On the way to Little Lotus Peak from the thatched cottage, Hsu Fengnian and Lu Chengyan unexpectedly met the old and young of the Yan family again. This kind of fate made the old family head, Yan Song, feel quite marvelous. In their conversation, some of the misgivings of a shallow friendship lessened. If Yan Song's post in Li Yang before the destruction of the Great Chu was added, the old man could be said to have been a seasoned official. He had seen the four reigning Emperors of the Great Chu and Li Yang Imperial Courts. In fact, he had seen the new Emperor Zhao Zhuan of Li Yang a long time ago. However, when Yan Song was the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Zhao Zhuan was still a young Fourth Prince who was not outstanding in any aspect. When he saw the old man who often went to the Diligent Room to teach, he also had to bow like a student. Yan Song's eyes were shrewd and ruthless, naturally he would not consider Hsu Fengnian to be an ordinary Beiliang pilgrim. Later, when Wudang Sect Leader Li Yufu received him, it confirmed the old man's opinion. It's just that both sides were well aware that there was no need to put it on the table too openly. As for which Beiliang's descendant this young man was, Yan Song, who had already seen the highest point of the Liyang temple, had nothing to do with Beiliang, so there was no need to fuss over it. As the two people climbed the mountain, they unconsciously talked about the blue-eyed Grand Secretary. Regarding Zhang Julu, Yan Song, who was standing in the opposing camp, felt regret. He said that Zhang Julu was still half a step away from becoming a saint. He had achieved the goal of helping the world, but unfortunately he was not able to protect himself.
Deeply worried, Yan Song said, "Vassal kings, foreign relatives, eunuchs, military officers, civil officials. These five types of people, if they do not stand upright, are the most likely to cause chaos in the world. Our dynasty's Empress is virtuous and virtuous, the foreign relatives have never been able to make a name for themselves, which is the world's greatest blessing. The eunuchs were led by Han Shengxuan, Song Tanglu, two heads of the Directorate of Rites. There's nothing to say about their character, but they were all loyal to the Zhao family's Son of Heaven. They were also very cautious in matters of authority. Our dynasty's eunuchs scrupulously abide by their duties, so there's no need to worry about eunuchs interfering in politics. With the assistance of Zhang Julu, the late Emperor did his utmost to weaken the feudal vassals, quietly suppressing military force, combining hardness and gentleness; it was quite effective. The new King of Jingan, Zhao Xun, is also devoted to the country. The King of Guangling, Zhao Yi, has no ambition. Your Beiliang is restrained by Beimang. Even if you want to, you are powerless. Then there is only the King of Yanchi, Zhao Bing, who has elite troops and is good at hiding his strength. There is no big enemy in Nanjiang, so Zhao Bing can slowly accumulate power. He must be a big problem for our dynasty. "
Then Yan Song said self-deprecatingly, "As for us civil officials, scholars can't rebel for ten years. The Emperor is the easiest to get rid of. The Grand Tutor has always been the highest pursuit of a scholar. Even if you can't become a Grand Tutor, there are so many second and third rank officials that you can be. As for posthumous titles, other than Wen Zheng, there are a lot of other titles that can be taken into the coffin. Taking a step back, being an official is not promising, but you can still leave your name in history. That's why I say that we civil officials are the most ambitious, but also the least promising. But! "
Yan Song suddenly paused. With a solemn expression, he said in a low voice, "With Zhang Julu as a role model for all scholars in the world for twenty years, it's different!"
Hsu Fengnian smiled and said, "That Jin San Lang, who rose to the top, said something that poked through the window paper. It was Zhang Julu who taught him that the people are important and the monarch is not. It was also because of this that Jin Lanting submitted to the new Emperor that the late Emperor decided to kill the Grand Secretary. "
Yan Song said bitterly, "That little bastard, he's not a son! He's not a subject! Tantanon hit him well! "
Hsu Fengnian seemed to dismiss it with a smile, but Lu Chengyan intuitively sensed that he was revealing a trace of murderous intent.
Yan Song sighed and said, "Almost all of the civil and noble officials of Spring Eternal Hui's Xiu Qi and Zhi Ping are excellent. There are no big problems to be found. However, after following Zhang Julu for so many years, once they lose the breadth of mind of the Grand Secretary, there will be a result of going too far is as bad as not going far enough. The more peaceful the world is, the easier it is for the competition between gentlemen to degenerate into a competition between personal feelings. This Old Man has many students, and the number of his favorite students can be counted with two hands. It's not that This Old Man is boasting, but he has always followed the teachings of the Sage and taught without discrimination. In the first ten or twenty years, nothing can be seen, but by the time This Old Man is about to retire, the difference is like heaven and earth. Regardless of whether they are from aristocratic families or from poor families, they can all be considered capable officials and have good governance. However, except for a few students who have managed to start and finish well, the rest more or less have some corruption. However, those with good family backgrounds have a much better table manners. Those who suddenly become powerful are unsightly. This Old Man was also puzzled. Later on, after thinking about it, it was one of the poor students who revealed the secret. They are afraid of being poor, and they are also afraid of being poor. Even if they don't think for themselves, they have to accumulate wealth for their descendants. "
Hsu Fengnian smiled and said, "Actually, this is human nature."
Yan Song shook his head and said, "As an official, it is human nature to let your descendants have no worries about food and clothing. However, to let your descendants sit on a mountain of gold and silver for ten lifetimes is too much."
Yan Song took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Perhaps this is only This Old Man's view of the big picture."
Yan Song said bitterly, "Two years ago, there was a student who This Old Man hoped would one day become an important minister in the palace. He was almost fifty years old. After the scandal was exposed, he knelt outside This Old Man's study for several hours. This Old Man wanted him to die, but when he thought of that young face and that pair of clear and clean eyes when he asked me for advice, This Old Man couldn't be ruthless. In the end, he just let him lose his official position. I heard that now that the new Emperor has ascended the throne, his thoughts are active again. He wantonly operates in the capital, trying to recover. You have to know that the target of his extravagant spending just so happened to be the clan members and nobles that he thought were the rats and worms of the country back then. Ai, I still remember that this old man had tried to console him back then. "
Hsu Fengnian asked, "Did he succeed?"
Yan Song said incomparably self-deprecatingly, "With a lot of money to clear the way, and the identity of the student of my political enemy, of course he succeeded. He became the director of the Ministry of Rites. After that, he even wrote a letter to me, his teacher, saying that he would inherit my mantle and become the assistant director of the Ministry of Rites. "
Hsu Fengnian clicked his tongue in wonder and said, "This guy's skin isn't thin! It would be great if he came to our Beiliang. "
The old man asked doubtfully, "Why is that?"
Hsu Fengnian joked, "Just his skin is as thick as a city wall, and he can help block tens of thousands of Beimang soldiers."
Yan Song immediately laughed heartily. The other Yan family members beside him also laughed.
The long mountain path eventually came to an end. At noon, they arrived at the top of Little Lotus Peak. Looking into the distance, they felt relaxed and happy.
Yan Song sighed sincerely to Hsu Fengnian, who was standing beside him. "To tell you the truth, This Old Man came to Beiliang because someone invited This Old Man. He happened to be one of Beiliang's students. He said that Beiliang was a good place for people to vent their frustrations. This Old Man didn't believe him, but that guy wrote eight letters in one go. This Old Man was so annoyed that he thought that it would be good to visit the northwestern frontier fortress before he died. He wrote a lifetime's worth of feminine and graceful poems. Who knows, maybe when he's about to die, he'll be able to write one or two frontier fortress poems that will be handed down for generations. "
The old man's grandson stood up for him and said, "Grandpa's poems are wonderful. The late Emperor praised them endlessly. Even Huang Longshi, one of the top three in the Spring and Autumn Period, admired them! What's so feminine about them! "
The old man, who was in an extremely good mood, laughed and retorted, "Nonsense. What admiration? Don't flatter this old man. Huang Longshi only commented that it was' weak and passable. '"
Although he retorted, it was clear that the old man was somewhat proud of this harsh comment that sounded more positive than negative.
Hsu Fengnian smiled and said, "It's not easy to make Huang Sanjia, who never praises people, say that."
The old man narrowed his eyes and stroked his beard. "That's right. This Old Man can only accept such words from an outsider like Young Master Xu. What's the point of flattering his own grandson?"
Lu Chengyan smiled knowingly. This old man was also a wonderful person.
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