The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Chapter 1889 The Magic of Power

When the last box of silver ingots was loaded onto the carriage, it was just dawn. The sound of roosters crowing at dawn could be heard from somewhere, urging the sleeping people to get up quickly.

Butler Li Zhong accompanied Pang Shiwu to continue escorting the thirty-three carriages loaded with silver ingots and set off in the direction of Wenchuan City ahead of time!

The crowing of the rooster woke up Yuan Zishan and Chang Zijin, who then woke up La Jiao and Er Ni respectively.

When Lajiao opened his eyes, he saw that it was still dark, so he said lazily: "Miss, it's only so late and you want me to get up? Let me sleep a little longer!" Then he yawned again.

Yuan Zishan pinched her little nose and said with a smile: "Little lazy cat, they all went into the city on the 15th, why are you still sleeping?"

Chili sat up with a pair of clear and bright eyes, "What? Fifteen has already entered the city? Why didn't they wait for us?"

Yuan Zishan said with a smile: "Shiwu just left, we still have time to catch up with him now. Hurry up and wash your face, your saliva is all over your face."

Chili wiped her face with her hands, but felt nothing. She knew that the young lady was teasing her again. However, she was no longer sleepy, so she got up immediately, dressed and washed up.

Erni next door was completely different from Lajiao. When she was woken up by Chang Zijin, she immediately showed an awkward smile: "Sorry, I was a little tired last night and slept too soundly. I probably wouldn't have woken up if you hadn't called me!" After saying that, she got up, folded the quilt, got dressed, and washed up, without Chang Zijin saying a second word.

After a while, the four girls finished washing up and went straight out of the mountain gate.

At this time, the whole temple was very quiet, and the pilgrims were still asleep. The various birds in the trees were chirping non-stop, making people feel that the world was full of vitality.

As soon as I walked out of the mountain gate, I saw Feng Jiuxiao, Zeng Yong, and Big Wolf sitting on the side of a carriage, as if they had been waiting for a long time. The carriage Feng Jiuxiao was sitting in was the same carriage that Pang Shiwu usually drove, which was also the carriage that Yuan Zishan and La Jiao usually sat in.

Chili looked surprised: "Hey? Didn't you go into the city?"

Feng Jiuxiao also pretended to be surprised and responded: "Hey? If I went into the city, who am I now?"

La Jiao was startled and looked at Yuan Zishan.

Yuan Zishan covered her mouth and laughed: "La Jiao, I said Shiwu entered the city, but I didn't say Jiuxiao entered the city?"

Chili cried out, with a cute and innocent look on her face, and complained: "Miss, you lied to me again!"

Chang Zijin laughed and said, "Sister Zishan is really something. She always bullies my little Lajiao. Lajiao, oh, so pitiful. How come you were deceived again? Huh?" Every time she saw Lajiao's cute and naive look, she couldn't help laughing. She was so adorable!

Chili pouted and said angrily: "I have been deceived, why are you smiling so happily? You are not much better than the lady!"

Feng Jiuxiao immediately laughed out loud and said, "That's right, they are not good people! Haha... Ouch, my ears!" His face immediately twisted and his ears felt a sharp pain!

The gods fight and reappear in the arena!

Zeng Yong smiled and said, "Er Ni, Miss Chang, please get in the car."

Feng Jiuxiao endured the pain and smiled flatteringly: "Auntie, you two should get in the car too, it's getting late!"

Chili snorted and stepped into the carriage first.

The sky gradually brightened and the sky in the east was already turning pale.

The three carriages moved slowly in the wilderness.

On both sides of the road there is a sea of ​​rapeseed flowers that stretches as far as the eye can see.

The breeze swept across the sea of ​​flowers, the pale yellow waves rolled layer by layer, and the air was filled with bursts of fragrant scent. Chili sat in the carriage with his eyes closed, enjoying this wonderful time comfortably.

Yuan Zishan sat on the carriage with Feng Jiuxiao. She sat on the left, and Feng Jiuxiao sat on the right. The right side was more convenient for whipping.

Yuan Zishan was not wearing a black veil at this time.

The sky and earth are vast, with blue sky and white clouds. The earth is as yellow as the sea. In the distance, smoke rises from cooking fires and the scenery is picturesque.

The beautiful her was appreciating the beautiful natural scenery, and the man beside her was appreciating her beauty.

With her around, the whole world loses its color.

Yuan Zishan asked, "Have you seen enough?"

Feng Jiuxiao looked at her profile and said very seriously and earnestly: "No."

Yuan Zishan glanced at him and smiled charmingly, "What should I do? I can't watch him forever, right?"

Feng Jiuxiao smiled foolishly and said, "Why can't I watch it forever?"

Yuan Zishan rolled her eyes at him, then looked straight ahead and said calmly, "You idiot! You're only looking at me and not the road? Then you'll fall into the ditch, won't you?"

Feng Jiuxiao looked at her long eyelashes, jewel-like bright eyes, high nose bridge, flaming red lips, and skin as delicate as mutton fat, and couldn't help but feel moved!

"I'd be happy to fall into a ditch!"

"Drive your car carefully, or you'll fall into a real ditch!"

Feng Jiuxiao smiled and said: "It's okay! I can do two things at once!"

Yuan Zishan turned to look at him with a strange look in her eyes, "What did you say? You can do two things at once? How many minds do you have?"

Feng Jiuxiao immediately became alert and said without hesitation: "One heart! Only one heart! One heart and one mind!"

Yuan Zishan did not ask any more questions. She looked at the vast world and was in a good mood. She knew that his so-called nervousness was all fake. How could a man who was not afraid of even the Demon Lord be afraid of her? Since he could pretend, it meant that he cared about her!

He also knew that she knew he was pretending! She was such a smart woman, what could possibly be hidden from her? No matter if he was being true or false, as long as he could make her happy, it was true!

When she is happy, he is happy.

When he is happy, she is happy too.

Silence at this moment is better than a thousand words.

Feng Jiuxiao suddenly sang loudly on a whim: "You are my Nongyu, and I am your Xiao Shi, accompanying you to appreciate the changes of the four seasons in West Lake; you are my Lu Shi, and I am your Fang Xuanling, accompanying you to travel through this vast sea of ​​books..."

Yuan Zishan's cheeks suddenly turned red. She pinched Feng Jiuxiao's arm, indicating to him that there were still peppers in the car.

There are always surprises in this world. Speak of the devil and he will appear. Chili indeed broke the moment of tranquility at the right time, "Sir! Are those rape flowers growing in this field?"

Feng Jiuxiao immediately rubbed his brows and thought: You little bitch, did you do this on purpose? You don't even recognize me?

He glanced at Yuan Zishan, only to see that Yuan Zishan was looking at him with a playful expression, as if she was gloating!

Feng Jiuxiao took a long breath, calmed down, and coughed twice to indicate that he was going to speak. "Yes!" He tried to answer in the most gentle voice to avoid scaring Lajiao. At that moment just now, he wanted to roar! But facing Lajiao, how could he bear to roar at the little girl? Moreover, the key is that her eldest daughter is still next to him, how dare he roar at her? Roaring has a price! His ears are still hurting now, and he can't be pinched again!

He thought Chili would stop talking after she finished asking the question, but Chili's interest was like a flood that had been opened, and she kept talking. The second question came up, "Sir, do you think the rape flowers all over the mountains are wild or planted by humans?"

Feng Jiuxiao looked helpless, "How can there be any wild ones? They are all human!"

"Oh my god, how many people would it take to grow such a large area? What is this thing for? Cooking? Why have I never eaten this dish?"

Feng Jiuxiao looked at Yuan Zishan and signaled her to tell La Jiao to shut up!

Yuan Zishan smiled and spread her hands, clearly indicating that it couldn't be done!

Feng Jiuxiao touched his forehead and wanted to pretend to be dumb and not answer, but he knew La Jiao's character. The more you don't answer, the more she will ask you, just like a monk chanting, she won't stop until you collapse!

The best way to deal with her is to explain it to her clearly so that she can understand it thoroughly. Once she understands, she will stop asking questions.

Feng Jiuxiao said with a look of despair: "Rapeseed, rapeseed, why is it called rapeseed? Of course it is for extracting oil!"

"Oil pressing? What?"

“Canola oil!”

“So when is the best time to sow seeds?”

"You... you are very studious. Well, that's good. As for this question, it depends on whether it is the south or the north. For example, in Sichuan and Shu, August and September are more suitable for sowing."

"Then how do you extract oil from this thing?"

"You are really...really eager to learn! I admire you! The first step in oil extraction is, of course, to harvest and then dry. Generally speaking, rapeseed will produce seeds after the flowering period ends, and it is usually best to harvest around May. The harvested rapeseed needs to be dried in the sun to reduce moisture and prevent mildew."

"Oh, what about the second step?"

"The second step is screening and cleaning. The dried rapeseed needs to be screened to remove impurities, bran and other messy parts. In short, the purpose is to ensure that the seeds are clean!"

"Yes! Got it, sir, continue!"

"The third step is drying and frying. The cleaned rapeseed needs to be dried or fried to further reduce moisture and enhance the aroma of the oil."

"Well, continue, sir!"

"The fourth step is the most critical and important step - oil extraction! The roasted rapeseed is squeezed with a stone mill or other rolling work. The squeezed oil must be filtered with gauze to remove impurities. The fifth step is precipitation and refining, or purification. The squeezed oil needs to be precipitated in a large vat to remove the oil foam and impurities on the surface. Then it is heated and filtered again, and purified continuously! The last step is storage, which can be stored in wooden barrels or large vats!"

"I see. The owner of this rapeseed field must be very rich! This rapeseed oil is not cheap, right?!"

"Who knows? I haven't bought it!"

"So the rapeseeds are used to extract oil, but the rape flowers are thrown away? What a pity!"

"Who said throw it away? Rapeseed flowers are also medicinal herbs! The official name of rapeseed is Brassica rapa, also known as Brassica rapa! The seeds can be used to extract oil and can also be used as medicine. They can promote blood circulation, dissipate lumps and reduce swelling. The stems, leaves and peduncles can be eaten as vegetables. The leaves can be applied externally to treat carbuncles. The stems have the effects of cooling blood, dispersing blood, detoxifying and reducing swelling. They can treat bloody dysentery, erysipelas, heat-toxic sores, breast abscesses, rubella, vomiting blood and other symptoms!"

"Oh my! Does that mean this thing must be very valuable?"

"These are all over the mountains and fields, so they are worthless!"

“Things that can cure diseases are not valuable?”

"Do you think all doctors are as money-minded as you are? Gongsun Zhicheng once said that saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Doctors are kind-hearted. Only those with evil hearts will wait for a price and be profit-driven!"

"I'm not short on money. I just think that medicinal herbs can cure diseases, so they should be more expensive than food!"

"In fact, things in this world cannot be judged by common sense! Do you think steamed buns are worth money?" "Steamed buns? They are not worth much, right?"

"You are considering the problem from the perspective of the present. Suppose, you are walking alone in a deserted place, you haven't had any water for seven days, you haven't had any food for eight days, you are exhausted, your life is hanging by a thread, and at this time someone happens to appear next to you, he has both water and steamed buns, you want to eat the steamed buns and drink water, but he wants you to pay for them, do you think this is normal?"

"That's normal! The things belong to someone else, so it's normal for them to ask for some money!"

"How much do you think is appropriate to give him?"

"One steamed bun, a pot of water, and one hundred taels. Is that enough?"

"You're still not hungry!"

"What do you mean?"

"In that situation, if that person wanted money, do you think one hundred taels would be enough to get rid of him?"

"How much more does he want?"

"He'll take whatever you have!"

"I have 10,000 taels on me, and he dares to ask for 10,000 taels?"

"What's there to be afraid of?"

"That...that's not robbery?"

"No! We are negotiating a deal with you! If you are willing to buy, we will sell it! If you don't want to buy, we won't force you to buy it!"

"But... didn't you say I've been hungry for seven or eight days?"

"Yes!"

"So I have to buy it. If I don't, I'll starve to death, right?"

"So... this..."

"So this story tells you that how much a steamed bun is worth depends on where it is! The price will be different in different spatial scenes!"

"I understand."

"The hemp rope is not valuable, but once it is tied to the crab, when it is weighed, the rope absorbs some water and accounts for a lot of weight. In this case, the rope is equivalent to the price of a crab! It depends on who it is tied to. The price is different depending on the object of the tie!"

Yuan Zishan said: "This is a trick of profiteering merchants. How come you say it seems like a story about Hemp Rope changing his destiny?"

Feng Jiuxiao said with a smile: "It's true that businessmen value profit, but it's not advisable to pursue profit only!"

Chili asked, "What other stories are there?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Yes! A big stone dug out from the mountains was split into two halves. One half was carved into a Buddha statue, worshipped by thousands of people, and the other half was polished into steps, but was trampled by thousands of people. The steps asked the Buddha statue, we are from the same roots, why do we have different fates? Chili, why do you think so?"

Chili said: "Yes, why?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "The Buddha statue said that you are a step, horizontal and vertical, how many cuts did you take? The step said that I have six sides, at least six cuts! The Buddha statue said, how many cuts did it take to shape my facial features? My eyes, eyebrows, nose, ears, mouth, can't they be lifelike without thousands of carvings? How many cuts did it take to carve the wrinkles and patterns on my Buddha robe?"

Chili said, "I understand. Some things may look like they are made of the same material, but they have different experiences, so the final price is also different!"

Feng Jiuxiao said: "Actually, what I want to tell you is that the same people, the same environment, but the price paid is different, and the final harvest is also different! As the old saying goes, several times of hard work, several times of harvest!"

Yuan Zishan said: "That's right! Do you understand, Chili?"

"Understood!"

Yuan Zishan said: "La Jiao, why are the prices of the purple clay teapots you buy exactly the same so different? The material and shape are exactly the same!"

La Jiao thought about it, and suddenly his eyes lit up, "This lady really can't stump me! Because the craftsmen who make the pots are different! The purple clay pots made by ordinary craftsmen can only be sold at ordinary prices, while the purple clay pots made by those who are called top masters are priceless treasures!"

Yuan Zishan said, "Yes! Although these rape flowers have medicinal value, they are rare and valuable. There are too many of them and they cannot be sold at a high price! The most profitable thing in the world is the monopoly!"

Feng Jiuxiao said: "The most profitable industries in the world today are salt and iron, because these two are monopolized by the court. The next most profitable industries should be war horses and gold healing medicine. Why? Because we are still at war! As long as the war continues, these strategic materials will be in short supply!"

The sun has risen.

With the rumbling of carts and the neighing of horses, we soon arrived at the city of Wenchuan.

Feng Jiuxiao directly showed the gold medal. The three city guards were all from Shu. One of them wanted to scold Feng Jiuxiao for daring to use the gold medal to cheat people, but before he could open his mouth, an older city guard next to him immediately said, "We can't tell whether your gold medal is real or fake. Wait until we report it to Song Dutou!" He immediately signaled the suspicious Foxconn city guard to notify Song Dutou.

The captain was born in the Northwest Wolf Army. When he heard the gold medal with the words "As if I am here in person", and heard that there was a "young man in white", a "blonde-haired man from the Western Regions", and a young man with two swords hanging on his waist among the group of people, he immediately knew that it was the deputy envoy who came in person!

He immediately arranged for his men to notify the city's magistrate Yang, and then personally led a group of more than twenty of his men to the city gate to welcome Feng Jiuxiao!

When the guard saw the captain personally welcoming the young man holding the gold medal, his heart finally settled down! He knew he was not mistaken, this young man was indeed of great importance! He was also secretly glad that he did not jump to conclusions!

If he believed that the gold medal was real and let the person in, and if someone told him afterwards that the gold medal was fake, he would never be able to clear himself even if he jumped into the Yellow River!

But if he arbitrarily believed that it was a fake gold medal, refused to let the other party enter the city, and even wanted to arrest the other party, then he would be dead!

The city guard who tipped off the news looked at him with gratitude in his eyes!

If I hadn't stopped him from saying anything outrageous, he would have probably taken off his military uniform and gone back to his hometown to farm!

The captain bowed and said, "Liu Jianqiu, the captain of the Northwest Wolf Army Wenchuan, greets the deputy envoy!"

Feng Jiuxiao said: "Captain Liu, please stand up quickly! You have traveled thousands of miles and fought bloody battles. You must have worked hard along the way!"

Liu Jianqiu straightened his back immediately, "Your Excellency, it's not hard at all!"

Feng Jiuxiao said: "I want to go into the city!"

Liu Jianqiu said: "Oh, sir, please come in!"

When he saw that the deputy envoy actually got on the carriage and drove it himself, he immediately tried to grab the whip, "Sir, I will drive the carriage!"

Feng Jiuxiao smiled and said, "My wife is in the car, I don't want to trouble others!"

Liu Jianqiu immediately laughed and said, "I am sorry for being rude! Sir, I have already notified the county magistrate, Lord Liu, and he will be here soon!"

"Why make such a fuss?"

"This..." Liu Jianqiu was suddenly a little panicked. This was bad. He didn't flatter the right person but instead flattered the horse's leg!

Feng Jiuxiao immediately patted his shoulder and said with a smile: "You mean well. Since you have called him, let him come." If he didn't comfort Liu Jianqiu, Liu Jianqiu would probably not be able to breathe for the whole day!

Liu Jianqiu immediately breathed a sigh of relief!

The Deputy Envoy is the Deputy Envoy!

Feng Jiuxiao drove the carriage, and Liu Jianqiu led a group of soldiers following the carriage, all the way towards the county government office.

Soon, several riders came galloping over from the front. The people on the horses saw from afar that Liu Jianqiu was carefully talking to a young man in white who was driving a carriage. It was obvious that the young man in white must be the deputy envoy!

He whipped the horse's buttocks again, and shouted, "Go!" He rode like lightning, and in the blink of an eye he was in front of Feng Jiuxiao. He immediately dismounted, bowed and clasped his fists, "Your humble servant Yang Zixiong, the magistrate of Wenchuan, greets the deputy envoy!"

Feng Jiuxiao also clasped his fists in return: "Master Yang, no need to be polite!"

"I'm sorry for not welcoming you in person..."

"Okay, County Magistrate Yang, don't be polite, let's go to your county government first!"

Feng Jiuxiao concluded that Pang Shiwu should have arrived at the Li Mansion in Hexi by now. It would be inappropriate to go directly to the Li Mansion now, so it would be better to go to the county government first.

There were more and more people walking on the street, and there were actually quite a few Tibetans wearing Tibetan robes!

When the carriage passed the market, it ran into three or five Tibetan girls drawing water from the well. Their ochre and dark green felt robes were shining in the morning light, and the silver-gilt engraved buckles on their waists made crisp sounds.

Feng Jiuxiao looked carefully. The aprons of those girls were embroidered with lotus branches, which looked like the style of Jiangnan Suzhou embroidery, but the color combination was bolder, peacock blue and cinnabar red, which was quite eye-catching.

After passing the old office of the Tea and Horse Service, an old woman came towards us, spinning a prayer wheel.

The hem of the purple-red Tibetan felt robe is decorated with the eight-treasure pattern of "Tashi Delek", and the Sanskrit on the gilded tube casts tiny spots of light in the morning light.

Her fox fur "Xiamubao" hat was very distinctive. The tips of the snow-white fur seemed to be still covered with last night's frost. It was even more majestic than the veil hats worn by the noble ladies in the capital of the Song Dynasty!

Suddenly, the sound of cymbals came from deep in the market. A few Tibetan merchants were carrying white wolf skins on their shoulders and parading through the market, with their wolf tails hanging down and sweeping across the signboards of the Han silk shops.

A woman wearing a "Bazhu" headdress was selecting Shu brocade, with red coral beads rustling in her braids. She was wearing a rhinoceros-skin "Quba" over her skirt, and the turquoise on her waist scabbard was as big as a quail egg. The child beside her was chewing tsampa, his sheepskin coat was trimmed with black felt, and his deerskin boots were covered with mud, as if he had just come from the pasture.

The carriage continued to move forward, and Feng Jiuxiao saw an old Tibetan monk sitting on the corner of the street.

A deep purple "Dui Ga" lining is revealed under the ochre-red cassock. Every time the brass Buddhist bell is rung, the beeswax rosary on the wrist reflects the morning sun and emits golden light.

The most surprising thing was that there was a lacquer food box at the monk's feet. It was clearly a lacquerware food box made by Chengdu Prefecture as a tribute to the imperial court of Dashu, but it was filled with dried yak meat - the craftsmanship of Han Dynasty and the taste of Tibet were blended so perfectly in this border town that had just returned to the throne.

As the eaves of the county government passed by, the aroma of butter tea suddenly wafted into the air.

Two Song army soldiers were patrolling the streets wearing newly made leather armor, the twined branch patterns of the Shu brocade lining faintly visible under the armor.

Behind them followed a Tibetan porter, wearing a chain mail armour left over from the previous dynasty over a coarse cloth "Chuba". The gilded dragon pattern on the old Tang sword scabbard at his waist was even brighter than the new Song flag hung at the gate of the yamen!

When they arrived at the gate of the county government office, the county magistrate Yang Zixiong had already dismounted and took the reins from Feng Jiuxiao. At this time, a government servant took the reins from him.

Yang Zixiong bowed slightly, "Mr. Deputy Envoy, please come in!"

Zeng Yong saw it and thought: This is the magic of power!

Thank you Yudong for your strong support and encouragement!