Liu Bei: My younger brother is a deity.

Chapter 48 Yuan Shu's Dissatisfaction

"Yuan Gu, it's your turn."

Kong Rong finished his poem before Liu Quan, and couldn't help but feel proud, so he looked down on Liu Quan with a condescending gaze.

At this moment, the incense stick had burned two-thirds of its length.

Liu Quan sat behind the desk, his eyes half-open and half-closed, as if he were dozing off, and paid no attention to Kong Rong's words.

"Is this fellow just putting on an act, pretending to be stupid?" Kong Rong thought to himself.

He glanced at the incense stick, which had shortened further, and thought to himself, "If you still can't finish it after the incense burns out, don't blame me for being ruthless."

The atmosphere was extremely tense at this moment, and Liu Bei and Liu Deran's palms were sweating profusely.

Even a big shot like Lu Zhi felt a little nervous for his disciple.

Suddenly, Liu Quan opened his eyes.

He got up and went into the hall.

He began to recite: "The path ends where the white clouds begin, spring stretches along the green stream. Sometimes fallen blossoms drift by, their fragrance carried far by the flowing water. A secluded gate faces the mountain path, deep willows line the study hall. The secluded spot reflects the sunlight, its clear radiance illuminating my clothes."

A good poem often has two characteristics: it evokes empathy and it creates vivid imagery.

They may each have one aspect, or they may have both.

Liu Quan's poem combines both.

Cai Yong closed his eyes.

It seems that in this poem, he saw a realm he had longed for his whole life but had never truly reached:

Deep in the mountains, beside a stream, there is a small study with its door facing the mountain path, shaded by willows. Day after day, people read, write, and think.

There was no strife, no partisan strife, no eunuch's sword, no imperial edict, no public opinion...

Qiao Xuan's hand, which was stroking his beard, stopped in mid-air as he silently savored the imagery in the poem. The tranquility flowing between the lines captivated him.

Kong Rong frowned, wanting to find fault.

Just then, Liu Quan spoke again, reciting another poem: "The primordial energy returns, its grace encompassing all things. Yin and Yang create the beginning of destiny, Heaven and Earth give birth to the heart. Faith comes and goes, selfless from ancient times to the present. The gentle breeze stirs the lingering joy, turning south to enter the fragrant zither."

Everyone was stunned again.

Cai Yong thought to himself, "This poem has a Taoist flavor!"

Then I thought of the fact that this child's previous talk of "cause and effect" had a Buddhist influence.

Suddenly, he felt that the young man in front of him was somewhat unfathomable.

This is not over yet.

Liu Quan paced a few steps, then continued: "Spring slumber is so sweet, I don't even notice the dawn, everywhere I hear birds singing. Last night came the sound of wind and rain, I wonder how many flowers have fallen."

Then came another poem: "The spring breeze is like a distinguished guest, bringing prosperity with its arrival. It comes to sweep away the snow from a thousand mountains, and leaves behind flowers from ten thousand countries upon its return."

Another poem: "The spring breeze is sometimes cruel, sometimes kind. People chase after the spring breeze, only to be annoyed by it."

Another poem: "No longer blaming the east wind, the east wind blows down the flowers. How many fall onto the brocade carpet, how many lie scattered on the sand."

Liu Quan composed eight poems entitled "Ode to Spring" in one go, until the incense burned out.

Kong Rong was dumbfounded, and the others were also shocked.

Only Liu Bei looked arrogant.

My son Quan is amazing, now you all know that, right?!

Side door of the hall.

Behind the side door of the hall, through a narrow crack, a pair of eyes were peering intently at everything inside.

She was a thirteen-year-old girl, dressed in a pale yellow shirt with a sheepskin coat over it. Her hair was simply tied in a bun, with a small velvet flower tucked into her temple. She looked fresh and clean.

Her face was round and fair, with delicate features. She bore a resemblance to Cai Yong in her features, and her eyes were large, bright, and full of spirit.

This woman was Cai Yong's eldest daughter, Cai Wan.

She had been standing behind the door for a long time, and her knees were starting to go numb.

Seeing the boy sit down again, he gently took two steps back, leaned against the wall, and slowly squatted down.

Her heart was pounding, as fast as if she were carrying a rabbit.

She didn't know why her heart was beating so fast. Was it because of the poems? Or because of that person?

…………

Yong'an Lane, northeast of Luoyang City.

The Yuan residence occupied a vast area, almost half a street.

A plaque made of ebony hangs above the door, bearing the words "Yuan Mansion".

The two stone lions in front of the gate are baring their teeth and claws, their eyes painted with black paint, making them look incredibly lifelike. If you happen to glance at them while passing by at night, it can give you a fright.

Yuan Shu is in a good mood today.

I drank a bowl of honey water and ate two pieces of jujube cake after getting up early. My stomach felt warm and my whole body felt comfortable.

He had a game of pitch-pot set up in the open space in front of the main hall, and a man was drinking honey water while playing the game, having a great time.

When the bowl in one's hand is empty, a maidservant will come forward to refill it.

After taking a sip of honey water, he picked up an arrow and weighed it in his hand.

He squinted one eye, glanced at the spout of the kettle, and flicked his wrist.

Clang!

The arrow landed precisely in the pot with a crisp sound.

Yuan Shu's lips curled up slightly as he took another sip of honey water.

"My lord, I have returned."

A burly man with a dark face strode in from outside the courtyard gate.

This man was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a robust build, broad shoulders, and a thick back.

His square, dark face was covered in the marks of time.

He exudes a rough and bold spirit.

This is Liang Gang, a guest of Yuan Shu.

Although he was called a "guest," his status was only slightly higher than that of a servant, as can be seen from his way of addressing Yuan Shu.

Between true guests and hosts, one addresses the other as "sir" or "lord," never as "master."

Liang Gang was originally a wandering knight-errant in the streets of Luoyang. He stood out in a street fight and was spotted by Yuan Shu, who happened to be passing by in his carriage.

Yuan Shu always liked to recruit people from the streets (mainly because the sons of noble families looked down on him). Seeing that Liang Gang was good at fighting, he recruited him to his side as his henchmen.

Yuan Shu didn't even look up. He picked up another arrow, aimed it, and lazily asked, "Oh, it's Liang Gang. What did that kid say? When is he coming to visit me?"

Liang Gang wiped the sweat from his brow and bowed his head, saying, "My lord, I didn't see Liu Quan. When I arrived at Goushi County, I found his residence, but a dark-skinned young man opened the door and said... said that Liu Quan went to Cai Yong's residence today and wasn't home."

Clang!

The arrow struck the mouth of the pot and bounced off.

Yuan Shu raised his head, his brows furrowing, and said with obvious displeasure, "Oh, you accepted my calling card but didn't come to visit me, instead going to that old codger Cai Yong's residence?!"

He sneered, "Heh, a fool!"

He then waved his hand, "Alright, you can leave now."

Liang Gang walked backwards, thinking to himself, "That Liu Erlang is probably in for a rough time. With my master, if you go along with him, he might not remember your kindness; but if you don't, he'll definitely remember your faults."

…………

In the afternoon, at 3:45 PM, the sun was already beginning to set.

Liu Quan, Liu Bei, and Liu Deran returned to their residence in Goushi County.

Zhang Fei, who was fighting with his men, was overjoyed. He threw one of his men heavily over his shoulder and rushed over without caring whether the man was injured.

Liu Bei, who was chatting and laughing with A Quan and De Ran, immediately became serious upon seeing this scene.

"Yide, how many times have I told you? You can't fight with your own people like this. The servants in your household are our henchmen; how can you treat them so lightly?"

Zhang Fei readily agreed, not taking it to heart at all.

He then immediately inquired about his visit to Cai Yong's house that day, and said with a face full of respect and regret, "That was Cai Bojie, it's a pity I'm not a disciple of Lord Lu."

Liu Bei sighed inwardly, "Yide respects gentlemen but doesn't care for petty men. I should remind him more often. After all, there are more petty men than gentlemen in this world; how can we have more distant ones and fewer close ones?"