"Thank you for your advice, sir... May I ask your name?"
"It doesn't matter. I am a wandering Taoist priest. I dare not use my real name. My nickname is Guan Lu, but I chose the name Gong Ming for my own taste."
"Mr. Guan Gongming, just rest in my house. If you need anything, just let me know."
When I was leaving, I met Ye Jian again and asked him what his current position was. I noticed that he was packing up and getting ready to go out. I knew what he was doing and didn't want him to answer. Because I have done this job before, although it was not for a long time, it should be very short. I casually asked him to pay attention to building a good relationship with the people when he was the city guard. I also asked him to ask the clerk for two servants in my name. The uncle and aunt are old and need to take a break. He asked me who the clerk was. If I knew and I still needed you to do it, I asked him to ask, and then I asked, and then told me who that person was, and I would go and curry favor with him. It was probably a classmate.
I sat on the horseback, the wind and the setting sun shone through the gaps between the shops on the street, but it did not bring warmth, but at least it made me sober. I was thinking about the fortune he had told me. As a normal teenager of my age, the first thing I considered was obviously not the difficulties in the future. After this year's difficulties and obstacles, I think I don't need to accumulate any courage to face the hardships in the future. Of course, I am very interested in my wife's question.
"I can't marry two wives at the same time, so the first one must have died before me, a fake death, which is not a very pleasant word. The other one was married to me for many years and stayed with me until the end of my life, so I died earlier than the second wife." I recited my own analysis, and I think the word death scared the people around me. At least a familiar face who was originally smiling and planning to come over to say hello to me suddenly became solemn and hurriedly walked away by himself. I felt very embarrassed, so I hurriedly took the initiative to say hello.
When I returned to my new home, I still had no idea what that conversation was about. But after seeing Tu Jinglie's wife, I put all my thoughts aside for the time being. They came to visit me specifically, and when they saw that I was not there, they were about to leave and come back to visit later. I thought to myself that I had forgotten about that person, and I wondered if I had forgotten about other people.
I quickly asked them how they were doing now, this is what I really care about.
"We live in the post station, and have troubled you to look after us all the way, but we have not been able to help. It is really bad for my husband and I to live in your house again. And I... entered the officialdom." He glanced at her and continued. I kept thinking that he was worrying too much: "My eldest brother recommended me to the governor of the state and explained my situation. Then, the governor asked me about my views on various livelihood issues in the north, and I followed my ideas. He didn't have anything else, so he asked me to be the chief clerk in Xiangyang, in charge of taxes on merchants. I came here with nothing. I thought that being the chief clerk would not affect the war. I am unfamiliar with this place and it is difficult to start a business. I don't want to trouble you too much. I can eat this official meal, so I took it. Qin also agreed."
"Then the next issue is having a baby, right?" I thought to myself, his elder brother calls me elder brother, so what should I be afraid of? The joke was so peaceful that the status and identity of Marquis Fengyun was inevitable.
"My elder brother asked me to report the good news to elder brother Zirui..."
"Really?" I was really surprised and shouted out loud.
The young couple blushed, and although I knew I had raised my voice a little, I still had to remind Tu Jinglie to at least maintain the courage and straightforwardness of the Wuhuan people and not be so coy.
"I just realized that some..." He was still a little shy, which made me angry again, so he spoke smoothly: "I even thought of a name, but when I was talking to my eldest brother, he was drinking and he suddenly spit it out and choked. My sister-in-law had to rub his back for a while before he recovered. I only dared to come up with two names. I don't know what my eldest brother would do if I came up with the others."
"What's your name? Tell Brother Zirui about it." I guessed it was something like two cats and three dogs, and I couldn't help laughing when I thought about it.
"I have passed by so many beautiful mountains and rivers along the way, so if I were a girl, I would call her Tu Jing Xiu. I have also seen the vastness of Yunmeng, which is boundless. If I were a boy, I would call him Tu Jing Han. Brother Zirui, what's wrong with you? Why are you the same as me?"
I could completely understand all the feelings of Po Liu Han Lie Ya, my Beihai brothers, and Long Xing buddies, but this time it was Tu Jing Lie who gave me a back massage, because I was laughing and I couldn't breathe and started coughing violently.
After finally calming down, I only said two sentences, "You should use something else?" After thinking about it, I felt uneasy, so I asked him what name he planned to use.
"I am a Wuhuan, but I have never seen my people in my life. But I must not forget my roots. If the first two names are not good, my children can also be named Tujingwu or Tujinghuan."
I almost passed out, luckily I wasn't eating. If it were Li Beihai, he would have choked to death by now.
"Let's just go with the beginning." I gave my final opinion.
He didn't stay long, as he had to go to work and take over other matters, so he got on the carriage and left. After seeing off the newlyweds, I walked into the gate with a hint of jealousy, and then someone came to tell me that the teacher wanted to see me, so I straightened my clothes and hurried out of the house again.
I remembered that I promised Kong Ming and others last night that I would take them out to play in the morning, but they were called away by the teacher in the morning. It was not my fault, but now I was called away again and had to rush back before the evening. Then I would not see anyone again that day. I broke my promise today. I could not help but groan in my heart.
But seeing the smile on the teacher's face, I quickly forgot all my worries and thoughts, bowed to the teacher, sat down, and smiled. There were only four people in the meeting, the teacher, the master, the third uncle and I.
"Don't laugh, idiot. You finally decided to come back. Do you know how many people have proposed to you? Not only for you, but also for your sister. We know what you are thinking, so with Yinling's approval, we agreed to marry her to Cao Mengde. I have seen that man before. He is extremely talented and has unlimited potential."
"Thank you, teacher."
"I want to thank Yinling, it was Yinling who taught you this. Yinling taught you the things at the beginning very well, which made your heart very simple and pure, which is why those foreigners can get along so well with you. Although your trip to the north has caused us trouble, it has also solved a lot of troubles for us. You may not know that I will not be with you for the time being, and I am afraid you don’t know it either, and you are not interested. You are not cunning, although people along the way may look down on you, but they can trust you. And what you did along the way, although not very serious, is very upright, and you have also attracted so many talents to my Jingzhou; Liu Nan, a talent; Yan Rou, a good talent; Li Beihai, Tu Jinglie, a rare talent; Zhang Kai, a genius. You also stepped on many enemy camps alone in Mufu Mountain, making the soldiers convinced of you; then, you were able to endure humiliation and win the hearts of the people in Yizhou. When I go out, who can believe that this is an eighteen-year-old boy from a commoner's family, and the boy's teacher is just a twenty-two-year-old unmarried girl." The teacher seemed to be intoxicated by his long speech.
"Teacher, you are too kind. I am very ashamed."
"You know, I was praising your sister, and I was about to criticize you."
"The student is learning from the lesson." I quickly sat up and waited to be criticized.
"You always think that others are the same as you, and you always think that you can buy them off with a few sincere words. If that were the case, how could there be so many treacherous officials and villains in the world? You should know how famous you are, but you are always criticizing the eunuch party or the relatives of the emperor. At least no matter how idiotic they are, they still control the power of the court. Do you want to die? And you provoked Yuan Shu, and you also offended the old scholar-officials. How many lives do you have to live for all this?"
"The student knew he was wrong."
"I'm going to ask you a question. If you answer it well, you won't be punished. If you don't answer it well, just raise your hand." The teacher's tone became better, which made me feel relieved. At most, I'll get hit by the iron ruler, but I can still hold on.
"Teacher, please tell me." I naturally felt a lot more relaxed.
"What is the next plan for Jingzhou?" I thought to myself, this is a big question, I'm afraid I need to organize all my thoughts. But then I saw the teacher took out an iron rod that was almost two circles thicker than the handle of my Tianlang, and I was very surprised. This is going to cost someone's life, the teacher must be crazy.
But this time my answer came out quickly: "The most urgent task is to reclaim the wasteland after the disaster. The flood gradually receded. By the time of sowing, there were thousands of miles of wasteland in Jingyang. However, there is a shortage of laborers. Unmarried men in the army can be allowed to get married on the spot. Those who are married will be listed in a new list and assigned to the military farms. They will be divided into lands and work for half a day and half a day to reclaim the wasteland. Then we will reorganize the military affairs, especially warships, armor and weapons. Otherwise, it would be unwise to fight against minions with bare hands. Then send people to help Wujun Shengbin. The people of the Dongyi in the south, especially the King of Wu De Yan Baihu, have the largest foundation. Although they have surrendered, they may change in the long run. Don't wait for them to do anything. Please ask the teacher to write a letter to exempt the disaster areas from two years of taxation. There are many cases of exemption for three years in the past. Although He Jin excluded us, we surrendered ourselves and showed weakness. He Jin will not be able to refuse. I am afraid he will make up for the three years. period; At this time, Dong Zhuo may raise troops against the southern barbarians, so we should make peace with the southwestern barbarians, otherwise the danger in the backyard will be greater than the disaster in the north, but we must not be too hasty, we must let the southern barbarians be anxious first, so that we can gain greater initiative; the land of Liangzhou in the west was given to foreigners to rule by me on my own initiative at that time, and I should explore it in the spring of Ming Dynasty, and then make peace with them to permanently stabilize the Western Regions; if Jiaozhou is not in chaos, do not surrender Jiaozhou, and let them pay all the taxes paid, and do not touch a single cent. However, the greatest danger lies in the spring of Ming Dynasty. This year there will be a great disaster, and if there is no surplus food to survive the summer, or even no seeds to sow, then the day of chaos will come again for the whole country. At this time, if there is internal chaos in Sili and Yuzhou in the north, and the court cannot deal with it, we should send troops to help them immediately, and withdraw if the chaos is settled. Only Wancheng must be left, and it must not be given to anyone. This city and Xinye are There are several extremely important strategic points in the north of Jingzhou. If I don't hold them in my hands, it will be like swallowing a sharp sword, and I will never have a sleepless night. Second, if you withdraw the vassal state and abolish me, we will have to pretend to be deaf and dumb, or pretend to cause trouble among ourselves, and then send people to suppress it; third, I have made a verbal alliance with Gongsun Zan and Lu Zhi, the master and apprentice. If He Jin mobilizes troops against Youzhou, we will join forces with Ding Yuan to feint an attack on Chang'an, the Western Capital, and make a warning, and explain the severity of the situation. If He Jin still does not withdraw his troops, I will attack Yuzhou and Sili at the same time on the grounds of clearing the court of the eunuchs. Yuzhou is where the eunuchs' power is located. Although Sili is the imperial capital, it is in the same place as He Jin's old nest. He Jin cannot attack with all his strength and will definitely return his troops to guard against danger. Then, if we eliminate the eunuchs, we can occupy Yuzhou openly, and then give it to He Jin without any reservations, and do him a favor. After this incident, he will not act rashly again. Soldiers. Or we can directly follow the eunuchs and mobilize troops against He Jin behind their backs, but eunuchs are not trustworthy, and the eunuchs have stolen the throne, and the emperor may be worried about his life. Be careful! Finally, we should consider He Jin's mobilization against us. Gongsun Zan and others are unreliable, and they will have to rely on us in the end. He Jin's various tribes in Jiangbei are suspicious, so we should choose those with strong strength and meticulous planning. Yuan Shao in Hebei is one of them. His strength is the best in the north, and he has many capable counselors under his command. It is advisable to start with Feng Ji. Although this person is wise, his mind is narrow, which makes him unable to see the whole picture when he uses tricks to see things; don't start with Tian Feng. This person is wise but has no self-interest, and his loyalty is commendable. Although he has a heart to make friends, even Yuan will be a big problem. If you make plans to dislike him, Shao is not wise, and ordinary people say what they say, so he is not to be feared. If you can move him, He Jin's four states in the east will have a lot of troubles to deal with. The rest is what we usually do, and there is also the work of improvisation."
The three elders all breathed a sigh of relief and said something.
"Zi Rui is a good boy, he is clear and logical, and his arguments are layered. No wonder he is so appreciated by the eldest brother."
"It seems that I am the only rough one."
"You are different from before, much more mature. I think this trip has tempered you."
They suggested that the teacher put away the stick. The teacher took the stick and tried to reach out to Uncle San to see if he could hit him. The teacher laughed and Uncle San dodged backwards in an exaggerated manner.
I glanced back. Although it was still early, I was thinking about going back quickly and taking those four guys out for a walk, just to complete the mission and to account for my own credibility.
"Zi Rui, is there something urgent?"
"Master, no."
"I heard from Ye Jian on the way that you talked to Guan Lu for a long time. Did he tell your fortune?"
"never mind."
"How is it?" The master seemed interested in this question.
"It's okay, but I don't believe in these hexagrams." I suddenly remembered something and started to look through my body.
"Is this it?" The teacher shook the picture that Zuo Ci asked me to bring to the teacher. I was confused. I didn't know how the teacher got it, but the teacher then explained it to me: "Your sister brought it to me. It seems that you haven't changed." The teacher sighed, "Yin Ling was brought to me by you. But the fact that you looked for it shows that your sister was afraid that you would lose it, so she brought it to me first."
Master and Third Uncle also came over, and Master didn't have any reservations and let them see directly.
"Have you seen it?" the teacher asked me while watching.
“I have.”
"Do you understand what I mean?"
"I don't understand." I'm always honest.
"Brother, he even knows this?" Uncle San pointed to a part on the picture. I was very familiar with that picture. I remembered that was where the teacher was standing. There was a car next to it and the teacher was carrying a huge rock on his back. It seemed that there was a mystery there.
The teacher shook his head and put it away silently, but the master seemed to have not figured it out yet. The uncle came over and drew a few times on the teacher's hand, and then he suddenly realized.
I didn't understand why, but I looked back anyway.
"Zi Rui, you seem anxious to go back?"
"No hurry, I just promised Kong Ming to take him out to play. I'm afraid I broke my promise to the child."
"Oh, this Kong Ming is really amazing. He can make people run around in circles no matter where they are."
"Yes, my wife likes him very much. She even wants a son like this. How can a warrior like you and me raise such a smart kid? Now that she is about to have a child, I am beginning to worry. If she raises a fool, I will have no way to deal with it."
"Master's wife is pregnant too?"
"yes."
"Master is so amazing."
"Hey, Zirui, go out for a while. Your level of sarcasm has improved rapidly." The teacher and my third uncle were both laughing. It was obvious that the master was not very satisfied with me.
"Zi Rui, you seem to be looking at the time. Did you make an appointment with those kids?"
"To be honest with you, Uncle San, the director told me not to see anyone after the twilight hour today, so that I can avoid disaster and seek good fortune. Although I don't really believe it, since he said it well, I might as well give it a try to show my respect."
"That's right, too. I remember that Master Guan Lu once told me that I would live a life of great success or a life of mediocrity; a life of no suffering or a life of suffering."
"That's quite strange."
"Of course, it's accurate when I think about it. I didn't want to suffer, but I have to have you two troublesome brothers as my brothers." The teacher looked at the two brothers who didn't care with a sly look and complained, and then said: "I don't want to be greedy for fame and fortune, but I have to promote myself everywhere."
"Me too. For some unknown reason, I felt that my fame was so great that I couldn't even accept it."
"You don't need to be surprised by this. I used the strength of Jingzhou to make up a rumor for you. We need a cover to scare people so that we can stand on the stage, otherwise we will always be a vassal that is looked down upon by others. I didn't intend to let you get involved in this muddy water. But for your safety, the more famous you are, the safer you will be. Otherwise, if you are caught and chopped up in the city, your death will be too unjust and too worthless. When you are famous, they dare only harm you secretly. You walk on the official road all day long, so it is difficult for them to find any opportunity to harm you, which is why you have survived until now. Now that you have a reputation, you should continue like this. Don't raise any objections. You asked for it."
"Thank you for thinking of this idea, and keeping my students safe." I kowtowed to the teacher in a hurry. It turned out that the idea of all these things of Tianlang Hou was from the teacher. But I think this is the only way to make He Jin, the eunuch, in trouble, and not to harm me openly. If it weren't for this, I really don't know how many times I would have died. Anyway, I don't feel the burden of reputation now, so it doesn't matter if I continue like this. Then I can only feel grateful in my heart.
"Let's go quickly, it's getting late. You can't believe it completely, but you can't not believe it either." These were the teacher's last words.
When I got out of the government house, I finally realized that my reputation was not spread by the common people, but by the teacher. Although I knew it in prison, I thought everything through after I got out. I wondered why I was so stupid today.
Seeing that the sun was setting, he knew it was getting late, so he quickly rode back to his new home.
As soon as I arrived at the door, I saw Ye Jian and those four guys. I greeted Ye Jian first, then asked Kong Ming and others to discuss where we were going, and then turned around and talked to Ye Jian.
"You want to go out? It's almost evening, Mr. Guan asked me to remind you."
"I know, but... I have to keep my word." I admit that I hesitated, but in the end I was very determined: "No matter how difficult my life is, at least I have a clear conscience and owe nothing." I felt that I was right, so I ignored the hexagram and went out.
The four children didn't hear what we said. They were discussing where to go. It seemed that Miss Sima's management was very effective, which made the group of children feel a lot of hesitation. However, the three older ones obviously had nothing in common with us, and they quickly proposed to go to the training ground. Kong Ming had no objection. This was a good thing for me. At least I was worried about who I should listen to if he made other suggestions. At least I think Kong Ming is a kind of overlord in our family. Although he is only five years old, if you really play with his brain, he is an incredibly smart genius.
The training grounds were a bit deserted before the New Year, with no one training. Only some veterans passed by and just said hello to me. One of them made me daydream: "Marquis Fengyun, bring the children to play." I quickly thought that when I have children in the future, I will definitely play games like this with them often. We will get along well, and I will be a good father. It would be best if there are both boys and girls among the children, and a lot of them will chatter around and call father and mother. I also stretched out my arms to the side as if I was hugging my wife and enjoying happiness together.
Three freshmen were playing a game in the empty field. They used the sticks for training to fight. They seemed to be thinking about how to divide the teams and who would be a soldier and who would be a thief. This was really an ancient game. I played it before, but I never played the thief because no one could catch me.
It was just Kong Ming sitting on my shoulders with his hands on my head, just watching them play, which was a little different from his usual self.
"Want to play?"
Kong Ming looked at the way I looked at him, and there was not a trace of longing in his eyes, which was completely different from his usual playful self.
"Brother Zirui, can you take me to the highest tower on the city wall?"
The parade ground was in the northwest corner of the city. The already dim sun was hiding behind the city wall, which made me feel very uncomfortable. I completely agreed with his opinion. I think he also felt the coldness here, so I walked through the parade ground with him and walked towards the city wall. Only the three children were still fighting among the various weapons in the field.
Kong Ming was very brave. When he sat on my shoulder, I thought he would be scared and close his eyes. However, the eyes on his tender, round and cute face were definitely not like those of a five-year-old child. He kept looking ahead, no matter what was ahead.
No one stopped me, most of them said hello, and some came over to tease Kong Ming, but Kong Ming still had no expression.
I wondered what was wrong with this kid today. However, I took him to the tower first. As soon as he stood there, he said, "Head north."
"What's wrong?" I vaguely felt the reason for the incident, because I also had some worries when looking towards the north, and I think he was the same as me. I looked towards Gaoling in the northwest. Although I knew she should not be there now, she might be there for the rest of her life.
Kong Ming said something that made me doubt his age and touched my heart: "Sister: Climbing high can help you see far. This is the highest place in Xiangyang, but I still can't see you. If I could build a tower that reaches the sky, I would always be able to see you."
"It's okay. At least Sister Sima is still with you?" I remembered that he encountered Dong Zhuo's army with his sister, and his sister died under the sword of Dong Zhuo's army because of protecting him. Later, it was his sister who took him with him and made him gradually forget the painful memories. The departure of his sister must have been a big blow to Kong Ming. Although he would not feel anything at home with many people around, thinking about the desolate and lonely training ground probably aroused his sadness.
"But Sister Sima is different from my sister. They are very different, right?"
This was a casual remark made by Kong Ming. He didn't even look at me. He just lowered his head and spoke slowly in a tone that was not suitable for a person of his age, but his tone was still childish.
But this sentence finally reminded me of a lot of strange things. My sister and Sister Sima do have many differences in many aspects, but they share a common guide: Mr. Shuijing Sima Hui, so their differences make people feel very strange.
My elder sister is well versed in military tactics and various ways of handling and deciding matters, but Sister Sima is not good at this; Sister Sima is good at needlework and cooking, which are daily household skills that my elder sister cannot match. Thinking back to our daily conversations, Sister Sima has elegant manners, but my elder sister always seems to be a little worldly.
Two girls of similar age; the same mentor; somewhat similar looks; body shapes so indistinguishable that I can tell them apart; why are they so different and almost completely opposite in many ways
It was getting dark, and the You hour was only a quarter away. Watching the sun setting, I put aside my doubts and suggested going back. To be honest, I felt like I was discussing with someone of the same age, not giving orders to a child.
He had no objection, and when he went downstairs, he called the three guys who were having so much fun that their heads were covered with white mist to go back for dinner. I admit that I always have some opinions about Chen Wu's hair, but when I look at his eyes, I always feel that he must have been a rabbit in his previous life.
I only need to walk a few intersections to the east and I will be back to the Prince of Xiangyang's Palace, so I am sure that I will be in my room in a moment. If I go to bed early tonight and wake up early tomorrow morning, nothing will happen. Then, perhaps the misfortunes in this life will have nothing to do with me.
But things changed at the first intersection. I heard someone calling me on the road, so I stopped, turned around, and looked at the person who called me and the few people behind him.
But the man seemed to be relieved: "It is indeed Lord Ping An Fengyun Hou. May I ask if you still remember us?"
I got off the horse, returned the greeting first, then took a closer look and recognized that it was the person my third uncle brought from the north that morning.
"So it turns out that these are the talented people brought by my third uncle. Zirui is polite." I said this because I couldn't remember their names.
"Your Excellency is too polite." Several people hurriedly bowed to me. I'm afraid they didn't expect me to be so polite. Even I felt that I was a little too polite.
"I don't know what you want to see Zirui for, but if you ask for something, I will respond. I dare not be rude." I have to be polite, because this is brought by my third uncle. I can't let them think that we Jingzhou people are arrogant and treat others too harshly, and look down on the people of Jingzhou. Since we have to work with them in the future, they are all our own people, but since they have not yet integrated into our native circle, it is better to be polite first.
"I have heard of your great name for a long time. Today I finally see your honorable face. I really admire you. I also heard Uncle Gongye talk to us about your personality and conduct. Today I see you and I can prove that it is true. Uncle Gongye asked us to choose a day to visit you. I wonder..." One of the men who looked quite honest asked me politely.
"Oh, this." I hesitated, but I couldn't waste too much time here.
Seeing his lips about to move, I quickly threw away all the consequences.
"Ah, are you all here? Are there any relatives or others left behind?"
"No, we all came here alone."
"We should invite them here," I added. "Then please invite everyone to my home for a gathering, and let Zirui play the role of host."
They refused for a while, but I jokingly gave them orders, and they finally followed me in respectfully. At this time, I didn't know their names, and I was still trying to remember them. I knew that some of them were surnamed Li, and some were surnamed Jiang, but I couldn't remember who was who. I finally counted them and found that there were five of them.
When I arrived at the door, Sister Sima was there to meet me, but when she saw the scene behind me, she became a little suspicious. I think she knew what happened from Ye Jian.
So I went over to say hello: "Sister Sima, I'll talk to you later. Hey, you, are this big brother. Please let all the servants in my courtyard come here. I have something for them to do. Sister, is there any money at home?" I spoke the last word in a very loud voice, like a thief.
"There are many. Yinling's salary has not been touched."
"Then let's do it from my sister's side. We'll host a banquet at home tonight to entertain the guests. You don't have to be busy tonight. I'll find someone to do it."
"But… "
"No need to argue, I've made up my mind."
Sister Sima looked at me for a while, and finally decided to help me with this matter, and began to instruct the official maids to do something.
I turned around and gave the guests another round of instructions, as if begging them: "Whoever asks about this matter, just treat it as if I met you on the road and forced you to come to my home. This way, others will not laugh at me for not being able to entertain guests. Please, everyone, please come to my home and rest first. Zirui will welcome you and Uncle San and the others tonight."
They were obviously a little flattered, and they were busy with me seriously. I didn't have much to say. When I met Song Yudong, I stopped him and asked him to greet the guests for me. Seeing that these people didn't look like people who could fight in the battlefield, I asked someone to ask Su Fei, Yan Rou, Tu Jinglie and others to help entertain them, and asked the rest of the brothers to prepare a good meal.
When we arrived at the hall, the servants in service had also arrived one after another. I ordered someone to bring some paper, but Sister Sima stopped me.
"Most of the paper factories of Marquis Cai are located on the banks of the Xiang River. This summer, there was a flood and many places stopped supplying paper. The governor of the state also ordered that old bamboo slips should be scraped off and reused for letters and other things."
"Then these..." I pointed to the piles of bamboo slips around me, "are they all saved for use?"
"Yes, with so many people, of course we have to prepare." Sister Sima handed me a stack of paper folding paper. "This is for Yinling."
I took it and flipped through it casually. "Sister, your fiefdom has about 3,000 households, right? How can this Shanghe be so wealthy?"
I sounded like a question, but I didn't intend to ask anyone to answer. I just stood up and silently searched for the wider boards in the pile of bamboo slips, and saw that it was Sister Sima who ordered people to find some from the pile behind Tianlang.
I looked up and opened one, and it was indeed scraped clean. I picked up the pen and started writing.
Then the messengers took orders to invite the guests, and I kept talking: "You guys drive the car and use the money to buy all the goods, fruits and vegetables at the evening market. Pay double the money, no, triple the money. It's New Year's Day. Princess Yinling asks everyone to go back and rest early. Invite some good wine shop chefs and waiters to have a family banquet. We need help. The business of those wine shops tonight will be put into my account. The guests are exempted from wine and food fees, but everyone must leave some auspicious words for New Year's Day."
"And sister, there is not much peach wood in the market. I noticed this these days. I wanted to buy some, but I haven't been able to buy any. I think it's because of the flood. I wonder how to make this peach charm?" I was asking for advice, and my brain was working particularly well at this moment.
"There is an old peach tree in the backyard. If there is really no other way, why not cut it down?" Sister Sima felt a little regretful, but still came out.
"Then why don't we cut them down? Anyway, we don't have any, and neither do other families. Peach flowers are not a specialty of our area, and even if they are available, they are very expensive. I remember that on New Year's Eve of the drought in the sixth year of Guanghe, it seemed that the government sent more people, dressed in yellow and black, to patrol the night to calm the people, but there was really nothing wrong. If it really doesn't work, I suggest we do it the same way as last time."
"Zi Rui."
"What's the matter?" I was still holding a pen and thinking about the name. When I heard that there was no further news, I looked up at Sister Sima, but found that there were only two of us in the hall. I had sent everyone else out.
"Why are you doing this? Uncle Guan Lu is my father's best friend. Whenever my father talks about this man, he always says that he is a diviner and has never made a mistake. He told you not to meet him during the twelfth hour, so he must have his reasons. Why do you want to do this?"
Sister Sima looked so sincere that I couldn't bear to lie to her, so I told her my thoughts. The people recommended by my third uncle were new, and they didn't know about this matter either. If I used this as an excuse, I would have to explain it for a long time, which would delay my time. If I didn't hide anything, it would make them misunderstand me, and it would make me look like a Jingzhou person who was too rude. I had a rift between us before we even worked together, which would be very bad for Jingzhou and for how the wise men and capable people in the future would view me.
"Then why did you invite so many people? Didn't Mr. Guan also not figure out who this person is? There must be too many possible people. If you don't invite others, maybe nothing will happen?"
"Sister Sima, you know a lot. That's why I have to invite so many people."
"Why?"
"Ye Jian is a straightforward person. He will definitely mention this to others. Teacher, Master and Third Uncle also know about this. There are so many people in my courtyard, and it is impossible for everyone to not know that I am inviting newcomers to a banquet. In this way, this matter will definitely be leaked. Then if I really become extremely dangerous and encounter many disasters in the future, then those people will be suspected of harming me. If, one day I really go, these people will definitely not be tolerated by my brothers in Jingzhou. Therefore, I have already made friends with them. No matter who mentions this banquet, it is my forced invitation, and no one can say anything about him. And I will invite others at the same time, because the law does not blame everyone, so how can this matter be a hindrance. Besides, I have never believed in this. I have heard people say that it works if you believe it and it doesn't work if you don't believe it. I just need to not believe it to be free from this bondage. Sister, I'll trouble you to take care of this."
"What are you going to do?"
"Waiting to welcome the guests." I thought Zishi's house might be almost here. I knew that his house was only about 200 steps from here. At this moment, his whole family might have arrived at the door.
As expected, it seems that my mind is very clear tonight. However, I saw my aunt coaxing Zhou Yu. When Zhou Yu saw me, she rushed over and said unhappily, "Why did Brother Zirui invite me to dinner today? So many things I prepared were wasted."
This is why the daughter-in-law was unhappy. This is not good. On New Year's Day, the daughter-in-law prepared a meal for her parents-in-law, but I ruined it. But when I saw the people behind him, I immediately made up my mind: "Yes, it's wrong to discuss your marriage, so ask them to go back."
"You are also shy. Bring your parents-in-law in." The girl immediately became speechless and just lowered her head. I added another sentence. The previous sentence seemed a bit empty, but this time I felt a lot braver.
The second person to arrive was Ziyu, but he came alone.
"Where are my uncle and aunt?"
"My dad has some rheumatism, and he may be in bad shape soon. His legs and feet are not working well, so he can't come. Mother is taking care of him. I didn't plan to come at first, but mother couldn't leave alone, so she asked me to come as a representative."
"Then you can eat a little here and take some supplements back. You can also ask your sister to come."
"My sister is only fourteen years old. I'm not comfortable letting her walk alone at night, no matter how safe it is. And I'm not comfortable letting her come to see you. Come on, don't let your brother ignore you. I have to leave in a while."
"I gave it to you, not you ordered me to. Don't say anything more, go in." I thought to myself, it's too unreasonable for him to even try to gain a verbal advantage. How could he be the same as me
Then came the teacher, the master, the third uncle and others. They were obviously full of suspicion towards me. I only talked a few words with the teacher's two children who seemed to be born with suspicion, Wei He and He Shi. Then I flattered the third aunt and rubbed Gongye Chang's cheeks. As for their suspicion, I just avoided the topic. The master's wife didn't come, and neither of them came. I found that I must find a way to address them differently in the future, otherwise it would be troublesome to see them at the same time. However, Huang Yun and Qing were teased by me. Although Qing was articulate, how could he resist my verbal attacks and personal injuries, and Sister Yun was obviously not among those who could fight. This made me very happy for a while, but in the end, at least two of the three elders behind me made a move on me, and I was hit twice on the waist. I knew that one of the third uncle and the master had a share, because one of the hits was very heavy, and the teacher definitely didn't have such a strong arm.
Guan Lu and Ye Jian also came with surprise, but I didn't let them express their opinions. I just warmly invited them to come in and take a seat.
Then Tu Jingliefu and others also arrived here one after another within half an hour. Finally, it was Sister Sima who sent someone to the door to invite me in, and then I remembered that everyone was here.
The hall was completely packed, which made me feel embarrassed.
"Sister, thank you for your trouble."
I have never been so busy. I raised my glass, toasted to the elders, and announced the start of the feast. Fortunately, the chefs we invited were all fast, so the feast in my house was also very fast.
After a round of drinks, I stood up and started to talk, "Today's banquet is the first thing to do, I will drink this first." Then I poured all the contents of the cup down my throat: "I was away for a year and could not respectfully visit you, serve you, and share your worries. My brothers and sisters have taken a lot of trouble for my affairs. Zirui should toast you with a cup."
He then filled the glass, and when the voices of consolation and comfort died down, he raised his glass again and said, "The second is to welcome Uncle Gongye and all the wise men to Jingzhou to work together for the benefit of the people and the country. Uncle Gongye can also recognize his sworn brother." He then pushed the glass towards Uncle Gongye and respectfully invited him to raise his glass.
"Can you guys introduce yourselves?" Uncle San and I drank the whole drink in one gulp, feeling very proud, and said to the five people.
I had to prick up my ears for this, because I also wanted to know. At least it was the same whether I heard it in the morning or not, because I didn't react at all.
"My name is Li Pu, my courtesy name is Yuhui, and I come from Handan." The one with the honest look seemed to be the leader among them.
"Jiang Li, a native of the extreme north of Liaodong. Uncle Gongye gave him a name, Zichao." He was shorter than the previous one and had a beard.
"Zhu Kai, courtesy name Wen Zhong, from Runan." The thinnest.
"Zhang Hua, courtesy name Zihuang, from Mount Tai." The shortest.
"Shi Yi, also known by his courtesy name Tongfei, is from Hedong." The only fat guy in the middle.
But all five of them were tall, and I didn't know why the saying "big northern men" was like this, but I thought that maybe all the big men went to the army, and they were the defective ones who were eliminated. Although I laughed at them maliciously in my heart, I tried my best to remember their names based on their appearance characteristics to avoid making a fool of myself.
After toasting each of them, I took them to the brothers to meet them one by one, and they immediately knew what a tall man was. Yan Rou, Bei Hai, Gan Ning, Su Fei, and Li Zhen were all over eight feet tall, which should make them very envious. Of course, after seeing Zi Yu, they felt that they had a more normal reference, so they were most happy to chat with Zi Yu. This inevitably made Zi Yu a little sad. We have always thought that Zi Yu is very handsome, he should be very handsome, but his height is a little problematic. Although seven feet is considered the standard height of a Han Dynasty man, it is obviously not enough among our group of tall Han people.
But when I think about it, my teacher is also short, while my master and my third uncle are both big. And I feel that sometimes being tall doesn't necessarily mean you have an advantage.
At this time, the atmosphere at the banquet was already quite lively. Kong Ming returned to normal and held hands with Gong Ye Chang. The two were fiddling with something at the table. Third Aunt, wearing her Korean clothes, stood out among the crowd. She held the two men's hands lovingly.
I drank quite a bit of wine, and I became excited: "Everyone, I have something else to say."
Everyone fell silent again and looked at me.
"I have another announcement today, but first, I have to ask for advice..."
I walked to Uncle Li and Aunt Li's table. Zhou Yu must have understood what I was going to do and lowered his head.
"Zhou Yu is Zirui's adopted sister. Her parents have long passed away, so I am honored to be the eldest brother to take over her father's duties. I have vowed to act as a matchmaker for my sister in front of everyone, in compliance with her parents' wishes. Uncle Li, Aunt Li, Zirui is willing to seek marriage for my sister."
The situation immediately got out of control. The northern brothers started to make noise first, and then the five northerners who were a little bit unreliable were quickly infected and started to make a fuss as well.
"Let's set a date." Aunt Li said readily.
"Let Uncle Li and Aunt Li decide."
"We'll do it when Yinling comes back."
"Okay." Aunt Li didn't know that her words woke me up from the alcohol and made me feel so heartbroken.
"Everyone, come and toast to the newlyweds." In order to dilute this sadness, I planned to get drunk tonight. "Sister, treat my brother-in-law well and don't be so fierce."
"An old friend has come to visit, my dear brother Zirui, do you still remember me, Cao?" Following this smiling voice from afar, a servant also rushed in. During these few steps, he actually replied breathlessly, "Lord Cao has come to deliver the betrothal gift."
I was drinking so much that I didn't know what I was doing. I suddenly sobered up after hearing this. I took the wet towel from the lady and wiped my face. I answered loudly, "Should I call you brother-in-law or Brother Meng De?" I bowed to everyone and walked out the door. Halfway through, I thought for a moment and said, "Add a seat of honor."
The hero I met in Luoyang was coming, but now he was even more heroic, striding towards the brightly lit hall with two guarding officers. He met me without hesitation, holding each other's arms, and looked at each other: "The lights here are dim, brother can't see your face clearly."
"Brother Meng De, please."
"Haha, Brother Zirui is so generous. The city gate was closed and I came to look for you. Someone opened the door for me right away and asked if I knew your family." Then he looked behind me and said, "You seem to be hosting a banquet. Is there a seat for me?"
"Of course, of course, I am ready to welcome Brother Meng De. And Brother Meng De, the two generals behind you have extraordinary looks, please join us, how about that?" As I approached the hall, I was surprised to see the two men behind him in the light. Although I couldn't see their faces clearly in the dim light, the vague outlines and the aura that could be sensed even at night made it clear that these two were definitely not ordinary servants.
"Yuan Rang, Miao Cai, come and thank the Marquis of Ping An Feng Yun."
"Thank you, Marquis Ping An Fengyun."
"Zi Rui, these two are my cousins. The one with a fiercer face is Xia Hou Dun, and the one with a more scholarly air is Xia Hou Yuan. This time I was able to defeat Zhang Yan in one night, and I would like to trouble these two brothers to fight bravely for the first place."
While we were talking, we had already entered the hall. However, there was no need for me to say anything when introducing the two parties. To be honest, I really can't learn Brother Meng De's free and easy and bold style. Most people's reactions to these three people were also surprised and amazed.
But I did notice that Sister Sima was missing. Sister Sima was really considerate. It was better for her not to be here at this time. But considering Brother Mengde's character, he should not be too worried. But my heart is always right. Sister Sima is always kind to me.
Meng De was a little disappointed when he knew his sister had gone out, but he quickly recovered and chatted and laughed. The teacher was really amazing. He had never met Meng Deying, but he talked and laughed with him more happily than anyone else.
However, he was still very polite. He joined me at the table again and explained the reason for his visit. He was not like some people, even foreigners, who would blush when talking about such things. I didn't know what to be embarrassed about.
When talking about this house, he even joked with me, saying that I used to live in a humble room in Luoyang. When Cao Cao heard about it, if he had free time, he would compose an "Ode to the Humble House" for me. But now that he has seen my house, he will sing a song "Ode to the Splendid Hall" for me to express his feelings.
He also talked about what happened in Zigui. I don't know how he knew about it, but he actually compared me to Han Xin, which made me feel that he praised me too highly. I felt ashamed and was laughed at by Meng De.
After two more rounds, the slightly drunk Meng De finally stood up and said, "I'm going to write a poem for Zirui, and I'd like to invite all the wise men to join me in writing it."
Cao Cao was unrestrained and ordered people to push open the door. "It's a pity that the sky is dim and the clouds are obscuring the stars. There is not much to see today."
He was already slightly drunk at this time, and after commenting on today's weather, he drew out the sword from his waist, stared at the peak, and paced in the lobby. The lobby was silent for a while, leaving only the four-foot green peak emitting cold light, and a tall and steep hero standing there in deep thought.
"Qu Ping of Zigui, with his grand ambitions in vain; King Huai is immoral, bringing disaster to Chu both internally and externally. He left with a bitter farewell, and his heart was filled with grief for the country; it was a pity that his loyal bones were collected and eventually returned to the Miluo River; just like the water of this river, it is hard to catch up with the lost; Yuan Qi shed his turbid body, and supported him with a pure and elegant body; Donghuang Taiyi, holding a long sword, holding a jade ear, clapping his hands to welcome him. Yunzhong Jun cried, lamented his great sigh, spoke of his misfortune, and blamed his stupidity. Since he was abandoned, why did he throw himself into the river? Yuan said that he was loyal and had his own rules; even if he was flattered, how could he betray him? Xiang On your left, your wife on your right, pointing to the North Star, the East Pole Penglai, the West Kunlun, the South Dipper; the fragrance of Dunhuang is so abundant, your happiness is so good, why worry about the dangers of the world, but look at the beautiful flowers in the sky. Yuan Qi holds the sword and cuts through the clouds; the stars are dim, and the homeland has been lost. Alas for my people, who are crying and walking; the rain is falling, the fog is vast; alas for my people, who are wandering; the bones are scattered in the fields, and the mud is surging in the river. Alas for my people, it breaks my heart. If I were to be reborn, what would it be like?"
This is an absolutely brilliant improvisation, and it is also absolutely inappropriate for the time period, but anyone who understands it will not accuse him of ruining the mood.
It seems that Xu Zijiang's comments were not wrong, and I couldn't help but start to worry about my sister's future.