Wu Rui left his father's courtyard, tiredly returned to his study and sat in a daze. After an unknown amount of time, it was getting late, and his wife Liu sent someone to ask him where he was eating. Wu Rui shook his head and just said he wouldn't eat today. , then continued in a daze.
But at this moment, a man came from outside the Wu Mansion. He was dressed as a Confucian scholar and said to the disciples with a smile: "Uncle, please. I came from the capital. My surname is Zhou. I am looking for a guest of yours named Qiu. He is also from the capital." He’s from the capital, and his journey is faster than mine.”
The doorman went inside to report. After a while, Qiu Sheng came out and took a look: a person was shining under the big dim lantern of Wu Mansion. It was Zhou Sheng. His heart moved and he stepped forward and held his hands. Before he could speak, Jia Cong waved: "Old Qiu, run away." You went so fast. I tried my best to catch up with you."
Qiu Sheng's face was complicated: "Brother Zhou, why are you driving me away?"
"I thought about it, and it would be better to come with you to see Mr. Wu." Jia Cong said, "You don't know as well as I do. Besides, as far as I know, Mr. Wu is also quite difficult to do."
Qiu Sheng smiled bitterly: "Brother Zhou seems to know more than me."
"That's for sure," Jia Cong said, "much more."
Qiu Sheng did not dare to lead him in, so he only asked his disciple to see Wu Rui. The disciple went to the study to report the news, and even said what they said at the door. Wu Rui heard the words "Mr. Wu is also very difficult to do" , secretly alarmed: How on earth did they know about our family? An academy hundreds of miles away from Beijing would never allow Xi Zuo to come in. So he ordered them to be brought in.
Not long after, Jia Cong Qiusheng came in and saluted, and the guests and hosts took their seats. Wu Rui said with a slight smile: "I wonder if Mr. Zhou is visiting this evening. Is there anything important?"
"Yes." Jia Cong said, "I'm just busy on the road and delayed my diet. I'm hungry now that I'm late. Could you please give me some snacks, Mr. Wu?"
Wu Rui laughed dumbly: "It's a coincidence that I haven't eaten yet." Then he ordered someone to prepare a banquet table and bring it up.
Jia Cong hurriedly said: "There is no need to go to the trouble of a banquet. You can fill in whatever dishes or porridge you have in the kitchen with ideas." Nai smiled and said, "Otherwise, it would be like a late student just rushing to get some food." Wu Rui nodded and asked his subordinates to get ready as instructed. He also ordered some snacks to be brought first.
Jia Cong was really hungry, so he ate six pieces of mung bean cake in one sitting, wiped his hands with a handkerchief, and said seriously: "The back-up strategy that Grandpa Taizu has decided on looks good on the surface, but in fact it won't work at all."
Wu Ruiqiusheng thought he was going to make some small talk, but he was surprised when he started with this sentence. Wu Ruiqiu said with a smile: "I would like to hear Mr. Zhou's opinion."
Jia Cong took a sip of tea and continued: "He did not consider two extremely important things: one is the difference in people's talents and personalities. In fact, this is also the reason why every dynasty will surely perish, and it is also the reason why the eldest son inherits the system. Innate disadvantages: the eldest son may not always be the best, and the eldest son may not be willing to inherit the career left by his ancestors. The example in front of you is the eldest son of the Supreme Emperor, the deceased King Xianlu. You have to admit that the Supreme Emperor Among a long line of sons, he is the worst. But if you want to establish a direct eldest son, you must establish him." He paused, "Another example is you, Mr. Wu."
Wu Rui's face remained calm: "I'm really not talented."
"On the contrary, Mr. Wu is a great talent. And you are not old, you are in the prime of life." Jia Cong said, "You are the second example. The eldest son may not be willing to inherit the legacy left by his ancestors. Each generation has different ideas. In the academy Spending your whole life is not the future you want. Without the family rule set by my great-grandfather that 'the matter should only be passed down to the eldest son', Mr. Wu would have followed the same path as his uncle Wu."
Wu Rui smiled calmly and said without comment: "Mr. Zhou said that Grandpa Taizu missed two important things. Where is the other one?"
"Times have changed," Jia Cong said. "When he laid these eighteen hidden traps, he didn't know what would happen decades later. Although we haven't had time to find out, we already guessed that there must be an army here, at least.
There were bandits and pirates. Grandfather Taizu would probably choose a very capable military general to take on this task, thinking that the Wu Xun family's martial arts would be passed down from generation to generation. But he didn't know that many years later, fighting would no longer rely on strength. General Jarvis
Just sending a musketeer team can destroy them, no matter who they are. The same goes for your Donghai Academy. Now the Yan Kingdom no longer needs a single Confucian scholar. Unless your academy changes its teachings to something else, it will be difficult to go to court.
.But if you reform your teaching and you have to follow the example of Yenching University, the students you train will no longer be the kind that Grandfather Taizu wanted." Wu Ruike finally moved his eyes. Jia Cong thought for a while,
"Actually, there is one more thing."
"Please enlighten me."
"The supreme and all-pervasive imperial power, his descendants." Jia Cong said sternly, "Since these eighteen hidden stars have to shoulder the important task of saving the empire at the end of the dynasty, they must have enough strength. However, you are independent of the imperial court.
Other than that, it is not under the control of the current emperor. If you are powerful, it is not under the control of the emperor. Will the saint in power ignore it? How could he not think about how to get you?"
Wu Rui frowned and said, "The saint doesn't know this."
Jia Cong looked at him and said seriously: "Mr. Wu thinks that what happened to Concubine Wu was by chance?" Wu Rui was startled. Jia Cong sighed, "He suspected that you had taken refuge in his son, and he was unhappy: Since you are living outside the world,
, why did you vote for him again? How am I not better than that rebellious son? Why didn't you want to vote for me?" Nai shook his head and said, "Actually, your father was right not to want his niece to enter the palace. The legitimate daughter of the second wife of the Wu family became the new emperor's concubine.
, what would you think if you were the old emperor?"
After a long time, Wu Rui said slowly: "How did the late emperor know about us? No one should know."
Jia Cong said: "There is no airtight wall in the world, and there is no secret that the emperor cannot find out." Wu Rui was silent. Jia Cong waited for a while and then said, "By the way, there is another big flaw. Grandfather Taizu
Arrange for some of you to be in charge of soldiers, some to be in charge of money, and some to be in charge of talents. What will happen if future monarchs take a fancy to these resources? For example, if the emperor wants Donghai Academy, he orders the prefect of Cangzhou to arrest Mr. Wu Tianzuo for unfounded crimes.
Prison, and send someone else to take over the academy. Mr. Wu will be imprisoned there for two years, and then he will use senior officials such as the Minister of Punishment to help him redress his grievances. If the academy is not returned, the reputation of Tianjia will not be bad. "
Wu Rui smiled bitterly and said, "It would be useless if I said that our family has the gold medal and imperial edict given by Grandfather Taizu."
"Of course it's useless." Jia Cong said, "Taizu has been dead for so many years, and the power in the military has long been dispersed. The imperial power is maintained by military power. The late emperor even dug up Taizu's imperial tomb, so why does he care about the golden edict?
.His own words are the imperial edict.”
Wu Rui nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "Mr. Zhou must be from the Regent."
Jia Cong smiled and said: "If I said that I am Jia Cong himself, would you believe it?"
Wu Rui and Qiu Sheng were both shocked and shouted in unison: "What?!"
Jia Cong smiled and untied a purse from his waist, took out something from it and put it on the table. It was his gilded unicorn stepping on the fire regent's seal. The room was silent for a moment. Jia Cong smiled and said: "Don't be so surprised, Jia Cong is just a person.
Ordinary humans on Earth..."
Before he finished speaking, he heard the sound of footsteps outside, and someone broke in and shouted: "Uncle! It's not good!"
Wu Rui drank: "Presumptuous!"
The person who came was an old servant. He was not afraid of him, but his face turned pale: "The old man fell down hard!"
Wu Rui was shocked: "Is there something serious wrong with my father?"
The old servant cried: "I have passed out... Sir, go and have a look."
Jia Cong said hurriedly: "The most important thing is to ask a doctor."
Wu Rui immediately ordered someone to ask for the doctor. But at this moment, a steward came in and said that the banquet was ready. How could Wu Rui care about it? He turned around and handed over to Jia Cong: "Prince Jia..."
Jia Cong said flatly: "I'll go and take a look too. You two are both scholars, so I hope you have a little more medical knowledge." Wu Rui didn't bother to refuse and led him and Qiu Sheng over.
Rushing to Wu Tianzuo's courtyard, a child greeted Wu Rui and said, "Master, the master looks like he is asleep. He is still snoring. He just can't wake up."
Before Wu Rui could answer, Jia Cong frowned and said, "Why does it sound like a symptom of sudden cerebral hemorrhage?"
Wu Rui hurriedly asked: "Does Your Majesty know medicine?"
"I only know some general common sense." Jia Cong said, "My second aunt also suffered from sudden cerebral hemorrhage, which is a type of stroke."
Wu Rui was so anxious that he ran into the house; Jia Cong and Qiusheng followed behind. The old man had been carried by his servants and was lying on the kang, snoring loudly. Qiusheng had an uncle who was an imperial doctor and he also knew a little bit about medicine. Look
Then he said: "It's really a stroke."
Jia Cong said: "This situation shows that the base of his tongue has dropped. He must wrap the tongue with a veil and gently pull it out."
Wu Ruisui personally opened Wu Tianzuo's mouth and followed what they said. Jia Cong said again: "I remember that the imperial doctor said that you can use a cloth towel dipped in cold water to cover the patient's head."
Qiu Sheng also said: "Yes, I have heard such a saying." Wu Rui repeatedly asked people to get cloth towels. Then everyone didn't know what to do and stood in a daze.
Not long after, the doctor came, and he said it was a stroke. After looking at the patient for a while, he took out the silver needle from his arms. Jia Cong said to Qiu Sheng, "Let's not get in the way here, and stay out of the way." Qiu Cong said.
The student nodded and the two of them exited the room.
When he arrived at the courtyard, Qiu Sheng glanced at Jia Cong: "Are you really the regent?"
"Seriously," Jia Cong said, "Who dares to pretend to be someone else?"
Qiu Sheng smiled bitterly and said, "It really doesn't look like that. There is no prince like him."
Jia Cong gave him a sideways look: "When you are a prince, you only know how to point out the country. I, the prince, are just a sign. It is Prime Minister Lin, Grand Master Zhan and others who do the serious work."
Qiu Sheng thought for a while and asked, "Why did the prince go to Wanshou Temple on the Lantern Festival?"
Jia Cong said honestly: "My daughter-in-law hasn't arrived in the capital yet. I feel unhappy when I see people walking around in pairs to watch the lanterns. I'm looking for Wen Kong's idea to vent my anger."
Qiu Sheng didn't believe it at first, but seeing that he didn't look like a faker, he was stunned for a long time, and then asked: "Then...does the prince know that there is a secret hidden in their temple?"
"I don't know. I checked because Wen Kong's master refused to allow him to return to secular life." Jia Cong still said honestly, "Sooner or later, their temple will have to be checked, and Lord Zhan Kun is targeting him. He is too busy right now and has no time to do anything. He
He's not a person who forgets things. Even if Zhan Kun doesn't take notice now, he will sooner or later." He then mentioned the glass lamp from Wanshou Temple.
Qiu Sheng was stunned: "I never thought that was inappropriate."
"Because you are used to the generosity of those monks. It is easy for an outsider to see that." The two of them suddenly fell silent.
After waiting for a long time, Wu Rui personally escorted the doctor out of the back room. He glanced at the two people in the courtyard and turned around to go in. The two of them followed into the room. They saw Wu Tianzuo still lying on the kang motionless.
Wu Rui's eyes were slightly red. He stood by the kang and looked at Huizi. He then took out a handkerchief to wipe away his tears: "The doctor said that what you two said first is absolutely true. Without you, the old man would have to go west in three to five days."
Qiu Sheng said: "The prince mentioned it all first, and Wan Sheng only echoed it a few times."
Jia Cong said: "I just experienced my second aunt suffering from this disease earlier." Nai sighed, "It seems that the emotions deep in a person's heart cannot be washed away by brainwashing. Your Majesty has been taught by his elders since he was a child to be loyal.
The court is loyal to Taizu and to the Tian family. No matter what the emperor does, it is right. When the emperor is wrong, someone else must be wrong. If the emperor slaps you on the left cheek, you should slap him on the right cheek again. If the emperor wants to kill you, you
You should stretch your neck more to make it easier for him to cut. If you hear these words often, you will get used to it. This is called internalization of values. However, people are emotional animals after all. I heard that my niece suffered such a bad thing and died unjustly, Wu
The old man is still full of resentment. I heard people say that the old man suffered a stroke for no reason, and 70% of it was due to anger."
Qiu Sheng said: "It's not as much as 70%. Excessive drinking, overwork, sudden warmth and sudden cold can also easily induce stroke."
Jia Cong twitched his lips: "Which of these inducements does Brother Qiu think is most likely to be the reason for Mr. Wu's illness this time?"
Qiu Sheng said: "My emotions are depressed and angry."
"You're just angry!"
Qiu Sheng then became speechless.
Jia Cong glanced at Wu Tianzuo and said, "Your family will definitely be busy for a while. I'll take my leave now. Let's talk when Mr. Wu is free."
Wu Rui nodded and asked, "Where is the prince staying?"
Jia Cong thought for a moment: "Mr. Wu, do you think it's convenient to go to Jia's Horse House? If it's not convenient, I'll stay at an inn."
"There is no inconvenience." There was no sadness or joy on Wu Rui's face, "When my father is safe, I will go and see the prince."
Jia Cong then said goodbye to the two of them. He walked to the door and came back: "It's getting late now and there are not many people on the road. Could you trouble Mr. Wu to send someone to guide me? I don't know where our horse is."
"Wu Rui hurriedly ordered a steward to take Mr. Zhou to Jia's Horse Racing Company.
Qiu Sheng couldn't help but said: "Your Majesty, who is dressed like a white dragon fish, isn't he afraid of meeting assassins?"
Jia Cong smiled and took out a small musket from his arms and turned it in his palm a few times: "If an assassin encounters me, it will definitely be the assassin who dies."
He then followed the steward out to get on his horse, and braved the cold spring to find Jia's Horse Racing Store. He opened the door, took out the token from his pocket, showed it to the shopkeeper, and stayed at the horse store. The steward returned to the Wu Mansion without mentioning his return.
Jia Cong was very hungry, so he asked the aunt from Machang to help him cook noodles while he stayed in the kitchen. He was chatting with the aunt about Cangzhou's customs and customs when he suddenly heard a "clang" outside the door. Jia Cong ran out and saw only one person.
The night traveler in black fell to the ground with a sleeve arrow stuck in his chest. Liu Xiaoqi stood beside him with his arms folded and said proudly: "Let's see whether your sleeve arrow is faster or mine."
Jia Cong clicked his tongue twice: "Didn't I tell you earlier? If an assassin encounters me, it will definitely be the assassin who dies." He stretched out his hand and gave Liu Xiaoqi a high-five.