Chapter 16 4. Die if you are addicted

The two scholars who want to dedicate themselves to the Han Dynasty and prepare to slay demons and demons are both top-notch masters in the Jianghu.They are: Situ Yang Zhen, Shangshu Pushe Chen Zhong. Yang Zhen, courtesy name Boqi, was born in Hongnong Huayin (now East Huayin, Shaanxi Province), and was born in a famous family. The ancestors of the Yang family can be traced back to when the great ancestor Liu Bang founded the country.Back then, when Xiang Yu was defeated and fled in Gaixia, Guan Ying had a young man named Yang Xi who chased him with all his might.After being scared away by Xiang Yu, he went back to chase, but when Xiang Yu committed suicide, he rushed up in time to chop a big piece of meat.Therefore, he was named Marquis of Chiquan.

During Huo Guang's era, another high-ranking official came out of the Yang family.This man, named Yang Chang, was the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty at that time.His first principle of being an official is safety first, so he is very timid and dare not show any limelight. He was called the number one coward in the Han Dynasty by the people at that time. After so many years, the Yang family has produced a prime minister-level top seed like Yang Zhen, which can be described as infinite glory.At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, another genius-type smart man came out of the Yang family, and he was Yang Xiu who was very good at playing tricks.During the four hundred years of bloody turmoil in the Han Dynasty, the Yang family was like a five-yue mountain, standing in the sky and the earth without falling, which can be described as a miracle among miracles.

When Yang Zhen was young, he was obsessed with reading, and he read it until he was 50 years old, and got a famous name in the academic world-Yang Boqi, the Confucius of Kansai. Confucius has two major characteristics in his life, one is high knowledge, and the other is many disciples.It can be seen that this Yang Boqi is called Kansai Confucius, at least he has gathered a lot of fans around him. However, when Confucius was studying, he was always obsessed with the officialdom, but this Yang Boqi in front of him only read the books of sages and sages, and he didn't listen to things outside the window, showing a strong concentration.

Since ancient times, almost every scholar has had a dream—righteousness, self-cultivation, family harmony, state governance, and world peace.At that time, someone once persuaded Yang Zhen to go out to become an official, but he was unmoved.Could it be that Yang Boqi has really given up the idea of ​​becoming an official and doesn't follow the crowd? In fact, it wasn't that Yang Zhen didn't like being an official. He was waiting for someone, a Bole who knew the goods. At that time, Jiang Taigong was eighty years old when he waited for someone who knew the goods. He was only fifty years old. As long as he lived long enough, he could wait another thirty years. What's the rush?

Yang Zhen is not in a hurry, but someone is in a hurry.When he was fifty years old, he met Bole and his confidant in his life.No one thought that his Bole was actually Deng Zhi who was discouraged by the Qiang people and lost his temper by Yu Xu, and resigned from the general in despair. When Deng Zhi pulled Yang Zhen to make his debut, he first promoted Maocai, then Qiancishi, Taishou, Taipu, Taichang, and Situ.From Maocai to Situ, it took him only eleven years to jump to a height that others could not reach in several lifetimes. Someone once said that if you are not good enough, it means you are not lonely enough.Really outstanding people grow out of suffering, waiting, tempering and beating in loneliness.

And Yang Zhen is such a master, who has been unwavering in his resolve for fifty years and devoted himself to practicing martial arts, and finally soared into the sky. Chen Zhong, courtesy name Boshi, his father, Chen Chong, was once Sikong, one of the three princes. Chen Chong came out to be an official, mainly because he chose the right major and studied law.Later, Chen Zhong also studied law, no worse than his father.He served as Tingweizheng, and was later worshiped as Shangshu. We know that since Liu Xiu, the three princes of the Han Dynasty were all used as decorations and had no actual power.The power of the government is in the hands of Shang Shu.However, if there is a problem in the world, Sangong will be held accountable if there is a problem, and Shang Shu will sit back and relax and have nothing to do with him.

It can be seen from this that it is not ordinary for Chen Zhong to become a minister. However, from a certain point of view, Chen Zhong and Yang Zhen are comrades on the same boat.Because they are the same no matter their origin or the class interests they represent. But they can be said to be in the same boat but not at the same heart, one is passerby A, the other is passerby B, they are like strangers.Because of this, it cannot be said that officials and officials are inferior to each other.Chen Zhong and Yang Zhen couldn't get along, mainly because of one person. And this person is Yang Zhen's Bole Deng Zhi.

When it comes to Deng Zhi, Chen Zhong has a long mouth all over his body and wants to bite.The thing is like this: when the Empress Dowager Deng was in power, Zhang Yu, who was obedient, approached Chen Chong, who was Sikong at the time, and said that they would play together, and suggested that the Empress Dowager Deng follow up with Deng Xun, the father of the Empress Dowager Deng, but Chen Zhong's father Chen Chong refused. up.The reason why Chen Chong refused was that there was no such practice in the Han Dynasty. Because of this, Deng Zhi hated Chen Chong to death, and then tried every means to suppress Chen Zhong, so that he could not be a high-ranking official.

Chen Zhong has been suppressed for many years, not only suffers from depression, but also seems to have some signs of psychopathy.Therefore, when the Queen Mother Deng died, he raised his legs and rushed into the palace to lobby Liu Hu like a grandson monkey jumping out of a stone: Now is the time for you to take revenge. Pass. If you can do the first grade of junior high school, I can do the fifteenth grade. If you suppress me for a while, I will let you die without a place to bury you.Chen Zhong said it, and he did it.After Deng Zhi committed suicide, no one dared to collect the body.Da Sinong couldn't stand it anymore, and immediately jumped up to defend Deng Zhi, but Liu Hu didn't say anything, demoted Da Sinoong and drove him out of Luoyang City.

This is simply too much. It is true that Deng Zhi is a foreign relative, but his reputation is not so high as to be a rat on the street, everyone shouts and beats him.He has an advantage that everyone can see, that is, he can recommend and promote talents without sticking to one pattern.If it wasn't for him, Yang Zhen would probably still be stuck in the pile of books. Facts have also proved that many of the talents promoted by Deng Zhi are not here to make money, but are masters with unique skills. There is no historical evidence to prove that Yang Zhen directly spoke for Deng Zhi.However, a discerning person can see that it has been quietly operating behind the scenes.Therefore, after Liu Hu drove Da Si Nong out of Luoyang City, many senior officials in the central government collectively wrote a letter to fight for Deng Zhi's injustice.

The strength of the collective is precious. Liu Hu blushed when he saw so many people speaking for Deng Zhi. Liu Hu said before that Deng Zhi did not participate in the conspiracy of Queen Mother Deng and was going to abolish him, so he was sent back to Fengguo.Now he says one thing and does another, and drives people to a valley thousands of miles away. It seems unreasonable to refuse to collect their bodies after they die. After thinking about it, Liu Hu felt too embarrassed, so he pretended to be righteous, issued an edict to scold the local county guard, and then sent someone to collect Deng Zhi's body, and allowed some of Deng Zhi's cousins ​​to return to Beijing to live. Although Chen Zhong did not succeed in implementing the plan that none of the Deng family would be spared, Deng Zhi's unsightly death was enough for a living person like him.Therefore, he no longer pursued anything, but submerged himself to do his job well. However, soon, Chen Zhong discovered that in the officialdom, it is easy to engage in political struggles, but it is too difficult to do a few good things for the country. First of all, Chen Zhong saw that Liu Hu even promoted his nanny's daughter, and immediately wrote a letter saying, the emperor, you don't want to pull everyone, but you want to be close to virtuous officials and distant villains. When the report was typed, people ignored him. Then, Chen Zhong saw that Liu Hu was going to build a mansion for his confidant Jiang Jing, and he immediately wrote a letter saying that the country is so poor that the people can't even afford food, so you should save yourself. People still ignored him. Chen Zhong's situation is also the result of Yang Zhen.While Chen Zhong was playing over there, Yang Zhen was also busy.The two went into battle side by side, and fought like a wheel. They raised a lot of opinions, but the emperor didn't listen to any of them. Chen Zhong was tired, Yang Zhen was also crying, but someone secretly laughed behind his back. Those hiding in the dark are mainly three guys, they are Zhongchang Servant Fan Feng, Zhongchang Servant Zhou Guang, and Xie Yun. After laughing, they summed up their experience: the seemingly powerful mainstream of the world has fallen; it is reliable to follow the emperor; it is absolutely safe to corrupt and pervert the law. Who said mice are afraid to take to the streets?Now Fan Feng and the others dare to swagger on the streets, and even dare to play in front of Yang Zhen, a sick cat.They build mansions, gardens, and squander public funds, as if the national treasury is a bank opened by their family, and they can spend whatever they like. Yang Zhen couldn't bear it anymore. Filled with grief and indignation, he pushed another palm, giving Liu Hu a fierce performance. This time, his memorial no longer beat around the bush, but written in black and white, full of gunpowder. He told Liu Hu this way: the country is restless, the earthquakes are repeated, and the disasters continue, all caused by the jesters around you.Heaven has warned you, if you don't suppress them and revive the country, just wait and see. Look, it's all about this. Different from the past, this time Liu Hu felt as if he had been beaten with a sap, and he was full of anger.He thought, Yang Zhen, if you play your music, I will not hinder you; the problem is, you are buzzing in my ears all day like a Tang monk, which has seriously interfered with my life. Liu Hu decided to repair Yang Zhen. Speaking of repairs, the opportunity has come.The fuse is a playing book.I have seen a lot of memorials, but this time the memorial is different. It was written by a man named Zhao Teng.The wording of the memorial was stronger than Yang Zhen's previous one, listing several items, pointing out various mistakes made by the government under the emperor's leadership. When Liu Hu saw it, he was very angry.Earlier Yang Zhen scolded me, but I endured it because he was one of the three princes of the Han Dynasty, the old master of Confucius in Guanxi.What the hell are you Zhao Teng now that you dare to contradict me? Come on, take it.Liu Hu ordered Zhao Teng to be arrested immediately, and the interrogation was completed quickly, and Zhao Teng was convicted of "deceiving the leadership and committing treason".This is the most serious capital crime, and no god can save anyone who is charged with this crime. But at this moment, Liu Hu received another memorial. He didn't care much after reading it, and became even angrier after reading it. However, he could only hate in his heart, clenched his fist tightly, and wanted to hit someone, but he couldn't. Because, the memorial in front of me belongs to Yang Zhen again. He wrote the letter for only one purpose, to ask the emperor to show mercy and not kill Zhao Teng.What is the relationship between Zhao Teng and Yang Zhen?God knows.Yang Zhen is a Confucian in Kansai, and his fans are all over the Central Plains, more than women in the harem. It is not surprising that they want to get online. But it can also be seen from this that Yang Zhen, an old guy, has a deep foundation in the central government. It is not easy for him to shake the emperor, but it is also quite difficult for the emperor to shake him. Thinking of this, Liu Hu knew what to do. To kill Zhao Teng, he must be killed.Killing chickens to make an example to monkeys is to give Yang a little color.So Liu Hu gave the order, and Zhao Teng was dragged out and chopped down. Then, he patted his butt and went out to travel again. Liu Hu took Yang Zhen into the army and thought he was very proud of himself.But he didn't know that just after he left Luoyang City, Yang Zhen had stretched out his iron sand palm in the city.This palm was so powerful that no one could stop it, it stunned the three masters including Zhongchang Attendant Fan Feng. Yang Zhen's iron sand palm was to collect the criminal evidence of Zhongchang servant Fan Feng and others, and the collection was quickly completed, and he was waiting for Liu Hu to return to the palace and play the impeachment. Fan Feng and others were scared.While they were afraid, they also secretly regretted it. Before, they wanted to move Yang Zhen, but they were afraid of his reputation as a great Confucian in Guanxi; if they killed him, scholars all over the world would spit on them, not to mention being scolded to death, or drowned. That's why it's been a while.Well now, when they know that they regret it, the butcher's knife has already reached their necks. When Fan Feng and others were collectively grieving, a magical idea suddenly popped up in their minds: Yang Zhen collected materials and wanted to sue us, shouldn't we collect materials to sue him? The idea is really good, but the problem is that Yang Zhen comes from a pure bloodline, does not commit corruption, does not violate the law, and is active in his work, so what are you suing him for? In fact, to answer this question, there is one person who has the most wonderful answer throughout the ages.That was the accusation that Qin Hui had imposed on Yue Fei—unnecessarily. This is unfounded, it is not true, it depends on whether you can make it up.Fan Feng and others made it up like this. The stars in the sky have moved abnormally recently, which must have been caused by Yang Zhen. In the eyes of today's people, this wording is quite ridiculous; but in the eyes of Han people, it is not ridiculous at all, but very real.In that era of harmony between man and nature, everyone believed that man was doing it, and heaven was watching. If you committed a crime, God would strike you with lightning;There are no doors. Besides, Yang Zhen said before that the frequent earthquakes and disasters in the Han Dynasty were caused by the Zhongchang servant Fan Feng and the gang of villains.Why do you say that we are villains, but we can't say that you are villains, causing the stars to be abnormal? Where did Yang Zhen appear to be a villain? Fan Feng's mind is very good, and he quickly added a premise: he was promoted by Deng Zhi.Without Deng Zhi, Yang Zhen would not be where he is today, and the two are in the same group. There are premises, inferences, and results. The evidence is sufficient, right?Fan Feng believes that having these is enough to put Yang Zhen to death. In 124 A.D., on March 29, Liu Hu came back from his spring outing. When he returned to Luoyang, he was not in a hurry to return to the palace, but rested in the Taixue first.Why do you want to stay in Taixue?The reason was that he had to wait for an auspicious day before he could enter the palace. As I said before, the stars in the sky in the Han Dynasty recently changed. Where did the auspicious day come from?Liu Hu's move was obviously a trap designed by Fan Feng.Naturally, Liu Hu couldn't wait for the auspicious moment, and then they would say that it was because of the villain Yang Zhen. That night, Liu Hu issued an edict to send envoys to Yang Zhen's Taiwei's mansion to collect the seal.Just to clarify, Yang Zhen is not living in Situ's Mansion at this time, but in Taiwei's Mansion.After the former Taiwei was dismissed, Liu Hu appointed him as Taiwei, so he moved from Situ's Mansion to Taiwei's Mansion. At this moment, no one thinks that Yang Zhen won't make it through tonight.But the most miraculous scene in the history of the Han Dynasty happened right in front of Yang Zhen's mansion.When the envoy knocked on the door at the festival, no one opened the door all night, and the door was turned away. It's really awesome. The next day, Fan Feng joined forces with Geng Bao, Da Honglu, to impeach Yang Zhen.When there is a call, this side will make peace.Liu Hu issued an edict to dismiss Yang Zhen from his official position, drive him out of Luoyang City, and send him back to his hometown. This year, Yang Zhen was sixty-five years old.He left Luoyang with his whole family and returned to his hometown. When he passed the Xiyang Pavilion in the west of Luoyang City, he stopped, devastated, generous and desolate.The old Confucius, traveling around the world, is like a bereaved dog, in constant fear.Today, Confucius in Kansai reproduces the sorrow and helplessness of Confucius in Kanto. Yang Zhen called his son and all the disciples to him. He said: "Death, for us scholar-bureaucrats, is a very normal thing. However, I have received the favor of the emperor, and I am in a high position. I can't punish all the evildoers. How can I see the sun and the moon!" After Yang Zhen explained the funeral, he picked up the poisoned wine, drank it down, and committed suicide. Suddenly, I remembered Shi Tiesheng's words: "Death is a festival that must come." Yang Zhen thinks he is a star in the sky who can illuminate this dark era.However, he did not expect that no matter how dazzling the starlight was, it would not be able to penetrate the black clouds over Luoyang City. Tonight, thick clouds have engulfed the city, and the stars are no longer shining!In the dark night, the endless darkness is like a devil, swallowing the last voice of justice in the Han Dynasty.