Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 52 Messenger

"The king's messenger is coming."

"After he arrives, I will return to Anyi, Hedong, and report my achievements of the year to the king."

When He Bo visited Ximen Bao again, the latter suddenly said this to him.

He Bo asked him, "Who should be in charge of Ye County?"

Ximen Bao said, "I will make some arrangements before I leave."

"The three new elders here are wise men selected by me, and Youjiao is my trusted guards. They can preside over the affairs for a month."

Go to the capital to report your achievements,

Fast people and fast horses,

Driving by boat,

Including the time of transfer and stop along the way,
It took more than a month to go back and forth.

Ximen Bao could take a boat from the Zhang River to the Yellow River, and then go upstream to reach Anyi directly.

"Why not go through the Zhang River?"

"I can help you get to Tongdi directly."

Simon Bao said, "This is also good."

"But I still want to see the attitude of the messenger first."

If the other person is a pragmatic and rational person, he will not be too surprised even if he encounters strange things such as ghosts and gods.

But if the other party is greedy,

Ximen Bao's concerns, which had made him ask He Bo not to use the power of ghosts and gods directly to repair the canal, began to arise again.

East County,

It was a newly acquired land of the State of Wei and also a crucial place in the State of Wei's struggle for hegemony in the Central Plains.

The envoys sent here to inspect local officials and nobles are usually people trusted by the monarch and can say something in front of the monarch.

Once a "miracle" really happens to occur, and the king of this country is old and suspicious...

Then,

The envoys returned to Anyi with the officials who had reported on their work, and only needed to report the happy event to the king.
As for Ximen Bao, he has a lot to consider.

"The fear between life and death is difficult for ordinary people to overcome. You are a wise man if you can take this into consideration."

Although there were not many records about "seeking immortality" or "longevity" during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period,

But the kings of later generations have already run on this road in various postures.

And human nature,
From ancient times to the present, little has changed.

Although He Bo was still unable to leave the Zhang River Basin at this time and could not bless the Marquis of Wei who was far away in Anyi,
But what if the State of Wei moved its capital directly here in order to seek protection from gods and ghosts and prolong life?

After all, it was established not long ago.

The Marquis of Wei was also the founding monarch.
There won't be much resistance in this matter.

Ximen Bao sighed and couldn't help but recall, "The Marquis of Wei was a very wise monarch, especially when he was young."

If it weren't for Wei Si's drastic support for the reform, how could Ximen Bao, who came from a commoner family, have risen to the top of a local government?

He Bo could only wish him well, "I hope that when he returns to Anyi this time, he will still be as virtuous as before."

Then he talked about his time in Gaolang.

"The king of Zhao has passed away."

"Prince Huaicheng became the ruler."

Ximen Bao was surprised, "I haven't heard of this."

He did not ask the ghosts and gods why they knew this, but only speculated, "I think Master Huai did not usurp the throne, otherwise Wucheng would definitely take action."

"Yes."

He Bo said to him, "Gong Zi Huai will govern for the Crown Prince, and when he grows up, he will return the power."

“This is a wise man.”

Ximen Bao sighed, "The State of Zhao is getting better."

He Bo thought of the "dog" that Gongzi Huai released into Gaolang, and felt that this was not necessarily the case.

He asked Ximen Bao, "When will the messenger arrive?"

"a few more days."

"How long will it take to review your achievements?"

"It will only take a few days."

"Then I should be able to see you off." He Bo calculated the soy sauce he was still brewing and thought it would be just the right time to give it to Ximen Bao.

……

after a few days,

The envoy from Anyi arrived as expected.

Ximen Bao went out of the city to greet him and accompanied him around Ye County for several rounds, inspecting the canals and fields, as well as the Rongdi people who were being treated like cattle and horses.

The envoy praised him for this, saying, "The magistrate of Ye is really good at governing."

"In less than a year, Ye County has been governed like this!"

"This year, Ye County will surely have a good harvest!"

Ximen Bao bowed and said, "I am just being loyal to my king."

Then the messenger asked him casually, "I heard that in Ye County, He Bo is very effective."

"Yes, this year, thanks to He Bo, the weather has been good and the harvest has been good."

"I want to go and offer sacrifice to Him. Can Ye Ling accompany me?"

"You can do anything!"

So Ximen Bao accompanied the messenger to the temple.

The envoy asked the temple priest to divine the harvest of Ye County this year, and the result was "good luck". Then, the envoy asked the temple priest to divine the situation of Wei State, and the result was "neutral".

The messenger nodded slightly and said to the temple priest, "Please divine the king's health again."

Finally, the result is also "neutral".

For the country and the elderly Duke of Wei, this result is already very good.

When the State of Wei was first established, it was a good thing if it could maintain stability.

The Marquis of Wei is old, so it is a good thing that he does not get sick.

But the messenger asked the temple priest to leave, and took the opportunity to blame Ximen Bao, "Why is Ye County so prosperous, but the country and the monarch are so so?"

"On my way here, I heard people say that the governor of Ye could communicate with the river god of Zhangshui. Did you only pray for your own achievements in front of the gods and ghosts, instead of praying for the country and the monarch?"

Ximen Bao could only humbly reply, "There is no such thing."

"How can a mortal like me influence the decision of ghosts and gods?"

The messenger asked him again, "The gods and ghosts protected Ye County, so where are the people who built the temple for them?"

"Because they disobeyed the will of the gods and ghosts and did not pay attention to the affairs of Wei, I executed them."

The messenger was still asking, "Oh, they built temples for ghosts and gods, isn't that pious enough?"

"You can speak like this in front of ghosts and gods, which shows that you won't tell the truth to the king!"

The messenger changed his previous friendly attitude and became more forceful and threatening.

But then he said proudly, "If you knew some truth, I would not tell you about your sins in front of the king."

Ximen Bao was surprised and said, "I am a disciple of Zhou and Confucius. Is there anything I don't understand?"

"You want to ask for a bribe from me and use all kinds of excuses to force me, but unfortunately I don't have any extra money to satisfy you!"

The messenger was angry, "I have already found out clearly that after you killed those rich people, you took their money!"

"I left some money to support their families and wives, and the rest was either distributed to the villagers in Ye County who were harmed by them, or used to repair canals and train soldiers!"

The messenger didn't believe it and said directly, "Don't try to quibble anymore. You have done so many things in Ye County, how could you not have money?"

"The temple is small now, and there are only you and me here. If we talk, no one else will know!"

Ximen Bao snorted, "How could I deceive the benevolence and justice in my heart and the gods and ghosts because of a villain like you?"

"You know about this, I know about it, the heavens know about it, and the earth knows about it. How can we expect no one else to know about it?"

The envoy was angry and threatened Ximen Bao that if he did not give him a bribe, he would return to Anyi and speak ill of Ximen Bao to the Marquis of Wei.

The result was at this moment,

In the closed temple, a gust of wind suddenly blew, causing the statue sitting high on the platform to make a slight sound.

The messenger heard a helpless sigh.

He turned around in shock and looked at the statue.

The colorful features of the statues, which have been surrounded by incense for months, are no longer as vivid and clear as they were at the beginning.

When the craftsman first made it, it still had some of He Bo's handsomeness, but when the colors were applied, it revealed more of the majesty of ghosts and gods and it was impossible to look directly at it.

Right now,

It didn't move.

There was no sound either.

I must have heard wrongly.

The messenger covered his chest, feeling a little upset and wanted to vent his anger on Ximen Bao.

He decided.

The money estimated previously was not enough!
Have to double,
Double the amount!
But when he opened his mouth again, he felt his mouth and tongue suddenly go numb, and a lingering stinging pain came from his face.

The strange wind in the temple blew even stronger.

"Uh……"

The messenger opened his mouth and couldn't close it. He wanted to grab Ximen Bao's sleeve and ask him what was wrong.

As soon as he stretched out his hand, he lost his balance and fell to the ground, his hands and feet twitching.

The tongue can no longer speak,

The body can no longer move.

So Ximen Bao opened the door and called the servants brought by the messenger.

"not good!"

"The messenger suddenly had a seizure!"

He and his attendants helped the messenger up, and then had him carried outside to a wide and bright place to seek treatment from a doctor.

Ximen Bao deliberately walked slower, looking dejected.

He Bo appeared beside him and said to him, "Your worries have come true."

"Yes, fortunately the ghosts and gods did not show up directly."

Ximen Bao bowed to He Bo and said, "Otherwise I will become a sycophantic minister in front of the monarch."

Although when the messenger encounters such a thing, he will inevitably think of ghosts and gods.

But He Bo never actually slapped him, so he could only guess the attitude of the ghosts and gods in private. He did not dare to push Ximen Bao directly in front of the king and force him to pray to the ghosts and gods to grant the king's gifts.

after all,

There is no evidence for anything.

Just as the messenger just said.

Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know, and no one else knows!

"Will it be okay?" Ximen Bao asked.

"He doesn't respect ghosts and gods. He can act normally from now on, but it's better not to talk!"

He Bo clasped his hands and asked Ximen Bao to quickly catch up to watch the fun, with a chuckle.

　Thanks to the book friends Wow is Coke, God-level Problem Otaku, Mo Ying, 160710155741468, Osirilong, Ji Feihao, 20210324140355801, Blue Moon in the Sky Yinhuangtu, Old Immortal Bug, Pox Fish, Uncle B's Reason, Ruled Man, and Common People Jinbuhuan for their monthly tickets! (*^@^*)
　　There is also a reward from book friend Wow, it’s Coke! (*︶*)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)