In the Right Prime Minister's Mansion, the atmosphere in the hall was gloomy.
Yang Zhao secretly glanced at the figure who had not moved for a long time behind the screen, and finally lost his composure and asked: "Right Minister, this poem is very common..."
"Pei Mian." Li Linfu said calmly: "What do you think of this poem?"
"This poem has a metaphor."
Pei Mian spoke with a firm tone.
Yang Zhao couldn't help but secretly thought about the poem many times, but he couldn't hear the metaphor?
"The first two sentences of this poem use the metaphor of 'chess game' and 'vegetable border', which seems to be talking about dominoes, but in fact it describes the magnificence of Chang'an; the last two sentences turn to the Daming Palace and use 'a star' as a metaphor to describe the persistent torch requesting an audience.
The sage had many officials, implying that Jinke Chunwei had caused dissatisfaction among too many courtiers."
As he spoke, Pei Mian raised his voice and said, "Xue Bai has a terrible heart. He is scolding the right prime minister for being unpopular!"
"It's like this, this beast is hateful." Yang Zhao lost no time in cursing: "You should be killed."
Li Linfu was impatient and said: "I'm asking you, what do you think of the title of the poem?!"
The title of the poem was so long that even Pei Mian couldn't remember it at once, so he took out the note and read it again.
""Fenghe Shengzhi Forbidden Garden served the saint all night long playing dominoes and then watched the lanterns on the tower of the Ming Dynasty." The saint went to the Forbidden Garden because he didn't want to be disturbed by state affairs. Oh, this doesn't look like a Yingzhi poem."
This is what Li Linfu asked.
Although he is good at music, he is not good at writing poetry. Whenever he needs to compose poetry, he will ask the guests to prepare poems in advance. For example, when the saint personally sent congratulations to Zhizhang on his return home, he presented a good poem. In short
I don’t know much about the rules of writing poems.
Pei Miandao: "Yingzhi's poems are usually five-character rhyme poems, but Xue Bai's poem is a seven-character quatrain. Yingzhi's poems usually have gorgeous words and loud music, but this poem uses simple words and is straightforward. Isn't it right?
What the saint asked him to write was what he wrote himself."
"Sure enough." Li Linfu muttered: "The Forbidden Garden is still far from the Daming Palace. How could the saint send him to Danfeng Gate on the fourth watch?"
"But, the story about playing dominoes all night must be true..."
"Um."
Luo Xishi couldn't help but be nervous, thinking that Xue Bai was taken away by him the next day while playing dominoes. The saint must be displeased and asked: "Right Minister, in this case, should I let Xue Bai go?"
Yang Zhao was also afraid of offending others, so he hurriedly said: "Yes."
"No."
Luo Xishi was shocked and secretly thought that the Right Prime Minister was so courageous!
Li Linfu shouted in a deep voice: "Since we have taken it, you dare to let it go before the saint has opened his mouth. Aren't you afraid that the saint will think that you are spying on the palace secretly? Everyone should act according to the law of the Tang Dynasty. Don't let Xue Bai be imprisoned in Dali Temple."
Find fault in it.”
"Here."
"The right Prime Minister is wise."
Several people in the hall couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. They admired Li Linfu endlessly and secretly said that it was reasonable for the right prime minister to be the prime minister for more than ten years.
Yang Zhao secretly swore that sooner or later he would learn the art of pondering the Sacred Heart.
"Everyone get down."
Li Linfu waved away everyone, but his eyes became increasingly gloomy. He suddenly stood up and slammed a porcelain bottle on the ground.
Boom!
What made him angry was that on the third day, there was no news that Xue Bai had spent the whole night playing dominoes with the saint.
But you have to calm down... Saints usually stay in Xingqing Palace. This time I moved to Daming Palace for peace of mind. If I can really grasp the traces of the saint, then it will be the time to die.
They were already angry and smashed things. The words of complaint were stuck in their throats. Li Linfu rolled his eyes and finally cursed something else.
"How dare anyone be more favored by a saint than me!"
…
"Alang."
Cang Bi walked around the broken porcelain on the ground and bowed in fear.
"The villain got the news that the Seventeenth Mother went to Dali Temple Prison."
~~
Li Tengkong has been very concerned about the condition of Sanniang of the Yan family recently and often visits her.
Although Yan Yan was three or two years younger than her, she was very accomplished in calligraphy and painting, so she often asked for calligraphy lessons, and occasionally talked about Yan Shaofu accepting a disciple because Xue Bai's handwriting was too ugly.
"Although it is promising, the word is still ugly. I wonder if he has been lazy recently. Madam Liu said that she did not see him come home after the results were released in the spring. Maybe something happened? Grandpa said that Jingzhao Mansion caught a lot of troublemakers."
After hearing what Yan Yan said intentionally or unintentionally, Li Tengkong immediately asked Jiao Nu to ask after leaving. After getting the news, he rushed to Dali Temple Prison.
After all, she used the power of the Right Prime Minister's Office and asked a junior official to ask if she could visit the prison. She had been waiting for more than an hour.
Standing there, he suddenly recalled Yan Yan's sparkling eyes and the slight smile on her lips when she spoke. Li Tengkong couldn't help but wonder whether she saw something or even warned her intentionally.
It shouldn't be so, how can such an innocent and well-behaved little girl be so cunning?
After noon, many officials in the imperial city had lunch and began to leave the office and return home. Finally, a petty official came over and took her to jail to visit her.
"Master Refiner, please leave a record. What is your relationship with the criminal?"
"Friends."
Li Tengkong didn't expect that they would record his identity after they knew it. When he saw that the clerk wrote the word "best friend" under the file, he couldn't help but shrink his eyes slightly.
Jiao Nu handed over a silver cake and a bunch of money, and said calmly: "The criminal's food book."
"A lady named Du has handed over the food. It's enough."
"Give him something good to eat."
The clerk had just collected the silver cakes, weighed them and recorded them in the file. However, he did not accept the bunch of money. His official attitude made Li Tengkong surprised for a while.
~~
In the cell, Du Wulang organized a grass fighting match.
That is, each person chooses a piece of thatch and determines the toughest one.
He took a fancy to the haystack under Xue Bai and stretched out his hand to pull it out.
"Don't touch him." Du Fu leaned on the dirty haystack and laughed, "It took him a lot of effort to pick out the clean thatch."
"He is just too particular." Du Wulang said: "After eating, he has to clean even the gaps between his teeth. He is more delicate than the five surnames. It was after my cousin heard about this that he wanted to marry his daughter to him.
"
"Hahaha, a real man should not stick to trivial matters."
Xue Bai was too lazy to pay attention to them.
In today's world, many parts of the body, including teeth, cannot be repaired if they are broken, so he must pay attention to taking good care of them.
"Cell Wu, Xue Bai, someone is visiting!"
Suddenly I heard a shout and someone was walking through the corridor holding a torch.
Several people in the prison got up from the ground and looked outside the wooden fence.
I don’t know who said “Wow” in praise.
"Xue Bai." Li Tengkong quickened his pace in the last few steps and rushed to the Mucha, "Are you okay?"
She looked more beautiful than before. The lotus crown and robe on her head were clean and pleasing to the eye, and the fragrance on her body made people want to take a deep breath.
"I'm fine." Xue Bai said, "You shouldn't be here, go back."
"Young Master Yan asked me to come and see you. Why are you involved in the Chunwei case?"
"It has nothing to do with Chunwei."
Yuan Jie listened on the sidelines and said: "We believe that Li Shizhi, the left prime minister, may be an accomplice of Wei Jian."
Hearing this familiar accusation, Li Tengkong was stunned and suddenly felt embarrassed.
She had heard her grandfather and brother say with her own ears that before Yi Chu, Wei Jian's case would never be closed, and all political opponents could be hunted and killed in this name. She couldn't help but feel guilty when facing these people.
"This is my good friend, Mrs. Zong. She is a prime minister after Duke Ying. Even Li Taibai has to call her aunt after his wife." Xue Bai introduced her and said with a smile: "These are my friends.
"
"It turns out that Miss Zong is here." Du Fu saluted and said, "I am Taibai's best friend Du Fu."
"I have admired the name of Du Gong for a long time."
Li Tengkong responded with Taoist etiquette, and glanced at Xue Bai secretly, thinking that he was really gentle and considerate in his treatment of others, and he never forgot to help her out.
She also noticed that he called her a "good friend," while others were "friends."
"It turns out that Xue Bai also has a fairy-like confidante."
While everyone was still joking, Xue Bai urged Li Tengkong to go back again.
Li Tengkong said: "I'm here to ask how to save you? Well... because I think the right minister did something wrong..."
"There will be someone who will protect me. After I am released from prison, I will go to Yuzhen Temple to express my gratitude to you."
"Will you come?"
"Well, look at Jiaonu." Xue Bai said, "Go back."
Li Tengkong turned around and saw that Jiaonu was not looking here, as if he had nowhere to go, holding his shoulders with both hands, trying to shrink his body, with a suffocated expression on his face.
Because Xue Bai meant it as a joke, she couldn't help but laugh too.
"Then, I'm leaving."
Li Tengkong glanced back at Xue Bai, then floated away in his Taoist robe.
…
"What a good woman." Yuan Jie praised, not knowing that she was Ge Nu's daughter.
Du Fu couldn't help but miss his wife and children at home, and murmured in a catchy poetic way: "I pity the little children from afar, but I still remember Chang'an."
"It's too late to come when there is a beauty. The sun is setting and the beauty is fading. I dare to support myself and think about myself." Huangfu Ran then used Sima Xiangru's poem to hit Xue Bai.
Du Wulang was more blunt, saying: "Xue Bai, you are too cold to others."
"I should have been more indifferent to her." Xue Bai could still vaguely smell the remaining fragrance, knowing that Li Tengkong was different from Yang Yuyao and Du Jin, and it would be much more troublesome once the girl's love was provoked.
"Why?"
"Can't marry."
"The family background doesn't match?" Du Wulang shook his head, "It's not right for you to do this. This young lady is willing to come to a place like this to see you, so you should try your best to fight for her."
"I also have something to do. I told you that a man should respect himself."
"No matter how much you respect yourself, you can't respect yourself towards Lady Zong." Du Wulang hated iron and said, "I have an uncle in the clan who longs for a young lady who is engaged, so he is willing to sacrifice his future for this young lady."
Xue Bai was too lazy to talk to him anymore.
Du Fu stroked his beard and sighed: "There is a nephew in my clan who has a mutual affection for the daughter of a traitorous minister and has decided to leave the world behind."
"Ah? That's..." Du Wulang was stunned, turned around and saw Du Fu nodded.
There was nothing else going on in the prison, so we just chatted leisurely.
In the evening, the jailers brought meals, which actually matched the food packages they had given them, and there were no arbitrary deductions.
Du Wulang felt that something was missing.
It wasn't until the early morning of the next day that a jailer came in and took a prisoner in Cell C out for execution. His expression immediately changed.
"It's broken. I even forgot that we will also be tortured to extract confessions..."
"Do you think we are cruel officials?!"
A jailer walked in with a straight face and an upright appearance.
"Dali Temple handles cases and only talks about evidence. The reason why we take you and others is because you and others appeared in Li Shi's villa and were routinely inspected for evidence. Can you accept it?"
"Not convinced."
Xue Bai spit out two words cleanly.
The jailer suddenly felt the pressure, but pretended not to hear, and said in a deep voice: "Xue Bai, Du Qi, you two entered the villa in the afternoon that day, and you didn't stay for an hour. It has nothing to do with this case, so you can leave."
The iron lock was unlocked and the prison door was opened.
Xue Bai refused to leave. Instead, he sat down in the thatch and said, "Since we came together, we must go together."
~~
Right Prime Minister's Mansion.
Li Linfu was rarely behind the screen. Instead, he walked to the window and stood with his hands behind his hands, looking up at the sun that was gradually setting toward the west outside the window.
"What time is it?"
"Back to Prime Minister, it's almost the time of You."
While talking, Luo Xishi hurried over and reported: "Right Prime Minister, Xue Bai still refuses to leave. He insists on letting Dali Temple Lian Yuanjie and others be released together."
"No." This time, Wang Zhi was also in the hall and said in a deep voice: "Yuan Jie is a key figure in the Chunwei troubles. If he is released, the majesty of the Youxiang Mansion will be greatly damaged. The princes think that they will be cured with one move.
Be aggressive. Who will be afraid of being implicated in Li Shi's case, losing control of the situation, and getting burned."
"Right Prime Minister, the young eunuch said that if Xue Bai can't be found again, he will have no choice but to return to the palace to resume his duties. I will tell the truth to the saint."
"Just drive Xue Bai out."
"How can this be done? He will not enter the palace unless Yuan Jie and others are released."
"Then the saint is also blamed, can he escape?!"
"I have exhausted all the means to scare him, including threats and inducements." Luo Xishi said: "This beast is stubborn and refuses to leave the Dali Temple Prison."
"What's the point of this? Yuan Jie and others openly gathered together to stay overnight at Li Shi's house. The evidence is conclusive!"
Luo Xishi's face became more and more bitter, and he bowed and said: "We act according to the rules, but Xue Bai is unreasonable and is completely a shameless scoundrel!"
Yang Zhao said: "Once the curfew is imposed, it will be difficult to enter and exit the Daming Palace gate."
Everyone knew that the saint planned to play dominoes all night long. If he didn't make arrangements quickly, the whole night would become a time for the saint to accumulate anger.
"when."
In the hall, the clepsydra dripped out and made a clear sound, indicating that the hour of Unity had arrived.
Li Linfu is still waiting. He has sent someone to the Daming Palace to make a request and is waiting for the saint to agree.
Finally, Cang Bi hurried over and reported: "Alang, there is someone coming from the palace. The saint has summoned him."
Li Linfu breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let him go."
"Right Prime Minister." Wang Zhi still wanted to persuade him again.
Jinke was on the list of candidates reviewed by him, the censor Zhongcheng, and he knew very well the dire consequences if the situation could not be calmed down.
Li Linfu waved his hand and said: "I will personally enter the palace to calm the situation."
"Can……"
"That's enough!" Li Linfu rarely scolded Wang Zhi: "There are thousands of things in the world, but none of them is more important than the mood of the saint!"
~~
The sun sets in the west.
A group of people were trekking on the official road heading north.
Yan Zhuang turned around for the last time and squinted his eyes in the setting sun, only to see that the magnificent Chang'an City had become a black outline.
He felt empty in his heart. He had spent half of his family wealth on this trip, and all he felt was immense disappointment.
…
In Chang'an City, Ping Yan looked at his essays again and again, firmly believing that as long as there was a re-examination, Jin Ke would pass.
He heard that Li Shizhi and Yuan Jie, who had advocated for a re-examination, had been arrested, but he was still holding on to luck and wanted to wait for definite news.
…
In the dark torture chamber.
Zhang Tongru gasped in pain and was finally let down from the torture rack.
He behaved very timidly, and the jailers allowed him to summon his fellow villagers to go home.
When he walked out of Jingzhao Mansion Prison, he saw several corpses lying on carts.
The young Hao Changyuan was dead, lying on his back with his eyes wide open, as if he was watching the clouds in the sky recede.
Zhang Tongru stepped forward and reached out to touch Hao Changyuan's eyes, but he still couldn't close them, so he had to cry loudly with guilt.
…
Changlefang, the residence of Li Shi.
With a "poof", the corpses were thrown into a pile in the front yard like sacks.
"Search carefully! We found evidence of Li Shizhi's rebellion!"
Yang Zhao shouted, squinted his eyes, and picked up a golden bead from the crack in the stone.
…
Apart from these, the Tang Dynasty was still prosperous.
Pieces of exquisite silk were moved into Taifu's treasury, and piles of brocade were piled up; bags of grain were filled in various warehouses, and the rice was dripping with fat; one after another, the canal boats sailed to Guangyuntan Wharf, loaded with Jianghuai's
tribute.
The city of Chang'an is extremely majestic, with twelve streets demarcating markets as neat as a vegetable patch, and hundreds of thousands of houses scattered like a chess game.
Amidst the sound of evening drums, business travelers leading camels, pedestrians on horseback, women's families in cars, and people on foot were beating their carriages on the long street. People were rubbing shoulders, and the folds and arms were forming a curtain, making it very lively.
Five figures ran towards Daming Palace.
Danfeng Gate became more and more majestic in front of their eyes.
Xue Bai faced off with the people in Dali Temple Prison for a whole day. Finally, at the last moment, the other party relented and let them go.
"Xue Xiaolangzi!"
A young eunuch waiting in front of the palace gate quickly ran over and panted: "Hurry up, the saint has been waiting for a long time."
"The internal officials work hard and work hard."
Xue Bai turned to Yuan Jie and said, "Wait for me here, the saint may summon you!"
"But there's a curfew..."
"Let's go quickly." The eunuch pulled Xue Bai over and hurried away.
Yuan Jie turned around and saw a group of Jinwu guards holding halberds in front of Danfeng Gate, guarding a carriage. It was Li Linfu's carriage.
With a roaring sound, the heavy palace door was completely closed.
…
The sound of drums stopped at dusk and the palace door closed.
Xue Bai turned around and saw the lanterns on the palace wall lit up like stars. The six armies of Beiya were guarding the city head, which was extremely solemn.
The family, the country, and the world are all in turmoil, and everyone is isolated.
In front, even Li Linfu, who is in charge of the world and controls all the people, is also running in a hurry, like a dog.
