Chapter 12 Chapter Twelve

Chang'an in winter is still bustling with traffic, and it is completely different from Luoyang, the eastern capital thousands of miles away at this time.In the east market and the west market, merchants gather with a variety of goods, people come and go, and there are various shops on the streets. In the distance, two carriages from Guozhou were getting closer to the largest city in the world. The people in the carriages opened the curtains, and they could vaguely see the city walls of Chang'an.Walking on the carriage in front, there was a middle-aged man sitting in the middle, and beside him a boy and a girl, both about ten years old, surrounded him from left to right.In the carriage behind was his wife and a younger concubine Ji, holding a baby in her arms.

"Daddy, are you home soon?" the boy asked. "Hurry up, come on, we'll be in Duling in a while—that's our home." The host replied while looking out the window. "Daddy, is Du Lingmei?" "Of course it's beautiful! There are beautiful mountains and rivers, rich products, and outstanding people. It is the hometown of Mr. Du, the poet, and the real home of the poet." The owner of this house is over forty years old, with a thin face, but an unusual expression on his face Calm and determined.His surname is Wei, his name is Zhuang, and his courtesy name is Duanji. The Duling he mentioned is also the place where he was born. Now more than ten years have passed, and the war in the Central Plains gave him an excuse to come back, to return to this beloved and heartbroken place. Chang'an, return to the hometown where he was born and raised.

Thinking of the dazzling brilliance of his ancestors, thinking of the many failures in these years, thinking of the suffering people in the world, thinking of the unexpressed ambition in his heart, Wei Zhuang couldn't help but sighed out his own poem: Different ages." Chang'an, I'm back again, Du Ling, I'm back after all!That's right, I've been wandering all these years, my children are grown up, I should let them settle down and go to school.However, when he thought of the still war in the Central Plains, he shook his head again, and said in his heart: "My life's ambition is to guide Yao and Shun, and I want to learn how to fish in the Canglang! I really want to live in seclusion forever, and live in a life where men farm and women weave without contending with the world." Life, stay away from the endless examination halls. But as a scholar, the world is my responsibility, and I can't help the country to stabilize the people. After a hundred years, how can I have the face to meet my ancestors, and how to ask Du Shaoling for advice."

Thinking of this, Wei Zhuang recalled a poetic letter he wrote to brother Cong not long ago: Duling is located 20 miles southeast of Chang'an City. The south garden of Duling is the mausoleum of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty and Empress Xu. Because the tombs are small, they are also called Shaoling. "I'm home, I'm home. Ah Wang, hurry up and call the door." "Yes, sir." The maid who was driving the carriage jumped out of the carriage, rushed forward and knocked on the door.After a while, a servant opened the door, with a look of surprise and joy on his face: "Ah Wang, is that you?"

"Yang Jin! I haven't seen you in ten years, you are much older!" A Wang's eyes were already tear-stained, "Oh, the master is back! The master and his family are back!" At this point, there was another tear on her face. very happy. "Really?!" Surprise bloomed on Yang Jin's face, he didn't care to go out to see the old master's family first, and ran into the house in a hurry: "Second master, third master, aunt, the elder master is back!" Only then did Wei Zhuang's younger brothers and sisters welcome them out of the gate. After ten years, they were really moved. They hugged and cried, and couldn't express their joy.

Wei Zhuang spent a happy time studying in Chang'an in his childhood.He was clever and eager to learn since he was a child, but he has experienced a long career in scientific research since then.However, the darkness of the examination hall in the late Tang Dynasty made this talented scholar with a full stomach for learning and a world-minded mind go through hardships again and again.Repeated suffering and long waiting have worn away the sharp edges and corners of his youth, and the wasted years have inadvertently dyed the few strands of black hair on his temples into silver gray.Pedestrians through the ages are farewell, unbearable to sing the sunset bell.Qinyuelou's singing and wine orders, and Balingdao's sentimental parting, all infiltrated his helplessness and desolation.Since he was born, he has experienced the five dynasties of Wen Zong, Wu Zong, Xuan Zong, Yi Zong, and Xi Zong, but the only thing that remains unchanged is still a bleak sense of loss.Later, Wei Zhuang's family moved to Guozhou, where they spent more than ten years in a seemingly peaceful and peaceful rural life.With the outbreak of Wang Xianzhi's and Huang Chao's uprisings, the Central Plains suffered frequent wars and was no longer stable. At this time, Wei Zhuang made up his mind to return to Chang'an, to Duling, and to the place where all his dreams and bitter memories were written. old haunt.

These years, Wei Zhuang rarely wrote letters to his family, and he knew very little about what happened in Du Ling.So, I asked about the family situation.The third younger brother Wei Ai couldn't help shaking his head: "Since my father passed away the year before last, my aunt's family has still not been whereabouts. Now the family guards a piece of land. Although it is not enough to worry about food and clothing, the family is in decline after all. My second brother and I visit each other every year. In Beijing, he has been defeated every year, and he is already disheartened. Big Brother came back from Guozhou, but was it the front line that suffered misfortune, and Guozhou fell?"

Wei Zhuang sighed: "Not yet. It's just that the Huangchao grass army is rampant, and staying in the Central Plains for a long time is not a long-term solution. Your sister-in-law and nephew are terrified day and night. I think twice and return to my hometown. After all, this is the corner of Chang'an, at the foot of the emperor, after all. It's safe. I heard that the imperial court is planning to appease the thieves, so Wang Xianzhi also agreed to negotiate. If the recruitment is successful, it will be a blessing for the people of the world..." Wei Zhuang lived at home for about a year, and one day he suddenly learned that the leader of the Cao army, Wang Xianzhi, had died in battle.After thinking about it, Wei Zhuang thought that after Huang Chao took command of the military power, he was bound to launch a Jedi counterattack, and this might be a turning point: logically, the court should employ some newcomers, and at this time the biennial scientific examination is approaching.Then, why not make a comeback and embark on the long road to rush for the exam again.After Wei Ai learned of her brother's decision, she insisted on going together.Wei Ai understood his brother's talent and ambition. He knew that if all the procedures of the scientific examination were fair, there would be no reason for his brother not to be named on the gold list.However, in such an era, how pale and unrealistic this assumption is.If there is no one in the court to help take care of it, even if it is a grand Chinese article with a beautiful mind and a peaceful world, it will only be burned in exchange for the examiner's disdain.With the lessons learned from his elder brother's failure in ten years of trials, this time, he insisted on persuading Wei Zhuang to take care of everything before the exam.Wei Zhuang was not very happy at first, but after calming down and thinking about it, he felt that what Wei Ai said was very reasonable.But in such a big Chang'an, who would he go to?At this time, he thought of a person he met a long time ago, and now this person has held a pivotal official position in the court.Yes, go find him, maybe you can try your luck.

In the early morning of this day, before the sky was completely bright, hundreds of officials, ministers, and generals entered the Tang Palace from Anhua Gate, and waited in front of the Yongan Gate of Taiji Palace—on this day, people who almost never paid attention to government affairs Li Xuan summoned all the officials to go to court early. The palace gate opened, and the prime minister Lu Xie walked in the front, followed by Zheng Tian and Wang Duo, and behind them were officials from the three provinces and six ministries, the generals of the Shence Army, the prince and the county king...

This is the first time that Shou Wang Li Jie went to court.This year, Li Jie was only thirteen years old.Ever since he was born in the most honorable family in the world, his childhood was doomed to more constraints.Despite years of wars, the Liuwangyuan where Li Jie lives is always so quiet and peaceful.Every day, reading and practicing Chinese characters are uninterrupted: from "Four Books and Five Classics" to Li Bai and Du Fu.A good education made Li Jie deeply fond of being a literati.His elder brother, Li Xuan, who was already the emperor, often came to the Six Kings Court to entertain them, but recently, he felt that the bandits outside seemed to make the emperor very unhappy.Although at this time Li Jie still didn't understand what the rogues looked like and why they couldn't be hunted down after so many years.

At this time, in the government affairs, although the Southern Yamen and Northern Divisions were still arguing non-stop, the great eunuch Tian Lingzi was flattered and relied on by Lu Xie.To a large extent, the two most important prime ministers in the court at this time-Lu Xie and Zheng Tian always disagreed. Whenever there was a major event, the two could not settle down. After all, both of them had their own interests in mind. "Guangzhou has fallen, and Guangzhou is at stake. Today, all the nobles are called to discuss the strategy of defeating the enemy." As the king of a country, facing the severe situation, Li Xuan's voice trembled slightly. Zheng Tian immediately said: "Qizuo Your Majesty, Guangzhou Jiedu Envoy Li Tiao and Fuzhou Observation Envoy Cui Yu jointly signed a report: Huang Chao wrote to Fuzhou, and his words contained the meaning of surrender. Li Tiao said, Huang Chao has been fighting for many years and prayed If one side of the territory can settle down, if they can get Guangzhou, they will be satisfied. The minister thinks that he can be temporarily appeased to solve the war in the world." Li Xuan asked: "Zheng Aiqing has always advocated conquest and suppression, why is he talking about appeasement today?" Zheng Tian said: "The Huangchao has conquered the north and the south all the year round. Although he still has some prestige, he is tired of fighting. The land of Guangzhou is located in the south of Guangdong. The sky is high and the earth is far away. The land is sparsely populated. , it kills two birds with one stone. During this period, the Central Plains feudal towns can rest and recuperate, but Huang Chao has an act of disobedience, and it will not be too late to reunite and annihilate." Lu Xie on the side said coldly: "Master Zheng's words are so absurd! If Guangzhou is handed over to Huang Chao, after many years, he will have enough food and resources to revolt again, what will the court do?" Zheng Tian said: "If Huang Chao is to take office locally, organize and dispatch his troops, and return them to their native lands, and wait until next year's autumn is full of cooked food, even if Huang Chao wants to gather again, who will follow?" Lu Xie said: "How can we do this deceitful way for the country's great plan? Mr. Zheng has not seen the pain of the three towns in Hebei, and it has not stopped until now?" Everyone above the court could see that the two most powerful prime ministers were facing each other, which showed that the conflict had accumulated for a long time.The old prime minister, Wang Duo, saw that Lu and Zheng had their own concerns, and whether it was the main battle or the main caress, they were separated by a layer of selfish desires. At this time, it may be a critical time for him to come forward.He didn't have time to weigh his own weight, relying on his years of experience as an official, he took a step forward and bowed before the court: "Your Majesty, this old minister has received the emperor's favor. Although he seldom leads troops to war, he is willing to share his worries for His Majesty." "Oh? Old Aiqing, what's your request?" "The old minister implores His Majesty to let the minister lead the army to go out. The old minister is willing to guard Jingnan. Jingnan is an important town in Jiangling. The right controls Bashu, the left connects Wuyue, the south connects to Wuling, and the north goes to the capital. If you occupy Jingnan, you can hold your throat. Prevent the yellow thieves from going north along Jingxiang. This is an offensive and defensive strategy." Li Xuan was very happy.He didn't expect that Wang Duo, who is the prime minister of a country, would be able to take the initiative to lead the army to fight, so he readily agreed: "Okay! I will designate you as the Jingnan Jiedu envoy, and go to the south to recruit the capital. Set off today to break the yellow nest." .” "Follow the order!" Zheng Tian went down sullenly.The quarrel with Lu Xie in the courtroom that day was actually because he learned that Lu Xie flattered and flattered Tian Lingzi.Although he had shown weakness to Tian Lingzi many times in the past, there was always a hint of dissatisfaction in the hearts of the scholars—an eunuch is an eunuch, a traitor and a traitor!On the surface, it is possible to show weakness to these powerful eunuchs as an expedient measure, but it would be a shameful thing to sell the whole soul!Why doesn't he hope that they can be conquered and suppressed to ensure the peace of the world.However, who else inside and outside the imperial court can lead troops to share the country's worries?The general of the dynasty, he only respected one person in his life, and that was Jin He.But it's a pity that he died before he left the teacher, which made the hero burst into tears!In addition to the Zhongwu Army, there may be three forces in the world that can compete with Huang Chao-the former Xichuan Jiedu envoy Gao Pian, Caizhou's Qin Zongquan, and the Shatuo tribe's iron cavalry.When Gao Pian was the envoy of Xichuan Jiedu, he defeated Nanzhao's attack in one fell swoop and quelled the 20-year war in Xichuan. This is of course a great achievement.However, since Gao Pian was ordered to crusade against the grass army, the recalcitrant bandits had been postponed and had no intention of cutting them off, but Lu Xie still recommended Gao Pian.This alone made Zheng Tian completely unfavorable to Lu Xie, and Gao Pian's actions also gave him an ominous premonition.Besides, Qin Zongquan in Caizhou did not listen to the imperial court's dispatch after he took office, but recruited troops in private, watching the development of the current situation, which effectively imitated Song Wei's support for troops.Although the Shatuo tribe in the north is a brave and elite army, this group of foreigners seems to be a serious problem for the court.The leader of the Shatuo tribe is Li Guochang, and in recent years his son Li Keyong has also made his debut in several battles.Just a few months ago, Li Ke used his troops to attack Hedong.If these foreigners rebel with Huang Chao, Datang is really in danger! Why is Zheng Tian unwilling to invite Ying to fight, but when he thinks that he is just a scholar, how can he have a strategy to stabilize the country, he can only laugh at himself faintly.Wang Duo's self-recommendation surprised him, but he admired Wang Duo's courage. When Zheng Tian returned to the mansion, Wang Qize and Meng Tu also came after hearing the news, wanting to know the situation of today's court meeting.The housekeeper poured Zheng Tian a cup of tea, and left. "Enxiang, I heard that you are speaking to the emperor today to appease Huang Chao?" Meng Tu is a straight-hearted person, and he can't keep his words in his mind, "The general is stupid, these gangsters can only be driven out, how can they be recruited?" Zheng Tian looked at Mengtu, then asked Wang Qize, "What does General Qize think?" "Oh, I think the same as Lao Meng, and I also feel that it is not the time to caress. Maybe En thinks farther than us, and I am willing to listen to En Xiang's teachings." "Actually, I also know that Huang Chao is absolutely unwilling to accept surrender easily. It's just that in such a huge China right now, we can't find a handsome talent!" "Enxiang..." Wang Qize said cautiously, "The general thinks that Supervisor Yang of the Loyal Military Army can still make a difference." Zheng Tian shook his head: "He is an eunuch, and he is unreliable. We in the Tang Dynasty have suffered from eunuchs for more than a hundred years. Think about it, if it weren't for these eunuchs to be domineering, how could Duke Jin endure the humiliation? Fang, but he is also a peacemaker!" Zheng Tian's words refer to the fact that Yang Fuguang was summoned to surrender Wang Xianzhi several times not long ago.Just as he was talking, the butler walked into the main hall: "Master Xiang, there is a scholar who wants to see you." "Scholar?" Zheng Tian frowned. It was the first time he met such a bold scholar, "Just say that I am busy with business and have no time to see each other." "He said that he is an old friend of Xiangye, and he must meet." "My old friend?" Zheng Tian turned in his mind for a long time, but he couldn't find the answer.Curiosity drove him to find out who this bold scholar was, "You bring him in." Not long after, the housekeeper ushered in a middle-aged man in his forties. "The grassroots refer to the Prime Minister." After finishing speaking, the visitor bowed to the end. Zheng Tian looked at this person, wearing a square scarf and a blue coarse cloth robe, looking clean and refreshing.Looking at this person's face, he was kind and docile——this person seemed to have seen it before, but he couldn't remember it, so he asked, "Who are you?" "Your Excellency, don't you remember? It's in Weizhuang, Duling." "Oh! Are you Duanji?" Zheng Tian suddenly recalled, "Oh, look, we haven't seen each other for more than ten years, right?" "It's been 18 years since the last farewell." Zheng Tian asked Wei Zhuang to sit down.In fact, he and Wei Zhuang have only met a few times, and their friendship is not very close.But when he learned that Wei Zhuang was a descendant of the famous Wei Jiansu, he spontaneously felt a kind of respect for the descendants of the former prime minister.At that time, Zheng Tian was just a feudal shogunate, and had not yet entered the court as an official.After getting acquainted with Wei Zhuang, he also admired his talent very much, and once promised that if there is anything useful in the future, just come to him. Wei Zhuang told Zheng Tian that his two brothers came to Chang'an from Duling again to take the exam and lived in the Jubin Inn in Dongshi.At this time, the Jinshi imperial examination has ended, and candidates from all over the country are living in the inn, waiting for the day when they will be released.Wei Zhuang expressed his worries about the unfair judgment and his desire to be loyal to the court, and hoped that Zheng Tian could help him. Zheng Tian had read Wei Zhuang's poems before, and although he had little contact with him, it cannot be denied that Wei Zhuang was a talented young man.Unexpectedly, more than ten years later, he is now a prime minister, and such a rare talent is still rushing to catch up for the exam.Wei Zhuang's request is actually not too much, and Zheng Tian also hopes that more scholars like Wei Zhuang who take the common people in the world as their own responsibility will be appointed as important officials in the court, and they will stand up to those forces who compromise with the eunuchs.So, he readily agreed to Wei Zhuang, saying that he would try his best to find a way. Sending Wei Zhuang away, Zheng Tian thought about it, considering that the phenomenon of fraud in the examination room itself is very serious, and it is also suspected of cheating if he comes forward to submit an application to the chief examiner.After thinking about it, it might be the most convenient way to simply enter the pilgrimage and recommend Wei Zhuang to the emperor.So, after lunch, he hurried to the palace. As soon as he entered the palace, Zheng Tian went straight to the Six Kings Court.In his impression, no matter how tense the battle situation is, the emperor should always be there to play chess or chat with other princes at this time.He had just walked around a screen wall, and saw Tian Lingzi and his party walking out of the Six Kings Court surrounded by the emperor from a distance.Faintly, one could hear Tian Lingzi's flattering voice: "The emperor is not only good at Go, but also outstanding in this game. No one inside or outside the Tang Dynasty can match it!" Hearing these words, Li Xuan smiled happily: "Father praises him so much, it must be because he has something else to report." "Where did the emperor say, this time should be considered as the emperor's rest time. The emperor wants to play polo, of course the old slave will accompany him. However, the old slave wants to recommend some people to the emperor to play with the emperor." "Hehe, since that's the case, let's go to the court." While speaking, Li Xuan, Tian Lingzi and others had already arrived in front of Zheng Tian. "Chen Zhengtian has seen the emperor." "Is Aiqing looking for me for something?" "Huh..." Zheng Tian felt that this was not the time to recommend Wei Zhuang, so he declined, "I also want to accompany the emperor to watch polo." As if Li Xuan didn't know Zheng Tian, ​​he looked him up and down, and couldn't help laughing.Every time Zheng Tian came to the Six Kings Court to look for him, either to report important national affairs, or to tell himself about the interests of the court. Accompanied by Tian Lingzi and several other young eunuchs, he walked quickly towards the stadium.Zheng Tian scolded fiercely in his heart: "Zheng Tian, ​​when did you become like this? You are so confused!" But after thinking about it, if you speak rashly at this moment, it may be the same as recommending Jinhe at the beginning. Things backfired.He lowered his head and followed behind resentfully. "Master Zheng..." Zheng Tian heard someone calling him from behind, turned around and looked up, and saw that it was the young Shou Wang Ye Li Jie. "The prince has something to do with his servant?" "I have a question to ask my lord."