Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 206 I am blessed with good fortune, like a fish in water
Qin Hui asked He Li to take Cui Xianyun away. He pinched his eyebrows and felt a slight pain.

Qin Hui couldn't help but lament that he was getting old and his energy was declining.

He was just about to take a short rest when someone came to report: "Prime Minister, this year's number one scholar Zhang Xiaoxiang and six other Jinshi scholars came to see you."

The prime minister assists the emperor in regulating yin and yang and following the four seasons, and in promoting the good fortunes of all things. He also pacifies the barbarians and the foreign lords, and is close to the people at home, so that the ministers can perform their duties.

These are some Jinshi scholars who understand human relationships and have come to pay their respects to this supreme official.

Although Qin Hui was feeling unwell and a little irritable, he thought that these were all the best among the young people, and there was no guarantee that some of them would become prime ministers in the future.

Although there was a high probability that he would not be able to use him, it would not be a bad idea to meet him. Perhaps he would be able to be of use to his children and grandchildren in the future. So he sat down again and ordered to be summoned.

After a while, Zhang Xiaoxiang, the top scholar of this year's imperial examination, came in with six other scholars who were also successful candidates in this year's imperial examination and had good relations with each other, and greeted Prime Minister Qin.

Prime Minister Qin agreed with a smile, and without standing up, he ordered them to sit down and talked with them.

This kind of welcoming and seeing off is the norm in official circles. If one really wants to make friends with someone, it is impossible to mobilize a large number of people in such occasions.

However, if someone wants to join, they will not come rashly. This kind of visit can be regarded as a test and contact.

Qin Hui knew this very well, so he didn't say anything profound on such occasions.

Zhang Zhuangyuan brought several good friends to visit the prime minister of the time, thinking that they would soon be granted official positions.

I'm here to pay my respects to Qin Hui. I don't ask for any support from him, but I hope he won't put any obstacles in my way either.

So we just went through the motions and didn't bother any further.

Seeing that Qin Hui looked tired, Zhang Xiaoxiang led everyone to stand up and say goodbye, and presented the gifts he had brought.

The gifts they gave to Qin Hui were inappropriate if they were too expensive, and unpresentable if they were too simple.

Therefore, most of the gifts given are their own poems and articles. For literati, this kind of gifts cannot be measured by importance; it is called elegance.

Yu Yunwen was among the six Jinshi, and was brought in by his good friend Zhang Xiaoxiang.

When it was his turn, what Yu Yun saw on the document was a thick book.

This is different from a poem or a painting. It was actually written into a book. This gift was too heavy. Qin Hui was quite surprised.

He took it in his hand and saw that the words "Notes on the History of the Five Dynasties" were written on the page.

This is actually a book in which Yu Yunwen read the "History of Five Dynasties" and annotated it. Its academic value is naturally far beyond the comparison of poetry and painting.

Qin Hui couldn't help but look at Yu Yunwen with a different eye. He flipped through the book and read a few passages. He found the writing neat and the insights unique. Qin Hui couldn't help but nod slightly.

So, he asked about Yu Yunwen's basic situation in a friendly manner, and when he learned that he was a passerby from Sichuan, he developed a better impression of him.

His wife, Wang, was from Sichuan, so after all the twists and turns, they were half from the same hometown.

So Qin Hui chatted with Yu Yunwen for a few more words.

As a result, Yu Yunwen modestly said that he was only ranked 37th in the second class, and mentioned that his good friend Lu You was ranked just before him.

Qin Hui just realized that he had been busy planning big things recently and was not in good spirits, so he actually forgot to punish the ignorant boy from the Shanyin Lu family.

Qin Hui's face darkened and he said calmly, "In our dynasty, we select scholars from thousands of candidates in each exam, and only one is selected. To be able to get 37 in the second class is also a great hero of the time. Why should Binfu be so modest?"

In order to help his grandson take the throne, he had people warn Lu You at the beginning. If Lu You had obeyed, it would be a win-win for both of us.

But the boy didn't know what was best for him, so he was forced to take action himself.

As a result, Lu You was brought down by him, and he was also disgraced. His grandson's top scholar rank was reduced to third place. Qin Hui deeply hated the ignorant Lu You.

At this moment, he was angry and threw the volume of "Annotations to the History of the Five Dynasties" in his hand onto the table.

The book that was originally opened did not stop on the table when it was thrown, and fell to the ground with a "bang".

When Yu Yunwen saw this, his face immediately turned red. He did want to be proud of his friend, but he didn't expect that the prime minister was so shallow.

This is the printed book, and it is also a great humiliation.

What's more, after he finished the book, he only copied this clean version, all of which were handwritten word for word.

He presented this book to Qin Hui. Actually, using it as a gift was secondary. Instead, he thought that if the prime minister of the time praised it, it would be much easier to find a bookseller to print it.

For a writer, writing books and articles is a great achievement.

However, publishing a book by oneself would cost too much, and few people can afford it.

In order to get his hard work published, Yu Yunwen used a roundabout trick.

As a result, when Qin Hui threw the book in front of his six classmates, it was like rubbing his face under the soles of his shoes.

Yu Yunwen suppressed his anger, bent down to pick up the "Five Dynasties History Notes", and patted the non-existent dust on it.

He said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "I thank Prime Minister Qin for his teachings. Although I have put all my efforts into this work, it is inevitable that there are many inappropriate parts due to my limited knowledge.

Suddenly I thought that it would be inappropriate to present it here. I will revise it and ask Prime Minister Qin to correct it. I will take my leave now!"

Yu Yunwen turned away. Zhang Xiaoxiang was a little embarrassed. He quickly led everyone to confess their crime to Qin Hui and hurriedly chased after Yu Yunwen.

Qin Hui smiled coldly: "He doesn't know how to bend and stretch, and he doesn't understand the principles of human nature. He won't go far. Remember this, when he is appointed to an official position, he will not be given the official seal!"

An aide nearby quickly took note of it, and Qin Hui flicked his sleeves and left with a sneer.

In the Song Dynasty, the imperial examinations from first to fifth grades were called "Five Classes".

The first class was awarded the title of Jinshi and Wenlinlang; the second class was awarded the title of Jinshi and Congshilang; the third and fourth classes were Jinshi graduates; the fifth class was Jinshi graduates.

As a second-class Jinshi, one can either stay in Beijing or be sent to other places, and he will also be given an official seal.

Qin Hui was annoyed at Yu Yunwen's unreasonableness, especially since there were other Jinshi scholars watching nearby. This matter would surely spread, and if he was not taught a lesson, anyone would dare to touch his tiger's whiskers.

Therefore, this one sentence determined Yu Yunwen's future.

……

He Li, the steward of the Qin residence, took Cui Xianyun to the National Information Office, introduced him to Mu Si, and then left.

The only purpose of his coming here is to prove to Mu Yaban that this person is indeed entrusted to you by Prime Minister Qin. Since Mu Si took the position of the official Yaban, her life has not been easy.

Half of the staff at Guoxin Police Station were killed, and the murderer has not been found yet.

What do you think the former eunuch Li, who was in charge of the guard, should do? He came from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and was also a close associate of Prime Minister Qin.

If there is any matter from above, or involving other government offices, this eunuch Li who seems to be doing nothing all day can really solve it.

Mu Yaban is good at handling grassroots affairs, but his connections in these areas are far from enough.

What is power? It does not mean that you have real power just because you receive an official seal and sit in that position.

You can only exercise power in that position if everyone listens to you.

Why do others listen to you? Either you control violence, or you control interests, or both.

Therefore, after Mu Yaban actually took the position of an official, he felt that the road ahead would be difficult.

It was for this reason that he took the initiative to visit Qin Hui to show his loyalty.

I didn't expect that I just went to pay a visit yesterday, but today the Prime Minister has already given me an assignment. This is a great joy.

Mu Si asked Cui Xianyun carefully and learned that Prime Minister Qin was going to marry the two families of Wu Guojiu.

Because the news has not been announced to the public yet, the purchase of wedding gifts must be done in secret.

The State Information Office needs to find ways to provide convenience so that the money and goods will not be checked at various checkpoints during transportation.

After understanding Cui Xianyun's intention, Mu Yaban agreed readily and told him to go back and wait for news.

In just one day, he would come up with a proper way to make things easier for Cui Xianyun, who was in charge of purchasing.

After seeing Cui Xianyun off, Mu Yaban returned to the signing room, frowned and thought hard.

The Qin family bought too many things.

Mu Yaban estimated that there were still members of the Qin family inside, or other people who relied on the Qin family as a big tree, and took the opportunity to profit from the goods.

How can we pass customs and avoid normal audit inspections?

"Swish~hiss..."

Mu Yaban drank tea for a long time but still couldn't come up with a proper solution.

So, Mu Si asked someone to call Chen Lixing, Mao Shaofan and Da Chu.

These are the people he has always been with, and they can be trusted.

If you can't figure out a solution by yourself, call them over.

Three heads are better than one. Maybe if they discuss it together, they can come up with a good idea?
After a while, Chen Lixing, Mao Shaofan and Da Chu arrived.

Mu Si looked up and saw Yu Jiguang following behind her, nodding and bowing.

Mu Si's face darkened: "Yu Kongmu, didn't I order you to clean up the ruins of Zhiwei Hall? What are you doing here?"

Yu Jiguang said shamelessly: "Ya Ban, I have followed you for many years and am also your most respected subordinate.

Now that the guard has a difficult matter to resolve, how can I not help him share his worries?

Besides, I can clean up the ruins of Zhiweitang in the next two days."

Mu Si frowned, then thought again, this guy has been behaving himself quite well during this period of time, which is quite sensible.

He really did not have enough men under his command, but this man was smart. Now that he had almost finished beating him, he snorted and said nothing.

When Yu Jiguang saw that Mu Yaban did not chase him out, he was overjoyed. He hurried forward and filled Mu Si's cup of tea first, then stepped back with a flattering smile.

Mu Yaban waved his hand and said, "You all take a seat. Now, there is something that I want you to come and discuss with me."

After Mu Yaban explained the situation, everyone fell silent.

Mao Shaofan and Da Chu have no problem following orders, but if you ask them to find a solution, they have no solution.

Chen Lixing did have some ideas, but even official tax-collecting ships had to undergo inspection at the waterway checkpoints, so how could private ships not be inspected? He really couldn't think of a solution at the moment.

Seeing that everyone was silent and Mu Yaban's face was getting uglier, Yu Jiguang couldn't help but smile: "I was wondering why Yaban was in such a dilemma, it turns out it's just this."

Yu Jiguang said with a smile: "Yaban, I have a plan that can not only successfully solve the problem of Qin Xiang's procurement, but also allow Yaban to gain a great favor from Zhang Dayong of the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

"Shh~ hurry up and tell me!"

Mu Yaban quickly swallowed a mouthful of tea and stared at Yu Jiguang.

Yu Jiguang said: "Mu Yaban, 'Zhiweitang' is a golden chicken that Zhang Dayong lays eggs.

Now that the ruins are about to be cleared, why wouldn't Zhang Dayang rebuild the "Zhiweitang"?

I was assigned by the guard to clean up the ruins of Zhiweitang.

I have inadvertently heard from Zhang Dayong's people that Zhang Dayong often uses the income from this "Zhiweitang" to honor the Queen Mother and the Empress. "

Mu Si frowned and asked, "What exactly do you want to say?"

Yu Jiguang said: "Yaban, you can take the initiative to ask Zhang Dayong to take charge of purchasing and transporting building materials for him.

In this way, he would surely be able to leave a great favor with Zhang Daying.

Then, the guard asked Zhang Dayong to speak to the Queen Mother and ask the Emperor to be flexible on the purchase. The Emperor is very filial to his mother and will certainly agree.

"Hiss~~" Mu Si raised her eyebrows, and when she looked at Yu Kongmu again, her eyes were a little different.

Yu Jiguang said: "How many times can Prime Minister Qin marry off his granddaughter? How many times can Zhang Dayong build the 'Zhiwei Hall'?
Since this is not a common practice and it only happens this once, what is the difficulty for the government to issue an imperial decree?
In this way, won't these procurement ships be able to pass through unhindered?"

Mu Yaban was overjoyed, and when he looked at Yu Jiguang again, he liked everything about him.

Mu Yaban looked around, clapped his hands and said with great joy: "I have received good luck, it's like a fish in water!"

(End of this chapter)