Chapter 16 Section 5: The Business Traveler Talks About the Political Daughter’s Love

Under the setting sun in autumn, two fast horses left the north gate of Handan and headed straight for the depths of the mountain plateau. After walking for a while, the fast horse entered a river valley, and the mountain gradually became steeper.The knight on the red horse walking behind said loudly: "Sir, Fuyangshui!" The knight on the white horse walking forward heard the sound and reined in the horse, took out a bamboo board from the leather bag in his arms, looked at it and said: "The east hand in front, Let's go!" With a flick of the rein, the snow-white steed flew out with a long hiss.The two rode forward for three or five miles, and they saw a canyon in Dongshan. When they entered the valley mouth, they saw verdant vegetation, and there was no bleakness in late autumn.Turning around a bend in the mountain, the canyon suddenly opened up, and a piece of sparkling clear water was in front of you. The sky, clouds, shadows, mountains, trees, trees and forests overlapped and reflected, which immediately made people feel refreshed.The knight on the white horse waited and watched for a while, but saw that the two hills on the opposite side of the lake were in discontinuity, so he walked around the grassland by the lake.

"Sir, Tianzhuogu!" In the twilight, the red horse knight raised his whip and pointed. Sure enough, the three big red characters "Tianzhuo Valley" can be vaguely seen on the Baishi cliff at the east hand of the mountain pass.Walking into the valley, it is already dusk, and you can see some wind lamps flickering in the distance, and a burst of music that looks like a zither but not a qin floats in the valley wind, soothing, deep and continuous.The advancing knight suddenly lifted the rein, and the white horse neighed and flew towards the light. Gradually approaching, you can faintly see a piece of buildings stretching along the ridges, with huge wind lanterns swaying on the four corners of the high-rise buildings, and the sound of fighting with the wind, an old man shouted very long: "The first update has arrived, the tile-roofed house Turn off the lights——" All of a sudden, the lights of the low tile-roofed houses that rise and fall with the mountains are all extinguished, only the three wooden buildings at the foot of the Yu Mountain are flickering with lights.Obviously, this is the owner's manor of Tianzhuo Valley.

When the two riders arrived at the square in front of Dezhuang, the white-clothed knight got off his horse, handed the reins to the red-clothed knight behind him, and came towards the gate of the village.At this time, the autumn moon has already climbed to the top of the mountain, and the majestic stone square is quiet under the moonlight. Three big copper lamps are hung on a high pole next to it, and the three big characters of "Tianzhuozhuang" are impressively visible.Just a stone's throw away from the stone workshop is the grand gate with six bays. A copper lamp hangs on each of the six thick pillars. On the lamp are six strange beasts - eagle, dragon, lin, Phoenix, tiger, turtle.The lights are bright, but the door of the villa is closed tightly. There are neither soldiers nor servants in the huge hall.The sound of a qin but not a qin drifted out from the deep courtyard, blending with the hazy mountain and moon, adding a bit of mystery to the courtyard in front of you.

The man in white concentrated his attention for a moment, then clapped his hands together with the music. The music came suddenly.In a moment, the door rumbled open. "Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, sir!" "Brother Buwei——" A clear call came from a distance, and a girl with a fluttering green skirt flew in front of her, blushing and out of breath, she shouted, "The horse crows at sunset, I said it was the white horse of the elder brother, but grandpa didn't believe it." , and said that I was in a trance! Just applauded, I still don’t believe it, believe it or not, but I walked faster than me!”

"An uninvited guest will disturb Mr. Zhuo." Lu Buwei bowed deeply. Old Zhuoyuan quickly stepped down the steps to support Lu Buwei and said with a smile: "Young master is here, I am so happy. Come on, please come in quickly." Then he pulled Lu Buwei with a smile and waved, "Zhaoer will tell the old man, prepare wine!" The girl agreed, and then flew away.At this time, I heard a long shout from a high place: "The distinguished guest arrives at night, and the lights are bright--" the shout fell, and the lights in the village were lit up, and suddenly there were stacked and scattered buildings, pavilions, and rows of houses. , let's do it and see, it's not bad.

The triple wooden building located in the pine forest in the middle of the mountain is the main house of Tianzhuozhuang.Entering the hall, the girl in the green skirt is already making tea neatly.Zhuo Yuan smiled and said: "Master, this is the granddaughter of the old man, named Zhuo Zhao. Zhaoer is here, I have met you." The girl came over with a blushing face and bowed: "Zhuo Zhao has met Brother Wei." Zhuo Yuan said with a stern face: "I'm honored to see you, how can Zhao'er overstep your seniority!" Lu Buwei laughed loudly: "It's not restricted, everyone calls what they want, it's just convenient for speaking." Zhuo Zhao smiled brightly: "Brother Buwei is better. "Turning around and facing Grandpa, there was a grimace, "Confucius too!" The skirt flickered and floated to the tea table.Zhuo Yuan sighed softly, shook his head and smiled: "I have loved you so much since I was a child, and I can't do anything about it." Lu Buwei praised with emotion: "My younger sister is intelligent and straightforward, and she is proficient in both civil and martial arts. She is the true biography of Mr. Zhuo!" Said, but the old man is ashamed." Zhuo Yuan shook his head and laughed loudly, "This is not as good as business, he only regards business travel as travel, but doesn't learn business skills, and besides practicing swords, he is only obsessed with poetry and music. The old man originally counted on Zhuo Men If there is another outstanding businesswoman, it will disappear in the air."

During the conversation, the two sat down.Zhuo Zhao laughed and called out: "Brother Buwei, here comes the tea!" The copper plate in his left hand and the blue basket in his right hand were already in front of him, the copper plate in his left hand contained two teacups and a copper pot with a cotton jacket, while the blue plate in his right hand held a tea stove and a teapot. Box of charcoal.When people came to the front, everything was arranged properly in the blink of an eye: two cups of hot tea were poured out from a copper tea pot and placed on the table, the exquisite bronze tea stove was installed on the side table, and the blue charcoal fire was already burning .

"Fragrant! Slippery! Strong!" Opening the teacup and taking a sip, Lu Buwei repeatedly praised and commented, "The fragrance is as solid as Yuecha, but a bit thicker than Yuecha, the tea color is green with red, and the tea juice Slightly creamy, bitter in the front, sweet in the back." "My lord, it's good to appreciate!" Zhuo Yuan smiled happily, "This tea is from Yue tea saplings. Twenty years ago, my husband brought back a few trees to the mountain and planted them himself. The tea picked is much stronger than Yue tea. A ground of food and diuretic water, ordinary people drink one or two cups, and their stomachs will croak."

After drinking a cup of tea, Lu Buwei really felt his stomach rumbling and felt embarrassed, but Zhuo Zhao brought a plate of crispy and soft mustard cakes with a smile: "This is horse milk scones. Grandpa said that tea is the best." Lu Buwei Nodding, he picked up one and ate it, his stomach felt relieved immediately, he glanced at it and was a little surprised: "Why is Mr. Zhuo still not moving?" Zhuo Zhao chuckled and said, "Grandpa has an iron stomach, and he drinks tea for half an hour every morning. I never need to make up for it." Lu Buwei couldn't help being surprised: "Hey! This kind of ability is far beyond my reach." Zhuo Yuan laughed loudly: "After a long time, it is a great skill? Serve wine!"

Under the six bright copper lamps, the two tables of wine and food were served in a short time.Lu Buwei inadvertently sniffed: "Hey! Century-old Zhao wine? It can penetrate the sea and produce fragrance!" Zhuo Yuan smiled leisurely, and ordered the wooden wine sea between the two: "Young master is right, this wine is Zhao Guo's aged wine, which has been in the cellar for a hundred years, was specially brewed by Zhao Jinghou and dedicated to Wei Wuhou. The ancestors of the Zhuo family had a good relationship with Zhao Guo's wine supervisor, and bought three barrels to store in the cellar. It is now 103 years old. "Lu Buwei Wen He said solemnly: "It's okay for Buwei to taste wine, but I'm not good at drinking it. If you dare to ask Mr. Zhuo to exchange it for sweet mash, this wine should be reserved for great use." With a smile, "For more than ten years, I have heard the name of Lu's business company a lot, but unfortunately I have never met. The old man in Hongkoudu was robbed. If it wasn't for the son's righteous act, how could my grandparents get out of the predicament? I have been in business for fifty-six years. I know so many people, but someone who looks like a young master is unique. I am very pleased to meet guests with good wine!" Zhuo Zhao then knelt down between the two desks, and said with a smile at this time: "Brother Wei, I don't eat at night , I’m here to pour wine for you.” While speaking, he opened the heavy mahogany barrel lid, peeled off a layer of red cloth on the mouth of the barrel, and neatly waved a long wooden spoon to pour wine into Zhuo Yuan’s table.

"Zhao'er is wrong, the young master is my guest, how can he follow?" Zhuo Zhao, however, smiled: "Father and Elder, Brother Wei, that's not bad." "Here again." Zhuo Yuan said with a straight face, "Is it the way to treat guests if there is a lack of etiquette?" Lu Buwei cupped his hands sincerely and said, "I would like to report to Lord Zhuo: Buwei was originally a junior, and also a single passer-by. I am really happy to meet such a little girl. I hope that Lord Zhuo will allow the younger sister to do whatever she wants, and the etiquette is too much. Buwei is also cautious." "Since the young master has said this, the old man will no longer be a Confucius. Come on, do a job!" Lu Buwei drank it dry, and the slender wine spoon in Zhuo Zhao's hand floated over with giggling: "Brother Buwei is so kind!" A spoonful of sake was poured into Juezhong like a silver thread, but his bright face suddenly darted away. A little blush. Zhuo Yuan stroked his snow-white long beard and said with a smile: "I still have some doubts about the young master, can I be honest with you?" "Buwei is asking Mr. Zhuo for advice, so he should be honest." Zhuo Yuan wrote carefully and carefully said: "From my point of view, the young master is already the best in the world in financial management and business; he is tactful and capable in handling things, like a minister who governs the world; he talks elegantly and richly, but like a famous person today; he is dedicated to saving lives, and he is a hero in the Warring States Period. You are talented, and you can achieve great things. However, everyone has their roots, and I dare to ask: what is your aspirations based on?" Just as Zhuo Yuan's words fell, Zhuo Zhao's bright eyes fixed on Lu Buwei. , The girl's charm suddenly changed into a sharpness of scrutiny. Lu Buwei caressed the wine jue, the long-standing smile on his face added a bit of solemnity, he suddenly drank the wine in one gulp, pulled the wine towel to touch the corner of his mouth, but there was silence for a while. "Mr. Zhuo, that's a very good question!" Lu Buwei finally said with emotion, "Eighteen years ago, Buwei inherited his father's business and started out as a merchant traveler. His ambition at that time was to become a giant merchant in the world. Guo Kongsong, Zhao Guozhuo, and Chu Guoyi became one of the richest families in the world. However, after a long business trip, Buwei felt the weakness of businessmen, so he hesitated..." There was a deep voice Sigh, like self-blame, but also like hesitation. "Is the businessman weak? I can't see it." Zhuo Zhao smiled teasingly and mischievously. "The child knows why!" Zhuo Yuan's face sank, "The merchant is not weak, how can our cargo ship be interrogated at Hongkoudu? How can the father be detained suddenly by the government?" "That's not what Buwei said." Lu Buwei shook his head and sighed, "If such a personal experience happened, Buwei really doesn't take it to heart. Checkpoint checks and corrupt officials asking for bribes are common in businessmen." "Oh?" Old Zhuo Yuan smiled confusedly, "What is so weak that it is unusual for merchants?" "Ten years ago, a widowed old woman taught Buwei to understand the difference between the two." Lu Buwei suddenly drank a cup, and then continued intermittently—— In the third year after Yan State destroyed Qi State, Lu Buwei secretly entered the coast of Qi State with Lu Zhonglian's sea boat.After unloading the aid materials, Lu Buwei entered Qi State with a picking deacon, intending to test a land trade route from Langya to Jimo.Lu Zhonglian said it was too risky.However, Lu Buwei said that Le Yi wanted to benevolent in governing Qi, so he might as well give it a try. As a business traveler, I understand that the Yan army will be fine, so he set off on the road.At dusk that day, when I entered the Dagu River Valley south of Jimo, I saw a dilapidated house shrouded in twilight in the distance, and it was as silent as death.Beside the road at the entrance of the village, an old woman with disheveled white hair stood with a stick, staring at the sunset, motionless, just like a stone figurine.Seeing it sadly, Lu Buwei got off his horse and bowed deeply to the old woman, took out a silk woven purse with jingling gold coins from his bosom, and held it respectfully to the old woman with both hands.The old woman shook her head slowly and dully, raised her cane, and circled around the deathly silent village.Lu Buwei looked along the old man's walking stick, and saw that the sparse woods outside the village were covered with bloody corpses, and the rags and tattered clothes shook with the wind. "Old man, come with me..." Lu Buwei choked up. There was a sudden sound of hoofbeats.The old woman trembled and said suddenly: "Guest officer, go!" Lu Buwei didn't leave, he wanted to see how the Yan army led by Le Yi "benevolently governed Qi".In a short while, a group of Yan army knights in brown leather armor galloped like a hurricane, dismounted and tore the old woman apart.Lu Buwei yelled angrily: "Stop! Is this Yan Jun's benevolent government!" The knight leader looked at Lu Buwei and sneered again and again: "Hey, where is your nose, but you force it into Lao Tzu's eyes? Benevolent government is not benevolent, Get out of your way!" Lu Buwei yelled angrily: "Le Yi told the nations that Yan's army is benevolent, so he must deceive the world!" The eyes of the knight leader flickered, and he raised his whip and roared: "Birds! What a benevolent government! The Qi army killed the people of Yan, have you seen it before? We are waiting for the order of the general to rob the army, and this village has no food and money and is stubborn! This old woman secretly urged the villagers to resist the tax. Should I kill it!" "How much is the tax in this village? I paid it for the old man." The leader of the knight pointed at the dead body in the woods and laughed loudly: "You hand it over? The unruly people in this village haven't paid any tax for three years, and you pay for it all?" Lu Buwei nodded coldly: "Tell me, how much is the gold?" "Hey, even if you open the treasury, the official just doesn't want it." The knight leader smiled sinisterly, and then flew into a rage, "Little merchant, what a bastard! How dare you slander my Yan army's great politics, come on, tie them together !" The knights of the Yan Army couldn't help but tie up Lu Buwei's master and servant and the old woman with big ropes, put them on the horse and galloped away.In the Yan army camp outside Jimo City, Qi Jie interrogated them with a look of embarrassment. He laughed and confiscated the two gold coin bags that Lu Buwei carried with him. A life for women. The old woman and Lu Buwei only walked back to their hometown where there were ruins of corpses, and they never left again.Lu Buwei's master and servant spent the whole night guarding the marquis, and the old lady finally left with her eyes wide open.When dying, the old man only left a sentence intermittently: "Guest officer, merchant money, buy it, you can't buy peace in the world." ... Old Zhuo Yuan kowtowed on the big case silently, his brows were tightly locked.Zhuo Zhao was already sobbing faintly.Lu Buwei sighed heavily: "Even if Buwei is rich in the world, what can he do? He can't save the lonely life of an old man, and he can't change the random killing of a small army leader...Money can't buy peace in the world. This old man's words The words awakened Buwei from his dream of being a great businessman. For the first time in his life, Buwei felt the paleness and weakness of wealth and money, and for the first time in the world, he felt that there is something more powerful than money in the world." The three of them were silent for a long time, Zhuo Yuan suddenly said: "I think about it, but the young master already has the ambition to become a politician?" "Mr. Zhuo has taught me a lesson. I don't dare to be false." "Young Master trusts me, so what can I say?" Zhuo Yuan sighed, "Money can't buy peace, but it can pave the way to power. Today, the old man made a promise: If Master needs anything in the future, Zhuo's money will be used." Do your best to raise your son." All of a sudden, Lu Buwei was excited and apologetic, and his heart suddenly became heavy.On the way to visit Zhuo Yuan, Lu Buwei had already figured it out: abandoning his successful business career and supporting Ying Yiren to seek power was originally an extremely risky turning point.In the eyes of ordinary people, it is really unbelievable!In less than a year and a half, this matter will surely spread among businessmen and travelers all over the world, and all kinds of criticisms will also be raging.The business travel career can certainly laugh off any rumors.It is impossible to be in politics.Power is the public instrument of the world.To say that the utensils are public means that the will of the people is the foundation.What is the heart of the people?It is also the public discussion of scholars, farmers, industry and commerce.Seeking power without regard to the world's public opinion is running in the opposite direction, and it will definitely not stand up in the world of warring states.This is the original intention for Ying Yiren to make a name in Handan first and then make a move.Ying Yiren is like this, so he must continue to increase his reputation. Without a big name, entering the Qin Kingdom will be half the effort.At present, the only reputation I have is the name of a business traveler, and in any case, this only foundation cannot be destroyed by future rumors.The Zhuo family is one of the world's great merchants, and the old Zhuo Yuan's heroism and vision are even more admired by his peers. If he has the support of Zhuo's word of mouth, his basic situation will be stretched a lot.With such thoughts in mind, Lu Buwei decided not to hide anything from Lao Zhuoyuan, and was completely honest with him, if he was treated coldly, there was still time to make up for it.I don't want the old Zhuo Yuan not only to understand his feelings, but also to promise, "Zhuo's money will be promoted by the son"!How could Lu Buwei not feel ashamed and guilty for gaining the other party's great virtue by plotting?Therefore, the most important thing is that the future of this matter is bleak, and the outcome is really unpredictable. How can the Zhuo family be trapped again? Thinking of this, Lu Buwei bowed deeply when he left his seat: "Mr. Zhuo has a high righteousness, and Buwei will keep it in mind. However, the risk of entering politics is far greater than that of business travelers. How dare Buwei drag Zhuo's business company into a bottomless black hole?" "Young master is wrong!" Old Zhuo Yuan laughed loudly, "If you have a lot of money, find a right way to spend it. Wouldn't it be better to pile it up in a grotto and get rusty? Young master used it to find a right way, just for this old man. Heart too!" Laughed for a while but sighed again, "To tell you the truth, I once had the ambition to enter politics, and wanted to be a Zhao Guobaigui. I don't want to run a miserable business for nearly ten years and spend a huge amount of money. If you fail, you will go back to your old job.” "Ah—" Lu Buwei exclaimed softly, "Mr. Zhuo ever had the intention to enter politics?" Zhuo Zhao also stared in surprise: "When did Dafu enter politics, how could I not know?" "At that time, your father was only thirteen years old, but where were you?" Old Zhuo Yuan laughed a little, took a few sips of the Grand Duke brought by Zhuo Zhao, and then leisurely started from the beginning— — Zhuo's ancestor was originally "Qin Zhao".From Qin to Zhao, the people of Qin entered Zhao, and the people of Qin entered Zhao.More than 400 years ago, the old Qin tribe living in the western frontier rescued the royal family of Zhou from the robbery of the Rong and Di soldiers because of the diligent king Haojing, and was named the founding prince of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.When moving eastward, the old Qin tribe was attacked violently by the remaining tribes of Rong and Di, and a group of Qin people were besieged in the Grand Canyon.Three months later, with the help of the mountain people, this group of Qin people broke out from the hunting trail and entered the northern mountain of Zhao State in a zigzag way. After gathering, there were more than 30,000 people.For the sparsely populated country of Zhao, this army of old Qin people who are good at fighting and industrious is a huge wealth of population.The State of Zhao treated the old Qin people kindly, and allowed the Qin people to migrate to Jinyang's fertile soil for farming, hunting, grazing and living. Serving as an official and army is the same as the people of the country, without discrimination.Over time, the people of Qin settled down and truly merged into the state of Zhao, and the state of Zhao also had the rumor of "the same clan of Qin and Zhao". Recognize the ancestors and return to the ancestors.Entering the Warring States period, the Qin State felt that the population was thin, and the three generations of Xian Gong, Xiao Gong, and Hui Wang secretly contacted the "Qin and Zhao people" to return to the country.Finally, at the end of Duke Xiao's period, more than 16,000 "Qin and Zhao people" returned to Qin.At this time, the Qin and Zhao people had multiplied into a large tribe of more than 300,000 people in the Zhao country. Where to go is a very important event for both countries. Zhao Chenghou panicked and personally inspected the three counties of Jinyang, Yanmen, and Julu where the "Qin and Zhao people" lived. Scholars and sages entered the official government, and a special order was issued to reduce the 30% tax of all "Qin and Zhao people".It was during this great appeasement that a merchant family was conferred the title of doctor, and the ten-mile land was named Zhuoxiang.In fact, it is a valley in the upper reaches of Zhuo River.Since then, there has been a merchant family such as the "Zhuo Qin Zhao Family".The title has been passed down to the second generation, after Zhao Wuling King Hu Fu rode and shot.As the Zhao State became stronger, the "Qin Zhao people" finally integrated into the Zhao State stably and became a veritable Chinese.The head of the "Zhuoqin Zhao Clan" was very shrewd, and felt that this clan name was just causing trouble, so he discussed with the elders of the clan and decided on a new clan surname, which was "Zhuo".This surname has completely got rid of the brand of Qin and Zhao, leaving only a vague nostalgia for the origin of the fiefdom, which is actually greatly supported by the clansmen. This patriarch is Zhuo Yuan's father. At that time, Zhuo's cloth business had expanded to horses and ironware, and the business was booming.However, my father deeply felt that the Zhuo family's foundation was too shallow, and the business career in the world of swordsmen was fragile, and it would never make the Zhuo family a famous family in a country, let alone a famous family in the world.After some consideration, his father decided to let the young Zhuo Yuan study and become an official, so as to strengthen the foundation of the Zhuo family.The father's plan is: the eldest son Zhuo Huan goes into business, and the second son Zhuo Yuan becomes an official. Zhuo Yuan is very talented, very good military strategist.Father spent a lot of money to find more than a dozen famous military books in the world, and invited a military hermit to be Zhuo Yuan's teacher.Ten years later, Zhuo Yuan's military science and swordsmanship have reached the peak.His father made up his mind and sent Zhuo Yuan to join the army with ten heavy chariots.Although chariots have been eliminated on the battlefield at this time, the ancient tradition of serving in the army is still preserved: if the children of the Chinese join the army, if they are knights, they must prepare their own horses and weapons; With a chariot, he can bring ten children into the army; if a son of a nobleman joins the army with a chariot alone, he can become the lowest-ranked general—the commander of a thousand commanders.Zhuo Yuan brought ten heavy chariots into the army alone, with forty horses driving and two hundred soldiers accompanying the chariots. So, Zhuo Yuan immediately became a thousand cavalry commander and became a cavalry general. At that time, King Zhao Wuling led his army to fight on the grassland. After several battles, Zhuo Yuan was promoted to General Wanqi.Because Zhuo Yuan was well-versed in both military and political affairs, King Wuling of Zhao made an exception and promoted Zhuo Yuan as deputy general of Pingcheng to assist the old general Niu Zan in guarding the fortress of the North Great Wall.Zhao Guofadu: The deputy general of the fortress army is the title of a senior official, but the official who enters the court is the official in charge of the official office, just like Zhao She, the general of supplies, who enters the court as a field official.With such momentum going on, Zhuo Yuan's official career is limitless.However, at this juncture of stepping into the threshold of ministers, the crime of treason committed by the abolished prince Zhao Zhang was committed, and Niu Zan, the lord of Pingcheng who had a close relationship with Zhao Zhang, was regarded as the foundation of Zhao Zhang's army, and the general of the entire Pingcheng Because of this, he was implicated together, and although no one was asked about the crime, the road to promotion was obviously at a standstill. Within three to five years, King Zhao Wuling, who became the "master father", died tragically in the Dune Palace.Zhao He, the king of Huiwen who ascended the throne, was still a young man, and Zhao Cheng, the veteran minister who upheld the state affairs, rose precisely in the three great achievements of killing Zhao Zhang, suppressing the rebellion, and forcing the master's father to death. After investigation and interrogation, almost all the "deposed prince's henchmen" in Handan were killed.Zhuo Yuan's group of generals could not find any evidence of collusion and treason, so they let it go. At this time, Zhuo Yuan received an urgent report in Pingcheng: his father was dying of illness, and his brother Shanglu died! When Zhuo Yuan rushed back to Handan day and night, his brother's body had already been buried, and only his father was dying to support him, waiting for him to come back.When he was dying, the old father only said two sentences intermittently: "Time is fate, second son, come back, come back. It is you who support the Zhuo family..." Then he let go. ... The hall was silent.It was obviously the first time for Zhuo Zhao to hear his elder father tell the story of his family, tears were hanging on his pale face, but he couldn't say a word.There was a throbbing in Lu Buwei's heart, not so much surprise, but rather a deep shock.Almost all the big merchants in the world know that the white-bearded old man in front of him entered the merchant halfway, he acts secretly, and rarely goes out to manage the merchant market in person, hence the name "Shangyin".But who would have thought that Lao Zhuo Yuan was once a soldier of the army, a general galloping on the battlefield, and an all-rounder in military affairs who was about to enter the ranks of ministers in the temple?Such experience in the sea, although he is as close as a granddaughter and has never been revealed, but today he confessed everything to this uninvited guest who only knew him once, could the deep meaning here be just to repay the kindness of Hongkoudu? "From then on, the old man resigned from the army, became a businessman, and returned to his ancestral business." Amidst leisurely laughter, the old Zhuo Yuan waved his sleeves, as if gently brushing away the vicissitudes of the past. "The story of Mr. Zhuo, Buwei's admiration cannot be increased." Lu Buwei bowed his hands solemnly, "The changes in the vicissitudes of life, it is difficult for Buwei to see the mysteries of it for a while, so it should be engraved in my heart and chewed from time to time." "It's just a story, my master is too heavy." Old Zhuo Yuan laughed for a while and said, "I can't bear the night, but please rest for a night, and I will accompany you tomorrow. Zhao'er, you and the old man will take care of you." He bowed his hands to Lu Buwei and went out of the hall. The elder, who was as white-haired as the old master, walked in lightly, and glanced at Zhuo Zhao, obviously asking if he wanted to continue drinking at night?Lu Buwei said with a smile: "Old man, night drinking is not allowed. There is still more than an hour before dawn, just in time for Handan's early gate." Zhuo Zhao was in a thoughtful trance when he suddenly jumped up and shouted: "What is it? There is a guest who left the door at four o'clock! I am old but go to rest, Brother Buwei will leave it to me." Lu Buwei laughed. : "I've been in business travel for a long time, so what's the point of leaving the door? You can't close your eyes anymore, how about the breeze at night?" It's the right time to go." After saying that, he pulled Lu Buwei and left. Coming out of the main hall, the east hand is a stone path lined with greenery.Zhuo Zhao excitedly dragged Lu Buwei up the stone path, and gradually climbed to a round hill.Although this mountain is not precipitous, it is obviously the highest point of the river valley. Although it is late at night, the line of sight is extremely open.At this time, the welcome lights of the manor had been extinguished, and the few remaining lights were flickering on the row upon row of buildings, making the valley, which was extremely compact during the day, appear far and empty.A bright waning moon hangs in the blue night sky, large scattered stars twinkle above the head, and the gentle valley wind blows the long Lin Tao, as if one is in the sky in a trance. "What a waning moon!" Lu Buwei stretched long and breathed out deeply, and his spirit immediately lifted. "Brother Wei is smart too!" Zhuo Zhao giggled, "This is the Crescent Moon Pavilion, and autumn night is the best." Lu Buwei laughed loudly: "If I say Xing Xing is good, am I stupid?" "But you just said that the moon is good." "The waning moon is the soul of this autumn night." "The beauty of the waning moon is better than the full moon. Brother Buwei, how do you say this, grandpa?" Lu Buwei was silent for a long time, but he sighed softly: "Incomplete, everything is normal. Although there is a period of shrinking, how many days are there when the full moon is full? Zhuo Gong sighs, it is the truth!" "But I only like the full moon." Zhuo Zhao muttered, but smiled again, "The beauty is full, and the full is beautiful, so what's the matter for a few days? Isn't it better than the waning moon and Xiao Shu?" "That's right." Lu Buwei nodded and smiled, "If you don't seek perfection in things, how can you fight? If you don't seek perfection, how can you be a sage? As long as you are satisfied, even if it's like a white horse passing by, what regrets you will have." "Hey—" Zhuo Zhao mischievously exclaimed, "You're so right!" Lu Buwei laughed again, but said: "Little sister has read "Mencius", she is a talented woman." "Father doesn't do business, and the old master usually supervises my poems, books, rituals, music, and swords all day long. I can't help myself if I am not a talented woman." Zhuo Zhao laughed and said, "Actually, I only like poetry and music. .Swordsmanship, I like it a little." "The sound of the piano I heard outside the village must be you?" "It's not Qin, it's Zheng, Qin Zheng. What a businessman!" "Qin Zheng?" Lu Buwei was really surprised, "Qin has such a beautiful musical instrument?" "Let's go, I'll take you there to broaden your horizons." Zhuo Zhao pulled Lu Buwei away with a proud look. Going down to the Canyue Pavilion, you can see a wooden building leaning on the foot of the mountain along the stone path westward, and there is a small and exquisite bamboo suspension bridge leading to the wooden building. Under the hazy waning moon, it is vaguely like a fairyland.Lu Buwei looked at it with a glance and said with a smile: "I'm afraid this building will cost a thousand gold." Zhuo Zhao giggled and said, "What a businessman, copper stink!" Pulling Lu Buwei up the suspension bridge.After walking a few steps, Lu Buwei stopped with a sound of "Hey!" - it was clear that the bamboo bridge was hanging in the air, but the two stepped on it without any sound, and it was as solid as a stone road; if it is solid, it is solid, and the whole bridge But it was floating lightly, as if it was a cradle hanging in the air!Seeing Lu Buwei looking at it blankly, Zhuo Zhaojiao said angrily, "It's so strange! I was seasick, so my father built this strange bridge and let me wander around all day. It's strange, I don't get seasick anymore after half a year." Lu Buwei He suddenly smiled and said: "Mr. Zhuo's wise plan is really unique to military strategists." After passing the bamboo suspension bridge, it is the outdoor stairs of the wooden building. Climbing up the stairs, the sound of the sky is very clear in the quiet valley.Going up to the third highest floor, Zhuo Zhao said: "This is my music room, but you can't wear boots." After saying that, his face turned red.Lu Buwei smiled slightly, then bent down and took off two leather boots, revealing a pair of white high-waisted cloth socks: "The music room is clean, as it should be." Zhuo Zhao clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Better than grandpa, with a heart of respect for music." Also! Grandpa said that I am too Zhou Zhang, never enter my room." As he spoke, he bent down and took off his little leather boots, pulled Lu Buwei, opened the door and walked in. The music room is clean and white, with white walls and white curtains. There are two large mahogany tables in the middle, one of which is covered with white silk, and the other shows a musical instrument that is longer and bigger than a qin.Zhuo Zhao blushed and said with a smile: "I listened to your Zhuangwai attacking festival, and didn't care about the cover... This is Qin Zheng." "Such a giant?" Lu Buwei smiled in surprise. Zhuo Zhao, on the other hand, was naughty and restrained, and he was as gentle and respectful as a different person: "This is an instrument of Qin people's national music, named Qin Zheng. The strings are three times thicker than the strings of the qin. There are ten strings in total. The tone is broad, rich, desolate and profound. I like Qin Zheng more than Qin Yin." "Can I ask my little sister to play a piece?" Lu Buwei also bowed in awe. "I've never played music before..." Zhuo Zhao blushed again, "Today is an exception." After saying that, he bowed deeply to the zither case, and sat on the embroidered pier in front of the case. Holding his breath for a while, Zhuo Zhao waved his sleeves and tuned the strings, and there was a deep and deep bang, with lingering lingering sounds.Tilting slightly, the sound of the zither rises continuously. At the beginning, it is like the moon on the Guanshan Mountain, soothing the garden, and then it is desolate and sad like barren mountains and empty valleys. But there is still a lingering sound. "What a song "Qinyue Pass Mountain"!" Lu Buwei couldn't help admiring loudly. Zhuo Zhao raised his head suddenly: "Brother Wei is not familiar with this song?" Lu Buwei sighed: "I have a friend who is not from Qin but knows Qin very well. Every time I talk about Qin, he will sing this song to me. He hates Qin the most, but every time he sings this song, he So I want to sigh and say good things about the people of Qin. Therefore, this song has become the only thing I know about Qin." "Okay!" Zhuo Zhao clapped his hands excitedly, "I've been fascinated by this song since I started learning it! But I don't know the lyrics, so Brother Wei sings it again, I want to remember her forever!" "The sky is about to dawn, how about disturbing Mr. Zhuo?" "Grandpa got up early to practice swords, the moon is twilight, it's the right time to sing!" Lu Buwei nodded, closed his eyes and concentrated on it, and suddenly let out a long sigh, his thick voice pierced through the air, and flew away sadly and high-pitched—— The singing was silent, and Zhuo Zhao's big eyes were filled with tears. "Cai—" There was a cheer from a distance outside the building, and then a tall voice came faintly, "Young master, the old Qin sings well, and everyone in my old Qin village has listened to it!" "Mr. Zhuo?" Lu Buwei was startled, and without thinking about Zhuo Zhao, he hurried out of the wooden building to look under the corridor, but he saw black and red people standing on the surrounding hills in the twilight, and he couldn't help but bowed deeply, "Buwei Kuangfang, Please forgive me for disturbing the elders." "Young master, what are you talking about!" Zhuo Yuan, who was standing on the bamboo suspension bridge, laughed loudly. "The true love and nature are the true colors of Zhao Qin. A song by the young master will comfort the hearts of the people in our village and others who remember their ancestors. It's a great joy!" "Long live son—" "Long live Qin Ge—" There was a burst of shouts from the surrounding hills. At this time Zhuo Zhao had already come out, he pulled Lu Buwei's sleeve and said with a smile: "Come on, let's go down to eat." In the dawn, the crowds in the four mountains gradually dispersed, and Lu Buwei saluted as he crossed the suspension bridge: "Mr. Zhuo, it's cool in the morning, and Buwei Zheng wants to say goodbye." Old Zhuo Yuan laughed and shook his head: "A farewell is always a farewell, but he is not here. An hour, let's go, let's fill up our stomach first." Without any explanation, he pulled Lu Buwei and left. Several delicate and refreshing vegetables and blanched sweet mash have been prepared in the hall.Lu Buwei hadn't slept all night, now his appetite was whetted, he buried his head in eating after the etiquette with Zhuo Yuan, when he finished eating, he looked up, but saw that Zhuo Yuan was no longer in front of the table.Dazed and just stood up, old Zhuo Yuan walked in with big strides, followed by Zhuo Zhao who puffed out his mouth and looked displeased.Zhuo Yuan gesticulated and said with a smile: "My lord, sit down for a while, I still have a few words to say." "Mr. Zhuo, it's okay to say." "Zhao'er, come here, tell yourself." For the first time, old Zhuo Yuan was so indifferent that he didn't smile. But Zhuo Zhao came over generously: "Brother Buwei, I want to go with you." "..." Lu Buwei frowned in surprise. "I want to marry you." Lu Buwei was stunned for a moment, seeing that neither of his grandfather and grandson was talking and just staring at him, Lu Buwei left his seat and bowed deeply to Zhuo Yuan, obviously to make amends, turned around and smiled gently and calmly at Zhuo Zhao: " Little sister, I am already thirty-six, and I have a wife. Please forgive me if I am rude. In the future..." "Lie to me. Your wife died six years ago." Zhuo Zhao fluttered with big eyes. Lu Buwei was stunned again, turned around and bowed to Zhuo Yuan again: "Zhuo Gong Mingjian: Younger sister, this kind of emotional upsurge is really caused by Buwei's indiscipline, and I feel ashamed..." "Young master is wrong!" Old Zhuo Yuan smiled slightly, "I don't know Zhao'er's character, and it has nothing to do with you. Although I have three sons, only the second son, Zhao'er's father, is qualified for business travel. The old man returned halfway.家，素来不善商事决断。次子总理卓氏商社，几乎是长年不归。为此缘故，昭儿从小便由老夫教养。也是老夫不堪泯灭其少年天性，故多有放纵，不想今日竟是礼法皆无也！”一声叹息，见吕不韦欲待说话，却摇摇手慨然一转，“然则，话说回来，公子独身，昭儿未嫁，此事并非荒谬。老夫之心，唯觉昭儿唐突过甚。然此女顽韧不堪，定然要跟了你去，老夫又能如何？公子所虑，则在昭儿年少。为今之计，余皆不说，只在公子意下如何？公子与昭儿同心，老夫便还有话说。不同心，则公子依旧是老夫忘年至交，何得有它！” 卓昭一句话不说，只扑闪着大眼睛盯住了吕不韦。 此时的吕不韦却是大费踌躇，原本以为匪夷所思的一件荒唐事，却让豁达豪迈的老卓原一席话变成了当即便可定夺的婚配。实在说，丧妻六年来吕不韦当真还没有认真思虑过自己的事，一是商旅大计接踵而来，二是也确实没有遇见可堪婚配的女子。自邯郸决策大转折，心思更是在嬴异人身上。与卓氏爷孙相交，虽有机谋之心，却断无掠美之意。对卓昭更是看作一个天真无邪的少女，丝毫没有超越喜欢小妹妹般的情愫之心。而今突兀生出情事，吕不韦心下直是回转不过那种难以言说的生疏，也就是说，生不出那种热腾腾的心潮来。然则，吕不韦本能地觉得此事不能轻率决断，须得仔细思虑一番。 “卓公明鉴。”吕不韦涨红着脸道，“婚事情事，皆为大事。一则，不韦近日便要回濮阳老宅，容我禀报父母得知而后决断。二则，小妹年少，留得时日再行思虑，原是稳妥。” “好！”老卓原慨然拍案，“公子决断，甚是得当，便是如此。” “只要你来，我便等你。”卓昭做个鬼脸，额头却是涔涔细汗。