Why had Zhongzhao become the most powerful of the five countries in the Central Plains?
First, Zhongzhao had a unique geographical advantage. Its borders were only bordered by other Central Plains countries, and there were no foreign invasions.
Second, Zhongzhao was the first to be established among the five countries. It had seized much of the wealth of the previous dynasty and attracted many noble families.
With no foreign invasions and the wealth accumulated by the aristocratic families, it was expected that it would become the leader of the five countries.
However, excessive comfort had given rise to internal strife.
Today, Zhongzhao had followed in the footsteps of Dongqing. The internal strife was becoming more and more brutal.
In addition to internal strife, the rich, extravagant, and comfortable life had distorted the thinking of some people, and they could do whatever they wanted.
Just as the man in gray had mocked, Zhongzhao had caused so much trouble purely because too few people had died.
If they arranged a bunch of enemies for Zhongzhao who were like tigers waiting for wolves, and made their borders unpeaceful, countless young men would be sacrificed, and newborns would be reduced year by year, let's see if they could still continue with the so-called "Four Self-accomplishment Classics for Women" … forbidding widows from remarrying, restricting women from keeping their chastity …
Ha, it was the biggest joke in the world.
The man in gray left the teahouse and followed his memory to the place where the drowning ceremony was held.
By the time he arrived, there was already a crowd gathered in front of him. They were standing by the water's edge and pointing.
The noisy discussion was mixed with the sound of crying. The man in gray lowered his eyes and looked in the direction of the crying. The crying child was young. The boy was older, about seven or eight years old. The girl was young and skinny, no more than three or four years old. The two were dark and skinny.
Beside them was a young man in his twenties. His expression was ferocious. He protected the child and roared at the crowd.
Combining the discussion in the teahouse and the conversation of the villagers watching the drowning ceremony, the man in gray sorted out the outline of the story.
Simply put, a young widow in her twenties couldn't bear the loneliness and stole from a man from the same village. She was caught and drowned.
The man in gray took two steps forward. Taking advantage of his tall stature, he immediately saw the green-skinned drowned woman lying by the pond.
Before he arrived, she had already been thrown into a pig cage and drowned.
Not long after, the crowd of onlookers dispersed. Their faces still carried the strange joy of violating a taboo. It was so ugly that it was nauseating.
The grey-clothed man was about to leave when he saw the young man jump into the water and pick up the half-submerged woman's corpse, preparing to carry it home.
He lowered his eyes and stopped in his tracks. He took out some silver and gave it to the child beside the young man.
Looking at the young man's attire, he didn't look like a rich man, let alone give the woman a dignified death.
The young man trembled and bit his lips. His eyes were filled with tears. After a while, he said in a thick accent, "Thank you, big brother."
The man in gray took the opportunity to ask a few more questions and heard another version of the story.
The woman who was drowned in the pond was the prettiest girl in the neighboring village. She had married into the village a few years ago. She had been married to her husband for a few years, but her belly had never moved. When she finally got pregnant and gave birth to a girl, her in-laws hated her very much. After her daughter was born, her husband died, and the woman was widowed at a young age. The in-laws treated them harshly, thinking that their granddaughter was a curse to them. They even threw her daughter into the mountains when the woman wasn't paying attention, and she was almost fed to the wolves.
The young man went hunting in the mountains and happened to save his daughter. The two of them got to know each other and fell in love with each other.
One was a widow who had lost her husband and lived a hard life with her only daughter. The other was a widower who had lost his wife and had a son. The two of them liked each other and were a match made in heaven. After a long time, the barrier was broken. After some discussion, they planned to live together and support each other.
However, the woman's in-laws couldn't accept it. They scolded the woman for not keeping her chastity for their son and slandered the two of them for having an improper relationship a long time ago. The couple even went to the chief, hoping to drown the unclean woman to avoid tarnishing the family's reputation.
The young man hunted all year round and used his brute force to scare away the people who came to catch the woman.
He could protect her once or twice, but how could he protect the woman for a lifetime?
This morning, the woman found that her daughter and stepson were missing. She was afraid that the children would be kidnapped and sold or thrown into the mountains to be fed to the wolves by her in-laws. She hurriedly came out to look for them, but she didn't expect that it was a trap. She was caught by her clansmen who had been lying in ambush and forced to drown in the pond.
When the young man realized that something was wrong and hurried over, it was too late.
After listening to this story, the man in gray let out a short and mocking "Heh."
What was the funniest thing in the world?
A woman who could be a husband to any man asked all the women in the world to keep their chastity!
"Take these taels of silver and move to another place. If they remember it one day, maybe they will also catch this girl … "
The young man cried and looked like he had suffered a great grievance. However, he didn't accept the kindness of the man in gray.
For him, the man in gray didn't come over to scold him and the woman, which was the greatest kindness.
The man in gray sighed and gave the money to the boy who shrunk to the side. He couldn't help but rub the girl's hair.
"What's wrong with this world …"
The young man sobbed and cried while carrying the woman's cold and swollen body.
"Oh, evil people will reap what they have sown."
The grey-clothed man left behind these words and quietly left.
That night, the imperial city was brightly lit.
The Musical Houses were bustling everywhere, and the sound of music and bamboo instruments could be heard. There were many figures and graceful figures that made people daydream.
The palace was also filled with music, and there was an extremely luxurious and beautiful atmosphere everywhere.
The man in gray used his connections to sneak into the palace and arrived at the Phoenix Palace where the Empress lived with the help of a spy.
At the top of the red vermilion gate hung a black board with golden threads. On the board were three big words — Phoenix Palace.
Inside the palace, candles flickered, and on the eaves carved from sandalwood, there were phoenixes spreading their wings.
In the bedroom, the beams were made of sandalwood, and the curtains were made of pearls. A huge moon pearl hung in the sky, shining brightly as if it had hooked the full moon in the sky into the palace. It was like a paradise on earth. The floor was paved with white jade, shining with warm light. It was inlaid with gems and gold pearls, and the floor was chiseled into lotuses. The lotuses were vivid and exquisite, and the stamens were delicate and distinguishable. In the center, there was a gilded incense burner with curling mist.
Oh, it was extremely luxurious.
The man in gray had already changed his clothes. He walked straight into the palace and didn't meet any palace maids on the way.
"Guards, give this empress …"
Inside the palace, a woman in a palace dress was kneeling in front of a dressing mirror, putting makeup on.
Looking closely, the mirror inlaid with gems was not made of copper. It could clearly reflect a person's figure, and it was as bright as a demon revealing mirror.
Through the reflection of the mirror, the woman in the palace dress saw a man with a weathered face standing behind her. This person's appearance gave her a very familiar feeling … This person … seemed to be someone she knew … Her whole body trembled, and then she realized that there was no palace maid in the palace.
She suppressed the fear in her heart and pretended to be calm. She turned around and asked him, "Who are you?"
"Nobles have short memories. Do you remember Xie Qian who was murdered by you more than ten years ago?"
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