My God, I am the emperor, the lord of mankind.

Chapter 368 Wenchang

Zhao family?

Liu Zhen searched in his mind for this local wealthy family in Niumao Town whose name was unfamiliar to him after so many years.

Zhao He, the eldest son of the Zhao family, was at the same time as him in his early years, that is, he was elected as a candidate in the same year.

Mr. Zhao, in Liu Zhen's impression, was a local squire with a majestic face and rich experience.

It is said that he once served as a scholar under Emperor Zhengde in the imperial court. Later, for unknown reasons, he retired early and became a rich man and country squire in Niumao Town.

It's just that this person's body was still strong yesterday, why did he suddenly...

After understanding the meaning of his mother's words, Liu Zhen couldn't help but turn his head with a stunned expression.

And Liu's mother seemed to see the surprise in Liu Zhen's movements.

After putting on the last patch of the official uniform, he rubbed his slightly red and swollen eyes. After his eyes were no longer so dry, he said.

"This year, the town doesn't know what happened. First, something happened to the Huang family's two sons, then the Wen family, and now Mr. Zhao is gone... People say that the government has killed too many people in the past two years, and God can't bear it. As a warning of punishment, I will make an appointment with Aunt Lin next door tomorrow to burn incense and pray at the Buddhist temple on Niumao Mountain next door to bless my little grandson in safety..."

After hearing what Liu's mother said, Liu Zhen frowned.

When I heard the words "God is warning", I finally couldn't help it and said.

"What a bunch of unscrupulous people. There have been more people beheaded by the government this year, but they are all Jurchen shamans, Liaodong criminal generals, mountain bandits and other unpardonable people... Birth, old age, illness and death are common sense in the world. Who should be beheaded by the court? , What does it matter how many heads you kill? Mother, please don’t believe the nonsense of these unscrupulous people——"

"Having said that, there have been frequent funerals among high-ranking people in the town recently, which inevitably makes people panic..."

Mother Liu sighed.

Although Niumao Town is a small town, it has always produced talents and entered the imperial court through the imperial examination.

The population of the town is no more than a thousand, but there are more than two hands of famous people.

Locals say this is all because Niumao Town was one of the emperor's candidate tombs in the past and has excellent Feng Shui, so it can produce so many talents.

Maybe that's part of the reason.

But the reason why so many people can stand out from the imperial examination.

I'm afraid only they themselves know the real reason.

"Son! How long will you stay when you come back this time? Mother can prepare the clothes for you when you go to work."

Mother Liu folded the official uniform carefully, put it together with the prepared four-season uniform, and then asked Liu Zhen.

Although she was only a female official, she was well-informed about matters in the officialdom. In her early years, she had mixed with various religions to make a living, but she could also guess a thing or two and knew that Liu Zhen's sudden return must have something important.

When she was in her twenties, she became a widow because the Jurchens robbed border markets.

Orphans and widowed mothers depended on each other. Since she could support Liu Zhen by herself and help him to study and gain fame, she naturally knew how powerful those court officials were.

I also know that although these officials are usually majestic, if they make one wrong move, they will be doomed, with swords and axes on their bodies, and their heads in different places.

The simplest is "If the king wants his ministers to die, they must die."

"Mother, I have official duties this time. I may have to go somewhere else if the court orders me someday..."

Liu Zhen said, he raised his head and glanced at the room that he had fallen asleep since returning home yesterday, and he hadn't had time to look at it carefully.

In front of the door is a small courtyard, facing the two main rooms, where his wife and son sleep.

The small house she lives in is a guest room, which Liu's mother usually uses at home to burn incense and pray to Buddha.

In addition to a wooden bed and a pile of quilts, there is a long pine table and two altars, on which are placed the guardian statues that Liu's mother has invited from various temples over the years to ensure the safety of her family.

Liu Zhen sat on the pine chair, sniffing the scent of sandalwood from the incense burner nearby, thinking about the mission assigned to him by the court this time to search for traces of the White Lotus demon in his hometown.

The bench beneath me creaked under the weight. Like other furniture, the material of the bench was also taken from the rare evergreen pine forest in Niumao Mountain.

As the saying goes, you can eat mountains if you rely on mountains, and you can eat water if you rely on water.

Niumao Mountain next to Niu Mao Town supports many craftsmen and hunters here.

I heard that there were strange beasts in Niumao Mountain, which attracted warriors and warriors from all over the place to hunt here.

The craftsmen in the town claim to be inherited from Yuanting craftsmen. They not only know traditional Chinese techniques, but are also said to have some knowledge of Persian and Western techniques.

Many Mongolian and Jurchen traders came here to exchange livestock and leather for utensils.

Many Mongolian nobles even ordered wood carvings at high prices and brought them back to the grasslands to worship with their troops. Because of the exquisite carving skills of local craftsmen, the statues worshiped by most families in Niumao Town are mostly made of wooden structures.

When Liu Zhen turned his eyes, he was immediately attracted by a familiar figure on the altar.

That was Emperor Wenchang. According to legend, Wenchang controlled the stars that led to the success and success of scholars in the world.

But then, when he saw clearly the hateful face of the thing in front of him.

His expression instantly became suspicious.

The dark, faceless statue in front of him reminded him of a past event that he thought would sink into the sea of ​​memory forever.

But when Liu Zhen was frightened, he stood up.

Holding the candlestick, I walked to the Wenchang statue next to the gold-painted Maitreya statue, but I couldn't help but rub my eyes.

The statue of Wenchang in front of him is still majestic, sitting on the Taishi chair, holding a scroll in his hand.

The terrifying evil thing Liu Zhen saw just now seemed to be just a hallucination that he had when he was driving all night recently.

Liu Zhen blinked.

He once again carefully looked at the statue of Wenchang, which was mixed among a bunch of statues in front of him and looked upright and upright under the candlelight.

Although nothing unusual was seen.

But thinking about the strange dreams he had one after another when he came to Niumao Town.

The statue of Wenchang in the dream is ferocious and terrifying.

Just like that afternoon a few years ago when he failed repeatedly——

After a long time, he moved his eyes away from the Wenchang statue and turned to the Maitreya statue on the side.

Although Maitreya belief is not uncommon in Buddhism or among the people.

But at this critical juncture when the imperial court is hunting down the White Lotus Sect.

Visiting the statues of Maitreya Buddha revered by the demon gang at home still made Liu Zhen feel a little uncomfortable.

However, I remembered that my mother had been a devout Buddhist since she could remember.

But Liu Zhen was unwilling to put away the Maitreya statue that had been placed at home for decades, which would make his mother sad.

"When did my family invite me home..."

Liu Zhen asked.

His mother's answer surprised him.

"Son! When you came to Beijing to take up the post, the next day the master of the Zhao family sent someone to deliver the statue of Wenchang to his home. He said that the Taoist priest from the nearby Po Feng audience said that this statue was destined to you. Congratulations on your promotion. Now you have four statues. It’s been a year..."

Po Feng Guan——

An unfamiliar name.

Liu Zhen did not remember any famous Taoist temples near Niumao Town.

Probably some Taoist temples who want to build relationships.

Liu Zhen was thinking, and at the same time, the sound of cockcrow came to his ears.

Looking out the window again, I don’t know when the sky has become white.

At Liu's mother's urging, Liu Zhen picked up the eggs, caught a hen and tied it with a straw rope, then walked towards the home of Zhao Yuan, a wealthy family in the town.

He didn't see it as he left.

As the candles went out, the Maitreya statue with a compassionate face quietly stared at his back.

He disappeared into the darkness again, his face gradually becoming more ferocious.

Next to Maitreya, the exquisite facial features of the statue of Wenchang, which represented the cultural destiny, were distorted and chaotic, leaving only the faceless statue in the darkness.

(End of this chapter)