A long time ago, Emperor Qianlong experienced an interesting and heartwarming story during a tour. That summer, he and his courtier Liu Yong went to the lotus bubble in the south of the city to find cool shade to cool off. On this hot afternoon, an exchange with a little shepherd boy became an unforgettable experience on this outing.
Suddenly, Qianlong and Liu Yong spotted a little shepherd boy jumping in a lotus pond, as if looking for something. Qianlong asked curiously, "What are you looking for in the water?" The shepherd boy replied without shyness: "Of course you are looking for lotus roots." As he spoke, he took out a lotus root from the bottom of the water, washed it, and ate it in large gulps. This aroused Qianlong's interest, so he jokingly asked the shepherd boy, "Can you give me a lotus root?" The shepherd boy made a condition: "It's easy to want a lotus root, but will you be right? As long as you can match mine, I will give you lotus root to eat."
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Qianlong was very surprised, he didn't expect this shepherd boy to be good at pairing, so he gladly accepted the challenge. In front of his pair, the shepherd boy did not show weakness, holding the lotus root and saying: "The lotus root is in the mud, and the jade pipe leads to geography." Qianlong was greatly surprised when he heard this, this little shepherd boy was so witty and full of talent.
In order to express his appreciation for the shepherd boy, Qianlong said casually: "The lotus is out of the water, and the pen is astronomical." When the shepherd boy heard this, he laughed and replied, "Uncle, that's so good." You wait, I'll pick the lotus root for you two. With that, he took out two lotus roots, washed them and handed them to Qianlong and Liu Yong. Qianlong and the others sighed with emotion, but they didn't expect to get fresh lotus root because of a game of pairs.
However, the story does not end, and in the sound of birdsong, Qianlong has a whim and starts another pair competition with the shepherd boy.
This time, Qianlong took out the fan in his hand and used it as a bet. The shepherd boy gladly accepted the challenge and easily responded to Qianlong's uplink. Qianlong was full of admiration for this little shepherd boy and gave him the fan without hesitation.
In this simple game, Qianlong realized the ingenuity of the little shepherd boy, so he curiously asked him why he chose to herd cattle instead of studying. The shepherd boy's answer was heart-wrenching, his father died young, and his mother was in poor health, and the family could not afford to provide him with education. But the shepherd boy did not give up his Xi because of this, and he quietly eavesdropped on his teacher's lectures outside the private school.
Qianlong deeply regretted it, and he took out a hundred taels of silver and handed it to the shepherd boy, hoping that he could use the money to go back to continue his studies. This story is impressive, and sometimes, even a small shepherd boy can show wisdom and courage beyond his years.
