Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 290: Night Visit to Lu Fangweng

Wentian and Emmanuelle Belle chatted while rushing back to the "Qijiantang" inn.

As soon as he arrived at "Qijiantang", Wentian asked the waiter to bring a bathtub and hot water, and also thoughtfully ordered hot tea and snacks for Emmanuelle Belle.

Emmanuelle Belle was alone in a foreign country and had never received such considerate treatment.

In the past, when she was in her castle, the servants had taken such meticulous care of her, but that memory was too distant.

"Thank you, Mr. Wen." Emmanuelle Belle said gratefully.

"You're welcome. Miss Bei'er is alone in a foreign land, and she is our Yang's... internal secretary. It's reasonable for Wentian not to take good care of her."

Wen Tian said with a smile as he filled a basin with a toothbrush made of ox horn, a box of tooth powder made of salt, poria cocos, mint, and "bath medicine" made of bath beans, fat beads, and bean flour, and handed them all to Emmanuelle Belle.

He added sincerely, "Wen has a sister from my family. Because she was neither high nor low, she missed a good marriage opportunity. In the end, she could only marry someone at random. From then on, she was depressed and never smiled again.

When Wen saw Miss Belle's innocence, he vaguely thought she was his cousin, so he made the bold suggestion.

Yang Chengzhi is young, handsome, and has a good official position. He has also taken the imperial examination. Once he passes the imperial examination, he will be very popular. If you miss this opportunity, you will never have the chance again!"

Emmanuelle Belle said somewhat embarrassedly: "Wen Zhike, thank you very much for your kindness. However, Yang Chengzhi only wants me to do his book..."

"Internal recording room!"

"Okay, the Internal Affairs Office is just to assist him in doing some things. It does not involve the relationship between men and women."

"Miss Belle, do you believe what you said? Just tell me, Headmaster Yang only brought you, a woman, with him. Did he ever tell you to do anything?"

"This……"

"Yang Chengzhi is an official, young but a seventh-rank official, very impressive.

You are a foreigner, do you think Yang Chengzhi would be so shameless as to beg you? Don’t you even have this much self-awareness?”

"I……"

"If Yang Chengzhi just beckons his little finger, there will be countless young and beautiful women willing to jump on him and take his bait.

I just feel like I'm on good terms with you, Miss Belle, and I'm telling you these intimate words!"

"I..., Wen Zhike, you don't understand. I am a Frank. In my faith, I can only have one husband, and my husband can only have me as his wife.

Even if he has many lovers outside, our home must only have me as the mistress, and I cannot betray my faith."

"Ridiculous! This is the most ridiculous thing in the world, Miss Belle!"

Wen Tian said with great sorrow: "Miss Bei'er, you are a barbarian. Although you are beautiful, I dare say that no man of status here would marry a barbarian woman like you... a barbarian woman.

We have an old saying here, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." Since you have come here, you should of course abide by our customs.

I'm going to tell you something from the bottom of my heart, Miss Belle.

No one would marry a foreign woman and give birth to offspring who look completely different from him.

Even if someone is willing, his family elders will not agree. The only choice you have is to marry someone as a concubine.

But those who are qualified and capable of taking concubines are either old or ugly. How many of them have the capital like Yang Zhangfang?
"Why don't you cherish this opportunity? If a fresh tea is stuck in cow dung, or a piece of good mutton is taken away by a dog, wouldn't that be a waste of nature's gifts?"

"Wen Zhike..."

"As the saying goes, a good man has no good wife, but a bad man marries a delicate one. Why is this so?
That lazy guy is the one who can swallow his pride, humble himself, and be willing to try to make others happy.

Why can he be so humble? Because he is incompetent. If you like the kind of loser who only has a big mouth to coax people, then just ignore what I said. "

Wen Tian sighed deeply and looked at Emmanuelle Belle with regret, as if she was on a path of no return:

"Miss Belle, take a bath. Wen Tianyan has said all here. Think about it carefully. Goodbye."

Wen Tian turned and left the living room, closed the door of the "Ting Tao" room, and a "sinister" smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

"You are now under the eaves of our Great Song Dynasty, and you still want to not bow your head?
If I can’t feel your golden retriever’s pulse, I, Wen Tian, ​​can’t be considered a good veterinarian! Humph…”

Wen Tian put his hands behind his back, hummed a song, and walked leisurely towards his own residence.

……

Yang Yuan arrived at Lu Mansion.

The Lu family's house is a large courtyard with four entrances and exits, covering an area of ​​nearly 20 acres.

This area is not considered large for wealthy families in the north, but over there, there are estates of hundreds of acres.

But in the south of the Yangtze River, where every inch of land is valuable, a property covering 20 acres is considered extremely luxurious.

Most of the mansions nearby are buildings of this size, which shows that the wealthy and powerful families here basically live together.

Yang Yuan did not climb over the wall to investigate privately. It would take him a long time to search such a large manor, and it would be too rude to do so.

He didn't want to visit at night, referring to the identity of the second young master of the Wang family.

Of course, he himself had to come and talk to Lu You in advance to keep in touch and say hello, so as to avoid his identity being exposed during a public visit.

Yang Yuan came to Shanyin to investigate a major case.

However, thanks to his understanding of Lu You from the perspective of later generations, he did not believe that Lu You was involved in those illegal events. This person was naturally an absolutely trustworthy friend.

When Yang Yuan arrived at the gate of the mansion, he knocked on the white bronze animal ring, and when the gatekeeper opened the corner door, he told him that he wanted to visit Lu Wuguan.

Since Yang Yuan didn't bring a visiting card and arrived so late, no one was too lazy to pay attention to him.

However, Yang Yuan asked him to tell Master Lu that the "recipient of the crossbow" had come to visit, and that person would become more cautious.

Among the gatekeepers of such powerful and wealthy families, there is no stupid one. They must have eyesight and mind. If they are not smart enough, they cannot do this job.

The more mysterious and vague Yang Yuan spoke, the more the gatekeeper felt that this person must be of noble status, so he politely let him into the gatehouse, asked someone else to receive him first, and went in to report the news himself.

Since returning from Lin'an, Lu You has often interacted and socialized with his friends.

He was a man with a wide range of friends, so naturally he had one drinking party after another.

Today he came back early, which was rare. He had just finished his shower and was about to have a cup of warm tea before going to bed to rest.

At this time, someone reported that someone came to visit and claimed to be "the recipient of the crossbow".

Lu You was stunned at first, then he remembered Yang Yuan's identity and said happily: "Haha, Erlang really came to the appointment, please come in..."

At this point, Lu You suddenly had an idea. Why did Yang Yuan call himself "the recipient of the crossbow"? It seems that he didn't want to reveal his identity. Fortunately, I only called him "Erlang" and didn't reveal his name.

Lu You coughed lightly and said, "Please invite him to my study right away!"

After sending the doorman away, Lu You changed out of his pajamas and put on casual clothes with the help of a servant, and then hurried to the study.

When Lu You rushed to the study, Yang Yuan had just sat down. The tea was still hot and he hadn't even taken a sip.

When Lu You saw Yang Yuan, he burst into laughter. He waved his hand to let the servants leave, then stepped forward and said:
"The meeting at Shen Garden will be in three days. I thought you were going to break the appointment, but Erlang finally came. You really are a trustworthy person!"

Yang Yuan smiled and said, "Brother Wuguan invited me, how dare I not come? Besides, I have heard of the great name of Shen Garden for a long time, and I want to take a look."

Lu You asked Yang Yuan to sit down, and then he said, "Why did Erlang come to see me in the dead of night, and why did he not tell me his real name? Is there something difficult?" Yang Yuan said, "That's right!"

So he told Lu You about how he arrested smugglers in Shanyin and accidentally discovered the "Mahuang Crossbow".

However, he only talked about this incident and did not go into the specific details.

Yang Yuan said, "I have been ordered to investigate this case, and it is also a good opportunity to keep my brother's appointment."

Lu You was shocked and angry and said: "The sharp weapons in the army can also be stolen and sold for the sake of money. Such traitors should be killed!"

He said to Yang Yuan: "Don't worry, Erlang, I will help you conceal your identity."

Yang Yuan said: "Yang Yuan naturally trusts brother, so he came here late at night to greet brother first.

Come visit again tomorrow, and by then, I will be Wang Yefan, the second young master of the Wang family in Longshan, Lin'an!"

Lu You laughed and said, "Changing identities and investigating cases in secret is quite interesting.

It’s a pity that I’m not a judge, otherwise, if I had the chance, I would also like to try this incognito tour.”

Yang Yuan raised his eyebrows and said, "Yes, since the 'burning tail banquet', I have been busy with official duties and have not asked about the subsequent arrangements of the brothers. Have the appointment arrangements of the brothers been finalized now?"

Lu You said, "It has been confirmed. I have been appointed as the chief clerk of Ningde County, Fuzhou. After the meeting at Shen Garden, I will take up the post immediately."

Yang Yuan was stunned and said in surprise: "Ningde County Chief Clerk? This... this is an eighth-rank official. According to Brother Wuguan's rank..."

Lu You smiled faintly and said, "Of course it's because Qin Changjiao is interfering."

Yang Yuan was silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "Brother Wuguan, this is because of Binfu."

Lu You was open-minded and didn't care. He laughed and said, "Binfu was just standing up for me. He thought the matter was settled, so he couldn't help but vent his anger in front of Qin Changjiao.

Who would have thought that the fellow was really vindictive, and as the prime minister, he didn't care about his dignity at all, and in the end he still relied on his power to influence his brother's position. This is not Binfu's fault."

Yang Yuan originally only hated Qin Hui, a traitor to the country, but now he despised him even more, thinking that this man was not only bad, but also bad without any taste.

Thinking of the rumor that Yu Yunwen was going to be appointed as the magistrate of Pengzhou, a deputy position, and therefore he was determined not to take up the post, he could not help but ask, "So, Brother Wuguan, do you plan to take up the post?"

Lu You said calmly: "Binfu and I have different ideas. What's wrong with being a county clerk? If you do a good job, it will benefit the people.

Besides, you can also accumulate a lot of experience in this process, just treat it as a training."

After hearing this, Yang Yuan couldn't help but praise: "Brother Wu Guan is really insightful and open-minded!"

The chief clerk is the deputy of the chief official, responsible for clerical affairs and assisting the chief official in managing the affairs of the government office. He is equivalent to the head of the modern secretariat or administrative department.

Lu You smiled and said, "It's probably because I'm younger. Brother Binfu is already forty-four. If I let him start as an assistant official and gain experience, I'm afraid that by the time he becomes a regular official, he will have retired and returned home. So I'm naturally anxious."

Yang Yuan asked, "By the way, Brother Yu really doesn't plan to take up his post in Pengzhou?"

Lu You said: "Yes, Binfu is a stubborn person and really intends to refuse the appointment.

This matter has caused a big stir. Besides, Qin Changjiao has already done something to me. If I were to suppress Binfu so blatantly, it would be too embarrassing.

Therefore, Qin Changjiao also took a step back and appointed Brother Binfu as the official. "

Lu You paused for a moment before he said with a wry smile, "Yes, I am the acting governor of Lizhou."

After hearing this, Yang Yuan was speechless.

This Lizhou is not the Lizhou in Hainan, it is in Sichuan.

Located in a long mountain range in southwestern Sichuan, it is a place where Han and Yi people live together.

To take up this position..., although he is an official with a seal, it is really not as good as being a magistrate in Pengzhou, and it is too hard.

But isn't this what you want? You want a Zheng Yin Guan, and I give it to you, what else do you want?

Moreover, even though Yu Yunwen was made the prefect of a state, his rank was not higher than others.

This is due to the complexity and diversity of official appointments in the Song Dynasty.

The theoretical rank of a prefect of a state is fifth grade.

The actual grades range from ninth grade to first grade, all are acceptable.

Therefore, Yu Yunwen was also tricked and was even worse than Lu You.

After all, it was clear that Lu You was being cheated, but Yu Yunwen had no way of saying anything.

For a moment, the two of them were speechless.

After a while, Yang Yuan said, "Actually, this is nothing.

It seems inappropriate for Brother Binfu, who has just passed the exam and directly taken on the position of a government official, to have worked as a minor official.

But for many Jinshi who have never been officials, it may not be a bad thing.

Otherwise, if one has no experience as an official and is unfamiliar with the local situation, after taking office, he or she will easily be sidelined by assistant officials and deceived by clerks and subordinates, and become a confused official. "

Lu You smiled and said, "This is exactly why I gladly accepted the position of County Chief Clerk. I want to go and gain some experience. I want to see how long Qin Changjiao can be so arrogant."

Yang Yuan asked, "How are Brother Fan and Brother Yang doing?"

Lu You said: "The places they went to were different."

Lu You introduced the situation of Fan Chengda and Yang Wanli.

Fan Chengda was appointed as the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Rites, a seventh-rank official, and concurrently served as an editor at the National History Institute and a reviewer at the Veritable Records Institute.

The officials who stayed in Beijing held noble positions and the assignments were considered quite good.

As for Yang Wanli, he was appointed as a military officer of Ganzhou Sihu, and concurrently as a military officer of judicial affairs, also a seventh-rank official.

He was a powerful civil affairs and judicial official, but he was somewhat inferior to Fan Chengda.

Yang Yuan also told Lu You about his recent situation. When he mentioned that he was promoted to the seventh rank, Lu You was not moved at all.

Even though they are now county chief clerks and state military officers, they are not only local officials, but their ranks are not higher than Yang Yuan.

But even with Qin Changjiao's pressure, they can be promoted after a few years of experience. If they have outstanding political achievements, they can be promoted even higher.

Even if their careers are bumpy and they cannot hold a central government position or become prime minister in the future, when they retire and return home, they can at least get an official position of the fourth or fifth rank.

But for Yang Yuan, it’s over.

When he heard that Yang Yuan had actually switched from military to civil service to take the Juren exam, he became interested and asked hastily, "You are taking the Juren exam with the goal of becoming a Jinshi. How confident are you that you can pass the Jinshi exam?"

Yang Yuan couldn't brag to his good friend. Who knew whether His Royal Highness the Goose King could get the examination questions for the Jinshi degree? If not, he would never pass the exam.

Yang Yuan said, "This... I'll know after the exam. I don't dare to brag now."

Lu You laughed and said excitedly: "Erlang, since you have this intention, you must work hard and pass the exam.

Once you are called out outside Donghua Gate, we brothers will have the opportunity to join forces and realize our ambitions together!"

(End of this chapter)