Zhang Yue's house was full of guests.
Zhang Yue specially promoted You Zhengyan, and Zhang Zhi was promoted to provincial Yuan. Everyone could see that such a family would definitely have a bright future.
Zhang Yue was a little overwhelmed by the large number of congratulators. Then he suddenly saw someone and couldn't help but said with joy: "Elder brother!"
The person who came was Sun Jue, who was Chen Xiang's disciple like himself. Sun Jue was the leader of all students, so Zhang Yue privately called Sun Jue his senior brother.
Zhang Yue and Sun Jue had a good personal relationship, and they often discussed Yi studies together.
Sun Jue is now forty years old. He was a Jinshi in the first year of Huangyou. He served as an official for nearly twenty years and finally became an official in Beijing.
Sun Jue's current official title is Youzhengyan, Zhijixianyuan, Tongzhijianyuan.
You Zhengyan's official position can only be removed by relatives of officials, so he, like Zhang Yue, was promoted by special purpose. He relied on the recommendation of his teacher Chen Xiang.
Chen Xiang was promoted by Fu Bi, and letting Sun Jue enter the admonishment court was also the intention of the officials to supervise Han Qi. This was the consistent practice of the Song Dynasty emperor to ask Tai Jian to supervise the government.
Zhang Yue is now also rightly speaking and directing his duties to Xianyuan, so the two senior fellow apprentices can be said to be equals in official positions.
Sun Jue said to Zhang Yue: "Teacher has just gone on a mission to the Khitan. I will congratulate my junior brother on behalf of all my disciples."
Zhang Yue sighed: "It's a pity that I haven't seen my teacher since I returned to Beijing. I'm even more worried about going on a mission to Khitan this time."
Sun Jueze said: "I am also a little worried. The teacher said that we should go to Khitan to fight for the state. The worst is not to return to this dynasty alive, but also to dampen Khitan's arrogance."
Zhang Yue said: "The Liao Kingdom is a big country. Although our dynasty treats it with humiliation, the superiors and subordinates still need face. It is really difficult to not humiliate the country when sending envoys. Therefore, sending envoys to Khitan in the officialdom is to treat officials It’s a lot of experience, but as long as you don’t travel, you can be reused when you come back.”
"So it's also a joy and a sorrow."
Sun Jue and Zhang Yue talked for a while, and Zhang Yue immediately took Sun Jue to see Zhang Zhi.
Sun Jue couldn't help but be amazed when he saw Zhang Zhi and admired him very much.
Zhang Yue felt a little strange looking at Sun Jue's appearance.
After Sun Jue spoke to Zhang Zhi, he pulled Zhang Yue aside and said, "Junior brother, how many years have we known each other?"
Zhang Yue felt that he was being deceived, so he pretended that he could not remember clearly and said: "I, Jiayou, became a disciple of my teacher in the third year. Is it the fourth or fifth year that Jiayou met my senior brother? Alas, I can't remember, I can't remember."
Sun Jue coughed heavily and said: "Junior brother, you and I have known each other for so long. I can trust your character, and you can also trust me, senior brother."
Zhang Yue glanced at Sun Jue and said warily: "Elder brother, you might as well say what you have to say."
Sun Jueqian laughed twice, and then he pretended to be a senior brother and said: "Junior brother, you and I are from the same school. You don't know that I have a beloved daughter who is good at playing chess, calligraphy and painting. What's more, she has a virtuous temperament. She can be a good daughter in the future. Housekeeper."
Zhang Yue cursed in his heart, knowing that you were planning on attacking my eldest nephew.
Zhang Yue said: "This... I'm telling you the truth... my nephew..."
Sun Jue turned pale and said: "Is it possible that it already exists..."
Zhang Yue laughed twice and was about to make a fuss when someone suddenly said, "Lu Xiji is here to congratulate you!"
Zhang Yue said to Sun Jue that he would talk about it later, and then left immediately.
Lu Xiji was the second son of Hanlin scholar Lu Gongzhu, the nephew of Lu Gongbi, deputy envoy of the Privy Council, and the son-in-law of Wu Chong, Zhang Yue's father-in-law.
It was only natural for him to come to congratulate me.
Lu Xiji saw Zhang Yue and smiled and said, "Congratulations to Duzhi. My father originally wanted to come to the house in person, but after he retired from the court, he was retained by an official, so he sent me to the house to congratulate him."
With Lu Gongzhu's current status, it was impossible for him to deign to congratulate him in person. However, when Lu Xiji said this, Zhang Yue showed that he was very helpful and said: "Ji Chang said something serious. Zhang has not visited the bachelor since he took office. I will ask Ji Chang to introduce him to me when the time comes."
Lu Gong wrote that he was a good friend of Wang Anshi, Sima Guang, and Han Wei, and he was also an extraordinary existence.
He doesn't like to talk on weekdays, but when it comes to debating, even Wang Anshi, who is best at debating, dare not surpass him. Mr. Lu also cherished his feathers very much when he was an official. He would resign if he was not satisfied with his work. However, the more he behaved like this, the more people respected him.
Lu Xiji said with a smile: "If Du Zhi wishes to see my father, my father will walk over to greet him. Speaking of which, my father often tells me that among the younger generation of officials today, Du Zhi alone can catch his eye."
Zhang Yue said with a smile: "How can Zhang be so virtuous that he can win the bachelor's favor? I really don't deserve it, but is the bachelor missing one person?"
Lu Xiji asked curiously: "Who is it?"
"Chunfu!"
Zhang Yue and Lu Xiji laughed together. Chunfu was Fan Zuyu, Zhang Yue's old classmate from the Imperial Academy. Now he is Lu Gongzhu's son-in-law, and he is helping his father-in-law's good friend Sima Guang to study Zizhi Tongjian.
Lu Xiji smiled and said: "Speaking of Chunfu, I still have a younger sister who is still waiting for me to take care of her. Please help me keep an eye out for any suitable candidates."
The most worrying thing for officials in Bianjing is marrying off a daughter. It is not easy to find a well-matched match to marry. And the biggest fear is that I won’t be able to get married when I reach my age, which will make it even harder to get married in the future.
Therefore, even if the girls from Bianjing's official families got married as late as 20, which was much higher than the folk age of fifteen or sixteen, there were still many girls whose families had not yet married off at this age.
Therefore, the father and elder brothers in the family are anxious to make arrangements, often starting to look for candidates at a very young age, and at the same time saving a large amount of dowry.
A brother like Zeng Gong who gets his eight sisters married at the right time is truly a rare good brother.
When Zhang Yue arrived in Bianjing, he also lamented that he was involved in this high-end marriage market in Bianjing. It is so difficult for a girl from an official family to get married.
Zhang Yue said quickly: "The daughter of the Lu family is something that ordinary people can like. I'm afraid it's hard to find."
Lu Xiji laughed when he heard this and said, "Come on, wise people don't tell secret stories. Do you think there are any people you know that are as handsome and talented as your nephew?"
This is the picture I saw.
All in all, after Sun Jue and Lu Xiji, there were several waves of people who came to talk to Zhang Yue overtly and covertly.
As for Zhang Shi, there were also people on the Yu family's side who wanted to marry him.
Zhang Yue couldn't help but feel envious and jealous of his eldest nephew at this moment. Why didn't I... back then?
When he thought of this, Zhang Yue subconsciously looked towards Qi Niang, and then quickly put an end to the thought.
"The Emperor has a decree!"
When the banquet was at its most lively, the emperor's decree came.
All the guests smiled and said, "The emperor's grace is truly magnificent."
But Zhang Yue was already being talked about by the army of matchmakers, and his head was buzzing. Hearing that the emperor had a will, he couldn't help but be frightened.
I wonder if the emperor has also taken a liking to my eldest nephew. With their small friendship, it is possible to have a closer relationship, but it is not that easy to be the prince-in-law of this dynasty.
"The emperor rewards Sheng Yuan Zhangzhi, a set of brocade clothes for each of the four seasons, one hundred taels of gold and silver each, and one million in money!"
After receiving the order, all the congratulatory guests congratulated the Zhang family and praised the officials for their good Confucianism and respect for scholars.
Zhang Yue was glad that the emperor was not recruiting a consort after all, but lamented that when he won the first prize, Emperor Renzong only gave him 300,000 yuan... his nephew won the provincial prize... Is the emperor so partial?
…
At the same time, Ouyang Xiu's home was completely different.
Ouyang Feifang, the third son of Ouyang Xiu in this subject, won the Jinshi. Among the sons, Ouyang Di was the most favored by Ouyang Xiu. Ouyang Xiu had a lot of correspondence with him on weekdays, and he didn't have time to write them himself, so Ouyang Di mostly answered them on his behalf.
Ouyang Pei was given this important task at a young age, which shows that his writing talent is not inferior to that of his father, who is the leader of the literary world.
At the banquet to celebrate Ouyang Pei, Ouyang Pei reported to Ouyang Xiu: "My brother and sister-in-law do not want to go back home."
Ouyang Xiu sighed. After something like this happened, Ouyang Fa and Wu had already moved out of Ouyang Xiu's house and lived somewhere else to avoid gossip.
Now that Ouyang Pei has won the Jinshi, it should be a time for the family to rejoice, but Ouyang Fa and Wu did not go home.
Ouyang Xiu pushed the wine cup and left with his hands behind his back.
Ouyang Pei glanced at his father, feeling sad in his heart. He said to his mother, Mrs. Xue, "Mother, although my child won the Jinshi, he doesn't want to be an official."
Mrs. Xue glanced at Ouyang Xiu's back. It was her brother Xue Liangru who was responsible for informing Ouyang Xiu.
Ms. Xue also felt very sorry for her husband. She said to Ouyang Pei: "Both of your brothers are incompetent, and something like this happened again. No matter how difficult it is, you have to support this family for me. I heard that this is a chapter of provincial education." He is Zhang Duzhi's nephew, and I don't need to tell you more about how Zhang Duzhi is related to our Ouyang family."
"This man knows his kindness. When he was promoted to Jinshi, your brother said that he could take care of our Ouyang family for thirty years. In my opinion, this man has a great future. Sooner or later, he will become the prime minister. You don't want to be an official. It is better to join his sect."
Ouyang Pei said: "Although I have this intention, I went to Luoyang to meet Master Shao on my father's order a month ago. I heard Master Shao walking on the Tianjin Bridge and saw cuckoos flying by.
"In less than two or three years, the emperor will appoint a southerner as prime minister and attract more southerners. From then on, the world will be troubled!"
"The child does not know what the Shao family said. The Shao family said that the world will be governed, and the earth's energy will come from the north to the south; there will be chaos, from the south to the north. Now the earth's energy has arrived in the south. Look at the flying cuckoos and birds. Class is the first to gain Qi."
"Nowadays, there are many rumors like this in Beijing! It is said that the official family wants to use a southerner as prime minister. I don't know whether it refers to Zeng Jixian or Wang Jiefu."
"It seems that although our Ouyang family is from Jiangxi, settling in the capital for many years is of no benefit to the people from the north. I think..."
Although Ouyang Pei followed Ouyang Fa since childhood, unlike Ouyang Fa who was close to Zhang Yue, he admired Shao Yong more.
Xue said: "My son has already made his own opinions, and I can't force him on you. But how can such a prophecy be taken seriously?"
Ouyang Pei said: "The prophecies are spread among the people, either based on public opinion or someone's instructions. No matter what, it has something to say."
Mrs. Xue said: "Let's not talk about it. I just hope that your father can be safe."
Ouyang Pei said: "Since I ordered Jinshi, it means that the court has reached a public conclusion on my father's matter. Mother, please don't worry too much. As for Zhang Duzhi, although he is proud now, he was a guest of my family back then. , I don’t want to ask him for shelter.”
A few days later, the court also reached a conclusion on Ouyang Xiu's case.
The original official was Zuocheng, the Minister, and Ouyang Xiu, who was involved in political affairs, was promoted to the bachelor of Guanwen Palace and the Minister of the Ministry of Punishments. Peng Siyong, the former Minister of the Ministry of Industry and the Censor Zhongcheng, was demoted to Gishizhong and knew Huangzhou. The host and guest official was Wai Lang, and the imperial censor Jiang Zhiqi was demoted to Zuo Lang, supervising the wine tax in Daozhou.
However, Ouyang Xiu still expressed his intention to resign. In order to appease Ouyang Xiu, the officials gave his eldest son Ouyang Fa.
The punishment of Jiang Zhiqi and the comfort of Ouyang Xiu were much higher than the history of another time and space, but even so, Ouyang Xiu, who insisted on leaving, could not be retained.
After Ouyang Xiu became an official in Liushu, the officials finally agreed that Ouyang Xiu would go out to guard the local area and go out to know Bozhou.
The official edict to Ouyang Xiu included the late emperor's praise for Ouyang Xiu. He was an upright person and did not avoid public grievances.
But Ouyang Xiu was already discouraged, and he finally left his hometown at the age of sixty. As for Ouyang Pei, who had just become a Jinshi, he was also promoted to Chenzhou Jiedu official by the official family.
However, Ouyang Pei did not want to go to the local government to take office, so he followed his father to Bozhou. Ouyang Fa and Wu returned to their hometown in Yingzhou.
After Ouyang Xiu left the capital, Han Qi, who had lost his right-hand man, returned to the capital from his post as Shanling Envoy.
In the few months since the new emperor ascended the throne, Han Qi, as the Prime Minister of Zhaowen, has been absent from the capital. He said he was busy building the tomb of the late emperor. In fact, it was regarded by the outside world as a first-class way to transfer power and avoid being in a place of suspicion. , and at the same time, it also eliminates the need to point fingers at the emperor.
Han Qi was not in the capital, so the system was a first-class virtual prime minister. Zeng Gongliang, Wu Kui and other prime ministers assisted the emperor in making decisions throughout the process.
Therefore, if Han Qi is there, Ouyang Xiu will not go out to guard.
Now with Han Qi's return, the power of the government has been returned to him, and the virtual state has become the real state.
There was a heavy rain in Bianjing in April, and the rain was pouring in the palace.
When Zhang Yue entered the court, he happened to see Han Qi's guard of honor as prime minister, and hundreds of Yuan's entourage, surrounding the first civil servant to the palace.
Facing Han Qi's guard of honor, even if it rained heavily, Zhang Yue and many other officials had to step aside and let Han Qi go first.
The prime minister is courteous to all officials. This is the dignity he deserves.
However, with Ouyang Xiu's departure and the official's denial of Pu Yi, officials could not help but wonder how long Han Qi could stay in power.
When they arrived at Tianzhang Pavilion, Zhang Yue's official robe was mostly wet. The eunuch on duty brought out the stove to bake Zhang Yue's official robe.
The eunuch sat next to Zhang Yue, helping the barefoot Zhang Yue bake his boots, and then asked: "Zhang Zhengyan, I heard that the officials want to replace Xianggong Han with Zeng Jixian or Wang Jiefu, is it true?"
Zhang Yue couldn't help but be stunned, how dare he say such nonsense.
Zhang Yue whispered: "Where did you hear this? Don't talk nonsense, otherwise you will be careful about moving your head."
The other party smiled and said: "I will never dare to say a word to others. I will only say a few words in front of Zhang Zhengyan. Do I still not trust Zhang Zhengyan?"
"It's just that recently I heard people say that Zeng Jixian's spine was like a dragon, and Wang Jiefu's eyes were like a dragon. Both of them had the appearance of teachers and ministers, and there was a prophecy in the public that the officials wanted to worship the southerner as their prime minister, so they would not harm Shang Yang. ."
Zhang Yue thought to himself that this was not a rumor.
When the officials met me that day, they said something exactly like what they said, but the underlying meaning was something like this.
Who leaked the news?
