The Bookish Scholar of the Red Mansion

The golden river flows quietly.

It is the only color in this bleak winter land.

The city wall, which is about several feet high, rises from the ground and extends into the distance along with the river. The golden light reflected on the green-brown wall and the closed city gate. There were several soldiers wearing armor and holding guns standing on arrow stacks.

Because of this dazzling light, they had to squint their eyes, looking down at the camp on the other side with a cold and slightly scrutinizing gaze.

Nearly 100,000 victims have set up camps, with scattered wooden houses mixed in with more tents, but they are still a handful. More people just squatted on the ground with their wives and children, waiting for the porridge shop to ring the bell.

Separated by a river, the two worlds have the same gloomy atmosphere.

Pei Huaizhen's tent is not far from the porridge shop.

Called a tent, it was just a few bamboo mats hung under wooden beams to provide shelter from the wind. When Chen Heng came, he could hear heated discussions coming from inside.

Wait for me here. Chen Heng whispered to Xinda who was following him. The latter nodded and stood silently, watching his brother cough lightly: Master Pei, student Chen Heng has something to ask for.

The discussion in the tent paused for a moment, and the mountain chief's voice soon came, Come in.

Chen Heng lifted the bamboo curtain, and when he got closer, he discovered that the chiefs of the major academies in Yangzhou were all gathered here.

There was a small oven among them. The charcoal fire inside was burning, and from time to time a red flame would rise.

Chen Heng noticed the excitement on the faces of these teachers. It was obvious that what they had just discussed was not going well. He didn't pay much attention to the matter. He leaned over and saluted and said, Shan Chief.

Seeing each other's students coming here, several academy principals stood up and left, leaving only Pei Huaizhen in the middle, wrapped in a sheet and sitting on a wooden chair.

The mountain chief patted the empty space beside him and said, Come here and warm yourself by the fire.

Yes. Chen Heng did not refuse the teacher's kindness.

The teacher and students gathered around the charcoal fire together. Pei Huaizhen seemed to be very interested in chatting. When he stretched out his hands towards the charcoal fire to keep warm, he asked, Did you hear what we just argued about?

Seeing the student shaking his head, Pei Huaizhen repeated the question to Chen Heng.

The cold winter is approaching, and some people think that the victims should be brought into the city, otherwise who knows how many people will freeze to death, and it will only cause greater trouble.

But if so many people are allowed into the city at once, how will they be managed and accommodated? Do they carry sharp weapons with them? If they cause trouble in the city and cause a riot, should the prefect be held responsible? This is also the view held by opponents.

Which side do you think is more reasonable? Pei Huaizhen turned his hands, the cold wind blew a corner of the bamboo mat, and the firelight in the basin swayed.

The students think it makes sense. Chen Heng was very serious and calm when he spoke.

Noticing the students' uncharacteristic behavior, Pei Huaizhen nodded. It was precisely because these people's words sounded reasonable that they kept arguing.

What do you think of the current disaster relief methods?

Everything is impeccable, no matter how small or small it is, Chen Heng said frankly.

Wei Yinghong is a responsible and good official, which is the luck of Yangzhou people.

It is even more lucky for the disaster victims to have capable people like Lin Ruhai and Huang Weizhong beside the prefect.

Everyone is doing their best to provide disaster relief and trying every means to let the victims have a good winter.

The big households in the city, not to mention donated clothes, even the bamboo groves and trees in the garden were cut down by officials and transported out of the city.

In that case, do you still want to say something? Pei Huaizhen guessed Chen Heng's intention.

But yes, he has seen too many passionate people in the past few days, coming with hard-thought-out strategies to save the country and secure the country. There were his students inside, as well as teachers and students from other colleges.

Everyone is anxious and wants to do something. This simple heart is hidden in those few words.

So even their ideas may be naive and shallow. Or they would argue in person, but Pei Huaizhen would just listen silently.

He was a great scholar of the current dynasty and received a salary from the court. He knew that this was what he should accept.

Yes. Chen Heng responded solemnly. He took out the booklet he had written from his arms, handed it to the teacher with both hands, and said sincerely, Please ask the mountain leader to read it.

It seems that I came prepared. Pei Huaizhen laughed, raised his hand and took the booklet. Before opening it, he deliberately joked to the students, Are you nervous?

Chen Heng nodded silently. What was written here were all the ideas he had recently compiled. After several revisions, he felt that he could not come up with a better solution.

Suppressing his pounding heartbeat, Chen Heng said to the mountain chief again: Please correct me, the mountain chief.

Success or failure. As long as you live your whole life, just have a clear conscience.

Chen Heng didn't even notice. When Pei Huaizhen's fingers opened the first page of the book, he couldn't help but breathe softly.

There is a saying in the Art of War that to be victorious in a hundred battles, the weather, the right place, and the right people are all indispensable. The Art of War also says: The right time is not as good as the right place, and the right place is not as good as the right people.

Pei Huaizhen's eyes fell on the first paragraph.

oh? Are you explaining the disaster from the perspective of the art of war? This child's ideas are rare, and his demeanor is also very extraordinary. Pei Huaizhen hid the smile on her lips and continued to look down.

The disasters caused by Yang and drought today are not enemies, but governance. According to constant statistics, Yang has three strong points and drought has three weak points. The government has five victories and the refugees have five defeats. One of the victories is due to the timing of the weather. This is called: the government connects the people and the people. , everyone is united...

Pei Huaizhen's eyebrows wrinkled when he saw this sentence. Chen Heng didn't know if he wrote it wrong, so he could only wait anxiously.

After reading Chen Heng's views on time in one breath, Pei Huaizhen suddenly placed the booklet on his knees, silently raised his hands and wiped his face, then stood up from his position holding the booklet, and continued walking around the tent. look.

To be honest, Chen Heng’s thinking and perspective are not possessed by many people today.

Most people nowadays regard disaster victims as a problem. I am always worried that if things are not handled well, refugees will gather in crowds and cause trouble. Rather than providing peace to the people, it is more about preventing thieves.

Such a mentality naturally creates an increasingly tense atmosphere inside and outside the city.

But this booklet uses simple and true sentences to describe an opportunity that only belongs to Yangzhou.

The ideas inside are driven in, and the designs are interlocking and comprehensive. When people read it, they cannot help but marvel at the author's astonishing mind. It suddenly dawned on me that things could still be done like this.

After reading the booklet, Hahahahaha. Pei Huaizhen suddenly stopped and laughed. He raised the object in his hand and asked Chen Heng, Did you write all the things here yourself?

Yes. Chen Heng nodded, his ears already slightly red because he was too nervous and excited.

Let's go. Pei Huaizhen didn't say much more.

Chen Heng was stunned. He still didn't understand what the mountain chief meant. Pei Huaizhen, who had already started to pack his things, saw the stupid look of the student and couldn't help but said: You monkey, you are still in a daze, come with me to see the prefect.

When Chen Heng was led by Pei Huaizhen through the porridge shop, Xue Biao, Qian Dayou and others who were preparing lunch for the victims were a little surprised. Jiang Yuanbai rubbed his eyes hard several times and saw the mountain chief and the others walking away. Cai Wei asked curiously: The person held by the mountain chief is our brother Heng.

I thought I was wrong. Qian Dayou was also in disbelief, Brother Heng, you must have done something wrong.

I think the mountain leader looks good. Xue Biao shook his head. Based on his understanding of Chen Heng and the fact that he often wrote and drew pictures recently, he knew that Chen Heng must be busy with important matters. Just wait, wait until Brother Heng comes back and ask. If you ask, you will know everything.”

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The teacher and student arrived at the government office together, where they saw Lin Ruhai and the prefect in official uniform with a sad expression.

Pei Huaizhen explained his purpose of coming, handed Chen Heng's pamphlet to Wei Yinghong, and took the student to sit aside to drink tea.

Wei Yinghong suppressed the strangeness in his heart and took Lin Ruhai with him to read the things in the book.

For a long time, after the two of them read it, Wei Yinghong couldn't help but admire, It's really a book that helps the world and calms the people. However, he still hesitated and asked, Is this method really feasible? His eyes fell on his friend and mentor. After all, the book The content was unheard of. Although he agreed with it, he was still a little undecided.

Is there a better way now? Pei Huaizhen asked directly.

After looking back at Chen Heng, Uncle Lin gave the simplest answer, It's worth a try.

As the prefect of Yangzhou, he is also the actual decision-maker of the entire Yangzhou. After Wei Yinghong thought carefully, he finally chose the former between the pros and cons of disaster victims.

Okay. Wei Yinghong nodded and asked the students in the hall, Do you need me to send you a helper?

Chen Heng shook his head, stood up and bowed, The student just wants a document that allows the student to do things conveniently outside the city.

You kid, why are you so stupid? If this is not handled well, it will leave a mark on the imperial court and the government's annals. Lin Ruhai frowned on the spot, seeing it in his eyes and anxious in his heart, and couldn't help but wink at Chen Heng frequently.

He himself was willing to go out and show off his passion, but when it was his junior's turn to take risks together, he still couldn't let go of his worries.

Chen Heng stood silently, not sure if he didn't see it.

Okay, I'll let you do it. Once he made a decision, Wei Yinghong acted resolutely.

He picked up the pen and wrote a document in a few strokes, covering it with his official seal. Before handing it to Chen Heng, he warned, Go ahead and do it.

Student, take the order. Chen Heng stepped forward and took it without hesitation.

After doing this, Chen Heng followed the mountain chief out of the government office.

Just as he was about to step out of the door, Uncle Lin caught up with him, pulled Chen Heng to the corner, and expressed his worries.

Chen Heng stopped where he was, feeling Lin Ruhai's care, but had no intention of changing his mind.

Before it's too late, go back to Brother Wei and ask him to send someone to you.

Hearing his uncle's concern and advice, Chen Heng shook his head and said with a smile: Uncle, please allow me to refuse.

You kid, don't think about success in everything, think about failure first. Are you so sure that you can make it happen? Lin Ruhai asked anxiously.

Chen Heng tilted his head to think, and a boy's characteristic energetic smile suddenly appeared on his face.

Uncle, just because it may fail, I can't push this matter to others.

Naturally, you are most confident in making your own plans. If he only considers safety, wouldn't it be better if he hides in the porridge shop and cannot come out?

Where in the world can I find another person who has lived through two lifetimes? Chen Heng knew that he was the only one who could accomplish this.

When Lin Ruhai heard this, he was stunned on the spot. He just silently watched the figures, large and small, disappearing at the end of the street in the clear wind.

On the way back, Pei Huaizhen had a rare chat with the students. I can't tell that Ruhai values ​​you quite a bit.

Hey hey hey. With the thought in his mind, Chen Heng began to behave mischievously again, It's not because the students are talented and smart, but my uncle loves him so much.

Pei Huaizhen was noncommittal, and he didn't want to listen to any love that he felt he had.

No matter how much you say, you are still a student of my academy. Not sure what he was thinking of, the mountain leader suddenly said: I have a granddaughter who is the right age for you...

Chief of the mountain, do you want to listen to what you are saying? Chen Heng shuddered.

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Today, Lin Ruhai rarely returned home.

The family members, who had not seen each other for many days, had already left a table of food waiting for his return after receiving the report from the boy.

The family reunited after a long absence, and both Daiyu and Lin Jue were a little excited. Jia had to warn her: Don't disturb daddy while he's eating.

Dad, Dad, what's the situation outside? Are refugees really dangerous? Lin Jue didn't know which servant he had listened to and said such childish and innocent words.

Thinking of Chen Heng's remarks in the book, Lin Ruhai's heart moved, and she took advantage of the break to teach her children, We are all human beings, and there are children your age among the victims. What do Jue'er think? Are they scary?

There are children, so what's so scary? If I see them, I can take them to play. Lin Jue rested his chin on his hand and leaned on the dining table. The food in the bowl didn't move at all. while chatting with his father.

Seeing that the child didn't eat well, Jia couldn't help scolding him a few more times. Lin Ruhai asked this question to his wife and daughter again, but their reactions were very different.

Jia feels it's dangerous, which is why she doesn't allow her children to go out recently. Daiyu feels that seeing is believing and seeing it in person can make a judgment.

Lin Ruhai listened silently and suddenly said: Perhaps Heng'er is right. It's easy for the victims to feel at ease, but it's hard for people to feel at ease.

Lin Daiyu's eyes lit up as soon as she heard her brother's name. She hurriedly finished the last bite of the meal and asked anxiously at the table: Dad, what does this matter have to do with my brother?

Lin Ruhai didn't hide anything, and gave a rough summary of what happened in the office in the afternoon.

After hearing this, Mrs. Jia frowned and said, This kid is too careless. If he does this wrong, many mouths and eyes will be watching him for the rest of his life.

What does it matter? Yu'er thinks that brother did the right thing. Lin Daiyu immediately retorted, speaking in a loud voice, If you only think about being wise and protecting yourself, you are not worthy of the teachings of the sages.

Hahaha, Yu'er said it well. Lin Ruhai nodded frequently, not at all like she had before when she advised Chen Heng to be cautious at the government office.

Seeing that Mr. Jia was about to get angry at the father and daughter who were venting their anger, Lin Daiyu quickly jumped off the dining table and ran back to the room with Xue Yan.

‘Even if you may fail, you can’t blame it on others. ’

Such a simple sentence, but it shows the courage and courage of the scholar. Isn't this why scholars in the world are respected by the people?

Brother is indeed an elder brother.

Lin Daiyu couldn't suppress the smile at the corner of her mouth after talking nonsense. She opened her closet and searched for suitable clothing.

Today, she also figured out the problems that troubled her.

She doesn't want to be the next Yi An, she wants to be the unique Lin Daiyu.

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After Chen Heng and Pei Huaizhen returned to the camp, the latter helped him summon the students from Leyi Academy.

Qian Dayou and Xue Biao were mixed in the crowd. When they saw their classmates standing next to the mountain leader, they guessed what the other party was up to.

Third son, the prefect has an order. Pei Huaizhen explained to his students, From now on, Chen Heng of our hospital will be fully responsible for all disaster relief and civilian affairs in the camp.

Everyone present was whispering on the spot, and from time to time their eyes were cast on Cui Youdao and Du Yunjing.

But more people still looked at Cui Youdao.

Knowing that these people wanted to watch his own fun, Cui Youdao simply stood up and said calmly and aboveboard: Students obey your orders.

Everyone looked at Lonely, and simply responded in agreement. In front of the mountain chief, they should be complimenting each other.

Pei Huaizhen nodded, gave up his seat, welcomed Chen Heng up, and let him stand in front of everyone for the first time.

Dear classmates and seniors, the current disaster situation is like a fire. Chen Heng knew that time is precious, so he came straight to the point, Let's talk about old times in the future. But starting today, I would like to ask all seniors to help.

good!

There were scattered voices in the crowd, it was Jiang Yuanbai and Qian Dayou.

These two people wanted to stretch their necks so that everyone could see the pride on their faces.

Did you see that the guy talking on the stage belongs to our room?

Chen Heng had expected everyone's reaction. He is not a scheming character.

It's just that right now, there's no time to take into account everyone's emotions. He is not a son of a dragon, so how can he convince everyone?

Xue Biao is here. The first person he ordered was his old acquaintance.

Yes. Xue Biao, who was still snickering, quickly looked back at Jiang Yuanbai, stood up and raised his hand.

I have three letters here. Take it and go to the city immediately to find Hu Ji, Wang Ji's library, and Jing'an newspaper shop. Chen Heng took out the letters he had prepared and motioned for the other party to come forward.

After finally squeezing through the crowd, Xue Biao took the token from his friend's hand, turned over and ran towards the outside of the porridge shop.

Brother Du. Chen Heng saluted Du Yunjing, I have an extremely important thing to ask of you.

Du Yunjing was a brave man, and he was happy to see Cui Youdao defeated. At this moment, his attitude towards Chen Heng was very friendly, But there is no harm in talking.

In the future, we will no longer classify the residences of disaster victims by region. We will only let them choose by themselves. Three to five households are divided into one area, and a sign will be set up to record the number of people. If you encounter someone who does not have an adult male at home, please also use Marked in red.”

Okay. Seeing that it was a trivial matter, Du Yunjing bowed his hand and accepted the order. This is not difficult, but the amount of repetitive work is large and requires time and effort.

Xin Suzhao is here. Seeing that Du Yunjing had no objection, Chen Heng shouted again.

What, the one who calls me Du is my eldest brother, and the one who calls me is Xin Suzhao? Someone lazily raised his hand and said, Brother Heng, I'm here.

There was light laughter from the crowd, but Chen Heng was not annoyed and shook his head with a smile. The current relaxed atmosphere is very suitable for him to further implement his plan, If I want you to set up a stage tonight, how many people will you need?

Xin Suzhao had soldiers on hand and was in charge of them. He is the most suitable person for this among the people here.

When it came to business, Xin Suzhao couldn't help but stand up straight. After asking Chen Heng about his requirements for the stage, he gave the answer of thirty people.

Just as the people from Leyi Academy gathered together to discuss, people from other academies also saw the strange movement here. First, a few people gathered around curiously and inquired about the situation with the students present. When they heard that the prefect had handed over the disaster relief work to Chen Heng, the other party only ordered his classmates.

These people were immediately dissatisfied and immediately went back to shake people. In just a moment, the students who had received the information from several places rushed outside the porridge shop and said angrily: Brother Chen, is it possible that your Leyi Academy is the only one in Yangzhou? Our Meihua Academy Where are the scholars?

It’s interesting, you people who study privately, how dare you come to show off your authority in front of our official school? The classmates who had some objections to Chen Heng coming on stage to give orders immediately stood up and surrounded Chen Heng.

Since it is an order from the prefect, just listen to it, there is nothing to make a noise about.

Why are I so noisy? Since we need to provide disaster relief, we should treat everyone equally. I will leave everything to the people of your academy.

Why? When Brother Cui came to find you, weren't you very eloquent? Everyone is the reincarnation of Zhuge Kongming. If we say one thing here, you will answer the other three.

The conflict between the two parties has actually existed for a long time. Cui Youdao has a proud temperament, and he has just graduated from high school, which is when he is proud of his life.

Whenever someone asks a question, he likes to answer it. After going back and forth, it is inevitable that someone will have ideas and opinions.

He was modest and showed an attitude of listening and admonishing. But others who have seen it more often feel that this person has soft ears and is very easy to control.

Seeing that they were about to quarrel, Pei Huaizhen hid in the corner and watched the fun happily. He was actually quite curious about how Chen Heng would deal with this problem, but Cui Youdao didn't solve it in the end.

Chen Heng didn't want to solve it at all. He was just waiting for these people to make trouble and incite conflicts between several academies.

He now holds the Shangfang sword given by the prefect, and is not afraid of others being disobedient. The only thing I have to worry about is that everyone uses five points for his efforts and uses the other five points to find his faults.

When it comes to managing and employing people, the most taboo thing is to waste time on convincing people. If there is anything to be convinced of, just be willing to obey and get things done.

Chen Heng has seen a lot in later generations and knows that the best way to deal with these people is to provoke them.

At this time, he pretended to be surprised and said: I didn't expect that I would be disappointed when you came here, senior students. Don't blame me. It's just that I don't know each other or have any friendship with you. I'm afraid you won't listen to me. I don’t dare to dispatch them at will unless I make arrangements.”

Don't judge a gentleman with a villain's heart. You didn't even come to us. How do you know if we will listen to your orders? Someone choked.

Before speaking, you didn't even dare to say your name. I think you are the villain. Jiang Yuanbai couldn't bear his friend being bullied, so he was the first to stand up and refute.

Silence. One of the leaders shouted softly at his classmate, then turned to salute Chen Heng, Brother Chen, don't be surprised. As long as it is for disaster relief, we will definitely obey your orders. Just do what you tell us.

Although I don’t know whether you are really listening or pretending to listen. Chen Heng still smiled cheerfully, and said with a thick face: In that case, I really have something to trouble you, and I don't know if you can...

With so many pairs of eyes watching, and there was conflict between the two parties, the leader immediately handed over his hands and said: But it doesn't matter, we will definitely do it.

You say you should do it, but don't do it according to the three points of force. People from Leyi Academy are also very subtle in their words. That is to say, in front of outsiders, these people are willing to take the initiative to speak out to protect their classmates.

You should just worry about yourselves.

snort.

It’s 6,000 words. It really takes a long time to revise and polish it. It’s hard for you to wait.