Zhou Jun, the prime minister of the Northern Tang Dynasty, was well-known in the court for his poetry, songs, and commanding troops in battles, but there was only one thing that was often criticized.
This one is calligraphy.
The calligraphy written by Zhou Jun is very different from the writing style of literati in the Tang Dynasty. Each stroke is like a hook and axe, and the spirit of military force is too strong.
In the words of people who know me well, the Prime Minister only seeks practicality when writing, not expression. The written words are straight and straight, without any continuous strokes or cursive script, which makes people understand at a glance, but it also lacks the charm that calligraphy should have.
.
When Kong You got this manuscript, he could tell at a glance that it was Zhou Jun's calligraphy, and it was an early work.
When Kong You heard that this manuscript was in the hands of a woman, Kong You's first reaction was that it was probably another old debt of friendship between his master's family.
Guo Ziyi was sitting in the Criminal Department and couldn't get away, so Kong You took the prison officer and went to the female prisoners' cell.
At this time, in the female prisoner's cell, Nie Xuanluan and Li Jilan, hearing the shrill screams coming from the torture outside the door, shivered in fear and huddled together.
Nie Xuanluan choked with sobs and said: "Jilan, it was my sister who harmed you. If I had not brought you to Chang'an, there would not be the disaster today."
Li Jilan's face was stained with tears: "Knowing that life will come and go, death will come and go. If you are destined to have this calamity, why bother talking about other things? I only hope that the manuscript collected by my sister can help you and me escape from prison."
Speaking of which, Nie Xuanluan and Li Jilan were also unlucky.
The guests attending the Junping Banquet, apart from the clan members and nobles, the rest were mostly local scholars and musicians from poor families in Chang'an.
The latter two have household registrations in Chang'an, and with a little inquiry, one can tell whether they are prisoners.
However, Nie Xuanluan and Li Jilan, as female crown princes, came from the south of the Yangtze River. Not only did they not have Chang'an household registration, but they also used invitations from noble friends to attend the banquet.
As a result, the two were regarded as accomplices of the clan and were imprisoned.
Just as the two female Taoist priests were sobbing softly, the jailer came up from the corridor, opened the cell door, and said inside: "Come out, Judge Kong wants to see you."
When the jailer took out Nie Xuanluan and Li Jilan from the female prisoners, Kong You was stunned when he saw them.
The two women who came were actually female Taoist priests, and they were both quite old.
Kong You looked back and forth at the two female crowned ladies, and finally set his sights on the younger woman with better appearance, and asked: "Where did you get this manuscript?"
Unexpectedly, the young female crown did not speak, but the person who spoke was the older female crown.
Nie Xuanluan: "The Blessed Immortal Lord, the poor nun first practiced in a nunnery in Chang'an, got acquainted with the prime minister in the market, and later met at the Hongyan Poetry Society."
Hearing Nie Xuanluan say the words "Hongyan Poetry Society", Kong You already half believed it.
After asking the two ladies to wait in the room, Kong You took the manuscript and rushed to the political affairs hall of the Shangshu Province.
Zhou Jun was in the political hall with a cup of strong tea and a stack of books, busy signing and approving government documents for Jingzhao Prefecture County.
Seeing Kong You coming from the Criminal Department, Zhou Jun thought he was in a hurry, so he asked, "But what did the people from the clan say?"
Kong You shook his head and presented the manuscript.
Zhou Jun took it and read it. It took him a while to remember that this manuscript seemed to be his earlier work in the Chang'an Poetry Society.
Kong You told Nie Xuanluan his name and his current situation.
After Zhou Jun heard this, he thought for a long time before he remembered who Nie Xuanluan was.
He wanted to order his release and give him a sum of money to help him settle down. Zhou Jun thought for a while, remembered the entanglements of the previous owner of this body, waved his hand, and asked Kong You to take him to the outer area of Shangshu Province.
Go to the side hall.
A quarter of an hour later, Nie Xuanluan and Li Jilan followed Wu Wei and entered the imperial city.
In the side hall, Zhou Jun met two female crown princes.
After ten years of separation, when we meet again, things have changed.
Nie Xuanluan looked at the man in front of him, his eyes were red, he bowed in a round shape, and said: "The immortal way is precious, and there is no way to measure people. Xuanluan has met the prime minister."
Li Jilan glanced at Zhou Jun secretly and followed suit.
Zhou Jun asked Nie Xuanluan: "Are there any members of the Hongyan Poetry Club still there today?"
Nie Xuanluan: "When Chang'an was destroyed, many commune members fled to the south of the Yangtze River. Most of those who stayed died in the war."
Zhou Jun: "Where is Shao Chang, the county magistrate of Chang'an County?"
Nie Xuanluan: "In the thirteenth year of Tianbao's reign, the Prime Minister of Shao County was moved to Shannan East Road, and there was no contact with him after that."
After hearing this, Zhou Jun sighed softly and said to Nie Xuanluan: "You have nothing to do with this disaster of collusion between the puppet dynasty and the puppet dynasty. I will open a way out, and then allocate wealth and property to help you return to the south of the Yangtze River."
Nie Xuanluan originally had a glimmer of extravagant hope in his heart. After hearing this, he also knew that there was a gap between the two of them. This was the best ending, so he nodded in agreement.
Li Jilan on the side was sought after by the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River because of her beautiful appearance and fairy-like temperament in the literary circle of the Southern Tang Dynasty.
Unexpectedly, after entering the side hall, the Northern Tang Dynasty Prime Minister did not even look at her, and Li Jilan couldn't help but feel a little unhappy.
When he heard Zhou Jun's words of farewell, Li Jilan remembered the purpose of his trip and said quickly: "Prime Minister, I have something to ask of you."
Zhou Jun turned his attention to Li Jilan and asked, "What's the matter?"
Li Jilan: "There is another person traveling with us who is also imprisoned. I hope the Prime Minister will be merciful and release him too."
Zhou Jun: "There is another person who is also a female champion?"
Li Jilan shook his head and said: "It's not a female crown. That man is a hermit. His only hobby in life is making tea. His name is Lu Yu."
When Zhou Jun heard the name Lu Yu, he was stunned on the spot. After a while, he asked: "What about Lu Yu, his courtesy name is Hongjian? His nickname is Jinglingzi?"
Li Jilan asked curiously: "Does the Prime Minister know Lu San?"
Zhou Jun didn't have time to answer, so he walked out of the door and ordered to the military guard outside the door: "Go to the Penal Department Prison immediately to find a man named Lu Yu, and bring him here to see me."
Wu Wei took the order and left.
Zhou Jun stood at the door, clasping his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth.
Li Jilan was puzzled that the Prime Minister of the Northern Tang Dynasty did not talk to the beautiful lady, but he was so interested in the tea madman.
A quarter of an hour later, Wu Wei brought a man in prison uniform to Zhou Jun.
The man was not handsome in appearance, but he was neither humble nor arrogant. When he saw Zhou Jun, he did not cry out for injustice, nor did he ask for life. He just bowed his hands and bowed.
Zhou Jun looked Lu Yu up and down and asked, "How is the writing of the Tea Book?"
Lu Yu opened his eyes wide and was quite surprised. He looked at Zhou Jun and asked, "This book has just been written and I have never shown it to anyone else. How did you know about it?"
Zhou Jun laughed: "You are living in seclusion in the countryside and have been busy writing books. Why did you suddenly come to Chang'an?"
Lu Yu replied truthfully: "A certain person drank Cloud Tea in Jiankang City, and then drank Palace Tea that was similar to it. He was shocked. Later, he learned that the birthplace of Cloud Tea was Bachuan in Chang'an, and he always thought about it.
I wanted to come here to travel, but the war was frequent and I couldn't make the trip. This time, Ji Lan got the invitation from Wangmen and invited me to accompany him, so I put aside writing the book and followed him to Chang'an."
Zhou Jun suddenly said: "Oh, that's it."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Jun felt something was wrong.
Female Taoist priest, Ji Lan?
Zhou Jun suddenly remembered a name, turned his head to Li Jilan, and asked: "Are you Li Ye?"
Li Ye was Li Jilan's common name before he entered Taoism, and few people would mention it.
Hearing Zhou Jun call out his name, Li Jilan nodded in surprise.
Zhou Jun patted his forehead. Li Ye, one of the four great female poets of the Tang Dynasty, and Lu Yu, the tea sage, had met today.
This chapter has been completed!