Three Kingdoms

  Chapter 2649 Good or Evil

  At dusk, the city walls of Anyi County were shrouded in the setting sun and dyed a golden color.

  The middle-aged man stood outside the city, looking up at the colors of the city wall soaked by the setting sun, his pupils seemed to glow with brilliance.

  He was carrying his luggage, his body was dusty, his face was tired, but his eyes were bright.

  The luggage is made of bamboo. Due to long-term use, the exterior is not only covered with pulp, but also some places are slightly damaged due to wear or being bitten by mice or the like.

In order to prevent the small items in the bamboo basket from falling off while walking, there is also a coarse cloth bag inside the bamboo basket, which may have been originally the color of black blue, but because of washing too much, it is now a little grayish white, like a very Those intentionally old colors of later generations.

  He arrived in Anyi County two days ahead of schedule.

  The body is stained with dust and grass clippings, but there is a faint smile on his face.

  Anyi, as an important town in Hedong, is close to Pingyang. As a transshipment hub, people come and go, cars and horses flow like a stream.

  The middle-aged man followed the flow of people and slowly entered Anyi County.

  Now under the hussars, it can be said that the world is peaceful and peaceful, but the number of intellectuals, or those who are similar to the standards of intellectuals of later generations, has not increased much.

  Perhaps according to most people's ideas, Huqi's current level of productivity and technology and the total amount of production materials are more than those in Shandong, so the number of intellectuals should be more than that in Shandong.

  But in reality, this is not the case.

   Some people may also say that Hussars have only ruled Guanzhong for a long time and have not formed an effective accumulation, but unfortunately, this may be a factor, but it is not the biggest reason.

  What exactly is knowledge?

  What is the difference between ordinary people and talented people?

  The improvement of productivity and the progress of civilization, why does the knowledge monopoly in ancient times still appear in modern times?

  These are very interesting questions.

  The progress of human knowledge will not increase with the development of productivity.

   This is a major issue that runs through almost the entire feudal society, and even affects later generations.

  Normally speaking, the progress of society and the development of productivity require more talents with higher knowledge reserves, but the fact is that even in later generations, there are still many people who do not have some very basic "knowledge".

   According to a social survey in later generations, among the more than 20,000 Americans who participated in the survey, nearly a quarter of them believed that the sun revolves around the earth. Among the nine basic general knowledge questions, only 6.5% of the total number of people who participated in the survey answered correctly. Regardless of whether the candidates for this survey project have been carefully screened or not, related and similar topics should have been popularized education when illiteracy was eradicated. At the same time, it is reasonable to say that the biggest obstacle to acquiring knowledge in ancient times was acquiring knowledge. There are few ways of knowledge and it is not easy, and acquiring knowledge in modern times is obviously more convenient than in ancient times, but why do some modern people still not know some common sense knowledge?

   There is no need to pay any fees to enter the city. Not long after the hussars ruled the river east, the city entry tax was abolished.

  City entry tax, although it is not much each time, most of the previous city entry tax fees are five baht per person, and vehicles are charged separately. No matter how long you stay in the city, everyone who enters the city has to pay anyway. There is no limit to how long you stay in the city, and you don’t need to pay when you leave the city. Have to pay again.

   It seems cheap, and it is not expensive, but it depends on who it is for.

  For the children of the gentry, even if a five baht coin falls on the ground, they will not take a second look. It's like the story of whether to bend down to pick up a dollar in later generations, and then it changed to ten dollars, and then to a hundred dollars.

  But for ordinary people, maybe a five baht coin is one-tenth of his income after a hard day chopping firewood.

  Middle-aged people cannot be regarded as absolutely poor, because they can still afford to read books and borrow money. But he can't be regarded as a rich man, he can only be regarded as a poor family. Below average poor family. There is a piece of land, a house, a wife, sons, and parents.

  At dusk, the city of Anyi is still bustling and bustling. The streets and alleys paved with bluestone roads and the shops on both sides are thriving. Pedestrians are shopping for various sundries while the sky is still dark.

  The middle-aged people turned to the side street, and the flow of people dropped a lot.

  The prices of the big inns on the main street are very high, and they cannot be negotiated. After all, there are many people who go to live there, but the small inns on the side streets are much better. Not only can they bargain, but they even provide free hot soup. Of course, if you give two more money, you can also get a piece of preserved food. Although it is not very good, it is a little bit more cost-effective than going to the market to eat alone.

   As for the decorations in the room, of course small inns cannot compare with big inns, but for middle-aged people, this is not important at all. The important thing is that he can settle in the city at a relatively low cost, have a good rest for a day, and then he can refer to it early the day after tomorrow, instead of being in a hurry to find a place and register tomorrow...

  I am older, more or less calm, and have some life experience.

The middle-aged man walked into a small inn with his luggage on his back, but he didn't expect that there were actually quite a few people with the same thoughts as him. There were not many vacant rooms left in the inn, so naturally there was nothing to choose from. room.

  The middle-aged man found a room with relatively better lighting, and stayed there.

  The room is very simple, with a bed, a mat, and a table. There is a simple screen in one corner of the room, and the toilet is naturally inside the screen. The toilet is old. Although it has been washed, it still smells faintly, but it seems to be much better than the one I use at home.

Because I was too tired after walking for a whole day, the middle-aged man ordered a plate of pickled vegetables and two steamed buns after paying the room fee, with the Physalis water sent by the shopkeeper, and finished it hastily After washing up, he went to bed and fell asleep.

  The next morning, when there was a faint light in the sky, the middle-aged man woke up, and then sat on the bed in a daze for a while, only to realize that he was in the inn, not at home.

  Years of the habit of working from sunrise to sunset, made him not know the taste of sleeping in for many years.

  The middle-aged man got up, went out, ordered a breakfast in the inn, and then stayed away all day, so he could sharpen his gun before the battle. After so many years of handling the **** and wooden shovel, my hands are thick, so I need to review my strokes again, otherwise, if I forget the words when I pick up the brush, it will be all over.

  But the simple tranquility in this small inn was completely disturbed when the middle-aged man came back after registration near noon.

  First, people shouted continuously, asking if there were any remaining rooms, even if the shopkeeper asked someone to hang up the full sign early, it still didn't work. These people may or may not have seen it, but they still yelled, as if this would give them more hope of getting the guest room.

But the capacity of the small inn is so small. At the beginning, the middle-aged man couldn't help but be thankful that he came a day early, but as the voices became louder and louder, the middle-aged man couldn't bear the disturbance, so he simply took some broken Cloth, plug the ears, only to get some clean, continue to write and composition.

   When it’s time to eat late, middle-aged people will reopen the door to go out for dinner. If you go to the lobby to eat, you don't have to pay extra for the delivery fee. Anyway, it's just a few steps, so you can save a little bit. But he had just walked to the corner and hadn't entered the lobby yet, so he looked up and couldn't help being stunned.

  I saw that the lobby was almost full of people, and the shopkeeper and the waiter stood aside with some sad faces, looking at a loss.

  『This is…』 The middle-aged man walked up to the shopkeeper and gestured.

  The shopkeeper smiled wryly, and said in a low voice, "They are all here to take the exam, and they all want to stay in the hotel... But there are only a few rooms... Then these people just sit and don't leave... Hey, why are there so many?" Maybe I have to hang around at night... I can't fight, I can't rush...』

   This is really possible.

  Do you do business, how can you say that you punch and kick customers?

  Oh, hit Renshuo, it’s okay.

  Other serious businessmen pay attention to making money in harmony. Even if these students who came for reference disturbed them, it is impossible for the shopkeeper to gather the buddies and beat the generals with poles and sticks. After all, these people are all here to take the exam, and no one knows if there will be one or two officials here. If they are beaten by the shopkeeper at this time, they will retaliate when they hold a grudge, even if there are people behind the shopkeeper, it may not be because of This matter is to protect the shopkeeper.

   It's not about respecting scholars or anything, but even if there is a master behind the shopkeeper, it must be just protecting the inn. As long as the inn doesn't collapse, you can also recruit other shopkeepers and assistants.

  So the shopkeeper and the buddies can only persuade each other.

   But the problem is that Anyi has not held a large-scale scientific research activity before, and there are not many inns in the county town on weekdays, so it cannot accommodate so many people at a time. In addition, there are many assistants in the big inn, and there are only a dozen people in the small inn, including the shopkeeper and the assistants. It is not as good as the number of people sitting in the lobby. It is really going to make a fuss...

  The middle-aged man shook his head. It seemed that the food delivery fee could not be saved, so he had to talk to the guy next to him, and ordered the food to be sent back to the room.

  The buddy yelled a few times, and turned his head to go to the kitchen. The middle-aged man also turned around and was about to go back, but before he could take two steps, he was stopped by someone, "Brother, brother!" Is it possible to live in the inn? 』

  The middle-aged man stopped, turned his head and looked at the person, "Where is your step?" 』

   At first, the middle-aged man thought that the visitor had something to do with him, and then he forgot, but after a closer look, he really didn't recognize him.

  The visitor clasped his hands and said, "My surname is Mao. I'm from Pi County. This time I heard that Hushi was taking a test in Hedong Kai County, so I came here for reference." 』

  The middle-aged man heard this and was sure that he really didn't know him. Because the middle-aged man has no relatives in Pi County at all. After being stunned for a moment, the middle-aged man returned a salute and said, "Oh, nice to meet, nice to meet. What's the matter if you don't know what to do? 』

  The middle-aged man cautiously did not say his name.

  The Mao family in Pi County didn't care about this either, and grabbed the middle-aged man's hand and said, "Is Xiongtai staying here?" Is it possible to share one room below? All it takes is one night! Or make a floor shop! Thank you very much! 』

  The middle-aged man was taken aback for a moment, then quickly realized, and said, "I'm just here for dinner..."

  Pixian Mao let out a cry, and the eagerness in his eyes quickly dimmed.

  The middle-aged man quickly pulled out his sleeves, turned around and left.

  Are you kidding me? It's not a relative, not an acquaintance, and then you have to live together without saying a word?

   Even if there is some relationship, such as classmates and fellow villagers, it is best to discuss it in advance. There is absolutely no reason to run to other people's place temporarily, or suddenly pull someone randomly to let others out of the room...

  But people who can say such things obviously don't understand the truth, or they just want to understand the truth that is beneficial to them.

  The middle-aged man is older. Although he encountered such a thing for the first time, he quickly realized that there was a problem, and then chose a way to solve it in a way that was not too hurtful to each other.

  The shopkeeper and the guys at the side knew the truth, but they would not say anything, let alone risk offending the guests to drive away the people who had already moved in, so that the people behind could live.

  Even if you add money, it won’t work.

   Well, it’s impossible to add money, at least within a certain range.

   Besides, would real rich people come to live in such a small inn?

  So, if you can come to live in this inn, how many will choose to add money to the point where both the shopkeeper and the clerk waver?

   Obviously, if you can’t add money, then you can only draw big cakes.

  For example, what the Mao family in Pi County said before, such as "I am very grateful for the five feelings", or...

  The middle-aged man saw that the situation was not good, so he left quickly before the man could react, because the middle-aged man also knew that what he said was flawed, so he could only fool him for a while, but as long as he got rid of it, it would be no big deal.

   It's not that the shopkeeper and the staff will expose the lies of the middle-aged people, but that the direction of appearance and departure of the middle-aged people is not outward, but inward. The one who walked inside didn't live in the inn, could it be a relative of the innkeeper? And when the business is so good, it can't be said that even the woodshed has been cleaned up, so what relatives can live in?

  Middle-aged people get away early, but those who come later are not so lucky.

Maybe it was because of the leadership of the Mao family in Pi County, or maybe it was because these people figured out the tricks played by the middle-aged people, and the guests who came to the lobby to prepare for dinner were immediately surrounded by several people, or they were begging There are some, or there are those who are close to relatives, or there are some who forcefully express that they want to make friends when they see that the person is honest...

  Sitting in the lobby, if you catch one, you will surround it, and several will surround one, all fighting for your own future. For them, one more point is one point.

   Faced with such a situation, the shopkeeper was a little confused.

  The guy is also a little confused.

   To be honest, because this is the first time I have encountered such a thing, everyone is ignorant.

  When the imperial examinations were flourishing in later generations, it was not uncommon for students from all over the world to go to the prefectures and counties half a year in advance to take the exams.

  Afterwards, there are so many guild halls, B&Bs and folk houses, that many related businesses have been born.

  But that was when the imperial examination became popular and I got used to it.

   Now it is just the beginning, and it is the first time that Hedong is being held.

  Sima Yi used to be an examiner in Chang'an before, but his main focus was on preparing for the examination room. Sima Yi really didn't consider the lack of accommodation in the city. Or it was considered, but I didn't expect so many people to refer to it.

  If he had known earlier, the shopkeeper would not have even removed the desks in the lobby, and directly replaced them with Datong shop...

  If it had been known earlier, the patrols and soldiers in Anyi County would have stepped up patrols and stationed at various points to guard all night...

  If they had known earlier, these students would have come three days, five days, ten days in advance, and eventually evolved into the kind of imperial examinations that took place a few months in advance to occupy a hole...

  But it is the first time for Dahan to organize such an exam here in Anyi, Hedong. From the candidates to the exam room, from the shopkeepers of these inns to the students for reference, it is the first time. So what experience is there?

  So they are all confused.

   Some candidates who stayed first, had never experienced such a thing, and were caught by these latecomers.

  Seeing that the sky is getting dark, although sitting in the lobby and staying up all night is more or less manageable, but after all, it is not comfortable to lie in the room for a night, even lying on ordinary mats is better than sitting. What's more, I have to go to the exam room the next day. If I feel lethargic or physically exhausted due to sitting all night, if I fail to perform well in the exam room, wouldn't it be a waste of suffering and no results?

   Some people succeeded, but many more people were rejected.

  Worry, anxiety, fear, all kinds of emotions come together, coupled with the obvious contradiction between being able to live and not being able to live, and then moral kidnapping appears easily and openly.

   This tradition is still common even in later generations.

   Torture goodness.

  For example, the widely circulated girlfriend and mother falling into the water, the classic double moral kidnapping.

   Also like I am weak and I am justified, I can only watch pirated versions if I have no money, etc.

   And in the current Anyi, in this small inn, almost the same drama is being played out.

  Do you want to give up a bed for the older one? Otherwise, it is disrespecting the elders.

  Do you want to make room for the younger one? Otherwise, they just don't love children.

  Do you want to make room for fellow villagers? Otherwise, it is disharmony in the village.

Do you want…

   Excuse me, are you moral? good? Is he a good man? Good people have to be let out...

   Disputes inevitably arose, which immediately led to greater conflicts.

   But those who suffer are naturally those who live first.

   A riot broke out, and the patrol soldiers finally came to stop the situation from further deteriorating.

  In the dark night, the middle-aged man blocked the door with a table or something early, and then went to bed to rest. Even if he couldn't sleep, he forced himself to close his eyes.

   Outside the inn, the soldiers who came to maintain order due to the riots shouted, but the damage that has already occurred will not disappear automatically because of the restoration of order...

  In the night, there were faint crying sounds.

  Crying as if they were kicked out of the lobby and had nowhere to stay, or crying as if they were bullied and beaten in the inn, as if their dreams were broken and their future was bleak.

  It was pitch black outside the window. It was the darkest, darkest and coldest moment before dawn, and it would be dawn soon after a while.

  When Huaguang rises again, it will be known whether it is moths to the flame, or phoenix nirvana, evil or good.

  (end of this chapter)