Chapter 059 I regret not meeting you before I got married
Chen Biao personally came to mediate this time, not only out of boredom, but more importantly, this person was shouting loudly at the refugee camp, and some refugees, who were full and eager for more benefits, might take advantage of this to cause trouble. If there were spies among the refugees, it might even lead to bloodshed.
He was a child, and he was highly respected among the refugees. If he couldn't win a debate, he would resort to his childish tricks: crying, making a fuss, and rolling around, and he could quickly turn a potentially chaotic argument into a comical one.
Of course, if he could convince the other party, Chen Biao would not deliberately be shameless in public.
One of the reasons why Chen Biao and Liu Ji had a good relationship was that Chen Biao always tended to think the worst of people and did not believe in the sincerity of human nature.
On his way here, he made a special detour to find Hua Yun to support him and prevent any violent conflict that might be caused by the other party.
Hua Yun's arm had long since healed. This fierce warrior, who could fight a hundred men at once, held him in one hand and carried his battle axe in the other. Even if someone started a disturbance, a single roar could calm the entire situation. He was absolutely safe.
After learning that the other party was just an ordinary envoy who cared about the people and had a bit of idealism, Chen Biao breathed a sigh of relief. He had planned to go home and continue playing with his brother, but when he heard the name "Luo Guanzhong", he didn't want to leave anymore.
This is not because Chen Biao admires and loves Luo Guanzhong. It's just that as a time traveler, it's hard not to be curious when encountering a particularly famous person in history.
Hua Yun was very keen to notice the curiosity in Chen Biao's eyes about Robben, and he said loudly, thinking his voice was very low: "Biao'er, have you heard of him?"
Robben looked at Chen Biao, wondering if his fame had spread to Zhu Yuanzhang's territory.
Chen Biao had never heard of Luo Guanzhong's name since traveling through time. He even wondered if this Luo Ben was actually Luo Guanzhong. It was also possible that the courtesy name of Zhang Shicheng's envoy overlapped with the name "Luo Guanzhong."
Chen Biao tentatively said, "I don't know if I've heard of him. I know a Luo Guanzhong who seems to be a disciple of Shi Naian."
Luo Ben said: "My teacher's name is Shi Er, and his nickname is indeed Nai'an."
Chen Biao scratched his head.
Is his nickname Naian? Isn't his name Shi Naian?
After Luo Ben said this, he remembered a piece of gossip he had read while reading "Water Margin". It is said that "Nai'an" in Shi Naian's name is indeed a name. There are two legends about its origin. One is that Shi Naian was given the name "Nai'an" after he resigned from his official position and lived in seclusion in the Yuan Dynasty. The other is that Shi Naian was given the name "Nai'an" when he wrote "Water Margin" in his later years.
Zhu Yuanzhang in his world had already implemented the well-field system, so the timing when Shi Naian chose this name might not be the same as the rumors in his world. Moreover, what he knew were only folk rumors, and there were no historical records.
Although Shi Er and Luo Ben's names were not Shi Nai'an and Luo Guanzhong, but pseudonyms and courtesy names, they happened to be master and apprentice, and their pseudonyms were Nai'an and Guanzhong, so it is very likely that this pair of master and apprentice were the authors of two of the Four Great Classical Novels.
Wait, why does the name "Shi Er" sound familiar? Chen Biao scratched his head, thinking for a long time but couldn't remember why it sounded familiar.
Seeing that Chen Biao still wanted to talk to Robben, Hua Yun was worried that this bad scholar who insulted Biaoer as soon as they met would say something bad again, so she immediately said, "Biaoer, you still have to teach at Yingtian Primary School. Mr. Ji has an open class today, you should go back and attend it."
Chen Biao wanted to say that he and Mr. Ji had jointly drawn up the outline for Mr. Ji's open class, and he didn't need to listen. But when Hua Yun mentioned Mr. Ji, the fog in Chen Biao's mind was finally blown away.
His eyes widened even more: "Shi Er? Mr. Shanfu and Mr. Bowen's senior brother?!"
"Ah?!" Hua Yun's face was immediately filled with disgust. "He's the nephew of Mr. Ji and Mr. Liu?!"
This bad guy who is full of bookish airs and curses his master and Biao'er, is he worthy of being the nephew of Mr. Ji and Mr. Liu?!
Hua Yun kept looking at Robben, but no matter how he looked, he could not see any similarities between Robben and Mr. Ji and Mr. Liu.
Maybe even though they were from the same school, Robben's teacher was less useful?
Robben was also surprised and said, "Mr. Shanfu and Mr. Bowen are indeed my uncles...Mr. Shanfu is in Yingtian?!"
Robben had heard his teacher scolding Liu Ji for what happened in Yingtian.
But didn't Mr. Ji refuse to serve in the government? Why was he in Yingtian? Did Mr. Ji defect to Zhu Yuanzhang?
Robben often heard his teacher scold Liu Ji and praise Mr. Ji. How could such a talented person like Mr. Ji actually defect to Zhu Yuanzhang?
After hearing the news about Ji Renshou, Robben immediately stopped investigating the matter of pacifying the refugees and hoped to meet Mr. Ji.
Hua Yun looked unhappy.
Chen Biao pulled Hua Yun's sleeve, and Hua Yun said with a straight face: "Mr. Ji is just living in seclusion in Yingtian City to give lectures. You must not say unnecessary words to him and make Mr. Ji unhappy."
When Robben heard Hua Yun's words, the huge stone in his heart was half lifted.
It seems Mr. Ji didn't really surrender to Zhu Yuanzhang, but was simply seeking a safe place to live in seclusion. But why not come to Pingjiang City? Our Pingjiang City is also very stable, and there aren't so many refugees!
Robben wanted to visit Ji Renshou immediately, but he looked down at his clothes which looked a little untidy due to his haste on the road, and was worried that it would be disrespectful to go look for Ji Renshou like this, so he followed Hua Yun back to the embassy first, and after a little rest, he handed over the visiting card first and then visited Ji Renshou.
Each faction often received envoys from other factions. Zhu Yuanzhang also reserved a small, carefully guarded courtyard in Yingtian as an embassy, which was decorated very comfortably, striving to make the envoys feel at home and preferably stay directly.
Unfortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang's situation was special and he never kept an envoy.
Chen Biao originally thought that Robben would continue with his plan and continue to inquire about the refugees before making other plans. Seeing that Robben remembered to pay a visit to Mr. Ji, Chen Biao thought for a moment and suppressed his curiosity and went home honestly.
The uncle and nephew must have a lot of private conversations, so he didn't go there to avoid causing trouble.
As for the curiosity about Luo Guanzhong, all foreign envoys were closely monitored, with even the number of meals and bathroom visits recorded. Hua Yun had already assured Chen Biao that he would be given a copy of Luo Guanzhong's daily surveillance reports. So Chen Biao didn't need to go and see the melon himself.
Ji Renshou had already moved into the staff dormitory at Yingtian Primary School. Robben visited him daily and occasionally ran into Chen Biao, who was teaching at Yingtian Primary School.
Although Robben admired Chen Biao's knowledge as the child prodigy from Yingtian, he did not like Chen Biao as a person.
Chen Biao was raised in the palm of his hand by those around him. He thought he was very sensible and polite, but that was only based on his past life. In this ancient time, Chen Biao was a little "ignorant of etiquette".
For example, when Chen Biao chatted with his elders, he rarely showed any submissiveness or modesty, and when he got excited, he would even dance and gesticulate. As for being coquettish and naughty, as long as it helped him achieve his goal, Chen Biao was adept at it.
For normal literati of this era, a child’s talent is secondary, and knowing etiquette is more important.
"Li" means "etiquette" and "courtesy", not "politeness" as Chen Biao thought.
Because the elders around Chen Biao either knew his identity or were rough and uncouth military generals who did not "understand etiquette", Chen Biao was not aware of this problem at all.
He could use his arm as a teething stick in front of a group of great scholars, and the scholars would praise him with doting faces, saying, "Biaoer, you bite well and you should bite as you should."
Now that Chen Biao met his first normal intellectual, he realized his problem.
Furthermore, Robben thinks Chen Biao is a bit impetuous and vain.
At Chen Biao's age, even if he is knowledgeable, how knowledgeable can he be? With such good talents and conditions, Chen Biao should concentrate on studying instead of taking on many mundane things and showing off his intelligence.
As for the matter of being a junior teacher, one could use the excuse that Zhu Yuanzhang had no scholars under his command. But now that Mr. Ji was in charge, why was Chen Biao still needed?
When Robben was inquiring about the news in the city, he heard that Biaoer, the child prodigy of the Chen family, had started helping the family at a young age and even helped the head of the Chen family deal with refugees.
The elders took care of the household chores, so Chen Biao had to study hard at a young age.
Robben himself comes from a merchant family, so he feels this even more deeply.
No matter how rich a businessman is, he cannot have the same status as a scholar. Chen Biao has no shortage of money, he has a talent for reading, and he can receive instruction from a great scholar like Mr. Ji. Why not devote himself to studying and achieve great things in the future?
All things are inferior, only reading is superior. This is the truth of the world. Robben had suffered hardship before, so seeing Chen Biao squandering his talent and conditions, and failing to cultivate his manners and character, he felt a bit anxious, like a frugal person seeing someone skipping gold and silver on the water.
Ji Renshou had already concluded that Zhu Yuanzhang would definitely become emperor unless something unexpected happened, and Zhang Shicheng would definitely fail.
But he also knew that Robben and Shi Er had witnessed the heroic moment when Zhang Shicheng led a thousand men to chase down hundreds of thousands of others, and they recognized Zhang Shicheng as a wise leader. Given their loyalty to the emperor, they might be disappointed and retire after meeting the true leader, but they would not choose another lord.
However, if Robben and Chen Biao were to establish a good relationship now, their lives would be better even if they did not enter officialdom in the future. At least they would not be liquidated because they were once Zhang Shicheng's subordinates.
So Ji Renshou consciously wanted to improve the relationship between Robben and Chen Biao.
As a result, Robben disliked Chen Biao in various ways and asked Ji Renshou to quickly separate the two.
After listening to Robben's evaluation of Chen Biao, Ji Renshou thought carefully and rejected them one by one.
Biaoer is a very good person, very sensible and studious. Guanzhong, you just don’t understand Biaoer.
Luo Ben listened to the teachings with an open mind, and one day asked Chen Biao how many books of classics, history, and literature he had copied.
Chen Biao was confused: "I have never copied it."
Why should I copy the classics? Just reading them will be enough. I will inherit my father's title for his founding contributions and I won't need to take the imperial examination.
Robben continued to ask: "How many hours do you usually study?"
Chen Biao thought about it carefully and said, "One or two hours?"
I've been a bit busy lately. But he has a photographic memory, so he memorizes everything first, and then closes his eyes and recalls it in his mind while on the road, saving his eyes.
Robben took a deep breath and asked gently again, "How many hours do you sleep?"
Chen Biao said, "At least four and a half hours, including the nap, it would probably be five hours."
Winter is coming, and Chen Biao starts to stay in bed and sleep more.
Robben was speechless.
Is Mr. Ji too old and too lenient with Chen Biao? Chen Biao is so lazy, how can he be called "diligent in study"?
Robben couldn't help but tell Mr. about this.
Ji Renshou nodded and said with relief: "It's time to rest more. Biao'er is too tired."
Robben: “…”
Robben could only say "okay, okay" and "right, right, right", and no longer discuss Chen Biao's affairs with Ji Renshou.
He discovered that Mr. Ji was old and his attitude towards Chen Biao was just doting on his grandson, and he had lost his normal judgment.
Although Chen Biao couldn't read minds, he discovered that Robben disliked his laziness.
He wanted to make excuses, but then he thought, he and Robben were not familiar with each other and they belonged to two different camps, why should he rush to make friends with him?
What if Marshal Zhu becomes the insane Hongwu Emperor and suddenly thinks that the Chen family is colluding with Zhang Shicheng because he has too close a relationship with Zhang Shicheng's trusted adviser (as Robben said himself)?
So the misunderstanding began.
Although, this is not really a misunderstanding. According to the evaluation standards of people at that time, Chen Biao's daily life was indeed that of a lazy guy.
It was the age when he should study hard, so how could Chen Biao sleep well instead of getting up at dawn and working under the stars?
Seeing that Robben and Chen Biao really didn't get along, Ji Renshou could only sigh in his heart and stop forcing them.
This is probably the law of fate.
Without Ji Renshou's forced matchmaking, Robben used the time he spent dealing with Chen Biao to inquire about Yingtian.
He went to the refugee camp early every morning to observe how Zhu Yuanzhang's subordinates provided relief to the refugees and chatted with the officials who were providing relief to the refugees.
At noon, after a quick meal, he wandered around the city, observing the commercial layout of Yingtian Prefecture. If Robben hadn't been so tactful as not to spy on the military camp, Hua Yun would have been so nervous that he wanted to expel him.
At night, Robben went to visit Ji Renshou, asked him for advice, and read by lamplight at night.
After learning that there was a hermit named Zhu Sheng living in Yingtian Primary School, Robben visited Zhu Sheng every now and then to ask him about the general situation of the world and military deployment.
Chen Biao watched Robben's daily schedule. First, he admired his courage. He dared to be so active in Yingtian Prefecture. He was not afraid that Uncle Hua would kill him with an axe. Second, he admired Robben's energy. He only slept less than three hours a day. He must be the kind of talent that Zhu Yuanzhang loved the most.
What a pity.
When Chen Biao was talking to Robben, he heard Robben mention Zhang Shicheng and found that there seemed to be little stars twinkling in Robben's eyes, so twinkling that his eyes were dazzled.
Chen Biao had seen these starry eyes before, when his father Chen Guorui mentioned Zhu Yuanzhang.
Even though his father trusted him so much and believed that Zhu Yuanzhang might become cruel in the future, he still followed Zhu Yuanzhang wholeheartedly. This is what a loyal minister is.
Many people in this era are "blindly loyal". His father is, and so is Robben.
When Chen Biao heard that Robben had not yet planned to write a novel, he gave Robben an ancient map from the Three Kingdoms period.
Robben probably retired to write novels after Zhang Shicheng was defeated.
I hope Robben doesn’t lose this map when he decides to write a novel, so that there won’t be another big bug where Jingzhou runs all over the map.
Chen Biao, despite Robben's indifference, asked curiously, "Mr. Naian, do you have any intention of writing a novel?"
Although Robben was indifferent to Chen Biao, he would not deliberately treat him coldly. When Chen Biao asked questions, he would try his best to answer what he could.
"The teacher wants to write a novel praising the lord." After Robben finished answering, he continued earnestly, "You are young, you should read more scriptures, don't just focus on reading novels and storybooks for entertainment..."
Chen Biao's eyes were dead. Here it comes again, this guy will nag me and encourage me to make progress whenever he gets the chance.
Am I not ambitious enough?! Did you know that the head of the Chen family patriarch that your master has put a huge reward on is my little head?
Chen Biao made an excuse and ran away.
Robben leaned against the door frame, sighed in frustration, and then continued to work.
During the march, Zhu Yuanzhang learned about Robben's busyness.
He thought for a long time and wrote to Hua Yun, saying that as long as Robben did not spy on military intelligence, he could go anywhere he wanted.
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said to his subordinates: "It's a good opportunity for him to see whether I, Zhu Yuanzhang, am really cruel and merciless."
Song Lian sighed and said, "I heard that the lives of the people in the cities occupied by Zhang Shicheng have become increasingly difficult. Many of our refugees are from Suzhou and Hangzhou. If he can learn a little bit of the lord's kindness and hand it over to Zhang Shicheng, it will be a blessing for the people."
Liu Ji said coldly, "He won't learn. The reason Yingtian was able to provide such disaster relief wasn't because of the brilliant work-for-relief strategy Biao'er had written, but because Biao was supervising it from beginning to end, and his trusted subordinates were strictly enforcing Biao's orders. Any omission in this process would have led to disaster."
Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his long beard, which he hadn't had time to shave, and sighed, "I hope Zhang Shicheng can at least learn half of what I've learned. If he were the same as before... well. If he had always been the same as before, perhaps the outcome between us would be uncertain."
Everyone's eyes dimmed for a moment.
It’s not that they want the enemy to be as strong as possible, but anyone who sees a hero fall will feel a little uncomfortable.
Not only did Zhang Shicheng achieve miraculous results in the Battle of Gaoyou, but he was also a capable and wise ruler when he first proclaimed himself King of Wu.
In terms of economy, he promulgated the "Order on Agriculture and Sericulture in Prefectures and Counties", exempting farmers and salt workers from heavy taxes and levies; he sent troops and civilians to reclaim wasteland and build water conservancy projects, and exempted the civilians who reclaimed wasteland from taxes for one year; he returned 40% of the government's taxes that year to the civilians, and gave clothes and food from the homes of fleeing landlords and wealthy businessmen to the poor.
In terms of culture, he established the Hongwen Academy, summoning the children of generals and gentry to study, and the tuition was covered by the government; he also set up the Lixian Academy to recruit talents from all over the world, and personally invited local talents to come out of seclusion many times. Shi Er, Chen Ji and others were all invited by Zhang Shicheng personally to assist him.
At this time, who can say that Zhang Shicheng was not a heroic leader?
Who could have imagined that Zhang Shicheng would accept the Yuan Dynasty's offer of amnesty? Who could have imagined that after accepting the offer, Zhang Shicheng would become a completely different person from when he was the King of Wu?
Liu Ji and Shi Er had such a bad relationship that he also felt a little pity for his nephew Luo Guanzhong.
Luo Guanzhong's ideals will surely be shattered, and the only one who can unify the world will be his lord, Zhu Yuanzhang. I just hope that before Zhang Shicheng's ideals are shattered, his mind can be briefly restored to clarity, giving Shi Zian and Luo Guanzhong some psychological comfort.
Robben didn't know that his uncle Liu Ji, also known as Liu Bowen, who had been scolded countless times by his teacher, was pitying him.
He set off back to Pingjiang City with hope, holding a large stack of his own writings.
Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang were fighting fiercely, and his route to Chen Youliang and the forces further south was cut off, so he had to return to Pingjiang City early.
When leaving Yingtian, Robben lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked back at the towering Yingtian City.
The refugees not only repaired the city walls and streets, but also helped other people farm and repair houses.
It was said that those places within Zhu Yuanzhang's territory that had a little surplus of grain were now beginning to experiment with work-for-relief programs. Chen family officials directing the work-for-relief program had already traveled to various cities.
Later, these refugees were allocated land and became citizens under Zhu Yuanzhang's rule. New refugees also came to help them cultivate the land and build and repair houses.
The slogans shouted by Zhu Jiajun mean that the refugees not only exchanged their labor for food, they were not being helped or begging. By helping others with their work, they were also helping their future selves.
If you set a good example, future refugees will learn from you and do their best to help you. If you act dishonestly, future refugees will also learn from you.
Robben was shocked after hearing this.
At that moment, he suddenly felt some admiration and yearning to be Zhu Yuanzhang's subordinate.
If I could follow such a lord, with the monarch and his subjects sharing the same aspirations, I would probably be very happy.
When Robben read "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", he most yearned for and admired Ji Han.
As wise as Zhuge Liang was, didn't he know that the Han Dynasty was powerless to turn the tide?
He must have known about it. Ji Han's generals probably knew about it too.
But what does it matter ? They share the same ideals, and even if they were to fly into the fire together, they would be happy with it.
Zhu Yuanzhang was now at his weakest, and the orthodox Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism was despised by the world.
But the ministers under Zhu Yuanzhang may not care about these things. They are willing to follow Zhu Yuanzhang's ideals and go against the trend of the world.
The carriage gradually left Yingtian City and headed towards Pingjiang City where Robben's lord was.
Sitting in the bumpy carriage, Robben thought of the letter Zhu Yuanzhang wrote to him and hoped that he would convey it to his teacher. He raised his head slightly and closed his eyes.
I am grateful for your lingering love, which is tied to my red silk blouse.
My house has tall buildings and a garden, and my husband holds a spear in Mingguangli.
I know that your love is as great as the sun and the moon, and you are willing to share life and death with your husband.
I return your pearl with tears in my eyes, and I regret that we did not meet before I got married.
I regret that we did not meet before I got married.
…
Robben returned to his lord with his hopes and aspirations.
It is said that Pingjiang City is also implementing work-for-relief.
The first task those refugees did was to help Zhang Shicheng transport grain to Yuan Dadu.
Chen Biao found it a bit ironic. But maybe it was just him.
The Yuan Dynasty had not yet perished. Zhang Shicheng was a minister of the Yuan Dynasty, so his people were also people of the Yuan Dynasty. There was nothing ironic about the refugees working for the Yuan Dynasty.
It’s just late autumn, early winter, and snow again, and another year is about to come.
Chen Guorui said he would definitely go home for the New Year this year, but he broke his promise.
Chen Biao sighed and did not blame his parents.
In this chaotic world of war and chaos, it is not the parents' fault if they break their promises.
It’s all the fault of this era, oh!
"Forget it, there's no use thinking about them." Chen Biao scratched his head.
He still had to think of a way to have some fun.
But without my parents around, no matter how lively it was, it didn’t feel particularly lively, even though my younger brothers were very noisy.
Song'er is one year older, and with the help of reading enlightenment, he has become a little calmer than before, but not very calm, he is still a screamer;
When Chen Er grew up a year later, he became even more ignorant and began to try to climb trees and walls every day. Chen Biao suspected that his third brother was a monkey in his previous life.
The dog and cat finally recovered. The cat was fine, still quiet. The dog became even more aggressive, often bullying the cat. Chen Biao couldn't help it and beat his brother for the first time.
He didn't hit the dog hard, but the dog's howling was so loud that his uncle Li Zhen rushed in, wondering if something had happened to Chen Gou'er.
Looking at his younger brothers, Chen Biao felt like he had celebrated a new year and had aged more than a year.
