With Yang Sichang’s officialdom wisdom, of course he should have thought of:
If he meets a student in front of Shi Kefa and Huang Degong, it is very likely that he will be over-interpreted by those who are trying to figure out his intentions.
If Shen Shuren goes out and pretends to be acquainted with Mr. Yang Ge, he will definitely attract the people below to fawn over him.
It's a pity that Yang Sichang doesn't care about these details at all. He has too many things to think about. Moreover, he has no idea how terrible the young man opposite is in terms of "hitting snakes and following sticks".
Seeing Shi Kefa disappear outside the door, Yang Sichang cleared his throat, picked up the secret letter from Wu Weiye in front of him, and asked in a low voice:
"A few trivial matters have caused so many twists and turns. Fortunately, you are good at handling things and handled them well. Zheng Zhilong's son has already enrolled in school in Nanjing, right? Will there be no more mistakes?"
Yang Sichang didn't care at all about the fate of other chess pieces. What he cared about most was obviously whether Zheng Zhilong, the warlord who was also recruited by Xiong Wencan, was properly stabilized.
It is important to get Zheng Sen to Nanjing, but it is also important to try to be as smooth as possible during the process and not to irritate Zheng Zhilong.
If you take a hostage and secretly crack the relationship, it can only be considered a miserable victory.
Of course Shen Shuren knew Yang Sichang's concern, so he went straight to the point:
"Please rest assured, Mr. Ge, that the student has not used force throughout the whole process. Zheng Zhilong was also alert before and asked the Shen family to cooperate. However, my family was trying to deal with them in vain, but in fact they were waiting for the opportunity to find another reason, creating a situation where they had to come to Nanjing. .
At the same time, the student also figured out Zheng Sen's character and knew that this man was young and passionate and had a more loyal heart than his father. Therefore, the student subtly hinted that he had made his own decisions and came to Nanjing. Zheng Zhilong could not bear to have any outside influence on this matter. On the human head.”
Yang Sichang was very satisfied after hearing this.
This young man speaks clearly and clearly, and he doesn't show off the parts that Shangguan doesn't care about. He speaks neatly and neatly. He is a talent.
With such ease, the worry of warlord rebellion in a province was eliminated. If this credit could not be put on the table, Yang Sichang would have wanted to give him an official position now.
Once he developed a good impression, Yang Sichang did not hesitate to chat for a while, and he comforted and joked: "Wumeicun has such a talented person to ask for instructions. I think he is confused in his studies.
Fortunately, you are brave and dare to come to Hefei with the letter. You didn't expect to meet a bandit on the way. You have accomplished something anyway and are eager to show off."
This question seems casual and kind, but in fact it is a test of character. I want to know whether Shen Shuren is reckless or passionate, or whether he is thoughtful and aware of the dangers, but is obsessed with fame.
Without even thinking about it, Shen Shuren said frankly: "Since Mr. Yang Ge thinks highly of our Shen family and entrusts this matter to my father, our Shen family should start and finish the work.
Master Wu didn't know the twists and turns. When he saw that I had caused a case in the Nanjing Criminal Department, it was only human nature to worry about damaging the reputation of the Imperial College. Therefore, the student thought that the only way to report the matter to him in person was to ask for instructions from the Imperial Guard, and he would not worry about leaks, nor would he It made Wu Shanchang feel alienated.
In addition, I would like to clarify this time that I don't care about the number of supervisors. This matter had to be done in the end because I was not resourceful enough to do it perfectly. My family is quite wealthy, and if I want to be an official in the future, I can just buy it."
These words were quite shocking, and Yang Sichang couldn't help but be surprised. He couldn't help but ask: "Ordinary people look down on official donation, but you think it doesn't matter?"
Chen Shuren: "A saint never changes from his father's way. My father donates his official position to become an official. How can a student look down on donating an official position? What's more, the student has observed his father's way of becoming an official for many years and has gained a lot of experience."
The world despises donating official posts, mostly because those who donate official posts are often trying to repay their roots. Once they take office, they intensify their efforts to plunder people's wealth and anoint them, and use their power for personal gain.
But the student's family fortune is millions, and he only wants to be an official to support the Ming Dynasty, to intimidate the Tatars, and to uphold China's reputation. My father has been in the Ministry of Household Affairs for ten years, and he has to pay for travel and entertainment every year - how can it be despicable to donate to an official position like this?"
Chen Shuren naturally quoted the rhetorical tactics of a notorious foreign politician in later generations: "I did not elect the president of the United States because of money, because I am already rich."
Although his character is looked down upon by Chen Shuren, a pair of underwear and toilet paper have their value, and they can be thrown away if they can be used.
After Yang Sichang finished listening, he fell into a rare long silence.
He is also an old man in the officialdom, and he is naturally a good person in terms of emotional intelligence. If Shen Shuren came up with other pretentious excuses to refuse rewards in exchange for retreat, Yang Sichang would be able to see through him immediately.
But Shen Shuren said something so shocking that Confucian officials had never dared to say it. In Yang Sichang's life experience, he had never heard of it. However, it seemed to be very suitable for his status and the current situation.
Yang Sichang thought about it again and again, but in the end his empathy prevailed, and he believed that his words came from the bottom of his heart and were realistic.
He is a rare man of action. In today's Ming Dynasty, there are too many hypocritical scholars, and there are almost no such people.
When thinking about how to reward the other party, he just added a final question: "Since all this is the result of your careful consideration, then you are not afraid at all when you encounter thieves on the road?"
Chen Shuren thought for a moment: "The student knows that his ships are equipped with sophisticated equipment, and the pilot soldiers selected by my father are also bloody men, so he is not too worried.
In this critical autumn, if you want to make great achievements, you have to take more or less risks. If you want to benefit the world's life and death, how can you avoid it because of swords and soldiers."
"Well said, merit is gained through danger. You are also upright and upright, much better than those hypocritical people." Yang Sichang completely strengthened his determination to make the other party his confidant.
He quickly thought about how to reward him, and finally said to Shen Shuren in a rare discussion tone:
"I will reply to him at Wumei Village. For now, you should go back to the Imperial College and be naturalized as a prison student. Prison students also donate three, six, nine, and three grades. I will let Wumei Village choose the best one for you.
After all, the matter of inducing Zheng Sen to be a hostage this time is not easy to do openly, including the fact that you came to Hefei to ask for a meeting with me, and it is not easy to make it public. Otherwise, if Zheng Zhilong knows that your Shen family has been used by me for a long time, it will lead to complications.
Therefore, if you are eager to become an official, you can donate your position as a prison student after returning to Nanjing. I won't care about you. If you wait for three to five months, this matter will be out of the limelight, and I will find another excuse to promote you.
It is already the end of July, and it would be best to wait until the spring of next February, when a large number of officials will be appointed, and you will not attract attention among them.
I see that you are quite capable of hard work. If you make a contribution by your own ability after donating the official position, I will also say hello to the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Jingchao and ask them to promote you as quickly as possible.
In addition, since you are already a proctor/tributary student, you can take the exam next year according to the law. If you are confident in your knowledge, you can take the exam once after donating your official position. In short, everything will be as convenient as possible for you."
Yang Sichang also sincerely supported the underachievers, so he told him so much. In fact, the elder's explanation alone was worth a lot of favors.
After hearing this, Chen Shuren did not feel any surprise. His mission this time was all secret, and the debriefing resulting from the secret mission was naturally secret and could not be fulfilled immediately.
However, according to the highest level of supervising student enrollment status, coupled with the subsequent "promotion accelerator card" secret operation, it is definitely worth the price, and the reputation is not bad.
Shen Shuren could tell that Yang Sichang had no intention of defaulting on the debt, he just wanted to keep it secret.
After Chen Shuren thought about it carefully, there was only one question that he couldn't figure out: "Mr. Ge, I have a question that I don't understand. If I am promoted to a prisoner and donated to an official position first, can I still take part in the examination?"
Under the ancient imperial examination system when selecting officials, there were people who first became officials and then were promoted. However, after the imperial examination system, this situation has almost never been heard of.
In fact, this is because Shenshu people did not read the law carefully. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, people were promoted to officials first and then passed the Jinshi examination. In fact, it was true. Bi Yuan, who wrote "Xu Zi Zhi Tong Jian" in the Qing Dynasty, promoted people to be officials first. After becoming an official, there were some cases in the Ming Dynasty where people took the Jinshi examination, but those who passed the examination were not famous.
Yang Sichang was well versed in the imperial system, so he immediately responded in the affirmative: "What's so difficult about this? It's just that you have to donate your official position first and then take the test. You have to be prepared to be despised by those corrupt scholars.
Moreover, the method of our Imperial Examination and the Imperial Examination is intended to allow scholars all over the world to become disciples of the Emperor when they become imperial scholars and serve as officials, and receive favor from the Emperor, thus giving birth to the desire to repay the favor. If you donate your official position first and then take the Imperial Examination, then Your official position was bought with real money by yourself, so it does not receive favor from the emperor and is not the emperor's personal property. You must think clearly about this."
Chen Shuren thought about it for a moment and quickly understood this truth. This is a bit similar to how after the Qing Dynasty, Manchu ministers called themselves "slaves" in front of the emperor, while Han ministers could only call themselves "chen".
Because you became a disciple of the Emperor and "received many favors from the country" before you got the official position, then of course you are the Emperor's private person, and the Emperor sees you as being close to you. Other "disciples of the Emperor" will also treat you as one of the same kind, as "one of their own".
If you buy an official, the money and goods are clear, and you are a good boy, how can there be any "favor"?
At first glance, this disadvantage seemed like it would follow Chen Shuren for his whole life, but when he thought about it, he now understood it, which was a good thing!
If he "repeatedly received national favors", then he would not save Chongzhen in the future, and the psychological pressure and public opinion pressure would be greater. But he did not receive national favors. According to the "subjugation of the country/subjugation of the world" theory that takes care of Yanwu's future, he was not trying to save Chongzhen. The Zhu family came to be an official, and he came to be an official to save the world.
The theory of "saving the world" could not be more appropriate than to be put forward by someone who has not received any favors at the beginning of his career.
Historically, the reason why Gu Yanwu was able to propose this was related to the fact that he had never passed the Ming Dynasty exams or served as an official in the Ming Dynasty. If he had received national favor, then there would be some obstacles when he proposed those nationalist views.
Thinking of this, Chen Shuren was secretly happy. This was a pillow tailor-made for him when he fell asleep.
What I didn’t say! Not only will you have to pay enough money to donate for an official position after entering prison this time, but if you really take the examination in the future, you will still have to pay enough money to pick an official vacancy after passing the exam. You can’t wait for the Ministry of Civil Service to sort out the vacancies. We don’t owe the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Favor! Less favor from Chongzhen!
It would be best to be able to owe salary during the years when you become an official! In this way, we will not be regarded as "eating Han Lu for a long time" or "eating Mingluo for a long time".
As for those people who feel that you are not one of their own, who cares? It will be gone in three or four years.
Shen Shuren thoroughly understood the truth and thanked Yang Sichang sincerely. He already had a road map in his mind on "how to become a warlord as quickly as possible".