Jiang Qing

The plain question left Bai Bingchen stunned.

The incense stick on the table was burning, and a piece of ashes fell down, a little red light brightened and darkened, and Bai Bingchen's heart sank and fluctuated accordingly, unable to settle.

"It's been a while since you compiled the old history. I don't know if you have read the history of the founding of the Li Kingdom? Emperor Mu De was ordered by heaven to establish the capital of the country. He brought the Fudi Pavilion and the Wu Clan to conquer the four directions and annexed the surrounding countries. The countries naturally rose up to resist and suffered casualties. Countless were eventually defeated by Emperor Mu De's iron cavalry."

With his hands behind his back, Bai Jianye looked at the top one in the tablet with a far-sighted gaze, "There is only one country that surrendered without sending a single soldier when Li Guo's army was overrun."

"Yasuto?" Bai Bingchen searched his mind for the impressions of this country, only to suddenly find that in the annals of military wars and iron horses, this country disappeared so quietly that there were only a few strokes in the history books.

Bai Bingchen remembered that in the history of the founding of the country, there was a map of Emperor Mu De's conquests in all directions. He vaguely remembered that Yasukuni was in the north of Li. If it is calculated according to this direction...

Seeing the direction of Bai Bingchen's thinking, Bai Jianye verified his thinking, "Compared to the old picture, the former capital of Yasukuni is now Jingzhou, the ancestral home of the Bai family. The Bai family of Jingzhou was originally a minister of Yasukuni, and this jade finger is also the king of Yasukuni. things."

Bai Bingchen was surprised, but when he looked carefully at the jade finger in his hand, the patterns on it really didn't look like those of the royal family of the Li Kingdom.

"The ancestor of the Bai family, Bai Chengze, was the last general of the Yasukuni. When the monarch Ding Cheng came to the throne, he was still young. Bai Chengze, as the auxiliary minister, cultivated state affairs internally and defended against powerful enemies externally. But Ding Cheng's child was too angry and didn't like it. When dealing with government affairs, I only love to play horses, and whenever state affairs cannot be decided, I always say that it is up to Bai Chengze to decide, regardless of the slightest."

Just relying on the suspicion of the Lord Shaoguo and Bai Chengze's excessive regent, it is enough to foresee the end of the Bai family.Even knowing that this happened a long time ago, Bai Bingchen was still sweating for him.

"At that time, the Yasukuni court had already criticized Bai Chengze, but the little emperor really trusted him. In addition, Bai Chengze was really brave and unparalleled in strategy. He had never been defeated in the battlefield. , in charge of the national military strength of Jingguo. His Majesty personally named him the regent and added Jiuxi."

Seeing the shock in Bai Bingchen's eyes deepening, Bai Jianye added, "Ding Cheng was already an adult at that time, and he was in good health."

After a while, Bai Bingchen came back to his senses, and murmured: "With this honor, throughout the ages, there is no predecessor, let alone the latter."

What Bai Bingchen read was a sentence from the Bai family tree. The Bai family tree is a fragmentary copy. There is no record of the source of the surname, no description of the deeds of the ancestors, only this sentence added by posterity on the first page.

Since ancient times, the authority of the king, even if it is delegated, is still firmly in the hands of the clan.The regent will only choose his clan relatives to be regents when the monarch is young or sick.For a person with a foreign surname like Bai Chengze to be the regent, the adult Emperor Kangjian personally conferred the title of Jiuxi. Such a holy honor is indeed unprecedented and unprecedented.

"Veterans in the court objected one after another, and Bai Chengze refused several times. But Ding Cheng refused, so he had to reluctantly accept it. Since then, the memorials to impeach Bai Chengze fell on Ding Cheng's desk like snowflakes, but he ignored it. Even if Bai Chengze Leading the army on a long journey, the court took this opportunity to hint to Ding Cheng to recall the regent, in case Bai Chengze's military achievements were grand, and he had a heart of disobedience. Ding Cheng never wavered, allowing Bai Chengze to go forward thousands of miles. I have never acted arrogantly, and I still abide by the duties of a person and a minister in words. Such a monarch and ministers do not doubt, there is no difference in the world."

Bai Jianye suddenly stopped talking, and heaved a long sigh, his words changed from high-spirited to regretful.

"But in the 12th year of Yuanmao, Emperor Mu De went north to conquer Yasukuni, and the long army went straight to the gate of Yanziguan, entrenched in demonstrations. The next day, Bai Chengze lightly dressed, knelt down on the side with a soldier's amulet, and did not send a single soldier. Respectfully invite Emperor Mu De to enter the customs. In three days, Ding Cheng handed over the jade seal, and the state of Yasukuni was destroyed."

"Why?" Bai Bingchen was very puzzled. It is rare for a monarch and his ministers to treat each other like a fish in water. It is only a general who betrays the monarch under suspicion. How can there be a courtier who bites back in his loyalty?

He asked again: "Did Ding Cheng not resist at all when the army arrived at the imperial capital of Jingguo?"

"Bai Chengze personally went to the city to persuade him to surrender. All the civil and military officials in the court said that he would be executed in the name of the righteous emperor. Ding Cheng refused. According to his words, he went out of the city and surrendered. Jingguo was the fastest to submit to Emperor Mu De's attack on the country, and he was also the only one whose soldiers disappeared. blood, with zero casualties."

Hearing the point of Bai Jianye's words, Bai Bingchen said hesitantly: "Father, what does he mean is that Bai Chengze surrendered without a fight to protect the people of the whole country?"

"At that time, Emperor Mu De had conquered the four countries. The war was fierce, and none of the ten survived. Moreover, according to the situation and military strength of Yasukuni at that time, confronting Emperor Mu De was undoubtedly an egg against a stone. It has been said since ancient times that civil servants make peace and military generals lead the battle. For For a military general, it is easy to put on a horse, but difficult to get rid of the saddle and kneel. Bai Chengze risked his life to choose this path, and handed over the great mountains and rivers to others. , It’s hard to say right or wrong, it’s just that the things you are loyal to are different, the former is loyal to the country, and the latter is loyal to people.”

Bai Jianye looked at Bai Bingchen, his eyes moved slightly, and he asked, "If you are Bai Chengze and have loyalty in your heart, are you loyal to the country or people?"

This gentle question seemed to knock on the door of Bai Bingchen's heart, making him tremble. He vaguely felt that some idea had broken through the ground, but he couldn't articulate it clearly.

Bai Jianye didn't wait for his answer, and continued: "After Ding Cheng handed over the jade seal, Emperor Mu De made him a Marquis, the land of Puyang, and Bai Chengze as a general, and wanted to take him as his wing. Bai Chengze knew that Emperor Mu De was cruel and determined to send After Ding Cheng entered the fiefdom, he returned to pay homage to the general. Sure enough, on the way, Emperor Mu De sent an ambush to kill Ding Cheng. Bai Chengze protected Ding Cheng, raised his troops to resist, and held the pass for three months without retreating, forcing Emperor Mu De to back down. After weighing the pros and cons, Emperor Mu De didn't want to spend too much force here, so he chose to give in and let Ding Cheng enter the fiefdom."

"After this surrender and rebellion, Emperor Mu De was grateful for Bai Chengze's loyalty and fear, and didn't know how to deal with it. Mr. Fudige offered a plan and ordered Bai Chengze to guard Yanzi Pass in Jingzhou. Inside Yanzi Pass is Ding Cheng's Puyang fief. With love for the old master, I will swear to the death to protect the northern defense of the Li country. Sure enough, Ding Cheng died without any illness at the age of a hundred, and Bai Chengze defended the border without defeat until the second year after Ding Cheng's death, Fang Chang passed away."

When Bai Jianye mentioned this, he stretched out his hand to caress the jade wrench, and said: "When Bai Chengze protected Ding Cheng when he entered the customs, when we parted, Ding Cheng took off the jade wrench from his hand and gave it to Bai Chengze. With tears in his eyes, he said: "I was born not The hero, but the king is a rare virtuous minister since ancient times.It was I who dragged you down, causing you to repeatedly work hard to plan the Yasukuni plan.Yan Ziguan is farewell, I am afraid that we will never see each other again in this life. Thinking of the past, I am at a loss in the five inner worlds, and my heart is full of fear, fearing that I will betray the loyalty of the king.Special gift of finger pull, Xie Jun protected me for twelve years, so farewell, the end of the world and the road are far away, cherish it forever. ""

"Bai Chengze replied: "For twelve years, the king's heart has never been doubted, and the minister has received this honor. Throughout the ages, there is no predecessor, let alone the latter.How dare you not do your best to repay His Majesty's kindness. ""

As Bai Jianye's deep voice completed the last sentence on the Bai family genealogy, Bai Bingchen seemed to be able to see from the air, above the city wall, the scene where the monarch and his ministers cherished each other's farewell. On this jade wrench, the two men bowed to each other, and finally stood at the same height and saluted.

Standing on the city wall, Bai Chengze watched Ding Cheng gallop away surrounded by soldiers, as if he had received the tiger talisman in the Golden Luan Hall many times, and Ding Cheng led all the civil and military officials to send him off.

Countless times, this emperor, who was ignorant of power and strategy and purely entrusted a piece of land to his hands, sent his back away.But this time, Bai Chengze looked at the back of the emperor until he disappeared at the end of the horizon and disappeared from his eyes, then turned around and clenched the spear in his hand.

Report to the king on the gold platform, and support the jade dragon to die for the king.I would like to use the spear in my hand to protect my lord Yasukuni for the last time.

Bai Bingchen cast his eyes on the jade finger again, and the emotion in his eyes was quite different.

"Bai Chengze's deadline is approaching, and he established a rule. In order to protect the continuity of the Bai family and avoid fear, the men of the Bai family practice literature and do not specialize in martial arts; Follow the will of our ancestors and never dare to forget."

Bai Jianye's gaze refocused on the tablet on the top, which was a tablet without characters. Bai Bingchen also asked who his ancestors were, but Bai Jianye never answered.Just today, he told the past that he kept silent about in the past one by one, it seems that the time is urgent, and there is a faint sense of entrustment.

"In Yuguo, the ancestors protected the people of Jingguo from the suffering of the war. Yujun, the ancestors protected the old monarch for a hundred years of well-being. Yujia, the ancestors protected the Bai family that lasts to this day. Talking about this life, Bai Chengze's loyal family and country have achieved Extreme, no one can match him. The only regret is that he allowed his name to be trampled in the history books. The stigma of surrender and rebellion."

"That's exactly the case. The Bai family has this old name on the register, and it has never been reused by the monarch of the Li country. This is why you said that you were repeatedly excluded in the school. In the eyes of these aristocratic families, we are not at all The people of Shangli Kingdom, even if it has been over a hundred years."

There was a school in Pingdu for the children of the court. Bai Bingchen had been studying in Pingdu since Jingzhou, but the people in the school either avoided him or ridiculed him.Bai Bingchen originally thought that this was because he and they had not grown up together, and without the childhood affection, there would always be a sense of alienation and alienation, so he never thought that there was such a relationship.

However, he didn't think those middle school students would understand this past so thoroughly, probably because their father who was an official in court told them not to have too close contact with him.

What kind of power, resourcefulness and unparalleled bravery is Bai Chengze, who can protect the old lord I under the eyes of Emperor Mu De, and make the subsequent monarchs afraid of the descendants of the Bai family and dare not reuse them.

Recalling this point, Bai Bingchen couldn't help showing admiration, and was relieved to be seen by Bai Jianye.

He was afraid that this child who had never entered officialdom would be dissatisfied because he knew about the ancestors of the Bai family.It can be seen from his current expression that Bai Jianye breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he hadn't talked in vain for a long time.

Pulling away from this past incident, Bai Bingchen's heart was hard to calm down. He had never had a deep talk with his father, and he never thought that this incident that started with questioning would make him inadvertently get close to his father's thoughts.

"So, my father talked so much with me, what is the relationship with Cangshan?" Bai Bingchen couldn't help but asked this question that had been circling in his heart.

"Wouldn't it be easier for others to believe in a family with a history of betrayal if they betrayed it again?" Bai Jianye turned his head, looked at Bai Bingchen with burning eyes, and asked back.

"what?"

Before Bai Bingchen could react, Bai Jianye continued: "The Fudi Pavilion has been in power for a long time, and it is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people of Li, and it is difficult to shake. Originally, your uncles and I did not believe in ghosts and gods. The theory of politics is just a trick played by someone with a heart behind the scenes, so they planned this mutiny, intending to raise troops in Cangshan, rectify the law and Weitao, end Fudi Pavilion's control of Li Guochao for more than 300 years, and return the government to the emperor. It is expected that we were reckless and did not find out the truth."

Speaking of this, Bai Jianye frowned, lost the slightest calmness of the past, and seemed to be trapped in deep self-blame.

"On the eve of sending troops, Brother Mei received a letter, which stated the route and strength of our planned attack. Everything was detailed and accurate." Bai Jianye took a deep breath and continued: "The soldiers involved in this matter We are the confidants of each family, but at this critical juncture, there was a leak, which we did not expect. Moreover, the handwriting on the letter belonged to Wei Tao. Only then did we know that there must be a pair of guards in the Fudi Pavilion. The eyes of the courtiers are lurking in the dark, watching the changes of the court all the time, before we find out these eyes, all our actions will be exposed under the eyes of the Fudi Pavilion."

"But we knew it too late. From that moment on, we were defeated without sending troops. Wei Tao knew about our plan. Whether it was implemented or not, he just let us go. He was willing to write only because of his arrogant temperament and enjoyed our plan. The panic at the last moment. Almost just for a moment, my brothers and I met each other's eyes, and we knew what each other was thinking. The mutiny continued as before, and I took this opportunity to sue His Majesty before Wei Tao. Put aside the relationship between the Bai family and wait for the time to come."

Several consecutive changes made Bai Bingchen stunned.

"The Bai family has a precedent of betrayal. I have been working hard for the past few years, and I look like an unscrupulous person for the official position. Among us, only the Bai family has no troops involved in it, so it is easier to get rid of it."

Interrupting his words, Bai Bingchen couldn't help interjecting: "But even so, this plan is not comprehensive. Your Majesty can execute them all and leave no Bai family behind."

"So we are betting on Wei Tao's self-esteem. Looking at his actions, he has been in power for many years. In order to protect his reputation, he proposed many things through His Majesty's mouth. Although he has our reasons for this matter, he can directly present it to us. Your Majesty, but we bet that he is more willing to let someone who he thinks he can handle to sue this matter for him. It is best for this person to be involved in a treason case, and the words he said and the evidence he presented are credible. But There is no real power, even if he sues for treason, it will not pose a threat to him, and it is still in his hands. Such a candidate, the Bai family just happens to be able to serve. Therefore, we bet that he will not attack the Bai family. "

"This is the last way for us to put ourselves to death in a desperate situation. There must be someone alive, alive to find out what is behind the Fudi Pavilion, alive to bear, and to complete the unfinished business." Bai Jianye reached out his hand rarely. Touching Bai Bingchen's head, his eyes were faintly moist.

"I didn't want you to know about these things. It's possible to get here, no matter how difficult it is to retreat. After tonight, the Bai family will definitely become the target of public criticism. The emperor's suspicion, temptation, and colleagues' disdain and contempt will follow. But you have to remember, From now on, you have to cut seats with the Mei family, the Liu family, and the Qian family, no matter whether they are in front or behind, they are no longer your uncle, your best friend, but treasonous ministers, understand?"

The hands clasping his shoulders tightly, like a heavy burden and an entrustment, pressed on Bai Bingchen's body. He saw the tears in his father's eyes and heard his own choked up voice.

"understood."