Chapter 2019: Important matters of family and country, small matters of women
"No need to try!"
After Du Ji was silent for a moment, he spoke word by word.
Wei Duan was slightly surprised, because Du Ji rarely expressed any opinions most of the time, let alone directly vetoed it now.
"Why?" Wei Duan asked.
Because for Wei Duan, there are quite a few young marshals in Longxi, and it is indeed impossible to deliver government orders immediately. Therefore, under such circumstances, one or several local marshals "did not receive it"
"The new laws are nothing more than normal..."
Isn’t it a sin for those who don’t know?
Is not it?
However, Du Ji said: "This order is to be carried out in a certain way, I am afraid it is a blinding method...it is to repair the plank road openly and secretly to Chencang..."
"How do you say this?" Li Yuan was also puzzled.
"If it hadn't been for the Husband to arrive at Meiyang, I might not have been able to remember..." Du Ji looked at Wei Duan, then at Li Yuan, "The policy of the Hussar has always been to take one step every ten steps, but now
The new order is not necessarily for the present, but the current action is in response to the past actions... Meiyang, Scarlet Emperor Palace... you two, please note..."
"The great affairs of the country lie in sacrifice and military affairs..."
Du Ji frowned and said.
The last sentence, eight words, although the voice was not loud, Wei Duan and Li Yuan were about to jump up when they heard it!
Wei Duan was trembling, and his fingers were trembling a little, as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't. On the other side, Li Yuan was frowning and silent, his eyes a little solemn.
The phrase "important matters of the country" is in the Spring and Autumn Period.
There is a very interesting thing. After some conventional titles, few people will check the root cause, such as "things" or "Spring and Autumn". Even if we don't mention Zuo Zhuan, there are often people in daily life.
When asked about age, one would say "Spring and Autumn", but not about summer and winter.
Because in ancient times, the four seasons had different divisions of labor and meanings, that is, "spring is responsible for sacrifices, and autumn is responsible for military warfare." That is to say, sacrifices should be performed in spring, and military troops should be used mostly in autumn.
There is no need to emphasize the matter of soldiers and armor. Without guns, there is nothing. The Hussars General Fei Qian is so powerful at the moment, not because his generals and soldiers are strong enough to suppress the obedient Guanzhong gentry.
A powerful force that you dare not act rashly?
The other thing is sacrifice.
People of later generations may not have much concept of sacrifices. In fact, due to the changes of the times, the form and content of many sacrifices have changed. There is no longer burning incense, but with salutes, it is no longer about praying to the so-called gods, nor about offering anything.
Blood and flesh sacrifices, but other modes...
Such as that.
So to put it simply, sacrifice is not just a "SHOW" with complicated procedures and formal etiquette on the surface. Behind it, it also represents the source of power and the orthodoxy of rule.
Regardless of whether it is ancient times, the Spring and Autumn Period, or the Han Dynasty, they all have one thing in common, that is, the basic value and significance of royal power, or imperial power, is to represent all subjects, communicate with heaven and earth, gods, and ancestors, and
Bring back the instructions of heaven and earth, gods, and ancestors. Only when you can do this can you have the legitimacy of all power, and can you legitimately become the representative of God in the world and the holder of authority.
Who has the right to communicate with heaven and earth?
Only the emperor.
Who has the right to communicate with gods?
Buddhism, Taoism, and now the Five Directions God Sect.
Who has the right to talk to their ancestors?
All the noble families, as well as the heads of each family, including the emperor.
Therefore, the classes are clearly divided,
Slowly, the rulers gradually took back the power of ordinary people to communicate with the gods by monopolizing sacrifices. There was only one store and no other branches. Only the emperor could offer sacrifices to the gods, the princes and officials could offer sacrifices to the mountains and rivers, and the common people could only offer sacrifices to their ancestors and the Kitchen God.
For example, the Zen Ceremony started with the Qin Emperor Ying Zheng who completed the unification for the first time. As the first time he completed such a great cause as unification, Qin Shihuang believed that it was absolutely necessary to appeal to the gods and inform the people.
This requires an extremely grand ceremony to be worthy of this great achievement. However, the scale and pattern of sacrifices that were common in the past are far from enough. After repeated thinking and pondering, I finally felt that only the Fengchan Taishan could accompany the majestic First Emperor.
The great deeds of the Lord.
Therefore, the First Emperor granted Zen to Mount Tai and reported his achievements to Heaven, which further consolidated his supreme and absolute power in the world. Sima Qian once recorded in "Historical Records" that "when every generation is prosperous, the Zen will be answered, and then it will fade away."
However, what is very interesting is that although Qin Shihuang was extremely powerful when he was alive, he declined very quickly after his death. Qin II almost became a yellow card that would be raised by ministers whenever emperors in the past dynasties behaved out of line.
What does this yellow card behavior mean?
So when Fei Qian came to the Red Emperor Palace in person, wasn't it for the so-called "sacrifice"?
At first, Fei Qian used Qiao and Yun Yi and others to create the "Five Directions God" sect. In fact, the big gentry in Guanzhong did not take it completely seriously, because from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to the Han Dynasty, there were too many gods.
Especially Liu Bang, that kid can be a "Black Emperor". It's fine if you don't know. But do those who know the inside story have any sense of mystery about the so-called "Five Emperors"?
Therefore, Wei Duan and others did not consider this aspect at first. After Du Ji said it, they immediately reacted and their hearts naturally jumped.
Du Ji seems to be self-cultivated on weekdays, and rarely gathers with others or makes public. However, this does not mean that Du Ji does not care about current affairs in the world. On the contrary, because without these complicated distractions, Du Ji's thinking is sharper.
While Wei Duan was still thinking about the "Law of Lending Orders", Du Ji considered more implications of General Fei Qian's behavior.
"Could it be that... Hussars..." Wei Duan was still a little unable to calm down. He stretched out a finger, unable to lift it, and finally pointed upward reluctantly.
Du Ji pondered for a moment, shook his head, and said: "It shouldn't happen, but... this time, I'm afraid it's for the "Rites"..."
""Etiquette"?" Wei Duan slapped his thigh, "Yes! That's it!"
"What? General Hussars wants to change the etiquette?" Li Yuan's eyes widened.
"Where do rituals come from?" Du Ji seemed to ask rhetorically, but also replied, "If the prediction is correct, Qiaoqi should think that the weather has changed, and calling it "ancient ritual" is out of date, and it must be changed..."
Etiquette first evolved from sacrifices. Sacrifice is a very solemn and serious matter, so naturally everything you say and do must meet the requirements of pleasing the gods. In order to please the gods, you must have certain rules.
, and these rules gradually evolved into "rituals".
Wei Duan was stunned for a long time, his expression was extremely complicated, "I never thought... this... what to do... I wonder if there is a way to deal with it..."
Du Ji smiled bitterly and said: "The Husband's story has always been like this. It's like a torrent, and by the time it's noticed, it's already covered... unless..."
"Unless what?" Li Yuan asked.
Du Ji looked up at the sky.
The sky was still gloomy, just like the mood of the three of them at the moment.
Li Yuan was stunned for a moment, then understood, and looked up at the sky together, and then sighed...
"Hussars..."
The three of them looked at each other, seemingly seeing helplessness in the eyes of the others, and then they all sighed in unison and remained speechless.
……｜￣□￣｜ヽ(｀⌒′)?(⊙?⊙)……
In another place, three people also gathered together, but this place was completely different from Wei Duan's place. There were constant laughter and laughter, and the atmosphere was very lively.
Zhen Mi's little mirror in Zheng Xuan's place is just an introduction.
Zheng Xuan was a great Confucian, and he was respected by others for his teachings. Does that mean that only men can become great Confucians? It certainly is not the case. At least Cai Yan is now respectfully called "Master Cai".
So, under the leadership of Zhen Mi, and with the example of Zheng Xuan in front of her, and with the ordinary people in Zheng Xuan's place, Xin Xianying, who was gradually approaching the age of marriage, almost immediately became what Zhen Mi expected.
Just like that, I jumped into the circle that Zhen Mi had prepared.
It's not that Zhen Mi wants to harm Xin Xianying, she just wants to use Xin Xianying's reputation as a nobleman. After all, Zhen Mi herself is too weak, and with people coming from Jizhou to interfere, she may not be able to do something as she wishes, but there are
With Xin Xianying as the foundation, it would be better to win over Wang Shu to join.
As a result, the alliance of women with foreign surnames was formally established, representing Jizhou, Yuzhou, Xuzhou...
Xin Xianying did not want to be traded away so easily. This was a problem that Zhen Mi could see at a glance. After all, Zhen Mi also walked through this path back then. Although Xin Xianying is not old now, she is not too young, which was common in the Han Dynasty.
In an era when people get married at the age of thirteen or fourteen, the important event of marriage is indeed close at hand.
However, a successful marriage is indeed gratifying, but now the Xin family is not prosperous and its status is not prominent. It is almost as good as Pei Hui and Wang Xiang, and is on the fringe of politics. It is even worse than Kan Ze, Wang Chang and Kan Ze.
Although he and Wang Chang have low positions, they can always enter the ruling office...
Although women in the Han Dynasty did not have the perverted emphasis on chastity in later Neo-Confucianism, but that girl is not pregnant? Doesn’t she want to meet a good person instead of a bad person for the first time? So how can I make myself more beautiful?
How about a good match with a high-level lover?
The best way is to improve one's own status. In the Han Dynasty, being well-matched was not something you just talked about casually. When the woman's status increased, the quality of the man she matched with naturally increased, and the space and power she could choose became greater. In this regard,
Xin Xianying knew it very well, so she was willing to cooperate with Zhen Mi, as long as Zhen Mi could improve the Xin family's reputation.
As for Wang Shu, she has enough ambition, but not enough space. Although the name of the Langya Wang family is resounding, its influence has been greatly weakened due to the long distance, not to mention that Zao Zhi originally also had a wife.
, even if they try their best to protect each other, it is inevitable that they will fall into the category of fighting at some point, and this kind of fighting is very annoying and lengthy. To a certain extent, as long as it is not too tense, even Zao Zhi can
I won't care.
In terms of force, Wang Shu could chop that woman to death with one knife, and it wouldn't be a problem to chop Zao Zhi along the way, but violence cannot solve everything...
Wang Shu wants to revitalize the Mo family, but he needs a lot of things. At least now, he needs some say in the family, so as not to be irritated to death by trivial things all day long.
So when Zhen Mi came to the door and saw Xin Xianying joining, Wang Shu naturally rolled his eyes twice and readily agreed to the alliance...
Zheng Xuan was a great Confucian, and Cai Yan was also a great Confucian. Men can get official positions, and now women also have Zhiyin Academy. Men have titles, don't women also have them?
No matter what type of alliance these three people are, even if they are plastic flower sisters in later generations, at least one goal is the same at this moment, which is to gain fame.
Whatever a man can achieve, a woman can do the same.
Since a daughter of the Wang family in Taiyuan has received a title, who can say that there will not be another one?
If Zhen Mi gains fame, she will be able to get rid of the fetters of Jizhou and become independent. If Xin Xianying gains fame, she will have better choices and a freer direction. This is especially true for Wang Shu, who will be able to stay at home.
More voice and freedom.
So with the same goal in mind, the atmosphere between the three of them was naturally very warm. Within a short time, they seemed to be as close as sisters to each other, and they were extremely harmonious.
After the foreplay atmosphere reaches a certain level, it’s natural to get down to business.
The three of them showed their true nature.
Of course, the main person to guide is still Zhen Mi.
Zhen Mi clapped her hands, and the maid, who looked like a little rabbit, presented an extremely exquisite wooden box...
"This is..." Xin Xianying was a little curious and her eyes followed the wooden box.
Zhen Mi smiled, but did not hand the wooden box to Xin Xianying, but gave it to Wang Shu, "Madam Wang, do you recognize this thing?"
Wang Shu shook it gently first, listened to the sound, and then slowly opened the wooden box. What came into view was hard, long... some dried stems, and a bag of seeds.
There are also some dried vegetable leaves...
Wang Shu was quite familiar with crops. He frowned slightly, took out the stalks and seeds, looked at them for a moment, and said, "It looks like beams..."
"If I live in the fields, I will get ten thousand at a year. I will take the old ones and feed my farmers. It has been a long time since ancient times. Now it is suitable for southern acres, either tilling or tilling. Millet, millet, grass, grass and grass, you are here and there, and I am a fashionable scholar...
..." Zhen Mi said with a smile, "Madam Wang has indeed experienced people... Now that the weather is abnormal and the spring is cold, there will be droughts in summer and autumn... It may not be easy to grow wheat and millet, but millet is drought-resistant... If...
』
The history of planting sorghum in China dates back to the Western Zhou Dynasty, but because sorghum was a crop, it did not receive people's attention for a long time. It was not until the Song Dynasty that people began to plant sorghum on a large scale after discovering its strong adaptability.
It only took more than a hundred years for cultivation to become popular throughout China.
Many farmers, no matter what kind of plants they mainly grow, will plant some sorghum in the fields or even under the eaves and walls, because the demand for sorghum is really too little. As long as there is sunlight and a small amount of water, it can grow. Of course, there are also
There is a more drought-resistant plant, corn, but now corn is simply not available in China.
Before the arrival of the Little Ice Age in the Han Dynasty, the climate was warm and humid, so rice, wheat and beans, which yielded more per mu, were naturally the focus of planting, and in terms of taste, rice, wheat and beans were better. Sorghum was eaten as rough rice.
It was not popular as a food crop, so it was abandoned aside and few people cared about it. Now that Zhen Mi deliberately took out this seed, she obviously had some thought.
"Hi..." Wang Shu put the wooden box down, with some disappointment on his face. "This matter... Hussar has already arranged it... I saw a large amount of sorghum seeds being prepared at the beginning of the year... If this is the only thing, I'm afraid...
yes……"
Zhen Mi's smile remained unchanged and she said: "This beam is not that beam... This is sweet rice... Its stem is very sweet..."
"What? Sweet?" Wang Shu was stunned for a moment.
Zhen Mi stretched out her hand slightly, indicating that Wang Shu could try it herself.
Sorghum originally existed in China, but the place of origin of sweet sorghum is not China.
"This thing is the product of body poison, and it traveled to Jizhou..." Zhen Mi said, "When I was young, I liked sweet food very much, but maltose was always rare. After I accidentally got this thing, I used it instead...
…』
As soon as Zhen Mi said this, not to mention Wang Shu, even Xin Xianying on the side couldn't help it. She pinched a dry stalk and bit it into her small mouth, smashed it, and immediately smiled and rolled her eyes, "It's really
Sweet!"
Human beings' pursuit of carbohydrates and fats is engraved in genes. Although the sweetness in the stalks of sweet sorghum may not even be as good as one percent of the cheapest hard candies in later generations, but
In the Han Dynasty, there were not many sweet things, and it was even rarer to have a bite of sugar. Otherwise, the price of sugar would not have always been a high luxury product, and it would be expensive.
Wang Si held a dried stem in her mouth and bit it at the corner of her mouth. It tasted like a eldest sister in later generations. "Hiss...it's indeed sweeter...so to speak, it's not bad...then what is this dried vegetable?" It's sweet.
Things can be used to make sugar, and sugar is a luxury product in the Han Dynasty and represents money.
"This thing is Artemisia alba..." Zhen Mi said softly and gracefully, "This thing can grow in mountains, dry valleys, and tidal flats, and does not occupy an acre of land... When it is young and tender, people can eat it.
The thick stems can be fed by livestock... I heard that during the chaos in Qingzhou in the past, this was the thing, and countless people were alive..."
Wang Shu looked at the dried vegetables, then turned to look at Zhen Mi, and said with a half-smile: "In that case...why not offer it to me?"
Zhen Mi said solemnly: "If it is a tribute, it only has the merit of offering seeds. What you get is just some gold, silver and brocade coins, so what's the use? Now we know that Madam Wang is good at farming and farming, if she chooses first
Sow it in a place and wait for it to bear fruit..."
Wang Shu rolled his eyes and smiled slightly, "I see... Madam Zhen is really a good calculator... Anyway, this matter is actually not difficult to say..." Offering a few seeds whose effectiveness has not yet been proven to be effective.
, and which one has been proven to be indeed useful and effective? Which one can get more credit? Planting Zhuanghe, for Zhen Mi and Xin Xianying, is naturally a more difficult thing, but for Wang Shu,
But quite easy.
Zhen Mi nodded, then turned to Xin Xianying with a gentle smile, "I will provide the money and goods, and Mrs. Wang will go out to work in the fields. Mrs. Xin, I will ask you to make a name for yourself... Mrs. Xin is smart, charming, and unparalleled. She must be
Many young masters like to complain about it... Ah, Lady Xin, don't be upset... Once the cultivation of this plant has achieved some success, it will be difficult for you and me to become famous, and if there are people like Lady Xin who are fond of complaining...
Haha, Madam Xin, don’t be upset... Madam Xin will also be able to choose from them, and a talented man and a beautiful woman will naturally be a good match... Ah, I won’t say it anymore, okay, I won’t say it anymore..."
Xin Xianying scratched Zhen Mi angrily for a while, then blushed, and finally did not object...
