The dust settles

Chapter 18

18. Tongue
I played chess with people on the square in front of Guanzhai.

The chess played is very simple.Very simple Connect[-].Just break a branch to draw a grid on the ground, pick up six stones from the ground, and you can play a game.The rules are simple and straightforward.When you have two pieces on a straight line and the opponent has only one, it is considered that the opponent has been eaten.The first party to eat all six stones is the loser.As simple as two ants can eat an ant, two men can kill a man, but it is an ancient truth.For example, in the war between chieftains, we always ask how many people came, and if there are few people, our people will rush up and eat them.If there are many people coming, hide, gather more people, gather more strength and rush up to eat the opponent.But at the moment when I play chess, this kind of rule has no effect.In the second stage of the Poppy War, the Maiqi family used only a small force, relying on advanced weapons, and a whirlwind of fire blew up on the flat ground, flying around and almost piercing through the entire territory of Chieftain Wangbo.The bit of millet planted by chieftain Wang Bo also turned into ashes and rose into the sky.

It's another spring.

Wait, let me think about it, this may not be one spring, but many springs.But what does it matter?In this world, if there is anything that people think is more valuable than the money of the Tusi family, it is time.Many times, the time is simply too long.When we wake up in the morning, we are waiting for the dark. We have just planted the seeds in spring, and we are looking forward to the harvest.Because our territory is so vast, time seems endless.

Yes, the wide space gives people the feeling that time is boundless.

Yes, such a combination of space and time gives people the feeling that the foundation of the Maiqi family will last forever and be unshakable.

Yes, all of this is far from real. From a distance, it really looks like a scene floating in a dream.

Let’s talk about this spring, this morning, the sun has risen for a while.The air is filled with the fragrance of water.The snow-capped mountains in the distance, the nearby forests and crops wetted by night dew all glisten in the morning sun, and they all look vibrant and fresh.

For a long time, I have been obsessed with Connect Six, which I have learned for a long time.

Every day, I get up early.After breakfast, I walked out of the gate of Guanzhai and sat under the walnut tree by the square facing the bright sunshine.Every day, I have to look at the sun that just came out for a while, and then I pick up a branch from the ground and draw a six-game grid on the wet ground.I thought about the fierce scene of the attack on chieftain Wangbo, and remembered the days in the poppy war.The servants were busy with their business and kept walking past me. No one came and said, "Master, let's play a game."Just look at their gray, evasive eyes.Usually, it is my two boys who play chess with me.Solan Zelang likes to be assigned to work at night so that he can wake up later in the morning.In other words, it doesn't matter to him whether he can see the sun rise or not.He always came to me without washing his face, and with the strong smell of servants' beds on his body.Xiao Eryi, that future executioner is not like this.He always gets up early, eats something, sits on the hill where his house is, watches the sun rise, sees me in the square, draws a chessboard, and then slowly comes down from the hill.

Today's situation is somewhat exceptional.

I finished drawing the chessboard, but neither of the two servants showed up.At this time, the silversmith, Dolma's husband, walked in front of me.He had already passed in front of me, turned back and said, "Master, I'll play a game with you."

I poured the pieces out of the bag and said, "You use white, the color of silver. You are a silversmith."

I told him to go first.

He went, but did not occupy the most important middle position.I rushed up, opened left and touched right, and quickly won a set.When playing the second set, he suddenly said to me: "My woman often misses you."

I didn't speak.I am the master, and she thinks I should.Of course, it's not just because of this that I don't speak.

He said: "Dolma didn't tell me, but I know she misses you, and she misses you in her dreams."

I didn't say yes or no.Just tell this guy that she is a woman trained by our master, and tell him to treat her well, otherwise the master's face will be ugly.I said to him, "I thought it was time for you to have children."

Then he blushed and said, "She told me to tell you this. She said that if the young master knows, we are going to have a child."

Why she did it, I don't know.Because it can't be the seed of my foolish young master.I couldn't think of anything to say, so I said to the silversmith, "Tell Dolma that the young master told her to have two sons at once."

I told the silversmith, if that is really possible, I will give each child five taels of silver, ask their fathers to order a longevity lock, and ask Lama Menba to recite scriptures and hang them on their little necks.The silversmith said: "Master is really a good person, no wonder she misses you so much."

I said, "Go down."

While speaking, the little executioner had already come down the hill and stood behind him.The silversmith bumped into Eryi as soon as he got up.His face turned white with a brush.In our territory, it was originally the chieftain who issued the order and the executioner executed it. Some people lost an eye, lost a hand, or lost their life because of this, but most people would not count it as the chieftain, but pretended in their hearts The hatred for the executioner, at the same time, also contained the fear of the executioner in his heart.The silversmith had never stayed with the executioner at such a close distance before, his face turned pale with fright, and he looked at me anxiously, clearly asking: "What's wrong with me, call the executioner."

I thought this scene was very interesting, so I said to the silversmith: "You are afraid, why are you afraid, don't be afraid."

The silversmith didn't admit defeat: "I'm not afraid, and I'm not at fault."

I said, "There is nothing wrong with you, but you are still afraid."

There was no expression on Xiao Eryi's face. He said in a very calm voice: "Actually, you are not afraid of me, you are afraid of the chieftain's law."

Hearing Xiao Eryi's words, the silversmith's face was still pale, but he still laughed out loud and said, "Thinking about it, it makes sense."

I said, "Okay, let's go."

The silversmith went.

Then, I played chess with Xiao Eryi.He didn't let me at all. As soon as he came up, I lost several games in a row.The sun has risen high.A little sweat broke out on my head.

I said, "Damn it, Eryi, do you have to beat me, you slave?"

I'd say Eli is a smart guy.He looked at my face and stared into my eyes to see if I was really mad.Today, my mood is as good as the weather.He said: "You are the master, and I usually listen to you in everything. You also want to call out if you lose in chess?"

I put the chess on the table again and said to him: "Then you can beat me again."

He said, "Tomorrow there will be torture again."

What Xiao Eryi said surprised me.Usually, I always know what happened in the territory, who broke the law, and what kind of punishment they will receive.But I don't know anything about it.I said, "Let's play chess. There are so many people in the territory, can you kill them all?"

Xiao Eryi said: "I know you like him. You won't hate me like those people because our father and son tortured him."

Now, I know who it is.

Xiao Eryi said: "Master, do you want to go and see him?"

I don't think I'd hate this flat-voiced, pale-faced fellow, but the Maggies made him that way.I said, "You can't enter the prison casually."

He held up a sign with a tiger's head decoration on it.The tiger's head was black, and it was baked on a wooden board with red-hot iron.This is a special sign for entering and exiting the cell.Before executing the sentence, the executioner must first enter the cell to look at the prisoner's physique and the mental outlook of the prisoner, so that he will be very sure when executing the sentence.Unless the chieftain specifically wants to make people suffer, the executioner always strives to do the job cleanly and neatly.

We went into the cell, and the man who wanted to spread the new teaching in our place was sitting under the window reading a book.The jailer opened the cell door and let us in.I think he will pretend to be fascinated by the book and ignore us.Usually, people with a bit of knowledge always make such a gesture.

But Umboisi didn't do that.As soon as I entered, he put away the book and said, "Look, who's here." His face was calm, with a sardonic smile on the corner of his mouth.

I said, "Is the lama chanting scriptures?"

He said, "I'm studying history." Some time ago, Living Buddha Jiga gave him a book written by a mad lama in the past.This book is very interesting.He said: "Your living Buddha told me to die with peace of mind, my soul will be subdued by him, and I will be the guardian of Maiqi's family temple."

At this time, I didn't listen to him carefully.I am listening to the mighty rush of the great river from outside the high windows.I like the sound of it.The young lama looked at me quietly for a long time before he said, "I want to express my gratitude to the young master while the head is still on my neck."

He knew that I asked them to return the scriptures, and he also knew that I had released the donkey.He didn't say more good things about me, and he didn't say anything bad about anyone else.He gave me a small scroll.The words on it were all written by him with the gold powder he raised.In particular, he stated that there was nothing in this that Maggie refused to accept.It is a collection of Buddha's sayings that every sect must follow.Holding the sutra in my hand, I felt my heart burn.Such books are said to contain wisdom and compassion.I asked this person, who was about to be punished, if there was such a thing in the book.

He said, yes, yes.

I asked, besides his sect, whether people from other sects, such as the sect of Living Buddha Jiga, should also read this book.After getting an affirmative answer, the question in my heart deepened: "Then why do you hate each other?"

I think I have reached a very important point.He didn't speak for a long time, and I heard the river roaring eastward under the rocky bank below Guanzhai.Weng Boyixi heaved a long sigh and said, "Everyone says that the young master is a fool, but I want to say that you are a smart man. You are smart because you are stupid." He said, "You must forgive the dying man for speaking abruptly."

I want to say that I forgive, but I don't think it makes much sense to say it, so I keep silent.

I thought, this man is going to die.Then the noise of the river flooded into my head again.I also remembered what he said. He probably meant that he came to our place to spread a new sect and couldn't succeed, which prompted him to think about some problems all winter.Originally, such a question should not be thought of by a hater, but he still couldn't help thinking about it.After thinking about these issues, he no longer has much hatred for other sects in his heart.But he also had to face the hatred of followers of other sects.Finally he asked: "Why didn't religion teach us to love, but taught us to hate?"

Back on the square again, I would say that it is much more comfortable here than in the cell.The dank gloom of the long walkways and winding ladders was unbearable.

Xiao Eryi said: "Tomorrow, I want to do it myself."

I asked him, "For the first time, are you afraid?"

He shook his head, a girlish blush appeared on his pale face.He said: "If you are an executioner, you will not be afraid, but if you are not an executioner, you will be afraid."

This sentence is well said and very philosophical, and it can be recorded as the executioner's quotations.In one day, without much effort, I heard two interesting words.First is the sentence in the cell: Why didn't religion teach us to love, but taught us to hate?
Xiao Eryi said this again.I think it's so interesting that it's worth remembering.It is a pity that many such words have been wiped out in history.

At dinner, I took advantage of the time when the candles had just been lit and before the servants served the dishes, and asked my father, "Is the torture going to be tomorrow?"

Toast must have been taken aback.He belched loudly.He always hiccups when he is too full and startled.My father said to me: "I know you like that person, so I didn't tell you about killing him."

The father said, "I also plan to reduce the punishment a little when you intercede for him."

After dinner, I didn't talk anymore.

The first thing to serve is ghee mixed with potato mash, and then, the lamb chops, the staple food is buckwheat buns with honey.

These things are piled up like a hill in front of everyone.The corner of the hill was dug away, and it was Tana's turn, leaving only a small gap in the pile of food.

At night, I said to Tana, "You need to eat more, or your ass will never grow."

Tana cried and sobbed that I detested her.I said, "I'm only talking about your butt, if you talk about your breasts, I don't know how you're going to cry." She cried my mother into our room with a louder voice.The wife gave her a loud mouth as soon as she reached out.Tana immediately silenced her voice.My wife told me to sleep and told her to kneel by the bed.Generally speaking, we don't care much about these women. Whether they are angry or not, we don't care much.She wanted to cry, she cried a few times, and when she felt that it was meaningless, she shut up herself.But my mother comes from a nation that cares about everything about women.I fell asleep when she started to lecture Tana.In my sleep, I was sweating profusely, because I dreamed that I raised the knife to Umboisi on the execution stake.I woke up with a yell.Tana was found kneeling beside the bed.I asked her why she didn't come up to sleep.She said that my wife told me that I must wait until I wake up, and then I will let her go to sleep.I spared her.When she went to bed, she was already cold.This person didn't have much heat in the first place, but this time, it was as cold as eggs in the river.Of course, I warmed her up quickly anyway.

Waking up in the morning, I thought, we're going to kill him.At this time, I regretted not interceding for him, when I could intercede for him last night.Now, everything is too late.

A long horn sounded from the official village.

The common people came one after another from the villages scattered along the valley.Their lives are busy and dull.Watching executions can be said to be an interesting entertainment.For the chieftain, it is also necessary for the common people to have a little understanding of killing and have a certain ability to accept it.Therefore, this can also be seen as a kind of education.People came quickly and filled the square in black.They talked excitedly, coughed, and spit all over the floor.The victim was brought up and tied to the execution post.

Weng Boyixi said to the chieftain: "I don't want your Living Buddha to pray for me."

The chieftain said, "Then you can pray by yourself. However, I don't want your life."

The steward said, "Who told you to use your tongue to attack the religion we have practiced for many generations?"

The young master announced the chieftain's final decision: "You have crazy ideas in your head, but we only want your tongue to be responsible for the stupid words you utter."

This man came to our place and preached his great teachings, only to lose his dexterous tongue.The missionary was going to die calmly, but when he heard the decision, sweat immediately dripped from his forehead.The same shiny sweat was also hanging on the tip of Xiao Eryi's nose when she was executed for the first time.There was no sound from the crowd, and the executioner took out a special knife from his wallet: a narrow knife curved like a human lip.People's mouths are big and small, and so are the knives.Xiao Eryi took several knives and gestured to the preacher's mouth to see which one was more suitable for him.The square was so quiet that everyone heard Umboisi say: "Yesterday, what were you doing in the cell? How could it be better then?"

I think Xiao Eryi will be scared, this is his first time after all.Today, his face was indeed redder than usual.But he wasn't afraid.He said, "I looked at it. At that time, I looked at your neck. Now the master has shown mercy, as long as you have your tongue."

Weng Boyixi said: "It's better to keep your hands away from my mouth. I can't guarantee that you don't want to take a bite."

Xiao Eryi said, "It's meaningless for you to hate me."

Weng Boyixi sighed: "Yes, I shouldn't have so much hatred in my heart."

At this time, Lao Eryi went behind the execution column and strangled the victim's neck with a belt.Weng Boyixi straightened up, his eyes bulged, and his tongue stuck out from his mouth.Xiao Eryi's speed of attack is no less than that of his father and master.With a flash of the knife, the tongue jumped out from between the victim's mouth and the executioner's hand like a frightened mouse. It looked like it wanted to go to the sky, but it only jumped up a little bit, and it hadn't arrived yet. The top of the head was so high that it fell down.It seems that all flesh and blood things are as difficult to exalt as the soul.The tongue fell off.Only then did people hear Weng Boyixi calling.The tongue fell to the ground, covered with dust, and lost its vitality and bright red color.Tongueless cries are vague and meaningless.Some people say that the black-headed Tibetans are a race born of a person who was tempted by the Rakshasa Witch. Perhaps, the first cry of the ancestors and the first descendants of the Witch is like this: vague, and because of the chaos in front of them, there is no The world of order is resentful.

Xiao Eryi put down the knife, took out a small packet of medicine, and sprinkled it on Weng Boyixi who was still tied to the execution post.The medicine was very effective, and immediately cured the blood coagulation in the prisoner's mouth.Lao Eryi untied the rope from behind, and the prisoner slid to the ground, spitting out several big blood clots from his mouth.Xiao Eryi presented the tongue to him, asking if he wanted to keep a souvenir.He looked at his tongue painfully and shook his head slowly.As soon as Xiao Eryi raised his hand, the tongue flew out.There was an exclamation from the crowd.A yellow dog leaped up and bit its tongue in its mouth mid-air.But instead of holding a piece of meat in its mouth, it screamed as if it had been hit by a bullet, and then fell heavily to the ground.Not to mention anyone else, even Weng Boyisi stared blankly at the dog being injured by a piece of tongue, and barked mournfully.He touched his mouth, and only got a lot of blood clots from it, which can't prove anything except that his flesh and blood can be easily injured by violence.The dog stuck out its tongue, howled mournfully, and ran away far away with its tail between its legs.The crowd immediately jumped away from the tongue too.The preacher couldn't take it anymore, his head tilted and he passed out.

The execution is over.

The crowd slowly dispersed, returning to where they came from.

19. book

The Preacher is back in the dungeon, where he won't come out until he recovers from his wounds.

(End of this chapter)