In October of the second year of Jianning in the Han Dynasty, Zhuoxian County.
In autumn, Zhuoxian County begins to gradually get cooler, and the milky white fog in the morning is misty. Most things in the county are bathed in the morning fog, hazy and looming.
Lousang belongs to Zhuo County and is located in the south of Zhuo County. It is named after the many mulberry trees planted in and around the village - Big Tree Lousang.
It's sunny after the rain today, and the entire countryside outside Lousang Village is filled with a faint aroma of earth. The winding dirt road connects Zhuoxian and Lousang. There are occasionally a few ginkgo trees on the way, and their leaves are already turning golden.
Under the early morning sunlight, it shone with dazzling luster, spreading irregularly on the ground in patches with the wind.
An ox cart made a dull creaking sound, driving slowly from the direction of Zhuoxian County towards Lousang Village. From a distance, whether it was the old and frail ox pulling the cart or the cart that was about to fall apart
The broken ox carts looked out of place with this golden autumn picture on the dirt road.
"Oh, dear brother, come back..."
Liu Yuanqi, who was sitting on the bullock cart, had a sad expression on his face, his brows were furrowed, and he was sighing.
He was not old, and his complexion was rosy and shiny, but his gloomy and gloomy look made him look thirty years older.
Liu Yuanqi's real name was Liu Zhou, and his surname was Yuanqi. He was considered a very respectable figure in Zhuo County, but he was limited to only one-third of an acre in Zhuo County.
Liu Zhou had quite a lot of land in Zhuo County. He was not considered rich, but he was definitely not poor... But compared to his limited wealth, what he was really proud of was his status as the Queen of Prince Jing of Zhongshan.
But this remote clan identity was only taken seriously by Liu Zhou himself. Liu Sheng, the ninth son of Emperor Jing of Han Dynasty, King Jing of Zhongshan, had a large group of children, and Liu Zhou was the sixteenth grandson of Emperor Jing of Han Dynasty. This description alone can
You can imagine how thin the clan bloodline in him is.
At best, there are only as many mosquito bites.
"Father, why haven't you arrived yet?"
A childish voice brought Liu Zhou back from his thoughts, and he turned to look at his son beside him.
Upon seeing this, Liu Zhou felt angry.
After becoming a clan member, Liu Zhou paid great attention to his own image. No matter who he was dealing with, he would "sit with a straight face" when dealing with people. Even when eating with his own family, he would "not hesitate at the table and pick at the clothes."
He is always reminded that he is one of the tens of thousands of grandsons of Prince Jing of Zhongshan.
What an honor!
But the sitting posture of his son at this time was in sharp contrast with Liu Zhou who was sitting upright.
"Don't sit like that! It's very disrespectful!"
Faced with Liu Zhou's sudden reproach, five-year-old Liu Jian subconsciously looked down at where he was sitting.
The buttocks are on the ground, the legs are curled up, and the two hands are wrapped around the legs...Is there nothing wrong? You are not exposing your crotch.
This position is actually quite uncomfortable, but on this bumpy and rough bullock cart, apart from lying down, I can't find a more comfortable position than this.
"Father, how have I behaved inappropriately?"
"Why don't you sit upright?"
Liu Jian's immature face began to twitch.
Zhi sitting means sitting on one's knees! When kneeling on this wooden cart, my knees are not allowed to come out of the pit?
"Father, this is an oxcart, and it is an informal occasion to meet the elders. Why do you have to sit down?"
Liu Zhou said with a straight face: "Why can't you ride on the bullock cart? Isn't your father your elder?"
"Father, you are being a bit unreasonable. When I kneel on the bullock cart, is it the cow or my father who is kneeling..."
Liu Zhou's face suddenly sank.
…
After less than three cups of tea, Liu Jian sat upright on Niuchi Mountain. One of the two hairlocks on his head was broken up, and the slightly yellowed filaments were spread to one side.
On his pink face, there is an inconspicuous Wuzhishan mark on the left cheek.
Liu Jian is a kid with strong skin and is not afraid of pain when he resists being beaten. It doesn't matter if he gets beaten.
It's just that he doesn't understand that a cute five-year-old kid who has not yet reached the age of leadership is too late to be loved by everyone, and it's too late to attract others...why his father, who is polite and polite in front of outsiders, can treat his own family so well.
Can the young boy get rid of his big pig's hooves?
Liu Jian thought to himself that if he was asked to hit his son because of his sitting posture, he would never do it.
The father of the Han Dynasty was really not that good.
Yes, the five-year-old Liu Jian was fused with the soul of an adult man from later generations. The two souls merged about two months ago.
During this period, Liu Jian was tortured very painfully. It was not that he lacked food and clothing after traveling through time, but that his family was relatively wealthy.
It's just that the Han Dynasty had too many rules, especially the "mosquito clan" like Liu Zhou, who regarded himself as extraordinary, and was very strict with his descendants, even eating, drinking, and urinating.
The truth is, you have to poop at the right place if you have bad bowel movements.
In the past two months or so, Liu Jian had beaten him a little every three days and a big one every five days. He got used to it with a shoe sole when he got in the car, and an uppercut when he got off.
Liu Jian rubbed his sore knees and rolled his eyes at Liu Zhou dissatisfied.
Liu Zhouyi turned his head, and he immediately looked away again, showing an innocent and cute expression.
"You are such an idiot, you don't have any rules on weekdays. Today you are going to pay homage to your father. You must not embarrass your father! If not, I will have to practice the family law for you."
Liu Jian rolled his eyes, it didn't matter.
"I know, just remember it, kid."
He was not interested in paying homage to his father. What he cared about most was his destiny and future.
Although Liu Jian studied engineering in his previous life, he was familiar with the late Han Dynasty. Through these two months of living in the Han Dynasty, he understood his own situation.
He heard the adults say that it was the second year of Jianning, and he even found out in a roundabout way that the emperor's name was Hong.
He knew that Liu Hong was the Ling Emperor of the Han Dynasty, and he also knew that the building would collapse and the Han Dynasty would fall into war in the future. The famous Yellow Turban Uprising took place during Liu Hong's reign.
However, Liu Jian still doesn't know when the Yellow Turban Uprising will occur, nor does he know at which stage Liu Hong is in charge of the Han Dynasty.
He was only five years old, and he couldn't even decide whether to kneel or not when riding in an ox cart. He couldn't ask questions about the emperor and the rebellion.
He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, Liu Zhou would hang his cute five-year-old child directly.
"Your father's fate was rough. Although he belonged to the Han Dynasty clan, he never succeeded in his life. He died before he was forty years old, leaving behind a wife and children. It is difficult to survive. Today is the fourth day of his life, and my father will take you there.
Let’s worship.”
Liu Jian's attention was brought back to reality by Liu Zhou's thoughts.
"My father took the child to pay homage today, presumably to help his mother and the orphan, right?"
Paying homage to a brother? Dropping in to see the widow?
Liu Zhou didn't expect that his five-year-old son would think of such a thing.
He stroked his beard and looked at Liu Jian solemnly, with a threatening tone in his tone: "What you said just now, your mother taught you to say it deliberately for me to hear! Yes or no!?"
Liu Jian could clearly feel that when Liu Zhou said this, the aura around his body was completely different from that just now, and the knuckles of his fists were clenching.
When life and death were at stake, Liu Jian hurriedly pretended to be cute: "Father, I followed you out this morning and didn't say even three words to my mother. Besides, my mother never ate candy with me. Why should I imitate her words?"
Faced with the childish words of the youngest son, Liu Zhou was stunned for a moment, and then secretly said that he was too worried.
His wife is usually very stingy. A few days ago, he also talked to his wife about helping his deceased brother's wife and children. Who would have thought that the unkind wife would get angry and make a fuss... and he would do it because he was a man!
As soon as Liu Jian's words came out, Liu Zhou's first reaction was that his mother taught him these words, so that his children would stop him from helping his brother and wife... But thinking about it carefully, no matter how unreasonable the woman was, she should not
Would you teach your child these nonsense things? After all, the child is only five years old.
Liu Zhou reached out and touched Liu Jian's head, and his tone softened rarely: "As a father, I shouldn't beat you, nor should I be cruel to you. You guessed it right. After your father passed away, you left behind a wife and one son.
, but the family doesn’t have any money left. After all, we are from the same clan, so we still have to help.”
Liu Jian praised Liu Zhou in his heart.
Although this cheap father is a bit old-fashioned and vain, and his actions are not in harmony with him - but when it comes to being compassionate, Liu Jian feels that his father is quite accommodating to his son.
"If a father is virtuous, his children should learn from him diligently."
Liu Zhou listened to this boy's constant talk, and the unhappiness he felt just now because he was not riding the boat was all gone.
He stretched out his hand to hold Liu Jian in his arms, laughed loudly and said, "My son has a benevolent heart at a young age, and I am very happy to be a father."
Why did the father of the Han Dynasty fall out like a book?
Liu Jian was pulled so hard by Liu Zhou that his knees were so painful that he felt like he was about to shed tears.
However, he still puffed up his chest proudly: "The foundation of benevolence and righteousness is what Mr. Xu taught me when I was visiting him a few days ago. Although I am young, I should take the sages as my teachers and learn from them diligently.
……hiss!"
At the end of the story, Liu Jian really couldn't stand it anymore. He sat on the bullock cart again with his buttocks, rubbed his knees and said, "Father, how about I get off the car and take a few steps?"
Liu Zhou said with a smile: "I have been kneeling for such a long time, and I have to take a break. Apart from teaching you what you said just now, what else did Mr. Xu say?"
Liu Jian rubbed his knees with his little hands and replied: "I didn't teach you much. I just praised me for being different from ordinary people and becoming extraordinary after a long time."
Liu Zhou was overjoyed when he heard this: "Oh? What great thing has my son done? To be praised so highly by the old gentleman?"
"I don't know, maybe I hit his inkstone? Or I accidentally broke his cane? Or... it was the time I drove the old gentleman's dog into the well?"
Liu Zhou's expression froze instantly.
This kid needs more beatings.
…………
At noon, the father and son arrived at Lousang Village.
The person Liu Zhou wanted to visit lived in a dilapidated house to the east of Lousang Village. There was a mulberry tree on the fence in the southeast corner of the house, which was more than five feet high and looked like a car hood from a distance.
When Liu Zhou and his son arrived, they saw a large group of children gathering under the big mulberry tree to play, shouting and shouting, and it was very lively.
For some reason, Liu Jian's heart began to beat faster when he saw this scene, and an inexplicable thought appeared in his mind.
Although he is not a professional in history, nor is he a novice, he naturally knows some familiar allusions. The scene in front of him reminds him of one thing.
When the late master was young, he and the children of his clan were playing under a tree and said, "I will definitely ride in this feather-covered chariot."
My surname is Liu, and I am a clan member of the Han clan... Although looking at the Han Dynasty, there are hundreds of thousands of clan clan members of the Han clan recorded in the Zongzheng Administration, and the bloodline is remote and most of them are not on the stage, but they are still clan clan after all.
Which of the Han clan members in the late Han Dynasty is the most famous?
"Abei!"
Liu Zhou's shout of "A Bei" shouted out all the doubts and confusion in Liu Jian's heart!
The future is bright!
Of course, if possible, he subconsciously hoped that his father could call him "A Cao". In this era, being a relative of Cao Cao should be more comfortable than being a fellow clan member of Liu Bei.
Following the shouts, a seven or eight-year-old boy ran towards Liu Zhou.
He is thin and not tall among children of the same age, and his complexion is slightly sallow and sallow.
There is nothing surprising. In this era, it was not uncommon for Han clan members to starve to death, not to mention not having enough to eat.
This is the general environment.
However, if you look carefully, you will find that this child's ears are really not small, a pair of really big ears, especially the earlobes are so big and thick that they are almost hanging down from the shoulders.
Blessed are children with big ears~
"My nephew has met my uncle." Liu Bei is young and knows etiquette.
"Where's your mother?"
Tsk tsk...
"Go back to my uncle. My loving mother is keeping vigil for my father in the house."
"Your father passed away not long ago, why didn't you stay at home with your mother to keep vigil?"
Liu Bei hesitated a little when he heard the words, and then saw him blink a few times, and suddenly shed two lines of tears.
Liu Zhou was shocked when he saw this. How could this child cry when he was told to cry?
"My nephew looked at the things in the house and realized that his father was not far away. He was in a trance every day, so my mother asked me to come out for a walk, fearing that I would hurt myself by thinking about my father..."
Speaking of this, Liu Bei could no longer control himself and cried out "Wow".
Liu Zhou panicked when he saw this and hurriedly stepped forward to comfort him, while Liu Jian on the side was secretly amused.
It was obvious that he had not obeyed his filial piety and sneaked out to fool around - but his lies were so smooth! He also had the aura of crying, and the tears came at every turn. No wonder my sincere father panicked instantly.
After some coaxing from Liu Zhou, Liu Bei stopped crying.
"Take me to worship your father's soul and meet your mother by the way." Liu Zhou sighed.
Liu Bei immediately led the way.
In fact, when Liu Bei's father Liu Hong died and was buried, Liu Zhou, a brother of the same clan, helped a lot and was very considerate in etiquette. It doesn't matter whether he sacrifices the four or seven today.
But to say that Liu Zhou came specifically to see his younger siblings would be hard to say.
Liu Zhou asked Liu Jian to wait outside first, and then let him go in to pay homage after discussing the official business.
Liu Jian didn't care, he just wanted to be clean.
Liu Bei led Liu Zhou into the house, and the teenagers who had just been playing under the big mulberry tree with Liu Bei seemed to have suddenly lost their backbone.
Without Liu Bei, they don't seem to know how to play.
Just when all the children were leaderless, five-year-old Liu Jian walked over with a smile on his face.
"Let's play together?"
"Who are you? We don't know you."
"Stupid! You guys will get to know each other after playing for a while. I brought some candy with me."
…
Liu Bei led Liu Zhou into the house to see his mother, and then ran out again while the two were talking.
Today we play the game of being an emperor. The person who becomes the emperor can be worshiped by other children.
As the head of a child, Liu Bei was naturally the first choice for 'emperor'. He had not had enough fun just now.
But when he came to the big mulberry tree, the scene in front of him made him dumbfounded.
The group of children who were centered around him just now were now surrounding Liu Jian, all with dull expressions, allowing Liu Jian to brainwash them unhurriedly.
"The laws of the Qin Dynasty were complicated and harsh. After the Emperor Gaozu entered Xianyang, he made a law of three chapters. Later, Prime Minister Xiao drafted the "Nine Chapters of Law", which is still used by our court to this day..."
"What does any of this have to do with us?"
"Why doesn't it matter? Since the development of Han law, there have been more than a thousand capital crimes, and more than 400 of them are related to you!"
"Why? Why did we commit a capital crime?"
"What were you playing just now? Were you pretending to be the emperor?"
"It's just fun, you can't control it!"
Liu Jian sat under the mulberry tree, bragging non-stop to a group of Eastern Han boys.
The cowhide he boasted about was either true or false. It was about the laws of Qin and Han, which he learned from when he heard Mr. Xu from a poor family next to his house brag about them.
Of course, there are also some personal items of his own mixed in.
How could more than 400 capital crimes have anything to do with these naughty kids? Even if they did, how could he just open his mouth and list them? It sounds like nonsense.
But the children in Lousang Village had never seen the world, so they were frightened after hearing his nonsense.
Liu Jian said leisurely: "How can anyone be the emperor? You little brats, calling yourself the emperor will definitely be punished by death if word spreads... No, it's the Yi tribe."
"I don't claim to be emperor!"
"Me neither!"
"I, I want to be, but they won't let me."
Liu Jian raised his eyebrows: "Then who was fooled?"
At this moment, Liu Bei felt that something serious was wrong.
Swish——!
All the children's eyes fell on Liu Bei who had just returned, making the young Liu Bei want to cry without tears.
"It's Abe!"
"Abei said he wanted to be the emperor!"
"I didn't say it!" Liu Bei hurriedly waved his hand to deny.
A naughty kid with a snot-filled nose pointed at the big mulberry tree and said, "Every time Abe plays, he always strives to be the emperor. He also says that when he grows up, he must ride in this feather-covered carriage to show his wealth!"
"He also said that wealth will not return to its hometown, such as, such as... what is it?"
Liu Bei gritted his teeth in anger after being betrayed!
If I were really the emperor, I would cook you all to death.
"Believe it or not, I'm going to beat you up!"
"Wow!"
In an instant, all the monkey cubs dispersed, leaving only Liu Bei and Liu Jian facing each other indifferently.
"Brother Cong, I have met my younger brother Liu Jian. Today I came with my father to visit my aunt and brother Cong."
Liu Bei looked around the venue...just now it was bustling with people, but now there is no one.
"Is this how you visit me?"
Liu Jian smiled when he heard this.
Even though he may be a powerful person in the future, he is just an eight-year-old child at the moment, and his mind is far from mature. He can get by with a little cleverness, but he will still panic when something serious happens.
"Brother, don't blame me. You and I are brothers from the same clan, and your father is my uncle. If you break the law of the Han Dynasty because of a little play, won't you implicate the whole family? I am not harming you today, but saving you."
"help me?"
Liu Jian said earnestly: "Brother, I know what happened today. If others hear it, our whole family may be implicated because of you alone... It doesn't matter if you kill others, but do you want to kill your aunt?"
?My uncle has passed away, and it will be very painful for your aunt to take care of you alone. Do you want her not to die a good death?"
After saying that, Liu Jian made a horizontal 'click' gesture with his hand towards his neck.
Liu Bei's face turned pale.
Not surprisingly, Liu Bei was indeed frightened, and the eight-year-old was indeed frightened by the five-year-old.
"And those friends you have made, look at them, what kind of virtues do they have? They know how to make trouble with you on weekdays, and support you to be the emperor when they play, but at the critical moment, they can sell you faster than selling meat!
"
Liu Bei hesitated and said: "But, they are still children."
You still have the nerve to say they are children?
"They are children, am I not? How could I not sell you!"
Liu Bei was stunned after hearing this.
Yes, the little man in front of me who is a whole head shorter than him is also a child!
But why does he speak so maturely?
While Liu Bei was in a daze, Liu Jian suddenly pointed to the big mulberry tree next to him and asked, "Brother, do you know who can ride in Yu Bao's chariot?"
Liu Bei subconsciously asked: "Who?"
"It cannot be taken advantage of unless it is a person of great virtue, great ability, great kindness and great righteousness."
"what for?"
"To put it simply, you have to be friendly and sincere to others, especially to the people around you, such as brothers from the same clan. You must be sincere and respectful. If a brother is in trouble, you must stand by him.
Block the knife for him from the front..."
Liu Bei was speechless for a moment.
Liu Jian knew in his heart that in the not-too-distant future, this terminally ill dynasty would collapse. At that time, it would be a chaotic world where human lives would be worse than dogs. It would last for decades, and everyone would face an existential crisis.
And he, Liu Jian, was neither from an aristocratic family nor a powerful man, and his family's property was only in the middle of the county. If he had lived in peace and prosperity, he could have enjoyed a good life, but in troubled times, a small group of warlords fought.
It can destroy everything he has.
His best way out is to find a backer.
But Liu Jian's identity means that no one can take him in if he just wants to seek refuge.
At this moment, his fellow sect Liu Bei appeared in front of him, an outstanding figure in the late Han Dynasty.
Frankly speaking, Liu Bei is not the best destination, but for Liu Jian, it is the only choice at present.
Liu Jian stepped on his feet and patted the stunned Liu Bei on the shoulder: "Treat me well, and I will let you ride on the big car!"
…
In the evening, Liu Zhou, who left some money for Liu Bei and his son, took Liu Jian back to Zhuoxian County.
On the way, Liu Jian showed a rare coquettishness to Liu Zhou: "Father, Abei lost his father when he was young. He is an orphan and has no livelihood. It is very pitiful. Father, you see that Abei is three years older than me, but he is thinner than me."
He's been around for a full circle, my father can't leave him alone!"
Liu Zhou did not expect that Liu Jian would fall in love with Liu Bei during a visit to Lousang Village.
Being able to say this was enough to prove that the child was a kind-hearted person, and Liu Zhou was very pleased.
"Haha, your child and my father want to go together. Although Abei is young, he is smart and sincere. He is a good young man. My father wants to support him and your aunt, so you don't need to worry."
Liu Jian pulled Liu Zhou's sleeve and said: "Since my father is concerned about taking care of him, why not discuss with my aunt to bring Brother Abei to our house? After all, my aunt is just a woman, and I'm afraid she won't be able to teach Brother Abei well. I have a father to take care of me."
Discipline A Bei, and Brother A Bei will be as promising as the children in the future."
"this……"
Liu Zhou did not expect that Liu Jian would come up with such an idea for him, and was very embarrassed.
"It's very rare that you can speak such truth at such a young age, but it's hard for your mother to tell you."
"My father is a great man, how can he be afraid of women?"
"Bad words!"
Liu Zhou reached out angrily and gave Liu Jian another slap on the back of the head: "How can your father and I, an eight-foot-old man, be henpecked? Didn't we just let A Bei come to our house to study scriptures? I will bring him back, your mother
What can you do to me?"
Liu Jian raised his eyebrows and looked at Liu Zhou questioningly.
"What's that look in your eyes? You don't believe me?"
"Believe me! My father is my greatest warrior!"
Liu Zhou was very pleased with what he heard and said proudly: "Don't use words indiscriminately. I won't beat your mother. You are not a brave man."
Liu Jian estimated in his mind that as long as his father could make up his mind, he would go back and act coquettishly with his mother, and let Liu Bei come to live in his home.
In this world, apart from parents and children, what other relationship can be stronger than the relationship between brothers who grew up together?