Chapter 20 Chapter Twenty
It's raining again, spring rain is as expensive as oil.Li Jie sat quietly in front of the window, looking at the nest of newborn swallows under the eaves in the distance, under the protection of the mother swallows, and quietly waiting for the rain to stop.For some reason, he suddenly remembered his childhood.He could hardly remember his mother's appearance. Although his father seldom took care of the government, he seldom talked to him.A sense of sadness and loneliness surged in his heart, and he suddenly envied those young swallows under the care of the mother swallow's wings.The rainwater at the eaves is connected in strings, falling to the ground like silver threads.There are occasional red flowers blooming in the corner of the room, withstood the baptism of spring rain.To describe this situation, I am afraid that there is no more appropriate poem than Du Fu's "Happy Rain on a Spring Night".For the first time, Li Jie felt that reading a poem is absolutely inseparable from the poet's original writing environment and artistic conception, otherwise it will lack three points of sincerity and tenderness.He suddenly remembered the manor in Mianzhou.As soon as he thought of it, Lian Che's frowns and smiles immediately appeared in front of his eyes.If he had been born in an ordinary family, he might not have to worry about state affairs, and could live in seclusion in the mountains and spend his life leisurely.But after all, he was born in the royal family, and from the day he was born, he was doomed to be unable to stay out of every change and tribulation this country endured.
"My lord, are you still thinking about Miss He's family?" Deshun has been with him for many years, and he can't hide every little thought from this young eunuch who is about his age in front of him.
Seeing that Li Jie was silent, the little eunuch said again: "My lord, if you really want to see her, let the emperor send a decree to order Mr. He to bring her to Chengdu..."
"He Yuanwai has tens of thousands of hectares of fertile land, what do I have? I am precarious like a dog in mourning, panicked like a fish slipping through the net..."
"My lord, don't be too sad, the yellow thief just succeeded for a while, sooner or later we will regain Chang'an and tear him to pieces!"
"I hope... Alas, the sun and the moon are wasting here, I am anxious, but I can't exert myself."
"The little one is about to congratulate the prince. The emperor has already asked you to participate in the state affairs. You have read poetry and books, and you have to ask about the government. You will be able to make great achievements!"
A spark of hope suddenly flashed in Li Jie's eyes, but then, the freshness in his eyes was fleeting and filled with sorrow again: "Don't be joking, princes and relatives are not allowed to participate in politics - this is the ancestor's precept."
Seeing that Li Jie didn't believe it, Deshun was so anxious to swear: "A small half-sentence will be a thunderbolt! The emperor said that Mr. Zhang, a doctor in the Ministry of war, will take you to familiarize yourself with the government. Mr. Zhang is waiting for you in the living room now. "
Li Jie couldn't help being overjoyed when he heard this.The Zhang Jun and Zhang Yuchuan who had previously offered food to the magistrate of Hanyin County had already been worshiped by the emperor as the doctor of the military department. It would be great if he could take him to familiarize himself with the government as soon as possible.It has been his dream for many years to contribute his strength to the court that is about to fall.It's a pity that, as the younger brother of the emperor, he cannot interfere in the government affairs.But perhaps it was because the new imperial court in exile in Chengdu was short of manpower, so the emperor made an exception and let him participate in politics.Fortunately, this time, that damned eunuch Tian Lingzi didn't stop him.
Since the emperor was lucky to drive, many courtiers rushed to Chengdu after hardships.Li Xuan's cowardice and Tian Lingzi's domineering gradually allowed this eunuch to truly control the military and political power of Western Shu.With the help of Zhang Jun, Li Jie can learn the latest battle reports from the front line every day, and he often hears his dissatisfaction with Tian Lingzi from the words of this young soldier of the Ministry of War.However, although Li Jie hated Tian Ling deeply, he still couldn't imagine that an eunuch could really control the fate of a country, until one day, when he witnessed a tragedy with his own eyes——
On this day, Tian Lingzi hosted a banquet for the generals, and Zhang Jun led the young Li Jie to sit among them.Tian Lingzi sat in the middle with a radiant face, and saw that the ministers and workers of the Ministry of War, the school generals of the Xichuan capitals, and his caring generals of the forbidden army had arrived, and he got up and said: "Everyone, the emperor is lucky to Shu, and the journey is hard; after a month, You have made great contributions all the way, and you are indeed our heroes of the Tang Dynasty! Now the imperial court is set up in Chengdu, and the world is at home. In the future, the emperor will inevitably have to reuse you, so that you are not talented, let's make a toast on behalf of the emperor!" wine cup.The left and right soldiers stood up one after another and raised their glasses to congratulate: "I am willing to serve the army!" After finishing speaking, everyone drank the wine.
Tian Lingzi was very intoxicated by the attitude of the soldiers, and raised his glass, ready to drink back.At the moment when the rim of the cup was on his lips, he caught sight of an embarrassing figure from the corner of his eye——Guo Qi, the capital head of the Xichuan Army in Jiannan, was holding a golden cup, standing upright without drinking.Tian Lingzi put down the wine cup and said with a sneer, "Guo Dutou, do you think the gold cup in your hand is not valuable enough?"
Guo Qi's expression was plain, and she said, "No way!"
Tian Lingzi smiled again: "Oh, Guo Dutou has lived in the wine town of Jiannan for a long time, so he must think that this fine wine is not mellow enough?"
Guo Qi put down her wine glass and said, "It's not true! Junrong said just now that all the officers and men present here are loyal ministers, so why are rewards and punishments unknown?"
Tian Lingzi frowned and gritted his teeth, and asked, "Why do I not know the rewards and punishments?"
Guo Qi sneered: "Why does the military officer know what to ask? I waited for the escort all the way from Jiannan, but the military officer refused to allow me to see the driver. To this day, I only know the five hundred soldiers who accompanied me, but I don't know the hard work of tens of thousands of Shu generals! Not only that, since I fought The Shence Army was reorganized, and those who lived in the generals were rewarded with a banquet every three days and a reward every five days. Different. Both worked for the emperor, but the heroes were deceived?"
Tian Lingzi angrily threw the wine cup in his hand heavily on the ground: "A mere general, how dare you speak and reward? What merit do you have, how dare you show off your power here?" Guo Qi replied without any fear: "Qi was born in Shandong and marched on the border. Despicable, a hundred deaths!" After saying that, he tore off his outer robe, exposed his chest, pointed to the wound on his left chest, and said, "Dangxiang's seventeenth battle, Khitan's thirteenth battle, countless arrow wounds in Qi's arrows, the cluster head weighs like a catty!" Pointing to his shoulders, he said, "The scars on the abdomen and back are still there!" Then, he tore off his inner robe and said, "Conquer Tuyuhun, crack the threat of intestines, sew and restore the war..." All the soldiers present admired him, but they dared not speak.Tian Lingzi saw that he could not subdue this illustrious general, so he clapped his hands and asked someone to change the wine. He made a toast to Guo Qi himself, and smiled coldly: "Don't be angry, general. If Tian is really unclear about the reward and punishment, we will discuss after drinking the wine." Guo Qi's eyes flickered.Perhaps, he knew in his heart that Tian Lingzi would poison the wine, but since he just stopped drinking, he put life and death aside.So, he raised his head and drank the wine in his glass...
Li Jie was shocked by everything in front of him.What shocked him even more was that from Zhang Jun's mouth, he learned that Guo Qi's words were true, but he and his brother Li Xuan really didn't know about the escort of the soldiers of the Shu army.
The banquet was over, and Li Jie walked out quickly alone depressed.Zhang Jun followed closely behind Li Jie, and asked flatteringly, "Where are you going in such a hurry, little prince?"
"I'm going to see Brother Huang in the palace, and I want him to know how arrogant the eunuch has become!"
"No way," Zhang Jun advised, "To be honest, I hate Tian Ling deeply. However, right now he has all the power, and the emperor needs his instructions even to enter and leave the palace. What's the use of telling the emperor?" Li Jie clenched his teeth and couldn't say a word.
"My lord, don't worry..."
"Can I not be in a hurry? The country is destroyed, the capital is lost, and the royal family of Li and Tang is usurped by the Tian family!"
Zhang Jun urgently ordered Li Jie to keep his voice down. He looked around and lowered his voice and said, "What the prince said is wrong. Although Tian Lingzi has great power and is domineering, he will never usurp our Great Tang Dynasty."
"how do I say this?"
"Think about it. Throughout the past and present, although eunuchs have seen a lot of power, they will not replace them after all. They are people with incomplete six senses, and they want nothing more than power. What's more, Chang'an fell. I think that although the Tian family has power for a while, he also Never forget to revive Chang'an. You know, the Great Tang Dynasty is gone, and neither are his dignitaries. My lord, the most important thing right now is to take over the capital first, and the next step is to plan for the country's long-term..."
Li Jie admired Zhang Jun's analysis very much, and kept nodding his head.
Zhang Jun said again: "My lord, forgive me for your boldness. If you are the emperor, the Tang Dynasty will be prosperous!"
"Shut up!" Li Jie said decisively.He never had this kind of thought, his humble background made him never dare to extravagantly ask for his status and the rank of ninety-five.What's more, he has a deep relationship with the emperor's brother Li Xuan, and what he is looking forward to in his heart is only a peaceful and prosperous world-but in the late Tang Dynasty, what kind of extravagant hope was this. "I want to see Brother Huang." He murmured to himself.
Seeing that Zhang Jun had said something wrong, his tone became cautious, but at the same time, his judgment became more firm in his heart. The young prince in front of him already possessed the talent and courage to be a wise king. "My lord, the emperor is not in the palace today, Master Pan Zun accompanied the emperor to Qingyang Si in the west of the city."
"Master Pan?" Li Jie was extremely unfamiliar with this name.
"My lord has never heard of this person?" Zhang Jun was very surprised. "He is a master of Taoism, the elder of Taoism. When I was working in Chang'an, I have heard the name of the master for a long time, but I have never met him!"
"Oh, it turned out to be a Taoist fairy..." As a descendant of the Li family, Li Jie has always had a special feeling for Taoism.The great ancestor Li Yuan once called himself a descendant of Li Er, the founder of Taoism, and also designated Taoism as the state religion.Later, Empress Wu proclaimed himself emperor and began to promote Buddhism. In the reign of his father Yizong, the wind of worshiping Buddhism reached its peak.But Li Jie admired Gaozu and Taizong's Qingping and prosperity since he was a child, so he naturally had deep feelings for Taoism.Hearing what Zhang Jun said, he insisted on going to Qingyang Temple to meet the expert.
Qingyang Temple was originally a small street outside Luocheng, where the once famous Xuanzhong temple in Xichuan was located.About Qingyang Temple, there is a magical legend widely circulated in Xichuan: According to legend, in the Western Zhou Dynasty, Lao Dan, who was then a Tibetan historian, saw the decline of the royal family, so he rode a green ox alone and went west to Hangu.Guan Lingyin was delighted to hear his name, and forced Laozi to stay in Guanzhong, writing five thousand words.However, the words of the scriptures are simple and profound, and they are extremely mysterious. Lao Tzu thought that Yin Xi would find it difficult to understand what he meant, so he told him: After a thousand days, go to Qingyang, the land of Shu, and look for me.After all, he jumped into the clouds and flew away, and the sky was shining brightly for a long time.Seeing this, Yin Xi was surprised and delighted, and from then on he put aside all human affairs and devoted himself to cultivation.Three years later, Yin Xi's term as an official expired, and he came to Chengdu as promised to find Laojun and continue his studies.Later, Yin Xi attained the Tao and was conferred on Mr. Wen Shi by Laojun as the supreme real person.This legendary story has existed in central Shu since ancient times, but it is unknown when the Taoist temple was built in Qingyangsi.Because it is said that this is the place where Lao Tzu was born again, the incense has continued in the past dynasties.Xuanzhong Temple is also affectionately called Qingyang Temple by Xichuan people.
Zhang Jun led Li Jie out of the city from Xiaoximen, and came to the Xuanzhong Temple of Qingyangsi not long after.When I entered the gate, I didn't see cigarettes curling up. Instead, there were green trees and weeds.Looking around, the pavilions and palaces are scattered in an orderly manner, and the afterglow of the prosperous age can be faintly seen; however, most of them are dilapidated without repairs for a long time, which looks very desolate.At this moment, a group of people came down from the deserted pavilion on the earth slope in the distance. Li Jie saw that it was the emperor's brother Li Xuan, accompanied by two Taoists, one old and one young.
Li Jie stepped forward to greet the emperor brother.
Li Yan pointed to the old Taoist on the left, and introduced: "Jie, this is Venerable Master Pan." Then he pointed to the young Taoist on the right, "This is Du Guangting, a famous Taoist, named Dongyingzi. I wanted to invite Master Pan to preside over Taoism in Western Shu matters, but the respected teacher refused to be old and recommended Guangting to me."
Li Jie raised his eyes, and saw the old Taoist in front of him with a high bun, a ruddy face, three strands of beard fluttering in the wind, and a plain Taoist robe showing off his leanness.Li Jie thought to himself, from Zhang Jun mentioning Master Pan's respectful demeanor, it is not difficult to see that Master Pan is of high virtue and prestige, so it is understandable for Brother Huang to ask him to preside over missions; but this young Taoist in front of him is only in his early thirties, how can he be worthy of such a great responsibility?But because of the face of the emperor's brother, he suppressed the doubts in his heart.
At this time, suddenly a fierce horse broke into the Guanmen, a soldier covered in dust almost rolled off the horse, climbed up to the emperor in three or two steps, panting: "Your Majesty, hurry up Fengxiang!" Fengxiang!Li Xuan was startled.Since breaking up with Zheng Tian, Zheng Tian has sent a secret report almost every ten days.Every urgent letter from Fengxiang let the emperor know the situation on the front line as soon as possible.However, in the past three months, the situation of the battle has been changing. There is a great victory at Longweipi, and there is also the regret of losing Chang'an.After the surprise, there is shock; besides laughter, there are tears.Li Xuan was hesitant to accept the sealed letter, what would be the news he was about to hear?
He finally made up his mind and opened the letter, he couldn't help but be surprised!But I saw only a few words in the letter, saying: "Fengxiang mutinied, Changyan seized power, and expelled the ministers outside the city. The minister owes the emperor's favor, and his crime cannot be pardoned. Immediately, he will go to Yizhou to subdue the law. The minister is here."
Li Xuan's hands were shaking.Since Gao Pian embraced his own self-respect, he pinned all his hopes of revitalizing Chang'an on Zheng Tian alone.But the world is unpredictable, who would have thought that Zheng Tian's subordinate Li Changyan would do such a disobedient thing!Zheng Tian lost his military power, how easy is it to counterattack Chang'an?
silence.There was a long silence.Zhang Jun, Pan Zunshi and Du Guangting could only watch the emperor silently, no one knew what happened.Finally, as if he had been suppressed for too long, Li Xuan let out a sigh of relief with tears in his voice, and choked up, "Taiwen..." At that moment, from what he remembered, every time Zheng Tian tried to persuade him and the last parting The scenes of kneeling before him emerged one by one.He slowly let go of the right hand that was tightly holding the emergency report, slowly raised it, and handed the letter to Zhang Jun.
After seeing it, Zhang Jun was shocked, but he immediately calmed down and said, "Your Majesty, as the prime minister, Mr. Zheng put his personal safety aside, gathered all the ways, and punished the rebellious yellow thieves. He has worked hard..."
"I know." Li Yan interrupted Zhang Jun. He swallowed, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and his voice became firm, "I will send someone to pick him up! Take him to my side!"