Chapter 313

Wang Yang did not expose him, but smiled:

"I'm just stating a possibility. If Hou Zeng doesn't think this way, that's the best thing..."

Ang Ta was just about to argue, but Wang Yang waved his fan:

"Let's do this, 'if you have it, correct it; if you don't, encourage yourself.' If you really thought this way, then correct it; if you didn't think this way, then take it as encouragement and warning. Actually, I was just saying it casually; there's no need to take it seriously."

This divine sentence that blocked both ends came out, leaving Ang Ta stunned.

He felt that the words of grievance and argument he had prepared in advance could not be spoken!

Wang Yang's words sounded very reasonable at first hearing, but why did he have an indescribable feeling of suffocation?

He wanted to ponder and argue carefully, but the other party said there was no need to take it seriously. Since it's not to be taken seriously, what is there to argue about?

But this... is this right?

Ang Ta was a bit confused by the breadth and depth of the Chinese language.

Xiao Baoyue thought to herself: "If you have it, correct it; if you don't, encourage yourself." These eight words are powerful. Saying it this way puts one in an invincible position. He said all the good and bad things, and he is right no matter what! Only this big liar could come up with such treacherous words!

Baoyue had not yet realized the various changes of this sentence at this time, especially when spoken by a critic; it is a sharp weapon for both attack and defense. For example, Wang Yang says to Baoyue: "Don't always act like a vixen." Baoyue: "When did I act like a vixen?!" Wang Yang: "If you have it, correct it; if you don't, encourage yourself." Xiao Baoyue: #￥#￥&*@*&&%#%

If he says you are acting like a vixen, then you are acting like a vixen; even if you aren't, you have to reflect on it.

If the old gentleman Zhu Xi knew that these eight words of his would derive so many rogue usages in later generations, he would probably rush to travel through time before Wang Yang and add a note in the "Collected Annotations of the Four Books": "This sentence is exclusively for self-reflection. If it is used to frame others with empty words, and to smear others' clean names without basis, one should be struck by lightning."

This picture is taken from Zhu Xi's "Collected Annotations of the Four Books," Zhonghuashu Bureau 2012 edition. The small characters noted on the left of the wooden sign are Zhu Xi's original text, originally intended to expound on Zengzi's self-reflection three times a day.

(Continuing the explanation of the picture above: it talks about self-reflection.)

Wang Yang, as long as he doesn't break his bottom line, has never been afraid of being struck by lightning. At this time, he continued to set up Ang Ta:

"Since Hou Zeng doesn't have a plan of encroachment, then wanting the land of the Three Mountains is actually just fighting for profit—"

Ang Ta was completely unswayed, his expression firm, and he said decisively:

"This is not a question of profit; what our Yongning Tribe is fighting for is a breath of air!"

"If the profit is enough, the anger will disappear—"

Ang Ta waved his arms indignantly, his face pale:

"It won't disappear! This is the dignity and bottom line of our tribe! Our Yongning Tribe absolutely will not—"

"What if I can make you earn more than three times the brocade and satin every year?"

"Absolutely will not—how much?" Ang Ta's indignant expression froze instantly, and he asked hesitantly.

Xiao Baoyue, Xin Yi, Chen Qingshan: (→_→)

Thirty miles outside Jingzhou City, in the upper room of the post house, two tables of wine and food.

Yu Yuling looked at Le Yue Xiao Pang eating and drinking comfortably and frowned:

"Do you think this is good?"

Le Pang picked up two large slices of fish sashimi, dipped them in soy sauce with minced ginger, put them in his mouth and chewed, then started to serve soup, with an indifferent expression:

"Why not? It's not like we're not paying."

Yu Yuling said unhappily: "Is this a matter of paying money?"

Le Yue Xiao Pang drank a mouthful of duck meat soup, felt the taste was not good, put it aside, and looked at Yu Yuling:

"Why not? The two of us coming here to eat is equivalent to giving the post official face, and the post official is too happy to be unhappy. Paying money on top of that is benevolence and righteousness! The other party has face and money to take; isn't this good?"

Although Yu Yuling had heard many of Le Yue Xiao Pang's "crooked theories" during this period, he still felt speechless:

"Giving the post official face? I don't have this face to give..."

Le Yue Xiao Pang seemed unable to hear the sarcasm in Yu Yuling's words, called for someone to add a roast duck on the spot, and picked up two dried dates from the fruit plate and threw them into his mouth, his cheeks bulging again:

"It doesn't matter if you don't have face; then I'll count this face as given by me."

Yu Yuling was almost laughed at by anger:

"You talk about face every day. In Yongning you have face, back in Nanjun you have face again; why is your face so big? According to reason, neither of us has an official position, and it is already inappropriate to enter the threshold of the post house. However, since it is far from any village or shop, borrowing a place to rest is still justifiable, but ordering food and eating here is going too far! Do you think this is a restaurant! The 'Book of Rites' says: A gentleman acts according to his position and does not wish for—"

"Stop, stop! Hurry up and stop! Chanting scriptures again—"

"This is the 'Book of Rites'!"

Le Yue Xiao Pang wiped his mouth with a handkerchief: "It's all the same; Confucian classics are also scriptures. Are you eating that fish? If not, give it to me."

Yu Yuling was earnest and well-meaning:

"The post house is established by the state to provide for the coming and going of officials, to convey mail and orders. The post official fears the family status of the two of us and dares not offend us, but in our hearts, can we be without shame? You say paying money is benevolence and righteousness; this is not right. What is benevolence? Confucius said: 'To subdue one's self and return to propriety, is perfect virtue. If a man can for one day subdue himself and return to propriety, all under heaven will ascribe virtue to him.' What is righteousness? Mencius said—"

Le Yue Xiao Pang was not hungry anymore, the food was average, and he was being nagged by Yu Yuling, so he had no appetite left. He put down his chopsticks and also put down his face:

"I am also convinced! Such a small matter and you are here saying this and that again..."

Yu Yuling also put down his face, his voice serious:

"Is this a small matter? Using public property for private purposes! Do you know that if this matter were judged according to the law—"

Le Yue Xiao Pang said impatiently:

"Then hurry up and report it to Jiangling County! Let Wu Lü come and arrest me! I don't need to use my family background to scare people; just ask him if he's coming, and that's it! I really am..."

He was in a bad mood to begin with, but he was not a person who took his anger out on others, and he knew that Yu Yuling's character was just like that, so he held back and didn't get angry:

"The expenses of the post house are counted every month, but what is the use of that little money allocated by the county? It costs money to repair the house, money to feed the horses, and money for the post soldiers and attendants, daily use and procurement. Where does this money come from? Any official with family property, who lives in this broken post house? Only those who are in a hurry to catch the road and really have nowhere to stay come here. Among the officials who come, as long as they have a grand display and face, they all give rewards; this is one source of income. When merchant caravans come and go and have goods to store, the post official privately rents out space, which is cheaper than a warehouse; this is also a source of income. If the official and private paths are on the way, helping people carry private letters while delivering official documents is another source of income. When we children of noble families travel, we look for convenience on the road and borrow their place to use, which is still a source of income! We eat here, they get income; this is a mutually beneficial thing. It's not like what you said, as if we committed some royal law. You are purely pedantic from reading scriptures. If this were—"

Le Pang's voice paused, his throat rolled, and he swallowed that name back. He picked up a piece of fish sashimi and stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it twice but didn't taste it, and said unpleasantly:

"It definitely wouldn't be as pedantic as you."

Yu Yuling naturally knew what that swallowed name was. Le Yue Xiao Pang was in a bad mood; was he in a good mood? He said with a cold face:

"Is it that I am pedantic or that you see things shallowly? The post house needs money to maintain, but we cannot put the cart before the horse! The establishment of the post house lies in galloping for missions, communicating mail, preparing for emergencies, and waiting for coming and going. If we really only stare at the profit, the taste will change. When it changes to the end, is it to add income to maintain the post house, or is it to turn the official post into a personal money tree under the pretext of 'subsidizing expenses'? Can you be sure?"

Once the hole of profit is opened, those who follow will be like ducks, and everyone will only care about making money. Then when they see a merchant caravan, they will smile, and when they see a poor official, they will be too lazy to pay attention; the mounts of noble sons will be fed with high-quality fine feed, diligently brushed and washed; while the post horses for delivering letters will gnaw on inferior fodder, with no time to care. Official documents from the prefecture and government are not as valued as private letters from wealthy families. Is this an official post house galloping for royal orders, or a private residence welcoming the rich and noble? When public and private are confused, it is easiest to bribe and form cliques, leak secrets, and create treachery. If this continues for a long time, can it not delay things? If there is really any urgent matter that is delayed, can it be recovered by money, or can it be saved by your face? If Wang Yang were here, he would also agree with what I said."

Le Yue Xiao Pang felt a bit irritable when he heard Wang Yang's name and poured a mouthful of wine:

"You can stop it! If I weren't an ignorant person, I would really be fooled by you! You haven't even entered a post station before, and you are here imagining things, talking as if it were true! Do you know how many times I've stayed? Now, whether using official or private business, they are all combined. Even for delivering letters, if there is really something urgent, it is sent by both official and private posts. As long as we noble families have any connection, we are all connected to the official ones. I don't believe your family hasn't used the official post house to deliver letters! Noble families use the official post house, so the official post house can stand and not fall. This is called using private to help public! Let's not talk about other things first; just take the matter of eating today. If Wang Yang were here, he would definitely agree with me! He is the most flexible! Everything has both inside and face, and he is never pedantic. In the past, when we went to soak in the hot springs, I called two—"

Le Pang's eyes dimmed when he reached this point, and he felt a bit dispirited. The palm that had just been waving was put down, and he glanced at Yu Yuling and said:

"I'm just puzzled, you are so pedantic, how is Wang Yang willing to play with you..."

Yu Yuling was immediately angry:

"I'm also puzzled! You are so ignorant and incompetent, how can Wang Yang be willing to play with you? Are you sure you can understand what he says?"

Le Yue Xiao Pang gave a big laugh:

"Hehehehe! We are the most tacit! You are the one who can't understand! Do you know what 'three mouths and one pig' means?"

Yu Yuling was stunned, feeling that something strange had entered:

"W-what one pig?"

Le Yue Xiao Pang curled his lips:

"You don't even know the meme; you're a newbie!"

Yu Yuling:????????

Le Yue Xiao Pang shook his head:

"It's boring to beat you up; what I like most is watching the snow in the hot springs, watching the sea on the fine sandy beach, listening to the stream in the mountain pavilion at night, reading books when the cold rain knocks on the window..."

Le Yue Xiao Pang's expression was deep, his tone was meaningful, and he sighed slowly: "These are all—good pastimes..."

Yu Yuling was stunned by the act, standing in place, his lips slightly open, unable to say a word.

Le Yue Xiao Pang smacked his lips, raised his cup, faced the void, and muttered:

"I can also act cool."

Immediately, he drank it all in one gulp.

At this time, a post soldier came to report that official soldiers had arrived here, saying that there were barbarians lurking nearby and the road was not peaceful. Hearing that the two young masters of the Le family of Yuyang and the Yu family of Xinye were here, they voluntarily expressed that they wanted to escort the two young masters back to Jiangling.

Yu Yuling wondered: "Which official soldiers?"

The person replied that it was the Jingzhou garrison.

This answer was a bit vague. Jingzhou garrison... is that the garrison in the city or the garrison of which station? It wasn't made clear either. If it were the garrison in the city, how did they run here?

Yu Yuling was pondering when Le Yue Xiao Pang put down his wine cup and pointed at Yu Yuling:

"Garrison escort! Just tell me if there is face or not!"

——————

Note: The vocabulary learned by Le Pang in this chapter: "Three mouths and one pig" and "meme" come from Chapter 93 "Moving"; "newbie" comes from Chapter 140 "Wind and Rain Like Darkness"; "beat up" and "act cool" come from Chapter 217 "Hot Spring Holiday."