Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Song Huizong saw clearly the reaction of the poet Dasheng.

This emperor, watching the excitement, did not think it was a big deal, and deliberately intensified the conflict. He even said: "Qing Wan Qi, go and grind ink and lay paper for him!"

Wan Qiyong had already laid down on his back and had no psychological resistance to this. He immediately left the table and went to study ink for Zhu Ming.

But as the leader of Dasheng poets, he was treated like this, and other poets were filled with indignation. They did not dare to blame the emperor, but they only dared to put their grievances on Ju Ming.

Wan Qiyong ground the ink and spread the paper while saying: "I am just a lucky minister, not a sycophantic minister. A difference of one word can make a difference of a thousand miles. Don't slander me."

Ju Ming cupped his hands and said, "I'm sorry."

Wan Qiyong whispered: "I won't provoke anyone, and I hope you won't taint me again."

"Definitely." Zhu Ming felt that this guy was very interesting.

A very pure... living person.

After laying out the paper, Wan Qiyong held up the pen and handed it out: "Please."

"Thank you." Zhu Ming took the brush and wrote down the revised verse.

After writing, put down the pen.

Wan Qiyong held the poem in his hands and took it to the emperor.

Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty immediately recited: "Three thousand words for Danchi's countermeasures, and the title of the golden list is Five Colored Spring. The Holy One is happy to welcome new scholars, and the people deserve good officials. Qionglin banquet hall, things are approaching, peace and happiness are fulfilled. All wishes are grand. Be loyal and filial, and don’t have to work hard in the dust.”

"What a poem!" He Su, the number one scholar, clapped his hands and praised.

The emperor's reciting voice was too low, and only the first dozen or so people could hear it clearly. Qin Hui, who ranked more than 30 in the exam, didn't know what he was reciting.

Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty smiled and nodded: "Although there are some errors in the obscurity, it is a masterpiece that should be made. Pass it on, drink and read it."

This emperor was very diligent in writing poems. Every time he had a Qionglin banquet or a wedding banquet, he would compose a poem himself, and then ask the top three Jinshi to answer the poem.

For more than ten years, Ju Ming's song has been ranked number one.

The first two sentences describe the palace examination and roll call, the third sentence is still about the emperor, and the fourth sentence begins to write about the responsibilities of the Jinshi, who should be a good official worthy of the people.

The fifth and sixth sentences are appropriate for the occasion. They are both writing about a wedding banquet, but they have already begun to express ambitions. "Office affairs" means doing official work. The music of "Zheng'an" is the royal banquet music, which has the implication of encouraging officials to serve the country. Then the last two sentences are introduced, which are not only Zhu Ming's self-encouragement, but also admonition to the Jinshi to work tirelessly to "fulfill their loyalty and filial piety."

Relevant to the topic, appropriate to the situation, raising aspirations and conveying the truth.

For a poem that should be made, it is perfect, and it throws Dasheng's poems, which only know how to flatter him, out of the ordinary.

Wan Qiyong stood next to Song Huizong and read silently several times, having nothing to say. He also wanted to write this kind of poetry, but he was not qualified. He was not a Jinshi, so he could only work in his position and please the emperor honestly.

There was only envy and a hint of admiration in his heart.

After the Royal Medicine Institute was decentralized, it still participated in the entire palace examination affairs, including today's wedding banquet. There is plenty of oil and water. Today's banquet cost five million, and the eunuchs can make a lot of it.

The emperor announced the official opening of the banquet, and the eunuch of the Royal Medicine Academy was ordered to copy the poems answered by the three people. He copied dozens of copies and sent them to all the Jinshi.

After reading the three poems, the new scholars found Ju Ming's poem the best. Even Qin Hui admired Ju Ming's poetic talent at this moment, and it would be impossible for him to write better.

Because there are restrictions on subject matter and content.

Bai Chongyan sat in the very back and drank more than ten glasses of wine. Ju Ming's poem finally reached him.

Bai Chongyan raised his glass and looked at Ju Ming from a distance, feeling emotional in his heart.

Two years ago, Ju Ming and his son lived in a shabby thatched cottage and made a living by selling Hu pens to him. Now, sitting in front of the emperor, he can still write such inspirational poems.

After drinking for a while, Song Huizong suddenly asked: "He Aiqing, I heard that all three of your brothers were hit?"

He Su quickly handed over his hand and said, "Thanks to the great fortune of the official family, I and other brothers were lucky enough to win."

Song Huizong said: "Call your brothers."

The eunuch immediately shouted: "Brothers from the Xuanhe family are approaching!"

So, He Tang and He Ju left the banquet and went up to pay homage to He Su together.

Song Huizong nodded and said: "In the past, there were three Su father and son, and from now on there will be three He brothers, which shows the prosperity of culture and education in our dynasty. How are you doing?"

He Tang replied: "Return to the official family, the ministers rank high."

He Su said: "I am ranked second."

He Ju followed: "I am ranked third."

Song Huizong asked again: "You are from the same hometown as Sansu and his son, but are you studying Shu studies?"

Nonsense, of course he is a member of the Shu School.

But He Su didn't dare to admit it, and said quickly: "Qi's official family, the three ministers and brothers, followed the imperial decree and learned the new learning of King Shu."

If they don't admit it, it's useless. Who will let them live in the same hometown as Su Shi?

Later, they offended Wang Fu, who directly impeached them for supporting Su Xue without using Luo Zhi, so He Su was demoted to be the prefect of Suining.

Song Huizong liked these three brothers very much, especially He Su. He wrote the number one scholar article very well. It is not only brilliant in literary talent, but also rigorous in diction, and has been unanimously recognized by the emperor, eunuchs, and civil servants.

After a few words of encouragement, the emperor gave him the royal wine, and the three brothers raised their glasses and drank together.

This level of favor made the Jinshi present extremely envious.

After the three brothers of the He family retired, Song Huizong asked Pan Lianggui, who was second in the list: "Who are you, Pan Liangzuo?"

Pan Lianggui quickly replied: "My eldest brother."

Song Huizong said: "It's a pity that if you had been a Jinshi earlier and were on the same list as your elder brother, you would have become a better story."

The three brothers He Su and Pan Lianggui were all Jinshi, but they were not on the same list.

This kind of family of high-ranking officials forms a family as soon as a Jinshi comes out.

Looking at Ju Ming again, he is really shabby.

Song Huizong asked Ju Ming: "Do you know how to practice Taoism?"

Ju Ming said: "I don't understand."

"Refining essence to transform qi, refining qi to transform into spirit, refining spirit to return to emptiness, refining emptiness to combine with Tao, the method of cultivating inner elixir. Where do these four sentences come from?" Song Huizong was a little angry, "You said that you don't understand Taoism, I But I think you don’t understand what it means to deceive the king.”

Song Huizong really liked Taoism. He not only studied the outer alchemy way personally, but also dabbled in the inner alchemy way.

Seeing these "Four Refinings and Sixteen Characters" in the palace examination article is like a martial arts practitioner encountering the "Nine Yin Manual".

The Neidan sect, which began to rise in the Tang Dynasty, has been perfecting its theory, but no one has yet summarized it so well.

Facing the emperor's questioning, Ju Ming could only sell Xue Daoguang.

Anyway, Taoist Xue took his master's orders, and his master asked him to go to big cities and rely on the powerful to promote Taoism.

The emperor is the greatest powerful person, and the Ziyang Sect will definitely spread. As for whether he can stick to his Taoist heart, not get involved in political struggles, and not do harm to the people, this is also a test of practice for Xue Daoguang.

Zhu Ming said: "I know a Taoist master named Xue Daoguang. This man studied under Shi Tai, and Shi Tai studied under Zhang Ziyang. They both practiced the inner alchemy method."

Song Huizong hurriedly asked: "But Zhang Ziyang who wrote "Wu Zhen Chapter"?"

"Have you read it in official circles?" Zhu Ming asked.

Song Huizong said: "This book is included in the Taoist scriptures presented by the people. I have gained some understanding after reading it, but I can't find the way to practice it, and the inner alchemy Taoist can't explain it clearly. Where is Xue Daoguang now?"

Ju Ming said: "It's in Tokyo."

Song Huizong said: "Invite him here and ask for teachings on Taoism."

"Yes." Ju Ming felt no guilt, even a little gloating, and wanted to see Xue Daoguang's reaction.

This Taoist priest is currently a little confused. Perhaps being summoned by the emperor and devoting himself to wealth will help him cultivate a pure Taoist heart more quickly.

Those present who listened clearly to the conversation between the emperor and his ministers looked at Ju Ming with changed eyes.

Especially the eunuchs and Dasheng poets. If the Taoist priests recommended by Ju Ming are favored, they must not offend Ju Ming in the future.

The Jinshi scholars cast doubtful glances. Ju Ming's performance in criticizing the poet Dasheng on the spot, and the poem he wrote today, do not look like they are flattering the Jinshi. Why would they recommend Taoist priests to the emperor?

Well, it’s not a recommendation, it was forced by the emperor, and they took the initiative to find a replacement for Ju Ming.

Song Huizong asked again: "Is your father's name Zhu Guoxiang and his courtesy name Yuanzhang?"

"Exactly." Ju Ming replied.

Song Huizong said: "Officials from all walks of life offer auspicious gifts to the Lantern Festival. Those on Lizhou Road are immortal grains, and I have people recruit people to donate. This person, like you, wrote a letter to resign, and sent his resignation two days ago. It turns out it’s your father!”

"Uh..." Zhu Ming was a little dumbfounded.

Song Huizong asked: "Where does the immortal food come from?"

Ju Ming explained: "Your Majesty, this is just an overseas crop, not some fairy food. Corn and sweet potatoes have high yields and can support thousands of people. My father was worried that the people would have doubts and be unwilling to plant new crops, so he used the theory of fairy food to induce them. .”

Song Huizong asked again: "Have your father and son ever gone to sea?"

Zhu Ming said: "I have not gone to sea, but my father has gone to sea."

Song Huizong asked again: "Can you meet an immortal on the sea?"

Ju Ming denied it flatly: "I have never encountered it."

The eunuchs sent by Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty first went to Xingyuan Mansion to inquire about the situation, and then went to Daming Village to recruit eunuchs. After being rejected by Zhu Guoxiang, he went to Shangbaicun to inquire about the situation. The story Zhu Ming made up back then was clearly recorded by the eunuch in his notes.

Fortunately, the prophecy of pigs riding horses and peace of the world was only told to Fatty Zheng at that time and did not reach the ears of the emperor.

"Bring it here." Song Huizong said suddenly.

The eunuch held up the manuscript of "Journey to the West", and it was an unrecognizable version.

It was first deleted by Min Wenwei, then deleted by Yang Zhizhou, and then modified by Huang Shang and Taoist priests... In the end, there were more good Taoist immortals, fewer good Buddhist Buddhas, and the Jade Emperor was always calm and aloof.

The eunuch handed the manuscript to Ju Ming, and Song Huizong asked: "Who wrote this book?"

Ju Ming answered bravely: "I did it when I was bored."

Song Huizong said: "You said that you are not good at Taoism, and you blame Taoist Xue for all the matters of Taoism. You also said that your father has never met any gods. Why are you so clear about Buddhism and Taoism? You are familiar with all kinds of gods, and you still Can you write countless Taoist poems? I asked Huang Shang, and he said that some Taoist poems have their origins, and there are many Taoist poems that should be written by you yourself! Are you deceiving me? "

Ju Ming complained to Qu that he was wronged: "Your Majesty is very aware of the situation. I have only heard about some Taoism at random, but I have never practiced it myself. The reason why I can write poems is like having never eaten pork but seeing pigs running away!"

"puff!"

The accompanying eunuch was amused and quickly covered his mouth to silence.

Song Huizong refused to listen to the explanation and ordered: "Write a letter here and ask your father to come to Beijing as soon as possible. I want to ask him face to face about the overseas immortals!"

Ju Ming left the table and prostrated: "In the official family, the search for immortality is illusory, but corn and sweet potatoes can benefit all people. My father does not know how to become an immortal, he only knows how to farm. Even when my father arrived in Tokyo, he would only talk about farming with the official family. Moreover, my father’s upright temperament may offend His Majesty. Officials, please ask more about the common people and less about ghosts and gods!”

"Bold!" Song Huizong slammed the table.

All the Jinshi present were shocked, none of them expected Ju Ming to be so staunch.

Even at the wedding banquet, he used Jia Yi's allusion to advise the emperor to pay attention to people's livelihood and to spend less time seeking immortality and not doing his job properly.

The character of Ju Ming, a direct minister, was so successful that he became deeply rooted in people's hearts instantly.

Anyway, he was the third in the palace examination, so he could at least be awarded the third-level candidate (in the Huizong Dynasty, the fourth-level, seventh-level selection and twenty-six titles had been simplified to the seventh-level selection).

Even if Ju Ming offended the emperor, he could still be released as a county magistrate. At worst, he would be demoted to the position of chief clerk.

I don’t want to serve you any more. Go live somewhere and be happy!

Song Huizong asked: "Should I write a letter?"

"Disobeying the emperor is disloyal, disobeying the father's will is unfilial. Please don't force officials to be unfilial." Ju Ming knelt down on the spot, put his forehead to the ground, and smiled at the corner of his mouth, just asking to let the local officials go after angering the emperor.

Ju Ming was snickering, but Song Huizong was sneering: "Very good, if you don't write a letter, I will force your father to come here!"

Ju Ming was not worried. With Dean Zhu's ability, he could definitely deceive the emperor.

In the future, it may be possible to work it out and let the emperor send Zhu Guoxiang to serve as an official. He can be the chief registrar of Xixiang locally, or he can be the magistrate of Jinzhou (Ankang) next door (the place of origin is avoided).

Hearing about the wedding banquet, he was not very happy, and Ju Ming and the emperor broke up on bad terms.

The next day, news of what happened at the wedding banquet quickly spread throughout Tokyo official circles.

That poem was also widely circulated in Taixue.

Ju Ming angered the emperor because of his admonishment, which completely established his image as a direct minister and was sought after by countless young scholars.

(The third name is Tanhua, which should have originated from the next imperial examination and spread due to Song Huizong's poems. It doesn't matter six years earlier here, Tanhua is better. Moreover, the Tanhua envoys in the Tang and Song Dynasties were originally selected to be the youngest among the Jinshi Handsome people are in charge, and Ju Ming meets the requirements very well.)