first minister

Chapter 12 Jianning Yun Family
In Jianning County, Sishui Prefecture of the Great Xia Dynasty, there were many families surnamed Yun.

But in the past five years, when mentioning Jianning Yun's family, everyone subconsciously thought of the branch in Jiang'an County.

Because, in this once ordinary family, there was a first-rank imperial concubine, the concubine Yun Qingzhu.

As a result, the old house of the Yun family in Jiang'an County became a place where officials of all sizes in the state would visit once or several times a year.

As the imperial concubine became more and more favored and gave birth to a prince, the Yun family became even more crowded. If a county magistrate was not old or worked in Jiang'an County, it would be difficult for the old lady of the Yun family to meet him in person.

Now that the important event of Concubine De's family visit is approaching, the Yun family is uncharacteristically closing their doors to thank guests, and only a very small number of people who are close to them can enter the mansion to talk.

Everyone has no objection to this. Although it is not the choice of most people to keep a low profile at this time, it is something that everyone can understand.

At this moment, the door of Yun Mansion is still closed.

But in the main hall of the mansion, Mr. Yun, who seldom showed up in leisure time, was chatting cordially with someone.

Mr. Yun is in his sixties, and he still looks handsome as he was when he was young. He is also very energetic, holding a teacup and looking at his friend beside him, "Brother Zicheng, I finally have you here. Before you get busy, let's have a good drink these days."

On the opposite side of him was an old Confucian scholar wearing a small crown. He stroked his long beard and said with a smile: "Brother Kang Le, you have a lot of people here, why do you still expect me, a sour Confucian who only knows about the poor and the poor?"

"You and I, two idle clouds and wild cranes who don't care about fame and wealth, finally got together to express our friendship, but you want to say such vulgar words." Old Master Yun stretched out his hand and pointed at him, "Based on your words, you should be punished with three glasses of wine!"

Talking about the two old friends who have known each other for decades, they laughed together.

The old Confucian named Su Shidao was a professor of state studies.

Although the grade is not high, he is also a great Confucian who is famous all over the world. In his early years, he and Mr. Yun studied under Mr. Guanlu, a famous figure in the literary world. This friendship has been maintained until now, so it is much purer than others.

He slowly restrained his smile and stroked his long beard lightly, "Now that the autumn is approaching, if it wasn't for Concubine De's family visit, Master Xuezheng knew about your relationship and gave me a special holiday, how could I come to your house to sneak away."

"Qiu Wei." Old Master Yun stopped scraping the tea foam, "Are there any talented people in this state?"

Su Shidao shook his head, "It's difficult! Since the teacher passed away, Sishui Prefecture no longer has a leading figure in the literary world, the number of people who study has dropped sharply, and the style of writing has become more and more unbearable. If you can't compare with Yunmeng Prefecture in Chunwei next year, I am afraid that the number of candidates in Qiuwei will decrease a lot."

Old Master Yun took a sip of his tea silently. The Great Xia Dynasty attached great importance to Wenhua, especially the imperial examinations. Officials who were not born in the imperial examinations were often discriminated against, and it was difficult for them to ascend to high positions.

As an important link between the past and the future, the admission rate of the rural examination held by each state is often determined by the Ministry of Rites based on the comprehensive assessment of the state's population, taxation, and education level, plus the number of places granted by the imperial court for various considerations.

Sishui Prefecture and Yunmeng Prefecture have the same population and taxes. With the help of a group of talented scholars headed by Mr. Guanlu, Sishui Prefecture reversed its decline for many years, suppressed Yunmeng Prefecture, and successfully obtained more admission places.

But now it has been two consecutive rounds that Yunmengzhou has not been able to compete with. If it loses again this time, Sishui Prefecture will hand over ten candidates.

Old Master Yun put down the teacup slowly, "In Jiang'an County, there is a scholar named Zeng Jimin who seems to be quite talented?"

Su Shidao shook his head slightly, "This son is diligent and practical, but he is not a talented person. He should be fine in the middle exam, but next year's spring will depend on luck."

"Mr. Mingquan's great-grandson seems to be known as the ancestor?"

"You still don't understand the words of others?"

Old Master Yun frowned, "So, the whole Sishui Prefecture can only count on Zheng Tianyu this time?"

Speaking of this name, Su Shidao finally became a little happier. "As the son of Zheng Yuanwang, the prefect of Jianning, Zheng Tianyu is impeccable in terms of family background, demeanor and talent. It can even be said that his family background, which is envied by others, has become the most inconspicuous thing in him. Among the dragons and phoenixes, he has outstanding talents and learning. Scholars are things that can be grasped. But brother Kang Le, you also know that it is useless! Right now we are all looking for talents everywhere, but it is a pity!"

He took a sip of tea, "Brother Kang Le, are there any talented people in Jiang'an County, can you recommend one or two to me?"

Old Master Yun waved his hands and smiled wryly, "In this place, there are quite a lot of sluts who eat, drink, and have fun. Zeng Jimin doesn't even catch your eye, so there's nothing else!"

"The style of writing is gone, the style of writing is gone!" Su Shidao sighed, "Brother Kang Le, how long has it been since we heard any amazing articles and poems written by talents in the state?"

Old Master Yun nodded, "That's true. I haven't seen anyone write any good characters for some days. The decline of writing style is not only limited to poetry!"

Su Shidao shook his head and sighed bitterly, "If it's true that the number of people in Sishui Prefecture has been reduced by us, tell me, what face do I have to see my mentor!"

After sighing, he quickly came to his senses again, and said with a wry smile: "Speaking of which, I haven't seen you in the past two years, so why bother to talk about such depressing things, you should talk about something happy. Blame me, blame me, and you should be fined three cups."

"Haha, it's extremely extreme!" Old Master Yun laughed and nodded, and comforted him, "You don't have to be so worried, maybe someday there will be a scholar full of knowledge and knowledge."

"You are talking nonsense. If I want to expect this, I might as well hope that Zheng Tianyu will get a first-class exam!"

"Things in this world are impermanent, who can tell for sure! Back then, our teacher, Mr. Guan Lu, was also from a farming school."

"Then I will borrow a good word from Brother Kang Le! Haha!"

The two laughed, but neither of them really took it seriously, it was just to give a reason to feel at ease for the short-term joy at the moment.

Immediately, Old Master Yun ordered his servants to prepare food and drinks, and to climb high in the backyard to enjoy the chrysanthemums with his old friends, and he would not rest until he was drunk.

But at this moment the concierge came in a hurry, "Master, Feng Shanggong is asking to see you."

Master Yun frowned.

Su Shidao hurriedly said: "Brother Kang Le is busy, I will hang around for a few days, don't worry."

"That's not true. This man is from the palace and serves by my daughter's side. He's here to take the lead in arranging things. It's good to see him."

"Then I'll avoid it."

"No, brother Zicheng will meet with me. If there is any inconvenience, you can be a villain for me."

Su Shidao was slightly taken aback, then nodded and smiled.

The concierge went down, and soon, Feng Xiuyun came in holding a long box, and respectfully greeted Mr. Yun.

Old Master Yun responded in an indifferent but not indifferent manner, and then introduced Su Shidao to Feng Xiuyun.

Knowing that Su Shidao was a great Confucianist in the dynasty and a professor of state studies, Feng Xiuyun, who was used to seeing scenes in the palace, was inexplicably a little more disturbed.

"President Feng, what is the purpose of coming here?"

Old Master Yun didn't have the patience to go around in circles, so he spoke lightly.

Feng Xiuyun hurriedly said: "The slaves are in the palace, and they receive the grace of the empress. During this trip, I collected seventeen volumes of calligraphy by famous masters and presented them to the old lady to thank the empress for her kindness."

After speaking, he held the long box in both hands and held it up high.

Old Master Yun narrowed his eyes slightly. Although he didn't understand the situation in the palace, he understood that the other party was trying to show favor to his daughter through himself. He thought for a while, "It's rare that you have such intentions. It just so happens that Su Daru is here, so I will appreciate it with him, and there is no need to accept it."

Hearing this, Feng Xiuyun breathed a sigh of relief, and hastily handed over the box, adding, "If you meet someone who catches your eye, please don't hesitate to accept it."

Old Master Yun was noncommittal, and ordered his servants to bring a desk, and opened the box to appreciate it on the spot.

Picking up the first picture, Old Master Yun smiled slightly at Su Shidao, "Brother Zicheng, look, this is actually Feng Zigao's (face character), rare!"

As he spoke, he nodded slightly towards Feng Xiuyun, "You have a heart."

Su Shidao came over and looked at it carefully, "It's a pity that Feng Zigao's writing is either in a bad mood, or he knew it was for Brother Kang Le, so the lines between the lines are a little more restrained, which makes this cursive script a little less wild and unrestrained. It's really a pity."

"Not bad." Old Master Yun nodded slowly, "I have also collected two calligraphy by Feng Zigao, and this one is indeed slightly inferior."

As he spoke, he put it down and picked up the second one.

Feng Xiuyun's heart sank, and the fingers resting on her abdomen stirred quietly, feeling uneasy.

"Oh, these are Qian Ziyou's words."

Old Master Yun picked up the second picture and laughed.

"Haha, Qian Ziyou? Really." Su Shidao leaned over, with a playful smile, "When Qian Ziyou couldn't get in with his handwriting, maybe he didn't expect that his handwriting would appear in front of you like this one day?"

Old Master Yun waved his hand, "Those who don't know are not guilty. It's okay, it's okay."

Feng Xiuyun's heart sank to the bottom of the valley. This word she regarded as her last hope seemed to be the kind that the old man detested.

Now I am really stealing chickens and losing money.

Mr. Yun then flipped through a few more pieces, and there were occasional structures or charms that caught his eye, but the whole piece was not enough to arouse his interest in collecting.

Listening to the comments such as "full of craftsmanship", "painting a tiger can't be an anti-dog", "the structure is acceptable, but the shape and meaning are too bad" and other comments, Feng Xiuyun gradually despaired, secretly laughing at herself, fearing that she really answered the words of last night.

However, if you can't please the old man, what's the point of such hard work!
Feng Xiuyun's eyes were full of bitterness, and her heart was at a loss.

Just when she gave up all her fantasies, she suddenly heard two voices in unison.

"what?"

(End of this chapter)