This man was young, in his mid-twenties, a native of Shu, and could barely be considered an official. His grandfather had served as a county magistrate, but unfortunately he was killed by a barbarian.
He came in with a chill, and there was still some ice on his short beard that he had just grown. When he saw Ma Zhou, he clasped his fists and said with a smile, "We haven't seen you for a while. Are you okay, brother?"
If you can't speak, how can you feel uneasy seeing Ma Zhou like this?
Ma Zhou didn't mind either. Zhou Bobao was straightforward and always like this. When he saw him coming, he immediately stood up to greet him and said, "It's been a long time since I've seen you. Brother Xian, he's still as outspoken as ever. Come on, come on, sit down quickly and warm yourself up. Don't get cold."
Already."
The two chatted and laughed for a while before taking their seats.
Speaking of which, Ma Zhou was not well-received by others in Chang He's house, and he did not make friends with many people. Zhou Bobao still talked to him more, and the others were not as good as Zhou Bobao.
"Why didn't the others come with my dear brother?"
Zhou Bobao laughed and said, "Eldest brother doesn't know that I am no longer walking in the Chang Mansion. If Brother Zhang hadn't sent me a message, I wouldn't have known that eldest brother invited me to come."
Ma Zhou asked, "Oh? Where does that wise brother work now?"
Zhou Bobao smiled bitterly and said: "My little brother is still an idler. If I hadn't heard that the imperial court was about to open schools, I would have returned to my hometown for a long time, and now I am living in a friend's house in the south of the city. Alas, my embarrassment is really hard to describe, which made my elder brother laugh.
"
Ma Zhou took a look at what he was wearing. He was indeed a bit embarrassed, that is, he was young. Otherwise, he would have been hiding in the house. How could he dare to show up?
Ma Zhou didn't mean to laugh at him, he simply felt the same way. If he hadn't been favored by King Wu, his current life would not be as good as Zhou Bobao's.
Recalling the scene when he met Wu King Du Fuwei, Ma Zhou secretly praised himself for his wisdom.
At this time, Zhou Bobao took a few sips of tea soup, looked Ma Zhou up and down, and then asked with a smile, "It seems that the eldest brother has other opportunities after leaving the house. Why don't you tell me about it?"
Ma Zhou waved his hands repeatedly, "No rush, no rush, how about we wait until everyone is here to say goodbye?"
Zhou Bobao didn't urge him, he just said in his heart, it seems that this man is doing well, and he doesn't know who he relies on... He couldn't help but feel a little envious.
Speaking of Ma Zhou's family background, he was not as good as him. After coming to Chang'an, he entered the Chang Mansion. Chang He was away from home all year round. In fact, everyone just accompanied a few gentlemen in the manor to study and play, and they lived a relatively leisurely life.
Of course, intrigues are inevitable during this period, especially in the family affairs of the Chang family. The staff will inevitably be involved in it, and there will be many conflicts when you come and go.
In fact, Ma Zhou was one of the victims. After accompanying Lang Jun for a while, he was brought into Chang'an Prefecture, and finally he was regarded as the culprit and kicked out of the Chang'an mansion.
In fact, when a scholar comes to this position, his face is simply disgraced, and he is no different from those slaves.
Thinking of this, Zhou Bobao glanced at Ma Zhou and thought to himself, this man wouldn't invite everyone here and then humiliate him? Oh, no matter, let's have a good meal first. We haven't offended him, even if we talk for a while
It doesn't sound good and can't be talked about above our heads.
Okay, this person is just here to make a living, but even if Ma Zhou knew about it, he wouldn't blame him. Ma Zhou himself has done this. People like them who are trapped in the capital want to have a good meal.
You can't take the shame of scholars.
While the two were talking, someone else arrived, and it was Zhang Junzheng.
This man was in his thirties and was from Qujiang. He was different from the other staff members. He came from a family of officials. It was said that he was the descendant of Zhang Liang, the Marquis of Liu.
His grandfather Zhang Jun was the governor of Hedong, and his father Zhang Shouli was the magistrate of Tushan County.
He himself once served as a county magistrate in Henan, and later joined Chang He to join Li Yuan. From then on, he has been following Chang He as counselor in military affairs, and he was highly valued by Chang He.
It shouldn't be difficult for him to come out and re-enter the officialdom, but he never left. He must have had his own plans. He was the brother Zhang mentioned by Zhou Bobao.
Ma Zhou also respected him very much. Zhang Junzheng had always had prestige in Chang He's mansion. He was the leader of the staff, but he never talked much. If Chang He opened the mansion, Zhang Junzheng would probably be either the chief historian or the Sima.
Therefore, this person was the first person Ma Zhou invited, and the others were invited through Zhang Junzheng's mouth.
"Brother, I'm late. Please forgive me for keeping these two worthy brothers waiting." As soon as Zhang Junzheng arrived, he held out his hands, appearing to be very close to him.
In fact, these three people don't have much friendship, and their temperaments are very different. They were definitely not people in the same circle in the past.
Seeing that he arrived alone, Ma Zhou couldn't help but feel cold. Could it be that there were only two people who came to the appointment today? Even though he was prepared, he couldn't help but feel a little more depressed at this time.
It has been several years since he came to the capital, but he has not made many friends. He only invited two people to come over for a drink. Damn it... it's so miserable.
When he was seated, Zhang Junzheng immediately smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Xian is very happy to invite you. I remembered that when brother Xian left the house, I didn't speak to brother Xian. I was ashamed, so I wanted to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to brother Xian."
apologize."
Having said this, he stood up and gave a deep salute. Ma Zhou quickly stood up and returned the salute, "Brother Zhang, why did you say this? Ma Zhou acted carelessly and put Lang Jun in jail. If the government blames others, no one else can blame him, and he has nothing to do with Brother Zhang. This ceremony
My little brother can’t afford it.”
The two interacted humbly, and after they sat down again, Zhang Junzheng sighed again: "Because I have fulfilled my trust, the others cannot come as promised..."
It’s not because of anything else, Xu Zhenqing became a Taoist monk and traveled around a while ago..."
Huh? The other two people looked over in surprise.
Zhang Junzheng looked at them and sighed again: "Brother Xu Xian has been in charge of government affairs all year round. He has been doing his best and his conduct is one of the best among us."
The other two people nodded after hearing this. Xu Zhenqing used to be Chang He's general. He lost an arm in the battle formation, so he was raised by Chang He in his mansion. By the way, he also became a deacon and staff member in Chang's mansion. He was a good person.
He said that he was even more loyal to Chang He. He never expected that such a person would become a monk.
Ma Zhou invited this man to come because he valued his civil and military skills and his good conduct, so he wanted to recruit him to be a professor, but he didn't expect to get such news.
Zhang Junzheng was still talking, "The two worthy brothers left the palace earlier. I haven't heard about this matter, so I will say a few words. I also ask the two worthy brothers not to tell anyone about it."
Seeing Ma and Zhou nodding in agreement, he added: "It is said that a real man will inevitably have an unkind wife and an unfilial son. This was the case for Xu Xiandi. In April, he went home to take a look, and something scandalous happened. He... took a knife and...
He killed the man, but fortunately he got the stolen goods as well. He went to the Chang'an magistrate's office and walked around, and was able to escape without guilt.
Disheartened, he married and became a Taoist priest, and then left the capital. It was considered that he had cut off his worldly ties and had no worries."