Zhou Li said: "The Taiyin in the north is named Youming", so the northeastern part of the Central Plains is called Youzhou.
During the Warring States Period, the State of Yan and six other states stood side by side in Youzhou, known as the Seven Heroes. After Qin destroyed Yan, it inherited the old system of the State of Yan and established five counties: Yuyang, Shanggu, Youbeiping, Liaoxi, and Liaodong.
By the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, a county named Zhuo was separated from Shanggu, and then Xuantu, Lelang and other counties were established, which also belonged to Youzhou.
In Zhuo County, the seat of Zhuo County, there was a family surnamed Liu, who was the son of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty. After Liu Sheng, Prince Jing of Zhongshan, due to Emperor Wu's "favor order", they were enfeoffed for generations and no longer had titles or fiefs.
The late head of the Liu family, whose name was Liu Xiong, once promoted Xiaolian to the post of Fan Ling of Dongjun. His son Liu Hong also promoted Xiaolian to the post of magistrate of Zhuo County. Liu Hong also had a son named Liu Bei, who is now ten years old.
Liu Hong's family lives in Lousang Village, Zhuo County. The villagers mostly collect mulberry and raise silkworms. Mulberry trees are planted outside the village. One of them is unusually tall, like a car hood.
When Liu Bei was five years old, he was playing with a village boy and once pointed out to him, "I am the emperor, so I should ride on this chariot." The children dispersed after playing for a day, but Liu Bei's words aroused the interest of a distant uncle.
His name was Liu Ci, and his courtesy name was Yuanfang. He claimed to be from Shanggu. He came to Zhuoxian frequently to visit him. Seeing that Liu Hong was frail and sick, he invited famous doctors to diagnose and treat him.
————
At this time, Liu Hong was dismissed from office due to the ban of the party, and became seriously ill again and became bedridden. His wives Jiang and Liu Bei both stood beside the bed and wept silently.
Liu Hong knew that he was about to die soon, so he said with difficulty: "After I die..."
"Please rest assured, husband!" Although Jiang's face was full of sorrow and her words were choked with sobs, her tone was firm: "I am just a weaver of mats and shoes, and I will also help Xiao Bei study and become a talent."
Weaving mats and selling shoes...Did Liu Hong's mind wander for a moment, laying out bamboo mats with mulberry leaves for silkworms to eat and spin silk, and straw sandals for mulberry pickers? Speaking of which, the Jiang family was originally a sericulture family, and he asked for a wife.
He once boasted that Haikou would allow her to live a better life than collecting mulberries and raising silkworms. Unexpectedly, because of himself, he asked his wife to go back to her old business, which was the lowest level of consumable preparation...
No! Wrong!
When he was dying, Liu Hong's thoughts were clearer and more organized than usual. He recalled his life at a speed that he could not even understand.
I am a clan member of the Han Dynasty. Although my title has been reduced one after another due to the extensive enfeoffment of my ancestors, I still had the title until my father Liu Xiong. Fan Ling of the East County was appointed as a magistrate of Zhuo County. Both my father and son were in Zhuo County for both generations.
How could a county official have no savings or connections?
All these savings were spent on seeking medical treatment after he became ill. This is normal, but those connections seem to be... completely accepted by Liu Ci?!
Logically speaking, it is not an object and cannot be moved at will. However, in the past five years, because he has hired famous doctors to teach Liu Bei, he completely regards Liu Ci as his biological brother.
so……
It would be fine if Liu Ci was really a distant brother with a close relationship. There is nothing wrong with supporting each other as a family, but what if——
Liu Hong quickly thought of another doubtful point. When Liu Bei said to the big mulberry tree, "I am the emperor, I will ride on this chariot." Even his own father was extremely frightened, while his distant uncle was "very scared."
interested"?
"Brother Yuan Fang...are you here?" Although Liu Hong's thoughts were spinning, his words and actions were extremely slow.
"Don't worry, Zijing," Liu Ci's voice came from outside the room, as steady and gentle as ever: "I am raising your wife, and I will never let my sister-in-law go to 'weave mats and sell shoes.'"
He is in an outer room and worried that he has private words to confess. Could it be that he is really a gentleman?
"My dear brother Yuan Fang," Liu Hong raised his voice slightly and said, "You are ten times more talented than me, and you will be able to achieve great things. If my son can be taught, please give me more advice. If he is not talented, you can leave him alone."
"Yuan Fang..." Liu Ci hesitated for a moment and then said, "I will live up to my trust."
Liu Hong hesitated and continued: "It seems that I will not wait until my son is crowned, so I will choose a name for you in advance. You will be called Liu Xuande. You must be filial to your mother and treat your uncle with courtesy."
"My son saved me." Liu Bei cried and prostrated.
Still, he was not very relieved. Liu Hong was exhausted and could not speak, so he could only sigh silently: We are just over the age of 10, and my son has just turned ten. If there are still ten years, no, five years, even one year...
Liu Hong inadvertently turned his head to look outside the door, and saw Liu Ci looking at him. Liu Hong was about to nod or blink, but he was horrified to find that the man outside the door was not a simple and honest "Liu Ci"
", he was clearly a strange Taoist wearing a gray-brown Taoist robe, with hair standing on end and a strange expression!
At this moment, Liu Hong thought of many past events. In recent years, there have been reports of "Fu Shui" and "Elixir" in Jizhou. He heard that they were created by the immortals of "Taiping Dao" and could cure almost all diseases. During his illness,
, once planned to try to buy Taoist charms or elixirs, but Liu Ci stopped him, saying that "Taoist priests are all liars", and he believed that.
Now it seems that he is basically talking about himself!
Why is my family being targeted by demons... It's really [unfortunate]...
Liu Hong closed his eyes bitterly.
————
"..."
In the silence and darkness, a long time passed. Liu Hong, who had not noticed any difference from before his death, opened his eyes again in surprise and found that he was still lying on his couch, and his wife and children were still prostrate in sorrow, but they looked like pictures.
Not moving, even the strange Taoist outside the door was completely still.
"This..." Liu Hong turned over and sat up, and found that his body was flexible and free, and his movements were not as difficult as rusting during his serious illness.
Pah, pah.
In the dead silence around him, the sound of thin objects falling could be heard.
Liu Hong followed the sound and saw the petals of an unknown pink flower falling one by one. When he traced its source, he saw a pair of slender hands, holding the flower in one hand, and picking off the petals one by one with the other hand and throwing them away. Then he looked at those hands.
When I saw the owner, I realized that it was a beautiful white-haired woman wearing a snow-white hooded cloak, a luxurious black dress, and carrying a simple curved long staff. She was sitting elegantly in the air, with something on her knees.
Lying down was a small white-haired animal that looked like a dog or a rabbit.
Liu Hong swore he had never seen her at all when he just got up and looked around.
"[Save, don't save, save, don't save...]" The woman whispered every time she tore off a petal. Her voice was so cold that Liu Hong couldn't help but think of the cold wind on the snowy mountains of Youzhou.
If nothing else, the words "to save or not to save" should be the "goddess"'s decision about her own life and death... Although Liu Hong wanted to immediately prostrate himself and beg for help, he was afraid that she would just walk away, so he could only watch helplessly.
With the flower whose petals are dwindling.
Pasha, pahu.
"[Save]." When the last petal was left in the woman's hand, the words she spoke made Liu Hong immediately kowtow as if he had been granted amnesty.
"[You are right,]" the woman stroked the little animal's head: "[Can I still not know how many petals the flower I created has?]"
Did the fairy beast speak? Liu Hong stole a glance at the little animal, only to be stared back by it. His body trembled involuntarily, as if the wild animals in Zhuo County encountered natural enemies.
"[Generally speaking, patients who have been suffering from illness for a long time will not have very 'unfortunate' thoughts when they are about to die, but more of relief and regret. However, you are different.]" The woman's eyes turned to
Liu Hong has a quiet and elegant voice.
"I am worried about my wife and children, but I also hate the demons for harming me. I feel sorry for myself and make the fairy laugh." Liu Hong finally chose a relatively safe title.
"[Demon way?]" The woman turned her face slightly and looked at "Liu Ci" outside the door: "[If I say that he is a genuine 'immortal', what do you think?]"
"How is it possible-" Liu Hong looked up, shocked.
"[You were originally destined to die of a sudden illness when Liu Bei was six years old. Although they had a lot of savings, it was difficult for the orphans and widowers to have an income. This was about the time when they had exhausted their savings and started weaving mats and selling shoes, but that'
Zuo Ci used a trick to extend your "death process" to five years so that Liu Bei would not lose his father at an early age, and then he became a "family friend" with you as a distant relative.】" The woman explained the matter.
Come on.
"Indeed..." Liu Hong thought for a while and understood: "If there are only orphans and widowed mothers, no matter how friendly the relatives are, they will stay away from them, but if they have what I said before, he can easily influence my Xuande family."
So, the words "As the emperor, I should ride on this chariot" were not a joke? Liu Hong was suddenly excited.
"[You guessed it right]," the woman threw away the petals in her hand: "[But because he actually saved your life, I can't do anything about him for the moment. I can't come here and force you to 'die a good death', right?"
"
She seems to be on the same side as the "demon", no, the "immortal", so she cannot be called a "fairy". Combined with her words of "destined" and her previous gesture of holding flowers and smiling...
"Bodhisattva, please show great mercy!" Liu Hong kowtowed again, and judging from the "Bodhisattva"'s sudden startled expression, he must have guessed correctly.
"[Let's do this,]" the white-clothed Bodhisattva was stunned for a moment, then continued: "[I can cure your chronic illness, but because your lifespan was interfered with by Zuo Ci, it is now in an imaginary state, and I can only shorten your and Liu Bei's lifespans.
Connect it, don’t worry, it will absorb up to five years of his life to make up for your shortfall. If he does more good deeds, there may be a surplus]."
"..." Not wanting to affect his son, but not wanting to die on the spot, Liu Hong didn't know what to say.
"[That's it]," the "Bodhisattva" in white picked up her cane, waved it at Liu Hong from a distance, and then walked to "Zuo Ci" outside the door: "[There is a road to heaven, but you won't take it~ Hell has no door to break in
Come~】"
————
"Bodhisattva, stay here, please tell me your name - ugh!" Liu Hong suddenly sat up, and then the discomfort caused by the disease came over him like a tide, and he couldn't help but groan in pain.
"Father, are you awake?" Liu Bei, the boy beside the bed, stood up hurriedly: "Do you want some water?"
"Well..." Liu Hong looked around. His wife Jiang and Zuo Ci outside the door were nowhere to be seen, so he asked, "How long have I been sleeping? Where is your mother?"
"After my father fell asleep, Uncle Yuanfang sent a statue of Bodhisattva, and my mother went to worship it." Liu Bei looked at Liu Hong curiously: "It seems to be really effective. It must be difficult to get it. No wonder Uncle Yuanfang
He looked like he had a bruised nose and a swollen face.”
