At noon that day, Fang Yingwu did not go out to eat and drink. Instead, he had a meal with Hong Song, Xiang Chengxian, Liu Yandao and others in the county school dining hall. The written word was "Meeting."// //
"Did you hear about it? Then Xu Huai took sick leave and went home to recuperate." Xiang Chengxian smiled and said: "I just went to work in Mr.'s room and overheard it. No wonder he has not shown up in the past few days. It turns out that he is
I’m leaving temporarily.”
Hong Song commented solemnly: "Senior Xu has lost face repeatedly and made jokes. It is human nature to be confused for a while."
Fang Yingwu was a little surprised, "He went home right now? Did he even ignore this year's exam?"
Xiang Chengxian sneered: "It's not that he doesn't care, but he has lost confidence in the annual examination, so he is unwilling to participate this time. He simply complained of illness and went through it."
Does this mean he has no confidence? Fang Yingwu, who has a fairly strong character, expressed his confusion. Xu Xueba’s psychological quality is too poor.
Xiang Chengxian continued to explain: "If you want to get a quota for the provincial examination, you must either be a junior student and get no lower than the third grade in the annual examination, or you must be in the top ten. Xu Huai had originally planned your position as a junior student, but
After being hit repeatedly by you, how can you still have this momentum now?
Since he is not a local student, he must get into the top ten in order to get the quota for the provincial provincial examination. But with you watching eagerly in Pangbian, and his own talent is only ordinary, he has no confidence in getting into the top ten.
The most worrying thing is that you might have some unexpected tricks to knock him down to the sixth level, and you won't even be able to keep his honor. So Senior Xu simply took a sick leave and didn't take part in this annual exam. In the art of war, this is called avoiding the enemy.
Edge."
Fang Yingwu was speechless. Brother Xiang's analysis was too exaggerated. He knew his own affairs. It would be great if he could pass this year's test. How could he be distracted and care about others? Let alone suppress others to the point of downgrading. He is simply idiotic.
Raving.
Fang Yingwu sighed and said, "This is a way of judging a gentleman's belly with a villain's heart. Am I that kind of person?" Everyone laughed and said nothing. They buried their heads in eating, following the gentleman's demeanor of saying nothing while eating and sleeping.
I accidentally caught a glimpse of someone coming in from the dining hall door. Fang Yingwu, who was facing the door, unconsciously glanced at him a few more times.
However, I saw this person turning around and walking towards this side. Then he bowed respectfully and said, "I wonder if Mr. Fang has any advice. Please listen."
After just a few glances at this person, he ran over to ask for advice with a low eyebrow. What kind of rhythm is this? Fang Yingwu was stunned, "Oh, it's okay."
"Then I'll take my leave first." The man saluted again and left respectfully. Fang Yingwu looked at him and left. He felt really bad.
Hong Song joked: "A few days ago, you were always worried and lacked confidence. Do you feel this way now? Even if you deliberately failed to write the article in the exam, who in the county school would dare to discuss you below the fourth grade?
?”
Xiang Chengxian said: "It's not just that. This time, Brother Fang Xian uses the county official as his arm to give instructions. I'm afraid that Mr. Meng will be frightened. Will Mr. Meng still dare to fight to the death with Brother Fang Xian in the annual examination?"
Seeing the people in front of him laughing in low voices, Fang Yingwu couldn't laugh or cry.
Nowadays, the world is really in decline, and people's hearts are not as old as they used to be. A few students and even the county school instructor dared to make fun of them. It was unimaginable a few decades ago when the rules and regulations were strict.
But Fang Yingwu thought in a daze, this is the benefit of being a top student? You really don’t waste your youth for being a top student. I originally thought it was boring for a mere county school to compete for the top spot, but it seems interesting from this point of view.
But it is said that summer passes and autumn comes, and time flies. Time flies and it has entered August. In one month, it will be the date of the county school year-end examination.
Fang Yingwu gradually became less worried about his annual exam. Indeed, as his friends said, except Xu Huai, who had ulterior motives, who would be so stupid as to classify him as a fourth-class person even at the cost of tearing his face?
During this period, he brought his concubine Wang Lan to the county town and lived together in the outer courtyard of Xiang's house. During the day, he studied in the county school. In the evening, there was entertainment at the end of the bed. Apart from that, there was nothing much to talk about in his life. The days were leisurely and peaceful.
Such as the life of an ordinary scholar.
In late August, just after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Fang Yingwu left with Xiang Chengxian and Hong Song after listening to a lecture at the county school.
The three of them were planning to go out for a dental ceremony at night. Suddenly, a county government official was waiting outside the gate of the county school. They stepped forward and said to him: "Ms. Fang, the county magistrate has invited you!"
Fang Yingwu had no choice but to say goodbye to his friends and went to the county government office with the government officials. He went to the back hall and paid a visit to the magistrate Wang. He heard the magistrate Wang say: "I received the letter today and the censor of Zhejiang Province will visit this county."
The censor was coming? Fang Yingwu glanced at Wang Magistrate sympathetically, fearing that the county magistrate would have a hard time.
When it comes to selecting the most difficult seventh-rank official in the Ming Dynasty, county magistrate is definitely one of the popular choices. Let’s not talk about anything else, just the number of mothers-in-law above his head. Among the seven ranks in the world, there is no one who is better than the county magistrate.
The government offices are divided into guarding roads, patrolling roads, inspecting envoys, administrative envoys, and governors. Which one is not the superior of the magistrate? Which one does the magistrate dare to treat lightly? Any one of them can suppress the lowest-level officials who are close to the people.
Of course, although the above-mentioned mothers-in-law can manage the county magistrate, according to the state system, from the prefect to the governor, they will not easily go down to the county. Therefore, for the county magistrate, these mothers-in-law can barely be said to be out of sight and out of mind.
bother.
But in addition, there is a rather special boss who not only goes to the county in person, but also inspects all county affairs in detail, including criminal names, money and food, warehouses, folk customs, schools, etc.
Anyone who knows anything about officialdom knows that this is the kind of boss who gives local officials the most headaches. After all, government affairs are complicated, and no local official dares to say that he has nothing wrong with him.
The boss that causes the most headaches for local officials is the patrol censor Wang Zhixian mentioned just now.
Although the inspection censor is only a seventh-rank official, just like the county magistrate, he is an imperial envoy sent by the imperial court. This position is to select the best candidate from the supervisory censor, and his duty is to patrol the hunting grounds on behalf of the sky.
In each locality, all government affairs are handled. Moreover, the patrol censor is completely independent from the local government and is not under the jurisdiction of any local government.
The power of the patrol censor is extremely great. He can report important matters and make decisions on small matters. Wherever he goes, he can be called a senior official. This is the embodiment of the idea of small system and big system in the official system of the Ming Dynasty. It is common in operas to use the sword of Shang Fang to patrol the eight palaces.
It is the artistic image of the patrol censor.
On the other hand, the significance of the existence of patrol censors is probably that the imperial court uses independent commissioners to check and balance local officials and border officials, so as not to lose the tail.
Fang Yingwu knew in his heart that Wang Zhixian's mention of the patrol censor must not be unreasonable, and he must be asking for it. Otherwise, no matter how powerful the patrol censor is, he is here to inspect the government yamen. What does it have to do with him being a scholar?
Fang Yingwu, who was short-tongued and soft-handed, had no moral reason to reject Magistrate Wang. He thought, in this case, instead of waiting for Magistrate Wang to speak, he might as well take the initiative himself.
So after Fang Yingwu saluted, he said to Magistrate Wang: "It is really a very important matter to patrol and supervise the censor and visit this county. My father must deal with it carefully. If it is useful to get a late birth place, just give me the order."
Wang Zhixian smiled and said: "Since I took office, I have been conscientious and conscientious, and I am not afraid of patrolling the censor. It is just a common practice that when the censor visits a place, he must go to the school to observe the situation. In this regard, it is
I have to ask Xiansheng to take good care of me."
Fang Yingwu suddenly realized that it was no wonder that Wang Zhixian wanted to find him. It turned out that he wanted to help with the county school work, so as to avoid any trouble caused by the county student members when the patrol censor came to observe the county school.
After all, the Ming Dynasty is said to have nurtured scholars for hundreds of years. Among the county students and scholars, they are the most active in thinking, the most daring and the most eloquent. It is normal for Wang Zhixian to be worried about the school. Indeed, in the Ming Dynasty, there were many cases of scholars causing trouble.
, but the punishment he received was very light.
"I know, I know, father, but please don't worry." Fang Yingwu agreed without hesitation, and then asked with great concern: "I just don't know when the patrol censor will come?"
Wang Zhixian felt that Fang Yingwu's attitude was very much. He was indeed a sensible person and knew how to measure things. He replied: "The Inspector has just taken office and has already arrived at Hangzhou Prefecture to meet with the Governor according to the regulations. I will probably live better."
We will be in Lin's County in ten days."
A new patrol officer? And a new official who went to Chun'an County as soon as he took office? Fang Yingwu immediately noticed the key point, which is quite interesting.
Why do you say "again"? He remembered that the last person to do this was Li Shishi, the academic official of the province, who also came to Chun'an County in a condescending manner as soon as he took office.
Li Shishi did this, and the new censor did the same. When did Chun'an, a small county in a remote mountainous area in western Zhejiang with a sparse population and insufficient money and food, become so popular that it caused various imperial courts to send officials here one after another?
Fang Yingwu knew that the purpose of the previous visit to Linchun'an County was to observe Grand Master Li Shishi's actions on the orders of Wanshoufu Wan'an. By analogy, could this be the case for the new visit? Fang Yingwu
The more I think about it, the more possible it becomes.
In the past few months, there was great turmoil in the Zhejiang Provincial Chief Envoys' Department and the Inspection and Envoys' Department, which aroused Wan'an's attention and vigilance, and it seemed appropriate to send someone to inspect the situation.
This is probably the case! This is not the first time, nor is it the last time. It is estimated that there will be similar situations in the future. As long as Mr. Shang is still in good health, Wan An and Wan Shoufu will not take it lightly.
However, Fang Yingwu also knew that just by appointing academic officials and patrolling as censors, he could not move Xianggong Shang, and there was no need for him to risk the power of the world to move the former chief minister.
All they can do is observe the situation and report secretly. To put it bluntly, it is a disguised form of surveillance, and it is unlikely that any actual action will be taken.
Therefore, there is nothing to worry about when soldiers come to cover up the water and the earth. Even if Shang Xianggong does nothing, it doesn't matter. As the saying goes, a strong dragon will not overwhelm the local snake, and there is always a reason for it. (To be continued... ps: I wanted to do it again.
I waited until the evening to post three more chapters together, but the monthly subscription growth has slowed down, so I still can’t help but post one chapter first to make my presence felt. It’s far from the previous one, so I beg for monthly subscriptions to bring me closer!
