My subjects are too rebellious!

In the evening, the sky was dyed a gentle orange-red by the setting sun, and the afterglow filtered through the sparse clouds and sprinkled on an inconspicuous little house in Yunnan Prefecture.

Inside the courtyard, under an old locust tree, Zhuge Liang and Liu Bowen sat side by side. On the stone table were placed a few pots of sake and some simple yet exquisite dishes. They were surrounded by the faint fragrance of flowers and the occasional chirping of insects.

The two men clinked their glasses together, making a crisp sound, and then drank them all in one gulp.

Zhuge Liang spoke first, saying, "Brother Bo Wen, I have studied the art of war and the classics since I was young, and I especially love the mysteries of the Three Changes. I believe that everything in the world has its own principles, and people should follow nature in order to accomplish great things. I wonder if what you have learned has anything in common with this?"

Liu Bowen heard this, gently put down the wine glass, and slowly said: "Brother Kongming is right. Although I am good at strategy, I actually prefer astronomy and geography, yin and yang, and the five elements. In my opinion, everything in the world follows certain rules. Whether it is the strategy of war or the governance of the country, you need to understand its essence before you can control it freely. Although you and I have learned from different paths, we have the same goal, which is to pursue the unity of heaven, earth, and man."

Zhuge Liang gently waved the feather fan in his hand and looked deeply at the dark night sky outside the courtyard, where stars were dotted and the Milky Way spanned the sky.

"Brother Bowen, looking at the stars tonight, the Purple Palace is unusually bright, which seems to be a good omen. I wonder what you think about this?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bowen also looked up at the starry sky, frowning slightly, as if he was carefully distinguishing the position and brightness of each star.

"Brother Kong Ming is right. Ziweiyuan is the emperor's star constellation. Its strong light is indeed a good omen. However, the celestial phenomena are unpredictable, and good and bad often go hand in hand. We need to observe the details carefully in order to avoid bad and seek good fortune."

Zhuge Liang then pointed to the layout and environment around the house and said, "Although this house is inconspicuous, it is close to the mountains and the water, and it is a good place for Feng Shui. It can be seen that there were experts who gave guidance when it was first built."

Liu Bowen nodded in agreement. He walked around the house and carefully checked every detail inside. Then he said, "That's right. Feng Shui is about following nature and harmonizing yin and yang. This house has a clever layout. It not only takes in the spiritual energy of the mountains and rivers, but also avoids the invasion of evil spirits. It is really rare."

Then, the two started talking about gossip.

Zhuge Liang took out a coin from his sleeve and gently threw it into the air. After it fell, he interpreted the hexagram based on the front and back sides.

"The eight trigrams are Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, and Dui. They represent the basic forms and laws of change of all things in the universe. Looking at this trigram, it seems to be a sign of change, so we need to be careful."

After hearing this, Liu Bowen also took out his own divination tools and started to deduce with Zhuge Liang.

As the night deepened, the atmosphere in the house became more subtle.

Zhuge Liang stroked his feather fan gently, his eyes sparkling with deep admiration for Liu Bowen: "Brother Bowen, your insights into celestial phenomena and geomancy are truly unparalleled and astonishing. Although I pride myself on being knowledgeable and talented, I still feel that I am inadequate in front of you."

Liu Bowen waved his hand quickly, with a humble smile on his face: "Brother Kongming, you are too kind. Your military tactics, classics, history and literature are profound, especially your wisdom in seeing through people's hearts, which makes me feel ashamed. It is my great fortune to drink and talk with you tonight."

The more they talked, the more they got along, and the more they felt that they had met too late.

They each displayed their talents and talked about everything from poetry and songs to historical allusions, from philosophical thoughts to the philosophy of life. Every topic triggered their deep thinking and resonance.

"Brother Bo Wen, I have always believed that everything in the world has its own logic, and people should follow nature in order to accomplish great things. The unity of man and nature and the balance of yin and yang that you advocate coincide with my ideas," Zhuge Liang said with emotion.

Liu Bowen nodded in agreement: "Indeed. Brother Kongming's views are the same as mine. In my opinion, whether it is governing a country or cultivating oneself and managing one's family, one must follow the laws of nature and reconcile yin and yang in order to achieve harmony."

The two smiled at each other, their tacit understanding needed no words.

"It's really hard to find a true friend!" Zhuge Liang sighed.

Liu Bowen also sighed with emotion: "Yes, it is a great fortune in my life to meet and know a wise man like Brother Kong Ming."

Zhuge Liang stared at Liu Bowen, and he slowly opened his mouth and recited a poem written for him: "The stars shine brightly on your face, and your talent surpasses all the wise men. It's a pity that we met too late, but our love is too deep. Let's drink this cup together and talk about the future."

After hearing this, Liu Bowen felt a warm feeling in his heart.

He smiled slightly and improvised a poem in response: "Meeting under the moon, we are filled with endless thoughts, talking about the ups and downs of the world, staying up all night. It's hard to find a bosom friend who understands you, a bottle of sake to get drunk on the passing years."

"Cheers!" They said in unison, with a hint of heroism and unrestrainedness in their voices.

...............

And the other side.

In the quiet courtyard, the moonlight is as bright as a wash, casting silver light all over the ground.

Li Si and Fan Li sat opposite each other and drank, but they had different political views and were each defending their own ideas at this moment.

Li Si raised his glass, his eyes firm, and said: "Mr. Fan, I firmly believe that only by governing the country with strict laws can we ensure that the country is in order and the people live and work in peace. Law is the balance of a country. It is like an insurmountable boundary that makes everyone know the boundaries of their behavior, thus reducing disputes and chaos. In such an environment, the country can move forward steadily and become increasingly powerful."

Upon hearing this, Fan Li smiled slightly. He gently shook the wine glass in his hand and said, "Laws are indeed the foundation of a country. But in my opinion, the wealth of the treasury is the foundation for the people to live and work in peace and contentment. Only when the treasury is full can we better implement benevolent policies, help the poor, build water conservancy projects, develop farming, and even encourage merchants to promote economic prosperity. When merchants flourish, all industries will prosper, and the people will have more money in their hands, so they will naturally live a better life. And isn't this the ultimate goal of our governance?"

Li Si frowned slightly when he heard this.

"Mr. Fan is right. The wealth of the national treasury is indeed important. But in my opinion, if there is no strict law to restrain merchants, it will only breed greed and corruption, and ultimately harm the interests of the people. Therefore, I believe that while encouraging merchants to do what they want, we need to strengthen supervision and ensure that the market is in order, so that we can truly achieve national prosperity and people's strength."

Fan Li nodded, indicating that he understood Li Si's concerns, but he still insisted on his own point of view.

"**'s concerns are not unfounded, but I think the key lies in balance. Law and economy are like the two wings of a bird and the two wheels of a car, neither of which can be missing. While strictly enforcing the law, we should also give merchants a certain amount of freedom and space so that they can give full play to their talents and creativity and create more wealth for the country. Only in this way can we truly achieve long-term stability in the country and a peaceful and prosperous life for the people."

The two of them went back and forth, expressing their opinions.