He Yan looked at the people in the hall, and seeing that Sima Shi and Xiahou Xuan were puzzled, he smiled and said, "Fang Ping, the people opposite are Xiahou Taichu and Sima Ziyuan."
"Why don't you tell me what the reason is?"
Cui Zan bowed and said, "Taichu and Ziyuan may not know that right now, a comment from Zhuge Gongxiu in Luozhong is worth a hundred gold coins!"
Bi Gui, who was sitting on Sima Shi's left, came over and explained with a smile, "Ziyuan, you don't understand this."
"Gong Xiu is a doctor in the Ministry of Personnel. Anyone who Gong Xiu praises or makes famous will get a good job within half a month!"
Sima Shi barely suppressed his surprise and asked Bi Gui in a low voice: "Excuse me, Brother Zili, I know that the position of Cao Langzhong in the Ministry of Personnel is an important position, but I don't know why it is so important?"
Bi Gui raised his lips slightly and said, "First shoot the arrow, then draw the target. How can I miss it?"
After saying that, Bi Gui turned sideways and sat back.
As smart as Sima Shi was, he roughly understood it after thinking about it for a few moments.
Zhuge Dan was well-known in Luoyang, and it was very rare to get his comments. In addition, he was in the position of "election director" in the Ministry of Personnel, so he could know the inside story of official transfers...
How could a person who was praised by Zhuge Dan not get a good job?
Awesome, good at playing!
After meeting Sima Shi's gaze, Zhuge Dan took the initiative to smile and said, "I haven't had many opportunities to chat with Ziyuan before. Today the sun is still long, so we should talk more!"
Sima Shi bowed and said, "Brother Gongxiu is well-known in Luozhong. I am just a student of the Imperial College. I hope you can give me more guidance."
"Hahahaha." Zhuge Dan laughed, "How can I teach Sima Ziyuan, the eldest son of the Sikong family who can accomplish the affairs of the world?"
"Ziyuan, although there is a ten-year age difference between you and me, please treat each other as you would treat Uncle Ping, and we can talk to each other as equals."
Sima Shi also smiled and replied: "Brother Gongxiu has become famous in Luozhong in the past two months, and can decide people's careers with a single word. I'd better be respectful to him."
Yuan Kan smiled and said, "I heard that there is no holiday. Your fame has been known to everyone in Luo!"
He Yan interrupted, "Doesn't Gong Xiu always comment on others? Today I will comment on Gong Xiu!"
Everyone in the hall laughed. Zhuge Dan also bowed to He Yan with a strange look on his face and said, "Uncle Ping, just go ahead!"
He Yan raised his head slightly, shook it and said, "In today's world, the Langya Zhuge clan is quite famous. It can be said that: Shu got its dragon, Wu got its tiger, and Wei got its dog!"
Zhuge Dan smiled and shook his head: "Uncle Ping, Uncle Ping, besides your face, your most amazing thing is your mouth!"
He Yan rolled up his sleeves and stretched out his right hand, pointing in the direction of Zhuge Dan: "If you say I have this face, I will just take it as a compliment. But I have something else to share with you today."
The four people who had already joined the Chongwen Temple all had smiles on their faces. Zhuge Dan, Yuan Kan, Cui Zan, Xu Yun, Sima Shi and Xiahou Xuan all had some confusion in their eyes.
He Yan raised his two bare hands above his head and clapped them, then slowly walked into a row of ladies from outside, each holding a tray with a ceramic plate and a jade bowl on it.
The jade bowl was crystal clear, and half of it was filled with water. On the pottery plate were five different colored powders.
Zhuge Dan frowned and asked, "Uncle Ping, what is this? Why is it placed in the bowl and on the plate?"
He Yan slowly stood up and shook his robe gently, the corners of his robe fluttering slightly with the breeze.
"Look, everyone. Are there five different colored powders on the plate?"
Everyone nodded.
He Yan chuckled and said, "The five elements, five directions, five colors, five flavors, and five internal organs all correspond to each other."
"The east belongs to wood, and the color green, so the corresponding color is Zengqing."
Sima Shi looked at the small handful of green powder in the dish and slightly turned the dish so that the green powder faced east.
"The west is associated with gold, white, and the corresponding element is alum."
"The north is associated with water, black, and corresponds to magnet."
"The south is associated with fire, red, and corresponds to cinnabar"
"The center belongs to earth, and the color yellow corresponds to realgar."
Yuan Kan asked, "Brother Pingshu, what do you mean? I see that the plate and bowl are here. Do you want us to eat them?"
He Yan smiled and nodded: "Don't you always ask me how I can have such a spirit and bearing as mine? Today I will take out the treasure and share it with you all."
Xiahou Xuan frowned and said, "Brother Pingshu, these are all stones, how can you eat them like this?"
"Although Taichu is well-educated, he does not understand this secret." He Yan explained: "The five elements, five directions, five qi, and five internal organs are all connected."
"Taking this Five Stones Powder can make the five internal organs of a person harmonious and complete. It is said that it can also help one achieve immortality!"
As soon as he finished speaking, He Yan returned to his desk and began to demonstrate.
With his left hand, He Yan poured the five kinds of powder on the plate into the water in the jade bowl. With his right hand, he picked up the jade pestle on the edge of the bowl and gently shook it in the water.
When the five powders were evenly mixed and suspended in the water, He Yan picked up the jade bowl, raised his head and drank it all in one gulp.
Everyone held their breath and stared at He Yan. He Yan knelt in the middle of the table, closed his eyes and did not move at all.
Sima Shi, who was sitting opposite He Yan, could see clearly that He Yan's body seemed to be slightly flushed with a layer of red, and his chest was rising and falling faster.
Under the gaze of everyone, He Yan suddenly opened his eyes after a while, and the luster in his eyes was several times stronger than usual.
At this moment, He Yan opened his mouth and let out a long whistle, startling all the guests in the hall. Standing up and looking at everyone, He Yan walked slowly while gently swaying his body, and the waves on his green robe actually had a sense of elegance.
Among the people present, He Yan and Zhuge Dan were the oldest. Zhuge Dan could no longer suppress his curiosity and asked, "How does Uncle Ping feel after taking this powder?"
He Yan turned around quickly and gently, looked at Zhuge Dan with slightly wide eyes: "Indeed, I feel extremely refreshed now, I can almost ascend to heaven!"
Seeing that Bi Gui, Deng Yang, Li Sheng and Ding Mi had already started to grind and shake the powder in the bowl with the jade pestle, Zhuge Dan no longer hesitated and imitated He Yan's actions just now, mixing the Wu Shi San evenly and then drinking it all in one gulp.
Sima Shi and Xiahou Xuan followed suit. After taking the Wu Shi San, they also knelt on the mat with their eyes closed like He Yan.
As soon as he took the mixture in the bowl, Sima Shi felt a stream of boiling liquid flowing into his stomach, stirring it up in his chest and abdomen almost instantly. But the strange thing was that instead of feeling any discomfort, it was as if all his internal organs were being massaged.
After a while, Sima Shi felt hot all over, but no sweat came out.
My mind suddenly became clearer, as if the meaning of the sutras I had studied for a long time became clear in an instant. I felt clearer and more excited. Moreover, I felt something stirring in my lower abdomen, and it stood up like a hard object in the daytime.
All over my limbs, I felt a strange sense of warmth, coolness, and numbness.
Zhuge Dan opened his eyes and said, "Uncle Ping has done a great thing! Why did you only let us try it today?"
He Yan kept shaking his sleeves, as if it was too hot: "Don't joke, I have tried many times before choosing this dosage."
"If I were to take the dosage I want, I should rest at Chou hour, take the medicine at Yin hour, and disperse the power of the Five Stones Powder at Mao hour."
"The five stones, five elements, and five internal organs all need to be adjusted at the right time to achieve a sense of transcendence beyond the mundane world."
Zhuge Dan smiled and looked at He Yan: "Uncle Ping, can this Five Stones Powder be used as..."
Before Zhuge Dan finished speaking, He Yan suppressed his smile and nodded, saying, "Of course you can, but it has to be less."
After finishing his conversation with Zhuge Dan, He Yan turned around and looked at everyone: "Wu Shi San is a secret that I, He Yan, will never pass on. If you want to try it again someday, you can stay overnight at my house and take it at yin time."
"Don't tell anyone, or I'll be merciless."
Sima Shi raised his head and his eyes met Zhuge Dan opposite him again.
Zhuge Dan raised his lips and nodded to Sima Shi, who also smiled and gestured to go back. Sima Shi certainly understood what Zhuge Dan said just now.
He Yan clearly didn't want to give away the Five Stone Powder. But if I could ask He Yan for some in the future, I would still try to save face.
However, when Sima Shi turned around and looked at Xiahou Xuan, he saw that Xiahou Xuan was in a dilemma, and he actually laughed out loud.
……
A few days later, Sima Zhi returned to Luoyang exhausted.
The convoy entered from the west gate of Luoyang City and went directly to the south gate of the Beigong.
For several months, Sima Zhi first took a car to Qiankouwu every day, then took a boat to Wuchang and then to Xiangyang, and finally took a car back to Luoyang.
After such a long journey, even though Sima Zhi had always been in good health, he felt he could not bear it anymore.
Upon hearing that Sima Zhi had returned to Luoyang, Cao Rui, who had just finished archery practice, hurriedly called Sima Zhi to his study.
"Sima Qing is back? I have been waiting for you for a long time." Cao Rui looked at Sima Zhi with a smile: "Hurry up and take a seat!"
Sima Zhi replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty! I was delayed in Wuchang for a long time, so I came back late. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Cao Rui smiled and said, "No problem, no problem. What did you gain from this mission?"
Sima Zhi had already written the report on the way. He took it out from his arms and held it up with both hands. Zhong Yu, who was standing in the corner, came over, took the document and presented it to Cao Rui behind the desk.
"You talk while I watch." Cao Rui whispered.
"According to the order."
After Sima Zhi explained the details of the mission in a concise and detailed manner, Cao Rui slowly put down the document in his hand.
Cao Rui said: "In fact, the result of Sima Qing's visit this time is almost the same as I originally expected."
"Since it is impossible to cross the river militarily, I cannot threaten Sun Quan's life for the time being. It is natural for him to be unwilling to surrender in name only."
"However, Sun Quan gave me so many gifts, almost more than the tribute he paid when the late emperor first appointed him as the King of Wu."
Cao Rui chuckled: "Is Sun Quan bribing me?" (End of this chapter)
