Jiuxi

Chapter 775: 773 [His Heart is Deserve to Be Punished]

Green mountains, green waters, white grass, red leaves and yellow flowers.

This is Jiangnan in early autumn.

The summer heat gradually dissipated, the Jiangbei border was safe and secure, the world was at peace again, and the rich and prosperous Yongjia City was filled with a leisurely and comfortable atmosphere.

Even some scholars in the Imperial Academy could not help but go out of the city with two or three good friends to enjoy the autumn, recite poems and compose essays, feeling so carefree and happy.

But there are also people who continue to live an ascetic life.

Jiang Hui, who was 22 years old at the time, was a typical example.

In the quiet and deserted school dormitory, Jiang Hui, dressed simply, sat by the window, reading the few paragraphs on the paper. His angular face was full of admiration, and because he was too absorbed in his studies, he didn't even notice a classmate approaching him.

The man was handsome and had an upright figure. Just from his temperament one could tell that he came from a good family.

His name was Qian Rang, with the courtesy name Degao. He was the son of Qian Sui, the Shaoqing of the Honglu Temple, and was one year younger than Jiang Hui.

Among hundreds of students in the upper classes, Jiang Hui was one of the few who came from a poor family. However, he enjoyed a high reputation among his classmates because he was gifted with intelligence and talent, and had a cheerful and chivalrous character. He was neither arrogant nor servile. Even Pei Fangyuan, the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, thought highly of him.

However, Jiang Hui had his own principles. Even though he got along well with most of his classmates, there were only three or five people who could be considered close friends, and Qian Rang was one of them.

Seeing Jiang Hui so focused, Qian Rang simply sat down opposite him and said with a smile, "Brother Shaoyang, have you found a wonderful article? You are so engrossed in reading it."

"Why is Degao here? It's your day off today, aren't you going home?"

Jiang Hui put down the paper and asked calmly.

Qian Rang shook his head and said, "If I go back, I will be scolded by my father. It is better to hide in the school and live in peace."

Jiang Hui knew that his family's Qian Shaoqing was always demanding, so he smiled knowingly and said with emotion: "A wonderful article? Perhaps, but the most wonderful thing about this article is not the rhyme or words, but the concern for the country and the people revealed between the lines, which is really admirable."

Hearing this, Qian Rang became more curious, so he asked, "Whose article do you admire so much?"

Jiang Hui glanced at the paper and said in a low voice, "The memorial submitted by the Duke of Shanyang a few months ago."

Qian Rang was slightly startled, and then he saw his friend push the paper towards him, so he looked down and soon immersed himself in the words, and even couldn't help but read softly: "Those with great achievements are prone to arrogance, I hope Your Majesty will find it difficult to stop; those who start well are difficult to finish, I hope Your Majesty will find it easy... This sentence is really well written, it can be said to be incisive and thought-provoking."

Jiang Hui had obviously memorized this memorial by heart, and he said, "A vast territory is not a safe way to maintain peace, and human overwork is the source of chaos. This sentence is most in line with the teachings of the sage."

Although the family backgrounds of these two people are as different as heaven and earth, they are both talented and well-read, and are among the best among the hundreds of students in the upper school. Many classmates have expressed envy more than once that Jiang Hui and Qian Rang will definitely make a splash in the next spring examination.

Being young and talented, both of them were more or less aloof, but they had to admit that this memorial was full of talent and every word was brilliant.

“No wonder you praise this article so much.”

Qian Rang sighed softly, then hesitated and said, "But I heard that the Duke of Shanyang was not good at writing and did not take the imperial examination when he was young..."

The implication was that he didn't believe that this was Lu Chen's handwriting.

Jiang Hui said without hesitation: "So what? The ancients said that writing can convey the truth. Even if this memorial was not written by the county lord, it can still represent his thoughts, otherwise it would not be submitted to the emperor in his name. Degao, do you know when this memorial will be sent to the capital?"

Qian Rang shook his head.

Jiang Hui had a complicated expression, and said slowly: "That was when Your Majesty decided to march north, ordered Marquis Yongyi as the commander-in-chief, and excluded the Duke of Shanyang! If Your Majesty had accepted the advice of the Duke of Shanyang, how could our army have suffered the defeat at Kaocheng? In that battle, more than 30,000 men of the Great Qi died, which directly led to the precarious defense line of Jingzhou! From this, it can be seen that there must be treacherous people in the court who bewitched Your Majesty, otherwise why would Your Majesty not listen to the advice of the Duke of Shanyang?"

"Be careful!"

Qian Rang was, after all, the son of the Junior Official of the Honglu Temple. He was more sensitive in some aspects than Jiang Hui, who came from the remote Fuzhou. He then slowed down his tone and said with a wry smile, "Your temper... Never mind, let's not talk about this. Brother Shaoyang, where did you get the contents of this memorial?"

Jiang Hui said frankly: "It seems that you don't know yet, this memorial has already been circulated in the city, and many people have seen it."

Qian Rang frowned slightly when he heard this. He intuitively knew that this was definitely not an accident, so he changed the subject and said, "Earlier, you were clamoring to leave the Imperial College and join the army, which even alarmed the chief priest. Now that you have seen this memorial from the county lord, I think no one can stop you."

Unexpectedly, Jiang Hui shook his head and said, "No, I changed my mind." Qian Rang asked curiously, "Why?"

Jiang Hui glanced at the paper on the table and said in a low but firm voice, "I know what you are worried about. The content of this memorial has been widely spread, and it is probably related to the Duke of the County. The Duke of the County has made outstanding contributions in turning the tide this time, and his reputation is unparalleled. He does not need such means to make a name for himself. I guess the reason why he did this is that there are still people in the court who want to deal with him, perhaps accusing him of not contributing at the beginning of the Northern Expedition, so he must let the world know the truth at the time."

Qian Rang nodded and said, "That makes sense, but what does this have to do with your change of mind?"

Jiang Hui was silent for a moment, his eyes gradually showed firmness, and he said slowly: "Why does the court support scholars? Of course, they hope that we can work hard and serve the country. Now, the pillars of the country like the county lord are repeatedly attacked, which is enough to show that the court is in power. We are weak and powerless. Even if we join the frontier army, it will only satisfy our own wishful thinking, and actually drag others down. The only way is to stay in the capital and work hard. Maybe I can do my best for the frontier soldiers in the future."

Qian Rang was shocked. Looking at his classmate's solemn expression, his blood boiled. He said solemnly, "I am willing to go with you."

Jiang Hui smiled slightly and whispered, "I hope I am not alone on this path."

Naturally, no one knew the story that happened in a corner of the Imperial College, at least for now.

Just as Jiang Hui said, the memorial submitted by Lu Chen a few months ago quietly spread throughout the capital.

When the Minister of Personnel Li Shizhi arrived at the imperial study in Rende Hall, there were two documents placed in front of the young emperor. One was the copy that Su Yunqing, the director of the Weaving Bureau, had personally delivered to the palace, and the other was the original memorial from Lu Chen.

The expression on Li Zongben's face was not good.

When he first saw the memorial, he didn't take it too seriously, and later he completely forgot about it. After all, in his opinion it was not a big deal.

However, with the subsequent changes in the battle situation in Jiangbei, Lu Chen turned the situation around on his own and successfully forced the Jing army to retreat and dispel the opponent's intentions. This memorial set off a sharp contrast.

Beforehand, Lu Chen strongly opposed the hasty Northern Expedition, as evidenced by this sincere memorial, and afterwards he led the troops wholeheartedly to save the defeat, which was enough to prove his loyalty to the Great Qi. Not to mention the disgraceful image of the emperor, Han Zhongjie and some ministers in this matter, Lu Chen himself seemed to be cast in gold. At this time, no matter who in the court said rude things to Lu Chen, they would soon be criticized by thousands of people.

"What a good idea."

After Li Shizhi paid his respects, he stood solemnly, and then he heard the emperor's concise and meaningful words.

He then advised: "Your Majesty, this matter may not be done by the Duke of Shanyang."

Li Zongben now trusted him very much, and was too lazy to beat around the bush, so he said bluntly: "Not necessarily? This memorial has been kept in my study. Could it be that the eunuchs in the palace secretly took it out? Although Yuan Yuji is not as capable as you, he is not so bad that he can't even guard my study. Besides, who would risk stealing the contents of this memorial just to help Lu Chen, who is thousands of miles away, become famous? It is possible that Duke Rong would do so, but I don't think he can reach so far."

Li Shizhi could not help but lower his head and brows.

Li Zongben continued, "He is a hero who saved Da Qi from danger. I do not deny this, nor have I ever thought of erasing his contributions. I summoned Wang Anzhong before to tell Lu Chen through him that I would reward him with the title of Duke, and I also allowed him to stay in Dingzhou for a few more days to wait for his two wives to give birth. Maybe I did have some inappropriate arrangements before, but I ask myself that I have nothing to say against him in the past six months, and he is fine..."

The emperor became more and more angry as he spoke, and Li Shizhi could not help but sigh and then said, "Your Majesty, it is not appropriate to cause trouble."

Li Zongben took a deep breath and said slowly, "Now his reputation in the streets is unmatched, especially through this pre-ambushed memorial, which portrays the image of a loyal minister who has foresight and can put aside past grudges and serve the country wholeheartedly. As for me and Han Zhongjie, we are already clowns to set off him. Humph, what a loyal Duke of Shanyang."

Li Shizhi secretly observed the emperor's expression and said slowly, "Your Majesty, that is why you should quickly determine the rewards for the border army commanders."

Li Zongben turned his head and looked at him. He suddenly came to his senses and nodded, saying, "Indeed, we can't continue to let him buy people's hearts."

Li Shizhi continued, "Since the Duke of Shanyang is about to have a son, Your Majesty might as well wait for a while and confer titles on his children to put their minds at ease."

Li Zongben was obviously still angry. To be honest, Lu Chen had the contents of the memorial publicized. It would not cause any substantial damage to the emperor, but it would certainly deal a blow to his reputation, and it would also have unpredictable effects on the future court situation.

Li Shizhi saw this and said, "Your Majesty, a tiger will only be willing to be caged if it feels at ease. If you don't show kindness to win it over, how will it dare to return to the capital in the future?"

Hearing this, Li Zongben couldn't help but fall into silence.

After a long while, he nodded and said, "You are right. This matter does need to be considered carefully."

Li Shizhi bowed and said respectfully: "Your Majesty is wise."

His eyes were like a cold mountain pond, calm and undisturbed.

(End of this chapter)