Chapter 845: She left with a graceful demeanor.
Mrs. Xiao was about thirty years old, and Luo Xuanjing's age was quite similar to her child. Seeing this beautiful girl, Mrs. Xiao couldn't help but feel happy. She asked Luo Xuanjing softly.
Luo Xuanjing's eyes turned, and he said playfully: "On the east bank of the sacred water, above all the concubines, the clan's name is glorious."
Her answer obviously made Xiao a little stunned, and she was unable to react for a moment. Luo Xuanjing's question was just a small riddle.
There are many rivers in China, such as Yi River, Luo River and Wei River, but there is only one magical water, that is Luo River, just as the Yellow River is the river and the Yangtze River is the river.
The east bank of the sacred water does not simply refer to the east of the Luo River, but is a historical allusion recorded in almost all ancient books.
Before King Wu of Zhou appointed King Su as regent, he said that a piece of land on the east side of Luo River would be granted to King Su, so the east bank of Luo River refers to the State of Luo.
With this understanding, it is easy to understand that the Grand Master is above all the concubines. Of course, the Grand Master is above all the concubines.
When Xiao was waiting to be married in Jiangnan, she was well-known for her extensive knowledge. After a little thought, she came to the conclusion of Luo.
Her eyes lit up, and her face was filled with undisguised joy. "Is she the noble lady of the Luo family?"
Luo Xuanjing knew that Xiao had mistaken her for Gusu Luo, but she thought to herself, Xiao hadn't asked if she was Gusu Luo, so -
Luo Xuanjing nodded in acknowledgement, and Xiao's face broke into a smile. In the autumn, her smile was as warm as spring. She held Luo Xuanjing's hand and said softly, "Follow me."
Why didn't Xiao suspect that Luo Xuanjing was lying?
This was the vision she had because she was born into the Lanling Xiao family. Outstanding men and women were naturally not only from aristocratic families, but the temperaments and styles of the two were different.
Luo Xuanjing has fair and delicate skin, which can be seen from the looks of it that only a lady from an aristocratic family can have. Her temperament is elegant and noble, and she has a strong scholarly air, which is not something that an ordinary person can have.
The clothes she wore seemed ordinary, but the dense stitches were the product of top-notch embroidery. The jade pendant she wore around her waist was worth a fortune, and the hairpin she casually wore on her head was enough to buy her enough to buy a shop in the most prosperous market in Chang'an.
Her taste and temperament were impeccable. The preciousness hidden in the details was beyond words. Only the Xiao family, who also came from a Jiangnan aristocratic family, could understand them. Therefore, the Xiao family had no doubts at all about Luo Xuanjing's identity.
In front of Luo Su, Luo Xuanjing was a cute and lovely girl, but in front of outsiders like the Xiao family, she was a graceful and elegant lady. She followed the Xiao family in accordance with the ancient and elegant etiquette.
…
Under the weeping willows by the river, Yang Guang asked Luo Su with a polite smile, "May I know your name, sir?"
Luo Su swung the fishing rod in his hand gently, and said in the same calm voice as before, "Oh, I am sorry for being disrespectful in front of the King of Jin. Just call me 'Su'."
Yang Guang thought that once he revealed his identity, Luo Su would bow down to him. Even if a commoner had some talent, the gap between him and himself, a prince, was incalculable.
He is not a truly courteous person. Deep down, he is quite self-willed, conceited, and arrogant. It's just that he has been pretending for too long, which has more or less affected his character.
After all, only by making friends with Yang Jian's trusted ministers can one occupy an advantageous position in the fight for the throne. And if one wants to make friends with those powerful ministers, one naturally has to have the demeanor of the ancient sage kings who treated the wise and the humble with respect.
He felt that Luo Su was somewhat extraordinary and not an ordinary person, so his attitude was relatively good now. However, he did not expect that Luo Su would actually show an attitude of ignoring his noble status.
His voice suddenly turned colder, but he still suppressed his laughter and said, "Mr. Su said that those who are willing will take the bait, but I don't know what kind of fish will take the bait? What kind of fish does Mr. Su want to catch?"
Luo Su could naturally hear Yang Guang's extremely subtle change, and silently deducted a lot of points from Yang Guang in his heart, and said in a more casual tone: "Probably fishing for a fish called Tianxia."
Hiss~
The guards who came with Yang Guang were shocked by what Luo Su said. Is this fisherman crazy?
Talking about fishing all the fish in the world in front of King Jin?
Yang Guang's face darkened almost instantly, and he said coldly: "Mr. Su, you have crossed the line.
The world belongs to me, Yang, and it is not in your fishing rod. If there is no reasonable explanation, you will die by the river. You will not be able to catch the world, but will become food for those fish and shrimps to fill their stomachs. "
Luo Su still looked at the river and said calmly: "In the past, the world belonged to King Yu and the Xia Dynasty. After that, it belonged to the Shang Dynasty of the Zi clan. After that, it belonged to the Bang Zhou of the Ji clan. Then, it belonged to the Qin clan of the Ying clan. Then, it belonged to the Han Dynasty of the Liu clan. Now, it belongs to the Yang clan. Who can predict the future?"
"bass!"
The sound of swords being unsheathed and the imposing manner were fierce. The guards were staring at Luo Su with murderous intent in their eyes, but he seemed to feel nothing. Yang Guang laughed in anger. Luo Su kept saying more and more shocking things. Instead, he wanted to hear what this seemingly talented madman had to say. It would not be too late to kill him after listening.
"Mr. Su, stop playing tricks. Just say whatever you want to say. I am here to listen."
Yang Guang's tone was already very bad, and Luo Su silently deducted a lot of points from Yang Guang in his heart. Most people in this world like to hear good words and don't like to hear unpleasant words.
This is very normal, but it is very wrong for someone who may become the ruler of the entire empire in the future.
The king of a dynasty must have the ability to accept unpleasant opinions. He must listen to seemingly radical ideas without changing his expression, even if the words look and sound unpleasant.
It is impossible to maintain an empire perfectly. New defects will arise all the time, which may cause the collapse of the entire empire. If one becomes intoxicated by the prosperity of the empire, the decline of the dynastic empire is inevitable.
Luo Su looked at the angry Yang Guang and said softly, "Doesn't the King of Jin understand that disasters often accumulate from small things? If a king doesn't understand the principle of being prepared for danger in times of peace, how can his rule last long?"
It was like an icy spring pouring down over his head, chilling Yang Guang to the bone.
He is now just the Prince of Jin. He has not become the supreme emperor, does not have many achievements, and is still able to listen to advice.
With just one sentence, Luo Su freed himself from the negative role of cursing the Yang family's kingdom and transformed himself into a remarkable person who knew the great Dao.
Moreover, Yang Guang also heard another meaning from Luo Su's words. Luo Su was speaking to him as a king, which meant that Luo Su believed that he would become the future emperor of the Sui Dynasty. This alone made Yang Guang feel that Luo Su was indeed an extraordinary person.
He tried to test me, "Mr. Su, please forgive my rudeness just now. You just said that the king should understand the principle of being prepared for danger in times of peace. Do you need me to write a letter to my father on your behalf?"
Luo Su said nothing, just looked at him quietly.
It was this look that made Yang Guang feel itchy all over.
Ever since he met Mr. Su, his eyes had never changed, whether it was the intimidation of the guards, the murderous intent of drawing the sword, or his own dissatisfaction.
Calm, extreme calm, is like a mountain, a towering mountain, or like water, a calm pool of water.
Yang Guang felt that all the little schemes in his heart had been revealed in broad daylight. He felt panicky about having his secrets exposed, and he didn't know how many people knew that he wanted to seize the throne.
His throat felt dry and itchy, and he asked in a low voice, "Mr. Su?"
Luo Su then withdrew his scrutinizing gaze and said calmly, "Even the Qin Dynasty had three kings. Could it be that the Sui Dynasty didn't even have a second king?"
Yang Guang took a deep breath. In front of Mr. Su, he felt too much pressure. No matter what he was thinking, it was observed clearly. This feeling was too terrible.
He has not fled in panic or launched a sudden attack, completely relying on his curiosity. Since ancient times, there has been no shortage of such adventures in history books, such as meeting strange people on the road, and being given the heavenly book, and in the end the protagonist of the story always achieves great things.
This Mr. Su is a strange man. This is the image that Luo Su created in Yang Guang's mind through just a few words of communication. It is also the first time he has met a commoner who can be so calm and neither humble nor arrogant in front of him.
"Since Mr. Su said that we should be prepared for danger in times of peace, could you please tell me what crisis the Sui Dynasty is facing? Why is Mr. Su using the destruction of the country as a warning?
It has only been a short time since the establishment of the Sui Dynasty. The four barbarians have submitted to us, the country is peaceful, the territory is vastly greater than in ancient times, and the population is unprecedented. I really can't see any crisis for the Great Sui Dynasty."
The territory Yang Guang referred to was not the land area. For the Xia people, there was no awareness of national boundaries like in later generations. What mattered was the sphere of influence, which was determined by the traditional tribute system.
As the saying goes, All under heaven belongs to the king, and all within the four seas are the king's subjects.
Remote areas are just lands that have not yet been conquered, so the territory refers to the usable land in the country, which can be explained in many ways.
In some interpretations, mountains, rivers, and lakes all belong to the territory, and grasslands where horses can graze also belong to the territory.
Many people don't care about those deserts, Gobi and useless mountains because they have neither military nor economic value.
The narrowest interpretation of territory is cultivated land. The Sui Dynasty had a lot of cultivated land, and Yang Guang was very confident. He was so confident that he almost raised his invisible tail.
The population of the Sui Dynasty was also extremely large, far exceeding any period in history. These two factors made Yang Guang feel that he could finally face the scrutiny of Mr. Su with ease.
Luo Su did not beat around the bush and said directly: "King Jin, have you ever thought that the land and population of the Sui Dynasty are fake?"
Yang Guang was stunned when he heard this, thinking that he had heard it wrong. He waited for a moment to make sure that he had not heard it wrong, and said angrily: "Mr. Su, you have never been an official in our Sui Dynasty, how dare you speak on the national policy?
I thought you were something..."
Luo Su interrupted him and said again in a decisive tone, "The land and population are fake. There is not so much land, and there are not so many people."
After saying that, Luo Su put away the fishing rod in his hand, stood up and was about to leave, without even looking at Yang Guang.
"You can't leave!"
He took a few steps, but the guard naturally couldn't let him leave casually, so he stopped him with a knife in hand.
Luo Xuanye appeared at the right time, holding a sharp sword and looking grim. He easily knocked down several burly guards with just the scabbard of his sword. He came to Luo Su and whispered, "Ancestor."
Luo Su held Luo Xuanye's arm and whispered, "Go pick up Ah Jing. We are going to Guandong. We don't need to stay in Chang'an anymore."
Yang Guang came back to his senses and looked at Luo Xuanye, who was handsome and majestic beside Luo Su. He immediately realized that he had underestimated Mr. Su. He was not a "commoner".
Yang Guang was a typical aristocrat, and had similar ideas to Li Yuan. In other words, these high-ranking families had similar ideas, because over the years, countless power struggles and changes of dynasties had taken place among the upper-class aristocrats.
Therefore, people like Yang Guang and Li Yuan all had the same idea, that is, politics was only in the hands of a few nobles, and those ordinary people were just pawns and could not amount to anything.
Therefore, when Luo Su met Yang Guang as a commoner, Yang Guang still didn't take him seriously. But now that Luo Su only slightly revealed his identity, Yang Guang changed his attitude.
But it was too late. Luo Su got into the carriage without hesitation. At the moment when the curtain fell and the black ribbon on Luo Xuanye's head fluttered, Yang Guang felt as if he saw something.
Stigmata?
Luo's holy mark?
Yang Guang was shocked!
…
As soon as Luo Xuanjing appeared in front of the female relatives, she stood out from the crowd. Her manners were impeccable, and her speech and behavior were like a true aristocrat, more noble than all the nobles present.
Occasionally, some of her words were not in line with the times, so she smiled and said, "My elders taught me that this is the etiquette of the ancient Zhou Dynasty. In the past, it was the etiquette for the wives of nobles to meet the queen.
Now that the world has deposed the king and enthroned the emperor, I don’t know how to show respect.”
As a result, she attracted the attention of many female relatives, until a female relative from Jiangnan asked curiously, "I wonder which branch of the Gusu Luo family you belong to? The Luo family is really rich and profound. A person as talented and beautiful as you can hide it so deeply. You are more than qualified to be a princess."
Luo Xuanjing then said leisurely: "Why do you think I am from Gusu Luo clan? Although my clan name is Luo, I am not a daughter of Gusu Luo clan."
ah?
Luo Xuanjing's words caused an uproar in the audience. No one could have imagined that she was not a girl from Gusu Luo's family. There was only one Luo's family in the world, and anyone from the Luo's family must be a descendant of the Su King, with their bloodline inheritance and family tree clearly visible.
"Isn't it Gusu Luo Clan? Is there another Luo Clan in this world?"
It wasn't just one person who was asking this question, but almost everyone was whispering. Even the Princess of Jin was shocked and stared at Luo Xuanjing with her eyes wide open.
"Could it be the lineage of Yinghou from the Han Dynasty?"
"Impossible. The lineage of Yinghou was destroyed along with the Han Dynasty. Only the female relatives went to Gusu Luo Clan."
These noble ladies were chattering here, discussing where Luo Xuanjing came from, but no one doubted that she was born into a common family. This was the charm of Luo Xuanjing.
Luo Xuanjing looked at this scene with a smile on his face. After the initial shock, Xiao asked Luo Xuanjing directly, "Miss Xuanjing, it seems that we can't guess it, so you should tell us yourself."
Just at this moment, a loud whistle sounded, Luo Xuanjing's eyes lit up, and a carriage appeared outside the garden. Luo Xuanjing covered his mouth and laughed softly, pointing to the carriage road outside: "Everyone, my brother is here to pick me up, so I'll take my leave now.
Princess Jin, you are really beautiful. I look forward to meeting you next time. By then you will probably know my identity, which should be a big surprise. "
After saying that, she lifted her skirt and ran towards the carriage. Even at a trot, her back was still so beautiful, like a deer leaping on the lawn in the woods, full of energy and vitality.
She stopped in front of Luo Xuanye, and the ladies could then see Luo Xuanye's face clearly. He was dressed in a tight suit with a tie on his forehead, looking very heroic, which made the ladies blush.
"Is that Miss Xuan Jing's brother? If he is indeed the son of the Luo family, I wonder if he is married."
"Miss Xuan Jing is stunningly beautiful, and her brother is also such a handsome man, it's really enviable."
Luo Xuanjing could roughly guess what those noble ladies were talking about. Luo Xuanye's cold face softened slightly and said, "A Jing, hurry up and get in the car. We are leaving Guanzhong and heading to Guandong. The ancestor is in the car."
Luo Xuanjing raised his hands and clapped, "Great, let's go to Kanto!"
The curtain of the car opened and fell.
During these few short seconds, the ladies and female relatives who had been staring at this place were dumbfounded. They could not believe what they saw and their faces flushed red.
"Is that really the kind of face a person can have?"
Next to Luo Su, even Luo Xuanjing and Luo Xuanye pale in comparison. In the Luo family, neither of them was known for their looks, especially Luo Xuanye, who only had a minimum charm value of over 90, while Luo Su's was the limit of 99.
Even the married women were so moved that they couldn't help themselves. If Luo Su walked slower, they would definitely throw the chrysanthemums and fruits in their hands onto Luo Su's cart to express their admiration.
Luo Su and the other two waved their sleeves and left, leaving behind only broken unrequited love.
…
The carriage was moving very fast. As it moved on the straight road, spiritual soldiers gradually appeared, protecting Luo Su and his companions in various ways. The scenery on both sides kept receding backwards.
Luo Su looked at Luo Xuanjing with a smile and said, "It seems that you get along very well with the Princess of Jin. It shouldn't be because she is gentle and beautiful that you like her, right?"
Luo Xuanjing blushed and said, "Grandfather, please don't tease me. This Princess Jin is indeed a very virtuous woman, and she is kind-hearted, has her own opinions, and has extraordinary insights. If the Prince of Jin really becomes the emperor in the future, she will definitely be an excellent queen, capable of being the mother of the country.
She has a very deep relationship with the King of Jin, so perhaps we can start with her."
Hearing this, Luo Su said with some regret: "Then you may be disappointed. Even if the Princess of Jin is excellent, it will be useless if the Prince of Jin is not good."
Luo Xuanye drove in silence. Although he didn't say anything after hearing this, his ears perked up and he listened carefully to every word Luo Su said. His eyes were still on the front. He had high driving skills and tried his best to minimize the bumps.
Luo Xuanjing asked curiously: "Grandfather, did the King of Jin fail to catch your eye?"
Luo Su recalled his meeting with Yang Guang and wondered where to start.
"This Prince of Jin Yang Guang is stronger than his brother Yang Yong. At least Yang Guang knows what he wants. He wants the throne, so he pretends to be such a wise king. He even fooled himself. He was able to maintain a certain level of rationality under my deliberate provocation.
But pretense is just pretense. Once there is no one or anything that can suppress it, its true nature will be immediately exposed. This is why many people behave very differently before and after they ascend the throne.
This kind of behavior is essentially a lack of strong inner strength and self-control, and can only rely on external suppression, but in the imperial system, there is no one or anything above the monarch that can be suppressed. "
Luo Xuanjing frowned. Without strong inner strength, this is a big problem. It will affect almost every aspect of one's personality. She asked again, "What is his nature like?"
Luo Su pondered for a moment and used a very accurate term - "a standard meat eater."
Now even Luo Xuanye couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. The old ancestor didn't even give him the evaluation of "aristocrat", but used the word "carnivore". The word "aristocrat" is neutral and has both positive and negative meanings, but the word "carnivore" is now completely associated with negative meanings such as lack of foresight.
It is conceivable that our ancestors' evaluation of the King of Jin was rather negative.
Luo Xuanjing asked in surprise: "Is it so bad? The Prince of Jin, who was able to get along so well with Princess Jin, is actually such a person. Could it be that my observation of Princess Jin was wrong?"
She naturally believed in the vision of her ancestors. Luo Su smiled and shook her head, and said in a somewhat inexplicable tone: "In fact, this Jin Wang Yang Guang is not only not bad, he can even be called excellent in some aspects.
He has a strong poetic air and a romantic flavor. What he says is grand. He has his own views on the world and is very persistent in his achievements. His ambitions are very lofty.
If I were to choose one person to describe his temperament, it would probably be Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han."
Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han?
Luo Xuanjing and Luo Xuanye were already confused. These two emperors, who had completely different evaluations and reputations in history books, were indeed very similar in some aspects. The difference was that Qin Shihuang did not have such a rich family background and did not fight as hard as the Luo family. In the end, the Qin Dynasty collapsed, but Qin Shihuang's ambitions were basically fulfilled.
For example, he conquered the Huns in the north, conquered the Nanyue in the south, and unified the world.
Emperor Wu of Han had the support of the Luo family and the prosperous foundation accumulated in the previous period, so he fulfilled his ambitions and the country was not in any problem.
There is no doubt that these two people both had great talents and strategies. Even the princes who defeated the Qin Dynasty all acknowledged that Qin Shihuang was extraordinary.
Most of the people who curse Qin Shihuang just curse him for using the people's power too severely and not giving the people a rest. No one criticizes his national design and planning.
Now Luo Su used these two people to describe Yang Guang, which made the two of them a little confused. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? It sounds like a good thing, but it doesn't feel like it.
Luo Xuanye whipped the horse, then spoke for the first time and asked, "Grandfather, do you mean that if Prince Jin Yang Guang becomes emperor, the Sui Dynasty might collapse?"
Luo Su thought about it and shook his head.
Luo Xuanjing supported his cheek and said, "Then do you think that Prince of Jin Yang Guang will create achievements like Emperor Xiaowu of Han and eventually become a great sage king?"
Luo Su shook his head without hesitation. What a joke. How could Yang Guang deceive Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che?
Seeing this, Luo Xuanjing hugged Luo Su's arm and shook it coquettishly, saying, "Grandfather, we two are relatively stupid, so just say it directly."
After pondering for a long time, Luo Su gave an answer that made Luo Xuanjing and Luo Xuanye a little unbelievable - "Luck."
This is Luo Su’s answer: “What kind of achievements Yang Guang can create depends on his luck.
He would certainly make extensive use of the people's power, but the Sui Dynasty had a strong foundation, with its sophisticated armies, abundant granaries in various places, the military nobles supporting the Sui Dynasty, and the extremely outstanding civil and military officials who had just founded the country.
These things are the foundation of the Sui Dynasty, which is countless times deeper than the foundation before the collapse of the Qin Dynasty. Theoretically, the Sui Dynasty would not have perished in the second generation.
With these foundations in place, the situation in which the central government was unable to resist, as happened at the end of the Qin Dynasty, would not have occurred.
With the strength of the Sui Dynasty, it was enough to make the four barbarians submit, as long as Yang Guang could successfully complete the achievements within his sight and then stay safely in the Central Plains.
With such a huge central military force and strength, it is easy to suppress local rebellions.
The key is that he must successfully subdue the surrounding countries. If he fails to do so, then something bad will happen.”
Leaving the fate of a huge empire to luck is a bit of a joke. Luo Xuanjing and Luo Xuanye could not help but look at each other.
Luo Su thinks this is normal, “Any country or individual in the world must work hard, but the main thing is to consider the course of history.
Man proposes, God disposes.
No matter how powerful I am, if there is a severe drought for ten years, I can only watch people eat each other and watch everyone in the world die.
For a dynasty, every sudden natural disaster or man-made disaster is a loss of its national fortune and lifespan. If it is unlucky and encounters a natural disaster and a tyrant, then the dynasty will be destroyed in an instant. Isn't it quite reasonable?"
Luo Xuanjing pursed his lips, took a deep breath and said: "Grandfather, should we do something? Let's make some changes."
Luo Su looked at the bleak mountains on both sides that kept retreating, pointed at the leaves that kept falling and said, "A Jing, A Ye, look, these leaves will fall this autumn, and new leaves will grow next spring. The same is true for dynasties. Decline and rebirth are all determined by heaven.
Don't let the Sui Dynasty, a dynasty that is destined to perish, hinder our progress. Let's wait until our travels are over before we move forward. It won't be like the Qin Dynasty, which perished in just a dozen years.
Go to Kanto!
Go see the vast land of heroes, and then go to Jiangnan!"
————
In ancient times, tyrants relied on severe punishments and sharp swords to wish to pass on their rule to all generations. But when they were defeated and destroyed, why was that? It is understandable that they were extremely extravagant and lustful, and they were rebellious and murderous. Therefore, the world cannot be maintained. We should only preserve goodness and make the country last forever. - "Zhenguan Zhengyao"
(End of this chapter)
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