Chinese people are a nation that values etiquette. They bow when they meet, say hello in the evening, and give no less gifts to their leaders during festivals and festivals, especially to their elders. Being rude is also rude, and it is normal behavior to be wearing small shoes.
Xie Xiangrong is the prefect of Songjiang, and Li Yutang is the official minister, with one subordinate and one superior. Xie Xiangrong's wife is a girl of the Li family. Xie Xiangrong can also be regarded as half a servant of the Li family, one is a slave and the other is the master, and he is on horseback. During the sensitive time of the New Year, Xie Xiangrong came to the door empty-handed. This was a very rude and vicious case. Whether for public or private purposes, Xie Xiangrong did nothing wrong with his bare hands. This is the normal operation that Li Yutang should do.
There are also many guests in front of Li Yutang every day, but no one can enter the Li family empty-handed, including the few present here. Otherwise, how could the Li family achieve such great success? Is it just because of Zhu Xiluo's meager contribution? Wages are high when everyone adds firewood, and if you have thousands of taels and others have tens of thousands, the Li family's wealth will soon come.
As the Minister of Civil Affairs, Li Yutang's official authority is not very high. This may be because Li Yutang has a body like Maitreya Buddha. Just looking at his appearance, Li Yutang looks like an old man from the streets. He is just a little fatter and fairer. , dressed a little more luxuriously, so he was still very kind to Li Yutang, the guest who came every day with gifts. However, when he saw Xie Xiangrong coming empty-handed, it was obvious that Li Yutang looked unkind and unhappy.
Hearing Li Yutang's words, Xie Xiangrong's heart skipped a beat. It was rumored among the people that one-third of the officials in the Ming Empire came from the sect of the Minister of Civil Affairs. Sure enough, his every word and deed in Songjiang Mansion was seen by his elders. Isn't this true? Even before I mentioned the paper I brought, others knew about it.
Xie Xiangrong had great admiration on his face, and couldn't help but clasping his fists, "Master Li, this is the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang. Even before I mentioned it, I knew that I had brought something with me."
After saying that, Xie Xiangrong took out the petition from his arms. He worked very hard for this petition, and even recruited all the officials and handymen in Songjiang Prefecture who had experience in handling cases, and even the village elders who were responsible for mediating disputes among the people in the village. Go, it can be seen that Song Xie Xiangrong worked hard and spent money to bring down the Duke of Zhenguo.
I am neither a chicken nor an ox in the zodiac. I am a Pixiu. How could I enter my house empty-handed? Sure enough, my disciple still understands the glorious tradition of respecting teachers and respecting morality. I guess it is too many gifts to write empty-handed. On paper.
Li Yutang smiled, and the unhappiness on his face softened a lot, "Haha, Sir Xie, you are so thoughtful, please sit down quickly," he called the servant, "Someone come and serve Sir Xie a pot of good tea."
Xie Xiangrong stood up in a hurry, bowed his head and thanked him, "Haha, I haven't had Mr. Li's tea for a long time, I should savor it carefully."
"That's natural. This tea is the top women's tea. It was specially sent by one of my disciples. It can't be bought on the market."
As the name suggests, women's tea is related to women, and it is picked by a beautiful 18-year-old woman who has not left the palace with her own tongue. According to rumors, this tea will be accompanied by a beautiful woman with a special body fragrance for seven to forty days. It can only be tasted, so the woman's tea is sweet and delicious, probably similar to Wang Busheng's black tea.
"That's it, the short paper is slanting and making grass, and the clear window and thin breasts are playing with the tea. The tea for adults is naturally good tea." Xie Xiangrong's words of praise have already been spoken before the tea is in his mouth.
Hearing Xie Xiangrong's praise, several people working on the tea also picked up the tea again, took a sip, and sipped it carefully. Liu Wen said with enjoyment, "I don't know if I didn't taste it carefully. This tea really has the fragrance of a woman."
"Yes, Brother Liu is right, this tea is fragrant." Zhang Songhe also nodded in agreement.
Li Yutang couldn't help but smile with a satisfied vanity on his face, "I still have a few kilograms here. The adults can take them if they want to drink. Next time I will ask my disciple to give more."
"Master Li, I'm not polite at all. You know what I, Liu Wenzheng, like besides beautiful women is tea." Liu Wenzheng was not polite at all.
"Master Li's disciples still know etiquette. My disciples know how to give me some yellow and white things and not choose some weird things." Zhang Songhe, the Minister of Rites, also expressed his opinion.
"That's right, if I want to drink some good tea, I have to sell it myself." Li Jinchen expressed his helplessness when he remembered that as a member of the cabinet, he had to do everything himself.
"Haha, I just have better luck. Several of my disciples are also up to date and their etiquette is very considerate."
Orchid is born in the deep valley, and it will not be fragrant if it is not for the sake of submission. A boat is on the river and sea, and it will not float if it is not for the sake of riding. A gentleman does justice and does not stop for the sake of ignorance. He insists on doing what he wants to do, and one day he will be punished. People find that their efforts will be rewarded, such as the nameless person who delivered the tea. Li Yutang was the one who lit the fire and set the light in front of several colleagues. Yutanghui had treated him badly, and it was just around the corner that he would reach the immortal world as soon as possible.
"Also, Mr. Xie, the prefect of Songjiang, knows etiquette at first sight. None of my disciples knelt down when they saw me. They have no respect for me at all."
"Yes, when I saw that Mr. Xie was knowledgeable and courteous, he was courteous and courteous. He recited "Zhou Rites", "Rituals" and "Book of Rites" every day," Zhang Songhe, the Minister of Rites, praised,
"Thank you for the compliment, Sir. I naturally read the articles of ancient sages every day and dare not slack off at all." Xie Xiangrong opened his mouth and came. Although he was born as a scholar, the time Xie Xiangrong spends studying every day can only be counted in seconds, and it is an annual average.
"Haha, Master Zhang is right, etiquette is the foundation of the world, and those who don't respect etiquette will go to hell. For example, my disciples, every time they give gifts, they are famous calligraphy and paintings, corals, and night-time pearls as big as duck eggs. It’s not practical, it’s not as practical as gold and silver,” Liu Wenzheng said angrily.
Okay, here is a short episode. It is said that Liu Wenzheng received a luminous pearl as a gift a few years ago. His grandson kept playing with it as a yo-yo at home. Liu Wenzheng felt a little distressed, so he asked someone to sell the thing. As a result, When he met an ignorant man who said it was just ordinary colored glaze, it cost at most a hundred taels. Liu Wenzheng was so angry that he almost had liver bleeding. When he met a knowledgeable man, he was willing to pay a high price, but he said, "This is an adult who is in trouble and bankrupt." The seller has produced it. Well, this time Liu Wenzheng really had liver bleeding. So Liu Wenzheng stopped selling calligraphy, painting, antiques, coral duck egg-sized luminous pearls at home so as not to be embarrassed, so money was a bit tight.
"Yes, Mr. Xie is very particular about people. The gifts he gives are all written on paper, which is also convenient for the accounting office to check. The management of my warehouse is quite chaotic. The silver and gold given by others are all over the floor, but there are no Accounting”,
Well, everyone is doing something that everyone knows, so there is no need to hide it. There is no businessman, no treachery, no official, no corruption. After all, everyone has to live, and it is a normal need to want to live a better life.
Collecting such large gifts is a dream and goal that Xie Xiangrong has always dreamed of and actively strives for. The night pearl as big as a duck egg is his favorite. It seems that if you collect seven of them, you can transform into a dragon to fulfill one of your wishes. It's just that the more Xie Xiangrong listened, the less he understood. This was not just chatting about tea, but why it was related to giving gifts. What's more, the one he had was a certificate and not a gift list. Suddenly, Xie Xiangrong's heart skipped a beat, and he had a very bad premonition.
Li Yutang couldn't help but praise him so much from his peers. If it weren't for his weight, he would have floated to the roof now.
"Master Li, I really envy you for having so many outstanding disciples."
"Yes, hurry up and see what rare thing this Master Xie has given you."
"Haha" Li Yutang said with satisfaction, "I'll open it and take a look."
Finally Li Yutang opened the paper, and Xie Xiangrong's heart was in his throat.
"The petition is filed by me, Kameda Hachita," as he read this, Li Yutang's face turned from yellow to red and then black at a speed visible to the naked eye. Damn it, gifts are called certificates. Before he finished reading, Li Yutang jumped up.
Before Xie Xiangrong was ready, a forty-five-yard big foot flew in front of him, and then came close to Chi Chi. Finally, the most prominent nose on his face was injured first, then his mouth, and then Xie Xiangrong, who was sitting on the stool, fell on his back. , the hot tea in his hand also spilled on his face, and blisters quickly formed where the tea splashed.
"Xie Xiangrong, are you kidding me?" The seventy-year-old man made a series of actions, which were not only laborious but also life-consuming. At this moment, Li Yutang felt that he had difficulty breathing and almost couldn't take a breath.
"Lord Li, calm down, don't be angry." Several important ministers of the Ming Empire who had not yet understood hurriedly came over to help Li Yutang.
You may not lose your head if you offend the Minister of Civil Affairs, but you will definitely lose your official position. Xie Xiangrong ignored the pain on his body and face, kowtowing like pounding garlic, his head banging on the ground, it was much more real than the first time, "Sir, you Calm down, it's the lower officials who deserve to die."
After taking a few quick breaths, Li Yutang finally regained his composure, but his expression was just as embarrassed, almost like a corpse that had been dead for seven or eight days. "Xie Xiangrong, why the hell do I give you such a face? My other disciples have at least two of them all year round." This is the first time I bring a gift to see my teacher. Even if I really can’t leave, the gift must be there. And you, your wings are stiff. I don’t want to give you a gift on my birthday. But you come to see me once a year, and you are still free. "Come on, tell me, your boy has been the magistrate of Songjiang for a few days and doesn't know what his last name is. How many eyes does Prince Ma have? I will tell you today. If you don't show up in front of me today, your boy will be a commoner tomorrow."
Well, I changed my secret acceptance to Mingqiang. Of course, it is better to be Mingqiang. After all, people may not be able to understand the obscure expression of a bad head.
Although he is not an eunuch, Li Yutang can be regarded as one person less than ten thousand people. The promotion and appointment of officials, including the buying and selling of officials implemented in the past few years to fill vacancies and compensate for the Ming Empire's finances, were all done by Li Yutang. A small fourth-grade civil servant can still be easily handled.
Disaster fell from the sky, and Xie Xiangrong wanted to die. How could he get one hundred thousand taels now? He had some at home, but he didn't bring them. It was a tradition of the Ming Empire to give gifts during festivals and festivals. Some implicit Officials will only accept some coal, silk, and tea leaves. Some people who are brave enough, such as the few who are doing it, all have gold, silver, jewelry, jade, and antiques. The family stayed in peace and stability. I also gave Zhang Luzi several cakes and osmanthus nectar. I had originally prepared New Year's gifts for several adults this year, but something like Kameda Shiba Taro came up. Xie Xiangrong I feel that a gift to embarrass the Duke of Zhen or even step down is worth a hundred times a thousand times gold, silver and jewelry, but okay, Xie Xiangrong is noble, and Li Yutang is vulgar. Seeing the real thing in your eyes is the real benefit.
"Sir, I know I was wrong. I will definitely give you one hundred thousand taels. I beg you to give me a few days of grace. I will go home and get it now."
"Wait a minute, Mr. Li, this gift is also very good." Liu Wenzheng picked up the piece of paper with a kind and evil smile on his face.
