My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 108 The Wind Rises

Thinking of this, Lin Ziping lost interest in listening to gossip and was too lazy to delve into how Cui Lizheng, as a village head, could know so much about the central government in this era of limited information transmission. He casually echoed the rumors with little interest.

Cui Lizheng, however, seemed to have opened a floodgate of words, discussing everything from ancient times to the present, from the Four Books and Five Classics to poetry and songs, from the countryside to the imperial court.

"Really?" "I see!" "Oh..."

Lin Ziping skillfully employed sentence structure shifts and tone changes to the extreme. He even ran into the house to pour Cui Lizheng a bowl of tea while he was resting. He listened attentively, his expression changing with the content, sometimes frowning, sometimes nodding, sometimes happy, sometimes curious, determined to be an excellent listener.

"Ziping, what's your opinion on the previous dynasty?"

amount……

This isn't casual conversation. All I need to do is provide emotional value. Why do I need to provide knowledge or ask impromptu questions?

Lin Ziping recalled carefully, and after a long while hesitated, he said: "The previous dynasty only had two emperors. The second emperor was arrogant and extravagant, and engaged in large-scale construction projects. In addition, natural disasters and man-made calamities continued, and the people suffered unspeakably. Emperor Taizu rose up in rebellion, overthrew the tyranny of the previous dynasty, and was supported by the people."

"Hahaha... Ziping, you're blinded by your own limited perspective." Cui Lizheng burst into laughter, picked up the bowl, and drank it all in one gulp, making a bowl of water seem like a bold and unrestrained drink.

“Natural disasters are true, but which dynasty hasn’t experienced them? How can they possibly cause a change in the court? Do you even know what a ‘vegetable person’ is?” Cui Lizheng’s voice was somewhat heavy.

"Vegetable person?" Lin Ziping only knew that it could be used to describe someone who was very incompetent, but he had never heard of the term "vegetarian person" before. He shook his head and looked at Cui Lizheng with a puzzled expression.

Cui Lizheng explained: "Cai Ren, also known as Mi Rou, literally means meat that eats rice. What eats rice? People eat rice!"

What?! People eat rice?! Rice meat?!

Lin Ziping suddenly realized what a vegetable person was, and his stomach churned, causing him to gag.

"That's right, people who are eaten like vegetables. Hengde suffered a severe drought, and countless people starved to death. The people had no food or water, but they still wanted to live. So some people targeted their own kind. The timid ones dug up corpses and took their flesh, eating raw meat and drinking blood. The bold ones cut flesh from living people and bled them dry. Even after the flesh was gone, the person was still alive, just a skeleton clinging to life, unable to live and unable to die!"

Ugh... Lin Ziping couldn't help but bend over and gag again as he thought of that scene.

Cui Lizheng slowly poured Lin Ziping a glass of water: "Different types of meat have other names. Children are called 'Bone-Rotten,' the elderly are called 'Fire-Burning,' and women are called 'Unenvious Sheep.' They are hung up like livestock for people to choose from, discuss which piece of meat is the best, and even fight over it! What's ridiculous is that this didn't happen at the end of the previous dynasty. Hengde suffered a great drought, which was only about twenty years ago."

The image flashed before Lin Ziping's eyes, and he felt uneasy again, yet also vaguely relieved.

"It is better for a concubine to go to the market to sell vegetables than for a husband and wife to starve to death together in a year of famine."

With three thousand coins, the husband could return home; a single piece of meat could sustain him for a mile.

The lotus-like texture, when cooked, exudes fragrance; the milk-based wontons are eagerly sought after.

First, he severed both arms and hung them at the butcher shop; then he slowly cut off the fat thighs to make soup.

They wouldn't let anyone die, they'd only want fresh meat, so that every slice could be eaten by hungry people.

Men's flesh is fishy and unpalatable, while women's skin is smooth and creamy with little sweat.

After three days, only the soul remains, its flesh gone; where can it seek its husband as the setting sun casts its twilight glow?

A woman born with a talent for cooking is good at making vegetables, and can bring her husband home to live out his days in peace.

"How many people will be filled with the entrails of the dead, but thankfully the crows and kites didn't peck at them too early." [1]

Cui Lizheng's voice was low, and his eyes were filled with tears.

"Uncle Cui..." Lin Ziping murmured upon seeing this. He recalled Mo Bani's story about his fifth and sixth sisters. They were gone. Were they exchanged for silver and ended up as someone else's meal?

Remembering that they were just one of many inexperienced people, Lin Ziping's voice became somewhat hoarse: "Then... then is no one going to do anything about it?"

"Of course we can manage it, but how can we possibly manage it all? So many people need to be fed, how much silver is needed? The Yellow River dikes need to be repaired, the royal palace needs to be built, and the border troops need to be paid—which of these doesn't require silver?" Cui Lizheng said calmly.

Seriously? This costs money, but the famine didn't happen at the beginning of the dynasty. After a hundred years of accumulation, the Great Zhou Dynasty doesn't even have this much wealth?!

"Besides, not every official is diligent in serving the people and loves them like their own children. They're just after promotions and wealth. What do they care about the lives of the common people? They might even use this as an excuse to cry poverty to the court, play the victim, gain sympathy, and earn a reputation for being concerned about the country and its people!" Cui Lizheng said with a mocking expression.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew, making Lin Ziping shudder. The couplet on the gate of the Whampoa Military Academy, which he had read about in his history books, suddenly came to mind: "Those who seek promotion and wealth, please go elsewhere; those who are greedy for life and afraid of death, do not enter this gate."

"Under the vast sky, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the land, all people are subjects of the king." [2] The dynasty can be surnamed Zhao, Li, Gao, or Wang, and the people of the world can also be from the Zhao family, the Li family, the Gao family, or the Wang family. It is laughable that they live by themselves and still have to be grateful for the emperor's great grace that allows them to live." Cui Lizheng put the bowl in his hand heavily on the table and left in anger.

got windy.

Even after Cui Lizheng had been gone for some time, Lin Ziping remained sitting there blankly. The chessboard on the table in front of him was still there, and the chess pieces were scattered haphazardly on it. Cui Lizheng's words echoed in his mind, and he could not calm down for a long time.