Chapter 3 Kang Fu of the Three Chess Stands

Zeng Guofan came down from the Yueyang Tower, remembering that he accidentally met a man with outstanding abilities, and showed him the way out, he was very happy, and the sorrow of his mother's death for more than a month temporarily faded away.Seeing that there was still an hour before dark, he strolled to the downtown area of ​​Yuezhou City.There are only three streets and six markets, people come and go, and all kinds of industries are complete.A group of people gathered in front of a pawn shop at the crossroads, and a piece of paper was spread out on the ground, on which were drawn horizontal and vertical grids, and a few black and white chess pieces were laid out on it.It turned out to be a street game!When Zeng Guofan was young, he had two hobbies: one was smoking hookah and the other was playing Go.Later, I quit hookah, but my interest in Go has never diminished.Just try to restrain yourself when you are busy with business.Since I left Beijing in June, I haven't played Go for more than two months. When I saw it today, it was like meeting old friends again. I stopped and watched with great interest.

The person sitting first on the chess game was about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, with a pale face, a beard like a clump of thatch, and wrinkled clothes and pants, as if they hadn't been changed for half a year. A piece of paper was pressed by a stone at his feet, and a letter was written: "Kangfu's end game. If you win a game, you will receive ten coins, and if you lose a game, you will be given twenty coins." It turned out to be a chess stall.Zeng Guofan was about to walk away, but remembered that he had been watching for so long, but he never saw the two of them moving, and felt strange.Taking a closer look, I saw that Kang Fu was holding the black one, and the person holding the white one held it in mid-air for a long time, unable to fix it anywhere.Zeng Guofan thought about that person.The more he thought about it, the more surprised he became, that this sunspot had no way to break through!He began to take a different look at Kang Fu who was setting up a chess stand: he is good at chess, and it seems that he is not his opponent.While he was thinking about it, someone outside the crowd yelled: "Whoever dares to show off his prestige on my territory, hurry up and get out!" Then he separated from the crowd and rushed in, followed by three vicious thugs.Kang Fu raised his head, glanced at the person, and said, "Master, don't you know him? You played a game of chess with me by the bridge the day before yesterday." After finishing speaking, he stood up.

The onlookers saw that the momentum was wrong.They all dispersed. Only then did Zeng Guofan see two pieces of white cloth sewn on the toe of Kang Fu's cloth shoes. This is a custom in Yuanjiang and Yiyang: mourning for dead parents. "Who played chess with you? Don't talk nonsense!" The man who broke in had a fierce look on his face, "You don't even look at this place! You have been doing business on my site for a long time, and you can do it without my permission." , what courage!" "Okay, okay! Since my husband doesn't allow it, I'll go now." Kang Fu bent down, packed up the chess pieces, and prepared to go.

"It's so easy! Just leave if you say so?" The fierce man rolled up his sleeves and stopped Kang Fu. "Why don't you leave? Tell me!" Kang Fu did not show weakness. "Bring out a hundred taels of silver, and I'll let you go!" "That's unreasonable! I haven't earned half a tael of silver today. Don't you mean to blackmail people?" Kang Fu carefully put the chess pieces into a cloth bag and said calmly. "If you don't have money, you can use the chess pieces as collateral." The fierce man waved his hand, "Brothers, grab the chess pieces for me!"

The thugs rushed forward.Kang Fu protected the cloth bag with his left hand, and only used his right hand to deal with them.With just this one hand, four men can't get close.Zeng Guofan was secretly amazed, thinking: "Another hero!" A thug caught fire, picked up a bench next to him, and was about to throw Kang Fu on the head.At this moment, there was a sudden thunder from outside the circle of people: "Stop, you bastards!" As soon as the shout fell, the man came to the circle and grabbed the bench with one hand.The man opened his leopard eyes, pointed at the man with a fierce face and cursed: "What a shameless guy, bullying foreigners, are you still a man?"

The fierce-faced man immediately softened, and said with a smile: "Master, this kid set up a stall in front of my shop and didn't even say hello to me. He bullied me first!" "He's alone, you three or four, you do it first, is he bullying you, or are you bullying him?" The person who came was completely in the tone of an elder scolding a junior. "For the sake of the master, I'll spare you today. Get lost!" The man bowed his hands to his master, and led the other three out of the crowd resentfully.Kang Fu saluted the person who came, said "thank you", then turned his back and walked away. After walking a few steps away, he looked back again.

Zeng Guofan saw all this in his eyes, kept silent, and then called out: "Brother Cen, it's been a long time!" The man turned his face away, and replied excitedly: "Oh! It turned out to be brother Disheng!How will you be here?What a coincidence. As he said, he hurried over, held Zeng Guofan's hand tightly, saw the hemp rope around his waist, and asked in surprise: "What's going on here?" " "My mother passed away on June 12." Zeng Guofan replied softly, "It's been more than two months since my aunt passed away, but I don't know anything about it. I'm so sorry!"

Xiao Cen sighed. "This is not a place to talk, let's find a restaurant to have a drink or two!" "Okay! Let's go to the front hotel!" Xiaocen is Ouyang Zhaoxiong's nickname.Ouyang Zhaoxiong, a native of Xiangtan, is four years older than Zeng Guofan. He has a wealthy family, and he is the most generous person.In the 20th year of Daoguang's reign, it was the first year that Zeng Guofan's disbanded museum came to Beijing. His family members had not yet arrived, and they lived in Wanshun Inn in Guozi Lane.One day, he suddenly coughed up blood, his cheeks were flushed, and soon he fell into a coma.It just so happened that Ouyang Zhaoxiong went to Beijing for an exam that year and lived in the same hotel with him.Zhao Xiong is good at medicine and treats him wholeheartedly.For ten days, Zeng Guofan never touched his teeth, and Zhao Xiong sat beside him for ten days and nights.Zeng Guofan was in short supply at that time, and all the expenses during his illness were borne by Zhao Xiong.After he recovered from his illness, Zeng Guofan asked him how much he spent, but he never said.From then on, Zeng Guofan regarded him as his own brother, but it was a sign that Xiong's official luck was not good, and he failed to sell in the four trials, so he gave up the idea of ​​becoming an official.Zhaoxiong has been taught by martial arts masters since he was a child. He has good kung fu and a rich family, so he travels all over the world and makes friends all over the world.The two have been in close correspondence.Later, when Zeng Guofan's official position was rising, Zhao Xiong felt that there was a big difference in status between them, so his letters gradually became rare;Slowly, the two lost contact.Meeting each other in Yuezhou City today, both of them felt unexpectedly happy.

"Brother Cen, are you passing through Yuezhou this time, or staying here for a long time?" Zeng Guofan asked after taking a sip of wine. "Three months ago, I was invited by a friend to visit Daliang. A few days ago, I heard that Changmao had invaded Hunan, so I was in a hurry to leave Daliang and go home. I stayed in Hanyang for three days and arrived in Yuezhou the day before yesterday. We plan to stay for a few days, see Wu Nanping, and then return to Xiangtan." "Nanping is still in Yuezhou? Didn't you say that he went to Liuyang to teach?" Nanping was written by Wu Minshu, a well-known ancient writer at that time and an old friend of Zeng Guofan.Every time he went to Beijing to take the exam, he lived in Zeng's house.

"I came back last month. With his personality, he can't bear the slightest restraint, how long can he be an instructor?" Ouyang said, and drank the wine in the glass in one gulp.Jing Qi hurriedly picked up the flagon and filled it up for him. "Is he still so unrestrained? I thought that the years would polish his edges and corners!" "Grinding? I'm afraid I won't be able to change it in this life! You can still drink unlimited wine, and complain endlessly as usual." "Nanping was originally a pillar, but unfortunately the luck is not good, I'm afraid I can only be a Zheng Banqiao in this life." Zeng Guofan said regretfully, "That's why Nanping is now one of the four monsters in Yuezhou. "

"Which four monsters? Tell me a lot about it." I haven't returned to my hometown for more than ten years. As soon as I stepped into Hunan, Zeng Guofan wanted to know everything all at once. "The people from Yuezhou can also talk about it, and actually linked Nanping with those low-ranking people. The saying is: the strange prostitute He Donggu, the strange beggar Li Manzi, the strange monk Kong short man, and the strange talent Wu Juren. What's even more strange is Nanping is not upset." Ouyang Zhaoxiong gave a wry smile after speaking, and Zeng Guofan also shook his head and smiled wryly.He thought of Wu Nanping's visit to Beijing the year before last and brought a collection of poems with him, which made him fascinated.Such a genius is regarded as a first-class prostitute and monk, how can it not be admirable!If it weren't for the importance of filial piety, I should really go see him tomorrow.The two were relatively speechless.After a moment of silence, Zeng Guofan changed the subject: "How is the situation in Henan? Is it still peaceful there?" Since Daoguang served as the chief examiner in Sichuan in the 23rd year, he has not left the capital for nearly ten years.This time via Zhili to Shandong and Anhui, what I saw was a scene of troubled times, which was much more serious than what I heard in the capital.Everyone in Beijing said that Baigui had made remarkable achievements in governing Henan, and Zeng Guofan wanted to find out some facts from Zhao Xiong. "I can't mention things in Henan," Zhaoxiong said. "Corruption in the officialdom is no less than that in Hunan. It's the autumn harvest season, but there is an endless stream of hungry people from Kaifeng to Linying, and starved people can be seen on the side of the road. It is unbearable to see." .” "It's the same in Henan, and it's rumored in Beijing that Baigui ruled Henan well! It's almost the same as Shandong and Anhui." Deep worry appeared on Zeng Guofan's slender face, and he had no intention of drinking. "No wonder Changmao rebelled. Officials forced people to rebel, and it has happened since ancient times." Zhao Xiong's words were clearly full of anger. "There are many shortcomings in the administration of officials in all provinces. The emperor has already considered it. It is actually caused by improper employment. The court will strictly rectify it. Chang Mao's rebellion is a heinous crime, which is not tolerated by heaven and earth." Zeng Guofan could not agree with Zhaoxiong's extreme. .Zhaoxiong also realized that he had made a mistake just now, so he didn't argue. After drinking a few sips, he said: "Chang Mao has been besieging Changsha City for several days, and Xiangtan must have been ravaged. I intend to make some friends from the Jianghu and invite them to my hometown. Training regiments to protect the environment and the people." "Brother Xiao Cen has great insight." Zeng Guofan knew that he had foreseen the coming troubled times, and he took precautions early, and he was indeed better than ordinary people. "My friends and I thought that it was useless to rely on ourselves to defend the village, and relying on the government was useless. In times of crisis, only Jing Ke and Nie Zheng, like Jing Ke and Nie Zheng, can be relied on. But it is not easy to know people! Yesterday a friend gave I recommended a person, I saw that he still looks good, so I accepted him as an apprentice, this person is the kid just now. I didn't expect it to be such a bullying bastard!" The two chatted and drank, watching the sun was about to set. Zeng Guofan thought that the boat would leave early tomorrow morning and would spend the night on the boat, so he said to Zhaoxiong: "Brother Cen, I will bid farewell today. When I return to Xiangxiang this time, at least I will live there for three years, and there will be more opportunities to meet in the future. I will come to Xiangtan to meet you in two months. I will not go to Nanping this time, and I will make a special trip to visit next time." Zhaoxiong is the most straightforward person, and he will not hold back , Said: "If you don't bother you, come to Xiangtan. After I go home and cook for a few days, I will go to the lotus leaf pond to pay homage to my aunt." The two left the hotel and parted with each other. On the way back to the lake, Zeng Guofan thought to himself: Most of the friends I used to be friends with were literati, but now that wars have begun and chaos is approaching, he should be like Xiao Cen and make more friends with high martial arts skills.Thinking of this, he was fortunate to have met Yang Zaifu in Yueyang Tower.He also thought of Kang Fu who ran a go stand. He was good at chess and good at martial arts. With one hand, he kept four big men from getting close. He seemed like a fallen hero.It's a pity that I don't know where he is staying, otherwise I really want to meet him.As I walked and thought, I soon arrived at the lake.The captain of the ship politely took Zeng Guofan's master and servant into the cabin, and brought two bowls of fragrant tea.Having drank a lot of wine just now, Zeng Guofan was very thirsty, picked up the bowl, and drank in big gulps.While looking at the calm lake, I feel very comfortable when I think that I can see the night scene of Dongting in Fan Zhongyan's pen, which is "quiet shadows and jade, fisherman's songs answering each other".He told the boat boss that Changsha was surrounded by long hairs and that they would divert to Yuanjiang tomorrow.While chatting, I heard someone outside the cabin asking: "Boss, where will your ship leave tomorrow morning?" The boss of the boat hurried out of the cabin and said, "Tomorrow morning, we will leave for Yuanjiang." "Great! I'll take your boat to Yuanjiang, and the boat fare will be paid." "Guest officer, it doesn't matter if you pay the boat fare or not, but my boat is chartered by another uncle." "Then please beg that uncle for me." Jing Qi walked out of the cabin and said: "If you don't take it, you can find another boat!" "Brother, please help me. I asked many ships, but none of them went to Yuanjiang." Zeng Guofan heard the voice in the cabin and walked out as if it sounded familiar.Seeing this made him really happy.It turned out that the person who asked the question was Kang Fu who was setting up the chess stall.Kang Fu was shocked when he saw it: Unexpectedly, this old man was actually a friend of the man who helped him rescue him!Zeng Guofan's triangular eyes shone with joy, and he hurriedly greeted: "Brother, come in the cabin, let's go to Yuanjiang together!" After Kang Fu entered the cabin and sat down, Zeng Guofan said: "I was looking for you, but you came. What a coincidence! I saw 'Kang Fu Endgame' written on your chess stand in the afternoon. I think it must be Kang Fu." "Master is right. I am Kang Fu. On the street today, a friend of Mr. Domon came forward to rescue him, otherwise we will be in trouble." Seeing that they were very familiar with each other, the boat boss brought another bowl of fragrant tea.Zeng Guofan asked: "Brother, from your accent, it sounds like someone from Yuanjiang and Yiyang. Are you going home?" "I'm from Xiaheqiao, Yuanjiang County. I wanted to stay in Yuezhou for a while, but this afternoon I met those scoundrels who disturbed my situation, and I didn't want to entangle with them any more, so I decided to return to Yuanjiang immediately. Fortunately, I happened to meet the uncle. May I ask the uncle's surname and name, where is his birth name?" "My name is Zeng Guofan, with the style name Disheng, from Xiangxiang." When Kang Fu heard this, he was surprised for a moment, and quickly knelt down and said: "You are always Mr. Xiangxiang Zeng?! The villain has eyes but does not know Mount Tai, so I offended you a lot just now." Zeng Guofan didn't expect Kang Fu to know everything when his name was mentioned. If he had known this, it would be better not to tell him his real name.He hurriedly asked Jing Qi to help him up, and asked kindly: "Brother, may I ask Taifu?" "Responding to the words of the adults, the villains are cheap." Kang Fu replied respectfully. Seeing him like this, Zeng Guofan hurriedly said: "I am going back to my hometown to go to my mother's funeral, and I have announced to the court that I have vacated all positions. I am no longer a servant, but an ordinary citizen. Don't call me an adult anymore, and don't pay too much attention to etiquette. Just call me Disheng! If it’s inconvenient, just call me uncle.” Hearing these few words, Kang Fu was very moved. Right now, the servant who has been deified by the villagers is so easy-going and humble.After drinking a few sips of tea, Zeng Guofan said: "I usually like to play Go, and I am ashamed to see how good I am at chess today." "Sir, don't mention this matter soon." Kang Fu showed a shameful expression, "The villain has been helpless these days, so he set up a stall on the street to perform art, which is really an insult to chess skills, and also an insult to the Kang family." "You can't say that. This is setting up an arena to meet chess players all over the world. How can you say 'disgraceful'." Ever since he saw Kang Fu's chess and martial arts skills, Zeng Guofan also expressed his dissatisfaction with Kang Fu's setting up a stall. Changed view.Kang Fu smiled wryly and said, "Weiqi was made by Emperor Yao himself. The original purpose of making the game was to cultivate the temperament of the prince Danzhu, so that he could go on the right path, so that he could go on the right path. Therefore, there is a saying in the history books that "Yao made go, Danzhu Shanyi's words. For thousands of years, Go has played the functions of improving intelligence, nourishing nature, and entertaining in order to cultivate the elegant, clean and leisure temperament of our descendants of Yan and Huang. A gentleman who transcends the vulgar, has seen go and money mixed together." After hearing Kang Fu's remarks, Zeng Guofan nodded frequently in agreement.Kang Fu continued: "But Kang Fu is unfortunate, poor and hard-pressed, forced to have nowhere to go, so he has to make a living by selling the mess. It's really shameful to say it." "What's the difficulty with your step, can you tell me a little about it." Zeng Guofan felt that there seemed to be something unspeakable in Kang Fu's chest. "As long as the uncle wants to hear, Kang Fu is willing to confide in the uncle." The fear of the first meeting has disappeared, and it is a great fortune to be able to sit in the same boat with Mr. Zeng, and the red-hot big man in front of him is so peaceful, Kang Fu wished he could confide in him all the things in his heart, "Little life is hard. My father died when I was fifteen, and my mother took us two brothers to guard the few acres of Susukida left by my father. When I was seriously ill, I discussed with my younger brother that even if we sold the fields and houses, we also had to treat my mother. Behind my mother’s back, we sold all the land left by our ancestors. When the money ran out, my mother also closed her eyes. My mother had a funeral. In order to pay off the debt, I left my younger brother at home and went out to do business alone. I managed to earn fifty taels of silver, but they were all stolen by thieves in Yuezhou. No money, no travel expenses home, not even money for meals. I have nothing on me, the only thing I have is a box of Go." With that said, Kang Fu took out the Go game from the bag and handed it to Zeng Guofan with both hands.Zeng Guofan likes to play Go, and is also very interested in chess pieces. There are more than ten sets of valuable chess pieces in his family collection.He opened the wrapping cloth, revealing a purple sandalwood wooden box, a faint fragrance came out from the wooden box.White clouds drifting in the wind are nailed on the surface of the box with silver nails, and in the clouds is a golden Jiaolong galloping with fangs and claws.Zeng Guofan was slightly startled, and thought to himself: This is not quite like a folk thing.He carefully opened the lid of the box, and the inside was divided into two compartments, with black pieces on one side and white pieces on the other.The sunspots are black and shiny, like the eyes of a baby; the white ones are white and crystal clear, like stars in the night sky.Zeng Guofan was surprised again.Thinking about it, I have seen more than a thousand sets of Go pieces, and I have seen many imperial chess pieces in the palace, but I have never seen such exquisite and pure chess pieces.He took out a sunspot casually, and felt that it was more overwhelming than ordinary chess pieces.It was early autumn and the weather was still hot, but the chess piece was chilly and comfortable to hold in the hand.He tapped the chess piece lightly on the table, and immediately there was a clanging sound, which was very pleasant to the ear.Zeng Guofan took out another white stone, feeling the same, and took out more than ten pieces in a row, each one like this, he was very surprised, and praised repeatedly: "Good boy! Good boy!" He looked up at Kang Fu and said : "I just talked about Kang's family tradition. Could it be that this chess was passed down by the ancestors?" "Exactly." Kang Fu looked at the chess pieces and said, "This set of chess pieces was handed down by our ancestors, and it is the eighth generation in the hands of our brothers. It is precisely because it was passed down by our ancestors that Kang Fu today Fight those rascals." Zeng Guofan nodded and said, "I think those people said that it is false that you have occupied his territory, and it is true that you are using this chess piece to blackmail you." "Master is right." Kang Fu casually took out a black stone and rubbed it in his hand, "What they want is my chess piece. Two days ago, the guy who was the leader played two games with me at Qiaotou. At that time, I I can see that the man has two greedy eyes. He knows the goods, knows that this chess piece is extraordinary, and if he can't get it seriously, he gathers people to grab it. It's not my boasting, I just let him get some points, really want to play, Those people are not my opponents." Kang Fu said flatly and slowly, without any surprise. Based on Zeng Guofan's many years of experience, he knew that the young man in front of him was not only not a boastful person, but perhaps there were more impressive secrets that he did not reveal.He asked Kang Fu to put away the chess pieces and said sincerely: "Although I have been an official in the imperial court for more than ten years and love to play Go all my life, I have never seen this kind of chess piece. I think it must be of extraordinary origin. I think it's presumptuous of me, there are no outsiders on this boat, and the boat has already slept peacefully, can you tell me about the origin of this pair of chess pieces?" "Of course." Kang Fu nodded without hesitation. So, on the surface of the Dongting Lake where the fishing lights were lit and the sky was full of stars and moons, in the quiet, narrow and slightly shaking cabin, Kang Fu told Zeng Guofan the origin of the ancestral treasure that had never been revealed to outsiders.