Chapter 9 2. Hu Sanpai gave Wang Kaiyun the manuscript of "The Secret History of the Great Zhou Dynasty", a family biography preserved for 200 years

Half a year later, Yang Du went to Ming Xingzhai on the fifth, fifteenth, and twenty-fifth day of the lunar new year, except for writing poems and essays in class with other students during the day.Xia Shoutian sometimes went and sometimes didn't. He was more interested in reading the Four Books and practicing stereotyped essay well.He often thought about the number of arhats in Biyun Temple, and he secretly made up his mind to get the first place in the general examination, which would be the envy of scholars all over the world.He thinks this is the real business, listening to Mr. Yang Xizi's cloudy nonsense together with Yang Xizi, it tastes good, but it's a waste of time.

The night of Ming Xing Zhai every five days is indeed the time for Wang Kaiyun to chat.There are no existing textbooks or systematic content for his study of emperors, and he can talk about whatever he thinks of according to his own whim.Wang Kaiyun's eloquence is excellent, and he can talk endlessly, like a river bursting its embankment. He often starts talking when he lights up the lamp and continues until the second or third watch. Forget it, that's all for tonight, you just squint your eyes in the study, and leave after daylight." After finishing speaking, he walked into the bedroom with excitement.By the time Yang Du blew out the lights, the window paper had turned pale.

Yang Du has endless interest in such conversations.At the beginning, he just thought it was interesting, but slowly he got the context of the teacher's teaching.He could see that what the master talked about was mainly in three aspects: one was the events and meetings of wise rulers and virtuous ministers recorded in the Twenty-Four Histories, especially the beginning of a dynasty; On the one hand, it focuses on the strangeness, peculiarity, danger, and interest between the monarch and his ministers; the third is to talk about the legendary experiences of dealing with princes and relatives when I was young.When Wang Kaiyun talked about his past, he was very energetic and vigorous, and he painted things in detail, so that Yang Du often felt as if he was in the scene and watching the people.

Yang Du remembered that it was a midsummer night, in Ming Xing Zhai's study, because there were many mosquitoes on the island, three long tubes of mosquito coils were lit in the room.This kind of mosquito-repellent incense is more than two feet long and as thick as a spatula handle. It is filled with sawdust, and the smoke is very strong, which is very effective in repelling mosquitoes.This kind of mosquito-repellent incense is used in both urban and rural areas in southern Shonan.Amidst the cigarette smoke, Wang Kaiyun held an old cattail fan in his right hand, and the copper hookah in his left as usual.Yang Du didn't shake his fan. Although he had secretly learned to smoke a hookah, he didn't dare to smoke in front of his husband. He listened carefully with his cheeks resting on his cheeks.Mr. Tonight is talking about his relationship with Sushun back then.

"After the Qixiang coup, the whole country scolded Sushun as treason, but it was not at all." Wang Kaiyun put down his cattail fan, took a few puffs of cigarettes slowly, and seemed to sink into the unforgettable period more than 30 years ago. years. "In the sixth year of Xianfeng, I went to Beijing to take part in the general examination. This is the subject. Today's imperial teacher Weng Tonghe won the first prize, but I didn't even get a Jinshi. Xizi, let me tell a story, do you think this will make people angry? Annoying." Wang Kaiyun threw away the copper hookah, looked at the students, and recalled angrily: "A few days before the exam, several of us went out of the city to visit the Old Summer Palace together. Among them were my friends Gao Xinkui from Jiangxi, Hong Changyan from Zhejiang, and others. One is this Changshu Weng champion. On the way, Gao Xinkui said that Zeng Shilang was trapped in our hometown. After several years of fighting, he did not even capture Jiujiang. He was depressed. At this time, the mother of one of his staff members passed away. The staff asked Zeng Shilang to make an elegiac couplet. Zeng Shilang readily agreed, and asked the staff about their family background. He knew that there were nine brothers, and four of them became Jinshi in eight years. Zeng Shilang said that there is a Shanglian, which is a ready-made fact, so he blurted out Yin Dao: In eight years, nine sons have been admitted to the imperial examination four times, and they all say that they are brothers and sisters. Zeng Shilang is a master at making couplets, and this kind of social couplet is easy to make. But at that time, the war was unfavorable and he was in a bad mood. It got stuck. It was hard to make up the second couplet until the next day. Think about it, everyone, what Zeng Shilang is talking about in the second couplet. It is only a quarter of an hour to hand in the paper. Both Weng and Hong stayed away and bowed their heads to conceive. I also thought for a while After a while, Gao Xinkui said that the time is up, and hand in the paper. Asked Weng, he said he hadn’t thought of it, asked Hong, Hong shook his head. Ask me, I replied: Wanli Guyun looked back, leave this body as a matter The father is the king."

Yang Du clapped his hands and said, "Using 'Wanli Guyun once looking back' is really a good match for 'eight years, nine sons and four admissions'. I don't know how Zeng Shilang wrote the second couplet." "Gao Xinkui laughed and said, Wang Renqiu, have you heard it before, why is it exactly the same as Zeng Shilang's word for word? I said, how could I know Zeng Shilang's second line? This can only be seen by heroes. Just a little bit the same. To tell you the truth, in terms of fate, I am not as good as Zeng Shilang, but in terms of talent and learning, I am no worse than Zeng Shilang. Hong Changyan said, you are bragging! I will make another one, you can show me. I said , you can come out as you like! He thought about it for a while, and probably couldn’t think of something too tricky to make it difficult for me, so he pointed to Gao Xinkui and said, you can add a couplet to his name. I thought about it for a while, and said loudly Called, dwarf tiger. Everyone laughed when they heard it."

Yang Du also laughed and said, "It couldn't be better." Wang Kaiyun also grinned complacently, and said after laughing: "Xizi, look at the fairness of heaven! It's these two people who can't even get out of the 'eight years, nine sons and four admissions' quickly. In the end, one One point champion, one point third. So I don't care about it in the future exams. In one subject, I simply made a joke for Fang Shi, and wrote an eloquent essay on the field, which made the eighteenth Fang Fang Everyone was tongue-tied and didn't know how to deal with it."

A mosquito broke through the siege and stared at Wang Kaiyun's face. He slapped the face with a cattail fan and continued, "Okay, let's not talk too much, let's get back to business. When people inquire about finding a restaurant, they have to earn some money. Since ancient times, rice in Chang’an has been expensive, and it’s not easy for Baiju! Gao Xinkui told me that Su Zhongtang hired me to be a teacher at his house, and the salary was 30 per month. Two. Thirty taels, do you know what the price was at that time?" Yang Du shook his head, he was not born at that time, how would he know?

After taking two puffs of cigarettes, Wang Kaiyun answered by himself: "At that time, the monthly salary of a general teacher in the capital was between six and eight taels, and the price was four or five times that of Su Zhongtang. I have long heard that Sushun's bureau is open. I lived up to my reputation. I went happily. There were only two students in Sufu, one was born to the third concubine and the other was born to the fifth concubine. In terms of talents, they can only be regarded as moderate, so I am easy to do as a teacher. So I often drafted memorials for him when I was free. Once a memorial was greatly appreciated by Emperor Wenzong. Since then, Sushun has paid more attention to me, and often discusses state affairs with me. Sushun often laments that the country has many ills and lacks talents. , urged Wenzong to make more use of the Han people, boldly reform the old and establish the new. From this I see that Sushun is not a mediocre person, and I really want to promote him to accomplish a few great things, and I can use his strength to develop a little bit of ambition to govern the world."

"What kind of things does the master want to help him do?" Yang Du thought that this is where the teacher's true talents and practical learning lie, so he listened very attentively. "The first important thing is to preserve Zuo Wenxiang. You are a descendant of the Hunan Army, so you should know about the lawsuit between Fan Xie and Zuo Wenxiang." "I heard from my uncle about this. If Mr. Guo and Shilang Guo hadn't had the idea back then, Zuo Wenxiang would have died at that time." "It's like this. I won't talk about this matter. The other one is to persuade him to rectify the bureaucracy. This is the later case of the Ministry of Household Baochao."

Yang Du also heard a little about this matter from his uncle, and Sushun offended too many people because of this matter, so he fell into isolation.However, his uncle didn't know that this matter was Wang Kaiyun's idea. "There is another top-secret matter. I will tell you today, but you must not tell it. If you accidentally poke it out, my old life will be gone." "What's so serious?" Yang Du straightened up solemnly. "Wen Zong and his younger brother, King Gong, had always been at odds. At that time, Wen Zong's illness was getting worse day by day. One day, Sushun said to me with a mournful face that the emperor seemed to live soon. If the dragon controlled the guests, the situation would change drastically. I can see that he is worried about his future situation. Because of his self-willedness, he has made many enemies in the court. He only relies on Wenzong as a backer to stand on his feet. If the backer really falls He is in danger. He said that he is most afraid of Prince Gong. Prince Gong and Wen Zong brothers are at odds, and he is angry with him. In the palm of his hand, the consequences would be disastrous. But I said to him, in my opinion, the biggest opponent is not Prince Gong, but the one on the west side, who is the west side, do you know?" "I know, the current Empress Dowager Cixi." Yang Du replied. "Yes." Wang Kaiyun took another puff of cigarette and said, "The woman in the west is not an ordinary woman. She is smart and capable, greedy for power and profit. I am afraid that she will take her youngest son to command the world and ignore you old officials. Sushun said that that woman is worth guarding against. Do you have any good ideas? I said softly, you must persuade the emperor to follow the way Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty dealt with Mrs. Gouyi. Sushun said happily, it’s a good idea, the queen has always been generous and respects the veterans, the ones in the west will die first, and the court will not have any troubles after the emperor’s visit. After a while, Sushun He also said gloomyly that the emperor was weak and did not have the courage of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. He might not be able to make up his mind to personally order the death of the imperial concubine who gave birth to his only son. Lord Zhongtang must urge the emperor to think about the country and the country, let go of the little benevolence and kindness of every man and woman, and make this matter happen. If the emperor cannot make up his mind, he advises the emperor to leave a will for the queen to restrict the west and take precautions. From now on, she will rely on her son's power to interfere in the government. Sushun promised to do her best. After more than ten days, he told me that the emperor really did not agree to be Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. She deserves the title. However, the emperor still left a will for the queen. The will said that if the Nala clan will be proud of his son in the future, he can use this order to act according to the family law. After hearing Sushun's words, I knew that the disaster was not far away. At this time, the foreigners attacked the capital, and the emperor went hunting in a hurry. I couldn’t drive to Chengde with me. Since I couldn’t give advice to Su Zhongtang, I had to go south to find Zeng Wenzheng and ask him for help. Who Knowing that Zeng Wenzheng was too selfish, he took the method of sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight. Seeing that after Wenzong's death, the people in the west and King Gong joined hands to abolish the system of ordering orders and implement the system of hanging curtains. The Qing Dynasty has been in decline since then. After peace, Zeng Wenzheng and the others kept calling ZTE, but in fact he wanted to be the first minister of ZTE, and the country has never been rejuvenated!" Having said this, Wang Kaiyun stopped the cattail fan in his hand, and his face suddenly became serious.In the smoky atmosphere, Yang Du seemed to find that the person sitting opposite him was a well-respected and respected historical sage, not the usual easy-going, somewhat cynical celebrity of poetry and wine. "For some reason, the words of persuading Wen Zong to imitate the story of Han and Wu reached the ears of the west. She repeatedly asked who came up with the idea. Su Zhongtang retorted, I, Su, have read the classics and history, and the story of killing Gouyi Do you want someone to remind you? Do you see me as a person like you? The fury in the west violated the ancestral system and killed the descendants of Nurhachi at Caishikou. This woman's heart is really vicious. Thanks to Su Zhongtang Say my name, otherwise, how can our teachers and students talk about the past of the Xinyou coup tonight!" Wang Kaiyun's tone changed obviously, and Yang Du was surprised to find that on the two protruding tear sacs of the husband, There were a few drops of tears, and Wang Kaiyun muttered to himself, "People slander evil, and I am the master of the palace. In this life, I will never forget Su Zhongtang's kindness." This night at Ming Xingzhai left an extremely deep impression on Yang Du's mind.For many days, the coup d'etat that shocked China more than 30 years ago appeared before his eyes, and his respect for his husband penetrated into the depths of his feelings. In the blink of an eye, it was autumn, and on a morning when the autumn wind was blowing and the autumn was raining, Wang Kaiyun said to Yang Du, "Today I will take you into the city to visit someone." Yang Du asked: "Who is the master taking me into the city to meet?" "Get on board, and I'll tell you when we get on board." Chuanshan Academy has a special boat for Wang Kaiyun to go to and from the city.The boat was brightly painted with dark yellow tung oil, and there was a small table in the cabin, a rattan recliner for Wang Kaiyun to sit on, and two small stools for those who accompanied him into the city.The driver was a man in his thirties, everyone called him Chen Ba.Chen Ba believed that his errand was a matter of honor, so he tidied up the boat and tried his best to create a comfortable environment for Wang Shanzhang.As soon as Wang Kaiyun boarded the boat, he brought a pot of strong tea, a plate of peanuts and melon seeds, and a tin hookah that had been cleaned.These were all prepared by Chen Ba himself.How much income does Chen Ba earn as a boat laborer? Can he afford to provide for Wang Kaiyun like this all the year round?In fact, the wool comes from the sheep. Wang Kaiyun was famous for his literary works. From far and near, officials, gentry, rich and wealthy families often came to ask him to write a birthday preface, to write an inscription on his tomb, or some literati to engrave a book, also came to ask him for a preface.Many people had no personal acquaintance with him, and heard that he was a bit of a celebrity, so they dared not meet him face to face, so they turned to others.The most entrusted is Zhou Ma, Zhou Ma took the opportunity to ask for remuneration, and has made a lot of profits in the past few years.Some people took a fancy to Chen Ba.Chen Bazhuan rowed a boat for the mountain chief, and it took half an hour to row from Dongzhou to Prince's Wharf for five or six miles.When Wang Kaiyun was on the boat alone, Chen Ba cautiously put forward the request for papers on behalf of others after being graciously entertained.Wang Kaiyun liked Chen Ba's diligence, and in order to subsidize him a little, he basically agreed to Chen Ba's proposals.Chen Ba is kind and kind, and he doesn't ask much, and the number of people looking for him slowly exceeds that of Zhou's mother.Wang Kaiyun didn't tell Zhou's mother about Chen Ba's robbing the business, so Chen Ba was very grateful and greeted him more and more thoughtfully. "Xizi, Ba Yazi's peanuts, you just eat them." Wang Kaiyun grabbed a handful of peanuts and put them in his hand, seeing Yang Du being polite, he said with a smile. "Mr. Yang, it's rare for you to take a boat ride, so don't be too polite!" Chen Ba was punting outside the window, and when he heard Wang Kaiyun's voice, he knew that this young man was the proud student of the head of the mountain, so he also came to persuade him. Yang Du agreed, grabbed a few groundnuts, peeled the shells, and asked, "Sir, who are you taking me into the city to see?" Wang Kaiyun patted the broken shell on the long cloth shirt and said, "You should know that Hengzhou was once the capital." "I know that on the eve of Wu Sangui's defeat, in order to satisfy the emperor's addiction, he ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor in Hengzhou Prefecture, so he became the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty for several months." "Emperor Wu Sangui of the Great Zhou Dynasty enshrined his nephew Wu Yongzhen as prime minister after he ascended the throne. We are going to see Wu Yongzhen's seventh grandson Hu Sanpai. He is eighty-six years old this year." "Why is Wu Yongzhen's seventh grandson named Hu?" Yang Du felt strange. "After Wu Sangui died, his grandson Wu Shifan succeeded to the throne, and Hengzhou Mansion was quickly captured by the imperial army. Wu Yongzhen escaped from the city by chance, and his whole family died in the rebellion. In order to avoid the pursuit of the Qing court, Wu Yongzhen changed his name Hu Zhen lived in the rivers and lakes for many years. After all the rumors subsided, he came to Hengzhou again and built a small house next to the palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Later, he married a wife and had children. His descendants will also be surnamed Hu and no longer be surnamed Wu." "What did Sanpa Hu do when he was young?" Yang Du asked. "Living by measuring words." "Can word testing make a living?" "Yes." Wang Kaiyun took a sip of tea and looked outside the cabin. The drizzle was still falling, and the river was so misty that the boats could hardly be seen. "Don't underestimate the word tester. The knowledge here is very deep. Hu Sanpai once told me a story. During the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and others revolted, and the country was shaken. Lived in anxiety. One day, he was so helpless that he asked the eunuch to go out of the Forbidden City to the market to find someone who could test characters best, and he wanted to test characters." The emperor also wants to test the characters, which is really a nice story.Yang Du listened attentively, and even Chen Ba slowed down the speed of rowing the oar, listening secretly at the stern. "The eunuch followed orders and found an old man named Tong in his seventies in Dashilan. This man was hunchbacked, and he was called Humpback Tong. He was a famous character tester in the capital. Hunchback Tong entered the palace. Is the word test accurate? Humpbacked Tong said, I have been testing Chinese characters for fifty years, from the hands of Lord Wanli until now, and the stall has been placed in Dashilan. If the test is not accurate, can I still eat? Chongzhen thought it made sense, so he said, I called you into the palace and asked you to test your characters. You have to tell the truth and speak the truth, and don’t trick me with sweet words. The hunchback Tong said that I am the most straightforward person, and I never tell lies , please give me the word Long Live! Chongzhen thought for a while, and said to measure the word "Friend", and wrote the word "Friend" on the palm of his hand with his finger. The hunchback Tong said at once, the character bestowed by the Long Live Lord Not good. Chongzhen was startled and said something was wrong. The hunchback Tong said that the word "friend" comes from the word "anti", which means that there are rebels everywhere in the country who are making trouble. This sentence hit Chongzhen's heart disease , his face changed abruptly, and he changed his words, I am not talking about "friends" of friends, but "yes" of having or not. Humpbacked Tong saw that the emperor was playing tricks and refused to admit it, sneered in his heart, and said, the "you" of having or not is even worse. Good. Why is it worse? Chongzhen was already in cold sweat on his back at this time. The hunchbacked Tong said, there is a "yes" in this case, take it apart and write it. "Day" means that half of the Ming Dynasty will be lost. Chongzhen's heart was beating wildly, and he changed his words and said, I am not talking about the "yes" of you, but the "you" of Youshi. Humpback Tong frowned after hearing this, He said, "Long Live Lord, this is even worse. The character '尤' means the word 'Zun' with the head and feet removed. Venerable Sir, it is also called Long Live Lord. Those who remove the head and feet are hacked and killed. See Long live God is about to face a catastrophe. When Chongzhen heard this, he collapsed on the dragon chair. Xizi, do you think this word-testing skill is great?" "Big, it's really huge!" Yang Du praised from the bottom of his heart. "Master Wang Shan, the ship is docking!" Chen Ba shouted from the window. "Go ashore." Wang Kaiyun said and got up. Yang Du opened the umbrella made of oiled paper and bamboo bones, walked across the springboard next to Wang Kaiyun, stepped onto the Prince's Wharf, then walked through Xianji Lane, passed through Jixiang Street, and walked for more than two miles to the entrance of Qianju Lane.After entering the alley, after a few steps, Wang Kaiyun stopped in front of a low old house, knocked on the door with his hands, and shouted: "San Hu, open the door!" After shouting twice, a hoarse voice came from inside: "Come, come!" Then the door opened, revealing an old man with all white hair and beard, wrinkled face and short stature.When the old man saw that it was Wang Kaiyun, he grinned happily and said, "Your honored guest, it's raining so hard, and you still come to my house in the city, I dare not be you." Wang Kaiyun came in and introduced to Father Hu: "This is my student, Yang Du and Yang Xizi." Yang Du bowed politely: "Father Hu, I've been admiring you for a long time." Hu Sanpai said: "Mr. Xizi is polite, I am a bad old man, I am not worth admiring for a long time." After finishing speaking, he brought Wang Kaiyun, teacher and student into the house. The room was very low, with only one small window, the light was not good, and it was raining outside, making it even darker.Wang Kaiyun said: "Light a lamp, you are a night owl, get used to it, I can't." Hu Sanpai promised, hit the stone, lit the paper twist, and then lit a small soybean oil lamp.With the help of the light, Yang Du could see clearly that the room was surprisingly simple: an old table that was neither black nor white, one of its legs was broken in half, it was padded with a few broken bricks, and five or six pieces of wood were placed on top of it. An old straw mat was spread on the two benches, which became the bed.There was only one square stool, and Hu Sanpai let Wang Kaiyun sit on it, and he sat on an old wooden box beside the table.Yang Du had no place to sit, so he sat on the wooden bed.Hu Sanpai talked about boiling water, and said that he wanted to go to the street to buy Mahua Mawan, but Wang Kaiyun stopped them.After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wang Kaiyun said, "What did you call me here for? It made me think so hard that I couldn't figure it out." Hu Sanpai laughed twice and said, "I invite you to read a manuscript." "The manuscript? You wrote it?" Wang Kaiyun was quite surprised. Hu Sanpai shook his head and said, "I didn't write it. It was a secret history about Wu Sangui's uprising written by my ancestors. The Hu family has passed it down from generation to generation. I have no children and I don't think I can live for a few days. You are a scholar. I want to entrust it to you while I am still alive, and I beg you to keep it for my Hu family. If there is a chance in the future, I can give it to the pear jujube and spread it in the world, then I will repay it with a ring of grass." "You still hide such a treasure." Wang Kaiyun was very excited and began to sigh, "The Great Zhou Dynasty established by Wu Sangui lasted only three or four years, and the past few years were actually spent under heavy military oppression and on the way to escape. , not to mention a real dynasty. History has always been the history of victors, and a failed and short dynasty has no history of its own. Therefore, when people mention the Qin Dynasty, there are only bad ones and no good ones. It was only fifteen years before and after, and he died before he had time to judge his merits. How could people in the Han Dynasty write history for the Qin Dynasty? How can there be good things to say? Wu Sangui’s fate is not as good as that of Yingzheng. In fact, he is also a person, otherwise he would not have achieved such a big career. But unfortunately, there are too few historical materials about him. Thanks to Wang Chuanshan's "Yongli Veritable Records", the story of Emperor Yongli can still be used by people today. For reference, Wu Sangui is much more important than Emperor Yongli, but I have always regretted that there is no record of his letter history. Your family has such a manuscript, which is really a loyal minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty." Wang Kaiyun's exclamation made Hu Sanpao very grateful.He stood up and said, "I'll take you there right now." "If you don't hide such an important manuscript in your own home, where do you put it?" Wang Kaiyun stood up while talking, and Yang Du also left the wooden bed. "Master Wang, do you think I can store books in this dilapidated house? It's damp and full of rats. I put it with Taoist Tu in Mawang Temple. Taoist Tu has been my chess friend for decades." Hu Sanpai led the teacher and the student out of the house without locking the door, walked through the streets and alleys, and walked towards the Mawang Temple.Mawang Temple is a temple dedicated to Ma Yin, the founder of Chu State at the end of Tang Dynasty. It is not far from Qianju Lane, and it will arrive soon.The Mawang Temple is not big, the halls are dilapidated, and grass grows in the cracks of the tiles, giving it a decrepit look.When he arrived at the gate of the temple, he suddenly heard the sound of banhu coming from inside. The tone was high-pitched and shrill, and Yang Du sounded like the tune of the flower drum in central Hunan.In an instant, the banhu sound stopped, replaced by the muddy and hoarse singing voice of an old man.Hu Sanpai said with a smile: "Taoist priest Tu is drunk and crazy again." After finishing speaking, he was about to knock on the door, but Wang Kaiyun shook his hand.Everyone stopped outside the temple gate and listened to the singing inside: The singing stopped abruptly. "What a bloody man!" Wang Kaiyun praised. "This old ghost must be drunk, and he's making a lot of noise here." Hu Sanpa slammed on the door and shouted, "Crazy Tu, open the door!" "Fuck you, I haven't finished singing my song yet!" There was a rude reply from inside, and the banhu twitched twice, and it seemed that the man was about to sing again. "Open the door quickly, open the door quickly, your brother Hu San is here!" Father Hu San seemed to be irritated, and beat hard, so that the old paint on the door fell off. "Come on, come on, your old brother Hu San is not the current empress dowager, what a cock!" As he said that, the door opened with a bang, and standing in front of him was an old man with a red face and tattered robes and shoes. A Taoist priest, his long ramie-like hair is messily tied in a knot on his head.This appearance is very similar to the legendary monk Jidian with long hair.Yang Du couldn't help laughing when he saw it, thinking that if he hadn't come here with his husband, even if he lived in Hengzhou Mansion for ten or eight years, he wouldn't have anything to do with these two weird old men today. "Mr. Wang Renqiu, the chief of Chuanshan Academy, is here." Hu Sanpai introduced. "You are the famous Mr. Renqiu! Disrespect, disrespect." Daoist Tu immediately put on a friendly smile, stretched out his hands, made a gesture of invitation, looked at Yang Du and asked, "Who is this?" "This is Mr. Renqiu's student, Mr. Yang Xizi." "Please come in, please come in." Daoist Tu said, "No wonder I am happy today, so there are distinguished guests here." Stepping into the gate is the main hall of Mawang Temple.The statue of the horse king standing upright with a crown and a king's clothes and holding a sword, has long since lost its former sacred brilliance because of its peeling color and black smoke, standing on the high platform like a funny doll.There are a few pictures painted on the four walls, and they have been damaged too much due to the age, so it is impossible to see why.There is a large iron incense burner in the hall.Yang Du took a closer look and saw the words "Casted in the second year of Changxing of the Great Chu" on it.Changxing is the year name of Ma Xisheng, the son of Ma Yin, nearly a thousand years ago.Yang Du said in his heart: "The only iron stove in the Mawang Temple is worth anything." Daoist Tu led everyone into the west side room.The furnishings here are also crude and outdated, similar to Hu San's father, except for a few more stools, the room is taller, and the light is better.There was a small clay bowl with a chipped hole on the old wooden table, and an old wooden beard lying beside it.It seems that Daoist Tu was sitting here just now, drinking and singing to himself. As soon as he sat down, Daoist Tu yelled towards the east side room: "Deaf bastard, go to Qianjie to buy ten catties of beard wine and a bowl of pig's head!" After shouting, he smiled at Wang Kaiyun and said: "He is a deaf man, It's too loud to hear." Sure enough, a sixteen or seventeen-year-old Taoist priest came out from the side room over there, wearing a crumpled black Taoist robe, with dirt on his face and neck, as if he hadn't washed his face for ten days and a half months.Yang Du felt a little disgusted to let such a person buy wine and meat. Seeing that the husband was smiling and didn't care, he had no choice but to hold back. "Master Dao, our teachers and students are bothering you. Don't go on credit. Take this piece of silver and exchange it for more wine and meat. It may be two or three cents worth. Go buy it. You can't finish it. The rest The rest is yours." Wang Kaiyun took out a small piece of silver from his sleeve and put it in Taoist Tu's hand.Daoist Tu did not give in, and said to the deaf cub: "Take a basket and buy it for all your money. Chicken, duck, fish, all cooked." The deaf cub went out of the temple gate with a big basket on his shoulders.Hu Sanpai said: "Crazy Tu, take that treasure of mine, I'm going to give it to Mr. Wang Renqiu." "A treasure that has been passed down for two hundred years, are you willing to give it away?" Daoist Tu smiled slyly. "No, give me a coffin board in the future? In the hands of Mr. Renqiu, it is really a treasure. Hanging in the temple where you painted lunatics, it is not a pile of waste paper!" Daoist Tu didn't answer, he moved a bamboo staircase and leaned against the wall.He climbed up the ladder and took a bag from the beam.Yang Du looked at the bag, it was dark and covered with dust.Daoist Tu took a greasy dirty rag and wiped off the ashes, revealing a black and yellow calfskin bag.Hu Sanpai took out a rusty kitchen knife from behind the door, cut it hard, and cut the thick hemp rope on the bag.Open the cowhide, and a green cloth bag appeared inside.Open the green cloth again, suddenly revealing a golden light.Wang Kaiyun and Yang Du hurriedly bent down to look. It turned out to be a small Shu brocade bag woven with fine gold silk.Although two hundred years have passed, the brocade is still as new in color, and the patterns of flowers, birds and ladies on it are clear and bright.Yang Du also seemed to smell the musky scent emanating from the Shu brocade.Hu Sanpai wiped his hands vigorously on the gown a few times, then took the brocade bag with both hands, as if holding a baby from the tenth generation of the Hu family, and tremblingly came to the table.He put the brocade bag on the table, and then opened it carefully. Out of the brocade bag came out an inch-thick, exquisitely bound manuscript. A white paper tape, with four words written on the top of the tape: "Secret History of the Great Zhou Dynasty".The font is seal script, elegant and thick, and the ink color is smooth. Yang Du, who is good at calligraphy, was secretly surprised. Wang Kaiyun gently opened the cover and flipped through the table of contents.The title of the book is "The Secret History of the Great Zhou Dynasty", but it was actually written from when Wu Sangui was guarding Shanhaiguan to when Wu Shifan was killed in the third year of Honghua.The paper and ink used in the manuscript are not ordinary vulgar products, and the fonts are all regular script, which is very pleasing to the eye.At this time, the deaf cub returned to the temple with a basket on his shoulders.Hu Sanpai wrapped the manuscript again in Shu brocade, and added the green cloth outside, handed it to Wang Kaiyun with both hands, and said solemnly: "Today, in front of Lord Ma, I hand over our family heirloom of the Hu family to you. " Wang Kaiyun took it solemnly, and said: "I will live up to my father's trust, read it carefully, and keep it in a safe place. As long as conditions permit, I will try to engrave it. If I can't wait for this day, I still have my copy. Protégé Yang Du is here, and he will achieve this goal." Yang Du hurriedly said: "Students keep it in mind." "Come, come, sit down and drink!" Taoist Tu had already filled the table with food and wine.There are four people on one side, and the deaf boy still enters his east side room.Daoist Tu said: "Don't worry about him, he will fast for his mother for three years. I am Ye Mou, I can eat anything, and I have been a Taoist priest for more than 50 years, and I have never given up drinking or meat for a single day." "Okay, okay, let's eat!" Wang Kaiyun readily agreed.The master pushed him to the upper seat, and he was not polite. Yang Du sat down next to the teacher, Hu Sanpai and Taoist Tu each took one side.The four drank happily.Regardless of the fact that Hu and Tu are both octogenarians, their eating habits are no less than that of young people.After drinking for a few rounds, the true feelings became more exposed.Yang Du felt that although they were humble and impoverished, they were rich in the world and had profound insights, especially their frank and sincere feelings, which would never be seen in the official world of Shilin.Yang Du, who has been in this environment for a long time, is in a very happy mood today. He suddenly realized why Liu Bang's father did not want to be the Supreme Emperor in Chang'an, but would rather go back to the old city of Fengpei to be with cockfighters and dog slaughterers.He wondered how the gentleman could get in touch with this group of people in Hengzhou Mansion. "Brother Hu, I peeked at your treasure once." While Yang Du was daydreaming, Daoist Tu, whose face was red and nose was red, said drunkenly. "When did you peek, why didn't you tell me?" Hu Sanpai was almost drunk, but his face was green. "I said Brother Hu, your prime minister ancestor is really talented, but it's a pity that he was cast in the dark!" Taoist Tu raised his glass again, and Hengzhou's sweet beard wine has such a charm: the more you drink The more drunk you want to drink! "Brother Tu, half of what you said is right, and half of it is wrong. My ancestor followed Wu Sangui all his life. In the first half of his life, Wu Sangui obeyed him, but in the second half of his life, he was often self-righteous and didn't listen much. Wu Sangui is also a great man. Mr. Renqiu, you It’s a college student, don’t you think so?” "That's right, Wu Sangui is an outstanding man, and Ling Zu is also an outstanding man." Wang Kaiyun took over the conversation.He also drank a lot of wine, but he had a lot of alcohol and was not drunk yet.Yang Du didn't eat or drink much, he was listening intently. "I admire the two performances of your prime minister's ancestor the most. If Wu Sangui had followed suit, the world would have returned to us Han people long ago. There is no such shame as today's cession of land and compensation. Sad, Manlu really took us Chinese I'm completely ashamed." When Daoist Tu said this, tears welled up in his eyes.He didn't wipe it either, and let it roll on his wrinkled face, like a stream flowing on a bumpy slope.The table was dumbfounded.Yang Du remembered that the song sung by the Taoist priest before entering the door contained words such as "Looking at the sword and sighing while drinking, how can the country's hatred be forgotten for a moment", such an old man with such a humble status has such a strong patriotic feeling, Yang Du couldn't help but feel emotional . "Being humble does not dare to forget to worry about the country", there is more than one Lu Fang who is humble and does not forget the state affairs! "Brother, which two places are you talking about?" Hu Sanpai's voice was surprisingly gentle, obviously the old man was also moved. "One is when Shunzhi just died and Kangxi came to the throne. It was a good time. Kangxi was just an eight-year-old kid at that time, and he didn't know anything about human affairs. The state affairs were in the hands of his grandmother, the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. Although Xiaozhuang It is said to be powerful, but she is a woman after all. At that time, the Manchus had only entered the customs for more than ten years, and they had not yet gained a firm foothold. The imperial court was leaderless. Taking advantage of the opportunity to raise troops in Yunnan, under the banner of driving out the Manchus and restoring the Han family, he will definitely win the support of the majority and achieve great things. But Wu Sangui said that Shunzhi is a great favor to him, and he cannot bully other orphans and widows. This feeling is really the vision of no great hero.” "Ancestor Ling really had this suggestion?" Wang Kaiyun didn't know this historical fact, and after listening to Daoist Tu's words, he felt respect for Sanpa Hu. Hu Sanpai nodded and said: "There are records in the manuscript." "Let the ancestors see things clearly, not inferior to Kuai Tong." Wang Kaiyun pointed his finger at the table, expressing his appreciation from the heart. In order not to get drunk and talk nonsense in front of the university student, Taoist Tu restrained himself from drinking any more. He scooped out a ladle of cold water from a broken tank, drank a few swigs, and then washed himself with the remaining water in the ladle. After washing his face, he lifted his Taoist robe to dry off the water.他觉得头脑清醒多了，重新坐到桌子边，说：“第二处更可以看出你先祖的过人本事。吴三桂起兵后，开头战事十分顺利，贵州、四川的文武官员都响应，西南河山尽属吴氏。此时，你先祖向吴三桂提出，宜出巴蜀，据关中塞殽函以自固，待后方布置停当，再率兵由宛、洛入北京。” “这是效汉高祖故事，是个好计策！”王闿运说。 “可惜，吴三桂没有听家先祖的话。”胡三爹叹息了。 “吴三桂的军队打下长沙后，那位老先生又建议立即渡江，全师北上，取幽燕腹中之地。吴三桂又不同意。” “太可惜了！”杨度禁不住插嘴。 “后来，朝廷调集各方兵力，将湖南团团围住。老先生又急言，满人弱于水战，不如大掳民船，火速浮江东下，占领金陵，凭借长江天堑，与满人划江而治。” “这是后来洪秀全的路子，已落下着了。”王闿运评道。 “就是这样不得已的下着，吴三桂仍旧没听，终于将自己困死在湖南。”涂道士边说边不知不觉地又端起了酒杯。 “所以说，令先祖是明珠暗投。”涂道士绕了半天圈子，又回到开头的结论上来。 “这大概是满人的气数那时还正在兴旺时期吧！”胡三爹无可奈何地自圆其说。 酒吃得差不多了，聋崽过来收拾残菜剩汤，随后又端来几杯热茶。王闿运喝着茶，对胡三爹说：“我这个门生对测字有兴趣，你给他测个字玩玩吧！” 胡三爹尚未开口，杨度忙说：“胡三爹，您给我测一个字吧！” 涂道士也在一旁助兴：“老哥，好久没有听你瞎扯了。你再胡乱扯一通，也让我醒醒酒。” “测字是真学问，哪里可以胡乱瞎扯的。”胡三爹笑着说，“晳子先生，你就随便报一个字吧！” 杨度略想了一下，说：“胡三爹您老住钱局巷，就测个钱字吧！” 胡三爹摸摸下巴上几根稀疏的白胡子，思忖了一会说：“'钱'，乃三个字组成，右边两个'戈'字，南戈北戈相斗；左边一个'金'字。金者，贵也。干戈相斗之际，有贵人出来。目前人心浮动，四海不宁，内忧外患，随时可起大规模的刀兵相争。可以预测晳子先生将在争斗中赢得贵重的身份。” “真的吗？”杨度大喜，想起先生在船上给他讲过的测字故事，也想借此试探一下这位测字老人的本事，于是说：“胡三爹，我不用钱局巷的'钱'，我用乾坤的'乾'。” “'乾'字也是好兆头。”胡三爹说，“'乾'之左边，双十拱日，说不定哪年逢双十的时候，中国就会出现大变，乃拱出来一个新朝代新天子。右边为乞，乞者，求也，得也。晳子先生将在新朝中得大贵。” “有这样好的事？”杨度欢喜过望，进一步试探，“胡三爹，我也不用乾坤的'乾'，我用的是汉代博望侯张骞的'骞'。” “恭喜先生。”胡三爹起身，满脸堆笑，“'骞'乃宰相头，千里马之尾，晳子先生正是一匹千里马，将来必定在新朝中得宰相之位。” “胡三爹取笑了。”杨度忙站起还礼，心里早已喜气洋洋了。 涂道士说：“杨先生，我与胡老哥相交五十年，听他讲测字也讲了五十年，从来没有听到他讲过连测三字，三字都说到一个点子上的事。老道不会测字，但会观国运，会看人相。依老道看来，中国大乱就在眼前，满人气数也到了尽头。杨先生仪表非俗，又能得到壬秋先生的栽培，前途不可限量。我实话告诉你吧，胡老哥这本祖传的《大周秘史》，集中了中国两千多年来的纵横之术。读通了它，自会有意想不到的收获，愿杨先生好自为之，在不久的大变局中一显身手。” 涂道士说完后，王闿运微笑着对学生说：“晳子，听清楚了吗？这本《大周秘史》先由你读三年，三年后再还给我。” “谢先生和二位老伯的厚爱。”杨度深深一鞠躬。 此时，外面的细雨早已停止，王闿运师生告辞出了马王庙。在回东洲的船上，杨度迫不及待地打开蜀锦，偷偷地看了几页。谁知这一看，他便再也不能丢开了。