Three Kingdoms, at the beginning of the game, recognize the thief as the father, hit the spectacle,

"Your heart pleases you...what about the back?"

……

"What's behind!?"

Quite frantically, she asked aloud, Qiao Jin saw that the lantern was written with a small poem earlier, so she couldn't help reading it softly.

What made her a little crazy was that at the end of this little poem, it was blackened by the candlelight inside the lantern, and she couldn't make out what was written on the original paper at all.

Curiously, she turned around and asked her master, Qiao Ying. Qiao Jin was sure that she had heard this poem somewhere before, and it was even possible that she had heard it mentioned by her mistress, Jun Qiaoying.

What makes her a little dissatisfied is that because she has always been not too interested in books and the like, and Qiaoying usually just makes her read more books, so she finally needs to use them today. At the time of knowledge, Qiao Jin suddenly got stuck, and couldn't remember what was written in the second half of the poem.

It was just beyond Qiao Jin's expectation that after hearing her involuntarily whispering earlier, Qiao Ying also looked at her curiously, as if something unbelievable had happened.

Chapter 1 Carpenter Tan

AD 188, mid-June.

In Luoyang City, now that the time has gradually entered the summer, the weather has become much hotter than before.

The heavy rain three days ago was like the last sympathy of this thief. It first brought a long-lost coolness to the people in Luoyang City, and then the continuous moisture and high temperature made the entire Gyeonggi area transpiration. The damp heat like a stove is unbearable.

Under such weather, for those ordinary farmers who have already sowed all this year's grain and just waited for the newly germinated wheat seedlings to grow vigorously, they can only grit their teeth and endure the somewhat scorching heat while rushing to the field. In the early hours of the night, I watered the seedlings in my field to avoid losing my hope for the next year in the annoying heat in June.

As for those poor poor who do not have their own farmland, or who did not sow seeds in time for some reason, although they can leisurely hide in the shade of their own homes to rest and enjoy the cool while the farmers are busy, but when they think of the future The high temperature weather may have an impact on the food prices near their residences, and these poor people will inevitably feel a little restless.

Not far to the north of Luoyang City, the sundial like a hill has been built for some time. The white stone is shining brightly under the sunlight, which can indeed be said to be quite attractive to the crowd. attention.

And the use or usage of this sundial has spread among the people of Luoyang in less than two weeks.

Being able to know the current time through the shadow on the sundial anytime and anywhere, such a slightly exaggerated and extravagant function for the people of the Eastern Han Dynasty cannot be said to be completely useless, and more and more people feel this at the same time. The little convenience that the sundial brings to my life.

It's just that all these conveniences are added together, and perhaps they are not as shocking as they saw the Hu merchants from the far western land facing the huge stone dial when they first arrived in Luoyang. The arrogance that rises in people's hearts is even more important.

It is different from the two Jins and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of later generations, although the great man at this time is already very old, and he is unswervingly walking on a path of decline.

But in the eyes of the Chinese people in this country and dynasty, the great Han who had conquered the Xiongnu several times and made the Baiyue clan in the south submit to him was still the most powerful power in the world, and he was also the object of worship of the barbarians from all over the world.

It's just that no matter how much this pride lasts in the hearts of Luoyang people, this sundial is already a finished product, a kind of past that they can't touch.

And those who are interested naturally know that Zhang Yan, the big red man in front of Han Emperor Liu Hong, has not organized the people to continue construction in Luoyang City for a long time. , and at the same time, the people have long been at leisure.

Is it because the treacherous minister Zhang Rang's family property was finally corrupted by him, so that Zhang Yan could no longer afford a single cent of gold and silver to continue building construction in Luoyang City?

Or is Zhang Yan finally planning to tear off his disguise of kindness and love for the people, and is about to leave Luoyang with a large amount of his assets after currying favor with the current emperor Liu Hong?

In the eyes of those aristocratic families, there may be many versions of explanations for Zhang Yan's behavior, but no matter which one, it is nothing more than that through their own mouthpiece, they subtly downplay the other party's image and influence in the hearts of the people in Luoyang City a method.

It's just that among these people who are "invisible" and "inaudible" who are suppressed by the aristocratic family's right to speak, there are also such a small number of people who know the truth that Zhang Yan stopped all actions in Luoyang City. It's as stinky as those aristocratic families describe.

In 188 AD, in mid-June, there was a severe drought in Luoyang.

……

"Old man, you are still hesitating, but you are thinking about the man from the Wei family?"

Inside a residential house in Luoyang City, an old woman wearing a patched cloth and a gray cloth on her head was preparing breakfast for her family. Not far from her , An old man of similar age is waving a hammer and a saw blade in his hand, just sitting in the shade of the yard and working.

Judging from the other party's skilled craftsmanship and smooth movements, there is no doubt that although the old man is a bit ugly, he is undoubtedly a very skilled carpenter.

And behind him, the old woman seemed to be cooking a pot of corn porridge. Although she looked a little busy, the atmosphere between the two was unusually harmonious.

I saw that although this courtyard is not big, it is different from Zhang Yan’s clear residence where there are entrances and exits, and the front and rear courtyard rooms are clearly distinguished. Although the place where the old man lives is also an independent small courtyard, the small courtyard is It is only composed of a simple through room and two wing rooms used as warehouses, revealing a bit of decay in the open and in the dark.

And from the weeds growing in the gaps between the bricks and stones in the courtyard, it can be seen that this small courtyard has existed in Luoyang City for at least 20 years.

From time to time, leaning on his chin with his hand, the old man just looked at the saw blade in his hand, and at the finished products piled up in the yard, his eyes were filled with an indescribable sense of loss.

The reason for this loss is naturally related to the carpentry works in the courtyard.

You know, for a craftsman who has a stable craft and is not lazy, sometimes accumulating too many works at home may not be a good thing.

Just a rough scan with his eyes, the old man found that many places in the furniture and decorations had become a bit decayed and dilapidated, so the regret in his eyes was even more intense, as if he was about to drop. fall out.

In recent years, especially after the first year of Zhongping, the year of this big man has been worse than every year. Not only are there countless droughts, locust plagues, and diversions of the Yellow River, which have caused the food prices in Luoyang to rise again and again, and even faintly Some of them reached the high price of [-] yuan a stone for old grain, and none of the countless yellow turban rebels, bandits, and shameful cavalry made the people of this big man feel at ease.

People have no money in their hands, so no one will ask him, an old carpenter, to order furniture.

And if no one asked him to order furniture, Carpenter Tan's family of four, two big and two small, would naturally find life more and more difficult.

Chapter 2 Do you want to leave together?

"Hey, look at that big wardrobe, it's made of the most authentic huanghuali wood offered by Qiongzhou, every piece of wood is a treasure that's hard to find, and it's a pity, it's a pity that it's left here like this. "

Looking at the large number of wooden furniture piled up in the courtyard, it can be seen that every piece of furniture here can be said to be the painstaking work of the old carpenter, designed and built by him bit by bit, but now But they are all piled up in the courtyard like this, just waiting to fall into dilapidation little by little.

Let’s talk about the large wardrobe in the middle of the courtyard. A wealthy businessman from Jiaozhou came to Luoyang to order it from him a few years ago. He used nearly ten pieces of three-foot-three pear blossoms, and then made a large one that weighed more than 600 kilograms. Wardrobe.

If the old carpenter's plan was followed, the wardrobe would at least be worth four to five thousand dollars. Even after deducting the cost of materials provided to him by the wealthy businessman, he could still charge about four to five hundred dollars for handwork to fill his home with some tea. Rice oil and salt.

It's just a pity that before he finished the wardrobe completely, the rich businessman died in Shanxi. Not to mention being stopped by the vicious yellow scarf bandits while selling grain, even himself was divided into pieces.

The poor businessman is only in his 30s and [-]s. He originally built this wardrobe to store some clothes for his wife after he married a girl from his hometown.But now, not only did the woman become a widow when she was unmarried, but even this large wardrobe worth thousands of dollars was thrown into his own hands like this.

God is so pitiful, not to mention that in order to build this wardrobe, the old carpenter worked from morning to night for more than half a month, and almost suffered from his own back pain. Just the wasted materials made him feel extremely thrifty by nature. Distressed.

His eyes fell on the spots of mildew on the wardrobe. The old carpenter knew that it was a heavy rain a few days ago, which damaged the paint on the wood, but there was nothing else in his home except the open-air yard. The place can keep these wooden utensils out of the wind and rain.

And since then, the old carpenter's business has gone downhill little by little, just like this moldy wardrobe.

"There are fewer and fewer rich people..."

"This world is getting more and more chaotic..."

He sighed helplessly in his heart, the world is in chaos, and the lives of the people are not stable enough, so naturally they have no intention of going to weddings and funerals.

And if there are fewer people in this wedding and funeral, the money he can earn will naturally be less and less.

From a profit of four to five hundred yuan a month at the beginning, to two or three hundred yuan a month to barely support the family.It can be said that in just a few years, the living standard of the old carpenter has plummeted, and even the small courtyard that he bought with money in the past few years has no money left to take care of it.

And when I think that the older of my two children is already seven or eight years old, it's already time to go to school, and I have always wanted to rely on my hardworking hands to provide the next generation with a chance to study The old carpenter, naturally, was a little worried about the series of expenses that his two children would need to go to school, and didn't know what to do.

As early as a few days ago, a rich man named Zhang Yan popped out of nowhere in this Luoyang city, helping these ordinary people build roads and bridges at the door of his house from time to time, but it also made the carpenter treat him a little better. impression.

But later, I heard that Mr. Zhang Yan started to build some extremely beautiful pavilions in Luoyang City, but he suffered from the lack of craftsmen who could be used. Encouraged by his wife, the old carpenter volunteered to join When I got to Zhang Yan's team, I wanted to see if I could earn some extra money to subsidize my family.

From the restaurant to the terrace, and then from the terrace to the sundial, without knowing it, the old carpenter gradually became famous under the hands of Zhang Yan relying on his ancestral craftsmanship. Even Wei Xian, who was in charge of the group of workers, Whenever you see him, you should call him "Master Tan" respectfully.

And more than half a year has passed, the old carpenter works under Zhang Yan, not only can he have a full meal, but once the wages of more than two hundred yuan a month are paid, he can also save a little bit of it, and the days are like this Little by little it got better.

It's a pity that the old carpenter also knows that living such things is rare.And although Mr. Zhang's money is unknown, the old carpenter probably has it.

Soon after three months of busy work at the sundial construction site in the north of the city, the old carpenter received his share of the bounty, and after a banquet ended, he had no new work to do.

Seeing that the days are returning to the original state of no progress day by day, although the old carpenter wants to go up and ask Mr. Zhang Yan if he can reward them with some more things to do, but after all, the status gap between the two Just like the emperor in the palace and the groom outside the palace, it can be said that there is one heaven and one underground.

Not to mention asking Zhang Yan carefully, when will he have a job for him to do? In the past half a month, the old carpenter who has no job even wants to see Zhang Yan. difficult.

Looking at the children under his knees from time to time recalling the food and wine on the celebration banquet a few days ago, drooling and asking himself when they can eat again, the old carpenter also felt that he was sorry for those two children.

But fortunately, not long after this kind of day-to-day life, I was already mentally prepared and took the initiative to go to Zhang Yan's home to ask the old carpenter to meet the other party, and just met the old carpenter who was one of Zhang Yan's spokespersons. Wei Xian, a middle-aged man, came to visit his home one step ahead of time, and also mentioned Zhang Yan's arrangements and plans for the craftsmen working under him for a period of time in the future.

Even now recalling what Wei Xian said at the beginning, the old carpenter will inevitably feel a little unbelievable.

It was through that conversation that he, who was in the middle and lower classes of the people in Luoyang City, also knew some unusual news.

……

"Master Tan, are you comfortable these days?"

"Mr. Zhang, he hasn't been out recently because of his marriage, so he asked me to come over and say hello to Master Tan instead of him, and see if there is anything we can help you here."

Thinking of the smile on Wei Xian's face at that time, even though the old carpenter didn't want to admit it, he had to say that he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief after knowing that there was a reason for the other party's disappearance.

And when he greeted Wei Xian with a smile, and at the same time, he was thinking vaguely, if Mr. Zhang Yan was about to get married, whether he would be needed to make some furniture and other lacquerware, Wei Xian's next words were It made him suddenly feel tense.

"Mr. Zhang, because of his contribution to quelling the banditry a few days ago, he has been conferred the title of Marquis of a place by the current emperor, and he will soon go to his fief, Wan Kingdom."

"As entrusted by him, I came here this time to ask Master Tan if you are willing to leave with the young master."

Chapter 3 Moving is so easy

"Tsk tsk tsk, as expected of Mr. Zhang, really amazing..."

He clicked his tongue lightly, although he didn't know where the Wan Kingdom was, but according to Wei Xian's intention, the old carpenter could still understand Zhang Yan's being granted a job title.

Leaving aside where the Anhui Kingdom is, it can be granted to a newly promoted noble marquis as a fiefdom by today's emperor. If one wants to come to this Anhui Kingdom, at least it will not be as small as a place like Fufeng go.

But now Zhang Yan has never stepped forward to build his own property in Luoyang. Naturally, the old carpenter understands that the other party also has a fief, so it is reasonable for this large-scale construction to be carried out in his future fief.

After all, although Zhang Yan has also lived in Luoyang for a long time, he has some feelings for the people of Luoyang, but the feelings belong to the feelings. For him, the people directly under him must be more important.

He didn't show any dissatisfaction with Zhang Yan's decision. To be honest, for a general who can lead troops and win battles, the old carpenter still has a trace of respect and fear in his heart. Leading troops to quell the Baibo banditry in the Central Plains, which disturbed the peace of the big men.

But having said that, no matter how much he respected the other party, he still felt a trace of jealousy and admiration from the bottom of his heart towards that "citizen of the Wan Kingdom" who did not know where he was.

This envy is that the other party will be blessed by a lord with a very powerful force in the near future, and there are some simple guarantees for a stable life in the future.

And what he envied, of course, was that those residents living in Wan Kingdom were about to enjoy the treatment and opportunities that he could not enjoy.

You must know that it is difficult for people to change. The old carpenter's life experience over the past few decades has made him very clear. Since Zhang Yan is willing to disperse his family wealth in this "temporary" place in Luoyang, he will wait until the future when he arrives in Wan Kingdom. , will definitely not stop like this, but will continue to continue his previous series of actions in Luoyang.

And since the Anhui Kingdom is the opponent's legal territory, Zhang Yan, who broke ground in his own home, will definitely be willing to give a lot more than when he was in Luoyang City before.

Deep in his heart, he couldn't help but secretly admire Zhang Yan's achievements. The fact that the other party was granted the title of lord was within the expectations of the old carpenter, and it didn't bring him much impact, so after just nodding, he It is to express to the visiting Wei Xian that he has made it clear.

But the next sentence the other party said was really beyond the old carpenter's expectation.

……

"Master Tan, Mr. Zhang also told me that he wants to take you and the craftsmen who worked under him to his fief Wan Kingdom, and take everyone to make a lot of money together. In search of a better quality of life,"

"And because your ability is strong and your craftsmanship is recognized by everyone in our circle, so Mr. Zhang will give you 450... [-] copper coins as a monthly salary, regardless of whether you have a living there or not. To do it, Young Master, he will pay you so much money for your expenses every month, and will gradually increase the amount of monthly salary in the future."

That's 450 money!

Wei Wei feels a little surprised by what the other party said, it can be said that the old carpenter has lived for most of his life, but he never thought that he would be able to get a monthly salary one day.

It seemed that seeing the other party's expression was a bit unbelievable, Wei Xian also looked extremely sincere at this time.He has visited many craftsmen according to his plan, some of these craftsmen readily agreed, and naturally some people sternly refused.

For the old carpenter of the Tan family in front of him, Wei Xian had already valued the other party's ingenious craftsmanship, so naturally before coming here today, he had already thought about convincing the other party to leave with him no matter what.