Li You returned to the guild hall, and before going to bed, he suddenly remembered Zhao Daguan's joke a few months ago: "Looking at your fighting skills and political participation, my second brother said it would be a pity if you don't become the Prime Minister and the Nine Ministers..."
Time is also fate!
September 20th was Li You's third day in Beijing. Mr. Li got up early and stood in the courtyard, watching the rising sun slowly rising in the east, sighing at the purple air coming from the east.
Since arriving in the imperial capital, there have been some unplanned "surprises" every day. What will happen today?
Today he will first go to the Ministry of Etiquette to register, and then go to the Imperial College to show off. If he can get admitted to the prison, it will be done easily.
The bearer who lent Mr. Li the sedan chair was also sighing. He was such a troublesome customer. He was either going to the northernmost point of the city or to the westernmost point of the city. It was a long distance of twenty miles every day. Going back and forth was almost as long as a villain.
Legs, it is only right to go back to the employer and ask for more wages.
Leaving Xiaozhu in the pavilion, Li You set off on the road with the four kings. Two were Zhang San and Han Zong, and the other two were sent by Zhao Dazhongcheng to "protect" them.
Along the way, Zhang San chatted with the new traveler familiarly: "What are your last names?"
"I don't dare, my brothers Wang Dalang and Wang Erlang."
"Wang Erlang... what a coincidence!" Zhang San said to Gu Sijin, stroking his beard: "I remember when I first debuted, I and two other people were following me, and one of them was also named Wang Erlang. What a coincidence."
The two men didn't respond, but Han Zong was very interested in the old man's past and couldn't help but ask: "I have met you and Uncle Li, where is Senior Wang now?"
"Dead!" Zhang San said concisely.
Both Wang and Wang snorted coldly, dismissing Zhang San's low-level intimidation.
But Li You said that when he arrived at the Ministry of Rites next to the Daming Gate, he checked his identity with the clerk of the Ceremony Department, registered his name, received the ticket, and had to get a seal stamped.
In the Deployment Department, there are doctors, Yuanwailang, principals and other officials. The person in charge of this matter is a Yuanwailang from the Ceremony Department. Someone who got the money can show Li You the location of his office. Li You went to find it and walked to the terrace outside the house.
, then I heard the words "stay here, stay here" coming from inside, and it seemed that something was coming.
Mr. Li stopped and waited for the people inside to see off the guests before going in to see the gifts. Looking closely, he saw a figure in scarlet clothes and jade belt leaning back out of the main room. As he backed away, he said: "Please make a reservation tomorrow."
Want to show off."
Li You, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs, was suddenly very surprised. The fourth-rank official and above in the imperial dynasty's crown and belt system wore Feiyi... What kind of big shot was there? How could he ask this fourth-rank official to bow down and go out when saying goodbye?
When the man who retreated and said goodbye turned around and resumed his attitude of holding his head high, Li You took the opportunity to glance at his chest and saw that he was actually a third-rank official.
Ninety-nine percent of the third-rank officials who appeared in the Sixth Division were ministers... Seeing him about to go down the steps, a certain seventh-rank official quickly lowered his head and stepped aside.
Who could make the minister behave like this? When he was avoiding it, Li You murmured in his heart, shouldn't there be a minister here? Could it be that the minister or someone bigger was sitting inside? Could it be that a cunning little official deliberately tricked him into coming here to eat and sleep?
For a moment, he flashed in his mind the horrifying story of the cowardly coach who accidentally broke into the White Tiger Hall and his family was ruined... He couldn't help cursing in his heart, the car and boat shop footman (here is not a tooth) should be killed if he is not guilty!
"Oh? Why is it you?" A loud and familiar voice came into his ears. After hearing this, Li You raised his head and said in surprise: "It turns out to be you!"
The person who saw the guests out in front of the hall was actually the scholar with a loud voice whom I had seen at Tongzhou Station a few days ago!
At this time, he was wearing the same blue round-neck official robe as Li You, but the breast patch was of a higher grade.
Li You stood still for a moment and was not idle. He activated the speed of lightning and thunder to make two judgments. First, this person was indeed a member of the imperial family, and the clerk did not lie to him; second, this person was extraordinary! He could be called a waiter.
Will it be a simple person who aggrieved himself?
Mr. Li made a quick decision, stepped forward and bowed his head: "Thank you so much for your heroic efforts to save the siege the night before! Otherwise, it would be very rare for me to be spared."
"You're just saying that because you're doing something! It's really against your will! I was so bored that night!" The policewoman laughed, and before Li You could feel awkward, he said: "But I know you guys
It’s hard for these foreign officials to keep their heads down when they come to the capital, and I’m very considerate of this! Last time, I couldn’t stand the officials’ difficulties!”
This adult was still as outspoken, bold and hearty as he was the night before. Li You commented sarcastically in his heart... In fact, Li You's evaluation the night before was three words - a fool.
Different words spoken from the mouths of people with different identities will naturally have different effects...
"As you are destined, please come in!" the still unknown Master Yuan Wailang invited.
After Li You entered, he sat down at the bottom, handed over the ticket and asked, "May I ask your surname?"
"It is inevitable that your surname is Zhu." Wai Lang, the director of the Ceremony Department of the Ministry of Etiquette, said seriously.
Zhu Naiguo's surname is indeed expensive... When Li You saw that the other party wanted to see the ticket slip, he fell silent.
"Are you Suzhou Li You?" Zhu Bulang suddenly shouted when he saw the name on the ticket.
Li You, who was thinking about something, was startled by the loud voice. He didn't know what Zhu Bulang meant by shouting, so he could only reply: "Exactly."
Zhu Bulang slapped the table and said: "Master Li! Someone once said that Li You of Xujiang is the best in the world in poetry skills!"
What a big hat. Does it mean that the capital also has his reputation? Classic works are classics after all. Li You suppressed his secret joy and said modestly: "It's really too much praise. How can I deserve it? I have such a humble talent as a low-ranking official."
I’m just enjoying myself.” But in the end, I couldn’t help but ask: “Who said this?”
"Lu Shangshu of the Ministry of War."
It turned out to be his old man, and Li You suddenly realized that this fellow countryman had a strong sense of regionalism, and he would definitely praise the outstanding things in his hometown.
Zhu Bulang continued: "Some people say that Master Li of Suzhou is unparalleled in the world in his ability to enchant the soul with his poems and to capture the soul with his words!"
"It's too exaggerated. Who said this?" Li You asked happily, as if he had been scratched.
"The seven beauties of Jiangnan."
Li You was confused. He had only heard of the Seven Monsters of Jiangnan...
Zhu Bulang explained: "Master Li first came to the capital, so he didn't know anything. A few months ago, a good person gathered a group of famous prostitutes from the Jiangnan area to stay in the capital. The courtyard was opened in Bensi Hutong in the east of the city. They were all stunningly beautiful.
His skills are so outstanding that he is called the Seven Beauties of the South of the Yangtze River. People all over the city flock to him, even me... Oh, but they all said in unison, Suzhou Master Xiao Li's poetry is unparalleled in the world, and nothing else can catch their eye."
Li You couldn't help but sigh, it's the same old routine again...
Zhu Bulang slapped the case again and said: "To be honest, I have also praised you in the capital for your poems. Some people have praised you as the best in the capital. Many people who have read your collection of poems say that I am not as good as you. I am not convinced by this."
Li You was speechless. You are already in this position. Why are you still fussing about poetry? It is too incomprehensible to be tasteless. To take an extreme example, who has ever heard of the prime minister competing with others in terms of poetry? It means boring literary talent.
I will compare these, and there are some people who need the outer skin of a genius.
Zhu Bulang stood up and took out a stack of books from the shelf behind him, handed it to Li You and said, "I am a bad official, Mr. Li, please take a look at it."
What a straightforward person... Li You reluctantly took it and flipped through it, thinking about his words in his mind.
Seeing Li You stop his hand, Zhu Bulang asked: "How?"
Li You pondered for a moment, "From what I can see, he is majestic and powerful. He is truly a famous artist."
This is not flattery, Zhu Bulang's poetry is indeed quite good, and it can be regarded as a bold and majestic path.
"How does it compare to you?"
This was difficult to answer. If Li You had to admit that he was inferior to others, he was unwilling to do so, and he suspected that his level of flattery was too low. He could only say vaguely: "Wen Wu is not the best. Bu Lang's poetry is different from that of the lower officials."
, each has its merits and charm, how can we judge which one is higher and which one is lower? Just like Li Du, how can we judge whether they are higher or lower?"
"That's exactly what it is!" Zhu Bulang praised after striking the case for the third time. "Looking at it from your perspective, why do others say that I am not as good as you?"
The questions are more difficult to answer than the last. If it weren't for the connotation of the surname Zhu, Li You would have thrown away his sleeves and left. "When discussing poetry, you should look at the world's customs, otherwise it is like a tree without roots or water without a source. Today's world's customs are new and ever-changing.
"My poems are also seeking novelty and novelty, and coincide with the world's sentiments. My poems, on the other hand, stick to my original style and follow the vicissitudes of life. Naturally, I am not as popular as my poems."
"Wonderful theory!" Zhu Bulang didn't know how many times he had hit the case.
The real reason is that the Tang and Song Dynasties wrote all the essence of poetry, and it was impossible to surpass it in the future. The few that Li You seriously copied are classics that are rare in later generations. Even Zhu Bulang's temporary flair was limited to the times, and how many of them could he rival?
The combined efforts of two famous people? Of course Li You would not be stupid enough to say that.
"Today I will be the host and invite you to a banquet. Please come with me at noon. Please don't refuse."
Li You discussed: "If I have something to do during the day, can I change it to evening?"
Zhu Bulang said with a smile: "People are so happy to see that they are destined to be together, and they are so excited that they can't wait until night."
"I have to go to Imperial College today..."
"Then what's there to go to? I'm in charge of school affairs in the ministry, so I can't let you go!"
The Department of Ceremony is the core department of the Ministry of Rites, responsible for the four affairs of etiquette, tribute, ancestral titles, and schools. From Master Zhu's tone, it seems that he is the official responsible for the affairs of schools all over the world, including the Imperial College of course.
Li You was very pleasantly surprised by this. He was already on the line with the organization. He would skip school and cheat in exams in the future. In order to test the opponent's strength, he deliberately said: "I have to go to the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War to deliver letters to the two ministers..."
Zhu Bulang was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand casually and said: "It doesn't matter if it's a day late. I have the honor of being an official, so the two ministers won't care about it!"
Even though Li You was used to him speaking directly, he couldn't help but click his tongue a few times in his heart. As expected, the capital was hiding dragons and crouching tigers. Looking at his tone, those who knew it was Yuan Wailang, and those who didn't knew thought it was the senior scholar Ge Lao who was speaking. Who is he?
?
At this time, several people came in to do business, and they also signed in to enter the prison. Li You stood up and said to Zhu Bulang: "If you don't interfere with your official business, I will sit down in the outer hall and wait."
Of course Mr. Li would not really sit around. He went to the front hall to ask a clerk to pay money to find out about Zhu Bulang's background.
The result was beyond his expectation. He originally thought that Zhu Bulang was a descendant of a noble family with no city, and maybe he had an ancestral title. Otherwise, how could a mere Yuanwailang come to be so impressive? He also thought that he was a literary talent.
Yes, if you pass the imperial examination, you will become a civil servant.
However, the real situation is even more dramatic. Zhu Bulang is a member of the royal family at all, although the blood relationship is very far away... What is even more exaggerated is that he was still the No. 1 number one on the imperial list five years ago, which can be said to be a blessing to the entire world.
The royal family was so proud that the emperor called him "Emperor Brother" when he saw him.
It is said that although this person is talented in literature, he does not believe in luxury, he travels in and out of cars with ease, and he is honest and forthright in dealing with others. He has a good reputation in the capital and is praised for his chivalry.
Li You was envious and jealous. He was a distant relative, an imperial brother, and a third-level scholar. He was truly a transcendent existence in this dynasty... Although he could never become a minister or a bachelor to avoid suspicion. It is no wonder that he pursued poetry diligently.
