Chapter 14 3. A passionate man with a strong desire to serve the country, but when he was young, he voted for his master by mistake

On the Hebei Plain, there is a series of mountains winding from west to east.It starts from the Chaobai River Valley in the west and extends eastward until it disappears in the Bohai Bay next to Shanhaiguan.It is Yanshan Mountain, one of the famous mountains in China.Since ancient times, Yanzhao has a lot of generous and tragic people, countless tragic stories happened here, and countless heroes created the brilliance of life here.Yanshan, the silent witness of the 5,000-year civilization history of the Chinese nation, shares sorrows and joys with the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation.

The ancient Great Wall meanders across Yanshan Mountain, separating the Central Plains and Beyond the Great Wall into two worlds.Just near the Chaobai River, there is a natural canyon.The mountains on both sides of the canyon are steep and the boulders are jagged. It is the only way to pass from north to south for more than a hundred miles around.This is Gubeikou, the famous pass on the Great Wall. During the Han Dynasty, the central government began to set up a county office in Gubeikou.In the Tang Dynasty, the Eastern Army and Beikou Ershouti were set up here.In the Song Dynasty, it was the place that envoys must pass through when they leave the Liao Dynasty.The Jin Dynasty built an iron gate here.In the 11th year of Ming Hongwu, Gubeikou City was rebuilt, with three gates in the east, north and south.In the early Qing Dynasty, a palace was built here, which was the summer resort for the royal family.In his later years, Kangxi built a summer resort in Rehe, and expanded the Mulan Paddock. Every summer, the royal family moved to Rehe, and the place gradually declined.

Back then, Sang Zhiping fell in love with this place after wandering around the world.He loves the grandeur and danger of Gubeikou.The vast mountains, the deep and cold canyons, and the simple and thick Great Wall seem to be the image portrayal of the Chinese nation.Living here, it seems that you can feel an old and dignified pulse beating constantly.Sang Zhiping also likes that there are not many people here, the folk customs are simple, and there are no noisy fights in the world.Maybe it's because of the palace, but the legacy of paying attention to state affairs still exists. As long as you search carefully, the major trends of the capital can be spread here through different channels.Besides, it's not far from the capital, so if you want to find out what's going on, it's very convenient to go to the pass in the morning and Tianjie in the evening.

Sang Zhiping turned out to be such a person with a heart for the world, why didn't he go wandering in Chang'an City and play games in Huangchi?It turned out that there was an extraordinary accident in the middle. Twenty years ago, Sang Zhiping was a handsome young man named Yan Zaireng, who came to the capital from his hometown in Luoyang, Henan to take part in the examination.Yan Zaichu was a young man with a promising future, with extensive knowledge and good poetry.He thought he could go to high school in one fell swoop, but unexpectedly, his name was not on the gold list on the day the list was released.Yan Zaireng was very disappointed.After wandering around the capital for a few days unhappily, he decided to go home and study hard, and then he dropped his class and tried again.

One day, he was packing his luggage in the guild hall, when a middle-aged man dressed richly opened the door and entered his room, and asked very politely: "Excuse me, are you Yan Xiaolian?" "Yes, I am Yan Zaireng." Yan Zaireng didn't know this person at all. "What do you want me to do, sir?" "Oh, I finally found you." The middle-aged man said with a smile on his face, "I'm from Prime Minister Su's mansion. Prime Minister Su invites you to sit down for a while. I wonder if you are free now?" Prime Minister Su, isn’t it Sushun, the co-organizer of the university?Yan Zaichu was taken aback: I have nothing to do with him, he is the most trusted figure of the emperor, how could he know that I am a failed candidate in his twenties, and even invited me to his Sit at home?Yan Zaichu was puzzled.When he first came to the capital, he had no contact with the official circles of the capital. About Sushun, he only learned about it by chance more than 20 days ago.

It was a rare and sunny morning in the spring of Beijing Normal University. All the examinees in the Zhongzhou Guild Hall were studying at their desks. In a few days, the general examination would start.Meng Sheng, who is also from Luoyang, said to Yan Zaifeng: "I heard that there is a peony garden in Nagarjuna Temple in the southern suburbs of the capital. It is the time when the peony flowers are blooming. The weather is so good today. Why don't we go to Nagarjuna Temple and say Maybe the peonies are already blooming there." Yan Zaireng, who came from the hometown of peony, got up quickly after hearing what Meng Sheng said, "Let's go now!"

The two came to Nagarjuna Temple together.The temple is deserted and there are few tourists. It turns out that the peonies have not bloomed yet.Meng Sheng said: "There is no peony to see, let's go to see the Buddha Hall and meet the mage!" Yan Zaireng had no interest in Bodhisattvas and monks.The landscapes and flowers born by good fortune are truly full of life and aura.Although the peony has not yet opened, its green and bright leaves and buds that are about to bloom are enough to make people pleasing to the eye.Yan Zaireng stayed in the peony garden alone, looking around with great interest, with a sense of life surging in his chest.

At this time, another person came to the peony garden, also in his twenties, elegant, heroic and personable.The man was very forthright, he hit it off with Yan Zaireng and chatted with great interest.The two talked about the past and the present, from history to reality, from knowledge to current situation, and they have many similarities in their views.At noon, the conversation between the two was still intense, the man invited Yan Zaireng and Meng Sheng's guests again, and in the small hotel near Nagarjuna Temple, the three of them chatted for another hour.At the banquet, that person greatly praised Sushun, the current co-organizer of the university, saying that all hopes of turning the world around and revitalizing the Qing Dynasty were pinned on this person.Before parting, the man told Yan Zaireng that he was Wang Wenyun from Xiangtan, Hunan, and he was visiting at a friend's house in the capital, and he would go back to his hometown in Hunan in a few days.Yan Zaireng also told him his name and identity.

In Wang Kaiyun's eyes, this Sushun was like Guan Zhong and Le Yi.No matter what he has to do, for this point, it is good to see and see.Yan Zaireng agreed.When he came to Su's mansion, Sushun immediately walked out of the study to greet him. Yan Zaireng saw that Sushun had big ears, a dignified appearance, quick and steady steps, and immediately had a good impression of this powerful Xie Kui, thinking to himself: No wonder Wang Kaiyun respected him like a god. Yan Zaireng followed Sushun into the small living room.After sitting down, Sushun said kindly: "My teacher Wang Kaiyun left home a few days ago and went back to Hunan. Before leaving, he recommended you to me, saying that your talent and learning are not inferior to his."

Oh!It turned out that Wang Minyun was the tutor of Sufu, and he was the one who mentioned me.The doubt in Yan Zaireng's heart was immediately solved.He listened carefully. "I heard that you haven't passed the test this time. I don't think you need to rush home. You will stay in the capital. I will hire you to replace Wang Minyun. There are only two students who study with you, and they are obedient and will not give you trouble. A lot of trouble. Students don’t study hard or do wrong things, you can teach them as much as you want, don’t be shy. Sooner or later, you can use it to read and write by yourself. As for the salary, it is the same as Wang Kaiyun, twelve taels a month, is the capital Usually twice as much as others, what do you think?"

No pleasantries, no going around in circles, clear, concise and clean, this is Sushun's consistent style that Wang Kaiyun admired.is a person who does things.Yan Zaireng thought in his heart.He pondered: working as a teacher in Sufu for a few years, he can learn a lot of knowledge that is not in books, and the salary is so generous, which shows that the boss attaches great importance to teachers.He replied: "Zhongtang thinks highly of me, I am naturally grateful. It's just that I am young and have little knowledge, so I am afraid that I will delay the studies of the two young masters." Sushun laughed: "You don't have to be modest, since Wang Yanyun recommended you, you must be able to do it. If you are young, Wang Kaiyun is not a few years older than you, and his knowledge and talent are far better than those of Hanyuan old masters. Good. That's it, it's settled like this, let someone bring your luggage in tomorrow!" In this way, Yan Zaireng became the teacher of Sufu.Fast forward half a year, and the relationship between Yan Zaireng and his boss became closer and closer.He admired Sushun's decisiveness in handling affairs, his boldness, his lack of respect, and his leaving no way out.Sushun also likes the personality and talent of the young teacher, and appreciates his ambition and his unconventional attitude. When Sushun was free, he would often call Yan Zaireng to his study to talk with him about his plans for governing the country and the future of the Qing Dynasty.Sushun told Yan Zaireng that he admired two people most in his life: one was Guan Zhong who assisted Duke Huan of Qi, and the other was Sang Hongyang who assisted Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.Guan Zhong's knowledge is in the book "Guan Zi". As for Sang Hongyang, he did not hesitate to offend the wealthy family for the sake of wealth for the country, and even died unjustly, which is even more respectful and compassionate.Yan Zaireng also talked about his views on state affairs and his research experience on the rise and fall of chaos in history.Later, by the way, Su trusted Yan Zaireng as much as he trusted Wang Minyun, and asked Yan Zaireng to draft the memorial on his behalf.Yan Zaichu also changed from a teacher to Sushun's confidant and staff. At this time, the political situation suddenly changed dramatically.The British and French allied forces invaded Beijing, Emperor Xianfeng fled to the Rehe Palace, Sushun was ordered to accompany him, and Yan Zaireng remained in the mansion to teach.Later, Sushun felt that it was inconvenient for Yan Zaireng not to be around, so he called him to Rehe, and the tutor of the two sons hired another person. Yan Zaireng lived in the Rehe Palace for nearly a year, participated in many high-level secrets, and personally experienced the invisible swords and swords in the Rehe Palace before and after the death of Emperor Xianfeng.He couldn't have expected at that time that this period of time was so extraordinary that it affected the course of modern Chinese history, and was exaggerated by the unofficial histories and novels of later generations, covering it with layers of confusing and everlasting charm. color.He just felt that the struggle for power turned out to be such a conspiracy, and the holders of authority were all duplicity.All of this made the young Luoyang Juren very interested in it, and he was often puzzled. The Zi Palace of Emperor Daxing is about to return to Beijing.During those days, Yan Zaireng saw that his master almost didn't know what to eat every day, couldn't sleep well every night, and was busy day and night with several other ministers who were responsible for his life, discussing various matters with a solemn expression.Yan Zai felt intuitively that something serious was about to happen. Yan Zaireng set off with his master and Zigong.In the afternoon of this day, the brigade arrived in Miyun County.The journey of six hundred miles has already gone four hundred miles, and the journey is quiet.Yan Zaireng breathed a sigh of relief: In three more days, he will be able to enter Beijing, and he finally arrived safely. Just fell asleep after dinner, Su sent someone to wake him up by the way.Yan Zaireng hurried to Sushun's room. Sushun said: "We are about to enter the capital soon, and I think of two important edicts to be drafted." Yan Zaireng looked at his master solemnly and listened to his next words. "The first edict: Sheng Bao, the Minister of the Ministry of War, quickly took the troops south to the Yamen of the Governor of Liangjiang in Anqing, and waited for Zeng Guofan's dispatch. The second edict: the Governor of Liangjiang, Zeng Guofan, transferred to Zhang Yunlan, the inspector of Fujian, and quickly brought the troops to Beijing to wait. Dispatch." Yan Zaireng understood the importance of the two edicts that the Dong family hurriedly drafted overnight.A year ago, when Shengbao was defeated by foreigners in Tongzhou, Sushun once advocated killing Shengbao to protect Su's military discipline, and King Gong Yiyi stepped forward to protect him.Obviously, Shengbao hates Sushun and loves Yiyi.Shengbao's department is currently in the position of defending the capital, if he is used by Yiyi to oppose Sushun, then things will be troublesome.On the contrary, Zeng Guofan fought in the south of the Yangtze River and has always received strong support from Sushun.Sushun was kind to Zeng Guofan, and Zeng Guofan's subordinates came to the capital to replace Shengbao, which would ensure the safety of the capital. This is indeed a high stakes decision! Yan Zaireng admired his master's clarity of mind very much.However, he thought again, is it a little late?Not long after Emperor Daxing came to heaven, Shengbao paid respects to the Empress Dowager and was reprimanded.Shengbao violated the ancestral system and directly gave the empress dowager a discount. This should have aroused vigilance at that time.It has been more than two months since Daxing Emperor Bintian, if the capital had a new arrangement, wouldn't it have been settled long ago?In two or three days, we will be entering the city. Is it too late to transfer troops and change generals?Yan Zaireng was thinking this way while drafting the imperial edict. Suddenly, there was a sound of horseshoes coming from outside the window, as if they were coming here from a distance.Gradually, the sound of horseshoes became louder and louder, accompanied by noisy human voices and torches that went on and off.Su Shun got up quickly: "Something happened!" At this moment, there was a sharp knock on the door, and someone shouted: "Sushun, open the door! Sushun, open the door!" It was too late!Yan Zaireng's complexion suddenly changed. "Su Shun", who dares to call Su Xiang by his name like that?Something must have happened.Sushun walked to the window, stumbled and sighed: "Lao Qi is inside, their uncle and sister-in-law have colluded to arrest me!" King Gong Yiyi was ranked sixth, and King Chun Yizhen was ranked seventh. Sushun had always called these two brothers of Emperor Xianfeng by the disrespectful titles of "Lao Liu" and "Lao Qi". After saying this, Sushun came to the table and said to Yan Zaireng with a stern face: "I'm going to die, you don't need to die with me. You run away from the back door quickly, Lao Qi's people don't know you, don't you?" will catch you." While speaking, there was another violent knock on the door.Sushun opened the back door with his own hands, and pushed Yan Zaireng out.With tears in his eyes, Yan Zaireng bowed to his host: "Take care Zhongtang, I'm leaving, do you have anything else to say to me?" Sushun's face was livid: "There is nothing more to say. If you have the opportunity to do great things in the future, you must learn from my lesson." After saying "bang", the back door was closed. Yan Zaireng hid by an old tree behind the door, and saw Sushun tied up by King Chun's team and left with his own eyes. Three days later, Yan Zaireng rushed to the capital, and he ran straight to the Su Mansion.I saw that the front, back, left, and right sides of the Su Mansion were full of heavily armed soldiers.Pedestrians watching the excitement on the street told him quietly: "Something happened in Suzhong Hall. The house was ransacked and the family members were put under surveillance. All relatives and friends are not allowed to enter." Yan Zaireng was concerned about the two young masters of the Su Mansion, and he didn't know what the situation of these two disciples was. He asked the people who watched the excitement, but they couldn't tell.Some said that if he committed the serious crime of treason, according to the law, his son would also be sentenced to death.Some said that Su's mansion is a yellow belt, and there must be preferential treatment, so that the son will not die.After hearing these words, he was even more anxious. Apart from Sushun's two sons, Yan Zaireng still has one person on his mind, this person is Qiu Ling. Qiu Ling is the maidservant of the Su Mansion.After Yan Zai first entered the mansion, Sushun personally arranged for her to take care of the school teacher's daily life and study cleaning.Qiu Ling is seventeen years old. She is handsome, quiet, and diligent. Yan Zaireng likes her. Qiu Ling has no father and no mother, only one elder brother is farming in his hometown in Henan.The family was really miserable, and they couldn't live on, so they had to be sold to the Su Mansion, and they lost contact with their hometown ever since.She only knows the name of the village where she lives, and she doesn't know which county in Henan this village belongs to.Qiu Ling often misses her hometown and her brother, but she can't go home to see her brother.That day when she saw Yan Zaireng at first sight and heard him speak Henan dialect, she felt as if she saw her own brother, and a feeling of affection for Yan Zaireng surged from the bottom of her heart, so she took extra care of Yan Zaireng. Qiu Ling is smart and eager to learn, but her family is too poor to study.Yan Zaireng taught her how to read when he was free.Qiu Ling learned very quickly, and within a few months she was able to recognize a thousand characters. Teachers and scholars were all very happy.Gradually, you have me in their hearts, and I have you, and they get closer to each other. As a maidservant, Qiu Ling thinks she is not worthy of Juren Yan Zaireng.She kept her admiration deep in her heart, and she didn't dare to show it, but revealed a little trace with doubled care and consideration.Yan Zaireng is a dignified and ambitious person, and he always thinks about important things such as being named on the gold list and making meritorious deeds, not to mention that as a teacher of the prime minister's mansion, he should treat the servants of the prime minister's mansion with courtesy and restraint, so he knows clearly in his heart He loves Qiu Ling, and knows that Qiu Ling loves him, but he refuses to show this emotion.As a result, both of them had a crush on each other without revealing it. The pure first love of this pair of young men and women is carried out in a hazy and vague way. Yan Zaireng was going to Rehe, Qiu Ling was so tender and reluctant to leave.She stayed up all night, made him a pair of platform shoes, and stuffed them quietly into his bag.During the days in the palace, Yan Zaireng often thought of Qiu Ling, and when he thought about it eagerly, he took out the pair of shoes and stroked them gently.He was reluctant to wear it on his feet, but put it under his pillow, as if he felt that Qiu Ling was with him every night.In the past, when we met each other every day in Xiangfu, Yan Zaireng didn't feel anything, but once we were separated, he realized that Qiu Ling already had a very heavy weight in his heart.He hoped that the emperor would return to Beijing as soon as possible, so that Prime Minister Su could accompany him with him, and he would see his sweetheart soon. On this day, Sushun quietly said to Yan Zaireng: "The emperor is seriously ill, and I am anxious. You should go back to Beijing immediately. I have a package of Huan Huan powder handed down by my ancestors. I keep it in Fujin's hands. You can bring it to the emperor." Take it. Go and come back!" As he spoke, he handed a letter to Fujin to Yan Zaireng.Yan Zaireng didn't dare to be negligent, so he borrowed a fast horse from the imperial stable and set off immediately.Arrived at Su Mansion in the evening of the next day.After he took Huan Hun San from Sushun Fujin, he went back to his room, and when he was about to lie down and rest for a while, the door opened gently! "Qiu Ling!" Yan Zaireng shouted excitedly, and quickly ran towards Qiu Ling.Maybe it's because the longing has accumulated too much and can no longer be suppressed, or maybe it's because the blood is rushing for a while, and he didn't think to restrain it at all. His flushed face was pressed against Yan Zaireng's chest.Looking at Qiu Ling's shy and happy expression, Yan Zaireng felt that there was no other woman in the world who could match her.They stopped talking, but their two hearts had already melted into one.He kissed desperately, and finally, he hugged her to the bed... "Qiu Ling, I will marry you after returning to Beijing, and I will love you forever!" When sending Qiu Ling out, Yan Zaireng said this repeatedly. "I believe what you say." Qiu Ling nodded gently, "I hope you will go home as soon as possible!" The ancestral Huan Huan San of the Su Mansion did not save Xian Feng's life. The 31-year-old young emperor passed away in Rehe, and the political situation in the palace suddenly became extremely complicated.Yan Zaireng seemed to feel that every day was spent in an atmosphere full of murderous intentions, and the day when Luanyu returned to Beijing was postponed day by day.Finally set off, and finally able to see Qiu Ling, but never expected that such a sudden change would occur, and the world would change completely.The capital is back, and the Su Mansion is close at hand, but Qiu Ling is never seen again.In an instant, he felt a sense of despair. Yan Zaireng was reluctant to leave Su's mansion like this. He stayed by the side of Su's mansion for four or five days in a row, watching the internal and external developments of Su's mansion.Every day, I saw the furniture, large cabinets and small boxes in Su's mansion being carried into the carriage one by one by the soldiers, and they were taken to nowhere, but none of the masters and servants in the Su's mansion were seen. Of course, the two young masters and Qiu Ling could not be seen either.In the end, the gates, small doors, and even the windows were covered with seals.Most of the soldiers have withdrawn, leaving only a few soldiers cruising outside the gate of the mansion.There were no spectators.Just a few days ago, the Su Mansion, which was still a bustling city in Gaochexuan, suddenly became deathly silent.In desperation, Yan Zaireng, who was depressed, had to stay away from Sufu. He decided to live in the capital for a period of time, firstly to see the development of the situation, secondly, he also wanted to meet the old people of the Su mansion by chance, and inquire about the whereabouts of the two young masters and Qiu Ling. Soon, Sushun was accused of being the leader of the treacherous craftsmen, and publicly beheaded for public display.His two sons were freed from prosecution, and were taken in by a distant relative, and hid in a deep house, isolated from the world.As for the old people in Su's mansion, Yan Zaireng never met any of them, and he couldn't find out anything about Qiu Ling's situation.According to the laws of the country, the servants in the mansion of the officials who were beheaded and ransacked were all confiscated.Yan Zaireng thought to himself, Qiu Ling might be sold to a certain government to be a maid, or she might be sent to a remote place to be a concubine to criminals guarding the border. Poor Su Zhongtang, poor young master, poor Qiu Ling!Everything is over, everything has changed.Yan Zaireng let out a long sigh, and walked out of the city gate full of sorrow. He didn't dare to go home, so he rented a hut in Changping and lived in seclusion. The sudden coup d'état passed quickly.No matter from the perspective of the overall situation of the country or from the perspective of ordinary people, this coup does not seem to have brought about any changes in society.The court is stable, the war in the south of the Yangtze River continues, and the people in the capital are living an ordinary life as usual.At the beginning, you could still hear some talk about the coup, but after three to five months, you couldn't even hear the street talk of the common people.After a period of time, people seem to have completely forgotten this earth-shattering event. Yan Zaireng felt sad.Is it human nature to only focus on the present and tend to forget the past, or is it that the past is not worth keeping in memory?Is it because the people of the Qing Dynasty today have become ignorant and numb, or are the impassioned and evocative words in the annals of history originally taken for granted by a few literati, and have little connection with the society at that time? This sudden change greatly stimulated Yan Zaireng. As the most hated member of the Su Party, the way to become a Jinshi and become an official was naturally blocked.So he simply cut off this idea, jumped out of the "Four Books", "Five Classics", and stereotyped essays, and devoted himself to studying books such as history books, military books, geology, agriculture, and famine politics. Like Zuo Zongtang in his youth, he has reserved real talents. Practical learning, wait for the time. He remembered Sushun's words of admiration for Guan Zhong and Sang Hongyang, and devoted himself to "Guan Zi" and "Salt and Iron Theory".He finally saw the true knowledge of the world here, and sincerely admired Guan Zhong and Sang Hongyang, and thus admired Sushun's vision.He sighed deeply for Sushun, and also for the Qing Dynasty.Sushun lost his head, and the Qing Dynasty lost a great talent for governing the country.Sushun is today's Sang Hongyang.He has the same talent and temperament as Sang Hongyang, the same reckless promotion of his own strong ideas, and in the end he also caused the same disaster. In order to avoid getting involved and causing unnecessary troubles, Yan Zaireng decided to change his name and surname. Sang Hongyang was his fellow villager, and perhaps the Sang and Yan families had historically been related, so Yan Zaireng borrowed Sang as his surname and named him Zhiping, whose style name was Zhongzi.There is not only the meaning of admiring Guan Zhong and Sang Hongyang, but also the emotion of nostalgia for the old club hidden in it. Sang Zhiping loved painting since he was a child.After getting rid of the shackles of fame and fame, he had more time, so he resumed painting.He carefully figured out the meaning of the ancients' brushwork, and also paid attention to the landscape, insects and fish around him.He is a very talented person. In the process of "learning from nature and gaining the source of heart", his painting skills have improved rapidly.This not only enables him to get the entertainment of Danqing while reading and thinking, but also solves the big problem of livelihood for him.He maintains a comfortable life by selling paintings. After living in seclusion in Changping for five years, Sang Zhiping began to travel around the world.He first went to the Northeast to investigate the history of the birth of the Manchurian tribes between the white mountains and the black waters.After returning from the Northeast, he wandered through the Three Jin Dynasties, thinking about the spring and autumn years without years and wars.Then he went south to the Central Plains, climbed Songshan Mountain, visited Heluo, and crossed Tongguan to Chang'an and Xianyang to feel the aftertaste of the prosperity of the Han and Tang Dynasties.Turn south from Chang'an, cross the Qinling Mountains, pass through the Jiange, and come to the Bashan Shushui, pay homage to the Wuhou Temple and Baidi City, and taste the hardships of a generation of famous ministers assisting the two dynasties.Then fly across the Three Gorges and arrive at the land of Jingchu by boat amidst the sound of apes on both sides of the strait.In the old country of Jiangling, at the head of the Yellow Crane Tower, I remember the hegemony of King Zhuang of Chu and the loyalty and indignation of Sanlu doctors.Then anchor and sail from the luxuriant Yingwu Island, go down the river to the east, and board the city wall of the ancient capital that has just been recovered.Among the ruins, you can visit the Qinhuai River, visit Zhongshan Mountain, go boating on Mochou Lake, and stand in the Chess Building.Thinking of the beacon fires that have just been extinguished everywhere, recalling the changing dynasties of the Six Dynasties like a revolving lantern, how many emperors and heroes have risen and fallen in this stone city, and how many historical vicissitudes have accumulated!From Jiangning to the north, chat with Fengpei's children about Gaozu's anecdotes, listen to the descendants of Huaiyin Hou's complaints about the strange injustices through the ages, pay homage to the most holy and sub-holy temples, and watch the majestic sunrise on Mount Tai and the Yellow River entering the sea. After three years of trekking and traveling tens of thousands of miles, Sang Zhiping seemed to feel the essence of the five thousand years of ancient Chinese civilization, touched the endless rhythm of the Chinese nation, and often had lightning-like wisdom in his mind. Flickering, the state of mind often feels as clear and clear as the water of the fairyland, and Sang Zhiping, who was born in his early years, has matured after reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles. He has truly stood up and feels that he can take on great responsibilities , Served for the country.However, the imperial court still kept a close eye on the Su party. How could he, a teacher who had drafted many important documents for Sushun, show his face, go to the Palace of Preserving Harmony for the examination, and start his official career by winning the examination?If you don't enter the official career, how can you get an official position and serve the country? Although his official career is hopeless, Sang Zhiping is not discouraged. On the one hand, he can patiently wait for opportunities; on the other hand, even if he does not encounter opportunities in his life, reading and painting, focusing on mountains and rivers, living in peace and happiness, and being indifferent and peaceful is a fulfilling life. On the eve of stepping into the Beijing gate, Sang Zhiping met a year-end friend who was more than 20 years older than him in Gubeikou.His surname is Chai and his name is Guang. He is the forty-sixth generation grandson of Zhou Shizong Chai Rong. He is also a person who likes to read and think.Chai Guang's family is well-off, with only one daughter under his knees. Seeing that Sang Zhiping is an extraordinary man, he intends to recruit him as his son-in-law.Over the years, Sang Zhiping has been thinking about Qiu Ling, but never thought about marriage.The feat of roaming the world also includes a deep friendship to find Qiu Ling.Eight years have passed, and there is no news of Qiu Ling.It seems that this relationship cannot be continued in this life, and Sang Zhiping accepts Chai Guang's kindness.The Chai family is virtuous, and gave birth to a daughter after marriage. She lived a very sweet life. Sang Zhiping has been thinking about it for a long time, always unwilling to learn nothing in his life, so he bid farewell to his parents-in-law, wife and children, and went out to look for opportunities.In the ninth year of Tongzhi, he was robbed in the city of Gusu and was forced to sell his paintings to raise travel expenses for his return home. That's how he met Zhang Zhiwan.Seeing that although Zhang Zhiwan is the number one governor, he does not put on official airs, treats him as an equal, likes Danqing, and has many opportunities for conversation, so he agrees to stay in the governor's yamen. After living in the yamen for a period of time, Sang Zhiping observed Zhang Zhiwan coldly, and saw that although Futai was not a talented man, he was also diligent in government and caring for the people, with a pure nature, and he was not the kind of vulgar official who was cheating, greedy, and double-faced. He does something.Soon, Zhang Zhiwan was promoted to governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, and Sang Zhiping followed him to Fuzhou.The two provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang have been the key areas in the southeast since ancient times. If you look at it from the perspective of the Spring and Autumn Period, they are also a big country.As the friendship between each other deepens, Sang Zhiping settles down and wants to do his best to help the master of Taiwan and do something for the country and the people.Unexpectedly, Zhang Zhiwan wanted to retire and return to his hometown, so Sang Zhiping had to leave Fuzhou with regret, and returned to Gubeikou, where he continued his indifferent life with poetry, calligraphy, painting albums, mountains, rivers and trees. Most of the people living in Gubeikou are people with the surname Chai. Chai Guang has been the owner of the village for many years, and his popularity is very good.Chai Guang was sick in his later years, and the owner of the estate entrusted Sang Zhiping to do most of his affairs.Sang Zhiping treated Chaijiazhuang with more than 200 households as a small country, and tried his best.He used the policy of Guanzi to govern the country, and the method of picking mulberry and Hongyang as a political technique, and he really reorganized Chaijiazhuang to a new look, and he was deeply trusted by the people of Chaijiazhuang.The year before last, Chai Guang passed away, and the whole village unanimously elected him, a man with a foreign surname, as the new owner.Sang Zhiping also obtained the satisfaction of a small success in his career. A few days ago, he received a letter from Nanpi from Zhang Zhiwan.The letter said: My younger brother was promoted to the title of cabinet bachelor and minister of rites. It won't be long before he will be awarded the title of minister or governor.If the servant is appointed internally, that's all. If the governor is assigned externally, he is a prince of one side, and he can use this to make a career.At that time, when the government is opened and the curtain is set up, talents will be recruited, and Wang Xianqi will go to him.For the younger brother, having a great talent to help him is like adding an arm; for Xianqi, the life talent can be used, this is also an excellent opportunity, so I hope to pay attention. After receiving this letter, Sang Zhiping was very happy for Zhang Zhidong's extraordinary promotion.Zhang Zhidong is indeed a talent in the officialdom. His Hanlin has done something different. It can be seen that his future governors will also be different. It is okay to be a friend of this kind of talent, not to mention what he has done for many years. The accumulated practical knowledge of governing the world must be put to good use.However, after thinking about it, he thought again, people who are over forty years old are not as energetic as before, and they have seen the world affairs a lot more clearly, and they probably don't have too much enthusiasm for doing things; besides, after all, It's for someone else's curtain, not for being a governor yourself. Gubeikou lives well, and Chaijiazhuang also has a small but meaningful career to do. Is it necessary to go out? When Sang Zhiping was thinking about it, he received a letter from Zhang Zhidong.