Zhongjing City, Imperial College.
A young scholar slowly walked out of the gate of the Imperial College. He saw a few classmates who had been waiting at the door earlier and smiled slightly. Before he could even wait for him to salute solemnly and say hello, he was pulled aside by his arm. A tea shop in the distance.
"Uncle Duan, you have been working too hard these days!"
The classmates sat down and started to laugh.
The young man smiled calmly, "Spring is coming, so I have to study hard!"
"Then you have to balance work with rest. The teacher has said that relaxation is the way of civility and martial arts. You also have to come out for a breath of air from time to time, so that you can make more progress in your studies."
The young man did not argue, smiled and nodded, "Have you done anything fun these days?"
"That's a lot." The classmate smiled, "However, the biggest topic in these two days has to be the matter between Empress Dowager De and the Three Heroes of Tushan, and yes, there is also the Prince of Jiaodong County. "
? ? ? ! ! !
The young man's eyes suddenly widened. Empress De, the Three Heroes of Tushan, and the King of Jiaodong County?
"what are you thinking!"
The classmate knew by looking at his expression that he was thinking wrong, and he quickly knocked a chestnut on his forehead, "It was Concubine De who wanted to hire a teacher for the King of Jiaodong County, so she asked the three literary figures in Tushan. As a result, the three great scholars Without giving any face, Empress Dowager De sent envoys three times in a row, but she didn't even meet her."
The young man smiled sheepishly. Although he was restrained and polite, he was still a passionate young man. He had been reading alone for a long time, and his thoughts went wrong without paying attention.
He digested it for a while and frowned, "It shouldn't be. The three great Confucians are famous all over the world, and their virtues are even more praised by the world. How can they be so unhuman? People come to you with good intentions and don't want to politely decline. That's it. How can we act like a gentleman?"
"Little brother, what you said is totally ridiculous!"
Before his classmates could speak, a middle-aged scribe at the next table directly criticized him, "Concubine De is a harem woman. Relying on your majesty's favor, she treats the world's talented and famous people like slaves, and treats people like the three heroes of Tushan." She thought she could rely on her status in the harem to wait for the literary giants to come and go at a moment's notice. It's only right that the three old gentlemen don't tolerate her! This is the character of our generation of scholars!"
It is said that those who are close to vermillion are red and those who are close to ink are black. It is next to the Imperial College. There are also many scribes in this teahouse, and they all talk about these things in a clear and logical way.
The young man still frowned, "Brother, what you said is wrong. Concubine De is seeking a disciple for the King of Jiaodong, and the Prince of Jiaodong is his beloved son. How can you treat three old gentlemen like slaves with such treatment? And if Concubine De treats the three If the old gentleman is really disrespectful, how could he send envoys three times in a row? Moreover, everyone knows that Tushan has no elite guards. It is easy to send more than ten forbidden troops to force the three old gentlemen out. How could they be arrested three times? His words are blocked from the door? This just shows that Concubine De has respect for him!"
The middle-aged scribe's expression froze, and he was speechless for a moment. He could only say bitterly: "You, these are the public opinions of scholars and scholars at the moment. Concubine De is so arrogant that she was spoiled by scholars. You are the laughing stock of Shilin! Do you insist on speaking out like this to show off your own uniqueness and make a name for yourself?"
The classmates on the side also hurriedly pulled his sleeves and persuaded him: "Uncle Duan, this brother is right. It is indeed Shilin Gonglun at the moment. Please stop saying a few words."
"Gong Lun? Where did Gong Lun come from?"
The usually gentle young man became extremely stubborn in the face of truth and broke free from his companion's hand. "Teachers often teach us that believing in books is worse than having no books at all. Can the so-called scholars' opinions be compared to the classics of sages? We and other scholars Can’t we have our own judgment and can only blindly follow the so-called public opinion?”
"Haha!" the middle-aged scribe sneered, "What a big spirit. Why are you the only one in this room full of scholars who is sober? Are you the only one who is different? The rest are all fools and yes-men, right? Or are you just the one under De Fei's wings?" How could a loyal dog of my family make such wild and bizarre remarks that ignore the facts?"
Everyone in the hall also looked over, their eyes filled with ridicule, ridicule, contempt, anger, and full of unkindness.
"Uncle Duan, you still have to take the Chunwei exam, so don't cause trouble." The classmate whispered.
The young man clenched his fists, veins looming on his neck, "What does this matter have to do with Chunwei? Could it be that this world, this world, cannot even tolerate this kind of discussion? Can this literary world, this scholarly society, only have one voice?" "
"childish!"
"Arrogant!"
"How dare you speak about heaven and earth and the literary world?"
"I recognize you. Aren't you the nerd Li Zhiyi from the Imperial College! If you talk like that, I'd rather have a drink with you and talk about it!"
The crowd rose up to attack, but the young man could only remain silent.
He is a fighter, but he is not a fool.
He was so weak that he could only blush, sit silently, and suffer alone.
His classmates quickly stood up and raised their hands to everyone, trying to calm down the anger.
But everyone was "reasonable and unforgiving" and continued talking.
At this moment, a gong sounded from below.
One person shouted: "Mr. Tushan Linxi, Mr. Wanlin, and Mr. Kongbi wrote their own letters. In order to express their gratitude for the benevolence and kindness of Empress Dowager De, and the King of Jiaodong's desire to learn, he changed his old wish and set it on the eighteenth day of the first lunar month. A Spring Festival Banquet will be held in the Imperial College to recruit five direct disciples. Regardless of princes, generals, merchants, or lackeys, all those who have not reached the top can sign up. The original text of the handwritten letter is copied here. You can watch it. If you are interested, come to the Imperial College to sign up!"
Following his movements, the four people behind him pasted a piece of copied white paper on the bulletin board outside the Imperial Academy.
As soon as he finished speaking, the tea shop owner, who was afraid that everyone would run away, shouted with experience: "Don't panic! I've ordered someone to copy it, and it will be delivered to your table later!"
But at this time, everyone in the tea shop was confused.
In gratitude to Empress Dowager De for her kindness and kindness?
In gratitude to the Prince of Jiaodong for his desire to learn?
It was promised that the stupid concubine in the deep palace would be proud of her favor, but what about three big titans in the literary world fighting each other one after another?
What if the scholar who promised to be a good scholar is proud of himself, but the foolish prince becomes the butt of laughter?
The most important thing is that they just used this to deal with a young man, scolding him so much that he couldn't hold his head up, but now, as much as the scolding was so enjoyable, his face hurts now!
"Uncle Duan, you are right!"
A classmate spoke excitedly and deliberately raised his voice.
Everyone around him fell silent and looked at the tea cups and refreshments in front of them.
The young man was not happy at all. He slowly picked up the teacup and drank the tea soup in the teacup slowly and carefully.
Then he took out the money bag from his arms, slowly and carefully counted out four copper coins, put them on the table, and looked at several classmates, "Thank you for inviting me out. I'd better go back to study."
After saying that, he stood up and looked around the field calmly. No one in the field dared to look at him.
He took a step, walked out of the tea shop, and walked back to the Imperial College.
He wanted to return to his hut and the teachings of the sages, without any nostalgia for this chaotic scholarly literary world.
After he left, the voices in the tea shop gradually started to reappear.
"Actually, I also feel that the Empress Dowager De's concubine sent envoys to visit her three times in a row. She can't be called dishonest. She didn't bully others every time. She can't be said to be unkind. She is sincere and benevolent. What Shilin said before was a bit too much."
"Yes, it's obviously a beautiful talk about studying devoutly, but why it turned into this statement? I really don't understand what some people think."
"It's his mother's fault! You two scolded me the most before, but now you're pretending to be nice, right?"
"Brother, please don't slander anyone. We were just deceived!"
"Yes! I was just bewitched by you!"
In the tea shop, the hustle and bustle gradually grew, and farce occurred frequently.
Several of Li Zhiyi's classmates looked at each other and suddenly felt a sense of disdain and boredom in their hearts. What's the point of hanging out in such a scholarly and literary world.
"Why don't I go back and read books later?"
"Go together! Go together!"
The older ones just changed their impressions of Concubine De and the Prince of Jiaodong, but for others, especially those who had children and nephews at the right age, they immediately became overjoyed.
"Quanzi is fifteen years old this year. He is very talented and wants to become a disciple of a famous teacher. I didn't expect that he would have such an opportunity now!"
"My cousin is also fourteen now. He is studious and inquiring. If he can become a disciple of the three masters of Tushan and become fellow disciples with so many great Confucian officials, he will be stable in his life! Empress De Fei has done a great thing. ah!"
"You haven't thought about the other level yet. With the words of the three old gentlemen, the King of Jiaodong County must have secured his entrance. The person who will join him when the time comes is the prince's companion!"
"Hiss! That makes sense! This gives us ordinary people a smooth path to the sky!"
"As expected of Empress Dowager De, it turns out that she is not only thinking about the King of Jiaodong County, but also common people like us!"
"Isn't that right? It is said that Concubine De was born in a humble background, so it's no wonder that she can think more about us. When I think about it, in Sishui Prefecture, it is said that she also did a very good job, making those officials who clamored that the harem should not be involved in politics speechless. It can be said.”
"Hey, I followed those ignorant people and mocked her before. I regret it."
"Me too. If anyone speaks ill of Concubine De in front of me from now on, I will directly send my regards to his whole family!"
In just a few hours, the direction of the wind has completely changed!
Concubine De and the Prince of Jiaodong County went from being objects of ridicule to being praised by everyone.
This is the endorsement of the reputation accumulated by the three masters of Tushan for most of their lives. This is the foundation of public opinion laid by the good reputation of Empress De Fei.
This is also the result of Xia Jingyun once again turning the tide for the De Fei family.
——
After a burst of joy in Jiang'an Hou Mansion, Wei Yuanzhi and others had left, and went back to celebrate the New Year with their families with peace of mind.
Xia Jingyun sat in the hall, stretched out, yawned, and couldn't help but muttered, "I can't read a book or take the Chunwei exam every day!"
Everyone laughed together, and Gongsun Jing plucked up the courage to joke: "Young master, you need to be moderate!"
Xia Jingyun rolled his eyes at him, Feng Xiuyun blushed, and Su Yuanshang shook his head and smiled, feeling relaxed.
"Everyone, please rest. I have to do other things tonight."
Xia Jingyun stood up with a smile, but the concierge hurried over at this moment, "Young Master, Mr. Gongsun, the Prince of Jiaodong County is here."
(End of chapter)
