Life is a difficult practice.
Song Yongping, with the character Wenchu, was born in a family of officials. His father Song Mao once became a state governor in the Jinghan Dynasty, and his family business was prosperous. Song Yongping, who ranked fourth in the Song clan, was intelligent since childhood and was known as a child prodigy. His father and the people in the clan also had great expectations for him.
Growing up in such an atmosphere, shouldering the greatest expectations, and learning from the best teachers, Song Yongping also worked extremely hard since he was a child. However, the family believed in Lao Tzu and the doctrine of the mean, and they often said the principle of knowing the male and keeping the female, and knowing the honor and defending the shame. When he was seventeen or eighteen years old and his character was stable, he was allowed to try the imperial examination.
A middle-aged scholar at the age of 18, and he entered Beijing to take the exam at the age of 19. For this amazing Song family Shiro, if there are no other accidents, his road to officialdom, at least in the first half, will be smooth sailing. , and his subsequent achievements will also be higher than his father, and even become the pillar of the entire Song family in the future.
But there are always surprises.
Before Zhizhou Song Mao, the Song family was a scholarly family, and had several small officials, but in the officialdom, the roots were not deep. For a small family to make progress, many relationships must be maintained and united. The Jiangning merchant Su family is Song Mao's cousin-in-law, and they do silk business under the protection of Song's family. In Song Mao's career, they have also provided a lot of property to support them. The relationship between the two has always been good.
Song Mao's cousin married Su Zhongkan from the second room of the Su family. She was not closely related to the big room, but the Song family didn't care about these things. In-laws are a threshold that connects the two families, but what really supports this family relationship is the mutual benefits that will be transferred to each other. In this chain of interests, the Su family has always been courting the Song family. No matter who is in charge of the next generation of the Su family, their sympathy for the Song family will never change.
And Song Mao, who is the first of the scholarly family, is actually quite obsessed with cleanliness when facing this family of merchants. If Su Zhongkan can take over the entire Su family later, it will be a good thing, even if not, for Song Mao, He will never intervene too much. This was the situation between the two families at the time, and because of Song Mao's lofty attitude, Su Yu's attitude towards the Song family was actually closer. To a certain extent, it brought the two families closer. .
The appearance of the son-in-law of the Su family's big house was the first variable in the family. The first time he saw Ning Yi, who should have no status in Jiangning, Song Mao noticed the existence of the other party. It's just that neither Song Mao at that time, nor Song Yongping later, or everyone who knew him, would have imagined that the variable would expand into a hurricane across the sky later, crushing everyone. In life, no one can avoid that huge influence.
The first time Song Yongping saw Ning Yi was when he entered Beijing to take the exam at the age of nineteen. At this time, this talented man, although he was in the family, has been favored by Qin Xiang, and he has entered the prime minister's office as a staff member.
As the saying goes, a seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister's gate, for Song Yongping, who came up through the orthodox way, facing this brother-in-law, he still has disapproval emotions in his heart. However, an aide has been an aide all his life, but he is a promising official. With such a cognition, at that time, he also maintained a considerable demeanor and politeness towards this sister and her husband.
Later, because of the relationship between the Prime Minister, he was quickly filled in for the actual vacancy, which was the first step in his career. Song Yongping, who was the county magistrate, can be regarded as conscientious and conscientious, developing commerce, repairing water conservancy, and encouraging agricultural affairs. Even in the background of Jurchen going south, he actively moved the residents of the county to keep the walls clear. The terrain, led the army to repel a small group of Jurchen. After the first Bianliang Guard War, he was once greatly praised in the preliminary evaluation of meritorious deeds.
However, the brother-in-law at that time had already launched the army of the Wu Dynasty, defeated the entire army of grievances head-on, and even forced back the entire Jin Kingdom's first southern expedition.
Song Yongping, who knew the insider at the time, had an earth-shaking change in his views on this brother-in-law. Of course, this mood didn't last long. After that, the Right Prime Minister's Mansion lost power and everything went downhill. Song Yongping was in a state of urgency, but later, he was still frightened by the sudden news from the capital, and his mind went blank. Ning Yi killed the king and walked away, and all the thieves troops chased after him, and they were even beaten and fled. After that, the world was turned upside down, the situation in the whole world became incomprehensible, and Song Yongping, his father Song Mao, and even the entire Song family's career came to an abrupt end.
In the following ten years, the entire Song family has experienced ups and downs again and again. These turbulences can no longer be connected with the major events that are related to the whole world, but being in them is enough to witness all kinds of scorching world conditions. In the sixth year of Jianshuo, a guest of the princess's residence named Chengzhouhai came to find him. After a test, Song Yongping, who was in the middle of the family and made a living by opening a private school and teaching, took up the duties of the county magistrate.
Only at this time did Song Yongping know that although Ning Yi once rebelled against the monarch, many people who were implicated in it were still more or less protected. At that time, the guests of the Qin Mansion had their own places, and some of them were even leaned on the humerus by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Princess. Although the Song family was implicated in the Su family and was dismissed from office for a time, there was no excessive rectification after that. Where will the entire Song clan be left behind
It was only then that Song Yongping understood that although the great rebel had done heinous things, no one in the upper echelons of the whole world could escape his influence. Even though everyone in the world wanted to get rid of that demon, they had to pay attention to every action he made, so that those who had worked with him in the past were reactivated. On the contrary, Song Yongping was looked down upon a lot because of his kinship, which led to his family's downfall for several years.
When he was young, he was known for his vigor, but when he was in his early twenties, he encountered the contagion of the crime of slaughtering the monarch, and he was finally beaten up. After several years of experience, Song Yongping had a better understanding of human nature, but he also wore off all his sharpness. After his recovery, he didn't dare to use the relationship too much. In the past few years, he has become a county magistrate with trepidation. Before the age of 30, Song Yongping's temperament has been extremely calm. He will do everything under his control, no matter how big or small. In a few years, he has turned the county into a paradise for living and working in peace and contentment. However, in such a special political environment, The step-by-step work also prevented him from having too bright "achievements", and everyone in Beijing seemed to have forgotten him. It was not until this winter that Cheng Zhouhai suddenly came to look for him because of the great change in the southwest.
Song Yongping naturally knew about the actions of the Southwest Black Flag Army.
The Princess Mansion came to him, hoping that he would go to the southwest and be a lobbyist in front of Ning Yi.
Since the Huaxia Army issued a declaration of war to the world, and then defeated the defenses of the Chengdu Plain all the way, and no one could stop it. In front of Wu Chao, it has always been an embarrassing situation.
On the one hand, the Wu Dynasty could not go all out to conquer the southwest, and on the other hand, the Wu Dynasty was absolutely unwilling to lose the Chengdu Plain. In this situation, seeking peace and negotiating with the Huaxia army was an impossible choice, because the hatred of killing the monarch was not an option. It is impossible for the Wu Dynasty to admit that the Huaxia Army is a force as an "opponent". Once the Huaxia Army and the Wu Dynasty achieve "equivalence" to a certain extent, then if the monarchy is forcibly cleaned up, the Wu Dynasty will also lose the legitimacy of Taoism to some extent.
Fighting can't fight, talking can't talk, and the interests of the Southwest hope to be preserved. The situation before the Wu Dynasty is such an uncomfortable situation. It is a ridiculous choice to play the family card, but it is obvious that no matter which way, the court has to go.
There was also a small interlude during this period. Cheng Zhouhai is arrogant, facing the officials below, usually a person with a cold and extremely severe face. He came to Song Yongping to rule, originally after talking about the idea of the Princess Mansion, he was about to leave. Who knew that after taking a few glances in the small county town, he stayed for two days. When he was about to leave, he deliberately went to Song Yongping to apologize and his face became gentle.
"I originally thought that Mr. Song had been in office for three years, and his achievements were not obvious, but he was a mediocre person with a corpse meal. After looking at it in the past two days, I realized that Mr. Song is a great talent in order to bring peace to the people. For being so scornful, Cheng is ashamed. I came here to say sorry to Lord Song."
Song Yongping bowed his hands in an air of humility, but his heart was full of grief. The Wu Dynasty changed to Southern Wu, the people of the Central Plains flowed into the south of the Yangtze River, and the economy of various places improved by leaps and bounds. It is too simple to want some achievements written in the book, but it is really necessary to make the people settle down. , and it's that simple. Song Yongping was in a place of suspicion, and he only dared to write one out of three points, but after all, he knew that he was 30 years old, and he still had ambitions in his mind. Word.
Therefore, Cheng Zhouhai chatted with him for a long time, and he was no longer vague about many things in Beijing and the world. Song Yongping had already taken over the task of rushing to the southwest. After that, he traveled all the way to Chengdu quickly. He knew the difficulties of this journey, but as long as he could see Ning Yi and grab something from the gap, even if he died because of it , that is also at all costs.
The situation in the southwest is tense, and the court is not completely inactive. In addition to the mobilization of troops in the south, the denunciation of the black flag by many forces and great Confucians is also huge, and some places have made it clear that they will never engage with the black flag. When it comes to business dealings, when they reach the borders of the Wu Dynasty around Chengdu, the towns and cities are full of panic, and many people flee in the snow when winter comes.
According to word of mouth, the reason why the Black Banner Army came out was because the Zizhou government had captured Ning Motou's brother-in-law. Now Zizhou is in danger, and the captured Chengdu has long since become a dead city. Some people who escaped are vivid and vivid. Daocheng is slaughtered and looted every day. It can be seen that most of the people who have not fled have died in the city.
Song Yongping is no longer stunned. Looking at the scale of these remarks and the caliber of the propaganda, he knows that someone must be manipulating them behind the scenes. Whether at the bottom or at the top, these remarks can always put a little pressure on the Huaxia Army. Although there are Confucian people who are good at incitement, but over the years, Ning Yi, who was more than ten years ago, was better at guiding the trend through propaganda. The people who want to come to the court have been learning the methods and style of that person hard all these years.
He went all the way to the boundary of Chengdu, and after reporting his life and intentions to the guarding Huaxia soldiers, he never suffered too much trouble. All the way into Chengdu City, I found that the atmosphere here is completely different from that of the Wu Dynasty. Although many soldiers from the Huaxia Army can be seen outside, the order of the city has gradually stabilized.
The "offensive and defensive wars" and "massacres" that were rumored to be extremely fierce by the outside world did not show much traces at this time. The government tried daily cases in the city and killed several corrupt officials and bullies in the city who never fled. It also aroused applause from the residents of the city. Some Chinese soldiers who violated military discipline were even dealt with and publicized, and outside the yamen, there were also wooden mailboxes and reception points where they could sue soldiers who violated discipline. The commerce in the city has not resumed prosperity for the time being, but on the market, the circulation of goods can already be seen, at least for things such as rice, grain, oil, and salt that are related to people's livelihood, and even the prices have not fluctuated too much.
Song Yongping had never heard of such an army and a post-war city before.
He recalled his impression of the "brother-in-law". The contacts and exchanges between the two sides were too little after all. During the time when he was involved as an official, and even when he was a county magistrate in the past few years, he was more concerned about this great rebellion. Human hatred and disapproval, of course, hatred is less, because it is meaningless. The other party has eaten five cauldrons in life, and can cook five cauldrons even in death. Song Yongping is still sensible and knows the gap between the two parties, so he doesn't bother to bark.
However, thinking about it carefully at this time, this brother-in-law's thoughts are different from others, but there is always his reason. The development of Zhuji, the subsequent disaster relief, his tenacity against the Jurchen and his determination to kill the king have always been different from others. On the battlefield, artillery has been developed now. This is the head he led. In addition, there are many things that have arisen because of the material. It is just that the output and craftsmanship of paper has increased several times or even ten times compared with ten years ago. That Li Pin made "newsprint" in Beijing, and now others are starting to follow suit in various cities.
Song Yongping used the dignified Confucian method to govern the county. Of course, the economy must develop, but what he cares more about is the harmony of the urban atmosphere, the clearness of the case, and the education of the people, so that the widows and widows can be supported and children can be supported. Learning the body of Datong. He is talented and intelligent, he is also hardworking, and he has gone through the ups and downs of the officialdom and the polishing of the world, so he has his own mature system. The harmony of this system is based on the teachings of Confucianism. Cheng Zhouhai will understand these achievements after reading it. But he was immersed in his business in that small place, and he finally saw a little less about the changes in the outside world. Although some things can be heard, they are not as good as seeing with his own eyes. At this time, seeing the situation in Chengdu, he gradually chewed Many new, unseen feelings come.
This doesn't feel like a Confucian way of ruling the world with both grace and power. When you give grace, it warms people, and when you give power, it swept away all the cold. Chengdu feels more clear and bright, and it is relatively cold. The army attacked the city, but Ning Yi strictly forbid them to disturb the people. Among many armies, this would even break the morale of the entire team.
The legal system is also completely separated from the military, and the procedures for adjudicating cases are more rigid than when he was a county magistrate. For example, when Song Yongping was the county magistrate, the judgment of the case was more important to the education of the people. For some cases that seemed to be morally bad, Song Yongping was more inclined to be severely punished. For those who were tolerant, Song Yongping was also willing to go and make peace.
On the Chengdu side, there is naturally a human factor in the judgment of the case, but it has been greatly reduced. This may depend on the way the "law staff" decides the case. The five officials made statements, discussions, and votes, and later they sought to be more precise, rather than entirely inclined to the effect of indoctrination.
... This is to disrupt the order of the law of the mind... It will bring chaos to the world...
While thinking, the concept that Cheng Zhouhai had told him flashed in Song Yongping's mind. It was said that this was what Ning Yi once said to Li Pin and Zuo Duanyou.
In any case, he thought about it along the way, after all, it was used to organize the words when he met Ning Yi. Lobbyists have never been arrogant and fearless to get things done. If you want to convince the other party, you must first find a topic that the other party agrees with, and the common ground between the two parties, so that you can prove your own point of view. When it was discovered that Ning Yi's views were completely deviant, Song Yongping also became confused about his statement about his trip. A world that reprimands "reason" can never be reached? Rebuke such a world as cold and impersonal? Or is it that everyone thinks of themselves that the whole world will eventually fail and fall apart
If it was that simple to make the other party suddenly realize, I am afraid Zuo Duanyou, Li Pin, Cheng Zhouhai and others have already persuaded Ning Yi to repent.
Words on the lips can be falsified, and the traces that have been implemented into the entire army and even the political system are true no matter what. And if Ning Yi really opposes the law of reason and reason, how much weight can he have as a so-called "relative"? It's not a pity to die, but it would be a bit ridiculous if they were killed when they met.
He was lost in this thought for two days, and then someone came to pick him up and went all the way out of the city. The carriage galloped across the depressing sky of the Chengdu Plain, and Song Yongping finally settled down. He closed his eyes and recalled his life in the past 30 years. When he was a high-spirited teenager, he thought that his career would be smooth sailing, but the sudden blows and bumps on the head, the insights from the struggles and losses that followed, and The state of mind during the past few years as an official.
After all, that high-spiritedness is not a real life. The so-called life is a mixed experience that will be ups and downs in a majestic wave.
In any case, it is useless to think blindly. The scholar died for the confidant, and he took this life on his own. If he could take something out of the crack, it would be good. Even if he really died, it would not be a pity. It's also a name for himself. He made this decision, and that evening, the carriage arrived at a small camp by the bend of the river.
After more than ten years, he saw Ning Yi again. The other party was wearing a casual green robe, as if he suddenly saw him while walking, and walked towards him with a smile, his eyes...
Song Yongping suddenly remembered. More than ten years ago, the eyes of this "brother-in-law" were as calm and gentle as before, but he was too young at the time, and he didn't quite understand the aura hidden in people's eyes, otherwise he would have treated this brother-in-law at that time. There will be a completely different view.
"Little Si, long time no see."
"Song Yongping, magistrate of Tanling County, I would like to meet Mr. Ning." Song Yongping smiled and cupped his hands. He was also at the age of standing. He had been an official for several years and had his own demeanor and majesty. Ning Yi tilted his head to look and waved his right hand.
"Okay, I know, I won't meet and go back." He smiled: "Come with me."
Song Yongping followed, and Ning Yi didn't walk fast at the front. When Song Yongping came up, he was straight to the point and his attitude was casual.
"During this time, many people came over there, scolding and interceding in private. The only one I've seen so far is you. I know your purpose, by the way, who is the one above you?"
"... Cheng Fang, Cheng Zhouhai."
"That's the Princess Mansion... It's not easy for them. They can't beat them on the battlefield. They can only think of all kinds of ways in private, and they can make some progress..." Ning Yi said, and then reached out and patted Song Yongping's shoulder, "However, I'm still very happy that you can come here. I've been tossing and turning over the years, and my relatives have become less and less. Tan'er must be very happy to see you. Wen Fang and the others have their own affairs. I also informed them, try to come here, and you can do it. Talking about old love. I also want to hear about your situation over the years, and Uncle Song Mao, I don't know how he is, is he in good health? "