Chang'an ancient meaning

Li Chengqi knew that his lateness would annoy the teacher, but he didn't expect that Song Shoujie would make all the boys who accompanied him kneel down. He was startled, and hurriedly dragged Xue Chongjian up the steps. When he got close, he could see the faces of the boys clearly. His face was pale with cold, and he couldn't help shivering in the cold winter morning.These children are all pampered at home, their bodies are delicate, they have never been punished to kneel in such a cold and freezing environment, and when they see the master finally arrives, they all have painful expressions on their faces. Inhale lightly.

Li Chengqi felt ashamed, and stood up with his hands down, blushing, "Sir, I know I'm wrong." Song Shoujie's face was unmoved, and he didn't think the ground was covered with water, so he knelt down on the spot and saluted Li Chengqi. Li Chengqi hurriedly helped him up and said: "The ground is wet and cold, sir, please enter the palace quickly, they are not at fault, please let them in too."

Song Shoujie flicked the snowflakes on his body lightly, and asked slowly: "Your Highness, do you still remember the "Book of Rites" that I talked about yesterday?" "Do you remember?" Xue Chongjian raised his face and said, "Remember what?" Li Chengqi was afraid that Song Shoujie would punish Xue Chongjian again, so he hurriedly recited: "Men and women who have not crowned the hairpin, the rooster crows for the first time, washes with salt, and the scumbag , flicking the corners of the hair, and the tassels, all of them have a smelly face, and they are ignorant and refreshing."

Song Shoujie nodded slightly and said: "It seems that the minister has neglected his duties and made His Highness only know how to ask, but he didn't understand the meaning."

Since Li Chengqi went to school, he had never been criticized so severely by his teacher. He felt very uncomfortable, and lowered his head and said in a low voice: "I am alone and wrong, please forgive others, and I wish to be punished by my husband." Although Xue Chongjian didn't quite understand what they said, But I also knew that my cousin was being scolded by the teacher because he was late for school, so he hurriedly puffed up his chest and said: "My cousin only played with me, don't scold him, you just leave school later." A trace of sullen Flashing across Song Shoujie's face, Li Chengqi hurriedly pulled Xue Chongjian, and said in a low voice: "Huanu, don't talk!"

Song Shoujie looked at Li Chengqi quietly for a moment, and suddenly said: "Come on, come in." Those young men had already knelt for half an hour, and as if they were pardoned, they supported each other and staggered up.

After entering the hall, Song Shoujie stood in front of the case, and lightly ordered a servant: "Please ask Taizong's family law."

Since Xue Chongjian made trouble in the classroom half a year ago and Song Shoujie beat him and Cui Shi, in the past six months Xue Chongjian only played by himself in class, the other teenagers did not dare to be distracted, and Song Shoujie didn't bother to care about him.Now when he said this suddenly, not only Li Chengqi shuddered, but also all the teenagers were very surprised, guessing in their hearts, could it be that because the crown prince was late, this incomprehensible Mr. Dong Hong actually wanted to beat the crown prince?More than a dozen pairs of childish eyes stared at Li Chengqi. Li Chengqi was in a state of confusion, shame and fear were next to him, and he only thought to himself, how to keep his parents from knowing how sad he was.He used to have a fair complexion, but this side was hot, and even his earlobes were as pink as rouge.

Those servants have served in Chongfu Palace for a long time, and they all understand Song Shoujie's temperament.This stubborn gentleman is not even afraid of the princess, anyway, he will bear the burden of the sky falling, and he will not touch his bad luck. He respectfully holds down the ruler and kneels to the center of the hall.Song Shoujie didn't take it either, and told him: "Every reader will be responsible for twenty chapters."

Li Chengqi was still full of shame, only wondering that he had heard it wrong, and looked up at Song Shoujie in surprise.Those teenagers were also quite aggrieved. They had knelt down all morning for nothing, and they were innocent. Some of their lips moved, but they didn't dare to speak after all.

Song Shoujie glanced at the man, as if telling him, or Li Chengqi: "If King Cheng has done something wrong, he will slander Boqin, so he shows the way of being a king's son. Prince Qin broke the law, and Shang Yang punished him. Fu Gongziqian, tattooed his teacher Gongsun Jia. Today the crown prince neglected his studies, and his teachers and friends are all at fault. If they were punished, I will ask the queen mother for a one-year fine."

With Song Shoujie's treatment like this, Li Chengqi felt a hundred times more uncomfortable than being beaten himself, and said in a trembling voice: "Sir, you taught Gu, and Yu got off the car to cry. King Wu said, 'The people have faults, and I am the only one'. How can you be alone today? If you make others wrong because of your mistakes, please punish me, sir."

He was about to kneel down, but Song Shoujie had expected him to make such a move. He knelt down before him, held his arm firmly and said in a low voice: "Your Highness, don't mess with the rituals of monarchs and ministers! Get out of the car and cry for sins, that's it." Those who are kings must be vigilant. Those who are kings should cultivate themselves and govern others, rather than taking responsibility for the guilty. Your highness is the heir to the king, and no punishment can be imposed. I can only punish the servant. If your highness refuses, I would like to resign this servant today. Talk about a job."

As soon as Song Shoujie knelt down, all the young servants in the palace hurriedly knelt down, leaving only the helpless Li Chengqi and Xue Chongjian who didn't know why, standing out of the crowd.

Li Chengqi's body trembled slightly. For the first time, he felt that there were such cruel rules behind his status as prince.

Seeing that he had no objection, Song Shoujie kowtowed again, stood up and shouted to the young men, "Kneel down!" Although the young men were extremely aggrieved, they still kneeled obediently in a row, Song Shoujie pointed at Xue Chongjian: "Go and kneel too! "Xue Chongjian listened for a long time, and then looked at the long, jet-black painted ruler. The experience of half a year ago suddenly came to his mind, and he suddenly understood, and said in surprise: "Are you going to hit me again!" He shouted loudly. He shouted: "Grandma, he's going to hit me again!" and ran out of the hall.

Song Shoujie frowned, strode forward and grabbed Xue Chongjian's arm, dragging him back.Xue Chongjian struggled desperately, but in the end his strength was too weak, Song Shoujie slipped back, pressed him to kneel beside the young men, stretched out his hand to the servant and said: "Bring it!" The young gentleman let out a sigh of relief, and hurriedly handed the ruler to him.

Song Shoujie wanted to make an example of others, so he pressed his back with one hand and put him into a posture with his buttocks raised, and lifted his little robe with the other hand. Seeing that he was still wearing thick trousers, he reckoned that hitting him would not hurt much. .Since he wanted to warn Li Chengqi, he didn't want to just put on a show, so he pulled Xue Chongjian's trousers to the crook of his knees.Xue Chongjian's slender buttocks were exposed in the cold winter air. Thinking of the pain from the last time he was beaten, he was angry and scared, and grabbed his hands, shouting, "Cousin, save me! Cousin, save me! I don't want to be beaten!" He was so wronged that he burst into tears before hitting him.

Li Chengqi saw Xue Chongjian's small body being held down on the ground and struggled. When he called out, he felt a wave of heat rising up in his chest, making his nose sore and his eyes blurred. He took a step forward and said in a trembling voice: "Guhe Huanu It's too late, sir, I want to fight, and I wish to be blamed together with him." He lifted his clothes and was about to kneel, but Song Shoujie had already shouted: "Your Highness!" Li Chengqi trembled in fright when he saw his eyes almost piercing him, The slightly bent knees did not dare to kneel again.

Song Shoujie paused and said: "Your Highness is the king, and he is a minister. How can the king be punished on behalf of the ministers? Your Highness is the master of the world tomorrow, and you can only kneel down to the ancestors and relatives. If you kneel today, everyone in this hall will be punished." It's a capital offense."

Li Chengqi was stunned by those words, unable to move as if he was in chains.He is the king, Hua slave is a minister, they are no longer brothers, no longer relatives, peeled off the laughter of day and night for half a year, peeled off the crisp "cousin" since childhood, peeled off Hua slave's love for each other. His own attachment, his uncle's protection for him, he was suddenly lifted high by the words of monarch and minister, so high that he couldn't touch any fireworks in the world, couldn't touch the warmth of his relatives, and couldn't touch the arm stretched out to him by Hua Nu.

He didn't know who was more pitiful, Hua Nu or him, they were both held down.

Song Shoujie didn't hold back this time, and slapped Xue Chongjian's white and tender buttocks heavily. Xue Chongjian felt that this time was like burning oil, and his original panic magnified the pain to infinity. How could he bear it? With a scream, before the second board fell, he burst into tears.

Standing, Li Chengqi could clearly see the ruler leaving a two-finger-wide red mark on Hua Nu's snow-white buttocks, and his muscles twitched.His head was a little dizzy, he thought, Hua Nu would definitely not play with him anymore, these young servants would be angry with him, and my uncle would definitely not take him to ride a horse again.For the first time, he felt a grayish disappointment about the future, even when he left his parents and lived alone in the East Palace, he never realized it so clearly.

Xue Chongjian was pressed to the ground, with his face pressed against the floor and unable to lift his head. The pain in his buttocks was unbearable, and he yelled, "Cousin, help! Cousin, help! My flesh has fallen off, please help me!" Twirling his little buttocks, his skin trembled three times, as if he wanted to avoid the whipping, and also seemed to want to shake off the pain on it.The skin of a child is already clean and delicate, and the light is as if washed out by milk, and the red marks from the ruler are particularly obvious.While struggling and writhing, he changed from kneeling to prostrate, and a pair of damask trousers embroidered with bright red peony flowers also rubbed against his calves, revealing two sections of legs that were as white as lotus roots.

Xue Chongjian yelled a few times, but still couldn't see Li Chengqi, and cried to Song Shoujie again: "I'm going to die! I've changed it! I won't talk back! Don't hit me! Hit the left side...the right side hurts too much ..." Song Shoujie was not the prisoner who fucked Xia Chu, so he never thought that he was holding a ruler in his right hand, and the heaviest end of the ruler fell on Xue Chongjian's right hip.When he yelled like this, he was stunned. It seemed that his right buttock was more red and swollen, with small purple blood spots faintly appearing under the skin. They all hit Xue Chongjian on the left buttock.

Xue Chongjian did not expect that the left side would still be so painful. He didn't count at first, he didn't know how many times the old man would hit him, and how many times were left to finish. , before he could catch his breath, another board fell.He thought that his butt must have been smashed, but he was just worried, wondering if it would grow well in the future?If it doesn't grow well, will it be impossible to ride a horse again?Then he cried again: "Don't spank my ass...I want to ride a horse...You can hit my hand...Cousin save me..." He choked and twitched while crying, his breath was choked in his chest and hiccupped .

Li Chengqi had never heard Hua Nu cry like this before, he just felt that the board was hitting him, and he wished he could jump forward and cover Hua Nu under his body.Xue Chongjian's hair was messed up, and his face was covered with sweat in the winter. Suddenly he was struggling, his face touched the ground, his nose became hot, and a stream of blood flowed out.Li Chengqi turned pale with fright, couldn't control himself anymore, stepped up, squatted down and shouted: "Huanu!"

Song Shoujie straightened his sore back slowly, and just finished hitting the twenty boards.

Xue Chongjian covered his painful buttocks with both hands, and cried hoarsely, "Cousin, where are you?"

Li Chengqi felt sore, held up his little face, and said in a low voice: "Cousin is here." Seeing that Xue Chongjian's skin was flushed and bright, with sweat and tears, and now there was a nosebleed, it was really true. It looks like a cat.In his panic, he didn't have time to look for the handkerchief, so he wiped the sleeves of his jacket for him a few times, and was afraid that Xue Chongjian would be exposed to the cold naked, so he carefully covered his trousers, and helped him kneel up.Xue Chongjian cried out in pain. He hugged Li Chengqi's waist, and the nosebleed on his face rubbed against Li Chengqi's chest. He cried loudly in horror, "I'm bleeding! I'm going to die!"

While comforting Li Chengqi in a low voice, he hugged him and continued to wipe his face. Xue Chongjian half-kneeled, with a pair of pupils like glass and black beads, only looking at Li Chengqi, tears streaming from his big eyes Eyes slipped out.Li Chengqi only felt that the tears flowed into his heart, sour and uncomfortable. He didn't know how to comfort Hua Nu, share some pain for him, so he could only murmur: "Hua Nu, don't cry, don't cry .”

Xue Chongjian suddenly pushed Li Chengqi hard, and cried, "You don't even save me! You always let him beat me! You are all bad guys! I want to go home! I want to find my parents!"

Li Chengqi felt a rumble in his heart, as if he had collapsed, he could hold Hua Nu into his arms with his hand, but he could only half-kneel in a daze, looking helplessly at Hua Nu's angry little face.

While crying, Xue Chongjian gasped and put his hands on the ground, as if he wanted to stand up. Li Chengqi supported him, and told a servant: "Send the flower slave back to the dormitory, and give him a cold compress on the wound." Xue Chongjian was caught by the servant Going out with his arms in his arms, Shang cried: "Daddy, come and pick me up quickly, I want to go home..." Li Chengqi stood up, looked at the direction he was going away, and thought silently: When he returns to the palace, he won't see flowers. Are you a slave?Maybe I won't see it tomorrow.

Song Shoujie handed the ruler to one of the servants and said, "You beat it for me!" Although the family background of those young people is prominent, they are all foreign officials, and the servants have no scruples. However, it took a while for more than a dozen people to finish the fight.A few people couldn't stand the pain and wiped away their tears, but they didn't dare to yell like Xue Chongjian.

Li Chengqi stood aside with his eyelids lowered, avoiding his eyes from the brutal execution ground.He even prayed to God to let him become deaf at this moment, unable to hear the sum of the five tones, and unable to distinguish the chapters of the five colors.

Song Shoujie held his hands behind his back, and when he finished beating the board, he said to the young men, "I won't teach new books today, I will go back and copy what I said yesterday fifty times." Although the young men were beaten, fortunately it was only a pain in the skin and flesh, and it did not hinder their walking. They went out one after another with their noses twitching.Song Shoujie sighed softly, and said to the surrounding servants: "You all go down, I will have a few words with His Highness."

There were only two teachers and students left in the hall. The copper crane incense burner in front of the lecture wafted in the incense, and the red light of dragon saliva leaked from the continuous hollowed-out crane feather patterns, vaguely illuminating Li Chengqi's lonely and sad face.His dim eyes were covered with a layer of mist, full of weariness that did not match his age.

Song Shoujie felt a pain in his heart, knowing that he had overcorrected and hurt these pure and good children, but he didn't have time. He originally wanted to subtly teach the truth to the prince, so he could only use such a violent way to make him remember the fastest and deepest .Song Shoujie bowed and said, "Your Highness, please take your seat. I will be teaching His Highness alone today." Li Chengqi glanced at Song Shoujie indifferently, and walked up the white jade steps obediently. Move up.

Song Shoujie stood in front of the lecture, staring at Li Chengqi, slowly closed a book of rites, and said: "Your Highness complains in your heart that your minister is arrogant and dull, or even unreasonable?" Li Chengqi shook his head lightly and said, "Don't dare, Sir, you must have a reason for doing this." He paused, and then said softly: "I only know that even if the board hits Gu, it won't make Gu feel so uncomfortable."

Song Shoujie nodded and said: "Your Highness is pure, kind and benevolent in nature, and I don't want others to suffer for me. This is the luck of the country. I just want to tell Your Highness that common people make mistakes, and they make mistakes; officials make mistakes, and they make mistakes in a county; those who are kings make mistakes. , it will harm a country. Therefore, there is a saying in "Poetry": "Trembling with trembling, as if facing an abyss, as if walking on thin ice."

Li Chengqi recited silently in his mouth: trembling, as if facing an abyss, as if walking on thin ice.He nodded: "I understand."

Song Shoujie said again: "I also want to advise Your Highness, don't be too kind to the people around you, as close as your brothers and sisters, as far as the future ministers, eunuchs, palace ladies and concubines."

Li Chengqi raised his head in surprise, and wondered, "Why is that? Mr. taught Gu Rubao to protect a child."

A slightly wistful smile flickered across the corner of Song Shoujie's mouth, and he said patiently: "That is someone who is invisible to the common people and to His Highness. With an identity like Your Highness, Your Majesty, if you show favor or partiality to someone, you will be fine." He will cause the world's jealousy, slander, flattery, and attachment to him, all of which can kill people, and the so-called accusation by thousands of people will end without a disease, that's what it means."

Li Chengqi felt that his heart was getting heavier and heavier, and his lungs ached. He shook his head and said, "I don't understand."

Song Shoujie said: "Prince Zhanghuai was deposed back then, all the courtiers in the East Palace were punished, Prince Zhanghuai's favorite Zhao Daosheng Gao Zheng and others were killed, Xima Liu Nayan and others were all demoted. If Your Highness does not want these companions today The teenagers you study will become tomorrow's high officials, so don't treat them too well, let alone let them know who you like and admire."

Prince Zhang Huai, his second uncle, this is their family, and it is also a taboo in the entire Tang Dynasty. Li Chengqi is puzzled why Song Shoujie has the courage to mention this name today.Sitting on the empty Chongfu Hall, Li Chengqi saw the faint snowflakes falling outside the hall, and felt chills all over his body. He said in a low voice, "Mr. Huanu and the others, is it just to tell Gu these truths?"

Song Shoujie hardened his heart and nodded slowly.