turmoil

Of course Liu Yanzhao understands the truth that "the king wants his ministers to die, and his ministers have to die", but ever since he met Zhang Jingche, this person has always been cautious and meticulous. Over time, he gave Liu Yanzhao the impression that "he can't do anything". , Suspicions and fears are also growing day by day.

No high-ranking person likes to have an overly smart courtier by his side, because human nature is complicated, and no matter how glamorous a sage is, there will be shady privacy.How terrible would it be if there was such a person by his side, who could pull those dirty and unsightly things into broad daylight with a light glance?

Because of this, although Zhang Jingche's tone was not kind, and even slightly mocking, Liu Yanzhao felt that he was more pitiful and cute than usual.

"It turns out that he is not omnipotent," Liu Yanzhao couldn't help thinking, "He will lose his temper when he is wronged... That's right, after all, he is just a person who has just reached the weak crown. Be childish."

Thinking of it this way, Liu Yanzhao rarely felt a little pity, and when he bowed his head again, he finally found the last trace of beauty that had been covered up by prejudice in the past.

"Since this trip can't be avoided, I can only make a hard trip for you." Liu Yanzhao's tone was much gentler, and he sighed half helplessly and half gratefully, "Fortunately, this trip is accompanied by a distant boat, so you don't have to worry about anything. , go and take a look and come back, I'm really angry, after returning to Beijing, I'll let you decide..."

I don't know if he was overthinking it, but Zhang Jingche always felt that Donggong's tone this night was a bit strange.

The next moment, the ominous premonition was confirmed, and Liu Yanzhao suddenly stretched out his hand and rubbed Zhang Jingche's cheek pitifully, relying on his drunkenness: "Can't you change your stinky and stubborn temper? I protect you alone, but which old fox in the officialdom is easy to get along with? Don't let the boat capsize in the gutter one day, even if you want to protect you alone, you will not be able to protect you."

Before Zhang Jingche had time to sneer, goosebumps exploded all over his body, only to feel that the wrist held by Liu Yanzhao was on fire.Although he was born beautiful, he was always regarded as a "domestic pet and sycophant", but he had never thought about this aspect, he couldn't hold back, and finally struggled.

Liu Yanzhao only thought that he wanted to refuse to return the welcome, and when the spirit of wine came up, he felt tenderness, and actually pulled his collar: "Let Gu see..."

All the wine that Zhang Jingche drank turned into cold sweat, gushing out from his pores, and with all his strength, he swallowed back the sentence "Look at you grandson".

"I heard that because of what happened last time, Lu Xiang gave you a lot of embarrassment, and even rewarded you with an excuse?" Liu Yanzhao's eyes darkened, "Let Gu see, the wound is healed? How many wounds are there? The good wound medicine on the bottle, I will bring it to you later..."

Zhang Jingche became more and more horrified the more he heard it, and tried his best to protect his clothes: "Your Highness, you drank too much...please let go!"

You Yunwei was originally founded by the East Palace, but now the main lord is in the courtyard, no one dares to come forward, and they all hide far away in the corridor, thinking that they are clay sculptures that can breathe.Maybe it was the onset of alcohol, or maybe it was just anger from embarrassment, Zhang Jingche's cheeks were flushed brightly, and the beauty became more and more beautiful.

Liu Yanzhao felt that he might be really drunk, his heart beat wildly uncontrollably, and there was an unexplained hotness.His tone became more and more gentle, coaxing half pity and half emotion: "Gu knows your heart, Gu will fulfill you today, okay?"

Zhang Jingche was stunned, he didn't understand what the hell his intentions were, and he didn't know that Liu Yanzhao knew what the hell!

Seeing that the current crown prince's subordinates became more and more unruly, Zhang Jingche finally couldn't bear it any longer. With his only free hand, he groped for the flagon and poured it on his head.

The wine drenched Liu Yanzhao's head, and was blown by the night wind, immediately chilling his bones.Liu Yanzhao couldn't help being stunned, Zhang Jingche took the opportunity to forcefully push him away, quickly took a few steps back, and tidied up the part of his clothes that had been pulled open without any trace.

"Your Highness, please respect yourself!" Zhang Jingche said coldly, "It is late at night and the dew is heavy. Your Highness is the crown prince, so you shouldn't delay outside. Please return to the palace as soon as possible!"

Liu Yanzhao was taken aback: "You..."

Zhang Jingche knew that he should act as if nothing had happened, but the humiliation was too heavy for him, and he couldn't bear it, his side face was stretched into a sharp arc like a knife, the blood on his cheeks spread all the way, entangled with the whites of his eyes inseparably: Like floating weeds and catkins, but also knows how to write the word self-love...Your Highness, please respect yourself!"

He slammed down every single word, like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, completely extinguishing the prince's passion for drinking.He stood blankly for a while, and finally came to his senses, realizing that he might have misunderstood something, his face turned pale and uncertain.

Zhang Jingche lowered his eyes and bowed in salute: "It's late at night, and I'm sending you off to Your Highness respectfully."

Liu Yanzhao's eyes were cold and cold, he flicked his sleeves for a while, and went away with an ugly expression.

Because of this oolong, Zhang Jingche didn't sleep well all night. If it wasn't for his sister who had already married into the Eastern Palace, he would have wished to leave immediately, as far away as possible.Fortunately, within a few days, the day of departure arrived. Zhang Jingche left Beijing in a low-key manner, met Yang Fan, Marquis of Dingbian outside the city, and went south together.

Liu Yanzhao made an oolong, and was reprimanded unceremoniously by Zhang Jingche. After returning to the East Palace, his complexion was not very good for several days.When the nameless fire subsided, and when reason came to light again, the culprit who disturbed people's mind had already left Beijing, and Liu Yanzhao couldn't find the real culprit even if he tried to find a reason.

Thinking of the dangers of this business, Liu Yanzhao finally couldn't care less about being annoyed, and his heart seemed to be caught by something, and he tightened faintly.He is the crown prince, although he is restrained by King Ping, he is a noble man after all, loved by his parents when he was young, and followed by fans when he is an adult, as time goes by, let alone calling for the wind and rain, he has never tasted the feeling of "get what you ask for".

Unexpectedly, this encounter hit the iron plate, and the dignified son and phoenix actually saw the cold rejection in the grass mustard eyes as small as Mo Shangchen.

It was both fresh and embarrassing, and aftertaste, there was even a hint of yearning that could not be stopped.

At the same time, Zhang Jingche and Yang Fan had already left Beijing thousands of miles away, heading south by boat from the Tonghui River. The peach blossoms dipped in the water and the willows and greenery were clearly visible on both banks.These two had a friendship when they were in Northern Xinjiang, but this time when they went out, they didn't look up and down. After getting along for a long time, they had a different kind of speculation.

After traveling like this for several days, the light boat had already passed Ten Thousand Mountains. Seeing that Yangzhou City was close in front of him, Zhang Jingche ordered his servants to come ashore and change their horses. The Youyun guards who accompanied him were divided into two groups, one went south with the official boat, and the other followed Zhang Jingche to Luzhou The territory went.

Yang Fan was a little puzzled at first, but after thinking about it for a while, he understood Zhang Jingche's intention: "Are you planning to play tricks on Chen Cang?"

Zhang Jingche acquiesced with a smile.

Obviously, he had prepared for a long time. After the group went ashore, they changed into merchants' clothes. They only said that they were merchants from the north, and they went to the south to buy spices and Hepu beads.Yang Fan was wearing a brocade gown, and he looked like a dandy from a wealthy family. He used the excuse of being a showman and did not ride a horse, so he went straight into Zhang Jingche's carriage and shouted familiarly: "Make a cup of tea for the young master!"

The corners of Zhang Jingche's eyes twitched, and he snapped back without hesitation: "You're not a second-class disabled, are you looking at those long hands?"

Yang Fan didn't understand what "second-class disabled" meant, but he knew that Zhang Jingche was mocking him.He was born in the Marquis Mansion with a high status, although he was born with a teasing mouth, it is rare for someone to accompany him to show off his quick tongue.Along the way, the two have often faced each other tit for tat, Marquis Ding Bian didn't think he was disobedient, on the contrary, he was a little happy to meet his opponent.

He grinned, opened his hands and feet wildly, and put an arm on Zhang Jingche's shoulder, intentionally or not, like a boneless: "Isn't this a play you arranged for me? Since Benhou is pretending to be a playboy, of course there must be The look of a dude!"

Zhang Jingche took out a folding fan from his sleeve, and unceremoniously tapped on Yang's wrist: "Master Hou is too modest, you don't have to make a fuss, just stop there and everyone will hate ghosts!"

Zhang Jingche didn't have strong muscles in his hands, but he was extremely accurate in recognizing acupoints. The fan hit Yang Fan's numbness, and half of his arm went limp immediately.Yang Fan suffered a dark loss, so he had no choice but to withdraw his hand angrily, and saw Zhang Jingche spread out his fan, shaking it as motionless as a mountain.

It was also a bamboo fractured fan. After countless people played with it, the bamboo bones glowed as warm and moist as jade.The fan is painted with tens of thousands of hectares of pines and valleys, and four lines of poems are inscribed in the blank space: the green pines are in the East Garden, the grasses have no shape, the frost casts down the strange species, and the tall branches stand out.

Yang Fan rubbed his chin, stared at the fan for a long time in a daze: "This fan... who gave it to you?"

Zhang Jingche put away the folding fan with a "swipe", and said calmly, "Can't I write the question myself?"

Yang Fan frowned, and fell into deep thought: "You didn't write it yourself... This handwriting looks familiar, I seem to have seen it somewhere."

Zhang Jingche glanced at him, but said nothing.

Luzhou is one of the eighteen prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River. From here, you can truly enter the boundary of the south of the Yangtze River.Since ancient times, the style of writing in Luzhou has been prevalent, and there are countless Jinshi and ranks. Walking on the streets paved with bluestones, you will be greeted by the timeless and romantic atmosphere of the ancient city. If you meet a passerby, you may be a scholar in elegant gowns.

Yang Fan lifted the car curtain halfway, looked out twice, and said in surprise: "Didn't it mean that there was a catastrophe in the south of the Yangtze River? I think this place is very prosperous, and there doesn't seem to be any signs of disaster!"

Zhang Jingche closed his eyes slightly, and said in a calm tone: "Luzhou is a big city. Although it is not as prosperous as Suzhou and Hangzhou, it is a place where literature and ink flourish. No matter how bad Li Wenbin is, he still has to do his best on the outside. After leaving Luzhou, go to a remote place. If you go to some villages and towns, Lord Hou will be able to see the clues."

Yang Fan raised his eyebrows: "You seem to be very familiar with these unhealthy practices of being an official?"

Zhang Jingche smiled lightly, but said nothing.

Yang Fan became more and more curious. Knowing that people didn't want to talk to him, he insisted on teasing him: "Since there is no abnormality in the city, why are you making this trip? Is it possible that you want to get a taste of the culture of Luzhou City and go there in the future?" Take a Jinshi exam?"

Zhang Jingche's face sank slightly, and after a while, he opened his eyes, and found that Yang Fan was still staring at him, entangled by this Marquis Dingbian, so he could only say in a low voice, "It's all about visiting old friends."

Yang Fan couldn't help being taken aback.

The group found a small inn to settle down. Zhang Jingche changed into a plain shirt and green clothes, and brought two Youyun Guards with him. He planned to go out quietly, but he was blocked by Yang Fan as soon as he arrived at the entrance of the inn.

"Hey, I've changed my clothes. Is this going to go out?" The annoying Dingbianhou bent his eyes and said with a half-smile, "Since we are visiting old friends, how about...together?"

Zhang Jingche took half a step back and said with a pun, "Master Hou and I may not be the same people."

Yang Fan stretched out his hand to hook, and the two brothers wrapped their arms around Zhang Jingche's neck nicely, and dragged him over: "Don't be so sure, maybe we are going to the same goal by different routes!"

Zhang Jingche really couldn't figure out what kind of medicine this Marquis Dingbian had taken wrongly. When he came back from the north at the beginning of the year, he still hated him in every possible way, and he didn't even bother to say a few words.Now it's getting on the pole and moving forward, and it can't be torn off like brown sugar.

After all, Marquis Yang has a high status, and Zhang Tongzhi has nothing to do with him, so he can only let him follow.

The group didn't take the car, so they asked passers-by and found a remote street.There is only one family in the alley. Although the courtyard is not small, the door is quite old. There are dense ancient cypresses protruding from the wall, and there is a trace of tranquility in the seclusion.

Zhang Jingche went up the steps and knocked on the door. After a while, a man with the appearance of an old servant opened the door: "You are..."

Zhang Jingche cupped his hands and saluted: "Dare to ask, is this the royal residence?"

The old servant hesitated and said, "My master's surname is Wang, may I ask you..."

Before Zhang Jingche could speak, Yang Fan behind him rushed to ask, "Wang's residence? Is it Wang Wenzhao's Grand Scholar?"

Wang Wenzhao was the No. [-] scholar in the third year of Taiping. Needless to say, his talent and learning are even stronger than his talent and learning is his honest and bad temper.Emperor Taiping held him in high regard, and once appointed him as a Hanlin scholar to teach a group of princes.Marquis Dingbian, as an accompanying student in the East Palace, also studied under the seat of Wang Dashi, and has the status of master and apprentice.

He glanced at Zhang Jingche, and finally remembered that the poems on the bamboo bone fan were in the handwriting of Grand Master Wang.

The old servant nodded, and said again: "Dare to ask the two of you..."

Zhang Jingche bowed, with an extremely respectful expression: "I have been instructed by the University Master Wang, and I can be regarded as half of his students... When the teacher died of illness, I was far away in Beijing. I have always regretted that I couldn't come to express my condolences. This time I went through Lu Zhoucheng, come here to pay homage to one or two."

Only then did the old servant suddenly realize: "So that's the case, please come in, both of you."

Wang Wenzhao was knowledgeable and had a good temper. Back then, Yang Fan was a brat who hated dogs, and when he was listening to lectures in Wang Dashi's hall, he often got kicked.The bear kid is ignorant, he feels angry, and he always tries every means to get back his position. Since then, he has lived a life of fighting wits and courage with his teacher... Now that I think about it, it seems like a lifetime ago.

Wang Dashi's ancestral home was in Luzhou. He passed away due to illness three years ago. His son Fu Ling returned to his hometown, and his coffin was buried in Wang's ancestral grave.Zhang Jingche walked through the courtyard, and saw that the courtyard was old and in disrepair, so he knew that no one from the Wang family lived here, and only a few old servants guarded the lonely courtyard.

The old servant led the two of them to the gate of the ancestral hall, and then went to do his own business. Zhang Jingche ignored their negligence, walked up the stone steps, and pushed open the gate of the ancestral hall. Being excluded, it became a two-part boundary between yin and yang.

Zhang Jingche raised his head and saw the large characters "Test the prince's taboo Wenzhao first" written on the tablet of the incense case. He immediately pulled up his clothes and knelt down, and knocked his head three times in an upright manner.

He straightened up, and saw that Dingbianhou, who always pretended to be out of shape, also knelt down, with a respectful and solemn expression on his face, and also kowtowed three times.

"In the 17th year of Taiping, Master Wang received the grace to be sent to study politics in Anhui, and presided over the rural examination that year," Yang Fan said indifferently, "You said that you were taught under the seat of Master Wang, so it should be in that year. ?”

Zhang Jingche didn't say anything.

"A province's academic and political rank is not high, but the future is not small, because the spring and autumn are presided over by the Xuezheng every year. To be honest, all the students in a province are students of the Xuezheng," Yang Fan said in a low voice. Mr. Wang sent him to Anhui, where the literary style is the most flourishing, to be an academic and political officer, just to let him accumulate some qualifications, and after two years, he will be transferred back to Beijing, and he will be able to join the cabinet as a minister."

Zhang Jingche closed his eyes, his fingertips trembling slightly.

Yang Fan sighed, and suddenly asked: "Master Wang has always been in good health, do you know why he died of illness?"