Chapter 67 Chapter 8 Metamorphosis

I have read it, but I have never thought of any problems with this book for many days. Seeing Mu Qingxiang take out the book in a serious manner, I hurriedly sat down to hear what she had to say. Made by Li Ruzhen, it was completed in the 20th year of Jiaqing, that is, in 1815 AD.The story in the book took place in the period of Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty. According to Long Mao's "Quan Tang Poetry Talk": "Two years after Tianshou, Qing Xiangyu pretended to be Huafa. Fortunately, he went to the court and gave permission to find and answer doubts. The advance envoy declared:' In the Ming Dynasty, when you travel to Shangyuan, you will know the spring as soon as possible, and the flowers will bloom overnight, don’t wait for the dawn wind to blow’. A hundred flowers bloom in the early morning, and you can take their differences.”——With this as the background, it is written that the flowers bloom in winter according to Wu Zetian’s order, As a result, all the flower gods were condemned by heaven and banished to the earth.

Fairy Baihua is the leader of the flower gods, she was also relegated to the mortal world, and was reborn as Tang Ao's daughter Xiaoshan.When Xiaoshan was 12 years old, Tang Ao went to Beijing to rush for the exam and passed the test. However, because he and Xu Jingye had sworn brothers, he was sent to the test and was still a scholar.Affected by this blow, Tang Ao saw through the world of mortals, and went out to sea with his wife and younger brother Lin Zhiyang who was in business.After going through more than 20 countries, including the country of gentlemen, the country of adults, the country of Lao Ming, the country of two sides, and the country of daughters, I have seen many strange customs, strange people and strange things.

His daughter, Tang Xiaoshan, went out to sea with Lin Zhiyang to find her father, went through hardships and dangers on the way, and arrived in Xiaopenglai, where she got the letter left by her father.In the letter, Xiaoshan was ordered to change his name to "Guichen".After returning to China, Xiao Shan took part in the women's examination with all the flower gods, and all of them won the exam.The boudoir then went to Penglai to find her father.At the same time, Wu Zetian was ill and was forced to return to Tang Zhongzong. After the restoration of Zhongzong, he still respected Wu Zetian as the "Emperor Zetian Dasheng", and ordered that the women's examination should still be held in the coming year, and all the talented women of the former class would go to the "Hongwen Banquet" again. ".

These are the main contents. The book has a total of 100 chapters. The first 50 chapters are about Tang Ao’s roaming in overseas countries, and the people and things he met are all kinds of strange things. Wait.Originally planned to write two hundred chapters, but in the end only one hundred chapters were handed down to the world. Mu Qingxiang spread out the book, she said that since I am familiar with the contents of the book, it will be more convenient for her to explain.At the beginning of the book, it is mentioned that the flowers bloom in the cold winter, which violates the laws of nature. At first glance, I thought it was a myth and legend, but when I think about it carefully, it is not a fabrication.The book is told in a mythical way, but if one thinks deeply, it is very likely that something happened at that time, which made Baihua and even other plants appear abnormal.

Mu Qingxiang also said that in the first chapter, Fairy Baicao mentioned a jade stele to Fairy Baihua. This stele is located in Xiao Penglai, overseas. Peep the full text of the jade stele.Later, Baihua Fairy was demoted and became Tang Xiaoshan. After reading the full text, it turned out that the inscription was the future of Tang Xiaoshan and other hundred flower fairies. At this point, Mu Qingxiang stopped, and I felt disappointed, so I asked: "You want me to stay, just to mention this little thing?" "Don't you think it's strange why the flowers bloom in winter, and there's also the hidden meaning of that inscription?" Mu Qingxiang asked.

"This is a novel, of course Li Ruzhen can write whatever she likes." I disagree. Mu Qingxiang closed the book and said to me: "Do you know what happened to Li Ruzhen before he wrote this book?" I am a literary student, of course I remember, so I replied: "He started in 1795, spent 20 years, and didn't finish writing this book until 1815. Does this matter have anything to do with what you want to say?" "Li Ruzhen spent most of his time in Lianyungang, Jiangsu, except for two trips to Henan to serve as an official. However, he has been to Mingling several times. Before writing a book, Li Ruzhen once went to Gansu. When I came back, it was a pity that he was not very famous, and there were not many historical materials about him. I only know that Li Ruzhen went there with his brother Li Ruhuang. As for why he went, I don’t know. "

After hearing this, I wondered if Li Ruzhen went to Gansu and had an adventure, which is why the book was written?The strange things in the book are indeed unimaginable, and later generations believe that most of them were adapted from other books, but there are many stories of the Tang Dynasty in the book, which are not available in other ancient books.The time of Li Ruzhen belongs to the late Qing Dynasty, and the historical materials at that time should be very detailed, unlike the ancient dynasties, because of the relationship of time, many of them have not been preserved.Li Ruzhen's elder brother, Li Ruhuang, was also a court official. Since it was the 19th century, why did his information seem to be deliberately erased so that others could not find it?

Mu Qingxiang said to me: "Actually, if Jiang Hongyu hadn't circled those titles and carried this book with her before she died, it would be impossible for me to connect the tea king. I think that Baihua in the Tang Dynasty violated the laws of nature. Blooming is probably related to the first tea king Yang Tianling, this book is full of strange things, Li Ruzhen has never been to the ancient city of Yuequan, so she must have encountered something related to the tea king." After listening to Mu Qingxiang's deliberation, I think it may really allude to a little-known historical event. A jade stele appeared on Xiandao hundreds of years ago. Hundreds of years later, Baihua Fairy's mortal body discovered that the inscription recorded them. This plot is similar to the slate paintings of the tea kings' lives in Mingling, but the latter is artificially added by generations.If there is a jade tablet in the city, I will believe that Li Ruzhen has also been to the ancient city of Yuequan.To solve the mystery in this book, I am afraid that the ancient city of Yuequan must be found. This book may be of great use at that time.

Mu Qingxiang looked at me and said, "I really want to see if there is a prophecy monument in the ancient city, because there is one thing in the book that should be fulfilled for me." Hearing this, I was very surprised, and immediately asked: "What's the matter?" But Mu Qingxiang refused to tell the truth, she evaded and said: "I'll tell you about this after I leave Fujian, there is no way to prove what I said now to you." I was full of doubts, so I said what I said, and I didn’t say what I didn’t say. What else do I need to prove?However, since Mu Qingxiang promised, she will do it, at least she has voluntarily confessed, which is very rare for her who is indifferent.As for how to teach the skill of knowing tea with eyes closed, Mu Qingxiang is not in a hurry.After I asked, I found out that to learn this kung fu, it only takes a few years for those who are talented, and decades for those without talent, or even a lifetime of learning.Besides, if you want to know tea with your eyes closed, you have to taste all kinds of tea in the world, and I haven't tasted all of them, how can I learn it in four days.

"Then what to do, you still said you want to teach me!" I said frustratedly. "It's impossible for your uncle to find hundreds of teas to test you in four days. He should have brought a few kinds of teas with him, so the range is only those kinds. Go to him and ask for some teas, and I'll teach you later. Although he has a bad temper, he probably won't mind your request." Mu Qingxiang said patiently. After thinking about it for a while, I guess this is the only way. After saying goodbye to Mu Qingxiang, I walked back and forth in Huangcuo.Asking my uncle for tea, I can't say this, it seems simple, but I don't have the nerve to say it.After all, I haven't seen each other for so many years, and the relationship is not very good. Living with them already feels very awkward.After thinking about it, I think it's faster to steal, anyway, he won't know if it's a little less.

It happened that Huang Dejun came out from the back of the main hall, and after he gestured many times, I realized that he was going to the village to buy chickens.Because he is going to make chicken soup, which is what my uncle likes to drink every morning, so Huang Dejun has to prepare for tomorrow's breakfast in advance.I had a plan in mind, so I asked my uncle if he had brought tea and where they put it.Huang Dejun doesn't believe me at all, he answers what I ask, he is more innocent than an idiot. It turned out that my uncle brought a box of tea when he came here, and it is now in the room where he lives.Huang Dejun was probably worried that I would ask my uncle for tea, so he told me with gestures that my uncle was about to take a bath and told me to disturb him later.Thank you Huang Dejun, watching him leave, I thought to myself, God helped me too.The three cousins ​​are all in the house, but I don't know if Lao Yan is with the uncle, because he always wants to protect the safety of the uncle. There are four bathrooms in Huangcuoli, one on each side of the master bedroom, and one on the left and right of the nursing home.I tiptoed to the back of the main hall, only to find that the back is very wide, much more grand than the Hucuo.I saw that no one was guarding the bathroom, and Lao Yan might be lazy, so I tiptoed and slipped there.Just to be on the safe side, I sneaked over and peeked at my uncle through the crack of the door to see how long he would wash, so as to determine how fast I needed to steal the tea leaves. Who knew that when I squinted my eyes and peeped through the tiny crack of the door, I was taken aback by what was going on inside. I wanted to peek to see if my uncle had finished washing, but I saw my uncle was soaking in a big wooden barrel, and he was tearing off dense fish scales one by one from his lower body, as if he was peeling the fish skin.After the uncle tore off the fish scales on his lower body, he hung them aside, then closed his eyes and soaked in the water.Since my uncle got the strange disease of ichthyosis, he needs to soak in the water frequently, otherwise he will feel uncomfortable.This is the first time I have seen my uncle take a bath, and a large piece of those fish scales can be torn off. It seems that Huang Dejun does have two brushes. I wonder if those fish scales will grow. After confirming that my uncle was still in the bath, I immediately opened the door of my uncle's room and tried to find the tea immediately.The door of the room was ajar and opened as soon as I pushed it. After I entered, I immediately looked for a place to put the tea.The room is not big, and I saw a teacup on the table. After a closer look, it turned out that it was the legendary ancient city teacup.The body of the cup depicts the ancient city of Yuequan. Although it was produced in the Jin Dynasty, it was used by the uncle to drink tea, which is a pity for its value. The teacup had been broken once, so I got to see it and immediately checked it for any cracks.The body of the cup is in good condition, although it is a bit old, but there is no missing corner or cracked gap at all.I stared at the teacup suspiciously, wondering if this broken cup was really cursed by the fisherwoman and possessed supernatural powers?After thinking about it, I found it impossible, so I hurriedly threw away this boring idea and hurried to find tea. Mu Qingxiang didn't understand my relationship with my uncle, so asking my uncle for tea was tantamount to asking him to tell us where the ancient city of Yuequan was.Therefore, I only feel nervous about this theft, but I don't feel guilty. Originally, this is the property left by my grandfather, and I should also have a share.With my strong words, I quickly found the box where the tea was placed, and hurriedly took some from various teas. I was about to flee the scene of the crime. Unexpectedly, my uncle had already washed it. After I heard the movement, I found that there was no time to escape, so I had to hide under the bed.My uncle came in quickly, and I was lying under the bed, my heart beating violently. If he found out, even if I won the tea fight, he would not tell us where the ancient city of Yuequan is.After my uncle walked in, I looked at his legs without trousers and couldn't help but feel sick. My uncle had already torn off the fish scales just now, but I didn't expect his legs to be covered with fish scales so soon. I exclaimed in my heart, if this continues, I will transform into an old fish spirit.This kind of disease is too unimaginable, it can grow fish scales so quickly again, it seems that the curse is not false.I was in shock, but felt uncomfortable on my stomach, as if something was scratching my neck. I held my breath, and with the help of the white light coming in from outside the house, I wanted to see what was next to me under the bed, but I froze when I saw it clearly.