Fighter of the Destiny

I grew up in a poor family. I have a dull and silent temperament. I have no friends, friends or relatives. I eat porridge and vegetables without meat. I only like reading. In addition to reading, I still read. I have no great ambitions in life. I just want to be admitted to Tiandao after entering Kyoto. I studied in the hospital, and later after I met Chen'er, I just wanted to study with her, even though she was really not interested in studying.

This is the first paragraph of Wang Zhice's notes. Reading these words, Chen Changsheng suddenly felt a sense of intimacy, just like when he learned about Gou Hanshi's experience before the Ivy Banquet, even though he knew he was an opponent, he still felt a sense of intimacy with him, because he was also A person who just likes to read.

On the way to Beijing, at the Prince's Mansion of Tianliang County, I met the then Grand Administrator and later Taizu, and then, I met the King of Qi, and then, in Luoyang, I met him again, and my eldest brother, Yes, it was also in the sewage-flowing alley in Luoyang that I met Chen'er, so I stayed.

Paper is expensive in Luoyang, and everything is expensive. Even sesame cakes are more expensive than elsewhere. What's more, there were wars every day at that time. After the money ran out, she wanted to go back to her old business. I think it is always bad to kill people. She asked me how to run a household. After much thought, I still have to go to Kyoto. Even if I can’t get into Tiandaoyuan, I can still go to Tianshuling to sell some fake rubbings. I always thought that I was useless as a scholar, but my calligraphy was pretty good.”

She came to Kyoto with me and never left again. Even if she wanted to leave, she couldn't because Emperor Taizu's army surrounded Kyoto. It was then that I found out that after my eldest brother left Luoyang, he I’m not planning to come back anymore. On the day when the city finally fell, Chen’er and I sat on the boat, looking across the Naihe Bridge at the smiling King Qi riding a white unicorn, knowing that life would be better.”

His Majesty ascended the throne in front of the Mausoleum of the Book of Heaven, but the demon army came. Then two years later, the demons came again. King Qi would occasionally come to the inn to chat with us. It could be seen that his mood was getting more and more... No, I don’t know if it’s because his favorite unicorn died on Luoliuyuan, or because His Majesty still refuses to clarify who the prince is. One day after drinking too much, he stared into my eyes. He said that since Luoyang City, he has always wanted me to help him. I don’t understand. I am just a powerless scholar. How can I help him? Moreover... I came to Kyoto just to enter the Tiandao Temple. Read a book.”

I got admitted to Tiandao Academy, started studying, and lived the life I longed for. However, she didn't like this ordinary life. I took her to the Imperial Palace to see the ivy and to the National Education Academy to see the banyan trees. She didn't like it either. , saying that the woods in Chaoyang Garden are too dense and the big banyan trees are too tall. The most important thing is that Qujiang and the lake in the National Education College are too peaceful. One night, I laughed while watching Luoyang Miscellaneous Notes, and she sneered and said Wen It seems that mountains are not happy with peace, and only a person like me can endure such boring days. I understood what she meant, but I didn’t want to answer the question, so I had to stay silent.

Later, she finally left Kyoto. I didn't know whether to go to Xue Lao City or to look for traces of her elder brother. Anyway, she left me. I thought carefully about it for three days and three nights, and after confirming that I couldn't change anything, I continued studying. , I just started thinking about spiritual practice during my free time while studying. I always thought, and my friends also always thought that I had no potential for spiritual practice, let alone any talent. However, for some unknown reason, I only started practicing spiritual practice when I was over 40. I didn't encounter the obstacles mentioned in the rumors. It took me one night to roughly understand what cultivation was. That night, I might have made some big noise, which alarmed many people, so inexplicably, I changed. I became a celebrity in Kyoto, and King Qi took the imperial edict from Emperor Taizu and forcefully forced me to enter the court and start serving as an official. Many people thought that I would be proud of the noise I made that night, and that I would be proud of my talent in cultivation. In fact, what I am really proud of is that the little games I made have spread in Kyoto and even the entire continent. In short, I became a celebrity and began to visit the mansions of high-ranking officials and celebrities, including the King of Qi. They all befriended me and life seemed pleasant again, except she never came back.”

After all, peaceful and happy days cannot last forever. I understand this truth, but I didn't expect that the end of these beautiful days would come so suddenly. Late one night, martial law was suddenly imposed in Kyoto. Two guests came to my home. They They were all guests of Prince Qi’s residence. They asked me to do something. After thinking about it, I didn’t agree, but I also didn’t think about stopping Prince Qi. I knew that with his temperament, no one could stop him from moving forward. Early the next morning, carriages began to transport corpses out of the city. I stood upstairs looking in the direction of Baicao Garden, looking at the slowly rising white smoke, silently praying that not too many people would die, at least those princes I was familiar with. We don’t want them all to die, but it’s a pity that things didn’t go as planned, and those princes died after all, including their wives and children.”

I sat at home for three days without going out or asking questions. I looked at each other in silence with the two guests sent by Prince Qi's Mansion. Finally, Prince Qi finished handling the external affairs and came in person. In such a tense situation At this moment, he actually took the time to see me. I don’t know whether I should feel honored or wary. King Qi said that he didn’t mind my silence these days, but he needed me to express my attitude to the people of Kyoto now. I just Being able to be silent, he stared into my eyes and asked me what my attitude was. I thought about it and said, I have no attitude, so he started to be silent, and then he turned around and left. That was the last time he and I were friends. Talk, because I later learned that in the early morning of that day, he had officially succeeded to the throne and became His Majesty the Emperor of Zhou Dynasty.

I was not deprived of my official position, nor was I put under house arrest, nor was I sent to prison. I was just deliberately forgotten by the court and those I was familiar with in this home in Kushui Lane. There is another person who was deliberately forgotten like me. , that is Emperor Taizu, King Qi... no, it should be said to be His Majesty, or because he wants to fulfill his filial piety and is worried that Emperor Taizu will be too bored in the palace and cause trouble, or because he still remembers the friendship between us, He was worried that I would be too bored at home and cause trouble, so he appointed me as secretary and asked me to go to the palace to accompany Taizu.

I must say that the life in the deep palace during that period was actually very interesting. In just a few months, Taizu seemed to have aged hundreds of years and became a real old man. He was not as irritable and frivolous as before, but instead became a real old man. He was much kinder and no longer cared about state affairs. Of course, he had no way to care, and no one allowed him to care anymore, so he began to care about the outcome at the card table and the beautiful maids in the palace. Regarding the latter, I have advised him Several times, he didn't like to hear it. Regarding the former, it was difficult for him to beat me at the card table, but he became more and more interested. In that deep palace full of ivy, at the card table under the melon and fruit rack , I played a lot of cards with the old man, and we always chatted during our leisure time, so I heard a lot of stories, which I have always kept in my mind.

Chen Changsheng looked at the handwriting on the notes and couldn't calm down.

These are Wang Zhice's autobiography, the memories of a legendary figure. What he said was very complicated and concise, but he clearly told his own life history, which happened to be during the most turbulent years in the mainland. , so these narratives naturally have a strong impact.

Looking at these words in his notes, he seemed to see Wang Zhice back then. He was a young scholar who came to Beijing to take the exam without seeking an official position. He traveled thousands of miles to Kyoto just to read thousands of books. Who would have thought that he would read thousands of books during the journey? , saw the reflection of a girl in Luoyang City, so the scholar's eyes became full of scenery and he stopped.

The young scholar finally started walking again and arrived at his destination, Kyoto. He had never forgotten his original purpose, but he was unable to live according to his ideas back then. The scenery in his eyes changed a lot, the girl's reflection shattered into void, and he began to He became a famous official in Kyoto, and was forced into a world he didn't want to enter and never liked.

Seeing this, Chen Changsheng gradually became nervous. When it came to Wang Zhice's travel notes or self-narration, he had to enter the most critical part that he wanted to know most, the period when Taizu was under house arrest in the palace. What did the years say to Wang Zhice? Or, we may see the words of the fate-changer himself next.

He continued reading his notes.

There are many rumors about Emperor Taizu, and the most famous one is of course that he changed his destiny against heaven. There is a certain saying that has been circulating in the mainland. Many years ago, Taizu met the current master of the Taoist sect, who was the previous one in the palace. Pope Ren used a certain secret method to offer sacrifices to the starry sky, thus successfully changing his destiny against the will of heaven. The emperor star shines on the earth forever in the night sky. After the incident in Baicao Garden, there were many more starry sky sacrifices in the rumors. As for the specific content of the sacrifice, it is said that in order to change his destiny against heaven, Taizu was willing to leave only one son to pass on the bloodline, and all the other sons were sacrificed in the starry sky as sacrifices... However, when Taizu successfully ascended the throne, he did not want to fulfill the promise he made back then. , In fact, his sons are all so good, who can he let die? And who is willing to die?

I don't know if King Qi and those princes have heard this rumor, and even if they believe it after hearing it, no matter whether this rumor is true or false, as long as it appears and is heard, their hearts will dry up. The branches turned into terrible poisonous snakes, constantly biting their hearts. From Luoyang to Kyoto, Taizu's outstanding sons have never been able to maintain a good relationship. It has something to do with the ownership of the imperial chair. Now that I think about it, it has to do with this Rumors also have a lot to do with it. It must be admitted that Taizu's sons are all excellent, but His Majesty is the most powerful person among them. When those princes are still trying to influence Taizu's choice and waiting for the arrangement of fate, Your Majesty did not hesitate to take action first and killed all his brothers...

I asked Emperor Taizu if he had ever changed his destiny against heaven. He was drunk that day, and the age spots on his face were particularly bright. He smiled like a child and like a fox. He didn't have a positive attitude. To answer my question, he just belched wine, sang a local opera from Tianliang County, and kept nodding his head, as if he was about to fall asleep.

…

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(This passage about the scholar who came to Beijing to take the exam is of course Wen Ruian. I want to have that scene in every book. Wen Ruian was so good when he was young. I am not talking about the person, but what he wrote.)