In the afternoon, the weather is neither early nor late. At this time, there are not many tourists in the mountains behind Xiangguo Temple. A few days ago, I promised Aunt Yun that I would accompany her to the tomb to worship during the Dragon Boat Festival. So after Meng Xinghe came back from the school grounds, he specially chose A suitable time for hanging out. The purpose is to quietly accompany Aunt Yun to the Cenotaph.
On the quiet road leading to the Cenotaph, the peach blossoms of the past have faded. Some of the peaches are hidden among the green leaves and are already colored pink. They are obviously about to mature. Occasionally, there are a few skylarks chirping in the bushes a little further away. .It makes the empty and desolate green mountains seem to be covered with an old coat and look quite lonely.
Wearing plain clothes of coarse cloth, she carried a small bamboo basket in her hands. Her waist-length hair was pulled into a bunch and draped over her shoulders. There was no white silk scarf covering her face. She was graceful without makeup and had a slender figure. Pingting was walking on the street. In the empty mountain, there are white and flawless white clouds in the sky.
This is Aunt Yun. She is enough to make any man in the world obsessed with her at any time. She is not the kind of weak and delicate princess who looks delicate and sick. Instead, every look and every look is like a small bridge family in the misty rain in the south of the Yangtze River. She is a A masterpiece of landscape that has been handed down from generation to generation. Meng Xinghe heard from Aunt Yun that her mother was Mrs. Xuanhua of the previous dynasty. She was born in the south of the Yangtze River. She was originally the princess of the Chen Kingdom. Later, Chen was killed by the Sui Dynasty and sent to the Sui Palace. She served Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty and the Sui Dynasty. The two fathers and sons of Emperor Yang had a rough life. They never really loved a man, so they died in depression after giving birth to their daughter. Meng Xinghe had never seen this woman, but he also saw some shadows in Aunt Yun. It was a The unique persistence of Jiangnan women. What's more, there is nothing like a thousand sails. The tenderness when the sun shines and the water lingers.
When we came to the cenotaph, it was still an inconspicuous little earthen bag. Compared with the magnificent ancestral tombs renovated by other families around it, it couldn't even compare with the stone lion guarding the tomb in front of the tomb.
Aunt Yun took out the incense candles and sacrifices from the basket. Meng Xinghe was only responsible for burning the paper money. There was also good wine prepared by Aunt Yun in the basket. Meng Xinghe first poured a glass for Emperor Sui Yang who was buried in the soil. Then he squatted down He lowered his body and sat in front of the grave, leaning against the mound of soil. He slowly put the wine bottle to his mouth, lifting it up and putting it down quite leisurely.
Just drinking is not the answer. There are carnivorous fruits for commemoration next to it. Anyway, the old man underground is dead. Even if it is given to him, he cannot eat it. Meng Xinghe simply takes it and puts it into his mouth without being polite or polite.
Aunt Yun didn't bother to say that he was thick-faced. He even robbed dead people's things because he hadn't said a word since she saw Meng Xinghe come back from outside. She was too embarrassed to ask what happened. Now she saw Meng Xinghe drinking and eating by himself. Meat. She didn't want to stop him. The people on the ground were not powerful anyway. He would chop off people's heads at every turn.
There wasn't much wine, only a small bottle, but it was very fragrant and pure, but not strong. So Meng Xinghe drank it all in just a few gulps.
Aunt Yun, who had finished worshiping, sat next to Meng Xinghe. "What happened."
"It's okay." Meng Xinghe pulled a piece of dogtail grass and held it in his mouth. The setting sun on the horizon was like blood. His face was not hurt by spring and autumn. It still had an unchanged playful smile.
"Since it's okay, why don't we go back." Aunt Yun suddenly became angry. It's a shame that she was still worried that something would happen to him. Now it seems that there is no need.
She stood up and was about to leave, but Meng Xinghe stretched out his hand to hold her. He held Aunt Yun's warm hand that was trying to break free. Meng Xinghe smiled and said, "We agreed to watch the sunset with Xiruo. What should I say this time?" I can’t let you go either.”
Aunt Yun saw that Meng Xinghe was planning to hold her in his arms, so she quickly stopped her hand. But Meng Xinghe's grip was too tight. She sighed and finally let him do whatever he wanted.
Finally we could hold hands. Meng Xinghe felt a burst of joy in his heart. He carefully placed his delicate hands as smooth as warm jade in his palms. His five fingers gradually separated from Aunt Yun's five fingers. Finally, they crossed each other. This small movement made the first menstruation Aunt Yun blushed at this.
"What are you going to do? Let me go quickly." Aunt Yun scolded in shame. She was afraid that her voice would be too loud and others would hear her, so she could only give Meng Xinghe a hard squeeze to make him let go.
"Don't move. This is called connecting the fingers. If Xiruo misses me from now on, just bite her right hand gently. I can feel it." Meng Xinghe looked at this cute Xiruo who made people want to kiss him. It is not recommended for the mentally retarded to engage in such activities as deceiving little girls in previous lives.
Aunt Yun, who has never had love between a man and a woman, was stunned for a moment. Just hold her. She has been practicing Taoism for more than 20 years, but she was finally broken by this man. She doesn’t know whether it will be good or bad in the future. But she can be happy now. Pleasure is enough.
She slowly turned her head and slowly leaned on Meng Xinghe's shoulder. She was as gentle as a woman in love.
What ethics and morals? God damn it cannot be tolerated. If it is love, please love deeply. Life only lasts a hundred years. Days and nights pass by in a hurry. Who can accompany you to see the picturesque mountains and rivers in front of you? Accompany you to grow old together. Who can accompany you? You sit alone on the empty mountain and look at the red clouds in the sky. The moment Aunt Yun leans on his shoulder, Meng Xinghe has already hugged her tightly in his arms.
This woman will never be forgotten in this life.
Likewise, this man will never be forgotten by Yang Xiruo in this life.
"I heard you can tell stories. Tell me one." Looking at the red sun in the distance, it turned out to be the most beautiful sunset she had seen in more than 20 years. In the past, she always thought that there was no such thing in men. What is worth cherishing? Now she suddenly discovered that that chest, which was not broad but was extremely warm, was indeed a place where a woman could put down all her baggage and lean on it comfortably without wanting to put it down.
Meng Xinghe had many stories in his heart, but at this time, he couldn't tell any of them. He hoped to sit like this, motionless, until the sea withered and the rocks were broken. But those were all unrealistic dreams. He pulled a leaf and put it away. On his lips, that was the tune taught by Old Man Wei. Soon a desolate Qiang tune flew out of his mouth.
Aunt Yun, who has been well-read since she was a child, can hear the meaning expressed in the Qiang music that is neither fast nor slow.
I would like to fly with you.
From then on, the world grows old.
Fly to the far west coast.
Herding horses and sheep.
.......
The song is not over yet. The sky is filled with stars when one song is sung.
Holding hands, interlocking fingers, the road home is no longer dark.
A few days later, in the Imperial City, Taiji Palace, and Eryi Hall, this is the place where Li Shimin reviewed memorials and met with courtiers in private. He opened the dozens of test papers submitted from the Gongyuan and finally selected from this year's imperial examination. When he saw them When writing an article, Li Shimin was silent and thoughtful at first, and then he started writing on the paper himself. Wei Ming, who was waiting next to him, had not seen the Holy Master so strange for several years. Before he could ask more about the Holy Master, Li Shimin had already Haha laughed.
"Invite Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling quickly." Li Shimin ordered. He roughly read the examination paper below. He could tell the quality of the articles at a glance. He roughly determined in his mind the top ten students in this year's imperial examination.
Wei Ming withdrew. After a while, two ministers in court uniforms walked into the Eryi Palace. They were Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui. These two men were undoubtedly Li Shimin's right-hand men.
"My dear friends, these are the imperial examination papers for this year. I have already read them. My dear sirs, please read them."
Wei Ming handed dozens of examination papers to the two adults. They had already read them carefully.
However, a moment later, Fang Xuanling held a test paper in his hand. His expression was the same as that of Li Shimin before. He was silent at first and deliberated. Then he nodded happily and said: "This article deserves to be ranked among the top ten."
Du Ruhui could tell at a glance that the article in Fang Xuanling's hand was written by Meng Xinghe. Because the beautiful running calligraphy of his hand was quite similar to the style of King Youjun of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Li Shimin didn't call the two of them here to read this article. He had ulterior motives. He had already written down some of the words in this article. He called them here just because he wanted them to appear in the court tomorrow morning in front of the civil and military officials of the court. Just say those few paragraphs in front of me.
The two of them didn't know what the Holy One meant. They memorized those few paragraphs and left the Eryi Hall.
On the morning of the second day, after discussing the affairs of the court and about to leave the court, Fang Xuanling, who had always rarely talked about trivial matters in the court hall, actually stood up at this moment. Just when the ministers thought that something big had happened, otherwise they would not have been alarmed. Lord Liang Guogong was so solemn about this matter. Fang Xuanling posted a framed text.
There is a passage written on it.
"There is no better way to ensure the stability of the country than that civil servants do not love money and military officers are willing to die. There is no need to worry about the world not being peaceful until the eternity of eternity."
Li Shimin saw this couplet and praised the word "good" repeatedly. Of course, the ministers below knew that it was their monarchs and ministers who were singing the double act. They all congratulated the Holy Spirit for getting this couplet. It was really a blessing for the Tang Dynasty. Li Shimin obeyed his ministers' wishes and immediately asked Du Ruhui to draft the edict. From now on, hang this couplet in front of the Imperial College to let the world know that these few mantras are the symbol of the rise and fall of the country.
After the morning court ended, all the ministers were discussing where Fang Xuanling got this sentence from. It was a slap in the face of some ministers. They all knew why the Holy Emperor made such a big move. It was nothing more than a slap in the face. I want people all over the world to see these words. They can also be said to be a warning to wake up the world.
At noon, a group of soldiers from the imperial court came to the Imperial College and hung the framed couplets on the courtyard directly in front of the Imperial College. It immediately attracted many students to watch.
"Civil officials don't love money. Their five senses are willing to die. Why worry about the world not being peaceful?"
The students looked at the gilded couplet above their heads and read it in unison. The more they read, the more their hearts seemed to be boiling. In the end, they all whispered about which famous artist the couplet was written by. Some people guessed it was the current saint. It was said that it was written by Mr. Du, the Minister of Education. Others said that it was written by Mr. Duke Fang of the Liang Kingdom. There were different opinions. Later, some people simply said that it was not surprising. They said that this sentence was written by a certain candidate in this year's imperial examination. The scholars in the Imperial College were shocked. Laugh.
The lively sounds outside brought Meng Xinghe out, who was hiding in the room and was about to eat. He thought something big had happened. But when he walked out and took a look, he saw the plaque in front of the Imperial Academy gate and the few sentences inside. Then Meng Xinghe's heart was pounding and he quickly returned to the house.
It couldn't be such a coincidence. Could it be that the article hanging outside the Imperial College was really his own? He didn't believe there were such coincidences in the world. When he was wondering, Aunt Yun had already brought the food to the table.
"What's wrong?" Seeing that Meng Xinghe looked strange, she asked in person.
"It's okay." Meng Xinghe immediately calmed down and immediately picked up his chopsticks and started eating.
"哐哐哐..."
A sound of gongs and drums came from outside the Imperial Academy: "The Gongyuan has begun to release the results."
"boom.."
A sound comparable to the shaking of the earth immediately came from every room in the Imperial College. All the students went crazy and ran to the Gongyuan without even eating lunch.
"Go quickly. What are you doing standing still? Stupid." Seeing Meng Xinghe still sitting on the table motionless, Aunt Yun was worried for him. The release of the results was a big event. She didn't say anything. She immediately put down her chopsticks, like a The little woman held Meng Xinghe's hand and ran towards the Gongyuan.
When we arrived at Gongyuan, the front gate of Gongyuan was already surrounded by people. Every time the results were released, Meng Xinghe almost always stood at the end. With his tall height advantage, he looked at the red list in front of him.
"Come out. Come out."
As the first list was taken out, countless students immediately craned their necks, eager to have their names on it.
"Wang Wensheng of Pingjiang County. Tenth A."
"Qiantang County Li Guanyu. Ninth A."
“…..”
"Taoyuan County. Zhao Haoran Liujia."
"..."
"Jiangdu. Shang Junxie is the fourth best."
"..."
"Xiangzhou Zhang Ji. The second best."
"Meng Xinghe, Taoyuan County. No. 1."
At this point, all the top ten red lists of this year's imperial examination have been released. In front of the gate of Gongyuan, people are crying and laughing. Several families are happy and hundreds of others are sad.
Looking at the number one position on the red list, Aunt Yun's hand seemed to be holding tighter.
"Let's go. The list has been put out. I'm afraid the food on the table will get cold." He squeezed Aunt Yun's hand. Only now did Meng Xinghe realize that the woman next to him had shed tears unconsciously.
"Okay. I'll help you warm it up when I go back." There was no great joy or great sadness, but only a sense of calmness. Aunt Yun, who was used to seeing the ups and downs of joys and sorrows, now returned to her former calm. But there was still a little trepidation in her heart. happiness.
The two held hands like this and left the Gongyuan, which was still bustling out of control.
Behind him was a masterpiece in the world. From then on, the word Meng Xinghe spread throughout the entire Tang Dynasty in a few days. He, who had already been named on the Yan Pagoda Announcement Gold List, would soon be praised by the world.
(The third volume ends. The fourth volume is about to begin. Thank you to all the book friends who have supported Papaya and "The Scholar" for a long time. I bow and thank you. Without you, "The Scholar" would not have gone so far, and Papaya may not last that long. It’s almost one million words. It’s my first time writing a long novel. There are inevitably many shortcomings. The update is also delayed. There are so many words. I can only express my feelings at this time by crying and crying.)