Lu Guangping looked around and suddenly laughed: "To be honest, Brother Huan, today's banquet is just a farewell party. Tomorrow we will leave Chang'an and return to our hometowns!"
"Each of you go back to your hometown?" Huan Yanfan looked at everyone in the courtyard and saw that everyone was smiling, and some even nodded to him. It didn't look like they had failed in Chang'an and had to return home. He looks decadent. Besides, there are so many people in the courtyard, all of them are Cui, Lu, Zhao, Li, Wang and other high-ranking disciples from Hebei. They all want to leave Chang'an and go back to their hometown. Could it be that something happened?
"That's right!" A fat man next to Lu Guangping smiled and said: "Although Chang'an is good, it is not a place where we will live forever. Today, the wind is blowing and the eagle spreads its wings. It is better to go back!"
"Yes, the wind is blowing, the eagle spreads its wings! Go back, go back!"
"Yes, what Brother Gao said is exactly what I meant!"
"We are lucky enough to be at the moment when the world is moving and the stars are spreading across the rivers and fields. We should show our talents to the fullest and stop searching for rules and regulations and bowing down for five buckets of rice!"
Hearing the continuous words of people in the courtyard, the more Huan Yanfan listened, the more he felt that something was wrong. At first, what these people said could be said to be homesickness and complaints about the current situation by those who were unhappy. This kind of emotion was very popular among the foreign scholars in Chang'an. It is also very common. After all, in any era, there are only a very small number of people who are successful, and the majority are unsuccessful. Even after becoming an official from a famous family like myself, he is already in the Shangshu Province at a young age. There are also unintentional I offended Shizhong Pei and felt uneasy. But what he said later was not complaints and homesickness, but his ambition to keep the world in peace.
"Brother Huan, these guys drank a few too many drinks and talked nonsense, no wonder!" Lu Guangping saw Huan Yanfan's thoughts and said with a smile: "Here, have another drink!"
"Thank you!" Huan Yanfan got wary and thanked him, but put down the wine glass in his hand: "May I ask, what are Brother Lu's plans after returning home?"
"Plans?" Lu Guangping smiled: "What other plans can I have? After being away from home for such a long time, the fields must have been a little deserted. After returning home, I will naturally tidy up the fields, study in spring and summer, and hunt with my children in autumn and winter. Let’s talk about martial arts!”
Different from the scholars in the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties after the rise of the imperial examination system, the scholars in the Han and Tang dynasties were usually powerful men from generation to generation, rather than the small landowners of the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties. Their economy was based on manors, and socially they were based on rural tribes and clans. As a bond, it has strong political, economic and even military mobilization capabilities. An outstanding scholar of the Han and Tang dynasties must not only be proficient in classics, but also know how to organize production and military command. During the busy farming period, he must direct the production of the manor, and during the slack farming period, he must organize the young and middle-aged men of the clan in the village for military training. Therefore, Lu Guangping's answer can be said to be the standard answer of scholars at that time, but Huan Yanfan was not satisfied after hearing it. It was obvious that what he just said was more than that!
"Brother Lu said that, could he be on guard?" Huan Yanfan's face darkened: "What did you just say about the strong wind rising, the eagle spreading its wings, and the world moving? I heard it all, and now what are you saying? Reading and shooting, isn’t this making fun of me?”
"Brother Huan, don't be anxious!" Lu Guangping said with a smile: "The words you just heard were not from me. Besides, we are all friends. If we get together to drink a few glasses of wine and talk nonsense, you should You won’t go to the Yongzhou government office to report me!”
Huan Yanfan snorted coldly, knowing that the other party would definitely not admit what he just said. He had a grudge in his heart, and naturally the taste in his mouth was gone after drinking the wine. He casually made some small talk and stood up to leave. Lu Guangping stood up Send it to the door and then go downstairs. Huan Yanfan walked to the alley, looked back at the courtyard door, and thought to himself that these crazy people might have drunk too much, and he had no credentials, so why bother to be a villain? It is better to do less than to do more.
The next day Huan Yanfan came to the Yamen Dianmao. As soon as he entered the second door, he saw his boss sitting in the hall. He looked at him angrily and called him by his first name: "Huan Yanfan, how did you get along with Pei Shizhong in the political hall yesterday?" What are you talking about? See, you are also a son of an official. Didn’t your elders teach you how to treat people and treat others?"
Huan Yanfan's heart thumped, and he immediately knew what happened yesterday, and hurriedly took two steps forward: "Reporting to the superior officer, yesterday the lower official went to the political affairs hall to submit documents. Pei Shizhong may be in a bad mood, and as soon as he got the documents, he He blamed the official for the late delivery, and the official replied that according to the custom, the document was sent to the general first, and then to the attendant, and the attendant became angry. However, this was indeed the old rule, and the official followed suit. ——”
"Shut up, shut up!" When the boss heard this, he was furious: "You are a killer. Shizhong Pei said you were wrong, but you still dare to talk back. Is the old rule what you should say? How dare you make irresponsible remarks to Shizhong Pei? What do you mean when you say that in the past, the general was sent first and then Pei Shizhong? Does it mean that Pei Shizhong is a little lower than the general? You are really stupid as a donkey. I actually sent you to the political affairs hall to submit documents. Really I'm blind, I deserve to be scolded by the servant! Get out, get out, get out!"
Huan Yanfan was scolded down the hall by his boss. Only then did he understand why his boss was so angry. He was obviously scolded severely by Pei Judao, and now he was taking his anger out on himself. He didn't dare to go to the hall, and he didn't dare to go back. He could only stand in the courtyard. None of his former colleagues dared to talk to him. He was like a transparent person, which was extremely embarrassing.
It wasn't until almost noon that a familiar colleague pulled him aside and asked, "Brother Huan, why are you still standing here?"
"You should know it too!" Huan Yanfan said with a bitter smile: "I offended Shizhong Pei and was scolded by my boss just now. I neither dare to go to court nor go home. I can only stand here and act stupid and make you laugh!"
"Hey, you are unlucky. When Pei Shizhong got angry, it would be the same for anyone else!" The colleague comforted him: "But don't stand here anymore!"
"What's wrong? Shangguan doesn't like me and wants me to go back?" Huan Yanfan asked.
"Hey, you also know his temper. He is the most timid. You have offended a powerful person like Pei Shizhong. How can he dare to make his own decisions?" His colleague laughed.
"Then if I go back, won't I offend him?"
"Hey, your biggest trouble now is actually not him!" The colleague pointed to the hall: "I have a friend in the official department. I heard that Shizhong Pei has posted a message and wants to drive you to a certain state in Hunan to join the army and become a Sima. Whatever, if you have any secrets at home, you’d better come up with a solution quickly? Otherwise, if it’s a done deal, you’ll be doomed!”
"What, joining the army and being a Sima in a certain state in Hunan?" Huan Yanfan's face changed drastically: "How could this happen? Pei Judao, this old man, is so vicious. If I just say a word that doesn't suit his wishes, he will ruin my life!"
"Hey, why would the big shots care about the life and death of the little guys like me?" The colleague sighed: "For him, it's just a slight punishment, so don't complain, it won't help. If you have any skills at home, , Use what you can use as soon as possible, otherwise it will be too late for you when the official documents come down!"
"Okay, I'll go right away!" Huan Yanfan was already anxious at this time. He ran out for two steps, stopped again, turned around and bowed to his colleague: "Huan is grateful for today's kindness. I will definitely do it tomorrow." Great reward!" After saying that, he got up and ran away.
When Huan Yanfan returned to his residence, he quickly packed up and went to the homes of his elders one by one to explain his purpose. However, what disappointed him was that no matter how he begged, the elders who were close to him showed their indifference. There is nothing that can be done about it, even the most positive person is helpless. In their words: "General Wang is about to leave the capital. Chang'an is already dominated by Pei Shizhong. He has a strong temper and has a daughter in charge of the Sixth Palace. If you piss him off, this disaster will probably be inevitable!" "
Huan Yanfan traveled for two days and only returned to his residence at dusk. He was full of fatigue and disappointment. When he thought that he was about to leave Chang'an and go to a remote state and county in Hunan to become a military commander, he felt that he was in front of him. Without light, will my future be doomed?
"Brother Huan, Brother Huan!"
"Ah?" Huan Yanfan heard someone calling him, and when he turned around, he saw it was Lu Guangping. He jumped off the horse, holding two water birds in his hands, and said with a smile: "I went out for an outing with a few friends today. , everyone was betting on shooting, and luckily shot two waterfowl. I wanted to make some soup, but I didn’t want to run into my brother, so come to my house and have a drink together!”
"Congratulations, brother!" Huan Yanfan had no intention of visiting other people's homes at this time: "It's just that I have some business tonight and I have to go back to deal with it, so I won't bother you!"
"Official business? Why doesn't it look like that to me?" Lu Guangping looked at Huan Yanfan, who had empty hands and a dazed look on his face: "Brother Huan, don't you look down on us and think that we, the unofficials, have humiliated you by drinking with us? If that’s the case, forget it!”
"What did Brother Lu say?" Huan Yanfan hurriedly judged, and he sighed: "It is true that I have no business tonight, but I encountered an unfortunate incident, and I really am not in the mood to drink!"
"Since something bad happened, it's even more important to have a few drinks to dispatch the dispatch!" Lu Guangping couldn't help but grabbed Huan Yanfan's arm and walked towards his residence, shouting to the accompanying servants: "You go Prepare these two waterfowls and buy some wine and food. I want to have a few more drinks with Brother Huan tonight!"
Huan Yanfan was dragged to his residence by Lu Guangping, and saw that the furnishings were simple. There was only a layer of reed mats on the floor, a low table and a bed on top, and nothing else. Lu Guangping asked Huan Yanfan to sit down, poured water and said with a smile: "I am a happy person. If you have worries tomorrow, you will have to worry about tomorrow. There is no need to worry about today. Brother Huan, your ancestors were high officials, and you have already become brown at a young age (commoners wear brown clothes). , meaning “official”), even if there are some delays in your official career, don’t worry too much!”
Huan Yanfan laughed bitterly when he heard this: "Brother Lu, you don't know the details, let's put it this way! You said yesterday that after returning home, you will study in the spring and summer, and hunt in the autumn and winter. From now on, I can't even hope for it!"
"Oh? Why do you say that? At most you can just resign and don't do anything, so what's the difficulty?"
Huan Yanfan sighed and recounted what happened yesterday when he made a mistake and offended Pei Judao: "Pei Judao was angry with me and wanted to demote me to a certain state in Hunan to serve as an army sergeant. They are all barbaric and miasmatic places. I am here." If you don’t know if you can come back alive once you go, what else can you say?”
"So that's what happened!" Lu Guangping nodded: "This Pei Judao is very vicious. You didn't say anything wrong. You just said a few truths that he didn't like to hear, so he did it so viciously. You rush to the wilderness."
At this time, Lu Guangping's servant had already brought wine. Huan Yanfan poured himself a glass and sighed: "The matter has come to this, and there is no use in talking about anything else. I have been to more than a dozen of my father's generation in the past two days." At home, I begged them to intercede on my behalf, but as soon as they heard that the person I offended was Shizhong Pei, they all changed their minds. They all said that the general was about to leave Chang'an, and no one could control him anymore! Advise me to accept my fate!"
Lu Guangping was speechless for a long time after hearing Huan Yanfan's complaint. After a while, he said, "I do have a way to solve Brother Huan's problem, but I don't know if Brother Huan is willing to do it!"
After hearing what Lu Guangping said, Huan Yanfan thought that the other party was playing a trick on him, and said angrily: "Brother Lu, I have never offended you, why are you adding insult to injury and teasing me, a person in trouble?"
"Who is teasing you? I really have a way, but you may not be willing to take this way!"
"Do you really have a solution to this problem?" Huan Yanfan looked at Lu Guangping's expression and confirmed that he was not joking: "Well, as long as I am not allowed to go to Hunan, even if I am dismissed from my official position and returned to my hometown, it will be a great help to me. Got it!"
"That's good!" Lu Guangping smiled. Huan Yanfan's attitude was not beyond his expectation. A child like Huan Yanfan, whose grandfather was a bachelor of Hongwen Hall, would be dismissed from the official position and returned to his hometown in the future. There are plenty of opportunities for him to make a comeback. Anyway, Pei Judao can't be a servant all his life. At most, he can study in his hometown for a few years and manage a farm for a few years before he steps down. When going to Hunan to join the army as a Sima, first of all, the journey is far away, and the climate, living environment, and diet are not suitable for him. It is very likely that his life will be lost there.
And generally speaking, people like him who were demoted from Chang'an to Hunan to serve as assistant officers like Sima who joined the army are actually no different from political prisoners. Local officials often look at them differently, and their various living conditions are far inferior to those of real prisoners. magistrate. And who knows whether Pei Judao will continue to disgust people: for example, moving one place every half a year, from Hunan to Yunnan, from Yunnan to Guangxi, from Guangxi to Hainan, from Hainan to Annan, ensuring that you are always on the road and never live in peace until Huan Yan Fan died. Compared to this completely unknown and miserable life, it would be better to take off my official robe and return to my hometown to be the owner of a manor for a few years.
When Lu Guangping saw Huan Yanfan nodded, he stopped mentioning the matter and asked his servants to bring food and wine, and then started eating and drinking with Huan Yanfan. Seeing Lu Guangping like this, Huan Yanfan didn't rush him and just ate and drank with peace of mind. By the time the two of them had cleared away the food and wine on the table, it was already completely dark outside.
(End of chapter)
