Chapter 126 Brother Yuan and his junior apprentice have a deep mutual admiration for each other. Their writings will surely shine.
Su Ying's hand involuntarily touched her chest. If she spoke at this moment, one could hear her nervousness as she approached the truth.
Du Heng had noticed her trembling and patted her back gently, as if to say: You don't have to say anything, just listen to me slowly.
He then took a deep breath and continued, "The official report said that the Pei family had already taken measures to block the roads in and out of Moore Village in advance. However, some villagers disobeyed the instructions and sneaked away at night, which led to the spread of the epidemic."
As he spoke, he pointed to the map and said, "But if you look closely at the blocked areas mentioned in the court bulletin and compare them with the map, you can see the clues."
"Look here, and here too." Du Heng adjusted his breathing, as if suppressing his anger, and said, "They not only blocked Mur Village, but also blocked all official roads in the north. This not only prevents villagers from entering and leaving and spreading the epidemic, but also blocks the road from the north to Beijing."
"Are they really preventing the disaster victims from fleeing? No, they are preventing the Lu family from entering Beijing!"
"In the years since Your Majesty ascended the throne, the Pei family has been in charge of defense against foreign invasions, blockading passes, and dispatching border troops in the north. While nominally the main force in the military, they were also tasked with monitoring the Lu family. The source of this plague was poor border security, which allowed the disease to enter the country. The Pei family concealed the situation, sealed off villages and roads, and refused to provide relief, leaving the village stranded and forcing the victims to flee for their lives."
"The Lu family oversees civil affairs, taxes, storage, and relief for the various prefectures and counties in the north. They also command part of the northern military and secretly monitor the Pei family. The imperial report states that they have already dispatched the medicine and grain. According to the map, the journey from the departure point to Mur Village should take fifteen days at most, or ten days at least, depending on the climate. Why does the report only mention the shipment, but not when it will arrive? Or whether it has arrived?"
"In my opinion, at the beginning of the outbreak, the Lu family did send medicine and grain as reported in the imperial report. However, upon learning that the Pei family was obstructing them, they seized the opportunity to withhold the shipment, hoping to force the Pei family to surrender and seek help, or perhaps even gain a point in the court."
After a while, Du Heng said in a deep voice: "In the final analysis, it was the Pei and Lu families' separate calculations that turned the natural disaster into a man-made disaster."
"The disaster in the north is not caused by medicine, but by people!"
"Cousin." Su Ying touched Du Heng's hand, which was clenched in anger, and asked in a low voice: "Since that's the case, should we write this article or not?"
Originally, Du Heng had simply intended to write an article on epidemic control, using the terrain and people's livelihood as a metaphor. Now, if this article were completed, it would practically be an accusation against the Pei and Lu families.
Su Ying naturally didn't want Du Heng, already burdened by the political situation, to face further trouble because of this article. But she couldn't bring herself to dissuade him, especially considering the innocent people in the north who were trapped by the epidemic.
Du Heng naturally understood Ying'er's concerns, and he certainly didn't want to watch the people on the border suffer for the sake of his own safety.
He took her hand and said soothingly, "Senior Brother Xi is holding a literary appreciation meeting in a few days, and the topic will be the North. He said that if I don't go, I can submit my written article anonymously for everyone to appreciate. I had no intention of participating, but I agreed casually, intending to say that the article was not finished and let the matter go."
"But right now, I think Senior Brother's suggestion is excellent. Before the literary appreciation meeting, I will write an anonymous article about the true situation in the North, along with my observations and thoughts from the court reports and maps. This way, I can protect myself while also avoiding harming others."
After hearing this, Su Ying nodded in agreement. She stood up, gently tidied up her desk, and said softly, "For the next few days, you can write in the library. I'll grind ink and light the lamp for you, cousin, so you can concentrate on writing. Is that okay?"
Du Heng looked at her, his eyes misty. Then, he smiled softly and said, "Having Ying'er by my side is the blessing of my life."
......
At the same time, Yuan Song also received some news.
Yuan Zhixu wanted to ensure that Yuan Songchun would pass the imperial examination smoothly, so he used Su Ying as an excuse to drive his nephew out of the house and spread rumors of discord between uncle and nephew in the capital. In fact, he hoped that his nephew would become the top scorer in the imperial examination and bring glory to the Yuan family again.
The day Gu Yanjun was caned, the meticulous man had already grasped something. The emperor appeared furious, unfazed by Gu Yanjun's provocation. However, after the caning, Gu Yanjun was obliged to attend court and the six ministries. Unlike Xu Chongnian, he was abruptly transferred, leaving no room for easing the situation.
Therefore, he specially sent some court reports and historical materials related to the north at night. Although there was no postscript, Yuan Song understood the meaning, because he received an invitation from Xi Xiyue to a literary appreciation meeting on the same day.
The reason why Xi Xiyue had such a wide circle of friends was that he had a pair of eyes that could judge people. Although he had only met Yuan Song once, he knew that Yuan Song was proud of his talent and chose his friends carefully.
To show his respect for Yuan Song, he visited him in person.
"I know Brother Yuan doesn't enjoy crowds, but this literary gathering is the last before the Spring Examination. I've specially invited famous candidates from across the country. If Brother Yuan doesn't participate, wouldn't this gathering be in vain?"
"I won't force you, Brother Yuan. You only need to write an article on the subject of the North, which will be a courtesy to me. What do you think, Brother Yuan?"
These words not only gave him dignity, but also saved him from having to deliberately greet others. Yuan Song could not refuse, so he agreed.
Moreover, before Xi Xiyue left, he added, "Although my Junior Brother Du was unable to participate, he has promised to write an article to help with the fun. I see that Brother Yuan and he have a mutual admiration for each other, so I'm sure both of your articles will shine."
Sure enough, this sentence aroused Yuan Song's fighting spirit. He was looking for an opportunity to settle accounts with Du Heng one by one!
......
As expected, the literary appreciation meeting held by Xi Mansion was very successful. The literati and scholars expressed their views on the situation in the north, citing a wide range of examples and making their speeches brilliant.
However, the most impressive thing were two articles, and coincidentally, the authors of these two articles were not present.
One was written by Yuan Song, a Zhejiang provincial scholar. He pointed out the plight of Lu and Pei living in the same place, and the people were unsure which side to follow, which led to the epidemic getting out of control.
He proposed that the Lu and Pei families discuss military and political affairs together. If they could not, one would be the main leader and the other the deputy leader. He also advocated large-scale construction projects, opening up the northern land, and reducing taxes to show sympathy for the people.
The article was grand in style, broad in ideas, and innovative, winning applause from the audience.
Another unsigned article directly pointed out the discord between Lu and Pei, laying the problem bare. It argued that if the responsibilities of the two families were not clarified, future troubles would only intensify. The only solution now was to retain one and dismiss the other, while simultaneously appointing imperial censors to assist in oversight.
The document was clearly organized and sharply worded, focusing on systems and implementation, and appearing calm and pragmatic. Although no one present commented on it, everyone rushed to pass it around.
After a literary appreciation meeting, all candidates focused their attention on preparing for the exam.
Everyone thought that everything was calm and waiting for the Spring Examination to begin. However, just as the spring colors faded and the summer was getting stronger, the yellow paper posted in the Imperial Examination Hall distracted the candidates for a moment.
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