Outside the east gate of the Liang Mansion, more than a dozen healthy mule carts loaded with grain, rice and sundries were parked in a disorderly manner, leaning against each other. They were so crowded that they could not move. Liang Yuanfu stood in front of the mansion gate with his hands on his hips and reprimanded. He was holding on to the door that was not doing the job well, and at the same time, he was gesticulating and instructing several doormen to clear the road. The braying of livestock, the shouts of the handlebars, and the shouts and curses of the doormen were intertwined, making it a noisy mess in front of the door. The endless stream of male servants carried rice in straw bags, fish in baskets, fruits and vegetables in large baskets, etc. into the house or into the kitchen. The steward checked the handed-in accounts with the village head. The waiter who is good at calculation kept checking the numbers and reported them loudly from time to time. The accounting clerk quickly wrote off the entries and exits in the account. Everything seemed busy and full of life.
A boy from the inner courtyard walked quickly to the door, found Liang Yuanfu and said, "Manager Liang, the young master asked. He just said that his uncle had sent someone to buy a piece of Lingbi ornaments. It was of good quality." It's very extraordinary. He said that he brought it with him this time. The young master has always been concerned about it. He only asked if it had arrived. If it arrived, there was no need to put it in the warehouse. He only had someone carry it and sent it directly to the Yiwen Hall. He also asked the people sent by his uncle to come with him. See you soon."
Liang Yuanfu just said: "We're here, we're here." He immediately turned around and started to make preparations. Not long after, he saw two healthy servants carrying a two-foot-high Lingbi stone and its base on big shoulders. Together with the servants of Liang's uncle's family, they followed. He rushed to the inner house with the boy.
The Liang Mansion has many walls and courtyards. Every time he passes a door, the servants take out warning signs and check with the nursing staff. As the doors close behind them, the noise outside gradually becomes quieter and eventually disappears completely. The quiet and deep inner courtyard seems Isolated from all the distractions of the mortal world, it makes people feel like they are in two worlds.
After walking for a long time, they passed through the Yuedong Gate with the inscription "Yiwen Pavilion" written on it, and came to a large and spacious courtyard. The servants led everyone to carry the Lingbi Stone straight into the room. Withdrew immediately. The people serving here are all middle-aged maids, not a single man is seen. Liang Cunhou had been waiting here for a long time. When he saw it, he immediately came forward. He couldn't wait to go back and forth to look around. When he had moved, Fang Zi smiled happily and said: "The dragon scales are stacked, the ravines are winding, and the dragon bones stand upright. It's all natural. This stone is large and uncarved, and it lacks a lot of artificial artificiality. It is indeed a good thing! My uncle has worked hard."
After speaking, he smiled at the uncle's servant and said, "How are your uncle and aunt?"
The servant was more than thirty years old, eight feet tall, tall and burly, with a very honest and mature appearance. He had a short mustache under his chin to add to his power. After listening to Liang Cunhou's inquiry, he hurriedly stepped forward to salute and said: "Master and mistress. I am in good health, but I just want to miss you. If you have time, please come over and stay for a while."
Liang Cunhou said: "My relatives are easy to talk to. Do you have any letters?"
The servant said: "Yes, sir, please read it." After saying that, he took out the letter from his arms and handed it over, and then said: "In addition, the master and mistress also have many things at home that the slaves and maids have to pass on to the master. It's just that they are too trivial and I'm worried that the master will be impatient. .”
Liang Cunhou smiled and said, "Don't be busy. I have nothing to do today. Just tell me slowly." Then he waved his hand to the corridor and said, "I don't need to serve you here. You can leave the hospital and I will chat with him for a while." ." The maids agreed and bowed away.
Liang Cunhou walked to the door and slowly closed the door with both hands. The bright sunlight in the morning became narrower and narrower between the two door panels, and finally turned into a thin line and was left outside the door. Only some mottled light and shadow passed through the window edge. Called in. The room seemed to get colder. Liang Cunhou didn't look at the Lingbi Stone anymore, and slowly walked to the table and sat down, his expression looking lonely and tired.
The servant straightened up and walked to the corner of the room. The light spots projected diagonally divided his body into two halves. His lower body was illuminated by the sunlight, while his upper body was hidden in the darkness.
Liang Cunhou asked the servant in a low voice: "Qiao Yan, can those four clerks be sent away?"
The man named Qiao Yan replied in a deep voice: "We have already sent him away. Recently, the Kun people have stepped up the interrogation. Fortunately, Brother Yun had made plans early, otherwise he would have been afraid of trouble. Only one of them was quite suspicious when Brother Yun tried his words. Afterwards, we conducted a secret search and found that he had secretly hidden a catalog of "Tianqing Guangwenlu" and half a handwritten copy of the text. After interrogation, we learned that he had the intention to report to the Kun people. Brother Yun used They stabbed his whole family, scuttled the boat, and sank them all into the river. The other three Yun brothers have tried it, and there is no flaw. Now they have been sent out of the borders of Guangdong and Guangxi. If you are lenient, you will have no head or tail."
Liang Cunhou seemed a little disappointed and said softly: "Why bother? I didn't want to do this."
Qiao Yan said: "Those who achieve great things don't stick to trivial matters. You should know that you can't lose big things because of small things."
Liang Cunhou sighed softly and said: "I know that others will eventually die because of me, which makes me feel uneasy and only adds to my feelings."
Liang Cunhou lost his consciousness and suddenly asked: "Qiao Yan, are you afraid?"
Qiao Yan was silent for a moment and said: "Five years ago, the Kun people bombarded the city of Guangzhou. I was not at home for something, and the Kun people cast a bolide. That night, the sky was filled with fire, and half the sky was red. A bolide flew into my house. , the beams, pillars, bed cabinets, clothes, quilts, and firewood were all burned. The fire was not extinguished and touched the tarsal bones of the body. Later, I heard from neighbors that the entire courtyard was in flames in an instant, and the entire family was burned. Only an old slave escaped. . I came back and dug out my parents and my wife. They were all burnt into black charcoal, and their appearance was indistinguishable. My wife held the two babies in her arms and burned them into a pile. Her hands were broken without being separated, so they were buried in a pile. From then on, I wasn't afraid anymore." Qiao Yan's voice was soothing and calm, with no ups and downs in his tone, as if he was describing something that had nothing to do with him.
After a pause, Qiao Yan continued: "Ever since I became an adult, what I have been doing all these years is framing people and killing people without being heard. I knew that doing these things would cost me my life, but I didn't expect that the retribution would fall on... ..." The voice suddenly stopped, and there was no more sound.
After a long time, Liang Cunhou sighed softly and said, "Qiao Yan, do you think we can make it happen?"
Qiao Yan seemed to think for a moment, shook his head and said: "Although I am proficient in writing, I am still a rough man. I only know how to fight. I don't know these things and I can't figure them out. But if there are millions of people who resist Kun in the world, I must be one of them, if there is only one person in the world who resists Kun, I will be that person."
Liang Cunhou smiled disappointedly and said: "Every time a dog is slaughtered for justice, a scholar is always the unfaithful one. Although you have no knowledge, you have a good character!"
There was a hint of cold ridicule on the corner of his mouth, and he said: "Now the Liang Mansion still looks magnificent from the outside, but in fact there are internal and external troubles, and the Kun people are following closely, just like the national army's layout, every detail is closely linked. Now the Liang Mansion is closely watched by the Finance and Taxation Bureau , the secret door business, which is a huge source of wealth, is about to feed the vicious dog of the Finance and Taxation Bureau! The Australian police officers are also keeping an eye on me every day. Just a few vendors in front of the door, they really take me seriously. Is he a dead person? In the past, those people who claimed to be proud and proud no longer came to the door. In the past, when they talked about benevolence in the study room, they all said, "Sacrifice yourself to go to the national disaster, and regard death as a sudden return home." But when the matter came, all of them ignored their words and actions. , fearing Kun like a tiger, for fear of being implicated. No wonder people often say that it takes ten years for a scholar to rebel."
Qiao Yan said: "Young master, there is no need to hurt yourself. Second brother Yun has read "Tian Qing Guang Wen Lu". He said that the success or failure of the future expedition to Kun will be determined in this book. He said that there is no one left in the world who has such knowledge."
Liang Cunhou shook his head slightly, smiled wryly at himself, and said: "It's just a bit of nonsense. When I first met the Kun people, I felt that their behavior was very different from that of China, but I didn't think about it deeply. It's just a coincidence. Afterwards, the Kun people occupied Lingao, and the wolf's heart first appeared. Until the king's governor attacked Qiong, He Shuai was almost unknown to the Kun people before he raised his troops. After ascending to Qiong, the scouts were only half a mile away from the camp, and the battle formations were all empty. Being covered by the people of Kun, you don't know anything about the soldiers' armor, guns, cannons, battle formations, or food and baggage. It's just like using blind eyes, deaf ears, and clear eyes. During the battle, the soldiers have no fighting spirit and are unable to advance or retreat. Only in this way can there be clarity. Mai's defeat. Sun Tzu said that if you know yourself and the enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without danger. If you don't know yourself, let alone others, how can you be invincible? Houkun people invaded the Guang Mansion, burned, killed, looted, and acted violently and wantonly. They acted more and more arrogantly, and now they have reckless ambitions. In addition to grief and indignation, I wrote "Eleven Essays on the Defeat of Qiongya", listing all the reasons for the defeat. Every time I think about this, I have trouble sleeping day and night, wishing I could brave the three-foot-high ice into Bairen City to serve my country and die for my country."
Speaking of this, Liang Cunhou looked sad and continued: "I deeply felt the harm of unclear Kun Qing, so I thought of compiling a collection of Kun Qing, which is this "Tian Qing Guang Wen Lu"." At this point, Liang Cunhou pointed to a large room outside the window and said: "Everything in that room is Kun's book. Whatever is for sale in the world, I bought them all. I couldn't see anything at first, but after looking for a long time, I got some clues, such as this By disclosing financial reports, you can get a glimpse of the Kun people's economic methods. If you compare them year by year, you can know the increase or decrease in the Kun people's income. If it is consistent with the military situation, you can know a little bit about the Kun people's military resources. There is also the iron-wheeled railway, built Where to place, where to stand, whether to build or repair or stop, there are secrets and hidden meanings, so I won’t go into details with you. And the Kun people also have the method of turning hundreds into one, so that when the time comes, all departments can act immediately Unification is like an arm using a finger to form a combined force. Thousands of threads are all in harmony. A hundred can defeat thousands, and a thousand can defeat ten thousand. Kun people call it a system."
After pausing for a moment, Liang Cunhou added: "There is also this study of Objects. Kun's study of Objects is different from Mr. Yangming's 'Wang Xue' of Objects. Kun people also have to study the basics of their studies, and each person only chooses one way to learn." It is called a profession, so Kun people have many specialists, and the words of saints are all-encompassing and can talk about the world's affairs. Therefore, I have many all-round talents, but it is difficult to master all-rounders. Therefore, Kun people are far better than me. And even more can be considered. It is not that we are unwilling to learn, but that we are unable to learn or do not know how to learn. Books on chemistry, physics, mathematics, etc. are placed in front of the desk. The characters can be read but the text cannot be understood. The poor scriptures of Haoshou can only be learned but not understood, and Kun The secret of making a country rich and powerful lies in this, and there is nothing you can do about it."
Liang Cunhou added: "I have collected all these miscellaneous studies in this book, and added detailed annotations, so that I can offer it to the Holy Emperor one day, so that I can be prepared in advance when the heavenly soldiers attack the rebels. In this way, I can wait for the situation when it happens. When you get up, you can move your troops and act decisively before you can have a plan in mind, and everything will go smoothly."
