I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 571 Talents Gathered
Through Liu Biao's explanation, Liu Qi understood the current situation. Strictly speaking, the person in front of him was not his stepmother. This was also the reason why he had never heard of Cai before. Otherwise, it would be a bit funny for him, the son, to be unaware of his father's marriage.

Cai was the sister of Cai Mao, a military commander under Liu Biao. She and Liu Biao were in love with each other, but they had never married in order to avoid suspicion of having an affair.

Now that Liu Biao had returned to Luoyang and was about to take up another post, he brought Mrs. Cai back with him, intending to get married after he resigned as General of Annan. Liu Qi also had this sudden mother.

Liu Qi had made a lot of progress in the past few years, and he instinctively sensed the trick - who knows how much cooperation his father had between Jingzhou and the Jingzhou nobles. With this marriage, Liu Biao, who was originally from Shanyang, might become the representative of the Jingzhou nobles in Luoyang.

Faced with his father's choice, Liu Qi, as a son, couldn't say much. Facing his new mother, he could only accept it.

Liu Biao also knew that Cai's identity was a bit unexpected for his two sons. After seeing that Liu Qi and Liu Cong had already paid their respects to their future stepmother, he introduced them to each other again, saying, "This time, there are also talented people from various counties in Jingzhou and other places who are studying in Jingzhou who are coming to Luoyang with your father. They are not far behind us. You two can go and make friends with them later."

He then carefully instructed, "I am going ahead, not only to ask you to pay your respects to mother, but also to remind you that among them, people like Pang Tong, Xu Shu, Meng Jian, Shi Tao, Xiang Lang, Li Yan, Huo Jun, etc. are all talented people of their time. It will be beneficial to make friends with them."

Not long after, Liu Qi indeed noticed some movement coming from not far away. Upon looking, he saw that there were quite a few people.

……

"Is this Luoyang? It's really prosperous." Pang Tong sighed.

If it were in the past, even if Pang Tong was amazed in his heart, he would pretend to be serious in order to avoid being laughed at by others.

But after living with Zhuge Jin and Jia Kui as an immigrant for several months, Pang Tong was able to face his current situation calmly - his talents were far from being limited by his appearance.

Most of the people traveling with him were visiting Luoyang for the first time, and they were all amazed at the sight.

Pang Tong thought of the description of Luoyang he had heard from Zhuge Jin's letter before. It was indeed true. It was a pity that Zhuge Jin, with whom he had a good relationship, had returned to Jingzhou after returning to Luoyang to attend his brother Zhuge Liang's wedding. Otherwise, the two of them could have taken a night tour in Luoyang.

Yes, Pang Tong had also heard that the curfew in Luoyang City had been lifted. Touring Luoyang at night and admiring the beauty of the imperial capital had become a popular thing. This was also an experience that Pang Tong had never experienced before.

Moreover, before he set out, Zhuge Jin heard from a letter that he was going to Luoyang, so he gave him a letter of introduction and invited him to meet his younger brother, Zhuge Liang, who was the princess's husband.

Pang Tong knew without hearing anyone's introduction that Zhuge Liang was able to marry a princess, so his appearance must be extraordinary. However, Pang Tong was no longer the Pang Tong he used to be, and he no longer had any concerns about his appearance. And what if Zhuge Liang was extraordinary? Could his talent and knowledge be better than his?
Soon they caught up with Liu Biao who had gone ahead, and under Liu Biao's introduction, they met Liu Biao's two sons one by one.

After the meeting, Pang Tong was the first to bow to Liu Biao and said, "General, before I came to Luoyang, Zhuge Ziyu wrote to me, asking me to visit his brother Zhuge Kongming as soon as I arrived in Luoyang. Now that I am here, I will follow my promise to Ziyu."

"After I meet Zhuge Kongming, I will come and meet you all again!"

"Of course!" Liu Biao agreed with this. He knew that the main purpose of these people coming to Luoyang was to study, and they were not even in a hurry to enter officialdom. After all, they were still young and there would be plenty of opportunities for them to interact with each other in the future.

Liu Qi, who was standing by, heard Zhuge Liang's name and echoed, "Speaking of which, the most exciting thing in Luoyang City recently is the lifting of the curfew. The ceremony was presided over by Zhuge Kongming himself. At the beginning of the lifting of the curfew, people inside and outside Luoyang City were worried that something might happen, but in the end everything was back to normal, and Luoyang is more prosperous than before."

"Originally, I was thinking of choosing a night tour of Luoyang with you. Luoyang is bustling and lively during the day, but it is also very special at night."

At the same time, Xu Shu, Meng Jian, Shi Tao and others also expressed to Liu Biao after Pang Tong that they wanted to accompany Pang Tong to visit Zhuge Kongming.

Liu Biao listened and said, "Luoyang is not as important as Jingzhou after all, but you are all capable people, so I won't give you any more instructions. If you have any questions, you can come to me or Bo Gui."

After expressing their gratitude, Pang Tong and others said goodbye and left, heading towards the Luoyang City they had been longing for.

As for the remaining Xiang Lang, Li Yan and others, they accompanied Liu Biao into Luoyang City at the invitation of Liu Qi.

……

"We will first go to Zhuge Kongming to present a visiting card, then go to my home and stay in the Luoyang mansion, and finally take a tour of Luoyang City. As for after that, it depends on when Zhuge Kongming will reply to the card and visit, how about that?" Pang Tong asked.

"Good!" Xu Shu and the other three all replied.

Afterwards, they quickly found out where Zhuge Liang lived - in fact, it was not difficult to find out, as Zhuge Liang moved into the princess's mansion after getting married, but they still spent some money.

The process of delivering the visiting card was also smooth, and there was no contempt. Moreover, the gatekeeper was particularly enthusiastic after knowing that they were introduced by Zhuge Jin.

Unfortunately, although Zhuge Liang had some free time that day, he left the mansion with the princess early in the morning, and the servants in the mansion didn't know where they went.

Pang Tong and his companions did not intend to meet directly. After they left, Pang Tong privately sighed, "Looking at the attitude of the followers in this mansion, I think Zhuge Kongming is also a modest gentleman like Ziyu, and he manages his family well."

After finishing speaking, Xu Shu smiled and said, "I have to refute what Shi Yuan said."

"What's wrong?"

Xu Shu said, "Shi Yuan loves Zi Yu so much that he forgets that this is the princess's residence. It's not certain whether this person belongs to the princess or Zhuge Kongming."

After hearing this, Pang Tong felt that Xu Shu seemed to be hinting at something, so he asked, "What's the difference?"

Xu Shu replied, "I heard that the emperor is always frugal and always restricts the eunuchs around him from doing evil... Now I haven't heard that the eunuchs' children have done evil in the local area for many years. I also heard that Princess Wannian has always been favored by the East and West Palaces. On the day of her wedding, torches illuminated the whole city, and even the trees on the roadside were blackened. But today I saw the doorman of the princess's mansion like this, which shows that the rumors are not only true, but there are more to it."

"Good job, Xu Yuanzhi! But, you said this in front of us, so it won't reach other people's ears."

Xu Shu continued to laugh and said, "That's why I said such flattering words. I won't say them outside."

The four of them talked and laughed as they strolled around Luoyang City, which was extremely unfamiliar to them.

Hu merchants, Hu girls, and camels from the Western Regions...unheard-of delicacies in Jingzhou...circuses performed on horses...

Pang Tong, Xu Shu and others were certainly not lacking in knowledge, but after arriving in Luoyang, they still felt that they had gained a lot of knowledge.

That night, because they were tired from the journey, they did not go to Luoyang City, but returned to Pang's residence in Luoyang to rest.

Not long after, they received a reply from Zhuge Liang, who personally invited them to his mansion for a meeting the next evening.

Xu Shu looked at Zhuge Liang's handwriting and praised him: "The handwriting reflects the person. In my opinion, this Zhuge Kongming is definitely not an ordinary person."

Although Pang Tong loved Zhuge Liang, he did not think that Zhuge Liang's talent could be compared with his. However, he did not want to belittle Zhuge Liang, so he just said: "We will see tomorrow. He is Ziyu's brother. I heard from Bogui that he can arrange the matter of lifting the curfew in Luoyang. He is definitely not a mediocre person."

The next day, Pang Tong, Xu Shu, Meng Jian and Shi Tao arrived as scheduled. At this time, Zhuge Liang had already left the government office, changed his clothes and was waiting at the door.

After the four arrived, they were quickly invited in by Zhuge Liang. When they talked about the affairs of Jingzhou, especially those related to Zhuge Jin, there was almost no dull moment.

During this period, Liu Shou, the hostess, also made a brief appearance. Because none of the four men brought their wives, Liu Shou did not stay and left everything to Zhuge Liang.

After entering the banquet, they soon talked about the purpose of their visit.

Xu Shu replied, "I went to Jingzhou in my early years and studied under a famous teacher. Now I have come to Luoyang on the orders of my teacher to study, explore literature and make friends."

Zhuge Liang became interested when he heard this: "I have heard you talk about your talents before. I have studied in Imperial College and Hongdumen School. I have some free time today, why don't we discuss the classics?"

Discussing classics with literary men was one of the goals of Xu Shu and his companions in coming to Luoyang, and it is also an effective way to make friends - of course, the prerequisite is that one has something knowledgeable.

Pang Tong, Xu Shu and others were all well-educated people, so they were naturally not afraid and all agreed.

Zhuge Liang, the host, spoke first: "The Book of History says: 'The human heart is dangerous, the heart of Tao is subtle; only by being precise and focused can one hold to the middle.'"

This saying comes from the "Da Yu Mo" chapter of "Shang Shu". It is said that it is the words of advice that Emperor Yao gave to Emperor Shun on governing the country when he passed the throne to him. The key point is to hold both ends in moderation. To put it bluntly, governing requires a balance of leniency and strictness.

As soon as he said this, Pang Tong understood that Zhuge Liang had a solid foundation.

……

An hour later, Pang Tong couldn't help but sigh in his heart - will God let me live?
It’s bad enough that Zhuge Liang is much more handsome than him, but his talent and knowledge are also comparable to his!

Since Tong was born, why was Liang born?

Pang Tong was lamenting, but he didn't know that Zhuge Liang was also admiring him.

In his opinion, the four people in front of him were all talented people who could govern the country.

Although they are all younger and lack experience like him, these cannot conceal their potential.

At the end of the discussion, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but say, "Gentlemen, the country is in a state of disrepair right now. Your talents are too great to be accommodated in a county or a prefecture. The country is in need of talents, so why don't you join me in state affairs and share your worries?"

"Although traveling and studying can also gain knowledge, based on my understanding over the past few months, if I want to integrate what I have learned into my mind, I still have to put it into practice. I still have some face in front of Your Majesty, and I would like to recommend you. Do you have any interest?"

Pang Tong, Xu Shu, Meng Jian and Shi Tao did not expect that Zhuge Liang would propose recommendations to them in a rather unwelcoming manner as soon as they met.

Logically speaking, shouldn't they take the initiative to ask Zhuge Liang for help?

The four of them were all interested in a career in politics, but they had not yet decided on how to do so.

But now, Zhuge Liang has said this much, if they refuse, they will probably offend others.

After Zhuge Liang finished speaking, he suddenly realized this and immediately changed his tone, saying, "Given your talents, there are many ways for you to enter the government. I was overthinking it... But as long as you speak up, I will definitely recommend you!"

"Thank you, Kong Ming!" Pang Tong and others raised their glasses to express their gratitude.

……

Just as Pang Tong was feeling emotional, another group of people arrived from the south of Luoyang.

Zhou Yu looked at the prosperous scene in front of him and was also amazed. Is this the capital Luoyang?

Although I have heard people talk about the prosperity of Luoyang before, seeing it is believing.

"Brother Gongjin, have you arrived in Luoyang?"

Hearing the voice from the carriage behind, Zhou Yu replied, "We have arrived."

There was a cheer from the carriage, and a young boy immediately came out. There was still some eye mucus in the corners of his eyes, and it was obvious that he had just woken up.

"Lu Yi!"

With a steady and powerful shout, Lu Yi immediately stopped talking. Then he turned around and helped the old man in another carriage down with Zhou Yu.

This old man was none other than General Lu Kang of Anton.

Zhou Yu said, "We haven't even entered Luoyang City yet, why don't you get on the carriage first?"

Lu Kang shook his head slowly and said, "No, I've had enough of riding in the carriage all the way... I haven't been to Luoyang for many years. Now it seems that it is very different from when I left!"

"Gongjin, please walk with me!"

After Lu Kang finished speaking, he saw that Lu Yi seemed to be attracted by the excitement on the roadside and seemed to want to go out for fun. He immediately shouted: "Lu Yi, you are now in Luoyang, you are unfamiliar with the place, how dare you run around? If you continue to do this, I think I should change your name so that you will always remember to be humble."

Zhou Yu knew that Lu Kang was worried that the young Lu Yi would not know the seriousness of the situation and cause trouble in Luoyang, so he comforted him, "Don't worry, in my opinion, although Brother Yi seems to be acting recklessly, he actually has his own plans in mind. You don't need to worry too much...right, Brother Yi."

"That's right, that's right!" Lu Yi quickly followed Zhou Yu's words and defended himself, "I went there because I saw that Uncle Weng wanted to come down for a walk, otherwise I would never have left the carriage."

Seeing this, Lu Kang's expression softened a little and he said, "Don't think my words are harsh, but Luoyang is not comparable to Yangzhou, and we act very cautiously."

"Don't worry, uncle. I know what's going on!" Lu Yi bowed solemnly to Lu Kang. At this moment, he looked quite steady.

After hearing this, Lu Kang simply ignored him and said to Zhou Yu who was accompanying him: "Speaking of Luoyang, it can be said that it is a place where talented people gather. Before coming here, I heard that there are some famous young talents. Gongjin is a disciple of Xun Gong. When you come to Luoyang, you should choose good people to make friends with. I will also introduce them to you."

"Thank you very much, sir."

"Gongjin also helped me a lot in Yangzhou, why should I thank him?"

(End of this chapter)