The old patriarch Chen Xian saw Chen Caozhi frowning slightly and did not answer his question for a moment, so he lowered his tone and said: "Caozhi, uncle knows that you are thoughtful and prudent. You are by no means an ordinary young man, but this situation
Words, many heroes in ancient times have difficulty in being free and easy. There are many who indulge in it and make big mistakes. They must not be careless."
Chen Caozhi knew that he could not communicate with his fourth uncle in this regard, so he said: "Fourth uncle, my nephew wants to know where this rumor comes from and how it came about?"
Chen Xiandao: "I don't know where it came from. My uncle heard from an old clerk in the county government that you had a close relationship with the Lu girl when you were studying in Wu County. When you returned to Qiantang, the Lu girl came to Chenjiawu."
I’m here to visit you, and also, the last time your mother was buried, there was a little maid from the Lu family who came to pay her respects wearing sackcloth and wearing mourning. It was so strange!"
Chen Cao loves Lu Weirui and is determined to marry her. Sooner or later, his love affair with Lu Weirui will be revealed to the world. When the time comes, there will be a lot of discussion and fierce public sentiments, and the pressure can be imagined. It will definitely not work if it is concealed blindly. It is impossible.
Keep it a secret, unless he doesn't want to marry Lu Weirui. The first pressure now comes from within the family. If you don't dare to bear this pressure, how can you face the pressure from the Lu family and even the entire Sanwu clan in the future?
Chen Caozhi said calmly: "Replying to my fourth uncle, my nephew and Miss Lu are not in an affair. In June, Miss Lu came to Chenjiawu to visit Xianci. Xianci liked her very much and regarded her as a virgin.
My daughter-in-law, that little maid, was ordered by Miss Lu to fulfill her filial piety."
Shocked, there was a loud bang in the head of the old patriarch Chen Xian, and he was stunned. He was just waiting to hear Chen Caozhi's explanation. Although the rumors were quite clear, Chen Xian still didn't believe them. Cao Zhi was a cautious man.
Make a decision and then act. This can be seen from Cao Zhi's plan to become a scholar and his dealings with the Lu family. Cao Zhi is by no means a frivolous person. This rumor must have been fabricated by someone with ulterior motives in order to prevent Qian, Tang and Chen from entering.
Shiji, you have sinister intentions in creating such rumors during this extraordinary period——
But Chen Xian, the old patriarch, never expected that Chen Caozhi would answer him like this. He was dumbfounded for a while, and then he said in a dry voice for a long time: "Caozhi, you have to think twice. When your brother Qingzhi married Youwei, he made a big fuss.
There is an uproar in Qiantang County. The Ding family is just a low-ranking noble family, while the Lu family is the first-class family in Jiangzuo. If you want to marry a girl from the Lu family, it will be a hundred times more difficult. I am afraid that I, the Chen family of Qiantang, will be here by then.
It’s difficult to move even an inch east of Jiangdong.”
Chen Cao said: "Uncle, don't be anxious. I have thought about these things, but the love story is really unbelievable. Although my nephew and Lu's girl are of different family backgrounds, they fall in love with each other. Although Lu Shijun does not know this, but
Xianci knew about it, so it couldn't be regarded as an affair. Moreover, when my elder brother married my sister-in-law, my fourth uncle seemed to think it was impossible. But now, isn't my sister-in-law still in Chenjiawu? It's a pity that my elder brother has no life left.
I owe you such a virtuous sister-in-law——"
Chen Xian strongly opposed Qingzhi's marriage to Ding Youwei at that time, saying that if he failed to reach a high position, he would offend the nobles and alienate other poor people, which would be very detrimental to the Chen family of Qiantang. Although the marriage was successful later, after Qingzhi's death, Ding Youwei was forcibly taken away.
After returning to the Ding family, the Chen family's position in Qiantang was indeed embarrassing. Although the nobles looked down on it, other common people also stayed away from the Chen family. It was only in the past two years that Chen Caozhi's outstanding performance saved the Chen family in Qiantang.
decline, but the Lu family of Wu County is not comparable to the Qiantang Ding family. Chen Xian worriedly said: "Of course, Lu Na Lu Shijun has a generous temperament, but Lu Na's brother, Lu Shi, who is the Minister of the Fifth Army, is more powerful than the Qian Tang Ding family.
Ding Yi is also stubborn and snobbish, Lu Shi is the head of the Lu clan, and it is almost impossible for a girl from the Lu clan to marry into a poor family."
Chen Caozhi smiled and said: "Four uncle, why do you need to emulate other people's ambitions and destroy your own prestige? I, the Chen family, have great hope of becoming a scholar——"
Chen Xian was worried and asked: "Why do you see it?"
Chen Cao said: "In the more than 40 years since Yongjia's journey to the south, the ranks of family members have risen like a turret. Among them, the fastest riser is the Longkanghuan family of Qiao State. The great Sima Huanwen has combined great power both internally and externally. The Longkanghuan family can be said to be
At the height of the sun, Sima Huan kept secret about his ancestors. The world only knew that his father Huan Yi was a hero of the southern crossing, but they did not know that Huan Yi was a descendant of Huan Fan——"
Chen Xian asked: "What kind of person is Huan Fan?"
Chen Cao was stunned. His fourth uncle was also a well-educated man. How could he not know Huan Fan? Huan Fan was the Minister of Wei during the Ming Dynasty. He was the great Sinong and the think tank of General Cao Shuang. Cao Shuang was killed by Sima Yi, and Huan Fan was also killed.
Punishing the three tribes, this is the Jiaping Prison. The Sima clan used cruel methods to deal with Cao Shuang and his party. The Sima clan himself also denounced it, and the Wei and Jin Dynasty books are not clear about it. It is not surprising that the fourth uncle Chen Xian did not know who Huan Fan was, so he will not elaborate on it at the moment.
, just said: "Huan Fan was a figure more than a hundred years ago. He was punished for his crimes. Huan Da Sima is most likely to be after Huan Fan. It is enough for my uncle to know about this. It is not enough for outsiders - what my nephew means is
It is said that the Longkang Huan clan was a latecomer. Although Huan Da Sima had power over the government and the public, the Langya Wang clan and the Taiyuan Wang clan still had contempt for the Longkang Huan clan. At the right time, Xie Wan and Xi Tan's Northern Expedition failed.
Sima Huan is involved in Yuzhou and Mianzhong, and his power is getting stronger, and the emerging gentry is helpful to contain the powerful people. If the six surnames are included in the scholar list, Sima Huan will be happy to see this happen."
Chen Xian was impressed. He only knew that Chen Caozhi was well-versed in Confucianism and Mysticism, and was famous for his calligraphy and music, but he didn't know that Chen Caozhi was well aware of current affairs and had the wisdom to master it. If the Chen family of Qiantang really became a scholar, it would naturally be with him.
The status of the Lu family is a little closer, but it is extremely rare for a low-level noble family to marry a high-level noble family, let alone a top family like the Lu family.
The gentry with the big surname and Qiao surname never married. When Wang Dao proposed marriage to Lu Wan's daughter for his son, Lu Wan refused. Lu Wan was Lu Na's father. If Cao Zhi really married a Lu girl, she would not marry him.
If she turns against the Lu family, the Qiantang Chen family's family prestige and status will soar. The Lu family girl is not only willing to come to Chenjiawu to pay a visit to Cao Zhi's mother, but also has a personal maid to wear sackcloth and mourn Chen's mother on her behalf.
It seems that this girl is determined to marry Cao Zhi, just like Ding Youwei was determined to marry Qing Zhi back then——
The old patriarch Chen Xian looked at Chen Caozhi. Although his linen clothes were disheveled and his face was a little thin, his dark eyebrows and starry eyes and handsome appearance were still full of charm. He couldn't help but think: "Su's two sons are both very handsome. No wonder there are noble girls."
Qingxin." He said: "That's all, uncle doesn't need to worry about it. You can do your best with the Lu family's girl. But how should you deal with the current rumors?"
Chen Cao said: "Since this matter has spread, it is impossible to explain clearly. The more you argue, the worse you will be. There is no need to deal with it deliberately. My nephew thought that this rumor was probably spread by the Chu family. I am currently in mourning for my mother."
To keep his filial piety, Lu Weirui was also attending the funeral ceremony for his late brother who had been in Qi for a year. It was objectionable to spread such rumors at this time. My uncle could let people guide this rumor and point it directly at the Chu family, saying that this is
The Chu family spread it with the purpose of overturning the Lu family's case, and also because Chu Jian wanted to stabilize the position of Wu County's prefect. The world likes such complicated and involved rumors, so let them spread them, and let Chu Jian shoot them down.
Use your own feet."
The old patriarch Chen Xian laughed and felt happy. The worries he had felt when he arrived were completely gone. He also told Chen Caozhi to take care of himself and returned to Chenjiawu with his son Chen Shang.
It was already dark, so Chen Caozhi took out Xie Daoyun's rosin-sealed letter under the oil lamp, tore open the seal, and the piece of rosin fell into the brazier and burned, filling the hut with fragrance on a winter night.
It was November 14th when Xie Daoyun wrote this letter. He had already learned about the death of Chen's mother, Mrs. Li. Chen Caozhi prayed for his mother in Wujun Zhenqing Taoist Temple and copied "Laozi's Five Thousand Essays". This time he gave up because of his mother's illness.
He went to Beijing to take the imperial examination, and his reputation for pure filial piety was well-known throughout the world. Therefore, when the news of Chen's mother Li's death from illness reached Jiankang in early winter, many people lamented that Chen Caozhi gave up the opportunity to become a scholar and stayed with his mother.
How wise it is to be around, otherwise you will regret it for the rest of your life——
In the letter, Xie Daoyun confided in her sadness when her father Xie Yi passed away three years ago, as well as her thoughts and memories of Chen's mother Li's death due to illness, and comforted Chen Cao to be sad and resigned. Her feelings of pity overflowed in her writing...
Chen Cao burst into tears when he read the letter. In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, epidemics were prevalent and mourning was extremely chaotic. A person often grew up in various funerals and mourning since childhood. Sentiment penetrated into the bone marrow and blended into the blood. The debauchery, broad-mindedness and shocking behavior of celebrities in the Wei and Jin Dynasties
This is how the trend of thinking about timely enjoyment was formed——
If you are less than a hundred years old, you often worry about being a thousand years old.
The days are short and the nights are long, why not travel by candlelight?
It’s time to enjoy yourself, why wait for it to come?
…
A proud and arrogant woman like Xie Daoyun also has a sad and weak side. When she wrote this letter, Xie Daoyun did not have the slightest bit of aggressive rhetoric or the arrogance of rejecting people thousands of miles away. Instead, she was considerate and affectionate——
The rising heat from the charcoal fire in the brazier warmed Chen Caozhi's hands and feet, while the letter from thousands of miles away brought warmth to his soul.
Chen Caozhi collected the letter and sat alone to meditate. According to the historical process, after Xie Wan was demoted to a commoner, he was reinstated in the following year and became a regular servant. He soon died in depression. The crisis of the Xie family was caused by Xie An's emergence.
And to turn danger into safety, Xie An has outstanding talents and is by no means a flashy so-called celebrity like his brother Xie Wan. Xie An will lead the Xie family to its peak——
But does Xie Daoyun have to marry Wang Ningzhi? The Xie family is in crisis at this time. Marrying with the Langya Wang family will help stabilize the Xie family's status. Marriage is a transaction, and all the great clans are like this. "Unexpectedly, there are things in the world."
It seems difficult to avoid such resentful words——
He also thought about Chu's spreading rumors. He couldn't bear much pressure for the time being. After talking with his fourth uncle, at least there would be no pressure on him within the family, while the pressure on Lu Weirui would be much heavier. Weirui
She is a little girl. The Lu family will definitely know about those rumors. Severe questioning is inevitable. The road is long and difficult. Can the pure and beautiful Lu Weirui - can she persevere? Well, she asked Short Hoe to drape my mother's sackcloth on her behalf.
Dai Xiao, she just regards herself as the wife of the Chen family. She will definitely be able to persist. Wei Rui, like her sister-in-law, is a woman who is soft on the outside but strong on the inside.
