At the main entrance of Nankang Prince's Mansion, Chen's mother got off the oxcart with a tired look on her face.
She returned from the house of the noble lady who handed her the handkerchief, and silently walked into the backyard, looking as usual.
As soon as Chen's mother sat down, she summoned Chen He and asked Zhou Youzi how the service was going, what needs and actions he had, and who he had contacted.
Chen He said: "Sir, he lives in seclusion every day and doesn't see anyone else. He eats very little. The chickens, fish, meat and eggs that were given to him are rarely touched, but he eats a lot of fruits and melons."
Mother Chen nodded and said: "Send more fruits every day, but the food should not be less. If you don't move, please bring it back. Don't neglect it."
"Here!"
Mother Chen rubbed her forehead and asked again: "What happened to the troublesome Erlang? He neglected the distinguished guest, and because of the teacher's words, it was difficult to punish him. As a result, he went back, and he dared to speak nonsense, implying that I was partial.
, I don’t know the importance of it at all, if it spreads out, I don’t know what others will think of our palace!”
Chen He replied: "In the past two days, I heard that the Lord is writing some articles and asking people in the mansion to help distribute them. He also invited a few friends to share some with them."
"This treacherous son still has delusions! He wants to compete with his brother! He doesn't know how dangerous it is behind the flowers in our family! When my husband leaves, he will be severely punished!" Mother Chen said with anger on her face, "And him
Those friends of mine are all bad friends. Why do you value him? It’s not because of Da Lang! You respect him in person, laugh at him behind his back, and make fun of him. He is not good at it, and he even humiliates himself. What articles should he write? Do you really want to support him?
Do you think you are a land worry? You don’t know how high the sky is!”
She shook her head, not wanting to continue talking about her second son, and instead said: "Continue to pay attention and don't let him do anything stupid. If there is any situation, report it at any time."
"Here!"
"Go and call Zhang Ju over."
Soon, Zhang Ju came outside respectfully and called her aunt.
"Come in," Mother Chen waved to Zhang Ju and asked him to come in and sit down. She turned pleasantly and said, "My second son is not up to par. If something happens, I can only discuss it with you."
Zhang raised his head and cupped his hands and said, "Auntie, just give me your orders." Finally, he added, "The prince is still young, but now that he has a title, he will always be sensible when walking inside and outside in the future."
"Don't talk about him," Mother Chen waved her hands and lowered her voice, "The key is my eldest son. He is in charge of the military affairs of the nineteen states. He is now the confidant of the emperor. He should have made great achievements and taken care of the country's worries. But, what, what?
…”
As she spoke, she became emotional.
Chen Juli asked why.
"There are treacherous villains who are always making things difficult for him," Mother Chen immediately gritted her teeth, and then her face became full of sorrow. "I talked to several friends and heard the news that someone was spreading rumors and slander in the court, saying that my son was in the south.
He wanted to plunder and cause trouble, and now I intend to remove him. If this happens, it will be bad news for my family, but no matter what! No what!"
Zhang Ju was shocked and said quickly: "Is this true?"
"I'm going to ask my nephew to go and investigate to see if it's true or not. It will be easier for my family to deal with it. Then we can either get money to smooth things over or find someone to help us talk," Mother Chen's face was full of anticipation.
"Erlang is useless, I can only count on you."
"Don't worry, aunt, my nephew will do his best!"
After expressing his stance, Zhang Ju hurriedly left under Chen's mother's expectant gaze.
However, after leaving the palace, he sighed first.
He was actually not surprised by the news about King Nankang. He knew his cousin Zhang Ju quite well.
"No matter what, if my Zhang family wants to revive, I'm afraid it won't work without the help of external forces. We can't let Nankang take this path! The clan is thin and the great ancestor has no heirs. Even if the Nankang line has its ups and downs, it will inevitably
When you come back, you can't abandon it. You can't say it, but you still have to leave."
The Zhang family in Wu County was a wealthy family in the east of the Yangtze River. It had already been prominent during the Han Dynasty. It had gone through the Eastern Wu, Jin and Southern Dynasties, but it was somewhat on the decline. In particular, Chen Baxian started from a slightly cold family, which made the family become increasingly poor, which also made Zhang
The family is facing a crisis, and the children in the family, no matter how high or low, are looking for a way out, and getting closer to the royal family is undoubtedly one of the options, so Zhang Ju is naturally motivated.
"Let's go to Fulin Tower first. Jiang Yi should have gone there today, just in time to inquire about the news."
Having made the decision, he immediately ordered down and went straight to Fulin Tower.
Jiang Yi was his good friend, and he had been a colleague at the Publishing House, but he had a good father - his father, Mr. Jiang, was now the Minister of Zhongshu, and was in charge of the Province of Shizhong. He had a high and powerful position, and all the Jiang family's sons and nephews were in official positions.
Prosperity, now, Jiang Yi has become the prince and has a bright future.
Zhang Ju wanted to revitalize the Zhang family and wanted to be friendly with him. Now he wanted to get some news from his mouth.
After walking and walking, more and more people came and went, and finally arrived at Fulin Tower. Zhang Ju walked quickly in, and was greeted by the storyteller's voice——
"Taiyuan Wangsheng, I left early and met a girl..."
"Huh? I've never heard of this before..."
Zhang Ju heard that it was a new article. On normal days, he might have stopped and listened, but today he had something on his mind, so he couldn't care about it. He went directly to the second floor and turned around the stairs. Sure enough, he saw Jiang Yi, led by Gao Guanbo, chatting with him.
Several people exchanged cups and cups, some talked loudly, and laughed from time to time.
Zhang Ju recognized that the people at the same table with Jiang Yi were several literati from Jiankang City.
Seeing Zhang Ju, Jiang Yi waved and said, "Pengcheng, you're just in time, come and have a drink with us."
Zhang Ju smiled and walked quickly. After sitting down, he had a pleasant conversation with him.
After a while, he tried to ask a serious question, but he just looked at the people on the left and right, and it was difficult to speak too frankly. After several attempts, Jiang Yi refused to answer.
Finally, Jiang Yi simply said: "If you have something to say, you might as well say it directly. I ask myself frankly. There is nothing I can't say in person. Everyone here is a gentleman. There is no need to be shy. If you don't say it, ask again in private. I
He won’t answer either.”
Zhang Ju had no choice but to tactfully ask King Nankang about the situation, but he did not dare to tell everything Chen's mother said.
But even so, Jiang Yi frowned and said unhappily: "We are all elegant people. We are talking about civil affairs here. If you come to ask about the government affairs of the court, you are really in a bad mood. Don't say I don't know, I just know.
I don’t know how to say it!” After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and made no secret of his intention to see off the guests.
Zhang Ju looked embarrassed, looked at the sneer expressions of several literati, his ears turned red, he cupped his hands, and had to say goodbye.
As soon as he left, someone said: "This man is arty and not really good at literature. He must be friends with Brother Jiang because he is interested in the power of your family."
Jiang Yi didn't comment and just raised his glass.
The man touched a soft nail and smiled. After raising his glass and taking a sip, he rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "It is his family's tradition to say that Zhang Ju is arty. There is something happening now. I wonder if you know it, and it has something to do with it.
Zhang Ju asked about the relationship between King Nankang and his family..."
Before he finished speaking, he was reminded by the people beside him: "The King of Nankang belongs to the clan and holds great power. He is trusted by his superiors. Don't talk lightly!"
The man quickly said: "How dare I talk about the county king? I am talking about the brother of the county king."
"You mean the Marquis of Linru County?" Jiang Yi finally responded, "What can happen to him? Let's talk about Lu You's new article."
But the man smiled and said: "This monarch has an article that has leaked out and has been circulating in some teahouses these past two days."
Jiang Yi finally became interested and said: "Brother Zheng, I know that you like to write about tea restaurants the most, and you are also proficient in this. The previous few articles were selected by you. After we tasted them, they all left a lasting impression. Today
Is there something more wise to say? You might as well tell me."
"I don't dare to take it seriously," Zheng Sheng waved his hand, and then gave it away, "I'm just throwing out ideas. In front of Brother Jiang, who dares to say he is proficient? What's more, I have never read the new articles of that monarch, I have only heard about his past.
A few poems of.”
Everyone asked: "How?"
Zheng Sheng shook his head and said: "It's just ordinary."
Everyone was greatly disappointed.
"Do you still have expectations? I am talking about his article only because this prince is equally arty." Zheng Sheng smiled instead, "Because of the talk of Qingzhai by the talented scholar Lu You, this Kangcheng was built by Xuan Xuan.
When strange things are popular, no matter which company wants to write an article or two, but they often end up humiliating themselves. Brother Jiang should be careful about this kind of people."
Jiang Yi just drank.
When Zheng Sheng saw this, his face remained as usual, and he continued: "Let's not talk about trivial matters, let's talk about articles. Since we have talked about Lu's mysterious works, I will venture to comment on them."
Everyone became interested and asked him.
"There are many writers in the city, but they are all mediocre. Only three writers have come to the fore and written elegance and atmosphere."
"Which three?"
Jiang Yi rushed to answer: "This family belongs to Lu Jun outside the city, and others cannot compare."
"It's Mr. Lu," Zheng Sheng nodded. "Mr. Lu You is very talented. His articles have both form and spirit. Often a few numbers have profound meanings. His writing is exquisite. Even the trivial things he sees in daily life, once he writes them, others will be impressed.
You can also listen to it with gusto. The storyteller and singer in the tea shop likes to talk about his ordinary things. It sounds light but also catches people and makes people fascinated."
Jiang Yi nodded and said: "Yes, his "Qingzhai" is still being written. It is wrong to say that he wrote it. Lu You just wrote it casually and it was compiled by the book boy around him, so the articles in it are becoming more and more popular.
many."
Someone asked: "What about the second one?"
Zheng Sheng glanced at Jiang Yi and smiled without saying a word.
The others suddenly understood and laughed.
Zheng Sheng then spoke: "Brother Jiang's collection of essays cannot be missed. He took the opportunity to return to his hometown to visit relatives a while ago and wrote many short stories, which are unique. Each one is full of aura, especially a few of them about worshiping Buddha.
Articles that explain mysteries and use objects to describe people are even more wonderful! They are also very meaningful!"
Jiang Yi raised his glass, took a sip, laughed, and did not refute.
Someone else asked: "Where is the third person?"
This time, it was Jiang Yi who spoke first: "Of course it's the one in the palace, but I can't say more." At this point, he suddenly turned his head and said to the two people in the next door, "You two, I've been listening for a long time.
, Do you have any insights? Why not come over and discuss it together."
When everyone at the table heard this, they all stopped and followed Jiang Yi's gaze.
What came into focus were two men at the table next door. They were both wearing Taoist robes. One was a young man in his twenties, and the other was still a teenager.
When the two people saw this, they raised their glasses and smiled, but did not respond.
Jiang Yi did not insist, shook his head, turned around, and continued talking to a few people. He talked about several popular articles in Jiankang, such as "The Tree Planter" by Lu You, "Fish Farming" circulated in the palace, and
There is the aforementioned "Before the Buddha" by Jiang Yi.
At this time, cheers broke out in the hall downstairs and continued for a long time.
Jiang Yi was confused and asked someone to ask.
"Reporting to you, Young Master, this is a new piece of music in the museum called "Painted Skin"."
Jiang Yi narrowed his eyes and said, "It must be good to hear the reaction of everyone downstairs, why not go and listen." Just as he was about to stand up with everyone, a young man in green clothes came over and whispered a few words in his ear.
Jiang Yi looked regretful and cupped his hands to everyone: "I have something to do at home, so I have to go back first. I will have to listen to the new music another day."
Everyone said it wouldn't be a problem.
Jiang Yi nodded and stepped forward. When he reached the stairs, he looked towards the table next door and was slightly startled.
The two Taoists disappeared without knowing when.
"Those two people have extraordinary bearings. I wanted to make friends with them, but it seems like there was no chance." Jiang Yi didn't worry, and left slowly, walking downstairs, where the people listening to the article just dispersed.
On the other side, Zhang Ju had no harvest from Jiang Yi and returned home frustrated, but he was not idle. On the way home, he sent an invitation to three of his best friends to his home.
These three friends of his were also well-informed. They often hung out in teahouses and wine shops, and occasionally were guests of literati. Zhang Ju thought that they might be able to gain something.