Three Kingdoms: I rely on system loopholes to survive

Chapter 195: Unity of thought and action
Zheng Xuan was a man who paid great attention to etiquette. On weekdays, he would dress up casually only when he was with his disciples, wearing a turban and a scarf, just like an ordinary old man.

Today, at Yuan Shu's invitation, he covered his head and wore a hat when traveling, and also changed into a robe to show respect for the inviter.

In the past, he studied ancient classics under Ma Rong, but when he annotated the classics, he did not only use the popular teaching methods and family methods, as well as the annotations of ancient classics scholars.

For him, the accuracy of theory and meaning does not lie in the school, but in whether the principles contained in these scriptures are correct and whether they can be followed in the world. Therefore, the classics he annotated are often mainly ancient texts, with some modern texts as well. Follow what is good.

However, this is after all an era when classics cannot be passed down to the outside world. Family studies and teacher studies are the mainstream sources of knowledge for clan children. As a rising star, modern classics are not tolerated by many supporters of ancient classics.

For example, at today's banquet, several celebrities claiming to be disciples of the Ma family and the Xu family had a verbal dispute with him. Although he won the argument, he had some worries in his heart.

Zheng Xuan did not agree with the school of Jinwen Jingxue that used prophecies and wei to attach to Confucian classics. Jia's school attached it to Wenzhi and often even distorted the classics. In the eyes of ancient Wenjing scholars, Jinwen Jingxue was poisonous and had no merit whatsoever. .

Most ancient scholars are not only hostile to modern scholars, but also set the goal of completely destroying this school of thought.

Such an approach seemed too radical in Zheng Xue's eyes. On the way back to Sangong Mountain, Zheng Xuan fell into deep thought again. Do modern classics and ancient classics have to fight to the death, instead of taking the essence for my own use?

His thoughts were quickly interrupted by news from his disciples.

It was the first time that Xin Pi, who followed Zheng Xuan, saw this famous Confucian master so excited that he didn't even bother to straighten the hat on his head. He left him alone and rushed towards the mountains like lightning.

Zheng Xuan was very interested in the concept of "reason" proposed by Zhong Ping, while Cai Yong was more concerned about how to implement the unity of mind and action.

"Tai Shi, Liang has clearly studied the principle of gear meshing and operation, but I don't know what it is? It is neither gold nor iron. Liang has never heard of such a delicate thing in the world."

The disciple said with a smile on his face: "Teacher, he would never be like this. The reason he is like this now is just because the person who came to visit is a kind of Taishi."

But only Tanehira understands from the bottom of his heart.

They all know that their disciple seems to prefer Mohist theory. Although he studies Confucian "benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, and wisdom" and assists Cai Yong in compiling classics in private, the words he writes always reveal a bit of "both." Love” thought.

Zhong Ping did not stay longer at Zheng Xuan's place because he had to bypass Lu Bu in Xuzhou, which would only cause more delays on the way.

"This thing..."

Zheng Xuan still remembered the last letter from Cai Yong, in which he said that he intended to compile a collection of his life stories.

"It's copper wire."

"Teacher, this is what I said about the unity of action and thought."

A flat face without a red heart means that steel is copper.

Zhongping was also happy from the bottom of his heart: "The wind and waves are strong in winter, so the ship sails with the wind, so it saves time... The students are very happy to see that Mr. is in good spirits."

Zhongping is not sure whether it is because of his charm or his reputation that makes Cao Cao hesitate.

Cai Yong has sent manuscripts to friends for discussion before, and this time is no exception.

Just because he protects Liu Xie and stands by Liu Xie's side doesn't mean he is loyal to Liu Xie. Just like when he promised Wang Yun to help the Han Dynasty and chose to help Liu Bei and prosper the Han Dynasty, isn't that also to support the Han Dynasty?
Thousands of thoughts turned into one idea, that is, while Cao Cao still cherishes his talent, pack up the guy and run away, and try to leave as soon as possible before the incident of the clothing edict.

"Bo Heng! Bo Heng! Why are you here today?"

So how on earth is he going to consummate this matter now...

He could only stop chatting and went to the house in person to pick up several volumes of newly annotated classics, and handed them to Zhong Ping in a precious and important way.

Zhong Ping looked at the spring in Zhuge Liang's hand and fell into deep thought.

"Ping Ming thought hard for a long time, and then he suddenly realized that the rules followed by the master have never changed, but what he did was already in line with the rules in his heart, and there would be no more transgressions or violations."

So is the hand crossbow rewarded by the system so advanced?

Just thinking that the "Eastern View of Han Dynasty" has not yet been completed, he can't help but feel regretful.

Cai Yong once asked Zhongping whether the unity of his thoughts and actions is as it appears, meaning that what he thinks in his heart and what his body does are consistent, that is, everything he does is what he thinks, and everything he thinks is what he does?
Zhong Ping replied: "When Ping first read the chapter "Wei Zheng", there was a sentence in it, 'When you are seventy, you can do whatever you want without violating the rules.' I often wondered why the Master said that at the age of seventy, you can do things as you please without violating the rules?" Is it because as Master gets older, he has a more accurate grasp of the rules in his heart and his behavior is more flexible?"

Perhaps just like Guan Yu, the more loyal and loyal he is, the more he will be loved by Cao Cao.

Zheng Xuan actually wanted to have a good talk with Zhong Ping about old times, but he also knew that Zhong Ping had a duty to travel this time and could not stay any longer.

Since Zhong Ping came to visit Zheng Xuan, how could he be disappointed? On the way to Jingzhou, he wrote to ask Cai Yong about this matter.

"I learned Yuanhua's Wuqinxi, which is indeed effective in maintaining the spirit. How is Bo Zhe in Xudu? Has his "Dongguan Han Ji" been completed?"

Simpi couldn't help but feel doubtful, and turned to ask the disciple who came to report the news: "But what happened in the mountain, and why did Mr. Kang Cheng lose his composure like this?"

Zheng Xuan was so surprised that he held Zhong Ping's hands tightly and didn't even notice that his hair crown fell off.

As early as when he was still staying in Xiangyang, he had already received the manuscript sent by Cai Yong's trustee. Because the bamboo scroll was too bulky, Cai Yong deliberately chose to copy it on cloth.

At that time, it will not be a matter of whether it is too late to run away, but a matter of whether the old family can stay behind.

From the attitudes of Wei Zhong and others, he could feel that Cao Cao was still very tolerant and gentle towards him.

When Zheng Xuan met Zhong Ping for the first time, he showed great respect for him and even wanted to train him as a disciple of Zheng Shi. The advice of his friends only accounted for part of the reason, and a larger part of the reason was because of this passage.

Zhongping couldn't help but laugh: "Teacher's book has not been completed yet, but all the ten ideas I want to append to the end of the book have been written."

The person who saw him off this time was Zhuge Liang. It seemed that the hand crossbow he gave to Zhuge Liang lit up the opponent's technology tree. Now Zhuge Liang is particularly interested in the art of mechanisms.

Since Zhong Ping studied with Cai Yong, although he is famous for his poetry, in private, his two teachers also proposed the academic philosophy of "the world and all things move according to the principles, study and understand the basics, and integrate thought and action".

Before Zhuge Liang pulled Zhong Ping aside in the name of asking for advice, he never thought that he would be as at a loss as he was now.

Before Zhongping left Sangong Mountain, he left the manuscript of "Dongguan Hanji" to Zheng Xuan.

Zheng Xuan's eyes lit up. The ten meanings written by Cai Yong were "the meaning of laws and regulations", "the meaning of etiquette", "the meaning of joy", "the meaning of suburban sacrifice", "the meaning of astronomy", "the meaning of car service", etc. There were many opinions in them. It was contrary to him, and there were many novelties in the explanations. He had long wanted to have a good discussion with Cai Yong on these views.

Otherwise... based on his understanding of his father, the blood edict must have his father's signature on it.

"The Mo Jing says: 'Strength means heavy, down, lift, heavy lifting'. Adding one stone to each object equals one foot. Didn't Kong Ming ever think about the truth?"

Now it was Zhuge Liang who was deep in thought.

"One stone spreads one foot, two stones spreads two feet, three stones spreads three feet... Kong Ming, go back and think about it."

Zhong Pingxin said that I have tried my best. I only know so much about the law of elasticity. I have told you everything. The rest depends on whether you can study it on your own.

It would be impossible to create universal gravity in the Eastern Han Dynasty, but with Kong Ming's ingenuity, there should still be room for maneuver in applying the law of elasticity to ordnance and farm tools... right?

Zhong Ping patted Zhuge Liang on the shoulder, his eyes full of deep encouragement and expectation.

After leaving Yangzhou, Zhong Ping and others never stopped along the way. Perhaps because of the smooth waterway, they actually returned to Xudu before the new year.

Unlike Guoyuan who chose to visit Cai Yong first, Xi Liu very frankly expressed his hope that Zhongping could recommend him "as a small official".

After Zhongping experienced being bribed for the first time, he finally had his first experience as a recommender in his life.

Of course, he still outsourced this matter to Xun You.

After all, Zhong Ping has never recommended anyone before, and he really has no experience in this area, and Xi Lu is a disciple of Zheng Xuan, so it is naturally impossible for him to really arrange a small position for him as Xi Lu said. The Santong calendar compiled by Liu Xin is currently used. Most of this legislation still follows the Taichu calendar from the time of Emperor Wu, and the set dates for the year and New Year's Day have not changed much.

I heard that during the twelfth lunar month, Xudu also held a Nuo opera. Although it was not performed by one hundred and twenty young men in soap clothes as recorded in the "Book of the Later Han·Etiquette", it could be The scene is grand and lively enough.

Tanehira sighed briefly.

In the past, he was detained at home by Zhongji, but he had never seen any Nuo opera. Now he finally had an opportunity, but he missed it... As for the future, I don't know if I will see such a scene again. Woolen cloth……

The only thing that comforted him was that his father really didn't do anything and was just waiting for him to come home quietly.

Zhong Ping tried several times with some uneasy words, and Zhong Ji's replies were extremely normal. Apart from scolding Cao Cao as a thief, he did not show any intention of drawing a sword and forcefully.

Thongpei was in a trance for a while, and he even had a strong desire to go up and pull Thongpei's face, and then asked: Tell me! Who are you! Why are you pretending to be my father?

Could it be that as he got older, Dad finally started to calm down?
He was puzzled but also felt a little bit unspeakably relieved.

What’s going on with this sense of déjà vu that my son has just grown up...

Zhong Ping struggled to hold back his thoughts of rebelling against Tiangang.

Here, Zhong Ping was still thinking about whether to secretly guard against his father; on the other side, Liu Xie in the palace almost cried with joy when he heard the news that Zhong Ping was finally back. The sky cleared up and the rain stopped, and he felt that he OK again.

To say who is the person most looking forward to Zhongping's return in the entire Xudu City, it must be Liu Xie.

I don't care about the rest, at least he is reliable, and he is really good at things.

In the past, in Chang'an and Luoyang, when was it not Zhong Ping who saved him from fire and water? At this time, Liu Xie had to admit that Fu Wan was correct. He still had to count on the Zhongs and his sons to exert their strength at the critical moment!
In fact, when he first came to Yanzhou, he still had a great impression of Cao Cao.

After all, compared with traitors like Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, and Guo Si, Cao Cao at least really treated him as an emperor, and there was no shortage of food, clothing, housing, and transportation.

At that time, he also thought that Cao Cao could be relied upon by Huo Guang, and indeed he had thought in his heart that he and Cao Cao would be a virtuous king and good minister.

The premise of all this is based on Cao Cao's willingness to give him military power.

Liu Xie knew very well that without reliable generals or usable soldiers, no matter where he was or in the hands of any prince, he would only be a mascot.

This truth he discovered also applies to those Liu clan members.

As long as he had a army of soldiers and horses that obeyed his orders, he would not be in such a difficult situation like now and be held hostage everywhere.

Xu Tian's hunting this time once again confirmed his thoughts. There may indeed be ministers loyal to him in the court... But these people can only choose to impeach Cao Cao, curse a few words generously, or express their indignation and Cao Cao's behavior. Besides dying by touching the pillar...

It didn't do anything to improve his situation.

He had often seen such scenes since Dong Zhuo came to power. At first, he would be sad and angry, but now he seems to be a little numb.

After all, Cao Cao is different from Dong Zhuo. At least now, Cao Cao still pays attention to reputation and will never do anything like murdering the emperor.

Such thoughts reduced some of Liu Xie's fears, but increased his worries and suspicions.

Cao Cao does not want to be Dong Zhuo at this time, perhaps because he is concerned about the public opinion in the world, or perhaps because of lack of strength... If one day, Cao Cao's power really reaches the point where no one can resist, then will this person become the next Dong Zhuo? It’s hard to say.

"Why is Your Majesty sighing?"

Queen Fu saw that Liu Xie was still awake at midnight, just lying on the couch and sighing. She guessed that it was probably because of the hunting incident in Xu Tian.

She was afraid that Liu Xie would fall ill due to worry and anger, so she suggested in a low voice: "I am a forbidden woman in the palace, and I have no long-term plans. I cannot make your majesty feel at ease. Why don't your majesty secretly summon your uncle to the palace to discuss it?"

Because Fu Wanju held the position of Jinwu Guard, Liu Xie still had a chance to secretly recruit a few people into the palace, but these people would basically be discovered by Cao Cao's people as soon as they left the palace.

"No."

Liu Xie shook his head slightly: "I don't have a plan in my mind yet. Summoning uncle Guo at this time is just to scare off the enemy."

After he finished speaking, he sighed again, caressing the queen's hand and murmured to himself: "Heng Yue, Heng Yue, apart from you, how many people in this world really treat me?"

Queen Fu's eyes were red, and she gently put her hand on the back of Liu Xie's hand: "Your Majesty, please don't lose heart. There are still loyal and righteous people in the court who are willing to drive for your Majesty."

Liu Xie was silent for a long time: "Even if there are loyal people, how can I tell the difference?"

"His Majesty."

Empress Fu's eyes were firm: "No matter what happens, I and my father are willing to go through fire and water for Your Majesty, no matter what!"

"Hey! You and I are trapped in a deep palace, but how can a bird in a cage struggle to get out?"

When Liu Xie said this, his heart moved.

"General Liu Bei of the Left respects me very much. I heard what Taiwei Zhong said... That day when we were hunting, his second brother saw Cao Cao's offense and wanted to kill the thief with his sword. I intend to write a secret edict and give it to him secretly, so as to capture the world. What does Heng Yue think of a righteous man who is loyal to defeat thieves?"

Although Empress Fu often heard Liu Xie talk about Liu Bei and knew that he was a loyal and trustworthy person, after all, he had only been here for a few months and had few troops under his command. She couldn't help but hesitate: "It is really feasible to leave such a big matter to this person... ?”

After Liu Xie finished speaking, he felt a little shaken in his heart. If it were in the past, he would definitely leave such a thing to Dong Cheng, but...

"Although I have soldiers and horses in my hands, I lost a lot of them when I fled from Chang'an. Now there are many Yanzhou soldiers among the Northern Army, and the Xiahou brothers are training them... It's so difficult to take action." also."

"And Liu Bei is a foreign soldier. He doesn't have many soldiers but he can use them all. At this time, Liu Bei's soldiers and horses are stationed outside the city and make arrangements in private. It is much more convenient than being in the city."

"What's more... on the surface I entrust this secret edict to Liu Bei, but in fact the person I want to entrust it to is indeed Zhong Boheng!"

He began to regret now that he should not have allowed Dong Cheng to provoke Zhongping everywhere and made the relationship between the two so tense.

"Although Zhong Boheng has no real power, he is quite popular. He is good at eloquence and communication. He often travels as an envoy. Isn't he the best candidate to contact the loyal and righteous people in the world for me?"

Liu Xie added silently in his heart.

This man can even pull out a troop from the Yellow Turban Army to attack Chang'an. Is there anything else that he can't do?
He held on to a faint expectation.

Maybe Zhongping can also do a classic remake?
When Empress Fu heard Liu Xie talking about Zhong Ping, she felt certain in her heart that she fully recognized this candidate.

Liu Xie added: "The abbot needs to be informed about this matter. With the abbot assisting me, I can rest assured... I only have one concern now: Cao Cao's supervision is very strict, and I don't know how to deliver this secret edict."

Queen Fu thought for a while and asked, "My father sent some new pieces of cloth to the palace a few days ago. Can I make new clothes and hide the edict in the clothes?"

"I'm afraid that the thief Cao will be cautious and take the clothes away for inspection."

Liu Xie felt that this method was too simple and too risky.

Queen Fu thought hard for a long time. This matter was inherently risky, and it was simply impossible to be foolproof.

"Every official will be present at the meeting tomorrow. Why don't Your Majesty leave Taishi Zhong to ask for advice?"

At this time, Liu Xie didn't care about the little ones in his heart, and only placed all his hopes on Zhong Ping.

"Just follow what the Queen said."

(End of this chapter)