Luoyi, the capital of the Zhou Dynasty
The fourteenth year of King Zhou Xiang (638 BC)

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holy dream

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In early spring, the setting sun slanted on the face of Zhou Xiangwang Ji Zheng, illuminating his wrinkles and white hair. The chill in the royal garden was very deep, and the remaining lotus and fallen leaves in the pond had not yet shown their vitality. The palace slaves added charcoal stoves around them to build a small warm wall for the king. Ji Zheng put his arms around the young queen Shu Kui, tasted the goji sauce wine tribute from the Shu land, and said some boring love words. Suddenly, at his feet, he saw a dead blue-gray bird with its belly turned to the sky and its tiny claws curled up on its chest, like some kind of eerie omen.

At this time, a gust of evil wind blew over the cup on the wine table, and the crimson wine flowed all over the floor. The sky quickly dimmed. A bright moon rose above the pond in the middle of the garden. Ji Zheng saw a large silk-brocade mat rimmed on the surface of the water. piece.
 

The giant Yan Mo, who is in charge of death, is wearing a purple robe, with long nails on his paws, wide cuffs, and holding a skeleton scepter. He appears on one side of the chess table, while on the other side stands a young man in white, He holds a sugarcane bow in his hand, and in the quiver on his back is a short arrow made of roses, which is the spring god Jumang that is in charge of life. They sat down separately and played chess as if no one else was there.
 

A certain book called "The Edict of Carmomy" recorded the most famous life-and-death gamble in the God Realm in the most concise words. It claims that the bet is divided into three games, the first game is betting on the life of the king, the second game is betting on the life of Peng Zu, and the third game is betting on the life of all living beings.
 

But Ji Zheng didn't know about it. All he knew was that around the mat, everything stopped, the pool water, the leaves, the birds, and the wind were all frozen in time, and Ji Zheng's own limbs also lost power. His eyes were focused on the chess game, and he couldn't even hear the beating of his pulse. He felt himself dead.
 

After an unknown amount of time, Yama pushed the pawn away, like unlocking the lock of time. At this time, Gou Mang pierced his claw with a tiny flower thorn. He didn't realize that a small drop of blood appeared in the center of his paw. He got up and walked in front of Ji Zheng, and whispered in a hoarse voice: "In the chess game just now, Chunshen Jumang lost your life. You will die in ten years, and your throne will be taken away by others , your queen will become someone else's woman, and death will be the only fate of your family." After finishing speaking, she disappeared in a gust of wind, and the Jumang, mat and chess case also disappeared without a trace.
 

Ji Zheng suddenly woke up from the frozen state, not knowing whether this was a dream or a real scene. Yama is the legendary god of the underworld, and his appearance means death. Is this a premonition of death? The king was pale with fright and dripping with sweat. The queen coquettishly said in a half-drunk state, "My lord, what's the matter with you?" Ji Zheng didn't bother to answer, and hurriedly pulled the bell, calling for his personal guard Chang Zhongbiao, and ordered him to quickly summon the imperial divinator.
 

Youhuang, the gray-haired hexagram master, rushed into the palace. The maid waited for him to bathe and cleanse himself, put on the black dress specially used for court priests, knelt in front of the lacquer table, and performed calculations with the freshly picked yarrow, with a respectful and dignified expression. He took one hexagram as "Zhen", and the fourth line turned into a thunderstorm, which is an auspicious omen that there is no danger. You Huang explained that the God of Hades would change his mind halfway and would not hold the king accountable. But "shock" is a tree, and it is an image of Jumang. If you want to get rid of the crisis, you must turn to the God of Spring for help.
 

Another tortoise divination master of the Yin tribe who came from Zhouyuan repeatedly burned a piece of tortoise shell with fire, and carefully examined the cracks in the sunlight. He reported with a sad face that there were three cracks on the tortoise plate, and the middle line represented the emperor. , the left and right lines respectively represent the God of Spring and the God of Underworld. Among them, the pattern of the underworld god invades the emperor pattern, thick and powerful, like lightning, while the emperor pattern evades to the right and merges into the pattern of the spring god. The two patterns merge into one pattern, which is a sign of being protected by the spring god.
 

The fortune-teller stood back and whispered to the king that as long as he followed the direction of the crack, that is, looked east, he could find the "undead medicine" he needed. The tortoise divination master further explained that as long as he has the "undead medicine", the god of the underworld will give up his life; but if he wants to obtain the undead medicine, he must send someone to find the "undead person", because only he has this kind of god. medicine.
 

After hearing this, Ji Zheng felt that Longyan was overjoyed, and immediately decided to hold a large-scale Spring God Ceremony to pray for the grace of Jumang. At the same time, he ordered the warriors in the palace to be recruited to explore. Anyone who can bring back the "undead medicine" will be rewarded with land. and titles. Fortunately, he still has ten years to live, so he has enough time to reform his destiny.
 

Ji Zheng's call-up order quickly spread throughout the court, but no one responded because everyone thought it was nonsense. The matter has been put on hold. The queen said disapprovingly, "Your Majesty, you shouldn't believe in the hexagram master's nonsense. There is no medicine for immortality in the world. My brother said that people are always going to die. Either it is heavier than Mount Tai, or lighter than the red cat."
 

"You are too young to understand the value of life. With it, the widow can defeat you in bed, and defeat those greedy relatives." The king said arrogantly. Uncle Kai, dressed in military uniform, twitched his lips covered in lipstick, turned his head and walked out of the room, and went hunting on horseback with his younger uncle Ji.

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spring festival

 

The king's capital was called Luoyi. In the time of King Zhou Xiang, it was the largest city in the East, comparable to Nineveh in Assyria, Heliopolis in Egypt, and Susa in Elam. Ji Zheng is not a talented king. After taking over the power from his father, he found that this is a kingdom full of holes. Its territory has been carved up by those powerful relatives and has become fragmented, while the central government is shrinking day by day. He has been in power for a long time, and he has always dealt with the princes carefully, and the rest of the time can only be spent on matters such as drinking and having fun.

At that time, Zhou Gongdan issued an edict prohibiting alcohol in view of the fact that the Yin merchants died of alcohol, and Zhou people were not allowed to drink alcohol except for sacrifices. This prohibition governed Zhou people for four hundred years. But in the late empire, the old system was abolished, and the wind of drinking came back, becoming the main entertainment of the royal family. Ji Zheng personally advocated and mobilized the people of the whole country to get drunk in the wine together. The winemaking industry developed rapidly in this way, and the wolfberry sauce wine produced in Sichuan, made of crutches as raw material, became the most favorite drink of the royal family because of its attractive and indulgent fruity aroma.
 

In order to resist the threat of the underworld god Yama, Ji Zheng issued an imperial decree to turn "long live" into a carnival of words. As long as the bell and drum to announce the time in the palace ring, the people in the palace will shout "Long live", the officials in front of the hall will follow suit, the attendants in the hall will follow suit, and the guards outside the gate will also shout. It is even more necessary to shout at the same time, so that the whole Luoyi will resound with the cry of "long live". Ji Zheng got the satisfaction of "immortality" in this huge sound. Even he himself did not expect that after more than two thousand years of training, this word has been used very skillfully by his people.
 

That day, when the sun was shining on the streets of Luoyi, Bo Xia, the doctor of the Song Dynasty, was walking full of thoughts, when he heard the sound of long live, he had to stop walking with the passers-by, and shouted "Long live", feeling a little ridiculous in his heart. This king, because of his fear of the god of the underworld and his greed for longevity, actually invented this kind of word game. The empire, which is in danger, is full of joyful dramas everywhere. Passing by a tailor shop, the passionate female seamstress shouted at him, "Long live the doctor!" Several young women on the road turned their heads and smiled at him.
 

Bo Xia placed his right hand on his left chest, bowed to pay respects, but did not stop. He is the Priest of the God of Spring in the Song Dynasty, and he is just a passer-by in Luoyi. Last year, he single-handedly saved the Song Xianggong Zifu from the encirclement of the Chu army's chariots, and sent him back to the Songyi Palace to recuperate. This feat was so widely celebrated that no one knew about it. Ji Zheng happened to be short of talented people around him. Hearing the news, he sent someone to comfort Zifu, and asked him for Bo Xia by the way. Bo Xia had no choice but to follow the envoy to the capital and become Ji Zheng's personal staff.
 

One of the big things he has to do now is the upcoming Jumang Worship Ceremony. Uncle Chunguan was seriously ill, and Ji Zheng ordered him to act on his behalf. He needs to prepare three animal sacrifices, arrange spring plowing performances, and places for the king and ministers to salute and sit. Fortunately, he used to be the officiant of the Song Dynasty, so he is no stranger to this complicated ceremony. He took the wooden tablet with the king's decree, walked through seven yamen, found the officials in charge, assigned the tasks carefully, and arranged them in an orderly manner.
 

By noon, he had completed all the layouts and walked briskly towards Miyagi. The north wind is still steep, and the people have not let go of the sorrows of winter, but Bo Xia is changing the scenery of the seasons. Wherever he went, the willow branches danced lightly above his head, and the willow trees began to sprout, bursting out the thin green leaves, like rice grains. Bo Xia stopped, stretched out his hand to caress the willow branch on the side of the road, and felt it laughing happily. Bo Xia said "Hello" in his heart language, and the willow tree shook its branches and leaves to salute him, just like a woman shaking her long hair. Bo Xia's palm just held the tentacles of Chunshen.

 

In the days of "Lichun", Luoyi began to become bustling, and nobles from the city, princes from all over the country or their representatives came to the city one after another. They gathered in the palace, then went out of the city and meandered eastward, and arrived at the round hill eight miles away, to worship the great spring god Jumang, and pray to him for a good harvest throughout the year and the prosperity of the country and the people.
 

Although the empire has become weaker and weaker after the Haojing Rebellion, the countryside is waking up from the severe winter, and the breath of life emerges from the cracks in the land. Bo Xia can even see those weak air currents rising slowly like steam , lingering over the fields, bringing a new round of hope to all living beings in the world.
 

Ji Zheng came to Yuanqiu in a chariot with eight horses. It was the king's private drive. He led the crowd into the Jumang Temple, faced the tall statue of Jumang, took off the crown after the Dazai placed the jade table, and presented jade cong, jade bi and jade huang, three animals of cattle, sheep and pigs, as well as jade coins and wine Jue, and then quietly listened to the high priest Yan Lu recite the lengthy sacrificial oration. The sunlight coming in from the gap in the carved window illuminated the white wings spread out behind him. Ji Zheng looked up and saw that the square face of the statue of Jumang was always wearing a smile with unknown meaning.
 

After the ceremony, all the officials came to the steps in front of the temple together, sat on the pre-laid brocade cushions, and waited to watch the cattle farming performance planned by Boxia. Ji Zheng shut Yan Lu out of the door, left alone in the temple, and started a secret negotiation with God Jumang.
 

He first greeted the great god as a king, then praised the holy site of Jumang with moving words, and then began a lengthy prayer, complaining about the threat of the god of the underworld, begging for the protection of the god of life, and claiming that if he can escape To go to death, one hundred Jumang temples will be built all over the country to repay the grace of the great god.
 

This pleading took more than half an hour, but Gou Mang never showed up. Ji Zheng was very disappointed and began to cry, heartbroken for his short life. At this time, with tears in his eyes, he saw God Jumang take off the square mask, revealing the original shape of the boy in white. He stepped down from the throne, holding a sugarcane bow in his hand, frowning.

"As a king, don't you know why the underworld god wants to take your life?"

"I once dreamed that the Great God played chess with the Underworld God, and the Underworld God said that you lost."
 

"He needs a lot of dead people to fill because of the emptiness of Hades, and your death can cause chaos, war and mass death. I tried to stop him by playing chess, but it didn't work. I lost two games out of three. For this reason, I can only protect your life for ten years. You must find a way to live longer by yourself."
 

The temple became silent again, and the statue remained motionless, as if everything just now was an illusion. Ji Zheng waited for a while to see that the great god would not have any more rewards, so he had to put on the tall crown again, walked out of the temple with a sad face, and returned to the dragon mat with soft seats. The crown swayed gently on his forehead, and on it stood a housefly that had woken up early and hung with each other.
 

As soon as his buttocks sat on the dragon couch, the bells and drums rang deafeningly. Twenty-four buffaloes representing the twenty-four solar terms, and a shepherd boy in green clothes and green hats on his back, take the first step of spring plowing under the whip of the farmer.
 

The copper plow penetrated deeply into the soil, and the fertile black soil was turned over in large chunks, exposing the dry roots of the millet, and the earthworms and centipedes were squirming in panic. The Royal Orchestra played the solemn ancient music "Cloud Gate". At that time, the bells and chimes rang together, and the sound of drums spread to the distant mountains shrouded in clouds and mists. The courtiers waved their long sleeves and danced lightly. Their smiles and postures attracted the attention of the officials. Then, the court chorus in red robes sang a solemn and distant eulogy——

 

"In a good year, there are many millets and rice crops, and there are also high farms, trillions, and donkeys. They serve wine and wine, and give them to their ancestors. With a hundred rituals, they will bring blessings to Confucius."

 

Ji Dai, the younger brother who was sitting next to Ji Zheng, wore a jade crown inlaid with lapis lazuli, a lake-blue dress with golden threads, and a yellow cotton robe to prevent freezing. While watching the performance, he followed the audience around Senior officials and nobles discussed loudly, talking and laughing happily.
 

"I heard that Goumang is not only in charge of farming, but also the god of love, responsible for all sexual matters in the world. I hope that today's sacrifice can benefit the king and all the nobles." Ji Dai tapped the charcoal fire hand stove with his fingers, with ambiguous words He said with a smile, as if the Great God was his retainer. All the officials let out an echoing laugh.
 

Ji Zheng didn't seem to care about his younger brother's arrogance. He called Bo Xia to his side and said, "You did a good job in this year's ceremony. I want to reward you with a pair of rhino horn luminous cups."
 

Bo Xia said: "Thanks to the grace of the Holy One, I am truly ashamed of receiving it. The only thing I want to ask is the case of the elixir. I am willing to serve the king and make a special trip to the east to find out its whereabouts as soon as possible. "
 

Ji Zhengxi was overjoyed, and a smile appeared on his sad face: "If you complete this mission for the widow, the widow will give you a large fief and give you the title of viscount."
 

Ji Dai looked at Bo Xia with a half-smile and said, "Hehe, the journey here is difficult and dangerous, the doctor should be careful, be careful that if you go and never return, you will not be able to recover the king's order."
 

Bo Xia looked at Ji Dai in surprise, all kinds of doubts and conjectures welling up in his heart. As Ji Zheng's half-brother, the conflict between them has long been known to everyone. In order to seize the throne, Ji Dai once bribed the Xirong army to attack Luoyang, but failed, and the rebellion plot was exposed, so he had to flee to Qi State in embarrassment, and took refuge in the power of Duke Qi, temporarily avoiding the limelight under his wings.
 

Four years ago, under the pressure of his stepmother Huihou, Ji Zheng was forced to pardon Ji Dai and allow him to return to Beijing to live. Ji Dai wept bitterly and apologized to her father and brother, saying that she would never reverse the case. Ji Zheng softened his heart for a moment and allowed him to walk around in the court at will, making him once again the second most powerful person after the king. Now, his hostility spanned several feet, piercing his skin like a sharp needle, making Bo Xia shudder.
 

He couldn't find out what it was all about. He knew that he didn't make this decision to please Ji Zheng, nor did he intend to challenge Ji Dai, he just wanted to use this to save the Grand Duke Zifu of the Song Dynasty. This outstanding political leader was wounded on the battlefield and was dying. It was said that only the elixir of life could save him. The Zhou Kingdom is in decline, and Zifu is the only hope to save the kingdom. But he carefully concealed this secret intention.

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Dong Xun

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In the early morning of Bingzi Day in mid-spring, Bo Xia led a mission of 20 people, carrying generous gifts from the king, set off from Luoyi, facing the rising sun, and headed towards Song State. The entire convoy consisted of six carriages, the first of which was Bo Xia's own sedan chair, pulled by three horses, which was the standard equipment for imperial doctors. There are four attendants on the second car, and the third car is used to load royal gifts-a pair of bronze statues of mythical beasts, a set of eight bronze tripods from large to small, twelve sets of colored lacquer tableware from Chu State, thirty-six horses Shu brocade, the fourth to sixth are escort chariots, each with three warriors, namely the driver, the archer and the spearman.
 

When Bo Xia left the city, the fiery red morning glow reflected the palace and city walls, and all the trees stood upright in the wind, shaking their branches to greet him. Peonies are in full bloom on street corners and beside wells. The earth dog looking for food in the garbage dump bowed its head humbly. The people who got up early were watching quietly on the street. They looked blankly, watching the cavalry with the king's flag fluttering, strolling through the east gate, and the rising sun was shining on their bodies.

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harem

 

Bo Xia didn't notice it at all, just two miles behind him, another horse team followed them like a ghost, like a mysterious shadow clinging to the entity. It was the troops sent by Ji Dai, led by Queen Shu Kai's elder brother Zhai You, and Ji Dai herself was walking quickly into Shu Kai's inner room at this moment. The maids closed the door behind him. He undressed and climbed into the young queen's low painted bed.
 

This is Ji Dai's thirteenth tryst. At that time, Ji Zheng summoned the army of Di State to attack Zheng State and took Zheng State’s Licheng for him. In order to repay the support of Di State and make this support last for a long time, Ji Zheng married Di Shukai, the daughter of Bo Di who was only eighteen years old. The queen, just because of the old husband and young wife, has very different ages and tastes. Zhai Shukai was born in a nomadic tribe in the north, and he loved riding and shooting field hunting, while Ji Zheng was old and not familiar with equestrian skills, so he had to ask Ji Dai to accompany him. The young and handsome Ji Dai seizes this opportunity to have an affair with Kai Shi, and the two quickly fall in love.
 

A few years later, when Ji Dai was arrested by the Jin army, he would still recall the wonderful moment of falling in love with Shu Kai at first sight. That day, she was wearing a black dustproof gauze, a narrow-sleeved blouse, and a golden chain mail on the outside. A green jade ribbon was tied around her waist. She also had a quiver studded with gemstones. carved bow. The civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty were astonished. King Ji Zheng looked at his wife in military uniform with a smile, showing a happy expression. Ji Dai also stared at her intently, stretched out two salty hands from her eyes, and stroked her body back and forth.
 

Shu Kai suggested: "Riding a horse is worse than driving a cart. All the maids I marry like to ride a horse."
 

Ji Zheng then shouted: "Wait." He turned to all the officials and said, "Who is better at riding a horse and can protect my queen?"
 

Ji Dai said: "My equestrian skills are not bad, let me do it." Shu Kai looked at this heroic uncle, and his heart beat with admiration.
 

The servants surrounded Shu Kai and ran in front. Ji Dai was riding a BMW and also quickly chased after them. The two spurred their horses, and started a race, leaving everyone else far behind. As soon as he turned a mountainside, Shu Kai reined in the reins, looked back and smiled: "I have admired the prince's appearance and talent for a long time, and it is my honor to meet you today."
 

Ji Dai stared at Shu Kai intently: "This king is just a countryman, and his appearance and talent are not one-ten-thousandth of the Queen's."
 

Shu Kai's expression was flustered: "Will you enter the palace tomorrow morning to greet the Queen Mother? I, I, I have something to tell you in detail."
 

As soon as she finished speaking, the maids rushed over on horseback. They were very worried that the queen's riding skills were limited, and what would happen. Shu Kai immediately stopped talking and looked at each other affectionately. They both knew each other, turned their horses' heads, and galloped in completely different directions. With the whining of horn horns, the royal hunt officially kicked off.
 

On the second day, Ji brought in greetings to the king, thanked the prey rewarded yesterday, and then moved to the queen mother's palace to visit her mother. After exchanging greetings with Huihou for a while, he excused himself to say goodbye. At this moment, Zhai Shukai was already waiting anxiously in the corridor. She bribed the maids around her with money, and they hid out of sight knowingly. Ji Dai hugged Shu Kai and passionately kissed him.
 

Shu Kai hurriedly stroked Ji Dai's chest, and leaned into his ear and said, "Master, wait, let's go to the room over there."
 

So they stepped on the soft lambskin, crossed the promenade with various symbols painted on both sides, turned seven or eight corners, entered a dimly lit small room, and bolted the door from the inside. Shu Kai soon let out a scream, mixed with Ji Dai's dull hum, the crackling of bodies colliding, and the noise of a woman's hands slapping the wooden bed. The ladies of the court eavesdropped in fear not far away. In the depths of the imperial palace, the sound was like a breeze, passing over the ears of eavesdroppers, golden nanmu columns and carved doors, and hiding insidiously in the cracks in the blue brick floor.

 

Ji Zheng is currently inspecting the country of Chen. Shu Kai lied that he had menstruation and did not go with the king. A beautiful and lazy woman eagerly awaits her lover in her bedroom. Her black bun is loose, and her snow-like skin is like white jade, exuding the unique sexy brilliance of Turkic and Mongolian women. Ji Dai put her nose on her chest, greedily inhaling her body odor, which was the ecstasy of skin and perfume, while the queen enjoyed the touch of this strong man. His black body hair and tattoos on his arms made her fascinated. Short of breath, they quickly reached the expected climax.
 

After the matter was over, Ji Dai kissed the queen's neck lightly and said, "Your brother should have left by now, right?"
 

Shu Kai giggled and said, "Brother is already on his way this morning. He is a good hunting dog and will keep an eye on Bo Xia."
 

"This throne should belong to me, but Ji Zheng took it away and forced me to go into exile in Qi State. I would rather die than die." Ji Dai said with full of resentment, "If it wasn't for the step forward of my mother, I would still be living under the fence."
 

"This incompetent old thing actually wants to use the 'undead medicine' to live forever, he really can figure it out."
 

Ji Dai had a worried look on his face: "That Boxia is not someone to wait for. I have heard many rumors about him. I am afraid it will be difficult to stop what he is going to do."
 

Shu Kai comforted and said: "Don't worry, my brother has practiced soul washing in Xirong for ten years, and he can't find an opponent all over the world. He will definitely come back with Bo Xia's head. But Ji Zheng has many eyes and ears in the palace. Sooner or later he will know about us. Oh, I don't know when I will be your queen." She sighed deeply.
 

Ji Dai looked at the vermilion roof beams and the curly grass patterns drawn by golden threads, with a frenzied expression on his face: "Things will change soon. Brothers always take turns to sit on the king's throne. I have already told you brother It was agreed that the day when he returns to Beijing with Bo Xia's head in hand is the day when I will start."
 

He rolled over and started kissing the ambitious woman next to him. He knew that this was a political and emotional double gamble, and this woman was not only his bed prey, but also a political dice for him to bet against Ji Zheng. She is a rare treasure in his hands.

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