I go to the ancient imperial examinations

Chapter 284 Thick-skinned

As far as the Holy Majesty is concerned, he doesn't care whether Zhan Feiyu has thought about it long ago or hit it right, but her move has indeed solved a big problem for the Holy Majesty.

The Holy Majesty has controlled Longyou Dao for eight years, but he still has no way to truly control Longyou Dao.

The achievements of the Yang family are forged with blood and human lives. Whether it is the generals or soldiers of Longyou Dao, they and the Yang family are comrades who live and die together.

To them, the Holy One is just a king who sits high in the golden palace. They may be in awe or loyal, but as long as the Yang family does not cooperate with the enemy and treason, the most trusted thing of these soldiers is the general's mansion that can be handed over to their backs.

But this time the Yang family took the initiative to hand over the military power, it was different, the soldiers would no longer have conflicts, and the Holy Majesty could also control the military power, so that Longyou Dao would not be monolithic, and the Holy Majesty would no longer have to worry about Yang Jiagong High Gaizhu, a threat to the imperial power.

Gu Qingzhou put down the bowls and chopsticks, looked at the Long Yan joyously, and couldn't help laughing: "If the Holy Majesty really wants to reward that little girl, why not give her a gold medal to avoid death in the future, the little girl has many disasters, and she has the protection of the Holy Majesty I guess I can wake up laughing from my dreams.”

The gold medal to avoid death is of great importance. If Xueshi Gu asks for it from other people, even if it is the prince, the Holy Majesty will have to think about it, but Zhan Feiyu's credit is real.

Movable type printing aside, the new salt-making method has achieved initial results, and a steady stream of silver will enter the national treasury in the future; Nanxuan Mansion's Art Academy is on the right track, and the Holy One can imagine how many skilled craftsmen this academy will cultivate in the future.

Not to mention persuading the Yang family to hand over military power in Xiangwu County this time, this is a meritorious service that benefits the country and the people.

But Zhan Feiyu was young and a girl, so this reward became a problem.

The Holy Majesty had thought about bestowing the country's surname and making her a princess, but after careful consideration, he was worried that after Zhan Feiyu's status became prominent, he would get involved with the princes and thus participate in the establishment of the crown prince.

A Zhan Feiyu might not be something to be afraid of, but her teacher is a scholar of the Imperial Academy, a cabinet minister, and also the Gu family of Nanling. In addition to Zhan Feiyu's contribution, she is now inextricably linked with the Yang family. The Holy Majesty had to prevent her from becoming ambitious, which would shake the foundation of the country.

But if it is not sealed, Gu Xueshi will not be able to explain it here. After all, the little girl has indeed made such a great contribution to the Daqing Dynasty. If she is not sealed, it will chill people's hearts.

After only a while, the Holy One had already made a decision in his heart, and he laughed loudly at this moment, "What's so difficult about this, when Xiaoyu comes to the capital in the future, I will give you a gold medal to avoid death!"

Gu Xueshi immediately got up and walked to the center of the hall, and respectfully saluted the Holy Majesty, "I thank the Holy Majesty on behalf of Xiaoyu, long live my emperor, long live, long live."

Eunuch Liu still stood quietly in the corner, but in his heart he admired Xueshi Gu and Zhan Feiyu who was far away in Xiangwu County. As long as the two masters and apprentices do not seek rebellion and treason, they will always be inferior to each other. , even the prince in the palace has never had such an honor as a gold medal for avoiding death.

……

Xiangwu County, Qiu Mansion.

Yang Xu didn't expect his father to come suddenly early in the morning. He stood up in a panic and bumped into the table leg. The porcelain bowl fell to the ground with a bang, rolled twice and broke.

"Xiao Xu, calm down." Qiu Jinyu put one hand on Yang Xu's uninjured shoulder, but he also knew where his panic came from, and comforted him: "The nature of mother and child cannot be erased, Uncle Yang will not blame you."

"But I..." Yang Xu's dark face was full of confusion and guilt, as well as a little bit of uneasiness.

Yang Xu didn't forget the words his mother said to humiliate his father when he was in Shitou Village. At that time, he was so angry that he wanted to sever the relationship between mother and child, so that Mrs. Zhang would never appear in front of their father and son.

Knowing that after Mrs. Zhang was arrested and imprisoned, Yang Xu tossed and turned, even though he complained and hated her, he still didn't want her to die, so he went to visit Mrs. Zhang in the county government prison. Yang Xu was behind Qiu Zongxi's back, and he didn't tell Yang Xu Shoucheng, although he knows in his heart that this is self-deception, his father must know every move he does.

After Yang Shoucheng entered the room, the servant girl just cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks on the table, and even cleaned up the broken porcelain on the floor. She was about to make tea but was waved away by Yang Shoucheng.

Yang Xu suppressed the panic in his heart, and stepped forward, "Father."

"Qiu Jinyu pays homage to General Yang." Dressed in a lake-blue brocade robe, Qiu Jinyu bowed to the end.

Even though he was just a young man who was a few years older than Yang Xu, his words and deeds revealed the demeanor of a family member, coupled with his handsome appearance, he could definitely be called gentle and refined.

This is the scholar cultivated by the scholarly family, not to mention much better than Xu'er, even the girl Xiaoyu still lacks this elegance, Qiu Jinyu is still young, Yang Shoucheng can imagine him after the weak crown His demeanor is outstanding.

"Young Master Qiu, you don't need to be too polite, Yang is still wearing a sinful body." A deep voice sounded, and Yang Shoucheng's calm and serious face did not show any expression changes.

Qiu Jinyu hurriedly saluted again and apologized, "Jinyu made a slip of the tongue, please forgive me, Uncle Yang."

The title of General Yang is respect but it also represents alienation. Qiu Jinyu called Yang uncle at this moment, which instantly turned the relationship into uncle and nephew, and changed his words so naturally, without showing any flattery or flattery.

Yang Shoucheng nodded silently. No matter how much Qiu Jinyu checked the long-sleeved and good-natured dancer, Yang Shoucheng had nothing to do in the face of such a taciturn and dull man, so he could only say goodbye.

There were only father and son left in the room. Yang Xu looked down at the ground as if he had been punished for doing something wrong, his mind was in a mess. The servant girl Lian Er came again in the past two days. , but the condition did not improve.

The cell environment is too harsh, cold and damp, and the three meals a day are so poor that even the tall and burly elders can't bear it, but it was Dou Qianhu, Yang Xu and Yang Xu who ordered the arrest. Qiu Jinyu thought for two days, but couldn't come up with a solution.

After a long silence, Yang Xu finally made up his mind. He raised his head abruptly, his face sullen, his hands clenched into fists because of the tense emotions, and the tragic look of death as if he was about to be executed by this law, "Father, I have something to think about. I need your help."

Once he opened his mouth, the rest of his words became much smoother. Yang Xu talked about Zhang Yiyi's serious illness in the cell, and finally asked: "Father, I want to ask you to help, otherwise her body will be really serious. I can't take it anymore."

Yang Shoucheng, who was sitting in the main seat, was tall and straight, and his eyes were extremely sharp when he looked at Yang Xu, and his silence made the atmosphere in the side hall suddenly tense.

After a long while, Yang Shoucheng finally withdrew his sharp gaze, and said in a cold voice without any emotion, "The state owns the state law, and the family has family rules. Xu'er, do you think about those eight people who were killed when you said this?"

Dou Qianhu ordered Wu Baihu to arrest people, which was also justified, because Zhang was involved in the murder case, but Yang Xu's words made Yang Shoucheng bend the law for personal gain.

"I..." His face turned pale, and Yang Xu opened his mouth, thinking of the eight corpses that were placed at the gate of the Qiu Mansion that morning.
But letting him watch Zhang's illness die in the prison, Yang Xu found that he couldn't do it. At this moment, Yang Xu became dazed again, like a trapped animal, restless but helpless.

Yang Shoucheng looked at Yang Xu who was in a dilemma with his overly calm eyes, and said in a deep voice, "If you can't control the way of being a relative inside, how can you have the loyalty of loving the Lord outside?"

What this means is: If you can’t even do filial piety to your loved ones, how can you talk about being loyal to the country?
And this was what Qiu Jinyu said to appease Yang Xu in the past two days. Yang Shoucheng said it now, which meant that he knew Yang Xu's every word, deed, and every move like the palm of his hand.

"You and Xiaoyu are more familiar, why don't you ask Xiaoyu how to solve it?" Yang Shoucheng asked. As a father, he could see Xu'er's closeness to Zhan Feiyu, perhaps because of the past few years in Stone Village Xu'er doesn't even have a playmate.

Yang Xu also knew that there was no need to hide it, so he answered honestly: "It was Xiaoyu who sent someone to the guard with the token of the Forbidden Dragon Guard, and Dou Qianhu ordered the arrest."

So even if Yang Xu would not blame Zhan Feiyu, the "instigator", he also knew that there was no way to discuss this matter with her. She let him be caught. Could Xiaoyu be allowed to release him again? Then he wouldn't have Arrests were ordered.

As for Qiu Zongxi, Yang Shoucheng, and Old General Yang, Yang Xu knew what Zhang Yiyi did back then, so he didn't have the face to speak up. Now he is asking Yang Shoucheng because he can't find a way out, and Zhang Yiyi's illness is also serious. It cannot be delayed any longer.

Having said everything that should be said, Yang Xu's mind was not so confused, and he looked at his serious father guiltily, "Father, I can't watch her die, just treat it as me paying her back." Thank you, if she carelessly disregards human life in the future, it will have nothing to do with me."

What Yang Shoucheng was most worried about was that Yang Xu had a grudge with Zhan Feiyu because of Zhang's imprisonment, and even had resentment. Looking at his poor and helpless son, Yang Shoucheng couldn't help but feel relieved.

"Ms. Zhang left the Yang family and went to the Marquis of Zhenbian. I didn't have any grudges with your grandfather, and I even thanked her for giving birth to you. But as the saying goes, the emperor committed the same crime as the common people, and the Yang family can let the past go. Don't allow her to disregard human life."

"I know." Yang Xu nodded knowingly, his eyes dimmed instantly.

Yang Shoucheng got up and walked over, stroking Yang Xu's head reassuringly, "Father discussed with your grandfather, the death of those eight people is related to Mrs. Zhang, but the instigator behind it is the Marquis of Zhenbian, wait for Zhu After the county magistrate hears the case, father will write a letter to the court..."

After hearing these words, Yang Xu raised his head and stared blankly at Yang Shoucheng who looked calm, his throat suddenly seemed to be blocked by cotton, "No, military power is the foundation of our Yang family's survival. After entering the court, after that day..."

Although Yang Xu is not good at planning, he is not stupid either.

The reason why the Holy Majesty was lenient back then was because the Yang family was indeed wronged. The Holy Majesty knew it well, and all the officials in the court knew it. It is believed that the Holy One brutally killed.

On the other hand, because of the existence of the old Yang family, although the Yang family has fallen, as long as those loyal subordinates are still there, the Holy One will not dare to kill the Yang family, fearing that the desperate Yang family will be forced to rebel.

But once the Yang family took the initiative to hand over the military power, it was tantamount to handing over the life-saving talisman. Moreover, Old General Yang and Yang Shoucheng had no meritorious achievements, so they were ordinary people. How could they lead troops to fight?How to stand up in the military?
"As you said before, she gave birth to you. This is a great kindness. If you repay this kindness, Xu'er, you will have nothing to worry about in the future." The same is true for Old General Yang.

The title of a general is both honor and a false name. If you give it up, you will give it up. To avoid the future troubles of Zhang's entanglement with Xu'er, both Yang Shoucheng and Old General Yang think it is too worthwhile, not to mention that this move can make the Holy Majesty let go of his guard. , It is enough to reuse the revived Yang family.

Of course, Yang Shoucheng didn't tell Yang Xu, who was feeling guilty at the moment, about the deep meaning behind it. He only hoped that Xu'er could face Zhang shi calmly in the future.

……

Yang Shoucheng stayed for half an hour before leaving. That's right, the Yang family was about to recover. Yang Shoucheng was probably so busy that he didn't even have time to sleep. It was very rare to be able to spare time to explain to Yang Xu.

Qiu Zongxi didn't care about these formalities at all, so he met Yang Shoucheng face to face, and waved his hand to let him go.

Right now, the study.

Zhan Feiyu had just racked his brains to write a poem, and when he saw Qiu Zongxi who pushed the door in, his scalp went numb, and his ears were about to suffer again. Old Mr. Qiu was definitely full of anger when he cursed.

"You said that your articles are full of flowers, why don't you get enlightened when you write poems?" Picking up the poems that were not dry yet, Qiu Zongxi looked at the grinning Zhan Feiyu with disgust.

That's not bad for the little girl, she's thick-skinned enough, she won't be like those girls in the backyard who want to save face and suffer, and if they are bullied, they have to put on the dignified and virtuous airs of a noble daughter from a family.

Zhan Feiyu opened his mouth, and began to talk about nonsense, "There is a priority in learning, and there is a specialization in art. Since God gave me the talent to write articles, he will naturally take away my talent for poetry, otherwise if I do this If everything is strong, how can the scholars of the Daqing Dynasty survive?"

"Those who are overwhelmed by a little girl's talent, if they are arrogant and arrogant, wouldn't they be angry to death. The Buddha said that saving a life is better than building a seven-level pagoda. Old man, I saved thousands of people." The lives of tens of thousands of scholars."

Qiu Zongxi snorted coldly, "With your eloquence, you can definitely fight against the Confucian scholars in the Jinluan Palace. Gu Qingzhou had this ability back then. The other party was so angry that he vomited blood on the spot. He lay on the bed for a full month before recovering his life."

"If he vomits blood, it must be because of his health. Maybe it's a disease brought on by his mother's womb. How can a gentleman like the teacher, who is as beautiful as the teacher, vomit blood?" Zhan Feiyu's first reaction was not to believe it, even if the person who vomited blood It would be considered narrow-minded, but Gu Xueshi would also get the notoriety of being petty and arrogant.

The little girl never forgot to protect Gu Qingzhou. The jealous Qiu Zongxi moved his hand stroking his beard, and accidentally tore off two of them. His face changed due to the pain, and his already rough face looked even more fierce and terrifying.

"This old man asks you, is it for the consideration of the Yang family, or to curry favor with the Holy Majesty, when you asked the Yang family to hand over the military power?" Qiu Zongxi really had a straightforward temper, and he couldn't ask more bluntly.

It was right that he had never been an official, otherwise with such a fiery temper, he would roll up his sleeves and beat people up in front of the Holy Majesty and civil and military officials.

(End of this chapter)