In recent times, the Lu family’s haunted house in Qingzhou Prefecture has been a hot topic of discussion among the officials of the Exorcism Department.
The first is because of its danger; the second is because of its generous mission rewards; and the third is because of its historical sensitivity.
After all, its former owner, Lu Huan, the former chief minister of the cabinet, was executed by the Nine Tribes for committing treason.
Before that, the Lu family in Qingzhou was one of the four powerful and famous clans.
But now, that once-prominent family has completely disappeared.
The magnificent and bustling mansion back then has also turned into a remote and gloomy ghost house that everyone feared.
"Could the evil spirit making trouble in the Lu family's mansion be the resentful spirit of Lu Shoufu?" In an inconspicuous corner of the Yishui Exorcism Department Office, a group of clerks took advantage of their lunch break Time to get together and discuss secretly.
"How is it possible? Back then, Chief Lu secretly colluded with the northwest barbarians and conspired to rebel, but there is irrefutable proof! It is said that the rebellious minister and traitor still wanted to resist, but His Majesty the Emperor personally captured him - Your Majesty is our great Qi The cultivator who is closest to the immortal. If he takes action, the rebel will be completely destroyed, and it will be difficult for him to turn into a ghost."
"Lu Huan is indeed worthy of death! There must be many innocent people implicated! Like his wife, children, maids, servants...as well as the elderly and babbling children, none of these people will survive. Will we rebel together with Lu Huan?"
"If you really think so, then you are too naive! If you think about it carefully, if Lu Huan succeeds in his rebellion, wouldn't his wife become Queen? Won’t his children become princes and princesses? Even his housekeeper can become a general manager - ahem, if he wants... this is how one person can ascend to heaven!"
< p>"Shh, keep your voice down! It wouldn't be good if outsiders heard this.""To be honest, I actually feel sorry for the Lu family. I once heard that the elders in the family As mentioned before, the Lu family in Qingzhou is a descendant of immortals, and all the ladies in the clan are like gods with different styles. Not only are they beautiful, but they are also talented and good at writing poetry and painting. Alas, it is a pity that they are all ignored by Lu Huan. The rebels have been implicated... It would be great if one of them could be my wife!"
"You think so! Even if they are still alive, they will only find a well-matched man among the four great families. Marriage is not something you, a petty official with a monthly salary of two taels of silver, can even afford to buy a house for.”
“By the way, brother, I remember reading it in the old newspaper. There was a girl from the Lu family who was not executed because she was too beautiful. Instead, her cultivation was abolished and sent to the Luojing Jiaofang Department——"
"——You said it Is it Lu Shiyao, a talented girl from the Lu family who was known as the "most beautiful woman in Jiaodong", who was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and whose knowledge and talent surpassed all the young talents in the country? "
"Yes, it's her"< /p>
“Haha, you must not have read the Di newspaper carefully. Lu Shiyao calls herself "Fairy Suxue" and has always been cold and aloof. How could someone like her be willing to go to the Jiaofang Division and become the plaything of the high-ranking officials in the capital? She had already committed suicide by jumping off a cliff on the way to the capital. "
"Oh, it would be great if she was still alive. I'm quite curious, who is better in beauty, Lu Shiyao, the former most beautiful woman in Jiaodong, and Princess Zhaoning, the current most beautiful woman in Luojing..."
"Anyway, what about Lu? The rewards for meritorious service in the murderous house case, as well as the top-grade spells, really made me excited! ”
“Young people, don’t think too much! With your low level of cultivation, after going to that haunted house, you will probably only be able to serve as food for evil spirits..."
"..."
At this time, Gu Xu drove away Passing by the corridor of Mosi Yamen, he happened to hear the discussion of these minor officials.
He had to sigh that politics and women were always the eternal topics in men's chat.
< p>However, even if the whole world is discussing Lu's Haunted House, and even if the reward for this case is increased to 10,000 merit points, Gu Xu will not accept this task even if he kills him.After all, it is important for people to know themselves. .
…………
Today is different from the past.
Gu Xu came to the Yamen not to do a task, but to apply for reimbursement. .
In the past few days, he has repaired and renovated his old house according to the original plan.
In fact, after successfully passing the promotion examination, he He has wanted to do this for a long time.
But because of financial constraints, he has been delaying taking action.
Until recently, Cui Tianyou told him that Da Qi. Officials can apply for reimbursement if they change their lintels.
“Brother Cui, you didn’t tell me about such a good thing earlier! "
"Brother Gu, I see that you are busy practicing and doing tasks every day, how dare I disturb you? ”
In the Daqi Dynasty, there were strict rules and regulations for the construction of residential gates.
For example, the lintel is the beam on the upper part of the door frame above the main entrance. Only the residences of imperial officials are allowed It is marked that the houses of ordinary people are not allowed to have lintels.
The lintels are also divided into numbers of two, four and twelve.
There are two doors on the lintel. The door stalls correspond to officials of the fifth rank and below; the four door stalls correspond to officials of the fourth rank and above; as for the twelve door stalls, they can only be used by princes and above.
Except. In addition, Daqi officials also emphasize that "the door is higher than the road", so there must be steps in front of the house.
But the steps cannot be built casually, and they must be built according to the system.
The steps in front of the doors of officials of the sixth rank and below cannot be higher than the second level, and the steps in front of the doors of the fifth-rank officials cannot be higher than the third level... And the steps of the ninth rank, that is the number that represents the apex, cannot be used by anyone except the emperor.
Therefore, people often use the words "bringing light to the lintel" and "entering the body".to describe the improvement of status.
Due to the extraordinary power in this world, the speed of repairing the house is much faster than Gu Xu expected.
In just a few days Oh my god, the peeling adobe wall has disappeared and turned into a brand new white wall and black tiles; the old creaking wooden door has also disappeared and turned into a solemn black door iron ring.
The stone steps at the door are also much higher than those of the surrounding neighbors, causing countless passers-by to stop and watch.
"Brother Gu, I actually think that you have become an eighth-grade official now. Living in a small place like Ping'an Lane is too humiliating and not worthy of your status. You can definitely find a better location, buy a larger house, and hire a few servants to run errands..." Cui Tianyou couldn't help but suggested to Gu Xu.
"Can you Reimbursement? "Gu Xu interrupted him.
"Well...this cannot be reimbursed, but if you are a little more careful with your budget, you don't need to spend too much money..."
“Then forget it. "Gu Xu shook his head and stopped discussing this topic with him.
Even if he has money, he still has to use it for cultivation. How can he spend it on such a meaningless face-saving project?
…………
After receiving the funds, Gu Xu returned home
Looking at the brand-new environment around him, he felt happy.
"Bring a pen and paper! "He ordered the little book boy on the screen portrait.
Then he splashed ink and wrote "Changshengzhai" in three large, smooth and elegant characters on the paper, and used magic to spell it out. Frame it and hang it in your room.
Literati often give their living rooms or study rooms a meaningful name to express their feelings and interests.
And Gu Xu. He has always thought of himself as a common man without great ambitions.
All he wants in life is "immortality".