Chapter 218 You Are so Good, Lin Ruhai

The next day, the sky was still dark gray. The servants in the Lin Mansion were already busy with lights. Today was a big day for the Lin family. There were two masters in the family who were going to court together. This matter was a good thing worth boasting about in any family in the capital.

The steward who had gone to Shenzhou with Chen Heng was worried that the young master would miss the time for his first court. While preparing the carriage for the master's trip, he deliberately went around to the small courtyard on the west side and knocked on Chen Heng's door. Remind: "Young master, you should prepare to go to court."

"Well, Xu Bo, I'm up." Chen Heng's voice came from inside the door, and the steward was relieved and went to the front to continue his work.

Hearing the footsteps going away outside, Chen Heng stood in front of the dressing mirror and asked Xinda to do the final check for him. This kid specially asked the steward in the mansion yesterday to ask about the wearing of official robes. I don't know how he got the details. When he was dressing just now, he was very quick.

After putting on the blue robe, Chen Heng used his hands to fix the shaking futou. Xinda had already come up with a plain silver belt. There were various jade plates on it, namely: Santai, Yuantao, Paifang, and Luwei. A total of twenty jade plates of different lengths and shapes were engraved on the plain silver belt, and it felt heavy just to hold it in the hand.

When Xinda helped to tie the belt, Chen Heng had to hold it with one hand. After kicking the soap boots on his feet, Chen Heng, who was full of energy, looked at himself in the mirror again. On the blue official robe, there was an embroidered patch of a 㶉𫛶spreading its wings and playing in the water.

The boy had a handsome face after dressing up like this. Even Xinda was amazed when he saw it: "Second brother is still the most impressive when he wears an official robe."

Chen Heng turned his gaze and looked at the beautiful expectations in Xinda's eyes. He stretched his head and put the hairband on his chest behind his head, and couldn't help laughing: "Clothes make the man. If someone else wears this official robe, it will also be very impressive."

Xinda shook his head and smiled without saying anything. He knew that he didn't mean that. The two of them didn't say much, just walked out of the door one after another, all the way to the main hall of the Lin family, where Uncle Lin was already waiting with his wife and daughter.

When the teacher and the student met, Lin Ruhai curled his lips again, nodded to the imposing student, and then said to Jia Min and Daiyu beside him: "Remember to catch up on some sleep later."

"Okay." Jia Min nodded, she was already familiar with this rhythm of life. Only Lin Daiyu looked at Chen Heng in the hall again and again, looking at her brother with a calm expression, she suddenly understood what it meant to be deep and steep, and to be covered with jade and autumn frost.

"Heng'er, let's go."

Dressed in a scarlet robe, Lin Ruhai looked solemnly, and began to exude the majesty of a second-rank official.

"Yes." Chen Heng responded softly and followed his teacher's footsteps.

The sky was still dark, and there were servants holding lanterns to lead the way on the small road leading to the courtyard. Jia Min and Daiyu stood at the door, watching the two people's backs as they went away. When they could no longer see each other, they smiled at each other inexplicably.

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The court has a rule that only those with a second-rank courtyard or above in Beijing can ride horses and sedan chairs. Third and fourth-rank officials can only ride horses. Officials below the fourth rank can only ride mules, donkeys, etc. to court.

Although Chen Heng is a seventh-rank official, he is still relaxed and comfortable in the carriage with Lin Ruhai's help. This is not a big deal, and the censor will not care too much when he sees it. As long as you have a second-rank official in your family who is willing to give you a ride, who will argue with the bigwigs in the court?

Along the way, the teacher and the student did not speak. They are both introverted, and when they reach the palace gate, someone will naturally tell them what they should mention. First, we got off the horse at Daming Gate, and then we had to walk a thousand steps, passing Chengtian Gate and Duanmen, until we could rest at Wumen. This road is also called Qianbu Corridor, and it is also the road that every local official longs for. I don’t know how many people in the world want to walk here, but they haven’t had the opportunity yet.

When we arrived at Wumen, there were already many officials gathered here. Those who came the earliest must stay the latest. Among them, there were mostly blue-robed officials. Chen Heng waited here for a while before following Lin Ruhai to the civil servants on duty to check their official cards.

There is no need to say much about the magnificent Wumen. The corridors on both sides are for the purpose of sheltering from the wind and rain when the officials are waiting. Lin Ruhai led the students to the place where the civil servants gathered on the left. He pushed Chen Heng in front of a blue-robed official and introduced him, "This is your six-department Fu Daren."

"Fu Daren." Chen Heng took the initiative to salute. Although there is no distinction between the upper and lower levels of the six-department officials, there is a difference between the front and the back. It is appropriate to be polite to the seniors in the officialdom.

Fu Qingyuan is not very old, about twenty years old. He also heard about Chen Heng's story yesterday, and knew that this young man was a favorite in front of His Majesty. Up to now, there are only a handful of people who can serve as Jieshizhong as a Juren in this dynasty. Therefore, he would not use his senior status to make trouble, and only said politely: "Sir, there is no need for you to be polite, Mr. Chen."

This section is not a place for a second-rank official to stay. Lin Ruhai introduced them to each other and turned directly to the front corridor. That is where the red-robed officials should stay.

Chen Heng was honest, following behind Fu Qingyuan, asking about the precautions during the morning court. Such as the position of standing, the order of speaking, and so on. These officialdom ways, no one leads the way, detailed reminders, all rely on oneself to slowly figure out, and mistakes will definitely be made.

Among all the departments, the six departments have the least people. Including Fu Qingyuan, there are a total of five Jieshizhong in the six departments. Looking back at the household department, huh, they have a lot of people. In addition to the doctor, there are also many green-robed masters.

As more and more people came, there were gradually 80 to 90 people on the corridor. Today was the once-in-five-days imperial court session. When the sky was getting light, the sound of whips waving could be heard from the palace gate.

This is the signal to go to court. Chen Hengyi collected his mind and followed Fu Qingyuan closely. There are three doorways in front of the Meridian Gate. The middle one is reserved for the emperor, and the two on the sides are for princes. The other civil and military officials are all distributed on the left and right, and pass through the side gates on both sides in order.

After the Meridian Gate, it is the spacious Fengtian Gate Square. There are five Jinshui Bridges on the square, and the civil and military officials walk along their respective bridges. Leading the way are the chief minister Gu Zaiyong and Wang Ziteng, who is in charge of the Five Military Governor's Office. Behind them is a group of officials wearing red and blue robes. The front row includes several deputy ministers, ministers of various departments, and so on.

The crowd came to the front of the Fengtian Gate in a mighty manner. The Dragon Guard, who was responsible for maintaining order, had already reserved a place for the ministers to stand in the field. Banners fluttered, and the light beams pierced the clouds and shone on the stone lions in front of the Fengtian Gate. The stone lions are divided into a pair of male and female, the male stepping on the hydrangea, and the female stepping on the little lion, which is easy to identify.

At Fu Qingyuan's signal, Chen Heng found his position and stood. He quickly loosened his belt and held the tablet with both hands. He began to look at his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose, and acted like an old monk in meditation.

In the bleak autumn wind, when the officials who were ready were silent for a moment, the sound of the whip coated with beeswax sounded again, and Li Zhi also came from behind Fengtian Gate and sat on the throne.

After the officials paid their respects, Chen Heng's first court meeting began. However, what disappointed him a little was that nothing particularly useful was said at the court meeting. Adhering to the Chinese people's consistent rule of holding small meetings for big things and big meetings for small things.

For things that can be brought to the court meeting, either they have already thought about how to deal with them, and everyone goes through the process. Or they are too tricky, and everyone continues to argue during the court meeting. It also makes other colleagues and subordinates feel a little involved. But the meeting that really makes the final decision and comes up with the results must be completed in the Linjing Hall.

There are a lot of topics today. One is to discuss the newly established government office in charge of maritime transportation. The matter has been finalized, and it was brought to the court just to argue about what to call it and which department should be in charge. There was a lot of arguing about this matter. First, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue quarreled, and then the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War quarreled.

Everyone has their own reasons. Officials like Chen Heng should just be a spectator. If he followed the people from the Ministry of War to the court today, he might have to come down and say a few words. Oh, no. The military department's edict is not qualified to attend the morning court without additional instructions from the top. What a pity.

However, Li Zhi had communicated clearly with several ministers yesterday about this matter. His judgment came quickly. In a few words, the people from the Ministry of Revenue took away alive. Sure enough, there is still some use for the large number of people in the ministry.

After that, each department reported everything and explained the recent official business of the lower department. In the order of personnel, household, ritual, military, criminal, and engineering, then the Supervisory Office, the Dali Temple, etc. As long as nothing happened, the six departments rarely spoke at this time.

The annoying censors are the most hateful. Every time at this time, they would seize on the mistakes of various departments to make trouble. They are different from the six departments, one is in charge of words and deeds, and the other is in charge of affairs. They are considered as two pairs of eyes of Li Zhi, staring at the ministers in the court.

When the sun was high, Chen Heng had been standing in front of Fengtian Gate for more than an hour. Now it is autumn, and he can still withstand the scorching sun. When it comes to the cold winter, just thinking about this scene is terrifying.

After all the matters were discussed, it was time to disperse. Then, it was Li Zhi's turn to leave. The ministers of various departments asked the left and right assistant ministers to take the children home, and they continued to rush to Linjing Hall to discuss the topics that had just been unresolved.

Without getting a word, Chen Heng was about to follow everyone out of the door in a daze, and was reminded by the kind-hearted Fu Qingyuan: "Master Chen, where are you going?"

"Go back... Oh, my fault, my fault." Chen Heng smiled, and he reacted. The duty room of the six departments is on the square of Fengtian Gate.

"Come on, I'll take you there." Fu Qingyuan smiled and led the way.

Unlike many government offices outside the palace gate, only the duty rooms of the six departments are inside the Meridian Gate, just like the cabinet. The duty room of the cabinet is called Wenyuan Pavilion, which is at the front of the Wenlou. The duty rooms of the six departments have no names, and only a few rooms are pointed out at the back for sitting. This shows that Li Zhi attaches great importance to the six departments.

After entering his new home, Chen Heng saw that there were many vacant positions here, so he asked Fu Qingyuan where someone was, and then found an inconspicuous position near the inside and hid himself deep inside.

Including him, there are now six people in the six departments, corresponding to the six ministries. This number of officials is really pitiful. However, the number of people in this government office has always been small.

When it was first established during the Hongwu period of the former Ming Dynasty, there were only twelve people. There were increases and decreases later. When it came to this dynasty, there were more than twenty people at most, and only about ten people at least, all depending on the mood of the emperor of the current dynasty.

It is now September 23rd, and in a few days it will be a good day for Li Zhi. Officials from all departments in the court are interested in picking some festive events to report at this time. This is human nature, and people from the six departments will not cause trouble for everyone at this time.

Chen Heng is a newcomer, and he only stays as a guest before leaving the office. While listening to Fu Qingyuan's introduction of various places in the office, he slowly communicates with his colleagues.

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Before leaving the office, Lin Ruhai was packing up today's official business in the room, but suddenly there was a light cough outside. Before he could answer, Wei Yinghong had already pushed the door in with a smile and said kindly: "Ruhai, I knew you haven't left yet."

Lin Ruhai raised his eyebrows. The office of the Censorate is not close to the Ministry of Rites, and there is a chessboard street in between. After all, it is a good friend who comes to visit. Zuodu Yushi put down the things in his hands and invited Wei Yinghong to the hall, and the two sat together.

"Brother Wei, you came here specially, but what's the important matter?"

"Hey, what are you talking about? Can't I come and sit with you if there's nothing wrong?"

Wei Yinghong's words made Lin Ruhai laugh and cry. Who are they talking to? Wei Yinghong answered with a sarcastic remark, which clearly showed that he had something to ask for.

Lin Ruhai was not in a hurry. He sat quietly with a teacup in his hand and patiently chatted with Wei Yinghong. When the time came, Wei Yinghong still hadn't said anything. Lin Ruhai, who was rushing home, didn't want to wait any longer and was about to get up and say goodbye.

"I think the weather is good today, and we haven't been out together for a long time. Why don't we take advantage of today's free time to change into casual clothes and go to Qipan Street for a walk?" Wei Yinghong invited again.

Yes, yes, yes, Lin Ruhai was most afraid of being entangled, so he had to change into casual clothes in the room and accompany Wei Yinghong out. After going around, the two of them came to Qipan Street.

This is one of the most prosperous streets in the capital. Because it is surrounded by the imperial court, it is deeply loved by small merchants and vendors. The two found a snack shop, sat down and chatted while looking at the people coming and going.

They all had experience in governing a region, and they felt most at home with this kind of market atmosphere. Wei Yinghong picked up a few topics from time to time, and had a pleasant chat with Lin Ruhai. However, the latter saw that his friend was reluctant to point out the purpose of his visit, and finally couldn't help asking: "Brother Wei, just say it directly."

"Ah? What?" Wei Yinghong blinked. His appearance was not as handsome as Lin Ruhai's, and he had the kind of majesty that was unique to square faces. This stupid and dumb look made Lin Ruhai sneer. The Left Censor-in-Chief simply said, "You kept me here today, is it because of Heng'er?"

"Hahaha." After being exposed, Wei Yinghong laughed awkwardly, and praised shamelessly, "What else can I ask for in life if I can have a confidant like Ruhai." Before Lin Ruhai could speak, Wei Yinghong pretended to be sad and said, "Hey, Ruhai, I won't hide it from you. You know, I have a granddaughter. She is a very good friend of your girl..."

Lin Ruhai nodded. As for Wei Shu, he also knew this child. She was lively and generous, and behaved decently and well-educated. Jia Min also praised her a lot.

"She is old now, and she will be eighteen soon. Your sister-in-law and I are still worried about her lifelong affairs." Wei Yinghong talked about his difficulties, saying that if Wei Qijun was not older, Wei Shu would be the most suitable to marry Du Yunjing, etc.

When his mouth was dry, Wei Yinghong finally had a cup of tea and secretly looked at Lin Ruhai's expression. Seeing that he was still unmoved and had an expression that he was helpless. Wei Yinghong was also surprised and asked: "Ruhai, this matter really depends on your help."

"Ah?!" Lin Ruhai deliberately opened his mouth and imitated the other party's previous stupidity.

Aren't you all so petty in the Lin family? Wei Yinghong was frustrated and simply said frankly: "Zhixing is your student. His elders are not in the capital. Why don't you help me ask him what he thinks. If he is interested, you can bring him to my house tomorrow. Let him and Shu'er meet secretly and look at each other."

He used this method to tie up Du Yunjing.

Lin Ruhai wanted to laugh more and more as he listened, and teased him deliberately: "On the Double Ninth Festival, our two families just visited each other. What excuse should we use this time?"

Wei Yinghong glared at his friend and said hurriedly: "Look at what you said, our two families are close friends. What excuse do you need to come to my house? In my opinion, just say you are here to appreciate the chrysanthemums."

"Yeah." Lin Ruhai kept nodding his head and agreed, "It's fine to come to my house to appreciate the chrysanthemums. But as for Heng'er, Brother Wei, as a teacher, I can't do anything about it."

"Why do you say that?" Wei Yinghong was very curious, rolled up his sleeves, and asked with his arms around his chest, "Could it be that this kid hasn't developed any romantic feelings yet?"

He also grew from a boy to a man. He knew that teenagers were the most lively and lively. It would be nice to say that they only care about playing. It's better to say that the world of flowers is gradually becoming more and more dazzling. At Chen Heng's age, Wei Yinghong would not be surprised if he didn't know the benefits of getting married.

"Hahaha." Lin Ruhai finally couldn't hold it back and laughed heartily. He raised his hand and patted Wei Yinghong on the shoulder, saying, "Brother Wei, have you ever heard a saying?"

"What?" Wei Yinghong felt something was wrong.

"A gentleman does not take away what others like." Lin Ruhai squinted his eyes proudly, "I have also liked Heng'er for a long time."

"You are good, Lin Ruhai." Wei Yinghong just realized that he had done something stupid. His expression of not knowing whether to laugh or cry froze on his face. After thinking about it, he also blamed himself for not thinking it through. His family has a waiting Wei Shu, and the Lin family also has a daughter of the right age.

He shook his head and said helplessly with a bit of speechlessness: "If I had known this, I would not have come to tell you. I should have done it privately first."

Lin Ruhai narrowed his eyes and looked even more proud. Long before Heng'er went to Beijing, I was on guard against you. Otherwise, why do you think Heng'er rarely went to your house?

Wei Yinghong was not stupid. He drank a cup of tea helplessly, looked at the other party's attitude, and suddenly asked: "Did you tell Zhixing to stop coming to my house?"

"I'm afraid he will be a jerk and never come back."

"Humph, it's obviously your own fault. Since you have already set up the fence stakes, why don't you reveal any news?" Wei Yinghong was also impressed by this friend. His eyesight is really sharp. When he was in Yangzhou, Zhixing was not even a scholar, how could he catch the eye of you, Lin Ruhai, and take this seedling under your account early.

Wei Yinghong was wrong about this point. When Lin Ruhai accepted Chen Heng as a student, he really didn't have this idea. It can only be said that everything is due to fate and it's just a matter of course.

"Brother Wei, don't worry. There are many talented people in the world. I only like Heng'er, and the others are left to you."

"Then I'll exchange them with you." Wei Yinghong was the father-in-law who was looking for a new son-in-law. The more he thought about it, the better he felt Chen Heng was. Seeing that he was about to miss the opportunity, he was even more upset. He should have tied Chen Heng up and married him quickly before Lin Ruhai went to Beijing.

Lin Ruhai didn't bother to pay attention to Wei Yinghong's complaints, and got up and left directly.

What a joke, the piglet that I raised with great effort. It's about to enter my own cabbage field, can it be picked up for free?

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Lin Ruhai returned home, and before he sat down, he ran into Jia Min who came to the study to find him. When the lady said that the sister-in-law of the Wei family came to visit today, during the meal, all she talked about and asked about was Chen Heng. Lin Ruhai laughed even more, and also told him about Wei Yinghong's blockade.

The couple got together, half shaking their heads and half sighing, it's true that people are afraid of being famous just like pigs are afraid of being fat. Heng'er hasn't passed the imperial examination yet, but he's already like this. If that really happens, what will happen?

"Or..."

Jia Min just opened her mouth, and suddenly there was news that Chen Heng had returned.

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