"Of course there is!" Zhen Yu looked at him strangely and said, "Since you came to our Miao family's place, why don't you know the customs of our Miao family at all?" The Miao village of Jiuxiang and Eighteen Docks all raise snakes, and our Miao family and snakes are inseparable, and their uses are different. ”

There is also Gu.

Zhen Yu added a sentence in her heart, but she didn't say it. Everyone in the world knows that there are snakes in Miao Village, but few know about Gu. Because Gu is the secret of Miao Village, women are not passed on to men, they are all passed from mother to daughter, and even the men in Miao Village are not qualified to know. Li Mu is a son of the Han family, so naturally he is not qualified.

"Oh?" Li Mu was curious: "What's the difference?" ”

"You really don't know anything." Zhen Yu shook his head and explained to Li Mu: "The snake is poisonous, you know? But snakes are also herbs, you know? ”

Li Mu nodded and said, "I know this, snake gallbladder cures, and snake wine nourishes." ”

"I really know," Zhen Yu glanced at Li Mu unexpectedly, and added: "Snake skin can also be used to make clothes, shoes, and meat can be eaten, in short, the snake is a treasure all over its body." But our Miao Village, the use of snakes is not the same. As for our white seedlings, we mainly use snakes to cure diseases, but Wu Miao is good at using snake venom. ”

"Poison?"

"Hmm." Zhen Yu continued: "Wu Miao not only often carries poisonous snakes with him, but also makes various snake venom belts on his body. You're lucky to have met me. If I meet a black seedling, I have to poison you. ”

"Didn't you say that Wu Miao was close to the Han family?"

"Just because you're close doesn't mean you're with you. It's just to emulate you, the Miao family is always the Miao family, and the Han family is always the Han family. No matter how much we fight, it's all our own business, do you understand? ”

"Oh, oh," Li Mu nodded hurriedly, and this was indeed the case.

Maybe it was because he was familiar with Li Mu, Zhen Yu's vigilance was lowered, and he said a few more words: "I'm going back to catch up this time, in addition to participating in the Miao Village Conference for my father, I also have to send the medicine refined by my father to the holy woman." The saint is going to give birth to a child, which is a big event in our Miao Village. ”

Center!

Li Mu's heart was full of joy, and he hurriedly said, "Did you saintess just return to the holy mountain not long ago?" Uh, only two or three months? Is her surname Wang and she is particularly beautiful? ”

Zhen Yu frowned, stared at Li Mu, and said, "Our holy daughter has indeed come back not long ago, and she is also very beautiful. But what her last name is, I don't know. What do you care so much about our saints? Could it be that the person you are looking for is our holy woman? ”

"That's right!" Li Mu said excitedly: "There was some misunderstanding between the two of us, and she left me without saying goodbye. I came to her this time to solve the misunderstanding and take her away. I know you don't believe me, so why don't you take me to her? As soon as you see her, you understand everything! ”

"Oh?" Zhen Yu looked at Li Mu strangely and was silent. Li Mu waited for her to reply, what was the matter if she didn't say anything, Li Mu hurriedly said: "Or if you tell me where she is, I'll find it myself!" ”

"You-" Zhen Yu stretched out his hand, touched Li Mu's head, and said, "Your head is not hot, you are not infected with the cold, why are you talking nonsense?" It's also about our holy daughter, according to you, the child in our holy woman's womb is yours? ”

"Yes, it's mine!"

"Forget it, I think you're sick." Zhen Yu untied his burden, took out a cloth bag from inside, and opened two black pills inside; "Na, eat one of this, relieve the miasma. There will be a bit of miasma in the forest sooner or later, you must have hallucinated in the miasma, it's okay, just eat it. ”

"What a thing!" Li Mu shook off Zhen Yu's hand and said, "I didn't talk nonsense with you, what I said was true." Didn't I tell you, if you don't believe me, take me to her, and I'll let her tell you personally. ”

"You can't meet the saint." Zhen Yu had already regarded Li Mu as a sick person, and said patiently: "Didn't I tell you, the holy mountain does not allow the Han family to enter." Also, I tell you, the Holy Maiden has nothing to do with you. Because the saint has a father-in-law, and her father-in-law is our master. Her child can't be yours, it's our master's! ”

"Whew!" Li Mu jumped to his feet and scolded: "I said it's mine, it's mine." The sect leader you are talking about is called Cui Yuzheng, right? It's not that Lao Tzu looks down on him, isn't his thing so good? ”

"You guy, why are you talking so vulgarly!" Zhen Yu blushed with shame, glared at Li Mu fiercely, and said, "I don't recognize what you said Cui Yuzheng." I don't know what our sect leader is called. Anyway, I'm telling you, be careful what you say. If Wu Miao heard you say this, he would definitely let a poisonous snake bite you. ”

"Humph!" Li Mugang wanted to say that he was not afraid, but then he thought about it, he didn't have systematic help now, and he was really bitten, so I was afraid that he couldn't stand it, so he still didn't say anything. After being bored for a while, Li Mu spoke: "Shower, I don't embarrass you." Well, you take me to the bazaar you mentioned, and we'll separate, and I'll figure it out myself." ”

"Well, you don't listen to me." Zhen Yu saw that he had made up his mind, so he didn't persuade him. Anyway, he will definitely not be able to enter the holy mountain, so he should hurry up and do his own errands, and when he comes back, he will take him away and send him across the river.

Having made up his mind, Zhen Yu nodded and said, "Okay, then I'll take you to the market." You can figure it out for yourself, and if you can't think of a way, you can wait for me there, and when I go back, I'll send you to the other side. ”

"Thank you, I will definitely repay you."

"And the bridge?" Zhen Yu was angry and funny: "Okay, you have a heart, right?" You're not a bad person, you just like to talk big. ”

Li Mu didn't bother to explain, anyway, no matter how he said it, it was in vain, so it was better to save some tongue. When he saw Wang Ou, everything would be revealed.

……

The sun was setting in the west, and the two of them finally arrived at the market that Zhenyu said. On the way, Li Mu also inquired clearly, the place where he is now is called "Xingwen County", of course, this is just the name of the imperial court. The Miao family themselves don't call it that, and the Miao family calls this place Wangchuanwu. The so-called Jiuxiang Eighteen Docks, Wangchuan Dock is one of them, and it is also the nearest to the Minjiang River, the outermost 'dock' of Miao Village.

Normally, there is no inn in Miao Village, but this market does. Because this bazaar is actually a bazaar of the imperial court. After the Tang Dynasty thwarted Miao Min's vain attempt to stand on his own, the imperial court took over the place. Although the bridge was demolished and the Miao people were not allowed to cross the Minjiang River, it could not really let the Miao people have no trade at all. In order to facilitate the Miao people, the imperial court came forward, at the junction of Jiuxiang and Eighteen Docks, a market was established, and between Miao villages, when there are things to trade, you can come to this market. It can also be regarded as one of the few good governance done by the Tang Dynasty for the Miao people.

However, there are policies at the top, and countermeasures at the bottom. The idea of the imperial court is one thing, and it is another thing to really be able to do a few points. In the first few years, these bazaars were indeed run according to the ideas of the imperial court. But a few years later, especially the change of Li Shimin's Xuanwumen, who had just ascended the throne, the Central Plains was still unstable, and he couldn't take care of Miaojiang's side. The big and small officials in Xuzhou, relying on the sky high and the emperor far away, are a little tasteless when they do things.

Originally, the rule of the imperial court was that the market was exempt from taxes. The role of the city order is to manage the market, and there should be no fighting, short catties and other problems, and the monthly salary will be paid by the imperial court. But in recent years, the situation has changed dramatically, and not only has it been taxed, but it has also been heavily taxed. All transactions in the bazaar are not only subject to a tax on the goods, but also a penny 'poll tax' to enter the bazaar, without which no trade is allowed.

If you are not allowed to trade, then you will not trade. Wouldn't you be able to get it if you didn't come to the market?

Not at all! The officials set up roadblocks between the Miao villages, and if they crossed the market and traded privately, they would be severely punished and whipped!

The Miao villages had no choice but to accept the heavy taxes of the market, which was miserable.

These are all things that Zhen Yu told Li Mu when the two were chatting on the road. She said this just to complain. But Li Mu sounded different.

He finally understood now why Li Shimin mentioned to him that Miao Jiang was unstable and there might be turmoil. If what Zhenyu said is true, he is Miao Min, and he also wants to rebel. But when Li Shimin heard it, he didn't seem to hear it. Zhenyu doesn't know his identity and has no reason to lie. As an emperor, Li Shimin has no reason to lie. Then there can only be one reason for the problem, that is, someone deceived the superiors and deceived the subordinates and deliberately did this!

On the one hand, they bullied the Miao people, and on the other hand, they said to the court that the Miao people were not. gave the court a feeling that Miao Min had been holding back the feeling of rebellion. Of course, the imperial court didn't want to see the Miao people rebel, so it would support the local officials even more. The officials got the support of the imperial court and intensified their efforts against the Miao people.

As for Miao Min, he will only think that the rampant and domineering of the officials is the meaning of the imperial court. The misunderstanding of the imperial court is deeper, and if such a vicious circle continues, maybe one day this string will break, and it is not impossible for turmoil to really break out.

It seems that hearing is false, and seeing is believing.

Li Mu kept this matter in his heart, and planned to see Li Shimin and talk about it when he went back. But before he can say it, he has to see it with his own eyes, otherwise Zhen Yu's words alone are not enough.

"Daddy Ada, I'm here!"

Zhen Yu took Li Mu to the door of an inn without a sign and shouted inside. Soon, a dark and thin old man came out of it, and he was so happy to see Zhen Yu that he said enthusiastically: "Little girl, why are you here alone this year?" Where's your dad? That old thing, can't you move, right? ”

"Oh, my dad is stiff, but something happened." The old man said that her father, Zhen Yu was not angry, obviously the relationship was very familiar: "Ada Daddy, you help me open two rooms, and I have a friend." ”

"Friends?" Daddy Ada found out about Li Mu's existence, and when he saw that he was dressed as a Han, his brows furrowed, he pulled Zhenyu aside and asked, "Silly girl, how are you with the Han boy, what is the relationship between the two of you, do you Daddy know?" ”

"Oops, Daddy Ada!" Zhen Yu said coquettishly: "We have nothing to do with each other, when I crossed the river, I saw him floating in the river and saved him." He didn't go out, he followed me until I sent him back. ”

"It's as simple as that?" Daddy Ada obviously didn't believe it, looked Li Mu up and down, and said to Zhen Yu: "Silly girl, look at the clothes he is wearing, they are silk, and our city orders here can't afford to wear such clothes." This is certainly not an ordinary person, you get involved with him, be careful of accidents. ”

"What can happen, at most it's just a rich man. I don't want anything from him, and he," Zhen Yu pointed to his head, and said, "There is a problem with the brain, I have to say ......" The words came to his mouth, Zhen Yu held back again, when it comes to the matter of the Holy Maiden, you still can't talk nonsense. And the Ada father in front of him is a black seedling, and he is very loyal to the saint, if he knew that Li Mu was talking nonsense, it was really possible to throw a poisonous snake into his bed in the middle of the night.

"Oh, it's nothing, Daddy Ada hurry up and prepare a room for us, I'm going to be tired."

"It's alive, and I don't see where you're tired." Daddy Ada said, looked at Li Mu again, and stretched out his hand: "This guest, Zhenyu is my niece, and she doesn't charge money for staying in the hotel." You have to charge money for staying in the hotel, ten cents a day, and two meals. ”

Ten cents!

Li Mu couldn't believe his ears, why was it so cheap? Ten cents is in Chang'an City, and you can't even eat a meal of soup and cakes. I can stay here for one day and take care of two meals!

Li Mu took out a silver ingot from his arms and put it in Ada's father's hand: "If there is anything delicious, just come up." ”

Daddy Ada guessed that Li Mu was rich, but he didn't expect him to be so rich. Five taels of one ingot, five yuan of money, five thousand dollars! According to the standard of ten wen a day, this money can live until the sky is old.

Daddy Ada swallowed and spat, and said, "Guest, I, we can't find this money." ”

"I'll only live for ten days and twenty days at most, you take care of it, and the rest of the money will be given to you. And her," Li Mu pointed at Zhen Yu and said, "She is my savior, and she will give her a portion of the delicious food she prepared for me." Also, can you find me two sets of clothes to change into, I haven't changed my clothes for a few days, and they all smell. You don't need Han clothes, just the clothes you wear. ”

"That'...... All right. "If you pick up such a cheap thing, you don't do it for nothing. And it's the money of the Han people, and there's nothing uneasy about making it. After doing Li Mu's single business, the income of half a year was up, and Daddy Ada was very happy.

"There is nothing special about the food in the small shop, but it is sure to give the best that the guests can make. Please allow the clothes for one day, and prepare them for the guests tomorrow at noon. ”

"Done! Let's get some food first, I haven't had a hot meal in a few days. ”

Li Mu stepped inside, and at this moment, a yin and yang voice sounded behind him: "Yo, Ada, why don't you want to pay taxes when you have money?" Want to fool the past? ”