Aspirations

Chapter 15 The Witty and Changeable Boy

Cao Yongguo is over forty years old, has a beard under his jaw, white robe, red shoes, and a Confucian scarf. His face is kind and dignified. He walked squarely, with one hand behind his back and the other stroking his beard, and came to Xia Xiang.

Needless to say, Xia Xiang also knew that the person who came was the master of Cao Mansion, so he took a step back, looked upright, held the salute of the younger generation, and gave a long bow: "I have seen Duke Cao."

Because Xia Xiang didn't know Cao Yongguo's official position, he called him by honorable title.

Cao Yongguo returned the salute: "Xia Langjun doesn't need to be too polite. Thanks to Xia Langjun for saving the dog's life, Cao is very grateful."

"Mr. Cao is polite. When someone is in trouble, it is the way to help others. It is a small matter, and it is not worth mentioning." Xia Xiang did not dare to accept Cao Yongguo's gift, so he hurriedly returned the gift, and said respectfully, "What's more I'm good at swimming, if I don't know how to swim, I definitely won't go into the water to save people."

Cao Yongguo's first impression of Xia Xiang was not bad, not to mention Xia Xiang's handsome appearance and calm demeanor, but only his bookish atmosphere and humble attitude, which made people feel close to him.It's just that after Xia Xiang finished the last sentence, he was taken aback, and a strange thought came to his mind.

This Xia Xiang is really interesting. He not only has the traditional way of helping the world in Confucianism, but also has a frank and candid side, which is rare among scholars.

Cao Yongguo smiled silently, and sat in the first place by himself, his eyes fell on Xia Xiang's teacup, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he cast a meaningful glance at Cao Shuli.

Cao Shuli noticed Cao Yongguo's gaze, but pretended not to know, pursed her lips and smiled, and turned her head to the side.Cao Shujun deliberately coughed and smiled: "Dad, my sister's Ru kiln is usually never shown to people, let alone people use it? Even daddy probably didn't appreciate it a few times, Xia Langjun. The first time I came to the house as a guest, with Ru Yao in my hand, I was really partial, girls are outgoing, and the ancients did not deceive me."

Cao Shuli was neither ashamed nor in a hurry, she smiled generously and said, "Sanlang doesn't feel punished by saying these words? Xia Langjun is your savior, not to mention the high-quality tea leaves and Ru kiln cups. Tens of thousands of family properties should be worth it. Is it possible that Saburo believes that your life is not as valuable as the Ru kiln cup?"

"I, I..." Cao Shujuan blushed from being choked by Cao Shuli, and wanted to refute a few words, but had nothing to say, so he couldn't stop laughing awkwardly, "Sister talking to Mr. Xia Lang like this, Could it be that he really likes him? Daddy is also here, Mr. Xia Lang, if you like sister, you can propose marriage to Daddy face to face."

"Nonsense." Cao Yongguo's face sank, "In front of Xia Langjun, you were first rude and then rude. How can you still be a scholar in your current appearance?"

"Daddy, I don't want to study at all, and I don't want to be a scholar." Cao Shujun stood up abruptly, and came to Cao Yongguo. pressure, wanting to escape, and in a panic, something big happened. If Xia Langjun hadn't acted, even if the child survived, innocent passers-by would have been injured. Daddy, I have made up my mind to the Tao. After this incident, I also It can be regarded as a new life. Mr. Xia Lang saved my life, just like a reborn parent, whether I am studying or seeking the Tao, I have to listen to his words."

Xia Xiang was about to applaud Cao Shujun's remarks, such a sharp-spoken guy. First, he started with the shocking horse incident, pointing out the seriousness of the problem, and then he was afraid that there would be an accident next time.Then he was Cao Shujun's life-saving benefactor, like a reborn parent, and he raised the topic of negotiating with Cao Yongguo, so that Cao Yongguo had to respect his advice, step by step, and fortify everywhere, so that Cao Yongguo had no way out. .

Cao Shuli smiled without saying a word. She had seen Cao Shujun's cunning and wit. Anyway, she had an attitude of staying out of the way. Xia Xiang debated with his father, no matter who won or lost, it was the same to her.Xia Xiang's victory means that Xia Xiang's talent is higher than that of his father, and it is normal that there are talents in the country.Daddy won, indicating that Daddy is more knowledgeable than Xia Xiang, and it will take time for Xia Xiang to reach Daddy's height.

Xia Xiang didn't speak, just smiled lightly, waiting for Cao Yongguo to speak.

Cao Yongguo's face was as calm as water, he glanced at Xia Xiang calmly, then withdrew his gaze, and then looked at his nose, nose, mouth and heart, and remained silent.

Cao Yongguo didn't speak, and the atmosphere in the room was a little dignified. At this time, it was the dead of night, and the needle could drop in the room.

Xia Xiang held his breath, but also watched his nose, nose, mouth and heart, neither broke the silence, nor offered to say goodbye.Xiao Wu was even more interesting, standing behind Xia Xiang, with his hands behind his back, his eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was asleep.

Cao Shuli didn't take the initiative to speak, but her beautiful eyes swiveled and jumped around Cao Yongguo, Xia Xiang, and Cao Shujun. Finally, her gaze stopped on Xia Xiang's lowered eyes for a moment, and she smiled.

It was Cao Shujun who was the first to lose his temper. He and Cao Shuli sat side by side, opposite Xia Xiang.

"Xia Langjun..." Cao Shujun winked at Xia Xiang several times, but Xia Xiang turned a blind eye, so he could only ask in a low voice, "Dad is very knowledgeable, I met today, just in time to ask him for advice in person. Two, don’t miss the opportunity.”

Cao Shuli also felt that it would be embarrassing to go on like this, and chuckled lightly: "Mr. Xia Lang, do you know who this year's Zhi Gong Ju is?"

Zhigongju is the chief examiner of the provincial examination, which means "specially appointed to take charge of the tribute examination".When Sima Shi acted as the honorary honoree, he strongly promoted the plain and simple style of writing and opposed the Taixue style, so the brothers Lianche and Lianyi were able to stand out, which affected the style of Daxia's writing to change from the slickness of the previous dynasty, and turned to simplicity and simplicity. .

Zhigongju's preference determines whether a student can go to high school. Even if you have a brilliant writing style and are an ingenious talent, but the style of writing does not meet Zhigongju's preference, it is in vain.During the Tang Dynasty, there were countless famous poets who were like stars. In fact, at that time, because they did not pass the examination as a jinshi, they were unhappy all their lives, and there were even many people who were destitute.The splendid poems left to future generations are but by-products of the difficulties of life.

Da Xia's Zhi Gong Ju is not fixed, but a temporary dispatch, which varies from year to year and is not permanent.Xia Xiang went to Beijing to rush for the exam, if he didn't know who this year's Zhigong Ju was, he should be very wrong.

"This year's tribute is to Yang Ting, a scholar of Hanlin." Xia Xiang didn't know why Cao Shuli asked this question, and said, "Xueshi Yang was the champion of high school, and his style is elegant and refined."

"How much does Xia Langjun know about Master Yang?" Cao Yongguo opened his slightly squinted eyes and asked with interest, "Does your writing style catch his eye?"

Not long after Yang Digang won the first prize, his father passed away unfortunately. He was so distraught that he couldn't get water or rice for several days.Later, on the grounds that the salary was not enough to support his mother, he stayed idle and did not take office until the government urged him to take up the post.Soon, he resigned because of his mother's illness.

The emperor once called Yang Dijin to see him and asked him when he was born, but Yang Di remained silent.Only then did the empress know that Yang had been the number one scholar, and regretted asking about it.From then on, the emperor respected him very much for his character of not being proud of being the number one scholar.

"I don't know much." Xia Xiang told the truth, he just came out of Lingshou and just entered the capital, how could he know what kind of person Yang Di was.

"Yang Dei advocates cumbersomeness for writing, and he doesn't have a certain way to learn. He is pedantic and weird when drafting edicts. He is often laughed at, but he doesn't take it seriously." Cao Yongguo smiled indifferently, "In my opinion, you and Yang Dei have no style of writing. People are very different, if you want to be admitted by him, I am afraid it will not be easy."

Get a head start?Don't let him open his mouth to plead for Xia Shujun?Xia Xiang was shocked, Cao Yongguo was silent for a while, and the first thing he said was to take action on the things he cared about the most, what did he want?No, the topic that led to Yang Ding's tribute was first raised by Cao Shuli... Thinking of this, Xia Xiang looked at Cao Shuli again.

Cao Shuli sat still, dignified and elegant, with a clear view of everyone's ladylike demeanor, her eyes were lowered, reserved and reserved, and she didn't look at Xia Xiang any more.

Xia Xiang secretly felt that it was funny, thought for a while, and said: "If you feel it, you can understand it. A thousand rivers have water and a thousand rivers and moons; the inorganic is not broken, and the sky is cloudless and cloudless... If Bachelor Yang is the bright moon in the sky, I am the thousand rivers on the ground."

As soon as these words came out, Cao Yongguo was slightly moved.It's not that he was shocked by Xia Xiang's words, but that Xia Xiang's answer was both clever and appropriate, just borrowing the couplet on his own screen wall.

Thousands of rivers have water, thousands of rivers and moons, thousands of miles without clouds and thousands of miles of sky—this is a Buddhist verse of extremely high realm.The first sentence is that the moon is like Buddha-nature, and a thousand rivers are all living beings. Rivers, regardless of their size, can reflect the moon when there is water. No matter how high or low people are, some people have Buddha-nature.The Buddha-nature is in the human heart and is everywhere; just like the moon shining on the river, it is everywhere.The second sentence, the sky has clouds, and the clouds are the sky.As long as there are no clouds in the sky, then there will be blue sky in the sky.Whether the cloud is present or not, the sky is still the sky, and it does not change in the slightest because of the presence or absence of the cloud.I can't see the blue sky because I have a cloud in my heart.Once there is no cloud in the heart, there will be a thousand miles of blue sky.

In the same way, Master Yang Di has no fixed method, and he can change his style of writing as he pleases. Xia Xiang doesn't care whether Yang Di is the first quarter moon, the last quarter moon or the full moon. If there is water in a thousand rivers, the moon will be reflected in a thousand rivers.

This son is not only extraordinary in bearing, but also extremely intelligent and has a lot of wisdom roots. Cao Yongguo nodded slightly: "Responding to all changes with the same, and responding to the same with all changes, are all flexible methods. Mr. Xia Lang, if you are so special, With half understanding, he won't be able to achieve nothing even today."

"Where did I get nothing done? Dad, I know astronomy on the top, geography on the bottom, three religions and nine streams, I know everything, and I know everything, and I'm a hundred times better than those nerds who study hard?" Cao Shujuan indignantly said. Injustice, he admits that he is different from the ignorant playboys around him, but he is not recognized by his father, so he is naturally angry, "In life, there is not only one way to go for imperial examinations, Xia Langjun, you come to judge the reason. , Is it useless for a boy to be born in the world other than to obtain a title?"

"Knowing astronomy at the top and geography at the bottom is nothing more than a skill, not worth mentioning." Cao Yong shook his head disapprovingly.

"Of course not." Xia Xiang knew that it was time for him to come forward. He said calmly and calmly, "The Master said: 'He who is born with knowledge is the best, and those who learn to know are the second. If you don’t study, the people will be inferior’. Reading is for learning, and learning is for living and living. The ancient sages never regarded reading as the same as obtaining fame. The sages were all born when there was no imperial examination. Laozi, Confucius, Mencius, Who has the fame? Li Bai, the poet, and Du Fu, the sage of poetry, are all promoted Jinshi but not ranked, but their poems are passed down through the ages and praised by future generations. Reading the books of sages and sages is to establish a heart for the world, for the people, and for the future The sage inherits the unique knowledge, and brings peace to all generations..."

Xia Xiang took a deep breath, seeing Cao Shujun's happy brows, Cao Shuli was shocked by Cao Yongguo's calmness for a moment, he was confident in his heart, and said more impassively: "As long as you have the will to serve the country and the heart of the people, why do you have to seek fame and background? If you are not a good minister, you must be a good doctor. If you are good, you will help the world. If you are poor, you will be alone. As long as you are responsible for saving the people of the world, what is the difference between being in the court or in the rivers and lakes?"

"Okay, well said!" Cao Shujun applauded, standing up and bowing his hands to Xia Xiang, "Xia Langjun's words are better than ten years of study, and I have been taught. I have no intention of fame, but I also care about the common people. In between, the poems that have been passed down through the ages must also be left, and it can be regarded as a meager contribution for the prosperity of the summer."

"Humph!" Cao Yongguo sneered and glared angrily at Cao Shujun, "If you can't even pass the exams, what skills do you have to leave behind poems through the ages? I'm just talking about a dream! What you like are all tricks and tricks, not the right way. If you continue to talk nonsense, you will be fined for three months."

"Foot restraint? Dad, you forgot that the boy almost drove his horse north an hour ago. If it wasn't for the horse's shock, I might have been drinking with the Tatars outside the Great Wall." Although Cao Shujun was somewhat afraid of his father, Since what has happened today, if he doesn't have a firm attitude, he will definitely fall short, not to mention Xia Xiang's help, it is also because Xia Xiang's words are reasonable, which greatly increases his courage, and his courage is a bit more, "Whether it is going north. The north of the Great Wall is still the south of the South China Sea, Daddy, the boy is confident that he can ride a horse and whip his whip, one person, one ride, the world can go."

Cao Yongguo couldn't understand the threatening meaning inside and outside of Cao Shujun's words, and couldn't help being furious, and was about to shoot the case, but Xia Xiang came forward in time.

Xia Xiang got up, opened the folding fan in his hand, shook it a few times, took a step forward, and handed it to Cao Yongguo: "Mr. Cao, it's hot and it's not easy to get angry. Come on, calm down."

Cao Yongguo went in without knowing it, and it was hard to refuse, so he took the fan and slapped it a few times.

"In the eyes of Duke Cao, a good poem or a fan, which one is more liked by the people?" Xia Xiang's topic was not only timely, but also interesting.

Cao Shujun didn't know why Xia Xiang asked this question, and his eyes widened.Cao Shuli was also slightly surprised and expected, thinking that Xia Xiang is really a witty and unpredictable young man, a little wit in his calmness, and a little cunning in his wit, which is so at such an age. Smart, if he enters the officialdom in the future, he will not make many people look at him.

"How can this be compared?" Cao Yongguo didn't know how to answer for a while, and thought for a while, "For ordinary people, when the weather is hot, having a fan in hand is better than a good poem to cool off the heat."

Although Daxia is much more powerful than the previous dynasty, for ordinary people, reading is still a time-consuming and money-consuming thing.Most people can't afford a reader to read.Although Daxia emphasized literature over martial arts, for more than a hundred years since the establishment of the dynasty, there are still fifty-six people who are illiterate.

"Why did Xia Langjun say this?" Cao Yongguo returned the fan to Xia Xiang, with doubts in his heart, eager to know Xia Xiang's true intentions.In just a few rounds, he realized that Xia Xiang not only has extraordinary knowledge, but also is flexible and changeable, unlike ordinary scholars who are rigid and conservative. It is not because Xia Xiang has a lot of scheming, but in his opinion, Xia Xiang often makes unexpected moves. .

"Students, read well, and pass the jinshi examination, you can govern the country and the world. If you don't pass the jinshi examination, you can be upright, self-cultivation, and family." Xia Xiang opened the fan, which was carefully crafted with sandalwood as the keel and silk as the fabric. It is beautiful and practical. "The same is true of fans. If a fan is not done well, it can be used by oneself to drive away the summer heat. If done well, it can benefit the people of the world. One fan per person can live the summer in peace. Duke Cao, if a person has one The ability to govern one county, and the ability of another person to settle the world, compared to the two, who is higher and who is lower?"

Cao Shuli was taken aback for a moment, wondering what Xia Xiang's intention was, then she thought about it and smiled knowingly. After laughing, she shook her head helplessly, thinking that her father was more knowledgeable and knowledgeable than Xia Xiang. More knowledgeable, but not as versatile and comprehensible as Xia Xiang, maybe he will really lose.

Cao Shujuan suppressed the ecstasy in his heart. He originally wanted to use Xia Xiang's mouth to persuade his father to stop forcing him to take the exam. Said, also resourceful, too unexpected for him and too surprised him.It's just that he couldn't figure it out, when did Xia Xiang discover his secret?

Cao Yongguo had never thought of it this way, and was stunned by Xia Xiang's sudden question. After thinking for a while, he said, "Govern a county and benefit the people of a county. Make a fan and benefit all people in the world. In the affairs of the world, what is the difference between superior and inferior?"

"Duke Cao has a high opinion, and he helps the world, regardless of the superior or inferior! A good doctor, an official in agriculture, industry and commerce, a merchant and a soldier, a general and a soldier, as long as he is dedicated to serving the country, there is no distinction between high and low." Xia Xiang pushed the boat along the water and led the topic to Cao Shujun step by step On the body, "the big Xia and the four seas are surrendered, and the world will be at peace. It is a peaceful and prosperous world and a prosperous country. Of course, it is a matter of honor to be honored as a prince. Keep your heart and be a craftsman. As long as you can live in peace, and be useful to the people, why bother Do you have to take the exams? People who care about the common people may not all be in the imperial court."

(End of this chapter)