Chapter 4: I can’t bear to look at the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars! Zhizhoufu As soon as he arrived at the gate of the mansion, Chu Hong saw his father Chu Yu standing at the door waiting quietly. Chu Yu stroked his beard slightly, and his every move was full of dignity, worthy of the demeanor of a local official. "Father!" Chu Hong gently put down the fresh fish, as if he was afraid that the fish would be hurt, and bowed slightly to Chu Yu. Chu Su and Zhang Zhou also bowed one after another. "Father!" "uncle!" Although the people who came together to uphold justice were indignant, they were also polite. The prefect was the absolute top leader of the place, and Chu Yu was the representative of the local faction in Yangzhou. It was no exaggeration to say that he could cover the sky with one hand.
“Your stepmother wants to drink fresh fish soup, but where can we get fresh fish in winter? "You went to chisel ice to get fish these days, and I thought you were just bragging. I let you do whatever you wanted because of your filial piety. But I didn't expect you to be so filial and actually get fresh fish." Chu Yu looked at the lively fish, his majestic expression full of surprise, and he was somewhat moved by Chu Hong's pure filial piety. Chu Yu's majestic expression was moved and his lips trembled slightly. "It's so cold, but you're sweating like rain and panting. If you catch a cold, how can your father face your mother who unfortunately passed away?" "Father." Chu Hong looked at Chu Yu with a little surprise, and then hesitated to speak, as if he had some difficulties but was unwilling to say them. Everyone seemed to see Chu Hong's difficulties and immediately spoke up for him. "Da Lang is indeed a kind and filial man. We must not let him down!" "Da Lang is extremely filial and pure, a model of ancient sages, a gentleman!" "Da Lang started chipping ice before daybreak and stopped only after dark. He is a good and filial child. It's a pity that the son is filial but the mother is not kind!" "Da Lang is a good man!" When everyone had finished speaking, the little fat man waved his hand and pressed down slightly. His prestige among the younger generation in Yangzhou was second only to Chu Hong. "Uncle, Zifeng is kind and filial, and he imitated the ancient sages to chisel ice to catch fish. I am Zifeng's good friend, but I can't bear to see him being teased. That vicious woman Xu was resting by the fire in her house. Zifeng had been chipping ice for three days in the cold winter, showing her filial piety. But when she caught a fish, Xu sent someone to say that she was just teasing Zifeng and asked her to release the fish she had finally caught. This Xu was trying to make fun of Zifeng's filial piety, she is really not a kind mother! Everyone nodded in agreement. Everyone knew that Mrs. Xu was jealous and treated her eldest son harshly, so the eldest son Chu Hong did not have a good life at home. Chu Yu was stunned. As a father, he just subconsciously cared about his eldest son, but he did not delve into the reason. All along, Chu Yu seemed to have heard about harmonious families, loving mothers and filial children. He seemed to have never thought about the intolerant nature of the mistress of the house. "What on earth is going on? I have been busy with official duties and have never..." Chu Yu was very concerned about his own offspring. He looked at Chu Hong with concern and then subconsciously looked at the onlookers. Afterwards, everyone took turns telling what they knew about Chu Hong's harsh treatment, and each of them spoke with great clarity and logic.
Everyone talked a lot. It seemed that Chu Yu knew for the first time that the eldest son was treated harshly. He looked very touched. He could not help but walk down the stairs, holding Chu Hong's hands which were red and even cracked due to the cold, and looked at Chu Hong's dripping sweat from a close distance. His eyes slowly turned red and moist. "Hong'er, you passed the imperial examination when you were only a teenager, and everyone praised you for your gentlemanly demeanor. "These chapped hands should have been used for reading and writing! This kind and filial heart should have been used to care for the people of the world!" "Hong'er... it's my fault. It's all my fault! I was busy with official duties and worked diligently, but I never paid much attention to the affairs of the harem. I didn't even notice... it's all my fault!" "As a father, you actually believed what that foolish woman said and thought that she treated you like her own son. This is all your fault! Today, I will divorce that vicious woman to heal the rift between you and me!" As he spoke, tears flowed down Chu Yu's majestic face, and he looked full of regret and remorse. There was a commotion in the crowd. Divorce? Chu Hong also looked very moved, but shook his head with tears streaming down his face, "My child was treated harshly by my stepmother because my biological mother passed away. If I divorce my wife, my third brother will follow in my footsteps, and then he will be treated harshly! Isn't the story of "Reed Clothes Obey Mother" in ancient times also the same principle? This time, please forgive my stepmother!" "Zifeng, how can you forgive this vicious woman?" Zhang Zhou tried to dissuade him quickly. He was a little confused. If he divorced his wife, wouldn't he be able to escape from the sea of suffering? Chu Yu also wanted to dissuade him, and it seemed that he was determined to divorce his wife. Chu Hong shook his head in disapproval, glanced at Zhang Zhou, and then looked at Chu Yu, "Father, please forgive mother! I believe that mother will see my filial piety and live in peace with me from now on, treating me like her own son." "Oh! You..." Zhang Zhou sighed and held his forehead. If that vicious woman didn't come back to him, wouldn't everything be in vain? However, Zhang Zhou did not dissuade her anymore. The story of "The Man in Reed Clothes Obeys His Mother" was so deeply rooted in people's hearts that he believed in his heart that the vicious woman would become a good person from now on and treat her friends like her own children. "Okay, okay, I will listen to you, all the time!" Zhang Zhou believed that the vicious woman would turn into a good person, and Chu Yu naturally believed it too. Everyone else believed it even more, and no one raised any objections. The father and son hugged each other and cried, quietly expressing their love for each other. This scene was so touching that even some people who had no idea what was going on and came to watch the fun were quite satisfied. Harmony between father and son! The father and son reconciled, and Chu Hong and Chu Yu asked their servants to slaughter the caught fish and distribute them to everyone, who praised them. After everyone left in groups of three or four, Chu Hong and Chu Yu closed the door of the mansion together. The father and son were in perfect harmony. After closing the door, Chu Hong looked at the people who were leaving. A cunning look flashed in his eyes, which then became extremely hidden in an instant. After today, the story of lying on the ice to catch carp will surely spread. It will be worth the hard work! "Hong'er, you are a gentleman in breaking ice to catch fish. Your plan went perfectly." As soon as he closed the door, Chu Yu took a deep breath. He really didn't expect that this reputation could be gained in this way. "I rely a lot on my father's acting skills!" Yes, this is acted. Reputation has always been a silent pillar and a great help in one's career. Therefore, in order to improve his own reputation, Chu Hong proposed to Chu Yu a year ago his revised action plan [Lying on the Ice to Catch Carp ]. It is a combination of [Lying on the Ice to Catch Carp] and [Wearing Reed Clothes to Obey Mother].
The Zhou Dynasty did not rule the country with filial piety, but this did not hinder the status of filial piety. The foundation of a country is not [filial piety], but the status of [filial piety] is still unique. If you want to improve your reputation, you naturally have to consider [filial piety]. When it comes to filial piety, the most classic one is the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars. However, among the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars that have been circulated, most of them are actually stories from the Han and Jin dynasties. During the Han and Jin dynasties, filial piety was used to govern the country, and naturally there were many stories of gaining fame. These stories have withstood the test of time and have become classics. Therefore, Chu Hong had to face an extremely uncomfortable thing: the timeline was wrong. The Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars have all been performed before. Ahem, they’ve been performed too well. Either be original or build on the shoulders of predecessors and go one step further. After careful consideration, Chu Hong decided to use the story of the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars. Most of the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars are undoubtedly detrimental to people’s worldviews, but the fact that they have been passed down through the ages also means they are classics. A classic is known to almost everyone, which also means it can cause a sensation. Classic, popular! If you just tell a single story, it probably won't have such a good effect. Thus, the practice of "chiseling ice to catch carp" which imitates "lying on ice to catch carp" came into being. As for the eldest son of the Yangzhou Chu family, isn't it a bit of a show for him to chisel ice to catch carp? Well, the original Wang Xiang is from the Wang family of Langya, that’s even more exaggerated! Even the Wang family of Langya can’t afford fresh fish, so how can my Chu family of Jiangnan afford it? cough. The demeanor of ancient sages is what a gentleman does! Three minutes on stage, ten years of hard work off stage. After careful planning and with the cooperation of several servants who had signed death contracts, the drama was finally performed. As Chu Hong expected, with his own people watching, those who liked to watch the fun also came to watch. With his own reputation as a foundation, there was always a shortage of people coming to watch. As for Zhang Zhou, Chu Hong knew his character too well. Zhang Zhou, my good brother, this is really the last time... Believe me, it really is! Sir, come and have fun! Ahem I always feel that being an author is a bit like going into prostitution. The author is ostentatious in the brothels and the readers passing by take a look and think - oh no, a little bitch. So, I felt itchy and went upstairs to order the sign. After the author finished his service, if the reader thought the technology was OK, he would give it a collection. If he thought it was special, he would give two tickets and come back next time. Ahem, so, dear guests, please feel free to use your small bills to humiliate this slut like me! (End of this chapter)