Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Six: The Emperor Arrives
After drinking and eating, Deng Long stood aside and cleared the dishes for Liu Chengfeng with a smile. Naturally, he also brought the oil lamps Liu Chengfeng asked for before, three of them, illuminating the cell brightly.
"I wonder if Young Master Liu has any other instructions?" Deng Long had a smile on his face, but his voice was worse than crying. If he had known this, he really shouldn't have come to Dali Temple, otherwise how could he have met such a person.
Liu Chengfeng touched his belly, stretched out comfortably, and said, "If I go get some pens, ink, paper and inkstones, will it break the rules of the prison?"
Deng Long said seriously: "No, no."
"Oh? Really? I heard that the rules in the prison are very strict."
Deng Long smiled dryly and said: "Young Master Liu, everything can be changed. This matter will be taken care of by the villain."
Deng Long went to buy pens, inks, paper and inkstones, a few hand-copied old books, and also brought a gauze tent to the cell, and decorated the cell. The cell was decorated into a study room.
.
Liu Chengfeng was not polite, and gradually calmed down here. Every day he practiced calligraphy, read books, and occasionally sat on the couch in a daze, thinking about his thoughts.
If you want to get out of trouble right now, the most important thing is what will happen to the emperor, and there are many ways to influence the emperor's decision, such as Queen Zhang mentioned in the note sent by the prince, and even the Qing Dynasty. The people's opinions on this matter
In terms of opinion, if the cabinet came forward, it would be able to say something. But except for Queen Zhang, Liu Chengfeng could not do anything else.
Queen Zhang...birthday...
Liu Chengfeng closed his eyes, thinking about something from time to time.
When he gets tired from thinking, he picks up his pen and practices calligraphy. Writing can calm his mind and refresh his mind. Especially in this dark prison cell, Liu Chengfeng actually works harder than most of the time.
In the Zhengxin Hall, like Liu Chengfeng, Zhu Youtang was also writing. It was already the fourth watch, and the entire capital was shrouded in night fog, and the desolation brought by autumn was also hidden by this darkness.
.The glazed tiles of the Forbidden City were dyed with a halo by the moonlight, and the lights in the Zhengxin Hall were bright. Zhu Youtang held the document in his hand and looked at the handwriting he had just written in a daze.
Insomnia again...
A few days ago, he slept very well. Zhu Youtang felt that his strength had recovered a bit. He had become regular and even ate more than usual. Zhu Youtang could clearly feel that his body
It's gradually getting better.
But ever since he learned about the suppression of the civil uprising, Zhu Youtang couldn't sleep. No matter what method he tried, it was useless. Zhu Youtang's mood had become anxious, and his red eyes were a little tired.
"What time is it now?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the ugly time has passed."
When the Chou hour has passed, it is the Yin hour, and the sky is about to break.
Zhu Youtang took a deep breath, sat in front of the imperial desk, put the pen back into the pen holder, and remained in a daze.
On the cabinet side, Jinyiwei and Dongchang have already sent out to investigate this matter. The court is also criticizing this matter, but no matter what, this matter is a stain on Zhu Youtang.
It is said in the books that in prosperous times, people live and work in peace and contentment, do not close their homes at night, and do not pick up things on the road. Zhu Youtang was confident that he could not do this, but Zhu Youtang also knew that the country was about to collapse, thieves were everywhere, and civil strife was raging. Zhu Youtang thought,
For him, this kind of thing would never happen. He worked hard and after taking the throne, he did not dare to neglect and was cautious and treading on thin ice, but it still happened.
The worst thing about this incident is that it happened in the capital, at the feet of the emperor. This blow was not unbearable to Zhu Youtang.
Zhu Youtang became more and more irritable, and his spirit no longer felt tired, but became a little excited.
Insomnia, like a tiger, tortured Zhu Youtang's body and mind. Zhu Youtang really wanted to take a nap and wake up energetically tomorrow to read memorials and discuss political affairs with cabinet ministers. But...
Zhu Youtang sighed and thought about it for an unknown amount of time.
There is the sound of morning drums outside, indicating that the hour has arrived.
The sky was already bright, Zhu Youtang looked at the sky outside, stood up and sat down again, seemed to hesitate again, couldn't help but stand up again, and then said: "Come on, Dali Temple..."
"Dali Temple..." The eunuch who had been waiting all night had a look of astonishment on his face. If it had been normal, His Majesty would have stayed up all night and would have gone to bed. But now, looking at His Majesty's appearance, although his face is gray, he is still in good spirits.
I probably won't be able to sleep for a while.
"Yes, I will make arrangements now."
Zhu Youtang was only wearing a light green shirt and was sitting on a carriage. The carriage was getting further and further away from the Meridian Gate, leaving the majestic palace wall behind him. Beside the carriage, there were dozens of powerful men.
The generals were all dressed in ordinary clothes, riding horses and carefully guarding Zhu Youtang. The several accompanying eunuchs were also dressed in ordinary clothes and headed towards Dali Temple.
When they arrived at Dali Temple, the officials had just arrived on duty. When they heard the announcement from someone outside, they all turned pale with fright and hurried out to pick up the driver. Zhu Youtang had already entered as if there was no one else around. People on both sides knelt on the ground and said one after another: "
Long live my emperor."
Zhu Youtang just asked: "Where is Liu Chengfeng imprisoned?"
The Minister of Dali Temple felt his heart skip a beat. He didn't have time to think too much and said quickly: "I will follow your Majesty."
He led Zhu Youtang to the cell in the backyard. When Zhu Youtang saw this place, he couldn't help frowning and said: "This place is too dilapidated. Even if he is an imperial prisoner, there is no need to treat him like this."
The Minister of Dali Temple quickly responded: "Yes, I will definitely ask someone to repair it later." In fact, the treatment in this cell is much better than that of the Ministry of Punishment Prison and the Imperial Prison, but judging from Zhu Youtang's standards
, this place is indeed a bit dirty and messy.
When the prison leader Deng Long heard that the emperor was coming, he almost fainted. He originally thought he was a prisoner on death row, but then the commander came, the prince came, and now even the emperor came to visit the prisoner. Is he also an imperial prisoner? Those who didn't know thought he was a prisoner.
What kind of new top scholar is he?
Deng Long felt a little lucky at this time. At least he finally had a good relationship with Liu Chengfeng. Although it cost a lot, the money was well spent.
He hurriedly opened the cell door, and Zhu Youtang went in with his hands behind his back.
The oil lamp flickers slowly.
Liu Chengfeng was holding a pen in his hand, with all the pen and ink on the table. An unfinished calligraphy piece was spread out on the table. When he saw Zhu Youtang coming, he couldn't help but be slightly stunned. Just as he was about to salute, Zhu Youtang waved his hand to him.
Said: "You continue to write."
Liu Chengfeng cheered up and continued to write. His psychological quality was good. Even when the emperor was on the side, he still showed a calm and indifferent attitude. What Liu Chengfeng wrote was the "Lanting Preface", which was imitated.
It's Wang Youjun's writing style. It's not that he deliberately wanted to be favored by Zhu Youtang. He was just bored and vaguely remembered a Lanting preface, so he simply wrote it out for fun.
Zhu Youtang was reading on the side with his hands behind his back, his lips trembling slightly, as if he was reciting the lines in the running script, feeling the freedom and ease of Wang Youjun in Lanting's leisurely Nanshan Mountain.
After Liu Chengfeng finished writing, Zhu Youtang stroked his beard and said a good word, then frowned again, pointed at a few shortcomings, and said: "The running script emphasizes the meaning rather than the form. You are too far-fetched here.
It is not good to just copy the shape of Wang Youjun's calligraphy and forget the free and easy meaning."
Liu Chengfeng said: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your advice."
Zhu Youtang smiled slightly and said: "I promised you before that I would teach you running script. You don't have to thank me. You can still write quietly in this cell, which is a bit elegant."
Liu Chengfeng said in his heart that I was just passing the time out of boredom. However, Zhu Youtang interpreted this, but Liu Chengfeng had no intention of refuting. He smiled slightly, looked at Zhu Youtang's gloomy face, and thought to himself, I'm afraid these days
, the emperor suffered from insomnia again, so he said with deep meaning: "Your Majesty, no matter where you are, the first thing is to meditate. Meditation can bring peace of mind, and harmony of qi is the way to maintain good health."
Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "This time, I would like to thank you for your advice."
Liu Chengfeng quickly shook his head and said, "Your Majesty's words are serious."
Zhu Youtang rolled up his sleeves and said, "Come here, give me a pen, and I will also write a preface to Orchid Pavilion." After saying that, he took the pen from Liu Chengfeng, spread it out on a piece of white paper, and began to write.
Now, Liu Chengfeng was grinding for him. This time, Zhu Youtang finally calmed down. At night, his restless mood was completely gone. He wanted to make Liu Chengfeng his disciple.
Seeing what I can do, I suddenly forgot all my annoyances and started writing completely selflessly. I wrote the words line by line from top to bottom, which was obviously a step ahead of Liu Chengfeng.
After all, what Liu Chengfeng is best at is writing some characters that have never been written by predecessors of this era, but when it comes to imitating Wang Youjun, he is unable to do it. But Zhu Youtang is different. His favorite is Wang Youjun's running script, and he taught himself
Since then, I have followed Wang Youjun as an example. Over the years, this work has become its own style and unique style.
After a cup of tea, Zhu Youtang straightened up. Even he felt satisfied after reading the word. He couldn't help but smile and said, "How is it?"
Liu Chengfeng said: "Students feel inferior."
Zhu Youtang said: "You don't have to be discouraged. In calligraphy and painting, intelligence is not important, but hard work is important. There is no shortcut."
Liu Chengfeng said: "Isn't this the reason why a man with lofty ideals cherishes his years, a wise man cherishes his days, and a sage cherishes his time?"
Zhu Youtang thought for a while and found this short paragraph quite interesting, and hurriedly said: "That's exactly it."
The two of them had a very tacit understanding. They didn't mention the repression or the news of the trial. They just talked like a pair of teachers and students.
Zhu Youtang sat down and flipped through a few handwritten books that Liu Chengfeng had placed on the table. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Why is he even a female minister?"
The Female Minister's Book is one of the Four Books for Women. It is usually read by women in the boudoir, but there is a copy of it on Liu Chengfeng's desk. No wonder Zhu Youtang laughed.