Even though Li You didn't care much about the gift of five hundred taels, he still had to show his gratitude and shed tears... He couldn't repay it, so he had to write (copy) a poem to express his gratitude.
There are almost no masterpieces that can be plagiarized in this area. Not many literati would write poems to praise others for sending money... While Li You was searching for words, the middle-aged female official Wang Yannv bowed to the middle of the hall and said, "The night is already late.
I respectfully invite your highness to return to the palace." Some people did not give Mr. Li a chance to buy it now.
In an instant, an unknown number of men and women appeared from the surrounding darkness. Within a short time, all the robes and ceremonial guards were prepared, and there were more than a dozen pairs of various ceremonial guards. They were lined up neatly in the court, waiting for the eldest princess to leave.
Looking at the grand entrance and exit, Li You could finally confirm that Princess Guide must be very favored in the palace. How could those ceremonial guards such as pumpkins, sunflowers, canopies, flags and flags that he couldn't name be used privately? I guess they were not given by the Queen Mother.
It was a gift from the emperor. It’s no wonder that the entrance to the Prince Consort’s residence is wide. If it wasn’t wider, it wouldn’t be possible for such a procession to reach the front of the hall.
The eldest princess came from the hall. Li You hurriedly lowered his head to avoid it. He could only vaguely see a large cloak with gold threads, dragon and phoenix patterns under the firelight. He seemed to be quite slender, but he couldn't make out his appearance clearly.
.
After a few shouts, the team slowly set off and gradually disappeared from sight. Lin's consort then said disdainfully to Li You: "It's despicable to behave like a woman!"
Hearing these heartless words, Li You was furious, "If it weren't for Mr. Fanghe's sake, I would not care whether you live or die tonight!"
Lin's consort casually cupped his hands and said, "Please do as you please, I won't send you away." He waved his sleeves and walked away.
Is this person really irritating? Is he mentally ill? Li You didn't dare to do anything wrong on the opponent's territory, so he could only turn around and leave the house angrily.
At this time, a palace maid ran over in small steps, knelt down and paid homage to Li You and said: "I have a message before I leave the country at the age of 1000. The Empress Dowager will have a birthday next month. People from all over are sending congratulations. I would like to ask Mr. Li to draft a birthday poem for you."
"
It doesn't matter if he is a gunman...Li Caizi, who has no integrity as a scholar, nodded and said: "I dare not serve."
When he arrived at the gate of the Prince Consort's Mansion, he saw Cui Jiansheng, who seemed to have fallen apart, sitting in the corner, with several subordinates guarding him. Li You then realized that on the way back to the Prince Consort's Mansion from this dead end, Lin Consort had already woken up.
Cui Jiansheng, who was also in the sedan chair, explained his identity to Prince Consort Lin.
Moreover, Mr. Li can conclude that the idea of using himself as a shield probably came from Cui Jiansheng's mouth and was just used by Prince Consort Lin.
"Don't worry about him, I'll go back to the palace!" Li You greeted his subordinates, and then he thought about it and said to the doorman: "Mr. Cui has done a good job in protecting the consort tonight, how can he be ignored? You guys carry him in and take care of him.
So that the scholars will not be disappointed!"
It was already midnight when he returned to the guild hall. Li You was very sleepy, so he didn't ask Xiaozhu to fetch water to wash up, so he hurriedly put on his clothes and lay down. When he woke up again, he saw the sun rising three poles outside the window.
Li You was lying down thinking about today's schedule. The two letters from Xu Shangshu and Lu Sangong had been delayed for several days. They must be sent, otherwise it would appear to be neglectful and rude.
I got up and left the room, but there was a strange servant waiting respectfully outside the door, claiming to be sent by Zhu Bulang. "My master said that he already knew what happened last night. Thank you for your help. I will wait for the prince to rest for two days."
The master is going to host a banquet to gather together, and then invite the adults to the banquet."
Li You recalled that everything else was fine, but he felt that Lin's consort's words and deeds were too shabby. Unfortunately, he did not have the majesty of a princess to beat him in public. When he met Zhu Bulang later, he wanted to explain this point carefully.
After dinner, Mr. Li went out again in the afternoon. The bearer asked: "Where are you going, Master?"
"Libu!" Li You replied. At this time, the court meeting had ended early, and Lord Shangshu was probably in the Yamen.
Like the Ministry of Rites, the Yamen of the Ministry of Personnel is also outside Chengtianmen, but it is a few steps closer to Chengtianmen than other ministries.
If the six ministries are further classified, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites are probably in the same category, and their work is relatively "virtual" and their status is relatively clear. The four Ministries of Husbandry, Soldiers, Punishment, and Work are probably in the same category, and their work is more practical.
In addition, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites have one thing in common. They both have the smallest internal organization among the six ministries, with only four departments. However, the Ministry of Personnel is more streamlined than the Ministry of Rites. Under the Ministry of Rites, it manages the Imperial College, Taichang Temple, and Qintian Prison.
, Honglu Temple, Jiaofangsi and many other second-rate yamen, there is not a single subordinate in the official department.
However, as long as there is one literary and selection department among the four departments within the Ministry of Personnel, it is enough to look down upon all officials. Perhaps in the eyes of the Ministry of Personnel, other yamen are subordinates, and most officials are just symbols on the name books and files... used for
Official fill-in-the-blank game.
In today's officialdom psychology, from the last four ministers to officials, those from the Ministry of Rites are both in the second rank, but they are still considered to have risen. To achieve this, even if the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is not a bachelor, he can still be regarded as a highly respected minister; if he is from the Ministry of Personnel,
The transfer of the Minister of Rites to the last four ministers has a derogatory tone.
However, what is a bit special is that the District Officials and Hubu and the Chunguan and Rites Department often fight for the second position, but it is certain that no department dares to compete with the Officials Department for the top position.
In the official system of the Ming Dynasty, only the Ministry of Personnel has the phrase "praising the rule of the emperor", and none of the other five departments. In the minds of those who are well versed in officialdom, the main power of the court is actually concentrated in the cabinet, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
In three major departments.
At this time, Mr. Xu, a seventh-grade petty bureaucrat, Mr. Li, went to deliver the letter to Mr. Xu. He was the Shangshu of the Yamen, a person who held the power of election on behalf of the emperor. Officials all over the world were promoted, transferred, demoted, and dismissed regardless of whether Mr. Xu said it or not.
It has the final say, but you have to pass through his hands once again.
At this time, you can feel what a huge gift Chen Xundao gave Li You. There are countless people in the world who want to see Xu Shangshu at any cost.
I have to say that Li You was indeed nervous. Even when he went to see the emperor, he was not so nervous. If he offended others, there might be a chance to make amends, but it left a bad impression on Xu Tianguan. I am afraid there is no way to make amends, and there is no place to cry.
cry.
After all, his small official position and the opportunity to serve in prison were not all donated by Xu Shangshu. Not to mention that Li You now has the unreasonable idea of resigning and serving in prison to replace an official position, and it is best to return to Suzhou...
So Li You was not idle while sitting in the sedan chair, constantly imagining various responses and rehearsing possible situations he might encounter. How to say this when Xu Shangshu asked, how to say that when Xu Shangshu asked...
There was a famous saying in his previous life that details determine success or failure. He really didn't dare to relax at all.
Mr. Li got off the sedan chair and saw Zhang San standing on tiptoes and looking north towards Chengtian Gate. Li You asked, "What are you looking at?"
Zhang San turned around and replied: "I heard from Xiaozhu that where the True Dragon Emperor lives, there is a strange phenomenon of colorful clouds and dense light. Why can't you see it?"
"What a fool! Why don't you vote for assassination?" Li You scolded.
The Ministry of Personnel occupies a small area, but there are many officials of all kinds coming in and out. Some are confused, some are lost and depressed, some are elated, some are dancing, and some are standing under the door and yelling. You can clearly see all kinds of people in the world.
Zhang San voted for a famous assassin and inquired about the results and said: "The official election just ended this month, and these are just to see the results."
Li You straightened his clothes, closed his eyes and forced himself to wait calmly for an answer.
I don't know how much time passed, but the gatekeeper replied, "Master Shangshu said that we are busy with official duties today, so the letter can be brought in by the boy. The person who sent the letter has disappeared. Please come back."
Mr. Li, who had done enough homework, was full of expectations, and was smug and smug, was stunned when he heard this, and he was in a state of confusion. He didn't know what it was like...
Li Youyi thought about how to speak and please Xu Shangshu countless times, how to make the boss stunned and blue-eyed, and he prepared four or five flattering poems... Unexpectedly, the Heavenly Official Dazai didn't even say thank you to him.
All are lacking.
Perhaps without fame, one would not be considered a backward person... After knowing his position, he tried to grab someone but couldn't. Feeling a little frustrated, Li Youhun walked out from the gate of the Ministry of Personnel with his head downcast.
Two old officials walking by on the roadside quietly pointed at Mr. Li and whispered, "Did you see that? Most of the people with this kind of expression were elected officials in Guizhou and Guangxi..."
There was still a letter to deliver, so Li You cheered up and headed west.
These days, most of the important officials of the imperial court live in the Yongfang area on the west side of the imperial city, close to the inner Xiyuan. The reason is that it is close to the road and convenient for work. Moreover, the emperor often relaxes in the beautiful Xiyuan. If he summons his ministers at this time,
The ministers are just a few steps away.
Although Li You didn't know where the Minister of War's Mansion was, he knew that it was right to go to Xitou and ask. After asking a few hawkers along the street, he found the place.
This letter was written by his mother-in-law to Mr. Lu, the cheap "brother-in-law". Therefore, it was impossible to alarm him, the Minister of War, and he could only vote for Mr. Lu at his residence.
Third Young Master Lu met Mr. Li, but it was not interesting.
It's not that the host is unenthusiastic or attentive, it's just that the third young master is introverted, shy and not good at speaking. He invited Li You to come into the room. The guests and hosts sat separately, served tea and exchanged a few words, but then they had nothing to say. Li You couldn't dominate the guest.
Rhetoric.
Seeing that this "brother-in-law" was very embarrassed and uncomfortable when receiving strangers, and he also found out that Lu Shangshu was not in the house, Li You did not stay long and left.
The sun was heading west, and the day was almost over, but Li You always felt that something was missing today.
"There was no accident today. It was so peaceful. It's really strange..." Zhang San muttered to the master.
"Shut up!" Li You scolded, but he also agreed with Zhang San's statement. In the past few days since entering Beijing, today is the only day without any accidents or entanglements. Except for being rejected by Xu Shangshu, which was not as good as an accident, everything was smooth and uneventful.
Makes him feel unreal...
This is normal life, it’s better not to be suspicious, Mr. Li thought.
Calmness is indeed just an illusion, or it only exists where Li You can see it. Where he can't see, there are very unstable things happening.
For example, in today's morning meeting, a big melee broke out with the name of a little person like Li You as the trigger. Therefore, in order to avoid suspicion, Xu Shangshu did not dare to meet Li You at this time... It was not what Li You thought.