Daming, originally wanted to destroy it, but the system came

Chapter 349 Visiting Luo Guanzhong, no need to visit the thatched cottage

Luo Guanzhong, whose real name is Luo Ben, also known as Huhai Sanren.

It is said that Luo Guanzhong was originally from Taiyuan. Because his mother died of illness and the situation in the Central Plains was turbulent at that time, he followed his father to places such as Suzhou and Hangzhou, initially intending to learn business.

However, Luo Guanzhong was not interested in business, so with his father's consent, he had the opportunity to study with the famous scholar Zhao Baofeng in Cixi.

In the sixteenth year of Zhizheng, Luo Guanzhong bid farewell to Zhao Baofeng. Aspiring to be king, he planned to create a career.

At that time, Zhang Shicheng was in the Jiangnan area and was still very powerful.

According to the situation at that time, Zhu Yuanzhang had not yet risen, and he was too far away.

Therefore, it is reasonable for Luo Guanzhong to choose Zhang Shicheng.

It's not as many people think. Luo Guanzhong wrote the Romance of the Three Kingdoms so well and so succinctly. How could he be so stupid himself?

In fact, considering the situation at that time, Zhang Shicheng was the best choice.

But Luo Guanzhong never expected that Zhang Shicheng would surrender to Bei Yuan after he had decided to eliminate the Bei Yuan court and even become king for the first time.

Moreover, after Zhang Shicheng betrayed Beiyuan for the second time, all the counselors at that time asked him to postpone the title of king, but Zhang Shicheng still proclaimed the king for the second time.

Such capriciousness, coupled with the fact that Zhang Shicheng changed from the polite and virtuous corporal at the beginning, became greedy for pleasure, not to mention mediocre and unrestrained, he did not look like a wise master at all.

So many people with lofty ideals chose to leave Zhang Shicheng at that time, including Luo Guanzhong.

Shortly after Luo Guanzhong defected to Zhang Shicheng, he also helped Zhang Shicheng defeat the attack of Kang Maocai, Zhu Yuanzhang's subordinate, which can be considered to be somewhat capable.

This is also the reason why Luo Guanzhong prefers political and historical themes whether he writes Water Margin, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, or other story books.

After all, he has been exposed to and experienced these things.

The author of Water Margin is believed to be Shi Naian, but there is very little information about Shi Naian, except for the author of Water Margin. It is no wonder that many people even think that Shi Naian is actually Luo Guanzhong's pseudonym.

In addition, Luo Guanzhong is also considered to be a disciple of Shi Naian, and Luo Guanzhong helped compile and reconstruct Water Margin. It is not an exaggeration to say that Luo Guanzhong is half of the author of Water Margin.

All in all, Luo Guanzhong is a relatively tragic person, his talent was not appreciated, and he was delayed by Zhang Shicheng.

Because he was once an old minister of Zhang Shicheng, even if Zhu Yuanzhang held successive imperial examinations to select scholars after the founding of the country, he did not participate.

In this way, Luo Guanzhong fell silent and chose to "write a book vigorously".

Zhu Ming originally didn't know much about the historical figure Luo Guanzhong, but he also knew the names of the four great classics. Unexpectedly, Water Margin actually already has the original manuscript, but I'm afraid it hasn't been published yet.

As for the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, I just don’t know if it has been completed yet.

A Dream of Red Mansions was written by Cao Xueqin, a scholar from the Qing Dynasty, and Wu Chengen, the author of Journey to the West, was probably not born until the Jiajing period.

Now that we know that Luo Guanzhong is still there, wouldn't it be a pity not to pay a visit?

In a corner of Hangzhou City, there is an ordinary small courtyard. It seems that the walls of the courtyard are not high and the courtyard is not deep. It is naturally incomparable with the high-end courtyards of aristocratic families.

No one would have thought that Luo Guanzhong, who once had a glorious past, would now be hiding here and writing books.

'Dang dang dang'.

There was a knock on the door, disrupting the silence in the courtyard.

"Who is it?" An impatient voice came from the courtyard.

"Is this the residence of Mr. Luo Guanzhong?" A questioning voice came from outside the door.

Luo Guan's heart stirred. Was he here to find him?

Who could it be?

It has been so many years since Zhang Shicheng was destroyed, and twenty-seven years have passed since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. After all, it is already the twenty-seventh year of Hongwu.

An old minister who served under Zhang Shicheng in the past?

Impossible, they don't dare to get together in private. If His Majesty finds out, they may be executed.

What's more, Luo Guanzhong's relationship with other people is actually not that good.

After thinking about it, Luo Guanzhong walked out, unlocked the bolt, and pushed the door open.

I saw many people standing outside the door, blocking his courtyard door.

The leader was a young man. Although he was dressed simply, he faintly revealed a touch of compelling nobility, and even a certain kind of sharpness that made Luo Guanzhong's heart beat faster. Especially his eyes, which seemed like a sharp knife about to pierce someone's heart. Heart.

Luo Guanzhong raised his hand and pointed at the young man in front of him, his voice trembling: "Zhu Yuanzhang? Are you Zhu Yuanzhang?"

Zhu Chu rolled his eyes: "Is my father so young? This king is Zhu Chu, the king of Dian, the eighteenth son of Zhu Yuanzhang's family."

Zhu Chongba’s son Zhu Shiba? Does your family have a name?

There is no way, after all, he was born as a farmer, so Zhu Yuanzhang's real name is Zhu Chongba, and his grandfather is also named Zhu Chuyi, and his father is named Zhu Wusi.

Fortunately, Lao Zhu has conquered the country, otherwise Zhu Zhen would really have to worry. There must be about forty brothers and sisters in his family. With the level of education of the two generations from the great ancestor to the grandfather, can they count to a hundred? Is the name enough?

"King of Dian Zhu Chu? So you are the King of Dian," Luo Guanzhong stared at Zhu Chu as if he wanted to see through him.

Zhu Chu didn't mind Luo Guanzhong's rudeness, shrugged and said, "Have you ever heard of me?"

A strange color flashed in Luo Guanzhong's eyes, he nodded and said: "Everyone knows the name of the King of Dian. He pacified Yunnan, conquered the north of the Great Wall, loved the people like his son, and loved his soldiers like his sons. He was a rare virtuous king in the world. Some rumors have even begun to appear, saying that you are more suitable to inherit the throne than the current Highness the Grand Sun."

Zhu Zhen smiled: "They have some discernment."

Luo Guanzhong took a breath, do you really dare to admit it?

At the same time, Luo Guan was horrified. Is the Ming Dynasty going to be in chaos?

The struggle to seize the direct descendants will shake the foundation of the country.

Nowadays, the Ming Dynasty is not considered peaceful and peaceful. In addition to Yunnan, chieftains in Sichuan and other places have also been rebelling. Until last year, Qu Neng and Lan Yu were still suppressing it.

Once the foundation of the Ming Dynasty is shaken, wouldn't it be doomed if the surrounding wolves pounce on it, coupled with domestic turmoil?

Luo Guanzhong was already thinking about this.

And Zhu Zhen said: "What? Is this your way of hospitality? Originally, I thought I had to visit the thatched cottage three times before I could pay my respects, but I didn't expect that I succeeded all of a sudden."

Visit the thatched cottage three times?

Luo Guanzhong's eyes lit up.

It is said that although The Romance of the Three Kingdoms was compiled by Luo Guanzhong based on Chen Shou's Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms and is based on history, many of them are real histories recorded in historical materials.

For example, the word "three visits to the thatched cottage" comes from "Chu Shi Biao", "I am a commoner, working hard in Nanyang, surviving in troubled times, and not seeking to learn and reach the princes. The late emperor did not regard his ministers as despicable, and he was in vain, so he paid three visits to his ministers in the thatched cottage." '

But then, Luo Guanzhong smiled sadly and shook his head.

I saw that Luo Guanzhong's hair was already gray, and there was a long beard on his chin that was also gray.

It is speculated that Luo Guanzhong was born around 1,330 years ago and died around 1,400 years old, living more than 70 years.

And now he is an old man in his sixties.

Even if Sangu Mao came to visit him, it would not be to ask him to serve as an official.

Even if you really want to invite him, he doesn't have the energy.

Luo Guanzhong sighed, stepped aside, and invited Zhu Chu and others into the courtyard.

Zhu Ming winked at the people behind him. The small courtyard is not big, so everyone cannot come in.

So Niu Sheng volunteered and led the guards to guard the door.

He was a rough man, but a little clever, and he felt that there was nothing to do if he went in, so he might as well stay outside.

So only the two daughters Tang and Xu, as well as Li Gui and Li Jinglong, finally accompanied Zhu Zhen, and the five of them came to Luo Guanzhong's courtyard.

There is a small table in the yard with some stools around it. It was originally just a matching stone table and benches. You can see that many of the stools are covered with dust, indicating that there are no guests visiting on weekdays.

Originally, Luo Guanzhong wanted to give up the first position, which was facing the courtyard gate, to Zhu Zhen.

Zhu Ming didn't care about this at all, and seeing that Luo Guanzhong was already very old, he sat down casually in order of priority.

Luo Guanzhong also called a teenage boy to bring tea to the guests.

"It's just my grandson," Luo Guanzhong said casually.

Zhu Xi glanced at it and didn't care.

Although Luo Guanzhong is good at writing books, I haven't heard that his descendants are very powerful, at least Zhu Ming doesn't know that.

So this time, I mainly came to visit this celebrity. "I heard that Mr. Luo has written some books?" Zhu Chu did not go around and around, but went straight to the point and made his purpose clear.

"There are some," Luo Guanzhong also asked the child to get a booklet with a catalog on it.

This is ancient times, unlike modern times where there are various convenient electronic instruments for archiving and classification.

Therefore, even the author himself, Luo Guanzhong, has to read the book to know which books he has written, how many volumes, and even how many words.

Luo Guanzhong is also very talented. In addition to Water Margin and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, his major works include Chronicles of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Romance of the End of the Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasties, Legend of Three Sui Ping Yao, etc., including the script used in the drama Song Taizu Dragon and Tiger Fengyun Hui It's also about him.

After hearing so many stories, Xu Miaojin and Tang Xin couldn't help but their eyes lit up, and their beautiful eyes frequently glanced at Zhu Chu's body.

Before Zhu Chu could say anything, Luo Guan's heart moved and he asked his grandson to fetch big boxes one by one.

Although they are ancient text novels, most of Luo Guanzhong's novels are mainly written in vernacular, focusing on the theme of "not very profound in writing and not very vulgar in language", and the language is concise, bright and vivid.

But this also makes each set of his novels very thick, with dozens to dozens of volumes alone.

"If your highness likes it, you can take these books away and read them slowly. If one day you can help me print them into books, it will be my luck." Luo Guanzhong was so generous that he wanted to give these manuscripts that he spent the rest of his life writing to Zhu. Last?

Even Zhu Zhen couldn't help being stunned.

Among them, Water Margin and Romance of the Three Kingdoms alone have a decisive influence in later generations. They are two of the four great masterpieces.

Now it's all in his hands?

If Zhu Chu was not kind, once he confirmed that no one knew who wrote these works, he could even plagiarize Luo Guanzhong's works and claim that they were written by himself as long as all the insiders were silenced.

That huge reputation is enough to make people take risks.

Even in modern times, with today's Internet communication speed so fast, isn't it still impossible to prevent plagiarism from happening?

Again, it just depends on whether the benefits are enough to make people take risks.

But in the end, Zhu Ming still smiled and shook his head and said: "Forget it, I am traveling and it is inconvenient to carry these books. If the manuscript accidentally gets wet by rain or moisture, it will be a huge loss. Sir, also Please keep it well, maybe one day I will personally help you write a book and publish it."

Luo Guanzhong's eyes lit up.

In fact, it was not that simple to print books in ancient times.

Before there were printing tools at the earliest, people would have people copy books, stroke by stroke, and every word would be copied down.

In this case, the copyist needs to have a certain level of education.

Although the Ming Dynasty already had mature wooden movable type printing technology, because paper was very expensive, it was generally not something that private individuals could afford.

Therefore, the earliest traceable versions of Luo Guanzhong's novels, such as Water Margin and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, were published either during the Wanli period or the Jiajing period.

It is equivalent to saying that he did not have the opportunity to spread the book during his lifetime, which has to be said to be a pity.

After all, after giving up his official career, he would rather stay in such a small courtyard than work hard to write books, which shows that Luo Guanzhong actually still wants to leave his name in history.

"Speaking of these books, I have actually heard a lot about Water Margin before, but I am very curious about one thing. Mr. Gao Qiu is written very badly in the book, but in fact the six traitorous ministers are the culprits, right?" Zhu Ming suddenly changed the subject, seemingly discussing the plot of the book, but actually he meant something.

The six thieves of the Northern Song Dynasty were Cai Jing, Tong Guan, Wang Fu, Liang Shicheng, Zhu Meng, and Li Yan.

Gao Qiu was not ranked at all.

These six people formed a party in the court for personal gain, were corrupt and perverted the law, were extravagant, excluded dissenters, and abused their power in private to prey on the common people. They made the people miserable and miserable, which led to the La Uprising in the south of the Yangtze River and the Jin Kingdom's invasion of the Central Plains. The culprit.

It is said that among the Twenty-Four Histories, the History of the Song Dynasty is the longest and most comprehensive, and is famous for its rich content and detailed information.

However, among the millions of words in the entire history of the Song Dynasty, Gao Qiu's information has only a very limited space. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a brief summary.

It is enough to show that Gao Qiu himself does not have such a prominent status, and his power is far less than that of Cai Jing and his like.

Including those things that Gao Qiu did in Water Margin, others may have taken the blame.

The Six Thieves of the Northern Song Dynasty were the real villains.

Zhu Mingyi said pointedly: "Sir, are you worried about other people's family descendants, or are you worried about being retaliated by the aristocratic family? So you are picking on the weak?"

Where is this place? This is Jiangnan.

The green hills outside the mountains and the towers outside, what time does the singing and dancing in the West Lake stop? The warm wind makes tourists drunk, and they call Hangzhou Bianzhou.

The Southern Song Dynasty, why is it called the Southern Song Dynasty?

It is because after the Northern Song Dynasty was overthrown by the Jin Kingdom, King Kang Zhao Gou ascended the throne in Yingtian Mansion, Nanjing, so it was called the Southern Song Dynasty.

That's right, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty was also in Yingtian.

And as the Song Dynasty moved south, how many officials and aristocratic families followed them to Jiangnan during the Southern Song Dynasty?

For example, the Zheng family, the first family in Jiangnan, can be traced back to Zheng Qigong, the third generation ancestor of the Zheng family in Pujiang during the Northern Song Dynasty.

The first generation ancestor is the old ancestor, the father of the second generation ancestor, and the grandfather of the third generation ancestor.

In other words, this branch of the Jiangnan family may have become a family in the Song Dynasty and later migrated to Jiangnan.

Otherwise, how could there be more than two hundred local aristocratic families in Jiangnan alone?

Zhu Ming sneered: "Sir, this is not fair."

Luo Guanzhong looked at Zhu Xi with a calm expression, hearing something in his words, but he was confused in his heart, what did his highness want to say?

Lao Zhu's family has nothing to do with Lao Gao's family. His Highness will not come to him to clear Gao Qiu's grievances for no reason.

As for letting Gao Qiu take the blame, Luo Guanzhong said, although I will live to the end, I still have children and grandchildren. You all know that I am afraid of aristocratic families, so what are you asking?

Wait, aristocratic family?

Luo Guanzhong gradually opened his eyes, and suddenly remembered the news that he had heard vaguely before, about the Zhang family in Liyang County being executed.

Then he thought about some of the rumors he had heard, and even his own conjectures.

Luo Guanzhong took a breath of cold air. Is His Highness going to take action against the Jiangnan family?

After all, it is written about the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Think about the setbacks Sun Jian and his son encountered after arriving in Jiangdong and the conflicts with the local aristocratic families, and then think about the blow that the Sun family and his son dealt with the Jiangdong aristocratic family.

Luo Guanzhong suddenly became enlightened and just looked at Zhu Chu in disbelief.

Your Highness, do you know what you are facing?

Do you dare to challenge Emperor Hongwu? Do you want to sit on that throne?

Your father is not Zhao Kuangyin, and you are not Zhao Kuangyi. A coup cannot be completed with the sound of a candle shadow and an axe.

and many more.

Luo Guanzhong turned to look at Tang and Xu.

Xu Miaojin and Tang Xin were still looking through his books, but they subconsciously raised their heads.

"May I ask you two girls their names?" Luo Guan's heart moved, and he asked with his hands clasped in fists.

"It's easy to say," Zhu Min spoke first, pointing at Xu Miaojin: "This is my eldest wife, the future Princess of Dian, Xu Miaojin. This is Tang Xin, the daughter of Duke Xin. We are still in the stage of developing our relationship, and she will also be my partial concubine in the future. Can’t run away.”

When Xu Miaojin saw that there were no outsiders in the yard, not only was she not shy, but she smiled sweetly at Zhu Zhen.

After all, she is the eldest wife.

Tang Xin bit her lip, lowered her head with her pretty face flushed, but did not refute.

Zhu Ming was right, she couldn't escape.

This is her life.

Zhu Chu looked at Luo Guanzhong again.

At this time, Luo Guanzhong looked so excited that he couldn't help himself.

He was hesitating, should he give a big gift and pay homage to his future new king?

Have you never eaten pork or seen a pig running? Luo Guanzhong naturally noticed that the person in front of him was probably the heir in the eyes of Emperor Hongwu. Otherwise, even in terms of seniority, Zhu Yunwen could not marry a girl from two families, but Zhu Yuanzhang could not let Zhu Yu marry him, or even marry them together. Two daughters of the royal family.

This is just like the dispute between Cao Pi and Cao Zhi about who is Cao Cao's heir. Just look at Cao Cao's arrangements for his two children and you will know that from beginning to end, Cao Cao regarded Cao Pi as his heir, and this has never changed.

Maybe if Cao Ang and Cao Chong survive, they will have a chance?

"May I ask, Your Highness, what can I do to help you?" Luo Guanzhong even changed his way of calling himself "little old man".

Zhu Zhen smiled. Talking to smart people is simple and direct.

"I want to eradicate these two families in Hangzhou. Is there any good strategy?"

(End of this chapter)