A few days later, Du Fu accepted Ren Can's invitation and went to the latter's house as a guest.
Ren Can is a young eunuch of the Secretary's Supervisory Office, with an official rank ranging from the fourth grade, but his residence is quite shabby. It is an ordinary small courtyard located in Xuanpingfang.
Ren Can lost his wife in middle age and never renewed their relationship.
The two sons of the Ren family joined the army and died in the battle at Longyou. The only daughter was married to Shannan, and the family only had a few old servants and maidservants for company.
Du Fu knocked on the door of Ren's house, and Ren Can, dressed in plain robes, personally welcomed him into the house.
After Du Fu entered the gate, he saw that the courtyard was deserted. The furnishings in the room were simple and there were no luxurious things in sight. The only things that caught his eye were the calligraphy and ink paintings hanging on the walls.
After sitting for a while, Du Fu was still wondering why no one was waiting in the house.
At this moment, the elderly Ren Can actually walked out of the back carrying the food plate.
Du Fu was shocked when he saw this, and quickly stood up and took the food plate from Ren Can's hand, and said: "How can Mr. Ren do such a servant's job with his status?"
Ren Can's white hair was tied randomly on the top of his head with a hairpin. After he sat down at the table, he said: "I have dismissed all the servants and women in the house."
Du Fu's hand pouring the wine shook and he asked Ren Can, "Why did Supervisor Ren do this?"
Ren Can closed his eyes, smiled softly, and did not answer. He just picked up the wine glass and drank the wine in one gulp.
When Du Fu saw this, he stopped asking questions and just quietly drank and ate with Ren Can.
After three drinks, Ren Can said: "When I was young, I was promoted to Jinshi, and all the outstanding ones were selected. At that time, the king was wise and the ministers were wise, and the rivers and seas were clear. At that time, I had great ambitions and great ambitions. I only wanted to bring peace to the people and provide for the people.
The world. However, the officialdom has been ups and downs for decades, and we have lived in confusion until today. The Tang Dynasty is still the Tang Dynasty, but the court is no longer the court of the past..."
Du Fu was puzzled: "Why would any prisoner say this?"
Ren Can: "The emperor is reckless, the prime minister is talented, the rewards and punishments are inappropriate, I sit back and watch the thief, but there is nothing I can do."
Du Fu was startled for a moment, then he thought of what happened in Xingqing Palace and sighed, feeling sad in his heart.
Ren Can: "The Tang Dynasty is said to be prosperous, but in fact it is already seriously ill and in danger."
Du Fu: "Ren Shaojian, now that things have reached this stage, what should we do?"
Ren Can: "How to do it...how to do it?"
After repeating it several times, Ren Can sighed and said: "Throughout the ages, in all dynasties, it is common sense that what goes strong must inevitably decline. The symptoms of this disease are not external, but internal. If you ask how to do it... I don't know."
Du Fu was silent for a moment.
Ren Can: "I have offended the Right Prime Minister by meeting the Holy Spirit this time. It will not take long before revenge is sure to be drawn."
Du Fu: "It is better to resign and go away than to serve as a prisoner."
Ren Can: "Let's go? As a minister of the Tang Dynasty, I only regret that I can't save the common people. Where can I go? On the contrary, Du Xiaoshu, this time I will send you a letter. If the right minister settles the accounts after the fall, you will definitely be implicated. I have already reported to the officials.
The Ministry has said hello and plans to move you to another place."
Du Fu: "It is unjust for me to leave Chang'an at this time and leave him alone as a prisoner."
Ren Can: "I am already old, but Du Xiaoshu is different. You are still young and have a long way to go. There is no need to get stuck here."
Du Fu was moved by Ren Can's sincere words and left the table to bow down to him.
Ren Can raised his glass and said, "That's all, get up. I'm already dead and have long since lost my care. You are talented in literature and well aware of the sufferings of the people. From now on, you should put the people first and don't lose sight of your original intention."
When Du Fu heard this, a burst of sadness came to his heart. He raised his head, couldn't help choking, and asked Ren Can: "Guanzhong and the area east of Hedong are so miserable that I can't bear to see them. As far as I can see, there are really bones exposed in the wild, thousands of miles away."
The rooster crows... Nowadays, any prisoner is abused by a traitor and a sycophant. He is a humble man and speaks lightly. Where should the people go?"
When Ren Can heard this, he burst into tears.
The two of them cried over the case and never stopped for a long time.
That night, Du Fu returned home, leaving Ren Can alone in the house.
With trembling steps, Ren Can held a candlestick and walked around the house at night.
After looking around the house where he had lived for decades and recalling every bit of the past, Ren Can let out a long sigh.
Walking into the study, Ren Can recorded the disasters and disasters in Guanzhong, Hedong and other places, wrapped them in oilcloth, removed the wall tiles of the study, and finally sealed the books, etc. inside the wall.
After finishing all this, Ren Can tidied up his appearance, took out the prepared poisonous poison from the cabinet, and placed it on the desk.
Looking out the window, Ren Can's face full of grooves showed pain and melancholy.
Ren Can picked up the bottle of poisonous wine and whispered: "The emperor is about to be slandered, and there are many sycophants in the court. I have the right intention, but I am unable to do it..."
After saying that, Ren Can uncorked the bottle of poisonous wine and drank the liquid in one gulp.
The bottle fell to the ground and the poisonous wine was released.
Ren Can's body trembled, and blood slowly overflowed from his mouth and nose.
The old man used all his strength, looked up at the sky, and said intermittently: "This Tang Dynasty, this world...where does Tao come from...and where does it go..."
Before the words were spoken, the loyal soul was separated and drifted without a trace.
Half a month later, outside Chang'an City.
The solitary grave is lonely and the land is white and vast.
Amidst the snowflakes flying all over the sky, Du Fu sat in front of Ren Can's tombstone, put the money in his hand into the brazier, looked at the blazing flames, and remained silent.
Not long after, someone came over on horseback from the trail.
Du Fu followed the sound and found that the person who came looked familiar. Looking carefully, it turned out to be the clerk who had warned him in Zhongshu Province that day.
When the clerk saw Du Fu, he quickly jumped off his horse and came over and said, "Secretary Du, please pack your bags quickly and leave Chang'an!"
Du Fu: "What happened?"
Clerk: "Ren Can was convicted of committing suicide out of fear of crime by the Yushitai. No one dared to collect his body. Only Du Xiaoshu stepped forward and took care of his funeral. When the right minister found out, he was very angry and searched for you.
After knowing that you are the chief writer of the disaster register, I hate you even more... Now Dali Temple has sent an official document saying that it wants you to investigate the case!"
Du Fu made no move.
The clerk said anxiously: "Secretary Du, hurry up and leave. If you are late, it will be too late!"
Hearing this, Du Fu stood up, first saluted the clerk, and then said, "You are so humble, so why did you take the risk to warn me?"
The clerk returned the gift: "You two, Shao Jian Ren and Secretary Du, are both good officials who care about the people. We admire your character, but we are afraid and cannot follow you to speak together. Now I am warning you.
What we can do.”
Du Fu bowed and thanked him again.
The scribe asked: "Du Xiaoshu cannot return to Chang'an, where do you plan to go?"
Du Fu: "In order to avoid disaster, I plan to return to Fengxian first and persuade my tribe to move away with me."
Clerk: "If Du Xiaoshu returns to Chang'an after not seeing him for a long time in Dali Temple, he will definitely be arrested by sea. If he wants to move away, he must leave as soon as possible."
Du Fu nodded and said softly: "In the past, I once met a group of religious people who said that there was a promised land in the west. Now, I plan to set off to the west to see what the rumored promised land looks like."
