Chapter 1309: Family

Chapter 1309: Family

Chapter 1309 Going Home (Part )

After Chen Kui returned to Xuchang, he did not go back home first, but turned and headed for Yanling.

There are two advantages to doing this. One is to avoid returning too early and being questioned by the clansmen. The other is to visit Yu Liang, who is in mourning and is now the leader of Yingchuan.

On the thirteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Yu Liang met Chen Kui in a thatched cottage next to his old house in Yanling.

Before entering the thatched cottage, Chen Kui felt vaguely familiar with it. Thinking more carefully, isn't this the thatched cottage used by the Yu family's sons to mourn after Yu Chen's death? It just looks like it was newly built on the original site, but the style is exactly the same as the previous one.

"Mr. Yu." Chen Kui bowed politely.

Yu Liang was the only one in the thatched cottage. He seemed to be practicing calligraphy. When he saw Chen Kui, he didn't even look at him. He just said "Sit down" and then continued writing.

Chen Kui responded and sat down properly.

Yu Liang raised his brush and wrote with his wrist. After a moment, he put down the brush and said, "I will give you a word. Take it."

Chen Kui stood up in confusion, walked to the table, picked up the white paper with wet ink, and saw a sentence written on it: "If you are careless, you will lose your capital; if you are impatient, you will lose your master."

"Have you finished reading it?" Yu Liang glanced at him and asked.

"I've finished reading it." Chen Kui replied.

"Give it back to me after you've finished reading it." Yu Liang said.

Chen Kui was a little dumbfounded, but returned it to Yu Liang as he was told.

Yu Liang waited for the ink to dry slightly, then folded the paper.

Chen Kui was sharp-eyed and saw that there were many pieces of paper on the desk, all filled with this sentence, as if they were some kind of task.

"I already know about your story." Yu Liang said, "You are so bold!"

Chen Kui was a little puzzled and said, "Mr. Yu, I..."

Yu Liang waved his hand and said, "You did the right thing, but the timing was wrong. Who is the emperor now? What does he want to see? You, the younger generation, have never seen how powerful he is. Let's put it this way, when he was alive, you had to pretend to be brothers. Lucky, who jumped out first, has ruined his own future. He will never have the chance to enter the core again."

Chen Kui was no fool. After hearing what Yu Liang said, he understood a lot. At the same time, he secretly wondered if Yu Gong was frightened by Le Kai's fate?

"Stay at home first. Go back when the prince sends someone to call you." When Yu Liang said this, his face looked a little unnatural.

Chen Kui is waiting for his nephew to call him, and he is also waiting for his brother-in-law to call him, this is really...

Thinking of this, he was in a bad mood, so he said, "Behave yourself at home, don't act unruly, and don't talk nonsense."

Chen Kui nodded repeatedly.

To some extent, they are quite similar. The only difference is that Chen Kui's sister did not become the Crown Princess.

Of course, Liangzi arrived at Guangchengze to open up wasteland very early, so his face became tanned and his image score was lowered, but he accumulated certain experience and his impatient temper was also worn away a little. Overall, he is still better than Chen Kui.

Seeing that Chen Kui agreed so readily, Yu Liang was a little worried and warned him: "Don't have a big banquet during the New Year. It's best if you don't let people worry about you at this time."

"I know some people in Yingchuan like to talk about politics, but don't bring up the King of Qi, the King of Zhao, and the King of Yan, especially the King of Yan."

"Third, some people in Yingchuan have been complaining recently about the emperor's grain collection and labor service. You should not get involved. If the emperor wants to attack Pingzhou, let him do it. There will only be 20 states out of 21 states, and he will not be willing to accept that."

"Furthermore, if we allow the Murong clan to occupy Pingzhou, the battlefield will become Youzhou, and we will have to fight in the future as well."

"Fourth, if the emperor wants to take over the Western Regions, then let him do it. During the reign of Emperor Wen of Wei, although the country was only halfway settled, he was able to set up the Western Regions Office to govern the other states. Why can't the emperor do the same now?"

"Some complaints, if expressed, will only disgust the emperor. He is old, and now we have to coax him, do you understand?"

Yu Liang finished speaking in one breath, and felt extremely comfortable in his heart.

After listening to this, Chen Kui felt as if his eyes were opened. He thought that Yu Gong was indeed a man of great talent and was qualified to be the leader of the scholars in Yingchuan.

But after thinking about it, he said unwillingly: "Mr. Yu, we can't just do nothing, right? Now the kings have their own missions, but the prince can only revise the books. It's OK for a short time, but if it continues like this for ten or eight years, it will be dangerous."

Upon hearing this, Yu Liang remained silent for a long time.

"You have a point." He finally said, "Hearing government affairs on the first and fifteenth day of each month is the limit, and the prince can't do much. But if he can't do it, others can."

At this point, Yu Liang paced back and forth in the thatched cottage, saying, "It's better to please the emperor. Well, I haven't been back to the capital for a long time, and what is the emperor concerned about today?"

Chen Kui thought for a moment and said, "We must eradicate the bad practices of scholars, prohibit frivolous and empty talk, and demand that people seek truth from facts."

"This one doesn't show any results, are there any others?" Yu Liang said, waving his hand.

"There is also the pursuit of the truth of the great way, which has been mentioned many times in the court." Chen Kui said: "Shen Shao, the son of Yangping prefect Shen Zhong, studied the story of Cao Chong weighing an elephant in detail and wrote a letter to the Wanxiang Academy, which was rewarded by the emperor and directly appointed as a scholar. His father was also promoted to the deputy governor of Bingzhou."

"Oh?" Yu Liang was a little shocked.

Being promoted from a county governor (fifth rank) to a provincial governor (fourth rank), although it was only a promotion of one rank, in fact most governors could not cross this level in their lifetime.

"What did he say in the letter? Why is it so useful?" Yu Liang asked. Chen Kui pondered and finally said: "I only read it once, and I have forgotten most of it. I only remember a few sentences. It said, 'In the past, (Cao) Chong measured a huge elephant and placed it on a boat, and carved a water mark as a mark. He then replaced it with a stone, and waited for the boat to sink to the same level as the mark. The weight of the elephant was equal to the stone. Why? Because water supports objects like an invisible hand. The weight of the object is determined by the force of the water. Just like putting water in a full cup, the overflow must be equal to the object. Therefore, it is said that the force of the floating boat is equal to the weight of the water it displaces. This is the law of nature and the way of yin and yang.'"

After listening to Shen Shao, Yu Liang felt that it made sense and most of what Shen Shao said was true, but what was the use?

To be honest, it is just a topic of conversation among scholars. What benefit does it bring to the country and the people?
Forget it, just pretend that the emperor is senile and confused.

Yu Liang looked at Chen Kui and said, "Can you do these things?"

Chen Kui shook his head.

"What else?" Yu Liang asked.

"Just follow these principles to create things that benefit the country and the people..." Chen Kui said.

"Why does the emperor always argue about these things? What's the use of the power of the floating boat?" Yu Liang had a headache and was even more confused. He always felt that he was not used to this officialdom.

"Shen Shao said that Wenma Shipyard built pointed-bottom seagoing ships, which is in line with the theory of buoyancy. When the sea is surging, the ship tilts to one side, suddenly displacing a lot of seawater. The water has buoyancy and will push the ship up and straighten it, so the pointed-bottomed ship is not easy to capsize. He requested that from now on, all seagoing ships should be converted into pointed-bottomed ships and flat-bottomed ships should be abandoned." Chen Kui said: "The emperor praised this theory and said it was beneficial to the country and the people, and gave him 100 pieces of silk."

Yu Liang was speechless and asked, "How about finding something to do in Jiangnan?"

"It must be useful." Chen Kui said, "The emperor also values ​​those who manage industries in Jiangnan."

Yu Liang breathed a sigh of relief, finally arriving at an area he was familiar with.

"In the past, I followed the emperor to open up Guangchengze. Although it was hard work, looking back at the results, I am very proud." Yu Liang stroked his beard and said with a smile, "I am not in a position to meet guests. You can persuade your relatives and friends to go south to develop industries, and don't just focus on the old properties of the Wu people. There are so many wastelands in the south of the Yangtze River. You can also try to open up wasteland yourself. The emperor will definitely be pleased when he sees it."

"Yes." Chen Kui responded quickly.

"Besides, you just mentioned the boat." Yu Liang pondered for a moment and said, "The emperor attaches so much importance to shipbuilding. I think there is a reason. Can you families come together and find a way to build a boat workshop?"

Chen Kui was startled and said, "I'm afraid it will be a waste."

"Let's go to the south and find a place with a lot of forests. There must be huge trees that have grown for hundreds of years but no one cares about them." Yu Liang said, "Spend some food and silk, recruit locals to cut down the trees, and then go to the south of the Yangtze River to recruit some craftsmen. It shouldn't be too much to bear."

"What's the purpose of building a boat?" Chen Kui asked.

Yu Liang was stunned when he heard this. Yes, what is the purpose of building a boat?

"There is always a way." Yu Liang said, "If it really doesn't work, we can go to Jiaozhou to transport spices. Isn't this popular in the capital now? Everyone who uses it says it's good."

"Mr. Yu knows everything about the world without leaving his house." Chen Kui flattered him a little.

Yu Liang smiled slightly, looking somewhat benefited.

Soon he remembered something else and asked, "The emperor will go on an eastern tour next spring, right?"

"Although the decree has not been officially issued, it is inevitable." Chen Kui replied.

"When the emperor goes on an eastern tour, the crown prince will have to supervise the country. This is no small matter." Yu Liang suddenly became a little nervous.

As soon as his buttocks returned to the bed, he stood up again, walking back and forth, feeling quite anxious and restless.

"When you are the regent, you must be more diligent and more polite, and never get carried away." Yu Liang said, "If anyone does not know what is good for him, report it to the crown prince immediately and punish him severely. Especially at this time, you must be patient. Although the emperor has left the capital, I don't think he can hide what is happening in the capital. The Huangsha Censor will not accompany the emperor on the tour."

When Chen Kui heard the words "Huangsha Censor", his anus tightened. There were many powerful families and Hu chieftains who fell into the hands of Prince Lu.

Scholars usually mention the Huangsha Prison with disdain and even curse it, but if they say they are not afraid, it would be a lie.

"Mr. Yu, after the emperor's eastern tour, although the crown prince will be the regent, he still needs the assistance of important ministers. Do you want to..." Chen Kui looked at Yu Liang and asked softly.

As soon as Yu Liang heard it, he knew what he was going to say, and his heart beat faster unconsciously.

It is indeed sad that my mother passed away, but it is also really hard to observe the three-year mourning period. I have to live in a thatched cottage all day long and even have to meet guests secretly. How is it different from being in prison?
If he could be reinstated and given an important position in a central government, that would naturally be great.

However, Yu Liang soon remembered the pair of giant hands like a palm-leaf fan that his brother-in-law often patted on his shoulders, and subconsciously hesitated.

After struggling for a long time, he sighed heavily and said, "Forget it, don't be so smart. I am at home cultivating my temperament and enjoying myself. I don't want to be bothered with paperwork for the time being."

Chen Kui understood and gave up the idea.

"It's okay, you can go back early." Yu Liang waved his hand quickly and said.

Chen Kui bowed and left.

Yu Liang stood at the door of the thatched cottage, looking at the vast world outside, his heart had already flown to Bianliang.

After a while, he returned to his desk, spread out a piece of paper and pen, and wrote a few words: "To be in mourning without feeling sad, and to be happy in sorrow, is called being immoderate."

After writing this sentence, he wrote another line below: "The empty room gives rise to whiteness, and auspiciousness never stops."

Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, put on the mourning hat, and continued reading and practicing calligraphy.

(End of this chapter)