From his official uniform to his bun, everything was clean and noble, and from his appearance to his temperament, everything was elegant and elegant. When he took the letter and saw the writing on the envelope, his calmness faded away.
The pupils also shook uncontrollably.
The night is beginning to darken all around, and the sunset has faded away. It is the time when the yin and yang alternate, but there is a ray of cool wind blowing on the back of the neck...
Wei Shuyi's fair and slender fingers slightly pinched the edge of the envelope, and then quickly put the envelope into his sleeve.
After stepping into the mansion and walking all the way, Wei Shuyi felt that the arm hiding the letter had become cold and stiff, as if he had been immersed in a cold winter pond, and every inch was frozen into ice.
Minister Wei went straight to the small Buddhist hall.
After the incense was burned, in front of the Bodhisattva, I dared to open the letter and read it.
As the aromatic mist lingers, the particularly beautiful handwriting on the letter seems to be tinged with a bit of "fireworks", without the gloomy feeling as imagined.
Looking at the words of thanks on the letter, Wei Shuyi's eyebrows relaxed a little.
She told her about the current situation in the letter, saying that the overall situation was temporarily under control, and that she would be careful about Dong Luo at the same time.
She also said that before the New Year, she would definitely send a decent good news back to the capital, so that the people in the capital who were worried about the nuisance of the Japanese army could have a good New Year with peace of mind.
Wei Shuyi couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly.
Even though she was in such an unfavorable situation, she was still so high-spirited, fearless, and full of vitality.
Such a vigorous soul...seems like it shouldn't be feared by the world.
Wei Shuyi seemed to be able to hear the sound of the instinctive fear deep in his heart being lifted bit by bit.
Until he saw... after she sent greetings about the Mid-Autumn Festival in the letter, she also sent greetings about the Double Ninth Festival!
Wei Shuyi's hand trembled, and he almost dropped the letter like a frightened crane.
After Wei Shuyi came out of the Buddhist hall, Changji came forward to greet him. Seeing his husband's face, he couldn't help asking: "Langjun, are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
Wei Shuyi did not answer, only said: "Send this letter to mother for review..."
Since the letter also included a greeting to his mother, he couldn't be the only one who was frightened.
"Let's wait a little later." Wei Shuyi, out of his rare filial piety, told Chang Ji: "It won't be too late to send mother off after she has finished her dinner."
Although Changji was confused, he still followed the instructions.
The next day, Wei Shuyi returned home after an early morning visit, but was stopped by his father on the way.
"Zi Gu..." Wei Qin, Duke of Zheng, took his son's arm and went to the pavilion to talk: "Whose letter did you ask someone to send to your mother last night?"
Wei Shuyi seemed puzzled and asked, "Why did father ask this?"
"...Your mother has been restless since she read that letter!" Zheng Guogong lowered his voice and frowned: "She was also restless at night. She finally fell asleep and even cried in her sleep.
!”
Although he was somewhat moved by his wife hugging him and crying in her sleep, he asked his wife about it early in the morning, but she refused to elaborate.
Zheng Guogong felt like a cat was tickling his heart.
"Father is saying... that mother actually cried in her sleep after reading the letter?" Wei Shuyi asked in a complicated tone.
Zheng Guogong looked sad: "Yes, and he was mumbling something... It seemed like he was calling someone's name, but it sounded vague and couldn't be distinguished."
Wei Shuyi fell into unspeakable thoughts.
His mother's attitude towards "His Royal Highness the First Prince" was very unusual. He had always been aware of this and was puzzled by it.
It stands to reason that my mother is the companion of the eldest princess Chongyue. Even if she and His Highness the former prince have an intersection, they will not have too deep a friendship...
But now my mother reacts like this. After seeing the letter, she sheds tears in her sleep again and is so concerned about her...
Is there a possibility that he is just talking about a hypothesis...
Mother, will she... wait for His Highness the First Prince...
After all, he is such a dazzling and precious young man. It seems that it is human nature to be moved by girlish feelings...?
This conjecture was difficult for Wei Shuyi to accept for a while.
He is not a pedantic person, and it is not that he cannot accept that his mother had feelings for another man when he was a teenager. What he cannot accept is... In this case, he is not the same as his mother... falling in love with the same man at different times.
soul?!
"..."
Even though he was not a person who valued etiquette very much, it was hard for Wei Shuyi at this moment not to be severely hit by this bizarre and absurd conjecture.
The young man raised his head slightly, raised a hand in a daze, and placed it on his forehead. Then he covered his closed eyes, and his face was covered by the wide sleeves of his official uniform.
Sure enough, everything he got in the past twenty-one years was too smooth?
"Zi Gu?" Zheng Guogong looked at his son who had also become strange, and couldn't help but become a little anxious: "You are just asking me, but you can also say something."
"That letter was sent back by Mrs. Chang from Jiangdu. My mother was probably just worried about Mrs. Chang's difficulties in resisting the Japanese..."
Wei Shuyi removed his hand and smiled reluctantly at his father: "Father, don't worry too much, just go to the garden and enjoy the flowers."
After saying this, he raised his hand and bowed, then left on his own.
"Zi Gu..." Zheng Guogong couldn't help shouting, so he could only sigh incomprehensibly.
Why do you think your wife and son have been abnormal in the past six months? What are you hiding from him?
While Zheng Guogong was thinking, his eyes moved and he caught a glimpse of a clump of autumn chrysanthemums that had bloomed early and two flower buds appeared. He was immediately fascinated and walked over quickly to take a look.
There are countless exotic flowers and plants in Zheng Guogong's palace, and because of their careful cultivation and maintenance by many gardeners, the seasonal flowers in the garden always bloom earlier than elsewhere, competing for beauty and being the first.
If flowers and plants can talk, or if they feel that the flowers and plants in Zheng Guogong's palace are not serious enough, they will always act haphazardly, have no ethics, and report the season randomly.
Serious chrysanthemums like these don't start to show signs of flower buds until the end of July.
At the end of July, outside a small village nestled against the mountains in Xiazhou, on the rugged mountain roadside, there were a few bushes of wild chrysanthemums that were conscientiously producing tiny buds.
In the village, in a small courtyard with stucco walls, a thatched roof, and a fence surrounding it, the sound of a child's slightly unfamiliar reading could be heard.
In the courtyard, Zheng Chao, who was wearing a gray gown and a beard that had not been trimmed for a long time, sat cross-legged at the top. There was a shabby small table in front of him. There were five or six children of different ages sitting below him, as well as two young people.
A gust of wind blew up and picked up the fallen leaves in the courtyard. Zheng Chao turned his head to cover his mouth and sneezed.
Recently, he would sneeze from time to time, but he had never caught any cold. It was strange, and he was afraid that someone was always talking about him behind his back.
Zheng Chao took out the cotton handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped his mouth and nose to ensure that his appearance was intact.
However, when he was about to turn around, he heard children screaming in surprise.
Someone came to Zheng Chao's table holding a kitchen knife. The kitchen knife was rusty and cracked, and it was pointing at Zheng Chao.
The person holding the kitchen knife was one of the two young men.
Another person had closed the door of the small courtyard and threatened the children, not allowing them to scream.
Zheng Chao was still sitting where he was. He didn't look panicked. He just asked the young man holding the kitchen knife in confusion: "We are halfway through the class. Why is this happening?"
"Nonsense, of course you are asking for money!" The young man spat: "Otherwise, who would want to listen to your long-winded chanting!"
"Hand over your money honestly and I won't hurt anyone!"
Zheng Chao sighed: "What if I don't pay?"
"Don't pay? Then don't blame me..." The young man suddenly stopped in the middle of his harsh words.
He tremblingly looked at the long sword suddenly lying in front of him, so close at hand - he had never seen such a sharp and sharp thing!
If you dare to point this thing at him... then don't blame him for peeing his pants!
The young man's arms trembled, he took two steps back and fell to the ground in fright.
The guard who suddenly appeared took two steps forward and continued to point his sword at him.
Zheng Chao sat there leisurely. For such a master of concealment, his eldest nephew had prepared six for him.
Otherwise, how could he have the ability to teach all the way to Xiazhou smoothly?
Along the way, he has seen a lot of the darkness of human nature and the declining morale of the world.
Zheng Chao sighed in his heart and asked them all to sit back down and continue listening to the lecture.
The two young men were so frightened that they couldn't help but feel like they were sitting on pins and needles.
Zheng Chao first punished them to recite what they had learned today repeatedly, and then punished them to take charcoal pens and write the three words "Heaven, Earth, and Man" they had learned recently on the ground a hundred times, until the yard was full of writing and the mud walls were close to each other.
Full.
By the end, the two of them were frothing at the mouth, their hands were stiff when writing, and their tears had dried up. They knelt down to repent and no longer dared to do so.
Zheng Chao sighed in a low voice: "Convincing people with virtue will really bring endless joy..."
Along the way, he felt the happiness of Master Kong Sheng firsthand.
Although he is not as tall as Master Kong Sheng, who is more than nine feet tall, he has a bodyguard given by his eldest nephew to make up for his shortcomings.
However, Zheng Chao did not easily believe the two men's words of repentance, and still handed the people over to the villagers for disposal. As for how to deal with them, that had nothing to do with him.
It is hard to get rid of evil thoughts in human nature, and there is ultimately too little he can do.
One person's power is ultimately limited.
This journey of traveling and giving lectures was quite different from his original idea, and he was thinking about it every day.
Zheng Chao left the village the next day. Before leaving, some villagers gave him some autumn harvest fruits and dry food.
Although there are evil thoughts here, there is also simplicity and kindness. This is true for one village, and it is true for the whole world.
Therefore, this world is still worth saving.
Zheng Chao packed up his luggage and continued on the road.
Next, he spent more than ten days continuing southward until he reached the boundary of Qianzhou.
Qianzhou is not a prosperous place. Zheng Chao initially set out from Xingyang and went all the way south, passing through Shannan East Road, then passing through Xiazhou, and arriving at Qianzhou was also within the straight line heading south.
Qianzhou is a barren territory and far away from the political center. It is often used as a place where convicted officials are demoted and exiled.
Last year, the Changsun clan was beheaded and imprisoned, while the remaining Changsun clan members who were not severely punished were exiled here.
As soon as Zheng Chao entered Qianzhou, he received a private invitation from the eldest grandson's family.
The Changsun family has deep roots, and unlike the other four major gentry clans, the Changsun family has always had a close relationship with the Li royal family. In addition, it was secretly protected by the Cui family, so it was able to preserve the last trace of its roots. Although the current situation is difficult, the clan members are all
He was not allowed to leave Qianzhou, but he was still able to maintain the most basic activities secretly.
Qianzhou is not far from Dongting, and the civil rebellion led by Bian Chunliang has grown stronger and stronger, prompting others to follow suit. It has also affected Qianzhou several times. As a result, officials in Qianzhou were frequently transferred, and the new governor had an old relationship with the Changsun family.
, I will take care of you in the dark.
As a result of all this, Zheng Chao was invited to visit by his eldest grandson as soon as he arrived in Qianzhou.
The place where the Changsun family lived was under the surveillance of the imperial court, so the place where they met was in a very remote courtyard in the city.
"Mr. Zheng, please——"
After entering the inner courtyard, two middle-aged members of the Changsun family came forward and led the way: "My head has been waiting for you for a long time."
Zheng Chao: "I'm sorry."
From what I saw along the way, although these Changsun clan members are now dressed in commoners and no longer as glamorous as before, they still behave in a decent manner and treat others in a decent and calm manner. And the most rare thing is that they walk in an orderly manner, which shows that they are still united.
Zheng Chao sighed in his heart.
After being liquidated by the imperial court, many noble clans, including the Zheng family, gradually became separated in terms of their clan rules and people's hearts.
And Zheng Chao could also vaguely realize that the reason why the Changsun family could maintain the status quo had a lot to do with the "head of the family" they called it.
Just like the Zheng family, the direct lineage of the Changsun family was also cut off, and only Yinlu, who was under fourteen years old, survived——
The current head of the Changsun family is Changsun Ji, who just turned fourteen this year.
His family suffered a huge change, and he was forced to grow up quickly. Most of his youthfulness faded from his face. In just one year, his height also increased dramatically. When he stood up to salute Zheng Chao, he was already as tall as Zheng Chao.
Zheng Chao returned the courtesy and said: "Zheng is a commoner and has a reputation as a traitor. It is really unexpected that the head of the Changsun family can invite him personally."
"Who is not a commoner now?" Changsun Ji said with admiration in his eyes: "I don't agree with Mr. Zheng's theory of treason. If it hadn't been for Mr. Zheng's righteous act at that time, the Zheng clan in Xingyang would have been doomed to be extinct.
Mr. Zheng’s good intentions will surely be understood by the Zheng family members in the future.”
Zheng Chao was really surprised now. He killed his brother and voluntarily handed over his collection of books. Although he was supported by the poor students, he was already notorious among the gentry. In this regard, he and Ling An were in the same stinker.
pity.
Changsun Ji raised his hand and asked Zheng Chao to sit down and talk and drink tea.
After a conversation, Zheng Chao also mentioned what he had seen along the way, including chaos, mixed government orders, and people's livelihood suffering.
Changsun Ji then asked: "According to Mr. Zheng's opinion, who among the Li family has the best hope of stopping the chaos in the world?"
In Changsun Ji's view, Zheng Chao is an expert and a strange person. The opinions of such a person are definitely worth listening to.
And as several of his clan uncles said, Zheng Chao is quite famous now, and it would undoubtedly be a good thing if he could be drawn into the same camp.
Zheng Chao was silent for a moment and shook his head: "Zheng has been trapped in his home for many years and has no interest in worldly affairs. He is still just a fledgling. He is still unable to judge the general trend of the world and is still in panic and groping."
After finishing speaking, Zheng Chao tried to ask the young man if he had anyone he liked.
Changsun Ji did not answer directly, but said: "This place is less than a thousand miles away from Yizhou. The reputation of King Yizhou's benevolence is often heard."
Zheng Chao's mind moved slightly: "Rong Wang Li Yin?"