The next morning, the sky had cleared, and the sun was shining through the thin clouds, as if gilding the surrounding scenery with a layer of gold leaf. Zhou Chang and the others followed Xin Jia to the city of Xincheng, and as soon as they got out of the city gate, they heard Zhou Fa shouting excitedly: "What a big ship!" Zhou Kao looked at the ferry port under the city, and saw a large ship parked at the port, with a huge white sail hanging on the mast as high as four feet, and more than a dozen long oars stretching out to the water under the side of the ship on both sides. The boat was two or three times larger than the other boats at the ferry, let alone compared to the boats that could only carry people on Weishui.

Even Zhou Chang was quite surprised and asked, "Isn't this the sea ship of the Dongyi people?" This ship is not uncommon in Chaoge, but I didn't expect to see it in Xincheng. ”

Xin Jia's tone could not hide the smugness: "This kind of ship is called a flying boat in Dongyi, and the people of Dongyi can ride the wind and waves on the sea, relying on such a big ship." Last year, I met a Dongyi Jia man in Chaoge, who lost his money because of his business and was about to sell his ship to pay off his debts. I saw that the ship was in good condition, and that it was only worth a hundred punbei, so I bought it. ”

Zhou Chang was secretly speechless when he heard this, last year he bought a sacrificial copper tripod in Chaoge, and only used twenty pengbei, Zhou Chang himself would not use those precious seashells to exchange for such a useless ship anyway.

While the two were talking, Zhou Fa had already dragged Zhou Kao straight to the port and boarded the flying boat. Zhou Fa jumped from the bow to the stern, and even looked at the paddle room below the deck, only to feel that everything was fresh. Zhou Kao also felt that it was an eye-opener, such a behemoth can be called a water fortress.

At this time, Xin Jia, Zhou Chang and others also arrived on the boat one after another, and Zhou Fa saw Xin Jia, and immediately pounced on him and asked, "Uncle, can such a big ship really be moved?" ”

Xin Jia said with a smile: "This flying boat, as the name suggests, is like a bird soaring in the sky when driving." If you are at sea and are blown by a strong sea breeze, it is really like a lightning speed. It's a pity that on this big river, the wind is not so strong, and it mainly relies on manpower to pull the oars to move forward, which is a bit overkill. ”

When Zhou Kao heard this, he couldn't help but be a little fascinated, so he asked Xin Jia: "Uncle, have you ever been to the beach and seen the sea?" What does the sea really look like? ”

Xin Jia shook his head and said, "There are four seas in the world, namely the East Sea, the South China Sea, the West Sea and the North Sea. Except for the Dongyi people who live on the coast of the East China Sea, the other three seas are far away in the sky, and no one has ever seen them with their own eyes. Even the East China Sea is still thousands of miles away from Chaoge, how can it be so easy to go? The Dongyi people who listened to the song said that there was a fairy island in the East China Sea, and the island was the residence of the gods. There were also many people in the Dongyi Zhufang Kingdom who wanted to go to the fairy island to meet the immortals, but they drove the boat to the east for more than ten days, but they didn't see any land, so they had to turn back. There are also those who are not afraid of death, and vow that they will never look back if they don't see the immortals, but they will never return. Therefore, the Dongyi people have passed down the legend that the land where we are located is surrounded by the sea, and the other side of the sea is the end of the world. ”

Zhou Kao thought to himself: The sea is really magical, if you can see it with your own eyes, then you will have no regrets in this life. It's just that if my uncle has never been to the beach, I don't know when this wish will be realized?

At this time, I only heard Zhou Fa interject again: "Uncle, then this flying boat is the biggest ship in the world, right?" ”

Xin Jia smiled dumbly and replied: "Of course not, not only the Dongyi people also have bigger sea ships, but the king of Shang is also riding in a much larger boat than the flying boat." However, Wang Zhou is just blindly seeking stability, so the speed is far inferior to that of the flying boat. ”

Zhou Fa wanted to see how fast this flying boat could go, so he urged Xin Jia to set off. However, there were more than 20 carriages brought by the Xin and Zhou families, dozens of horses, nearly 100 attendants, and more than a dozen boats. Xin Jia waited until everyone got on the boat, and then gave the order to analyze the boat. The sailors on the ship were given the order and pulled up the stone pier at the bow of the ship and untied the cable.

Zhou Kao saw that the large sail on the mast, which was originally only half open, had risen to the top of the mast, and was blown up by the northwest wind. The sound of "hey~yo, hey~yo" came from the paddle room below deck, and the long oars under the side of the boat on both sides rotated in unison. With a single pull, the hull of the ship leaped several feet above the water, leaving the other boats that followed far behind in a matter of moments.

At this time, almost everyone on the ship was full of praise for Feiji, believing that the shipbuilding technology of the Dongyi people was indeed unparalleled in the world. may be the only one who is dissatisfied with Zhou Fa, but what he thinks is: How can this be called flying? It's not as fast as I can ride a horse.

At this time, Taiji, Mrs. Jiang, and Wan Xi were all sitting in the cabin chatting. When the boat reached the center of the river, it shook even more. Mrs. Jiang said that she was a little dizzy, so she just closed her eyes and recuperated. Taiji asked with concern, "Sister-in-law, you don't matter, right?" ”

Mrs. Jiang shook her head and said, "I don't like to take a boat the most, this big ship is fine, if I take those small boats, my heart will be turned upside down." I just took a break and got off the boat. ”

Tai Ji then turned to Wan Ji and said, "Wan'er, you have worked hard for the past two days. Kao'er is okay, but Fa'er is uneasy. You're going to watch them a little more for me. ”

Wan Xi said: "My aunt is serious. Wan'er has no brothers and sisters, and she is always alone in Xincheng on weekdays, and she is bored and panicked. In the past two days, I have my cousin and cousin as my companion, and it is too late to be happy, where will I feel hard. ”

Tai Ji smiled bitterly and said, "Don't you know, this child, as long as your eyes take off his body for a moment, he doesn't know what trouble he can cause." Of all my children, he was the most reassuring. ”

Wan Ji said: "Fa'er is a child's heart, and it will be good to wait a few years older." Wan'er thinks that her cousin is smart and quick-witted, but she is her cousin......"

Taiji's heart moved, and she hurriedly asked, "What's wrong with Kao'er?" Did he bully you? ”

Wan Ji waved her hand again and again: "That's not it, my cousin is a humble gentleman, and he is always polite to Wan'er." Wan'er is saying that his cousin is wooden and too straightforward, and he will inevitably suffer losses and be deceived when he interacts with people in the future. ”

Tai Ji sighed and said, "Kao'er's temperament is the same as your uncle's, he is straightforward, and I will teach him slowly in the future." But people can change, and your uncle didn't know anything when he was young, he was only interested in hunting and fighting, and often didn't come home for days and nights. So we got married for more than four years before we got pregnant......" Speaking of this, she suddenly remembered that Wan Xi was only thirteen years old, and suddenly felt a little embarrassed, and said, "Oh, how can I tell you this, it's really old and confused." ”

Wan Xi's face was slightly red, and she was also a little shy, she whispered to Tai Ji: "My mother has already told me about this childbirth and child-rearing when I had my first menstrual period. ”

Taiji felt a little at ease at this time, and she secretly thought: It's better to have a daughter, and if the boudoir is private like this, there are no scruples. It's just that he gave birth to boys, I really don't know how to say this kind of thing, if Zhou Chang wants to talk about it, Zhou Chang will probably say it, and when the time comes, he will naturally know. So even if Taiji is in a hurry, she is at a loss.

When she was hesitating in her heart, she heard Xin Jia say: "It's time to get off the ferry at Pusaka, let's get ready to get off the boat." "When I looked up, I had reached the east bank of the great river, and in the north was a large flat land, overgrown with all kinds of plants and trees, and it became a forest; In the south, there is an east-west mountain ridge that rises into the sky, like an endless screen.

Zhou Chang, Xin Jia and others got off the boat and waited on the shore for the boat behind to arrive. Zhou Kao had nothing to do, so he asked, "Uncle, the shape of the mountain range in the south is peculiar, is there any name?" ”

Xin Jia said: "Oh, this mountain is called Shouyang Mountain. Follow this mountain until the end, and you will reach Taihang Mountain. Twenty years ago, your father fought from this Shouyang Mountain, climbed over the mountains and mountains, and reached Yiguan. At that time, whether it was in the Yu country in the north of the mountain or the Rui country in the south of the mountain, they did not notice it at all. Therefore, when the soldiers of the Zhou Fang appeared in front of the camp of Yiguan, it was like a divine soldier descending from the sky, and the Shang army was not prepared at all. After several years, Marquis Yu and Marquis Rui were still asking me, how did Zhou Chang get under our noses back then? Hahaha, every time I think about it, I can't help but clap my hands! ”

After hearing this, Zhou Kao had a very surprised expression: "Father has fought with the merchant army? And what about later? Did you win? ”

Xin Jia was also a little stunned when he saw that Zhou Kao didn't know anything, and said, "Lord Zhou Chang, have you never told them about these past events?" ”

Zhou Chang faced south, looked up at the ridges, and said: "Twenty years ago, the twists and turns are too complicated, I am afraid that the children will not be able to fully understand, but I want to tell them when they are a little older." ”

Xin Jia nodded, and then stopped mentioning the matter. Zhou Kao looked up at the top of the Shouyang Peak, secretly frightened, he thought: With such a high peak, I'm afraid only birds can reach the peak, right? My father actually led people to climb up, and he went all the way to the border of the merchants, and I will definitely try to see if I can do what my father did when I have the opportunity in the future.

At this time, the small boats carrying the chariots and horses had arrived one after another, and the guards unloaded the chariots and horses to the river bank in an orderly manner under the command of Xin Jia. At this time, Zhou Chang and Zhou Kao were still riding horses, following Xin Jia; Mrs. Jiang and Wan Xi sat in the carriage that was used in the Xinhou Mansion, and in addition to the cover, there were soft seats in the carriage; Taiji and Zhou Fa still sat in the previous carriage and followed behind. The group marched eastward with ease.

Seeing that it was almost noon, Xin Jia said to Zhou Chang: "Puban City is not far ahead, it is better to rest in the city for a while before leaving." Zhou Chang nodded and said, "Only." ”

Zhou Kao asked: "Uncle, what is Pusaka City?" ”

Xin Jia replied, "Hehe, Kasaka is a great place. It used to be the capital of Emperor Shun, and at that time, all the princes of the world had to come to Puban to see Emperor Shun,"

Zhou Kao listened to his heart: The princes of the world gather in Pusaka, how spectacular the scene is, this Pusaka City must be a very lively and prosperous city.

It didn't take long for Xin Jia to say, "Look, isn't this the city wall of Pusaka?" ”

Zhou Kao only saw a small inconspicuous dirt slope on the side of the road, which was full of weeds and vines, and many places were damaged. Zhou Kao thought he was wrong and asked, "Where is the city wall?" ”

Xin Jia said, "The place we are passing through now is the gate of Pusaka. ”

Zhou Kao is even more confused, where is the shadow of the city gate near here? I saw that there were many ruins and broken walls in the grass on both sides of the road, which seemed to be the ruins of people's houses. After walking forward for a while, Xin Jia said to himself: "Ah, yes, this is it." ”

Zhou Kao found an empty field, in the center of the field there is a high platform made of stones, on which there are many broken stone pillars, scattered around the high platform. Zhou Kao was just about to ask a question, but Xin Jia had already said: "This is the place where Emperor Shun convened the princes to hold a meeting. It's a bit of an empty place, and we're here to rest our horses. ”

The guards all found a place to rest, Wan Xi also accompanied Mrs. Jiang to get out of the car and walk, Zhou Fa is car just stopped and couldn't wait to jump down, as soon as he saw the high platform, he climbed straight up. Zhou Kao was behind, and he also followed him to the stone platform.

Zhou Fa ran back and forth on the stage, having a lot of fun. When he ran to the center, he suddenly tripped over something and sat down on the stage. I only heard him shout loudly: "Big brother, come and see what this is?" ”

Zhou Kao hurriedly walked over, "Did you fall and hurt yourself?" ”

Zhou Fa shook his head nonchalantly, pointed to the ground with his hand, and said, "Look." ”

Zhou Kao saw that the stone platform was covered with residual snow and wet mud, and a small piece of what seemed to be a relief was exposed underneath. He pulled a few times with his foot, and a huge monster appeared on the ground, like a tiger but not a tiger, like a leopard but not a leopard. Zhou Kao muttered to himself, "What kind of monster is this? ”

"This is a."

Zhou Kao and Zhou Fa raised their heads and found that the bears had also come to the high platform at some point. The two of them hurriedly saluted him and said in unison, "Master Huo." ”

The bears returned the salute and said, "The mane bear is a legendary benevolent beast that does not eat living things, but only eats things that have died. Because Emperor Shun wanted to promulgate benevolent government, he engraved it on this hall. ”

Zhou Kao pondered for a while, and then asked: "Since Emperor Shun is exercising benevolent government, why is his capital ruined like this?" ”

"Hundreds of years ago, uh, maybe a thousand years ago, a long time ago anyway...... The river was so flooded that it was diverted from here and the whole area was submerged. Even when the water recedes, it becomes a swamp and there is no way to farm. The people of Pusaka Castle moved to Yucheng in the east, so the city gradually fell into ruin. ”

Zhou Fa nodded solemnly and said, "I see." Zhou Kao was not satisfied with this answer, and then asked: "But if even Emperor Shun, who is benevolent, has to send such a disaster down from heaven, then what is the point of practicing benevolent government?" ”

"This ...... Well...... "Mane Bear was a little caught off guard by this question, tilted his head and thought for a while, and said, "Well, in fact, Emperor Shun has also done a lot of bad things. ”

He looked at Zhou Kao and Zhou Fa, and the two of them were also looking at him with eager anticipation. Mane Bear coughed, and then said: "Emperor Shun had a subordinate at that time, called Qi, because he made great contributions, Shun sealed him in the place of Shang and made him a prince. This deed is the ancestor of the current Shang king, whose descendants have called themselves Shang for generations. But do you know what Shun's son is called? ”

Zhou Fa shook his head, but Zhou Kao replied: "Shun's eldest son is called Shang Jun. ”

The mane bear slapped his thigh and said, "That's right! Why is Shun's son called Shang Jun? Because Shun gave the place of Shang to his son, Shang Jun took the fief as his clan. In this way, the descendants of the deed lost their fiefdoms, and finally fell into the East China Sea and entered the territory of the Dongyi people. However, Shun's retribution came too quickly, and later Xia Houqi occupied the place of Shang again, and the descendants of Emperor Shun had nowhere to go, so they returned to their hometown. ”

Zhou Kao said: "Emperor Shun is indeed violating faith by doing this. ”

Mane Xiong said: "This is nothing, it is said that Emperor Shun also imprisoned Emperor Yao back then and forced him to pass on the position of the Son of Heaven to himself." When Emperor Yao was dying, Yao's son Danzhu wanted to visit, but Emperor Shun did not let their father and son meet. ”

Zhou Kao was stunned and said, "Why is such a person called the Son of Saint Tomorrow?" ”

Mane Bear spread his hands: "It is said that Danzhu fought a battle with Emperor Shun later, and lost the battle, and Emperor Shun said that Yao gave him the imperial throne." He became the Son of Heaven, and no matter what he said, everyone could only believe it. ”

Zhou Kao was about to ask again, but he heard Zhou Chang say: "If you tell them this now, they will only be more confused when they hear it." ”

The bears looked back and saw that Zhou Chang was standing under the stone platform. Mane Bear was a little embarrassed and said, "Only, Lord Zhouhou." Then he turned and departed.

Zhou Chang said to his two sons: "What Master Huoshi said today, you can just hear it, and you don't have to take it to heart. It is difficult to distinguish between true and false black and white from what happened more than ten years ago, let alone the legend of a thousand years ago? Instead of thinking about the rights and wrongs of a thousand years ago, it is better to do what should be done now. ”

Zhou Kao and the two bowed down and responded: "Only, father." ”

At this time, Xin Jia had already ordered to make preparations for the hair, Zhou Fa hurriedly returned to the car, and Zhou Kao also followed Zhou Chang on the horse. The group left Pusaka Castle and continued eastward.