It is said that Zhu Tong and Liu Shu were attending a banquet at Chunfeng Pavilion, the largest brothel in Chang'an City. Because there was a drinking order at the banquet, Liu Shu was not good at writing, so he invited a poetic prostitute named Meimei to help him. Zhu Tong smiled and said: "My brother-in-law is a military general.
He is best at arranging troops, marching and fighting, but he is less good at poetry."
Girl Mei said: "Su Zizhan said, if you don't do one thing, you won't be expert, and if you don't be expert, you won't be able to do it. People like Zhang Daguan must be extraordinary and can achieve great things."
Everyone said: "We are all common people."
Miss Mei smiled and said, "I made a mistake and I punished myself with a glass of wine." Then she poured herself a glass of wine and drank it. All the guests and fans clapped their hands and laughed in a noisy manner. Liu Shu originally didn't want her to help him, but he just punished her with a glass of wine. But instead
Before he could speak, everyone had raised their eyebrows and the girl sat next to him. Thinking that she was no longer the young master of the Lu Kingdom, she could only endure it.
The host made a speechless poem, held the wine glass and said seriously: "You can only recite the sentences of the ancients, and you are not allowed to compose poems to pretend to be the sentences of the ancients." Everyone laughed.
Someone explained to Zhu Tong in a low voice. It turned out that there was a time when Miss Mei and others were giving orders, and now she wrote a few poems that were said to be poems by people in the Yuan Dynasty. All the Confucian scholars in the room thought they were the poems they had read, and no one became suspicious. Zhu Tong
He praised: "It's so urgent! It's very rare."
Everyone started to carry out the order. With Miss Mei's help, Liu Shu only drank a cup at a time. There was a noisy atmosphere for a while, and everyone in the house was half drunk. By chance, the drinking order came to Liu Shu's place.
Girl Mei picked off a pile of plum blossoms on her head and said, "There are three hundred plum blossom trees outside the door."
Zhu Tong said: "I have never heard of it. When was this done by the ancients?"
Girl Mei said: "It was written by people of the Yuan Dynasty." Everyone in the house laughed. Girl Mei could not hold back her laughter, "It is really written by people of the Yuan Dynasty. This is the last line of "Sending Uncle Lin to the Dajia Pavilion to Beijing" by Zhuo Shishannong."
Then he read out the poem. Everyone laughed again.
During the banquet, a gentleman praised: "Wang Yuanzhang has three unique skills in poetry, painting and engraving. It is really rare to monopolize the popularity of a single day." He also read, "'I seek talents from all over the country and make tools, and I know that you will quickly show your skills.' Today, the prince
I am also looking for talents, and Brother Zhu will surely reach great heights soon."
Zhu Tong was a little tipsy and said unsteadily: "I only study to cultivate my character, I don't want to become an official."
The host said: "Brother Zhu Xian is so talented that he is so talented in the world, why don't you want to become an official?"
Zhu Tong waved his hands and said: "Even if you become an official, you are not in the Qin State." Then he waved his fingers and said, "The Qin State is different from the Lu State."
Mr. Caina immediately asked: "What's the difference?"
Zhu Tong half-opened his eyes and said: "But King Qin is very sincere. I am really helpless. Let him go to Huizi Street by himself tomorrow..."
Liu Shu drank less. He walked around Miss Mei and patted Zhu Tong's shoulder twice: "Okay, okay, last night I just promised my sister An Ansheng to cut flowers and make tea. Don't drink so much if you don't have the capacity to drink."
"Bring him hangover soup."
The gentleman looked at Liu Shu and said, "A real man should put his career first..."
Before he finished speaking, Liu Shu coldly said: "A man has the final say on what he should take seriously. There is no need for others to make noises."
The others and fans immediately interrupted. Miss Mei said: "Guan Liu is right. Let's go our separate ways. We only see people being crowned marquises and worshiping prime ministers. Maybe they are walking on thin ice. Besides, do men have to be real men?"
"
Liu Shu vaguely sensed that there was something wrong with what the woman said. Before he could understand it, a fan laughed and said, "If a man is not a man, how can he still be a little wife?" Everyone laughed. The host stood up and called for more dishes to be served.
Wine distracted the matter.
The back seat was replaced by Fei Hua Ling, which was more lively than before. This girl was very talented in poetry and had never lost. Therefore, most of the people at the table were drunk, and Liu Shu was the only one who was sober. Zhu Tong was already drunk and had no idea. After the banquet was over,
Liu Shu grabbed the back of Zhu Tong's clothes with one hand and carried them away with a bit of disgust. The old bustard Fentou and others escorted them out of the gate of Chunfeng Pavilion. The girl Mei stood tall and praised softly for a long time: "The one named Liu
The officer has such great strength." The old bustard glanced at her.
In the afternoon of the next day, Liu Shu was teaching his two nephews to practice martial arts. The disciple came in and said, "Someone is looking for Mr. Tong and Mr. Liu." He handed over a name card. Zhu Tong took it in his hand, and Liu Shu looked at it.
It reads: Chenyang Qiu Xingzheng, I would like to pay my respects to Mr. Zhu Tong.
Zhu Tong said: "The person who sang with Miss Mei yesterday was Qiu Xingzheng."
Liu Shu thought for a moment: "He is quite tall. There are few of you scholars who are taller than me. He is taller than me."
"Not bad." Zhu Tong looked at the top of Liu Shu's head, "It's half a head taller than you."
"Who is this?"
"I don't know." Zhu Tong called a boy next to him, "Go and ask Mr. Nan who is Qiu Xing." He then told the disciple, "I said I got up late from nap today, and I haven't woken up yet when you replied. Grandma
I heard that someone asked Fang to wake me up and I need to rectify my situation. Please ask him first..." He paused.
Liu Jing walked out of the room: "Uncle is at the Yamen right now."
Zhu Tong nodded: "Ask him to wait in the outer study for a while." Menzi accepted the order and left.
After a while, the boy came back and said: "Second Master Nan said that Qiu Xing came to Chang'an at the end of the year before last. He said that he was a descendant of the Qiu family in Shengzhou and came to Qin to seek a future. Because there were too many people named Qiu in Shengzhou, Nan
The second master didn't have time to verify it. However, this person is thoughtful, not outstanding in literary talent, has many talents, and is well versed in power. Now he has no real job, so he is a guest under the second master Yu. He is said to be a guest, but Yu
The second master listens to him in everything."
Liu Shu blurted out: "There is something wrong with this person!"
Zhu Tong looked at him with a smile and said, "What's the problem?"
Liu Shu thought for a moment: "Everyone rushes home to celebrate the New Year at the end of the year, but he actually rushed to Chang'an at the end of the year. Isn't that right?"
Zhu Tong said: "Maybe he had a falling out with his family?"
Liu Shu was stunned for a moment and then thought for a while: "Shengzhou is in Yue State, why doesn't he go to Yue State to seek an official position? He came to Qin State just to be a guest for his uncle."
Zhu Tong said: "Zhen Zangzhu, the protector of the Yue Kingdom, came from a rough background and did not think highly of scholars. Confucian scholars have no advantage in seeking official positions in the Yue Kingdom. This section makes sense. What else can I think of?"
Liu Shu was originally a martial artist. When he was in the capital a while ago, Jia Cong analyzed to him why Zhu Tong was a meticulous worker, and then he started to think about these things. Then he glared and said, "No more."
Zhu Tong said: "My cousin Zhu Nan is not a person who likes to praise people. Listen to these words: eldest brother is thoughtful, talented, and knowledgeable in power. Only a ghost can believe that he has never been an official! He is clearly a confidant of the uncle.
, but he carries the sign of "Qing Ke", and outsiders still think he is a liar who just works for a living. Brother, this person is much more thief than I was back then."
Liu Shu rolled his eyes: "You scholars are all liars! So you say he was sent by Yue?"
"no."
"How do you know it's not!"
"Because Zhen Zangzhu didn't tell me that he sent such a person here."
Liu Shu was stunned for a long time, and suddenly shouted: "Could it be that Zhen Zangzhu is one of yours too?"
Zhu Tong opened the folding fan and shook it twice: "It's 'we'. We are all in the same group."
Liu Shu hummed, "It's such a cold day that I can fan myself, and I won't be afraid of the cold!" He turned back to look for his nephew, but the two children had already gone to play somewhere. Zhu Tong had already changed into the clothes for visiting guests, and went to the study room outside.
.
It took more than half an hour for Zhu Tong to come back. This Qiu Xingzheng came to persuade Zhu Tong to become an official on behalf of Mr. Yu Er. By the way, he wanted to test what he meant by "letting him go to Huizi Street by himself" yesterday. Zhu Tong naturally refused.
After being persuaded, he didn't remember what he said about shopping. Qiu Xingzheng spent a long time talking and left without finding anything. But Zhu Tong didn't guess what he was here for.
Liu Shu suddenly remembered the proud look on Miss Mei's face when he saw her for the first time last night, and told Zhu Tong. "I thought she looked down on me for being rude, and it didn't seem right."
Zhu Tong asked carefully about what happened and thought: "I have also checked the origin of this woman, but nothing is true. She heard that there was someone who was not good at poetry. She looked at everyone at the table and judged that it was you. This section is nothing.
Problem. Because only the eldest brother in the room was a military commander, and everyone else was either a Confucian scholar or a playboy who had studied in school. In this case, she was not proud of her eldest brother because he was not good at writing, but for other reasons. It was just that she had not recognized him for the first time in Chang'an.
You are right."
Liu Shudao: "I don't recognize her either!"
"It's hard to say," Zhu Tong said, "There are always people who recognize you, but you don't."
Liu Jing walked out of the back room, and Zhu Tong recounted the story of the meeting with Qiu Xingzheng just now. After hearing this, Liu Jing frowned and said, "Have you been talking about such a thing for most of an hour?"
"That's right!" Zhu Tong said, "There's not even a new word in this rip-off."
Liu Jingdao: "Isn't he here to waste time?"
Zhu Tong and Liu Shu looked at each other and said: "He is here on orders! There was no shortage of King Qin's people in Chunfeng Pavilion last night, so Mr. Yu Er sent him to inquire about 'shopping'. This person didn't want to persuade me to go out. I wasted most of my time.
I'll go back in an hour so I can fool my boss."
Liu Jingdao: "Didn't Brother Nan say that he has real talents? He definitely wants Master Yu to recommend him as an official. It would be better if you don't come out."
Liu Shu said: "If that's the case, why doesn't he go to the King of Qin and recommend himself?"
Zhu Tong said: "How can it be so easy to meet King Qin?"
"Didn't Liu Feng meet King Qin by chance?"
Zhu Tong smiled and said: "You also know that it is an accidental encounter. How many people have to spend so much energy to meet by chance!" Liu Shu suddenly remembered that he had met Jia Cong, Zhu Tong and others by chance, and rolled his eyes.
Liu Jing thought: "In that case, the officials should leave early. Qiu Xing arrived in Chang'an at the end of the year before last. In the autumn of the previous year, Zhao announced that it would join the federation of Yan and Malay. Malay is a foreign country, so for the time being,
Not to mention; the Federation of Yan and Zhao, Zhao is weak and Yan is strong. It seems that the Zhao State is looking for a backer, and anyone with a discerning eye can see that the Yan State is preparing to expand. The world has been divided for more than ten years, and before, the large vassal states were broken into small pieces; the Federation is
The small pieces merged. The King of Qin was young, and there were only a dozen phoenixes, dragons, and grandsons left in the Qin State, and they were even younger. An ambitious prince would inevitably have ideas about the Qin State. This Qiu Xingzheng must have been sent by another country. Let’s start with Master Yu.
Let's do it. Right now, the King of Qin is anxious because he can't find out why the taxes have been reduced. If you ask more questions, maybe the one named Qiu will get there first."
Zhu Tong nodded and said, "That's what Madam said. Now that you're dressed like this -" He lowered his head to see that his clothes were still decent, "I'm leaving."
Liu Shu was stunned: "Where are you going?"
"Prefect's Yamen."
Zhu Tong immediately called someone to pull his horse and went straight to the prefect's Yamen. Zhu Wei was busy with official duties. When he heard that his nephew was coming, he ordered him to come in. Zhu Tong came in and saluted his uncle. All the officials and minor officials recognized Zhu Tong and came forward to greet him. Seeing him, Zhu Wei stroked his beard and asked, "What are you doing here at the Yamen now?"
Zhu Tong said: "My nephew wants to understand something, so I came here to ask my uncle to recommend my nephew to be an official."
Zhu Wei was startled: "You want to be an official?"
"Yes." Zhu Tong said, "Please ask my uncle to ask the prince for an official position on my nephew's behalf."
Zhu Wei frowned slightly: "Didn't you say you want to have a good life and study?"
Zhu Tong glanced at the officials from the corner of his eyes, and saw that they all pricked up their ears, and said loudly: "My nephew has figured it out. Hiding under the protection of his uncle seems to be comfortable and worry-free, but in fact it is full of dangers. Home is the country, The country is the family. If the country is not good, the family will not be good either. No one can live alone."
Seeing that he was speaking solemnly, Zhu Wei also said seriously: "There are dangers everywhere? What kind of crisis?"
Zhu Tong shook his head: "My nephew doesn't know. However, my nephew has just suffered a huge defeat. The territory that General Liu has worked hard for more than ten years allows outsiders to leave easily. Theoretically speaking, even if the prince wants to use his nephew, he should wait for two or three years." , wait until the nephew calms down. But the nephew has just returned to Chang'an, and the prince has sent many people to persuade him. All the nephew's classmates and friends who are still in Chang'an have come here. As the saying goes, the people have The king and his ministers are in danger of being overthrown. I am afraid that the Qin State will encounter something difficult. After all, my uncle and nephew are from the Qin State. Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the country, and the nephew cannot sit idly by. But I have to do my best, Fang is worthy of treating his hometown elders."
Zhu Tong spoke so generously and confidently that the officials who listened in on the matter applauded unconsciously: "Xianggong Zhu said it well!"
Zhu Wei nodded and said: "If you have such knowledge, it is not in vain that you have practiced outside. In this case, I will write a letter to ask for an official on your behalf."
Zhu Tong bowed to the ground: "Thank you uncle."
Zhu Wei then immediately spread out the paper, and Zhu Tong personally polished the ink for him. Not long after, Zhu Wei wrote a recommendation note eloquently. He dried it, folded it, and ordered it to be sent to the Prince of Qin's palace immediately.
King Xiao Qin was also working at the moment, and the papers on his desk were piled up. Hearing that Zhu Wei had important papers coming up, he said tiredly: "Bring it here." After opening it, he rubbed his eyes and said, "Zhu Wei is asking for an official position on Zhu Tong's behalf." ?!"
The person who came to deliver the book was Zhu Wei's confidant, a literary official, who smiled and said, "Exactly."
"Didn't Zhu Tong say something about cutting flowers and making tea?"
The literary official then recounted in detail what Zhu Tong had just said in the prefect's Yamen. "Official Zhu is currently in our Lord's Yamen asking for advice on the affairs of the Qin Dynasty."
King Qin clapped his hands and laughed: "Okay! This Zhu Tong is really good. No wonder he can support the Lu State with his own strength." He thought for a while and ordered someone to bring him some inconspicuous clothes.
One of the eunuchs guessed that he was going out and quickly said: "Your Majesty, please bring more guards."
King Qin waved his hand and said, "It's not good to bring too many. Besides... the lonely king might go shopping with Zhu Tong on the streets." The guards and the accompanying eunuchs all pretended to be ordinary servants of wealthy families.
Not long after, the King of Qin led his people out of the mansion incognito through the back door, jumped on their horses and went to the prefect's Yamen.