"Therefore, the emperor chooses his ministers and makes them serve. Even though the ministers are humble, they still have to choose the king and serve them. Shanwu" Yanzi Chunqiu Anthology
It was hot outside, but it was very cool inside the pavilion. As soon as Pei Mao, Tian Chou and others entered, most of the sweat on their bodies disappeared.
"Your Imperial Majesty, Shi Chen Mao, bows to your Majesty." Pei Mao led the two men to kneel down and salute the emperor.
"It's really hard for you to go out of the city to see Your Majesty in such a hot day." The emperor put down the bowl and turned to Mu Shun and ordered: "Go and pour bowls of cold drinks for Shi Yushi and others."
"I thank your Majesty for the gift." Pei Mao replied quickly.
In the past, cold drinks were all cold wine, cold fruit pulp and the like.
But what Mu Shun served to Pei Mao and others at this time was based on the novel method proposed by the emperor recently, asking Tang Guancheng, a subordinate of the Shaofu, to boil black plums, hawthorns, tangerine peels, etc. with water in advance, plus sand paste.
, put the drink in the well water to cool it.
This kind of iced sour plum soup cools the teeth, relieves summer heat and quenches thirst. As soon as it was launched, it was widely loved and sought after by princesses, queens and nobles, and it was called plum decoction.
The delicious Songdu is even more popular as the weather gets hotter, so I have to drink a bowl of it every day.
In the midsummer of previous years, the imperial court would give ice stored in the Ling Chamber to ministers to cool down in the summer heat. However, due to financial constraints since the imperial court moved the capital, ice has not been given for several years.
Of course, the emperor now has no ice to dig out and reward the ministers, so he uses this cold drink instead. Unexpectedly, it is widely sought after. Because the raw materials of sour plum soup are simple and easy to obtain, Flash Dance quickly became a favorite among the rich and the Han family.
Summer drinks are only differentiated according to whether they have added sugar or not.
Pei Mao also drank plum pancake several times. The weather was hot at this time, and he felt so comfortable after eating a bowl of it.
"The original plan was to let Mr. Zhao go to Youzhou. After all, he has an old relationship with the Marquis of Xiangben and has a deep reputation among the scholars in Guandong. He can travel smoothly along the way." The emperor began to talk about the business: "It's just that he is older.
The mountains are long and the rivers are far away, and Youzhou is a bitter and cold place. I was afraid that he wouldn't be able to bear it, so I gave up the idea."
"Only." Pei Mao had already put down his bowl and responded: "Mr. Zhao is already old and it is really not suitable for long journeys and fatigue. Your Majesty is thoughtful and considerate of the ministers. I really admire him."
The emperor waved his hand and said: "You were supposed to go to Luoyang to move the tombs of Queen Linghuai and Emperor Xiaohuai and bury them, but things have changed, and now I plan to ask you to go to Youzhou to declare the imperial edict. Let's put a few things together.
, I’m worried that you won’t have enough time to do your job, so I thought about letting Duke Zhao go with you, and Duke Zhao will be responsible for moving the mausoleum and comforting Guandong, etc. You can put down these burdens and go directly north to Youzhou.”
"I promise." Knowing that the emperor was sharing the burden for him, Pei Mao did not dare to raise any opinions and agreed: "I was ordered to go on an envoy. Mr. Zhao is a highly virtuous man. I should take it as my priority and do my best. I dare not let down your majesty."
High Hopes. Flashdance"
"Okay, when you leave today, I will ask Shizhong Xun to see you off." Xun You was deeply appreciated by the emperor in the court, so asking him to see him off in person was another form of courtesy from the emperor.
Pei Mao then looked at Xun You, who was silent. It was not until Pei Mao looked at him that Xun You looked at him.
He suddenly remembered the recent comments made by the court on the two new confidants of the emperor. Xun You, the minister, was thorough and reliable in his affairs, while Jia Xu, the minister, was resourceful and reserved. In the eyes of the people in the court, although the two characters were like clouds and mud,
But his character is always modest and low-key, he doesn't like to be in the limelight, and he doesn't like to take credit for himself.
It is said that Xun You and Jia Xu were behind many of the emperor's recent policies to advise him. However, neither of them took credit for their contributions, so few people knew about them and thought they were just the emperor's wisdom.
Looking at Xun You's ordinary appearance, it is hard to imagine that he is a resourceful person, but he is actually the Xun family of Yingchuan.
At this time, Pei Mao suddenly felt troubled, thinking that since the emperor asked Xun You to see him off, it was not just a simple courtesy. Although Zhao Qi was the emperor's teacher, sending him off personally and with his attendants was a manifestation of the relationship between master and disciple.
But from a rational point of view, it must be that the emperor has some private matters that cannot be brought to the table, and he needs his confidant Xun You to tell them on his behalf. Only in this way is it reasonable.
In addition, Pei Mao also thought that the Xun family in Yingchuan had a great reputation. Although his family had the surname of Hedong, it could not be compared with it. With Xun You's status in the emperor's heart, Pei Mao felt that this was an opportunity to get close, and he had all kinds of thoughts. After turning around, he nodded slightly at the other party and smiled a little. His tone was neither flattering nor distant: "I'll be happy to serve you."
Xun You smiled and nodded in response, but did not answer.
During the entire conversation between Pei Mao and the emperor, except for Xun You who remained silent, the two people behind Pei Mao also said nothing.
Xun You can speak but doesn't want to, while Tian Chou and Xian Yuyin want to speak but can't.
Strictly speaking, the assistant officials in prefectures and counties like them are not part of the official establishment of the imperial court, but are just staff hired privately by the governors of prefectures and counties. At first, they were equivalent to temporary workers and supernumerary personnel in later generations. It was only with the development of the governor system that Only through normalization and engagement can such assistants be able to serve permanently and become members of the local bureaucracy.
Tian Chou and Tian Chou were insignificant and held a low position, so the emperor did not ask questions by name and they could not take the initiative to speak.
Originally, Pei Mao called the two of them here just for a formality, but unexpectedly the emperor noticed them. Of course, this was mainly because of Tian Chou.
Compared with Xian Yuyin, who was frightened, nervous and anxious, Tian Chou, who was tall and tall, had deep eyebrows, elegant yet brave temperament, and could keep his expression straight in front of the emperor, was so impressive that people couldn't help but notice him.
"You must be Tian Chou?" the emperor named him.
"Youzhou's subordinate minister Chou comes to pay homage to Your Majesty!" Tian Chou said angrily.
"What a hero of Yan!" The emperor couldn't help but praise him, and then changed the topic and said: "Back then, you used the imperial court to spread Yue and refused to grant rewards. But now the imperial court has established itself as the third assistant, stabilized Guanzhong, and held the position of cavalry captain. You There should be no reason to refuse, right?"
Tian Chou hesitated and said: "I am not talented, but I have been entrusted with important tasks by Liu Shijun. Now that I haven't returned to my post, I feel ashamed. How can I accept another position?"
"You don't have to refuse in such a hurry." The emperor said confidently. He also believed in Tian Chou's talent in history, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered to win over him: "You can first take the post of captain of the cavalry, and then rush to Youshi with the imperial censor. The state has issued an imperial edict, and it will not be too late to take charge of Yu Linqi under Xu Rong after returning."
The Cavalry Captain belongs to Guang Luxun, with a rank of two thousand stones. He is in charge of the Yulin Cavalry and has no fixed number of personnel. In the early Han Dynasty, it was considered a relatively high military position. However, in the middle and late Han Dynasty, due to the imperial court's use of troops in many places, military positions became more common. Originally very prominent, the Cavalry Captain who was only in charge of the Yulin Cavalry was gradually reduced to an official position in charge of the cavalry in the ordinary army.
Tian Chou originally thought that the emperor would just appoint him as a cavalry captain in the ordinary army, but he did not expect that it would be such an important and prominent position. Even Xian Yuyin could not help but look at him with envy.