Fall In Love with the Technology Tree - Chapter 92

     Advocate, not quite the same as prostitutes.

    The so-called advocating family refers to singing and dancing artists in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. To put it another way, it is closer to later generations, that is, people who go south and north to perform on the streets. Performing arts is one’s own job, whether to sell oneself or not depends on personal conduct. Not to mention good people, they have no fixed abode; not to mention slaves, they are free.

    A very special group.

    Bian is the eldest daughter of such a family. Drifting around has delayed her marriage, and Bian has not married yet at the age of twenty. This is what she planned in her heart, waiting for her younger siblings to grow up and be able to take over her class and become the pillar of the Bian family, then find an old bachelor with slightly better conditions to marry off, preferably a retired military man, in troubled times Can protect the home.

    Rich peasant family, she was not willing to go. A small farmer saves one more year of rice, but it is just a change from a skinny sheep to a fat sheep with a little meat. The world is so chaotic, nothing is as reliable as force.

    Bian is an idea, but no matter how she has an idea, she never thought that the big pie would hit her on the head. When she wandered to Qiao County, she was spotted by a third-generation official.

    Force, yes.

    Food, too.

    Being able to live is a complete life, isn’t it? Miss Bian devoted herself to the cause of concubine with great enthusiasm.

    According to Bian’s own thinking, being a concubine in the Cao family is really not a bad thing. The family is clean and the population is simple. At present, a wife and a concubine in the backyard can’t fight as long as they have a normal mind.

    From Bian’s point of view, the mistress’s background is too much higher than her own, and she is also the cousin of the male master. She is deeply ingrained in the Cao family. Could she still squeeze out the mistress herself? Even if she is so lucky that she really squeezes out the mistress and replaces her with a successor who can give birth to a son, she is going to cry.

    From Ding’s point of view, whether it’s for contraception or childbirth, at least a concubine must be placed in the back house, not Bian, but also Zhang’s Li. As long as Mrs Bian doesn’t kill herself, she won’t be embarrassing others.

    In the end, it is the inheritance dispute.

    After thinking about it, both the Bian family and the Bian family think this is a really good home.

    As for concubine trading, it really doesn’t matter to Bian. She was originally a precarious family girl. After the chaos of the world, it became more and more difficult for literary and art workers to make a living, and it was only a matter of time before she became a slave. The only concubine in Cao Gongzi’s backyard is better than a slave maid.

    The first three months in the Cao family fully confirmed Bian’s guess. The mistress, Mrs. Ding, was indeed a good boss. In addition to the lack of food, clothing, housing and transportation, she also sent an old slave to explain to her the common sense of a wealthy family. Etiquette, rewards and punishments, interpersonal relationships, accounting… Bian is like a cautious little animal, carefully adapting to the life of Gongqing’s family.

    In the blink of an eye, the Bian family has settled down in the Cao family, and troubles follow: the woman who despised her in this family is neither the mistress Ding, nor the eldest daughter Cao Zhen, but The old lady Wu and Erlang Cao Sheng.

    It has been almost 20 years since the Wu family lived in seclusion in the plum garden, and the 80-year-old ancestor is still healthy. In the past 20 years, she has only seen Ding, who has just started, and then crowned the twins. Cao Cao’s concubine, whether it was the Liu family who gave birth to three children, or the new favorite Bian family, could not enter the eyes of her old man.

    As for Cao Sheng, she didn’t know what attitude she should give to the legal mistress, so she had no choice but to keep out of sight and out of mind. Father’s concubine, brother’s concubine, are all slaves who are not under her control. Whether they gain face or fall out of favor, it has nothing to do with her.

    Bian is a very thoughtful person, so she naturally senses a sense of crisis. The influence of these two on Cao Cao is too great, one sentence can trample her into the soil. Must please!

    So, one day Ah Sheng received a pair of hand-sewn white socks from cousin Ding.

    “A Bian has brains, can be a man, and has no bad intentions for the time being.” Ding added a spoonful of agarwood powder to the stove, “So what’s your dissatisfaction with her?”

    A Sheng snorted and asked Yan Wen to put away the socks: “She, she can be established in a poor family.”

    “Oh?”

    “But we are the family of officials.”

     Ding sighed: “Who is born to be greeted and sent? Erlang is so old in the head of the official family, isn’t he also a hater of mundane affairs?”

    “I mean her vision!” A Sheng frowned, “It seems to be exquisite, but if the general direction is correct, how can no one be offended? The Master said: “Everyone in the village is good.” , No. All the villagers hate it, and you can’t (Note 1). Bian, isn’t it a person like ‘the villagers are good’?”

    “This is limited by her background.” Ding made a good fragrance, and wiped her hands under the service of her maid, “She suddenly entered the high gate, and she naturally pleases everywhere when she is uneasy. The more people who say good things about her, the more The more she has, the more reassuring she will be, even if she is a servant, she wants to win the reputation. But she is a concubine, and she does not need a housekeeper.

    “My sister prayed that the Bian family would last for a long time. People who are zealots should not fall out of favor. Once they fall out of favor, they will cause trouble.”

    Shi Ding glanced at Ah Sheng, held the linen towel and muttered: “Erlang took other people’s socks, but he still doesn’t lie.”

    A Sheng closed his eyes, smelled the fragrance, and did not speak.

    “Teach it slowly.” Ding also muttered to himself against the aroma, “Who is born with it? Except Erlang, who is born with it?”

    On the second day after the socks were sent out, an old woman from the main courtyard came to invite Mrs. Bian, and the person who came was Mrs. Li, Cao Cao’s wet nurse. “Mrs. Bian.” The man spoke quite politely, “Lang Jun is going to the Lanyuan for tea, and the mistress invites his wife to accompany her.”

    Lanyuan is the courtyard where Ah Sheng lives. Without her permission, Cao Cao’s concubines could not enter. In the past, Mrs. Liu, until her death, had never seen what the gate of Lanyuan looked like.

    Bian stood up when he heard the words, joy and surprise changed back and forth on his face. “The slaves are going!” she said.

    Li also saw a lot of strong winds and waves. At this time, seeing Bian’s anxious and attentive appearance, she couldn’t help but feel pity and said: “Erlang likes people with real temperament, so does Langjun. “

    Bian was stunned for a while, and the idea of ​​changing clothes was also dispelled. “Thank you Li Li.”

    Step on the new grass buds in early spring, and the moss on the bluestone, and through the yellow soil scattered under the high wall of the dock, you can see the road to the Orchid Garden. Mrs. Ding was already waiting on the road. When Mrs. Bian came out, she generously let her help and walked forward together.

    “Our family has a simple population,” Ding said. “Today’s world is precarious. It’s a little less, and it’s a disaster for a small family like the Cao family.”

    Bian’s heart froze. In her eyes, the Cao family is already a noble with a solid foundation, but she doesn’t want Ding’s remarks in person.

      Jiong’s Yangqiu and Liu Jia will also be in different places after a few months. Liu Jia is not only the third prince, but also the clan of the Han family. The highest of the Cao family is to be Jiuqing.

    Bian Shi was even more frightened, and her hands were shaking while holding Ding Shi, but fortunately she was able to move forward steadily.

    “I’ll mention you again. The reason why Yang Qiu and Liu Jia failed is because their wives and concubines have a middle-aged maid, and they leaked the news in advance…”

    “The slaves never dare to do such things!” Bian’s voice was raised a little, “The slaves’ father and brothers are not allowed to be on the table, they are enough to eat and drink, I dare not ask for more. The slaves themselves, born as a member of the Cao family, die as a ghost of the Cao family!”

    Ding patted the woman’s hand. Bian was eight years younger than her, and in her eyes, she had just left the category of children. “I came to you today, and it’s not for anything else. Just one thing, you have fastened your own fence. In the future, people may enter this family again, but in my opinion, it is a trivial matter to be jealous, and the survival of the whole family is the only thing. In a major event, if someone loses a big due to a small…”

    “The slave understands.”

    “Understanding is not enough, we must do it. In the clan, who can we trust? Who needs to be wary of? Above the court, who is our enemy? Who is our ally? When danger comes, who can rely on among the servants? Who needs restraint? Where can we give up the family property? Where do we need to defend? These, although you do not need to make a decision, but you must be clear in your heart. Otherwise, you will not know When unintentional mistakes can lead to catastrophe.”

    Being aware of major events, this is already a thorough promotion.

    “Mother…”

    “In the past, when Mrs. Liu was there, I never taught her this, because it was relatively stable at the time. But now… that’s all, Lanyuan has also arrived, go in, and listen more. “

    Although Orchid Garden is named after “Orchid”, there is no orchid.

    There are bamboo branches and pine seedlings in the house, as well as some green plants that Bian can’t name. It was said to be a tea party, but there was no tea. Cao Cao and Cao Sheng’s twins were leaning on a huge table to eat pastries and barbecue, and there was a pot of wine on the side. The sitting posture of the two is not much standardized.

    It was also lunchtime.

    “Elder sister is here, take a seat.” Cao Sheng said.

     Mrs. Ding sat down, cleaned her hands, took food from the plate, and distributed some cakes to Mrs. Bian.

    Divided meals were popular in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It was illegal for a family to eat from the same table. What’s more, the Bian family was only a concubine, so how could it be qualified to eat from the same plate as the master? thing. Besides, the table is too big right now, besides eating, there is also a map in the center. The food case is not like the food case, and the book case is not like the book case, which surprised Bian even more.

    The twins have their sights on the map. Cao Cao forked barbecue with one hand and wrote and painted with one hand: “The first issue today is whether to go north to Youzhou. If you go, you have to hurry.”

    Bian was confused, but Ding explained to her: “After Zhang Ranming’s one-year filial piety period is over, Langjun will consider becoming an official. Should he become an official immediately, or remain in seclusion for a few years? If you go to work, do you want to go to Youzhou? Or do you want to go to Youzhou? Or stay in Qiao County and watch the changes?”

    Bian nodded, she couldn’t speak, she could only sit quietly.

    Cao Cao glanced at the interaction between his wives and concubines and did not interfere. It was only after Mr. Ding finished speaking that he asked Mrs. Bian, “Have you ever heard of a great teacher?”

    The topic suddenly jumped from Youzhou to Great Teacher. Bian was even more confused, but still answered honestly: “My father and mother drank their talisman water, and the third uncle believed in Taiping Dao during his lifetime, but unfortunately died three years ago, and he did not leave a child or half a daughter.”

    “Oh?” Cao Cao was interested, “Where did this happen?”

    “It’s in Yuzhou.”

    “I still think it’s better for the whole family to move away from Qiao County.” Cao Sheng said at this time, “Yingchuan is the hardest hit area of ​​Taiping Road, and Qiao County and Yingchuan are adjacent to each other, so it is not much better. If I don’t go to Youzhou, I’m strictly controlling in Weihai…”

    “Youzhou and Qingzhou also have Taiping Road.”

    “If something goes wrong, just take a boat to the south. After all, Jiaozhou hasn’t found Taiping Road yet, and they can’t pass through the 100,000-smoky mountains and forests in the south.”

    Bian listened and listened, horrified: The meaning inside and outside the words is that Taiping Dao is going to rebel! But the more she thought about it, the more she felt that it was possible. The new slogan of “The sky is dead, the yellow sky stands up” from Taiping Road really meant rebellion. They have many believers, and there are countless people in the periphery who cannot survive due to natural and man-made disasters. If the Bian family hadn’t climbed onto the big ship of the Cao family, they would have nowhere to go in another two years.

    Bian’s back was covered in cold sweat, and his fingers tightened one by one. At this time, she still has a flattering mind, all about whether or not to move. Fortunately, the hostess, hostess, and sister-in-law of the family are all reliable. In just a few words, they can infer the time, place, and characters of the Taiping Dao uprising.

    “Jiazi year, it will be four years later. They shouted the slogan so early, aren’t they afraid of leaking?” Cao Cao rubbed his chin, and even threw half of the meat buns to the side.

    A Sheng is nibbling on a piece of glutinous rice cake and swallowing what was in his mouth: “Slogans like this are meant to unite people’s hearts, and they cannot be mobilized unless they are widely spread. Wu Guang learns how to bark like a fox and hides a note in the belly of a fish. Didn’t he toss around for a long time before everyone knew it? That’s just his subordinates who got together, and they have to be mobilized several months in advance. The Taiping Road is too widely distributed. , the population is too large, so naturally it needs to be several years in advance. The risk of leaking secrets is naturally there, but the two evils are the lesser, and in order to maintain the population advantage, there is no way to do it.”

    Compared with the unruly twins, Cousin Ding has a better manner. After eating the meat soup and gargling her mouth, she said: “‘The sky is dead, the yellow sky should stand, the age is in Jiazi, the world is prosperous “This sentence has no beginning or end, and it is crazy. At first glance, it is talking about ghosts and gods, and it is easy to think of rebellion.”

    “It’s unusual.” Cao Cao frowned, “This is different from the petty fights in one county and one county, they really decided to do it, the eight prefectures rose together, the land was abandoned and the population dropped sharply. It’s inevitable. And once you’re quiet and you can’t take care of yourself, the barbarian invasion will make things worse. Ah Sheng, according to your information, how many people are there in Taiping Road?”

    Cao Sheng took out an oversized piece of white paper from under the desk, and copied it on the map according to the numbers on it: “Although the census has not been done since Emperor Huan, my father is a large Si Nong, has the right to check the taxation of various places. If we calculate the population from the poll tax, Yanzhou has lost about 60,000 people in the past ten years. Taiping Road Base Camp.”

    Cao Cao was stunned: “This adds up to more than half a million people.”

    “Not all of them have entered Taiping Dao. Those who died from natural and man-made disasters, and those who escaped from the famine, and those who were incorporated by aristocratic families, are the population of Taiping Dao.” After giving a number, “The outside believers still pay taxes. Those who don’t pay taxes are basically desperate to follow the rebellion. At least 200,000.”

    “At most?” Cao Cao asked.

    Asheng held his chin: “400,000. Considering the fact that some of the lesser families are complicit.”

    “I still have to move!” Cao Cao decided, “Move part by part, and the move will be completed within a year. Ading and the children are going north to Youzhou, the Tashi County you picked is there. Lu Bu will also go, Duan Lao will also go, as well as your Twenty-seven and my juvenile cavalry, if you can, you can also transfer. Although the land surrounded by the sea on three sides is difficult, it is better to be safe, just guard the entrance on one side.

    “For the time being, I will send my family to run the business.” Ah Sheng said, “Women and children can live in Weihai temporarily. What about Brother himself?”

    Cao Cao hesitated for a while: “I will stay in Youzhou for two years at most, and I will make a name for myself and return to the Central Plains.”

    He wanted to get a piece of the pie when the Yellow Turbans were pacified.

    “If this is the case, brother has to go where he goes.” Cao Sheng commented.

    “You’re right. Most of the literati are imprisoned these days. If there is a real chaos in several states, Your Majesty can’t rely on eunuchs, but can only rely on foreign relatives. Only Empress He’s brother is the most likely to be a general.”

    In four years, it was enough for Cao Cao and He Jin to get online. If Cao Cao has had the merits of serving as county magistrate in Youzhou over the past few years to protect the border, it would be a matter of course for him to be a no-name general during the Yellow Turban chaos. More, it depends on the performance of Cao’s army on the battlefield.

    As a result, Cao Cao practiced martial arts and watched the art of war more and more hard. When he was not practicing martial arts, he had to walk with the relatives of the He family’s guests, or show his presence in front of Yuan Shao’s group. When Cao Song gave him a position as magistrate of Wen County, Liaodong Prefecture, he couldn’t wait to go north to Liaodong.

    This also means that Bian’s newly married less than half a year has entered the day of separation between the two places. It wasn’t that she wasn’t worried, but she also gradually understood that before Cao Cao’s negative attitude, trying not to hold back her was the best thing she could do.