Xiangzhou, at the junction of Guangling Road and Nanjiang Road, is famous for a not-so-old Xingzi Alley. On both sides of this alley are Jiangnan courtyards. Although it is not grand, it is exquisite, and the residents are not high-ranking officials. It was some troubled literati who did not participate in Hongjia's north run back then, including recluses from Western Chu, and disheartened gentlemen from Shangyin Academy. . The Fan family mansion is at the farthest point of Xingzi Lane. The Fan family was once a wealthy and wealthy man in the Southern Tang Dynasty. This house, the Fan family's ancestors did not want treasures when they separated before they fled. They only wanted the whole building. The collection of books, which is the most difficult to carry, has been stretched for more than 20 years. If it is not for the sale of ancient books in the new building, otherwise it will be reduced to a situation where it cannot be uncovered. Liyang is prosperous, the national fortune is prosperous, and the chess fortune is also prosperous. Fortunately, after Fan Chang, a chess idiot who doesn't like fame and fame, came out, and Wu Congxian, Xinke Tanhua of the Liyang court, was called the "Double Nine". Hands, especially Tanhualang Wu Congxian, who later became one of the Eight Talents in the capital, was appointed by His Majesty the Emperor to fight against the four great players of Liyang Chess after he was enthroned. Fan Changhou, who was slightly better in the middle, took advantage of the trend to become the looming number one player in the Liyang chess world, and was newly awarded the reputation of "Fan Shiduan". Xingzi Lane, where Fan Changhou lived, was bustling with carriages and horses for a while, but this chess idiot kept closing the door to thank guests. Fan Changhou, who "chats gently and is decent" on the chessboard, seemed particularly repulsive in life.
The Fan family collected books in the two pavilions of "Wanxin" and "Qiushu". Among them, Qiushu Pavilion has a three-story hard mountain top, six rooms in depth, corridors in the front and back, and a square patio in front of the building. It covers an area of three acres and is made of blue bricks. Lay the ground without any weeds, and it is used for drying books in summer. Not long ago, Fan Changhou, who just became the head of the Fan family, set several strict rules for collecting books. Among them, there is a book that does not leave the pavilion regardless of generation. Women with foreign surnames and real surnames are not allowed to enter the pavilion. .
Today is a warm and fine winter weather, suitable for drying books to get rid of mildew. An elegant-looking man in green shirts took out handfuls of engraved copy copies from the attic and spread them out on the blue brick floor of the patio in front of the Court for Forgiveness. He did it himself. The servants were not allowed to do the work. A young girl with cheeks flushed by the sun squatted on the ground, flipping through the books casually, not reading with relish, but frowning. Glancing at her back, the man smiled, stretched his waist, and caught a glimpse of a huge figure sitting on the steps where sunlight and shadows intersected at the edge of the patio, silent. The man's happy mood was clouded. The way this burly giant visited the Fan family was extremely shocking. He didn't hand over a name card or knock on the door. Instead, he fell from the sky and landed in the pond in the backyard of the Fan family. At that time, Fan Changhou was playing chess with others, and he was caught in a long-term examination. The chess player asked him to bring the visitor. Fan Changhou told the servants in the house who heard the sound to keep quiet, and then this burly guy who was like a god in the sky came He was inseparable from the old and the young, and never spoke.
It was the man from Fan Shiduan and Fan Changhou who walked up to the old man. The old man was sitting on a small bench with a golden nanmu chessboard in front of him. He had a small cup of white salt and a plate of crispy white radish in his hand. A bowl of white rice. After the burly guest with golden skin appeared, the old man laid out the broken chess game in front of him, and then he didn't make any moves and said nothing. Unless the girl was talking to the old man, even if it was what Fan Changhou said, the old man would not bother to answer. Fan Changhou was standing behind the old man at this time, facing the established official game, full of suspicion in his heart, the black and white chess pieces intertwined, it was a typical game of fighting strength, and he didn't pay much attention to the shape of the chess, but with Fan Changhou's From the point of view, this game of chess is far from worthy of the old man's careful treatment.
You must know that Fan Changhou is self-taught in the eyes of the world, and he is generally recognized as blunt. In terms of talent alone, he is far behind Wu Congxian, who became famous as a teenager. After a few years, he was finally able to match Wu Congxian. But of course Fan Changhou has a master, and he is also a Huanglong scholar who is the top player in the Spring and Autumn Period. If not, Fan Changhou's "late bloomer" must have been delayed by another 20 years. In today's world, Go has the highest 9th dan. The top chess players standing beside the emperor are all undoubtedly strong 9th dan. There are also some experts in the countryside who have the strength of 9th dan, but they may not be a "strong player." ", and Xu Weixiong, the princess of Beiliang who was famous for studying in Shangyin Academy, said "Xu Shi and Thirteen", Xu Shi said that this woman's strength is far beyond that of a nine-dan master, and she is a well-deserved ten-dan master. Xu Shisan said that she can often play thirteenth-dan as unpredictable and excellent Go players, so she can be regarded as a Go master of the same level as Xichu Cao Guanzi. Xu Weixiong and Cao Changqing are still far behind, there is a huge gap of one son. As for the master in front of him, hey, this time the surprise master-student reunion, the mentor who taught him gave him two sons, Fan Changhou is still the same. Ten battles are lost.
The old man stared at the chess game, grabbed a pinch of salt and sprinkled it on the radish, and asked, "Yuetian, do you remember what I said when I played the first game of chess with you?"
Fan Changhou, whose alias is Fuzi Yueyuetian, replied respectfully: "Master said two sentences, one is that the real kung fu lies outside of chess, and the other is that no matter how good you are at chess, that's all there is to it. Being human makes a world of difference.”
Huang Longshi, the number one devil in the Spring and Autumn Period, hummed, chewing the bland, tasteless and slightly salty radish, "So besides teaching you how to play chess, I also want you not to delay learning. Now that Wu Congxian has become famous in the capital, you have nothing to fight for." , on the contrary, he is more famous than Wu Congxian, in the future, no matter who sits on the dragon chair in the Liyang court, whether his surname is Zhao or whatever, you will have a place for you."
Fan Changhou asked softly: "Why did Master want me to befriend His Royal Highness Prince Yanchi? Is it because the emperor was disappointed by killing his chief assistant Zhang Julu?"
Huang Longshi smiled and asked back: "Yuetian, don't you think Bi Yan'er shouldn't be killed?"
Fan Changhou didn't dare to play tricks with his master, and said frankly: "Even if the emperor wants to pave the way for the crown prince Zhao Zhuan, killing Zhang Julu alone is enough to punish the nine clans, and the fire will pass."
Huang Longshi smiled, "Let's not talk about the degree of heat first, you can first talk about why seeing Bi Yan'er is a must-death situation."
Fan Changhou walked to the opposite side of the chess game, sat upright, and said in a deep voice: "The first assistant Zhang Julu Daxing the imperial examination opened the dragon gate for the children of the poor family, and Yin Maochun and Zhao Youling appeared under the Yonghui Gongqing, not only capable ministers, but also under Zhang Julu's Under the shelter, he was able to immerse himself in the officialdom for many years in the temple, and he became more and more familiar with the emperor's mind and court rules. He not only knew how to protect himself wisely, but also knew how to raise his hopes and gain momentum while earning a reputation in history. Among them, those "loyal ministers" who are willing to die are not the same. Even if the king wants to die, the minister can not die, but he is unwilling to commit suicide in his heart. The poor and important ministers who will continue to emerge in the future, since they were born in the market, dozens of The family wealth accumulated over the years is lost and lost. At certain moments, unlike the deeply rooted children of the family, he has the courage to be willing to chop off his whole body. Zhang Julu is the creator of the Spring of Yonghui, and he is also the one who wears purple and yellow. The instigator, this is death."
Huang Longshi grabbed a handful of white rice, stuffed it into his mouth, and smiled slowly: "It's not enough."
"Prince Zhao Zhuan is about to ascend the throne. Not surprisingly, he will be a peaceful and prosperous emperor with no military achievements. However, if there is Zhang Julu in the court and Gu Jiantang in the military, the new emperor Zhao Zhuan will be extremely difficult to convince. Your lord keeps issuing 'testing hands', the impeachment of Jin Lanting, the general Yang Shenxing brought up the old story of the loyal Han family in Jizhou, promoted Chen Wang, the son-in-law of Chejun King, summoned Qi Yanglong to Beijing, and reactivated Zhongshu The province's subordinates are used to counteract the Shangshu Province, and many methods have been pressing the chief assistant step by step. Zhang Julu seems to have chosen to retreat step by step from the beginning to the end, abolishing Zhang Lu's forces on his own, and abandoning Zhao Youling, Yin Maochun and Bai Guo one after another. Only Wang Xionggui, who is generally recognized as the most incompetent assistant, was left behind, and even Wang Xionggui, the Shangshu of the household department who was the last pillar of Zhang Lu, was demoted to Guangling Dao Jinglue and left the capital, Zhang Julu still did not make a sound."
When Fan Changhou said this, he paused, "However, as long as Zhang Julu survives, even if he 'takes the blame' and resigns, this civil official leader loses his position and returns to his hometown to live in the mountains. It will be very embarrassing to sacrifice to Qi Yanglong, and how old is Zhang Julu, and how old is Qi Yanglong? When the world is in trouble, Zhang Julu, who is not in the temple but in the rivers and lakes, will have a chance to become the savior of the world. People. The disparity in treatment between Zhang Julu and Qi Yanglong today, as well as their status in the hearts of the common people, will happen to be reversed at that time. How could His Majesty the Emperor not understand the truth, and would leave the prince in a mess. If only this In theory, without Zhang Julu's first death as I said earlier, it can still be used as a check and balance technique for the king to control his subjects, but since the future will be a dynasty without major wars, and more and more talents will be available in the court, the emperor's auspicious talisman spring, Compared with Zhang Julu's Yonghui Spring, why did the Zhao family keep you Zhang Julu?!"
Huang Longshi nodded, "Zhang Julu has been sending charcoal in the snow for the past twenty years, so he can't be killed. From now on, he can only do some icing on the cake, so he can kill him sooner. This is considered one death. Two deaths, you continue to talk."
Fan Changhou obviously had a plan in mind, and he finished a draft full of conclusions, without any hesitation in thinking, and said, "The two deaths before are the things that today must consider. At this time, the war between Liangmang and the peace of Guangling What is imminent at hand. Zhang Julu made enemies on all sides during his lifetime, three of which were the nobles of the royal family, powerful civil servants, and local military generals. Ordinary hard days, at first I thought that the first emperor Zhao Shi of Liyang ruled the world, they are all heroes, and they are people with the surname Zhao, so they can naturally share the country with the emperor, but they were separated by Xu Xiao and Zhang Julu. Credit, how can you bear it? With Zhang Julu standing in the temple as a roadblock for a day, how can those courtiers with aristocratic status have a day of success? The more impartial Zhang Julu is, the more difficult it is for these people to seek benefits for the family. At that time, Zhang Julu wanted to govern The subordinate officials, the salt administration and the water transportation are bumping against each other. The old minister of the Ministry of Industry does not hesitate to risk the anger of the chief assistant to stand in the way for others. Who is the old minister for? Naturally, it is for this large group of families to occupy the place Civil servants. Civil and military disputes have been the practice of all dynasties. Zhang Julu can use his wrists to calm down the arrogance of the party and government, but with Guangling Jingnan's conspiracy, he takes the opportunity to continuously cut down the vassal and suppress the military. Yan Zhenchun, Yang Shenxing, and several vassal kings have become powerful Broken chess pieces, those generals who hold military power can't bear it either. The emperor killed the villain Zhang Julu and let the three forces vent their anger, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone. Afterwards, the new emperor will appease everyone, and he can kill three birds with one stone."
Huang Longshi said calmly: "This is also a death. But you didn't understand one thing. The reason for this death is that if Zhang Julu was dismissed when he was at the peak of his power, then the bad breath in the chests of Zhang Julu's three mortal enemies who had been grudges for a long time , it can be regarded as spit out more than half, easy to vent but difficult to get together, if they want to fight against this Bi Yaner in the future, it will be difficult for them to have the determination not to die. With this mentality to fight Bi Yaner, even if the new emperor gives With their backing, they will definitely be divided and ruled by Zhang Julu, just like the Qing Party was defeated by Zhang Julu."
Fan Changhou said solemnly: "Your apprentice is taught!"
Huang Longshi reached out to grab the few radishes left, glanced at the apprentice who had won the title of Buddha in the chess world, and asked, "Is this gone? That's far worse than your little brother in Xiangfan City." many."
Fan Changhou smiled and said: "It's all right for Zhang Julu not to form a party and cut off his wings, but also deliberately parted ways with Tan Tanweng, who was the most helpful, and completely became a lonely family. Come to buy fame? This scene is exactly the same as when a scholar with a reputation had to scold Tu Xuxiao. If Huan Wen stood firmly by the side of the chief assistant, let alone a group of passionate scholars, they would be Jin Sanlang doesn't have the courage either. Without Huan Wen, Zhang Julu would die again."
Huang Longshi was noncommittal, but changed the subject, squinted his eyes at the salt and the bowl of rice, and said with a smile: "There are many anecdotes about celebrity affairs, and these anecdotes that are circulated in the government and the public are like the salt of scholars. Eating rice alone will not taste good." You can't die, but you just lack that spirit. Earlier, in Liyang, where there were many feudal towns in a remote corner, literati were bullied to death by warriors all day long, so naturally there were no big anecdotes. Short of a Yonghui emblem, there is Huang Menlang who is on duty in the Imperial Academy and sleeps drunk, the emperor personally puts on fur for him, and even Tan Tanweng warms wine and discusses the world with a pot of wine in the ban. So, even though the knees of scholars in the world are still bent , but the waist finally straightened up."
Fan Changhou raised his head and glanced at the books scattered in the sunlight, and said with emotion: "I still remember the homeless dog's homelessness when I was a child. Those generals stationed at the checkpoints only recognized gold and silver, and it was fine to make things difficult. What makes me hard to let go is that they use spears to pick up the book boxes, and the rare books that are the lifeblood of scholars in the boxes are scattered all over the ground and trampled wantonly. I think a world where books can bask in the sun is a good world for us scholars Bar."
Fan Changhou sighed, took a deep breath, and said: "Zhang Julu cheated in the imperial examination, the eldest son embezzled the fertile land, and the local family and the people took advantage of it. The evidence of the crime is convincing..."
Speaking of this, Fan Changhou smiled wryly and said: "It's really funny 'conclusive evidence', the latter two should be true, but if Zhang Julu leaked the test questions, I'm afraid everyone would think it absurd. Regardless of the truth, plus the implicated When it comes to the tragedy of the old Shoufu's Han family, this is another death."
Fan Changhou clenched his fists on his knees, vaguely annoyed, "That's all, one of the top ten crimes includes trespassing with the frontier army, who is trespassing? Tilting half the country's taxation to build the eastern front to defend the northern mang, that is What is Zhang Julu's fault for the outline of the country established by the late emperor?"
Huang Longshi shook his head and said: "This crime is the most obscure. You guessed wrong. This one is not about Gu Jiantang, but about Beiliang. Of course, it also means beating hundreds of thousands of border guards in Beidi behind Gu Jiantang. Zhang Julu After taking power, it seems that they have tried their best to suppress the Beiliang Xu family step by step, but in fact, it is all external and internal phenomena. It will be even more uncomfortable for Beiliang. This is the price of Zhang Julu taking the loss of the relationship between the emperor and his ministers, in exchange for a concealed security for the northwest of the dynasty. This, of course, is a death."
Fan Changhou was stunned, then stood up, and bowed heavily to the north.
Huang Longshi sneered and said, "Do you feel more and more that Bi Yaner shouldn't die? Don't look at the fact that there are countless people secretly clapping their hands for the downfall of Lord Shoufu. In fact, the real discerning people, especially people like you The scholars who value the king over the others all gritted their teeth and remained silent. Do you think that everyone seemed to be scolding Xu Zizi at that time, so everyone really hated Beiliang? Bi Yaner, Tan Tanweng, Gu Jiantang, Yan Zhenchun, Lu Baijie Lu Shengxiang, Xu Gong, etc., really only have hatred but no sincere admiration? You must know that at that time Xu Xiao took Beiliang's own armored horse and rode south, and led Cai Nan, a general of Gu Jiantang's direct line who went to the border to stop Xu Fengnian, with a total of 60,000 yuan. Sagittarius, facing that old cripple, let alone fighting him, he just knelt down convincingly, and only said a sentence that many soldiers heard clearly, "The last general will see the King of Beiliang". However, Cai Nan, the great general who was placed high hopes by the imperial court to compress the living space in Beiliang, and all the 60,000 soldiers in the army had the same thoughts, and regarded seeing the great general Xu Xiao from afar as a great honor in his life. In the end, in the end, It became Xu Xiao who replaced Gu Jiantang to inspect the Gu family's iron cavalry. The officials of the temple said that they were aggrieved in private, but the generals and soldiers from all over Liyang didn't think it was shameful. Xu Xiao is so domineering and domineering, he deserves it, Zhang Julu With a scholar like you silently remembering it in his heart, Bi Yaner also deserves it. So this is Bi Yaner's death!"
Huang Longshi expressionlessly picked up a chess piece from the chess box, and said softly: "Prince Zhao Zhuan doesn't like this chief assistant. He once tried to make friends with Zhang Bianguan, the youngest son of Zhang Julu, but to no avail. In troubled times, we should raise military generals and govern the world. , this person is destined to be a literati emperor, but for the sake of civil and military balance, it is necessary to continue the chess game that the former emperor Zhao Dun left behind Shangshu's family and the three provinces of Zhongshu to restrain each other. To sit firmly on the dragon chair, Zhang Julu will die again."
"Zhang Julu sees things farther than everyone else. He used self-defilement to ruin his reputation, and he did not leave a way out. He was alert to future generations. Bi Yan'er is very clear that in the future, a literati will form a country. .Since the first year of Yonghui, the province of Shangshu has been dominant, not to mention the six ministers, and none of the ministers have been beheaded. If the current trend is followed, it will be even more difficult to die as a "scholar official" after Liyang. There is one thing The signs of this are very interesting, that is the corruption of the nobles of the clan and the children of the rich and powerful, they pay more attention to their eating habits, but the civil servants from the poor family, after shaking off the mud on their bodies, they will be even more shameless, and their methods will be more concealed, Bi Yaner Obviously, he knew this well, so this death is what he asked for. But in my opinion, the death of a chief assistant is really of little use in dealing with the descendants of the "declining world". "
"But because of this, Zhang Julu's death, I, Huang Longshi, admire the most."
"Emperor Zhao Dun wants him to die, but Zhang Julu is willing to die. This is another death. This death is the most helpless for scholars and the emperor's family, but it is also the most romantic for scholars with a clear conscience."
Huang Longshi, who kept playing the chess with two fingers and never landed on the board, said nothing, the salt, rice and radish had already been eaten.
Fan Changhou said softly, "Zhang Julu is probably dead."
Huang Longshi looked down at the chess game and asked with a smile: "It is said that he is close to death, do you think Bi Yan'er still has a chance?"
Fan Changhou shook his head and said: "Everyone wants him to die, but he doesn't want to live, how can he live?"
Huang Longshi knocked the white chess piece on a part of the Northeast chessboard, and even adjusted its position again. Fan Changhou was very surprised, the master played chess with himself, and always moved the pieces like flying, let alone deliberately correcting the positions of the pieces that have already been placed. up. Because Huang Longshi said that when a child is born, it will take root, and the world has always been so ruthless. Even if there is a longevity pill in the world, it is impossible to have a medicine for regret. This made Fan Changhou, who had lost interest in the chess game, arouse his curiosity again. Looking carefully, when this man turned ten paragraphs and was concentrating on finding the answer, Huang Longshi bent down and reached out to grab a black chess piece from the chess box, and looked at it. On the west side of the chessboard, the two fingers holding the chess piece drew a circle there, and said indifferently: "Before you saw that I arranged this chess game in one go, don't look at this place where it seems that the battle is in full swing, and the black and white sides are fighting extremely fiercely. power, but it’s ridiculous and probably irrelevant.”
Fan Changhou, who was sitting face to face with Huang Longshi, felt his heart skip a beat. Looking down at the chess game, he asked in succession, "Is this a confrontation between Liyang and Beimang?! This is Beiliang? Beiliang has 300,000 cavalry, how could it be irrelevant to the overall situation? Master , I really can’t figure it out, can you help me clear up my confusion?”
Huang Longshi threw the black chess piece back into the chess box, and said with a smile: "How can you guess the next step of the Beimang Taiping Order? Don't bother thinking about it. You won't be able to figure it out in a hundred years. Play It’s almost enough to have your skill in chess, and I will think about how to win fame in the new dynasty game in the future. The higher the chess power, the more vain you will be.”
Fan Changhou looked at his master cautiously.
Huang Longshi said with a smile: "It's about you ordinary people, and the master and the Northern Mang Emperor's teacher are not among them."
Fan Changhou asked: "Then Cao Changqing of Western Chu?"
Huang Longshi laughed and said, "Half and half. He knows what he can't do, he's just a fool. Cao Changqing spent the rest of his life fighting for his breath, which is meaningless."
A heck came from afar.
It seemed that he was laughing at the old man's bragging and pointing the world, Huang Longshi was a little embarrassed, and Fan Changhou wanted to laugh but didn't dare to laugh when he saw his master was deflated.
Huang Longshi stood up, walked over to the little girl who was still flipping through the book, rubbed her head, and sighed distressedly: "Girl, don't bother with that bronze figure in the future, you won't be able to kill it. "
The old man picked up a book and sat down next to the Beimang bronze master who was thrown to Guangling Road by Qi Xuanjian, but was soon squeezed between the two by Miss Hehe, and Huang Longshi had to move aside He moved his buttocks, put his palms on the book, felt the warmth left by the sun, and said: "When I was young, I visited Qi Xuanjiao at the Demon Slaying Stage. People read books. I, Huang Longshi, neither believe nor agree. Otherwise, this encounter will be in vain.”
Master Bronze Man didn't say a word.
Huang Longshi turned his head and asked, "How much longer?"
The ancestor of the bronze man was still looking straight ahead with blank eyes.
This courtyard of Qiushu Pavilion has returned to silence.
Day after day, the whole world finally knew that Zhang Julu, the chief assistant of the dynasty, was dead and died in prison.
At that time, people in the world remembered a bastard who was damned but not dead. It seemed that he gave a bad omen to Mr. Shoufu, who was in full swing at that time, a long time ago.
"Sad New Year's Eve".
At that time, everyone suddenly realized that it seemed that all the assertions of the big devil Huang Sanjia had been fulfilled one by one.
On New Year's Eve, the moon is at the end of the year, so it is connected end to end with the New Year.
At this point, the old year will be removed, and a new one will be replaced.
On the New Year's Eve of the first year of Xiangfu, everyone in Xingzi Lane, young and old, would light lanterns and vigil to welcome the New Year, and so did the Fan family.
In front of the Kuanxin Pavilion, the bronze figure master stood in the middle of the courtyard, looking up at the sky.
The little girl and Fan Changhou sat on the stone steps.
The little girl had a straight face.
Fan Changhou bowed his head like a child and choked up.
During the day, the master patiently told him many things and many reasons, including the planning and layout of several living aides, the advantages and disadvantages of Liyang Prince Zhao Zhuan and Yanchi Prince Zhao Zhuan, and what he should do. How to cope with the younger brother Lu Xu, how to stand out from the bloody strangulation of several major forces, and even how to retire after success, I told him to listen. In the end, the master told him a very inexplicable sentence, which was like a final conclusion given to him by Fan Changhou in the history books of later generations: Fan Changhou, who likes fame, is good at power, has a brilliant literary talent, is fierce on the inside but gentle on the outside, Liyang Zhongxing One of the six ministers, died well, posthumously named Wenzhen.
In the pavilion, an old man who dominates the top three in spring and autumn holds an oil lamp and walks quietly between the bookshelves. The wick gradually burns and gets shorter.
The lights faltered and were about to go out.
Huang Longshi walked to the window, looked at the night sky, smiled freely, and whispered in a low voice: "Nice to meet you, Ye Baikui, Xu Xiao, Zhang Julu, Yuan Benxi, Li Yishan, Zhao Changling, Gu Jiantang, Nalan Youci, Huan Wen, Qi Yang Long, Cao Changqing, and Li Beware."
The old man held up the oil lamp, "I respect you, I respect the Spring and Autumn Period, I respect your gold and iron horses, and I respect your freehand style!"
The old man opened the window, threw the exhausted oil lamp out of the window, laughed loudly and said, "How magnificent I have been in this life!"