Strictly speaking, those who teach in Jiaofangsi are not considered officials, because they have not reached the ninth rank, so they can only be regarded as officials. But this official was also a part of the Ming Dynasty's civil service system, similar to today's external personnel, that is, temporary workers.
The salaries of officials are not high, certainly not as good as those of senior officials, and they basically rely on some gray income to supplement their income.
Even so, his income is just enough for food and clothing. So why does being a petty official make Yan Niang so excited?
With Yan Niang's income, not to mention petty officials, even serious third-rank officials may not be able to match her.
The problem lies in this slave status. The first requirement for becoming an official is that you cannot be a slave. On the other hand, if you can become an official, you will naturally not be a slave.
No matter how much work Yan Niang did for the Jiaofang Secretary or how many things she took care of before, she could not change her status as a slave.
This identity is like a shackle, and you can't get rid of it no matter how much money you spend. Theoretically speaking, if you want to get rid of her sinful slave status, you have to go through the procedures through the emperor.
However, after Yongle, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty became more and more lazy, and no longer had the lively fighting power of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di.
So they assigned a lot of specific work, and they were only responsible for one project and sealing the seal.
Later, the sealing rights for some minor matters were simply delegated to the lower levels. To remove a woman who had not committed a serious crime from slavery was a relatively minor matter in the eyes of the emperor.
He might randomly check such things, but he certainly wouldn't go through them one by one. Even if you saw it during the inspection, you would probably not ask the eunuch of the Chief of Ceremony to explain this matter. If you want to relax, you have to delegate power on small things.
But even so, Eunuch Chen may not do this kind of thing once a year, because he can't commit it. Although the emperor will not care about this matter, it will leave an impression in his heart. After accumulating more, he will feel that this palm print eunuch has some power and uses it randomly?
What's most important when hanging around the emperor? impression! It is difficult for the emperor to have an impression of a person, and once he has an impression, it is difficult to change.
Eunuch Chen himself was an old man left by the late emperor. Jiajing continued to use him to save face for both parties. Eunuch Chen was not the kind of person who was shameless.
Therefore, this time, using the power of the Supervisor of Ceremonies to control eunuchs, he freed Yan Niang from slavery and hired her as a tutor. It seemed like an understatement, but in fact it was an easy task.
It is not only to give Xiao Feng face, but also to show his strength in a low-key manner. Although I will rely on your help in the future, there are still many things you need to rely on for my help.
Xiao Feng smiled slightly. After eating this meal, he was full of wine and food, and both parties were very satisfied.
He stood up, and Yan Niang quickly followed suit.
"Brother, sister-in-law, I'm so grateful for the hospitality today. It's getting late, so I can't bother you any more. I'll invite you back when I'm free another day!" Xiaoqin stood up, gave Xiao Feng a slight blessing, smiled sweetly, and The deputy head housewife's attitude towards seeing guests off was very natural.
Eunuch Chen didn't get up, he just nodded casually.
"I don't live in the palace like Huang Jin, but I spend more time outside the palace. I just come here when I have free time. Even if I'm not here, I can tell Xiaoqin if I have anything, and she will naturally tell me when I get home." This is also a story. This means that when I am not at home, you can come if you have anything to do.
I can trust you if my wife doesn't avoid the transfer of ownership. It is rare for a eunuch to say such things to a normal man, far more difficult than for an ordinary man.
Xiao Feng took Yan Niang out of the yard. The carriage was parked at the gate. The driver had already opened the sedan curtain, his face full of pride.
Chen San was carried away from him just now. He only found out what happened in the yard after asking Chen Da, the gatekeeper.
Since he became a coachman in Chunyan Tower, although he has earned a good income, he has always bowed his head when going out, consciously inferior to others, and afraid of causing trouble for the girls.
Although the girls were nice to him, no one would ever offend a customer because of him. What's more, they can't afford to offend the guests who let the girls of Chunyan Tower go out.
Therefore, being patient is the first priority of a coachman. No one expected that today, the eunuch of the Chief of Ceremonies would break one of the servant's legs because of a small conflict, just because of Xiao Feng's words!
Although Xiao Feng is only a quarter of the boss of Chunyan Tower, the boss is the boss. Of course, what the boss did today was mainly to vent his anger, but in any case, he also vented his anger for himself!
So the coachman was filled with gratitude and pride, and he diligently helped Yan Niang and Xiao Feng get into the car. Before Xiao Feng lowered the sedan curtain, he took another look at his face.
"Does it still hurt after receiving that kick? Don't worry, the leg he kicked you is broken. If you can't hold on, just let me drive. I can also drive." The coachman was stunned. He noticed that he had been hit. A kick?
Eunuch Chen broke the servant's leg because he kicked himself? What do you think you are? The coachman lowered his head, his voice trembling, and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
"Back to my lord, I'm rough-skinned and thick-bodied, so I'll be fine. Sir, please sit tight, I'll be driving soon." After the car started, Yan Niang poured Xiao Feng a cup of tea from a warm-sleeved silver bottle, and poured it into her hands. He spoke in a low voice for fear of being heard by the driver.
"Sir, that concierge is certainly hateful, but after all, he just kicked Lao Che. Isn't it a bit much to break his legs for this?" Xiao Feng understood the name Lao Che. This is Chunyan Tower. naming convention.
Just like the water girl does not have water in her name, the fire girl does not have fire in her name. They are named entirely based on the characteristics of the characters.
Lao Che probably didn't have the surname Che, but since he was driving a cab in Chunyan Tower and he was the only coachman, calling him Lao Che would make it easier for everyone to remember and for him to agree.
Nicknames are not a slight but can be an effective form of workplace communication. Take the old car as an example. Suppose he has a very cool name, such as
"Long Aotian", he was driving a carriage in a brothel. You said he wanted to be called out?
"Long Aotian, get in the car and set off!" I'm still willing to listen.
Where's "Old car, hitch up and go!"?
"I know what you want to say. You want to say that it's not worth it for me to win people's hearts like this just for a coachman, right?" Probably because she was about to get rid of her slave status and become a teacher, Yan Niang was extremely excited at this time. At home, Eunuch Chen was holding back and did not dare to reveal it. At this time, she and Xiao Feng were left face to face, talking excitedly.
"Yes, although Lao Che is a good coachman, he is just a servant after all. You are half the boss of Chunyan Tower. It's just a matter of words to use him. Do you need to bother so much?" In fact, Xiao Feng and Zhang Tianci combined He is half the boss of Chunyan Tower, and Xiao Feng can only be regarded as a quarter of the boss.
But Yan Niang knew that Zhang Tianci was Xiao Feng's younger brother, so she always said so. Of course, half a boss is easier to say than a quarter boss.
Xiao Feng looked at the overly excited Yan Niang and thought that she was about to enter the officialdom. If she knew more about things, she would be more comfortable helping him in the future, so he just talked more.
"It's not all about old cars. Although there have been some preparations for the meeting between Eunuch Chen and I, it is still the first real meeting. It is best for us to have a test first to understand each other's work style and attitude. . Chen San is just unlucky, and he took the initiative to serve as this whetstone." Yan Niang looked at Xiao Feng in surprise: "Let's put it this way, if Chen San doesn't look for trouble, wouldn't you have no chance to test each other? ?”
"No, from the time we get off the bus to the time we walk in front of Eunuch Chen, we can always find an opportunity at such a long distance. And I estimate that even if I can't find it, Eunuch Chen will arrange something and won't let me I just walked directly in front of him. Therefore, Chen San is not the only potential unlucky target today, but he is the fastest to jump out." Yan Niang shook her head in disbelief, with a look of astonishment on her face.
"Do people in officialdom have such terrible thoughts? I have stayed in Chunyan Tower for so many years. From a girl to a mother, I have seen many guests. Even in the Jiaofang Department, I helped with the chores for several years, but I have never thought of such a thing. Young Master, are you overthinking it?" Xiao Feng smiled helplessly and looked at Yan Niang, just like he looked at Qiao Niang at a certain time. They were both smart and innocent. woman.
Although she is no longer a little girl, she is still too young in the officialdom where people eat people without spitting out their bones.
"The relationship between you and your guests is a happy one. It seems that there are many people talking about things, but in fact the relationship is very simple. They just spend money to buy happiness. There is no real conflict of interest with you. You are in Jiaofang The secretary is in charge of miscellaneous things, and the brothel hookups under your control naturally dare not say anything. Even the people in the Jiaofang Secretary, because you are just in charge of miscellaneous things and are slaves, you will not threaten them. Who can compare with you? What kind of serious conflict is there? But from now on, you will no longer be a slave, but will be a teacher. If you go up the teaching ladder, you will no longer be a clerk, but an official. The people you face will never treat you like before. They will will pay more attention to you, but at the same time there will be more conflicts of interest. If someone wants to harm you, there will naturally be someone who will help you. It all depends on profit orientation. You are a smart woman, so I want to give you a push. If you can't do it as soon as possible If you don't adapt, I might harm you instead. It's better to let you be Chun Yanlou's mother in peace." Yan Niang blushed, but this time she wasn't blushing.
What is there to be ashamed of? I am not as good as Mr. Xiao. Isn’t this a natural thing? It was because she felt concern from Xiao Feng's smile and eyes, something she had rarely felt before.
Only when she was very young, a man once said that he would redeem her life and take her to a good life. She had experienced this once.
It's a pity that that man cheated her, slept for free for several days, and cheated her of her money. From then on, she never felt this way again.
She could feel Xiao Feng's concern today. It was real concern. Even though it might not involve the relationship between a man and a woman, she still felt warm in her heart.
"In that case, this Chen San is really unlucky. With so many people, he has to jump out." Yan Niang said obediently, hoping to get Xiao Feng's praise.
Xiao Feng smiled and looked at her with deep eyes, making her feel unconfident again.
"Character determines destiny. You said that Chen San has such a character. How could Eunuch Chen not know about it? There are obviously other positions in the Chen Mansion, but why does he still have to let Chen San be the concierge?"
