Outside the east wall of the palace, the area where the Six Ministries and other government offices were located was known by the people of the capital as Zhao Family's Garden. Every morning and evening, the officials of the capital would enter and leave the government offices, and the carriages and horses would carry carps big and small that had jumped through one or more dragon gates. The fact that the Hanlin Academy could occupy an area in Zhao Family's Garden, where even a thousand gold couldn't buy an inch of land, and had connections between the Six Ministries, showed how noble and extraordinary the Huangmen were. The Grand Secretary Zhang Julu came from this place, and had been unknown for a whole twenty years before he gained the upper hand. This made the forty or so Huangmen very confident. Moreover, Jin Lanting came from this place, which had produced many famous officials, and became a close official of the Emperor, which made people envious. Unfortunately, not everyone could enter this place. However, most of the Huangmen could survive for a few years and enter the Six Ministries to take up important positions. There were also some who sat here for decades and didn't make any progress. Of course, they were knowledgeable, but they didn't have the ability to exchange their reputation for a real official rank and real money. At most, they secretly earned some money. What made people not know whether to laugh or cry was that this kind of income was made from silk cloth or white rice, and the writer didn't use his hands to write anything. One could imagine how much these pedantic Huangmen cherished their reputation. Jin Lanting was once an exception. After he left the Hanlin Academy to take up the position, a small Huangmen from an aristocratic family used countless favors from his family to be promoted. The position of the small Huangmen was still empty, which made those outstanding officials in the imperial court feel embarrassed. It was said that the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel almost got into a fight with General Qingche after leaving the palace. However, for the Huangmen who were already in the position of Huangmen, these were all idle gossip. The only one who couldn't laugh was Song Keli. This Old Man Song was so angry that he couldn't keep his integrity in his old age. The Second Master Song had to take the blame and resign from the Right Chancellor of the Imperial College. He closed the door and refused to receive any guests. He finally won a little in the open and covert competition with the Left Chancellor Lu Daolin, but suddenly he was defeated and disappeared. As for the Young Phoenix of the Song Family, she wasn't affected, but in the Hanlin Academy, she was on the verge of collapse. Those who seemed to be close friends with gentlemen were gradually getting closer to her, and her face was even more fickle than a woman's. There was only one person who was the laughingstock of the Hanlin Academy. He was originally just a nodding acquaintance with Song Keli, but now that the phoenix was in trouble, he took the initiative to get closer to Song Keli. Today, he brought a pot of apricot wine to Song Keli to learn from each other. In the Liyang imperial court, only the Hanlin Academy allowed drinking during the day. As long as it didn't affect official business, it didn't matter if they were sleeping or snoring. His Majesty once visited the Hanlin Academy without warning in winter a few years ago. When he saw a drunken Huangmen who was still reciting poems in his sleep, everyone was scared silent. Unexpectedly, the Emperor, who was known for his diligence, just smiled and put a fox fur coat on that guy. He said to the other Huangmen, "I won't allow myself to be lazy, I won't allow other officials to be lazy, but I will allow you to be arrogant because of your talents." This became a popular story in the imperial court.
Song Keli, who had nothing to do, was immersed in reading a book that he had read many times. The Huangmen, who was said to be in his fifties but looked like he was in his forties, sat down with a smile and put the wine pot on the desk. Song Keli looked at this senior from the Hanlin Academy who did not know how to curry favor with him and could not help but sigh in his heart. He did not feel grateful, but rather helpless. It was true that there were unforeseen events, but he did not expect that his own family would experience good fortune and misfortune. This made Song Keli, who was born with a smooth life, feel very confused. His future was bleak and uncertain, so he was not in the mood to drink. However, this old man was not very tactful. Every few days, he would come to drink with him. Fortunately, he did not speak much. Song Keli knew that he could not speak clearly, but his handwriting was unique and blunt. It was the complete opposite of his father's "Official Song Style" that was once popular in the imperial court. When he was given a hard job in the Hanlin Academy, his colleagues liked to pass it on to him. This strange man, whose surname was Yuan and name was Pu, was easy to talk to and did not refuse anyone who came to him. It was rumored that he had no children and was not like the other Huangmen who often gave themselves titles like "Sir" or "Mountain Man". After Song Keli entered the Hanlin Academy, he had never seen Yuan Pu go to a brothel with his friends to get drunk, nor did anyone come here to ask him for help. Although a gentleman did not associate himself with friends, it was rare to see someone as lonely as Yuan Pu.
Probably because he felt inferior and could not speak clearly, Yuan Pu, who was still a Huangmen at his age, continued to drink when he saw that Song Keli was not drinking. Song Keli could not stand this man's attitude. He put down the book and asked softly, "Yuan Huangmen, forgive me for being blunt, but are you trying to burn the Song family's cold stove? Are you thinking that the Song family will rise again in the future and I will cherish your friendship during this period? "
The Huangmen smiled and shook his head.
If it were someone else, Song Keli would not believe it easily. However, for some reason, he believed it when he saw this man. Song Keli became more curious and could not help but ask, "Then why are you inviting me to drink now?"
The silent Yuan Pu picked up his brush and laid out the paper. He did not write too much, but he wrote quickly and slowly. After he finished writing, he put down his brush and turned the paper around. Song Keli glanced at him and said, "An ordinary man is brave and impolite, and a scholar is brave and immoral, and a country is in chaos. A gentleman's courage does not lie in winning against others, but in winning against himself. "
Song Keli said bitterly, "Are you saying that I am weak? But my words carry little weight. How can I turn the tide? His Majesty is furious. Not only did my father refuse guests, but he also kept his mouth shut at home. What can I do? "
The Huangmen, who did not look old but was actually quite old, picked up his brush again and turned the white paper back to write another sentence.
"There are three things that a gentleman does not care about. He does not care about his family, he does not care about his family, he does not care about his country, he does not care about his country."
Song Keli thought for a while and still shook his head, "Confucianism cultivates one's family and rules the country. It does not mean that one cannot have both."
The Huangmen pressed the paper and turned it. Then, he smiled and wrote the words "Confucianism" on the paper. He gently pressed down the pen and erased the word "Confucianism", and added the word "family". Song Keli nodded and did not refute this.
This person then wrote another line of words: Public and private, the boundary between human and ghost.
Song Keli was not stupid. He understood immediately, "Does the Huangmen want to say that the word" public "is divided into big and small? But not only do I lack the heart of a small public, I only have selfish motives? "
The Huangmen nodded. If he was not a bookworm who did not know the ways of the world, why would he be so straightforward? Scholars valued reputation and face. It was so a thousand years ago, and it was destined to be so a thousand years later.
Song Keli was poked where it hurt. He smiled sadly. This time, he really wanted to get drunk and not think about anything else. He took the wine pot and poured himself a cup of wine. He raised his head and drank it all.
The Huangmen patiently wrote a sentence, "The human heart is cold, it is not the fault of the world."
Then, he pointed the tip of the brush at his head and then at his heart.
Song Keli asked softly, "The Huangmen Sect taught me to remember and let go of my worries."
The Huangmen Sect nodded and was about to put down the brush. He thought for a while and slowly wrote the fourth sentence, "The fall of all the countries in the world cannot escape from accumulation." The rise of all the countries in the world cannot be separated from the contributions of accumulation.
"Thank you for teaching me, Mr. Yuan. Song Keli will never forget it."
Song Keli stood up and bowed deeply with tears in his eyes.
Yuan Pu didn't say anything. He just took a sip of wine, lowered his head, and gently blew on the ink. After it dried, he flipped the page over and switched to a hard brush. Then, he wrote in tiny characters. "Do you know who killed the Song family?"
After Song Keli sat down, he turned around and wiped his tears with his sleeve. He took a deep breath and said calmly, "The mountain is the mountain and the water is the water. It must be that King of Jing An, Zhao Xun. "
The two young Huangmen, who had a huge age gap, spoke in a strange way.
If you gain power and control of the country, will you take revenge and resolve your hatred by harming both public and private interests?
"No!"
If you become the pillar of the imperial court, will you take revenge and resolve your hatred by harming both public and private interests?
"Everything is decided by the situation. I will do whatever is beneficial to the country and the people. I, Song Keli, am willing to rule the world even if Mr. Yuan sees me as someone with great ambition but little talent. These are my words from the bottom of my heart. "
Are you still shaking your head at this moment?
"I won't do it again."
The Huangmen Sect put down the brush and rubbed the ink on his fingertips. Finally, he said in a hoarse voice, "Song Keli, you know the truth because you are very smart and can understand many things easily. But I still want to ask you one more thing. Can you bear the humiliation and live a nameless life for ten or twenty years? "
Song Keli said without hesitation, "If Grand Secretary Zhang can do it, why can't I?"
The Huangmen Sect spoke with great difficulty and his words were as slow as an old turtle. "Your father will return to his hometown and never become an official again."
Song Keli's face turned pale.
The Yuanhuang Sect remained expressionless as they slowly stabbed a knife into Song Chu Feng's heart. "Zhang Julu can still lay low in the Hanlin Academy and accumulate power. In the end, the old Grand Secretary will grant him a shadowy attack. But you can't even be a small Huang Sect."
Song Keli's mind went blank.
He knew that there was only a slight possibility of such a tragedy and that the Huangmen Sect member in front of him could not make it come true. But in his ears, it was like thunder rolling in the sky.
The Huangmen Sect stood up and said sarcastically, "Which scholar doesn't know how to write a few beautiful essays? Who doesn't understand a few great principles? Who doesn't claim to be unrecognized? You, Song Keli, should get out of the Hanlin Academy. "
He came with wine and left with a wave of his sleeves.
Song Keli stood up slowly and said softly to the Huangmen Sect member who crossed the threshold, "Thank you again for teaching me."
That day, the Huangmen Sect, who had been treated as a joke by countless colleagues of the Hanlin Academy, knocked on the bronze ring on a side door after the imperial palace's curfew.
The old eunuch, who had just retired from the Imperial Palace, opened the door and bent down with his hands almost touching the ground.
He did not say anything and did not accompany the Huangmen Sect member.
Perhaps even the old eunuchs who had been on duty for decades did not know that there was a side door that led directly to the Emperor's residence.
There was no one on the way.
The Huangmen Sect walked to the Emperor's residence casually. Even when they saw the Emperor of the Zhao Family who hurriedly put on his clothes and walked down the stairs, no one showed up.
The Emperor of the Liyang Dynasty saw the half-mute Huangmen Sect and bowed with a smile. "Greetings, Sir."
Who in the world could accept the Emperor's bow?
The Emperor took a few steps forward and asked softly, "Have you found a candidate?"
The Huangmen Sect member who had cut off half of his tongue nodded and said flatly and vaguely, "Song Keli."
The Emperor of the Zhao Family was relieved and did not ask why.
Because the man in front of him was regarded as a confidant and a great enemy by Xun Ping at the same time. In the end, Xun Ping was cooked and killed.
The eight dragons fought for the throne and supported the current Emperor, Zhao Heng, to sit on the throne. The old King of Jing An, Zhao Heng, hated him for the rest of his life.
The mastermind of the White Clothes Case.
Promoted Zhang Julu.
A secret edict to expel the King of Beiliang.
Framed the King of Jiaodong, Zhao Sui.
Jian Yan took the Crown Prince of Beiliang as the Emperor's son-in-law.
Imprisoned Gu Jiantang as the Minister of War for eighteen years.
Lured This Old Man Song to hide a copy of the memorial.
Proposed that the Prince Zhao Kai go to the Western Regions with a bottle.
Inside, he used both Confucianism and Dharma. On the surface, he worshipped Taoism and rebuked Buddhism.
He made the Emperor call himself a puppet.
The Emperor of Beiliang, Li Yishan, placed 67 pieces.
Only Yuan Benxi!
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