Jiuxi

Chapter 349 Chapter 347 [Trap]

For Mo critics, the key point lies in the word "comment".

People all over the world say that those who have learned literature and martial arts can sell them to the emperor's family, but it is difficult to see the glory if they are hidden in a box. The reality is that many people have difficulty finding a way to enter the world even if they have real talents and knowledge.

Since the Moyuan Literary Society was first held three years ago, it has given many people a platform to showcase their talents.

Regardless of poetry, songs, or articles, as long as a literati with a certain skill can present it on stage, everyone in the audience and on the second floor can comment.

After the literary conference is over, Mo Yuan will post the contents of the seven consecutive days of ink criticism, and at the same time select the best works to be printed on engravings and sent to various parts of the world for people to praise and comment on.

After Shen Ruiyuan stepped off the stage, young literati quickly came on stage one after another, and the people below commented one after another.

The atmosphere became more and more lively, but it was always orderly and there was no dissonance. This showed that the second prince had arranged this wedding very carefully.

In the private seats on the second floor, Lu Chen looked at Xue Ruogu next to him and said, "Brother, have you been here before?"

Xue Ruogu replied calmly: "Master Hou, I already have an official status and I am relatively young, so I usually don't participate in cultural gatherings to avoid causing material disputes."

Lu Chen revised his opinion of the second prince in his heart.

The second prince smiled and said: "Her name is Xue Susu, and she is one of the two great courtesans in Moyuan."

The second prince motioned for Xue Susu to sit beside Lu Chen to serve him, and said calmly: "I know that when you came to the capital the year before last, Sanlang of the Li family acted willfully and made everyone uncomfortable. I was not familiar with you at that time, so I did not intervene to mediate. , but when I heard that you asked the daughter of the Li family to take Gu Waner to Jingzhou, Li Sanlang was so angry that he was helpless, and I almost laughed so hard that I couldn't breathe."

The second prince smiled and said, "I will not force you. To be honest, if you hadn't come, I would have been reluctant to give Xue Susu away. After all, she is Mo Yuan's signature, and I don't know how many talented people have come to see her. Spending a lot of money on one side."

Lu Chen's thoughts turned to his mind and he said calmly: "Your Highness's kind intention, I shouldn't reject it. However, I have sent Gu Waner to Jingzhou before. If I keep this Miss Xue by my side, I'm afraid it will make people think that I am... A hypocrite whose actions don’t match his words.”

In other words, even though the second prince knew that Xue Ruogu was the emperor's spy, he still had no scruples in wooing Lu Chen in public. Is this unscrupulous or is there another mystery?

If it is the latter, it can only mean that the emperor is undecided about the choice of the prince, otherwise he would not be able to allow the second prince to contact Wu Xun in such an open and honest manner.

These words are somewhat superficial and profound.

Hearing this, the second prince joked: "Every year, I send people to the Prime Minister's Mansion to deliver posts, but every time I am politely rejected by the Prime Minister. If it weren't for Shanyang Hou's face this year, you would definitely not have walked into Mo Garden. But you You are right, Mo Ping itself is to give those depressed young people a chance. With your talents and life experience, you are destined to have a bright future, why bother to compete with them?"

Lu Chen said with deep meaning: "Your Highness is so magnanimous."

Lu Chen turned his head and looked around, only to see a young woman wearing a green dress walking slowly towards her. Her face was like a bright moon and her eyes were clear, as fresh and natural as mountain spring water.

Suddenly, a gust of fragrant wind came quietly.

The second prince knew that the other party was smarter than he expected, so he said more bluntly: "If you like her, take her back. If you don't like her, just pretend that I didn't say anything."

Xue Susu naturally understood the meaning of the second prince's "intentions". She helped Lu Chen refill the wine with a normal expression, neither pretending to be shy nor showing any sign of resentment.

The emperor asked the son of the right minister to accompany him throughout the whole process. It was impossible for the second prince not to know about this.

Xue Ruogu said respectfully: "Your Highness is so complimentary that I am ashamed to accept it."

Xue Nanting's judgment should not be wrong. The second prince would definitely have some thoughts about that chair, but this man's open-minded and frank temperament seemed to be natural, without any trace of axe.

He glanced at Xue Susu and continued: "Don't worry, I am not of Li Sanlang's temperament. I will not trap you in injustice, let alone force Xue Susu to redeem herself and then stay at the door of Qinhou Mansion. Behavior. Calling her here today is not only because the red sleeves add a little more charm, but also because it shows my heart for you."

In fact, there is no substantial difference between the second prince's thoughts and those of Li Yunyi at the beginning. He also gave gifts to beautiful maids to win over her. However, compared with Li Yunyi's rough and unsightly actions, the second prince appeared to be upright and aboveboard, so he was naturally invincible. land.

No matter how you look at it, the second prince doesn't seem to be that stupid.

Lu Chen withdrew his gaze and said calmly: "I heard it occasionally."

Lu Chen glanced at Xue Ruogu without leaving any trace.

Xue Susu lowered her head slightly, with no faults in her expression and demeanor, as if she didn't care that she was like an object in the prince's mouth.

She just sighed softly in her heart.

The atmosphere in the lobby is getting more and more lively. During this period, several high-quality works have appeared. The second prince also enthusiastically commented twice, winning praises from upstairs and downstairs.

At this moment, a man in his thirties with a slightly unsociable appearance stepped onto the high platform, looked around the audience and then said with his hands in hand: "Dear gentlemen, I, my Excellency Sanyuan, would like to present you an "Ode to the Old Capital" today. Please correct me."

His voice was very loud, but what suddenly silenced the Yaxu lobby was not his voice, but the name of the article.

Old Capital Fu.

"...The Emperor of Tu rose to great heights based on millions of years and implemented great plans. He started high and ended up flat, and was decorated with great beauty in the world. He continued through the fourteenth year, so he was extravagant and extremely extravagant. He built a golden city with thousands of pheasants, Ah, the Zhouchi becomes a deep ocean."

Lang Sanyuan's penetrating voice reached everyone's ears, and the expressions of some older scholars gradually became serious.

"...the palace and its body are like heaven and earth, and its longitude and latitude are like yin and yang. According to the correct position of Kun Ling, the purple square is placed. The Huaque among the trees, the Zhutang of Fengguan Mountain. It is unique because of the rose material, resisting Yinglong's rainbow beam. The columns are lined with cloth wings, and the lotus pillars are tall and high. Jade is carved to house the couplets, and the gold wall is cut to decorate it. It emits five colors, and the light and flame are bright to highlight the scenery. "

In the private seats on the second floor, Xue Ruogu frowned, and the second prince's expression was also solemn.

Although Lu Chen was not at a loss, he did not understand this person's article very well. At this moment, a soft voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

"Master Marquis, this person's writing is describing the magnificent scenes of Heluo City and the Imperial Palace."

Lu Chen turned around and saw Xue Susu's makeup was light and elegant. He nodded slightly and said, "Thank you."

Xue Susu lowered her head and said, "I don't dare."

"... What a shame! Things happen to me because of my poverty, and I am angry because of what I have provoked. I don't think I can do anything in this life, but I would rather sit down and eat with my head white? My husband is flying like a bird and loves his hometown, and his wife is worried about the official house. How can I dig a tomb? And the mulberry tree is regarded as if it is getting fatter and the Qin is barren! Heaven and man cannot be neglected, and the sun and moon cannot be lost. However, what I feel at the time is not the sorrow of a waiting insect. As for the whole six-cup and looking at the sky, it is almost common. A strike from a bird of prey.”

Lang Sanyuan walked to the edge of the high platform, his chest heaving up and down, his face full of grief and anger, and his tone became more and more impassioned.

"shut up!"

Suddenly there was a loud shout from the west side of the second floor.

Everyone looked around and saw an old man standing up and standing next to the railing, looking at Lang Sanyuan below and yelling at him.

The old man's name is Fu Yunqing. He was born in the Fu family of Boning, Huzhou. He is knowledgeable and has written many books, especially good at exegesis and exegesis. Together with Shen Ruiyuan, he is the initiator of this year's Moyuan Literary Society.

Lang Sanyuan was forced to stop. He turned to look at the old man on the second floor and said word by word: "Mr. Fu, is there something inappropriate in the student's article?"

"It's more than inappropriate!"

Fu Yunqing felt at the beginning that this old capital poem was intended to refer to Sang and Huai, and to ridicule the late emperor through the affairs of the palace. After hearing the following paragraph, he immediately stopped it.

If this person is allowed to continue reading, I am afraid that this year's Mo Yuan Wenhui will be the last song.

The country governs the world with loyalty and filial piety. No matter how many bad things the late emperor did, today's emperor cannot sit back and watch someone openly ridicule his father.

It is rude to curse the father to the son, and the emperor is not exempt from this category.

Fu Yunqing obviously understood this truth, and his expression became more solemn: "You are such a crazy person, so rude. Your Highness holds the Moyuan Literary Society to give the world's talented people a chance to show their talents, but it is not to allow people like you who are seeking fame and reputation to pretend to be arrogant. ! Why don’t you retreat quickly!”

Lang Sanyuan laughed at himself, and out of the corner of his eye saw a royal guard walking towards the high platform, and immediately said loudly: "Mr. Fu, don't press charges. This student is just to inform the world that the people of the North are also citizens of Daqi, and they serve the country." They have contributed a lot to the court and the court should not forget them!"

Fu Yunqing was very angry at his words. When had the imperial court forgotten the people of the North?

In the past fourteen years, when did the word "Northern Expedition" disappear?

At this time, the second prince stood up and said: "Lang Sanyuan, I do not agree with your remarks. The imperial court has never forgotten the people of the North. In the past two years, there have been constant wars on the border and the Northern Expedition has made repeated progress. These are all proof."

Lang Sanyuan raised his hands in the direction of the second prince, and then said angrily: "His Highness said so, and the students did not dare to refute, but the students wanted to know why the Northern Expedition suddenly stopped when they were clearly victorious one after another? Lord Lu led the troops to attack Heluo. Why is the imperial court unwilling to return the old capital? Why was he forced to withdraw from Heluo? Does this mean that... some adults in the imperial court just want to settle down in a corner and continue to enjoy the glory and wealth under the protection of the Hengjiang Mountains?!"

In the originally noisy lobby, everyone suddenly fell silent because of Lang Sanyuan's words.

The royal guards had already boarded the high platform, but did not take Lang Sanyuan away directly because they had not received clear instructions from the second prince.

The second prince said coldly: "This person——"

"Your Highness, I have a few words to ask this talented man."

Lu Chen stood up and walked to the side of the second prince, bowing slightly.

The second prince raised his hand to support him, nodded and said, "Okay."

Lu Chen faced the high platform in the lobby and looked at the literati standing on the edge of the high platform. His powerful voice echoed around him: "Where are you from?"

Lang Sanyuan responded: "Back to Lord Marquis, the student is from Ninghai, Jiangzhou."

Jiangzhou is located in the south of Yongjia City, with the vast raging sea to the east and Hezhou to the west.

Lu Chen pressed his hands on the railing, and under the gaze of hundreds of literati in the hall, he asked Lang Sanyuan the simplest but most fatal question: "To be honest, I didn't listen very much to the old capital poems you wrote." I understand, so I can’t evaluate its quality. But what you said later interested me very much. You said that after the border army soldiers invaded Heluo, I was forced to lead the army to withdraw from Heluo——"

Having said this, Lu Chen paused for a moment, his eyes as sharp as a knife: "I would like to know, how did you learn that I was forced to withdraw from Heluo?"

"This……"

Lang Sanyuan was suffocated, with an obvious look of panic in his eyes.

Lu Chen said slowly: "As a prince, His Highness does not know the reasons for the advance and retreat of the border troops. Such national events have always been an absolute secret. You made such categorical remarks in public today. I really want to know who it is." Tell you this top secret?"

Lang Sanyuan swallowed his saliva and said with some difficulty: "This is just the student's guess."

"Oh, guess."

Lu Chen laughed expressionlessly and said in a deep voice: "So you want to use these conjectures to tell the world that the emperor and the princes in the court do not support the soldiers of the border army. The so-called Northern Expedition and the so-called return to the old capital , it’s just a big lie they concocted to deceive the world!”

Those last words were like thunder coming to the world, making Lang Sanyuan turn pale.

At this moment, the second prince's face was ashen, and he gritted his teeth and looked at the scholar on the high platform.

In the spacious lobby, a sense of solemnity gradually filled the air.

(End of this chapter)