After crossing over, he has no taboos among the zombies.

After strolling around and eating for a while, Qin He bought two large bags of flour and leisurely left the city.

Last night, the big turtle was hungry, so Qin He stayed up late to make four baskets of steamed buns. He and the big turtle ate one basket, and the calf ate three baskets.

The result was that not only did the crow zombie not cremate last night, but Ermahun's body also did not cremate. They had to be put back into the yellow cloth bag and wait until tonight to continue cremating.

There was intermittent snowfall, but the pier was still bustling with people.

The vendors were busy buying and selling goods, and the place was bustling with activity.

The porters were wearing thin clothes, breathing white steam, and stepping on the bouncing bridge logs. Their backs were bent by the load, but they still walked briskly as if they were walking on flat ground.

The small leaders of the Cao Gang waved whips and whipped the porters who walked slowly from time to time.

Groups of homeless beggars knelt on the street, dragging their families with them, begging for a bite to eat or a job to do.

The increasingly severe famine finally made ordinary people in the capital feel the pressure.

Most of the north had hardly any rain for half a year, and the first drop of rain that fell turned into snow.

From time to time, a large truck loaded with corpses passed by, and the time for transporting the corpses had obviously been extended a lot.

The prosperous times and the end of the world merge into one at the canal wharf, hazy and trance-like. This is the most familiar scene at the canal wharf.

Qin He shook his head and sighed. The rich were feasting and drinking, while the poor were freezing to death on the streets. In the countless granaries of the Prince of Zhongshan's palace, countless grains were gradually becoming moldy.

The King of Zhongshan was just one of the many fat princes of Dali, and he was not outstanding.

Dali is actually not as short of food as imagined.

A thousand acres of fertile land, but only one hu of food a day;

A mansion with thousands of rooms, but a bed of only five feet at night.

But human greed is like an abyss that can never be filled. Countless powerful people, corrupt officials, and corrupt officials are squatting on the heads of poor people, sucking their bones and marrow, determined to squeeze every last bit of blood out of them.

The Dali Dynasty was like a giant covered with tumors. It was not lacking in nutrition, but all the nutrition was absorbed by the tumors. The tumors grew huge, but the body became shriveled and skinny, and was on the verge of collapse.

"Dang~"

A gong sounded.

In front, officers blew gongs to clear the way, and a large group of people came.

Four plaques were held high, one inscribed with "Silence", the second with "Avoid", the third with "Hejian Prefecture", and the fourth with "Liang Family".

Behind the sign were eight tall horses, and behind the horses were eight sedan chair bearers. The accompanying carriages and horses stretched for miles. When the merchants and common people saw them, they all gave way.

Many people were talking in low voices.

"Liang Shijie's family has more than a dozen members, including the old man who died, and now they are carrying a sedan chair just a few days later. It's really unfilial."

"Don't dare to say anything. The emperor ordered the removal of the relationship. Liang Shijie has been reinstated and is about to take up his post."

"He must have connections in the imperial court, otherwise how could he have risen to prominence so quickly in recent years?"

"That's it."

"..."

Qin He took a look and saw that it was Liang Shijie, who had a very powerful backer.

The East has been governed by loyalty and filial piety since ancient times. When a parent passes away, one must return home to observe mourning for three years.

Three years was not a short time for the ancients whose lifespan was not long. The most important thing was that the original position was replaced by someone else, and one had to queue up to be reinstated after three years.

This wait may last far longer than three years, and many people's careers end here.

Therefore, observing mourning is a big test for officials.

What is tested is one’s connections in the officialdom and one’s background and influence.

Loyalty and filial piety. Since ancient times, the only virtue that can compare to filial piety is loyalty.

To put it bluntly, the emperor must issue an edict and nag you, saying that you are indispensable and three years is too long. You should come back to work as soon as possible. If you don't come back, the Great Li Dynasty will collapse.

With this imperial edict, officials would run to their parents' tombs and cry, saying, "I'm sorry, Dad and Mom. I'm an unfilial son. The emperor wants to take away my love for you and mourn for you. I have to go to work and can't be with you anymore."

Hey, this is what is called "stealing love".

To put it bluntly, it's just a fig leaf.

Officials with power and background could obtain an imperial edict and return to their posts after completing the funeral.

Officials without power or background can only survive these three years. If someone interferes, they may be in trouble.

Qin He didn't care about Liang Shijie's background, he cared about the Liang family's promise.

I looked carefully, but didn't see the butler Lai Fu in front of the team.

I kept looking back and finally found him far behind. He was kneeling on the ground with tears streaming down his face, kowtowing and bidding him farewell, looking very sad and desolate.

Qin He walked to a deserted place, put on his mask and hat, and came in front of Fu.

Lai Fu first saw a pair of feet, then looked up and saw that it was Qin He. He stuttered: "Great...Great Immortal?"

"Were you kicked out?" Qin He asked.

Lai Fu wiped away his tears and said bitterly, "I am old and useless. I can no longer serve the master."

"What about my temple?" Qin He's expectations suddenly dropped a lot.

"I'm sorry, great immortal, about that temple..." Lai Fu kowtowed and then gave a brief account of the temple construction. Although the matter involving Liang Shijie was very subtle, Qin He could still guess it.

To sum it up in one sentence: Liang Shijie broke his promise and insisted that he had never said he would donate half of his family wealth. He refused to spend money to build the temple, and accused Lai Fu of being a traitor and colluding with outsiders to steal the family wealth, and directly kicked him out of the house.

Lai Fu had no choice but to use his own money to repair and build a temple in an abandoned temple at the northernmost end of the pier.

The good news is that the temple has been built, but the bad news is that the temple was repaired from an abandoned temple.

Then Lai Fu took Qin He to the dilapidated temple.

Although Qin He was mentally prepared, he was still surprised when he saw it.

It couldn't be more shabby.

The plaque is a piece of wood with the five words "Qingniu Immortal Temple" written on it.

The original statue of the god in the hall was removed but not restored. Instead, a portrait of himself riding a bull was hung.

The altar table and cushions were second-hand items, and the walls were full of holes that had just been plugged with new mud.

The hall was covered with weeds and shrubs that had just been pulled out. There was a big hole in the roof, and the beams looked like they would collapse at any time. A large piece of oilcloth barely covered the bottom of the hole, and snowflakes fell from above, covering a corner of the altar.

Qin He's face twitched. Could this be the place where he would gain merit in the future?

Why does it seem so difficult?

The temple may have originally been a land temple or a small temple for a canal water god. In addition to the main hall, there were two other rooms. One had collapsed, and the other had no roof, which was also covered with oilcloth. There was a bed, some simple pots and pans, and a pile of ashes inside.

"You live here?" Qin He was surprised.

"I went out to look for people to see things, and I spent a lot of money. I am now short of money. This dilapidated temple is really simple. I hope the immortal will forgive me." Lai Fu looked guilty and frightened.

"Misfortunes sent by heaven can be forgiven, but those brought upon oneself cannot be forgiven." Qin He shook his head speechlessly.

After Huangpizi asked for the title, the Liang family's fortunes were on the decline. If the housekeeper Lai Fu was still there, they could have held on for two or three years, and if they were lucky, they could have survived. However, Liang Shijie expelled Lai Fu and did not even reimburse him for the expenses of hiring someone to look after the matter.

Just then, Lai Fu knew that Liang Shijie had made a comeback, and he went to the dock to bid him farewell with tears.

Liang Shijie made one mistake after another.

The Liang family is beyond the reach of even gods.

"Are you going to live here from now on?" Qin He asked.

"I have lived in the Liang family all my life. I have nowhere to go after leaving, so I can only settle down here now." Lai Fu said.

"Okay, then you can take a rest first." Qin He nodded, left him a bag of flour, and left.

As for Lai Fu's situation, Qin He was not worried. The art of gazing at qi made it clear that without the Liang family's pressure, he would be able to live a better life and would have children in the future.

This is the blessing earned in the previous life, and I am still enjoying it in this life.

After leaving, Qin He first went to Tangji Restaurant to settle the bill, and then went straight back to the crematorium.

Everyone is still waiting for him to come back and start the banquet.

The snow was getting heavier, and the world was filled with a solemn atmosphere, but the East City Crematorium was bustling with activity.

There was wine and meat, people talking and laughing, and the coal stove was burning warmly.

Just like a paradise on earth.

Xu Changshou was not there, but Ling Zhonghai and the others had no intention of missing out on this meal, so they set up another table, but several of them had worried expressions on their faces.

"What's wrong?" Qin He took a sip of wine and asked curiously.

"The situation in the nine border areas is tense. The emperor has issued an order to stop paying officials' salaries." Ling Zhonghai said.

"What does the suspension of officials' salaries have to do with you?" Qin He asked.

"If the salaries from above stop, we have to stop too," Li Tie explained, shaking his head. "Prices are skyrocketing, and it's becoming a problem to support our family."

Qin He was speechless. When the troops that received government food could no longer maintain stability, the Dali Dynasty would be in real danger.

"Pour some coal, we can't let the whole family starve." After a moment of silence, Ling Zhonghai wiped his mouth and suddenly said.

"This is the only way. Other crematoriums will definitely do the same without any warning." Gao Linkun said.

After saying that, the three of them looked at Qin He at the same time, which made Qin He stunned. "Why are you looking at me?"

"You have to join us~" Li Tie said with a smile.