"Three provinces, six ministries and twelve guards" This is the composition of the Tang Dynasty power system in Chang'an, the imperial capital.

The three provinces are Zhongshu Province, Menxia Province, and Shangshu Province. The province was mainly responsible for making recommendations to the emperor and drafting the emperor's edicts; The province is responsible for reviewing and passing, and when the emperor's edict is deemed to be improperly handled, it can be "refuted" and refuted; Shangshu Province, on the other hand, was a solid administrative department, responsible for carrying out the emperor's edicts.

The six departments are subordinate to the province of Shangshu, including officials, households, rites, soldiers, criminals, and workers.

The Twelve Guards are the Twelve Guards army stationed in the entire imperial capital Chang'an, and these Twelve Guards are the most elite troops in the Tang Dynasty. They include the left and right military guards, the left and right Xiao guards, the left and right Wei Wei, the left and right leading guards, the left and right Jinwu guards, and the left and right Qianniu guards. Each guard is set up with one general of the three products and two generals from the three products.

The Twelve Wei Army is in the hands of Emperor Li Yuan, Qin King Li Shimin, Longyou Li Imperial Family, and Guanlong nobles, and one of them is very special, this person does not control the Twelve Wei Army, but holds the official position of the very important Right Wuwei General in the Twelve Wei Army. This person is Zheng Renji, the general of the Right Wuwei, the patriarch of the Zheng clan in Xingyang, and the head of the Hao clan in Shandong.

The Zheng family of Xingyang, a famous wealthy family in northern China. Its ancestors are the Zheng royal family canonized by King Xuan of the Western Zhou Dynasty, since the Han Dynasty Emperor Jing, Emperor Wu Dynasty's famous ministers - Zheng at that time, Xingyang Zheng family has produced many talents, let the dynasty change, has been in control of the prime minister, Taiwei, Sikong, Dasi Nong's official positions, but also a generation of scripture masters, Han Dynasty scripture masters, Zheng Xue's founder, Zheng Xuan from his clan. By the time of the Sui and Tang dynasties, after 800 years of development, the Zheng family in Xingyang had become a well-known family in the world, and its protégés were all over the world. Zheng Xuan's Zheng Xue is considered by the entire world to be the most orthodox interpretation of Confucius's Confucianism. The Zheng family of Xingyang, the Cui family of Qinghe, the Wang family of Taiyuan, and the Lu family of Fanyang are known as the four wealthy families in the world.

The mansion of Zheng Renji, the general of the Right Military Guard, covers an extremely wide area, but it is very low-key and simple, and it is very bookish. Unlike the vermilion lacquer gate of the imperial court, the gate of Jeong In-ki's mansion is black, and the water is clear and turquoise, which is dark, and the gate color is black, which symbolizes water and means "clear". It shows that the Zheng clan has a clean sleeve, a simple and light life, and will never be in the same stream as the magnates.

Outside the gate stood two tall pure white unicorns.

The unicorn is an ancient benevolent beast, the Lord is peaceful, bringing abundance, blessings, longevity and beauty to the world, benefiting people with good hearts, and has the meaning of auspiciousness.

The crown prince Xian Ma Wei Zheng was standing outside Zheng Renji's mansion waiting for Zheng Renji's summons, and he sighed: "The Zheng family in Xingyang is really worthy of being a thousand-year-old wealthy family, a scholarly family. The way of Confucius and Mencius has been integrated into every bit of their lives. ”

Soon, a middle-aged man who looked like a housekeeper walked up to Wei Zheng, bowed to Wei Zheng and said, "Lord Wei, my lord invites you to enter the mansion for a while." ”

Under the leadership of the housekeeper, Wei Zheng walked through the gate of Zheng Mansion and walked into Zheng Renji's mansion.

A wall appeared in front of Wei Zheng, and a strong big character "Li" was written on the wall. "Rites" is the foundation of Confucian Confucianism, and if you don't learn etiquette, you can't stand. Etiquette is the foundation of all rules and regulations in society, and it is also the highest moral norm. Etiquette is reasonable, we must abide by etiquette and reason, and resolutely do not do things that violate etiquette and reason.

Walking through the wall, the back of the wall is painted with a "ring picture". In the picture, an ancient beast is depicted - Chaos. Chaotic looks like a dog, four-legged and clawless, has eyes but does not see, has difficulty walking, has wings, and its nature is diametrically opposed to the ancient benevolent beast unicorn, greedy, does not distinguish between right and wrong, obeys cruel people, and oppresses the good. In the picture, chaos runs wildly in the clouds in the sky, and has no scruples about possessing all kinds of treasures. But it was not satisfied, its eyes were fixed on the sun, and it opened its mouth in a vain attempt to swallow the sun into its belly and take it for itself. is so ambitious, the desire is difficult to peace, and in the end he can't swallow the sun and die in the sea. The "Ring Map" is intended to warn the Zheng clan in the past that the ethereal wealth is extremely tempting, and if you are not careful, you will be ruined, reminding the Zheng clan to be honest and honest outside, and to insist on diligence and thrift internally.

In the courtyard of Zheng Renji's mansion, the servants of the Zheng family are all gentle and elegant, humble and courteous, disciplined and natural, cordial and harmonious between people, and happy with each other.

Wei Zheng secretly praised in his heart: "Etiquette and music have been cultivated so much, I have to see the ancient relics today, it is really a blessing for three lives." ”

Walking into the hall of Jung In-ki's mansion, the hall is simple and elegant. A couplet is hung in the middle of the hall, "Rites and music have been passed down for a long time, and poems and books have been passed down for a long time", which is full of charm and mellow for a long time. Beneath the couplet is an unusually simple table, which is clean and spotless. There are two high-backed chairs on both sides of the table, the material is very ordinary, it is a very common paulownia wood. On both sides of the lower head of the high-backed chair, there is a row of high-backed chairs for guests, which are also made of paulownia wood, but they are wiped unusually bright, which makes people feel very comfortable to look at. There is an incense burner lit in the hall, and the aroma is naturally light, as if there is nothing. The whole hall is spacious, bright, simple and elegant, clean and tidy, well-behaved, and makes people feel comfortable.

General Right Wuwei, the patriarch of the Zheng clan in Xingyang, and the head of the Hao clan in Shandong, Zheng Renji, sat on the high-backed chair at the head of the hall. Zheng Renji is forty-one or two years old, with a fair complexion, three locks of long hair, and a polite style, wearing a white Tang Dynasty round-neck scribe's uniform, a sky-blue luan belt around his waist, silk shoes and socks underneath, with a graceful demeanor and an extraordinary appearance.

Wei Zheng bowed to Zheng Renji and said, "Crown Prince Xian Ma Wei Zheng pays a visit to the general." ”

Zheng Renji said with a smile: "Lord Wei is a popular person next to the prince, and now he is hot, I don't know why Lord Wei came to my mansion today?" Since the fifth year of the Tang Dynasty Wude, since entering Chang'an, I have been soft-spoken, and have always been law-abiding, cautious, and walking on thin ice. Although I have the false position of the right military guard, but I can't command a soldier, for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Lord Wei, it is dispensable, and today Lord Wei is visiting, I am really flattered in my heart. ”

Wei Zheng looked at Zheng Renji with a light in his eyes, and said secretly in his heart: "This Zheng Renji really can't be underestimated." He knew that although the prince was now in charge of the army, if he wanted to use 20,000 troops to exterminate the 400,000 army of the traitor Liu Heimin, he had to ask them for help from the wealthy clan in Shandong. A poor man's tale cannot be heard? No real power? He is taking the opportunity to ask His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for power, hoping that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince can meet their political needs. The timing they chose was really good. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince now also has to meet their political needs. But with me Wei Zheng here, how can the wealthy clan in Shandong take away those powers so easily without paying some price? ”