Songgong Pavilion in the southern suburbs of Kaifeng.
During the Qianyou period and the early Kaibao period, too many high-ranking officials and ministers of the imperial court chose this pavilion as a place to stay and part ways when they were being demoted or relocated.
The background environment involved is different, and the personal experiences are also different, but the same, many people are lingering over it. The people who have left traces in this pavilion are all unknown people. A brief list includes Zhao Ying, Bian Guitan, Han Tong, Li Tao, Fan Zhi, etc.
Nearly twenty years later, the poem Li Tao wrote when he resigned as prime minister still remains on the stone wall. Even after the erosion of the years, the sentence "Life is a bottle of wine, fame and wealth do not care" is still clearly visible.
Now, following the stories of his predecessors, Li Fang also bids farewell to his relatives and friends here.
In the development of Kaifeng over the past twenty years, a large number of buildings have been built inside and outside the city, whether for official, private or commercial purposes, and the expansion of the urban circle has spread to places more than ten miles away.
Different from those buildings closer in time, the Songgong Pavilion, built in the third year of Qianyou's reign, already seems a bit backward. In addition, this pavilion was renovated on the basis of the old pavilion. After so many years of wind and rain, this pavilion has become It also reveals an inextricable antiquity.
The corners of the eaves were gray, but under the Xia sun, they shone with some dazzling light. There are more residential buildings around. It is no longer an isolated pavilion. The path is flat and leads directly to the official road. A pier has been added to the Bianhe River not far away. It has been in use for almost ten years. It is a dedicated For passenger transportation.
Because it is adjacent to the Bian River, the summer wind is very warm, and the moisture brought by it also makes people feel comfortable. In early summer, the river surges, which is when the Bianhe River water transportation becomes busy. At this time, the Bianjiang River is also very lively, with constant whistles, people and cargo ships competing to cross, as if they are competing to tell the story that Bianjing will never fade away. of prosperity.
Willows line the roadside, and the hanging willow branches sway in the breeze. Li Fang and Liu Yang stand side by side in the pavilion, overlooking the summer scenery above the Bian River. He seemed to be attracted by the magnificent scenery and remained silent for a long time. In front of and behind the pavilion, in addition to the guards of the East Palace, there were a group of relatives, friends and colleagues.
Among them were Li Fang's old friend, the famous genius bachelor Jia Huangzhong, and Li Fang's four sons. However, everyone deliberately avoided it to give the monarch, ministers, teachers and students space to talk.
After the Denweng case, even though the prince personally investigated and proved his innocence, Li Fang was still inevitably affected. Perhaps this was the reason why Liu Yang presided over the investigation and disposal.
Emperor Liu asked Liu Yang to comfort Li Fang who had been wronged, but the result was that he was released.
Different from the previous time when he was deployed to the south of Jinghu, this time, because innocent people were involved, his enthusiasm was not high. This time, he also went to the south and took office as the chief envoy of Jinghu North Road.
However, although I felt aggrieved and my reputation was affected, legally speaking, I was still innocent, which was a comfort.
Seeing the dull expression of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince next to him, Li Fang smiled softly and said: "Your Highness, don't worry, this result is a good thing. Compared with the old minister's expectation, I am already lucky!"
"I understand!" Seeing his open-mindedness, Liu Yang nodded calmly: "It's just that it's hard to forgive Master Li for such an innocent mistake!"
"Your Highness, please don't do this!" After hearing this, Li Fang's expression became solemn, and he said in a deep voice: "Your Highness's caring heart, I am grateful, and the most important thing is not to implicate Your Highness. As for the honor and disgrace of the old man, it is not worth mentioning. .”
"Master Li, don't worry. If you stay here for a short period of time, you will still have time to return to the court in the future!" Liu Yang said as if he was promising.
Li Fang smiled and said with emotion: "Your Highness will send you off in person. I am satisfied, so I will say goodbye and please return to the palace!"
Liu Yang did not show any pretense. With a wave of his hand, the guard came forward with the wine in his hands. The teacher and student took it and drank it down in one gulp. Putting down his wine glass, Liu Yang said: "It's a thousand miles away from Jiangling. It's a good journey. The climate in the south is not as good as that in the Central Plains, but it's still a good thing!"
Li Fang said calmly: "Your Highness may have forgotten that I can stay in Hunan for a few years. Hubei and I are also a good place to go!"
After hearing this, Liu Yang's expression became much more relieved, and he chuckled: "That makes me feel relieved. The two lakes are now also key development areas of the imperial court. Master Li's appointment is really a blessing for the people of Hubei.
It is a suitable place for talents to be put to use. I believe that with the foundation of Jiangling area and the political talents of the master, Hubei will have better development in less than two years, just like Hunan in the past! "
Liu Yang's words can be regarded as compliments and praises among his own people. After twenty years of development, Hunan has been rebuilt from the ruins, and has also occupied a certain position among the Daozhou of the Han Dynasty, with both economy and culture. It is developing rapidly and is full of vitality. Even the most serious population shortage problem in the past has been alleviated after years of rest.
Hunan's current situation is due to the hard work of successive chief officials, but if we insist on erecting a merit monument, the real credit must be attributed to Bian Guitan and Zan Jurun, who laid the foundation and development.
As for Li Fang, he may have had some political achievements and achievements in Hunan, but they are completely incomparable to the first two. Li Fang probably knew it in his heart, but when faced with the prince's compliments, he still remained calm and humble.
For now, Zhao Kuangyi governs Hunan and Li Fang governs Hubei. Judging from the personnel employed by the court, we can already see the importance attached to the development of the two lakes areas.
He said goodbye to the prince, and expressed his gratitude to the relatives and friends who came to see him off. Finally, Li Fang called his eldest son Li Zongna and confessed: "When you stay in the capital, you should keep your peace, cultivate your character, take good care of your family, and educate your brothers. , we must also serve as a role model!”
"Yes!" Li Zongne was still young and looked personable and well-educated. It was obvious that he had a good tutor.
Although Liu Yang had a close relationship with Li Fang, he was not very familiar with the situation in his house. At this time, Li Zongna couldn't help but admire Li Zongna's solemn and respectful look and said: "You have a son like this. Master Li has a family heirloom." ah!"
...
The car decorated with yellow silk was driving slowly on the official road, embarking on the journey back to the city. In the car, Liu Yang closed his eyes slightly, as if he was resting his mind, but his mood was not very high.
Murong Defeng sat aside to accompany him, not wanting to disturb him for a while. After a while, he finally said, "Is Your Highness still aggrieved by Mr. Li's misfortune?"
Liu Yang opened his eyes and looked at Murong Defeng. There was not much sadness in his bright eyes. He said softly: "The matter has come to this, what's the use of being unjust? Furthermore, the impact of the Drum Case has been affected in a short time." Guilt cannot be eliminated. If you stay in the capital, you will be criticized all the time. It is better to take a step back. Jiangling is also a prosperous place, so it is a good place to go. Your Majesty is like this, and you have no intention of protecting Master Li."
Hearing what Liu Yang said, Murong Defeng was a little surprised and said: "Since Your Highness can see clearly, why are you still frowning?"
Liu Yang smiled and suddenly asked: "How is the investigation going? Is there any progress?"
Upon hearing this question, Murong Defeng immediately became serious, sighed, shook his head and said: "There is no progress yet, almost nothing has been obtained. After these days of exploration, all I know is that after the results were released, Xu Shilian was already very angry and said Talk wildly.
The clues pointed to the Picking Flowers Building in Yongpingfang, Nancheng, where Xu Shilian and a group of scholars gathered to discuss the results of the trial. It was then that the rumor that Li Gong used love for scholars spread, and Xu Shilian said on the spot that he would report it to the press.
I secretly asked several people present, and according to them, they only thought that Xu Shilian was drunk at that time, and never thought that after His Majesty returned to Beijing, he really went there and caused such a big disturbance..."
"In my opinion, if someone is secretly stirring up trouble, it must be someone who was present at Zhihualou that day. However, the people were mixed at the time, so it is a bit difficult to identify who it is!" Murong Defeng seemed to have a headache: "In addition, Xu Shilian left the capital. Before, I went to see him. According to reports, he drank a lot that day. I only found out that someone mentioned the relationship between Li Gong and Wu Jichuan, a fellow villager. Later, it was revealed that Wu Jichuan had visited him with gifts, which made him angry. Complain..."
Hearing this, Liu Yang couldn't help but sigh: "This Xu Shilian, he can remember other people's instigating words, but he can't remember the person who instigated him?"
There was a little disdain in Murong Defeng's tone: "Your Highness, in my opinion, this person is a bit narrow-minded, so naturally he can only remember those slanderous remarks!"
"That's all!" Liu Yang waved his hand: "There is no need to continue investigating this matter!"
Murong Defeng said doubtfully: "Your Highness, although there are some difficulties, if we continue to investigate, we may not be able to find out the mastermind behind the scenes."
Liu Yang still shook his head, his eyes looking a little confused: "So what if we find out..."
Liu Yang also knew that if there was really someone behind this incident, there would probably be only a few people with motives. And even if the investigation continues, I am afraid there will be no further results. It is difficult to prove such a thing with conclusive evidence, and it is easy to clean up the hands and feet.
Moreover, even if there is an investigation, no matter what, there is no possibility of conviction. The incident was initiated by Xu Shilian, and his actions in the dark only served to add fuel to the flames.
A sigh came from Liu Yang's mouth. He was becoming more and more mature, and his position was becoming more and more stable. However, troubles continued to invade him like a tide, and many troubles that he had never considered before also came with him.
So what about the prince, the hidden arrow from the shadow corner is aimed at the prince!
