Changes in the sky
Volume 2: The Edge of Heaven
Chapter 154 Taichang Mansion
Birds of a feather flock together. Literati and scholars like talented men and beautiful women, and I got along very well with that group of "bad friends" in the academy back then.
As for the study of dealing with the affairs of the world, the teacher taught us everything except fighting skills. However, teaching everything is not the whole teaching. The teacher often taught us a part of a certain school of thought. Therefore, we all know the general idea. If we want to study it in depth, we need to study it on our own. Therefore, although most of the students in our academy get along well with each other, everyone has completely different strengths.
Interestingly, my two good friends who were sons of businessmen seemed to be the most strategic among my classmates.
It can be seen that the calculation techniques of businessmen must have something in common with the strategy of strategizing.
It seems that everything in the world has its own internal connection. Haven't you heard that: One gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things? Since we are all born from the mother three, naturally all kinds of mysteries are connected. Is this the Tao
However, even if I came up with this strange truth in my mind, it still didn't help me answer the question of the two people in front of me. However, not knowing how to do it and not being able to say it are two different things. I think I am still better than ordinary people in this regard.
I really don't know where this matter came from
Let’s start from Qianshan.
Where is she? Can you take me to see her
Cai Yan obviously knew that she had let the cat out of the bag, and her face suddenly turned red. Brother Zhongdao frowned and looked at her, and my heart immediately began to churn. If she were there, I would either see her or not, so what if I saw her
The girl was obviously a little annoyed, but she looked at me, pursed her lips and thought for a while, and suddenly said uncertainly: Can I go and ask
I shook my head and watched the girl run back in a hurry.
I was filled with mixed feelings. Brother Zhongdao calmed down and stopped asking me anything. He just drank alone.
I was a little nervous and didn't know what to do. Seeing this man in such a state, I casually asked him: Brother Zhongdao, how many students are there in Taixue College now
The answer is: more than one thousand.
How can it be so few? I have heard that Luoyang Imperial College once weighed 30,000 when it was at its peak.
During the period of the Party Imprisonment, many students of the Imperial College supported the Qingliu, which was a great threat to the eunuchs. The arrests of the party often affected the Imperial College. There was a day when more than a thousand people were imprisoned, and even ten out of ten doctors were imprisoned and thrown into the market. Therefore, the Imperial College was not prosperous, and scholars and students did not dare to enter. Later, the world's academic revival was mostly concentrated in Xiangyang, Jingzhou, Linzi, Qingzhou, and Yingchuan, Yuzhou. The Imperial College was rebuilt and opened to the public only in the past one or two years, so the number of students is still sparse. This matter also relied on the efforts of your father, Mr. Zhao and the teacher. I was only awarded the title of Doctor Jijiu in December last year, and most of these doctors are new.
I shook my head and sighed, but I didn't know why I sighed.
Cai Yan suddenly appeared from the right side of the screen behind her father and waved at me from a position that was just blocking her father's sight. I naturally looked around and saw that my father and Uncle Cai were talking happily and didn't notice me, so I quietly left and followed Cai Yan.
Although it was the Lantern Festival, there were no lights on the corridor outside the side room of the Taichang Mansion, only the moonlight of the Lantern Festival illuminated a green path. I felt my heart beating very fast, and I didn't dare to take another step forward, fearing that if I walked into this path, she would never appear again.
Her skirt suddenly flashed in the quiet path, but immediately retreated. And I felt my head suddenly burn. I had no idea what to do. I didn't know where my quick wit and talent had gone. Did God abandon me
Did she leave? Did she think I didn't want to see her
No!
I took two steps forward suddenly, my hand unconsciously reaching forward.
Yiren lowered her head and suddenly appeared in front of me.
I took two steps forward and then stopped, as if I had forgotten how to walk and my feet didn't know how to move, so I stepped on the wooden planks and made a thumping sound. She kept walking slowly, making a series of low moans on the floor.
When we couldn't walk anymore, she raised her head and I lowered my head, looking at each other for a long time, the moonlight slowly shining on her face.
You have lost weight. Come to the moonlight and let me see you.
You look twenty years older.
Yeah, I feel that way too.
Is Tian still obedient
He is studying in Jingzhou. I am going to the Kingdom of Yue to pacify the rebellion. I am afraid that there might be a fight on the way with him. I am worried that he might get into trouble, so I entrust him to Lingling, Gan Ning, Su Fei and others to take care of him. I also want to ask you, I plan to make him a palace official of my Kingdom of Yue in two years, and I may also want to have him marry a minister of my Kingdom of Yue. Do you, as his sister, agree
You seem to have aged twenty years, and you are not the same as before. Then I will trouble Lord Yue to arrange it for my brother.
Is Yi Yue okay
Well, haha, she can call me dad now, she is fat and plump. But she calls every woman she sees mom, I don’t know who taught her that.
Who is looking after her now
It was Pei'er, who had been silent in the palace; Yinling was fully devoted to taking care of the affairs of Yue State for me, and she had no time to look after it.
You cherish your Pei'er, but you love Yinling.
How did you know
I can tell from your words that you can answer my questions with just one sentence, but you expressed your worry about Pei and tried your best to defend Yinling.
I was speechless for a moment, and didn't want to rely on Jiecai to make excuses.
Although she hit the nail on the head, I didn't want to ask any more questions.
Have you seen Liu Yan
Chen Hou? I should have seen him before. What happened
It was he who arranged for Xin'er to marry Liu Yao's dead father.
Ah, he was your former governor of Yizhou. I thought he was another relative of the Liu clan, with names like Yan for rouge, Xun for pickled meat, and Jian for castration.
Haha, Zirui is still so funny, there is no need to use those words as his name.
So what? Emperor Xiaowu was also called Liu Zhu? When Yinling taught me this character, I thought it would be best if I called him Zhu because it was easy to raise. So I remembered this character very well... Okay, okay, no, how did you remember him? Oh...
I suddenly remembered something, and Huang Yi immediately confirmed it for me.
He was originally the governor of Yizhou and also had a fief. Later, when his term as governor expired, he returned to Beijing to report on his work. He was the one who proposed the system of governors in order to quell the rebellion, but in fact, he just wanted to gather troops in one place and become a local tyrant. At first, he was the governor of Bingzhou. Later, he found that although the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled, there were many troubles left. He thought that Yizhou was better and he had many old generals under his command, so he hurriedly asked to go to Yizhou to quell the rebellion. He was about to go, but you gave up all his ideas in the battle of Hanzhong. It's ridiculous that this old fox with deep calculations is now caught between the strong and I'm afraid he can't keep his life.
Oh? So the state governor system was proposed by that person. Eh… how do you know so much? And… why do you seem to be so indifferent to that matter
How could there be no shortage of such rumors and gossips among the local schools and taverns? Many people laughed at Liu Yan, who had planned for his own benefit but ended up with nothing good.
Yiren was silent for a while and paused.
Do you still remember Uncle Chu
Yes, I remember. You lived in his house when you were in Zigui.
Seeing me depressed, he often enlightened me that everything has its cause. If there is bitter fruit in this life, there must be bad cause in the previous life. You hate him, but... love him, this is a bad fate. Love is empty, hate is empty, you are empty, he is empty, everything is empty. These things are incomprehensible to me, but they have changed me a little. I seem to have touched something. Since the past is gone, why should I care? What you and I have are just todays.
I didn't understand what she said. But the fact that she let go of this thought really made me feel more at ease. If I could let go early, everything would be different. But Uncle Chu's words were really hard to understand. I remember that Yin Ling had heard these things from the country of Sindhu in the southwest, and it seemed that someone who practiced this art had come to Luoyang.
Will you marry Sister Yi
This was asked by Cai Yan later. I think she is a very smart child. We may both be thinking about this, but no one says it out loud. But no matter what, this matter really needs to be concluded tonight, otherwise I will never be able to let it go, and Yier may not be able to let it go either.
In fact, I thought about hugging Cai Yan and talking to her slowly, so as to cover up all the embarrassment.
But that would be too cruel to Yier. He couldn't even tell her about this directly. How could he be called Marquis of Ping An Feng Yun if he was so hypocritical
Sister, sit over there. I am talking to your sister Yi, don't interrupt me. If you really want to listen, just sit over there and listen carefully. It will also be beneficial to you.
Zirui is a bit naughty, aren't you afraid that he will teach the child bad habits
It doesn’t matter. It’s better to know it earlier. It’s too late to know it now. Some things will never come back once you miss them.
I let Cai Yan sit on Yi'er's side, and Yi'er and I sat in the corridor, letting Yi'er sit in the middle.
How to be with you? Yinling and I lived together. At that time, I thought she was my elder sister. I also thought that the best woman in the world was my elder sister. I would marry a woman like my elder sister in the future. Just don't pull my ears and punish me to kneel in the living room. Haha, isn't it a bit ridiculous? Why do I feel that I am connected with the so-called Marquis of Ping'an Fengyun? Do people always have to grow up? Everyone has to grow up, and you are the same. Later, I met you. I found that there was such a lovely woman in the world, and she was completely different from Yinling, but she also made my heart beat. I was so busy in those days, looking in the mirror, straightening my clothes, combing my hair, and being so conceited for a long time, just to see you. I really wanted to marry her at that time, and I only wanted to marry you. But someone who knew my secret told me that I had a wife who was betrothed to me when I was eighteen years old. What do you want me to think? I never thought that I could be considered a married man, and I had my own wife when I was born. I was separated from my parents when I was young, but Yinling taught me early on that filial piety was the most important virtue; so I took it for granted that I must marry this woman, and only at the behest of my parents, even though I had never seen them before.
But at that time, I still wanted to marry you. However, when I knew you were from Yizhou, I had to tell you that I had driven Dong Zhuo into Yizhou, and later I learned that your hometown had been massacred by Dong Zhuo. I thought that you would hate me for the rest of your life, and I dared not have the extravagant hope of being with you anymore.
When I parted with you that time, a girl named Pei came to my house when I returned home. She was a few years older than me, and Yinling was preparing to marry the current Duke Wei.
Later, the person who knew my secret gave me a letter from my father. The girl was four years older than me. She was my wife, the one who was betrothed to me, but we didn't know it. At that time, I thought she was my Yinling, the sister who had accompanied me for 18 years.
That night I thought a lot. If this wasn't done well, people would laugh at me and criticize me. She was going to marry Cao Mengde and the betrothal gifts had been paid, but I wanted to snatch her back. She used to be my sister, but now she's not, but my wife. How would people in the world see me? If I let her go and married you, no one in the world would talk about me anymore, and you wouldn't have to run around everywhere. But I thought about all kinds of things, and I realized that I actually loved her. So, the next morning, I made up my mind to find her. I wanted to tell her that I loved her and wanted to marry her. I couldn't let my wife marry someone else, otherwise I would be too ashamed to see my parents in the future.
Later I went to find her. Yinling likes white, I like black, I wore a white dress to see her that day, but I didn't expect that she wore a black dress. She felt uncomfortable knowing that I was going to marry another woman at the age of 18, so she found an excuse to avoid me. So, I knew that she liked me and loved me, and I was really happy.
However, Yinling told me that she was not the woman who was betrothed to me, but Guo Pei. That day, I was in pain for a long time. God was catching me too hard. I thought about it for a day, and the things I decided seemed to be easily overturned by God. At that moment, I cut the lines in my palm with a sword. I said that this fate is up to me, not God. I can marry Ling, and I will also marry Pei. I will treat both of them well and marry them. I can only let go of my thoughts about you. To be honest, I still feel lost whenever I think of anything related to you; my heart still beats when I want to see you. But I can no longer marry you. My heart is divided. I have experienced this kind of heart-wrenching pain. I still have no face to face my wife... Ling and Pei are both extraordinary women, and their talents are far superior to mine. Now that they have given themselves to me, I cannot treat them wholeheartedly. How can I marry you
I breathed a sigh of relief. After all, the truth is more comfortable, even though it is sometimes uncomfortable. But it is not like a lie, which requires more lies to cover up.
This is what happened to me. Seeing that she didn't react and just looked at me quietly, my heart ached again and I became more determined.
I can't marry you, I only have two arms and two shoulders. Find your own arms and shoulders. There are so many excellent men in the world, I've just been lucky in recent years. And I don't know when I will leave, maybe this year, the historian told me that I will have a big disaster this year, or maybe next year... If I leave, there will be no more worries, but it will make Yinling and Pei'er sad...
She interrupted me by placing her hand over my mouth.
There are many talented people in the world, but there is only you, Zirui.
Cai Yan suddenly excused herself and went to relieve herself. I thought to myself, people are big ghosts.
We all stopped and watched her disappear into the darkness. Suddenly, we heard a sigh.
Zirui has grown up a lot and is no longer the boy Xiner liked, but he is still the man Yier loves.
But I was praying silently in my heart, Sister Huang Xin, I hope your spirit in heaven will forgive your sister. It has been several years, and she still likes to pick on you.
But since we can't support each other in times of trouble, it's better to forget each other in the rivers and lakes.
I suddenly felt a lot more relaxed, and secretly wished you well in my heart, hoping that you would not let down your youth.
However, I still need to trouble Zirui with two things.
Speaking
First, I want to meet your two wives; second, I heard that you are going to Shanglin Garden, a place I cannot go to, and I want you to take me there. After these two things, I will go to find my own Zirui.
I hesitated for a moment, but decided to nod. She seemed very happy and said thank you. I seemed relieved and replied, you're welcome.
When we said goodbye, I watched her gently disappear into the darkness, leaving only a familiar shadow, slowly disappearing from my heart, feeling sad, but also a little relieved.
Suddenly I heard a long sound of zither strings flowing into my ears, which seemed to clear away the depression in my heart, and I felt happy and wanted to fly away.
But I found a ghost eavesdropping on me at the corner. She was trying to hold back her tears. I had to coax her and ask her what was wrong. She said, "Sister can't forget you."
I know, just like I can't forget her, let's just lie to ourselves for a while. Let this love forever hide in the endless darkness. It turns out that I am also a sentimental and unlucky bastard. The so-called heart is divided into two halves, but in fact there is still a corner hiding her. I want to forget, but I can't.
But I will see you again. It's also good to be a close friend. There are countless good women in the world, just like you, Sister Yi. Brother can't marry all the ones he knows, right? There are countless good men in the world, just like the brother Zhongdao outside. When you grow up, you can't marry all of them, right? Every good woman has a good man who suits her best, and vice versa. Let's not talk about this, you will understand in the future, go and listen to the music in the courtyard first.
Except for the rhythmic sound of the piano, the courtyard was completely silent. No one was interested in doing anything else. Some were watching the musicians in the middle, some were looking up with their eyes closed and silent, and some were looking at something in deep thought. It was not like the banquet at noon, where although the drums and music were playing all the time, most people were talking to each other and toasting with each other. No one noticed the musicians' hard work, and no one cared about what they were thinking.
This is why I like scholars and literati. If I were a musician, I would also hope that the music I play would be respected by others.
It's a pity that my heart is very sad. Although the sound of the piano is elegant and leisurely, it seems as if I am trapped in a forest of rocks and cannot extricate myself.
In the center of the hall, a very focused and pretty woman was playing the zither. She was not wearing men's clothes as she had been rumored to be wearing recently. She let her beautiful hair fall on her shoulders, as if the sound of the zither needed this waterfall-like black hair as a string to be stimulated. Her eyes seemed to be looking forward, but they seemed to be far away in the heavens. Her black hair flowed from her heart, drifting and trickling along with the music.
What was a little peculiar was that there were a few faint white hairs in her loose hair on the right side! Such a young person had such a strange appearance. I had never seen anyone like this before.
Soon, the music stopped. After a while, everyone woke up as if from a dream and praised the performance endlessly. However, the woman did not look very happy, but just returned the gift with a faint smile as if she was very grateful.
My father immediately asked Uncle Cai what the name of this musician was, and whether he could invite her to play for the banquet at my house. I thought not, because not everyone would be able to appreciate the music as attentively as these doctors here. I would feel ashamed to neglect her.
The girl's name was Ren Li, and she was originally from Youzhou. Uncle Cai met her in a family that made zithers when he was traveling in the north and visiting famous musicians. At that time, the girl was only a few years old, but she was gifted. When tuning the zither, whenever his father and brothers were hesitant about whether the sound was right or not, and they were arguing, they would only ask her. She could also give the right answer immediately, which surprised Uncle Cai. Later, when Uncle Cai became an official, he invited her family to his post and adopted her as his adopted daughter. He taught her all kinds of music and how to play musical instruments, and also taught her to read and write.
At this point, Uncle Cai's face was even more beaming: Li'er, bring the zither here.
My father suddenly exclaimed, pointing at the zither, asking, "Could it be the Jiaowei zither?"
I consider myself crude and ignorant of music. Although I like to listen to music and can hear some artistic conception, I know very little about it, let alone what a Jiaoweiqin is.
Exactly. In the autumn of the fifth year of Guanghe, during the Qingming Festival, I was having dinner with her family. Suddenly, she stopped eating and remained silent, as if listening, asking us all to be quiet. I could hear a piece of paulownia wood cracking in the fire in the kitchen, and the sound was wonderful. I immediately ran to the kitchen and took the wood out from under the big furnace. Unfortunately, too much of it was burned, and the whole piece could not be intact, so the end of the piano was left with this piece of charred wood.
Teacher, I would rather think that it is not so. It is because it has a symbol that people can recognize it at first sight, which makes it more wonderful. If it is complete, its shape has no advantages, who can recognize this zither? If it is placed among other zithers, and it does not speak, people who come and go will see it as an ordinary zither, and it will be abandoned by ordinary people. Isn't it a pity
Everyone exclaimed that it was wonderful, and I looked at Brother Zhongdao, thinking about him, and felt a little emotional. If a talented person does not show his talent, he will only be drowned by ordinary people; if he shows his talent, even if he has defects, he will be more likely to be noticed. It seems that scholars in the world still need to master the ability to show their abilities. Just as Yunshu once said to us in the academy: You have to learn to show up shamelessly before you can get out of the hall.
I never cared about it before, and I didn’t know how to use it. Although I like to show off, I always feel a little embarrassed. But now I think about it, sometimes, if you don’t learn to show off, you may be completely buried.
"Uncle, how can Qingming be in autumn?" But I still couldn't help but asked this question.
Everyone put down their chopsticks and cups and stared at me, as if they had seen something incredible. I have a momo head and my horns have not grown out, so I am not yet a xiezhi.
Qingming is a place name! Brother Zhongdao saw that Uncle Cai didn't understand what I meant for a while, so he answered for me. But his voice was not loud, as if he wanted to save some face for me.
Is there such a place name
What was Yue Hou’s previous title
The Marquis of Ping An Feng Yun.
You should know that there used to be a place called Ping'an
I seem to have heard of it. It is in Guangling County, Xuzhou.
Have you ever thought about why Shanghe was changed to Ping'an, as it has the same name as another place
Why
Because Ping An changed its name.
Change its name to Qingming
Well, what happened in the fifth year of Guanghe, Yue Hou should remember it, right
Oh, the Yangming thief Xuchang rebelled in Wu, and it was put down by the current Wu general Sun Jian.
The thief was defeated and fled to Ping'an, but was caught and killed. There are still some bandits there, all of whom are the remnants of the Yangming bandit. Because the Yangming bandit was powerful at the beginning, the emperor was very concerned. Later, he heard that the bandit was killed in Ping'an, but there were still some troubles left, so he changed the name of the place to mean to eliminate the Yangming bandit. However, I heard that Yue Hou had passed by there.
Ah, yes, yes! I was attacked by pirates there, and was hit by a poisoned arrow. I almost lost my life. I was unconscious for several days. I didn't know where I passed. I only knew that I walked along Yanghe River and passed the area of Jiangdu Gaoyou. But I didn't know that I passed Qingming.
Some of the people seemed to be suddenly enlightened, and some seemed to look down on my ignorance. I could clearly hear some sneering voices behind me. I decided not to turn around to see who it was. This was the shortcoming of these literati.
It was getting late, and Uncle Cai had to go enjoy the lanterns on the Lantern Festival, so he asked everyone to go together and the party ended.
Seeing that everyone was leaving in twos and threes, I stayed. Tomorrow I will go to Shanglin Garden to inspect and make some preparations for the emperor's coming, but I asked if this Miss Ren, some musicians and Sister Huang could go with me. I will submit this request tonight and make sure that His Majesty can also hear this good news.
Uncle Cai looked at Cai Yan behind me, and the girl immediately hid behind Brother Zhongdao. But Uncle Cai just smiled and said, "Since my nephew already knows, there is no need for me to make any more arrangements. If the emperor approves, I will set off tomorrow to take them away according to the order."
My father seemed to have known about this for a long time, but he had been hiding it from me. At this time, he asked me with a smile if I wanted to take Huang Yi to enjoy the lanterns. I shook my head. My father looked at me strangely, shook his head, thought for a while, and said, let's just let it go. Zirui, please follow me home first. I will thank my uncle for the hospitality.
When we were about to go out, my father dragged me aside before he even got on his horse and asked: Son, have you really thought it through
I nodded with a smile, and without my father asking any more questions, I answered directly: I already have Yinling and Guo Pei, both of them are the best girls in the world, father, are you still not satisfied
I want grandchildren, the more the better.
The father's words are somewhat childish.
How dare you do that to me, I'll kill you. Let's go pick up your mother and sister Jin first.
Although he was scolding me, my father smiled and looked at me with a different look in his eyes. But when he got close to me, he kicked me in the butt again.
I finally understand where my urge to kick people comes from.
However, on the way, my father spoke to me earnestly. Although I would have taken this kind of words as a joke if I had heard them in the past, this time his tone was extremely serious.
Our family is sparsely populated now, so you have to work hard for me. More grandchildren are a good thing. In fact, father and your mother have been planning to let you marry the emperor's second princess, Liu Shi, so that your position can be more stable. I have to tell you that the queen actually mentioned that she hopes so. Her second princess's previous title was Princess Pingguo. She has a relationship with Zirui and is sixteen years old. When she reaches the age of marriage, why not marry Zirui to strengthen the relationship. But later, I heard your mother tell me after returning from Yueguo that my two precious daughters-in-law have been wronged for you. This is a blessing. Father also suppressed this idea after hearing this, fearing that he would let down my two fairy-like daughters-in-law, and fearing that the grandchildren would feel the distance between them in the palace in the future. I won't bother with this marriage, but I can't refuse it outright. I can only say that the malaria in Yue is causing harm, and many children are dying. It's also a time of war, and Zirui is doing his best to suppress the war. This matter should be delayed, and Her Royal Highness the Princess must not be neglected. So I'll just put it off like this. But, you son, remember, I hope you can raise dozens of heroes like your son, Zirui.
Do you think Pei'er and Yinling are pigs? How can you raise so many of them
Therefore, I hope you can take more concubines, and give birth to more grandchildren for your father while you are in good health.
My father's words were becoming more and more outrageous, but he didn't take it seriously. He said directly, "Do you know that the daughter of Meng De's wife, Mrs. Ding, was made a concubine by Meng De?"
Ah, that sister...
It’s okay, Qi’er will definitely be the principal wife. Meng De understands the interests involved.
Father, are you hinting to me that my sons and daughters, and your grandchildren, will all have political marriages with others in the future
My father and I sighed together. It seemed that we were in agreement on this point: we both knew it was inevitable, but there was nothing we could do about it.
Hey, my stupid son, that's inevitable. For example, in order to help you get through this marriage, I advised your teacher to go for this marriage, so your teacher asked the Minister of the Interior to help with the matchmaking, and the Emperor seemed to agree, and Empress He also thought it was okay, so it should be almost settled. Uncertain, the second princess may soon marry your teacher's eldest son.
Ah, the teacher's eldest son? Now, he seems to be only thirteen or fourteen years old.
Fourteen or fifteen? What's the big deal? If I were young and had been in the court like I am now, and you were still by my side, I would have married you five or six wives when you were ten.
Dad, you are too cruel.
That's right, but you can only marry someone from a higher family to be your principal wife. Then find someone with a lower official rank than your father, with a different power background, and marry a few more noble families. I'm not kidding, if you really grow up like this, I'm afraid I'll have more than a dozen grandchildren.
Haha, but, my teacher’s eldest son, the crown prince of Chu, is accompanying a princess. I’m afraid people will really ask why in the future. Why
Haha, you can't call him that anymore. His name has been changed. It happened in the first month of the year. Your teacher's naming is very interesting and a little ridiculous. How can you name a child like that? The emperor laughed at him for a long time. So he gave him a name and a courtesy name. The emperor even drafted an imperial edict and sent it to Jingzhou. I only know about this, but I haven't seen the imperial edict. You have to ask your teacher or the people in Jingzhou to find out.
Then it gradually became time for joking, until mother laughed at us at the door. We laughed like an old fool, a idiot.
My father told me to call the men I had brought with me and ask them who is willing to go with us. No one should carry a sword or wear armor, except those who are my personal guards.
Oh, Zirui, bring your bow. The emperor seems to be interested and wants to test the martial arts of you young people.
As soon as I entered the side yard, I heard ** chatting with a woman, as if asking the name of a maid. The woman seemed to be a maid as well, and she was not just someone she found outside. I should feel lucky. I only heard the two of them asking and answering, but they were both to no avail. In the end, I didn't know who ** had taken a fancy to. I could help with this matter, but it was too late now. I called ** as soon as I entered, and asked him to take my bow and a few smart brothers and follow me. I had to visit my brothers Xu Situ and Song Yudong in person. Xu Situ felt a little flattered, so he needed to tidy up his clothes and thank Yue Hou for his support and grace; Song was more generous. He was very tired recently, but he had to go through so much trouble. He didn't want to go, but he wanted to go and take a look. I was not polite to him. I pretended to kick him in the air. He smiled and dodged and prepared to go.
After the matter was completed, my father looked at Xu Situ, greeted him with great respect, and thanked him for his young age and ignorance, and for the hard work of helping him. There is nothing wrong with my father's humble words, but it always makes me feel hurt. My Situ here just talked to me and praised me, which made my father and I very happy.
My father said to me in front that I should respect this Situ more in the future. After all, his experience and handling of things are far superior to mine, and he can see things in a broad mind and has a big heart, so I should respect him well; you have many young people and rough people under you, so you need to deal with them well, so it is natural for me to do this. I think my father's words are specifically for **. Seeing this boy looking around, he must be looking for beautiful women. However, when it comes to **, my father thinks that this boy is loyal and kind-hearted, but he is restless, unstable, and not presentable. Song Yudong is quite popular among the young people. He even called Song over and talked and laughed with him. This child is much more practical and calm than me. He needs to keep an eye on this son for him and not let me make trouble.
Song was very honest, and he couldn't control him, so his wife had to step in. My father laughed and slapped me twice, one of which was quite hard.
My sister was a little angry. My father kept dragging me aside and not letting me talk to her, so I naturally took the initiative to go over and comfort her.
On the way, we ran into Uncle Cai's family. He was waiting for us at the door with his favorite student and his daughter. The two maids beside Cai Yan looked very familiar. One was the musician named Ren, and the other was her.
Uncle Cai noticed my look and called me, his nephew, over. He wanted to take them to the Imperial College to watch the lanterns, but today was different and it was inconvenient for me to bring Yi'er with me. They might not be able to go in dressed differently, so he just brought them here to take care of Yan'er.
Cai Yan was not unfamiliar with him. She called my father "adoptive father", my mother "adoptive mother", my elder brother, and Jin'er "sister". My father had already told my mother about this matter. He was also very happy. He took out a jade pendant from his bosom and tied it on Yan'er as a gift. It seemed that he must have seen it before. He had liked this clever ghost for a long time. Jin'er also jumped over immediately. After a while, several girls over there began to giggle non-stop, except for one person. She would look over here from time to time and then turn her head away.
But I quietly approached Song and asked if we had brought anything we usually give as gifts.
Madam asked us to bring some pearls from Hepu, all of which are top quality.
That's good.
I saw that the girl was looking at me straight, and thought, this bastard is crazy again, so I asked him who he liked. But he showed his firm side, saying that he had a sweetheart, but he just thought that all the women in Luoyang were so beautiful.
The Imperial College is located southeast of Luoyang City, and further southeast is the new house of the Yuan family. I always feel that Yuan Zongzheng has some ulterior motive in building a house there, but it is a bit silly. This time, he can easily get close to the students and invite some talented people to his house at any time, which can enhance his reputation among the students of the Imperial College; but he should also know what his son likes and who he associates with, so if the students see it, they will not have any good comments.
The emperor's visit to the Zongzheng Mansion tonight made it much easier for him to go to the Imperial College. In the future, no matter who goes to the Imperial College for supervision, it will be much more convenient for them to visit this "key official" of the country. This position is also a good choice.
We had no difficulty in entering the Imperial College, and we thought that no one in the world would dare to stop us. Near the entrance was the stone tablet on which Uncle Cai had corrected the errors in the classics and copied them on stone. It was the classic of the Imperial College. It was called the "Xiping Stone Classics". I had never paid attention to it before, but this time I took a closer look. Uncle Cai's handwriting was really good. His official script was strong and powerful, without any dragging. I couldn't help but praise him. Brother Zhongdao was also proud and praised him a few words. When we entered, the emperor had not arrived yet, and a group of doctors and officials in groups of three or four were strolling inside with their wives, pretending to look at the lights.
I really don't have any talent for appreciation in this area. I never think that these green lanterns made of wood poles and bamboo strips and covered with silk are so beautiful. I just think that I will never order people to make these things that cost a lot of money and time. When I spent the Lantern Festival in Xiangyang, Yinling never dared to take me to see the local lantern festival because there were too many people and it was too noisy. She was afraid that I would be in danger. Now that I think about it, it must be my father-in-law's worry. She would wrap the bamboo lanterns with Caihou paper that had been written on it, which was very interesting. There were scattered texts on it, often with aphorisms and proverbs, and they had their own style as they fluttered in the wind. The lanterns would be hung under the eaves, and she would pull me to sit under the corridor, looking at the lanterns, the moon, and the stars, and tell me all kinds of stories until I fell asleep.
After we went in, my father and mother let us look around. Although my mother wanted me to follow, my father whispered a few words to my mother. My mother looked at me, smiled, took my father's hand, and let me go. My father even called Uncle Cai and my Situ away, saying that it was a windless day, perfect for enjoying the moon and lanterns, so let these young people go and have fun by themselves.
This situation was a bit awkward for me. I was afraid that my father didn't know that I had talked to Huang Yi, and even if Lord Cai knew, he wouldn't know what I had talked about with her. They didn't care, but I was in a lot of trouble. I could only say, "You all go around and look at the lights. The Imperial College is big, so we can go together to avoid making a fuss."
Brother, aren't you coming with us? My sister Jin seems to prefer being with me.
I have to find a place to practice my archery, because the emperor is going to test us soon.
He casually took the bow handed to him by ** and started to pull it. It was not wasted. When he pulled the bow to the full extent, his arms did not shake at all. He had enough strength.
Why is my brother's bow so big? What are the two red ribbons on it
Sure enough, I hadn't used it all the way until I got it here for the first time. I didn't pay attention to it at first, but when I remembered the similar thing on the fourth bow, I thought that my two wives should have followed their brother's example and tied one each.
The bow is long and can shoot far. Your sisters-in-law helped your brother tie this silk, isn't it for the New Year
My sister-in-law is so kind to my brother. She even tied a lucky number on the bow. I have never seen anyone else with such a kind heart.
She looked at my bow, and along with the other girls, she bowed to me and said goodbye to me, following Brother Zhongdao.
After they left, I took a closer look at the two red silk knots on my bow. They were still entangled with each other and tied together. It seemed that I must have considered it for a long time. I couldn't help but sigh and thank you for your hard work.
Unexpectedly, the person next to him also sighed.
I sigh when I think of my wife, but why do you sigh
I was also thinking about the Marquis’ wife, so I sighed.
**, why do you sound so awkward when you say this? What do you want the two ladies of Yuehou to do
Uh, damn, that's not what I meant. Brother Song, I was actually thinking that if my wife in the future could be like Lady Yue, and tie one on my fork before I go out, I would be so happy.
Which maidservant in my father's house do you like? Tell me when you get home tonight and I'll get her for you. Only Qiu Luan is not good enough. I want to keep her for your elder brother Song. As for the others, I'll make the decision for you and help you get married when we return to Yue.
That’s great, thank you so much, I kowtow to you.
Get up, get up. Since you follow me, help me with things, and share my worries, I have to consider you as well. And from the moment you came and we met, I have regarded myself as your eldest brother. If I don't take good care of you, how can I be a brother
Brother Zirui, you are not making fun of me... What made you think of this
Don't worry about it, it's beautiful, trust your elder brother. Let's not talk about this matter, the emperor will come soon, I don't want to lose face, **! Where are the arrows? I practiced to have a bottom line in my heart. Fortunately, there was no wind today, so it was a good time to shoot arrows.
I took the quiver and found that the tail feathers of the arrows were very neat. I asked what was going on. I had never seen such a thing before. **, I used to be a hunter. Trimming tail feathers and sharpening arrows are the basis of my livelihood, so I do it often. I took out one of the arrows, and sure enough, the arrowhead was shining coldly.
**Good skills, I said with a smile. I drew my bow and put an arrow on it, but I didn't know what to shoot, nor did I know what the emperor was asking. I drew my bow for a long time, looked around, but for a moment, there was nothing to shoot, so I had to slowly put down the bow.
Brother Zirui is really powerful. I have tried to draw the bow several times, but never fully. But drawing 30% of the bow and shooting a hundred steps is no problem. Brother can draw the bow to the full length for such a long time without any fatigue. I really admire him.
This flattery is good enough, I am very happy. The main thing is that it should be sincere, and seeing his admiration is even more pleasing. It seems that everyone likes to hear good words, and Zhi is no exception.
I looked around and found that the place was full of students studying. It was the Lantern Festival, and the rooms were all lit. The furnishings were all there, and there was a natural and elegant atmosphere. I hid my bow behind me unconsciously, fearing that I would be intruding on a place of learning. Sometimes I couldn't help feeling that if I was in the Imperial College when I was young, I would have been kicked out by the doctors here. Song thought the lights here were very interesting, and so did I. Compared with ordinary oil lamps, its oil lamps were much larger and deeper, and could hold more oil. The Imperial College was built with funds allocated by the emperor, and it seemed that the people who did these things were very attentive. After looking around for more than a minute, I still couldn't find a suitable place. Although there were no students at the moment, it was really not suitable to make the school here full of holes. Looking at this place, I felt it was not good, and looking at that place, it was not suitable either.
Suddenly I saw a mound next to me, and I vaguely remembered that from here I could reach the archery range in the Imperial Academy, and this was a barrier protecting the viewing platform. I thought to myself, I was confused, how could I forget that there was shooting among the six arts
Suddenly Cai Yan's voice rang out, "Brother Zirui, something happened!"
Note 1: The quote is from "Zhuangzi - Outer Chapters - Tianyun", but the meaning expressed in the text is very different from Zhuangzi's original meaning. You will understand it if you read it.