This day, morning.
Ziwei Palace, main hall of Feng Pavilion.
A meeting in the political hall was held on time as usual.
Zhengshitang is an administrative meeting attended by the three senior officials of Fengge, Luantai and Wenchangtai.
The highest officials of these three provinces all have the actual power of prime minister, that is, they are the husband-in-law who is talked about by the people all over the world.
However, if only the top officials of these three provinces attended the meeting, there would only be four or five people.
Moreover, they are respected for their position and authority, and may not be fully assigned to them, nor can they be given to others easily.
Therefore, the Empress of the Zhou Dynasty later used other officials to participate in the political affairs hall meetings. They were nominally called Tongping Zhangshi, Shenzhi Zhengshi, etc., and they could also be called prime ministers.
However, this kind of prime ministership is quite complicated. It is appointed by the emperor to discuss matters in the political hall, which is an alternative way of sharing the power of the prime minister.
The attendees in the political hall today were all of the above two categories, about ten people.
As the highest official of Feng Pavilion, Di Fuzi also held the position of Luantai, and was recognized as the first assistant in the court.
It was his "administrative hall pen" that convened and presided over today's political hall meeting.
In the main hall, Di Fuzi sat upright and wrote a note.
The order of seats in the court is clear.
One issue after another was presented in an orderly manner, and the public was discussing politics in full swing.
Not long after, at three o'clock in the morning, a certain fat old man put down his pen and suspended the discussion.
A group of palace ladies in colorful clothes with plum blossom makeup on their brows entered the main hall, walked in unison, presented the palace cakes given by the Queen as a gift of condolence, and bowed their heads before retreating.
The gentlemen rested for a while, drank tea, tasted cakes, and chatted about other things.
Shen Xisheng suddenly felt that his official hat was a little tight, and it pinched his chin a little.
I was a little nervous before but didn't notice it. Now, I followed my husbands in the hall to rest and realized it later.
However, in this situation, of course, you cannot raise your hand to pull or scratch.
The censor supervises all officials and should set an example.
He is the Yushi Zhongcheng and the deputy chief of the Yushitai. His words, deeds, and clothing need to be more rigorous than ordinary Yushi.
Every time I go out to go to court, it takes most of my time just to put on my clothes.
Shen Xisheng's clothes when going out today were even more regular, because he had something important to do.
At this moment, in the seat at the end of the political hall, Shen Xisheng was sitting with a high crown on his head and a straight and fifth-grade light-red official uniform.
The man in Caiyi who brought the gift cakes was smiling and passing by, but he didn't look sideways.
Today, he participated in the highest decision-making meeting at the center of the empire in the name of "participating in political affairs."
Previously, Shen Xisheng returned from his inspection as Jiangnan Supervisory Envoy. He was rewarded with this opportunity by Her Majesty the Queen for his service in comforting the victims and investigating the Jiangzhou rice case.
Although it is a little transparent at the bottom.
Shen Xisheng sat upright, put his palms into his sleeves, and touched a certain pile of memorials.
Hearing the chatter and laughter of the seniors around him, he turned his head slightly and glanced at the Master and the Dukes sitting in the front row of the political hall.
The atmosphere of the conversation was pleasant.
But Shen Xisheng did not let down his guard at all, chewing every word that came to his ears several times.
Do you really think these cheerful and talkative gentlemen are harmless?
Among the dozen or so people in the political hall, there were old ministers of the Qian Dynasty who were determined to stay away, and there were also the lackeys installed by the King of Wei and the King of Liang;
There are veteran ministers who are highly respected and take care of themselves, and there are also fence-sitters who secretly communicate with the Wei family;
There was even a person named "Involved in Political Affairs" promoted by Princess Changle in front of His Majesty.
In addition, Wei Wang Wei Xusi and Liang Wang Wei Sixing, the two nephews of Her Majesty the Queen, not only had the title of a thousand shi, but also had the official position of "Tongping Zhangshi" and could participate in this political affairs hall meeting.
However, Wei Wang Wei Xusi recently claimed to have a minor illness and did not come to attend the meeting today. Only Liang Wang Wei Sixing came.
Shen Xisheng glanced at Wei Sixing, who was sitting on the seat not far away. The latter was sipping tea from a cup and looking at Master Di with a smile.
This Liang Wang was well-dressed, had a gentle smile, and looked kind to others.
But at the moment, the rebellion in Yingzhou has caused the kings of the Wei clan to be in a hurry, so they can rest a little for the time being without seeing too much trouble.
Shen Xisheng withdrew his gaze and waited quietly for a while.
After a gray-haired old minister sitting very high in front of him told a little anecdote about what happened a few days ago, everyone laughed sincerely.
Shen Xisheng suddenly stood up, took out a stack of memorials and examination papers from his sleeve, and presented them with both hands:
"Senior gentlemen, a few days before I was dismissed from office, I reviewed the local official examinations of the Tianguan Libu Department in the first half of the year, and found a rather interesting performance test report.
“His Majesty has emphasized many times recently that there is little fresh blood in the court and it is necessary to recruit talents in an eclectic way.
"I have a vague feeling that this local chief official's political achievements are somewhat impressive, but his experience is shallow. I don't know if I am right. I have some free time at the moment. I hope the senior officials will read it and give some suggestions."
Shen Xisheng faced the sideways glances of everyone in the hall and stepped forward.
The princes in purple had different reactions.
Some were surprised, some remained calm, and some immediately glanced at the fat old man at the top who was writing down a note with his eyes lowered.
These expressions and reactions quickly subsided. The official position of the censor Zhongcheng is not small. He is a fifth-rank official in the capital. He is appointed and removed by the emperor. He is considered a high official and there is no need to lose face.
The princes took the examination papers out of curiosity and circulated them one by one. After a short while, the hall gradually began to hear admiration and bright eyes...
Near noon, the political hall meeting adjourned.
The arrangement that decided the official fate of a certain young magistrate seemed to be just a small episode between breaks in this meeting.
But a newly drafted edict on the appointment and dismissal of sixth-grade noble officials in Beijing has passed the resolution of the Political Hall and is being quickly sent to Fengge.
Then, together with a number of edicts on military and state affairs, it will be submitted to the desk of a certain Queen, and the empress or the female official will draw a red circle or mention the word "imperial".
At the entrance of Feng Pavilion Hall, among the dispersed princes.
A gray-haired veteran who had advocated the recommendation after reading the examination papers stopped, thought for a moment, turned to his colleague who was supporting him and sighed:
"This boy seems to be weak in talent. Such a young Shi Yushi should be the youngest in this dynasty and even in the Qian Dynasty... Ouyang Lianghan, when he comes to the capital, I would like to see how talented he is."
Colleagues joked:
"Mr. Ge, you were recovering from illness last year and were not in the capital. Ouyang Lianghan got into a lot of trouble. He angered His Majesty and demoted him to the county magistrate. Unexpectedly, he was promoted back. Mr. Ge loves talents and cherishes them."
After a pause, he joked: "But this Ouyang Lianghan is indeed a talented person. He is as handsome as an immortal, and he is not yet married. Ha, I heard that the elder has a granddaughter who has just left the palace..."
In the hall where people went to relax, Mrs. Di calmly organized the transcripts of the morning meeting, got up as usual, and sent them to Her Majesty the Queen for reading.
Not long ago, during the agenda for a young county magistrate recommended by Shen Xisheng to rise to the top, he did not speak during the whole process, lowering his head to drink tea or writing notes.
It wasn't until everyone unanimously agreed and turned around to report the proposed official position that the fat old man came back to his senses and uttered only one word:
"Can".
…
It’s August, and the dog days of summer have not yet passed.
The flames of midsummer are not only scorching a Buddhist temple under construction in Jiangzhou, Jiangnan Province.
Luoyang was also taken care of by the scorching sun, and it was steaming early in the morning.
In summer, the days are long and the nights are short, and the sky is just getting brighter.
In Xiuwenfang, at the entrance of a certain imperial censor Zhongcheng's residence, a carriage slowly left the inner square and headed towards the majestic Zhou Imperial Palace in the distance.
In the carriage that was transporting officials to court, Shen Xisheng was neatly dressed. Not long after he got out of the carriage and got into the carriage, sweat began to drip from his temples.
Covering the sweat on his head with a white silk scarf, Shen Xisheng took a sip of ice drink, turned around and opened the car curtain, and let out a long breath.
Since the day before yesterday, he has frowned slightly from time to time, and now he is also muttering in a low voice:
"What does Liang Han's wise nephew mean? He actually rejected the imperial edict. Isn't he dissatisfied? How is it possible..."
More than a month has passed since the intermission meeting to recommend talents.
Shen Xisheng originally thought that he would see Ouyang Rong in the capital soon, but it was almost confirmed, and he was looking forward to it.
There are only four precious places for Shi Yushi, his direct subordinate.
In the Yushitai, in addition to the chief Yushi Dafu and the adjutant Yushi Zhongcheng, only the Shiyushi is the biggest, and the following can also manage a group of ordinary supervisory censors.
In the capital, countless people with higher official positions than Ouyang Rong struggled to get a job, but there was no way out.
But a few days ago, the Song Dynasty envoy sent by the Ministry of Civil Affairs returned to Beijing and brought back an intact imperial letter.
Resigned as an official in the capital.
The reason passed back is also quite outrageous:
I want to continue to control water in the south of the Yangtze River and do more for the fellow villagers.
The young county magistrate, who was addicted to water control, also asked his emissary Song Hao to bring a memorial from Longcheng County and handed it to the Heavenly Court.
"Ten Notes on Water Control in the South of the Yangtze River" is also accompanied by a "Reading and Viewing of the Water Systems in the South of the Yangtze River".
This is... quite abstract.
Have fun with hardcore stuff, right?
The officials at the Department of Human Resources were also a little confused.
However, I still submitted the Shishu and Shui Diagram to the Holy Case.
Now two days have passed, and there is still no response from Her Majesty the Queen, as if nothing has happened.
I don’t know if I was overly impressed and threw it into the wastebasket...
The recommender Shen Xisheng never expected what Ouyang Rong did.
The day before yesterday, he immediately went to see Mrs. Di and reported the matter with a worried look on his face.
He was originally prepared to intercede on behalf of his friend's beloved disciple, but he did not expect that his master was not unhappy at all after hearing this.
Even when Ouyang Lianghan was assigned the position of imperial censor, he looked calm throughout the whole process. He laughed surprisingly, walked to the window with his hands behind his back, looked at the scenery for a while, turned around and asked in a good mood: "Xisheng, you What do you think?"
"..." Shen Xi said.
What does he think? How else could he see it!
Ouyang Rong refused to serve as the imperial censor, which made Shen Xisheng feel a little embarrassed.
After all, Ouyang Rong was originally supposed to be his direct subordinate. Now that he has refused the official position of Shi Yushi, he seems to be kind-hearted and ungrateful. Is it because he is not satisfied with this official position?
In the carriage, Shen Xisheng shook his head slightly, probably not.
After thinking for a while, I remembered the Master's laughter again.
The censor Zhongcheng looked thoughtful.
"Have you known about it for a long time, Master? Has the good nephew Liang Han already been in contact with Master, or is it just a tacit understanding..."
He glanced out the window and saw that the carriage was passing through a bustling street beside Luoshui that was bustling with pleasure all night long.
"No matter what, you are more famous now."
Shen Xisheng laughed and shook his head.
Just now he was preparing to go out for the morning court. His virtuous wife, who had always taken care of her husband and raised her son and never left the house, turned around to ask him about a certain weak-headed county magistrate who had refused to be an official in the capital. She asked her husband if he knew her. Curious eyes.
A seventh-rank magistrate of Zhima County was suddenly promoted to a sixth-rank noble official, which was not likely to stir up a wide range of topics.
At most, officials within the system would sigh with envy, and some officials with no hope of promotion would be jealous.
But a seventh-grade Zhima county magistrate resigned from his high-flying official position, gave up the record of being the youngest imperial censor in his dynasty, and went to the remote south of the Yangtze River to control floods for the country bumpkins and never came back.
This, this is a bit explosive in the entire resignation world.
People who eat melons, take a closer look and you will be stunned... no, who is this saint? Wait, Ouyang...Lianghan? That Jinshi Tanhualang who prepared a coffin last year and was demoted to the south of the Yangtze River after being remonstrated with his appearance, is he known as a gentleman all over the world?
Name correct, leave satisfied.
Originally, this anecdote about his resignation was only hotly discussed in a small circle within the Tianguan Liubu and other court institutions the day before yesterday.
But since yesterday, for some reason, well, maybe some officials told their wives, children and servants as gossip after dinner after returning home. Now the news about Ouyang Lianghan's resignation from the capital official position has gradually spread to the people of Luoyang.
To this day, the four-character name Ouyang Lianghan is already one of the "hot searches" among the many entertainment anecdotes in Luoyang City. It is widely circulated on the streets and after dinner, overwhelming a certain top poet in the literary world of the Great Zhou Dynasty not long ago. Gossip about good friends listening to music on the hook, nodding loudly but not giving any money.
If someone is dealing with the Bald Donkey and supervising the construction of the pagoda, he is currently in Luoyang.
And when he learned that he had slaughtered people thousands of miles away, he sighed with emotion: The folks in Luoyang still eat too much and are so full that they put salt in their crotches and their balls hurt.
No matter what, Ouyang Rong became famous in Luodu this time.
He buried his head in flood control and no one asked him about it. He resigned from office in one fell swoop and the whole world knew about him.
But there are many popular people.
In the holy city at this time, among the government and the public, as well as in the brothels of the city, there were those who claimed to be noble and noble, and they scolded Ouyang Rong for deceiving the world, pretending to be a hypocrite, and seeking fame and fortune;
There are also scribes in wine shops and butchers in the market who smile and praise Lianghan as a true gentleman, who is honest and does not deceive.
Even in a high-walled house with red walls and yellow tiles, at a private gathering of a small circle of ladies who have extremely high aesthetic requirements for family and friends,
The talented little lady in the palace dress raised her chin and threw the green paper scroll in her hand against the red wall. Zui Xun threatened that if she met Ouyang Lianghan for a while and vomited in her mouth, she would make him fall under her skirt.
His arrogant words suddenly caused a small circle of ladies around him, who had their hair in high buns and smudged eyebrows to cover their mouths and bury their breasts, and smile crookedly at their temples.
But among them there was a pretty little girl with a bun on her head and bright moon beads in her ears who did not smile. She held a black cat in her arms, opened her lips and spoke coldly to defend the upright gentleman in her mind who had never been masked before, and slightly mocked her female companion... …Afterwards, there was another round of coquettish playfulness.
In Luoyang City, some people are jealous, while others are eager to get to know each other.
This kind of fame is truly unpredictable.
With thoughts in mind, Shen Xisheng went to Ziwei Palace to attend the morning meeting.
Since the Yingzhou Rebellion, Her Majesty the Queen has been quite diligent in her duties, and has rarely gone to Shangyang Palace to indulge in the orchestral music and the strange beasts presented by the Yin-Yang family's Qi practitioners.
In the magnificent palace where hundreds of officials gathered, Shen Xisheng, who was standing near the front, raised his eyes slightly.
He glanced at the tall old woman on the golden dragon chair directly in front of him.
There is also the back view of the master standing at the front of the hundred officials, with his back straight and meticulous.
Before the Yingzhou Rebellion, at the instigation of the two kings of the Wei family, His Majesty originally had a plan to go on an expedition to expand the territory, but his master tried his best to dissuade him.
Confucius stated that the main focus should be on rectifying internal affairs and strengthening national strength, rather than wasting lives and money by expanding borders, and also cited Taizong's precedents and examples.
Your Majesty is naturally not angry, but since the Yingzhou Rebellion broke out and the Wei family's children were exposed in all kinds of ugly ways... the rebellion has gradually been put down, but it seems that Your Majesty has not mentioned the agenda of expanding the territory for a long time.
Shen Xisheng suddenly smelled something. He couldn't help but look at the calm back of the master in front of him.
Throughout the morning, nothing unexpected happened.
In fact, morning court is very boring most of the time. Most of the so-called game battles and the flash of swords happen behind the scenes.
If they lose face even in the morning, then it is already at the last moment, and one party jumps over the wall in a hurry, abandoning the last dignity.
However, Shen Xisheng was covered with sweat on his back, but he had been prepared for it and specially wore a thin layer of undershirt. Hu Shang from the Western Regions, who tailors expensive clothes in the West Market, patted his chest and said that the fabric would definitely cover the sweat.
The practical effect is really good, so that sweat stains will not show through, and you can draw a map and show it to your colleagues behind you.
Another decent little trick from a royal censor.
Shen Xisheng sighed. He originally planned to pass it on to Liang Han's nephew and give him a new shirt as a celebration gift for his promotion.
After all, he can't be the only one to take the blame.
It's a pity that Liang Han's nephew didn't win... It's okay, let's keep it for his nephew first.
Shen Xi maintained a serious expression on his face and exited the hall together with all the officials from the dispersed dynasty.
During the two days of court meetings, no one mentioned the matter of Ouyang Rong's resignation and the flood control. Her Majesty the Queen seemed unaware of this matter. There was silence from both the government and the public, as if she had been forgotten.
This calm situation made his heartstrings vigilant.
Shen Xisheng and several colleagues from the Liberation faction gathered together. After walking down the steps in front of the palace, they looked around and saw the master's figure, and walked there in tacit agreement.
But at this moment, a member of the Mei Zhuang Palace walked quickly, stopped in front of a certain fat old man, bent down and spread his palms to signal something.
Master Di nodded and followed the palace attendants away.
Officials with sharp ears heard some of the conversation, and a small piece of news suddenly spread throughout the square.
Her Majesty the Queen invites the Master to visit Shangyang Palace together.
All the officials looked sideways.
or2 (go to bed early and get up early on the first day!)
(End of chapter)
