Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 638 Background Check
clang!clang!clang!
"The imperial examination will be held tomorrow! The imperial examination will be held tomorrow!

No unloading at the ferry tomorrow!

No cargo will be unloaded at the ferry tomorrow!"

At the turn of summer and autumn, it was the busy harvest season in the fields. A night watchman in a black robe was beating a gong along the canal, shouting as he did so.

His voice did not affect the porters who were walking briskly at the canal ferry at all.

These people were like ants moving house, desperately moving all kinds of goods on the ship, unwilling to stop for a moment.

It's just like those people rushing to collect and dry clothes just before a rainstorm comes.

From food to cloth, and even items like paper, ink, and bronze mirrors.

Because tomorrow is the first day of the scientific expedition, martial law is imposed in the entire Kaifeng County and its surrounding areas, and grain ships are not allowed to dock.

What does the imperial examination have to do with unloading?

Actually, it doesn't matter and they don't affect each other.

However, in order to express the solemnity of the imperial examination, the canal ferry was deliberately placed under "martial law" for one day in order to emphasize the government's emphasis on the imperial examination.

Where there are people, there doesn’t necessarily need to be a city wall. Although the city of Bianjing has not yet been formed, one after another “market towns” built around government offices have begun to take shape.

There are constantly outsiders coming here to make a living.

There were merchants, refugees, and even some former officials who couldn't make it elsewhere. The city of Bianjing, which was just taking shape, opened its arms to them and almost refused everyone.

The Kaifeng government office and various institutions would place these people in different categories.

Make the best use of people.

Reclaiming wasteland, digging canals, and dredging canals all require manpower.

People are also needed to write, draw, teach and keep records.

Early in the morning, on the north bank of the canal, there was a small stall made of bamboo poles and linen, with several tables set up.

The owner provided crude muddy wine and braised pig offal to local porters and boatmen, as well as travelers traveling from the south to the north.

The locals in Bianzhou call it "drinking early wine".

Bianzhou is a salt distribution center with low salt prices, which makes a series of braised dishes and pickled vegetables that require large amounts of salt to be pickled very popular.

Outsiders may not be used to eating this, but it is a favorite of porters and boatmen.

These things are delicious, cheap and affordable. Most importantly, after eating them, all the dampness in your body will dissipate, and your body will feel relaxed and satisfying, which is just the right time to start work with full energy.

In the corner of the stall, there was a middle-aged man in his thirties wearing white linen clothes, who was drinking by himself without showing any emotion.

The sour and astringent wine made him frown, the taste was not good enough. And the dish of pig offal, which looked quite rough, gave off a tempting aroma, but he was a little hesitant whether to take a bite.

Compared with the porters around him who were eating heartily, this man was obviously an outlier.

Considering that tomorrow is the first day of the imperial examination, it is not difficult to guess this person's identity.

"Hey brother, how about you and I share a table?"

A cheerful voice came from beside me. The person had wheat-colored skin and looked very energetic, obviously younger than me.

Li Mian made a gesture of invitation and said politely: "I am Li Mian, please feel free to come in."

"My name is Lu Chenggui, and I came to Bianzhou to take the imperial examination. Brother, you came to Bianzhou to take the imperial examination as well, right?"

Lu Chenggui sat down at the side of the square table and said nonchalantly.

Ok?
Li Mian was a little surprised. He felt that he had been very careful to hide his identity.

Even when eating, he chose a morning wine stall frequented by peddlers and hawkers. Why could this person see his purpose at a glance?
As if he had noticed Li Mian's surprise, Lu Chenggui pointed at the clothes on Li Mian's body and said meaningfully:

"I used to be a thief Cao Wei, but there are several emperors nowadays, and the one in Bianzhou doesn't recognize my position.

Brother, your robe may look simple, but in fact, this breathable linen is the famous Chu linen, which is only produced in Kuizhou.

It is several times more expensive than ordinary silk, how can peddlers and hawkers afford it?

Brother, you must be born rich, but you are deliberately keeping a low profile. If it is not for the imperial examination, I can't think of what else it is for."

Lu Chenggui laughed loudly. He also ordered a pot of wine and a dish of pork offal and shared the table with Li Mian.

"What do you think of the emperor of Bianzhou?"

Li Mian asked calmly.

"What's good or bad about puppets? Among the emperors in the world today, who is not a puppet?"

Lu Chenggui sighed lightly, as if he was unwilling to continue this conversation, and stopped talking here.

Well, that's exactly what he said.

Even Li Lu in Xiangyang had no foundation to speak of, and could not command his troops. Expecting Li Lu to sweep across the country was really overestimating his ability.

"Brother, you have a keen eye and a careful mind. It would be no problem for you to be a lieutenant in a large county. Why do you want to come to Bianzhou to take the imperial examination?
It would be OK for Yan Zhenqing to go to Jingxiang. It shouldn't be difficult for him to become an official, or even a high-ranking official."

Li Mian deliberately spoke to test the issue.

"Brother Li, this is not very kind. Why did you come to Bianzhou? Don't you understand it yourself?
Whatever reason you came for, that is why Lu came for me.

In fact, Lu doesn’t care at all whether he passes the exam or not.

But by observing whether the imperial examination is fair, we can know how far the Bianzhou court can go.

Just this one test will reveal how the world will change over the next ten years, so why not come and observe for yourself?"

Lu Chenggui said with a smile. These words were very insightful.

Li Mian nodded slightly, thinking to himself: Sure enough, there are still many smart people in the world. Faced with the same phenomenon, most people have the same thoughts and make the same response.

At this moment, a burly officer wearing leather armor came towards them, clasped his fists and said to the two of them, "The emperor invites you to come aboard for a drink."

"Official family?"

Li Mian and Lu Chenggui both felt very unfamiliar with this title. They didn't know whether there were officials in previous dynasties. But there were definitely no officials in the Tang Dynasty.

"Doctors are called doctors, farmers are called farmers, warriors are called soldiers, and officials are called officials. They are the ones who hold the highest positions."

The officer explained patiently.

Li Mian and Lu Chenggui's expressions immediately became serious, even a little reserved.

No longer as casual as before.

The term "official" does sound a bit "weaker" than the right prime minister or the commander-in-chief of the army.

However, no matter what official position one holds, we cannot ignore the person who holds the position!

The so-called "official" is Fang Qing!

The real ruler of Bianzhou who controls Henan and Jiaodong!
As far as Li Mian and the others knew, almost all the affairs of this separatist regime were under the control of Fang Qing. That's right, almost all major events had to go through his hands!
However, the word "official" is a bit out of place.

According to Jiang Ji's Wanji Lun (Discussion on All Affairs) during the Three Kingdoms period, "The Three Sovereigns govern the world, the Five Emperors rule the world for their own benefit, and the Emperor combines the virtues of the three and five, so he is called the Emperor's family."

But this is just his personal opinion and no one takes it seriously.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, "official family" referred to the imperial court.

During the Western Jin Dynasty, Prince Shi Sui of Later Zhao once called his father Shi Hu "Guan Jia", but you know what Shi Hu is.

By the Eastern Jin Dynasty, "guanjia" came to refer to high-ranking officials from certain aristocratic families, such as Wang Dao and Xie An, and it became very common.

Not even an emperor.

Fang Qing's thoughts are really hard to understand.

Without saying anything, the two men followed the officer and boarded a large ship anchored at the canal.

"Please take a seat, don't be so reserved. I am here only to invite you two examinees to drink, there is no other intention."

As soon as he saw Li Mian and Lu Chenggui enter the cabin, Fang Zhongyong smiled and ordered Jiang Wuyan beside him to pour them some wine.

The two men looked straight ahead, even though Jiang Wuyan had an extremely hot body and her eyes were full of affection, they pretended not to see it.

Fang Chongyong said "there is no other meaning", which means he just wanted to test the two of them.

There is indeed "no other meaning".

"Do you two have any travel documents?"

Fang Chongyong asked curiously.

Li Mian and Lu Chenggui were stunned when they heard this. Wasn't it said that submitting the examination papers was considered cheating and the candidate would be disqualified from the examination?

"We really don't have any scrolls."

After thinking for a few seconds, Li Mian and others told the truth.

"I will give you an extra test in advance. I will give you two questions. As long as you can answer either one to my satisfaction, I will give you a favor."

Fang Chongyong laughed.

"Please ask the officials to give us some questions!"

These two people actually used to be officials, so they had no hesitation in accepting the olive branch extended by Fang Qing!

Fang Zhongyong clapped his hands, and Jiang Wuyan handed the test papers that had been printed long ago to Li Mian and Lu Chenggui, and prepared pens and ink for them.

Answer the questions live! Right here and now!
The two looked at the paper and saw only two questions written on it.

first question:
Once, a traveler fell asleep on a pillow stone by the roadside. When he woke up at nightfall, he found that someone had stolen the thousand coins in his pocket.

There is a village not far from here, and the other towns are very far away. It is getting dark, so the thief must still be in the village. If you are the county magistrate, how would you find the thief?

Note: Anyone who firmly believes that the thief has fled will be considered to have made a wrong judgment.

The second question:
If you were the Tibetan king, how would you attack the Tang Dynasty? Briefly talk about the time to launch a war, the location and route of the attack, the goals to be achieved, and how to end the war.

Both questions are extraordinary and do not follow the conventional approach.

Li Mian and Lu Chenggui were dumbfounded. They never expected that this test would not even test poetry and prose!
"Both of these questions are open-book. If you need any books or maps, I'll have them delivered directly to you."

Fang Chongyong said with a warm smile.

"No need to."

Li Mian and Lu Chenggui quickly waved their hands and hurried to do the questions.

"Then I will excuse myself for a moment. Please continue."

Fang Chongyong greeted Li Mian and the others, then led Jiang Wuyan to the top of the ship.

"How are these two?"

Fang Zhongyong asked directly without any nonsense.

"These two people have calm personalities. They are indeed people who have served as officials in the past. If their knowledge is not a problem, they can be hired.

Especially this Li Mian, he was a member of the royal family, the great-grandson of King Hui of Zheng Li Yuanyi, and the son of Li Zeyan, the governor of Qizhou.

As for this Lu Chenggui, he was even more extraordinary. He was once the thief Cao Wei of Kaifeng County. Of course, that was before A Lang arrived in Bianzhou. "

Jiang Wuyan investigated a lot of things privately. When Li Mian and Lu Chenggui came to Bianzhou to register for the imperial examination, they had already "registered".

For former officials like this, Fang Chongyong sent Li Quan, Zhang Tongru, and Yan Zhuang, a total of four groups including himself, to conduct background investigations separately.

As long as one is felt to be inappropriate or has a hostile stance, the qualification for the imperial examination can be directly revoked.

"My daughter is very unlike you. How can I explain that I didn't cheat on you?"

Jiang Wuyan stroked Fang Zhongyong's big hand and teased in a resentful tone.

"I believe you, so you don't need to explain to others."

Fang Zhongyong held her little hand tightly and said, the palm of her hand was still full of calluses and had not become any softer.

“That’s how I was bewildered by you at first.

You said, why didn't I have the strength to push you away that night before I left? You made me feel like falling apart all over again and again. Fortunately, no one saw me acting like a slut, otherwise how could I face people in the future?

After we got back, Anaye said I was pregnant. I said it was impossible, but she said I was really pregnant.

So what happens? Women always have to give birth to children, but I was in so much pain afterwards.

This evil child is asking for a debt before he is even born. For other women in the family, their children come out head first, but hers comes out feet first. If Anaye hadn't saved my life at the critical moment, you would have to go to my grave now.

My life has been ruined by you, ah!"

Jiang Wuyan couldn't help but complain and leaned against Fang Zhongyong.

Fang Zhongyong didn't know how to respond to this. He couldn't complain that Jiang Wuyan was the one who took the initiative that night, right?
He had no choice but to change the subject and ask:

"Have you picked up everyone from the village?"

Fang Chongyong looked quite concerned.

"The people have been received and settled in Bozhou. Youzhou is in chaos now, and they can no longer stay there.

Shi Siming's son Shi Chaoyi rebelled and occupied Pinglu. The two sides were fighting fiercely and capturing able-bodied men everywhere to serve as soldiers!
If they don’t leave, they will be exiled.”

Jiang Wuyan sighed, the world is getting worse and worse.

In just a few years, the changes are so great that it is not an exaggeration to describe them as sea changes.

"By the way, Madam Wang said that Da Zhenhui should change her name. So, is this young lady's last name really Da? Is there such a strange last name?"

Jiang Wuyan suddenly asked a question that had puzzled him for a long time.

Wang Yunxiu had not recovered yet, so it would take some time for her to arrive in Bianzhou. However, she already knew about Da Zhenhui's affairs.

"It's true that her last name is Da. Madam Wang thinks she is the eldest wife in the family. But now there is a concubine who also has the last name Da. So she feels very awkward and can't figure out who is the eldest wife, right?"

Fang Chongyong asked helplessly.

This is like a company that has a highly paid consultant and a junior staff member whose real name is "Consultant". It would be awkward to call each other by their names when they meet.

"Yes, because I usually speak without scruples and have a thick skin. So the Queen asked me to ask what name Da Zhenhui would be better to change.

it's up to you. "

Jiang Wuyan said with a serious expression, putting away her smile. She was still very concerned about what Wang Yunxiu had told her.

This is also Jiang Wuyan's way of survival.

She has the ability to kill but doesn't use it, she has charming beauty but doesn't fight for it, everything is based on survival. It was Wang Yunxiu who insisted on keeping her, so she was returning the favor.

For a concubine of lower birth, life is never as easy as it seems.

For example, when a concubine changes her name, the male owner has to give her the name. On the surface, this seems to be a social convention (for example, Bai Juyi liked to give his group of prostitutes artistic names), but it is actually a way for the powerful to demonstrate their ruling power under the feudal autocratic system.

Even Wang Yunxiu had no intention of challenging Fang Zhongyong's authority.

In other words, no matter how beautiful and graceful a concubine is, or how noble and influential a woman from an aristocratic family is, they are all dependent on the powerful and cannot exist independently.

They have no real personal freedom, and there is no such thing as truly priceless.

"Okay, I'll ask Dae Jung Hye in person."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly.

Wang Yunxiu was a woman who respected feudal women's virtues very much, and it was no exaggeration to say that she was a top-notch virtuous wife. Therefore, Fang Zhongyong also understood that there was no need to tell her about his unorthodox ideas.

Even if you say it, it will only add to the other person's troubles.

After all, Wang Zhongsi had educated his daughter this way since she was young. A married woman must obey her husband, be of one mind and one heart, preserve her husband's wealth, and take power, wealth, status, and connections as a family unit. And manage the family based on this principle.

For example, if the woman can help the other party's career, then she can stay. She should not affect the man's career by showing off her temper.

But a slut who doesn't help her man's career is just a burden that disrupts the family and must be dealt with resolutely.

Fang Zhongyong understood that Wang Yunxiu's worldview had already been formed and could not be changed. She was very satisfied with her current life and her husband, so there was no need to make trouble anymore.

Thinking of this, Fang Zhongyong sighed softly.

"You're not thinking of asking me to sleep with you tonight, are you?"

Jiang Wuyan said this, looking at Fang Zhongyong with an indescribable complex look.

There seemed to be some kind of desire hidden in it, as well as obvious forbearance.

"Just say whatever you want to say."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand gently and said, thinking to himself: I'm afraid there will be a fierce battle tonight.

"Bullshit! I won't serve you! Whoever cares about me is a dog!"

Jiang Wuyan turned around and left angrily! She got off the boat with a thump.

(End of this chapter)