Zhu Xiang was still sitting in front of Wei Wuji's tomb, holding the jar of wine in his arms.
Wei Wuji wore the new clothes that Xue Ji and the Weaver Girls had worked tirelessly to make, shook his clothes, and sat down in front of his own tombstone.
The moonlight was so bright that it made the tomb as bright as day.
Wei Wuji looked up at his own inscription and said, "Your handwriting is not as good as mine."
Zhu Xiang rolled his eyes at Wei Wuji and said, "My handwriting is just like that. Just bear with it."
Wei Wuji laughed loudly: "Although not as good as me, compared to other people in the world, it's still pretty good. Give me the wine jar, do you really want to eat up all my sacrifice? You'll be stuffed to death."
Zhu Xiang picked up a full wine jar from the side.
This time, he had inexplicably great strength and was able to pick up the jar of wine with one hand and hand it to Wei Wuji.
Wei Wuji took the jar of wine, raised his head and drank a mouthful of the amber wine carefully brewed by Zhu Xiang, and exclaimed: "Good wine!"
He said regretfully, "I should have come to find you earlier. Even though I might still be forced to death by my brother, at least I can drink the good wine you brewed before I die."
Zhu Xiang said: "It's too late to regret now!"
The offerings he had eaten were restored at some point.
Zhu Xiang placed the dishes between him and Wei Wuji and introduced the dishes he had made to Wei Wuji.
After every bite, Wei Wuji praised Zhu Xiang's cooking skills, saying that the cooking god Yi Ya was not as good as one finger of Changping Lord Zhu Xiang.
Zhu Xiang rolled his eyes and said, "Comparing myself to the treacherous minister Yi Ya, you really know how to talk."
Wei Wuji laughed again.
The two of them exchanged cups, eating and drinking while chatting.
Zhu Xiang talked about the beauty of the water town in the south of Wujun, saying that it would surely be a land of plenty in the future, and that many writers and poets would surely be reluctant to leave.
When Wei Wuji talked about the northern grasslands, it was like cattle and sheep appeared everywhere when the wind blew through the grass, and he robbed a lot of them.
Zhu Xiang laughed and scolded Wei Wuji, a good young master of Wei, who turned into a bandit after going to the grassland.
Wei Wuji teased Zhu Xiang, a world-famous state hero, who worked in the fields every day and was covered in dust and dirt, and was no better than him, a bandit.
The first and last time Wei Wuji met Zhu Xiang was when Zhu Xiang was forced to leave Zhao State.
They met outside Handan City and had their first and last drink.
After that, they were far apart and separated by more than ten years. Although they exchanged letters, the number of letters could not even be counted on the fingers of one hand.
One is the Lord of Changping of Qin, the other is the Lord of Xinling of Wei; one is in the south of the Yangtze River, the other is in the north of the Yangtze River.
It was very difficult for them to communicate.
But Wei Wuji and Zhu Xiang both believed that they were good friends who got along well with each other.
If they had more time to spend together, their relationship would definitely be very close. They would talk about everything, put their arms around each other's shoulders and do ridiculous things that would make all the scholars in the world hold their foreheads in their hands. It's not at all like what a feudal lord should be like.
When they receive good news from others, they always imagine themselves celebrating with their friends in person.
They will compliment each other, joke with each other, and maybe even fight with each other.
Zhu Xiang certainly cannot defeat Wei Wuji, but Wei Wuji will definitely pretend that Zhu Xiang can defeat him.
That scene must have been very joyful.
Just like now.
Although Zhu Xiang and Wei Wuji came from different backgrounds and had different views on many things in the world, their personalities were very compatible and they really enjoyed their conversation.
Just as they thought, they were meant to be close friends.
Wei Wuji then talked about his retainers whom he was worried about, about Hou Ying who was buried in Yanmen County, and about the generous Zhao generals in Yanmen.
Zhu Xiang complained to Wei Wuji about Prince Chu of Qin and Prime Minister Lin Zhi, and mocked the poor Prime Minister Cai Ze who was tormented by these two people.
Wei Wuji envied Zhu Xiang's friends.
Zhu Xiang yearned for Wei Wuji's heroic life in the northern border.
"When I have some free time, I will go to the Northern Frontier to have a look." Zhu Xiang said.
"Remember to offer sacrifices to Lord Hou for me." Wei Wuji said.
The two of them had empty stomachs; they drank all the wine and ate all the food.
Wei Wuji invited Zhu Xiang to lie on his grave with him, looking up at the moon which was not supposed to be a full moon.
Wei Wuji said, "I agreed to drink with you at least once more but I broke my promise. I'm sorry."
Zhu Xiang said: "There's nothing to be sorry about. I've already drunk it, haven't I?"
The two were silent for a long time.
Zhu Xiang asked, "Do you have any unfulfilled wishes?"
Wei Wuji asked, "You are asked to persuade the King of Qin not to destroy the State of Wei?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Even if this is a dream, you are thinking too much."
Wei Wuji laughed: "You really don't even want to give me any thoughts in my dreams. Then tell Zhu Hai not to dig up my brother's grave."
Zhu Xiang said, "Did you hear what Zhu Hai said? You should talk to him in your dream. I can't persuade him."
Wei Wuji was helpless: "Then what use do I have for you?"
Zhu Xiang said: "You can pray for wealth and honor for your offspring. Even though my handwriting is not as good as yours, I am a great scholar of the time..."
Wei Wuji interrupted, “Stop, stop, stop. I heard that Xunzi repeatedly scolded you for not being a Confucian.”
Zhu Xiang said: "Xunzi scolded me, so I am not a Confucian? Besides, let alone Confucianism, if I want to be the leader of the hundreds of schools of thought, they will all beg me to do it."
"Ugh." Wei Wuji cursed with a smile, "You are even more shameless than me."
Zhu Xiang said modestly: "It's okay. You really don't need my help?"
Wei Wuji said, "After I die, my brother and the State of Wei will certainly treat my family well. There are no outstanding people among my descendants, so it is not bad to leave the court and live a stable life. When Qin destroyed Wei, the idle royal family without power might live better. If there is an outstanding person among my descendants, I don't need to ask you to find him, he will come to you on his own."
Wei Wuji laughed and said, "Don't underestimate the shamelessness of the nobles."
Zhu Xiang smiled and sighed, "Okay, I believe one of your descendants will inherit your face."
The two joked for a while, and then there was silence for a long time.
Wei Wuji raised his hand, looked at his transparent palm, and said, "It's time to say goodbye to you."
Zhu Xiang only looked at the moon, not turning to look at the gradually disappearing Wei Wuji: "Take care."
Wei Wuji said, "Well, Zhu Xiang, take care of yourself too."
The moonlight reached its peak brightness, then gradually faded away.
Zhu Xiang still looked up at the gradually darkening sky and said, "When I arrive in Daliang, I will transform your mansion into the Xinling Jun Temple and move all the tablets in your ancestral temple to the Xinling Jun Temple."
Wei Wuji's laughter was very ethereal, as if it came from far away: "Hahaha, there is no need. Don't offend the King of Qin for me. Even if the King of Qin is your friend, there is a difference between the monarch and the minister. You should be cautious."
"Zhu Xiang, don't be like me."
"Don't be like me."
Zhu Xiang replied: "Don't worry, it won't happen."
"That's good." Wei Wuji stretched and said, "I should go now."
After saying this, he didn't say goodbye to Zhu Xiang anymore. He walked forward, tapping his feet, singing, and dancing.
"There is a magpie's nest in Fang, and a wild taro in Qiong. Who can compare with me in beauty? My heart is filled with sorrow.
There are bricks in Zhongtang and eagles in Qiong; who can compare with me in beauty? My heart is filled with anxiety.
Wei Wuji smiled, sang, danced, and blended into the last ray of moonlight.
Zhu Xiang woke up slowly.
He opened his eyes and saw a waning moon in front of him.
The full moon has disappeared.
Zhu Xiang sat up and put the wine jar aside.
He glanced at the quilt on his body and sighed.
"Who has ever seen a magpie's nest built on a dike, or water grass growing on a mound?"
"Who has ever seen a courtyard paved with tiles? Who has ever seen sedge growing on a mountain?"
"Who is driving a wedge between me and my beloved, making me scared and troubled?"
"But if there is no rift in the hearts of my friend, Master Wuji, how can there be rift? To rift, there must be rift first."
Zhu Xiang picked up the wine jar with both hands and drank the remaining wine in it.
Until the end, Wei Wuji still had a last glimmer of hope for his brother.
It's hard to express my feelings.
After saying goodbye, Wei Wuji's favorability was only one point away from four hearts, but he gave Zhu Xiang a handful of soybeans.
Prince Wuji was of noble status, but the parting gift he gave to Zhu Xiang was a handful of soybeans.
The message said that the military rations in Yanmen County were mostly bean rice. After he went to Yanmen County, he ate more beans than in the previous decades combined. It would be nice if there were some more delicious beans to eat.
Zhu Xiang laughed.
Not being used to bean rice, instead of thinking about eating different food from the soldiers, you hope for better-tasting beans
Wei Wuji, ah, Wei Wuji, you are worthy of being me.
"Millet, sorghum, beans, wheat and rice", beans refer to soybeans.
There are beans in the Central Plains, and the common people pick them, cook beans into rice, and make bean leaves into soup. Beans have been the most important food crop for the common people in China from ancient times to the present, and have been the most important staple food for the common people since the Yellow Emperor period.
Soybeans are not picky about soil, do not consume water and fertilizer, have a short growth cycle, and are durable in storage. They can be used as both a staple food and a vegetable.
Although the Qin State had already widely planted rice and wheat and promoted stone mills to villages, beans were also the most important reserve food. Most of the military rations were beans.
The beans given by Wei Wuji had high yield, were resistant to lodging and disease, and were also resistant to low temperature and drought, making them just suitable for planting in the northern borders of Wei and Zhao.
Good quality bean varieties are still very important even in modern times. Beans are excellent oil crops and the most widely used feed crops.
Soybeans are the most imported food in modern China. The lessons about food security related to soybeans are scars on the minds of every food worker.
The inconspicuous beans presented by Wei Wuji are the grain that has the closest relationship with the common people in China from ancient times to the present.
"Wuji, thank you."
Zhu Xiang planted the bean seeds in front of Wei Wuji's tomb.
As spring goes and autumn comes, I pick bean pods, make a plate of salted beans, and drink it with friends.
"Zhu Hai, Wei Wuji came to me in my dream yesterday."
"What did the Lord Father say?"
"He also insisted that the King of Wei believed the slander and that he was a good person by nature."
Zhu Hai glared at Wei Wuji's tombstone fiercely.
Zhu Xiang spread his hands: "He also asked me to persuade you not to dig up his brother's bones. I said I can't do anything about it, let him talk about it in your dream."
Zhu Hai said in a muffled voice: "If my Lord Father tells me this in my dream, I will turn my back to him."
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "Yes, that's how it should be!"
Zhu Hai was angry for a while and asked, "Duke Zhu Xiang, are you telling the truth? The Lord Father really appeared in your dream."
Zhu Xiang said, "Of course it's true. Look, I planted delicious beans in front of his tomb. Didn't he say that the bean rice in the army was really unpalatable?"
Zhu Hai's mouth curled up, revealing a smile that had not appeared for a long time: "Yes, the Lord Father said so!"
He looked at the tombstone again, with an expression of surprise on his face.
It turned out that the Lord Father really went south with him, and did not stay in the desolate battlefield, nor did he go to the disgusting King of Wei.
The Lord Father is here!
"Master, we are here." Zhu Hai knelt down and said, "Knowing that you are here, I feel relieved.
"But I won't listen to your request." Zhu Hai said stubbornly.
Zhu Xiang, who was throwing gold, silver and jewelry made of paper into the brazier, almost burned his fingers when his hands shook.
(End of this chapter)