Kong Wang, a descendant of the Kong family in Kuaiji, proposed marriage to Lu Weirui in October of the fourth year of Shengping and was approved by Lu Shi, the head of the Lu family. However, because Lu Weirui was determined not to marry, and the Jiankang scholars criticized Kong Wang a lot, Kong Wang resigned from the engagement in shame and returned home.
Kuaiji, the Kong family is quite ashamed——
The Kong family in Kuaiji is the first-class wealthy family in Jiangdong after Lu, Gu, Yu, and He. Kong Wang's great-grandfather Kong Zhu was the prefect of Yuzhang in Soochow, his grandfather Kong Tian was the prefect of Xiangdong, his uncle Kong Xiang was the official of Da Sinong, and his father
Kong Yu was a minister, Pu She. The Kong family had high-ranking officials and dignitaries from generation to generation. They were no less generous than the Lu family in Wu County. However, after Kong Yu’s death twenty years ago, the Kong family in Kuaiji declined slightly. However, Kong Wang was praised as able to revitalize people.
The outstanding member of the younger generation of the Kong family who started a family, is studious, ambitious, and elegant in appearance. If Lu Weirui had not already met Chen Caozhi, then the marriage between the Lu family and the Kong family would be happy, and Lu Weirui would not be unhappy, but in the world
Marriage is so unreasonable. Lu Weirui has already met and fallen in love with Chen Caozhi, so no matter how outstanding Kong Wang is, he is still detestable in Lu Weirui's eyes. If he insists on entering into a marriage, there will only be endless pain.
However, out of family honor, the Kong family in Kuaiji did not want to give up. Now the Kong family has no high-ranking officials in the court. If Kong Wang married Lu Na's daughter, it would be very helpful to his career. Moreover, Lu Shi admired Kong Wang very much and refused
The marriage was not the intention of the Lu family, it was just that Lu Weirui was young and ignorant.
During the Jin Dynasty, the land of Jiangzuo still retained the customs of the ancient Dongyi people. The folk customs were fresh and simple, and they were quite open to the love affairs between men and women. Although the Kong family was a rich family with heirlooms of poetry and etiquette, Lu Weirui and Chen Caozhi did not elope and have an affair, so
The Kong family did not despise Lu Weirui because of this. When they learned that Chen Caozhi would enter Jiankang at the beginning of the first year of Longhe, the elders of the Kong family ordered Kong Wang to come to Beijing at the same time, hoping that Kong Wang would respect his family background and give him the upper hand in character, talent and learning.
Chen Caozhi pales in comparison. It would be Kong's glory to marry a Lu girl, and Kong Wang would also become famous in one fell swoop.
Among the four surnames in Kuaiji, there is one family that is very grudge against the Lu family, and that is the He family. He Zhu, the son of He Xi, the prefect of Linhai, was refused marriage by Lu Na because he was a slave. He was very unfair. He and Kong Wang were in the same boat.
He Zhu's wife was a girl from the Yu family in the county. Because he wanted to go to the capital to find a job, he went to the capital with Kong Wang. He Zhu made good friends with Lu Qin, the son of Lu Shi. When he arrived in Jiankang, he invited Lu Qin to have a banquet with him. Lu Qin was angry with Chen Caozhi.
, there were many slanderous words, and He Zhu echoed them. However, Kong Wang had never met Chen Caozhi, and after hearing Lu Qin, He Zhu said so, he regarded Chen Caozhi as a frivolous and shameless person who was seeking fame and reputation, and was determined to kill him.
Show off your talent and learn to humiliate Chen Caozhi——
Lu Qin naturally knew that Chen Caozhi was coming to Jiankang today, so he made an appointment with Kong Wang and He Zhu early in the morning, and went to Qingxi Gate with a few servants to see how Chen Caozhi was doing after not seeing each other for three years.
What he saw was the frantic scene of Jiankang people blocking the streets to see Chen Caozhi.
He Zhu was jealous and resentful. When he and Kong Wang entered Jiankang, it was deserted and calm. How could there be such a grand occasion that moved the city? He laughed angrily and said to Lu Qin, Kong and Wang: "Zi Yu, De
Ze, there have been many ignorant people in Jiankang City since the people from the north migrated to the south. It’s really ridiculous that a kid from a poor family would be so crazy about entering the city!"
Lu Qin also shook his head and said: "It's ridiculous, it's ridiculous! What kind of thing is Chen Caozhi resurrecting Wei Jie? Wei Shubao has the beauty of Han Xiu, and Chen Caozhi used to run around Xiaojing Lake like a farmer, how can he compare to Wei Jie?"
Shubao has one finger!"
He Zhu laughed and said: "If Chen Caozhi is killed on sight, then I will admit that he is Jiangzuo Weijie, haha!"
Kong Wang did not smile. He stared closely at Chen Caozhi who was standing on the high-covered carriage. In terms of appearance and wind, this Chen Caozhi had a tall figure and beautiful features. He was the most outstanding handsome man Kong Wang had ever seen. Wang's appearance is also elegant, but now looking at Chen Caozhi, he feels inferior and regrets in his heart: "Such a beautiful man has such a bad conduct. The Lu girl will miss her life by marrying him!"
Lu Qin and He Zhu saw slim and pretty women throwing sachets and flowers at Chen Caozhi and following the carriage along the way. Lu and He were both jealous and filled with jealousy. ——
Lu Qin said: "Chen Caozhi is too arrogant. How can we give him some setbacks, otherwise he really thinks Hecheng treats him as a treasure."
He Zhushen felt the same and asked: "How to defeat him? He is the bodyguard of King Kuaiji?"
Land Bird looked around and saw two peasant women on the side of the road, each carrying a basket of chickens for sale. At this time, they all stood on tiptoe and waited eagerly. He smiled and said: "Since there are those who scatter flowers and give sachets, there are also those who are indispensable." Here are the chickens." He whispered a few instructions to the boy next to him.
The boy from the Lu family bowed to accept the order, crowded around the two peasant women and said, "I bought all these two baskets of chickens."
The two peasant women, who were sisters-in-law, were overjoyed when they heard this. They were worried that it would be too heavy to carry them to see Chen Caozhi, so they quickly said: "It's good to know. If we buy them all at once, it will be cheaper. These two There are one hundred and sixty-three chickens in the basket, three to the penny——"
Seeing Chen Caozhi's carriage approaching, the boy from the Lu family said anxiously: "I'll give you two baskets of chickens. Here, here's the money -"
The two peasant women took the money and looked at each other, surprised and happy, but then they heard this generous and kindhearted man continue: "Wait until the carriage comes, you two just throw the chicken into his carriage."
"Ah!" The two peasant women were stunned.
There was an old woman nearby who heard this. This old woman had long heard about Chen Cao’s affairs and was a filial mother. Now she saw Chen Cao Zhi so handsome and looked happy. When she heard that someone was about to throw a chicken at Chen Cao Zhi, she was immediately annoyed. He quickly grabbed a chicken and threw it over. It hit the Lu family boy's forehead with a "click" sound. The egg white and yolk immediately flowed all over his face. Before he could recover, two more chickens flew towards him. But it was the two peasant women who threw it away. The boy was so frightened that he turned around and ran away. He returned to the land bird, wiped the sticky egg white on his face and said sadly: "Mr. Liu Lang——"
Lu Qiao pulled away and left. He Zhu and Kong Wang also hurriedly retreated. The boy looked back and saw, wow, the chickens were coming like hail, so he quickly ran away with his head in his hands.
The two peasant women looked at the remaining half basket of chickens and the heavy amount of money, and felt very happy. When they raised their heads, they saw that Chen Caozhi's carriage had already passed by, and they quickly caught up to see -
Naturally, Chen Caozhi would not know about this. He arrived at Da Situ's Mansion without incident, and there was already a thick layer of flowers, leaves and sachets at his feet.
King Sima Yu of Kuaiji entered the Taiji Hall in Taicheng to meet Emperor Sima Pi and then returned to Situ's Mansion. He was unhappy all the way. The emperor only loved the method of longevity, fasting, taking elixirs, and ignored the government. At present, Murong Wei, the Lord of Yan, was working hard to govern, and King Qin Fu Jian used Wang Meng as his auxiliary general, and both of them became increasingly powerful. However, Xie Wan and Fan Wang failed in their Northern Expeditions many times, and Huaibei had basically given up. Jin Zuo was worried!
At this time, Sima Yu saw the grand scene of thousands of people vying to see Chen Caozhi. He couldn't help twirling his beard and laughing. All his worries seemed to be swept away. He came over to meet Chen Caozhi and invited Chen Caozhi and Gu Kaizhi to join him.
Situ Mansion went to the banquet.
Chen Caozhi secretly looked at Sima Yu, King of Kuaiji, the great uncle of the current emperor. Sima Yu, whose courtesy name was Daowan, was already forty years old. His eyebrows were thin and his eyes were bright, his appearance was clear and elegant, and his appearance was very good. When Guo Pu saw Shang, he was
Sima Yu, a young boy, once commented: "He must be the one who promotes the advancement of Jin and Zuo." Sima Yu was a pure man with few desires, especially good at abstruse words. His actions were careful and his utensils and uniforms were simple. He was respected by people at the time.
Of course Chen Caozhi knew more than others. He knew that Sima Yu was the later Emperor Jian Wen. There are many anecdotes about Emperor Jian Wen in Shishuo Xinyu, one of which was still deeply remembered by Chen Cao Zhi.
In his early years, when Yu was a secretary and prisoner, and when he was a general of the Fu army, he sat in bed covered in dust and refused to be cleaned, saying that the paw prints of rats crawling over them were very beautiful——
Sima Yu also looked at Chen Caozhi with a smile. This young man he wanted to summon three years ago is now a mature man. He is handsome and elegant, and his behavior is calm and unhurried. His appearance alone is worthy of the name Jiangzuo Weijie. As for his talent and learning,
, you will know later.
The luncheon at Da Situ Mansion was very simple, with light dishes. Sima Yu personally accompanied it, and there were no other guests. It was quite deserted. It was very different from the rumored grand occasion of Situ Mansion where the guests were full of guests.
After lunch, Sima Yu invited Chen Caozhi, Gu Kaizhi and others to sit and talk in his teahouse. Sima Yu's teahouse was an independent courtyard. There were bamboos planted inside and outside the walls. This kind of bamboo is light red in color and reflects the sunlight.
The style is quite beautiful.
In the square room of Guangtang, Sima Yu was sitting on the bed. He didn't know when he had a squid tail in his hand. He ordered the waiter to make tea and said: "Zi Chong has come a long way to work hard. I don't know when I will be able to respond to the invitation of the great Zhongzheng of the Eighteen States."
Assessment?"
Chen Caozhi bowed and said, "Cao Zhi will call you at any time."
Sima Yu nodded and said: "There are currently eight great Zhongzhengs from the Eighteen States in the capital. This evaluation does not need to be so solemn. When the time comes, I will invite these great Zhongzhengs from the eight states, as well as celebrities from the Xuantan Forum in Beijing to gather at Situ
"My government, the exam will be to analyze the teachings of Lao and Zhuang, but this will have to wait until after the 16th of this month, because the 16th is the day when the little girl will return home, so the assessment will be scheduled for the afternoon of the 18th."
Chen Caozhi didn't know about Sima Yu's marriage to his daughter, so he hurriedly said: "Congratulations to the King of Kuaiji, Cao Zhi wants to ask for a glass of wedding wine."
At this time, the right attendant of the palace came to report that Huan Ji, the Duke of Linhe County, had entered the city. Sima Yu asked Hao Ji, the chief official of the palace, to accompany Chen Caozhi, and he and the palace chief went to greet Huan Ji.
Chen Caozhi asked Hao Ji, the chief official of the Book of Dian, "Hao Cheng, is this Huan Ji the son of Sima Huan?"
Hao Ji nodded and said: "Yes, Mr. Huanxian is the second son of Sima Huan. He was engaged to the princess of Xin'an County, the eldest daughter of King Kuaiji, last year. The wedding date is the 16th of this month. Today is the 12th. Mr. Huanxian
He arrived."
Chen Caozhi said to Chen Shang: "Third brother, we have to prepare a gift quickly."
Chen Shangdao: "Brothers will handle this matter personally, so my sixteenth brother doesn't have to worry about it."
After sitting for a while, Chen Caozhi and others left. The Situ Mansion was busy with the wedding of the princess of Xin'an County, so they didn't bother them. They asked Hao Cheng to pay tribute to the King of Kuaiji on his behalf, and there were also nine volumes of "Lun Xuan of Ming Sheng Lake".
"New Interpretations of the Analects of Confucius", "New Meanings of Laozi", and "Treatise on Phonology" were all forwarded to the King of Kuaiji.
Dian Shu Cheng Hao Ji sent Chen Caozhi and others out of the Yayan Teahouse. As soon as they walked to the crimson bamboo bamboo, they heard a woman's voice asking: "Is Jiangzuo Weijie and Chen Caozhi here? I want to see it."
he--"
This woman's voice is crisp and her tone is fast, as smooth as cutting a carrot with a sharp knife.
