The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 68 The Owl's Noise

"The birds in the empty city cry out, how can I be so anxious?"

"I originally belonged to the flock of wrens, not to the royal family of phoenixes."

"Yeah!!"

In a luxurious mansion in Luoyang, eight scholars of strange appearances sat around, looking at the poem in front of them and praising it.

Then a handsome man, nearly eight feet tall, stood up drunkenly and said loudly, "Your Majesty, you are so talented! I am a poor sparrow, struggling to survive, and can only associate with small birds. How dare I associate with a phoenix?"

"You guys are shameless phoenixes!"

Everyone in front of him laughed, except for a lively young man who frowned and said nothing.

Ruan Ji rolled his eyes at the drunk man and said nothing.

Then I saw another short young man stand up and shout to the drunk:
"Uncle Ji Ye!"

"If you are the Empty City Bird, why would you associate with us Phoenixes? Clearly, you are also the Phoenix His Majesty is talking about!"

"You are the phoenix! Your entire clan is phoenixes!"

"I am a bird. No, I am a city sparrow."

The man was drunk and his words were incoherent, but this tall and strong man was none other than the famous scholar Ji Kang of that time.

Ji Kang came from a prominent family. His father, Ji Zhao, was an official who served as Imperial Censor, and his elder brother, Ji Xi, joined the army as a scholar in his early years and was deeply loved by the Sima family.

He himself married the granddaughter of Cao Lin, the Prince of Pei, and thus was appointed a doctor. Cao Lin was Cao Pi's younger brother, so Ji Kang was a contemporary of Cao Mao. Because he married a member of the imperial clan, Ji Kang became a doctor, an official who served the emperor.

But this man was extremely sloppy. Although he looked good, he never took care of himself, nor did he work properly. He just drank and had fun all day long.

The short man continued, "Come on, come on, leave this drunkard alone. He doesn't know how to taste wine, he only knows how to drink like a cow. Even if you find a group of pigs, he will eat with them! Don't pay any attention to him!"

Everyone laughed again.

The short man was called Liu Ling. He was short and ordinary, only six feet tall, and stood out from the crowd. He was also addicted to alcohol and lived a life of drunkenness. At a young age, he was already a famous figure of the time and was known as the best wine taster in the world.

"Helping four yellow mouths, drinking milk is never enough~~"

"Eating your leftover chaff, I'm always afraid of being chased away by crows and kites!"

Liu Ling recited two more lines, then said to Ji Kang with a smile, "Listen carefully, you idiot! You don't have enough to eat every day, you only eat chaff and leftovers, and you're afraid of being chased by kites! This phoenix is very different from a kite!"

Ji Kang waved his hand and shouted, "What's the difference? It's just a kite calling itself a phoenix. It wants to peck at the phoenix before it grows up, and calls it a sparrow!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the mansion fell silent.

A rough-looking man who looked very old frowned and said to the young man beside him, "Shuye is drunk. Let's send him to the inner room to rest."

The man's name was Shan Tao. Compared to others, he came from a lower class background. His father, Shan Yao, was only a county magistrate.

Shan Tao lost his parents at an early age and his family was poor. He was a man of great potential and outstanding character since he was a teenager, and he was calm and cautious.

The young man looked 70% similar to Ruan Ji. His name was Ruan Xian and he was Ruan Ji's nephew.

After Ruan Xian sent the drunkard Ji Kang to the inner room, everyone continued to talk about the empty city bird.

"I am ashamed to cross the dangerous Taihang Mountains, and ashamed to overturn the cart and grain in the camp."

"Destiny has its own destiny; keep your place and refrain from excessive desire."

Liu Ling read it, shook his head and said, "What a pity! My status is too low to drink with Your Majesty!"

At this point, everyone fell silent again.

They were ashamed to set foot in the dangerous Taihang Mountains, and even more ashamed to snatch food from an overturned cart. Everything was decided by fate, so they lived a contented life.

These are truly the heartfelt words of Your Majesty, but aren’t they also a true portrayal of these famous scholars?

Then a man with an air of nobility stood up and said, "If it weren't for the last line, this poem should be burned."

This man was called Wang Rong.

This person is even more of a heavyweight. He was born into the Wang family of Langya and is the son of Wang Hun, the governor of Liangzhou. He has been handsome and good at conversation since he was young. He is known for his insightful comments and judgment. Among all the people present, he is the closest to the Sima family.

Hearing his words, Ruan Ji rolled his eyes at him again.

The one who had been silent for a long time said, "In that case, then remove the last sentence and send it everywhere! To give the sparrows courage!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked.

This man has a beard, is tall, and has sharp eyes. His temperament is quite different from that of this group of drunkards. His name is Lu An.

He was born into the Lu family of Dongping. His father was Lu Zhao, the governor of Jizhou. He was a strong-willed person and different from others. He always thought about how to govern the world and help the people.

Wang Rong pointed at Lü An and shouted, "Zhongti! I told you not to discuss state affairs here!"

Seeing the two about to quarrel, the last one, Xiang Xiu, also stood up and tried to mediate. Xiang Xiu was from the Xiang family in Hanoi and was a very good writer.

These people are the most famous group of celebrities today, including Ruan Ji, Ji Kang, Shan Tao, Liu Ling, Wang Rong, Xiang Xiu, and Ruan Xian, who are known as the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove in history books.

Well, Lu An, who had been friends with Ji Kang for a long time, did not make the list.

They are typical of the confused scholars of the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Unable to realize their ambitions, dissatisfied with the cruel rule of the Sima family, and despairing of real life, they retreat into seclusion, wear clothes, drink, and despise etiquette.
"Empty City Bird, Empty City Bird!"

Lu An looked very dissatisfied.

An indescribable emotion spread among the crowd. Liu Ling sighed deeply, "Gentlemen, since we are talking about poetry, let's not talk about other things. We are not the phoenix, nor the kite, nor the little bird..."

"Then what do we do?"

Lu An asked back.

"Let's have some wine."

Shan Tao replied.

Lu An smiled bitterly, picked up the wine in front of him and drank it all in one gulp.

Liu Ling once again tried to liven up the atmosphere by talking about other articles and poems.

Wang Rong took the opportunity to sit next to Ruan Ji.

"Si Zong, you are appointed as the Imperial Attendant, which is a good thing. But please do not bring anything out of the palace anymore, not even poetry."

He whispered, "These past few days, things haven't been peaceful in Luoyang. First, someone slandered the General who conquered the South, and now, this poem has spread like wildfire. Many people are saying that the general is a black kite, that the ministers in the court are phoenixes fawning over the black kite, and that Guanqiu Jian is a wren."

"These remarks even reached the Imperial Academy."

"You know what those young scholars are like."

"This has caused dissatisfaction among many ministers."

"A single poem has offended the entire court and the general. Don't do this again."

Ruan Ji rolled his eyes again and said nothing.

Wang Rong smiled bitterly. "You may dislike it, but I'm doing this for the good of everyone. The General of the Western Expedition has already issued an order prohibiting the phoenix from appearing in poetry again. We should just focus on studying poetry. Why get involved in these things?"

Everyone present seemed to have quickly forgotten the unpleasantness and immersed themselves in the conversation again.

They began to comment on famous people in the world and talk about poetry, but they didn't talk about any major events.

Liu Ling smiled and said, "There were eight chefs in the Han Dynasty, and there are eight of us today. It can be said that there is no shortage of talented people!"

Lu An continued, "I wonder how future generations will judge them? Will they be called the Eight Drunks? Or the Eight Sages?"

Everyone was talking and laughing, and ended this wonderful day in carnival.

When Ruan Ji was walking home drunk, Lu An supported him.

"What kind of person is the emperor?"

Lu An asked cautiously.

Ruan Ji glanced at him and said, "He's about thirteen or fourteen years old."

"Nonsense. I'm asking what kind of person he is."

"cunning."

"You traitor! How dare you insult the emperor?"

On weekdays, Lu An was closest to Ji Kang and Shan Tao, and didn't interact much with the others. But at this moment, he was hanging around Ruan Ji and even making jokes.

Ruan Ji thought for a moment, then said, "He is a brave ruler who knows how to endure, but he was born at the wrong time."

The smile on Lu An's face froze. He wanted to say something, but didn't dare to say more.

Ruan Ji said to himself: "We are not sparrows, wrens, or magpies, nor phoenixes, nor kites, but owls. This is an ominous omen and cannot be seen in the light."

"Mr. Lu, there's no need to ask any more questions. Just drink."

"Then why did Mr. Ruan spread the sparrow's cry throughout Luoyang?"

Lu An asked again.

Ruan Ji was silent for a moment, then he threw his head back and laughed.

"This owl's cry is deafening!!"

(End of this chapter)