Cao Yin didn't care about the rudeness of the five princes, and said to him slowly.

The five princes followed the servants around the city, and when they saw that no one was watching, they entered the prefect's yamen through the back door.

When they arrived in the living room, the fifth prince looked at the third prince and said in surprise, "Third brother, why are you here?" ”

"Fifth brother, you are confused, how can you leave Beijing without permission, if those crows (Yu Dynasty's contemptuous name for Yanguan) know, you will have to go there for a few days."

When the fifth prince heard this, he smiled and asked the third prince to sit down and said, "Third brother, you don't need to worry too much, if you don't say anything about this matter, if the prefect doesn't say it, how can those crows know?" And my father must have known that I had left Beijing for a long time, as long as I can satisfy him, he will not circle me, but I don't know what is the so-called matter of your third brother coming here this time? ”

The third prince shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Send a bottle of imperial wine to Ding Heng Ding Deliang." ”

"What? I remember that Old Man Ding has never drunk alcohol, and at the Luming banquet, the Empress Dowager Xiaowen praised him for this matter. The fifth prince asked in surprise, but the fifth prince quickly reacted and whispered to the third prince: "If I remember correctly, Ding Deliang's son Ding Ying is the governor of Longyou Mansion, right?" ”

The third prince arched his hand to the north and said, "Who can guess the mind of the saint? This clan also heard that the prefect said that you are here, so I came to see it, if the fifth brother is idle, I will go with this clan to send this imperial bar. ”

The fifth prince shook his head like a rattle and said: "Brother, although I don't like government politics, but I also know that Ding Deliang has a noble character and was once known as the blue sky, and the younger brother will not be involved in this matter, third brother, alas, you try to give him a decent one." ”

"It's hard to disobey the king's fate, it's a pity that this blue sky is not the sky." After the third prince finished speaking, he stood up and said: "It's not too early, this clan is also leaving, the fifth brother, the fourth brother, you should intervene less, so as not to discord between the brothers." ”

The fifth prince said that he knew, and then said that it was inconvenient for him to come forward now, so he would not send it.

The three princes walked out of the county office. Got on the soft sedan chair and arrived in front of the Ding Mansion.

Ding's mansion had already followed etiquette, paved the floor with a red carpet, and covered the road with a screen, and when the third prince walked to the front yard, he saw Ding Heng and his family kneeling behind the incense case in turn.

When the third prince arrived at the incense case, he said to Ding Heng: "Mr. Ding, get up, this domain is light this time, and there is no need to make such a big gift." ”

After the Ding family said thank you in unison, Ding Heng's daughter-in-law helped Ding Heng up, Ding Heng bent down and invited the third prince to enter the main hall, and after the third prince sat down, he said to Ding Heng: "Old gentleman, please sit down." ”

After Ding Heng finished saluting, he sat on the chair with half his buttocks and asked respectfully: "I don't know what happened when Prince Ren came to the mansion?" ”

"When the sage heard that the old man was sick, he was worried, so he sent the clan to send a bottle of imperial wine to show his affection."

Hearing this, the Ding family's faces all turned pale, especially Ding Heng's body trembled slightly.

When the third prince saw this situation, although he couldn't bear it, he could only ask someone to bring the imperial wine up, and the third prince got up himself, poured a glass, and handed it to Ding Heng.

Ding Heng stood up tremblingly, took the wine glass, and spilled a lot of wine with trembling hands.

Seeing that Ding Heng didn't dare to quote it, the third prince sighed and said again: "The sage said that it is difficult to drink without poetry, so I specially asked this clan to offer a sentence to toast Xingxing." The third prince said, and said a poem out loud: "The breeze and the moon don't need to be bought with a penny, and Yushan is not pushed by anyone." ”

When Ding Heng heard this poem, his hands were not trembling, his eyes were full of tears, he drank all the imperial wine in the cup, knelt on the ground and kowtowed loudly and said: "Minister Ding Heng congratulates my emperor for his holy grace, and may my emperor live long live long live." ”

"Mr. Ding, the sage asked the clan to tell you that it is better not to drink this imperial wine overnight, and it is better to drink it before tomorrow." After the third prince finished speaking, he couldn't hold back his tears, he was worried about the gaffe, so he hurriedly said goodbye, and when the Ding family was about to salute, the third prince even said no, no.

After the third prince left, the Ding family looked at Ding Heng who was still kneeling in place, and didn't know what to do. After a long time, Ding Heng stood up tremblingly and said to the housekeeper, "Let Liu Xin come to my study." After Ding Heng finished speaking, he walked to the study alone, he looked at the books in the study, and his tears were like a river bursting its banks.

After a while, Liu Xin arrived in front of the study, knocked on the door and said, "Student Liu Xin, please see the master." ”

"Come in." Ding Heng asked Liu Xin to walk in, asked Liu Xin to pick up a pen and paper, and said to Liu Xin: "If you are a few years older, you can still write an epitaph for the old man, but unfortunately, the sky does not follow people's wishes." I Canghai Mansion, on learning, belongs to Mr. Konghe of Jixian Academy for A, the old man is now talking about my life in detail, you record it, give it to Mr. Konghe, let Mr. Konghe write an article for the old man. In addition, the old man also has a suicide note for my son, and he also has a lot of work for you. ”

When Liu Xin heard this, he hurriedly said, "Master Ding, you are still in good spirits, how can you have such a plan after death?" ”

"Yushan is not pushed by people, Yushan is pushed by others, there are some things, you still don't have to ask more, record it with your heart. The old man was born in Wei Xingping four years, when he was seventeen years old, that is, the first year of Tianding, the imperial court opened a department, luckily shortlisted, the Golden Palace sang, feasted and drank the deer song, gave the same Jinshi background, made up the southeast of Qingshui County, the county of Qingshui County, the day after tomorrow for three years, promoted to the southeast of the prefect. After the collapse of the first emperor's mountain mausoleum, the Empress Dowager Cheng Xiaowen was deeply gracious, and was promoted to the sergeant of the winter department, and then moved to the small Sikong to the doctor, and the official list was eight lives...... "Ding Heng told his life one by one.

In the end, Ding Heng sighed again: "The old man has read the books of sages since he was a child, has the ambition of cultivating Qi and ruling peace, has to meet Mingjun, show what he has learned, and has been an official for forty-one years, and has not been derelict in his duties for a single day." The old man is worthy of the sky, and he is worthy of the ground, even if he is under the nine springs, it is enough to see Emperor Gao and the Empress Dowager Xiaowen. That's all for now, and then there's a letter to my son. ”

"My son Ding is worried, and he must no longer be an official, starting from my son, my Ding family will no longer be a leader, and the children he teaches will only use filial piety, and the way of filial piety is enough." When Ding Heng said this, he coughed a few times, shook his head and said: "That's it, that's it, just write this sentence, I don't know if my Ding family can escape this catastrophe, Liu Xin, this is five taels of silver, you better leave here and go to Jixian Academy to study." The old man has nothing to give, he can only send you a few words, the way of reading, just be honest and sincere, this Xiu Qi Zhiping is still exempt, exempt. ”

Ding Heng was out of breath when he said this, Liu Xin walked over and patted him on the back: "Mr. Ding, you can rest for a while." Ding Heng said that it was out of the way and let Liu Xin leave first.

After Liu Xin left here, Ding Heng took one last look at the study, took off his coat, cut the clothes into strips with the scissors on the desk, and then moved the chair, tied it, and said to the north again: "Emperor Gao, Empress Dowager Xiaowen, the minister Ding Deliang has come to ask you for sin." ”

Liu Xin didn't know all this, handed over the suicide note to the housekeeper, and left here.

When he arrived at the inn, Liu Xin found the shopkeeper and said that he was going to settle the bill and leave here.

The shopkeeper calculated it and said to Liu Xin: "Liu Xianggong, a total of one hundred and twenty taels of silver." ”

Liu Xin was taken aback, and said to the shopkeeper: "How can you owe so much, the shopkeeper, even if you make a profit, you can't roll so much." ”

"Actually, it's not much, as long as Liu Xianggong is willing to marry my daughter, don't say that you owe me this bit of silver, Xiao Lao'er, this inn can't give it to you."

Hearing this, Liu Xin smiled and said to the shopkeeper: "Shopkeeper, my career has not been completed, and now I want to go to Jixian Academy to study, for fear of delaying Ling's daughter, please choose another east bed for the shopkeeper." ”

"It's okay, how long do you go to Jixian Academy to study?"

"At least three years."

The shopkeeper muttered, then knocked on the abacus with his hand, calculated it, and said to Liu Xin: "Three years, Xiao Lao'er will give you fifty taels of silver first, if it is not enough, you can come and get it." It's just that after three years, no matter if you have no intention of getting married, you have to come here. ”

"Thank you for the shopkeeper's love, Xiaosheng understands." Liu Xin didn't refuse, thinking that after three years, if he was selected, he would repay it.

"Then your mother and son are going to hurry up, there is a dart trip to Haining City recently, you prepare a tael of silver for them, they accept it as their intention, and if they don't accept it, it is righteousness."

Liu Xin nodded, and after telling his mother, the two set off.

At this time, in the evergreen view of Haining City, the plaques of the four princes were almost carved, and the four princes carefully painted, if the paint was not good, his efforts in the past two days would be in vain.

"Xianggong, there is an old man outside who asks to see you." Zhike suddenly informed outside, the fourth prince was a little impatient, walked out of the door, looked at Zhike and said, "What master, what is the matter with me?" ”

"Mei Xianggong, it's an old man." A kind old man saluted to the four princes, who looked at this man and waved his hand to let the acquaintance go down.

After the acquaintance went down to leave, the old man knelt on the ground respectfully, made a big salute and said: "Minister Wu Yuan, I have seen Prince Li, the prince is a thousand years old." ”

Hearing this name, the fourth prince thought of it, asked Wu Yuan to excuse himself, and said to him: "Are you Wu Yuan of Haining Weaving Mansion?" What are you looking for? ”

"The little minister is looking for the prince is a saint to tell the prince one thing, and soon after, Ding Sikong will follow Emperor Gao."

When the fourth prince heard this, his mind changed rapidly, and he quickly understood and said: "Then Governor Ding Ying will also tell Ding Wei, I don't know who the sage is going to let be the governor of Longyou Mansion?" ”

"This is not known to the ministers." Wu Yuan still looked at the four princes with a smile, not at all like he didn't know. The fourth prince knew that Wu Yuan was not going to say anything, so he didn't ask much about it, but asked: "I don't know why Governor Ding will sue Ding for worry?" ”

"Because Governor Ding changed a poem by the sages, saying that a dynasty plays nine heavens, and the night degrades to the right side of the eight thousand."