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Magical Three Kingdoms
墨書 Inktalez
On a certain day in the year 184, despite the bright sunshine and the noon hour, there were few people walking on the streets. Only a few ragged beggars were scattered along the roadside, in various postures, begging for money from passersby. A gust of wind blew through, carrying the yellow sand and scattered garbage from the street to the alley, as there were not many pedestrians to obstruct its path. The beggars were left with faces covered in garbage and dust. Some of them, too hungry to bear it, grabbed the garbage and stuffed it into their mouths, only to vomit it out due to their hasty consumption, followed by fits of coughing.
" Master Zhang, do you want to get on the horse?"
"I'm fine, I want to take a walk on the street. You go and do your own thing. I'll go home directly later."
Outside the Vermilion Bird Gate of the palace, a middle-aged man in official attire waved his hand and squeezed out a smile at his attendant.
"Then, take care, Master Zhang..." The attendant bowed to Master Zhang and then walked away.
Master Zhang walked onto the street, looked around at the dilapidated scene, sighed deeply, and at that moment, a joyful children's song drifted over.
"Selected as a scholar, but ignorant. Selected as filial and incorrupt, but father lives separately. Poor and simple, pure and honest, but as muddy as dirt. A top skilled general is as timid as a chicken."
(PS: Those selected as scholars lack filial piety and moral integrity, or lack knowledge, or are not respectful to their parents; so-called pure and honest children of poor families are nothing but dirty things; so-called top skilled general are actually a bunch of cowards.)
This is a folk song from the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, satirizing the moral decay and social value system collapse during the period of eunuch domination.
"Oh my, little ancestors, why are you singing this again? Come on, let's go inside quickly!"
A man who heard the singing hurried over and gestured to shoo the children into the house, but he didn't insist on driving the children into the house. When he saw Master Zhang in official uniform with an expressionless face, he just smiled awkwardly and didn't show any signs of fear.
"Zhang, Master Zhang, hello. I'm sorry, my children didn't mean any harm!"
"Um, it's nothing, it's nothing. Actually, it's quite catchy. I've listened to it almost a dozen times recently. Don't mind it."
Although this nursery rhyme lyric sarcastically criticizes the current court, surprisingly no one has been arrested for it. Master Zhang doesn't know whether to find it unbelievable.
"Is General Gao really as timid as a chicken?" Master Zhang smiled bitterly.
Come to think of it, if the court were not filled with a group of cowardly officials and generals, how could they allow a few eunuchs to manipulate political power at will? Even he himself, when he saw those eunuchs misbehaving, was equally powerless.
Due to the turmoil in the court, the people cannot live in peace. Many have lost their homes and families, and even some former wealthy individuals have resorted to begging on the streets.
Master Zhang would give a few coins to each beggar he passed, knowing that it only served to alleviate his own deep-seated guilt.
Next to Master Zhang's courtyard is a lake, and there is often a lot of people resting in the small pavilion by the lake. At this moment, there is only an old man with a white cloth covering his eyes, sitting there with a cane, calling out slowly:
"Fortune-telling and physiognomy~ If it's not accurate, it's free~"
Master Zhang took a glance at the old man, and without saying a word, he wanted to go home. Just as he stepped over the threshold, he heard the old man behind him speaking:
"Sir, are you willing to stop by those beggars and give them some money, but when it comes to me, you intend to just pass by like this? Am I worse than those beggars?"
Master Zhang After listening, I felt both angry and amused, so I turned around and walked to the side of the old man.
"You can't see with your eyes, so how do you know so clearly?"
The old man turned his head slightly in the direction of Master Zhang, chuckled a few times, and said, "Although I am blind, my heart is not blind. Even though my eyes cannot see, I can see more with my heart than you can see with your eyes."
Master Zhang listened for a moment, then asked curiously, "So, what can you see?"
"Come, come, let this old man help you with a divination and you will know..."
The old man gently patted the table, gesturing for Master Zhang to sit down.
Master Zhang had just sat down when he heard someone urgently calling from behind:
" Master Zhang! Oh, you're back. Master Li is waiting for you! He seems to have something important to discuss with you!"
"Old sir, I'm sorry, we'll meet again if fate allows." Master Zhang said apologetically to the old man, then turned to leave.
"Hold on, you also have some fate with me. Let me tell you a little fortune-telling. It seems you are a resident of the courtyard next to mine. Listen carefully: 'At the hour of the pig, do not light the lamp, for the mad dog will cause chaos. Under the moon, there will be sighs of sorrow, as a distinguished guest arrives from afar.'"
Master Zhang hurried home after thanking the old man, but after a few steps, he suddenly realized that he didn't have a dog at home. He quickly turned around to look for the old man, only to be surprised to find that the old man was no longer there.
Although it was strange that the old man disappeared in such a short time, Master Zhang didn't think much about it and hurriedly followed the attendants to the hall.
Just as Master Zhang reached a point not far from the hall, he heard a loud barking. "How come there's barking...?" Master Zhang wondered as he walked into the hall, where he soon saw a huge dog being held on a leash by a burly man. The large dog seemed quite agitated, pacing back and forth in a small area.
" Master Zhang, you finally arrived. We've been waiting for you for so long," Master Li greeted with a big smile when he saw Master Zhang approaching.
" Master Li, who is this dog...?"
"Oh, I see. Recently, there have been some burglars breaking into homes to steal. I noticed that Master Zhang only has one servant, and if something bad happens, it would be difficult to handle. So, I want to give this dog to Master Zhang. With this dog, no burglars would dare to come near!"
Master Zhang looked the large dog up and down and nodded.
"Thank you so much, Master Li!"
"Oh, it's nothing. We're all officials in times like these, after all. Haha."
Master Li smiled bitterly for a few times, and Master Zhang understood the meaning of what he said, so he also smiled helplessly.
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