Lu Bu: My wife comes from two thousand years later

The summer cicadas were chirping. Under a big tree in front of Lu Zhi's grave, Liu Bei was sitting quietly on a small stool, weaving a straw mat. Behind him were several woven mats, all of which were the results of his weaving from morning to night these days.

For so many days, he had been weaving straw mats quietly without saying a word, but today he was no longer silent. He chatted with Lu Zhi while weaving mats.

"Sir, as your disciple, I feel deeply ashamed! I've thought about a lot these past few days, and the one I regret most is why I didn't study hard with you. Although I'm a descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan, my father died young, and my family fell into poverty. When I was young, I could only make a living by weaving mats and selling shoes with my mother. They say children from poor families grow up early, but I was so ungrateful. During my school years, I didn't study hard, and I followed those noble young men who loved fine clothes and indulged in sensual pleasures. Now I'm in trouble, and I don't know how to find a way out."

He stopped what he was doing, looked up at a tree in the distance, and continued, "When I was a child, there was a mulberry tree on the southeast corner of the fence of my house. Like that tree, it looked like a car hood from a distance. People passing by thought that this tree did not look like an earthly thing and believed that this family must have a noble person. When I was a child, I was playing with my friends under the tree, pointing at the mulberry tree and saying, "I will definitely ride in a car with a feathered canopy like this in the future." As a result, my uncle beat me severely with the sole of his shoe.

Although I was beaten, this dream has always remained in my heart. We are both descendants of the Liu family and we both came from humble beginnings. Emperor Guangwu was able to revive the Han Dynasty, so why can't I?

I am unwilling to give up and admit defeat, and I am unwilling to hand over my Han Dynasty to others, but I am incompetent. I cannot compare with my senior brother Bogui, and even my junior sister. She has followed you for the shortest time, but what she knows and understands is far beyond my reach.

These days I heard from my third brother that the people of Bingzhou actually worshipped her as an immortal and erected a tablet to commemorate her immortality.

Are they immortals? Are there really demons, ghosts, or gods in this world? If so, how angry would our Liu ancestors be to see the country fall apart and everyone claim to be emperor?

Sir, you are a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, loyal to the Han Dynasty all your life. Please teach me, what should I do? Should I really try to take over Liu Jingsheng's family business? I can't do it..."

The sun was setting in the west. Liu Bei chattered on for a long time, until his mouth was dry and he could hardly speak anymore. He stopped, stood up, picked up the mats he had woven over the past few days, and spread them one by one on Lu Zhi's grave. "I have nothing, so I can only weave a few mats to protect you from the scorching sun."

After spreading the mat, Liu Bei turned and walked down the mountain. Guan Yu was waiting silently by the roadside with two horses. The two of them rode their horses back to the earth building. When they passed by the guest house outside the earth building, they met an acquaintance.

"Mr. Guo?"

Seeing Guo Jia rein in his horse and stop outside the guesthouse, Liu Bei's dull eyes immediately lit up. He quickly dismounted, walked quickly to Guo Jia, and bowed, "Sir, why are you here?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly realized something and his mouth was full of bitterness. There was no need to ask, because the other person must have come to join Lu Bu.

Guo Jia was not surprised to see Liu Bei. He dismounted and returned the greeting, "Uncle Liu, how are you?"

Liu Bei invited, "I received your guidance on the road last time, and I haven't yet thanked you properly. Could you please treat me to a simple meal today?"

Guo Jia took in his expression and said with a smile, "Looking at the situation, it seems that I haven't helped the emperor's uncle, but I can't afford to eat your food!"

"Our meeting is destiny, please do me the honor of visiting you!" Liu Bei invited sincerely.

Guo Jia glanced at the earthen building not far away, and then looked around the surrounding environment. The road was very wide, with guesthouses and shops lined on both sides. In the distance, the lotus pond was crowded with tourists and was very lively.

It is said that Lu Bu often lived in a Tulou outside the city with his wife and children, thus forming a city outside the city.

"The Emperor's uncle has invited me, so there is no reason for me to refuse. Please!"

"please!"

Liu Bei stepped aside, and Guo Jia was not polite and walked into the guest house first.

The two of them sat down by a window along the street, where they could see the lotus pond in the distance. The summer breeze blew in through the window, making it very cool and refreshing.

Liu Bei ordered a few dishes and a bucket of rice, but no wine.

"The emperor's uncle is still staying here. I guess Lu Bu is unwilling to lend him troops!" Guo Jia asked.

Liu Bei poured him a cup of tea and said a little embarrassedly, "I took it for granted. Hanzhong is a strategically important place. It's not something you can conquer with just a few thousand soldiers. If you lend them out, they won't come back. I wouldn't lend them out either!"

Guo Jia picked up the teacup and blew on it gently, then raised his eyes and smiled, "Nothing is absolute, difficult doesn't mean impossible!"

Liu Bei's eyes lit up again, "Sir, do you have a solution?"

Guo Jia wanted to say, "Your junior sister was able to defeat Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Ma Teng, and Han Sui. How could she not be able to defeat a mere Zhang Lu if she really wanted to help you?" However, he shook his head, fearing the possibility of him being seen as trying to sow discord. "Without understanding the realities of Hanzhong, all your plans are just empty talk!"

Liu Bei's mood plummeted again. Guo Jia glanced at Guan Yu, who was sitting beside him, and said, "If you really have nowhere else to go, then go and join Cao Gong. At least he is still a Han minister."

Speaking of Cao Cao, Liu Bei's face suddenly turned cold. "Cao Mengde slaughtered several cities in Xuzhou and killed the late emperor outside Huayin. He is a traitor to the Han Dynasty!"

Guo Jia smiled nonchalantly and said, "There's really no difference between Han ministers and Han traitors. If the Emperor's uncle can't free himself from the constraints within his heart, he'll never achieve anything great anywhere. The best outcome would be to occupy a small county and live in seclusion. You should learn more from your junior sister. If you can even learn half as much as she does, perhaps you can achieve great things."

"Junior sister is multi-talented. It is no exaggeration to say that she is as capable as Xiao He, Zhang Liang and Han Xin. I am afraid that I will not be able to learn half of her skills in two lifetimes." Liu Bei forced a smile.

"Who asked you to learn these things? I mean her ideas and concepts."

Liu Bei was puzzled, so Guo Jia explained, "She ostensibly is a disciple of Lu Zigan and studies Confucian classics, but her actions and practices are a hodgepodge. She incorporates Legalist ideals of enriching the nation and strengthening the military, Taoist ideals of combining firmness and flexibility, Confucian ideals of people-centeredness, and Mohist ideals of moderation and the will of heaven. She incorporates everything she can to form her own unique ruling style. Meanwhile, the emperor's uncle is solely obsessed with Confucian ideals of benevolence and righteousness. How can he achieve great things?"

No one had ever said such words to Liu Bei before, and he was deeply shocked. Wasn't the Han Dynasty based on Confucianism, and the core concept of Confucianism was benevolence? Yet he said we shouldn't be obsessed with benevolence? What should we be obsessed with?

Liu Bei lowered his head and thought carefully for a long time, as if he had an epiphany. However, he became even more confused when he thought about it again. He had not studied hard when he was young, and he had not even fully learned Confucianism, let alone the various schools of thought.

He wanted to ask more in detail, but he also knew that it would take more than a day or two to finish explaining everything, so he asked, "Sir, how do you know so much about her administration?"

Guo Jia said, "I've been wandering all the way here from Hanoi County. From what I've seen and heard, combined with what I've known before, I can roughly deduce that this woman is completely unconstrained by any particular school of thought. Her methods are flexible and adaptable, and they are becoming more and more sophisticated. She is truly a rare master."

After hearing this, Liu Bei felt ashamed. He had been in Bingzhou for so long, and there was a master by his side for him to learn from, but he sat in front of Master Lu's grave all day long and complained to himself, wasting his time. Then he looked at Ms. Guo, and he could understand most of her political philosophy just by walking along the way.

Liu Bei desperately needed someone like Guo Jia to guide him. At this moment, he truly understood what it meant to be eager to seek out talented people. He stood up, took three steps back, and bowed deeply to Guo Jia. "I, with all my heart, sincerely beg you to lend me a hand. I will follow you as my teacher for the rest of my life, listening to your teachings and never slacking off in the slightest!"

The helplessness, longing, humility and begging revealed in Liu Bei's tone and expression moved Guo Jia, and Guan Yu at the side couldn't help but redden his eyes. No one could understand the pain in his elder brother's heart better than himself. These days, his elder brother weaves mats in front of the grave during the day and cries on the couch at night. It's really hard for him!

Guan Yu then stepped forward and saluted along with Liu Bei, "Please, sir, help my brother!"

Guo Jia stood up and helped the two of them up, sighing softly, "It's not that I don't want to help, but I already have a master, and it's difficult for me to betray him."

"Didn't you just arrive in Jinyang, sir?" Liu Bei asked doubtfully.

"My master is not Lü Bu. I came here to inquire about someone. Once I find him, I will return. I have no intention of serving Lü. Please, uncle, conceal my real name."

He took out his temporary ID card and said, "My name is Guo Bai now, and I'm from Dongjun, Yanzhou."

Although Liu Bei was disappointed, he knew the girl was already taken, and he didn't want her to betray him. He could only hide his disappointment and asked, "Who are you looking for, sir? Perhaps I can help."

Guo Jia asked, "Did your uncle read any of the novels during his time in Jinyang, such as Journey to the West, In Search of the Supernatural, and Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio?"

Liu Bei had seen this every day while weaving straw mats. He shook his head in embarrassment. Guan Yu beside him said, "My third brother has seen this. He's been so obsessed with it these days that he doesn't even sleep at night. Why are you asking about this, sir?"

Guo Jia said, "I want to know who wrote these books?"

Guan Yu said, "All the paper books on the market are from the Wang family. I heard from my third brother that all the storybooks were written by A-Mo."

"Amo?"

Guo Jia was overjoyed and asked hurriedly, "Where is he?"

"She's in that earthen building. If you want to see her, big brother can introduce her."

"How can he live in that earth building?" Guo Jia was puzzled for a moment, and suddenly realized that this Zhang Mo and that Zhang Mo might be the same person!