"Well, this... Mr. Blacksmith, haven't you asked me your name yet?" Liu Bei asked the blacksmith who was persuaded by him while holding a tea cup.
This valley is only half a day away from Luoyang. However, although there is no curfew in Luoyang City, the city gates will not be opened after nightfall, so Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan had to spend one night in this blacksmith's retreat.
Although he was unilaterally reprimanded by Liu Bei not long ago, the blacksmith was not too embarrassed because he was so convinced that he even treated the two of them to dinner with wine and meat. However, Liu Bei was not yet an adult, so he could only drink tea instead of wine.
.
At this time, "Your Majesty" specifically refers to the emperor, and "His Royal Highness" mostly refers to the emperor and high-ranking officials. Ordinary people can generally call him "His Majesty", but at this time, when you are in the blacksmith's "house", you can call him "
Your Mightiness".
"Where is the honorable name..." The blacksmith waved his hand: "I am Zhang Shiping, I am just a blacksmith. The person who issued the commission must be my good friend Su Shuang. He has always advised me not to do business in Luoyang. I probably knew it would happen.
This kind of thing."
"Brother Zhang, although this is not appropriate for someone who just advised you to go back, you should return to the city to clean up and then leave Luoyang." Liu Bei recalled what Lu Zhi had told him about the general situation of the Han Prefecture: "
With Brother Zhang's talents, many battle places in Liangzhou, Bingzhou, and Youzhou will surely shine. If you don't like the bitter cold at the frontier, you can also go to the coastal counties of Xuzhou, but the Dongyi pirates who need to be dealt with there are different from the Hu people.
Customized weapons will also make a difference.”
"Hmm... Speaking of which, Brother Su did mention that he wanted me to go to Youzhou," the blacksmith named Zhang Shiping thought about it.
"Wait a minute," Gongsun Zan, who had been absentmindedly looking out at the white horse from time to time, suddenly thought of something and said, "Although it may not be big, is your 'Brother Su' from Liaodong?"
"That's right." Zhang Shiping looked at Gongsun Zan and said, "In other words, this ranger's accent is somewhat similar to his."
"Hey!" Gongsun Zan clapped his hands: "The Gongsun family of Liaoxi and the Su family of Liaodong are the two largest families in the northeast of Youzhou. However, my family started with military exploits, while they are famous for their production of weapons, armor and war horses."
"I have never heard Brother Su mention this. Even when he suggested going to Youzhou, he only said that he would give full support..." Zhang Shiping froze in mid-sentence, as if he had an angry expression of being deceived.
"I guess you have never asked this Su Shuang about his family background. You just inferred it based on his characteristics and the information revealed in his usual words. But is this true?" Liu Bei saw that the situation was not good, so he interjected.
He said: "Obviously he doesn't want to deceive you, but due to family requirements, he can't take the initiative to say it clearly."
"Ha, that's right... I always thought his family was a horse dealer from Youzhou." Zhang Shiping smiled and shook his head.
"Well..." Liu Bei felt the warmth gushing out: "After Brother Zhang returned, he asked straight to the point. I can guarantee that he will tell you everything. At most, he will answer 'can't say' on some questions."
"I can't repay you for your great kindness. It's just that the materials here are simple. When I return to Luoyang, I will definitely build a handy weapon for each of you." Zhang Shiping picked up the wine cup and said: "I'll do it first as a courtesy!"
"
————
The next day, Zhang Shiping packed up his secluded place, loaded the tools and other items he usually used on a flat carriage, and returned to Luoyang with Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan.
Because the white horse captured by Gongsun Zan was so good that it put the pack horses to shame, the speed dropped a lot. However, after estimation, it was still possible to return to Luoyang before dark.
"Brother Bogui, I guess you should know very well that the white horse is the entrustment and request." Liu Bei looked at Gongsun Zan's love for the horse and finally said.
"That's not the case!" Gongsun Zan turned around and said proudly: "The mission commission said 'A strong white horse was found in the northwest of Luoyang, please try to capture it with the rangers', not 'My white horse is lost, please capture it with the rangers', so this is nonsense.
The Lord’s thing—no, it’s mine!”
"Well...then how are you going to reply to the shopkeeper?" Liu Bei looked at Gongsun Zan who obviously would not give up the horse, and shook his head repeatedly.
"Of course I will show it directly to the shopkeeper," Gongsun Zan stroked the white horse's smooth mane: "I will tell him that this kind of good horse is worth at least one hundred thousand yuan. His commission amount of only two thousand yuan is an error in valuation. If the commission is
If the person refused to pay more, I would give him a "fine for failure of the mission" of 1,000 yuan and take the horse away."
In order to prevent rangers who are overestimating their capabilities from accepting tasks indiscriminately or failing to perform them, most tasks have execution deadlines and failure penalties, which are determined by the restaurant owner at his own discretion.
"In this case, the shopkeeper will be fine, but the client will definitely be very dissatisfied..." Liu Bei frowned, but he couldn't think of any way to get the best of both worlds.
"I'm not a 'good boy' like you Xuande, so I'll get annoyed when he annoys me," Gongsun Zan said teasingly: "And look at the rewards he added, a copy of "The Biography of Lienu", if that's the case
I don’t believe that the client is not trying to please Cai Zhenji.”
"The Biography of Lieutenants" was written by Liu Xiang of the former Han Dynasty. It describes the famous women recorded since the Xia and Shang Dynasties, some of them were enchanting concubines, some were beauties, or some were extremely talented women. They used their true qualities to please the talented woman Cai Yong.
My daughter is indeed a perfect fit.
"However, I seem to have heard that she is very close to the two legitimate sons of the Cao family and the Yuan family?" After all, the teacher Lu Zhi and Cai Yong are familiar with each other, so it is natural for them to occasionally leak out some relevant trivial matters.
"Cao Mengde is still a figure," Gongsun Zan responded: "When Shi Changshi was at the height of his power, he dared to beat up Jian Shuo's uncle. What's even better is that he did it in the name of Zhang Rang. As a result,
This caused an internal dispute among the ten permanent servants, and it was not until recently that the result came out, and he was given a painless punishment of being transferred to another place to serve as a county magistrate."
"If he wants to reduce the authority of the ten permanent servants, this approach is inappropriate," Liu Bei frowned and said, "It's fun to be happy, but it can easily bring trouble to friends and family."
"It's not clear whether Cao Cao caused trouble, but Cao Cao's friends, Yuan Shao and Yuan Benchu, were originally supposed to be officials in the capital nearby, but when they heard that Cao Cao was transferred to another place to be a county magistrate, they clamored to follow him life and death. It is said that the three sons of the Yuan family were angry.
Green." After a pause, Gongsun Zan said with a smile: "Although there are rumors that he is as stupid as a monkey, at least he is a affectionate and righteous monkey."
"Hmm...after hearing that Cao Cao was Cao Shen, the prime minister of the Western Han Dynasty, could he also be interested in this?" Liu Bei thought.
"I don't know if he has ambitions, but everyone in Luoyang knows that his father Cao Song's original name was Xiahou Song, and he was adopted from the Xiahou family to Cao Teng. Therefore, even if Cao Teng is a descendant of Cao Shen, he is not the same as Cao Teng.
Song has nothing to do with Cao Cao."
"Brother Bogui is really knowledgeable."
"If you communicate with the officials and officials in Luoyang as much as my brother does, you will also learn about such trivial matters."
"No, I just listen to Brother Bogui."
"Haha——" Zhang Shiping, who was driving the car, could not participate in this kind of comments between aristocratic families, so he could only keep smiling.
————
"Hey, talk about Cao Cao, Cao Cao is here."
When Luoyang City was already in sight, a large number of chariots appeared on the official road extending from the city gate. Judging from the specifications, they were about the level of the Three Gongs and Nine Ministers, plus the words "Cao" and "Yuan"
"Big banner, Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan, who were discussing with Cai Wan, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu and others along the way, could naturally guess that the owner of the motorcade was probably Cao Cao who was demoted to another place.
"Brother Zhang, please drive the carriage away from the road, preferably further away." Liu Bei said to the blacksmith.
"Of course, although this cart is old, I don't want to replace it yet." Zhang Shiping drove the packhorse pulling the cart away from the official road.
The specifications of the official road in the Han Dynasty followed the Qin system, and it was roughly fifty feet (12 meters) wide. It was the main thoroughfare connecting major cities. In the middle was a "post road" for two carriages to run parallel, and on both sides were pedestrians.
Although the "chidao" in the middle is not allowed to be used by the common people, if you are hit by an official's car or a messenger there, you will have to consider yourself unlucky.
"I say Xuande, you should not 'do good deeds' at this time," Gongsun Zan frowned as he looked at the surroundings while taking a break away from the official road and waiting for Cao and Yuan's convoy to pass.
As the people were waiting for the motorcade to pass, many people gathered on the roadside, and there were many disputes, fights, crying and other incidents.
"What kind of person does Brother Bogui think of me?" Liu Bei glanced at the people from different places: "Disputes caused by collisions, children crying for unknown reasons, fights caused by being brave and fierce, sighing because of poverty,
Even ten thousand Liu Xuande cannot handle this situation."
"Hmm... So what is your standard for helping people? Issue a commission in a restaurant?" Gongsun Zan asked.
"You can say that," Liu Bei nodded: "But specifically, they must be 'seeking help' rather than 'waiting for charity'."
"I see, I'm just saying, Xuande, you always like to do good deeds, but I've never seen you give even a single penny to the beggars in Luoyang." Gongsun Zan suddenly realized.
"Doing good deeds with a bottom line is 'benevolence and righteousness', while doing good deeds without a bottom line is 'self-satisfaction' and will not lead to any good results." Liu Bei said slowly: "I am willing to hold the hands extended by those who ask for help.
But it will only be held once."
In fact, when he first arrived in Luoyang, before Brother Bo Gui knew about it, he once tried to give alms to beggars, Liu Bei thought, but he only received "so rich that I didn't give much."
"It's natural for him to have some money" and "They must be doing it for a good reputation, these young men" are full of malicious feedback, full of jealousy, hatred, and indifference, negative emotional feedback.
Of course, this kind of malice was isolated by the wooden statue of Bodhisattva, and it gave him some warmth as if it were comforting. However, Liu Bei did not feel comforted at all at that time, and even almost cried when his nose became sore.
"Hey, Xuande, look, there is a woman holding a child there. The child seems to have chickenpox." Gongsun Zan seemed to notice that the topic was a bit serious. He looked around and tried to change the subject: "Is helping them a good deed?"
Liu Bei followed the sound and saw a middle-aged woman wearing coarse clothes and holding a three or four-year-old child in her arms. She was trying to approach some pedestrians, but she was always driven away as if facing a formidable enemy.
When they turned around, they could vaguely see red spots on the faces of the child and the woman.
"Well..." "With all due respect, Mr. Liu Xiaolang," Liu Bei was about to say something, but was interrupted by Zhang Shiping: "If it is really chickenpox, you'd better not get close, even though you are very powerful and knowledgeable.
, but judging from the appearance, he must be underage, and chickenpox is most likely to affect an adult like you."
"Forget what I just said, Xuande," Gongsun Zan also reacted: "If you contract such an easily contagious disease, not only will you not be able to continue to study with your teacher, I'm afraid you will be kicked out of Luoyang - that woman's
My husband should be nearby, but he doesn’t want to come close.”
"Then, how about we just ask the doctor to diagnose and treat her without getting close to her?" Liu Bei looked at the woman who was driven away again and stood there in a daze, feeling a little unbearable.
"That's okay, when we return to Luoyang -" Gongsun Zan was obviously relieved.
Tap tap tap - Gululu - "Make way, give way -"
At this time, the carriages of the Cao family and the Yuan family passed by the road, and the horses' hooves, wheels, and shouts completely drowned out Gongsun Zan's words.
In the chaos, Liu Bei saw a young woman wearing a luxurious black dress and a pure white hooded cloak, holding a satin folding fan in her left hand and a strange-shaped long staff in her right hand, walking towards the middle-aged woman who was suspected of being infected with chickenpox.
Before Liu Bei could look at it for a while, pink petals fell from the young woman's body, and the next moment she disappeared together with the woman holding the child.
Merlin? No, that is the "Bodhisattva" that my father mentioned many times!
