In front of the Imperial College, a dozen new steles had been erected not long ago. The steles were engraved with the Confucian classics that had been hand-copied by the Hanlin Academy recently. They were for the scholars and scholars of the world to study and proofread. The capital was in an uproar. Not to mention the civil officials, even the old noble members of the imperial family who were not literate came one after another to show their "respect for literature".
Two middle-aged Confucians rode a carriage to the Imperial College's memorial arch. Probably because the sun was high in the sky, there were not many students who came to copy the classics. However, when the two squeezed in front of a stone stele, they still had to wait for almost an hour. They looked at each other and smiled. A young man squatted under the stele with a small table in front of him. His clothes were shabby. It was unknown whether he was a scholar from outside the city or a scholar who had failed the imperial examinations and stayed in the capital to wait for the next spring examination of the Ministry of Rites. The set of four treasures of the study on the table must have cost him a lot of traveling expenses. One of the middle-aged Confucian scholars bent down to look at the young scholar with great interest, admiring the young scholar who was bending over the table and writing at a rapid speed. The young man dipped a little in the ink each time and wrote very quickly, presumably to save money. However, his strokes were still meticulous and beautiful.
The bent Confucian nodded slightly. His companion did not look at the stele or the person. He reached out to cover his forehead and looked at the distant sky.
The young scholar was not distracted. Occasionally, he would put down his brush and rub his wrist. He never raised his head, so he did not notice the two senior scholars beside him. However, even if the young man looked carefully, he would not be able to recognize them.
After lowering his head and staring for a long time, the Confucian with a mutton-fat jade pendant at his waist finally straightened his back. He moved lightly and walked behind the young man. Intentionally or unintentionally, he blocked the poor scholar's white clothes from the scorching sun. Then he asked softly, "Mr. Xie, are they all here?"
The man called Mr. Xie did not stop until he was shocked to death. He nodded and said, "They are all here. However, there are not many who truly stand on Hsu Fengnian's side. Other than Xu Yanbing, there are only the white-clothed Luo Yang and the red-robed woman. Đồng Thái only wanted to take advantage of the fact that Cao Changqing was courting his own death. Both sides would definitely not overdo it. As for Cao Changqing's trip to the capital this time, it was probably to say a few last words to Hsu Fengnian. Otherwise, given Cao Changqing's temper in the past, he would not have quietly entered the capital. Therefore, the Emperor had respectfully invited the Sage Duke to come. With Wu Jian and Chai Qingshan's interference, as well as Yao Jin, Han, and Zhao Gou, even if Hsu Fengnian was determined to rebel, it would be very difficult. Also, Hsu Fengnian came to the capital without permission this time because he wanted to lift the ban on the transport of grain. Actually, there is no need to make a fuss in Great 'an City. This is something that can be discussed at a table and two stools. "
The Confucian scholar standing behind the young scholar said calmly, "It seems that Mister Xie has neglected to mention His Highness King of Shu."
Mister Xie smiled slightly and said, "Compared to the Sage Duke, I am too lazy to play dumb."
The present Sage Duke's brows were filled with haze and seemed to be angry. He steadied his emotions and said in a low voice, "Does Mister Xie want Beiliang and the imperial court to be destroyed so that the King of Shu, whom Mister Xie is assisting, can take advantage of the situation?"
Xie Guanying, who was at the top of the chart on the land, dismissed it with a smile. He put away his hand and turned to look at the Sage Duke who was worried about the country and the people. "There is the loyal Gu Jiantang who has hundreds of thousands of Liao elites and Zhao Bing's Nanjiang Army watching. How can the King of Shu take advantage of the situation?"
As though he knew that it was not a good thing to completely anger the Sage Duke, Xie Guanying did not provoke him. He sighed and said, "To be honest, I did not agree to the King of Shu going north to the capital from Guangling Circuit. Once he enters the capital, if Hsu Fengnian goes crazy and wants to kill, will you, Chen Zhibao, protect him or not? If you stand by and do nothing, the world will be disappointed. If you stop him, there is no benefit. You have already been the Minister of War. Now you are the King of Shu. Even if you get the title of Pillar of the State, which will not increase the number of soldiers, there is no benefit. At this time, people like Lu Shengxiang and Tang Tieshuang can stand out. Chen Zhibao, Gu Jiantang, and the King of Yan are the cicada, the mantis, or the oriole. There is only a fine line between them. It is obvious who is more patient will benefit more. "
The Sage Duke frowned.
Xie Guanying laughed softly and said, "Since the fall of the Qin Dynasty, there are only two kinds of people who do not care who the world follows. The first is the people who can only resign themselves to fate. The second is the people in the Sage Duke's Mansion with the surname Zhang. Even if the world is turned upside down, the Sage Duke is still the Sage Duke. Did you not see the end of Dragon Tiger Mountain? There are only a few purple and gold lotuses left of the Banishing Immortal Lotus bestowed by the Celestial. "
The Sage Duke said with emotion, "The change of prosperity and decline is the general trend. But in between, I hope fewer people will die, especially fewer scholars."
Xie Guanying said with slight sarcasm, "So you went to Guangling River to see Cao Changqing? So what? Did Cao Guanzi listen to you? Duke Yansheng, oh Duke Yansheng, a scholar is a scholar, but don't forget that there is also the word 'human'. Humans have seven emotions and six desires. Even the immortals in the Daoist classics can't achieve true immortality. A scholar can't always be a scholar. Xun Ping and Zhang Julu put down their books and walked into the temple. One died young, the other could not keep his integrity. There was a scholar called Xuanyuan Jingcheng who was trapped by love and did not walk out of Mount Hui until his death. Cao Changqing was not much better. He never really walked out of the palace of West Chu in his life. What Sage Duke, what Cao Guanzi, he was just a chess piece waiting for the imperial order! "
The Sage Duke shook his head and said, "Mister Cao is not as bad as you say."
Xie Guanying, who was called by his name for the first time, was indifferent. He sneered, "He can't even let go of a woman who died so many years ago. How can he be invincible? Playing chess, playing chess, playing chess. In the end, he played himself as a pitiful piece on the chessboard. What a joke! "
The Sage of the Zhang Family looked at this "bowl bearer" and shook his head at him.
Xie Guanying laughed and left.
The Sage Duke stood in place and murmured, "Mister, Mister, you can predict the future of the world. You saved the people from fire and water. When the country is in danger, you might as well die first. You, Xie Guanying, are just a scholar who wants to write history with your own hands. Just a scholar. "
The Sage of the Zhang Family turned around and looked at the steles. He was speechless for a long time. The scrivener breathed heavily. His wrist finally could not bear the soreness. Then he realized the shadow and turned to look at the strange scholar standing behind him.
The Sage Duke smiled at him and asked, "If you don't mind, can I copy a paragraph for you?"
The scrivener hesitated for a moment as if he had made a very difficult choice. Finally, he nodded.
The Sage Duke rolled up his sleeves and took the pen from the young man who stood up shakily. He sat down cross-legged and began to write.
Hanshi squatted down again and tilted his head to look at it. He felt relieved. At first glance, this senior's handwriting didn't show any elegance. It was well-behaved. Although it didn't make people feel that it was a work of art, it didn't make people's eyes light up either. But over time, it made the young man feel a sense of justice and peace.
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