Master Kong Zhongni

Chapter 149 The Woman Crying (4400 words)
Zai Yu watched the old man get out of the car, and the passers-by by the side of the road stopped to salute him when they saw him.

Seeing this, the old man returned his salute to everyone with a smile on his face, and then walked into the low house.

Seeing this situation, Zhao Wuji said, "This old man must be a very virtuous man, right?"

Gongshu Pan asked him: "How do you know? I think he lives in a house that is not as big as mine, wears ordinary clothes, and is so short. If he is talented, how can he be so poor?"

Zhao Wuxie replied: "Didn't Master say that? To judge whether a person is worthy or not, how can he tell from his appearance and clothing?
He has no wealth, but he can be admired by the people, which shows that he has outstanding virtues.

Although he is short in stature, he can be admired by the public, which shows that he has extraordinary talents and learning.

Such a person must be a gentleman of Qi! "

Gongshuban nodded half-understanding, while Zaiyu smiled and patted Zhao Wuxie's head.

"Wu Shi! You already know how to know people."

Zigong grabbed the passers-by and asked them, "Which sage in your country is the old man who lives here?"

The passer-by smiled and replied: "This is the Yanzi of our country!"

Yanzi?

Zaiyu and Zigong looked at each other.

They took a look at Yanzi's residence.

This place is next to the hustle and bustle of the market, and the steps in front of the house are covered with moss, so the house must be quite old.

Yan Zi, who is famous all over the world, actually lives here?
Zi Gong had long heard his master say that Yan Zi was a gentleman with high moral character and few selfish desires, but living in this kind of place is too much, right?
The living conditions of the wealthy Chinese in Linzi city are probably better than those of Yanzi.

He couldn't help asking passers-by: "I have long heard that Yanzi of your country is a simple gentleman.

But even if he lives frugally and does not seek materialistic enjoyment, does the monarch of your country just watch him suffer here?
Putting a gentleman in a poor situation is probably not how a king should treat a virtuous gentleman? "

The passer-by shook his head and said, "Actually, the monarch wanted Yan Zi to live better. He sent people to help Yan Zi renovate the house several times, but Yan Zi stopped them.

He directly gave Yanzi property and money, and asked Yanzi to hire someone to repair the house, but Yanzi refused.

Later, taking advantage of Yanzi's mission abroad, the monarch directly sent someone to demolish his house and help him expand the house.

But when Yanzi came back, he was very angry when he saw the new house.

Because, in order to expand the house, the monarch drove away the neighbors and took their land by force.

So Yan Zi immediately went to see the monarch, and insisted on letting the monarch restore his ancestral house to its original state, but the monarch could not resist him, so he could only do so.

Afterwards, Yan Zi personally visited the former neighbors, paid for them to build houses, and invited them to come back to live. "

After hearing this, Zigong sighed in shame: "Although he is poor, he likes to be a Taoist. Although he is rich, he abides by propriety and righteousness. No wonder Master refuses to say even a bad word about Yan Zi. This man is really a gentleman!"

Zai Yu also said: "If Yanzi and Guanzi's virtues and talents blend together, they can probably be regarded as saints in the Master's mouth, right?"

Zigong asked, "How do you say this?"

Zai Yu said: "Although the master thinks that Guan Zi is benevolent, he also says that he is extravagant, wasteful and impolite.

I have heard the Master complain about Guan Zhong before, saying: Guan Zhong is so small!
He has three luxurious houses, and the stewards in his family also have one job and not concurrently. How can this be called thrift?

The monarch put up a screen wall in front of the palace gate, and Guan Zhong also set up a screen wall in front of his own house.

When the monarch held a banquet to entertain the monarchs of other countries, there was an earthen platform for placing empty wine glasses in the hall, and Guan Zhong also made such an earthen platform for the guests.

If it is said that Guan Zhong knows propriety, then who is not ignorant of propriety? "

After hearing this, Zigong and Zaiyu were silent.

The two looked at each other and sighed in unison.

The standard of a saint in the Master's heart is really too high. You must have Yanzi's character and Guan Zhong's talent.

No matter which one of the two, it is as difficult to achieve.

The two of them should try to be a moral but talented Hulian first.

As for saints or something, just respect them in your heart, at least for a while, you won't be able to match them.

Zai Yu suddenly said: "Master, whenever he goes to a place, he will visit the local sages.

It's fine if we don't come to Zizi, but since we're here, how can we not visit Yanzi? "

Zigong also felt a little moved when he heard it.

Who doesn't like to make friends with a gentleman?
But he was a little troubled: "But... Yan Zi has a high status, and we are visiting Qi State in a private capacity, so we can't visit him in the name of official business.

But if we visit in the name of a private person, who should we ask for introductions? "

Zaiyu also had some headaches: "If I knew it earlier, I would have brought Zigao with me. Isn't his surname Jiang Gao? Maybe we can let him go to the Gao family of Qi to make friends with relatives."

Zi Gong's eyes rolled: "Hey! That's right! I remember that when the master accompanied the former Jun Zhaogong in exile in the Qi State, he once served as a retainer to the Qi State's Shangqing Gaozhang.

Gao Zhang has always respected his master very much, and once introduced him to Qihou.If we go to see him in the name of Master's student, maybe Gao Zhang will meet us. "

After thinking about it, Zaiyu felt that Zigong's suggestion was indeed reasonable.

The Jiang surnames Guoshi and Jiang Gaoshi in Qi State are the two major princes who were canonized by Zhou Tianzi and specially assisted the Duke of Qi. Therefore, they have always enjoyed the reputation of "the second guardian of the Son of Heaven".

These two families took turns ruling in Qi State, and held the post of Shangqing for generations.

Even if Guan Zhongshi took charge of the affairs of the state of Qi back then, he did not dare to compete with these two in terms of status.

When Guan Zhong was ordered to visit Chengzhou, the emperor planned to receive Guan Zhong with the gift of Shangqing.

Guan Zhong was so frightened by the emperor's actions that he quickly declined, saying:
I am just an ordinary official with a low status. There are Shangqing Guoshi and Gao clan appointed by you personally in the state of Qi. If they come to meet the emperor in spring and autumn, how will you meet them?
Please forgive me for taking the liberty to resign as a minister of the Son of Heaven and a minister of the State of Qi.

The emperor insisted again and again: You are the envoy of my uncle's family. I appreciate your achievements. Please don't refuse my kindness.

But Guan Zhong still resolutely refused, and finally only accepted the emperor to receive him with Xiaqing's etiquette.

With the respect of Gao's status, if Gao Zhang were to be the middleman, Yan Zi would definitely have to sell his face.

And in this way, not only did he get to know Yan Zi, but he also got to know Gao Zhang, who is now in full swing in Qi State.

Spring and autumn, if you want to do a good job in diplomacy, you have to play with a network, and it is always good to know more people.

Especially as a doctor of the State of Lu, it is even more important to have a good relationship with those in power in the State of Qi.

Zai Yu nodded and said: "Your idea is really good! It just so happens that this place is not far from the market, so we can't go empty-handed when we go to visit Gao Zhang. Let's go back and buy some melon and fruit gifts, and treat it as a meeting gift."

Zi Gong warned: "Shopping is the shopping, don't look around this time!"

Jae Yu stared and said, "Who do you take me for?"

The two of them took Gongshuban and Zhao Wuxie all the way back. After walking not far, suddenly Gongshuban stopped and refused to leave no matter what.

Jae Yu asked, "Ban, what's wrong with you?"

Gongshuban tugged at Jaeyu's sleeve, raised his little finger and pointed to the alley in front of him and said, "Master, look, there is a sister crying over there."

Zai Yu looked in the direction pointed by Gongshu Ban, and he really saw a woman slumped on the ground, crying until Lihua rained on her eyes and her eyes were red.

There were also many women around to persuade him.

"Alas, sin!"

"Your father is too, what wine do you have nothing to drink?"

"How can this be his fault? Drinking too much is wrong, but he wasn't punished for drinking."

"That locust tree is the king's treasure, and he has specially sent someone to take care of it. How can he be allowed to break the branches and leaves?"

"It's night after all, maybe the little official guarding the locust tree is also dozing off?"

"Has the charge been settled? It's not a capital crime, is it?"

"According to the monarch's temper, even if it is not a capital crime, I am afraid that his hands must be cut off!"

"Hey, this... without your hands, how will you eat and work in the future? It's better to just die!"

While the women were discussing, Zaiyu and Zigong also heard all about the ins and outs of the incident.

When they were in Lu State before, they heard that Marquis Qi likes to mess around, and now they have seen it.

No wonder the people of Linzi always complained about the monarch along the way, he really deserved to be scolded.

For a locust tree, one has to cut one's hand and kill someone. Where in the world is there such a reason?
They saw that the woman was really pitiful, so they stepped forward and asked.

"This girl..."

The woman looked up at them, wondering if she thought of her father who was about to be executed, and cried even harder.

Now, Zaiyu and Zigong were unanimously condemned by the women onlookers.

"Oh, can you two talk?"

"He is sad, why are you here to make trouble? Men all get out, get out!"

Zaiyu and Zigong had always been famous for their words among the Confucians, but this was the first time they were scolded for not being able to speak.

They were suddenly a little annoyed.

Zigong retorted: "You women know how to be sarcastic here, can sarcastic remarks save people?
No matter how bad we are, at least we can help you find a way! "

As soon as Zigong finished speaking, there were boos immediately.

"You are quite handsome, but you can see your hypocrisy and cunning when you speak."

"Who do you think you are? Can the king listen to your opinions?"

"I think it's another hypocrite who intends to take advantage of the girl's sadness and come here to deceive herself."

"Will you go? If you don't go, I will be rude to you!"

Zigong has always been good at talking and he likes to talk about reasoning with others, but these women don't reason with you at all, and when they come up, they characterize you as a hypocrite with malicious intentions. How can you explain this reasoning?
Zigong felt overwhelmed, and was forced back again and again by the women.

But Zai Yu frowned, he heard what the women asked Zi Gong just now, and suddenly thought of a half bad idea.

Zai Yu shouted: "Wait a minute! Although the King doesn't listen to our ideas, it doesn't mean that the King doesn't listen to Yan Zi's ideas!"

When the women heard the words, they all sneered.

"Young man, you don't know how to speak! Although Yanzi can persuade the king, can ordinary people see his old man?"

"Besides, we are all women, and Yan Zi is quite old. If he meets us rashly, won't it ruin his reputation as an old man?"

Zai Yu snorted, and retorted: "Isn't the reason why Yanzi has a good reputation is because he is willing to help the poor and help the people in disaster relief?"

When the women heard this, they all sneered and said, "Forget it. Usually there are many people who want to see Yanzi, even if he is willing to see us, the execution will be over by the time we are lined up. What's the use of waiting until then?" Woolen cloth?"

The women were laughing, but the weeping woman gradually became quieter after listening to Jai Yu's words.

She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and asked, "Since you say that, there must be a way for me to see Yan Zi immediately, right?"

Jae Yu nodded, revealing a meaningful smile.

"Yes, but I need you to make a small sacrifice."

"sacrifice?"

The woman was taken aback for a moment, then her cheeks flushed suddenly, and she lowered her head.

After hearing this, the women rushed forward one after another, waving their sleeves violently to drive away Zaiyu.

"I know you have no good intentions!"

"After talking for a long time, why don't you hold someone else's body?"

"Bullying a woman is shameless! If you do this, can you still be considered a husband?"

Zigong also said angrily: "My son! I never thought that you are such a person! I must break up with you today!"

Zhao Wuxie was also angry: "Master! You promised to marry my sister, how can you break your promise?"

Zaiyu was chased and beaten by a group of women, so he could only yell for injustice: "No! You misunderstood me, I don't have that idea!"

"Then what do you think?"

Zai Yu picked up the crown hat from the ground, put it on, tidied up his clothes, and then swore to the sky angrily.

"My Zaiyu swears to Haotian that if I say anything against my will, I will not die!"

The women gradually believed his words when they saw him make such a solemn oath.

The weeping woman also stood up from the ground, went to Zaiyu and apologized.

"A gentleman, please ask me if there is any way. As long as I can save my father, don't say you don't mean that, even if you have... a concubine..."

Zaiyu didn't dare to let her go on, let her finish and let Zigong pass it back to the master later, wouldn't the rumor that he was bullying men and women be confirmed?

Zai Yu hurriedly said: "The sacrifice I said is not to make you commit yourself to me, but, if you want to see Yan Zi immediately, I'm afraid you have to sacrifice some reputation!"

"Sacrificing Qingyu?" The woman replied without any hesitation: "Even so, the concubine still hopes to ask you for advice."

Zaiyu was relieved when he saw her agree.

So he pointed out to her: "The incident happened suddenly, at an extraordinary time, an extraordinary thing must be done.

As these 'ladies' said, there are countless people who want to see Yan Zi every day, so if you want to see him, you must give a reason enough to attract his attention. "

Qi Nu asked: "Then, what is the reason?"

Jae Yu thought about his bad idea, and felt a little ashamed and flustered.

If it was in the country of Lu, he probably wouldn't dare to do such harm to the girls.

But in Qi State, it may still be feasible.

Zaiyu boldly opened his mouth and said: "After a while, you will tell the gatekeeper of Yanzi's house: I live in the outskirts of the city, and I want to express my feelings to Yanzi. Since I can't bear my lust, please allow me to fill up the number in your back house." .”

As soon as these words came out, the noisy scene just now fell into dead silence.

A bunch of people's eyes all fell on Jae Yu, some of them were thought-provoking, some had complicated emotions, and some seemed to be looking at the mentally handicapped.

Zaiyu was seen sweating profusely, so he had to laugh repeatedly to ease the awkward atmosphere.

Zi Gong gasped: "My son, you..."

Zai Yu immediately interrupted him: "Of course, what... If you think it's inappropriate, forget it, and pretend I didn't say it."

Afterwards, Zai Yu turned around, as if he was smearing oil on the soles of his feet and ran away.

Unexpectedly, Qi Nu suddenly stepped forward and held Jai Yu's hand.

The two looked at each other, and she nodded seriously: "If this concubine can really meet Yan Zi and save my father through this method, then this concubine will never forget your kindness."

　If the concubine can really get tickets by begging for tickets, then I will never forget the great kindness of readers, huh...

　　——Excerpt from "Zaiyu's Diary"

　　
　
(End of this chapter)