Opposite the entrance hall

The spring rain is accompanied by thunder, and everything is dormant.The wind leaves no trace, the leaves are green and the flowers are red.

The first thunder in spring fell, crackling on the branches and leaves, and splashing mud, sand and dust all over the ground, soaking the blue bricks and stone tiles.

The thunderstorm lasted all night and did not stop until dawn the next day. The green tiles on the eaves were washed clean by the rain, and even a speck of dust could not be seen.

It was originally peaceful and peaceful, but the Taifu's mansion was filled with people on their backs and hurried footsteps. Many people crowded into a courtyard, watching pots of blood stained red coming out of the closed room. He dared to stop and trot all the way, and almost bumped into it when he turned the corner. The hot water in the basin spilled out and wet his clothes, but he didn't care to check his injuries and hurried away, people came and went, and it was a mess.

The sound was noisy, but there was no movement in the room.

Zhong Quyun's eyes were red and there was no blood on his face, he just stared at the door, his mind was filled with images of Fang Qingrong being carried back, his body was covered in blood, and there was no sound as if he had stopped breathing. The picture floated in front of her eyes for a long time, making her heart tremble a little.

"Sister-in-law has also been watching all night, why don't you go rest and have some hot tea, I'm here." Qi Kuangshan's clothes were wet from the rain, and he had dried a lot at this time, but it was still a little damp. In the past, he stood for a whole night in the cold night, his complexion was a little pale, and his pupils were bloodshot.

He and Fang Qingrong both studied under the old master Xu, they were classmates, so their relationship was naturally closer than others, and they were also familiar with Zhong Quyun.

Zhong Quyun just shook his head when he heard the words, "I can't sleep because of this, I'll just wait here, and I can help if I have anything to do. I have to watch him wake up with my own eyes, so I can feel at ease."

Seeing that he couldn't be persuaded, Qi Kuangshan didn't force him, he just sighed and walked to the side, he looked at the bird nesting in the tree, flapping its wings and shuttled between the branches, the bird's beak made a sound, and the wings flapped Almost a feather fluttered down.

Emperor Chengde stood in front of the window, looked away from the two fighting sparrows on the tree, and asked in a light tone: "What's the matter?"

The tone could not be heard to be filled with joy, anger or anxiety. Sun Hai was a little undecided. He carefully chose his words and said, "I haven't woken up yet, but the imperial doctors from the Imperial Hospital have all gone to the Imperial Tutor's Mansion, and the Resurrection Pill was also delivered as His Majesty ordered. In the past, all kinds of rare medicinal materials were brought to Taifu's mansion, and the imperial doctor also said that it was just stagnation in his heart and overwork, plus he was exposed to rain, cold and hurt his head, and there was nothing serious about it. Aspects of the sky, you will be able to overcome the dangers and turn them into good fortunes, Your Majesty, take care of the dragon's body and don't overwhelm your nerves, you haven't slept all night, don't be tired."

Emperor Chengde closed his eyes and suddenly remembered last night. Last night was so chaotic. Three thousand students from the Imperial College knelt in front of the Suzaku gate to ask for an explanation for five thousand craftsmen. They are belittling Tianwei, ignoring the imperial power and god-given, and if they continue to quarrel, no matter who they are, they will have to despise him as the emperor and point their noses at him and curse a few words to relieve their anger.

There was a lot of trouble outside the palace, and it didn't stop in the palace. Emperor Chengde was furious at the accusations. The ministers of the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Industry were all kneeling outside the palace, and the memorials on the desk were thrown all over the floor. It wasn't that Yang Yongtai and Sun Hai stopped him and had to deal with those students.

Sangong came at this time, and stood in a row as if they had made an appointment. The unkind posture of the visitors made Emperor Chengde's suppressed anger surge up again, even worse than before, "Why? , are you here to force me too!"

Fang Qingrong and Qi Kuangshan looked at each other, and said in unison: "I dare not."

"Don't dare? I think you are very brave!"

The atmosphere was a bit tense. Seeing that Emperor Chengde was about to get angry, Yan Shizheng quickly calmed down the situation, "Your Majesty calm down, Your Majesty calm down, the minister and Qi Xiangfang Taifu did not enter the palace to force His Majesty to do anything, but this happened suddenly , I asked the craftsmen under the roof that they have not been rescued yet, and now these three thousand students are kneeling outside the palace gate again. If this trouble continues, it will not end well. I am here to discuss with His Majesty, how to find a solution to this matter Fazi, after all, those kneeling outside are literati and students, the future pillars of the Jin Dynasty..."

"The pillar of the country?" Yan Shizheng was interrupted by Emperor Chengde when he slapped the table before he finished speaking. Yes! Faintness and inaction, harming the sage of the ancestors, disregarding the people of the world, disregarding the fate of the Jin Dynasty! Tell me, which pillar of the country can say such rebellious words, this is not loyalty, this is a traitor, and should be punished on the spot Of!"

"Your Majesty!" Qi Kuangshan's complexion changed, and he hastily dissuaded him, "No way, although these three thousand students used words to provoke a little anger, they didn't have bad intentions, and they thought and thought for the sake of Jin, for Your Majesty, Your Majesty is doing this. Are you going to cool the hearts of scholars all over the world!"

"I spend money to support the group of people in the Imperial College, not to let them point at my nose and scold me for fun. I don't care about the law and discipline. Is there any emperor in my eyes! A group of students talk about state affairs and insult the emperor. Who gave them this?" Courage?" Emperor Chengde roared, the veins on his forehead popped up, it was not difficult to see how angry he was.

The scene became more and more anxious, Yan Shizheng rolled up his sleeves and wiped the sweat from his forehead before slowly opening his mouth, "These students are still young, so it's inevitable that they don't know what is good or bad. If you have to lose your life because of this, let's not talk about it." What do the literati in the world think? They say that the records in the history books are also inappropriate for His Majesty's reputation. Take a step back and say that even if this can stop the mouth of the historian, it can't stop the mouths of the world. Your Majesty is just angry, but this matter is absolutely No way."

Emperor Chengde pursed his lips. He said those words because he was very angry. In fact, he didn't know that these three thousand students couldn't move, and they regretted after speaking, but there was no reason to take back what they said. Now Yan Shizheng He was given a step down, and he simply went down, but he couldn't swallow the breath in his heart, and said in thought: "Do as you say, but this matter can't just go through like this, the death penalty can avoid the life penalty. Forgive me, if I didn't punish them to make an example, everyone would be able to insult me ​​in front of me in the future, and that would be detrimental to the Royal Heavenly Prestige."

After the words fell, Emperor Chengde turned around and glanced at Sun Hai, "Go ahead and pass on a message. The increase in the salary of the Imperial College is an explanation, but the three thousand students have to go to prison for two or three days. They have a long memory, and they know what to say and what not to say in the future, and this matter is over."

"His Majesty……"

Before Qi Kuangshan finished speaking, he was interrupted by Emperor Chengde, "What, Prime Minister Qi thinks three days are too short?"

Hearing this, Qi Kuangshan clenched his fist and had to give up, but his heart was still anxious. It seemed the most appropriate way to have rewards and punishments, but the three thousand students were still young, and they were feeble scholars with no strength to restrain them. That imperial prison is a place where people can eat people without spitting out their bones. It is not a place where people can stay. If they are weaker, they may have to confess their lives there. This is a situation where life and death are unpredictable.

Everyone had different thoughts. Fang Qingrong, who had been silent all this time, knelt down. He sighed in his heart, took off his official hat and placed it directly in front of him, and kowtowed heavily. Seeing this, Emperor Chengde's face changed, Yan Shizheng hurriedly rushed over, making a gesture to pull Fang Qingrong up, but the latter just brushed away his five fingers on his arm, and kowtowed heavily.

"Your Majesty," Fang Qingrong said warmly, "The late emperor appointed me as the Grand Tutor of a country, not just because I have taught Your Majesty to teach the princes and grandchildren, but because I value the conduct and knowledge of my ministers, and hope that I can be a model of scholars in the world. , Lead by example, correct your clothes, these ministers have been self-denying, observing etiquette and conscientiously working hard all these years, not daring to relax for a day, for fear that Fang Qingrong will not be a model of literati, go against the good intentions of the late emperor, and also lose the face of the late teacher."

If Emperor Chengde didn't understand Fang Qingrong's intentions at the beginning, but later on he gradually understood, his face was gloomy, full of calm before the storm, as if he would be furious the next moment.

Fang Qingrong kowtowed again before continuing: "I am also responsible for today's matter. I did not lead by example, restraint, and set an example. In terms of it, I should be punished. This minister is not qualified to be a Grand Tutor, Your Majesty!"

Chengde Emperor Qi's eyes were red, he walked back and forth a few steps, kicked over an incense burner, turned around suddenly and pointed at Fang Qingrong furiously, his tone was full of irresistible anger, "Fang Qingrong! You think you are the first Grand Tutor appointed by the emperor, can I not touch you!"

"I don't dare to think like this. The king is the king, and the minister is the minister. The king let the minister die, and the minister has to die. Everything the minister has gained now is the appreciation of the late emperor. Your majesty is the emperor of the Jin Dynasty. If you are loyal to the Jin Dynasty, you should be loyal to the emperor." Your Majesty, it's just that the minister of the Grand Tutor knows that he is ashamed and cannot bear this burden, so he asks His Majesty for his permission to let him return to his hometown."

Speaking of this, Fang Qingrong raised his arms high, folded his hands in front of him, touched his forehead to the ground, and bowed respectfully, "Please Your Majesty for your permission!"

"Fang Qingrong!" Emperor Chengde roared angrily, "Are you forcing me to resign from office!"

"Your Majesty, don't dare," Fang Qingrong still maintained this saluting posture, his voice was not in a hurry, and he could not hear the slightest panic or tension, as if he was chatting in ordinary times, "I am taking a gamble. On the face of Duke Qi Xiangzhen, he begged His Majesty to think twice, spare the three thousand students outside, and don't let the people of the world say that Your Majesty..."

The voice stopped, Fang Qingrong raised his eyes slowly, looked directly at the man in the dragon robe in front of him, and finished the following words word by word, "Cruel and bossy, fatuous and senseless!"

As the voice fell, needles could be heard in the hall. Everyone's eyes widened, and they didn't even dare to pant louder. They just pursed their lips tightly, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

"Heh." Emperor Chengde laughed back angrily, and sneered.

Qi Kuangshan was sweating anxiously, and his heart hung up, and he said anxiously: "Your Majesty, Taifu Fang is thinking of His Majesty. Although these three thousand students despise Tianwei a little, they are loyal after all. Thinking about the Great Jin Dynasty, thinking about His Majesty's, they are all frail scholars, they can't stand the dark and damp prison, not to mention the imperial examination is coming soon, the laws of the Great Jin Dynasty stipulate that students who have been imprisoned will be stained It is impossible for them to take the imperial examination, Your Majesty is ruining their official career, I hope Your Majesty will think twice!"

"Foolish, cruel," Emperor Chengde repeated with a cold face, his face was cloudy and uncertain, he just bit down these words carefully and repeated, "Well said, well said, well said!"

Repeating it three times in a row made Yan Shizheng sweat more on his forehead. He knew in his heart that this master was not a kind master when he was a prince. Now that he is an emperor, especially during this period Ri didn't know what was wrong, he was even more moody, he couldn't make up his mind for a while, he didn't know what to do, just about to say a few words of dissuasion, he heard Emperor Chengde speak again:

"Since you want to kneel, then kneel. Maybe when you kneel until I am satisfied, this matter can be turned around."

After saying that, he flung his sleeves and left in a huff. Fang Qingrong's eyes darkened a little, he straightened up and knelt like this, Qi Kuangshan looked at the direction in which Emperor Chengde was leaving, heaved a long sigh, lifted the hem of his robe, and knelt down, Fang Qingrong glanced at him sideways, and the latter just smiled, "This reminds me of the time when I was punished by the teacher to kneel when I competed with you."

The teacher in the words is the late Mrs. Xu, who is also the mentor of the two.

The two looked at each other and laughed out loud, the laughter was magnanimous and fearless, joyful and comfortable, as if they were not kneeling but walking recklessly against the wind, they were under the same teacher, they had the same temperament in their bones, the teacher taught them It was once said that when they are asked to enter the court as officials, they must remember that officials establish orders for heaven and earth, legislate for people's livelihood, and stand for the prosperity and peace of the Great Jin Dynasty.

If the fortunes of the country are prosperous and the monarchs are wise, then what they have to do is to guard the rivers and seas, and inherit the rivers and mountains in this prosperous age; Sharp, but expect blood from the knife.

Compared with the relationship between the two, Yan Shizheng is naturally not as deep as the friendship between the same classmate, but he is also one of the three men. He didn't want to go into this muddy water, but he caught a glimpse of the two kneeling upright figures from the corner of his eye, and gritted his teeth She had no choice but to kneel beside Qi Kuangshan.

"Duke Zhen, you..." Qi Kuangshan hesitated to speak.

"Forget it, let's give up your life to accompany the gentleman. These 3000 people are really going to be imprisoned. I feel sorry for what happened in the prison." Yan Shizheng said angrily, "By the way, set an example for my little bastard. , I also hope that he will become a talent in the future."

The two people on the side had heard about the troublesome temperament of the young master of the Duke of Zhen's mansion, and they burst out laughing upon hearing this.

But in the end, things didn't go as planned, and things didn't go so smoothly. Fang Qingrong was already unwell and his old illness was not healed. Dizzy's body became hot, and everything he could see was covered with a misty black veil. In the end, one of them lost his balance and passed out. His head just happened to hit the red copper tripod of Jiulong Tengyun beside him, and blood gushed out immediately. .

The blood smeared his eyes, dripped all over his face, sticky and moist, and the last second when his consciousness faded, all he saw was Qi Kuangshan's panic-stricken face, with his lips opening and closing, he didn't know what to say.

Thinking of this, Emperor Chengde looked back at the red copper tripod. The blood stains on it had been cleaned up, and there was nothing to see. He sighed for a long time as if talking to himself and asked: "How many days have I lived?" I can't control myself anymore, it's like a beast is hiding in my heart, my head hurts when I hear those voices, I wish I could kill everyone."

Sun Hai didn't dare to answer rashly, he hesitated for a while before speaking: "Your Majesty's temperament is indeed different from before, and sometimes even this old slave can't quite understand."

This person has been with Emperor Chengde for twenty or thirty years, if even Sun Hai feels that he has become moody, let alone other people.

Emperor Chengde remained silent, continued to look out the window, and then spoke again after a while, "Go and call Yan Yi, let him show me, and give me a calm prescription to suppress me." This restlessness."

"Yes."

After Sun Hai saluted, he was about to leave to make arrangements, but just after taking two steps, Emperor Chengde behind him suddenly changed his words, "Forget it, let's call Zeng Mingxi."

"Don't call Master Yan anymore?" Sun Hai was a little surprised. After all, since Yan Yi came, Yan Yi came to see Emperor Chengde's illness, no matter how big or small, and even the Anshenxiang was prepared by Yan Yi himself.

Emperor Chengde looked out of the window and could only see his side face, but he couldn't see the expression on his face clearly, so he just said in a flat tone: "No, don't call him in the future, just give him a position in the imperial hospital. .”

The most taboo of a slave is to speculate on his master's mind. Although Sun Hai had doubts, he knew that he should not talk too much, so he responded repeatedly and walked out.

When the footsteps went away, Emperor Chengde turned around and looked at the quiet, empty and deserted palace. It was full of splendor and splendor everywhere, and it was bright in the eyes, but it was so quiet that it seemed that no sound could be heard. It was terrifyingly quiet and frightening. He lowered his eyes and said as if talking to himself: "This palace is too deserted."

The voice was very soft, covered by the chirping sparrows outside the window. The two sparrows were arguing over a worm, pecking at each other's feathers, and they looked so aggressive that they wanted to get rid of each other quickly. People died for money, and birds died for food. , As long as there is a conflict of interest, there will be a fight. This has been the case since ancient times.

The chirping sound was interrupted by a hurried footstep, and the sparrows flapped their wings in all directions in fright, until a figure ran past their resting subordinates, and the man ran to the back door in a blink of an eye. After getting closer, he could see his face clearly, it was the first day of junior high school, he opened the door and poked his head out to look around, and saw Qi Ran waiting not far away.

Qi Ran also saw him, walked over quickly and said anxiously: "Has your lord come back?"

"I was called away by Lord Du in the middle of the night, and I haven't come back yet," Chu Yi shook his head in a daze, and finally asked, "Master Qi, what happened? Could it be that something happened to my lord."

Seeing the man's sudden panic, Qi Ran pursed his lips, "Don't worry that he's fine, but I've got something to do with him, if he comes back, you can ask someone to go to the Qi Mansion and let me know."

Chu nodded in response, and asked again, "Master Qi, is something wrong, do you want my help?"

What happened?

Qi Ran can't answer this question. Too many things happened last night. When we got together today, I heard that Fang Taifu fainted in front of the palace. Taifu's mansion stayed guarded all night, and he didn't know what the situation was, but he guessed it was not very optimistic.

He knew from other people that the three thousand students who made trouble in the Imperial College last night were persuaded by Ji Si, guessing that Mr. Fang's accident happened, Ji Si must have known about it, and Ji Si regarded Mr. Fang as both a teacher, a father and a friend. He must have been very uncomfortable and worried, so he complained to Dali Temple, thinking he would come to find him first, but there was no one in the household department yamen, and there was no one in the Jifu, so where did he go after he didn't return all night?

Qi Ran was worried, and when he heard the question from the first day of junior high school, he just evaded it, "It's nothing serious, please wait and let me know if there is any news."

On the first day of the first day of the junior high school, he was holding on to the edge of the door, feeling worried, knowing that something serious must have happened, but also knowing that he couldn't solve it, all he could do was sigh a long time, and stay in the mansion with peace of mind and not go out to cause trouble.

After saying that, he left in a hurry.

Coming out of the alley at the back door of Ji's mansion, Qi Ran was suddenly a little dazed, he didn't know where to look for Ji Si, he frowned and pondered for a while, then turned his head and walked to another place.

Fang Qingrong was carried back covered in blood at the dawn of genius, and the Taifu's mansion was turned into a mess. Qi Ran didn't go in, but surrounded him, and finally found someone at a remote stone staircase, repaired by the stone staircase. It is very narrow, but two or three steps can only allow one person to pass through. The person he has been looking for for a long time is covered in mud and water is still dripping from the tip of his hair. He just sits on the stone steps in a daze, looking up at the Taifu's mansion with empty eyes. The camphor tree sticking out was very quiet.

Qi Ran stood not far away and took a look. Seeing that this person didn't even look at him, he had no choice but to walk up, squatted halfway in front of Ji Si, rolled up his sleeves and gently wiped the dirt on Ji Si's face, and then I pulled my hands and wiped them clean. I don't know how long I had been frozen in the rain. When I first grasped these hands, it was like holding two ice hooks. The cold person was shocked, and it took a while to get used to it.

He wiped it very seriously, with his eyes half downcast as if he was doing something important, and he didn't dare to neglect it at all. He wiped it from the crevices of his fingers to the palm of his palm, and finally spread his hands and took a breath of hot air with his own hands Wrap it up and wait for the cold to dissipate a little bit.

The coolness gradually dissipated, and a little bit of warmth spread from the grip. Ji Si's eyelids trembled slightly and his fingers unconsciously moved. He tried to move his neck, which was a little sore, and turned his dilated pupils a few times before meeting Qi Ran. superior.

"Qi Ran..." he said, his voice was hoarse like a traveler who hasn't drunk water for a long time in the desert.

"I'm here." Qi Ran clenched his warm hand a little more.

"What time is it?" Ji Si asked again.

"It's almost noon." Qi Ran replied in a gentle tone.

"How did you find this place?" Ji Si raised his lips, showing a forced smile.

"I went to the Household Yamen and the Ji Mansion, but I didn't find you, so I came here," Qi Ran asked, "How long have you been sitting?"

"Not long, I'm going back if you don't come."

Qi Ran pursed his lips and did not expose this person's lies.

Ji Si felt that Qi Ran was always out of his wits in front of Qi Ran, and he could tell such superfluous lies. Fortunately, Qi Ran had never been aggressive. It looks very cute.

He continued to look at the leafy camphor tree, sighed and asked, "Will the teacher die?"

This question made Qi Ran stunned, and shook his head after thinking for a while, "No."

"really?"

"will not."

Qi Ran's gaze was firm and heavy, and he just looked straight into Ji Si's eyes. Driven by his earnestness, Ji Si's hanging heart seemed to calm down, and he felt that everything was not what he thought. So complex and difficult, can be easily solved.

I don't know if it's Qi Ran's unforeseen prophet, or Fang Qingrong's fate, but he actually survived the ghost gate. He woke up in the evening of the next day. It rained all day yesterday, but today is a rare sunny day, with an orange sunset The afterglow penetrated into the room through the window lattice, reflecting the flickering light and shadow on the ground, and a few slender rays of light shone on the bed, and if you look through the light, you can still see the dust floating in it.

The eyelids of the person on the bed moved, and he slowly opened his eyes. His unfocused pupils were full of bewilderment. It took him a while to get used to the harsh light. After seeing the surrounding scenery clearly, his eyes turned around in the room. Quan realized that he was in his own room, and subconsciously wanted to move his body, but he felt pressed when he tried to raise his hand, so he lowered his eyes and looked at the person who was sleeping on the bedside.

Zhong Quyun seemed to have stayed here for a long time, his eyes were a little red and swollen, his lips were even more dry, and the brows that were tightly frowned in his sleep did not relax, as if he became tired overnight, Fang Qingrong looked like this Feeling extremely distressed, she raised her hand to soothe the uneasiness between her brows.

At this moment, Zhong Quyun opened his eyes as if feeling something, and looked at Fang Qingrong, who was bloodless. The latter lightly moved the broken hair from the temples to the back of her head, and said in a hoarse voice: " How can I sleep here, and I will catch a cold again in a while."

His voice was hoarse and ugly, and every word seemed to be forced out of the cracks, but Zhong Quyun's eyes were still red, but in the end he didn't cry out, just smiled in relief , "Just wake up, just wake up!"

"I made you worry," Fang Qingrong raised his pale lips a little, and smiled at others: "I'm fine, I can't bear to leave you alone in this world."

Just one sentence, Zhong Quyun held back the tears for a long time, the big teardrops slid down his face one after another, Fang Qingrong still had a slight smile on his face, and gently wiped away the teardrops with his fingertips, With a warm voice in his mouth, he kept repeating "Don't cry, don't cry, if you cry again, I will cry with you..."

There was no trace of impatience in his tone, just like the decades of acquaintance and love, he was not the respected Taifu of Dajin, but just the mischievous Fang Qingrong from the teacher's family hired by the Zhongfu.

It didn't take long for Fang Qingrong to wake up and the news spread. Immediately, several families were happy and others were sad, and Emperor Chengde's heart finally sank, and he sent Sun Hai to the Taifu's residence to send many rare medicinal materials and Nourishing good products, although he did not show his face, he has already shown his affection. It is not difficult to see the respect and attention of the other party's Taifu.

It's just that Fang Qingrong didn't know how to deal with the Guozijian after he fainted, and this matter has been hanging in his mind all the time. It was when Qi Kuangshan came to visit him the next day that he told him that the emperor didn't deal with the three thousand students from the Guozijian. Withholding a year's salary is to give them a longer memory, if they are still so impulsive and reckless in the future, they will cause trouble sooner or later.

And the [-] workers under the ruins of Wentiantai have all been dug out, and there are hundreds of them who have left a sigh of relief. They were rescued with medicine, and the household department arranged for the rest to send compensation money to their families, which is normal enough. The expenses of a family of four have been spent for more than ten years.

He also talked about other things, saying that there was a riot outside the palace gate that night, and Ji Si almost cut off the head of Si Zheng of the Imperial Academy with a knife.

Fang Qingrong was quite shocked, and asked: "This servant of the household department is too courageous."

"That's not it," Qi Kuangshan agreed very much, "but it really made him silence the group of students angrily, instead of scolding the emperor, he scolded him, and he didn't get annoyed when he heard that there were still people spitting at him. The [-] students who were blocked were speechless, although the method is a little more radical, it has to be said that the effect is quick, if the Guozijian continues to make trouble, it will really not end."

"His reputation is not good. If this happens again, the literati in the world may scold him."

"Chan's notebooks were sent to the palace one after another. When I came, I heard that the teahouse was compiling limericks to accuse Ji Si of ten crimes."

"Alas," Fang Qingrong sighed, "The world is ignorant, and many literati in the Jin Dynasty are not as thorough as Ji Si, a sycophantic official. It's a misfortune for the country."

"Hearing what you said, you really appreciate Ji Si." Qi Kuangshan was a little surprised.

"His temperament is to my liking. If I had known him earlier, I might have become a new year friend." Fang Qingrong laughed.

Qi Kuangshan said unhappily: "If those students know, you, a model of literati, look differently at a courtier who flatters and manipulates power. Maybe you will poke your spine and scold, and you won't be afraid of losing face."

"The last thing I care about is face."

Hearing this, Qi Kuangshan remembered that when he was young, Fang Qingrong, who was not yet the top student in high school, was encouraged to steal the bird from Mrs. Xu's Fu's house and roast it in the courtyard. He made a mistake, and Fang Jinyan came up with a bunch of nonsense out of nowhere, and was chased and beaten by the old lady Fu Manyuan. The lady of the Xu Mansion is also the future Wanfei Empress. At that time, she was just a baby who had not yet learned to walk. Under the eaves, Mrs. Xu hugged her, giggling and giggling looking at this place, the sound of laughter, cursing and howling rang out, the whole yard became lively, and even the memory of him became alive.

I don’t know why I suddenly thought of those things. It’s been dozens of years, but when I think about it carefully, it seems like I experienced it yesterday. Qi Kuangshan looked at Fang Qingrong and said slowly: “Sister-in-law has always wanted you to resign and return to your hometown to take care of the old age. If you are injured, you can go back. There is not a lot of rice in total and you can just rest. It is time to rest when you are not too young. face."

Fang Qingrong didn't answer, just looked at the bed curtain above his head for a while, and then asked with a smile: "What about you? Is this prime minister enough?"

This time it was Qi Kuangshan's turn to answer, he was younger than Fang Qingrong, and his body was strong, let alone that the emperor would not allow him to resign, just say that Qi Ran was alone in the court, full of dangers and dangers, and wanted to get away from him everywhere. He is also worried that the Qi family will get a share of the pie, and he will never resign rashly.

Seeing people like this, Fang Qingrong did not continue to ask, but sighed and said, "I have been an official for most of my life, and I have tasted all kinds of life in retrospect. Ajun is right, I am too Without self-knowledge, I always feel that I have a heavy responsibility and should accomplish a great cause. In fact, without me, the Jin Dynasty will still stand tall, the court will not be chaotic, and the people will not be unable to live. You are right, I am indeed It's time to rest, now it's the young generation's world, we are old, old after all."

"Knowing that you have no strength, you should make room for young people." Qi Kuangshan said with a smile, "When Qi Ran has gained a firm foothold and can take care of things, I will resign from the office and take Nian'er to join you. When the time comes Give me a piece of land, we have a companion as neighbors, and we will go fishing and have tea in our spare time, and we will be happy and carefree."

Fang Qingrong also smiled, and finally asked someone, "Nian... Nian'er, are you happy?"

"Well, Teacher Yuzhi Izumi should feel at ease."

Hearing this, Fang Qingrong sighed instead, "Ziheng is not young anymore, his mother left early, you as a father should take it to heart, you really plan to let him die alone."

Speaking of this, Qi Kuang raised his beard angrily, turned his face away, and said angrily: "You still have the nerve to say, blame your good students!"

After all, it was his own student who owed his son a love debt, or a love debt that was not cleared by the family. Fang Qingrong didn't dare to say much when he knew he was in the wrong, but he said with some regret: "Ziheng is a good boy, but Ah Si is not so lucky. , Don’t say it, don’t say it.”

The two chatted a lot. Ever since the emperor became jealous of the Qi family, Qi Kuangshan had become estranged from Fang Qingrong intentionally or unintentionally. It was true that he hadn't been able to sit down and chat like today for many years, and he didn't want to leave until it was dark. .

They have endured the ups and downs of the Great Jin Dynasty for so many years, and they dare not relax for a moment. They just want to be worthy of the world, their hearts, and the way of governing the country they have learned. But now they are too tired to walk, and it is time to unload The burden of the next body is relaxed.

It won't be long before someone will carry the Great Jin on their shoulders again and walk forward step by step along the road paved by the predecessors. The demise of one prosperous age is accompanied by the arrival of another prosperous age. What they have to do is It is to turn around gracefully, give the world to capable and ambitious people, and wait for those people to lead Dajin to another glory that has never been reached.

Fang Qingrong's resignation letter was handed in on the fourth day after waking up. It conveyed that he was not feeling well and that it might be difficult to take on the heavy responsibility. I also implore Emperor Chengde to allow him to resign and return to his hometown.

When Emperor Chengde saw Zhezi, he just let out a long sigh. He pondered for a long time and didn't agree or refuse. He just let Fang Qingrong take care of his illness, and the rest will be discussed after his health improves.

This brochure is just on hold, but fortunately Fang Qingrong is not in a hurry but is really at ease recuperating in the mansion. Many colleagues have gone to see it, and the scholars and literati who are supported by him have also handed over the posters. If Zhong Quyun was not worried about disturbing his cultivation, Maybe the threshold of this Taifu's mansion has to be stepped down.

On the contrary, Ji Si hadn't been there for a day, and he was very busy during this time. Scholars from all over the world wrote articles to abuse him. A sum of money, the money allocated to the workers' families is not a small amount, the treasury cannot make ends meet, and the household department is so busy that there is no time to drink saliva. It didn't make sense, so I had to learn some side details from Qi Ran.

The two met again during the Qing Festival. Emperor Chengde and his officials were praying in Hongfu Temple. He took advantage of people not paying attention, but when he stepped into the side hall of the temple, he saw a person standing with his hands behind his back from a distance. In front of a row of longevity tablets, it was only after getting closer that it was Fang Qingrong.

Ji Si was stunned for a moment, he hadn't heard that Grand Tutor Fang was here, he was a little surprised to see someone here, so he hurriedly went up to greet him and saluted: "Teacher Fang..."

But before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by the person in front of him, "I have resigned now, I am a grassroots, but I can't afford the gift of Master Ji."

"As long as the emperor doesn't respond for a day, the Taifu will be the Taifu of the Jin Dynasty." After saying that, he bowed and finished the ceremony.

Fang Qingrong smiled and let him go.

The two stood side by side, the light from the white candle in front of the longevity tablet and the bright oil lamp in the hall shone on them, and the light and shadow danced on them from time to time. Fang Qingrong stared at the rankings solemnly, while Ji Si It is to use the light to look at the people around you.

The teacher has lost a lot of weight, he thought to himself.

Looking at the white cloth wrapped around Fang Qingrong's forehead, his emotions were complicated beyond words. Fang Qingrong seemed to have lost most of his life from this injury. His body was only supported by one breath, as if the breath was gone, this person would also be gone. This thought made Ji Si panic, and Fang Qingrong opened his mouth just as he was about to speak out.

"I heard from the little monk in the temple that this tablet was set up by Master Ji." Fang Qingrong asked, pointing to one of the longevity tablets.

Ji Si looked in the direction the person pointed, and it was Li Si's place, he didn't deny it, and nodded in response.

"There are not many people with this name, not to mention that Li is still the surname of the country." Fang Qingrong pretended to say something casually.

"It's the young prince of Yong'an Palace." Ji Si replied without denying it.

Fang Qingrong smiled again, looking at the tablet as if looking at something strange,