Seeing Chief Cao's pitiful look, Zhou Yiming felt bad. He thought to himself that Old Cao was not a bad person. When he took care of me before, he did his best, but he was unlucky and did not awaken his martial arts. Soul, after working hard all his life, can only work as a civil servant. This means that any problem he encounters in life cannot be solved by his own strength. He can only beg others and live by the looks of others.
Thinking of this, Zhou Yiming's previous aversion to Master Cao lessened, and he started to sympathize with him, so that when he spoke, his tone became much gentler: "Master Cao, it's better for you and me to get to know each other. It's fate. I still remember the friendship you showed me when I first came to Yamen.
No matter what your purpose was for taking care of me at that time, it was always for my own good. I am grateful for this kindness.
So no matter what kind of trouble you encounter now, as long as you tell me, I will definitely solve it for you. "
After hearing these words, Chief Cao felt a little more relaxed. He lowered his head, looked at his toes, hesitated for a long time, and finally said: "Mr. Zhou, I am just a small clerk in our yamen. , I really don’t dare to make friends with you. I had some connections with you in the yamen before, and it was all because of Mr. Lin.
The reason why I have the courage to ask you today is really out of helplessness.
When I came to the yamen in the morning, I heard people in the yamen saying that you led the yamen servants yesterday and made a great contribution. If this contribution is recognized by the court, each of you will be promoted to a high rank and receive a title. A very generous reward. "
At this point, Director Cao suddenly stopped, not knowing how to say the next words.
Zhou Ming looked at his face and listened silently, thinking that what this old guy was thinking was exactly what I had guessed. He saw that we had made a great contribution and he had no share in it, so he was greedy.
Zhou Yiming stretched out a hand to him and made a gesture, which meant that he should continue talking and not stop.
Although Director Cao had already made plans to be embarrassed before coming here, he really didn't expect that the pressure Yi Ming would give him would be so strong.
Looking at Zhou Yiming's piercing eyes, Master Cao felt a chill running down his spine.
In order to escape this look, he immediately looked away and stared at Zhou Yiming's toes, and then said with difficulty: "After learning the news, I regretted it very much. I thought why I didn't follow him when I left the Yamen. Are you going to have a drink together?
If I go, won’t I get the credit this time? When the time comes, I will be promoted to a higher rank and receive rewards from the court. My wife, children, and children at home will also be proud of me when they see it.
Mr. Zhou, you also know that those of us who work as civil servants in the yamen usually have few opportunities for promotion, and our salaries are even more pitiful. For this reason, my wife, children, and children at home have suffered a lot from me. In my heart, I feel that I owe them a lot. "
The more Zhou Yiming listened, the more impatient he became. He secretly muttered to himself, are all scholars so verbose? Lao Cao has been talking for so long and still hasn't gotten to the point. Isn't he tired?
Zhou Yiming felt that if he didn't guide him, he might let the old guy talk until nightfall and he wouldn't be able to finish his words.
"Okay, Mr. Cao, I almost understand what you want to express. My time is limited, can you explain the key points quickly?" Zhou Ming urged with a somewhat unhappy expression.
In fact, Director Cao kept talking in a roundabout way because he was afraid that if he said his real request, Yi Ming would ruthlessly reject him. In that case, he really didn't know if he could survive.
Seeing that Zhou Yiming was getting impatient, Chief Cao knew that he had no other choice, so he could only bite the bullet and speak out what was in his heart: "Master Zhou, since you said so, I can only shamelessly say I’ve told you what’s in my heart.
In fact, I came here this time to ask Mr. Zhou if he could think of a way to include me among those who have made meritorious deeds.
As long as Mr. Zhou can help me with this, even if I lose everything, I will still thank you deeply, Mr. Zhou. "
After saying these words, Chief Cao knelt down on the ground anxiously, kowtowed, and then did not dare to straighten up again.
He closed his eyes and listened attentively, hoping that Yi Ming could give him a satisfactory answer.
"Absurd!" Zhou Ming said sharply.
Chief Cao was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground motionless.
He had finished thinking. Zhou Yiming said these two words angrily. It must have been his act of bribing him just now, which angered him. If he ignored his face and dealt with him in a business-like manner, he would be in doom. After all, this kind of Bribing court officials would be fine if they were not exposed. Once exposed, they would become the target of public criticism. Not to mention that he was just a small civil servant now. Even a top leader like Inspector Deng would be found guilty of bribing superior officials. , will also be immediately dismissed and investigated.
The frightened Chief Cao knelt down in front of Yi Ming, kowtowed and confessed his crime, and begged for his life: "Mr. Zhou, I know that I made a mistake because of my humble position. Please consider the past kindness and let the villain go." Bar.
As for what the villain said just now, just pretend you have never heard of it. I will never dare to have similar unreasonable thoughts in the future.
Please forgive me. "
"Huh?" Zhou Yiming looked at Chief Cao in surprise, then stood up and said, "Mr. Cao, what are you doing? What I just said was that you asked me to To do such a small thing, you have to give me something to thank me, this kind of behavior is ridiculous."
"Ah?" Chief Cao was about to roll around and beg for his life, but after hearing Yi Ming's explanation, he immediately froze on the spot, and then his whole face turned red.
He looked at Zhou Yiming's half-smiling expression and thought to himself that Mr. Zhou is really unfathomable. At such a critical moment, he still has the heart to make fun of himself. It seems that he must not be his enemy in the future. , otherwise he will definitely die ugly.
"What do you mean, Mr. Zhou?" Chief Cao was still unsure whether Yi Ming would help him, so he hurriedly asked.
Zhou Yiming bent down, stretched out his hands, helped him up, and then said with a smile: "Old Cao, although from my father-in-law's point of view, we are not of the same generation, but since I came to the Yamen, I have seen you Then take care of me with all your heart, and I will treat you as one of my own.
I don't have the ability to say goodbye on Monday, I just want to show my loyalty. As long as you can distinguish between ourselves and the enemy in your heart and know who to turn to at critical moments, once there are benefits in the yamen, I will naturally not forget you. "
After listening to Zhou Yiming's words, Director Cao immediately understood that not only would Zhou Ming help him this time, but he was also hinting to himself, intentionally or unintentionally, that as long as he followed him in the future, he would definitely get his share of the benefits. Son.
Chief Cao was overjoyed. Originally, he came here just to ask Zhou Yiming to do him a favor. Unexpectedly, he gained a lot in the end. Not only did he achieve his wish, but he also became Zhou Yiming's person inexplicably.
"Master Zhou, please rest assured, I understand what you mean. As long as you are of use to me in the future, I will do my best until death, and I will never betray your trust." Chief Cao quickly expressed his loyalty, for fear of being too late. , Zhou Ming will change his mind.
Zhou Yiming showed a satisfied smile, then patted his shoulder gently, and said thoughtfully: "Old Cao, you are a smart man. Civil servants like you, if you don't have a backer, you want to be in the Yamen It’s harder to show off your talents and achieve something in the world than to reach the sky.”
Chief Secretary Cao nodded while listening. He felt that what Yi Ming said was absolutely right. There were too many capable civil servants like him in the yamen, but in the end, only a few of them were reused by the court. The reasons are very simple. First, there is no Bole Hui who recognizes heroes and puts them in important positions. Second, the civil servants look down on each other. Not only are they not united at all, but they are against each other, so that they have never been able to form a joint force.
"I believe you have a more personal experience of the cruelty faced by your civilian staff than I do." Zhou Ming continued, "On the first day I came to the Yamen, I felt that this situation was unfair, so today since we Having said that, I can tell you one thing clearly. From now on, you no longer have to hold your tail between your legs in the yamen.
Whatever abilities and talents you have, feel free to put them to use. If you encounter any trouble, I can support you. "
Master Cao was so moved that he burst into tears. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to Yi Ming: "Mr. Zhou, you are really my reborn parents.
If one day I can really accomplish something, I will never forget your great kindness. "
"Old Cao, why are you so excited?" Zhou Yiming slowly helped him up and comforted him, "You don't have to rush to express your feelings to me, because I will never believe such heroic words, let alone be moved by crying. What I value is real action.
Since you are willing to sit in the same boat with me, then I will tell you something from my heart. When you use your talents in the future, pay more attention to what happens in the yamen for me, especially when I am not around. Be more thoughtful.
And my old father-in-law, if there is any trouble, you must tell me as soon as possible. "
"Yes, Mr. Zhou, don't worry, all these matters will be taken care of by me." Master Cao agreed very simply. He knew in his heart that the reason why Yi Ming recruited people like him was definitely not because he valued his own talents. At this age, apart from copying and writing, I have no other skills at all.
Zhou Yiming took him for his own use because he wanted him to be a secret agent and monitor the behavior of everyone in the yamen at all times.
