The Happy Life of Small Officials in Northern Song Dynasty

All the officials went forward to meet them, and someone cupped their hands and asked, "Master Sansi, isn't Special Envoy Su here? Didn't you just say that you have reached the door?"

Yan Shu glanced at Su Jin, laughed loudly and said, "It's far away in the sky, but close in front of you, isn't it?"

All the officials were in an uproar. They never thought that this snow-white and tender young man was actually Su Jin. Some of them were sweating on their shameful faces with nasty thoughts. Fortunately, they were just thinking about it in their hearts. Offended, that would be a big joke. . .

"Sure enough, this one is Special Envoy Su. Seeing the figure of Special Envoy Su from a distance, the old man feels that he is very unusual. His Excellency Special Envoy walks swiftly, has the posture of a dragon and a tiger, and has a magnificent appearance, which is different from ordinary people; Sure enough, it is really Special Envoy Su, it seems that the old man's old eyes are not yet dim, and he has been looking up to him for a long time."

All the officials rolled their eyes, this sycophant was really blatant and disgusting, especially when the speaker asked Yan Sansi in a low voice why he didn't bring Special Envoy Su in;

Su Jin hurriedly cupped his hands and said with a smile: "This lord is absurd, but I'm just a grassroots person. How can I afford such a compliment? Wouldn't it be a joke to spread it?"

"It's worthy, it's worthy. The Soviet special envoy, a young hero, has completed the food business, wiped out the bandits and wiped out the officials in Huainan. This kind of credit can be afforded even if there are many praises. Don't you think so? "The official raised his head and pretended to ask all the officials.

"Yes, yes, yes, a thousand can afford it, and 1 can afford it." Everyone echoed.

Su Jin chuckled and said, "My lord..."

Yan Shu reminded from the side: "This is Cai Zhijian from Zhongshumen's Jianyuan."

Su Jin smiled and said: "It turns out that it is Cai Zhijian, who has been admiring him for a long time."

The official blew on his beautiful beard and said with a chuckle: "It's easy to say, old man Cai Long."

"Cai Zhijian, I have been praised by you, but I am ashamed and dare not take it. If you give all the credit to me, don't you make me feel ashamed; in fact, if there is no opportunity for the third division to teach you in person and guide you in your actions, I, Su Jinhe De How could he be able to accomplish such a great event? So this praise should go to Yan Sansi."

When everyone heard this, they suddenly came to their senses. They all praised Su Jin in front of Yan Shu and attributed the credit to Su Jin. Where did they put Yan Shu?

Cai Long was secretly surprised. He was an old fritter who had been in the officialdom for many years. How could he not know that Yan Shu had the merit of recommending the general in the matter of grain affairs? If this person gets excited and brags about Yan Shu regardless of Yan Shu's feelings, then this person's future will come to an end.

No matter how meritorious and capable you are, you can only be brilliant at this moment. Although the emperor thinks highly of you at the moment, everything will return to normal when he turns around. Just because of this ignorant behavior, no one in the court will buy you account.

Yan Shu smiled and twisted his beard without saying a word. As soon as Cai Long opened his mouth, he knew that this guy had no good intentions. He was originally from Xianyou, Fujian Province. He was born as a Jinshi in the first year of Tiansheng. Song and others fought fiercely, and in the first year of Qingli, they were recommended by the two to join the center, and became a servant in the Zhengshitang.

Zhongshusheren is a fifth-rank official, and his usual duties are to serve as attendants, and to consult with others, but this Cai Long is good at seizing opportunities. After gaining the title of Sheren, he also found out the identity of Jianyuan, and he also had a place in the court.

As the name suggests, the people in the admonishment court are admonishing officials. Like Ouyang Xiu's Yushitai, they are a kind of supervisory organization. It is the lack of admonition to the government. It seems that the division of labor has different emphasis, but in recent years it has tended to be consistent, that is, both officials and the government can point fingers.

Especially for officials, the Court of Remonstrance, like Yushitai, can report on the basis of rumors without having to bear the consequences; Busy with the evidence, once it is verified, they will naturally take the credit, but if it is a false accusation, they don't need to be held accountable.

It is conceivable that officials of the DPRK and China have attitudes towards these two departments. Some hope to win them over to build a good relationship, while others keep them at a respectful distance.

For officials at Yan Shu's level, of course he would not be afraid of those people in Jianyuan and Yushitai. After the prime minister and the privy envoy, but in fact each has no attribution and restraint. The prime minister is in charge of government affairs; the privy secretary is in charge of military affairs, and the third department is in charge of finance. Only other officials will be targeted, and few dare to open fire on these three people.

Therefore, when Cai Long came to Yan Shu's mansion, Yan Shu didn't feel much at all, but this Cai Long, he keenly sensed that the Political Affairs Hall and the Privy Council didn't like this Su Jin very much, so he spontaneously wanted to create something between Yan Shu and Su Jin. When the incident happened, no one knew that Su Jin was obedient and shrewd, making his plan go bankrupt.

"Cai Zhijian, Special Envoy Su doesn't know much about official affairs. You are all old people who have been rolling around in officialdom, so don't bully him." Yan Shu said with a smile on his face.

"As for Su Jin's claim that the credit goes to the old man, the old man is ashamed. The old man is only performing his own duties. If the old man and Special Envoy Su have made achievements in the matter of grain affairs, it is all thanks to the Holy One; the wise eye of the Holy One Unique, dare to promote Special Envoy Su to take up important tasks, this vision and courage, this old man admires him all over."

"Yes, yes, what Yan Sansi said is very true. My emperor is benevolent and righteous, and I am an unrivaled emperor. Having such an emperor is the blessing of my subjects and the people of the Great Song Dynasty." Cai Long saw the wind. The ability to steer the rudder is top-notch, and there is no embarrassment on his face.

"If you want me to say, one is indispensable." One person laughed loudly: "The Holy One is as insightful as a torch. It is appropriate to employ people, the Lord of the Third Division is in charge of the right people, and the Special Envoy of the Soviet Union is brave enough to shoulder heavy burdens and overcome obstacles. That's why the food affairs are handled together. Properly posted, this matter is a model of government affairs in the Great Song Dynasty, a typical act of the monarch and his ministers working together to overcome difficulties and dangers, and the officials believe that it will definitely become a good story for future generations."

Yan Shu laughed loudly, pointed at the man and said with a smile: "Huang Shilang is worthy of being the leader of the etiquette department, he speaks in an orderly manner, and we are confused about things, Huang Shilang's words are right, I admire it."

The person who spoke was Huang Wei, the Minister of Rites, a burly white-faced scholar. He and Fu Bi were good friends. He had long heard that Fu Bi was talking about Su Jin. Say something.

Huang Wei said with a smile: "Master Sansi made fun of you. Lord Sansi and Special Envoy Su have made great achievements. Tomorrow the emperor will reward you. Aren't we here today just to have fun and have a drink? As for the matter of meritorious service Your Majesty has a steelyard in his heart, so what's the use of us talking here?"

Yan Shu laughed loudly and said: "What a straightforward personality, no wonder people call him 'Zi Xing Zi Huang', I learned the lesson today, what you said is right, what you said is good, the food is on the table, and the wine is ready, we should sit in and drink together. How can I stand here with sore waist and back pain; come, come, everyone, follow me to the table."

All the officials applauded loudly and followed Yan Shu into the hall.

But seeing two large mahogany tables on the top, the neatly dressed maids of the Yan Mansion were serving the wine, the delicious food on the table was full of aromas, and there were all kinds of delicacies. The banquet took a lot of thought.

Su Jin secretly smacked her tongue, saying that Yan Shu likes extravagance and loves banquets, and seeing him today really deserves his reputation; the dishes are nothing more than that, just looking at the dishes and tableware on the table is already amazing.

Gold plates and silver bowls carved pots, hairpin gold small spoons and five-petal cups, tooth chopsticks and jade cups are not beautiful enough, and glazed purple bottles are wrapped in luxuriant plants. (Note 1)

After some pushback and politeness from the crowd, the seats were arranged one by one. The maids dressed like butterflies filled the celadon five-petal lotus silk-wrapped wine cups in front of everyone with fine wine. The Chinese are drunk.

"Master Sansi, this wine..." Sun Fu, who is fond of drinking, said directly, wrinkling his nose.

Yan Shu chuckled and said, "Mr. Sun, have you ever drank this wine?"

Sun Fu lowered his nose, sniffed and shook his graying head, and said: "Never before, this wine looks like the color of honey, and it is clear and viscous, with a strong taste and floral aroma, it must be extraordinary. "

Yan Shu laughed and said, "May I ask where the restaurant is, and the shepherd boy points to Xinghua Village."

Sun Fu shouted: "So it's Xinghuacun wine? Didn't it mean that the original brewing method of this wine has long been lost? Where did you find it?"

Yan Shu said: "Everything depends on those who have a heart. The old man sent people to investigate. Last year, he learned that the Xinghua Village that Xiao Du mentioned was in Chizhou Prefecture, so he sent people to go, and finally found the descendants of the Xinghua Restaurant. Bringing it into Fuzhong to specialize in brewing wine, Mr. Sun is very lucky."

Everyone was dumbfounded. People like Yan Shu who were addicted to alcohol were everywhere in the court. The most famous one was Shi Manqing, a doctor of Guanglu who had just passed away in the first year of his personal life.

This gentleman is addicted to alcohol, he drinks alcohol every day and every meal, and he can drink a thousand glasses without getting drunk. He and Yan Shu are also close friends in the country of wine; it is a pity that Renzong Zhao Zhen cherishes his body and persuades him to quit drinking. Shi Manqing also listened to Zhao Zhen's words and quit drinking. Unexpectedly, after a few days of quitting drinking, the gentleman felt unwell, and then died of terminal illness. Zhao Zhen regretted it to death. His life has done bad things with good intentions.

Even someone like Shi Manqing just likes to drink, and he doesn't care whether it's good or bad; while Yan Shu doesn't drink anything but good wine, no, in order to drink this Xinghua Village wine, he actually spent several years of research, and finally found the following It is incredible that people brewed this wine.

This move is more like Qu Yang, a folk musician, who dug more than ten ancient tombs of the Western Han Dynasty in order to obtain the score of "Guangling San" by Yi Shi, and finally obtained the funeral score from Ji Kang's tomb. Act of.

Note 1: The poem is original, Fang Jia Mo Xiao.