Plan to cut off the nine states

(Please subscribe and ask for a monthly pass.)

Lou Ji was shocked when he saw Xu Chu being led into the valley. He almost wanted to rush in to see what was going on. At the last moment, he held back and smiled at his entourage: "Thinking of the brotherhood, I said a few good words to him."

The followers nodded one after another, feeling that Lou Xiaoqi was very capable and loyal.

The valley is not big. After turning through a forest of depressed trees, one can see a number of thatched cottages and a small open space. Two young people are cleaning fallen leaves and recently left horse manure. Several others are facing the valley and reading loudly. They are all different, but they do not interfere with each other, and they are pronounced word for word.

The boy said: "Are you really the foundation of the building?"

"It's me. I changed my mother's surname not long ago, and now my name is Xu Chu."

"You wait here for a while. I'll go and inform the gentleman. I don't know if the person he's waiting for is you."

The boy walked towards a thatched cottage, and Xu Chu stood waiting at the edge of the open space, casually tying the reins to a wooden stake nearby.

The layout of the valley is extremely simple, as if they are reluctant to use this precious land.

There were three chime sounds in a certain room, and the people sweeping the floor and reading books walked away after hearing the sound, walking calmly and unwilling to speed up.

Soon, more than a dozen people walked out of the house in two rows. They all had wide robes and big sleeves, with their hands clasped on their chests. The sleeves were almost hanging to the ground, and they had tall crowns on their heads. When the owner walked, it didn't show any signs of movement. shake.

The steps of these people became more and more solemn. Every time they took a step, they had to pause for a moment before taking the second step.

The boy came closer at some point and whispered: "They are practicing moon worship. Come with me, sir, I want to see you."

The room was small and dark, with no table or chairs. There was half a mat on the floor. A thin old man was sitting on his knees on the edge, as if he was concentrating with his eyes closed, making no sound.

Xu Chu took off his boots, stepped forward and knelt down, "Xu Chu, please pay homage to Mr. Fan."

Fan Guan seemed to hum, but Xu Chu didn't hear it clearly. The boy stepped forward, helped the guest up, and invited him to sit at the table.

Xu Chu knelt down and sat opposite Fan Guan. He was speechless for a moment. He couldn't always look at people, so he stared at the table.

The boy retreated, and the two of them sat quietly in the room. Night gradually fell. There was no tea and no one came to light the lamp.

"Ah, is this Mr. Lou Shiqi?" Fan Guan on the opposite side suddenly said.

"That's right, but my surname has been changed to Xu."

"How long have I been sleeping?" The old gentleman was actually sleeping.

"A little while." Xu Chu said vaguely.

"It's already dark. I feel like I've been losing daylight a lot these days. Is the sunshine good today?"

"It warms the whole body and illuminates thousands of miles."

"How's the wind?"

"It's slightly cold, penetrating into the skin but not yet into the bones."

"Water freezes?"

"The small puddles on the road are covered with thin ice, which melts at sunrise, and the river is full of water."

“How many leaves have fallen?”

"The falling season has passed, and it is still coming to an end. It will fall cleanly in about three to five days, but there will always be one or two dead leaves that linger on the branches. Even if there is three feet of snow, they cannot be moved."

"Another winter is coming soon." Fan Guan sighed.

"Yes." Xu Chu could only vaguely see a figure. He was not good at kneeling and sitting. After a long time, his knees hurt from the pressure, but he was too embarrassed to move.

"After hearing about your deeds, I have always wanted to meet you."

"The assassin's deeds?"

"Yes, are you the mastermind or the assassin?"

"Participated in the planning, and finally took action myself, but the first person to hurt the emperor was not me, but a hero named Luo Xuan."

"Since he is a hero, he has long been prepared to sacrifice his life for others. You are a scholar, and what you sell is a pen and a mouth. Why do you pick up a sword with your own hands?"

"Is this why Mr. Fan wants to see me?"

"I'm sorry, I'm too old and can't bear doubts in my heart. I often stay up all night because of this matter, and I feel sleepy and lackluster during the day."

"It's not unusual for scholars to take action. There was also a scholar among the people who were assassinating me."

"Shao Junqian? It's different. He has a personal grudge."

"I also have personal grudges." Xu Chu paused, "My biological mother is the Princess of Wu."

"Well, I've heard of it, but you shouldn't take matters into your own hands. As the saying goes, the authorities are confused, and those who are on the sidelines know better. Those who plan for others often have to put themselves on the sidelines. If you are on the sidelines, you will not be close, and you will not be able to gain the trust of others. If you are too close, you will not be clear and make suggestions. There are always mistakes, and this is the counselor’s dilemma.”

As both planners, Ma Wei and Guo Shifeng tried to stay as far away as possible. They were more than just "watching", they were completely watching from a distance, or even not seeing. They could only inquire.

Xu Chu leaned over and kowtowed, then stood up and said, "What you said is very true. The boy thought carefully and realized that he had already thought about everything he should have thought about at that time. He had nothing to do or plan after that, and the opportunity happened to be right in front of him, so he raised his sword without overestimating his ability. Fortunately, I got the shot, and I had no other ideas.”

"Yes." Fan Guan seemed a little more satisfied, "When I listen to your words, I have long-term thoughts, but when I watch your actions, I seem impatient. Why is this?"

"I'm...too young." Xu Chu was on pins and needles when pressed.

"That's right, when I was young... don't mention it. Why did you come to see me?"

Fan Guan had expected that Xu Chu would come, and even hinted it through Sun Yalu in the Jizhou Army. At this time, he asked about the reason. Xu Chu was slightly startled, thought for a moment, and admitted: "The boy's heart is dark, so I came to ask for enlightenment from the teacher. "

"Is it as dark as this room?"

"yes."

"What kind of person do you think I am?"

Xu Chu was startled again, "Sir... is a famous person in the world."

"What a famous scholar, that's what you heard. I ask you at this moment, you and I are sitting opposite each other, and we have been talking for a while. Judging from my words and expressions, what kind of person do you think I am?"

Xu Chu never saw Fan Bi's face clearly, so he could only say: "Sir, you seem to have something to say, but you haven't said it all."

"You don't believe it, how can I say it all? What's more, what you speculate is my behavior, not my personality. Think about it again."

Xu Chu was like a boy who had just started to learn, feeling uneasy. After thinking for a while, he said: "The world is in chaos, and you live in seclusion in a desolate valley without a fence, teaching your disciples etiquette. You must be a person who likes to be famous."

"That's more like it, continue."

Xu Chu thought for a while longer, "Sir, you answer questions instead of questions, and you are patient and persuading."

"You've retreated again, and you just pick useless words to perfunctorily deal with me."

Xu Chu blurted out: "Sir, you are seeking fame and reputation, like a fortune teller I know."

There was no response from the other side, Xu Chu said: "The boy is talking nonsense, I hope you won't blame me, it's late at night, Boy..."

"You said I look like a fortune teller? A charlatan?"

"A fortune teller is not a charlatan..." Xu Chu suddenly made up his mind, not understanding what he was afraid of, "but the fortune teller and the gentleman I know do have the style of a charlatan."

"Interesting, after listening to so many comments, yours is the most interesting. Charlatans play tricks, fortune tellers deliberately make things mysterious, and I don't say anything clearly, so are we similar?"

"Yes."

"Why don't charlatans and fortune tellers tell the truth?"

"Because... they want to please their masters, figure out their masters' thoughts, and flatter or scare them, and then make money."

"Why don't I say anything clearly?"

"Because... because... the words are in my heart, and only I can figure them out, and there is no gentleman to make them clear."

"Well. Which fortune teller do you know?"

"Liu Youzhong."

"He is indeed a great man, but it is difficult for him to achieve great things."

"Why do you think so?" Xu Chu asked, not noticing the sudden change of topic.

"As you just said, if a fortune teller tries to understand people's minds and then seeks wealth, the more he understands, the closer he is to the person, and the closer he is, the harder it is for him to give good advice. The person he understands will reveal his true feelings and be close to villains, so he is not a true hero. How can two people like this accomplish great things?"

Xu Chu wanted to defend Shen Tan and said that there were more people around him than fortune tellers, but in the end he just said, "Sir, you can see the big picture from the small details, which is admirable."

"You said I love fame and that I am similar to a charlatan. Why do you believe my judgment so easily?"

Although Fan Bi is old, he is very difficult to deal with. Not to mention Xu Chu who was unprepared, even his disciples who had followed him for many years were often sweating profusely when asked questions.

Xu Chu felt a little hot and uncomfortable, but he refused to admit defeat. He thought of Guo Shifeng's words and replied, "Mr.'s words may sound reasonable, but in fact they are just...blind guesses. Many heroes in the world have emerged, but in the end only one person succeeds. It is easy to say that someone will not be able to achieve great things, but it is the most difficult to say who can achieve great things."

"Then when you heard my judgment, were you touched?"

Xu Chu suddenly understood something, bowed his head again, stood up and said, "My heart is dark, so I ran towards the light when I saw it, and I didn't ask the direction in a hurry. Mr.'s judgment of a person in just a few words is exactly the light I hope to see, but this light..."

"It may just be a pile of small fires that are about to go out."

"Mr.'s methods are similar to those of fortune tellers."

"Well, I can figure out your thoughts, but is this what you need?"

Xu Chu shook his head, "This can only make my heart darker. The boy is arrogant, his ambition is not for himself, but for the world. Even if he thinks he is very clear, he is of no benefit to the world, which is not what he wants in the end."

"First, understand yourself , and then you can understand the world. You are deceived by the methods of fortune tellers, and your thoughts are often guessed. Why is that? "

Xu Chu kowtowed again, "You value reputation instead of reality, get entangled in other people's methods, and forget the reality of the person. It's like seeing a street performer with dazzling tricks, and thinking that this person is more capable than a veteran who has been on the battlefield for a long time."

"Are you Wenren's disciple?"

"Mr. Fan knows Mr. Wenren?"

"I guess so. You specialize in the 'Study of Name and Reality'?"

"Yes, I just peeked and never entered the hall. ”

“No wonder, you are still ‘following the name and demanding the reality’?”

“Yes, but I seem to be stuck in ‘following the name’ and can’t get out of it, and I can’t learn to ‘demand the reality’.”

“Why do fortune tellers try to figure out people’s hearts?”

“For money.”

“Why do I try to figure out people’s hearts?”

“For…reputation?”

“Think about it again.”

Xu Chu suddenly realized that it didn’t matter what he was thinking, and it didn’t matter “why” Fan Bi was thinking. His hesitant answer just now exposed that he had no firm plan, so he was asked to “think about it again.”

“For the way of saints and sages, for the way of the world.”

“Come here.” Fan Bi said.

Xu Chu crawled forward on his knees, and even when he was in front of Fan Bi, he couldn’t see the other person’s appearance clearly.

"The way of the sages is the way of the world. Since you have the ambition to live in the world, why do you only learn 'name and reality' instead of finding a way out from the books of the sages? I have been sitting here for a long time. Those who come to see me are either those who love fame or those who love the world. You are the latter. You are trapped in 'following the name' and can't extricate yourself. Why don't you start with 'breaking the name'?"

"Breaking the name to seek the reality?"

"Breaking the name cannot seek the reality, it just allows you to land first. The words of the sages are all in the books, but the way of the sages lies in this word 'seeking'. Think carefully, think carefully."

Xu Chu was silent for a long time, "Sir, have you met many people here?"

"From last year till now, there are at least 200 people, more than half of them are like you who are ambitious to save the world."

"So many!" Xu Chu was shocked at first, then his heart suddenly relaxed. Although he did not see the light, it was no longer so dim and heavy. He kowtowed for the last time, "Sir, you are the one who is ambitious to save the world. I am ashamed. I should reread the books of sages."

"Let the world be peaceful. This is the only 'truth'."

Fan Bi sighed. The one being asked was not relaxed. He was also very tired. "Tell the people outside not to forget to feed my donkey at night. I seem to hear its stomach growling."