Chapter 73 Section 3 Messenger Ma Yuan

Li Bai has a poem saying: "I am born to be useful, and I will come back after all my money is gone." This line of poem seems to be a footnote to Ma Yuan's first half of his life. Ma Yuan, courtesy name Wenyuan, was born in Fufeng Maoling. His ancestor was Zhao She, a famous general of the State of Zhao in the Warring States Period. Zhao Shejue was named Ma Fujun, so his descendants took Ma as their surname.Zhao Kuo, the son of Zhao She, talked about military affairs on paper, which led to the disastrous defeat of Zhao Guochangping. More than 400,000 soldiers were killed by Qin Guokeng.

After more than a hundred years of depression, the Ma family rose again during Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and once again became a prominent family.In Wang Mang's new dynasty, the Ma family's official career became more prosperous, and Ma Yuan's three older brothers, Ma Kuang, Ma Yu, and Ma Yuan, all served as senior officials at the ministerial level of Erqianshi. The older brothers are so promising, and the young Ma Yuan expressed that he was under a lot of pressure, and wanted to learn from his older brothers to study hard and seek fame, but he was stupid in studying.Ma Yuan went to school with Zhu Bo from his hometown. Zhu Bo was a well-known child prodigy. He could memorize "Poetry" backwards and forwards at the age of twelve, and his IQ was comparable to Deng Yu's.Ma Yuan, who was the same age, didn't even recognize all the words.Having such a prodigy classmate at the booth made Ma Yuan lose all confidence, and refused to enter the school again no matter what.

Ma Yuan's young father lost his father, and his eldest brother Ma Kuang is like a father, so he should take on the responsibility of teaching, so he specially set a table of wine for Ma Yuan.The two brothers sat facing each other, Ma Kuang poured Ma Yuan a cup and said, "Drink!" Twelve-year-old Ma Yuan, full of pride, picked up a wine glass that was bigger than his head, and drank it down in one gulp. Ma Kuang poured another cup for Ma Yuan, and said: "Zhu Bo is quick to use a small tool, and in the future he will only be able to do it now. What are you afraid of him doing! Drink!"

Ma Yuan was overjoyed when he heard the words, and had another drink.The wine is hot when it enters the throat; the elder brother's words are even hotter. Ma Yuan wiped his mouth and asked Ma Kuang, "Then what should I do?" Ma Kuang said with a smile: "You are a late bloomer, so it's useless to be anxious. A good job doesn't show others the rawness. You might as well do whatever you want first, and you can do whatever you want. Brothers will support you." After a meal of wine, the young Ma Yuan was completely drunk, but the old brother Ma Kuang's words were firmly engraved in his heart ever since.

After Ma Yuan became an adult, he recruited a junior postal officer. Although he had no worries about food and clothing, he always felt that he was overqualified and had no use for him, and his life was extremely aggrieved.Later, Ma Yuan escorted a prisoner to Chang'an. The prisoner had committed a felony and would be executed as soon as he arrived in Chang'an.Ma Yuan originally wanted to quit the job, but when the prisoner cried like this, he felt even more annoyed. Fuck it, he simply released the prisoner, and fled to Beidi County. Several members of Ma Yuan's ancestors had been officials in the Northwest, and they were known for their prestige. They heard that Ma Yuan was here, and many guests came to join him. After a few years, there were as many as hundreds of households.Ma Yuan led this tribe, nomadic between Longxi and Hanzhong, and became stronger day by day, until there were thousands of cattle, horses and sheep, and tens of thousands of grains.

Money may be able to buy one's conscience, but it cannot buy one's ambition.Ma Yuan was already in his forties at this time, and the old brother's teachings were still in his ears. Could it be that he could only guard the money and die lonely in the border?He felt ridiculous and bored. Ma Yuan called the guests together, and sighed: "The most important thing is to share the property with others, otherwise, you will be just a miser, not as good as an ox or a horse." After speaking, he distributed all the property to everyone, except for a suit of sheep fur trousers. , Donate completely naked.

The guests were naturally happy when they received the money, but they were also worried about Ma Yuan, and asked Ma Yuan, "The money is gone, so what do you do?" Ma Yuan laughed loudly and said: "A husband is determined, poor should be strong, and old should be strong." In the last years of Wang Mang, the world was in chaos, and the character Ma Yuan accumulated in the Northwest for many years finally came into use. He was worshiped by Wang Mang as the prefect of Hanzhong, and he became the two thousand stones on par with his three elder brothers.A few days after Ma Yuan took office, the seat was not yet available. Wang Mang was not halfway through starting a business, and the middle road collapsed. Ma Yuan also left the crown and returned to Liangzhou.Kai Xiao had heard his name for a long time, and he was summoned to his account and worshiped as General Suide. He had great trust and discussed with him all decisions, big or small.

Kui Xiao appointed Ma Yuan as the envoy. On the one hand, he valued Ma Yuan's character, his ambition for the world, and his lack of greed for money; on the other hand, because Ma Yuan and Gongsun Shu were both from Fufeng Maoling, they were not only fellow villagers, but also neighbors. , the two grew up naked together, and their friendship is extraordinary. Ma Yuan was ordered to lead a mission to visit the Kingdom of Shu, and he thought very well in his heart. Although he and Gongsun Shu had not seen each other for many years, because of their friendship, Gongsun Shu would not be ashamed when he came to the Kingdom of Shu. Going out of the city to greet each other, and upon seeing him, you must be in awe, even if you don't pull him to share the bed with him immediately, at least you have to shake hands and have a happy life.

Ma Yuan traveled outside the city of Chengdu, but there was no movement. After entering the city, there was still no movement.Entering the post house, there was still no movement.After a long time, an envoy came slowly and announced that the emperor had summoned him.Ma Yuan was so neglected, his heart was burning, he followed the envoy to the palace, climbed up the stairs, and stood between the roads like warriors guarding against thieves, guarded with spears and spears. Walking outside the main hall, the envoy stretched out his hand and waited here.Ma Yuan restrained himself and waited for a long while, finally an eunuch came out of the hall, and shouted as if no one else was there: "The envoy, Ma Yuan, has entered the hall."

Ma Yuan suppressed his anger and was led into the hall by the eunuch.Gongsun Shu stands tall and stands with his hands tied.Ma Yuan was about to stride forward to give him a long-lost reunion hug, but the eunuch stopped him and said, "Just worship here." Ma Yuan's face was livid, and he bowed to Gongsun Shu from a distance, and Gongsun Shu also returned the salute from a distance.The eunuch said loudly again: "After the ceremony, the envoy Ma Yuan will take his leave." The entire summons lasted less than a minute, and it ended hastily. Ma Yuan returned to the post house, and soon another eunuch sent him a new Dubu single garment and handed over a crown, ordering him to change into it.Ma Yuan asked angrily, "Why is this?"

Seeing the expression of the countryman, the eunuch replied contemptuously, "Your Majesty wants to summon you in the ancestral temple. If you want to enter the ancestral temple, how can you not straighten your clothes first?" Ma Yuan was led into the ancestral temple of the Shu Kingdom again. All the officials were present, but they were all silent.After waiting for a long time, Gongsun Shu just rode with the Luan flag.All the officials prostrated themselves on the ground, shouting long live. Gongsun Shu walked through the crowd and slowly walked up to the throne, his face was neither happy nor sad, neither happy nor angry, like a wooden sculpture of clay, maintaining the unfathomable majesty of the emperor. Gongsunshu became an official when he was young, and he relied on his father's shade to be selected as a Langguan. He often followed the emperor around, and he was familiar with the emperor's manners under his influence.After Gongsun Shu proclaimed himself emperor, relying on his memory and drawing ladles according to the gourd, he actually restored the system of the Han Dynasty to nine out of ten. Therefore, Liu Xiu, Kai Xiao, and Gongsun Shu divided the world into three parts, not only referring to the region, but each of them also got a part of the empire: Liu Xiu got his military power, Kai Xiao got his culture, and Gongsun Shu got his etiquette. As the saying goes, it is not surprising that there are many people who are polite.However, this refers to subordinates to superiors, and juniors to elders.If the situation is reversed, and the superiors keep asking the subordinates to pay tribute to them, and the elders keep asking the younger ones to kowtow to them, then the situation will be disgusting. On Gongsun Shu's side, he felt that he was treating Ma Yuan as a courtesy from the court; but in Ma Yuan's view, Gongsun Shu was clearly showing off: "Well, you Gongsun Shu, we grew up naked back then, do you think I don't recognize you when you put on the imperial robe?How many hairs do you have, I don't know yet? Gongsun Shu didn't know the purpose of Ma Yuan's trip. Ma Yuan came here on behalf of Kai Huo. Ma Yuan's attitude will directly determine Kai Huo's team. Above the court, although Gongsun Shu was doing official business, after leaving the court, he immediately sent envoys to bring generous gifts to Ma Yuan and his guests, thinking that he would win over him, and solemnly promised Ma Yuan that as long as he was willing to serve the Kingdom of Shu, he would be sealed off immediately. As the Marquis, the official worships the general. The guests were rewarded with great rewards, and they thought of Shu happily, and they all persuaded Ma Yuan to stay.Ma Yuan had been completely hurt by Gongsun Shu, and his heart was as cold as ice, and he replied coldly: "The sex of the world is uncertain, Gongsun Shu does not follow the example of Duke Zhou, spits and feeds away to meet the soldiers of the state, and plans success or failure, but instead modifies his appearance and stays like a puppet. There is no human taste. How can such a person live for a long time? How can such a country live for a long time!" Regardless of Gongsun Shu's repeated attempts to persuade him to stay, Ma Yuan resolutely resigned and returned to Tianshui to return to his life.Kai Xiao had long been eager to see through, and when he saw Ma Yuan, he asked, "How do you feel about going to Shu Kingdom?" Without hesitation, Ma Yuan made an assertion: "Gongsun Shu is a frog at the bottom of a well, arrogantly arrogant. It is better to concentrate on the East." When Kai Xiao heard the words, he was displeased. Compared with Liu Xiu's title of marquis, he still preferred Gongsun Shu's title of king.However, Ma Yuan's evaluation of Gongsun Shu was so low, and his tone was so firm, there was no room for his disbelief.Kai Xiao then sighed, "In that case, I'm sorry to trouble you to go to Luoyang again." Ma Yuan rushed to Luoyang without stopping.As soon as he entered the post house, Zhonghuangmen came to invite him, but said that Liu Xiu had been waiting in the palace for a long time.Ma Yuan followed the Zhonghuang Gate into the Nangong Palace, looked left and right, but did not see any warriors guarding him.Walking all the way, in front of the Xuande Hall, Zhonghuang Gate stopped and said, "Here we are." Ma Yuan looked into the hall, it was empty and there was no one there, and asked in surprise, "Where is Your Majesty?" Zhonghuangmen pointed to a person sitting under the verandah outside the hall, and said with a smile: "That's it." Ma Yuan was shocked, the son of a thousand gold can't even sit in the hall, how can the honor of Wancheng sit in the verandah?Looking up, I saw a young man sitting under the verandah, holding a book of prophecy and reading it. He has a handsome appearance, a handsome man, a scarf wrapped around his head, and his clothes are very simple. He doesn't look like King's Landing. The emperor of the world is like a leisurely Confucian scholar who lazily basks in the sun and sleeps with books. Seeing Ma Yuan, Liu Xiu hurriedly got up to greet him, shook hands and said jokingly, "Qing travels between the two emperors, judging who is better and who is inferior. Seeing you today is very stressful." Gongsun Shu was too airy, Ma Yuan was not used to it; Liu Xiu was airless, Ma Yuan was also not used to it.When Liu Xiu's words exposed the intention of coming, he couldn't help feeling ashamed, bowed his head and thanked him, and said: "Your Majesty, don't blame me. In today's world, it is not the only ruler who chooses his ministers, but the ministers also choose their ruler." Liu Xiu clapped her hands and praised, "Okay, strong man! Tell the truth!" Ma Yuan looked around, and within tens of feet, there was no one else except him and Liu Xiu, not to mention the guards, not even half of the eunuchs.Ma Yuan was puzzled, and couldn't help but asked, "Your Majesty and Gongsun Shu are from the same hometown, and have been friends since childhood. When I arrived in Shu, Gongsun Shusheng and Chen Jiashi were on guard, and then they were willing to let me in. Your Majesty and I have never met before, but I am defenseless, so you are not afraid that I am an assassin?" Liu Xiu laughed and said, "You are not an assassin, you are a lobbyist." Although they only talked in a few words, Ma Yuan was already deeply affected by Liu Xiu's gesture. Ma Yuan is a man who has seen the world, even the emperor has seen three.The first one was Wang Mang. When he saw Wang Mang, Wang Mang was already on the verge of death, so there was no need to mention it.The second is Gongsun Shu, who is obsessed with externalized etiquette, lest others will not know that he is the emperor, and crowned with monkeys, which is not worth mentioning. Only Liu Xiu finally made Ma Yuan feel surprised and unattainable. For a real emperor, authority does not depend on guards of honor.A real emperor has his own aura of invincibility. Although Ma Yuan was more than ten years older than Liu Xiu, he was completely convinced by Liu Xiu at this time, and he sincerely praised: "The world is repeated, and there are countless people who pretend to be emperors. Seeing Your Majesty today, he is magnificent and magnanimous, just like Gaozu, It is to know that the emperor has his own truth." Liu Xiu was very happy, so he stayed in Luoyang to help him, and often summoned him all night.Ma Yuan's responsibilities involved asking sensitive questions, such as Liu Xiu's family history, the deployment of the Han army, the success or failure of the campaign, and so on.Liu Xiu has no taboos, and she tells all of them frankly, even if it is her shortcomings, difficulties, pains, and private parts, she is open-hearted and does not hide anything.When Liu Xiu asked questions about the local conditions in Longxi, Ma Yuan answered them all carefully. In order to facilitate Ma Yuan's further investigation of his regime, Liu Xiu did not impose any restrictions on Ma Yuan's actions. What Ma Yuan wanted to see and whom he wanted to see could be satisfied immediately by opening his mouth.When Liu Xiu went on a tour, Ma Yuan was asked to follow him around so that he could observe nearby. Ma Yuan stayed in Luoyang for several months, and Liu Xiu sent Ma Yuan back to Tianshui, supplemented by a grand mission. When Ma Yuan returned to Tianshui, it was late at night, before he could settle down, Kai Xiao had already sent someone to invite him.Ma Yuan walked into Kai Xiao's bedroom, and he was leaning on the bed. Ma Yuan was about to report the results of his investigation, when Kai Xiao patted the space beside him and said, "Go to bed and talk." Ma Yuan couldn't refuse, so he took off his shoes and got on the couch, sharing the bed with Kai Xiao to talk at night.After the two had adjusted their postures, Kai Xiao asked, "Have you seen Liu Xiu?" Ma Yuan replied, "Yes." Kai Xiao asked again, "How does Liu Xiu compare with Gongsun Shu?" Ma Yuan seemed to have been brainwashed by Liu Xiu, and praised Liu Xiu beyond words, saying: "When I went to the imperial court, the emperor introduced dozens of people, and every time I received a banquet, from night to day, I realized my courage, and I am not an enemy. Happy to see sincerity, nothing to hide, magnanimity and great integrity, slightly the same as Gaodi Liu Bang. Confucian classics, political affairs and literary debate, past lives are incomparable." Kai Xiao couldn't hear others' good things, especially from Ma Yuan's mouth, and immediately felt sore and refused to speak.Seeing that Kai Xiao hadn't moved, Ma Yuan thought that Kai Xiao had fallen asleep, so he kicked him.Kai Xiao snorted and said, "I'm awake." Kaixiao suppressed his jealousy, and asked again: "Then, how do you think Liu Xiu compares with Liu Bang?" Ma Yuan replied: "It's not as good as it is. Gaodi Liu Bang has nothing to do; Liu Xiu is diligent in official affairs, and he is as strict as he is, and he doesn't like drinking." Kai Xiao said angrily, "According to what you say, Liu Xiu should be better than Liu Bang!" Ma Yuan smiled and said, "No way. Liu Bang is self-indulgent and takes things lightly. Liu Xiu is self-disciplined and takes light things lightly. If you are governing a county, Liu Bangcheng is not as good as Liu Xiu; if you are governing a country, Liu Xiu is not as good as Liu Bang." After the wind blowing by Ma Yuan's pillow, Kai Xiao finally made up his mind and continued to hang out with Liu Xiu, beheading Gongsun Shu's envoy to show his loyalty.Gongsun Shu was furious and sent his troops to fight. Kai Xiao sent troops to attack them, killing them until the Shu army threw away their helmets and armor. The matter has come to this point, Gongsun Shu regretted it too much, hated that he should not have acted aggressively in front of Ma Yuan, alas, acted aggressively and was struck by lightning.