The rain was pouring down, pounding on the eaves, gently, heavily, lightly. Water flows down thousands of tile troughs, forming lines in series and weaving into a rain curtain.
The old man who taught the children "Meng", or the Nanzhao Imperial Master in Qin Fang's mouth, was standing under the eaves with sorrow in his eyes.
After a while, the carriage from the palace will arrive at the Imperial Academy, and then he and Lao Jijiu will be taken into the palace to discuss state affairs with the emperor.
If there are no accidents in the whole process, then a piece of news will explode with the palace as the center today, igniting the whole world.
The peaceful and prosperous era created by Zhuang Tianji will also end here.
The history books of later generations will definitely record the day of the Beginning of Autumn in the 16th year of Yongshuang.
The noisy rain did not cover up the sound of footsteps at the end of the corridor. Liu Yun turned his head and saw the old Jijiu who was not much younger than him.
Looking at him, Liu Yun felt a little emotional.
The same two counselors who were "favored" by the emperor in their early years, Zhuang Tianji has reached the height of an extremely popular minister. His actions in governing the country are unparalleled and are destined to be praised in history and admired by future generations.
And what about the old priest in front of me? Outside the temple, from the perspective of most people, he is nothing more than an old gentleman with more knowledge. In today's Dajing Dynasty, where knowledge is everywhere, there may not be many such people, but there are definitely many. So shrouded in Zhuang Tianji's scorching light, he looked dim.
A few years ago, there was another incident, and Lao Jijiu was deeply affected by it.
That year, Wu Peixian, the censor of Jiangnan Province, wrote "Twelve Strategies for Governing the Country", which shocked both dynasties. Prime Minister Zhuang Tianji read the book and then commented that he was "ashamed of himself". In the same year, another military commander wrote "Ten Essays on Meiqin", which once again caused a sensation in the world.
So the remarks, which I don’t know where to start, suddenly targeted the old sacrificial wine minister of the Imperial College, saying that he “had no sound in the urn during his lifetime, and left an unknown chapter after his death. He was able to serve as a sacrificial wine just because of his relationship with the emperor in his early years.” Your Majesty’s friendship.”
Like a stone dropped into a lake, ripples appeared and spread far and wide. Even the officials and nobles of the Dafeng Dynasty knew this statement. The Great Master Feng said: "The great achievements of Zhuang Tianji are as high as the sun and the moon, and the life span of the heaven and the earth is the same. The humbleness of Chu Cezi is like a short-lived mayfly, which lives and dies in the morning."
If this sentence were said by a farm man, others would not only ignore it, but might also sneer and say something back. But when it is spoken by a household name, the effect is different.
There is no shortage of scholars in the world who follow the trend blindly, and scholars who don't follow the trend but are "filled with righteous indignation" and scold them until their spittle flies all over the sky. The parties in the imperial court are united and opposed by others, and so is the general trend in the world. At first, some people would argue a few words for the wine sacrificer. But what I received was abuse from countless people, and over time no one dared to speak out anymore.
Liu Yun will always remember that day outside the capital. A drunken scholar squatted on a big tree stump, insulted the wine sacrifice, and even greeted the eighteenth generation of his ancestors. The words he used were extremely unpleasant and unpalatable.
What made him feel heartbroken and powerless was not the drunken and raving scholar, but the onlookers. Those people all looked cheerful and clapped loudly, as if they were watching a hearty stage show.
They thought that if they were prime ministers, they would be able to create a prosperous age. They thought that if they were hussar generals, they would be able to bring the entire world into the Dajing territory. They thought that if they sacrificed wine, they would be able to learn a lot and have famous articles passed down from generation to generation. Even if they think that they are emperors, they can stabilize the country for generations and achieve "one emperor through the ages" in the history books.
So they can only be them.
The violently spreading waves were finally seen by a man, so he raised his arms and slammed into the water, smashing the layers of progressive ripples.
He took a tough stance and asked the old emperor to get rid of the national teacher. Emperor Dafeng did not agree immediately, but believed that there was still room for mediation.
Until the dark front line of water appeared on the border of Dafeng without any warning, 30,000 armored pagodas faced the direction of the capital of Dafeng, while the remaining 200,000 troops pressed across the border.
Only then did the old emperor realize that this was not a negotiable issue.
In the end, Dafeng Guoshi was dismissed from his post and his whereabouts are unknown.
But the scary thing about speech is that it can corrode people's hearts. Even now, in Yongshuang's sixteenth year, you can occasionally hear some disparaging remarks about Lao Jijiu, mostly from the mouths of depressed and frustrated scholars.
Liu Yun turned back and continued to stare at the rain curtain.
The faltering old Jijiu finally came to him and stood side by side with him.
"You'll be entering the palace soon, aren't you nervous?" Old Jijiu said with a smile.
"It's not me, Nanzhao. I can do whatever you want with me." Liu Yun said calmly.
The old man stopped talking, put his hands behind his back, and looked quietly into the distance.
Today's Dajing seems to be calm, but in fact, ever since Zhuang Tianji's death, there has been a turmoil secretly. If internal troubles really arise while taking advantage of foreign troubles, the Dajing Dynasty will be in danger.
Suddenly, a palace carriage broke into his sight. The rolling wheels splashed the rainwater in a straight line.
The carriage finally stopped in front of the two old men.
The driver threw out two umbrellas and said with a smile: "It's raining heavily, good or bad is unpredictable."
Liu Yun opened his umbrella and took the lead to step down the steps. He said calmly, "Is there any life without gambling?"
Old Jijiu said: "Do your best and obey the destiny."
The two old men, one behind the other, got into the carriage.
Listening to their words, the coachman smiled. I guess this scene will be recorded in the history books of later generations, right?
Dajing Palace.
There is a jar of wine placed on the eaves of the main hall, letting the rain beat on it.
This is a consistent tradition of the Dajing Dynasty. If it rains or snows on the day when an important decision is to be made, an altar of "national food" should be made to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth to pray for good luck.
The emperor was already waiting in the meeting hall.
After a while, two young men wearing hats and raincoats came to the door. They were the two counselors of His Royal Highness, Li Zixin and Zhang Gu.
It is worth noting that there are eight chairs in the main hall, which is obviously against the rules. Excluding the emperor's seat, there should be three chairs on the left and right sides. The extra one now is undoubtedly a temporary addition.
Who could this person be?
Zhang Gu and Li Zixin didn't speak, and they both had the answer silently in their hearts.
At the same time, Qin Fang was still struggling in Qingui Palace.
The reason is this. Hu Meizi did not participate in breakfast today. Qin Fang asked Gui Qing the reason, but the latter looked cold and did not answer. It was obvious that there was another quarrel, and Qin Fang had to take a look out of worry.
When she arrived at Qingui Palace and saw the man lying on the bed, she lost her temper.
Hu Meizi's complexion was extremely bad, and she looked very haggard, as if she were the ruined stamen of a flower that had been torn off and played with.
Qin Fang subconsciously thought that Guiqing had done something to her.
Just as he was about to question her, his daughter rolled up her sleeves, and there were no fewer than ten red and swollen bite marks on her fair and smooth arms.
Gui Qing said in a cold voice: "It is your own fault."
Qin Fang noticed something was wrong, and quickly stepped forward to check Hu Meizi's condition carefully, and soon discovered something unusual. There were obvious signs of rope binding on Hu Meizi's wrists and ankles.
"How long has she tied you up?" Qin Fang asked in a low voice.
Hu Meizi hesitated and said timidly: "One night."
"one night?!"
Qin Fang was shocked and angry, and turned to look at Gui Qing.
She didn't reprimand him immediately because she was waiting for a reasonable explanation.
Unexpectedly, Gui Qing actually sat down tiredly and said softly: "Let me do whatever I want."
Qin Fang immediately realized keenly that Gui Qing must have some unspeakable words.
Just what happened? Even my mother-in-law couldn’t listen.
Could it be that apart from the dozen or so bite marks on her arm, did Xiao Humei do anything else that was transgressive?
Otherwise, Gui Qing would not have tied her up for one night.
Qin Fang has a headache. What is this? Both of them were unwilling to tell the truth, and they couldn't figure out the ins and outs of the situation and how to solve the problem.
But there is no time to worry about this now. There is no room for delay in discussing matters in the main hall, and we must leave now.
Qin Fang thought for a while and said, "Xiao Humei, you stay with your mother tonight."
Hu Meizi bit her red lips tightly and shook her head in refusal.
Gui Qing narrowed her eyes and said, "I don't mind hanging you up for one night."
Hu Meizi said stubbornly: "Whatever you want, I will never leave anyway!"
Qin Fang took a deep breath and tried her best to stay calm. She turned to Gui Qing and said, "If Xiao Humei doesn't agree, then you can stay with your mother tonight."
"Okay." Gui Qing agreed without hesitation.
Hu Meizi raised her head suddenly, staring blankly at that cold and heartless figure, her eyes filled with tears unknowingly.
"Let's go, let's go discuss matters." Qin Fang said softly.
In the meeting hall, the emperor sat on the main seat, Liu Yun and Lao Jijiu sat on the right side of the nobles, and the younger generation Li Zixin and Zhang Gu sat on the left.
It can be said that the group of people sitting here at this moment are the power center of the Dajing Dynasty. Even except for the old Jijiu from the Imperial College, no one else is in a high position.
And everyone here knows what the reason for gathering in this meeting hall today is.
After a while, Qin Fang and Gui Qing rushed over.
Qin Fang sits on the right and Gui Qing sits on the left.
In other words, there is still one empty chair.
The seven people present all looked at the empty chair.
Qin Fang tapped the table lightly and said, "It doesn't matter whether someone is insignificant or not. Let's get started first."
Qin Fang didn't notice that except for her, everyone else's eyes were focused on Gui Qing.
Only later did she realize that her daughter had stood up and stared at the empty chair.
Gui Qingyu pointed, and a man appeared out of thin air on the chair.
Wearing a snow-white Taoist robe and a lotus crown on his head.
"Oops, I was discovered."
Qin Fang raised her eyebrows, "Do you think it's fun to waste all of our time?"
Master Lotus Crown looked at Qin Fang and said bitterly: "It hurts my heart when you talk like this. I came back from Dafeng specially to participate in this resolution."
Qin Fang sneered and said, "Without you, the discussion won't be successful?"
Taoist Lotus Crown sighed, unwilling to argue with him anymore, and turned to look at Gui Qing. For some reason, his eyes were gentle.
And Gui Qing, whose eyes were red, slowly left the table and came to his side. In full view of everyone, she actually hugged Taoist Lotus Crown, stepped slightly, and rested her chin on Taoist Lotus Crown's shoulder.
"I miss you so much." Her voice was full of grievance.
"I know you miss me, so I'm coming back." The man said softly.
Gui Qing bit her red lips lightly, looked up at him blankly, then stretched out her hand and tore off the man's disguise.
Everyone could clearly see the man's true appearance, especially those golden and rose-colored eyes.
Qin Fang had already covered her face with her hands and was sobbing.
Gui Qi turned his head and burst into tears.
So the eighth chair opposite the emperor was occupied by the prince.
Gui Qi looked around at the crowd and said the first thing he said, "I want to fight, what about you?"
Gui Liu smiled and said, "You must be listening to dad."
Gui Qing was extremely well-behaved and said softly: "I listen to my brother."
Qin Fang held her chin in her hands and said with a smile: "I am a woman and I don't have any opinions. Your Majesty will do whatever you say."
Zhang Gu solemnly said, "The king rules the country and dominates the land. There is nothing wrong with this move."
Li Zixin rubbed his aching butt and quickly said: "Yes, yes! That's the truth!"
"Anyway, it's your Dajing Dynasty's business. You can do whatever you want. I'm an outsider and I'm just here to listen to the excitement." Liu Yun looked arrogant.
Old Jijiu only uttered two words, "Gamble."
"Then fuck him!"
It should be noted that the person who said this was not the cynical Li Zixin, nor the domineering prince, but His Majesty the Emperor, who always paid the most attention to etiquette.
In the fifteenth year of Yongshuang, it is the beginning of autumn.
A horrifying news spread throughout the world.
The Dajing Dynasty officially declared war on the Dafeng rebels.
Known in history as the "Government of the Beginning of Autumn"
