In 492 BC, the high-spirited Ji Yu unexpectedly became the twenty-ninth monarch of the Wei Kingdom. However, the person who assisted him in ascending the throne was actually Nanzi, the wife of the previous monarch. This charming woman had deposed and driven out his father, Kuai. Now that he is attached to the throne, the young Ji Yu believes that the other party intends to use him as a puppet to control the entire country. After all, there are quite a few uncles alive, and it is indeed difficult to convince the public not to appoint a prince but to appoint a prince and a grandson. The heart is always uneasy, and it is better to be diligent in doing things, and dare not slack off in the slightest.

Perhaps I never imagined that one day I would become the king of a country. Ji Yan didn't have any big ideals. It's just that at the request of the young grandmother, she deals with trivial government affairs all day long. And all this is more about saving your own life.

After getting along for a long time, he found that his grandmother Nanzi was not what the outside world had rumored, but a promiscuous woman. On the contrary, I feel that the other party is innocent. Nanzi never directly intervenes in political affairs, but only mentions points from the side. He was curious. Her grandmother was a princess of the Song Kingdom, and marrying her grandfather was just a political marriage. Why would this woman be so dedicated to the heir of the country? I really can't figure it out. Let's think it is the diplomatic policy of the Song State. If the country is too weak, the Song country will inevitably have concerns about losing its lips and teeth.

It wasn't until Ji Yu came of age and participated in the crown ceremony that he revealed the confusion that had been buried in his heart for many years. He didn't dare to ask directly, but only mentioned the meeting between Confucius and his grandmother. It's used to knock on the side, and try it first.

"Kong Qiu is a sage, but he is not suitable for defense. In troubled times, it is the first to enrich the country and strengthen the army, and educating the people is really a stealing of fame, and it is not beneficial to the country. ”

Nanzi's words were deafening. Ji Yu did not expect that Confucius's departure from the country was due to his grandmother's deliberate refusal and not use. It was not as rumored that my grandmother was disgusted by the sages for her disregard for etiquette. And these criticisms and misunderstandings, Nanzi seems to be indifferent, and has never explained. At this moment, he dared to ask again.

"The widow's father wanted to murder his wife, so he was deposed from the throne, right?"

In fact, when he said such a thing, Ji Yu already knew the consequences. It is inevitable that he will be disgusted by the other party, and it is very likely that his throne will also be lost. However, if the knot in his heart can be solved at this time, he thinks that the risk is worth it. Since he was a child, he has been accused of being a thief and his mother, and his notoriety has plagued him a lot, and it is obvious that he has had enough.

He has been in power with Ji Yu for eight years, and his face has passed away. At this time, Nanzi's smile was no longer bewitching, but the kindness of the elders. Sure enough, as soon as Ji Yu's words came out, Nanzi was extremely angry, and he was immediately afraid of the case.

"Presumptuous! Kuai Shen is really a villain, and the king doesn't care about his identity, what does he want? ”

Ji Yu had never seen her grandmother furious, and her body couldn't help but tremble slightly and fell to her knees. However, Nanzi did not help each other, but just whispered helplessly.

"Hey!"

Then he said indignantly:

"How can such a person at both ends of the first rat be called a monarch? At that time, this person wanted to be good at Qi, and he sacrificed the land, betrayed the country and was disloyal, intending to peep into the throne. Fortunately, the first gentleman noticed it, but after the incident, he rushed to the enemy and led troops to defend him... Hum! If such a wicked man becomes a king, the kingdom will be gone. ”

Then Nanzi waved his sleeves and left, just about to step out of the temple gate. I only heard Ji Yu shouting:

"Why?"

She looked back disappointed, the child she once regarded as her own has now grown up. Maybe Ji Yu's future will be like his ancestors, and he will live under the coercion of the Quartet powers all his life. As a woman, it is obviously impossible to change all this in troubled times. Si Chen's accusation had already been heard in disgust.

"The defenders are miserable, and the surviving people can't bear to look at them..."

It was this sentence that deeply touched Ji Yu. I was going to be muddy, to enjoy luxury like my ancestors, and to be an idle monarch. At least a lifetime can be spent safely. After death, he will be mixed up with the nickname of doing nothing. Just like his grandfather, he was originally talented but oppressed by power, so he could only pretend to be addicted to wine and live a reluctant life. After death, you will get a "spirit" nickname, and what if you are scolded by future generations? It's better to be Wei Linggong than to lose your life. In the past, Ji Yu thought so.

At the moment, he wanted to do something. Get rid of the long-standing intervention of the Jin, Qi, and Yue kingdoms in the defense of the country. I don't want to be a vassal of another country. The three family slaves have been doing it for a long time. I'm afraid that if it goes on like this, the guard's knees will also weaken.

So Ji Yu found Kong Kui, who was also full of ambition, and the two were like-minded. Kong Kui is his cousin, the son-in-law of Kong Wenzi, and has been famous since then. Ji Yan's aunt is the wife of the patriotic sage Kong Wenzi. Even Confucius praised Kong Kui's father, saying that he was sensitive and studious, and was not ashamed to ask questions. That's why after his death, he was given a "Wen", such a high evaluation as a nickname.

Kong Kui was worshiped as the prime minister and assisted Ji Yu to form his own forces. Nanzi is even more fully supportive. She is old and has no children, so she can only pin all her hopes on her righteous son. After four years of hard work, there is a faint sign of prosperity in the country. However, Kuai Yu, who had been on the run for 12 years, sneaked back to China at this time and plotted a coup d'état with Kong Kui's mother in Qicheng. A ridiculous farce in which a sister and brother joined forces to coerce their nephew to oust their son from power was staged.

The plan to expand Qicheng and resist the southward movement of the Jin people was destroyed. And the black hand behind the scenes is actually the Jin Kingdom. Kuai Shen is just a puppet of the Jin people. After the successful coup d'état, Kuai Shen made great efforts to stabilize the regime and told the defenders that they would never lose Kong Kui's mutual help. In this way, Kong Kui became a disloyal and unrighteous traitor who betrayed his friends and betrayed his master. At that time, the Yi Zai of Qicheng was a proud protégé of Confucius, Zilu. In order to persuade his friend Kong Kui to change his mind, he fought with the rebels alone, and was later chopped into pulp. It also left the tragic words of "a gentleman dies, and the crown is inevitable", which will be regretted and respected by future generations.

After the coup d'état, Qicheng was renamed Kongkuicheng. Outside the city, there are many tombs on the road, which are the people's generous death in memory of this loyal minister and righteous man, and they can't bear to have no bones left, so they spontaneously build the clothed mound. Nanzi was also killed in this coup. Ji Yu was filled with grief and anger, and fled with a group of cronies.

On the way to escape, Ji Yu got acquainted with Miss Zhao, and the two lived in seclusion in Yunmeng Mountain, living a fairy-like life. It was Nanzi's words that made Ji Yu never have the idea of asking for help from a powerful country. He knew that if he led troops to defend them, it would be tantamount to poisoning the people. Under the banner of respecting the king and conquering the country, it was not uncommon to invade other countries in the name of maintaining orthodoxy. Those powerful countries are very willing to become famous and help Ji Yu restore the country. Touching the land of the Central Plains means being close to the Son of Heaven. It can not only correct the name, but also seek greater benefits. Is there any indisputable reason?

The darkest period of the Patriotic Empire came, and in just five years, four monarchs were rotated. The Jin and Qi kingdoms successively sent troops to defend and plundered countless people and property. At this time, no one in the sect of the country dared to sit on the throne. Balancing the relationship between the two parties is like walking a tightrope. thought that Ji Yu, who had spent his life in Yunmeng Mountain, unexpectedly became the object of attention of all forces at this time.

Five years after fleeing, he once again held the authority of a country, and Ji Yu only felt that there was no hope for the revival of the country. At this time, the upper echelon of power was divided into two factions: pro-Qi and pro-Jin. After the Yue Kingdom destroyed Wu, Gou Jian also wanted to compete in the Central Plains to show the majesty of the hegemon. The political situation is chaotic and turbulent. Ji Yu didn't want to involve his wife, so he hid the Zhao family in Yunmeng Mountain. Although Kong Kui's betrayal was forced by helplessness, for him, he had enough of these clan villains.

The dreams of the past are ridiculous at this time. Nanzi's death made him even more grief-stricken. A terrible thought came to me. Destroy the clan and kill these soft bones. Even if you lose your country, it is better than being bullied by other countries. Subsequently, Ji Yu secretly recruited dead soldiers and hoarded weapons. He couldn't tolerate the corruption and cowardice of the clan. is ready to leave his wife behind and fight against the country's clan.

Unexpectedly, Zhao gave birth to a son at this time. At the last moment, Ji Yu hesitated. He decided to postpone his operation, hid the armor in Yunmeng Mountain first, and planned to slowly eradicate these patriotic moths in more than ten years to pave the way for his son. Because he was worried that the whereabouts of his mother and son would be known, he always used Yunmeng hunting as a pretext to hide his eyes. When traveling, it is very cautious to take 500 cronies with the dead.

In the sixth year of his return to power, when he thought that everything was arranged seamlessly, Ji Yu was attacked and killed in the Yunmeng Valley. Only more than 100 masked men in black surrounded and annihilated all 500 dead soldiers. The men in black are strong in martial arts, and they all hold long swords. He knew that these long swords were only used by the Yue people. Gou Jian finally made a move. He has been in the position of the lord of the country twice in his life, and he has always wanted to make the people who defend the country rich and strong, and he has tried again and again, but in the end it ended dismally.

Ji Yan looked at the depths of the mountain and showed a shallow smile, as if he was finally freed. His head was then cut off. And this inspirational monarch who is rich and strong in the army, but after his death, he was called Wei Zhugong by the world. The word "out" expresses the endless sadness of the hero. Nothing he did seemed to change the status quo of the country. Getting such an evaluation is more of a ridicule from the world, since you have fled, why should you come back? He may never have dreamed that a dead man could continue to govern in the country? As long as a year? However, the stigma after death is a trick of the Yue Kingdom. The black cauldron of history can only be carried by him.

The morning mist lifted. Listen to Aji's speculation about the burial of corpses in the valley. Wang Xu finally understood why the girl always avoided the word "out" when she mentioned Ji Yu and called her Duke Wei. It is estimated that the secret of the Patriotic Sect is now known only to the girl. No wonder Ah Ji always called him a young man, but in front of outsiders, he changed his words to the young master. In fact, he should have guessed his identity a long time ago. How could Mr. Zhou give birth to a child surnamed Wang with Miss Zhao? It's just stupid to think about it at this point.

"Hey! Since he can't change, what can I do? ”

Oh, yes! What the monarch of the country can't change, what can he do with a little contempt?

In the late autumn of 462 B.C., a young man named Ji Xu thought so. He took his sister by the hand and walked leisurely on the mountainside. At the foot of Yunmeng Mountain, the small mountain village suddenly appeared in the field of vision.

A few days later, two giant wooden discs were erected. The stream that pours down from the dam pushes it to spin. The bronze gears squeak and creak as they move with the wooden bearings. The plump wheat grains are crushed into a yellowish powder by a traction grinding disc. The people of the village were shocked as if they had seen a monster. And Li Cang, who was full of talent, was even more surprised. He was a clever man, and although he did not know the skills of craftsmen, he did not need to grind the grain by manpower. He understood what this meant for the village. The real intentions of the young man are only later realized. However, he despised the other party before, and still had the idea of watching jokes, which made Li Cang feel ashamed in his heart. Perhaps the literati are inferior to each other, and such things are inevitable throughout the ages. However, he decided to confess his heart to Wang Xu, so he went to the mill next to the dam with a red face. As soon as they met, Li Cang fell to his knees and kowtowed fiercely.

"The villain is stupid, and he doesn't know that the adults have long been deeply worried, and he is still resentful. I have come to ask for my guilt. ”

At this time, Aji was also on the side, and the little girl put the wheat into the grinding hole in a new way. Then they scrambled to collect the flour that flowed out. Li Cang's arrival made the girl a little at a loss. I don't know whether to stop working first, or to pick up Li Cang, who kowtows like pounding garlic, first.

"Uncle Li, please get up quickly. Hugh wants to torment the little nephew. ”

Wang Xu helped Li Cang. He knew that Uncle Li had some opinions about the owner of this body before. It's just that because of Aji's identity, he doesn't want the girl to be embarrassed and punished by the master's family, so he plays on the spot. pretended to be respectful in front of people, but in his heart, he never looked at Wang Xu highly. The so-called life-saving grace is just Ah Ji putting gold on his master's face. He was also embarrassed to debunk. Quan should accompany the girl to coax the young master.

"Uncle Li is a smart man and has always done his best for the village. Everyone sees it in their eyes, where is the sin? Now that you know the intentions of your little nephew, you will have to rely on Uncle Li to contribute in the future. The past should not be brought up again. ”

Wang Xu patted Li Cang's hand. is free and easy, and has the pleasure of laughing and hating. Li Cang was so smart, of course, he knew that his mind had already been seen through by this young man, and he couldn't help but blush. How did he know that Wang Xu's previous life was full of white eyes, and he was extremely sensitive to the contemptuous actions of others. Of course, I'm used to it. So he never said it, nor did he ask why Li Cang despised him. At this moment, in order to clear up the misunderstanding, Li Cang took the initiative to explain his background, hoping to get the other party's understanding. I would like to follow Wang Xu to show his ambitions.

At first, Wang Xu heard it strangely. I don't understand why Li Cang just told his father Li Dan. The old man is just the history of the Great Zhou royal family. It's just a petty official, to put it nicely, called the director of the Royal Library. And the current Da Zhou has long been defeated, and it is estimated that the officials who serve the royal family will not even be able to pay their salaries. An old man named Li Dan was very far-sighted, and he was worried that the future Zhou royal family would not be able to preserve those precious ancient books, so he copied and kept them with the children in his family.

Later, the old man was old, resigned from his official position and returned to his homeland, but at this time, the Chen State was being attacked by the Chu State. In order to preserve these precious books, he decided to divide the family and let his son take care of it. The prince Li Zong moved his family to the Jin Kingdom, while Li Cang, who was born as a concubine, came to the Wei Kingdom. Chen Guo, like Wei Guo, is a small country that is struggling to survive in the cracks. Because the two ends of the first rat were retaliated by the powerful countries, so they caused destruction. It is not difficult to see the wisdom of the old man.

When Li Cang carefully took out the book written by his father from the burden behind his back, Wang Xu was instantly dumbfounded. The hand holding the bamboo slip trembled uncontrollably. He exclaimed.

"Tao Te Ching? Your father was... Lear? Lao Tzu Li Er? ”

At this time, Wang Xu's expression was no less than the shocked look when he learned his identity as the prince. What an honor it is to meet the descendants of Lao Tzu and to witness the writings of the saints? The fanaticism of chasing stars is difficult to suppress for a while.

"The villain came to apologize, and in order to express his repentance, he dedicated his father's book to the adult."

On the one hand, Li Cang came to offer treasure to make amends, and on the other hand, he hoped that his father's hard work would not be buried. Wang Xu is the most familiar with the Tao Te Ching, and when the company employees are brainwashed, they will have a copy in their hands. Tell them to be grateful. Many companies use the Tao Te Ching to train their employees, and a variety of interpretations have derived a variety of bizarre corporate cultures.

Wang Xu's gaffe made Li Cang mistakenly think that the other party was very satisfied with this apology. Just listen.

"This is a great preciousness, and the little nephew can't accept it. Uncle Li kept it well and used it as an heirloom of the Li family for future generations. Listen to me! If you are in a difficult situation, just copy a copy and give it to your nephew. ”

The young man's determined eyes made Li Cang puzzled for a while. Although he was politely refused, he was inexplicably happy in his heart. Obviously, the other party is very knowledgeable and knows the value of this book. Then the two talked about it, and Wang Xu told the truth about the village's plan. Li Cang only felt his head buzzing. The tools that the boy said were unheard of for him. As for how to make money and do business, the other party seems to be as smooth as an endorsement. And from time to time, some so-called professional terms pop up, and he is even more confused. However, my final feeling is actually very feasible. He wondered if he was stupid? Why do you think things are feasible if you don't understand them? Although it was late autumn, beads of sweat the size of beans still soaked his forehead.

"The villain is stupid, and he doesn't know what the adult means for a while. May I go back and think about it carefully, and then show my humble opinion to the adults. ”

Seeing Li Cang's sweat raining down, Wang Xu hurriedly explained:

"Oh! Uncle Li is not in a hurry. This matter is considered in the long run, and there is no need to worry too much. It will be done in the middle of the summer of the following year. ”

How could he not be in a hurry? I also recommended myself before, and I boasted that I was a high fighter. And at this time, he didn't understand what the boy was saying. How else do we work together? The most important thing at the moment is to ask the blacksmith Feng Bo first what the use of those tools the young man said. And then slowly ponder, what is the big thing that the other party is going to do?

Li Cang retired with a gift. It would be wise to think that I would come today to make amends. He was impressed by the young man's talent. He knew it just by grinding the dough. This is an extraordinary event, and perhaps a radical change in the village is coming.

Throughout ancient history, salt was controlled by the ruling class, regardless of dynasty or generation. The reason is simple. Salt is a daily commodity, and the people have a great demand and use it frequently. A slight salt tax is a windfall profit. Just like the price of oil, if it rises by a few cents, the people will not notice it at all. However, the wealth accumulated over time is incalculable.

There was another use for salt in ancient times, which was as a preservative. If you want the food not to spoil, you basically use table salt to pickle. The price of salt in various dynasties and generations is actually not expensive. Basically, it fluctuates and adjusts according to the price that ordinary people can afford. Because salt production is not a high-tech industry, as long as you are willing to spend some effort on research and waste more firewood, you can at least make some edible coarse salt. Because the government centralizes production and drying, the cost of salt production is much cheaper than that of private salt. Naturally, a wise monarch would not rely on a high price increase in salt prices to force the people's resentment to boil.

Wang Xu's idea of grinding noodles is, in a sense, to improve the shelf life of food. Li Cang understood what that meant. However, the Lord did not think so at this time. He believes that there are more soybeans in Weiguo, and as long as they are ground, dried, dried and stir-fried, they can be squeezed for oil. Wang Xu can't stand the food without stir-fry and the dark night. Otherwise, he wouldn't have built two waterwheels at the same time. It has long been thought that one will be used as a mill and the other as an oil mill.

Ah Ji, who had been fiddling with the grinding plate, finally had the opportunity to ask Wang Xu after Li Cang left. The girl asked happily:

"Brother! How did you come up with it? ”

Wang Xu smiled and raised his sleeve robe to help the girl wipe the flour off her face.

"You told me."

Adineu pouted, a look of incomprehension. I only heard Wang Xu continue:

"You said you were a slave when you were a kid. I think... If there were such a mill, there would probably be fewer suffering people in the world. ”

The girl's eyes instantly turned red. I don't want to have a tragic encounter when I was a child, but the other party always remembers. Looking at the grinding disc that can be turned without human labor, childhood memories come to mind.

Holding a mallet bigger than herself, in order to survive and eat a full meal, she was weak and desperately beat the grain. The husked millet was to be handed in, and the remaining rice bran was the food for the slaves. Since she was too small, she didn't have the strength to work like other adults. There was no one among these slaves who would have pity on her as a child who was in danger. If you can't finish your work, you won't be able to eat rice bran. So she secretly grabbed a handful of unshelled grain and hid it in her tattered clothes.

At night, hunger is unbearable. Only when the others were asleep did she dare to stuff the grain she had stolen during the day into her mouth. Although the millet is difficult to chew, the sweet taste makes her very satisfied. Inside the pitch-black shack, nothing could be seen. The girl carefully pressed her palm on her chest, trying to stick the scattered grains to the palm of her hand. Even if it was only a few tiny ones, perhaps not the size of an ant, she would feel that it was so hard-won. The tip of her tongue licked little by little, and she still refused to stop until she finished eating. Really hungry. I haven't had a full stomach for many days. At this time, she can swallow even the dry bran rice bran.

The next day, the girl fell ill. The little face was flushed, sweating profusely, and lying shivering in the hay. She thought she must have stolen something and been punished by God. In a coma, he secretly swore that he would never steal anything again in the future. And she may have no future. Thinking of this... The girl smiled. I can finally see my father and aunt, and I can finally eat and dress warmly.