After receiving the news, Xu Jie hurriedly rushed to the city tower of Zuo'an Mén, and sure enough, he saw Emperor Longqing wearing a thick fur coat, accompanied by Chen Hong and Feng Bao, standing facing outside the palace.

"The old minister's delay in handling and disturbing the emperor is really a crime that deserves death." , Xu Jie hurriedly knelt down: "The wind is strong in the city, I implore the emperor to go down to the city immediately, and the following matters will be handled by Weichen." "It's Xu Ge Lao, ......", Long Qing turned his head and laughed loudly: "They are here to find me, don't need your old heart, this time the matter will come out from me." He put his right hand to his ear and said, "I don't believe you'...... listen."

As if in response to the emperor's words, the sound of the mountain shouted under the city, long live long live long live .......

Xu Jiemian got up pale and stepped forward, "Holding the battlements and looking out, I saw the scholars under the city, all kneeling there and shouting long live."

Long Qing enjoyed this feeling very much, and raised his hands in the air, "The soldiers under the city stopped calling and looked up at their emperor.

Long Qing also looked at the black and oppressive soldiers below, and was silent for a long time, and there was silence on the field.

, It's bad, the emperor forgot his words, only Feng Bao realized what was happening, and hurriedly reminded him: , Hu Zongxian's matter ......, "Oh, oh, ......" let him remind him, Long Qing finally remembered his own draft, and only then did he start to say: ", I am also worried about Hu Zongxian's case. You say that you will punish the murderers severely, and find out the mastermind...... This court has already checked again, and the results will come out in the light of day in a few days, please rest assured: you said that you will restore his honorary official title and give him preferential treatment...... I can answer you now. Hu Zongxian is a meritorious hero who does not mislead the country and the people, and the court will definitely reward him for his diligence and justice, and he will not be allowed to be under the Jiuquan and ...... blindly", Xu Jie's words behind the emperor were not clear. I only heard the emperor say a sentence, "There will be a burst of cheers below", this voice is like a magic sound, which makes Xu Ge Lao feel that his ears are buzzing, and his heart has not been so uneasy for many years.

"Elder Xu Ge, Elder Xu Ge" didn't come back to his senses until someone pushed him, and Xu Jie said blankly: "What's wrong?" ”

"The emperor asked you to give the scholars a guarantee?" , it was Chen Hong who pushed him, xiǎo said: , "To Hu Zongxian's memorial and mourning ......", "I promise." Xu Jiemian stepped forward palely, and said to the scholars downstairs in the city: "Everything is as holy ......", "Long live, long live...... "The fanatical shout drowned out Xu Ge Lao's voice.

Seeing that Xu Jie's face was not good, Long Qing asked with concern, "Is Yuan Weng okay?" "It's okay, it's just an occasional cold. Xu Jie smiled bitterly.

"It's windy in the city." Long Qing returned his words as they were: "Quickly help Yuan Weng go back and rest." Xu Jie didn't want to stay here any longer, so he hastily retreated. As soon as he left, Longqing couldn't hold on anymore, and asked Chen Hongdao: "It's all frozen to death, how long will I last?" "Say hello to the scholar and leave." Chen Hong said: "This is a great opportunity for the emperor to win them, and they will be more loyal than others in the future." ”

Long Qing said goodbye to the scholars again, and asked them to hurry back to drink the ginger soup or something, and sure enough, the scholars were moved enough, kowtowed again, and dispersed.

One "one" one "one one one" one "one " one "one " one "one

was carried back to the cabinet room, and the subordinates hurriedly came up to change Xu Jie's clothes, but he pushed them away, and he was so draped in a big hat, and he lay on the recliner "Looking at the top of the house in a distracted manner." Nuan Xin was still buckled on his head, and the whole person looked bloated and weak.

When Zhang Juzheng heard the news, he repelled the idlers and others, "close the house", and sat quietly on the chair next to Xu Jie, waiting for him to recover on his own.

For a long time, Xu Jie still maintained the posture he had started, but finally spoke up: "You said" this time "Is there anyone behind the emperor's back......" "There must be a ......" Zhang Juzheng said softly: "If something goes abnormal, there must be a demon to do it." This time, the emperor actually went to the city to meet the petitioners, and the prime minister had to agree to their request: "I think there must be a superior behind this." ”

"Who is it?" , Xu Jie said slowly, "Chen Hong?" Or Lembo? "Chen Hong has the ability to provoke the emperor to do this, but what is the benefit of offending the master compared to him? He's the head of Ouchi, "If you are arched down, he can't be the first assistant, so there's really no reason to do that." Zhang Juzheng analyzed in a deep voice: "Yang Bo is also impossible, not to mention that he is not familiar with the emperor, he can't come up with this kind of idea, just saying that he doesn't have the ability" to incite those scholars to make trouble. "Who could that be?" Xu Jie asked softly.

"What's wrong with the teacher? You can't see such a clear thing at this juncture? This matter was picked up by the gang under Shen Zhuoyan! The teacher didn't understand, and he still talked to him, and he believed that he would let us go, and he was counting on passing the position of Shoufu to him, and counting on him to give you old shelter from the wind and rain", Zhang Juzheng choked in his throat when he said this, and took a deep breath and said: "When the student and Shen Mo Jiāo were good, they used to travel together, and he had two lines of poetry at that time, which I have always remembered vividly. After a pause, he recited: "He said that it is advisable to chase the poor with the remaining bravery, and not to sell the name of the overlord: if there is love in the sky, the sky is also old, and the right way in the world is the vicissitudes of life" You said that the person who made such a poem "is it possible to be soft-hearted and give up halfway?" ”

If Shen Mo knew that the poems of Máo Taizu that he had burst out with pride and plagiarized casually were actually used by Zhang Juzheng to deconstruct his xìng grid, I don't know if my intestines would be repentant.

But there is no such thing as a regret in the world. Xu Jie's words finally moved, he slowly sat up with the armrest of the chair and said: "Send a letter to Nanjing, ask clearly who are engaged in joint letters, I can see that these people are idle and sick, and they have to move the place; There is also the scholar who made trouble this time, "Find out who is the leader in it, this kind of person who is afraid that the world will not be luàn, the court can't take it!" ”

"Yes." Seeing that Xu Jie finally cheered up, Zhang Juzheng mustered up the courage and said the words that had been held in his heart for a long time: "Teacher, the student said that he is courageous, you may have been thinking wrong about Shen Mo's goal this time. ”

"What do you mean?" , Xu Jie looked at him and said.

"I suspect that he is, Xiang Zhuang dances the sword, and intends to Pei Gong." Zhang Juzheng lowered his voice and said: "His target is not me, but the teacher." "Me? Xu Jie's pupils shrank suddenly, and he laughed silently: "How is it possible?" In the 200 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, have you ever seen any students who dared to do something to their teachers? ”

"There is always a first in everything!" Seeing that he didn't believe it, Zhang Juzheng said hurriedly: "Otherwise, it can't be explained, why he was willing to withdraw his troops when he took the initiative!" Li Chūnfang did not investigate, Wang * Xiang did not arrest, and he did not want to close the case. Well, make a big deal and pour dirty water on the teacher! ”

"Enough!" Xu Jie slapped the armrest of the recliner suddenly, and said with an ugly face: "Are you instigating?" ，”

"Teacher?" Zhang Juzheng was extremely stunned, knelt down and said: "The students are sincere, and the sky is tea......,......

"Alas," Xu Jie sighed stubbornly, "It seems that he is ten years old, take off the warm hat on his head" to reveal the silver hair soaked in sweat and clinging to his forehead, which sounds a little wrong, and said: "The golden cup is a common drink, and the white blade is not forgiving!" The king can be to the minister, "the father is not to the son, the teacher is not to the student!" Said with a desolate smile: "How can the old man meet his own students?" How is this recorded in the history books? Don't talk about it again. ”

"Teacher", Zhang Juzheng persuaded hard: "People's knives are all on the neck, do you want to kill the neck?" ”

"He doesn't dare to kill me", Xu Jie shook his head with a deep face: "Those who deceive teachers and destroy ancestors are not allowed to be in the world!" He didn't dare, he didn't dare......"

"Teacher" Zhang Juzheng sighed and said quietly: "Is reputation really that important? ”

"If you don't value it, it doesn't mean that others don't value it," Xu Jie slowly closed his eyes, and suddenly said softly after a long time: "You don't have to worry about yourself, even if I'm really finished, you'll be fine." ”

Zhang Juzheng was silent.

One "one" one "one

After the emperor proclaimed the edict from the upper floor of the city of Zuo'an, the direction of the court changed greatly, and more and more officials wrote to ask for a reconsideration of Hu Zongxian's nickname. Under the expectations of the public, the Ministry of Rites and the Cabinet moved much faster this time, and a new nickname was drawn up in just one day, Xiangmao.

The armor is laborious, and the virtue is far away; To be honored by virtue and rewarded by merit is said that in short, it is the word "great merit".

Although this time it is worse than the emperor's "loyalty", but it is already a great step forward is also the limit that Xu Ge can accept, even if Xu Jie's concession again, it is impossible to give a "loyalty, the word to Hu Zongxian, what is the opposite of loyalty?" Isn't that the same as writing "jiān, character" on your own brain?

Although he won a game on Zuo'an Mén, "But for Emperor Longqing, it was just taking advantage of the favorable time and place, and xiǎoxiǎo to export evil anger, and really want him to fight against Xu Jie?" He didn't have this confidence yet, so Longqing also accepted it when he saw it, and approved the red on the ticket. just took the opportunity to win more on Hu Zongxian's mourning.

Now that Xu Jie has learned from the pain, he has followed the emperor as best he can, and naturally he will not make Longqing unhappy at the end of these branches. So he quickly ordered the Ministry of Officials and the Ministry of Households to come up with a plan to posthumously seal Hu Zongxian as the Taibao, and one son of Yin Qi as the commander of Jinyiwei, and one son as the commander of Jinyiwei, and gave flags, plaques, and a number of gold and silver utensils.

Longqing saw that it was particularly insufficient, and posthumously awarded Hu Zongxian a Hainingbo, and after the public sacrifice of hundreds of officials, the imperial burial of Tianma Mountain in his hometown can be regarded as a mournful honor.

Long Qing said to Chen Hong unsatisfactorily: "Now you can always have a Jiāo generation for Master Shen, right?" ”

"The emperor's kindness is enough." Chen Hong squinted and said.

So the holy decree was promulgated, and on the 21st day of the lunar month, after the public sacrifice of Hu Zongxian at the Pantheon, his coffin was escorted back to his hometown by the brocade guards for the imperial funeral.

Today is the sixteenth day of the lunar month, and there are still four days left before the twenty-first" However, according to the custom, there will be three days of xiǎo sacrifices before the public sacrifice, so that those officials who are not qualified to enter the festival on that day can enter the festival first, which is also regarded as a cushion for the day of the main festival.

After receiving the holy decree, the Ministry of Rites began to be nervous and busy, "Hurry up and hurry, and finally it took a day and a night to tie up the mourning hall, and there was no delay in the opening of the sacrifice."

一一"一一、一"一、一"

So far, "public opinion has completely reversed, and the remembrance and remembrance of Hu Zongxian has become the mainstream of the officialdom in the capital now." What's more, Hu Zongxian's great deeds and final tragic ending during his lifetime, as written in that couplet, the sword buries the wrongs, and the loyal soul surrounds the white clouds, "making people all have compassion", and officials in Beijing are all invited to the Panthéon to pay respects.

The monks of Zhaoning Temple, also at the invitation of the Ministry of Rites, come to the mourning hall every day to make a big water and land dojo, and sharpen the bells and drums to recite the "Sutra of Death" over and over again, adding atmosphere to the sacrifice.

There is an endless stream of people who come to mourn, and according to the Beijing mourning ceremony, each official who goes will send a banner. The mourning hall should be empty for the adults, "and it will be placed in the courtyard." Who knew that a day later, the yard would also be full, and it could only be placed outside the big mén. Later, even the outer walls of the street were filled with spirit flags and banners. The weather in the capital is surprisingly good these days, with a thin day during the day and a starry night at night. Those white papers were not exposed to the rain, intact, and the Pantheon was piled up white, and the clumps were repeated, and there was no room for feet.

In a blink of an eye, it was the twenty-first day of the lunar month, and the day of the main sacrifice had arrived. Early this morning, the officials who participated in the public memorial came from all directions, and the street was soon jammed with sedan chairs, so that later officials could only drop the sedan chairs on the street and walk to the Panthéon.

Although they had heard of the situation here, they were still deeply shocked by the sight of those banners along the way, and they all thought about it the same way: Hu Zongxian died without regrets if he could be so mournful. , the difference between the two subjects and the time "six departments and nine qing" will expire one after another...... Of course, Wang Tingxiang and Huang Guangsheng, who are suspended at home, are not among them.

The Great Nine Qings are naturally qualified to enter the mourning hall, the main hall of the Pantheon is a five-wing nave, "now there is a black sè velvet curtain in the middle", behind the curtain is the statue of the sages, and the coffin of Hu Zongxian parked in front of it is the mourning hall for sacrifices.

After the adults came in, they saw that under the central curtain of the mourning hall, several rows of altars were placed horizontally, "The rows of altars in the back were full of three livestock and fruit sacrifices, and the pigs and sheep were whole. In the three large copper furnaces on the altar in the front row, each of them has three cups of sandalwood, and the smoke in the hall is thick, and the curtain hangs low. On both sides of the main hall, "there are more than 40 musicians from the Drum Workshop Division in the palace, holding various instruments such as sheng flute and pipa to play music." As soon as the mournful and tactful music sounded, the mourning atmosphere was brought to the extreme.

In this atmosphere, all the adults were also embarrassed, and after solemnly saluting Hu Zongxian's coffin in turn, Hu Zongxian's son, "that is, Hu Gongzi, who was beaten by Hai Rui, had already been taken into Beijing by Jinyiwei to "wear linen and filial piety" to return the salute to the guests.