Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 802: A Preemptive Strategy
In front of the Marquis's house,
Since the top three were announced, Zhang Jinyu did not delay and asked Ningbian to arrange his personal soldiers, ten people in a team, according to the list of the first place, the top three on the list will report the good news, and the rest of the list will be two people to deliver the letter to deliver the things to the students who are still staying in the capital.

According to this arrangement, the people who left first, holding their official uniforms and documents, started their journey. The flags of the Marquis' Mansion were erected, and in front of the gate, the sound of firecrackers rang out, and the lively atmosphere reached its climax in an instant.

Some of the students who were gathered around saw their names on the list. Although they were ranked B, they had passed the provincial examination and thus had the status of a scholar. Many of them covered their faces and laughed, and then burst into tears while laughing.
Others knelt down and kowtowed in the direction of their hometown, tears streaming down their cheeks. This is just the way life is.
suddenly,

I don't know who took the lead first. There was a candidate on the list, and the fourth place candidate Zhao Mingsheng was among them. He looked a little hesitant, and then he thought, how can the way of a sage be changed at will? This year's special examination, the teacher of Hanyuan Hall is Marquis Luo Yun, and his nomination on the list was also written by the Marquis, so the name of the teacher cannot be changed.
As it is today, if I am the first one to worship Marquis Luo Yun as my teacher, I will definitely leave an impression in the Marquis' heart. Although I have nothing in my hands, it is a rare opportunity!
Thinking of this, he walked with a determined look to the front door of the mansion, knelt down at the foot of the steps, and shouted;
"I am Zhao Mingsheng from Tongzhou, a student of Qiushui Academy. I am here to pay my respects to my teacher. I am poor and cannot afford a gift. I only have a jade pendant passed down from my ancestors as a gift to my teacher."

After Zhao Mingsheng finished speaking, he kowtowed first, then searched his body, took out the jade pendant from his arms, presented it with both hands, and knelt there.

Zhang Jinyu was stunned. The man in front of him was wearing a coarse cloth with many patches on it. He was handsome. Although he did things in an upright manner, he was cautious in his selfishness. He dared to be the first in the world. He just wanted to be the first.
Moreover, I looked at the back of this person and found that he was not wearing cloth shoes, but straw sandals. Where did the two taels of silver issued by the court go? You are really a bachelor. You came to my house at this moment. How can you accept the ancestral jade pendant in front of so many people?
"Are you Zhao Mingsheng?"

"Yes, the student is indeed Zhao Mingsheng,"

Obviously, the Marquis was very cautious and prudent. He was a little slurred when answering, and he was worried. He didn't know if the Marquis would blame him for his rash behavior.

"Get up, and put away the jade pendant. Since it is an heirloom, you must keep it well. The imperial examination is to select talents for the court. Since you have passed, you must have real talent. Put your mind aside. No matter what happens in the future, serving the court and being loyal to His Majesty is the right thing to do."

Zhang Jinyu changed the subject and spoke of loyalty to the emperor and the country, which made the students around him look ashamed.

"Thank you, teacher. I will keep it in mind."

Zhao Mingsheng's face flushed red. The Marquis saw through his thoughts and did not scold him on purpose. He even saved his face. He felt really guilty.
"Come here, since you have accepted me as your master, it would be a shame not to give me a gift. I don't have much money now, so everyone who wants to become my master will receive ten taels of silver."

"Yes, my lord."

Ningbian understood.

He immediately ordered his personal soldiers to go back to the house and bring out a box of silver. He took out a silver ingot weighing ten taels and stuffed it into Zhao Mingsheng's hand.
Zhao Mingsheng, who received the silver, felt as if the silver weighed a thousand pounds, and could not help but speak;
"Teacher, I am ashamed, disciple, disciple."

Zhao Mingsheng's face flushed red, and he wished he could find a hole to crawl into. He gave up all his thoughts of taking advantage of others. He didn't give any gifts, but his mentor gave him silver. How could he face others if this got out?

Kneel down again quickly.

"Teacher, I am ashamed. I am really ashamed."

Zhang Jinyu smiled. He was still a capable person who could make amends. He knew that it was good to be ashamed. If he had met those old officials, not only would his expression have remained unchanged, but his heart would have been as still as dead water. Forget it.

"Get up, it's a great honor to admit your mistakes and improve. You can only do shortcuts once. If you do it too many times, your road will be blocked."

"Yes, teacher, I will keep it in mind."

Bowed,
He stood up and didn't leave.

Zhang Jinyu didn't ask him either.
The people in the audience saw that someone had taken the lead and had already seen what was happening. Song Xingjun, the son of the Chengyi Marquis, quickly called his servants to buy some gifts from the surrounding shops.
"What are you standing there for? Go buy the gifts. You have delayed my important business. I will not forgive you."

"Yes, sir, please be patient. There are shops along the street all around. We will go buy cakes and gifts right away."

After being scolded, the servants around him squeezed through the crowd and went to the nearest shops, quickly bought some gifts, and hurried back.

Song Xingjun straightened his clothes, picked up the gift, and walked over. He first bowed deeply,

"I am Song Xingjun from the capital, a bastard from the Marquis Chengyi's mansion. I am here to meet you, teacher."

Putting down the gift in his hand, he bowed three times as a token of his initiation into the master's rite.
Seeing someone with good sense, Zhang Jinyu smiled. The son of the Earl of Chengyi, wow, has even popped up.

"Okay, get up. Your father is a nobleman. I won't say much. No matter where you are, you must report to the court, be loyal to the emperor and the country, and report to the people with righteousness in your heart."

"Yes, teacher, I will keep it in mind."

Song Xingjun's face was filled with joy. It was like a dream that he could become a disciple of Marquis Luo Yun. When he saw the silver handed over by General Ning, he did not refuse but accepted it directly.

As for those gifts, they were taken into the courtyard by Zhao Mingsheng, who worked as an errand boy. Zhang Jinyu saw all of this. After the opportunity was opened, more and more people came to become his disciples.

Seeing this, Zhang Jinyu smiled happily. Finally, there were some useful people around him, just like he had gained some younger brothers.
Suddenly, I became interested. It was said that the poetry gathering would be held after the imperial examination. I wondered what the eldest princess Zhou Xiangxue was planning. She was already in the capital, so why didn't she come back from the Beishan Palace openly? She wouldn't be thinking of anything bad, right?

Only Luo Yunhou himself dared to think like this. If it were someone else, they would still be very respectful. Looking at the stage in the west, an idea came to his mind. It is said that the headmaster of Jiangnan Academy is very powerful. During the poetry meeting, I don't know the purpose of his coming. It's better to strike first.
"Zhao Mingsheng,"

"The disciple is here,"

Zhao Mingsheng was stunned. When he heard the Marquis call his name, he subconsciously clasped his fists and replied,
"Go to the western opera troupe and ask the head of the troupe, Jiang, to sing the Peony Pavilion with the newly composed Zhongyuan Luanshanyin. Teach him how to mock the Jiangnan opera, Shuimoqiang. Just say that Shuimoqiang is nothing but that, worthless. Do whatever you can to attract attention. It's best if you can spread it around. Do you understand?"

Zhao Mingsheng understood what he heard, but he didn't understand what the Marquis meant. The Kunqu Opera of Jiangnan, Shuimoqiang, was popular in the capital, but there were only a few people who could sing it. They were all learned by the common people first, and only the dignitaries could hear it. If it weren't for the Li family in Taoyuan, Shuimoqiang would only be heard of, but not its sound. Now the Marquis's move was to suppress those people in Jiangnan.

"Yes. Master, I obey your orders. May I ask you, to what extent should I speak?"

After all, the Shuimo tune was modified by the headmaster of Bailu Academy, and it has a great reputation. If it is not handled properly, it will cause an uproar among scholars, especially those southern princes who have always been arrogant. What is the Marquis doing? He had a guess in his mind, and he responded quickly.
Zhang Jinyu touched his chin and thought about how far he should go to play the tune of Jiangnan. Since he had already done it, he might as well do it to the end. He should suppress it as much as he could.
"Why do you even need to ask? Since I've already done it, why would I be afraid of offending anyone? Just tell me everything you can think of."

Seeing the somewhat sinister smile on the Marquis's face, Zhao Mingsheng shuddered, nodded, and walked towards the stage to the west.
Only Song Xingjun was left dumbfounded, and asked stupidly;

"Teacher, why do you say that the Shuimo tune is not good? My students can listen to it just fine, but some people in the capital want to listen to it but cannot."

"Haha, yes, that's because most people can't hear it. No matter how good the music in Jiangnan is, it's not as good as the music in my hometown. If that's the case, why should we listen to the music in the south? I even think that the folk songs in the north have a unique charm, right?"

Zhang Jinyu did not say the reason, but the meaning of suppression was obvious. The study style of Jiangnan should be suppressed. If you don't know, you might think they are so arrogant. All the candidates in the special examination are theirs.
When I was in Jiangnan a long time ago, I found that the literary style in Jiangnan was flourishing. The students in the academies were arrogant and even dared to discuss things related to the court in the streets. Last year, the leaders of the riot during the imperial examination were also students from Jiangnan.
It has made the court and His Majesty uneasy. Now that I am the chief examiner, I also need deputy chief examiners. In this way, I can kill their enthusiasm first. What is the name of the headmaster of Bailu Academy? After a long time, if I am busy, I will forget his name.

No matter who he is!
"Well, what the teacher said is not bad. This tune is not easy to learn. It does not have masculine energy and sounds a bit circuitous. However, everyone says it is good, so I dare not say it is not good. In fact, when I went to the brothel, I was accompanied by prostitutes. Who can tell what kind of tune it is?" Song Xingjun's words shocked many students who had just started to learn. They stared at him in amazement. Perhaps they noticed something was wrong. When they saw Luo Yunhou staring at them, their faces turned red. They immediately knew that they had said something wrong. They were so nervous that they couldn't even open their mouths.

"If you can speak, then speak. If you can't speak, then hold it in. You have no manners at all in public. Isn't this bringing shame to your father's family?"

Zhang Jinyu was also convinced by these noble children. They were obviously used to being casual and spoke without restraint. He scolded them.
"Yes, teacher, I know I was wrong,"

He replied intermittently and slapped himself hard a few times. This time, his face was really red. Zhang Jinyu waved his hand to ask him to stop and looked towards the stage to the west.

Zhao Mingsheng found the head of the Jiang team and explained his purpose.

"Master Jiang, the Marquis asked everyone to prepare and sing the Peony Pavilion Mountain Sound. You, go on stage and satirize the Jiangnan Kunqu Opera Water-grinding Tune. The more unpleasant it sounds, the better. Do you understand?"

Classmaster Jiang paused, looking a little unhappy. Isn't this a competition with Jiang Nan? He is just a small classmaster, how can he compare with the masters of the academy?

"Sir, this is really difficult for me. Those people in Jiangnan are not easy to deal with. I only have a troupe and I can't handle it."

Seeing the boss's reaction was within Zhao Mingsheng's expectations, he smiled.

"Master, of course you don't need to do it. Isn't the Marquis here? This is the Marquis's intention. This tune was set by the Marquis. It has nothing to do with you. You need to understand the matter clearly."

The tone of his voice was slightly heavier, which was meant as a reminder, but to Jiang Banzhu, it was just a threat. He had no choice but to nod and agree.

"Don't worry, sir. I will do it. Wait a moment and I will discuss it with my daughter."

"Okay, wait for good news from Boss Jiang."

With a fist salute, Zhao Mingsheng completed his task and walked back.

At the street stall,
Zhou Zhengbai, the prince of Zheng, looked at the scene of apprenticeship over there and actually felt jealous. Now it seemed that the biggest winner was Marquis Luo Yun.
"Teacher, with so many forces fighting, I didn't expect that the one who would benefit in the end would be Luo Yunhou. Now that the title of Master has been decided, these people will become his helpers in the future."

Fan Wenhai got a shortbread from somewhere, wrapped it in oil paper, took it in his hand and took a big bite. It was so sweet.

"Your Highness, you only see the surface. What's in front of you is just some petty profits. No matter how many people you have, it doesn't matter. The provincial examination is nothing. Even if someone is fired, it's only three. The most important thing is the future, the metropolitan examination and the palace examination. That old guy Nan Zixian has been watching all the time. Luo Yunhou can only accept a batch of these people. How many more can he accept in the future? The civil servants are very shrewd."

Fan Wenhai took another bite of the biscuit. As the saying goes, those who are involved in the matter are often confused, while those who are not involved can see things clearly. In the court, several old foxes are trying to arrange official positions for their own people. These current interests are just put in front to attract the attention of the world. Even for those people in the royal palace, aren't they just a cover for preparing tributes?

"Teacher, you are right. It's just these people. Oh, teacher, my subordinates have sent me news that our tribute team will arrive in five days at most. What should we do then?"

This is what the prince is most concerned about. The fiefs of the vassal kings in various places are at different distances, so the tribute teams arrive at different times. Another point is that when there are many teams, people's hearts are complicated.
By then, I don’t know whether they can gain a foothold in the capital.

"No hurry. When the team arrives, they will stay in the posthouse outside the city. I think most of the people in the posthouse have been replaced by Prince Zhongshun. If we rush into the capital without leaving some evidence for him, how can the palace be at ease?"

Fan Wenhai smiled. Now that all the forces have gathered in the capital, there are so many spies that it is impossible to prevent them. So he should do the opposite and be open and honest so that everyone can see it. In this way, it will be easier to do things in secret.

The so-called darkness lies beneath the lamp is not an exaggeration. As for the actions of other royal palaces, it must be the same, unless the convoys of the two princes of different surnames, the West Palace and the South Palace, arrive, then they will either take the lead or go in last, wait or not!
"Teacher is right. The more we cover it up, the more they want to see it. We might as well take it out openly. I just don't know why the West Palace family and the South Lang family also want to offer it as a tribute in the end?"

Zhou Zhengbai obviously couldn't understand it. The actions of the royal palaces were always with a purpose. The emperor had already gone to the palace to meet with him. Although he didn't say whether he agreed or not, the conversation that night was considered as tacit agreement. The Western King and the Southern King came to the capital at the same time. Who leaked the news?

"Haha, the prince has grown up and learned to think. There is no impenetrable wall in the world. Perhaps they already knew about it when our palaces were preparing to set off."

After all, the eyes are not there to eat. Besides, the noise was really loud. He ate the biscuit in his hand in one bite, swallowed it, and smiled.
"Prince, think about it. Now that we know about this, we are still doing it in the name of filial piety. You think the West Palace Family and the South Palace Family will remain indifferent after knowing this? I'm afraid those people in the North Palace and the East Palace in the capital have been waiting for us to enter the city and offer tribute together."

There was an inexplicable coldness in Fan Wenhai's eyes. As the saying goes, four kings and eight dukes, these four kings are man-eating tigers.

Zhou Zhengbai, the prince of Zheng, opened his mouth, as if he understood something, but said nothing!
at this time,

The people near the stalls squeezed together and took many steps back. They saw the rangers from Luo Yunhou Mansion, with a leader holding a red cloth high, and several people behind him carrying trays and other things and holding flags following behind. Several teams followed and disappeared at the end of the street.
On the west terrace to the west of the mansion, Jiang Banzhu was discussing with his daughter how to say these words.

"My daughter, the Marquis just asked us to discredit the Kunqu Opera's Shuimoqiang. I am a little nervous. You know, those people in Jiangnan may not be good at other things, but they are good at talking. How can our small troupe speak so arrogantly?"

Unexpectedly, Li Ji, who was sitting there thinking about the music score, seemed not to understand and replied;

"Just say it if I ask you to. I don't think the Shuimo dialect is that good. Although it has the softness of the south of the Yangtze River, it is not suitable for northerners to listen to. If I can change it well, I will be much better than them. Even if someone makes trouble, I will go to find the Marquis."

These words left Mr. Jiang speechless. He didn't know whether his daughter was really confident or just confused. However, he thought that his daughter had been very smart since she was a child and was much better than himself.
Well, I can only go down this path until the end.

I simply borrowed a gong from the musician and held it in my hand.

"when"

At the sound of a knock, he went up to the platform and began to ridicule shamelessly;
"My dear young and old men, what we just sang was the Jiangnan Kunqu Opera Shuimoqiang. I heard that it was thought up by the headmaster of Bailu Academy when he was grinding ink. In my opinion, this tune is just so-so and only suitable for women to listen to. It's sour and weak, right!"

When he was speaking, he even shouted some underworld words. It was the first time in the capital that someone dared to speak in a womanly tone. Many students were still not able to react.

The people who like to get busy don't care about that. There are many people who make noises and shout.
I don't know who echoed and shouted;

"Yeah, I was wondering why it doesn't sound good. It's for women to hear, that's it!"

"Ha ha ha ha,"

The audience burst into laughter, as if no one was around!
(End of this chapter)