Cultivation of chastity

Chapter 3 The First Meeting of Dou Jing
After Li Tai formally received the decree, he asked Lu Anshou to drive an ox cart to Sinong Temple to take up his post early the next morning.

For Li Tai's arrival, Sinong Temple arranged for people to welcome him.

Just as Li Tai got out of the bullock cart, he saw a middle-aged man with a square face who seemed to have stood at the door for a long time. When he saw Li Tai, he hurried out to greet him.

The middle-aged man smiled at the moment, and said: "Sinong Shaoqing, Zhao Yuankai, was ordered to welcome the King of Yue here."

"Sinong Shaoqing..." Hearing Zhao Yuankai's words, Li Tai was about to get off the car, Zhao Yuankai took a few steps forward and stretched out his hand to support Li Tai.

Li Tai naturally did not refuse, but after getting off the car, Zhao Yuankai saluted and expressed his gratitude, "Thank you Zhao Shaoqing."

"Don't do it, don't do it." Zhao Yuankai said humbly, "Your office has been arranged, King Yue, and I'll take you there right away!"

"Me? Work?" Li Tai was taken aback, his expression gradually became serious, and he couldn't help asking, "Where is Dou Si Nong now?"

Zhao Yuankai hurriedly said: "Dou Si Nong is supervising the construction of the locust temple outside the city. I pray that the locust god will have spirit, and the locust plague will be quelled!"

"..."

When Li Tai heard this, he didn't know whether to say that Dou Jing was dedicated to his duties, or whether it was better to complain about him not doing his job properly.

Dou Jing came up with a way to build a locust temple to deal with locusts. He was not the first, let alone the last.

Looking at Dou Jing's behavior with my own eyes is naturally feeling that Dou Jing is ignorant.

But this is the era when Dong Zhongshu's theory of interaction between heaven and man was used as the basis to restrain the emperor.

Attributing all disasters to the emperor's failure to cultivate virtue will make many good emperors feel that the sky has no eyes, but it will also warn the bad emperors.

At least as far as the whole society is concerned, this will not make the situation of the whole society worse because of the emperor himself.

Moreover, in the first few years of Zhenguan, there were disasters. If it is said that Li Shimin killed his brother and imprisoned his father, he was not virtuous, and it caused the disaster.

But since the locusts caused disasters because of the emperor's actions and losses, now the emperor swallows the locusts and admits his mistakes, and the locust plague cannot be quelled.

What normal people can think of is that it's not that the gods don't listen, but that they didn't hear, so they need to build locust temples to communicate with the locust gods and solve disasters.

Although it looks ignorant, it has the unique thinking logic of ancient times, and there is no way around it.

"Since Dou Sinong is supervising the construction of the Locust Temple, can Zhao Shaoqing send someone to guide me and let me find Dou Sinong first!"

Li Tai looked at Zhao Yuankai and asked.

"This... I will lead the King of Yue to go!"

Zhao Yuankai thought for a while, and stood up very actively.

Li Tai glanced at Zhao Yuankai in surprise, and couldn't help muttering in his heart, doesn't Sinong Shaoqing need to do things?

I took the initiative to find Dou Jing because I just came here to report, and now the boss is on the front line. I, who just reported, sat in the office and waited for my boss to come to see me. Is this appropriate? !
Even if he is the king himself, as long as he hangs around in Sinong Temple, isn't he afraid of being put on little shoes in the future?

So I must go to the front line to meet Dou Jing, even if I just went to meet, at least my attitude has been shown.

After all, I am an eight-year-old child, so others really expect my business to crush the experienced Dou Si Nong.

As long as your attitude is okay, even if your ability is not good, at least you should be diligent in your comments.

But you are Sinong Shaoqing, a fourth-rank official, you should be the second or third leader in Sinong Temple, just send someone to me.

Is there any need to flatter yourself like this?

I'm only eight years old, and I'm not a resident official of Sinong Temple, so it's pointless to curry favor with me!

Li Tai let go of his desire to complain, he always felt that the water in Sinong Temple was so deep, and it was better to stand on the sidelines and stand on the sidelines.

With Zhao Yuankai leading the way on horseback, they came to the outside of Chang'an City. Although it was only a city away, Li Tai could clearly feel that there were two worlds.

The world inside the city is prosperous and peaceful, with people coming and going, filling the peace of the capital, but outside the city, through the curtain of the bullock cart, Li Tai can clearly see the nearby people sitting casually near the city gate, looking at Chang'an from time to time.

The withered and yellow faces of these people are full of sickness. Of course, compared to their physical condition, it is more of the numbness and despair revealed from the bottom of their bones, which makes anyone who sees them unconsciously loathe and stay away.

"Master Lu." Li Tai asked Lu Anshou who was riding a tall horse in the ox cart, "The people outside the city were all plagued by locusts, so they wandered around the gate of the city?"

"They... are waiting for disaster relief from the imperial court!"

Lu Anshou turned his head to look at the scene outside, and sighed:
"There was a plague of locusts in March, and now it's May, and the new grain can't be harvested, and the stored grain is full of food. People are suffering!
Fortunately, the sage was kind and opened warehouses to provide relief after the people suffered from the locust plague, at least giving these people a hope of surviving.

However, you can only eat a bowl of thin porridge a day and you will not die of starvation. If you eat too much, you will have problems instead.

These people are now staying at the gate of the city, not dead or alive, first think of a way to survive the locust plague, and then plan for the future! "

Hearing Lu Anshou's words, Li Tai understood in his heart why these common people felt so numb and hopeless to him.

Because of the emergence of the locust plague, their economic system of men farming and women weaving was completely wiped out. This made them who had only been able to farm all their lives unable to farm. They were left at a loss that made their lives completely hopeless.

Li Tai understands that the locust plague must be resolved before winter, because the end of autumn is the time for planting winter wheat. If the wheat harvest fails this year, Datang, which has been tossed by the locust plague for a year, may be even more difficult next year.

"Don't read it, hurry up!"

Li Tai sighed and lowered the curtain, out of sight and out of mind.

Now I really don't have the ability to save them, the country itself is helping them at the most appropriate pace.

Li Tai in the car couldn't help but think of Si Nong Dou Jing who is now at the Si Nong Temple.

I read Dou Jing's information before I came here, and he has been in charge of farming all the way to become Sinonong since the beginning of the army in Taiyuan.

To some extent, if Xiao Yu was the government affairs maker in the early Tang Dynasty, then Dou Jing should be the government affairs executor in the early Tang Dynasty.

In theory, he should be the person most likely to take over the post of prime minister.

But the reality is that I have never heard of Dou Jing in my previous life. Even though she sat in such an important position, Dou Jing is like a passer-by in history, leaving almost no reputation.

Also hidden is the story of Tang Taizong swallowing locusts.

Tang Taizong swallowed the locusts and began to control the locust plague, but this history book seemed to be erased by an invisible hand.

He neither said failure nor success, but only said that the law of heaven had a feeling, and the plague of locusts suddenly disappeared.

In fact, if it really succeeded, there would be no later Yao Chong to exterminate the locusts. This matter will be written in the history books.

So this time the locust extermination must have failed.

Because the history books have always had the tradition of hiding the venerable, but Tang Taizong even recorded such things as swallowing locusts, so the failure of disaster relief must not be caused by Tang Taizong, even if it is blamed, it must not be shaken. To Tang Taizong.

If Tang Taizong is really a senseless emperor, it doesn't matter if the plague of locusts is thrown on Tang Taizong.

But whether he unified the world by martial arts or ruled by martial arts, all people come to court, unless it is black and black, otherwise as far as the country is concerned, he is really an impeccable king.

Since the emperor has no problem, the problem can only be to rescue the minister, and even further, the method of disaster relief.

In fact, there is no problem with the minister, but there is a problem with the method of treatment, but the foundation of this method is the only heaven-human interaction that restricted the monarch in ancient times.

If it is to be overthrown, it is tantamount to overthrowing an important cornerstone of Confucian inheritance, and the imperial power will really be unstoppable from now on!
So as long as the Confucian disciples would not do this, the historian also chose to deal with this matter coldly,
And Dou Jing tragically became a victim of maintaining this system, so it seems to be unknown in history.

Li Tai didn't know that Dou Jing was arranged to eat sand in Xiazhou soon after, so he didn't know if it was caused by the disadvantage of locust resistance.

At this moment, under the leadership of Zhao Yuankai, Li Tai's ox cart rushed to the locust temple that Dou Jing was personally supervising.

Dou Jing is discussing the service plan with the employees of the Ministry of Industry, and seeing Li Tai's car arrives, Dou Jing is also a little surprised.

Originally, Dou Jing was confused when he received Li Shimin's order. He really didn't think Li Tai could do anything against locusts.

It is simply understood that Li Shimin wants to develop Li Tai into a civil servant, so as to avoid the recurrence of the Xuanwu Gate in the future.

Therefore, Dou Jing arranged an office for Li Tai, which was basically filled with books, and regarded Li Tai as a child or a mascot.

It's just to change the environment for Li Tai to study, so that this kid who doesn't understand anything will interfere with his business.

So Dou Jing didn't expect that Li Tai went to Sinong Temple and looked for him without even entering the office. She was somewhat surprised.

When Li Tai saw Dou Jing, he immediately got off the car and went to salute Dou Jing, "I've seen Dou Sinog."

After all, this is the Tang Dynasty, so just look at the title of prince, don't take it too seriously.

Now that Li Shimin is in power, these officials would even spit on Li Shimin, what do you mean by a little Yue King.

After all, it is not the rule of wild boar skin, and the ministers are really used as domestic slaves, uh... Strictly speaking, they are not as good as domestic slaves!

Li Tai looked at Dou Jing. To be honest, he looked like an old man with sharp edges and corners. His eyes fell on him, making him feel as if the mountain-like pressure was coming.

"Dou Jing has met the King of Yue." After returning the gift, Dou Jing said, "The King of Yue just came to Sinong Temple, and he doesn't know the rules of Sinong Temple. Rice supply and other matters.

So I prepared the accounts of Sinong Temple over the years, hoping to let King Yue know the transactions of rice, grain and money in Sinong Temple. "

"Dou Si Nong misunderstood!" Li Tai shook his head and said, "I'm not here to serve in Si Nong Temple, but to help solve the locust plague!
Ruokou Dou Sinong, if you have any doubts about locusts, you can consult me.

After all, apart from my kid, none of you would have played with locusts for more than half a year for no reason.

Of course, if Kou Si Nong has a way to solve the locust plague, it will be just an extra pair of chopsticks and an extra mouth to eat in the Si Nong Temple. "

When Dou Jing heard Li Tai's calm words, she was astonished at Li Tai's attitude, it really didn't look like an eight-year-old child said it.

But still the same sentence, Dou Jing really doesn't believe that Li Tai has any way to solve the locust plague.

Dou Jing said, "Si Nong Temple is one of the nine temples of the imperial court, so it's no problem to have an extra pair of chopsticks.

If the King of Yue is interested, Sinong Temple will send someone to explain the details of Sinong Temple to you.

If the king of Yue wants to aspire to agriculture, he can start by looking through the records of the warehouse in the Si Nong Temple. "

Listening to Dou Jing's words, Li Tai understood that Dou Jing still didn't think she could help in the fight against locusts. play!

"Sinong Dou...if that's the case, I wish Sinon Dou a smooth solution to the locust plague!" Li Tai said, "But can Sinon send me some manpower to arrange more than ten acres of idle land that has been plagued by locusts? Let me try it." At least my thoughts won't disturb Si Nong's work!"

Dou Jing frowned when she heard Li Tai's words, thought for a while, and said, "I'll arrange staff for you when I get back."

"Thank you, Si Nong Dou." Li Taiwei heaved a sigh of relief, he didn't expect Dou Jing to be so eloquent.

"Dou Si Nong, I am familiar with the rules and regulations of the Si Nong Temple, and I happen to be free recently, why don't you let me assist the King of Yue!"

Zhao Yuankai, who had been silent by Li Tai's side all this time, stood up and spoke.

Dou Jing looked at Zhao Yuankai and solemnly ordered:
"The "Kaihuang Law" written by the Duke of Huai'an County is the blueprint of my Tang law. I hope you will cherish it."

Dou Jing didn't wait for Zhao Yuankai to answer, she turned her head to Li Tai and said, "Zhao Si Nong is good at bookkeeping and is good at deacons. He has worked in Sinong Temple for a long time. If you need any material personnel dispatched by Sinong Temple, please contact him." They can help King Yue handle it properly."

When Zhao Yuankai heard Dou Jing's words, his face turned red, and he looked a little ashamed, which made Li Tai sigh in his heart, the water in the Sinong Temple seemed really deep.

However, Li Tai also bowed halfway to Dou Jing, and said, "Thank you Dou Si Nong for your care, can you allow Li Tai to say a few more words."

"Also please ask the King of Yue!" Dou Jing said politely when she heard Li Tai's words.

"I know that Dou Sinong has a way to fight locusts, so I won't ask any more questions. I just hope that Dou Sinong understands that it's May, and I'm sure the locusts will come this month. Please be prepared!" Li Tai resolutely road.

"How did King Yue know? King Yue knows ghosts and gods!" Hearing Li Tai's firm attitude, Dou Jing couldn't help but wonder.

"Dou Si Nong believes in me, so I will do my best and do my best. If Si Nong doesn't believe me, what good is it if we continue to talk more? It's better to do our best and obey our destiny." Li Tai said frankly, " This is the end of Dou Si Nong's words, and Tai Xian bids his farewell."

"Please, King Yue!" Dou Jing was puzzled by Li Tai's determination.

But no matter how you say it, Li Tai did not interfere with the normal operation of Sinong Temple, nor did he interfere with his plan to build the Locust Temple. For Dou Jing, this was enough.

"In May... will the plague of locusts really continue to come?"

Dou Jing didn't know.

(End of this chapter)