Chapter 142 is waiting for you (Thanks to 'LYBanana' for becoming the leader of this book)
After Qingci was handed over, everything seemed to be back to normal.
Qingci originated in the early Tang Dynasty and was a memorial from mortals to heaven.
This is a style of writing, mostly written on green ivy paper, so it is called Qingci, also known as Qingci.
Qingci is more sophisticated than the imperial examination essays. It is written in parallel style with gorgeous and vivid words.
Xiao Zhuo found a few copies of Qingci and compared them with the one he had written with all his effort, and he couldn't help but feel despair.
"Xia Yan's Qingci is lively and gorgeous. Yan Song's Qingci is graceful and varied... The words are exquisite. And I..."
On the table was a copy of Xiao Zhuoqing's poem, which he had written all night. He was exhausted and closed his eyes, and the words kept coming to his mind...
"Mediocre!"
“The wording is dull!”
He opened his eyes, and there was more anxiety in his bloodshot eyes.
"Zhao Fa has been staring at me for a long time, which shows that Chen He is determined to win. If Qingci fails this time, there will be thunder in the palace, and Chen He will definitely take advantage of the situation to strike me."
"Lower your head?"
"No! The Yan Party is greedy. If I give in, wouldn't that be helping the tyrants and making me birds of a feather?"
Xiao Zhuo hesitated and suddenly slapped himself, "Xiao Zhuo, ah Xiao Zhuo, where have you read the books of sages? How can you forget righteousness for fame and gain?!"
He looked determined, but then he thought of his wife and children at home.
The wife will be disappointed and the two children will be lost.
The dignified yet kind father was a mountain in the children's hearts, but he was knocked down to dust in one day...
At noon, Zhao Fa discovered that Xiao Zhuo did not come out for lunch.
After dinner, he told Chen He about his discovery.
"He is in a dilemma now. Either he bows his head or he will face bad luck. And it is too late to bow his head!" Chen He sneered, "Your Majesty attaches great importance to Qingci. If his Qingci is sent to the emperor, I bet that Your Majesty will definitely rebuke my Ministry of Rites, and Xiao Zhuo will not be able to escape this disaster."
"He is feeling very uneasy right now. Should we... give it one last try?" Zhao Fa said, "After all, Xiao Zhuo is considered a capable official."
Chen He looked at him and said, "Okay, go and try it."
Zhao Fa was very proud and went to look for Xiao Zhuo.
"Knock knock knock!"
He stood outside Xiao Zhuo's duty room and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Xiao Zhuo's voice sounded very tired and a little hoarse.
Zhao Fa pushed open the door.
The light from outside suddenly poured in.
But most of it was blocked by Zhao Fa, with shadow in the middle and light on both sides.
The light seemed particularly cramped.
"Doctor Xiao, can you say that a man who is knowledgeable about current affairs is a hero?" Zhao Fa crossed his arms and leisurely teased this ignorant fool.
This is a recruitment.
Xiao Zhuo also knew that this was his last chance.
If you bow your head, you will probably be ignored for a while, but from then on you will be riding on the coattails of the Yan Party.
If he doesn't bow his head, when the palace expresses dissatisfaction, he will inevitably be driven to some remote place to serve as an official.
He was not afraid of hardship, but he couldn't help sighing when he thought about his wife and children suffering from misfortune from now on.
Zhao Fa sneered: "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place."
Xiao Zhuo raised his head and said in a deep voice: "Wherever the truth is, I will not regret it!"
Zhao Fa was stunned and cursed, "Idiot! Just wait until you go to the wilderness!"
After leaving the office, Xiao Zhuo walked out of the duty room and blocked the setting sun with his hand.
He squinted his eyes and watched the officials walking out in twos and threes.
"Xiao Zhuo is probably going to be in trouble."
"I don't know how to praise!"
"Dare to act independently in the Ministry of Rites, isn't this courting death?"
"Looking at how depressed he is, he must have known."
"Look at his past articles, they are quite stagnant. Being an official is fine, but writing Qingci... to be honest, that's a joke."
“But he had to write it.”
"Just like Shangguan said, if you are able to do it, then you are able to do it. If you are not able to do it, then that is fine."
"If I say you can't do it, then you can't do it. Even if you can do it, you can't do it."
"Forget it. There are benefits to this man's downfall."
"Now that he's fallen, and he's been promoted, maybe we'll still have a chance."
When he returned home, Wang came out to greet him.
"Why is my husband so tired?" Wang felt that Xiao Zhuo was filled with an aura of exhaustion.
"I have a lot to do today." Xiao Zhuo didn't want to say more, "I won't have dinner."
So, Wang had dinner with her two children, and the atmosphere was a little tense.
"What's wrong with Dad?" Xiao Jin asked.
Wang smiled and said, "Maybe he is tired. There have been many fasting and prayer ceremonies in the palace recently, and the Ministry of Rites has a lot of things to do."
"Oh!"
After dinner, Xiao Mo and Xiao Jin went to inquire.
"Nothing to worry about for my father."
Xiao Zhuo was writing Qingci in the study.
"Dad, there is always work to do, and your health is more important."
His daughter is indeed a warm and cozy girl, which makes Xiao Zhuo feel comforted.
"Dad, take a rest if you can! We'll do it tomorrow."
The son's condolences seemed a little dry, but his concern was evident in his words.
"understood."
Xiao Zhuo held the brush and listened to the footsteps fading away, thinking, what a good child! If everything were stable, days like this would be priceless.
But things in this world are unpredictable!
Xiao Zhuo looked at the poem he had written and was very dissatisfied. He whispered, "Write more!"
The candlelight remained lit late into the night.
Xiao Zhuo looked at the several copies of the Qingci on the table, suddenly grabbed them and tore them into pieces.
His eyes were red, and he suppressed his voice, "I don't know any Qingci, but..."
"Husband!"
Xiao Zhuo looked up, the door opened, and standing outside was Wang, who had also not slept all night.
"You..." Xiao Zhuo looked down at the scraps of paper on the desk and forced a smile, "The Ministry of Rites has some troubles, and your husband..."
Wang looked at him steadily, "You and I have been married for many years. Do you think you can hide your abnormal behavior in the past two days from the person beside you?"
Xiao Zhuo sat down dejectedly. Wang came in, stood behind him, and gently kneaded his shoulders. "Tell me what it is. You and I are husband and wife, and we should face it together."
Xiao Zhuo closed his eyes, leaned his head back and rested it on his wife's belly, and whispered: "I was ostracized in the Ministry of Rites because I refused to succumb to the Yan Party. This time they asked me to write a Qingci. My article is steady and solemn, but it is not suitable."
“Everyone knows that Your Majesty worships Taoism. If Qingci is not satisfied…” Wang stopped and continued kneading.
"They wanted to force me to bow my head, but I refused."
"Husband, are you worried about us?" Wang leaned over, rested her chin on Xiao Zhuo's head, and whispered, "My husband should be so outstanding!"
"But the ending won't be good. The result will come out today. They said they would send my husband to some wild place to serve as an official. I guess my husband won't be able to come back until the Yan Party falls."
"Then..." Wang concealed her anxiety, "My husband is a gentleman, and he will be blessed by God!"
"Keep it from the kids first!"
Its daybreak.
Xiao Jin found that his parents were smiling today and seemed to be in a good mood.
"Hey! Why doesn't the neighbor, William, write poetry anymore?" Xiao Jin muttered to the maid after dinner.
The maid said, "Chang Wei Bo has more things to do than the master now! I often see the eunuchs in the palace come to summon him, which shows that His Majesty values him."
"Dad is also an important official!" Xiao Jin subconsciously defended his father.
The doctor was neither good nor bad. He was not quite an important official, but he was more than an ordinary official.
When Xiao Zhuo arrived at the Ministry of Rites, he found that everyone's attitude had changed.
"Doctor Xiao, this is today's paperwork. Please handle it as soon as possible."
The petty official who used to fawn on me, today acted as if he was doing his job impartially and said, "I have nothing to do with you."
Several officials who were just eating and waiting to die, who had some friendship with him in the past, turned a blind eye to him today, as if he were a plague god.
These people did not want to support the Yan Party, but they did not dare to offend them.
"When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter!" Xiao Zhuo somehow thought of this sad phrase. He sat in the duty room and closed his eyes.
Waiting for fate's decision.
"Tell them that the position of the Minister of Rites has been vacated, but if you don't have 3,000 guan, don't even think about it."
In the duty room, Chen He said comfortably.
Zhao Fa smiled and said, "They have been coveting the position of doctor for a long time. Three thousand strings of cash is not a lot. I will go and ask them."
Not long after, Zhao Fa came back.
Brought a piece of paper.
"Three thousand strings of cash." Zhao Fa handed the receipt to Chen He.
With this piece of paper, Chen He could exchange it for three thousand copper coins at the cash boxes of several wealthy merchants, or even gold and silver.
"Of these three thousand strings of cash, send two thousand to the young minister. As for the remaining one thousand strings of cash, I will keep five hundred of them, and you can handle the rest as you wish."
Zhao Fa lowered his head and thought, "Those people below also need to be won over, and I will share the rewards one by one."
"Very good!"
The two smiled at each other.
As for Xiao Zhuo, he had already become a dead man in their eyes.
"Let him go!"
Zhao Fa couldn't control his temper.
Chen He frowned, "Gather some people later and find a reason to cause trouble with him. This way we can have a legitimate reason."
Zhao Fa gave a thumbs up, "Great!"
……
"Whose Qingci is this?"
The Taoist suddenly got angry.
Jiang Qingzhi had been taken to study by the Taoist these days. Hearing this, he was slightly moved. "Your Majesty, is this inappropriate?"
"Look at this person's words. How can the gods be satisfied with them?"
Jiang Qingzhi took the Qingci and read the back of it... written by Xiao Zhuojing, a doctor in the Ministry of Rites, and couldn't help but smile in his heart.
——I've been waiting for you!
He looked at it carefully and suddenly slapped his thigh, "Your Majesty, although this person's words are dull, he is sincere in everything! Your Majesty, please look here..."
Jiang Qingzhi walked over, sat cross-legged beside Emperor Jiajing, pointed to a passage in the poem and said, "This wording may seem ordinary, but when combined with the previous one, we can see the intention of this person... Sincerity!"
People who value affection are lacking in love and care. As an emperor who values affection, he expects that his affection will be rewarded.
The emperor was extremely wealthy and naturally did not care about money. What he expected in return was nothing more than the other party's sincerity.
Lu Bing's occasional sincerity could make Emperor Jiajing feel satisfied, so he remained a fence-sitter for many years.
Yan Song formed a clique and was corrupt, but because of his sincere flattery, he was trusted by Emperor Jiajing for many years.
Xiao Zhuo's Qingci is written in an ordinary way, but it is a work that has been written with great effort and hard work. It has no other merits, but it is full of sincerity.
Jiang Qingzhi pointed this out, which just hit the spot for Emperor Jiajing.
"It is the inspiration of your majesty's virtue that has led to such a sincere work." Jiang Qingzhi sighed.
The Taoist priest who was performing a ritual nearby saw that Emperor Jiajing was squinting his eyes and seemed to be enjoying it, so he couldn't help but look at Jiang Qingzhi with admiration.
Damn it, we got up early and worked late for fear of offending Emperor Jiajing, but this guy made Emperor Jiajing very happy with just a few words.
What a trick!
Looking back, the Taoist told his master about this while taking a break.
The master looked at him and sighed, "That's not a trick."
"what is that?"
"That's a skill." The master warned: "If you don't have that ability but want to imitate others, you will get into trouble if you are not careful. Remember, we should follow the will of His Majesty in the palace. As for other things, don't get involved if you can."
"Master, are you saying that two dragons should not meet?"
"Don't mention this matter!"
"Yes!"
……
Ministry of Rites.
lunch time.
Xiao Zhuo did not feel hungry, but just waited woodenly for the decision of fate.
"Doctor Xiao!"
There was a shout from outside the door, and then someone pushed the door open.
The person who came was Xiao Zhuo's subordinate Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu, who used to be afraid that knocking on the door too loudly would disturb Xiao Zhuo, now pushed his way in, held his head high, and said with the document in his hand, "Doctor Xiao was slow to handle this matter this time. I went to the Ministry of Revenue, and they said that the money and grain had already been distributed to other places. We can only wait..."
There were many officials gathered outside, and they couldn't help but get angry when they heard this.
This was a grant that the Ministry of Rites applied for for its own welfare. It was submitted and approved by Yan Song, and it was now waiting for the Ministry of Revenue to issue it.
This is like stirring up a hornet's nest.
"How long will it take?" someone asked.
Zhang Yu turned around and said, "It is said that... at least one month, at most half a year."
"Ah! So long?"
"My family is waiting for this money for emergency!"
"Alas! Doctor Xiao has misled people!"
"Xiao Zhuo is incompetent and is indeed useless."
"Such people should be kicked out of my Ministry of Rites."
Amidst the condemnation, someone said weakly, "Wasn't it Minister Chen who sent this matter to Doctor Xiao? What does this have to do with Doctor Xiao?"
An official turned around and smiled, "What did you say?"
The man shuddered, "I have drunk too much, too much."
Zhang Yu turned around and said, "Now that we are short of money and grain, I would like to ask Doctor Xiao to come up with a solution, otherwise my Ministry of Rites..."
The official said, "Of course not!"
This is forced palace!
Xiao Zhuo stood up with his hands on the table, knowing that the judgment of fate had come.
He walked out slowly, his eyes hurting from the sunlight.
The officials looked at him in silence.
Indifference, sympathy, gloating, none of my business...
All kinds of people!
Xiao Zhuo felt desperate, and the corners of his mouth trembled a few times, "Wait, what do you want to do?"
At this time, someone said, "Someone is coming from the palace."
Zhang Yu's eyes lit up and he thought: Isn't this just a pillow for me when I feel sleepy?
Just in time to give Xiao Zhuo a fatal blow!
Zhao Fa came out.
"I heard that Doctor Xiao's Qingci was rather perfunctory. Is that true?"
Zhang Yu immediately offered his help, "I saw it while helping to tidy up the desk. The perfunctory words used will definitely anger His Majesty!"
Even my subordinates have been bribed. These people are really scheming and determined to win!
Xiao Zhuo looked up blankly.
He saw Zhao Fa's mouth curled up and he looked at him viciously.
He saw Zhang Yu looking at him smugly, without any guilt of betrayal.
He saw the officials' indifference and silence, as well as their occasional sympathy.
A eunuch was ushered in.
The officials stood in line.
Waiting for Xiao Zhuo's fate to be decided.
The eunuch stood still.
"Your Majesty has something to say."
Chen He opened the door of the duty room, squinted at Xiao Zhuo, and said softly: "You refused to accept my toast but insisted on drinking the penalty wine! So, I'll grant your wish!"
The eunuch said in a loud voice: "Ministry of Rites Xiao Zhuo, you are sincere in your work, and I am very pleased!"
……
Brothers, please give me votes.
(End of this chapter)
