The old man sat upright on the straw of the cell, looking calm, as if he were sitting in his own study. When he heard someone speak, he recognized it as Liu Mingcheng, the prefect of Yangzhou, through the dim firelight, and asked lightly: "Oh, I don't know which adult arrived?" Forgive the old man for being dizzy. ”

Liu Mingcheng covered his face with his hands and said guiltily: "Teacher, shame the student!" The student is Mingcheng, don't you remember me? The Jinshi of Jianping for three years was fortunate to worship under the throne of the teacher. The students heard a report from the government that some people had been caught on the passenger boat, so they came to check it out. I didn't expect these damn thieves to dare to slander Master Lai, it's really hateful! The students will definitely dismiss them from their posts and investigate them. He snatched the key from the jailer, unlocked the door and walked into the cell, picked up the old man and went out.

The old man stood up and gently patted the straw on his body, turned his face to Liu Mingcheng beside him and said, "Lord Liu, let's do business." The old man has also been an official for more than 40 years, and he has never abolished the public for personal reasons, nor has he been justified because of affection. You'd better let the head catcher find out the whole story of the case first, and then let the old man out. ”

Liu Mingcheng listened to the pretending to be an old man and thought about it, and suddenly patted his head and said: "The teacher has always been of high character, and everyone inside and outside the government and the opposition knows it. If the teacher is worried about gossip, you can first find a courtyard in Yangzhou Mansion to live in, play around, and then set off after a while. In this way, students can also take this opportunity to fulfill their filial piety. ”

After hearing this, the old man took a deep look at Liu Mingcheng, and his calm eyes seemed to be able to see through people's hearts. Liu Mingcheng didn't dare to look at him, but lowered his head as if he was being taught. "It's fine. The old man has not enjoyed the scenery of Yangzhou for many years, so he just took this opportunity to take a walk. As he spoke, he was about to walk out of the prison door, but he turned his head and asked, "Lord Liu, can the old man's family members go out now?" ”

Just now, cold sweat had broken out on Liu Mingcheng's forehead, he nodded again and again, motioned to the jailer to release the family members from the cell next to him, and then followed the old man step by step.

The old man walked out of the prison, stopped and looked at the already dark sky outside, and suddenly said meaningfully: "Lord Liu, do you think tomorrow's sun will be as hot as today?" ”

Liu Mingcheng looked ahead with the old man's gaze, and replied in a leisurely tone: "Teacher, the sun in this midsummer season will get hotter and hotter day by day. But if this season is over, the weather will get cooler, and no one can stop it. ”

"Well, Lord Liu has a point, but it's hard for crickets to survive until winter."

"Crickets don't survive the winter because they don't find a place to live in advance, and students often see ants crawling around coming out of their holes in the winter. Teacher, students think that if they want to live, they still need to see more accurately, after all, it is good to enjoy the shade under the big tree. ”

The old man looked at Liu Mingcheng's glowing face, and suddenly felt that he was a little pitiful, sighed and said: "Alas, it's a pity that whether it is ants or crickets, they are all clowns who jump beams in the eyes of those who have a heart." As soon as the person moves his fingers when he sees the time, the ants will be crushed to death, especially the ants walking in front. ”

Liu Mingcheng's face suddenly turned red, and then he turned blue, and squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth, "Teacher, is the student just so disdainful of you?" Where am I worse than Ye Nanqing? ”

The old man turned his face to look at Liu Mingcheng, although he hadn't seen him for more than ten years, he still vaguely remembered that the student in front of him came to the house for the first time after entering the department to thank him for his youthful appearance, the same stubbornness, the same refusal to admit defeat. Although the student's expression was a little cringe and apprehensive at that time, the old man saw in the depths of his eyes a strong ambition and a desperate determination, just as he did now. "Mingcheng, why did you want to be an official in the first place?"

Liu Mingcheng was a little confused after hearing this, and he didn't know how to answer for a while. Since he joined the company, he has never received the guidance and support of the old man, and can only rely on himself to use various opportunities to climb up desperately. When he was the county magistrate, he spent all his thoughts on shaving and shooting horses in addition to handling government affairs, and then he was able to continue to be promoted left and right, until he moved to the prefect of Yangzhou four years ago. He enjoys the feeling of dominating others, which makes him feel omnipotent; He enjoyed the feeling of being looked up to, as if his body was floating in the air, but he never thought about why he wanted to be an official. In the end, Liu Mingcheng took a deep breath and said: "Students don't ask much, they just want to be people." ”

The old man seemed to expect him to say this, but he was still a little disappointed, shook his head and said: "Officialdom is not only a famous field, but also a power field. You want to hold on to more power, you want people to be afraid of you, afraid of you, look up to you, I can understand that. can be an official for one term, and it should benefit one party, can't you think more about the people of this side? ”

Liu Mingcheng was unmoved, but said with a smile: "Teacher, if you are dedicated to the sake of the people, you will not go to the capital this time." In the final analysis, that incident is also a family affair, so why should you and I come to the master and apprentice? ”

"You persuaded me. In addition to a mouthful of food, what the people need more is a stable life. If the sword soldiers rise again, it will be the people who suffer in the end. There are often struggles for power, but how can the people be innocent? What's more, you also know that it is a family affair of other people, and which Bodhisattva is not a tree with deep roots. When a storm comes, the tree may only break a few branches, but the weeds under the tree will be uprooted. ”

"What the teacher said is very true. But when the wind is calm, the rootless duckweed can only float in the dark ditch. After the storm rises, duckweed has a chance to go up 90,000 miles with the wind. ”

The sedan chair rented by the family had already reached the door of the prison, and the old man stopped speaking and walked into the sedan chair with steady steps.

Liu Mingcheng bowed and bowed, "Teacher, if you have any needs in Yangzhou these days, just tell the students." As soon as the case is settled, the student union will send someone to escort the teacher to Beijing as soon as possible. ”

"Well, you're doing it for yourself."

"Congratulations to the teacher!"

The sedan chair took a few steps and stopped, and the old man sat in the sedan chair and said in a deep voice, "Ye Nanqing's heart values the people more than you." Then he told the sedan driver to get up and leave.

Liu Mingcheng's face was gloomy again, and he returned to the backyard of the government in a gloomy mood.

In the study, Liu Mingcheng was writing a letter, and after writing and sealing it, he handed it to the master waiting next to him. "Send this letter to the Tongren Hall in the capital overnight, and come back as soon as possible after getting the reply, without a moment's delay."

"Yes, the villain will do it."

Under the flickering candlelight, Liu Mingcheng still had some thoughts that did not belong, and he was no longer sure of what he had before. Thinking of his teacher's words before leaving, he was a little apprehensive while feeling heavy. The mentor has been an official for more than 40 years, and he has always been extremely accurate in looking at people and things, and he is invincible in the officialdom, and is called "Zhihu" by his colleagues and opponents. If it weren't for the fact that he was trying to make room for people at that time, maybe he would still be scolding Fang Xuan in the officialdom now. "Is this really going to happen?" After hesitating for a moment, he relented, "No matter, this is my only chance, either soar into the sky or die of old dust." I'll let him see with his own eyes, Ye Nanqing is nothing remarkable, still crawling at my feet. ”