Chapter 883 Soft Power
Li Mu and Amei helped Feng Jishi out of the front yard, and Feng Jishi could stand upright and walk on his own.
Even after taking a long breath, he was still in a mood to curse:
“Zhao Erlang is not a son of a human being!”
Hearing this, Amei just pursed her lips and smiled.
But Li Mu is a daughter of a noble family. She has been able to read and write since she was a child, and her literary quality is not low. At this time, her eyes are shining:
“What A Lang was reading in the hall just now, not to mention Second Uncle Zhao, even my concubine was very excited when she heard it.”
“Really?” Thinking of his performance in the front yard just now, Governor Feng couldn’t help but give him a thumbs up for his acting skills.
The plays in these days only have outlines and no rehearsals. The main thing is to rely on improvisation.
The main reason is that Zhao Erlang was so into the drama that he poured a large bottle of strong liquor for his brother.
Without a wink!
“Don’t you see everyone in the hall? Who is not attracted by Alang’s literary talent?”
Li Mu held Feng Jishi's arm tightly and spoke in a voice so soft that it almost made him cry:
“After Mrs. Zhang listened outside, she almost couldn’t help but rush in. Now she is one step ahead of me and ran to tell the lady!”
Feng Jishi laughed and was very satisfied.
Then he put his arm around a concubine and said with a smile:
“My body smells of alcohol, please help me take a bath.”
In the backyard, Guan Ji and Zhang Xingyi waited for a long time before they heard the voice of a man from the door:
"It's so late, why aren't you sleeping?"
Feng Jishi walked in without tying up his hair and wearing a robe.
Guan Ji had a big belly and was not lying on the couch as usual. She was sitting at the table with Zhang Xingyi, talking and laughing.
Feng Yong came closer and saw papers spread on the desk.
“What are you doing?”
“I am waiting for Feng Junhou, who is ‘born with talents’.”
Guan Ji seemed to be in a very good mood, and she answered the question jokingly.
Feng Yong walked up to him, looked down, and saw that what was written on the paper on the table was exactly what he had been reading in the front yard.
He couldn't help being surprised and looked at Zhang Xingyi:
"How can Si Niang have such thoughts? Can you memorize it after just listening to it once?"
Zhang Xingyi raised his head proudly and glanced at Feng Dachong with disdain.
It was Guan Ji who smiled and explained:
“I knew you were going to read a poem a few days ago, but you didn’t want to tell us in advance. Siniang had someone prepare pen and ink outside, and she wrote it down while you were reading it.”
As she spoke, she looked down at the table again, held the paper in both hands, and praised:
“No wonder Alang didn’t want to say it in advance! In my opinion, only “The Road to Shu is Difficult” and “Sleepwalking Tianmu Yin Liu Farewell” can compare with this kind of fine writing.”
"If I had said it in advance, how could I have surprised everyone in the hall? It's a good sentence to come back after all the money has been spent! Only Ah Lang has the confidence to say this kind of sentence."
Feng Yong saw that there were a lot of papers on the table, all with scrawled and messy charcoal handwriting. It seemed that they were the shorthand written by Zhang Xingyi outside the banquet hall.
It is the paper that Guan Ji holds in her hand. The fonts on it are made of iron and painted with silver hooks, which conveys a sharp yet bold character.
At first glance, you can tell that it is the work of Tiger Girl.
“Good calligraphy!” Governor Feng took the paper from Guan Ji, “The word Xijun echoes this article.”
“When I first heard the poem that Alang was reading in the front yard, my heart was so excited that I couldn’t help but write it down.”
Guan Ji leaned over and chuckled, "After I finished writing, I realized that what I wrote tonight was much better than before!"
"This is probably about recognizing people by their calligraphy." Although Feng Jishi's calligraphy is original, his appreciation level is still high.
He looked at it for a while and then said with satisfaction, "Cao San asked me to write this poem to Cao Zhi in person. It just happened. Mr. Xi saved me a lot of trouble."
These words made Guan Ji smile.
Zhang Xingyi said angrily from the side:
“Brother-in-law, we must speak with conscience! Fortunately, I saw you drunk in the front yard, so I came back quickly and asked my sister to copy this poem again..."
Hmm, are the husband and wife really connected?
Governor Feng coughed, his expression unchanged.
Anyway, being embarrassed in front of your own woman is not considered embarrassing.
It was just Zhang Xiaosi's failure to receive timely feedback from Feng Jishi for her contribution, which made her even more dissatisfied.
So she asked maliciously:
“This poem doesn’t have a title yet, how about you, brother-in-law, write it yourself?”
Feng Jishi sneered: "Don't make trouble, even a man can't write the calligraphy of Xijun. I feel ashamed of myself. How can I add something to the problem?"
The lady was much more considerate and changed the subject and asked:
“Speaking of this, Alang hasn’t said what the name of this article is yet?”
"I will drink wine, Yuefu poems."
“It’s Yuefu poetry again? Alang seems to like writing Yuefu poetry very much?”
Guan Ji took the paper from Feng Yong's hand and wrote the words "will enter the wine" with a pen on it.
“The Yuefu poems are the most widely circulated in the Han Dynasty, aren’t they?” Feng Yong smiled slightly, “Besides, if you don’t write Yuefu poems, how can you listen to Xijun’s singing?”
At that time, General Guan Da sang a song called "The Road to Shu is Difficult", which amazed the Governor Feng.
Guan Ji probably remembered what happened back then, and smiled tenderly, but she couldn't express much in front of Zhang Xingyi.
So he asked another question: "What is the allusion to this five-flowered horse?"
“The horse’s mane is trimmed into petals for decoration. If the mane is divided into three petals, it is called a three-flowered horse; if it is divided into five petals, it is called a five-flowered horse.”
After hearing Feng Yong’s explanation, Guan Ji nodded and didn’t ask any further questions. She just assumed it was the custom:
“So there is still such a saying, but I am ignorant and ignorant.”
But it was in line with her understanding when she first heard about the five-flowered horse.
After all, it can be compared with the Qianjinqiu, so it must be a precious horse.
"It's just a habit among my masters. It's normal that Mr. Xi has never heard of it."
Speaking of this, Feng Yong turned to Zhang Xingyi and said:
“Since the five-flowered horse is mentioned in the poem, tomorrow I will ask someone to pick out a good horse and have its mane trimmed into five-flowered horses.”
“At the same time, let Mu Niang pick out some fine clothes. Oh, and prepare the fine wine as well.”
"When Cao San bids farewell, let him take these things back and say they are my gifts to Cao Zhi."
“Six Niang remembers to do this with her own hands, so as not to make any mistakes.”
Zhang Xingyi nodded in agreement.
“Alang is very fond of Cao Zhi.”
"It's not enough if you don't care. If Cao Cao was excellent in both civil and military affairs back then, then Cao Pi's writing can be considered impressive. By the time Cao Rui arrived, his military strategy was poor and his literary talent was insufficient."
If we change to the original history, Cao Rui can be regarded as a half-generation hero.
Unfortunately, now I have encountered a cheater.
Due to successive years of disastrous external defeats, the prestige established by the victory over Wu in the first year had long been lost.
After so many years on the throne, Cao Rui can't even consolidate his foundation, let alone control the overall situation like in the original history.
This is very fatal for an emperor.
According to reports from spies, Sima Yi, who is now the governor of Guanzhong, has great power.
Can independently appoint middle-level generals of the Guanzhong armies, and even have the power to execute low-level generals.
In addition to farming and a special trading market.
The military power and political power were integrated into one body, and he was able to raise his own money and food, just like a military envoy in the Tang Dynasty.
I just don’t know if Sima Yi has the guts to be An Lushan.
Even regardless of what Sima Yi thinks, it can be seen from this that Cao Rui's control over Wei today is much worse than in the original history.
“Nowadays, there are very few people in Wei who can be praised as Taoists. They are not as good as Sima Yi in terms of military strategy. Maybe Man Chong can be regarded as one?”
"On the other hand, the Han Dynasty is full of military virtues, so what should we fear? In terms of literary talent, Cao Zhi alone in Wei can dominate the world."
When talking about military strategy, it’s not that Feng Yong looked down on other people in Wei, but...
No matter how hard the tortoise shell is, how hard can it be made in Hanyang?
In any case, Governor Feng didn’t believe it.
It can be said that during this period, the Han Dynasty and Wei State were the opposite of their original history.
At this time, Wei's talents were declining and in a period of decline.
As for the Han Dynasty, because of someone's cheating, talents emerged in advance and the national power was on the rise.
The only thing missing is soft power.
Although those who will influence the cultural direction of the Wei and Jin Dynasties in the future, because of the turmoil of the Flashy Case, they can only live quietly with their tail between their legs.
But the "Three Cao Cao of Jian'an" is a mountain that can never be bypassed in the history of Chinese literature.
Even if there is only one Cao Zhi left among the three Cao Cao, it is enough for scholars all over the world to look up to him.
This kind of thing, "Where destiny lies, where people's hearts aspire", although invisible and intangible, is very metaphysical.
But you can’t ignore it.
After all, in this era, even the celestial phenomena must be used to prove who is the orthodox person in the world.
There is no way, everyone believes this.
“Alang is too self-effacing. In the past, it could be said that Cao Zhiwen’s talents alone could dominate the world, but doesn’t the great Han also have Alang now?”
Governor Feng laughed dryly:
“Cao Zhi is a senior after all, and he can decide on victory or defeat in battle, but when it comes to matters in the literary world, as a junior, it’s better to lower his attitude.”
No matter how much he was praised, Governor Feng still kept one thing in mind: he was a cheat and did not rely on his true strength.
While Governor Feng was plotting with his wife and concubines in the backyard, Cao San, who was in the front yard, was already drunk and staggering.
He has never drunk such strong wine, and just the first three bottles made him a little unbearable.
In addition, after Feng Yong left, Zhao Guang volunteered to take over the banquet, and poor Cao San was in bad luck.
At any rate, when he woke up, it was already dawn the next day.
The hangover made Cao San feel like he had a splitting headache.
After eating the food brought by the servants and having the hot soup down his stomach, Cao San felt better.
He was holding his head and moaning, but Feng Langjun sent someone to deliver something, which quickly made him forget about his discomfort.
“This is last night’s article written by Feng Langjun himself?”
Cao San carefully spread the framed paper on the table. As soon as he saw it, he couldn't help but cheer:
“Good words!”
It’s true that the words are exactly what the person says!
Looking at this bold yet powerful font, it is indeed written by Feng Langjun, who is good at writing heroic prose.
“Will enter the wine? So this article is called will enter the wine?”
Cao San murmured to himself, admiring it for a long time, and then put it away carefully.
"I just asked Feng Langjun for a personal letter at the banquet last night, and today I can get the authentic copy. Feng Langjun really values the king of Chen."
Thinking of this, Cao San couldn't help but sigh again, God's will plays tricks on people.
The trip was complete, and Cao San was eager to return home. He wanted to rush back to report to King Chen, so he quickly bid farewell.
Feng Yong did not stay. After all, Han and Wei were enemies. The longer some things were delayed, the easier it would be for something to happen.
"This horse is called Wuhua Horse, and it is the mount of the prince. The prince said that the poem was given to Mr. Cao, and the horse was also given to Mr. Cao."
Zhang Yuan handed the reins to Cao San and said solemnly.
Cao San is not Cao Zhi, so he is not qualified to let Feng Yong see him off in person.
It was Zhang Yuan, the best student around Feng Governor, who was sent to see Cao San off.
Cao San looked at the tall horse in front of him. Even though he had followed Cao Zhi since he was a child and had seen rare things for a long time, he couldn't help but sigh in admiration:
“This horse is so handsome!”
But I saw that the horse's whole body was shiny with oil, its nostrils were wide open, its four hooves were like bowls, and its back and waist were wide and straight.
The most eye-catching thing is that the horse's mane has been carefully trimmed and decorated with ornaments. It looks really noble.
Zhang Yuan nodded:
"Messenger Cao is really discerning. This horse is a Pegasus from the Western Regions. Later someone specially transferred it from the Western Regions to Liangzhou and finally gave it to the prince."
“The prince likes this horse very much, so he will give it to Mr. Cao now!”
He said, clapped his hands again, and saw several servants coming up with things.
"These items are pure fur coats, as well as the latest model of velvet coats from Nanxiang. It is difficult to find not only a thousand gold pieces, but also ten thousand gold pieces."
“As for these fine wines, including peach wine from the Western Regions, mead wine from the South, and strong wines from the South, they are all treasured by the princes. Please ask Cao’s envoy to bring them back to Mr. Cao.”
Hearing this, Cao San straightened his face and clothes, then bowed deeply to Wuwei City and said loudly:
“The third generation of Cao and Chen Wang thanked Feng Langjun for the gift!”
Wang Wang has been frustrated over the years. Now he can get the friendship of Feng Langjun, and he is not stunned by Wang.
Longyou in May is already full of green.
When I arrived, I was full of anxiety and had no intention of looking at the scenery.
The return trip was full of rewards. When Cao San came to Jicheng again, he finally felt in the mood to take a look at this important town in Longyou.
Over the years, Jicheng has become increasingly prosperous because the materials shipped from Hanzhong have to be transferred through Jicheng.
All kinds of restaurants and guesthouses have sprung up one after another.
Even a new kind of entertainment spread from Nanxiang has affected Jicheng.
That is the storyteller.
Yongliang has produced heroes since ancient times.
Chivalrous novels represented by "Zidian Qingshuang Ji" are not only very consistent with the Yongliang culture, but also are popular among the Yongliang people because they are easy to understand.
Most of the caravans coming and going are laborers, and they don’t have much money to go to high-end places.
They are the ones with the largest audience.
Where there is demand, there will naturally be a market.
So some storytellers sometimes simply went to Datongpu Guest House where the caravans slept to tell stories.
What is even more unscrupulous is to find an open place to speak in the open air.
What's the point of doing this anyway? Isn't it just a matter of having a mouth?
Over time, some places have become fixed places for storytellers.
Once there is a market, there will naturally be consumption, and some green-skinned secret advocates will follow suit.
To make things more convenient, these fixed places began to be surrounded by railings and covered with sheds to protect them from wind and rain.
Places like this have existed in Nanxiang for a long time.
However, places like this in Nanxiang are very formal, and the government has a special Cao Office to manage them.
At this time, the railings are often called hook rails.
Also because these places are like tiles joining together when they gather, and like tiles falling apart when they disperse, they are easy to gather and disperse, so they are called places with tiles and fences.
It is a place where people from the middle and lower classes come and go for entertainment.
The people on the Jicheng side followed the call on the Nanxiang side and gradually started shouting.
When Cao San was in Hanzhong, he had heard all kinds of strange news about Feng Langjun's rule in Nanxiang. He just came in a hurry and wanted to go to Liangzhou to meet Feng Langjun.
Now that things have happened, I heard that Jicheng also had such strange places, so I became curious and wanted to go and have a look.
Unexpectedly, after visiting in person, I found that this place was very vulgar, and everyone who came and went was dressed in sackcloth and had gray hair.
At the moment, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Just hearing about the story told him that it was so novel that he lingered for a while and couldn't bear to leave immediately.
There was a woman's voice coming from the next door again, eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh yeh eh yeh yeh yeh yeh yeh yeh yeh yay yeh yeh yay yay yay yay yay yay yah yah yah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah sounds like singing but not singing, the tune is like pinching the throat to squeeze out, I don't know where the folk song is.
The words "Brother Jing" and "Rong'er" make people confused.
Cao San turned around following the sound, and saw a woman in the area surrounded by hooks and bars, her face smeared with inferior makeup, like a ghost painting, and she was singing something with her mouth open.
There is a man next to him. He is extremely short and thick, with a simple and honest face. When he smiles, he has black and yellow buck teeth. He looks like he is digging food from the ground.
He happened to have a knife on his waist and kept circling around the woman.
From time to time, he would flirt with the woman and say a few words.
It caused the man below to breathe quickly and cheer, and his neck became thick and red.
“Dejin! Really impressive! A woman like Huang Rong, who is like a fairy, is actually matched with a rough guy like Guo Jing!”
Someone's throat was moved up and down, and they shouted with a red face.
(End of this chapter)