Linxia

Chapter 150, Storm

When Fang Lin returned from the alley entrance to Xiaowushan, he saw that Lu's wife was pulling Lu Dingding and pointing at the little kid named Liang Doudou.

It turned out that Lu Dingding lost the Yan Liang character card from Romance of the Three Kingdoms by swiping his card, so he hurriedly went to buy a card from Outlaws of the Marsh and wanted to exchange it back. Naturally, Liang Doudou was unwilling to do so.

After all, in Liang Doudou's eyes, the cards from Romance of the Three Kingdoms are super rare cards, much better than the miscellaneous cards from Water Margin.

The Lu family's daughter-in-law is a person who will not suffer any loss, so she pulled Lu Dingding and wanted to exchange it back.

It was originally a child's matter, but as an adult, she had to deal with the consequences, and the neighbors all tried to persuade her.

"Why compete with a child?"

"If you lose, you lose. It's not something valuable."

"That's it, a card!"

……

No matter how others persuaded her, it was of no use. Finally, Mrs. Ou and Fang's mother said something, and the daughter-in-law of the Lu family gave up.

Fang Lin saw this scene, smiled and shook his head.

At the Ou family, Master Ou had gone to see a doctor again and was boiling some medicine. Fang Lin went over and talked for a while. During this time, Master Peng, whom he had met at Prefect Pu's house, came over and asked Master Ou to attend the village drinking ceremony three days later.

"I am an old man, but I have only the title of a scholar, so I don't want to go."

"No, Taizu once instructed that the village drinking ceremony is a ceremony to respect the elderly and the virtuous, and only people with virtue can participate. The master teaches and educates people, and he is both virtuous and talented. He is a role model for the whole prefecture. If the master refuses to leave, who else in the prefecture is so qualified?" Master Peng said it beautifully.

"In the past, it was indeed the virtuous who participated, but now... How is the drinking ceremony in the prefecture now? Master Peng, don't you know? If the prefect is determined to rectify it, I will go. If he is not willing to do so, why should I go?"

"The prefect wanted to get back to the original intention, so he invited the master despite the pressure..."

"So, the prefect intends to clear out the guests who bribed to enter and restore the ancient rituals?"

"This..." Master Peng looked embarrassed and wanted to say something.

Master Ou saw this and knew that he couldn't do this, so he waved his hand and said, "If that's the case, why do you still need me? Going there every year, pretending to work every year, is just suffering. Please tell the government, don't make it difficult for me anymore."

Master Peng had no choice but to leave.

After Master Peng left, Fang Lin asked, "Master, what is the etiquette for drinking in the prefecture? In the past, in our village, the village chief presided over the ceremony, the oldest person in the village was the main guest, and the rest of the people sat according to their seniority... and read the law."

"I want to ask about the drinking etiquette in the prefectural capital. It was fine in the past, but how about now?"

Master Ou shook his head and started from the beginning: "The village drinking ceremony began in the Zhou Dynasty. With the change of dynasties, it was intermittent. After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the country was stable and included in the ritual. After that, when the country was unified, the village drinking ceremony would be promoted, and it was slowly passed down. In the early days of the founding of the Great Xia Dynasty, Taizu continued the Tang and Song systems and took the purpose of the Zhouguan to establish its rituals. Now, the Great Xia has gone through ten generations of emperors, and this ceremony has never been interrupted for one or two hundred years.

The purpose of this village drinking ceremony is to let people know the nobility and inferiority, and to see the good and evil of the people. When it is held, the elderly with good moral character sit at the top seat, the elderly who are honest and kind sit at the second seat, and those who have committed crimes are called together to be publicly criticized, which plays a role of education..."

Fang Lin nodded as he listened. The village drinking ceremony has been passed down from generation to generation. It may have more symbolic significance than practical significance, but weddings have been carried out according to that set of procedures for thousands of years. Don't people enjoy it? Without that set of procedures, it feels like something is missing. This is the charm of traditional culture. With the ceremony, you feel solemn and sacred, as if it has taken root in your heart, subtly influencing generation after generation.

Master Ou saw that Fang Lin was listening attentively, so he explained in detail: "In the fifth year of Emperor Guangwu's reign in the Great Xia Dynasty, Emperor Taizu summoned the whole country to hold a drinking ceremony in the countryside in order to restore the customs of the people to the ancient times. It was decided that it would be held in schools every January and the beginning of winter. The wine and food used must not be extravagant, and virtuous people were selected to participate in the ceremony to educate the people.

At that time, the government attached great importance to it, and everyone from the imperial court to the common people prepared carefully. Participants all regarded it as an honor and extremely sacred. The onlookers saw the respect for the local sages and the love for the elders, and thus formed the concept of respecting the elderly and honoring the virtuous psychologically.

For more than a hundred years, generations have followed the ancestral system, which is the basis for the peace of mind of the people in Daxia. But now, what do you think? "

"How is it?" Fang Lin asked.

"Today, the guests who participate are all rich or noble. Everything is based on wealth and power. The poor and virtuous are excluded. The welcoming ceremony has become a place for fame and fortune. It's ridiculous that those dandy boys, who are uneducated and unskilled, participated in the welcoming ceremony and then carved a monument to commemorate it, openly comparing themselves with the wise men."

Master Ou frowned as he spoke, and put the bamboo tube on the stove with a thud. "Those who seek fame and reputation are willing to bribe in order to participate; the officials do not care whether the visitors have virtue or talent, as long as they have money. They have turned the matter of selecting talents into a way to make money. It's ridiculous!"

"I've been there a few times and have seen what the village drinking ceremony is like nowadays... There is endless music, singing and dancing, dirty words and wanton orgies. How can this be a village drinking ceremony? It's clearly a scene of debauchery! What's most infuriating is that such a scene, in the name of a village drinking ceremony, is openly held in the prefectural school. This is not only a disgrace to the school, but also a bad example for the students. It's outrageous!"

It can only be said that the original intention of the rural drinking ceremony was good, but with the development of social economy, the ritual system collapsed and society became impetuous. Now, it has lost its original meaning and turned into a form of entertainment, a battleground for fame, fortune and wealth.

Fang Lin listened, his thoughts diverging: "With the emergence of capitalism, life has improved, society has become more open, and more free. In an era of full openness, it is understandable to ignore or lose some traditional things to welcome new things. As long as the official maintains a bottom line and does not change, it means that the roots are still there."

'The only thing that's scary is that the government has also been corrupted and changed, and has personally stepped in to deny some things, causing people to lose their minds. In the past life, it was like 'Why should I help someone if you didn't touch it?' In this life, it's the government's turn to turn the village drinking ceremony into a means of collecting money... In this way, it will not only corrupt the social atmosphere, but also affect the thinking and behavior of a generation of people. This is a very scary thing! '

Think about it, the whole society has become impetuous, worshipping only money and those who get rich overnight. The powerful and wealthy wantonly ridicule scholars, knowledge and traditions. People who truly abide by traditional virtues have become aliens. Even the next generation no longer pays attention to the traditional virtues in traditional culture...

Although they are rich in material terms, they have become rootless and soulless spiritually. It can only be said that this is the tragedy of a society and a nation.

As Master Ou said this, he became bored and finally just sighed deeply.

……

Mr. Peng went back and told Prefect Pu about it.

"If Master Ou doesn't go to this village drinking ceremony, his student, Han Yuanjing, the Imperial Censor Han, will not be able to borrow strength. Without this link, it will be difficult to accomplish this. I have this intention, but what can I do?"

"Don't worry, sir. I heard that Fang Lin has a very good relationship with Master Ou, so maybe he can mediate and persuade them."

"Oh?"

Prefect Pu paused for a moment and said with a smile, "I haven't repaid the favor from last time, and I didn't expect to ask him for help again... Never mind, let me host a banquet tonight and invite Fang Lin!"

……

Fang Lin didn't know yet that Prefect Pu was going to host a banquet for him when he was cooking at noon that day.

The dog that Chen Ye and I rescued in the morning ran outside Fang's house.

Perhaps because it was afraid of being chased away, the puppy did not dare to come in. It just lay under the orange tree at the door, whimpering softly, staring into the house with its dark eyes.

Fang Lin told Tian Xuan how he rescued the dog. "I think this puppy is pretty good, why don't you keep it? You can keep a cat and a dog as well." Tian Xuan said.

"That's fine." Fang's mother thought for a moment and said, "During the day, your father goes to the dock, Linzi and Xiaoxuan, you go to the store, and I go to Xiaowu Mountain sometimes. There's no one to look after the house, so I can leave it here to look after the house."

Fang Lin agreed, took the puppy to the entrance of the alley, and looked at the Mo family who had experience in raising dogs. After confirming that the puppy was not sick, he felt at ease to bring it back.

Because of the black and white spots on its body, Fang's mother named it "Huahua". The puppy Huahua is surprisingly well-behaved. He will wag his tail when called and will go outside when he poops.

So, in addition to the cat Guaiguai, the Fang family got a dog Huahua, which became the sixth member of the family.

……

That night, Prefect Pu held a banquet.

Fang Lin came to the banquet and brought this month's bookstore dividends with him. The dividends were over a hundred taels of silver, and Prefect Pu was amazed when he saw them.

"Fang Lin, to be honest, the profit from this bookstore is not a small amount for me. It can help me solve a lot of problems and balance my public and private interests."

Prefect Pu said: "When I was studying, my family was poor and I relied on relatives for help. After I became an official, I helped these relatives as much as I could, and I politely declined any help I could not provide."

"After all, I relied on them for help when I was poor. Without them, I wouldn't be who I am today. I always remember the kindness of my relatives. I never forget it. But officials serve the public, not their own private property. I explain this to them clearly, hoping that they will understand how hard it is for me to study and not let me end up losing my job. If they listen, I will maintain the relationship; if they don't, I will break off the relationship. This has earned me the title of 'Iron-faced King of Hell' in my hometown."

"Your Excellency is wise." Fang Lin understood that it was very rare for an official to balance public and private affairs like Prefect Pu. At the same time, he also understood that this was a reminder to himself.

"As an official, you must not only be self-disciplined, but also be vigilant against corruption among your relatives and friends. Otherwise, no matter how honest and upright you are, it will be in vain. I am not unkind. I often give money to my relatives. I don't live well, and I dare not agree to anything that is biased for personal gain."

As Prefect Pu spoke, he sighed, "I know very well that power is responsibility and is the defender of justice. If you don't have integrity, passion, and a heart that loves the country and the people, you are not worthy of being an official. As an official, you should not be influenced by all the temptations in the world. You should move forward courageously, never forget your original intention, solve the country's worries and the people's sufferings, work diligently, and die."

After listening to this, Fang Lin didn't say anything, but just stood up and bowed. He said that it was a blessing for the people of Huai'an that Prefect Pu had such awareness and put it into practice.

"Why do you perform such a great ceremony? It's just my duty. Just having this awareness is not enough. It's extremely difficult to really do something practical."

Prefect Pu did not directly mention the village drinking ceremony, but instead mentioned the Yangtze River bursting its dike last year: "I remember that Fang Lin and your family came to the prefecture because the Yangtze River burst its dike last year?"

"Yes."

"There is a lot of hidden secrets behind this matter. The Yangtze River burst its dike, causing the officials below to create countless fraudulent fields..." Prefect Pu sighed.

Fang Lin had heard of "strange fields". The so-called strange fields refer to the situation where the household head does not match the land register, and the tiller is not equal to the actual owner. It is a deformed product of power control.

"There are many unauthorized fields in the prefecture. In years of disaster, officials and wealthy families took advantage of the situation to rob and seize the people's fields for themselves... Last year, there was a flood and many good fields in the prefecture were submerged. Logically, at this time, we should cooperate with the court to provide disaster relief and compensate the people for their losses. However, in some counties, before the people have recovered from their grief, a document came down from the county, saying that the flooded fields were requisitioned to develop fish ponds... The people naturally did not agree to the requisition of the fields they depended on for their livelihood to be used as fish ponds, but some people had their own ways to fabricate it, threatening that no post-disaster compensation would be issued and that the land tax in the disaster year would still be collected..."

Prefect Pu talked about the methods used by these people: "Although I am a prefect, the people below me are not easy to deal with... Officials and wealthy families have occupied the people's land, and many of them are candidates for the imperial examination and Jinshi degree... The people who have lost their land are targeted by the wealthy merchants in the city, who want to recruit them to work... This is a huge network of interests, and even if I, a prefect, run into it, I will only get a bloody head... I can only fight but not break it, recruit some and beat some, but I can't eradicate it, I can only try my best to limit it."

Fang Lin was moved after hearing this. He thought that during the flood last year, the farmland of the people in Xiaohe Village, Haining County was not occupied, which was probably due to the skill of Prefect Pu.

From this point of view, the entire Xiaohe Village should remember the kindness of Prefect Pu.

"I'm telling you this just to say that the entire Great Xia is like a mansion. It looks magnificent on the outside, but it's already full of worms on the inside... Especially in today's society, where all industries are thriving and wealth and power have become the goals pursued by most people, the more people lose their minds and the more extravagant and hedonistic they become, the faster the Great Xia mansion will be eaten away by worms."

"Your Excellency's words make sense. A few days ago, I went to the Fan family..." Fang Lin told them what he saw and heard at the Fan family.

"The cost of one meal for a family like the Fan family is equivalent to the annual expenses of ordinary people. This evil trend has reached the point where we have to kill them." Prefect Pu said angrily.

Fang Lin was silent for a moment: "What are your plans, sir?"

With the emergence of capitalism, openness is the general trend of the times, and the trend of extravagance is irreversible. Just like the law of increasing entropy, the degree of chaos can only increase, not decrease. In this case, following the general trend will get twice the result with half the effort, while going against the trend will get half the result with twice the effort. Therefore, how easy is it to go against the trend?
However, there are some things that have to be done, even if you know they are not possible, such as Zhuge Liang's six expeditions to Qishan, and also like now.

"I want to start with this village drinking ceremony. Uncle Ou from your alley is the teacher of the Censor Han Yuanjing, and he has done me a great favor..."

"Censor Han Yuanjing?"

Fang Lin instantly thought of the matter of Mr. Zhuo Sanye. It was this person to whom the Dong family had given the invitation. It can be said that this person also contributed to the downfall of Mr. Zhuo Sanye.

At this moment, he finally understood something. Master Ou said, 'As long as you are right, just come to me... Even if an old man like me loses face, it may be useful once or twice.'

"So it's this person who should be blamed. Indeed, if someone is really targeted by an upright and impartial censor, even if it's the Fan family, they will be skinned alive."

Fang Lin thought to himself, and at the same time he understood why Prefect Pu insisted on inviting Master Ou to the village drinking ceremony. It seemed that he wanted to rely on the power of Han Yuanjing behind Master Ou.

"If Prefect Pu and Imperial Censor Han work together and catch the enemy by surprise, this may actually be accomplished, and it can be used as a model to curb the extravagant trend and make the big families and wealthy merchants in Huai'an City restrain themselves a little," he thought to himself.

"Fang Lin, I would like to ask you to help me with this matter. Don't put pressure on me. If it doesn't work, I will think of other ways." said Prefect Pu.

"Don't worry, sir. I will do my best in this matter." Fang Lin understood that Prefect Pu was determined to find him, and he could not hide away at all. He enjoyed the benefits of being tied to Prefect Pu, but naturally he had to bear some costs.

Of course, he didn't need to think of himself as too important. In this matter, he only played the role of a matchmaker, working behind the scenes. If this matter succeeded, it goes without saying that he had won the favor of Prefect Pu; if it failed, it would not affect him.

"No matter the pros and cons, or my emotions and my heart, I have to make this happen!" he thought to himself.

……

That night, Fang Lin went back to find Master Ou and told him about Prefect Pu's plan. He also explained the pros and cons and said that this was an assignment that would offend people.

"It turns out that I misunderstood Magistrate Pu. In this case, I will definitely attend the village drinking ceremony this time."

As expected, Master Ou agreed: "As for offending people, at my age, what is there to be afraid of?"

So the matter was settled, and without the knowledge of the city's dignitaries, a storm surrounding this "village drinking ceremony" was brewing.

……

(End of this chapter)