Chapter 17 Section 6: I think about my homeland in a precarious state

At dusk, Lu Buwei hurried back to Handan, and Mao Gong Xue Gong was already waiting in Yunlu. Xue Gongbei detailed all kinds of plans in the past few days, and took out a volume of payment calculations, asking Lu Buwei to take a look and make a decision.Lu Buwei pushed the scroll aside and said with a smile: "You are a sage, but you treat Buwei as a business trip, which is not the way to work together. If it is a business trip, Buwei has to count as good. However, this matter If you don't care about money, how can you enter such a slim road? If the two men believe in me, they will let go. If you don't believe me, this matter will be a sign of failure. I have no intention of handling it!" Xue Gong was very embarrassed, he blushed and cupped his hands and said: "Forgive me, sir, it is Xue who has no opinions, and I heard that old lunatic." Mao Gong was very happy, he laughed and said: " How anxious are you two? Didn’t you hear that ‘decisions may not be as immediate as they are’? In the way of business travel, counting money and loving money is the original nature. After all, if you don’t try to show your heart, the old man’s temperament of spending money like water, but How can you let go of your hands and feet." Lu Buwei laughed loudly and said: "Okay, okay, but the four words "spending money like dirt" are exactly what I want. Buwei only needs a stranger's name to make a name, no matter how much money is paid!" Xue Xue Gong Bian said: "In the old man's opinion, this Yingyi man is considered wise and steady. He can be cultivated and become famous. Fortunately, he has no guilt. It's just the same, but the old man is uneasy."

"Oh? Mr. Xue said it's okay." "The old man is quite good at medicine. Ying Yiren's youth was not full of vitality, and he was depressed for a long time due to financial difficulties, and his body suffered too much. Even if he takes good care of him from now on, he may not be able to enjoy a long life." "Xue Gong is saying that Ying Yiren may live a young life?" Lu Buwei was startled suddenly. "Within twenty years." "Old brother is so weak!" Mao Gong yelled with a smile, "A human life of fifty is not considered a premature life, but Ying Yi's life of forty-eight is a blessing from God. It won't take ten years to deal with this matter, so worry about it." very?"

"That's right." Lu Buwei smiled relievedly, "It's up to people to plan things, but it's up to God to make things happen. Twenty years is enough!" "Sir, but I understand." Xue Gong changed the topic with a smile, "Mao Gong is very proficient in miscellaneous knowledge, and his plan is quite solid, but a few details are important. Sir, you need to foresee and make a decision." Mao Gong hurriedly shook his hand at Lu Buwei: "This is not for money, don't be in a hurry!" Lu Buwei and Xue Gong couldn't help laughing, but Mao Gong only curled his lips slyly, and then spoke in a low voice. It was half an hour, and at the end he asked proudly, "What do you think?"

"Wonderful!" Lu Buwei slapped the table and praised, "Mr. Mao's clever plan has no trace, but hits the key point, that's how it is." The three of them discussed for a while, and they didn't leave until the end of the night. After several days of running around, Lu Buwei was very tired after sending the two of them away. He was about to fall asleep on the couch with his clothes on, but a graceful figure floated in: "The hot water is ready, and I will serve you to take a bath." Lu Buwei was surprised Sitting up and rubbing his eyes, he asked, "Who are you? Who told you to come?" The curling figure smiled softly and said, "My little girl, Mohu, the boss and Brother Jing Yun want me to come." Lu Buwei yawned long , was about to speak, but fell down on the couch in a haze, and immediately snored loudly.

At noon the next day, bright sunlight filled the large tent of Yunlu.Lu Buwei opened his eyes and sat up, was about to go to bed, but saw a girl in red floating in, with a soft smile, she wanted to come over to help him.Lu Buwei shook his hand: "You are?" The girl said with a smile: "My little girl Mohu, sir, but I forgot." Suddenly, Lu Buwei left the couch and said, "Mohu, come whenever you come, maybe you will be a maid. Wait for me and The boss discussed and asked you to do something big." "No." The girl blushed and lowered her head, "Mohu can't do big things, Mohu only needs to serve Mr.." Lu Buwei couldn't help laughing: "You go and get ready first. Dinner, let’s talk about it after dinner.” The girl smiled: “The food and wine are all ready for filing, I just wait for Mr. to get dressed.” Lu Buwei waved his hand: “I’ll come to get dressed, you go and invite Father Ximen to come.” The girl smiled slightly: "The boss has already invited you to the outer tent, you just have to dress up and wash up." Lu Buwei couldn't help being surprised: "You asked Ximen Daddy to come?" The girl smiled and said: "Isn't it right? Sir, you will leave for three days. I didn't have time to see you last night, so I'm going to invite you to discuss matters today. Besides, if you don't invite me, the boss will come too." Lu Buwei smiled helplessly, and without speaking, he went straight to a bronze mirror that was as tall as others Get a haircut.But no matter how he does it himself, there will always be a pair of hands that follow him just right to clean up for him, and everything will be ready in a moment, except for the uncomfortable moment when he takes off his nightgown and reveals his shorts, he can hardly detect that it is two people. personal.When Lu Buwei turned around, the girl had disappeared, but the sleeping tent was already clean and tidy and the sun was bright, it was completely different from the chaos when he was alone.

"A living elf." Lu Buwei muttered to himself, and left the tent. The old boss came over and said in a low voice: "Master Jing Yun said that this girl is super loyal and reliable." "Where is the family?" "A native of Xiangshui, Chu State, born in the Yunzhong Grassland." "Dad sits down and talks while eating." Lu Buwei's eyes flashed, "Where does the saying of loyalty and reliability come from?" The two cases in the tent were originally arranged in a row close to each other, and the boss sat in the slightly smaller side case, and the voice was just heard clearly by Lu Buwei: "Reverend Jing Yun said, the father of this girl is Mr. A death row prisoner rescued in Chencheng back then, this person is now a knight of the Jingyun cavalry. As for the details, the righteous Jingyun will report himself in the future."

Lu Buwei nodded suddenly: "In that case, let her stay." After thinking for a while, there was a sudden whisper. "I'm introspective. Don't worry, sir." The boss nodded frequently. At this moment, Mo Hu floated in: "Sir, didn't touch the sweet mash? This is specially called from 'Ganma Xue'. It is best to drink hot in autumn cold." Then he knelt down by the desk and reported The wooden jug wrapped in cotton covers poured wine for Lu Buwei.Lu Buwei took a sip and asked, "Does Mohu still speak Wu dialect?" Mohu laughed and said, "Nong, do you know if that's the case?" Lu Buwei laughed: "Okay! This Wu Nong's soft language is pure and pure. The rest is like basic necessities, food, housing, and transportation. Do you remember?" Mo Hu said: "I understand now, although Nong was born in the cloud, my mother is Wu Feng, so it's up to Nong." Lu Buwei's eyes flashed: "Where is your mother now? " Mohu's eyes turned red: "That year, my mother sent me to Chencheng, and I became ill." Lu Buwei's heart sank, he patted Mohu's shoulder and smiled: "Mohu, Yunlu will It's your home, you won't suffer any more." Mo Hu smiled brightly and nodded, but his big eyes glistened with tears.

After more than a month, when everything in Handan was settled properly, Lu Buwei went south with a light car. At this time, it is the Xiaohan solar term, and it is a day of red clouds and heavy snow in Anyang.Cars and horses on the official road were few and far between, and the light carts with three horses rumbled across the vast wilderness, but there were few sights.This area of ​​Hanoi was originally seized by Qin State and became Hanoi County. After the Changping War, the old Qin King insisted on destroying Zhao, forcing the six countries to unite and revolt. The coalition defeated the Qin army three times and forced Qin State back to Hangu Pass. , Hanoi returned to the hands of Wei and South Korea.It seems that in the 30th year of Hedong and the 30th year of Hexi, the six kingdoms of Shandong and the mighty Qiang Qin drew a tie.But after careful consideration, this "tie" has a lot of flavors.Let’s say that the land of Hanoi, which has more than 60 cities, was originally the heart of the Three Jin Dynasties, how rich and beautiful the villages and villages connected to the cities for thousands of miles!In the past years, even during the winter season, the smoke from cooking houses in Hanoi was like the evening mist, the crowing of chickens and the barking of dogs were like the noise of the city, the horns of the adjacent city echoed in the distance, and the official roads and horses and horses flocked in an endless stream. , Anyone is envious.But all of a sudden, this wilderness in Hanoi has become desolate and desolate. There is not a village in ten miles, and it is difficult to find smoke in a hundred miles. Only the remaining cities are watching alone in the continuous snowstorm. It was heartbreaking.

Lu Buwei is the most familiar with the world's business and travel roads, and he is even more familiar with Hanoi, which is almost half of his hometown, so that he can travel around with his eyes closed.What made him feel the most was that the people in Hanoi were originally Wei and Han old people, but after more than ten years in Hanoi County of Qin State, they unexpectedly became Qin people.During the Battle of Changping, all Hanoi men over the age of fifteen joined the army as slaves, and everyone was enthusiastic.The Qin army was defeated and returned to the defense, and all the people in Hanoi "fleeed" with the Qin army, and went to Guanzhong to become real Qin people!In the Warring States period, the land was vast and sparsely populated, and the number of people was more important than the amount of land.People can take land, but land may not be able to take people.The land of Hanoi can be described as one of the only rich and fertile fields in the world, but more than a million Wei and Han people have left their homeland to follow the Qin army. How can it not make people sigh!

Once, Lu Buwei had a meeting with several generals of the Zhao army in the mansion of Lord Pingyuan on weapons business, and mentioned that the people in Hanoi had fled the country.The anger is beyond words.Mr. Pingyuan saw that Lu Buwei was silent, so he asked Lu Buwei what he thought?Lu Buwei smiled lightly and said, "The State of Wei has occupied the Hexi area of ​​the State of Qin for more than 50 years, but how many people from Qin entered Wei? The State of Zhao accommodated an old Qin tribe, which took more than 300 years of effort, and in the end it was still three or four Chengli Zhao returned to Qin. The power of the Qin people's coercion is really bizarre." The generals' faces turned dark when the words fell.Mr. Pingyuan laughed for a while in embarrassment, but finally did not speak.

Xuegong Maogong was invited to Yunlu by Lu Buwei for the first time, and he had a long night talk with Lu Buwei.Both of them asked Lu Buwei to talk about why he was optimistic about Qin.According to Xue Gong, more than half of the Qin army was killed or injured in the Changping War. After three defeats, they returned to Hangu Pass and returned to the old Qin situation. Not to mention whether helping Ying Yiren can be successful, even if it is successful, so what?Mao Gong said with a grin: "Both Qin and Zhao are hurt, but Zhao has the support of the five countries, and recovery is only a matter of time. Qin is a single tree. How many days can he survive under the loss of justice? , into a dangerous country again, blind men and blind horses, facing the pond in the middle of the night, how about something? I mean, the three of us will do our best to assist Lord Xinling to return to Wei to become king, and do a great job!" "The words of the two gentlemen are different!" Lu Buwei laughed and replied frankly, "Although the two gentlemen are highly talented and resourceful, they have lived in the city of Handan for too long, and the opinions they hold are all ordinary opinions of Shandong scholars. But Wei has been a business traveler for a long time. The only thing he has to do is to travel around the countries for many years. But it's too rash!" "How do you know?" Xue Gong immediately followed up. "Dare to ask the two gentlemen, where is the foundation of the country in the Warring States period?" "Population." Mao Gong and Xue Gong said in unison. "Okay!" Lu Buwei smiled lightly, "Have you two been to Hanoi in the past ten years?" "But yes, do you dare to go back to Hanoi?" Mao Gong blushed and shouted. "Thousands of miles of Hanoi, the homeland of the Duke, is empty!" Lu Buwei sighed, "The scene of Hanoi in the past, the two Dukes should know more deeply than Buwei. But now in Hanoi, you can only see the city, but not the villages. There are more than a million Hanoi. The common people, in all likelihood, followed the Qin army into Hangu Pass. The remaining 10 to 20 percent were all gathered in the city by the government to live in. The huge Hanoi is even more desolate and dilapidated than Luoyang Wangji! Qin Gu was defeated three times, but It's just a defeat of the army, and the population base has not been lost. The six countries are solidly victorious, but their vitality is seriously injured, and the population loss is unprecedented. Hanoi is half of the Wei State, so desolate and desolate, how long will it take to accumulate a hundred Thousands of people? Even if you want to form an army to fight against Qin, it is not easy! Looking at it this way, this "both sides are hurting" is very different. Qin is injured abroad, and the six countries are injured both at home and abroad. Which is more important? Judge for yourself." "Is the population of other countries also lost?" Xue Gong sighed heavily. "What Buwei saw is that the population of the six countries has been greatly damaged." Lu Buwei counted with his fingers, "The Laoyingdu area of ​​Chu State has the largest population, but it was captured by Qin State and set up Nanjun for nearly 20 years. When the Qin Army retreated , Seventy to eighty percent of the common people went up the river and entered the land of Shu. That Li Bing built Dujiangyan, and the land of Shu became rich, and people from Chu entered Shu in an endless stream. The population of the two countries had been greatly reduced after the war between Yan and Qi in the northeast. Fleeing, but when will the remaining 30 to 40% of the population recover? Not to mention South Korea, hundreds of thousands of common people and Shangdang returned to Zhao State long ago, and the people outside the river continued to flee the country. The total remaining population is less than one million, almost Less than one county in the state of Qin! The state of Wei has lost more than one million people in Hanoi, and the total population outside the river is only five or six million. After the defeat of Zhao state, it won miserably. There are more than three out of ten strong and strong men, and the population of the whole country has dropped to less than Ten million, try to rebuild a new army of 200,000, but have to guard against the resurgent Huns. With such a big situation, is it a loss for both sides?" "What is the population of Qin State?" Xue Gong interjected impatiently. "Buwei has been operating weapons, salt and iron for many years, so he has a rough estimate of the current population of each country." Lu Buwei laughed, "Qin's population should be 23 to 5 million, accounting for more than half of the world's population." The big tent in Yunlu was silent for a while, and finally Mao Gong sighed with a smile: "A businessman is always pragmatic, and it is rare for a gentleman!" It was that time that Lu Buwei really persuaded the two hermits to give up the unshakable hatred of the Shandong scholars and to work with him to plan a great cause with bleak future.In the final analysis, all celebrities in the Warring States Period naturally seek to serve the motherland first, but when there is no way to serve the country, they will not be stuck in the state forever.After all, the world consciousness in the Warring States Period was the grand mainstream, and the boundaries between states were actually regarded by scholars as extremely narrow and pedantic.If this is not the case, how could Lu Buwei, as a member of the Wei country, find two famous people from the Wei country who lived in seclusion in the Zhao country to plan a grand plan for the Qin country? In the midst of the heavy snow, the chariots and horses finally arrived at Baimajin Ferry. Baimajin is named after the legend of the miraculous white horse.The great river flows through the Central Plains, and it reaches the ground of Dewei State in the middle.Puyang, the capital of the Wei State, is in Henan, and there is a mountain on the other side of the river far away from it.People at the time said: There are often white horses running in groups like clouds at the foot of the mountain. When the white horses cry out, the river bursts; Three white horses from the foot of the mountain sank into the river, and the flood subsided.Because of this, the mountain is called Baima Mountain, the ferry is called Baimajin, and the huge stone pavilion beside the ferry is called Shenma Pavilion.In order not to disturb the mourning of the white horses, Baimajin has had a custom of crossing the river silently for many years—no matter the wind, rain, frost or snow, the horses must have their hooves bound, the bells of the vehicles must be removed, the horns are forbidden, the golden drums hold their breath, and the boatmen and travelers are not allowed to make noise. . The heavy snow is flying in the air, and there is only an uninterrupted crackling sound between the sky and the earth. Even if you speak loudly, it is difficult to hear clearly from a distance of Zhang Xu.The driving deacon looked at the ferry from afar, then turned back and smiled and said, "Sir, it's hard to make a noise, so do we have to fix the horses and horses?" But Lu Buwei had already opened the window and walked down, waving his hand and said: "The world is born of the local customs. Get out of the car and start." After saying that, he walked to the front of the car and began to pick the bell.The deacon hurriedly jumped out of the car: "Sir, don't move, I'm coming." He jumped out of the car with the reins and started to work. In a short while, he tidied up neatly, and when he turned around, he was about to ask Mr. to get on the car, but saw that Lu Buwei had already Walking towards the ferry in the heavy snow, without saying a word, he flicked the rein lightly and led the horse to catch up. Although it is covered with ice and snow, there are several passenger ships moored at the ferry.As soon as Lu Buwei stood at the empty pier, a dark and strong middle-aged man appeared at the bow of the nearest small boat: "Guest officer, do you want to cross the river?" Lu Buwei cupped his hands and said with a smile: "Dare to ask the boatman, how much is it frozen? Open?" The boatman pointed at the river from a distance: "The ice is uneven, and the thickness is uncertain. If you are in a hurry, sir, I will take you across the ice." Lu Buwei said: "It's not that I want to walk on the ice, but I have a car, three horses and two people. I wonder if your boat can carry it?" The boatman shook his head and said: "My boat can't carry horses and chariots. If the guest officer wants a boat to cross, I will call a big boat over." Lu Buwei nodded and smiled: "Thank you very much." As soon as the words fell to the point, the dark boatman raised a black corner flag in his hand and waved it left and right in the air a few times.During the snow dance, I saw a black flag waving in the distance at the south pier. In a short while, a large boat came berthing leisurely, and an old man with white beard and hair stood at the bow of the boat: "Zhouliu, but you want a boat?" Your big boat can break the ice, but my small boat won’t hit it.” The old man shook his head and said, “It’s windy and snowy, and I’m not as good at steering as you. If you want to ferry passengers, I’m afraid I’ll have to steer you.” The dark man smiled generously and said, “Why? Needless to say, middle! Lao Bo just supervises the sailors' chants." After saying that, he jumped from the small boat two feet away to the bow of the big ship, which drew applause from the deacon behind Lu Buwei, but he hurriedly restrained him in panic. Voice. The car was on the boat, but Lu Buwei didn't enter the cabin, but stood at the bow of the boat with the old man. He was about to speak, but he heard a dark man at the stern shouting: "Get on the boat!" Then he saw the eight long oars at the bottom of the boat enter the water with a clang, and the boat The old man gave a long and slow call: "Fengxuedu—slowly raise your hands—" The eight long oars moved with the long rhythm, and the big passenger ship clattered through the half-foot-thick ice Flying towards the southeast.Seeing that the current is moderate, the ice layer is gradually thinning, and the boat travel has eased a lot. At this moment, in the misty wind and snow, a shadow of an iceberg floated from the upper reaches to the waist of the boat!Lu Buwei's eyesight is quite good, and he was covered in cold sweat after sailing for a long time. Just as he was about to call out to the old boatman, he heard a thunderous roar from the stern of the boat: "Deep water fast paddle! Get up—" The old man at the bow also suddenly shouted Shouting: "The river is full of water! The North Stream is alive! The iceberg is swaying! The white horse helps me!" The rhythm is every word, but it is just the fastest speed of the grown wooden paddle entering the water and exiting the water. People are timid.After three rounds of callsigns, a huge iceberg was seen drifting away by the stern of the ship, and there was a cheer from the bottom deck: "White horse help me! Long live——" An hour later, the big ship finally anchored on the opposite bank. As soon as the sailor's trumpets subsided, Lu Buwei bowed deeply to the old man, turned around and whispered some instructions to the deacon, and the deacon took out three delicate brown leather bags from the car.Lu Buwei clasped his hands generously and said: "Old man Wei, everyone risked their lives to cross the river in the wind and snow, and I will accept some of the boat fare." The old man bowed and smiled, "Thank you so much, sir." , "Zhouliuzi, Shuitouer, guest officer, come up and get the fare!" He heard a neat shout from the bilge: "Thank you--" When the voice fell, he saw a thin, shirtless young man holding a dark man on his back. He limped up.The old man's face suddenly changed: "Zhouliuzi, hurt your leg?" The dark man shook his head: "Hey, it's impossible to imagine that the iceberg has a deep draft. It doesn't matter, it will be fine in three to five days." Lu Buwei is familiar with life on board, and he knew it was the boat Liuzi saw that his hands were not steady at the rudder, so he put his feet on the raised timbers of the hull, and made his whole body into a straight support to firmly support the big rudder , only to have to brush shoulders with the iceberg, which is dangerous and urgent, but ordinary people don't know it.Lu Buwei's heart moved, and he took out a mahogany square box from the car: "Liu Zi, this box of wound medicine is quite effective, so you take it." "Thank you, sir! If I have the wound medicine, my boat fare will be waived." The swarthy man was bold. "No!" Lu Buwei waved his hand, "Your foot is injured at the helm, the passengers should do their best, it has nothing to do with the cost of the boat." "No!" The swarthy man also waved his hand, "Crossing the river and taking the helm, the boatman's livelihood, casualties have nothing to do with the passengers. I can only charge the same for the wounded medicine boat, and Baimajin's rules can't be broken!" "It's easy to talk about." The old man came over and pointed to the mahogany medicine box, "I'm afraid I can't buy this medicine with two shipping fees, so Zhou Liuzi will be a guest officer. The shipping fee, the old man's share is divided equally with Zhou Liuzi That's right." Then he took a small leather bag from the deacon's hand, he was taken aback as soon as he picked it up, he took the other two leather bags and weighed it, only heard a choking sound, then shook his head, "The guest officer is poor! The fare for a ferry is only between fifty and seventy yuan, and the guest officer is thirty cakes. If I accept it, I will be defrauding the customer!" "The old man is serious." Lu Buwei cupped his hands and said with a smile, "the younger generation is also a business traveler. This winter crossing the river originally cost fifty or seventy yuan, but the wind and snow are very heavy, the iceberg is abrupt, and the danger is greatly increased. How can we calculate it according to the normal price. Besides, winter There are few boats, and things are rare and expensive. No matter how much money you get, it is only a change. The old man has to talk about it later." At this time, the sailors also boarded the boat to clean up all the things on the boat. Seeing the loud voices of the boatman and guest officials, they surrounded them curiously, and after hearing a few words, they all fell silent in a daze.The old man held up the three leather bags and shook them: "You just say that you won't take the 30 pies?" The sailors shouted in unison: "There is no way to bully customers! No!" The old man turned around and laughed. Said: "Guest officer, let's see, even if the old man accepts it, he won't be able to share it. If he takes it alone, wouldn't it be against the law?" Lu Buwei thought that if he persisted, the boatmen would think that the guest officer underestimated them, and they would laugh helplessly. She smiled, turned around and waved to the deacon: "Money." The deacon hurried to the car to fetch a slightly larger leather bag, cupped his hands to the old man and said, "I would like to report to the old man: these are thirty Linzi knives, which are really too few, and it would be appropriate to add ten gold cakes. The old man will take it." The old man said with a smile, "Linzi knives are worth a lot. It's okay, just take a piece of cake money, and count it as a bounty from boat willows." After that, he took the money bag and took out another piece of cake gold, and put the three small Handing the leather bag back to the deacon, he bowed deeply to Lu Buwei, turned around and said loudly: "Pay off the ship's money, and send the guest officer ashore—" "Guest officer ashore, safe and sound—" the sailors shouted in unison. The wind and snow stopped, and the red sun climbed out of half of his forehead from the thick clouds.The chariot rode ashore, and Lu Buwei stood on the shore for a long time, watching the empty big ship leisurely return.The deacon smiled and said: "Mr. Mo Dao is caring, such boatmen are rare." Lu Buwei couldn't help sighing: "There is nothing better than protecting people with virtue! Why is the law of heaven impermanent, and the country has fallen like this!" The car rattled on the road and turned over a snow-capped mountain ridge, and the city of Puyang was in sight. Puyang is an ancient castle.During the time of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, this was the city of Emperor Zhuanxu.After Emperor Zhuanxu passed away, the castle was named Diqiu.During the Yin and Shang Dynasties, Diqiu and Chaoge, the capital of the country, faced each other across the river. A stream of Pu River flowed through the north of the city. The mulberry forest was dense and the land was fertile.There are many business travelers in the Shang Dynasty, and they often have a tryst with the girl they like in the mulberry forest before going on a business trip. They go out in the green, sing songs and have fun day and night. At that time, it became a unique fashion. It is "Sangpu". "Book of Rites · Music Book" says: "The sound of Pu Shang in Sangjian is the sound of a subjugated country. Its government is scattered and its people flow." In fact, this is just an orthodox attack by the kings and Taoists after the demise of the Yin and Shang Dynasties. The pleasant feelings of the people of the old castle are incongruous.After the demise of the Yin and Shang Dynasties, the survivors of the merchants were unwilling to resign themselves to the rigid etiquette of the Zhou family, and wanted to restore the free and unrestrained sun and moon, so there was a large-scale rebellion.Later, the rebellion was suppressed by the Duke of Zhou, and all the local survivors of the Yin and Shang Dynasties were divided into two parts.One is the "Seven Clans of Yin and Shang", who are restricted to live in Chaoge, the old capital that has become ruins.The other big part is the descendants of the Yin-Shang royal family, who were specially granted the title of Song State, with the Yin-Shang royal family as the monarch.This is the Yin and Shang two points.Duke Zhou's division strategy was clever: the old people of Yin and Shang who were really capable of rebellion became the subjects of the royal princes of the Zhou family; the extravagant and incompetent royal nobles let them form an independent country, which has shown the kingly mind of the Zhou people.In fact, the legacy of the Yin and Shang Dynasties was in Wei and not in Song Dynasty. Since then, there has been a Weiguo with "famous Zhou and real merchants". Hundreds of years later, during the Spring and Autumn Period, the Rong and Di invaded the Central Plains.In 660 B.C., Rong and Di attacked Wei, the Wei army was defeated, Chaoge was occupied, the monarch Wei Yigong died in the war, and only 730 "nationals" escaped by swimming across the Pushui River.Thanks to the assistance of the Qi and Song Dynasties, the state of Wei established a new king and made Caocheng on the bank of the big river southwest of the old castle of Diqiu the capital.Not long after, the refugees returned one after another, and finally there were five thousand people.Since then, the state of Wei has been reduced to a prince of a small state. Thirty years later, the forces of Rong and Di retreated, and the state of Wei moved its capital back to Diqiu, and the descendants of Yin and Shang returned to the happy Sangjianpu.In the Warring States period, it became popular to name castles after topographical features. There was Pu River flowing in the north of Diqiu City, and the city was south of Pu River, so Diqiu was renamed Puyang. Puyang faces Dahe in the west, Jishui in the south, Juye Daze in the east, and Dong'a, the fortress of Qi in the north.It has a radius of three hundred li, but Puyang can be called an ancient big city, with smooth access to water and land, which is considered to be a great advantage of the geographical location.However, it has been more than 600 years since the feudal lords established Weiguo. Puyang has neither become a major trading city nor a large warehouse for grain and agriculture. It made the world sigh!Whenever scholars talk about ancient times, they have a saying: "There is Luoyang in the west, and Puyang in the east." Except for the difference in size, these two cities are like two old twin sisters. , Li Nong lived in Tianchou.In the Warring States Period for more than a hundred years, very few slaves had fled.Driving along the official road, there is not a wisp of cooking smoke floating in the boundless snow-covered fields, and the silence and desolation make people tremble. "Sir, the sound of the drums! There is also a guard of honor!" The driving deacon pointed far ahead. Lu Buwei opened the car window and looked at it for a while: "Detour, go south of the city." The deacon put the reins on his horse and was about to return to the car, when he heard a shout from afar in front of the drum band: "Wait a minute, sir—" Following the shout, a red figure staggered over and got angry when he was three to five feet in front of the car. He stopped panting, unfolded a roll of bamboo slips and began to read in a high voice, "Your Majesty, there is an edict: Mister will return to his hometown with honor, and he will be granted an audience in the country, in the name of Mister Quan!" "Oh! Mr. Wei wants me to meet you?" Lu Buwei smiled in surprise, didn't get out of the car after thinking for a moment, and just cupped his hands at the emissary, "If that's the case, please get on the car and go with you." The emissary repeatedly cupped his hands and said: "Humble ministers, don't dare to overstep, I just want to cheer for you." Lu Buwei said with a smile: "I'm a business traveler, why talk about overstepping? It's faster to get on the bus." The servant envoy still cupped his hands again and again: "Mr. It is a state guest, and I dare not be a minister!" Lu Buwei laughed and said: "Your envoy insists, so I will go." Stamping his feet, the three-horse chariot rumbled towards the ancient city. Lu Buwei's surprise was not flattered, but inexplicable. The state of Wei was originally a prince of the royal family first granted in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and the state was established as a state of dukes.Until the Spring and Autumn Period, when Confucius lobbied other countries, the State of Wei was still one of the Twelve Kingdoms in the Spring and Autumn Period.The embarrassing story of Confucius' "seeing Nanzi" happened in Weiguo.However, since entering the Warring States period, Weiguo has been in decline.At the time of the fifteenth generation of monarchs, Wei Guo demoted himself to the title of "Hou" country.The state of Qi was frightened by the destruction of Wei state of Song Dynasty. In the seventeenth generation, it demoted itself again and became a "king" state.Since then, he has been trembling like walking on thin ice, staying in Puyang and unable to shrink back. The common people are not.Although the survivors of the Yin and Shang dynasties became the subjects of the princes of the Zhou family, they had no intention of being slaves to the ancestral temple of the Zhou people and the rigid well fields. Well, strong men either leave the country to do business, or travel to study as scholars. In short, they are not content with staying at home.Over the past hundred years, Weiguo has produced many famous merchants.The old people who stayed in Puyang were only the descendants of the authentic Western Zhou royal family.These monarchs and ministers "nationals" who guarded the country believed that they were of noble blood, so they were extremely reserved. They could not prevent the exodus of the old people of Yin and Shang, and they ignored these businessmen and scholars who "forgot their righteousness for profit".The famous merchants of the Yin and Shang dynasties returned to their hometowns by chance, and never went to pay homage to the monarchs and ministers of the state of Wei, and they were incompatible with the old Zhou family and the old people.Over time, it is a well water that does not violate the river water, and does not communicate with each other when old and dead.Great celebrities such as Shang Yang never returned to Weiguo until their death.Under such old traditions, this Lord Wei wants to "give" Lu Buwei "admission to the country", how can it not be inexplicable? Speaking of the current Wei Jun, he was a strange figure in the middle and late Warring States period. If you want to know the strangeness, you must first talk about the monarchy of the last days.During the Warring States period, a large number of old vassal states of the Western Zhou Dynasty, together with the emperor of the Luoyang royal family, entered the period of dying years.The decline of the last days is the same, but the response methods of each old country are not the same. Generally speaking, there are five methods: first, the Yan country method.With the convenience of the location, the whole army sticks to it, expands the border and expands the land, and enters the ranks of the "Warring States".Second, the style of Qi and Jin.The land is vast and the people are numerous, new landlords and scholars are rising, and the high-level temple officials abide by the old system of kingship and do not think about change. They are finally overthrown and replaced by the upstarts.Third, the Song Dynasty style.He never forgets the achievements of his ancestors (Yin Shang). He does not think about change but only strives for an astonishing name.Fourth, Chen and Qi style.He is not a prince of the royal family, but he relies on the name of the great sage and sage ancestors (Chen State was granted the title by the descendants of Emperor Shun, Qi State was awarded the title by the descendants of Dayu) and did not think about progress, and was gradually eaten away by other countries.The last style is the style of the emperor of Luoyang, the state of Lu, and the state of Wei.These three kingdoms are all of the authentic lineage of the royal family of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Needless to say, the royal family of the Son of Heaven, the King of Lu is the descendant of Duke Zhou, and the Lord of Wei is the descendant of Uncle Kang, the younger brother of King Wu of Zhou.Entering the era of the Warring States Period, these three countries insisted on abiding by the old system of their ancestors, and did not think about any changes. The country has always been dead silent and calm.During this period, although there were signs of the rise of new scholars and new landlords in the state of Lu, it was only a stagnant water, and it quickly fell silent.The monarchs of the Three Kingdoms are also one-color inaction, careful not to offend any powerful country, and even do nothing, and wait till that day counts as that day.Even so, the State of Lu was eventually destroyed by the State of Qi. Since then, the two monarchs of Luoyang and Puyang have become more cautious. The same is doing nothing, but Luoyang and Puyang are also slightly different.Emperor Zhou of Luoyang really didn't ask about things, and only left "big things" to the Taishi for disposal.The royal family had to divide the land according to the ancestral system, and it was divided as soon as it was divided. A piece of Wangji was divided into two dukes and "vassals" of "Eastern Zhou" and "Western Zhou", and the land of Wangji was truly an isolated city.Even so, Zhou Tianzi still indulged in the broken music and dance all day long, fell asleep and didn't care about things, and Zhou Xianwang was the worst. The difference between Wei Jun's "Royal Way" is that he tirelessly tinkered with the remaining subjects in this small castle.At present, the name of Wei Jun is Huai, and people call him Wei Huai Jun at that time.This gentleman is fond of power and tactics, even though his world is as small as the city of Puyang, he still enjoys it all day long.In order to make his subjects fear him, Wei Huaijun sent more than a dozen confidant officials, disguised as official servants, to enter the mansions of several county magistrates and several ministers to spy on their privacy. A county magistrate is very simple. He went to bed one night and felt that there was something wrong under his body. He got up and lit the lamp, and lifted the mattress to see that there was a big hole in the wooden couch and straw mat.In the early morning of the next day, Wei Huaijun's special envoy arrived before the county magistrate entered the court.He said he was a special envoy, but in fact he only sent a sentence: "Wen Qing's mat is broken, and I will send you a new one." He put down the straw mat and left, which shocked the county magistrate into a cold sweat! Baimajin is an important place for tax collection in Weiguoguan City.One day, Wei Huaijun sent someone to pretend to be a merchant. When passing the customs, he intentionally bribed the customs officials with three pieces of jade pendants, exempting the ten-gold customs duty.That night, the customs officials were urgently called to Puyang.Wei Huaijun said coldly at the head: "The eyes of the gods are like lightning, how can the little official be guilty in the dark? Where are the three jades!" The customs official was shocked, and immediately presented the three jade pendants that had not been brought home, and asked for a heavy punishment. .However, Wei Huaijun laughed again: "If the official has the heart to correct his mistakes, the punishment will be exempted." The small official respected the gods of the king, so he also joined the ranks of "smuggling", and Wei Huaijun's godly behavior became more and more serious. more and more. In addition to "gods", Wei Huaijun has another advantage, which is to set up a "mantis and yellow bird" situation between the harem and the ministers.Wei Huaijun dotes on his beautiful concubine Xie Ji very much, but he is afraid that Xie Ji's father and brother will take advantage of the situation to become powerful, so he shows extraordinary respect for his wife Wei Concubine, and at the same time secretly tells Wei Concubine and Xie Ji to "spend their crimes".For the already scattered and sparse government affairs, Wei Huaijun relied heavily on the long history of trusting the court affairs.Fearing that Ruer's ears would deceive the king, Wei Huaijun promoted Bo Yi, a junior doctor, to be a senior doctor, and called him "Assisting Ruerer", but actually made the two confront each other.Later, Ru Er and Bo Yi unexpectedly became close friends by mistake.When Wei Huaijun found out, he immediately dismissed the two of them at the same time, and promoted another pair of friends to "help" each other.People may be puzzled, but Wei Huaijun smiled mysteriously: "The mantis catches the cicada, and the oriole is behind. It's not so wonderful!" Weiguo has such a mysterious and living treasure-like monarch, and celebrities all over the world are ridiculed.The well-known Xunzi pointedly criticized: "Wei Jun, the king who gathers and counts! It is not as good as governing the people. The one who gathers is the way to summon bandits, fatten the enemy, subjugate the country, and endanger the body. Therefore, the Ming emperor will not do it." Lu Buwei thought all the way, Wei Huaijun is cunning and good at secret affairs, so he must have found out that he has made a successful business trip, so he wants to assign him a "righteous act".所谓义举，对于商旅十有八九便是“献金报国”。若仅仅是要钱，吕不韦无论如何是要出的，不管此君做何用场，都得出。否则，此君之口便会使你在天下沸沸扬扬五颜六色，你却找谁个辩驳？然则，此君若是别有所图，却该如何应对？从今日之势看，此君依然是牵绊衡平之术——鼓乐仪仗相迎以示其诚，君不出面以示其威，分明有求于人，却矜持得要“赐见”于人。此君自以为高明，恩威并出面面俱到，吕不韦却分明看到了一副苍白的可怜相便在眼前。 “濮阳义商吕不韦晋见——”内侍尖亮的通报在飕飕冷风中分外刺耳。 吕不韦不禁笑了，未曾谋面便将他定在“义商”之位，除了献金能有甚事？心下一松，便跟着导引内侍悠然进了陈旧残破的大殿，过得一座黑沉沉的大屏便紧走几步，在中央座案前深深一躬：“在下吕不韦，参见君上。” “先生请起。”须发灰白的卫怀君虚手一扶，又矜持地一笑，“赐座。” 吕不韦正要到最近的案前就座，却见一名中年侍女悠然走来，伸手示意，将他领到了卫怀君左下侧的案前，算是完成了“赐座”礼仪。吕不韦释然一笑，便席地跪坐案前，却只看着卫怀君不说话。卫怀君笑道：“先生达礼，本君却是待士不周也。”吕不韦知道卫怀君这前半句是说他待君先话，算是通达礼仪，然后半句却是不明，如此国君果然能自责么？便一拱手道：“君召国人，原是常道，在下大幸也。”卫怀君目光闪烁间又矜持地一笑：“先生，无觉膝下有异乎？”吕不韦却不看座案之下，只摇头道：“在下愚钝，敢请君上明示。”卫怀君一怔，终于又是一笑：“先生座案之下，草席破洞矣！” 其实，吕不韦入座时便瞥见了破旧草席上的一个大洞，偏是浑然不觉，要与卫怀君兜兜圈子看他如何做作，此刻便肃然一拱：“物力惟艰。君上节俭为本，在下感佩不已！”卫怀君似乎愣怔了一下，却呵呵笑了：“原是捉襟见肘也，谈何节俭。”见这位君主终于显出困窘之相，吕不韦慨然笑道：“君上既有此言，在下愿献千金，以补宫室之用。”卫怀君却又矜持地端了起来：“果然，义商无虚也。然则，先生区区千金，却与社稷何补？本君之意，欲请先生撑持邦国，不知先生意下如何？” 吕不韦心下一惊，果然来了，这回显然不是金钱之事，却要小心应对，便谦恭笑道：“在下一介商旅，何能撑持邦国？若是事端之难，敢请君上明示。” “区区细务，不难不难。”卫怀君笑得分外可人，“本君思忖：先生理财大家，可做我大卫关市大夫，专司十三处关卡税金。每年若能收得万金，三成便归先生。先生既有官身，又是公私两利，岂非立身上策乎！”津津乐道，竟很有几分得意。 骤然之间，吕不韦几乎便要放声大笑，然却生生憋住，满脸通红地皱着眉头拱手道：“君上妙算，在下却是愧不敢当。在下小本生意，年利不过百金，如何有运筹万金之大才？若是一年收不齐税金，在下倾家荡产事小，误国只怕事大。如此重任，在下断不敢当也。” “足下大名赫赫，不想却是如此器局也！”看着吕不韦额头涔涔汗水，卫怀君不禁哈哈大笑，且立时将称呼变了，“才不堪任，足下倒也实在。不做便不做，至于大雪天出汗么！”笑得一阵，卫怀君突然压低声音，“然则，足下车马煌煌，却不象小本商人也。” “君上神明。”吕不韦沮丧地苦笑着，“人云衣锦荣归，在下却是虚荣也。这煌煌车马，原是赵国大商卓氏之物，因了寄放在在下的车马客栈里，在下便趁着窝冬之期用了这车马。若不是借这车马，在下如何能在大雪窝冬时回乡？谁个不知阳春三月好上路也。”一番话唠叨仔细，当真一个活生生地小商人。 “噢——”卫怀君恍然点头长长地一叹，“既是如此，足下千金也就免了。” “这却不能。”吕不韦连连摇头，“商旅游子，根在故国，献金原是该当！” “足下忠心可嘉！然则，何年何月，你才能兑得千金之诺？” “君上，”吕不韦怪模怪样地一笑，“在下正有千金在车，原是积攒多年要孝敬父母了，明日我便派人送来宫室如何？” “既是在车，何须明日费时费力？” “正是正是。”吕不韦恍然拍案，“君上跟我去拿，岂不利落？” “也好。”卫怀君矜持地一笑，起身离座，“本君便成全足下一片忠心。” 吕不韦打量了一眼这个肥肥白白地君主，一挥手：“走。”便大步走了出去。卫怀君也再没了诸般礼仪，跟着吕不韦便出了大殿。到得车马场，吕不韦向驾车执事低声吩咐几句，执事竟惊愕得说不上话来，愣怔一阵才从车中提出一个沉甸甸地棕色大皮袋，有意一摇，一阵呛啷金声便夺人耳目！卫怀君一挥手，便有一个老内侍推着一辆手车走来，卫怀君上前两步，亲自接过大皮袋，便要解开袋绳验看。偏这吕氏钱袋是祖传手艺，袋口绳是密结暗筘，等闲人休想随意开得。卫怀君一阵摸索，却不得要领，便大是尴尬。吕不韦面无表情地向执事一点头，笑意憋得满脸张红的执事过来摆弄了几下，大皮袋便松了口。卫怀君甩手打大袋口，一片粲然金光赫然烁目！卫怀君又一挥手，内侍走过来便推走了皮袋。 卫怀君这才轻松地笑了：“足下献国千金，却要何赏？” "But it's up to you, Your Majesty." “传诏。”卫怀君转身高声吩咐身后的长史，“赐吕门一世子爵，领封地三里。”话音落点，便大袖一甩径自去了。 缁车出了濮阳北门，吕不韦便大笑起来，想一阵笑一阵，笑一阵又哭一阵，最后终是软软地瘫在了坐榻上。驾车执事心下不安，便时不时回头透过车窗瞄得一眼，此时见吕不韦疲累得睡了过去，才从容驱车在雪原上走马北去。 行得片时暮色来临，遥遥便见前方凛凛刺天的胡杨林披着软软地晚霞隐隐红成了一片。驾车执事回头便道：“先生，前方该当是吕庄了。”吕不韦蓦然惊醒，揉揉眼睛便跳下了车：“对，正是吕庄！你赶车前行，我后边走走看看。” 执事答应一声，缁车便悠悠去了。吕不韦长长地展了一番腰身，便在冰冷嫣红的旷野中踏雪走去。虽说大雪盈尺，平原之地已经是极目漠漠，几乎没有了任何突兀显眼的物事，吕不韦放眼望去，却仍然清晰地辨认出了烙在记忆里的一草一木一沟一坎，历历数来，竟是感慨万端。 还在大父当家的时候，吕氏一族十三家便迁到了濮阳城外。 在濮阳国人中，吕氏既不是周人后裔，也不是殷商老民。殷商时期有吕国，受封国君原为姜姓。庶民以国号为姓，于是便有了吕姓。又因国君为姜姓，所以吕、姜便成了可以相互置换的姓氏，如同嬴与秦一般。赫赫大名的太公望便是如此，既为吕尚，又为姜尚。因了这个吕尚对西周有灭商大功，非但古老的吕国保留了下来，且太公吕（姜）尚还成为齐国首封国君。如此一来，天下吕氏便分做了两处，一为吕国，一为齐国。后来，齐国公室为了与吕国之吕氏相区别，自认了姜氏为姓，天下吕氏便只有吕国之吕氏了。吕国原本便是不足百里的小诸侯，刚刚进入春秋之世，便被向北拓展的楚国灭了。 吕不韦依稀记得，自己还是总角小儿的时候，大父曾经说过：吕氏失国之后，吕族便星散而去了；其中一支逃往齐国，路上有一家族患病难行，脱离主支，留在了濮阳郊野。这个家族，便是吕不韦家族。大父说，当年先祖为何没有继续追赶主支，谁也说不清楚了，只有一点是明白的，便是这支吕氏自做了卫人，农家生计便年复一年地衰微了。大父为了振兴吕氏，便离农为商，与熟识的殷商老民一道驾着牛车奔波生意去了。 十年之后，大父小成，积得三百金，便率领已经繁衍为十三家的吕氏迁出了濮阳城池，在北门外的老井田里建了一片简朴的庄园住了下来。大父说，老周人欺客，与其住在城中小心翼翼，何如搬出来自家做生意。 大父临终时，吕不韦已经是十三岁少年了。弥留之际，大父抚摩着吕不韦的长发，气喘吁吁地说了一句话：“乃父庸才也，光大吕门，在子身也。”至今，吕不韦还清楚地记得这句话，记得大父那殷殷期望的目光。 因了大父的临终遗命，父亲在盛年之期便交出了吕氏商社的权力，将尚未加冠的吕不韦推上了商旅之路。就实说，父亲的经商才能确实平庸，襄助大父二十年，独掌生意十年，吕氏商社只积得千金耳耳。然则，若论自明知人，父亲却实在非同寻常。 吕不韦五岁那年，父亲重金聘来了一个曾经在稷下学宫游学三年的濮阳名士，给吕不韦启蒙讲书。父亲对蒙师只有一个规矩：“王道礼仪等虚玄之书，少讲不讲都可。时下诸般实用之学，多多益善！”濮阳名士原本便是杂学一派，东家此说大对脾胃，便十足劲头地盯着这个蒙童灌了起来。也是天赋根基，十年之期，吕不韦便对商、农、工、医、水、算等诸般实用之学大体通晓，对辩驳求证学问的名家、杂家与主流显学法家、墨家、儒家、道家也大体心中有数，若干名篇更能琅琅上口。 老师本欲再教十年，要将吕不韦教成天下一等一的名士。吕不韦也想再学十年，如苏秦张仪般纵横天下。不想父亲却坚执摇头：“此子有商才，通得实学即可，谁却要做名士？先父遗命不敢违，明年，他便是吕氏商社之长了。” 三十六年竟梦幻般过去了。父亲已经年逾花甲，他还好么？ “先生，庄门已闭，我该当先行通禀一声才是。”执事早已将车停在庄外，人却返回来一直远远跟着吕不韦转悠，见晚霞褪去天色黑了下来，便过来提醒。 “呵，不用。”吕不韦恍然笑了，“一支响箭即可。” 执事答应一声，大袖一扬，一支短箭便尖锐呼啸着飞向了庄门望楼的大红风灯。片刻之间，便闻望楼一声长呼：“少东信使到，大开庄门——”呼声方落，厚重的庄门便隆隆拉开，一座吊桥也同时嘎吱大响着悠悠放了下来，结结实实地轰然塌在了雪地上。 “且慢。”吕不韦对启动车马的执事一摆手，“跟着我走。”便大步上了吊桥。人车马刚过，便听身后吊桥已经嘎吱大响着悠了上去，望楼上也是又一声长呼：“信使高名上姓——”吕不韦高声答得一句：“西门老总事差遣，车马执事越剑无。”望楼红灯便左右三大摆：“信使入庄，庄门关闭——”吕不韦回头笑道：“越执事，日后回庄，便是如此这般，记住了？”车马执事点头道：“记住了。先生回归故里，却不显行迹，是……”吕不韦笑道：“并非故里有险。我若报名，今晚便休想安宁也。走了。” 这座吕庄虽是吕氏族业，住得却不仅仅只是吕氏四十余家，且还有依附于吕氏各家的田户百余家，加上各家仆役、全庄日常生计的十多个作坊的全部工匠，总共有三百余户两千余口。随着吕氏商社日见兴旺，吕氏庄园便建得小城池一般。若以战国寻常城池的规模——三里之城五里之郭，这吕氏庄园至少当得一座县城无疑。庄中三条大街十多条小巷，全是一色的青石板道，大街两侧更是多有老树参天。窝冬之季，日落而息，庄中灯火便极是稀疏，但借着厚厚积雪的蒙蒙白光，庄园的整肃格局还是清晰可见。 想到族人识得自己者已经不多，吕不韦便在雪地中悠悠漫步，领着车马走街串巷，拐得几个路口，便到了庄园正中的一片老宅前。显然是已经得到了庄门望楼的灯火信号，老宅大门已经大开，门厅亮着两盏风灯，一个须发雪白的老人正在阶下雪地里等候观望。 突然之间，老人愣怔了：“你？你是少东！” 吕不韦紧赶两步高声笑道：“相里老爹，我是不韦，识不得了？” “果是少东也！”老人两手抓住吕不韦衣袖便哽咽起来，“十年也，老朽竟是老眼昏花了。”猛然回身高声吩咐，“少东回庄，老宅通明——”只听门廊一声答应，一声声传呼开去，片刻之间院墙内外便是灯火大亮。 “相里老爹，不韦当年多有轻慢，尚请老爹见谅了。”吕不韦深深一躬，老人连忙扶住，便又是一阵哽咽，“少东哪里话来，原是老朽迂阔迟暮，多年回思，老朽终是通明。少东若是自责，老朽便无颜苟活也！” 原来，这个相里老爹便是吕不韦初出商道时的那个抱账执事。自吕不韦带着出货执事避开他奔赴即墨做成了第一笔盐生意，这位颇有理财之能的大执事既抱愧在心，又大不服气。抱愧是对吕不韦，不服气却是对着那位年轻的出货执事。从此每有生意，这位相里大执事便与出货执事暗中较劲，出货执事自知资历尚浅，从来都是以忍以让，不与大执事发生任何争执，只是惟吕不韦之命行事。三年后，吕不韦全力承担了援助即墨田单的秘密商路，经常带着年轻干练的出货执事在外秘密奔波采货，抱帐大执事便更是愤懑了。一次，吕不韦随鲁仲连大货船去了即墨，留下出货执事在陈城继续采购一批兵器，约定两个月后立即装船运出，由吕不韦在之罘接货，再秘密运往即墨。但两个月后，货船竟杳无音讯。吕不韦大急，星夜兼程赶回陈城，才知是抱帐大执事拒付货金，理由只有一句：“铁兵交易须得少东亲自出金，他人不支。”出货执事百般无奈，又不好向少东“举发”同事，事情便僵持下来。事由查清，吕不韦勃然大怒，叫来抱帐执事严厉申饬一顿，当即拿出两千金要他离开吕氏商社。抱帐执事痛悔不已，再三再四地请求留下。吕不韦却冷冷一句：“执小气而毁大义，你不觉惭愧么？”抱帐执事脸涨得通红，撇下两只金袋转身便走了。 三年后，吕不韦接到老父书简，说相里在老庄做了总管。再后来，吕不韦便从老庄来人的口中知道了原委。一个夜里，抱帐执事风尘仆仆赶到老庄，对着老东大拜三拜，一句话也没说便昏厥了过去。老父情知有异，连忙请来庄中医家好生诊治，并吩咐一个年轻仆人加意守护。可是，次日清晨抱帐执事竟是不见了踪迹。老父大急，立即派族人四出寻找，三日三夜找遍了方圆百里，还是没有踪迹。老父一番寻思，便派了三个得力精壮，甚也不做只专门寻访大执事。一连三年，终于在即墨海边找到了已经变成疯汉的大执事。车马送回吕庄，老父便整日守着这个昔年最是忠诚能事的大执事说叨个没完，几个月下来，大执事竟是渐渐平静了下来。 当吕不韦知道了这一切的时候，深深为自己的操切轻率自责不已。老父的作为，使他第一次真切地明白了何谓义商，也就是在那时侯，他写下了《无义》篇，写下了那句永远烙在心头的话——义者，百事之始也，万利之本也，中智所不及也。 “不韦呵，是你么！” 一声颤巍巍的呼叫，便见使女扶着一个白发老人从灯影里匆匆走了过来。“娘！”吕不韦鼻翼顿时一酸，叫得一声便迎面拜倒。“不韦呵，儿起来，甚话别说，教老娘好生看看……”吕不韦默默起身，听任母亲摩挲着自己的脸膛，听任眼中的泪水洒在母亲枯瘦苍老的手指上。老相里也是伤感得唏嘘不已，抹着泪水道：“老夫人，雪后风大，还是进堂说话了。”“也是。”母亲哽咽着一点头，便颤巍巍转过身来，吕不韦连忙扶住母亲上得宽大的青石台阶进了正屋厅堂。灯火煌煌之下，偌大厅堂却是空荡荡了无一人。 “娘，老父歇息了？”吕不韦心下顿时一沉。 “只怕是偎着燎炉呢。你去，娘等着。” 吕不韦将母亲交给使女，便大步绕过木屏穿过耳房，小心翼翼地推开了书房厚重的木门，再绕过一道大木屏，便愣怔得挪不动脚步了——一盏高高的铜人灯下，一具燎炉燃着通红的木炭，一个雪白的头颅在苍老佝偻的身躯前一点再点，一丝细亮的口涎伴着粗重的鼾声竟是连绵不断——倏忽十年，父亲竟是苍老如斯！ “父亲！”一声哽咽，吕不韦跪倒在冰凉的石板上。 鼾声突然终止了，雪白的头颅蓦然抬了起来，摇摇，再摇摇：“是，不韦？” “父亲，不韦回来也！” “好好好，好呵。”父亲却是呵呵笑了，“忒般大了，哭个甚来，快起来，脱了皮裘轻松些个。这大燎炉呵，盛得一斗半木炭火，暖和得紧也。方才还与你娘说话，如何便瞌睡了过去？呵，我还撑持得住，莫上心。”老父亲兀自唠叨诉说着，伸出竹杖比划指点着