The capital is entering November and welcomes the first snow in winter.

As countless snowflakes fell on the roofs and blue brick streets of Beijing, the ancient city was covered with a layer of white snow, and the green pine trees were also covered with white hair.

However, this snow brought trouble to the lives of the people in the capital. Pedestrians, ox carts and horse carriages kept crushing the white snow. Soon the snow and dirt formed snow mud, making the entire blue brick street become

Slipping and dirty.

It was when we went to the yamen that all the official sedans left the yamen, but they were no longer as majestic as before, and the sedansman and guards walked carefully.

Lin Weiran has always chosen to leave later. When he walked out of the Left Minister's Office, he happened to see Lin Fu slipping to the ground while walking on a piece of snow mud. He couldn't help but look at Lin Fu's embarrassing appearance.

"When I was a child, I always envied the snow in the north. I thought I could play snowball fights in the snow, and I thought it would be so good. The result... it was really unlucky!" Lin Fu got up from the ground and complained immediately.

Lin Qingran did not have sympathy and said half jokingly: "It was obvious that you were walking inadvertently, and you blamed the snow for coming! I think you were pointing at the mulberry and scolding the locust, and blamed the snow for being fake. In fact, I thought about going home to visit relatives!"

"Uncle Nineteen, you really wronged me. I have no idea of ​​going home to visit relatives!" Lin Fu didn't bother to take off the snow stains on his clothes, and he complained seriously.

He knew very well that Lin Qingran would not be able to return home, and he never expressed any thought of missing home, nor did he have the idea of ​​going back to his hometown to visit relatives, but he was worried that Lin Qingran would drive him back to Changlin Village because of this.

Lin Xuran knew that this kind of joke was not good, so he walked down the steps and patted Lin Fu on the shoulder and said, "I know you don't mean that, but we are far away in the capital, so how could we not miss home!" Finally, we added another

He said, "But it's useless to miss home. You guys still have to be here to accompany me, and I'm afraid you have to stay with me for at least several years!"

"As long as Uncle Nineteen doesn't dislike me for not being smart enough in my work, we will always be protecting Uncle Nineteen in the capital!" Lin Fu turned his worries into joy and immediately responded happily.

Lin Xuran was about to get into the sedan chair, but suddenly thought of something, and said to Lin Fu again: "Your father has replied to me and I will give your marriage all the right to be in charge. I will help you find it in the capital.

A girl, my parents hope you can marry a girl from the capital, and the two of them will have a bright face in the village!"

Lin Fu immediately blushed, as if he was thinking, but he did not protest.

Lin Qingran sat in the sedan chair, and the team left the Ministry of Rites in a mighty manner. The group carefully walked through the streets and alleys, and soon returned to Lin's mansion.

The sedan chair was slowly lowered in the front yard of Lin's house. When Lin Weiran came out of the sedan chair, the two ladies were already standing here and waiting.

Wu Qiuyu was wearing a life-long suit. Although her face looked quite green, she looked more noble, but she was not as arrogant as those noble ladies.

Hua Yingrong has a face full of feminine charm and is also a natural clothes rack. A set of dark patches on her body interprets the ultimate beauty of oriental women.

After nearly a year, the three people have been fixed in their relationship. Not only have they never had any quarrels, but they also got along very well.

Lin Qingran greeted the two wives, then returned to the room to change clothes, and then went to the dining room to have a meal together. They talked and laughed at each other during the meal.

Hua Yingrong talked about the United Money Bank, but planned to go to Yangzhou in the beginning of next spring, intending to continue to promote the follow-up plan for the introduction of old salt in Lianghuai, and then establish a more complete Yangzhou futures trading market.

After dinner, Lin Weiran came to the study as usual. At this time, some officials or old acquaintances usually come to visit.

Since next year is the year of external inspection, local officials have arrived in Beijing one after another. Whether they want to maintain their position or seek promotion, they are bound to come to him, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, to pay homage to the wharf.

Lin Jinyuan handed over the teacup and submitted another bill and said, "Master, this is Bing Jingyin sent by the officials who came to Beijing today. The specific names and numbers are here!"

It is not easy for officials to live in the capital, let alone buy houses here. However, many officials in the capital can often settle down in the capital even if they do not accept bribes, mainly due to "Bingjing" and "Canjing".

"Arizona is free and free down the nine levels, and the Ministry of Personnel of the Travel Office hangs colorful lanterns. Knock the red doors and offer warm stoves, and jade makes the fire pit molten charcoal red!"

This poem says "charcoal respect". Whenever winter comes, officials from all over the country respect money to their backers or court bosses in the name of winter buying charcoal.

Because this behavior is quite considerate, and it is not classified as a bribery, it is the most important means of bribery by Ming officials, and it is also the main income of senior officials in the capital.

source.

Lin Qingran was the left minister of the Ministry of Rites. His former subordinates, local officials who entered Beijing, and even some officials far away from Guangdong, all sent "Bingjing".

Of course, he would not lack gold. In fact, no one in the Ming Dynasty was richer than him. However, he wanted to correct this method of bribery by making a clever name, but he knew that he could not go against the current.

After experiencing the failure of the vassal reform, he also saw how Xu Jie turned aside a thing. He knew very well that many things would not develop in a direction that was beneficial to the Ming Dynasty, but in a direction that was beneficial to some people.

Whether it is the current emperor Jiajing or the current chief assistant Xu Jie, they essentially put their own interests at the most core.

For the benefit of the Zhu family, the former ignored the fact that the Zhu family's population had soared, allowing the Ming Dynasty to continue to bear the prosperous life of the Zhu family's children; for the sake of his success in his career, the latter did not hesitate to destroy the fairness of the imperial examinations, and indirectly

Protected those who violate the law.

"I understand, you go down!" Lin Qingran took a sip of tea and nodded gently.

After all, he was not as innocent as Hu Niu. Faced with Bing Jing who was sent one after another, he could only let Lin Jinyuan collect the accounts, which made a small fortune.

He found that he had completely integrated into this era and into this "light and dust" officialdom, and was dormant here honestly, hoping that one day he would be able to join the cabinet and become ministers.

It was at this moment that Sun Jixiang hurried in from outside and quietly reported to Lin Junran: "Dongweng, I just got a piece of news that Xu Jie will secretly meet that person tonight!"

As night fell, the lights of the entire Beijing city lit up. Although they were still in the snow and ice, there was no wind blowing, which made it look very detailed here.

The lights in Xu's mansion were brightly lit, and the servants were busy here because the owner of this house was in the mansion tonight, which made it much more lively than before.

Xu Jie had just celebrated an unforgettable birthday party. He finally understood why Yan Song, who had been in the past, still didn't want to retreat until he was 82 years old. The taste of power was too tempting.

It was just an ordinary birthday party. Not only were officials from the six ministries and nine ministers moved, but even officials from the two capitals and thirteen provinces sent gifts. His birthday was already more important than the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Xu Fan sat at the table and was in a good mood. His fourth concubine gave him an eighth son, and he used the gifts given to his father by officials to buy several pawn shops in the capital.

In addition to Xu Jie and his son, Xu Jie's favorite disciple Zhang Juzheng was also at the dinner table, who seemed to behave in a regular manner with Xu Jie and his son.

This year is undoubtedly a good year for Zhang Juzheng. He first successfully repaired the "Xingdu Zhi" with Yuan Wei and promoted to the Imperial College. Then he successfully presided over this year's Yingtian Provincial Examination. He returned to Beijing and was able to enter the Prince Yu Mansion to serve as a lecturer.

He not only gained a large group of disciples from Nanzhili, but also became the future imperial teacher of the Ming Dynasty. He was so glorious that he officially had the political capital to stand on his own in the court.

In the past, even if he was appointed as the Imperial College Office, he was a disciple who was promoted by Xu Jie. However, he was recommended by Xu Jie to enter the Yu Palace for the lecture on the imperial court. His identity and status were completely different, and he was considered a real price.

The future imperial teacher.

It is precisely because of the identity of the lecturer of the Prince Yu Mansion that his bargaining chip is no longer Xu Jie, but the future Emperor of Ming Dynasty, which makes his future bright.

After dinner, Xu Jie asked Zhang Juzheng to go to the study to use tea. After taking a sip of tea, he asked Zhang Juzheng, who was sitting next to him with concern: "Taiyue, you have been in the Prince Yu Mansion for these days.

Is that good?"

As Zhang Juzheng entered Prince Yu's Mansion to serve as a lecturer, the relationship between the teachers and students has been deepened invisibly.

Although Zhang Juzheng was the teacher of King Yu, there were Gao Gong, Chen Yiqin and Yin Shidan, who had more qualifications, and he was just the least experienced teacher of King Yu, so he naturally had to rely on Xu Jie's support.

Xu Jie invited favor to Jiajing with Qing Ci, and thus became the chief minister. However, the current emperor is over 60 years old and is the second longest-lived emperor of the Ming Dynasty, so he has to consider it for the future.

The reason why he elected Zhang Juzheng to the Yu Palace was because he hoped that with the teacher-student relationship between Zhang Juzheng and Yu, he could continue to serve as the chief minister of the Ming Dynasty after King Yu inherited the throne.

In fact, he had thought of releasing Wang Xilie and other successful disciples into Prince Yu's Mansion, but Zhang Juzheng was better in terms of qualifications and personal abilities.

The most important thing is that Zhang Juzheng and Yin Shidan, the lecturer of Prince Yu’s Mansion, were in the same year. It was undoubtedly easier for Zhang Juzheng to enter Prince Yu’s Mansion to gain a foothold in Prince Yu’s Mansion.

Zhang Juzheng maintained a respectful heart to Xu Jie, and immediately responded: "Reply to the teacher's words, everything is fine for the students. King Yu is kind and studious, and he will definitely become a wise ruler of the Ming Dynasty in the future!"

When Xu Jie heard this comment, he felt disapprovingly holding the tea lid with his hands and splashing hot tea.

King Yu is stupid by nature, which is well known. Otherwise, the current emperor would not have thought of abolishing the eldest son and establishing the young. Even if King Jing had been vassal for two years, the current emperor did not make King Yu the crown prince.

mean.

Although there is a factor in the emperor's obsession with immortality, the more important thing is that the emperor seems to be "unqualified" in King Yu, and he even has a disgust towards King Yu.

Xu Jie naturally would not say these ideas, and he seriously reminded him: "Taiyue, King Yu will definitely be able to inherit the throne in the future. Your burden is not light now. Be sure to teach him well and assist him in doing a good job in the future.

A wise king!”

"Students follow their teachers' teachings and will definitely teach His Highness Yu well so that he can become a wise king in the future!" Zhang Juzheng maintained a respectful attitude and responded politely.

Xu Jie was very satisfied with Zhang Juzheng's attitude, took a sip of tea and reminded: "The current situation in the court is complicated, and the situation next year will be even more complicated. Especially Lin Qingran is not a person who can truly settle down. No matter what happens, you

I will teach you that you are a bad person in the Imperial College and do not get involved in other matters. Do you understand your efforts as a teacher?"

"Students understand, thank you for your teacher's cultivation!" Zhang Juzheng was slightly moved and bowed again.

This is indeed a heartfelt statement. From participating in the editing of "Xingdu Zhi" to becoming an Imperial College Office, now being able to enter the Yu Palace to serve as a lecturer, all of which are thanks to the careful arrangement of this teacher.

It is precisely these arrangements that although he did not rise as rockets as Lin Qianran and Li Chunfang, he walked very steadily and was able to get a trump card of the future Emperor of Ming Dynasty.

It was at this moment that the butler came in from outside the door and whispered in Xu Jie's ear.

Seeing this, Zhang Juzheng stood up and bowed respectfully, especially after seeing Xu Jie's reaction, he stood up and bowed respectfully: "Teacher, the students dare not bother, so let's say goodbye first!"

"Okay, come often in the future!" Xu Jie's face was as if it were spring breeze, and he nodded gently.

Zhang Juzheng gave another respectful gift and then quietly retreated.

In order not to be rude, he kept urinating. After leaving Xu Jie's study, he did not immediately choose to leave Xu's mansion, but borrowed the Xu's mansion's thatched cottage.

When he came out of the cottage and was about to leave the Xu Mansion, he found that there was movement in the corridor on the back door.

Zhang Juzheng is actually not a person who likes to find out secrets, but when he happened to see it tonight, he couldn't help but take a look. With the dim lights over there, he first saw Xu Fan, but he saw two people following him.

However, he recognized these two people, one was Tao Fan, the nephew of Tao Zhongwen, the former Taoist master Gongchengbo, and the other was Shao Fang, the "Danyang Hero" in Nanzhili.

With his current status and reputation, let alone this Tao Motto, who has no official status, is even more unlikely to have contact with a person from the world. He couldn't help but wonder.

The most important thing is that these two people were led in from the back door by Xu Fan, so they no longer wanted others to know about this. Why did they make it so mysterious?

But these things seemed to be a secret, and Zhang Juzheng did not dare to spy on it. As for what the two of them talked about in the study, it was unknown.

Xu Fan led the two people into the study room, and soon sent them away, but he still arranged the sedan chairs of the Xu family to send the two people away secretly.

On the way back, I happened to meet a messenger. After reading the news I just delivered, I hurried out of the study and said excitedly to Xu Jie: "Dad, there is news in Jiangxi!"

"What news?" Xu Jie's heart moved slightly, but he calmly picked up the teacup and asked.
Chapter completed!