The people in Yushitai are a group of lunatics. In the eyes of the officials of Qi State, they are a group of perverts who have been psychologically distorted because they have been suppressed for too long.
He kept an eye on the officials all the time, waiting for them to make mistakes. Even trivial things were worth making a big fuss about. Cui Jiang couldn't help but fart during the morning court, and was caught by a certain censor in front of the officials.
In front of him, he pointed it out mercilessly and couldn’t get off the stage on the spot...
This is not the most extreme thing.
The most egregious thing is that they will do anything to catch the officials, even sending people to give gifts secretly. Once an official accepts a bribe, there is no need to wait until the next day, there will be someone there that night
The detective's people knocked on the door all night and invited you to go to Dali Temple for tea...
Cui Jiang is already familiar with this kind of routine. Even if the other party sends real money and silver, he will not waver in his belief, let alone stones...
Although he vaguely felt that something was wrong, he couldn't say anything for a while, so he could only leave it at that.
He pointed to the two big boxes in the hall and ordered his servants: "Come here, take these things out and throw them away..."
Qian Mansion.
Yang Yanzhou looked at Qian Duoduo and asked, "What did you ask those censors to give to Lord Cui?"
"Stone." Qian Duoduo replied.
"Stones?" Yang Yanzhou looked at him, frowned, and said, "This matter is very important. I hope Mr. Qian will not fool Yang. They entered Cui's house with great fanfare just to give away two boxes of stones. Who would
letter?"
"Yes, who would believe it?" Qian Duoduo sighed and said, "But what we really sent were stones. Do you think we were unjust or not..."
…
Prince Heng's Mansion.
"Zhao Yi's men carried two heavy boxes into the Cui Mansion..." Zhao Zheng looked at the old man and asked, "When did it happen?"
The old man looked at him and said, "Just yesterday."
Zhao Zheng had an unpredictable expression on his face. After a moment, he waved his hand and said, "Go and ask Cui Jiang to come over."
Not long after, Zhao Zheng looked at Cui Jiang, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, who had hurriedly arrived, and said: "In the past few days, several imperial censors have visited Cui Mansion many times, which has made you feel wronged."
Cui Jiang hurriedly said: "I will not feel aggrieved at all by working for His Highness."
Zhao Zheng smiled and asked again: "I heard that several censors carried two boxes of things into Cui Mansion yesterday. I wonder what they are?"
Cui Jiang hurriedly said: "It's just two boxes of stones."
"Stone?"
Cui Jiang bowed and said, "Yes, those people said they wanted to test Xiaguan, so they used two boxes of stones to pretend to be gold and silver and asked him to surrender to the third prince. Xiaguan has already refused."
"Stone, test?" Zhao Zheng looked at him, with a smile on his face: "Haha, I know, you can go down first."
"I'll excuse you." Cui Jiang raised his head and looked at him, feeling uneasy, and slowly stepped back.
"Stone..." Zhao Zheng watched him walk out, the smile on his face faded and gradually turned gloomy: "Haha, what a stone, what a test..."
The eldest prince summoned him urgently, and Cui Jiang entered Prince Heng's Mansion anxiously. After being asked a few questions, he withdrew again.
It seemed that everything was fine, but in his heart, he became even more uneasy.
After returning to Cui Mansion, he was even more disturbed.
"boom!"
He was walking with his head lowered and accidentally bumped into someone. He was already upset and opened his mouth to curse. When he saw the knocked down person in front of him, he immediately took a few steps forward and helped him up.
He looked at the woman and said with a slight complaint: "Madam, you don't look at the road when you walk..."
"What happened to the master?" The woman looked at him and said, "I saw the master walking with his head bowed from a distance just now. She called him a few times, but he didn't respond and bumped into me..."
Cui Jiang was upset and didn't want to talk about the matter anymore, so he changed the subject and said, "You are going back to your parents' home to visit relatives this time. How are your parents' health?"
"My father and mother are both in good health." The woman said, looked at him again, and asked, "Master, I have encountered something difficult. You might as well talk to me about it."
Cui Jiang sighed and said, "Let's go back to the room and talk."
Cui Jiang knew that he was not a smart man, but it didn't matter because he had a smart wife.
He became a Jinshi at a young age because he had no background in the court and only served as a county magistrate in a remote state or county.
After becoming a county magistrate, he realized that studying and being an official were completely different things.
He has been in office for two years without making any political achievements. According to the imperial court's evaluation requirements, if he remains inactive for another three years, he will not even be qualified to be a county magistrate.
He was already in despair and no longer dreamed of being able to be in the imperial class one day. The young man's energy was drained away by reality. In despair, he married a wife and had children...
Then, his life was like riding on a speeding carriage.
Within five years, he had been promoted several times, from a county magistrate to the governor of Zhongzhou. It took another five years to be transferred to the capital, where he served as the Minister of Household Affairs...
It took him another ten years to go from being the Minister of Hubu to being the Minister of Hubu.
So far, he has realized his long-cherished wish in his youth and is in the imperial court. Although he cannot be said to be able to rule the sky with one hand, he can be regarded as one of the important pillars of the imperial court as the Minister of the Ministry of Finance.
This is of course not because he suddenly had an epiphany, understood the way to govern, and achieved outstanding political achievements, but because his wife was by his side, making suggestions for him, assessing the situation, and avoiding risks, which allowed him to flourish in the officialdom and sit in the high position he holds today.
.
Along the way, there were countless people with better political performance and more talent than him, but it was Cui Jiang who was the Minister of the Ministry of Finance.
He felt that his greatest achievement in this life was not success as a teenager, nor being named on the gold medal list, nor even being in charge of the household department, but marrying such a wife.
In the room, after listening to Cui Jiang's words, the woman sighed leisurely.
"I just went back to my parents' house for less than half a month. How could the master get things into such a situation..."
When Cui Jiang heard this, his heart trembled, and he hurriedly asked: "Madam, are you saying that there is something wrong with those stones?"
The woman did not answer directly, but shook her head and said, "Master, do you still remember what I did when the prince sent someone to invite you?"
"Remember..." Cui Jiang heard this, trembled, and said: "It was the twelfth lunar month of winter, and you snatched my quilt in the middle of the night, causing me to catch the cold and lie at home for half a month..."
"But I still went to the prince's banquet despite being sick..."
"What are you talking about now!" Cui Jiang said anxiously, "Tell me quickly what's wrong with those stones!"
"There is nothing wrong with the stone." The woman shook her head and said, "The third prince's people come to Cui Mansion every day. Yesterday they even came with gifts and returned empty-handed. What will the eldest prince think?"
Cui Jiang was startled and said: "But they are testing me with stones. I have already told the eldest prince everything..."
The woman continued to shake her head and said: "Unless the master blocks them from the door of Cui Mansion, as long as the two boxes enter Cui Mansion, it means nothing if they can't get out."
"What's more, when I came back, I also heard some rumors."
"What rumor?"
"The third prince bought several houses in the capital, but he didn't name them."
"Does the third prince's purchase of a house have anything to do with this matter?"
The woman looked at him and said, "Master, you might as well guess which house is for you?"
…
Cui Jiang slumped weakly on the chair, his face turned pale, and he cursed: "Conspiracy, this is a conspiracy, they are too shameless, too insidious and cunning!"
"This is not a conspiracy, this is a conspiracy, an honest conspiracy." The woman looked outside and said: "They just took advantage of the prince's suspicious temperament. These things may seem unrelated, but in fact they are intertwined.
No matter whether I respond or not, I will fall into their plan..."
An open and honest conspiracy is more powerless than a secret conspiracy.
Cui Jiang jumped up from his chair and said loudly: "I'll go find the eldest prince to explain. I'll go right away!"
"Master!" The woman's voice suddenly rose in pitch. Cui Jiang's body trembled and he turned to look at her.
"It's too late." The woman took his hand and said, "It's too late. I know the prince's character very well. On the surface, he will not embarrass me, but he will be more suspicious in his heart... The third prince, there is someone
Master..."
She looked at Cui Jiang and said slowly: "For the Cui family, I have to make plans early..."
…
Qian family.
"Get out, all of you!" Qian Duoduo climbed up the tree, hugged the trunk tightly, and shouted at the group of Taoist monks below with a look of fear on his face.
At this moment, he was already higher than the roof next to him. He was full of "elegant" demeanor. It was hard to imagine that a fat man could climb so high.
Under the tree.
A monk in red clothes held a wooden fish in his hand and recited the Buddha's name with a look of sorrow on his face: "Amitabha, humans and ghosts have different paths. If you are willing to let Mr. Qian go, I will recite sutras for you and all the monks in the temple for three days to help you."
You will be in bliss soon..."
A Taoist priest in a green shirt held a fly whisk and said coldly: "If you don't leave as soon as possible, you evil obstacle. If you dare to cause harm to the world again, don't blame the poor Taoist for doing justice for heaven. I'll beat you to death!"
Under the eaves, a woman looked at the God of Money, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Master, are you going too far by punishing me like this?"
Qian Caishen snorted coldly and said: "I asked him to wake up and harden his wings. Even dad would dare to lie to him. With his little skills, if he is not careful and cautious, he will be eaten up to pieces.
