Gu Chang, who was abandoned by Peng Shiyi, was sitting with Pei Yan in the waterside pavilion of Pei's garden at this time, drinking the pre-Qingming West Lake Longjing tea just delivered from Hangzhou, watching the brocade carp, and discussing the papers of the Jiangsu provincial examination last autumn: "... Although it is said that the way to be a king is to uphold governance and follow the ancestors, upholding governance is to abide by the established constitution, and following the ancestors is to understand the feelings of the parents. The first place winner Wang Chunhe's "sitting, you can see the wall, eating, you can see the soup" from the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty" is too superficial. It can be seen that the people recorded in this provincial examination are just like this."

Pei Yan didn't want to talk to Gu Chang at all, let alone give him advice, but Shen Shanyan was sitting next to him. In the past few days, he enthusiastically introduced scholars in Lin'an City to Gu Chang. He also accompanied Gu Chang to visit him several times, which was unusual for him. He didn't know what the relationship between Shen Shanyan and Gu Chang was, but considering that Shen Shanyan had done a favor to his senior brother Fei, he still patiently dealt with Gu Chang.

Seeing him giving advice on the provincial examination in Jiangsu, I couldn't help but feel a little bored, and couldn't help but say, "I've seen Wang Chunhe's paper, and I think it's pretty good. He believes that 'the ambition of a monarch is to be diligent', and 'being diligent is the root of his governance, so that nothing can overflow, and the monarch's virtue will be increasingly respected, and the people's grievances will be increasingly heard, which is the way to prosper the country'. Apart from anything else, he dared to write these few sentences, and I think Lord Yang lived up to his gentlemanly character by selecting Wang Chunhe as the first place winner."

Gu Chang raised his eyebrows.

The chief examiner of the Jiangsu provincial examination last year was Yang Shoudao, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy.

Yang Shoudao was the son-in-law of Pei Yan's mentor Zhang Ying.

"So, Xiaguang agrees with what Lord Feng said!" He looked at Pei Yan with a smile and took a sip of tea.

The emperor of the time was old and loved drinking. He would get drunk every time he drank, and would get angry every time he was drunk, and would kill people at any time. The eunuchs and maids in the palace were miserable. Last year on the Lantern Festival, he accidentally killed an official of the Ministry of Travel. Although this matter was suppressed at the time, it gradually spread as time passed.

The essay that Wang Chunhe was chosen as the first place winner was a bold and sharp essay that used the opportunity of regulating current affairs to persuade the emperor to be a good ruler. Yang Shoudao, who chose Wang Chunhe as the first place winner, was even more unyielding and had the demeanor of a gentleman who was concerned about the world.

As for Feng Zhi mentioned by Gu Chang, he was Gu Chang's senior brother, who served as a historian in the Censorate. After the emperor killed the officials, he was the first person to submit a memorial to impeach the emperor.

He is still imprisoned in the imperial prison.

However, he won the praise of scholars all over the world, especially those in Jiangnan.

Gu Chang's mentor Sun Gao was the Zuodu Shi of the Censorate, and he and Peng Yu, the seventh master of the Peng family, jointly managed the Censorate.

Pei Yan sneered in his heart after hearing what Gu Chang said, but his face was calm, saying: "Is Chaoyang trying to save Lord Feng from the dire situation? Unfortunately, my brother and I are both at home observing mourning, and I have inherited the family business and will not be an official in the future. I am afraid that I can't help Chaoyang in any way."

Gu Chang did have this plan.

It should be said that it was not he who had this plan, but his mentor Sun Gao who had this plan, so he made the trip to the south of the Yangtze River.

Getting to know Pei Yan was just an accident.

He originally thought that the Pei family was the local boss of Lin'an City, and Pei Yan was the middleman in the Li family's affairs. Instead of asking this and that about the situation at that time, it would be better to ask Pei Yan directly. However, he did not expect that Pei Yan, who was commented by his mentor as "arrogant and ignorant of worldly affairs", was also misjudged by his mentor.

He was not only aloof and proud, but also pure and innocent. But this pure and innocent was precisely the strength and confidence that saw through the world, which was completely opposite to what his mentor said, "unworldly". So he took advantage of the relationship between him and Shen Shanyan, who had once taught him the art of playing the zither, and asked Shen Shanyan to be a referee, and came to Pei's house several times.

As for Pei Yan, he just started a conversation and Pei Yan immediately guessed the purpose of his coming to Jiangnan.

Even Shen Shanyan, who had experienced many ups and downs in officialdom, did not notice it, let alone Pei Yan who said it with a fearless frankness.

This shows Pei Yan's confidence in himself.

People who are able to stand at the top usually admire those who can stand on equal footing with themselves or higher than themselves.

Gu Chang said tactfully: "Lord Feng cares about the country and the people, and is respected by the scholars. We can't always let villains run rampant and gentlemen be ruthless!"

The imperial prison is now in the hands of the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department.

I don’t know how many people die unjustly every year.

Pei Yan didn't take it seriously, and didn't even want to go through the formalities of offering Gu Chang more tea. He leaned lazily on the big pillow, poured himself a cup of tea, and said, "Chaoyang may not know yet, but my eldest brother's brother-in-law has been an official in the Taichang Temple for many years."

The Taichang Temple was in charge of rituals, music, temples, and national sacrifices. But the whole world belongs to the king. How could the emperor's affairs be so clearly divided into family affairs and national affairs? Sometimes the eunuchs of the twenty-four inner courts could not report their accounts, so they would report to the Taichang Temple. When the Taichang Temple could not report some accounts, it would also ask the eunuchs of the twenty-four inner courts to help intercede. The relationship between the two families has always been very good.

Pei Yan implied that he would not interfere in the eunuchs' affairs.

This is very different from the attitude of many people in the officialdom.

Shen Shanyan was afraid that the two young men who had risen to power with the help of their family resources would not give in to each other and the negotiations would break down. In the future, they would not be willing to eat at the same table even if they heard each other's names, which would be a huge loss for Jiangnan Shilin.

He smiled and said, "It's a beautiful day today. You are scholars after all. How can you waste this precious time by discussing state affairs? Chaoyang, you are the first one to do this today. You should punish yourself with three cups of tea as a warning to others." After that, he brewed a cup of tea and gave it to Gu Chang, urging him with a smile, "Drink it quickly."

Gu Chang simply couldn't help himself and tested Pei Yan's knowledge and ability. The two didn't have any deep hatred, so how could he offend Pei Yan?

Shen Shanyan gave him a step. He smiled unrestrainedly, picked up the teacup, raised it towards Pei Yanxu, and said sincerely: "Xiaguang, I have been in the capital for a long time and have become vulgar. I like to talk about everything I meet. Xiaguang is well-mannered and did not drive me out. I toast you a cup."

Pei Yan was really fed up with his hypocritical attitude and decided to give him face one last time.

If Gu Chang behaves like this again, he will kick him out.

Fortunately, Gu Chang kept talking to him about the inheritance of a small bronze tripod he had found in the capital some time ago. They got along well and even seemed to be having a pleasant conversation until the end.

Shen Shanyan was very pleased.

No one in this world is luckier than Pei Yan.

When the old fox Zhang Ying was about to retire and return to his hometown, he accepted him as his last disciple, which gave him enviable connections and political capital.

The old lady of the Pei family not only called Pei Yan back but also made him the clan leader. Shen Shanyan felt that the old lady Pei was simply confused before his death. But when he knew it, it was too late. Even if he wanted to persuade the old lady Pei, it was too late. He hoped that Pei Yan could hide in the city, become a white-robed elder, and do his part for the Jiangnan scholars.

Over the past decade or so, they have been suppressed by the scholars in the north. If they do not make further progress, the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River will probably suffer a great loss of vitality.

This is not just a matter for one or two companies.

But it concerns the entire Jiangnan area's educated families.

Pei Yan was able to make concessions and Gu Chang was able to follow the trend, which gave him hope for the rise of Jiangnan scholars.

Shen Shanyan and Gu Chang even stayed in Pei's house for dinner before returning to the county school.

Gu Chang is staying at Shen Shanyan's place.

Shen Shanyan's servant saw that his eyes were clear and could not help but ask in surprise: "Master, didn't you drink today?"

"We went to Pei's house!" Shen Shanyan responded, and chatted with Gu Chang for a while. They agreed to find a way to take Pei Yan to Zhaoming Temple for a visit tomorrow, and then they went their separate ways.

Gu Chang's personal attendant was a man in his thirties named Gao Sheng. He was given to Gu Chang by Gu Chang's grandfather after his mother passed away because he was afraid that he and his siblings would be bullied. Rather than saying that Gao Sheng was his attendant, it would be more accurate to say that he was his bodyguard, loyal servant, and confidant.

Seeing Gu Chang coming back, he hurriedly helped Gu Chang change his clothes.

Gu Chang saw that no one was in the room and whispered, "How is the task I asked you to do going?"

Gao Sheng is tall and strong with an ordinary appearance, but his every move gives people a sense of calmness and reliability.

"I've done everything you told me to do." He said, with a hint of disdain in his eyes. After thinking for a while, he continued, "The Li family is like a headless fly. Until now, no one has figured out who did this."

"Waste!" Gu Chang's face immediately turned pale upon hearing this, and he said bitterly, "Isn't he a young and outstanding man? He can't even handle a merchant family. Has he read so much that he has no idea? Now that there are so many loose ends left for him, he still doesn't notice anything. No wonder my sister looks down on him! I think he is just a silver wax gun head. Send someone to send a letter to the young lady later, telling her that I agree with her to break off the engagement."

Gaosheng responded respectfully, “Yes.”

Gu Chang talked about Pei Yan: "No wonder he never participated in those elegant gatherings and poetry societies when he was in the capital, but his reputation was still so loud. He really has some ability. It's a pity that he is observing mourning at home, otherwise he would be a good candidate."

Gaosheng said nothing.

Gu Chang changed his clothes, washed up, and talked about Pei Yan again: "I used to think that the Pei family must be poor because they were living in Lin'an. Now it seems that I underestimated the Pei family and Pei Xiaoguang. Does our family have any relatives who are familiar with their family and can have a say in front of Mr. Pei's old man? If my sister can show her face in front of Mr. Pei, maybe it will really work. However, we have to cancel the engagement first. It can't be unclear. Pei Xiaoguang is also dignified, and we can't let him lose face."

Is the eldest master interested in Pei Yan?

Gao Sheng hesitated for a moment and said, "How about I find out more about the Pei family first? Logically, someone like Mr. Pei San should be the golden son-in-law that everyone wants, right? What if he's already engaged?"

If the eldest daughter breaks off the engagement with the Li family, who will she marry? Besides, the eldest daughter is not young anymore. Although Li Duan is not very useful, he is at least a decent scholar and tall and handsome. With the skills of the eldest daughter and the eldest son, he should be easy to control. After all, they have the same goal.

Don't get into trouble if you can't reach both ends.

Gao Sheng's words reminded Gu Chang.

"You're right." He pondered, "The eldest daughter didn't want this marriage in the first place. Especially since Madam Li knelt before my father in front of so many people, it was like she had to bear the reputation of being unfilial before she even got married. I'm not in a hurry to tell her. I'll find out about Pei Xiaguang's situation first. Anyway, I have to stay here for a few more days, so I can arrange the eldest daughter's marriage before leaving."