Ye An understands the history of the Song Dynasty, but he only knows about the Song Dynasty through books. He knows the major events in history, and he also knows some small things that have been recorded, but it does not mean that he fully understands everything in detail.
For example, take the Xuanchengzi in front of you. His status in the Zhenzong Dynasty is naturally not low, and he has been rewarded by Song Zhenzong, but Ye An has never heard of anything about him.
For Ye An, everything is just the beginning. Every person he meets is a new discovery, and every land he walks through has new answers. Not only is this path not boring, but it is a bit more fun.
As I walked happily along the path, I kept looking at the old farmer Wang Fu up and down. He was dressed exactly as recorded in the history books. He was completely numb from top to bottom.
Needless to say, the right lapel collar is folded, and a piece of horse cloth is specially sewn on the edge of the clothes, which also serves as a decoration and makes the clothes wear-resistant.
A piece of blue linen wraps his hair on his head. A few strands of white hair are exposed, which shows that he is not young. His face is full of the vicissitudes that time and farm work have brought to him.
With a face full of simplicity and loyalty, this is the most classic image of the Han people.
Ye An suddenly discovered that the paintings of later generations did not deviate from reality at all. On the contrary, they were no different from the Wang Fu he saw, and they were even lifelike.
Oxen are valuable and precious things. The status of farm oxen in people's homes is no less than that of their own sons. The whole family relies on these animals to plow the fields and pull carts. They are even more indispensable during busy farming periods. If a family's oxen dies, it is equivalent to losing all their savings.
and deposits stolen.
To be able to generously lend the cow to Lao Daoqi and let Ye An hold it was a sign of great trust.
This also shows Wang Fu's simplicity. In his eyes, the old Taoist is the old immortal, and Ye An is the disciple of the immortal. They are all people who can be trusted, and for those who can be trusted, they believe unconditionally. This is the simplicity of farmers.
.
In fact, Xuanchengzi's destination was not Yangcheng County. He just came to Yangcheng County to buy some things, and placed orders in Yangcheng County by the way.
Today I can't go to Wang Yuanwai's home. Although his home is also in Yangcheng County, it is far away from the county seat of Yangcheng County. The scope of county governance in the Song Dynasty was not small. One county was equivalent to several counties in later generations.
In fact, Ye An has always been interested in Taoist practices. Later generations saw from TV video materials that the so-called practice was Tiao Da Shen. He knew that the real Taoist practice was completely different from Tiao Da Shen, and it should not be called practice, but should be called
"Zhai Jiao Ritual".
There are true Taoist priests in later generations who practice Taoism, but they are rarely encountered, and they have to practice enough... After all, Taoism is famous for its aloofness. Unless it is for the sake of good fortune, real Taoist priests will rarely do Taoism for others.
If you have that time, you might as well practice more, why should you "avoid disasters" for others?
As a local religion, Taoism is also the most famous for being "arrogant" and can also be said to be noble. If you go to a Taoist temple to preach atheism, people may not pay attention to you at all.
From the perspective of Taoists, "Believe it or not, don't hinder me from cultivating immortality!" This is the sentiment of most Taoist practitioners.
Ye An has never seen the practice of a true Taoist priest. How could he miss the opportunity now?
"Master, aren't you going to Wang Daguan's house to do the Dharma today?"
Xuan Chengzi angrily reached out and hit Ye An on the head with a whisk: "What kind of method?! It's a fasting ceremony!"
"Oh! Zhai Jiao rituals, Zhai Jiao rituals!"
"Today has passed the auspicious time, how can we get there? As a teacher, I will not deceive good people. I will take you to Baiyun Temple to place orders first, so as not to end up at Tutu Temple outside the city tonight."
Ye An looked at the old Taoist with wide eyes: "Master, can a Taoist priest place orders in a monk's temple?!"
The old Taoist rolled his eyes at Ye An: "We are all cultivators, so why not? Ordinary people can stay in Buddhism, so why shouldn't we?"
Ye An scratched his head. This was indeed the truth. Speaking of Buddhism, Buddhism also pays attention to fate. If it excludes Taoist priests just because of different beliefs, it would seem a bit petty.
The county seat of Yangcheng County is not big, with a circumference of less than a thousand steps. It is a real small town. There are only more than a thousand people in the city and there are not many houses. Even so, it is lively and lively, and people from all over the country will live there.
Come and trade.
The city gate is not big, that is, it is a rammed earth structure with a small door opened on the city wall, but even so, its defensive performance is much better than nothing.
There are not many people living in the city. The characteristics of a farming nation are that they can get most of their daily necessities from the land, so there is no need to live in the city.
Most of the people living in the county are wealthy merchants, people who work in government offices, as well as some service providers and traders.
The permanent population in the county town is not very large, but there are quite a few people coming and going. Even when it is getting late, there are still people coming and going at the gate of the county town.
Vendors carrying poles are still coming in and out. Ever since the curfew was lifted in the Song Dynasty, the nightlife in the Song Dynasty has been very rich, and people are constantly traveling to the busiest places in the county.
Of course, for a small county like Yangcheng County, the night market does not last very late.
One thing is different from what Ye An thought. There are still officials affiliated with the government here to check at the city gate. The Song Dynasty did not need road guides and the like, but it also needed another important document, the self-report.
The doorman is the title of tolerance. Anyone who can be the doorman is not an ordinary person. He has a very precise pair of "moves". A familiar face can easily enter the city. However, if you are unfamiliar with the face, you will have to ask a few questions, and the doorman has the ability to observe people's expressions.
But it’s a matter of special skills.
A stranger like Ye An needs to explain his origins, where he lives, what clan he belongs to, the name of the squire, what he does for a living, etc.
These are cross-examination techniques. The doorkeeper can obtain information from the answers and determine whether there are logical errors.
Don't underestimate these doormen, they are all veteran officials who have been on duty for many years. If you try to fool them, the end result will often be discovered!
But Ye An did not have such troubles. When he approached the city gate, his expression immediately became respectful when he saw Lao Dao and Ye An wearing purple clothes.
He folded his hands and bowed to salute Xuanchengzi. After saluting, he crossed his hands on his chest, held the thumb of his right hand tightly with his left hand, and pointed the little finger of his left hand towards his right wrist. All four fingers of his right hand were straight, with the big finger of his left hand pointing upward, like a six.
"Master Zhu, Immortal Qingxiu has left the palace? Whose family is so lucky that they can ask you to leave the palace? Who is this?"
Ye An was a little surprised. He didn't expect that this guy actually had a lot of information. He could tell the purpose of Lao Dao's trip at a glance, but he couldn't tell the truth.
The old Taoist did not return the gift, but said with a half-smile: "Old Liutou, you are still showing off your skills in front of the Taoist master? Can't you see the purple clothes on my disciples? How can a non-internal disciple inherit the mantle?
!”
Liu Mentou immediately showed a surprised and flattering smile: "Old immortal, why did you suddenly accept a disciple? You are still a disciple who passed on the mantle. If this word spreads, will those young talents become red-eyed?"
Although he didn't tell Ye An directly, he was obviously praising Ye An for being better than those young talents. He didn't expect to meet such a person just after coming down the mountain. He was a person who was good at accidents. Ye An was slightly surprised. The ancients said "rainbow fart"