Capital City
It was dusk, and the streets were bustling with people. The shops and restaurants along the way were all lit up, and looked bright and colorful. Both sides of the streets were filled with dumplings, dumplings, pancakes and steamed buns.
The Hundred Flowers Tower stood tall on the north side of the street, with vermilion pillars and green stairs facing the street, with lanterns hanging on them. Thirty to forty guests were sitting in the hall downstairs, gathered in twos and threes, drinking until their faces were red.
Ren Wei was dressed in plain clothes as he watched from the window on the third floor. He seemed to have a lot on his mind. Beside him was a scholar dressed in a white robe. He looked to be around thirty years of age.
Ren Wei turned around, "Zhou Zhiyuan, do you understand what I've instructed you to do?"
Zhou Zhiyuan replied, "Mister Ren, since you've forked out a hundred taels of silver, I will make sure that you do a good job."
"Alright, I'll see how you arrange it." Ren Wei laughed. Zhou Zhiyuan didn't speak much as he clasped his hands in salute and walked down the stairs. He didn't go to the main hall, but waited at the second floor.
Someone walked up the stairs and saw that it was a private room. The floor was clean, and there was a table in the corner. There were brushes, ink, paper and inkstone. There were already people seated. There were more than ten of them, and they were in groups of three to five. They were reciting poems and writing songs, and discussing various topics. Zhou Zhiyuan walked out to welcome him, "Brother Li, you're here. Please."
Scholar Li was a middle aged man. He nodded his head, "I'm late, please forgive me."
Before he could finish, he heard someone inside say, "Have you heard? King Lu is attacking the capital city, and has lost yet another city. "
Hearing this, Zhou Zhiyuan's face froze as he sighed, "Brother Li, the world has only been peaceful for a few years, and now there's chaos. Please join us for a small banquet."
"Please!"
This was a small banquet for scholars. It wasn't a big banquet, but everyone who was present was a famous scholar, and had a certain amount of influence in the city.
Scholar Li had just reached the second floor when someone shouted, "Li Sheng is here."
"Greetings, brother Chen."
Zhou Zhiyuan sat down and looked around. Seeing that everyone had arrived, he then said, "Everyone is here. Let's start the banquet."
"Great, great." Someone tapped the table with his fan.
Zhou Zhiyuan shouted, "Waiter, serve the dishes, and also a jar of Jade Jar Dew."
Jade Jar Dew was one of the best wines in the capital. Hearing this, the waiter hurriedly agreed. In just a moment, all the dishes were served.
When scholars drank wine, they naturally had to make some literati. What they offered was the Liuxiao Medallion. This was a type of wine medallion. There were forty-eight wine chips, divided into 'red chips' and 'green chips'.
The top of the red chip was convex and painted red; the top of the green chip was concave and painted green. The red chip was engraved with the words "Drink Someone's Wine", which was to pour wine for someone at the table, and correspondingly matched it with an ancient poem. The green chip was engraved with the words "How to drink wine" and "What to do next".
"Let me do it!" Someone hurried over and drew a stick. He read, "Left seat, drink on my behalf. Haha, Brother Shen, you're on my side. Quick, have a drink!"
Everyone started cheering as the sound of wine being poured could be heard. This person gulped down the wine in one gulp. He then breathed in the smell of alcohol as he drew a stick. He then said, "Drink to the left seat. Quick, First seat brother Zhou, come and draw a stick."
Zhou Zhiyuan had no choice but to draw a green chip from the pot. He looked at it and laughed, "Pass the bamboo section three times. Those who don't pass the bamboo section will have to drink a cup."
The sounds of wine being poured, the sounds of people drinking and laughter could be heard. Before long, everyone was drunk. Zhou Zhiyuan swept a glance around and sighed, "Fellow brothers, the world has been in chaos recently. The Emperor has fallen ill, and the Crown Prince is in charge of the country. First, there was the chaos in Ying Prefecture, and now, there's King Lu's rebellion. As scholars, how can we stand by and watch? Although we live among the commoners, we should do our best for the Imperial Court, and think for the commoners.
Now is the time for us to offer advice and advice. "This was a small banquet for scholars. Naturally, they were discussing the most important matters in the world. Hearing these words, everyone agreed," Brother Zhou is right. As scholars, how can we stand by and watch? "
Speaking of the chaos in Ying Prefecture, someone else said, "Although Pei Zi Yun has done little, he's a Daoist. If he were to be given a title and given the title of a Duke, it would be considered a Daoist who is interfering with politics."
"Yes, that's right. A Daoist isn't an official of the Imperial Court, how can he interfere with politics?"
All the scholars agreed, their faces were filled with anger. Although this person was a High Scholar, he had become a Daoist, which meant that he had betrayed the world. How despicable.
Those who were jealous of Pei Zi Yun spoke up, "The Daoists of the Ceng Dynasty, Chang Zhen Zi and Yuan Huan Zi, didn't have any merits, but instead caused a huge disaster. They caused internal strife, and even caused the death of Emperor Ceng Jing."
"It's obvious that these Daoists, even if they had some merits, would cause a huge disaster."
Zhou Zhiyuan looked over, and saw that the person who spoke was a High Scholar who was on the same level as him. His name was Zhu Xuefeng, and he had a rather extreme temperament. At this point, he was speaking out loudly, causing the entire crowd to respond.
"We have been studying the books of the sages. Strange powers have caused chaos in the world. How can we allow outsiders to run rampant? Everyone, now that King Lu is in chaos, we cannot allow Pei Zi Yun to be in charge of the military affairs. Could it be that we, the great Xu Dynasty, can't find a good official to use? Why must we allow a Daoist to be above the rest of the officials? This is a disgrace to the Imperial Court. I'm prepared to report to the Imperial Court, and demand that these Daoists be punished. "
When someone who was slightly older heard this, he laughed, "Brother Zhu, this Daoist hasn't done anything evil yet, and I've heard that the Crown Prince admires him. I'm afraid it won't be easy to get rid of him."
"It's because the Crown Prince admires him. That's why he wants to get rid of him. If the Crown Prince were to ascend the throne, wouldn't this demonic Daoist rise to power?" Zhu Xuefeng seemed to be filled with hatred towards Pei Zi Yun as he raised his arms and shouted.
"It's difficult, difficult. King Lu has led his troops to attack the capital city, and Pei Zi Yun has won the war in Ying Prefecture. Even if we don't reward him for his merits, we still have to be prepared for the worst. Even the Imperial Court has to protect him. It's impossible to punish him openly." Another scholar stood up and spoke, "I feel that it's better to take down this demonic Daoist's reputation first, before planning to wipe him out. We have to take things step by step."
"That's right, that's right."
Someone else spoke out, "Count Zhong Qin was born a scholar, and was well-versed in the art of war. When the dynasty was founded, he had been sworn by the Emperor, and had contributed many strategies to the Emperor. He had been through many battles, and had many merits. I think that this victory in Ying Prefecture was all because of Pei Zi Yun."
"Pei Zi Yun is just a Top Scorer in Ying Prefecture, and has never gone to war before. He's not even twenty years old. How could he have commanded the entire army and still managed to achieve victory?" This person swept his gaze across the crowd and voiced out his suspicions. He paused before speaking out, "I've heard that Pei Zi Yun was once a guest of the Crown Prince's Palace. I'm sure that the Crown Prince was the Regent of the Empire, and thus managed to hoodwink the Crown Prince and steal Count Zhong Qin's credit."
"That's right, we must give Count Zhong Qin justice." Someone's forehead was throbbing with veins popping out. He raised his arms and shouted out, as if he could not live under the same sky as Pei Zi Yun.
The atmosphere within the hall seemed to have reached a climax. Although Zhou Zhiyuan was the one who started the conversation, when she heard the words of these scholars, she had the urge to leave.
'Scholars look down on each other. Isn't it because they're jealous of Pei Zi Yun's talents?' Although Zhou Zhiyuan was thinking this way, she still said sternly, "Everyone is right. I have been taught by my master. The Dao Sect is just a small faith and a small favor. It is not a great way to govern the world. That is why the saint has abandoned it."
"If a Daoist were to take control of the Imperial Court, even if he managed to gain some merit, it would be a disaster for generations to come. This isn't about a single person, but the rise and fall of us scholars."
"I can see that Count Zhong Qin was able to pacify Ying Prefecture. He should be able to pacify the North as well. We should support Count Zhong Qin, and not let a Daoist take control of the Imperial Court."
"That's right, we must not let a Daoist cause chaos in the Imperial Court!" These scholars had drunk some wine, and when they heard these words, they felt that every single one of them spoke out loud.
One of them spoke out, "I have a clan brother, Zhu Cheng, who is currently working at the Imperial Censor. We can submit a petition!"
"My father has a disciple named Li Zhi, who is currently working at the Ministry of Rites. We can submit a petition!"
"That's right, I know quite a few scholars as well. We can submit a petition together." The scholars were filled with joy as they started to link up. One of them then shouted out, "We are all righteous scholars, and will definitely be able to restore order. Come, cheers!"
Everyone raised their cups and downed their cups. When they were all drunk, everyone started to leave. Li Shu Sheng and Zhou Zhiyuan were the last to leave. Li Shu Sheng smiled and said, "Brother Zhou's expression has been different lately. Looks like you've had a stroke of good fortune."
"Brother Li is indeed intelligent. But this time, you're wrong." Zhou Zhiyuan waved his hands, "Brother Li, shall I send you off?"
"No need, I'll go back myself!"
Zhou Zhiyuan sent everyone off, and returned after some time. Ren Wei turned around and walked out from the next booth, "Who's this Li Shu Sheng?"
Zhou Zhiyuan picked up a cup of tea from the table and took a sip, "He's Li Si Wen, an old High Scholar. He's been living in the capital city for five years now, and has quite a reputation. However, he's a very cautious person. Although he can guess that we're spreading rumors, he wouldn't dare to act rashly."
"Oh yes, what do you think of my job?" Zhou Zhiyuan asked curiously, "Why did Top Scorer Pei do such a thing?"
When Ren Wei heard this, he laughed and said, "You've done a good job. This is for you."
As he said this, he handed over a hundred taels of silver. Seeing Zhou Zhiyuan accept it, Ren Wei sighed and said, "Why? Actually, you've seen it for yourself."
"Top Scorer Pei was seventeen years old when he became a High Scholar. All the scholars in the world were envious and jealous of him. Furthermore, his poems were renowned throughout the world. Although they had no choice but to submit to him, how many of them were secretly gritting their teeth?"
"He even led an army to quell a rebellion, and achieved great things at the tender age of twenty."
"Even if you're Zhou Zhiyuan, don't you secretly hate him?"
Zhou Zhiyuan paused before laughing out, "Brother Ren is really interesting. I started studying at seven, became an Elementary Scholar at fifteen, and a High Scholar at twenty-one. Even now, I'm thirty, and still have no chance of becoming a High Scholar. I'm stuck in the capital city, and only eat vegetables and tofu. Whenever I think of someone who's not even twenty years old, and has such a meteoric rise, I hate him so much that I can't sleep."
As he finished speaking, both of them burst out laughing. Ren Wei then spoke out in a serious tone, "Conferring a reward is a grand ceremony of the Imperial Court. However, we have to consider the hearts of the people as well. Look at how he exploded just now. What a fearful man's words. My young master had no choice but to sully his own reputation."
Zhou Zhiyuan laughed, "That's human nature. This has happened in every dynasty. That's why I didn't hesitate to take this silver. If it were anything else, I wouldn't dare to interfere."
As he finished speaking, Zhou Zhiyuan patted Ren Wei on the shoulder and didn't speak further. He then walked out of the room. Looking at his shadow, Ren Wei couldn't help but be taken aback. This was like pushing a boat along with the current. Using only a little bit of strength, he managed to get the officials to board the boat. Without making a sound, the entire world changed. No matter how strong Count Zhong Qin was, he wasn't far from death.
If he didn't expose him, who would know that he was trying to kill Count Zhong Qin? Even if someone saw through it like Zhou Zhiyuan did, they would only think that he was trying to protect himself.
He then sighed, "Such power, it's almost like the Dao."
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