小说园

第91部分（第1页）

ed。　Now　that　the　brightness　has　descended　upon　me；　I　hope　this　dereliction　of　duty　may　be　pardoned。〃

〃I　hear　Xu　Shu　is　here。　I　have　e　expressly　to　see　him；〃　replied　Water　Mirror　bluntly。

〃He　has　lately　left　for　Xuchang。　A　messenger　came　with　a　letter　telling　of　the　imprisonment　of　his　mother。〃

〃Then　he　has　just　fallen　into　Cao　Caos　trap；　for　that　letter　was　a　forgery。　I　have　known　his　mother　to　be　a　very　noble　woman。　Even　if　she　were　imprisoned　by　Cao　Cao；　she　would　not　summon　her　son　like　that。　Certainly　the　letter　was　a　forgery。　If　the　son　did　not　go；　the　mother　would　be　safe；　if　he　went；　she　would　be　a　dead　woman。〃

〃But　how？〃　asked　Liu　Bei　dismayed。

〃She　is　a　woman　of　the　highest　principles；　who　would　be　greatly　mortified　at　the　sight　of　her　son　under　such　conditions。〃

Liu　Bei　said；　〃Just　as　your　friend　was　leaving；　he　mentioned　the　name　of　a　certain　Zhuge　Liang。　What　think　you　of　him？〃

Water　Mirror　laughed；　saying；　〃If　Xu　Shu　wanted　to　go；　he　was　free　to　go。　But　why　did　he　want　to　provoke　Zhuge　Liang　into　ing　out　and　showing　passion　for　someone　else？〃

〃Why　do　you　speak　like　that？〃　asked　Liu　Bei

He　replied；　〃Five　persons；　Zhuge　Liang　of　Nanyang；　Cui　Zhouping　of　Boling；　Shi　Guangyuan　of　Yingchuan；　Meng　Gongwei　of　Runan；　and　Xu　Shu　of　Yingchuan　were　the　closest　of　friends。　They　formed　a　little　coterie　devoted　to　meditation　on　essential　refinement。　Only　Zhuge　Liang　arrived　at　a　perception　of　its　meaning。　He　used　to　sit　among　them　with　his　arms　about　his　knees　muttering　and　then；　pointing　to　his　panions；　he　would　say；　You；　gentlemen；　would　bee　governors　and　protectors　if　you　were　in　official　life。

〃When　they　asked　him　what　was　his　ambition；　he　would　only　smile　and　always　pared　himself　with　the　great　ancient　scholars　Guan　Zhong　and　Yue　Yi。　No　one　could　gauge　his　talents。〃

〃How　es　it　that　Yingchuan　produces　so　many　able　humans？〃　said　Liu　Bei。

〃That　old　astrologer；　Yin　Kui；　used　to　say　that　the　stars　clustered　thick　over　the　region；　and　so　there　were　many　wise　people。〃

＇e＇　Guan　Zhong　was　priminister　of　Duke　Huan　of　Qi。　Guan　Zhong　made　Qi　a　powerful　state　during　the　Spring　and　Autumn　period。　。。。。。

＇e＇　Yue　Yi　was　a　great　general　of　Yan。　Yue　Yi　helped　Yan　overe　Qi；　which　was　a　dominant　state　during　the　Warring　States　period。　。。。。。

Now　Guan　Yu　was　there。　When　he　heard　Zhuge　Liang　so　highly　praised；　he　said；　〃Guan　Zhong*　and　Yue　Yi*　are　the　two　most　famous　leaders　mentioned　in　the　Spring　and　Autumn　and　the　Warring　States　Periods。　They　well　overtopped　the　rest　of　humankind。　Is　it　not　a　little　too　much　to　say　that　Zhuge　Liang　pares　with　these　two？〃

〃In　my　opinion　he　should　not　be　pared　with　these　two；　but　rather　with　two　others；〃　said　Water　Mirror。

〃Who　are　these　two？〃　asked　Guan　Yu。

〃One　of　them　is　Lu　Wang；　who　laid　the　foundations　of　the　Zhou　Dynasty　so　firmly　that　it　lasted　eight　hundred　years；　and　the　other　Zhang　Liang；　who　made　the　Han　glorious　for　four　centuries。〃

Before　the　surprise　called　forth　by　this　startling　statement　had　subsided；　Water　Mirror　walked　down　the　steps　and　took　his　leave。　Liu　Bei　would　have　kept　him　if　he　could；　but　he　was　obdurate。

As　he　stalked　proudly　away；　he　threw　up　his　head　and　said；　〃Though　Sleeping　Dragon　has　found　his　lord；　he　has　not　been　born　at　the　right　time。　It　is　a　pity！〃

〃What　a　wise　hermit！〃　was　Liu　Beis　ment。

Soon　after　the　three　brothers　set　out　to　find　the　abode　of　the　wise　man。　When　they　drew　near　the　Sleeping　Dragon　Ridge；　they　saw　a　number　of　peasants　in　a　field　hoeing　up　the　weeds；　and　as　they　worked　they　sang：

〃The　earth　is　a　checkered　board；

And　the　sky　hangs　over　all；

Under　it　humans　are　contending；

Some　rise；　but　a　many　fall。

For　those　who　succeed　this　is　well；

But　for　those　who　go　under　rough。

Theres　a　dozing　dragon　hard　by；

But　his　sleep　is　not　deep　enough。〃