Prime Minister

Chapter 1288 Your Temperament Is Like Me

Chapter 1288 Your Temperament Is Like Me

Bianjing.

There was a continuous autumn rain in late autumn and the Bian River was flooded.

A drizzling autumn rain was falling on a cramped little building beside the Bian River.

The clouds are low and the rain is sad, making the flowers and willows planted outside the building listless.

A woman in the small building cut a fresh orange with a knife, then dipped her delicate hands in the salt on the plate, sprinkled it finely on the orange flesh, and handed it to the young scholar next to her.

The scholar, who was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, lay lazily beside the couch, tuning the sheng and xiao.

He looked up and saw the orange in the beauty's hand and said with a smile: "I already have the words you asked me to write."

The other party was surprised when he heard this: "Mr. Zhou, are you serious? So fast!"

The scholar nodded and said, "It's just a poem. It's not difficult! I'll use the tune of Shao Nian You. Listen to me."

At this moment, in the warm tent, incense was emitting from the animal-head incense burner.

The scholar played a tune with his sheng and xiao and then spoke slowly.

"The sword is as sharp as water, the Wu salt is whiter than snow, and the slender hands break the new orange. The brocade tent is just warm, the beast smoke is endless, and we sit opposite each other and tune the sheng."

"I asked in a low voice: Who are you going to stay with? It's already three o'clock in the city. The horses are slippery and the frost is thick. It's better not to go. There are few people walking here!"

The woman beside him suddenly had her beautiful eyes flashing when she heard this, and lowered her head and said, "Mr. Zhou is not a good person!"

The other person laughed when he heard this, stretched out his hand and gently lifted the woman's chin and sighed: "I am not a good person, but you are a beautiful woman. You are too red when you put on rouge, too white when you put on powder, your eyebrows are like emerald feathers, and your skin is as white as snow."

Immediately he went up.

The woman half-heartedly agreed, and it immediately became a romantic affair.

After the lovemaking, the other party packed his clothes and left the building.

The other party was Zhou Bangyan, who had been appreciated by the government for submitting the Bian Capital Fu some time ago and was appointed as the principal of the Imperial College.

There is no need to say much about Zhou Bangyan's talent, but he had a flaw, which was that he liked to indulge in sensual pleasures.

Because of this, the provincial school said that this person was "sparsely educated and not rigorous", and refused to recommend him to the Imperial College. However, Zhou Bangyan was ambitious. Since the provincial school did not recommend him, he went to Bianjing to take the Imperial College examination.

In the second year of Yuanfeng, Zhou Bangyan passed the exam on the first try and became a student of the Imperial College.

But what kind of place is Bianjing? It is a den of licentiousness, where the whole country supports the whole city.

There were many young scholars surrounding the Imperial Academy, and the area around it became the most debauched place in the world.

When Zhou Bangyan arrived at the Imperial College, he became even more relaxed.

Students of the Imperial College were not allowed to stay outside on weekdays, but this did not apply to the new and full moon days of a month.

So when the new moon and full moon came, Zhou Bangyan disappeared and no one could find him.

The next day, Zhou Bangyan, who was covered in powder and makeup, finally got up. She put her white arms on his shoulders and asked, "Why don't you get up early to go to the Imperial College today?"

Zhou Bangyan said with a smile: "I am now the Imperial College Principal appointed by His Majesty, so even if I don't go, no one will say anything."

Although Zhou Bangyan said this, he still got up and went downstairs.

When we got downstairs of the small building, we saw a middle-aged man in black sitting at a low table drinking tea, with two eunuchs crawling at his feet.

Zhou Bangyan's eyes lit up, and he immediately went downstairs and saluted, saying, "Hello, sir!"

The other party admired him and said, "You are quite perceptive. How did you know that I am an official?"

Zhou Bangyan said: "Although I am not very good at seeing, I still have the ability to recognize people."

The other party said: "Your name is Zhou Bangyan, the allusion comes from the Book of Songs, that son of his is Bang Zhiyan."

"After you entered the Imperial College, everyone was surprised at how you got so much money and went in and out of brothels day and night. Later they found out that you not only didn't spend any money, but many prostitutes even paid you."

"But you are already as talented as Liu Yong in your twenties, writing erotic poems for prostitutes to earn money. Many people even admire your talent and pay you to come."

Zhou Bangyan smiled when he heard this and sat aside.

"But if you do this, everyone in the Imperial College will be very dissatisfied with you, and they may even want to expel you."

"But you were not panicked at all after you found out. You presented the emperor with a poem called "Ode to the Capital of Bian" to praise the new law."

The man flicked the dust off his sleeves and said calmly, "Offering poems is a shortcut for scholars. After Sima Xiangru presented Zixu Fu, many scholars took this path."

"But such articles are not easy to write. If the quality is not good enough, the people above will not look down on them."

"But you, Zhou Bangyan, succeeded."

Zhou Bangyan said, "Since you know my details so well, may I ask what position you hold?"

The other party said, "It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is who promoted you."

"After your "Ode to Bian Du" was published, it became as popular as paper in Luoyang. The court is not unaware of your reputation in the Imperial College, so they are unwilling to promote you."

"But who gave you the position of Imperial College Director in the end?"

Zhou Bangyan said: "I know it, it is the Minister Cai, the Left Prime Minister of the Ministry of Shangshu!"

Zhou Bangyan immediately asked in surprise: "Could it be that you are Mr. Cai?"

Hearing this, the other party laughed and said, "Who are you? Why would Mr. Cai condescend to see you? You are overestimating yourself."

Zhou Bangyan smiled bitterly after hearing this.

"Do you know what it feels like to be an official?" the other party asked.

Zhou Bangyan actually had ambitions in his heart.

Those people looked down on him for being a playboy, and he also looked down on his classmates in the Imperial Academy who were competing to be under their teachers all day long. Everyone looked at people's faces, and it was better to look at the faces of beauties.

Zhou Bangyan said: "Bangyan was born in a poor family and doesn't know what it means to be an official. But my father hopes that I can be a good official for the country!"

The other party said: "You are now the Imperial College Director, which can be considered an official, but you are still not a real official."

"What is the purpose of being an official? You may think it is to seek wealth, but to be honest, in my position, wealth is the least thing worth mentioning."

"Oh, then what do you seek as an official?" Zhou Bangyan was somewhat impressed by the confidence in the other party's words.

The other party asked, "Have you ever heard of this saying? 'It is better to lose ten years of life than to be without power for a day.'"

“Isn’t it just power?”

The other party asked: "What is power then?"

Zhou Bangyan was speechless, and the other party said: "As long as someone needs you, you can drink his blood and eat his flesh! Control his mind and make him completely dependent on you, like a walking corpse!"

"It's like living on human essence..." Zhou Bangyan said.

"That's right, just like a demon that feeds on human essence!"

The other party said: "Power is the first-class power to manipulate and control people. How can money, women and other things be even one tenth of it?"

"Who are you?" Zhou Bangyan asked in surprise. This man did not hide his desire for power at all. He was a real villain.

The other person answered with his hands behind his back: "A lackey of Mr. Cai, people call me Mr. Xiang Qi!"

"Now Mr. Cai values ​​talents. Since you are appreciated by him, come with me to pay a visit to him!"

Zhou Bangyan was about to speak, but seeing the other party's expression that would not refrain from refusal, he had no choice but to agree.

……

After the autumn rain, the mist dissipated beside the Bian River.

Several young women, surrounded by a girl in a yellow-green skirt holding an oil-paper umbrella, passed by the Bian River.

The Bian River is clear, the stream is gurgling, and countless willow branches are bending down to dip into the river water.

Zhang Cheng, who was reading by the Bian River, was stunned by this scene.

When Zhang Cheng saw the woman in the yellow-green skirt leading the group glance sideways towards the river, he lowered his head in panic.

After blushing, Zhang Cheng raised his head again and saw the woman staring at him.

Zhang Cheng was so panicked that he almost threw the book into the Bian River. Seeing this, the woman turned around and smiled deeply, leaving Zhang Cheng standing there in a daze.

Zhang Cheng muttered quietly: "I wonder which official's daughter is so beautiful. I wonder if I can see her again in the future!"

As they were talking, they heard laughter coming from behind.

"Toad wants to eat!"

"Well, you can't say that. It's human nature to be lustful and admire young girls."

Zhang Cheng turned around and saw several classmates teasing him.

Zhang Cheng shook his head and said, "Don't make fun of me. I'm memorizing the book."

"Yes, yes, there is Yan Ruyu in the book." Liu Yanei joked.

"We won't keep you any longer. Let's go to the poetry party at Huixian Tower. Who knows, we might run into the beauty you just saw!"

After saying this, he chatted and laughed with a group of classmates and then left.

A classmate of Zhang Cheng turned around and said, "Liang Bi, let's go together. You are so good-looking, maybe a beautiful lady will like you."

Zhang Cheng wanted to go in his heart, but he thought that if he went to Huixian Tower alone with his parents, his legs would be broken, so he declined.

Zhang Cheng felt helpless as he watched his classmates go away. His elder brother not only had the talent and looks of his parents, but he only had the looks and did not inherit any of their talent. He was always slow to react to anything he did since he was a child.

When others tested him, his brother could answer ten questions after hearing one, while he could only answer one question after hearing ten.

As I was thinking about it, I felt someone standing next to me.

Zhang Cheng was startled when he saw him and asked, "Dad, what are you doing here?"

……

In a restaurant beside the Bian River, Zhang Yue picked up some food for Zhang Cheng: "Life in the Imperial College is very hard, you should come back home!"

"No!" Zhang Cheng said firmly while eating heartily.

"I have worked hard this time and will do my best. I will surely impress my parents in the future!"

Zhang Yue smiled and said, "Okay, okay!"

Zhang Cheng raised his head and asked Zhang Yue: "Dad, let me ask you something, what is the purpose of studying?"

Zhang Yue said without hesitation: "Establish a mind for the world, establish a destiny for the people, inherit the lost knowledge of the past sages, and bring peace to the world for all eternity!"

Zhang Cheng said: "Dad, I'm telling you the truth."

Zhang Yue said: "When have I ever lied to anyone?"

"But I think this sentence is very vulgar."

Zhang Yue said: "You have read a lot in the Imperial Academy. Yes, is the woman by the river pretty?"

Zhang Cheng said angrily: "Dad, you have been watching all along!"

Zhang Yue smiled and said, "Don't be upset, Third Brother. I just saw that all your classmates are looking for fun, but you are still able to study hard. I am very happy."

"It looks just like my father back then."

Zhang Cheng said immediately, "My son remembers, 'My roommates all wore embroidered clothes and hats with red tassels and jewels... They were as radiant as gods. I was wearing tattered clothes among them, and I had no desire to envy them. I was content with what I had, and I didn't realize that I was not as well-fed as others!'"

Zhang Yue said happily: "Yes, this is the true nature of scholars like me."

"Look, although Daddy is the Prime Minister now, he will still be a scholar when he loses his power in the future."

"Govern the country and bring peace to the world, and return as a scholar!"

Zhang Yue thought to himself, among you two brothers, your elder brother’s personality is like your mother’s, he is extremely smart, but your personality is like mine.

I am not born with any extraordinary qualities, but I can endure cold, hardship and poverty, so I can persevere day after day!

This is ten times more advantageous than talent!