"Prime Minister, Yan Wen has arrived!"

Liu Zhennian had returned to the hall at this time, supporting his sick body that had not yet fully recovered, and sat upright on the circle chair.

"Bring him up." Liu Zhennian's eyes seemed to have two fires.

"Yes."

Soon after, two military men came with a thin official. The man did not wear a gauze hat, his half-white hair was scattered from above, and his face was dirty and black, except for a pair of dark eyes, which were bleak.

"Yes...... Yan is participating in politics? Liu Zhennian stretched out his head to look, his eyes widened, and he didn't dare to recognize him at all.

"Yes." Yan Wen replied in a low voice.

Liu Zhennian's anger gradually disappeared, and he still asked as usual: "I heard from the scribe in my house, did you look for me a few days ago?" ”

"Yes. You went home to recuperate, and you weren't here. Yan Wen said.

"Is it too late to see me?"

Yan Wen raised his head slightly, looking nervously into his eyes, trying to see a little mercy in them, but there seemed to be nothing in those eyes, all cloudy. He began to be afraid: "What do you mean by Liu Gong?" ”

Liu Zhennian was silent for a moment, and then looked at the people beside him: "You guys should step back for the time being." ”

The soldiers looked at each other and were stunned, so they had to put down Yan Wen's arm and walk out with a few scribes. After a chaotic sound of footsteps, Yan Wen remained frozen in place, motionless.

There was no sound in the hall, except for the birds outside.

"Ahem."

Liu Zhennian coughed suddenly, and the birds on the eaves seemed to understand their thoughts, and they instantly quieted down.

"If it's not too late," Liu Zhennian's fingers lightly fell on the armrest, "Yan will talk to me more about politics...... This will probably be the last time you and I will meet. ”

Yan Wen slowly raised his head, his eyes looking straight at him, but there was no surprise or fear in his eyes, just a blank daze. It went on like this for a moment, and he didn't answer, and slowly lowered his head back.

"You should know, I called you here this time just to give them an explanation and remove you from your official position...... Yan Xiang, things have developed to such a point, I say that no matter how much I say, it's useless, it's just that Liu feels guilty, and I can't live with your heartfelt past. Liu Zhennian said to himself, but seeing that Yan Wen was still silent, he sighed: "Forget it, if you don't want to speak, hand over the seal letter, and leave if you want." ”

"Great General," Yan Wen finally spoke, "I don't have much credit for you, but I have failed you to make such a difficult choice." Just let Niu Yuan kill me, I willingly admit defeat. ”

"It's all at this time, and you're still thinking about the party struggle, right?" Liu Zhennian let out an unusually sad laugh, and then suddenly stood up, trying his best to open his bloodshot eyes, "He's fighting, you're also fighting, and you're satisfied if you bring down the country, right?" You keep saying that you want to revive the former king's etiquette system, but in the end this is just an excuse, just a! At the beginning, it seemed so righteous and strict, and it was a trick to deceive me for a long time! ”

Yan Wen gritted his teeth, his knees suddenly knelt down, and he trembled and said, "Yan has never deceived anyone, let alone Enxiang. Xiaguan has always recited the teachings of Confucianism in his heart, and has never turned his back on etiquette and religion with the ambition of reviving the retro system...... Today's new policy is what I have planned to implement since the beginning, and it is only in order to deal with Niu Yuan that I have advanced this matter. It is not in the name of the ancients to fight for personal gain, otherwise the ancestors and fathers should also be punished! ”

"Then why make a river of blood? Why kill so many people? Liu Zhennian looked at him puzzled, "Is this your Confucian dream?" ”

Yan Wen's breath also began to tremble: "I...... I don't understand either. ”

"You don't understand?" Liu Zhennian, who was still angry just now, was stunned all of a sudden.

"I listened to the first Confucian clouds: 'The way of Yao Shun, without benevolent government, can not rule the world peacefully', so since I am the prime minister, I have been asking for this word 'benevolence'. But for some reason, there are so many people who don't want this benevolent government, and so many people stand in my way...... To persuade them not to move, there is only one way to kill people. ”

"What do you often mention that Confucius killed Shao Zhengmao to make excuses for himself?"

"It's not an excuse, it's just to comfort yourself. But it wasn't until that time that I went to the execution ground that I saw the heads of more than a dozen people rolling off the stage, and I saw the bloodstains of the terrible people...... I was a little shaken. Since 'good is not enough to govern', then we must be ruthless and strict in law, but once we kill people's heads, how can we call it benevolent government? I really can't figure out what to do......"

"If so, do you doubt these ritual systems?" Liu Zhennian asked.

Yan Wen was stunned at first, and then he was infinitely shocked, and his face turned even paler: "No, no, by no means...... It is because I have not yet understood the meaning of the sages, so that this is the case. If you give me a few more years......"

Speaking of this, he suddenly paused, and then shook his head: "No, I still don't understand, I can't think of anything......"

When Liu Zhennian saw him looking half-crazy, he couldn't help but have a sour nose and old tears in his eyes. He turned his back and tilted his head: "Forget it, it's all over, there is no need to be harsh and remorseful." Put the seal on the table. ”

"Yes......" Yan Wen took it out of his arms for a long time, and finally took out the seal letter and held it in the palm of his hand - the luster of this thing had been dimmed for a long time.

He looked at the square seal reluctantly, and moved forward with difficulty; Seeing that it was about to reach the table, he slowly put it down.

He began to retreat; After taking two steps back, he made a deep bow and shouted in a hoarse voice: "Yan Wen Bai Xie Enxiang!" Then he waved his sleeves and left. Liu Zhennian heard that he was far away, looked back, and saw the birds on the eaves screaming in surprise and flapping their wings and flying.

"Report to the prime minister, the traitor Yan Wen has now been captured!"

A military man hurriedly boarded the lobby of Zhongshu Province and hurried to ask Niu Yuan for credit.

Niu Yuan listened, and only glanced at Hong Lishen and the others, and the ministers in the hall laughed.

"You took all the seals on him?" Niu Yuan asked as he knocked on the table.

"We took off the official uniform, and the seal letter was taken by Liu Gong."

"Is he the only one who has been arrested?"

"Yes, we have been thinking about giving a bad breath for Boss Niu, tying him up and pushing him to the forbidden army, and being scolded by them!"

"Good, good!" Niu Yuan laughed proudly again, "But this person has a lot of followers, if you don't catch them all, how can this evil breath come out!" If you go to Dali Temple again, arrest his brother and torture him, you must let them explain their comrades clearly! ”