Lanting prelude
Chapter 4 Undercurrent
Chapter 4 Undercurrent
Yongxingfang in the northeast of Chang'an is across the street from the east wall of the imperial city, and there are many residences of dignitaries and dignitaries gathered in the square.
Wei Zheng's mansion is located in the northwest corner of Yongxingfang.
Wei Zheng is the former subordinate of the hidden prince Li Jiancheng. He was loyal to Li Jiancheng back then. When Li Shimin's action of seizing the heirloom gradually escalated and the struggle between the two sides was intensified, Wei Zheng once categorically advised Li Jiancheng to act first and get rid of Li Shimin. Unfortunately, Li Jiancheng was indecisive. In the end Sit down and die.Afterwards, Li Shimin appeased Wei Zheng and a large number of former Eastern Palace ministers with an attitude of letting go of the past.Wei Zheng also put aside his past suspicions and assisted Li Shimin with all his strength. In the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, he advocated ruling the world with kingly principles, and repeatedly violated Yan Zhi's remonstrance.
In the mid-Zhenguan period, Wei Zheng had been promoted to the rank of minister and minister, and his limelight even overshadowed Fang Xuanling and others for a time.In the 16th year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin noticed that the prince Li Chengqian had acted immorally, so he worshiped Wei Zheng as the first-rank prince and grand teacher, hoping that he would carefully teach the prince and train him to be a qualified prince.
This year, Wei Zheng was 63 years old. Although his energy was declining, he still tried his best to undertake this important task.
In the early morning of February 23, Wei Zheng prepared to drive to the East Palace as usual.The ruler supported him, and whispered as he walked, "Grand Master, it's the third day today."
Wei Zheng said "hmm": "Then follow the old rules."
"Yes." The driver helped him into the carriage, then sat on the front seat, and skillfully waved the whip, the carriage started rattling.
Just like Wei Wang's mansion, as a first-rank official, Wei Zheng's mansion also opened the gates directly on the west and north walls of the square.If Wei Zheng wants to go to the imperial city, he can go out from the west gate of his house, which is the Jingfengmen on the east side of the imperial city diagonally; Not far away is Jiafumen, the south main gate of the East Palace.But the strange thing is that today Wei Zheng was going to go to the East Palace as usual, but the driver drove out of the south gate of Wei Mansion, and then went straight to the East Square Gate, completely going in the opposite direction.
This is what Wei Zheng called the "old rules".
Every third, sixth, and ninth day, he would let the ruler take this "diametrically opposed" route, and on other days, he would go out from the north gate of his house and walk through the Yanxi Gate of Miyagi.Although the emperor felt strange in his heart, he didn't dare to ask more questions, he just followed orders.
When the carriage passed the Wangchuan Tea House on the east side of Yongxingfang, the driver gradually slowed down.
This is also Wei Zheng's "old rule".
Of course, the controller still doesn't know the reason.
Wei Zheng raised a corner of the curtain in the car, and carefully looked at the window of the first elegant room on the east side of the second floor.At this time, all the six long windows were open, and there were three pots of eye-catching rocks on the window sills.
Wei Zheng's eyes froze, but he said calmly, "Stop."
Yuzhe parked his car on the side of the road, helped Wei Zheng out of the carriage, and came to the door of the teahouse. A waiter from the teahouse had already trotted over and helped Wei Zheng in respectfully.
In Yu Zhe's view, when the Grand Master wants to drink tea in the Wangchuan Tea House and when he doesn't want to, it's completely arbitrary.If he is told to stop, he will wait outside, the time may be long or short, there is no certainty; if he is not told to stop, he will drive directly out of Dongfang Gate, first turn left and go north, then turn around and go west, still heading for Miyagi Yan Ximen left.
Regardless of the former or the latter, in the end, the driver will have to drive the carriage around for no reason.As for why this is, of course, the controller is still ignorant.
Wei Zheng sat on the ground in the private room.
A tea doctor is skillfully making tea. First, the tea cakes are baked on a charcoal fire, then ground into tea powder, then sieved into tea powder, then boiled, sprinkled with salt, ginger and other seasonings, and after the water boils three times, Scoop the tea soup into the tea bowl, and put both hands on the food table in front of Wei Zheng.
"Teacher, please!"
"It's work."
After a short conversation, Dr. Tea bowed and retreated, closing the door gently.
Wei Zheng knew that at this moment, the person who wanted to submit the information to him was coming soon.
On the window sill of this elegant room, when there is nothing to do on weekdays, there are three pots of trees and potted plants. If there is information, it will be replaced with a pot of rocks; The visitor has urgent and important information to submit.
After a while, there was a familiar knock on the door: one long and two short, repeated three times.
Wei Zheng coughed twice in response.
"Wangyan is ashamed." The knocker chanted outside the door.
Wei Zheng took a sip of the fragrant tea: "Thank you for Jiegan, Linchuan."
The door was pushed open, and Xiao Henian, dressed in casual clothes, came in, bowed and said, "I met Mr. Linchuan."
Wei Zheng smiled: "You don't need to be formal, just sit down. The Mengding tea from Sichuan is indeed the best tea!" He scooped up a bowl for Xiao Henian and brought it in front of him.
As soon as Xiao Henian sat down, he quickly got up again, took the tea bowl with both hands: "Sir, how can this make..."
Wei Zheng signaled him to sit down: "It's just the two of us here, there are not so many rules!"
Only then did Xiao Henian sit down respectfully.
"What's the matter in such a hurry to see me?" Wei Zheng waited for Xiao Henian to drink a few sips of tea before asking.
"Sir, two things. The first thing happened early yesterday morning..." Then, Xiao Henian reported in detail the emperor's intention to summon King Wei to live in the Hall of Martial Virtue. The situation of the conversation was also mentioned, and then waited quietly for Wei Zheng's instructions.
Wei Zheng pondered for a moment, and then slowly said: "The king of Wei is ready to seize the heir, and the court is full of undercurrents, but the Holy Majesty is making this move at this time, it is intriguing!"
Xiao Henian was a little confused: "In your opinion, what is the meaning of His Majesty's move?"
Wei Zheng thought for a while and said, "There are three purposes."
Xiao Henian couldn't help leaning forward, listening carefully.
"Beating the prince to wake him up is the first; inspecting the king of Wei and observing his behavior is the second; throwing stones into the water to test the officials is the third."
Xiao Henian suddenly realized, and at the same time showed surprise: "I really didn't expect that this son, the Holy One, ended up so fierce!"
"The king of entrepreneurship, the master of dominance, how could he have the leisure to play chess!" Wei Zheng said, with infinite emotion in his heart.
"I'm afraid that one stone will stir up thousands of waves, and the situation will become difficult to deal with..."
Wei Zheng smiled lightly: "This is why you are worrying unnecessarily. The Holy Majesty cast this stone to let the undercurrent flow out of the water, and see how many waves will arise from the court and the opposition. This alone is enough to prove that the Holy Majesty has control over the court. Still strong and powerful!"
Xiao Henian was relieved, and asked again: "How do you plan to deal with this matter?"
"First of all, it is natural to let the prince know about it." Wei Zhengdao, "Since the Holy Majesty intends to beat the prince, and the old man holds the chief teaching position in the East Palace, of course he must take this opportunity to show his interests to the prince."
Xiao Henian has followed Wei Zheng for many years and knows that Wei Zheng has always adhered to the system of heir succession.Whether it was assisting Prince Yin back then, or being a prince and grand teacher now, this is where his belief lies and it is also an unshirkable responsibility.Therefore, even though he is not satisfied with the prince's personal conduct, he is still doing his best to help and protect the prince. After all, Wei Zheng is still worried about the recurrence of the tragedy of the brother-in-law and brother-in-law fighting in the ninth year of Wude.
"Sir, my lord, do you want to persuade me?" Xiao Henian asked.
"Not now!" Wei Zheng said decisively, "This matter is still a secret of the palace ban. If I persuade you, the Holy Majesty will immediately suspect my source of information, which will put you in danger. In addition, the Holy Majesty will also arrest me. As one of the 'undercurrents' of forming cliques, no matter what I say, he will not listen again."
"Mr. is very worried." Xiao Henian was thinking about something, "But if you wait until the sage makes a decree before admonishing him, the deal will be done by then. Wouldn't it be more difficult for him to withdraw his order?"
Wei Zheng said, "Of course I know that."
"Then what should we do? It's neither persuasion nor not persuasion!" Xiao Henian looked worried, "Isn't this a dilemma?"
Wei Zheng pondered for a while: "There are still ways."
Xiao Henian was overjoyed: "What way?"
"Let the sage himself reveal it to me! In this way, I can persuade him to change his mind before the sage makes a decree."
Xiao Henian was relieved.He knew that since Wei Zheng could think of this method, he must have a plan in mind.
"What is the second thing you want to say?" Wei Zheng took a sip of tea.
Only then did Xiao Henian remember that he almost forgot about it, he smiled apologetically, and then lightly uttered two words: "Debate."
The teacup in Wei Zheng's hand shook for a moment, and then stabilized: "Is there any news from Jun Mo?"
"That boy, don't mention it!" Xiao Henian smiled wryly, "Since he entered the Xuanjia Guard, he has treated my father as a thief and refused to reveal anything. Where did the Holy Majesty and the King of Wei send him this time? Whatever he did, he kept his mouth shut."
Thinking of the young man named Xiao Junmo, Wei Zheng couldn't help but smile: "You can't blame him. The rules of the Xuanjia Guards have always been strict, and their headline rules are to guard your relatives as thieves. If you don't do this, he will He is not qualified to be a Xuanjia guard. Speaking of which, it is also your credit that this kid is doing well now."
Xiao Henian waved his hand: "I don't have any credit for this subordinate, it's nothing more than raising him up."
"It's not easy to raise an adult!" Wei Zheng sighed, suddenly feeling a little sad, "Thinking back then, the surrounding situation was so dangerous, it's really not easy for this child to survive and survive to this day!"
Seeing that his eyes were flushed, Xiao Henian hurriedly said: "Grand Master, what happened back then is over. Let's... let's get down to business?"
Wei Zheng wiped his eyes and sighed: "Yes, I won't mention it. You just mentioned debate, what happened?"
"This subordinate reported to you last time that King Wei has found more than a dozen people who are suspected of eloquence, roughly in Youzhou, Yangzhou, and Luozhou. This time, Xuanjiawei is dispatched for this matter. According to the latest news that my subordinates have found from King Wei, they have now focused on the Luozhou area, formulated a plan that is said to be perfect, and related operations have also begun. The subordinates are worried, and they will use Xuanjiawei's method of handling the case , I guess it won’t be long before we can find the eloquence.”
"What is the specific plan, who is the target of the action, can you find it?" Wei Zheng asked.
Xiao Henian shook his head: "The King of Wei doesn't fully trust his subordinates, he always keeps his hands on it, and only discusses core matters with Du Chuke alone."
Wei Zheng's expression became serious: "Ever since the case of Lu's extermination in the ninth year of Wude, the Holy Majesty has been looking for the "Lanting Preface".
Xiao Henian still remembers the Lu family extermination case.He was an official in Chang'an Ling at the time, and participated in the case from beginning to end, but he still couldn't catch the murderer in the end, so he was very worried. "Sir, I haven't figured it out for so many years, why did the Holy One involve Lu Shiheng's case with the "Lanting Preface"?"
"According to my speculation, before Lu Shiheng died, he should have left some clues for the Holy Majesty."
"Clue?" Xiao Henian was surprised, "Could it be that Lu Shiheng knows the secret of "Lanting Preface"?"
Wei Zheng nodded: "I have no doubt about it."
Xiao Henian was startled suddenly: "According to you, Lu Shiheng...is he also one of us?"
"According to my guess, Lu Shiheng should be 'Wu Ya'."
Xiao Henian was puzzled: "Wu Ya? Who is Wu Ya?"
Wei Zheng lowered his voice, approached him and said a few words.
Xiao Henian came to a sudden: "So, he belongs to Mr. Mingzang?"
Wei Zheng nodded: "It's a pity that in the coup that year, Lu Shiheng betrayed Mr. Mingzang and Prince Yin, and secretly took refuge in the Holy One, who was the King of Qin back then. I guess this is what aroused Mingzang Mr. Zang's anger. Therefore, Mr. Ming Zang should have done the tragic extermination of fifteen members of Lu's family."
Xiao Henian was even more surprised: "Could it be that he did this just to vent his anger?"
"Isn't it common to kill chickens to scare monkeys and warn those who come?" Wei Zheng said lightly, "Of course, besides this, there is another possibility. Mr. Mingzang probably worried that the 'glass' would fall into the hands of the Holy Master, which would involve too many secrets, and even drag him out, so he sneaked into Lu's house in order to retrieve the 'glass', which eventually led to a bloody case. "
Xiao Henian was stunned when he heard this, and he said after a long while, "Sir, you have already understood these things so well, why didn't you tell me until today?"
Wei Zheng let out a long sigh: "For more than ten years since the Holy Majesty ascended the throne, the world of Tang Dynasty has been clean and peaceful, and the country is peaceful and the people are safe. Therefore, these things should be completely forgotten, and no one needs to mention them again. But right now, King Wei is determined to seize the throne, and the crown prince is in danger. , the tragedy of that year will repeat itself! On the other hand, once the debater is found and the secret of "Lanting Preface" is revealed, the consequences will be unimaginable! At such a critical juncture, how many things are waiting for us to do? Hiding something from you?"
Xiao Henian was stunned, nodded and said: "Mr. has worked so hard that this subordinate didn't really understand until today. Then, what should this subordinate do next?"
Wei Zheng bowed his head in thought, and tapped the food table with his right index finger.The knocking sound was very light, but to Xiao Henian's ears, it sounded like a drumbeat for an expedition.
Looking out from the open window of the elegant room, one can see that the sky was still a blue sky just now, but now it is covered with dark clouds and dense haze.
A rainstorm is coming.
The Erya pawn shop in Yique County is famous far and wide, and the pawnshops it stores are mainly calligraphy, paintings and antiques.The owner, Wu Tingxuan, has a high level of appreciation for ancient celebrity calligraphy and paintings. It is widely rumored that he has run this pawnshop for [-] years and has never received a fake by mistake.
In the afternoon of this day, the business was deserted and there were few customers. Wu Tingxuan was about to call the waiter to close early, when a young man rushed in with a black cloth bag, claiming to pawn, and to deal with it immediately.
The man was in his early twenties, handsome and elegant, but unfortunately his appearance was a bit sloppy, especially the white robe on his body, although it was made of exquisite materials, it had not been changed for many days, the whole body was full of stains, and there seemed to be a few brown spots on his chest. blood.
Wu Tingxuan had seen countless people, and after only one glance at the young man, he became a little wary of his identity and origin, and he no longer wanted to accept this business, but after all, all visitors were customers, and the minimum politeness and respect was still If there is one, they will go forward and show a professional smile: "My lord, may I ask who you want to pawn?"
"Dare to ask, you are the shopkeeper Wu Tingxuan, Wu Da, right?" the man in white asked without answering.
"It's just down here."
"Then I've found the right person!" The man in white seemed to heave a sigh of relief, and went straight into the shop, sat down on the brocade couch specially set up for VIPs, took out a roll of calligraphy and painting framed in purple silk from the paper bag, and gently Putting it lightly on the table in front of him, he looked at Wu Tingxuan, "Master Wu, this calligraphy is a treasure handed down from Xiaosheng's family, and it is an authentic work of calligraphy masters in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. But the ones on the table are all unlearned and unskilled vulgar things, and he said that this calligraphy is a fake. Xiaosheng was really angry, but after asking a lot of people, he learned that you are a big connoisseur of calligraphy and painting in Yique County. Please take care of yourself and help Xiaosheng get this justice!"
The man in white finished speaking in one breath, his chest still rising and falling.Seeing his sweaty forehead, dry lips and tongue, he may have traveled a lot today and suffered a lot.Wu Tingxuan couldn't bear it, so he ordered the waiter to bring him some tea.The man was also polite, picked up the tea bowl and drank it.
Wu Tingxuan waited for him to catch his breath after drinking the tea, then smiled slightly and said, "Which one is the Master of Calligraphy in the Eastern Jin Dynasty that Lang Jun mentioned?"
"Wang Xizhi." The man replied loudly.
Wu Tingxuan was startled, and finally understood why other pawnshops rejected this young man.He immediately wanted to politely refuse to see the guest off, but the word "Wang Xizhi" really made him feel itchy, so he decided that it would be okay to take a look.
"Just now, my lord said that I am a great expert, and I absolutely dare not take it. It is just the praise of the elders in the market. It is really beautiful, and it is not true. However, since my lord trusts me so much, then I don't think it is superficial." Wu Tingxuan Sitting down on a round stool across from the table, he made a gesture of invitation, "Please, sir, open the calligraphy."
The man in white was overjoyed, and immediately opened the scroll, and slowly spread it out on the table.With the light of a tulle lantern on the corner of the desk, Wu Tingxuan's eyes suddenly came into view of cursive scripts that floated like clouds and looked astonishing as dragons.
Wu Tingxuan secretly took a deep breath, amazed again and again.
It really is the authentic work of Wang Xizhi!
Relying on his extraordinary eyesight and experience, Wu Tingxuan could tell at a glance that this calligraphy is Wang Xizhi's most famous cursive script masterpiece - "Seventeen Posts", a collection of 29 cursive short posts by Wang Xizhi. It is said that it was created by Wang Xizhi during the Southern Dynasties It was carefully assembled by descendants of the clan, and it was named after the first two characters "Seventeen" in the first post.This post is the supreme model for future generations to learn cursive script. It has been praised as "the dragon and elephant in the book" by calligraphers of all dynasties, but it is said to have been lost as early as the "Hou Jing Rebellion" in the Xiaoliang period.Wu Tingxuan never expected that this post still exists in the world, and it is so well preserved, it is really a unique and rare treasure!
Although there was a lot of emotion in his heart, Wu Tingxuan's face remained calm.This is the professional quality that he has cultivated in this industry for many years, not to mention that he is still consciously suppressing the waves in his heart at this moment.
The man in white kept staring at Wu Tingxuan's face. It seemed that for a moment, he found a flash of light in Wu Tingxuan's eyes, but it was fleeting, and he could no longer see any expression after that.
"Shopkeeper Wu, have you finished watching?" The man stared into Wu Tingxuan's eyes.
Wu Tingxuan nodded silently.
"I'm sure you've seen it. It's a genuine one, isn't it?"
Wu Tingxuan raised his head, and a professional smile resumed on his face: "My lord, please forgive me for saying bluntly, this calligraphy is a copy made by the masters of later generations with the double outline filling technique. After all... it's not the real thing."
The man in white stood up and looked at Wu Tingxuan in disbelief: "Did you miss it?"
Wu Tingxuan got up slowly, and smiled faintly: "If you don't believe me, Mr. Lang, you can find another expert to taste it. I'm sorry for my clumsy eyes, which disappoints Mr. Lang." After speaking, he turned his body sideways, already intending to see off the guests.
The man in white put a sneer on his face, put the copybook away, put it in a sack, and said loudly: "It is said that Yique County is full of outstanding people and elegant scholars. I didn't expect that everyone is a blind man!"
"Hey, kid!" The guy on the side couldn't listen any longer, pointed at the man and said, "What are you, dare to utter wild words here?!"
"Am I wrong?" The man also poked his neck and said loudly, "In such a large county, there are more than a dozen pawnshops that store calligraphy and paintings, but none of them recognizes Wang Xizhi's authentic works. Wouldn't it make the world laugh at me if I told it?"
"Yo ho, you're still in good spirits!" The man pushed over and rolled up his sleeves, "I think you're here to find trouble, right?"
Hearing a noise in the front hall, a curtain behind the counter was suddenly lifted, and several tall and burly guys rushed in together.Many of the pledges stored in the pawnshop are of high value, so the clerks in the pawnshop usually also take the responsibility of guarding the house and guarding the shop as martial arts masters, and they have kung fu.And these guys in Erya's pawnshop are all clansmen of the proprietress Chu Yingniang, and they have practiced martial arts with her since childhood, and they are more sturdy than the martial arts masters in ordinary pawnshops.At this moment, four or five martial artists surrounded the man in white.The man kept shrinking back holding the sack, with a look of fear on his face.
"What are you doing?" Wu Tingxuan said in a deep voice, "This gentleman is a customer in the store. Is there anyone who treats customers like you? Get down!"
The guys looked at each other and had no choice but to back away, but they all stood by the counter and kept their eyes fixed on the man in white.Just as Wu Tingxuan was about to persuade him to leave, the door curtain was raised again, and Chu Lisang suddenly walked in.
Hearing footsteps, the man in white turned his head to look, and happened to meet Chu Lisang's eyes, both of them were stunned.
Wu Tingxuan was slightly surprised and looked at the two of them.Chu Lisang realized that he had lost his composure, and quickly looked away.The man in white had already blushed, lowered his head in a panic, and hurried out with the black cloth bag in his arms.
Chu Lisang looked at his leaving back: "Father, what is this idiot doing here?"
Wu Tingxuan is Chu Lisang's father. Because his family was poor when he was young, he married into Chu Ying's natal family as his son-in-law, so Chu Lisang took his mother's surname.
Hearing his daughter call that person "idiot", Wu Tingxuan was even more surprised and turned to look at her.
"Oh, I saw him in a daze, so he just called out like that." Chu Lisang used a smile to cover up his embarrassment, "Father, what exactly is he here for?"
"Come to the pawnshop to pawn things, what else can you do?"
"What is he going to be?"
Wu Tingxuan glanced at those guys, and waited for them to retreat before saying, "A copybook from the Eastern Jin Dynasty."
"Then why did he leave? Could it be that his copybook is a fake?"
Wu Tingxuan shook his head: "No, it's the real work."
Chu Lisang was puzzled: "Since it is an authentic work, why don't you let him be it?"
"Because those are Wang Xizhi's characters."
"Wang Xizhi?" Chu Lisang became more and more confused, "Isn't that more valuable?"
Wu Tingxuan smiled wryly: "You don't know, as long as it is Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, it is the source of trouble."
Chu Lisang frowned: "Why?"
Wu Tingxuan sat down on the brocade couch, a little dazed, as if he was recalling something from the past, or worried about something.Chu Lisang called out several times in a row before he came back to his senses, sighed and said: "I like calligraphy, I love Wang Xizhi's calligraphy very much, and I admire him very much, so since he became the throne, he has tried his best to search for Wang Xizhi all over the world. As the saying goes, "what is good at the top, what is good at the bottom must be very good." In order to please the emperor, officials from all over the country used all means to steal and plunder. Anyone who had Wang Xizhi's authentic works in his home had to hand them over to the government. Some officials took the opportunity Extortion and exploitation, even the calligraphy and paintings of other famous people are also taken away, and they are taken as their own. If they refuse to obey orders, they will be imprisoned at least, and their families will be destroyed at worst... Even so, who would dare to dare to collect Wang Xizhi's calligraphy? ?"
Chu Lisang suddenly realized.
It is said that today's world is a peaceful and prosperous world that has never been seen since ancient times. Today, Li Shimin has always expected himself to be a holy lord, and he has worked together with a group of virtuous ministers, claiming to govern the world with kingly principles. Unexpectedly, there are such unbearable things behind him !Thinking of this, Chu Lisang couldn't help worrying about the man in white.
Every man is innocent, but he is guilty!
At a time like this, this idiot is still pawning around with a volume of Wang Xizhi's authentic works. Isn't this courting death? !
East Palace Yichun Garden.
The garden is full of green grass, and the peach blossoms are in full bloom.
A young man in brocade clothes, with loose hair, stood quietly on the grass in the middle of the courtyard, holding a sword in his hand.The man was slender, with handsome features, and his face was extremely fair, even revealing a morbid paleness.His eyes were stern and gloomy, but there was a faint evil smile on the corner of his mouth.
He is Li Chengqian, Prince of the Tang Dynasty.
At this moment, around Li Chengqian stood a dozen or so warriors in short maroon robes, braided hair, and machetes in their hands. They were all dressed in typical Turkic costumes.Suddenly, Li Chengqian swung his sword across the air in a beautiful arc, and the Turkic warriors roared and rushed towards him as if they had received an order.
The first tall warrior who rushed in front of Li Chengqian was kicked out by him in the chest, and then Li Chengqian gave another roundabout kick, kicking the two warriors on the right to the ground.Three warriors swung their scimitars from the left and swung Li Chengqian's long sword in a circular arc. The blades intersected and sparks flew everywhere.
A severed blade flew into the air.Li Chengqian kicked, and the broken blade flew towards a running warrior, piercing his shoulder with a puff.The samurai let out a scream and fell limp.At the same time, Li Chengqian's sword flew up and down, cutting down the three warriors who lost their weapons one after another.
In an instant, seven of the dozen or so warriors fell down, and the remaining five or six warriors immediately stopped in their tracks, not daring to step forward.
At this moment, the heavy rain suddenly poured down from the sky.A samurai muttered: "His... Your Highness, it's raining."
Li Chengqian's eyes shot at his face like a falcon, and then he rushed towards him with his sword held flat.
The sharp sword quickly pierced through the bean-sized raindrops, and finally stabbed at the warrior's face.The samurai was startled, and swung his knife to block. Li Chengqian suddenly became shorter, and with a flick of his long sword, he accurately pierced the warrior's abdomen.
The samurai's eyes widened, and a mouthful of blood spurted out.
Li Chengqian grinned ferociously, and suddenly pulled out his sword, a string of blood spots flew into the rain curtain with the raised blade.
The samurai fell to the ground on his back, his body twitching non-stop.
Li Chengqian turned his fierce eyes to the other warriors.The warriors looked at each other, then threw away their weapons one after another, and knelt down on the ground one by one, trembling all over.
A contemptuous smile floated on the corner of Li Chengqian's mouth.The rain gurgled down his face, and a few locks of black sideburns stuck to his forehead and cheeks, making him look paler and his eyes colder.
There was a burst of applause.A young man also dressed in fine clothes came out from the corridor not far away, clapping his hands as he walked, followed closely by an eunuch holding an umbrella.A few other eunuchs ran towards Li Chengqian in a panic holding umbrellas.
"Chengqian, your martial arts are becoming more and more exquisite!" The man walked to him with a smile.
Li Chengqian took the Luopa handed over by the eunuch, slowly wiped the blood on the blade, and smiled coldly: "It's just that my sword is good, Uncle Seven, don't open your eyes and talk nonsense!"
This man known as "Seventh Uncle" is exactly the seventh younger brother of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin - Li Yuanchang, King of Han.In terms of seniority, he is Li Chengqian's uncle, but they are the same age, both born in the second year of Wude, and they are 24 years old now.Perhaps because of the same age and congenial temperament, the relationship between the uncle and nephew has always been very close.
Li Yuanchang was choked by Li Chengqian, but he didn't take it seriously, he still smiled and said: "Chengqian, you just have such an unforgiving mouth, no wonder those corrupt scholars in the court don't like you."
"That's not what Uncle Qi really wants to say in his heart?"
Li Yuanchang was startled: "In my heart? That's what I think in my heart!"
"Seventh Uncle wants to say, it's no wonder Father doesn't like me, right?"
Li Yuanchang was startled again, and then smiled and said: "How can it be? If the emperor doesn't like you, why would he send you Wei Zheng, who is his most important?"
"In your opinion, is Wei Zheng a rotten Confucian?" Li Chengqian wiped the sword until it was spotless and radiant, but he let the rain run down his face and refused to wipe it.Several eunuchs exchanged glances, but no one dared to speak out to remind them.
Li Yuanchang scratched his head: "Well, Wei Zheng, rot is a bit rotten, but at least he is here to help you, so don't offend him."
Li Chengqian said nothing.
At this moment, an eunuch hurried over holding an umbrella and holding a gold and jade walking stick under his arm, panting, "His Royal Highness, Wei... Grand Master Wei is here."
Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian subconsciously turned around and looked into the distance.
In the distance, on a rockery pavilion about two feet high, stood an old man with a dignified expression, it was Wei Zheng.
Li Chengqian smiled and bowed deeply in the direction of the rockery, then threw the sword to the eunuch, took the gold and jade cane, and walked towards the corridor with a slight limp on his right leg.Several eunuchs followed closely with umbrellas.
Due to an illness when he was a child, Li Chengqian suffered from a slight lameness afterwards.He loved a sword and hated a cane most of all, but sadly he still had to deal with it most of the day.
It wasn't until Li Chengqian walked away that the few warriors lying on the ground dared to get up, and then hurriedly carried the dead or injured warriors on the ground with a group of eunuchs.
In the East Palace, this scene happened frequently, and sometimes the battle was even bigger and there were more casualties.
Wei Zheng looked at the corpse being carried down from a distance, his expression became more serious.
The main hall of the East Palace, and the study room in the West Wing.
Li Chengqian, who had put on his formal attire and tied his hair up, sat on the couch and quietly listened to Wei Zheng's story about King Wei's entry into Wude Hall.
"Grand Master, do you like eagles, eagles on the grassland?" Li Chengqian suddenly asked without thinking.
In the more than a month since he took office as the prince and grand teacher, Wei Zheng has long been accustomed to Li Chengqian's impermanent and surly temperament, and he already knew how to deal with it, so he said flatly: "Of course I like it."
"Oh? Why do you like it?"
"An eagle has the freedom to soar into the sky and the power to fight against the sky. What more can you ask for if you have both in life?"
Li Chengqian looked at Wei Zheng, and gradually there was a gleam of brightness and warmth in his gloomy and cold eyes.
In Li Chengqian's view, although Wei Zheng always told him about benevolence, righteousness and morality, there was still a lot of sourness, but at the same time, Wei Zheng had something that other courtiers did not have, that is—sincerity and willfulness , brave.This is exactly where Li Chengqian respects Wei Zheng from the bottom of his heart.
"Grand Master, since you like eagles, if someone advises you to keep them in a cage, even though the cage is resplendent and magnificent, would you be willing?"
Wei Zheng shook his head: "Of course not."
"Then it's over?" Li Chengqian smiled, "Wei Wang is a parrot with beautiful feathers and beautiful speech. He likes cages, so let him live in a cage. I don't envy him at all."
"Your Highness is wrong. The King of Wei is not a parrot, but a wolf; Wude Hall is not a cage, but a mountain. It will be a great thing for a wolf to climb the mountain, invite friends, and howl at the moon." Dangerous thing."
Li Chengqian chuckled: "No matter how vicious the wolf is, no matter how high the mountain is, it will never be able to bite the eagle, will it?"
Wei Zheng also smiled: "Your Highness, can I allow the old man to ask a question?"
"Teacher, please speak."
"Has Your Highness seen an eagle that is always flying in the sky?"
Li Chengqian was slightly taken aback.
"No matter how high an eagle flies, it still has to hunt for food on the ground, right?"
Li Chengqian's smile slowly condensed on his face.
"The eagle flying forever in the sky is just a dream, a beautiful dream that only exists in His Highness's heart. It is not realistic. Especially, when this eagle is still a young eagle, it can only hide on the ground." In the nest, if you don't pay attention, you may be swallowed by the wolf! Am I right, Your Highness?"
Li Chengqian smiled wryly, and the gloom in his eyes condensed again: "The Grand Master is sharp! That's right, I, Li Chengqian, after all, am just a young eagle."
"Since you are a young eagle, you must learn to protect yourself."
Li Chengqian was stunned for a moment, and then said: "Please advise the grand master."
"As long as His Highness fulfills the following three points mentioned by the old man, the position of the East Palace will be as firm as a rock."
"Which three o'clock?" Li Chengqian looked at Wei Zheng eagerly.
"First, cherish your feathers."
Li Chengqian knew that Wei Zheng was implying to him that he should maintain the good image of the prince and stop playing those dangerous games of fighting and killing, so as not to be criticized by the government and the public.Although this principle is easy to understand, it is not easy to let yourself put down your favorite sword!
"Secondly, it is to cultivate your own sharp claws."
Li Chengqian loves to hear this.Cultivating one's own power among civil and military officials, and at the same time secretly accumulating force to deal with emergencies, is indeed a top priority at the moment.
"The last thing is to lie patiently, wait for the opponent to show his weakness, and then attack decisively!" Wei Zheng looked directly at Li Chengqian, "Only in this way, can you soar into the sky and fight in the sky!"
Li Chengqian was a little excited when he heard it, then suddenly got up, and bowed to Wei Zheng: "Grand Master, I understand everything! If so, how should I deal with King Wei's entry into the Hall of Martial Virtue?"
"It's easy, do nothing."
Li Chengqian frowned: "Don't do anything?"
Wei Zheng nodded: "Yes, it's better to be still than to move."
"Why?" Li Chengqian was very puzzled.
"The Holy Majesty wants to see how you two brothers react to this matter. The higher Wei Wang jumps, the more unfavorable it is for him; the more you act as if nothing happened, the more beneficial it is for you. So, just pretend nothing happened, I don’t know anything, let the old man do the rest.”
Li Chengqian was thoughtful.
Just as Wei Zheng's back disappeared at the door of the study in the west wing, Li Yuanchang came out from behind the screen.
"This Wei Zheng is really eloquent. No wonder Brother Huang thinks highly of him!"
Li Chengqian sat on the couch, seemingly lost in thought.
Li Yuanchang walked over and waved his hand in front of his eyes: "Hey, are you stupid?"
Li Chengqian came back to his senses: "The Grand Master is not just eloquent."
"Oh? It seems that you really like this Tianshefu?" Li Yuanchang smiled playfully.
Li Chengqian glanced at him coldly.
Li Yuanchang quickly put away his smile.
"By the way, Wei Zheng told you not to do anything, are you really going to listen to him?" Li Yuanchang sat down.
"I think the grand master's words are reasonable, and it is better to be still than to move."
"Hmph!" Li Yuanchang snorted coldly, "Then you just wait to be slaughtered!"
Li Chengqian's face darkened: "What do you mean?"
"Let me ask you," Li Yuanchang simply stood up again, "How old is Wei Zheng, and how old are you?"
"what do you want to say in the end?"
"What I mean is obvious! He is a person who is about to die, how can he have any fighting spirit and blood? Of course he advises you not to do anything. But you are different, you are young and full of blood, why do you want to?" Bearing King Wei everywhere? What is King Wei? Why does he live in Wude Hall? Let him slander every day in the ears of the emperor, I am not scaring you, the emperor will sooner or later have the idea of abolishing the establishment! "
Li Chengqian listened, and his mood that had just been straightened out suddenly became a little messy.
"Let me tell you, since ancient times, the matter of seizing the heirloom has always been a matter of life and death. There is only one throne, and everyone is scrambling to take it. What should we do? Let's see who is more ruthless and strikes faster! Let's not talk about it, Didn’t my eldest brother let your father take the throne because of his indecision back then? That’s why the old saying is good, you’re strong if you strike first, and you’ll suffer later..."
Li Chengqian suddenly signaled him to keep silent, listening to something.
Li Yuanchang didn't take it seriously: "Look at you, you don't dare to talk in your own home, I see you, you have been taught by Wei Zheng so much that you have no courage at all!"
Li Chengqian had been listening to the movement behind the screen, and suddenly jumped up, striding towards the back of the screen.Li Yuanchang was taken aback, and hurriedly followed.
There is also a back door in the west wing study.At this time, Li Chengqian and Li Yuanchang stood outside the door together, looking around suspiciously.
The corridors on both sides are empty, and there is no one.Opposite the back door was a small bamboo forest. The wind was blowing the bamboo leaves and rustling, but other than that, there was no other movement.
"What did you hear?" Li Yuanchang asked.
Li Chengqian frowned and remained silent.
A half-round moon hangs alone in the night sky.
Dark clouds rolled around, blocking the moonlight from flickering on and off.
Chu Lisang tiptoed along the wall of the Bodhi Temple, keeping a certain distance from the white figure in front of him.
Ever since he heard his father talk about the imperial court collecting Wang Xizhi's calligraphy during the day, Chu Lisang has been a little upset all night.Although she kept telling herself that there was no need to worry about an irrelevant person, the figure of the man in white was always lingering in front of her eyes.
He must have encountered some difficult situation and urgently needed money, so he was so anxious to pawn off Wang Xizhi's authentic works.But even in such an embarrassing situation, on the day of the temple fair, he gave the only thirty or so cash to the second-hand son, and later he desperately helped passers-by, and finally he was not greedy in the face of a large bag of gold ingots.If it was someone else, just taking a random ingot would be enough to relieve the urgent need.It can be seen from this that this "idiot" is indeed a gentleman who values righteousness and despises profit.
If such a person is in trouble, shouldn't we help him?
After struggling for a while, Chu Lisang finally made up his mind.But when she changed into her clothes and turned out of the backyard, she suddenly remembered that she didn't even know where he lived or what his last name was.At that moment, Chu Lisang retreated in her heart, but for some reason, her feet still walked out of the alley in disobedience.
Later, Chu Lisang decided to try his luck at the Bodhi Temple in the south of the city.That was the place where they met, and she had an intuition that he probably lived nearby, or in the Bodhi Temple.
Sure enough, when Chu Lisang waited for almost a stick of incense near the Bodhi Temple, that familiar figure appeared.Under the flickering moonlight, his expression was still so lonely, and his lonely figure was even a little restless.Chu Lisang suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
He was carrying a bunch of large and small paper bags in his hand, walking in a hurry.
Chu Lisang quickly followed him from behind.
At this moment, the moon was completely covered by thick dark clouds, and there was darkness in front of him. Chu Lisang accidentally tripped over a big rock, and almost cried out in pain.When she rubbed her toes for a while and then raised her head, the man in white had already knocked on the temple door and walked in, and then the temple door closed with a creak.
You guessed right, this idiot really lived in the monastery.
Chu Lisang raised his eyes to measure the height of the temple wall, then took a few steps back, climbed up the wall with a swish, and turned inside.
This is a dilapidated and narrow Zen courtyard, with a small patio, two rooms, the larger one is a bedroom, and a small side room by the courtyard gate serves as a stove room.
Chu Lisang was lying on the top of the wall of the small Buddhist temple, and he could almost see the entire Buddhist courtyard.
The man in white was lighting a fire in the stove. It was obvious that he was a novice. He had toiled for a long time before he lit the fire and made himself ashamed.A dim oil lamp was lit in the bedroom, and through the open door, a thin old man could be seen lying on the bed, coughing violently.
After a while, a strong medicinal fragrance wafted from the kitchen.The man in white walked into the bedroom with a bowl of black medicine, and Chu Lisang heard him tell his father to drink the medicine.
I finally understand it all.
Chu Lisang couldn't help feeling a little sad.She thought that this "idiot" was not only benevolent and righteous, but also very filial. It's just that they didn't know what happened to their father and son, which made them fall to this point.It's a pity that he didn't have any money with him now, and it was inconvenient in the middle of the night. Chu Lisang decided to bring some money over tomorrow morning, and reminded him to hide the original Wang Xizhi's work by the way, and don't let the government know.
Having made up his mind, Chu Lisang slid down from the wall.
As soon as he turned around, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck from the air, and he saw a black and strong figure standing upright in front of him, Chu Lisang immediately let out a piercing scream.
The black figure in front of her was a big monk, staring at her fiercely.Chu Lisang rubbed his chest, thinking about how to deal with it, when the man in white ran out when he heard the cry, he was startled when he saw her, then seemed to understand something, he quickly smiled and said to the monk: "I'm sorry Master, this gentleman It's... it's my friend, I'm really sorry to disturb you to clean up!"
Hearing this, the monk glared at Chu Lisang again before turning around and leaving.
A burst of thunder rolled by, Chu Lisang was startled again, and hurriedly covered his ears.
The man in white came over and looked at her: "What are you doing here?"
Chu Lisang hesitated for a moment: "I... I didn't do anything, I just wandered around. This temple is not yours. If you can come, why can't I?"
The man sneered: "Disguise, follow around in the middle of the night, and even peep through the wall! If you are as sneaky as you are, I can definitely send you to the government!"
When Chu Lisang heard this, she became anxious: "I... I'm here to help you, don't spit blood!"
"Help me?" The man frowned, "What do you want to help me?"
"Just... to see what difficulties you have."
"Why are you helping me?" The man said coldly.
Chu Lisang was a little annoyed: "You don't need to ask, you are pitiful!"
The man showed resentment: "I am Zhou Lugui, a man of seven feet, I don't need you to take pity on me!"
Zhou Lugui? !
My dear mother, is there a more vulgar name in the world?This handsome face is really blind!
Chu Lisang sighed in his heart.As if to match her bad mood, there was another burst of thunder in the sky, and then big raindrops fell down.Chu Lisang stared at the man with his neck stuck, not wanting to just run away like this.
The two stalemate in the rain, Chu Lisang sneezed several times.The man looked at her, his eyes gradually softened, and suddenly he took off his robe and covered her head silently.
Chu Lisang felt warm in his heart.Ever since she was a child, she had never felt such a warm feeling.However, she suddenly realized that she was still angry with him and couldn't just raise her hands in surrender. Then she tore off her robe and threw it back to him: "You haven't washed your clothes for a few days? It stinks, I don't want it!"
The man looked at the robe in his hand, smiled wryly, then turned and left silently.His back is still so lonely and awkward.
Chu Lisang couldn't bear it, and wanted to stop him, telling him that she really wanted to help him, but she couldn't open her mouth.
After a while, Chu Lisang turned and left the monastery.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and there was a mist between the sky and the earth.
Chu Lisang walked in a daze in the rain, not understanding why she quarreled with Zhou Lugui as soon as she saw him, in fact, she obviously didn't want to do this in her heart.
It was pitch black all around, only a stone lantern not far in front shimmered, illuminating a gravel path.Chu Lisang walked up the path in a daze.Suddenly, she felt that there was no rain where she was standing. When she looked up, she saw an oil-paper umbrella was firmly propped on her head.
Chu Lisang turned around abruptly, and saw that this man named Zhou Lugui was covering her with an umbrella, but he himself was completely exposed to the rain.Through the dim light of the stone lantern at the side, Chu Lisang saw that his eyes were so bright, clear, and so deep, as if he wanted to suck her whole body in...
Such eyes should not belong to a man named "Zhou Lugui".Chu Lisang really hated the sick old man in the Buddhist monastery. There are so many good names in the world, why did you choose such a stinking name for your son? !
Just when she was thinking wildly, the man stuffed the umbrella into her hand and walked back into the thick rain.
"Hey, is this the only umbrella you have?" Chu Lisang called after his back.
The man didn't answer, and quickly disappeared into the rain.After a while, his voice came from a distance: "My robe stinks, let the heavy rain wash it off!"
Chu Lisang laughed dumbfoundedly.
This idiot, I didn't expect to have a little human touch.
(End of this chapter)
Yongxingfang in the northeast of Chang'an is across the street from the east wall of the imperial city, and there are many residences of dignitaries and dignitaries gathered in the square.
Wei Zheng's mansion is located in the northwest corner of Yongxingfang.
Wei Zheng is the former subordinate of the hidden prince Li Jiancheng. He was loyal to Li Jiancheng back then. When Li Shimin's action of seizing the heirloom gradually escalated and the struggle between the two sides was intensified, Wei Zheng once categorically advised Li Jiancheng to act first and get rid of Li Shimin. Unfortunately, Li Jiancheng was indecisive. In the end Sit down and die.Afterwards, Li Shimin appeased Wei Zheng and a large number of former Eastern Palace ministers with an attitude of letting go of the past.Wei Zheng also put aside his past suspicions and assisted Li Shimin with all his strength. In the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, he advocated ruling the world with kingly principles, and repeatedly violated Yan Zhi's remonstrance.
In the mid-Zhenguan period, Wei Zheng had been promoted to the rank of minister and minister, and his limelight even overshadowed Fang Xuanling and others for a time.In the 16th year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin noticed that the prince Li Chengqian had acted immorally, so he worshiped Wei Zheng as the first-rank prince and grand teacher, hoping that he would carefully teach the prince and train him to be a qualified prince.
This year, Wei Zheng was 63 years old. Although his energy was declining, he still tried his best to undertake this important task.
In the early morning of February 23, Wei Zheng prepared to drive to the East Palace as usual.The ruler supported him, and whispered as he walked, "Grand Master, it's the third day today."
Wei Zheng said "hmm": "Then follow the old rules."
"Yes." The driver helped him into the carriage, then sat on the front seat, and skillfully waved the whip, the carriage started rattling.
Just like Wei Wang's mansion, as a first-rank official, Wei Zheng's mansion also opened the gates directly on the west and north walls of the square.If Wei Zheng wants to go to the imperial city, he can go out from the west gate of his house, which is the Jingfengmen on the east side of the imperial city diagonally; Not far away is Jiafumen, the south main gate of the East Palace.But the strange thing is that today Wei Zheng was going to go to the East Palace as usual, but the driver drove out of the south gate of Wei Mansion, and then went straight to the East Square Gate, completely going in the opposite direction.
This is what Wei Zheng called the "old rules".
Every third, sixth, and ninth day, he would let the ruler take this "diametrically opposed" route, and on other days, he would go out from the north gate of his house and walk through the Yanxi Gate of Miyagi.Although the emperor felt strange in his heart, he didn't dare to ask more questions, he just followed orders.
When the carriage passed the Wangchuan Tea House on the east side of Yongxingfang, the driver gradually slowed down.
This is also Wei Zheng's "old rule".
Of course, the controller still doesn't know the reason.
Wei Zheng raised a corner of the curtain in the car, and carefully looked at the window of the first elegant room on the east side of the second floor.At this time, all the six long windows were open, and there were three pots of eye-catching rocks on the window sills.
Wei Zheng's eyes froze, but he said calmly, "Stop."
Yuzhe parked his car on the side of the road, helped Wei Zheng out of the carriage, and came to the door of the teahouse. A waiter from the teahouse had already trotted over and helped Wei Zheng in respectfully.
In Yu Zhe's view, when the Grand Master wants to drink tea in the Wangchuan Tea House and when he doesn't want to, it's completely arbitrary.If he is told to stop, he will wait outside, the time may be long or short, there is no certainty; if he is not told to stop, he will drive directly out of Dongfang Gate, first turn left and go north, then turn around and go west, still heading for Miyagi Yan Ximen left.
Regardless of the former or the latter, in the end, the driver will have to drive the carriage around for no reason.As for why this is, of course, the controller is still ignorant.
Wei Zheng sat on the ground in the private room.
A tea doctor is skillfully making tea. First, the tea cakes are baked on a charcoal fire, then ground into tea powder, then sieved into tea powder, then boiled, sprinkled with salt, ginger and other seasonings, and after the water boils three times, Scoop the tea soup into the tea bowl, and put both hands on the food table in front of Wei Zheng.
"Teacher, please!"
"It's work."
After a short conversation, Dr. Tea bowed and retreated, closing the door gently.
Wei Zheng knew that at this moment, the person who wanted to submit the information to him was coming soon.
On the window sill of this elegant room, when there is nothing to do on weekdays, there are three pots of trees and potted plants. If there is information, it will be replaced with a pot of rocks; The visitor has urgent and important information to submit.
After a while, there was a familiar knock on the door: one long and two short, repeated three times.
Wei Zheng coughed twice in response.
"Wangyan is ashamed." The knocker chanted outside the door.
Wei Zheng took a sip of the fragrant tea: "Thank you for Jiegan, Linchuan."
The door was pushed open, and Xiao Henian, dressed in casual clothes, came in, bowed and said, "I met Mr. Linchuan."
Wei Zheng smiled: "You don't need to be formal, just sit down. The Mengding tea from Sichuan is indeed the best tea!" He scooped up a bowl for Xiao Henian and brought it in front of him.
As soon as Xiao Henian sat down, he quickly got up again, took the tea bowl with both hands: "Sir, how can this make..."
Wei Zheng signaled him to sit down: "It's just the two of us here, there are not so many rules!"
Only then did Xiao Henian sit down respectfully.
"What's the matter in such a hurry to see me?" Wei Zheng waited for Xiao Henian to drink a few sips of tea before asking.
"Sir, two things. The first thing happened early yesterday morning..." Then, Xiao Henian reported in detail the emperor's intention to summon King Wei to live in the Hall of Martial Virtue. The situation of the conversation was also mentioned, and then waited quietly for Wei Zheng's instructions.
Wei Zheng pondered for a moment, and then slowly said: "The king of Wei is ready to seize the heir, and the court is full of undercurrents, but the Holy Majesty is making this move at this time, it is intriguing!"
Xiao Henian was a little confused: "In your opinion, what is the meaning of His Majesty's move?"
Wei Zheng thought for a while and said, "There are three purposes."
Xiao Henian couldn't help leaning forward, listening carefully.
"Beating the prince to wake him up is the first; inspecting the king of Wei and observing his behavior is the second; throwing stones into the water to test the officials is the third."
Xiao Henian suddenly realized, and at the same time showed surprise: "I really didn't expect that this son, the Holy One, ended up so fierce!"
"The king of entrepreneurship, the master of dominance, how could he have the leisure to play chess!" Wei Zheng said, with infinite emotion in his heart.
"I'm afraid that one stone will stir up thousands of waves, and the situation will become difficult to deal with..."
Wei Zheng smiled lightly: "This is why you are worrying unnecessarily. The Holy Majesty cast this stone to let the undercurrent flow out of the water, and see how many waves will arise from the court and the opposition. This alone is enough to prove that the Holy Majesty has control over the court. Still strong and powerful!"
Xiao Henian was relieved, and asked again: "How do you plan to deal with this matter?"
"First of all, it is natural to let the prince know about it." Wei Zhengdao, "Since the Holy Majesty intends to beat the prince, and the old man holds the chief teaching position in the East Palace, of course he must take this opportunity to show his interests to the prince."
Xiao Henian has followed Wei Zheng for many years and knows that Wei Zheng has always adhered to the system of heir succession.Whether it was assisting Prince Yin back then, or being a prince and grand teacher now, this is where his belief lies and it is also an unshirkable responsibility.Therefore, even though he is not satisfied with the prince's personal conduct, he is still doing his best to help and protect the prince. After all, Wei Zheng is still worried about the recurrence of the tragedy of the brother-in-law and brother-in-law fighting in the ninth year of Wude.
"Sir, my lord, do you want to persuade me?" Xiao Henian asked.
"Not now!" Wei Zheng said decisively, "This matter is still a secret of the palace ban. If I persuade you, the Holy Majesty will immediately suspect my source of information, which will put you in danger. In addition, the Holy Majesty will also arrest me. As one of the 'undercurrents' of forming cliques, no matter what I say, he will not listen again."
"Mr. is very worried." Xiao Henian was thinking about something, "But if you wait until the sage makes a decree before admonishing him, the deal will be done by then. Wouldn't it be more difficult for him to withdraw his order?"
Wei Zheng said, "Of course I know that."
"Then what should we do? It's neither persuasion nor not persuasion!" Xiao Henian looked worried, "Isn't this a dilemma?"
Wei Zheng pondered for a while: "There are still ways."
Xiao Henian was overjoyed: "What way?"
"Let the sage himself reveal it to me! In this way, I can persuade him to change his mind before the sage makes a decree."
Xiao Henian was relieved.He knew that since Wei Zheng could think of this method, he must have a plan in mind.
"What is the second thing you want to say?" Wei Zheng took a sip of tea.
Only then did Xiao Henian remember that he almost forgot about it, he smiled apologetically, and then lightly uttered two words: "Debate."
The teacup in Wei Zheng's hand shook for a moment, and then stabilized: "Is there any news from Jun Mo?"
"That boy, don't mention it!" Xiao Henian smiled wryly, "Since he entered the Xuanjia Guard, he has treated my father as a thief and refused to reveal anything. Where did the Holy Majesty and the King of Wei send him this time? Whatever he did, he kept his mouth shut."
Thinking of the young man named Xiao Junmo, Wei Zheng couldn't help but smile: "You can't blame him. The rules of the Xuanjia Guards have always been strict, and their headline rules are to guard your relatives as thieves. If you don't do this, he will He is not qualified to be a Xuanjia guard. Speaking of which, it is also your credit that this kid is doing well now."
Xiao Henian waved his hand: "I don't have any credit for this subordinate, it's nothing more than raising him up."
"It's not easy to raise an adult!" Wei Zheng sighed, suddenly feeling a little sad, "Thinking back then, the surrounding situation was so dangerous, it's really not easy for this child to survive and survive to this day!"
Seeing that his eyes were flushed, Xiao Henian hurriedly said: "Grand Master, what happened back then is over. Let's... let's get down to business?"
Wei Zheng wiped his eyes and sighed: "Yes, I won't mention it. You just mentioned debate, what happened?"
"This subordinate reported to you last time that King Wei has found more than a dozen people who are suspected of eloquence, roughly in Youzhou, Yangzhou, and Luozhou. This time, Xuanjiawei is dispatched for this matter. According to the latest news that my subordinates have found from King Wei, they have now focused on the Luozhou area, formulated a plan that is said to be perfect, and related operations have also begun. The subordinates are worried, and they will use Xuanjiawei's method of handling the case , I guess it won’t be long before we can find the eloquence.”
"What is the specific plan, who is the target of the action, can you find it?" Wei Zheng asked.
Xiao Henian shook his head: "The King of Wei doesn't fully trust his subordinates, he always keeps his hands on it, and only discusses core matters with Du Chuke alone."
Wei Zheng's expression became serious: "Ever since the case of Lu's extermination in the ninth year of Wude, the Holy Majesty has been looking for the "Lanting Preface".
Xiao Henian still remembers the Lu family extermination case.He was an official in Chang'an Ling at the time, and participated in the case from beginning to end, but he still couldn't catch the murderer in the end, so he was very worried. "Sir, I haven't figured it out for so many years, why did the Holy One involve Lu Shiheng's case with the "Lanting Preface"?"
"According to my speculation, before Lu Shiheng died, he should have left some clues for the Holy Majesty."
"Clue?" Xiao Henian was surprised, "Could it be that Lu Shiheng knows the secret of "Lanting Preface"?"
Wei Zheng nodded: "I have no doubt about it."
Xiao Henian was startled suddenly: "According to you, Lu Shiheng...is he also one of us?"
"According to my guess, Lu Shiheng should be 'Wu Ya'."
Xiao Henian was puzzled: "Wu Ya? Who is Wu Ya?"
Wei Zheng lowered his voice, approached him and said a few words.
Xiao Henian came to a sudden: "So, he belongs to Mr. Mingzang?"
Wei Zheng nodded: "It's a pity that in the coup that year, Lu Shiheng betrayed Mr. Mingzang and Prince Yin, and secretly took refuge in the Holy One, who was the King of Qin back then. I guess this is what aroused Mingzang Mr. Zang's anger. Therefore, Mr. Ming Zang should have done the tragic extermination of fifteen members of Lu's family."
Xiao Henian was even more surprised: "Could it be that he did this just to vent his anger?"
"Isn't it common to kill chickens to scare monkeys and warn those who come?" Wei Zheng said lightly, "Of course, besides this, there is another possibility. Mr. Mingzang probably worried that the 'glass' would fall into the hands of the Holy Master, which would involve too many secrets, and even drag him out, so he sneaked into Lu's house in order to retrieve the 'glass', which eventually led to a bloody case. "
Xiao Henian was stunned when he heard this, and he said after a long while, "Sir, you have already understood these things so well, why didn't you tell me until today?"
Wei Zheng let out a long sigh: "For more than ten years since the Holy Majesty ascended the throne, the world of Tang Dynasty has been clean and peaceful, and the country is peaceful and the people are safe. Therefore, these things should be completely forgotten, and no one needs to mention them again. But right now, King Wei is determined to seize the throne, and the crown prince is in danger. , the tragedy of that year will repeat itself! On the other hand, once the debater is found and the secret of "Lanting Preface" is revealed, the consequences will be unimaginable! At such a critical juncture, how many things are waiting for us to do? Hiding something from you?"
Xiao Henian was stunned, nodded and said: "Mr. has worked so hard that this subordinate didn't really understand until today. Then, what should this subordinate do next?"
Wei Zheng bowed his head in thought, and tapped the food table with his right index finger.The knocking sound was very light, but to Xiao Henian's ears, it sounded like a drumbeat for an expedition.
Looking out from the open window of the elegant room, one can see that the sky was still a blue sky just now, but now it is covered with dark clouds and dense haze.
A rainstorm is coming.
The Erya pawn shop in Yique County is famous far and wide, and the pawnshops it stores are mainly calligraphy, paintings and antiques.The owner, Wu Tingxuan, has a high level of appreciation for ancient celebrity calligraphy and paintings. It is widely rumored that he has run this pawnshop for [-] years and has never received a fake by mistake.
In the afternoon of this day, the business was deserted and there were few customers. Wu Tingxuan was about to call the waiter to close early, when a young man rushed in with a black cloth bag, claiming to pawn, and to deal with it immediately.
The man was in his early twenties, handsome and elegant, but unfortunately his appearance was a bit sloppy, especially the white robe on his body, although it was made of exquisite materials, it had not been changed for many days, the whole body was full of stains, and there seemed to be a few brown spots on his chest. blood.
Wu Tingxuan had seen countless people, and after only one glance at the young man, he became a little wary of his identity and origin, and he no longer wanted to accept this business, but after all, all visitors were customers, and the minimum politeness and respect was still If there is one, they will go forward and show a professional smile: "My lord, may I ask who you want to pawn?"
"Dare to ask, you are the shopkeeper Wu Tingxuan, Wu Da, right?" the man in white asked without answering.
"It's just down here."
"Then I've found the right person!" The man in white seemed to heave a sigh of relief, and went straight into the shop, sat down on the brocade couch specially set up for VIPs, took out a roll of calligraphy and painting framed in purple silk from the paper bag, and gently Putting it lightly on the table in front of him, he looked at Wu Tingxuan, "Master Wu, this calligraphy is a treasure handed down from Xiaosheng's family, and it is an authentic work of calligraphy masters in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. But the ones on the table are all unlearned and unskilled vulgar things, and he said that this calligraphy is a fake. Xiaosheng was really angry, but after asking a lot of people, he learned that you are a big connoisseur of calligraphy and painting in Yique County. Please take care of yourself and help Xiaosheng get this justice!"
The man in white finished speaking in one breath, his chest still rising and falling.Seeing his sweaty forehead, dry lips and tongue, he may have traveled a lot today and suffered a lot.Wu Tingxuan couldn't bear it, so he ordered the waiter to bring him some tea.The man was also polite, picked up the tea bowl and drank it.
Wu Tingxuan waited for him to catch his breath after drinking the tea, then smiled slightly and said, "Which one is the Master of Calligraphy in the Eastern Jin Dynasty that Lang Jun mentioned?"
"Wang Xizhi." The man replied loudly.
Wu Tingxuan was startled, and finally understood why other pawnshops rejected this young man.He immediately wanted to politely refuse to see the guest off, but the word "Wang Xizhi" really made him feel itchy, so he decided that it would be okay to take a look.
"Just now, my lord said that I am a great expert, and I absolutely dare not take it. It is just the praise of the elders in the market. It is really beautiful, and it is not true. However, since my lord trusts me so much, then I don't think it is superficial." Wu Tingxuan Sitting down on a round stool across from the table, he made a gesture of invitation, "Please, sir, open the calligraphy."
The man in white was overjoyed, and immediately opened the scroll, and slowly spread it out on the table.With the light of a tulle lantern on the corner of the desk, Wu Tingxuan's eyes suddenly came into view of cursive scripts that floated like clouds and looked astonishing as dragons.
Wu Tingxuan secretly took a deep breath, amazed again and again.
It really is the authentic work of Wang Xizhi!
Relying on his extraordinary eyesight and experience, Wu Tingxuan could tell at a glance that this calligraphy is Wang Xizhi's most famous cursive script masterpiece - "Seventeen Posts", a collection of 29 cursive short posts by Wang Xizhi. It is said that it was created by Wang Xizhi during the Southern Dynasties It was carefully assembled by descendants of the clan, and it was named after the first two characters "Seventeen" in the first post.This post is the supreme model for future generations to learn cursive script. It has been praised as "the dragon and elephant in the book" by calligraphers of all dynasties, but it is said to have been lost as early as the "Hou Jing Rebellion" in the Xiaoliang period.Wu Tingxuan never expected that this post still exists in the world, and it is so well preserved, it is really a unique and rare treasure!
Although there was a lot of emotion in his heart, Wu Tingxuan's face remained calm.This is the professional quality that he has cultivated in this industry for many years, not to mention that he is still consciously suppressing the waves in his heart at this moment.
The man in white kept staring at Wu Tingxuan's face. It seemed that for a moment, he found a flash of light in Wu Tingxuan's eyes, but it was fleeting, and he could no longer see any expression after that.
"Shopkeeper Wu, have you finished watching?" The man stared into Wu Tingxuan's eyes.
Wu Tingxuan nodded silently.
"I'm sure you've seen it. It's a genuine one, isn't it?"
Wu Tingxuan raised his head, and a professional smile resumed on his face: "My lord, please forgive me for saying bluntly, this calligraphy is a copy made by the masters of later generations with the double outline filling technique. After all... it's not the real thing."
The man in white stood up and looked at Wu Tingxuan in disbelief: "Did you miss it?"
Wu Tingxuan got up slowly, and smiled faintly: "If you don't believe me, Mr. Lang, you can find another expert to taste it. I'm sorry for my clumsy eyes, which disappoints Mr. Lang." After speaking, he turned his body sideways, already intending to see off the guests.
The man in white put a sneer on his face, put the copybook away, put it in a sack, and said loudly: "It is said that Yique County is full of outstanding people and elegant scholars. I didn't expect that everyone is a blind man!"
"Hey, kid!" The guy on the side couldn't listen any longer, pointed at the man and said, "What are you, dare to utter wild words here?!"
"Am I wrong?" The man also poked his neck and said loudly, "In such a large county, there are more than a dozen pawnshops that store calligraphy and paintings, but none of them recognizes Wang Xizhi's authentic works. Wouldn't it make the world laugh at me if I told it?"
"Yo ho, you're still in good spirits!" The man pushed over and rolled up his sleeves, "I think you're here to find trouble, right?"
Hearing a noise in the front hall, a curtain behind the counter was suddenly lifted, and several tall and burly guys rushed in together.Many of the pledges stored in the pawnshop are of high value, so the clerks in the pawnshop usually also take the responsibility of guarding the house and guarding the shop as martial arts masters, and they have kung fu.And these guys in Erya's pawnshop are all clansmen of the proprietress Chu Yingniang, and they have practiced martial arts with her since childhood, and they are more sturdy than the martial arts masters in ordinary pawnshops.At this moment, four or five martial artists surrounded the man in white.The man kept shrinking back holding the sack, with a look of fear on his face.
"What are you doing?" Wu Tingxuan said in a deep voice, "This gentleman is a customer in the store. Is there anyone who treats customers like you? Get down!"
The guys looked at each other and had no choice but to back away, but they all stood by the counter and kept their eyes fixed on the man in white.Just as Wu Tingxuan was about to persuade him to leave, the door curtain was raised again, and Chu Lisang suddenly walked in.
Hearing footsteps, the man in white turned his head to look, and happened to meet Chu Lisang's eyes, both of them were stunned.
Wu Tingxuan was slightly surprised and looked at the two of them.Chu Lisang realized that he had lost his composure, and quickly looked away.The man in white had already blushed, lowered his head in a panic, and hurried out with the black cloth bag in his arms.
Chu Lisang looked at his leaving back: "Father, what is this idiot doing here?"
Wu Tingxuan is Chu Lisang's father. Because his family was poor when he was young, he married into Chu Ying's natal family as his son-in-law, so Chu Lisang took his mother's surname.
Hearing his daughter call that person "idiot", Wu Tingxuan was even more surprised and turned to look at her.
"Oh, I saw him in a daze, so he just called out like that." Chu Lisang used a smile to cover up his embarrassment, "Father, what exactly is he here for?"
"Come to the pawnshop to pawn things, what else can you do?"
"What is he going to be?"
Wu Tingxuan glanced at those guys, and waited for them to retreat before saying, "A copybook from the Eastern Jin Dynasty."
"Then why did he leave? Could it be that his copybook is a fake?"
Wu Tingxuan shook his head: "No, it's the real work."
Chu Lisang was puzzled: "Since it is an authentic work, why don't you let him be it?"
"Because those are Wang Xizhi's characters."
"Wang Xizhi?" Chu Lisang became more and more confused, "Isn't that more valuable?"
Wu Tingxuan smiled wryly: "You don't know, as long as it is Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, it is the source of trouble."
Chu Lisang frowned: "Why?"
Wu Tingxuan sat down on the brocade couch, a little dazed, as if he was recalling something from the past, or worried about something.Chu Lisang called out several times in a row before he came back to his senses, sighed and said: "I like calligraphy, I love Wang Xizhi's calligraphy very much, and I admire him very much, so since he became the throne, he has tried his best to search for Wang Xizhi all over the world. As the saying goes, "what is good at the top, what is good at the bottom must be very good." In order to please the emperor, officials from all over the country used all means to steal and plunder. Anyone who had Wang Xizhi's authentic works in his home had to hand them over to the government. Some officials took the opportunity Extortion and exploitation, even the calligraphy and paintings of other famous people are also taken away, and they are taken as their own. If they refuse to obey orders, they will be imprisoned at least, and their families will be destroyed at worst... Even so, who would dare to dare to collect Wang Xizhi's calligraphy? ?"
Chu Lisang suddenly realized.
It is said that today's world is a peaceful and prosperous world that has never been seen since ancient times. Today, Li Shimin has always expected himself to be a holy lord, and he has worked together with a group of virtuous ministers, claiming to govern the world with kingly principles. Unexpectedly, there are such unbearable things behind him !Thinking of this, Chu Lisang couldn't help worrying about the man in white.
Every man is innocent, but he is guilty!
At a time like this, this idiot is still pawning around with a volume of Wang Xizhi's authentic works. Isn't this courting death? !
East Palace Yichun Garden.
The garden is full of green grass, and the peach blossoms are in full bloom.
A young man in brocade clothes, with loose hair, stood quietly on the grass in the middle of the courtyard, holding a sword in his hand.The man was slender, with handsome features, and his face was extremely fair, even revealing a morbid paleness.His eyes were stern and gloomy, but there was a faint evil smile on the corner of his mouth.
He is Li Chengqian, Prince of the Tang Dynasty.
At this moment, around Li Chengqian stood a dozen or so warriors in short maroon robes, braided hair, and machetes in their hands. They were all dressed in typical Turkic costumes.Suddenly, Li Chengqian swung his sword across the air in a beautiful arc, and the Turkic warriors roared and rushed towards him as if they had received an order.
The first tall warrior who rushed in front of Li Chengqian was kicked out by him in the chest, and then Li Chengqian gave another roundabout kick, kicking the two warriors on the right to the ground.Three warriors swung their scimitars from the left and swung Li Chengqian's long sword in a circular arc. The blades intersected and sparks flew everywhere.
A severed blade flew into the air.Li Chengqian kicked, and the broken blade flew towards a running warrior, piercing his shoulder with a puff.The samurai let out a scream and fell limp.At the same time, Li Chengqian's sword flew up and down, cutting down the three warriors who lost their weapons one after another.
In an instant, seven of the dozen or so warriors fell down, and the remaining five or six warriors immediately stopped in their tracks, not daring to step forward.
At this moment, the heavy rain suddenly poured down from the sky.A samurai muttered: "His... Your Highness, it's raining."
Li Chengqian's eyes shot at his face like a falcon, and then he rushed towards him with his sword held flat.
The sharp sword quickly pierced through the bean-sized raindrops, and finally stabbed at the warrior's face.The samurai was startled, and swung his knife to block. Li Chengqian suddenly became shorter, and with a flick of his long sword, he accurately pierced the warrior's abdomen.
The samurai's eyes widened, and a mouthful of blood spurted out.
Li Chengqian grinned ferociously, and suddenly pulled out his sword, a string of blood spots flew into the rain curtain with the raised blade.
The samurai fell to the ground on his back, his body twitching non-stop.
Li Chengqian turned his fierce eyes to the other warriors.The warriors looked at each other, then threw away their weapons one after another, and knelt down on the ground one by one, trembling all over.
A contemptuous smile floated on the corner of Li Chengqian's mouth.The rain gurgled down his face, and a few locks of black sideburns stuck to his forehead and cheeks, making him look paler and his eyes colder.
There was a burst of applause.A young man also dressed in fine clothes came out from the corridor not far away, clapping his hands as he walked, followed closely by an eunuch holding an umbrella.A few other eunuchs ran towards Li Chengqian in a panic holding umbrellas.
"Chengqian, your martial arts are becoming more and more exquisite!" The man walked to him with a smile.
Li Chengqian took the Luopa handed over by the eunuch, slowly wiped the blood on the blade, and smiled coldly: "It's just that my sword is good, Uncle Seven, don't open your eyes and talk nonsense!"
This man known as "Seventh Uncle" is exactly the seventh younger brother of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin - Li Yuanchang, King of Han.In terms of seniority, he is Li Chengqian's uncle, but they are the same age, both born in the second year of Wude, and they are 24 years old now.Perhaps because of the same age and congenial temperament, the relationship between the uncle and nephew has always been very close.
Li Yuanchang was choked by Li Chengqian, but he didn't take it seriously, he still smiled and said: "Chengqian, you just have such an unforgiving mouth, no wonder those corrupt scholars in the court don't like you."
"That's not what Uncle Qi really wants to say in his heart?"
Li Yuanchang was startled: "In my heart? That's what I think in my heart!"
"Seventh Uncle wants to say, it's no wonder Father doesn't like me, right?"
Li Yuanchang was startled again, and then smiled and said: "How can it be? If the emperor doesn't like you, why would he send you Wei Zheng, who is his most important?"
"In your opinion, is Wei Zheng a rotten Confucian?" Li Chengqian wiped the sword until it was spotless and radiant, but he let the rain run down his face and refused to wipe it.Several eunuchs exchanged glances, but no one dared to speak out to remind them.
Li Yuanchang scratched his head: "Well, Wei Zheng, rot is a bit rotten, but at least he is here to help you, so don't offend him."
Li Chengqian said nothing.
At this moment, an eunuch hurried over holding an umbrella and holding a gold and jade walking stick under his arm, panting, "His Royal Highness, Wei... Grand Master Wei is here."
Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian subconsciously turned around and looked into the distance.
In the distance, on a rockery pavilion about two feet high, stood an old man with a dignified expression, it was Wei Zheng.
Li Chengqian smiled and bowed deeply in the direction of the rockery, then threw the sword to the eunuch, took the gold and jade cane, and walked towards the corridor with a slight limp on his right leg.Several eunuchs followed closely with umbrellas.
Due to an illness when he was a child, Li Chengqian suffered from a slight lameness afterwards.He loved a sword and hated a cane most of all, but sadly he still had to deal with it most of the day.
It wasn't until Li Chengqian walked away that the few warriors lying on the ground dared to get up, and then hurriedly carried the dead or injured warriors on the ground with a group of eunuchs.
In the East Palace, this scene happened frequently, and sometimes the battle was even bigger and there were more casualties.
Wei Zheng looked at the corpse being carried down from a distance, his expression became more serious.
The main hall of the East Palace, and the study room in the West Wing.
Li Chengqian, who had put on his formal attire and tied his hair up, sat on the couch and quietly listened to Wei Zheng's story about King Wei's entry into Wude Hall.
"Grand Master, do you like eagles, eagles on the grassland?" Li Chengqian suddenly asked without thinking.
In the more than a month since he took office as the prince and grand teacher, Wei Zheng has long been accustomed to Li Chengqian's impermanent and surly temperament, and he already knew how to deal with it, so he said flatly: "Of course I like it."
"Oh? Why do you like it?"
"An eagle has the freedom to soar into the sky and the power to fight against the sky. What more can you ask for if you have both in life?"
Li Chengqian looked at Wei Zheng, and gradually there was a gleam of brightness and warmth in his gloomy and cold eyes.
In Li Chengqian's view, although Wei Zheng always told him about benevolence, righteousness and morality, there was still a lot of sourness, but at the same time, Wei Zheng had something that other courtiers did not have, that is—sincerity and willfulness , brave.This is exactly where Li Chengqian respects Wei Zheng from the bottom of his heart.
"Grand Master, since you like eagles, if someone advises you to keep them in a cage, even though the cage is resplendent and magnificent, would you be willing?"
Wei Zheng shook his head: "Of course not."
"Then it's over?" Li Chengqian smiled, "Wei Wang is a parrot with beautiful feathers and beautiful speech. He likes cages, so let him live in a cage. I don't envy him at all."
"Your Highness is wrong. The King of Wei is not a parrot, but a wolf; Wude Hall is not a cage, but a mountain. It will be a great thing for a wolf to climb the mountain, invite friends, and howl at the moon." Dangerous thing."
Li Chengqian chuckled: "No matter how vicious the wolf is, no matter how high the mountain is, it will never be able to bite the eagle, will it?"
Wei Zheng also smiled: "Your Highness, can I allow the old man to ask a question?"
"Teacher, please speak."
"Has Your Highness seen an eagle that is always flying in the sky?"
Li Chengqian was slightly taken aback.
"No matter how high an eagle flies, it still has to hunt for food on the ground, right?"
Li Chengqian's smile slowly condensed on his face.
"The eagle flying forever in the sky is just a dream, a beautiful dream that only exists in His Highness's heart. It is not realistic. Especially, when this eagle is still a young eagle, it can only hide on the ground." In the nest, if you don't pay attention, you may be swallowed by the wolf! Am I right, Your Highness?"
Li Chengqian smiled wryly, and the gloom in his eyes condensed again: "The Grand Master is sharp! That's right, I, Li Chengqian, after all, am just a young eagle."
"Since you are a young eagle, you must learn to protect yourself."
Li Chengqian was stunned for a moment, and then said: "Please advise the grand master."
"As long as His Highness fulfills the following three points mentioned by the old man, the position of the East Palace will be as firm as a rock."
"Which three o'clock?" Li Chengqian looked at Wei Zheng eagerly.
"First, cherish your feathers."
Li Chengqian knew that Wei Zheng was implying to him that he should maintain the good image of the prince and stop playing those dangerous games of fighting and killing, so as not to be criticized by the government and the public.Although this principle is easy to understand, it is not easy to let yourself put down your favorite sword!
"Secondly, it is to cultivate your own sharp claws."
Li Chengqian loves to hear this.Cultivating one's own power among civil and military officials, and at the same time secretly accumulating force to deal with emergencies, is indeed a top priority at the moment.
"The last thing is to lie patiently, wait for the opponent to show his weakness, and then attack decisively!" Wei Zheng looked directly at Li Chengqian, "Only in this way, can you soar into the sky and fight in the sky!"
Li Chengqian was a little excited when he heard it, then suddenly got up, and bowed to Wei Zheng: "Grand Master, I understand everything! If so, how should I deal with King Wei's entry into the Hall of Martial Virtue?"
"It's easy, do nothing."
Li Chengqian frowned: "Don't do anything?"
Wei Zheng nodded: "Yes, it's better to be still than to move."
"Why?" Li Chengqian was very puzzled.
"The Holy Majesty wants to see how you two brothers react to this matter. The higher Wei Wang jumps, the more unfavorable it is for him; the more you act as if nothing happened, the more beneficial it is for you. So, just pretend nothing happened, I don’t know anything, let the old man do the rest.”
Li Chengqian was thoughtful.
Just as Wei Zheng's back disappeared at the door of the study in the west wing, Li Yuanchang came out from behind the screen.
"This Wei Zheng is really eloquent. No wonder Brother Huang thinks highly of him!"
Li Chengqian sat on the couch, seemingly lost in thought.
Li Yuanchang walked over and waved his hand in front of his eyes: "Hey, are you stupid?"
Li Chengqian came back to his senses: "The Grand Master is not just eloquent."
"Oh? It seems that you really like this Tianshefu?" Li Yuanchang smiled playfully.
Li Chengqian glanced at him coldly.
Li Yuanchang quickly put away his smile.
"By the way, Wei Zheng told you not to do anything, are you really going to listen to him?" Li Yuanchang sat down.
"I think the grand master's words are reasonable, and it is better to be still than to move."
"Hmph!" Li Yuanchang snorted coldly, "Then you just wait to be slaughtered!"
Li Chengqian's face darkened: "What do you mean?"
"Let me ask you," Li Yuanchang simply stood up again, "How old is Wei Zheng, and how old are you?"
"what do you want to say in the end?"
"What I mean is obvious! He is a person who is about to die, how can he have any fighting spirit and blood? Of course he advises you not to do anything. But you are different, you are young and full of blood, why do you want to?" Bearing King Wei everywhere? What is King Wei? Why does he live in Wude Hall? Let him slander every day in the ears of the emperor, I am not scaring you, the emperor will sooner or later have the idea of abolishing the establishment! "
Li Chengqian listened, and his mood that had just been straightened out suddenly became a little messy.
"Let me tell you, since ancient times, the matter of seizing the heirloom has always been a matter of life and death. There is only one throne, and everyone is scrambling to take it. What should we do? Let's see who is more ruthless and strikes faster! Let's not talk about it, Didn’t my eldest brother let your father take the throne because of his indecision back then? That’s why the old saying is good, you’re strong if you strike first, and you’ll suffer later..."
Li Chengqian suddenly signaled him to keep silent, listening to something.
Li Yuanchang didn't take it seriously: "Look at you, you don't dare to talk in your own home, I see you, you have been taught by Wei Zheng so much that you have no courage at all!"
Li Chengqian had been listening to the movement behind the screen, and suddenly jumped up, striding towards the back of the screen.Li Yuanchang was taken aback, and hurriedly followed.
There is also a back door in the west wing study.At this time, Li Chengqian and Li Yuanchang stood outside the door together, looking around suspiciously.
The corridors on both sides are empty, and there is no one.Opposite the back door was a small bamboo forest. The wind was blowing the bamboo leaves and rustling, but other than that, there was no other movement.
"What did you hear?" Li Yuanchang asked.
Li Chengqian frowned and remained silent.
A half-round moon hangs alone in the night sky.
Dark clouds rolled around, blocking the moonlight from flickering on and off.
Chu Lisang tiptoed along the wall of the Bodhi Temple, keeping a certain distance from the white figure in front of him.
Ever since he heard his father talk about the imperial court collecting Wang Xizhi's calligraphy during the day, Chu Lisang has been a little upset all night.Although she kept telling herself that there was no need to worry about an irrelevant person, the figure of the man in white was always lingering in front of her eyes.
He must have encountered some difficult situation and urgently needed money, so he was so anxious to pawn off Wang Xizhi's authentic works.But even in such an embarrassing situation, on the day of the temple fair, he gave the only thirty or so cash to the second-hand son, and later he desperately helped passers-by, and finally he was not greedy in the face of a large bag of gold ingots.If it was someone else, just taking a random ingot would be enough to relieve the urgent need.It can be seen from this that this "idiot" is indeed a gentleman who values righteousness and despises profit.
If such a person is in trouble, shouldn't we help him?
After struggling for a while, Chu Lisang finally made up his mind.But when she changed into her clothes and turned out of the backyard, she suddenly remembered that she didn't even know where he lived or what his last name was.At that moment, Chu Lisang retreated in her heart, but for some reason, her feet still walked out of the alley in disobedience.
Later, Chu Lisang decided to try his luck at the Bodhi Temple in the south of the city.That was the place where they met, and she had an intuition that he probably lived nearby, or in the Bodhi Temple.
Sure enough, when Chu Lisang waited for almost a stick of incense near the Bodhi Temple, that familiar figure appeared.Under the flickering moonlight, his expression was still so lonely, and his lonely figure was even a little restless.Chu Lisang suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
He was carrying a bunch of large and small paper bags in his hand, walking in a hurry.
Chu Lisang quickly followed him from behind.
At this moment, the moon was completely covered by thick dark clouds, and there was darkness in front of him. Chu Lisang accidentally tripped over a big rock, and almost cried out in pain.When she rubbed her toes for a while and then raised her head, the man in white had already knocked on the temple door and walked in, and then the temple door closed with a creak.
You guessed right, this idiot really lived in the monastery.
Chu Lisang raised his eyes to measure the height of the temple wall, then took a few steps back, climbed up the wall with a swish, and turned inside.
This is a dilapidated and narrow Zen courtyard, with a small patio, two rooms, the larger one is a bedroom, and a small side room by the courtyard gate serves as a stove room.
Chu Lisang was lying on the top of the wall of the small Buddhist temple, and he could almost see the entire Buddhist courtyard.
The man in white was lighting a fire in the stove. It was obvious that he was a novice. He had toiled for a long time before he lit the fire and made himself ashamed.A dim oil lamp was lit in the bedroom, and through the open door, a thin old man could be seen lying on the bed, coughing violently.
After a while, a strong medicinal fragrance wafted from the kitchen.The man in white walked into the bedroom with a bowl of black medicine, and Chu Lisang heard him tell his father to drink the medicine.
I finally understand it all.
Chu Lisang couldn't help feeling a little sad.She thought that this "idiot" was not only benevolent and righteous, but also very filial. It's just that they didn't know what happened to their father and son, which made them fall to this point.It's a pity that he didn't have any money with him now, and it was inconvenient in the middle of the night. Chu Lisang decided to bring some money over tomorrow morning, and reminded him to hide the original Wang Xizhi's work by the way, and don't let the government know.
Having made up his mind, Chu Lisang slid down from the wall.
As soon as he turned around, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck from the air, and he saw a black and strong figure standing upright in front of him, Chu Lisang immediately let out a piercing scream.
The black figure in front of her was a big monk, staring at her fiercely.Chu Lisang rubbed his chest, thinking about how to deal with it, when the man in white ran out when he heard the cry, he was startled when he saw her, then seemed to understand something, he quickly smiled and said to the monk: "I'm sorry Master, this gentleman It's... it's my friend, I'm really sorry to disturb you to clean up!"
Hearing this, the monk glared at Chu Lisang again before turning around and leaving.
A burst of thunder rolled by, Chu Lisang was startled again, and hurriedly covered his ears.
The man in white came over and looked at her: "What are you doing here?"
Chu Lisang hesitated for a moment: "I... I didn't do anything, I just wandered around. This temple is not yours. If you can come, why can't I?"
The man sneered: "Disguise, follow around in the middle of the night, and even peep through the wall! If you are as sneaky as you are, I can definitely send you to the government!"
When Chu Lisang heard this, she became anxious: "I... I'm here to help you, don't spit blood!"
"Help me?" The man frowned, "What do you want to help me?"
"Just... to see what difficulties you have."
"Why are you helping me?" The man said coldly.
Chu Lisang was a little annoyed: "You don't need to ask, you are pitiful!"
The man showed resentment: "I am Zhou Lugui, a man of seven feet, I don't need you to take pity on me!"
Zhou Lugui? !
My dear mother, is there a more vulgar name in the world?This handsome face is really blind!
Chu Lisang sighed in his heart.As if to match her bad mood, there was another burst of thunder in the sky, and then big raindrops fell down.Chu Lisang stared at the man with his neck stuck, not wanting to just run away like this.
The two stalemate in the rain, Chu Lisang sneezed several times.The man looked at her, his eyes gradually softened, and suddenly he took off his robe and covered her head silently.
Chu Lisang felt warm in his heart.Ever since she was a child, she had never felt such a warm feeling.However, she suddenly realized that she was still angry with him and couldn't just raise her hands in surrender. Then she tore off her robe and threw it back to him: "You haven't washed your clothes for a few days? It stinks, I don't want it!"
The man looked at the robe in his hand, smiled wryly, then turned and left silently.His back is still so lonely and awkward.
Chu Lisang couldn't bear it, and wanted to stop him, telling him that she really wanted to help him, but she couldn't open her mouth.
After a while, Chu Lisang turned and left the monastery.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and there was a mist between the sky and the earth.
Chu Lisang walked in a daze in the rain, not understanding why she quarreled with Zhou Lugui as soon as she saw him, in fact, she obviously didn't want to do this in her heart.
It was pitch black all around, only a stone lantern not far in front shimmered, illuminating a gravel path.Chu Lisang walked up the path in a daze.Suddenly, she felt that there was no rain where she was standing. When she looked up, she saw an oil-paper umbrella was firmly propped on her head.
Chu Lisang turned around abruptly, and saw that this man named Zhou Lugui was covering her with an umbrella, but he himself was completely exposed to the rain.Through the dim light of the stone lantern at the side, Chu Lisang saw that his eyes were so bright, clear, and so deep, as if he wanted to suck her whole body in...
Such eyes should not belong to a man named "Zhou Lugui".Chu Lisang really hated the sick old man in the Buddhist monastery. There are so many good names in the world, why did you choose such a stinking name for your son? !
Just when she was thinking wildly, the man stuffed the umbrella into her hand and walked back into the thick rain.
"Hey, is this the only umbrella you have?" Chu Lisang called after his back.
The man didn't answer, and quickly disappeared into the rain.After a while, his voice came from a distance: "My robe stinks, let the heavy rain wash it off!"
Chu Lisang laughed dumbfoundedly.
This idiot, I didn't expect to have a little human touch.
(End of this chapter)
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