Although it was said to be a family banquet for Liu Bei, for Liu Bei and Chen Chong, this family banquet was still extremely unusual.
Since entering the court, Chen Chong has not participated in Liu Bei's family affairs for a long time. After all, since the two governments were established together, Chen Chong has been in Chang'an for a long time, while Liu Bei has been in Jinyang for a long time due to war needs. Therefore, except for Liu Xie who came to become his disciple, Liu Bei's wife and children stayed in Bingzhou. It was not until he ascended the throne at the beginning of the year that Liu Bei began to move his family The family moved to Chang'an.
In the past few years, Liu Bei added concubines and gave birth to many children. Although Chen Chong heard about it, he was not familiar with it. Even during the last battle of Pingcheng, Chen Chong was in such a hurry that he did not take the time to pay a visit to Queen Liu Jia, who was nominally his adopted sister. Therefore, in the past ten years, this was the first time for Chen Chong to actually participate in Liu Bei's family banquet.
The venue of the banquet was still in Weiyang Palace, but it was no longer in the main hall at noon, but in a side hall. The front of the hall was full of pink and white plum blossoms, and some palace people were sweeping away the remaining snow in the corridor. It was a sunny winter day, and Chen Chong walked along the railing for a while, admiring the exquisite stone paintings on the railing. It wasn't until Liu Bei came to call him that he slowly walked into the hall.
Although the number of people attending the meeting was not as high as yesterday's banquet, there were still a lot of people, but the hall seemed a bit empty. In addition to Liu Bei, Chen Chong, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, there were also Queen Liu Jia, Prince Liu Xie, the second son of the emperor Liu Dan, the third son of the emperor Liu Cheng, and the eighth son of the emperor Liu Li. There were also the noble concubines Gan and Wang. Sit and wait. Among them, Liu Dan and Liu Cheng are both Liu Bei's legitimate sons, and they have not been in Yuan Dynasty for a long time. Liu Li was from the Gan family and was only three years old.
As soon as Liu Bei sat down, he held the youngest Liu Li in his arms, pointed at Chen Chong and others and said: "Come on, call uncle." Chen Chong saw that the child quickly called Guan and Zhang "uncle" twice, But when he bit his finger and turned his gaze to himself, he looked at it in confusion for a while, and then his round face gradually opened into a grin: "Hey, Ah Weng." The child's words were full of childish vitality and smile.
Everyone laughed when they heard this. Liu Bei pointed at Chen Chong and said: "Ting Jian, don't blame my Ali, you look a generation older!" Chen Chong didn't take it seriously, put his hands behind his hands and smiled lightly: "If I can compare with you, Being one generation older is something worth boasting about.”
Then Liu Bei asked Liu Dan and Liu Cheng to come forward and pay homage to Chen Chong as disciples. Chen Chong helped them up and then looked at the two teenagers. Liu Dan is two years older and is already seventeen this year, but he looks more frail and seems to be taciturn. Liu Cheng, on the other hand, is tall and majestic. Although he is only fifteen, his skin is dark and he rolls up his sleeves to reveal his thick arms, just like an adult. Chen Chong thought to himself: This is the physique of a warrior. In a few years, he will be able to dominate the battlefield.
So he asked the two of them if they had chosen their own characters. After asking, he found out that both of them had studied under Wang Gai of Taiyuan, and Wang Gai had also chosen their characters. Liu Dan had the courtesy name Changlue, and Liu Cheng had the courtesy name Zitong. He couldn't help but smile and asked: "Then what ambitions do you two have?"
Liu Cheng glanced at Liu Bei and answered first: "When we were in Jinyang, my father often taught us that as a royal family, we should always think about taking care of the country's worries, so I often practice riding and archery, and now I am proficient in it." , It’s just that the way to become a general still needs to be sharpened. Although hundreds of schools of classics and history have dabbled in it, they can only be understood through experience on the battlefield."
Liu Bei nodded frequently on the side, but Chen Chong saw Liu Xie's eyes were cloudy. He quickly ended the topic and asked Liu Dan, "What about the long strategy?"
Liu Dan was silent for a while and said slowly: "My father and brother have the final say on major matters. I think the country will soon be free of chaos. In the future, we will go hunting in the spring and summer, cook wine in the autumn and winter, the husband and wife will be harmonious, and the children and grandchildren will be everywhere. A good article is enough to comfort me throughout my life."
Chen Chong was extremely surprised when he heard this. He didn't expect this child to understand at such a young age that the most unrestrained life in the world is to be an idle prince. He patted Liu Dan on the shoulder and sighed to everyone: "This is also the life I want to live!"
Liu Dan and Liu Cheng were quite puzzled when they heard this. Their eyes widened, thinking that Chen Chong was joking. But Liu Bei knew that Chen Chong meant what he said. He waved to Gan to pour tea for Chen Chong and said softly: "I will work you hard for another two years. When Youzhou is recovered, I will hand over the throne to Gong Lin, you and my brother." Wouldn't it be beautiful if a few people went hunting in Taoyang again?"
After saying that, Liu Bei looked at Guan Yu and Zhang Fei who were standing aside, and said with a smile: "Yun Chang, can you still fight a tiger? Yide, can you still lose a eagle?" Seeing that both of them nodded in agreement, Liu Bei then added to Chen Chong He said: "When the time comes, I will make you a tiger skin cloak with my own hands and put carved feathers on the saddle. It will definitely make you ten years younger!"
Chen Chong smiled, said "I accept your good wishes", and then drank all the wine in the glass, but in his heart he felt that this was very unrealistic. Liu Bei actually felt the same way. He paused and then said to his wife beside him: "You and Ting Jian haven't seen each other for many years. Didn't you say you wanted to give him a gift?"
Hearing this, Liu Jia hurriedly conveyed orders to the palace people, and actually carried out a wooden plaque one foot long and three feet wide from the backyard. The plaque was still covered with embroidered cloth. She turned to Chen Chong and smiled and said: "This is what I am going to do next." When I left, Jinyang's father gave it to my brother and asked me to deliver it to him personally." After that, she opened the embroidered cloth and revealed the four words on the wooden plaque: "Thank you for your kindness." The font is simple and elegant, and it looks like it was written by a celebrity from Jinyang. On the back of the plaque, there are also countless petition names from thousands of people in Taiyuan County.
Chen Chong was very emotional after seeing it. He did not refuse, turned to thank Liu Jia, and asked Liu Jia to help transport it to his house, but he thought in his heart: This plaque will probably never be hung up.
Chen Chong and Liu Jia have not seen each other for several years. Liu Jia was nearly forty years old at this time. She no longer had the coquettishness of the Hun princess. Her words and deeds were extremely dignified and steady, and there was a lingering nobility between her eyebrows. It was obvious that she had spent some time learning in the past. etiquette. When they talked this time, both of them were a little unfamiliar.
Unexpectedly, Liu Jia suddenly sighed and said, "Brother, he still hasn't changed!"
Chen Chong was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but laugh at himself: "Isn't it possible that he hasn't aged?"
Liu Jia added: "Your eyes are still like an eagle's, and you can see everyone with sharp eyes. I thought that after a few years, my brother's murderous aura could fade away."
Chen Chong was stunned for a while and wanted to continue talking to Liu Jia, but she had already retreated, while Liu Bei waved his hands to order the palace servants to serve the food.
Although he is already the emperor, Liu Bei behaves quite simply. Firstly, he does not build any new palaces. Secondly, he abolishes the palace staff and bans eunuchs. The number of servants in the palace is only about 200, which is less than the eleven of the Ling Emperor. Therefore, it is often said that he has the style of Emperor Wen. However, this is not because Liu Bei is truly frugal, but because as a monarch, he should set an example and have no choice but to do so. However, he was a little indulgent in his diet. The dishes served at the family banquet were all rare delicacies, such as bear paws, fish dumplings, candied dates, mutton, and five-flavored preserved fruits. What is poured into the cup is naturally wine.
Then a few people started chatting casually, with several princes listening in. Only Liu Xie could interject from time to time. First, Chen Chong talked about some interesting stories about Bashu. In fact, Chen Chong had already written a detailed battle report before, but the writing was still very different from the interview. Chen Chong talked more about the mountains and geography of Shu, but Liu Bei especially liked to hear about the deeds of elephants. He learned that three of them were captured The elephant asked Chen Chong reproachfully why he didn't bring the elephant into Guanzhong. After learning that the Shu Road was not strong enough for an elephant to pass through, he felt regretful and determined to see one in the future.
When Chen Chong took a break, Liu Bei took the initiative to talk about what he had seen in Hebei. He talked about the hardships of this year's war. He couldn't bear to look back for a while. But when he talked about the unyielding suicide of the judge, he couldn't help but sigh: "There are so many righteous men in Hebei! It's a pity that I come from a quiet background." Yan, however, cannot be used by me."
Zhang Fei suffered a lot under Ye City and was very angry with Shen Pei. Hearing this, he sneered: "A traitor who doesn't know how to obey has brought so much disaster to the country, how can he be called a righteous man?" Guan Yu was standing aside. He waved his hand and said, "Everyone is his own master. It's just a matter of conscience. It's just too harsh."
Chen Chong suddenly remembered that Liu Xie also wanted to join the army in the Eastern Expedition. He glanced to the side and found that Liu Xie was looking at him, so he smiled at him. Turning to Liu Bei, he said: "There is no need to feel sad about this. Although Hebei has many talented people, how can they compare with the later heroes? Shen Pei, Cao Cao, and Tian Feng are all old people. This time they enter Shu, and Governor Duan also I’m getting old, and I’m afraid I’ll have to retire in two years. Your and my era are coming to an end. As the saying goes, prepare for a rainy day. Now it’s better to think more about how to support the younger generations.”
When Liu Bei heard this, he looked back at his eldest son and understood immediately. He patted his knees and smiled and said: "I know what you mean. After the matter of moving the capital is over, you and I will consult with each other and see who will be brought to the next Eastern Expedition. "
When it got late, Liu Bei wanted to let Chen Chong continue to rest in the palace, but Chen Chong declined. He still remembered the strange look in Chen Zhang's eyes during the prisoner presentation ceremony, so he planned to go back to his home to take a look first. Liu Bei knew that the New Year was approaching, so he did not hold back. He made an appointment with him to meet him after the New Year, and then continued drinking with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
When you walk out the door, you will be greeted by the fragrance of flowers in the palace. In the dusk, the pink and white dotted the sunset, a breeze passes through, and the shadows of the trees sway. Liu Xie still came out to lead the way for Chen Chong, and the two of them walked out of Weiyang Palace step by step. Weiyang Palace was very large and the surroundings were silent. Chen Chong heard the sound of his boots walking on the stone floor of the corridor. Walking from one courtyard to another, you can't see many palace people, and can only hear the gentle chanting of monks. Seeing Chen Chong listening attentively, Liu Xie said softly: "This is an eminent monk from the Western Regions praying for the fallen soldiers."
Chen Chong nodded slightly. He took Qingzhui at the palace gate, called the waiting guards, and slowly walked towards the Prime Minister's Mansion. When he passed a corner on the road, he felt something in his heart, as if someone was watching him. But when I looked back and looked around, I found nothing.
Is it an illusion? Chen Chong was a little confused, but it was already getting late. People on the street gradually lit up lights. In the darkness, it seemed as if cleansing waves were rising from the lake. He did not continue to think about it, but continued to move towards the mansion.
