Opportunities in life are often uncertain.
For all living beings, the road ahead is bleak. The changes are so drastic that they often exceed previous expectations.
Fang Chongyong was like this, and so was Zheng Shuqing.
On the surface, it seems quite tragic that Zheng Shuqing, who worked hard in Kuizhou and made great achievements, was falsely accused and imprisoned in Dali Temple as soon as he entered Chang'an.
But actually he wasn't that miserable.
After Zheng Shuqing arrived at Dali Temple, he went directly to go through the formalities. The official on duty canceled his arrest documents and sent someone to take him to Xingqing Palace to wait for the interview.
Of course, Zheng Shuqing was dusty, had a strong smell, and was unshaven, so naturally someone had to help him bathe and change clothes, and then he could be groomed before he could meet Li Longji.
Moreover, during the day, Li Longji was still composing music in the Liyuan and had no time to see Zheng Shuqing. Therefore, the former governor of Kuizhou could only quietly and anxiously wait for the emperor in the side room of the Qinzhengwu main building. summoned.
On the contrary, Fang Chongyong, under the leadership of Fang Laique, arrived at his courtyard in Yongjiafang, only to find that the situation in front of him was completely different from what he had imagined. It could even be said to be a million miles away!
"Who are you? Why are you at my house?"
Fang Laique, who was beside Fang Chongyong, looked at the young man who opened the courtyard door in a bad tone and asked.
This man has dark skin, bright eyes, and looks powerful but not thick.
He seemed a little stunned by this question.
"Eh?"
Another young man came out of the yard. This man looked fairer and did not have the heroic spirit of the other man. He looked more refined and gentle. But he looks quite mature, has a long beard, and looks like a typical scribe.
"Why are you two at my house?"
Fang Chongyong asked doubtfully.
He leaned over and asked in Fang Laique's ear, "Is there really no mistake?"
"Absolutely not. When Alang and I left, my grandfather was also at home, and he should still be there now. Did Mr. Lang forget?"
Fang Laique looked at Fang Chongyong in confusion and asked.
"Ah, it turns out he is the benefactor's son! Why is he so kind-hearted? Please come in!"
The fair-faced young man quickly and warmly invited Fang Chongyong and his group to come in.
"My name is Xu Yuan, and this is Zhang Xun. We are all scholars who came to Chang'an to take the imperial examination. Originally, the rent in Chang'an was extremely expensive, seven thousand Wen per month. By chance, it was Fang Engong who took him in. We study here and we don’t get any money.
If the young man doesn't come, we won't be able to live comfortably, so we must accept the money. "
Xu Yuan quickly brought a large bag of copper coins from the house and weighed it at least a thousand coins.
After he handed it to Atuan who was standing aside, they both bowed respectfully to each other: "Fang is kind and righteous, and treats the country as his home. We are really moved to tears. This small amount of money is just a token of appreciation."
Now that Xiao Langjun is back, we are too embarrassed to stay here anymore, so let's say goodbye. "
Xu Yuan bowed deeply to Fang Chongyong and said, Zhang Xun on the side also bowed.
Seeing that they were all honest people, Fang Chongyong quickly waved his hand and said, "You're welcome, who hasn't been in embarrassment yet? Just stay here with peace of mind. Anyway, there are extra rooms here, so it won't be in the way."
At this moment, a middle-aged man wearing an apron appeared, still smelling of food. As soon as he saw Fang Chongyong, he came over and held him up high, and said dotingly: "The young man is back! Okay, okay, let me cook some dishes today."
He then saw Fang Laique standing stupidly aside, and yelled at him: "You son of a bitch, you don't even look at me, and you don't even wash the vegetables!"
"oh."
Fang Laique left reluctantly.
"Young gentleman, I have gone to the kitchen. The two of them were invited by the gentleman to live at home. They are scholars who came to Beijing to take the exam, and they are considered friends of A Lang.
The young man should be treated as a junior. "
Fang Laique's father also said hello to Xu Yuan and Zhang Xun, and then walked to the kitchen in the inner courtyard humming an unknown tune.
"How dare you, how dare you, we just need to be friends with Mr. Xiao Lang. Since he is the son of our benefactor, he is also our benefactor."
Xu Yuan was very polite and invited Fang Chongyong to sit in the lobby.
This courtyard has a main room (bedroom) and four wing rooms. The main house faces the courtyard gate, with two side rooms on one side connected to each other, separated by a door.
Behind the master bedroom is a woodshed connected to the kitchen, and in front of the door is a small concierge.
Many houses surround a main hall, and a cloister surrounds a courtyard, where jujube trees are planted.
This is the typical long and narrow "siheyuan" structure of the Tang Dynasty, and most ordinary residential buildings are like this.
Now two wing rooms have been rented out to Xu Yuan and Zhang Xun. Fang Laique's father lives in one, and the master bedroom has always been empty.
Fang Chongyong watched all this happening with a confused expression. Before he could recover, people were already seated in the lobby.
Fang Chongyong was still a child in this life, but he had seen many big scenes in his previous life. If you don't have a few thousand guan to get the courtyard in front of you, you will definitely not be able to get it in the area next to Xingqing Palace and Dongshi.
It can even be said that if it weren't for Fang Youde being a close confidant of Li Longji, no matter how rich he was, he wouldn't be able to buy this place!
What if someone with evil intentions lives here, separated from Xingqing Palace by a wall, and finally assassinates Li Longji?
This courtyard itself represents the word "grace".
Fang Youde, this scumbag father, seems to be more powerful than he thought.
Fang Chongyong couldn't help but think.
After a while, Fang Laique's father served a lot of home-cooked dishes. Onion porridge, bilo, boiled chicken, steamed pears, cold raw leeks... the variety is acceptable, but there is no crystal rice.
The dishes are fragrant and the craftsmanship is evident.
"You two just treat yourself as if you were at home. My Alang works for a saint, so I definitely won't say that I'm treating my friends harshly."
Fang Laique's father said proudly.
The ordinary words may seem generous, but in fact they imply that Fang Youde has an extraordinary status.
"Since the Kaiyuan Dynasty, the atmosphere in Chang'an has become increasingly extravagant, the imperial court has been weakened, and the courtiers have taken pleasure as their own responsibility. Only Fang Jieshuai has always cared about the country and the people, restrained himself and restored etiquette, and is truly a role model for our generation."
When Xu Yuan mentioned Fang Youde, he was full of praise.
"Speaking of the Youzhou incident, the Khitan has always been a serious concern. The previous Youzhou Jiedu failed to suppress the Khitan people's prestige. Things have improved since Zhang Jieshuai (Zhang Shougui) took office.
I wonder if Fang Jieshuai can change the situation of the border war after serving as the observer. We worry about national affairs all day long, but there is no place for our heroes. Compared with Fang Jieshuai, the light of a candle is incomparable to the brightness of the bright moon. "
Meng Hulu Zhang Xun on the side also sighed and sighed.
"When we entered the city, we had a few bushels of red lotus spring, but they were taken away by the Jinwu Guards. Otherwise, wouldn't it be nice to have good wine and good food now?"
Fang Chongyong sighed with regret.
"Red Lotus Spring?"
Xu Yuan and Zhang Xun couldn't help but exclaimed. This wine is now available in Chang'an for fifty guan a dou, and most people can't buy it yet!
Don't want to drink? Think it’s expensive?
It's okay, go aside, there are many rich and powerful people queuing up to buy.
Fang Chongyong thought they made a lot of wine, but in fact, the wine consumption of Chang'an was even less than that of Chang'an! After that little output was thrown into Chang'an, it disappeared in the blink of an eye, not to mention that many powerful people hoarded it and acted as second-rate dealers.
Anyway, the older the wine is, the better it is. What does it matter? Just put it in the warehouse. I don't need that little money.
Many Chang'an dignitaries have this attitude towards Hong Lianchun.
Nowadays, fifty coins on the market have to be bought through favors, and ordinary people can't even see the goods.
At this moment, Fang Laique's father walked over quietly. The other party saluted Zhongyong and said, "Jin Wuwei just delivered a few jars of wine. He put down his things and left."
These words shocked both Xu Yuan and Zhang Xun.
"It's nothing. People who can drink this kind of wine must be extraordinary. They can't be provoked by just a few Jin Wuwei's pawns. I'm sure they will be sent back."
Fang Chongyong slapped him in the face and said fat man.
When I send it back, I will keep it in my hands.
If he is not sent back, it means that the court is unjust, the son of the emperor's close ministers cannot protect himself, and the country will be ruined.
He always has something to say anyway.
But according to common sense, it is human nature for those Jinwu Guards people to send the wine back. Because the background of people who can afford to drink this kind of wine is beyond their ability to offend.
Honglianchun is now extremely expensive, and those wines are worth several hundred guan. I'm afraid that the captain of the Jinwu Guard who wants to fish in troubled waters has his hands and feet trembling now.
"Isn't this wine... inappropriate for us to drink?"
Xu Yuan looked at the bowl of red and translucent wine in front of him and asked doubtfully, wanting to drink but timid.
This sip will probably cost you several bucks. What you are drinking is not wine, but gold!
"Just open it up and drink. If you don't have enough wine, there will be more!"
Fang Chongyong laughed and said.
"Then it would be disrespectful for me to wait."
Xu Yuan and Zhang Xun picked up the bowls and drank little by little. They seemed to be intoxicated by the aroma of the wine.
"Honglianchun...is really well-deserved. If it weren't for Xiao Langjun, we probably wouldn't be able to drink it in this life.
What a shame, the red lotus rice that Kuizhou offered as tribute to the imperial court was actually used by lawless people to make wine! In today's world, alas! "
Xu Yuan sighed with concern for the country and the people.
"If these red lotus springs are exchanged for weapons and food, I don't know how many frontier soldiers can be supported. As a result, they all go into the pockets of unscrupulous merchants, which is really sad. However, we can only complain here, and we can't do anything. can not do this.
When Xu Yuan and I pass the imperial examination, we will definitely contribute to the country and we can no longer let this evil trend wreak havoc on our Tang Dynasty! "
Zhang Xunmeng took a big sip of wine, clenched his fists and said.
Fang Chongyong discovered that these two people had the same thinking as Fang Youde. No wonder Lao Fang could keep them here as free tenants. Fang Chongyong felt a little emotional for a moment, realizing that he had very little in common with these "loyal and righteous people".
Honglianchun was hyped up to help Li Longji make money.
Fang Chongyong’s ex-factory price was actually “not high”, and he even “only took” 3,000 pieces in total.
Fang Chongyong actually had a guess as to who was standing behind Wang Yuanbao, the richest man in Chang'an with white gloves, but he didn't dare to think about it. I heard that Li Longji had a friendship with Wang Yuanbao back then, and praised him for having more wealth than himself. There is probably no need to elaborate on the story behind this.
Hong Lianchun's hype in the aristocratic circle actually helped the court recover a lot of "internal coins", which was good for the national finance.
It’s hard to say whether the “goodness” that Zhang Xun and others saw was good;
The "evil" they see is not necessarily evil.
Fang Chongyong felt that as the culprit of the Hong Lianchun hype, it would be better to keep a low profile and say nothing.
"I won't come home if I don't get drunk today. There is plenty of Red Lotus Spring. You can just drink it without worry."
Fang Chongyong said to Xu Yuan and Zhang Xun in a comprehensive manner.
…
The top floor of Qin Zheng Wu's main building is Li Longji's study. It was already night, and Li Longji stayed in the Liyuan for most of the day. When he came back in the evening, he found out that Zheng Shuqing had been waiting in Xingqing Palace for several hours. He quickly sent someone to call him to the study to meet him.
"Alas, I am busy with official duties, so I feel sorry for you."
As soon as Li Longji saw Zheng Shuqing, he walked over and held his hand and said.
"It is the duty of a humble minister to share the worries of a saint."
Zheng Shuqing burst into tears of gratitude and almost knelt down in front of Li Longji.
As soon as he heard this, he knew that he had landed.
"The reason why I went to the sea to arrest you is because many good people are gossiping behind your back. After I give you a new official position, these criticisms will disappear."
Li Longji laughed and invited Zheng Shuqing to sit across the table.
"That 400,000 yuan is very good. Aiqing has done me a big favor. This year's Shangyuan Festival is celebrated by all the people in Chang'an, and it is all thanks to Aiqing. I want to appoint Aiqing as Jing Zhaoyin, but I don't know what Aiqing wants. ?”
Jing Zhaoyin?
No, no, no, I have never heard of any Jing Zhaoyin who had no backstage and escaped unscathed in the end. Zheng Shuqing was very vigilant! To hold this official position, it is better to return to Kuizhou and become a local bully!
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, only relatives of the emperor have been comfortable with this position. If ordinary bureaucrats ascend to the position, they will only cause trouble.
Jingzhao Yin was established under the personal order of Li Longji in the first year of Kaiyuan of the Tang Dynasty. Jingzhao Prefecture is under the jurisdiction of Gyeonggi Province and has 23 counties under its jurisdiction.
Generally speaking, Jingzhao Yin has an official rank of the third rank. He has two Jingzhao Shaoyin subordinates, as well as meritorious officers joining the army, Si Lu joining the army, Si Hu joining the army, judicial joining the army, Si Bing joining the army, Si Cang joining the army, and Si Shi joining the army. Yu Fang Chongyong was an official at the "bureau" level in his previous life.
The official is very big, but it is also very difficult to be an official.
The reason is very simple, because if you don't come to Chang'an, you won't know your official status. Jingzhao Yin is in charge of various miscellaneous affairs in the Chang'an area. In Chang'an, except for rebellion, as long as all major and minor matters are reported, the first stop is Jingzhao Mansion!
For example, if a high-ranking official, such as the prime minister, commits a crime in his family, will Jing Zhaoyin take care of it or not?
If you want to control, then you will definitely be put in the wrong shoes, warned, and offended.
If you don't care, then where is the prestige of Jingzhao Mansion?
If Jing Zhaoyin keeps sacrificing his connections for the so-called "justice" during his tenure as an official with a solid official position, then after he leaves this position, the final result will be that he will be promoted or demoted secretly, or he will find an excuse to be sent to a border town. Jieduzhi would serve as some kind of supervisory official, or simply go to a place like Lingnan as a governor.
Anyone with any sense knows what to do.
Those who can be reconciled will never come up with clear and unmistakable conclusions.
Those who can be fooled will never come out to catch rocks with their heads stretched out.
If you can avoid offending others, you must not offend others by doing random things and block your own official path.
During the Kaiyuan period, Jing Zhaoyin replaced officials at a rate of fifteen in ten years, with an average of one and a half officials a year.
As an old bureaucrat, how could Zheng Shuqing foolishly jump into a big pit! Even if it is recommended by the emperor!
"The talent of a minor minister lies in financial management. Although Jing Zhaoyin has a high and powerful position, a minor minister is not qualified for the job. It may delay the saint's important affairs."
Zheng Shuqing pleaded earnestly, making it clear that he would not jump into the trap.
"Well, I have also considered this. It's just that there is currently a vacancy in Jingzhao Yin and I have no one available. So let's be like this. It's hard work after living outside for many years. It's better to take good care of yourself at home. The official selection at the beginning of the year has ended. There is currently no official position suitable for my beloved, so we might as well wait until early summer and take a look."
Li Longji said with regret.
Zheng Shuqing bowed deeply with gratitude and then left Xingqing Palace under the guidance of Gao Lishi.
As soon as he came out, his smiling face fell instantly.
"Bitterness, bitterness! Alas!"
