Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 87

In the lobby of the restaurant, there was a lot of toasting.

When the Xianggong candidates first entered Chang'an, they were all high-spirited and discussed state affairs loudly.

Many people even talked about the Wei Jian case, Liu Ji case, and Yang Shenjin case in Tianbao's five years without any taboo, and scolded Li Linfu.

One of the tables was telling the story of Li Linfu's mistaken characters in various periods of his tenure as an official, shouting "Zhang Du Prime Minister" and toasting, laughing loudly.

Suddenly, someone shouted loudly.

"Shibao City shouldn't be fought at all! Its city is dangerous and solid, and the whole country of Tubo defends it. If things fail, retreating will be embarrassing!"

Hearing this, Xue Bai turned his head and saw that three scholars sitting at the next table were arguing. The caller was over forty years old, and his face was flushed because of the wine or the dispute.

He couldn't help wondering, it turned out that Xiang Gong Juzi was so clear about the important affairs of his family and country.

"That's right." Yuan Jie was very interested in this topic, stood up immediately, and said, "Shibao City is dangerous on three sides, and there is only one way to go up. If there is a strong attack, tens of thousands of people will die. The gain is not worth the loss. Instead of a strong attack, wait for the opportunity."

This topic was a bit unfamiliar to the crowd, most of them turned around and continued drinking.

Only the three scholars who were arguing just now came over with wine glasses and wanted to discuss with them at the table.

"Chun'an, gentlemen, Xia Yanzhuang, these two are Zhang Tongru and Ping Li, and we are all tributes from Hebei Township..."

Yan Zhuang is in his thirties, quick in thinking, sharp in speech, and quite capable;

Zhang Tongru is the one who shouted just now, he is the oldest, he failed to pass the imperial examination for ten years, he looks very depressed;

Ping Lie was a somewhat shy young man, he took out his portfolio and showed it to everyone, and he wrote a good article.

"It was just me arguing with brother Zhang." Yan Zhuang said, "I think there will be war in the northwest within a year or two."

"I still think that Stone Castle City is not worth sending troops to attack."

Yan Zhuang said: "The question is not whether it is worth it. It must be known that since the fall of Shibao in the 29th year of Kaiyuan, the Tang Dynasty has been suspended for six years. The soldiers have waited long enough. Now they should consider how to fight."

Yuan Jie was about to speak, but was silent for a while.

This is one of the most important current affairs in the Tang Dynasty. He has been paying attention to it all the time. He knew that the sage had ordered Huangfu Weiming to retake Shibao City in Tianbao three years ago, but it ended in failure.

At the end, Yuan Jie nodded and said: "I still think the gain outweighs the loss, but judging from the recruitment order at the beginning of the year, it is indeed possible."

Yan Zhuang said: "Brother Yuan is a very smart person, how do you think he should fight?"

Zheng Qianfu interrupted the conversation and asked: "Are you waiting for a topic?"

"Go back to Zheng Taixue, yes."

Zheng Qian shook his head.

Xue Bai caught a glimpse of this scene and understood Zheng Qian's meaning. Chunwei's policy theory would definitely not have such a problem.It is unlikely that the imperial court will test a group of candidates on such important military matters.

However, the Tang literati's style of advocating martial arts can also be seen.

At this time, everyone is drinking and drinking, and although they can't bet on policy topics, they are enjoying discussing current affairs.

Xue Bai didn't like to express his opinions on such occasions, and only occasionally responded with a few irrelevant and not entirely useless words.

"Even the students like us are talking about it, so Tubo must have been prepared."

"What Xue Xiaolang said makes sense..."

After inserting a sentence like this, Xue Bai observed them to see who was suitable to be a crony in the future.

But tonight, only some superficial things can be observed.

Du Fu is extremely talented and has a heart of worrying about the country and the people, but without a city mansion, he will suffer a lot in the officialdom; Yuan Jie is versatile in both civil and military affairs, has practical knowledge and strategy, but his personality is also quite tough.

Yan Zhuang is also very talented, but he is very utilitarian in comparison, he can be said to be similar to Xue Bai in some respects; Zhang Tongru has been tempered, and he scratches his thinning hair from time to time and sighs.

Ping Lie is somewhat surprising, at first glance he is just a shy boy, but when he is drunk, his speech is very sharp.

"I went to Chang'an with the taxes from my hometown. When I passed Tongguan, I was thinking, thinking... If the saints are willing to work harder, the people in Hedong will live a lot better."

Du Wulang burped when he heard that.

However, Ping Lie directly picked up the flagon to drink. The more drunk he was, the more he dared to say that Li Linfu shouldn't have held the phase for more than ten years.

Du Fu listened, put away the madness on his face, his eyes gradually deepened, showing a gloomy look.

Su Yuanming wanted to stop these wild words before he opened his mouth, but Yuan Jie had already laughed and waved his hand.

"Brother weak husband, don't be afraid of people telling the truth. I want to enter the imperial examination to become an official because there are too few people who dare to tell the truth in the court today."

Yuan Jie stood up holding the wine glass, clinked a glass with Ping Wei, and said: "My brother deceived the emperor because of his favor, and said, 'The Lord is above, and the officials will not be too busy, so what should I do? into?!"

"Well said!" Du Fu's drunkenness became more intense, "When he enters the officialdom, his ambition is to serve the king, Yao and Shun, and sweep away the unhealthy trends, so why fear it?!"

Immediately, another student came over to toast, and the atmosphere became even more enthusiastic.

Yuan Jie is indeed a little too strong, but not immature.Nowadays, if you want to be famous among scholars, you have to scold Li Linfu, and there are many people who are more presumptuous.

According to Xue Bai's temperament of keeping quiet and seeking benefits, he usually doesn't want to get involved in these things, but at this time he had already drank a whole glass and was a little drunk, so he actually toasted and drank another glass with them.

After all, he can be a villain, but if there is no righteousness in the world, even the inheritance will collapse.

We have to respect their high spirits before they became officials.

~~
Late at night, curfew.

There is still noise in the hostels and restaurants in Wubenfang, but the long street is very quiet.

The completely closed door of the restaurant was opened, Du Wulang poked his head out, looked left and right, but didn't see the guards in the workshop, so he stretched his hand back and beckoned.

"Walk."

Soon, a few drunken figures ran across the long street, young and old, hiding in the darkness beside the high wall of the Imperial College.

Even Doctors of Imperial Studies and Imperial College Siye are not allowed to walk under curfew. Fortunately, they have arranged the concierge in advance, and the side door has not been locked, so that they can sneak into the Imperial College.

"call."

Du Wulang was still in shock, and murmured: "I brought the doctor of Taixue to break the ban?"

Looking back, Zheng Qian and Su Yuanming had already staggered towards the direction of the academy.

Yuan Jie was carrying luggage from the porter, while Du Fu twisted his long beard and looked at the moon, as if another poem was about to overflow.

"You also live in the Imperial College?"

"There are no hostels in Chang'an City."

Xue Bai said, "Our cell is empty."

"Let's go." Du Fu flicked his sleeves, shook his head and said, "Lead the way."

Du Wulang thought that he would live in the house with a great poet from his uncle's generation, and he felt that this night was so strange.

He and Xue Bai had just joined the Imperial College, and there was only one dilapidated dormitory.Usually they don't live there, they go home separately, but fortunately there are bedding.

The four of them went in and closed the door lightly, and the atmosphere was quiet, without the hustle and bustle of the banquet just now.

Yuan Jie put his luggage away as soon as he entered the door. He came from Luoyang, and his luggage was not too much; Du Fu had even less luggage, only a book basket full of scrolls and poems.

Not in the mood to pick up after drinking, they didn't even light the candlesticks, and lay down separately.

Talking about Xue Bai's poems again, Du Fu didn't think there was a ghostwriter behind him.

"Sometimes it's like this. Good sentences pop up in your mind. Others don't know the reason, so they suspect you."

Xue Bai asked: "But I don't know how to carve a good poem, can I ask Du Gong for some advice?"

"Can you master the rhythm?"

"No way."

"Poem writing is like rhythm. After you know the way, you can sing it out of your mouth..."

Du Wulang listened to these conversations, only felt that Du Fu had taught in this way, and it was no different from not teaching.

When he got drunk, he muttered inexplicably: "Good poetry."

These were the most words he uttered all night.

The eyelids became heavier and heavier, and the conversation between Xue Bai and Du Fu became farther and farther away.

"Dugong is in Chang'an, do you plan to invest in a bank?"

"Tomorrow I'm going to call on the left minister."

"I don't know if it's Chen Gong or Li Gong?"

"..."

~~
early morning.

In the dormitory of the Imperial College, Du Wulang groaned on the small couch as soon as he woke up, because he had a stomachache from drinking too much cold wine last night.

Looking back, it was already mid-sun, and the other three people in the cabin were gone.

There was a constant knock on the door, which woke him up.When he opened the door, he saw Xue Xin standing there.

"Huh? Why did Xue Qilang come here?"

"Aniang asked Sixth Brother that he didn't come home last night, but he lived in a dormitory? Sister Qing Lan was also worried, but let me not talk about it. In addition, County Captain Yan sent people to the house, and also wanted to find Sixth Brother..."

"There was a very powerful literary meeting last night, and the wine was late."

"How awesome?"

"How to say it, Du Fu, do you know? If you don't know, then I can't tell you."

Du Wulang fell back on the couch again.

Xue Xin stepped forward and asked, "What about my sixth brother?"

Du Wulang thought about it for a while, and said: "Last night, I faintly heard them say, who is going to visit..."

He also started to have a headache and couldn't remember at all.

~~
Yongle square.

Li Shizhi's mansion is in the southwest corner of Yongle Square, accounting for one sixteenth of the square.The more than ten small houses around are also affiliated to the Li Mansion, and they are places for the clansmen and secret guests to live.

Xue Bai followed Du Fu and got off the horse, looked around, he saw the vermilion gate was closed tightly, the side door was also closed, neither the porter nor the guard was seen.

Yuan Jie had relatives and friends who wanted to meet, so only the two of them came.

Du Fu stepped forward and knocked on the door knocker. After waiting for a long time, someone opened the door.

"Dare to ask..."

"My Alang doesn't see any visitors."

Du Fu then handed over the greeting card and said: "Du Zimei sees you, please pass it on."

"It turned out to be Mr. Du, please come in first."

The concierge was willing to let the two of them in, and quickly closed the door again.

Li's mansion is magnificent, and when you look inside, you can see that the pavilions are exquisite and have a good heritage.After walking all the way for a long time, after sitting down in a side hall and waiting for a while, there was hearty laughter, and Li Shizhi walked around the screen.

"Zimei has not been to Chang'an for many years, things are different from people."

Xue Bai and Du Fu stood up, looked at each other, and suddenly understood why Li Linfu hated handsome officials.

Don't talk about other things, just look at Li Shizhi's demeanor, which makes people feel that this should be the current prime minister.

Li Shizhi was over fifty years old. He was the great-grandson of Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty and the grandson of Li Chengqian, king of Hengshan Min.Li Chengqian was once the crown prince of Emperor Taizong of Tang. If he hadn't been abolished for rebellion, the throne would have been in his lineage.

"Left phase."

"Don't call me that anymore." Li Shizhi smiled openly, waved his hands and said, "I was resigned last year."

Du Fu sighed: "I heard that Wei Jian and Huangfu Weiming were involved in the case?"

Li Shizhi didn't wait for him to introduce him, he had already looked at Xue Bai, and said with a smile: "I met you in the night of Shangyuan, and your poems are very well written."

He raised his hand and pressed it, not letting Xue Bai perform the ceremony, and then said: "There is no need to be too polite, on the contrary, I have to thank you more."

"I don't know what Li Gong means by this?"

"Sit down and talk."

Li Shizhi was not in a hurry to say these things, and his gestures seemed very free and easy.

From Xue Bai's point of view, he lacked a bit of the reserved career that an official should have.

"Have Zimei heard my new poem?" Li Shizhi asked Du Fu.

"I haven't heard of it yet."

"Haha, I've been tired of fighting with my brothers and slaves for a long time. After I was dismissed, I was still happy and leisurely. I wrote a poem saying, 'Avoiding the virtuous and dismissing the prime minister, happy saints and holding a cup. To ask the guests in front of the door, how many people are here today.'"

"Good poetry."

After hearing this, Du Fu felt poetic again, but he still patiently listened to what Li Shizhi said later.

"It's a pity, my brother's heart is weaker than a needle, and I still don't want to let me go. People have impeached me. This wave has not subsided, and the Liu Ji case has started again." Speaking of this, Li Shizhi looked at Xue Bai, and said with a smile: "Fortunately, my brother got confused, so I was spared from being released. Shouldn't I thank you?"

"I dare not, I have not played any role in this case."

Li Shizhi caressed his beard and said, "That's what I was thinking about... By the way, do you know what the crime of impeaching me is?"

"Please Li Gong for advice."

"'Li Shizhi and Wei Jian's cliques colluded to abolish Crown Prince Ying's clique', but he slandered me because I sympathized with Li Ying."

With a thought in his mind, Xue Bai calmed down for a moment.

People who have been left prime ministers have extensive contacts and intelligence, and can guess a little bit of things.

If Li Shizhi couldn't even do this, he wouldn't have to take the risk to meet each other.

"Okay, let's not talk about these troublesome things." Li Shizhi looked at Xue Bai for a while, and said, "Zimei is rarely in Chang'an. We should talk about poetry. Have you heard about it? Just four years after Tianbao, four years after Zhang Jiuling passed away, He Zhizhang also left..."

Du Fu was listening to the poems, and just took out the scroll, when he heard Li Shizhi mention He Zhizhang's death, he took the scroll and took out his brush.

"Going to Chang'an again, things are different and people are different. I have a poem that I want to share with the left."

"it is good."

Du Fu showed grief, picked up his pen and swished it.

His first sentence was to write about He Zhizhang.

"Zhizhang rides a horse like a boat, and falls into a deep well and sleeps with dazzled eyes."

"..."

Xue Bai looked at Li Shizhi and realized something.

He didn't know if this was the truth or just Li Shizhi's guess, but if someone had taken action to protect Xue Pingzhao, Xue Ru's son, in ten years, could it be Zhang Jiuling and He Zhizhang?

Therefore, Xue Pingzhao was resold within a year after He Zhizhang's death?

"..."

Du Fu is still writing hard.

"The Prime Minister Zuo spends tens of thousands of dollars day by day, drinking like a long whale and sucking hundreds of rivers, and the sage of holding a cup of music is called the world's virtuous."

　I’m really getting late every day. It’s over. I feel like I’m going to lose a lot of reading and chasing. I have to try my best to adjust it back. Forgive me~~ Today is 8800 words again. When I wrote "The End of Song Dynasty", I didn’t have so many words a day.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)