As mentioned before, Zhao Zongji established a national united front in Guangyuan Prefecture, so that the Jiaozhi people could no longer invade at will and had to surrender to the Song Dynasty.
King Li Rizun of Jiaozhi sent his younger brother to lead a delegation to Bianliang to submit credentials and present various state gifts. In the remote and remote area of Jiaozhi, there was nothing that could attract the attention of the Celestial Empire. However, this time, what they brought
A pair of gifts, but they greatly attracted a lot of attention.
They actually donated a pair of unicorns!
That is the holy beast Qilin. It is said that it can only appear in the world when the Holy Emperor is in the prime of life!
The so-called auspiciousness from heaven is a great good thing. After hearing this letter, the people of the Song Dynasty were very excited... They spent all day looking at the unicorns in the paintings, and now they can live a life!
The official is also a little excited. He has been denying himself recently and his mind is fragile. It would be best to have some auspicious comfort.
Of course, as the son of Zhenzong, he was still very wary of the so-called auspicious things, lest he repeat his father's mistakes, Zhao Zhen asked someone to confirm first whether that thing was a unicorn or some kind of bird.
So several knowledgeable government officials set out to Yangzhou, pretending to be officials from the Ministry of Rites, and met the Jiaozhi delegation. Taking advantage of the opportunity to verify their identity, they finally saw the legendary 'Kilin'.
I saw that the thing looked like a buffalo, with many small bulges like round nail heads on its body, as if it was covered with a thick layer of armor, and there was a big horn on its huge head...
"This..." The officials were stunned and couldn't help but look at each other. What kind of thing is this? It's too different from the Kirin in their impressions!
Look at those small eyes as big as mung beans, placed on the huge head. They look naive and stupid. How can they have half the majesty of the sacred beast Qilin?
But those people from Jiaozhi insisted that this is a unicorn! Look at its four hooves, armor all over its body, and most importantly, it has a single horn on its forehead! What is it if it’s not a unicorn?
Although Qilin is a mythical beast, all three-year-old children know these remarkable characteristics. And they are consistent with this strange beast! Is this what Qilin looks like? Everyone still doesn’t believe it. But the adults can’t find a reason to refute,
I had no choice but to deal with it first, go back and close the door to do the summing up.
"What do you think?" Hu Su, the leading Hanlin scholar, said.
"This thing has never been seen before." An official said softly: "Whether it is Lin or not, I really can't tell."
You immediately got a blank look, what did the government send you to do? Isn't it just to confirm the authenticity? If there is no conclusion, where will everyone put their faces?
It's just that although they, the government officials, are well-read, they have very little actual knowledge. It would be really difficult for you to let them make the judgment.
"How do the ancient books describe Qilin?" Hu Su asked as he had to come up with a charter anyway.
"It is said in ancient books that the Lin is not a Chinese beast. It wears meat on one horn and is equipped with weapons but does no harm. So it is benevolent." Someone immediately answered.
"It's quite possible." Hu Su touched his chin and said, "What else?"
"Erya. Shi Beast, Shuo Yuan. Discrimination of Things, Shuo Wen Lu Bu and Zuo Zhuan all call Lin the 'ox tail'." Immediately, someone else said: "This is not the same as the strange beast we see today.
The tail is the same."
"It is said in ancient literature that Qilin's hooves are horse's round hooves." Someone else said, "That's right."
"The ancient book says that the color of the unicorn is yellow, and the body of the unicorn is the same as the lin." Someone else added: "It can still be matched!"
However, some people have raised objections: ""Lunheng. Tao Rui" says: "At the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he was hunting in the west and found a white lin with five toes on one horn." The horns may be the same at the same time; if it is said that there are five toes, it is completely different.
.”
"What's the explanation for the theory of horse feet and round hooves?" the person in front immediately retorted.
After talking about it, everyone found that they could not cite scriptures to deny this object. On the contrary, the more they examined the evidence, they felt that this object was extraordinary. Could it be that the real Qilin was like this? Maybe the Central Plains had not seen this object for too long, so the portrait had become distorted.
In the end, everyone's eyes were focused on Hu Su. Whether it was right or not had to be decided by the leader.
"Then..." Hu Su pondered for a long time, and then said with difficulty: "Let's sleep first."
Everyone almost fell to the ground and had to disperse in a rush.
Hu Su is currently a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy. If he takes a further step, he may be ranked in the center, but he may never take this step. He knows that if he misses the point and becomes the laughing stock of the ages, his dream of becoming a prime minister will come to an end.
Therefore, there is no room for him to be careless.
Early the next morning, Hu Su came to the Jiaozhi people again, wanting to confirm with his own eyes. Unexpectedly, he encountered the strange beast excreting, pooping, pooping, and there was a big puddle, and the smell was overwhelming.
"Qiu, what kind of unicorn is this?" Hu Sudeng felt a chill in his heart. After going back, he thought about it and felt that it would be better to be conservative. So he described what he saw truthfully, analyzed it with reference to classics, and finally gave a
It seems to be a rigorous but actually smooth conclusion - based on various factors, there is no doubt that this thing should be an auspicious beast very similar to a unicorn. However, since no one has ever seen a real unicorn, they are not sure that it is a unicorn.
The report was urgently sent to the Political Affairs Hall. Fu Bi and Han Qi were the prime ministers, and they were responsible for everything. This matter was now a national matter, involving diplomatic dignity, so of course it had to be dealt with.
"What a slippery man!" After seeing Hu Su's reply, Han Qi spat: "He's talking about things here and there, but he doesn't come to a conclusion!"
"Then what do you think?" Fu Bi asked.
Han Qi shook his head: "I only study the knowledge of saints." The implication is that I have never studied zoology...I almost choked Mr. Fu to death. Fortunately, Han Qi changed the subject and said: "Since it is certain that it is an auspicious beast, then
There are only two kinds of one-horned auspicious beasts, one is Qilin and the other is Tianlu. But Tianlu has no armor, so it should be Qilin."
"However, the report said that this thing is stupid and filthy..." Fu Bi frowned.
"It can be used to describe stupid people, but it can also mean that they are as wise as fools." Han Xianggong said unconcernedly: "As for the smell, just wash it off and it will be fine."
"It seems that Gansou recognized this unicorn." Fu Bi looked at him and said.
"I didn't say that." Han Qi shrugged his shoulders and said irresponsibly.
"..." Fu Bi had no choice but to deal with this veteran scoundrel. He could only say in a low voice: "If this object is determined to be a unicorn, a grand ceremony must be held to welcome it and the highest treatment must be given to it. Scholars and officials in both the government and the public must also write respectful articles.
Best wishes. If it proves otherwise in the future, wouldn’t it be a joke for small countries and countries?”
"Who can prove otherwise?" Han Qi glared: "Let him just prove it!"
"That's fine." Mr. Fu thought about it. Anyway, he still has to walk on the road for a month. There are so many capable people and strangers in the world, and there will always be someone who can be recognized. If you can't recognize him, then there is no harm in admitting that it is Qilin...
So I asked the officials to issue an edict to the world. No matter who they are, they can identify the pair of strange beasts. If they can tell the truth about them, they will be rewarded heavily!
The largest number of people in Bianjing City are idlers, who don’t know who they are, and no one can recognize them anyway, so they are not afraid of being embarrassed. So people continue to visit the Jiaozhi Mission to have a look at the strange beasts...
A month passed and still no one could recognize him.
Since no one knew them, it was okay to assume that they were unicorns. Seeing that those things were about to arrive in Beijing, under the strong support of Mr. Han, he finally decided to welcome them with auspicious etiquette.
The Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple hurriedly looked through the books to find the relevant etiquette for welcoming auspiciousness. There was no need to look for ancient books. During the reign of the late emperor of this dynasty, a variety of auspicious activities were held.
Other officials were also searching for chapters and excerpts, hoping to type up several drafts so that they could prepare a wonderful congratulatory note when Qilin arrived in Beijing.
On this day of rest, it was rare for Sima Guang to be in the house, so Sima Kang led Wang Yu in.
The two families were well connected, and Sima Guang had always regarded the handsome and intelligent Wang Yu as his nephew. When he saw him come in, he did not put down his pen and said: "Yuanze, you can sit down wherever you like and wait until I finish writing this line."
Wang Yu stood next to him and waited for Sima Guang to finish writing, then he smiled and said: "I thought my uncle was repairing the congratulatory form, but who knew he was still writing the "Tongzhi"? It turns out that the eight winds are immovable!"
"The eight winds are immovable." Sima Guang shook his head and said with a smile: "I never believe in auspicious things, so I don't want to join in the fun."
"Actually, many people don't believe it." Wang Yu said with a faint smile: "Qilin is a mythical beast. Like dragons and phoenixes, it soars in the clouds and mist and soars in the nine heavens. How could it be transported thousands of miles by humans like animals?"
"That's right." Sima Guang nodded and said, "It's a pity that no one can provide proof. Now the Dongfu has asked Yousi to prepare for the auspicious etiquette, which shows that it has approved that thing."
"I'm afraid he has ulterior motives." Wang Yu said coldly.
"How do you say that?" Sima Guang knew that this young man's scheming was rare in the world, and perhaps only Chen Zhongfang could rival him.
"Excuse me, uncle, who is in charge of this matter?" Wang Yu asked.
"Xianggong Han."
"Isn't he always wise enough to protect himself?" Wang Yu asked, "How could he be willing to take such risks?"
"This..." Sima Guang thought about it and said, "Stop showing off!"
"My uncle is knowledgeable and naturally knows what Qilin represents..." Wang Yu said word by word.
"Oh..." Sima Guang understood immediately.
According to legend, Qilin can bring children to people. It is said that on the eve of Confucius's birth, Qilin wrote a jade book on his home, which said, "The descendants of Shuijing will decline in the Zhou Dynasty and become kings of Su." Although this is said in a sloppy way, it is actually "Qilin brings children."
' is the blueprint of '. Once Qilin appears in a country, it not only means that the Holy Lord is virtuous, but also means that the country will last forever.
"What do you mean?" Sima Guang asked in a low voice.
"Yes." Wang Yu nodded and said: "I suspect that Han Qi is using this auspicious saying to attach himself to the theory of establishing a prince." He said in a low voice: "Our man is still in Guangxi, this is his best
Chance!"
"That's right..." Sima Guang's face became solemn: "It is indeed possible."
"It's not a possibility, but a certainty." Wang Yu said decisively: "I bet that many of those congratulations must have been filled with private goods!"
