Hearing the festival music and feeling homesick, Li Ran thought for a moment and said:
"Well, it just so happens that Marquis Lu has recruited Ayan and Awei to return home, so let's go to Qufu together. Weifu will write another letter and ask Fan Li to bring Guang'er to join us in Qufu, and our family can Reunion in Lu country."
Li Ran was originally worried that Qufu might not be safe. After all, if Ji Sun Yiru died, Qufu would be quite chaotic.
However, Yunyi is far away from Qufu and Zhengyi. After all, Qufu is much closer.
Moreover, a secret message came from Guancong, saying that Qufu seemed to be in chaos, but in fact it was relatively safe.
In addition, he has the important task of escorting Gong Yan and Gong Wei back to their country.
Based on these three factors, Li Ran finally made this decision.
After listening to the sacrificial music, he couldn't help but nodded and said casually:
"That's fine! In that case, everything depends on your husband!"
When Ji Le heard what Li Ran said, she naturally didn't think too much about anything else. She just wanted to see her daughter soon.
So Li Ran immediately wrote a letter to Fan Li and talked about the matter with Sun Wu.
Sun Wu didn't have much opinion on this, but asked Chu Dang to always be by Li Ran's side, just in case.
Sun Wu arranged for an escort and several carriages.
There is one for Ji Le and Li Ran, one for Gong Yan and Gong, one for the doctor, and other supplies.
Sun Wu himself rode a horse and ran back and forth in the convoy to ensure the safety of everyone.
Because Ji Le was unwell and could not bear the bumps, the convoy did not move very fast. Fortunately, the journey was not too far, and in only ten days, we reached the outskirts of Qufu.
Along the way, Li Ran took great care of Ji Le. The two met in Qufu. Seeing that they had once again arrived at the place where they first met, their mood became quite sweet at this moment.
As for Yang Hu, in order to show the importance he attached to Li Ran and express Ji's repentance, he actually led San Huan to the outskirts to greet Gong Yan and Gong Wei.
Meng Sunhe Ji was also in the accompanying team, and finally met his respected master Kong Zhongni here.
Just because during this period, Confucius had been busy in Ji's Mansion and never went out. Therefore, Meng Sunhe Ji did not meet him.
Now Meng Sun He Ji suddenly saw his master Confucius, so he hurriedly came to Confucius and knelt down to the ground.
"He Ji, an unfilial disciple, has met his mentor!"
Although Confucius reluctantly helped Meng Sun Heji up, his expression was quite cold:
"Lord Meng Sun, you don't have to be like this! Although you and I have the status of master and disciple, it's a pity that Qiu didn't teach you what etiquette and justice are! This is the fault of the teacher. Qiu can't accept such a great gift from Lord Meng Sun!"
As the master of Meng Sun He Ji, Confucius was called "Sir" on the left and "Qiu" on the right.
Obviously, these are not normal titles between master and disciple.
Meng Sun He Ji knew that Confucius had not forgiven him for being secretive and leading troops to attack Yunyi under the Ji family's coercion.
For a moment, his face was filled with shame.
"Respect your teacher. Once you are a teacher, you will always be a father. There is no need to dare or forget."
Meng Sunhe Ji also said that although he led his troops to Yunyi, he finally chose to withdraw his troops.
And they, the Meng family, did so as a last resort.
"Well... I hope so."
Confucius looked elsewhere, which made Meng Sun Heji feel very embarrassed in full view of the public.
"Back then, my disciple was young and had no guidance from the master. Today, He Ji is bold enough to ask how to be 'fulfilling his filial piety'? I hope the master can give He Ji some guidance."
The reason why Meng Sunheji mentioned this was that on the one hand, he really had nothing to say, and on the other hand, he also knew that his master was the one who valued filial piety the most. And when he asked this question, he naturally wanted to please him.
Confucius heard the question, then glanced at Meng Sun He Ji again, and replied coldly:
"Haha, it doesn't really matter, it's just 'no violation'!"
Hearing this, Meng Sunheji didn't know why, but he asked again:
"Master, please speak clearly."
Confucius said:
"While your parents are still alive, you must serve them with courtesy. When they are gone, you must bury them with ceremony and sacrifice them! The most important thing is to be able to inherit their legacy and fulfill their unfulfilled wishes!"
In fact, Meng Sun He Ji's question about filial piety was nothing more than a deliberate attempt to please Confucius.
The meaning of Confucius is also very obvious, that is, you have completely forgotten the legacy of your fathers and completely lost your Meng family position. This is really unfilial.
Meng Sunheji was also smart, and he immediately understood what his master meant.
It's just that over the years, he has been taken over by Ji Sun Yiru in everything he does. Since he succeeded to the throne at a young age, of course he follows Ji's family everywhere.
Therefore, most of the Meng family had little morale. But now that Ji Sun Yiru is dead, the power of the Ji family has been transferred to Yang Hu.
As for Yang Hu, he was extremely afraid.
After all, the shadow of being a young man at that time was still there, and every time he thought of that scene in the city tower, Meng Sunheji was extremely afraid.
After Li Ran, Gong Yan and Gong Wei arrived, everyone first saluted the two young masters, and then greeted Li Ran politely.
Especially Shusun did not dare, because of the relationship between the Shusun family and the Ji family. Jile and his father Shusun Zhaozi (Shusunruo) are the same generation. In terms of seniority, he is the same as Gongyan and Gongwei. Call him aunt.
However, due to Ji Le's health, he could not get off the carriage, and Li Ran did not have a good impression of Shusun's fear, so he did not deal with him.
Yang Hu saw all this, but secretly smiled knowingly.
On this side, Ji Sunsi stood in front of the crowd, and because he was afraid of Yang Hu behind him, everything he said and did seemed to be submissive.
Li Ran looked at the young Sanhuan of the generation in front of him and the suburbs of Qufu he was familiar with.
I can't help but feel that time has passed and things have changed.
Of course, because the atmosphere at the scene was also very weird, Li Ran could smell a hint of uneasiness in it.
After entering the city, Yang Hu settled Li Ran, Gong Yan and Gong Wei.
And he hosted a banquet for Li Ran alone, while Li Ran took Sun Wu and Chu Dang to the banquet.
When they arrived, they found that Yang Hu had only invited him. Apart from Confucius and Guan Cong, there was no one else.
Yang Hu toasted Li Ran three times and said:
"Mr. Ziming, you gave Yang Hu a wake-up call back then. Ling Hu was enlightened and was able to see Ji's true face. Hu is really grateful!"
Li Ran smiled lightly.
"Brother Yang's words are serious. Brother Yang is able to find his way back. This is self-enlightenment. If it were someone else who is obsessed with not realizing it, even if he has a sharp tongue, it will be of no use!"
Yang Hu heard this and said sincerely:
"Now, Hu wants to uphold his master's ambition and restrain Sanhuan from the official position. I hope that this move can revive the power of our country of Lu!"
Yang Hu knew Li Ran's wish. Of course he said this to win Li Ran's favor.
After all, if he wants to continue to make a difference in the future, he will need to rely more on Li Ran.
Of course, Li Ran still doesn't know what Yang Hu is thinking, let alone what Guan Cong said to him.
However, after all, Li Ran was not an ordinary person. Regarding Yang Hu's remarks, he could vaguely feel that there must be his own selfish desires behind them, but they were hidden very deeply.
"I only hope that Brother Yang can never forget his original intention."
Yang Hu laughed.
"Hahaha, that's natural. Hu keeps his promise. I hope sir can help me more in the future."
Li Ran was not in a hurry to reply to this, but Yang Hu was not in a hurry either. He toasted Confucius again and said:
"Brother Zhongni, you and I were a little unhappy before. When the former tiger was captured, we were fortunate to receive some kind words from brother Zhongni. This shows that brother Zhongni has a broad mind. The tiger is here to pay tribute to brother Zhongni!"
As Yang Hu spoke, he raised his cup, stood up, saluted Confucius, and drank it all in one gulp. Afterwards, Yang Hu sat down again and continued:
"Brother Zhongni, Tiger also has something to say. Please listen to me, brother Zhongni."
"Hu thinks that Brother Zhongni is a great sage in our Lu country. He is full of knowledge. Wouldn't it be a pity if there is no inheritance in the future? In Hu's opinion, Brother Zhongni should recruit many disciples. Only in this way can we succeed. How can we bring peace to future generations by studying the sage’s unique knowledge?! So, please ask Brother Zhongni to open a club in Qufu to recruit disciples!”
"Therefore, Hu also hopes that Brother Zhongni can spread and carry forward the principles of our Zhou Dynasty in the future, and let future generations understand what 'propriety, justice, integrity and shame' are. But things like what Ji's family did before will not happen again. It’s my fault, I hope Brother Zhongni won’t refuse.”
When Confucius heard this, he couldn't help but stand up, bowed his hands and said:
"How dare Qiu refuse? Qiu is willing to obey!"
When Yang Hu saw this, he laughed three times and said happily:
"Hahaha, okay! Hu Yi will do his best to assist and give Brother Zhongni the greatest convenience!"
——
Chapter 552_Confucius [Spring and Autumn]
Confucius followed Yang Hu's suggestion and chose an apricot grove outside the city to officially open a society and recruit disciples.
Li Ran had nothing else to do. Hearing that Confucius had made the scenery of the apricot forest quite beautiful, he decided to bring his sacrificial music and settle down here.
In fact, apart from this reason, the most important thing is that both Li Ran and Kong Qiu vaguely noticed that Yang Hu's motives seemed not pure.
However, although they were aware of it, they thought that Yang Hu had not done anything too drastic so far, so they were unable to say anything more and decided to wait and see for a while.
And during these days, Yang Hu once again promoted to the outside world with great fanfare that Confucius was a great sage of the Lu State and the teacher of Meng Sun Heji, the patriarch of the Meng family. Meng Xizi also paid tribute to Confucius during his lifetime, even if it was Lu. Duke Zhao, the reason why he was able to know etiquette so well was mostly from Confucius.
After Yang Hu's endorsement and propaganda, some young people from Lu and neighboring countries came to join Confucius's sect one after another.
Confucius also used the History of Lu taught to him by his teacher as a teaching material. When teaching, he pointed out the current shortcomings and was very vivid.
However, because this set of Lu Shi he borrowed from a friend had not been revised and annotated, there would be some omissions when Confucius was enjoying his lectures in class.
Therefore, Confucius came up with the idea of making up another set.
Confucius found Li Ran and expressed his intention, which Li Ran also deeply agreed with:
"The book of assignments is the most important thing, and we must not neglect it in the slightest. However, this project is extremely huge, and I am afraid that Brother Zhongni will not be able to handle it!"
"Qiu Zi should understand, so I hope my benefactor can help Qiu."
Li Ran paused for a moment and then said:
"It doesn't matter. Anyway, I have been living in Xinglin these days. If I have some free time, I will help Brother Zhongni in proofreading!"
"only……"
Confucius heard that Li Ran seemed troubled and couldn't help asking:
"What's the difficulty in not knowing your benefactor?"
Then, Li Ran sighed and told Confucius:
"It's just that, as for the secrets and Taoism, Brother Zhongni should not record it for the time being. It's just because the matter is too bizarre, it will inevitably be suspected of sensationalism. If the world doesn't understand its meaning, it may attract criticism. !”
】
Although Confucius didn't know the details about the "Dark Walkers" and "Tao Ji", he was more or less aware of it because he was around Li Ran.
Confucius also knew this truth well and couldn't help but nodded.
At this time, Li Ran continued to speak:
"Maybe we can just talk about the family affairs of Qing Quan. In this way, it can also alert the world. As the saying goes, 'a house that accumulates good deeds will always have happiness.' Those who kill the king with his ministers will not end well in the end. Even if the culprit has a good end, But his descendants will also be implicated!"
"Don't worry, my benefactor. Even if my benefactor doesn't say it, Qiu will write it like this. It's just... Qiu thinks that it's better to cover up the matter between Zhao Gong and Ji Sun Yiru..."
Li Ran knew that Confucius wanted to "hide his evil" for Lu Zhaogong, so his move was understandable, and he just said:
"Well, since it's taboo for the venerable, it's appropriate to do so."
Confucius couldn't help but sigh:
"Qiu knows it well. If there is anything wrong, he will ask his benefactor to correct it."
"Haha, Brother Zhongni is too polite. Ran is just... right! Apart from that, don't mention Ran's name!"
When Confucius heard this, he couldn't help but asked:
"Oh? Why is that?"
Li Ran couldn't help but hesitate for a moment when he heard this question, and then slowly said:
"However, he is just a passer-by and is of no importance to the world... It's better not to show up!"
Confucius was still puzzled by this. After all, in his opinion, Li Ran can be regarded as the brightest star of this era.
If his deeds were hidden, obviously many things would no longer be so brilliant. Moreover, some things will even be difficult to justify.
"What Qiu wants to compile is to draw lessons from history. If it involves the present, how can we not record it based on the facts? This... is a little inappropriate, right?"
"Zhongni, because Li Ran doesn't want to be recorded in history, and he has no intention of leaving a name in the history books. Therefore, I hope Zhongni can fulfill Li Ran's wish!"
Seeing Li Ran's persistence, Confucius could only sigh and said:
"In that case, Qiu Tingyi will do as he pleases!"
…
So, in the next period of time, Li Ran was in Xinglin, accompanying Ji Le, waiting for Fan Li to come with Guang'er, and at the same time compiled "Spring and Autumn" with Confucius.
The records of "Spring and Autumn" are extremely concise, but almost every sentence contains a connotation of praise and criticism, so it is called "Spring and Autumn Writing Style" and "Miscellaneous Words and Great Meanings" by later generations.
It is said to be a history book, but in fact it is a political science work with a profound influence on later generations.
It was also Li Ran's request that he did not want to be recorded in history, so when Confucius compiled it, he also deliberately erased all Li Ran's deeds.
However, due to this implication, the records of Sun Wu, Guan Cong and others were inevitably brought into disrepute.
For example, Sun Wu's large number of military activities and Guan Cong's later deeds were not seen again in the Spring and Autumn Period.
It is precisely because I have many concerns and wants to express my opinions accurately. Therefore, there are inevitably some omissions in some of the records in the Spring and Autumn Annals.
As for these, I will not go into details here.
…
During this time, Yang Hu finally found a good opportunity.
He has always wanted to completely eliminate the old parties within the Ji family that were estranged from him.
Therefore, he took advantage of the opportunity when Ji Sunsi succeeded as the sect leader and went to Feiyi for a routine inspection to get a letter from Gongshan Buxuan.
What the letter says is that Zhong Lianghuai extremely despises the status of Dongyi, who is not a good man. Therefore, he once advised Ji Sunsi to let his cronies take over the position of Prime Minister Fei Yi.
But this time, Ji Sunsi was about to set off to Fei Yi. Although it was a routine matter, he seemed to want to find out which direction the wind was blowing. He asked Gongshan Buhuang to be careful with his words.
Gongshan Buxuan received a letter from Yang Hu. Although Yang Hu said it was true, he was still doubtful about it.
After all, Yang Hu wanted to drive away Zhong Liang Huai's heart, and he knew it. Therefore, he will not be fooled so easily by this "killing someone with a borrowed knife".
…
On the other hand, Ji Sunsi came to Dongye all the way under the escort of Yang Hu, Zhong Lianghuai and others. That was the place where Ji Sun Yiru was killed. Not far away is Feiyi.
During the break, Ji Sunsi asked about Gongshan Buxuan's character. After all, Gongshan Buxuan had been stationed in Feiyi all year round after the Nankuai Rebellion. Therefore, Ji Sunsi did not have much contact with him.
Yang Hu, on the other hand, said in front of Zhong Lianghuai:
"Although Zi Xie was born in Dongyi, he was deeply trusted by the First Lord. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to guard such an important city as Fei Yi."
"This man is loyal and dedicated, so my lord, you can rest assured during this trip."
Ji Sunsi responded:
"If so, that's the best!"
Unexpectedly, Zhong Lianghuai on the side snorted coldly:
"Yang Hu, you have a close relationship with Gongshan Buhuang, and everyone in the Ji family knows about it. If you talk about him like this, doesn't it make you even more suspicious?"
"Hmph! One should not avoid relatives and enemies when promoting a virtuous person. Since the Lord asked about it, how dare Hu not tell the truth? Brother Zhongliang, on the other hand, has always been so brooding about Zi Xie's life experience, and his mind is too narrow-minded. some!"
Zhong Lianghuai couldn't help but be silent for a moment:
"He is a barbarian by nature. He is a barbarian. He does not understand the teachings of our Zhou state. How can we trust his words and deeds?"
Indeed, Zhong Lianghuai had always looked down upon Gongshan Buxi's status as a barbarian and was not at ease with him. And he was only thinking about the Ji family, and felt that it was inappropriate to let an outsider control such an important place.
However, due to the fact that Gongshan Buxuan has always been regarded as a arrogant person over the years, there is no overstep. So although Zhong Lianghuai had doubts, he didn't think much about it.
Before, I was just thinking about whether I should re-examine this person. But now Yang Hu actually had all the good things to say about this person in front of Ji Sunsi, which inevitably made Zhong Liang more suspicious.
Obviously, if Gongshan Buxuan is really together with Yang Hunai, it will definitely not be a good thing for the Ji family.
