Chapter 14: Trend Slaves Conspiracy to Make Friends
After the erudite Hong Confucianism examination was completed, Suo'etu returned home that night. It was already watch time. Lao Cai was holding a watermelon lantern at the door, waiting for him to come back. When he saw the sedan falling, he hurriedly came over to greet him and said with a smile: "Master
I just came back this morning. I heard that the imperial examination was over today. A large group of officers from various ministries came here at noon, waiting to hear the news. They dispersed when it got dark. Academician Li walked in front, and Master followed behind.
I'm back..." Suo'etu yawned as he walked toward the house, and said, "It's better to leave. Who can bear with them pestering them day and night! I just finished the exam, what information do you have?"
I'm here to get some information, not to flatter you!" Lao Cai held up a lamp and guided him as he walked zigzag inside, while replying: "It's true what I said, but there is another person in the flower hall of the west end garden! You are
If you are tired, I will tell him now and ask him to come back tomorrow."
"Who?" Suo'etu stopped, and his face couldn't be seen clearly in the shadow of the lamp.
"He is a distant visitor, Tong Bao, the cousin of Mr. Ge Li, the governor of Jiangnan." Lao Cai heard the difference in his tone and replied cautiously, "Mr. Wang and the two brothers from the Chen family are there to talk with him."
Suo'etu said nothing after hearing this, turned around and walked towards the west garden. Seeing Lao Cai following closely, he said: "Cai Dai, you don't have to come in to wait on me. Ask the cook to prepare a banquet and bring it in. No tricks."
More, as long as it's lighter." After saying that, he left in a hurry, and Cai Dai also went to hold a banquet.
The flower hall was filled with smoke, and four people with four hookahs were snoring vigorously under the dim candlelight. As soon as Suo'etu entered the door, he choked and coughed. Everyone stood up when they saw him coming in.
Suo'etu stood under the lamp, frowned, waved his hand, and ordered: "Open the window to get some air - Tong Bao, when did you come to Beijing?" Tong Bao looked to be around thirty years old, short.
His lean face was full of pockmarks, and he only had a pair of dark, round eyes, set under his eyebrows, but rarely blinked, making him look very shrewd. He was not wearing official uniform, only a Batulu vest was worn over his robe.
The snow-white lining on his sleeves was turned outward. After listening to Suo'etu's question, Tong Bao said politely: "I would like to say hello to the third master! I came here the day before yesterday and have already met the uncle Xinyu.
I'm a law protector. You two asked me to wait for the third master to go to court tonight. My brother Ge Li has something to do when he takes office, and he must report it to the third master. It's not easy to write in a letter."
"Don't talk about it in advance in Nanjing." Suo'etu sat down, took a sip of herbal tea, and said, "The matter in Beijing is still unclear! Let me tell you, it will be difficult for Jin Qing to enter the study -
Originally, it was a good idea to let Mingzhu, a living treasure, step in and kill Gao Shiqi halfway. If I had known this, I might as well have recommended Mr. Wang to Ying Bo Xue Hong Ru Ke. At least there would be one more person in the court.
!”
"It's because I don't want to come out of the mountain. There is no shortage of people in the court in the middle hall. What I'm afraid of is that the Holy Family will not prosper, which will be difficult." Wang Mingdao's eyes twinkled faintly as he said, "If the emperor doesn't listen to Mingzhu and the others, he will not change.
According to the original intention of setting up the crown prince, Zhongtang can be invincible." Suo'etu smiled and said: "That's not enough. A few days ago, the officials proposed that I take the first-class position, and the emperor has already agreed. Just wait and see, I will still be there.
It's better than Pearl." While he was talking, the food and wine had already been served, and Suo'etu ordered the boys to avoid it, so he invited the four of them to sit down and discuss the matter while drinking.
"I don't know the true face of Mount Lu, but I'm just in this mountain." Tong Bao picked up some vegetables and said with a smile, "Zhongtang's words reminded me of what happened in the eighth year of Kangxi's reign. It was also the first day that Ao paid his respects to Zhongtang and was awarded a first-class title by the Jin Dynasty.
, and asked Wei Dongting to pick it up at Yuqing Palace the next day..." His round eyes glanced at Suo'etu, and he drank a glass of it as if nothing had happened. Suo'etu shuddered in his heart, and his face turned pale. Wang Mingdao looked at it.
Looking at his two disciples, he smiled and put down his chopsticks and said: "Tong Bao's words are alarmist, but they are not unreasonable. According to the old man's cold eyes, Zhongtang has gradually been ignored by the emperor since the twelfth year of Kangxi. At that time, because Zhongtang advocated peace with Wu Sangui,
He was repeatedly reprimanded by the emperor; later, Gu Badai, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, offended Zhongtang. Zhongtang wanted to depose him, but was demoted to a second level by the emperor; Wei Xiangshu wrote a chapter to impeach Zhongtang for his "corruption of parental authority"..."
Suo'etu was calm in his heart, but he was upset by what they said. Hearing Wang Mingdao shaking off several treasures, he proudly cut off and said: "What the hell is Wei Xiangshu! You want to get rid of me by taking advantage of the Henan earthquake? Hasn't the emperor saved it?"
Now—I’m still me!”
"The lower official remembers that the emperor guaranteed this - the earthquake was caused by my lack of virtue, and the repair of the province should start from me!" Tong Bao said with a smile, "The next day, I called the third master and Lord Mingzhu in and announced: You guys
It is advisable to cleanse the lungs and intestines, and be loyal to the public. Since the appointment, all the ministers have been well-off, but they have favoritism and become more greedy. If things are discovered, the laws of the country are in place, and they will never be borrowed! - Third Master
Listen, does Long Live Master like you very much?"
"This is what the emperor and his ministers have to endure." Chen Tiejia said with a smile, "Although I saved the third master, didn't it rely on the merit and affection of getting rid of Ao Bai? Once I finish eating, the emperor may not be so polite." Chen Xijia listened.
After the elder brother spoke, he continued: "Long live Lord's wise judgment is unfathomable. Even if Gao Shiqi crawled to his master by himself, why wouldn't Long live reuse Li Guangdi? In addition to Chen Menglei being given a lighter sentence,
The more I think about this article, the deeper its meaning becomes!”
Before Tong Bao left Nanjing, he had a secret discussion with Ge Li at the Governor's Mansion. Hearing Ge Li's sharp words, it seemed that Suo'etu was entrusting him with a shocking event. Even the third prince Zhu who had been captured, Suo'etu actually secretly ordered him to do something terrible.
"Introduce it but not use it." He came to Beijing this time just to report on his work. In fact, he had to find out the actual details of the amount request. Otherwise, in the future, when the incident comes to light, he will lose his head and still not know what happened, and ask for the amount.
Tu could use these ambiguous words to shirk responsibility. After hearing this, seeing the people around Suo'etu saying these words that were almost treasonous, he already knew it in his heart, but he also knew that his brother's wealth in life was tied to Suo'etu.
Safety first. With his mind in mind, he approached Suo'etu and asked: "I'm going to visit the learned scholars today. Did the emperor bring the prince with him?"
"I brought them with me." Suo'etu seemed a little uneasy, "There is also Beizi Yinzhi." Wang Mingdao asked: "The third master Yinzhi also has the title of Beizi, why didn't the emperor bring him with him?" Suo'etu's eyes flickered.
He jumped and said: "He is only three years old. Maybe he is too young, maybe he is sick, maybe..." He suddenly shuddered, said nothing, and stared blankly at the flickering candlelight in trance. Wang Mingdao sighed meaningfully.
In one breath, he said: "No one cares for a child without a mother. If you have a stepmother, you will have a stepfather. How many cases have you taken away your legitimate son out of love in the past? In the former Ming Dynasty, Emperor Wu Zong was an only son, and the powerful concubines in the harem refused to let him go;
In the absence of Empress Ma, Emperor Jianwen, who has ascended to the top, is still unable to stand! A teacher who never forgets the past and the future! The Crown Prince does not have a reliable teacher in front of him.
of!"
"Good prime minister... good general?" Suo'etu chewed on Wang Mingdao's words, and his face turned green and white: the so-called "good prime minister" was himself, but after these people said it, how much Kangxi trusted him became more and more uncertain.
Although Xiong Cilu had no qualms with the prince, he was more loyal to Kangxi. If the emperor changed his mind, there was no guarantee that he would not fall out with him. He was thinking about the "good generals" outside. Lang Ling was leading troops in Kazuo, but this man never went there.
In muddy water, there is no hope for adventure; Zhao Liangdong died of illness; Cai Yurong secretly married Wu Sangui's granddaughter and was imprisoned in Beijing; although Tu Hai served as the Fuyuan general in Shaanxi, he resigned due to old age and stroke; what a pity
Wu Liuyi, the governor of Guangdong, was poisoned and killed by Shang Zhixin as soon as he took office. If this person were still alive, it would be absolutely perfect for him to be transferred to Zhili as governor... After thinking for a long time, Suo'etu suddenly slapped the back of his chair and lost his voice.
He smiled and said: "How could I forget Zhou Peigong! If he hadn't recited a poem in front of the queen's bed to send him off, I'm not sure who the prince would be! Mr. Wang, let's not talk about this matter tonight. I'd like you to write a letter tomorrow.
Give it to Mr. Pei Gong and tell him that I have informed the emperor that ten more green battalions of the Han army will be placed under his command. I will stop talking about unnecessary words. He is a shrewd man who knows the world and will understand it as soon as he reads the letter."
"Wonderful!" Tong Bao gave a high-five and said with a smile, "This man is not only the emperor's confidant, but also the crown prince's sponsor. His literary and military skills are unparalleled. He is also leading troops outside. He is indeed a person who can be relied upon in emergencies. It's a shame.
I can think of it - I only heard that he became ill after going to Fengtian because he was not acclimatized to the climate. I don't know if it is true or not?" Suo'etu said: "How could he be acclimatized? Mingzhu separated him and Gu Asuo alive.
It’s a good marriage, but it’s true that I’m feeling depressed when I send him to the outside world to suffer the cold.” After saying this, he burst into laughter.
No one knew about this past incident, and the four of them couldn't help but exchange glances. Wang Mingdao said thoughtfully: "Jin Qing came to the house just now, and I talked with him for a long time in the study. Although this man looks a little noble on the outside, he is actually very enthusiastic on the inside. Mingzhu.
He feels very uncomfortable after saving Chen Menglei. I think Zhongtang should try to get him into the cabinet. Hmm... As for Mr. Zhongtang, I have one more thing to say, I don’t know whether I should say it or not.”
"Well??"
"Take leave and resign, temporarily step aside!"
As soon as the words came out, everyone was stunned. They just looked at their foreheads and rolled their eyes, thinking calmly. Chen Xijia leaned forward and said: "Teacher, the students don't understand what you said - I just hate that there are too few errands in the middle hall now, and the responsibilities on my body are getting worse."
The more power you have, the fewer people will criticize you. How can you withdraw from the study room on your own?"
"Mr. Wang is worthy of being a wise man, okay!" Tong Bao sighed with an aggressive gaze, stroking his palms, "Power is the key to suspicion! Once you retreat from the Zhongtang, you can understand your thoughts in front of the emperor, and you can also stop the mouths of those who say that the Zhongtang takes power and respects itself.
Mingzhu immediately became the person on the stove, the target of everyone's sideways glances - three birds with one stone, wonderful!" Suo'etu stood up and walked for a few steps, then suddenly turned around and said: "It's one stone with five birds! I can spare the time.
Come and serve the prince well, and I can also take a closer look at who really treats me well! - Huh! I'll just let him show off his talents and let him toss around in front of the master!"
The originally dull atmosphere immediately became lively, and everyone had the mood to pay attention to the modest table of food. The five of them ate wine and asked the family's troupe to perform for fun, until half past midnight, they stopped drinking and went back to their rooms.
While resting, Tong Bao sent Suo'etu directly to the third door and asked in a low voice: "Third Master, what should I do about what my brother said in the letter?"
Suo'etu stood in the cold spring wind and was speechless for a while. After a while, he sighed slightly and said: "It's boring to kill this fake thing. It's of some use to keep it. I'm afraid of playing with fire and getting burned. I told Ge Li to be careful. Don't do it."
Come and meet directly and listen to my instructions!" After saying that, seeing Cai Dai coming out with a few boys holding a lantern, Suo'etuyin said with a smile: "Lafayette has Christmas next month. I asked you to find out tomorrow a few days ago.
Can you tell me what kind of gift I want to give you? After all, we are serious relatives of the country, so don’t fall behind others."
"As for me," Cai Dai said with a smile, "the woman from the Huang family, the head of the tea room in our house, is the sister of Zhang Guanshi, the head of the Treasury in Ming Xiang's house. I have already found out, and Ming Xiang gave me two handfuls of gold and jade.
Ruyi, a marble picture of Nanshan Mountain - the slave thought that the old Buddha believed in me the most. The pure gold Guanyin presented by Jiangning Salt Road has more than 700 taels, which is worth it, but now
There is another high-ranking minister, I don’t know what he is giving..."
"That's all." Suo'etu said, "There's no need to worry about Gao Shiqi. He just entered the study, and his official rank is not that of a doctor. No matter how much money he can get, he will be as good as us in a short while?" After saying that, he returned.
Room to rest.
One day off, and the third day was the day to read the examination papers of Bo Xue Hong. Suo Etu got up early, got off the sedan at Xihua Gate and handed the sign to the palace. When he saw Li Guangdi coming out, Suo Etu stood up.
Li Guangdi asked, "You came in so early? Where are you going in such a hurry?" Li Guangdi bowed his hands and said, "Last night, the Lord ordered me to draft an edict to Shi Lang.
I know a lot about military affairs, so I checked the historical records in the Wenhua Hall and was busy until daylight. The emperor wanted to stay and take a look, so he ordered me to go back and rest, and come back to see the emperor in the afternoon to hear the emperor's instructions." Suo'etu listened.
He was stunned and said: "The emperor has already arrived at the court now? Are all the ministers here?"
"There is no need to go to Qingqing Gate in Zhongtang," Li Guangdi said with a smile, "The Emperor is reviewing papers in Yangxin Hall today. Yesterday Zhongtang didn't come, and the master went to see Changchun Garden with Gao Shiqi, Ming Xiang and Xiong Xiang.
Brother Huchen, the customs allocated several million to renovate it and use it as a place of residence for the old Buddha!" After hearing this, Suo'etu couldn't help but regretted that he should not be greedy for a leisurely day, but he said: "I am too tired these days, Master.
I was granted a day off - have you gone?" "Yes." Li Guangdi smiled, "and Zha Shenxing and the others are working in the Imperial Academy, accompanying the master to compose poems to relieve his boredom." The two said, and saw Gao Shiqi.
With two boys carrying something over, Suo'etu smiled and said, "I thought I was the only one here and I was late! What are you bringing and covered with yellow silk?"
Gao Shiqi smiled and said: "Don't look at the birthday gift dedicated to Lafayette. It's just flowers and grass in the middle hall. I am a poor scholar, but I can't compare to you and Ming Xiang." After that, he held up the pot covered with both hands.
Hua'er followed Suo'etu to Yangxin Hall, while Li Guangdi took a sedan chair and went home.
There was silence in the Hall of Yangxin. Gao Shiqi quietly placed the flowers under the Danqi and smiled at Suo'etu in a low voice: "This time Zhongtang and Mingxiang deceived us and actually took a day off! I came back from Changchun Garden yesterday.
The master asked me and Xiong Xiang to read the papers, and we didn't go back until midnight!" Suo'etu heard that Mingzhu did not participate in the examination, and felt relieved. He just smiled, and Gao Shiqi had already raised the curtain, and the two of them walked in front of each other.
Come in.
Kangxi was holding a list, frowning and meditating. There were three stacks of papers piled on the desk and placed aside. Below them, Xiong Cilu and Mingzhu were sitting on the wooden stool, waiting for Kangxi to ask questions. Kangxi heard the curtain ring, and suddenly
When he turned around and saw Suo'etu and Gao Shiqi coming in, he smiled and said: "Suo'etu came just in time. You kept Yan Shengwu's paper. Is there a page missing?"
"In reply to Long Live," Suo'etu hurriedly replied, "Yan only wrote one poem, but he didn't write "Ode to Xuanji Yuheng", so there is one missing chapter - this matter is so important, how can a slave dare to be careless?
?" Kangxi looked at Xiong Cilu and said with a smile: "No wonder you don't have Yan Shengwu in the first, second, and third grades on this list." Mingzhu said, "Yan Shengwu is a great scholar. He deliberately omitted the test questions and did not do it. It is really disrespectful. The slave thought that Xiong Ci
It is indeed appropriate to take him out of the waiting list."
Kangxi took a sip of tea, sat cross-legged on the edge of the kang, took out a paper and said: "Peng Sunxun read this paper in Dongyuan, right? In this article, 'What can be tested by heaven does not need to be tested by humans.' I am afraid that the reasoning may not be comprehensive.
Right?" Xiong Cilu saw that Kangxi had picked out the flaws in his marking, and hurriedly said: "Although the master said it, from the perspective of the fundamental principles of things, heaven and man are originally the same principle.
There is nothing wrong with everyone. So although what Peng said is biased, it is not unreasonable in Dali." Seeing Xiong Cilu defending himself, Kangxi knew that Xiong Cilu had not understood what he meant, so he took out another piece and said with a smile: "That's all.
In Wang Wan's volume, he wrote "You or asked Yu Yu" at the beginning, and "Wei Wei, no no" at the end. Who is he referring to? Is it me or himself? Or is there something wrong with me?
It’s not easy to say it directly, why did you change it to insinuate it?”
Unexpectedly, Xiong Cilu bumped into a harder nail. He didn't dare to sit down and reply. He stood up and bowed and said: "The emperor knows very well that Wang Wan is so admirable for Shengde. How can there be any innuendo?"
These words are not true, but they are the holy guidance of the Lord."
"Don't panic. It doesn't matter if you just insinuate. If I ask him again in the future, if I have anything to say, just say it!" Kangxi chuckled and put the paper aside, "My original intention was to praise you and Gao Shiqi. It's not the same.
There are too many styles, and none of them are right. What's going on with the erudite Confucianism this time? Look, Zhu Yizun's poem "Apricot blossoms are as red as fire, and calamus leaves are smaller than hairpins." Who has ever seen apricot blossoms as red as fire? Let's talk about calamus.
How can Ye be related to Chai?" He flipped through the volumes one after another, "...there are too many such problems! In Pan Shu's volume, the word "Gong" is written on the winter rhyme leaves; Li Laitai's "
"Feng' and 'Nong' are all used as excuses; Shi Runzhang, who pays great attention to poetic rhyme, even mistook the word 'qi' into the rhyme..."
Mingzhu's knowledge of poetry rhyme was limited, and she hit the wall many times. She knew that it was better to hide her clumsiness than to show off her talents. Seeing Kangxi looking at her, she smiled and said: "The emperor is so careful! Many scribes nowadays don't pay much attention to these things. Modern poetry is difficult to write, but it's okay to recite it calmly on weekdays.
Cut off three beards, and if you can do this in a hasty imperial examination, from the perspective of a slave, it will be difficult for these old gentlemen."
"How do you know them!" Kangxi sneered, "They are all contemporary scholars who have limited knowledge of the world! Is it possible that they can't write rhymes and rhyme the wrong poems?" He stood up and walked slowly,
He added: "They didn't want to take the exam in the first place, so they used typos and wrong rhymes on the exam paper. If I were dismissed according to the test paper, then Keke'er would have eliminated all the most famous people. Who in the world would believe it?"
Is it because his test paper is not good? Just say that I can't recognize people! If I get it stupidly, the scholars will secretly laugh at me because I have no practical knowledge and can't see the fault in the test paper - in terms of their intentions, they are very mean to me...
" He pondered and murmured, "It seems that we can't make them submit with just one exam!"
After hearing this, Mingzhu couldn't help but angrily said: "This is called ignorance of promotion! Please have these people's papers printed in the imperial newspaper for all provinces. Anyone who makes mistakes in formats, violates the rules, violates taboos, or misrhymes will be dismissed!" Suo'etu also said!
"Mingzhu's words are right!" Xiong Cilu sighed secretly. If this is the case, almost all the candidates in this erudite Confucianism competition are second-rate people. Seeing Gao Shiqi, Kangxi didn't say anything, so he asked: "Gao Shiqi, what is the reason?"
What do you think?"
"I think that all of them should be successful. This was agreed upon before taking the exam." Gao Shiqi's eyes flashed faintly, "The emperor originally knew that they were unwilling to take the exam, so they were forced to do it. What good mood did they have to write poems and articles?
?But there are also occasional clerical errors. If you do this, all the famous people will depose Sun Shan, which is no different from not establishing a scholarly school? How many years of hard work and preparation have been in vain? Of course they will not dare to curse when they go back.
However, the emperor was known as an ignorant man, and he was indeed a waste of talents... Therefore, we must not use the normal imperial examination system to seek full blame. Instead, all the candidates were filled with quotas, and even those who were not ranked were all awarded officials. He did not want to be an official.
I'll give him a name, and I'll retire..." Kangxi smiled and listened to Gao Shiqi's grand remarks, and said: "Your method is good, but they will inevitably laugh at me for not being good at weighing articles, and not caring about so many things!" Gao Shiqi!
Qi chuckled and said: "No! The emperor can add comments on the absurdity of each volume and send it back to me to read. Among these more than a hundred people, who dares not to be convinced?"
"Okay!" Kangxi became energetic and struck the case with a "bang", "The king said he is chasing scholars, and the scholar is talking about trends. I will be the master of chasing scholars!"
"The trend will lead to the decline of the country, and the trend of the people will lead to the prosperity of the world!" Gao Shiqi said in response, "My lord, this heart will bring happiness to the people of the world!"
Kangxi laughed loudly: "That's it! Gao Shiqi, read it carefully again. Use your fingernail to mark out any absurdity. If you write well, double-circle it with a red pen! ——Edict: Gao Shiqi writes to supplement erudition.
A first-class extra name in Hongru Ke!" (To be continued)
