While Fang Yingwu was speechless for a moment, Academician Liu said earnestly: "Your behavior can be said to be the first to start the trend of selling straight things. In the future, if the officials, science and education groups follow suit, and it is extremely difficult to check and balance, our Ming Dynasty temple will have no peace.
It’s day!”
This sentence struck a chord with Fang Yingwu again.
As a traveler who has carefully studied the history of the Ming Dynasty, he certainly knew that there was a very bad custom in the Ming Dynasty, which was to deliberately sell direct invitations. In the middle and late period, this trend became more and more widespread, especially in the case of science and technology, it was very difficult to control official power.
At that time, some ministers would do anything for the so-called "fame". The most typical example was to deliberately offend the emperor and ask for the imperial staff, and then they would be proud of themselves, claiming to leave a name in history, so as to show off in front of others.
Fang Yingwu vaguely remembered that the trend of this kind of custom did indeed originate in the Chenghua period. The reason was probably that the Chenghua emperor had many problems, but he was also soft-handed and would not kill people.
But this Liu Mianhua's vision is almost evil. He is indeed aware of the subtleties, and he can see the trend of a hundred or two hundred years...
This made Fang Yingwu even more unconvinced. As a historical researcher, he certainly understood that a person in the historical torrent is mostly obsessed by the authorities, and it is unimaginably difficult to see future trends.
Thinking about it carefully, my behavior in the past few days is indeed no different from those of those who sell direct invitations in later generations. They are all artificial and deliberate attempts to create fame.
Could it be that because of Liu Mianmian's characterization, he is labeled as the ancestor of the Ming Dynasty who deliberately sold himself straight, the beginning of a bad trend?
Fang Yingwu, whose thoughts were almost led into a ditch, suddenly found that after a few rounds, he was completely at a disadvantage. This was the first time he experienced this. The person in front of him was more difficult than the gentleman-type bosses like Shang Xianggong and Wang Shu.
Too much trouble.
This can't go on like this. Although I don't know what Liu Mianhua's purpose is, he must cheer up. He can't act so cowardly that he will be suppressed in terms of momentum.
Fang Yingwu quickly recalled the life story of University Scholar Liu in his mind. Suddenly he had some ideas, and he said: "The old man's eyes are like a torch, and the candle shines brightly, and Wansheng admires him. But even if Wansheng deliberately seeks fame, others will also
If you are willing to believe it, it shows that there is still support from the people."
Then he changed his subject and added: "Actually, what we should be afraid of is that no one will believe us even if we try to gain fame. This is a sad and deplorable situation."
Liu Ji couldn't help but feel his breath stagnant. He was a little stunned. Did Fang Yingwu's words not pierce his heart?
Ever since he waved the banner with Shang Lu once last year, the situation has taken a turn for the worse. He has completely shrunk his head and focused on protecting himself. In the past year, he not only has no rules and advice for the emperor, but has blindly flattered and flattered him, and even colluded with the popular eunuch Liang Fang.
Although he stabilized his position in the cabinet, he did not suffer a major purge like Xiang Zhong, the Minister of War, and Li Bin, the imperial censor of Zuodu. However, the reputation among scholars also deteriorated sharply.
Fang Yingwu said it right. Now even if he wants to go out and fight to clear his name, no one will really believe him. They will probably just watch it as an act.
This is so sad for a scholar who will leave his name in history books in the future. In fact, many scholars have a gentleman's heart, but after entering the vanity fair, some people are bent by reality. Some people
People are broken by reality.
This guy is indeed very smart, Liu Ji secretly praised in his heart. But Liu Mianhua is Liu Mianhua after all. He immediately raised his head and laughed "haha" a few times, covering up his brief absence. "Having said that, you and I really don't need to be secretive.
You said it, do you think it’s true?”
Is this the end of the test and is it finally time to get down to business? Fang Yingwu quickly replied: "What the boss said is absolutely true."
Somehow, Fang Yingwu also felt very relaxed at this time. After several rounds with Liu Mianhua, his old man had seen through everything, so there was no need to put on any cumbersome disguises now.
It feels really good to be able to travel lightly. I have never felt such a sense of relief when dealing with Shang Xianggong and Wang Shu.
Academician Liu promised: "Concerning your father's matter, I plan to lend a helping hand and intercede with the emperor on your father's behalf."
"Thank you, sir!" Fang Yingwu was overjoyed, but said worriedly: "Aren't you afraid of upsetting the emperor by speaking for a critic like my father? According to convention, sir, you shouldn't behave like this."
Liu Ji said indifferently: "I have my own ideas, you don't have to worry."
Academician Liu didn't want to tell all the details, but seeing Fang Yingwu's expression of seeking knowledge, he knew that he wouldn't be able to gain Fang Yingwu's trust if he didn't tell him today.
He could only say a few words briefly: "Now that your Majesty's memorial is still with the Emperor, I only need to say to the Emperor that Fang Qingzhi is trying to gain prestige with Your Majesty, and Your Majesty must not be fooled.
Moreover, now that China and foreign countries are paying attention, if the memorial was issued to deal with Fang Qingzhi, it would only disturb people's hearts, and His Majesty would lose face for the contents of the memorial, and would instead make others believe that Fang Qingzhi's memorial was true.
Therefore, it is better to hand over Fang Qingzhi to me and deal with it quietly in secret, without making it public and wait for the matter to be resolved automatically."
Fang Yingwu was once again impressed. The scholar Liu's ability to serve as an official was indeed extraordinary. With just a few words, under the guise of thinking about the emperor's face, it was not difficult to persuade the nerdy Emperor Chenghua.
Fang Yingwu then asked: "I thank you again on behalf of my father, but I wonder what your master wants?"
Liu Ji smiled and said: "It's not difficult. You just need to express your gratitude to me publicly afterward. Also, you are good at writing poems. You can give me some poems when the time comes, for example, Duke Zhou is afraid of the Rumor Day."
Fang Yingwu suddenly realized that this was the purpose of Academician Liu.
As he said, it is impossible for him to sell his name to clear his name, and no one will believe him. But he can make up for his image from another angle.
For example, when times are tough, he endures humiliation and humiliation, and endures slander while silently helping Zhongliang. As the saying goes, Duke Zhou fears the day of rumors...
To achieve this goal, it is obviously useless to be enthusiastic. The person who needs to be rescued needs to take the initiative to sing praises and sing at a good level. Anything less is ineffective. My father is obviously not this material, but he can do it.
.
Liu Ji said calmly: "Smart people don't tell secret words. I can see that you are a really smart but not pedantic person. After hearing about your deeds, I felt that there is still something to be done. That's why I summoned
You come."
Fang Yingwu was sure that Academician Liu really had no intention of helping his father. Risking the emperor's displeasure by rescuing an unrelated person would gain nothing in the end, and he might even be scolded by the rescued person.
After a while, Liu Mianhua certainly wouldn't do such a thing.
But now, with Fang Yingwu, a "smart person" who has been confirmed through inspection, the situation is different. Someone can be a partner and stage a win-win rivalry. Academician Liu's enthusiasm has naturally increased.
To put it simply, the reputation Fang Yingwu created for being a loyal father and a filial son was very successful, and Academician Liu became interested in it and wanted to take advantage of it in some clever way.
So should we give University Scholar Liu a ride? Fang Yingwu thought about it for a few moments, and the answer became obvious - he could only agree.
People like Liu Mianmian could come up with all kinds of excuses to coax the emperor to transfer the power of disposal to him, and then take advantage of the opportunity to make money. Could a gentleman be able to do it?
Although Academician Liu has a bad reputation, no matter what he does in order to save his father, it is justifiable. Dealing with Academician Liu is nothing, and he will not be denied. Public opinion is not so extreme these days.
What's more, since Mr. Shang became an official, there is no gentleman with a higher status than Liu Miantian in the court today. There will also be no more powerful helper and collaborator than Liu Miantian. You can never allow yourself to curry favor with eunuchs and eunuchs.
Just those favored monks, Taoists and alchemists.
After the matter was settled, Liu Ji suddenly started talking about common things and asked: "Brother Fang, when were you born? Have you ever studied? Are you married?"
Fang Yingwu didn't know why. Did this boss just want to be a matchmaker when they met for the first time? "Wansheng was born in the sixth year of Tianshun. He has never been married. He is currently a county school student."
Liu Ji nodded and said: "You are seventeen years old and sixteen years old? It is also very good to pass the county college entrance examination. However, there are some young and high school talents in our dynasty, such as Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe, who were awarded the Jinshi rank before they were young.
, the Manchu Dynasty recognized it as very promising.
Your father is ranked fourth in the second class of high school today. You must have inherited your father's talents. If you are willing to work hard, you will be in the middle school examination in two years and the high school examination in three years. You will only be nineteen years old at that time. You will be as famous as Li Yang and your future will be bright.
It’s great.”
"Thank you for your encouragement, sir, and thank you for your kind words," Fang Yingwu replied in a very conventional manner. If he could do that, he would wake up from his dream with a smile.
Liu Ji smiled slightly and warned in a very serious tone: "But listen to my advice, people with a bright future do not need to get married early, otherwise they will die in vain.
Let’s look at the exam results in two or three years. It won’t be too late to consider getting married by then. Maybe if you do well in the exam, you can get into a high school as a boost.”
His idea was really utilitarian, and Fang Yingwu was speechless about it. He also felt that Mr. Liu had a somewhat intimate relationship today. His words just now sounded like he was getting close to an elder, but were he that familiar with him?
?
This should be a way to win over people. A few words of verbal encouragement won't cost anything, so why not? History books also mentioned that Liu Mianhua was good at clinging to and making favors, which was one of the factors that made him stand firm.
Seeing that it was getting late, Fang Yingwu remembered that there was another meeting with Commander Wan of the Jinyi Guards in the evening, so he stood up to leave.
As Liu Ji was a bachelor, of course he would not see guests off, so Fang Yingwu also took the initiative to exit politely.
When he retreated to the door, he suddenly heard a sharp shout: "Dad! You said you wanted to play chess, why didn't you come for half a day! I was so anxious after waiting."
The scream came from the direction of the back door on the other side of the study. Fang Yingwu glanced at it subconsciously, and then a half-grown girl flashed in from there, dragging Academician Liu to act coquettishly.
But it turned out that she was about twelve or thirteen years old, with a tight-fitting little bikini top, revealing a pink plate-collared coat, and a gold-threaded pleated skirt underneath. The pleats of the skirt swayed as she took steps, as dazzling as sparkling water.
Looking at the appearance, she has a fair and pointed face, slender eyebrows and charming red phoenix eyes. She is a perfect little beauty. Although she has not grown up, she still reveals a bit of enchanting charm that can turn all living beings upside down.
When Fang Yingwu wanted to take a closer look, Bu Zi had already left the room. The Liu family didn't keep him talking, so he had no choice but to turn around and leave.
At this time, recalling Liu Mianhua's words, Fang Yingwu vaguely understood some meaning. But he didn't dare to think more. Maybe he was being sentimental. The main task at the moment was to save his father, and he didn't think about anything else for the time being.
.(To be continued.)
ps: I finally got the third update before the end of today, luckily I didn’t break my promise... please vote for me!
