Wu Tingfu, the magistrate of Xixiang County, arrived that evening, bringing with him a group of county officials.
As for the prefect of Hanzhong, it is estimated that he will not arrive until noon tomorrow.
Yangzhou was demoted to Yang County in the early Ming Dynasty, and all three counties under its jurisdiction were merged into Hanzhong Prefecture. In recent years, some officials have proposed restoring Yangzhou. Firstly, this is the land of Longxing and should be established as a state. Secondly, it is to consolidate Hanzhong.
The basin continues to cut.
After the division, Yangzhou was set as a Zhili Prefecture under Shaanxi Province to prevent someone from separatizing Hanzhong one day.
In the early morning of the next day, Zhu Guoxiang, accompanied by the Xixiang County Magistrate and the Daming Town Supervisor, took his family, friends and followers to Heifeng Village.
There are paddy fields along the river, but the rice has been harvested, the field water has been drained, and the winter rapeseed seedlings have grown knee-deep.
"In the past 20 years or so, the number of paddy fields along the river leading from the town to Longji Mountain has increased by more than 40 acres," said the town supervisor Shi Jizhi.
The water truck has brought water to fill it, and the dry fields have turned into paddy fields."
They can barely be considered terraced fields, but they can't be compared with real terraced fields. Such sloping paddy fields near rivers are very common in the south.
Zhu Guoxiang was confused and said: "What is Longji Mountain?"
County magistrate Wu Tingfu explained: "Longji Mountain is the mountain where the former Heifeng Village was located. A Feng Shui magician observed that the mountains in this area are shaped like a dragon, and the Heifeng Village was where the Dragon's Back was. The mountains on the other side of Shangbai Village are
It looks like a fierce tiger, and combined with this, it has the potential of a tiger sitting on a dragon's plate."
Bai Dalang also joked: "In fact, there has been this saying for more than a hundred years. My ancestors thought that Feng Shui was good, so they chose to cultivate and multiply in Shangbai Village. The dragon and tiger energy here was probably created for your two majesties."
Tian Zhifang said: "The sorcerers who passed by here said that although the tigers are on the dragon's plate here, the dragons are trapped in the shallows and the tigers are in the flat sun. In the early years, His Majesty dug weirs and ponds in Longji Mountain, connected canals, and built water trucks, which diverted water into the shallows.
Water. We also planted corn in the middle of the mountain in Shangbai Village. Corn is taller than wheat and can hide the wind and gather energy. With the introduction of water, the wind is hidden, and the pattern of a tiger sitting on a dragon's plate suddenly comes alive."
Zhu Guoxiang smiled, did not participate in the discussion, and was too lazy to refute anything.
The people in Daming Town, Xixiang County, and Hanzhong Prefecture probably believe in this statement.
There are even some quick-thinking people who are sure that the Supreme Emperor must be proficient in Feng Shui.
They secretly made up various stories about how the two majesties received advice from overseas immortals and came all the way from the southeast coast to Hanzhong. When passing through Daming Town, they discovered the pattern of a tiger perched on a dragon's plate, so they lived in seclusion here.
And quietly open up the stagnant Feng Shui.
The giant Ganoderma lucidum that was presented to Hunjun back then was formed by the gathering energy of dragon and tiger.
Even Xue Daoguang was invited to lend a hand and help the two majesties to clear up the Feng Shui of Longji Mountain.
Some villagers who moved from the foot of Heifeng Mountain to Hanzhong claimed that they got up one night to defecate and saw red lights rushing out from the direction of Heifeng Village. In the middle of the night, the sky was dyed red, and they formed a ball.
The red clouds finally dispersed until dawn.
This piece of gossip was quickly cited by others, and was also used in various secondary creations.
Some people say that those red lights and red clouds are from the Supreme Emperor refining the elixir at night, and when the elixir is completed, a lot of red elixir energy escapes.
Some people also say that it was because the Feng Shui of Longji Mountain was opened up, and the immortals descended from heaven and earth to talk to the Supreme Emperor.
Anyway, there are so many explanations.
Zhu Guoxiang said: "Last time Bai Sheng was ordered to come back, he said that the buildings on the mountain were abandoned and dilapidated?"
Tian Zhifang explained: "It's inconvenient to go up and down the mountain. No one has lived on the mountain for more than 20 years. We don't dare to open houses randomly for fear of ruining the feng shui of the mountain."
Bai Dalang said: "Successive officials from the prefecture, county and town have repeatedly requested to build a Taoist temple on Longji Mountain. However, the court has never approved it, and the officials and people here do not dare to build it randomly. During this period, a Taoist priest wandered here and ran away.
We were practicing in a hut on Longji Mountain, but I led people to beat him away with hoes and poles. The Taoist priest must have evil intentions and wanted to steal the dragon energy on Longji Mountain."
Shi Jizhi said: "The top of the mountain is now a restricted area, and no one is allowed to go up the mountain to collect firewood or hunt..."
"That's unreasonable!"
Zhu Guoxiang finally spoke up and reprimanded: "Even if there is dragon energy in the mountains, how much can the common people steal it? Lift the ban immediately and don't stop the common people from woodworking and hunting!"
Shi Jizhi was so frightened that he quickly said yes.
Wu Tingfu quickly flattered him: "Your Majesty's benevolent administration and love for the people are as good as those of Yao and Shun during his time. This is the blessing of the world."
There was another large waterwheel here, and Zhu Guoxiang came to the waterwheel he built.
All parts of the wooden waterwheel have been replaced.
Even the wood of the main structure has been replaced, because in order to rush the work, the materials used were not of the highest quality, and they began to decay more than ten years ago.
Zhu Guoxiang walked over and stretched out his hand to touch her. The scene from that year was still vivid in his mind.
As the saying goes, things change and people change, so do the objects. After replacing parts, this waterwheel has become stronger and more durable. It is no longer the one built by Zhu Guoxiang himself.
Zhu Guoxiang left the waterwheel, turned around and walked towards Heifeng Mountain.
No, it is now Longji Mountain, and even the name of the mountain has been changed.
Halfway up the mountain, there are lush tung oil trees, which were planted by Zhu Guoxiang himself with the villagers. The refined tung oil can be sold for money, and was also used to make rattan armor at the beginning of the war!
When we reach a dangerous point, only one or two people can pass through at the same time.
The entourage was afraid that something might happen, so they asked the guards to support the Emperor, Queen, and concubines as they passed slowly.
Zhu Guoxiang said: "It is easy to defend but difficult to attack here. When the emperor led people to attack the mountain to suppress the bandits, they were blocked here. It was Zhang Guangdao who rushed around to the back mountain and captured Heifeng Village in one fell swoop."
The accompanying officials and people heard this and praised the bravery of Emperor Zhu and Prince Zhang.
While walking and walking on the mountain road, Zhu Guoxiang stopped to rest for a while.
After passing the tung oil forest area, it was designated as a restricted area by the government. There has been no firewood harvesting for a long time, the vegetation has become denser, and even the mountain roads are covered with thorns and weeds.
The guards were well prepared, holding hatchets to clear the way ahead, and beating the grass with sticks to drive away snakes and insects.
Finally, we arrived at Heifeng Village on the top of the mountain.
What you see is a patch of thorny vegetation. Every house is covered with vines, and even the roofs are covered with grass. There is also a house that collapsed and even the beams are missing. It was probably stolen by the people down the mountain.
The officials' faces were very ugly. Someone actually stole the beams of the Emperor's house?
But Zhu Guoxiang said with a smile: "People can take away all the useful things here if they want."
Shen Yourong has also lived here for several years, and she was also filled with emotion at this moment. She walked to the side of the collapsed house and said: "Shi Biao and his wife used to live here, and the ditch beside the house was blocked by weeds and debris. , the water flowing down the eaves was not drained smoothly, and it overflowed and soaked the corners of the walls, causing them to collapse."
Zhu Guoxiang sighed: "Shi Biao also died two years ago."
Before his death, Shi Biao was the commander of the Forbidden Army in Kaifeng, equivalent to the commander-in-chief of the Tokyo Military Region, and the absolute most powerful confidant of Emperor Zhu.
That position is now taken over by Gu San.
"This area used to be a dam, right? After it was compacted, there wasn't much grass growing." A young guard officer said.
Zhu Guoxiang said with a smile: "Your father trained in this dam back then. He couldn't even tell the difference between his left and right feet, and he always forgot the flag. I don't know how many military sticks he ate."
The young guard officer laughed when he heard this, and then felt a little sad.
His father was an ordinary soldier who came out of Daming Village. After capturing Hanzhong, he became a team leader. Because his qualifications were so poor, he has been working as a team leader. However, he was gradually transferred from a team leader of the ordinary army to one of Ju Ming's personal soldiers. Team upright.
He was finally released as a hundred-man general, but was killed in the Battle of Mingjin and Hebei.
The young guard officer walked to the center of the dam and kicked the plantains growing sporadically, as if imagining how his late father practiced.
Shen Yourong walked to a large house, but was stopped by the guards from entering, fearing that the dangerous building would suddenly collapse.
She looked at the empty main room through the half-open door, and said to Li Qingzhao and other concubines: "That winter solstice, we gathered in this room to eat hot pot. My husband and the official sliced the mutton in person, and we women chose it together. Washing vegetables. It’s snowing heavily and it’s colder than the current winter..."
In the past ten years, the climate has been warming up.
"Let's go."
After Shen Yourong took his concubines and children for a tour, Zhu Guoxiang turned around and prepared to go down the mountain. He said to the town supervisor Shi Jizhi: "Tear down all the useful wood and move it down the mountain, and let the nearby people take it for themselves. Beams and pillars." Most of them are good materials, left behind by bandits back then."
Shi Jizhi quickly said yes.
It was already past noon when we came down the mountain. Halfway up the mountain, we bumped into the prefect of Hanzhong, who was hurriedly arriving. Even the magistrates of Yang County and Zhenfu County were here, as well as some gentry and celebrities from various counties.
Among them were many of Zhu Guoxiang's old acquaintances. Before the Zhu family launched an army, they had invited Dean Zhu to guide farming.
An old country squire, who was eighty years old and still trembling, ran over in person and asked his grandson to carry him up the mountain after getting off the boat.
After reminiscing about the past, Zhu Guoxiang became happier and happier.
The Supreme Emperor personally held a banquet in honor of the guests, setting up flowing banquets in Daming Town, and even placing dining tables on the streets and piers of the town.
The next day, we went to Shangxiabai Village.
Shen Yourong saw his old house from a distance and burst into tears.
Grand Po Yan had passed away long ago, and she died in the royal palace in Hunan. Bai Qi still kept her filial piety for three months.
The old houses and fields here were divided into several shares and given to the village neighbors with whom they had good relations. The house was occupied by the son of a village neighbor who got married and separated. At this time, it had been cleaned up and the family had moved out temporarily, waiting for Zhu Guo Xianghe and Shen Yourong came back to stay.
Zhu Guoxiang said with a smile: "When we got married, there was not enough space, so we also set up wine in each family's yard. Today we will set it up again, setting out a three-day running water banquet, and inviting people from nearby villages to come and have a drink!"
"Very good." Shen Yourong also laughed.
The other concubines were somewhat envious when they saw this. They did not have such a deep relationship with the Supreme Emperor.
Shen Yourong suddenly missed his son very much and planned to call Bai Qi, his wife and children back to see him again after returning to Beijing.
Zhu Guoxiang asked Bai Dalang: "Where is your father buried?"
Bai Dalang said: "It was buried next to my grandmother's grave, and my mother's remains were also picked up and buried with my father."
Zhu Guoxiang said: "I want to pay homage to your grandmother, and the emperor also asked me to do so on your behalf."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for still thinking of me." Bai Dalang was quite moved and couldn't help but squeeze out a few tears.
Zhu Guoxiang took Shen Yourong around the village, stopping to talk to everyone he met, just like a wanderer returning home.
From time to time, he would tease the children and ask them who the elders in their family were.
Actually, these were arranged by the government and Bai Dalang. They pretended that the whole village was living a normal life, and arranged those who had a good relationship with Zhu Guoxiang by the roadside. If the elders in the family were dead, their children and grandchildren were asked to come forward.
Try to create a comfortable atmosphere for the Emperor.
The entire village has long been sealed off by the guards. As far as the flowing water mat is connected, the villagers of Xiabai Village nearby come to have a drink, and they will be carefully searched one by one to see if they have weapons.
Another day, Zhu Guoxiang had a sudden idea and asked Baishi Town when the market would be held.
It's hard for Bai Dalang to say that Baishi Town has declined, and it has been squeezed out by Daming Town. Most business trips stop in Daming Town, and people from surrounding areas also go to Daming Town to go to the market. There are not many people in Baishi Town between the upper and lower Bai Villages. Asked.
However, the town streets are still there, the shops are still there, and the docks are still there, but the business scale and population have just dropped sharply.
Bai Dalang told the date of the market and turned around to discuss it with the eunuchs, guards and officials.
That afternoon, Baishi Town and Xiabai Village were buzzing with excitement, and the shops in the town were being renovated overnight.
On the day of the market, the Supreme Emperor and the Supreme Empress rushed over excitedly, and everything seemed to be back to how it was back then.
At that time, Zhu Guoxiang and his son finally had some money after selling Hubi, so Shen Yourong accompanied them to Baishi Town to purchase daily necessities.
"How do you sell this chicken?" Zhu Guoxiang asked.
The old woman selling chickens was a little flustered. She opened her mouth but could not speak. After a long time, she finally managed to say: "I don't need money. I am filial to the Emperor."
Zhu Guoxiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He sighed secretly in his heart and continued to go to the market pretending that nothing happened.
He personally bought some paper money and incense candles, intending to take them to worship at the graves of Bai Dalang's grandmother and parents.
When leaving Baishi Town, Zhu Guoxiang whispered to the eunuch: "Xiao Zhong, you stay here to take care of me. Let the officials not embarrass that old woman. The shops and people in today's market will all compensate her."
"Your Majesty is merciful, I will take care of it now." The eunuch quietly withdrew.
In the evening of that day, a fast ship arrived, and the official hurriedly went to see the prefect with the telegram.
The prefect took the telegram to see the eunuch again.
The three days of running water feasts have ended. Zhu Guoxiang and a few old wives who are relatively close to him are living in their old houses. The rest live in the homes of the Bai family and other villagers, and they only get together when eating.
Dinner is being eaten at this time.
The eunuch quietly handed the telegram to Zhu Guoxiang.
Zhu Guoxiang opened it and saw that the message contained only five words: Cornucopia is dead.
The lifespan of a horse is generally 30 to 35 years old, and the known world record is 62 years old.
Cornucopia lived to be 41 years old.
"Sigh." Zhu Guoxiang put down the telegram and silently picked up food for Shen Yourong.
…
To the east of Luoyang, there is a racecourse in the outskirts.
Ju Ming looked at the remains in the cornucopia and remained silent.
He dispersed his entourage and sat cross-legged next to the horse's corpse, holding the sword he had brought through time in his hand.
Zhang Guangdao, Li Bao, Zhang Boring, Bai Sheng and others stood far away at the other end of the racecourse. Especially Bai Sheng, he knew the emperor's relationship with this horse.
The distant mountains are like black clouds, and the setting sun is like blood.
Winter is coming soon, and spring will bloom again next year.
