Luoyang Spring

"Report—" A soldier rushed over and reported out of breath, "General, it's the fire from Shouyang Mountain!"

"Are you sure?" Sima Zhao asked.

"Someone outside the city saw it with their own eyes, so there is no mistake!"

"Okay, quickly send people out of the city to rescue the disaster." He ordered decisively, "Move half of the troops to send His Majesty back to the palace, and the other half will follow me to Shouyang Mountain—"

"The general doesn't need to come in person," Jia Chong said before he finished speaking, "It's just a fire in the mountains, and the palace has enough people."

Sima Zhao glanced sideways at the other party, and saw that his expression was serious and sincere.

He thought for a while, "The fire in the mountains is of great importance. At the least, it will burn down forests and fields, and at worst, it will affect the surrounding people. I'm already out, so let's go there myself."

Jia Chong's face darkened, and he lowered his voice, "Did Ming Gong forget about Cao Shuang back then?"

Sima Zhao actually knew Jia Chong's worries.Firstly, the general and the prime minister had many chances, so it was not appropriate to leave the city in person; secondly, he left the city in a hurry and did not have time to inform his cronies to set up defenses, but Cao Huan got the news first; Rebels take risks.Once a mutiny occurs, it will be Gaoping Mausoleum back then, and the consequences will be disastrous.

He glanced at Cao Huan, then smiled calmly, and lowered his voice, "Don't worry. You stay in the city, add troops to guard the pontoon bridge and the arsenal at the city gate, and keep an eye on the emperor's actions. I'll be back in half a day."

Jia Chong was about to remonstrate again, but saw the other party interrupt him with gestures: "There is a gentleman who will take care of you, so I don't have to worry about my own worries on this trip alone."

He couldn't help raising his eyebrows—this scene seemed familiar.

In Shouchun City, Sima Shi suffered from severe illness and ordered him to take over the military power.He silently took over the talisman and organized the three armies in an orderly manner.

In the general's mansion, Sima Zhao was restless and ordered him to intercept Cao Mao.He nodded silently, and killed the emperor without changing his face.

Jia Chong has been entrusted by the Sima family countless times in his life, and each time he completes the task neatly, never disappointing.

This time, there is no exception.

The general's eyes were full of undeniable determination - Jia Chong saw it in his heart, stopped persuading him, and immediately set off to dispatch the entourage, without any extra emotion on his face.

It didn't take long for everything to be arranged.Sima Zhao and half of his entourage boarded the car and exchanged glances with Jia Chong.Jia Chong understood and led the emperor back to the palace.

Sima Zhao's car left the city gate and drove northward in a smooth way.Although he could feel the car body speeding, he was still a little impatient.

He lifted the veil of the car to urge a few words, and couldn't help but glanced at the scene outside.

The yellow sand is long and the population is sparse.The car was already far away from the urban area, and the mountain scenery became clearer, but it was shrouded in black haze.

The Shouyang in spring should be green, pink and white flowers, translucent water - Sima Zhao can only vaguely remember what it looked like here, it has been too long since the last time he came here, it seems to be the time when his father Sima Yi was buried... Actually He couldn't remember either.

"General, be careful, drive fast!"

There was an exclamation from beside him.Sima Zhao was taken aback for a moment, only to realize that half of his body was about to lean out.He lowered the veil, but the shadow of the memory could not be erased from his mind for a long time...

That day, Sima Zhao and Ruan Ji went along the road to find Caiwei Temple after leaving Sima Shi and other hunting party.

Spring is waning, and the mountain road is already winding and hard to distinguish, and it is covered with green new grass, as if it looks ordinary.Walking to a wooded place, it was inconvenient for the two of them to ride a horse, so they chose a place where no one was around, tied up the horse, raised their self-defense bows and arrows, and walked deep into the woods.

"I've known you since childhood?" Ruan Ji asked.

"Yeah, my father has a close relationship with them. My elder brother had a matchmaking appointment with Xiahou's family when he was young." Sima Zhao walked in front, and while speaking, he pushed aside the tree branches blocking the way for the other party.

"No wonder the personal relationship is so good."

"Actually, we've become estranged a lot in recent years." Sima Zhao shook his head. "When I was young, I only knew how to play and have fun. When I grow up, I'm busy with myself. I don't talk about it in public, but I compete with each other in private. This way, it's a good idea."

Ruan Ji smiled, "It turns out that he is also a victorious person, but Ji didn't realize it."

"I don't care, but after all, brother has a big heart, and he doesn't want to be subordinated to others." Sima Zhao sighed.

Xia Houxuan has an extraordinary demeanor and quick wit. After two years as a Sanqi, he won the hearts of the people, and he is even the mainstay leader in the academy. "Brother and Taichu are harmonious on the surface, but there is still a grudge in my heart..."

"Is it because of the praise of the name, the haggard makes the heart sad?" After listening to Ruan Ji, he leisurely recited a poem, "I would rather fly with the sparrow than fly with the yellow swan..."

Sima Zhao knew that Sizong had entered a state of narcissism.He shrugged and continued to move forward, suddenly his eyes lit up, "Poet Ruan, there is a family in front, let's inquire about the location of the temple."

Ruan Ji stopped reciting poems, leaned over his body and looked forward, and sure enough, he saw a simple thatched hut not far away.He hummed, and walked forward following the steps on his head.

There were cobwebs stuck to the door made of bamboo thorns, Sima Zhao frowned when he saw it, raised his sleeves and slapped the door a few times, but there was no sound, only the door swayed.He was about to continue, but Ruan Ji quickly stopped him and shouted loudly, "Is anyone there?"

After waiting for a while, Jingmen slowly opened, only to see an old woman with gray hair appearing at the door, hunched over, narrowing her eyes, leaning closer to the two of them for a careful look.

Sima Zhao hastily saluted and explained to the old woman his intention.The old woman's eyesight and hearing were obviously not good, so Sima Zhao had to repeat for a long time before he realized that the two were looking for the temple.Fortunately, she was familiar with this area, and she described the location of the temple while gesturing with her hands.Sima Zhao nodded frequently, quickly memorizing the route in his mind.Ruan Ji looked at the humble living room inside the door, as if their conversation had nothing to do with him.

After asking about the route, Sima Zhao thanked him and prepared to leave.Ruan Ji, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said, "Grandma, do you live here alone?"

Sima Zhao was stunned for a moment, only to hear the old woman sigh and begin to tell about her family.It turned out that her family originally had a husband and two sons, and her husband died young. One of the two sons died while being conscripted to fight, and the other was still fighting with the army in the southwestern border.The old man's legs and feet are inconvenient, and it is difficult to cultivate. He can only make a living by weaving some straw mats.

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.Ruan Ji felt pity in his heart, but it felt like a lump in his throat, and he couldn't say a word.After Sima Zhao became a great general, he couldn't help feeling a little ashamed when he thought that the old woman's son might be under the rule of his father Sima Yi.

He took out a bag of five baht money that he carried with him and handed it to the old woman, saying some small money to express his gratitude.Seeing the old woman waved her hands again and again, Sima Zhao insisted again and again, and the two were at a stalemate for a moment.

"Grandma, take it, his family is rich."

Ruan Ji spoke abruptly, and Sima Zhao couldn't help turning his head, seeing that the other party looked at him for granted, then quickly looked away and smiled at the old woman.

The old woman looked at Ruan Ji with a hesitant expression.Sima Zhao took the opportunity to put the purse into her arms, quickly stepped back a few steps, bowed and said his words, tugging at Ruan Ji's sleeves and set off on the road.

The two ran a certain distance, Ruan Ji was pulled uncomfortably, and threw away the other's arm.Sima Zhao showed no disobedience, he just helped the quiver beside him.

"The people's livelihood is so difficult." Ruan Ji sighed softly, and began to tease the other party again, "Mr. Sima is generous to the orphans and widows, and he really has a kind heart."

"Don't praise me, I'm not as good as you." Sima Zhao felt uncomfortable after hearing this, "Actually, this time my father wanted to let my brother join the army with me when he conquered Shu, but my mother insisted that we wait."

"You don't have to feel guilty." Ruan Ji said lightly, "War is inevitable. The Shu general invaded our border, and the general is defending his home and country when he is fighting outside."

"How could I feel guilty?" Sima Zhao pretended to laugh lightly, "It's the heir - the war is ruthless, but he still wants to be a general?"

"Stop war with war, even if you fight."

Sima Zhao turned his face to look at him, and couldn't help praising: "Well said. Fighting is out of righteousness, killing people is safe, killing people is okay. I know you don't like killing, and now it seems that it is not a woman's benevolence."

Ruan Ji didn't care about his compliments, so he rolled his eyes at him. "I hate killing. The use of soldiers in the country is a bad thing after all. I have a saying - victory is a funeral."

"Okay, okay!" Sima Zhao quickly responded, "You need to be cautious in employing troops. When you become a general in the future, let's persuade the emperor—to grow more fields and fight less."

"It couldn't be better." Ruan Ji smiled, "It's a pity... I don't know when the world will be unified."

Sima Zhao comforted: "Now that the Wei family is prosperous, maybe it's in your hands."

Ruan Ji didn't answer his words, but glanced forward, "How do we go now? Ji didn't hear clearly when Grandma gave the directions."

"Turn right in the fork ahead, and you can see it after walking a hundred or ten steps." Sima Zhao said and complained, "It's a good thing I didn't ask you to come by yourself, or you would get lost."

"If a person comes, Ji will definitely know the way."

What he said was the truth.If he was walking alone, he would always be vigilant and keep everything he did in his head; but since he was in charge, he would leave his worries to the other party with peace of mind, and only think about and enjoy the scenery by himself.

Sima Zhao just thought he was messing around, so he simply turned his head away.

Ruan Ji ignored his movements, and suddenly heard a series of clear water flowing, which seemed to be coming from the front.

"Son, do you hear the sound of water?"

Sima Zhao tied his feet and listened carefully.

"The mother-in-law also said that there is a stream nearby." Sima Zhao said, "The stream can be found behind the temple. Let's go to the temple first."

The two turned a corner and walked for a while, and they saw a temple.Sima Zhao stepped forward and was about to knock on the door, but he didn't expect it to open with a light push.

It was a forgotten temple--dried and sun-dried, the gates cracked and old burgundy.Mottled straw and rubble were piled up on the ground as soon as you entered the door. There was no guard in the temple, and there were crumbs of dead leaves and plant roots everywhere. The incense had been cold for an unknown period of time.

"It's such a dilapidated temple..." Ruan Ji looked around and couldn't help sighing.

"After all, it is maintained by the people here. You can see that they have problems eating, so they don't have the energy to spend on building temples."

Ruan Ji remained silent, and walked towards the somewhat gloomy main hall.Kneeling on the high couch in the middle of the hall, there are two statues, slightly larger than real people, who are Boyi and Shuqi, gentlemen of Lone Bamboo.Their bodies and faces were a little faded, although they couldn't see their expressions, they looked extraordinarily chaste and indifferent.

This is the high-spirited weed picker, the virtuous gentleman praised by the sages.

Ruan Ji looked up at them, and suddenly remembered the poem he had just read——

Su Shi is independent, horizontal but not flowing.

Keep your heart and be cautious, and don't make mistakes in the end.

If you resign from the throne, favor and wealth cannot move your heart; if you refuse to eat Zhou millet, hunger and embarrassment cannot move your ambition.No wonder the saints of all ages are full of praise for the two.

He sincerely paid respect to the two gentlemen, regardless of the dust and gravel, and bowed down with his knees touching the ground.

Sima Zhao didn't enter the main hall, but took a rough look around the side rooms, but found nothing that attracted him.Compared with the ancestral temple to worship, there are no luxurious ritual vessels here, and it is dilapidated, with old dust everywhere.

The only special thing is that it is deep and quiet here, without the noise of bells and drums, and the sound of gurgling streams can be heard.

He glanced at Ruan Ji, saw that the man looked pious, shook his head helplessly, and went around the backyard alone to find the source of the sound of water.

"Sizong, there is a mountain stream here!"

He excitedly called out to his friends who came with him, and Ruan Ji followed after a while—the charm of the mountain stream is much greater than that of the two statues.

Ruan Ji knelt down, scooped up a handful of clear water, brought it to his lips, and took a sip.

"How is it?" Sima Zhao asked.

"It's so cold! It's probably washed down by melting snow from the top of the mountain."

Sima Zhao had never had the experience of directly fetching water from a mountain stream. The water he usually used was collected by his servants in the canal outside the city and packed in clean wooden barrels.Following Ruan Ji's example, he held a handful of the mountain stream and brought it to his lips, feeling that it was the sweetest and clearest water he had ever tasted in his life.

Ruan Ji observed the other party's strange expression changes, and couldn't help joking: "I have wronged Mr. Sima, and I personally came to find water in the deep mountains and old forests."

Sima Zhao shrugged, "What a grievance, how interesting."

Living in a comfortable place all year round, it is indeed rare for Sima Zhao to go up the mountain to find temples.Along the way, the mountain breeze cleansed the turbidity in the chest, and the spring breeze soothed the complicated thoughts.The water in the stream is clearer and sweeter than the rich wine in feasts of wealthy families... But not everything is beautiful—there is still barren land and poor people here.

Seeing Ruan Ji washing the dirt off his hands in the water, he also stepped forward to wash his hands.Just now the back of the hand was scratched by a branch, but luckily most of them were scratches, only a little blood oozing out.

"injured?"

"It's just being scratched." He didn't care, flicked the water droplets, and wiped his hand on the hem of his clothes.

Ruan Ji smiled, and sat down casually cross-legged: "Don't you often come to the mountains?"

"Rarely. Occasionally everyone is hunting in spring, and they are just riding on horseback." He propped his hands behind his back, leaned his head and body back, so that his face was bathed in sunlight, "Where is the heir?"

"In the past, my brother and family were responsible for farming. Plowing the land, planting seeds, diverting water, and harvesting in season... We often went to the mountains. Sometimes the brothers and elders of the same clan were richer, and they would organize hunting in the mountains, but I don't like to go."

"why?"

Ruan Ji didn't answer, but just looked at the stream thoughtfully.

Sima Zhao stretched out his hands and sat up straight, "So, you farmed the land yourself when you were young."

"You think that everyone is like the son of the Sima family, who was born to help grow food—" Ruan Ji was half joking and half serious, "Farming is hard work, and the most fearful thing is that the seasons are not harmonious and the war is famine. Fortunately, we are often helped by wealthy people in the clan. .Those poor peasants, I don’t know how much harder it is than us...Son, you really helped that grandma a lot today.”

After hearing this, Sima Zhao became depressed, lowered his head and repeatedly rubbed the wound on the back of his hand.Seeing that no one spoke, Ruan Ji smiled relievedly: "What are you thinking?"

"I was thinking, why is Luoyang city so prosperous, but here is so depressed."

"There is a trend of luxury in the court, and when other countries invade..." Ruan Ji thought for a while, "The males were conscripted, and they were involved in construction work, and they met bandits outside. There are still people left to do farming."

Sima Zhao nodded, calmed down rarely, thoughtfully.

"No one mentions it, just those around us—" Ruan Ji suddenly couldn't help but criticize, but stopped short of the words.

"What's wrong?" Sima Zhao couldn't help asking when he saw the person hesitated to speak.

Ruan Ji paused, then suddenly changed the subject, "According to Zishang's opinion, how can people's livelihood be alleviated right now?"

Sima Zhao was silent for a while, "The top priority is to advocate frugality and reduce corvee—especially when the country is at war, labor and expenses should be allocated reasonably. After the war is over, try our best to resume production, abandon the harsh and fragmented government, and appoint talented people. .As for students like me, we should be pragmatic and diligent in our studies.”

After hearing this, Ruan Ji couldn't help showing admiring eyes.He often made jokes about his status as the son of the family, but he felt that his personality was different.The family style is clean, approachable, not in vain, but also has a warm heart and the ambition to govern the world-although he is occasionally glib-maybe this is the reason why I am friendly with him.

"What a good Sima Zi, I didn't misread the wrong person."

"Ah?" Sima Zhao was a little embarrassed, and began to pretend to be simple and honest.

"Most of us in this group are too impetuous... We talk a lot about flashy things, but we don't put forward real opinions. Some people are keen to form cliques and show off their style; some people are sensible, but they are wholeheartedly attached to it." Ruan Ji sighed, "Say what's in your heart If you say it, you can still see it clearly."

"how about you?"

"...Me?" Ruan Ji obviously didn't expect him to ask back, but saw the other party looking at him with a half-smile.

"Recently, when you read Laozhuang, there is a saying in it? Be with the light." Sima Zhao said seriously, "Sizong, you need to make more friends."

Ruan Ji was slightly taken aback.After a while, the two laughed at the same time.

"My son taught me a lesson." Ruan Ji agreed with a smile.

Friends... are indeed desirable.Ruan Ji looked at the woods on the other side of the stream, feeling yearning and bitter.

There is a saying that spring is sleepy and autumn is tired, and the warm sunshine warms people's tiredness.Sima Zhao stretched his arms, the faint smell of pollen tickled his nose.Without the supervision of his father, brother and senior teacher, he raised his head and poured on the soft new grass without any scruples. The comfort made him breathe a sigh of relief—he was almost intoxicated in spring.

Ruan Ji at the side was very energetic, watching the birds in Xiangji with his clear eyes, and suddenly let out a long howl happily.

The birds on the branches and in the sky fluttered their wings, circled and landed here.Sima Zhao suddenly opened his eyes, only to see the people around him screaming and raising their arms, as if they were inviting the sky.The chirping birds in the sky seemed to have received an order, and it didn't take long for him to fall all over the ground.

Sima Zhao had never seen such a scene before. Ji Ling straightened up and scared away a little sparrow next to him.

He moved to Ruan Ji's side, trying to catch the little furry guy on his sleeve, but Ruan Ji slapped his hand off.

"Tsk." Sima Zhao complained dissatisfied.

"I'm sorry! What's the point of catching people?"

"Take it home and raise it," Sima Zhao muttered, "I don't treat him badly."

"Didn't you hear that orchids grow in the valleys, and they are fragrant when they are in the courtyard?" Ruan Ji taught solemnly, "The bird is a guest in the forest, but it wants to deprive him of freedom and set up a cage to bind its wings. Going against the road, how can it be can last long."

"Okay, okay——" Sima Zhao quickly conceded defeat, if he didn't stop, he would definitely have to follow a series of reasons later.

Ruan Ji was helpless, he knew that Sima Zhao didn't listen to what he said, so he simply changed the subject: "If you are sleepy, rest, I am here when the wild beasts attack."

"You?" Sima Zhao looked at the other party in disbelief, "Can you draw a bow?"

"Ruan Sizong is someone who wants to be a general." Ruan Ji said flatly, his face was full of words that he would not argue with fools.

Sima Zhao still didn't believe it, but he couldn't care less.He squinted his eyes in a half-dream and half-awake state, and saw that the other party had fished out a handful of millet out of nowhere, and was feeding the sparrow with great interest.He wanted to ask a question, but the lazy wind dragged his consciousness into a dream...