Seeing Hong Tianxi's expression, Mou Zicai smiled jokingly again.
"If you don't have anything to do, considering your salary, why do you want to treat me?" Mou Zicai looked at him with a burning gaze and said with a smile.
Hong Tianxi's face turned red again, he hesitated for a few moments, and then said sheepishly: "I do have something to ask of you."
"It's just as I expected." Mou Zicai revealed a teasing smile, "Tell me, what's the matter?"
He did not dare to speak of this old friend in a solemn tone, but asked in a joking tone.
He was afraid that speaking too solemnly would scare off this old friend who was the censor.
"Is the little saint a fellow countryman of yours?" Hong Tianxi was still a little embarrassed and asked instead of answering the question.
Mou Zicai rolled his eyes and raised his eyebrows.
He is an old fox who doesn't know what the other person is thinking.
It seems that the other party is still a little embarrassed to bring it up directly.
But the other party is his friend, so it doesn't matter if he takes the initiative.
Mou Zicai smiled faintly: "My three grandchildren want to study at Zhaojiazhuang Academy. Junchou also has this idea."
"Exactly, I also have three grandchildren. I want to study at Zhaojiazhuang School. I wonder if that's okay?" Hong Tianxi suddenly lowered his voice, feeling a little embarrassed.
After all, he is a censor and always feels a little embarrassed.
He is very conflicted now. He wants to fight but doesn't want to fight.
If we go to fight for it, I feel that this is inconsistent with the status of the supervisory censor.
But seeing that all the official disciples in the capital wanted to study at Zhaojiazhuang Academy, it would obviously be a big loss if his grandson didn't go, so he thought of this method.
In fact, what he didn't know was that Wu Yi, the supervisory censor, had already walked in front of him.
Mou Zicai laughed loudly, stepped forward and patted Hong Tianxi on the shoulder: "Why not, let our grandchildren become classmates."
Ding Nian failed to complete the task assigned by Ding Daquan, and his face turned pale.
He rode his horse and looked at the official office not far away, and his eyes lit up.
"Yu Rusun, is it true that only talented people can accomplish things in the world? Bah." After Ding Nian finished speaking, he drove his bad horse towards the Ministry of Personnel, "Isn't there Jingdong from the Ministry of Personnel here?"
He came to Jingdong Gongfang, dismounted, raised his head high and pointed his chin towards the sky.
The servant immediately shouted loudly: "Jingguan, Ding Xianggong's steward Ding Nian wants to see you."
Hearing that it was Prime Minister Ding Daquan's housekeeper who came to pay a visit, Jingdong hurriedly put down his official duties and came out to the gate.
When he came out, he saw Ding Nian looking up at the sky with his chin high, with a proud look on his face.
Another man dressed as a servant was holding six dead fish.
In fact, Ding Daquan gave this dead fish to Yu Rushun, but unfortunately Yu Rushun didn't want it at all.
Jingdong was a little unhappy when he saw that Ding Nian seemed not to see him.
No matter what he says, he is also the sixth-ranked doctor in the imperial court, and you, Ding Nian, are just a servant of the prime minister's family.
He coughed but said nothing.
"I've met Mr. Jing Guan." Ding Nian's face turned gloomy and ugly, so he had to bow his hands.
Jingdong also had a faint smile on his face, and while returning the courtesy, he made a gesture of invitation: "Steward Ding, please come in."
The two chatted for a while, and Ding Nian explained his purpose of coming. Ding Daquan wanted to solve the problem of studying at Zhaojiazhuang School for his six grandchildren and great-grandsons.
"Steward Ding, please forgive me for being unable to do anything." Jingdong's face turned red and he said with great embarrassment.
Ding Nian couldn't believe his ears. It felt like a thunderbolt hit his head, and it felt like someone poured cold water on him from head to toe, making his whole body numb.
"Jingguan, you have helped thousands of people, can't you help with this small favor?" Ding Nian felt that his heart was sinking, and he didn't know when he would reach the bottom of the water.
"A small favor?" Jingdong almost vomited out a mouthful of old blood, and his old face almost turned the color of pig liver, "Steward Ding, the others here only have a quota."
"Only one quota?" Ding Nian's face was gloomy and dripping with tears. He tried to balance his emotions and make his face look better. "Jing Guanren, how many quotas can my husband have?"
Jingdong thought hard and finally sighed and stretched out two fingers: "Butler Ding, there are only two places, and I only have this ability."
"Two places, can't there be more?" Ding Nian's face turned red at first, then turned into the color of liver, and finally turned into black, which was extremely exciting.
He never expected that there were three places at Yu Rushun's place, and now there was one less place at Jingdong.
Jingdong shook his head, with an embarrassed look on his face, and shook his head heavily: "Steward Ding, please forgive me for my incompetence. I can only do this."
In an instant, Ding Nian's whole body was as nervous as a stone. His heart sank as if it was filled with cold lead. He was so lost that he didn't know how he returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion.
After returning to the acquaintance, Ding Nian took heavy steps to Ding Daquan's study, and made more jealous remarks about Yu Rushun and Jingdong.
"What, Yu Rushun and Jingdong both rejected me?" Ding Daquan's face was extremely gloomy and ugly, and a cold light flashed across his face.
Ding Nian suddenly knelt down on his legs: "Mr. Sir, this old slave is unable to do things. Please punish me."
"I can't blame you for this." Ding Daquan waved his hand and walked around the case a few times with a solemn expression on his face. "Get up. They are targeting the truth and have nothing to do with you."
Ding Nian had no choice but to get up, bowed, breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and walked out backwards.
"Jingdong, Yu Rushun, since you two won't give me face, I won't let you and others have an easy time." Ding Daquan looked at the case. , grabbed the teacup and threw it to the ground, making a shattering sound.
General Office of the Ministry of Personnel.
Jingdong respectfully bowed and reported to Tang Hong. Tang Hong put down the official document in his hand and drank tea while listening.
Tang Hong is not tall, with a Chinese-shaped face, about sixty years old, three long beards, gray hair, fair skin, and many wrinkles on his face.
After listening to Jingdong's report, Tang Hong showed a smile and praised, "Zibian, you did a good job, making other departments owe a favor to the official department."
"As a member of the official department, it is your duty to serve the official department." Jingdong straightened his body and answered in a neither arrogant nor humble manner.
Tang Hong nodded, with a smile on his face again, and asked with interest: "Zibian, how many years have you been a doctor?"
"The lower official is incompetent and has been a doctor for five years." When Jingdong said this, he broke out in a cold sweat. His classmate had been promoted to the rank of assistant minister, but he was still in the position of doctor.
Tang Hong stroked his beard and said calmly: "Zibian, since it has been five years, you should give it a try."
"Move?" What does this mean? Jingdong was a little stunned. What does this mean?
Unexpectedly, Tang Hong waved his hand to him: "You go out and do things."
Tang Hong felt a little sad when he saw Jingdong leaving.
Yesterday, his wife made a suggestion to him. She wanted to betroth her most beautiful granddaughter to the little saint, which put him in a dilemma.
"Madam, I do have this idea, but Yu Jie started too early. His granddaughter is already engaged to Zhao Ping." Tang Hong said in embarrassment, his face almost turning the color of pig liver.
His wife shook her head in extreme disappointment, then suddenly her eyes lit up: "Official, if a regular wife can't do it, a common wife can always do it."
"Ping's wife, this is very difficult. Not only does it require Yu Jie's consent, but I heard that Zhao Ping already has a flat wife. Madam, it's best not to take a trip through this muddy water." Tang Hong looked solemn and shook his head with a wry smile.
His wife glared at him: "Official, you are the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, isn't it possible?"
"There are too many involved here. There are rumors that Princess Rui likes Zhao Ping." Tang Hong sighed again, looking confused.
His wife almost jumped and rushed over: "Guardian, the princess of Rui State is surnamed Zhao, and Zhao Ping is also surnamed Zhao. How is this possible?"
"How can we explain this clearly? This is not difficult for the officials. If the officials give a surname to Zhao Ping, wouldn't the problem be solved?" Tang Hong's face was livid, obviously unwilling, but he had no choice but to do so.
His wife's expression was extremely ugly, and she felt her heart sinking into a bottomless ditch.
She finally sighed heavily: "Wu Niang is both talented and beautiful, and she is good at playing chess, calligraphy and painting, but she doesn't have this blessing."
In the Chui Gong Hall, Lizong went to court, with hundreds of civil and military officials standing on both sides.
At this time, Tang Hong, the Minister of Civil Affairs, came out from the civil service and bowed to Lizong.
"Report to the officials that Xi County should be promoted to Xizhou." He picked up the wat board and said slowly.
Lizong did not speak, but looked at Tang Hong, hoping that he would tell him the reason.
Tang Hong spoke eloquently: "I have reported to the officials that although Xi County is a county, it currently occupies part of the territory of Nanzheng County. In other words, its actual territory is more than one county. This is one of them."
Lizong did not comment, but took a slow sip of tea and motioned for him to continue.
"Report to the officials. The population of Xi County is close to 200,000, which is far more than any county, more than a state in the mainland, and about the same as a prefecture in the mainland. This is the second one." Tang Hong swallowed his saliva and said the second point.
Lizong still didn't speak, waiting for him to continue speaking.
Tang Hong said the third point he had thought about: "Report to the officials, the tax revenue of Xi County, not to mention, has exceeded most of the state capitals in the mainland. This is the third point."
Lizong drank tea and listened to his report leisurely.
"To tell the officials, the most important thing is that if Xi County is promoted to a state, it will help to concentrate financial and material resources on the front line to fight against the Hu. This is the fourth point." After Tang Hong finished the fourth point, he respectfully handed the document in his hand to Dong Song minister.
Lizong put down his tea cup, glanced at the ministers, and said without any emotion in his voice: "Fellow ministers, what do you think?"
As soon as Lizong's words fell, it was like a huge stone sinking into the water, causing huge waves in the sky.
Zhou Wenli, the Minister of Rites, immediately came out from the civil service: "Report to the officials and the opposition of the ministers, Xi County has been a county since ancient times. If promoted to a state, it would be inconsistent with etiquette. Moreover, Xi County occupies less than the entire Nanzheng territory. One percent.”
After Zhou Wenli finished speaking, he winked at the Minister of Industry.
Jiang Yuanwu, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, also came out of the civil service: "I reported it to the officials, but the ministers objected. Xi County is remote and transportation is difficult. It is isolated outside Sichuan, and there is only one Shu road to Chengdu, which is difficult to reach the sky."
If promoted to a state, roads must be repaired, which will be a great test for the Ministry of Industry.
Shu Road does not talk about repairing the roads. Just annual maintenance will account for a large amount of expenses of the Ministry of Industry.
After speaking, Jiang Yuanwu winked at Xing Hui, the Minister of Punishment.
Xing Hui, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, originally did not want to wade into troubled waters. For them, whether Xi County was promoted or not had little impact on them.
However, he owed a favor to Jiang Yuanwu, Minister of Industry, and Xing Hui had to come out.
"Reporting to the officials, I think it is inappropriate. Xixian County is hanging outside Sichuan and may be lost at any time. Losing a county is nothing, but losing a state is too humiliating for the Song Dynasty." Xing Hui thought for a while, and from another perspective Find out the reason on one side.
Although the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Rites opposed it, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Privy Council supported it.
Gong Kun, the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs, also stood up: "Report to the officials, and the ministers second the proposal. After West County becomes a state, it can get more taxes."
"Reporting to the officials, the minister seconded the proposal. After Xi County is promoted to a state, its strength will be improved to a higher level. It can increase the defense force against Xi County. All troops and horses can be used here to resist the barbarians. The barbarians cannot be allowed to invade the Kingdom of Abundance. " Chen Jiexiang from the Ministry of War came out from among the generals and firmly supported Tang Hong's suggestion.
Yu Jie, the Minister of the Ministry of War, is now in Sichuan, and he is now making suggestions on behalf of the Ministry of War.
He is on Yu Jie's side and of course supports strengthening the defense of Xi County.
Lizong looked at Privy Councilor Shi Miyuan and wanted to hear his opinion.
Shi Miyuan was not only a political governor, but also a privy envoy, in charge of the Privy Council.
Shi Miyuan was also a civil servant. He came out of the civil service: "To inform the officials, Xi County is not just a county. It is also the most important pass in Sichuan, that is, Shukou. If Xi County is lost, Yangping Pass and Jianmen behind it will be lost." Checkpoints and other barriers are of little use anymore.”
He did not specify whether Xi County would be promoted to a state county, but emphasized the important role of Xi County.
Lizong did not comment, but looked at Ding Daquan, Dong Huai, and Wu Qian: "What are the opinions of the three ministers?"
These three are either prime ministers or governors participating in politics, and they have great say. It can be said that the great power of the court is concentrated in their hands.
