A Complete Explanation of the Negative Textbooks of the Imperial Examination

Chapter 27: Ghost

Xiao Jingduo galloped all the way, and then reined in the city. The city of Chang’an is still magnificent and magnificent. People who leave the city and enter the city are constantly coming and going. The soldiers guarding the city are fully armed and majestic, watching everyone who enters the city vigilantly.

It is now the fifth year of Qiyuan, and it has been six years since the founding of the Xuan Dynasty. In the past six years, the warlords from all over the country have been defeated by the royal family Rong clan one by one. Last year, King Yi’an of Lingnan was defeated and surrendered. Since then, the Xuan Dynasty unified the Han land and realized the first unification of the world in 200 years.

With such a powerful force, the people of the world have to obey. Although the world is united, the people’s livelihood has declined, and the price of rice remains high. In these years, the war has been raging, the land is desolate, and the people have been displaced. After King Qin ascended the throne, he paid special attention to agricultural affairs, and ordered an amnesty for the whole world, exempting the world for three years.

In addition to farming, the new dynasty also showed amazing ambitions in selecting officials. In the third year of Qiyuan, the prince proposed the imperial examination to select scholars in the early court, in order to recruit talented people all over the world. The emperor greatly appreciated this, and in the spring and autumn of the fourth year of Qiyuan, he opened the department one after another, and welcomed the poor scholars into the dynasty. as an official. At the beginning, everyone was still watching, until the two princes came to an end in the autumn, and they entered the official office in one fell swoop by the results of the scientific examination. Civil scholars were encouraged, and they signed up for the imperial examination in the fifth year of Qiyuan. Driven by the royal family, the imperial examination was greatly promoted among the people. For a time, the price of paper in Changan skyrocketed, and scholars went out one after another. Even the children of seven or eight years old were reading poems and memorizing the scriptures. The whole dynasty showed a new look.

Xiao Jingduo has been isolated on the mountain for the past three years. Although he has heard the villagers at the foot of the mountain talking about Chang’an, it is after all hearsay. He has seen the changes in Chang’an along the way, and then he feels that the new dynasty is really It was surprising, and the most surprising thing was that the imperial examinations were held so quickly.

He stood at the foot of Chang’an City and looked up at the towering Que Tower. He had heard that Danfeng Gate was the number one gate in the world, and the square in front of Danfeng Gate was a gathering place for hundreds of officials. Man, such a magnificent scene, I wonder when he will be lucky enough to see it?

The imperial examinations have begun, and he has been thinking about the road to becoming an official after five years of examinations, and he can finally set off.

Xiao Jingduo was agitated in his heart. He was not only surprised by the opening of the imperial examination, but also sighed at the leap in the living standards of the people of Chang’an. He stood outside the city and waited until the excitement dissipated. The team moved.

Xiao Jingduo couldn’t help but look forward, not many people entered the city, why is the interrogation so slow?

Xiao Jingduo asked an uncle in the same team, but the man who looked like a shop owner suddenly changed his face, he looked around, and said in a low voice: “Lang Jun just came to Chang’an? Yes, these It is not uncommon for there to be many scholars like you in the old age who are rushing for the exam, and it is not uncommon for them to know nothing about Chang’an. But I would like to advise Langjun, under the feet of the emperor, some things can be said, and some things can’t be mentioned!”

Xiao Jingduo was surprised. He hadn’t returned to the city for three years, so he couldn’t understand what the people were saying? Xiao Jingduo continued to ask, and the shop owner told Xiao Jingduo with a mysterious face: “Xiao Langjun just came to Chang’an and didn’t know anything, and now many people have died in the south of the city. These people have different identities and family backgrounds, but they all have black handprints on their bodies, like It’s like being strangled to death by a ghost, and it’s terrifying. Now there are rumors in the city that it’s Prince Min coming back!”

Prince? If Xiao Jingduo remembered correctly, King Qin ascended to the throne by a sudden mutiny. He killed his eldest brother, forced the former emperor of the palace, and became the new lord of the empire despite many criticisms. Even though King Qin has been on the throne for so long, these rumors have not dissipated. Later, the emperor was really unable to defeat the ministers, so he pursued the eldest brother as the crown prince, with the posthumous title of mercy.

From the title of Prince Mercy, it can be seen that the emperor has no guilt for killing his brother and forcing his father.

, the rumors about Prince Min also quietly started.

Some people say that this is because the emperor’s methods were disgraceful when he first ascended the throne.

Some people also said that Prince Min wanted to let the entire Chang’an be buried with him this time to console himself for his grievance of death.

…

The people were helpless about the successive tragic deaths, and they had no choice but to seek help from ghosts and gods. As a result, the rumors about the current saint became more and more widespread. When the court responded, it was too late to ban it.

But the people standing in the court are different from the commoners. The common people believe in these ghost rumors, but the old foxes in the palace do not. This incident made it clear that someone was secretly doing push-hands, and the intention was self-evident, so the emperor immediately ordered the city gate to be strictly prohibited and strictly inspected the people entering and leaving Chang’an.

Therefore, the team entering the city moves so slowly.

When Xiao Jingduo finally entered the city, the sun was already in the middle. The two servants of Dingyonghou’s mansion made an idea of him: “Langjun, shall we go back to the mansion now?”

“No, you guys go back first, I’m going to see the south of the city.” Xiao Jingduo also remembered the so-called ghost handprint rumors, out of the curiosity of the doctor, he must go to the south of the city to take a look for himself.

So the two persuaded: “Langjun, it’s getting late, the old lady and the madam are still waiting in the Hou’s mansion, it’s urgent to return to the mansion! Hey, Langjun…”

Xiao Jingduo didn’t bother to pay attention to what the two of them said. He directly reined in his horse and walked to the south of the city. Hearing the call behind him, he paused a little and said without looking back: “I If you want to go to Nancheng, if you don’t want to go, go back first.”

How can the servants let the master act alone, they are constantly crying in their hearts, but they have to keep up no matter how unwilling they are, they are driving the carriage, chasing Xiao Jingduo and shouting: “Lang Jun slow It’s dangerous, let the slave go first…”

As the shop owner said, the situation in the south of the city is very bad. Everyone here is in danger, their faces are sad, the road is cold, and it doesn’t look like Chang’an.

of.

Xiao Jingduo saw many porridge shacks on the main street, he pointed to the place curiously and asked, “Who is making porridge?”

The servant glanced in the direction of Xiao Jingduo’s finger, and immediately said proudly: “That’s Mrs. Hou making porridge. After Nancheng began to die, Mrs. pity these patients’ loneliness, so she specially built a porridge shed. , porridge twice a day, in addition to this, the lady also gave these people something like wormwood. The lady said that after smoking the house and clothes with wormwood, it can prevent epidemics and resist ghosts, so every time we Dingyong Hou’s mansion will be looted for porridge. Our wife is the first to prepare the porridge, and the ladies from other houses follow suit. I said that Mrs. Hou is really a bodhisattva, and it’s fine to give these commoners porridge. I was afraid that they would not feel well after eating, so I added wild vegetables to the porridge, saying something like this… What is the word for, yes, balanced nutrition! ”

Wu Junru is kind? If these people knew how Wu Junru had played against him, these people would not have said that.

Xiao Jingduo didn’t have the heart to listen to these people praising Wu Junru in different ways. He was about to go inside to take a look, but suddenly saw a person staggered across the street, fell to the ground, and then Can’t get up either.

The surrounding people scattered with a bang, and many people shouted in horror: “Run, the ghost soldiers are coming to arrest people!”

The servants of Dingyong Hou’s mansion were also stunned. They trembled and said to Xiao Jingduo: “Langjun, let’s run! You didn’t know when you just came back, these ghost soldiers are extremely powerful. , as long as you get close to the sick person, you will definitely get sick within three days, and no one will be spared!”

“Ridiculous.” Xiao Jingduo sneered and walked quickly towards the patient.

In recent years, he has often been in and out of the Qingyuan Temple ward, and he has seen many plague patients. Based on the descriptions of others, Xiao Jingduo is very sure that the so-called “ghost soldiers” are actually plagues, and this plague spreads very quickly. That’s why so many people died. He sneered at the so-called ghosts and gods. Back then, the traveling doctor Langzhong couldn’t cure Zhao Xiulan’s illness, so he said that Zhao Xiulan was bent over by a ghost and needed to exorcise the ghosts. Now that the plague is prevalent in Chang’an, the Langzhong has never seen it before, and it is nonsense to shirk it on the ghosts and gods.

Seeing Xiao Jingduo walking straight towards the patient, the people in Dingyong Hou’s mansion were so anxious that they didn’t dare to go forward, so they could only keep calling, even the pedestrians hiding beside saw it. Shouting to Xiao Jingduo: “Come back quickly, this kind of disease can’t be saved! Don’t risk your own life!”

Xiao Jingduo ignored it, he quickly walked to the patient’s side, carefully turned him over, and then took a finger to check the pulse.

Slowly, Xiao Jingduo frowned. After a long time, he retracted his fingers, and while thinking, he said to the servant: “Take out the paulownia wood box on the carriage, and I will give him acupuncture first.”

The servant hid far away and pulled out the wooden box from the car, but he dared not take it.

Xiao Jingduo stood up unbearably, and as he approached, the surrounding people swarmed away, and even the two servants of the Hou Mansion couldn’t help shrinking back. Xiao Jingduo didn’t care, he took his medicine box and squatted beside the patient to give needles without hesitation.

Xiao Jingduo gave needles in an orderly manner. At this time, the patient’s relatives had already arrived and were tentatively moving to Xiao Jingduo. Xiao Jingduo glanced at it, then retracted his gaze, raised his voice slightly, and said, “The heat is not regulated, the evil poison invades the body, and the patient is old and frail, so he will faint on the street. Now I will use acupuncture to wake up the old man, You help him go back, cook some good food for him to eat, and pay attention to ventilation, so that the patient can rest well.”

Speaking, Xiao Jingduo took out a pen and quickly wrote a prescription: “I don’t know why he is ill now, so I don’t dare to prescribe it rashly, so I have to write a prescription for recuperation first, Twice a day, one bowl in the morning and one in the evening, you can use this recipe to recuperate your body first, and then change the medicine after I figure out a way.”

Xiao Jingduo raised his eyebrows and did not speak, just waiting for the family to express their stance. Fortunately, he didn’t wait long when a lady who looked like a granddaughter stepped forward to take the prescription and saluted Xiao Jingduo: “Thank you, Langjun.”

Xiao Jingduo nodded in satisfaction, at this time the patient woke up leisurely, Xiao Jingduo hurriedly helped the old man to stand up, and the granddaughter of the old man ran over and took his grandfather’s other arm.

“You are careful to help the old man back home, remember what I said just now, although this prescription can’t cure the disease, it’s okay to delay it for a few days.”

Hearing Xiao Jingduo’s words, the old man’s granddaughter was overjoyed: “Lang Jun, you mean, your medicine can cure ghost soldiers?”

This kind of disease can be ruled by law, but as long as the elderly are properly recuperated and supplemented by the prescriptions we have just now, they will definitely not get sick these days.”

Even so, it was surprising enough. This was the first time that the granddaughter of the old man had heard from others that the disease could be cured. Her grandfather still had a chance to live. She happily told Xiao Jingduo After giving a big gift, he said in a choked voice: “Thank you Langjun! Langjun is so kind and virtuous, Yu Niang will never forget it!”

“No, I should do it.” Xiao Jingduo said indifferently, “Where do you live? After I dispense the healing medicine, I will change the medicine for this Aon.”

Yu Niang was very grateful, and quickly reported a series of addresses. After Xiao Jingduo wrote it down, she planned to leave. After taking two steps, he turned back and asked, “Do you know where the sick and deceased patients are placed? I want to see how sacred this ghost handprint is.”

When Yu Niang saw Xiao Jingduo coming back, she thought he was going to explain something, but she didn’t expect him to ask this as soon as he opened his mouth. Yu Niang was stunned for a while, and then said in horror, “Lang-jun can’t do it, ghost soldiers are extremely evil, and they may still have life if they get sick, but if they get ghost handprints, they will definitely die, Lang-jun can’t do it!”

Xiao Jingduo heard something wrong: “You mean, not all sick people will have ghost handprints after death?”

“Yes, I heard that only those who have accumulated sins will be taken away by ghost soldiers.”

Xiao Jingduo’s mind flashed, and he was more curious about this so-called ghost handprint, he asked: “You don’t need to worry about other things, I just want to know where to see people who dye ghost handprints?”

Yu Niang saw that her persuasion was fruitless, so she could only say helplessly: “The people who have been dyed with ghost handprints have been arrested by the court, and even their bodies have been carried away and parked in the funeral parlour in the south of the city. Those who are inside are not allowed to come out, and those outside are not allowed to enter.”

Xiao Jingduo sighed, and he knew that the ghost handprint involved the prince of mercy, and the court could not let the rumors ferment. He bid farewell to Yu Niang and Yu Aweng in disappointment, and then continued down the street.

Xiao Jingduo went into the depths of the epidemic regardless, and the two servants of Dingyong Hou’s mansion were about to cry, so they could only follow in fright, not far or near, adorning Xiao Jingduo’s back .

Xiao Jingduo planned to go inside and see more sick people, so that he could study this strange plague. But this time he didn’t go very far when he was stopped by two people.

The two were dressed in official uniforms, and at first glance they were government soldiers in charge of patrolling the security. They seemed to have fallen from the sky and blocked in front of Xiao Jingduo. Order, you come with us.”