It's the New Year's Eve again, and the city of Xijing has been peaceful for many years, so it is naturally very lively at the end of the new year, and a wide street is bustling with people.
Although the drought two years ago made it difficult for the people of Chu to make a living, after these two years of rest and recuperation, the lives of the people of Chu have gradually returned to normal.
Among the crowd, there was a young scribe with a white fan, white face and white shirt who flowed into an inn with the crowd.
"Hey, I'm back from shopping objectively, shall we serve the same dishes as yesterday?"
As soon as the young scribe entered the inn, a waiter ran over to greet him. From this, it can be seen that this must be a financial sponsor. Otherwise, how could a waiter with such a philistine vision be so attentive?
?
However, there is nothing wrong with being such a philistine. They are just trying to support their families. Since a small family is a small family, it definitely does not have the grandeur that only wealthy families have.
"I'm tired of those dishes yesterday. Go to Manxiang Tower for me and buy me four dishes, one soup and a jug of wine according to the previous rules. Then I'll give you a reward of fifty cash."
"Okay!"
After hearing the young scribe's instructions, the waiter ran out without even taking care of the business in the inn. Fifty pennies was enough to cover his five days' wages. He had worked hard for the shopkeeper for more than ten years without any complaints.
I have never received so much reward money.
The shopkeeper who was standing at the counter doing the accounting didn't stop him when he saw it. First, the waiter in this shop is really smart enough on weekdays, and he is also diligent and nimble. He has attracted many old customers to him, and today he has the opportunity to earn some extra money to supplement his family income.
He just let him go.
Fifty pennies is naturally nothing to a wealthy family like a young scribe, but if he were to come up with the fifty pennies, he would probably be talked about by the wife at home for several days after he returns.
The second reason is that even the shopkeeper doesn't want to offend the young scholar because of these trivial things. He has been staying in the inn for more than two months, and he doesn't know how long he will stay in the inn.
This business made the innkeepers on the same street jealous for a long time.
If this made him unhappy, he would turn around and change the inn, and he would be the one crying, especially since he had learned a lot after working so hard for that little bit of property over the years. The so-called lesser of two evils
He could still carry it clearly.
The waiter at the shop came back just as quickly as he left, but he came back with a food box in half a cup of tea.
"Sir, this meal is still on your account as before. The shopkeeper of Manxianglou said that you can just go over and settle the account once every half month."
The young scribe nodded lightly, and at this moment, the waiter hurriedly came to his table and set out the food for him.
"Sir, I dare to ask you what brought you to the capital. I haven't seen you doing anything serious for the past two months."
The waiter who stepped aside with the food box scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Hey, I'm not afraid of Young Master's jokes. I may not have the ability to help Young Master, but I may be more aware of some of the twists and turns in the capital than Young Master. If Young Master has any difficulties, you might as well tell me.
, maybe I can think of a way for the young master or something!"
Perhaps he felt that the reward was too easy, so the waiter expressed his thoughts with great embarrassment. However, he also knew that he was just a waiter. If these words fell into the ears of other guest officers, I am afraid that
I'm going to be laughed at a lot.
But it seemed that this young man was well-educated and would not say those hurtful words. It was for this reason that he dared to speak.
"I understand my kindness. I came to the capital not to do business, but to wait for someone. The time has not come yet. When the time comes, the person I am waiting for will come."
When he heard that the scholar not only did not blame himself for talking too much, but also called him "little brother", the waiter's heart was instantly sweeter than eating honey, and he seemed to be happier than he was when he received the fifty cash reward.
The young scribe stretched out his chopsticks to pick up a piece of crispy duck, Manxianglou's signature dish, and put it into his mouth to savor it.
The reason why this dish has become one of Manxianglou's signature dishes is probably due to its knife skills, and its price is also prohibitive for many people.
There are only eighteen slices of this crispy duck on the plate, but the slices are as thin as cicada wings. Just looking at it is enough to make people salivate.
After chewing up the piece of duck in his mouth and swallowing it, the young scribe continued.
"After all, the person I'm waiting for has arrived."
It was at this time that a young man dressed as a servant ran in from outside the door of the inn. He first glanced at everyone in the inn, and then shouted loudly.
"Excuse me, who is Mr. Lu Dongshu?"
"I am!"
Lu Dongshu, who only had time to take a bite of the duck, replied softly. The boy looked at him doubtfully at first. Only when he felt that the man in front of him had the same bookish air as his master did he speak.
"My master is inviting me this evening!"
"Thank you, brother, for delivering the news."
"Do you know who my master is?"
Lu Dongshu, who came all the way from Jiangnan, put down his chopsticks.
"knew."
After hearing the answer, the boy who originally wanted to show off his mouth immediately shut his mouth. If he lost his job just because of his temporary addiction, he would probably find a pillar to hit him to death.
He wisely turned around and left without staying for a moment. It was precisely for this reason that he did not see Lu Dongshu's hand that was shaking slightly from grabbing the wine glass with excessive force.
"It took five years in Jiangnan and two months in Beijing to get a chance to meet each other. But what makes me most uncomfortable is that I was heartbroken after hearing the news!"
He raised his head and took a sip of wine and said with self-deprecation.
“I still haven’t done enough to cultivate my character!”
…
The sun was setting and it was not nearly dusk. When Lu Dongshu, who was only in his twenties, stood in front of the Prime Minister's Office, he suddenly felt that this was a bit unreal.
At first, he wanted to go astray, and wanted to become Chen Wang's disciple and then come to Beijing to gain opportunities. Later, the boy Chen Xici was waiting for told him a truth:
How do you know that this road is impassable if you don't try it? Is it because others have told you that this road is impassable? But even if there is no road, you can't dig your own way out?
Looking at the setting sun in the west, Lu Dongshu did not cover his eyes with his hands, but just squinted his eyes in discomfort.
"Everything is difficult at the beginning. It depends on whether we can open an opening for that road today."
Step by step up the steps, Lu Dongshu opened the door before he could knock. The boy he had seen during the day came out and said respectfully.
"Sir, my master has been waiting for a long time."
"It's time to work."
After leaving the inn during the day, the boy realized belatedly that someone who could be invited by his master could be a simple person? Fortunately, he had not offended him during the day. What if he said this in front of the master?
With these two sentences, I'm afraid he will be transferred to clean the toilet tonight.
Under the leadership of the Su Mansion concierge, Lu Dongshu walked deep into the Su Mansion. In the garden, he saw a young man about the same age as him.
Neither of them spoke, they just smiled and nodded and passed by each other.
When he reached the courtyard where Su Wang's study was located, the boy stopped in his tracks.
"Sir, the master is in the study room inside. We can't go in without permission. You can go in by yourself, master."
After nodding to the concierge, Lu Dongshu walked into the courtyard and came to the study door. He pulled up the ring on the door and knocked lightly three times.
"Enter."
After opening the door, Lu Dongshu directly saw Su Wang sitting in the main seat. The old man was still the same as he was five years ago, but he was not as energetic as before.
A chair was placed in front of Su Wang's desk. There were no books on the desk in front of him, but surprisingly there were two sets of bowls and chopsticks and a pot of vegetable and tofu soup.
"Come and sit"
After Lu Dongshu came over and sat down, Su Wang looked at the steaming pot of vegetable and tofu soup and said.
"I left you alone for two months in vain. Do you have any complaints in your heart?"
Just as Lu Dongshu was about to speak, he was interrupted by Su Wang.
"Don't say it if you do. I won't listen anyway."
Lu Dongshu laughed dumbly.
"Although I complain a little, fortunately there are two restaurants, Manxiang and Fusheng, so I feel a little uncomfortable but at least I can satisfy some of my appetites."
"I called you here today mainly because I want to treat you to a bowl of this vegetable and tofu soup."
As expected, Su Wang ignored Lu Dongshu's feelings, but changed the topic on his own, and served Lu Dongshu a bowl of soup while talking.
"Governing a big country is like cooking small dishes, just like this simple vegetable and tofu soup. No matter how outstanding the cook is, it will always have the same taste, but how can you add some other flavors to its original taste?
This is the basis for whether a cook can be called a master chef."
He handed the half-filled bowl of soup to Lu Dongshu's hand. There was a lonely vegetable leaf and half a piece of tofu floating in it.
"And if you want to be a chef, you must start as an apprentice. Even if you already have the skills of a chef, you still have to endure it first. The number of chefs in Chaozhong is limited. If the person above you
If you don't abdicate, no matter how powerful you are, you will just have to endure it down there. Gongmen's cultivation is nothing compared to worldly knowledge."
"This soup is good."
This time it was Su Wang's turn to laugh.
"I know you understand the truth, but in the end you are still young at heart. Even if you understand the most correct way to do many things, you will still involuntarily do things according to your own extreme ideas. This is
, is a taboo for public servants! You need to...remember! Remember!"
Pick up the piece of tofu and put it in your mouth. It is tender and smooth in the mouth. It has broken into pieces before you chew it with your teeth. Then you mix the tofu with a mouthful of soup and swallow it. It is really delicious.
If you are invited to drink soup, drink the soup seriously.
, Lu Dongshu waited silently for Su Wang's next words, and after Lu Dongshu ate the piece of tofu, Su Wang continued.
"Some things have to be experienced by you before you know them. Now let's talk about why you want to join the court as an official! I remember you wanted to say this five years ago."
Lu Dongshu put the bowl back on the table.
"If it were put five years ago, I might have a lot to say, but today, what I want to say is relatively simple. Regarding governing the country, I have two strategies and one strategy! The two strategies refer to the canal and the academy.
!”
Lu Dongshu waved his long sleeves and showed his arrogance, showing the arrogance of a scholar.
"In the territory of Dachu, there is the Bian River in Bianzhou and the Huai River in the south of the Yangtze River. Unfortunately, the two are not connected. But if it can be artificially dug to connect the two rivers, it can then spread to Lingzhou, Yuzhou and other places further away.
, At that time, the water transport of Dachu will run through the world, and it will no longer be an empty talk to go from Liaodong to Xijing in the evening!"
After talking about the canal, Lu Dongshu was extremely excited. It seemed that Su Wang was right. Lu Dongshu was calm enough on the surface, but he was still a young man at heart.
"As for academies, the literary style in Jiangnan is the most prosperous, but there are only dozens of large and small academies in total. If Jiangnan is like this, you can imagine what it will be like in other places. A few years ago, I saw the Jinghua Academy opened in the imperial court.
I thought that the imperial court wanted to spread learning throughout the world, but it’s a pity that there has been no movement since Jinghua Academy. It’s really a pity!”
Su Wang would not tell him why the academy thing started and why it stopped. Only when he encounters these problems himself will he understand how difficult it is to accomplish something.
Not everyone in the court is Lu Xiangrui, and not everyone is Lu Dongshu!
"Finally, let me tell you a plan!"
Different from the excitement before, Lu Dongshu became quiet at this time, and his tone even sounded a little sad.
"One policy! Land tax policy! The reason why so many people in our country in Chu have no enough to eat is ultimately because there is something wrong with the tax law of the imperial court itself. Nowadays, the more officials you hold, the more tax the rich people have to pay.
The less there is, the more taxes the poor families with little land will pay! Just like the drought the year before last, I can guarantee that the food they ate that whole year was less than half of the old food in the world in previous years, but those
People who have grain in their hands would rather the rice rot in the warehouse than take it out to save people! Why? I would rather feed the Lord with rice than save everyone in the world!" (Note: Shejun, another name for mice.)
There was some resentment in Lu Dongshu's eyes, as well as the disgust towards corrupt policies.
"If there is a day when I can stand at the top, I will re-measure the world's land! Every household will be divided into different levels and pay taxes per mu. All officials and wealthy businessmen will be equal, and there will be no underpayment of taxes!
Violators will be punished!"
After listening to the first two sentences, Su Wang's eyes didn't show any emotion at all. It wasn't until the land tax policy came out that his eyes had a different look.
"Canals, academies, and taxes! These three are all good ways to benefit the country. If an official can do one in his lifetime, it will be enough to be famous throughout history. However, you are sure that you have the ability to do all three.
Is it done?"
"Su Xiang's words are just kidding. It's true that the predecessors planted trees for future generations to enjoy the shade, but the predecessors can't finish all the work for the descendants. The three things just done can create the world's greatest achievements.
For immortal achievements, we only need to lay a good foundation for future generations, and the gradual improvement of the content inside must be completed by themselves."
Su Wang touched his white beard and nodded.
"Yes, one cannot become a fat man by eating one meal, but there is one more thing I must tell you. You can eat as much as you can. I don't care about the canal and the academy, but you'd better give it a try first.
I'm rotten in my stomach! Don't reveal anything until you become a chef. I don't want to finish talking to you tonight and you will be thrown into a mass grave tomorrow."
"Thank you, Mr. Su, for your advice!"
This is a life-saving kindness and must be remembered.
"Tomorrow morning, you go to the Criminal Department to report first, and someone will naturally arrange it for you then!"
…
Fu Rui's thirty-first year, winter.
After five years and two months of arduous study, Lu Dongshu finally got his wish and put on the official uniform. His official rank was not high and even a little low-ranking. Strictly speaking, he was the eighth grade official in the Ministry of Justice's Book of Orders and Records.
Just a small official with a sword and pen.
But he didn't think there was anything wrong. He thought he had a lot of knowledge and a lot of strategies, but just like Su Wang said last night, he knew nothing about Gongmen practice.
Lu Dongshu remembered clearly that when he walked to the door of the Penal Department Yamen, the person who came to pick him up was a fifth-rank member of the Penal Department, a foreigner. The man's attitude towards him was neither humble nor harsh.
It seems that Su Wang did say hello to the Ministry of Justice, but it was probably just a casual mention at most. Not to mention the chief officials like the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, not even the Minister of Justice saw one.
The member of staff took him to a desk and gave him a few words before turning around and leaving. Lu Dongshu sat down on his own and caressed every corner of the desk.
The workmanship of this table is very rough and not comparable to the exquisite nanmu desks in his home, but this table carries his dream.