At dusk, Yang Ji returned to his mansion. Qin Qiong's refusal on behalf of the "Wagang Heroes" was somewhat regretful, but he did not feel too disappointed. To put it bluntly, most of the "heroes of Wagang" are utilitarians who "a good bird chooses a tree to roost in, and a hero chooses his master to depend on." The only one who truly values love and righteousness is a king who "follows his righteousness wherever he goes, in life and death." Brave King Bodang.
Yang Ji didn't know what the future of the Sui Dynasty would be like, but he had to plan ahead and control a direct force that could cope with all changes. However, there was Yang Guang suppressing him from above, so he couldn't let go of recruiting talents, so The first condition for this force is loyalty and reliability, and it doesn't matter even if there are fewer people or less capable individuals.
Apart from force, Qin Qiong and others have nothing else worthy of Yang Ji's trust. Therefore, Qin Qiong's polite refusal actually eliminated Yang Ji's worry about gains and losses, and changed their status in Yang Ji's mind from "tasteless to eat and a pity to throw away" to "tasteless to eat and a pity to throw away." of fleshless bones.
If the world develops into a chaotic world where heroes are divided, and Yang Ji manages the business relatively well, then these "heroes" who believe in the concept of profit first are very likely to defect to him because of the affection in front of them.
"Mr. Lang!" When they arrived at the central hall, Princess Xiao Ying came out to greet her and said softly: "My sixth brother is here!"
Yang Ji said nonchalantly: "I'm just a brother-in-law, what's so big about him! Besides, I'm also his brother-in-law."
Xiao Ying couldn't help but want to laugh after hearing this. She glared at him and said lightly, "I'm a guest."
"The guest does as the host does." He said so, but Yang Ji still hurried to the locker room in the middle hall.
Nobles these days are very particular and have complicated etiquette, and they have to be well-dressed even when meeting distinguished guests. If the host is disheveled, the guests will regard him as being disrespectful, and even if he doesn't say anything, he will still feel uncomfortable in his heart. On the contrary, this is also the host's discourtesy, and he will lose his own face.
The couple walked to the dressing room. Yang Ji opened his arms, and his wife untied her clothes and took off her regular robe. Looking at his little wife, who was as beautiful as a blooming flower, he couldn't help but gently lift her chin and look at her carefully.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Ying raised her moist eyes and stared at the lover of her life. She couldn't help but smile sweetly and let him look at her gently. Her eyebrows and facial features were still the same, but after they got married, they revealed A unique kind of softness, that radiant and charming charm comes from the very bones. How can it be painted with rouge and gouache? How could Xiao Ying be as good as Xiao Ying when she was a young girl?
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, it's so beautiful! So charming!" Yang Ji carefully watched his wife's charm and charm, and finally understood why that bastard Yang Xian liked the bride. He couldn't help but put his arms around Xiao Ying's waist, and quickly fell on her A kiss on the lips.
"You're just fooling around!" Xiao Ying was greatly benefited from her husband's sudden tenderness and love. She blushed and scolded him in a duplicitous way, but the joy in her tone could not be concealed.
Yang Ji shook his head and said disdainfully: "Hey, you are such a duplicitous little girl. If I don't mess around, I'm afraid you won't be happy with it."
"I'm too lazy to tell you!" Xiao Ying was told what was on her mind, and she was immediately ashamed, her face as red as a pomegranate: ""
"Master!" A gentle voice sounded, and Liu Rumei appeared at the door. When she saw the ambiguous posture of the two of them, a deep smile appeared in her pair of water-cut eyes.
Xiao Ying rushed to Liu Rumei as if she saw reinforcements. Based on her understanding of her husband, once the absurdity started, she would really hang her brother in the living room and make money with her first.
Although she quite likes it, there is something not so good about it after all. If she misses something big, she will really become a legendary disaster.
"What's the matter?" Yang Ji was not upset when his good deeds were revealed. He took care of himself and took out a more formal robe to change into.
"Sir, the King of Jin is here." Liu Rumei stepped forward quickly and helped Yang Ji put on his belt.
Yang Ji asked in confusion: "Why is he here?"
Liu Rumei shook her head: "I don't know!"
"I'll settle the score with you tonight, with eight thousand military sticks." Yang Ji slapped Liu Rumei's buttocks and walked out arrogantly.
Xiao Ying and Liu Rumei looked at each other for a long time, and couldn't help but smile at each other. Xiao Ying smiled and comforted: "Don't be afraid, Rumei, I won't let him punish you..."
"I know!" Liu Rumei's face bloomed with a bright blush, and she added with a smile: "It's the eldest lady who wants to get a military stick."
When Xiao Ying saw Liu Rumei's meaningful smile, she felt ashamed and annoyed and said, "It's obvious that you want to get slapped with a military stick, but you still rely on me. You're such a vixen."
Liu Rumei was also a little embarrassed, her smooth cheeks flushed a faint blush under the sunset, and she said sternly: "Madam, there really is a little vixen that is clinging to the young master today!"
"Who is it?" Xiao Ying is not jealous of a woman who likes her husband, nor is she worried about competing for favor. For her personally, both her relationship and her status are very solid.
She is Princess Wei, whom Yang Jiming is marrying and appointed by the late emperor. Her sister is Xiao Wan, who is about to become the queen. No one can take away her position as princess. As for having this love and Yang Ji to herself, she never thought about it at all.
However, Xiao Ying didn't mind if her husband had another woman, but she did care if that woman was of good character. If it was that kind of shallow, hypocritical and charming woman, she would never accept it.
Just because that kind of stupid woman will break the rules sooner or later, and the consequences of breaking the rules will make the back house restless and chaotic; if outsiders know about it, the entire palace will be disgraced and become someone else. The object of ridicule. This is also the most taboo thing for Xiao Ying, the master of the inner house.
When Liu Rumei said, "There is a little vixen that is clinging to the young master," Xiao Ying immediately became vigilant. If she was really such a woman, she would definitely nip the danger in the bud and explain the danger to her husband first.
Seeing Xiao Ying's nervous look, Liu Rumei smiled and said, "It's the wife of the Pei family, Pei Shuying."
"It turns out it's her!" Xiao Ying also knew Pei Shuying. When she heard it was her, she breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "I don't have a close relationship with her. What do you think of her?"
"I think this 'little vixen' is dignified and coquettish, and her demeanor is very similar to that of the eldest lady. She is not that kind of seductive woman. She is pestering the young master, perhaps because of the grace of saving his life! But the young master does not seem to know that the lady of the Pei family My thoughts..." Liu Rumei thought of Yang Ji's words "forget it" when he and Pei Shuying separated, and smiled and told the truth about what happened today.
Xiao Ying laughed out loud and said with a smile: "Our husband is a careless and careless person when it comes to women. He is only gentle and attentive to his own women, and he only dares to treat his own." Women do evil.”
There was a warm look in her eyes, and she said with a smile: "The first time we were at the Duke of Yue's Mansion was the day I asked you to come over. He clearly knew that I was his fiancée, but he didn't He flirted with me for a long time in the ice and snow. Later, when we got to know him better, he behaved like a thief, carefully playing tricks on me."
"Does the madam know that he is going to cause trouble?" Liu Rumei suddenly became interested.
"I'm not a fool, how could I not know?" Xiao Ying blushed and said with some embarrassment: "But I was worried about scaring him away, so..."
Liu Rumei smiled: "So the lady pretends to be ignorant and encourages the arrogance of the lawless people?"
"You know what you're talking about?" Xiao Ying glanced at Liu Rumei with a thoughtful look in her eyes, and changed the topic: "After Yang Liang falls, Lang Jun will become the most powerful prince and king in the world, and he will definitely do so in the future. There are villains who stir up trouble and slander the husband in front of the saint. Although the saint has great trust in the husband, no matter how despicable the slander is, as time goes by and the number of times increases, the saint will inevitably have a thorn in his heart. And Pei Gong Now he is the minister of Huangmen who is in the holy family. If he can help you in the court, it will be of great benefit to the husband's career and safety."
Liu Rumei said knowingly: "If the Pei family's wife can become a member of our family, Mr. Pei will not be a favor to one or two, but four or five. But after all, the Pei family's wife is the Pei family's direct daughter, can they agree?"
Xiao Ying smiled: "Didn't you say that the Pei family's wife is obsessed with her husband? We will hold a banquet for her tomorrow."
Liu Rum said with a lively eyebrow: "Then you get her drunk and send her to your husband's bed? Let's catch him in bed. If the rice is cooked, even if Mr. Pei doesn't agree, he will have to agree."
"..." After Xiao Ying heard this, she felt angry and funny. This woman is really a fool, how could she come up with such a dirty idea?
But I have to say that Liu Rumei's brutal and brutal method is quite trouble-free. It's a pity that Wangfu's house is not a bandit's stronghold.
. . . . . .
"Brother, I'm sorry for the long wait." At the door of the side hall of the middle hall, Yang Ji saw Xiao Jue and Yang Zhao talking and stepped inside.
When Xiao Jue saw Yang Ji coming, he smiled and said, "Vajra slave, I've finally waited for you to come. I'm almost dying of anxiety. Please sit down, please!"
Yang Ji said speechlessly: "This is my home, okay?"
Xiao Jun smiled bitterly and said, "That's not the point. The point is the martial arts."
Yang Zhao stood up and saluted: "See you, Uncle Wang!"
"Sit down!" Yang Ji took a closer look and found that Yang Zhao seemed to have lost some weight and his complexion was much better than last time. He smiled and said, "Shiming, you seem to have lost weight, and there is a lot less flesh on your face. Could it be that you found a weight loss pill?"
"Really?" Yang Zhao touched his face and pointed at Xiao Jue with a smile: "When I visited Aunt Lanling at my uncle's house last month, I met a Taoist priest with superb medical skills. He prescribed medicine for me. I got a prescription and I feel pretty good after taking it. With the current progress, recovery is really just around the corner."
Xiao Jue stroked his beard and smiled: "The princess came forward with a serious illness, and the imperial doctors were helpless. The Taoist priest just made a diagnosis and prescribed a prescription, which cured the princess. What's especially rare is that he used it Herbs are available everywhere and are not expensive.”
Yang Ji asked curiously: "Who is it? So powerful?"
"This Taoist priest's name is Sun Simiao." Xiao Jue introduced: "During the reign of Emperor Jing of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the late emperor was in charge of the government and called Sun Simiao to be the doctor of the country. However, Sun Simiao had no intention of official career and fame, and resolutely refused to accept the position of the court. He lived in seclusion in Zhongnan Mountain and devoted himself to his work. He gradually gained a high reputation for his medical skills. Because the imperial doctor could not cure the princess, I became anxious and went to the doctor for treatment. I did not expect that his medical skills would be so good. "
Yang Ji was stunned when he heard this. Sun Simiao, the king of medicine, was the first pioneer to comprehensively and systematically study traditional Chinese medicine after the medical sage Zhang Zhongjing. He made an indelible contribution to traditional Chinese medicine and was the founder of medical ethics. He was known as the "Treatise on Medicine" in later generations. father".
"Does the Vajra slave also know this person?" Xiao Jue asked when he saw Yang Ji thinking deeply.
"I heard about his name!" Yang Ji said, "I just didn't expect that he would lose weight."
"Not only that! He can also beautify the skin." Xiao Jue said with a smile: "He mentioned a bath bean recipe that makes the face and hands white, which is Ashwagandha bark, White silkworm, White monkshood, Angelica dahurica, and Shao Lao , Atractylodes, agarwood, nard, white sandalwood... seven pieces of white chicken, three liters of noodles, the right two pieces of flavor. First, mix pig pancreas and noodles to make them dry, then mix them with the medicine, pound and sieve into powder, and mix with two pieces of white bean crumbs. Sheng, use it to wash hands and face, within ten days it will be as white as snow, and in twenty days it will be as white as gelatin.”
Yang Ji Daqi: "Have you tried?"
"I'm a man, and I'm also the Minister of the Ministry of War. If I put on makeup and make my face look like white jade, would it still look good?" Xiao Jue smiled and said: "But the princess uses it according to the law, and the effect is indeed good. If you don't believe it, you can ask Ah Sister, try it too."
"Then I must try it!" Yang Ji memorized the recipe in his mind, feeling that he had another business opportunity to make money from ladies.
Xiao Jue stopped mentioning Sun Simiao and returned to the topic: "King Kong slave, thanks to your reminder, otherwise I wouldn't have known there were so many loopholes in the martial arts regulations."
Yang Ji asked: "Who drew up the charter?"
Xiao Jue replied: "Wang Shichong, a member of the Ministry of War, is in charge."
Yang Ji frowned and said: "As far as I know, Wang Shichong has extensively dabbled in classics and history, especially the art of war, and is familiar with various laws and regulations. He often uses loopholes in the law to cheat for personal gain. Although people know that he is wrong, but because the law is not perfect, , so no one can refute him. How could such a person who specializes in taking advantage of loopholes in the law to commit crimes not know about the loopholes in the martial arts regulations? But he just wrote it like this, so what if he didn’t mean it? "
Having said this, he solemnly said to Xiao Jue: "If something big happens, you, the Minister of War, will be the first to be unlucky, followed by Duan Wenzhen, the Minister of War. And Wang Shichong is just a small Yuanwailang, and he has not yet It will undermine your and Duan Wenzhen’s confidence and courage, but the person behind him is worth watching out for.”
As the saying goes, you don't need a heavy mallet to play a drum, but Yang Jiping's plain words woke up the dreamer, and cold sweat flowed from Xiao Jue's forehead. It's not that he never thought about someone coveting the position of Minister of the Ministry of War, but he was a little careless, or that he became the Minister of the Ministry of War too smoothly and took it lightly.
He is no longer the emperor's son-in-law, but the emperor's sister-in-law. The former emperor loved him so much because of his love for Princess Lanling, but when the new emperor came to see her, their relationship was no longer what it used to be. If he makes some small mistakes in normal times, the new emperor may not care, but if he makes such a low-level mistake in the first martial arts competition that attracts worldwide attention, it is not a mistake, but contempt for the emperor's decision and contempt for the emperor. Pay attention to.
Xiao Jue stood up and saluted Yang Jishen, "Thank you Vajra slave for reminding me!"
He was secretly glad that he had a smart brother-in-law and sister-in-law, otherwise the consequences would have been dire. Due to the tight schedule, he could not think about who was behind Wang Shichong, and asked anxiously: "Nayijinguangnu" So, how should I remedy it now?"
Yang Ji said: "If I were you, I would take the initiative to admit my mistakes to the saint. After all, it is not your turn to draft and review such a small matter as the martial arts regulations. As long as you have a good attitude and make up for it in time Come here. The saint will certainly not blame you."
"Yes, uncle!" Yang Zhao next to him also said: "And this martial arts competition for warriors across the country is not only an unprecedented grand event, but Aye has given the Ministry of War too little time to prepare. In your haste, It’s actually normal to make mistakes.”
"That's all we can do now!" Xiao Jue turned to Yang Ji and asked: "Vajra slave, if you have anything else you want to say, please tell me all. I'm so anxious that I'm getting angry."
Yang Ji ignored Xiao Jue and said to Yang Zhao, "Shiming, tell me."
"Here!" Yang Zhao was grateful in his heart. He understood that Yang Ji wanted the favor owed by his uncle to be transferred to him. As long as he solved his uncle's troubles, the Xiao family's impartiality in the crown prince would become biased towards his side. .
He cupped his hands to Xiao Jue and said: "Uncle, Aye's original intention of holding the martial arts competition was not to select bodyguard talents, but to promote the concept of selecting people regardless of their origins. Today, private warriors can participate in martial arts competitions, and in the future, they will also participate in martial arts competitions." Can poor scholars be allowed to participate in the imperial examination. Initially, there was only a unified military examination that did not distinguish between scholars and common people, instead of an A-B ranking. Today's A-B ranking was only introduced because of the resistance of aristocratic families."
"The warriors on the first list can enter the five palaces and three guards regardless of victory or defeat. This is actually the product of compromise with the aristocratic families. However, the number of places on the first list cannot meet the requirements of the martial arts family. Their current intention is obvious, either to expand the first list or cancel the second list, and then according to the old rules, the Ministry of War directly conducts the selection in the Wuxun family. This is obviously contrary to Aye's original intention of holding the martial arts examination. When Aye does not agree, they will definitely look for the second list. Loopholes.”
Xiao Jue pondered for a long time and said: "In other words, what the saint cares about most is the B list, instead of playing with the ordinary A list?"
"That's right!" Yang Zhao nodded and said: "It doesn't matter what the A list is, the B list can never go wrong, so Aye initially asked Yu Wenshu to be the chief inspector, but Yu Wenshu knew that this was a thankless job, so he went What kind of military rankings were created to leave this destined-to-offend job to the Ministry of War?"
"Old fox!" Xiao Jue sighed after hearing this.
Seeing that Xiao Jue was extremely distressed, Yang Ji asked, "What are the assessment standards?"
Xiao Jue said: "Archery is divided into infantry shooting and riding archery. They are both scored by hitting the target. Hitting the bull's-eye is ten points, and then nine, eight, seven, six... As for weapons and riding skills, the highest scores are also Ten points are mainly evaluated by the examiner, and the criteria are based on proficiency and difficulty of the moves."
"Uncle, I'm not making excuses, but there is a huge loophole here!" Yang Zhao shook his head and said: "Archery is a little better. After all, the results are there for everyone to see at a glance. But the scoring method of riding and weapons allows the examiner to have There is a lot of room for activities. If you encounter a selfish examiner, he will not care about the actual ability of the candidates at all, but will give full marks to his own people and low marks to strangers. At that time, it will still be a mess. "
Xiao Jue said: "What you said, Shiming, actually we also know that martial arts cannot be a life and death duel. The only way is to judge by the examiner."
"It's still relatively early before the martial arts examination. You still have sufficient preparation time. You can give the registered candidates a number first. During the exam, let the candidates enter with their numbers and call themselves by their numbers. If they name themselves without authorization, they will be It’s considered cheating.”
Yang Ji smiled and said: "As for the examiner, he is neither a person nor an official, but seven generals who were suddenly transferred from the local area. Let these seven generals rate a certain candidate at the same time, and then remove the highest score. and the lowest score, add up the scores of the other five people, and then divide by five. The final score is the candidate's final score. In addition, please ask an official from the Yushitai, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Dali Temple to count the scores. This will put an end to power-for-money transactions to the greatest extent possible, and it will also be fairer to candidates."
"Uncle Wang's method is excellent." Yang Zhao's eyes lit up and he said with conviction: "Generals who are temporarily recruited from the local area do not know the candidates, so naturally they cannot help the candidates cheat. Moreover, these generals are genuine generals. Compared with Civilian officials know better whether a candidate's riding and martial arts skills are good or bad. Even if a general knows a certain candidate and gets high marks, they will still be removed."
Xiao Jue said: "The method is good, but many candidates need to complete the exam within three days. If they are divided into groups, each group will need seven generals. How many generals will be transferred back to Beijing?"
"Compared with the custom-made first martial arts competition, it is worth mobilizing any number of generals. This is currently the only good way to make candidates feel fair." Yang Ji said with a smile: "Besides, these examiners only need one experienced person. A lieutenant who has fought hundreds of battles can do the job, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a general.”
Xiao Jue nodded and said: "This matter must be approved by the saint."
"That's for sure, and I believe that the saint also agrees with this method." Yang Ji smiled and said: "Who will be transferred as examiners and which examination room will be used as examiners must not be disclosed. The three law officials who supervise The same is true. As for the candidates, we can let them know in advance where they will take the exam."
"As long as the examiners and supervisors are kept secret, and as long as the secrets of who they are are not revealed, it doesn't matter even if the scoring rules are revealed. This will allow the samurai to see that the court attaches great importance to martial arts and respects fairness and justice. effort."
"I understand!" Xiao Jue stood up and said: "Without further delay, I will go to see Mr. Duan to discuss the necessary regulations and we will meet again another day!"
"Okay!" Yang Ji nodded and said solemnly: "This matter is related to the face of the imperial court and the great cause of the Sui Dynasty. You must think carefully about it."
"Thanks for the reminder!" Xiao Jue knew that Yang Zhao had something to do with Yang Ji, so he bowed his hand to Yang Ji and left in a hurry.
"Excuse me!" Yang Ji didn't see the guests off either. When Xiao Jue left, he asked Yang Zhao, "Shiming, look at your rosy face. Could it be that you married a bride and became a groom again?"
The uncle and nephew grew up together in Daxing Palace, studied martial arts in Daxing Palace together, were ravaged by Queen Dugu together, acted as Yang Jian's shield together, and helped Yang Jian take the blame... They had a very good relationship, and they spoke very casually.
"Uncle Wang is joking, I'm not a boy, why should I marry a bride?" Yang Zhao said with a smile: "That's it, Aye suddenly sent several old palace servants to my residence today to teach me the court etiquette, Receive the gift of the crown prince. At the same time, ask my mother-in-law to go to Yuzhang Prince’s Palace with evidence of Ah-hai’s crime to punish Ah-hai. You understand what this means.”
Yang Ji nodded: "So, your position as crown prince is irrevocable. I congratulate you."
Yang Zhao said gratefully: "Uncle Wang, Aye's sudden decision was actually prompted by the conflict between you and A'hai. I will never forget this friendship. I came to visit you, first to express my congratulations, and secondly to express my gratitude. "
"You are the eldest son, and the child is not up to expectations. There is almost no suspense in this position, so there is no need to thank you!" Yang Ji looked at Yang Zhao, who was as fat as a bear, and warned: "But even the selection of officials depends on appearance, you have to Just try to lose weight.”
Yang Zhao laughed and said optimistically: "Not only do I take the prescription prescribed by Master Sun, but I also insist on running and practicing swordsmanship every day. I think I can definitely return to my original state."
Yang Ji knew that Yang Zhaoying died young, so he was not too optimistic about his blind optimism. After thinking about it, he said: "You were originally a agile and heroic man, but suddenly you became fat out of control. I think This is not just about being fat! Since Sun Simiao has a way to make you lose weight, he should also be able to find out the cause of your sudden weight gain. Please contact him more in the future."
"Of course!" Yang Zhao nodded hurriedly. He remembered something again and said, "Uncle Wang, didn't you say that Ashina Ranqian is a careerist? He will come to attend the Yuan Dynasty meeting, and then he can meet with me. See."
"Okay!" Yang Ji nodded.
