259 As long as his students can be returned to him
The empress still has to think about how to award the reward, so she has put this matter on hold for the time being and will discuss it later.
Next came the complicated political and military affairs. The atmosphere in the court did not remain happy and optimistic for long after Li Yi was executed and Xu Zhengye retreated to Jiangning.
Judging from the memorials handed in from various places, the current situation is getting worse and worse.
Although there has not been a major disaster like Xu Zhengye's for the time being, the embankment of thousands of miles has collapsed in the ant nest, not to mention that the inside of this "dam" is no longer solid and solid, especially when the saint extended his knife to the Pei family, Changsun family and other people.
After the aristocratic family.
The counterattacks brought about by these measures have begun to emerge.
People's hearts are shaken, political orders are blocked... there are endless voices of crusade.
The empress made many countermeasures to deal with this. She was cautious and diligent, but in this cautiousness, she began to become more and more suspicious.
She had to be suspicious.
When Wei Shuyi returned to Beijing yesterday, he told her about "Li Yi's rebellion. Someone sent a letter to remind and instigate him. The letter stated that the saint wanted to use He Wei as the new commander to replace Li Yi, so Li Yi was able to set up a trap to kill him in advance."
inside story.
And Chang Suining's suspicion of Prince Rong's Mansion.
Regardless of whether the mastermind behind this incident is Prince Rong's Mansion or not, it can be concluded at the moment that there is a traitor around her.
When the grain and grass shipped to Shouzhou were robbed by Xu's rebel army, the empress had already become suspicious, suspecting that someone had leaked the grain and grass transportation route.
She tried to investigate and replaced a group of people, but now it seems... she still hasn't been able to find the real suspicious person.
Therefore, she will continue to investigate and search.
At this moment, the empress looked at the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty and listened to the highly divergent voices, and she gradually realized that few of them were truly trustworthy.
The dragon chair she is sitting on seems to be high and majestic, but it is as if it is placed on the ice, on the edge of a cliff. She holds the imperial power in her hands, but she is also driven by this power and does not dare to be careless.
Don't dare to put real trust in anyone.
This was once the supreme power that she was willing to exchange everything for. Later, she gradually understood that it was more difficult to keep it for a long time than to obtain it.
Because there were too many matters and the disagreements were too mixed, the morning meeting lasted until nearly noon. This has been the norm in the past few months.
Despite this, the Holy Emperor still summoned all the ministers to go to the Manlu Hall to continue the discussion.
Yao Yi has not been left behind, and there are still many official affairs in Dali Temple that require him to take care of.
He followed many officials out of the hall and saw that most officials had tired looks on their faces.
Of course, Taifu Chu was very tired even at his age. At this moment, there were two civil servants supporting the old man, one on the left and the other on the right, and several other officials were accompanying him, caring about his health.
Most of these were disciples of Taifu Chu, and they were all called teachers.
"...Why should the teacher get angry and argue with those people personally over a girl's reward?"
"Yes, teacher, I'm waiting..."
"The spring scientific examination is about to begin. Teachers are already very busy, so why get angry over trivial matters? If you are so angry that your body is damaged, it is not worth it."
"A girl with a foreign surname can be granted the title of county lord. The county lord also has a high level of food and salary, which can be regarded as a generous reward..."
Upon hearing this, Taifu Chu's face darkened, he threw away the official's support, and said angrily: "Since being the head of the county is so good, then you can take off your official uniform and put on an undergarment to receive this generous reward.
When I need to get married again in Dasheng in the future, please remember to put your head on top of my head and thank the dragon for his grace!"
"..." The official was stunned when he heard this, opened his mouth, and said with a smile: "The student is a Jinshi, and he should serve the country with his talents..."
Taifu Chu's anger continued: "You also know that being the county leader is a surrender? It is a waste of talents? You are the only one who can serve the country? Why can't this girl? She can go into battle to kill the enemy and protect the people of the state, so you should kill too.
Take a look!"
The official's face turned red for a moment, and he quickly clasped his hands and apologized: "Teacher, please calm down...it was the student who made a mistake."
The officials who had been scolded by Master Chu in court passed by and saw this scene, and suddenly they felt a lot more balanced.
Although the old master had a venomous mouth, he scolded everyone equally.
Master Chu also threw away the other disciple who was supporting him.
The official looked confused, but he didn't dare to say a word.
"...None of the words I said made sense! It's annoying to hear! Don't even follow me!"
Taifu Chu threw away his sleeves and left, leaving a group of disciples looking at each other with big eyes and small eyes. In the end, they just sighed.
A group of people walked together, and the official who was scolded just now said: "The teacher's tone seems to be particularly unpleasant today... Why does the word 'county chief' bother the teacher so much?"
He thought carefully about it, and the teacher suddenly started to go crazy today in Chao Shang... No, he was speaking, it was because he heard the words about making the Chang family girl the county head.
Although I don't quite understand the reason, it seems that the word "county master" is a key word that triggers the teacher to curse, and it must not be mentioned in the future.
An official said: "The teacher has always cherished talents. I think he really recognized the talent of this girl from the Chang family... Don't you know that the teacher goes to the Tailou once every ten days to see the picture of tigers roaming in the mountains and forests?"
"It turns out that this girl from the Chang family is really extraordinary. Wen Ke became famous in the capital with one painting, and she can go to the battlefield and kill the leader of thieves..." Someone sighed: "She is indeed a very talented person."
The official who had been silent just now seemed to suddenly understand something when he heard this.
He suddenly sighed: "There was once such an extraordinary talent..."
Everyone looked at him, wondering who he was talking about.
The official sighed again: "Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
That is the teacher's favorite student.
Maybe the teacher misses his students.
The teacher is old and has an irritable temper. Even if he misses her, he won't say he misses her, it will only turn into a temper tantrum.
"Your Highness the Prince..." Several officials sighed: "Heaven is jealous of this great talent..."
If His Highness the Crown Prince had not died young and justly succeeded to the throne, how could there be such a situation now?
The Taifu loves talents, but he is very picky. Many talented people are mediocre in his eyes. The love for talents that has no place to put is all given to that student.
How much love there is, how unwilling it is.
From then on, the Taifu's temperament became more and more moody.
…
"...I am willing to be someone else's puppet, die in vain, and read all the books into the dog's belly! I taught you in vain!"
After sitting on the official sedan, the moody Taifu Chu suddenly cursed in the sedan.
No one responded to him.
But if she were here, she would definitely be shameless and retaliate in a serious manner - Yes, I am a dog student and you are a dog teacher.
He could still think of the annoying way the student looked when he retorted.
He will definitely hit him with a book, and she will definitely hide. If he can't hide, she will pull his beard when he is asleep next time, and even say that she will catch lice for him and fix his appearance... How can lice be born in his beard?
It was very quiet in the sedan chair. Taifu Chu's old figure was thin and upright. He tilted his head slightly, his vision gradually blurred, and he was still cursing, but his voice was hoarse: "Bai Jiao..."
If you can’t support him till the end of his life, what kind of student is he?
…
The official sedan sent Master Chu back to the Ministry of Rites, but he didn't stay long before he came out again.
It's not that I left early, but that I took a leave of absence.
The reasons for asking for leave are well known to everyone - fighting with others until exhaustion in the morning, dizziness, sore throat, and needing to go home to rest.
However, halfway through the official sedan trip, the old lady suddenly changed her mind and went to Dengtai Tower instead of returning home.
The Dengtai Building was extremely lively. After Grand Tutor Chu asked someone about it, he found out that it was the students of the Imperial Academy who were gathering here. Cui Liulang was hosting the guests and preaching about the deeds of the girls from the Chang family who killed the enemy.
I also heard that many Juren were also there, such as Song Juren, Tan Juren...
Taifu Chu had no choice but to wave his hands in annoyance and ask someone to lower the sedan curtain: "Go back home!"
Spring is coming soon, and as the biggest examiner, he will get into trouble if he gets together with these individual candidates and is used to make a fuss about it.
He is not afraid of trouble, but these people cannot afford the trouble.
The same goes for the Imperial College, but it’s just the Chinese New Year. Officials haven’t even had a holiday yet, and students should study diligently. Why take a holiday for nothing?
It makes him unable to even draw!
Thinking of this, I also thought that the girl didn't draw a picture for him in the end, and I felt depressed again.
"You don't keep your word!" Mrs. Chu blurted out: "It's exactly the same!"
After finishing speaking, he was suddenly stunned.
They are all equally dishonest.
The painting looks similar, and the more the person looks at it, the more similar he becomes.
Nowadays, even going to the battlefield to kill the enemy is...
"How could it be so similar..." Master Chu said to himself in a daze, "It's really strange."
…
In just a few days, the Chang family girl's meritorious deeds had been confirmed by the court, and the news became even more sensational.
As New Year's Eve was approaching, the imperial court wanted to calm the hearts of the people, so it acquiesced in the popular saying of "the star will come to the world".
On this day, the Grand Tutor was taking a rest at home. He heard that his children and grandchildren were going to offer incense and pray for blessings, praying to the gods and Buddhas to bless everything in the coming year and for the war to subside as soon as possible, and invited him to go with him——
Taifu Chu frowned: "I won't go, I won't go."
What is the use of praying to gods for such things? Since gods regard all living beings as equals, why do they prefer to help the world? The gods don’t care whether there is a war or not.
Only people on earth can save people, not people in heaven.
And there are people in the world who are somewhat stupid. They would rather give up themselves and save the world from the tiger's mouth, water and fire, over and over again, three times, three times.
A junior boldly advised: "Grandpa, the Chinese New Year is just for good luck..."
Master Chu wanted to say "I won't go" again, but as he spoke, a nightmare from last night suddenly flashed through his mind.
Or he was thinking about it. These days, he always dreamed of the dangerous scene of the girl on the battlefield...
Seeing him frowning, the junior laughed dryly and did not dare to persuade him: "Since grandpa doesn't want to go out, then..."
"Who said I don't want to go out?" Mrs. Chu glared at him: "Let's go."
The young man was stunned for a moment... He actually persuaded his grandfather?
Such strange things must be written down in the family history for him!
…
The Chu family went to Dayun Temple.
Taifu Chu and his family stopped offering incense at the Main Hall and went to find Wu Jue alone to discuss Buddhism with him.
But there was no time to talk about Buddhism. As soon as the two met, Master Chu saw the monk smiling and said: "You are finally here. There is something waiting for you for a long time."
When Grand Tutor Chu was puzzled, Wu Jue turned around and took out a painting box and handed it to him, explaining that this was what Chang Sui Ning had told him when he left the capital.
Mrs. Chu's eyelids twitched and he almost cursed: "...Why did you just hand it over to me now?"
This person was his student's aide during his lifetime. In terms of seniority, he could have slapped him on the head!
Wu Jue looked innocent: "The poor monk was entrusted with the task of being loyal to others... At first, I only wanted to wait until the master came to offer incense before handing it over..."
Mr. Chu: "What if I never come to offer incense in my whole life?"
Facing the old master's anger, Wujue didn't panic at all, and even had a mysterious look on his face: "You're here, aren't you? This is the guidance of chance."
After hearing this, Master Chu no longer argued, hugged the painting and left in a huff.
Wujue breathed a sigh of relief.
He admitted that it was because he, the noble man, was forgetful... and he suddenly remembered the painting when he met the old man just now.
Fortunately, there is also the mysterious Buddha Dharma to protect his body and open his spiritual wisdom. He is truly Amitabha.
Wujue recited a sentence of Buddha, clasped his hands, faced the half-open window lattice, looked to the south, and prayed in a low voice: "I also hope that the gods and Buddhas in the sky will protect your highness and put an end to the chaos as soon as possible."
He never felt jealous about the fact that Qiao Yang's family received His Highness's letter.
It should be noted that only those who do not know the truth need His Highness's letter to explain it. And since he and His Highness are mutual friends and have a tacit understanding, what other letters are needed?
…
As soon as Taifu Chu got on the carriage back home, he couldn't wait to open the painting box.
He unfolded the painting, and when it was only half-expanded, he paused suddenly.
Then, the old man displayed the painting faster, and the painting soon appeared in front of him.
It is a picture of bamboo and stone in a secluded mountain.
When he was asking for paintings in Dengtai Tower that day, he said that he wanted a painting with bamboo and stone to hang on the bedside to nourish his mind.
One is that he loves bamboo and stone very much, and the other is... his student is best at painting plum blossoms, orchids, bamboos and stones, and his personal style is very distinctive.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! At that time, he saw that the tiger drawings of the girl were so similar to those of his students, so he subconsciously wanted to see how good the girl could be if she also painted bamboos and rocks.
Very similar?
Now, he finally saw it.
Master Chu's eyes widened in disbelief, and the hand holding the scroll trembled slightly.
How could this be?
He began to hurriedly check the frame and details in the painting, trying to determine whether the painting could be copied.
After a while, there was no result.
Huge surprise and confusion filled his chest, and his ears buzzed, making him feel panicked and confused for no reason.
The old man suddenly opened the heavy winter curtain and shouted: "Stop!"
The cold wind blew outside the car, mixed with the snow particles that had just begun to fall.
The driver hurriedly reined in his horse and asked, "Master sir?"
Seeing this, several other carriages also stopped. The juniors of the Chu family got out of the carriages and gathered around them.
"Grandpa, what's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with dad?"
Looking at those pairs of nervous eyes, it took a long time for Mr. Chu to barely regain a sense of reality, but he looked through them to the distant south.
"I'm fine..." He explained to his descendants, then lowered the car curtain: "Let's continue traveling."
He sat back and picked up the painting again. His fingertips were obviously cold, but the painting in his hand felt extremely hot.
He has never believed in ghosts and gods. If others mentioned it to him, he would sneer at it and feel disdainful and bored by it.
But at this moment, he suddenly prayed that there were ghosts and gods in this world.
Even if this is enough to completely collapse the path he has followed throughout his life, he is still willing to pray for it, hoping that the gods, Buddhas and ghosts will have the possibility to open their eyes... He will kneel and bow to anyone who can return his students to him.
!
As long as his students can be returned to him!
…
The snow in the capital stopped and fell again and again until New Year's Eve.
The snow in the North has stopped, but the snow and ice have not been removed everywhere.
In this realm of ice and snow, there was a man riding in front, leading a team back and dismounting outside the Anbei Protectorate.
"The Governor is back!"
As the news spread, soldiers and officials came to greet the young man who had been away for half a month and went to personally inspect the defenses.
Accompanied by everyone, the young man walked to the Governor's Mansion and asked, "Is there any letter from the south?"
This was the first thing he said after getting off his horse.