Rebirth of The Deer and the Cauldron, Wei Xiaobao Becomes a God

In the palace, the concubines who were to be buried with Zheng Jing had been gathered together. There were more than 300 of them, and they were crying. They were surrounded by eunuchs with weird looks and guards holding big swords.

These women were Zheng Jing's most beloved concubines during his lifetime, but now they had to face the fate of death.

They cried and screamed, hoping for a glimmer of hope, but no one could save them.

Human sacrifice, as a cruel and inhumane system, is undoubtedly a major stain in the history of human civilization.

It originated in the late primitive society and was popular in the Shang Dynasty, but with the progress of the times and the change of ideas and concepts, this barbaric custom was gradually abandoned.

By the Spring and Autumn Period, people's awareness of the value of life had significantly improved, and the system of human sacrifice gradually declined.

Instead, real people were buried with pottery figurines, wooden figurines and other items. This change reflected the improvement of social civilization and the awakening of human nature.

During the Han Dynasty, the rulers passed legislation to explicitly prohibit human sacrifice, which showed that the society's respect and protection for human rights had risen to a new level at that time.

However, despite this, the phenomenon of human sacrifice has not completely disappeared, but has become more rare.

However, history is always full of twists and turns. In the Ming Dynasty, the human sacrifice system was revived again.

Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor, actually restored this long-abandoned bad custom, regarded it as the law of his ancestors, and required his descendants to follow it.

This decision has caused widespread controversy, with many people believing that it is a historical regression and a serious violation of the progressive trend of society.

But in any case, Zhu Yuanzhang's decision allowed the system of human sacrifice to continue, leaving a heavy mark on the history of the Ming Dynasty.

These concubines who were buried alive were called "Chaotiannu" and their families were often given generous gifts or promoted to higher positions.

Therefore, except for the "Chaotiannu" themselves who would be sad because of their death, everyone, including their parents, would feel happy and proud of them. This is the sadness of Ming Dynasty history.

Early the next morning, before daybreak, a long funeral procession set out from the palace.

Leading the team were the city guards holding up signs that read "Silence" and "Make way". They marched in step with solemn expressions.

Following them came a team of royal guards dressed in sackcloth, holding high the spirit-calling banners.

This was followed by a large suona band, playing a sad funeral song. The sound echoed in the morning air, making people feel sad.

Zheng Jing's coffin was carefully lifted by dozens of strong eunuchs and moved slowly behind the suona band.

The "filial son" Zheng Keshuang wore mourning clothes, held the coffin in his hands, and walked beside the coffin with a sad expression.

Behind the coffin, there was a group of concubines tied together. They were called "Chaotiannu".

Chen Zhaoniang, Zheng Jing's beloved love, walked in front with an expressionless face. Her eyes were empty, as if she had lost her soul.

These "women of Chaotian" became burial objects, and they will always accompany Zheng Jing in the underworld.

Passersby along the way stopped to watch, pointing and talking about the funeral procession.

Some had sympathetic looks on their faces, while others looked cold and indifferent.

Zheng Jing's tomb is located next to Zheng Chenggong's tomb and covers an area of ​​more than ten acres.

There are more than ten stone chambers built in the cemetery, including the main tomb chamber of Zheng Jing and the secondary tomb chamber of the Queen.

The other stone chambers were specifically used to house the "Chaotian Nu" who were buried with the dead.

These poor women were tied up tightly and imprisoned in a small stone chamber.

When the tomb is closed, they will face extremely harsh environment and eventually suffocate to death due to the thin air.

Some women may delay their death for a while, dying of starvation;

Some women even went insane and died from mental breakdowns.

These tragic scenes are heartbreaking and it is hard to imagine the terrible situation at that time.

.........

Inside the Fuzhou Governor's Mansion, Wei Xiaobao stood in front of the mountains of gold and silver with a bright smile on his face, as if he had seen countless beautiful things.

He put his hands on his hips, smiled smugly, and his eyes flashed with greed and satisfaction.

"Husband, your house-raiding operation this time was amazing! It was more successful than any previous time, and the amount of silver seized was unprecedentedly large!" Shuang'er widened her eyes, staring at the mountains of gold and silver in front of her, amazed.

"Of course! I'm the best at things like confiscating property!" Wei Xiaobao replied proudly.

At the same time, Ling Zhao excitedly pointed to the other side and said loudly: "Look over there! Officials from all over Fujian have sent people to line up to pay bribes! The soldiers in charge of registration have their hands numb from writing!"

Just as the three were immersed in joy, Zhu Youli and Wu Xingzuo came over together. Their faces were serious and heavy, in sharp contrast to the joyful atmosphere around them.

Wu Xingzuo bowed to Wei Xiaobao, and then said in a low voice: "Teacher, Rao Lixiang has confessed everything. He gave 10% of his profits to Yao Qisheng, 20% to Prince Kang, 30% to the Zheng family of Dongzhou Island, and 10% to all officials in Fujian. The last 30% remained in his own hands. As for how much silver he has, he himself is not sure, but according to what he said, it should be no less than 10 million taels of silver."

When Wei Xiaobao heard this, his eyes nearly popped out of his head and he cried out, "What? One hundred million taels of silver!"

He couldn't believe his ears, this was an astronomical amount of wealth!

You know, the Qing Dynasty only collected 30 million taels of silver last year, but the head of this smuggling group actually hid no less than 100 million taels of silver. He is simply rich enough to rival a country!

Wei Xiaobao sighed inwardly: "If not his house, whose house should I rob?" How could Wei Xiaobao not be tempted by such a huge fortune?

"Teacher, how should we deal with Rao Lixiang?" Wu Xingzuo asked.

"First check whether he has participated in or planned any murder or robbery, and whether he has any murder debt. If not, as long as he is willing to honestly tell us where he has hidden his money, let him live!" Wei Xiaobao said after thinking for a moment.

After all, Wei Xiaobao's goal is only money, there is no need to create trouble.

Then, Wei Xiaobao turned to look at Zhu Youli and ordered, "Send more soldiers to count the gold, silver, and other valuables. Kangxi will be here in two days. We must not let him see the money. We must transport it to Kinmen as soon as possible. Arrange a landing craft to transport it today."

"Yes, I will ensure that the task is completed!" Zhu Youli answered and hurried away to start arranging manpower.