Xiao Shao Jiu Cheng, Feng Lai Yi-Shang Shu
Eat fine, cut fine--The Analects of Confucius
There were a total of three people, two of whom were Wang Chong and Ban Gu, while the third person was unknown. This person had a broad forehead and a high nose bridge. Although he was not fat, he had a very obvious double chin and a short neck. He was at most forty years old, and his build was similar to Mu Weizhou's, but slightly thicker. He was dressed in a green cotton robe, and his shoes were muddy. He wore a black belt tied casually around his waist. Although this person was dressed casually, Mu Weizhou could faintly feel a faint heroic aura. He also clearly felt that this person was familiar, but he could not remember where he had seen him before.
Mu Weizhou exchanged a few polite words with them and hurriedly made way for them in the hall. The brothers had just sat down in the Sunset Smoke Hall when Liu Qingping came into the hall from the kitchen. Because Mu Weizhou was usually with Liu Qingping, he did not feel much about her appearance, but the three guests were shocked. The three of them were all in their forties and had seen each other before. They were all very proud of themselves, but Liu Qingping's appearance made them feel that the hall was suddenly bright and beautiful. Although Liu Qingping was young and did not dress up much, the three of them were already ashamed of their inferiority. The man with mud shoes could not help but tug at his clothes.
Mu Weizhou couldn't help but laugh when he saw the three of them. He thought to himself that these brothers were too weak. Even if Brother Liu was a bit more beautiful, he wouldn't be like this. In fact, he was a young man with no distracting thoughts. He was used to it, so he didn't think much of Liu Qingping's beauty. In fact, if a jealous look could kill, Mu Weizhou would have died a thousand times over since they came from Guangling. The three uncles in front of her were all extraordinary people. Even so, Liu Qingping's color was obvious. This was also one of the reasons why she often dressed like a hemp skin.
Mu Weizhou introduced the dumbstruck Wang Chong and Ban Gu to Liu Qingping. After Liu Qingping bowed deeply to the three of them and introduced herself, the three of them recovered and immediately returned the bow. Wang Chong felt that he was being rude and said to Mu Weizhou,""Brother Mu, we've been impolite. You're really like 'the evening smoke in the busy city, the beauty is like jade'. Good place, good place!"
Mu Weizhou smiled and said,"You're too kind, brother." This is my sworn brother. I'm just temporarily staying in the Sunset Smoke Hall for a few days. Your reactions are nothing. My brother is indeed good-looking.”
When the mud-shoe man heard this, he couldn't help but laugh out loud. He felt that Mu Weizhou wasn't pretentious at all. Liu Qingping was secretly delighted when she heard Mu Weizhou's words.
At this moment, Ban Gu smiled and said," Brother Mu, we went to Lantai Gathering this morning. We heard from the shopkeeper that you left the address here. We took the liberty to come here. I hope we didn't disturb you."”
Mu Weizhou smiled and said," Why do you say that, Big Brother Ban? We were drunk the day before yesterday and didn't leave our address. Yesterday, I was afraid that it would be a long time before I could see you." This was great! Hahaha!"
The few of them laughed, and the atmosphere became lively. Ban Gu glanced at Wang Chong and said to Mu Weizhou,""Brother Mu, let me introduce you.”He turned around and pointed at the man in mud shoes." I don't know if you still remember, but this is my brother Ban Chao, Ban Zhongsheng, whom I once told you about."”
Ban Chao stood up and bowed deeply to Mu and Liu, then said,""Greetings, my two friends.”
Seeing that he didn't care about his age, Mu and Liu took the lead to bow and hurriedly stood up to return the bow. Liu Qingping was fine, but Mu Weizhou was surprised. So this was the Ban Chao who left behind the story of "joining the army with a pen" and "how can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den"! This was Ban Chao, who had almost single-handedly taken over the Western Region! This was Ban Chao, the national hero who had made thousands of years of contributions to the Chinese nation! In Mu Weizhou's heart, the importance of national heroes surpassed that of great scholars like Wang Chong or Ban Gu. It wasn't that the value of the great scholars wasn't high, but it was Mu Weizhou's subjective choice. Because for the current him, to expand the territory for the country for thousands of years was really something that made his blood boil. He thought that it was the highest destiny of a man's husband.
When Ban Gu saw Mu Weizhou in a daze, he was overwhelmed with emotions. He thought that he was confused by Ban Chao's attire, so he quickly explained,""Brother Mu, my brother doesn't pay attention to details and doesn't care about his appearance. It rained the day before yesterday, and he carried my mother to the hospital. He was covered in mud. When I came, I asked him to change his shoes, but he refused. I hope you don't mind.”
"Brother, there's no need to mention these things," Ban Chao said.”
Mu Weizhou saw that Ban Gu had misunderstood him and that Ban Chao seemed to think that he was also the one who toasted Luo Yi first. He quickly lifted his trousers with both hands, revealing his bare feet and said,"Brother Ban, your second brother and I have the same temper. There is a great righteousness in the heart, and there is no need to worry about trifles. The body is simple and clean, and there is no need to worry about dirty clothes.”
He didn't know what to say. Ban Chao had always been ambitious. He believed that a man should be filial to his parents, be cautious and respectful to his brothers, sisters-in-law and friends, and not take hard work to support his family because this was his duty. As for the rest, they had to serve the country and fulfill their ambitions. The rest was nothing. Spending a lot of time to care about the details of food, clothing, accommodation, and transportation did not seem to be that meaningful to him. It had to be said that his thoughts were in line with Mu Weizhou's. It was just that Mu Weizhou could not come to a conclusion.
When Ban Chao saw that Mu Weizhou was barefoot and not wearing any socks, and heard his words, he quickly said,""My two brothers are right. Brother Mu is indeed not an ordinary person. I just had a heart of contempt and want to apologize to you.”
Mu Weizhou listened to his magnanimity and was very happy. He always regretted not meeting him earlier. He said,"Second Brother Ban, to be honest, although this is the first time we've met, I've heard a lot about you. I'm really lucky to be able to meet you. Just now, this little brother had mixed feelings and lost his composure.”
" Brother Zhongsheng, I'm right," Wang Chong said loudly." You always think of yourself as the most extraordinary man in the world. Now that you've met Brother Mu, do you feel that he's even better than you?"”
Mu Weizhou saw that Wang Chong was being polite, so he quickly replied that he did not deserve it. Then, he asked them if they had come to look for him today.
Wang Chong glanced at the other two and said,""What's the matter? I just wanted to ask if Brother Mu had time to come to Julan Platform.”
Mu Weizhou looked at him and knew that he was insincere. He knew that he still needed to use the wine to talk. Just as he was about to agree, he heard Liu Qingping say,"Why do you say that, Brother Wang? These two days, I've been listening to Big Brother Mu talk about you guys drinking and chatting. I wanted to pester Big Brother Mu to bring me to meet you, but I didn't expect you to come. Why don't we do this? We won't go outside. Little sister will personally cook a few dishes for you guys later. How about we set up a table in this Sunset Smoke Hall? This way, it would be easier for his little sister to listen to his noble words. I'm not boasting, but my cooking skills are a hundred times better than ordinary restaurants!”
The three guests had just been amazed by Liu Qingping's elegance. After hearing her words, they felt that although this girl was young, she was very thoughtful and was not an ordinary person. Especially Wang Chong, who was a foodie. Hearing Liu Qingping boast about her cooking skills, he couldn't move. Mu Weizhou had intended to do so, but this Xiyan Hall was not his place. He also felt sorry for troubling Liu Qingping. Hearing her say this, he suddenly felt grateful to Liu Qingping. He happily agreed, saying that eating at home was free and convenient. As they discussed, they sat down again and repeated the words of troubling Liu Qingping.
Liu Qingping grew up in the Imperial Palace, which was one of the most complicated places in the world. At that time, the world was peaceful, and most of the people who came and went were elites. She was influenced by all kinds of worldly affairs all day long. Even though she was a few years younger than Mu Weizhou, when it came to dealing with relationships, even Mu Weizhou would not be able to understand it better than her. Putting aside the fact that Mu Weizhou had mentioned Wang Chong and the others to her, she knew that these three people were extraordinary people just by seeing them today. Letting them stay for a meal and making friends with them was really worth it. Moreover, she was worried about how Mu Weizhou would behave when he met the Emperor in two days. With these people as his advisors, there was nothing to worry about. How could Mu Weizhou and the others understand what Liu Qingping was thinking? They only had a better impression of Liu Qingping.
They chatted for a while before Liu Qingping went to prepare for the banquet at noon, leaving the four of them to continue chatting in the hall. After a while, Mu Weizhou realized that among the four of them, Wang Chong seemed to be the most knowledgeable. When he spoke, he quoted from other sources and formed his own unique system of thought, like an encyclopedia. Ban Gu was proficient in classics and history, and his words were gorgeous. Although his thoughts were not as profound as Wang Chong's, they were much more orthodox. On the other hand, Ban Chao was quite similar to him. He did not have Wang Chong's erudition or Ban Gu's literary talent. He was more like a real person and could talk more coherently. In fact, what he did not understand was that there were only a few people like Wang Chong and Ban Gu who were committed to learning and had achieved success in their studies in the thousands of years of history of China. If he had not received modern education and met them with the thoughts of a latecomer, they would not have been able to sit together with such people in their entire lives. This was also the legendary high and low. The difference in skill level was too great, and there was no way to communicate at all. Ban Chao was different. Although he was also studying, he did not regard learning as his destiny. He always wanted to be a real man and have the ambition of a hero. This was quite similar to Mu Weizhou.
As the four of them talked, they brought up the matter of Ban Chao having his fortune read. Ban Gu still hoped that Mu Weizhou could ask his friend to read his fortune again. Mu Weizhou had originally been quick-witted, so he didn't have any friends who knew how to read faces. He couldn't help but feel that the people of the Eastern Han Dynasty believed in the study of divination, which was somewhat harmful. However, he did not want them to be disappointed, so he asked,"Second Brother Ban, someone gave you a fortune-teller before. Can you tell me what it was like?”
"It was ten years ago." Ban Chao thought for a while and said. At that time, my elder brother took up the position of Lantai, and I also moved from Fufeng to Luoyang. In order to survive, he could only copy books for the government. Because what he did every day was to grind and copy, it was really annoying. One day, I couldn't help but throw my pen on the table and sigh to the people who copied books together. A man was born in a prosperous world. If he really couldn't do anything else, he could also learn from Zhang Qian and Fu Jiezi. He could go to a foreign land and make contributions. How could he always copy books here? I didn't expect those kids to laugh at me for being whimsical. In fact, how could those small fries understand the feelings of a real man who was ambitious? At that time, I felt very depressed. Brother Mu, you might not understand, but the feeling of having no one to communicate with is worse than hunger.”
How could Mu Weizhou not know that feeling? The university life he was living now was a form of endurance. If he hadn't come here, even if he had a holiday, he would probably not have been able to escape from the life of a mask. He didn't interrupt and just nodded empathetically as he listened to Ban Chao continue.
Ban Chao saw that he understood and continued,""That day, I was wandering aimlessly on the streets of Luoyang. I happened to pass by a fortune teller near the Sun Opening Sect. That fortune teller took the initiative to read my fortune.”
"Oh? What did he say?" Mu Weizhou asked.
"That person said that the others who read fortunes there are just ordinary people. He said that I can be a marquis thousands of miles away.”Ban Chao answered.
"Why did he say that?" Mu Weizhou asked again.
"Yeah, I asked him the same thing. The old man had a white goatee and said that he had the face of a marquis.”Ban Chao lifted his head and showed Mu Weizhou his thick neck and double chin.
Mu Weizhou didn't know what it meant to be brave and brave, but when he heard Ban Chao's words, he thought of something and said,""Brother Ban, what does the fortune-teller look like?”
Ban Chao thought hard for a long time and said," Aiya, it's been ten years. I only remember his white goatee. I can't remember anything else."”
Mu Weizhou said excitedly," Does he have long white hair, a red face, bright eyes, and a mischievous way of talking? Does he like to raise his head, making you feel like his beard is always sticking out at you?"”
Hearing Mu Weizhou's words, Ban Chao said in realization,""Now that you mention it, I seem to remember. It's this person. Does Brother Mu know him?"
Why didn't she know him? Wasn't that Hu Zhen? Ten years ago, that was ten days before Mu Weizhou met Hu Zhen. So Hu Zhen had been here before. What was he doing here then? Why Ban Chao? Did she meet him by accident or was she looking for him specifically? However, no matter what, there was no way to find the answer because Hu Zhen was already dead. Thinking of this, Mu Weizhou could not help but sigh sadly.
The three of them did not know why Mu Weizhou was acting like this. Mu Weizhou looked at them and thought for a moment before saying,"Brothers, you don't know. The person that Second Brother Ban mentioned just now is the friend I mentioned to you. His name is Hu Zhen, and he unfortunately passed away half a year ago.”
When the three of them heard this, they were quite surprised. They had never thought that there would be such a coincidence in the world. Just as they were about to say something, they heard Mu Weizhou continue,"But how can people not die? He died trying to save someone." In fact, Mu Weizhou had always felt sad for not being able to save Hu Zhen. However, at that time, he was lucky to be able to save Liu Qingping, let alone want to save her. Mu Weizhou was more willing to believe that Hu Zhen had died to save Liu Qingping.
Mu Weizhou sighed again and said to Ban Chao,"Brother Ban, my friend won't be wrong.”Although Mu Weizhou did not remember that Ban Chao had been conferred the title of Marquis, he knew that he had become the Chief Historian of the Western Regions and had indeed become famous thousands of miles away. Mu Weizhou saw that the atmosphere had been ruined by him, so he quickly smiled and said,"Brother Ban will definitely be conferred the title of Marquis in the future, but I wonder what he is busy with now?”
When Ban Gu heard this, he looked embarrassed. Ban Chao said casually,"Hehe, to be honest, after I threw in my pen that day, I entered the army and became a low-level soldier." For the past ten years, he had nothing to do. If it wasn't for his big brother's help, he probably wouldn't be able to live. Occasionally, he would even be thick-skinned and copy some books.”
After Mu Weizhou heard the last two lines of his Facebook post, he suddenly remembered something. He slapped his thigh and said happily,"I understand. I said that Brother Ban looked familiar. Your appearance is very similar to a person I know called Zuckerberg. He also has a small chin, a thick neck, and a fleshy jaw. His achievements weren't just limited to being a marquis!”
Wang Chong and Ban Gu were shocked by his actions. Even though they were both so knowledgeable, they still couldn't remember who Zuckerberg was. He only felt that Mu Weizhou was unfathomable.
"Brother Mu, who's the Zuckerberg you're talking about? Becoming more powerful than a Marquis? Wouldn't that make him king? As far as I know, Gaozu once said,'If the king is not surnamed Liu, the world will attack him together.'This foolish brother has never heard of this king of what?”
Mu Weizhou didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he heard this. He said,"Brother Ban, that's not what I meant. How should he put it? For example, Confucius. He extended the education that only nobles could receive to civilians. In my words, he created the education industry. Sima Qian wrote the general history, Records of the Historian, in the form of a book, which also created a precedent for historians. Although they weren't conferred the titles of kings or marquises, their achievements should be comparable to that of marquises, right? This Zuckerberg is similar."
The three of them had their own opinions on Mu Weizhou's words. Wang Chong suddenly felt enlightened. Although his career was not smooth, he could follow Kong Qiu's example and become an uncrowned king. Ban Gu was originally studying the history of governing the country. At this moment, he felt that Sima Qian had written the historical records in a book form. He could completely use a new method to create a historical book. As for Ban Chao, he secretly admired Mu Weinian for being able to think so much at such a young age. The three of them had their own thoughts, so they didn't continue to pay attention to who Zuckerberg was, which made Mu Weizhou feel relieved.
Mu Weizhou asked the child to warm a pot of water and found the green tea he brought from Hangzhou. The few of them sat around the table and drank tea while chatting. After chatting for a while, Mu Weizhou felt that compared to Wang Chong and Ban Gu, his classmates were much more compatible. On one hand, Mu Weizhou felt that Ban Chao had a great personality. Although he was not famous, his words often gave people a grand and magnificent feeling. On the other hand, although Ban Chao wasn't as knowledgeable as the other two, he knew a lot of allusions when he spoke. He was very clear about the meaning of the story. Moreover, Mu Weizhou could immediately match the allusions and reasons in his mind and understand them immediately. When he interacted with Wang Chong and Ban Gu, Mu Weizhou was mostly playing the role of a student and a listener. This was because the knowledge and knowledge of the two had filled him with admiration. When he interacted with Ban Chao, he felt a sense of warmth and steadiness. It was as if Mu Weizhou had participated in the story and experiences that Ban Chao had told him. He was unconsciously influenced. There was no admiration or worship, but more of a regret that he could not be on par with Ban Chao.
Gradually, the few of them talked about their recent situation and could not help but sigh.
Mu Weizhou found it very strange. In his opinion, these three people in front of him should be called dragons and tigers among men, the pillars of the country. History had also proved this point. Why were they so depressed? So he asked curiously," Brothers, in my opinion, each of you can be called talented and outstanding. Why are you so talented?"”
When the three of them heard this, they looked at each other and did not speak. The room was strangely silent. Mu Weizhou thought he had said something wrong and was about to find another topic to change when Wang Chong said,""I won't hide it from you, brother. This question is also strange. After thinking about it for a long time, I've come up with some logic. Just now, I thought about it. Although the situation of the two brothers is slightly different from mine, my reasoning can be explained. Why don't I explain it first?”
The Ban brothers knew Wang Chong well. They knew that he was accurate and had unique insights that often surprised people, so they naturally did not object.
Thus, Wang Chong said," Brother Mu said that we are talented. If it was someone else or on another occasion, we would naturally be polite to him and not dare to accept it. However, Brother Mu is not an ordinary person. If we continue to say that, we will look down on you and not treat you as one of our own.”Wang Chong's words made Mu Weizhou's heart burst with joy. He thought about how glorious it was for the three of them to treat him as one of their own. He hadn't expected that this was Wang Chong's forte. With just a few casual words, not only did he put on a big hat, but he had also pulled them into a relationship. Wang Chong continued,"The Master said,'I will not refuse to do my duty!'Brother Mu can see that we are talented, but our current situation is really rare. It was really hard to explain this. Those with outstanding talent and noble conduct would still be in a low position if they were not appreciated. Those with low talent and bad character would also have a status above everyone if they were appreciated. As a scholar who cared about his country and the world, obtaining the recognition of the imperial court was probably his fundamental goal. Not to mention those with low intelligence and no moral integrity, there were many people who could be called 'scholars', but the positions that could be given were limited, which naturally caused more people to not meet. As for 'the world is so big, the wise people are the ones who live in it', I think it's more of scholars promoting themselves. Then how could he gain recognition? Other than luck, I think the most important thing is your background.”
"Origin?" Mu Weizhou asked in confusion.
Wang Chong nodded at him and smiled.""Yes, origin!" The whole world is the land of the king. In the Great Han Dynasty, the final recognition would definitely come from the current emperor. Brother Mu, think about it. The Emperor is only one person. If he wants to manage such a large piece of land and so many people well, he definitely can't do everything himself. He must need a lot of people. These people were the so-called people who were appreciated. How did these people get here? When the emperor needed people, he would first choose from those he was familiar with or find them to recommend. And these people who were familiar with the emperor would naturally form a small circle because of their own interests or some other reasons. This small circle would radiate out to many other circles, and so on, the entire Han Dynasty would naturally be connected. The closer the circle was to the emperor, the greater the chance of gaining recognition. Once one was recognized, the more important the things they could do, and the more fame and fortune they could gain. The small circle closest to the emperor was mostly made up of the princes and ministers, and they all belonged to noble families.”
These words made the two brothers nod repeatedly. Seeing that Mu Weizhou was listening attentively, Wang Chong was afraid that he did not fully understand, so he continued,"I can give you an example. For example, my foolish brother. My brother's family was poor since he was young, and his family was weak. Therefore, although he had some talent and never stopped studying, it was difficult for him to encounter opportunities. As for the Ban family, although it slightly damaged the reputation of the family, but specialized in the study of books and history, and was not a prominent family, so Meng Jian was promoted to Lantai and stopped in Lantai, Zhong Sheng hoped to be in the army, but in exchange for ten years of delay. What was the reason? It's just family status. At the end of the day, we are too far away from the emperor. No one will care about our talents.”
Mu Weizhou had never felt that his talents were not recognized. On the one hand, he was still young and did not consider the opportunity to meet him. On the other hand, in modern society, people had many more opportunities than in the Eastern Han Dynasty. From this point of view, the development of society was still progressing, although the progress was limited. When Mu Weizhou heard this, he said matter-of-factly,"Since you've discovered the secret, why don't you think of a way to integrate into that circle?”
When Wang Chong heard this, he looked at Ban Gu and smiled."Haha, I'm not sure. Brother Mu, it's not as easy to change people's circles as we say. Different circles had very different ways of doing things. For example, we would usually drink together, but not with the royal descendants. It was just like how it was difficult for us to invite a thief to drink tea together. In the end, a person was still one person, one spirit. Instead of learning from others, it was better to take big strides. Needless to say, if he started learning how to walk in Handan, wouldn't Old Wang lose a lot of face? Hahaha!"
Seeing that Mu Weizhou did not fully understand, Ban Gu explained,""Brother Mu, to integrate into the circle that Brother Zhong Ren mentioned just now, the price we have to pay is quite high. Circles were made up of people. Dealing with people was inseparable from food, clothing, housing, and transportation. I'm not afraid that Brother Mu will laugh at me. Two days ago, the meal that Brother Zhong Ren and the three of us had at Lantai was worth half a month of my salary. Occasionally, it takes a lot of thought. If we often feast, we, we might have to retreat. Hahaha!"
When Mu Weizhou heard this, he suddenly understood. He thought to himself," Just a casual meal would cost him half a month's salary. It's simply impossible for them to deal with those people who are truly from noble families." So he opened his mouth and said,"Why do you say that, Old Brother Ban? In the future, when you eat wine, I will treat you."”He didn't think that if he didn't have a good friend like Liu Qingping, who had a powerful background, he wouldn't have the money to buy her a drink. Why didn't Mu Weizhou think of this? This was what made Mu Weizhou different. Normally, he would not easily treat someone as his friend. Because to him, friends were a sacred word. Once he treated someone as a friend, then this person's happiness, anger, sorrow, and even life and death would be related to him. That person was like an extension of his life. In his heart, Liu Qingping was a friend who had gone through life and death with him, so he felt that it was very natural to spend Liu Qingping's money. Of course, the premise was that Liu Qingping had a lot of money and didn't spend much.
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