After a month of absence, Kong Qiu seemed to be ten years old, and the gray hair mixed with the black-gray bun and tendrils became more and more, turning into a light gray, like the world outside full of dust and frost.

In the face of Liu Xiaji's resentment, he was not like when he was young, when he heard that Ji's eight dances were in court, he angrily reprimanded, "It's tolerable, it's unbearable!" He simply took the silk book, read a copy of the book conferred by Lu Hou, and then threw it into the furnace and let it turn to ashes.

"So far, what else can the old man say?"

"To argue with reason, to speak out against it, to beat the drum in the court palace, this is you, Zhongni's style!"

Kong Qiu smiled helplessly: "I have achieved nothing, and now I am just a taxi who has failed to govern, and I am just an old man in the wilderness, who will listen to my call?" ”

Liu Xiaji said: "You are highly respected, now is the time when the monarch needs someone to assist, why bother to isolate yourself from Lu, you have been closed for so many days, do you want to be a hermit?" ”

"Hermit? No, it won't. In order not to lower his ambition and not to humiliate himself, Boyi Shuqi lived in seclusion in Shouyang Mountain. Your ancestor Yanagishita Hui was deposed three times, but he was unwilling to abandon the Lu country lightly, and would rather lower his will and humiliate him. These are the two extremes, I am different from them, I will not hide from the world, but I can no longer be easy to be out of office, let alone speak easily. ”

Liu Xiaji stared at Kong Qiu, pointed to the gradually extinguishing copper furnace and said, "Zhongni, you are now lifeless like a pile of dead ashes, this is not you, you should be a person who knows what to do!" ”

"I'm not discouraged, I just need time to reflect on myself."

"Introspection? You're not wrong, it's the thieves and thieves who are wrong. Just when you don't come out, the country of Lu is already a high bank for the valley, and the deep valley is for the mausoleum! Now the head of the Ji family has committed suicide, the head of the Meng family has fled, and the successor of these two families is named Lu Qing. In fact, it is like a vassal of the Zhao family, but it is just a promise! The military and political power of the Lu State was determined by the hands of the Zhao family. If it goes on like this, sooner or later, the country of Lu will be a monarch or a king, a minister or a minister, a family or a country, and a country! Lile conquest came from Dr. Qing. Isn't that what you've always opposed!? ”

Kong Qiu looked at his old friend, his eyes full of helplessness: "I know...... But the sword is better than poetry, and the power is better than the etiquette, this is really the Ji Shi of the Lu Kingdom......"

He seemed to see the end of the era, but he was powerless to stop it, and he couldn't even realize the idea of martyrdom, so he could only live at home, and when the door was closed, he couldn't see it. Don't be upset.

Liu Xia Ji was a little paranoid: "So you don't do anything?" I know that Zhao Wuxian followed your policy of falling into the four capitals, and also wantonly appointed your disciples as officials, and asked you to go out to be the uncle of the sect in charge of etiquette and music many times. Don't you thank him for this, and think that he can treat you with courtesy for the rest of your life until you die? ”

Confucius frowned: "Why do you say this? The monarch treats me with courtesy, and I will repay him with loyalty, and I will never serve the Zhao family in this life...... Zhao Zitai is still a relatively obedient courtier, and he has not yet crossed the final bottom line. If he dares to ......"

Liu Xiaji pressed step by step: "If he thinks about it, he will blatantly kill the king." How should you? ”

Kong Qiu has been rare in the past few days, he patted the case and got up and said: "If this is the case, I should fast and bathe, and then enter Qufu Lilu with a two-foot sword, and call on the people to beat the drum and attack it!" Even if you can't destroy the rebels, you can die! ”

……

After Yoo's resignation next season. Kong Qiu stared at the candlelight and stayed for a while, until Yan Hui walked in with a book, which woke him up from his thoughts.

"Return, what time is it?"

Yan Hui was still thinly dressed in this cold spring season, and the torn sheepskin mattress had been worn for an unknown period of time. He saluted respectfully and said, "Master, it's almost time." ”

It's already January 1st, and before you know it, another year has passed......

"Turn off the lights, go with me......"

Yan responded to the promise, blew out the lamp, and helped Confucius to step out, his eyes were still very clear in the night when he couldn't see his fingers.

In the 5th century B.C., the capital looked no different from the countryside at night, and it was darkly lit everywhere.

But this world is not dark, just like Yan Hui's bright eyes, the night in the sky is like an incomparably wide black carpet, and the stars in the sky are like crystal shining pearls on this blanket.

Kong Qiu found the brightest North Star, pointed at it and said, "Do you remember what you said to you when you were the master in the middle capital? For politics and morality, such as Beichen, where the stars live, are the same ...... Now General Zhao is also above the stars like Beichen, but he is not for politics and morality, but for politics and strength, and no one can compete with him. But this situation may not last, sooner or later he will drag the Lu State into the battle of the Six Qings, I am afraid that its rise will also be vigorous, and its death will be sudden, I am worried about the future of the Lu State......"

Yan replied: "My opinion is the same as that of the master, the Zhao family is in a situation, and it is better not to fight than to fight hard." Instead of calling on the countrymen to come out against him, as Dr. Liu Xiaji intended, he called on the countrymen to come out against him. At that time, not only will it not be able to drive away, but it will also incur death and revenge, what Lu Guo needs is a way to get along with the Zhao family, and I am afraid that I will have to rely on you, Master. ”

Kong Qiu knew that Yan Hui was actually worried about himself, but he flatly refused: "As I said to Liu Xiaji before, as long as Zhao Zitai does not cross the bottom line, I will not openly make enemies with him." But if I want to identify with him like Giving, Begging and others, I can't do it, the Tao is different, and I don't conspire with each other! ”

Yan Hui hesitated for a moment and said: "Although General Zhao is in power, he does not have too much disrespect for the monarch, he followed the old rites of the Lu State, and sent people to repair the palace and protect the temple of the Lu monarchs in the past dynasties, which is quite popular." Maybe it's because of the relationship between Zigong and Ziyou, and he is generous enough to the master, a few days ago, the matter of the chief of the government is proof, some judges proposed to kill him, and some people were suspicious and suggested that the master be interrogated, but General Zhao handled it fairly and did not take the opportunity to suppress the master......"

Just a few days ago, Kongqiu's disciple Gongzhi Chang was accused of murder! The judge interrogated him, and the chief of the public defense repeatedly told a story that no one believed.

……

The governor claimed to be able to understand the language of birds, and his garden on the outskirts of Qufu was full of birds, including pigeons, pheasants, sparrows, and even rare seabirds!

On that day, a harrier eagle flew to look for Gongye Chang, and quacked: "Gongye Chang, Gongye Chang, there is a dead roe deer in Nanshan, and you eat its meat." I eat it! After agreeing, he went, and sure enough, he found a roe deer, but he did not want to feed the intestines to the harrier eagle.

The harrier complained about him, and not long after, the harrier came to report to the chief of the company, and the chief of the company went again. Look at it from afar. There are a lot of people making noise around something. Gongye Chang thought it was a dead roe deer, and was afraid that others would take it away, so he shouted from afar: "I'll kill it!" I'll kill them! ”

Everyone turned to look at him, their eyes were strange, and after the chief of the government arrived, they saw that it was a dead man inside, and the onlookers arrested the chief of the public and sent him to the department as a murderer.

Coincidentally, the judge who tried the case of the chief of public justice happened to be a disciple of Shao Zhengmao. And the superior of the judges, the acting Xiao Sikou of the Lu State, is even more at odds with Zigong!

As a result, a major case was set off in an attempt to bring the governor to justice, and it had a great impact on Confucius and his disciples. But this trend finally alarmed Zhao Wuxian and was suppressed by him.

Among the retainers, Zhao Wuxian earnestly warned everyone: "It is difficult to start a business, and it is even more difficult to keep a business!" Lu Guochu'an. The people's hearts are undecided, and a big case has also been set off...... Thou shalt not stir up trouble. Trying to implicate more people. The retainers speculated on the thoughts of the lord, and this kind of thing could not be done again! If there is a next time, it will not be spared! ”

He gave Kan Zhi a beating, this son is capable, driven, and knows how to help himself bite. But I just couldn't let go of my heart, faced the long-cherished enemy, and lost my mind.

Zhao Wuxian asked the fair judge Cheng Tuan to try the case on his behalf, but Cheng Kuan finally did not find evidence of the Gongzhi chief's murder, but he could not dispel his suspicion.

So the case was finally closed. Zhao Wuxian gave the chief two choices.

The first is to work for three years and go to the border around Mount Tai, and the second is to serve as a retainer of the Zhao family, as an official in the official office "Yu Ren" of domesticating birds and beasts, and specially raise pigeons for Zhao Wuxian...... He can understand the words and deeds of a hundred birds, and I don't know if it's true or not, but it's true that the chief is very good at raising birds and taming birds.

Gongzhi Chang finally chose the latter, and the disciples of Confucius invariably breathed a sigh of relief, if Zhao Wuxian deliberately implicated them this time and sent soldiers to interrogate them, they would definitely not want to be humiliated, and they would roll up their salutes and flee from the Lu country. Zilu even said frankly to Confucius: "If the son dies, then the master can do it!" ”

At the end of the day, it's okay, it's okay...... As for whether General Zhao asked Gongzhi to raise pigeons to eat, or to play in the early morning, they didn't care.

Confucius bowed his head and said: "Zichang can avoid imprisonment, it is indeed General Zhao who is generous, to us, he behaves elegantly and generously, much stronger than me to treat Shao Zhengmao......" As soon as he thought of this, his stomach twitched.

This shame of being saved by Zhao Wuxian and being treated with courtesy, intertwined with anger at Zhao's stealing of Lu Guozhengqing's authority, is the reason why Confucius closed his door for more than a month.

This old man who didn't hit the south wall and didn't look back, after being refreshed by Zhao Wuxian's three views by Jishui, he got into the tip of the bull's horns in his thoughts.

He looked up at the starry sky and said to his beloved disciple: "I am five out of ten and am determined to learn, and I am thirty years old, standing up, doing things, and building a family; When I was forty years old, I visited the Zhou Room and returned from Qi, and I began to lose my confusion and understand that reviving the Zhou Rite was my way. When I came out again in my fifties, I thought that I was a person who knew the destiny of heaven, and the destiny of heaven was clear, and only Zhou Li could save this Ji Shi. But now, I am confused again, I don't know what the destiny is, and I haven't dreamed of Zhou Gong for a long time. ”

Yan Hui said softly after that: "A gentleman can pass away, but he can't be trapped; You can be bullied, but you can't be reckless! The disciples can be confused, but the master can't. ”

The Master is the light that hangs before them, and if the Master is lost, then where will they go?

Confucius stroked Yan Hui's shoulder: "I know, so for more than a month, I have been thinking, not eating all day, not sleeping all night, thinking hard, but it is useless." So I finally figured out today that it's better to learn than this! ”

"If you are a threesome, you must have my teacher. When it comes to farming, I am not as late as my son; In terms of words, I am not as good as Zigong; In terms of bravery, I am not as good as Zilu; In terms of intelligence, I am not as good as the boy who seeks me to argue with the sun; In terms of politics, I can't catch up with General Zhao...... There are many sages in the country of Lu who are worthy of my learning, but what I need to learn most this time is the true meaning of etiquette, and the avenue of heaven and earth that I can't understand if I travel far away......"

He looked through the low courtyard wall in Lilu and looked at the brightest place in Qufu tonight, which was the Great General's Mansion, a place where the Jin people gathered together, and the invitation with red paper and gold was also sent, but Confucius pressed it to the bed......

"Although I would also like to stay in the Lu State to see what kind of way General Zhao will find, so that his salty and new forces can coexist with the old Lu State...... But it's time for me to go out and learn something, just like the last time I visited Lao Tzu, to go far, far away, all over Kyushu, and watch the spring and autumn of a hundred countries! ”

PS: What, it's really not dark here, and there's another chapter at night (to be continued.) )