In the dim and damp imperial prison, a scumbag squatted on the ground, holding a bare, smooth little wooden stick in his hand. He used the stick as a pen and wrote quickly on the muddy, bumpy prison floor. The stick shuttled through the mud, sometimes like a horse running through the air without a rein, sometimes like a flying dragon moving smoothly like clouds and running water. In an instant, lines of characters containing a sense of righteousness appeared in the mud.
That’s right, this scumbag is Zhu Pingan.
On the sixth day in the imperial prison, Zhu Ping'an had evolved into a scumbag, with a layer of short stubble on his upper lip and chin, but it was not rough, nor did he look sloppy. Instead, it added a sense of maturity to his youthful appearance.
"The heaven and earth have righteousness, which is mixed and flowing. Below, it is the river and the mountains, and above, it is the sun and the stars. In people, it is called Haoran, which is so abundant that it fills the sky. The imperial road should be clear and peaceful, and the harmony should be bright. When the time is right, the integrity will be revealed, and each one will be recorded in red and black. In the records of the historian of Qi, in the writings of Dong Hu of Jin, in the writings of Zhang Liang of Qin, in the writings of Su Wu of Han, in the writings of Shen Lian of Ming, Yang Jisheng, and Yang Zui..."
Zhu Ping'an squatted on the muddy ground of the imperial prison cell, writing quickly on the muddy ground with a wooden stick, while silently reciting "Song of Righteousness" by Wen Tianxiang of the Southern Song Dynasty. However, the content of "Song of Righteousness" had been modified by Zhu Ping'an, and after Su Wu of the Han Dynasty, Shen Lian, Yang Jisheng, Yang Zui and others of the Ming Dynasty were added.
"Although I am stupid, I dare not obey your order..."
Although several days have passed, Yang Zui's words still echo in Zhu Ping'an's ears from time to time. Yang Zui's integrity deeply shocked Zhu Ping'an, and the righteousness in Zhu Ping'an's heart continued to ferment.
"Mr. Yang, Ping An has learned from you. Although Ping An cannot become a poplar tree that would rather break than bend like you, he will never go against the righteousness in his heart. Even if he bends, it will definitely be for this righteousness."
After finishing writing "Song of Righteousness" in one go on the muddy ground, Zhu Ping'an bowed deeply toward the empty prison cell opposite, then stretched out his foot to smooth out the flowing and upright handwriting, returning it to the mud again.
"Qimin Yaoshu Volume Five Elms and Poplars" says: "Poplars are very strong and straight, and can be used as roof materials. They will break if they are bent, but they will never bend."
In Zhu Ping'an's heart, Yang Zui, Shen Lian, Yang Jisheng and others are such poplars. They are all pillars of talent who would rather break than bend. The towering Ming Dynasty cannot do without talented poplars like them.
Zhu Ping'an knows that he cannot be like them and would rather break than bend, but Zhu Ping'an will not belittle himself. Everyone has different standards in their hearts. He will bend, but he bends in order to better maintain integrity.
Uprightness lasts forever.
Zhu Ping'an clenched his fists firmly.
"Hey, nerd, dinner is ready."
The jailer of the imperial prison came over with a bowl of rice, shouted lazily, and put the bowl casually outside the cell. The chopsticks fell to the ground. His attitude was very neglectful and he did not take Zhu Pingan seriously at all.
To them, no matter how high your status, power, or reputation are outside, once you are in the Imperial Prison, you are nothing but a piece of rotten meat. How many people can walk out of the Imperial Prison alive? !
As for calling Zhu Ping'an a nerd, it was because Zhu Ping'an was used to reading the Four Books and Five Classics in the morning and often wrote and drew on the ground. Therefore, the jailers in charge of this area all called Zhu Ping'an a nerd.
"Thank you."
Zhu Ping'an bowed and didn't care about the jailer's attitude. Although it was a little late, it was rare to have three meals a day delivered without missing a single one.
The jailer didn't even look at Zhu Ping'an. He yawned lazily and staggered away.
Zhu Ping'an picked up the chopsticks from the ground, wiped them with his prison uniform, picked up the bowl, and started drinking from it in big gulps.
Breakfast was a bowl of porridge, probably leftover from yesterday, but fortunately the prison was cold and damp, so it didn't go bad. There were a few black pickled vegetable strips floating on the porridge, which were pickled pickled cabbage shreds.
This is the standard breakfast in the imperial prison.
After Zhu Ping'an finished his breakfast, he placed his bowl and chopsticks outside the cell. When the time was up, someone would naturally take them away.
It was almost noon when Zhu Ping'an, who was practicing calligraphy, heard footsteps. He reached out to erase the words he had written, then looked in the direction of the footsteps. Soon a group of people appeared in Zhu Ping'an's sight: eunuchs in gorgeous clothes and Jinyiwei in uniform.
The configuration of this group of people seems somewhat familiar.
However, although the configuration is familiar, the people are different. The leading eunuch is a stranger, not Feng Bao, not Chen Hong, but a strange eunuch; accompanying him is the Jinyiwei, whom Zhu Ping'an recognizes, and is none other than the Jinyiwei captain in the big red flying fish uniform who had arrested him and put him in prison.
"Zhu Ping'an, why don't you come over and greet the Imperial Envoy."
The Jinyiwei in the bright red flying fish uniform called out to Zhu Ping'an from afar, his voice as unpleasant as a jackal's as always.
Problem.
Why is he always picking on me? Zhu Ping'an rolled his eyes speechlessly.
"Haha, I've heard of Master Xiao Zhu's name for a long time, but I never thought that we would meet here for the first time. It's really unforgettable. Oh, by the way, Master Xiao Zhu doesn't know me yet, right? I'm the Shangshenjian Meng Chong. Master Xiao Zhu's masterpiece, "Which is better with sweet and sour fish or spicy wings?" is still hanging in our Shangshenjian. Today, I'm here on the order of His Majesty to ask Master Xiao Zhu a few questions."
The eunuch with a strange face came close to the cell and spoke to Zhu Ping'an with a smile.
"It's Eunuch Meng, nice to meet you." Zhu Ping'an bowed and greeted Meng Chong in the cell.
At first, Zhu Ping'an didn't have any feeling about Meng Chong's name, but after saying hello, when Zhu Ping'an remembered Meng Chong's name in his heart, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, a flash of lightning flashed through his mind, and then he couldn't help but look at Meng Chong again.
Meng Chong?!
You are Meng Chong! Feng Bao's future rival!
This was a eunuch famous for his flattery, and he left behind the comment in history that he "competed to display his unique skills and tricks to please the emperor."
Ten years later, Gao Gong first recommended Chen Hong to take charge of the Silijian. After Chen Hong was dismissed, Feng Bao thought his chance had come, but he did not expect that the person Gao Gong recommended to fill the vacant position was Meng Chong. In fact, according to the inner court regulations, Meng Chong was not qualified to take charge of the Silijian, but Gao Gong ignored the regulations and still insisted on recommending and supporting Meng Chong to take charge of the Silijian.
This shows Meng Chong's ability to flatter. He could even flatter a lord like Gao Gong who had a bad temper, and get Gao Gong to make an exception for him.
"Why, Lord Xiao Zhu, have you also heard of Zajia? It is really a great honor for me to be here." Meng Chong said with a smile.
He really deserves to be the eunuch who left a name for flattery in history. He can have such an attitude towards himself in the imperial prison.
Zhu Ping'an couldn't help but sigh.