The scholar is not a clique... In the face of disaster and disaster, he does not go beyond the boundaries of righteousness, and he does not boast of extravagance in the south. -- "The Lü Family's Spring and Autumn Scholar's Appearance"
A scholar must be ambitious and resolute. He has a long way to go. -- Zengzi, The Analects of Confucius, Taibo
When they arrived at the north gate, Liu Qingping mentioned that Mu Weizhou wanted to send Ma Yan back, but Ma Yan said no, waved his sleeve, and left. Mu Weizhou and Liu Qingping randomly found a small restaurant. Mu Weizhou was deep in thought and did not say a word during the meal. Liu Qingping raised a few topics, and Mu Weizhou was vague and did not answer. Liu Qingping seemed to be angry. She also ate her food in a depressed manner and ignored him. After dinner, before they parted ways, Liu Qingping could not help but tell Mu Weizhou that it was fine to learn from Scholar Peerless, but it was definitely not worth exchanging his life for it like Boyi and Shuqi. After that, she ignored Mu Weizhou's reaction and went straight to the North Palace. Mu Weizhou responded and watched Liu Qingping walk away. It was not until a long time later that he came to his senses and slowly walked towards the Sunset Smoke Hall.
In the following month, Mu Weizhou spent almost all of his time and thoughts on studying swordsmanship, except for meeting Liu He, Ban Chao, Wang Chong, and his master at the end of the month. He even took some time out of each day to read through all the books in the Sunset Smoke Hall that might be related to scholars. During this period, Ban Chao and Wang Chong would occasionally come to look for wine. Mu Weizhou would either pull them over and ask them about the relevant matters, or he would be immersed in his sword practice and sword test. Not only did the two of them not have a drink, but they were also worried that Mu Weizhou was acting up, so they privately told Liu Qingping a few times. Liu Qingping had seen Mu Weizhou practicing his swordsmanship in the Paradise of Taole, so she knew that he must be thinking about something. Although Liu Qingping would sneak over to the Sunset Smoke Hall every few days to take a look, she always had the intention of returning disappointed. Later, Wang Chong seemed to have realized that Mu Weizhou was not acting up, but was thinking about something, so he also came over to freeload food, drink, and study. Mu Weizhou and Wang Chong did not mind. Wang Chong's arrival saved Mu Weizhou a lot of trouble. Whenever he needed to study and verify his thoughts about scholars, Wang Chong would be able to help. In Wang Chong's view, a scholar was a scholar. If he really wanted to understand him, he wouldn't have to be as distracted as Mu Weizhou. How could he know that Mu Weizhou had gotten into the bull's horns that he had designed? In other words, this was also a method for Mu Weizhou to transform. To Mu Weizhou, this month was like a closed-door cultivation in a novel.
Time flew. In the blink of an eye, it was already the beginning of September on the lunar calendar. The weather in Luoyang had also begun to cool down. People could already feel the taste of autumn. It seemed that the Luoyang area that He Luo had passed through had a bumper harvest. The number of people on Luoyang's streets was also much higher than before because people had finally finished a year of hard work. Groups of elderly and children gathered in the streets and alleys, enjoying the leisure of the autumn sun in the morning. In a house near the west of Luoyang City, a clear whistle suddenly sounded. A young man with a carefree face and casual clothes was holding a pitch-black sword and pointing at the blue sky. The young man was Mu Weizhou. His howl was loud and short, but it did not attract the attention of the bustling Luoyang City. Instead, it seemed to have intimidated Wang Chong, who had been writing rapidly at his desk in the Sunset Smoke Hall. He stared blankly at the young man in the courtyard without saying a word.
Mu Weizhou put away his sword and turned to enter the hall. He saw Wang Chong staring blankly at him and felt a little puzzled. He turned around and looked behind him. Seeing that there was nothing unusual around him, he asked,"Brother Wang, what's wrong with you? Is there something wrong?"
Wang Chong had been living in the Sunset Smoke Hall for the past few days and was already used to Mu Weizhou's stupidity. Today, Mu Weizhou suddenly spoke so nicely that he was not used to it."Weizhou, you, you…I'm still not used to this.”
Mu Weizhou came to his side and said happily,""What do you mean by 'you'? What are you writing, Brother Wang?”
"I suddenly had some ideas in the past two days and was about to write them down, but I just started.”Wang Chong looked at Mu Weizhou with uncertainty.
Mu Weizhou looked at the bamboo slips on the table and read,"The Invitation Chapter. People in the world, old age can not hope to see sages. "I'm greedy for good fortune, and I'm willing to avoid disaster…" Just as he finished reciting these words, he stopped and said to Wang Chong,"I'm afraid I'll have to go.""Brother Wang, can you not write this first? Think about it, how about writing an article about scholars?”
"Yes? What is it?" Wang Chong asked.
"Ah, it's the scholar of the country.”Mu Weizhou said excitedly.
After Wang Chong confirmed that Mu Weizhou was definitely not acting foolishly, he stroked his beard and muttered,"You have to write about this topic. Although Confucius, Mencius, Guan Yu, and Lu have done it before, it may not be the best. However, this topic is not small. After my brother finishes writing this essay, I need to think about it carefully before I start writing.”"Wei Zhou, you asked me to write 'scholar'. Could it be that you have some brilliant ideas?"”
Mu Weizhou had let out a clear whistle just now because he felt that he had figured out what a " scholar " was and what he needed to do to become a " scholar." He had said those words to Wang Chong because he wanted to " show " the success of this conclusion to others. But when he heard Wang Chong's question, he suddenly realized that his actions seemed to have violated his definition of a " scholar." He awkwardly picked up Zhang Yang and said,""Brother Wang, it's nothing. I just feel that the key to being a 'scholar' lies in being a person.”
"A scholar is a person. "A scholar is a person…" Wang Chong muttered as he stroked his beard.
Although Mu Weizhou had just warned himself not to publicize it, he could not help but want to let more people know his views. But facing Wang Chong, he felt a little guilty. He suddenly thought of Liu Meng and asked,""Brother Wang, why haven't I seen Qingping come over these days?”
"Miss Liu just came yesterday," Wang Chong said."She saw you talking so much and left after a while." Alas, Wei Zhou,"Lv's Spring and Autumn Annals" said that scholars as people, should not avoid difficulties, in the face of disaster forget benefits, abandon life to do righteousness, face death unflinchingly. What do you mean by being a scholar?”
Mu Weizhou knew that Wang Chong was going to debate again, but his heart was like a river, and he only wanted to flow out. He didn't have the mood to " gather water " or debate. He immediately found the scabbard, guarded the sword, and hurried out of the door. He wanted to find Liu Meng as soon as possible so that he could vent his thoughts to him. Let's not talk about Mu Weizhou's foolish thinking for the past month. Just his current attitude is likely to conflict with the scholar's attitude. It could be seen that there was a huge difference between thinking about it and doing it.
Mu Weizhou jogged all the way to the palace gate. He happened to meet Feng Fang on duty. After untying his sword and leaving it at the palace gate, he exchanged a few more polite words with Feng Fang before heading straight to the Eastern Palace. Geng Kui and Ma Rong were in charge of the Eastern Palace's guards today. Mu Weizhou had not seen them for a long time since the last time they drank. Mu Weizhou chatted with a few Scheeren and inquired about the situation in the palace these two days. He also made an appointment with Geng Kui and the others to get drunk again on the Double Ninth Festival before he hurried into the hall.
Mu Weizhou entered the hall and saw Liu He and Liu Yan, the King of Xiapi, sitting by the table and discussing something. Liu Yan saw Mu Weizhou and said happily,""Big brother came just in time. If you didn't come, I would have sent someone to invite you over tomorrow.”
Seeing that there was no one else in the hall, Mu Weizhou also sat down at the table and said,""What happened, my little brother Crown Prince?”
"Yesterday, Imperial Father summoned the three dukes and the relevant nine ministers to specifically implement the matter of increasing production and armaments. The finance minister had already made plans for the promotion of ox-plowing. He suggested that the reproduction of 20,000 cattle be completed in three years, and the county agricultural deputy would be directly responsible for it. Among them, 200 were for the big counties and 100 for the small counties. The rest would be directly raised by the finance minister around Luoyang. Now that the autumn harvest had just ended, the finance minister was preparing to collect 1,000 cows for breeding this winter. By next summer, he would have an additional 1,000 calves.”Liu Meng said excitedly," In three years, 20,000 cows! Even if we calculate according to the average of one ox, three plows, and one person sowing fifty mu a day…big brother, what do you think the grain production of our Great Han will be like by then?”
Mu Weizhou was also very encouraged when he heard this. He never thought that his idea would have such a big impact. He said happily,"Little Brother Xu, this is really a good thing. I didn't expect it, I didn't expect it!"
"Then do you know why I'm looking for you?”Liu Meng asked.
Mu Weizhou tilted his head and thought for a while before joking,"Don't tell me you want me to raise cattle?”
"Aiya, so big brother thought of it too.”Liu Meng said excitedly," The Great Finance Minister's cattle farm is located near Luoyang. I think we can take this opportunity to participate and accumulate some experience in the future."”
"Ah?" Hearing his words, Mu Weizhou's hand that was about to raise the teacup to his mouth suddenly stopped. He was dumbfounded when he saw Liu Meng and Liu Yan's eager expressions. His hometown, Chifeng, belonged to the Inner Mongolia grasslands. Some of his relatives also raised cattle. According to his relatives, raising cattle was not as easy as they thought. If he, Liu He, and Liu Yan were to eat beef, it should be fine, but if they were to raise cattle…Thinking of this, he said to Liu He,""When I was young, I saw people raising cattle. It was actually not an easy job. The three of us don't have any experience at all. If we really want to participate…" At this time, he noticed that Liu Yan and Liu Meng were disappointed. He sighed in his heart and slammed the teacup on the table." Well, we're brothers. Since you want to do it, I'll do it with you."”
Liu Yan listened and filled the three teacups on the table. He raised one of them and said,""In that case, cheers!"
Mu Weizhou drank tea with the two of them, and his interest in explaining his views to Liu Meng was gone. He had seen that relative who raised cattle. He got up early and went to bed late every day. He was anxious and worked very hard. If the three of them were to raise cattle together, Liu Yan and Liu Meng, who were young masters who might not even be able to move a cow, would definitely not be able to do anything. In the end, all the hard work would fall on him. Actually, he had misunderstood. Mu Weizhou understood the problem from his own perspective, imagining himself as his relative. Liu He was the crown prince, and he said he would raise the cattle himself, but he wouldn't directly feed the cattle grass every day. Liu Meng only needed to go to the cattle farm regularly to ask questions, and it was already considered as raising cattle. It was completely different from what Mu Weizhou thought. This also showed that people with different backgrounds would have a great difference in their views on a matter. It was just like how it was difficult for the nobles who lived a luxurious life every day to understand the difficulties of ordinary people.
Seeing that Mu Weizhou had agreed, Liu Meng was very happy. Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she smiled at Mu Weizhou and said,"Big brother, I have one more thing that will make you sad and two things that will make you happy. Which one do you want to hear first?”
Mu Weizhou looked at Liu Meng's smiling face and thought that there wouldn't be anything that would make him too sad. Just now, he was a little depressed because he had been forced to herd the cows by the two of them, so he said,"Well, let's talk about the two things that made me happy first.”
" I heard from Xing Mu today that the assassination attempt on Father has been investigated and the assassin has been executed," Liu Meng said with a smile.”
Mu Weizhou was stunned when he heard this. Liu Qingping had told him before that the Emperor had sent someone to investigate the assassination. He did not expect the Great Minister to figure out the matter so quickly and even catch the assassin. He asked,"Brother Xiao, did he say who the assassin was?”
" I heard that it was a Deputy Banner Lord of the Road of Peace who led two of his subordinates," Liu Meng said." When the Road of Peace heard about this, they immediately handed the three of them over to the Great Minister, saying that they had nothing to do with the Road of Peace. He didn't say their names. However, these three people have already been punished. Big Brother must have vented his anger, right?”
" That's not right." Mu Weizhou frowned and said," As far as I know, the Road of Peace colluded with the Xiongnu people to do this. The Emperor also knows about it. How did he find out that there were three people from the Road of Peace?"”
"Oh?" " What's going on?" Liu Meng tensed up when he heard that.”
Mu Weizhou frowned slightly and said to Liu He,""I remember someone from the Road of Peace told me that they had arranged to meet three Xiongnu experts, one of whom was called Xiao Toutuo, to assassinate someone in Daliang City. Besides, I've seen their martial arts. They're definitely not something a Deputy Banner Lord of the Road of Peace can compare to. Qingping had already told the emperor about this. He should know, right?”
"Are you saying that the Great Minister lied?”Liu Meng blinked and asked.
Mu Weizhou looked at him and said with certainty,"Although I don't know how he investigated, the results are definitely wrong. Did something go wrong? Shouldn't you remind him?”
Liu Meng listened and pondered for a moment." Big brother, don't worry. Since father knows that there's something fishy about it, I'm sure he has a plan. I'll ask around when I have the chance."”
Mu Weizhou nodded. He didn't expect to get such a result after investigating for so long. But Emperor Ming knew what was going on, so why didn't he ask the Great Minister to continue investigating? What plans would he have? Thinking of this, he really felt that he was extremely stupid. If Liu Qingping was here, she would probably understand the reason behind this. Thinking of Liu Qingping, he said to Liu Meng,""Younger Brother Liu, is Qingping in the palace? If we send someone to find her, she might be able to understand the reason.”
After hearing Mu Weizhou's words, Liu He glanced at Liu Yan and said,"Big brother, this is exactly what I wanted to tell you about the thing that made you sad.”
"What is it?" Mu Weizhou asked in confusion.”
Liu Meng pouted and said," Sister Qingping sneaked out of the palace two days ago and was found out by Father. Father lost his temper and punished her behind the scenes. After the Double Ninth Festival, he wants her to return to Guangling!"”
Mu Weizhou listened to Liu Meng's words, but he was really sad. He felt that he hadn't seen Liu Qingping for a long time. He thought that he would be able to see her in the palace this time and chat with her at the same time. He didn't expect her to cause such a big trouble. Thinking about how Liu Qingping had sneaked out of the palace most likely to see him, he couldn't help but feel even sadder. Although he was sad, he could not help at all.
Seeing Mu Weizhou's expression, Liu Meng comforted him,""Big brother, don't worry. Imperial Father has been in a fit of anger these past two days. He actually likes sister Qingping very much. Moreover, Sister Qingping was so smart. She would definitely coax Imperial Father to retract his order. You don't have to worry." Seeing that Mu Weizhou did not have any reaction, he widened his eyes and said,""Hey, big brother, do you know what the other happy thing I want to tell you is?”
Mu Weizhou glanced at him and sighed unhappily,""What?"
"Sister Qingping told me two days ago that the Dou family has returned. I will be able to leave the palace in two days. At that time, let's call Sister Dou and the others out to celebrate your becoming an official. How about that?”Liu Meng said.
After hearing Liu Meng's words, Mu Weizhou was a little more excited. According to the information he had previously learned, Dou Tao and the others should have returned. In addition, he really should hold a banquet to entertain these new friends. Thinking of seeing Dou Tao again, Mu Weizhou suddenly had an indescribable feeling in his heart. He calmly said to Liu Meng,"That's true. I really should entertain my new friends. By the way, you said that the Double Ninth Festival is in two days. Why don't we hold a banquet on the Double Ninth Festival? When the time comes, I'll invite everyone I know, and everyone can have a good time together. How about that?”
Liu Meng felt that Mu Weizhou's idea was very stable, so the three young men began to discuss how to proceed, and those unpleasant thoughts were immediately thrown to the back of their minds.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]