Rule over Ming Dynasty

Chapter 322 Turning into Spring Mud to Protect Flowers

Every inch of land in the capital is at a premium, and the only place suitable for fish farming is Beihaizi in Rizhongfang, but it has long become a private forbidden area for the wealthy and powerful in the capital.

Not to mention that Zhang Sui came from an ordinary military household. Even Qian Fu, who came from a prominent family in the south of the Yangtze River, could not afford to buy a fish pond, let alone place grass carp there to feed within the stipulated day.

That's right, this is actually a dead end. The best way is not to find a fish pond, but to foster the grass carp in the pond of a powerful family through connections.

Zhang Sui sensed Qian Fu's contemptuous attitude and originally didn't want to say more, and now he was even more unwilling to answer the second place's question.

At this time, Liu Jin's figure appeared again in front of the guardrail of Tingchao Pavilion, but he said seriously: "Your Majesty is here, your lords, please greet me!"

"Your Majesty, please pay your respects to your Majesty!" Hanlin Compiler Liu Cunye and other twelve officials learned that His Majesty was already in Tingchao Pavilion, and they immediately greeted him in a polite manner.

This Tingchao Pavilion is an ideal place for leisure. You can enjoy the surrounding scenery and take a rest here.

Since he had no intention of meeting in front of the pavilion, Zhu Youtang continued to sit on the second floor drinking tea and admiring the scenery, while Liu Jin stood in front of the guardrail and conveyed the message.

Liu Jin cleared his throat and went straight to the point: "In March last year, His Majesty summoned all of you to come here to participate in the small biography. This year has come, and His Majesty specially summoned all of you to come back with fish to see your results. !”

Hanlin Editor Liu Cunye swallowed his saliva and couldn't help but feel nervous.

He had fully enjoyed the privilege of being the number one pick for a year, and his life was as moist as it could be. He had already forgotten about Xiao Chuanlu in the past few months, but he didn't expect that what was supposed to come would still come.

"Your Majesty, I have an unkind request!" Hanlin editor Qian Fu rolled his eyes, but suddenly stood up and asked.

Liu Jin glanced at Zhu Youtang, and then asked: "What's the matter?"

"Your Majesty, I have the honor to attend the New Year's Day meeting for the first time this year. At that time, my poetic imagination burst out, and I occasionally wrote a good poem, so I would like to take this opportunity to dedicate it to Your Majesty." Qian Fu seemed to have been prepared, taking out the poem from his sleeve and writing.

A flash of jealousy flashed in the eyes of Liu Cunye and Jin Gui. Although Qian Fu had always been arrogant, his poetic talent was truly unmatched.

Now Qian Fu took this opportunity to offer poems, undoubtedly hoping to impress the aloof emperor with his talent and win his majesty's favor.

Zhu Youtang knew that Qian Fu was indeed a rare poet, so he said calmly to Liu Jin: "Send it up!"

For a while, he went to visit Zichen, and played nine-fold side music.

The dragon tower is high and the stars are close, and the phoenix calendar marks the beginning of the new year.

The dawn gradually breaks into the three halls, and the sound of bells spreads into the spring of thousands of families.

The ministers share the blessings of Enbowo, and wish to follow the example of conferring blessings on the Holy Spirit.

……

The poems were quickly sent to the top, and then recited on the spot by Liu Jin.

The "铓行" in this poem refers to the procession of courtiers, from the initial appearance of the procession to the sound of music, then based on what Qian Fu saw and thought, he skillfully demonstrated the majesty of the emperor by praising Fengtianmen, and finally Expressed Qian Fu's loyalty.

"Great!"

After Xu Hong and others listened to the content of this poem, they also cast admiring glances at Qian Fu in front of him.

Zhang Sui saw the smug Qian Fu in his eyes, but gently shook his head.Although the Qian Fu in front of him was very talented, it was not to his liking, and the poem had no practical value.

"Your Majesty, please comment!" Qian Fu was very satisfied with his masterpiece and asked confidently.

Zhu Youtang took the poem sent by Liu Jin and changed the topic: "Editor Qian, I heard that your grass carp has entered your stomach?"

"Your Majesty, it's true... it's true! That grass carp can't survive in the bathtub. I believe that things should be put to their fullest use. It's better to just sit and watch the fish die than to make soup and drink it. I specially prepared the grass carp for you at that time. I compose a poem, and I also want to dedicate the grass carp poem to His Majesty!" Qian Fu saw that the most embarrassing thing about him was being discussed, and immediately threw out the words he had prepared.

Liu Jin glanced at Qian Fu who took out the poem, and said calmly: "Qian edited and edited it, so there is no need to present the poem. You should reflect on it first!"

what?
Qian Fu had already taken out more than half of the grass carp poems. He originally thought that he might win the emperor's favor by handling the grass carp so freely, but when he found that it was not the case at all, he was dumbfounded.

Xu Hong and others were secretly relieved. Although they all admired Qian Fu's talent, directly cooking grass carp into soup simply ignored the emperor's authority.

It can be said that it is very satisfying to be treated like this by His Majesty.

Zhu Youtang glanced at Qian Fu's poem, but said calmly: "Qian Fu, I won't comment on this poem. I am somewhat interested in poetry today, so I will give you a poem!"

"Writing poetry? The emperor wrote poetry?"

"Do you, the Zhu family, have the gene for poetry?"

"No matter how bad it is later, I must not laugh out loud!"

……

Qian Fu had just felt very frustrated, but when he heard that Zhu Youtang not only refused to comment on his masterpiece, but also wanted to write poems, he felt deep disdain in his heart.

Zhang Sui and Xu Hong looked at each other, then looked up to the second floor, feeling more worried in their hearts.After all, there really was no poet emperor in the Ming Dynasty, and all he wrote were doggerel poems.

Zhu Youtang took the tea handed over by Han Youying, looked to the horizon and recited: "The sun is setting in the daytime, and the whip is pointing east to the end of the world. Falling red is not a heartless thing, it turns into spring mud to protect the flowers."

In just 28 words, it shows the poet's broad mind, reveals a rare value of life, and has the capacity of thoughts and emotions to encompass the world. It can be called the masterpiece of Ding'an poetry.

Zhu Youtang originally did not want to be so high-profile. This masterpiece, which can be called Ding'an's poem, is too dazzling, but it is very appropriate at this moment.

Snapped!
Qian Fu, who had been waiting to watch the show just now, seemed to have been slapped suddenly, with even echoes, and he himself looked up at Tingchao Pavilion in disbelief.

This……

Zhang Sui and Xu Hong were equally shocked and looked at each other in surprise.

The man in the front is full of pride, but in the back, "Falling red is not a heartless thing, it turns into spring mud to protect the flowers" is a higher level, and the implication is even more profound.

Han Youying, who was making tea, opened her lips slightly, and was shocked by this man again.

Zhu Youtang's original intention was not to show off his talents, but to give some people a piece of advice, so he gave Liu Jin a look to indicate for him to continue.

But now that things have happened, Zhu Youtang may have to be known as a poet in addition to his reputation as a tyrant. "Your Majesty, I have been cared for by my mother since I was a child. I have always stretched out my hands for clothes, opened my mouth for food, and never touched the spring water with my fingers. Last year, I suddenly needed to take care of grass carp. Although I immediately wrote a book and went home to ask about the method of raising fish, the grass carp did not grow out of ten. Rini is dead, please punish me!" Liu Cunye didn't have as many twists and turns as Qian Fu, so he chose to plead guilty directly.

Zhang Sui glanced at Liu Cunye who was kneeling in front of him. Although he didn't have any ill intentions toward Liu Cunye, he didn't have much favorable impression either.

Liu Jin had already received Zhu Youtang's clear instructions, so he announced calmly: "Liu Xiuzhan, you have failed His Majesty's trust. Now you should reflect on it!"

"I accept the decree!" Liu Cunye felt that his reasons were very sufficient and that reflection was just a process, so he immediately bowed politely.

At this time, everyone's eyes fell on Jin Gui, the man who discovered the beauty. Although Jin Gui was the lowest ranked among the three, he became the first favorite to become the prime minister.

Jin Gui was born into a prominent family in the south of the Yangtze River. His father had experience in Wenzhou Prefecture. He studied under Yang Yiqing. He came into contact with officialdom earlier than ordinary people and was well versed in the rules of the officialdom game.

Now only 26 years old, it can be said that he has achieved success at a young age. Because he is a well-rounded person, he is highly regarded by his fellow Hanlin scholar Cheng Minzheng.

Unlike the previous top picks and second picks, the wooden basin in his hand was filled with clear water, and a vigorous-looking grass carp was swimming in it, but he had successfully raised the grass carp until now.

"I and my servants took turns taking care of it. Fortunately, I fulfilled my mission. Now please return the grass carp to its original owner!" Jin Gui stepped forward and knelt down, and said in a very loud and authentic voice.

The eyes of Qian Fu and Liu Cunye were full of confusion and jealousy. Now that Jin Gui has successfully returned the grass carp, not only does he not need to reflect, but he is also likely to be rewarded.

Today was Zhang Yong's turn, so he immediately led two eunuchs forward.

Huh?
When Xu Hong and others saw a young eunuch taking out a picture album and comparing it with Grass Carp, they seemed to have suddenly thought of something and silently exchanged glances.

"It seems that some people are smart, but they are mistaken by their cleverness!"

"how do I say this?"

"As long as you wait, this young man's fate will be even worse!"

……

Zhang Sui and Xu Hong stood side by side. After seeing the little eunuch hurried upstairs, he expressed his stance very firmly.

Jin Gui naturally saw this strange move in his eyes and also realized that he had made a mistake. A large amount of sweat suddenly appeared on his forehead.

"Editor Jin, this is not a small crime to deceive the king. Are you sure that the grass carp you brought back was not killed by Li Daitao?" Liu Jin suddenly asked seriously.

Jin Gui suddenly felt a huge pressure, but he knew that this would be a major political adventure.While the rewards for success are huge, the costs of failure are equally heavy. This is a dilemma.

"Jin Gui, you'd better admit it, you can't survive in the bathtub!" Qian Gui had already reacted and said with contempt.

Jin Gui glared at Qian Gui bitterly, and reported honestly: "Your Majesty, after I entered the Hanlin Academy, I did not dare to relax for a moment, so I studied classics and history. The grass carp was mainly taken care of by the servants. However, in my free time, I , I will take good care of the grass carp, and I have not found any cases of Li Daitao being stiff, so I ask your Majesty to take a closer look."

Xu Hong and Zhang Sui looked at each other, but shook their heads gently, knowing clearly that the shrewd Tanhua Lang passed the responsibility to his servant.

"Editor Jin, do you really think that His Majesty can be deceived by you? According to Jin Yiwei's investigation, your servant has changed eight fishes one after another! If you don't notice one, you can be forgiven, but if you don't notice eight, it's obviously a mistake. You are deliberately conniving and pretending that you don't know anything about it!" Liu Jin looked down at the clever Tanhua Lang in a condescending manner.

Jin Gui suddenly sweated profusely and hurriedly admitted his mistake: "Your Majesty, I did make an oversight. Please punish me!"

Xu Hong and others raised their heads one after another, but they were curious about how His Majesty would deal with these three first-class scholars.

"I am a first-class and third-grade Jinshi in Enke. I thought I would be lucky to get a good talent, but what you did made me very disappointed! Since you broke your promise to me, you can no longer stay in the Hanlin Academy. Liu Cunye was released to Xingguo County, and Qian Fu was released to the county magistrate. Let Qiongzhou Prefecture be promoted to an official, and Jin Gui will be demoted to Leizhou Fucang Ambassador!" Zhu Youtang took a sip of tea and then lowered the Thunder Punishment Road.

what?
Qian Fu and Liu Cunye were immediately dumbfounded. They were directly demoted to the rank of official and county magistrate. However, they never expected that they would be dealt with such a big deal today.

impossible!
Jin Gui stared in disbelief. Just now he was the most promising prime minister, but now he has followed in the footsteps of Yang Tinghe and been reduced to a small Zhengjiupincang ambassador.

The three Hanlin officials were originally the prime ministers of a country, and they were the first batch of Hanlin officials in the Hongzhi Dynasty. However, they were all demoted and fell from the world to the ground at once.

Although Zhang Sui, Xu Hong and others were surprised, they also felt that Zhu Youtang's approach was very wise, and they realized the true intention of the poem.

Fallen flowers are not heartless things, into Chunni more quadrangle!
This poem is obviously for the demoted Liu Cunye and others, but I wonder if they can understand His Majesty's intentions, and His Majesty's talent is really scary.

"Your Majesty, I have a sacred trust, please punish me!"

"Your Majesty, I am guilty and this fish has been replaced!"

"Your Majesty, I have fulfilled my mission. Now I will return the grass carp to its original owner!"

……

After Liu Cunye and three other people were convicted, the next nine people expressed their opinions one after another, but some were happy and some were sad.

There are only four people who can actually return the property to its original owner. In addition to Zhang Sui and Xu Hong, the other two are Yu Ming, director of the Ministry of Industry, and Qian Sen, director of the Ministry of Household Affairs.

"Three Zhang and Tai, although you failed to complete His Majesty's examination questions, you sent the grass carp back to Taiye Pond in time and in advance. If you fail the examination for three years, you will be promoted to a higher level!" Liu Jin announced the decree.

Zhang Tai and the other three people thought they were going to be punished, but they did not expect to be rewarded. They immediately said respectfully: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!"

"Xu Hong, Yu Ming, and Qian Sen, you three can keep your word to the monarch, so you are promoted to the first level!" Liu Jin announced again.

Xu Hong and the other three people suddenly felt ecstatic in their hearts, and they said politely: "I thank your Majesty for your kindness, long live my emperor!"

"Zhang Sui!"

"Chen is here!"

"You have raised grass carp so fat that it is the best among 12 people. You also contributed to Carp Valley last year. Now you have been moved to the governor of Luzon. I hope you can continue to relieve His Majesty's worries!" Liu Jin took a deep look at Zhang Sui, who looked unattractive. It is to carry out the reward path.

Governor of Luzon?

Everyone present was shocked and looked at Zhang Sui in disbelief.

He was promoted from a small censor to the governor of Luzon. Although the governor of Luzon was in Nanyang and the area under his jurisdiction did not belong to the territory of the Ming Dynasty, his status had actually risen.

(End of this chapter)