Plan to cut off the nine states

Qianzi Lake is not big. It is backed by the imperial palace. A Fubo Garden has been built on the south bank. It is surrounded by official residences, monks, temples and Taoist temples. Many buildings have not yet been completed. Looking from a distance, you can see tiny figures standing tall in the sky. The shelves moved slowly, and faint shouts could be heard. It was the workers on the ground who were working together to transport wood, stone, sand and soil.

The Yuxue Hall is not just a school in name only. Several academics led nearly a hundred students to wait on the grass by the lake. It took an hour before they were allowed to enter Fubo Garden. From then on, the teachers and students all held their breaths and tensed up. He didn't even dare to raise his eyelids as he followed the footsteps in front of him.

There were a large number of soldiers lined up in Fubo Garden, their armors shining in the sun, their swords and guns capturing their souls. A group of scholars walked among them, all of them trembling with fear.

There is another scene in the garden, with red walls and green tiles, covered by vegetation. You can't see or hear the people working on the other side.

Everyone was led to an open space. Several academics had small stools to sit on. The students could only stand and were not allowed to move around. Before setting off, the academics reminded them to drink less water and relieve themselves in advance. When they arrived at Qianzi Lake There is no place convenient for them in Fubo Garden.

The scenery in the garden was quite beautiful, but after looking at it for a long time, I felt bored. The students began to chat in low voices. They waited for another hour, and it was almost dark. Finally, someone came to deliver the order and led everyone into a very spacious hall.

Not long after waiting this time, someone loudly announced the arrival of His Highness the Crown Prince amid the sound of silk and bamboo, and ordered all the teachers and students to kneel down to greet him.

There are many royal rules, but fortunately there is someone to guide you every step of the way. Even when to raise your head and when to stand up, they are all clearly stated. A few scholars will take the lead, and the students can just follow them.

At the end of the kowtow ceremony, the three people in Class A were called to the front to receive the Crown Prince's condolences. The other students finally had the opportunity to take a peek at the Crown Prince.

The prince is a child of six or seven years old. He is thin and small, and his sitting posture is quite upright. His face has no expression and his eyes are blank. He is like a child who is visiting a poor relative's house for the first time and is overwhelmed by too many people.

The prince remained silent throughout the whole process, and the person who spoke for him was a scribe in his thirties, who was said to be from the East Palace, named Liang Shengzhi. Lou Chu felt that the name sounded familiar, and he quickly remembered that this person was the grandson of Taifu Liang. , once wanted to lead troops to Bingzhou to quell the rebellion, but was rejected by the general.

The three people in class A recited their articles in front of the audience. Liang Shengzhi, the master of the East Palace, asked several questions for the three people to answer. It took less than two quarters of an hour.

The highlight was the banquet that followed. It was already dark outside. Many servants filed in and arranged the tables and chairs in order. The teachers and students kowtowed and then took their seats. The pedants were at one table, and the students were at one table.

Wine and delicacies appeared on the table like magic. The students were already hungry, but they only dared to swallow and never dared to move.

Liang Shengzhi stood by the prince's side and raised his glass to give orders. The first glass of wine wished peace in the world, the second glass of wine wished the emperor and queen longevity and longevity, and the third glass of wine wished the prince a prosperous future.

Just when everyone was drinking their third glass of wine, the prince yawned. You can't blame him. More than a hundred adults were drinking happily, but he was the only one who was bored with a glass of water.

The first three glasses of wine were just the beginning. Soon, teachers and students took turns to come forward to toast in order. The number of people varied, either alone or in groups. From the moment they stood up, they had to abide by many rules, and their wide sleeves had to hang down. Just right. There should be no obvious shaking of the arms. You don’t need to kneel. Stand with your legs spread apart and your upper body bent straight. The wine in your hand must not be spilled. The toast can be long, but it is not allowed to repeat the predecessors...

Liang Shengzhi still answered the questions and drank on the prince's behalf. The prince could only nod or say "oh" and occasionally take a sip of water, but the dishes on the table remained motionless.

Lou Chu and a group of students came forward to toast, each saying a word of gratitude.

After everyone had taken a turn, the prince stood up, raised the water glass in his hand, paid respect to everyone, and then left, leaving Liang Shengzhi to entertain the teachers and students of the Yu Academy. Of course, these words came from Liang Shengzhi's mouth, and the prince only No words were uttered, and the steps were brisk as he walked.

After the prince left, the atmosphere in the hall became more lively. Liang Shengzhi no longer represented the prince. He and several East Palace officials walked into the crowd and drank and chatted. Gradually, everyone relaxed, left their seats, and toasted everywhere. Laughing and making noise, no more rules to follow.

The building owner had to take care of the bookcase, so he didn't drink much. The scholar there was very drunk. Not long after the prince left, he stood up and was about to leave, but was forcefully held down by several people, and he drank a lot more.

When he was finally able to stand up, Wen Renxuexue was already staggering. Lou Chu hurriedly picked up the book box and ran through the crowd to help him.

"I'm old, I'm old." The learned scholar sighed, "I'm not strong enough. I can't drink anymore. I really can't drink anymore..."

Fubo Garden arranged accommodation for everyone. Liang Shengzhi personally walked to the door and ordered a handyman outside to send the scholar to his room to rest.

The night is like water, the handyman is walking in front holding a lantern, and the building supporter is supporting the scholar to follow behind. Although it is autumn, the fragrance in the garden has not diminished, getting into the nose one after another.

When they arrived at the house, Wenren was scholarly but not sleepy. He insisted on staying by the lake. The handyman pointed out the path and reminded before leaving: "His Royal Highness will also stay here tonight. You two can go sit in the pavilion in front. Don't wander around, running into the night guard is no joke."

There is indeed a pavilion by the lake. The terrain is slightly higher than elsewhere. It is quite pleasant to stand inside and feel the cool breeze.

Wenren Xuexue faced the lake and remained silent for a long time. Lou Chi was just a disciple, so naturally he couldn't speak at will, so he stood silently behind the Xuexue.

The lights across the lake were brightly lit, but instead of a banquet being held, many people were working overnight.

"The world is peaceful..." the scholar murmured, "How lucky I am to be able to see this peaceful scene. This life is enough."

The foundation of the building must answer, "After hundreds of years of chaos, heroes have emerged in large numbers, but we, the Tiancheng Dynasty, have been able to unify the country. From this point of view, the rise and fall are determined by heaven, not human power."

The scholar laughed, turned around and sat on the stone bench, looking up at the foundation of the building, "If there is no manpower, who will build the tall building? Who will play the silk and bamboo? Who will provide the food and clothing?"

"People plan things, and God makes things happen. Without God's determination, tall buildings will collapse, silk and bamboo will be in chaos, and food and clothing will be lacking."

"Haha, I just like to listen to young people's untrue words and watch you grow up little by little."

Lou Chu's face turned red, and he was about to defend his cliche words when someone strode outside the pavilion, arriving before anyone else could say, "Haha, Mr. Wen Ren really lied. His intoxication is actually a lie."

The learned scholar stood up to greet him and said with a smile: "It's true that I'm drunk, but my method of sobering up is different from others. I have to find an open area to relax my mind."

Liang Shengzhi put the jug and wine glass on the table, "Now that my mind is relaxed, I think I can drink a few more glasses."

"The people from Liang House chased me with a glass of wine, but I dare not disobey."

Lou Chu saluted and was about to retreat, but Liang Shengzhi stopped him and said, "It's better to meet by chance than to invite me. I still have a glass here." Liang Shengzhi took out another wine glass from his arms.

"Sorry." Lou Chu had no choice but to stay, put down the bookcase, and poured wine from the pot.

Liang Shengzhi took advantage of the opportunity, but after drinking a glass, he lost interest. He held down the glass to indicate that he didn't want to drink anymore.

None of the three people spoke and sat in silence for a long time. Liang Shengzhi suddenly spoke: "I have thought about it carefully. There will definitely be chaos in Qinzhou, and there will be even more serious trouble in Bingzhou."

"Oh?" Wenren Xuexue replied softly, while Lou Chu listened quietly on the side with the attitude that it had nothing to do with him.

"General Lan is brave and invincible, but the chaos in Qinzhou is not caused by rebellion, but by years of famine, coupled with the constant violence of the officials, forcing the good people to rise up. To quell the chaos, we should pacify instead of suppress it, but the court used General Lan's courage to attack the swarms. Thieves are just adding fuel to the fire. The situation of merging states is exactly the opposite. It's just that one county claims to be in rebellion and should be wiped out with fierce generals, but the court appoints someone who has never led an army..."

Wen Renxue interrupted Liang Shengzhi, "I forgot to introduce you. This is a disciple of Yu Xue Guan. His surname is Lou and his given name is Chu."

"The young man Lou Chu has met Liang Sheren." Lou Chu stood up and held his hands.

Liang Shengzhi smiled and said: "The surname Lou is not common. Is he the son of the general?"

"The general is unworthy of his son, so he will be seventeen."

"Just in time, when you get home, tell your father for me that the chaos in Qin and Bing Prefectures continues, and the responsibility lies with him. Shen Bing Prefecture has evil intentions. I hope the general doesn't know about it."

"You also drank too much." Wen Renxuexue reminded.

Liang Shengzhi stood up, walked to the railing, looked at the lake for a long time, and said with a sneer: "The general thinks that everyone in the world is blind. I must let him know that there are people in the court who can see clearly: Bingzhou counties are rebelling." It's a lie, Shen Mushou took the opportunity to support his troops, it's a lie; Qinzhou's suppression of bandits is a lie, it broke people's hearts, it's true that it gave Shen Mushou a place to fight."

Hearing this, the scholar stopped talking, and Lou Chu said: "The truth and falsehood can be judged by everyone. The general is loyal to the country, but it is known to everyone."

"Hey, ignorant kid, what do you know? The general won't discuss it with you if he really has his own ideas. If the world is in chaos, your Lou family will be the culprit. It's a pity that the ruling princes are either short-sighted or afraid of the power of the general, so they all remain silent. , causing trouble to raising tigers.”

The more Liang Shengzhi spoke, the angrier he became. He suddenly turned around, grabbed the wine glass and threw it on the ground. He said sternly: "Although the Liang family is in decline, their loyalty will not change. Please tell the general to please guard the palace gate. If I can see your majesty, We must die to remonstrate and expose his conspiracy!"

Liang Shengzhi strode out of the pavilion angrily, without even saying goodbye to the scholar.

"He really drank too much." Wenren said academically.

"Well, it doesn't matter even if what he said is true. I have no way of conveying these words to the general."

"Liang Sheren originally wanted to lead troops to Bingzhou to quell the rebellion, but after being blocked, he felt unhappy."

"Liang Sheren... looks a bit like someone who has led soldiers."

"He just has a bad temper and thinks highly of himself. He thinks he is both civil and military. How can he really lead an army? It makes sense for the court not to choose him to go to Bingzhou."

Lou Chu nodded, not knowing what to say.

Wen Renxue stood up slowly and sighed: "It's only been more than 20 years of peace."

"The world has been settled, and peace and prosperity are still far away." Lou Chu advised.

"Thieves are easy to pacify, but people's hearts are hard to recover. There is a well-written article on "Using the people to adapt to the times". It criticizes the ills of the times and hits the mark. If it were not for the following, it would have been ranked first."

Lou Chu didn't dare to reply.

Wen Renxue looked at his disciple, his eyes flashing slightly in the darkness, "You originally had a mind of doing nothing and having no desires, but recently you are ready to make a move. What's going on?"

Lou Chu was shocked and hurriedly cupped his hands and said: "Disciple... Disciple has no hope for the future. I am moved by this and have no other intention."

“Come on, let me tell you what ‘according to name and responsibility’ means, so that you know where your loopholes are.”