Cui Renshi stood up using crutches to support his body. He frowned and bowed his back, looking at this young face with his cloudy old eyes, "Well, he does look ordinary."
Zhang Yang was stared at again and felt a little hairy. After a moment, he said, "You seem to be looking at a very rare object."
"Rare, indeed rare."
"Is my face different?"
Master Cui Ren was thinking about it, but he hesitated and just said, "It's too ordinary."
Seeing that Zhang Yang was about to leave, Master Cui Ren said again: "Young man, don't be bored. I still have a few things to ask."
"You say."
With his back turned while talking, Zhang Yang didn't want to face this old man face to face.
"White sugar, Pei Xuanji, artillery."
"Well, what then?"
"Although I am not sure, I always feel that these things are connected, but there is no evidence."
After a pause in his words, he took another sip of tea, and continued: "These things have passed, and it's time for the dust to settle. I wanted to ask but now I feel it's useless to ask."
He looked at the young man's back and said, "I heard that you want to make the Tang Dynasty prosperous and powerful?"
Zhang Yang nodded without denying it.
Cui Renshi whispered: "You are very rich now."
This old man gives people a feeling of vicissitudes of life, as if he has many things hidden in him, or he has done too much for the Central Plains family.
"My wealth is in the Tang Dynasty. When I am rich, the Tang Dynasty will also be rich. I can also make more people rich. Instead of obtaining wealth through selecting officials and plundering like your aristocratic family, the aristocratic family will only stretch out their hands. To poor ordinary people.”
"The aristocratic family is inherently evil, so why do you, old man, do so much to help them? You wholeheartedly want them to seek change, but their roots are already rotten, so how can they seek change."
"What passionate words." Cui Renshi sighed: "I haven't heard such words in many years, oh..."
He paused for a moment, as if recalling something, and then said: "There has been such talk recently. Those poor people have overturned the high walls of aristocratic families, thinking that a better life is just around the corner, right?"
His old voice said again: "Yes, you are a person with a good heart."
Zhang Yang whispered: "That's because you haven't seen the light."
"Have you seen it?"
"I've seen it, but it's gone now."
"I see." Master Cui Ren thought for a long time and then said, "How about you and me make a game?"
"I reject."
Cui Renshi's old face was full of wrinkles when he smiled, which was ugly and unsightly. He looked at the straight back in front of him and said: "They say that Lishan is not interested in land annexation, and also hates land annexation. Just because you don’t do those things doesn’t mean others can’t.”
"You are still young, but I am old. As far as land annexation is concerned, if Li Tang Sheji cannot change this matter within ten years, you need to apologize to me. If Lishan really does it, I will apologize to you and help the family. Make amends to the world."
This time Zhang Yang came back to his senses and looked at him, "Are you going to apologize to the world on behalf of your family?"
"Um."
"Can your words represent the Central Plains family?"
"Do you think you have won?" Cui Renshi asked again: "I can write a book of apology and let the children of each family sign it. Don't you, Lishan, always believe in this kind of contract?"
Zhang Yang nodded, speechless.
"Based on your Lishan approach, what do you think of this situation?" The old man smiled in an easy-going manner, "Don't worry, but it doesn't matter whether the world will forgive the family. What is important is a book of apology. Isn't it God's fault? Khan doesn’t want it?”
Zhang Yang said seriously: "You are a very complicated old man."
"Hehehe..."
Cui Renshi's voice when he laughed was very unpleasant, and the way he laughed was also very unpleasant, "If you win, the family will admit the crime. If you lose, you can just make amends to me alone, oh... that's right."
He added: "Maybe the old man will not live for ten years. If you lose, pour a bowl of tea in front of the old man's soul."
Zhang Yang waved to his daughter.
"Dad! Is your daughter still reciting poems?" After speaking, she looked at the old man again.
"Dad, my son still has to recite poems with his sister."
Xiao Qingqing picked up the scroll and tapped his brother's forehead, scolding him in his eyes for repeating what he said.
"Well, these two children are exactly the same as you. They say they look like their father when they are young, and they look like their mother when they grow up."
Zhang Yang whispered: "Bring this old man a pen, ink and paper."
Xiao Qingqing looked at Cui Renshi more and then walked into the village.
"Sister!" Xing'an followed up and whispered, "That old man is so scary."
"He's a bad guy."
"Do all bad people look like this?"
"how could I know."
Xiao Qingqing impatiently dealt with a lot of questions from his younger brother. He asked Mr. Ouyang Xun for pen, ink and paper, and then came to the entrance of the village again.
Lift up a wooden board and pull out the four legs underneath it, and it becomes a table.
Cui Renshi picked up his pen and started writing. He wrote more than a hundred words eloquently, and then said: "Well, after this old man dies, this book will be kept by his descendants. Don't worry, don't worry..."
As he spoke, he left with a roll of paper and a cane.
"Dad, he is a bad person." Xiao Xin'an replied.
"Let's go home and eat."
"good."
The siblings hurriedly followed in their father's footsteps.
Because Xiong Da and Xiong Er have to plow the fields these days, they cannot accompany their two little masters.
Lishan does not raise idle people, so the bears in Lishan plow the land, and the cattle in Lishan are unemployed. Then the cattle take the work of the donkeys and go to pull the goods in the village.
Later, the donkeys and dogs lived together in the village.
Later, the dogs in the village became anxious and drove the donkey away.
Out of morality, Lishan did not kill the three donkeys, but sold them to Long Wujun for one hundred yuan each.
From then on, the donkey's life became even more miserable.
Cui Renshi went to Chang'an City. He was originally the imperial censor in the palace.
When Li Zhengzao's accident happened, he was taking a rest in the middle of the court. At that time, he felt that something was going to happen to the family, so he kept walking among several families in the Central Plains at that time.
Then something really happened, and it has been three years now.
In the past three years, I have not given an explanation to His Majesty.
In front of Chengtian Gate, Du Zhenglun stood here to greet the old man.
Master Cui Ren looked at him for a long time before he recognized the man in front of the door and whispered: "It turns out to be Zhenglun."
"I've seen the old gentleman. I haven't seen him for many years."
"Well, I haven't seen you for many years. When I was serving as a doctor in Duzhi, Your Majesty noticed that there was an error in the accounts, so it was you who came to pick me up."
Du Zhenglun, who was over 40 years old, saluted and said: "That happened in the fourth year of Zhenguan, but it was already found out that year. It was all a misunderstanding."
Cui Renshi walked into Chengtian Gate step by step with a cane and said slowly: "Now..."
"Now the lower official is the prince Zuo Shu, and together with Ma Zhou and Zheng Gong, he supervises the prince's studies."
"Well, without realizing it, so many years have passed and I don't even recognize anyone in the court anymore. I almost don't recognize you either."
"The old gentleman is here this time..."
"Resign yourself to old age." Master Cui Ren sighed.
Du Zhenglun accompanied the old gentleman to the outside of Wude Hall. I don't know what the old gentleman said to His Majesty. When the old gentleman came out, he had already taken off his official clothes.
After leaving the imperial city and the Suzaku Gate, Master Cui Ren went to see Duke Zhao again.
Cui Renshi came to Zhao Guogong's mansion, where many attendants came and went.
Entering the main hall, Changsun Wuji had already prepared tea, "Old sir, please take a seat."
Cui Renshi nodded and sat down, and said in a low voice: "I have gone to see Zhang Yang."
"Have you never seen him before, old gentleman?"
"Well, when Lu Chengqian was exiled, I wanted to see him. I had seen him from a distance before, and when I saw that he had changed, I thought he was a very troublesome young man."
"How tricky?"
Cui Renshi rubbed the edge of the teacup with his fingers and looked at the tea. "He is young, very calm, a little tempered but not impudent, capable and patient. Well! This is all he can see, and he feels that it is difficult. Xu Guogong has always had He has the ability to recognize people, has he ever met Zhang Yang?"
"I've seen him before." Changsun Wuji replied: "My uncle said that he is an unscrupulous person."
"Well, Mr. Xu Guogong is always right when he knows people. What do you think, Mr. Zhao Guogong?"
Changsun Wuji replied: "He is very proud. He has a different view of right and wrong. His knowledge in Lishan is even more arrogant to the world. After he moved to Lishan, he no longer hides his clumsiness. He is very scheming, like an old man." What the gentleman said is a very difficult person, and no one in the younger generation can compare with him.”
"It's rare that Duke Zhao has such a high opinion of people."
After Master Cui Ren said this, he smiled with great joy.
Changsun Wuji couldn't understand what the old gentleman was laughing at, and said: "There are many young talents in the court, many of whom are under the Lishan sect. In the future, Zhang Da'an, Pei Xingjian, Xue Rengui, Shangguan Yi."
Cui Renshi only had Zhang Yang in his eyes, and had no interest in anyone else, and could not arouse any interest. He lowered his head and said: "Zhang Da'an is the Minister of Rites at a young age, so what? He lacks experience and experience, and he was appointed Minister too early. It’s not a good thing.”
"Pei Xingjian and Xue Rengui were born in Hedong. They were recruited by Zhang Yang early on. They made a lot of achievements in the Western Expedition. They are talented and learned Tao strategy. It is not good for their career to be under the sect of Lishan at such a young age."
"As for Shangguan Yi, hehehe..." Master Cui Ren shook his head and said, "It's not worth mentioning."
Changsun Wuji added: "There are also Xu Jingzong, Di Zhisun, and Li Yifu."
Cui Renshi shook his head, these people are not important, and said: "I heard that His Majesty has alienated Duke Zhao recently?"
Changsun Wuji saluted and said, "Well, there are many rumors in the court."
"Well, I'm here to see you. It's not your fault that things couldn't be undone, and there's no need to feel guilty. Just like Zhang Yang said, this is the choice of the world."
Cui Renshi left again, this time he walked out of Chang'an City. A few days later, someone sent word that the old man had gone to Hedong.
Under the Hukou Waterfall in Hedong, Cui Renshi met a young man, who was Pei Xuanji and the successor of Pei Ju.
Cui Renshi looked at the waterfall and said, "This kind of scenery is really endless, and I will never be able to see it all in my lifetime."
Pei Xuanji poured two bowls of wine and said with a smile: "Fen wine is rare, let's drink together."
After taking a sip of wine, Cui Renshi frowned and said, "If I had known that the person behind you was Zhang Yang, I should have killed you to avoid future troubles."
"I have forgotten what happened back then, why do you need to mention it?"
"What did Zhang Yang promise you back then?"
"Future." Pei Xuanji said with a hearty smile, "A great future."
"Just teaching here?"
"Teach!" Pei Xuanji nodded heavily and laughed loudly: "Hahaha! Teaching is the greatest future I can hope for!"
Cui Renshi's eyes dimmed, his breathing became a little heavier, and he suddenly laughed at himself, "I have traveled all over the Central Plains to settle old people from aristocratic families, but you are teaching here?"
"Isn't it good? I love teaching."
"You have done so much just for this."
Cui Renshi seemed to have suffered a huge blow, and his whole body was drained of energy. He was so tired in the past two years that his hair was covered with white hair.
"If you can enjoy wealth and rank in peace and become an official, you can also be convincing about what you did in those two years through life and death."
Pei Xuanji pointed at his face and said, "Look, I'm already fat."
"A broad mind leads to a fat body. Let it go. You are old and unwilling. You are unwilling to accept it."
The poor old man can only sigh loudly now, and the family is in complete ruin.
Pei Xuanji held the wine bottle and faced the waterfall, took a deep breath, and said loudly: "Happy! I have never been so happy."
Cui Renshi silently got into the carriage and asked the driver to drive away.
Many losers are unwilling to accept it. In order to seek comfort in their hearts, at least it will be profitable for them to overthrow the family.
Surprisingly, his life is not as free and easy as that of young people.
Cui Renshi sat in the carriage and whispered: "Monk Huikang, you always say you want to see through the world of mortals. Do we really see through the world of mortals?"
In Lishan, Zhang Yang was sitting under the apple tree. He was thinking about when the apple on the tree would hit him, so that he could say that he discovered gravity. If I was hit by an apple, wouldn't it prove gravity?
This argument is much simpler.
Suddenly I thought it was wrong, why did the apple hit me?
Isn't it too deliberate? A coincidence is a coincidence, and it doesn't have to happen in Lishan.
"Girl!"
"Huh?" Xiao Qingqing gnawed on a green apple and turned to look at her father.
"Where is Taoist Yuan?"
"He said he was in seclusion. Dad wants to find him?"
Zhang Yang said melancholy: "I want Daoist Yuan to be hit by an apple. This would be much more reasonable."
"What's reasonable?"
"If Taoist Yuan can understand longitude and latitude, he must also be able to understand gravitation. Let the old Taoist work harder, otherwise the science volume will not be compiled."
Xiao An stood on the uphill slope, listened to the words and looked curiously at the green apple on the tree, then at the back of her father's head, then at the green apple, thoughtfully...
Xiao Qingqing replied: "My daughter went to blow up Chang'an City. How about asking Taoist Yuan to come out?"
Zhang Yang looked solemn and struggled: "Can't you change your ideal?"
"Yes, sister has another idea. My brother's ambition is to buy Chang'an City. How can I buy it if it explodes?"
Xiao Qingqing glanced at his younger brother with disgust, gritted his teeth and said, "I know how to buy Chang'an all the time! What are you going to do with Chang'an?"
“Raise bears!”
"Bears should be kept in the mountains, not in the city."
"Xiong Da grew up in the city."
The two siblings quarreled, and Zhang Yang gnawed on a green apple and fell into deep thought again.
(End of chapter)
