Life was a difficult practice.
Song Yongping's courtesy name was Wen Chu. He was born into an official's family. His father, Song Mao, had once been a Zhizhou in the Jinghan Dynasty. Song Yongping, who was ranked fourth in the Song clan, had been intelligent since childhood. He was known as a child prodigy. His father and the rest of the clan had great expectations of him.
Growing up in such an atmosphere, shouldering the greatest expectations, and learning from the best teachers, Song Yongping was also extremely hardworking. When he was 14 or 15, he was praised as having the potential to become a Juren. However, his family believed in Laozi and the doctrine of the mean. They often said that one should know the masculine and guard the feminine, and know honor and disgrace. When he was 17 or 18, when his temperament was stable, he was allowed to try the imperial examinations.
He became an Elementary Scholar at the age of eighteen and entered the capital to take the imperial examinations at the age of nineteen. For this brilliant and talented Song family's Silang, if there were no accidents, at least the first half of his road to becoming an official would be smooth sailing. After that, his achievements would surpass his father's, and he might even become the pillar of support for the entire Song family.
But there were always accidents.
Before Zhizhou Song Mao, the Song clan was a scholarly family. They had produced a few minor officials, but they did not have deep roots in the official circles. If a small aristocratic family wanted to move forward, many relationships needed to be maintained and united. The Jiangning merchant Su family was Song Mao's cousin by marriage. They used the protection of the Song clan to do the silk and cloth business. In Song Mao's career, they had given him a lot of money to support him. The relationship between the two families had always been good.
Song Mao's cousin married Su Zhongkan from the second branch of the Su family. They did not have a close relationship with the first branch. However, the Song clan did not care about these things. The marriage was a threshold that connected the two families. But what really supported this relationship was the mutual benefits. In this chain of benefits, the Su family had always fawned on the Song clan. No matter who was in charge of the next generation of the Su family, their fawning on the Song clan would never change.
As a member of a scholarly family, Song Mao was actually quite obsessed with cleanliness when facing this merchant family. If Su Zhongkan could take over the entire Su family in the future, it would be a good thing. Even if he couldn't, Song Mao wouldn't interfere too much. This was the situation between the two families at that time. Because of Song Mao's loftiness, Su Yu's attitude towards the Song clan became closer. To some extent, the two families became closer.
The appearance of the son-in-law of the first branch of the Su family was the first variable in the family. The first time Song Mao saw Ning Yi, who was supposed to have no status, in Jiangning, he had sensed his existence. However, no matter if it was Song Mao at that time, or Song Yongping later on, or everyone who knew him, none of them would have thought that the variable would expand into a hurricane that spanned across the horizon and ruthlessly crush everyone's lives. There was no one who could avoid such a huge impact.
The first time Song Yongping saw Ning Yi was when he went to the capital to take the imperial examination at the age of nineteen. He easily won the title of Xiucai and then passed the imperial examination. At this time, this talented man, who had married into the Song clan, had already caught the eye of Prime Minister Qin and entered the Prime Minister's Mansion as an advisor.
As the saying goes, the Prime Minister's doorstep was a seventh-ranked official. For Song Yongping, who had taken the orthodox path, he still had some feelings of disapproval towards this brother-in-law. However, an advisor would always be an advisor, while he himself had a promising future as an official. With this understanding, he maintained a considerable demeanor and politeness towards his sister and brother-in-law.
Later, because of his relationship with the Prime Minister's Mansion, he was quickly filled in. This was the first step in his official career. During his time as a county magistrate, Song Yongping could be said to be conscientious. He did business, water conservancy, and encouraged farming. Even when the Female Zhenren went south, he actively moved the residents of the county, fortified the walls, and cleared the fields. In the later chaos, he even used the local terrain to lead the army to repel a small group of Female Zhenren. After the first defense battle of Bianliang, he was greatly praised in the preliminary evaluation of merit and reward.
However, at that time, this brother-in-law had already launched the army of the Wu dynasty, defeated the entire resentful army, and even forced the entire Jin Kingdom to retreat from the first southern expedition.
At that time, Song Yongping, who knew the inside story, once had an earth-shaking change in his opinion of this brother-in-law. Of course, this mood did not last long. Later, the Right Prime Minister's Mansion lost power, and everything took a turn for the worse. Song Yongping was burning with anxiety, but later, he was still frightened by the sudden news from the capital and his mind went blank. Ning Yi killed the emperor and left. All the anti-thief troops chased him all the way, and even were defeated and fled one after another. After that, the whole world was turned upside down, and the situation of the whole world became incomprehensible. Song Yongping, his father Song Mao, and even the entire Song family's official career came to an abrupt end.
In the following ten years, the whole Song family experienced many ups and downs. These ups and downs could no longer be associated with the major events that concerned the whole world, but being in it was enough to witness all kinds of fickleness of the world. It was not until the sixth year of Jianshuo that a guest of the Princess's Mansion named Cheng Zhouhai came to find him. After a test, Song Yongping, who had been running a private school to teach for a living, was given the responsibility of a county magistrate.
At this time, Song Yongping knew that although Ning Yi had killed the emperor and rebelled, many people who were involved were more or less protected. At that time, the guests of the Qin family all had their own places, and some of them were even relied on by His Highness the Crown Prince and Her Highness the Princess. Although the Song family was involved with the Su family and was once removed from office, they were not overly punished. Otherwise, how could the entire Song family be left?
Only then did Song Yongping understand that although the great rebel had done unpardonable things, no one in the upper echelons of the whole world could escape his influence. Even though all the people in the world wanted to get rid of this demon in their hearts, they had no choice but to pay attention to each of his actions. It was to the extent that the people who had once worked with him were once again used. On the contrary, because Song Yongping was related to him by blood, he was greatly looked down upon. This was why his family had been in dire straits for several years.
When he was young, he had always had a sharp spirit, but when he was in his early twenties, he encountered the repercussions of the crime of killing the emperor. In the end, he had been beaten senseless. After several years of experience, Song Yongping had a deeper understanding of human nature, but he had also worn away all of his sharpness. After he was revived, he did not dare to use too much of his connections. In these few years, he had been trembling with fear as a county magistrate. Before the age of thirty, Song Yongping's temperament was already extremely calm. Regarding the matters under his jurisdiction, regardless of whether they were big or small, he would personally attend to them. In a few years, he had turned the county town into a land of peace and contentment. However, in such a special political environment, doing things step by step meant that he did not have any particularly dazzling "achievements". The people of the capital seemed to have forgotten him. It was not until this winter that Cheng Zhouhai suddenly came to find him. It was because of the great change in the southwest.
Song Yongping naturally knew about the actions of the Southwest Black Flag Army.
The Princess Estate had come to find him because she hoped that he would go to the southwest and act as a lobbyist in front of Ning Yi.
Ever since the Huaxia army issued a declaration of war to the world and then smashed through the defenses of the Chengdu plains, no one had been able to stop them. The Wu dynasty had always faced an awkward situation.
On the one hand, the Wu dynasty was unable to use its full strength to conquer the southwest. On the other hand, the Wu dynasty was absolutely unwilling to lose the Chengdu plains. In this situation, seeking peace and negotiating with the Huaxia army was also an impossible choice. Because the grudge of killing the emperor was absolutely irreconcilable, the Wu dynasty would absolutely not recognize the Huaxia army as an "opponent". Once the Huaxia army and the Wu dynasty reached a certain level of "equality", it would be equivalent to forcibly washing away the grudge of killing the emperor. To a certain extent, the Wu dynasty would also lose its legitimacy as an orthodox.
They could not fight or negotiate, but they could still hope to preserve some of the benefits in the southwest. The Wu dynasty was faced with such an unbearable situation. Asking for Song Yongping's help and playing the family card was a laughable choice, but it was very clear that no matter which path it was, the Imperial Court would have to take it.
There was a small interlude in this period. Cheng Zhouhai was a proud person. When facing the officials below him, he would usually have a grave and stern expression. He had originally come to Song Yongping's office to discuss the Princess Estate's thoughts and then leave. Who knew that after taking a few glances at the small county town, he would stay for two days? When he was about to leave, he specially went to Song Yongping and cupped his hands in apology, his expression also becoming warmer.
"I originally thought that Lord Song's achievements in his three years in office were not remarkable and that he was just a mediocre person who enjoyed his position without doing anything. Only after these two days did I realize that Lord Song is a great talent in governing the country and pacifying the people. I am ashamed that I have been so disrespectful, so I have come to apologize to Lord Song. "
Song Yongping's expression was calm as he cupped his hands humbly, but he felt a wave of sourness in his heart. The Wu dynasty had become Nanwu, and the people of the Central Plains had flowed into Jiangnan. The economies of the various places had advanced by leaps and bounds. It was too easy to write some achievements on a memorial. However, to truly pacify the people was not such a simple matter. Song Yongping was in a place of suspicion, so he only dared to write one out of three achievements. However, he had only just learned that he was 30 years old, and he still had ambitions in his heart. Now that he had finally been acknowledged by someone, his emotions were mixed, and he was moved beyond words.
Thus, Cheng Zhouhai chatted with him for the better part of a day. He was no longer vague about many things in the capital and the world. Instead, he talked about them one by one, and the two of them studied them together. Song Yongping had already accepted the mission of rushing to the southwest. After that, he traveled day and night to quickly reach Chengdu. He knew this journey would be difficult, but as long as he could see Ning Yi once and snatch something from between the cracks, he would not hesitate even if he had to die.
The situation in the southwest was tense, but the court was not completely inactive. Other than the South, which still had a surplus of troops to mobilize, many powers and great scholars were denouncing the Black Flag Army with great force. Some places had already clearly expressed their stance of not having any business dealings with the Black Flag Army. When they reached the territory of the Wu dynasty around Chengdu, the people of all towns and cities were in a state of panic. Many people had braved the snow to flee when winter arrived.
Word of mouth spread that the reason the Black Flag Army had come out of the mountains was because the Zizhou government had once captured Demon King Ning's brother-in-law. The Black Flag Army had come for revenge, swearing to trample the Wu dynasty to the ground. At present, Zizhou was in danger. Chengdu, which had been captured, had long since become a dead city. Some people who had escaped described it vividly. They said that there were daily massacres and looting in Chengdu. The city had been set on fire, and the columns of smoke could be seen from more than ten li away. Those who had not escaped had mostly died in the city.
Song Yongping was no longer a hothead. Looking at the scale of the discussion and the tone of the propaganda, he knew that someone must be manipulating things from behind. Whether it was the lower ranks or the higher ranks, these discussions could always put some pressure on the Huaxia army. Although there were people among the Confucians who were skilled at inciting people, in recent years, it was Ning Yi of more than ten years ago who was better at guiding the trend through propaganda. Presumably, the people in the court had been painstakingly learning that person's methods and style over the years.
After he entered the territory of Chengdu and reported his identity and purpose to the Huaxia soldiers on guard, he did not receive too much trouble. Only when he entered Chengdu did he realize that the atmosphere here was completely different from that of the Wu dynasty. Although there were many Huaxia soldiers outside, the order of the city had gradually stabilized.
There were not many traces of the "offensive and defensive battles" and "massacres" that were rumored to be extremely fierce in the outside world. The government investigated the accumulated cases in the city every day and killed a few corrupt officials and bullies in the city who had not escaped. It seemed that it had even attracted the applause of the city residents. Some Huaxia soldiers who had violated military discipline were even punished and publicized. Outside the yamen, there were wooden mailboxes and reception points that could be used to lodge complaints against soldiers who had violated the rules. The business in the city had not yet returned to prosperity, but the circulation of goods could already be seen in the market. At least, the prices of things like rice, grain, oil, and salt, which were related to the people's livelihood, did not fluctuate too much.
Song Yongping had never heard of such an army and a city after the war before.
He recalled his impression of his "brother-in-law" — the contact between them was too little after all. When he was affected as an official, and even when he was a county magistrate these few years, his heart was more filled with hatred and disapproval of this rebellious person. Of course, there was less hatred because it was meaningless. Song Yongping was still rational and knew the gap between them, so he was too lazy to bark like a rotten scholar.
However, at this time, thinking carefully, his brother-in-law's way of thinking was different from others, but there was always his reason. Takeshi's development, the later disaster relief, his tenacity against the Jurchens, and his determination to kill the emperor had always been different from others. On the battlefield, cannons had been developed, which was led by him. In addition, there were many things that had arisen because of the investigation of things. However, the production and technology of paper had increased by several times or even more than ten times compared to ten years ago. Li Pin had made "news paper" in the capital, and now there were people who had begun to imitate it in other cities.
Song Yongping used the dignified method of Confucianism to govern the county. Of course, there must be economic development, but more importantly, he cared about the harmony of the atmosphere in the city, the justice of cases, and the education of the people, so that widows, widows, and orphans could be supported, and children could be educated. He was talented, smart, and hardworking. After going through the ups and downs of officialdom and the grinding of worldly affairs, he had his own mature system, which was based on the teachings of Confucianism. Cheng Zhouhai understood these achievements when he saw them. However, he had been immersed in running his business in that small place, and finally saw less of the changes in the outside world. Although some things could be heard, it was not as good as seeing with one's own eyes. Now that he saw the situation in Chengdu, he gradually chewed on many new feelings that he had never experienced before.
This feeling was not like the Confucian way of governing the world, where people felt warm when they showed kindness, and cold when they showed power. Chengdu gave people a more clear feeling, but it was relatively cold. The army had attacked the city, but Ning Yi strictly forbade them to disturb the people. In many armies, this could even cause the morale of the whole army to collapse.
The legal system was also completely separated from the army. The procedures of the trial were more rigid than when he was the county magistrate, mainly in the measurement of the trial. For example, when Song Yongping was the county magistrate, he paid more attention to the education of the people. Some cases that were morally abominable, Song Yongping was more inclined to punish them severely. If he could be tolerant, Song Yongping was also willing to smooth things over.
On Chengdu's side, the judgment of the case naturally had an element of human touch, but it had been greatly reduced. This might be due to the way the "legal personnel" judged the case. Often, it could not be decided by a single sentence from the chief judge. Instead, three to five officials would state, discuss, and vote. In the end, it was more about precision and not completely inclined towards the effect of enlightenment.
… This was to disrupt the order of reason and law … to 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 had said to Li Pin and Zuo Duanyou. For a moment, he was shocked.
No matter what, he had been watching and thinking along the way, after all, it was for the sake of organizing what to say when he met Ning Yi. Being a lobbyist was never something that could be done well by being rude and fearless. In order to convince the other party, the first thing to do was to find a topic that the other party agreed on. Both parties had something in common, so that they could prove their own point of view. When he realized that Ning Yi's point of view was completely deviant, Song Yongping became confused about his own explanation of this trip. Reprimanding the world of "reason" could never be achieved? Reprimanding the world as cold and inhumane? Or was it that everyone would eventually make the world unable to go on and fall apart for themselves?
If it was so easy to make the other party see the light, perhaps Zuo Duanyou, Li Pin, Cheng Zhouhai, and the others would have long convinced Ning Yi to repent.
Words could be fake, but the traces that had been carried out in the entire army and even the political system were true no matter what. And if Ning Yi really opposed the law of reason and law, how much weight could he, as a so-called "relative", carry? His death was not to be regretted, but if he was killed the moment they met, it would really be a bit of a joke.
He was lost in such thoughts for two days, and then someone came to pick him up, and they went all the way out of the city. The horse carriage sped through the depressing sky of the Chengdu Plain, and Song Yongping finally calmed down. He closed his eyes and recalled his life over the past thirty years. When he was a high-spirited youth, he thought that his official career would be smooth sailing. Suddenly, the setbacks and bumps that came head-on, and the realization of the struggle and disappointment that followed, as well as the state of mind that he had when he was an official these few years.
After all, that high-spirited life was not a real life. The so-called life would be filled with ups and downs in a magnificent wave of emotions.
In any case, it was useless to think blindly. A gentleman would die for his bosom friend. Even if he were to pay with his life, it would be good if he could seize something from the cracks. Even if he really died, it would not be a pity. In short, it would be for his life. He made up his mind. That evening, the horse carriage arrived at a small camp by a river bend.
After more than ten years, he saw the figure of Ning Yi again. The other party was dressed casually in a green robe. He seemed to have suddenly seen him when he was taking a walk, and walked towards him with a smile. That gaze …
Song Yongping suddenly remembered. More than ten years ago, the gaze of this "brother-in-law" was as calm and gentle as the one in front of him now. It was just that he was too young at that time and could not quite understand the hidden aura in people's eyes. Otherwise, he would have a completely different view of this brother-in-law at that time.
"Little Four, long time no see."
"The magistrate of Tanling, Song Yongping, pays his respects to Mister Ning." Song Yongping showed a smile and cupped his hands. He was also at an age where he could stand. Having been an official for several years, he had his own demeanor and dignity. Ning Yi tilted his head to look at him and waved his right hand.
"Alright, I know. You won't pay your respects. Go back." He smiled. "Follow me."
Song Yongping followed. Ning Yi walked slowly in front. When Song Yongping walked up, he opened his mouth and spoke in a casual manner.
"In this period of time, there have been many people coming over from that side. Some denouncing me, some pleading in private. So far, the only one I have seen is you. I know why you have come. That's right, who is your superior? "
"… Cheng Fang, Cheng Zhouhai."
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