When Shen Shangshu and Shen Shoufu failed to discuss matters, Lin Tailai had already come to the Ministry of Rites to petition again.
This time, with the permission of Shen Shangshu, the Ritual System Department of the Ministry of Etiquette received Lin Tailai. The Ritual System Department is mainly responsible for the ritual and music system, schools, examinations and other matters, and is a professional counterpart.
Lin Tailai was led to a court room. There was an official sitting behind the case. After looking at Lin Tailai for a few times, the official said impatiently, "What do you want to complain about?"
Lin Tailai responded directly: "Which official are you? Do you still want to remain anonymous and operate in secret?"
The official had no choice but to introduce himself again: "I am Yi Cao Yuan Wai Lang Yu Kong Jian."
In this era, the formal terms in the officialdom were the same, but the various nicknames and nicknames were messy, like slang, but officials still enjoyed it.
Yicao means the Ritual System Department of the Ministry of Rites, and can also be called the Ministry of Rites.
Just hearing the name Yu Kongjian, Lin Tailai knew why the other party had such a bad attitude. To sum it up in one sentence, this man is a genuine old Donglin in history.
Thinking about it, in order to control the situation, Shen Shangshu could not let outsiders be responsible for receiving Lin Tailai.
So Lin Tailai began to complain: "At the official banquet of the Ministry of Civil Affairs in the Winter Solstice, I discussed literary topics with Zhao Nanxing, a member of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Zhao Nanxing couldn't argue, so he took action in a hurry."
From what Lin Tailai meant, it was just a normal literati argument, and then Zhao Nanxing hit someone in a hurry when he couldn't say it.
Yu Kongjian immediately interrupted Lin Tailai and said with a sneer: "Discussing literary topics? Is Zhao Bulang so small-minded?"
Lin Tai looked at the writer next to him who was responsible for recording the speeches, and said hesitantly: "The records of speeches must be reported, right? If you think it should be more detailed, then I have no objection.
The situation at that time was that I listed more than ten arguments to prove that Zhao Nanxing was the author of "Jin Ping Mei", and then Zhao Nanxing took action in a hurry!"
Yu Kongjian: "."
It is difficult to say which of the two statements is more embarrassing, either because one cannot speak well of others when discussing literature, or because one is argued to be the author of "Jin Ping Mei".
Finally, Yu Kong Jian told the writer responsible for recording: “Use the rhetoric of discussing literature.”
Then Lin Tailai continued to plead: "Zhao Nanxing was armed with an iron weapon, secretly intending to murder, and attacked from behind."
"Absurd!" Yu Kongjian shouted unbearably: "You only have an injury on your right shoulder, how dare you accuse Zhao Bulang of murdering you? It's just a nonsense and a malicious frame-up!"
Lin Tailai explained rationally: "Everyone present at the time saw with their own eyes that Zhao Bulang hit me on the back of the head with an iron weapon in his hand.
As for why my right shoulder was injured, it was because I tried my best to dodge, but didn’t completely dodge, so I got hit on the shoulder!
If I hadn't turned around and dodged, the result would have been a hit on the back of the head!
But just because the end result was a shoulder injury, we cannot deny the fact that Zhao Nanxing hit me in the back of the head with an iron object!"
Yu Kongjian refuted: "Although Zhao Bulang was a little impulsive, it would be too far-fetched to think that this was murder!"
Lin Tailai added: "What kind of place is the back of the head and how deadly is it? Don't you understand, Yu Bulang?"
Moreover, the serious injury to the shoulder is enough to show how much strength Zhao Nanxing used, but what will be the result if he hits the more vulnerable back of the head?
Who would hit someone on the back of the head with an iron weapon without murderous intentions? What else is this if not murder?"
Yu Kongjian was so angry that he didn't know how to respond. He had already understood that Zhao Nanxing's incident of injuring the examinee was serious, but he didn't expect that it could be more serious!
If it is recorded this way, it means that Zhao Nanxing was anxious because he and Lin Tailai were arguing about literary topics, so he murdered Lin Tailai with a murder weapon.
The writer in charge of recording was in a dilemma, so he asked Kong Jian with his eyes for instructions on how to record this paragraph.
Lin Tailai suddenly became very angry, turned around and shouted at the writer: "Record my statement truthfully! Otherwise, I will destroy your whole family!
I, Lin Tailai, can't kill the despicable evil thief Zhao Nanxing, and can't I kill a book writer who helps the tyrants to commit evil?"
"You bastard!" Yu Kongjian shouted angrily! The man in front of him dared to speak like this in the Ministry of Rites. He was so arrogant!
Lin Tailai couldn't help but laugh and said: "Your incompetent and angry face really fits my stereotype of Wanli Chaoqingliu."
Yu Kongjian said angrily: "If you are dissatisfied, then go to another place to complain! Originally, the Ministry of Rites did not have to come forward!"
Lin Tailai stood at the door of the court hall and shouted outside: "Yu Kong is shielding the evil thief Zhao Nanxing, and the Ministry of Rites is in darkness!"
He shouted, but no other officials from the Ministry of Rites came out, and they all seemed to be pretending not to hear.
So Lin Tailai thought about it, shouted three times in a row, and then retreated. He was not in a hurry anyway.
But when Lin Tailai actually shouted three times, suddenly an unremarkable old bureaucrat over fifty years old came over from the veranda.
Then he said to Lin Tai with a smile: "Young man, don't be discouraged. Now that you have entered the Ministry of Etiquette, just finish your words before leaving."
Lin Tailai was quite surprised that someone from the Ministry of Rites actually stepped forward to take on this thankless task.
The old man took the initiative to introduce himself and said: "I am the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, Xu Xianqing, and you are a stranger from the same country."
Damn it! Lin Tailai was surprised. It turned out to be this old buddy. He had seen his "photo album" in his previous life!
Xu Xianqing was among the most mediocre officials at the level of third-grade official. He basically had no deeds that would leave a mark on future generations. It would be impossible to write a biography about him without even knowing what to write about it.
However, the set of twenty-six "Pictures of Xu Xianqing's Official Life" that Xu Xianqing asked others to draw this year, with himself as the protagonist, has survived until hundreds of years later.
This set of paintings contains scenes such as the Wanli Emperor's court meetings and daily lectures. They are the most intuitive images that can be seen by future generations, showing the appearance of the Ming Dynasty court. It is indispensable for anyone who studies the Ming Dynasty court regulations, costumes and other contents.
This set of paintings.
The characters that he had carefully studied in the paintings in his previous life suddenly appeared in front of him as real people, which made Lin Tailai feel quite strange.
It's just that Lin Tailai doesn't understand, what does it mean to not know each other without fighting?
Xu Xianqing still smiled and said: "My family is engaged in silk weaving, but the family business is managed by my brother, who is one of the eight managers of the Weaving Industry Office."
Lin Tailai: "."
The hidden strength of the Textile Industry Office should not be underestimated. If he were not domineering enough in Suzhou and colluded with the Shen government, he would not be able to suppress the Textile Industry Office.
Xu Xianqing walked into the court hall, stood next to the writer, glanced at the written records, and ordered:
"As a writer, the most important thing is to record it truthfully! Just remember what the master of suffering said, and don't delete or modify it at will!"
Then he said to Lin Tai: "You continue to plead."
Lin Tailai said casually: "Furthermore, a large number of Zhao Nanxing's associates gathered yesterday and besieged the injured candidate in the street in an attempt to silence him. It is simply outrageous."
Yu Kongjian became anxious again, completely ignoring the presence of Xu Xianqing, the assistant minister, and asked with a clear stance: "What does this have to do with Zhao Bulang?"
Lin Tailai asked back: "Do you dare to swear that people like Shi Menglin are not familiar with Zhao Nanxing at all, and they are not the same people?
When they besiege me, aren’t they just Zhao Nanxing and his colleagues besieging me?”
Yu Kongjian truly understood that the alleged murder was not the most serious accusation against Zhao Nanxing. More serious accusations could appear in the future. What kind of fabricated world is this?
Lin Tailai felt that he had said everything he needed to say, without hiding anything from the organization, so he planned to leave the Ministry of Rites again.
But at this time, Shen Li, the Minister of Rites, returned, so Chen Qingwen and Lin Tailai himself were sent to the Minister's Court.
The chief minister was unwilling to contribute. In order to solve the problem quickly, Shen Shangshu, who couldn't wait any longer, had no choice but to put down his posture and talk directly to Lin Tailai in person.
After reading the love document first, Shen Shangshu, who was outstanding in qi-nurturing skills, was almost so angry that the three flowers gathered together and the five qi came to the yuan.
Why did Zhao Nanxing change from accidentally injuring someone to a murderer in just half a morning? What the hell is this accomplice gathering to silence?
Taking a deep breath, Shen Shangshu forced himself to calm down and said, "If you encounter such an unexpected disaster in the official department, the court will compensate you."
Lin Tailai answered honestly: "I'm not seeking compensation, I just want an explanation."
Shen Shangshu just wanted to cut the knot quickly and said: "People of the Ming Dynasty don't speak secretly. If you don't want to compensate, then you won't even have an explanation.
If you have any ideas, just say it directly, we have no interest in negotiating with you, just treat it as bargaining in the market!"
So in order to get an explanation, Lin Tailai could only tearfully propose compensation conditions.
First, he said: "I heard that the left minister of the Ministry of Personnel is about to be vacant. Mr. Zhao, the right minister of the Ministry of Personnel, can be recommended as the left minister."
Although Zuo Shilang and Right Shilang are both at the same level, they have completely different meanings.
The right assistant minister is relatively weak, which also means that there is the possibility of external transfer, such as going out to be the minister of Taichang Temple or something.
The next step for Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs is either to be promoted to a minister of a certain ministry, or to directly enter the cabinet. There is basically no other path.
This step is really crucial. After Shen Li thought about it for a while, he declined and said:
"Shilang Zhao has only been in the Ministry of Civil Affairs for a year and a half. His time is too short, and he has no obvious political achievements or achievements. It is difficult to convince the public by being promoted to Shilang Zuo."
Lin Tailai said disapprovingly: "There will be a meeting and examination after the New Year. If I ask Mr. Zhao to be the deputy examiner, won't he be successful?"
The main reason is that today's regulations are strict, and a bachelor must serve as the examiner, otherwise Lin Tailai will have to replace Zhao Zhigao to covet the position of examiner.
Shen Li: "."
Not only is Zhao Zhigao required to be elected as the Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, but he also needs to be the deputy chief examiner?
After thinking about it again and again, I decided that the main task now was to settle the matter, and since it was inconvenient to fall out with Lin Tailai directly, I said, "To be discussed."
Lin Tailai seemed to have no intention of continuing to pester, and said: "Then let's talk about my second compensation condition."
"Wait!" Shen Shangshu asked: "Why is there a second compensation?"
Lin Tailai explained patiently: "I just asked you to recommend Mr. Zhao as the Zuo Shilang. This is compensation for Zhao Nanxing's intention to murder me.
What I want to talk about now is Zhao Nanxing’s compensation for severely injuring me.”
Shen Li was too lazy to pay attention to Lin Tailai's sophistry, "You say it first."
Lin Tailai said confidently: "It still has something to do with the examination. In addition to the chief examiner, there are more than a dozen fellow examiners who are responsible for grading papers.
I was thinking, can I recommend a few people to be co-examiners?"
According to today's rules, half of the dozen or so examiners for the joint examination are Hanlin, and the other half are middle-level officials from the imperial ministry.
In this process, the Ministry of Rites is responsible for selecting fellow examiners and formulating nominations, and has a great say.
That's why Lin Tailai proposed such compensation conditions in front of Shen Shangshu. This is within the scope of Shen Shangshu's responsibilities.
"This is absolutely impossible." Shen Shangshu said dissatisfied.
There are only a few places that he can decide on. If they are all arranged for you, Lin Tailai, what will he, the Minister of Rites, have left?
Lin Tailai still didn't bother and said, "Since I'm not allowed to recommend co-examiners, then I can designate certain people not to be co-examiners. Is that okay?"
Shen Li finally nodded and said, "That's okay."
When he thought about it, Lin Tailai's intention was obvious, which was to eliminate the possibility of several big enemies serving as examiners and reduce the obstacles to becoming a Jinshi.
For this condition, Shen Li is acceptable.
After all, there are so many middle-level backbones of the Qingliu force, and Shen Shangshu doesn't mind if Lin Tailai eliminates a few. There will still be many other candidates available in the future.
So Lin Tailai asked for pen and ink, and bent down to write names on the desk. It seemed that he wrote more and more names.
Finally, the list was handed over to Shen Shangshu: "These are the people. Just ban them from being selected as fellow examiners."
Shen Shangshu took the list and slowly raised his eyes to look at it. His face suddenly changed and his body shook violently!
The list read: "Zhao Nanxing, Gu Xiancheng, Rao Shen, Wang Linzhi, Yu Kongjian, Huang Renrong, Shi Menglin, Wang Jiguang, Zhang Shoucheng"
Shen Shangshu carefully read the list, feeling like countless grass and mud horses whizzing by.
The twenty or thirty people on this list are all middle-level backbones of the Qingliu forces in the imperial court, and they are all qualified to serve as joint examiners.
But the question is, how did Lin Tailai master this list? And he mastered it so comprehensively, almost everyone!
If everyone on the list is banned, then the Qingliu forces won't be able to arrange for anyone to try out the gold plating.
Shen Shangshu stared at Lin Tai over and over again, then directly regretted, "This matter is for discussion!"
Before Lin Tai came to protest, Shen Li asked coaxingly: "How come the compensation conditions you proposed are all about others, and you don't have any ideas yourself?"
Lin Tailai replied: "Regarding the fact that I was besieged and silenced by Zhao Nanxing's associates, my third compensation condition is very simple, and it is related to the exam.
You are not allowed to question the results of the Nanzhili Provincial Examination and next year's general examination. At the same time, I want this Huiyuan. If your wish comes true, you are not allowed to use the topic to your advantage."
Shen Li scolded without hesitation: "Your request is really greedy and you're going even further! It's impossible to satisfy you!"
It's just a Jinshi, but in the end you even want to take the initiative to become a member of the Yuan Dynasty? How dare you, Lin Tailai, to cheat and pass the customs all the way?
Aren’t you afraid that the name may not live up to the reality, and the higher you lift, the harder you will fall?
Lin Tailai always looked at problems from a very strange angle, and immediately asked:
"Uncle Zong, do you mean that Zhao Nanxing is not worth the money? Instead of meeting my requirements, why not just give up on Zhao Nanxing?"
After Shen Shangshu thought about it for a while, he said in an honest tone: "If you have different opinions, you can't agree with each other. If you must think so, I have nothing to say."
What you Lin Tai said is right, at worst, give up on Zhao Nanxing to avoid endless blackmail!
The left minister of the Ministry of official affairs, the examiner and the Huiyuan, you, Lin Tailai, are not afraid of being choked to death!
"But." Lin Tailai pointed to the pile of names he just wrote, "What if we add this list?"
Shen Shangshu suddenly felt a little flustered and asked, "What do you mean?"
Lin Tailai smiled for the first time today, "It's hard for outsiders to know what your Qingliu force is like, right?
Most people feel vague about the outline of your Qingliu force, right?
If I publish this list directly, your Qingliu forces will be clearly exposed to the world.
People all over the world will know clearly how many people there are in the backbone of your Qingliu force and who they are. How does it feel like running naked?"
Shen Shangshu's face was extremely ugly. He looked at Lin Tailai as if he were a demon!
He didn't understand Shen Shoufu's words before, but now he understands them all.
