Chapter 96 Section five

In the next few days, I used tricky methods to solve several troublesome prison affairs one after another. After reporting to Xin Wuxian, he was really happy, and advised me not to work too hard, and asked me to take a few more days off and go shopping The scenery around Dunhuang. The scenery of Dunhuang County is indeed very different from that of the mainland. The sky is high and the earth is far away, and many places are full of yellow sand.My colleagues in the prefect’s mansion told me that there is a Mingsha Mountain nearby, which is made of sand, and when the wind blows the sand, it will make wonderful sounds, and it is worth a visit.So one day, I went to play with them. From a distance, Mingsha Mountain really looked like a giant dragon made of sand, stretching for several miles.The fine sand is unpredictable under the sun and emits colorful light, which is really magnificent.Climbing to the top of Mingsha Mountain, I found a crescent-shaped pool under the other side of the sand mountain, surrounded by sand mountains on all sides, like a mirror in the desert.I asked my colleagues: "What's the name of this pond? It's so deep at the bottom of the sand mountain that it can't dry up?"

The colleague replied with a smile: "That is Wowa Pond, also known as Shaquan. There is a spring under the pool, so it can never dry up." I admired: "It's amazing. It's really heaven and earth as furnaces, nature as work; yin and yang as charcoal, and everything as copper." The colleague looked at each other and asked, "My lord, what did you read just now?" I wonder why they asked: "This is a Fu written by Jia Yi, what's wrong?" "Oh, who is Jia Yi? We haven't read it. Zigong is really well-read. General Po Qiang once told us that the emperor's classics are comprehensive, and even Chang'an Shuru may not be comparable to you. It seems that It is indeed true."

I humbly said: "Where is there." But I felt great sadness in my heart, yes, I am conceited that I will only learn all my life, but I have to be mixed with this group of mediocre people who don't even know Jia Yi and can't even decide a simple prison matter. The years are wasted.Seeing the passing of time, his official position is getting lower and lower, when will it end.If this continues, how can I be worthy of my mother who died for me.How can I be worthy of those women who have made sacrifices for me, such as Le Ying and Wan Xin? When I went down to the edge of Wowa Pool, I was in deep thought, and a spark flashed in my mind, and I remembered Emperor Xiaowu's "Song of Heavenly Horse":

Taiyi tribute is under the sky, and the red sweat is dripping with ocher foam. Chi Rongyu travels thousands of miles, and now Anpi Xilong is a friend. It is said that the Tianma obtained by Emperor Xiaowu flew out of Wowa Pond. It was during the Yuanding period. A prisoner named Huo Lichang, who was originally from Xinye County, Nanyang County, was lucky enough to obtain a Tianma and dedicated it to Emperor Wu. , so I was pardoned and made a high official. I don't know if it is this Owachi. Even if it is, I may not have the opportunity and ability to capture another horse. For the next few days, I was depressed.One morning when it was my turn to take a bath, I lay on the pillow and refused to get up.Suddenly I heard someone knocking on the door outside the yard, I got up listlessly, opened the door, and immediately heard a familiar local accent: "Brother Zigong, it's really you. It's really great!"

I was taken aback, I heard the local accent of Xiaqiu County, and thought it was a dream.I leaned on the door frame, rubbed my eyes, and saw in front of me a man in his thirties, with a relatively solid figure, a dark complexion, a bun on his head, wrapped in a piece of blue cloth.He was smiling at me, his two purplish red lips retracted in opposite directions like two attacked leeches, his gums were frankly exposed, and his huge die teeth were even more shamelessly exposed.My mind suddenly turned around, and I blurted out: "Are you a monkey?" He laughed even more happily: "Brother Zigong, you still remember me as a monkey, it is not in vain that we usurped prison to save you. We brothers have always believed that brother Zigong will definitely become a high-ranking official. Take us all here to enjoy the blessings. Brother Zigong is really promising now, and was dismissed by our government as the judge of Cao history."

I smiled awkwardly. In the eyes of the monkey, Baishi's Judging Cao Shi was considered a high official. He didn't know that I was once a doctor of Four Baishi.However, I was very pleasantly surprised to see an old man in a foreign land. I took his hand and dragged him in: "Come in, I didn't expect good brothers to meet in this old place. It's so lucky. After so many years, How did you live? When I first came to Dunhuang, I went to Yuzezhang and asked, didn’t you work as soldiers there? But they all said they didn’t know you. I don’t think you can be a soldier for the rest of your life, and you should probably go back a long time ago. Yes. But I still complain, even if I go back, I have to pass through Chang’an anyway, so why didn’t you come to see me then.”

The monkey said excitedly, "I'm so happy to see you. We were exiled to Yuzezhang to serve as guards. We were prisoners of a reduced sentence. How could we have a three-year cycle like ordinary guards?" Of course, we were almost 30 later, and the prefect thought we were honest, so he transferred us back to the city as guards. Occasionally, we were hired by the rich to help them guard their houses. You know, border counties are not as good as the mainland, and the people are tough , there are many thieves." I laughed and said: "The government really knows how to make money, using the public's soldiers to collect money for themselves."

"Where is there. Although most of the money paid by the rich is collected by the prefect and other officials at all levels, we will also be rewarded with some pocket money. Let alone guarding the house for the rich, the rich are also very polite to us. , I often entertain with good wine and meat. Therefore, it is a blessing to be able to find this job." He said. I took out a jug of wine from the inner room, unsealed it and said: "These rich people are really, if you have money, why don't you move to Chang'an, or move to a safer inner county? The pawn guards wereted money."

The monkey said: "Brother Zigong, you don't understand. Where do you think those rich people get their money from? In fact, they all earn their money from traders in the Western Regions. If you live in the inland, how can you make such a good profit?" money?" I became interested: "Monkey, is there gold everywhere in the Western Regions? The money is so easy to earn?" He was not polite either, leaning back and drank a glass of wine, a bitter smile immediately appeared on his face: "Oh, my lord, your wine is so sour, it's really unpalatable. My employer, his family's wine is called "Grandma". , Tsk tsk. Not to mention so much, my employer invited you to drink at the mansion today. You only know after you go to drink. There is a kind of wine, which is said to be made from grapes from the Western Regions. Some are bright red and some are green. It's really delicious. Let's go quickly, the master's house has prepared the food and wine." He said, a famous assassin escaped from his arms.

I took a look at the famous thorn, and saw that it said: The imperial edict is honored to return to righteousness, go to the Hu and Qiang people, return to He Jin, and wait for the defeat of the Qiang general Dunhuang Taishoufu to judge Cao Shi Chen Tangjun. "It turns out that your employer is Gui He." I couldn't help laughing.