Promotion Letter for the Chief Executive

It was probably because of this coincidence that he didn't know what inspired the emperor's heart, so after returning to the palace, he decided to let the princes also participate in the literary meeting, each responsible for a part of it.

Coincidentally, Zhao Can was in charge of arranging the accommodation and reception of the great Confucian teachers who came to Beijing.

Qiao wool ah Qiao!Say that the emperor has no selfish intentions in it, and say that this incident has nothing to do with the previous coincidence, Ping An will be the first to believe it!

Wouldn't the emperor use the method of elimination, after excluding himself as a little eunuch, think that the person Wen Chengbi likes is Zhao Can, so he deliberately created opportunities for his son?

Isn't this cheating!

Although Wen Chengbi took a fancy to him, Pingan felt uncomfortable no matter how he thought about it, but being ignored by the emperor like this, his heart was hurt, okay?

The most terrible thing is...the emperor also arranged a task for Ping An: Anyway, idle is idle, you go to help the seventh prince arrange work.It was almost as if he said brightly, "We must let the Seventh Prince and Miss Wen meet smoothly".

Then, in order not to show his favoritism, he also matched the other sons with eunuchs who were in charge of the ceremony—anyway, there were eight eunuchs, which were just right for the adult princes.It's called auxiliary work, but in the eyes of several princes, I'm afraid they will only think that this is the person sent by the emperor to supervise their work, and may also be responsible for scoring.So naturally he mustered up his performance.

Zhao Can was probably the only one who didn't believe it was a coincidence.

He looked at Ping An who came to report to him with a lot of money, and raised his eyebrows and asked, "Could it be that you are doing something in it this time?" If this is the case, it is necessary to reconsider Ping An's influence on the emperor.

"You're overthinking." Ping An said, "It was just a few days ago that you followed His Majesty for a private visit, and then met Wen Chengbi." He explained the current situation clearly in a few words, "The emperor probably wants to facilitate this marriage. You What do you mean?"

Zhao Can was silent for a while, then smiled and said, "Didn't you say that even if you want to achieve your goals, you can't use any means. Especially you can't take advantage of an innocent girl."

Pingan breathed a sigh of relief, "I think it's similar. Didn't we analyze it before? The second prince may have played a role in promoting this matter, and maybe it was also intended for Wen Chengbi. Adding the fourth prince, it becomes a whole It’s a mess, this marriage will most likely be messed up.” He paused, and then said, “Actually, looking at it now, maybe it’s a good thing to be messed up: the emperor might feel guilty towards you because of it.”

Because in the heart of the emperor, Zhao Can and Wen Chengbi were already determined to be in love.This was a matter of course, but because of the intervention of other sons, it turned yellow.On the one hand, he would be dissatisfied with Zhao Xuan and Zhao Guan's arrival, and on the other hand, he might feel very guilty towards Zhao Can.Because he gave up this marriage in order to balance the relationship between his sons.

"Not bad." Zhao Can said.

He looked at Ping An with a complicated expression on his face.If people know that Wen Chengbi is actually interested in Ping An, then he will become a joke.But at this time, Ping An still remembered to seek benefits for him, and Zhao Can had to be moved.

He looked at it for a while, then suddenly asked, "Ping An, if Miss Wen had her eyes on me, would you agree to my marriage?"

He didn't know why he would ask such a question.First of all, whether to marry or not does not require Ping An's consent at all, and secondly, this kind of assumption is also very boring.But Zhao Can still asked.He didn't know what kind of answer he wanted.

Ping An didn't say that I'm not qualified to comment on this kind of thing, but asked, "Do you like her?"

Zhao Can thought for a while and gave an affirmative answer, "No."

Ping An smiled, "Since this is the case, you already know what to do, don't you?"

He remembered how much Zhao Can resented the emperor Zhao Qi's love, because his mother died under the emperor's love and became an innocent victim.

For Zhao Can, if he has someone he loves, he will never be in the harem again, which will only increase the injustice.If there is no one he loves, maybe he will use himself to the extreme, as long as it is useful to him, he will marry, without asking whether it should be or if it is possible.

But that's the point.Zhao Can didn't think she would fall in love with anyone.He has never met someone who can make him happy in two lifetimes.He even planned to choose the latter solution at the beginning. Whether he likes it or not, as long as it works, he will marry back.Just like Zhao Xuan in her previous life.

But when he found out that Wen Chengbi didn't like him, he didn't know whether it was out of self-esteem and pride, or because he didn't want to be like Zhao Xuan, who was bound by the power to do things against his will, a disgustingly hypocritical person, or because of others. Something inexplicable... In short, Zhao Can gave up.

It is not necessarily necessary to rely on this method to get to the top, even if you don't marry her, you will be able to succeed sooner or later.

But even so, Zhao Can still felt something was wrong.

What exactly was wrong, he couldn't say for a while.But seeing Ping An at this moment, he couldn't help asking, "What about you? If Ping An were me, would you marry her?"

"Of course not." Ping An said without hesitation, "Since she doesn't like me, why bother to hurt others? In fact, I don't think she really likes me, at most she just likes me a little bit. But there are so many people in this world, and most people She won't be stuck with one person, and if this road doesn't work, she will go elsewhere. One day she will meet someone who loves each other."

For some reason, this theory suddenly made Zhao Can a little upset. He asked Pingan, "If the person you like doesn't respond to you, you will give up and change someone?"

This question is really intriguing.He had personally heard Ping An admit to Wen Chengbi that the person he liked was himself.But in getting along with Ping An later, Zhao Can never felt that Ping An liked her much.Although he did do a lot for himself.

Could it be that he has moved on because he can't see hope?

Although he himself didn't have such feelings for Ping An, and he really didn't want to respond to Ping An's feelings in the past, and even guessed that it was just Ping Na's nonsense to fool Wen Chengbi, but now thinking of this possibility, Zhao Can suddenly became very unhappy .

Although he has no experience himself, since he likes someone, is it so easy to change?

Ping An hesitated for a moment, and when he heard Zhao Can's question, he suddenly remembered what he said to fool Wen Chengbi, so he always felt weird in his heart, and even his face turned red with guilt, "Cough... I don't have anyone I like right now."

"What if?"

"Then it depends on whether the relationship is deep or not." Ping An had no choice but to answer bravely. He didn't know what to do, as if he was so embarrassed to confess his love to Zhao Can. If you don’t go deep, you will always meet someone more suitable, so forget about it slowly.”

"Then..." A question suddenly appeared in my mind, and Zhao Can actually asked it just like that, "How can we deepen the relationship?"

It wasn't until the words left his mouth that he realized what he had just said, and he was dazed and shocked.Why would he ask such a question?

Ping An was also obviously surprised, and kept staring at him, as if to see if he had suddenly changed.Zhao Can felt uncomfortable being watched by him, froze, and tried to change the subject, "Cough... I mean, Miss Wen has a crush on you now, if you appear in front of her again, maybe her affection will deepen .”

This explanation was barely passable, and Ping An's attention was also diverted, "No."

Zhao Can secretly wiped off the sweat that didn't exist, thinking that she was really abnormal today.Fortunately, I finally fooled around.He asked casually, "Why?"

"She didn't know my identity before, and now she doesn't know." Ping An laughed at himself, "Now that she knows, she won't have that kind of thought anymore."

If Ping An was just a broken sleeve, maybe Wen Chengbi would continue to go all the way to the dark with the idea of ​​being able to straighten him.But he was a eunuch, and Wen Chengbi couldn't even find a reason to insist.Besides, since Mr. Wen knew about this, he would definitely interrogate him when he went back. He was very intelligent, so he thought carefully about it, and let it go if he couldn't say a few words.

Zhao Can frowned, thinking of Ping An's self-loathing.

Of course he didn't want Ping An to please that Miss Wen, but he didn't have to blindly belittle himself.The benefits of safety, Zhao Can can count countless of them casually, how would outsiders know?

Before he could open his mouth to comfort, Ping An got up and said, "But you are right, it is really inappropriate for me to always appear in front of Ms. Wen. Anyway, I just let Ms. Wen cooperate with you. You know best what to do. I will first gone."

"where are you going?"

"Go to Jinming Pond to have a look." Ping An said.

……

The last time I came out with the emperor, Ping An took care of him, but I didn't really feel the atmosphere here.This time I came alone, and while I was walking, I was listening to everyone talking, and I suddenly remembered that when I was in junior high school, there was an English corner in the school. Every Thursday afternoon, a class was vacated, so that everyone could get together, talk in pure English, and encourage everyone. Speak more, don't learn "dumb English".

It's really similar to the current situation.

Thinking about it this way, I suddenly felt a sense of intimacy.

"What are you laughing at, brother?" Someone asked in his ear.

Turning his head in Ping An, he saw three or five people standing beside him, staring at him covetously, "Could it be that brother disagrees with this statement?"

"No, this is a knowing smile." Ping An said immediately.In fact, he didn't hear what the man said just now.But since this is the opponent's fan here, he naturally can't save others' face, no matter what he said, it's never wrong to give a good compliment first.

Sure enough, these people immediately cheered up, and the leader said humanely, "Here Zhang Zong, these few are my friends, and the one who spoke inside is Lu Fang, a famous talent in our Qizhou. Brother Tai really has extraordinary knowledge and insight. Literacy!"

"Cough..." Ping An has been away from school for too long, and he doesn't understand whether it is the ethos of scholars today to flatter each other?If this is the case, then the so-called "talented scholar" has to be considered again.

He looked at the two people who were arguing in the center, and one of them was wearing a student shirt with a dignified and personable appearance, and it was Lu Fang.The person opposite him was short in stature and dark-skinned, and some people believed that he was a farmer.Regardless of how talented each is, Lu Fang will beat each other by a few blocks just because of their appearance.So it's normal for everyone to be eccentric!

However, many people gathered behind the little man to support him, which made Pingan look at him with admiration.He asked, "Arguing with Brother Lu about that, who is it?"

Mr. Zhang showed disdain, "That? It's just Liangzhou barbarians."

Hearing this, Ping An couldn't help frowning.

Both Qizhou and Liangzhou belong to the Southwest Road, and both are on the border, bordering on foreigners.It stands to reason that everyone's situation is similar, but these few Qizhou scholars look down on Liangzhou people like this, and even call them barbarians. Could it be that the little man...is a mixed race?

If it is true, then Ping An can only say that it is a failure of knowledge to mix blood to this extent.This is basically based on the shortcomings of the parents, right?

But talent sometimes has nothing to do with looks.In history, there was a writer named Zuo Si, who wrote an article "Sandu Fu" that made "Luoyang Zhigui", which was called Zuo Si Fengli by people at that time.He is ugly out of style, ugly out of level.There is also He Zhu who wrote "Yichuan Tobacco, the city is full of wind and rain, and the plums are yellow and rainy". It is said that he is also extremely ugly, but under his golden appearance, there is also a girlish heart hidden.

To put it a long way, appearance discrimination is unacceptable, let alone ethnic discrimination.Ping An touched his chin and asked, "What's his name?"

"His name is Niu He!" Mr. Zhang said contemptuously, "Did you see the bag on his shoulder? We scholars, who carry a bag like those porters? That's what Niu He does! Brother, you Do you know what's in his bag?"

"What?" Ping An was curious.

Zhang Zongdao, "They are all good sentences that he thinks up on weekdays. No matter what he is doing, as soon as he thinks of it, he immediately writes it out and puts it in his bag. For this reason, he made some kind of charcoal pen, saying that it is inconvenient to use a brush. It's half a point." Literati have no strength of character! The most amazing thing is that when he went to a literary meeting and needed to compose a poem, he immediately took a note from his bag and wrote it perfunctorily. That’s why in Liangzhou they have a nickname called 'Niu Yi Yi Yi' means that in his poems, there is only one line to read!"

Composing poems on the spot at the literary meeting is actually compared to talents.It is admirable to be able to write good poems under such circumstances with limited questions, limited time, limited rhyme, and occasionally limited characters.Niu He's method is equivalent to taking a cheat sheet for the exam, no wonder these people can't understand him.And if you can copy the level from the cheat sheet, that's all.But that sentence is the only one that is good, and if you don't think well on the spot, it will be even worse to lose.

But Ping An has seen it before, and many famous poets in ancient times have done this.For example, "Poetry Ghost" Li He.However, Ping An felt that those who worked so hard to write poems would inevitably end up at the bottom of the horn sometimes, and the achievements were often not too great.

But as the saying goes: A good memory is not as good as a bad pen. After all, there are more mediocrities than geniuses in the world. There are "Li Baidou's Hundred Poems on Wine", and there are people like Niu He who have accumulated subtleties and solid foundations.He can't compare to people who have been famous for thousands of years, and he can still compare to people like Zhang Zong who laugh at him.

And to be honest, among literati, there are probably not many people with such a low profile who are willing to work hard.And listening to his story, although it looks honest, it is not lacking in cleverness!For example, you didn’t have a rule not to bring cheat sheets, and I didn’t write a poem in advance, I just picked up a sentence and then wrote a poem on the spot, which is equivalent to giving myself more restrictions.That's why he wasn't completely ostracized.

The more Ping An looked at it, the more he felt that this was the person he was looking for.

After all, Feng Yutang was young, and he didn't know much about the situation in the west. He didn't know how useful it would be if he was sent out, so he always wanted to recruit some locals in the border areas to join the Imperial City Division. ——Although the matter is no longer under his control, Ping An always feels that there should be a beginning and an end.

This Niu He, just think how appropriate it is.

Then came the question: Why should a promising young literary man abandon his bright future and go to the bitter cold frontier to work as an undercover agent?

And don't look at the fact that Huangcheng Division sounds awesome, but after all, he is not from such a serious background as a Jinshi, so he can only be frightened internally. For those who have the opportunity to take the imperial examination and go to the official career, there is no temptation.

Because of his background in the imperial examination, no matter how low his ranking in the examination is, as long as he is a second-class Jinshi, he may be granted the title of marquis and prime minister in the end, and become the master of the center.Even if you are a fellow Jinshi, you just can't make it to the step of paying homage to the prime minister, and you can look forward to it in all six books.

Although most people can't reach that step, it doesn't prevent people from having their dreams. What if they come true?

While pondering, Pingan squeezed in and listened to Niu He's speech for a while, his eyes became brighter the more he listened.He said why Zhang Zong and the others shouted barbarians one by one, but it turned out that Niu He was promoting the great unity of the people of all ethnic groups, the elimination of ethnic discrimination, and the idea that the sons and daughters of China are one family!

He believes that not all ethnic minorities are bad people, and they cannot be generalized and exterminated, but should be treated differently.For those who hate the Great Chu, of course we can't show mercy, but for those who admire the culture of the Central Plains, we should guide and integrate them so that they can truly become Great Chu people and turn their hearts to the imperial court. to serve.

It is a very realistic and reasonable idea. It does not have the idea that Ping An hates that a big country should be inclusive regardless of whether it is good or bad. Instead, it emphasizes differentiated treatment.Even so, there are those who disagree.Lu Fang, who was arguing with him, thought, "People who are not of my race must have a different heart." Even if these people surrender for a while, they may repeat it again in the future.Therefore, we must not tolerate it, but should cut the weeds and root them out.

This kind of extreme thinking is more abhorrent than all inclusiveness. It simply does not take human life at all, and this approach is useless except to intensify the hatred between different ethnic groups on the border.In ancient times, people were productive forces, so population was often an important indicator to measure the strength of a region or even a country.What's wrong with leaving those who were killed to do something?

Niu He obviously did a lot of preparatory work and thought deeply, so what he said was orderly and logical. In contrast, that Lu Fang was messing around, blindly accusing Niu He of being a barbarian, so he would naturally speak for the barbarian , almost rose to a personal attack.No wonder so many people around support Niu He, and the theories of the two are almost indistinguishable.

After a while, the two finally parted ways, Pingan caught up with Niu He, stopped him in a secluded place, and asked straight to the point, "I just heard that brother Tai met you. It’s refreshing. Xiongtai came to participate in the literary conference this time, hoping to promote his own ideas and let the court adopt them, right?”

Niu He looked at him warily at first, but his expression relaxed when he heard the words, "Indeed. I don't know what your opinion is, brother?"

"There are no high opinions, but some low opinions." Ping An said, "Your idea won't work."

Niu He is too pragmatic.Although his views have attracted the attention of many people today, they are not too many after all, and this topic is too remote.After all, the Wenhui is more like a talk about the theory of a hundred schools of thought, and it presumably will not involve such specific affairs.Therefore, it is almost impossible for him to be selected to speak on stage.

But if you can't say it in front of the emperor, this debate is meaningless.

Niu He's face changed slightly, but he must have known about this possibility long ago, so he didn't turn his face, but looked at Ping An, "Brother Tai came to me to talk about this?"

"I just want you to go another way." Ping An said.

"you can help me?"

is a wise man.Pingan said, "Whether I can help you, I don't know now. But if you can help me, maybe I can help you too."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's find a place to sit down and talk." Ping An said, "There are too many people here, so it's not a place to talk."

The two found a teahouse to sit down, and Ping An said directly, "Ming people don't say dark words, I am the supervisor of ceremonies. If you want to come to Xiongtai, you shouldn't doubt my sincerity?"

Niu He almost spit out his tea, "Are you a eunuch?!"

Don't be so surprised, right?With a helpless expression, Ping An took out the handkerchief and handed it to the other party. This habit of wearing a handkerchief was not there when Ping An first wore it, and he thought it was a woman.It was only later that I realized that it is really useful to carry a handkerchief with you, okay?After all, it is not necessarily for your own use, such as now.You know, this is an era without paper.

Tucao belongs to Tucao, but Niu He quickly realized what Ping An's identity represented, so he asked straightforwardly, "What do you want me to do?"