Time passes like water.

Xu Xian and his companions completely integrated into the tavern.

Bai Suzhen, Zhao Linger and Cassia hit it off right away. They chatted about parenting experiences every day and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Xiaoqing followed her sister and found this place as novel as ever.

She was quite interested in Xiaobai and Xiaoqing, and she envied their temperaments so much that she deliberately imitated them in her words and deeds in her daily life.

Since entering the tavern, Xu Xian's temperament has changed a little, or to be more precise, he has returned to his original nature.

In his relationship with Bai Suzhen, he has always been in a weak position.

Whether in terms of the initiative of the two parties in communication or in terms of wealth, he is inferior to the other party.

Bao'an Hall could only open thanks to Bai Suzhen's funding.

Having lived off so many people, he couldn't help but feel ashamed.

After discovering the other party's true identity, the feeling of gap made him even more confused, so when Fahai came to him for the first time, he knelt down and begged the two snakes to leave with him.

The emergence of the tavern brought him a complete transformation.

His confidence returned, and he regained his former elegant self.

This is his true appearance.

If he had been so timid from the beginning, Bai Suzhen would not have fallen in love with him.

now.

Xu Xian sat between Zhu Youjian and Huang Yaoshi, and opposite him were Zhao Kuangyin, Li Shimin and Zhao Gang.

Six people gathered around a table, each with a cup of mellow and glutinous rice wine and some cakes in front of them, and they were discussing the ways to govern the country with great interest.

Among these people, Xu Xian's personal strength is undoubtedly unique.

By virtue of his own Taoism, he can be considered a god.

However, he was not very interested in slaying demons and monsters, nor did he want to kill his way to heaven like Sun Wukong did.

He considers himself a scholar and wants to benefit the world.

Everyone talked about how to govern the country and had differences of opinion on some concepts.

For example, the balance point between rule by ritual and rule by law.

Xu Xian believed that governing a country should be based on etiquette and educating the people. The function of the law is more to ensure a bottom line of deterrence rather than punishment.

Huang Yaoshi and Zhao Gang echoed.

The three emperors, including Zhao Kuangyin, who was known for his benevolence and righteousness, did not agree with this view and insisted that the rule of law should be the basis, supplemented by ritual and education.

"Human nature is stupid. If we don't check and balance it with strict laws, relying solely on rituals and education is just a pipe dream!" Zhu Youjian said.

He was particularly touched by this matter.

The ministers under his command were well-read, but they were all filthy inside. They acted in a high-sounding manner on the surface, but they were actually despicable in private! If these people were like this, what else could the people say? Li Shimin agreed: "Ritual governance is only to make the people have a sense of shame, but it cannot cover up the evil of human nature. It must be severely punished by law so that they will fear the power and cherish virtue!"

Xu Xian didn't think so, and said, "Human nature is good, and should be guided and educated. If everyone knows etiquette, wouldn't the world be peaceful?"

Zhao Gang is not as idealistic as Xu Xian, but he sees things just as clearly: "Looking at the people of the world, eight out of ten crimes are committed because of lack of food and clothing and the pressure of livelihood. If everyone had enough food and clothing, there wouldn't be so many disputes!"

Huang Yaoshi agreed: "It is indeed as Political Commissar Zhao said, people are not worried about the lack of people but about injustice. If we promote education and make the people well-educated and polite, how can we cross the legal red line?!"

The six people talked to each other, but they couldn't convince each other at all.

By the end of the debate, the issue even shifted to whether the people should participate in political affairs.

The three emperors all felt that the people could be easily fooled, and even if they participated, they would only become a tool for some people to gain power.

Xu Xian and other two disagreed.

In their view, even if this is true, the people are worth more and thus are valued by those in power, rather than being treated as pawns that can be sacrificed at any time.

Just as everyone was debating heatedly, a few people suddenly saw Huang Yaoshi staring at the left side of the bar with a look of surprise.

The others looked over.

When they saw that it was a middle-aged man with messy hair, tattered clothes, bare chest, and stains all over his body, they all fell silent.

Zhu Youjian couldn't help but put his hand on his nose.

The man exuded a foul odor all over his body, which made him instinctively feel disgusted.

"How come even a crazy beggar like this can come to the tavern?" Zhu Youjian thought to himself.

Although his ancestor Zhu Yuanzhang was once a beggar, he was not this crazy!

The man was originally shouting something like "Others laugh at me for being too crazy, I laugh at others for not seeing through me", but when he suddenly saw the situation around him, he closed his mouth and his eyes became shocked and confused.

"Welcome to the Space-Time Tavern!" Ying Yinman looked calm and smiled at the man.

The man then turned to look at her.

When he saw Ying Yinman's appearance, he was obviously stunned for a moment.

He scratched his hair hard and murmured, "Am I really crazy?"

…

Half a year ago.

Tang Bohu and his daughter lived alone in Taohua Temple in Suzhou City.

He made a living by selling calligraphy and paintings, and his life was dull and lonely.

Already in his forties, he has lost the romantic spirit of his youth. He spends his days with calligraphy and painting, enjoying fine wine, hoping to spend the rest of his life in this way.

He had many guests, but most of them were businessmen who wanted paintings.

Those high-ranking officials were rarely willing to have anything to do with him.

Looking back on the past, he often feels angry and regretful.

Twenty years ago, he was in the prime of his life. He went to the capital to take part in the imperial examination as a top scorer. He had swept away the decadence that had followed the deaths of his father, wife and children a few years earlier. He was full of ambition and high spirits.

With his status as the top scholar in the provincial examination, he also married the daughter of the He family as his second wife, and felt that his future was bright.

When Xu Jing admired his talent and offered to sponsor his travel expenses and go north with him, he naturally would not refuse.

Xu Jing only enjoyed reading and was well-known for his talent in the Jiangnan area. He was happy to interact with him.

Unexpectedly, this incident became the beginning of misfortune.

When they arrived in the capital, Xu Jing took him to visit his teacher during the provincial examination, Cheng Minzheng, the Minister of Rites.

Cheng Minzheng welcomed the two of them.

Not long ago, he had heard of Tang Bohu's name from Liang Chu, the chief examiner of this year's provincial examination. He had read his articles and admired them very much.

The two of them visited Cheng Minzheng frequently and exchanged academic ideas with him.

When they heard that Cheng Minzheng was appointed as the chief examiner of this session, Tang Bohu and his companions were still complacent, thinking that they had got the foresight to communicate with him.

Tang Bohu dreamed of winning three prizes in a row.

After all, he has always been confident in his own talents.

Unexpectedly, this incident became an excuse for Cheng Minzheng's political enemies to attack him and report him for cheating in the imperial examination.

Even though there was no substantial evidence in the end, the emperor still issued an edict to strip Tang Bohu and the other man of their honors and demoted them to minor officials in order to set an example.

This incident was a huge blow to Tang Bohu.

When he returned to Jiangnan in a daze, He saw that his future was hopeless, so she asked for a divorce letter and parted ways with him.

My younger brother also suggested splitting up and living separately.

His wife left him and Tang Bohu's life hit rock bottom.

He completely lost hope in life, became a bohemian, travelled far and wide, visited famous mountains and rivers, visited brothels and hotels in various places, spent all his wealth, and lived a life of drunkenness and debauchery.

After hearing that Xu Jing, who was also stripped of his official title, had passed away, he decided to stay away from officialdom.

He didn't know that Xu Jing would have a descendant named Xu Xiake who helped boost Emperor Gaozu's reputation.

In addition, he met Shen Jiuniang, a famous prostitute in Yangzhou.

Shen Jiuniang admired his talent, knowledge, and loyalty.

Tang Bohu was unruly by nature. Despite others' advice, he insisted on marrying Shen Jiuniang and gave birth to a daughter named Tao Sheng.

After he had a wife and daughter, he felt that his life had a new direction, so he bought an abandoned garden in Gusu City, planted peach blossoms, and named it Taohuawu.

Not burdened by fame and fortune, he and Shen Jiuniang lived in harmony and spent several happy years together.

But there seemed to be a pair of eyes in the dark that couldn't bear to see him being happy and at ease.

A few years later, Shen Jiuniang fell ill and passed away.

Tang Bohu was devastated and suspected that he was the reincarnation of a disaster star.

He was disheartened and decided never to marry. He lived with his daughter from then on, and spent his days reading and drinking.

Until the messenger came half a year ago.

The other party claimed to be a confidant of Prince Ning, praised his talents, invited him to become Prince Ning's staff, and promised him a large sum of money.

Under that man's persuasion, Tang Bohu's ambition was rekindled.

What a pity it is to waste my great talent!

Prince Ning is a member of the royal family. If I perform well in front of him, maybe I will have a chance to be recommended to the emperor!

Not to mention Lian Po, Li Jing, Guo Ziyi and others, even Jiang Ziya in the pre-Qin period and Duke Wen of Jin, one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, are all examples of late bloomers!

I am in my forties and there is still a lot to do in the future!

Tang Bohu readily agreed.

However, after a month in Prince Ning's Mansion, he finally discovered the reason why the other party recruited him.

Prince Ning wants to rebel!

Tang Bohu was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat.

He was involved in cheating in the imperial examination in his early years, which has wasted half his life. If he is involved in a rebellion again, I am afraid that all his relatives will be implicated!

After hearing the news, Tang Bohu lost his appetite for several days.

He decided to act crazy and stupid and package himself as a person who was just seeking fame and reputation in vain.

He drank all day, got drunk, and flirted with the maids in the house.

But King Ning had no intention of driving him away.

The reason why he was invited was not because King Ning was impressed by his talent, but more importantly, it was to win people's hearts.

His identity as one of the four great talents in Jiangnan and his reputation for being frustrated had already spread far and wide. If he could use this opportunity to recruit some celebrities who were disloyal to the emperor, it would be a win-win situation for Prince Ning.

Seeing that this plan failed, Tang Bohu decided to go even crazier.

He took off all his clothes and ran naked on the street, telling everyone he met, "I am the distinguished guest of King Ning." He also deliberately rushed into the King Ning's banquet when he was entertaining guests, with his body covered in stains, in the hope of being sent back.

Today, he heard the servants in the palace mention that a distinguished guest was coming, so he deliberately dressed in unkempt hair and knocked over the swill bucket, getting all covered in the smelly liquid, and then stumbled towards the reception room.

All the servants along the way covered their noses and faces, unable to look straight.

When he turned a corner, a series of strange images suddenly flashed through Tang Bohu's mind, and a voice was heard.

"Time and Space Tavern?"

Tang Bohu's first thought was an illusion.

He thought that he had been acting crazy and stupid all day and his sanity had really been affected.

Thinking of those magical images, he subconsciously chose "yes" to see how serious his illness was.

What followed was the green tiles and red walls in front of me, which turned into a bright and sophisticated strange building.

The wall was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting his figure.

The sky above his head was as bright as the starry sky, and the light was soft, making him feel like he was in a dream.

There are also those figures around that seem real.

He was confused and surprised.

Until he heard a voice, he looked in the direction of the voice and saw a woman who was more beautiful than a fairy and had a noble temperament.

Tang Bohu was almost stunned.

"Am I really crazy?" he murmured to himself.

…

Ying Yinman looked at the middle-aged man in front of her.

Even though the other person was acting crazy, she didn't show any strange look.

"It's not that the guest is crazy, but you are very lucky, so you were invited to the tavern!" she said with a smile.

Tang Bohu was confused.

He suddenly reached out and pinched his thigh hard.

A piercing pain came over him, and he couldn't help but gasp.

"Are these all true?" He was puzzled.

"Of course it's true!" another voice came from behind.

He turned his head and saw a man in white clothes speaking.

The man had a free and easy temperament, a smile on his face, and a glass of wine in his hand.

After smelling the aroma of the wine, Tang Bohu's eyes became a little more sober.

He suddenly realized that all this did not seem to be an illusion.

He had never tasted this kind of wine before! "My name is Li Bai, what's your name?" Li Bai asked with a smile.

He was talking about cultivation with another sword immortal, Li Bai. After the other party left, he happened to see Tang Bohu.

Tang Bohu looked disheveled, like a mad and stupid beggar. He didn't take it seriously at first, but he inadvertently heard the poem from the other person's mouth.

Others laugh at me for being too crazy, I laugh at them for not seeing through me; I don’t see the tombs of the heroes of Wuling, I don’t have flowers or wine, I just hoe the fields…

In just a few sentences, the artistic conception of the poem made Li Bai's eyes light up and he took the initiative to step forward.

Hearing the name Li Bai, Tang Bohu was shocked and asked in surprise, "Li Bai, the Immortal Poet?"

Li Bai smiled and nodded: "It's me!"

"A pot of wine among the flowers!" Tang Bohu said subconsciously.

"Drinking alone without a companion." Li Bai continued.

"Raise the glass to the bright moon." Tang Bohu said again.

"My shadow and I make three people." Li Bai smiled.

Because of the existence of the tavern, Li Bai's personal experience has long been unrecognizable compared with historical records. Except for his early poems, the style of his other poems is quite different from those in the "future".

Even this poem he heard from other people.

Tang Bohu was so excited that his body began to tremble, his face full of disbelief: "You...are actually Li Bai!"

He had always admired Li Bai very much and once wrote a poem, "There was the moon before Li Bai, but only Li Bai's poems can express it." He never thought that he would actually meet him one day.

Li Bai smiled and said, "I haven't asked for your name yet, brother?"

Tang Bohu stood up straight, raised his hands, saluted solemnly and said: "I am Tang Yin, with the courtesy name Bohu!"

…

(End of this chapter)