Volume 2 Clouds Chapter 40: Traitor
Dou Yujun carefully flipped through a tattered ancient book, copying it word for word carefully.
Dou Yujun's love for Chinese culture was not limited to establishing education, but also to collecting books.
The turmoil of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms led to the destruction of many classic ancient books.
Especially with the demise of several great aristocratic families, the books they had treasured for thousands of years were either burned or scattered around the world, which was a great loss to the inheritance of Chinese culture.
Dou Yujun worked tirelessly to collect ancient books. By himself, he collected tens of thousands of volumes and preserved many precious ancient books.
"Sir, Mr. Kong is here." The servant boy reported respectfully outside.
Dou Yujun was silent for a long while, then he sighed and said, "What is meant to come will eventually come." He put down the pen in his hand, put the ancient books and books on the table aside, and stood up to greet him.
A middle-aged scholar strode towards him.
"Juro, there is good news!"
There was a hint of expectation in Wang Jianzhen's eyes.
Dou Yujun did not answer, but said: "Brother Kong, you should go. Maybe it's not too late!"
Wang Jianzhen, his surname is Wang and his given name is Jianzhen, with a single character "Kong". Brother Kong is not his last name.
Wang Jianzhen's eyes flashed with a trace of shock, but also filled with a trace of fearlessness. He stepped forward and held Dou Yujun's hand and said, "Shilang, let's go to Jiangnan. That's where we should go. There, we scholars can hold our heads high and live as men. Instead of being inferior to reckless men and lingering on. Brother Shuyan is now in a high position. With your virtue, no less than Shuyan, you will definitely be valued in Jiangnan. Even a high position as prime minister is possible. Why should you stay here to collect the five dou of rice and suffer in vain?"
Dou Yujun struggled to release his hand and said, "Although Jiangnan is nice, it is not what I want. Staying in the Central Plains and cultivating the seeds of scholars for the Central Plains is my ambition. Let's go. Mr. Luo didn't ask any more questions, but I can see that he has noticed your presence. You coming here today is like walking into a trap. Leave quickly through the back door, maybe there is still a glimmer of hope."
Wang Jianzhen gritted his teeth, turned around and took three quick steps, then turned back and bowed deeply: "I'm sorry for taking advantage of Shilang."
After saying this, he turned and left.
The back door of the charity school was ajar, and Wang Jianzhen saw that there was no one around, so he left in a hurry like a thief.
He didn't even dare to pack his things and walked straight towards the city gate.
Before he reached the city gate, two yamen runners appeared behind him and held him down.
When Gao Ze took Wang Jianzhen back to Kaifeng Prefecture, Luo Youdu had just returned to Kaifeng.
Luo Youdu was surprised and asked, "They caught him so quickly?"
Gao Ze smiled and said, "He is sneaking around. I wonder if he is the person you want to arrest. His surname is not Kong, but Wang. His name is Wang Jianzhen, with a single character Kong. He is a descendant of the Wang family of Taiyuan. He is very famous in the Central Plains scholars, second only to Dou Shilang. He sneaked out from the back door of the charity school and wanted to leave the city in a panic. I had to arrest him first."
Wang Jianzhen was held down by two yamen runners, and he shouted, "Let me go! Why did you arrest me? What law did I break?"
Luo Youdu asked: "Are you from Southern Tang?"
Wang Jianzhen's heart sank, and he said, "What Southern Tang? I wonder what the judge said?"
Luo Youdu laughed and said, "You didn't have to run. You are innocent, why are you running?"
These words confused Wang Jianzhen.
Luo Youdu said, "I don't know how you bewitched Lord Dou. I think it's nothing more than that the scholars in the Central Plains are suffering too much and need someone to take on the responsibility and protect them. Luo Youdu is deeply favored by the emperor and is the most suitable. If you say similar things too much, Lord Dou, who cares about the scholars in the Central Plains, will naturally be tempted. At best, you just want to find a safe haven for the scholars. What's wrong with that?"
Wang Jianzhen seemed convinced and nodded, "That's true. I just can't bear to see the scholars in the Central Plains being bullied."
He became righteous and dignified.
Luo Youdu shook his head slightly and said, "But your leaving the city has another meaning. I, Luo Youdu, have held a high position at a young age, so I am bound to be young and frivolous. Who can refuse such an honor as the leader of the literati in Kaifeng or the leader of the literati in Central Plains? Once I take this position, my words and deeds will represent the literati, and similarly, your words and deeds will also represent my words and deeds."
"If you have conflicts with others, it is the same as me having conflicts with others. If you offend military officials, it is the same as me offending military officials."
"This will create a conflict between the civil and military officials and disrupt the imperial court!"
There is a professional term for this set of methods, called political coercion!
"Taiyuan Wang family!"
"I don't think you are a Liu Han man. Liu Chengjun worships Khitan as his father emperor, and this behavior should not be acceptable to you. Khitan is also unlikely, for the same reason. After thinking about it, it can only be Southern Tang. After all, for you, Southern Tang is a paradise for literati and scholars."
"You feel you've been exposed, so you want to run away like a guilty thief."
Luo Youdu looked at Wang Jianzhen, whose expression changed slightly, and said, "Is what I said correct?"
Wang Jianzhen pursed his lips and said nothing.
Luo Youdu clapped his hands and said, "I will hand you over to the Ministry of Justice. It will decide whether you are guilty or not. But if you have any conscience, don't drag Lord Dou into this. There are really not many people like him in this world."
As he spoke, he waved his hand and asked Gao Ze to take him to the Ministry of Justice.
Catching traitors was not the responsibility of Kaifeng Prefecture.
If Wang Jianzhen really wanted to give Dou Yujun away, Luo Youdu would have no choice.
Just do your best. Dou Yujun deserves respect, but he is not his second parent. It doesn't matter if he can help, but it is impossible for him to risk his life to save him.
The Ministry of Justice's methods are much more brutal than Luo Youdu's.
Luo Youdu doesn't have any real evidence, and the Ministry of Justice doesn't care.
Even if you are innocent, you will be beaten to a pulp if you are sent to the Ministry of Justice, not to mention that there are many suspicious points about Wang Jianzhen.
Officials from the Ministry of Justice directly searched Wang Jianzhen's home and arrested his servants and fugitives for interrogation.
Wang Jianzhen was not a professional spy. He was not valued in the Central Plains and was despised by military men. He planned to flee to the south of the Yangtze River and secretly wrote to his good friend Han Xizai to inquire about the situation in the south of the Yangtze River.
Han Xizai told this to the Southern Tang Emperor Li Jing, who respected celebrities the most and welcomed him very much.
However, Si Tu Zhou Zong had his own ideas. He saw through Guo Rong's idea of using civil officials to control military officials, so he asked Wang Jianzhen to try to sow discord between the civil and military officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty and return with credit. He also specifically pointed out that Luo Youdu had an unstable foundation and rose too fast, so he would easily be hated by military officials, so he could be the starting point.
The correspondence was burned for Wang Jianzhen, but the servant who delivered the letters revealed his true identity and could not withstand the torture, so he confessed everything.
Wang Jianzhen still had some conscience and did not involve Dou Yujun.
Luo Youdu knew the whole story and couldn't help but feel lucky that he resisted the temptation at that time, otherwise he would have been in big trouble.
Thinking that Zhou Zong of Southern Tang was actually involved in this matter, Luo Youdu suddenly remembered that the father of the original owner of this body had a very good relationship with Zhou Zong, and both were attendants of Li Bian, the founding emperor of Southern Tang.
He was demoted because he offended Song Qiuqiu by pleading for Emperor Zhou.
As a result, after Zhou Zong was restored to power, he was afraid of offending Song Qiqiu and became a coward, cutting off contact with his father...
