NOVPUB...
Guo Jia was the most formidable strategist Mount Tai had recruited in such a long time, so when Chen Xi summoned Liu Bei, he explicitly told Liu Bei to make as grand a display as possible, and he even specifically hinted that the young Fa Zheng was also very important, advising him to win over the boy’s favor.
Liu Bei fully grasped Chen Xi’s intention, and directly led all the remaining civil officials and military generals to welcome Guo Jia. To Chen Xi’s astonishment, Liu Bei even brought out a carriage, an open-top carriage with tassels and ornaments decorating the cover, truly the highest standard.
Liu Bei personally helped Guo Jia onto the carriage, then climbed up himself and pulled Chen Xi up as well, leaving Fa Zheng alone, his face filled with envy as he watched the two sitting in the carriage, before Liu Bei extended his hand to him once more.
"Xiaozhi, come up as well. Though you are young, you are by no means weaker than your peers. Today I take you into the city; remember this moment, and do not be the subject of ridicule among your peers in the future," Liu Bei said, smiling as he reached out to an envious Fa Zheng.
Fa Zheng was stunned to find there was a place for him too. Since entering Mount Tai, he could feel the capability of Chen Zichuan, and the wisdom of Guo Fengxiao was enough to command his awe. With both of them riding into the city in a carriage, Fa Zheng thought that even if he felt overwhelming envy, there was nothing he could say.
Seeing the encouraging look on Liu Bei’s face, the foolishly outstretched hand, Fa Zheng let Liu Bei pull him up as well.
Sitting in the carriage, Fa Zheng swore that Liu Bei would be the leader he’d wait a lifetime for. Sitting in this carriage might not be suitable for him now, but he believed he would soon prove himself worthy of the honor Liu Bei had bestowed upon him today!
[I, Fa Xiaozhi, will not be weaker than anyone.] Fa Zheng made a silent vow, then glared at Guo Jia with fiery eyes, [The first one I must defeat is this guy. Only by surpassing him can I wholeheartedly enjoy such treatment!]
Guo Jia glanced at the firmly determined Fa Zheng and in that moment of eye contact, he knew the boy was already on fire and probably aiming to take him down, a testament to his youthful ignorance.
Seeing the look in Fa Zheng’s eyes reminded Guo Jia of the guy who had thoroughly thrashed him, the one who had reportedly run off to Cao Cao’s side. Unintentionally, Guo Jia felt a fire rising within him; he too desired to thrash his opponent, who had once bullied him terribly.
[Stay calm, stay calm. Why does my blood boil each time I think of that guy…] Guo Jia started to recall his own miserable past and then turned his head, his eyes alight with a fierce glint, ready to continue thrashing Fa Zheng!
After bathing and changing clothes, dressed in a moon-white Confucian robe made of Shu Brocade, a golden crown upon his head, a jade pendant around his neck, and carrying the sandalwood folding fan prepared by Chen Xi, Guo Jia perfectly embodied the elegance of a noble young master, a stark contrast to his previous drunkard’s appearance, exuding an arrogance that left the maids who had dressed him slightly blushing.
Guided by the servants in his new attire, Guo Jia arrived outside the main hall, only to be met with Fa Zheng, who was clad in a pure white brocade robe, his spirit undeniably virile. Reflecting on the previous beggar’s rags, one couldn’t deny the truth in the saying ’Clothes make the man’.
As they entered the main hall, Liu Bei and everyone else had already taken their seats according to rank, with a bronze cauldron for cooking fat lamb in the center of the hall.
Chen Xi had nothing more to say about this; he had perfected the dish’s flavor after much refinement, but it was still cooked in a bronze cauldron. Chen Xi had advised Liu Bei several times to avoid using the bronze cauldron for cooking, but whenever a wise scholar visited, Liu Bei would bring out the cauldron to boil lamb.
Eating too much copper appeared to cause strange diseases, and as Chen Xi ate the lamb, his mind wandered to oddities, completely unlike Fa Zheng’s tearful gratitude and Guo Jia’s smacking lips. It seemed that in this era, cooking meat in a bronze cauldron for guests was considered an elegant and grand way to entertain.
After finishing the plainly boiled lamb seasoned with only salt, Liu Bei took Guo Jia and Fa Zheng to see their accommodations, clearly intending to stun both Guo Jia and Fa Zheng.
"Zichuan, where is our Lord taking us?" Guo Jia asked softly, following behind Liu Bei, with Chen Zichuan beside him.
"Didn’t you say you envied King Zhao’s jade wine passing tray? We don’t have one, so we prepared something else," Chen Zichuan replied with a smile, while Fa Zheng was all ears, eavesdropping on the conversation.
"The bell chimes and cauldron boils are already enough; indulging any further might be excessive," Guo Jia joked, "But if it’s a banquet, I wouldn’t mind at all."
Fa Zheng licked his lips. Such noble treatment was not something he could enjoy at home. The wine and meat were one thing, but this kind of distinguished treatment struck a chord in Fa Zheng’s young heart, prompting the thought, ’If a great man cannot feast from five cauldrons in life, he should aspire to be cooked in them in death!’
Feudal Lord Kings dine differently from others, and once seated in the position of one of the Three Dukes, he too could indulge in such extravagance. Fa Zheng felt that this was the direction he should be working towards, thinking that being a Great Confucian Scholar was nothing in comparison!
Liu Bei and Chen Zichuan were unaware of the profound impact that this meal had on Fa Zheng. He had only heard of such things in books and was unimpressed until he saw it firsthand. Now, having seen it, Fa Zheng believed this was the ultimate aspiration in life. What were Great Confucian Scholars and Noted Scholars compared to this? Feasting on the essences of the clouds and dew couldn’t compare to this. Cooking lamb in a bronze cauldron had to be tastier than cooking it in a clay pot.
Years later, after Fa Zheng finally became a Marquis and earned the privilege to cook lamb in a bronze cauldron at home, he melted down a bunch of ’five zhu’ coins to make a bronze tripod. He cooked lamb in it, tasted a piece, and found it was just as unpalatable as before. Apparently, the deliciousness of Liu Bei’s mutton was not due to the bronze cauldron...
Guo Jia and Chen Zichuan didn’t notice Fa Zheng’s aspiration to cook lamb in a bronze cauldron at home, and even if they had, they wouldn’t have cared to comment. After all, it was considered quite posh; you’d have to at least be a Marquis to do that. Many people never achieve ennoblement in their lifetimes, like Li Guang, the first-generation Flying General. As for the second-generation Flying General, Lyu Bu, he was poised to become Lord Wen soon.
After passing through several moon gates, Guo Jia could feel the security getting tighter until they finally stopped outside a loft. It was there that Liu Bei finally halted.
"Zichuan, open the door so that Fengxiao and Xiaozhi can go in and choose," Liu Bei turned around and solemnly said. Liu Bei had a key too, but hey, if you’re playing the good cop, you can’t be seen carrying the keys, right?
"This..." Chen Zichuan hesitated, glancing at Fa Zheng before turning back to Liu Bei. Everyone present understood the implication.
"Xiaozhi will surely not disappoint the trust placed in him today," Liu Bei confidently stated after looking at Fa Zheng.
"Alright, if Lord Xuande guarantees it, then let it be so," Chen Zichuan sighed, took out the key, and unlocked the loft door, pushing it open to a whiff of the scent of freshly printed ink.
"There are about ten thousand volumes of the ’Petition’ here, with more to be added over time. The gift for Fengxiao is the privilege to choose one volume from here, and with that volume, he may come and borrow any book he needs at any time," Chen Zichuan said with another sigh, "The same goes for Xiaozhi."
Looking at the rows of books on the shelves, Guo Jia understood that the paper was vastly superior to Marquis Cai paper, and as Chen Zichuan had said earlier, this was indeed the most suitable gift for a Civil Official, far more so than a jade wine passing tray.
Fa Zheng could no longer hear what Chen Zichuan was saying; he was overwhelmed by the sight of the books in the room. The young man had already taken a volume from the shelf, finding the promises of the ’Petition’ to be true.
"With this treasure, how many obstacles to ruling could be smoothed over?" Guo Jia had realized the importance of these items; the uniform writing made him guess the method used, and he surmised that the cost wasn’t too great, yet these were sufficient to clear numerous difficulties. 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝑝𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
