The Romance of the Famous Marshals of the Early Tang Dynasty Li Jichuan

Chapter 6: The Black Otter Sword

At noon the next day, after lunch, Xu Gai, Xu Maogong, and the housekeeper Xu Quan set off from Sun Anfu's house on three horses, Sun Anfu and Sun Wu rode horses to see them off, and after sending them out of a mile, when they arrived at the place where Sun Wu picked them up, Xu Gai pulled the reins of the horse, and the big white horse slowed down, Xu Gai smiled and said: "Brother Xian, it has been sent far away, don't send it again."

Sun Anfu said with a smile: "Okay, I wish my eldest brother a smooth journey."

Xu Gai and the three waved goodbye to Sun Anfu and Sun Wu, and the three of them quickly whipped up and ran to the East Street of Lihu County.

In the evening, Xu Gai, Xu Maogong, and the housekeeper Xu Quan rode home in three horses, and after dinner, Xu Gai and his wife returned to the inner room.

Xu Gai said: "Uncle Sun has senile anorexia, I will find all the ingredients, and I will go to make that famous dish for Uncle Sun."

Madame smiled and asked, "Master, lead Mao Gong to meet Master Huitong, what advice does the master have?"

Xu Gai replied: "Master Huitong said that Mao Gong should learn more skills. On the way back, I thought about it all the way, where to find Mr. Kong Siru, the original private school in Lihu County? ”

The lady said: "Mr. Kong is a good scholar and kind to others, if Mao Gong can worship him as a teacher, he will definitely be able to learn great skills."

Madame asked, "What kind of skills does Master Huitong say Mao Gong should learn more?"

Xu Gai replied: "It's good to learn literature and martial arts."

The lady said: "If you can't find Mr. Kong, how about letting Mao Gong learn martial arts?"

Xu Gai replied: "Madam, I have also thought about learning martial arts, where is there a famous teacher in Lihu County in Caozhou?"

Mrs. said: "Master said that Master Huitong has been familiar with the art of war since he was a child and is proficient in martial arts, isn't this the best famous teacher?"

Xu Gai replied: "Madam is right, but would he be willing to let Mao Gong go to such a difficult place as the temple to learn martial arts?"

The lady said, "Then ask Mao Gong if he would like to go?"

Xu Gai said: "Go and ask him for your husband." After speaking, he stood up and went to find Xu Maogong.

After half a cup of tea, Xu Gai pushed open the door with his left hand and walked into the inner room, holding Mao Gong's left hand with his right hand, Mao Gong's right hand rubbed his worried eyes, and while being pulled away by his father, he muttered in his mouth: "Dad, the famous dish you made, you will taste it the same tomorrow."

Madame smiled and said, "Mao Gong, come to my mother."

Xu Gai let go of the hand holding his son, and Xu Maogong walked a few steps quickly and came to his wife's side.

Madame stroked Xu Maogong's head and said with a smile: "It's not about tasting famous dishes, it's because your parents have something to discuss with you."

Xu Maogong raised his head and looked at his wife, and asked with a smile, "Mother, what's the matter?"

Mrs. said: "Your father discussed with his mother and wanted to send you to Yicheng Temple to worship Master Huitong as a teacher and learn martial arts, are you willing?"

Xu Maogong jumped up in a hurry, his eyes widened, and shouted, "I'm not a monk."

Xu Gai squatted down and looked at Xu Maogong, and said: "You want to be a monk, Dad is still reluctant, let you go to Yicheng Temple to be a lay disciple, go to learn martial arts, and come back after learning."

Xu Maogong looked up at the roof, rubbed his two little hands, and said in a low voice: "Go to Yicheng Temple to be a lay disciple, I will think about it."

Xu Gai said: "Master Huitong is familiar with the art of war and proficient in martial arts, and he became a Jinwu general at the age of twenty. Such a famous teacher is hard to find in the world. ”

Xu Maogong lowered his head and looked at Xu Gai, opened his eyes and asked, "Dad, which official is the eldest general, General Jinwu or Master Lu, the county commander?"

Xu Gai replied: "General Jinwu is the sixth grade, Caozhou Lihu County is the seventh grade, and the Jinwu general is the big officer."

Xu Maogong then asked: "Dad, if you take Master Huitong as your teacher and learn martial arts, you can become a great official like General Jinwu?"

Xu Gai replied: "You can become a great official only if you learn martial arts, and when foreign enemies come to invade, you can lead the soldiers, repel strong enemies, protect the territory and the people, and make great contributions."

Madame interjected and said: "Mao Gong, go to Yicheng Temple to learn martial arts, life is very hard, only radishes, green vegetables, and tofu can be eaten, can you think about it?"

Xu Maogong looked at Xu Gai and asked, "Dad, do you want me to go?"

Xu Gai replied: "Yes, Dad has no skills in his life, he can't achieve anything, and he is counting on you."

Xu Maogong looked at his wife and asked, "Mom, do you want me to go too?"

Mrs. said: "My mother looks forward to my son every day, learning great skills, and having great potential, but when I think of my son, a rich young master, going to such a hard place, I can't bear it."

Speaking of sadness, Madame's eyes turned red and she turned away.

Xu Gai took Xu Maogong's hand and said with a smile: "Maogong, you are going to learn martial arts, and my father often goes to see you."

Xu Maogong looked at Xu Gai, then at his wife, raised his clenched little fist, and said firmly: "Okay, I'll go to learn martial arts, learn great skills, and win glory for my father and mother."

Madame turned around, looked at Xu Maogong, and nodded with a wry smile.

Xu Gai happily picked up Xu Maogong and turned around twice in place.

Madame smiled: "Master, it's been a busy day, put down Mao Gong, don't be tired." After speaking, he walked in front of the two.

Xu Gai put down Xu Maogong, took Xu Maogong's little hand and walked to the Eight Immortals table, Xu Gai sat on the chair, let Xu Maogong sit opposite, Mrs. followed and sat next to Xu Gai, Xu Gai smiled: "Maogong, you agree to learn martial arts, tomorrow I will go to find ingredients, the day after tomorrow I will go to Sun Anfu's house, cook famous dishes for Uncle Sun, and then ask Sun Anfu to help persuade Master Huitong to accept you as an apprentice."

Xu Maogong asked, "Dad, am I not going?"

Xu Gai replied: "You go to the private school, if someone asks about the past two days in the private school, you say, Dad's friend, invite us to play, you only care about playing, and don't pay attention to the conversation between adults."

Xu Maogong asked, "Dad, can't you say anything about meeting Master Huitong?"

Xu Gai replied: "Meet Master Huitong, don't talk to anyone, Master Huitong is a master in the world, I don't see strangers, if it wasn't for Sun Anfu's introduction this time, our father and son would not have been able to see Master Huitong."

Madame interjected and asked with a smile: "Since Master Huitong is the abbot of Yicheng Temple, why doesn't he want to meet strangers?"

Xu Gai replied: "Madame doesn't know, Master Huitong was involved in the internal disputes of the Northern Qi royal family, and the royal family he supported lost power, he escaped and became a monk in Yicheng Temple incognito."

Madame smiled and said, "Master Huitong is unlucky, otherwise with such a great skill, how could he only be an abbot?"

Xu Gai replied: "If Master Huitong hadn't been involved in the internal disputes of the Northern Qi royal family, how could he have been a second-rank or third-grade official?"

Xu Gai stood up and said, "Mao Gong, Dad will send you back to the house to sleep."

Xu Gai walked up to Xu Maogong, Xu Maogong stood up, and Xu Gai took Xu Maogong's little hand and walked out of the inner room.

After a cup of tea, Xu Gai returned to the inner room, where the lady sat on a chair next to the table of the Eight Immortals, embroidering a tiger on the back of a child's new cotton coat.

Xu Gai sat down on the chair next to Madame, looked at Madame who was embroidering the tiger's right eye, and said with a smile: "Madam, this tiger is embroidered more and more exquisitely."

The lady replied, "In my hometown, there is such a custom, embroidering the back of a child's new clothes with his appearance, which can ward off disasters and evil spirits, and this tiger has been embroidered for twelve years, practice makes perfect."

Xu Gai said happily: "Madame's sincerity has touched the heavens, and my son is getting stronger and stronger."

The lady then smiled and asked, "Mao Gong has fallen asleep?"

Xu Gai replied: "Seeing that Mao Gong fell asleep, I just came back, and in the past two days, I rode to Yicheng Temple, and I have seen it all over the temple, and Mao Gong is really tired."

The lady smiled and asked, "Master, what place do you like in the temple do you think Mao Gong likes?"

Xu Gai replied: "I don't know for my husband, it is the first Huiyuan Zen Master to lead Mao Gong to see the major halls in the temple, and the housekeeper Xu Quan takes care of the young master."

The lady smiled and asked, "Didn't the master go to the temple?"

Xu Gai replied: "Master Huitong, Brother An Fuxian, and Weifu are talking in the abbot's room. Master Huitong treats Mao Gong kindly, and if Mao Gong can worship Master Huitong as a teacher, it is really a great blessing. ”

Mrs. smiled: "What the master said is that I am a woman who does not understand the rules of this apprenticeship, no matter how much it costs, I must agree, if the family money is not enough, I will go back to my parents' house to find a way."

Xu Gai said with a smile: "My husband knows that my father-in-law values Mao Gong very much, and on my father-in-law's fiftieth birthday, my father-in-law's family has five grandsons and six grandchildren, and his old man only gives Mao Gong a sword as a gift."

Madame smiled: "My mother told me privately that the sword is our Wei family's ancestral treasure---- the Black Otter Sword, and it should be properly stored."

Xu Gai asked, "Madam, what is the big origin of the black otter sword?"

Mrs. smiled: "Listen to my mother, in the twelfth year of the Great Unification of the Western Wei Dynasty (546), my grandfather guarded Yubi City, and Gao Huan, the prime minister of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, led an army of more than 100,000 people to surround Yubi City, and besieged the city for more than 50 days, more than 70,000 soldiers died, and still failed to capture Yubi City. Yu Wentai, the prime minister of the Western Wei Dynasty, asked a skilled craftsman to make a black otter sword with iron and give it to my grandfather as a reward for his contribution to defending the jade wall. ”

Xu Gai said with a smile: "Madam, my father-in-law gave such a precious black otter sword to Mao Gong, could it be that when I was six years old, my father-in-law saw that Mao Gong was a good material for martial arts?"

Madame replied, "Maybe it's a coincidence."

Xu Gai stood up, rubbed his two big hands, walked around the house, stopped, his face was flushed with excitement, and said with a smile: "I'm so happy for my husband, I want to go to the yard for a walk, after speaking, I opened the door of the house and walked out."

Madame smiled, "Wait for me." He put down the embroidery needle and followed him out of the house.

The husband and wife walked in the yard one after the other, taking more than a dozen steps.

Met the housekeeper Xu Quan, the housekeeper Xu Quan bowed down and asked with a smile: "Master, what are your orders?"

Xu Gai replied: "It's nothing, take a walk in the courtyard, what are you going to do, housekeeper?"

The housekeeper Xu Quan replied with a smile: "Today, the big white horse has been running for a long time, and I will go to the backyard horse shed to add some more forage."

Xu Gai smiled: "Housekeeper, this family is thanks to you for taking care of it."

The housekeeper Xu Quan replied with a smile: "Master, these are small things that should be done."

Xu Gai smiled: "Butler, go get busy."

Butler Xu Quan responded: "Yes." "Head to the backyard stable.

Xu Gai looked at the back of the housekeeper Xu Quan, suddenly remembered something, and shouted in a low voice: "Housekeeper."

The housekeeper Xu Quan turned around and walked quickly to Xu Gai, and said with a smile: "What does the master command?"

Xu Gai said, "Butler, find a scholar for the eldest young master."

The housekeeper Xu Quan asked with a smile, "Master, what kind of are you looking for?"

Xu Gai replied: "The age is similar, the character is good, I found it and brought it to me."

The housekeeper Xu Quan replied, "Yes, master."

Xu Gai said, "Butler, you go and feed the horses."

The housekeeper Xu Quan answered yes and walked to the backyard stable.

The husband and wife walked around the yard three times.

Madame smiled: "Master, it's getting late, let's go back to the house."

Xu Gai replied, "Okay."

The husband and wife walked to the inner room, and when they entered the door, the lady asked with a smile, "Master, are you optimistic about which maid you want to take as a concubine?" Which is it? I'll tell you about it. ”

Xu Gai replied, "No."

Madame smiled and then asked, "Or, which lady in the county is it?" I'll find Mrs. Liu in the west of the city to tell you to go to the matchmaker. ”

Xu Gai replied, "Not really."

The lady sat on a chair next to the table of the Eight Immortals, picked up the child's new cotton clothes, and then embroidered the tiger's right eye, and said while embroidering: "The shopkeeper Zhang of the Fuyuan Inn is one year younger than the master, and he already has a wife and two concubines, so it is reasonable for the master to find a concubine."

Xu Gai said with a smile: "Madam, our Xu family has been an official for generations, Zhang is a nouveau riche who opens an inn and earns a little money, my son Xu Maogong will have a great future in the future, you see his son Zhang Xiaohu is a fool, how can he be compared with me?"

Xu Gai continued: "Madam, if the matter of Mao Gong's apprenticeship and martial arts is completed, I want to give each subordinate a tael of silver, they have worked hard to serve the young master, and they also have merit, what does Madame think?"

Madame said, "Yes."

Xu Gai continued: "Madame has the greatest credit, and she went to Jinan Mansion for her husband, found a century-old shop, and gave Madame a new set of silver jewelry."

Mrs. smiled: "My son Mao Gong has a great future, I am very happy, go to such a far place to practice martial arts, in the future there will be more places where silver is needed, I have a lot of jewelry, so I don't want new jewelry."

At this time, the lady sewed the last stitch, held up the child's new cotton clothes, and asked with a smile: "Master, look at these two eyes, which one is well embroidered?"

Xu Gai looked at the tiger's left eye, then at the tiger's right eye, and replied, "Madame's hands are so skillful, both are good."

Xu Gai smiled and said, "Madam, my husband is going to look for ingredients tomorrow, and I'm going to sleep." After speaking, he took off his clothes and lay down on the bed.

Madame smiled and said, "Master, Mao Gong is going to practice martial arts in such a distant place, I will prepare a few more sets of cotton clothes, and I will sew for another hour."

Xu Gai turned over on the bed and muttered in a low voice: "Madam can raise such a good son, what's the use of a concubine?" After speaking, a moment later a snoring sounded.