It was a night with sparse stars and a pale moon, with thin clouds and gentle breeze. Chang'an prefect Zhu Wei had already gone back to his office and was sitting in the study reading official documents. Suddenly a doorman came in and said: "Master, there is a guest outside the door.
I want to see Uncle Tong."
Zhu Wei was stunned: "Want to see Tong'er?"
"Yes." The disciple said, "The master once said, don't let people see Uncle Tong at will. He didn't give you a name card, so the servants didn't dare to bring them in at will."
Zhu Wei thought to himself, "Ask him what his last name is and where he is from." The disciple agreed and left. Zhu Wei shouted again, "Wait a minute." The disciple hurried back. Zhu Wei thought for a while, frowned and said, "It's all that one."
Liu Feng's bad idea was not to close the city gate... He just threw up his sleeves and ran away. It's too late today, let's send that man away."
"yes."
After a while, the doorman came again. "Sir, the man outside said that it's almost midnight and it's not easy to find an inn, but it's easier to find the prefect's house. He's tired and wants Uncle Tong to arrange a guest room for him.
It doesn’t matter whether we meet or not.”
Zhu Wei snapped: "You bastard!"
The disciple said: "The man said that he was Uncle Tong's creditor, and that Uncle Tong owed him a lot of money."
Zhu Wei frowned: "Did he say his last name?"
The disciple shrank his neck: "Uh... I just said to send him away, but I didn't ask." Zhu Wei glared at him. The disciple quickly said, "I'll ask him now." After saying that, he ran away.
Just as they crossed the threshold, Zhu Wei shouted: "Stop!"
"master!"
Zhu Wei thought for a moment: "No need to ask. Just go straight to Tong'er's yard and tell him."
"Yes!" Menzi ran away in a flash.
Zhu Tong's little daughter was originally too old to be looked down upon by a dog. Not long ago, she let those children run wild again in the capital. She led her two brothers to the roof at night to count the stars. Zhu Tong was a scholar, so he just stood in the courtyard and drank them down.
The children refused to move. However, his wife Liu Jingnai, the daughter of the general, had learned some martial arts. When her husband told him that the three of them should not move, she simply rolled up her sleeves and climbed up to arrest them. While they were making a fuss, the gate came.
Zhu Tong was stunned when he heard the report: "I owe him a debt? When did I owe him a debt?"
Liu Jing asked on the roof: "How old are you? What do you look like?"
The doorman raised his head and shouted: "In response to what Grandma Tong said, she is thirty-five or six years old. She has a strong back and a strong waist. She is about half a head taller than Uncle Tong. She is wearing purple arrow sleeves and carrying a baggage. Look at what she means.
He has traveled a long way. The horse he rides is very majestic, like a military horse."
Liu Jing thought for a moment: "What's his last name?"
Menzi shrank again: "This... I haven't had time to ask yet..."
Zhu Tong and his wife looked at each other for a moment: "Who could this be?"
Then they heard their daughter shouting from the rooftop: "My uncle likes to wear purple clothes. He has several of them!"
Zhu Tong was stunned: "Isn't he unwilling to partner with me?"
Liu Jing thought to himself, "Whether it's true or not, I'll see you first." Zhu Tong nodded, ordered his disciples to lead the man in, and called his children to hurry into the house.
Not long after, the doorman opened the courtyard door with a lantern. The first thing the guest said when he entered was: "I'm not used to lanterns anymore."
Zhu Tong raised his eyebrows: "Are you used to oil glass lamps?"
"Yes." The guest glanced at his yard, "It's really backward. The Forbidden City has begun laying cables." Zhu Tong was dumbfounded.
The two of them entered the main room and sat down. Zhu Tong poured the tea himself and came forward: "Uncle, I have had a hard journey all the way." The person who came was Liu Shu. He snorted heavily in his nostrils, raised the teacup and drank it all in one gulp. Zhu Tong then returned.
He took his seat and asked the girl to pour tea. Liu Shu raised his chin and crossed his legs to look at him. Zhu Tong said, "Don't look at me. I don't apologize for that. Everyone is their own master."
Liu Shu choked and said: "What you did is too great! You have ruined our sincerity. Liu Qian let my father run the country with a foreign relative, and you came to marry my sister..."
Zhu Tong said hurriedly: "I am sincere in marrying your sister. If I marry a girl from the Zhang family just to gain trust, why should I only choose Ah Jing when my father-in-law has so many daughters?"
"It's not because my sister gave birth to a son for you!"
"Yes!" Zhu Tong said matter-of-factly, "I am single at such an old age, shouldn't I marry a wife and have a son?"
"You... are so arrogant!" Liu Shu said angrily and tilted his head back to drink some tea.
Zhu Tongnai smiled and said, "Didn't you say you couldn't come to Chang'an?"
Liu Shu said angrily: "Jia Cong can't find anyone else, so he has to force me to do it. Do you think I am willing? I won't be happy to see you."
"Then there is nothing we can do. Obedience to orders is the basic quality of revolution." After taking another two sips of tea, Zhu Tong then talked about the current situation of the Qin court.
Even though the young King of Qin was smart and sensible, the Qin State still fell into the trap of the foreign relatives who caused chaos in the dynasty. The Queen Mother's surname was Yu, and her grandfather was originally the minister of the Ministry of Punishment. He died at the hands of Fang Xiong during the chaos in the capital. His father was writing for the Hanlin Academy. At that time,
He was compiling books with his colleagues. The king of the pre-Qin Dynasty entrusted him with the throne and went westward. Yu Hanlin was reluctant to leave and stayed in the capital. However, the king of Yan later did not reuse him and still compiled some unimportant books. The two brothers of the Queen Mother Yu failed in every subject.
They are still two talented people today. After King Xiao Qin ascended the throne, Queen Mother Yu wrote a letter back to Beijing to persuade his father and brother to come to Chang'an. Seeing that his son could not find a way out in Beijing, Yu Hanlin had no choice but to come to Qin to seek refuge with his daughter.
The young King of Qin can be said to be a sensible child. Although he is young, he knows who to listen to. His master, Mr. Cui, told him that Yu Hanlin devoted himself to studying knowledge, and the two Yu family men failed to pass the imperial examination, which shows that they are not great talents.
. Therefore, he only assigned the three members of the Yu family, father and son, to idle positions. The Yu family was quite content in the first few years, but after all, they were unfamiliar with the place and the head of the family, Yu Hanlin, was a bit pedantic.
As the saying goes, the tree wants to be still but the wind will not stop, let alone the tree does not want to be still. The prince is young, how can the queen mother's father and brother have no one to hook up with? As time goes by, I don't know how many things will happen. These three men gradually dislike the small and powerless officials.
Making trouble with the King of Qin. After all, the King of Qin was not a monster like Jia Cong. Gradually he could no longer hold his grandfather and uncle, and the officials given to them became larger and larger. In the officialdom, whenever an incompetent person occupies a high position, all sorts of monsters and monsters will come out from below.
The Yu family members are no rivals and are often used as spearheads.
A few years ago, the King of Qin met Liu Feng, a great businessman of the Shu Kingdom. He was impressed by his courage, foresight, talent and learning, and he appointed him as prime minister despite the objections of the Manchu officials. The Qin State's national power greatly increased. Unexpectedly, Liu Feng suddenly resigned and resigned for some reason.
The king of Qin was filled with regret. He ordered Xiao Gui and Cao to follow him and continue to implement the national policy set by Prime Minister Liu. Despite this, the tax revenue still dropped sharply. The king of Qin thought hard and couldn't figure out what went wrong.
A few months ago, news came from the State of Lu that Liu Feng went to the State of Lu to assist Liu Tong's fourth son Liu Ge. In less than a year, he helped Liu Ge defeat Liu Tong's eldest son Liu Shu in a fight. King Qin looked at the information and didn't know who he was.
What a feeling. Then the Japanese Yan tribe annexed the other two tribes to unify Japan Island, and Lu Prime Minister Zhu Tong disappeared.
King Qin's master, Mr. Cui, did not serve in the court and only focused on teaching King Qin his studies. He pointed at the newspaper and said: "Zhu Tong is from Qin." King Qin suddenly opened his eyes wide. Mr. Cui said, "This man is a great talent. Although this time
If we lose, it is not unjust to lose to the Yan State. Prime Minister Liu also took advantage of his being in Japan to help Liu Ge win the Lu State, otherwise it is still unclear who will win."
The King of Qin thought: "Will Prime Minister Zhu return to Qin?"
Mr. Cui said with a smile: "Theoretically speaking, a person who has just lost a bad game will most likely go home and rest for a while."
The King of Qin hurriedly said: "Quickly send someone to find out where the home of Prime Minister Zhu is."
Mr. Cui was stunned: "Don't you know, Your Majesty?"
King Qin was confused: "What?"
"Zhu Tong is Lord Zhu Wei's nephew, a native of Chang'an. Speaking of which, when he was studying in his early years, he was the leader of young talents in Chang'an City!"
King Qin was shocked: "Zhu Tong is Zhu Wei's nephew? King Gu has never heard of it. How did he go to Lu?"
Mr. Cui said: "I asked Mr. Zhu, and he said that he was attracted by Liu Tong when he was studying in the state of Lu, so he stayed in the state of Lu as an official. Later, he gained more and more trust from Liu Tong and married Liu Tong's niece.
Only then can he become the Prime Minister of Lu."
The King of Qin was stunned: "Such a talent was allowed to go to the State of Lu. If I had known, Zhu Wei would have called him back."
"Well..." Mr. Cui thought for a while and said, "Master Zhu sent him out on a study tour because of the fierce party struggle. And the old prince had no intention of re-employing young people. Zhu Tong would not be as powerful in Qin as he was in Lu. Naturally, it would be inconvenient for him to come back later. So.
That's good. After so many years of practice, Zhu Tong has become more and more usable."
The King of Qin slapped the case and said: "As soon as this person comes back, tell the lonely king immediately." Mr. Cui said "yes".
It didn't take long for Zhu Tong to return to Chang'an. The King of Qin immediately sent a message to Zhu Wei to enter the palace. After hearing the King of Qin's intention, Zhu Wei smiled bitterly and said: "My lord, my nephew is exhausted mentally and physically. He wants to study behind closed doors at home and has no intention of becoming an official."
How could the King of Qin be willing to obey? "Qin is much bigger than Lu. He has no choice but to work for the lonely king. He will definitely be better than Lu."
Zhu Wei could only say: "Wei Chen will go back and ask him."
When he went back and asked, Zhu Tong had no intention of leaving the mountain. Zhu Wei couldn't bear to force him, so he turned around and told the King of Qin that his nephew was not in good health. The King of Qin immediately sent a lot of doctors to Zhu's house to see Zhu Tong. The doctors all said that Zhu Tong was honest.
If you are not in good spirits, you must be suffering from heart disease. But that day, the King of Qin just looked at the accounts of the treasury, and the tax money was less than the previous month. The King of Qin had no idea, and he unknowingly used Zhu Tong as a life-saving straw. He then sent out a message to let him
The eloquent man persuaded Zhu Tong to come out.
The Zhu family was suddenly full of people. After Liu Feng left, the Qin government was divided into several parties, and each party wanted to win over Zhu Tong. Zhu Tong's classmates when he was young also came to ask for an audience. Some of them were ordered by the family to recruit him into the family.
Some people thought that he had a bright future and wanted to get close to him. Zhu Tong couldn't bear the harassment and his head was as big as a fight. Once, Zhu Wei's political enemy sent an old friend of Zhu Tong to win over him. After Zhu Wei learned about it, he told his disciples that anyone looking for Zhu Tong
Don't put it in casually. Zhu Tong's place suddenly became much quieter.
Liu Shu laughed after hearing this: "You are playing hard to get."
"More than that." Zhu Tong said, "If I simply enter the court and serve as an official, I will be subject to restrictions from all sides. The King of Qin doesn't recognize me, he has only heard of a name. If I don't impress him, I will
It’s inconvenient to do things.”
Liu Shu snorted: "You literati are the most cunning." Zhu Tong smiled and said nothing. Liu Shu** said, "What do you want to do next?"
Zhu Tong looked at him and said, "Aren't you happy that you were coaxed by Liu Qian and I?" Liu Shu snorted again. Zhu Tong smiled and said, "Would you like to coax King Qin with me? After coaxing him, you will definitely understand.
Much more comfortable.”
Liu Shu said nonchalantly: "I am a military commander and you are a civil servant. It is your responsibility to make plans."
Zhu Tong nodded: "Okay."
Then he called his daughter-in-law to come out to meet him. Liu Shu looked at his sister and several children and said with emotion: "Yes, I am still your brother-in-law."
A few days later, everyone in Chang'an knew that a guest from Zhu's family had come, who was a good friend of Uncle Tong. This person rushed to Chang'an in the middle of the night carrying a baggage, as if he had come to seek refuge with Uncle Tong.
A few days later, several of Zhu Tong's former classmates posted a message inviting him to have a drink at Chunfeng Pavilion, the largest flower building in Chang'an City. Zhu Tong agreed and said he wanted to take someone with him. The classmates had no objections.
That evening, Zhu Tong and Liu Shu arrived at Chunfeng Tower, and the old madam led a group of fans with venomous smiles on their faces to greet them. The classmates had been waiting there for a long time.
Zhu Tong pointed to Liu Shu and said: "This official Liu is my brother-in-law." The world did not know that Zhu Tong's wife was Liu Tong's biological daughter, so others thought Liu Shu was Liu Tong's nephew and met her one after another.
Then wine was put on the table to assign seats, and Liu Shu was ranked above Zhu Tong. A singer held a pipa and sang a tune, and the fans toasted one after another. After a round of wine, someone proposed a drinking order. Liu Shu immediately said: "I am a rough man."
People don’t know how to do this.”
Zhu Tong smiled and said: "I testify, he really doesn't know how. But if he is rich, he can pay to hire someone to do it for him."
A fan laughed and said: "How can you let the officials at the table take over the drinking orders? Why don't you invite Miss Mei to come and let her make the orders for you?"
Liu Shu hurriedly asked: "Who is Miss Mei?"
Everyone laughed: "When you arrive in Chang'an, you don't even know who Miss Mei is?"
It turns out that Miss Mei was originally a young lady from an official family, but unfortunately she fell into the land of fireworks. Although she was a female, her talents and learning were astonishing. Because she was very good at music, poetry and dance, she did not sell herself as a performer. She once wrote several poems that famously moved Chang'an. Mr. Cui, the master of King Qin
And several old Confucians all praised it.
Zhu Tong said: "In that case, let's invite this girl Mei to help me." Then he sent someone to invite him.
Not long after, a woman outside called out: "Miss Mei Mei is here." Both Zhu and Liu turned to look at the door. They saw the door curtain lifted, and a woman walked in. She had a graceful figure and dignified manner.
She looks like a girl for everyone. Looking at her appearance, everyone is a little disappointed. I thought that this girl with eyebrows must be a stunning beauty, but I don’t think she can only be considered a hit. After thinking about it again, it’s not surprising. If a brothel girl is stunning, how can she be affected by it?
It depends on whether she sells herself or not.
Miss Mei bowed to all the gentlemen one by one. When it was Liu Shu's turn, the goddess was obviously moved and bent down. When she stood up, she glanced at Liu Shu very quickly. No one else noticed, but Liu Shu clearly saw her.
There was a flash of color in Liu Shu's eyes. Without thinking about it carefully, he thought that she looked down on him for not being good at writing, and he felt unhappy in his stomach.
After the meeting was over, someone smiled at Miss Mei and said, "Miss, do you know why we invited you?"
The girl with eyebrows lowered her eyebrows and said, "The slave family doesn't know."
Another said: "There is a friend at the table who is not good at poetry. We have to conduct a drinking ceremony, so we hired you to help him. Guess who it is?"
Miss Mei was slightly startled and looked at everyone. Her eyes stopped on Liu Shu for a moment, and she was a little surprised. She said, "I don't know."
Liu Shu frowned, vaguely feeling that something was wrong, but he didn't know where it was.