Liu Bei: My younger brother is a deity.

Chapter 44 Mountain and River City Regimen

After Lu Zhi finished speaking about Gongsun Zan, his gaze turned to Liu Quan again.

"Yuan Gu," he suddenly laughed, a smile tinged with mischief and curiosity, "there's a lot of talk in Luoyang these days about the 'Jade Gentleman' from Youzhou. Even my colleagues at the Eastern Pavilion are quite interested in you."

Yesterday, Lu Zhi and Cai Yong were chatting when Ma Ridi, Yang Biao, and Han Shuo arrived together.

The three men had also heard the rumors about "Jade Gentleman of Youzhou". When they learned that this "Jade Gentleman", who had recently become famous in Luoyang, was a disciple of Lu Zhi, they also joined the discussion with great interest.

Big shots also enjoy gossip.

Ma Ridi was particularly interested.

Because, in fact, "Jade Gentleman" is his junior brother.

Ma Ridi was a grandson of the great Confucian scholar Ma Rong, and Lu Zhi was Ma Rong's disciple. Ma Ridi was Lu Zhi's senior fellow disciple, which made him Liu Quan's senior fellow disciple.

See, that's how networks are built.

Moreover, Ma Ridi's curiosity about Liu Quan was quite different from that of the others.

For example, Yang Biao and Han Shuo both asked about family background, education, and abilities.

Ma Ridi then asked, "Is my junior brother really as handsome as the rumors say?"

Don't get me wrong, he's not gay.

However, the Ma family had excellent genes. Ma Rong was known in the village for his "good looks" when he was young, and Ma Ridi was also a handsome man. Most of the Ma family members were outstanding in appearance, so they paid special attention to their looks.

At this moment, Lu Zhi looked at Liu Quan, recalling Ma Ridi's question from yesterday, and thought to himself:

"Uncle Weng has always been proud of his looks. Yesterday, I said that Yuan Gu's appearance was comparable to his, but that was against my conscience. In terms of looks, my disciple deserves to be called unparalleled in the world... No wonder that after the football match that day, Yuan Gu displayed football skills far beyond ordinary people, but what is most widely known is his good looks..."

Thinking this to himself, Lu Zhi asked aloud, "I've heard the rumors about you, Yuan Gu. Were you deliberately showing off in the Cuju match? Did Cao Mengde and his group become your stepping stones? I'm a little curious. You were always so calm and low-key in Youzhou. Why have you suddenly become so high-profile since coming to the vicinity of Luoyang?"

Liu Quan thought to himself, "Who says I'm not high-profile in Zhuo County? I just don't promote myself. It's because A Bei and A Fei promote me that I have my reputation in Zhuo County!"

But you can't say it out loud.

After pondering for a moment, he said, "Mencius, Book 15, Part 2, says: 'Serve when you can serve, retire when you can retire, stay long when you can stay long, and hurry when you can hurry.' I believe that a person should adjust their behavior—whether to be low-key or high-profile—according to the time and the place."

"Back in Zhuo County, I was just a poor scholar with no connections or powerful backers. What good would it do to be high-profile? The honor of being recommended for the civil service exam would never have fallen to me."

"Now that we've arrived in Luoyang, right under the Emperor's nose, and bearing the name of Master Lu, I represent not only my own name, but also the face of the people of Youzhou and the disciples of the Lu family. If I continue to hide my abilities, it will only make people look down on Youzhou and Master Lu."

Lu Zhi raised an eyebrow slightly, revealing a satisfied smile.

This great Confucian scholar of his time did not love money or care much about power, but he valued his reputation extremely highly.

Liu Bei suddenly realized, thinking he understood Quan's line of thinking.

Liu Quan continued, "Moreover, I believe that 'high profile' and 'low profile' are not two completely opposite attitudes. Sometimes... 'low profile' is also a kind of 'high profile'."

Lu Zhi was taken aback. He looked at the disciple again and his original assessment of him as "calm and polite, with a profound understanding of the world" instantly changed to "a heart as treacherous as mountains and rivers, and a mind as stern as a city".

He glanced around and saw that Liu Bei seemed to understand but not quite, Liu Deran looked blank, the dark-haired boy was in a daze, only Gongsun Zan seemed to be thinking, so he asked:

"Bo Gui, do you understand what Yuan Gu is saying?"

Gongsun Zan glanced at Liu Quan and said, "I have some humble opinions, but I'm not sure if they're correct?"

Lu Zhi said, "Tell me about it."

Gongsun Zan said, "Hearing Yuan Gu's words, I am reminded of a historical anecdote. In the past, King Zhuang of Chu ruled for three years without issuing any decrees, indulging in pleasure day and night. The people all thought he was licentious and tyrannical. However, after three years, the king made a stunning debut and challenged the Central Plains. This is what is meant by 'If you don't make a sound, you're fine; but when you do, you'll amaze everyone.'"

At this point, Gongsun Zan paused, glancing furtively at Liu Quan.

Seeing that he nodded slightly, he breathed a sigh of relief and continued:

"King Zhuang of Chu spent three years in hiding his talents, not because he couldn't be high-profile, but because the time wasn't right. Now, Quan and his students have arrived in Luoyang, a place teeming with powerful families and a thousand times closer to power than Zhuoxian. If they continue to conceal their abilities as they did in Zhuoxian, they will be betraying Master Lu's cultivation and the opportunity bestowed by Heaven."

At this point, Gongsun Zan looked ashamed and bowed deeply to Lu Zhi, "Master Lu, this disciple knows his mistake."

"Oh, where did you go wrong?" Lu Zhi asked.

"I should not be jealous of a singing girl, and I should not waste my precious time on sensual pleasures."

When he straightened up, Gongsun Zan's expression had changed.

That inherent arrogance was still there, but the layer of restlessness that covered it seemed to have been wiped away by something, revealing something even harder underneath.

"From this day forward, I will never set foot in Laiying Tower again. I will abstain from all sensual pleasures and debauchery." He declared loudly, "I will devote myself to my studies, hone my skills, and strive to one day... make a name for myself."

The courtyard was quiet for a moment.

Then Lu Zhi smiled and said to Gongsun Zan, "This young man is teachable."

Gongsun Zan straightened his back even more, but the expression on his face calmed down.

Liu Quan also laughed and said, "It's a cause for celebration that Senior Brother Bogui has suddenly come to his senses."

Liu Bei and Liu Deran echoed, "Congratulations!"

Laughter echoed through the courtyard.

Looking at his disciples, Lu Zhi stroked his beard, thinking to himself, "Such outstanding disciples... perhaps I shouldn't be burying myself in old books. I should come to Mount Goushi more often and teach them more. I can't let them slip away..."

He then thought, "I have a few days off in a few days, and Bojie is planning to organize a philosophical discussion at his home. Perhaps I can bring a few of my outstanding disciples along, firstly to broaden their horizons, and secondly to see if I have a chance to show off..."

His gaze swept over Liu Quan. "Perfect. Let Bojie see the charm of my 'Jade Gentleman,' so he won't always think I'm bragging. If Bojie takes a liking to him, perhaps we can even have a marriage..."

The thought of potentially leading to a good marriage made the middle-aged man somewhat emotional, and a maternal smile appeared on his face.

"Teacher! Teacher?"

"Master Lu?"

"Teacher, what's wrong?"

Lu Zhi woke up with a start, quickly wiped the smile off his face, and asked sternly, "What is it?"

"Ah Quan asked us if we wanted to stay for dinner?"

Lu Zhi looked at the sky; it was already noon.

He then flicked his sleeves and said, "Alright, I'll stay and mooch a meal from you all, and also test your knowledge. If any of you satisfy me, there might be a chance for you in three days."

Liu Quan and the others were greatly surprised and hurriedly pressed for answers.

Lu Zhi smiled but did not answer, keeping everyone in suspense.