Ang Lee knew Old Du very well. He was very clear about Old Du's character. This guy was indeed an upright person who cared about the country and the people. However, even a very upright person had the most basic needs. For example, Ang Lee himself was a good person, but Ang Lee still married a lot of wives and did not let go of the little maids at home.
This was the characteristic of the Tang dynasty. If Ang Lee did not do this, not only would he suffer, but he would also be suspected by the emperor. That would be really troublesome. There was nothing wrong with cherishing one's reputation, but people who were too capable could not cherish their reputation too much in the Tang dynasty. Otherwise, they would be suspected of fishing for fame and buying people's hearts. If things went wrong, they would be accused of plotting a rebellion. Then, they would not be able to clear their name even if they jumped into the Yellow River.
Instead of worrying about being suspected and framed and living in fear, it was better to indulge a little. In this way, they would be comfortable, the emperor would be comfortable, and the people who wanted to frame them would not have a chance to do it. They would definitely be able to live a good life.
Since ancient times, many capable people had used a slightly absurd self-deprecating method to avoid disasters for themselves. For example, the famous Marshal Guo Ziyi, who was in his eighties, still liked to drink with girls in his arms, which made people feel very absurd. However, if he did not do so, he might not have been able to keep his head. People who cherished their reputation too much would easily be suspected, thinking that they were trying to buy people's hearts and wanted to rebel.
It wasn't as if there were no such examples. For example, Wang Mang in the Han Dynasty was willing to do anything for the sake of his reputation. He had indeed obtained a very noble reputation for himself, causing everyone to be convinced by him. Those who suspected that Wang Mang was fishing for fame to buy people's hearts were instead thought to be jealous of him and wanted to frame him. In the end, Wang Mang suddenly rebelled, causing everyone to be dumbfounded.
Since Wang Mang had already fished for fame and bought people's hearts, why did he still fail to usurp power? Was no one willing to support such a noble person?
In fact, it was because the idea of loyalty to the emperor was more serious in ancient times. Many people thought that Wang Mang's usurpation of power was disloyal. Thus, they thought that all his previous actions were for the sake of usurping power and that he was not really a good person.
Secondly, some of the policies that Wang Mang enacted after usurping power greatly damaged the interests of many vested interests. These vested interests were all very powerful in society. Once these people decided to suppress Wang Mang, Wang Mang's good days would come to an end.
In any case, usurping power was not something fun since ancient times..................... .........................
The Cottage not far ahead was Old Du's residence. However, Old Du's family was not here. Most of them lived elsewhere. This was Old Du's personal villa. When he was bored or tired, Old Du would sometimes come to the Cottage alone to meditate and plant flowers. He would also invite a few good friends to the Cottage to discuss life and study the mysteries of life and the universe.
In short, this was where Old Du relaxed. It was the holy land of his spiritual world. This holy land was not far away. It was not far ahead.
The fence of the Cottage was transparent. This allowed Ang Lee to easily see the figures inside. Obviously, there were people moving around inside. He just did not know if this person was Old Du.
After entering, Ang Lee saw through the small crack of the fence that the person walking inside was actually a young and beautiful woman. Judging from her figure and age, she looked more like a young lady. Although he did not see her clearly, he was sure that she was a young beauty. Her appearance was at least 80%, which greatly exceeded the passing standard. Moreover, this young lady was actually in Old Du's Cottage. There must be a story behind this. If he guessed correctly, this should be Old Du's concubine. He did not expect this guy to know how to enjoy himself. He brought his concubine to the Cottage to enjoy himself. Therefore, if Ang Lee entered rashly, wouldn't he spoil their fun?
However, since he was already here, he should at least take a look at the situation inside! Although Ang Lee did not have the bad habit of peeping, it was not a big deal to take a look. Old Du was not a child and would not be shy.
After taking a few steps closer, Ang Lee saw Old Du, who was bending over the table and writing. He was writing very seriously, and the young lady was surrounding Old Du. Sometimes, she would grind for Old Du. Sometimes, she would take the paper that Old Du had just written to a stone table not far away. Then, she would gently press it down with a small stone to prevent it from being blown away by the wind.
Old Du was writing very seriously. Basically, he was not distracted. The young lady next to him seemed very happy. Her eyes were full of worship and joy when she looked at Old Du. It could be seen that she really liked Old Du. After all, Old Du was a standard successful person. If the young lady followed Old Du, she would definitely be able to live a prosperous life. She would not have to worry about food and drink. How could she not be happy?
It was said that the people of later generations were realistic. Weren't the women of ancient times the same? People were greedy for wealth and ease. No one was willing to choose a hard and tiring life. If the young lady became Old Du's concubine, she would have to work harder for more than 20 years. An ordinary poor boy would not be able to reach Old Du's income level even if he was given 50 years.
Of course, it was also thanks to Ang Lee's help that Old Du could obtain such an impressive income. If it were not for Ang Lee's proposal to set up the Tang dynasty newspaper and recommend Old Du to be the chief editor, Old Du would not even be able to support himself at this moment, let alone take in a young and beautiful concubine.
To put it bluntly, it was Ang Lee who gave Old Du a good life. Without Ang Lee's efforts, Old Du would not be living such a good life at this moment. It was just unknown if this guy thought so in his heart.
A gust of wind blew past and blew away the poem Old Du had just written. Even though it was pressed down by the pebbles, the gust of wind was rather strong. The pebbles did not have the effect they should have. As for the poem that was blown away, it directly blew towards Li An. This time, there was no way he could dodge it.
Ang Lee originally planned to take a look and leave. He did not want to disturb others, but now that the thing had already floated over, it was too late for Ang Lee to avoid it even if he wanted to.
Sure enough, hearing the sound of the paper being scraped away, the young lady quickly put down the grinding stick in her hand and stepped out to chase. As soon as she opened the gate of the fence, she met Ang Lee's eyes. It was too late for her to avoid it even if she wanted to. She was quite embarrassed for a moment.
"Alang, there is a guest."
The young lady hurriedly retreated and reported the situation to Old Du. She did not want the poem that had floated away.
Seeing that the young lady actually called Old Du as Alang, Ang Lee smiled faintly. This Old Du was quite playful. He actually got a little maid. Wasn't Alang the way a servant addressed his master? Did Old Du have such a title? Or this young lady had always been Old Du's little maid, and they got together because of love after a long time? In this case, it was very easy to explain. After all, it was not so easy to change the way she addressed him. Perhaps she was used to calling him that.
"Spring harvest, spring plowing, spring harvest, spring plowing, spring harvest, the land of Guanzhong is prosperous …"
Ang Lee caught the poem that Old Du had written and looked at it carefully. This was completely calligraphy practice. It did not seem like a poem at all. Perhaps it was more appropriate to say that it was a limerick. It did not seem like Old Du's level at all.
When Old Du heard that there was a guest, he was slightly surprised. He hurriedly put down the brush in his hand and walked toward the gate of the fence. At a glance, he saw Ang Lee.
"Assistant Minister Li, come in, come in."
Old Du appeared to be very enthusiastic. The corners of his mouth formed a line. He was very grateful to Ang Lee, grateful from the bottom of his heart. If not for Ang Lee's recommendation, who knew where he would be starving right now?
Ang Lee walked in alone. The guard stood outside the door. A few minor officials were nearby looking at the scenery, talking and laughing. They appeared to be very happy.
"Old Du! This young lady doesn't look very old. Could she be a new concubine? "
Li An asked straightforwardly.
Old Du smiled and said somewhat embarrassedly, "I had no choice, I had no choice! Assistant Minister Li, please don't listen to other people's nonsense! I didn't mean it that way, but … "
Seeing Old Du's pretentious face after being taken advantage of, Ang Lee found it rather funny. He hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Old Du! There's no need to explain too much. I understand you, I understand you. "
After saying that, he looked at the poems that Old Du had written. In fact, these were all calligraphy practice poems. Some of them were written four times on a piece of paper. How could one write a poem like this? This was purely calligraphy practice. And Old Du's handwriting was very neat. There was no pressure for him to participate in a calligraphy competition.
"Assistant Minister Li, did you pass by here, or …"
Old Du asked.
Wasn't this nonsense? He must have passed by. Old Du was usually very busy with work and rarely had the chance to rest in the Cottage. If Ang Lee really had something to ask Old Du, he would definitely go to the government office of the Tang dynasty. He would not come to the Cottage to try his luck. The probability was really low.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "Isn't it spring plowing? The wheat field is golden everywhere. I came to see the scenery and learn about the preparation for the spring harvest and spring plowing. I also need to know if there are any problems with the use of the machinery. When I passed by here, I saw some people moving inside, so I came to take a look. What a coincidence. Old Du is usually so busy, but he happened to be free today."
It turned out that as the newspaper of the Tang dynasty gradually went on the right track, Old Du also had a few assistants. With the help of his assistants, he was much less stressed and had more leisure time. However, he was a little worried about leaving many things to his assistants. Therefore, as long as he was not particularly tired, he would not be lazy and take a vacation.
"With Old Du's talent, he is more than qualified to be the prime minister. It is really unfair for him to be the chief editor of the newspaper of the Tang dynasty."
Ang Lee said.
Old Du said with a smile, "Assistant Minister Li, you flatter me. I just write better poems. I dare not say that I have the talent to be the prime minister. My life now is not bad. Every day is very fulfilling."
It could be seen that Old Du was quite satisfied with his life. His pursuit was not as high as the records of later generations said. Perhaps this was because the chief editor of the newspaper of the Tang dynasty was to his taste! Or perhaps this income made him quite satisfied. In short, he did not feel that he was wronged.
According to the records of history books, Old Du was once a talented person who was not recognized and led a very miserable life. His family background was not bad. He was from a family of officials who had been worshipping Confucianism for generations. He had a profound family knowledge. In his heart, he had the political ideal of 'Emperor Yao, Emperor Shun, Emperor Yao, Emperor Shun, Emperor Yao, Emperor Shun, Emperor Yao, Emperor Shun, Emperor Yao, Emperor Shun, Emperor Yao, Emperor Shun, Emperor Shun, Emperor Yao, Emperor Shun, Emperor Yao, Emperor Shun, and Emperor Shun's political ideal in his heart. Unfortunately, because of the power of treacherous officials, his official career was not smooth. Since then, many of his works reflected the hardships and political turmoil of the people at that time, exposing the ugly acts of the rulers. Since then, he had embarked on the life and creative path of worrying about the country and the people. In the midst of a vagrant life.
In the sixth year of Tianbao, Xuanzong ordered all the 'skilled people' to come to Chang 'an to take the exam. Old Du also took the exam. Because the powerful minister Li Linfu orchestrated a farce, all the scholars who took the exam failed. Since the road of the imperial examination was not feasible, Old Du, who was unwilling to give up, had to turn to the door of the rich and powerful in order to realize his political ideals. However, there was no result. He lived in Chang' an for ten years as a guest, running around to contribute, but he did not succeed. His official career was frustrated and he lived a poor life. It could be said that he failed to pass the imperial examination and was trapped in Chang 'an.
In the first month of the tenth year of Tianbao, Xuanzong will hold three grand ceremonies to worship Tai Qing Palace, Tai Temple and Heaven and Earth. Old Du then contributed three Great Rites in advance in the winter of the ninth year of Tianbao and was appreciated by Xuanzong. He was ordered to wait in Jixian Courtyard. However, he was only qualified to participate in the selection and had to wait for the allocation. Because the main candidate was still Li Linfu, he did not get an official position.
In the fourteenth year of Tianbao, Old Du waited until the flowers had withered and finally got an official position. However, he was only given a small official position like Hexi Commandant. Old Du was a proud person, naturally he was not willing to be the thankless Hexi Commandant. He even said 'If I don't become Hexi Commandant, I'll bend my back in misery'.
It must be said that Hexi Commandant was a minor official of the ninth rank. Even though he was of the lowest rank, he was still a civil servant with a rank. It was better than being a commoner! The people of later generations were very happy to be able to pass the civil servant exam. Old Du got a civil servant with a rank. Why didn't he cherish it? He was so confident in his own talent.
Actually, this was because a small official like Hexi Commandant was not easy to do. It was something that people with Old Du's personality could not do. Even if it was someone who could do it, it was extremely tiring. Hexi Commandant was mainly responsible for arresting robbers in Hexi, hearing cases, making judgments, and collecting taxes. None of these things were easy to do.
And the small officials who did these jobs often had to greet their superiors. Sometimes, they had to whip the people for collecting taxes. They were hated by the people. Arresting robbers was also very risky. If the robbers escaped, they and their families could be retaliated against by the robbers. In short, anyone who had another way out would not be willing to do this job.
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