Zhou Kui is completely shameless now. In order to see Empress Zhou, he even spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to go the way of Chang Yu. If he hears that the empress and princess are leaving the palace at this time, he will go to harass her.
The fund-raising matter was too big to be messed up by this rat turd. Although he knew that Queen Zhou would be accompanied by a Han general or personal bodyguard when she left the palace, Chang Yu decided to take charge personally. After all, it was difficult for ordinary people to deal with Zhou Kui.
I don't dare to stop him forcefully.
Even though everything was simple when the Queen left the palace, the battle was still quite large. Queen Zhou and Zhu Aona were sitting on a large open carriage with smiles on their faces. The carriage was surrounded by more than ten eunuchs, maids, and retinues. They walked from Chengtianmen along Chang'an Street.
Walking slowly eastward, I could no longer walk near the intersection of Shiwang Street in Nanxunfang. There was already three floors inside and three floors outside. The common people stood on tiptoe and looked curiously at the Empress of Ming Dynasty and Princess Kunxing.
There are even people on the roofs and trees.
This was the effect that Empress Zhou wanted. She slowly stood up and before she spoke, the people around her knelt down to greet her. Empress Zhou asked everyone to speak some words of comfort and encouragement before changing the topic to the preparation of the school.
In order to benefit the country and the people, a merit monument will be erected in front of the school, and the names of the donors will be engraved on it to be passed down through the ages.
There is no upper or lower limit for donations, just give as much or as little as you wish. The common people are very fond of this trick, and immediately there are people clamoring for donations, and eunuchs come to register...
Chang Yu and Wu Mengming couldn't squeeze in from the outside, and they couldn't see clearly even if they stood on tiptoes. Of course, he didn't want to squeeze in just to keep an eye on Zhou Kui and prevent him from causing trouble.
But seeing so many people, even if Zhou Kui came, he might not be able to get in as he wished, so he looked around and saw a restaurant nearby. It was noon and he had not eaten yet, so he said to Wu Mengming: "Master Wu, please invite us to have lunch."
Wu Mengming readily agreed: "If you want to donate money, I don't have it, but I still have enough money for a meal."
Fuyaju is a time-honored restaurant in the capital, and because it is adjacent to the imperial city, business has always been booming, and most of the people who come here are literati, including some officials from the capital.
However, due to the recent famine and the sharp rise in prices, Fuyaju's business has plummeted. Even during meal time, there are only a few customers. At this time, they sat by the window and looked at the excitement outside, eating and drinking while talking.
Chang Yu and Wu Mengming found a seat by the window, and asked the waiter to order some wine and food, which attracted the attention of other diners. After all, those who go out to restaurants these days and order such rich food and wine are definitely rich or expensive.
It’s just that the rich gentry and high-ranking officials like to go outside the front door to have a good time. Only the poor officials and literati will come to this arty place to serve small dishes and order a bottle of wine... Oh, many people these days even drink wine.
That's amazing.
But looking at the old man and the young man, it's confusing. They don't look like high-ranking officials or literati, but they are definitely not ordinary people, because they have such magnanimity, especially the middle-aged man, who looks forward to them.
It actually has some official authority.
Could it be that he was an official from out of town who came to Beijing? The young man should be a domestic servant or a retinue.
Chang Yu didn't care about the eyes of others, but stared at the crowds of people outside. He had already told his subordinates that if they saw Zhou Kui, he would directly cover his head and take him away. No one else in the yamen would dare to do such a thing, but he was the only one in Dongchang.
Perhaps because there were only a few customers in the shop, the food and drinks were served quickly, so Chang Yu and Wu Mengming started eating and drinking and chatting in low voices. The guests at the tables next to them did the same, but the topics they talked about were very different. First, they started with the war in the south and then
When it came to the current situation, we talked about the court's strategy to deal with the famine, and the Queen Zhou raised money to build a school. There were both praise and criticism in her words. Of course, the name of the little eunuch was inevitable, but she didn't listen.
No matter how malicious they are, it seems that these people are not the kind of extreme keyboard warriors.
It is obvious that these tables are all literati, as can be seen from their words and deeds, and they are very familiar with each other. However, two of them should be the leaders, and the rest of them follow their lead. Chang Yu has some insights after listening to the two people's conversation.
Notice that both of them are very young. Hearing others call him Brother Wu and Brother Gu, he couldn't help but feel moved, so he stood up and walked over: "Excuse me, may I ask this Brother Gu, is he Gu Yanwu, the Imperial College student?"
The tall and lanky young man who was slightly older quickly stood up: "I am Gu Yanwu. May I ask who you are..."
It turned out that it was really this guy. Chang Yu secretly laughed in his heart. There was the Donglin Party before him and the Fushe after him. They were all the eunuchs’ mortal enemies! At this time, the founder of Fushe, Zhang Pu, had passed away, but mainstays such as Gu Yanwu and others appeared.
The strength and influence are very impressive. Although Fushe and Donglin Party have different opinions, they have a common enemy, the Eunuch Party, who is like Chang Yu.
Gu Yanwu was in his thirties at this time, when he was young and ready to fight. Of course, what he was good at was not fighting, but writing and writing. However, his officialdom was not satisfactory. At this time, he could only donate money to the emperor and supervise students.
Chang Yu was not in a hurry to answer him, but looked at the short young man in his early twenties and asked: "Brother Wu, is it Wu Erxun, a concubine of the Hanlin Academy?"
Donggua was also startled, and slowly stood up and cupped her hands: "That's right, Your Excellency..."
Hehe, Chang Yu was happy, it turned out to be these two people.
Everyone is familiar with Gu Yanwu, but who is Wu Erxun?
Anyone who knows the Tenth Day in Yangzhou must have heard of this man for the first time. He was one of the people who died defending the city with Shi Kefa. Speaking of this, Wu Erxun is also a very interesting person. He is now working as a handyman in the Hanlin Academy. In history, thieves entered the capital.
Finally, he could not withstand the torture and surrendered. He was deeply ashamed and hated. He felt that how could a person who read the books of saints and sages surrender to thieves? The more he thought about it, the more angry he became. Then he wanted to commit suicide and sacrifice his country. Later, he was persuaded by his friends to escape.
In Beijing, when he heard that Shi Kefa was guarding Yangzhou, he went there. In order to avenge his shame, he chopped off one of his fingers, vowed to defend Yangzhou to the end, and eventually died for his country.
Chang Yu thought of Wu Erxun when he was in Yangzhou, and thought about looking for him when he returned to Beijing. Unexpectedly, he met him here. He was very happy and asked: "Where is Zhu Yuan? Is he still locked up in the Jinyiwei cell?"
?" He said and looked back at Wu Mengming.
Zhu Yuan is the good friend who persuaded Wu Erxun to leave Beijing in the previous article. He was a child prodigy. He entered Nanjing Imperial College at the age of eight and passed the imperial examination at the age of sixteen. Now, in the 15th year of Chongzhen's reign, he was taking the examination, but at that time the chief minister Zhou Yanru was wrestling with Liu Zongzhou.
Zhu Yuan and Leng Touqing wrote a letter to plead for Liu Zongzhou. Emperor Chongzhen thought that he was too pedantic and said: "Zhu Yuan is hateful" and had him imprisoned.
Wu Mengming shook his head slightly, and Chang Yu thought about the historical records: After Zhou Yanru stepped down, Emperor Chongzhen returned Liu Zongzhou's innocence, Zhu Yuan was also released from prison and became Liu Zongzhou's student, and then they both went south to engage in academics, but they didn't know they left at this time
Didn't leave.
"Well, Brother Zhu is still studying with Master Liu in Beijing, your Excellency is..." Wu Erxun was confused, but Chang Yu didn't want to reveal his identity and pointed at Wu Mengming: "That is Master Wu, the commander of the Jinyi Guards."
Ah, everyone made a sound in surprise, and their faces suddenly became embarrassed. After all, if they were just talking about the current situation, it would be fine. There was also royal gossip.
However, it was obvious that the leader of the Jin Yiwei did not want to cause trouble to them, and waved his hand: "You guys should speak more quietly while eating, so that you won't be afraid of disturbing the palace with such loud voices."
Everyone knew what he meant, so they awkwardly held their hands together, each sitting down and whispering in a low voice, their eyes glancing back and forth from time to time, but not at Wu Mengming, but at Chang Yu.
The young man who could have dinner with Wu Mengming looked very respectful to him, and there was a queen and princess outside... It was not difficult to guess the identity of this person.
"Gu Yanwu is a member of Fushe and is well-known in the capital. Zhu Yuan is known as a child prodigy. Liu Zongzhou, who he is currently studying under, is a great master. Could it be that the Governor intends to include them in the royal academy?"
Chang Yu thought for a while and shook his head: "Our family is more interested in seeing a great master in martial arts than a great master in literature. The more those who study academics these days have reached the level of masters, the more our family is afraid that they will mislead the children. Eight-part essays will also lead to There are so many schools of thought that I don’t know what they are used for. Then Liu Zongzhou was also the founder of a sect. What is the name of his school of thought?”
"If you ask me about this, I really don't know." Wu Mengming smiled bitterly and shook his head, pointing slightly at Gu Yanwu over there with the tip of his chopsticks: "Ask a few of them, I guess they can tell you a lot."
"Then you underestimate them. They can't even finish ten baskets." Chang Yu laughed and turned to look at Gu Yanwu and the others: "Everyone, I would like to ask a question. When the national crisis strikes, the building will collapse, except for the soldiers who are bathed in blood on the battlefield. , should we use stereotypes to save the country, or should we use science and education to rejuvenate the country?"
Gu Yanwu and others were startled, looking at each other speechless for a moment. Chang Yu chuckled, stood up and left with Wu Mengming: "If you want to know more, go to the Ministry of Rites and see Wang Duo."
Wang Duo is the Minister of Rites and a bachelor of Dongge University. The Imperial College and other educational departments are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites.