mousepad-d2 010 He's sick, I have medicine.
010 He's sick, I have medicine.
"Remove my tiger skin" is an allusion related to Zhang Zai, also known as "Master Hengqu".
This Zhang Zai is the same Zhang Zai who wrote "To establish a heart for Heaven and Earth, to establish a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of the past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations."
The protagonists of countless online novels rely on these "Four Sentences of Hengqu" to achieve greatness in public and seize honor in private.
Li Yu's understanding of Zhang Zai also began with these four sentences.
At the banquet, Li Yu did not refer to classical allusions, but instead mentioned Zhang Zai first.
It is said that he wrote "Nine Articles on Border Affairs" when he was young, and then presented it to the local officials, wanting to unite with the local militia to reclaim lost territory and achieve great things.
It is said that he was summoned by Wen Zheng Gong and told, "Confucian scholars have their own moral teachings; what business is it of military affairs?"
It is said that he returned to his hometown to study diligently, reading through Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian classics, and established the "Guan School," which was followed by scholars from all directions.
It is said that he was highly praised by his ardent fan Wang Fuzhi: "Zhang Zi's learning inherits the will of Confucius and Mencius and remedies the mistakes of the past. It is like the bright sun in the sky, illuminating all darkness. Even if a sage were to rise again, no one could replace him."
Magistrate Liang, Wang Zhang, and their entourage listened with great admiration. The county clerk and Qiang Fu both praised him, saying, "He is a role model for us all, no less than Kang Cheng Gong."
When Li Yu uttered the "Four Lines of Hengqu," the entire street-side chat room suddenly fell silent.
Set up the heart for the heaven and the earth, set the destiny for the livelihood and the people, for the sacred and inherited knowledge, and for the peace of the world.
Nearly half of the people in the room were Confucian scholars. The others, while not necessarily well-versed in or knowledgeable in the classics, had at least read the Book of Rites and were familiar with the Confucian classic phrase "cultivate oneself, regulate one's family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world."
The four lines by Zhang Zai seem to be an interpretation of how difficult it is to "bring peace to the world".
Its concise yet profound meaning, grand vision, and majestic spirit left them in awe and shame.
When we were young, we studied the classics and mostly had lofty aspirations, focusing our minds on "governing the country and bringing peace to the world." Now, after a lifetime of mediocrity, "cultivating oneself and managing one's family" have become difficult tasks.
"I've toiled for twenty years, yet gained nothing of value," Magistrate Liang sighed deeply. "I've wasted my time as a disciple of Confucius!"
Wang Zhang stood to the side, staring blankly at the [removing my tiger skin], without uttering a word.
Suddenly, the atmosphere at the table became somber.
Upon seeing this, Li Yu couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Indeed, these four lines from Hengqu are a master of pretentiousness; they are terrifyingly powerful."
He clapped his hands lightly to bring everyone's attention back. Li Yu then returned to the topic of "removing my tiger skin."
Actually, the real protagonist of this story is not Zhang Zai.
In 1057, at the age of thirty-eight, Zhang Zai went to Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng) to take the imperial examination. Ouyang Xiu was the chief examiner, and Zhang Zai, along with the brothers Su Shi and Su Zhe, passed the examination. While awaiting his appointment, Zhang Zai accepted an invitation from Prime Minister Wen Yanbo to lecture on the *I Ching* at the Xiangguo Temple in Kaifeng, seated on a tiger-skin chair. Many people listened. One night, his cousins Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi visited, and the three discussed the *I Ching* by candlelight. The next day, Zhang Zai removed the tiger-skin chair and said to those who had come to listen: "The Cheng brothers have recently arrived and deeply understand the principles of the *I Ching*, which I cannot match. You can all learn from them."
If the story were told first, or only the allusions were mentioned, the audience might not have felt it deeply. But when Li Yu started with the powerful "Four Sentences of Hengqu," and then explained the allusions, the experience of all the indigenous people present was quite different.
Even a figure as renowned as Zhang Zai, a man of "eternal brilliance," could be captivated by others.
What kind of extraordinary figures must these "Two Chengs" be?
The indigenous people couldn't help but let their imaginations run wild.
Magistrate Liang kept pressing for answers.
Li Yu briefly discussed the relevant content of the "Guan School" and the "Luo School," and talked about Zhang Zai's ideas of "treating all people as brothers and all things as companions," "living with integrity and accepting death," and "if a sage does not use thought and worry to govern the world, then what use is a sage?"
Unfortunately, he knew very little about Song Dynasty Neo-Confucianism and couldn't offer much. Even so, he still left Wang Zhang and the others completely stunned and mesmerized.
After a long while, the indigenous people finally composed themselves and asked Wang Zhang to appraise the treasure again.
As dusk approached, the evening light streamed through the windows and shone on the desk. More than fifty [unknown fragments] were laid out in a row.
Distracted, the scholar Wang took one and held it in his palm. He gently rubbed it, examining its texture and material, but ultimately shook his head and said, "Zhang Zhang, I don't recognize this object."
Others, curious, also gathered around to look. They flipped through them, but couldn't figure it out. Wang Zhang then examined the other [fragments], fifty-two remaining, none of which he recognized.
Wang Zhang said somewhat embarrassedly, "Zhangzhang's 'Extensive Knowledge and Strong Memory' is only at the [Mysterious Grade], it cannot recognize Bao Bao."
Li Yu was not disappointed. With the example of the [Fanghu] as a precedent, he was already convinced that these fifty-three [fragments], which also came from the [Hidden Soldier Cave], were definitely not ordinary.
A failed identification is not necessarily a bad thing.
Wang Zhang was unaware of Li Yu's true thoughts. After pondering for a moment, he said, "If you wish to have a look at Bao Bao, you can go to Donglai to find Zheng Shishi, or go to Luoyang to find Uncle Cai Jie."
Li Yu nodded his thanks.
The banquet continued, with wine glasses still overflowing and meat platters plentiful. But Wang Zhang had lost his appetite for appreciating the treasure, and the others were somewhat discontented and unable to fully enjoy themselves.
So, halfway through the evening, the banquet ended abruptly. Li Yu felt somewhat regretful, feeling he had lost a lot of [intellectual experience].
Everyone left their seats.
Twenty or thirty tables were set up outdoors in the street and along the main street in the village, where villagers sat.
Seeing everyone leave the room, the villagers all stood up.
Magistrate Liang stopped holding Li Yu's hand, but he subconsciously surrounded Li Yu with Wang Zhang, the county constable, and others, like stars around the moon.
This scene is truly jaw-dropping.
Is it possible that such bravery in slaying the python has earned such high regard from the county magistrate and the high-ranking official?
As they parted ways by the roadside, Li Yu said to Wang Zhang, "I have heard Zai Sheng mention many times that Boqing has a vast collection of books, enough to fill a house when at home and enough to make oxen and horses swarm when he goes out. I long to see it; I wonder if I may have the honor of seeing it?"
"Coco," Wang Zhang replied with a smile.
From then on, the group parted ways, each helping the staggering, drunkard home.
Li Yu wasn't drunk, but Xiong Ba insisted on taking him home. On the way, Li Yu said he had two things he needed Xiong Ba's help with.
There is nothing wrong with him dominating the market.
"First, please ask Zai Sheng to help me acquire [unknown fragments]." After thinking for a moment, Li Yu added, "It doesn't have to be [fragments], as long as it's an unknown item, please help me buy it."
He handed over [Snake Foot] and one of the [Corpse-Swallowing Python's] eyes as payment for the acquisition.
Xiong Ba initially refused to accept the money, but after Li Yu's repeated insistence, he finally said, "I will keep it for you, Brother Yu, for now."
"Secondly, tomorrow morning, please have Zai Sheng accompany me to visit the Wang residence. One purpose is to study, and the other is to seek medical treatment," Li Yu said.
"Treat an illness?" Xiong Ba was taken aback and looked at Li Yu with suspicion. "Brother Yu, are you unwell?"
"It wasn't me," Li Yu shook his head.
"Wang Boqing is ill."
"And I have medicine."
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Inside and outside Chenwang, the night was slightly cool.
If a modern person were to travel back to the late Han Dynasty, food, clothing, shelter, and transportation would all be problems.
For the thousands of players outside [Chen Wang Li], while they have linen clothes provided by the system and long legs to walk, the biggest challenges in life are still food and shelter.
"Food" is only available by "working" with NPCs to earn food, or by searching for food in the fields and wilderness.
They can't touch the food grown by the NPCs, but they have no other dietary restrictions.
Fish in the river, birds in the sky, rabbits, mice, plantains. As long as it can fill their stomachs, they'll put anything in their mouths.
Even so, accidents still happen to people.
Over the past month, many people have become emaciated. Almost every day, someone can be seen collapsing to the ground and never getting up again.
At first, the NPCs couldn't bear to see the situation and set up a porridge stall outside the village. But with thousands of mouths crying for food, even the thinnest porridge couldn't sustain the NPCs.
So the porridge shop closed down, and the NPCs pointed the players to a leveling spot.
Wolf Eater Hill, Bat Cave, Tiger Hill...
As long as you dare to fight, as long as you dare to take a bite, you can survive.
Then there's the issue of "accommodation," which is also troublesome.
To live, one needs a house, and to build a house, the first things needed are beams, purlins, rafters, and pillars.
These load-bearing wooden components are easy to find; there are plenty of ancient trees in the desolate mountains and forests at the end of the Han Dynasty. As long as you still have the strength and can borrow knives, saws, and axes from those unfriendly NPCs, you can chop them down as you please.
Timber is a minor issue; the major expense lies in other materials.
For a decent brick house, a square brick costs eight qian (approximately 30 grams) and a blue tile costs six qian (approximately 30 grams). Even without considering other expenses, a single house would cost tens of thousands of yuan. With that kind of money, it would be more cost-effective to buy a house directly in Chenwangli.
Even without bricks and tiles, just building the simplest adobe house would cost hundreds of coins, if you disregard the stone foundation, food, and labor, and only consider the cost of building blocks, ropes, stone pestles, and iron mortars. These modern people who were "new to the area" could hardly afford such a project.
So, someone came up with the idea of making shacks.
Use slightly thicker branches and tree trunks to form an A-frame support, cover it with thatch, and then paste it with clay. Let it be exposed to wind and sun for two or three days to fix it in place. Then, lay some dry grass and straw inside to make a mat or blanket.
And so, the shack was completed.
It's damp, infested with mosquitoes and ants, and it's rough on your bottom, but it can keep you from freezing to death or being carried off by wolves in the spring chill.
As a result, hundreds of shacks were built along the "village protection river" in Chenwangli, where thousands of modern people, like refugees, lived in cramped conditions.
"Grass!"
In a corner of the shantytown, Liu Rui muttered a curse under his breath.