Chiwuxing

Chapter [-] - Autumn Evening Han Bingyu submits, Dong Xihan Feng Boyong seeks advice

The guests sit in rows, and the beautiful servants serve tea.

Jin Duo glanced around for a week from top to bottom, and said with a smile: "Master Shao, since we are talking about business, I'm afraid you should start the conversation first."

Feng Ru's expression was serious, Han Huaijin's face was pale, and there was only one Jin Duo bystander with a smiling face.Shao Qian took a look and said: "It stands to reason that this matter was roughly explained at the banquet just now. In the final analysis, it is not a complicated matter. It depends on the attitude of the two of you."

As he spoke, his eyes fell directly on Feng Ru.

There was another moment of silence, and Jin Duo had no choice but to say again: "Could it be that the grassroots are here to disturb a few people's conversations? Why don't the grassroots leave for now and leave the adults to discuss matters."

"Master Jin, don't worry, you are also listening."

Jin Duo laughed and said: "...Could it be that there are grassroots issues here? I think if the Hu people reorganize the system, the military should not be so messed up as before. It is enough to set up a military department in charge. I'm afraid that the Yihu people are not used to it, and it's not the grass people's turn to be the master."

Shao Qian said: "This is inseparable. Now Mr. Jin, your property is temporarily confiscated for public use and you have not yet gained a name. You will have to explain it someday. You can't let you suffer this loss for nothing."

"It's not a difficult task," Jin Duo said lightly. "After taking the food, I just need to give you taels of silver, and the other grassroots don't need it."

"Master Jin, please don't pretend to be ignorant," Shao Qian said with a smile, "You can get a rough idea of ​​how much silver taels there were in the treasury when Yan State fell. Nowadays, the military expenditure is so large, and everything else can be given, but it just happens to be It cannot be exchanged for silver."

"Then let the barbarian issue the IOU first, anyway, it's not embarrassing at this moment." Jin Duo's tone was relaxed, but inside he didn't give in.

"There's no need to worry about this matter," Shao Qian said, "Actually, the main purpose of this trip is to see the attitudes of Feng and Han, two old colleagues... Mr. Han, tell me?"

"I'm afraid..." Han Huaijin couldn't help looking sideways at Feng Ru's expression, and said hesitantly, "...it's not appropriate for etiquette."

Jin Duo showed an expected expression, smiled lightly and took a sip of tea.

"Master Han is used to having fun here, so let's not think about Sichuan," Shao Qian said with a smile, "The capital of the country is dead, where is the 'ritual'?"

"That's right, the country's capital is dead, and the bones are still cold, yet there are people who are the first to plan how to find another backer and enjoy the high rest alone?"

Feng Ru sneered, and finally spoke the first sentence after entering the door.

Han Huaijin kept giving him winks, but the latter seemed to have never seen him.

"Brother Feng, I expected that you would think so," Shao Qian said happily, "Forget it, let's put this matter aside and talk about a few other things. I don't know that your Qiuming Villa is separated by mountains and rivers. I don't know the political affairs inside and outside the court..."

"We must know the big things, but there are always omissions and omissions in the minutiae," Jin Duo responded from the side, "Why don't you explain it to me?"

"Talking about an old man, Jiang Hua, that day the crown prince bestowed the first-class punishment of Ling Chi, which attracted the people of the whole Fenying City to watch, and some people rushed over from other cities specially, and it was actually a scene. event."

"This incident was a big one, so it's been rumored here," Jin Duo said, "Jiang Hua's reputation has spread far and wide. He enjoyed honor and power during his lifetime, and his posture after death was comparable to that of a king. If it hadn't been for the turmoil in the outer city at that time , I have to rush over to watch in those three days.”

"That's right," Shao Qian said, "It's just that I, as a courtier, can't help but take it as a warning... You said that Jiang Hua, that old fox who has been shrewd all his life, Ni Congwen has been on the rise for a long time. Why didn't he think about it?" How about leaving something for yourself?"

Shao Qian squinted his eyes to look at the expressions of the group of people, and finally settled on Jin Duo, who was wandering in thought: "Master Jin, you have worked with him the longest and know him the most, right? What is the reason for this?"

Jin Duo smiled leisurely: "You have wronged me. As we all know, although I am also a civil official, I was not promoted by their Ministry of Internal Affairs. I was also in charge of military affairs. But that is also the same age as Jiang Hua, so you can't connect me with him... As for whether he has left a way out, I think he has, but he is too careful, there is always When this move was careless and I fell."

"how do I say this?"

"Jiang Hua used to rely on nothing more than the friendship with His Majesty for many years. His powers come and go quickly," Jin Duo mused, "The crown prince's mother's family name is Ni, so he can't be relied on. The Ministry of Internal Affairs was originally in the How could it be possible for the imperial court not to keep an eye on those concubines and princes? Although His Majesty has a weak child, it is not that there are no princes who can support him. He must have secretly picked and picked, but he did not expect that His Majesty was so ill that Ni Congwen took the road again. Feng is dead, and he didn't let him intervene."

"That's true," Shao Qian said, "Lord Jin's ins and outs, it's the root of the matter. In fact, the crown prince had noticed earlier that several highnesses in the inner palace who were not crowned had contacts with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so later, In fact, it was the biological mothers of the princes who saw some evidence of their private contacts, and finally were coerced into signing the false edict that the princes would be sent to the king in advance, so they were forced to give up those thoughts."

Hearing this, both Feng and Han were surprised.

Jin Duo also showed surprise on his face, and the thin and thin apricot figure in the court appeared in front of his eyes: "You said... it was the prince's false edict to blackmail the concubine?"

"Exactly."

"Hey!" Jin Duo couldn't help shaking his head and laughing, and took a sip of his tea.

Feng Ru couldn't help frowning: "The prince secretly did such a thing in order to keep his position?"

"It's really not enough to change to someone else. It's a capital offense to go to someone else, but to the crown prince." Shao Qian said with a smile, "There is a way to make up for it. False edicts can also become true edicts in the future."

"The key is not in this matter," Jin Duo sighed, "It may not be so new, it's just that I didn't realize that the prince had such thoughts before."

"That must be your fault," Shao Qian said, "Being blinded by other trivial matters, I just don't know whether you despise the throne or the royal family."

Jin Duo said: "No wonder I heard that the prince hasn't heard any news since the destruction of Fenying City. He slipped away so fast, but he still wanted to survive. In the past, he only saw that the prince was unwilling to govern, but he didn't want to let Ni Congwen instigate him to make mistakes. It's a pity that his original literary talent has been buried, it's a pity."

"This matter was not instigated by Ni Congwen," Shao Qian said, "Since the crown prince entered the East Palace a few years ago, the future emperor has been determined without any accidents. Ni Congwen himself has a lot of government affairs in hand, so how could he turn around?" Arguing with concubines and princes, killing them all? It’s not that he’s not ruthless enough, it’s just that according to his personality, he still doesn’t bother to do such things.”

"If the crown prince figured it out by himself, then it's because I've lost my eyesight in the past..." Jin Duo said.

"The crown prince really didn't intend to do these things," Shao Qian said, "It's because there are other people behind it."

"Who?"

All three eyes focused on him.

Shao Qian was already very familiar with this attention-grabbing moment, and smiled slightly:

"I."

There was a moment of silence.

It was still Jin Duo who took the lead to break the deadlock, and said with a smile, "Master Shao, what does this mean? Let's just say it straight."

"That's what it means on the surface," Shao Qian said, "Besides this, there are other things."

"My lord said this, is he trying to clean up the white prince, or is he boasting about himself?" It was expected that Jin Duo also began to figure out the meaning of the words at this time, and asked suspiciously.

"... Logically speaking, I haven't been clean all these years. Brother Feng is clear about this, and Mr. Han should be more aware when he is at Yushitai." Shao Qian looked at the two people, "But it went around and turned around. In the end, even Mr. Jin gave up a hundred acres of fertile land for peace, but I didn't get much benefit..."

This resentment made people even more suspicious.Jin Duo heard some mystery, aroused his interest, and gestured to the attendants behind, ordering them to come and replace the cold tea on the table.

"It's cold in winter," Jin Duo took the opportunity to interrupt, "You should also pay attention to this newly brewed tea at the right time, the tea you take is the slush that clots on the plum branches, it is very mellow, and it only has such a flavor at this time... ...Master Shao, you continue."

Half of the words were interrupted, Shao Qian only glanced at Jin Duo, and then continued: "The reason why I did such a thankless thing is because I promised someone to do something, but now Just fulfill the promise."

Han Huaijin was nervously stared at by his eyes, and said: "...Your Excellency, it's better not to play tricks, we are all old colleagues, so just speak frankly at this time."

"Don't you want to guess who it is?" Shao Qian said, "We are all acquaintances here, especially Yu Eryan."

Jin Duo's eyes flicked across the faces of the two of them, and he immediately understood who he was referring to, so his expression changed.

"With me?" Han Huaijin turned to look at Feng Ru, and asked in a daze, "Could it be... the teacher?"

"It is undoubtedly Mr. Xie."

Feng Ru narrowed his eyes and said, "You mean the teacher ordered you to encourage the prince to do bad things?"

"Of course not," Shao Qian said with a lingering smile, "Master Xie was old at the time, and Xu had a premonition of a crisis after that outspoken request, so he asked me to confess eight words in advance—— 'Support King Xuan, get rid of rape'."

"King Xuan is the crown prince who did not enter the East Palace back then. As for the rape, according to Mr. Xie's original intention, it can only be Jiang Hua Jia Yun and other eunuchs."

"Interesting..." Jin Duo sighed in a low voice.

Feng Ruxian didn't believe it: "If you were someone who the teacher believed in before his death, why didn't you sign the name on the memorial to impeach the Ministry of Internal Affairs? You didn't participate in such a big matter, but you said that the teacher allowed you to participate in supporting the emperor's heir? "

However, Han Huaijin seemed to have opened up some key points, and suddenly said: "Master Shao means that you are the person who was specially confessed by the teacher to act in secret before his death. This side defended him, and later all kinds of oppression from eunuchs on the surface were avoided. , is it more convenient to do other things?"

Shao Qian nodded: "Probably so."

Han Huaijin said again: "But what I don't understand is that... I didn't mean to underestimate my lord, it's just that the teacher always praised Boyong very much during his lifetime, and Ni Congwen was cited as his son-in-law. If you are a student under the teacher's seat, if you have such an important confession, how can you give it to the adult?...It is true that I have never heard of such a close relationship between the adult and the teacher before, but there is still something else hidden?"

"If you talk about the intersection between me and Mr. Xie, it was actually only when I first entered the imperial court as a small official. At that time, I was involved in a lawsuit. Later, it was reported to Yushitai, and Mr. Xie made a new ruling. After a while, my grievances were resolved and I was spared the punishment of dismissal," Shao Qian said, "As for why this kind of thing found me later..."

He raised his head and met Feng Ru's gaze: "Master Feng, why don't you think about the reason?"

Feng Ru's face turned blue and purple, he was obviously embarrassed, and kept silent at this moment.

Jin Duo continued: "Sir Shao, in my opinion, since Mr. Xie intends to find a hidden stake, he must have picked someone that others would never have thought of. If he specifically found a student who is his favorite, wouldn't it be easy for others to get rid of it?"

"There is also a reason for this," Shao Qian said, but he did not intend to let Feng Ru go, "Brother Feng, the government and the public say that you are most grateful for the true biography of your lord, but I see that you have only learned some superficial things. "

"What qualifications do you have to say that?" Feng Ruyin said angrily, "If what you said just now is true, then you are also guilty of secretly colluding with Jiang Hua all these years. How dare you say that you have Was it always innocent?"

Shao Qian sneered: "In terms of innocence, all the officials in the court can't find someone who is more clean and self-sufficient than you, Feng Ru. But so what? When it's time to entrust the business, Master Xie will not see clearly that you are so easy to deal with any disputes. The danger to the public? You have learned that Mr. Xie is very honest, but you don't have that half flexibility, and this alone is enough to predict your ending."

"If this flexibility is at the price of compromising with others, then what is the original value?" Feng Ru retorted, "Even if the teacher understands the method of flexibility, I have not seen him compromise on business matters."

"The environment is like this. You and Mr. Xie are both high-ranking people, so you can act boldly," Shao Qian said, "It's just that the rest of the people don't all have backers, how can you ask them to be like you? Let alone Others, my lord's own cousin and brother Feng Yuanshan will be punished for crimes, what can my lord do to save them? There is nothing you can do, so what about others?"

"It's because he was confused, and he did something wrong to make people catch him." Feng Ru ignored the pale faces of the people around him, and said to himself, "If he is really innocent, no one will be able to find out his fault. "

Stubborn!

Shao Qian suppressed his anger, somewhat resenting that iron could not be made into steel.

Seeing this, Han Huaijin had no choice but to change the subject: "...Master Shao, you just said that the teacher did not choose Ni Congwen at that time, but because at that time he sensed that he had a different heart and should not be friends with him?"

Shao Qian shook his head and said: "Master Xie trusted his son-in-law very much until his death. Although I didn't explain it clearly, I generally know what your lord's intention is. From the text, Ni and the prince are still attached to their in-laws. If he is involved in many things In the end, it was inevitable that he was afraid of affecting the emperor's heirs and the country, so he secretly paved a smooth road for him. Even the incident of resisting eunuchs, in the end, he didn't get involved much. It's a pity that my lord didn't know until his death. With such a big ambition, he does not hesitate to collude with the enemy and lead the country to destroy the country..."

"Among the proud students that Mr. Xie cited as the best during his lifetime, Ni Cong's writing is subtle and has his own sharpness; Feng Boyong is stubborn and pedantic; "Jin Duo recited, "On the contrary, Master Shao knows that he is in harmony with the light. It’s from Master Xie’s perspective.”

Feng and Han were silent again when they heard the words, there was nothing to refute.

Shao Qian revisited the old story, and couldn't help sighing: "It's just a bystander... Thinking about it, Mr. Xie may not have liked me at first, but later the road became narrower and narrower, and it was so narrow that there was no way to pass, so I made such a compromise."

"Facts have proved that this compromise is correct," Jin Duo said, "If Master Xie insists on going his own way, I'm afraid that he himself has entered a dead end and ruined the lives of many people."

Shao Qian sighed.

Jin Duo said: "If this matter is worth mentioning, it is because the crown prince has not really become Ni Congwen's puppet. At least these years, the crown prince has been able to see his uncle's heart clearly in advance, so that he will not be led away by Ni Congwen. In terms of kinship , the crown prince followed Ni Chengzhi and called out 'Grandpa', which is considered to have failed Master Xie's roots."

"The prince has his own insights," Shao Qian said frankly, "but he didn't become the emperor. At this time, I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse."

"Blessing," Jin Duo emphasized, "of course it's a blessing. It's a blessing that ordinary people don't have. His grandfather paved the way for him, and his uncle helped him, but he just turned around according to his wishes. There is no need now. Even if he is in the imperial court, he is happy and relaxed. After all these years, the prince is a child in the palace, and he seems to have a solid family background. If he had had his own thoughts earlier, he would have suffered a lot of setbacks."

"So I think the different fates of different people are nothing more than belated reports of their deserved destinations," Shao Qian said, "I was an official in the court, and I also wanted to resume my career and take care of the people's food. Food and clothing. I see an opportunity in front of me, if I insist on getting entangled in the affairs of this tribe...Master Jin, what do you think?"

Throwing the hot words to himself again, Jin Duo accepted it with a smile, and looked at the remaining two people in the seat: "Master Shao, if you ask me, you are wrong, the evil things that a group of corrupt eunuchs are talking about just now, even if You also scolded me unintentionally. But there is nothing wrong with admitting what you have done. If you say it, I will be ashamed to listen to it. As for the later things, if I choose... as the saying goes, "The world is easy to change." , nature is hard to change', this is not a difficult thing for me, to achieve the goal but also deliberately entangled in the means... This is not my usual style."

The attitude is already clear, the devious treatment of the two is still the old and stubborn attitude of Feng Han and Feng Ru.

"The temperature of the tea should be just right now," Jin Duo raised his head and said, "Let's taste it first, so don't waste another pot of good tea. It's not easy to make it once."

The crisp sound of porcelain colliding made a low sound, Jin Duo toasted with them, and swallowed the last drop of warm liquid in the cup, keeping his eyes on the expressions of the rest of them.

After a moment of silence, Feng Ru remained expressionless, and then said, "Master Shao, I still have a question."

"please say."

"Since you came to this other city not far away to talk to us about this matter, there must have been old ministers in Beijing who have 'abandoned the dark and turned to the bright' before?" Feng Ru asked indifferently.

"What's so strange about this?" Shao Qian said frankly, "Not everyone here has the capital of these people, enough to support their families in this turbulent time. Many of the peasants who fled to become rebels were affected by disasters and poor Is it true? Since there is a way of life, three taels of food and rice are the first, I think that the one who sticks to the name and starves to death is the real ruthless person. The ancient sages and sages have never taught this kind of truth. If someone takes life and death at this time Compared with the so-called reputation, it is even more stupid."

At this time, Feng Ru ignored the sarcasm in his words, and calmly said: "Then I will name one person at random, the former imperial capital's leading wealthy businessman, Yuan Shi, whose family has entered the imperial court, can now be counted as re-entering here." Inside the court officials."

"They have money but can't keep their lives, and they are greedy to enjoy the wealth and honor of the prosperous places. Of course, they will not easily abandon their family wealth and flee to other places because of the change of dynasty," Shao Qian said, "Those who can earn this family business have courage It is understandable that Mr. Yuan was able to support his wealth and bear the risk. On the contrary, it is their statement that can attract more subordinates and fans to follow along and run the details for the time being. Brother Feng already has the answer in his heart. Why even ask such a question?"

"If this is the case, how is it different from the old court of Yan, which has already destroyed the country?" Feng Rudao, "Change the soup without changing the medicine, and the root cause cannot be cured."

"This is not the same thing," Shao Qian said again, "Hu people are different from Yan people. They are decisive in killing and attacking, and they are rarely partial in business matters. Of course, they will not easily compromise with rich people just because of some money. They have no This scruple, at least when it comes to the right and wrong of rewards and punishments, will never be as scruples as Qianyan Yan. Besides, they have always hated eunuchs, and they can keep their lives, but if they are given power, they will definitely not. In this way, isn't it just Is it a good thing to reshape Xinting?"

Zhuan then said in a low voice: "Brother Feng, don't push yourself too hard. Seeing that Jiang Hua, the eunuch leader, has now apologized and executed him, it seems that he has solved a serious problem? But what is the price?... To leave some leeway, take it step by step, you should already understand this principle by now."

Jin Duo watched and smiled lightly.

Feng Rudao: "If you want me to return to the court, it's okay, but there is one condition that needs to be explained to the barbarians."

"You said."

"I reiterate that political reform is very different from the original one. It is necessary to obtain a decree that removes the sovereignty of political reform."

"Brother Feng, let me interject," Shao Qian said, "It shouldn't be difficult to get this decree down, but why do you have the confidence that the contents of your changes are all correct? The barbarians don't understand these things, and we are not fools." .”

Feng Ru replied: "The order is for villains who stand in the way. As for other details, of course we can talk about it. If they all stop me and say that I don't have this ability, then I really don't need to waste more time here."

"Okay," Shao Qian finally saw him take a step back, and said, "Then we have reached a consensus on this matter?"

There was no displeasure on Feng Ru's face, but he could never be called happy: "...not for myself, but for the common people."

Jin Duo still smiled lightly and said nothing, his expression obviously relaxed a lot, at this moment he was looking at the willow hanging outside the window, and murmured softly: "It's going to snow..."

Shao Qian's heart fell silent. After a moment of silence, he tilted his head slightly: "...What about Mr. Han?"

Han Huaijin responded with a smile and said: "If I enter the court again... I will be an ordinary civil servant. I am grateful for the need, and I really don't want to waste my short talents. As long as it is important to decide, I have to rely on Boyong to take care of it. I can't afford any heavy duty."

"I will follow your will." Shao Qian glanced at Feng Ru, who was still on a stern expression beside him, sighed slightly, and then said, "I should say it clearly, I think I have made it clear enough. Thinking about it, there is nothing to talk about. I just suddenly thought of the last time Mr. Xie and I met before his death. At that time, he had already presented the joint memorial to the court that Jiang Hua and the others were nailed to. , I think, he should have had a vague premonition at that time, but he was not convinced, so he didn't say it outright. But he said a word to me at that time, and I still remember it vividly."

Shao Qian paused for a moment, then Fang said slowly: "He said, 'If I want to make those who receive my karma do evil, I must not do evil. If I make everyone do good, I will not do evil. This is how it will end...'"

"When I wanted to ask in detail, my lord had already changed the subject. Thinking about it now, I still have to bow to my lord Xie's conduct. If you always see clearly and refuse to get stuck in the mud, this is the real loyal and loyal minister... In this way, it can be regarded as the last good minister of the Yan Kingdom for a hundred years. It is ridiculous to say that this last good minister and rebellious minister came from the same family, and they are still in the same family. Heartbroken..."

Feng Ru clenched his fists, and Han Huaijin covered his face with his hands, wanting to cry.