In the same boat with the son

Ever since Li Huang executed Zhang Shuo without authorization, Lin Xiu had been worried all the time, wondering what method Zhang Rang would think of to take revenge on Li Huang.Now that Li Huang is in prison, although he is a little terrified in his heart, he is more relieved and doesn't need to be on guard anymore.

However, the grievances between the eunuchs and the powerful officials of the family, which are outlined by interests and power, are no longer accidental accidents between individuals.Xu Xuan, the nephew of Xu Huang, a servant of the Central Committee, was rejected because he proposed to the daughter of Li Hao, the former prefect of Runan, and killed Li Hao's daughter. Zhang Zijin.Like Li Wei, these incidents are considered nodes in the web of eunuchs and powerful officials intertwined and engulfed, and other weaker ripples aroused by the friction between the two sides are endless, such as the punishment of eunuchs' children who invaded land and took bribes by powerful officials Among them, the complexity and deep water of interests and power cannot be summed up in a word just by the misconduct of eunuch children.

Naturally, objectively speaking, if you don’t have enough self-cultivation, self-control or family background, when you suddenly assume the status, power and money that you can’t afford, for ordinary people, the pie that fell from the sky is just a tempting Chains and traps; and the eunuch group can be said to be in such a situation.

The acquisition of these social targets, eunuchs, is not obtained by the consideration recognized by the society, but by complete chance and chance, that is, the intimate relationship with the emperor alone.

The reason why eunuchs can get such great favor and opportunities from Emperor Huan is inseparable from Emperor Huan's own individuality.Emperor Huan was originally the concubine of Marquis Liwu, and his foundation and resources in Luoyang were pitifully small for an emperor. Compared with ordinary people, at the age of 15, he might be more mature, but his age and time did not allow him to accumulate other resources. Sufficient capital, when the Liang family was in full swing, the fire phoenix locked in the deep palace of Luoyang, there was nothing to rely on.

Perhaps, at the end of the dynasty, even if you keep carefully avoiding and repairing the web of forces, you still cannot avoid mutual engulfment, destruction, damage, and then perish.

Perhaps, from a specific point, a specific thing, it is not done ethically, or it is not done correctly, but this does not mean that it is only as it is described by its opponents.If they cannot coexist, then mutual slander has long been a necessary means.

The ripples of misfortune spread far and wide, from the imperial servant Du Mi to Yushi Zhongcheng Chen Xiang, from Yingchuan famous scholar Chen Shi to Jiangxia Eight Talents Fan Pang, all were imprisoned for major or minor offenses against the eunuch group; The mutual confrontation from group to group has evolved into one party trying to cleanse the other, and it is an attempt to cut off the once elite group, and the corruption and decline exuded in it are self-evident.Emperor Huan's balance in it was out of position, and it was a failure of his emperor in the end.However, at least for now, they are just tentatively testing each other, and no one knows the final outcome and gradual change.

The most famous official in the court who has been preserved today is Taiwei Chen Fan. Chen Fan is a native of Pingyu in Runan, and he studied under Hu Guang. When Li Wei was the governor of Qingzhou, he was the prefect of Le'an.At that time, many officials in Qingzhou resigned when they heard Li Wei's strong words, but Chen Fan stayed behind because of his incorruptibility.Chen Fan and Sikong Liu Mao both admonished Emperor Huan. Chen Fan used Shen Tujia's rebuke of Emperor Wendi's favorites Deng Tong and Dong Xuan to execute his slaves in front of Princess Huyang as an example, and advised Emperor Huan to follow the example of a wise king and pardon Li Wei and others. people.

Emperor Huan didn't like Hu Guang at all, and when he punished the Liang clan, he demoted Hu Guang's officials on the grounds that Hu Guang didn't attack Liang Ji. Hu Guangshan's official status can be said to be a rare lubricant for balancing officialdom. Relatively speaking, Chen Fan was a little less slick and a little more intense.In Emperor Huan's view, Chen Fan used Deng Tong to insinuate his relationship with Zhang Rang, and there was another layer of implication, that is, he satirized that he had the flaws of a wise king, but he did not have the virtue of a wise king.In fact, Emperor Huan paid more attention to practical talents, who can be used for himself, such as Yin Xun, Feng Yu, Li Wei, Duan Jiong and others. In his view, Chen Fan is just a needle for the world to set the sea and cannot retreat from the enemy. , nor can the country be rich.After such a back and forth, Emperor Huan dismissed Chen Fan from the post of Taiwei.

Li Huang and others were imprisoned in the North Temple Prison in charge of eunuchs. The prison was small and small, although it was a room for one person, it was less than ten square meters.The prison was dark and gloomy, with only a small window at the end of the wall, closed on all sides, and the ventilation was not very smooth, mixed with the smell of blood, musty and other unpleasant smells.

Li Huang was the subject of key custody, and Zhang Rang also wanted to make it easier for him. Lin Xiu sought many connections and worked his way up and down to deliver some food to Li Zhen, but he couldn't see Li Huang either.One day, the jailer threw the food box containing the snacks from the window of the prison door. He was so contemptuous that the snacks rolled to the ground.Li Wei was sitting on a very simple wooden floor, and the private room was not very messy, except that Li Wei was only wearing a close-fitting inner shirt, and the blood-stained holes in the inner shirt were obviously worn out. traces of punishment.

When Li Wei saw the snack, he knew that Lin Xiu must have managed to bring it in with him.They were all covered with ashes on the ground, Li Wei didn't really care about it at first, but after thinking about it, Lin Xiuding knew that he was not one of those people who still cared about food and clothing in prison, but now Zhang Rang took care of him, but It was still a lot of hardships, but just sent a box of snacks in, presumably there might be some news and strategies.

Fortunately, the surrounding area was closed and no one was watching, so Li Wei pinched the snacks one by one, but there was nothing special after pinching a few.By the time of the last one, there was no news like a note after pinching it open, but the inside was different from ordinary dim sum, and there was an extra layer of transparent glue on the inside.Li Huang peeled it off carefully, and wrote on it with edible color juice, "Confess to the eunuch's party, eat it."Looking at the slender brushwork, Li Huang was speechless for a while, and at first he was a little repulsed. In order to keep his life safe, he wanted to describe the eunuch's children as his fellow party. No matter what he thought, he felt a little awkward and uncomfortable, and maybe there was some arrogance from a famous family. , unwilling to classify himself with those eunuch children who have no morals and no morals.But if he was stubborn, Lin Xiu could hardly bring the news in, and he must be very anxious at home. If he was so easy to let him down, he couldn't bear it.

However, Lin Xiu and Fu Ming were sitting opposite each other in the study, frowning deeply, and the tea had been refilled one cup after another. Although Fu Ming's voice was as gentle as ever, there was obviously anxiety and worry in that voice, "News It has been passed in, but I don’t know if Master Li will follow it, and I don’t know how much effect it will be—”

Hearing this, Lin Xiu drank the tea in the cup, but still felt more thirsty and irritable, and put the teacup upside down on the table with two fingers, "Ming Xuan is not such a pedantic person, he will definitely follow suit , it’s just that, it’s not enough!”

"Master Chen has already been beaten down by Emperor Huan, now I don't know who is enough to win back Emperor Huan's heart?"

"As far as the current situation is concerned, I think Emperor Huan must also know that it is not suitable to make a big move against the powerful ministers at this time. It is just that the powerful ministers and eunuchs are at a stalemate point. If there is a new authoritative first The three parties came forward, on the one hand, it can give Emperor Huan a step forward, on the other hand, it can once again warn those with ulterior motives not to act rashly."

"What does Changqing mean?"

"Just as you know. However, even if you can get away with it this time, you can at most restrain it and not disappear. Now it is already turbulent. If Mingxuan can be safe this time, things in the future must be done as soon as possible." be prepared."

Fu Ming saw that Lin Xiu had been exhausted for the past few days and had a pale face. Hearing this, he couldn't help but sink in his heart, "But now that Mr. Li is in the middle of the game, I think you and I will not be spared either. Even if you escape this time and prepare well, how can you get out of this game?"

"As for me, I'm just a student now, and I haven't really penetrated into this political vortex. If I retreat bravely, no one can take care of me; as for you, until now, there is nothing you can't let go of. The world is unpredictable. It is good to cherish the people in front of you. Feng Dai inherited his grandmother and was awarded the title of Marquis by Princess Jia. The Feng family is flourishing, and Feng Dai is more than enough to protect you alone. Those small delays in the past don’t need to be awkward in the face of today’s big waves.”

Fu Ming was a little embarrassed when he heard Lin Xiu talk about Feng Dai, but he also felt a little relieved after he finished. Ever since Feng Dai went crazy and used force on him, for two or three years, the two of them got together less and separated more. Later, Fu Ming was not so repulsive to Feng Dai, and realized that he also had feelings for him, but he was always a little awkward when getting along.Or feel that he is the father of two children, and feel a little guilty; or feel that Feng Dai's family background is prominent, and he is a commoner, so he has some low self-esteem; for the first time.The two have been stumbling, and now, many things that were hard to let go of in the past, after encountering big problems and major choices in life, seem not so important anymore.

Fu Ming was still caught in his own emotions, only to hear Lin Xiu continue, "I'm afraid the most difficult thing is Ming Xuan. He was on the cusp of the limelight and offended Zhang Rang again. The kindness of Emperor Huan to Zhang Rang I'm afraid it's difficult to understand the favor. Mingxuan has always been a staunch official, and other people, big and small, have committed many crimes. In the confrontation between powerful officials and eunuchs, it can be said that it is not an exaggeration to say that it is not an exaggeration to manipulate the situation. People don't have the awareness to set the game, at most they are just a big chess in the hands of others. And he has a stubborn temper, regards evil as evil, and will not give up until he eliminates evil. I am afraid that he can only live or die—"

"Eternal life or death?"

Lin Xiu nodded.

"I'm afraid Changqing has already made plans. Perhaps it is not difficult to recognize the reality, but it is not easy to accept the reality."