"The Change of Heaven"
Volume 2: The Edge of Heaven
Chapter 161: Nightmare Reappears
I seemed to be awakened by a nightmare again.
It seems like it happened a few years ago, but it seems completely different from what I remember.
The heavy snow delayed our journey to Hanzhong. Our infantry was swept by the black clouds all over the mountains and fields, and ended up in a complete defeat. Brother Chen, covered in blood, rushed over to me and said, "You want to command, you command quickly!" But I had no idea what to do. Yinling seemed to have no other choice. She looked at me with a pale face and said, "Retreat, if we can still retreat."
We were attacked along the way, and finally managed to gather the remnants and retreat to Chencang. It was pitch black in all directions under the city, and we couldn't go anywhere.
The setting sun was as red as blood, and arrows flew up like rain. One by one, classmates and friends fell down.
I turned around and saw Yinling. She was leaning against the parapet, sitting there motionlessly looking at me. To me, she was not my sister, but my wife, but she could no longer accompany me.
No! No! I yelled desperately.
The door was blown open by the wind, and the warm weather suddenly turned cold. It seemed that everything was the same as I remembered in the past few years. I was living alone in a dark room.
I couldn't help but tremble with fear, looking around in the dark room, but I couldn't tell where I was, and I couldn't remember what happened in the past few days, or distinguish between reality and dreams.
There was only one thing that was different from what he remembered: there was a fire in a brazier next to the couch, but the charcoal fire seemed to be dying out, no longer able to resist the cold air blowing in from outside.
I was afraid that what had happened over the years was just a dream, so I quickly took out the oil lamp from the brazier. Although the lamp was blown out quickly, it still allowed me to see clearly that I was not in the Xiangyang Prefecture Governor's Office.
I immediately let out a long sigh and smiled for no apparent reason. I felt an inexplicable sense of relief, which made me feel comfortable even in the cold wind. I turned over my clothes and saw a gap in the corner of my clothes under the reflection of the charcoal fire. Thinking of what happened a few days ago, it all seemed to have just happened.
What are you looking at? You weren't looking just now, what are you looking at now? My father smiled at me.
The four games just now were all fake.
Fool, this will never be true.
I know, but my son still wants to see it.
Dad, I bet this is a draw. It just depends on when the emperor gets tired of it.
In fact, my son also wants to make this bet. Or he wants to watch these two continue to quarrel like this.
Oh, this word "ｄｉｕ" sounds like you have lived in Luoyang for a long time. This is the dialect of Yinli, Henan.
It was my sworn brother who was in the Soldiers' School who taught me this. It seems that he meant that this word can be used for eating, drinking, defecating, urinating, sleeping, moving, sitting, lying down, and walking. During that time, he especially liked to use the word "ｄｉｕ" with me, so I learned it.
Well, anyway, in the countryside of Henan, if you don't know how to describe an action, it's okay to use this word. However, don't use it at official banquets.
Of course, my son doesn't want to be looked down upon by these people.
My father successfully discouraged my original interest. I just watched casually while chatting and laughing. However, even if it was a fake fight, I could feel that Brother Zishi's moves were more sophisticated than mine. He had quite a routine, and his offense and defense were extremely rigorous. Even his posture should be much better than the way I was when I was hitting the iron. It seems that Zishi is much more talented than me in this aspect. I need to be careful next time I fight him. Master once said that I learned too late and didn't have the foundation. I was about to leave, and I couldn't learn defense in a short time. The only way was to attack, attack, and attack non-stop, and always control the initiative on the court. He also told me: Don't be afraid, don't panic. Silently reciting the six words that Master taught me, I was fully focused on everything around me in the sound of drums, and it seemed that I was really fighting with someone. But I still needed to defend constantly. I think I haven't reached Master's requirements yet. I feel that my speed can't be the first to arrive after starting later, or even the first to arrive. So gradually, my own routines came to those taught by Brother Yunchang and Brother Yide, and it was quite smooth. I felt that I immediately took the initiative on the court. But I always feel a little sorry for my master, and I hope that he won’t scold me when he finds out.
As I was thinking, my peripheral vision told me that my opponent was not giving up and would attack from the right. But when I looked closely, I realized that there was only someone next to me who was doing the same thing as me.
**The range of the fork's movement was a little wider, which made me more worried. After my black friend also showed his uneasiness and started to sway with me, I used my gun to press down his fork and signaled him not to do so. He was smart for once, scratching his head with a smile, smiling embarrassedly, and hanging the fork on the saddle and looking at it with peace of mind.
But it didn't last long, as the boy's hands started to fiddle with things again. But this time, Hei obviously didn't care much about the noise around him, and he turned a deaf ear to both the horse and the people.
How is your adopted daughter? The father asked softly, apparently losing patience with the two people's deception.
In my mind I seemed to block a downward blow from someone, return a thrust, and then turn and withdraw from the fight.
Hmm... That's great. Yi Yue can call me dad now.
Zirui has a good heart, but he will be in trouble if he is not careful. In the last few months of last year, many reports were received, reporting that many places in Sili had rumors that you had done those things with a certain woman in a certain place, and even had a child. However, because there were so many such incidents and you were in Yue State, no one believed it now. Moreover, several men who did that were arrested, all of whom used your reputation to defraud money and sex. If you are asked to go to many places, it would be troublesome to be framed for such things. I am now afraid that if you really go there and mention your name, no one will believe it. The most disadvantageous thing for you now is that girl, and it seems that some people think that she is really your child. But you have never been there, and the post station has records of your whereabouts along the way, so this matter cannot be spread among officials, and no one believes it is true. But the rumors among the people and officials are not the same. Just like the fact that you took the responsibility of slaughtering the palace city for Meng De, your righteous act of impeaching Dong Zhong, and the story of you adopting that girl, the rumors among the people and the officialdom are very different. This time when we passed through Hangu Pass, my men heard a soldier guarding the pass mention that you took your wife and children to an abandoned house on the roadside to avoid the rain in the intercalary month last year, and even greeted them. I thought that you had not yet completed your wedding, so how could you have a wife and children? I was afraid that someone was impersonating you.
I don't know what to say. The last thing my father mentioned reminded me of when and where I had met them. Then I remembered those two. The mother and son were still in Chu State, maybe they were still staying with Brother Xingba with Huang Tian. But I could only think about it, but it was hard to explain that the person was really me.
In the end, I could only nod my head to show that I understood.
What will happen to that girl in the future? The father seemed to feel a little hot and loosened his collar.
Raise her up, marry her off in the future, and let her be the eldest princess of Yue. After all, it has been so long, and she is already my own daughter, so what can I do
Then who is her mother
A woman named Huang Xin has passed away... Her father still treats me as his son-in-law. If it doesn't work out, Pei'er and Yinling will recognize me.
Nonsense, treating this kind of thing as a joke.
My father's voice gradually became louder, and he felt something was wrong. He stopped questioning for a while and pretended to watch the exciting battle on the scene with me. He also casually threw in another sentence: "It's a good thing to have another daughter. In ten years, you can let her enter the palace or marry other princes. I'm afraid that someone will leave a girl or boy at the gate of the Yue Palace. It's yours. You can't abuse your kindness, or something bad will happen."
I didn't know how to respond, so I could only say "I understand" and express my opinion on the weather. My father and I are not afraid of cold, but we are afraid of heat, especially my father.
It's warm today.
It's not just warm, it's hot, this damn weather... Actually, this incident has left you with a good reputation. There are also people among the people who know the truth, and they all say that you are a good person. Some people who have been wronged want to complain to you; some people who have encountered difficulties also want to ask you for help. Even my father has benefited from it. I have been stopped by the people several times. Some of them are crying out for injustice, and some are asking for help. They all mentioned you, and you will definitely help, haha.
I'm sorry to trouble my father...
It's okay, it's okay. When you come to Luoyang, there may be a lot more things to do. Hehe, but by then the emperor will have grown up...
Father, is there something wrong with what you said
Oh, yes.
I thought it was just a slip of the tongue by my father, but when I saw that his face suddenly looked a little melancholy, I couldn't help but feel puzzled, so I asked my father why he said that.
My father had a nightmare, but he refused to reveal what he dreamt about. I could vaguely guess what he dreamt about, and it was indeed a nightmare.
I looked up and saw that the emperor was clearly getting impatient. He tapped his fingers on his legs and his eyes were no longer fixed on the two people fighting in the middle of the scene, but were looking around.
After a moment, the emperor waved his hand and the eunuch immediately passed on the message. The drums stopped and the two men bowed to each other and left.
The emperor praised them insincerely and gave them rewards before the end. He told the officials to go hunting as they pleased and to host a banquet in the evening to entertain them.
My father felt relieved and asked me to go out and talk to Yinling. Last night, the two maids in the side room pestered Yinling to talk for a long time, but my husband and I didn't see each other all night, so I went to talk to them quickly.
I'm fine, we can be together tonight, my father suddenly laughed and said "maybe not".
I immediately felt a frozen smile.
My luck was completely shattered after I went out. The number of maids around Yinling increased from two to four. In addition to my sisters, the other two also called me brother and brother. Fortunately, the latter one was quite smart. Under the doubts of the former, she married my sworn brother, so she was considered sister-in-law and naturally called me brother. But I still felt a little guilty. How could Ziyu secretly tell this big-mouthed princess about his identity? It made me tremble with fear. If I let it slip in front of the emperor one time, and the emperor was not allowed to be angry, he might really scold me.
But before the day came for the emperor to criticize me, they criticized me instead.
So I got the bad news that the five of them chatted and slept together at night. The only consolation was that Ziyu was as unlucky as I was.
The only consolation was that there was still a trace of kindness and compassion in their hearts, so they allowed me to accompany their "good sister Yinling" for a walk.
Curtains were set up everywhere around, marking out areas for the princes and their followers to rest. I could slowly examine the huā patterns on the horizontal curtains, and if I couldn't tell which family it belonged to, I would look up at the flags. The Yue Kingdom was across from my father, and on my father's side was a circular pattern of two suanni circling up and down, with their heads connected to each other, while mine was naturally "I" - or two "I"s facing each other, turning their heads and looking at each other - also forming a circle - these should be my father's ideas and arrangements.
But I don't care about it. There are a lot of people outside, let's go in. Yinling should go to the other side to see her mother first. I nodded, saying that I always think things through.
After a round of greetings and asking about each other's health, my mother asked me where her fat old son was. I must have been invited by many officials and princes and was entertaining people and chatting everywhere.
Mother smiled and continued to ask questions, not intending to let us go. Thinking about how my mother hadn't taken care of me since I was born, although I really wanted to be alone with Yinling, I could also accompany my mother with a smile and be happy, not daring to slack off or be dissatisfied.
My mother asked about Pei'er's pregnancy for a while, and then asked me why I didn't have a fight with Yinling. Of course, my mother didn't know the word "fight", but I couldn't use all the words my mother used, so I could only use them.
Later, my mother, who was getting happier, started talking about my father's youth and asked Yinling to tell me about my childhood, and then she commented that the father and son were indeed the same. I could feel that there was something else in Yinling's smile, and she would even playfully make a face at me, or hold her mouth and shake her head at me.
It turns out that apart from the eldest princess, my mother also makes me feel embarrassed and uneasy.
I still needed my father to come in to feel relieved. As expected, my father sent us away and whispered to me before leaving if my nightmare had come true.
I nodded helplessly, but my father smiled cheerfully. He told me to go and relax. Then he turned around and asked my mother if there was anything to eat.
I was about to leave after the ceremony, but when I heard that there was something to eat, I couldn't move my legs for a moment. But I was afraid that my mother would say something inappropriate again, so I had to leave reluctantly.
Of course, as soon as I came out, I immediately asked if I had brought anything to eat.
Yinling was a little surprised and asked me why I wasn't in there. We asked our father to arrange everything this time, so he must have it.
I'm just on guard against what my mother might want.
Yinling suddenly realized: That's right, mother seems to have forgotten that you and father are not biological father and son. But you and father really get along well, your personalities are so similar.
I thought to myself, in fact, my mother just forgot that we are not biological father and son in name only. My father and I have similar personalities when he was young, which is completely innate.
The layout of this curtain of Yue State is similar to that of my father's. A felt mat is spread in the middle, and there are several stools for people in armor to sit on, but I am more interested in the neatly arranged wooden boxes next to the stools.
My guess was correct. Some time before noon that day, on a spacious lawn, I leaned on a stool, Yinling leaned against me, and basked in the warm sunshine comfortably; I listened leisurely to the neighing of horses and the talking of people passing by the curtain; I happily ate some cakes; I happily talked about the past.
**Once, he turned around the screen and rushed in stupidly, but was grabbed by the collar of his shirt by a hand that stretched out from a wide sleeve and dragged away. That scene made Yinling and I laugh.
At noon that day, my father sent someone to call us over for dinner. During the meal, my father mostly chatted with Lord Xu or Song, occasionally asking how the ** felt about the fighting today. After dinner, he continued to let us go out to "herd sheep".
I asked Yinling, she didn't want to sleep today, she was really sleepy, so she went to the car to take a nap. I arranged for our people to rest in Yueguo, and I went out for a walk with Yinling.
The main reason for leaving quickly was that my father also wanted to take a nap. I don't have much inheritance in this regard, but Ling'er is very similar.
Of course, you have to choose the right occasion to bring this up, especially when there are no other people around, you will definitely get retaliated. At this time, the dignity and virtue that someone has in front of others will disappear. I remember that the armor on my back was lifted up, and then I was hit hard on the buttocks. The person who was grabbed even asked, "Don't tense your muscles."
I cried out in my heart that there was no justice. But Yiren was still quite interested in examining the back of my armor, calling it a "fart curtain", and was very happy for a while.
However, not long after we walked, the reckless Yinling became much more obedient. She quickly hid behind me, even clinging to my back.
I turned to look at her, not knowing why, and she suddenly stretched her finger from my shoulder and pointed to the side. Then I noticed that there was a black dog tied to the shade of a tree next to me, but the dog didn't bark, just stood there with his cheeks drooping and looked at us.
I told her not to be afraid, I was here.
Her dog may be afraid of me, but it is definitely not afraid of her.
Me, you were so brave back then, you held a bamboo pole and stood in front of me. How come you become more afraid now that you have grown up
She, at that time you were still afraid that the dog would hurt you, but you had to go.
I was touched and held her in my arms, but she still looked around awkwardly.
It really had no manners and didn't even turn its head back. It was still staring at us. At this moment, I really hoped someone would take it away.
I stroked her hair with a smile, helping her to smooth it out. Don't be afraid, Ling'er, follow your husband, don't go too far.
Suddenly she was no longer afraid. Her clear eyes reflected my appearance and she asked me why I was not afraid of dogs.
I killed dozens of dogs in the north when I helped the Laosi tribe evacuate. I killed so many that I was no longer afraid.
After he finished speaking, he recalled the scene of that day, put the silver bell behind him, took a deep breath, and howled at the dog.
The dog suddenly stepped back, whined a few times, and whimpered, as if feeling aggrieved. Then it fell to the ground, lying on its back.
There was no more movement there.
Yinling suddenly became excited, stuck her head out from behind me, and barked twice at the black dog.
I couldn't help but smile and look at her. She also looked at me and smiled, with a hint of mischief.
"Don't leave me." Yiren buried her head in my arms.
"No, how could that be?" I tried to lift her face, and actually saw a trace of tears.
"I'm really afraid it's just a dream."
"It's okay to dream, as long as you are still there when you wake up."
"Alas, I'm afraid it won't work these days."
These girls don't even know how to sympathize with their brothers' sufferings and they insist on taking my Ling'er away.
I put my arm around my wife and walked slowly. We just passed a group of bushes with fresh green leaves on the roadside. The clothes seemed to be
It got caught. I walked a few steps before realizing that I couldn't untie it after pulling it a few times. I had no choice but to bend down to free it, but I found that there was a hole in the corner of the hem of the clothes. I couldn't help but frown in pain.
Yinling quickly coaxed me and used her hands to smooth out the wrinkles on my forehead; "You made this for me; she will make it for you later; I can't let you do it in the future, I can't bear to let you do it, but I can't bear to give up this dress either."
Yinling was very happy and said to me with emotion, "Look at this cluster of trees. Although they look short and inconspicuous, a single branch can have such great power."
Although I smiled and looked at the new green, showing a little understanding, I still felt a little distressed. When I turned around the bush, I couldn't help but pay attention to the damaged area below.
Suddenly, there was another burst of dog barking behind me, followed by the faint sound of horse hooves.
As the barking of dogs got closer, it sounded as if there was more than one. Yinling immediately became nervous and quickly hid in front of me, looking behind me. I turned around to see whose dog was let out. Most of them were dogs from the Quantai Palace. I didn't know who the emperor had rewarded them to, or if someone had actually brought their own dog.
Suddenly I saw the back of the black dog above the bushes. It seemed as if the rope had loosened and it was coming over to "take revenge".
But the one who turned around first was a yellow puppy that was less than three inches off the ground. If the big black dog hadn't turned around and followed behind, Yinling would have been able to pick it up. Although the dog did look very cute, it still seemed to rush forward bravely and fiercely.
I didn't have a spear in my hand, and I didn't even have a sword on my waist. At that moment, I saw the big black dog behind me, which was even more threatening. I took a step forward and stamped my feet on the ground. The black dog was immediately frightened and stood still, but the dog still bravely took the lead. I shouted again, and the big black dog suddenly stood up, turned around and ran, and disappeared behind the bushes in a moment. But although the yellow dog stood still, it still looked up at me and barked at me.
A pony brought a girl of about 13 or 14 years old, wearing a short hunting suit and a red jacket. Her round face was cute and her features were elegant. Her eyes were especially bright and full of spirit.
"Huang Mao! Huang Mao, come back!" The girl seemed to be the owner of the dog. At the owner's command, the dog really turned back obediently, but would turn its head from time to time to look at us and bark a few times.
The girl looked at us from the moment she got off the horse, even when she bent over to pick up the yellow dog. She held the dog in one hand and led the horse in the other, and she was not alienated from us. She walked straight over, bowed slightly, and bowed slightly.
"Could this be Lord Yuehou?" Although there was respect in her tone, one could tell from her clothes and the accessories she was wearing that this lady was of high status.
"It's me, may I ask who you are?" After saying that, Yin Ling came out from behind and returned the greeting with me. She also answered for me, and I guess we met at the banquet hosted by the Queen.
"This is Princess Huangfu Ruo of Zheng State."
"Oh! It turns out to be the Princess of Zheng. Please forgive me for my impoliteness." Her father is a duke. No matter what happens in the court, this etiquette cannot be neglected outside. This way, Lord Huangfu will feel more at ease when he knows it.
"Brother Zirui is indeed a very strong man. I have never seen anyone as tall and strong as you in Zheng." She spoke with a childish face, without any arrogance of the children of scholars, which really made people feel good.
She seemed to want to say something else, but couldn't quite put it into words. She could only casually introduce her dog and the big black dog she had brought from Zheng.
She also introduced the dog to us, speaking as if it was her child; then the "big black horse" slowly followed from behind, and she introduced this dog to us again, speaking as if it was her younger brother.
But this girl's upbringing is indeed good, not as domineering as the princess I imagined. It seems that Huangfu Gong's education of his children is not bad, which makes me have a better impression of her. Seeing that she seemed to want to ask me something, but couldn't, but didn't want to leave, so I also chatted with her: "Excuse me, does Princess Ru have any brothers and sisters?"
"I have an elder brother, the current crown prince of Zheng State, whose name is Jianshou, and then there is a daughter."
Her tone remained humble from beginning to end, which is really difficult for a teenage girl. For example, my teenage sister is not very well-behaved, although she is also very pretty and cute, but she is very naughty. Maybe her parents spoil her too much.
I thought about it, but unfortunately I couldn't think of anyone in my family who could marry her. I don't have a younger brother, and I don't have a son of the right age. I thought of Kong Ming, and I thought I had already reserved Cai Yan for him. I have been having a little madness recently, and my son hasn't been born yet, but I can't wait to arrange a marriage for him. Suddenly I remembered that it might not be a son.
Finally, the girl couldn't help it anymore. She looked at me expectantly and asked me what kind of person Master Wei Zhongyang was.
To be honest, when I first heard the name, I was completely confused.
But when I mention the surname Wei, I have some memories. I remember that my father, the emperor, was dissatisfied with the names of the two sons of my teacher, and gave them names and characters. Since he is called Zhong Yang, he should be the second son. Then I can infer that the character of the eldest son should be Bo Yang or Meng Yang. Then I can infer his name. Thinking of the words of Emperor Gaozu: The wind rises and the clouds fly, I always feel that this name should be related to words like wind and clouds flying.
"Could it be that Princess Ru is referring to the Second Prince of Chu?"
The girl lowered her head, her cheeks even blushing a little, and hummed.
It seems that the teacher is planning to marry Lord Huangfu, which should be a good thing. I tried hard to recall the appearance of the second son in my head, and then imagined what he would look like when he grew up a few years older, mixed with the teacher's voice, appearance and smile, and gradually described the outline of a handsome and wise boy.
The girl became happier and happier as she listened, and finally blushed. Suddenly, she took Yinling's hand and walked away, asking me something in a very intimate tone. I was surprised at first, but finally left in a daze and with satisfaction, and before leaving, she turned around and bowed to me again.
I have to sigh, Ling'er is so amazing, it seems like everyone likes you.
The woman was very proud and said that it was natural, without any humility. Considering her usual behavior, even if her husband was dissatisfied, he dared not show it.
But Yinling still satisfied my curiosity, and the questions she asked were also about me. During the banquet that day, some girls asked, but she was still lingering outside without saying anything. So Yinling noticed her and asked someone about her identity. On this day, she came up to ask Yinling questions, which were really strange. At least, I can't think of any adult who would ask such questions except children.
First, is Yue Hou the most powerful general in the world
The answer is: It seems not yet.
Second, in what aspect is Yue Hou the best in the world
The answer is: It seems to be neither.
Third, doesn’t Sister Yinling hope that Yue Hou is the best in the world
The answer is: That’s not necessary, as long as Zirui is always number one in my heart, that’s enough.
I was somewhat moved by her last answer, and I also understood something, and then I felt a little ashamed, but I couldn't say anything. I could only hug her.
She held me in her arms and didn't want to let go for a long time. It seemed like tears were falling, and she had to make me happy. That yellow hair was really "a newborn paparazzi who is not afraid of treasures", which made me laugh.
But Yinling reminded me to make more friends, pay attention to the relationships that should be fought, and not act on impulse. This morning, she saw the ministers of various families introducing each other and chatting, and Song Laiwang was quite embarrassed. She thought I should learn more, and I naturally nodded in agreement. I will do so in the next few days.
Talking about this, I feel very happy for the teacher. The teacher's eldest son is marrying the emperor, and the second son is marrying the Huangfu family, which are all great things. The eldest son is marrying the emperor's second princess, and the teacher's status will definitely be much more respected; if his children become in-laws with Huangfu Gong, his reputation among the gentry will be greatly improved. I am afraid that in the future, the gentry will not be so taboo to seek refuge with the teacher.
That night, at the banquet, other entertainments such as long-sleeved dance, hook-and-sickle sword fighting, and nòng balls (acrobatic ball throwing) were all old plays. The solo musician Ren Li played, and his music was quiet and pleasant, which made the emperor very happy. He rewarded the musician, the Minister of Rites, and the Marquis of Yue, and ordered Ren Li to enter the palace as a music official.
I felt something was wrong, but when I saw Sister Ren thanking me with a hint of helplessness, I immediately came up with an idea. I quickly found Zi Yu and told him about the matter between Lieutenant Ming and Ren Li, and asked him to ask his mother-in-law through his wife to get him from his father-in-law. The second son was also not vague. He kept talking before I finished, and finally thought that this detour was the best way.
That night, I sympathized with my second brother and asked him to be my second brother for the whole night. We drank and chatted under the silent moon, talking about how we felt about being single again, but it seemed that we didn't feel very good.
During this time, the captain came to return my flute with a look of disappointment. I took it back but told him not to worry, as my second brother would take care of everything.
In this way, all the responsibilities will be pushed onto him. Next, whether the Marquis of Qin can deal with the Princess of the Han Dynasty and not let her think that he has other intentions depends on his ability. Then it depends on the ability of the Princess of the Han Dynasty to deal with her mother. Finally, it depends on how the Empress of the Han Dynasty deals with the Emperor of the Han Dynasty. It may be necessary to warn the Grand Historian Zhu Jianping in advance that these are not suitable to be recorded in the official history.
The weather was still warm, and I felt even hotter after drinking some wine. The occasional cool breeze from the north was quite pleasant.
That night, somehow, I started having nightmares.
It seemed that without Yinling around, sleeping started to become less pleasant. I woke up several times during the night. Apart from drinking water, I woke myself up from the nightmare.
What’s a little strange is that the kettle is always full. Maybe getting up at night to drink water is also a scene from my nightmare.
I get up very early in the morning, and since Ling'er is not by my side to stay with me, I exercise and take a shower after I sweat a lot.
On the second day, the emperor went to Kunming Lake. He enjoyed the scenery in the pavilion beside the lake and kept summoning the princes to answer questions. Others were waiting in the pavilions below, but they also had their own activities. For example, the two neighbors, Yuan Shu and Liu Yao, were playing the game of Liubo. I didn't know the name, and I needed to be told by the people below. Yinling never taught me this. Although I was determined to perform in front of Yinling, I watched politely with a smile, but I still didn't fully understand it after watching for a long time. I just knew that the two were throwing chopsticks on a square chessboard with some regular patterns, trying to win chips by pulling fish. In the end, the two of them started arguing over chips again, which made the princes watching around laugh. I didn't laugh because I didn't understand. But I kindly advised them not to be loud so as not to alarm the emperor. They thanked me for reminding them, but turned around and continued to mutter, still fighting for the two chips.
Brother Mengde seems to be an old friend of Yuan Shao. The two of them called Lord Gongsun Bogui and Lord Liu Boan to drink and talk, while playing the game of pitching pots. Or it should be described this way: the game is played in the form of pitching pots, but in fact it is a conversation under the punishment of drinking. I also went over to drink a few glasses of wine as punishment, and listened to their conversation. They did not keep it secret from me. They have been talking about how to deal with the Xianbei and Wuhuan people. Lord Liu Boan seems to be a pacification faction, while the other three are warmongers. I gave a compromise opinion, saying that it would be best if these two groups could be provoked to fight. Moreover, many tribes of the Xianbei and Wuhuan have great hatreds. If there is a good speaker who can explain the severity of the hatred and promise a generous reward, it should not be difficult. It is better to divide the enemy than to share the enemy, and it is better to induce the enemy to fight each other. Brother Mengde's way is the best, and Lord Liu Boan's way is also good, but the other two warmongers disagree. I left on the grounds of being drunk, and they were still arguing.
There were several boats out of the dock in the pond, including the pleasure boat I had been on. Some were with the ladies, and some were with the children. The boat with the children was especially unsettling because the children were rowing the oars, which frightened the ladies in the boat and often caused them to scream.
Lord Kong Rong was playing chess with the teacher in the pavilion by the pond, ignoring the laughter and shouting in the water. But his mind was not on the chess game. Besides Lord Kong Rong drinking from time to time, I could also hear the two of them reciting words from the Zuo Zhuan of the Spring and Autumn Annals, as if they were arguing with each other. When they mentioned a certain place, the teacher looked around and saw me nearby, and waved me over. I put my sleeves together, stepped forward a few steps, and performed the etiquette of a student, then stood up and stood behind the teacher, asking the teacher what he wanted to see the student for. The teacher asked me how Lord Shi Xie was doing, and I said everything was fine. The teacher asked me how I should treat him, which I had thought about before. In response to the teacher's question, I answered that I planned to make him the prime minister and treat him with the etiquette of a teacher.
The teacher nodded, smiled, picked up a white piece, and without looking at me, he seemed to wave the piece in front of me and said, "This is a good move." Then, he made the move.
Lord Kong was also looking at me with a smile, but he lowered his head and took a sip of the cup, stroked his beard, and said with a smile: "This may not be a good move."
I saw the teacher's white chess piece attack a black piece in a corner, and there was another black chess piece wedged in at the corner where the chess piece was not tight. It was really dangerous.
The teacher was not flustered. He slowly and methodically placed a piece next to the black and white pieces. "The previous piece is the foundation. This piece can penetrate deep into the heart of the area."
Lord Wen Ju also smiled, raised his cup and drank it all, thought for a moment, and then made a move farther away, "When faced with two evils, choose the lesser one. Lord Chu's intention is not here, why do you only make a fuss about the corners?"
The teacher went back to the corner and made another move. Lord Wen Ju seemed to be relieved and quickly made another move at the place where he had just made a move. The teacher also made another move at the corner.
"It's my fault that I lost sight of the important things and pursued the trivial ones." Lord Wen Ju suddenly felt a little frustrated and sighed.
"Brother Wenju's fate is not here, but my life depends on it, so I have no choice but to do this, haha."
"There is nothing else to this game of chess. Now that both sides have a solid foundation, we can only count the pieces to determine the winner."
"Although your chess pieces stretch across the north and south, there are only two pieces with energy in the north and south. The middle is broken, and both ends can survive. Although there are gains in the middle, the most important thing is still the foundation." I always feel that the teacher's last move does not need to be supplemented, but since the teacher did it on purpose, I think he hopes to wake me up.
However, the teacher and Master Kong actually wanted to clear the board and count the pieces to determine the winner, and they were still collecting the official pieces, which seemed to show that they were very competitive. Suddenly, I heard louder shouts from the pool, and I saw that the boat of the children was slowly ramming towards the pavilion sideways.
He quickly warned the teacher and the others, and the teacher and Master Wenju turned around to look. When they saw the boat getting closer, everyone behind them started to scream and warn. The teacher wanted to get up and leave the pavilion, but Master Wenju grabbed him and said leisurely: "If you leave, you will lose this game."
The teacher laughed out loud, and instead of leaving, he sat down and continued calculating.
This made me, a student, very anxious. I didn't want to disturb them, so I had to walk around the pavilion and reach the water's edge. The pavilion was half-hanging on the water. Seeing the boat getting closer and closer, the children on the boat seemed to have no idea what to do, and some just stared blankly. At that moment, I didn't care about anything else and stepped into the water. Fortunately, the water was shallow near the shore, so I just got stuck. I held the pavilion's pillars in the water and staggered a few steps to the front of the pavilion. I stood in the mud with one foot and pushed the other foot against the foundation stone on the shore, with half of my legs submerged in the water. I looked closer, pulled my feet out of the mud and pushed against the foundation stone together, while stretching out my arms to support the boat.
My experience of playing in the Baishui River taught me that floating objects in the water are easy to push. For example, when Ziyuan sat on the boat, I could lift him to the center of the river underwater. But this was a slight exception. I felt that the pressure from the bow of the boat almost bent my left arm. In my mind, the boat was filled with thousands of fat people like Ziyuan. I tried my best to resist but still couldn't stop it. The boat seemed to flip to the left. I remembered that I was lying on the water now, and the bow of the boat was about to hit the shore. Seeing that it would not hit the pavilion, I felt relieved, but I still had to hold on to avoid falling into the water.
"Zi Rui, how are you? Brother Wen Ju, you win." The teacher was still worried about me, and seeing the boat running like this, he seemed to understand what I was doing. I heard the floor in the pavilion making noises, and the teacher came to my head and watched me paddling the boat below.
"Teacher, it's okay!" I even felt that my voice was a little strange. It seemed that because my body was lying sideways, my voice had changed.
The bow of the boat suddenly hit the shore, and I felt a violent shock in my hands. Then the boat seemed to bounce away from the shore, and in an instant I had nothing to hold on to, and I immediately knew what the consequences would be.
So, I looked at the water surface in front of me, felt the cool breeze, and calmly considered whether there were any remedial measures, but I still had no choice but to fall into the water like a toad.
For some reason, my two wives both liked to use this animal to describe my entry into the water. They later said, "At least my hind legs are very long, which is more like this creature." I was very dissatisfied with the word "hind legs" and asked them if I also had front legs. They both said yes in unison, and recalled with great joy that when they were five or six years old, I mostly moved around by crawling on the floor with four "legs".
This is why I am even more helpless. First it was Yinling and then Pei'er. They all like to bring up stories that I definitely can't remember. They even confessed that they ran in front of me with the things I liked to eat and play with, forcing me to crawl around, and when they mentioned this, their eyebrows were dancing, without any intention of reflecting on it.
The warm weather turned cold, the cool wind turned cold, and the water that was not felt before became bone-chillingly cold. Yinling ran over from the boat where the ladies were and watched everyone pull me out of the water. I quickly huddled up and looked for a room to go in, but every room was occupied. In the end, I could only find a boat that was docked to change clothes.
My father didn't blame me. He came with my mother and brought me a set of clothes for me to change into. I shivered and asked what happened to the boat just now. Father, the child was naughty and didn't know how to sail, and didn't let the boatman come. As a result, he didn't know how to raise the anchor, but just loosened the anchor rope. Finally, the anchor rope was tightened after a while, and the wind blew the boat towards the shore. After explaining this, I finished dressing. Yinling was surprised that it fit me. Mother and father each explained with a smile that the father could swell because he was fat, and the son could hold up because he had a big frame.
After combing his hair a bit and being reminded to take a bath at night, he followed his parents and took his wife out.
Lu Bo was waiting nearby. As soon as we got off the boat, he came over to apologize to my father and me. I naturally had to stand up and say that it was okay. Han Sui, Ma Teng and others also brought the children to apologize. I said that I often acted recklessly and did things that were much more absurd and outrageous than them, so I couldn't blame them.
The teacher watched from afar, looking very pleased and smiling from time to time. When he noticed where I was looking, he headed towards me.
The emperor soon found out what happened, and when he summoned me, he made fun of me. But he still praised me for respecting my teacher and setting an example. This is what a student should do. To be honest, I was very happy to hear the praise.
After I came down, the teacher waved and called me over; still in that pavilion, the teacher and I were on both sides of the chessboard.
But we didn't play chess, we just looked at the endgame on the board.
"Zi Rui, what do you think of Ruburt's chess skills?"
"I only watched a few moves, so I don't know. But it seems that my chess skills are not as good as the teacher's."
"Well, Duke Lu is a man of great talent, but unfortunately..." the teacher lowered his voice, "If he were a scholar, he could be the best at that time, but if he were a ruler of a hundred miles, he would inevitably lose his country. Zirui, do you know why?"
I couldn't help but look around, and seeing Lu Bo in the distance, I felt a little uneasy: "I don't know, this is the first time I have met Lord Lu Bo, and we have never interacted with each other before."
"Zi Rui still needs to make more friends in the future."
“Yes, students understand.”
"I have played chess with Lu Bo several times. He is addicted to chess, but not as good as him, so there is no need to fight him with all my strength." The teacher smiled and looked at Lu Bo in the distance. "Just now, I deliberately set up a situation that is difficult to take care of both ends. You only need to attack my two places, and the empty space in the hinterland will be lost a lot. It will also be difficult for me to invade the middle. But he is still as focused as in the previous few games and consolidates his chess position. Putting aside his excessive drinking, as the saying goes, judging a person by his chess, this person is not good at attacking, but it is a taboo for him to not understand the current situation and stick to the old rules. Although he is eloquent and can listen to others, governing a country is not like idle talk. If there are no wise men around to assist him, the country of Lu may be overthrown in no time."
Suddenly I discovered that Lu Bo was arguing with Brother Meng De about something. Seeing that they were very stern and had no intention of giving in, I couldn't help but feel sad.
"Brother Meng De is a man of high talent and noble character, and he is the Duke of Wei who is in charge of the government. Although Lu Bo is a little eccentric, I am afraid that it is just as the teacher said, and Lu will soon be in trouble."
"It's true that Meng De is talented, but he is not magnanimous!" The teacher suddenly laughed.
Seeing Brother Meng De's face alternately angry and smiling, I suddenly felt that the teacher had some truth. The argument was still going on over there, and many people stood on Meng De's side, echoing the voice. Only Tao Qian and Lu Zhi stood on Lu Bo's side. Gongsun Bogui seemed to be a little embarrassed, and finally stood behind his teacher, but did not participate in it. In the end, it was still my father who stepped in to mediate the dispute.
The teacher let out a long sigh: "Zigong is a wise man, Confucius said: Is he a wise man? I don't have time for that." After saying that, he smiled and said, "I didn't expect that later generations still don't understand his meaning. Confucius is afraid that he can't do anything about it."
The teacher's lessons to us are more about Legalism and Taoism, and he didn't talk much about Confucianism. He mostly explained fragments of Confucianism and compared the teachings of the two schools of Taoism and Legalism, and gave us comments. Today, the teacher suddenly said this sentence from the Analects of Confucius, which made me feel a little fresh. The teacher could see what I was thinking. He moved the chess piece in his hand with one hand and said to me, "In today's game, I placed that piece just to show you. Shi Xie is the key to your country's stability. He is the most important person in Yue in terms of reputation, knowledge and strength. With his support, you have a solid foundation. You should first grant him the rank of general, leave the position of prime minister vacant, and keep writing letters to praise him. This is a very good move. When you go back, you must go to Jiaozhi in person to pay homage to him. Not only should you treat him with respect as a teacher, but it would be better if you can treat him with respect as a father. Naturally, this needs to be discussed with your father. It would be best if your father can write a letter to Mr. Shi to show his sincerity. But you have to come forward first and do everything in place. It is better to take it out and show it to him later, whether intentionally or unintentionally. This will make him feel your sincerity in treating him with respect as a teacher and a father, and also avoid making him feel that you are just following your father's orders."
The teacher is always like this, he likes to use an ordinary thing and then use it to explain the truth to us. Usually it does leave a deep impression on us, but sometimes it seems a little unreliable, such as this time. But thinking that the teacher may have a deeper meaning, I did not ask further. After speaking, the teacher took out a piece of silk from his bosom and unfolded it for me to see. This is what the teacher wrote for me to Shi Xie, but the teacher took it back. To me: I originally wrote it for you, but I thought that what I wrote might not be helpful, so it is better to let your father write it.
My eyes were a little wet. I knew why the teacher was like this. Although I didn't know how to respond, I hoped that the teacher could understand my feelings. I thought of something, and there were still tears in my eyes, but I could smile: "When the two teachers' sons get married, the students will definitely come to congratulate them."
The teacher looked at me, smiled, paused, and sighed: "Zi Rui still needs to improve his strength in all aspects and not slack off. Although Meng De is more than ten years older than you, he still loves to learn. Your wife An Guo is knowledgeable about ancient and modern times. If you don't understand a word or sentence, you can ask at any time. Taoism, Legalism and Confucianism. Taoism is the study of healing the world. In peacetime, Taoism is often needed. For example, the art of war, most of its principles are not out of Taoism; Legalism and Confucianism are for peacetime use. Legalism can gather people's strength, and Confucianism can calm people's hearts. Both are indispensable. If there is legalism without Confucianism, it will be harsh, and if there is Confucianism without law, it will be corrupt. If Zi Rui can make use of these three schools in his heart, then there is nothing more for me to teach you."
I knelt, stood up, took a step back, and bowed again. But I still had to leave the letter that the teacher wrote for me.
That night, I was still alone, but not lonely. I walked around an unknown tree in the courtyard that had grown new green leaves. I looked up and saw a soft halo around the moon in the sky. The three schools of Taoism, Legalism and Confucianism slowly began to turn in my mind. Whenever I came across a difficult question, I would pick up my gun and mount my horse, and go out to practice. I would sweat a lot, and then go wash myself.
I may have drunk a lot of water in my dream that night, because the kettle was still full; but it seems that drinking water in a dream can quench thirst, at least I don’t feel dry mouth when I wake up early.
For a few days, I was not thinking about playing. When I was playing with the princes, I often chatted with them intentionally or unintentionally, and I did learn a lot of things. For example, Yuan Shao poached a lot of people from Han Fu, including Qu Yi; the three brothers of Lord Xuande are now working for Lord Yunzhong, and they are all important; there is a Fuyu country in the north of Wuhuan and the east of Xianbei. Their king needs to be buried with a yu box, but they don’t produce yu. They are rewarded by our great Han and often given to Xuantu County in advance, waiting for them to come. But they came to take it away in the twelfth month of last year. This time, Lord Liao came to report this matter and take another yu box back.
In the past few days, I have also solved an important matter, which is to make the gifts I brought have the right purpose. When thinking about the way to give gifts, Song's opinion is very interesting. I praised it as soon as I heard it and immediately followed it.
Yinling also appreciated the way that all our gifts were intentionally or unintentionally given to the children or wives of various families, and asked me whose idea it was. I said Song. Unexpectedly, she also taught me a lesson, saying that if I could have this idea, she wouldn't have to worry about it.
The weather was getting warmer day by day. Even though there was a bit of north wind in the past few days, I could still see the flowers spreading all over the garden, which made me feel better. During those days, I would occasionally see her, and I would smile at her and bring my wife along to greet her.
Every night, I can only wander around the courtyard alone. Sometimes I talk with Master Xu, sometimes I chat with Song, and sometimes I take ** out to have a little discussion. Black friend seems to be very excited every time he goes out, but when he is taken back, he is a little depressed. ** may be tired, but I doubt it.
It's just that Qiu Luan and the others had worked hard. Especially in the next few mornings, I could see my clothes from the previous day already washed, dried and folded by the couch, which made me feel even more guilty.
I was awakened by a nightmare again. Looking at the brazier, I could not remember that there was such a thing in front of the bed the night before. I finally realized that some things were not dreams. The north window of the house was humming, and the door was constantly being pushed and slammed. I got up and bolted the door with my eyes blurred. I came back and lay down but could not fall asleep. Recalling the things in the dream, I tossed and turned more and more and could not fall asleep, until the last trace of fatigue disappeared from my eyelids.
I seemed to hear someone pushing the door, but I kept silent. I guessed that she wanted to add more charcoal to my fire, so I didn't open the door for her because I didn't want to trouble her anymore.
It seemed that Yiren did not leave along the corridor, but walked into the courtyard. The first few steps sounded like stepping on mud, and suddenly there was a puffing sound, which seemed to be the sound of stepping on snow.
My eyes had long since adjusted to the light in the room, and with the last few sparks of charcoal in the brazier, I got up, dressed, walked to the door, and gently unbolted it.
It seemed to be really snowing outside. There was nothing on the ground near the house, but there was some snow around the unknown tree in the center of the yard. At this time, Yiren was standing in front of the tree in the yard.
The tree wore a white crown and had a black cushion under its feet.
Yiren was also wrapped in a white cloak, standing there blankly. This scene seemed to have been seen on the Mound Mountain several years ago. With a sense of excitement in his heart, he walked forward.
I stopped when I saw her slowly squatting down to pick up a branch from the ground under the tree, wondering what she was going to do. I could tell her quiet profile and her expression of quietly looking at the branch in her hand. She seemed to have some feelings and sang softly: "The branches are green for a few days, and the spring comes and goes at night; who knows the will of heaven and earth, and it is broken in the dust and mud. Shanglin is full of dark clouds, and Pingle's snow courtyard is empty; to whom should I blame? The moon bows down on Yinshan Mountain."
I was still savoring the poem when she suddenly became alert, turned around, saw me, and let out an "ah".
“You’re back!”
"I'm back."
We were so happily reunited at that time that we didn't even realize that a nightmare was happening again.
Note 1: It is not the Chencang in Youfufeng of Sili, but a fortress in the northwest of Jingzhou noted in this book. The Battle of Hanzhong has been described in the previous article.
Note: Chinese chess games of the Han Dynasty were mostly recorded in ancient books and seen in Han Dynasty murals, but were later lost. Later, chessboards were often unearthed and have been deciphered again.