Traveling through time and space to become a child, supporting the family by catching fish and shrim

Although the essay of the academy examination has not been officially announced to the world, the high-ranking officials of Qinzhou Prefecture and even the entire Qinzhou Road have already obtained Chen Lang's essay.

They couldn't sleep at night reading this article.

The incident happened so suddenly that no one was prepared for it.

With Xiao Yu's return to the cabinet, the Shang Party was wiped out, and the officialdom seemed to have returned to the hands of the Shilin Party.

But this article... was singled out as the top case in the court!

Although it is just a local annual examination and the impact does not seem to be that great, who can guarantee that there is nothing else behind this article?

If this is true, then another problem arises before these officials.

This problem is called taking sides.

Taking sides in officialdom is a big deal.

There are many officials who are extremely mediocre in talent and skills, but they can rely on their keen insight into officialdom to make the right choice every time they take sides, and eventually rise to prominence.

There are also many officials who are talented and dedicated to serving the people, but because they choose the wrong side, they have to go home to retire in their prime and live a life of frustration.

Fortunately, the current situation is much clearer than a few years ago. Even if the article is based on the counterattack of the Shang Party, the cabinet has ultimately been completely controlled by the Shilin Party.

Therefore, after a night of deliberation, most officials made the decision of which side they thought was correct.

Early the next morning, countless memorials were sent from post stations across the country, rushing towards the capital at an express speed of 800 miles.

Capital.

With His Majesty reinstating Xiao Yu, the entire imperial city has been filled with a new round of vitality, as if everything is moving towards a better future.

During the court meeting today, a minister reported that a locust plague had broken out in the Bashu region, causing heavy losses to the farmers.

Your Majesty immediately issued an edict to withdraw 20,000 taels of silver from the national treasury for disaster relief. At the same time, several counties that were most severely affected by the disaster were exempted from taxes and labor service for one year, so that the people could devote themselves to farming without any burden.

This kind of good governance has occurred more than once, more than twice since the Shilin Party took over the cabinet...

When the scholars in the capital heard the news, they were all excited. They talked about the affairs of the court without any scruples in teahouses and taverns. They felt that the return of Scholar Xiao Yuxiao not only brought the country back on track, but also made the emperor admit his mistakes. His achievements were comparable to those of the ancient sages.

After the court meeting ended, the emperor returned to the Yangxin Palace to rest.

Behind the veil, the emperor, who had just passed the age of 50, changed his friendly demeanor in court and became extremely gloomy.

This gloom also made the atmosphere in the entire Yangxin Palace extremely solemn.

The eunuchs serving in the hall all lowered their heads and even tried to breathe as softly as possible, for fear that any loud movement would bring about fatal disaster.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Cui Yan, the magistrate of Qinzhou Road, requests an audience outside the palace."

The emperor raised his eyebrows slightly and said calmly, "Announce."

"Announce, Cui Yan, to see you!"

Cui Yan walked into the hall quickly with small steps, clasped his fists and bowed deeply, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you, Your Majesty."

According to the rules of the Great Yan Dynasty, officials did not have to kneel when they met the emperor in private.

The emperor said, "Please give me a seat."

The eunuch brought a chair and asked Cui Yan to sit down and talk.

The emperor said leisurely: "A gentleman's acquisition of wealth is the true strength of a country."

"When I saw this article, I knew you were going to come back."

Cui Yan was not at all surprised that the emperor knew this article.

Because there are people from the Imperial City Bureau all over the country.

"Your Majesty, this article..." Cui Yan had just started to speak when he was interrupted by the emperor.

"As soon as you left, someone at the Qinzhou Road Inspection Office impeached Chang Anmin, accusing him of abandoning his wife and accepting bribes from merchants."

"During the court meeting this morning, several cabinet ministers advocated a thorough investigation."

Cui Yan was stunned for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, abandoning his wife is Lord Chang's family affair. Using this as an excuse to attack Lord Chang is indeed inappropriate."

"As for collusion with merchants, that's even more absurd. Over the years, how many local officials haven't had dealings with merchants?"

The emperor leaned back on the dragon throne, tapping the armrest of the chair slowly with his left hand, and fell into a long silence.

Cui Yan stood where he was, not daring to move.

"These people just won't give up."

"It looks like they're impeaching Chang Anmin, but in reality, they're trying to warn me."

The emperor's voice suddenly became stern: "They don't really think that I dare not do anything to them!"

Cui Yan gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, when I return, I will thoroughly investigate this matter and clear Lord Chang's name."

The emperor laughed again, and this laugh sounded a little sinister.

The entire Yangxin Palace became extremely gloomy because of this laughter.

"No need. If they want Chang Anmin to step down, then he should step down."

"I hereby declare that Chang Anmin has been demoted to the position of magistrate of Linshui County for corruption and abuse of power."

Cui Yan's mind raced.

Linshui is a trading place.

What does the 咖場 do?

A place to make money.

In addition, Linshui is also the territory of Zhu Sui'an, Duke of Zhu.

Your Majesty seems to have demoted Chang Anmin, but in fact he is protecting him in disguise.

Because apart from the emperor, no other minister could reach into the territory of Duke Zhu.

I just don't know if Chang Anmin can appreciate your majesty's painstaking efforts.

The emperor continued, "This Chen Lang is very interesting."

"Get pen and ink."

The eunuch in attendance immediately brought pen and ink.

The emperor picked up his pen and quickly wrote a paragraph, then asked the eunuch to frame the calligraphy.

"A few days ago, Chen Lang presented a piece of farm tool to the imperial court. The ministers in the Ministry of Works all said that this farm tool would be of great benefit to future generations."

"But the ministers in the cabinet used the ancestral law to give Chen Lang a reward of fifty taels."

"I have no choice but to follow their wishes."

"But after thinking about it for a while, I still think he should be rewarded handsomely, so I will write a calligraphy for him."

"Cui Yan, please hurry back to Qinzhou Prefecture and personally hand this calligraphy to Chen Lang. Also, tell Geng Zhong to send Ying'er back."

"I understand that she doesn't want to get married. But we can't let her do whatever she wants with this kind of thing."

Cui Yan took the framed scroll from the eunuch's hand, bowed and said, "I obey your command."

Just as Cui Yan turned to leave, the emperor suddenly said, "Wait a moment."

Cui Yan asked, "What else does Your Majesty have to say?"

The emperor asked, "You are a disciple of Master Zhao, right?"

Cui Yan nodded: "Yes, Your Majesty."

The emperor said, "Mr. Zhao is ill and has not been to court for several days. Send him some money on my behalf and tell him not to worry about running out of money. I will cover his medical expenses."

"At the same time, I will convey my oral instructions to Zhao Xueshi's eldest son. Filial piety is the most important virtue. He must stay in the mansion to fulfill his filial duties and put aside all official duties."

Cui Yan felt helpless, as this decree was not easy to convey.

But even if Cui Yan had eight hundred guts, he would not dare to disobey the order.

"I understand."

"My lord, please retire."