Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 23: Elegant Talk
Whenever people from poor families encounter some storms, every decision they make becomes extremely difficult.

If he doesn't go, his brother Liu Yu will be crippled if not dead. If he goes, there is still a glimmer of hope. Perhaps Diao Kui will consider his face and pretend to be magnanimous in front of this person and let him go.

For the sake of his brother Liu Yu, Liu Daogui had no choice but to take the risk.

Just as he looked up and was about to speak, the scholar suddenly turned around, glanced at Liu Daogui, and nodded slightly in a very friendly manner.

Liu Daogui was stunned and swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth. He watched them walk into the red gate.

"Oh, no chance." Liu Zun sighed.

Even Diao Kui treated this man with great respect, so one could imagine how high his status was. Given the Liu family's current situation, they were simply not qualified to associate with such a person. Among their relatives, Xiao Yuan's family was the most prestigious...

A red door faces a red door, a wooden door faces a wooden door.

The noble families would never look upon the common people with any respect.

However, not all noble families were as uncivilized as the Diao family.

Huan Wen was powerful in the court and feared by the world, but he also did some things that were not practical. He encouraged people to engage in agriculture and sericulture, improved the administration of officials, suppressed mergers and acquisitions, promoted common people, paid attention to the suffering of the people, implemented the Gengxu Tuduan, and reduced the burden on the people.

These measures have brought benefits to this day.

Xie Xuan was stationed in Jingkou, caring for the orphans and widows, and the elderly and weak. He shared the joys and sorrows with the soldiers, promoted a large number of brave and capable generals, and was clear about rewards and punishments. Therefore, the entire Northern Army was willing to fight for him to the death.

Among the noble families, there are also extraordinary people who are not bound by etiquette and social status, and even more virtuous and capable people.

"Do you know this person?" Liu Huaisu asked.

"I work hard all day to make a living, and in my spare time I stay at home to study and practice martial arts. How could I have the opportunity to make friends with such a person?"

Even Diao Kui treated him with great respect, so you can imagine that this person is no ordinary person.

Liu Daogui racked his brains but had no idea.

"That's strange."

"How long do we have to wait?" Liu Zun was already impatient.

Now that a distinguished guest has come to Diao's mansion, he will definitely not see these little people again.

"Just wait and see."

Thinking of that scholar, Liu Daogui felt much calmer.

After half an hour, an hour, and finally two hours later, the red door creaked open, and a servant walked out slowly. He raised his head and glanced at the people under the crooked willow tree, and uttered a word through his nose: "My master wants to see Liu Daogui of Pengcheng."

"That's me!" People have to bow their heads under the eaves, and Liu Daogui stepped forward quickly.

Just as he was about to bow, he twisted his hips, turned around, and walked with a duck's gait, saying, "You idle people, wait outside."

"Qunxiao" is a derogatory term used by the nobles to refer to the common people.

It would have been fine if Diao Kui had said that, but it was surprising that a household servant could be so arrogant.

Liu Daogui was in no mood to argue with him, nor was he in the mood to appreciate the luxury of Diao's mansion. All he saw was a sea of ​​flowers, rockery, flowing water, pavilions, and towers, with maids dressed in red and green walking around.

When they arrived in front of a waterside pavilion, the servant's straight back hunched over, "Master, the people have arrived."

The person in the pavilion hummed, and the servant retreated with a hunched back.

The two men were leaning against a table, with two pretty maids standing on each side. On the table in front of them were a pile of oranges, a pile of candied fruits, and two plates of crystal clear iced goat cheese.

In early summer in June, being able to eat ice drinks shows how rich the Diao family was.

They just chatted about love and romance, and talked about how "sages have emotions or are unfeeling, are unfeeling but have nature, and use nature to govern emotions", completely ignoring Liu Daogui.

Their words were all grandiose and irrelevant nonsense. Liu Daogui, under Xiao Wenshou's urging, had also read Laozi's commentaries for a few days, but compared to the two of them, he was nothing. He had never heard of such coherent nonsense.

But both of them were very interested, and the more they talked, the more excited they became, and they enjoyed it very much.

The topic has changed from "the saint has emotions" to "the saint is concerned with things but not with things", like a tongue twister...

Given their status, they would have discussed some strategies for governing the country, or criticized current problems, but unexpectedly, for an entire hour, not a single word was said...

Liu Daogui had read Gongyang Zhuan before. During the pre-Qin and Spring and Autumn Period, all the scholars took it as their responsibility to revitalize the country. They worked hard and traveled around the countries in order to be valued by the monarch and fulfill their ambitions.

By the Wei and Jin dynasties, it seemed that national hatred, family feuds, and the rise and fall of the country had nothing to do with them.

In Liu Daogui's opinion, they are not even as good as the northern barbarians.

Fu Jian, a great leader of Di Qin, abolished tyranny, advocated that the common people should be pacified and the barbarians should respond to him, and made use of Han scholars such as Wang Meng, Quan Yi, and Deng Qiang, and suppressed the powerful. This enabled Di Qin to unify the northern country and become powerful for a time.

Although defeated in the Battle of Feishui, it was also an attempt by the northern Hu tribe. Yao Chang, who rose in Guanzhong, advocated frugality, promoted Confucianism, built many schools, cared for his soldiers, and the national strength continued to grow.

Murong Chui, who rose in power in Hebei, also made use of the Hebei gentry, and the powerful people on both sides of the Yellow River vied to submit to him.

On the contrary, although the Eastern Jin Dynasty won the Battle of Feishui, it remained stagnant. After the threat from the north was temporarily eliminated, the government became increasingly chaotic.

Various thoughts flashed through Liu Daogui's mind.

Not to mention the noble families, even Liu Daogui, Liu Yu, and Liu Huaisu, who came from humble backgrounds, would discuss the state of the country and the gains and losses of the previous dynasty when they had free time.

"Are you Liu Daogui?" Perhaps the two of them were tired of talking, and finally they noticed that there was a stranger standing next to them.

"It's me." Liu Daogui bowed.

"What brings you here?" It was Diao Kui who was speaking. The scholar next to him had a calm expression and looked lazily at the fish swimming in the pond, as if the fish were more interesting than people.

Diao Zhan had a face full of flesh and did not have the slightest bearing of a scholar, but his father Diao Kui was born elegant, with a very kind face, a long beard flowing down his chest, and a graceful demeanor, but his tone was a little cold and hard.

"I came here for my brother Liu Yu."

"Liu Yu?" Diao Kui looked bewildered. The maid beside him whispered a reminder, and he just remembered. He waved his hand lazily, "Since he is the Liu family of Pengcheng, let's forget the past. I will pay you the 30,000 coins."

Liu Daogui was delighted. What he said meant that Liu Yu was still there.

But the Liu family really couldn't come up with 30,000 coins...

Even if Liu Huaisu and Meng Longfu sold everything they had, they still couldn't get enough.

"I really don't have any money at home."

"If you have no money, you can sell yourself and become a citizen of the Diao family. There are many brave warriors in the Liu family of Pengcheng. You are strong and healthy. If you marry into my Diao family, you will be promoted to a family general in two years." Diao Kui looked as if it was a matter of course.

Things go around and around and back again.

If he was to become a slave in Diao's family, why would Liu Daogui run around everywhere?
Once you become a servant, you become someone else's private property, and even your descendants will be slaves of the Diao family...

The Liu family of Pengcheng is, after all, a descendant of the Han Dynasty. The family tree clearly states that the ancestor of the Liu family of Pengcheng is Liu Jiao, the younger brother of Emperor Gaozu of Han and King Yuan of Chu!

Grandfather Liu Jing was at least a refugee leader, armed with two ring-handled swords, he slashed his way from Huaibei to Jiangzuo...

Mother Xiao Wenshou has worked hard for many years and tried her best to restore the Liu family's status.

Becoming a slave in the Diao family would be a disgrace to the ancestors of the Liu family, and would bring disgrace to the Liu family of Pengcheng.

"Although I come from a poor family, I also understand the greater good. The general of an army can be taken away, but the will of a common man cannot be taken away! How can a man of seven feet sell himself into slavery?"

(End of this chapter)