"Paying the membership fee is not enough. If you want to build a bonsai, this one stone will definitely not be enough. If you want to buy a few more, you will have to pay an additional upgrade fee."
"Upgrade? Upgrade to what?"
Cui Yun was not very sure, "If Wei Chen remembers correctly, he should know...what, know...what, eh, this is clearly on his lips, why can't he remember it?!!
"
Cui Yun was upset as she turned over the name she just heard in her mind, but she really couldn't remember it. It was all Lu Qingfeng's fault! If he hadn't been disturbing her mind from the side, she wouldn't have been unable to even think of the two-letter name.
stand up!
"meeting--?"
"Is he a member?"
"Hey!" Cui Yun said in surprise, "Yes! That's it! Your Majesty is so knowledgeable and talented!"
The Queen Mother actually knew this. She only found out about it when others told her about it!
Sheng Shaoqing:
Who is this dear friend?
Is there any mistake? In ancient times, they were engaged in pyramid schemes and copied the European membership system in advance. They even packaged this stone as Nuwa's magic stone to mend the sky. She was indeed a marketing genius.
"System -" Sheng Shaoqing paused, "How have you fixed that bug?"
"I seem to have found another bug for you."
system:.……………
Check it out!!
"After upgrading your membership, you will be eligible to purchase multiple pieces of Tiancai Stone. It seems that there will be different gifts based on the number of purchases!"
Sheng Shaoqing silently complained, "Are there any old members who can buy new members at a low price if they join?"
Cui Yun nodded and thought that Tai Guo was really wise, and continued, "However, even if you charge high membership fees, there will still be people who are willing to dive in, think it is profitable, and continue to bring new members to join."
"But isn't this just a broken stone? To put it another way, even if this stone can prolong life, achieve enlightenment and become an immortal, etc., it would be better to go find it yourself in the mountains or find someone to find it than to buy it at a high price, right?
!”
Cui Yun smiled bitterly and said, "But... maybe they weren't going for the rocks?"
"Perhaps at the beginning people were buying the Tiancai Stone, but after buying stones became popular, when people bought it, it was probably because of the name of the so-called 'Tiancai Hui'."
"Even now, a member of a small Tiancai Club has to wait in line for a long time to get his name."
"What's more, when Wei Chen just went out, he also asked people in the surrounding villages and towns. The Tiancai Society has already controlled almost all the stocks of Chunshan Tiancai Stone, so if you want to buy it, you can only look for it."
"It's just a mess!"
MLM is already causing a lot of harm, but you still dare to disrupt the market order. How courageous!
Seeing that the Queen Mother was angry, Cui Yun quickly advised her, "Don't get so angry, Queen Mother. Since the Queen Mother has already discovered this matter, she just handed it over to the local officials for investigation, so why bother yourself?"
Sheng Shaoqing raised his eyes to look at Cui Yun, who looked worried, and said, "Who do you think would put such a precious sky-colored stone on our only path?"
"What the Queen Mother meant."
"And you covered it with dirt and spread it all over the place?"
Cui Yun thought for a moment and asked, "Does this person want the Queen Mother to notice this?"
"After all, there are so many rocks on the official road that the imperial driver must pass, and it will definitely attract attention."
"Then what if I didn't ask Wei Qingfeng to find this stone, or didn't wipe off the mud on it? Wouldn't his strategy be useless?"
Cui Yun frowned and nodded, "This is indeed not a foolproof strategy. So what do the people behind it want to do?"
After Sheng Shaoqing had finished the fire, he moved his hot body back and said, "Since the trip has been delayed, we don't miss this hour and a half. Let's stay stationed until noon tomorrow before setting off."
She might as well take the opportunity to take a nap!
"Where's the wine I asked you to warm earlier?"
Cui Yun hadn't understood what he meant. He stared at Sheng Shaoqing with big doubtful eyes. There was a clear sense of stupidity in his eyes. However, he did not stop moving and called Forsythia to bring the wine that she had warmed on the fire before going out.
It was served.
Sheng Shaoqing said helplessly, "We were supposed to rush to Xiayi this evening. Xiayi officials have been waiting all night for the imperial convoy to arrive. Do you think they are in a hurry?"
Cui Yun said anxiously, "Didn't the Queen Mother ask Aning to send someone to report it first?! I'm afraid it's too late now!"
"Aning——!!"
"Hey!" Sheng Shaoqing hurriedly stopped Cui Yun and said, "It was the people I sent who stopped him."
"Queen Mother? What are you doing?"
"Here is a hundred miles away from Chunshan Mountain, but there are sky-colored stones that should not appear here. They were also wrapped in soil and thrown on the road. The next stop on this road is Xiayi. If this matter is related to Xiayi
It has nothing to do with the city, would you believe it?"
Cui Yun suddenly realized, "Is the Queen Mother... just waiting for something to happen?!"
"No, this is Jiang Taigong fishing. Anyone who wants to take the bait will take the bait."
"I'm actually not sure whether this matter has anything to do with Xia Yi, but it's always right to give it a try. Maybe, this fish will surface?"
Cui Jun nodded in agreement, "However, the Prime Minister of Xiayi County is famous for his integrity. Under his rule, there will be no such person, right?"
"Who is the Prime Minister of Xiayi County?"
Cui Jun said with a smile, "It's a coincidence that the Prime Minister of Xiayi County is also named Xia, and his name is Xia Yuhuai. Although his background is not obvious, he is very talented. He promoted Xiaolian a few years ago. After moving to many places over the years, he finally became the
Once Xia Yi was settled, the county magistrate lasted eight years."
Sheng Shaoqing discovered that Cui Yun knew all the officials in the counties he passed along the way. As long as she asked, Cui Yun could tell the person's name, family background and official reputation in detail.
The system has a storage capacity comparable to that of a 1TB hard drive, and its amazing memory really puts Sheng Shaoqing to shame.
"You have such a good memory!"
Cui Yun smiled proudly and said, "Otherwise, what qualifications does a minister have to serve the Queen Mother closely?"
"Before leaving the palace, the minister had thoroughly researched the backgrounds of the government officials he passed along the way, so that the Empress Dowager would not be unfamiliar with each other!"
"good!"
"If he is so honest and upright, and has such an official reputation, how come he has been here as the county magistrate for eight years?"
“Are the examinations for the Ministry of Civil Service all just decoration?”
"Hu Yitan really made the right accusation????"
Cui Yun shook his head and said regretfully, "Queen Mother, this civil service examination not only depends on official reputation and political performance, but more importantly, family background."
"So, even if Xia County Magistrate is very talented, because of his mediocre background, if nothing happens, he will stay in the position of County Magistrate for the rest of his life until he becomes an official."
Sheng Shaoqing:!!!!!!
Cui Yun continued, "After all, there are countless high-ranking officials in the court and children from various aristocratic families. How can it be the turn of Xia County Cheng to hold such an important and important position?"
"Actually, Xia County Cheng also recognized this point and was able to stay in this position safely for such a long time."
"Even the children of the squire can't squeeze into a single Xiayi county government office, let alone the state capital."
Sheng Shaoqing was struck silent by the reality Cui Yun said one after another. Suddenly, a moth taking shelter from the rain flew into the tent by mistake.
The tent seemed even more deserted because of Sheng Shaoqing's silence. There was only the popping sound of burning firewood in the air, and the fluttering moth just now fluttered its wings and approached the center of the fire, as if it didn't realize that the fire in front of it was dangerous.
"Ajun, do you think this is right?"
Cui Yun was confused by the Queen Mother's question and subconsciously asked, "What?"
"Let me ask you, do you think this is right?"
"In the beginning, family background was important when selecting officials because most people with good family backgrounds have good conduct. However, just because a person's background is mediocre, his talents and abilities will not be ignored. But now"
"Leave the basics behind!"
"I understand their thoughts, but now it's too much!"
Cui Yun came back to think about it. Although he agreed in his heart, he still asked unconsciously, "But what can be done?"
It's hard to form a habit, but it's even harder to break a habit.
This unwritten rule is older than the age of Great Liang, and even longer than the existence of Jin Dynasty. It has never changed, it just has different appearances at different times.
The intricate interpersonal and in-law relationships between people formed the foundation of the entire dynasty, like a dense spider web that wrapped the court in it.
"Why not change it?"
Sheng Shaoqing looked at Cui Yun with burning eyes, and Cui Yun was suddenly stunned.
"Stab-"
The fire made a harsh explosion, and a burning smell suddenly filled the air.
"Queen Mother, you must understand that if you change rashly, you will be like the moth that flew into the flame just now."
No bones remain.
reduced to ashes.
Sheng Shaoqing smiled brightly, "Why don't you wish me success?"
Cui Yun frowned, and sure enough, she saw that the jug of wine that she had personally delivered to the Queen Mother had been poured aside, and the Queen Mother actually drank the entire jug of wine while she was not paying attention!
However, she sincerely hoped that the Queen Mother was just talking drunken words tonight.
"You want to say that I'm like a moth flying into a flame?"
"Then Liu Zizhan from Nanjing, is he also a moth flying into the flame?"
Cui Yun was speechless when asked, but Sheng Shaoqing continued to ask, "Since you know you are wrong and still don't correct it, is this what a saint does?"
"A moth flies into a flame... isn't it romantic?"
Sheng Shaoqing picked up the wine bottle at hand and drank it all in one gulp, muttering to himself for a long time before falling asleep.
Cui Yun had no choice but to call Aning and Forsythia to join hands and help Sheng Shaoqing to the couch, covered Sheng Shaoqing with a quilt, tucked the corners of the quilt before retreating.
As soon as they left the tent, Lu Qingfeng opened the umbrella attentively and handed it over, but Cui Yun had no intention of giving the umbrella owner a good look and immediately turned away.
Lu Qingfeng chased for a long time before he could catch up with Cui Yun. He kept a little distance from Cui Yun and shouted, "Hey! Ms. Cui! What did the Queen Mother say?"
Cui Jun turned around and pretended to be angry and said, "The Queen Mother! The Queen Mother! She has been talking about the Queen Mother in my ears all day long. If you want to know, just ask the Queen Mother yourself! Why do you ask me?"
Lu Qingfeng took out another handkerchief from his sleeve, walked forward and handed it to Cui Yun to wipe away the rainwater, then stepped back and muttered, "Don't you know why I talk about the Queen Mother..."
"What did you say?"
Lu Qingfeng quickly changed his words and said, "Since Ms. Cui has been with the Queen Mother for so long, she naturally knows her thoughts well. Asking you is the same as asking the Queen Mother."
"Huh! You know what's going on." Cui Yun said with a bad smile, "But I haven't told the Queen Mother what you want to ask, so just wait."
Lu Qingfeng became anxious when he heard this, "Ms. Cui, didn't you promise me, why are you going back on your promise?"
"Did I mention any preconditions when I promised you?"
"Have you ever said that when I am in a good mood, and the Queen Mother is in a good mood, I will say a few kind words for you?"
Lu Qingfeng curled his lips and said aggrievedly, "Then... is the Queen Mother in a bad mood, or are you in a bad mood?"
Cui Yun gritted his teeth and said, "What do you think?"
Lu Qingfeng took another step back and hesitated, "I...I...I know."
He used to only think Cui Yun was gentle, but since that time, Cui Yun's attitude towards him has gone from bad to worse. Now when he sees him, he feels like he has a grudge against him, and he wants to eat him alive!
"Why are you standing so far away? I can't even hear what you said!"
Lu Qingfeng stammered and explained, "I...I just...couldn't keep up with your pace...then I...I was afraid that mud would splash on your dress when I ran...just...just..."
"Okay! Stop talking. You can't even speak clearly, and you still want me to help you in front of the Queen Mother? If you still act like this when you meet the Queen Mother later, aren't you asking me to follow you and get into trouble?"
Lu Qingfeng: I am speechless only when you are here, okay! Look at the Queen Mother’s question this afternoon, how fluently I answered!
Lu Qingfeng was thinking so, but when he met Cui Yun's eyes, he became anxious, stuttered again, and quickly closed his mouth. It would be better not to say it!
Cui Yun was amused by Lu Qingfeng's silly appearance, and burst into laughter for a moment. The worries he had felt all night because of the Queen Mother's words seemed to dissipate at this moment. Cui Yun softened his tone and said, "The Queen Mother is not in a good mood tonight. This is not a good time to help you. When the Queen Mother feels better in a few days, I will naturally help you."
"But so are you. How come you were assigned such a job in the first place, and your grandfather actually agreed?"
Seeing Cui Yun's tone softening, Lu Qingfeng's nervousness was relieved, and he managed to reply normally, "Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"I...the things about my family are not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning...as long as Ms. Cui remembers them."
The raindrops gradually became denser, and Lu Qingfeng said anxiously, "It's raining heavily, I... I'll take you back first!"
Cui Yun nodded in response, but he didn't expect that when Lu Qingfeng said goodbye, he followed her at a distance of five steps and escorted her back to the tent, then turned around and left without saying a word. Cui Yun was about to speak. After thanking him, he turned around and saw no one there. He was so angry that he walked in and ignored him.
The next day, Sheng Shaoqing, who had drunk too much, felt a splitting headache as soon as he woke up, so he had to take a nap. It was not until three o'clock in the morning that he was woken up by Cui Yun who hurriedly walked in.
"Queen Mother! Prime Minister Xia County is here in person!"
Cui Yun woke up Sheng Shaoqing and quickly called someone to wash and change the Queen Mother's clothes.
Sheng Shaoqing asked in confusion, "Why is he here?"
