Plan to cut off the nine states

Fan Bi became famous at a young age, relying on his writing and arrogance.

There is nothing to say about his writing. Every time he finished his writing, it would be circulated among many readers. Some people even read and commented on it thousands of miles away. Some praised it, but many criticized it.

When he was sixteen, Fan Bi was recommended by the local chief official. He refused it explicitly. He neither pretended to be sick nor modestly claimed to be incompetent. He only replied, "I am a country bumpkin, I have no intention of being an official." He carried his book box and traveled around.

As his fame grew, more and more people wanted to recommend him to be an official. It was usually not because of "cherishing talent", but because Fan Bi was famous. Whoever could invite him out of retirement would naturally be praised as "getting a virtuous person".

Fan Bi refused again and again. He would say what he could say if he could make sense, and leave if he couldn't. Anyway, there were people willing to receive him everywhere, so he didn't have to worry about not having a place to stay.

With the foundation of the Cheng Dynasty and the unification of the world, everyone felt that the famous scholar Fan Bi had no reason to refuse to serve. He probably thought so too, so he found an "excuse" for himself for the first time, which was the most common and simplest - being sick.

The emperor sent someone to visit him, and regardless of his apparent weakness, he was carried on a carriage and sent to the Eastern Capital.

In front of the emperor, Fan Bi could only reluctantly bow and answer questions, obviously because he was sick and confused.

The emperor was a little embarrassed and very angry. He was angry that his subordinates could not do anything and forced a famous scholar who was terminally ill to meet him. He had to see him, but he got nothing after meeting him, and instead got a reputation for forcing people to do things.

Emperor Zhang Xi was a smart man. He expressed his feelings to his ministers, thinking that the way of heaven was not satisfied, and Fan Bi got a serious illness when the world was stable. Then he gave him a heavy reward and sent him back home with courtesy, and never asked about him again.

Fan Bi became more famous because of this illness, and he got several nicknames, such as "famous scholar lying on the couch", "lying to worship the emperor", "sick sage", and "dying man".

As a result, he lived longer than Emperor Zhang Xi, and even survived Emperor Wanwu, the son of Emperor Zhang Xi, but his body never recovered and became weaker and weaker.

Many years later, Fan Bi lamented to his trusted disciples: "I am the one who made a false thing come true. This is God's punishment for me. I have rejected at least fifty recommendations and never made excuses. No matter whether the other party was a prominent civil official or a ruthless general, I just refused. Only that time, Emperor Zhang Xi sent people to recruit me with the power of unifying the world. I was timid and found an excuse for myself. Who would have thought that pretending would come true."

Fan Bi followed the sages and only talked about human affairs, rarely talked about the way of heaven, but attributed his illness to "God's punishment", which inevitably surprised his disciples.

Fan Bi also explained this: "The way of heaven is also human affairs. Why did I make a falsehood come true and have a long-term illness? In fact, I felt guilty and did not want to be called a "faking illness". I wanted to get a real illness, and I got what I wanted, but I could not get rid of it. People should not lie to themselves. Success or failure is all their own fault."

This illness lasted for more than 20 years. Countless famous doctors came to diagnose it, but all returned in failure. Only two or three people came to the conclusion that the celebrity had a heart disease and there was no medicine to cure it.

After all, celebrities are celebrities. Fan Bi gradually accepted his illness and his mind was clear. Taking this opportunity, he got rid of his arrogance. He no longer wrote articles and books. He accepted fewer and fewer disciples. He lived in a deserted valley outside the city all year round, watching the sun rise in the morning and the moon change in the evening. His biggest hobby was to meet guests. He would meet any guests, even illiterate peddlers. As long as they came to the door, he would meet them and chat with them.

The disciples didn't understand why the master wasted energy on such trivial matters. After each meeting, he seemed weaker and would meet the next visitor without waiting for a good rest.

Xu Chu ordered his followers to stop outside and went into the valley alone. What he saw was even more desolate than last time. The houses were still there, but the disciples in wide robes and sleeves were nowhere to be seen. He stood in the courtyard for a long time before he saw a man in his thirties walking out.

The man obviously recognized the guest, and a smile appeared on his face. "The master said that Mr. Xu might come, and he has been refusing to go to sleep."

"Is Mr. Fan okay?"

"Compared with yesterday, there is almost no change. Compared with last year, he is a little thinner. Compared with the first time I became his disciple more than 20 years ago, he is a completely different person."

"You are envied for being able to learn from a famous teacher at a young age. What is your name?"

"Sorry, I was so busy talking that I didn't even introduce myself. My surname is Song, my name is Quzhu, and I am from Xiangyang."

"Are you Song Qianshou from Xiangyang?"

"The name 'Qianshou' is a nickname given by friends as a joke. I am ashamed to accept it."

Xu Chu was quite surprised. Song Quzhu was not a scholar, but a hero from Xiangyang. He was called "Qianshou" because he could take anything and protect anyone who came to him. He was famous and many people in Dongdu had heard of him.

Xu Chu had heard a lot about this man. In his impression, Song Quzhu should be a big thief with thousands of followers and a chivalrous man who helped the poor and the needy. He never expected that he would be a scholar with a refined appearance, let alone a disciple of the famous scholar Fan Bi.

"I have long heard of your name."

Song Quzhu smiled slightly, "Please go in, Master Xu, the master is waiting for you."

Xu Chu walked into the house, stopped halfway and asked, "How did you recognize me?"

"I came here to serve the master in May of the year before last, and I have never left. When Master Xu came last year, I saw you, but there were many people here, and Master Xu didn't remember me."

"Forgive me for my poor eyesight. Where are the others?"

"They were all sent away by the master, leaving only me." When Song Quzhu said this, he showed a bit of arrogance and pride, and immediately added, "In fact, I refused to leave, and wanted to see the master off for the last time."

Xu Cugong raised his hand to express his admiration and stepped into the room.

The room was very dark, and there was a faint unknown fragrance. Fan Guan was sitting on the mat, his figure even thinner, huddled together, like a child waiting for punishment after making a mistake.

He fell asleep again sitting up.

Xu Chu took off his boots, quietly sat across from Fan Guan, and waited silently. He felt anxious at first, but gradually became calmer. He could no longer smell the fragrance in his nose, and his eyes could clearly see the furnishings in the room. I just feel that everything is simple and clean. The longer I stay, the more comfortable I feel physically and mentally.

I don't know how much time had passed, but Fan Guan still hadn't woken up and was sitting there motionless. Xu Chu felt something was wrong, so he knelt down in front of the old gentleman, called softly, stretched out his hand to test his breathing, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Song Qizhu was chopping firewood. He was dressed as a scribe, but his sleeves were rolled up to reveal his thick arms. He held an ax in his right hand and stood up firewood in his left hand. He moved the ax to the bottom with ease, just like chopping melons and vegetables.

"Brother Song..." Xu Chu called from a distance.

"Yes." Song Qizhu responded, turned around and looked for a while, also sighed, put down the ax, stretched his sleeves, adjusted his clothes, then walked over, held his hands to Xu Chu, and entered the room to check.

Not long after, Song Qizhu came out and said, "Sir, I have expected this day. Everything is ready. Mr. Xu, can you help me?"

"Of course, there are still some of my followers outside the valley..."

"There is no need to trouble others. The two of us are enough. My husband often says to keep things simple, so you should follow his instructions."

"That's fine."

A thin coffin is placed in the next room, and a set of shrouds, which are Fan Guan's usual changes of clothes. The burial items were all designated by him during his lifetime: a chipped teacup that did not match the teapot; three wooden crutches, all long-lasting The material used is not precious wood, and there are many defects; three private seals, one moment "Kuiji Fan Guan", another moment "Famous scholar Fan", another moment "Sick man old Fan"; a jade pendant, among all the items, it is the only one. It seems valuable, but the meaning is unclear.

"My husband said that when we are alive, we are trapped in pen and ink, and we must stay away from it after we die, so I don't take any articles, books, etc. with me and let me burn them all."

"Mr. Fan has so many works, wouldn't it be a pity to burn them? Why don't you keep them and I'll take care of them. Since I'm not bequeathed, it doesn't count against Mr. Fan's wishes."

Song Tizhu smiled and said: "Sir, he had expected this moment, so when he was still conscious, he supervised me to burn the books without leaving any paper."

Xu Chu sighed: "Mr. Fan, why bother?"

"Mr. Fan has been extremely dissatisfied with his writing over the years. He often said that he would rewrite it all to avoid confusing the world. But after he started writing, he became even more dissatisfied. Alas, people like me simply don't dare to touch the pen. "

The two brought water, wiped Fan Guan's body, put on the shroud, and gently carried it into the coffin. According to the rules, the coffin had to be kept for a period of time until relatives and friends paid their condolences before it could be buried. However, Fan Guan was very anxious and told him repeatedly before his death. Song Qizhu: "When you die, go to the ground immediately. Don't leave me outside. I'm afraid of the cold."

Song Qizhu had just dug the tomb the day before yesterday, deep in the valley, between two big trees.

"I chose the place. My husband likes vegetation. When the weather is warm, he often comes here to walk around the trees."

"This place is quite spiritual. Brother Song chose it well."

"Haha, if sir hears the word 'spiritual energy', he will never agree to be buried here."

The two of them worked together to put the coffin into the hole and fill it with soil, which was just a small hill.

Fan Guan had long been pessimistic about life and death, and Song Qizhu was not sad either. He put down his shovel and said with a smile: "Just now I was thinking about cooking some rice porridge for Mr. in the evening, and going to the back mountain to roast strips of meat and beat teeth as a sacrifice. I didn't expect that Mr. would actually use This method prevents me from eating meat.”

"Mr. Fan doesn't like eating meat?"

"That's not true. My husband has been suffering from bad teeth these years and can't eat meat. He occasionally swallows some meat porridge. He doesn't like to see me eat meat. He says that I have no restraint and eat meat like a wolf."

"Well, I thought I could see Mr. Fan for the last time."

"Master Xu has indeed seen it."

"I saw him, but he didn't see me, and he didn't have the opportunity to listen to the teachings."

"Master Xu is so lucky."

"Um?"

"My husband was very excited when he heard that Mr. Xu had removed his royal title. He told me that Mr. Xu would definitely come to visit and he would have doubts when he came. He was worried that he would not be able to persist, so he told me some words and asked me to pass them on to Mr. Xu. "

Xu Chu was shocked, "It's amazing that Mr. Fan expected me to come to visit. Did he even expect that I had any doubts?"

Song Tizhu said with a smile: "Actually, it's not that magical. The teacher said that when you go to the butcher shop, you naturally have to buy meat, and when you go to the cloth shop, you naturally have to buy cloth. When you come to him, you either ask for names or ask for facts. People like Mr. Xu, There is always the word "天下" in his heart, whether he has the title of king on his head, it doesn't matter."

Xu Chu also laughed, looked at the small tomb, cupped his hands and said: "Mr. Fan has simplified the complex and can see people and things more clearly." Then he said to Song Qizhu: "I dare you to ask Mr. Fan to leave What to say next?”

"The gentleman said 'wait a little longer'."