Since King Rui took over as the supervisor of the Ministry of Officials to revise the official evaluation system, Dong Qian, the waiter of the Ministry of Rites, was worried all day long, for fear that King Rui would retaliate against him. Helplessly, whenever Dong Qian visited the Prime Minister's Mansion, Huo Xiang always found various excuses and closed the door, as if he was a bedbug, rat and ant that everyone saw and hated, and avoided him.

While Dong Qian was waiting tremblingly, King Rui finally came to the ministry with the edict to report on his work. Dong Qian sat opposite King Rui, only to feel like sitting on pins and needles, and his whole body was uncomfortable, so he had to hold the tea awkwardly and drink it with his head down. Rui Wang was the first to speak: "Dong Changshi's body is now Da'an? ”

When Dong Qian heard King Rui mention the old things, he couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine, and he kept thinking about the deep meaning of King Rui's words. Dong Qian lowered his head and stammered: "Father, my lord's health is healthy, His Royal Highness Xie is worried." ”

"Well, that's good." Liang Yinhuan nodded and smiled, there was a mysterious light in his eyes, making people unable to distinguish between joy and anger. "The past has passed, and this king is not a small person who likes to dig through old accounts, so Master Dong doesn't have to be too restrained. In fact, I am not afraid to spread out with Lord Dong and say that today, this king came to the Ministry of Officials under the order of the emperor to rectify the rule of officials in the court, not to seek personal revenge from Lord Dong. Rest assured, as long as you abide by your duty and serve the country, the king will not worry about other matters. But if the adults are still just thinking about how to figure out the thoughts of the above, seeing the wind and steering the rudder, and not putting their minds on official affairs at all, then the king will not be merciful at that time. ”

Dong Qian knelt on the ground, his whole body seemed to be numb, and he kowtowed and replied: "Your Highness understands what His Highness means, and he will definitely do his best to serve the court in the future."

Liang Yinhuan squeaked lightly and ordered: "Well, you go and sort out the archives of the promotion and demotion of officials in the DPRK and China in recent years, and show them to me." ”

"Yes, the next official will go." Dong Qian hurriedly responded, but he couldn't help but think in his heart: how could he not expect King Rui to let himself go so lightly, did he really not care about him, or was it just a plan to delay the army and settle the account together in the future?

Just as Dong Qian was pondering to himself, Liang Yinhuan suddenly opened his mouth to call him lightly and asked, "Wait!" It's already this hour, why hasn't Master Hu arrived yet? ”

"After the next court, Lord Hu generally has the habit of sleeping back to the cage, so he will arrive a little later every day. Your Highness, be patient and wait, Lord Hu should be there soon. ”

Liang Yinhuan frowned unhappily, raised his chin slightly, and said, "Got it, you go get busy first." ”

Dong Qian took the order and retreated. About the time of three incense sticks has passed, and the Shangshu Fang of the Ministry of Rites is late, and there is no anxiety in his leisurely posture. It stands to reason that the officials should have received the news of King Rui's visit today, but Hu Zhihan not only did not come early to greet King Rui, but also asked a prince to wait for him, so putting the cart before the horse, making Liang Yinhuan a little annoyed in his heart.

"Your Excellency is really busy, let this king wait." Liang Yinhuan negative airway.

"The old man is old and frail, so it will naturally take a little longer on the road, and I hope Your Highness will forgive me." Although Hu Zhihan's tone was respectful, his words revealed an arrogance that no one could see. He sat down slowly, looking old, and said disapprerovitically: "Actually, Lord Dong is clear about the affairs of the ministry, and if His Highness has any questions, it is the same to ask him." ”

Liang Yinhuan's face sank, he had heard some rumors about this old Shangshu before he came to the ministry. Everyone knows that he has been eating heavily for a long time, not to mention doing nothing, and he is very lazy and arrogant. However, this Hu Zhihan is the son of the late county lord of Anhe, and his family background is noble, so everyone just turned a blind eye and did not criticize him. In fact, Liang Yinhuan has an impression of this old Shangshu, when the first emperor was in power, he was also regarded as the minister of the humerus in the court, and the style of high and honest is unmatched, so at first Liang Yinhuan did not believe the rumors in the court, but he did not expect to meet him in person today, only to know that he had fallen to such a point, and his heart felt even colder.

Liang Yinhuan's face was grim, and he asked: "Is Master Hu the secretary of the ministry, or is Dong Qian the secretary of the ministry?!" Adults eat the king's fortune, but they neglect their duties like this and deal with them hastily, don't you have a trace of guilt in your heart? ”

"For the country and the king, will there be good results?" Hu Zhihan sneered, the sorrow in his eyes was hidden deeply, "So many loyal and brave people, aren't they still dying in vain in the villain's conspiracy and calculations?" What's wrong with staying out of the way? ”

"No, that's not what you intended! The Hu Zhihan Hu I know is definitely not such a person!" Liang Yinhuan shook his head firmly, he knew that Hu Zhihan was saying righteous words, he looked directly at the other party's slightly sneering eyes, and said solemnly, "The real Lord Hu is the most righteous person I have ever seen. When the first emperor was in power, Lord Hu, as a secretary of the ministry, was not afraid of the powerful and enforced the law impartially, bringing the gospel to many poor students and condemning how many gentlemen? Have these adults forgotten? ”

King Rui's shining eyes were like blazing fire, which instantly burned Hu Zhihan's heart, he looked away weakly, lowered his head and laughed at himself, and it took a long time to squeeze a sentence out of his throat. "That kind of Hu Zhihan is already dead, and now he is just an empty shell."

There was an eerie silence in the room, and both of them bowed their heads in distraction. Liang Yinhuan seemed to have something to say, and he almost blurted out uncontrollably, but he was forced to suppress it, turning into a depression that was difficult to swallow. Eventually, he said in a barely audible voice, "Really? I used to think that even if everyone was intoxicated by this chaotic world, at least there would be two people who would always stay fresh, one was the late Yun Xiang, and the other was You, Lord Hu. ”

"But where is Yunxiang now?" Hu Zhihan smiled bitterly, "Since the moment Yun Xiang died, I suddenly understood: in this world, even if you have great ambitions, you have to bow to reality. Nowadays, when the DPRK is playing Chinese, officials are thinking all day long not about how to do a good job, but about how to form a party, how to curry favor with traitors, and how to figure out the holy will. The atmosphere is like this, and I can turn the tide by myself, isn't it delusional? I had to pretend to be deaf and dumb, and I couldn't see it. ”

Liang Yinhuan immediately asked: "In that case, why don't you just resign from office?" From now on, I will love the landscape and no longer meddle in these rights and wrongs? ”

Hu Zhihan's originally lazy body tensed instantly, and he joked far-fetchedly: "Xu bent his waist for those five buckets of rice?" ”

Liang Yinhuan disagreed, "Because in Lord Hu's heart, there is still a trace of wind and bones, and he is unwilling to go with the flow." Because in the hearts of adults, there is always a trace of expectation for the society and the court. ”