Pingyang Prefecture, Shanxi, Pinglu, Xia County, Jiezhou.
Dianshi Mansion.
"Brother Tamamori, it's all thanks to you this time. If you hadn't helped cut off the eucalyptus, I wouldn't have known that the king was so hateful. He is usually sanctimonious and philanthropic, but he turns out to be a greedy man."
"That boy from the Li family, although he was born into a poor family and his family was in decline, who knew he actually had a connection with the prefect?"
"If brother Yusen hadn't shown his innocence, this boy from the Li family would have written a complaint to the government and told the government that he would not be protected for his crime."
The Magistrate of Pinglu County said sincerely to the man in his thirties in front of him with a grateful face.
And the person in front of him was Zhan Hui, the Minister of Civil Affairs, the person recommended to His Highness Taisun, Dian Shi Di Yusen.
The position of Dianshi is a Zuo miscellaneous official of the county magistrate. If he does not enter the rank, he is "not in the stream".
He is the subordinate officer in charge of arrests and prisons under the county magistrate.
Dianshi is a non-official official, that is, a civil servant under the ninth rank. However, when the county magistrate, chief registrar and other positions in the county were consolidated, their duties were concurrently performed by Dianshi.
Therefore, the positions of classics and history are all selected by the Ministry of Personnel, and they can also be classified as "officials of the imperial court".
However, in today's world, especially in lower counties such as Pinglu, officials can also be appointed as officials.
Di Yusen was just a student member, and although he also received a salary, strictly speaking, he belonged to Dai Dian Shi.
When he gets the title of scholar, he can become a full-time official.
It's just that Di Yusen was obsessed with Duan Eucalyptus, the way of law, and the Four Books and Five Classics were quite useless, and he had no intention of reading them. As a scholar, he always felt sad.
"Your Majesty, you are very polite. These are Yumori's responsibilities, and you should not accept such a great gift."
Di Yusen looked at the burden carried by the servants outside, bowed his hands and said, "Please take it back, sir."
The county magistrate hurriedly said: "How can that be done? I sent this specially to express my feelings. Brother Yusen, maybe you are too young and unwilling to accept my feelings."
Di Yusen's eyes were firm and he insisted: "Yusen is not being polite, he is just not receiving remuneration for no merit. This fragmentary book is also within the responsibilities of Dianshi, and it should not be like this."
"Please, Lord County Magistrate, please take it back."
Faced with Di Yusen's repeated insistence, the county magistrate had no choice but to sigh: "Brother Yusen, you really have the demeanor of your ancestors, but you are arrogant for your brother."
"In that case, I can't refuse the banquet for Brother Yusen that night, otherwise Brother Yusen will look down on us as brothers."
Di Yusen could only raise his hand and said, "Please rest assured, County Magistrate, Yusen will definitely be there by then."
After the county magistrate left with his people, a woman appeared.
Different from the way ordinary women dress, this woman is dressed in smart clothes and does not look dignified and virtuous. Instead, she has a bit of heroic spirit in her eyebrows.
"Di Yusen, I just looked at it from the sidelines. It was top-quality silk and satin cloth, and it also had good meat."
"How long has it been since our Dianshi Mansion opened a restaurant for meat? With your three stones a month, you still have to stay up for seven or eight days to eat something good."
"Don't you feel sad?"
"Besides, this is a gift from Prime Minister Li himself. If it weren't for you, he would definitely be bribed. It's not considered a bribe."
The woman said with some complaints.
Di Yusen was a little helpless and explained: "Li Xue, you don't understand. The actions of the county magistrate are worth at least twenty guan of treasure. How can I accept such precious money?"
"Nowadays, the emperor hates corruption and bribery most of all. Once involved, not to mention official clothes, it is a big problem whether one's wealth and one's life can be saved."
"We can live a good life now. Even if our lives are a little different, it's no big deal. I read in the capital's newspaper that His Highness Taisun has already proposed to increase official salaries. Maybe it will be implemented in the next year or two."
"Our lives will then be much easier."
The woman is Qin Lixue, Di Yusen's wife. She is twenty years old and has only been married for two months.
The acquaintance between Di Yusen and Qin Lixue was not a matchmaker, but a free love affair.
Qin Lixue was an orphan. She grew up in a nun's temple, but she never became a monk and learned martial arts.
Novels were popular in the Ming Dynasty. After reading many martial arts novels, coupled with my superb martial arts skills, I developed a temperament to fight against injustice.
Then naturally, I want to make a career in the world.
But reality gave Qin Lixue a hard blow.
Under the household registration checkpoint system implemented by Zhu Yuanzhang, Qin Lixue almost didn't make it ten miles out of the nunnery before being arrested.
Fortunately, in the end, the sheep pretended to be a businessman's guard and managed to get through.
However, the imaginary wandering in the rivers and lakes is almost like a refugee, who is often full and hungry.
The world of the early Ming Dynasty was different from any previous dynasty, with a very high threshold.
If you want to truly be able to travel around the world, you must first have customs clearance documents.
These things can only be obtained by gangs under the Chamber of Commerce through some connections, or they are children of aristocratic families.
Anyone who learns some martial arts is simply not qualified and will undoubtedly be blocked outside the Jianghu Gate.
When he was in Pinglu County, he was framed.
After all, Qin Lixue has been practicing martial arts for a long time. She has a good figure, good appearance and quite good looks. Even if she is disguised as a man, she can be easily seen through.
This affair was met by Di Yusen and was revealed in just a few words. The slanderer was thrown into jail, thus repaying Qin Lixue's innocence.
Then Qin Lixue discovered that a broken man like Di Yusen was extremely attractive.
As the saying goes, a man chases a woman across a mountain, and a woman chases a man across a veil.
Di Yusen's condition is considered low in the officialdom, but to the common people, he is an official.
In addition, Di Yusen has been either reading books about broken eucalyptus or reading the Four Books and Five Classics all year round, and has no intention of getting married.
At the age of thirty-five, I have yet to get married and have been pushed by my family.
As soon as they came and went, they got married to Qin Lixue.
Although Di Yusen wanted to keep his wealth clean, in the end, the position of Daidianshi was still vacant in Pinglu County based on the name of Taiyuan Di family.
"Okay, I know that you Di Yusen has the style of an ancestor and has great ambitions, but today is the day agreed between you and me. You are not allowed to read the Book of Broken Eucalyptus. You have to read the Four Books and Five Classics."
Qin Lixue was not a person who disliked poverty and loved wealth. Although she said so, she didn't even care about the property just now in her eyes.
After all, Di Yusen was a dynasty historian and an official himself.
There's no telling if one day the Ministry of Civil Affairs will be elected and a new Dianshi will be created, and then the Dianshi Mansion will not be able to live in it.
Therefore, it is only right to quickly obtain the title of scholar and strive to become a full-time official.
When Di Yusen heard this, his lips were bitter, but he could only nod helplessly.
"Well, I can't supervise you today. The roof is leaking and a few tiles are broken. I have to go to the market to buy some tiles and repair the roof."
Qin Lixue said casually, looking at the meaning, she had no intention of inviting anyone.
Naturally, she couldn't count on scholars like Di Yusen, but fortunately she was very good at it. She had done things like going to the house to reveal the tiles before, so she was very familiar with it.
When Di Yusen heard this, his eyes showed a bit of emotion and a bit of determination: "Thank you for your hard work, ma'am."
Qin Lixue waved her hands and walked towards the door nonchalantly.
At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door: "Master Dianshi, may I be in the house?"
Qin Lixue just walked to the door.
When he opened his mouth, he saw it was the county government official.
"But what else is going on that requires my husband to take action?" Qin Lixue asked directly.
The yamen servant smiled and held his hands in his arms: "It turns out to be Mrs. Sister-in-law. I dare to ask Master Dianshi if he is here. It's not because of any ulterior motives. It's the county magistrate who invited me."
Hearing this, Qin Lixue was stunned for a moment, and then couldn't help but ask: "Master Magistrate, is there a new history coming?"
The yamen servant laughed and said, "That's not the case. I don't know the specifics. But the postmaster is here and he is still in the county government hall at the moment. The magistrate is hosting a banquet to accompany him. He must be doing something good."
"It's better to ask Master Dianshi to come over quickly. If you wait too long, I'm afraid it won't be good."
Upon hearing this, Di Yusen hurriedly stepped forward and said: "Li Xue, since it is the county magistrate's request, I will go there first and you wait at home. I will bring the tiles along the way when I come back."
Qin Lixue nodded and watched the two of them leave.
Pinglu County is not big, and the Dianshi Mansion is also very close. Di Yusen arrived at the county government office in just one stick of incense.
Above the lobby, a man dressed as a Yi Cheng was talking to the magistrate.
Seeing Di Yusen coming, the magistrate quickly put down his wine glass and said, "Yusen, come here quickly."
When Yi Cheng saw him, he asked the county magistrate: "This son is Di Yusen, a classics official. He is really a talented person."
The county magistrate Fu Xu smiled and said: "Isn't it? Di Dianshi is the pride of our Pinglu County. Since Di Dianshi, our Pinglu County has never picked up lost things on the road and never closed its doors at night."
"With the help of Di Dianshi's divine interpretation of the cases accumulated over the years, all the truth has come to light, and the people have been given their innocence."
"But in terms of public sentiment, even I, the county magistrate, can't compare to Di Dianshi."
Yi Cheng said: "When I am in the post station and among the officials coming and going, anyone who passes by Pinglu County will definitely mention the Ming Dynasty in the history of Di Dian. Now that I see it, it is true that there are no empty scholars despite the great reputation."
Di Yusen came over to bow to him and was confused when he heard the magistrate and Yi Cheng praising each other.
After Yi Cheng praised him a lot, he straightened his clothes and took out a yellow rice paper document from his arms.
"His Royal Highness Taisun issued an order! Let's go to Pinglu County Dai Shi Di Yusen to receive the order."
As the words fell, the magistrate quickly pulled Di Yusen to his knees.
Yi Cheng then continued to speak loudly: "I have heard that Di Yusen, the Dianshi of Pinglu County, has the style of his ancestor Di Renjie. He can break a eucalyptus like a god, and all the people under his rule praise him."
"He is here to be summoned to the capital for an audience. He will set off immediately."
Di Yusen, who was kneeling on the ground, was still a little confused at the moment, but the magistrate next to him quickly took his hand and urged: "Brother Yusen, why are you still standing there? Take the order."
Only then did Di Yusen come to his senses and quickly raised his hands in the air: "Di Yusen is obeying the order of His Majesty Taisun."
After Yi Cheng put the decree in Di Yusen's hand, he helped Di Yusen up and said with a smile: "His Royal Highness Taisun is urgent about the decree. I also asked Di Dianshi to go home and tidy up before setting off with me immediately."
Di Yusen didn't expect to leave so easily, so he could only nod in agreement.
The magistrate said from the side: "I have said before that brother Yusen is like a dragon lurking in the abyss, full of intellectual ambitions, and one day he will rise to great heights."
"Now that His Highness Taisun appreciates it, he must have a bright future. After I go to Yusen to the capital, don't forget that Pinglu County is also Yusen's home."
Naturally, the county magistrate has been in officialdom for a long time, and he is also very particular about his words. The hidden meaning is of course that he hopes that after Di Yusen becomes prosperous, he will have the opportunity to help him a little.
Although Di Yusen didn't like to be complicit, it didn't mean that he didn't understand the meaning of the words. He bowed his hands and said, "Please rest assured, Lord Magistrate. During these five years in Pinglu County, Yusen learned that the county has taken care of him and that's what he is today.
We will definitely never forget each other.”
The magistrate heard this and nodded happily.
Speaking of which, when Di Yusen was able to come to Pinglu County to be a chronicler and give full play to his talents, it was the same path taken by the Taiyuan Di family as the county magistrate.
Speaking of which, it is certainly a kindness.
The county magistrate is also more relieved. After getting along with each other in the past few years, he also knows that although Di Yusen is innocent, he is not a pedantic person. This kind of people know how to be grateful.
When Di Yusen went out, there was already a carriage waiting.
Under the leadership of Yi Cheng, he quickly returned to Dian Shi's mansion.
Qin Lixue heard the knock on the door and walked over to open the door. She saw Di Yusen walking in with a happy face.
He lowered his head and glanced slightly, and couldn't help but ask: "Why did you come back so soon? What about the tiles I asked you to bring?"
"Hey, you are a very smart person. You always lose things here and there. Forget it, just wait at home while I go buy it."
Hearing this, Di Yusen hugged Qin Lixue and said, "I'm such a madam, why are you buying tiles? Hurry up and pack your things and come with me to the capital."
Qin Lixue's arm shook and she broke away, almost knocking Di Yusen to the ground.
"Why are you so crazy? You want to go to the capital. Your salary is not enough for traveling. Don't block the door. I have to go buy tiles. Look at the weather. It may rain tonight. It will be too late."
Di Yusen had no choice but to reveal the scene behind the door.
Qin Lixue saw a carriage and several postmen waiting outside the gate.
The person in charge is clearly dressed as Yi Cheng.
When he was wandering around the world, Qin Lixue knew a lot.
The inn only allowed officials to rest. Ordinary people like her were not even qualified to enter. Even if it was pouring rain, they could only endure it outside.
Di Yusen said with a proud expression on the side: "Your husband and I are like smoke rising from our ancestral graves today."
Then he raised his hands and bowed to Dongfang and said: "Today, His Majesty Taisun issued an order, ordering me to set off immediately and go to the capital to have an audience."
Qin Lixue looked at the carriage outside, with a bit of suspicion still on her face, not believing that there was such a thing as a pie in the world.
"I don't study well, so don't lie to me."
Di Yusen simply took out the imperial edict from his arms and handed it over: "My lady will know it as soon as she sees it."
Qin Lixue looked at the yellow rice paper, which was reserved for the royal family, and her eyes suddenly lit up. Then when she opened it and took a look, her heart was shaken.
He immediately said: "Husband, please wait a moment. It's a long way to go. I will immediately prepare a bag for you."
Seeing Qin Lixue turning around and about to leave, Di Yusen grabbed her and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? It's not just my luggage. Please pack it at home quickly. I won't bring anything unnecessary."
"I have all my broken books, yes, and my afternoon set, which I will use. There is enough space in the carriage."
Qin Lixue paused and asked in disbelief: "My husband, do you want to take me to the capital with you?"
Di Yusen said: "His Royal Highness Taisun summoned me, it must be useful. I don't know how long it will take to go there, so I should take my wife there."
"Besides, husband, I don't have the power to tie a chicken, and I don't have a wife with strong martial arts skills by my side. What if I get kidnapped by bandits?"
Listening to Di Yusen's naughty words, Qin Lixue's eyes seemed to sparkle.