Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 8 Learning

The Five Barbarians invaded China and not only destroyed China's territory, but also destroyed China's confidence. During this period, Confucianism declined, Buddhism and Taoism flourished, and countless barbarian monks poured into China.

The theories of prophecies, metaphysics, ghosts, gods, and witchcraft were widely popular and misled countless people.

There are also many people who are secretly stirring up trouble.

Since the reign of Emperor Huan of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there have been as many as twenty rebellions using "evil words". By the time of Emperor Ling, the situation of "evil bandits rising up" had even developed.

At the end of the Zhongchao (Western Jin Dynasty), there was a "Li Family Dao" in Shu. The evil thief Li Hong in Shu called himself the Holy King, used sorcery to confuse the people, said he was 800 years old, gathered more than 10,000 people, and attacked the prefectures and counties.

In the 12th year of Yonghe in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (356), the "evil bandit" Li Hong from Jiangxia rebelled and was suppressed by Liu Ku, the prime minister of Jiangxia, and Hu Ji, the prefect of Yiyang.

In the fifth year of Taihe (370 AD), another man named Li Hong from Guanghan rebelled together with the "evil thief" Li Jingen from Yizhou and proclaimed himself the Holy King.

The reason why so many people call him Li Hong is because it is said in "Laojun Bianhua Wuji Jing" and "Tai Shang Dongyuan Shenzhou Jing": The true monarch is like Mu Zi Gongkou, who rules the world and brings great joy to the world.

Muzi bow mouth, according to the common method of splitting characters used by the people at that time, is "Li Hong".

In October of the second year of Xian'an (372), Lu Song, a native of Pengcheng, called himself "the chief priest of the Great Dao" and led more than 800 people to attack the Guangmo Gate of the palace. He falsely claimed that Ma Yi of the Haixi Company had returned to the palace, broke into the palace from the Yunlong Gate, and seized the armor and staff from the armory as if he were in an empty place. In the end, the guerrilla general Mao Anzhi led his troops into the palace to defeat him.

Since the Taiping Dao uprising in the Eastern Han Dynasty, whenever there was chaos in the country, Taoists would cause rebellion in the north and south.

Today, Liu Daogui finally understood what kind of people the immortals were. Liu Xinzhi beside him looked around, eager to try.

But Liu Yu's face darkened, and he whispered, "We are just passing by and are sorry to disturb your leisure. I hope you will forgive me. We will not interfere with each other and will leave now."

"Ji Nu..." Liu Xinzhi licked his lips.

"Hmm?" Liu Yu's face darkened.

Liu Xinzhi trembled all over and didn't dare to say anything more.

"Hahaha, it's over! Why are you so anxious? Where are you going? I don't want wealth and honor, and I can't hope for the throne. I will go alone, cherishing the good times, or plant a staff and weed. I will climb the East Hill and let out a whistle, and compose poetry by the clear stream. I will just ride on the natural cycle and return to the end... You are destined to have no chance of immortality, and it is difficult for you to reach paradise. You will be toiled all your lives."

The man waved his long sleeves, twisted his body, and walked down the mound with the men and women.

Soon, bursts of laughter were heard...

"Let's go." Liu Yu grabbed Liu Daogui's hand.

Liu Daogui's face darkened. "No, why are you pulling me? I don't want to go."

"Brother, I'm not afraid that you can't control yourself." Liu Yu's expression was half true and half false.

"Haha, brother, you are really good at judging people. However, a gentleman may be lustful, but he gets it in a proper way. He cannot be corrupted by wealth and honor, cannot be moved by poverty and humbleness, and cannot be bent by power and force." Liu Daogui patted his chest.

The chaos among the aristocratic families was unimaginable, affecting both men and women.

Needless to say, in Jiangzuo, celebrities liked to apply rouge and powder, wear women's clothes, act like women, and keeping male prostitutes almost became a fashion.

Since the Xianning and Taikang periods, male favorites have become increasingly popular, even more so than female favorites. All scholars and officials have admired them, and the whole world has followed suit.

After the Southern Migration, Sima Yi, the only deposed emperor, was in power. He favored his concubines Xiang Long, Ji Hao, and Zhu Lingbao, and often slept with his concubines Tian and Meng. He also gave birth to three sons, leaving people at the time baffled as to who was the father...

Even the great ruler Fu Jian favored Murong Chong and his sister. From fighting at the bedside to the melee in Guanzhong, which lasted for many years, no one could do anything to the other, and the last bit of vitality of Di Qin was exhausted.

In the tenth year of Taiyuan, Fu Jian was finally captured at Wujiang Mountain, and Yao Chang hanged him to death in Xinping Buddhist Temple.

"Well, a gentleman loves money, but he gets it in a proper way..." Liu Huaisu corrected immediately.

Liu Daogui waved his hands, "It's all the same."

The few of them returned to Liu's house, talking and laughing.

In the next few days, Liu Yu and Liu Daogui were extremely well-behaved. They stayed at home as long as possible, as if nothing had happened.

The arm cannot twist the thigh, and no one will benefit from falling out with the Diao family. Relying on dozens of kilograms of fish and shrimp, making fish soup every day, life can be managed.

Liu Huaisu ran around everywhere to find out the news.

However, the Diao family's plan to occupy the silted fields by the river was not successful, as the silted fields were coveted by the Wang family.

In terms of family background, reputation, and power, the Diao family is not even worthy of carrying shoes for the Wang family. The Minister of the Central Secretariat of the current dynasty is Wang Gong, who was born in the Taiyuan Wang family and is the brother of the Queen Wang Fahui.

Authentic royal relatives.

Wang Gong's cousin Wang Guobao was originally Xie An's son-in-law. After he assisted Sima Daozi in squeezing out Xie An and Xie Xuan, he was highly regarded by the emperor and Sima Daozi, and his power grew day by day.

Wang Guobao's younger brother, Wang Chen, held the posts of Governor of Jingzhou, General Jianwu, Envoy with Special Envoyship, and Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of the three prefectures of Jing, Yi, and Ning. The court relied on him to suppress the Huan clan of Jingzhou...

From Jiankang to Jingkou, there are nearly 40,000 to 50,000 acres of silted fields on both sides of the Yangtze River. Such a piece of fat meat naturally attracted Wang Guobao's attention. Since the Diao family could not resist the powerful, they wisely tucked their tail between their legs and behaved themselves.

The Liu family had a prosperous year.

The two brothers accompanied their mother Xiao Wenshou, and used the money left by their uncle to buy some hay. They started doing the business of their fellow clansman Liu Xuande, weaving shoes and making mats, which they sold at the market. This could supplement the family income and exchange for some salt and food for daily needs.

Although it was hard work, Xiao Wenshou insisted on reading.

The Liu family had inherited many bamboo slips, including a complete Gongyang Commentary and half of the Wu Zi, which only included three chapters: Map of the State, Governance of the Army, and Discussion of Generals.

The other bamboo slips are classics such as the Analects of Confucius and the Book of Songs, and are also incomplete.

Before my grandfather Liu Jing became the leader of the refugees, he was already a powerful figure in the county and was fond of military affairs, so it was reasonable for him to have these bamboo slips.

Books were extremely precious in those days. No matter how miserable the Liu family was, Xiao Wenshou never sold them. Instead, he urged his three brothers to study hard since childhood.

However, Liu Yu was not good at studying, and Liu Daogui was lazy and had no interest in it. However, under the beating of his mother, he still memorized "Gongyang Zhuan" and "Wu Zi" by rote.

But I only have a vague understanding of the meaning behind it.

The second brother Liu Daolian was extremely interested in the Analects of Confucius and the Book of Songs. He devoted himself to them and achieved some success.

He often relied on these to make friends with the poor people in the county, and with the support of his uncle, he was able to occasionally join gatherings of famous scholars and earned a reputation as someone who was knowledgeable about the classics.

"Wu Qi, in Confucian attire, met with Duke Wen of Wei to discuss military matters. Duke Wen said, 'I do not care for military affairs...'"

Liu Daogui read it with gritted teeth, but Liu Yu had already slipped away under the pretext of selling shoes.

Xiao Wenshou was holding a wooden stick and urging him from behind. If he heard someone punctuate a sentence incorrectly, he would hit him with the stick.

It's no wonder that thanks to this kind of corporal punishment since childhood, Liu Daogui managed to master the Gongyang Zhuan and Wu Zi and memorize them by heart.

“Read a book a hundred times and its meaning will become clear. If you can’t understand it after reading it a hundred times, read it a thousand or ten thousand times. A slow horse can be made to run ten times if it keeps going!” Xiao Wenshou was worthy of being born into the Lanling Xiao family. He always spoke with principles.

The requirements for the three brothers are extremely high.

It’s a pity that Liu Yu was fostered in his aunt’s home when he was young. When he came back, he was already sixteen or seventeen years old. Although he could recognize some words, he did not understand the moral principles and had wasted his time.

The Gongyang Commentary records old events from the Spring and Autumn Period. Many of the stories are quite interesting and not boring to read. If you don’t understand something, Xiao Wenshou can explain it a little.

"Wu Zi" consists of only three chapters, with a total of more than 10,000 words. It is easy to understand and you can quickly memorize it.

However, Liu Daogui had no interest in the Analects and the Book of Songs. Just the uncommon characters in them made him waste a lot of effort...

No matter how Xiao Wenshou scolded him, it was useless. Liu Daogui had no interest and could never remember anything. Even if he did remember something, he would quickly forget it.

After a long time, Xiao Wenshou stopped forcing it.

(End of this chapter)