The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 144 Farewell to Lu Buwei, the Dark Master
Kong Bin, Ying Chengjiao had seen this name in history books.

But there is very little text, so little that if Ying Chengjiao was not a history major, he would not be able to remember these two words.

In his previous life, Kong Bin was a little-known historical figure.

But in this life, Kong Bin is a living person, a person who became famous all over the world ten years ago.

People of his time respectfully called him Kong Binzi.

Ying Chengjiao hurried out, and before he could see what Kong Bin looked like, he bowed deeply:
"I came to Wei State and wanted to visit you as soon as I changed carriages, but you came to me first. This was my negligence."

As he spoke, the young man walked closer to Kong Bin.

Although there are three people in front of him, there is no doubt that the host Kong Bin must be the one standing in the front, and the etiquette cannot be wrong.

Kong Bin, who is at the front, is a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties.

He was wearing a plain white robe and a tall crown on top of his thick black hair.

He was burly and very tall, a head taller than the two people behind him.

There were two people behind Kong Bin, one dressed as a guard with a sword on his waist, and the other dressed as a driver with a whip in his hand.

Ying Chengjiao looked at the heights of the three men and estimated that Kong Bin was over 1.85 meters tall.

In the late Warring States period when the average height was seven feet, or 1.61 meters, Kong Bin's height stood out from the crowd.

Standing in front of Kong Bin, he felt as if his breath was being suffocated and his breathing slowed down unconsciously.

He didn't know that Zou Zi had left such a deep impression on him that he felt psychological pressure from the group of philosophers. ?
Or was it Kong Binzi's height that was much higher than that of an ordinary person that gave him a sense of oppression?

[History records that Confucius was nine feet six inches tall, which is two meters and twenty-two.]
[The fact that his sixth-generation grandson has grown so tall must be genetic. Does this count as inheriting Confucius' legacy?]
Ying Chengjiao deliberately thought of some unconventional things to stimulate his thinking.

Bai Wuxia, who should have been one step behind Ying Chengjiao, was half a step ahead this time and was extremely wary of Kong Bin.

Those who can claim to be the descendants of Confucius are all outstanding people in the Kong family. They can reason and beat people to death.

Kong Binzi was the most outstanding among Confucius' sixth-generation descendants. He served as prime minister of Wei State for nine months and then resigned.

Kong Bin bowed solemnly to Ying Chengjiao and said:

"Student Kong Bin, please take Chang'an Jun as your teacher."

Ying Chengjiao was frightened by Kong Bin's behavior and moved away.

He was very famous and people often came to him and wanted to become his disciples.

But he didn't think that with this parade that lasted less than a year, he would be able to make Kong Bin, one of the philosophers, willingly become his disciple.

A Zou Zi left him with a lingering fear.

A Gongsun Longzi makes him read "Gongsun Longzi" every day. He is about to vomit after reading it, but he has no confidence to debate with him.

Kong Bin, who also has the character "子", wants to become his disciple? Stop it!
The young man gave a bitter smile and bowed.

"Sir, stop joking.

"How can I deserve to be your disciple? It's almost the same for me to be your disciple."

Kong Bin stood straight, his figure was as majestic and tall as a mountain.

He took a step forward, and one step defeated Cheng Jiao's three steps.

The mountain stood in front of the boy, and the shadow it cast completely covered him.

"Good." Kong Bin nodded: "From today on, you will be my last disciple."

Ying Chengjiao: “…”

The boy felt like he was being set up.

He slowly straightened up, looking at Kong Bin's face in the process.

Smiling and unsmiling.

[This is so serious, it doesn’t seem like a joke.]
[Did you take me in as your apprentice because of my reputation? Or my status? Or was it simply because you admired my talent?]
[There is too little information and the incident happened so suddenly that it is difficult to analyze correctly.]
[It’s a headache. These scholars are always looking for trouble for me…]
"Master, you are joking again. How can I be qualified to be your disciple?"

Kong Bin said in a deep voice:

"I'm not joking. Don't you want to be my disciple?"

"Of course I want to be your disciple, but..." Ying Chengjiao showed helplessness: "I already have a master."

"Who is your teacher?"

"My master's surname is Lu, and his given name is Buwei."

"Lü Buwei." Kong Bin whispered, raising his eyelids: "When it comes to teaching and educating people, who is better, me or Lü Buwei?"

"Sir." The young man's face was not very good: "How can a disciple discuss the teacher?"

"Why can't we discuss this?"

“This is not the way to respect teachers.”

"Respect teachers and respect virtues. Can't even talk about teachers? Is this what Lu Buwei taught you?"

Kong Bin asked questions quickly.

Although his words were calm, his momentum was extremely strong and he pressed forward step by step.

The boy narrowed his eyes and responded quickly, saying loudly:

"Yes.

“The teacher taught me.

"When a gentleman is outside, he must obey the teachings of his teachers. Heed the instructions of his teachers and do his best to promote their teachings.

"Listening to the teachings of teachers but not doing your best to carry them forward is called betrayal.

"Not following the teachings of teachers and elders when you are outside is called treason.

“A wise monarch will not accept people who commit treason, and a gentleman will not be their friend.

"Your knowledge is universally recognized, and you have many disciples. If I say that you are not as good as your teacher, I will be laughed at and lie with open eyes.

“But I can’t say that the teacher is not as good as the teacher.

“Because my teachers taught me to follow their instructions when I’m outside.

"If you act exactly as your teacher says, then that proves that everything your teacher taught you is right. Since everything you taught me is right, how can I say that your teacher is not as good as others in teaching and educating people?"

Kong Bin frowned deeply, forming the Chinese character "川" between his brows, and looked at Ying Chengjiao meaningfully, saying:
“This truth doesn’t make sense when heard alone.

"When Lü Buwei taught Chang'an Jun this principle, did he also mention other principles?

"Did Chang'an Jun explain the whole truth?"

The boy's heart beat faster and faster, and his adrenaline was secreted faster and faster.

What he just said was indeed taught to him by Lu Buwei, and he did not finish speaking what Lu Buwei taught him.

He deliberately did not finish what he said and did not explain the whole story, just to let Kong Bin refute him, and then he would bring up all of Lu Buwei's reasons to slap Kong Bin in the face. He was sure that if he said everything, Kong Bin would not be able to refute him.

Because Lü Buwei gave an example in his later discussion, and the example was Kong Bin’s ancestor, Confucius.

Not only did Kong Bin not fall for it, he also saw through his thoughts.

The last person to do this was Zou Yan, also known as Zou Zi.

[Can’t there be one among these philosophers who is just worthy of his fame…]
He was speechless for a moment, wondering whether he should directly say what the commander said next, or dig another hole to see if he could trick Kong Bin into falling into it.

He didn't know Kong Bin's intention, but based on his own feelings, he classified Kong Bin as someone who came with bad intentions.

The feeling of oppression is too strong. How can a good person bully a child?
Kong Bin waited for a moment and said calmly:
"I just asked you a very common question.

"If you can't even answer this quickly and have to think, how can you deal with Gongsun Long?"

Ying Chengjiao's heart moved, and he didn't wait for an answer.

Kong Bin turned around and said to the man dressed as a guard behind him:

"You are taking things out of context and harboring evil intentions. It is true that you Qin State cannot produce any gentleman."

The guard smiled bitterly and said helplessly:

"Zishun, if you hadn't used your power and words to bully others, why would the young master target you?"

Ying Chengjiao felt that the voice was very familiar. He looked at it carefully, hesitated for a moment, and said:
"Teacher?"

Lu Buwei, who was dressed as a guard, laughed.

Reunion after a long separation is the most joyful thing. "Sir, long time no see."

"You..." Ying Chengjiao pointed at the guard dressed as Lü Buwei and said in disbelief: "How come you have lost so much weight in less than a year and become like this?"

His impression of Lu Buwei was that he had a round face and a big belly, with a shrewd look in his eyes, a mercenary smile, and his fat figure was very conspicuous wherever he went.

He looks nothing like the skinny guy in front of him with sunken cheeks and prominent cheekbones. They seem like two different people.

If it weren't for the identical voices and the faces that were 70% similar.

Ying Chengjiao could not believe that this was his teacher, Qin State Prime Minister Lu Buwei.

"It's a long story." Lu Buwei strode forward and stepped into the shop: "Sir, Zishun, come in and tell me, how is it?"

Ying Chengjiao and Kong Bin had no reason to disagree, so they followed their master Lu Buwei into Lu's pawnshop.

On the street, many people saw Master Chengjiao walking into the store.

A skinny farmer with a pale face and a thin body, carrying a basket of vegetables, walked past the door of Lu's pawnshop. He looked no different from the other passers-by.

The farmer passed by the wine shop, stopped to smell the aroma of the wine, and looked at the clear wine with envy.

"Daliang wine! Wine from Daliang! The adults all drink Daliang wine!"

The wine seller was shouting loudly when he suddenly saw a farmer stopped in front of his stall and drove him away impatiently.

Farmers can’t even get enough food to eat, so how can they drink wine brewed from grain?

The farmer took only one step when he was pushed, stretched his neck and took two more sips, as if this counted as drinking the wine.

"Hurry up and go! Aren't you afraid of getting drunk to death?" the wine seller shouted.

It seemed as if the smell of wine that should have been in the air was absorbed by the farmers, and he earned two taels less money for the wine.

The farmer lowered his head slightly, seemed a little embarrassed, and ran away.

He ran two streets away, walked to an extremely ordinary house, and knocked heavily on the door.

Someone opened the door.

"Is this the only dish you have?" asked the person who opened the door.

The farmer nodded and walked in.

The door closes.

There were seven or eight people in the yard, most of them doing carpentry work.

Around their bodies, there were seven chairs and two tables.

The chairs and table are both made of wood, but there are no rough edges.

It doesn't feel rough at all, but rather smooth to the touch. I don't know how it was polished.

At that time, tables and chairs had just become popular, and it was rare to find a chair or a table in ordinary people's homes.

These seven chairs and two tables are the best tables and chairs on the market and are definitely worth the price.

The person who opened the door took the vegetables from the farmer and went straight into the house to wash them and cook. Soon the sound of splashing water was heard.

The farmer scratched his head, walked up to a thin man who was chopping wood with an axe, and squatted down.

"Master, that bastard is staying at Lu's Jewelry."

As he spoke, the farmer picked up an unpolished chair leg from the ground, held both ends of the leg with both hands, and twisted it towards the middle.

As his hands moved, wood chips fell.

"Have you checked it out?" The man called Ju Zi chopped wood seriously: "Is Master Cheng Jiao really a hypocritical and deceitful boy?"

The farmer's hands moved quickly, and his mouth was not slow either:
"The brass tube dance that was so popular in Yan and Zhao was invented by this bastard, it's confirmed. And the fake prime minister of Yan, Jiang Qu, who was upright and brave, also died because of this bastard. He humiliated and slandered Chunshen Jun..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a chair leg had been polished.

The farmer kept talking as he put down the polished chair leg and picked up another table leg, holding it with both hands and continued to twist it.

When he put it down and took it away, his palm was exposed, without a trace of blood.

Anyone who can do this can be considered a master, no matter whether it is external or internal skills.

While the farmer was reciting, the people in the yard did what they were supposed to do and no one stopped what they were doing.

When the peasant finished reading the charges against the boy, a man assembling tables and chairs spoke up:
"Didn't this guy invent tables and chairs? This guy doesn't just do bad things."

The guy who was drilling holes in the wood and making the mortise and tenon structure chimed in:

"This guy's original intention was not to make things convenient for the people. His original intention was to provide for the enjoyment of the nobles."

The person cooking in the house groaned and knocked on the pot, making a "dang" sound:

"Who cares what his intention is? It's a good thing that the people can use it. Is there any need to blame him for it?"

Because he was quite far away, his voice seemed a little loud when he shouted.

The man who was drilling holes and notching the wood frowned, stopped his work, and also said loudly:
"How many loving things can you do without a loving heart? How can you agree with him just because the result is good?"

The discussion lasted a long time.

It continued from the courtyard to the dining table, and from the dining table to the courtyard again.

It was not until dark that we finally reached a conclusion.

The thin man called Juzi looked up at the bright moon hidden by the dark clouds and asked:

"kill?"

The moonlight was dim, and people responded one after another in the increasingly dark courtyard.

"kill."

"do not kill."

"kill."

"Oh, kill him."

"kill."

"kill."

"To kill."

Apart from the boss, there were seven people in the courtyard.

Six people are in favor of killing, and one person is in favor of not killing.

The giant lowered his eyelids, took the chopped wood and walked to the corner, where there was a pile of neatly stacked firewood.

The giant stacked the five pieces of wood in his hand neatly and sighed:

"Now that we have finished chopping wood, we have to go out of town to chop trees again. How far will we go this time?"

From the way he spoke, it seemed that felling trees was a rather difficult task.

In the darkness, the only voice that said not to kill sounded:
“There’s nothing we can do about it.

“Since the appearance of tables and chairs, more wood is needed than before, and more and more people are cutting down trees. All the forests within ten miles have been cut down.

"Master, many people who could not survive have now found a way to make a living because of this. They cut down trees to survive. Master Chengjiao has saved many people."

The giant nodded to show that he understood.

He touched the wood and looked up at the sky again. The moon still hadn't come out from behind the dark clouds.

He was sure that tonight the night would be as dark as ink.

"The moonlight is dim, suitable for killing people, this is God's will.

"To follow the will of heaven is a righteous government.

"kill."

Six crisp and clear "Yes" were heard in the ink-like courtyard.

And an inaudible sigh, and a crisp "Yes."

The master walked towards the courtyard gate.

"Hurry up, we have to cut down trees tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)