NOVPUBThe performance had ended, but Lu Xun was still eagerly waiting for the next one, and so were the people of Linzi, but after a long while, no one came back on stage, and the audience realized that the show was over.
"It’s over just like that? I wanted to see Xu Hanwen successfully cultivate his powers and kill the White Snake too," Lu Xun said discontentedly to Fa Zheng, "Ending it this way is too abrupt."
"Smack!" Lu Xun received two slaps; Chen Xi was discontent with Lu Xun’s complete lack of sympathy in wanting to kill the White Snake, and Fa Zheng was annoyed because The Legend of the White Snake was already one of the longer performances, and yet Lu Xun still thought it was too short.
"Is there any more?" Fa Yan, who had been sitting for a while and didn’t bother to get up, simply stretched out his cane to tap on the ground near Fa Zheng’s foot and asked.
"This performance has ended. I only invited them for one show. It’s one of the rare long dramas. Look at the sky," Fa Zheng pointed to the moon that had nearly reached its zenith, indicating it was already the Hai hour.
"Ah, the piece was not bad but since it’s finished, let’s slowly disperse the crowd to avoid any accidents," Fa Yan leveraged his cane to stand up, then smiled and gestured to Lu Kang to proceed with the request.
Fa Zheng tugged at the corner of his mouth; the Tuntian Soldiers who had inserted themselves amongst the crowd began to orderly guide the people away, and in not too much time, the once dense crowd had significantly dwindled.
"This Prime Minister of Qi State, Fa Xiaozhi, is truly remarkable," a small old man, looking over fifty with a weather-beaten face, said while looking in Fa Zheng’s direction, "Not yet twenty, governed Qi State for merely a year, and it can be said to be living in peace. I wonder how amazing that so-called prodigy, Chen Zichuan, will be."
"They’re all quite impressive, much stronger than we were at their age," a man in a blue robe laughed and said, "What Kong Wenju said is indeed true. It remains to be seen how Liu Xuande is doing, though."
"Hmph, are you still aspiring for an official position?" another small old man with graying hair said, "Are wealth and official positions more important than providing a peaceful life for the people? Are you seeking to be intoxicated with luxury?"
"Without holding a high position, how can one show one’s talent and save more people? Virtue can influence, but I believe more in the government establishing trust, and the people rallying behind it. Besides, how long can the virtue and trust of one person last?" the man in the blue robe retorted irritably after glancing at the old man with graying hair.
"To act virtuously for one day is better than pursuing an official position and achieving nothing," the old man with graying hair calmly replied, "Besides, even if the common people are ignorant, as long as they are taught to be virtuous, this world can be governed for a long time."
"Hmph, just because I have achieved nothing so far doesn’t mean I will achieve nothing in the future. As for education, I believe more in the law. A combination of morality and law is the foundation for long-term governance. Moreover, if there is yin, there must be yang; whether one is virtuous or not, everyone is ordinary. How many can you actually enlighten?" The man in the blue robe scoffed.
"Learning is endless, so shall we stop learning? If we can’t influence the whole world, should we stop trying to influence at all?" The old man with graying hair spoke with an indifferent expression, as if nothing really mattered.
The little old man standing between the two just watched with a calm demeanor as these two men, both in their forties, debated. To him, years of life had accustomed him to these two quarrelling every time they met.
"Enough, take a break," the little old man in the middle said, digging at his ear as if the length of today’s dispute had been a bit too much. What was going on?
"Hmph, I won’t argue with you anymore. We are equals in learning, and our determination is firm. To prove who is right or wrong, we must rely on facts. The three of us came from Liaodong not just because of Kong Wenju’s request but probably also with the intention of meeting Liu Xuande. Since that’s the case, let’s not argue anymore. We’ll let Liu Xuande decide," the man in the blue robe snorted coldly, knowing full well that neither he nor his opponent were easily persuaded.
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"Wait and see, just as I said before, I’ll be my schoolmaster, and you be your petty official. Let posterity judge what’s right and wrong." The old man with graying hair said calmly and made his way to the inn in the town.
The man in green shook his head, not picking up the conversation and simply followed. He was pondering when and how to make contact with Fa Zheng. He didn’t want to reach out to Liu Bei too early. He hoped to catch Liu Bei’s discerning eye with his own abilities, not through some so-called exceptional promotion because of his fame.
The next morning, Chen Xi casually cleaned up and went to find Fa Zheng. "Clang clang clang!" Chen Xi knocked on the door impatiently. He remembered very clearly that Fa Zheng was not resting alone. Back then, he had been frequently harassed by Fa Zheng in this way, and now, at last, he had his chance to return the favor.
"Who is it? Disturbing people’s dreams so early in the morning!" Fa Zheng, with the warmth of a soft jade in his arms and about to savor a fragrant kiss, heard the frantic knocking and felt extremely frustrated, so he yelled toward the door.
"Don’t bother with him, young master." The concubine in Fa Zheng’s arms said somewhat glumly.
"It could only be Chen Zichuan, that guy..." Fa Zheng said with a wry smile. "You continue to rest. I’ll go out and talk to him. This guy really holds a grudge."
"I will help you dress and groom." Saying this, the concubine also got up and signaled to two maids nearby with a glance, motioning them to bring over the clothes.
Soon, Fa Zheng came out in his changed clothes, his eyes still a bit swollen and yawning, waved at Chen Xi standing outside the door, "You really hold a grudge, huh? If I had known, I would’ve arranged for a maid for you yesterday too."
Normally, for such an overnight stay, Fa Zheng would have arranged for a maid to attend to Chen Xi, but considering Chen Xi’s style, he had dropped the idea. However, seeing the situation that morning, Fa Zheng felt somewhat regretful.
"Tsk tsk tsk." Chen Xi looked at Fa Zheng with interest, looking him over from left to right, "I didn’t see that coming."
"All right, all right, you have to leave this afternoon, so let’s drop this boring charade," Fa Zheng said unmoved, his skin now thickened against such tactics by Chen Xi, completely undisturbed.
"You are something," Chen Xi raised an eyebrow, "Really, instead of learning the good from Fengxiao, you’ve picked up his scraps!"
"The scraps are just treasures placed in the wrong place, those are your words," Fa Zheng said nonchalantly. He had now developed an air of nonchalance, reminiscent of Guo Jia’s demeanor, as if going to a brothel was his given right, and no one could stop him.
Chen Xi shook his head, finding himself somewhat at a loss with Fa Zheng. Indeed, people just woken from morning slumber were often dull-minded and thick-skinned, able to ignore many things.
When Chen Xi and Fa Zheng stepped out of the Moon Gate, Zhuge Liang, who had been reading under a nearby stone platform, also closed his book and followed them. Unlike Chen Xi and Fa Zheng, who could sleep lazily until the Si Hour, Zhuge Liang got up at the crack of dawn every day to read. Even though he had read those books before, he firmly believed in the saying—reviewing the old to understand the new.
After walking a block and turning down an alley, Chen Xi curiously listened to the sounds of reading nearby and turned his head to look at Fa Zheng. The educational outreach plan hadn’t reached Linzi yet, right? The second phase hadn’t started yet, had it? (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)
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