Daming talker

Chapter 621: The Shabby Literary Conference

After get off work, Lin Tailai went to the palace again, but Wang Situ had already left and refused to stay for even a moment.

At this time, the only two people left in the mansion were Wang Xiangmeng and Wang Zhidu, who had gone to Beijing to await election. Neither of them had to go back to their hometown to observe the mourning period.

Looking at the empty mansion, Wang Xiangmeng felt sad and sighed to Lin Tailai:
"When my two uncles, my aunt and I were all here, it was so fulfilling and lively, but now I'm the only one left."

Then he pointed to Wang Zhidu and said, "How about letting my uncle stay in Beijing?"

Lin Tailai replied: "There are too many places that need people. I will think about it."

Wang Xiangmeng added: “I have a feeling that my second uncle may not be willing to return to the capital after returning home this time.

After all, when Second Uncle finishes his mourning, he will be 68 years old. Second Uncle himself is not a very competitive person. He may not struggle if he feels that his life is complete. "

Lin Tailai was depressed but there was nothing he could do about the loss of the Minister of Revenue for nothing.

If you are in the court, you will always encounter such things. Maybe one of the party members you are trying to cultivate will fall in mourning.

For example, if Shen Yikuan, who was promoted by Prime Minister Shen, had not been at home in mourning, Zhao Zhigao might not have been able to enter the cabinet last year.

At that time, Lin Tailai was gloating, but this year it was his turn to be depressed.

At this time, Shen Yongmao was at home trying hard to persuade his old father who had suddenly become angry.

"Father must have heard about Wang Situ's mourning. You'd better stop as soon as possible and don't beat Lin Tailai to death!"

Uncle Shen could see it clearly. Originally, Lin Tailai could still withstand a few punches from his father with the help of the iron triangle of Zhao Zhigao, Wang Tianguan and Wang Situ.

After you've done that and let your angry father calm down, you can fix the problem again, which can be considered as using fighting to promote peace.

But Wang Situ, the most stable, reliable and powerful person, was about to resign suddenly, which put Lin Tailai in a passive position.

The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of financial power and its influence is everywhere in daily life. No government office can escape from it.

Without the Minister of Revenue, Lin Tailai's strength would definitely become greatly weakened, and he would be shattered if he were hit by two full-strength punches from the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Shen responded: "No need to say more, I know what's going on."

Shen Yongmao added: "Li Guan's memorial is nonsense. I just hope that father will not fall into his scheme to sow discord, otherwise it will only make relatives sad and enemies happy!"

Prime Minister Shen scolded him, "Don't talk nonsense! I didn't fall for the divisive scheme. Could it be that I couldn't even see through this little trick?"

How could such a wise and powerful Prime Minister fall for the trick? If he did, wouldn't that mean he cared about the words in the memorial?

Shen Yongmao asked, "Why was father so angry?"

Prime Minister Shen replied: "I just think that Lin Tailai's gifts have been much less substantial recently and he needs to be punished."

Application: "."

Prime Minister Shen, you are so insincere even to your own son.

In the current imperial court, there are three vacant first-line official positions at the level of Nine Ministers, namely, Minister of Revenue, Minister of Works, and Minister of Supreme Court.

In addition, the positions of Minister of Rites and President of the Hanlin Academy are in jeopardy, and the position of Minister of the Imperial Household, a relatively good second-tier position, is vacant.

The last time such a grand occasion occurred was seven or eight years ago when the influence of Zhang Juzheng was being liquidated.

This meant that a large number of channels for advancement suddenly appeared in the court, which seemed to have aroused the enthusiasm of all third- and fourth-rank officials.

No one even wants to talk about the national foundation issue anymore, everyone is thinking about their own possibilities.

Those of the third rank can aspire to become a Shangshu, and at worst, being transferred to the position of Dali Temple Minister is a blessing.

Although those of the fourth rank would not dare to aspire to become the minister, once the third rank is promoted, wouldn’t there be another third rank position vacant?

Just when all the high-ranking officials in the court were getting agitated, this year's literary conference was "quietly" held in the capital.

This was the first literary conference held in the capital in nearly two decades, and it should have become a small hot spot.

But unfortunately, in the recent heated atmosphere of pursuing promotions and salary increases, literary conferences are not so eye-catching.

Not to mention that this was a hastily convened literary conference not held in a literary powerhouse, so most of the literary giants from all over the country were absent, resulting in the conference itself being inherently insufficient and lacking in star power.

Inside the main venue, Lingji Palace, Lin Tailai looked at the more than 30 people present with an unsightly expression.

"The time is almost up, and these are the only people left?" Lin Tailai said dissatisfiedly to the leader of the New Literary League, Minister of Personnel Wang Shizhen.

Wang Shizhen scanned the venue and said calmly, "This should be all we have. We have booked 80 people, so it should be fine if this many can come."

Lin Tailai couldn't help but ask again: "Where is Shao Sima Shixing? Why can't he be seen?"

Wang Shizhen still said calmly: "It seems that he didn't come? He said before that he was sick."

Lin Tailai really didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know whether this was "The Chameleon" or "Officialdom Unmasked".

At the beginning, it was Shi Xing, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, who was the most active in the literary conference and even took the initiative to undertake the organizational work.

But on the day of the conference, even Shi Xing, the main organizer, didn't show up?

In addition to Shi Xing, two other talented and renowned ministers, Li Chun, the Right Vice Minister of Rites, and Zhong Zhenji, the Right Vice Minister of Works, were originally scheduled to attend the literary conference, but they did not show up today.

Lin Tailai said sarcastically: "Three of the Nine Ministers are now vacant. There are really too many opportunities. Faced with such a huge temptation, who wouldn't want to give it a try?"

Recently, the Prime Minister is attacking the Qingliu Party and the Lin Party together. I am not kidding, he is really suppressing them.

The candidates nominated by the Lin Party were frequently obstructed and sabotaged by the Prime Minister. How could this not make others wary?

Therefore, if you get too close to Lin Tailai, you will most likely get into trouble immediately and completely lose the current opportunity, let alone the future.

Although Lin Tailai may represent the future, the future is too far away, so we should focus on the present first.

No matter what, life must go on and literary conferences must be held, even though it looks more and more like a makeshift troupe.

Anyone who dared not come was qualified to be afraid of being targeted by Prime Minister Shen. And the more than 30 people who dared to come were all characters who were not worthy of being considered by the Prime Minister, so the quality of the personnel could be imagined.

At the meeting, facing more than 30 noobs, the old leader Wang was smiling and acted in ease, but the first deputy leader had a gloomy face the whole time.

The participants at the meeting couldn't help but admire that the leader is indeed the leader and is very magnanimous.

Elder Alliance Leader Wang reminded the First Deputy Alliance Leader, "Don't be like this. Show some professionalism."

The first deputy leader whispered, "Shi Xing is damned! Such a shabby and shabby occasion simply lowers our standards. Don't you feel embarrassed and ashamed?"

Without literary giants and officials of sufficient weight, wouldn't this literary conference become a copycat conference that overestimates its own capabilities? Old Alliance Leader Wang thought, where are we going? People cannot be educated without experiencing setbacks.

Lin Tailai is really used to having smooth sailing. He has never experienced any setbacks and lacks resilience.

Unlike me, I have seen all kinds of embarrassing situations in recent years. Today's situation can only be regarded as a temporary solution.

Then, the old leader Wang said earnestly: "For those of us who are leaders in the literary world, even if we are in the most humble occasion, we must pretend to treat it as a shining stage.

My literary career will still depend on you for support. If you can't even fool yourself, how can you fool others?
Today's theme is victory songs, and others are offering poems. As a hero, if you don't show some joy, how can you live up to today's theme?"

The first deputy leader seemed to be forced into business and gradually revealed a fake smile.

Then others began to offer their poems, and as Lin Tailai watched, his smile became increasingly stiff.

The quality of the poems are all like "Sitting on the strategy, the Western Qiang was finally collapsed, the whole army returned with a triumphant song with spears in hand", "But the first thing they did was to lose their courage, who would envy the Tianshan Mountains when it comes to merits", "We are all amazed that you can catch a rabbit in an empty hole by throwing a whip, but you don't need a long arrow to kill the wolf in the sky".

Seeing this kind of sentence, Lin Tailai, as the person being praised, felt nothing but embarrassment, extreme embarrassment.

Whenever he thought that his great achievements could only be associated with such poems, he felt uncomfortable.

Finally, Lin Tailai could no longer bear it and stood up, announcing, "On my way back to the army, I wrote Twelve Songs of Victory in the Northwest, which I would like to share with you!"

The noobs were in an uproar. They had heard that First Deputy Alliance Leader Lin liked to publish poetry collections, and poems were usually published in groups, but twelve poems in one go was very rare.

"The newly opened Lin Pavilion rewards Yuan Gong, and Po Muzhong has seen the forbidden area. Westerners must be scared when they go there. The military supervisor went to Kongtong yesterday."

"The Yellow River flows thousands of miles from the sky, and a giant spirit holds the Cloud Tower in its hands. From afar, I see the Prime Minister's camp passing by, and the sun shines on the four gates of Yumen Pass, which open."

"The imperial robes shine on the road, and the swords are as majestic as those of Shangfang. The generals and their proud soldiers meet on the left side of the road, and ten thousand people march into Pingliang with drums and music."

"Reopen the palace to test the carved spears, and present the triumphant song after seven victories. May I ask who is the best in Lingyan? The sword and shoes of the Han Dynasty were given to Xiao He."

"The Qilin in the painting is awarded to me with a new favor. The bear is not allowed to return to the imperial garden, and the first person with three seals is appointed."

The newbies attending the meeting looked at each other in bewilderment. How could the First Vice-Chairman be so relaxed in boasting about himself?

Could it be that the first deputy leader felt that their flattery just now was not strong enough, so he came out personally?
But you have already done it yourself, how can others do it?
Elder Wang was the first to react. He took the lead in clapping a few times and gave an enthusiastic speech:

"Lin Jiuyuan's triumphant song set off the first climax of this literary conference! It laid the foundation for the successful conclusion of this literary conference!

I propose here that we use Lin Tailai's "Twelve Songs of Victory" as the base, and combine your best poems to create a new song for the upcoming captive surrender ceremony. Your names will be remembered in the court music and rituals!"

"Great!" The courtyard was suddenly filled with cheers, and more than thirty people shouted as if there were more than three hundred people.

Lin Tailai had to admit that old leader Wang was good at creating an atmosphere, provided there were no strong men causing trouble.

At the end of the literary conference, old leader Wang handed Lin Tailai a joint petition signed by more than 30 people with a smile.

“Don’t worry about the process, as long as you can achieve your desired goal, isn’t that enough?
This is the gong song that everyone signed to petition the court to change the ceremony of offering captives - isn't this the purpose of your literary conference?"

Lin Tailai said with some contempt: "Just these thirty or so people?"

The old leader Wang replied: "Don't worry about the number of people or the level of their skills. Just ask whether they represent the literary conference. In a broader sense, they can also represent the New Literary Alliance!

So on the surface, it was signed by more than 30 minor characters, but they took action at the literary conference, so the name was that our literary community jointly petitioned the court. "

Lin Tailai thought about it for a moment and felt that it made sense. It would be enough as long as it could be packaged as a literary petition.

The next day, Lin Tailai went out to work and his first stop was the Ministry of Rites, but he did not go into the Chief Guest Department. Instead, he went straight to the main hall where the Shangshu was.

Because he had no habit of asking for instructions or reporting, Lin Tailai seldom set foot here.

"What a rare guest." After seeing Lin Tailai, Yu Shenxing, the Minister of Rites, couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.

You, Lin Tailai, the doctor of the Ministry of Rites, actually know where the main hall of the Ministry of Rites is?

Lin Tailai pretended not to hear the sarcasm and replied, "I am not keen on currying favor with my superiors, so it is not wrong that you are a rare guest."

Minister Yu really wanted to make it clear that ignoring your boss and not flattering your boss are two different things!

Lin Tailai didn't want to dwell on the details, so he quickly got down to business: "Yesterday, all the participants in the literary conference signed a petition in the name of the literary conference to the court to change the cymbals."

As he spoke, Lin Tailai handed the petition to Minister Yu.

When it comes to the preparation of ceremonies, the Minister of Rites is the highest person in charge of the outer court.

Yu Shenxing glanced at the signatures on the petition and almost laughed out loud, "Are you guys just entertaining yourselves?"

What kind of idiots are signing? I've never heard of them before. Could it be that Lin Tailai has brought in extras to make up the numbers?
Lin Tailai asked, "The Grand Master has been high and mighty for so long, how can he look down on the lower-class scholars?"

Yu Shenxing didn't respond, and said impatiently: "The captive offering ceremony is almost ready, why are you still making a fuss?"

Lin Tailai retorted: "How can this be called a struggle? This is clearly called striving for excellence."

Yu Shangshu said with disgust: "Don't tell me those words that you would fool a three-year-old child."

Lin Tailai said: "Grand Master! Do you only know why you are uneasy in your position as the Minister of Rites?

The main reason is that you are too lazy to make trouble.

If you don't make trouble, then others will make trouble for you!"

Yu Shangshu: “.”

Although Lin Tailai is a bastard, what he says is often very clever.

Just like me, the Minister of Rites, who does nothing, the problems of the country keep falling on my head!
It would be better to stir up some trouble and make some noise, maybe it can dilute the "national foundation problem".

Lin Tailai also advised: "Grand Master, you really need to do something special to create new topics.

In this regard, you and I can cooperate sincerely. I am Lin Tailai and my name is Jinbu, and I am Jibu, who keeps my promises."

Yu Shangshu didn't believe in such "a promise worth a thousand gold". "What about Chen Xueshi from the Hanlin Academy? Zhao Qing from the Imperial Household Department? Where is your promise?"

Lin Tailai asked back, "Grand Master! You don't want others to know that you privately fabricated the story that the emperor admired your calligraphy the most and gave you a name more than ten years ago, right?"

Minister Yu was stunned and a little at a loss.

Damn it! I was just drunk and boasting, how did Lin Tailai know about it?
After coming back to his senses, Yu Shangshu asked again: "You just said, sincere cooperation?"

Lin Tailai responded: "That was just now. Now it is not cooperation anymore."

(End of this chapter)