The mother and son sat in the Penglai Hall, staring at each other. Wu Mei could not persuade Li Hong to go to the Xuanzheng Hall, and Li Hong's explanation made Long Ma still confused.
Although Wu Mei believed that Li Hong's decision would not be wrong, all of Li Hong's decisions over the years have proven to be correct. Even at that time, there was no trace or hope of being right at all, or even no hope at all. Every sign of malpractice and seemingly very reasonable mechanisms were all corrected by him with great foresight before the signs of malpractice appeared.
Just like a god who seems to be able to predict anything, many times Li Hong would suddenly do something inexplicable and unreasonable to her. It seemed to be completely out of nowhere and on a whim, but in the end But it is extremely correct.
"Then you plan to hide in my Penglai Palace like this all the time without seeing anyone?" Wu Mei stretched out her feet and kicked Li Hong, who was sitting opposite and was about to fall asleep, and asked.
"Huh? No, Li Zhe went with Li Dan, and Li Xian, let them try it first..." Li Hong straightened up. He had been exercising a lot recently, getting up too early and going to bed too late every day. , a little out of spirit.
"Don't count on us. As soon as we entered the Xuanzheng Hall, we were speechless after being asked a few words and ran out dejected." Li Zhe and Li Dan followed Wang Lou. After Wu Mei came forward and saluted, she looked at Li Hong who looked troubled and said.
"Sacrifice wine in front of the Imperial Academy? You can't last even half an hour? Those old guys will probably doze off from exhaustion if you talk to them for half an hour, right? Why are you not as good as them?" Li Hong chose He raised his eyebrows, a little dissatisfied with Li Zhe and Li Dan.
It stands to reason that the two of them are more familiar with the books of sages than themselves, and they can hang around for a long time. Let those old guys retreat when they are exhausted.
"Those things were returned to the teacher a long time ago. I said that they recounted but did not write, and believed in the ancient times. This is good. They also said that they have their own opinions, which are called small words and righteousness. Moreover, the Huayi distinction has now been abandoned by them, and they have begun to It's about the justice of the king and his ministers. Anyway, my head hurts from hearing it, and I'm still a little confused now," Li Dan and Li Zhe complained after sitting down next to Li Hong.
"I can't even name the Twelve Classics, so how can I argue with them? They are familiar with the Twelve Classics of Confucianism. I'm afraid if I say a word, people will know which book it comes from and what page it is. I really can't argue with them. I don’t dare to offend them with their beards and glares. If any of them die because of their words in the Xuanzheng Hall, you can’t blame me.” Li Zhe faced Li Hong’s gaze. , also shook his head.
Their current thoughts and attention are not on those books of sages at all. Let them debate with those eighty or ninety-year-old antiques, and they can be dismissed in a few words.
"I originally wanted to talk to them about the energy of electricity, why trains can run automatically without horses, the relationship between coal and steam, how heat is converted into kinetic energy, the positive and negative poles of electricity, generators, transformers, and how coal is produced Electricity, what is an engine? But as people say: The metaphysical is called the Tao, and the metaphysical is called the weapon. So..."
"What a godly gentleman, this is just nonsense! This is so lofty! Cultivate oneself, manage one's family, govern the country and bring peace to the world, but don't have the skills to bring peace to the world with wool?" Li Hong stood up from the sofa angrily, but was instantly struck by His mother stared at him and sat back down.
"But Kong Yuan also said: A gentleman has no tools, that is, a gentleman will not become a tool for others. A person who becomes a tool for others is not a gentleman. A gentleman will not be used by others. A person who is used by others is not a gentleman. What else can he say? Confucius said: A gentleman should be knowledgeable and have talents in many aspects, not just in one area."
"What an all-rounder! How can there be so many all-rounders in this world? Do all-rounders just rely on their words? Confucius is an all-rounder, right? He has made some contributions to social development and productivity. He is always surrounded by What kind of knowledge does a person have? To study people and metaphysics is called Tao. Can this be used as food, or can it be used to fill the stomachs of ordinary people? There is nothing to do when you have time to study people. It's better to look for the shortcomings of this society, maybe I can still think more highly of them!" I picked up the tea that had just arrived and put it down angrily. It was too hot.
"How about you give it a try?" Li Dan said cautiously when he saw Li Hong was so indignant.
"... Get out. If one of you dies in Xuanzheng Hall, the responsibility is huge or small." Li Hong was as frustrated as a ball. He didn't want to go to Xuanzheng Hall to face those old antiques.
"Well, where is Li Xian? He hasn't come yet or...?"
"He's probably getting close." Li Zhe said lazily: "When those antiques were arguing between the two of us, he didn't say a word and kept observing..."
"He's done quite well for a melon-eater." Li Hong muttered.
"Melon-eating masses?"
"Just for fun."
"Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, please see me, King Pei." Wang Lou appeared in front of several people again, and a short while later, Li Xian walked in with the same awkward and uncomfortable expression.
Seeing the one-armed Li Xian walking in, Wu Mei suddenly felt a little enlightened, as if time had suddenly returned to a scene twenty years ago.
At that time, the late emperor was still alive, Li Hong was still the prince, Li Zhe was still the king of England, Li Dan was still sitting in his somewhat dull King of Yin, Li Xian, the king of Pei, had not yet broken an arm, Li Lingyue was crazy Like a girl, she likes to pester Prince Li Hong the most.
Now, her four biological sons, after twenty years of twists and turns, have once again gathered in her Penglai Palace, but now they are missing the late emperor and Li Lingyue, who is married to someone else.
Time flies by, as if in the blink of an eye, the princes who were still young and handsome in the palace are now mature and stable princes.
Wu Mei looked at the four brothers sitting across from each other. The expressions on each of their faces were relaxed and natural. In a trance, the inexplicable warm feeling made her feel as if she was surrounded by an ocean called happiness.
Recalling the intrigues he fought with each other in the harem, and then recalling the scene when Li Hong secretly went to the Cold Palace to visit Concubine Xiao Shu, and how he was chased around the palace, his eyes finally stopped on the water of tea on the table.
It seems that on the water, there is a small sapling that Li Hong and Li Zhi planted together. Now it has grown into a towering tree standing in front of his Penglai Palace.
His eyes were fixed on the tea, but inexplicably, he kept thinking about the towering tree at the entrance of Penglai Hall. The towering tree that he saw every day was still growing vigorously and with luxuriant branches and leaves, especially in summer, or When you are in a bad mood, standing under the big tree, everything seems to become easier in an instant.
"Water some water for the tree at the door." Wu Mei suddenly spoke calmly with a look on her face.
"Queen mother... you... what's wrong with you?" Li Hong asked worriedly as he watched Wu Mei staring blankly at the water of the tea in front of her.
"It's okay, the queen mother was distracted just now. Wang Lou, go quickly and water the tree at the door." Wu Mei raised her head, showed a soothing smile to Li Hong and the other three sons, and then said: "Li Lingyue What? Let her come to me immediately."
The four brothers, Li Hong, Li Xian, Li Zhe and Li Dan, looked at Mother Long with some suspicion. For some reason, the mother's expression suddenly... seemed to have a touch of sentimentality.
"As people get older, sometimes they fall into memories unconsciously. When I looked at the four of you just now, I felt a little... I missed your father a little bit. Please find someone to accompany me tomorrow." Wu Mei continued to look at that person. Cup of tea, he said calmly.
Li Hong nodded silently. The green silk and white hair on Ma Long's temples were mixed together, making the white hair particularly dazzling. Unknowingly, Li Hong had to admit the fact that Ma Long was really old.
"You continue." Wu Mei picked up the cup of tea, stood up and walked out, and then said to the four brothers.
The four of them nodded silently and looked at each other with some confusion. They could only watch Wu Mei leave, who did not want them to accompany her.
"Since the Queen Mother has something on her mind, Brother Emperor, you..." Li Dan was closest to Li Hong and poked Li Hong's waist and said.
"No, I'm just going out to get some fresh air. Li Lingyue will be here soon. Just let me know." Wu Mei, who hadn't walked far, didn't turn around and said calmly: "Let's go to Shangshi Bureau."
"Looks like we're in for a good lunch." Li Hong smiled and said as he looked at Mother Long's leaving figure.
"Then you can have peace of mind? Don't forget, a few old guys in the Xuanzheng Palace are still waiting for you out of anger." Li Xian's skill at pouring cold water gradually grew.
But compared with Li Hong, he is obviously not as ruthless as Li Hong: "You said that the three of you can't even handle a few old antiques? You are still the prince of the royal family! It is really embarrassing to the royal family. Let's do this. Tomorrow, you three Please accompany your mother to visit your father, and I will deal with those old guys."
"You? You don't seem to be as good at reading the books of sages as we are? They are not afraid of the majesty of your emperor, and they even wish to die in front of you, so that they can have a good reputation of devoting themselves to the Tang Dynasty. This is not good for them. "It's the saying that makes death worthwhile," Li Zhe reminded Li Hong, the most authoritative supporter of Legalism.
"No, if you fight with them in the Xuanzheng Hall, they really want to die in the court. In this way, the records of the historians will be enough for them to leave their names in history, and it will also benefit their descendants. Even if they don't get it right, after their exaggeration, they might label themselves as having something to do with the royal family or you. In short, they will only make a profit from this transaction," Li Xian stood. In front of the glass window, behind One Arm, he looked at Wu Mei and others and said.
"Of course I can't." Li Hong smiled confidently. When faced with the three people's questions, he did not show off and said: "Jingshi Ziji, for me, it is not bad for falling asleep. As for other effects, I have not discovered it. I originally wanted to give you three princes a chance to show your face, so that you three can prove in front of the world that you are not princes who just eat royal food for nothing, but are virtuous kings with reputation, talent, wisdom and responsibility, but... You are not living up to expectations, so..."
"The three of us can't do it, and you don't dare to go. No, what else can you do? Who do you think can do it?" Li Dan was not convinced. He couldn't compare with the old antiques from Xuanzheng Hall, but he had not watched it since he was a child. Compared with Li Hong from A Collection of Classics and History, he must be much better no matter what.
"My imperial concubine Shangguan Wan'er!" Li Hong's expression was somewhat showy, but after the words Shangguan Wan'er came out, Li Dan and the other three people completely shut up and no longer had any doubts.
Indeed, compared to the collection of classics and history and the familiarity and understanding of the classics of sages, even if the four brothers were tied together, it would not be enough for Shangguan Wan'er to read it alone.
(End of chapter)