Travel through the Qing Dynasty and become emperor

Chapter 654
Tan Bili's eyes turned red, and he said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your compassion."

"How old is your life expectancy this year?" After finishing the business, Guan Xuqing began to digress.

"Returning to the emperor, the minister wasted 66 years."

"You can be regarded as a veteran of the court, how about your eyes? Is there any hindrance to seeing things and reading?"

"Large characters can be read, but small characters are hard to see."

"How's the mouth?"

"Soft food is acceptable, but hard food is not."

Guan Xuqing nodded, asked Tan Bili to pass the paperwork, picked up the ink brush and wrote two lines on it, and said: "The way to be an official, knowledge is very important. If you have knowledge, you can have knowledge. If you have knowledge, you can master it. It's hard to keep the book in your hands." You guys, at least you have to read a lot of books. Local officials don’t learn from those Qingliu in the court. They only respect sages and don’t love Western books. To be able to make a difference, learning is the foundation of being an official. The way to be an official is nothing more than that. Go back and report the number of crop rice to the Ministry of Agriculture. It’s exhausting."

Tan Bili kowtowed and resigned, and when he came to the lower steps of the court order, the eunuch played the role and came out holding the booklet and read aloud: "I remember that Tan Bili, a high-ranking official in Hunan, is old and worried. Here it is!"

Tan Bili took the booklets with trembling hands, tears dripped on the horseshoe sleeves one by one, and murmured, "Holy mirror candles, holy mirror candles!"

In the blink of an eye, the sun rose to a height of a pole. Guan Xuqing pushed the approved documents, stretched himself and said, "Let's stop here today. Just submit the documents of various ministries to the cabinet meeting office."

Wang Shang handed the book to the eunuch, and the eunuch handed it to the officer, who came to the east steps and choked out, "Put the gauze lantern on." The little eunuchs were busy setting up the white gauze lantern again to the steps.The messengers from all the yamen gathered together, and when they called to the yamen, the people from this yamen would go forward, and the officials would pay the folded box and recite the will, or "according to the proposal" or "know it" or "other order", even if they sent it There is no mistake in one hundred pieces, so there is no need to repeat this matter.

In the end, he slapped his whip a few times, and the holy car returned to Luan amidst the music.

Yesterday Xiong Xiling sat in the courtyard with an ice bag for a long time, sweating profusely. His illness improved slightly, but when he got up, he was still sore all over.He was dressed loosely in a maroon-colored woolen lake silk jacket. After having some snacks, he sat by the window in the study in the West Garden. He casually pulled out a book from the shelf. After reading two chapters, he heard the parrot under the eaves yelling: "Master Xiang, I have a guest! Lord Xiang, I have a guest!"

"What a considerate flat-haired bastard!" There was a sudden laughter from outside, and then the curtain rang, Liang Qichao and Zaifeng walked in, and smiled and said to Xiong Xiling who was stunned: "Bingsan, there is one in the cabinet." There are three meetings a day, a lot of booklets, but you steal half a day's leisure, we can't watch it, so it disturbs your dream."

Xiong Xiling hurriedly put down the scrolls, with nowhere to put his hands and feet, and shouted at the servants to serve tea, and just said: "You are talking sarcasticly, I wish I could be quicker soon, and go back to work, but this body does not live up to expectations .”

"Master Xiang, I have a guest! Lord Xiang, I have a guest!" The parrot yelled again without thinking.

"What a flat-haired bastard. When he's full, he whispers in my ears. See if I don't knock you over." After finishing speaking, he jumped out of the bamboo curtain with his shoes on and opened his eyes. Liang Qichao and Zaifeng stood with their hands behind their backs. Under the window, there was just a smile on his face.

At this moment, Xiong Xiling was bumping into the man who came in, and only heard the man say: "Wow, what is the rule in Bingsan's house, and there is a reason to block the door to prevent people from entering." People stepped into the main hall.

Xiong Xiling didn't want to look at it, but when he saw that he was busy bowing his head, he said in a confused way: "My minister Xiong Xiling respectfully welcomes and forgives my crime of disrespect."

It was Guan Xuqing who came, Zaixun, Duke of Zhen Guo, Zhijun, Deputy Governor of Manchuria, and several eunuchs from the study room accompanied him.

"Get up, it's cold on the ground, the imperial gate is in charge today, if you don't go to see me, I will come to see you." Guan Xuqing smiled and helped Xiong Xiling up.

Zai Xun jokingly said: "Your Majesty, you don't need to help him up. Bingsan is suffering from wind-heat. The most important thing is to find a cool place. If you can sleep on the spot overnight, the disease will be cured."

After saying that, everyone burst into laughter, Xiong Xiling blushed and was at a loss for a while.

Guan Xuqing was only wearing casual clothes, looked at Xiong Xiling's embarrassed face, and said, "The room is dark, since Bingsan wants to find a cool place, let's talk under the patio."

While talking, everyone came to the yard. The eunuch had already moved bamboo chairs and played fans beside him. Guan Xuqing sat down with his robes lifted, and looked up at the yard. Interested, he said: "I also come to you to find a quiet place. This garden is well placed, and it is a bit angry, unlike other gardens where there are either famous flowers or famous grasses. They think it is elegant but it is vulgar."

Everyone nodded their heads in praise.

Suddenly, the parrot under the eaves shouted again: "Gude is a cat, Gude is a cat!"

Everyone was amazed, and before the emperor asked, Xiong Xiling laughed and said, "It's that foreign devil Johnston, who likes to tease this flat-haired bastard when he's in the house. No, he's learned a bit of foreign language."

Guan Xuqing said: "Johnston has a heart, his bird's language is in the right direction with this bird, this is called bird's language." It made everyone laugh again.

"Master Xiang!" A young servant ran in excitedly holding a wet cup of soil, and said with a smile, "It's really a rare thing, a purple-red mushroom, like a crab shell, and it's still hard!" Xiong Xiling's eyes suddenly lit up, Then he stood up and said, "Ganoderma lucidum! Your Majesty is in the house of Xingchen, and you are born with auspiciousness!" He suddenly remembered what the previous emperor had said in Zhu Zhu's batch of reprimanding the high-ranking officials in Henan for "speaking auspiciousness".

Guan Xuqing saw it immediately, and said with a smile: "There is still auspiciousness. The world is prosperous, and the river map and Luoshu are published; the world is chaotic, and the mountains, rivers, and lakes are collapsing. Bingsan learns to be rich and five carts, don't you understand this reason?"

Liang Qichao also came over and joked: "Bingsan, why, the emperor is here, so he doesn't even want to have your good tea?"

Xiong Xiling slapped his head, and said: "Forgive me for my crime of disrespect! I have been doing errands in the hands of the emperor for ten years, and there has never been such a case. How can a master come to visit my subordinates! It's disgusting." A series of repeated voices said: "Quick, dig out the jar of snow water stored last year, and make tea for the master!"

"Snow water brewing tea, good!" Guan Xuqing nodded with a smile, "I will fry it in the outhouse, let me know when the water is about to boil, and I will make it for you personally. The eunuchs in the palace are all good at making tea, and they are still taught by me. It came out! Everyone sit down! We are all guests today, so don’t be bound by the etiquette of the emperor and ministers. It’s a pleasure to sit and talk about the Tao and drink tea.”

As soon as the servants heard that the holy car was coming, they rushed to the backyard to dig the jar of snow water. The two maids were busy wiping the bamboo table and putting exquisite fine porcelain teacups on the wooden table one by one. Guan Xuqing picked it up. One came and put it in front of his eyes, and said: "Well, this is the official kiln bucket color of the first three generations. The painting and production are decent, but the bucket color cup is usually used as a wine cup, and blue and white porcelain is more elegant for drinking tea."

Xiong Xiling hurriedly put on the blue and white porcelain utensils, Guan Xuqing waved his hand: "No need, let's fight for colors. There was a style of tea fighting in ancient times, and today we also learn from the ancients to fight for tea by fighting colors."

At this time, a servant girl brought a porcelain jar, and before Xiong Xiling could speak, Zaifeng took it and said happily, "Drink, Bingsan has really come out with his money. This is the yellow bamboo and white hair from your hometown, right?" Without waiting for the other party to answer, he pinched the lid and smelled it again, "It smells so good!"

Xiong Xiling said to the emperor: "Prince Chun has good eyesight, this is Jiarui from my family, and I entrusted someone to bring the yellow bamboo and white hair from Yongxing."

Guan Xuqing took a little out of it with a wooden spoon and sniffed it in front of his nose. He closed his eyes and praised: "The fragrance is rich and long-lasting, with a distinct phonology and a scent of orchids. It is indeed the best tea!"

Everyone cheered up when they heard it, and their tongues were full of fluid. They must enjoy such a good tea today.

Guan Xuqing became interested, and asked for a pen and paper as he spoke.Xiong Xiling was overjoyed, hurriedly came over with the inkstone, and smoothed the paper with Zaifeng one by one.Guan Xuqing dipped in thick ink, held the pen in his hand, and the words "Huangzhu Shushe" appeared vividly on the paper where his eyebrows were lowered. After a short pause, he wrote the four characters "Baihao Xianju".A few words are written with such vigor and skill that the pen is like the wind, it is really like a silver hook and iron stroke.Xiong Xiling shouted "Yes" first, and everyone cheered.Guan Xuqing also felt satisfied, took out the small seal that he carried with him, and stamped it on the paper.The seal is good, pointing to the paper and saying: "Give this to Bingsan."

Amid all the admiration, Xiong Xiling kowtowed to thank him, put the paper on the case in the main hall with both hands, and ordered the servants: "No one is allowed to move, and I will call Tang's framing shop to come tomorrow, and I will watch them mount it."

As he spoke, he heard the tea boy shouting loudly outside: "Master Xiang, the water is ringing!"

Now it's up to Guan Xuqing to act, I saw him lift the tea pot, put a little of it into each cup with a wooden spoon, and the tea boy came in with the freshly boiled pot.Guan Xuqing rolled up his cuffs and held the pot in his hand, poured about half a dash of boiling water into each cup, and the dry tea leaves immediately sizzled.He listened quietly to the sound of tea leaves stretching, observed the color of the water in each cup very carefully, and added water bit by bit, saying: "Dew water is the most important thing to drink tea, followed by snow water, followed by rain water. Well water is wasteful. The lighter the water, the better the taste. This is snow water after a year, not as good as it was back then. This is not wine, the older the better."

Xiong Xiling looked at the tea, which was as clear as amber and filled the courtyard with a fragrance, and said with a smile: "I don't know this, I just drink like donkeys on weekdays, so I don't have to waste this good tea." .

"Wait, this tea is only useful when it's half-warm. It's best to sip it bit by bit."

After a while, when the tea was half-warmed, the aroma of the tea was different from before, the aroma was stronger and more mellow, now it was like an orchid in the empty valley, directly refreshing the stomach and lungs.

Zhijun shook his head and praised: "The emperor is knowledgeable and knowledgeable, which makes the ministers envious."

Guan Xuqing said with a smile: "In fact, this knowledge is written in books. Lu Yu's "Tea Classic", you can read it if you have nothing to do. It will be very helpful." A little bit of it will leave a mouthful of fragrance, which is completely different from the usual brewed tea. The more you eat, the more delicious it will be.

"Tea is the gentleman in the water, and wine is the villain in the water." Guan Xuqing sipped tea and glanced at the crowd, and said, "But for a gentleman, you can only be close to the gentleman and keep away from the villain. You can't kill all the villains, and you can't make wine." The workshops are all ruined. Everyone has his own ambitions, otherwise there will be no poet Li Bai."

Guan Xuqing got up and paced around with a cup in his hand, looking at the greenery all over the garden, he said: "Confucius said that the doctrine of the mean is the ultimate virtue. These words really become more meaningful the more you chew them. It is also the same principle to rule the world. Back then, when I first became a great treasure, a hundred wastes were waiting for prosperity. , all affairs are neglected, that's why I govern with strictness, it's like treating a terminally ill person, who can only be brought back to life with strong medicine. It is good to govern with leniency."

Everyone knew that the emperor had mentioned something important, so they all listened attentively.

(End of this chapter)