Chapter 318 How to send talents down
The red sun is already three feet high, and the golden furnace is adding fragrance beasts.
The Linhuai Marquis Mansion in the early morning is a resplendent place under the sunlight, with red lanterns, green bonsais, screens embroidered with exquisite patterns, carved phoenix incense burners for burning incense, and all kinds of things that are rare for ordinary people to see. All the objects were put out, and the Linhuai Marquis Mansion was suddenly decorated with a new look.
The maids and maids of the Linhuai Marquis Mansion all freshened up early, put on the new clothes given by the house, and put on the jewelry given by their masters. They dressed up beautifully and got busy. .
Today is the 60th birthday of the old lady of the Hou Mansion. The maids and servants of the Linhuai Hou Mansion got up early in the morning to clean the court, serve the master to wash up, and under the command of the stewards, put the Hou Mansion in order. , prepare the things you need for your birthday.
Zhu Ping'an got up and washed up as usual. He put on the new clothes brought by the little maid Baozi yesterday. He wore an ink-colored robe, white deerskin boots, and simply pulled up his hair. Although his appearance was ordinary, there was something about him under the clothes. A touch of nobility.
However, there is a big gap compared with Mr. Zheng.
Mr. Zheng stood at the door of Zhu Ping'an's courtyard with his hands behind his back. He was wearing brocade clothes with jade belts and fluttering sleeves. He also held a bone fan in his hand behind his back. It looked like the jade tree was in the wind. Standing there was A landscape full of nobility and grandeur.
“Today’s Madam’s birthday banquet, there are countless distinguished guests. You are incompetent and have nothing to offer, so don’t lose the face of the Marquis. When you go out later, I advise you to stay quietly in the corner to save yourself from inconvenience. My cousin’s face is also dull.”
Mr. Zheng, standing with his hands behind his back, stood at the door of Zhu Ping’an’s guest room and finished speaking. Then he left with his hands behind his back. His lonely figure looked like a lonely master.
Uh
She blocked me at the door early in the morning with her concave appearance. Just to say this to me, look at the posture of shaking your legs when walking, they must be cramped after being sunken for so long! Okay, that's your attitude. I'll give you 80 points for this pretense. Zhu Pingan couldn't help but smile when he looked at Mr. Zheng shaking his legs and leaving.
When Zhu Ping'an arrived at the front yard, he found that he had been arranged in a corner and was ignored.
The Hou Mansion organized several courtyards and used the front hall as a place to entertain guests. There were dozens of birthday banquets, but Zhu Ping'an's table was alone in the corner. If you don't look carefully, Out of sight.
Early in the morning, the second master of the house, who had been away from home for ten days and a half, was busy outside for who knows what, and he also had a rosy look. I rushed back to Linhuai Marquis Mansion from outside. As soon as he entered the door, he went straight to the old lady's yard to say hello to the old lady.
The old lady is the birthday girl, and the furnishings in the room are also full of longevity. The image of Magu offering birthdays is a standard feature of the room. There is also a white jade carved old fairy offering peaches on the table by the window. The old birthday girl is smiling with a smile on her face. Holding a fairy peach, the carving is lifelike. Of course, a big Chinese character "Shou" is indispensable in the room. The font is full of immortality and longevity.
The floor of the room is covered with a scarlet blanket, with a big Chinese character "longevity" embroidered on it. There is a mahogany table in the middle of the room. There is a furnace burning incense on the table, and two red sticks are inserted next to it. The candle is as thick as a child's wrist, with the word "longevity" engraved on it.
Everywhere in the room is full of life and happiness.
The old lady of the Hou Mansion was sitting in the room wearing a red birthday suit, and the girl from the Discipline Inspection Commission was waiting on her to comb her hair.
"My son has paid his respects to his mother." After the second master entered the old lady's house, he smiled and knelt down to pay her respects.
"You're such a bad boy, you don't even know how to come home. What kind of greetings can you give me? I'll be upset because of this bad boy like you." When the old lady saw her second son coming in, she waved the girl combing her hair behind her to get out of the way, and cursed. , holding the jade Ruyi as a gesture to hit his second son.
"My mother has wronged her son. These days, my son is not messing around. He has found the most efficacious temple. These days, my son is bathing and fasting. He has been kneeling under the Bodhisattva and chanting sutras. The sutras are also My son specifically asked the Zen Master for advice on the "Sutra on Prolonging Life and Prolonging Life," and believers said that this sutra is the most effective. I read it several times last night, and in order to catch up with my mother’s birthday, I stopped talking and rushed back overnight. If my mother could feel relieved after beating my son, my son would rather be beaten by my mother every day.”
The second master knew that the old lady was unwilling to give up the beating, so he stretched his head over with a smile, as if he was willing to be beaten after being wronged.
"You are so old, I am not ashamed. If there were no foreigners coming today, I would have loosened your skin." The old lady couldn't help laughing and scolding her second son when she saw him like this.
"Why don't you bother mother to do it? Mother, please give me a message and my son will do it himself. I'm sure to satisfy mother." The second master said with a smile.
"I'm not doing anything right. I'll settle the score with you another day." The old lady laughed and scolded her.
“The smile is always happy and comfortable, the pearls are round and the jade is in good health. My son wishes his mother a happy birthday, and I wish the old birthday star may be as blessed as the East Sea, and the sun and the moon are prosperous. Songs and cranes are everlasting, spring and autumn are not old, life is as long as Nanshan, and joy is far longer "
The second master knelt on the ground, took the small silver pot from the maid's hand, poured a cup of tea, and smiled to wish the old lady a happy birthday.
"Okay, okay, let's go and help your brother in the front yard. You are not a decent person." The old lady took the teacup and took a sip.
“My son resigned.”
The second master complained, got up and left. When he was about to exit the door, he touched the buttocks of the little maid who was holding the curtain at the door without leaving any trace.
The little maid's face turned red when she was touched, and she nodded to the second master with excitement, as if she had agreed on something.
Not long after waiting for the second master to leave, the second lady of the Hou Mansion took the lead and led Li Shu, the daughter of the Hou Mansion, Fatty Zhou, and the naughty little Lolita to come in with a snoring. They sorted themselves by class and arrived in a hurry. In the room, everyone was smiling and kneeling down to wish the old lady a happy birthday.
When everyone in the Hou Mansion knelt down to pray for the birthday of the old lady of the Hou Mansion, a white-faced and beardless Xiao Huangmen, escorted by a group of royal guards, rode his horse to the Shuntian Gongyuan in the southeast of the capital again and handed over the sealed book The bag was handed over to Xu Jie and other examiners.
After Xu Jie and others broke the intact seal in front of Xiao Huangmen, Xiao Huangmen resigned and was escorted away by Jin Yiwei.
After Xu Jie and other examiners opened the seal, they found that inside were the draft list and past life test papers they submitted to the imperial examination, as well as a note.
"How should we demote talents?"
Only these six simple words were written on the note, and there was nothing else. Emperor Jiajing's name was not left on the draft list. No instructions, not even a dot of ink.
This kind of note is Emperor Jiajing's unique way of controlling people. The words on the note are code words. Emperor Jiajing likes to use this method to control his ministers. I have to admit that Emperor Jiajing's political skills were very strong and he was very skilled in the emperor's mental tricks. This kind of paper could perfectly control the government affairs in his hands. Of course, Emperor Jiajing did not rely on this kind of skill to control people. This was just one of Emperor Jiajing's many political tactics. However, this code word is definitely the most representative scene among the many tricks.
The code words on this kind of note are extremely irregular. It can be said that Emperor Jiajing did whatever he wanted, but it represented Emperor Jiajing's thoughts and intentions. If you can't understand Emperor Jiajing's thoughts represented on the note, then how can you satisfy Emperor Jiajing with your errands? If Emperor Jiajing is dissatisfied, then don't even think about being promoted. It would be good if you are not punished. Therefore, if you were an official during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, understanding the code words to identify the Jiajing Emperor was a required course. The most outstanding minister in this course is Yan Song. He can read the code words of Emperor Jiajing and understand them thoroughly. However, it is said that the best person in reading code words is Yan Song's son Yan Shifan. It is said that Yan Song cannot read some of Emperor Jiajing's code words. He understands, but his son Yan Shifan can read it and does it word by word, so Yan Song can firmly take the position of chief minister.
What should be done to reduce talents? "Jiang" means "coming to select". The clear meaning of this sentence is, what should be done to select talents?
Isn’t our imperial examination just for selecting talents?
Yan Maoqing and others looked at this note and pondered over and over again. They were at a loss. What does the emperor mean by this?
Xu Jie looked at the note with a clear smile. I'm not bad at playing code words either.
These six words are not about how to select talents, but about how the test paper for demoting talents should be ranked. In other words, where should the test paper for demoting talents be ranked? Obviously, the emperor asked how this paper should be ranked as it was a test paper with the word "demoting talents" in Qing Ci.
Why ask that.
Isn’t it clear at a glance what the emperor means (end of chapter)