I, who disguised myself as a woman, turned out to be a queen! ?

Chapter 749: An Old Man Reading

There were always sounds of reading in the Imperial College. No matter what the situation was like in the court, this place was often not disturbed by anything. It was like the army, where many people wanted to intervene but could not.

Because there was an old man who was admired by many people in the court, but who always cursed them every time they worked with him, Mu Xu.

One person guards the Imperial College. His hunched body blocks everything and his shoulders carry all the responsibilities.

Mu Xu looked up at the sky and heard his students reciting an excellent prose piece. The sky, clouds, mountains, water and embankment each had one white grain, and the pavilion, boat, fisherman and drinker each had one grain.

The situation in the court is stable now. Compared with a few years ago, the old man lives a much more comfortable life. After all, no one secretly shouts that the common people are not qualified to study in the Imperial Academy, and no one secretly bullies the children from poor families.

In the early years, Mu Xu was exhausted just from secretly protecting these children. It was only with the help of old men like Yao Yuanzai and Zhao Shi that he felt relieved. Otherwise, Mu Xu would have had no time to eat because he had to deal with the methods of the aristocratic families and Li Nishang at the same time.

Not to mention sitting here and eating hotpot with two old guys like today.

Inside the Imperial College, a holy place for studying, there is a table, four old men, a copper pot, a table of food, and several bottles of wine.

In fact, it doesn’t go together very well, especially with the sound of reading aloud.

Mu Xu sighed for a moment and then said, "If Yao Yuanzai were here, he would definitely get along well with you, brother Qinhu. That old fellow has a very bad temper, and in terms of knowledge and reason, he is only a little bit inferior to me."

Mu Xu took a sip of the wine and felt relaxed.

Su Wenqing said, "If Yuan Zai were here, would we be able to eat and drink like this?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Xu immediately shook his head and said, "You will be scolded."

Gu Quezhi was really qualified to sit at this table. Although the Gu family had fallen into decline, it was just that no one in the court was a high-ranking official. It did not mean that he had no status in the literary world. Moreover, as long as Master Gu was willing, he could teach in the Imperial College. It was just that Master Gu was unwilling to come to the capital, saying that he could not bear to see dirty things, so he served as a teacher in the White Horse Academy, one of the best academies in Jiangnan.

And strictly speaking, Master Gu was also half a student of the previous chief priest, and he and Mu Xu were also fellow students.

Gu Quezhi added: "Not only will you be scolded, but Yuan Zai has such a bad temper that he might chase you with a cane and beat you up right now!"

After saying that, Gu Quezhi frowned with a look of regret: "It's a pity that I didn't see him this time when I went to Beijing."

Mu Xu took the opportunity to speak: "They are not dead, even if they are old, they still have some years to live. And you don't have anything to do, so you can stay in the capital. There will be a new batch of students coming soon, and it's just right for you to take over Yao Yuanzai's work, but you won't get paid. But I can go to His Majesty and the Queen to praise you."

Gu Quezhi was too lazy to pay attention to Mu Xu, and just looked at Su Wenqing: "I don't know much about the situation in the court, but Yuan Zai should be safe in Shu."

Su Wenqing was about to eat a bite of food, but after hearing this, he was silent for a moment before speaking: "It should be fine, but the news I received is that the King of Shu summoned all the generals in Shu when the county lord left for the capital."

Gu Quezhi frowned, "Could it be that he really wants to start a rebellion at this time!? Why didn't he die back then, and even returned to Shu safely?"

When he said this, Gu Que stopped talking and returned to the original topic: "Yuan Zai has such a bad temper, I hope the people who go with him can stop him."

Wu Qinhu remained silent with the wine glass in his hand. He was a man of the world and didn't talk about these things. But if the King of Shu really rebelled at this time, he would have to take action because he didn't want to see more lives being destroyed.

Su Wenqing said, "If he really does take action, Yuan Zai will certainly do it. No one can stop Yuan Zai. But he may not take action because the princess is in the capital."

Gu Quezhi has a straightforward personality. In fact, he is very similar to Yao Yuanzai. He speaks his mind and is quite hot-tempered. The only difference is that Gu Quezhi is more flexible than Yao Yuanzai, but when it comes to speaking, he is more straightforward than Yao Yuanzai.

Hearing Su Wenqing's words, Gu Quezhi spoke up, "Back then, the princess was abandoned in the capital by him when she was young, as if she were not his own child. It was only thanks to the kindness of the late emperor and the late queen that they helped raise her and later sent her back to Shu. Who knows if sending the princess to the capital this time was a trick? Besides, Zoroastrianism is so rampant in the world, and there was the previous war where Tubo suddenly stopped being a small fight and invaded on a large scale."

Gu Quezhi became more and more excited as he spoke. When he said this, he clenched his fists and said, "He'd better not follow Xia Chenfeng's old path. Otherwise, the only two princes in the history books of Daxia who openly colluded with foreign tribes to rebel were from the same dynasty. He can't afford to lose this man."

Mu Xu took a sip of wine, then raised his left eyebrow and said, "Old Gu, can I ask you something?"

Gu Quezhi looked at Mu Xu: "If you have to fart, just fart!"

After taking a sip of the wine, Mu Xu looked at Gu Quezhi and said, "What rank of official are you? Look at how you care about the country and the people."

Gu Quezhi was stunned for a moment and frowned.

Mu Xu raised his hand and pointed at Su Wenqing: "See, the current Grand Master is here, and he's not worried, so why should you worry? You're just an old scholar with nothing but honors, and you're still looking around. Learn from our brother Wu, don't say a word about this topic, just eat by yourself."

Gu Quezhi clenched his fists and stood up: "Mu Xu!"

Mu Xu was not vague either. He stood up and rolled up his sleeves. "Come on, come on, Brother Wu, you stand in front of me. This old man wants to fight me. You fight him first. If you can't beat him, then come to me!"

Wu Qinhu put down his chopsticks and said with a smile: "The pavilion is like a place where people can rest. Today there is no wind or rain, only spring and sunshine. It is like this inside the pavilion and outside the pavilion. Even if there is wind blowing and rain falling, the weather will be more beautiful after the rain."

At this point, Wu Qinhu said, "It's just a process, but I'm tall, so I can help the brothers to block some of it. There are many people like me, but we are useless for many things that happened after the sun came. We still need the brothers to take care of those bamboo shoots that have sprung up after the rain, and the buds and tender shoots."

Gu Quezhi heard this and bowed to Wu Qinhu, "A gentleman's learning is to beautify himself, and etiquette is to correct himself. If the mouth can speak and the body can practice, learning stops at the point of practicing, which is the highest virtue of a gentleman."

After saying that, he picked up the wine glass.

At the same time, Su Wenqing and Mu Xu both picked up their wine glasses and toasted Wu Qinhu at the same time.

Wu Qinhu naturally did not dare to be vague.

After finishing the cup, Mu Xu said, "This is my brother, you should learn from him!"

Gu Quezhi was a little angry when he heard that, but he also knew that it was because of his words that ruined the fun, so he punished himself with a drink, "It ruined the fun, I have to punish myself with a drink."

Wu Qinhu smiled and helped Gu Quezhi sit down, then said: "If you are disappointed, what I said will be even more disappointing. And it also makes you, my brother, be scolded by the chief priest for no reason."

Gu Quezhi smiled, then glared at Mu Xu who was about to say something.

But Mu Xu just smiled and stopped talking!
Su Wenqing felt that this was the right atmosphere at the table. They should talk about trivial matters of state. But there was something else. Su Wenqing was curious, so he looked at Gu Quezhi: "Quezhi, I heard my kids talking and they said that you did something to Yan Shu?"

Wu Qinhu also knew Yan Shu and had met him. He felt that he was extraordinary, with extraordinary temperament and bearing. But he had also heard Xia Tingyu gossip about Yan Shu, so he looked at Gu Quezhi.

Gu Quezhi immediately became furious: "You idiot disciple! You are of the same lineage! You are exactly the same as the coward you were, and Xun Kuang is exactly the same as the coward you were!"

Mu Xu was unhappy, "Old man, you can scold them if you want, it has nothing to do with me."

Su Wenqing asked, "Are you not protecting Yan Shu today?"

Mu Xu cursed loudly: "I am so mad at that brat! He is just the same coward as his teacher!"

Su Wenqing laughed, then shook his head regretfully and looked at Wu Qinhu: "If that Yao Yuanzai was here right now, Yan Shu would definitely get a beating."

……

In Shu, inside a courtyard in the Shu King's Palace, it was heavily guarded. In the small courtyard, at first glance, it seemed that there were more than a hundred people guarding it in three layers inside and outside.

That is to say, there are fewer people in the hospital, only a few.

In a room in the courtyard, a student was cleaning the bookshelf. He pursed his lips and picked up a book from the shelf. He turned his head to look at the two soldiers at the door and the window, then looked at his teacher at the desk, revealing a worried look.

But at this time, another student in the room looked towards the door. The student noticed and looked back, and saw that it was the person they were traveling with who came back with a lunch box, and there was another person with him.

Several people were also familiar with it and showed happy expressions.

"Teacher, teacher, look who's here!" One of them spoke immediately with joy.

This did cause dissatisfaction among the soldiers at the gate, but the student didn't seem to care at all and just glared back at the soldier.

The old gentleman, Yao Yuanzai, put down the book and looked towards the door. When he saw who was coming, he was stunned and then stood up immediately.

"Student Li Ziyu, greetings to the teacher."

Li Ziyu was a little excited. Standing at the door, he saw his teacher whom he hadn't seen for several months but who was still upright and dignified. He immediately bowed to him.

Yao Yuanzai put down the book and hurriedly helped Li Ziyu up with both hands, looking confused because so many things had changed.

Especially looking at his student's dark face and the scar on the side of his face, "Are there any other injuries?"

It's not any other official words, but I just want to know if my students have other wounds.

Li Ziyu's eyes were filled with excitement as he shook his head: "They are just minor injuries, not a big deal. It is the teacher who has come to see me on such a day. I feel ashamed."

Yao Yuanzai looked Li Ziyu up and down.

A few months ago, Li Ziyu was handsome and tender, and was as handsome as Yan Shu. But now, he has become stout, his skin is darker, and he has scars. He must have suffered so much.

"Sir, please sit down with Senior Brother Ziyu. Senior Brother has brought a lot of food that you like."

Hearing his other students speak, Yao Yuanzai nodded immediately and pulled Li Ziyu to sit on the stool, but he immediately thought of something and asked, "Your position is quite far from these places, why did you come here? If you didn't just come to see me, it's really wrong!"

Li Ziyu immediately said, "Teacher, I have never forgotten what you taught me. I am here because the prince has summoned all the officials from Shu, so I am able to meet you."

Hearing this, a student who was helping to take food out of the food box frowned and said, "Before, we summoned the generals and lieutenants, this time we summoned the officials. I hope you are not asking us to gather food and grass." When he said this, the soldier standing at the door immediately said, "Let's reminisce about the past, but if you talk nonsense, don't blame us for being rude!"

Snapped!
When the soldier finished speaking, Yao Yuanzai slammed the table and said, "How rude! What did my student say wrong?"

As he spoke, the old man protected his student behind him and pointed at the soldier: "In broad daylight, what you said is the truth. Why can't you say it? What are you afraid of? What are you feeling guilty about? Today, I will tell you that the King of Shu is a traitor and has openly set up a small court. Come and kill me!"

The soldier put his hand on the hilt of his sword and looked at Yao Yuanzai.

Li Ziyu immediately stood beside Yao Yuanzai and said, "Who gave you the authority to speak to Mr. Yao like this? I asked you to guard the door, and you still think you have the authority? Get out!"

After dealing with barbarians for a long time, Li Ziyu now has his own temperament.

The soldier frowned.

But he didn't say anything. A man who looked like a captain came forward and clasped his fists towards Yao Yuanzai and Li Ziyu and said, "Master Yao, Master Li, I am guilty of not disciplining you strictly. Please forgive me."

After saying this, he signaled the soldier to retreat, then he clasped his fists towards Yao Yuanzai and Li Ziyu, and left.

After seeing all the soldiers in the courtyard being taken away, Li Ziyu looked at Yao Yuanzai and said, "Teacher, sit down and talk."

Yao Yuanzai nodded, then smiled bitterly: "I said I came here to study and help my old friend look after the academy he built, but I didn't expect that since I came here, I have become a prisoner under house arrest."

Then he looked at the students behind him and said, "Also let these kids stay with me."

Upon hearing this, the students immediately began to comfort the teacher.

Li Ziyu frowned: "I heard that it was the Second Prince who sent people to arrest you without authorization, and then the Princess dealt with him. Now the Second Prince is embarrassed and has been placed under house arrest."

Yao Yuanzai sneered: "The princess is good, but the other children of the King of Shu are just like him!"

After saying that, Yao Yuanzai waved his hand and looked at Li Ziyu with concern: "What about you? Although I asked about you after I came here, I only heard some things about you from the princess."

Li Ziyu smiled and said, "I'm a very good student. With the help of the princess, we got back the people's land. As for the bad things, they were just some troubles in the officialdom that I had to deal with stubbornly. They are nothing."

Yao Yuanzai felt a little distressed when he saw his student's nonchalant look.

On the contrary, Li Ziyu is now much more mature and stable, with his eyes on the nose and his nose on the heart.

Yao Yuanzai looked at Li Ziyu and said, "Now, do you have an answer?"

Li Ziyu was stunned for a moment, somewhat puzzled.

Yao Yuanzai said, "How long are you going to keep it a secret from me? Shao Weng and Yan Shu told me about the letter you wrote to them."

Li Ziyu suddenly realized and smiled bitterly: "Those two people!"

Then he looked at Yao Yuanzai and said, "I haven't figured it out yet, but I feel tired from thinking too much. It's better to be pragmatic and do as much as we can."

Yao Yuanzai looked at Li Ziyu and asked, "Who am I to you?"

Li Ziyu immediately stood up and bowed respectfully: "My dear teacher."

Yao Yuanzai said slowly, "Why didn't you tell me? Are you afraid that I can't solve your doubts? Or are you afraid that I will think I misunderstood you? In my mind, Li Ziyu studied hard and entered the government, and served the people. He was fearless and indomitable, especially your determination when you were appointed to Shu. I still remember it. Now that you have some doubts in your heart, why don't you think about solving them? Do you plan to let them take root in your heart? Or has the fearless Li Ziyu been poisoned by the officialdom and no longer calls himself a scholar?"

After Li Ziyu stood up, he did not sit down. He lowered his head and said, "I have not changed. I just don't want to make the teacher worry."

Yao Yuanzai was not angry, but looked gentle: "I read the books of sages, but I can't control what's happening outside the window. I feel pity, but I stand aside and watch. I thought I could change after becoming an official, but I found that there are more things I can't do anything about."

This is the helplessness that Li Ziyu wrote to Yan Shu and Zuo Shaoweng.

When Yao Yuanzai's original words were read out, Li Ziyu stood where he was, looking at Yao Yuanzai with his head lowered.

Yao Yuanzai looked at Li Ziyu and asked, "Do you regret being an official?"

Li Ziyu immediately shook his head: "No regrets, if I hadn't been an official, the suffering people in the county would still be in dire straits."

Yao Yuanzai nodded: "Yes, that is, you feel that your ability is too weak, and you find that reading more is useless, right?"

Li Ziyu was about to speak, but finally nodded: "Yes."

Then Li Ziyu looked at Yao Yuanzai and said, "There is a family of six in the county I appointed. The man is a hunter. The eldest and second sons followed him into the mountains. The third son helped his mother farm. The youngest daughter is still in swaddling clothes. They are not rich, but they have enough food and clothing. But the good farmland was taken away from the family. The hunter was murdered and his legs were broken. The bodies of the eldest and third sons were disfigured. The woman went crazy and acted crazy all day long. The originally happy family became like this. Only the second son worked hard to support the man and the woman and feed the youngest sister. The family can only rely on hunting, but even so, those people still did not let this family go."

At this point, Li Ziyu looked at Yao Yuanzai and said, "Teacher, when I saw them, they didn't even have complete clothes. They lived in a cowshed. Their house was burned down. The two boys in the cowshed were no more than sixteen years old. They carried their little sister on their backs. When they saw me in official uniform, they picked up bows and arrows to protect themselves. The people don't trust officials and are afraid of them!"

"I took off my official uniform, but he still didn't trust me despite my kind words. It wasn't until I helped him catch the village bully who had been making things difficult for him that he started crying and kowtowed to me. But even so, after I helped his family get justice and get their good farm back, someone from the government came to his house with official documents and completely ignored me."

"I tried to stop them, but it was useless. I watched the child being beaten. To be honest, at that moment, I was stopped by many people and was completely powerless. I could only watch the child. I hated myself for not learning martial arts, because if I had, I could have killed all those people. The child began to trust the government because of me, but it was also because of me that he was beaten."

Li Ziyu's eyes were already blurry.

It’s like returning to that scene.

Sitting on the ground, looking at the child's eyes asking for help, I was powerless and could only watch.

reading
What book are you reading?

A county magistrate cannot save the people in his own county.

What is the use
It's of no use.

"A bunch of beasts!" a student cursed.

Some students even asked: "Brother, how are those people now?"

Li Ziyu said, "After Her Highness the Princess knew about this, all those people died."

"He deserves it!" The student clenched his fists, "He deserves to be cut into pieces!"

"What about the baby and his parents?" a student asked hurriedly.

Li Ziyu said: "I have taken care of him and the child is also in my house."

Upon hearing this, the students immediately bowed respectfully to Li Ziyu.

I wonder what they would do if they knew that Li Ziyu was supporting more than just these few people.

Yao Yuanzai looked at Li Ziyu and asked, "Is your noble spirit still there?"

Li Ziyu nodded: "Yes!"

Yao Yuanzai said, "When you are a low-ranking official, you can't handle such things, so you want to be a high-ranking official. But when you become a high-ranking official, you lose your noble spirit and become a beast in human clothing in the eyes of the people. This is often the cycle of scholars in the world."

Just as Yao Yuanzai finished speaking, someone walked into the yard. In addition to the captain, there was also a young man in gorgeous clothes and a middle-aged official.

When the official Li Ziyu looked over, he showed a look of disgust.

Mi Wanjun, his uncle.

The young man also had a high status, he was Xia Qinghe, the fifth prince of the King of Shu.

"Greetings, Master Yao." Xia Qinghe bowed to Yao Yuanzai and looked at Li Ziyu: "Master Li is here too."

Li Ziyu ignored Xia Qinghe and didn't even look at Mi Wanjun.

Although Mi Wanjun was angry, she did not show it on her face. Instead, she looked at Master Yao and said, "Master Yao, the prince asked you to come over and sit down, so he specially asked the fifth prince to come and pick you up."

Yao Yuanzai looked at Li Ziyu and pointed at the soldiers outside: "Ziyu, do you know why an old man like me who is weak and helpless is guarded by the King of Shu with such heavy troops? Even when I speak, these soldiers are afraid of me."

Li Ziyu looked at Yao Yuanzai and bowed: "Please enlighten me, sir."

Yao Yuanzai laughed and said, "Because the King of Shu is afraid of my noble spirit! I have been studying for decades, and this spirit has always been in my heart. Many scholars are like Mi Wanjun."

As he spoke, he pointed at Mi Wanjun and said, "Although he is your uncle, I still have to say that a person like him who is worse than pigs and dogs has lost his dignity, so he has become what he is now. Moreover, such a thing went out and said that he is a scholar! Is he? Is he worthy? "

Mi Wanjun looked unhappy, but the Fifth Prince found it interesting.

Yao Yuanzai put his hand on Li Ziyu's chest: "You are very good. I know that you have this moment of doubt. You have not become the kind of person I just said who wants to be a high official and do this and that. You still keep your breath. Reading is useless, sometimes it is very useless, just like you just said, I understand you, I understand you, and I have experienced helpless things. But sometimes reading is very useful, because after reading, you know what you want to do and how to do it, so... Keep your breath and use it as a weapon! Just like so many soldiers guarding an old man like me, when your breath is indestructible, you will find that these beasts are afraid of real scholars!"

After saying that, he looked at the fifth prince Xia Qinghe and said, "Your Highness, please lead the way."

(End of this chapter)