In the green wilderness, the calm breeze blows on your face, making people feel a pleasant tremor in their hearts.
Zheng Pu and his party set out for Chengdu with only five people and a cramped deer cart.
The reason why we only took three guards during the long journey was because the law enforcement of "Sichuan Branch" was strict. It is an exaggeration to say that people in Shu are not picking up lost items along the way, but it is true that thieves and bandits have disappeared.
The deer cart was specially prepared for little Zheng Yan.
If she hadn't been too young to walk, Zheng Pu would have even planned to go to Chengdu on foot.
It's not that he is simple and simple, but since the Battle of Hanzhong, Cao Wei has stopped the Hequ horses from flowing into the trade routes of Bashu, causing a severe shortage of horses in Shu.
The only established cavalry was the Xiliang cavalry brought into Sichuan by Hou Machao of Zhexiang.
It's just that the war horses in the army have always been castrated. In the past, Ma Chao led thousands of horses to show off his power under the Chengdu city, which shocked the city and made Liu Zhang surrender. Now there are only a thousand old and old war horses left. The tall and majestic Hequ horses have become
A guard of honor that only the emperor and his ministers are qualified to use.
If powerful people from aristocratic families want to travel by car and don't want to tire out their oxen, they can only choose Yunnan horses.
It is the Nanzhong short horse commonly known as "Dianchi Horse".
Since the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty has opened a trade route from Chengdu to Shendu, the "Ancient Tea Horse Road".
The short-bodied Yunnan horses, which can climb mountains and ridges as easily as they can on the flat ground, are indispensable draft animals for caravans. They are also favored by many Bashu caravans and are competing to introduce them from Nanzhong.
Zheng Pu's mother's caravan had five or six Yunnan horses.
But that was after the spring plowing was over, and the caravan route was rugged and Wenshan County was relying on profit-seeking, so it should not be wasted on the journey.
Especially, with the deer cart as a means of transportation, Zheng Pu and his party traveled at a crawling speed.
Little Zheng Yan is too young to endure the hardships of eating, drinking, and drinking dew, nor can she bear the bumps of carriages and horses.
Hey, who told him to be deceived by his younger sister?
In desperation, Zheng Pu simply regarded this trip to Chengdu as a real sightseeing tour.
Along the way, we would stop when we encountered water or hills, and we would go fishing, have picnics and enjoy the scenery with our entourage; we would also play an impromptu flute song called "Flowing Mountain Water"; we would casually supervise my little girl's studies and have a great time.
He was having fun, but Qin Mi was a little impatient with the waiting.
The reason is that I don't know who spread the news that Zheng Pu will visit the Qin Mansion, so some scholars in Chengdu repeatedly came to ask about the due date.
Yes, the name Zheng Pu has suddenly become popular in Chengdu these days.
Because Prime Minister Zhuge Liang praised him: "This boy is not as weak as a crown prince, but he has such a sharp mind. He is really a talented person from Bashu!"
The rating, I have to say, is very high.
As for how Zhuge Liang learned about Zheng Pu's name, we have to start with that weird scholar.
That famous scholar was from the Chongguo Kingdom of Brazil County, Qiao Zhou and Qiao Yunnan [Note 1].
Because he studied the Six Classics, was good at calligraphy, and was proficient in astronomy, he was recruited by Prime Minister Zhuge Liang to encourage learning [Note 2].
However, before he resigned from home and came to Chengdu to take office, he made a special trip to Guanghan County to visit the prefect, Yao Min, a fellow county official with whom he had a good friendship.
I also learned from Yao Min that Zheng Pu, who was only nineteen years old, had actually written a new calligraphy book called "The Thousand Character Classic" and could enlighten children in an entertaining and educational way.
Qiao Zhou, who was originally a Confucian, became overjoyed when he saw his hunting ambitions, so he began to hang out among children and listen to Zheng Pu's lectures.
After returning from listening, when he was chatting freely with the prefect Yao Min, relying on his familiarity with him, he joked, "I have observed that Zheng Jiazi's lectures are integrated with ancient and modern times, and allusions come out of his mouth. He is not a talent from one county!"
You didn't know how to recruit talents to the state capital, but you rushed to recruit them. Now that you are politely rejected, isn't it just a joke?"
The sharp words made Yao Nian angry.
After a while his beard trembled wildly, he shook his head and smiled bitterly.
He also personally wrote a handwritten letter to promote talents, and asked Qiao Zhou to take him to Chengdu to serve as the governor of the state.
Qiao Zhou traveled quickly. When he arrived in Chengdu, he was personally received by Prime Minister Zhuge Liang. After completing the process of conferring appointments and commendations, he presented the prefect Yao Min's handwriting and the copied "Thousand Character Essay".
Then he bowed his hands and bowed, saying a sincere greeting, "Zhou Ben is a man from the mountains and fields, but his talents are few and far between, so the Prime Minister never gave up, and he gave him the post of encouraging students to study. I should have done my best and tried my best. However, Zhou recently traveled there a few days ago.
In Guanghan, I heard that Shifang Zheng's son was teaching new calligraphy, and he was curious, so he went to take a look at it. After listening to the lecture for several days, Zhou felt that what he had learned was not as good as it was. If this son was left in the mountains and Zhou Yan came to teach, he would probably be laughed at by others.
Ear!"
As soon as he said these words, the attendants on the left and right of the governor's mansion looked at each other.
Even Prime Minister Zhuge Liang was greatly surprised after hearing this, with great interest in his eyes.
There is no one else, because Qiao Zhou's father and ancestors were both great Confucians in Shu, and their family was profound in learning; he had been diligent and studious since childhood, and had read many classics, and now he is a recognized Confucian.
Based solely on talent and learning, no one in Shu would dare to excel in excellence.
However, such a person actually makes the remarks that there are people who are more suitable for teaching and learning than themselves, and they dare not accept official positions.
Moreover, judging from his stern speech and serious expression, he does not seem to be modest and hypocritical.
It can't help but surprise people.
Zhuge Liang, who was sitting at attention in front of the desk, lowered his eyebrows and thought for a moment, then raised his hand and said comfortingly, "Yunnan, please don't say anything and sit down first. We will discuss it after I have read Yao Zixu's letter and the new calligraphy book."
Then, he took the letter from the clerk and read it.
The first thing I read was Yao Wei’s letters.
The letter is not long, only a few words are used to praise Zheng Pu's talents, and more words are used to explain Zheng Pu's background, character and the origin of the Zheng family.
Seeing that Zheng Pu was only nineteen years old, Zhuge Liang's eyes narrowed slightly.
When he saw that Zheng Pu's biological father was Zheng Du, Zhuge Liang's long eyebrows twitched slightly.
After unfolding "The Thousand Character Essay" in front of the case, I briefly looked at it, and then sipped it carefully, I fell into silence.
With his talent and learning, he could clearly understand the allusions involved in the calligraphy book without any explanation from others.
It was precisely this that made him even more surprised.
It is not easy to compile a thousand different characters into a calligraphy book with neat contrasts, smooth writing and gorgeous rhetoric!
But "The Thousand-Character Classic" is actually divided into four parts: the creation of heaven and earth, conduct in life, dynasties and pastoral life, all of which incorporate ancient and modern allusions. You can imagine his talent and learning! [Note 3]
In particular, the person who wrote the book is not even old enough.
Is this son a person born with knowledge?
Or perhaps, this calligraphy book was written by his father during his lifetime, but he died before it was published to the world, so the Zheng family's son can now be famous?
Zhuge Liang said to himself, unable to help but feel suspicious.
As he slowly rolled up the bamboo slips on which the calligraphy was written, he looked up at Qiao Zhou who was sitting down at the table, and asked slowly, "Yunnancai said that he had listened to Zheng Jiazi's lectures for several days and was greatly impressed. I wonder how he taught?"
"
"promise!"
When Qiao Zhou heard the sound, he stood up and read Zheng Pu's entertaining teachings from ancient times to modern times, one by one.
Zhuge Liang also gave up the idea that Zheng Du left the calligraphy work, and he did not hesitate to praise Zheng Pu's talent.
Being praised by the emperor for "acting like his father" from the prime minister will naturally arouse the curiosity of countless people and compete to complain.
Therefore, although Zheng Pu did not arrive in Chengdu, his reputation suddenly rose.
[Note 1: "Three Kingdoms" describes Qiao Zhou as eight feet long and simple in appearance. An excerpt from "Book of Shu" says: At the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, everyone on the left and right laughed when he saw Liang. After he came out, an official asked him to push away the laugher, Liang said: "I can't bear it alone.
What’s going on!”]
[Note 2: In the Han system, under the Si Li Xiaowei and the state governor, there were a number of people engaged in history, who were responsible for state affairs. In Shu, there was an academic officer in Yizhou, who was the academic officer of the state, and his status was slightly inferior to that of the classics officer.
.]
[Note 3: "The Thousand Character Essay" was compiled by Zhou Xingsi of the Southern Dynasty. It was written in one night, and his beard and hair were all white. 】