It was late at night, and the bustling city of Luoyang stopped the hustle and bustle of the day and gradually returned to calm.
Although there is no curfew in the imperial capital at night, there are almost no pedestrians on the brightly lit streets. The crescent moon is cold, the stars are shining at several o'clock, and the imperial palaces in the distance are lit up with lanterns, making them even more majestic and spectacular in the darkness.
Small groups of soldiers with bright armor and holding halberds and swords walked through the quiet streets from time to time. They were well-trained and marched neatly. They were the elite of the imperial army that defended the capital.
In the royal palace's announcement room, Emperor Chen Zhao Chang was leaning on the case to review the memorials. The young eunuch beside him held a silver hairpin in his hand and gently lit the oil lamp on the case a little more brightly.
The great eunuch Zhao Delu bowed and approached quietly from outside, calling in a low voice: "Your Majesty... the commanding officer in front of the palace is Ma Zude, who has an audience outside the palace."
"Well..." Emperor Chen raised his head from a pile of memorials, rubbed his temples as if a little tired, and said in a deep voice: "Xiang him to come in."
Ma Zude walked into the palace with steady steps, knelt down and paid homage to Emperor Chen, then leaned over and said: "Your Majesty, there is news about the Imperial Preceptor. The last time the Imperial Preceptor left the capital, Your Majesty asked the ministers... to do their best to investigate the whereabouts of the Imperial Preceptor. I am ordered to do so." In collaboration with the Yulin Guards, as well as scouts and spies from various states and counties in the world, we have now found out that the Imperial Master appeared in Dengzhou, Shandong two days ago."
"Oh..." Chen Di raised his eyebrows, stood up suddenly, and said with a serious look on his face: "Tell me again, where did he go?"
Mazum's heart tightened upon seeing this, he lowered his head lower, and repeated it carefully while lying on the ground.
Emperor Chen picked up the oil lamp on the desk, took two quick steps, stretched out his hand and opened the curtain on the wall beside the desk, revealing a huge territory map.
He held the oil lamp in one hand and groped for it on the map with the other, looking attentively.
Mazu De lowered his head and did not dare to take a breath. The eunuchs held their breath, and the palace was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
"Bang...bang"... Emperor Chen found the location of Dengzhou on the map and tapped it twice with his knuckles.
"Here...by the sea? Dengzhou is close to the sea. Is this old...old gentleman going to the sea? What does he want to do?" Chen Di took a breath and seemed a little angry.
He turned around and put the oil lamp on the table. When he saw Mazumde who was still lying on the ground, he squeezed out a smile and said warmly: "Come on, you did a good job this time. In the future, you must learn to be smarter and know how to do things for others." I share your worries... You order the scouts from all states and counties to pay close attention to every move of the national division, and if there is any news, report it as soon as possible!"
Ma Zude stood up as if he was amnesty. Emperor Chen's face was uncertain, and he tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "Our old gentleman does not let me worry at all. The sea is very windy and rough, if something goes wrong , let me... How can I see the late emperor under Jiuquan in the future? You must... take good care of the imperial preceptor, and don't let me... bear the name of being unkind!" Ma Zudenonuo said yes, and Emperor Chen waved tiredly Waving his hand, he quickly and carefully retreated.
Chen Di slowly sat down, rubbed his brows again, and leaned on the back of the chair with his eyes slightly closed. Sometimes he frowned, sometimes he smiled, sometimes there was a hint of anger on his face, and he didn't know what he was thinking in his heart. .
Several eunuchs and maids around were very careful, even walking lightly on tiptoes, for fear of getting into trouble.
After a long time, Emperor Chen opened his eyes, looked around, and beckoned: "Delu, I'm a little tired. Come here, give me a leg, and the others can step back." After speaking, he stretched his arms lazily. Take out one leg and place it on the brocade pier aside.
All the eunuchs and maids bowed and exited the Xuanshi Hall. Zhao Delu bowed and approached, knelt on the ground, held Emperor Chen's thighs in his arms, and beat them gently with his fists.
"Delu, I have to worry about many things every day when I manage this huge country, but there are always some people who don't let me worry about it. Do you know which two types of people are the most difficult to manage in the world?" Emperor Chen said slowly. asked.
"Your Majesty... I only know how to serve Your Majesty. I am stupid and I really don't understand this." Zhao Delu lowered his head and responded in a low voice.
"Well... In this world, people who practice martial arts are the most difficult to control, especially those who have mastered their martial arts to the highest level. Such people appear to be gentle and courteous on the surface, but in fact they refuse to obey anyone. They may even kill the king and stab him in anger. Driving. There is also a kind of scholar. This kind of person is even more hateful. He talks duplicity and confuses right and wrong. Their pens are as good as swords and guns. They not only kill people but also kill people. Delu... Do you think these two types of people are the most deserving of death? !" Emperor Chen said to Zhao Delu as if talking to himself.
Zhao Delu was too scared to speak and buried his head lower. Emperor Chen thought to himself again: "Chivalrous people use martial arts to violate the law, and Confucianism uses literature to disrupt the law. The most hateful thing is that someone can combine the two into one, with both civil and military skills, first-class in the world, hum... I really thought there was nothing I could do. ?"
Emperor Chen lowered his head and glanced at Zhao Delu, who was silent, and sighed: "Delu... I feel... miserable in my heart! Although I am rich all over the world, sitting on thousands of miles of mountains and rivers. But... I don't even have a single person." There is no one who can express my opinions. I am truly a loner. The late Emperor entrusted me with this heavy burden before his death. I cannot eat and sleep at night...Everyone in the world thinks that being an emperor is the most comfortable thing. However, they all envy me, are jealous of me, and even... there are always some unscrupulous people who want to harm me. In fact, being an emperor is the most difficult job in the world. Who can know and understand my difficulties? I feel so miserable..."
Zhao Delu was so frightened that he did not dare to speak. He just beat Chen Di's legs hard.
After not listening to Chen Di's words for a long time, he secretly looked up and found that Chen Di's head was resting on the back of the chair, and he was already asleep at some point...
Dingding Prime Minister's Mansion, the candles on the case are brightly lit. Ding Wenruo sat by the table with one hand on her chin and wondered what she was thinking about. She put her other slender hand on her knee. Occasionally, she stretched out a green jade-white finger and gestured with something on her knee. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and her skin was thin. The long eyelashes covered her eyes, and she was in a daze.
"Wen Ruo, it's so late, why don't you go to bed?" Ding Feiyong put down the pen in his hand, picked up the tea cup placed aside, took a sip, and asked with a half-smile.
"Oh...I...I'm not very sleepy tonight. I'm going to...sleep now, and my father will have a rest early." Ding Wenruo woke up suddenly when he heard his father's question and replied slightly panicked.
"Well! Go ahead..." Ding Feiyong glanced at Ding Wenruo lovingly, and couldn't help but add: "Actually...there are countless talented young people in this world. Did those two young men today surprise you? You have followed your grandfather since childhood. What kind of outstanding people have I not seen around me, and why have I ever been so distracted?"
"Father...you...don't talk nonsense!" Ding Wenruo was exposed to his thoughts, a blush appeared on his tender face, he muttered in a low voice, stood up and walked towards the inner hall.
"Okay, okay, as a father, let's not talk about you, let's talk about the two of them..." Ding Feiyong stroked his long black beard and smiled. Ding Wenruo couldn't help but slow down after hearing this.
"The young man named He An has a noble character and perseverance. His calligraphy is unique and combines the strengths of famous masters of the past dynasties. There is gold and stone in the dripping ink, and it is obvious that he already has the style of a master... He has such attainments at a young age. , even if you have the guidance of a famous teacher, you still need to have extraordinary talent and understanding. You must know that in calligraphy, apart from diligent study and practice, there is no shortcut, only boring copying and copying day after day, so this person's tough character can be seen Yip. During the conversation with him today, he did not blindly agree with many issues. His attitude towards problems and methods of solving problems were neither radical nor negative, but he showed a maturity that was not consistent with his age. Only those who have experienced the world Only those who go through hardships will mature as early as possible and be so calm at this age. He should be from a humble background and have been poor since childhood..."
Ding Feiyong saw that Ding Wenruo was listening with rapt attention. At this time, he deliberately kept silent and picked up the tea cup with a smile and took a sip.
Ding Wenruo was listening attentively, but her father paused in his words. She turned around and saw the smile on her father's face. She stamped her feet coquettishly and said: "Father, your smile... is so annoying. Hurry up and say it, I'm still going. sleeping!"
Ding Wenruo's mother passed away early, and Ding Feiyong doted on his precious daughter. He even dared to slap Gu Qingzhou, the Duke of Gu Qingzhou, for his beloved daughter. Although he supervises Ding Wenruo's homework very strictly on weekdays, he sometimes likes to make some harmless jokes.
Seeing that his precious daughter was angry, he hurriedly spat out a piece of tea in his mouth and continued: "He An was born in a humble background. Although he was poor since he was a child, he became poor and strong, and he did not lose his ambition. He wrote down almost without thinking "The Book of Changes" opens with "Heaven moves vigorously, and a gentleman strives to constantly strive for self-improvement." This shows that this man has great ambitions in his heart and is definitely not a common man! He is worthy of the four-character comment of noble character...
As for the man named Fan Dazhi, he seemed simple and dull, but in fact he had an exquisite mind, and this young man even surprised his father. He knew many classics that were so obscure and difficult to understand that even his father had forgotten them for a long time. Under my deliberate probing, he was able to recite large sections of the text fluently. This was by no means a temporary exercise, or a superficial effort to show off his knowledge in front of others and to show off his appearance. You must know that knowledge cannot be faked. The depth of a person's knowledge can be seen in his words when he opens his mouth. As a father, I have never seen such a smart person in all these years, and today I even had the idea of accepting him as my disciple. It's a pity that this person has a lazy temperament. If he had He An's diligent nature, his future achievements would be limitless! "
When Ding Feiyong said this, he shook his head with regret and said: "In this world, there is no perfect person. Although this guy is mediocre in appearance, in terms of intelligence, he is far above He An. Don't be fooled by him." Deceived by the vulgar appearance, the so-called wise man is like a fool, this is the kind of person he is talking about! Well... Wen Ruo, I have finished what I want to say as a father. In the future, you can learn more from the two of them in terms of studies. It is not early. Now, go and have a rest!"
When Ding Wenruo heard what his father said so clearly, he couldn't help but think of that handsome young man with a long body and a tall body, holding a pen and writing, and his cheeks couldn't help but heat up. Then thinking of the lazy and fat little fat man next to him, a smile flashed between his eyebrows. When he heard his father urging him to rest, he responded in a low voice, turned around and walked briskly towards the inner hall.
Ding Feiyong turned off the light, walked out of the room, walked through a corridor, and walked slowly towards his father's bedroom. Before he entered the door, he heard a violent cough.
He opened the door and saw that a servant had just served Ding Fengyuan to drink medicine, and the room was filled with a strong smell of medicine. Under the dim light, Ding Fengyuan was lying on the couch. The former prime minister now had sunken eye sockets, messy bun, and his bones had been tortured by illness.
When the servant saw Ding Feiyong coming in, he bowed and left. Ding Fengyuan struggled to sit up, and then started coughing violently while covering his chest. Ding Feiyong sat on the edge of the couch and watched his father's face turn red, coughing heartbreakingly, and gently patted his back with his hand.
Ding Fengyuan coughed and the veins on his neck bulged. He tremblingly took out a snow-white handkerchief from his arms and covered his mouth.
"Father..." Ding Feiyong was secretly shocked. Not long ago, Cheng Ziya, the head of Zhixing Hospital, gave his father a golden needle to test his acupoints. Seeing that his condition had improved, why was he coughing so badly now?
"Yong'er... your father is... terminally ill. In your heart... you should blame your father for not allowing you to become an official in the court. You are a civil and military official... you are indeed the pillar of the country... you can be of great use. ...But..." Ding Fengyuan said with difficulty as his Adam's apple rolled and his voice was slightly hoarse.
"Father...the court is so treacherous and ever-changing now, and the child has long lost his thoughts. You always..."
Before he finished speaking, Ding Fengyuan waved his hand and interrupted: "Since the death of the late emperor... Li Xingzhi is the only person in the civil and military dynasty who can be entrusted to him. Today... he is not as talented and broad-minded as the late emperor, and he is as accepting of advice as he is. Liu, not as good as...the eldest prince is generous and kind. The late emperor was at his peak in the Spring and Autumn Period...but... suddenly Longnu Bintian...Looking back now...there are many things in this court...that are weird..." Ding Fengyuan said Here, I couldn't help but cough painfully.
After a long while, he gasped and said: "No matter what happens... in the future, you... remember... Master and disciple Li Xingzhi... Zhixingyuan... is the only one you can entrust..."
