The Happy Life of Small Officials in Northern Song Dynasty

Long Zhen has been in the bodyguard department for nearly ten years, and because of his excellent popularity, he also got into the position of deputy commander of the bodyguard Sima Jun. With the word 'down', he is also a fifth-rank general, but for Long Zhen who has no family background and no background, he is very satisfied with all this.

The contented Long Zhen also had troubles. This time, he was sent to be a guard for a bird food envoy with no rank or rank, which made him a little annoyed. In the eyes of other officials at the same level, he Seeing a smile, it was definitely not a kind smile, but a mockery.

Although it is an errand for the imperial court, he can be a deputy to anyone, but this boy named Su Jin is only sixteen years old, and the hair on his crotch may not be full yet, and the name of the grain envoy is very easy to pronounce , but according to private rumors, this is a rankless official title.

"What is this? Are you playing me like a monkey?" Long Zhen was furious.

In the morning, when he went to the Privy Council to tie the military documents, Du Yan met him in person. In front of the Privy Councilor with a friendly smile, Long Zhen expressed his dissatisfaction in a subtle way, like an angry little daughter-in-law.

Du Yan waited for him to finish his words with a smile, then patted him on the shoulder after retreating from everyone, and said, "Do you know that I and Lu Xiang are the ones who recommended you?"

One sentence made Long Zhen so excited to death, and it was actually recommended by the heads of the two governments. Could it be that he is really so important?

"Does Commander Long know the great responsibility of going here?" Du Yan laughed.

"Assist the Special Envoy of Grain Affairs to complete the emperor's order, and I will do my best in this humble position." Long Zhen said resolutely.

Du Yan pointed his thumb and said, "Very good, as expected of the commander of the guard Sima Jun, he is so responsible and imposing, but... things may not be as simple as you think."

Long Zhen said suspiciously: "The humble official doesn't understand the meaning of adults."

Du Yan pondered: "Actually, Lu Xiang and I recommended you very carefully. First of all, you work hard and have a good reputation in the two departments. It can be regarded as hard work. It is hard work to stay in the capital every day. This trip to Beijing Think of it as an exaggerated vacation for you to go out to play and relax; secondly, this Su Jin is a stinky young man who has never done royal errands, and I am afraid that there will be troubles when he goes out this time, so he needs a mature and prudent person to go. assist."

Long Zhen was dumbfounded, and thought to himself: "You sent me to work with that kid even though you knew there was going to be trouble, isn't that cheating me? If the errand fails, won't I also be unlucky?"

"He is an envoy, but he is just a coercion. How can he be his master?"

Du Yan smiled and said in a low voice: "You don't need to make the decision, let him make trouble."

"The subordinate doesn't understand even more. If he messed up his errand, wouldn't he be implicated in his humble position?"

Du Yan laughed and said, "Do you know who recommended this person? It was Yan Shu, the third envoy, who recommended him to the emperor, bragging about how capable he is. Think about it, who is the most unlucky if the errand is messed up?"

Long Zhen said: "Isn't Master Bu Sansi the most unlucky?"

Du Yan said: "Isn't this the end?"

Long Zhen is not stupid, he gradually felt some signs in his heart, but he still shook his head and said: "The lowly job doesn't understand the meaning of adults."

Du Yan smiled and said: "You understand, if you don't understand, why did Xiang Lu and I recommend you to do this errand?"

Long Zhen was silent for a long while, and finally asked: "What should I do if I want to be humble?"

Du Yan stroked his beard with a smile and said, "A smart person is a smart person, and you can get to the point of the question in one sentence. Let's just say, how to make him fail to deliver the job depends on your ability."

Long Zhen took a breath and said: "But, if the Holy One blames it, wouldn't the lowly position be over?"

Du Yan patted Long Zhen on the back, and said lightly: "All the crimes are borne by that person. With me and the Prime Minister protecting you, who can do anything to you? By the way, the position of commander of the bodyguard department has been vacant for a year. Well, the emperor has been asking me and Xiang Lu to choose candidates, this time it depends on your performance."

Long Zhen’s head jumped. The commander of Ma Jun had been vying for the position for a long time. Long Zhen also had ideas, but he had self-knowledge and thought that he couldn’t compete with others. excellent.

This time, the privy envoy slapped this delicious big piece of fat in front of him, and he could grab it into his mouth with just a stretch of his hand, and it squeaked with oil when he took a bite. How could such an opportunity let it slip away.

I'm not too old anymore, I've been in the army for ten years, and I'm only a general from the fifth rank, and I don't have any real power in my hands. I've done a lot of things with my hot face and cold butt all day long. People are bullied and greeted with smiles. How can I not seize this great opportunity? If I can sit in the position of the commander of the guards, those guys who are not kind to me can punish them at will. That kind of life is his. I really look forward to it.

"Of course, you can make your own choices, and I and Lu Xiang don't blame you." Du Yan said lightly.

These words made Long Zhen make his final decision. At this time, it is no longer a question of whether he wants to do it, but whether he wants to live; It can only fall on him.

……

Su Jin went to Yan Mansion, but Yan Shu was not there, and it seemed that he was still working in the Sansi Yamen. Su Jin found Yan Biyun and told her about leaving tomorrow. Yan Biyun had already made preparations, but there was nothing to arrange.

Immediately afterwards, Su Jin went to the household department under the Sansi Yamen to collect the military pay. He knew nothing about it. Fortunately, the person who paid the military salary was an old acquaintance. The police are the judges of the third division, and the military pay and food on the household department are under the jurisdiction of the third division.

Yang Cha was rather surprised that Su Jin came to lead the soldiers' salary. This matter of receiving the salary was originally a light job for the commander in the army. It is unreasonable to ask the special envoy to come to pick it up if the envoy can't come.

But there's nothing incomprehensible about it, it's still the same sentence: special matters are special, and any unreasonable things are always reasonable if they are put in the big frame of these four words. It is not enough to delve into it.

With his assistance, Su Jin received the military salary smoothly. Only then did he know that the military salary of the imperial army in the Song Dynasty was actually not high. Except for food, drink and clothing, each person was only a month's worth of money. This time, the three-month salary The salary was issued together, and it could be seen that Yan Shu also thought that it was necessary to prepare for a long-term battle.

Everything was properly arranged. In the evening, Su Jin went to Yan Mansion to bid farewell. He knew that Yan Shu must have something to say. need his help.

Yan Shu warned Su Jin to prepare for the worst. He originally planned to keep this matter secret, but the emperor told Lu Yijian and Du Yan all about it. I haven't seen him make a big mistake when it comes to Sheji, but it's hard to say about Du Yan.

Su Jin understands the key here. Du Yan is also a strong contender for the position. If this matter fails, it will be impossible for Yan Shu to compete with him for the position. Driven by self-interest, it is difficult not to make people have certain thoughts.

Yan Shu also told Su Jin that when you go to the local area, you must establish a good relationship with the local chief official. Some things are almost impossible to complete without the assistance of local officials. Classify everyone as an alternative.

In the end, Yan Shu wrote a letter in his own hand and handed it to Su Jin to bring to Song Xiang, the prefect of Yangzhou, telling him: "Song Xiang, the prefect of Yangzhou, used to be a political adviser. Lu Yijian is nepotism, and the No. [-] scholar in the Imperial Examination in the second year of Tiansheng is probably a strong contender for the prime minister. You should discuss with him more when you go here, after all, he was a deputy prime minister and has rich experience in life."

Su Jin didn't expect that Song Xiang would have such a big background. Not only was he once the number one scholar, but he was also a deputy prime minister. be thrown off balance.

The two talked about the details of the matter, and agreed to send a messenger to report the situation every ten days. Finally, Yan Shu sent a horse to Su Jin, patted the horse's back and said, "This journey is extremely difficult. It's not that the old man has no confidence in you, but You are too young, and you may not be able to handle things quickly, so you must not rush forward, but if you have any doubts or problems, you can write to discuss and resolve them, and you should not act impulsively."

Su Jin got on the horse and said: "Don't worry, my lord. Doesn't the fact that you gave me this horse herald my success? Su Jin will definitely not disappoint you. Wait for my good news."

Yan Shu smiled and said, "I hope so, I hope you return in triumph."

At the next morning, the team had assembled. In order to avoid too much noise, Yan Shu and others did not come to see him off. Su Jin led two hundred horse troops to escort a car with the curtain hanging down, and drove away from the east gate.