Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 817 A Trivial Skill!
"Gentlemen, Lord Xia will be coming to pay his respects a little later today. Before he arrives, the juniors of the medical school will give you a medical examination."

A group of old men who had planned to sit in protest at the entrance of Xia Lin's government office early in the morning were blocked by a young girl before they even left their homes. Behind her were more than a dozen young medical students, including the future Crown Princess of the Great Wei Dynasty.

Without waiting for the old man to say anything, they informed him and came in, then began to check on the old men one by one.

The old Grand Tutor, who was in charge, was initially full of hostility, but when he saw that the people who came were just like his grandsons, he didn't bother to care. Besides, he had heard that Fuliang's medical skills were superb. Since the children had come, he might as well have them checked.

They looked at the novel measuring tools, which were quite different from the traditional methods of observation, listening, questioning, and palpation. Moreover, the children's soft voices were indeed endearing, which calmed them down considerably.

After a thorough examination, the plan to sit in the government office early in the morning was naturally impossible to carry out. Moreover, the average age of these people was fifty-eight, so they all had some health problems to varying degrees. Some were recommended to seek physical therapy, while others were prescribed medication.

Anyway, it was already close to noon, and Xia Lin didn't come, but the princess, who was heavily pregnant, did.

It's true that they were the emperor's teachers, and they dared to bar their teeth at Emperor Jingtai, even daring to smash their heads against a pillar in front of the emperor. But when they encountered the eldest princess, they still had to be more polite.

Her Highness the Princess said, “Since you teachers have come here overnight, I should do my best to be a good host. It is getting late, so please do me the honor of having a chat with us. My husband has prepared wine and food and is waiting for your arrival.”

Is this enough face they're being given? The eldest princess has invited them, and Xia Daosheng is preparing a banquet. Even if they're stubborn, should they accept this invitation?

It's fine if they don't go, but it's against etiquette, and then people will keep criticizing them. But if they go, how long will this meal last?
The old Grand Tutor sighed. At that moment, he made up his mind. Since he didn't plan to go back alive anyway, he didn't care about etiquette anymore.

Just as he was about to speak, a man walked gracefully into the room. This man was none other than Prince Rui, the younger brother of Emperor Jingtai.

"Dear teachers and mentors, it's been a long time!"

The Third Prince walked forward with a happy expression. Without saying a word, he lifted the front of his long robe and knelt down in front of the hall, kowtowing to the old men with a loud thud. After all, he and Tuoba Jing had been in the same courtyard when they were in school, and Tuoba Jing's teacher was also his teacher.

In the traditional sense of etiquette, one must acknowledge Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, and Teacher. Even a prince must acknowledge these responsibilities, and the title of "Master" carries immense weight.

Seeing that the once unruly and unruly boy was now so well-behaved and sensible, the old men quickly stepped forward to help him up, saying, "You mustn't, you mustn't."

But the Third Prince refused to get up and knelt in front of the hall, saying, "Back then, I was unruly and mischievous, and I was fortunate enough to be given a second chance by my teachers. Now that we haven't seen each other for many years, how come my teachers' temples have suddenly turned gray?"

Who is the Third Prince? He is one of the three pillars of the Fuliang Grand Theatre Drama Theater, a director, screenwriter, and a master of both lyrics and music. Performing a piece on the spot is just a regular occurrence for him.

His emotions progressed in layers: first, the joy of seeing his colleagues; then, the sincerity in expressing his feelings; and finally, the shock and heartache at seeing his teachers with graying hair. His eyes were slightly red, and the tears that welled up were tinged with a hoarse voice.

This acting style is theatrical, and to the average person it might seem a bit exaggerated, given the stage performance format. But at this point, you have to look at it from the old men's perspective. In their eyes, it's the same spoiled prince they once taught, who suddenly appears before them, bows deeply, and utters a sentimental line comparable to "Without my grandmother, I would not be where I am today; without me, my grandmother would not be able to live out her remaining years." Then he abruptly looks up and says, "Teachers, how come you all suddenly have white hair..." and begins to weep.

Who can stand this?!
If anyone were to come in now and tell them that the Third Prince was just acting and that he was just a spoiled brat, these old men would probably eat him alive. It's like if someone in Journey to the West went to Bodhi Patriarch to complain about the mischievous monkey, Bodhi would probably say, "How did my obedient disciple become a mischievous monkey in your eyes?"

So after such a good show, the old men's hearts naturally softened, and even the Grand Tutor could not say anything more. He could only obediently go to the banquet at the invitation of his "good disciple".

There were certain rules to follow when attending the banquet. The old men had to be fed and entertained well, but serving them braised pork hock and roasted whole lamb would be tantamount to taking their lives. Therefore, the dishes at the banquet were carefully arranged. The head monk from the outer dining hall of Donglin Temple in Jiujiang was specially invited to prepare a stunning feast for these old men.

This head chef was a talent that Xia Lin recruited from the White Horse Temple. When the White Horse Temple was investigated, the abbot's daily expenses were no less than those of the emperor. His food expenses for one meal were as high as 150 taels of silver. He also had a particular fondness for vegetarian food, so the vegetarian chef's skills were top-notch.

When the vegetarian dishes were served, they could only be described as "water like the horizontal waves of eyes, mountains like the gathering of eyebrows," truly a perfect fusion of color, aroma, taste, meaning, and form, with each dish reaching the level of a work of art.

This master chef put in a lot of effort this time. Firstly, not many people have had the chance to enjoy a banquet that he had put in so much effort for in recent years. Secondly, this was a good opportunity to repay Lord Xia for his kindness and for saving his life. So he brought out all thirty-six of his signature skills.

At this moment, even the most learned and educated men seemed like country bumpkins who had never seen the world. Not to mention the master chef's self-created famous dish "Lushan Waterfall," even the regular vegetarian dish, braised pork, amazed them.

It is moist but not greasy, fragrant but not fishy, ​​with its own form and flavor but without any turbidity. It melts in your mouth and leaves an endless aftertaste. After taking a bite, you can really feel that you have wasted your life.

One particular soup was especially noteworthy: a vegetarian soup with mountains, water, and a small boat. The mountains were made from winter bamboo shoots, lotus seeds, and other ingredients. The soup was made by simmering eighteen kinds of mountain delicacies overnight, then mincing chicken to absorb impurities and make the broth clear and colorless. Finally, some vegetable juice was added to give it the appearance of a clear, tranquil pool. The small boat was made from a precious truffle brought from Dali, and even a small piece of it brought out the aroma of the soup.

These simple yet sophisticated dishes truly won over the hearts of the elderly men, and some even rose to recite poetry while enjoying themselves.

After the meal, as the group of old men sat down to rest, a young woman from Suzhou began to play a tune, and this year's new tea and some delicious snacks were placed in front of them.

"This Fuliang tea comes in red and green varieties, and it's different from the tea we usually brew. The tea from this area has a more authentic flavor, so please try it."

The tea master stepped forward to perform tea ceremony for the old men. His smooth and flowing movements made the group of old literary youths applaud and cheer. Amidst the fragrant tea, they even felt a sense of peace in their hearts.

Now that we've eaten and drunk tea, shouldn't we sit quietly?
Just then, the Third Prince looked up and saw that it was getting late. He stood up and said, "Esteemed teachers, there happens to be a performance of 'Guiying Takes Command' at the Grand Theater today. Would you do me the honor of watching it?"

The Grand Tutor had already realized that there might be a problem here, but when he turned around, he saw that those old men were all showing great interest.

Although he sighed inwardly, he actually wanted to see this classic play.

He had seen them, after all, the Fuliang troupe often organized performances in theaters in Beijing. "Guiying Takes Command" and "The Legend of the White Snake" were his favorite plays. However, he had also heard that the troupes that went to Beijing were the third or even fourth teams of the Fuliang Grand Theater, not the main performers of the first and second teams. And those performers had also said that only the first and second teams could truly bring these plays to life.

With this in mind, the Grand Tutor made up his mind—he would go meditate again tomorrow!
But will they really have time tomorrow? Respect for the Aged Day is specifically for them.

On the first day, they had a physical examination, a meal, and watched a play. In the evening, they were taken to a farmhouse to experience the scenery of blue bricks, white horses, wildflowers and banana leaves, raindrops, cooking smoke, and the sounds of chickens and dogs.

Spring rain brings a touch of chill. Holding hot tea, we play chess and compose poetry under the bright electric light. The distant mountains are shrouded in mist, and the mountains of Jiangnan are so charming.

"This thing is really rare. If I had had this a few years ago, my eyesight wouldn't be so blurry."

"Yes, you can't touch it with your hands, it's very hot."

Several old men gathered under the electric light and discussed it, finding it incredibly magical—smokeless and flameless yet so bright; it was indeed a wonderful object.

"Grand Tutor, tomorrow morning he said he would take us to the mountain to watch tea picking, saying that the tea aroma is especially fresh after the rain."

Upon hearing this, the Grand Tutor glared fiercely at the old man and said, "Have you forgotten why we came here?"

"Alas, the child invited me so earnestly, how could you bear to refuse? You saw it for yourself, how happy he was to see me waiting. After the Second Prince was killed in the struggle for the throne, he never returned to the capital. Your Majesty, you treat him like a child, but is he not a child too?"

These words made the Grand Tutor sigh deeply, and he looked up and said, "Alas, what a pity."

"Grand Tutor." At this moment, another old man stepped forward and said, "That child treated us as if we were his father today. As a prince, he served us faithfully and devotedly. You should follow his filial piety. There is no parental affection in the imperial family. If we return to Jinling, we will never see each other again in this life."

Everyone tried to persuade him, which made the old Grand Tutor's eyes red. He looked up and sighed, "Alright, if that's the case, then let's play along with the child for a few days."

With the Grand Tutor's approval, the arrangements for this trip became even more exciting, with the old men's activities fully scheduled for the next seven days.

From participating in folk festival celebrations to being invited to ride the first passenger train, to the cultural tourism trip to Lushan, and finally to the hot spring resort in Lushan.

After returning from their trip, they were invited to the medical school's sanatorium to begin physical conditioning. Every day, they followed Dr. Sun to practice Taoism, listen to lectures and discuss Taoism, and received specialized rehabilitation therapy.

Actually, all of this is nothing...

There was only one thing that truly calmed these old men down.

Xia Lin, who had not shown up all day, personally entertained the group of learned old men. The atmosphere was quite good. After all, although Xia Lin was somewhat rebellious, he was still the one who inherited the power of literature to convey the Way. As long as the academic community had a good impression of him, it wouldn't be too bad.

"Gentlemen, I have some matters I would like to discuss with you."

The Grand Tutor had to give Xia Lin some face, so he nodded slightly, but his attitude remained arrogant. After all, to him, Xia Lin was just a warlord with some knowledge. If he had the ability, he could kill him and see if he would be infamous for eternity.

However, Xia Lin didn't pay attention to his attitude and just said to the group of old men, "I have always wanted to compile an encyclopedia."

"encyclopedia?"

The Grand Tutor frowned, and the old men below began to whisper among themselves. After all, the words "encyclopedia" were too authoritative, so these old men immediately became curious.

"Well... how should I put it, it's a book that combines all knowledge, including astronomy, history, classics, folk arts, natural sciences, mathematics, geology, biology, and so on."

After listening, the entire room fell silent. They didn't even consider how difficult the matter was; they simply thought about the impact it would have on the education sector if it were accomplished.

"You mean... to put the entire world into one book?" The Grand Tutor's eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Gentlemen, you should all know me. I have spent my entire life opposing the aristocratic families. Although many of you also come from such families, you have all reached this age and should understand right and wrong, so I will not argue with you. In this book, I want all the wisdom of the world to be condensed and passed on to future generations. Our merits and demerits need not be discussed, nor do we care about the judgment of posterity, but do you gentlemen not wish to put all your life's learning into paper?"

Heavenly Bodhisattva... Is this something any human would dare to even dream of? This is a matter of establishing virtue, words, and deeds! Why did Confucius become a sage? Wasn't it because he established virtue, words, and deeds? Now, there are three such achievements right in front of you. Who wouldn't be tempted?
Just as the old men were hesitating, Xia Lin took out a medical book weighing nearly twenty pounds and placed it in front of the Grand Tutor: "This is a medical book, but it is far from enough."

The Grand Tutor opened the medical classic, and on the first page were the names of the compilers written in black ink on white paper. The first name listed was Sun Simiao, followed by his fellow disciples and their disciples.

After turning a few pages, the Grand Tutor's hands were trembling, and his heart was pounding at 130. The excitement made him feel as if he had returned to the moment when he first entered the bridal chamber.

"Is it really okay?"

"Perhaps you gentlemen disagree with my political views, but as you know me, I am a man who does not care about east or west. So please consider staying here to compile classics. If you are willing, I will take you to the academy tomorrow. It won't hurt to take a look."

The old men all fell silent, none of them had any ideas, and they definitely needed to discuss it. Xia Lin smiled at their expressions and stood up, saying, "Gentlemen, please rest early. If you have figured it out, just have someone inform me tomorrow."

At this moment, including the Grand Tutor, they forgot the main purpose of their work here. Their minds were instantly filled with that thick book: establishing virtue, establishing words, establishing merit... In old age, unexpected blessings have fallen from the sky.

(End of this chapter)