Chapter 24 press the truth
Even though it was time to go out, Zheng Yuanxun still didn't want to leave in the Bantang Jiang's villa where he was staying.He had already changed his clothes, but he stood in the center of the hall for a long time, staring blankly at the ebony threshold shining brightly in the morning sun, feeling that it seemed to be a sword lying under his feet—maybe he raised his foot You can step over it, maybe you will be cut by the sudden jumping sword blade on your ankle...
Since he promised to act as Qian Qianyi's agent at the Huqiu meeting, Zheng Yuanxun has been in regret, restlessness and anxiety for two days.If at the beginning, as an associate, he had not fully realized the complexity and danger of this matter, then it is completely different now.The more he thought about it, the more he felt that there were many difficulties and great risks. If he couldn't do it, his reputation would be ruined in the end, and the bad luck of being spurned by scholars would fall mercilessly on his own head.Whenever he thinks of his half-life innocence, and thinks that all the painstaking efforts he has secretly worked on in the past six months will probably be ruined in one go, Zheng Yuanxun is terrified, and he can't calm down no matter what.
Zheng Yuanxun became the president of Fushe in Yangzhou ten years ago.When Zhang Pu, the leader of Fushe, was alive, he was always conscientious and dedicated to his duties, and he never dared to have any unreasonable thoughts.He only wants to keep his existing status as a future promotion, and he is satisfied.Unexpectedly, Zhang Pu, who was less than forty years old, died of illness half a year ago.The courage and intelligence of Zhang Cai, his deputy, were far inferior to Zhang Pu's. In addition, after he became an official, he attracted the attention of the court, so it was inconvenient to publicly participate in social affairs.In this way, who will take over Zhang Pu's position has become the biggest problem facing the whole society.As a result, the competition among the various factions in the club started fiercely.Among them, Wu Yingji and Chen Zhenhui are naturally the most popular and famous. Wu Yingji is one of the oldest seniors in Fushe, and Chen Zhenhui is the head of the "Four Young Masters".Backed by Zhou Bi, a member of the Donglin Party and former head of the Ministry of Rites, they shouted at Bainuo in the club, bossing them around, and everyone had to give them three points.They are naturally unwilling to let go of the golden chair of the leader, and they are determined to win it.However, this group of people's words and deeds are extreme and arrogant, but it also arouses the dissatisfaction of many people in the group; especially the group of people in the old group, who have long been displeased with the domineering and domineering of the Tianyu Wu and Chen factions, so they stand up and fight everywhere. against them.The faction of Jiujishe is not small, but its members are all scholars from the Songjiang area, so it is inevitable that they have regional views.Their opposition to Wu and Chen certainly won the sympathy and support of some community members in other regions, but it was not so easy to seize the position of leader of the community.The two factions are evenly matched, and neither can overwhelm the other.It was precisely in the face of such a situation that an unprecedented idea quietly sprouted in Zheng Yuanxun's heart.At first, it was very small, just with a little sharp corner emerging inconspicuously. However, it was so pleasing and cute, so it grew up day by day.However, Zheng Yuanxun still protected it very carefully and secretly, and even some of his closest people didn't know it at all.Of course, this does not prevent Zheng Yuanxun from starting active activities.He already has a good reputation for being peaceful, fair, down-to-earth, and steady.Since then, he has become more open-minded, courteous and corporal, and tried his best to maintain good relations with Wu, Chen Pai and Jishe.At the same time, he did not miss any opportunity to express his determination to carry forward his legacy in front of the members of the society, as well as his worry and sorrow for the disputes within the society.Then, he talked endlessly about the policies and measures to revitalize the social situation-first, second, third... Zheng Yuanxun knew very well that these alone are not enough to achieve the goal of ascending to the leadership position. With a strong background, he approached Qian Qianyi again...
These activities have been effective. In this Huqiu meeting, he was elected as one of the two main allies.This kind of society meeting is a kind of grand ceremony in the society. In the past ten years since the society was established, it has only been held four times in total.It has the function of reviewing the strength of the club, deciding on major events, and expanding the influence of the momentum.From all over the country, many scholars regard it as a great honor to be able to attend the grand meeting.As for the seat of the main alliance of the conference, not to mention its dignity.In fact, in the past few conferences, the main ally was either Zhang Pu or Zhang Cai.Therefore, whoever can become the main alliance this time can be said to have sat on the throne of the leader with half of their buttocks.Because of this, the Wu and Chen factions fought openly and secretly with the Jiujishe faction, which was extremely fierce.As usual, Zheng Yuanxun put on an impartial posture. On the one hand, he tried his best to stabilize Wu Yingji, Chen Zhenhui and others.As a result of the public election, it was decided that he and Li Wen from the old clubs would be the main alliance.Wu and Chen Pai were very angry and threatened to boycott the conference.Zheng Yuanxun hurriedly tried to persuade them, and expressed his willingness to give them the main alliance seat.The Wu and Chen sects were not aimed at Zheng Yuanxun, so they naturally refused, but in this way, they were temporarily embarrassed to continue the quarrel.After Zheng Yuanxun stabilized the situation, he began to prepare for the meeting excitedly.At this moment, Qian Yangxian came to Yangzhou suddenly, and conveyed to him Qian Qianyi's intention to excuse Ruan Dacheng. Zheng Yuanxun felt that it was a good time to take this opportunity to further curry favor with the Donglin leader as a powerful backer in the future. So I readily agreed.Unexpectedly, in the end, Qian Qianyi unceremoniously pushed all the responsibilities and risks on his head...
"Hey, why should I agree to him? I really shouldn't have agreed to him!" Zheng Yuanxun cried out angrily in his heart.However, at the same time, he clearly heard another cold voice from his heart: "If you don't agree, what will happen? As long as Qian Qianyi casually says a few words of disapproval among the scholars , you can't afford to pay for that little capital!"
Zheng Yuanxun felt desperate.Now, he finds it really hard to be a human being in this world.His gaze involuntarily returned to the "sharp sword" just now - on the threshold, the light of the "sword blade" seemed to be more dazzling, and it was almost sneering at him.Zheng Yuanxun put his heart on the sidelines and stepped out.At this moment, he saw the thin old servant Yin Bao hurried over with a greeting card in his hand.
"Master Bao, Master Zhou, and a few other gentlemen are here to pay respects."
Zheng Yuanxun had no choice but to take back the foot he had stepped out.He took the greeting card listlessly, and asked: "Which Mr. Zhou..." Suddenly, as if being stuck in the neck, he choked, and saw that the greeting card read impressively:
Zheng Yuanxun stared blankly at the post, as if he didn't know the words.Then, his hands began to tremble slightly, his forehead became brighter, and later, beads of sweat appeared.
"Master..." An old voice sounded beside him.Zheng Yuanxun turned his head abruptly, only to see Yin Bao looking at him with concern.This old servant has been with Zheng Yuanxun for more than twenty years. He has always been loyal, diligent and diligent, and he can understand the meaning of his master the most. Therefore, Zheng Yuanxun treats him very politely and does not reprimand him easily.However, for some reason, Yin Bao's concerned eyes, his urging tone, and his gesture of waiting for an answer at this moment all made Zheng Yuanxun feel glaring, hateful, and unpleasant.
"What are you urging, you bastard!" He roared explosively.However, as soon as the words came out of his mouth, he felt a slip of the tongue and stopped immediately.
Yin Bao was not alarmed.He lowered his head obediently, and squinted at his master from the corner of his eyes: "If the master doesn't want to see the guests, the younger one will answer them and say that the master has already..." He deliberately said the word "going out" vaguely, but he believed The master can understand it by himself.
Zheng Chaozong's eyes flashed, but he quickly shook his head again.He pondered for a moment, straightened his body, raised his face, and said with a straight face: "I am clearly here, how can I lie about not being here? Isn't this a lie! I always teach you, how to deal with people, the words "sincerity" and "truth" are the most important words. It's important! This kind of trick is not enough to treat ordinary guests, let alone these few are my close friends, I really hope that they will come to see each other often!"
As he said that, he straightened his clothes, left Yin Bao who was dazed by the lesson, and walked out waddlingly.
Just as Zheng Yuanxun was greeted out of the door, the sedan chairs on which the guests were riding arrived just in time.When the curtain of the sedan chair opened, it was Zhou Biao who stepped out of the first sedan chair.He was about fifty years old, thin and thin, with a large and full forehead, and a narrow and stern face, half of which was covered by a bushy beard, and the rest was even smaller .In this limited space, there is an abnormally large round nose, two equally thick eyebrows protruding forward, and a pair of green eyes with black pupils, always hidden under the eyebrows, scanning aggressively outwards .He was a Jinshi in the first year of Chongzhen, and he was appointed as the head of the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing. Because Shangshu impeached the eunuch, he offended the emperor and was dismissed as a civilian.He has a high reputation among scholars and has always hated Ruan Dacheng. It is said that he was actually the one who came up with the idea of the "Liudu Anti-Chaos Public Announcement" drafted by the rehabilitated society in the 11th year of Chongzhen.He wore a square scarf on his head and a floral velvet gown with a collar. He didn't seem to be in good health. He coughed frequently as soon as he stepped off the sedan chair, making his pale, bloodless face flush.
Immediately after, Zhou Zhong, the veteran of Fushe, walked out of the sedan chair. He was Zhou Biao's cousin, but he had no similar appearance with his cousin—or even the opposite.His face is very broad and oval, but his nose and eyes are slender and small. Coupled with his sparse beard and delicate eyebrows, people often mistake him for a gentle and refined person.actually not.It is said that once, he met Ruan Dacheng at a banquet, and when he disagreed with each other, he became so angry that he overturned the entire banquet to the ground, smashed it to pieces, and then walked away.In this regard, he showed a similar character to Zhou Bi.However, the relationship between the two brothers is not very harmonious.The disciples of the two sects are particularly antagonistic, often attacking each other and quarreling endlessly.This time Zhou Zhong refused to come, but it was Chen Zhenhui who came to the door repeatedly to ask, and persuaded him to come along with her righteousness.
When Zhou Bi saw Zheng Yuanxun, he cupped his hands slightly, and immediately said: "I know you are very busy. I am also very busy. But there are a few words that must be said, and leave after finishing. It will never hinder your business! "He said, without waiting for Zheng Yuanxun's answer, he turned his head and saw that Chen Zhenhui and Gu Gao had also got off the sedan chair, so he said: "Please!" He took the lead and walked into the gate.
Zheng Yuanxun is well aware of the temper of this old man Zhou, and dare not stop him.He hurriedly bowed his hands to the rest of the people, then turned around, tried his best to keep up with Zhou Xiang's pace, led the way respectfully in front, and came to the lobby.
After everyone saluted again and the host and guest sat down, the guests sipped their tea without speaking immediately.Zhou Zhong and the other three were obviously waiting for Zhou Biao, while the latter was slowly stroking his beard and looking straight at Zheng Yuanxun from under his eyebrows, as if he wanted to see through each other before speaking.
Finally, Zhou Bi put the cup in his hand.
"I heard that your Excellency is honored as the main ally of this conference. It's really gratifying and congratulatory!" He said solemnly. Judging from his tone, it was impossible to tell whether he was sincerely congratulating or deliberately sarcastic.
Zheng Yuanxun's eyes flickered for a moment, and he said humbly: "Ah, this—it's really not Wansheng's wish, it's just recommended by fellow members, out of helplessness..."
"Well, your Excellency asked yourself if you have the courage and courage to be worthy of this job?" Zhou Biao was not polite, and asked straightforwardly.
"Late students know that their virtues are weak and their abilities are rare, so it is difficult to repost this!"
"That's right, the students feel the same!" Zhou Biao nodded solemnly, "Your Excellency can say this, but you are self-aware!" He raised his head, looked up at the girders on the roof, and suddenly sighed, "The building will collapse , A single tree is too difficult to support, let alone the materials raised are not pillars? Why are the students of the restoration society so confused!"
Zheng Yuanxun was confused.Originally, from the moment he received the letter of invitation, he guessed that the other party's intentions were not good, so he held on to the purpose of using softness to overcome rigidity, and blindly be humble and forbearing.Who knows, this old gentleman will admit that if you say something modest, he won't give you any face.No matter how good Zheng Yuanxun's self-cultivation skills were, he couldn't help feeling a little annoyed.
"Oh, Wansheng knows that he is not a pillar of talent, and he is only enough to reveal things, so he begged the second brother, Dingsheng, to give them the seat of the main alliance." Zheng Yuanxun said coldly, thinking: your heart What I think is nothing more than this sentence, I'll just say it for you, and see what happens to you!Anyway, the seat of the main league is publicly elected by the whole society, and you will not be able to snatch it just because of my words!
However, to his surprise, Zhou Bi shook his head, "This is not allowed!" He said decisively, "Although Ciwei and Dingsheng seem to be better than your Excellency in this seat, your Excellency is elected by the public. , Ciwei and Dingsheng will replace each other without selfishness!"
"Could it be that Mr. Zhong intends to hold another public election, so that Wan Sheng can justly give up the virtuous? That's all right!"
Zhou Biao didn't seem to notice the sharp tone of the other party, and waved his hands: "No, I'm waiting to help you." He looked at Zheng Yuanxun, saw his expression of astonishment and suspicion, and added, "Not only do we not Pull you down, but also lift you up, work together to support you, let you be a veritable leader of Fushe, what do you think?"
Zheng Yuanxun suddenly smiled: "Duo Chengzhong always fell in love with him wrongly. He was just born late but dared not learn."
"Ah, why?"
"Think about it, Mr. Zhong, how important is the position of the leader of the alliance in the society. If you choose someone other than him, it will not only endanger the society, but also affect the future of the society. You must be extremely cautious. Although the late students are dull, they still have self-knowledge. This time the tiger hill Yes, if you want to pretend to be the main alliance for a day, you may not be able to do it, but if you talk about the leader of the society, it is definitely not what the late students dare to hope for!"
"Well, this is not unreasonable. However, it is the greatest virtue for you to have self-knowledge. From now on, as long as everyone works together to help, there is no need to worry about this society."
"The late student really dare not agree!"
Seeing Zheng Yuanxun's resolute refusal, Zhou Bi became a little anxious.He lowered his face: "Ah, is it possible that Your Excellency's gains and losses are more important than the safety of the world?"
However, Zheng Yuanxun seemed to have made up his mind.Hearing this reproach, he didn't bat an eyelid.On the contrary, the more anxious Zhou Biao was, the more humble and frightened he was, and refused to agree to anything.On the contrary, he couldn't even annoy that domineering old man Zhou, and he couldn't even cry, so he froze there and rolled his eyes.
"Brother Chaozong," seeing this situation, Chen Zhenhui came out to smooth things over, "This matter is of great importance to the rise and fall of our society and the fate of the Ming Dynasty. If you raise something inhumane, the consequences will be disastrous! Zhong Lao's discussion, beforehand, has been discussed by my brother and sister." After repeated references, it was unanimously recognized that my brother is the most suitable. My brother may not be as talented as Mr. Xizhang, but compared with my younger brother, he is far superior! I hope you can do what you can, don't push it any further!"
But Zheng Yuanxun still kept hiding back, thanking him endlessly.Seeing that he was not moving, Chen Zhenhui could only wink at Zhou Zhong and Gu Gao.So, the two also spoke together to persuade.They all guessed that the reason for Zheng Yuanxun's refusal was that he was forced by Zhou Biao's opening words and could not get off the stage, but he actually said a lot of flattering words.
While they were talking to each other and busy moving the ladder for the master to get off the stage, Zheng Yuanxun kept observing his words in secret.He is by no means a fool, nor is he the kind of impetuous person. Zhou Biao's arrogance certainly annoyed him, but more importantly, today's incident happened too suddenly and easily, which made him vigilant instinctively: He is scheming, and naturally he is always on guard against other people's traps, especially at this moment when he is harboring ulterior motives, "Ah, I am afraid that they will make things difficult for me! If they are really willing to support me, as the leader of the society, I will naturally be able to There is no doubt that they can sit still, and there is no need to try to curry favor with Qian Muzhai, and take the risk of being ruined for him. However, I am afraid that they may not have the courage. They have probably heard some rumors, and they are afraid that someone will take advantage of it. The General Assembly excused Ruan Yuanhai, but set up this trap to stabilize me. Once the situation passes, I will turn my face and deny it. Hmph, how could I be fooled!"
Thinking of it this way, he gritted his teeth even more and refused to accept it.Seeing him like this, the guests were a little helpless.Zhou Zhong first became impatient, he frowned, and said coldly:
"Brother Chaozong, if you don't want to, it's up to you! But one thing, I heard that someone wants to take advantage of today's meeting in the society to excuse Ruan Huzi and overturn the case. This is absolutely impossible! As the main ally of the meeting, you You have to be careful in one pass!"
"Hmph, it's not just absolutely impossible, if any bastard tortoise dares to do this, Brother Chao Zong should beat the drum and attack him, and kick him out!" Gu Gao also jumped up.
Zheng Yuanxun trembled, and raised his eyes timidly.Although he had more or less guessed that the other party was here for this, once it was confirmed, he still felt his heart shake.
"Ah, to excuse Ruan and Ruan Yuanhai? Who? No, no way!" He stammered.
"Brother Chaozong," Chen Zhenhui interjected calmly, "Now that the news has spread all over the south of the Yangtze River, don't you think you don't know?"
"Oh? My little brother really..." Zheng Yuanxun instinctively wanted to evade, but suddenly stopped.Because he remembered that a month ago, after Qian Yang first went to Yangzhou to convey Qian Qianyi's meaning, in order to create public opinion, he had personally spread similar remarks to some visitors, including Chen Zhenhui!
"Well, does Brother Chaozong really not know?" Zhou Zhong asked calmly.
"No, no, no, my little brother also heard people say..."
"Heard someone? Who?"
"This--"
"Yeah, who did you listen to?" Zhou Bi, who had stopped rolling his eyes long ago, also spoke.Zheng Yuanxun's overly panicked reaction obviously aroused his suspicion.
Zheng Yuanxun didn't speak, but sweat gradually broke out on his forehead.Originally, with his ingenuity, if he changed his usual routine, he would easily cover up the past.However, the current situation made him very embarrassed.Originally, if Qian Qianyi was the only one who came to win him over, Zheng Yuanxun might have no choice but to bite the bullet and follow him to the end in order to realize his plan; unexpectedly, a group of people like Zhou Bi came again suddenly, with Yes, it was the golden chair of the leader of Fushe that Zheng Yuanxun had longed for day and night, which made Zheng Yuanxun a little dazzled and his heart trembling.Naturally, he knew very well that following Qian Qianyi would take a huge risk, but taking refuge in Zhou Bi was much safer and more reliable.But he was also worried that Zhou Biao and the others were not sincere in their discussion, and he was afraid of falling into a trap, so he kept pretending to circle around and refused to agree immediately.However, Zheng Yuanxun was really reluctant to ask him to categorically reject this easy-to-get deal.Because of this series of considerations, Zheng Yuanxun was distracted and in a dilemma.His usual wit and dexterity are useless at this moment.
"Brother Chaozong!" Seeing that he was silent, Gu Gao said with a gloomy face, "I sincerely treat my brother as my ally, and I hope I can also treat my brother sincerely, otherwise—"
He hummed, but didn't continue.But Zheng Yuanxun naturally understood the threat.He is well aware of how powerful these people are, if he offends them, he will never be able to live a peaceful life in the future, even with Qian Qianyi's support, he may not be able to secure the golden chair.However, if they tell the truth, can they really forgive themselves?
"Could it be that Brother Chaozong still doubts the sincerity of Brother Xin?" As if she had seen through Zheng Yuanxun's mind, Chen Zhenhui suddenly stood up and said, "Then Zhenhui would like to express her heart here!"
After finishing speaking, he walked to the table, took out a tube of pen from the pen holder, held it with both hands, held it up to his chest, and said with a serious expression: "If Zhenhui is duplicity, it should be so!" "Cracked" into two pieces, threw it on the table, clapped hands, and said, "Can you believe it?"
Zheng Yuanxun was taken aback for a moment, and stared blankly at the two pen barrels on the table.His eyes gradually changed, and a determined light shone from his small, doubtful eyes.Finally, he nodded and said calmly:
"Okay, then the younger brother will say..."
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