Idle courtiers

Chapter 343
Hearing the name Tianxianglou, Zhou Nan had a bad feeling.

Looking at Liu Gen's dignified appearance again, he immediately felt relieved: Guizi is setting in the middle of the moon, and the sky is fragrant and clouds are floating outside. Maybe I am thinking too much.

One of the duties of the Daolu Department is to contact God for optimism.

Shen Optimism is subordinate to the Ministry of Rites, but not under its leadership. In it, the Dao Lord does not receive a salary from the court, and you can't control others.

The Ministry of Rites is engaged in ideological work. In a feudal society without materialistic ideas, it is unavoidable to be a little godly, especially optimistic.

After getting six invitations, Zhou Nan took the official sedan chair with him, and first went to Shenguang Optimism to meet with a group of Taoist priests, and they were regarded as acquaintances.

The optimistic official office is located next to the Temple of Heaven in the outer city. The outer city of the capital in the Ming Dynasty was very dilapidated. You can even see farmland next to the Temple of Heaven. It must be a village in the city.

Meet with the relevant people of the corresponding brother unit, after finishing the official business.The two walked for a while, then entered a busy street, and got off the sedan chair in front of a restaurant.

Seeing that this is a serious restaurant, Zhou Nan breathed a sigh of relief: Fortunately, it's not a brothel, otherwise, it feels weird for an official and a Taoist priest to have sex with a prostitute.

Guided by a mistress, Zhou Nan and Liu Gen entered the private room.The banquet had already been held inside, and a young scholar about 27 or [-] years old was leaning against the window, enjoying the wine.

This scholar was born with a well-proportioned figure, fair skin, and a princely face, and his whole body exuded elegance and arrogance.

Seeing the six, the scholar shook the wine glass in his hand and said: "The Taoist priest invited me to drink. I was hungry so I asked Xiao Erbu to eat food first. This meal is my treat. You asked me to meet, why did you bring me some wine?" An irrelevant person came over?"

After all, he glanced at Zhou Nan with dissatisfaction.

Liugen smiled and said: "Wang Sizheng, it's not irrelevant, let's get to know him, this is Zhou Nan and Zhou Zimu, You Sizheng of the Daolu Department." It turns out that this young scholar is Wang Xijue.

Wang Xijue came to Beijing this time to prepare for the Jinshi Division next spring.After he came to Beijing, he bought a house near the Temple of Heaven to live in and study his lessons.

Because of his temper as a celebrity, after Wang Xijue came to Beijing, he ran to the nearby monastery and Taoist temple to talk about the Tao with the monks, and he got to know Liugen and they got along well.

Zhou Nan hurriedly cupped his hands: "I have met Wang Sizheng, and I have admired his name for a long time. It's a pleasure to meet you."

But Wang Xijue didn't return the courtesy, and said to Liu Gen with dissatisfaction on his face: "Master Taoist, I saw that you are an elegant and talented person, so I made friends with you. Why did you bring outsiders here today? I think this son is full of wine and wealth. , but a turbid substance, nothing to spoil the atmosphere."

As soon as Zhou Nan heard this, there was an evil fire in his heart.These words are clearly a mockery of his reckless behavior since he became an official, and his pursuit of profit.

Yes, your father had an old grievance with my mentor, but we are all colleagues now, so you should be perfunctory on the scene, right?Besides, you are from Taicang, Suzhou, and my teacher is also from Taicang. Everyone is from the same line of Suzhou Shilin, and they are all from our own family!

You and I are both directors, with average grades and the same position, who do you show this bad face to, and think that I am your subordinate?

It can be seen to what extent the conflict between the mentor and the Wang family has intensified.

There was really something wrong with Wang Shizhen's character back then.

Zhou Nan was born as a yamen servant, and as a miscellaneous official, he was squeezed out wherever he went.Also because of the good wine, the reputation is really not very good.

Ever since he became a pedestrian and determined to use the imperial examinations to make his mark, Zhou Nan now attaches great importance to his reputation.

After arriving in the capital, be cautious in your words and deeds, and do not touch brothels and Chu halls at all.

Because he didn't have a Jinshi degree, Lao Zhou didn't feel short of breath when he saw his colleagues in the officialdom.

These words hit his deathbed.

Since you, Wang Xijue, don't give face, don't blame me for breaking up with you.Zhou Nan asked back: "Wang Yuanyu, you said that I am a turbid thing, but how do you look at it, you are a gentleman. There is a saying that goes like this, a gentleman should take what is straight, and don't ask for it. Friends Wang This time I came to Beijing, it must be for next year's spring. Now I am going to be an official in the Daolu Department, but I am afraid that my name will be lost next year, which will ruin your reputation as a talented man? Sure enough, you are from a wealthy family. I got a sixth-rank official position. Unlike Zhou, who came from a humble background. Once sent by the imperial court, he is always cautious and cautious, for fear that he will do something wrong and ruin his hard-earned future."

Wang Xijue threw the wine glass in his hand on the ground and was about to explode.

Seeing that the two were about to quarrel, Liu Gen hurriedly separated them, and said with a smile: "You two adults are both outstanding scholars in the youth of today's scholars. In the future, there will be an official office to work for the imperial court. .Today we people from Guangfu Temple can be regarded as gathered together. Come, Pindao to offer a toast to the two adults."

Wang Xijue scolded: "You bull-nosed, aren't Taoists vegetarians? Why do you drink wine?"

"This is vegetarian wine, you won't break the precept if you eat it."

"There is still such a saying, you are far-fetched." Wang Xijue was stunned, "No precepts, no precepts. The Taoist priest also read "Journey to the West"? That book is so slanderous about Taoism, you can continue to read it."

It turns out that the wine of this era is divided into two types: plain wine and cooked wine.

Vegetarian wine is still wine, but with a shorter fermentation time and lower alcohol content. "From spring to autumn, when it is brewed, it is called "vegetarian wine"; The difference between the two types of wine is only the length of fermentation and aging, and they are not distilled.

"I have read it." Liu Gen said: "Whether a sect is good or bad is not decided by one person and one book. My Taoists don't care what others say. Believe it or not."

Wang Xijue clapped his hands and laughed loudly: "The Taoist priest is open-minded, admire, admire!"

He sat down gracefully, picked up the six bottles of wine handed over, drank them all in one gulp, and his face softened.

He used this Huatou and Liugan to talk about the difference between Taoist precepts and Buddhist precepts, and explored the significance of precepts to practitioners.From the beginning to the end, he didn't even look at Zhou Nan, with a disdainful look on his face, as if Master Zhou was invisible.

Zhou Nan is such a grandstanding maverick, when did he ever receive such neglect.In addition, I still resented Wang Xijue for scolding me, so I said: "Friend Wang is a first-class celebrity in Suzhou. Speaking of which, I am also from the Wang family in Suzhou. I have something I want to ask Wang about. friend."

Wang Xijue: "Didn't Wang Shizhen teach you?"

Calling his teacher by his name in front of a student, not only Zhou Nan's complexion changed drastically, even Liu Gen gave Mr. Zhou a worried look.

Zhou Nan said indifferently: "Zhou is from a miscellaneous background. He has set up an imperial examination and wants to participate in this year's Shuntian Mansion Qiuwei. His former mentor asked a question 'there is a way to make money'. I don't know how to solve this question. Ask friend Wang."

This is a sentence that is no longer a commonplace, and any scholar in this world can recite it by heart.There is a way to make money, those who live are many, those who eat are few, those who live for it are sick, and those who use it are comfortable.If the wealth is constant enough, if it is equal, it means: there are methods and rules to follow in making money. This means that the more you work, the less you eat, the higher your production efficiency, and the slower your consumption, then the wealth will increase. There is always plenty.

A talented man like Wang Xijue naturally didn't bother to answer, and only looked at Zhou Nan sarcastically, wanting to see what kind of ivory he could spit out of his mouth.

Zhou Nan: "This sage's words tell us that wealth is something that everyone likes, and it is moral to obtain wealth. The most holy master of Dacheng once said: Wealth can be sought, although a man with a whip I will also do it, if you can't ask for it, follow what I like."

He went on to say: "I heard that Friends Wang's family is a big salt merchant in Suzhou. This time he came to Beijing to take the examination to become a Ph. Is it because of the Yan Yin of the Lianghuai Salt Division, willing to degenerate?"

When Zhou Nan talked about the excitement, he went up against the case: "For his own selfishness, friend Wang deliberately flattered the dignitaries in the court, and went from miscellaneous people to official positions. Just now, what face did he have to reprimand Zhou for his drunken face and wealth? He is a filthy thing. one?"

"Dacheng's most senior teacher has a saying: It is good to come back! A sack of food and a ladle of drink, in the back alleys, people can't bear their worries, and they will not change their joy when they return. It is good to return!"

"Look at you, as a celebrity in Suzhou, you don't want to be poor and happy, but you bluntly talk about getting rich, what face do you have to scold me?"

"I would like to advise you, with your talent, let alone Jinshi, even a scholar of the Imperial Academy can win it. Don't spoil your future because of petty profits like mustard seeds, or for people with ulterior motives."

Looking at the righteous Zhou Nan, Wang Xijue felt that he was facing a strict teacher.

Yes, he was still very dissatisfied with the family's arrangement for him to curry favor with the palace, enter the Daolu Department to obtain the emperor's favor, and then replace Gao Gong with the position of Chief Assistant.

As far as his personal resume is concerned, he was enlightened at the age of four, all the way to the county examination, government examination, courtyard examination, and township examination.Then he ordered Hanlin to be the head of the six ministries, and then the minister and the ministries.It is simply a standard template for a gentleman to become an official.

But at this time, if you go to the Daolu Department to be the Zuozheng again, your grade will go up, and you will be promoted much faster in the future.But after all, it was a stray, a big stain on his file.

If someone mentions this in the future, how can they hold their heads up?
It is also because of this that Wang Xijue has been reluctant to take up the post in the Daolu Department, and it has been delayed until now.

Zhou Nan is the one who doesn't open the pot and which pot to lift. Suddenly, Wang Xijue's face is livid with anger.He stood up abruptly, and shouted: "Zhou Zimu, I know why you came today, didn't you just want to fight for the palace face saint? You humiliated me so much, didn't you just want to use aggressive methods? Don't worry, I'm not a villain like you, this Zuo Sizheng, Wang swears to die, and you don't want to use villain tricks again. Farewell, there will be no deadline."

When Wang Xijue came out angrily, Liu Gen gave Zhou Nan a thumbs up: "I admire!"

Zhou Nan laughed and said: "It's still a good idea from the Taoist priest. In fact, I am also helping Wang Yuanyu. If he becomes a miscellaneous official, his future will be limited, but it is a pity."

Liugen nodded: "That's true. Lanxian once met Wang Xijue when he was in Beijing, and said, 'I think this son is very handsome, and he will be an extremely human minister in the future.' It is a good thing that he does not become this official. Although today Annoyed Zhou Sizheng, in retrospect, I will definitely miss you."

(End of this chapter)