The happy life of the devil and the devil

After the winter solstice, the social season for the upper class of Beiliang is more than a month until Zhengdan.Children get married, old people celebrate their birthdays, enjoy plum blossoms and stones, horse races, betting on shooting, and even someone's new opera troupe, someone's family has a beautiful girl, and there are endless banquets, large and small.Even Yuan Shao visited the mansions of honorable ministers from time to time, sometimes by himself, and sometimes with the crown prince or King Kang.

Ling Yucheng was busy training troops in Qingzhou at this time last year, and did not return to the capital until the 25th of the twelfth lunar month.This year, however, he was not exempt, and was taken out by Yuan Shao two or three times.Today I went to Xingwuwei Shen's house, the driver stopped, the gate of the mansion was led by the old man in his seventies, there were a lot of people kneeling, all the children who had official positions in the army and court came out to greet the holy driver .

Yuan Shao stepped down from the imperial chariot, helped the old man up with his own hands, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then walked inward surrounded by everyone.Ling Yucheng walked beside him step by step, turning a blind eye to the eyes focused on him, and only thinking about why Yuan Shao brought him here today.

Xingwu defending the Shen family...or in other words, His Royal Highness the King of Chu who has been in charge of the government for more than [-] years as the queen mother's lover is really like a thunderbolt to him.In contrast, the two with the highest official positions in the Shen family, or the few young children who came to attend classes every time, were really not outstanding.

It is said that the old man is over 70?Seeing the hale and hearty silver-haired old man leaning on a crutch with a dragon's head walking in front of him, Ling Yucheng thought of Yuan Shao's evaluation of the Shen family, and couldn't help feeling secretly.

Know how to measure, know current affairs, children and grandchildren make progress, and brothers, nephews and nephews work together.Even if such a family has no big ambitions because they are Xia people, they are not something that any family can insult.To be able to maintain his family reputation 30 years after the death of King Chu, and not to have a trend of prosperity and decline, this old man who has gone through three dynasties, I am afraid that he is the Dinghaishenzhen in the family.

Pilgrimage, awards, banquets.Unlike Guangwuwei's Li family, which was born as a slave and prospered because the head of the family was entrusted with the feudal title, the Shen family is an old Xia family in the north, with food and beverage utensils, flowers and trees and gardens. , Delicate taste.After lunch, I moved to sit in the warm hall in the garden, listening to the flute and piano rhyme from far across the water, my whole body felt as if immersed in warm water, warm and comfortable.

Taking a sip of the light blue tea in the cup, Yuan Shao looked sideways at Ling Yucheng, and said with a leisurely smile, "The Shen family's silk and bamboo garden is well-known in the capital, and when the spring is warm and the flowers are blooming, the children of every family will receive a gift from their family. It’s a great honor to post a post. Even in winter, the pine rock pond is quite impressive, so you might as well take a good look at it later.”

"Your Majesty said so." Ling Yucheng responded with a smile.Speaking of gardens, what gardens can be compared with the Diecui Peak and Taiye Pond in Yuxia Capital in the past, and what gardens can be compared with the exquisite and exquisite famous gardens in the south? "It's just that silk and bamboo gardens are always foreign things. The Shen family deserves to be looked at differently by His Majesty. I'm afraid there are other things."

"You are shrewd!" Yuan Shao pointed at him, shaking his head and laughing. "Indeed, the most famous thing about their family is not these prosperous enjoyments, but the Shen family's education. After a hundred years of strict rules, all children, regardless of age, must enter the school to receive education. It can be said that this school is the foundation of the family. The Shen family has produced a large number of talented people for several generations, and the family's education is indispensable. ——Will you take a look?"

The two got up and went out while chatting and laughing.Because it was after the banquet that Yan sat down to talk, except for the only surviving old man of the Shen family who was in front of the attendants, there were only three or five children, and the rest were waiting outside the hall.Yuan Shao waved away those waiters, and Ling Yucheng followed Mr. Shen to his home slowly along the path that had just been shoveled from the snow and ice in the garden.

Jiang Jiang saw a corner of the eaves protruding from the tree, and suddenly a guard hurried over and whispered something in Yuan Shao's ear.Yuan Shao paused, turned his head and said to Ling Yucheng: "You go in first." Before he could answer, he followed the guard and turned to a side path, and disappeared after a while.

Ling Yucheng was stunned for a moment, then turned his head to look at Yuan Shao's place, and only looked away when he was out of sight.However, standing here with a group of people is not a problem after all, and Mr. Shen bowed in front of him to invite him, so he could only be led by him to turn left and right, and go straight to Shen's family school.

However, the Shen family's family education is set up in the ancestral hall, a large courtyard with five entrances in a row, the first two entrances are the ancestral hall, and the last three entrances are the schoolhouses for the children of the family to study.Further to the side, a flat school field is expanded for children to practice martial arts with horse racing and archery.The grandpa of the family accompanied the distinguished guests, and the family guarding the ancestral hall had already opened the main entrance and bowed to serve by the door.

The old man waved his hand to let the disciples who were following him go down, and walked ahead alone on crutches, Ling Yucheng followed leisurely behind.Both of them were silent, they passed through the corner door from the first yard to the back one, the old man stopped on the porch, looked back at the dark roof of the main hall, and sighed deeply.

"...I made adults laugh." When he came back to his senses, he looked at Ling Yucheng with some unease, "When I get old, I can't help but think about something. The old man's parents and brothers are all here—just ..."

He took a few steps forward slowly, and pushed open the door of a wing room with his own hands.In the middle of the wing room, there is a table with candles and tears on it, and sandalwood is lingering, but there is no memorial tablet, but a portrait hanging on it. In the painting, a scribe in blue is standing with his hands behind his back, wearing a light robe and a gentle belt.

"Who is this--"

"It's the old man's third brother. Cough, now I can only call him His Highness the King of Chu." The old man closed the door softly, turned his head, and pressed the corners of his eyes as unobtrusively as possible. "There's a lot of smoke in this room—"

However, because of the special grace bestowed by the former emperor, he was brought into the royal clan and changed his surname, so can't he even be enshrined in the ancestral hall of his own family?Otherwise, why only the portraits were hung, but no tablet of the deceased was placed underneath.

However, even if the Shen family wants to make a request, it is not appropriate to ask him, let alone mention it to His Majesty.Thinking of this, Ling Yucheng took a few steps back, motioned to Mr. Shen to lead the way, and only responded lightly: "His Royal Highness Chu Wang is indeed a good minister of the society, and he has been famous for a long time."

After closing the door with his own hands, the old man's straight back suddenly bowed a little.Looking reluctantly at the closed door, the silver-haired old man sighed leisurely:

"The world only knows how powerful the King of Chu was. Even my Shen family was very impressive and glorious. But who remembers that when the third brother first came to power, there were all kinds of nasty things outside. At that time, my brothers and nephews and I , Fighting with people all the time, just because of their dirty words about Third Brother..."

"But five years later, no one would dare to say such things in front of the Shen family. Ten years later, the world will only know that the Shen family's Saburo has power over the world."

Is the power over the world...

Ling Yucheng smiled faintly.

"The king of Chu was in charge of military and state affairs back then. He was a high-ranking and powerful man, and he should indeed be respected by the world."

The old man stopped slightly, turned his head and bowed his head to Ling Yucheng, and continued walking forward with a shuffling pace.As if immersed in my own thoughts, while walking, the memories still keep going:

"At that time, I was also worried. Just because of power and status, I can hold it down for a while, but I can't hold back the rumors behind me. But when the third brother passed away, what everyone remembers, and what is written in the historical records, is only that he was in power. All kinds of achievements and other things made in these years are just a little love affair, but it will not hurt his reputation at all."

That is also natural, no matter how entangled with Empress Taizong, the King of Chu is a courtier after all, and what is left in the history books is just the merits of being a courtier...

Ling Yucheng still just nodded his head slightly, kept walking, and brushed away a section of ice cone hanging from the eaves.

"Men are self-reliant on merit, and the king of Chu has devoted his life to the country, making the country rich and strong, and invincible in all battles. Everyone sees it. It should be famous in history."

The sound of the cane being tapped on the ground paused again.The old man glanced back at Ling Yucheng, and continued to move forward as if nothing had happened, but his tone of recalling the past was a little more ethereal:

"At that time, the third brother had just heard that he had a good relationship with the queen mother. My father was so angry that he almost vomited blood. He immediately opened the ancestral hall, dragged the third brother to kneel in front of the ancestral tablet, and asked him why he was willing to be so low. , You have to rely on being a face-to-face to seek glory and wealth. In anger, I used family law, if our brother hadn't stopped and persuaded me, I would have almost beaten my third brother to death..."

His voice suddenly became agitated. I think it was the scene in the ancestral hall at that time. After more than 30 years, recalling it still makes people feel emotional:

"The third brother said that he and the queen mother are childhood sweethearts, and they are in love with each other. Whether he is on good terms with the queen mother, whether he refuses to marry or pass on his heirs, he is willing to do so. Just because that person treats him like this, he is willing to repay him like this. The father asked him for insulting his family, but the third brother replied with only one sentence—"

"He said, what does the world have to do with me? It doesn't matter whether it's face-to-face or anything else, I know I'm not! I have a clear conscience!"

The smile on Ling Yucheng's lips froze suddenly.

For the next half of the afternoon, Ling Yucheng stayed by Yuan Shao's side, listening to the sound of the boys in the family school reading aloud, watching them competing to perform riding and archery martial arts in front of the imperial court, nodding and smiling occasionally, and complimenting him just right.He didn't say a word until he got on the imperial chariot, Yuan Shao glanced at him lightly, and didn't tease him to speak, just fell down on the couch and closed his eyes to rest.

There was no words all the way, and when the two returned to the palace, Yuan Shao sat in the bedroom and slowly drank a cup of tea, only to see Ling Yucheng stood up as if awakened, turned to him, and bowed.

"Your Majesty," he lowered his head slightly with a solemn expression, "I would like to ask for your Majesty's grace."

"Ok?"

"I would like to ask Your Majesty...to take me to Fengxian Hall and offer a stick of incense."

Gazing deeply at Ling Yucheng, Yuan Shao didn't ask him the reason, got up and said, "Let's go." He strode out, Ling Yucheng followed behind.

The Fengxian Hall dedicated to the past emperors of Beiliang is solemn and solemn, but there is a chill that permeates the bone marrow.In addition to guarding the sanctuary and offering incense on time, this temple is usually deserted, and only the emperor comes to worship in person on festivals and birthdays.It was the second time for Ling Yucheng to step here. Yichenli had bowed before the spiritual seats of the previous emperors one by one, and stood in front of the portrait of His Highness the King of Chu, raised his head slightly, and was in a silent trance.

Cigarettes are lingering, and jade leakage is delayed.He stood from the west slant of the sun to the twilight, and then let out a long breath, turned to face Yuan Shao, and bowed his head to salute:

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After dinner, Ling Yucheng only moved a little bit before going to the apse to take a shower and change clothes.When Yuan Shao came out of the shower, Ling Yucheng was sitting in front of the table wearing a jacket. Looking back to see him, he put down the wooden comb in his hand, tied up his hair casually, straightened his clothes, and bowed solemnly:

"Thank you, Your Majesty. ——I am ashamed to have made Your Majesty worry about my subjects for so long."

Yuan Shao looked at him carefully.The person standing in front of him looked free and easy, with a slight smile, and his expression and attitude clearly revealed a sense of relief and ease, which was very different from these days, even since he and Ling Yucheng bowed down in front of him and set the status of monarch and minister. same.It must be said that it was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from the shoulders, and the whole person suddenly revealed a dazzling brilliance from the inside out.

It seems that the trip during the day did touch him—Yuan Shao casually sat on the head of the bed, stretched his limbs comfortably, and smiled softly:

"Understood? ——The old man of the Shen family, what did you say to you today?"

"I figured it out." Ling Yucheng also smiled back, sat back at the table, and recounted the conversation in the ancestral hall today word by word.Power over the world is insignificant, and the history of thousands of years is insignificant. The only thing that moved him was the sentence that the king of Chu answered his father's question——

"What does the world's comments have to do with me? Whether it's face-to-face or anything else, I know I'm not! I have a clear conscience!"

A simple sentence, like Huang Zhong Dalu, is deafening.

She was despised by the whole world, and her family did not forgive her, but that person was so firm and open, without fear or shame.

Under Ling Yucheng's long-term gaze, the two faces of the upright young scribes in green shirts in the Shen family's ancestral hall and the important ministers in the jade belt of the Fengxian Palace, one year old and one young, gradually merged into one under Ling Yucheng's long-term gaze.

Facing the angry old father holding the family law in his hand, the worried and blamed elder brothers and younger brothers, facing the rows of dark tablets in the ancestral hall, facing the ghosts and gods of heaven and earth watching from the dark, the man who was almost the same as him more than 50 years ago The young man of the same age raised his head high and answered loudly:

"I know I'm not!"

Because of this, he can have a clear conscience, and treat the eyes of the world and the history of thousands of years as nothing.

What about you, Ling Yucheng?

After ten years of fighting and numerous meritorious deeds, when he was thrown into death row and learned that the Yu Xia court threw him out to a martial arts competition to recruit relatives, he no longer had any attachment and loyalty to that court and the royal family.

He and Yu Xia already owe each other nothing.

Whether it is the Yunyanghou Mansion or the Ling clan, he doesn't have much affection in the first place, but Beijiang, where he has spent ten years of youth, has nothing to do when he really needs it.Those who were loyal to him all followed to Beiliang, and those who stayed where they were and refused to leave became the enemy country from now on.

What really caused him pain to the marrow day and night, every time he thinks about it, he can't wait to draw a knife in his heart, it is nothing more than a man who wants to marry another man—whether the title on his body is the queen Or something, to put it bluntly, it's just a more advanced male pet.

But is that really the case?

From the very beginning, Yuan Shao made it clear that all he wanted was a courtier.

For more than a year, we have treated each other with courtesy and strictly observed the distinction between monarch and ministers, and never crossed a step.

By that person's side, as a minister and general, other than that, he was not allowed to do anything beyond the scope of a courtier...

"I know I'm not!"

That being the case, why can't we have a clear conscience?

Has he been scolded less often in the past, traitor, traitor, butcher... As for child molestation, using sex to gain fame for wealth and wealth, because of his appearance, which is more delicate than women, he has never been dissatisfied since he was a child. Pass.

At that time, you can laugh it off, but now there is no need, day after day of pain and entanglement.

—You yourself know you are not!

It was so in the past, it is so today, and it will be so in the future.

Once he broke through the maze, looking back, the shackles that tortured him so that he could not sleep at night, turned out to be so weak and ridiculous.

From now on, nothing can hurt him again.

It doesn't matter whether it's reviled and scorned by the people, or it doesn't matter if it's been stigmatized for thousands of years, since I have a clear conscience, what do those foreign objects have to do with me?

Ling Yucheng suddenly smiled slightly.

"Your Majesty has already told me all these things that day... I am really ashamed to be confused by the words of outsiders for so long, and I am so tired that Your Majesty has to worry about my minister."

Seeing him like this is really understandable.Yuan Shao couldn't help shaking his head, raised his finger and pointed at him, hardened his face, the smile still flowed out from the words uncontrollably:

"Even if you don't believe what I say, haven't you seen how I treat you for more than a year? It took me so long to figure out a simple and simple thing! You are said to be smart, but I think you are really stupid Can!"

The author has something to say: There is still a paragraph, but I have to go out tomorrow, so I have to go to bed early today~~~Good night~~~~