizontally and vertically, which is wasted. In this case, why don't we wrap it with layers of large cloth so that the medicinal mist only stays in Xuanwei Alley Wouldn’t it be more effective if it disperses internally?”
"Oh my, just now I was worried about not being able to do the trivial things that I could for the plague-stricken people, so you kid came up with a clever idea. This trick is so wonderful, so wonderful! You can pile dry firewood and withered grass in the streets and alleys, The ceiling is covered with plain cloth, forming a relatively sealed space. In this way, the strength of the steamed medicine for patients and the quality of its efficacy will be greatly improved. Okay! Okay!"
Fan Tingnan praised Liu Yi's proposal. After saying this, he immediately called his subordinates to make preparations. He was about to sit down to eat, but he couldn't sit down anymore. He looked at everyone in a half-sitting posture, and then at the door. After several back and forth, Mr. Fan finally picked up the goat milk and rushed out.
Treating injuries and fighting the epidemic together, Fan Tingnan can't wait.
Dry firewood is necessary for heating in the cold season in Northeast China, while withered grass is used for repairing houses, laying pigsty, and weaving mats and making shoes. They can be seen everywhere in the huge Zhangwu City and are necessary for every household.
People gathered firewood with high flames, and under the beating of gongs and drums, within a short time, the entrances and exits of Xuanwei Lane were blocked tightly with firewood by people coming from all directions. The people who came to deliver firewood and grass were unwilling to leave and watched from a distance. Fan Tingnan did not disperse them anymore, but told the county soldiers to control all exits and not allow the people to enter Xuanwei Lane.
After another half an hour, a piece of colorful cloth was pulled from the head of the alley to the end of the alley by Han Li and Death Shichen. The two people were standing on the roof with elegant and graceful figures, which attracted bursts of applause from the onlookers. If the plague can be cured, this will be the best holiday gift for the Lantern Festival in a few days.
"Everything is done, what's left is fate!"
Fan Tingnan, who was busy going around, was sitting in a corner outside the alley with his head full of heat, clenching his fists, and there was no joy or sorrow in his eyes.
The always rigid Dongfang Chunsheng squeezed the wrinkles on his forehead, shook the three copper coins hanging from his waist, and comforted Fan Tingnan, "God's will is always for the brave, Governor Fan, don't worry!"
"Mr. Dongfang, please don't follow suit. You were once a high-ranking official in the imperial court, and you have become a virtuous and wise man after you retired. You should know that it is difficult to recover when water falls." Fan Tingnan smiled bitterly, and then his eyes fell to Xuanwei Lane, no longer Can't live without it.
This was a day that affected the whole city. Eight and a half hours passed in the blink of an eye.
As the last elixir was exhausted in the Heavenly Death Gui, the sweating Wucai Zhenren quickly got up and rushed into a nearby room. The old Taoist randomly found a middle-aged man who had ulcers all over his body. After checking his pulse, his body softened and he fell to the ground. He slowly closed his eyes with a look of relief.
"It's done!"
