Spring and Autumn I Am King

Zhao Wuxi still remembers more than 20 years ago, when he visited Confucius in Zhongdu, Confucius talked about Laozi's respect and yearning:

"A bird, I know it can fly; a fish, I know it can swim; a beast, I know it can walk. A walker can be tied with a net, a swimmer can be caught with a hook, and a flyer can be caught with an arrow. Only dragons, I know I don't know what it is? The dragon rides the wind and the clouds to the nine heavens! The Lao Tzu I have seen is like a dragon. His knowledge is deep and unpredictable, his aspirations are high and difficult to know; like a snake, it bends and stretches at any time, and it changes like a dragon in response to time. , hidden in the clouds, you can often see its head, but not its tail..."

But right now this mysterious figure like a dragon in the Spring and Autumn Period was sitting in the same car with Zhao Wuxi, sitting opposite him, but he saw that his forehead was wide, his white hair was hanging down, and only a small bun was left on the back of his head. The simple Jing wood hairpin is closing his eyes and resting at the moment, and he is not flattered at all by ordinary people who are in the same car with the uncle of the world, and he is indifferent to where Zhao Wuxi wants to invite him, as if he knows.

Zhao Wuxi didn't have the inexplicable excitement of seeing ancient celebrities, but was a little curious about the mysterious old man in front of him.

Perhaps it was because he was so mysterious that by the time of Qin Han, no one could tell who Lao Tzu really was, and there was even controversy over whether he really existed. There are too many symbols added to Lao Tzu in later generations. From the ancient philosophers at the beginning, to the Taishang Laojun after the rise of Taoism, the living gods have various interpretations of the Tao Te Ching.

Zhao Wuxi didn't know anything about this person, until he met the real person, and after returning to the original, he was just an old man full of wisdom and brilliance.

However, his indifferent temperament, which makes the king feel awe-inspiring when he sees it, is unique.

Wu Qi couldn't help but ask: "Aunt Wengzhi's disciple, Aunt Bu Ziqing, once said that Lao Tzu went out of Qin State and went on a tour. Why did he show up in Chengzhou today? Is the tour over?"

Lao Tzu slowly opened his eyes and said with a smile: "It is true that the old man went out of the Qin Pass in the west and traveled around. He has been to the land of Xiqiang and watched the sun rise from the river bend; he has also been to the country of quicksand thousands of miles away, watching the withered. The Populus euphratica. At this time, if I realized something, I thought about it in the local area, but I didn’t expect it to stay there for several years. I was about to continue westward to see, but I met a young man from Zhao State…”

...

"So Liu Xiayue is still alive!"

After listening to Lao Tzu's explanation, Zhao Wuxi sighed at the coincidence of things in the world. It turned out that Liuxia Yuezhen was still alive, and he met Lao Tzu in the Hexi Corridor a few years ago.

Lao Tzu was moved by Liu Xiayue's fearlessness, and showed him the way forward. He spent a period of time in custody. During the rest, he listened to Liu Xiayue's story about the drastic changes that had taken place in the Central Plains over the years. I changed my mind and decided to come back and have a look.

"The old man thought that the Central Plains was over. He didn't want to have things that I didn't expect, and also thought that the death of the fox would be the first hill, so let's go back. When I came back, it was really lively..."

Laozi's concealment and Zhuangzi's concealment are different. Zhuangzi is somewhat reclusive, but Laozi is not. He is hidden in the court and in the city. He is an excellent example.

This was the first time Zhao Wuxi had heard about Liu Xiayue, but Lao Tzu said that it was more than four years ago. Lao Tzu turned back at the junction of Hexi and the desert, and stopped and went back to the Central Plains along the way. However, Liu Xiayue continued to move forward without any hesitation. Now, even Lao Tzu does not know where he has gone.

While talking, Zhao Wuxi's car stopped at a place in the inner city of Chengzhou, but it was the building used by the royal family to entertain the princes.

Zhao Wuqi personally helped Lao Tzu to get out of the car, but Lao Tzu waved his hand and refused. Although he looked old, he still walked fast. If Zhao Wu Xie didn't walk faster, he might not be able to catch up with him.

Walking into the building, I saw that it was not too decorated, and the meals prepared on the table were also extremely bland.

Zhao Wuxi respectfully invited Lao Tzu to take a seat, and he himself sat at the same table with Lao Tzu, making tea for Lao Tzu in person...

Twenty years ago, because of Zhao Wuxi's unique hobby, Yu Zigong found wild tea from the land of Wu and Chu and transplanted it into the state of Lu. After 20 years of cultivation and domestication, the Lu people have figured out how to grow tea. Now that Zhao State has conquered Huaibei, it is more suitable for tea trees to grow there. Therefore, in Xu and Donghai, tea gardens have been opened everywhere, and they are specially responsible for supplying Zhao Hou. required. For a while, tea became popular in Yecheng, and this unique drink was gradually accepted by the nobles of Zhao State, especially the civil servants, who began to regard drinking tea as an elegant thing...

Regardless of whether it was an expedition or an alliance, Zhao Wuxi would bring a half-cart of tea leaves wherever he went. He was naturally a veteran in this way. He used a wooden spoon made of mahogany to scoop up the best fried tea leaves and put them in a gaiwan, using a copper pot. The boiled spring water in the middle of the room was drenched, and the pale steam rose with the fragrance of tea. After the tea leaves were repeatedly brewed in boiling water, the concentrated essence turned into a light green tea soup, and then poured into a blue porcelain bowl. in front of Lao Tzu.

"I've heard for a long time that Zhao Hou is addicted to tea, but unfortunately this thing is rare, and the old man has not tasted it, so you are welcome today."

Lao Tzu picked up the celadon tea bowl and held it in the palm of his hand. He was not in a hurry to drink it, and just watched it quietly with deep eyes. However, I saw a few pieces of tea leaves stretch and rotate in the clear and green liquid, slowly sinking, rising and sinking again, three rises and three falls, the bud shadows and the water light, complementing each other.

When it just enters the mouth, the taste is astringent, but when it slowly penetrates into the throat, it will feel a fragrant aftertaste, a touch of sweetness, and people will have a feeling of sudden openness...

"Excellent." After taking a sip, I already liked this thing a little bit, and he always felt that some of its meanings coincided with his heart.

"If Weng likes it, I can give you half a cart of fragrant tea and a tea boy to serve you around."

"No, no, I heard that in Zhao country, a load of tea can be exchanged for ten good horses, and this old man dare not accept this heavy gift." Lao Tzu refused to accept it, and declined with a smile.

Zhao Wuxi did not force the gift, and asked again, "I take the liberty to ask, what is Weng's birthday this year?"

Lao Tzu did not shy away: "I was born in the first year of King Ling of Zhou."

"The first year of King Ling of Zhou... It's been ninety-three years since then."

That year, Zhao Wucai's great-grandfather, Zhao Wucai, had just given a crown ceremony, that is to say, Lao Tzu was at least the same generation as his grandfather Zhao Jingzi, and Zhao Wuxi himself was 41 years old this year...

Years are not forgiving, and while admiring Lao Tzu's longevity and good health, and being able to walk back and forth from thousands of miles away, Zhao Wuxi also took the opportunity to ask for advice on how to maintain health.

Which prince does not desire longevity? But Zhao Wuxi would not learn from Qihou Chujiu, to listen to the words of seaside alchemy and eat some poisonous pills. He can only work **** exercise and maintenance. He also has Le Lingzi to prepare meals for him on weekdays, otherwise Diligent in government affairs like this, and frequent expeditions, maybe one day I will die of overwork...

"I heard from Gu Bu Ziqing that Weng is over a hundred years old, but he walks like a fly and is as agile as a monkey. In fact, I have grown older in recent years. I used to stay up all night to handle government affairs, but now I can't do anything. Listen to Mrs.'s words, put an end to greasy fish, restrain lust, drink more tea, and drink less. To put it bluntly, these living habits are actually imitating Weng, can Weng have any ways to prolong life, can you tell Wu Xie one or two?"

Lao Tzu stroked his beard and shook his head: "The way of the princes is still to take care of the body, but you don't know how to take care of the spirit. Little do you know that the body is like a car with spirit. Once the spirit is gone, the person will die. If the car breaks down , and the horse ran away."

"Oh, how do you keep your spirits up?"

Lao Tzu said lightly: "There is no more disaster than dissatisfaction. If people want what they see, then disaster will come. Insatiable greed will make people consume too much energy, which will damage their lifespan. If you want to be full of energy, It is best to be simple and simple, to be less selfish and few desires, not to deliberately pursue rare things, and to do things without fighting in the world, so as not to cause mental stress and harm the body. If the princes can do this, they will last for a long time.”

There is something in his words, he is turning a corner and admonishing himself not to covet Jiuding, Zhao Wuxi can naturally hear it.

Wu Xie couldn't help laughing and said: "That said, but when Weng was Wu Xie's age, could he still be indisputable?"

Lao Tzu's eyes narrowed, and these words pointed directly to his past. You must know that forty years ago, he was named Zhou Shou Zang Shi Shi, but he was also the teacher of the prince's dynasty and one of the masterminds of his struggle for the throne!

...

However, what Zhao Wuxi never thought was that Lao Tzu did not argue with the innuendo in his words, but just smiled indifferently: "The tree that is hugged is born at the end of the hair; the platform of nine layers is born from the earth; a thousand miles is born. The journey begins with a single step.”

"It is precisely because I have fought and witnessed where the teacher is, thorns will grow. After the army, there will be tragedies in the fierce years. Only now can the old man realize the beauty of lack of desire and indisputable competition."

Wang Zichao, from the beginning of his army, has deviated from Lao Tzu's original intention. He has changed from a wise prince who rescued the Zhou family to a murderous party who destroyed the Zhou family for his own selfishness. Completely extinguished by his failure...

Cheng Zhou's fate was doomed that year, and Lao Tzu's worldly heart also died away indifferently, and he embarked on a road of wandering and retreating.

He is too smart. He is someone who can see the world clearly and clearly. If he knows that one thing cannot be done, he will not do it. Even spreading his own ideas is just a matter of chance. Unlike Confucius, even though he knew in his heart that he was powerless, he did not give up when he hit the southern wall.

Unconsciously, the unfamiliarity between the two has been opened up because of Liu Xiayue, the middleman, and a cup of tea. But there is still a huge gap between them, and now, after discussing the way of health preservation, adding a sarcasm from Zhao Wuxi, and the candid self-report of Lao Tzu, the mysterious cloud of smoke surrounds him. Finally dissipated, one old and one strong, looking at each other.

Now, it's time to get to the point, open the sunroof and speak up.

Zhao Wuxi avoided the banquet and offered gifts: "I have a question I've always wanted to ask Weng."

Lao Tzu nodded: "Please speak."

"The way of Lao Tzu, I have heard a lot of people talking about it. What the world is interested in is the way of maintaining a good age, Gubu Ziqing believes in the way of the king's south, Ren Zhang follows the way of tranquility and inaction, and Ji Ran is keen on The way to follow the rules of nature and profit from it. But what is Lao Tzu's real way?"

Lao Tzu smiled without saying a word: "Everyone has been taught here by the old man~www.wuxiaspot.com~ The way they comprehend is also different, what do you think?"

Zhao Wuqi clapped his hands and asked the attendant to bring up a copy of the "Five Thousand Words of Lao Tzu" printed in Yecheng, pointing to it and saying: "This is written by Gubu Ziqing Yi Weng's words and deeds, I will print it out and bring it with you. By my side, I often read it, and after reading it, I really feel that Dao produces one, one life two, two produces three, and three produces all things.

"It's just nonsense, the prince has a heart."

"but!"

However, Zhao Wuxi said: "Maybe it's because of Wuyi's clumsiness, but I always feel that Weng has always used the tone of the king's teacher to tell these great truths, so what I can see from this is that Weng has accumulated in his heart for decades, a metaphor for The way to govern the country and rule the world as you speak!"

There was a smile on the lips under the beard, and the hand holding the tea cup didn't tremble at all, but Lao Tzu's eyes carefully looked at the middle-aged prince again.

Perhaps it was worthwhile to give up the original intention of going west and return for the waves he made in the Central Plains?

ps: there is another chapter in the evening