Kushangli is located in the township of Hufu. It is named because it is close to the warehouse in the township. There are forty or fifty households in it, including rich households with millions of dollars in wealth and poor people who live in the poor alleys and live in poor families.
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But every year on the first day of October in Mengdong, more than 200 people from Kushang, regardless of their status, will gather at the Lishe under the big locust tree. "She" is the god of the land, and offering sacrifices on time can ensure good weather in the coming year.
Make the farming work have a good harvest.
Social sacrifices are held four times a year, and the three in spring, summer, and autumn are just routine and small sacrifices. Only the social sacrifice in the month of Mengdong is called the "Great Cut". At this time, all the people in Kushang go out to bring
The newly harvested millet and rice are used to offer good rice to the gods of the community. All households in the area must jointly contribute to the sacrifice, killing chickens and dogs, cooking sheep and pigs, and beating drums.
The clock dances with its feet on the ground.
Since it is so important, the person who presides over the community sacrifices cannot be careless. It is usually Li Zheng or a respected elder in the community.
But the social minister elected by Kushangli this year is a young scholar in his early twenties...
Chen Ping is more than eight feet tall and has a handsome appearance. Different from the brown clothes he wore a few years ago, he is now wearing brand new silk clothes, his hair is neatly combed into a bun, and he is wrapped in a white scarf.
Performing the prescribed rituals and saying sacrificial hymns.
"I am Qi Ming, sacrifice sheep with me, and use society to make squares. When my fields are planted, it is the celebration of the farmers. I play the harp, harp and drums to control the ancestors of the field. I pray for sweet rain, to feed my millet, and to feed my ladies with grain!"
"
Chen Ping, who claimed to be a student of "Huang Lao", also recited the poems with style, and the people watching secretly sighed:
"I never thought that Chen Ping, who was not engaged in farming and business and spent all his time on leisure, was slandered as a wife thief, and was the laughing stock of the county, would now become the most famous person among the younger generation in Yangwu County..."
All these changes can be traced back to five years ago, when the Qin State occupied the county. Chen Ping cleared his wife of theft of the false accusation and went to the Qin camp to work as an interpreter.
From then on, Chen Ping climbed to the top. He first made meritorious service and became a public official, and received a lot of gold. Qin officials also proposed marriage to the local tycoon Zhang Fu on Chen Ping's behalf, and married him to the daughter of the Zhang family. Because Chen Ping was poor, Zhang
His family even lent him money to buy a banquet, which was like giving him money.
At that time, troubled people gloated and speculated, how long would it take for Chen Ping to be killed by Zhang's daughter, who had been married five times? But Chen Ping not only did not die, but his career was booming. In the year when Qin destroyed Chu, Zhang paid
, he paid thousands of stones in exchange for the title of "Shangzao". Now he works as an official in the countryside, and his social status is very different from before.
Behind the scenes, some jealous people secretly slandered: Chen Ping had long been committed to the Qin official Heifu, and later married Zhang, the widow of Kefu. He got where he is today by selling his looks, and he has no talent.
But today at the community festival, Chen Ping slapped those people in the face with his actions!
Not only was the level of sacrifice perfect, the eulogy was melody, and the meat was divided after the sacrifice, it was also able to satisfy every household.
Dividing the sacrificial meat is not just as simple as cutting it evenly with a knife, but also taking into account the status and contribution of each household in the community: who should get more, who should get less, and who should get the special parts? Mother-in-law and mother-in-law
, and it is so trivial, how to be fair and reasonable, and to please everyone's heart, is the most worrying and troublesome, and non-savvy people cannot handle it thoughtfully.
But Chen Ping did it. He invited the older people among them to come to the table. Li Dian, Tian Dian, Li Jianmen and others lined up in order. He personally held the knife and cut off the parts and sizes of the sacrificial meat that best suited them.
He respectfully placed it in front of the table, and then divided the meat of the other thirty or forty households one by one!
Now, even the old Confucian who looked down on Chen Ping the most in the past could not find any fault. He held the cold pork on the table and sighed: "Good, Chen Ruzi is the one to be slaughtered!"
There were endless compliments, most of them from the heart, and a few of them were flattering. Chen Ping kept a kind smile and looked at his brother, sister-in-law, and wife in the crowd.
Elder brother Chen Bo puffed up his chest with pride when he heard people praise his younger brother.
Chen Ping's brother-in-law, who was once divorced and later reunited with Uncle Chen, boasted about his brother-in-law's erudition. Even Xianyang's high official "You Shu Chang" sent a wedding invitation to invite him.
Chen Ping's wife, daughter Zhang, touched her round belly and looked at her husband lovingly.
At this time, the sky is getting dark, but the community sacrifice has just reached its climax. It is not only a solemn memorial day, but also a grand festival. Throughout the night, people within a mile are banqueting and drinking, and gods and men are having fun together.
Not only in Kushangli, but also in the entire Humo Township and poor communities, people hold urns and bottles, sing songs in harmony, and take pleasure in themselves. As for the big communities sponsored by rich and powerful businessmen, they even play the sheng, play the harp, and promote various plays, which is a grand occasion.
Unprecedented.
After returning home from the carnival and washing off the greasy hands, Chen Pingan asked his wife to lie down while he held the lamp, and then studied the invitation from Xianyang under the anointing lamp...
…
This is Mr. Hei's wedding invitation. It is covered with vermilion vellum, and the inside is made of fine linen paper. It is written modestly, and the title is "Goodbye, Mr. Hei". It was sent two months in advance to invite Chen Ping to the customs.
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"When will my beloved set off on his journey?" Miss Zhang asked softly.
Chen Ping felt a little guilty. He turned his head and looked at Deng Zhu and said, "My concubine, you, is getting married on the first day of the twelfth lunar month. It's a long way to go to Xianyang. I'll be on my way tomorrow."
His wife was eight months pregnant and was due to give birth in December. If he went west to Xianyang at this time, he would definitely miss the delivery date. However, when Chen Ping received the wedding invitation, he did not hesitate at all.
He is going! He must go!
Chen Ping gently stroked his wife's hand and explained: "First of all, this right concubine, the chief black husband, when he was an official in his hometown, he personally negotiated with your family for me. When he left, he also gave a large sum of money.
I have nothing to repay. Now he is the chief minister of the right concubine, and is said to be a close minister of the emperor, but he still remembers me and actually sent me a wedding invitation two months in advance!"
Chen Ping didn't expect that he still remembered him even though they had a mild friendship five years ago.
"Secondly, although I am a local official now and have no worries about food and clothing, I don't want to be confined to a remote place all my life. Now that Mr. Hei invites me to go to Xianyang, it may be an opportunity!"
Marriage is profitable. Chen Ping married a girl from the Zhang family. In addition to her beauty, he also coveted the Zhang family's status in Yangwu County. In the past five years, holding on to this thigh, his reputation and wealth have increased day by day.
As he became more prosperous and had more and more contacts, no one dared to disrespect him when he was an official in the village.
But Chen Ping is not satisfied with this!
"Today, as the leader of society, I am praised by everyone for my kindness."
"But, with my talent, I can only kill a mile of flesh?"
Although the sacrificial meat is small, it carries the norms of etiquette. If the etiquette is correct, the world will be stable, and if the etiquette is partial, the world will be chaotic. That's why Confucius insisted on not eating if it is not cut properly. When the Marquis of Lu did not give him the sacrificial meat after the community sacrifice, Confucius also
Frustrated, he resigned from his post and left the state of Lu.
In the Spring and Autumn Period, the head of the retainers under the Qing official was called the "family minister". Confucius served as the family minister of the Gao family of the Qing clan in Qi State.
The leader of a city is the "chief of the city", which is what Ran Qiu said: sixty or seventy, such as fifty or sixty, Qiu also does it, and after three years, he can satisfy the people. Confucius also served as the Prime Minister of Zhongdu
, it is said that within one year, men and women in Zhongdu were separated from each other, and no artifacts were picked up along the way, and the utensils were not forged.
Chen Ping's aspirations and ambitions far exceeded those of the social, family, and city governors.
His ultimate goal is to be the "prime minister", the head of a country's hundreds of officials!
"Sigh, even if you have to slaughter the world, you can be as competent as you are today when you divide the meat!"
When he was praised for sharing the meat today, he sighed like this in his heart.
But this ambition cannot be spoken out. If a person is poor but has great ambitions, others will only laugh at him for talking nonsense.
However, it was only one day that Chen Ping revealed his hidden ambition five years ago!
"Could this king be able to conquer the world one day?"
These were Heifu's parting words, which shocked Chen Ping inexplicably, and it took a long time for him to recover.
The world is so big. I thought that I would never have a relationship with Hei Fu or the general from now on. I never thought that five years later, Chen Ping was still wallowing in Hufu Township.
Chief, a close minister of the emperor!
The backer of the Zhang family of Chen Ping's wife is Zhang Cang, but now, I heard that Zhang Cang has to work under Mr. Hei...
Chen Ping's utilitarianism aroused again. Heifu still remembered him and invited him from all the way, saying that he liked Chen Ping's talents. As a minister, Heifu was qualified to recruit staff and disciples.
Being a retainer in Xianyang is much better than being a clerk in the countryside. Chen Ping has also seen clearly in the past few years that although Qin Law treats everyone equally in theory, in fact, as survivors of the Six Kingdoms, their official careers and titles are the same.
It's very difficult to go beyond the level of the township chief official.
And Heifu may be able to help him cross this natural chasm!
"Because of emotion and reason, I should go to the banquet."
Chen Ping explained a lot, just hoping that his wife would understand. They had been married for more than three years, and Zhang finally became pregnant, but he traveled far away when she needed it most, so he felt guilty.
Mrs. Zhang is a lady of the family. Although she has killed five husbands, she only has true love for Chen Ping.
Before getting married, Zhang Fu warned her: "Don't stop serving others just because Chen Ping's family is poor. Although Chen Ping is not rich now, he will definitely do a great job in the future!"
She firmly remembered her grandfather's words and served her elder brother Chen Bo like a father, and her sister-in-law like a mother. She also treated Chen Ping with equal care and was very considerate.
She said considerately: "My beloved should go to Xianyang for a banquet. I have my own sister-in-law and concubine, and Fu Mu will take care of them."
But then she frowned again: "It's just..."
Chen Ping was very happy to receive his wife's understanding and asked: "Just what?"
Mrs. Zhang's face was a little red. She didn't know whether she should mention that matter. After holding it in for a long time, she said softly: "I heard rumors in the village that the reason why the black man fell in love with his beloved is because... because..."
She secretly glanced at Chen Ping's handsome face with a hint of elegance, but hesitated to speak.
Needless to say, Chen Ping already understood his wife's intentions. He was very good-tempered and suddenly his expression changed and he cursed:
"This is just jealousy and nonsense from a fellow countryman! Back then, he falsely accused me of stealing my wife, and now he is slandering me with slanderous words. What a vicious intention! Think about it, not to mention that the black husband is interested in my talents, and he said that he is about to get married.
, there is no lack of joy in getting a bride in the letter, is this someone who likes Longyang?"
…
Chen Ping left home in mid-October and rode the carriage presented by Zhang Fu all the way to the west. The route was in ruins and there seemed to be countless ghostly beams flying at night. He passed through Xinzheng in Yingchuan County and stopped in Luoyang in Sanchuan County to observe the surroundings.
Following the old customs, he and countless merchants, scholars and common people were quarantined at Hangu Pass.
Because Chen Ping had Heihu's wedding invitation and the accompanying talisman, he was able to enter the customs smoothly. However, something went wrong with the horse pulling the cart. He was quarantined for illness and was detained. Chen Ping could only use the gold he brought with him.
Bo rented an ox cart again in Taolin, and when the first snow fell at the end of November, he rushed to Xianyang...
Chen Ping was cold and tired. He thought he would go to Xianyang alone to find Heifu's mansion, but he didn't expect that Heifu calculated the date of departure after he replied to the letter, and sent a servant to wait in Baqiao, high in the snow.
Holding the wooden sign of "Chen Ping", after successfully receiving him, he had someone rush to inform the owner, and then took Chen Ping to Heifu's mansion.
The mansion given to Heifu by Qin Shihuang was located in the main urban area of Xianyang, so the carriage that picked up Chen Ping first headed west along the south bank of the Weishui River.
Snow fell one after another, and Chen Ping saw the looming towers of Zhangtai Palace in the distance covered in silver, and the capital city on the other side of the Wei River was also extremely beautiful.
Thinking that I have come from the distant village of Bi County to the center of the empire, every decision made here, including the abolition of feudalism, the establishment of counties, cars on the same track, and books on the same text in the past year, all affect the fate of tens of millions of people,
The young people were inevitably a little excited. When the carriages and horses reached the middle, they felt like they were walking on the Milky Way Sky Bridge...
"Chen Sheng!"
When the car reached the bridge, Chen Ping suddenly heard someone calling him. He looked closely and saw a Heguan Qingshi wearing a thick bearskin fur, standing at the bridge with a few servants, and bowing his hands to him.
He was stunned for a moment and then recognized it, it was Hei Fu!
"The right concubine!"
Chen Ping almost jumped off the moving carriage and almost slipped, but Hei Fu held him up.
"Chen Ping is a lowly man. How could he be so virtuous as to dare to let the chief minister of the right concubine come here to welcome him..."
"Chen Sheng and I are old acquaintances. We worked together in the past and even acted as a matchmaker for you. As the ancients said, it is a great pleasure to have friends come from far away. How could I not come out to greet them?"
When he looked up, Chen Ping found that either because of the snow or because Heifu had been away from the army for a long time, his complexion seemed to be less dark than five years ago.
Hei Fu was not angry at all, he patted him on the shoulder boldly and said:
"Back then in Hufu Township, I told Chen Sheng that we meet sometimes in life. We have to say goodbye after a long journey. It will be five years after we say goodbye. Five years is enough time for a lot of things to happen. I have made an appointment with Zhang
Cang, I have prepared a banquet for you. Let’s drink some wine and eat some Xianyang soup cakes to keep your body warm. Tonight you and I will sleep on the same bed and have a good talk!"
"Sleep on the same bed as... on the same bed?"
This is a very good etiquette to express friendship among scholars, but after hearing this, Chen Ping, who was originally very moved, trembled slightly, his face was a little strange, and his smile gradually became stiff in the wind and snow...
