"Oh? There are actually hidden talents here?" Zhu Su was a little surprised.
Although Yao Guangxiao often looks calm and calm on the surface, in fact he could not be more arrogant.
Those who can be valued by him must have real talents and learning.
I haven't heard much about any great talent who was buried in the temple in the early Ming Dynasty...
Before leaving, the old abbot and his young disciple escorted Zhu Su and his party directly to the gate of the temple. Zhu Su didn't see the layman Yao Guangxiao was talking about, and couldn't help but wonder: "Old man, I heard that the traveling layman who stayed at your temple last night has returned? Why didn't you show up today?"
"Amitabha, the layman saw that the firewood in the temple was running out, so he went up the mountain to collect firewood early in the morning." The old abbot clasped his hands.
"That's it." Zhu Su nodded. There were a large number of people in my group, and living in the temple for one night did use up a lot of firewood stored in the temple for the winter. Tired people have to go up the mountain to collect firewood early in the morning...
Zhu Su asked the old abbot to stay and not see him off. After the group left a distance, he called the dog again to signal. The dog nodded and ran against the traffic flow back to the old monk:
"Old man, my Highness received your heartfelt hospitality, but he was tired of waiting for you and ran out of firewood. He felt very sorry."
"Therefore, I give you fifty taels of silver and several kilograms of fine silver charcoal to help you survive the cold winter."
"Amitabha. Your Highness has the compassionate heart of our Buddha." The old monk announced the name of Buddha.
Seeing Zhu Su's motorcade going further and further along the road until it completely disappeared, the old abbot turned around and staggered back to the temple. The little apprentice was not tall enough, so he tried his best to help the master stagger, but a strong hand suddenly supported the old abbot beside him.
It was the fat monk who was hiding somewhere and carrying a large pile of dry firewood on his back.
"Amitabha, this little noble man acts brightly, so why do you peep in the dark?"
"What, are you an old friend?"
The old abbot's face remained as calm as before, and he just staggered forward.
"The abbot is joking. How old is that little kid? How can he be our old friend?" the fat monk said with a smile. But the smile immediately faded, and a look of nostalgia appeared on his face:
"On the other hand, the man named Chang next to him looks quite like an old friend of ours."
He couldn't help but look at his right arm, which had rolled up its sleeves. There was a scar left by a sharp arrow...
…
"You said that layman was a man skilled in martial arts?" Chang Mao couldn't resist his hospitality after all, and got on Zhu Su's carriage. Now he is chatting with Yao Guangxiao on the carriage shaft.
"Yes." Facing this unassuming Duke, Yao Guangxiao also looked calm. "The poor monk looked at his actions and behavior. He looked quite heroic in the military. There seemed to be cocoon marks on his palms. He must have practiced martial arts."
"I may have been a general before, but I don't know."
"What a pity!" Chang Mao sighed. "My hands were itchy last night. If I knew there was such a person in Sakon, I would be in luck to have a discussion with him!"
"Xu was a soldier during the chaos of the Yuan Dynasty." Zhu Su said. Lao Zhu defeated Zhang Shicheng, Chen Youliang and many other princes in a row, so it was normal for some of his defeated troops to hide in the mountains. Maybe among them there are such sergeants who lived in seclusion due to the end of the troubled times before leaving their names in the history.
He had little interest in this person and was not as obsessed with him as Yao Guangxiao. Firstly, in the history books of later generations, he did not remember that any very powerful person was working as a monk at this time; secondly, since this person was hiding in a mountain temple and living in poverty, he probably no longer wanted to stick to the disputes of the secular world.
The so-called forceful melon is not sweet, and I don’t want to cultivate talents to attract attention, so why bother to disturb others’ hard-won peaceful lives?
"How far is it from Suzhou?" Zhu Su asked.
"As long as you get on the ship, it won't take much time." Chang Mao replied. "I'll report to you from the front. It's now possible to sail on the river in the past few days."
"We can get on the boat from Lishui and go directly to Suzhou Prefecture along the river."
"Isn't it said that Taihu Lake is flooded?" Zhu Su said a little strangely. “How come we can still sail when there’s a flood?”
"Hazard, why doesn't Niaohu Lake rise three to five times a year?"
"It's getting better and better. I'm used to it. His Majesty asked you to go to the disaster relief, it's just for a reason. If I really expect you, what else do you want the ministers in the court to do?"
"Let's just treat it as if we're going to have fun and just relax and have a good time. We don't need to worry about other chores!"
"Is that so..." Zhu Su really doesn't know these things as clearly as Chang Mao. It is said that Lao Zhu asked him to go to Suzhou, but he did not specifically entrust him with certain matters. Is it really okay to just go sightseeing in the name of patrolling Taihu Lake floods on behalf of Prince Zhu Biao?
If there is something you can contribute to, just do it according to your ability. Zhu Su made a decision in his heart.
Sure enough, as Chang Mao said, when the carriage and horses arrived at Liyang, there was an official ship waiting here. Zhu Su and his entourage boarded the official ship from Liyang, and under banners, headed straight for Suzhou along the river.
It didn't take long for Zhu Su to see the top of Suzhou City from the deck. After getting off the boat at the pier outside the city, I saw several people waiting at the pier. However, there were only a few people, and there was no pomp and circumstance in some story books where the prince's imperial envoy arrived in a certain city, and all the officials and squires of the certain city came out of the city to welcome him.
Zhu Su complained in his heart, as expected, everything was a lie.
The leader was an old man with white beard and hair. When he saw Zhu Su disembarking from the boat, he held his hands and said, "I, Wei Guan, the magistrate of Suzhou, welcome your highness."
"Mr. Wei, you are so polite." Zhu Su raised his hand to support him. Immediately, he showed a friendly face reserved for princes, and first helped his eldest brother Zhu Biao to win over the people: "It was my eldest brother who was supposed to come to see Mr. Wei, but because of the troubles in the court, it was me who came instead."
"But my eldest brother specifically asked me to ask Mr. Wei if he is still in good health."
Wei Guan was also a well-known Confucian scholar. In the first year of Hongwu, Lao Zhu hired him to give lectures to Prince Zhu Biao, so Zhu Su followed Zhu Biao and called him "Sir" to show his closeness.
After hearing what Zhu Su said, Wei Guan smiled from ear to ear, stroking his gray beard and said with a smile: "His Royal Highness, Prince Meng, is worried about me, but my body is still strong."
"Your Highness and Duke Zheng have come from a long way from Beijing. They have been traveling and traveling for a long time. If you don't give up, I have already prepared water and wine in the city. How about you allow me to welcome you two?"
"That's great." But Chang Mao said with a smile, "After spending so many days on the boat, I'm really starting to feel like a bird!"
He has always been a good drinker, but this time Zhu Biao personally entrusted the safety of his younger brother Zhu Su, and he did not dare to be careless. As a respected Duke of the country, he personally set up patrols and patrols, which shows that he attaches great importance to Zhu Biao's instructions.
Now that we have arrived in Suzhou Mansion safely, we can breathe a sigh of relief.
Zhu Su also nodded. After all, he was on the tour under the orders of his father. He represented the dignity of the imperial court and the Zhu family. He also needed to win the hearts of the imperial court and his eldest brother during the turmoil in the capital. These things were inevitable.
Moreover, the way in which the prefect Wei greeted him was so simple, which really added a lot of points in Zhu Su's eyes, and he would not do anything extravagant and wasteful.
Looking up, he saw two people standing behind Wei Guan. Although they were not wearing official uniforms, they were outstanding and each had their own demeanor. Zhu Su then asked: "I wonder where the two wise men behind Mr. Wei are?"
"Why don't you recommend me to this king?"
"Haha, I was about to show my talents to His Highness." Wei Guan said with a smile. Pointing to the scribe with a slightly arrogant look on the left: "This is Gao Qi and Gao Jidi. His poetry talent is well-known among scholars. He has long admired the poetry talent of His Highness "Linjiang Immortal", so he came here specially to see His Highness. .”
The man named Gao Qi bowed his hands to Zhu Su. Although Zhu Su had a high status but was young, he returned the salute politely.
"This is Luo Ben." Wei Guan pointed to the unremarkable, rickety man on the right with a somewhat miserable look. "But I heard about the name of "Three Kingdoms" written by His Highness, so I came here to pay homage to His Highness."
"Three Kingdoms?" Zhu Su was stunned for a moment, looking up and down at the middle-aged man named Luo Ben. Unexpectedly, you are a book lover?
Are you here to ask for your signature?
"Oh, I forgot to mention it." Wei Guan patted his head. "This old man's name is Guanzhong, and his name is Hu Haisanren. He has always been known in the world by his characters."
"Although I was a guest in the presence of Zhang Shicheng in the past, I still have real talent and learning in my heart!"
After Wei Guan finished speaking, he looked straight at Zhu Su with his old eyes, as if to witness whether the young His Highness would treat talented people harshly for this reason.
"What? Luo Guanzhong?"
Zhu Su was shocked, and his calm look disappeared instantly.
His unexpected reaction shocked everyone present.
Zhu Su was shocked and embarrassed at this time. Is this the famous Luo Guanzhong? Although he wrote the Three Kingdoms on a whim, he never expected to meet the author himself.
It was fun to copy books for a while, but now someone is standing in front of me?
Well, Tomb Sweeping Day is coming, I’m a little busy... I’m missing a chapter today, I’ll make it up tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.
(End of chapter)
