In the inner city, it is south of Taipu Temple in Yongfang, Li Dongyang's back house.
It was already dark, and the light in the courtyard of the back house was dim. Two lanterns under the corridor of the main house were swaying in the night wind. The dim light and shadow wandered uncertainly, shining on the face of a figure kneeling on the ground in the corridor, making his figure appear on the ground.
It stretches, shortens, and flickers indefinitely.
The lights were on in the wing, and coughs kept coming from inside. Every time the people inside coughed, the people kneeling in the yard trembled, and their expressions became even more frightened.
There was a soft sound of footsteps, and an old woman walked out slowly from the door of the main room. When she saw the man kneeling on the porch, she hurriedly stepped forward.
"Xueshi Yang, why are you still kneeling and can't get up? Didn't I tell you? You don't need to kneel anymore. It's getting late, it's almost the second watch. If you've been kneeling since dark until now, aren't you going to be ruined?
Get up quickly." The woman said.
The kneeling man was Yang Tinghe, a cabinet scholar. After the court meeting this morning, Li Dongyang did not return to the public house, but went home directly. After Yang Tinghe finished handling official business, he came to Li Dongyang's home. As a result, he was turned away by Li Dongyang.
Refusing to see him, he knelt in the courtyard of the back house until now.
"Teacher, how is your teacher's health? The student made the teacher angry and feels guilty. The student must apologize to the teacher in person. If the teacher does not see the student, the student will never get up." Yang Tinghe said solemnly.
The woman was Li Dongyang's wife, Mrs. Zhu. Hearing this, she sighed and said, "You two masters and apprentices are so serious, why did you start a quarrel? Aren't you usually pretty good? Mr. Yang, I'm not talking too much about you, your teacher."
He was not in good health, and this time he was really angry. He lay down when he came back at noon, and his old habit of coughing and wheezing happened again. He really couldn't bear the stimulation. If you have something to do, you have to take care of it, but you can't do this.
"
Yang Tinghe whispered: "Master, it's all the student's fault. Please tell me, Master, and let the student go see his teacher and apologize in person."
Mrs. Zhu smacked her lips and said, "I told you that he doesn't want to see you, and there's nothing I can do about it. Otherwise, Master Yang, you can go back. When your teacher calms down and his condition gets better, you can come back. How about that?"
Yang Tinghe looked depressed, staring blankly at the lighted window in the east wing, and sighed for a long time: "Teacher's wife, the student is really feeling guilty for causing his teacher to fall ill. Since the teacher insists on refusing to see the student, the student also
No
If you dare to disturb me, please send a message to my teacher, saying that the student is unworthy and has failed the teacher's teachings. But the student has his own reasons. I hope that I can explain it to my teacher face to face. I will not disturb my teacher's rest today, and the student will come to see me tomorrow."
Mrs. Zhu nodded and said: "Okay, I will just pass on the message for you. Don't worry, Bachelor Yang, your teacher is also angry for a moment. He is usually a good-tempered person, and he may get over it soon. Your master and disciple
Is there something that the two of us can’t talk about clearly? Isn’t that right?”
"Master's wife said it was all Tinghe's fault."
Yang Tinghe slowly got up. Because he had been kneeling for too long, his body was stiff and his legs and feet were numb. When he got up, he staggered and almost fell.
"Be careful." Zhu said hurriedly.
Yang Tinghe stabilized his figure, bowed and said, "Student, please leave."
Zhu nodded, Yang Tinghe slowly turned around and limped out. Zhu looked at his back and sighed.
"Tell him to come in. Tell him to come in."
Suddenly Li Dongyang's voice came from the east wing room. Yang Tinghe turned around happily and said loudly: "Teacher, the student is coming soon."
Yang Tinghe quickly entered the house, opened the door of the east wing and entered, feeling a medicinal smell mixed with sultry air blowing into his face.
A candlestick was swinging, and the light in the room was dim. Yang Tinghe saw Li Dongyang lying on the bedside, with a messy gray beard, eyes closed, and a thin face. Li Dongyang is a person who pays attention to his appearance. He is always neatly dressed and never sloppy.
.this
Seeing this, my heart ached, and I hurriedly walked forward, knelt down beside the bed and saluted.
"The student is unworthy and has met his teacher. How is his teacher? You must take care of yourself."
Li Dongyang slowly opened his eyes, looked at Yang Tinghe who was kneeling beside the bed, sighed slightly, and said hoarsely: "Tinghe, get up. You are also a minister of the cabinet, so you don't have to be so polite."
Yang Tinghe hurriedly said: "A student follows the etiquette of a disciple, how can he be rude when meeting his teacher?"
Li Dongyang smiled bitterly, waved his hand and said: "No need. Tinghe, I am incompetent and can't teach you anything. Thank you for your respect for me and calling me your mentor. Unfortunately, I can't afford it."
Yang Tinghe kowtowed in panic and said: "Why did my mentor say this? How could Tinghe have made any progress over the years without the teachings of his mentor? Tinghe received many suggestions from his mentor, and he is extremely grateful. The kindness of his mentor will never be forgotten by Tinghe."
Li Dongyang sighed, waved his hand and said: "Get up, help me sit up."
Yang Tinghe hurriedly stepped forward, helped Li Dongyang sit up straight, put a pillow behind Li Dongyang, and let Li Dongyang lean on the head of the bed.
"How is your mentor? What did the doctor say?"
"It's just an old problem. Coughing and asthma are half-dead." Li Dongyang said.
"Teacher, please take good care of yourself. My teacher is the mainstay of the outer court, so please take good care of yourself." Yang Tinghe said.
Li Dongyang smiled bitterly and said: "The mainstay of the outer court? I can't afford it. I'm just a peacemaker in the eyes of others, and a 'prime minister' in others' mouths. I flatter the eunuchs and lose my integrity. What else is the outer court?
Mainstay? Hahaha."
Yang Tinghe hurriedly said: "Master, how can I listen to those people's nonsense? Those people are just young people, what do they know?"
Li Dongyang sighed: "Tinghe, since the impeachment of the Eight Tigers, I know that many people are dissatisfied with me. I failed to advance and retreat with Liu Shoufu Xie Gong and the others, and instead compromised with Liu Jin and the others, it was regarded as unjust and unjust."
That’s right. I have nothing to argue with. The facts are indeed what they saw. I did not advance or retreat with Liu Gong, Xie Gong and others.”
"My mentor endured the humiliation and shouldered the burden. It was for the sake of the overall interests of the country and the imperial court. Those people only wanted to express their whims and talk quickly. How could they know that my mentor had worked hard." Yang Tinghe said in a deep voice.
Li Dongyang looked at Yang Tinghe blankly, and Yang Tinghe was a little overwhelmed by Li Dongyang's look.
"Teacher, what's going on?"
Li Dongyang withdrew his gaze and said in a deep voice: "You know my painstaking efforts, but why didn't you listen to my dissuasion today? You still want to act on your own initiative and return to the field? Haha. I didn't even resign and return to the field, but you are going to resign and return to the field. I'm going to give it a try.
Don’t you know how to cherish your hard work?”
Yang Tinghe hesitated: "Student...student..."
Li Dongyang waved his hand and said: "Tinghe, you don't have to explain. You have your own ideas, and I have no right to interfere. I just feel a little sad and a little sad. I never expected that you would do that today. It's completely
Ignore my advice. It seems that I am really too old, too old to do anything, too old to have blocked other people's way. It seems that I have to reflect on myself, I am the one who needs to hang up and live in seclusion."
Yang Ting and Pu Tong knelt on the ground, kowtowed and said in tears: "Teacher, please don't say that, it will hurt the students. How can the students afford it?"
Li Dongyang looked up at a swinging sachet hanging on the top of the gauze tent, and said slowly: "Tinghe, I actually understand what you are thinking. You have followed me for so many years, so of course I know what kind of person you are. I
I have experienced many things in my life. Most of them are unbearable and difficult. The only thing I feel
The one who achieves something is not to become a prime minister or to be a very popular minister, but to teach a good student. That is you. I have high hopes for you, you know? I, the Ming Dynasty's foreign court, can we return to the throne in the future?
If you stand up, you can help the country and revitalize the Ming Dynasty. This heavy burden will fall on your shoulders. Do you understand?"
Yang Tinghe shouted in a trembling voice: "Teacher..."
Li Dongyang continued slowly: "I have experienced too much suffering in my life. My family is from a humble background. My father is a small businessman. He cares about buying cheap and buying expensive. He is just like a snob in the market. He is just an ordinary person.
A businessman. But there is one thing. He encouraged me to study and forced me to make progress. He paid a lot of money to send me to study under famous teachers.
Xi. My enlightenment teacher, Master Zhan, was invited by my father for me. Later, he sent me to the famous teacher Li Chun, who made me more diligent. By the way, Yang Yiqing and Liu Daxia were also there.
I studied under Confucius Li, but he was later than me. Because of this, I was able to study in a small merchant family and become an official."
Yang Tinghe listened quietly. This was the first time he heard Li Dongyang talk about his life experience. Li Dongyang never talked about his past, and Yang Tinghe never asked.
"In the sixth year of Tianshun, when I was fifteen years old, I took part in the Shuntian Prefecture Township Examination and passed the exam. The following year, I won the 185th Jinshi in the Rites Examination. In the eighth year of Tianshun Palace Examination, I ranked first in the second class and was
Appointed as a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, my studies have been smooth sailing. However, compared with my academic experience, my life seems to have been cursed."
"Three years after we got married, my first wife, Mrs. Liu, passed away. In the second year, I married Mr. Yuege's daughter. Who would have expected that in the year when our eldest son Zhaoxian was born, Mrs. Yue died of illness, leaving only three children?
The moon is crying for food
Three years later, I married your current wife, Mrs. Zhu, and had a second son, Zhaotong, and three girls. However... within two years, three daughters died in infancy, and two girls died when Zhaotong was seven years old.
Bizarre syndrome with splitting headache
, I sought medical treatment in vain. I remember that it was an autumn day with continuous autumn rain. When I came back from the Hanlin Academy, I saw my wife sitting under the eaves with Zhao Tong in her arms. The rain was dripping under the eaves, and the weather was very cold. I said, why?
I went into the house without carrying the baby, because he was suffering from the cold and had a headache. My wife said, no need, Zhaotong no longer feels the pain. I stepped forward and touched it, and my son Zhaotong had no breath at all. He died in front of his mother.
in my arms."
Li Dongyang's voice was sad, his eyes were dull, and mucus flowed down his nostrils.
Yang Tinghe felt cold and was speechless.
"... In the past ten years or so, I have lost my first wife and three children in a row. Who can know the heartbreaking pain? However, God seems to have no intention of letting me go. In the fourteenth year of Hongzhi, I passed away.
That year, my son died of illness. I have five children, and now only one daughter is left.
I married far away from Shandong and was rarely seen. People say that I, Li Dongyang, am a great minister and have great honor. But who knows the pain I feel. Every time I think about this, my heart aches and I can’t sleep all night. Tinghe, do you know?
?" Li Dongyang slowly turned to look at Yang Tinghe, with tears shining in his eyes.
[Author's digression]: Li Dongyang's experiences in this chapter are all historical facts. In fact, his only daughter died at her parents' home when he went home to visit relatives in the 11th year of Zhengde. I suspect that Li Dongyang was destined to have evil stars that would harm his wife and children. It was very tragic.