Ji Han Liu Zhang

Chengdu.

"Father, it's already late at night. If you have anything to do, we can handle it tomorrow, so don't worry about it right now. How can your body bear the stress of working so hard every night?" Wang Peng looked concerned, and his words were equally concerned. Incomparable.

Wang Peng, who has a solid face and seems to be very honest, is talking to his father Wang Shang, the chief official of the Prefectural Mufu Mansion.

Wang Shang, who was at the desk, did not respond to Wang Peng's words. Most of his thoughts were focused on the document handed over from Baishui Pass in front of him. After reading the document carefully, and after a moment of thinking, Wang Shang wrote on This document was approved.

Then Wang Shang put the document from Baishui Pass aside, took out a piece of silk from the right side of the desk, placed it in front of him, and started writing again. The content of the documents at Baishui Pass related to military aircraft, and Wang Shang needed to report it to his immediate superior, Yizhou Mu Liu Zhang.

After a moment of deliberation, Wang Shang, who wrote like a dragon, wrote a document to be reported to Liu Zhang in an instant. Then he put down the brush and looked at the pile of papers on the left side of the desk to see the things that needed to be dealt with today. After finishing cooking, he relaxed a little in a tense state.

Wang Shang exhaled a breath from his mouth and blinked his eyes a few times. His eyes were a little sore after sitting at the desk for too long, and he had been bent over for too long. He straightened up carefully to relieve his slightly stiff waist. .

Wang Peng, who was sitting on Wang Shang's side, realized that Wang Shang had taken care of all the matters. He came closer and came behind Wang Shang, carefully massaging Wang Shang's back while continuing the advice he just gave. : "Father, you are over forty years old and your vitality is half-finished. If you work so hard every night for a long time, how will you be able to eat well...Although business is important, you still need to pay attention to your health. My child still wants to serve you until he is a hundred years old." Na."

"How dare you live to be a hundred years old and not die at fifty? As long as I can live to sixty, I will be satisfied as a father." Wang Shang shook his head, but there was a slight smile on his face.

"Father, you must not say that. Don't you see that Dong (Fu) Gong is already eighty years old, but his body is very strong, no less than that of a man in his prime. Moreover, Dong Gong is now responsible for governing the country and working hard for Ming Gong. When I saw him the day before yesterday, he didn't look tired at all." Wang Peng used Dong Fu as an example to set an example for Wang Shang.

Wang Shang looked kindly and sighed: "Dong Gong is listed in the government, but in the final analysis, it is just that Ming Gong treated the veteran ministers favorably and gave Dong Gong a title to avoid being said to treat the veterans harshly. When will you see me? Ever since Dong Gong got up early to go to the Yamen, when have I ever seen Dong Gong go to work every day regardless of the cold or summer... Although Dong Gong has a post of governance, he does not hold the power of governance. He has nothing to do, travels leisurely, and watches Dong as his father. I’m afraid I can live to be over a hundred years old, sir.”

"Father, what I say is that, I see that some of the things you take care of every day can actually be dealt with by the officials. You don't need to care about everything as a senior official...such as punishing subordinates and punishing them with twenty , if I need to ask you, a long-time official, I can just leave it to Gao Rou, the legal officer... Moreover, you work hard every day on paperwork, and you even have less food. I hope that you will live as long as Dong Gong and allow me to serve you at your knees." Wang Peng changed his words and advised diligently.

Wang Shang waved his hand and said with a straight face: "My father was valued by the Ming Dynasty. He was first appointed as a special minister, and then the Ming Dynasty publicly appointed my father as a long-term official. He was under one person and above ten thousand people. He always stayed in Chengdu. , shouldering the same responsibilities as Xiao He... Ming Gong sees that he has become a father, and he treats his father as a national scholar. He should repay his father as a national scholar."

At this point, Wang Shang's tone was a little helpless: "Punishment of subordinates requires twenty. For such trivial matters, it is true that there is no need for a father to interfere. In fact, it is enough to leave it to Gao Rou, the law cao, but as a father, I always feel sad. Qi, I'm worried that I haven't done anything well and I've let down Duke Ming's kindness, so I've thought about asking about everything big and small... But what you said makes sense. It doesn't matter how big or small it is. First and foremost, as a father, I have taken your words to heart and taken them as a warning. I will not act like this in the future."

Wang Peng's face showed joy when he heard this, and he said with concern: "It's good that my father understands. It's already late at night, so please rest early."

"Yes." Wang Shang nodded, and with Wang Peng's help, he stood up.

But after getting up, Wang Shang did not go to the bedroom immediately. He seemed to have thought of something, and he turned out two silk books on the desk and handed them to Wang Peng.

"Liu Jingzhou and the Confucian scholar Song Zhong each had letters sent to me to discuss issues in Confucian classics. I have written two replies. You will send someone to Jingzhou tomorrow. By the way, remember to copy one copy each and keep it for your records. Filing...Although Liu Jingzhou, Song Zhong and I only discussed Confucian classics in letters, we must not be careless. We need to submit the copied letters to Duke Ming's desk so that Duke Ming can know the contents."

"Father, Ming Gong is not that kind of jealous person, why do you act like this?" Wang Peng shook his head, thinking that it was not necessary, and followed Wang Shang. He had met Liu Zhang many times and thought he was very fond of Liu Zhang. He probably had some understanding of Wang Shang's character, and he didn't think Liu Zhang would question Wang Shang for such a trivial matter.

Wang Shang's face darkened, and he spoke sternly: "As a father, I naturally know that Ming Gong is a father, but even if Ming Gong doesn't care about such things, a father is a minister, and he must have the duties of a minister. I share the same feelings as foreigners. People exchange letters, and even interact with people like Liu Jingzhou. Naturally, all letters need to leave traces and be reported to Duke Ming for his knowledge... If Duke Ming is a generous man and does not report it, then he has lost his duty as a minister. .”

"I understand, kid." Wang Peng bowed his hands and said in awe.

With a worried look on his face, and the fact that he was his own father, and that Wang Shang was the chief official of the Prefectural Mufu Mansion and the head of Yizhou's officials, under the pressure of his multiple identities, Wang Peng, the son, naturally had nothing to say.

Seeing Wang Peng's obedient response, Wang Shang's complexion improved slightly. He stepped forward, and Wang Peng and Wang Peng stepped out of the study one after another and came to Yuxia.

Wang Peng, who was walking under the clouds, said casually: "Father, Ming Gong is inspecting all directions. When will he return to Chengdu?"

"Only within five or six days. A letter has been delivered today, saying that the Duke has left Linqiong tomorrow and is on his way to Chengdu." Wang Shang replied.
-
  Yangping Pass.

Zhang Wei, the younger brother of Tianshi Taoist Master Zhang Lu, is also the unique and only head-curing priest in Tianshi Taoism. At this moment, his face is a little unkind and gloomy, like a sky covered with lead clouds.

What made Zhang Wei look unhappy was a letter on the desk in front of him. It was a letter from Nanzheng. The content of the letter was to tactfully accuse Zhang Wei, so Zhang Wei was very unhappy.

As a devout Tianshi Taoist, Zhang Wei does not like anyone who does not believe in Tianshi Taoism and will not take him seriously. Now that Hanzhong and Chengdu are about to go to war, Yangpingguan is the lifeblood of Hanzhong, and Hanzhong is the foundation of Tianshi Taoism, the only major county where Tianshi Taoism dominates, and the paradise of Tianshi Taoism. In my heart, there is absolutely no room for failure.

Therefore, Zhang Wei, who had always disliked non-Tianshi Taoists, drove the non-Tianshi Taoists out of Yangping Pass. In Zhang Wei's mind, anyone who does not believe in Tianshi Taoism is a hidden danger in Hanzhong, a person who is between a state of rebellion and non-rebellion.

If the Celestial Master Dao is strong, the non-Celestial Master Dao people in Hanzhong will naturally not rebel. However, if the Celestial Master Dao is weak or exhausted, I am afraid that the non-Celestial Master Dao people in Hanzhong will have second thoughts and rebel.

However, Zhang Wei's behavior of stamping all non-Tianshi Taoists with the seal of possible rebellion and kicking them out of Yangpingguan without any screening aroused the displeasure of Zhang Lu, the Tianshi Taoist master.

Zhang Lu, who was in Nanzheng, was more or less sober. He used methods of wooing and privately threatening people who were not from the Celestial Master Dao. He would not blatantly regard people who were not from the Celestial Master Dao as rebellious. However, Zhang Wei's methods were too excessive. After hearing about Zhang Wei's operation, Zhang Lu sent an envoy to hand over a letter to question him.

Although there is no explicit rebuke in the letter, the wording is very euphemistic. It just asks Zhang Wei to accept people who are not Tianshi Taoists. Do not abandon some scholars just because they do not believe in Tianshi Taoism. But when Zhang Wei saw this, he was extremely angry, thinking that this was a reproach for his recent behavior.

"I did this for the sake of the Taoist Celestial Master. I sent non-Celestial Master Taoists away from Yangping Pass and made Yangping Pass impregnable. What do you think I did wrong?" Zhang Wei, as Zhang Lu's brother, faced the people sent by Zhang Lu. The messenger asked.

The envoys sent by Nanzheng to Yangpingguan were very obedient. They treated Zhang Wei, the chief minister of the Celestial Master, and his status in the Celestial Master Tao was that of Master Zhang Lu alone, but more than ten thousand people. Zhang Wei was Zhang Lu's biological brother. identity of.

As a young man, the envoy faced Zhang Wei's cross-examination. He couldn't say it, and he couldn't do it even if he didn't say it. After a long while, he broke out in sweat and said: "Sacrifice wine to calm your anger. Master is not asking questions, but just asking the wine collector." People, adopt talents and differences, so that they can be used by our Tianshi Taoism... For example, among the people in Hanzhong, there are many people who do not believe in Tianshi Taoism, while the people in Guanzhong and Liangzhou who go south do not know much about Tianshi Taoism. Well, Master, if you consider discarding them all, it will be detrimental to the overall situation of Hanzhong."

"Hmph." Zhang Wei snorted coldly and said in a bad way: "Can those who do not believe in religion have good people?... Even among the scholars who went south from Hanzhong, Guanzhong, and Liangzhou, there were more or less talented people. People, but now at such a critical moment, how can we trust these people easily?"

The messenger spoke in a low voice, and You Lei said to himself: "Yan Gongcao and Army Sima Li Xiu are not followers of the Celestial Master's Taoism, but they are also loyal to the master."

"Yes, yes, Yan Gongcao and Army Sima Li Xiu are not members of Tianshi Taoism." Although Zhang Wei agreed with his words, his tone was very unkind.

In the ears of the envoy, the envoy felt like the bone-chilling cold wind blowing through his body during the severe winter. The envoy could not help but tighten his body slightly, and use a more stable body to meet Zhang Wei's next possible attack. The violent storm unleashed.

Just as the envoy expected, after Zhang Wei agreed with his words, he stood up with a roar, and he was at the same height as the standing envoy. Then Zhang Wei gritted his teeth and said angrily: "But can that be the same?... Yan Gongcao and Army Sima Li Xiu have both been tested for a long time, and their loyalty goes without saying. Although they have never joined our Tianshi Taoism, they are more loyal to their master than those in Tianshi Taoism. Maybe even better."

"As for the scholars in Hanzhong, most of them talk about Confucian classics. The master said in one sentence on the left and the other sentence on the right. They regard the Taoism of our heavenly masters as ghosts and the people in our heavenly masters' Taoism as fools. How can these people How can those who are gullible be put into Yangping Pass... As for the scholars who went south from Guanzhong and Liangzhou, the identities of these people are difficult to trace and are complicated. God knows that these people may be loyal and diligent on the surface, but they are thinking about something secretly. How can I be trusted and used lightly? If one or two people have ulterior motives and a war breaks out, how can my brother be able to gain a foothold in Hanzhong?"

The envoy was trembling and did not dare to say a word. He just said: "The sacrificial wine is true, the sacrificial wine is true...but Master, I still need to report something back."

Zhang Wei frowned. Although he was unhappy with Zhang Lu's decision, he still planned to comply. After thinking for a moment, he spoke: "Please report back to Master, I will think about this matter in detail."

"No, no." The envoy Youruo escaped the disaster. After a few promises, he said goodbye to Zhang Wei.
-
  "What is this?" Liu Zhang asked Bing Cao Peng Yi. At the same time, he looked at the cloth bag Peng Yi handed him. He saw that the mouth of the cloth bag was tied tightly with a rope, and the rope was entangled in the teeth. The sealed teeth are stamped with the seal of the sealer.

Liu Zhang knew it at a glance. He knew that this was a method to prevent the leakage of official documents. It was similar to the paint on the paper of later generations' letters. If the bag was opened and the seal on the seal was broken, it would be known that the official documents were leaked.

Peng Yi responded: "It was sent by Wang Changli. It is a copy of the letters he exchanged with Liu Jingzhou and Song Zhong, a great scholar in Jingzhou. Wang Changli believed that as a minister, he should hide nothing from Duke Ming."

"Oh." Liu Zhang nodded. He knew about the correspondence between Wang Shang, Liu Biao and Song Zhong. Wang Shang was very famous. Many people in Jingzhou knew about Wang Shang's existence and wanted to be with Wang Shang. When discussing the classics, letters were often delivered, and Wang Shang certainly had letters delivered to Jingzhou.

But now that Wang Shang actually handed over the copy of the letter, he was being too cautious, and a minister was too abiding by his duty. Liu Zhang shook his head and did not open the bag sent by Wang Shang. He handed the bag to Peng Yi: "No need to open it, just put it away."

"No." Peng Yi responded and took the bag. At the same time, he was a little surprised. In his opinion, given the temperament of Duke Ming in front of him, there was a high probability that he would not open the bag. However, he did not expect that Liu Zhang did not have any Hesitantly, he decisively handed the bag back to him for collection.

"How are Colonel Shen's preparations going?" Liu Zhang asked after finishing Wang Shang's letter.

Peng Yi cupped his hands and replied: "Colonel Shen is ready, just wait for Ming Gong to go."

Liu Zhang nodded, and then strode out of the camp. He was going to review his Wudang Feijun. (End of chapter)