Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 603 Public resentment is like a grave

"If I had known, I wouldn't have gone to worship the gods and offer incense back then."

"Otherwise, why would one need to suffer like this outside when one can live a peaceful life at home?"

Underworld

Watching the three brothers, now that their mourning period was over, venturing out again and slowly pursuing their goals,
Their parents couldn't help but complain.

not far away,
The River God of Zhangshui, who had been worshipped by them and was currently fiddling with a brick, looked up when he heard this.

The elderly couple didn't notice anything amiss and continued talking:
"The eldest brother became a Taoist priest, so we don't talk about him anymore."

"I should have listened to you back then and forced the second and third sons to get married!"

"If they had wives and children, and had built up a fortune in their hometown, they probably wouldn't follow the eldest brother in such reckless behavior!"

They said it was "just about eliminating evil forces in the world, not a real rebellion"...

joke!

Where do organized crime groups have powerful backers?

Where do they originate?

Don't the common people know this?

Ordinary people are just too busy and too tired; they rarely have time to think about or care about many things.

But they knew it to some extent.

Those thugs who blocked the road,
Those cannibalistic black kilns,
They live so comfortably, right under the nose of the imperial court!
How could it not be related to the above?

In other words, outsiders, unaware of the inside story, acted rashly, which led to them breaking the rules and causing the important people to receive less windfall.

Words,

The envoy from the Yan Kingdom, who recently arrived in Luoyang to pay homage to the new emperor, also clashed with officials from Yuyang Commandery.

Thinking back to a while ago,
It is related to the black mine that was destroyed by the Yan state.

Therefore,
For the older generation like Zhang Jiao's parents,
Eliminate organized crime,

Why isn't this a rebellion against the imperial court?
Rebellion is definitely a very difficult thing!

Even after becoming a dead ghost, knowing the relationship between God and the Way of Peace,
The elderly couple still hoped that their son could have an easier life.

"Saying all this makes it seem like you weren't the one who was persuaded by your son to live life according to his own wishes back then!"

After the elderly couple finished their murmur,
He Bo approached them with a brick in his hand, pursing his lips as he spoke.

Places like Julu and Yecheng, located near the Zhang River, enjoyed the initial protection of spirits and deities.

They have always been under God's watchful eye.

therefore,

When Zhang Jiao's parents hid at home and quietly complained about their son's rebelliousness,

Even God can hear it.

However, they were very verbally abusive.

However, in practice, they still chose to let things go unchecked.

otherwise,

In today's world, many people, in order to gain fame and be recommended as filial and incorruptible officials, but lacking the necessary talent, can only frantically pursue the matter of "filial piety," thus turning the once harmonious relationship between father and son into a chaotic mess.
As long as Zhang Jiao's parents went to a public place and cried, kind-hearted people would naturally help them find a way to bring their runaway, "negligent" child back to their bridal chamber.

But now,
Three older, unmarried men who came from Julu County, were spreading their faith and making some attempts in various fields.
Whose child is it?

"Ah, this..."

This time, the elderly couple, who had been immersed in their own world, finally faced the spirits.

They were still a little reserved, and seemed speechless in front of He Bo.

Actually,
Even while alive, most people can calmly murmur various private matters, things that cannot be known to outsiders, before clay or wooden statues of gods.
But when they became ghosts and saw real, talking and dancing spirits, they were speechless and their legs trembled.

The proverb "Lord Ye loved dragons but was terrified of them" perfectly illustrates this point.

Fortunately, God has always been easygoing.

After recounting a few stories about the three Zhang brothers' childhood, the elderly couple gradually relaxed.

Mr. Zhang expressed his sincere gratitude, saying, "Those boys wanted to do something dangerous, and I've been very worried about it."

"Now that we've arrived in the underworld, and we know that the dead have their own place of belonging, and that the Taoist priests of the Way of Peace are still under your protection, I feel much more at ease."

He Bo laughed, "Without my protection, wouldn't you be on edge all the way to your coffin?"

Mr. Zhang shook his head. "If there were no ghosts or gods, then a person would simply die."

"No matter how well my descendants live, all they can do is build me a nicer grave."

"No matter how badly my descendants live, it will only mean that my bones will be dug up."

"Alas, what blessings or suffering can we, withered bones and yellow earth, enjoy?"

He Bo greatly admired this attitude.

"If those meat-eaters were like you, the exploitation of the world would probably be less."

Even if the underworld has procedures that allow the deceased to appear in dreams on the seventh day after their death, communicating with their descendants and subtly conveying the attitude of the spirits towards the human world.

However, this still did not stop the rise of the custom of elaborate burials among the wealthy and powerful.

first,
The practice of receiving a dream on the seventh day after death has its own established rules.

If descendants truly cherish the memory of their ancestors, then the scenes and words in their dreams will naturally be much clearer, and they will not forget them quickly upon waking.

on the contrary,

Then, things will happen such as the descendants sleeping soundly all night, only to open their eyes the next day to greet the moment when they are in charge and can finally hold their heads high.

All that's left are the ancestors stomping their feet and cursing incessantly in the underworld.

Secondly,

They worked so hard to acquire so much wealth, how could they possibly use the same funeral rites as ordinary people?
The emperor wanted to build his own mausoleum and cultivate a large number of artifacts.

Noble people will naturally find ways to build themselves magnificent and luxurious burial grounds and bury them with a large amount of money.

They were determined not to live like the common people, nor to die like them.

What's with this "death is the fairest thing" nonsense?

Humph,
The important people don't believe that!
They wanted to be adorned in gold and silver, dressed in jade, and lie in tombs that were even more luxurious than the homes of the living.

Even if a filial son learns from his ancestors' dreams or the guidance of a Taoist priest that ghosts and spirits possess the wealth accumulated in the human world, he will not acknowledge it.

Even carving mountains into tombs couldn't prevent a tyrannical ruler from falling into hell.
But they need to find a way to use their money!
Should it be used to provide relief to disaster victims?
Ugh,
Giving away hard-earned silver to ordinary people is truly a sin!

"...Is that brick in your hand some kind of magical artifact?"

The elderly couple nodded in agreement with God's words, and then looked at the blue brick that God was playing with, and became somewhat curious.

"Where is the divine artifact!"

"These are building materials I dug up from the grave of some important person!"

He Bo didn't hesitate and swung a brick at Zhang's father.

“The writing on this is interesting… It just so happened that the grave was flooded. You couldn’t tell the problem from the outside, but the inside had collapsed, which is how I managed to fish out a piece of it.”

Even if God is extremely bored, He wouldn't dig up someone's grave for no reason.

Zhang's father caught the brick, and when he and his wife looked at it, they discovered that there was a sentence engraved on the brick, which was a curse against the owner of the grave.

He Bo said, "There are many more similar bricks!"

"There are many similar cases!"

"I just picked it up randomly."

The suffering of the people has never ceased.
The nobles continue their massive construction projects to please themselves; who would be happy about that?

Thanks to the Han Dynasty's promotion of education, most common people were literate and could write a few sentences.

Its language is naturally inferior to that of scholars, and its style is naturally inferior to that of nobles.

The emotions poured into it are far more genuine than those who constantly preach national righteousness, benevolence, filial piety, loyalty, and brotherly love.

After all, they dared not directly curse the nobles or the imperial court.
When you're being pressured to do something, it's okay to grumble a few times or write a couple of curses in a secluded place.

Just like the young soldiers back then, they would complain in letters to their families about the lack of food, pay, and clothing, leaving them to suffer from hunger in the winter.

Just like the convicts of yesteryear who would carve words of resentment on the palaces and the Great Wall built for the First Emperor, and then pile them up as part of the monarch's great achievements.

No one can stop this outpouring of emotion.

"Fortunately, my statue was built early, and the wages paid to the craftsmen were not harsh."

"Otherwise, if someone were to carve a string of curses on your head or back, places that believers wouldn't see, that would be incredibly shameful!" Is it just about feeling ashamed?

Won't they blame that rebellious craftsman?

The elderly couple exchanged a glance, then looked at the blue brick in their hands that bore the grievances of the common people, and once again marveled at the kindness of the gods and spirits.

Ugh,
The spirits and deities who wield the great power of Yin and Yang all possess such a benevolent heart.
Why can't monarchs and ministers who rule the world do this?

Fortunately, ghosts and gods really do exist.
Posthumous accountability is not a figment of imagination, but merely a fantasy used to soothe the soul.

otherwise,

Even if one were to build a tomb for a noble person using bricks and stones inscribed with curses, and let them decay quietly inside, it would still be nothing more than the craftsmen's "self-entertainment."

Because no matter how vicious the curse is...

They still have to move the bricks they're supposed to move.

The deceased nobleman will not suffer the pain of death or be subjected to additional torment.

……

"But the existence of these phenomena is not without purpose."

The world of the living,

Zhang Jiao, who had resumed his journey, expressed his opinion on the practice of "craftsmen using witchcraft against the homeowner."

He wasn't as pessimistic as his parents.
I felt that this "curse," which no one could see and only heaven, earth, and spirits knew, would eventually come to take effect.

When such a spell,

Within this dynasty of a single family and surname, many layers and entanglements were formed.
They will eventually be besieged and turned into the latter's grave.

Let that carnivore, who is clearly already rotten and constantly emitting a foul stench, go to where he belongs and find true peace.

Instead of dragging their decaying bodies, drooling with greed, and with their gaping maws, they lay on the bodies of the world, trying to pretend they are still alive by sucking the lives of others.

"But how much longer do we have to wait?" Zhang Liang asked impatiently.

He's been wanting to fight zombies for ages!

Zhang Jiao shook his head. "We still need to wait."

His goal has been set.

His resolve was firm.

His sacrifice had already been prepared.
However, the laws of the world do not change according to human will.

If the conditions are not sufficient, but one still wants to lead the people in an uprising,
That only shows that he is no different from those who eat meat, those ambitious people who drive the masses to gain wealth and status for themselves.

“I am responsible for those who believe in me and are willing to follow me.”

hasty actions
To achieve results,

I wonder how much more blood will be shed.

Zhang Liang then sat back down and sullenly agreed to his elder brother's decision.

It's not that he doesn't understand the reasoning behind it.

Just thinking about how waiting another day would bring more suffering to the world makes one anxious and impatient.

"Let's do our best first!"

Zhang Jiao stood up and said to his two brothers.

He then pushed open the tightly closed doors and windows, stepped into the gloomy, rainy outside, and looked at the desolate scene before him—

Here,

It is a city that has recently been hit by a plague.

Many people died as a result.
As usual, the court officials sealed off the area, attempting to contain the plague by "letting the sick die first."

Only the fearless Taiping Dao remained, carrying the medicines they had collected, to save the lives that still held hope.

And such behavior,

This will naturally garner a lot of praise.
This also fueled the resentment of those who were already dissatisfied with the court.

"How could the mighty Han Dynasty have become like this!"

"These rotten beasts occupy the court and allow their people to suffer. It seems they have truly lost the Mandate of Heaven!"

quick-witted
The poor student, feeling somewhat unappreciated, couldn't help but think to himself:
If the Han dynasty had truly reached the end of its mandate of heaven...

The transition between the old and new dynasties will likely come soon.

Why don't they try to take a chance?

If you just sit still, high-ranking positions and generous salaries won't fall from the sky.

As for the harm their efforts for the future will cause to the Han Dynasty,
Those from humble backgrounds understood this, but had few concerns.

After all, during the pre-Qin period, many people traveled to other countries to serve as ministers in order to seek fame, fortune, and status, only to turn around and attack their own homeland.

Shang Yang of the State of Wei assisted the State of Qin in its reforms.

Wu Zixu of Chu led the Wu army into Yingdu and whipped the corpse of King Ping of Chu...

These examples are right there in the history books, and no one has ever criticized them.

what?
The world today has been unified for a long time, so we cannot use the examples of the pre-Qin period.

They don't care about that!

Having studied all his life, he always dreamed of bringing honor to his family through his knowledge.

Yet they are being ridden on by a group of incompetent people who occupy high positions simply because of their birth and bloodline.

I just can't accept it!

Unless the Han Dynasty adopts a civil service examination system like the Western Song Dynasty, where family background is disregarded and only academic performance is considered, then the Han Dynasty will be able to succeed.

But you can imagine,

Why would a powerful family spit out the meat they've already eaten and share it with others?

There are so many scions of powerful families.

In order to be good clan leaders, how could they not humble themselves and their families?
in this way,

We can't blame those from humble backgrounds for following the example of their predecessors from the pre-Qin period who chose their own careers and planned their futures.

Given the current situation,
Enter Luoyang

Wasn't it much easier than being recommended for the civil service exam and going to Luoyang?

Regarding these people's thoughts,

The emperor, high above all, did not understand.

He was busy using the plague to increase the wealth in the treasury.

"How difficult it is for our country!"

"Unfortunately, even the imperial granary is empty!"

In the imperial court, Emperor Liu Hong spoke to his ministers with a helpless expression.

then,

He further stated, "In order to enrich the treasury and give the country the confidence to govern, I intend to sell some government-run businesses to the people!"

Since ancient times,

To fill your wallet and solve the problem of not having enough money,

Two methods are commonly used.

One is called "open source".
One is called "cost-saving".

Given the emperor's character, he was unwilling to compromise himself.

When he was the Marquis of Hejian, he suffered financial grievances.
Now that he's the emperor, why does he still need to be frugal?

The Han Dynasty has been established for over a hundred years!

Where is there a need for "rest and recuperation" and restraint of desires, as was the case during the founding of the nation?
then,

The only solution is to open-source it.

But for the time being, they couldn't figure out a way to make money.
Selling off old properties became a matter of course.

Every spendthrift in the world starts by "selling shops" to gain experience.

(End of this chapter)