Ma'am help, the general is in trouble again

Chapter 155
Runtu was taken aback for a moment: "Ma'am, what you mean is..."

Zheng Quchi thought for a while, and said, "Let's talk about this matter later, let's find Fu Rong first, I feel like my fake face is almost gone."

"Okay, this subordinate will ask someone first."

Runtu found a centurion he knew, and he also went up the mountain to dig wild vegetables. King Run asked him about Fu Rong's location, and he recalled it, saying that Fu Rong seemed to have gone to the grotto.

After Runtu thanked him, he took Zheng Quchi and rushed over quickly.

The distance between the grotto and the centurion is not too far, probably only about one kilometer, and the footsteps of Runtu arrived soon.

It is said that this grotto was built by the monks in this secluded place with high mountains for their practice.

Zheng Quchi loved traveling in the past, and he has seen many landscapes and folk customs. This grotto is built in the shape of a monastery. The outer cave is a colonnade. Buddhist temple.

"Fu Rong, are you inside?"

Due to the extension of the eaves of the cave, the light inside is not very good, and only a part of the outline of the square hall can be seen. Zheng Quchi was wary of unfamiliar and dark places, so he didn't choose to go in hastily, but called in from outside the colonnade.

After a while, a familiar figure ran out.

"lady?"

When Fu Rong saw Zheng Quchi, he was indeed surprised.

"It's really hard to find you, Fu Rong, hurry up and look at my face."

When she saw Fu Rong, she immediately put aside her scruples and walked over quickly.

She raised her chin, pointed to her face, and told Fu Rong to take a quick look.

Fu Rong looked at it, and the corners of his eyes twitched: "Ma'am, your face is really a disaster. Didn't I tell you that this kind of disguise can't touch water?"

Zheng Quchi was helpless: "If sweat is also called water, then I did touch it."

Fu Rong suddenly said: "Oh, I forgot to tell Madam, be careful not to sweat profusely, but this winter is cold, where did you sweat so much?"

This two-faced man, in front of Yu Wensheng, sees if he dares to tease himself like this.

Zheng Quchi didn't bother to care about his thoughts: "You're an afterthought, let's make up for it now, I still have a lot of carpentry work to catch up."

Fu Rong restrained his expression subconsciously, and glanced behind him again: "Then madam... just come in with me."

Why does he have a hesitant expression?
By the way, what did he want to do in this grotto instead of digging wild vegetables with everyone when he went up the mountain?
Zheng Quchi didn't move: "Is there something hidden inside you that cannot be seen by others? If so, then I won't go in, and it's the same if I do it outside."

"No..." Fu Rong shook his head, he took another look at Runtu who was like a shadow beside Zheng Quchi, thought about it, and said, "Go in."

After the three of them entered, Zheng Quchi saw a vertical clay statue of Buddha in a tall alcove, but...

She pointed at the Buddha statue: "Fu Rong, did you carve this?"

Fu Rong laughed: "Of course not, I don't have this kind of craftsmanship. These are all left over from the monks before. It's just that this Buddha statue has been destroyed. Now the Buddha statue has lost its facial features, and I can't get it back no matter how I repair it." original."

Fu Rong is good at disguise, and naturally he is very good at grasping the facial features, but it is this Buddha statue, he can't always get the feeling he wants.

So he destroyed and reshaped it again and again, and finally the face of the Buddha statue was basically the same as that of Zheng Quchi.

In fact, Fu Rong was unable to complete the shaping of the facial shape of the Buddha statue, which is also understandable.

For one thing, he doesn't understand the inheritance of Buddhism, the pattern of the five Buddhas in five directions, which requires efforts in the proportion of the structure of the Buddha statue.

In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to the subtlety of the expression of the Buddha's head, or to lower the eyebrows and lower the eyes, or to close the eyes. The symmetry of the facial features, and even some stone carvings pay attention to the symmetry of the entire Buddha statue.

For those who have not consulted many Buddhist materials, it will be difficult to grasp this degree and these demeanors.

"Why do you have to fix it?" Zheng Quchi asked puzzled.

Could it be that he believes in Buddhism and wants to take this Buddha statue as his own?
"I don't know if Ma'am has ever heard the story of offering sacrifices to the Buddha and praying for rain?" Fu Rong asked.

When Runtu heard the words, he was thoughtful.

Zheng Quchi, who was not a native, shook his head directly.

Seeing that she really didn't understand, Fu Rong explained.

"In the southern part of Ye Kingdom, there was a period of continuous drought. At that time, the monks passed by to preach the Dharma, and the people were inspired, so they had a sudden idea and begged the monks to make a clay statue of Buddha so that they could pray with faith. "

"This Buddha statue has a merciful face, compassion for the sky and humanity. When the people see it, they feel that it represents God. As long as they sincerely pray, one day they will be able to move God to rain. They put it outside and bow down every day, and soon The next day, it was actually a natural phenomenon, and it rained heavily."

"Everyone was ecstatic and cheered in the rain, but the clay Buddha statue was washed away by the heavy rain and was finally destroyed. The Buddha statue completed its mission, sacrificed itself, and ushered in this life-saving heavy rain. Later, People in the world passed on this matter, called offering sacrifices to Buddha to pray for rain."

After listening to Fu Rong's words, Zheng Quchi didn't know what to say about this matter for a while.

Should it be said that superstition is a bad thing, and that drought and rain are just coincidences?

Or is it obviously raining, these people are only caring, and they forgot to cover the "hero" Buddha statue who begged for rain?
But it's meaningless to say these things, Zheng Quchi only focused on Fu Rong's reasons for doing so.

"Oh, don't you want to follow their example?"

Fu Rong was stopped by her question, and after a while of coyness, he said weakly: "The current situation, Madam should have seen it when she came over, and I can't do anything else. I happened to see this Buddha statue in the grotto that day. After thinking about offering sacrifices to the Buddha and praying for rain, I thought about restoring it and trying, what if it works? Then I will solve the problem of drought and disaster in Fuxian County?"

This idea is quite unique.

"Then why do you act like you don't want to be known?"

Although she felt that this matter was unreliable, from Fu Rong's point of view, she did something intentional, why was she so sneaky?
Fu Rong told her directly: "Madam, you know that the general dislikes these superstitious things the most. He thinks praying to God and worshiping Buddha is a stupid act, so it's better to rely on yourself. I'm not worried that the general will blame him if he finds out. , you won't betray me, will you?"

To be honest, she really didn't have the time to betray him.

Even, she said: "Don't worry, what you did is a good thing. Not only will I not betray you, but I will also help you."

"Do you believe this?" Fu Rong stared at her strangely.

But Zheng Quchi said bluntly: "I don't believe it."

"..."

She didn't even believe it, so why did she still want to help him?
Runtu stood there, like another clay statue, silent, just staring at them calmly, listening to the "conspiracy talk" between the two.

"Although I don't believe it, I know that many people believe in it. Although offering sacrifices to Buddha and praying for rain may not be successful, since such a thing has been handed down, it means that it represents a kind of hope that can make everyone's life The soul is temporarily comforted, so that everyone can persevere, don't lose confidence so quickly, and in the end, maybe even if it doesn't rain, their wishes will be fulfilled."

After Fu Rong listened, he looked at her blankly.

Her words were what he thought in his mind when he planned to restore the Buddha statue.

Unexpectedly, at her background and age, she could understand what was in his mind.

"What's the meaning of Ma'am's last sentence? If even this act of praying to God can't be fulfilled, how can we make it rain?" Fu Rong asked.

"Actually, it rains every day, but the rain doesn't reach our Fu County, so we can use water to solve our problems."

Fu Rong hurriedly asked: "Borrow water? How?"

"This matter has to be discussed in the long run, and I probably can't do it alone. When your general comes back, I will discuss it with him."

Hearing what she said, Fu Rong seemed to have some idea in his mind, he asked suspiciously: "Could it be that madam, you also know about water conservancy?"

Zheng Quchi didn't answer, but only urged: "Hurry up and restore my face. Now there is one more important thing. If there is no money for a project, talking about anything is useless."

Fu Rong went to get the toolbox, and tentatively said: "Recently, Madam seems to be quite busy."

Fu Rong didn't rest on his hands, he helped her make a face while talking to her.

"Isn't this busy making money?"

"Make money? You and Mu Gaoyi gathered together a bunch of craftsmen and hid behind the curtain together just to make money?"

Aren't they working hard for the entries of the Jichun Artisan Association?
It seems that these people know exactly what she is doing.

Knowing what he was thinking, she replied: "It's all the same, as long as you are favored by Jichun craftsmen, you will get money, and if you fail, you will have no money."

That being said, this is indeed a way to make money, but...

"Ma'am, are you confident?"

Zheng Quchi thought about it seriously: "I want to say it's not a big problem, do you think I'm not very humble?"

Fu Rong was taken aback for a moment, then laughed.

"Madam can even repair city walls, I don't think you need to be too modest."

Who is humble?

Isn't this trying to boast that he is invincible in the world, but also worried that others will complain and question him.

Zheng Quchi felt that the conversation could stop here: "Fu Rong, hurry up, stop chatting, they are still waiting for me."

"Okay, my hands and feet are faster, and it can be repaired in less than a quarter of an hour."

Runtu has always been like an invisible person, without much sense of presence, but he has a panoramic view of the conversation between the two of them from beginning to end.

He couldn't help looking at the general's wife with a whole new perspective.

Regardless of whether she can succeed in the end, she does have the potential to be a general's wife.

Her thoughts and speech are different from those narrow-minded women in the market, who only pay attention to the private thoughts of some little girls. She has a big view.

Moreover, her previous opinion of the general was really surprising.

He could see that Madam was alienated and indifferent to the general, without the admiration and clinging in the eyes of those people in the past.

But she can look at the general from a different angle from others, maybe this is a husband and wife, no matter whether they are in love with each other or not, she and the general have a private relationship that they don't have.

-

"Finished? Is it the same face as before?"

Zheng Quchi stood up, turned his face left and right, and told Fu Rong to look carefully.

"Don't worry, I will remember what the face I made looks like, and I will definitely not let you go astray." Fu Rong promised.

"Okay, I'll go first, I'll draw the face of your Buddha statue for you."

Fu Rong was surprised: "You draw for me?"

"Yes, I have made this before. I know several kinds of Buddha statues. You can draw them all for you. You can see which one fits you, and you can pinch it."

Fu Rong didn't know what to say: "Madam, do you really understand this? This is not the facial features of ordinary people, but a Buddha statue. Although I don't understand it very well, it seems to have to pay attention to..."

"Don't worry, I definitely know more than you. Besides, you see that I am so busy, and I still find time to make portraits for you. At least you trust me for a while, right?" Zheng Quchi said sincerely.

Fu Rong also knew how busy she was recently. Seeing that she was full of confidence, he couldn't say anything if he wanted to refuse: "If it weren't for the fact that there are no monks near Fu County, we wouldn't be in such trouble."

Zheng Quchi knew what he meant, she said: "Okay, I'll go first, you can send someone over to pick up the statue tomorrow morning."

-

When going down the mountain, Zheng Quchi's face had been rectified, and he no longer looked like a monster, so he didn't want to trouble Runtu to continue being a human bearer, so he walked down the mountain quickly on foot.

On the way, Runtu asked aloud: "Madam, why do you help him, he doesn't believe you at all."

Runtu usually doesn't take the initiative to speak up, but this is a rare time to take the initiative, but it's strange to talk small things about Fu Rong behind his back.

"It seems that you have a problem with him, but I'm not helping him."

When Runtu heard her teasing him, he closed his mouth and did not continue to ask.

Zheng Quchi knew his stuffy nature, so he took the initiative to say: "His original intention is to calm people's hearts. The matter of offering sacrifices to Buddha and praying for rain must be known to everyone in Ye Kingdom. He can think of this way to temporarily stabilize the situation. It's not his personal matter, since it benefits from the public, we can help if we can."

"Ma'am, those peasant girls of your age are also so concerned about the situation on weekdays?"

Zheng Quchi's eyes widened.

What does he mean by that?Do you look down on them country people, or do you think they only gossip about the wives of Zhang San Li Si's family?
She said happily: "I don't care, we only care about the peace of the world, everyone lives and works in peace and contentment, and every family is well-off and well-fed."

"..."

Runtu knew that what he said just now offended someone, so he kept silent along the way.

After Runtu sent her back to the camp, Zheng Quchi reminded him with a straight face before he left: "If you don't talk about some things, no one will blame you, but if you talk too much, I will definitely blame you."

Runtu wanted to laugh, but he didn't: "Madam, don't worry, Runtu promised you, so he won't break his promise."

"En." Zheng Quchi nodded, walked a few steps, turned his head again, and said with great enthusiasm: "Director Runqi, I will definitely treat you to dinner in the future."

Runtu was taken aback.

Invite him...to dinner?
Seeing her running back to the master craftsman group as if returning home, Runtu stood there for a while, then turned around and went to the water prison.

"come out."

As soon as he gave an order, more than a dozen soldiers with bows and arrows jumped out from the darkness around the water prison, half-kneeling and saluting neatly.

"I've seen the Governor Runqi!"

"Madam's coming today is an unintentional intrusion, so you don't have to report this matter, I will handle it myself."

When they heard it, they were all surprised, not because of the content of Governor Runqi's words, but because Governor Runqi went and returned, and came here to cover up his wife's behavior.

(End of this chapter)