"Master Shi, the Grand Scholar of Zhongji Palace, has arrived."
This voice was very loud, and the hall suddenly became quiet. Then the sound of horse hooves came from outside the hall, and a group of people stopped outside the hall in an orderly manner.
A soft sedan was carried out from the team, and four big men carried the soft sedan to the palace gate before stopping.
Jiang Xingzhou and the other four young masters looked at each other with a look of joy on their faces. They had never expected that the person sent by the imperial court to participate in the poetry meeting this time would be Shi Fenglai, a scholar of Zhongji Palace. This made several people feel extremely surprised.
Shi Fenglai, named Yingshi, was from Wucheng, Zhejiang Province. He was fifty-eight years old. He was slightly fat, had an amiable face, and had a beautiful beard, which made him quite dignified.
He was one of the leading literary masters in the imperial court, proficient in all kinds of articles, poems, songs, and poems. Moreover, he was also the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. He was known as "a wise eye for pearls" and could be said to be a literary master of his generation.
If he can be appreciated by Shi Fenglai, his career in the future will surely be smooth and prosperous.
The four great talents and a group of talented people and beauties all rushed forward, and Jiang Xingzhou was the first to rush to Shi Fenglai.
"Jiang Xingzhou has missed his welcome from afar, but I still hope that Mr. Shi will be considerate."
Shi Fenglai smiled slightly, waved his hand and said, "You don't have to be polite. I am here to observe this annual poetry meeting on behalf of the imperial court, and by the way, I will check for any leaks and fill in the gaps for the imperial court."
Hearing this, everyone was stunned. They thought, "check for leaks and fill in the gaps?"
What does it mean?
Seeing everyone's confused looks, Shi Fenglai smiled slightly again and said:
"Nowadays, there are Houjin thieves outside the Ming Dynasty, there are rogue bandits inside, and there are constant natural disasters. It is the time for the court to recruit people. Just relying on the imperial examination cannot meet the court's need for talents. Therefore, His Majesty intends to recruit talents from the private sector. This is The Poetry Society brings together talented people from the Ming Dynasty, so this year Your Majesty specially sent me to come and observe."
After the words fell, everyone was in an uproar, and many people showed excitement on their faces.
Lin Ping'an looked at the expressions of these people and couldn't help but sneer in his heart: "Yan Xiaoxiao said that the scholars here are all people who are indifferent to fame and fortune, but I see that all of them are eager to be officials."
Jiang Xingzhou and the four of them looked at each other, unable to hide the joy in their hearts. The four of them established the Bamboo Garden, originally to imitate the Donglin Academy of the past. If they could be recognized by the imperial court, then their bamboo garden would give birth to many imperial courts. Important minister.
Indeed, the Donglin Academy was in the name of being indifferent to fame and wealth, but unexpectedly it became the most important backbone of the Ming Dynasty. The Donglin Party had a large number of talents, from ordinary officials to the chief ministers of the cabinet, many of whom came from Donglin. Lin Dang, if this Bamboo Garden can be like the Donglin Dang Academy, then these four people will definitely be remembered in history.
Shi Fenglai took a few steps and came to Lin Ping'an and said with a smile:
"This must be Dean Lin, who has become famous in the capital recently, right? I've heard about it a long time ago."
Lin Pingan raised his hands to Shi Fenglai and said, "Lin Pingan, a late student, pays homage to Mr. Shi."
Shi Fenglai nodded: "Dean Lin has become famous in the capital at a young age. He is truly a hero from a young age."
Lin Ping'an smiled and said, "Master Shi is overly complimentary."
At this moment, Shi Qian appeared out of nowhere and shouted at Lin Pingan:
"What do you call Master Shi? He is my father and you are my eldest brother. You have to call me godfather!"
This sentence surprised everyone. They thought to themselves that Dean Lin moved the capital with a poem. When did he become the big brother of a playboy like you?
Many people present knew Shi Qian and knew that this young master was a famous gangster in the capital. When they saw him looking like this, they couldn't help laughing.
"Bastard, what nonsense are you talking about? Why don't you get back here quickly?"
Shi Fenglai shouted loudly, which immediately made Shi Qian so frightened that he didn't dare to say anything and retreated to the side in fear.
Shi Fenglai smiled at Lin Ping'an and said: "Dean Lin, don't be offended. The dog is naughty, but I still hope Haihan will do it."
Lin Ping'an smiled: "Master Shi, you are serious."
Shi Qian moved from the side to Lin Pingan's side. When he saw Yan Xiaoxiao, he hesitated for a long time before whispering to her: "Hello, Sister Xiaoxiao!"
Yan Xiaoxiao naturally remembered Shi Qian. She nodded and said hello. The four talented people became even more curious, and even Shi Fenglai's heart skipped a beat.
When did this kid make friends with the Night Watchman?
He secretly thought in his heart, but on the surface he sat down calmly.
Jiang Xingzhou and the others handed the poem manuscript they had just written to Shi Fenglai and said:
"Master Shi, these are the poems you just wrote. Please take a look."
Shi Fenglai is a bachelor of Zhongji Palace and a great literary master. He is very accomplished in poetry. At this moment, he nodded while looking at these poems and said:
"Not bad. They're all pretty good."
Everyone looked at Shi Fenglai, hoping to hear their name from his mouth. Unfortunately, Shi Fenglai just said these few words lightly and then put the poem aside and then said:
"For the pillars of the country, poetry is actually just a minor path. I would like to hear what you think of the current imperial court?"
As soon as these words came out, needles could be heard in the hall.
"Tell me what you think of the imperial court?"
"Are you kidding us?"
Many people shouted in their hearts.
The four great talents looked at each other, really undecided.
Because this topic is too sensitive, if you talk casually, you will be afraid of causing trouble. If the court turns its back and refuses to recognize it, the bamboo garden may be closed down.
"What is Mr. Shi's intention in coming here today?"
The four great talents were all thinking in their hearts, "But don't let a rat hang a knife on his waist and become obsessed with a cat!"
Seeing everyone's expressions, Shi Fenglai smiled, waved his hands and said, "Today we are just talking casually. Your Majesty has already said that no matter what you say, it will be innocent. You can rest assured."
When everyone heard this, they felt at ease. His Majesty the Emperor spoke so eloquently that since he said this, he would not blame everyone.
Thinking of this, some people couldn't help but be eager to give it a try, thinking in their minds about what they should say to attract the attention of Mr. Shi in front of them.
Lin Ping'an felt very strange. Logically speaking, Emperor Tianqi only liked to do carpentry work. How could he possibly think of coming to listen to the opinions of the people on the imperial court?
But if not, Shi Fenglai definitely wouldn't have the guts to pretend to be the emperor!
"Could it be that the history book I wrote in my previous life was wrong again?"
He thought to himself: "Is it possible that the carpenter emperor is not actually an emperor who only knows how to do carpentry work, but a secretive emperor who pretends to be a pig and eats the tiger?"
This idea made Lin Pingan's mind a little confused. He looked at everyone present quietly, and at the same time he was very curious about what they would say.
At this moment, someone stood up, saluted Shi Fenglai, and then said:
"Lord Shi, our Ming Dynasty has been in existence for a long time. During the reign of our ancestors, we practiced civility and martial arts, and expanded our territory, making our Ming Dynasty the largest country in the world. However, since the death of the late emperor, the kings of the past dynasties have gradually declined, the government has become corrupt, and natural disasters have continued. , people's livelihood is in decline.
Nowadays, the Donglin Party members in the imperial court control the government, form cliques for selfish interests, pursue personal interests, disregard the national justice, and ignore the century-old foundation of the Ming Dynasty. They are really the biggest sinners!
Therefore, the common people believed that the imperial court should take this opportunity to encourage reforms and revive the glory of the Ming Dynasty. "
As soon as these words came out, everyone present was shocked.
The young man who spoke didn't look like anything special, but his remarks shocked everyone. Not only did he directly point out the shortcomings of the imperial court, but he also named the Donglin Party by name, which is really commendable for his courage!
After hearing what the young man said, Shi Fenglai had a look of appreciation in his eyes. He nodded, looked at the other participants, and asked, "What do you think of this gentleman?"
Everyone was silent for a while, thinking about the young man's words in their hearts.
After a while, another young man stood up and said:
"Although what this brother said is a bit harsh, it is true. There are indeed some problems in the court, but we cannot blame the Donglin Party members blindly. They also have their own pursuits and ideals, but they may not have considered the overall situation of the country. It's just interests. Therefore, while we blame them, we should also put forward our own suggestions and plans to help them better govern the country."
After hearing what this young man said, Shi Fenglai felt even more appreciative.
He felt that this young man could see the essence of the problem and had his own unique insights. So he asked: "So, sir, how do you think the current problem should be solved?"
The young man said:
“First of all, we need to strengthen the supervision of the court and combat corruption.
Secondly, we should pay attention to people's livelihood issues, pay attention to people's living conditions, and formulate more reasonable policies and measures.
Finally, we should strengthen the country's military strength, improve the combat level of the army, prevent invasion by foreign enemies externally, and suppress bandits and chaos internally. Only in this way can the Ming Dynasty be in peace and prosperity. "
Shi Fenglai felt very relieved after hearing these words. He feels that it is very valuable for this young man to be able to put forward practical solutions from an overall perspective.
So he said: "This gentleman's suggestions are very pertinent and feasible. I believe that if the court can adopt these suggestions, it will be able to restore the glory of the Ming Dynasty."
Then several people spoke one after another and put forward their own opinions and suggestions.
Shi Fenglai listened carefully to everyone's speech, constantly thinking about the feasibility and implementation effect of these suggestions.
He feels that although some of these suggestions can be implemented immediately, some require long-term efforts and persistence to achieve.
However, these suggestions made him feel very gratified and encouraged.
Shi Fenglai stood up and said: "I think everyone's speeches and suggestions are very valuable. I will report today's situation to Your Majesty in detail. If the Lao Guo court can adopt these suggestions and put them into practice, it will definitely make our Ming Dynasty more powerful." Prosperity.”
From beginning to end, none of the four great talents jumped out to speak. It was really because they were afraid!
Shi Feng's talk was all over the place. Who knows what his intentions were. Fortunately, those who spoke just now did not mention the word "eunuch party". If anyone had a strong head and said something about Wei Zhongxian, it is estimated that this Zhuyuan could be It's really going to be destroyed.
Lin Ping'an listened to everyone's speech and couldn't help but sneered in his heart:
"They are all a bunch of trolls. If you have the guts, talk about Wei Zhongxian!"
Indeed, no one mentioned the eunuch party, nor did they mention Wei Zhongxian, because no one was a fool. They all knew that Mr. Shi in front of them was a loyal eunuch member. Even if he acted impassioned, he would not be stupid enough to lose his life. No more.
At this time, Shi Fenglai turned to look at Lin Pingan and said with a gentle smile:
"Does Dean Lin have anything refreshing to say?"
