Chapter 207: Be able to bend and stretch, what is the ritual of offering sacrifice to heaven Faced with Qin Zhen who did not play by the rules, Cai Mao felt annoyed. He thought he would bring his troops to humiliate Qin Zhen, but he didn't expect that Qin Zhen would point at his nose and scold him first. But this guy just cursed people directly and beat around the bush. If you didn’t know them, you would think they were very familiar with each other! Seeing that Qin Zhen asked for a way out of the situation after scolding him, Cai Mao was at a loss. Not to mention that he and Qin Zhen were not familiar with each other, and he shouldn't have offered advice. Even if he was willing to offer advice, now that he had proposed this method, how could he offer advice? Would he plot against himself? It can be said that he felt Qin Zhen's difficulty just from their first meeting. But Cai Mao was not a mediocre person after all. He smiled upon hearing this and said: "You only say that you don't know the meaning of the scriptures and you are afraid of being embarrassed, but I see that you have a sharp tongue." "With such a sensitive tongue, I think even if you go there, you won't be afraid!" "Furthermore, I will not hide it from you, sir. The method of gathering great scholars to wait on you is what I have suggested!" "Mr. Benyin is a disciple of Master Cai, and you don't know how to entertain him, so I offer this advice."

"I didn't expect that the gentleman would misunderstand me like this. It's really not good!" Since Qin Zhen is playing tricks on him, then he should tell the truth. Didn't you say that I have evil intentions? Then I will express my pure good intentions and see if you can take back the insults you said! But as soon as he finished speaking, Qin Zhen was stunned for a moment, as if he was embarrassed, and then he smiled and said: "So this is what Brother Cai meant. Haha. I really am judging you by my own standards!" "I know that Jingzhou is a land of talented people, and it shouldn't produce such ruthless people!" "After all, I came here to respect the emperor's order and discuss matters with your army." "Seeing this situation, I thought they were trying to harm me and ruin the relationship between our two families. They are truly unfilial and disgusting!" "Before, I was still wondering why such a greedy villain appeared in Jingzhou." "So it turned out that you had good intentions, brother. I didn't know the reason and said something careless. Brother, you have a broad mind and you shouldn't blame me!" "But this is all what I thought. I wonder if Brother Cai would blame me for being disrespectful?" Having said this, he took Cai Mao's hand again and looked at him earnestly. When Cai Mao heard these words, veins popped out on his forehead. Everyone around who was watching this was secretly shocked, thinking that Qin Zhen was really good at scolding people. He kept calling Cai Mao "brother", but at the same time he implicitly criticized Cai Mao for being a heartless person, disrespectful to his father and king, and a selfish villain. But Cai Mao couldn't be angry, because Qin Zhen was scolding the bad-hearted people, not him, the "kind-hearted" Cai Mao! Once angry, not only would he accept the insults, but he would also provoke Qin Zhen to continue to attack. Everyone present knew exactly what Cai Mao was thinking, and these insults really hit Cai Mao hard. It would be fine if Cai Mao had no power, but Cai Mao was indeed the top figure in Liu Biao's army. What should he do if he couldn't help himself? Therefore, everyone was surprised and was looking at the change in Cai Mao's expression. He was afraid that Cai Mao would not be able to control himself and would draw his sword to duel with Qin Zhen.

However, in the sight of everyone, Cai Mao's face only turned from red to blue, and then he laughed: "What a sharp tongue you have! No wonder everyone in the world praises your eloquence!" "Today I have seen your methods, my dear brother. I am so happy that I dare not bear grudges." As he said this, he grabbed Qin Zhen's hand and said with a smile: "But my dear brother, please don't delay here. Since you treat me as your brother, you shouldn't make things difficult for me!" "I am here on your orders, brother. Please come to the mansion for a feast." "All the wise men have arrived in the palace. It would be difficult for me to do anything if you delay here. Why don't you go with me to the banquet?" "As for the rest, how about we discuss it another day?" As he said this, his face became kind, no longer as cold as before. Upon seeing this, Qin Zhen couldn't help but secretly praise Cai Mao for his great patience. Although he was a mean person, his patience and ability were truly extraordinary. Seeing that he had changed his tactics, Qin Zhen could not delay any longer and smiled slightly: "Forget it, since Brother Cai is so kind, I won't refuse!" "Thank you for leading the way, brother. I will go to the banquet with you." Upon hearing this, Cai Mao said nothing. He stood up with a forced smile and made a gesture of invitation to Qin Zhen. Qin Zhen also stood up, with one hand behind his back and a feather fan in the other, and walked out of the hall. When Zhuge Liang, Wang Can and others saw this, they looked at each other and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Just now they were really afraid that the two would fight on the spot. Fortunately, Cai Mao is a man who can bend and stretch, otherwise today's incident would never have ended well. Seeing the two of them walking out one after another, everyone stood up and hurried to catch up. I thought the matter ended here, but as soon as I left the inn, I saw Zhang Yun leading a group of soldiers. Seeing Cai Mao coming out, Zhang Yun said: "I have been ordered by the military advisor to lead the troops here. Please give the order, military advisor!" Seeing this, Qin Zhen smiled slightly, pointed at the soldiers with his feather fan and said: "I wonder what Brother Cai means by this? Are you going to lead troops to capture me?" When Cai Mao heard this, he smiled and said: "My dear brother, you are an important guest, so you must be on high alert. This person is not here to arrest you, but to protect you!" "I see, Brother Cai is really not an outsider, he is very considerate!" "If you come to Huainan tomorrow, I will treat you well!" Qin Zhen smiled, then walked towards his carriage with his feather fan on his back.

As soon as he got in the car, Cai Mao stepped forward and told Zhang Yun: "Take him straight to the palace, don't delay on the way!" After hearing this, Zhang Yun nodded quickly and left. Only after Qin Zhen's carriage left did Cai Mao's face turn cold. He looked back at Kong Ming and the others, snorted coldly, and then followed the team. When Zhuge Liang and others saw this, they secretly thought that Qin Zhen's visit this time would definitely lead to another verbal battle. But things are like this, and they can only rely on Qin Zhen's performance. All they can do is watch the battle. Meanwhile, inside the government office, a group of great scholars were already discussing until their mouths were dry. They came this time, firstly, at the request of Liu Biao, and secondly, because they heard that Cai Yong's disciple and son-in-law Qin Zhen was coming and they wanted to have a good debate with him. Unexpectedly, after discussing for half a day in the mansion, Liu Biao never showed up, and Qin Zhen himself did not come either. As the sky darkened, Song Zhong couldn't help but swallow his saliva and stopped talking: "Gentlemen, we have been discussing for several hours today. Now the guests have not arrived yet. Why don't we stop first and discuss it again after the guests come!" As soon as he spoke, everyone felt something was wrong. Ying Rong glanced at the clepsydra and frowned: "It is almost 11:00 now, and the guests have arrived. Why hasn't the host shown up yet? Is this the proper etiquette for entertaining guests?" Compared with Song Zhong, Ying Rong's rank was obviously higher. As soon as he spoke, someone informed Liu Biao in the back hall. When Liu Biao heard this, he was in a dilemma. Logically speaking, he should have come out now. But Qin Zhen has not arrived yet. If he appears, he will be inferior to Liu Bei. Therefore, Qin Zhen must arrive first before he can come out to meet him, which is in line with the difference in status between the two. But Qin Zhen is so slow to come that he doesn’t even come. What should he choose? After thinking for a while, he told everyone what he was hesitating about and asked: "Now that the teachers are questioning me, I should come out, but Qin Zhen hasn't come yet, what should I do?" After hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought. Only Kuai Yue stood up and said with a smile: "Since the masters are asking to see you, you can go to the hall first to meet them. This is the etiquette of hospitality." "As for the hall, just explain the reason clearly, don't call for a banquet, and treat it with everyone." "It is Qin Zhen's rudeness to treat the humble with dignity, let's see how he speaks!" When Liu Biao heard this, he thought that it was indeed true. If he appeared first now, he would indeed lose his status. But this approach can not only create a difficult problem for Qin Zhen, but also transfer the hatred of the teachers to Qin Zhen, which can be said to be the best of both worlds. Thinking of this, he no longer hesitated and walked towards the front hall. He walked into the hall after hearing a servant's shout. When everyone saw Liu Biao coming, they bowed and saluted. When Liu Biao saw this, he bowed to everyone and said: "I'm sorry to have been late. I hope you can forgive me for keeping you waiting!"

As he spoke, he walked up to the main seat and sighed to everyone: "Today, I want to invite you all to a banquet, but now the guests have not arrived, so I cannot start the banquet. Please wait here for a while!" "We will start the banquet after Qin Zixuan arrives!" Seeing Liu Biao like this, the scholars were naturally puzzled, and someone immediately asked: "What do you mean? I wonder if Qin Zixuan hasn't come yet, or if something happened?" When Liu Biao heard this, he pretended to be helpless and said: "Two hours ago, this person arrived at the inn in the city!" "I have sent someone to announce that the wise men are here, and to ask them to burn incense and bathe before coming forward." "I didn't expect that there is still no news until now. He said he was packing his luggage and hasn't bathed yet." "I really don't know how this person behaves in the Chuanshe." "But since he is a guest, we cannot blame him, so we can only wait for him to come!" He has always liked to sit and talk, and he is also a master of yin and yang. He just cleared himself of all blame and pushed everything onto Qin Zhen. These great scholars all had large numbers of disciples, and when they heard this, they were all furious. Among them was a great scholar named Xie Gai, who immediately slammed the table and said angrily: "How can you prepare for a bath and take two hours? You must be arrogant because of your talent." "An ancient sage said: 'Ao should not be allowed to grow too long, desires should not be followed, ambitions should not be satisfied, and happiness should not be taken to the extreme.'" "We are waiting here because we respect him because he is a disciple of Cai Zhonglang and has great Confucian knowledge." "I didn't expect this person to be so arrogant. How rude!" As soon as he spoke, everyone was filled with righteous indignation and accused Qin Zhen of being rude. Seeing this, Liu Biao nodded in his heart, but he tried to persuade her. At this moment, he heard a voice outside the house: "The General of the Five Officials and the Marquis of Yiyangting have arrived!" As soon as this voice came out, the scene suddenly became quiet, and then Qin Zhen stepped into the hall. As for this, Qin Zhen first bowed to everyone, then smiled and said: "I have come all the way here, and I am truly ashamed to have troubled you all to wait here. I hope you will accept my respect again!" As he said this, he bowed to everyone again! After greeting everyone, he looked at Liu Biao who was sitting in the main seat and said: "It must be Liu Mu who is here. I am here on a mission under orders to meet Liu Mu!" Liu Biao was sitting in his seat. Seeing Qin Zhen saluting, he stroked his beard and said with a smile: "What a great master and student! You are indeed very elegant. Please take a seat and have a chat first!" Upon seeing this, Qin Zhen looked around and saw an empty seat to the left of Liu Biao, so he went forward and sat down. But before he could step forward, he saw a man stand up and say:

"Wait a minute, the Book of Rites says: 'Whenever a guest enters, the host should give way to the guest at each door. When the guest reaches the bedroom door, the host should invite him in and take a seat, then go out to greet the guest. If the guest refuses, the host should let the guest in.'" "Now the envoy invites you to sit down, but you enter without asking. How can this be polite?" When Qin Zhen saw this, he turned around and saw a man wearing a tall hat and a wide belt, dressed in Confucian clothes, looking at him with an unfriendly face. In response to this question, he smiled, bowed to the person, and asked: "May I ask your name?" The man bowed in return and said: "Excuse me, Li Zhuan! Can you answer my question?" When Qin Zhen heard this, he asked again: "Are you the host or the guest here?" Upon hearing this, Li Zhuan frowned and said: "Since you are a guest!" As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Zhen smiled and said: "Since you are guests, I believe the envoy must have asked you to take a seat first, and you all said goodbye before entering the room. I wonder if this is possible?" When Li Zhuan heard this, he remained silent for a while, but then Qin Zhen smiled and said: "I also heard: 'At a banquet, the host kneels on the seat, and the guest kneels and touches the seat to say goodbye. The guest walks away from the seat, and the host firmly refuses, so the guest steps on the seat and sits down.'" "I'm here on a diplomatic mission. Although I'm a guest, this is official business, not a private ceremony!" "When I was not here just now, the envoy had already taken his seat. You blamed me for this. Aren't you saying that the envoy was rude first?" "Furthermore, the host did not ask, and the guest did not raise his hand first. The envoy did not speak, but you raised your hand first. I don't know what etiquette is." His question made Li Zhuan's face flush red and he was speechless. When Qin Zhen saw this, he sat down at the table and slowly fanned himself with a feather fan. But as soon as he sat down, he saw an old man slamming the table and saying in a deep voice: "What a lunatic! I really don't know how Cai Zhonglang could accept such a disciple." "You know we have been waiting here for a long time, but instead of coming quickly, you are making excuses and resisting." "Now that we have come to this, let me first speak wildly. I would like to ask you, with all the wise men here, how can you be polite by acting like this?" When Qin Zhen heard the man mention Cai Yong, he frowned. Although he arrived a little late, it would not cause public outrage. The current state of the crowd might be due to some kind of stimulation. While thinking, he glanced at Liu Biao without showing any expression, and saw that Liu Biao was looking at him with a smile on his face. Seeing this situation, Qin Zhen had no idea that this old man had plotted against him again. After thinking about this for a while, he stopped being polite and stood up and asked the old man who was asking him: "I'm sorry I don't know you, sir. May I ask who you are?" Seeing him like this, the old man said coldly: "I am Song Zhong, what are you waiting for?" When Qin Zhen heard that it was Song Zhong, he waved his feather fan again and said with a smile: "So it's Master Song. I have long heard of your great name. Since you are asking a question, I also have a question!"

"May I ask what is etiquette?" As a great scholar, Song Zhong said disdainfully upon hearing this: "It's a pity that you learned from Cai Zhonglang, but you are so ignorant of etiquette." "An ancient sage said: Rituals are used to determine closeness, resolve suspicion, distinguish similarities and differences, and clarify right and wrong." "To cultivate oneself and to practice what one says is called good conduct; to practice and practice what one says is the essence of propriety." "You don't even know this, no wonder you are so rude!" As soon as he finished speaking, some of the guests cheered and the scene suddenly became lively. But when Qin Zhen heard this, he smiled faintly and said: "I see. Thank you for your teaching, Master. But I have another question. May I ask what is the ritual for offering sacrifices to heaven?" As he said this, he turned his head slightly to look at Liu Biao, and saw that Liu Biao's face darkened. Everyone present was stunned, and Song Zhong's face turned black and he was speechless in an instant. (End of this chapter)