The fourth year of Yonghui (653 AD), the thirty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, New Year's Eve.

The second Spring Festival in the Tang Dynasty was even more pitiful than the first year, and the good times were spent on the road. On the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, I bid farewell to the Wu family and visited Cui Yixuan. Old Cui was diligent in receiving and told the son-in-law how to be an official. To summarize it, two points are: plan and then act; support one side, suppress the other side, and keep the team disunited.

Make a decision before you act. Don’t speak easily. Too much talk will lead to mistakes. Don’t make a decision easily and give someone a handle. Just ask questions and ask your subordinates to issue solutions and you make a decision. If you solve the problem perfectly, you will be the first priority; if you are in a mess, you can stay out of the matter.

Maintaining disunity is a must. If the subordinates unite, they will undermine you. They will try every means to create conflicts, create different camps, and create each other's struggles. No matter which camp, they will ask you to be fair and will take you as the backbone.

All of them are experiences, and it seems that some truths are made. Wu Kang remembers them in his heart. Farewell to Cui Yixuan, and a group of forty-three people rushed back to Wuzhou. When passing through Bianzhou, he suddenly came to a whim and led a team to Junyi County (Kaifeng County, Kaifeng City, Henan Province), and found the hometown of later generations according to memory, and started a journey to find the ancestors.

The reality is cruel. There is no one in the local area who is surnamed Wu. If you don’t give up visiting the county magistrate and search for household registration documents, there will be no one in the entire Junyi County. It seems that my ancestors moved to Kaifeng after Yonghui, and are not original residents.

I fulfilled my wish to find my ancestors, and went day and night, and rushed forward slowly, but I still couldn't catch up with the New Year. On New Year's Eve, I came to Shanyin County, Yuezhou (Shaoxing County, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province) to visit the Jinghu River Basin. Jinghu covers an area of ​​800 miles and is the predecessor of Jianhu and has produced many celebrities.

The high lake surface is less than two feet from the top of the dike. When the lake water rises sharply in March, a large-scale rat disaster will be a foregone conclusion. At that time, the governor of Yuezhou will be unlucky, Chu Suiliang will be unlucky, the people of Yuezhou will be unlucky, and the people of Wuzhou may be unlucky, and only Mei Niang will laugh out loud.

With a depressed mood, I left Jinghu and went to Kuaiji Mountain, standing at the foot of the mountain to look up. It was bare and towering into the clouds, which was very different from later generations, and I was depressed and disappointed again.

Qian Shunti stepped forward and reported in a low voice: "Bypassing this mountain, it is the boundary of Zhuji County. Ninety miles southwest is Zhuji County; two hundred miles away is Wuzhou City. Now there are two moments of Shen time, and there are less than two more moments, and night falls. I think it is not safe to travel at night, so you can see..."

There is nothing good to look at, and I have to stay at the farmhouse. The brothers are very happy. The boss didn't reply and was still staring at the top of the mountain in a daze. Qian Shun couldn't help but complain. He set off for Chang'an, walked around Muzhou and Yuezhou, and on his way back, he was still around Muzhou, so he deliberately avoided it.

He knew very well that killing 3,000 prisoners of war in Muzhou became a big boss’s heart. Since then, if you don’t set foot in Muzhou, you will be numb whenever you think of this, your scalp will be numb. Just persuade me and say, “That thing…you are just an executor, so don’t feel guilty.”

Seeing the shut-up gesture, I closed my mouth awkwardly, and received instructions from the boss, turning my horse's hair into an order: "I can't get to the county town before dark, and go to the next village to find a farmer's house to spend money. Is there enough money on my body? I don't have enough money to ask me for it. It's still the same rule, don't force it to spend enough sleep, and give it enough sleep, and food."

Everyone responded neatly, their faces were extremely excited, and the horse team ran wildly again. After walking for more than 30 miles, they finally saw a large village of people and hundreds of households. As the Spring Festival approached, the villages were decorated with lights and colorful smoke, and the children played happily.

Qian Shun shouted, and everyone scattered, looking for someone to stay. This was the case all the way, eating and sleeping forty cents, which was more expensive than a county inn. When the team dispersed, Wu Kang took over half a hang of money and hung it on his left wrist. He signaled Qian Shun to leave, ride the horse slowly, look around, and look for someone to stay.

Passing by the fence yard, I was startled by the watchdog, and the pastoral dog barked wildly. I was plucking the soil with my front paws, and I looked ready to go. If I hadn't been tied up, I would have rushed out of the wood door and bitten people. Wu Kang laughed twice, since you are so enthusiastic, I'll stay at your house.

He turned over and got off the horse and took the reins, came to the wood door, and stared at the dog's eyes wide. The pastoral dog quickly became timid and suddenly rushed to the side, and the dog's mouth bit something tightly. It turned out to be a mouse, with feet the size of a sole of his feet. Isn't this a dog holding a rat?

The pastoral dog spit out a dead rat and continued to rush left and right. In just three minutes, he bit eight rats to death and successfully defended the half moldy cook cake in the dog basin. Wu Kang smiled stiffly and his mood became heavier. He was really brave and rats were fighting for food. Zhuji County was already in a disaster. What is the situation in Yiwu County, which borders it?

The creaking sound of the wooden door interrupted my thoughts, and two mothers and daughters stood at the main hall. The girl was five or six years old, wearing a thin cloth clothes, and her little face was red with a cold face. The woman was about thirty years old, wearing a coarse linen, looking out for her vigilantly. Seeing the horse of the fighting horse, she felt a little relieved and led the girl over.

Seeing the purple robe clearly, the nervousness disappeared completely. A few days ago, I went to Yuezhou to get New Year's goods. The robe of the governor of Yuezhou was exactly the same as the man in front of me. When I looked at him sleeping in the open, I probably understood the intention and a light blush appeared on my face.

Wu Kang hung half a hanging money on the wooden door, held his fists and said, "People in Jinhua, Wuzhou are anxious to go home for the New Year. They missed the time to stay in the hotel and wanted to stay for one night. This is 500 yuan in copper coins, which is the accommodation fee and food fee. I hope my wife can fulfill her."

After half a minute of confusion, the woman nodded gently, untied the wood door and hemp rope, and welcomed Wu Kang in. She carried four kilograms of copper coins, looked around and saw no one around, and hurried into the main hall. After a moment, she ran through the boxes and cabinets. It was probably hiding money. Half pentacles are not small, which is enough for them to spend a year.

He led the horse into the cowshed, tied the reins behind the cow trough, and fed the hay beside the wall. His hands suddenly stopped, and he heard the rustling sound, and he squatted down and pushed the pile of grass, and was stunned for a moment. There were hundreds of frightened rats, which rushed out of the fence wall and disappeared into the mist.

My God is so rampant now. When the Mirror Lake rises in March, it will definitely be a big deal. I made up my mind instantly and held a meeting when I returned to Wuzhou, convened all my colleagues to put the prevention of rat disasters on the agenda. No matter how hard other states do, they cannot let Yuezhou suffer from rat disasters, and the disasters will be in the territory of Wuzhou.

After feeding the horse, the woman left the cowshed and walked to the stove with a bucket of water. She quickly went over to help, poured the water into the pot, then scooped a bucket into the water tank, and placed it on the stove. The woman stuffed the hay into the stove, used flint and a scooped the scooter, which was very difficult.

Wu Kang blew the fire note and handed it to her hand. He turned back to the main hall and lit the candles on the table. Looking at the decorations of the room, the whole house was covered with the walls, the furniture was sparse and dilapidated. The altar in the north was dedicated to the God of Wealth, the statue of Guanyin, and half a bowl of incense ash in front.

I am so poor that I am so useless. What’s the point of worshiping them? I’m wasting my fragrant money. I complained a few times and opened the east house door. It was a storage room and put dry timber and jars. I found that the rice jar was interesting. There were more than a dozen blue bricks on the log cover at the mouth of the jar. I took off the brick and put down the wooden cover and saw half a jar of gray rice.

At this moment, he heard the rustling sound again, and immediately turned his head and looked at the mouse's eyes. The big mouse with his long tail was dragging his head slowly along the foot of the wall. He came to the rice jar, climbed up the eaves of the jar, and steadily jumped into the jar.

This is ignoring me, very arrogant brother, Wu Kang was so excited that he leaned over and raised his hand, took it out and put it in front of his face. The palms of his hand became closer and closer, and the veins on the back of his hand collapsed, and the mouse struggled violently. Within half a minute, his eyes were straight and his legs were kicking. He threw his hands on the ground, throwing his eyes disdainfully, and dared to look down on me?

However, the rustling sounded again, and five rats formed a team to charge for the rice jar. Wu Kang was so excited that the sword was unsheathed immediately. The sword light flashed by, and the rats were in different places. The dry timber pile suddenly swayed, and dozens of them jumped out again, and the target was still the rice jar.

If you become a spirit, you should quickly put the knife in the sheath, use the lid to hold the mouth of the tank, and shout "Go" loudly. It really worked. The rats fled in the panic and all entered the pile of firewood. A sneer sounded at the door, and the woman held a big bowl, and couldn't hide her smile: "These flat-haired beasts are not human, so don't bother with them."

This made me embarrassed, and I couldn't help but blushed my face and lifted the head of the rice jar. The woman held the bowl with her hands, inserted her head into the mouth of the jar to scoop rice, stretched out her hands to pluck out a rain cloth package. She handed the rice bowl to Wu Kang, carefully opened the bag, revealing the blue and black objects, like dried blue and white snakes.

Take one and put the rest in a bowl, wrap the rest and bury it again in the rice. Seeing Wu Kang’s doubts, he took the bowl and explained: “This is a specialty blue and white snake in Yuezhou. Each one is sold for five cents and dried for seven cents. You can make soup and drink it, which can clear heat and remove wind, and nourish and strengthen..."

The words came to an abrupt end, and the woman blushed and turned around to escape from the east room. She was a little confused and didn't bother to think about it carefully. She put the rice jar on the green bricks again. As soon as she returned to the main hall, she heard a woman outside yelling, and her voice was like a broken gong: "My lady Fang, I have a distinguished guest in my house to spend some time, so I will lend me two bowls, and I will give you two cents."

Fang Niang didn't reply, and the sound of the broken gong sounded again: "Your family has a distinguished guest too? That's great! Have a good hospitality, don't neglect it. Oh, by the way, your family only has one bed, and I have extras. Please lend you one night... Give me ten cents."

This is the business genius, Wu Kangjue is interesting, stops to listen. Fang Niang continues to remain silent. The little lady seems to hate the broken gong, and runs out of the threshold and shouts: "My bed is very big, and I can sleep with three people. I don't need yours, so I won't give you money."

Tong Yan Wuji, Wu Kang decided instantly, to change the place, it is not advisable to stay here. Fang Niang scolded her daughter softly, and then replied to the woman who made the lord: "Thank you, Mrs. Qian, you won't lend the bed, it's too troublesome. After dinner, Xiu'er and I will go back to our parents' home and leave the bed for the distinguished guests."

After dinner, the night was dark, and Fang Niang pulled her daughter away. Wu Kang felt that the magpie nest was not good, so he coughed twice and said, "Miss Fang, wait, I am an official in Wuzhou, and I came to Yuezhou for investigation. In order to prevent the disaster of rats and Wuzhou, I would like to ask you for advice if you have any questions, so please give me some advice."

Fang Niang's delicate body trembled, and after a while, she said, "Nu Nu can't do it", and pulled her daughter away in a hurry. After about half an hour, she placed her daughter in her house and sat opposite her. Wu Kang coughed twice and said for a moment: "The disaster is like fire, and I must prepare early and ask my wife to tell the truth."

Ying Nuo's voice was like a mosquito, and Wu Kang began to ask: "I heard in the capital that the blue and white snakes of Yuezhou can be used as land rent. Is it true? Are there many snake catchers? Is it easy to catch now?"

Mrs. Fang replied: "This summer, a man was in charge of the village. Later, the village chief informed that ten blue and white snakes would rent a bucket for the land and two hundred would pay a bucket. The villagers were very happy. They arrested both men, women, young and old, and handed them over to the village chief for the account. It is difficult to catch them now. The villagers ran dozens of miles, but they dug blue and white snake caves, and could not catch them in the deep mountains and forests."

Hearing this, the blue and white snakes are extinct, no wonder the rats are so rampant. The cute Yuezhou governor is so good at killing him, so wait to lose his official position. He complained a few times and continued to ask: "I see that the rats in your village are very rampant. Do you have no way to deal with it?"

Fang Niang raised her head, her face a little confused: "No need to deal with it, it's the same every year. There are many rats in Yuezhou. I heard from the villagers that mice come from Jinghu Lake. As long as the water in Jinghu rises, mice will come out. By April, when the water in Jinghu Lake falls, they will go back. But... there are more rats this year, more than in previous years."

The water of Jinghu rises, flooding the rat hole on the embankment, and the rats come out to find food; the water of Jinghu falls, and the army of rats returns to their nests. The higher the lake rises, the larger the army. In previous years, there were fewer rats, and it was blue and white snakes that helped. This year, the rain is enough, all blue and white friendly troops are killed, and an epic disaster is about to occur.

He couldn't help but laugh twice and asked unwillingly: "Are there any other snakes in Yuezhou besides blue and white snakes?"

Fang Niang thought about it and shook her head and said, "It should be very rare. Blue and white snakes are very fierce. They not only eat mice, but also other snakes."

To make matters worse, Wu Kang changed the topic: "Where is your man? He went to work in another place? He didn't go home during the Chinese New Year."

Fang Niang's shoulders trembled slightly and replied calmly: "When Xiuniang was two years old, he went to Taizhou to build an imperial ship for the wealthy families in the county... The imperial ship leaked, and he was executed by the government."

Wu Kang was stunned and said apologize. The Tang Dynasty law stipulated that if an imperial ship built for the emperor leaked water, all shipbuilders would be hung. The official explanation was that the water leakage of the ship endangered the emperor's life and must be killed.

Therefore, if the people are engaged in labor service, if they build imperial ships and chariots, the rich will pay a lot of money and ask poor families to serve on their behalf, just to avoid risks. Fang Niang's husband is more unlucky, and Wu Kang is even more embarrassed. It is really a sin to borrow from the widow's house.

Looking at the woman in front of him, he thought for a moment and said, "You have lost a man, and you have to pay the land to the government for eighty acres of land. Now you only have twenty acres of permanent land left. Pay two hu of land rent every year, can life pass?"

Fang Niang nodded timidly and subconsciously shrank her shoulders. Wu Kang immediately said: "It's cold in the twelfth lunar month, and the main hall is really cold. Let's talk about it in the house. I still have some questions about the blue and white snakes and the rise and fall of Jinghu..."

The next morning, I was radiant, lifted the quilt and got out of bed, rubbing my sore waist. The fragrance came from the main hall, and it was still a blue and white snake making rice porridge. It tasted really good. I stretched my waist comfortably, picked up the wooden comb on the table, and combed my hair clumsyly.

The bedroom door was opened, and Wu Kang was too lazy to turn around and handed the wooden comb behind him. After combing his hair, he stood up and stretched his arms flat. He put on his clothes, buckled his belt, took out the purse and threw it on the table, and turned around and left the bedroom. As soon as he walked to the door, the woman spoke timidly, nervous and trembling: "What if there is...what?"

This is a problem. Wu Kang had a headache. He thought for a while and went to the wooden table. He picked up the wooden comb and played with it. He used his hands to crunch his hands and broke the peach wood comb into two sections. The originally nervous woman screamed in shock and her head drooped even lower.

He walked to Fang Niang, reached out to help her lift her, and half of the wooden comb was stuffed into her arms, and the other half was handed to her hand, and said lightly: "If you have this, take this half of the wooden comb and go to the Wuzhou Governor's Mansion to find me."

After saying that, he turned around and left. There was hot rice porridge on the dining table in the main room. He took a few sips, hung the horizontal knife on his belt, and stepped out. The security guards were waiting for a long time, and Wu Kang frowned slightly and gestured to Qian Shun with a "copper coin" gesture.

When he returned to the main hall, Qian Shun arrived soon. Wu Kang poured out his purse, which was four taels of silver, and placed it on the dining table. He looked at the slightly opened bedroom door and said lightly: "This money is enough for you to use for a few years, and I'll leave."

The horse team left in the dust, and the woman hurried outside the yard, stopped and looked into the distance. It was not until the shadow disappeared that she retracted her reluctance and stared at the wooden comb. Suddenly, she heard someone talking, turned around in panic, and hid the wooden comb behind her.

The ragged beggar, with a beautiful hair and beard, holding a green bamboo pole in his hand, and a bulging cloth bag on his waist. He looked at Fang Niang and fucked in a hoarse voice: "Beggar didn't eat anything for two days. Can a kind-hearted lady give her a stutter? If she doesn't eat, she can give her a bowl of water. The old man is grateful."

Seeing the old beggar's face clearly, he almost screamed. He quickly ran into the house and came out with hot porridge. The beggar thanked repeatedly, and he tilted his head without picking up the chopsticks. He drank it with two hot porridge in a few seconds, and burped it comfortably. He handed the bowl over and asked after a moment, "Do you know who that person is?"

Fang Niang shook her head, and the beggar shook her head, and said slowly: "He was named Wu and Kang. He was the new governor of Wuzhou and a fourth-rank official in the court. He killed three thousand prisoners and carried three thousand sins. The Buddha will punish him. Throw the wooden comb, he will bring disaster to you."

The woman was shocked and looked disbelief. The wooden comb clenched tighter. After a while, she shook her head and said inconveniently: "Nu Nu is just a woman and doesn't understand what the father-in-law said. He is a good person and gives Nu Nu a lot of money. If there is no child... I will not go to him."

The old beggar did not comment. He opened the cloth bag on his waist, leaned in and fumbled, and handed her Limi and said, "Limi is the most difficult to satisfy in life. It's really good if you have this idea. You keep this Limi. If you really have it, take the rice to find him, and he will arrange you."

Fang Niang hesitated for a moment, took the grain of rice, hurried back to the room. She took out the purse from the cabinet, put the grain of rice and wooden comb in, moved out all the torn clothes, and put the purse in the box. Seeing that the old beggar was still there, she picked up her bowl of porridge.

The old beggar did not pick up the porridge, and left with a bamboo pole, saying to himself: "I am full, and I am not hungry today, and I am content. That person is insatiable and does not know how to satisfy him, so the Buddha will blame him..."

The voice became smaller and smaller, and the old beggar gradually disappeared, and Fang Niang couldn't come back to her senses for a long time. The father-in-law and Governor Wu looked very similar, especially those eyes, which were exactly the same. What's their relationship? Are they father and son?

Soon he denies himself and laughs at himself as stupid as he can't be a father and son. He is the governor of Wuzhou and a big official. How could he let adults beg?

The beggar walked far away and saluted to the West: "He gave the woman a lot of money. Is it a good thing that can offset a sin, right?"

I prayed for a long time, as if I heard the Buddha's forgiveness, I untied the cloth bag again, took out a grain of rice, put it in my mouth and chewed...
Chapter completed!