Do you know that it starts with Meng Tong?

Yuzhou City finally returned to its former lively scene, and even ushered in a wave of retaliatory consumption. Even after sunset, the shops on the street were still crowded with customers.

Therefore, more than a dozen guilds in the city, including the Junci Guild and the Medicinal Materials Guild, jointly requested the magistrate Wei Chen, hoping to open their doors as usual after dark.

Wei Chen is perfectly fine with this.

Because of the epidemic, tens of thousands of people in Yuzhou have been holding back at home for more than two months. Now it is time to let off steam. It can be regarded as a city-wide celebration for the end of the epidemic, and it can also promote business in the city.

Speaking of which, the curfew system in Dazhou is actually close to zero. Generally speaking, the night market ends at the third watch and the morning market opens at the fifth watch. There is only a two-hour curfew during this period, which is basically a seamless connection.

Wei Chen just followed the example of the Lantern Festival every year and announced that the curfew for these two hours would be completely lifted.

As soon as the news came out, the whole city of Yuzhou was filled with joy. People went out with their families, and all the major shops were ready. For a while, the city of Yuzhou felt like a festive atmosphere during the Lantern Festival.

In the evening of that day, Wei Chen finished handling government affairs and had nothing to do, so he changed into casual clothes and took Yuan An to go shopping together.

After having dinner at a nice restaurant, Wei Chen took a leisurely walk under the moonlight and arrived at the most prosperous Guandi Temple Street in Yuzhou City.

】

On the street, there was a steady flow of people.

In order to attract customers, shops on both sides of the street hung a string of lanterns high above their doors, making the streets brightly lit.

Not only shops, but also street vendors also hang all kinds of interesting lanterns on their stalls and sing tunes and chants to attract the attention of passers-by.

Wei Chen was walking in the market wearing a scholar's robe, and his calm and elegant demeanor stood out from the crowd, attracting many women on the street to look over.

Several ladies from noble families covered their faces with small round fans, but they still couldn't help but peek at Wei Chen.

Of course, there are also those who are bold. They grab Yuan An, a young boy who can be seen as a companion, and ask him about Wei Chen's identity.

Fortunately, Yuan An was very smart and had been with Wei Chen for so long, so he was quite experienced in handling these chores and didn't let Wei Chen worry too much.

After getting rid of a nagging woman again, Yuan An caught up with Wei Chen who was in front of him, and said in his mouth, "Master, you better not come out by yourself in the future. You should wear official robes when you go out, so as to protect others." Stay calm. You look like this, so many people are vying for you to be their son-in-law. Look, my newly made sleeves are torn!"

Hearing Yuan An's complaint, Wei Chen couldn't help but laugh, feeling quite helpless in his heart. Who would have thought that the weather would get hotter after summer, and people's hearts would also be upset.

It's getting hotter?

Although the atmosphere of the Zhou Dynasty was much more rigorous than that of the Tang Dynasty, it was still quite open compared to the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Wei Chen's previous life.

For example, in Dazhou, it was common for widows to remarry, especially wealthy widows, who were in high demand.

Decades ago, there was even a bloody incident in which two prime ministers and ministers fought for a widow with hundreds of thousands of assets, and the lawsuit was brought before the emperor. In the end, these two ministers were both demoted. Until now It is also talked about by people.

In addition, the ladies who have not left the court during the Great Week do not stay out of the house. On weekdays, they go out to enjoy flowers, visit relatives and friends, or organize poetry gatherings with several sisters. Wei Chen listens to it. Said a lot.

There is such a poetry club right in the city of Yuzhou, which gathers once every half month. I heard that there are not only the daughter of the judge Huang Shouzheng and the sister-in-law of Zhao Zongquan, the Shen family, but also several ladies from the local gentry and famous families. .

As soon as several poetry gatherings were held, the poems of ladies were gradually circulated. Zhao Ceying once took a volume of Shen Xiaomei's poems about lotus to the state government office for Wei Chen and Gu Tingye to taste it.

Wei Chen saved some face for Zhao Ceying. After seeing it, he just shook his head and smiled without saying anything.

Gu Tingye, however, had a generous temper, and immediately commented: "The ink is black, the paper is white, and the binding skills are top-notch. Rare, rare!"

Wei Chen and Zhao Ceying couldn't help but be stunned for a moment when they heard this, and then they figured out what Gu Tingye meant, and they both couldn't help laughing.

Wei Chen is recognized as a great poet in the Zhou Dynasty, so he can naturally see how good Shen Xiaomei's poems are. If not to say that they are unsightly, they must be mediocre.

Some poems are not even up to par with the basic level of poetry, and are not as good as those Mengtong children in Shengshi Yixue who only studied for one or two years.

However, Shen Xiaomei's poems are not very good, but she is still a girl who has not left the court, and she is Zhao Zongquan's sister-in-law. Gu Tingye is really rude when he is so sarcastic.

It is said that after Shen Xiaomei heard about this from Zhao Ceying, she was so angry that she tore up the volume of poetry and vowed never to write poetry again.

In order to stand up for his sister, Shen Congxing knew that he was no match for Gu Tingye, but he still went to the house to ask for a fight with Gu Tingye. As a result, he received a good beating from Gu Tingye in vain and returned in embarrassment.

In the end, Wei Chen and Zhao Zongquan came forward to mediate and set up a table of food and wine at Jiying Restaurant, asking Gu Tingye to sincerely apologize to the Shen brothers and sisters.

After the banquet, Gu Tingye and the Shen brothers and sisters laughed away their grudges. Wei Chen was not very clear about what happened after that.

All I know is that Gu Tingye seems to have gradually recovered from the shock of Zhu Manniang's death, regaining his former vigorous vitality, and there are many more heartfelt smiles on his face.

In his spare time, Gu Tingye took people on horseback to the bank of the Yellow River to catch carp, and then delivered them to Tuan Lian's house in baskets.

Tuan Lian Mansion also accepted this and did not refuse anyone who came, often leaving Gu Tingye to eat in the mansion.

"Gu Tingye, this guy, must be having a second spring, right?"

On the bustling Guandi Temple Street, Wei Chen had just walked out of a herbal medicine shop when he suddenly thought of Gu Tingye's recent abnormal behavior and couldn't help but rub his chin and start thinking about it.

However, before Wei Chen could think about this matter, a burst of rapid hoofbeats came from nowhere. The sound came from far away and suddenly came close.

Wei Chen raised his head in surprise and looked around, only to see four or five riders approaching on horseback. The leader was Gu Tingye, captain of the Yuzhou Security Brigade.

Wei Chen couldn't help laughing when he saw this. This really means Cao Cao, Cao Cao is here!

Chapter 231 Fire Release

"yu~~"

A tall and powerful Hexi horse ran towards Wei Chen like a gust of wind and stopped almost grazing the tip of Wei Chen's nose.

Wei Chen involuntarily leaned back and took a few steps back. After confirming that the horse had stopped, he looked angrily at Gu Tingye who was turning over to dismount: "Zhong Huai, are you trying to hit me to death?"

Gu Tingye folded the riding whip and threw it to the stone beside him. Then he snorted and said, "If you hit me to death, pull him down! Don't let you, a sinister official, treat us subordinates like cattle and horses."

Wei Chen saw that Gu Tingye had a pulled face and was obviously in a bad mood. After thinking about it for a moment, he immediately understood the reason and couldn't help but laugh.

I dare you to come to me to complain!

The origin of Gu Tingye's resentment starts with Wei Chen's order to lift the curfew.

After the curfew was lifted, the people of Yuzhou were happy because they had a place to have fun; the merchants of Yuzhou were also happy because there was business to be done; and the prefectural government of Yuzhou was even happier because taxes were recorded in their accounts.

Everyone in Yuzhou City was happy, but Gu Tingye, who was responsible for the security of Yuzhou City, was the only one who suffered.

The original intention of setting up the curfew was to prevent fire and theft, and to facilitate urban management. Now that the curfew is lifted, the lights in Yuzhou city are brightly lit every night, and people flow everywhere.

In places with a large number of people, all kinds of trivial troubles will also increase. In addition, the people of Yuzhou have just experienced an epidemic, and they are in high spirits. Fighting incidents are also emerging one after another.

Gu Tingye only has a few hundred people under his command, and they are also responsible for guarding and patrolling the important roads in Yuzhou. There are only about [-] people who can stay in Yuzhou city to maintain law and order, even if they all disperse. If you go out, it won't be enough to fill the teeth of the tens of thousands of people in the city.

During the days when the curfew was lifted, Gu Tingye and his men were running back and forth in the city, dealing with various emergencies. It could be said that he was so busy that his waist almost broke from exhaustion.

In contrast, Wei Chen only had to sit in the government office to receive a large amount of taxes, and he still had time to wander leisurely in the market. His life was not very comfortable at all.

Gu Tingye was so angry about this that he almost pointed at Wei Chen's nose and called him a dog official.

Seeing Gu Tingye cast a resentful and resentful look at him, Wei Chen actually felt helpless.

There is no other way, for the happiness of the people of Yuzhou, for the recovery of Yuzhou's economy, and for the increase of taxes in Yuzhou... I can only continue to work hard for Gu Erlang.

The worst case scenario is that Wei Chen will take the blame if you accuse me!

Of course, it would be nice to get scolded less often. Wei Chen is the magistrate after all, and he also wants to save face.

Seeing that Gu Tingye's anger level was about to explode, Wei Chen hurriedly coughed and asked seriously: "Is there another fight?"

"Four injured."

As expected, Gu Tingye's attention was diverted and he replied worriedly.

He was not surprised that Wei Chen could predict the unknown. The people of Yuzhou had been staying at home for several months because of the epidemic. No matter how honest people were, they had become a powder keg. They basically just got by and quarreled and fought. Ordinary things.

Moreover, with the restoration of the Jun porcelain trade, merchants from all over the Zhou Dynasty poured into Yuzhou City. Due to differences in customs, habits, languages, etc., these outsiders often clashed with the locals, and there were more than one bloody incident. .

Wei Chen and Gu Tingye also caught a few examples, but to no avail. This is the side effect of Yuzhou becoming a major commercial and trade town, and it collides with the sequelae of the end of the epidemic. It will be difficult to completely solve it for a while.

Therefore, when Wei Chen heard Gu Tingye say that four more people had been injured, he shook his head helplessly and ordered: "Arrest all those who did it and let them stay in the state prison for two days to calm down. In addition to paying the full amount of medical fees and In addition to the medicine fee, another fine must be paid to the state government.”

Gu Tingye rolled his eyes and said: "The state prison has long been full, and there are only a few cells in Mi County and Xinzheng. I have no place to house these people. If it doesn't work, let them live in your house, Lord Zhizhou." Go!"

"Is that so..."

Wei Chen smiled awkwardly, maybe he was thick-skinned, and then he thought seriously: "In the final analysis, the anger in Yuzhou City is too strong at the moment, and we have to find a way to let these people vent their anger."

"Exhaust fire?"

Gu Tingye was slightly stunned when he heard this, and many exciting scenes that were not suitable for children suddenly appeared in his mind.

"What are you thinking about? I'm talking about serious venting!" Wei Chen saw Gu Tingye's eyes gradually moving towards his lower body, and quickly coughed, pulling him back from his random thoughts.

Wei Chen said seriously: "I am planning to hold a Cuju competition in Yuzhou so that the anger that has nowhere to go can be eliminated during the competition, thereby reducing unnecessary disputes."

"Cuju?"

Gu Tingye scratched his head and said doubtfully: "Xingyun, Yuzhou is not Bianjing. There are not that many people with good foot skills here. Fengliu glanced at the field, and there were not many who could score a kick out of ten. indivual."

Wei Chen immediately said: "What kind of romantic eyes are there? Just put goals on both sides!"

The Cuju that Gu Tingye was talking about was the type of Cuju that he, Wei Chen and the Sheng brothers played when they were in Yangzhou.

Set up a three-foot-high pole in the center of the court, with a wooden board erected on it. The hole in the center of the wooden board is the goal, which is the so-called romantic eye.

To understand it simply, this sport is probably similar to kicking a football into the basketball hoop used by Wei Chen in his previous life.

Such competitions are mostly performances, with almost no confrontation, and viewers are unlikely to experience an adrenaline rush.

In the past, Wei Chen and the others were still young and their muscles and bones were not yet strong, so they could just play kickball as an entertainment game. Now Wei Chen is planning to let all the brave and fierce people in Yuzhou City participate, and of course it will be a more intense version.

In the Han Dynasty, Cuju was a serious military training technique. Even in the Tang Dynasty, Cuju was a popular and intense sport among the military. It was not as soft and boring as it is now.

Wei Chen plans to transform the rules of Cuju into a more confrontational modern football. Wei Chen has the blueprint of the specific rules in his mind and can sort them out effortlessly.

The rules must be simple and direct. Even illiterate people can quickly adapt to the rules after being explained by others. Only in this way can the sport be popularized and Wei Chen's purpose of letting Yuzhou "vent his anger" can be achieved.

Of course, when Wei Chen introduced this version of Cuju, he could not tell others that it was something in his past life memory, but he would cover it up by following ancient methods.

Restoration is an eternal topic in Confucianism, and there will never be any talk about restoring the "rule of three generations".

Wei Chen naturally dismissed this.

If you really want to be retro, you should go back to the trees and be primitive people who drink blood from their hair. That is the true retro style.

But this is the political correctness of the times. When Wei Chen wants to launch new things, he must use this to whitewash it.

Including proposing the strategy of confining water to attack sand, if he wants to convince the world, Wei Chen must find theoretical basis to cling to from the pile of old papers.

Fortunately, Wei Chen had no books to read, and he had already found this sentence from "Han Shu? River Canal Records": When the water nature is low, and it moves quickly, it will be scraped off by itself, leaving it empty and slightly deeper.

The truth behind this sentence coincides with the principle of using water to attack sand.

It's the same thing now that Wei Chen wants to change the rules of Cuju.

Not talking about innovation, just talking about retro.