Do you know: I have a different surname: Wang, uncle Minglan.

Chapter 338 The Enlightenment of Wei Jingshu and Wei Qiji
Since the relatively large reform strategy was determined, the "reform team" headed by Wei Yuan, Wang Anshi and Fan Chunren has been busy almost day and night.

Reform is related to the destiny of a country. At the critical moment when the new generation replaced the old generation in the three kingdoms of Zhou, Liao and Xia, everyone had a sense of urgency that time was running out.

It was not only the Zhou Dynasty that was reforming. The Liao and Xia Dynasties, which had suffered disastrous defeats in the war, were also actively engaged in developing production in an attempt to reverse their already declining national situation.

Because the rulers of the Three Kingdoms were very clear that at this time, the fate of the three kingdoms had been intertwined. If the reform failed, they would collapse at this intersection. If the reform succeeded, the national fortunes would advance by leaps and bounds and soar.

At this time, in the Liao Kingdom, in Shangjing City, in the Imperial Palace.

All the palace maids, eunuchs, concubines, court ministers, etc., knelt outside a magnificent hall.

Inside the main hall, the Liao Emperor Yelu Hongji was lying on the bed, his face pale, his spiritless, his breath almost gone, and it was obvious that his life was hanging by a thread.

Kneeling in front of him were Yelu Jun, Yelu Yixian and Yelu Xinxian.

Yelu Hongji raised his arm with great effort and held Yelu Jun's small hand tightly. Then he looked at the two brothers Yelu Xinxian and said earnestly:

"The defeat in the South was not caused by the war. You have done your best."

"But I know that the people of the Liao Dynasty do not know. From today on, Yelu Yixian, you, retire."

"I will let Xinxian be the assistant minister. Xinxian, assist the prince well."

Yelu Jun's tears couldn't stop flowing down his cheeks.

Yelu Yixian clasped his fists and said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will retire from this day on and will never interfere in the government affairs."

Yelu Hongji nodded and his eyes focused on Xinxian again.

Yelu Xin first knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please rest assured that I will be loyal to the Crown Prince and the Liao Dynasty for the rest of my life."

After hearing these words, Yelu Hongji finally felt relieved.

After a pause, he asked, "Is Wanyan Wugunai here?"

Hearing this, Yelu Xin first shook his head.

Yelu Hongji suddenly frowned and said, "We must be on guard against the Wanyan clan. In the future, the real enemy of the Liao Dynasty will not be the Zhou Kingdom, but the Jurchens."

Yelu Xinxian said: "I will definitely be more cautious."

Yelu Hongji said: "If I guess correctly, there will be no more Jurchens in this world."

Yelu Xinxian nodded firmly.

Suddenly, Yelu Hongji's pupils shrank, his eyes became unfocused, and his body became stiff.

Yelu Jun called softly, "Father?"

However, there was no further response.

On November 12, the first year of Kaiwu, the Liao emperor Yelu Hongji passed away. He was posthumously named the Rensheng Daxiaowen Emperor and his temple name was Dao Zong.

His son Yelu Jun ascended the throne and became emperor.

At this point, the era when the entire world was controlled by Zhao Zhen, Yelu Hongji, and Li Yuanhao has completely become a thing of the past.

It seems like an era has really come to an end.
-
On the fifteenth day of that month, heavy snow fell throughout the city of Bianjing.

Wei Yuan had already learned the news of Yelu Hongji's death through the urgent communication of the Imperial City Bureau's spies over a long distance.

This is a good thing for Da Zhou.

Now is the time when all parties need to work hard to accumulate strength. During this period, no one wants to start a war.

But the war has already begun quietly.

Whoever can improve the national strength and reach a higher level during this period of time will become the overlord of this world.

On this day, Wei Yuan put aside some government affairs and took some time to play in the snow with Zhuang Ge'er and Jing Jie'er.

Zhang Guifen was sitting under the eaves watching the father and son and others having fun.

Sitting behind her was Xie Yuying, who had already married into the Wei family, and Wei Zhixing in her arms.

The strong boy, who was only a few years old, was already struggling in the snow with knives, guns, sticks and clubs in his hands.

When Zhang Guifen saw this, she couldn't help but shake her head and said:

"Zhuangge'er has the same temperament as me. When I was a kid, I also liked to wield sticks and was often punished by my father."

Baozhu, who was standing beside her, covered her mouth and laughed, "Madam, you are as good as any man."

Xie Yuying also praised him, "Brother Zhuang has the demeanor of a marquis. He will surely be a great hero who defends his country in the future. Sister is truly blessed."

Hearing this, Zhang Guifen took a sip of tea and asked, "Do you hope that Xing Ge will pursue a career in martial arts or literature in the future?"

Xie Yuying said without hesitation: "I'm afraid Xing'er doesn't have the talent for martial arts, so let him study literature."

The Guanjun Marquis Mansion is a place of military honor, and its future lies in "military achievements". She said this to let Zhang Guifen know that Wei Zhixing would never compete with Wei Qiji for anything in the future.

I’m afraid I can’t win.

During this period of time, generals from Daizhou often visited the marquis' mansion.

After all, the end of the year is approaching and a year has passed. Many generals from all over the country will come to the capital in batches to report their achievements this year to the Ministry of War.

Some generals from Daizhou visited the Guanjun Marquis Mansion first.

Those people brought a lot of gifts to Wei Qiji.

There are military books, ponies, and various weapons made of fine iron.

Those generals all called Wei Qiji "Little Marquis", and some even called Wei Qiji "Young Master" in front of Zhang Guifen, and called Wei Jingshu "Miss" or "Young Master".

Xie Yuying also knew that there was a marquis named Chen Daniu who actually called Wei Jingshu "little princess" in front of Zhang Guifen.

Because of this, Zhang Guifen actually cursed the Tiger Marquis.

I heard that Tiger Marquis was a man who killed people without blinking an eye, but under Zhang Guifen's scolding, he acted like a younger brother, listening to his sister's scolding, nodding and agreeing from time to time.
"Sister-in-law is right. I know I was wrong. I know I was wrong. Please don't say anything more."

It seemed that everyone around Wei Yuan regarded Zhang Guifen as the mistress and Wei Qiji as the next owner of the Guanjun Marquis Mansion.

In this situation, how can Xie Yuying fight?
How can her son Wei Zhixing fight for it?
If you can’t win the fight, it’s better not to fight.

"It's also good to study literature. Maybe in the future, Brother Xing can become a top scholar."

Zhang Guifen wasn't joking when she said this.

For today's marquis's mansion, it is not difficult to produce a top scholar.

What's more, Wei Zhixing is from the Guanjun Marquis Mansion.

However, it is not difficult to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi or a Zhuangyuan.

The difficulty is that once Wen is captured, Wei Zhixing will have no use for the resources of the entire Daizhou Group.

Xie Yuying said: "I am grateful for my success in studying, how can I dare to hope for the title of the top scholar?"

Zhang Guifen sipped her tea and smiled without saying anything.

She looked quietly at Wei Yuan and Jing Jie'er and others not far away.

Wei Yuan held Zhuang Ge'er's hand, while Jing Jie'er rode on Wei Yuan's neck. The three of them, father and son, watched the snowflakes flying in the sky together.

This scene is both comfortable and warm.

"Daddy, Daddy, can you build me a snowman?"

Sister Jing said sweetly.

Wei Yuan put Jing Jie'er down, squatted down, touched Jing Jie'er's little head, and said with a smile: "Okay, Daddy will make a snowman for you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the strong man beside him suddenly said, "Dad, I want to ride a big horse too?"

Hmm? What are you riding?
Wei Yuan gently kicked Zhuang Ge'er and kicked him directly into the snow. "Go and play by yourself."

Zhuang Ge'er pouted, looking extremely aggrieved.

Seeing this, Guifen waved to Zhuangge'er, "Mother has some fruit sent by your sister Minglan, come and have some."

Zhuanggeer seemed to be used to it, and he didn't cry or make a fuss. He just stood up quietly, patted the snow off his body, and asked in a baby voice:

"Did Sister Minglan make this herself?"

Zhang Guifen nodded.

Zhuang Ge'er said, "Mom, please leave some for me. I will help Dad build a snowman for my sister."

Hearing this, Xie Yuying smiled and said, "Brother Zhuang is so young, but he is already so sensible."

Zhang Guifen felt a little bitter inside.

Zhuangge'er is only three or four years old this year, why is he so sensible?

This is closely related to Wei Yuan's teachings.

Others hold their legitimate sons in the palm of their hands, but Wei Yuan is the only one who adopts a method that is almost free to let go.

Zhuang Ge is required to understand some things.

On weekdays, Zhang Guifen advised Wei Yuan more than once that Zhuangge'er was still a child.

However, Zhuangge'er is the future successor and leader of the upstarts in Daizhou.

After himself, Zhuang Ge'er will lead the Daizhou Upstarts Group to move forward.

In other words, Zhuang Ge'er carries the hopes of countless people.

Wei Yuan had no choice but to discipline Zhuangge'er strictly, asking him to support the power of the new nobles in Daizhou and let the Wei family continue to prosper.

At this time, Zhen'er came to report that Minglan and Miss Sheng had arrived.

The Miss Sheng she was referring to was naturally Hai Chaoyun, who had just married Sheng Changbai not long ago.

Hearing them coming, Xie Yuying tactfully avoided them.

Zhang Guifen said, "Sister, just sit here. We are all family, there is no need to be so formal."

So Xie Yuying had no choice but to stay where she was.

Today Minglan also brought Muge'er.

When Mu Ge'er saw Jing Shu, his eyes lit up and he walked over happily.
"Sister, I brought you some plum blossom cake. Try it. My mother made it herself." Wei Jingshu was staring at her brother and father making a snowman.

Suddenly, when I heard that my aunt made cakes by hand, I immediately became greedy and said, "The cakes made by my aunt are the most delicious in the world!"

She couldn't wait to stretch out her little hand and take a piece from the lunch box.

Zhang Guifen suddenly scolded, "Jingshu, wash your hands before eating."

Wei Jingshu quickly retracted her hand.

She is most afraid of her mother.

As soon as Zhang Guifen finished speaking, a maid came forward to bring warm water for Jingshu to wash her hands.

Wei Yuan said: "It's nothing more than eating some cakes, Sister Jing's hands are not dirty."

Before he could finish his words, he suddenly saw Zhang Guifen glaring at him, so he shut up.

Seeing this, Minglan couldn't help but smile.
"It seems that my uncle's status in the family is getting worse day by day."

Zhang Guifen rolled her eyes at her and said, "Your uncle is too indulgent to Jing Jie'er. If a girl is not well educated from a young age, she will become arrogant and domineering in the future."

Wei Jingshu said aggrievedly: "Mother, I am not arrogant or domineering, please rest assured."

In fact, among the noble families, there are already quite a few children of the same generation as Jingshu, and their age is similar to hers.

Logically speaking, at this time, children from each family should interact with each other frequently and become close friends.

But from beginning to end, Zhang Guifen never let Wei Jingshu go and play with the younger generations of those noble families.

She knew that Jingshu would definitely not like this kind of restriction.

But that was how her mother taught her back then, and she thought there was nothing wrong in teaching Jingshu that way.

Hai Chaoyun said: "Jing Jie'er is really sensible."

At this time, Minglan noticed Wei Zhixing in Xie Yuying's arms, pinched the child's cheek, and said with a smile:

"Children grow up so fast. The last time I saw Zhixing, he looked so small."

Minglan is Wei Yuan's niece, and she has a natural affinity for Wei Yuan's offspring.

Suddenly, Chang Ge'er, who was always a serious young man, came with some books.

Seeing this, Zhang Guifen took the initiative to step forward and asked Chang Ge'er, who was already fourteen years old:

"Chang'er, aren't you going to do your homework today? Have you had enough food?"

Chang Ge'er bowed politely to Zhang Guifen and said, "Hello, aunt. I ate two cakes on the way here. I'm not hungry now. My uncle sent someone to find me and asked me to teach Jing Jie'er and Zhuang Ge'er."

Enlightenment?

Zhang Guifen did hear Wei Yuan say a few words.

Now Chang'er has become a juren, and will soon take part in the imperial examination. Relying on his relationship with Wei Yuan, Chang'er will definitely pass the exam.

Moreover, Chang Ge'er passed the imperial examination based on his real talents and knowledge.

Not long ago, when Su Shi returned to Beijing to resume his post, he visited Wei Yuan and brought with him many frontier poems.

Wei Yuan was overjoyed and asked Chang Ge'er to become Su Shi's disciple.

It can be said that with Changger's talent, he is fully qualified to be Jingshu and Qiji's enlightenment teacher.

However, the education of the princes' children has always been handled by the imperial court. They have to go to the palace for their education and then serve as companions for the royal children.

If Chang Ge'er were to be enlightened, he might be suspected of breaking the rules.

But since it was Wei Yuan's idea, Zhang Guifen couldn't say anything, so she said:
"Your brother and sister are playing with your uncle right now."

Changger's full name is Zhang Bangchang. Originally he was just called Zhang Chang. Later, Wei Yuan felt that the name was too monotonous, so he discussed with Wei Ruyi and added a character to Changger's name, so he was called Zhang Bangchang.

Zhang Bangchang cupped his hands and said, "Aunt and cousin are just chatting, and I, your nephew, just sit there and wait."

Zhang Guifen liked this junior from the bottom of her heart. He was polite, good at work and writing, and was praised by the talented people in Beijing as one of the "Three Wen".

The so-called Three Wens refers to three talented men in the capital who are good at writing.

They are Zhang Bangchang, Yu Shen and Xu Jiang who had just won the top spot in the imperial examination.

Seriously speaking, these three people are not from the capital, but they are all in the capital now, so they are collectively called "Three Wens".

In fact, to put it bluntly, this was done deliberately by Wei Yuan. He wanted to borrow the reputation of the new top scholar Xu Jiang to boost Zhang Bangchang's reputation.

Originally, Yu Shen had nothing to do with it, but the people in the Central Plains are obsessed with the number three, such as the Three Oaths of Peach Garden, the Three Heroes Fighting against Lu Bu, etc.

So Wei Yuan brought Yu Shen together again.

Zhang Guifen said, "Chang'er, tell the servants what you want to eat or drink."

Zhang Bangchang bowed and said, "Thank you, auntie. I'm not hungry. Just ask them to bring me some tea."

At this time, Wei Yuan also noticed Zhang Bangchang's arrival.

He had just made a snowman and let Jingshu admire it for a while, then he took Jingshu and Zhuangge'er's hands and walked towards Zhang Bangchang.

When the two saw him, they immediately bowed and said:
"I have met my cousin."

"My sister has met my cousin."

Zhang Bangchang responded earnestly, "Brother, sister."

Usually, Wei Qiji and Wei Jingshu look relaxed when they see Minglan and Muge'er.

The only thing he did was meet Zhang Bangchang, he did not dare to violate the rules and etiquette in the slightest.

Because Zhang Bangchang took this matter very seriously, Zhang Guifen asked the two siblings to take it seriously as well.

Wei Yuan let Zhang Bangchang study literature because Zhang Bangchang had a weak constitution and was not suitable for martial arts.

When he sent Zhang Bangchang to the Imperial College to study, he never thought that the old teachers would teach Zhang Bangchang to become an old-fashioned and pedantic person.

But now it seems that Zhang Bangchang has become old-fashioned, and is even tending to be a "pedantic scholar".

Wei Yuan knocked on Zhang Bangchang's head and said unhappily:
"When you were little, I told you to treat your uncle's place as your home. You said that, but you didn't take my words seriously at all, did you?"

"We're home now, why do we need to follow all these rules and etiquette?"

Zhang Bangchang endured the pain in his head and bowed to Wei Yuan solemnly:
"To answer your uncle's question, the same is true for nephews at home. The rules and etiquette of a small family must not be neglected."

"My nephew believes that my uncle is an official in the court and governs a large country, and there are rules and etiquette."

Wei Yuan frowned slightly. He now regretted letting Chang Ge'er teach his two children.
"You kid, dare you mock me secretly?"

Zhang Bangchang sighed and said, "Uncle, you are my uncle and my elder. How dare a nephew mock you?"

"You hold a high position in the court. As your nephew, many people are watching you. If your nephew does not abide by the rules, I am afraid it will cause trouble for you, or people will say that our relatives are barbaric people without etiquette."

If he was not really close to Wei Yuan, if he did not consider the Marquis of Guanjun Mansion as his own home, he would never have said such superficial words.

That was also the case. Wei Yuan snorted and stopped arguing with him.
"Don't bring the Su family's rules or the etiquette you learned from the old teachers in the Imperial College. Just teach Zhuang Ge'er and the others how to read."

Zhang Bangchang frowned and said, "Uncle, what you said is wrong. Zhuang Ge'er will inherit your title in the future. He is related to the honor and disgrace of our lineage. Some rules and etiquette should be engraved in his bones early on. How can we relax?"

Wei Yuan frowned deeply.

At this time in the past, he would have beaten Zhang Bangchang.

In fact, Wei Yuan had beaten Zhang Bangchang many times over the years.

But Chang Ge’er’s main feature is his tough talk.

He will stick to what he believes is right.

His pedantry is only superficial. He often thinks more carefully and comprehensively than Sheng Changbai.

Even Sheng Changbai sometimes said that Changger was much better than he was when he was young.

Chang Ge'er is a scholar who can accommodate many things in his mind and dares to seek change. His desire for change is in his bones, not just superficial.

Just when Wei Yuan was obviously a little angry, Minglan hurriedly asked: "Cousin, how did you get here?"

Zhang Bangchang bowed and said, "Cousin, I came here on foot."

Did you come here on foot?

Minglan quickly pulled his arm and said, "Are you tired from walking? Take a rest first."

Zhang Bangchang shook his head and said, "I have rested enough."

Wei Yuan swung his sleeves violently, "Humph, you can go back when you have rested enough. I won't let you teach Zhuang Ge'er and Jing Jie'er anymore."

After that, Zhang Bangchang bowed and said, "My uncle asked me to teach my younger brothers and sisters. I have thought about it for a long time and decided to leave it to me. I don't feel comfortable if someone else does it."

"Moreover, my uncle is the Grand Tutor, commanding the army of our Great Zhou. His orders are as strict as a mountain. How can he change them from day to day?"

Wei Yuan pointed at his nose, "You!"

Zhang Bangchang bowed his head.

Zhang Guifen, who was standing by, couldn't help but smile and said:
"Who told you to beat and scold Chang Ge'er for no reason a few years ago?"

"Now that Chang'er has grown up and has achieved fame, he is no longer the same as before. You can no longer beat Chang'er like you did before."

"Chang Ge'er said a few words to you today, and you, as his uncle, are so angry?"

Wei Yuan turned his head away and said nothing more.

However, Chang Ge'er said in a very serious tone:

"Aunt, what you said is wrong. I am your nephew, a junior. Even if the elders are wrong, I, as a junior, would never dare to speak against the elders. I hope Aunt will not say that."

Hearing this, Zhang Guifen was stunned.

Minglan shook her head and thought:
"My cousin is good in every way, but he is a blockhead and does not understand the ways of the world. He takes the jokes made by his family members seriously."

Did Chang Ge'er really take it seriously?
actually not.

(End of this chapter)