Three Kingdoms

"Uncle...that's it?" Sima Yi frowned.

The young man's skin was like jade, shining with a faint brilliance. Compared with the old, withered, and even beginning to show age spots, Sima Hui's complexion opposite him, there was a huge difference, but they blended together strangely.

Maybe they are all from the Sima family, maybe they all have the same deep thoughts.

"Otherwise, what else can be done?" Sima Hui raised his glass, drank tea, and said lightly.

Not to mention, since Fei Qian, the general who conquered the West, liked tea, he also invented the method of brewing it with boiling water. At first, many people disagreed, thinking that drinking tea in this way lost the essence of tea, and no tea soup can be called tea soup. What?

But as time goes by, this light and bitter tea taste gradually becomes a more elegant way of drinking tea that is recognized by everyone.

The friendship between gentlemen is as light as water, as light as water, isn't it just like gentlemen?

Although Sima Yi is young, his mind is definitely not young. He said: "In this case, wouldn't Sima be the target of public criticism?"

"Haha..." Sima Hui smiled.

Sima Yi heard Sima Hui's ridicule, and his face became a little tense and darkened.

Sima Hui put down the tea bowl, looked at Sima Yi, and seemed to switch to an unrelated topic, and said, "Have you heard that General Zhengxi proposed marriage to Pang Tong and Pang Shiyuan?"

"Uncle, you mean...Wang family?" Sima Yi raised his eyebrows.

"This matter..." Sima Hui raised his head, sighed slightly, and said, "King Taiyuan, Hongnong Yang... during the Conquest of the West... do you think there will be no one left if you don't do it?"

Sima Yi fell silent.

"Why did your father write so many satires?" Sima Hui said with a smile, "Could it be that they were written for fun?"

"Uncle!" Sima Yi glared over.

Sima Hui stroked his beard in a leisurely manner and said: "Okay, since the son doesn't blame his father, you can't say it...but I can say it...even if your father comes, I will still say the same thing!"

Sima Yi frowned and said, "Father is coming too?" For Sima Yi, it was not a good thing that Sima Fang was coming. Sima Fang was famous for his strict family upbringing and the most dignified manner. Any slightest violation would be either whipped or scolded, but in the case of his uncle Sima Hui, it was more or less relaxed. If Sima Fang really comes, wouldn't the good days come to an end?

Sima Hui laughed a few times, nodded and said, "So while that's the case, do whatever you want... so that you won't be able to do anything you want to do..."

Sima Yi stood up with a whoosh, cupped his hands and said, "Uncle, my nephew wants to go to the city."

"Okay, let's go." Sima Hui waved his hand lazily.

After a while, Sima Yi turned back, his little face twisted, standing with his hands on his sleeves, but did not speak.

"You kid..." Sima Hui shook his head, took out a money bag from his arms, and threw it to Sima Yi, "...look at how your father controls you...you can't even open your mouth to ask for money!"

Sima Yi tried his best to keep a straight face and wanted to refute his uncle Sima Hui's evaluation of his father again, but he held the money bag in his hand, hesitated for a moment, acted decisively as if he had not heard anything, saluted again, and left the academy. , happily took a few servants and went to Pingyang.

During this period, I saw that Sima Yi basically lived in the Academy. I originally thought that I wanted to go to Pingyang City anyway, and I had plenty of time. However, I didn't expect that after going back and forth, I have lived in the Academy for almost a year, and I haven't really had a good time. Passing Pingyang City, so although it is still winter this time, my heart is already restless and joyful.

On winter mornings, the sun is looming among the clouds, and milky white fog and frost float between the eaves of the buildings. The red bricks and stones are hidden in the patches of light white fog, just like the Jade Palace floating in the sky.

Pingyang City now has a second ring. Of course, the fun and delicious places are still within the original first ring. The second ring is probably some functional areas and newly built shops, as well as some small-scale wine shops and markets. .

The original two cities, East and West, were expanded outwards. Not only did they have a small fence, they even built some warehouses to store materials and conduct some small-scale transactions on the spot.

Although it is winter now and there are many fewer caravans, there are still many people coming to buy coal and colored glaze. The people coming and going cannot be quiet at all. It is extremely noisy every day. For Sima Yi, naturally he did not go to the market. I was interested in visiting the business, so I went directly to Pingyang City.

Sima Yi abandoned the carriage and asked his servants to follow him. He stepped on the stone slabs with his hands behind his back and staggered forward. General Zhengxi called this main street North Street without any creativity. Then, of course, there are East Street, West Street, and South Street. Sima Yi curled his lips. If he were to choose a name for this street, just like the one under his feet, it would be good to at least call it Kanlao, or Xuan Shuo, or even more superficially, Fu Fang. Just one North Street would be extremely tacky.

Sima Yi hummed and ridiculed General Zhengxi for his totally inelegant way of naming, while slowly walking forward along North Street. Anyway, for him, since he was out for a stroll, there was no need to limit where he should go. Wherever you go, where you stop, where you eat, it all follows your heart. Along the way, the brick and wood structures on both sides of the road are staggered, and the shop fronts are hanging out one after another. From time to time, there are waiters standing there. They greeted each other at the door, and when they met familiar customers passing by, they would still say hello with a smile even if they didn’t enter the store.

The street names are cheesy, but the content, well, the streets are not cheesy and are very lively and energetic.

Whether it is the main road in the middle or the civilian roads on both sides, they are all covered with stone slabs. The middle of the stone slabs is also smeared with the kind of plaster from Huang's Workshop. It is very smooth, so you don't have to worry even if it rains. Open ditches and underground ditches on both sides will quickly carry away rainwater.

The main road and the private road are separated by huge long stone plates, and some shrubs and flowers are planted. Of course, it is winter now, so most of them are bare branches. In spring, there are inevitably some flowers to look at, which are very elegant and unique.

As Sima Yi walked, his eyes couldn't help but glance at the central main road.

Except for special personnel such as messengers and postmen, ordinary people are not allowed to walk on the central main road. The only people who have the right to walk on the main road are the emperor's relatives, local officials, and the general Zhengxi himself.

When was the last time you saw the Zhengxi ceremonial guard?

It seems that it was the celebration of General Fei Qian's son. The scene with flags all over the place, those fierce cavalry and the well-equipped armor left a very deep impression on Sima Yi...

While walking, Sima Hui suddenly noticed something special about Pingyang City.

clean.

Although Yecheng is also very big, and even the main road is half wider than Pingyang North Street, but when people walk on both sides of the street, they can always smell some faint smell of feces and urine, and here in Pingyang , there is the smell of wheat cakes, the mellow smell of wine, the smell of barbecue, and the smell of the sweat of horses and men on the street, but there is no smell of feces and urine.

You must know that when you stay in Yecheng, the first thing every store in every morning is to clean the floor in front of their store. This is not because these stores are hygienic or something, but because after a night, there is always something indecent. Things were left on the corner of the street, and then stained all over the place...

Sima Yi wouldn't be surprised if the hygiene in the palace was good, but this was in the city, and the people coming and going were not students, but ordinary people. How could this be done?

If you have enough food and clothing, you will know the etiquette. If you have enough food and clothing, you will know the honor and disgrace?

interesting.

Another point, beggars.

After walking for so long, including rushing by a few times before, Sima Yi didn't see any beggars in the dark parts of the street.

Sima Yi occasionally talked with his uncle Sima Hui about refugees and beggars. He once thought that Yecheng was already a very good city, but in fact, in Yecheng, beggars can be seen everywhere in groups. Come on, even the government seems too lazy to deal with these beggars.

Sima Yi often saw the phenomenon of inserting bids to buy first and selling sons and daughters in other places. Of course, for those people who can't survive, they sell their children into a wealthy family and work as slaves. Although they lose their freedom, they don't have enough food and clothing. If they have a good master, they are lucky.

Of course, there are those who are unlucky.

Anyway, this kind of behavior always appears again and again, especially in disaster years.

When the year is better and the harvest is larger, there will be fewer such situations, but there will always be some. If the year is bad, such as a river flooding every few years or other natural or man-made disasters, or several consecutive melees between Jizhou and Youzhou, there will be more beggars.

There are also homeless people who are worse than beggars.

Beggars can still sneak into the city and find a place to stay under the eaves and bridges of other people's houses, but refugees don't even have a place to stay.

Whenever there are many refugees, even Sima Yi's hometown Wen County is no exception. The city will always be tense for a period of time, and the city guards will strictly guard the city gates and prevent refugees from entering the city. At this time, the county magistrate often summons the big households in the city for discussion, but in reality they all ask for money and food, and then give some of it, and send these refugees to other places...

If we encounter a winter day like now, many people in and outside the city will freeze to death in the middle of the night. Sima Yi had seen people who were frozen to death. Those people's whole bodies were extremely stiff, but they had a very strange smile on their faces, which made people feel chilled when they saw it.

However, there were no refugees in Pingyang City, not even beggars.

Here, it seems that as long as you have the strength and are willing to work, you will not starve to death...

Perhaps it is because of this that the ordinary people coming and going all have a smile on their faces.

This kind of smile is not the chilling smile of being frozen to death, but a smile of happiness that seems to overflow from the heart.

Happiness often comes from unhappiness, and prosperity always comes from contrast. For Sima Hui, who has seen several big cities in Jizhou and seen many soldiers and generals along the way, what he saw here in Pingyang may not be the same. It is not as prosperous as Yecheng, and perhaps not as quaint as Taiyuan, but it seems to be the most natural here. A relaxed smile seems to hang on everyone's face, whether they are soldiers or civilians.

Ordinary people are always the easiest to be satisfied. If they can gain food and clothing, they can smile happily.

Sima Yi once heard his father and uncle talk about some good years and good times in those years. He also mentioned that before the Xiqiang rebellion, the Han Ling Emperor was not completely stupid, and the Shi Changshi was not so greedy. At that time, it seemed that those years could be regarded as peace and prosperity, and the country and the people were peaceful. However, with the rebellion of Xiqiang again, and the Yellow Turban Rebellion that almost swept the country, such happy smiles gradually disappeared and never appeared again.

Sima Yicai had no idea of ​​saving the Han Dynasty or protecting the entire Han people and building lasting achievements, nor did he have the passionate ideas that ordinary gentry children at his age were always a little unreasonable for. In Sima Yi's view, it is extremely naive to think that a person who can only live for a few decades has to think about a career that lasts for hundreds or thousands of years.

Although Sima Yi may not be out of the childish range in the eyes of others, it does not prevent Sima Yi from thinking that others are childish.

It’s enough to eat, drink, play, and just live this life well.

Isn’t it a very shallow ideal?

Sima Yi smiled slightly and shook his head. But in reality, such an ideal is anything but simple. If you want to eat, drink and have fun, can ordinary people do that? If you can't do it, how can you eat, drink and have fun when you are busy all day long just to survive? Therefore, you must have power, at least not too little power, so that you can ensure that your food, drink, and fun are not delayed...

Therefore, when his uncle Sima Hui wanted to use General Zhengxi's action to enhance the status of the Sima family and expand its influence, Sima Yi naturally agreed and felt that he should also play a role in it, so that he could have You are eligible to eat, drink and have fun in the following period...

The winter wind was still a bit cold. Sima Yi put his hands into his sleeves, raised his head slightly, and walked forward slowly while running some ideas in his mind.

"Anyone who establishes a country must think about governance! Seek diligently, use it diligently, do not let the throne go unused, and do not let the orders be in vain. Only then can you govern in a kingly way! The people's great desires are only food and clothing! If they are not hungry or cold, then No resentment. When there is no resentment and a gentle breeze, great peace in the world can be expected!" Suddenly a clear voice floated from the sky above. Sima Yi looked up and found that there seemed to be someone on the second floor of the restaurant not far behind him. He was standing in front of the window, his back turned to Sima Yi, talking eloquently.

"There is nothing more important for a country than peace of mind for its people. There is nothing more important for peace than farming. There are men and women, old and young, young and strong, but there are few who can nourish their lives without food and clothing. Therefore, Yao and Shun plowed the fields, and your Majesty cultivated them personally. This is the education of the people! The only one who upholds benevolence and righteousness even when they are hungry, hungry and cold is a gentleman. However, in this world of chaos, there are very few gentlemen!"

It's kind of interesting...

Sima Yi turned around and entered the restaurant, climbing up the steps and listening.

"One man plows, and a hundred people feed. Is it okay for one woman to feed silkworms, and to clothe a hundred people? If this is the case, where is the court's land? Where are the ministers' carriages and clothes? Where are the official salaries? It is not easy to cultivate one silkworm and provide for the needs of a hundred people. Is it like ascending to the sky? Therefore, we need to observe the time of the sky, the earth and the earth are suitable, and the strength is the same as the mulberry tree! However, there are people who claim to be gentlemen. First, they do not know the time, second, they are not clear about the geography, third, they have not sweated, and fourth, they have not burned their cheeks and backs. Applying makeup and powder during the day, drinking and singing at night, borrowing money to make his name as a chef, gathering people to invite praise and praise, can he be called a scholar? Can he be called a gentleman? "

Sima Yi smiled slightly and saw the impassioned man.

The man had his back to the window, and the sun shone in from behind him, shining on his head and shoulders. He couldn't see his face clearly, and could only vaguely see his eyes as bright as stars.

"According to your words, we all need to sweat on our backs, pound the mud and soil, swarm our faces, burn our backs, wait for the rain in the day, and long for the rain at night, before we can be called scholars? If so, why don't you go ?" Someone in the restaurant lobby said sarcastically with disdain.

"That is, in ancient times, there were categories to build a country. Scholars passed down poems and books, farmers worked hard, workers specialized in making ink, and merchants traded goods. Everyone performed their duties and got their own places. Now if a scholar goes to farm mulberry trees, his hair will be as unkempt, and he will be in danger. What's the use of farming if you're walking in danger and swinging a hoe? Who will pass down poems and books? Farmers? It's ridiculous, it's ridiculous..." Someone else said in agreement.

"Ha!" Sima Yi couldn't help but said loudly, "A scholar's biography of poems and books? Yes! But do you have any poems and books to pass on? You might as well give it a try! The crown of a scholar, the uniform of a scholar, and the books of a scholar can make him a scholar. ? A person who doesn’t know how to read, can’t talk about the scriptures, doesn’t know everything, and whose hands and feet are useless, can he still be called a scholar? Zhongni still said that he is not as good as a farmer, but today’s people actually betray their ancestors and forget the scriptures, which violates the wishes of the ancestors! How can it be surprising? Yes!"

"You... who are you! How dare you make such nonsense!" Someone pointed his halberd at Sima Yi. Seeing that he was young, he shouted, "Where is your lord? Stop making trouble, go quickly, go quickly!"

"Sima Yi in Xiawen County..." Sima Yi ignored the people gesticulating on the side, but went straight to the person at the window and cupped his hands and said, "I have met my brother."

"I'm Wang Chang of Taiyuan," Wang Chang returned the salute to Sima Yi and asked, "I wonder if Brother Sima and Mr. Shui Jing..."

"Mr. Shui Jing is my uncle..." Sima Yi said.

"Oh... I've admired you for a long time, I've admired you for a long time..." Wang Chang raised his eyebrows and saluted again.

Both of them smiled slightly and seemed to have reached a tacit understanding.

In the restaurant lobby, Sima Yi had just been accused of lying, and the unidentified person also kept silent. If Mr. Shui Jing, Sima Hui, was only slightly famous in Jingxiang, Hanoi, but now he has a name in Shoushan Academy, and he heard that he once gave General Zhengxi the title "Yinkun", naturally he is Everyone knows Pingyang.

"Ahem..." Someone in the lobby coughed and said, "Sima's younger brother's words are wrong. Confucius said that he was not as good as a farmer. It was Fan Chi who asked him to learn from the farmer. Confucius said that he was not as good as him. He also said, a villain Oh, Fan Xu! If you are good at etiquette, the people will not dare to be disrespectful; if you are good at righteousness, no people will dare to be disobedient; if you are good at trust, then the people will not dare to be unkind. If this is the case, the people from all over the world will bear their sons. Well, how can we use crops? We also respect the words of Confucius, learn etiquette clearly, and be trustworthy and sincere, so what is wrong? Or is it possible that I, Sima, are misinterpreting the sage's meaning?"

"That's right, Confucius also said that a gentleman seeks his way, not his food. Plowing is where discouragement lies; learning is where his salary lies. A gentleman is concerned about his career, not his poverty! If it is true as what you two said, isn't it true that all of them are busy with their plans? When it comes to food, who seeks the Tao? It can be said that the two of you are putting the cart before the horse!"

Sima Yi turned around and stood side by side with Wang Chang, his eyes flowing, and he thought to himself that if I dig a hole casually and someone jumps down, it’s really not interesting at all...

Wang Chang smiled and said, "How about I answer for Brother Sima?"

Sima Yi stretched out his palm and turned it slightly, signaling Wang Chang obediently.

"It is human desire to eat when you are hungry and to drink when you are hungry. When you are poor and discouraged, do you think of Fan Chi and study farming to benefit your family? Is this wrong?" Wang Chang said loudly, "Confucius valued Fan Chi very much. You When you know that you ask the farmer, you should also know that he also asks the three questions of benevolence, including knowledge, advocating virtue, cultivating one's business, and debating doubts, etc. Confucius also said, this is the best!"

Wang Chang said, then glanced at Sima Yi, as if asking whether this answer was in the right direction.

Sima Yi nodded slightly, and then continued: "Farming mulberry trees is good for maintaining health. Farming carefully is no match for natural and man-made disasters. Therefore, Confucius said that Fan Chi seeks the way of a villain. A gentleman should not think about poverty and food. , use your heart to act clearly, be an official in politics, and achieve greatness in virtue. The old master said, if a person has no long-term worries, he must have immediate worries. You talk about Confucius and Saints, but there is no Zhongni in your heart. You only know one, but don't know the other. ! What Brother Wang just said is the Great Way of Confucius! It should be noted that when Zhongni was young, he also had a lowly career, so he was able to do many despicable things! Confucius was poor since he was a child, tending to the warehouse, herding cattle and sheep, plowing acres, and enjoying the wind and the sun Sun, Fifty Years of Fang is determined to learn! Knowing the hard work, there is a saying, 'Plowing is also where the discouragement lies, and learning is also where the salary lies.' That's right!"

"Hey! Those who don't know how to farm and eat stipends are doing nothing but harming the country and harming the people! Scholars should govern the world, and farmers should cultivate the land. However, only those with clear and clear assistants can understand the way of governance, so as not to disturb the times. 10. The sheep of Jiu Mu don’t know what to do, they just wander around and don’t know what to do. The most important thing for a gentleman is to know farming, military, craftsmanship, and business. He can establish himself as a politician, follow his rules and imitate them, and determine his power. Ye. In ancient times, gentlemen always calculated things in temples and then worked on them. Therefore, there was a time for their response, and their success was tangible. People thought that it was unknowable, but the gentleman thought that it was inevitable, just like everything that is cooked is cooked, and everything that is planted is not unripe. That's why it uses less effort and achieves success quickly." Wang Chang continued, "If you don't experience farming in person, how can you know the world? If you don't go to the battlefield in person, how can you understand the blood and courage? Sitting down to discuss politics, orders are changed in the morning and night, and their development A government is just implemented on a trial basis. Whether it will help or not is not known. The benefits and harms of the previous government were not seen, and then the subsequent government has relapsed. How can the people adapt to this? "

"That's why, those who talk without any truth will be embarrassed to be in company!" Sima Yi tossed his sleeves and said, "Brother Wang, why don't you go back?"

"Go back, you should go back!" Wang Chang laughed, then extended his hand as an invitation, and Sima Yi took his arm and walked out together.

Everyone in the hall was embarrassed and did not dare to say anything. Seeing that although Wang Chang and Sima Yi were not tall, they were very powerful and did not dare to block them, so they subconsciously made way for them and watched Wang Chang and Sima Yi walk away.