"Sir, what do you think the emperor will ask you at the Longevity Banquet?" Huang Xi held a glass of sake.
I came to Zhuang Xun's house for a drink again. Today I brought a smoked beef shank and several jars of sake. Everyone in the group was very drunk.
Only Zhuang Xun looked at the others with a smile, because he drank the least.
Because he said he would not drink, he could only have a small drink.
"Thanks for the exam-oriented education. The memorization skills are pretty good. I can probably memorize everything I ask." Zhuang Xun was also a little tipsy.
The day after tomorrow is the longevity banquet, and he can relax a little after completing the recitation task and the etiquette task.
"Does that mean Brother Xun is guaranteed to be a high-ranking official like a county magistrate?" Luo Yuecheng said excitedly.
"With the recommendation of the government and the emperor's appreciation, you should be able to get the position of county governor. I just don't know which county it is. You can't get it from a good county. An average county is fine." He Heng drank a glass of wine and recalled what he had heard before.
"Maybe, or maybe in the imperial court, but I will write an application and request to be transferred. First, I can't stand the party strife. Second, the war is in chaos, but the local military has the power to feel more settled."
Zhuang Xun leaned on his chair and wanted to go somewhere. This kind of behavior is very unique. Most people think that even if there is war and chaos, the capital will be safe, and they are afraid of going to be an official somewhere.
"As a local official, you must have the ability to govern the local area, otherwise the more you govern, the more chaos you will get. I am not doubting you, sir, but you have no experience in governing the people. You should study in the court for one more year, and at least learn how to control your subordinates." He Heng Kindly reminded.
"The weather waits for no one. I still want to go deep into the place as soon as possible." Zhuang Xun clearly felt that the Yu State was in turmoil. He could go to the place to farm a year earlier and accumulate strength a year earlier.
As for governing the people, he has little confidence, but Si Qinmi has been praised by the King of Hell as a talented person, so she must be allowed to use her talents. Cleaning, cooking, and embroidering clothes all day at home would be too much of a waste for her. of talent.
"Sir, whatever you say is what it is, and we don't understand it, but the officialdom is dark, so you have to be careful..."
Huang Xi was drunk and kindly reminded him that he was the youngest, only seventeen years old, and his parents died early, so they left the family property for him to live in, and finally lost everything.
"Essentially, it's a matter of taking sides. If you take the right side, your official career will be prosperous, but if you take the wrong side, your life will be ruined. It's just that I have my own pursuits."
Zhuang Xun saw this kind of thing very clearly. If it weren't for the imperial lineage, with his own IQ, he wouldn't want to enter the officialdom.
Wouldn't it be better to escape to a powerful country, earn a little money every day with your math skills, marry a gentle and lovely daughter-in-law, and enjoy your retirement life?
The weight of the times cannot bear down on him. He is half of the rentier class. He can only say that he is not capable of other messy rebellions or being an official.
He couldn't even remember the periodic table of elements, and he didn't know how to mix the gunpowder formula, let alone whether the physics of this world was that of his own world. Why did he feel that he was superior to others?
He is just a powerless ordinary person who just happened to encounter the wind and waves of progress and was carried forward.
"Yes, if you stand in line, you will get everything if you stand on the right side, and you will get nothing if you stand on the wrong side." He Heng nodded, feeling deeply.
"So Xiaoxun brother is standing in Qingliu where Prime Minister Yang is? That will be very hard, after all, traitors wield power." Luo Yuecheng said naturally.
"Yes, yes, the Qingliu people are very miserable. They are not reused and have been marginalized. There are even some fake Qingliu who want to ruin the reputation of Qingliu, like Han Yang. Sir, you better not side with Qingliu..." Huang Xi is pitiful and angry that he won't argue.
"Are you really, sir, recommended by Mr. Gong and Mr. Xia of Qingliu, not to join Qingliu's team? Where are you standing, and are you going to collude with Nichen Hang?" He Heng lectured them both.
…
Zhuang Xun was immediately embarrassed. At this time, he told them that he was almost on the side of the treacherous minister Zhang Youxiang. Would they immediately draw a knife and cut off his robe to sever ties with him?
"Dong dong..."
There was a knock on the door.
"Shall I go see who it is?" Zhuang Xun finally put aside this embarrassing question.
"Benefactor, you are in trouble." He Jung showed a worried look before he entered the door.
"Ah." Zhuang Xun was a little confused when he opened the door and faced a disaster.
"Why did the scholar say this? Please come in first." Zhuang Xun invited him in.
"There are so many people, let's talk after we enter the house." After taking a look at the group of people drinking in the yard, He Jung motioned to Zhuang Xun to find a private place to talk.
"Okay." Zhuang Xun knew there was trouble, and Zhuang Xun also knew his priorities.
"Brother He, you guys drink first. I'll excuse you for a while. He Xiucai and I have something important to discuss." He said hello and brought He Jung into the house.
"What happened?" Zhuang Xun entered the room and became a little anxious. Trouble, what trouble.
"After hearing about your daily deeds, the Holy One has decided to appoint you as the Left Minister of the Household Department after the Longevity Banquet." He Jung's eyes were lowered and his tone was heavy.
"Then I can't go anywhere. That's really troublesome." Zhuang Xun said in surprise, why did he suddenly stay in Beijing?
"This is a small problem. It's no problem for other official positions. It's easy to go where you want. But this is the left minister of the Ministry of Revenue, the third rank. According to your information, my benefactor, you are only twenty-three years old." He Jung looked at Zhuang Xun felt a little more in awe. Is this the power and destiny of the Imperial Vein?
"Secretary of the Household Left, the one who was beheaded a few days ago?" Zhuang Xun vaguely remembered hearing it when he was buying groceries, and he also mentioned it when he was drinking.
"Yes, that's it. This position became vacant after Han Yang's death." He Jung nodded and said.
"What did the emperor hear that he asked Xun to take this position?" Zhuang Xun also understood. You said that a young man should be a prefect of a county. Among the six doctors, everyone thought you were a talented person. Your family has a rich background and money, so everyone tolerated it. .
Isn't it a bit too much for a young man like you to become a minister all of a sudden? You don't care about the order of seniority.
"Recently, there are rumors in Yindu that Xiaolian asked his mother and daughter to return and rescued He Erlang in justice. Does Xiaolian know? It happened that Fengzheng, the governor of Donghua Road, was accused of corruption by King Donghua and was escorted to Yindu yesterday, so this story It has spread far and wide." He Jung looked at Zhuang Xun and asked, is this the appearance of an emperor?
I have a traffic password, and you can tell what it is about just by hearing the name.
This was the first thought in Zhuang Xun's mind, and then he reacted and said: "So casual? This is a high-ranking official from the third rank."
"The emperor has always been like this. Those who treat each other favorably are always generous with rewards and favors. The good ones are like this, and the bad ones are like this. In the end, the Yu Kingdom was like this." He Jung was noncommittal.
Simply saying this sentence was full of sarcasm, at least Zhuang Xun couldn't help laughing.
"Now that you are sitting in such a high position, doesn't it seem strange to apply to be a prefect somewhere?" Zhuang Xun thought of something and said.
It is obvious that the Yu State is on the verge of collapse. In troubled times, ministers are worse than dogs. He understands this truth. Being in Yindu means waiting for death, especially since he has the imperial lineage.
"This is not critical. Just ask Jiedu Zuo Envoy and lead the county guard. You, the main benefactor, have become a point of contention between the left prime minister and the right prime minister." He Jung said worriedly.
"Has it been exposed that Xun took refuge with the right prime minister?" Zhuang Xun said in confusion. He didn't tell anyone.
"No, it's just that you are not a member of the left prime minister. The Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Ministry of Works have always been Qingliu's private areas. Now that you, a person who has not been close to Qingliu, enter the Ministry of Household Affairs, you will be regarded as the emperor inserting a knife into Qingliu." He Jung explain.
"Ah, why are the people who make money the most?" Zhuang Xun couldn't help complaining.
At this moment, the Ministry of Rites is also making money, because diplomacy is really important.
"Maybe all the Qingliu people are short of money." After hearing Zhuang Xun's words, He Jung didn't know whether it was sarcasm or describing a fact.
If you are short of money, go and work in a department that has money. There is nothing wrong with that.
"Then what should we do? Qingliu wants to deal with us?" Zhuang Xun asked for help.
"Then go against them. The Emperor appreciates you, sir, and wants you to make a knife. Then stab the Qingliu people's wounds and stab them several times!" Siqin Mi walked out of the side room, holding a knife in his hand. The gorgeous clothes are new ones she made for many days.
"Lady?"
"Mrs. Wei."
"Mr. Lang, don't be afraid. If Qingliu is just targeting you, Your Majesty will protect you no matter what. Your Majesty knows what Qingliu is like." Si Qinmi said firmly.
"Ah, is that so?" Zhuang Xun gained a little confidence.
"That's right, the more Qingliu people target you, Langjun, the more your Majesty will value you. Only by making knives for His Majesty can you climb faster. Naturally, you should seize this opportunity." Si Qinmi said with a slight smile.
"It makes some sense, but won't your reputation be ruined by doing this? Go against Qingliu." Zhuang Xun knows the importance of public opinion. If you have a bad reputation, you will be scolded no matter what you do.
"Qingliu, how do they define Qingliu?" Si Qinmi said with a chuckle.
"Ah, what do you mean?" Zhuang Xun did not respond.
"Being neither greedy nor corrupt is a clean stream." He Jung somewhat understood what Si Qinmi meant.
"No matter how Qingliu is, how can I have my husband Junqing?" Si Qinmi sneered and said proudly.
"None of these Qingliu officials are fake Qingliu. If they were real Qingliu, how could they think of dealing with you, Lang Jun?" Si Qinmi said sarcastically.
"You mean to dominate the public opinion and be clearer than them, but we don't have money to hire people to speak for us, and how can we be clearer than them?" Zhuang Xun understood, half of it.
"Jung doesn't understand either." Although He Jung guessed the meaning of Si Qinmi's words, he had no idea how to proceed.
"Fight against corruption! Doesn't His Majesty want you to recruit Langjun to be the left minister of the household department? When you take office, check the accounts and check the household department from bottom to top to see how clean these clean streams are. As long as you find two or three typical ones, Langjun You are the new Qingliu." Si Qin Mi's tone was indifferent, but the ferocity in it made people feel numb.
"Mrs. Wei, I'm afraid this is not appropriate. It offends people too much, and it will turn into a life-and-death situation." He Jung was frightened. You can imagine how fierce the counterattack of the Ministry of Revenue officials will be.
"Isn't this a life-and-death situation? They want my husband to die, but my husband still cares about whether they will become angry because of shame?" Si Qinmi sneered, ready to turn the household affairs upside down.
"That's what Mrs. Wei said." He Jung thought, it is indeed true. Others have made it clear that they are going to deal with you, so why should they show mercy? Can they join the other party if they show mercy? Do you want the other party not to deal with you?
"What do Master Xiao and Prime Minister Zhang mean?" Si Qin Mi asked Xiang He Jung. His majestic eyes carried the pressure of a superior, and his strong aura took over the rhythm of the discussion.
"They told the benefactor not to worry. They will try their best to facilitate this matter, but don't tell the benefactor that you have surrendered to them for the time being." He Jung thought of the reason for his arrival today.
"How hard are you trying to make it happen? Do you want Lang Jun to charge into the battle for them for free? I don't want to get the blood spilled, but they can't think of it. Tell them that they can't get the equivalent of one hundred thousand taels of silver before noon tomorrow. We will do it tomorrow afternoon. Go to Lord Gongji Palace's house to thank you for your support." Si Qinmi threatened, disdainful of the two big shots' ability to draw cakes with bare hands.
"I understand." He Jung understood the underlying meaning of Si Qinmi's words.
"There's one more thing?" He Jung said after the main things were discussed.
"What." After watching Si Qinmi perform Zhuang Xun's logic, he straightened out his logic.
"According to the news, Zuoxiang Yang and others will attack you, my benefactor, at the banquet. My benefactor, you must prepare early." He Jung reminded Zhuang Xun.
"Do you know why?" Si Qin Mi's beautiful eyes flashed, looking concerned.
"I don't know what the truth is, it's just a piece of news. I've been investigating for a while, but I don't have any clues. It should be about Xiaolian's identification. The news said that Xiaolian's identity is to be cancelled." He Jung said with shame. Hands and eyes can only get such a message.
"It's okay, I'm ready. How could I not be made difficult? Thank you so much, Xiucai, for running around." Zhuang Xun comforted him, and he had no position to accuse He Jung of not providing detailed information.
"Now that the information has been conveyed, I'll leave." He Jung said with his hands in hand.
"Thank you, scholar, for telling me. Let's have a drink." Zhuang Xun persuaded him to stay.
"It's too early to drink at this time. It won't be too late to get together after our benefactor passes the school exam!" He Jung waved his hand.
Zhuang Xun sent him to the door, turned around but was no longer in the mood to drink, with a grimace on his face.
When He Heng and the others saw Zhuang Xun like this, Zhuang Xun didn't say anything, and it was hard for them to ask. They finished eating the smoked beef shank in a few times.
"No, I'm drunk." Luo Yuecheng took a few sips of sake and fell down on the table.
"This bastard doesn't know how to control his drinking. Let's send him back to rest." He Heng said with a smile.
"It's my fault for making everyone unhappy. I'll invite the brothers again next time..." Zhuang Xun also saw it and apologized.
"What the hell, this guy is drunk, so why don't you blame your husband?" Huang Xi tried to smooth things over.
The two of them helped Luo Yuecheng leave the courtyard.
Zhuang Xun walked into the room worriedly. Si Qinmi was decorating the corners of his clothes with needlework. After her needlework show, the originally simple clothes were already shrouded in clouds. Just by looking at the pattern, you could tell that they were made of high-end fabrics.
"Mr. Lang, don't worry. The more this happens, the more calm you must be. The good deeds you do are all true, and His Majesty also favors you." Si Qinmi bit off the thread and stood up, arranging the clothes in his hands and standing stand up.
"We have too little information now, and there is only so much room for maneuver, so I can only take a gamble.
Taking refuge in Qingliu means losing the emperor's trust, so no matter what conspiracy the day after tomorrow, it is better to gamble on the emperor's trust. He will not let Qingliu persecute you.
If you don't want to gamble, tomorrow we will take the money from these corrupt officials and run away directly, and start a new game. "Si Qin Mi was terrifyingly calm, facing a huge gamble without any hesitation.
"I understand..." Although there is still no solution, this kind of solution does make Zhuang Xun feel more at ease.
"Here, let's try to see if it fits. If it doesn't fit, I'll change it." Si Qinmi lifted up the clothes and compared them with Zhuang Xun.
"You, this is not..." Zhuang Xun was stunned.
"I made your husband a new dress. Is he so surprised?" Si Qinmi said in surprise, her smile betraying her.
"How could you do this? I don't want..." Thinking of Siqin Mi working day and night, almost constantly making clothes with his hands, Zhuang Xun's heart surged with heat, making him unable to think of anything else after drinking the wine. It looks like Si Qinmi's needlework.
"The styles are all made into men's styles, and the sizes are all made into the husband's figure. If you don't want them, wouldn't you be letting me down?" Si Qinmi held up the clothes in front of Zhuang Xun.
Picturesque beauty, gorgeous clothes.
"Ah, Mr. Lang, what are you doing? It's still daytime in the face of other relatives..."
