Three Kingdoms

Qingyang Restaurant.

Not a wine shop, but a Taoist palace. Or call it Taoism.

Fei Qian wanted to express his intention to go to this Qingyang Restaurant, let alone a Taoist temple. Even if he really went to the wine restaurant, Liu Bei could only accompany him, but he was still muttering in his heart, wondering about Fei Qian's intentions.

Qingyangsi is not big. It is said that it was built during the Zhou Dynasty, but it did not develop much. It was not until later generations that it slowly expanded and became a famous Taoist temple.

It's interesting to say that many Chinese people are confused about "temples, monasteries, temples, and nunneries" and don't know the specific differences, but in fact these places are different.

There were temples in China first, but this temple was not Buddhist, but was used for ancestor worship and worship of gods, such as Taizu Temple and Gaozong Temple. Ordinary people call it a temple.

And temple, the original character is Tongjia, which means attendant. Buddhism was originally a foreign sect. When it first came to China, it lived in Honglu Temple where foreign guests were entertained. Later, although it built a separate residence, it was also named "temple". This is the origin of the name "temple" in Buddhism.

An is originally the name of a kind of grass called Anlu. When it grows up, it can be used to build a house. Originally, when monks were practicing asceticism, they would build houses in secluded places. They often used nunneries to turn into small huts. As time went by, these small houses were called "nunneries". It is a place of ascetic cultivation. In ancient times, nuns often wore colored glasses and sought purity. Therefore, they were often called nunneries, while monks were often called temples.

The Taoist concept of Guan began with the king of Zhou. "King Mu of Zhou was fond of immortals and summoned Yin Gui. Eucommia ulmoides lived in Zhongnan Mountain. Yin Zhenren's thatched tower was named Guan, so all the places dedicated to immortals were named Guan." At the beginning of Taoism, many emperors asked Taoists about what the immortals liked. As a result, these Taoists said that immortals like tall buildings and terraces. Therefore, the emperor also built many grand towers to welcome the immortals and pray for longevity. The envoys waiting for the immortals with rituals and equipment are the origin of the Taoist name "guan".

When Fei Qian arrived in the Han Dynasty, he found that Taoism in the Han Dynasty was very chaotic. It was not systematic at all, and there was no central idea. There was not even a unified worship of gods. This was the fundamental reason why Fei Qian was able to deceive Zuo Ci.

The first wave of Taoist people can be said to be a group of little masters seeking death.

Taoism was the state religion in the beginning, and it was supreme. Even the Duke of Zhou practiced the I Ching gossip. At that time, except for Taoism, there really was no other religion that could fight...

The establishment of Taoism did not have an obvious period of founding. Its prehistoric period was very long, and its founding activities were scattered and slow. Generally speaking, all advocates who belong to the Taoist school, the Huang-Lao school and the magical alchemy can be regarded as the predecessors of Taoism.

It is precisely because of such dispersion that Taoism did not have a unified caliber at the beginning. As a result, beliefs were extremely dispersed. This was a very fatal problem in ancient times when the population base was small.

In addition, Taoism serves Lao Tzu as the founder of Taoism. But the problem is that the Han Dynasty is not far away from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Some wealthy families may even have Lao Tzu's used items, written letters, etc. in their homes, like Confucius' clogs were once treasured in the imperial palace of the Han Dynasty. Such a close distance would naturally not produce much beauty.

The most important thing is that when Taoism had no rivals at the beginning, it let itself go and drifted away. It didn’t know what it was going to do. It studied pure morality, mixed up with Confucianism and Legalism, went to the mountains to make alchemy, and went to the sea to find immortals. Those who pray for rain, those who pray for life, those who pray for yin and yang, those who pray for prophecies, and even doctors originally came from Taoism...

Then, in order to compete for the emperor and some of the production values ​​​​that were not very wealthy in ancient society, the characters in Taoism fought with each other, holding up a higher god than the other to suppress their teammates, and then finally built a world that was round even if the gods came to earth. An extremely complex system that will never come back.

So, collapse.

Confucianism smiled sinisterly and stepped out from the shadow of Taoism, and then he did not give any other sects a chance...

Hearing that General Fei Qian was coming, Zuo Ci came out to greet him.

Zuo Ci was originally in Hanzhong, but after Liu Dan died (yes, this guy finally cultivated the golden elixir and attained the Dao), firstly, he had to confront Fei Qian about this matter, and secondly, the situation in Hanzhong was basically stable. There is no need for Zuo Ci to continue to be in charge, and Sichuan and Sichuan have just been conquered, and the beliefs of the surrounding ethnic minorities are also very confusing. We need a super magic stick like Zuo Ci. Bah, a Taoist immortal will come to take charge. Therefore, Fei Qian kept Zuo Ci in the Qingyang Restaurant and sent a team of craftsmen to start renovating and expanding the Qingyang Restaurant.

Because Zuo Ci's butt jiggled quite a bit, Liu Bei noticed it and couldn't help but look at Zuo Ci in surprise, and then at Fei Qian.

Liu Bei has indeed opened up a lot of horizons in the past two days, but it is also very uncomfortable to keep his face and remain calm.

Fei Qian ignored Liu Bei, walked forward, looked at the statue of the god that was being recarved in the hall, and said, "How is it? How long will this statue last?"

Zuo Ci said quickly from the side: "I guess it will take another three months..."

"Well, be careful, don't make mistakes, and don't be in a hurry..." Fei Qian nodded and said to Zuo Ci, "Remember to have a friendly appearance... I don't know what friendly means? Well, like him. …”

Fei Qian pointed at Liu Bei.

Liu Bei was stunned and subconsciously smiled.

Zuo Ci's eyes stayed on Liu Bei's face for a moment, and he couldn't help but nod. Then he quickly said to Fei Qian: "This, general, don't you need it... I really don't need that..." Zuo Ci winked, and his white eyebrows moved wildly. , He does have some immortality, but at this moment he is more like an old gangster.

Fei Qian knew what Zuo Ci meant. Zuo Ci had suggested before that the face of the statue could be slightly adjusted towards Fei Qian's appearance, which would be equivalent to creating a momentum for Fei Qian or something.

Fei Qian shook his head.

Seeing Fei Qian's positive attitude, Zuo Ci said no more, regained his air of a master, shook his fly whisk, and invited Fei Qian to have tea in the back hall.

Liu Bei didn't know what was going on, but he still followed suit. He followed Fei Qian into the quiet room behind Qingyang Si and sat down.

Zuo Ci was very discerning and knew that Fei Qian was here today and that he was not the protagonist, so he spent a little time reporting to Fei Qian on the progress of the Qingyang Si project, and then found an excuse to retreat and spend the time and space were left to Fei Qian and Liu Bei.

Fei Qian picked up the hot tea, took a sip and nodded. Because of Fei Qian's habit of drinking tea, many people in Zhengxi changed their original dark cooking mode and became popular with Qing. In the Han Dynasty, there were really mysterious additives used in tea soup cooking. They could just grab a handful of soil from the ground and add it in. I really don’t know if what I’m drinking is tea or...

Like the tea soup that Zuo Ci is serving now, the water is relatively clear, and just two or three red dates can be added. It will not appear too out of touch with the crowd, nor will it appear too mixed, so it is easier for people to accept.

"Xuande, what is Tao?" Fei Qian put down his tea bowl and said slowly.

Liu Bei was stunned. Such a big question is thrown at me, who can catch it? But Liu Bei is Liu Bei after all, and Xulu has no shortage of words. After pondering for a moment, he said: "The Taoist is the principle of heaven and earth..."

Fei Qian laughed and asked: "What is the principle of heaven and earth?"

Liu Bei shook his beard and said, "Everything in the world has its own way."

Fei Qian glanced at Liu Bei. Yes, Liu Da'er is capable. In two sentences, he created a closed loop.

But Fei Qian did not let this topic go, but said: "As for the way of gods, I don't know. But when it comes to the way of civil affairs, from my perspective, the way is like a lamb..."

"Ah?" Liu Bei didn't react.

Fei Qian muttered slowly: "This place is called Qingyang... The skin of the lamb is made of five strips of plain silk. If you withdraw food from the public, you will give it to the snake. The leather of the lamb will be made of five strips of plain silk. If you give up the snake, you will withdraw from the public." Food. The stitches of the lamb are made of five pieces of plain silk; one has to give in to the other, and one who refuses to eat is selfish...Does Xuande think so?"

Liu Bei's brain began to spin crazily. Although Liu Bei is not a great Confucian, the few sentences Fei Qian said are from the Book of Songs. Among the gentry children of the Han Dynasty, the Book of Songs can be said to be like an enlightenment book. The multiplication and division tables memorized are the same as the basics. Therefore, it is impossible for Liu Bei not to know these few sentences. However, it still takes a lot of thinking to figure out the intention of General Fei Qian's expedition to the west from these few sentences. .

This poem is from the Zhou Dynasty. National style, Zhaonan. This poem by Lamb is about the officials under Zhao Gong.

Some people say that Duke Zhao of Zhou is the concubine of King Wen, while others say he is not. But regardless of whether it is true or not, Duke Zhao of Zhou has experienced three generations of Zhou kings and can be regarded as a famous minister of the Zhou Dynasty. After Zhao Gong, the Zhou Dynasty turned from prosperity to decline.

The Zhou Dynasty was founded by Wen and Wu, and Cheng and Kang prospered. It is said in history that no punishment was used for forty years. This period can be called the golden age of the Zhou Dynasty. After Zhao and Mu, the country gradually declined. Later, King Li was expelled, King You was killed, and King Ping moved eastward, entering the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

For this poem, the official meaning of the Han Dynasty was to praise it, but Liu Bei knew that Fei Qian's meaning did not simply refer to the poem itself.

The poem is not complicated. It can be summed up by one thing, eight words: the official gets off work and goes home for dinner.

So, what does the poem Fei Qian, the general who conquered the West, want to explain?

Want me to go home for dinner?

Or is he comparing himself to Duke Zhao?

Or does it mean to be like a lamb under him?

Or do I just look glamorous on the outside but actually have no food in my belly?

…

For a time, Liu Bei was stuck in the long examination and could not extricate himself.

Fei Qian drank tea quietly without saying a word.

Outside the quiet room, one could faintly hear craftsmen and laborers carrying and lifting wooden pillars and masonry, and there were also the sounds of some Taoist priests reciting the Tao Te Ching...

Not long after, Fei Qian drank half of his bowl of tea. Liu Bei let out a long sigh, cupped his hands and said, "Bei is stupid and can't figure it out. Please ask the general for advice..."

"It's not that I can't, it's that I don't want to..." Fei Qian chuckled twice, without forcing it, and said, "Among the thousands of lambs, if there are those who occasionally look up at the sky and the earth, they are the first sheep, and the first sheep is facing them. Wherever the lamb follows...if the head sheep can observe the changes in the sky and the earth, and observe the thickness of the terrain, he can avoid dangers, walk in peace, and gain prosperity. If it is..."

Fei Qian paused for a moment, and then continued leisurely, "All the people are lambs, so there are shepherds. Thousands of officials are lambs, so there are lords. Hundreds of officials are lambs, so there are kings... Xuande has the ambition of a swan, and his heart is all over the world. People don’t know whether they want to be a shepherd, a male, or a king? Can they be a shepherd, a male, or a king?"

"This..." Liu Bei glanced at Fei Qian and quickly turned away, not daring to look at him.

Sometimes it's the butt that determines the head, and there's really nothing wrong with that. If ordinary people talked to Liu Bei like this, even if Liu Bei smiled, Zhang Fei would have slapped him and shouted at him, instantly letting him know what hanging on the wall was. But even if Fei Qian's current identity is not mentioned, the fact that Fei Qian has been watching Liu Bei all the way for so many days and then saying such words has a different flavor.

Liu Bei actually didn't read many books, and he didn't have any relevant political knowledge. From the historical record, he made a mess after entering Sichuan. It took Brother Zhu ten years to smooth things over. It can be seen that Liu Bei's points in civil affairs are basically All of them are added to the functional tree of personnel. As for people's livelihood and economy, it is basically equal to zero.

Some time ago, Fei Qian showed how to manage an army in front of Liu Bei. He demolished the soldiers originally commanded by Liu Bei in a few strokes. The key is that there was no fireworks. These soldiers were as good as lambs. , bleated and ran away...

In the first two days, Fei Qian showed how to balance the arrangements among these big families in Sichuan and Sichuan. He promoted and recruited a large number of officials, almost quickly and effectively filling the gap left by Liu Bei, Wu Yi and others. , and the key is that these people, including those from Dongzhou, Bashu, and Jingxiang, can be completely integrated into one place, and they followed Fei Qian all the way and bleated happily...

Today, the golden seal thrown out by Liu Zhang still makes Liu Bei's eyes warm and his heart beats wildly. He turned his hand to make clouds and rain, which not only showed that Fei Qian could control the big officials of the party at will, but also interacted with him. Killing and snatching, he also showed super balance ability, not only wiped out Liu Bei's previous hand, but even won over a group of hard-headed people who originally followed Liu Yan and Liu Zhang, and they were convinced. …

This is the lamb.

This is Mu.

Of course, perhaps General Zhengxi meant something else when he said this lamb, but just those things and projects before had already made Liu Bei wonder if he had lived in a dog's belly all these years?

Different from Cao Cao and Cao Mengde, who felt like being stared at by a poisonous snake all the time, Liu Bei felt that Fei Qian seemed to be open to looking at and learning about everything, but the more he looked at it and the more he thought about it, the more he felt it contained The things and principles in it are vast and boundless...

Liu Bei was speechless for a long time, not knowing what he should say. Those things that he was proud of before seemed to be out of reach in front of Zheng Xi. How about telling Zheng Xi that he was several years older than Zheng Xi and had several more wives?

Fei Qian looked at Liu Bei. The same rice can support thousands of people, and different people have different methods. Liu Bei and Liu Xuande, in the final analysis, are still knights who came up from the bottom...

"If it's not clear yet, I don't know where it is..." Fei Qian pointed to the quiet room, then stood up, "This place is quiet and quiet, and close to the gods. It is a place of meditation... Xuande might as well stay here for the time being, Three days later, when someone comes to pick up Xuande again..."