"Li Chun didn't say anything?" Lin Linyou and Yang Fang were both surprised, "Then you are still so elated and happy?"
Zhang Bi: "Second brother and third brother, don't you understand this? The most important thing about this trip is not whether Li Chun said anything, but whether I said anything."
Lin Linyou: "I don't understand."
Yang Fang: "Brother, what did you say?"
It is said that Zhang Bi brought two boxes of gifts and went directly to the home of Li Chun and Li Qianhu. He did not go to the Zhenfusi Yamen—how could he do the gift-giving in the Yamen?
The Law of the Ming Dynasty clearly stipulates: All officials and other officials will be guilty of taking bribes unless they receive money for doing things.
The imperial court strictly prohibited officials from giving or receiving gifts privately. Even if an official did not commit corruption or bend the law, as long as he accepted other people's property, it would be regarded as corruption.
However, as the saying goes, there are policies and countermeasures, and there is no law prohibiting the gift of local products such as melons, fruits, wine, and meat. People call this "earth ceremony", which is considered a courtesy exchange and does not count as giving or accepting bribes.
The problem is, there is no clear definition of earth rituals. If I send some gold and silver, it is also said to be earth rituals. Is there anything wrong with it?
Zhang Bi carried two large boxes of "earth rituals" and entered Li Chun's house.
"Master Qianhu, I am here to wish you a happy new year. I wish you a bright future, a prosperous official career, and even better success in the coming year!" Zhang Ben smiled and handed the earthenware ceremony to the servant beside him. He made a chest-high salute.
Li Chun stood up from the tea seat and walked to the front of the door, cupping his hands and saying, "Dongyang is polite! Please, please!"
The place of birth recorded in Zhang Ben's official certificate is from Dongyang County, Jinhua Prefecture. It is also a trend of the times that officials in the capital are commensurate with their place of birth.
The two sat down separately, and the servant came to see the tea.
"What a coincidence, you have Yanshan purple tea from eastern Zhejiang, try it!" Li Chun held out his hand for the tea.
There is also a plate of sandalwood burning in the copper incense burner on the coffee table. Li Chun, a martial artist, is quite elegant as he smokes incense and drinks tea.
Zhang Bi took a sip and praised: "Yeah - it's really good! It melts in your mouth, fat but not greasy..."
"Do you think you're eating fat? Even good tea can make you feel like you're eating fat. It's really a waste." Li Chun joked with a smile.
Zhang Bi chuckled: "That's weird. I usually eat fat meat. This is the first time I drink such good tea. It makes you laugh! This tea is purple in color, tastes good, and has a particularly clear aroma. It's really beautiful and beautiful." It tastes delicious!”
Li Chun put down the white tea cup: "Tell me! Come to me, what's the matter?"
"Wish you a good year." Zhang Bi said with a smile on his face, "By the way, I'll give you some new tea." He pointed to the gift box held by the servant beside him.
Raising his hand, the servant came closer with the gift box. Li Chun opened the lid of the box, squinted his eyes and took a look inside. His face was filled with spring, then he closed the box with satisfaction, waved his hand and asked the servant to Retired.
"A little care is nothing compared to your Yanshan purple tea!" Zhang Bi took the porcelain tile spring-filled pot and poured tea for Li Chun. "It's not a sign of respect, but I hope you will accept it."
"Dongyang is determined." Li Chun said, "You will be the deputy Qianhu next year!"
"So, thank you so much, sir!" Zhang Bi clasped his fists.
“Drink tea, drink tea!”
After taking a sip, he put down the teacup and said, "Actually, there is one more thing. I have been undecided, so I would like to hear what you think."
"Oh, what's the matter?"
"Do you know Xiaoyao Tower?" Zhang Bi asked.
No one in the capital knows about Xiaoyaolou, why should I ask?
Li Chun hummed lightly.
"There are a few incompetent guys under the official's command. Their hands were itchy for a while, so they went to Xiaoyao Tower to play a few games and lost a whole year's salary." Zhang Ben said, "They have been shouting these days. , asked me for instructions to renovate Xiaoyao Building..."
Li Chun: "Huh?"
"This Xiaoyao Building was originally built by Emperor Taizu Gao. It was originally intended to imprison people who were not doing their jobs and those who were chasing after others, playing games, and playing games, and to eliminate the disadvantages of idleness among the common people. But now it has become a place of smog. It really should be "I want to rectify it." Zhang Bi said, "However, I am worried that if I give someone a hand, I will be accused of taking revenge for personal gain, and the people below are gambling against the law, so..."
Li Chun: "Like this..."
Zhang Bi lowered his voice: "Furthermore, I heard that the big proprietor behind Xiaoyao Tower is Li Zengzhi, the former military commander on the left. I wonder if this is true?"
Li Chun sipped the tea silently: "This... is really troublesome."
"There are also eunuchs sitting in charge, and the thugs watching the scene, Jiang Ayan, Jin Chang and others, are all on the run, and they are all in trouble." Zhang Bi said, "We haven't found them yet, but they came to our door first. "
"Oh? Is there such a thing?" Li Chun said, "Looking for you?"
"Not at all." Zhang Bi said, "I'm just urging my subordinates to pay off their gambling debts. I even went to the guards to collect the debts. As a Shangguan, I don't look good at all!"
"Well, you have to be careful with the people below." Li Chun said, "You are about to be promoted to the rank of Thousand Households."
"Yes Yes."
"I should have left you for lunch..." Li Chun said, "No, I have to go to the Yamen soon."
"Your Excellency, you're welcome...Xiaoguan Ben also said that I would like to invite you, Your Majesty, to condescend to a restaurant outside and have a casual meal together!" Zhang Bi knew that he was seeing off guests, but his goal had been achieved.
"There is no need to spoil the banknotes, the future will be long!" Li Chun said.
"Sir, are you going to King Wu's banquet?" Zhang Ben asked tentatively.
"Shit!" Li Chunyi glared, "I just came to see the gate. It would be nice to have a mouthful of soup leftovers!"
Ji Gang's family banquet is indeed up to standard! Even the guards are fifth-grade Qianhu.
But in fact, Qianhu is not a high official. Among the 22 guards of the pro-army, there are many Qianhu guarding the gates of the imperial city. The situation is even worse for the border guards. If there are not enough manpower, they have to farm the fields themselves.
Zhang Bi stood up and handed over a thick brocade paper bag: "A little bit of earthy ritual, I would like to trouble you to help you to present King Wu to serve as a deputy to thousands of households. I am deeply grateful. Thank you, thank you... Haha!"
…
"Finished?"
"It's over."
"..."
"I went to see Li Chun not to get his approval or objection." Zhang Ben explained patiently, "but to let him know that this is the case. You must know that these people who are in charge of Shangguan do something like this Decisions are often ambiguous, and you will not directly express your agreement or objection. If you agree, you will be held responsible; if you object, you will easily attract suspicion. Therefore, it is not easy to be a Shangguan! It is also difficult to speak out what a Shangguan says. . Why they like to talk in official terms, cliches, and nonsense is because these words are not easy to make mistakes. You still have to learn what should be said and what should not be said."
"So brother, how much money did you spend on this trip?" Lin Linyou asked.
"Money is something external to the body." Zhang Ben waved his hand, "You must not save money that should be spent."
"So with Li Chun taking care of it for us, we can go ahead and do it, right?" Yang Fang asked. He understood Zhang Bi's words deeply and agreed with them. It was because he didn't know what happened to these two Shangguan officials in the first place. I am so embarrassed.
"Don't be anxious, you have to take a long time to catch big fish. You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry, and you have to taste good tea slowly." Zhang Ben said, "Jin Chang must be caught, but not in the name of Jiaofang Si. "
After all, the Jiaofangsi case has been closed with imperial approval. Even if he is the real murderer, is it still possible for the emperor to overturn the case?
"What's the name?"
"He is Huang Ze's master, and Huang Ze rebels against the party, so he is naturally charged with rebelling against the party." Zhang Bi said, "Commander Ji Gang has personally interrogated Huang Ze. We can only wait to see his next move." , adapt to changes, just wait!"
…
That night, after the little sister had allowed them all to sleep, Lin Linyou sneaked up to the second floor and gently knocked on Yu Miaolan's door, looking around as if he was a thief.
As soon as the door opened, Lin Linyou couldn't wait to push her into the room, and quickly closed the door behind him.
"Mr. Lin... it's not very convenient for me tonight." Yu Miaolan said with a blushing face.
"What's the inconvenience? You haven't slept yet... I misunderstood, I misunderstood." Lin Linyou's face couldn't help but blush, "I came here to confirm with you that I am a perfume trader today. Is the person in front of me Huang Ze’s master?”
