Chapter 253 Jia Family Birthday Banquet

In the Linjing Hall, Li Zhi's anger continued, but Chen Heng had already stopped writing and was in a daze. It was not that he did not want to remember, but that he had received Li Zhi's personal instruction. There was no way, the scolding of the current emperor was too ugly. Li Zhi, who had military experience, also spitted and uttered new words when scolding people. It was fresh, refreshing, and amazing.

Who dared to write such words in the daily notes word by word. It was like the King of Hell promised you a life of eighty, but you started eating arsenic at the age of three. Chen Heng had thought about it, and when he was off duty today, he would summarize it with a sentence "This matter is of great importance, the court and the public are shocked, and your majesty is very angry." It also prevented future generations from seeing it and not learning well. After all, it is not easy to learn well, but it is easy to learn bad things.

Being in a daze is not doing nothing. Chen Heng lowered his head and tried to look worried and focused on his face to show the anger of the dragon. But he was thinking about the Maritime Affairs Department in his heart. To sort out the cause and effect, we have to start from the beginning of the establishment of the Maritime Affairs Department.

To make a long story short, when the Maritime Affairs Department was established, it was to avoid affecting the transportation of money and grain in the canal transport, and also to stabilize the overall situation. In addition to recruiting a group of troublemakers to change jobs, the court clearly ordered that the two things should not be mixed together. It is equivalent to the iron rice bowl of money and grain, which is still in the hands of the canal transport. In terms of sea transportation, only the purchase and transportation of merchants from all over the country can be done to stimulate private trade along the coast.

Although this is slow to take effect, it is better to take small steps to stabilize the country. There is no way, Dayong is too big. It can even be said that the dynasties in the Central Plains have always been like this. The first requirement for governing such a vast territory is to maintain stability.

The governance method of a small country with few people is not impossible when applied to Dayong, but the difficulty will be multiplied at an exaggerated proportion. The court had laid the foundation for the Maritime Affairs Department. When it came to selecting officials, it happened to be a long time since the imperial examinations had ended, and the new batch of officials had already been assigned to their places. The number of people that could be transferred was limited, so they could be selected from the existing Beijing officials.

This was obviously a very lucrative government office. During that period, the Ministry of Personnel made a lot of money in order to arrange the positions of the Maritime Affairs Department. Among the people who were selected, there were children of noble families, students of the Imperial Academy, and officials who had been in the six ministries for a long time.

This group of people had both literary and military skills. There were those with deep backgrounds and those who were well versed in the relationship between the court and the government. When they first arrived at the Maritime Affairs Department, they could still follow the rules and slowly get familiar with the affairs. Half a year later, I don’t know which genius had an idea.

Since sea transportation is so cheap, why don’t we take the money and grain from the grain transport to sea transportation, and then take the accounts and hang them on the grain transport. In this way, the money earned can be divided equally and eaten and drunk as needed. Wouldn't everyone's life be getting better and better?

It should be said that the person who thought of this method is really a genius! !

As soon as this method came out, many people were tempted. In order to run for this position, everyone gave a lot of money to their superiors. If they don't get some money back, the children in the family will go out with nothing.

At first, only a few sons of nobles took the lead, led a disciple and a clerk, and moved a few grain ships on the canal to transport secretly. As a result, they found that it was a profitable business. What else can I say, damn it.

There is no need to elaborate on the subsequent process. What should be done, do it well. If you can use your connections, use all your family connections. If you need to turn a blind eye, you can just be a bell-ringing monk.

Everyone is united and everyone gets rich. It can be said that it is becoming bigger and stronger and creating glory again. Originally, this matter could have been concealed. After all, the government office was connected from top to bottom. How could the accounts not be flawless?

But it was their own bad luck, and they were too bold. In the monsoon season of June and July, they dared to ask people to transport grain secretly. This time, four ships sank directly at sea. Not a single person or cargo was saved.

In fact, at this point, there was still room for maneuver. But I don’t know how these people ordered their subordinates. The compensation originally promised to the boatman’s family was taken away by the petty officials and soldiers below. It’s really ridiculous, and it’s also a greedy person.

The people on the river were not willing to tolerate this. Dozens of families joined together and skipped the county government and the state government to directly report to the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice. It’s hard to say whether there was anyone behind this. However, this case has become a commotion, which caused the anger of the Linjing Palace.

At this point, Mr. Wen of the Ministry of Revenue must be summoned. His nephew Wen Yu, who once served as the head of the Maritime Affairs Department, was inevitably deeply involved. Unexpectedly, Wen Shiqian was well prepared. Li Zhi had just finished his anger when he took out a memorial from his sleeve. It recorded the possible loss of money and taels caused by the Maritime Affairs Department in the past two years.

Starting from the second year of Jianping, with the port accounts of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other places as evidence. A total of 1,562 grain ships secretly joined the sea transportation, transporting a total of 1.5 million dan of grain. So many ships cost only 1.4 million taels in total. Compared with the grain transport, a total of 1.3 million taels were spent less.

Does it sound okay to hear this? In the past two years, there is only this little silver? How much money is distributed to each person's pocket after arranging it? But...but, these sea grains are reported to the upper level according to the price of grain.

The people's grain tax should also be paid according to the original amount. Just this amount of money would cost the imperial court nearly 3.88 million taels. In less than two years, nearly 5 million taels of real money went into the pockets of officials of the Maritime Affairs Department.

Everyone in the house had enough to eat and drink, but while the people had to pay water transportation and taxes, the water work at sea also lost the income of more than a thousand ships out of thin air. Tsk, tsk, tsk, the thing, influence, and "the matter is big" in one sentence are all inferior to each other. No wonder Li Zhi behaves like this today.

A big case, definitely a big case. This case is not clear-cut, and if Li Zhi is not investigated and dealt with strictly, his anger in the palace will be in vain. The chief officers of various ministries arrived quickly. The first person to be held accountable was the official Yan Hu.

This little old man is even more of a bachelor, and Li Zhi only scolded him halfway. He took off his hat and said that the people he selected were all in compliance with the court's laws and did not bend the law for personal gain. Li Zhi also knew that it was not easy to catch the old man's fault. After all, he had personally seen the signed appointment letter.

Yan Hu had picked himself up completely, and Li Zhi couldn't dismiss a high-ranking official at will. Without it, the teacher will have no name, and if he does not come and gain the stolen goods, it is really difficult to convince the public. If honest officials and pure ministers are weak on their own, they can be killed if they want to. But behind the corrupt officials, there are many disciples everywhere, and they are so complicated that it is difficult to kill them all with one sword.

Some rules protect corrupt officials, protect Li Zhi himself, and prevent treacherous officials and traitors. After all, corrupt officials are easy to investigate and deal with, but treacherous ministers and traitors are a serious problem.

This layer of contradiction has not been broken before. Li Zhi will not break up with the old party until his position is shaken. This is how things are in the world, and this is how people's hearts are. Even though Li Zhi had scolded Gu Zaiyong and Yan Hu many times in private. Li Zhi could not get in front of the Supreme Emperor and dealt with him forcefully. Filial piety is an insurmountable barrier that lies between Li Zhi and the Supreme Emperor.

Chen Heng had only listened halfway in the palace when Li Zhi sent a young eunuch to invite him out. Your Majesty intends to give his close confidants a holiday so as not to get involved in the big boss fight. Chen Heng couldn't just be too lazy to go home, so he stayed in the side hall and waited until Xu Shi, when all the officials in the hall took their leave and went back.

Xia Shouzhong, who was seeing the big guys off, turned back when he saw Chen Heng who had just come out and exclaimed: "Master Chen, why haven't you gone back yet?"

Chen Heng did not dare to be rude to the people around Li Zhi. He smiled and cupped his hands and said, "I am worried that Your Majesty needs to draft an edict, so I will wait in the side hall first."

After Xia Shouzhong heard this, he praised Chen Heng a few words, and the two said goodbye to each other. When he arrived at the palace gate, Chen Heng verified the palace card with the guarding officers and soldiers, and then he could leave the palace and go home.

At this point, it has passed the time when the yamen normally releases the yamen. The guards could not help but check more carefully, so they delayed their efforts for a while, and they happened to bump into the prince's car and arrived here.

On the stopped carriage, a face peeked out from the lifted curtain. Li Jun said with some surprise: "Master Chen, why haven't you gone back yet?"

Chen Heng didn't expect that he would be there, so he was busy giving gifts to the Li family and his son. There were still big things going on at Li Zhi's side. Li Xian only exchanged a few words with Chen Heng before entering the palace in the prince's honor guard.

After receiving a few words from the prince, the imperial guard specially sent someone to hold a lantern for Chen Heng to guide him. Arriving all the way to Daming Gate, Chen Heng immediately saw Xinda who was waiting anxiously.

After thanking the palace guard for seeing him off, Chen Heng got on the carriage home. Xinda said worriedly: "Second brother, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, let's go home first." Chen Heng waved his hands, knowing that he would be late to go home today, and Daiyu would definitely have to worry at home. He asked Xinda to stop by the roadside and bought some snacks from the street corner to show that he was fine.

As soon as she entered the house, Daiyu led Zicuckoo and Qingwen to greet her. The moon and stars were sparse, and the couple met in the courtyard. Seeing my husband carrying the food box, he had a relaxed smile on his face. Daiyu's worries disappeared immediately. He and Chen Heng walked directly to the hall while talking and smiling.

There are no elders at home today, so the young couple eats something casually. Chen Heng took Daiyu and walked towards his study.

The unnecessary servants were sent away, leaving only Zicuckoo in the room to do some service work. Chen Heng was alone at the table, flipping through books, and from time to time he watched Daiyu embroidering under the lamp.

Wen Yu chatted for a while, but Chen Heng didn't mention anything in the court. He only mentioned that at the Jia family's birthday party in two days, someone might ask Daiyu about something. The couple had always agreed, and Daiyu knew something big was going to happen in the near future.

"I don't have to worry about it." Daiyu nodded, already prepared in her heart, and said, "No matter what they want to know, they can't even get a word from our house."

Chen Heng chuckled lightly, turned over a page of the book, and said, "If there is nothing in the courtyard tomorrow, I will come back early to accompany you home."

"Which family is your husband talking about?" Daiyu asked with a smile.

Chen Heng suddenly understood and explained with a smile, "We went to grandma's house together."

Daiyu was then satisfied and just lowered her head and continued busy with the female beauty. Chen Heng turned his head slightly and glanced at his wife, sighing in his heart that Daiyu had only learned a lot. It would be really unsightly to be trapped in a house for the rest of her life. But now he is still an official in the capital, and some of his plans are hard to make openly.

After thinking about it this way, he began to look forward to the early arrival of his wife, so that he could become a free bird with his wife.

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The errands of the Hanlin Academy are actually quite leisurely, and taking care of His Majesty's daily life is a rotating duty. When there is nothing else, everyone either watches the politics and chats together, or participates in the history compilation in the hospital.

The history of Dayong Dynasty, the number one scholar in the Yuanhe period, presided over the arrangement. This matter has been busy for a long time, and there is no result at all. There is no way, it concerns the ancestors and ministers of this dynasty, so we must be careful every word.

A new Hanlin like Chen Heng can help a little. If you are worried about taking responsibility and are lazy in your position, no one will say anything.

Hanlin is noble and noble, so it is good to be here.

Today, a Hanlin official received a piece of calligraphy by Mi Fu of the Song Dynasty from the street market and brought it to the courtyard for everyone to appreciate. Chen Heng, Cui Huan, and Zhao Mingyi were also invited to comment. Everyone drank tea and talked about paintings, and discussed Mi Fu's life together.

In the afternoon, the Hanlin official who compiled the history of Ming Dynasty came to ask for help. This job has been busy since the establishment of the Yong Dynasty. The emperors and famous ministers of the previous Ming Dynasty should be recorded and recorded.

The history of Ming Dynasty happened to be compiled to the first assistant Shen Shixing during the reign of Wanli. The Hanlin had mixed opinions on this person. Someone asked Chen Heng what he meant. The latter thought about it and commented: "Wanli Dynasty was lucky to have this person. The difficulties of the Ming Dynasty also lie in this person."

When everyone heard it and thought about it carefully, they also felt that there was some truth.

However, they were officials of Yong Dynasty, and they were inevitably more casual and bold when compiling the history of Ming Dynasty. The official in charge put everyone's evaluation together and took one of them as a record.

This matter was not something they could decide directly after writing. Afterwards, Cao Tingshou and Li Zhi had to personally review it. It was normal to do a more cautious history for each dynasty.

After leaving the court, you can go home with peace of mind after walking out of the most noble and gorgeous gate of the Hanlin Academy. Most of the days of the Hanlin Academy are spent like this.

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On the first day of August, there were indeed not many things in the academy. Although there were rumors about the Maritime Affairs Department in the court, most people were speculating and uneasy, and some people were secretly happy about it. The group of people who were most informed knew that Li Zhi intended to hold a joint trial of the three departments. As one of the three departments, Lin Ruhai, the chief officer of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, would naturally participate in it.

In the middle of the afternoon, Chen Heng and Cao Tingshou asked for leave and got up to return home. After taking Daiyu over, the couple went to her parents' home first. As soon as she saw her mother-in-law Jia Min, she said to them, "Your father went out this morning and said that he had something to do in the court recently, so he couldn't go to your grandmother's place. Heng'er, you take care of Jue'er today."

"Yes, mother-in-law." Chen Heng hurriedly agreed. Lin Jue, who stood behind him, also bowed and said, "Mom, don't worry. I will definitely stay with my brother-in-law. Wherever he goes, I will go."

Jia Min nodded, and took Daiyu to see the gifts for Jia's mother. After the two families packed up, they went to Rongguo Mansion at the end of the afternoon. As soon as they arrived at the gate of Jia's house in a carriage, they saw the hustle and bustle of people and horses here. The sons of the four kings and eight dukes were constantly entering and leaving the gate, and the scene was very lively.

Jia's mother was wearing festive clothes today, sitting in Rongqing Hall, accepting everyone's congratulations. When she heard that Jia Min brought her daughter and son-in-law to the door, the look on her face immediately became excited.

In the hall, the ladies of each family were all there. Sanchun, Baochai, and Xiangyun need not be mentioned. There were also Xing Xiuyan, the Li sisters, and the ladies of the four princes and eight dukes.

Jia Min's status was also impressive here. As soon as she entered the door, Jia Min saw many of her childhood playmates. After a lively conversation, they led the Lin family to congratulate Jia Mu.

First, Jia Min and Lin Jue greeted and said congratulatory words. Chen Heng and Daiyu stepped forward and congratulated Jia Mu. Jia Mu looked at the young man in front of her with mixed feelings.

You say you like it, Baoyu beside her is depressed. Since Daiyu got married, her precious grandson has always been like this. How can she, the grandmother, not feel uncomfortable? But you say you don't like it, and he is the husband that Daiyu likes. It's hard to hate him if you love him.

Alas, the old lady sighed in her heart, not knowing whether to be warm or cold.

Chen Heng didn't care about these trivial matters, just thought that Jia Mu was an ordinary old lady celebrating her birthday. After saying congratulatory words with Daiyu, Chen Heng was immediately invited to the front hall by the servants in the mansion. He is now an official appointed by the court. How could he stay in the same room with a group of women and children for a long time? It would be embarrassing if it got out.

Today, the main battlefield for men is in front. Even Lin Jue was taken away by Chen Heng to see the world outside. In Rongqing Hall, only Jia Min and her daughter were left, chatting with a room of female guests.

This was Daiyu's first meeting with her sisters after her marriage. Sanchun and others were all curious about Daiyu's dress. Women's buns are different from those of unmarried girls, and rarely have bangs. Daiyu's original lively temperament, set off by the bright yellow dress, has a rare dignified and majestic look.

"Sister Lin..." Xichun couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh as soon as she said it, saying mischievously: "Should I call you Madam Chen now?"

Xiangyun laughed, pushed Xichun with her hand, and said: "Be careful, your sister Lin has two mouths now. It's okay to offend her, but be careful of the No. 1 brother-in-law behind her. If he really wants to pull you aside, he will talk about the past and the present, and teach you a lesson with classics. Even if we put all together, we are no match for the brother-in-law."

Lin Daiyu didn't bother to pay attention to the teasing of the two sisters, and just pulled Tanchun in front of her. Looking at her left and right, Lin Daiyu wondered, "Has the third sister lost weight? She looked rich before, but now she looks really bright and beautiful."

"Hahaha." Xichun clapped her hands and teased, "Sister Lin, don't just look at the third sister. Come and see her..." As she said that, she pushed Yingchun in front of Daiyu and teased Yingchun, "The second sister is about to get married."

"Why are you talking about me?" Yingchun was a little annoyed and shy, and hurriedly hit Xichun with her handkerchief.

"Ah." Daiyu exclaimed. After Xue Pan's incident, she didn't have much contact with the Jia family. After hearing this news, she hurriedly congratulated, "In a blink of an eye, everyone has grown up. Second sister, I wonder whose son is my second brother-in-law to win your heart."

After Daiyu finished speaking, she looked at the sisters around her with curiosity. She knew that Yingchun was weak and spoke little, so she must not be able to explain clearly.

Tan Chunzhu shook his head and said, "We don't know either. I only heard that the man's surname was Sun, and that the eldest man in the mansion had decided on the marriage. I heard that the wedding would be done at the end of the month, so I was very anxious."

End of month? ! Daiyu looked surprised. Uncle Jia She did this very quickly, and there was no news about it.

But Xiangyun came over and asked, "Sister Lin, we still want to ask you."

"What are you asking me for?" Daiyu blinked, tilted her head slightly, and let the steps on her head sway slightly.

"We heard that this Sun family member is waiting for a post at the Ministry of War. Didn't my brother-in-law have experience in the Ministry of War?" Xiangyun's eyebrows were indescribably curious, "Why don't you help us ask my brother-in-law to find out about this person? What is his appearance and body shape? Sister Yingchun still doesn’t know what this person looks like.”

You see, this is such a fuss, there's no way the wedding is imminent, and the bride has never even seen the groom. Daiyu, who is now married, already knows some ways of getting married. Ordinary parents don't even allow each other to see their daughter. She will also look for an opportunity to quietly let her daughter take a look at the other person to see if she likes him or her. When a merchant buys a product, he has to look past it. What's more, marrying a daughter is such a top priority.

But Lin Daiyu couldn't answer the question. Although I knew what Xiangyun meant, it was an ordinary concern between sisters. It's just that this matter is a family matter of the Jia family, so she, a woman with a foreign surname, can comment and intervene.

She could only smile and remain silent, neither answering nor refusing. Xiangyun wanted to ask for more, but Tanchun saw that Daiyu had already agreed, but she couldn't say it clearly. He quickly grabbed Xiangyun and whispered into the other person's ear.

After a while, Xiangyun and Xichun took Daiyu's left and right hands together, and Sister Lin kept screaming.

Daiyu couldn't stand the sharp eyesight of these two people, so she glanced at them both and said: "When I prayed to the Bodhisattva, I never saw you so enthusiastic."

Xiangyun laughed loudly and clasped his palms together, "Amitabha, Bodhisattva is here to protect my safety and wealth. How can I ask Bodhisattva to do such a small thing personally?"

Wang Xifeng didn't know when she came and led Li Wan to join their discussion. Before she said anything, she smiled and said, "What are you talking about? Why don't you go stay with the old lady and hide here talking and laughing."

Li Wan said nothing, only his eyes rested on the radiant Lin Daiyu. Her son is ambitious and has perseverance in studying. If one day in the future, I can be the top scorer in high school, will I also be able to marry a beautiful wife like Lin Daiyu?

Daiyu bowed to Wang Xifeng and said, "There are a lot of people over there with the old lady. I want to be quiet here. If I don't think so, they will come after me and make fun of me. My dear sister-in-law, you have to vent my anger for me."

Wang Xifeng immediately raised her eyebrows and scolded several juniors: "How dare you not be polite when you see the No. 1 scholar's wife. Be careful. When you give birth to a baby carefully, even Wenquxing won't be able to shine in your home."

"Yes, yes, sister Lin, you have to ask your brother-in-law to protect you."

After all, she is a bride. After being teased again, Sister Lin pursed her lips and said angrily: "Stay there, stay there. If you talk too much, I won't come to see you in the future."

A group of orioles and swallows were laughing together, and surrounded Daiyu in the middle, chatting.

Li Wan was standing by and wanted to interrupt several times, wanting to ask Daiyu if Chen Heng had any intention of accepting a disciple. If possible, she would like to seek guidance from a famous teacher for her son. We are all relatives, so it’s okay to do a little favor, right? !

After Daiyu came out, Baoyu's eyes never left her. Seeing Daiyu, who looked like a fairy, she was already dressed as a woman. His heart felt like a knife. He couldn't even sit next to Jia Mu, so he stood up and hid in the corner. He took the wine glass and poured himself a glass of wine.

Baochai sat next to Aunt Xue, and her eyes did not leave Baoyu. Beside her, there were many congratulators sitting. In October this year, she will get married to Baoyu.

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In the front hall, Chen Heng and Lin Juecai walked into the Hall of Rongxi and were warmly welcomed by Jia Zheng. This fact is strange. When Jia Zhengcai met Chen Heng for the first time, he kept praising and appreciating him.

Although the men of the Jia family did not know what Jia Zheng meant, they did not dare to directly disobey the second master of the house. The other guests were even more polite and courteous when meeting Chen Heng. The number one scholar in the Hanlin Academy, even if there is no father-in-law of a second-rank official, is not something anyone can look down upon.

"If that muddy boy of mine had half your talent, I would be... ten years older, and I would be willing to do so." Jia Zheng pulled Chen Heng and sat beside him. He didn't pay any attention to the guests and relatives coming and going around him, and seemed to have made up his mind to chat with Chen Heng.

Chen Heng couldn't understand this enthusiasm. He had no choice but to say modestly: "Second uncle is overly praised. I just happened to study early."

Jia Zheng waved his hands quickly. Others might believe him if he said such self-effacing words. But he, Jia Zheng, has been studying the way of the imperial examination all his life, and he has no fame and honors even when he is old. How can he not know the difficulty of the imperial examination. A few years ago, he went abroad to study politics, which made him see how difficult it was for students from poor families to study.

Only by studying hard in such a cold window and forgetting to eat and sleep can only a small number of people be lucky enough to win. Think again about the scene when you were young, sitting on the bed of warm soft jade, while your husband taught alone. Jia Zheng himself felt that he had not lost unfairly.

Today, after finally catching a nephew and son-in-law with a good reputation, Jia Zheng couldn't help but share with him what he had learned during his tenure. In the past, no one in the house could tell him these words. Coincidentally, Chen Heng and Lin Jue both followed this path, so there are naturally many common topics. The three of them gathered together and chatted happily.

Jia Rong saw this scene and walked directly to Jia Lian's side, saying angrily: "Today I finally saw what it means to be crowned like a monkey. The appearance of our family makes him even more proud and arrogant."

"Silence." Jia Lian glared at Jia Rong. Our family still has something to ask of Chen Heng today. If this word spreads, will Jia Lian be allowed to do things?

Jia Rong knew some of the situation at home, so she could only sigh: "Xue Dasha is useless. I only heard about this person's reputation, and he didn't even dare to show his face. He is so timid and fearful, why should he be called the Little Overlord of Jinling? Change his name Let’s call Jinling No. 1 to bully the weak and fear the strong.”

Jia Lian couldn't help but sneer. Xue Pan didn't want to come. He was the one who hinted that Xue Pan didn't need to show up today. If Xue Pan and Chen Heng were to have a conflict at home, who would dare to say arbitrarily in the current situation: He would definitely stand on Xue Pan's side and defend Xue Pan.

"Nephew and son-in-law." Jia Zheng didn't know what Jia Lian and Jia Rong were talking about. He still pulled Chen Heng warmly and said, "When the banquet starts, you will sit next to me. Let's have a drink this time. If you are Come and sit here often when you have time."

After the exchange just now, Jia Zheng really admired Chen Heng's talent and learning. I also feel that the topic of scholars is interesting only if it is discussed with scholars.

How could Baoyu get into trouble with such a handsome and beautiful person? Jia Zheng sighed in his heart.

PS: I must be diligent, today I have more than 7,000 words, hahahaha, please vote for me, please vote for recommendation.

PS2: Thanks to the book friend "Peanut Leaf 001" for the reward "It's the breeze that blows into my breathless eyes". Be grateful.