" Great Liang!"
A group of scholars who had come to the capital for the imperial examinations couldn't help but reveal longing in their eyes, and looking in the direction of the palace, they couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation for the future.
One of the scholars in a blue robe couldn't help but look up to the sky and sigh, "Such a powerful country is a blessing for us students, because it has enough stage for me to display all my knowledge!"
If I cannot benefit the people and achieve lasting fame, what use is there for me to read this book!
As the saying goes, "When a great general encounters a talented individual," and His Majesty's opening of the imperial Imperial Examination is precisely our opportunity to display all our lifelong learning!
He raised his arms and shouted like a madman, drawing the attention of many.
"Ah, it's actually Zhang Zizai, the eccentric genius from Shuzhong!"
Upon seeing this person, many people exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this guy supposed to be disdainful of the imperial court? Why is he here in Yong'an City to take the Imperial Examination?"
"Yeah, didn't this guy become a bandit? How dare he come to the capital?" Someone who knew him couldn't help but be shocked. This guy had become a bandit, yet he still came to participate in the imperial examination.
This is a giant lantern in the toilet—you're asking for trouble!
[ Zhang Zizai, the eccentric scholar from Shuzhong!]
This man was quite famous; he was known Bai Zizai, the Great General of the North, as the two great madmen and two great free spirits of their time.
Why do I say that? Because both of them were people who dared to criticize the emperor.
Bai Zizai berated Li Anlan for being cunning and calculating. Zhang Zizai, on the other hand, refused Great Ning's summons and angrily called Li Anlan a coward.
At that time, Zhang Zizai was actually a fellow townsman of Prime Minister Lu Yafu. His knowledge and foresight were top-notch. Even Lu Yafu was impressed by his talent and prepared to let him serve the court.
To everyone's surprise, this person actually rejected Lu Yafu, citing his dissatisfaction with the Great Ning Dynasty as the reason, and even bluntly stating that Li Anlan was a coward.
The original quote was. "The withered bones of Shuzhong would rather not share the blue sky with fish and eggs."
Why fish balls? To put it bluntly, it's all about one word—soft. They're practically begging Li Anlan to be insulted!
These words immediately broke Li Anlan's defenses. He had only recently ascended the throne, and yet someone dared to call him a coward. How could he tolerate this? He immediately sent people to interrogate Zhang Zizai.
Zhang Zizai was quite straightforward; he simply threw down his books and became an outlaw.
This act left the world dumbfounded. A scholar choosing to become a bandit was simply outrageous. People thought he was a lunatic, a crazy madman who didn't know what he was doing.
This bandit actually dares to participate in the Imperial Examination; he's incredibly audacious!
He used to be a bandit; even if the dynasty had changed, he might still meet his end here.
Seeing the way everyone looked at him as if he were a monster, Zhang Zizai's eyes flashed with disdain, and he sneered, "What are you looking at? I'm cursing Li Anlan, not the current emperor."
"His Majesty is a hero, sweeping across the four seas and eight wastelands. He is the kind of person I, Zhang Zizai, should assist. What's wrong with me participating in the imperial examination?"
Forehead!
Everyone couldn't help but twitch their lips. Why was Zhang Zizai, the arrogant young man from back then, talking so strangely? Although his tone was still arrogant, he sounded like a sycophant.
This isn't right. Is this still the same wild boy?
"The reason is simple: the Emperor has done him a great favor!"
At this moment, someone directly revealed the truth, leaving everyone dumbfounded. Could it be that this Zhang Zizai knew the Emperor, and that the Emperor had actually done him a favor?
Thinking of this, everyone's expressions became complicated, and their envy was beyond words.
They couldn't help but look at the speaker, a strange glint in their eyes. This was actually the head of the Wang Clan family—did he know the inside story?
Seeing the curiosity in everyone's eyes, Wang Hui couldn't help but sigh and said quietly, "Actually, this matter is very simple. You can glean some of the truth from Zhang Zizai's words back then!"
The phrase "withered bones in Shuzhong " naturally describes Zhang Zizai, who is like a walking corpse, living in constant fear and anxiety, enveloped in the cycle of death.
The following line, "unwilling to share the blue sky with fish and eggs," is even simpler; it's actually a satire of the previous dynasty's emperor.
However, you only know one side of the story, not the other...
It turns out that Zhang Zizai was once a romantic and talented scholar, exceptionally gifted in both poetry and painting, and extremely famous in the Shu Region. Until one day, the raiding army of the Jackal Kingdom actually broke through the front-line defenses and headed straight for his hometown.
That day, his entire family was brutally murdered in a pool of blood. He only escaped with his life because his father knocked him unconscious and hid him under his body. This is why he called himself "the withered bones of Shuzhong ".
He then posted notices everywhere, hoping to organize revenge against the Jackal Kingdom. At the same time, he wrote to Li Anlan, hoping that Li Anlan would send troops to avenge the people on the border of Shu Region.
Unfortunately, at that time, Li Anlan was facing a dual threat from the southern chieftains and the Northern Region Barbarians, so he chose to appease them and suppress the matter.
This enraged Zhang Zizai. "You, the emperor of a country, can't even protect your own people. What kind of coward are you, the emperor of your mother's country?"
This led to the later line, "The withered bones of Shuzhong would rather not share the blue sky with fish and eggs."
Later, in a fit of anger, he abandoned his studies and joined the army, discarding his books and becoming a bandit on the border of the Jackal Kingdom. He did not do this to plunder wealth, but only to lessen the blood feud on his body.
In just five years, he expanded his bandit gang to three thousand men, constantly fighting against the Jackal Kingdom, and had killed more than five thousand Jackal Kingdom in total.
Wang Hui was actually unaware of this matter; it was the Wang Clan of Central Shu who provided him with the intelligence. The Wang Clan had also wanted to recruit Zhang Zizai, mainly because they valued the three thousand men under his command.
Unfortunately, they were ultimately wiped out by Zhang Zizai, who then arrogantly declared, "Li Anlan is a coward, but you're even less than a coward. What kind of Shuzhong one clan in Shu is this? When the enemy came to your doorstep, you actually cowered like a tortoise."
The Wang Clan of Central Shu was furious, but they couldn't do anything about it.
The current emperor is truly remarkable; he actually managed to get this arrogant scholar to come and submit himself. It's truly a rare feat.
"I see!"
Upon hearing Wang Hui's explanation, a murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd. One couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder Wang Clan said the Emperor was his benefactor! It was the Emperor who destroyed the Jackal Kingdom; this is tantamount to avenging his family's blood feud!"
"How pitiful and lamentable! I thought he was a wild and unruly fellow, but it turns out he's a pathetic man." Someone couldn't help but sigh. Who wouldn't be angry in this situation?
His entire family was killed by the enemy, and instead of helping him, his own country suppressed the matter. One can imagine how grief-stricken he must have been.
However, this guy was also ruthless. A scholar actually formed a bandit gang of more than 3,000 people and killed more than 5,000 Jackal Kingdom. This was already avenging a blood feud.
You have to understand, he used to be a scholar; I don't know how he survived those days of living on the edge.
Zhang Zizai was completely unconcerned by the pitying looks from those around him. He merely glanced coldly at Wang Hui and said disdainfully, "Aristocratic families are nothing but a bunch of rats hiding in the gutter; they're only good at bullying their own kind!"
He glanced at him dismissively, then turned and left.