Chapter 1905: No confusion at forty, no stink of copper


    Along the way from Sichuan and Sichuan, Liu Bei also paid close attention to the changes along the way. He found that everything else seemed to be changing very quickly, except Ding Ze, where he stayed, still the same as before.


    What is on your territory?


    Ore, mine.


    Melancholy craftsmen and numb mining slaves.


    What about Chengdu, Hanzhong and Changan?


    Happiness, peace.


    He seems to live in the mud, while these cities are among the clouds.


    Liu Bei had an inexplicable feeling in his heart. Although he never said anything and smiled every day, when he was alone, there was always a kind of sadness that was like the coldness of the abyss, making him feel scared and... Don''t dare to look directly.


    ?Perhaps, we are getting farther and farther away from the glory of our dreams...


    At first, Liu Bei did have some luck in his heart. After all, Fei Qian, like Liu Bei, took advantage of the turmoil in the court to rise up among the princes, and Xiliang Bingzhou also reversed course. There was no guarantee that Fei Qian would take advantage of the situation. There''s no telling what Dong Zhuo''s old path will be. When the time comes, Liu Bei will naturally be able to stand up and make a comeback.


    But now...


    It''s like a large group of people are rushing on the road. Originally, they all walked about the same distance, and the gap between them was not far, but as time went by, the distance became wider and wider. The Cavalry General went all the way, but he was deeply involved. I trudged through the muddy water with only one foot.


    Especially the Xijing Shangshutai.


    Liu Bei knew exactly what this meant.


    ??When Liu Bei learned about this, he was stunned. Even his breathing was not so smooth. Big man...Your Majesty...


    Perhaps the emperor or Cao Sikong did this for their own reasons, but this was equivalent to recognizing the legitimacy of He Fei Qian''s dominance in the pass. From that moment on, the hussar general was no longer a simple The princes in one place are almost equal to half of the Han Dynasty!


    It is obvious that after Fei Qian obtained the Xijing Shangshu Desk, the pace of the entire process immediately accelerated a lot. Looking at the edicts issued frequently recently, new departments of one kind or another were established, and the administrative agencies became larger and more complete. , are becoming more and more powerful, and seem to have completely gotten rid of the original impression of the Xiliang warriors who were brutal and incompetent, only knowing **** and kill, but instead added a bit of heroism and grandeur that the Shandong nobles lacked.


    Liu Bei didn''t know how Fei Qian was able to achieve this point. Liu Bei couldn''t understand this, and Guan Yu couldn''t understand it either. Although Guan Yu usually doesn''t talk much, Liu Bei knows that Guan Yu somewhat admires Fei Qian.


    ?This is not Guan Yu''s problem. After all, even Liu Bei himself admires Fei Qian a little. At least Liu Bei felt that if Liu Bei were allowed to do these things by himself, he would indeed not be able to achieve the current situation. Maybe Liu Bei thought he could compete with Fei Qian before, but now, he really sees the gap.


    A big gap.


    As for Zhang Fei, Liu Bei felt a little ashamed of him. After all, Zhang Fei believed in him so much and had no regrets. But now, Liu Bei still feels that the promises he made to Zhang Fei seemed to be deception.


    Liu Bei has been working very hard to catch up, and has been studying and researching very hard, but he still can''t catch up with Fei Qian. What makes Liu Bei even more helpless is that every time Liu Bei makes some progress with his efforts, he looks up and sees, But I found that Fei Qian had run further and the distance was even greater...


    It''s like Ding Ze.


    Do you have any resentment? There must be some, but so what? After all, the Cavalry General Fei Qian also said that the iron in Dingze can be smelted, but it is not easy to smelt because the quality of the iron ore is different. This is a common problem in metallurgy today and is not unique to the Dingze iron mine. , and the same is true elsewhere.


    Liu Bei also produced some good steel, but the overall proportion was not high, and most of it was semi-finished products that were not shaped and could not be used.


    ?Perhaps through the dedicated research and exploration of his craftsmen, the smelting process can be improved and the proportion of high-quality steel will be higher and higher, but even if it succeeds, so what?


    ?Can I still catch up with Fei Qian?


    Liu Bei arrived in Chang''an, met Fei Qian, and had a chat.


    ??While Liu Bei realized that he was still worrying about the ore, Fei Qian was thinking about the whole world. Liu Bei himself was just a **** in Fei Qian''s hands.


    Feiqian is like a big mountain lying in front of Liu Bei, stretching endlessly. When I saw the hillside in front of me, I thought the mountain was just that high and I could climb over it with hard work. But when I climbed the mountain, I found that There are more mountains behind...


    The mixture of ambition and fear of the unknown future made Liu Bei miserable. Living between heaven and earth, among the mountains, Liu Bei felt his insignificance for the first time.


    In the first year of Zhongping, the world was in chaos. Liu Bei officially entered this chaotic competition. It has been sixteen years now. He has grown from a passionate young man to nearly forty years old. Counting his men, that is, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, Touch your pockets, they are cleaner than your own face...


    At thirty, one cannot stand up; at forty, one is not confused, but still confused.


    Are you really like the Confucius who crossed Mount Tai as mentioned by the Hussar General? You just know what is happening, or know some of the reasons for it, but you don’t know what to do and how to change it?


    What to do next?


    ?Liu Bei tossed and turned, thought over and over, and finally threw away his face, carried the thorn sticks on his back, and headed to the general''s mansion.


    If Liu Bei is alone and can eat with one mouth and the whole family is not hungry, then it doesn''t matter. Just like when the postal supervisor was rude and Liu Bei whipped him and ran away, what would happen if he had to start over again?


    But now, why come again?


    Continue to struggle between heaven and earth?


    ?How long can I hold on?


    Forty is no longer the age when one is in his teens or 20s, the age when he screams that his head has fallen off and he has a scar as big as a bowl. Now he still has brothers, Sun Qianmi Zhu who eats with him, and his veterans...


    Liu Bei must give an explanation to his people and find a way out for these people. This is his burden and an unshirkable responsibility.


    ?Twenty-year-old Liu Bei stole chickens and chased dogs, and liked beautiful clothes. Liu Bei lived a happy life, free and unrestrained.


    ? Thirty-year-old Liu Bei fought in the north and south, defected to the east and west. Liu Bei lived in his dream. Although it was hard work, there was still hope.


    ?Forty-year-old Liu Bei was desperate and his future was bleak. Liu Bei lived a humble and helpless life for his own responsibilities.


    However, there is still a little fire in Liu Bei''s heart like a candle in the wind, which is his thoughts and his life''s expectations. He still hopes that he can really achieve something worthy of the thin blood in his body. His commitment to his brothers is worthy of the oath he made to his subordinates!


    Even at this moment, you have to abandon your dignity...


    Use dignity to exchange for new hope that belongs to him, his brothers, and his men!


    The hope of the future, the glory of the future!


    Liu Bei carried the thorn stick on his back and lowered his head, which he thought he would never lower. He ignored the pointing of the officials around him and walked straight to the main gate of General Hussar''s Mansion. He took a deep breath. Then he closed his eyes, knelt on the ground, and bowed his head:


    『The guilty minister…asks to see the lord…』


    …┐(～)┌…


    Let’s put aside Liu Bei’s classmates’ questions for the moment and look at Mr. Shui Jing Sima Hui in Guanzhong. It was because of the gold and silver fan that he became a big hit.


    People''s pursuit of beautiful things will not be reduced by half just because they are in the Han Dynasty. Of course, the standards of beauty and ugliness will change with the passage of time, just like the Han Dynasty believed that simplicity and grandeur were a kind of beauty. The gold and silver fan is the thing that the gentry children think best embodies their personal temperament.


    It brought together the gold and silver that represented the family''s wealth, the jade pendant that represented personal moral character, and the "personal" inscription of Mr. Shui Jing, the great scholar who represented literature. When Fei Qian put it together, it simply lit up Guanzhong. The indescribable emotional eruption point of the noble family members.


    Perhaps in later generations it will look like the attire of the nouveau riche, which is unbearable, but at the moment, it has set off a craze. Because the quantity is rare, many people can''t get it, which further stimulates these people''s pursuit of gold and silver fans. They even go to Mr. Shui Jing''s other courtyard in person, Sima Hui, to see if they can find some way. .


    ??These days, the land is vast and the people are sparse, so Sima Hui''s villa in Guanzhong is about ten miles east of Chang''an. It is built according to the mountains and rivers. Although it is not as big as a large manor, it covers an area of ??nearly ten acres.


    Generally speaking, the price of mountainous land like this, where farming is inconvenient or where there is no land to be cultivated, is not high, so Sima Hui did not spend much money. Overall, it is even cheaper than buying real estate in Chang''an City. At the same time, it is also cheaper. It is in line with Sima Hui''s "excellent person" personality that he has always maintained.


    The architecture of Sima Hui''s manor is very distinctive. There is not only one main hall, but five halls on the front, back, left, and right. The back hall is generally used as a place for the owner to rest temporarily or change clothes when entering and exiting, while the front hall The three halls in the middle are very close to each other and are connected through a corridor. The doors and windows are also very large. It is actually an enlarged hall. You can open or close a hall as needed to increase or decrease the guest reception area.


    It is like the multi-functional hall in a later hotel, except that later hotels have movable wall panels, while Sima Hui''s here only has enlarged and widened doors and windows.


    From this point of view, in fact, Sima Hui''s so-called "seclusion from the world" is probably just "outdoors".


    ?At this time, there was a lot of laughter and laughter in the hall, and some people were even singing and dancing. Children of the Han Dynasty nobles must know at least a little bit of singing and dancing. This habit has continued into later generations. If you can''t sing in certain situations, you are at the bottom of the contempt chain.


    Sima Hui smiled slightly and sat in the hall. There were half a hundred guests around him, and there was a trend of more and more guests.


    This is also normal.


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    Most of the disciples in Guanzhong are now concentrated around Wei Duan, and the people in Hedong and Hanoi certainly hope that Sima Hui can stand up, and the appearance of the gold and silver fans undoubtedly makes these people collectively excited...


    When it comes to power, Sima Hui is naturally not the most powerful, but when it comes to current influence in the cultural field, none of the noble families in Guanzhong can compare to Sima Hui, who "lives in seclusion from the world".


    After all, Sima Hui''s remarks about "seeking truth and seeking truth" in the Qinglong Temple''s Great Treatise made a lot of limelight. In addition, I heard that Sima Hui would be the same as Zheng Xuan. The evaluators who promote talents are even more extraordinary. If they can get one or two comments from Sima Hui, wouldn''t they have already won at the "starting line"?


    Therefore, in addition to discussions, there are also people singing some of their own literary poems loudly from time to time in the hall, and using them to criticize the current ills, or describe the market, and show off their talents.


    Sima Hui also smiled and nodded from time to time, as if he was very appreciative, but actually said nothing.


    After all, Sima Hui also knew what these people wanted to do, so he was naturally very cautious.


    It''s just that Sima Hui was cautious, so these nobles were somewhat dissatisfied. Under the commotion, someone stood up and said loudly: "In the past, Qinglong Temple, I was not lucky enough to listen to Mr. Shui Jing''s speech, which was a great regret in life. I don''t know what it is like today." Are you lucky enough to hear fairy music? 』


    Suddenly there were a large number of people shouting in agreement, and the atmosphere in the hall was filled with excitement.


    Sima Hui was still smiling. It was not clear whether he had any objections in his heart, but it was obvious that Sima Hui knew that at such a critical moment, he would not say anything easily, otherwise he would be treated like this or that. After this kind of understanding and annotation, if the original intention is correct, if it is misinterpreted by others...


    ??But the crowd was agitated at the moment, and if Sima Hui did nothing, he would have neglected the hearts of these people many times, so he simply stepped back slightly and whispered a few words to his steward.


    The steward of the Sima family took the order and left, and not long after, he came with a dozen slaves and maids. In the hands of these slaves, they all held lacquer plates, and on the lacquer plates were placed various kinds of pearls and beautiful objects, including the famous gold and silver fans. For a time, the brilliance shone, the treasures were everywhere, and it was eye-catching.


    Sima Hui coughed slightly, then stood up and said, "The display of common things is not to dazzle, but to seek glory!" Nowadays, seeking elegance from the vulgar is just like a thousand pieces of gold are easy to get, but a talent is hard to find! You are all talented and learned people, and now it is time for the Hussar General to show off your skills! Today I’m going to give you a little bit of superficial knowledge and try my best! 』


    As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar and cheers in the hall.


    ??Although they often say "the smell of copper", when they actually see gold and silver treasures, how many people will not be fascinated by them?


    Although everyone in the hall was in high spirits, there were more than half a hundred guests in the hall, and the final collection of articles and poems was only about thirty.


    After all, writing is a very wonderful creature. It is usually full of stuff, but when it is really needed, it is often hard to find. Moreover, it is judged on the spot. It is natural to know at a glance whether it is good or bad, whether it is incompetent or not. Those who have not saved manuscripts or feel timid will not dare to write. It is better to hide one''s clumsiness than to show one''s ugliness.


    Sima Hui selected one or two of these articles and poems, and then took ten that were relatively good, and then had people chant or sing them loudly and make them public.


    As the review progresses, everyone in the hall also listens attentively. If someone hears someone''s article or poem, the person involved will certainly not be able to help but smile, and the people around him will also congratulate him.


    Sima Hui''s level of appreciation is naturally not ordinary. After singing ten articles and poems in a row, everyone knows what is good and bad, and there is basically no objection.


    Sima Hui laughed, and then the ten gentry disciples stepped forward one by one, each picking out their favorite belongings. It''s a pity that there are only three gold and silver fans, so the people behind can only choose other treasures.


    "Wealth and honor are only external to one''s body, talent and learning can only be carried by one''s body..." Sima Hui said with a smile, "Today I see all of you are talented and elegant. Fortunately, there are some facilities so that you won''t be left out in the cold. Come on, drink this wine. I wish you all the best." Can you stretch your talents in the hussar test and shine on the lintel! 』


    These words immediately pushed the banquet to a new climax.


    Sima Hui smiled and turned into the back hall, and the smile on his face gradually faded away.


    Come here! ” Sima Hui pondered for a long time, then took out a letter that was originally pressed under the book on the desk, called his servant, and ordered him to send the letter to Hanoi.


    Sima Yi is now in Changshan, and Sima Hui is a little older, and his energy is inevitably a little low. In addition, it is impossible for him to put down his body to compete with the younger generation for some positions, so sometimes he can only watch and worry, so he The special banquet guests are somewhat intended to attract Shi Wang.


    ??But after all, we need a leader. Sima Hui has no descendants, so we can only transfer some people from Sima Fang, such as Sima Lao San Lao Si and so on...


    ?Thinking of this, Sima Hui couldn''t help but sigh.


    ??Whether it is literary quality or personal reputation, I am ten times and a hundred times better than that guy Sima Fang, but there is only one thing that cannot be compared to...


    ??It’s true that a young man does all that, and he only sheds tears when he is old.


    Thinking of the property that he had just given away, Sima Hui couldn''t help but feel a little heartache. No one''s money was brought by the strong wind. He had built such a manor before and held many banquets. Seeing that the family''s wealth seemed to be in decline. stand up.


    Sima Hui''s eyes couldn''t help but fall on another letter on the desk.


    After sitting alone for a while, Sima Hui once again ordered his servants: "Go and talk to Mr. Cui and ask him to come to the house to talk to you the next day..."


    Cui Hou sent someone to send a letter to Sima Hui before, saying that because he used Sima Hui''s calligraphy, he was willing to give Sima Hui some "polishing" and hoped to cooperate with Sima Hui in the next step, but originally Sima Hui was unwilling I even thought it was an insult. I was very angry for two days and threw his letter aside and ignored it. But the problem is that now I have to spend money, so Cui Hou, who was originally full of "copper smell", seems to be Not so smelly anymore…


    (End of this chapter)