I don't know where my love comes from, but I'm deeply devoted. Tang Xianzu's Peony Pavilion
I want to love, I want to eat, and I want to become a half-dark cloud in the sky in an instant. -- Wang Xiaobo, Golden Age
In the past month, Mu Weizhou had been asked to be with Liu Meng almost every day, except for the occasional shift in the Eastern Palace. He realized that Liu Meng was indeed generous and very smart. When dealing with others, he would put himself in the shoes of others. However, he was very busy every day. He had to get up at dawn every day to clean up and eat. After greeting the Emperor and Empress, he would have to study the scriptures with Fu Huanyu. In the afternoon, he would either have to participate in some government affairs, learn some etiquette norms, or some other practical exchange activities. Although there was some time at night, because there was no electricity, and from the perspective of safety, most of them could only stay in the Eastern Palace, or revise the contents of the next day's study, or stare blankly under the lamp. Occasionally, they would stand in the courtyard and look at the stars in the sky. It was already a very good pastime. Apart from having a day off every ten days, Liu Meng's life was like this every day. Moreover, the day off was often occupied by some matters, making it a nominal holiday. Looking at Liu Meng's monotonous life, Mu Weizhou couldn't help but think of the years before he went to university. He thought of the many children in our era who worked harder than adults. He really didn't understand whether it was like what the mathematician, Joseph Schumpeter, said," The stockings worn by the queen can also be enjoyed by the female workers ", or whether it had never changed after two thousand years.
During this period of time, Mu Weizhou had gotten to know some new people. They were mainly the people in charge of Liu He's daily affairs. Slowly, Mu Weizhou found out that many of them were descendants of the wealthy families of that time. For example, Deng Yu's grandson Deng Zhi, Geng Yan's great-grandson Geng Kui, Yin Xing's great-grandson Yin Qin, Ma Yuan's great-grandson Ma Wei, and so on. Mu Weizhou felt that they were similar to his classmates in university, and even their behavior could be matched. Mu Weizhou found it funny just thinking about it. Who would have thought that in the Eastern Han Dynasty two thousand years ago, a place that represented the highest power in the country, a group of people who might be the future pillars of the Great Han Dynasty, they could actually correspond to his classmates? Among these people, only Liu He was special and could be considered outstanding.
Similarly, Mu Weizhou's existence was a gift from the heavens to Liu He. Even though Liu He had also noticed that Mu Weizhou's attitude had changed a little when dealing with him after he knew that he was the Crown Prince, he was still fundamentally different from the other attendants. Mu Weizhou didn't have the subservience that the other guards had towards him, and he was also smart and eager to learn. Although Mu Weizhou had only been guarding and interacting with many of the things that he had learned and experienced that day, the two of them often gained unexpected gains from their exchanges. For Liu He, the month Mu Weizhou had entered the palace was one of the few happy times he had enjoyed in many years. His relationship with Mu Weizhou had become much closer. However, they were still held back by their daily arrangements. The idea of finding an opportunity to gather with their good friends had never come true.
Liu Qingping became the freest of the three. She could come and go as she pleased every day, and she would leave the palace whenever she wanted. Every time Liu Qingping returned from the palace, it was a big day for Mu Weizhou and Liu Meng. On one hand, Liu Qingping would always bring back some new news from the outside world. On the other hand, the two of them realized that once Liu Qingping left the palace, she would basically hang out with Wei Luan and Dou Tao. This was really too important to them. At this moment, Mu Weizhou felt that Liu Meng was even closer to him than his own brother, because for some reason, Mu Weizhou would never reveal his thoughts about Dou Tao. Even if he really wanted to know, he would always mix this thought with inquiring about other people's situations. It made people feel that he wanted to know about Dou Tao's situation was not more important than wanting to know about other people's situations. On the other hand, Liu Meng was very frank. Every time Liu Qingping came back, she would pester her to ask about Dou Tao's recent situation. When they heard that there was a person called Liu Fang who often gave gifts to the Dou family and Dou Tao, they couldn't help but feel angry. When Mu Weizhou heard that Liu Fang was the eldest son of Liu Yan, the Prince of Huaiyang, and the boss of the Money Gang's stall in the southern city, he couldn't help but hope that his brother, the Crown Prince, could think of a way to make Liu Fang suffer. How could he have known that Liu He had the same thoughts as him? He felt that Mu Weizhou could rely on his superb swordsmanship to make Liu Fang suffer. At the end of the day, they were all kind-hearted people who would not deliberately make things difficult for others because of their own selfishness. This was because there was no rule in the world that forbade Liu Fang from interacting with the Dou family and Dou Tao. If they did that, not only would it conflict with the Sage's Book that they had recently learned, but it would also go against their own hearts.
Ever since he had heard Liu Qingping mention Liu Fang, Mu Weizhou had become a little irritated. He had always felt that the days in the Palace were not as pleasant as he had imagined. Liu Meng seemed to have the same thoughts. Finally, the two of them discussed and decided that Mu Weizhou should return to the Sunset Smoke Hall to live. Other than being on duty, he should try his best to move around outside the palace. This way, they would feel more at ease. Even though Mu Weizhou knew that if he moved out, it would not have much of an impact on Liu Fang getting close to the Dou family and Dou Tao, because it was difficult for him to think of a legitimate way to stop Liu Fang. Liu Meng seemed to know this too.
On the second day after Mu Weizhou returned to Sunset Smoke Hall, Wang Chong and Ban Chao came to find him. They had long heard from Liu Qingping that Mu Weizhou had already become the son of the Crown Prince with an annual salary of six hundred dan, and they had all called out to celebrate him. Seeing these two brothers, Mu Weizhou was naturally very happy. He directly pulled the two of them to Lantaiju Restaurant and ordered some food and wine to drink with the two brothers.
During the banquet, Mu Weizhou told his two elder brothers about his experience in the past month. Wang Chong and Wang Chong were happy for him. Mu Weizhou clearly felt that Ban Chao was really happy, while Wang Chong was happy but a little unhappy. After asking, he found out that Ban Chao had been appointed as a fake Sima and would follow Dou Gu to battle at the end of the year. On the other hand, Wang Chong's side was still the same, living a life of 'not having enough to eat in the morning and night'. Mu Weizhou quickly comforted him, saying that Wang Chong was a talented person and that even if he was to be placed, he would have to find a suitable opportunity. Now that the country was about to use troops against the Xiongnu, Ban Chao would naturally get the opportunity immediately. He also advised him not to be anxious. Little did he know that after Emperor Ming summoned him and Liu Qingping, he immediately ordered an investigation of the few people they had mentioned. The investigation found that although Wang Chong was talented, his thoughts were too arrogant. Moreover, his "Godless" and "Non-Confucius" ideas directly conflicted with Emperor Ming's idea of imperial power being bestowed by God and governing the country by Confucianism, so his use was put on hold. Ban Chao was considered a famous clan. The country was about to use people to fight and with Dou Gu's recommendation, he was immediately arranged. The people who asked him for money before didn't even dare to ask for a single cent.
The three of them had not seen each other for many days, so they naturally had a lot to talk about. Lantai gathered in a corner, toasting and chatting merrily. Ban Chao talked about how he could be a fake Sima and thanked Mu Weizhou and Dou Tao, so he drank more with him. When Mu Weizhou heard him mention Dou Tao, he casually said that he could call her and Dou Gui together one day. Unexpectedly, Ban Chao told him that Wei Luan said that Dou Tao had just left Luoyang and went back to Chang 'an to settle some matters. She might not be back for a month. When Mu Weizhou heard this, he thought of Dou Tao's appearance and could not help but feel disappointed. Wang Chong and Ban Chao didn't know what he was thinking and just kept drinking with Mu Weizhou.
Gradually, the three of them became a little tipsy. Wang Chong gradually lost the sense of loss he had when he first arrived. Instead, he felt that Mu Weizhou had revealed his thoughts to Emperor Ming. From a certain perspective, he had already achieved his initial goal of getting to know the Emperor. It was already close to noon, and the number of people who came to Lantai to have a meal had increased. Then, she heard a commotion downstairs and a group of people went up to the second floor.
Mu Weizhou looked from afar and frowned. It turned out that the people who had come were members of the Money Gang, and the leaders were the little shopkeeper Jia Di and Han Chao.
Jia Di also saw Mu Weizhou and Ban Chao. He walked to Mu Weizhou's table with a smile, stroking his beard and saying with a smile,""Young Master Mu, we meet everywhere in life. Ever since I experienced Young Master Mu's sword moves, I've been thinking about him.”
Mu Weizhou could not help but feel worried when he heard his unfriendly tone. Ever since the last fight, he knew that there was a huge gap between his and Jia Di's martial arts. Although he didn't delay his sword practice every day, it was impossible to say how much progress he could make in a month. What's more, he had come out with Wang Chong and the others for a gathering today. He didn't even bring a sword with him. If Jia Di acted up now, he would probably be in trouble. Moreover, Wang Chong and Ban Chao didn't have any martial arts. As Mu Weizhou thought about it, he stood up and cupped his fists at Jia Di: "Old Senior Jia, Mu Weizhou had eyes but didn't recognize Mount Tai. He didn't know that you were the world-famous little shopkeeper of the Money Gang. Senior Jia Di, I was looking for an opportunity to visit you and ask for forgiveness. How have you been?" Mu Weizhou's words were half true and half false. Other than the fact that he was not as good as Jia Di, he did not have much enmity with Jia Di. As the saying goes,"It is better to let go of enemies than to keep them." With the idea of being kind to others, it was never wrong to sincerely express goodwill to others. This was the same as the thought of the Douren hexagram that Liu Meng had explained to Emperor Ming.
Jia Di did not expect Mu Weizhou to be so polite. He was supposed to leave for Zhongshan today, but Han Chao and the other members of the Money Sect insisted on doing it for him, so he had unintentionally come to Lantai. As the saying goes,"It is difficult to hit a smiling person". When he saw Mu Weizhou, he originally had the intention to find trouble with him. After all, Mu Weizhou's appearance had embarrassed him in front of everyone. However, when he heard what Mu Weizhou said, he did not want to flare up. He smiled and said,"Hehe, you're welcome! You're too polite! Young Master Mu's swordsmanship is exquisite, and he is a chivalrous man. This old man is lucky to know Jing. However, this old man hasn't been doing well since the last time I fought with you. What do you think we should do?”
Seeing Jia Di's unfriendly words, Wang Chong wanted to speak up for Mu Weizhou, but Ban Chao knew Jia Di's power and immediately stopped him. Mu Weizhou had already made up his mind and did not argue with Jia Di. He bowed slightly and said,"Senior Jia, what are you talking about? This is the so-called first return, second return familiar, do not know the person is not guilty. You're a senior in the martial arts world, so you're magnanimous. Why don't we let Weizhou be the host today and set up another table to apologize to you?”As he spoke, he called out to the shopkeeper.
Seeing Mu Weizhou's sincere attitude, Jia Di couldn't tell whether he was timid or sincere, but thinking of how he had embarrassed himself in public a month ago, he said: "Young Master Mu, what if I don't give you face?”
Mu Weizheng was still thinking about how to deal with this when four young men came up the stairs. Mu Weizhou looked at them and recognized two of them. They were Geng Kui and Ma Rong, the Crown Prince's servants who were on duty with him.
When the two of them went upstairs and saw Mu Weizhou also eating here, they excitedly came over to greet him. Mu Weizhou couldn't help but groan inwardly when they greeted him. Jia Di was about to find trouble with him at this moment. If they greeted him, it was inevitable that they would think that they were on his side. If it was an ordinary fight, four or five people would definitely be able to gain an advantage. However, when they encountered an expert like Jia Di, with the skills of Geng Kui and Ma Rong, not only would they not be of any help, they might even gain a few more innocent people.
Ma Yuan's father, Ma Yan, was Ma Yuan's nephew. Speaking of which, the current Empress Ma had an engagement with the Dou family when she was young. Later on, after Ma Yuan was framed and died by Liang Song, the Ma family lost power and the Dou family also canceled the engagement. At that time, under Ma Yan's strong urging, the three sisters of the Ma family were sent into the palace. Later, the youngest third sister became the current Empress Ma. Ma Yan and his brother Ma Dun later lived in Chang 'an, under Anlingju. Ma Yan and Ma Dun were skilled in swordsmanship and were good at doing good deeds. Everyone in the vicinity of Chang 'an knew about the two ministers. Recently, Ma Yan had just been summoned to Luoyang by Emperor Ming to work as a school clerk in Lantai. He was Ban Gu's colleague.
Geng Kui's father, Geng Guo, was the younger brother of Geng Yan, the founding father of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was slightly older than Mu Weizhou and Ma Rong. Although he was a little overbearing in his actions, he got along well with Mu Weizhou and his other colleagues. Like Mu Weizhou, he and Ma Fu were not on duty today. They heard from Ma Fu's father that the dishes of Lantai Ju were unique, so they agreed to come and try them. They did not expect to meet Mu Weizhou.
Geng Kui was originally a troublemaker, but when he saw Mu Weizhou and Jia Di's stance, he knew that they were competing, and he couldn't help but feel happy. A second-generation powerhouse like Geng Kui relied on his family's wealth and power to not bully others. It was already good enough, but most of the time, he had to ignore others. Although he did not know who Jia Di was, he knew Mu Weizhou and knew that Mu Weizhou was not someone who would cause trouble or bully others. Although he didn't care that Mu Weizhou was his superior, he knew that Mu Weizhou was on good terms with the Crown Prince Liu He. After a month of observation, the two of them were almost wearing the same pair of pants. Therefore, he was eager to encounter this kind of situation.
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