Minister Wei, whose uniform and hair were all clean and elegant, and whose appearance and temperament were all refined and outstanding, lost his indifferent expression and his pupils trembled uncontrollably the moment he took the letter and saw the handwriting on the envelope.
The night was just coming, the sunset was fading, it was the time when yin and yang were changing, and a cool breeze brushed across my neck...
Wei Shuyi's fair and slender fingers slightly pinched the edge of the envelope, and then quickly put the envelope into his robe sleeve.
As he entered the mansion and walked along the way, Wei Shuyi felt that the arm that contained the letter was becoming cold and stiff, as if it had been immersed in a cold winter pond, freezing into ice inch by inch.
Minister Wei went straight to the small Buddhist hall.
Only after burning the incense and in front of the Bodhisattva did he dare to open the letter and read it.
The fragrant mist seemed to give the exceptionally beautiful handwriting on the letter a bit of "worldly flavour", without the eerie feeling one might have imagined.
Looking at the words of thanks in the letter, Wei Shuyi's brows relaxed a little.
In the letter, she described the recent situation, saying that the overall situation was temporarily under control, and that she would be careful to guard against Dong Luo at the same time.
She also said that before the New Year, she would send a decent victory report back to the capital so that the people in the capital who were worried about the harassment from the Japanese army could spend a happy new year with peace of mind.
Wei Shuyi couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly.
Even though she is in such an unfavorable predicament, she is still so high-spirited, fearless and full of vitality.
Such a vigorous soul...doesn't seem to be feared by the world.
Wei Shuyi seemed to be able to hear the sound of the instinctive fear deep in his heart being relieved bit by bit.
Until he saw...after she sent greetings for the Mid-Autumn Festival in the letter, she also sent greetings for the Double Ninth Festival!
Wei Shuyi's hands trembled, and he almost dropped the letter like a frightened crane.
After Wei Shuyi came out of the Buddhist temple, Changji went up to him and saw his husband's expression. He couldn't help but ask, "My husband, are you feeling unwell?"
Wei Shuyi did not answer, but said: "Send this letter to mother for review..."
Since the letter also mentioned his mother, he couldn't be the only one who was frightened.
"Wait until later." Out of his rare filial piety, Wei Shuyi reminded Changji: "It won't be too late to send her off after mother has finished her dinner."
Changji was confused, but he did as he was told.
The next day, Wei Shuyi returned home after attending the morning court, but was stopped by his father halfway.
"Zi Gu..." Duke Wei Qin of Zheng State held his son's arm and went to the pavilion nearby to talk: "Whose letter did you ask someone to send to your mother last night?"
Wei Shuyi seemed puzzled and asked back: "Father, why do you ask this?"
"…After your mother read the letter, she has been restless!" Duke Zheng lowered his voice and frowned, "She was also restless at night. She finally fell asleep, but she even cried in her sleep!"
Although he was somewhat moved by the fact that his wife hugged him and cried in her sleep, when he asked her about it early in the morning, she refused to elaborate.
Duke Zheng felt like he was being scratched by a cat.
"Father, are you saying that...after mother saw the letter, she actually cried in her sleep?" Wei Shuyi asked in a complicated tone.
Duke Zheng had a worried look on his face. “Yes, and he was mumbling something… It sounded like he was calling someone’s name, but it sounded vague and I couldn’t tell.”
Wei Shuyi fell into unspeakable thoughts.
He had always noticed that his mother's attitude towards "the late Crown Prince" was very unusual, and he was puzzled by it.
Logically speaking, my mother was Princess Chongyue's study partner, so even if she had some interactions with the late Crown Prince, their friendship shouldn't be that deep...
But now my mother reacted like this. After reading the letter, she cried in her dreams and was so worried about me...
Is there a possibility that he is just stating a hypothesis...
Mother, will she... wait for His Royal Highness the late Crown Prince...
After all, he was such a dazzling and precious boy, and it seemed natural for a girl to be moved by him...? This conjecture made Wei Shuyi difficult to accept and face.
He was not a pedantic person, nor was he unable to accept that his mother had developed feelings for another man when she was young. What he could not accept was... if so, wouldn't it be the same as him and his mother... falling in love with the same soul at different times? !
“…”
Even though Wei Shuyi was not a person who attached great importance to etiquette and laws, at this moment it was difficult for him not to be hit hard by this bizarre and absurd guess.
The young man tilted his head slightly, raised one hand in a trance, and placed it on his forehead, then covered his tightly closed eyes, his face hidden by the wide sleeves of his official robe.
Is it true that everything he had in the past twenty-one years had been too smooth?
"Zi Gu?" Duke Zheng looked at his son who had also become strange, and couldn't help but feel anxious: "You just keep asking me questions, why don't you say something?"
"That letter was sent back by Madam Chang from Jiangdu. Mother should just be worried about the difficulty Madam Chang will face in fighting against the Japanese invaders..."
Wei Shuyi removed his hand and forced a smile at his father: "Father, don't worry too much. Let's go to the garden and enjoy the flowers."
After he finished speaking, he raised his hand, saluted, and left.
"Zi Gu..." Duke Zheng could not stop calling out for him and could only sigh in confusion.
Why did he feel that his wife and son had not been normal in the past six months? What were they hiding from him? As Duke Zheng was thinking, he saw a bunch of early blooming autumn chrysanthemums with two buds emerging. He was immediately attracted and walked over to take a look.
There are countless exotic flowers and plants in the mansion of Duke Zheng. Because of the careful cultivation and care taken by many gardeners, the seasonal flowers in the garden always bloom earlier than those elsewhere, competing for both beauty and being the first to bloom.
If flowers and plants could talk, some people would think that the flowers and plants in Duke Zheng's mansion were not serious enough. They always bloomed recklessly, without any moral integrity, and reported the seasons randomly.
Serious chrysanthemums like these only begin to show signs of forming flower buds at the end of July.
At the end of July, outside a small village nestled in the mountains of Xiazhou, beside the rugged mountain road, there were a few clumps of wild chrysanthemums that had just conscientiously formed tiny buds.
In the village, in a small courtyard with plaster walls, a thatched roof and a fence around it, the slightly awkward sound of children reading could be heard.
In the courtyard, Zheng Chao, wearing a gray gown and with an unkempt beard, sat cross-legged at the top. In front of him was a tattered small table, and below sat five or six children of different ages and two young men.
A gust of wind blew, blowing up the fallen leaves in the yard. Zheng Chao turned his head to the side and covered his mouth with his hand and sneezed.
He has been sneezing from time to time lately, but he hasn't caught any cold. It's strange. I'm afraid someone is talking about him behind his back.
Zheng Chao took out a cotton handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped his mouth and nose to make sure his appearance was intact.
However, when he was about to turn around, he heard a child screaming.
Someone came to Zheng Chao's small table holding a kitchen knife. The knife was rusty and had a chip on it, and it was pointing at Zheng Chao.
The one holding the kitchen knife was one of the two young men.
Another person had closed the door of the small courtyard and intimidated the children, not allowing them to shout out loud.
Zheng Chao was still sitting there, not showing any sign of panic. He just asked the young man holding the kitchen knife in confusion: "Why are you doing this in the middle of the class?"
"Nonsense, of course I'm asking for money!" The young man spat, "Otherwise, who would want to listen to your long-winded chanting!"
"Just hand over the money you have on you and I won't hurt anyone!"
Zheng Chao sighed: "What if I don't hand it over?"
"You won't pay? Then don't blame me..." The young man suddenly stopped speaking halfway through.
He trembled as he looked at the long sword that suddenly stood in front of him, so close at hand - he had never seen such a sharp thing! If you dare to point this thing at him... then don't blame him for peeing his pants!
The young man's legs trembled, he took two steps back, and fell to the ground in fear.
The guard who suddenly appeared took two steps forward and continued to point his sword at him.
Zheng Chao sat there leisurely. His eldest nephew had prepared six such masters who were good at hiding for him.
Otherwise, how could he have the ability to give lectures all the way to Xiazhou?
Along the way, he has seen the darkness of human nature and the decline of morals in the world.
Zheng Chao sighed in his heart and asked them to sit back in their original seats and continue listening to the class.
The two young men were so frightened that they dared not disobey and felt like sitting on pins and needles.
Zheng Chao first punished them by making them recite over and over what they had learned that day, and then punished them by making them use charcoal pencils to write the three characters "天、地、人" that they had learned recently on the ground a hundred times each, until the yard was filled with characters and the mud wall was also almost covered with characters.
By the end, the two of them were foaming at the mouths, their hands were stiff, their tears had dried up, and they knelt down to repent, never to dare to do it again.
Zheng Chao sighed softly: "To win people over with virtue is indeed an endless joy..."
Along the way, he experienced firsthand the happiness of Confucius.
Although he was not as tall as Confucius, who was over nine feet tall, he had the guards given by his eldest nephew to make up for his shortcomings.
However, Zheng Chao did not easily believe the two's confessions and still handed them over to the village head for disposal. As for how they would be dealt with, that had nothing to do with him.
It is difficult to eliminate the evil in human nature, and there is ultimately very little he can do.
The power of one person is ultimately limited.
The things he was doing while traveling and giving lectures were quite different from what he had originally imagined, and he was pondering over them every day.
The next day, Zheng Chao left the village. Before leaving, some villagers gave him some autumn fruits and dry food.
Although there are evil thoughts here, there is also simplicity and kindness. This is true for one village, and it is true for the whole world.
Therefore, this world is still worth saving.
Zheng Chao packed his bag and continued on his way.
Next, he spent more than ten days continuing southward and arrived at the border of Qianzhou.
Qianzhou was not a prosperous place. Zheng Chao initially set out from Xingyang and headed south, passing through Shannan East Road, then Xiazhou, and finally arriving in Qianzhou, which was also within the straight line heading south.
Qianzhou was a poor place, far away from the political center, and was often used as a place of exile for convicted officials.
Last year, some members of the Changsun clan were beheaded, some were imprisoned, and the remaining members of the Changsun clan who were not severely punished were exiled here.
As soon as Zheng Chao arrived in Qianzhou, he received a private invitation from the Changsun family.
The Changsun clan has deep roots, and unlike the other four noble clans, the Changsun clan has always had a close relationship with the Li royal family, and they were also secretly protected by the Cui family, so they were able to preserve the last bit of their foundation. Although the situation is difficult now and the clan members are not allowed to leave Qianzhou, they are still able to maintain the most basic activities in secret.
Qianzhou was not far from Dongting Lake. The civil rebellion led by Bian Chunliang grew stronger and stronger, causing various places to respond and follow suit. It also affected Qianzhou several times. As a result, officials in Qianzhou were frequently transferred. The new governor had an old relationship with the Changsun family, so he secretly took care of them.
As a result of all these factors, Zheng Chao was invited to visit the Changsun family as soon as he arrived in Qianzhou.
The place where the Changsun clan lived together was under the surveillance of the imperial court, so the meeting place was in a very remote courtyard in the city.
"Mr. Zheng, please——"
After entering the inner courtyard, two middle-aged members of the Changsun family came forward and led the way: "Our family master has been waiting for a long time."
Zheng Chao: “Sorry for bothering you.”
From what we have seen along the way, although these Changsun clan members are now all dressed in cloth and no longer as glamorous as before, their manners and words are still decent and calm in their dealings with others. What is most rare is that they act in an orderly manner, which shows that they are still united.
Zheng Chao sighed in his heart.
After being purged by the imperial court, many aristocratic families, including their Zheng family, gradually dispersed due to their family rules and people's hearts, and it was difficult for them to become powerful again.
Zheng Chao could also vaguely sense that the reason why the Changsun family could maintain the status quo had a lot to do with the "head of the family" they mentioned.
Just like the Zheng family, the direct line of the Changsun clan was also cut off, and only Yin Lu, who was under the age of fourteen, survived.
The current head of the Changsun family is Changsun Ji, who just turned fourteen this year.
The family had gone through a great change, and the boy, who was forced to grow up quickly, lost most of his immaturity. In just one year, his height had also grown a lot, and when he stood up to greet Zheng Chao, he was as tall as Zheng Chao.
Zheng Chao returned the greeting and said, "I am a commoner, and I have a bad reputation as a traitor. It is really unexpected that I can be personally invited by the head of the Changsun family."
"Who is not a commoner now?" Zhang Sunji's eyes were filled with admiration. "I don't agree with Mr. Zheng's claim of betraying the clan. If it weren't for Mr. Zheng's righteous act, I'm afraid that only one out of a hundred Zheng family members in Xingyang would have survived. Mr. Zheng has good intentions, and the Zheng family will surely understand them slowly in the future."
Zheng Chao was really surprised this time. Although his act of killing his brother and voluntarily handing over his collection of books was supported by the poor students, he had already become notorious among the gentry families. In this regard, he and Ling An could be said to be in the same boat.
Changsun Ji raised his hand and invited Zheng Chao to sit down and talk and drink tea.
After a conversation, Zheng Chao also mentioned what he had seen and heard along the way, chaos everywhere, mixed government policies, and people's livelihood suffering.
Chang Sun Ji then asked: "According to Mr. Zheng's opinion, who among the Li family has the best hope of stopping the chaos in the world?"
In Changsun Ji's opinion, Zheng Chao is a master and a strange man, and the opinions of such people are definitely worth listening to.
And just as his uncles said, Zheng Chao is now quite famous. It would undoubtedly be a good thing if he could be brought into the same camp.
Zheng Chao was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "I have been trapped at home for many years, not concerned with worldly affairs. I am just a rookie now, and I cannot make a rash judgment on the general trend of the world. I am still groping in the dark."
After saying this, Zheng Chao tried to ask the young man if he had anyone in mind.
Chang Sun Ji did not answer directly, but said: "This place is less than a thousand miles away from Yizhou. I have often heard of the benevolent reputation of King Rong of Yizhou."
Zheng Chao's mind was slightly moved: "Prince Rong Li Yin?"
Thank you for your monthly tickets, rewards, and birthday wishes ＾3＾Good night, see you tomorrow! (Don't worry, although we are at the party, I will supervise Jingzhi and Xianggu and will not allow them to take leave)
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