After hearing his father's question, Qin Langjun put down his book and smiled.
"I have nowhere else to go, so I went to my father's place to see if there was any excitement," he said.
"Are you asking me about the excitement here, or about the excitement in the political hall?" Qin Shijiao asked.
"I can't hide it from my father." Qin Langjun said with a smile, "Something happened to my father on Saturday. I'll help you find out."
His son had a good relationship with Liu Lang of the Zhou family. Qin Shidao naturally knew that although he had always followed the affairs of his descendants and ignored the elders, he still paid some attention in private.
"I know about this. Some people accused him of improper conviction in the Bozhou Military Treasury case, so he was demoted pending investigation." He said, "I have read this case. It is true that he was improperly convicted, and his punishment is inevitable."
Qin Langjun nodded.
"Yes, I know, Father." He said, taking the crutches and standing up, "Then I'll go back first."
This son is like this. He always understands things and doesn't say anything that shouldn't be said.
Qin Shidao nodded.
"However, the crime is not too serious. Now that the Western bandits are unstable and losing battles, His Majesty is very angry. It will be better to wait for a while before dealing with him." He added, which was a comfort to his son.
Qin Langjun nodded happily and thanked his father again.
"Oh, by the way, father." He walked to the door and seemed to think of something, turned around and asked, "Is the Minister of Civil Affairs going to choose someone?"
Qin Shidao frowned slightly.
The History Museum Hall where he works is very close to Zhongshu Menxia Zhengshi Hall, so the minor officials here are the most well-informed except for the Zhengshi Hall officials.
My son probably overheard the officials whispering and passing on some gossip there.
"Chen Shao plans to be promoted to the post of Minister of the Political Affairs Hall, and the vacancy of Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs will be vacant. It is probably possible, but it has not been decided yet." Qin Shishang said casually.
"That's a hard job." Qin Langjun said casually, without further talk of his resignation.
As soon as Mr. Qin pushed him out, Mrs. Qin came over.
"Thirteen is asking you to intercede?" she asked directly.
Qin Shituan smiled and shook his head.
"Your son is not as direct as you." He smiled.
Mrs. Qin also smiled.
"Don't pay attention to his little convoluted thoughts," she said. "It's rare that he has a good person. You should keep an eye on the Zhou family's affairs and say something if you can."
"It's just that I really can't say this now. The more I say it, the more fuel is added to the fire. The censor's desk is sharpening its knives." Qin Shi said, shaking his head again, "It's his unlucky thing. Why did he get turned out like this at this time?"
It’s a public case from the old year.”
"It won't be too big of a fuss, right?" Mrs. Qin was a little surprised. She didn't expect it to be so serious.
"It depends on luck." Qin Shi said.
It turned out that she had to rely on fate, and Mrs. Qin's always smiling face showed a bit of worry.
"No wonder Shisan has been traveling around these days. He never went to those places before," she said.
Those? Which ones are they?
Minister Qin asked.
"I didn't ask specifically. I think I went to a place like Jingzhao Mansion." Mrs. Qin said casually.
Qin Shi said that he shook his head because of the arbitrary relationship, but his son had always been measured and smart, so there was no need to worry.
The couple talked about some household matters and ignored them.
When the morning light dimmed, Liu Xiaoli reached out and slapped Dou Qi hard on the arm.
Dou Qi let out a scream.
"Not bad, not bad."
Liu Xiaoli nodded and withdrew his hand and straightened up with a somewhat satisfied smile.
"If it hurts, it means it's okay."
"Grandpa, this is not bad, I am so miserable." Dou Qi said aggrievedly, gritting his teeth again, "Have those people been beaten to death in prison?"
"I had such a big meal yesterday, I'm actually strong enough to bear it down..." the shopkeeper said hurriedly.
"How could a man in Jingzhao Mansion's prison survive the killing blow?" Liu Xiaoli interjected and asked with a slight frown.
"I don't know, sir, these people are military men. They are very good at martial arts. Even running a restaurant in Taipingju, they exercise their muscles every day. They are not what ordinary people can compare with." The shopkeeper said, "But don't be afraid. They are in the end.
It’s about lying down. It’s easier to lie down than to get up..."
Liu Xiaoli was relieved and nodded.
"...Let them live for two more days at most." The shopkeeper continued to say to Dou Qi with a beaming smile.
"Wouldn't it be a waste to die so soon?" Liu Xiaoli interrupted him again.
Dou Qi and the shopkeeper were both stunned.
"Grandpa, do you mean to keep them?" Dou Qi shouted, with a look of disbelief on his face, "What are those bastards doing? If they die, they will die..."
"If you die, you will die. It will happen sooner or later. What's the hurry?" Liu Xiaoli interrupted him and said, "I know that it will be happy for a while. What else is there besides happiness?"
Besides pleasure, what else is there?
Dou Qi stared and asked.
Of course there are real benefits, this idiot.
Xiaoli Liu walked into the public hall on time, and as expected, he was the first one. This has been a habit for decades.
When it got daylight, other officials and minor officials also came one after another. As the head of the Department of Personnel, he was not busy with official duties, but Liu Xiaoli was not like other officials who were cheating, but carefully checked what had been handled yesterday.
For official business, ask about today's affairs seriously.
I was busy until noon when I took a break.
Liu Xiaoli did not go home, nor did he go out to eat at restaurants or taverns like other officials. Instead, he took out the snack box he brought with him and put his bowl of rice and a bowl of vegetarian dishes
Put it out, make a pot of sencha provided in the hall, and your lunch is done.
When I was about to finish eating, I heard low chatter and laughter from outside. It was a group of small officials who had come back from dinner together. They were talking and laughing. Listening to their voices that were sometimes high and sometimes low, you can imagine that they must be passing on some gossip.
This is a very common thing among Zhongshu’s political sect.
Liu Xiaoli never participated in gossip. He ate slowly until a sentence came into his ears.
"... Mr. Chen's matter has been decided. It must be an open matter under Tong Zhongshu's family. When a vacancy opens, who do you think is possible?"
"...The most senior person here is Principal Liu..."
Minister of official affairs!
Although everyone knew that Chen Shao would not stay in the civil service for a long time, they did not expect to leave so soon. However, the emperor's health was still not good, the position of prince was unresolved, and the emperor's thoughts became increasingly difficult to guess.
But if we take it seriously, it is a good thing. It is a good thing for others and a good thing for him.
Step by step, are you getting closer and closer to your goal?
Liu Xiaoli's heart suddenly turned upside down. He felt that his heartbeat had stopped and his breathing almost stopped. He couldn't help but subconsciously reach out and hold his heart.
"My lord?" the attendant on the side asked with concern.
With his heart pounding in his ears, Liu Xiaoli slowly exhaled and smiled at the attendant.
"Go and warn us. Our place is very close to the Political Hall. Don't let your husband see the mess." He said kindly.
Liu Xiaoli has always been cautious, honest and afraid of getting into trouble, so it's not surprising that he said something like this. The attendant smiled and said he was going out.
The noise outside the door soon disappeared, and everything became quiet again.
Liu Xiaoli lowered his head and continued to eat. Although his expression remained the same, his heart was in turmoil.
This is also his habit. No matter whether he is sad, angry, happy or sad, he keeps it in his heart and never expresses it externally. After so many years, he has become very confident that he can control it freely.
It's just that today is different from the past. He always feels that his heartbeat is a little fast.
Besides, this is just chatting and joking among the officials. There are hundreds of news circulating in the political hall every day, and none of them can be taken seriously.
What's more, it's him, he's a cautious person, how could he be so emotionally unstable just because of this empty talk?
Liu Xiaoli couldn't help but take a deep breath.
Is the Minister of Civil Service arriving early?
What a happy event. If we can take this step, it will definitely be a watershed span.
Will there be one more person named Liu participating in politics in Zhongshu’s province in the future?
Liu Xiaoli held his chopsticks still, slightly lost in thought.
The door curtain rang and the attendant came in.
Liu Xiaoli put down his chopsticks and picked up the tea. His heartbeat calmed down and there was a faint scent lingering in his nose.
"Hmm, it smells good." He couldn't help but say, sniffing hard and looking at the tea bowl in front of him.
"The new Nanzhou tea has been introduced. How do you like it, Principal?" When the official heard this, he asked with a smile.
It smells like tea. Liu Xiaoli nodded, feeling a little relaxed.
"Good tea, good tea." He said, took a sip.
************************
This time, I plan to use the official positions in the Tang and Song dynasties indiscriminately, so I won’t go into details because I didn’t go through the details before and just wrote them down, so it would be too troublesome to change them. I’ll just treat them as names, and I’ll try my best to avoid involving them as much as possible. (To be continued)
