I, Jiajing, successfully cultivated immortality

It has been some time since Xu Shixing took office in the Hanlin Academy.

During this period of time, Xu Shixing was easy-going and very sophisticated in dealing with people and sophistication. He quickly established a good relationship with his colleagues and got along quite harmoniously.

Since Xu Shixing had just entered the official position, daily affairs of the court, such as giving lectures at banquets, advising the emperor, drafting edicts, and reading for members of the royal family, were not yet in his turn.

Xu Shixing, a Hanlin Academy editor, was mainly responsible for compiling the history of the country.

This job is very easy for Xu Shixing, so he has a lot of free time every day to read classics.

Not long ago, Xu Shixing received a reply from Xu Shangzhen, the prefect of Suzhou.

In the letter, Xu Shangzhen mentioned that since the news that he was the top scorer in high school returned to Nanzhili, the Shen family took the initiative to come to the door and begged Xu Shixing to change his surname back to Shen in an extremely sincere manner and recognize his ancestors.

At first, Xu Shixing did not want to change his surname back to Shen, but Xu Shangzhen, his adoptive father, stated his interests in the letter and tried hard to persuade him.

In desperation, Xu Shixing had to write a letter and send it to the Shen family, expressing his willingness to recognize his ancestor and return to the clan.

Soon, the topic about Xu Shixing's life experience spread among the government and the public.

Xu Shixing's generous act of choosing to recognize his ancestors and return to his clan, regardless of previous suspicions, won praises from many officials.

Some senior officials took this opportunity to offer Xu Shixing an olive branch, wanting to recruit him as his son-in-law and promising to train him as his political successor.

After Xu Shixing changed his surname to Shen Shixing, his reputation in the court was significantly improved.

However, Shen Shixing was not dazzled by these false reputations. He still worked diligently on compiling national history and buried himself in classics all day long.

In the evening, after going off duty, Shen Shixing left the Hanlin Academy and returned home after greeting his colleagues and exchanging pleasantries.

As soon as Shen Shixing returned home, the boy in charge of the door came to inform him that someone had come to visit.

After learning the news from the boy, Shen Shixing didn't pay too much attention. He just waved and asked the boy to bring him in.

Soon, under the guidance of the servant, a man dressed as a butler entered the hall.

After the visitor entered the hall, he subconsciously looked in the direction of Shen Shixing, leaned down, and said respectfully: "Master Zhuangyuan, my master invites you to come to my house for a chat!"

When Shen Shixing heard this, a trace of curiosity flashed across his face, and he asked, "May I ask who your master is..."

When Shen Shixing finished speaking, the visitor had no intention of hiding anything and happily reported Zhang Juzheng's name.

After learning that the visitor was sent by Zhang Juzheng, Minister of War, Shen Shixing's face was full of shock that could not be concealed.

After that, Shen Shixing didn't hesitate at all, and immediately followed the footsteps of the visitor and left in a sedan chair.

……

When I thought about the person I was going to meet next, it was Zhang Juzheng, the minister of the Ministry of War and a cabinet minister who was deeply trusted by the emperor.

Shen Shixing's whole person became worried about gains and losses.

When he was taking the examination, Zhang Juzheng valued his article, and he won the title of Huiyuan in one fell swoop.

Not only that, Shen Shixing also knew that Zhang Juzheng wrote more than 60 words of comments on his answer sheet.

Whether he wants it or not, from this moment on, he will be branded as Zhang Juzheng. If he refuses, there will only be endless rejection waiting for him.

Shen Shixing knew clearly that the officialdom was ruthless. If there was no backer in the court, then he would be like a rootless duckweed, drifting with the tide and unable to achieve anything in his life.

Fortunately, I have fallen into Zhang Juzheng's discernment, and my future career will be much smoother than that of my colleagues.

Shen Shixing originally planned to pick a suitable day and visit in person to thank Zhang Juzheng for his support.

However, before Shen Shixing had time to act, Zhang Juzheng took the initiative to send someone to his door and invited him to his house.

"Hey, what should I say when I see Mr. Zhang Ge later?"

Shen Shixing was both nervous and excited about the next meeting with Zhang Juzheng.

While he was still racking his brains to think about how to deal with it next, the sedan stopped, and then he heard the butler's voice.

"The Number One Scholar is here!"

"Ah."

After Shen Shixing responded, he got out of the sedan with the help of the bearer, and then entered the mansion through the side door under the guidance of the housekeeper.

When Shen Shixing followed the housekeeper's footsteps and entered the mansion, the first thing that caught his eye were the several well-growing wolfberry trees not far away.

“I didn’t expect that there was actually a wolfberry tree planted in Mr. Zhang Ge’s home!”

After finishing his emotion, Shen Shixing, guided by the butler, swerved to the outside of the hall used to entertain guests.

"Master, people are here!"

"Ah."

Seeing that his mission for this trip was successfully accomplished, the housekeeper couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. After bowing respectfully to Shen Shi, he walked away.

Seeing this situation, Shen Shixing took a deep breath and calmed down, then immediately stepped into it.

As soon as he entered the hall, Shen Shixing saw Zhang Juzheng sitting at the table. At this moment, Zhang Juzheng was leisurely sipping tea from the cup.

When Shen Shixing saw this situation, he immediately leaned down and said respectfully: "Student Shen Shixing, I have met the teacher!"

Zhang Juzheng, as a fellow examiner of this exam, and Shen Shixing, a candidate, naturally have a "teacher-student relationship". The reason why Shen Shixing calls Zhang Juzheng this way is to get as close as possible. The relationship between two people.

When Shen Shixing finished speaking, Zhang Juzheng put down the tea cup in his hand, with a warm smile on his face, pointed to the empty seat beside him, and said: "Rumo is here, sit down!"

"Thank you teacher!"

Shen Shixing breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Zhang Juzheng was not obsessed with the title of teacher. After thanking him, he sat down on the empty seat beside him. He sat upright and did not dare to make any move.

Not long after he sat down, a maid came forward and brought Shen Shixing a bowl of steaming tea and a plate of exquisite pastries.

Seeing that Shen Shixing was a little reserved, Zhang Juzheng waved his hand and said casually: "Try it, this is a new tea that has arrived recently!"

"Thank you teacher!"

When Shen Shixing heard Zhang Juzheng's words, a look of gratitude appeared on his face. After responding, he picked up the teacup and took a sip.

“This tea has a sweet taste and a long aftertaste. It’s such a good tea!”

"Well, although this tea is not as good as Shifeng Longjing, it is almost the same."

Zhang Juzheng heard Shen Shixing's words, stroked his beard with his hand, and commented.

……

After chatting for a few words on this topic, Shen Shixing plucked up the courage, looked in the direction of Zhang Juzheng, and asked cautiously: "The teacher specially called the students here. Do you have anything to explain?"

Hearing this, Zhang Juzheng pondered for a moment, nodded, and said unhurriedly: "Everyone in this pavilion has heard about the incident that has been spreading in the court recently."

Hearing what Zhang Juzheng said, Shen Shixing had a look of fear on his face. He lowered his head and hesitated: "Old...teacher, learn...student..."

Zhang Juzheng took in the expression on Shen Shixing's face, shook his head, and then spoke.

"You made the right choice. Faced with the family that abandoned you, you still ignored the past grudges and chose to recognize your ancestors and return to the clan. You won a lot of praise in the court. This will be of great help to your career in the future."

When Zhang Juzheng said this, he paused for a moment, changed the topic, and continued: "But as the saying goes, if a tree is beautiful in the forest, it will be destroyed by the wind. Remember, your current status is that you have won the top prize twice in a row. Coupled with the fact that you ignored the past and chose to recognize your ancestors and return to your clan."

"Secretly, I don't know how many people are jealous of you and are trying every means to take advantage of you and ruin your reputation."

After hearing Zhang Juzheng's analysis, Shen Shixing turned pale with fright and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

It was only then that Shen Shixing realized that the matter was far more serious than he thought.

Right now, he has one foot on the edge of the cliff. If he doesn't pay attention, he will end up being shattered to pieces.

At the same time, Shen Shixing also felt grateful to Zhang Juzheng in his heart.

After all, in official circles, not everyone will say this to you.

Then, Shen Shixing, who looked frightened, came to his senses, looked in the direction of Zhang Juzheng, and asked cautiously: "Then, old...teacher, what should the students do next?"

Zhang Juzheng heard Shen Shixing's words. After pondering for a moment, he slowly said: "For the next period of time, you should not participate in any social interactions, try not to be in the spotlight when something happens, and try to reduce your presence in the court as much as possible. After that, It will be fine this time.”

"I'll figure out the rest for you!"

When Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, Shen Shixing's face was full of gratitude. He suddenly stood up from his seat, leaned down, and saluted Zhang Juzheng respectfully: "Teacher's teachings today, students will definitely keep them in mind."

After Zhang Juzheng heard Shen Shixing's words, he stroked his beard and said casually: "It's okay, it's just a trivial matter. Sit down."

After hearing the words, Shen Shixing did not refuse and sat back to his original position.

Perhaps because he felt that the atmosphere in the room was too depressing, Zhang Juzheng chuckled lightly, with a look of emotion on his face, and changed the topic: "I think I was about the same age as you when I first entered the Hanlin Academy."

After Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, he looked away from Shen Shixing and asked casually: "Is life in the Hanlin Academy still considered accustomed to you?"

Faced with Zhang Juzheng's inquiry, Shen Shixing naturally did not dare to show any slightness, and quickly expressed that he was used to the life of the Hanlin Academy, and by the way, he praised the Hanlin Academy. Zhang Juzheng seemed to be very interested in what Shen Shixing said. When talking about the rise, Zhang Juzheng even took the initiative to tell Shen Shixing the interesting things that happened in the Hanlin Academy.

In the process, Shen Shixing's favorable impression of Zhang Juzheng also slowly increased.

It was only then that Shen Shixing suddenly realized that the worries he had before coming were all unnecessary.

Zhang Juzheng himself is very easy-going and talkative. He can pick up any topic, without any airs of a cabinet minister.

In short, in Shen Shixing's opinion, the communication with Zhang Juzheng was quite relaxed and pleasant, and it was not like talking to a cabinet minister at all.

Later, seeing that it was getting late, Shen Shixing got up from his seat at the right time and said goodbye to Zhang Juzheng.

Seeing this situation, Zhang Juzheng did not say anything to persuade him to stay, but went out to see him off in person. Zhang Juzheng's move greatly touched Shen Shixing.

Then, Shen Shixing took the sedan he came from and returned to his home in the capital.

……

At the same time, Songjiang Mansion was guarding the Thousand Households.

In the early years of Hongwu, a militia house of ten thousand households was set up in Songjiang. In the thirtieth year of Hongwu, Songjiang Prefecture was rebuilt and a guard station for thousands of households was set up.

The Guarding Thousand Households Office is directly under the command of the capital. There is one person for the Chief Thousand Households, the fifth rank, two deputy Thousand Households, the fifth rank, and two governors, the sixth rank. There are 100 households under its jurisdiction, with a total of 1,120 people.

At this time, although he was exhausted, Huang Qing, a soldier, did not feel sleepy at all.

The events of the day flashed through his mind like a slideshow.

During the day today, he and a group of soldiers in the camp received orders from superior officers to help harvest mulberry leaves.

Last year, due to the sharp rise in silk prices, the price of raw silk also continued to rise.

Seeing that it was profitable, many officers joined in and planted a large number of mulberry seedlings.

Among them, Li Qishang, who was a Qianhu, for the sake of safety, brought in the deputy Qianhu, the town governor, and even the ten hundred households under his jurisdiction.

Everyone jointly contributed money to buy mulberry seedlings and then planted them on the land of the health center.

As for trivial matters such as fertilizing and removing insects, they were all left to the soldiers at the bottom to take care of them.

Anyway, they have the power of life and death over these low-level soldiers.

Letting them plant mulberry seedlings for you can also save labor costs, and you can earn more money by then. Why not?

But contrary to expectations, the price of silk this year has dropped a lot compared to last year.

Not only did the idea of ​​making a lot of money come to nothing, but it was also unclear whether the original costs could be recovered.

Among those involved in this matter, many of them reluctantly got on the bus through loans.

Nowadays, the price of silk has fallen, which means that not only can the cost be recovered, but even repaying the loan has become a problem.

After these officers lost money, their tempers naturally became bad, and they often abused the lower-level soldiers at all times.

Most of these soldiers are military households and are not allowed to leave their country without permission. Even if they feel resentful, it will not help.

Today, Huang Qing and his group of soldiers suffered ruthless abuse from their superior officers because they were slower.

……

Just when Huang Qing was still thinking about what to do next, he heard a slight voice: "Is everyone asleep?"

The person who spoke was an old soldier in his forties. Everyone called him Lao Li on weekdays. Due to his seniority and the long time he spent in the military camp, Lao Li managed to get an inspection position.

Since Lao Li took good care of everyone on weekdays, over time, everyone regarded him as their superior.

After Lao Li finished speaking, people quickly responded one after another, saying that they were not asleep.

"Since everyone is awake, let's discuss what to do next. Wang Er, Li San, you two go watch the wind!"

After looking around, Lao Li pointed to the two soldiers closest to the camp entrance and said in a low voice.

When the two soldiers named Wang Er and Li San who were pointed out by Lao Li saw this, they knew that there was something important to discuss next, and they quickly came to the camp entrance to look out.

"Come on, everyone come together!"

Under Lao Li's call, everyone quickly gathered around and joined in, including Huang Qing.

After looking around, Lao Li sighed helplessly, and then said: "Everyone has seen it, right? If this continues, I think we will die in the hands of these beasts sooner or later. You have to think of a way!”

Lao Li's words were quickly recognized by many soldiers present.

Soon, someone couldn't restrain the anger in their hearts and said angrily: "These beasts have lost money and are taking their anger out on us!"

"Yeah, that Wang Baihu is the worst thing. Last time he not only asked us to farm his land, but also asked us to repair his house. I heard that he bought a big house in Songjiang Prefecture. There are three concubines in it!”

"These damn corrupt officials, all of them have big houses in the city, but in the end, they want to deduct our military pay. Look, we won't get a penny of money this month!"

"Not only that, even the land assigned to us by the imperial court has disappeared inexplicably!"

"Oh, but what can we do? They are all their people from top to bottom. Even if we want to complain, we have no place to complain!"

When everyone said this, the light in their eyes gradually dimmed.

Huang Qing on the side also had a sad look on his face when he heard this. The local prefect Wang Jian also wore the same pants as these people.

At this moment, a soldier stood up and cautiously suggested: "How about we escape?"

After listening to the soldier's suggestion, Lao Li had a look of ridicule on his face and said to himself: "Escape, where can we escape to?"

"We are all military households and registered with the government. If we are caught by the government, it will be a crime of beheading!"

As soon as they heard that they were going to be beheaded, a look of fear flashed across the faces of many soldiers present.

When Huang Qing heard this, he immediately stood up, faced the crowd, and said in a deep voice: "It doesn't matter if we behead, if we continue like this, sooner or later we will die in the hands of these beasts, who treat us as domestic slaves. "

When Huang Qing said this, he paused for a moment and continued: "It's just the difference between dying early and dying late. Instead of dying like this, it's better to work hard and maybe there is still a way to survive."

When Huang Qing finished speaking, everyone present could not help but fall into silence.

At this time, their faces were full of confusion.

They knew that what Huang Qing said was true. Those superior officers clearly did not regard them as human beings.

Not only did they occupy their land, but they also withheld military pay and abused them wantonly.

If this continues, sooner or later they will die in the hands of these beasts.

After repeatedly weighing the pros and cons, some soldiers stood up and supported Huang Qing's decision: "It makes sense. Rather than being tortured to death by these beasts, it's better to fight and let's escape."

Seeing someone taking the lead, the remaining soldiers also stood up and expressed their attitude: "Yes, that's right, let's escape, go back to our hometown to farm, and live a peaceful life!"

Seeing this situation, Lao Li agreed with everyone present after thinking about it for a moment.

His face was full of determination, he clenched his fists, faced everyone, and said in a deep voice: "Well, tomorrow is our turn to watch the night, so let's take advantage of this opportunity to escape, as far away as possible!"

After the many soldiers present expressed their attitudes one after another, everyone turned their attention to the few soldiers who had not expressed their attitudes from the beginning until now.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, the faces of the soldiers were full of panic and they quickly comforted him.

"Everyone, please think clearly. We are all military households. If we are caught by the government, we will be beheaded!"

"Yeah, it's better to live than to die. Please don't be impulsive!"

"We can file a complaint to the Commander-in-Chief, and they will give us an explanation!"

Seeing this situation, Lao Li exchanged glances with Huang Qing who was not far away. Then, Lao Li shook his head incomprehensibly, and then waved his hand violently.

When the soldiers around him saw this, they immediately swarmed up and controlled all those soldiers. While restraining their hands and feet, they also blocked their mouths to prevent them from making any noise and attracting the patrolling soldiers.

After doing this, Lao Li faced everyone and said in a low voice: "Come, let's discuss how we should run..."

After hearing this, everyone immediately gathered around and listened attentively to Lao Li's analysis.

After the discussion, the soldiers who agreed to escape began to pack their bags.

Huang Qing looked at the controlled soldiers with a look of determination on his face. He looked in the direction of Lao Li and asked, "What should we do with them? If we keep them, everything will be leaked." The sound of wind.”

After Huang Qing finished speaking, the remaining soldiers in the camp also looked in the direction of Lao Li, waiting for his response.

Facing everyone's gaze, Lao Li's face was full of confusion. He was wondering whether to deal with them as Huang Qing said.

It is true that getting rid of these soldiers is the safest way, but Lao Li can't do it. These people are also miserable people like him.

After thinking about it for a long time, Old Li shook his head slightly, then came to the soldiers, leaned down, and asked: "Will you report us?"

After hearing what Lao Li said, the tied soldiers immediately shook their heads like rattles and made a "woo-woo" sound in their mouths. (End of chapter)