Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 2520 Xunfeng Night Banquet
At the foot of Xunfeng Mountain, the frost brought by the cold wave caused the branches and leaves of many evergreen trees to wither and wither, and Guangzhou Mansion, which is like spring all the year round, also showed a bit of bleakness.Xunfeng Mountain is said to be a mountain, but in fact it is only more than 80 meters above sea level. It is just a small bag in a real mountainous area.

Shabei Village at the foot of the mountain is located more than ten miles northwest of Guangzhou City. The Chen family has settled here since Chen Kangyan, the ancestor of the Shaoxing period in the Southern Song Dynasty, became an official in Lingnan.

In the Buddhist hall of Chen Zhai, an old woman with white hair is chanting scriptures and paying homage to Buddha.After the recitation, the old woman was about to stand up, when the young son who was standing beside her hurriedly stepped forward to help her.

After the old woman sat down, the two sons took their seats, and the daughter-in-law, grandson and grandson-in-law and the unmarried daughters stood beside them.

"Mother, the Buddhist hall at home is poorly furnished, and there are no eminent monks around the village. It is also very inconvenient for my mother to go to Buddhist temples in other places to participate in Buddhist meetings. That day my father went to the west, and I went to Beijing to take office and failed to serve my mother. The official turmoil made my mother frightened. Thinking about it today makes my son feel deeply guilty and uneasy. Now that I have returned to my hometown, I should let my mother live a quiet life and prolong her life. There are many Buddhist temples on Baiyun Mountain in the north of Guangzhou, and my son found one next to Baiyun Temple Fengshui treasure land, I want to build a separate business, build a nunnery statue for my mother in the villa, offer incense and worship Buddha, and invite several virtuous monks to perform rituals every month to fulfill filial piety." The speaker is tall and has an angular face. Clear, wide mouth and sparse eyebrows, and a long goatee on the chin, giving people a mature and stable sense of security.

"Zi Zhuang, you have such filial piety, I am very happy to be a mother. It's just that you said that building a new villa cost a lot. Now that the family and country have undergone tremendous changes, and bandits have invaded Lingnan, I, the Chen family, have been favored by the emperor for generations. I should destroy my family to relieve difficulties and be loyal It is filial piety." The old woman was very satisfied with her son's filial piety, but she firmly refused.

The old woman is the daughter of the Zhu family in Jiujiang. Jiujiang has been named "Confucianism Township" since the Ming Dynasty. The Confucian atmosphere is very strong. Her father Zhu Rang was a Jinshi in the 32nd year of Wanli (1603). The prefect of Kuizhou.Among the descendants of the Zhu family, there is also Kang Youwei's teacher-"Mr. Jiujiang" Zhu Ciqi.Zhu received Confucian education since she was a child, and she knew books and rites. It can be said that she is a model of women in Confucian feudal ethics.

Her eldest son is Chen Zizhuang, the head of the "Three Loyalties of Lingnan" who have been famous in later generations.

Chen Zizhuang, whose style name is Jisheng, and whose name is Qiutao, was a first-ranked scholar in the imperial examination in the 37th year of Wanli.As an upright official, Chen Zizhuang once denounced the eunuch party in front of the Emperor Tianqi, and was later designated as "slanderous" by Wei Zhongxian when he presided over the Hangzhou provincial examination and presented the emperor's policy question with words such as "the mediocre master loses power, and the British dominate power". ", the father and son were dismissed together.After Chongzhen ascended the throne, Chen Zizhuang was reactivated, and was promoted to the position of Zhan Shi, the Minister of Zhan Shifu, and a bachelor of the Imperial Academy, and then the right servant of the Ministry of Rites.

Chen Zizhuang has gone through ups and downs in officialdom, and now he is in his forties.I think back when I was exploring flowers in the imperial examination high school, the spring breeze was proud of the horseshoe disease. It was in response to the poem he blurted out when he was seven years old, "When I travel to Shangyuan in other years, I will ask Chang'e about the reasons for exploring flowers." He was an official in the same dynasty as his father. A wonderful memory.

But the encounters in recent years made him feel a deep sense of powerlessness in the current situation.

Since the apocalypse, Donglin and the eunuchs have fought against each other. If it was a peaceful time, it would not shake the country, but the Liao affairs were corrupt.In the first year of Chongzhen, his fellow countryman Yuan Chonghuan, who was also a Jinshi in the same year, was also re-appointed by the new emperor.Chen Zizhuang prepared a grand farewell party for him, and the poems and paintings of the 19 people who attended the meeting were assembled into a "Farewell Picture of Du Liao Farewell".It's a pity that Yuan Chonghuan was executed by the unpredictable emperor Ling Chi before he could "achieve success". The inscription on "Farewell to Du Liao" was also gouged out by collectors, leaving only the four characters "Fu Gong Ya Zuo" inscribed by him. .

There are strong enemies outside and rebellion inside. The Northwest civil uprising in the early years of Chongzhen has now become a prairie fire.August of the seventh year of Chongzhen was the most depressing day in his decades of life.His mentor, Lu Menglong, a political rightist, stood firm in Longde City, Guyuan Prefecture, Shaanxi Province. After the city was broken, he was killed by the peasant army. When the news came, the capital was shaken.Chongzhen posthumously presented Lu Menglong as Minister of Taipusi, and held a memorial ceremony in person.As the right servant of the Ministry of Rites, Chen Zizhuang presided over the memorial ceremony with the grief of losing his teacher and friend.

In the eighth year of Chongzhen, two rebel armies, Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong, captured Fengyang, the central capital, and dug up the emperor's ancestral tomb.Emperor Chongzhen was extremely sad when he learned about it, and in a rage, he beheaded Yang Yipeng, the censor of the water transport capital who had not been rescued in time, and abandoned the market.Then put on plain clothes to sacrifice to the Taimiao, and hide in the Hall of Martial Heroes.The ministers were afraid to speak, but felt that the matter was of great importance, and the emperor should have an explanation for the incident.So Chen Zizhuang said, "People in Qiulong have hurt a tree or a tree, and there is no one who will not bear it." It is related to the change of the royal ancestral mausoleum. Adopted by Chongzhen.Chen Zizhuang made twelve more suggestions on current affairs, and the emperor adopted ten, which made him encouraged and proud.

However, the price of the gift given by fate has already been marked in secret. It was also in the first month of this year. Granted an official position.Chongzhen's actions are obviously an expression of dissatisfaction with the existing officials within his vision.But this move violated the ancestral system established by Zhu Yuanzhang that the clan "can only be granted titles but not officials".Chen Zizhuang thought over and over again, and after deliberating with his friends and colleagues, he changed his draft three times, and finally presented a memorial of opposition to the emperor.As a result, the king of Tang knew about the matter and impeached Chen Zizhuang in front of Chongzhen, so Chongzhen imprisoned him for "not being relatives of the ancestors, deceiving others wantonly".

In the prison of the Ministry of Punishment, 66 officials were imprisoned at the same time as Chen Zizhuang, and there were 23 ministerial officials other than him, including the five provincial soldiers who mistook Li Zicheng's false surrender in Chexiangxia, Shaanxi, and brought the peasant army back to life. Ma Governor Chen Qiyu.In the end, thanks to the intercession of many colleagues and the empress dowager, Chen Zizhuang was released, dismissed from office and repatriated.

Chen Zizhuang kowtowed bitterly at the front gate of the capital, bid farewell to the emperor, boarded a donkey, went out of the Luhe River, boarded a boat and returned south, and wrote "Luhe Feelings":
Watching people scold short donkeys in the street, will the willows in Qingmen be willing to show up?
Open the cage and spoil the Chengxuan Crane, and get the deep and dry fish in the water.

Mr. Tianwai was born in a dream, and the teaching volume in the box was not burned.

Xinggong is not light-hearted and babbling, so he has to find the emperor to write Suichu.

Who would have thought that before he got home, he heard that the Kun bandits had already occupied the city of Guangzhou.If he returns to the capital at this time, maybe the Emperor Chongzhen, who is short of major generals, will appoint him a post like governor of Southern Jiangxi, and mobilize troops from several provinces to assist Xiong Wencan in destroying the Kun bandits.But he was worried about his mother, so he hurried back to Guangzhou before the Kun thief blocked the pass.

This sense of powerlessness that the world does not change according to his wishes makes Chen Zizhuang quite frustrated. He wants to build a different career, but he also has other painstaking efforts. One is to pray for his mother's life, and the other is to strengthen his heart.

"It's not my business to move around in Linggu. I just laugh and cry and chase people away." He still remembers his life insights when he left Beijing.He himself also wanted to take advantage of the ancient Buddha with the green lamp to calm his mind.

"My mother taught me that my son will not disgrace the family tradition, and vow to deal with that gangster to the end, so as to restore my Ming Dynasty." Chen Zizhuang replied respectfully, but in fact he was quite confused.

"Brother, do you still remember the strange man Mr. Iwano I mentioned to you?" The person who spoke was the young man who had just helped Mrs. Zhu, Chen Zizhuang's younger brother Chen Zisheng, who was 19 years younger than him.

"I remember, when I was in Beijing, I had a correspondence with him. This man knows the power of the past and the present, and has a plan for the economy, but it is a pity that he failed many times. It is really the loss of the Holy One."

Mr. Yanye is Chen Bangyan in the "Three Loyalties of Lingnan", with the word Lingbin and the name Yanye.When Chen Zizhuang was in Beijing, Chen Zisheng had a lot of contacts with Chen Bangyan, Li Suiqiu and others, and their relationship was extraordinary.

Chen Zisheng said: "Mr. Yanye had a secret meeting with me a few days ago. He wanted to visit Eldest Brother and discuss important matters."

"It seems that my Lingnan is not full of people who are greedy for money and forget righteousness. Chen Lingbin is loyal to the monarchy and is proficient in Confucianism. The three children Shangyong, Shangyan and Shangtu can learn from him." Chen Zizhuang stroked his beard.

At this time, a doorman came to report, "Master, Uncle Li, Uncle Kuang, and Uncle Chen have all arrived and are in the front yard."

"Okay, let's invite them to meet in the living room in the back hall and tell the girl to serve the best tea to the distinguished guests." Chen Zizhuang said solemnly.

Although Li Suiqiu and Kuang Lu were six or seven years younger than Chen Zizhuang, they often used poetry with Chen Zizhuang, and they had been old friends for many years. They were both present when Yuan Chonghuan was farewell to the governor of Liao Dynasty. Li Suiqiu even took Chen Zizhuang as his teacher. Same as usual.But Chen Bangyan met Chen Zizhuang for the first time.

Saying goodbye to Mrs. Zhu, the two brothers walked quickly to the reception hall in the back hall.Chen Zisheng came to Chen Bangyan's side and introduced: "Brother, this is Mr. Yanye from Longshan, Shunde. He set up a lecture hall under Jinyan Gang. Scholars from far and near came to hear the news. There are hundreds of students every year, which is quite prestigious. .”

Chen Bangyan clasped his hands and said: "Qiao Sheng (Chen Zisheng) praised him absurdly, but he was just eating for nothing. I have heard Mr. Qiutao's name for a long time, but it is a pity that he is an official in Beijing and cannot meet each other. Today's fate is really lucky for Sansheng. Mei Zhou (Li Suiqiu) , Zhan Ruo (Kuang Lu) is safe and sound."

Li Suiqiu, Kuang Lu and Chen Bangyan had also known each other for a long time. After some greetings, the guests of honor took their seats one by one.

Chen Zizhuang knew very well that not a single word of what was discussed today should be heard by the thieves, otherwise it would be a catastrophe for the extermination of the family.So he retreated from the left and right, and drove all the girls and servants to the front yard.

Chen Zizhuang looked around, calmed himself down, and said, "Everyone came here today, it must not be for romantic affairs. The current situation is corrupt and out of control. How can we restore Daming and drive out the giant bandits? Although I have been in the Tianzitang , but now I am a farmer, and I don’t have three heads and six arms. Today, there are all confidantes in the room, so you can speak freely if you have any opinions.”

(End of this chapter)