The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 698 Those who are determined

Seeing this person, the driver finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't know this person, but judging from his appearance, clothing, and attitude, he didn't seem to be coming to ask for an explanation, nor did he seem to be deliberately humiliating his young master.

Zuo Si hurried forward and bowed to greet him.

The man looked at him with a smile, "You've grown up so much, but do you still remember me?"

Upon hearing this, Zuo Si couldn't help but look up and look at the person in front of him.

This person is very good-looking.

Although his skin was not as white and flawless as that of Pan An, Xiahou Zhan and others, he was taller than them, with sharp features and extraordinary heroic spirit.

He sat in the upper seat with his back straight. Although his eyes were kind, he carried an aura different from others. Several guards stood around him, none of them dared to face him.

Zuo Si felt that the person in front of him looked very familiar, but after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't remember the other person's identity.

"Please forgive my poor eyesight. I really didn't recognize you. I wonder which elder is here?"

Zuo Si bowed respectfully and asked cautiously.

Cao Mao laughed.

This little guy really can't remember himself.

Zuo Si was not very old, even now, he was still very young.

But in the Wei Dynasty, which worshipped child prodigies, everyone became famous at a young age, and those who went to the Imperial College after the age of fifteen were all trash.

Children from wealthy families are born with all kinds of supernatural powers, and they are all praised as child prodigies, without exception.

This has led to the elites in the Imperial Academy becoming younger and younger. In the early days, there were age requirements for admission to the Imperial Academy. If you didn’t meet the requirements, you would become a Tongzilang. But nowadays, anything goes in the Imperial Academy!
Cao Mao gestured for the other party to sit next to him.

"Your name is Zuo Si, right? I'm quite familiar with your father."

"I see. Since he's my father's good friend, I should address him as Zhongfu!"

Cao Mao shook his head. "No need to be so polite. I've noticed the Imperial Academy has been quite bustling these past few days. What's going on?"

Hearing Cao Mao's question, Zuo Si quickly replied, "Not long ago, Duke Qiao and Duke Sun started arguing, and then more and more people got involved. Yesterday, many famous scholars came to help. Duke Sun didn't dare to show up today. I heard that another group of people came to help Duke Kong."

"Now Confucius is very popular. The Imperial Academy is full of his supporters, and famous scholars from all over the country are responding to his call."

Zuo Si spoke seriously about the situation in the Imperial College.

Cao Mao discovered that this man was not as dull and unarticulate as he looked, and he could actually speak.

Cao Mao noticed the abnormal situation with Xun Yi very early on.

I don’t know what happened to the big families from all over the place, but they all came to Luoyang and started supporting Qiao Zhou.

According to popular belief, it was Xun Yi who gathered these people to help him suppress Sun Yan.

But Cao Mao always felt that this matter was not that simple.

Xun Yi was very charismatic, but Cao Mao felt that his charisma was not that strong.

If they were just his fellow townsmen, it would be understandable, but why did he invite celebrities from other places as well?

If he invited all these people, then his appeal is even stronger than mine.

Even if Cao Mao wanted to gather these people, it would not be so easy.

These people suddenly came here, they must have some purpose.

But Cao Mao was not worried. He continued to chat with Zuo Si, his mind still focused on the young man in front of him.

Thinking of what had just happened, Cao Mao couldn't help but sigh.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, who would have thought that Zuo Si, a literary giant who would go down in history in the future, would have been in such a miserable state when he was young.

The two chatted for a while and saw that Zuo Si was no longer as restrained as before.

Cao Mao had just asked, "Why do you want to emulate Pan Yue?"

Hearing this, Zuo Si fell silent.

Cao Mao said, "I don't mean to humiliate you. I'm just curious. If you don't want to tell me, I won't ask."

“I want to be liked and respected by others.”

Zuo Si replied in a low voice.

"So you imitate Pan Yue's way of traveling in order to win the favor of others?"

Cao Mao sighed deeply.

"How can you think you can win other people's love in this way?"

Zuo Si raised his head, there was an indescribable loneliness in his eyes.

"I have never been loved by my father since I was young. He asked me to learn many things, but I was too stupid to learn them."

"He found many people and sent me to study at the Imperial Academy."

"He said that I must not let him down and must make a name for myself in the Imperial College."

"But in the Imperial Academy, no one wants to be my friend. They all look down on me. They say I'm not from Luoyang, that I'm ugly, and that I have no literary talent."

"I've been here for a long time, but even the teacher won't even look at me."

"When I got home, my father would scold me, saying I hadn't studied hard enough."

"If my mother hadn't passed away, perhaps this wouldn't have happened. She would never have called me ugly."

As Zuo Si spoke, his words suddenly choked up, and he reached out to wipe away his tears.

Cao Mao reached out his hand and gently wiped away his tears. "Think... People are born different. Some are handsome, some are ugly, some are smart, and some are stupid."

"These are not things we can decide, but we can still interfere and change future actions."

"Today, you're trying to emulate Pan Yue in order to gain others' favor. I think this is a good attempt, but unfortunately, you're going in the wrong direction."

"Pan Yue is so popular because of his appearance, which is not something we can decide."

"However, there are other ways. Not all the ministers in the court and famous scholars in the world are like Pan Yue. There are Ji Kang, Ruan Ji and others. Their appearance is no different from that of ordinary people. Grand Marshal Guanqiu Jian has a dark complexion and is not a handsome man."

"And Deng Ai, who destroyed Shu, had a dark complexion, so his appearance was not considered good. There are many people like him in Wei, so why do they still command respect from the public?"

“But I’m stupid and have no talent.”

Zuo Si looked at Cao Mao and said in a daze.

Cao Mao smiled and asked, "Then is there anything you like to do?"

"I like prose and poetry, but I'm not very good at it. My father said my writing was too realistic, lacking the grandeur and beauty of prose. He also said these were just minor things, only used to assist me, and that the true path was to study the classics."

"Hahaha, since you like writing, why bother about your father's opinion? Just write the way you like!"

"If you can't write well now, then practice. If you can't write well after one year, practice for ten years. If you can't write well after ten years, practice for twenty years!"

"There will always be a day when you can write well. As long as you have such perseverance, I can guarantee that one day, everyone in the world, even people in future generations, will respect you, love you, and like you."

Zuo Si was stunned.

He looked a little scared and hesitant.

“But my father”

"Here, take this!"

Cao Mao took off a jade pendant from his waist and handed it to him.

"Didn't you say you didn't have any friends? From now on I'll be your friend. Go ahead and write. When you're done, show it to me first!"

"If your father scolds you, show him this jade pendant and tell him that this person asked you to write it! Let him mind his business!"

Zuo Si looked at the elder in front of him blankly. He quickly said, "You are my father's good friend. How dare I be your friend?"

"Your father is much older than me. It's okay, just take it!"

"If you want to see me in the future, come here and tell these people that you want to see their master!"

Cao Mao waved his hand and left the place under the protection of Man Changwu and others without waiting for the other party to ask his name.

Zuo Si stayed where he was, staring blankly at the jade pendant in his hand, not daring to speak for a long time.

Instead, it was the driver who was trembling at this moment.

When those people went out just now, he even saw the powerful crossbows they had hidden.

Who are these people?

How dare you travel with a powerful crossbow in Luoyang?
That day, after Zuo Si returned to his mansion, he went into the study.

The driver appeared in front of Zuo Xi and explained what happened today.

After listening to the driver's words, Zuo Xi asked about the man's appearance.

After the other party finished speaking, Zuo Xi smiled bitterly.

"He really is an acquaintance. This guy is talking nonsense, but I am the villain in front of him."

"Well, never mind. Just keep watching that brat and don't interfere in this matter anymore."

The driver left quickly.

Zuo Xi just rubbed his forehead. Should he say that his silly son's luck is too good or too bad?
You can meet the emperor wherever you go.

It was for this scoundrel that I sought help from people everywhere and spent so much energy to train him to become a talent. Now, that scoundrel has said so many bad things about me in front of His Majesty. I am afraid that even my future is in jeopardy.

Zuo Si sat in his study, looking at the paper in front of him, but didn't know how to start writing.

He wrote a few sentences, but then felt that they were inappropriate and immediately crossed them out.

He fell into deep thought, then picked up his pen again.

He kept writing all night long, but he was not satisfied with the final result and kept revising it.

By the next day, he hadn't been able to write even ten words.

But this did not affect Zuo Si's creative enthusiasm.

At this moment, Cao Mao also returned to the Taiji Hall. When he walked into the Taiji Hall, the smile on his face suddenly disappeared. Zhang Hua had already been waiting for him here.

"Your Majesty, I have found out."

"These people really have other plans."

"They had a secret meeting in Yanzhou, where they discussed how to persuade His Majesty to abolish the land reward order."

"Shortly after the discussion, they appeared in Luoyang and met with Xun Yi at night."

"They also gave Xun Xi many gifts."

Zhang Hua talked about the various situations they currently knew.

In fact, many ministers are almost one-way transparent in front of the court. If these useless people who serve alcohol and drink alcohol were not their elders, how could they be qualified to sit in their current positions?
The court also knew about the situation in Xun Yi's mansion.

According to many reports, these people gathered at Xun Yi's house to reward Tian Ling.

(End of this chapter)