Picturesque Rivers and Mountains in the Red Chamber

191 Chapter 3.98

Volume Three

3.98 I’ll be waiting for the good news from Master Fu then.

On the morning of May 28, Zhou Yang chose to arrive at the gate of Rongguo Mansion at the right time. But what he didn't expect was that the concierge rushed inside to announce him as soon as he saw him coming. In less than half a cup of tea, he saw Jia Zheng coming over with a smile on his face. He could only welcome her in person with a fake smile. Just looking at the surface, it seemed that the two families were really close and had never had any conflicts.

"Hahaha, nephew Zhou Xian is so late!" Jia Zhengwen greeted him in a creaky manner, and then came over with a "hands-on" gesture, holding Zhou Yang's arm and pulling him into the side door, not forgetting to introduce him. Another person behind him said, "Also, this is a long article (Fu Shibiao). You have seen it often. Young people, you should come and go often in the future."

"Second Uncle Zheng said yes!" What else could Zhou Yang say?Anyway, it's just a show of words. If you take it seriously, you will lose.

As for Qingwen who came with him, his servants guided the Li brothers to the door and then sent them to the backyard to entertain them. This was also Zhou Yang's "backyard diplomacy". It stands to reason that Qingwen would not be able to handle it as a girl, but there was no way , now he can't accept Xue Baochai into the house, and he has to take care of the inner house of Jia's house, so he can only let her hold on as a concubine. However, in order to make the scene look good, he very generously prepared a batch of gifts.

The three of them were talking and laughing along the way, walking along the corridor between the main courtyard and Jia Zhengdong's courtyard. There were servants standing every once in a while to say hello, until they arrived in front of a courtyard with a plaque of "Mengpo Zhai". Jia Zhengcai stretched out his hand and made a "please" gesture, then stepped inside to lead the way.

This is really not because Jia Zheng likes to be polite. According to Confucian norms, there is a famous saying "The punishment is not as high as the official", but the latter sentence is rarely mentioned, that is "the courtesy is not as good as the common people". Compared with Zhou Yang, Jia Zheng's current position He is the "chief of the Ministry of Industry" and is in charge of purchasing part of the building materials for the project construction. His nominal power is not small, but he has long been ignored by his minions.

But the most important thing is that his position is only the sixth rank. When meeting Zhou Yang, a fifth-rank Qianhu who has been officially appointed by official documents, theoretically he should bow first; even if his status in Rongguo Mansion is enhanced, then It can't be too much, not to mention that he is notoriously pedantic and cares about face, so naturally he should be as "courteous and considerate" as possible.

The two of them were seated separately, and a servant immediately brought them tea and snacks. What followed was a useless exchange of hello and me--what, there's a Fu Shi?I was really embarrassed. Apart from following him and saying a few words of apology, there was no room for him to speak at the scene.

"Second Uncle Zheng, my nephew came to visit today, which is what he should have done. It was just because he was busy with the appointment of officials these days, so it was delayed." Finally, seeing that it was time to have lunch if the beeping continued, Zhou Yang I couldn't help but asked, "I wonder if my nephew is here today, but what are your orders?"

"Hahaha, I can't talk about orders. I just want to ask. Since Ziyang has been appointed, he will only wait for the ceremony of the Ministry of War on the second day of the lunar month next month. According to the usual practice, he will take office in August." Jia Zheng said with a smile while twirling his beard. "It's just that being an official is the same as in the government. There are a few trustworthy people around you. I wonder if Ziyang has any arrangements?"

"Huh?" Zhou Yang glanced at Fu Shi, who was wearing a flattering front, and finally understood what Jia Zheng meant, and remembered what they had discussed at the time, "I'm not going to hide it from Uncle Zheng, but my nephew actually has a few people with him. In fact, it's Five of them were born in the same year when they first took the martial arts exam, plus the twenty personal soldiers that the government has already prepared, and we plan to recruit dozens more in the near future. I think it should be enough to take up the post of Thousand Households."

Jia Zheng and Fu Shi's expressions froze at the same time.

"Nephew Zhou Xian is really planning for a rainy day!" Jia Zheng's expression was obviously a little unnatural, but he still glanced at Fu Shi and said, "It's just that my nephew is of the same age, so he must be a warrior, right? Although this army is mainly about martial arts , but there are also some official correspondence, I wonder if my nephew has any arrangements?"

"The affairs in the army are serious and cannot be left to my nephew's arrangements. For every thousand households there are ten hundred households as a rule. Although my nephew is not talented, it is not impossible for him to make all the arrangements. He just follows the convention and leaves some room." Zhou Yang Without even looking at Fu Shi, he continued to tell lies with his eyes open, "Besides, this military chief cannot make a single statement. I think the imperial court will make arrangements for this official document."

This is really not hypocritical. The subordinate officials of Qianhu usually include two deputy Qianhu, ten Baihu, plus a chief secretary of the sixth rank or subordinate sixth rank. Under the hundred households, there are also trial hundred households and even the general banner. , Xiaoqi, logically speaking, whether it is civil or military, it is not a problem at all to leave a Fu Shi who has given the title to the people, but there is also an active and passive attitude in this kind of thing.

If Jia Zheng takes the initiative to ask for it, the Jia family will owe a favor. Although the Rongguo Mansion has been seriously ruined, it still has a lot of resources. This favor may be used one day; but if Zhou Yang takes the initiative to make arrangements, That means he doesn't have enough subordinates when he takes office as a new official, and the Rongguo Mansion helps to transport talents, which in turn owes favor to the Jia family.

Although Jia Zheng is pedantic and rigid, he is also a descendant of everyone, so he will not forget the most basic rules. Therefore, until now, he still puts on airs and reminds him repeatedly, but does not directly ask for an official. The same reason is here. As for Fu Try, he is not even qualified to speak at this time.

There are a group of Jinshi and Juren every three years. It has been a hundred years since the founding of the Zhou Dynasty. Some of them are Jinshi who have wasted half their lives, let alone lower-level Juren. Most of them can only return to their hometowns to be local cowards and want to be officials. First of all, there must be a suitable position. With the current situation of the Jia family, it is certainly not a problem to find an official for him, but if it can save trouble, no one will be stupid enough to waste their family connections. "Zi Yang, if you look at everything in the army, it's actually the same as in your own house. Naturally, the arrangements for your subordinates must be given to your own people." After another round of arguing over a cup of tea, Zhou Yang just couldn't take the bait. Jia Zheng realized that the other party had taken the initiative, and finally said helplessly, "The exchange of official documents in the military is not a trivial matter, and naturally it cannot be interfered with by outsiders.

I also read the long article, everyone is their own, and now they have the fame of raising people, the position of the head of a thousand households is naturally capable of taking over, and Ziyang traveled to the land of Jingchu, just right The commander of the Wuchang Mansion, General Luo Gangluo, is also from the same line of the eight families. I don't know what Ziyang thinks? "

"Brother Changwen——" Zhou Yang looked over as if he had just discovered it, "Since you have already achieved the title of Juren, and are only one step away from Donghua's roll call, why not work hard again? If you can do it in If you have a seat at the Qionglin Banquet, you will naturally have a better future."

"Your Majesty Zhou is too serious. Although I was lucky enough to get a job title, I won the ranking near the bottom. If there are no accidents in the future, I'm afraid I won't have the chance to go further." Having said this, Fu Shi didn't There is no need to say anything if you open your mouth, "If I have the honor to follow you, it will be an honor for me."

"Hahaha, Brother Changwen is serious." Now that everyone has expressed their opinions, Zhou Yang naturally stopped being pretentious, "Second Uncle Zheng has already spoken, so it's no problem for me to have a seat here. I want to be the official selection officer." There is no need for me to say more here; as Uncle Zheng said just now, I will take office in Daye in August, and then I will wait for the good news from Master Fu."

"Thank you so much, sir!" Fu Shi quickly knelt down and expressed his position as a subordinate, "please rest assured, sir, I have the honor to follow you, and I will go through fire and water for you!"

"Okay, let's start writing. I'm honored to see you all getting along well with each other today!" Seeing that things were arranged, Jia Zheng nodded with satisfaction, picked up the tea cup, and watched Zhou Yang take a sip. .

"Second Uncle Zheng must have something to tell Brother Changwen, so my nephew will take his leave now." Zhou Yang immediately stood up knowingly, "I just happened to be here today, and Second Brother Lian has taken office in Yancheng, so my nephew should pay his respects to Jia Uncle, I don’t know.”

"Um, cough, brother, there are some - well, it's not very convenient. I don't need to go there today." As a result, Jia Zheng choked on his saliva without paying attention. After coughing for a while, he quickly stopped him, "It's the ancestor of the back house. There, nephew Zhou Xian might as well go over there, he can also teach that beast of mine."

"This" Zhou Yang was deliberately pretentious, "Is there anything inappropriate about this-"

"It's a good family relationship, what's wrong with it?" Jia Zheng quickly settled the matter with one sentence, and then shouted out the door, "Here you come, why don't you take nephew Zhou Xian with you?"

"Second Uncle Zheng's words are serious, my nephew still doesn't know how to get there?" Zhou Yang stopped him with a smile, bowed his hands and turned around to leave the study.

In Mengpo Zhai, Jia Zheng and Fu Shi breathed a sigh of relief at the same time as they watched Zhou Yang leave.

"Student, thank you for your mentor's cultivation!" Fu Shi immediately turned around and knelt down, kowtowing respectfully to Jia Zheng, "If it weren't for your mentor's hard work today, I don't know how long the student would have been wasted."

"It is natural for a teacher to know the talent of a long writer." Jia Zheng nodded with satisfaction and bent down to help Fu Shi up. "I think you have heard about Zhou Xiannephew's performance these days, as well as the Duke of Qi's palace behind him. If you follow him from now on, you will certainly have a bright future, but don’t forget your duty.”

"How dare the student?" Fu Shi replied quickly, and then remembered something, "It's just that today the student came to visit the house, and the younger sister is also in the back house at the moment, Mrs. Fu Shi. Is there any obstacle for Mr. Zhou to go there at this time? "

"With mother taking care of her, why come to the pass?" Jia Zheng smiled faintly, "It's not like there is no suitable girl in the house, but it's a pity that nephew Zhou Xian has already made an engagement, so a good marriage has been lost."

"That's what the teacher said!" Fu Shi replied respectfully.

(End of this chapter)