Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 70
When talking about Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty, we have to mention the so-called "Leyouyuan".

Among the 108 squares in Chang'an City, Leyouyuan is located in the southeast, approximately at the position of the four squares of Xuanping, Xinchang, Shengping, and Shengdao. Xuanpingfang is located in the northwest corner of Leyouyuan.

In the Tang Dynasty, there were six hills in Chang'an City from north to south, and the topography coincided with the six lines of Qian Gua in "Book of Changes", that is, from the land of nine one to the land of nine five.This is the ingenuity in the design and location of Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty.

Among them, the Nine-Yi Land is the Dragon Head Plain, which symbolizes the hidden dragon in the abyss. It is a royal forbidden garden where no one is allowed to live.

The area of ​​​​Jiuer is the Daming Palace area, which symbolizes seeing a dragon in the field and is reserved for the use of the emperor;
The Jiu San area is the northwest area of ​​Xingqing Palace, which symbolizes the work of a gentleman and is planned to be a hundred official offices;

The most supreme place in the Ninth Five-Year Plan, which symbolizes the perfect location of "flying dragon in the sky", is Leyouyuan.

Ordinary people cannot live in it, they can only be left to gods and Buddhas.In the planning of Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty, there were many temples and Taoist temples here, such as Xingshan Temple, Qinglong Temple, Chongzhen Temple, etc.The houses here are very cramped and have official occupancy restrictions.

The house in front of Fang Chongyong was also very small and inconspicuous at all.It's just this excellent location, people can't help but applaud.Looking north from here, Chang'an Palace City is at your feet.

It is described in Bai Juyi's poem, "Hundreds and thousands of houses are like a game of Go, and the [-]th street is like a vegetable patch. The distant recognition is slightly in the morning fire, and one star is five gates west."

This is not an exaggeration or description, it is just a realistic work of standing in Xuanpingfang and looking into the distance.

"Whose house is this?"

Fang Chongyong stopped, looked at Zheng Shuqing suspiciously and asked.He has been in Chang'an for several months, and he has already found out clearly that not just people of any status can live in Xuanpingfang.

Even if the house itself doesn't look very impressive.

"Scholar He."

Zheng Shuqing said calmly.

"He Zhizhang?"

Fang Chongyong blurted out, and was immediately interrupted by Zheng Shuqing: "He will be your teacher in the future, do you also call your teacher by his name?"

Zheng Shuqing couldn't help but scolded in a low voice.

"How does this make it?"

Fang Chongyong exclaimed that he didn’t know how Lao Zheng did it, but asking He Zhizhang to be a teacher. How could the connections and favors needed be measured by money?

"Don't talk too much. Today I have the final say. If you have any questions, hold them back until the apprenticeship is over."

Zheng Shuqing said solemnly, the expression on his face was unprecedentedly solemn.

Fang Chongyong could only nod silently. As the saying goes, an arrow has to be fired when it is on the string. People have already reached Xuanpingfang. If they pass He Zhizhang's house without entering, what will others think if they find out?
Because your father is Fang Youde, you are qualified to come here to pretend to be aggressive?
How stupid is this, offending people for no reason.

With mixed feelings, Fang Chongyong followed Zheng Shuqing into the lobby.As expected, the furnishings here are very simple, but very elegant. There are only four or five wing rooms and a courtyard, but there is also a loft with a view built inside.

Thinking about He Zhizhang's official position as Minister of Rites and Bachelor of Jixian Academy, it is not unusual for him to be treated like this.

It doesn’t matter how well the house is built, what matters is where it is located.Being able to settle down in Xuanpingfang has already proved his status in the court.

"We're all here, sit down, sit down."

As soon as he entered the lobby, Fang Chongyong saw He Zhizhang, who had a kind smile and a slim figure, coming to greet them without any airs.

Fang Chongyong sat down dumbly, put his palms together and bowed to He Zhizhang.

"This is Fang Jieshuai's son. There is no one to teach him. I hope that Scholar He can give him some advice."

Zheng Shuqing said humbly and bowed his hands.

"Okay, I'll be on duty for half a day every day, and I'll be back in the afternoon. You come to Xuanpingfang to practice calligraphy every afternoon, and you don't stop every day. Can you do it?"

He Zhizhang looked at Fang Chongyong and asked.

"Everything is to be obeyed by the teacher."

Fang Chongyong kowtowed generously.

"Haha, let's start tomorrow. I'm going to drink today. Please come back, both of you."

He Zhizhang laughed and raised his right hand, signaling Zheng Shuqing and Fang Chongyong to leave.This is the first time Fang Chongyong has seen such a clean and tidy driving away of guests.

Zheng Shuqing was an old bureaucrat, he took out a gift slip from his cuff, handed it to He Zhizhang carefully, and then stepped in to salute and leave.

"This……"

He Zhizhang looked surprised when he saw the gift list, then nodded slightly, put it into his sleeve, and said nothing more.

In this so-called "teacher apprenticeship ceremony", there was no tears of gratitude, no mutual appreciation, and even less humility and filial piety.

No matter how you look at it, it looks like a transaction.

Returning to the Fang family house and coming to the study, Fang Chongyong waited for Zheng Shuqing to explain all this.

"I know you are smart, far beyond ordinary people. But what you lack most now is not knowledge, but fame. If you are always under the shadow of your father's reputation, you will always be just Fang Jieshuai's son.

And having the status of Master He's apprentice will make it easier for you to get along with all kinds of people in the future and get rid of the mark of a playboy on your body. "

Zheng Shuqing said earnestly.

Why was Li Linfu not accepted by scholars?Is it just because Li Linfu wants to dominate the court?
In fact, it is not exactly.

Because before Li Linfu became a high official, the scholars did not like him.For example, Yuan Qianyao said of Li Linfu, "A man of high rank must have good conduct. How can Genu be a man of high rank?" At that time, Li Linfu's official position was not worth mentioning.

Li Linfu was not a member of the literary circle, so he was bound to be rejected by those people.If Fang Chongyong is He Zhizhang's apprentice, as long as he is not obviously "ignorant", then he will not encounter natural resistance from the scholar group when he does things in the future.

This is an advantage, so what is the disadvantage?Zheng Shuqing didn't say anything, and Fang Chongyong didn't know either.But the only thing that is certain is that if you don't invite a big boss to stand on the platform and pull a tiger flag to strengthen your momentum, then when Fang Chongyong is 14 years old, he must go to the Imperial College or Chongwen Museum to study, and then rely on "classmates" Relationship" to develop contacts.

This started much later.

Otherwise, they will be reduced to the same status and background as Li Linfu and others.

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, feeling a little moved in his heart.When Zheng Shuqing wanted to send something like "twin sisters flowers" before, he was just treating someone on the other side as a bureaucrat of the same level in exchange for interests.

And now that he has asked He Zhizhang to be his teacher, it is a typical example of caring and caring.

This move is indeed worthy of Fang Chongyong's continuous suggestions for Zheng Shuqing.

"Uh, Scholar He is well-known in Chang'an, how did Zheng Shilang get him to agree to teach me?"

Fang Chongyong asked doubtfully.

"The [-] bolts of Tang brocade bestowed by the sage, I gave to Scholar He... [-] bolts."

Zheng Shuqing said slowly.

"Such madmen also love money? I thought they didn't eat fireworks."

Fang Chongyong said in a daze, somewhat incomprehensible.

He Zhizhang's life was very comfortable. He went to the Yamen in Miyagi City every day to catch fish, and then came back to rest after half a day's work. Besides drinking, he just had fun.Such a free and happy life is something people like Zheng Shuqing cannot pursue.

"Drinking, helping friends, traveling around, and socializing in officialdom, none of them require money to support them.

Now that Tang brocade is priceless, if Scholar He took out one, it would be enough for him to drink for a long time.

If I just deal with you casually every day and give you a little guidance, I can make a lot of money. What's wrong with that? "

Zheng Shuqing explained patiently.

I have to say, these words are quite reasonable.Fang Chongyong thought about it from He Zhizhang's perspective and couldn't help but nodded slightly in agreement.

Zheng Shuqing gave too much, and the chaste and strong girl was also turned into a fan who opened the door to receive guests.

He Zhizhang was famous for his poor wine quality in the court, so much so that at the last banquet, everyone unanimously elected him as the host, just to prevent him from drinking.He was quite polite when he was not drinking, but after drinking, he was a completely different person.

In Du Fu's famous poem "The Song of the Eight Immortals while Drinking", the first thing mentioned is He Zhizhang: "Zhizhang rides a horse like a boat, and falls asleep under the water in a well." What it means is that when he was drunk, he rode forward and backward on the horse, showing his ugly appearance. Like sitting on a boat.After falling into a well drunkenly, he simply slept at the bottom.

This is of course an exaggeration, but it is absolutely true that He Zhizhang likes to drink and does not care about his image after drinking.

Although he was well-known in Chang'an, He Zhizhang's salary was not gold and silver. In fact, it was quite limited, no more than [-] yuan a month.

Compared with the Jiedu envoys who supervise one side in border towns and can "flexibly use" the local treasury, courtiers like He Zhizhang all receive "dead wages."

Only when Li Longji showed mercy and rewarded the courtiers would he make them more generous.

The daily expenses of these central courtiers are also very high, and they are "moonlight clan" themselves, and they can't save much money at all.Therefore, the "windfall" provided by Zheng Shuqing was far more attractive than Fang Chongyong's imagination.

In fact, He Zhizhang did not have any resistance to this deal, and agreed to it very readily.At that time, he didn't know that what Zheng Shuqing sent was Tang brocade, but he felt that this batch of silk was "high quality".

"Scholar He is just your teacher in name. He can't really teach you useful things. It's nothing more than calligraphy, writing beautiful articles and so on."

Zheng Shuqing patiently warned Fang Chongyong, fearing that he would get carried away.In his words, he seemed to disdain He Zhizhang's knowledge.

"Does Zheng Shilang think that Bachelor He's knowledge is actually of no use to the court?"

Fang Chongyong asked cheaply.

Zheng Shuqing was taken aback for a moment, and then smiled wryly: "Just be clear in your heart, don't gossip around. I haven't said anything, and I won't admit it."

"Young Master Zheng will keep your kindness in mind, and you will be rewarded generously in the future."

Fang Chongyong bowed and bowed deeply to Zheng Shuqing.

He knew very well that he had no connections in Chang'an, and if he wanted to do something, he had to use Zheng Shuqing's contacts to do it.

And Fang Youde, the scumbag father, seems to do extreme things, and there are many doubts about him, making Fang Chongyong untrustworthy.

Chang'an is a stage for competition, but not the cradle of growth.Fang Chongyong knew that he must leave here to experience, grow, and accumulate strength.In this process, he must carefully observe this world and this era.

"Don't think about the twin maids. When you become famous, those things will be like the goods in the cupboard. You can take them at any time without any trouble.

In a few days, I will go to Hanjiacang in Luoyang to review the situation of grain storage for Hexi military supplies.It is estimated that you will not return to Chang'an during this period of time, so you can follow Xueshi He with peace of mind, and don't think about those messy things.

in particular……"

Zheng Shuqing patted Fang Chongyong's shoulder, leaned over and said in a low voice:

“Especially if you can’t touch the saint’s matters, don’t touch them.

You wrote those two poems at the banquet, and now the sage already knows it.If a sage invites you to enter the palace to write poems to test your wisdom or something, you must hide your clumsiness and not show your sharpness too much. "

"understood."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly.

In fact, many courtiers saw Yang Yuhuan's rise to power and Li Longji's changes and made their own judgments.

The change in the court has already begun, and they have all seen it, but they don't know how it will change and how it will end.Every change will be a top-down official reshuffle.

These central courtiers are like a school of fish swimming in a pond. The sky is covered with dark clouds and the air pressure is low. These fish also start to surface and spit bubbles. Turn belly up and die.

Fang Chongyong didn't know if Li Linfu saw this; but he knew that Zheng Shuqing definitely understood it, and he must have prepared accordingly!
"Are you still going to arrange for your future father-in-law to go to Hexi?"

Zheng Shuqing asked in a deep voice, now that he will be the transshipment envoy in charge of dispatching grain and fodder in Hexi, whether Tang Jun can win against Tubo is a matter of life and death for him.

Tang Jun won, and he was promoted while lying down.

The Tang army lost, and he wanted to kneel in front of Li Linfu and ask for help.

The difference between the two is huge.

"Indeed."

"Well, in that case, is there anything I can do to help?"

Zheng Shuqing asked.

In officialdom, you cannot always wait for good luck to come.

When facing challenges, we must exert our full strength and make use of all available conditions.

Lao Zheng is not very good at doing big things, but he is very good at being an official, and his skills are superb.

"It's nothing. But if you really have a chance, you can give the right minister some advice. Just say that you think King Zhong (Li Heng) will be the crown prince in the future, so that the right minister can prepare early.

Talk about this matter if you have a chance, forget it if you don't have a chance, it is not a major event that determines success or failure. "

"understood."

Zheng Shuqing nodded, he already knew it in his heart.

"My future father-in-law is brave and good at fighting. If he can go to Hexi, he will win this battle. If Zheng Shilang can, think of a way to pass my words on to the right minister and say it was your idea. There are nine out of ten possibilities for this matter." become."

Fang Chongyong continued.

Zheng Shuqing nodded again and remembered it in his heart.

……

In the study room of the office building of Xingqing Palace, Li Longji was reading a letter from Gao Lishi, which was written by Wang Zhongsi's wife, Li Shi.

In the letter, Li asked Li Longji that Wang Zhongsi could be transferred back to Chang'an for business affairs, and that he should not be transferred outside again.

He didn't ask for an official position, he just wanted to return. He was sincere and sincere.I have to say that this letter touched the soft spot in Li Longji's heart.

When Wang Zhongsi was eight or nine years old, his father Wang Haibin died in battle, and he was ganged up to death by his colleagues.Whether Li Longji had other intentions in raising his Wang Zhongsi in the palace, in fact, no one can say for sure.

But one thing is certain, Li Longji's trust in Wang Zhongsi is definitely above that of ordinary generals.The only concern is the relationship between Wang Zhongsi and Li Heng.

"The left army of the Longwu Army still lacks a general. Wang Zhongsi can be appointed as the general of the left army of the Longwu Army."

Gao Lishi suggested calmly.

"It makes sense."

Li Longji nodded slightly, he felt that King Xuezang's loyalty to Si for two years was actually enough.Since Mrs. Li begged, let him return to Chang'an, which is also human nature.

Du Wangxi and others wanted Wang Zhongsi to go to Hexi, Li Linfu wanted Wang Zhongsi to go to Jiannan, and Li Longji had his own ideas and didn't want to be led away.

(End of this chapter)