From a rational point of view, Gu Lin probably shouldn't compete with Qin Dewei for this position. If he gives up the opportunity to Qin Dewei, the long-term benefits may be better, and it is not impossible to benefit his descendants.
However, ordinary people are not absolutely rational. There is also a saying among the people that people compete for one breath and Buddha competes for one stick of incense.
Since the birth of Qin Dewei, Gu Dongqiao has gradually transformed from a dignified leader of the Nanjing literary circle to a fixed buffoon in the Qin Zhuangyuan series of folklore. Is this experience something ordinary people can endure?
After resting for a night at Fengleyi Palace, Emperor Jiajing set out again, arrived at the former residence of Prince Xing in Zhongxiang City, and moved into Qingyun Palace.
This is the place where Emperor Jiajing spent his time from birth to adolescence. Today, Emperor Jiajing returned to his old residence with great respect. Emperor Jiajing felt a little excited.
After the monarchs and ministers paid homage to Emperor Ruizongxian's god at the Longqing Hall, Emperor Jiajing issued an order to exempt ministers from attending the court today and tomorrow, and also ordered the ministers to fast for three days in preparation for the ceremony.
In addition, the future schedule was announced. On March 15th, we will visit the Xianling Mausoleum. On March 16th, we will hold a grand sacrificial ceremony at Longfei Hall. After the ceremony is completed on March 17th, we will go to visit the Xianling Mausoleum.
But he said that the ministers were relieved when they heard that the emperor was exempted from attending the court today and tomorrow. This was equivalent to giving the ministers a holiday.
After all, everyone is exhausted from the long journey and driving every day, and now they can finally take a rest and take a breath.
Not to mention the ministers, Emperor Jiajing himself was also tired and wanted to rest for a day or two.
Most people slept well tonight because they no longer had to think about getting up early the next day and rushing out.
After Qin Dewei got up the next day, he looked at the beautiful spring scenery outside and thought that he had nothing to do today and it was rare to have a leisurely time. He could go sightseeing in the local area and see the Han River next to him.
Besides, it’s spring in March, which is the season for outings.
But literati always have friends when traveling. Qin Dewei thought about it again and again, but he couldn't find a suitable person to accompany him.
These ministers who came to accompany the Southern Tour were all "qualified" people. In other words, they were quite old, at least middle-aged.
Moreover, in terms of seniority in the imperial examination, the others are all "seniors" and are not contemporaries with Qin Dewei.
It would be absolutely boring if there were all seniors present and only Qin Dewei was a young man.
Especially if Teacher Zhang was also present, he would have to wait on the teacher with his tail between his legs, which would be tiring just thinking about it.
So Qin Dewei couldn't help but sigh. He was only twenty-one years old, but he had already experienced the feeling of being cold at a high place.
At this moment, Xu Miaojing stood outside the door and said hello.
Qin Dewei sighed and said: "Give you a chance to be influenced by Wen Kui and accompany me to enjoy the spring scenery."
Xu Miaojing, who has extensive experience in taking blame, refused directly: "I have to go to Qingyun Palace on duty and cannot be separated, so I have no chance to be taught by my brother-in-law!"
"Then why did you come to me?" Qin Dewei asked.
Xu Miaojing quickly asked for advice: "Lu Bing has been looking at me strangely recently, what do you think we should do?"
Qin Dewei said nonchalantly: "Did he say anything?"
"That's not true."
Qin Dewei replied angrily: "Then what do you have to feel guilty about? The scene was chaotic that night. He accidentally fell down. Who is to blame?"
Remember, as long as you are not guilty, others are the ones who are guilty! By the way, lend me a good horse, I want to ride on it!"
Nowadays, Xu Miaojing's royal guards are gradually turning from a virtual one to a real one, and they also have hundreds of flag schools and supporting horses under them.
Then he asked Ma Er to follow Xu Miaojing. Not long after, he saw Ma Er coming back, leading a white horse.
Academician Qin put on scholar's clothes, a Confucian crown on his head, a gold belt around his waist, and an ivory folding fan in his hand. He was both elegant and gorgeous, and he looked like a rich and handsome scholar.
With his entourage, he had just left the yard and before he even got on his horse, he saw someone coming out from next door.
It was Zhang Bi, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites and a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy. He also changed into regular clothes and came out of his residence with his entourage.
At first, Zhang Bi was Zhan Shifu of Zhan Shifu. After the reshuffle of Lidong Palace, Zhang Bi was adjusted to the right minister of the Ministry of Rites and bachelor of the Hanlin Academy. He was ranked before Qin Dewei, the third in command, and was regarded as the second in command of the Hanlin Academy.
Qin Dewei greeted him and said, "Senior Zhang, do you also want to go on a trip? I heard that Senior Zhang is from Huguang, and he can be regarded as a half-landlord!"
Zhang Bi thought for a while and replied truthfully: "Gu Dongqiao is hosting a banquet by the river to entertain colleagues. I am about to go there."
Qin Dewei asked in surprise: "Why does Gu Dongqiao hold a banquet? Aren't you afraid of making people laugh?"
When socializing with scholar-bureaucrats, one must have qualifications when setting up a table. If you do not have the qualifications to set a table, you will only be laughed at by others for not overestimating your abilities.
With so many bigwigs from the imperial court here, who do you Gu Lin mean to dare to take matters into your own hands as the master?
Zhang Bi explained: "Gu Dongqiao served as governor of Huguang for several years, and then supervised the affairs of Xianling Mausoleum. He can be regarded as a half-landowner, so it is not surprising that he took the initiative to host a banquet."
Qin Dewei sighed and said, "Gu Dongqiao didn't invite me, a fellow countryman, which really makes me sad. Is it true that in Gu Dongqiao's eyes, fellow countrymen's friendship is not as important as his personal future?"
Is there really a sense of brotherhood between the two of you? Zhang Bi could only say "hehe", and after greetings, he had to say goodbye and retreat.
At this time, a young man of fifteen or sixteen years old among Zhang Bi's entourage suddenly said: "I have seen Scholar Qin!"
Qin Dewei was puzzled. It was rare for an entourage to dare to interrupt so casually when the master was talking. To put it bluntly, it was called rude.
If you look closely, you will see that this young man is wearing a scholar's standard robe. He turns out to be a scholar. He may be Zhang Bi's junior or the like. He is not a slave. No wonder he dares to talk to him.
Zhang Bi was also afraid that Qin Dewei would misunderstand something, so he took the initiative to introduce: "This is Zhang Juzheng from Jiangling! Entrusted by a friend, he came to Chengtian Mansion to follow me and learn more!"
Qin Dewei: "."
It was really unexpected to see a historical celebrity again.
Although he has met so many historical celebrities that he is numb to the point of numbness, Zhang Juzheng is still a very special one.
After all, this person was historically the pinnacle of the Ming Dynasty's first assistant, the pinnacle of civilian politics, and the closest to a prime minister in the classical sense.
Zhang Bi was from Shishou, Huguang, and his relationship with Jiangling was right upstream and downstream. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was from the same hometown.
Therefore, it is not surprising that Zhang Juzheng came to Zhongxiang to see the world and found Zhang Bi on Tuomen Road. This is how scholars support each other these days.
Besides, among the big shots in the imperial court, Zhang Bi seems to be the only one from Huguang. If Zhang Juzheng doesn’t defect to Zhang Bi, who can he defect to?
After the introduction, the young man named Zhang Juzheng formally saluted Qin Dewei.
Qin Dewei came to his senses, stood in front of Zhang Juzheng, and began to untie his belt without saying a word.
Even though the fifteen-year-old boy Zhang Juzheng had always been bold, he was a little scared at this time. He subconsciously hid behind Zhang Bi and dodges his eyes.
Zhang Bi was astonished. In the clear sky and in broad daylight, you, Bachelor Qin, took off your belt as soon as you disagreed. What are you doing?
Qin Dewei had already taken off the golden belt that symbolized wealth and held it in front of Zhang Juzheng, indicating to Zhang Juzheng to accept it.
Young Zhang Juzheng looked confused, and then heard Qin Dewei sighing to Zhang Bi: "This boy is extraordinary, he may be more valuable than me one day! Then I can use this golden waistband!"
Zhang Bi was also stunned. Are you, Qin Dewei, serious? Do you want to flatter the future hopes of Huguang Shilin?
You are the number one scholar at the age of seventeen, you are the bachelor of Zuo Chunfang University at the age of twenty-one, and you are still running for the fourth rank of Qingliu.
If it can be more expensive than you, Qin Dewei, how expensive should it be? Is it expensive beyond words?
Only Qin Dewei's loyal servant Ma Er burst into laughter. Didn't he learn this trick from that person? If he remembered correctly, Old Man Gu wanted to fool Qin Dewei like this back then.
Then Ma Er was glared at by Qin Dewei, but his laughter resolved the slightly awkward atmosphere.
Qin Dewei reached out to Zhang Juzheng, but was dodged, so he continued to say to Zhang Bi: "If you want to go to Gu Dongqiao's place, I'm afraid it won't be appropriate or bad for him to take Uncle Zhang with you."
Zhang Bi still cared about Zhang Juzheng, a rising star from his hometown, and quickly asked: "What's wrong?"
Qin Dewei reminded: "Gu Dongqiao has obviously completely turned to Yan Ge. Senior Zhang, it doesn't matter if you go to Gu Dongqiao's place to join in the fun, but why bother letting Uncle Zhang get involved? He is just a scholar now!"
Politics is really complicated, and the water here with Zhang Bi is also very muddy.
Last month, Xia Yan, the chief assistant, adjusted Zhang Bi away in order to let his teacher Lu Shen become Zhan Shifu, so Zhang Bi was very dissatisfied with Xia Yan.
Now Zhang Bi is more inclined to Yan Song in attitude, so he is willing to accept Gu Lin's party invitation.
However, Zhang Bi and Qin Dewei had no grievances or grudges. They had no conflicts in the Ci Lin and did not stand in each other's way. Therefore, they could still live in harmony and have some friendship as colleagues.
Qin Dewei turned to the young man Zhang Juzheng and asked: "Do you know why you didn't win the exam the year before last?"
Zhang Juzheng replied in a very formal manner: "A late student has little talent and little knowledge, and his writing is not good. He has not caught the eye of the examiner."
Qin Dewei said directly: "That's not the case! In fact, it was Gu Dongqiao, the governor of Huguang at that time, who hated young prodigies the most, so he advocated excluding you from the list!"
Zhang Juzheng said unconvinced: "Why does Mr. Gu hate child prodigies?"
Given today's climate, scholars in Shilin highly admire child prodigies, so how could they hate them on the contrary?
Qin Dewei pointed at himself and said with a smile: "It's all because of me that Gu Dongqiao hates prodigies so much. I don't want to hinder your provincial examination. It's my fault."
Zhang Juzheng: "."
Zhang Bi thought about it and felt that Qin Dewei's reminder was indeed reasonable. Zhang Juzheng was still young and it was really not suitable to follow him to Gu Lin's place as a guest.
It is conceivable that Gu Lin's group is probably a loose small group with strong political overtones, which I don't care about, but it is really difficult for a young boy like Zhang Juzheng to get involved.
After all, there is only one Qin Dewei in the world who can mess around with temple politics when he was a teenager. Others will die if they follow suit.
Qin Dewei took the initiative to take care of everything: "I'm about to go on a spring trip, but I don't have enough people to go with me, so I'll let Uncle Zhang follow me today! Senior Zhang, you can rest assured!"
After Zhang Bi thought twice, he nodded to Qin Dewei: "Then I will temporarily entrust Zhang Shuda to Qin Banqiao!"
Then Zhang Bi gave Zhang Juzheng a few more careful words before bidding farewell to Qin Dewei and leaving.
Counties in this era were generally small, and Zhongxiang was no exception.
Qin Dewei took a few steps and discovered something, and said to himself: "Why are there so many scholars in this pit and valley?"
Zhang Juzheng, who was standing next to him, heard the words and replied: "I heard that the Holy Emperor was visiting Chengtian Mansion in the south, and he was accompanied by more than a hundred ministers from the court. Many scholars from the surrounding area came here with luck, hoping to have some luck."
Qin Dewei said casually: "So you are like this too?"
Zhang Juzheng: "."
One sentence will kill you.
Qin Dewei walked a few more steps and saw someone he knew again, it was Zhan Shifu, Zhan Shilu Shen.
This is not a coincidence, mainly because the ministers have arranged to live nearby, and Qin Dewei, Lu Shen, and Zhang Bi are all Ci ministers. They live closer, so it is normal for them to bump into each other when they go out.
Let me say it again, politics is really complicated.
Lu Shen was Xia Yan's teacher, and was pushed to the position of Zhan Shi in Zhan Shi Mansion by Xia Yan. Logically speaking, he and Qin Dewei were in a loose alliance.
However, Lu Shen was too upright and couldn't stand Qin Dewei's fierce style. He pretended to be an old man and lectured Qin Dewei several times, but Qin Dewei always contradicted him.
So in the end, Qin Dewei and Lu Zhan were at odds with each other, which was not as good as the personal relationship between Qin Dewei and Zhang Bi, but Zhang Bi began to lean towards Yan Song again.
Qin Dewei greeted him lightly and did not want to say hello. He was about to leave, but Lu Zhanshi took the initiative to speak: "I was going to Xia Guizhou's place for tea, is Bachelor Qin the same?"
Qin Dewei responded: "Ah, forget it, let's not be this uninvited guest."
Seeing Qin Dewei's attitude, Lu Zhanshi was a little surprised: "Xia Guizhou held a party and didn't invite you?"
Qin Dewei didn't take it seriously, "I want to go out of the city for an outing to see the Han River, so I won't bother Mr. Xia Ge."
Lu Zhanshi hesitated for a moment, then pointed to a short and fair man behind him and introduced: "This is Xima Xujie, a bachelor's degree scholar and secretary of the Economic Bureau of Zhanshi Mansion. We are from the same hometown of Songjiang Mansion. We just graduated from
Jiangxi is coming."
Qin Dewei: "."
What kind of day is it today? I just met Zhang Juzheng, and then I met Xu Jie at the corner. Could it be that Gaogong is about to jump out again on the next street?
Xu Jie was the top pick in the second year of Jiajing, but he offended the former chief minister Zhang Fuking and was exiled for more than ten years. Before that, he served as the deputy envoy of Jiangxi Province.
That's why Lu Shen said that Xu Jie had just arrived from Jiangxi.
It was more troublesome to meet the etiquette. In terms of dignity, Qin Dewei was obviously higher than Xu Jie, but in terms of examination rules, Xu Jie took four subjects earlier than Qin Dewei.
The two met each other casually and said goodbye.
Zhong Xiang was on the east bank of the Han River, while Qin Dewei and his party continued to walk west, planning to go out to the west gate to see the river view.
The young man Zhang Juzheng grew bolder without realizing it. He actually took the initiative to talk and said, "I didn't expect that neither the chief assistant nor the people from Yan Ge Lao would invite Bachelor Qin. Do you really not care?"
Qin Dewei smiled and said, "Why should I care?"
Zhang Juzheng acted like a young adult, pretending to be mature and said: "In officialdom, isn't it a good thing to not be gregarious?"
Although Qin Dewei had no evidence, he felt vaguely despised. Was he laughing at his lack of popularity and power?
So he smiled evilly and said: "You have reminded me, it seems that I need to show off my muscles to others.
You little kid with a yellow mouth, stand still now, don't be scared to the point of peeing your pants!"