For Lu Deguang, the minister of etiquette, this job is relatively leisurely in the court. Although he sits in the lobby of the government office, major matters are only handled by his superiors, and he only has the name of counselor. Although he is called a counselor, Lu Deguang often takes part in discussions. He said nothing. He knew that he had a good reputation. He was a well-known filial son in his hometown, and he was a talented man full of articles both inside and outside Nanjing. This reputation was not in vain. Lu Deguang recalled with pride that at that time, he was a filial son. When he was six years old, he passed the provincial examination; when he was nineteen years old, he passed the same examination, until he was awarded Jinshi, but he returned to his hometown in fine clothes!
He opened his eyes and saw a ray of warm light shining through the gap between the lush and huge pine tree crowns outside the window.
After that, he rose to prominence, and he became the magistrate of a state so remote that his name had been forgotten. It was he who cultivated land for the people with light taxes and implemented laws and regulations, and the people became rich for a while. Before Lu Deguang left, the people surrounded him for more than three floors. They were all crowded with people, and some even grabbed the rope of the carriage to try to keep Mr. Zhizhou away.
He recalled this scene no less than twice. After all, he had served in too many state capitals, and the people were generally in this attitude. After thinking about it, Lu Deguang chuckled. He became energetic, stood up with his chair, and walked Make that pot of tea by the window.
It was a coincidence that Liu Zhennian was promoted to Beijing. In order to win over the people, Liu Zhennian recommended him to the government as an official with the intention of winning over him. However, Lu Deguang refused to give in and impeached Liu's cronies many times. Liu Zhennian, out of some small concerns, He didn't take action against him. When someone threatened him, he said harsh words.
"I have never been a liar." Lu Deguang said those words calmly.
He slowly swayed the teapot, and after a while he poured it out. His face appeared in the tea. His white hair reflected in the cup was as dull as silver, but his eyebrows were half black. The bridge of his nose was straight underneath, and although his face was wrinkled, it was He still showed a majestic spirit. He stared at the cup for a long time, then raised his hand to finish the drink. Lu Deguang went into the room and took out his court clothes, put them on, looked at a pair of bronze mirrors, tightened the cuffs, tugged on the front, and then He walked out in a hurry. He received the order last night and was sent by Quan Zhi Gongju. Since the examination would not be held until tomorrow, he went back to the Ceremony Department to schedule the schedule. "Sir," the official who scheduled the schedule came forward and said. Lu Deguang Seeing that this official was extremely friendly, his surname was Li Yong, and he had been following him for several years. He had long been Lu Deguang's confidant, so he was not unfamiliar with him and called him by his name: "Li Yong, but someone wants to see me?"
Li Yong smiled: "Your Majesty, you have been in the exam for several years, and your predictions are not very accurate: there are indeed candidates who sent someone to see you."
"Anyone can see me? Let him go, it must be those things... Do you remember what I said, I will never join in the evil deeds!" Lu Deguang's eyes were on fire, and he shook his head disdainfully. Li Yong said: "Sir, let's meet him Why not, I heard that he was sent by the son of an adult in the court."
"Let's meet. If you are really here to clear up a joint, I will confront you..."
Lu Deguang saw the man wearing a felt hat. After he came in, he closed the door gently and immediately took off the hat. His cunning eyes came out of the hat. He could tell at a glance that something was wrong, so he hesitated in his heart.
He saw that this man was quite old, and the hand holding the hat was pale and dull, with a lot of calluses on it. He was not the kind of person who was pampered. The man looked at Li Yong carrying a large box of things in, and he nimbly He opened the box, and he didn't know what was contained in the large and small boxes inside, but Lu Deguang had already hesitated and stared at the boxes in confusion.
"I don't dare to open it," the man's voice was rough, with a strong native accent, "You should know what it is." He then picked up a box, the corners of the box were inlaid with gold, and when he picked it up, the golden light was dazzling.
twice as bright.
The words he just said still echoed in his mind, and he was extremely sad for a moment, and even his clear eyes were stained by the sadness.
"What's your name?" Lu Deguang was extremely confused.
"Sir, my name is Cheng Congyuan, and I am the servant of Ye Long, the imperial censor of the Central and Left Capital of the DPRK. The young master of the family wants to take the imperial examination, so... it is not respectful."
"The name of the person must be obscured. The fraud prevention is so strict, why do you give me money?" Lu Deguang only looked at the box without glancing at him, as if he was angry.
"I know you officials have a lot of tricks up their sleeves." Cheng Congyuan smiled slyly, which made Lu Deguang angry. He stamped his foot and said disdainfully: "I have a lot of tricks up my sleeves? Let me tell you, you are a slave everywhere.
There should be a lot of money to be greedy! But I am different, how can I join in the corruption!" His voice was slightly trembling, and he didn't know whether it was guilt or anger. After saying that, he lifted up his official robe and sat on the chair.
Cheng Congyuan took his time and found pen and paper on his desk. Lu Deguang looked up at him and saw Cheng Congyuan writing as he said: "My father's handwriting is like this..." Lu Deguang looked at that
On the paper, the two words "Zhi" and "Ye" were written. It didn't look very pretty, but it was quite different from ordinary people.
He picked up the paper and asked: "What... does this mean?" Cheng Congyuan smiled again and said: "No matter what book or article, these two characters are the most common. When you review the book, you only pay attention to these two characters.
I understand. You can see that my grandfather's strokes are sharp and light. I write the word "ye" narrowly. I am the best at handling other people's words, and they are not as big as mine.
respectively."
"If the other examples are similar, then isn't it all for nothing?" Lu Deguang looked at the two words carefully and asked.
"If you are still concerned, we have made an appointment and asked me to do a question on 'Those who have perseverance have perseverance'. You are right when you see this question."
"He sent you here?" Lu Deguang was still a little scared.
"My lord, do you think I dare to make my own decision? Don't worry. After we discussed it, I told you that I will definitely write according to this." Lu Deguang nodded dubiously, and when he saw Cheng Congyuan put on his hat, he still did not forget to respectfully say
After making a deep bow, he walked away.
Lu Deguang asked Li Yong to give him a gift, and he took the opportunity to unpack the box. He took out a small box and opened it gently. There were five grains of silver in sequence inside, and a little bright light shone in.
His pupils were so tight that he couldn't open his eyes for a while. He hurriedly knocked on the box and carefully put it back in place. But the pure white blocky thing could not be removed from his mind, even the lines on it were back and forth.
He could detect it very clearly. He felt that he had never been so fascinated by silver.
No one expected that Cheng Congyuan would go to the lobby of Lu Deguang's government office. He left early this time and returned quickly, so he didn't have to worry about long on the way. He hurried back to his apartment after a long journey and saw Ye Yongjia had just woken up from sleep, his face
He smiled brightly and said, "I just got up! The exam is coming soon, so I need to think about a topic."
"Sir, I have been worrying about this for several days, and I have nothing to write about."
Cheng Congyuan replied: "I have found a good topic for you. I just want to write about 'Those who have constant wealth have perseverance'. Don't mention anything about current affairs and political affairs. That can only be discussed after you become an official!"
Ye Yongjia listened deeply to his master's words and immediately drafted the topic. He wrote two or three drafts. When he handed it over to Congyuan for review, Mr. Cheng was uncharacteristically just praising him and saying that there was nothing wrong with it, which made Yongjia even more confident.
All this did not worry Cheng Congyuan too much. Not long after Ye Yongjia returned from the entrance exam and returned to his apartment, the results were released. As expected, Ye Yongjia chose Gongshi. Although the ranking was not high, it was enough to cheer up Ye Yongjia. He laughed loudly and walked around.
Bu, sometimes talking to himself; when he saw Cheng Congyuan coming in from outside the house, he lowered his voice and shouted: "Mr. Cheng, I want to see the emperor... When I come back, I will be a Jinshi!" He said it several times in succession, saying
She actually shed tears and lay on the table sobbing.
Cheng Congyuan was also sincerely happy, and his eye circles were slightly red. After being stunned for a while, he stepped forward and patted Ye Yongjia's shoulder, laughing loudly: "Why are you crying? With your talent and learning, how about becoming a tribute scholar?"
I want to see a Jinshi Master when I come back!" Ye Yongjia raised his head and held Cheng Congyuan's hand tightly: "I... I am here today only because of Mr. Cheng... I will let you see a Jinshi Master when I come back!" His voice was trembling,
His hand was shaking. Cheng Congyuan held his hand, held it tighter, and said word by word:
"I'm waiting for you to come back!"
The morning fog in Baohe Hall has not yet receded. There are many candidates lined up outside the hall, and many ministers are walking around inside the hall. Tables and chairs are arranged horizontally and vertically inside, and the papers on the table are scattered in a pile. The ministers handed over for personal reading.
The emperor is actually the prime minister of the current dynasty. The candidates haven't known it yet, but for the ministers, this is a common occurrence.
The emperor has never lived in the East Palace for a day. Due to the death of the former prince, the late emperor was undecided about the succession. Several princes fought for power. The emperor was even almost assassinated by the guards, and his life was not safe. Fortunately, he waited until the death of the late emperor.
After his death, he entered the capital and succeeded to the throne. But the emperor was extremely strange. His face was dull, and he could not see any joy, anger, sorrow, or joy, which made people unpredictable. Except for going to court on weekdays, he rarely summoned the prime ministers and ministers. It is said that he liked to stay in the room.
He played chess, but no one played against him: every time he played against him, he would not let anyone get close to him; he never got tired of playing, and it was rumored that he would often end up in a draw.
The eunuchs secretly said that the emperor did not know how to play chess. At night, the emperor knew it somehow and said to the eunuchs unintentionally: "I am very good at chess." The eunuchs were so frightened that their clothes were wet with sweat and they quickly kowtowed and admitted their mistake.
.But the emperor didn't look at them, staring blankly at the sparse stars, Gu Zi repeated:
"I play chess very well."
Ye Yongjia and a group of candidates knelt in front of the hall, never daring to raise their heads. Ye Yongjia expected that when he raised his head, he would be able to see the emperor's face. He sketched the emperor's appearance in his mind, sometimes handsome and mighty, sometimes solemn... With various speculations, he slowly
He slowly raised his head, but didn't see the emperor.
He was shocked. He looked around, and all the candidates were also very surprised. He saw an old minister with white hair and beard standing aside, looking steadily at the frightened candidates, without any panic: "Don't be surprised. The emperor has always been ill.
, so I couldn’t come to this hall in person to summon the students. So I asked the old minister to come and review the papers, discuss the top three with the officials, and then report back.”
The prime minister sat calmly on the chair at the side of the hall, took out a few bundles of ink scrolls, and opened them one by one. "The first and first place... will be awarded the title of Jinshi." The candidate behind Ye Yongjia stood up and walked away.
Go to the front and kneel down. "First, second, and second... I will grant you the rank of Jinshi." The prime minister glanced around with bright eyes.
…
Ye Yongjia's ears and eyes were extremely sharp. Hearing his name stung his ears, and then he knew who the Jinshi status belonged to. He couldn't help but feel joy. "Ye Yongjia, the 70th person in the second class, is awarded the title of Jinshi."
Ye Yongjia's lips and teeth trembled, and he knelt down behind the dozens of candidates step by step. He looked at the majesty in vain, and his heart suddenly pounded. He suddenly felt his hands were cold, and when he lowered his head, he saw that his sleeves were wet. He hurriedly wiped his tears with his sleeves.
"Sir! Sir!" Ye Yongjia waved his sleeves, with a smile on his face, and hugged Cheng Congyuan as soon as he saw him; Cheng Congyuan patted his shoulder blades hard: "I have fought for the Ye family! I will go back home, sir."
I will happily prepare a banquet for you..."
Ye Yongjia's eyes filled with tears: "No matter what you are like, sir, I respect you the most!" After saying that, he knelt down, called "Mr. Cheng" and kowtowed. "Sir, please speak nicely..." Cheng Congyuan was busy.
Pulling it up, when I saw his face, I sighed and shed tears.
"My father has been extremely kind and righteous to me..."
The return of Jinshi Master was not too public, but the ceremony was indispensable. Ye Yongjia was first surrounded by a chaotic crowd and arrived at the ancestral grave of the Ye family in Jinan; then he went to the Ye Zhongjing Gong Temple and paid homage to his uncle. Ye Yongjia was extremely disgusted
These etiquettes were filled with anger. Cheng Congyuan could tell that he was confused and taught in a low voice: "I'm not a child anymore, why do I still do everything like this? I will have to take care of things in the future, and I have more things to think about. At this time, let's go first
I'm getting impatient." Ye Yongjia agreed.
They dismounted their horses and headed towards the inner courtyard of Ye Mansion. Ye Long was sitting in the main hall and slowly raised his eyebrows. Seeing the two of them kneeling on the ground, he stood up with his hand and slowly stroked Cong Yuan's silver-white head: "How about that?"
The teacher taught me that dogs are not what they are today. Although you are not a serious person, there is no one who can teach me better than you... I will call you my teacher!"
"Sir, it's nothing..." Cheng Congyuan's voice was a little dry, and he swallowed hard. "Sir, it's not easy..." He slowly raised his head, his eyes red.
Ye Long was suddenly speechless. He turned away and walked over without looking at Cong Yuan. Ye Yongjia was also silent.
"...Master Jinshi has come out of the house!" Ye Long seemed to sneer and turned back to the inner room.
Cheng Congyuan stood up immediately and saw Ye Yongjia still frozen there. He helped him up with his hand and said with a smile: "Can't you hear it? I am complimenting you!" He did not move at first, then he woke up and numbly
He said "Oh" and bowed to Cheng Congyuan in a hurry, then followed Ye Long into the back room. Cheng Congyuan stood in the hall and sighed heavily.
Around the end of the year, Ye Long received an imperial edict, ordering him to return to work as soon as possible. Ye Yongjia also entered the capital at this time and was assigned the military department. This was agreed upon by the ministers considering Ye Long's face. But Ye Yongjia was working in the capital.
A few days later, Ye Long was about to enter the court again. Seeing that there was no one in charge at home, Cheng Congyuan thought about it many times and finally wrote a letter asking his master to come back.
When Ye Yongjia opened the letter, he was a little at a loss. Cheng Congyuan went straight to the point and asked him to report for leave and return home. However, it was the first time that he decided on such a big matter, and Ye Yongjia was very scared.
But after all, these words came out of the abyss, so he didn't hesitate at all. He immediately asked for leave in the name of "on the anniversary of the death of his ancestors, he should return to his hometown to attend sacrifices." The ministers were well aware of the details of this invitation.
, he also submitted a request for permission because of his interaction with Ye Long, and the emperor was very considerate and approved immediately.
Ye Yongjia left Beijing in a hurry and spent several days traveling. When he got home, the sun had already set for most of the day. He wanted to see his father as soon as possible, so he opened the door alone. It was a little dark inside. Only a slave standing behind the rockery was seen.
Holding an oil lamp to guide him, the dim light flickered up and down, and he was able to find the main road a little bit. Ye Yongjia turned around and saw the slave. He was short in stature, and his face was as dark as coal, probably due to the dim light. His hair was disheveled and half of his forehead was covered.
, eyes looking around, always uneasy.
"Why didn't Mr. Cheng come?" His tone was full of contempt. "I saw that Mr. Cheng was tired and asked him to take a rest. Sir, he left early."
"oh."
The servant held the lamp and bowed to clear the way. After a while, Ye Yongjia no longer disliked him so much that he actually asked him: "What is your name?" The servant turned around and said with a smile: "The villain's name is Kou Zhong, he is insignificant.
, I forgot about it after I asked..." He was talking to Ye Yongjia, not paying attention to the road, and suddenly stepped on the ground; the lamp swung for three times, and he slipped and rolled on the grass slope. Ye Yongjia
He stopped hurriedly and saw Kou Zhong getting up on his own, still holding the lamp tightly in his hand. He was shocked for a moment, and when he raised his eyes, he saw Cheng Congyuan striding towards him, surrounded by a circle of oil lamps.
Screaming from the mouth:
"Kou Zhongli! You don't do anything in your daily life. You don't say a word when the master comes back, so you go and look for a familiar face!"
Kou Zhong stumbled and fell to the ground. He stood up immediately, unable to straighten his body, and hurriedly ran back. Before Ye Yongjia knew what was going on, Cheng Congyuan led a few people and came over with his face flushed.
He stopped him hastily: "What's wrong with that guy called Kou?"
Cheng Congyuan took a few breaths and gritted his teeth and said, "This guy likes to fawn over me. I'd rather kill him! Seeing that he couldn't please me, he came to take advantage of me again and wanted me to take care of him. I
I really took pity on him and gave him an acre of land behind the house; he took two or three times the money from opening a household and put it in his own purse, so the master immediately removed him. Good day, he got the news early and told me to rest
Come on, come and see me yourself! I'm thinking about getting a job with you. I don't trust him. If people like this are in charge, they may get rich and run away one day!" He said righteously. "This kind of thing.
It's not honest to ask him to patrol the night... I might as well arrest him and expel him!"
After saying that, he asked someone to get it, but Ye Yongjia did not give way. After a long time, he sighed: "That man is quite pitiful... Mr. Cheng, just spare him once, just once. Isn't that feasible?"
Cheng Congyuan's face suddenly turned pale, and he said anxiously: "I think he is pitiful, but these servants in the house are very pitiful, so why do you allow them to do whatever they want? This guy has also been greedy for a lot of money! Maybe there is something wrong with him behind the scenes.
I still have a lot of money..."
Ye Yongjia smiled apologetically: "I listen to Mr. Cheng... but it's getting late today. Let's kick him out tomorrow!" Cheng Congyuan stared at him blankly. Ye Yongjia walked to the front and called Cheng
Several people around Congyuan said: "You are also tired. Go back and rest early."
"You go away, I'll tell you." Cheng Congyuan also agreed.
"Understood." Several people saluted and headed towards the other end of the road.
Cheng Congyuan picked up the lamp that he threw on the ground. When he saw that it was still bright, he took it to Ye Yongjia and said, "Do you know what it's like to be a master?"
"Things are complicated. I haven't taken care of the house, so I always ask Mr. Cheng for advice on everything."
"It's really uncomfortable!" Cheng Congyuan laughed and looked at Ye Yongjia calmly, "This family is good, but it needs to be changed. From now on, I am no longer alone. I have to think that I am the owner of this house.
, There is no name on the plaque of the house! There is only one 'Ye'. The house has no mercy, will not pity people, and will not be kind to people, as long as it cannot fail..." Cheng Congyuan stopped. Ye Yongjia's expression became solemn.
"If you fall, 'Ye' will still be able to survive for several generations; but if 'Ye' falls, this ancestral business will be completely gone. I only care about the life of this mansion, and don't care about the lives of others..."
Cheng Congyuan suddenly put the lamp in Ye Yongjia's hand, and his appearance was clearly visible in the light. "Even if I put a knife on my neck for the Ye family! I won't complain!" He shouted hoarsely. The lamp in his hand trembled.
. These words came out of Cheng Congyuan's mouth, which actually shocked him, but after Ye Yongjia shuddered, his eyes became firmer.
"Mr. Xie Cheng's teachings." He said calmly.
"I understand..." Cheng Congyuan sighed helplessly.
Ye Yongjia got up earlier than usual that day, and was already sitting in the meeting hall around Maochu. He ate tea leisurely, and suddenly stood up. When he saw Cheng Congyuan who had just arrived, he laughed and said: "
Mr. Cheng got up early." "Where," Cheng Congyuan bowed, "I usually come at this time every day, but my appearance has changed since I came up!"
Ye Yongjia glanced at the outside of the hall with his peripheral vision: "My mother is not in good health. If the whole family relies on Mr. Cheng, how can I do it? I must take charge of the Ye Mansion so that my father and Mr. Cheng are not so tired...
"Cheng Congyuan nodded and smiled. Ye Yongjia raised his eyes and looked out of the hall. Impatience gradually appeared on his face. He walked back and forth a few times. He talked to Cheng Congyuan calmly for a while, and looked out the door anxiously from time to time.
He scratched his sleeves, but kept holding on to his anger and refused to break out. His face became more and more embarrassed.
When Cheng Congyuan saw what he was doing, he quickly stood up and said, "Sir, I'm going out for a while."
He left the main hall. He was speechless at first, but then he suddenly stopped and shouted in all directions: "You slaves, how long have you been sleeping for? You haven't come by this time!" This shout was no different than a loud thunder.
, came rolling in from the meeting hall to each door and room. As expected, not long after, a dozen stewards were getting dressed and rushed over. One of them hurried to meet him and smiled at him enthusiastically. Cheng Congyuan ignored him.
With a kick, the man staggered a few steps and fell to the ground. He turned over but did not dare to get up.
Cheng Congyuan cursed: "You are so unruly when the master is not here? What if there is a funeral in the family? The master is tired of waiting, and you are still complaining like this... Get out of here! Get out of here!" Several slaves saw Cheng Congyuan.
The blue veins popped out and I knelt down in panic.
Mr. Cheng retorted again: "If you have the ability to kneel down in front of your master, what's the point of kneeling down to me? Let's see what your master says..." Several slaves kowtowed in agreement, and all of them ran into the meeting hall like dogs; only the one who fell on the ground
The slave was dusting off his clothes when Cheng Congyuan cursed with an eyebrow: