Changes in the sky
Volume 2: The Edge of Heaven
Chapter 155 Imperial College
A girl came up to us breathlessly, her hands on her knees, gasping for words but unable to speak.
"What happened? Take a few deep breaths. I do this when I'm tired. It helps me breathe more easily." I wasn't surprised. I thought it was probably just a kid making a big deal out of nothing. I wondered how big a problem could happen in the Imperial Academy. Suddenly, I remembered what happened in the woods that day, and my heart tightened.
"What happened? Yan, hurry!"
"Some people were being rude to Sister Yi and Sister Li, and Brother Zhongdao went to stop them..."
"Oh, I thought it was something... These guys are going to be in trouble. Brother Zhongdao can just find some patrolmen to beat them up. I wonder how Brother Zhongdao is punishing these impatient fools?" Song and I looked at each other and laughed, feeling relieved again. ** looked at us stupidly, paused for a moment, and laughed loudly. Now I really want to make this honest kid a target, shoot a few arrows at his head, and open up more minds for him.
"Oh! That's not true. Those guys are patrol officers. They were so rude to Brother Zhongdao!" The girl stomped her feet in anger, her face flushed red.
"Don't these patrol guards know the Master of the Imperial Academy? Although Brother Zhongdao is young, his title of Master of the Imperial Academy is real! He is the highest supervisor here. How dare the patrol guards here be rude to him?" But I'm not stupid. I suddenly thought of something. Song had already said, "Today is the Lantern Festival. If the emperor wants to come, I'm afraid the guards will have to be replaced by..."
"Yulin Lang?" I asked, and he nodded. In fact, I didn't need him to nod, I knew it could only be this bunch of bastards. This sister Qiu Luan's mother must have been defiled by one of these bastards, and that's how Qiu Luan was born. On weekdays, they are all in the palace, following the emperor, so it's normal that they don't recognize Brother Zhongdao, but today, these bastards dared to make trouble, I'm afraid there are some tricks behind it.
"Take me there!" He immediately followed Cai Yan with a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. He thought to himself, if I don't teach you a lesson, you really don't take the law seriously.
The Imperial College was quite large. We walked around the big houses and arrived at a remote place. We could hear voices in front of us, and it seemed that some dirty words were being said. When we turned left and passed the corner of a house, we saw a few figures in military uniforms, and heard someone say, "How about you being a doctor and a chief priest?" Why can't you...
These three hundred stone Yulin Lang are really famous. I don't know whose backing they have to say this. As soon as I thought about it, my heart calmed down.
I covered Cai Yan's mouth as she was about to speak, and gestured to everyone else to keep quiet. While taking off my formal dress, I whispered a few words to **, pointed to a place near those people, and threw the bow to him, asking them to hide behind the house first, but wait for my signal.
But someone on this side had already called out, "Brother Zhongdao, it's so hard to find you! The Imperial College is so big, I'm lost for words."
Before I said this, five Yu Lin Langs with swords and full body armor surrounded him. Brother Zhong Dao, who looked solemn and upright, blocked the two women against the wall behind him. At this moment, this pale-faced, thin, and sickly man was like a hero who could not be bullied. He was not afraid of the five Yu Lin Langs who were also strong men. At this moment, I really hoped that I could do this heroic act.
As soon as I spoke, everyone's eyes turned to me. A layer of joy flashed across Brother Zhongdao's face, but it quickly faded away. I felt that this "elegant man" was about to do something "elegant" for me.
"Brother, you're here just in time." As soon as he said this, he meant to give up.
The five people should have hesitated when they saw such a big man like me. They might have seen me before, but if I was new here in the past few months, they probably hadn't. My clothes made me look like an ordinary person, but my height really made everyone think of another person, and of course that other person was me.
I bent my waist, as if I had a hunchback, and bowed, "Thank you, my fellow Yulin brothers, for your hard work."
They also knew etiquette and returned the greetings one after another, but judging from what happened to Cai Yan, these people might not be as polite as they appear now.
They would naturally ask me, who are you, sir
According to the people who can come in tonight, the scope is not large, but they are definitely not commoners. Therefore, they dare to do this to people whose identities they already know, but they may not dare to disrespect me, whose identity is uncertain.
And I also want to know who is behind these people, so I have no disrespect to them.
"I was invited by the Doctor Jijiu to visit the Imperial College, but my name is not worth mentioning." He bowed again and smiled at Brother Zhongdao. He and the two women behind him also smiled. They didn't say anything, as if they were waiting to see the fun. This time, I didn't feel sad when I looked at her, because she didn't feel sad. If she could really let it go, it might be a good thing. It would also allow me to deal with these people calmly.
"Sir, it's a bit strange to be here as a guest at this time. Do you know what day it is today?" The five people looked at each other, and one of them, who seemed to be the leader, bowed politely in return.
"It's the Lantern Festival."
"Sir, since you know this, why do you come to visit at this time? How did you get in?" These words were a bit sharp.
"I also want to ask how did you all get in?"
"We are Yulinlang, and we will be patrolling here tonight!"
"Then don't you recognize this Wei Jijiu?"
"I haven't seen him very often, so I'm not familiar with him. That's why I'm questioning him."
"You are too rude. This is the Imperial Academy that is managed by Lord Wei Jijiu."
"So, that's right... We were afraid he was pretending to be us, so we asked him to compose a poem for us, with the theme of the Lantern Festival. If he can do it, we will believe him." This is quite a skill. If Cai Yan hadn't come to tell me, and I had heard some of your words, I would have believed that you were really so "dutiful". But I can imagine how arrogant and domineering these people were just now to insult the gentleman.
"Why don't you look at the seal on his waist? This is all given by the emperor, there is no mistake." I noticed that Brother Zhongdao seemed to know more etiquette than the officials of my Yue State. Although this seems to hurt Brother Zhongdao, I can't be wrong about the thing on his waist: "If he is really the Lord Jijiu, wouldn't it be a bit of an offense for you to behave like this? If the emperor came in disguise, would you dare to do this?"
"Of course I don't dare. May I ask who this gentleman is? It is our duty to ask, but you don't have your seal with you." This made them feel a little embarrassed, but they were still a little fierce, yet a little softened. However, they couldn't really use any handle on them through his words.
It seems that I can't take them away for the time being, but I have a backup plan, which is actually the "present" plan I considered at the banquet tonight.
Pointing to the sky with the left hand, "Listen, what's that sound?"
Everyone was silent and listened.
I turned my body slightly to the right, and heard a whistling sound and the sound of a bowstring in the air. I turned my head to the right and saw something flying by. Before I could think about it, I grabbed the object with my right hand. I felt a gust of wind beside my hand and a dull pain in my hand.
Then everyone looked at the long arrow in my hand, which was shaking. But after I successfully "showed" it, I cursed in my heart, "You bastard, you can only pull the bow three-quarters of the way normally, and this strength is more than three-quarters of this bow. I'm afraid the one in front is really trying to flatter me. If I hadn't practiced spear fighting every day and had a lot of calluses on my hands, I would have been scratched this time."
Of course, his face looked relaxed, and his voice sounded quite casual: "Oh, it seems something happened?"
The five men suddenly came to their senses, drew their swords in astonishment, and shouted, "Who is so bold!"
"No problem, no problem!" I said more leisurely, "I'm really sorry, everyone. Zhi's seal is still in Yue State. Because it is needed for state affairs, I can't bring it with me. This is my Yue State's method of sending messages, specially for my use. I often take good shooters to the front of the battlefield, but if there is any change, they will shoot arrows wrapped with letters at me as a warning. There is nothing on this arrow. I'm afraid something special has happened. Seeing me walking around, I let me stop here so that I can come to find me. That's why this happened. It's inconvenient for me to leave now. I'm afraid someone will come to tell me something soon."
Sure enough, a fool came running over with a bow almost immediately. This was strange. I told him that after shooting, he should count to fifty silently and then run over. However, he did count to fifty quickly.
But he was panting as if he had run a long distance, out of breath, which was a bit beyond my expectation. His performance was very professional. He just knelt on one knee and pointed backwards: "Report to the Marquis of Yue... your father... the Lord... wants... you and... Dr. Wei... to go over together!"
"Got it. You go down first. Next time, write something on a piece of cloth and wrap it up. I'll know the answer when I see it."
"I... don't know how to read." I didn't teach him this. What I taught him was that I was in a hurry and had no time to find a pen and ink. But thinking about it, this sentence might be more suitable.
But the effect was almost the same. When they turned around, they immediately dodged to the side, saluted respectfully, and said, "I didn't know you were coming, Lord Yue. I apologize for any offense, but as the emperor's guards, I can only do this."
I sighed, but it was a sincere sigh. Thank you for your hard work. May I ask where you recommended me and your name? I will recommend such a dedicated and loyal man to your majesty.
Some of them seemed to be excited and were about to sign up, but they heard the leader say that this was their job and they did not dare to nag the Marquis of Yue or offend the emperor. So they asked to leave and continue their inspection.
Then he said goodbye and disappeared behind a nearby house. I then turned around and asked them to follow me.
After turning the corner, he took Song and Cai Yan and continued walking forward. They walked in silence for several hundred steps before stopping outside a corridor.
"Who are these Yu Lin Lang?" I felt that they were not simple.
"Brother Zirui, why didn't you stop them and question them carefully?" Huang Yi was a little anxious.
"When these people saw me, their tone of response was not inappropriate. If Yan hadn't come to inform me, I would have known about the matter. I'm afraid something really happened; and even if something happened, it could be suppressed. At least the leader is not simple. He seemed to have heard that I wanted to know their names, and he was afraid that I would settle accounts with him later, so he didn't report them. He was also smart and seemed to have suspected me. If I continued to interrogate them, they would definitely use the reason that the guards of the Imperial Guards were not allowed to report their names when leaving the palace, which would increase their suspicion. Now this is the only way. Now they think that I will be gone after a while. I don't know them, so they will be fine. In two years, if these people don't wear this helmet but get promoted and grow beards, I may not recognize them. There should be some big shots behind them, and the leader is very smart, which is not a good thing. But since I let them go easily without questioning, they will not come forward to embarrass Brother Zhongdao again, so as not to expose their identities. Maybe this has to be settled in advance, but I am really unwilling. I will discuss with the General of the Cavalry right away to see how to find these people."
"Brother Zirui, this is not how you do things. I thought you would rush over and beat them up to vent your anger."
"Sister, if it was three or four years ago, your elder brother might have really been like this. However, elder brother has been in this officialdom for three or four years, and the affairs of the court cannot be resolved by a fight. If I go over like this today, it should not be a problem to deal with those five people. But apart from other things, I should be fine; but after I leave, Brother Zhongdao's life will be troublesome. Now, the Imperial College is in decline, and Brother Zhongdao is a beginner, without any backing or connections. In their eyes, a doctoral priest with a salary of 600 shi is just an insignificant official. Brother Zhongdao, please forgive me. It's not that I look down on you, but I think you understand what I mean."
Brother Zhongdao nodded, and he began to explain to Cai Yan for me, but in fact, he was explaining to everyone like me: "A Langguan may be granted an official position at any time. Generally, the new spring season is the day for granting officials and governing the country. Moreover, when the crown prince is appointed, the crown prince is certain, and there are dozens of vacancies in the lineage of the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor and the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor. Since these people have backers, I'm afraid most of them will have positions this time... Although the Doctor Jijiu is glorious, it is not a real official title; six hundred stones is a very big official in the counties outside, but in Luoyang, it can only be regarded as a lowly official who is not in the palace. Their salaries may soon be higher than mine, so it is reasonable for them not to be afraid of me. But they can't do this to my two sisters of Weining."
I also felt a little sad. The two people around me were less talented than Brother Zhongdao, but they were both officials with a rank of 1,000 stones. I always felt a little sorry for Brother Zhongdao. Suddenly I wanted to delete the ** from what I just thought. Using the word "talent" to describe ** is indeed insulting.
"I can remember the voices of each of them." The female musician said: "I can remember the voices of all of them. Two of them had a strong Qingzhou accent, but only at the beginning, and then it disappeared. The other three spoke the official language of Luoyang. But if I can hear these people speak again in the future, I will definitely be able to distinguish these five people."
He is indeed a musician. Such talent is not something that someone like me can possess.
"I will ask my father for help in this matter. Miss Ren will need your help. Father is assisting the government now, and he still has some say in the appointment and dismissal of officials. When we find out who they are, we will send these five people back to their hometowns because their moral character and talents are not good enough for them. This way, they can't blame Brother Zhongdao. Even if they are angry, they can go back and can't do anything to the court."
Qingzhou accent, press, it should be Yuan Shao, the head of Qigong. Yes, the emperor has come to their Yuan family tonight, this backer is really strong. They dare to make trouble, probably because the emperor is at the Yuan family and has not come to the Imperial College yet.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of drums and music in the distance.
It sounds like this should mean that the emperor has really come to the Imperial College.
I quickly asked them to follow me. If they followed me, nothing would happen, and they wouldn't be afraid of running into them. But a woman suddenly asked me why I was practicing shooting arrows with my hands.
Me: Things have been a bit uneasy lately. I've been here for two days and I've been attacked twice. If I don't show some strength to scare them off, I'm afraid there will be another fight.
This is a bit of an exaggeration, but it can be more effective.
Several people seemed to be startled. ** even jumped out and asked who was so bold and why they knew nothing about it. Why is Luoyang so unsafe? Guangxin is much safer. I don't even have to close the door at night.
That's right, you live in the palace, of course I didn't say this out loud.
"One in the forest outside the city, and another in another place. Because of the festival, these cases are temporarily suppressed and shelved. Moreover, attacking me is not a simple matter, and it is not easy to investigate clearly. In fact, no one thought of it at the beginning. It was all when there were no people around me that the other party attacked. So when I encountered your case, when I saw the scene just now, I felt that these people were too bold, and I was afraid that they were some bad guys. If they start fighting without saying a word, you will be trapped in the corner, and you may be injured in the exchange of fists, feet, and swords, so I will use this move to scare them first. If they are bad guys, they will be afraid of me, but they don’t want to be my enemy. When you get behind me, it will be easy to fight again; and if they are not, this move can also let them know that there is someone behind me. If you want to make trouble, you can’t hide the matter here. Besides, I am the Marquis of Yue, they already know, and they also know that there is someone behind me. If they still dare to be rude to me, it is a great disrespect to the Marquis of Yue, and I may have no problem killing them."
"Brother Zirui, how could you think so much in just a short moment?" Cai Yan looked incredulous.
"Well, your elder brother has no other strengths, but the more critical the situation, the better his brain works." I smiled and walked faster. The emperor is here, and even if there is nothing else to do, there will be a test of archery. I need to hurry up. But when I was so fast, a girl behind me obviously couldn't keep up, and kept asking her to wait. Just as I was about to pick her up and throw her on my shoulders, she took the lead and carried her on her back, and ran forward without saying a word.
The way back was quite troublesome. Fortunately, Brother Zhongdao was more familiar with the road than I was, so there was no delay. We also went through the hall and passed several study rooms. However, when we passed by, Brother Ning took off his shoes in front of the steps and put them on again. So we all followed him. It was just a little harder, so I helped him carry this friend a few times. This time, we took a shortcut and didn’t have to turn around. It was really fast. Soon we could see the mound. I only heard the emperor’s topic being shouted from behind the mound. The eunuch’s voice was extremely sharp, and there was no one around, so we could hear the topic today even though we were so far away.
There was a wooden rack where the target was originally, which was used to stack straw bundles. Now there was a row of oil lamps on it, from left to right. Each candidate had one lamp, and there was a reward for each shooter.
The eunuch paused for a while, and I thought he had started, so he walked faster. But after a while, there was no cheering or sighing. It seemed that no one had shot yet, and I didn't know the order. Maybe the emperor was still deciding the order.
At this time, the eunuch's voice rose again, and Zhao Gong's son, Xie Zhi, the Marquis of Yue State's Ping'an Fengyun, shot first.
My father is now the regent, so it is reasonable for me, as his son, to shoot first. But before I got there, I was striding up the slope, and during this moment of delay, there was another sharp voice: Ping An Fengyun Hou shoots first!
I heard some commotion behind the slope, and I was afraid they were looking for me.
He quickly replied loudly, "I am safe and sound, Marquis Fengyun!"
Standing on the slope, he immediately drew his bow and shot an arrow. He tried to steady his breathing, steady his arms, and looked at the distant lights below. He recalled the straw target in the courtyard that his master shot on the mountain in Changsha. He felt a little distressed. It was too far away, and the fire was too bright. Suddenly he thought of the lamps in the Imperial College, and the wind that blew by his hand when he was holding the arrow. He felt relieved. If it really didn't work, he could just shoot down the lamp stand and use the wind from the arrow to extinguish the lamp. He calculated that the fire was about 300 steps away from here, no, 350 steps. He could shoot from high to low. At this distance, he aimed three fingers above it and stretched his bow to the full extent.
He took another long breath and held it, as if everything had quieted down.
As soon as I opened my hand, I felt that I had it. I breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly saw that the three lights on the far left were all extinguished. This was somewhat beyond my expectation. It seemed that the bow was strong and the force was fierce.
There was already a sound of praise from the bottom of the earth. I hurried down and when I got closer, I saw that my arrow did not hit the lamp stand, but hit the stand between the first and second lamps. I did not waste time and handed the bow to the eunuch guarding the emperor, and went to the viewing platform to pay my respects to him. I had not arrived in time and could only shoot the arrow on the earth. If I had frightened the emperor, I would have been guilty of a thousand deaths.
Of course, I would be embarrassed to say this, and I don't think the emperor would care about this.
"Zi Rui is indeed a good man, but unfortunately, you are blocked by the viewing platform. I only saw the first three lights go out, the fourth light trembled, and the last five, six, and seven lights flickered, but I didn't see how you shot. Is that Zi Rui's bow? Bring it up for me to see."
Before I could say anything more, I saw a eunuch walking up and handing me my bow.
"Zirui's bow is really different from ordinary ones. It's so long. I'm afraid even Shi'er's bow is not as tall as this one." I heard the emperor and empress laughing again, but I always felt that the empress was referring to something.
"Why did the Queen only mention Shi'er, Ru'er, Bian'er, and Xie'er? Which one is taller than this bow?" I know why. It seems that the Queen still wants to mention that matter. But I think it is better to marry the teacher's eldest son. In this way, the teacher's position will be more stable, and the scholars will also respect the teacher more.
"Ru'er is already married, and Bian'er and Xie'er are still young and haven't grown up yet." This first sentence was not well-intentioned, but it was also well-intentioned. However, if this really happened, the family would be even more chaotic in the future, and I was the only one who could take care of this chaos, and it happened to be someone I couldn't afford to offend.
"The knot on it is very unique, but was it made by my two safe and obedient daughters-in-law?" The emperor smiled and seemed to be in a very good mood.
"It was my two virtuous wives who did it." Suddenly, he understood that the emperor was actually quite smart.
"You are very thoughtful! However, Zirui, you extinguished the last two lamps. What did you ask the people of Duke Chu and Duke Wei to shoot?" Fortunately, the emperor seemed to understand the queen's intention and changed the topic in a few words, and even brought up the fact that I already have two rare and virtuous wives. It seemed that the emperor also planned to let the second princess marry the teacher's eldest son, which was really wonderful.
"Well, Zhi'er is terrified. Duke Chu is my mentor, Duke Wei is my elder brother... and he is also my brother-in-law, so it is not too much to help." In fact, I had no idea that the following order would be like this, but since I had done it, I had to find an excuse. I looked up at the teacher, who had an appreciative smile on his face, which made me feel at ease.
"The fourth one is yours..."
"I will go and make up for it later."
"Zi Rui, you can't... This fourth lamp cannot let you shoot. If you shoot, my son-in-law and the General of the Cavalry will not be able to shoot. Don't shoot those two who are your classmates and friends, you helped shoot." Everyone laughed, and there were quite a few sour coughs. Indeed, according to this order, some people are favored, but they may not be liked. The second one is okay, after all, he is the emperor's son-in-law, and no one blames him for being the first. Zi Shi has been favored by the emperor recently, and there are probably more people who are jealous and resentful. At least none of the Taiwei, Situ, and Sikong can feel at ease. The General of the Cavalry is before the Taiwei, and the emperor's consideration is a bit inappropriate.
Meng De suddenly spoke up, "Your Majesty, the Duke of Chu did not bring any soldiers or generals into the court, so it is indeed appropriate for my dear brother Zirui to shoot the lamp. I am not talented, but it is inappropriate for me to shoot the lamp on my behalf. Please ask my wife to shoot and return it. My wife happens to be Zirui's sister. Is it okay for her to do so?" Brother Meng De is too modest. If he were still a humble official, at least most of the people here would be dust.
"Yes, that's great! I heard that your eldest princess of Zhao State helped General Hongxiu to reorganize the Hongxiu Army. She is a heroine. I haven't seen her shooting skills yet, so I'll ask Qi to try it. My son Zirui, you step back first... Hey, where's your dress?"
"I took it off before shooting the arrow..." He turned his head quickly and looked around the crowd. Sure enough, he saw Song holding my clothes and respectfully staying below. This was very good. If it was brought by a man, he might not know the importance of it and would have handed it over. "Over there are your son's clothes."
"Haha, go ahead and put them on. It's a bit disrespectful to dress like this here. Put your clothes on first."
The eunuch called out my sister's name, and I ran down the stage. I saw my sister aiming with a crossbow, so I said, "Come on, sister!" Sister Qi didn't turn her head to look at me, but just smiled and nodded, holding her breath and aiming. I don't know why people say "Come on" to encourage others, maybe it's the allusion of this oil lamp. If you want the flame to last long and bright, you have to keep adding oil. (Family saying, not to be trusted, author's note)
While watching my sister perform the ritual, I put on my clothes with the help of Song. I also praised him softly, saying that it was a good thing that he didn't let the ** come. The man also whispered back: Yes, I was afraid that this fool would come and rush over. However, fortunately, there were two beautiful women over there, so he didn't come and he didn't fight.
Finally, I said to him, keep an eye on him.
I calmed down, and then I heard the sound of bowstrings, followed by cheers and praise. My sister also turned off the lights. I naturally cheered even louder, but the emperor scolded me, "Why don't you come up with your sister? Stop messing with me down there." The ministers laughed.
The emperor is not good at this. He always treats me like a child and likes to scold me recently. Of course, I am still in a good mood. The emperor does love me a little, but I am afraid that some people will not be able to stand it.
The emperor bestowed upon Zhi thirty gold coins and upon Qi ten gold coins.
Next, Ziyu ordered his captain of the central army, Captain Qin, to shoot the fifth lamp. In an instant the lamp went out. Everyone applauded and congratulated Ziyu, and rewarded him with ten gold coins.
Then the emperor suggested that General Huoqi and General Hongxiu shoot together, one shoot the sixth lamp and the other shoot the rightmost lamp.
Soon both lights went out and everyone cheered again.
But I always feel that there is something inconsistent in the cheers.
This time it was different. The eunuchs below said that the rightmost lamp was fired by the General of the Cavalry, but the General of the Red Sleeves fired the sixth lamp. The emperor laughed loudly, saying that the General of the Cavalry and his wife were deeply in love, but they just didn't care about the occasion. Everyone laughed again, and this laughter was real, but the meaning was slightly different.
Next, the Grand Commandant ordered a cavalry commander named Yang Feng to shoot, and the lights were extinguished.
The Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Works declined the offer, saying that they were scholars who were not good at archery. So the Emperor asked the Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu to order people to shoot. The Xiongnu were really good at archery, and they extinguished the last three arrows in a short time. There were fewer cheers, and it was obvious that they thought it was justified. But my father, teacher, and Brother Mengde shouted and praised the three arrows. The Emperor also praised them, and in addition to the reward, he also gave them three pieces of brocade.
The people below started shooting one by one. It seemed that it was very easy to extinguish the lamps with arrows within a distance of less than a hundred steps. They extinguished the lamps one by one, and people came up to claim the reward one after another.
I stole a glance at it, and I always felt that the emperor's expression was a little unnatural. It seems that the question is too simple, and the emperor must have spent a lot of money today. I heard that the emperor's previous marquisate was not rich, and after becoming the emperor, he might have been afraid of poverty, so he sold official positions and titles, and that's how the teacher got the position of governor.
There was another exclamation from below.
It turned out that Brother Fengxian was acting on behalf of Lord Yan, and he also extinguished several lights around him. Moreover, everyone could see that Brother Fengxian still shot to the left. I think everyone would think that this was intentional, which shows how strong Brother Fengxian's bow is. He was rewarded with 40 gold and praised.
With just one arrow, Duke Zheng, the General of Chariots and Cavalry, and the Inspector General of the Capital all didn't have to shoot. I always felt that He Miao should breathe a sigh of relief.
The oldest was a middle-aged man in his thirties sent by Chen Hou Liu Yan, who seemed to be called Yan Yan. He was the same age as my master and was said to be the most famous general in Yizhou. It seemed that he could not raise any young generals in his own vassal state, so he could only rely on people from Yizhou to help him. I just don’t know how this person went to Chen from Ba Hou. Liu Biao sent a man named Wen Pin to help him, who was not promoted from his Wei State. Most of Liu Biao’s subordinates were from the gentry of Jingzhou. When my teacher started the rebellion, these gentry were unwilling to help my teacher, and many of them went to Liu Biao’s Wei State with their families. Two more lights went out. It seems that if one of my lights was not extinguished, I would be the biggest joke of the day. Suddenly I felt fortunate.
Ye, the son of Bahou in Wuling, also shot successfully. He was the only one among the Liu clan members who could be called a hero this time. The emperor also summoned him and praised him highly. He looked much more mature, which should be due to his frequent dealings with the Wuling barbarians. I remember that he liked Yier. If he was like this now, Yier should be able to like him.
The bastard Liu Yao was killed by Taishi Ci. I don't like this Marquis of Cai, but I have a good impression of Taishi Ci. Another bastard, the Marquis of Sui, was killed by a general of the State of Sui named Ji Ling. I don't have a good impression of these two neighbors, but both of these shooters were extraordinary and both were killed. It seems that I have to pay attention to this Ji Ling. I always want to conquer the State of Sui one day and kill Yuan Shu. I suspect that he has also been thinking about how to deal with me.
Wu Anguo, a subordinate of Lord Lubok Kong, brought up an allusion about his father. He was a descendant of Bai Qi, the general of Qin State, so his descendants were named Wu An. This man looked rough and honest, and he didn't look like a cruel and tyrannical person.
Ma Teng, the Marquis of Xiliang, sent his eldest son, a 14 or 15-year-old boy named Ma Chao. Since Lord Wu could not come, the general of Wu State sent his eldest son Ce as the representative. However, since Lord Wu could not come, he was ranked a little behind. I think this is a bit inappropriate, but not for his ranking, but for the selection of people. Han Sui sent his nephew Han De to shoot, but these three teenagers were quite capable and their arrows never missed. The emperor praised them and asked the three of them to come up and evaluate them with the queen. It seemed that Ma Chao was more likable than Sun Ce, while Han De's friend looked a little cold and was not very popular.
Chen Dao sent by Jinan Marquis Liu Yu, Zhang Chao sent by Dai Han Fu, and Fang Yue sent by Rao Wang Kuang were all young men in their twenties, and they all succeeded with a single arrow. Only Zhang Yang of Xing shot the target himself. I saw several young-looking generals behind him, but I don't know why he shot the target himself. Maybe he wanted to show off like me, or he wanted to show that he was younger.
As a result, in this test, there were only those who failed, but no one whose light did not go out.
The emperor seemed very happy, but I felt that this loss was a bit too much. I'm afraid that my godfather, the emperor, would not be very happy in his heart, fearing that he would have to sell something else to compensate for the loss of several million coins (During the Han Dynasty, when the national finances were stable, one gold was equivalent to approximately ten thousand coins, author's note) tonight.
Strange, selling official positions is a bad thing, but I can't hate it now. It should be that I can do it from a commoner, thanks to the teacher's use, and the emperor's selling of official positions, which is the evidence that I am still a "human". However, if it is beneficial to the world, I should not stick to this. My teacher and Brother Meng De have taught me this. Although I didn't agree with it before, now I think it makes sense.
As expected, the emperor ordered Zishi and I to go to Shanglin Garden to make arrangements, and ordered the Grand Marshal Zhang Wen to lead 300 Yu Lin cavalrymen to wait outside the Pingcheng Gate for the General of Cavalry to dispatch them.
I don't know when the Yulin Army was under the control of the Taiwei, but I think the outer eight armies are in the hands of the emperor, and the inner eight armies are in the hands of my father. If Zhang Wen spent so much money and couldn't even manage a soldier, it would be a bit miserable. But the Yulin Cavalry is under his control, what are the Guanglu Xun and Weiwei doing? I thought that after last night and today, I knew everything in the court, but it turned out that there were more doubts. And I really don't know who Guanglu Xun and Weiwei are now.
After the imperial edict was issued, he also specifically asked us if we had any requests. I quickly collected my thoughts and recommended the Doctor Jijiu to go with me. He was proficient in etiquette and instruments, and was not comparable to a fool like Zhi. He also mentioned that the musicians of the Taichang Palace had beautiful music that could be listened to by the emperor, and asked me to bring them to prepare and perform for His Majesty. The emperor agreed and happily added to Brother Zishi that General Hongxiu would go with the Hongxiu Army with the emperor, and they would be able to reunite in a few days.
Ziyu also asked his father-in-law to allow him to send some people to accompany us to prepare for the princess's daily life. The emperor and the empress praised him for his care for the princess and agreed.
The emperor also talked to the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu, who came to pay his respects, for a while. He mostly spoke words of comfort and encouragement. These words were not something that the emperor could say. They sounded like the words of a teacher. It was very likely that these words came from the teacher's handwriting. It could be heard that the Xiongnu had just left the country a few years ago, and the old Chanyu had died. He had just ascended the throne, and there were still some unstable tribesmen. The emperor ordered his father to help the Great Chanyu well to prevent any lawless people from disturbing the Xiongnu Chanyu's court.
My father naturally had to come out and greet the Chanyu, and I naturally had to follow him, with a good boy's smile on my face, and the Chanyu naturally greeted me as well. I really wanted to go back and tell Nan that I had met the Great Chanyu of your tribe.
What was even more natural was that—I could almost immediately imagine his request—when he had been looking at me for a while.
So, I could only tell him regretfully: The Sirius is a deadly weapon. It is never used in battle and is never carried with anyone.
He should be a little disappointed, but I'm always afraid that he will ask to take it away. With a hint of viciousness in my heart, I thought that I would never bring Tianlang to Luoyang again, and I couldn't give you this opportunity. Although I'm afraid of being too conspicuous and don't want to bring Tianlang around, but if you want me to give you this brother who has been through life and death with me, then you should think about how to take it away from my body.
My father understood me, and he smiled and said to me secretly: You don't want to give Tianlang away, right? You are not allowed to give it to me even if I want it!
Yes, I plan to pass it on to your grandson.
My father laughed and instead of kicking me, he patted me on the shoulder.
There wasn't much that happened afterwards. The emperor brought several princes and dukes who came to pay homage to him, and went to watch the lanterns with Yu Furuo. He even held the hand of the great Chanyu and walked all the way. They were very close, like good friends. This must have been suggested by his father and the others.
But I thought of my southern brother. If my brother Meng Jie came, the emperor's left hand would not be idle, and the parties might get along better in the future. I should have informed him earlier, but he is probably busy pacifying various internal affairs recently, and he actually needs to face Dong Zhuo in the northwest, so I am afraid he will not be free. Next time I go, I have to ask him to come, after all, we have sworn brotherhood, and there is a wound on my wrist like his, and the blood is all together, so I still need to consider him more.
My other brother was at this moment whispering with his wife in a quiet corridor after everyone had left. They laughed from time to time, and suddenly looked at each other for a while, as if in a trance. Occasionally, the two of them moved their mouths and said something, and finally this brother hugged his wife in his arms.
I should be a little envious of him. My wife and I are thousands of miles apart. I want to hold them in my arms, but I know that my arms cannot reach that edge.
This time I was with a large group of people. I had no freedom, but I could have some leisure time. Only my father would occasionally turn around and tell me what I should do when I went to Shanglin Garden. Suddenly I felt that my father was really amazing. Since I came to Luoyang yesterday evening, over ten hours ago, I felt that there were endless things to do, one after another. I thought I could have a good rest when I arrived, but it turned out to be much more tiring than traveling. Confucius was right. It is true that those who work with their minds rule others, and those who work with their hands are ruled by others. Now I am mostly hiding behind my father. If it is like this, what will happen if I really step into the spotlight
I began to feel a little worried. I really didn't know how I, as the regent of my adoptive father, the emperor, would manage the court ** years later.
Before leaving that night, Ziyu and Zishi discussed with me when to leave tomorrow, and then informed Zhongdao and the others to prepare together. I accompanied my father and mother back, and only then did I feel relieved.
My mother gave me many instructions, but I felt a little reluctant. I could only say something happy, saying that when Pei'er gave birth, she could go there to hold her grandson earlier. My father also suggested that my mother and Pei'er bring the child to Luoyang for him to see, but I disagreed. I was afraid that my father would detain the crown prince of my country of Yue. As expected, my father kicked me again.
Later, **, I was really like my father, I fully agreed and kicked him too.
The last thing I had to do tonight was to tell my ministers of Yue to rest early and set out at 3:30 am tomorrow. The main reason was that they would be attending court tomorrow, and they had to leave the city before 5:00 am to avoid the traffic of other ministers.
After saying goodnight to my parents and sisters, I went back to my room to sleep. I was so exhausted that day that I fell asleep without even having time to wash or take off some clothes.
As soon as I lay down, I seemed to fall asleep immediately. In a daze, it seemed that my mother came and sat down beside me. I couldn't bear to talk to her, for fear that she would cry again. My mother seemed to tuck in the corner of the quilt for me and smoothed the messy hair on my head.
It seemed that my mother was still crying, and I felt sad and my nose was a little sour. My father called my mother away softly outside. As soon as my mother left, I clearly felt my tears sliding down from the corners of my eyes.
At daybreak, my mother woke me up softly, and my father also appeared in my room early, and even Miss Qiuluan was there. My mother also told Qiuluan to take good care of me, but I remembered what I said to my mistress yesterday, so I had to ask my mother to give me a few more maids to keep Qiuluan company. It would be best if all the maids came out and Qiuluan pointed them out to me, and I could pick two myself.
The father frowned and said, "My son Zirui, you have been concerned about some strange things recently. Pei'er is very honest and well-behaved, so it's nothing. But aren't you afraid that Yinling will... But if she really cares so much about it, it's a good thing."
My mother scolded my father for being so frivolous and said that my son Zirui was definitely not that kind of person.
I shuddered, but thought about it and realized that I really wasn't doing that. It was just that my father had some wrong ideas. I wouldn't punish me if I pressed the silver bell. But the more I thought about it, the more nervous I became. I quickly found other thoughts to dispel my evil thoughts.
Several sturdier soldiers came into the house, carrying a set of shining armor, and my father ordered them to help me put it on.
The result satisfied my father. My big frame made the armor look good. But I thought to myself, it is not light either. I miss the lightness of my Lingxi armor. Fortunately, I was not given a helmet. Father, if I am not going to the battlefield, the armor is enough. I can just wear a crown on my head. This is etiquette.
But my elder sisters can't go with me for the time being. After the Lantern Festival last night, my elder sister will stay in her boudoir for the next few days to prepare for her marriage; my younger sister seems to have to follow my mother into the palace in the next few days to meet with a bunch of other noble ladies, and the queen will come out to host a banquet. I heard that they are preparing to select concubines for the two princes. My father also took the opportunity to talk to me about the crown prince, and actually said that I was going to abdicate the throne of Zhao State right away so that I could deal with the government affairs in Luoyang with peace of mind. Either my son or his son has to go, and now I am his crown prince. If he abdicates today, the Kingdom of Yue will have to be handed over to someone else, and I must go to Zhao State to ascend the throne. My father, you are playing tricks, and I almost got kicked again. Fortunately, there were many people around, and my father glared at me and snorted with a smile.
According to the ages of these two princes, it seems that the situation in the palace is really different; if I had lived with my parents, I really don’t know how many wives and concubines I have around me now. Suddenly, I felt a cold wind behind me, and I always felt something pulling my ears. I quickly changed my mind and thought that I had to go back to prepare for our son Kong Ming. For example, in a year or two, when he is ten years old, I will send him to Luoyang to see Uncle Cai. Uncle Cai loves talents, and our Kong Ming is so talented that he will definitely like him. So, I wrote a letter and asked my father to help propose marriage. Cai Yan will become my daughter-in-law in Yue State. When he is in his teens, I will give him a county governor. If this child can really become a useful person, Yue State will be given to him. I can't help but feel a little proud. If my father really abdicates early, I will go to Zhao State to be the Duke of Zhao, but Lie Yanan will need to stay in Yue State. That's good. I will be relieved to give Kong Ming two big brothers who can fight. Suddenly, I feel a little sorry in my heart. I almost got kicked again. I was thinking some evil thoughts, sometimes giggling, sometimes crying. I quickly got out and saw the carriage, ready to leave. However, my mother was there and avoided the kick, but my father got slapped on the back.
My father gave me a big car and told me to rest in it when I was tired. I could see that this was my father's carriage, and I couldn't do it. Father, you are my son, this is all. The son couldn't resist his father, so he had to thank him.
I went to ** and asked him which of all the maids my mother had called out was his favorite. I asked him to get one. He immediately pointed it out excitedly. I looked in the direction and immediately changed his mind. That one was Qiu Luan. I left it for your elder brother Song. You can change it.
He was a little frustrated. He looked around, lowered his head, and didn't choose.
I patted his shoulder and winked at Song next to me. Song smiled and nodded, obviously he was quite satisfied.
I had no choice but to turn around and said to Qiu Luan who was standing next to the car: Pick a few sisters who get along with you.
She smiled and bowed to me to express her gratitude. Then she walked to her mother, bowed again, and said a few names to her mother. Her mother agreed to all of them and gave Qiu Luan a few more instructions.
Then I set off. When I got out, I saw Brother Zishi and my sister Zhou Yu were talking. I wanted to say something disgusting, but I didn't say it. I just smiled and said, "Brother Zishi, let's go. Sister Yu'er, you will meet in a few days. Don't worry, I will help you take care of Brother Zishi."
Zhou Yu has become much more capable, but she didn't expect that her tongue has become much better after following Brother Zishi for these years: My brother Zhen is not like Brother Zirui, we still need Brother Zhen to keep an eye on our brother Zirui and make sure he doesn't do anything that will make Sister Yinling unhappy.
Zishi and I looked at each other and laughed. I praised, "Sister Yu'er has grown up a lot. She is no longer the child she used to be. This red robe and the armor on the outside make her look very pretty."
Zi Shi pretended to be dissatisfied: Don’t always call me sister-in-law, you should call me sister-in-law.
Naturally, I ignored him.
Suddenly, there was a sound of urgent horse hooves behind him, and Captain Qin and several riders came galloping. Before the horses stopped, Captain Qin had already saluted and apologized repeatedly, saying that he was late.
But I don't blame him. It's okay. It would be troublesome to leave the palace at this time.
He looked up and saw that there were already court officials waiting at the palace gate, one of whom seemed to be Duke Chu.
Zishi and I looked at each other again, and this time we sighed. The teacher is still so diligent, and none of us students can do that.
There was no more nonsense, we said goodbye to my parents, sisters and his wife, and set off. Passing by the Taichang Mansion, we met Brother Zhongdao and his friends at the gate; outside the city gate, the cavalry captain Yang Feng had been ordered to lead 300 Yulin cavalry to obey the orders of General Hou Huqi. At 3:30 in the morning of that day, the sky was just beginning to turn green, and everything was solemn, as if between heaven and earth, only Brother Zishi's imposing departure order was returned to the bank of Luoshui.
I noticed that a man in a red robe on the city wall kept watching us until Luoyang City disappeared behind the mountains in the west.
Our cavalry general waved his spear, as if he was commanding the army to advance, or as if he was greeting someone.
I really miss my home in Yue, but unfortunately I know the day of my return is still a long way off.
It was the first month of the first year of Chuping, and this year began with a leap month and is about to end. Someone, this has never happened before. From the beginning to the end, it seems like some hexagram, but I can't understand it. I just took a last look at the last corner of Luoyang on the side of the mountain, only a red color under the lights, which disappeared in a flash. Suddenly, I felt that one day in Luoyang seemed like a lifetime ago.