Chapter 4792 The sky is blue everywhere
"Why don't Niubi take this kind of cruel behavior seriously? Two are born, two beget three, and three beget ten thousand. There is a huge difference between one and ten thousand. What is the difference between one and ten thousand?"
"What does this have to do with cruelty or not? The method of sacrifice has existed since ancient times. It is a bridge between mortals and heaven. 'The most important thing in the country lies in sacrifice and military affairs.' This is what Zuozhuan says. How do you, a Confucian child, read it? The works of the sages? ”
Cheng Xuanying retorted, feeling that Fang Jun was unreasonable.
Fang Jun was silent for a moment. Cheng Xuanying's words were reasonable and well-founded. "Sacrifice" is clearly stipulated to be reasonable and legal. Although most of the sacrifices nowadays are three animals, in ancient times they were mostly "human sacrifices", using living people as sacrifices to worship the gods. It has happened since ancient times, so it cannot be said that Xuanying's behavior was wrong.
He sighed and said helplessly: "Although the behavior of the ancients cannot be blamed, and sacrifice is a ritual and completely legal, but the Taoist priest threw the two babies into the turbulent sea, didn't he have the slightest bit of compassion? God has a good life. Of virtue, let alone two living babies. If the babies abandoned in the sea were your children, would you still be so at ease? ”
Ma Zhou on the side lowered his head to drink tea and remained silent. A military commander and a foreigner, although it was inappropriate for the two of them to talk about Confucian classics, they could not stop them, but he, a Confucian disciple, could not interrupt.
Nothing is appropriate.
Cheng Xuanying was stunned for a moment, took a sip of tea, slowly exhaled, and sighed: "How can we feel at ease? It's just that the sea is rough and dangerous, unpredictable and uncontrollable, so people at the seaside believe more and more in the theory of gods and ghosts. No doubt, I feel pity, but those people on the beach are willing to throw their children into the sea as sacrifices to the Dragon King in exchange for peace and calm. Do you believe it or not? ”
Fang Jun was silent.
The more human beings face insurmountable dangers, the more they trust. This is nature. Even in the era of scientific prosperity in later generations, people on the seaside are more trusting than people in the interior, let alone in this era?
He accused Cheng Xuanying of being evil-hearted in offering human sacrifices, but he ignored the current era. In fact, Cheng Xuanying was able to reduce the sacrifices of dozens of people to only two. Cheng Xuanying was indeed qualified to be proud...
But at this time, can he point out that it is unreasonable to sacrifice human beings?
This is not just a matter of whether you listen to him, but that he has shaken Confucian theory and the current social ecology. "The major affairs of the country are based on sacrifice and military service"!
This is political correctness. Anyone who opposes it will be a traitor and traitor, and everyone will punish him.
There is a long way to go to get rid of superstition...
*****
The Buddhist and Taoist dharma gatherings for many days have ended one after another, and the merchants, tourists, monks and Taoists who gathered in Chang'an have also left one after another. The noisy Chang'an City has gradually calmed down, but it is not easy to restore it to its original state.
The sudden increase in population brought countless domestic garbage. Officials in Chang'an and Wannian counties ordered government officials to hire civilian workers to transport the garbage in Chang'an outside the city, sweep the streets, and then bury the garbage outside the city.
Of course, in addition to endless troubles, there is also skyrocketing wealth.
The Buddhist and Taoist sects spent a lot of money to hold grand Dharma conferences. This money poured into many industries, and the tourists who came here also brought huge tourism income. The profits of the catering, accommodation, clothing and other industries were even higher than in previous years. income.
The "Xuji Porridge Shop" located in the southwest corner of Jinchangfang is adjacent to the Daci'en Temple. During this "Obon Festival", it received countless travelers and merchants to have breakfast here, and baskets of copper coins were collected. There was nowhere to put it and we even had to dig a deep pit in the backyard to bury it...
After the Dharma conference was over and the business calmed down, the owner Xu Sifu and his wife had free time to dig up the buried copper coins.
After closing in the evening, the couple hid in the bedroom and cleaned the two piles of copper coins one by one with a rag, and then counted them one by one and strung them with hemp rope. They were so happy that they couldn't see their teeth...
"I've been exhausted these past few days. I've been cooking porridge and pickling vegetables all day long. I can't straighten my waist, as if it's broken. I'm afraid I won't be able to survive it if it continues for a while."
While Xu Sifu was counting the money, he hit his old waist with a sigh on his face.
His shop only sells breakfast meals, but they sell breakfast meals from dawn to afternoon every day, which even an iron man can't stand...
His wife Wang Erdi snorted and rolled her eyes at him: "It's not just a year or two since my waist has been weak, so why bother looking for such an excuse? If this happens all year round, it's worth it even if my waist is really exhausted!"
Ignoring the dissatisfaction in the old woman's words, Xu Sifu chuckled and said, "Isn't that true? In the past few days, I have collected the money of the past year. No matter how tired I am, I still enjoy it!"
Then he added: "Everyone says that His Majesty is not as good as Emperor Taizong, but why do I feel that life is getting better and better since His Majesty ascended the throne?"
Wang Erdi rolled her eyes at him and warned: "This is what we, ordinary people like us, can say? Shut up, don't let anything happen!"
Seeing that the head of the family shut up quickly, he said again: "Hey, I heard that the Liu family next door is planning to move their family to Huating Town?"
"His Liu Er found some way to find a job as a crew member. It is said that the income from a trip to the ship is equivalent to tending ten acres of land at home. However, it is too far from Chang'an. If he wants this job, his family can only move to Huating Town. ...What, you want to go too?”
"Damn it! There is great danger on the sea. No matter how much money you give, you have to spend it with your life. Liu Er has too many thoughts all day long and refuses to farm the land honestly. How can our family be the same? Guard this Three generations of shop descendants will not die of hunger, so why should they leave their homes and go to sea to fight for their lives?”
"That's true. Then why do you ask?"
"If his family has moved, will the house be sold?"
"That's natural, otherwise you can still rent it out? Chang'an is thousands of miles away from Huating Town, and the rent collected every year may not be enough for travel expenses... You don't want to buy his house, right?"
Wang Erdi nodded and whispered: "When the children grow up, they will get married next year. Why buy Liu's house instead of living in these two rooms? When we get married, the place we live in will be more spacious and not far away. It would be great if you could give me some help.”
Xu Sifu thought for a while, he never dared to have such extravagant hopes in the past. He suffered a serious illness a few years ago and sold all his land. In the past two years, he could only maintain food and clothing in this shop. How could he dare to buy a house?
But now, looking at the copper coins piled on the ground, I feel proud.
He stood up immediately and said, "I'll go find Li Zheng and ask him to ask at Liu Er's house."
"We haven't had dinner yet. Let's go to the butcher shop inside the square gate and buy a pound of cooked meat and a bottle of wine. If we have a few drinks there, things will be easier."
"I know."
……
The next morning, Li Zheng went to Liu Er's house, and the matter was quickly settled.
The Liu family moved to Huating Town and were eager to sell their house, and the price was not high. Xu Sifu's family liked that the houses were adjacent to each other and were afraid of being interfered with by others. The two families knew each other well, and they hit it off through Li Zheng...
On the same day, I went to Wannian County Government Office to transfer the ownership.
Real estate transfer is not a trivial matter. Not only do you need to define the neighbors, check for errors, sign a contract, and determine taxes, but also because Liu Er is moving his family to Huating Town and needs to go through the "transfer of residence", and the "transfer of residence" must be completed first. Only then can the house be transferred. Otherwise, if for some reason the "transfer" cannot be completed but the house is transferred first, then you will be homeless...
There are a lot of procedures. You have to go to several yamen and check in at several yamen. Not only is it time-consuming and labor-intensive, but you also need to prepare some "rewards" to deal with the little devils in the yamen...
"Which county government office are you going to? This matter for your family can be handled in the new government office. There is no need to run around."
Li Zheng took the two families to a new government office outside the north gate of Dongshi City.
When they arrived at the place, they saw dozens of people queuing outside the door. The Xu and Liu families couldn't help complaining: "How long will it take for so many people to wait in line? I told you to go to the county government to handle it."
Normally, ordinary people are most impatient to go to the county government to do errands, and they often have to deal with a small matter all day long. The officials are impatient with cold faces, and talk about asking for some "benefits". There are so many people queuing here, and I am afraid today. Nothing can be done.
Li Zheng said impatiently: "One or two people know how to keep an eye on their own homes, and go out for a walk and take a look when they have nothing to do. This is a new yamen established under the leadership of Jingzhao Mansion. It is called a 'one-stop' office. Many yamen have transferred officials. It seems that such a small matter as yours can be done here. Why waste time and effort traveling around? ”
The two families don't understand what "one-stop shop" means, and they don't agree with it. The habits and insights they have developed over the years cannot be changed in a short while, but they dare not speak with the authority of Li Zheng.
While we were queuing, a young official wearing a green crew-neck robe came over.
This official is about twenty years old, with a fair face and no beard. His official robe is made of fine linen with dark flowers. The collar, sleeves and placket are edged, and a horizontal gusset is added to the hem of the shirt near the knees. This kind of clothes is called " "襕shirt" is the most common official robe.
As he approached, the young official bowed his hands and saluted. Before he could say anything, Li Zheng, Xu and Liu's family quickly returned the salute.
"I am supervising the imperial censor Sun Chuyue, and I am here to supervise the administrative measures of the new Yamen. Do you want to go in and do business?"
"Business."
Li Zheng, Xu and Liu were wary of each other. Although the supervisory censor was not of high rank, he was quite noble. He could not only discuss government affairs, impeach important ministers, and even write letters directly to His Majesty. All of them were heroic and upright.
"Then go ahead and do it. If the officials have any reason to shirk, prevaricate, delay, or even ask for bribes, etc., they can come to me to report and expose. I will enforce the law impartially and punish severely!"
"Ah...good, good."
Li Zheng and the two families were a little confused.
Shifting, prevaricating, delaying, asking for bribes... isn't this normal?
Which official doesn't do things like this?
Can this also be reported?
Seeing that the young censor named Sun Chuyue turned to others and kept saying the same thing, the two families looked at each other and felt that things were indeed different now. If true officials are not allowed to shirk, prevaricate, or ask for bribes when doing things... wouldn't everything be clear?