Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 112: Zhu State
The origin of the state of Zhu
According to legend, Lu Zhong, a descendant of Zhuanxu, married the sister of Guifang and gave birth to six sons.

Among them, the fifth son was named Cao An, and he was the ancestor of the Cao surname.

After King Wu destroyed the Shang Dynasty, he bestowed titles on the descendants of meritorious officials and sages. He granted the descendant of Cao An, Jia, the title of Marquis of Zhu, which is known in history as "Zhu Jia" or "Cao Jia".

However, when Zhu Xie was first established, its status was like that of Fei Zi who was enfeoffed in Qin. It had to wait until the country was truly established as a vassal state and until Duke Huan of Qi became the hegemon.

When Duke Huan of Qi first became hegemon, the Lord of Zhu actively supported him and worked hard to connect with other countries on his behalf.

After the meeting in Juandi in the second year of King Xi, Duke Huan of Qi finally achieved his hegemony. In order to repay the State of Zhu, he petitioned the King of Zhou to confer the title of Viscount on the State of Zhu. The ruler of the State of Zhu began to be called "Zhu Zi", and the State of Zhu began to be ranked among the princes.

Today,

Many ancestral temples have been destroyed, but the state of Zhu, because it was small and weak, and had long been dependent on neighboring Qi and Lu, it never caused trouble, so it has been passed down steadily to this day, and its life has been more comfortable than that of the Zhou emperor.

When He Bo walked in the city, he couldn't help but sigh, "The land of Qi and Lu is much more stable than the Three Jins."

The State of Qi was good at doing business, and in order to do business well, it was important to maintain social stability.

This is also an important reason why the Tian family replaced the Qi family.

Tian said: Although I am going to change the dynasty, I still have to do business!
As for the State of Lu,

The country was originally weak, and it dared not move while staying on the border of Qi, let alone invade Zhu.

After all, if the State of Zhu was really annexed, it would give the State of Qi a perfect reason to annex the State of Lu.

Thanks to the stable food chain in the land of Qi and Lu, although the State of Zhu had few cities, it rarely experienced wars.

Most of the pedestrians in the city looked calm, as if they were still living in the Spring and Autumn Period, rather than the Warring States Period when war was raging.

Because Qi took the lead in doing business and making money, the business spirit in Zhu also became quite vigorous, and the market looked very prosperous.

Among the stalls in the market, some sold coarse linen cloth, while others sold precious food.

Coincidentally,

He Bo had just arrived and did not have any currency from Zhu or Qi.

He planned to inquire about the local prices so that he could catch some fish from the river in exchange.

Although he couldn't eat or drink, He Bo had to bring some souvenirs back since he had finally come here.

Even the thieves don't leave empty-handed.
What about ghosts and gods?

As soon as he approached, the butcher greeted him enthusiastically, "Gentleman, would you like to buy some meat?"

He Bo shook his head.

Before he asked the price of the meat, the boss picked up the knife and said, "We are about to slaughter a pig. If you want, I will cut you the freshest and most delicious piece!"

"Ah, but I don't have any money."

The boss smiled cheerfully and said, "It doesn't matter if you don't have money!"

"Anyway, the pigs are going to be slaughtered soon. If you want to eat meat someday, just remember to come to my shop!"

After saying that, the boss asked his son to guard the butcher shop while he went to the back to slaughter the pig.

He Bo followed curiously, and no one stopped him.

The shop at that time was built in a simple manner, with only an earthen wall separating it. Behind it was the place that made countless beasts feel their blood boiling and even splashing.

In addition to the pigs that had been pinned down, He Bo also saw people catching chickens and slaughtering geese.

The boss came in carrying an expensive copper knife, and then called out to others, "Come, kill the pig!"

So several apprentices came over immediately, some holding basins, some carrying water.

One of them looked less than ten years old. He was thin and small. Standing with the butchers, he felt like a chicken or duck waiting to be slaughtered in the hands of others.

then,

He Bo saw a butcher's apprentice reach out, grab the child's collar, and slide him aside.

"Don't block the way, or the pig will struggle and kick you, which will be bad!"

The child was picked up and placed obediently. He stood by without saying a word, just watching the scene in front of him curiously.

He Bo walked over and asked him, "Why are you working at such a young age?"

People are not even as big as pigs.

The courage is enough,
Dare to face the blood.

"I'm here to learn." said the child.

He Bo saw that he was dressed simply and thought it was normal for his parents to send him to learn a craft, so he didn't say much.

He clasped his hands together, squatted down, and watched the butcher slaughtering the pig with the child.

The butcher was an old hand and moved very skillfully. In no time he had cut a pig into a pile of meat. He burned off the hair with fire, rinsed it clean with water, and then piled it on the meat stall, inviting people to buy.

The children followed him out and learned to shout as well.

Seeing that he was shouting very hard and loudly, He Bo asked him again, "If you call people and sell the meat, will the master give you some?"

But the child said, "Why give it to me?"

"Aren't you his apprentice? You did things for him, so you should at least give him some meat?"

"But I'm not an apprentice!" The child's eyes showed clear doubt, "I'm just here to learn."

He Bo nodded, then looked at the boss.

The boss then explained, "This kid followed his mother and moved to my neighborhood not long ago. He really likes to watch me slaughter pigs."

"I saw that he was a quick learner, so I let him follow me and didn't drive him away."

He Bo slapped his head and said, "So you came to my door for free!"

The boss laughed and said, "If he really has the talent to do this, I can hire him!"

The new neighbor is an orphan and a widow, so the boss feels that he has some kindness and doesn't mind lending a hand.

unfortunately,

The child's mother was obviously not happy.

He Bo said a few words about the child, and after asking the boss about the prices in Zhu State, he had not yet returned to the river to fish when he saw a young woman rushing over and grabbing the child's ears, "You came here to learn these things again!"

"Last time you imitated someone else's funeral, this time you imitated someone else's pig slaughtering, what else will you learn in the future? I really don't dare to imagine!"

The child screamed in pain and didn't dare to refute, but he also didn't say he was wrong!

His mother apologized to the boss again, "This child likes to learn from others. Please forgive me if I disturbed you."

The boss waved his hand and said, "It's okay. If you have the talent, go and learn it. A man should always learn something to keep him company."

That's all. He even picked up a piece of meat and handed it to the other party, "Here, this kid also shouted a few words for me today, this is your reward!"

"How can this be possible!"

But the mother refused and refused to accept it no matter what, and just dragged the child away.

The boss watched the man leave and suddenly said to He Bo, "My new neighbor is actually quite amazing."

"A widow living with a child, spinning hemp every day to support her family, must have suffered a lot."

"But she is still very polite and moral. She never seeks profit from others and only works hard to earn money."

He Bo nodded in agreement, "Yes, what a good woman and a good mother!"

He thought the topic was coming to an end, so he planned to go fishing by the river, or go hunting in the nearby mountains and forests, in exchange for the specialties of Zhu State that he liked.

As a result, the boss started talking and didn't stop. He said to him, "Actually, my wife has been gone for a few years, and I'm thinking of marrying a new one to live with." "Huh?"

He Bo turned to look at him.

The boss said, "Gentleman, do you think there is a possibility between me and the guy just now?"

He Bo looked at the stall in front of him with a lot of meat, and then remembered that the young mother refused to accept the meat even for free.

“…I’m not sure about this either.”

Although he has outstanding looks, He Bo has no experience in relationships.

After all, He Bo is surrounded by a bunch of dead ghosts. The only two who can be called "female" are Yi Zhongna, who has died and turned into the pig ghost's mount, and Ximen Bao's wife.

But whether it was the wild boars of Taihang or the tigers of Hedong, He Bo had never had in-depth contact with them.

Speaking of hobbies,

He Bo likes rivers that are clear, slow-flowing and not hostile to him.

If it is a mountain, He Bo would have higher requirements and would like a variety of plants and trees and a rich variety of animals and birds.

The boss sighed in frustration, muttering, "It's so lonely late at night..."

He Bo ignored him and just slipped away.

I was afraid that someone would ask me about marriage and love issues again.

After fishing in the river and hunting in the forest and exchanging the money for local currency, He Bo went to the city to buy things the next day.

When he passed by the butcher's shop, he saw the child watching the boss slaughtering pigs and selling meat.

The boss also followed his lead to demonstrate his honest, reliable and kind nature, so as to find a roundabout way to escape being single.

Not long after,
The child's mother came again, carrying the child away who wanted to learn everything.

How long has He Bo stayed in this city?
How long did this scene repeat itself?

The ghosts and gods were all amused by this.

He even found the child's mother and asked her, "Killing pigs and selling meat is a good skill, why don't you let your child learn it?"

The mother said, "My child has a talent for learning. I hope he can learn better and restore the glory of the family."

She introduced her family's origins, claiming that she was a descendant of a noblewoman from the State of Lu and had moved to the State of Zhu three generations ago.

He Bo was still a little puzzled. "Now that etiquette and music have collapsed, if we insist on our ancestral noble status instead of making a living on our own, how can we have a chance to revive our glory?"

People are starving to death.
There would be no such thing as "poetry and distant places".

The mother added, "I naturally know that the world has become like this."

"But only by setting high aspirations from a young age can one go further, rather than becoming a nobody who just goes with the flow."

"When my beloved was alive, he once told me the words of the ancient sages: 'If you seek the best, you will get the middle; if you seek the middle, you will get the worst; if you seek the worst, you will fail.'"

"In order to save money, I lived with my child next to a cemetery. It didn't take long for the child to learn the rituals and music used in funerals."

"Someone praised my child for being good at studying and saying he could become a talent in the future. I wanted him to have a better life, so I gritted my teeth and moved to the city."

"If he comes to the city and only knows how to kill pigs and sell meat, then what's the difference between that and presiding over funerals for others?"

He Bo scratched his head and felt that what the other party said made sense.

Dear caring parents in the world,

Most of them hope their children will become successful.

Therefore, they will hire excellent teachers for their children and set strict requirements for their children.

Thinking of this, He Bo recalled Gongzi Chao again.

When he first arrived in Nirvana, he could only recite a few love poems.
When he left, he had read "Book of Songs" and "Book of Rites" and his body was strong enough to travel far.

what,
It turns out that I have the grace of "rebirth" for Gongzi Chao!

He Bo thought about what happened that year and realized the other party's actions and intentions.

So he asked again, "Do you want to send your children to school?"

The mother nodded affirmatively at first, but then couldn't help but blame herself, "I have been saving money, but Ke is already ten years old, and I haven't collected enough tuition."

"I feel sorry for my beloved, and I am also worried that I will fail to live up to Ke's talent."

When the child is older,
I am afraid that I will lose my childish spirituality.

"It's okay, I'll help you!"

He Bo patted his chest and said that he happened to have money.

Anyway, as a ghost or god, he can easily obtain fish and beasts.

The wild animals hunted before were also used by He Bo to do good deeds.

Anyway, it's just helping some ordinary people, Ximen Bao won't say anything about it.

Compared to making money,

What makes He Bo even more annoyed is that the currencies among countries are different nowadays. Wherever he goes, he has to exchange the local currency first.

"I have a liking for that child, and your motherly love reminds me of our old friend, so I am willing to help him a little."

The mother said, “How can this be possible!”

"I hope that I can become a righteous gentleman in the future and not accept charity. So how can I accept your money?"

"Since I can earn money by spinning linen, I should not ask for favors from gentlemen."

"Oh."

He Bo was quick to accept the offer and did not offer to support the cause. Instead, he continued, "Can I buy linen from you?"

The mother smiled and did not refuse this time. She then sold the linen she had woven to He Bo at the lowest market price.

He Bo held the linen and wondered what he should do with it.

He turned to leave when he suddenly remembered something.

"May I ask your family name?"

Since he is the descendant of a noble, he must have a surname.

He Bo does charity, it's impossible that he doesn't even know the names of the people he's helping, right?

His mother proudly told him, "My family is descended from the Mengsun clan."

Mengsun,
He Bo knew it.

Because "Zuo Zhuan" once criticized the origin of this clan, claiming that "as long as Qingfu is not dead, the troubles in Lu will not end", in order to highlight the power of the Mengsun clan in Lu and threaten the country.

And now,
Times change,

Even the most noble surnames have fallen into decline, and their descendants have scattered. Now the Mengsun family is only called the "Meng family."

Plus the name of the child mentioned by the other party, so the child who often ran over to watch the pig being slaughtered should be called...

Mencius.

"Ok?"

(End of this chapter)