Each circle has a set of rules unique to that circle, and individuals who want to break these rules must pay a certain price.
It seems that no matter how talented and unwilling Cheng Huailiang is, he can only make way for his brother Cheng Huaimo and take a decent job to survive.
Until one day when his eldest brother Cheng Huaimo completed his accumulation and returned to the capital, he had to make way for his elder brother and either resigned or went to work elsewhere.
Because of the rules in the circle, two brothers cannot hold office in Beijing at the same time, and they are both in high positions, even if one of them holds a false position.
It was not just Cheng Huailiang who had this fate, but also all the other children of powerful officials.
If ordinary children of powerful people do not want to stay in the capital and serve as mascots, they can actively apply to serve in local places.
Although I can't get too much resource support from my family and can't be promoted very quickly, I am still relatively comfortable in the local area and can do some practical things to show off my talents.
But Cheng Huailiang can't do it, he is the Prince Consort Captain.
The dignified prince-in-law went to work as a minor official in a local area. Do you still want the royal face? He can only stay in the capital as a mascot.
The officials Li Shimin gave him were not small, starting with Zuowei Zhonglang General, a high-ranking official below the fourth rank.
You must know that in the Tang Dynasty, because Li Shimin was the third rank when he was the minister, the rank of the prime minister was also the third rank. The second rank and the first rank were honorary positions such as the three ministers and the three ministers.
A rank below the fourth rank was definitely a high-ranking official in the Tang Dynasty.
The actual duties appear to be important on the surface. Zuoe Nakaro will be the auxiliary officer of General Zuoe, and will perform his duties on his behalf when the general is away.
However, on the other hand, when the general is around, he has no power at all.
Because his duties overlap with those of a general, which general would be so generous as to give him half of his power?
If he has outstanding abilities, he can also recruit a group of people to support him and gain some real power.
But does he dare? How unthinkable is it for a mascot to seize military power? Cheng Yaojin can kill him without Li Shimin taking action.
Where do you put your family and your brother in this way?
These are the rules of the circle, and he personally has no way to fight against them.
Unlike him, Yuchi Xunyu and Qin Huaidao were the beneficiaries of this rule, and all family resources were tilted towards them.
Although the starting point is low, it is a place where people can do practical things and quickly accumulate merit. After working hard for three to five years, they can take off directly, and they can enter the center by the age of forty or fifty.
Of course, the premise is that everything goes well and your abilities are sufficient.
Just like Qin Qiong died early in his previous life, and his family was in decline. Later, the prince Li Chengqian rebelled.
I don’t know whether Qin Huaidao was implicated, but it can be seen from the fact that he has been a county magistrate for his whole life, and his life is not easy.
Also bound by the rules of the circle is the Longhu Mountain lineage. As descendants of Zhang Daoling, the founder of Zhengdao, they have been silent for hundreds of years.
After arriving in the capital, Zhang Tongxuan and Zhang Heng and his son visited all the old places in the hope of gaining some support.
Those people received them very warmly and invited them to give sermons, but once they got down to business, they all started to talk about him.
In short, it cannot be said that there is nothing gained after a few days. At least the mental endurance and physical fitness have been exercised.
Zhang Heng said frustratedly: "These people have no intention of helping us at all, they are just playing tricks on us."
Zhang Tongxuan's mood was relatively stable and he said: "Don't be like this. We had already anticipated this result before it came."
"Longhu Mountain has been in decline for too long, and it is too difficult to get back up. As the saying goes, it is not necessary to help the poor, but it is normal for others to be unwilling to lend a hand."
Zhang Heng was young after all, and said a little irritably: "Then what should we do, just go and talk to Zixiaoguan about forming an alliance? I know you want to use Ping'er's marriage to gain support."
"But it's not like you haven't heard the recent rumors. It seems that Chen Jingke intends to marry a wife from the Wu family. I'm afraid it will be difficult for the marriage to go smoothly."
Zhang Tongxuan was speechless immediately. This rumor was the biggest blow to them, and it directly destroyed his trump card.
Although he was very confident in his daughter, he had seen Mrs. Wu Er before, and he really had no confidence that he could compare with her.
But he was obviously not willing to let him give up like this. He gritted his teeth and said, "Tomorrow I will go to see Sun Zhenren to talk about it and then make a decision."
Zhang Heng was very unwilling. What happened to his sister? Do you want to give her away for free?
But facing the reality, he had to bow his head: "That's fine, but you must not tell Ping'er about this. I'm afraid she will be sad."
Zhang Tongxuan said: "I know."
The father and son discussed their demands again, what conditions should Sun Simiao offer if he agreed to the marriage, and what should they do if they refused.
What they didn't know was that while they were talking, Zhang Ping was standing outside the door. From the tray she was carrying and the tea and cakes on it, it was easy to guess that she was here to deliver food.
Just hearing these words, she no longer had the courage to go in. She carefully returned to her room with the plate in hand, and sat on the chair in a daze without lighting the lamp.
She accepted being used as a marriage tool, and she tolerated being valued like goods. Isn't this the fate of women?
But what she couldn't accept was that after finally meeting someone she liked and could accept her hobbies, there was a huge gap between them.
If he wants to marry that woman, what is his attitude towards himself these days?
She wanted to run over and ask him why he wanted to marry that woman, and what was wrong with her?
But she knew she couldn't, no matter what he thought, she couldn't go.
Thinking back carefully about their interactions over the past few days, he indeed never said he wanted to marry her, nor did he even act intimately.
The various hints that I thought before were probably just self-centered.
When she thought of this possibility, she became more and more uncomfortable. Why did things suddenly become like this?
If Zixiaoguan refuses the marriage tomorrow, what should I do?
Although this matter was not publicized and it had no impact on her. The worst thing was that she would go back to where she came from, but... she was so unwilling to do so.
No matter what she thinks, as an insignificant member of this circle, she can only passively wait for the result.
The next morning, Zhang Tongxuan did not go out to visit friends again, but made an appointment with Sun Simiao for discussion. Everyone knew that the time had come for Tu Qiong to meet.
Chen Jingke naturally also appeared at the scene.
As soon as he met Zhang Tongxuan, he was very polite and said that there were many disturbances these days. Sun Simiao naturally politely said that the Taoist sects in the world are one family and they should help each other.
Then Zhang Tongxuan changed the subject to Chen Jingke, thanked him for taking care of his daughter, and praised him for his talent.
By the way, he pretended to be curious and asked: "It's time for Fellow Daoist Chen to propose marriage. Is there a girl you like?"
Chen Jingke sighed inwardly, but he still asked this question.
It was not convenient for him to answer this question himself, so Sun Simiao took the initiative to answer: "Haha, marriage matters depend on the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words. There is no reason for them to make their own decisions."
"Pindao has found a suitable family and is going to propose marriage in a few days. Master Zhang will definitely come to have a wedding drink by then."