Da Wei Chun

Chapter 296 When something goes wrong, there must be a demon

I went to the election department and asked about the examination of merit. He said that it would wait until the third day of June when the imperial court would conduct a collective examination of officials, scholars, and tributes from all over the country who were ordered to enter Beijing. Li Chengzhi knew that he could still waste money. a few days.

After leaving the selection department, Li Chengzhi walked straight to the Meridian Gate along Tongtuo Street, which was more than ten feet wide.

He didn't want to enter the palace, but went to the righteous well on the side of Luhemen.Li Rui and others temporarily rented Jingle Temple in Yijing.

Calculating the distance, it is closer from Jingle Temple to the Imperial Palace than from Gao Zhao's house to the Imperial Palace.

Although Jingle Temple is not the largest temple in Luoyang, it is definitely the richest.

Emperor Yuanke and Empress Gaoying would come to offer incense from time to time, or invite monks to give lectures in the palace.Nine out of ten officials will come to offer incense sticks and give a few handfuls of copper coins when they pass by.Therefore, the incense in the temple is not as prosperous as usual, and the number of pilgrims is not as usual.

Rent is not generally expensive.An ordinary squatter room that can accommodate two people costs 400 yuan for one night.In conversion, two catties of copper can buy more than [-] catties of grain.

And the salary of the ninth-rank Beijing official, including money, food, meat, rice, and festival rewards, is roughly [-] yuan a month. If you do the math, it's just enough to stay in Jingle Temple for two nights?
But the business is not so good, most of them are officials from other places who come to Beijing for business and are eagerly waiting to enter the palace.When Li Rui went to rent a house yesterday afternoon, the ordinary squatters were already sold out.In desperation, Li Rui and others could only live in the more expensive one, and the price doubled.

If I have to make an analogy, just think about the opening of a star hotel in Tiananmen Square in later generations...

Along the way, Li Chengzhi didn't know how to complain when he saw the golden Buddhas that were taller than the government archway, and three or four out of ten pedestrians on the street were monks and nuns.

What is the Great Wei Dynasty called?

Wouldn't it be more appropriate to call it the Great Buddha Dynasty directly?
After finding Li Rui and others, Li Chengzhi first told Li Xie to ask him to go to the Yahui (Yaxing) and rent a house in the outer city as soon as possible.

Don’t even think about it in the inner city, the rent for a small courtyard with two entrances like Li Shiliang’s is as high as [-] gold (copper) a year.Let alone whether the rent can be afforded, how conspicuous is it to live in the inner city with Li Chengzhi's current status?
"It doesn't matter if it's a bit off, but the house needs to be large and quiet!" Li Chengzhi confessed again, "It doesn't matter if the price is higher!"

The house needs to be large and quiet?
Li Xie hesitated to speak, but finally nodded.

Lang Jun is so good at making!

How can there be a servant who lives in the city and eats meat every now and then?

Now he has to rent a big house again. According to this posture, the 100 taels of gold given by his wife before leaving will not last long at all.

After Li Xie left, Li Chengzhi took a bag of wine from the luggage stored in the temple, and sent Li Rui to buy a chicken.

Not long after, Li Rui bought a dead pheasant with a bright coat, that is, a dried pheasant.

Ask again, spending a full two hundred yuan, probably can buy a sheep.

Li Rui said that there are cheaper ones, but they are either too small, or the coat color is not good-looking, or they are caught in summer, not dried well, and have a faint smell.

This thing is not for eating, but for expressing etiquette among the gentry, just like when Daxi first visited Li Chengzhi, he mentioned such a thing...

Then there were the two capsules of spirits, and Li Chengzhi replaced the capsules with a white porcelain altar.

Just such a jar costs a hundred dollars, and of course there are cheaper ones, such as clay pots.But it's too embarrassing to bring such a thing to the Gaofu committee, it's like deliberately slapping your face.

Of course there are expensive ones, but now it is not called Tang Sancai, but colored porcelain.But the price of one of the same size is ten times that of white porcelain...

The rest is a famous thorn, which is called a letter of worship in the later dynasties.

It is still made of wood, about three inches wide and one foot long, and it has been polished as a whole, and varnish is applied on it, so the writing will not seep through.

And just such a piece of wood costs [-] yuan, which is equivalent to a day's wages of an ordinary craftsman in Luoyang.

The paper is cheaper, and it is more fancy than this one. There are all kinds of colors, but it is for the common people.

Li Chengzhi kept scratching his head: In such a blink of an eye, several catties of copper went out, and he could buy thousands of catties of grain.

I always feel like IQ tax was collected by the ancients...

Hurry up and find a way to earn some money, otherwise Li Rui and the others will have to beg for food if they don't last half a year...

The left and right were not far away, less than two miles away, and Li Chengzhi didn't ride a horse or a carriage, so he took Li Rui and a guard and walked slowly towards Gao Zhao's mansion.

Along the Shuangyang Street, which runs across the east and west city gates, and just passed through the Youwei Mansion and Taiwei Mansion on the west side of the road, Li Chengzhi was taken aback.

The street, which was ten feet wide, was blocked with less than three feet in the middle.The pack horses and carts lined up densely on both sides of the avenue, and the tail of the line was a hundred feet away from the gate of Yongkangli where the Gao Mansion was located.

Fortunately, there were soldiers in the middle of the road to maintain order, otherwise the whole street would have been blocked.

Which one is this? I don’t remember that there is a market in the inner city?

Li Chengzhi looked suspicious, and subconsciously glanced a few more times.

Most of those who lead horses and drive carts wear coarse linen.Riding on horses to fan the wind, or leaning against the shade of trees to enjoy the cool air, seven out of ten were wearing silk robes and silk shirts, and most of them were young people his age or younger.

If it wasn't for making sure that he didn't go the wrong way, Li Chengzhi would have thought he had come to Taixue...

He asked a young man who was hiding under the road tree fanning the wind: "Dare to ask my lord, what is the reason?"

The young man remained silent, and first took a look at Li Chengzhi.

Although he looked good, he didn't ride a horse or a chariot, and he was accompanied by only two servants, one carrying a pheasant and the other carrying a jar of wine.Nothing else but...

"People from Guanzhong? I just entered Beijing, and I don't even know why this is happening?"

The young man's sense of superiority came immediately, and he squinted at Li Chengzhi: "If you don't deliver famous thorns to the Gaofu, but just go in to visit relatives and friends, you don't need to wait like me. You can Go in and show your name to the gatekeepers (the soldiers guarding the gate) and they will let you in..."

Delivering famous assassins to Gaofu?
Li Chengzhi glanced at the endless convoy and pack horses, and took a sharp breath.

These are all here to give gifts to Gao Zhao?
Whether it is in the car or immediately, it is covered with linen or silk curtains. Although you can't see what is inside, you can guess it with your toes.

After a little calculation, there are seventy or eighty pack horses and carts, not to mention such a long queue, is it still broad daylight?
Good guy, even if you openly accept bribes, you can't be so blatant, right?

Is the emperor blind and deaf, or has he trusted Gao Zhao to a bottomless level, just like Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty treated Hegent?
Not to mention knowing the general direction of history, even if he didn't know, Li Chengzhi could guess Gao Zhao's final ending: it is absolutely impossible to die well.

Even if he didn't offend so many people before, the new emperor will definitely slaughter him like a fat pig after he takes the throne, just like Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty treated Hegent...

After being puzzled for a while, Li Chengzhi felt something was wrong again.

If there were so many people giving gifts to Gao Zhao every day, how much would it be in one year, and how much would the total number of officials in Wei be?

With a flash of inspiration in his mind, Li Chengzhi suddenly realized: June is the season for the selection of talents in Beijing, and these people are all scholars, tribute scholars, and low-ranking students (Xiaolian) who came to Beijing for admission or to be awarded officials.

These three types are all talented and virtuous people recommended by the prefectures. The difference is that the former two emphasize talents, honesty and morality.

There is also a big difference between a scholar and a tribute. A scholar will only be determined by his talent and learning after passing the selection examination. Most of them enter the Imperial College, Taixue, etc. to study.If you are a commoner family, you will enter Simen Primary School (the official school established by Yuan Ke at the four gates of Luoyang, east, west, south, north).A small number will be directly appointed officials.

Gongshi has passed the county and state examinations and met the conditions for being an official, and only needs to be confirmed by the selection department to be awarded an official.However, since Yuan Ke came to power, it was stipulated that the tributes recommended by all regions must be guaranteed by more than five officials from the prefecture.

Those who promote their own people will be promoted to a higher rank, and those who do not raise their own people will be demoted by a higher rank.

The meaning is: if you come from the relationship, you will not be able to pass the election, and all the officials who recommend and serve as guarantees for the Gongshi will be demoted...

People have mistakes, and horses have mistakes. Who can guarantee that there will be a hundred choices?What's more, there are too many human-interferable factors.So from then on, except for his own son, no official will give guarantee to others if his head is swollen.

In fact, to put it a little deeper, this is just one of Yuan Ke's methods to weaken the influence of the aristocratic family: even if the children of the aristocratic family want to be an official, they have to go to Luoyang to take the exam first.

Whether you can be appointed as an official or you have to go to school first, or where to be an official, is basically the emperor and the court have the final say, not like Emperor Xiaowen, the prefecture can be an official as long as it is recommended.

Including meritorious deeds like Li Chengzhi are enough to be appointed officials, but the imperial court will still be called into the Beijing middle school for selection.At most, after the investigation is true, the official will seal you up.

The same is true in the Southern Dynasties. Since Liu Yu, no matter how many generations have been changed, whether the emperor's surname is Liu or Xiao, they have tried their best to weaken the clan.

In fact, from a long-term point of view, the poisonousness of powerful families is no worse than that of Buddhism, just like India...

Li Chengzhi sighed, and said to Li Rui: "Go back!"

Li Rui's eyeballs popped: "Return?"

"Otherwise what else?"

Li Chengzhi pointed to the line that was about to line up a mile away, "When it's your turn and me, I'm afraid it will be dark..."

Li Rui looked at the famous assassin with a face full of regret.

The date is written on this thing, if you don't vote in that day, it will be useless.

Thirty dollars, you can buy a leg of lamb...

The three of them were about to leave when a horse suddenly galloped out of the inner gate, heading straight for the end of the team.He shouted as he walked, "But Li Langjun from Jingzhou?"

Li Chengzhi was a little confused: Isn't this calling him?
With just a thought, the horse galloped forward.Li Rui narrowed his eyes: "This person seems to be a forbidden soldier above the city gate yesterday, and he followed the silver-armored captain?"

Li Chengzhi was taken aback: Gao Zhan's retainer?
He wouldn't have sent someone to wait for him to come to the door, right?
Otherwise, how could there be such a coincidence, let alone stop myself.

Looking at the dry pheasant in Li Rui's hand, the retainer immediately understood, thinking that Xiao Lang guessed right, did Li Chengzhi really come to visit?
"Li Lang-jun, my Erlang-jun is here to invite you!"

Li Chengzhi sighed secretly: You guessed right, Gao Zhan is really waiting for him.How can it be like being able to pinch and count?
The servant didn't dare to take the bag, so he threw the reins to the doorman, and respectfully asked Li Chengzhi to go in.

Those scholars standing by the side of the road are like a vase of wood carvings, and the expressions on their faces are all frozen.

Mr. Li Lang from Jingzhou...have you never heard of this man?
Why was Gao's retainer invited in like a distinguished guest, as if his surname was not Li, but Yuan?
Looking at the dry pheasant and the jar of wine, these scholars can't even move their eyeballs.

This person came to visit Gao Sikong with such a gift?
Not to mention these talents, even Gao Zhan was a little dazed, staring at the dead pheasant without blinking.

It's not that it's too light of manners, at the level of the Gao family, there's not much difference between lifting a mountain of gold and picking up a piece of grass.

What surprised him was, what year is this antique?
Didn't the eldest brother say that Li Chengzhi is so unscrupulous that he doesn't know what "ritual" is?
Li Chengzhi knew Gao Zhan's expression when he saw it, just like when he saw Daxi brought such a thing to visit him...

If you say it all, you will definitely be laughed at, but the uncle laughs whenever he has to, but etiquette cannot be waived.

Look, have you been laughed at?
Li Chengzhi smiled embarrassingly, cupped his hands and said, "It's a mere gift, which made Gao Yulin laugh... a certain person is Li Chengzhi from Jingzhou, and I'm here to thank Gao Yulin for saving me..."

"You're welcome, just call the words, Gao Zhan, Gao Zicheng..."

Gao Zhan came back to his senses, and bowed to Li Chengzhi: "May I ask Li Langjun for his name?"

"Ah ha ha?"

Li Chengzhi was even more embarrassed when he said the name: "Brother Zicheng can just call me Chengzhi..."

Also blame Li Shixian, who is not good to ask, go ask Yang Shu?

That old man was crazy by himself, he was afraid that the excitement would not be big enough, so with a swipe of his pen, he took the word "meaning".

Li Yi!

Others have a single name and double characters, but he has a double name?It doesn't matter. Although it is very rare now, people in the Qin and Han Dynasties used single characters, which can be regarded as following the ancient etiquette.

But on the day of Najib (similar to an engagement), Zhang Jingzhi and Guo Cunxin told him that only one person had taken the word "meaning" before: Han Huan Emperor Liu Zhi!

Good guy, why don't you call it "Uncle Wen (Liu Xiu's character)" for me?
Let alone Li Chengzhi was angry, he didn't even dare to ask.

Instead, Yang Shu asked him if he could choose the words he wanted, what else could Li Chengzhi do besides pretending to be confused?
There is only Mimi smiling on the face, MMP in the heart...

Seeing his embarrassment, Gao Zhan didn't care, and warmly clasped his hand: "Please, please!"

When he stepped on the steps and saw the gates on both sides (big pillars engraved with family inheritance and ancestral meritorious deeds), Li Chengzhi woke up: not only did he walk through the front door, but the middle door was also wide open.

Although it was not as grand as the first time I went to Hu's house, the standard of courtesy was already very high.Generally, officials with lower official positions than Gao Zhao came to visit, and if their family status was not high enough, they could only go through the side door.

Is the ancestral Li's family high?

Gao Zhao said hehehe...

For a moment, Li Chengzhi was a little apprehensive: This is more than just Gao Meng, it seems that he has some intentions, maybe Gao Zhao should be added?
There must be a demon in the abnormal situation!
　The state is still not very good, and the anger is being adjusted!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)