Ying Tianchang

Those who are in the spring are the grand ceremony of the country, and the place where scholars live and die.

On the eve of the exam, Shen Yue didn't want to follow the crowd and go to his own building to embarrass himself, but Ren Hui couldn't bear to argue with the official document in the Privy Council recently, so he dragged him there. the door.

When they arrived at the Green Orange Building, they found that Zhong Yuning, Fan Xicheng, Lin Peng, Ren Kou, and Qing Gong had all arrived, so he was the only one waiting.Seeing Fan Xicheng, his smiling face immediately collapsed. Meng Ou formally worshiped his ancestors in the Shen family's ancestral hall a few days ago, and now he is living in the Shen family's other courtyard in the west city. It was sent to Fan's house, but there was still no movement there, and the dowry was not delivered, so I don't know what the hell they were planning.He has always been selfish, and his own considerations are to achieve the best of both worlds, the lover and the profit layout, but he does not tolerate other people's small calculations at all. As soon as he sits down, he changes his mind, thinking about how to make Fan Xicheng evil.Here, Ren Hui was surprised by another matter, "Miss Xia has left her citizenship?"

Qing Gong nodded with a smile, since Meng Ou has settled down, she has nothing to worry about in Yiqing Pavilion, so she naturally withdraws immediately.As for who the next oiran will be, she is not kind enough to handle the handover for the boss.Shen Yue noticed that there was something wrong with Qing Gong's expression looking at Ren Hui, and suddenly realized, he said, why is Qing Gong so flamboyant today?When she was a courtesan, she had always adhered to the color matching standards of women from a good family. Unlike today, she wore a water-red gauze dress on a chilly spring day and matched it with a silver forehead inlaid with phoenix blood stones. It was so vivid.

If he could put Qing Gong next to Ren Hui... his wishful thinking was crackling, but Ren Hui slapped him on the back of the head.

"Huanhun, you are stupid, Xicheng is talking to you." Ren Hui pointed to Fan Xicheng, grabbed his bowl, and fished the fungus out of the chicken soup for him.Shen Yue listened to Fan Xicheng's earnest instruction, and all he was told were some skills in the examination room, and he was impatient. These people really thought that he was an idiot who didn't understand a collection of classics and history, and they had to rely on his father to do kung fu for him outside the court?Although the old man has indeed already arranged the whole process of Chun Wei up and down, from copying the name, copying, sealing and painting to the final marking process, Shen Shangshu is the old Taixue teacher, and he has countless disciples, although he is not as deep-rooted as the prime minister, But when it comes to the Chunwei process, I'm afraid few people know it better than him.Even if he failed the exam in such a favorable time, place and people, Shen Shangshu would find a noodle and hang himself in the Green Orange Building.

The only uncertain factor is the ranking in the palace examination.

He guessed it was No. [-]...or No. [-].

Although Liao Jinxiu was arrogant, he was really talented, and as the son of the prime minister, the Holy One would definitely not allow the father and son of the Liao family to be officials in the same dynasty, and let the prime minister sit alone from now on.However, the prime minister has been in office for many years, if he wants to uproot it, I am afraid that the whole court of Yingguo will be affected, so the most beautiful way is to let his son get the first prize, and then he will be the consort of the princess or the princess, and then tactfully hint that the prime minister will retire , and finally clean up those remaining forces with a simmer.

Although I'm not sure what the Holy One will do, but the person who can sit in that chair for so long must have two brushes, so Shen Yue thinks that they will definitely see the same thing.

Just why are you so irritable today?At the wine table, he was still making jokes and witty jokes. Tomorrow was a big day for him, and everyone didn't hold him down. Ren Hui still knew how to serve him with food. The sea bass soup was extremely delicious, everything went according to his plan, and even a great opportunity fell from the sky to bury the nails for the Ren family, but why is he so...annoying?

*********************

Another year of new rain, dense rain like loose threads.

As soon as the excitement of the exam was over, the gloomy and coldness of the examination room of the Ministry of Rites appeared.When the bell was struck at noon, it was the time of day when the sun was at its fullest, but when Shen Yue looked up and looked outside the small room, there was no trace of sunlight, and there was a drizzle in the overcast sky.

Calligraphy on the scroll is also a part of the exam, so most scholars spend a lot of time conceiving, making a draft, and finally transcribing. At this time, only three or two people took the pen, and Shen Yue was naturally not one of them.

With the backing of his father, the exam is all about passion. With a swipe of his pen, he finished a large essay an hour ago. The whole essay was written with only one other word, which is more chic than Wang Xizhi's Lanting Preface.Staring at the tall and straight handwriting on her paper, Shen Yue secretly praised Ren Hui who slapped her palm for her father.

If he hadn't been born in Ren's family, and he couldn't tolerate the sourness of literati, Ren Hui should have come to take the No. [-] Scholar exam for fun.His figure, the red robe and the royal street riding horse must be extremely beautiful, and I don't know how many daughters in Kyoto will be fascinated.

Few people know that the eldest son of the Ren family writes beautifully and in style, and he learned it from Shen Chifeng himself.The advantage of the exchange of teaching between the two is that he has also watched the Ren family's archery and boxing all over. Although his talent made Uncle Ren frown, the Ren family's few sets of shallow and long punches are still decent.

However, Ren Hui's evaluation of this is that there is only one appearance, the embroidered pillow is a pack of grass.

Shen Yue, who was so poor and bored, was already thinking about what kind of impact this spring would have on the distribution of power in the court.This is the preparatory battle for the court battle more than ten years later, and which side does not want to insert a few people into it.Chunwei has always been in charge of the Ministry of Rites, and Cui Yan, the Minister of Rites, is of course the man in the middle.Speaking of this Cui Yan, he is so immortal and he is a Xiangdang. According to An Sheng, he is actually a dog of the Liao family.Father didn't intend to let himself be the champion. After all, the ranking of the top three is still determined by the Holy One himself, so there is no need to walk around with Cui Yan. Anyway, it is impossible for the Cui family to kill him for Liao Jinxiu.Liao Jinxiu is a princeling. He is not so stupid. The Holy One is still in good health. Anyone the prince wants to put in will definitely be able to join him. There are many.

But this Prime Minister Liao himself is a bit troublesome.All smart people always know the truth that when the moon is full, it is bad. The Liao family is so powerful that the officials will always go downhill. At this time, sending his son here, does he want his son to marry a princess and live a stable life? ?Or do you want to make way for your son?

Although he felt that he could guess the mind of the superior, he didn't know whether the prime minister knew the truth or not.

As for the people that Prince Rui and the military want to send in, maybe it will be unusually smooth.Prince Rui's son Rui Ning practiced martial arts in Ren's family when he was young, and the master of martial arts is now Third Uncle Ren of the Kyoto garrison division. It's all related.Shen Yue pondered what his mother said last night that only military power is the real power. It seems that Empress Chunxi wants to have a good walk with this son of Ruining.

Except for the defense of the capital, Ying Guolong only has five frontier armies. If he can take down three, he will have the strength to overthrow the royal family.As for the five roads, the Ren family has spent a lot of money, and the Governor Ye in Jiangnan is his grandfather. Even so, he still has no idea about the details of the two families. My side.As for the other three roads, they didn't even touch the corners of their clothes.

Shen Yue gritted his teeth thinking about the Ren family. What he wanted to know, the past 18 years ago, the current political situation, and the center of power, were all related to the Ren family.Although he was on good terms with Ren Hui, he found that Ren Hui himself hadn't touched the true core of the Ren family. The best idea was to marry Ren Kou and tie the two families together, but this was impossible.The reason is of course not what he told Qing Gong, but that the Holy Majesty would not allow the Shen family to be related by marriage to two armies at the same time.

If the sage does not allow it, we as ministers cannot do it.Unless the knife rests on the neck.

These were the exact words of his father, so he gave up on it.To be honest, knowing that the effort he put into that little girl was in vain, he was... quite relaxed.Shaking his head, Shen Yue put his mind back to the topic.

So this time, apart from him and Liao Jinxiu, the ones who must win this time must depend on the balance of power in all aspects.There are only so many places, so naturally it won't be said first come first served.A place like the officialdom...it's no different from gangsters fighting on the streets, whoever has the biggest fists speaks hard.

After all, in a place like Chunwei, there is nothing like poor scholars in the world.

********************

"The question is Huajing, Jiezao Qingying, both are good articles." The person in the dragon chair pondered for a moment, then threw the three rolls of paper back on the table, "Respectful and dignified, with complicated feelings but hidden words; Anren is light and sensitive, sharp Hair and rhyme flow. Give one or two."

"Yes." The eunuch of Huangmen led the order.

When the list was released, Shen Yue was confident that everything would not exceed what he expected, so he didn't even look at it, but the top three had to parade in the street the next day, so Shen Yue used his silly chubby face to pose as an idiot The smile will be in line with the father's requirements, the face is blurred, and the image is wretched.It's just that it took too long to kneel down to receive the order, and before the incense table was withdrawn, he was already rubbing his legs, and his mother's foot was missed, and the pain made him gasp.

Unexpectedly, his self-satisfaction with his mastery of planning lasted only one day.

On the second day, in the palace, the emperor appointed Liao Jinxiu as the editor in the palace and accompanying the prince, but let him be the coordinator of Taichang Temple.

What is the position of Xielu Lang of Taichang Temple?The standard is a false job for the future son-in-law to go through the motions!Although there are no explicit regulations, and His Majesty has not issued an order, there is no need to explain this kind of unspoken rules that are known to everyone!Shen Yue groaned inwardly, good boy Dong, the emperor Lao Tzu kept Yu He and the princess from marrying, so it turned out that this hot potato was meant to be left to him!He didn't even dare to marry Ren Kou, how could he dare to marry Princess Laoshizi?What's more, even if the career of being a son-in-law is over, he won't do such a thing if he is in the limelight but has no results. For nothing, he will move home a big Buddha that he can't afford to serve and toss his parents.

Besides, if someone else can marry a princess, can he marry it?What a joke!

So the vicious Shen Yue, even though he hasn't met his future wife yet, is already thinking about how to murder his own wife.

The royal wedding procedure is cumbersome and extremely troublesome, and the emperor didn't say anything after all, so he still has a few months.Shen Yue was in a hurry, the respectful and petty thoughts he usually pretended had long been forgotten, no matter what he had to get rid of the princess before the official decree was made, and he had to play a bad disease if he pretended to be fake.Otherwise, his official career would be hopeless, and if those underground old affairs wanted to swallow up the Shen family, it would be a matter of killing a chicken.

"What are you panicking about? I really thought you had a heart made of ice and snow." Seeing his son's desperation, Shen Shangshu seemed to be very satisfied, "Yan Sheng has come here three times, and it's not a good idea not to see him."

"Father! You still have the heart to laugh at me at this moment, hurry up and find a way!"

"Princess Yuhe is the daughter of the sage. How many famous families want to climb up and fail, but now half of the princes and brothers in Beijing envy you to death, and you are honored to be a father. What are you dissatisfied with?"

Shen Yue was so pissed off by his old man's leisurely attitude, he leaned on the table and yelled at him without poise: "Father, let me tell you, no matter what, you broke this marriage for me, otherwise I'll mess it up , I won’t admit to any trouble!”

Shen Chifeng withdrew his smile, and said in a slow voice: "I didn't know you were so resistant to finger marriage, if you had told me that I would join hands with Prince Rui, we could always erase this possibility without a trace, but now Xie Lulang The appointment has been made, what do you say, sneak into the palace and kill the princess?"

Shen Yue knew that he wanted to miss this matter, and he was still inexperienced, but he was used to taking advantage of it, so he couldn't help but argue, "If the master comes back, it's not impossible..."

"Shut up!" Shen Chifeng replied decisively, "The existence of your master is a family secret, and it is also your hole card. Are you going to reveal it for such a trivial matter?"

Shen Yue didn't answer, no matter how treacherous he was, he was still a half-grown child after all, "I don't want to be used because I don't get ahead, and I don't want to be blackmailed when I get ahead, I've retreated to this point, they still push me no matter what, Wei What exactly is Zi Guo thinking?"

Shen Chifeng shook his head, "Even if you guess something, just let it rot in your stomach, you don't need to say it. Besides, they didn't do this." He paused, his clear face covered Haze, "What they want is that you can actually influence the government of Yingguo, do you understand? Not just close to the center of power, but to control it."

Shen Yue's hands and feet were cold, "Control? The power of the Manchu Dynasty is nothing but grass in His Majesty's hands. If you want to control it, is this trying to force me into a coup?"

Shen Chifeng's eyes were deep and peaceful, "If someone forces you to coup, what will you do?"

"How to force?"

"The Shen family's influence in the south of the Yangtze River has long been wiped out by Your Majesty. Now there are hundreds of members of the Shen family in the capital. What threat is there?"

Shen Yue frowned, "But the current government is stable and the emperor is in good health. If the coup fails, you will still die. Besides, what benefits can they get? Just because of the political chaos in Kyoto?"

"Besides, why is it always me who is unlucky?" Shen Yue always felt that he was very unlucky, "Father, you really shouldn't have been so flirtatious back then."

This father and son are really arrogant to the extreme, they seem to have no father and no king in their hearts, they just discuss the outrageous things in their study.An Sheng and Yining stood guard at the door, really hated how long they had ears, and heard so many dirty things that shouldn't be heard.

, After a while, it was still Shen Chifeng who broke the deadlock first, but the old man obviously didn't want to bring up the old matter again. "Let's put this matter aside for now. The Liao family kept silent about the proposed marriage, but Ren Hui seemed to have a big opinion. It is reasonable to say that the imperial edict has not yet been issued. The joint efforts of the Shen and Ren families should be successful, but what I'm afraid of is that it's just Ren Hui's personal idea that he doesn't want you to marry the princess, and Mr. Ren probably doesn't think so."

"Compared to using Ren Kou to win me over, being a son-in-law can achieve the goal more directly. Keeping me away from the center of power is safer than keeping me by your side. It just so happens that the crown prince is interested in Ren Kou, so Mr. Ren dumped me without hesitation." Shen Yue's tone was calm, but there was a hint of imperceptible anger. The old man of the Ren family was more ruthless than him, talking about how much he loved his granddaughter, but it was like raising a pig. Since it was going to be killed sooner or later, it had to be fattened beforehand.

Shen Chifeng nodded, but his eyes seemed to be mocking. Although his son was ruthless, he was still a gentle little man in his bones. In dealing with the Ren family's affairs, he had left too much affection.

"The almighty Mr. Ren is not without weaknesses."

Shen Yue was very skeptical, "That old withdrawn man has a weakness? Don't say it's family fatigue, we are the same about this, we didn't take advantage of it."

Shen Chifeng shook his head and waved to him, "Go back and drink a bowl of lotus seed soup and rest, tomorrow I will go to Taichang Temple to take a post. I will deal with this matter."

Seeing his father's tired face, Shen Yue felt sad in his heart. Although it's great to have thighs to hug, but at critical moments, he still has to rely on his father's strength, tiring him and hurting his self-esteem to some extent.

"Don't think too much about it. As I said, as long as the Holy Majesty does not issue an order, it is not difficult."

It wasn't until Shen Yue left the study that Shen Chifeng breathed a sigh of relief, "It seems that you haven't fully figured it out yet. It must be your...reason."

"No, he guessed in the right direction, but there is no evidence." A boy in green clothes appeared out of nowhere, with an ordinary face and an ordinary figure, the type that he had seen ten times on the street and could not remember.

Shen Chifeng leaned on the teacher's chair and closed his eyes to rest, "You're finally back. Don't you tell Anren this time?"

The man in Tsing Yi is silent, talking nonsense, they both know Shen Yue well, they have a smart face and a clumsy stomach, it's okay to be a killer assassin, but they are not the material for a conspiracy at all, if they know that he is back, I am afraid that all problems will be solved violently, Don't use your brain anymore.

"Where are the friends of An Ren?" In the past two days, the guests in the mansion won the door, received hundreds of congratulatory invitations, and the ones who are closest to An Ren, except Ren Hui, did not come.

"Lin Peng thought that the young master lied to him, and dragged Zhong Yuning to drink in Yiqing Pavilion. As for Fan's residence, they were extremely silent."

Shen Chifeng nodded, and he understood, "The mind is still a little shallow, so there is nothing to be afraid of."

How could he not know what the man in Tsing Yi wanted to say?The reason why Shen Yue has been friends with these people for many years is that he has hidden himself deeply enough. Now that the sword is out of its sheath, its sharpness is piercing the eyes. How can those arrogant children bear it?But tell him, that boy from the Zhong family is good, he probably has a clear mind now, Lin Peng is too proud, but he will wake up sooner or later, as for Fan Xicheng, he thought no one knew what the Fan family was thinking?I don't know how to weigh myself.

He admired Boy Hui quite a bit, he was straightforward and straightforward, and his temperament was far from An Ren's, so he saw it right for some reason.An Ren has been busy worrying about himself for the past two days, so he probably doesn't know that Ren Hui also has a headache outside.Well, let's help him together.Shen Chifeng said to the man in Tsing Yi: "Shu Qing is stationed instead of Ren Hui?" This time he really lowered his voice, almost whispering.The man in Tsing Yi heard it clearly without bending his waist, "Yes."

"How many sons does he have?"

The man answered fluently, as if he had been prepared for a long time, "The eldest son died in battle, and the second son Shu Zipei was of the right age and had military exploits."

"The Khalkhas have been quiet for too long."

"Yes."

"The two sides have been dealt with, and there should be no major casualties." Shen Chifeng paused, "I think the country of Wiz will also be willing to send a small favor."

"Reward or marriage, the young master's side can be considered a solution, but the Ren family's side..." The man in Tsing Yi and Shen Chifeng understood each other's thoughts very well, so Shen Chifeng understood it before he could say the whole thing, "No , both sides."

He didn't explain any more, but there was a smile line on the corner of his usually serious mouth, hidden under the long beard, which was hard to detect, but the man in Tsing Yi was keenly aware that it was as naughty as a little boy's successful prank. "Go and see Yining and Ansheng."

The man in Tsing Yi was still amazed by Shen Shangshu's innocent expression, when he heard this, he shook off his doubts and responded, "Thank you."

Shen Chifeng is funny in his heart, and he is happy when he is happy, is it worth putting on a coffin face?

In the past few years, the emperor has hoarded national power and sold all his daughters. Now that the situation is imminent, the number of princesses is obviously not enough. The emperor will not neglect the military because of his old money basket.As for Ren Hui, with the Shu family, would His Majesty let the crown prince marry Ren Kou?

Those in high positions have always understood the art of balancing.

*********************************

What Shen Shangshu hadn't said yet was completed by someone in the capital's mansion two streets away.

Chatting with their son over dinner is the happiest time for many fathers, especially when the son is still capable.So this has always been a repertoire of the Fan family's father and son every Monday and Friday, but today the two of them are obviously not in a good mood. The three dishes and one soup on the small table are all cooked by Fan's mother, but the two of them have almost nothing to do. move.

"The Ren family has too much power, and the Holy One wanted to cut it a long time ago. But the Ren family is too capable, with outstanding military exploits and a low-key person, and the Holy One can't find a good reason. If ordinary officials have already asked to cut power, the Ren family is The momentum is too strong, it has become like a tiger, you can only go up but not down, someone in the family is fighting on the battlefield, there must be a stable rear, so the Ren family can't retreat."

Fan Qin took a sip of his wine, took another bite of food, and then sighed quietly: "A stable court and a strong Ren family are the weaknesses of Old Fox Ren."

If Liao Xiangye or Shen Shangshu were here, they would definitely vomit old blood. After putting on airs for a long time, they came to such a conclusion?Fan Xicheng was the only one present who was helpless. He admired his father very much, so he respected his father's opinion very much.

Although Yuechun Fu Yin is only a third-rank official, it is an extremely difficult position.And Fan Qin not only sat down, but also sat steadily all the time. It has to be said that this is due to his political wisdom.

Fan Xicheng thought that his father must understand things better than him, and he could no longer handle this matter alone.

Fan Qin was not at ease, if the two foxes of the Liao family and the Shen family knew what he was going through, they would probably die laughing. Being forced by his son to find a way to marry the princess, he was really beyond his control.However, the son always felt that it was not the Jingdu government that was marrying a wife, but him, Fan Shilang, and in the future, it would be Fan Shangshu, Fan Taifu, Fan Prime Minister and the like.

"Cheng'er, you're not too young anymore. You've been in the officialdom for three or four years. Don't you know that it's hard to improve your official career after becoming a son-in-law?"

However, Fan Xicheng was very stubborn, "That's the champion son-in-law. I have already entered an official position, and the emperor intends to be included in the middle school. It is impossible to dismiss me for this. With the princess, the Fan family will be more stable in the future. Anyone on the bench can swallow our Fan family!"

"Which candle do you think you are? If the court is gone, you won't light up?" Fan Qin sneered at his son's naivety, "The most taboo in the court is the relatives. If you marry the princess, you are the relatives. Besides, the little girl in Yiqing Pavilion Girl, what do you want to do?"

Fan Xicheng panicked, "Father!" He originally planned to marry the princess first, and then consider the issue of Mengou after two years, or just put her in the outer house, and never taught her to confront the princess head-on, so he never talked to his father. explain.Unexpectedly, my father already knew about it.He collected himself, "It's not a big problem, is it? It's just a woman."

Fan Qin was furious, and slapped the drink everywhere, "Do you think you were Shen Shangshu back then? Let me tell you, the most important thing in the world is a woman! You want to put the princess and the woman in the brothel in the same yard, What nasty things happened, how do you teach my father to report to His Majesty?"

"She's not a woman in a brothel. Mengmeng is just a maid in Yiqing Pavilion, and she doesn't sell herself. Besides, she is Shen Yue's sister now, and she has worshiped incense in the ancestral hall..." Fan Xicheng muttered, with an imposing manner But it weakened.

Fan Qin: "There is a rumor from above that the emperor is going to marry the princess into the Shen family, and the letter of appointment from the Xielu Lang of Taichang Temple has also come down. This is a settled matter, so don't worry about it. Royal blood, isn't it?" Our old Fan family can afford it."

And the other two have surprisingly consistent attitudes towards this matter, perhaps because their people in power are soberly aware that this is a clear warning from the one above: old people, it's time to step back.

So they all chose to remain silent, and quietly moved their bottom line a little closer to the door.

end of chapter

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