"If you are soft, you will be in vain, and if you are strong, you will be in trouble with the public: if you fail yourself, you will not be able to accomplish anything, but if you go against the public, you will not be able to achieve anything." [Wang Wenzi Li Zi said]
It was late at night, the wind and snow were blowing, and the candles were brightly lit in Chengming House.
"Time flies so fast. Looking back a few years ago, I was trapped in the hands of powerful ministers. My life was in danger and my life was in danger." The emperor took a sip of warm wine, leaned against Ping Ji and looked at the charcoal fire: "I didn't expect that everything would be turned upside down so quickly.
, and now we are today. Everyone in the world says that the Han Dynasty has won the favor of heaven and will not abandon it. The ancestors have the spirit, so they can quell the rebellion and have the hope of revival."
As he spoke, he turned to look at Xun You. The light of the charcoal fire illuminated the emperor's face red, and his eyes were bright, as if they were hiding two pieces of hot charcoal: "But in my opinion, any destiny or prophecy is nothing."
It is false. Qin first lost the hearts of the people, and then the world. Although our Han Dynasty's benevolent policies in the past dynasties had deviations, the hearts of the people were not lost. This is the foundation for repeated revivals. In addition..."
The emperor stretched out his hand and slightly raised the wine bowl as a signal, and Xun You hurriedly held it to drink with him. He only heard the other party continue to say: "Xun Jun, I can have ministers like you by my side to help me take care of the state affairs and restore Zhongxing."
"I don't dare." Xun You didn't dare to entrust him, so he humbly said: "Everything is due to your majesty's talent and talent. At such a young age, he has the appearance of a hero. Your majesty is not a god-given man, but I think it is not a god-given saint.
?”
"Then drink up this bowl." The emperor chuckled lightly, said no more, blew away the green foam on the surface of the wine, and he and Xun You drank up each.
Both Xun You and the emperor had a good drinking capacity, but he did not dare to drink more because he was concerned about the official day tomorrow. He also advised the emperor not to drink too much: "There will be a royal court in a few hours. Your Majesty, it is better to drink less tonight, so as not to cause trouble."
."
"I know, this is the only bowl." The emperor said, but he already picked up the wine spoon and scooped out the wine. Xun You was very restrained and only planned to pour it for himself tonight, so he put it in a clay pot
Not much wine was put in. The emperor only scooped out half a bowl for each of them, and the pottery pot reached the bottom.
The emperor shook the wine bowl and looked at the green foam floating on the surface of the wine and the residue at the bottom of the bowl. He reached out and picked up a piece of roasted meat with chopsticks and put it into his mouth. After chewing it slowly, he pointed with the tip of his chopsticks.
He pointed at the dishes that Mu Shun had brought and motioned for Xun You to follow suit. He said softly: "In the past few days, I have often reviewed the stories of the previous dynasties. I have also given orders to Cai Gong, Yang Gong and others to discuss the rise and fall of the past dynasties.
Why has the family prospered and declined repeatedly for four hundred years... This is also the reason why I asked the students in the previous palace examination, 'What is the worry of the people and what is the joy of the people?'"
Xun You picked up a piece of roasted meat and chewed it slowly. Although it was not as delicious as the freshly cooked meat, it was full of oily aroma and memorable. He thought about the emperor's intention and simply replied: "Government brings happiness to the people, chaos brings worry to the people."
."
"Cai Gong and others said to me, Xiaohuan, since Xiaoling, the eunuchs have been in power and disrupted the government, causing chaos in the world. The party's ban has even scattered the wise men in the wild." After the emperor took a bite, he stopped eating.
He put down his chopsticks and did not touch the last remaining wine bowl: "I think this is right, but not entirely. It has been four hundred years since the founding of this dynasty. For example, the older a person is, the more powerful he is.
Chronic diseases, what are the long-standing shortcomings of the imperial court, where are they, and how should they be rectified? These are the current priorities."
Xun You pondered for a long time, then raised his head and said to the emperor: "The imperial court does have many long-standing malpractices, such as official administration, elections, wealth, tyranny, etc. These are all the virtuous monarchs of the past dynasties who have tried hard to eradicate them. Your Majesty is young and powerful, and all
We can all proceed slowly and take a long-term approach.”
"I am going to issue another edict after the great dynasty." The emperor said with a firm look: "I order all the subjects in the world to speak freely. No matter whether there are fallacies or whether there is a solution, they can speak out the shortcomings of the government. Officials of two thousand stone and above
The chief of local orders must have something to say, and if there are those that hit the current situation, bring them to me and judge them based on their words and reward them in varying degrees."
This is tantamount to the best of both worlds. The emperor can not only know how many long-standing abuses in the court currently need to be eradicated, make a list of problems, and then solve them one by one; he can also discover talents from the memorials of his subjects, and how many officials in the marginal areas can be discovered.
This often leads to the emperor's heart being directly connected to the emperor and entering the center of power.
"Your Majesty inquires about current affairs, just like the king of Qi who accepted remonstrances." The emperor was not complacent because he quelled the rebellion at a young age. He also had the courage to eliminate the serious illness in one fell swoop, which Xun You could not help but admire from the bottom of his heart.
The emperor stared deeply into Xun You's eyes and said: "Mr.
Stand on my side. Now that I am trying to reform and reopen the prosperous world, is Mr. Xun still willing to stand with me?"
"Your Majesty..." Xun You left the table and prostrated, and said in fear: "Your Majesty wants to establish the Han Dynasty, how can I not provide oxen and horses to run around?"
Obviously, the emperor was not satisfied with Xun You's words. He suddenly said sternly: "In the past, Xun Gongda, who fought hard to kill Dong and was still talking and laughing freely in prison, is now safe? But he still remembers that time when he was angry with the powerful officials and stole their lives.
Do you care about the country and the people?"
Xun You lowered his head and said nothing. When he planned to kill Dong, he was indeed very passionate about the country and the people. Now that he is in a high position, although he has not forgotten his original intention, he has also unknowingly mixed it with selfish motives.
"I have always regarded you as a weakling," the emperor sighed helplessly, stretched out his hand to help Xun You up, and said to him: "This time, you will collect and organize the remonstrances, and prioritize them.
Separate the order one by one, and proceed in detail. I will deal with the important things later... Don't worry, I know what you are worried about. If the foundation of the Senai court remains unchanged, the world will not be in chaos."
This seemed to be a weighty promise. Xun You didn't dare to believe it easily, but he had to believe it. He looked at the emperor's sincere eyes and couldn't help but feel shaken in his heart. The emperor intended to crack down on powerful people and restrict aristocratic families. The former was Xun You's limited approval, and the latter
He has always held objections because his position is here.
At present, it is heard that the emperor still values scholars, but can ‘scholars’ represent a noble family? Xun You thought quickly in his mind, and then agreed: "I sincerely promise you."
"What do Mr. Xun think of Liu Bei?" the emperor asked, changing the subject.
Xun You thought of the exchange between the emperor and Liu Bei that he heard in the front hall in the morning. He seemed to have thought of something and blurted out: "Liu Bei has a great talent and can win the hearts of the people. He is a great person in the world."
The emperor was a little surprised when he heard Xun You's evaluation of Liu Bei. He asked: "How can we win the hearts of the people? How can we start talking about it?"
"I heard that this man was highly regarded by the public when he was in Xuzhou. Taichang Chen Gong, Taizhong doctor Zheng Gong and others all praised his benevolence. The people of Xuzhou are thinking more about him now." Xun You praised Liu Bei generously.
Perhaps his praise had an effect, or perhaps the emperor did not reuse Liu Bei's idea at the moment. The emperor did not discuss this topic in depth, but went on to finalize many details with Xun You and exchanged information with each other.
idea.
After an in-depth talk, the monarch and his ministers seemed to be much closer than before, and they had reached consensus on many aspects. For example, it was imperative to eradicate long-standing abuses, and cracking down on lawless powerful people was a fundamental issue that could not be avoided.
As the night got darker and the wind and snow outside the window began to stop, the emperor and Xun You drank the last sip of wine and walked out of the door one after another with Xun You.
At this time, a bright moon appeared in the sky, illuminating the deep night sky. The white snow outside Chengminglu was like a blanket, and it was bright under the moonlight.
The emperor took a breath of the cold air, caressed Xun You's shoulders affectionately, and said in a tone of infinite hope and encouragement: "Mr.
Yes, you must set an example for future generations!"
Xun You bowed deeply to the emperor.
When he stood up and saw the emperor's leaving figure, he suddenly thought that this might be the last time the emperor would have a heart-to-heart relationship with him.
The crunching sound of shoes walking on the snow can be clearly heard in the quiet palace road. From time to time, there is the rustling sound of snow falling on the roadside. Whenever there is movement somewhere, the guard in front of the palace is guarded by tigers.
Lang Xu Chu, the guards ordered Ma Dai and others to become nervous and looked around vigilantly.
"Your Majesty." Mu Shun looked back at the driver following the team, then looked worriedly at the dark palace road, and advised, "It's time now, so we should go back early."
The emperor looked around at the lonely night again and felt that there was nothing good to see, so he stopped at the same place. After Mu Shun called the driver, he stepped into the car with one foot and looked down at Mu Shun.
With a quick glance, he ordered: "Go to Yuanluan Palace."
When the emperor came to the Yuanluan Palace, Fu Shou had already fallen asleep. There were only a few eunuchs and palace officials taking turns keeping vigil in the palace. The emperor ordered Mu Shun to dispense with everyone's gifts and opened the palace door. This feeling of going home suddenly made him feel
His tense shoulders relaxed. The charcoal fire in the hall was about to burn out, and the Boshan stove on the table was no longer breathing smoke. The table next to the window was illuminated by the snowy light from outside. There was a handle
A round fan painted with orchid grass is placed on the shelf of the table.
There is a small space next to the inner room that is a resting place for the palace attendants. In order to take care of the nobles' daily life in the middle of the night, there will be close Cai Nu on duty here every night. Most of them will take turns to watch the night, and they are not allowed to rest during the watch. And until
As the emperor approached, the night guard Cai Nu was awakened by the movement around her.
"Ah!" Under Zhao Cainu's glare, Cainu hurriedly left the bed to greet her. She seemed to have just woken up, and before she could recover, she even subconsciously wanted to call out: "Slave" in the middle of the night.
"Silence!" Zhao Cainv hurriedly went over and covered the other person's mouth.
The Cainv's mouth was covered, and a little of the flesh on her cheeks was squeezed out. Her eyes were wide open, full of surprise, and she looked a little naive.
The emperor used the weak light behind him to see clearly the face of this young beauty. He saw that her eyebrows were lightly swept, her eyes were flowing with coquettishness, her appearance was not delicate, but a little more pretty. Her eyebrows and eyes looked like those of a neighbor who had not yet grown up.
A young girl, but her figure is already different from ordinary people.
"What's your name?" When the emperor saw her like this, he suddenly thought of a person in his mind.
Zhao Cainu had let go of her at this time, and Cainu's smart eyes instantly lowered, and she said timidly: "Slave Feng Fangnu."
When Feng Fangnu lowered her head, a golden tweezer stuck in the back of her hair was exposed. The tweezers were used to remove eyelashes and gray hair, but like the comb, they were also used for combing hair at first, and then gradually became a tweezers.
A piece of jewelry on the hair.
The tweezers were inlaid with beaded flowers and were extremely gorgeous. When the emperor saw this, as if it was an illusion, he felt that Feng Fangnu was even more charming. He subconsciously said: "The tweezers on your head are beautiful."
"Your Majesty, this is what the eldest princess gave to the nobleman when she cleaned up the old things in the palace. Recently, the nobleman also gave it to the slave." Seeing that the emperor was not angry because she dozed off, Feng Fang's daughter gradually became more courageous, and her new
When I got this thing, I couldn't help but show off a bit when I introduced it: "This is called Qian Jinbao Tweezer, and it comes from Luoyang Nangong."
The emperor smiled and thought the other party was interesting. Why hadn't he seen Feng Fang's daughter in Fushou Palace before? Little did he know that Fu Shou was worried that Feng Fang's daughter would escape and cause trouble in front of the emperor, so every time he saw her,
The emperor sent Feng Fangnu away.
"Who is it?" Fu Shou in the curtain pavilion was still awakened. She noticed that there was a light dimly lit outside the heavy curtain, so she asked.
"It's me." The emperor immediately turned around and walked inside, saying in a loud voice.
Behind them, Mu Shun, Zhao Cainu and others immediately retreated with others.
Fu Shou recognized the emperor's voice and said with surprise and joy: "Your Majesty..." She tried to get out of the warm quilt to salute, but was held down by the emperor: "It's so late, please rest quickly.
"
The emperor took off his coat on his own, wearing only a single coat, and quickly got into the quilt. The cool air immediately poured into the quilt, and Fu Shou felt that he immediately fell into a slightly cold but familiar embrace.
"Why did your Majesty come here so late? Isn't there a royal court tomorrow?" Fu Shou felt a little uncomfortable in the cool embrace and asked doubtfully.
The emperor seemed unaware, still holding the person in his arms tightly, and subconsciously stroking the hair on Fu Shou's back with one hand: "I couldn't sleep in the Xuan room. Seeing the snow falling, I went to Chengming House to talk to Xun Jun. Then.
I remembered that in the winter a few years ago, there was such heavy snow, it was also the first month, and you warmed soup for me after the banquet...so I thought about it...do you still remember?"
"It's been so long, it's hard for Your Majesty to still remember it in your heart." Fu Shou suddenly felt warm all over his body. Finally, he felt something was wrong and raised his head slightly: "Your Majesty is in a bad mood?"
"Why do you say that?" The emperor put his chin on Fu Shou's head and patted his back lightly with his palms.
"Your Majesty never drinks before important events." Fu Shou sniffed the smell of alcohol on the other party, felt the gentle tap on his back, bent his knees slightly, and began to relax: "And His Majesty is nostalgic, and his mood changes every time he thinks of the past.
It won’t be good.”
The emperor smiled softly and said in a low voice: "Am I nostalgic? They say I am very careful and care less about trivial matters."
"That's..." Fu Shou seemed to want to explain, but was held down by the emperor's hand.
"Okay, it's been so long."
In the darkness, Fu Shou raised his head and seemed to be able to see a glimmer of light in the emperor's eyes, and heard the emperor say with regret: