Take the farm down to earth

Chapter 168 Cunning as a Fox
Seeing Yingchun holding his arm tightly, Shi Zhongkui smiled and shook his head, wanting to comfort him, but felt that it would be better to do it directly than to say it.

Bowing her head and kissing her sweet wife's lips, Yingchun really didn't have the heart to think about anything else.

At about three o'clock in the morning on the second day, Shi Zhongkui stood in the middle of the room wearing his underwear, and let Yingchun, Hu Po and Pearl help him put on his official uniform.

In ancient times, court meetings were usually held every five or ten days, but when it comes to diligent emperors, they go to court every day.

This is a pain for the courtiers.

The emperor went to court at five o'clock, that is, from three to five o'clock in the morning, but even if the ministers lived in the second ring road, they basically had to get up at two or three o'clock.

If you live far away, you have to get up at 12 o'clock in the middle of the night to get ready.

It's okay in summer, but it's uncomfortable in winter.

And in order to prevent fire, basically go in the dark.

Fortunately, there are too many officials in the capital, and there can only be a few dozen courtiers standing in the Golden Luan Hall, so except for the Grand Court Meeting in the first year of junior high school, the officials below the third rank don't have to stand stupidly on the square outside the Golden Hall every day like the Ming Dynasty.

After Shi Zhongkui was dressed, he put his arms around Yingchun and said, "Madam worked hard last night, go back and get some sleep, and there are no parents-in-law at home, so there is no need to pay too much attention to common etiquette."

"That's not okay." Yingchun quickly shook her head, "It will be laughed at if it spreads out, and if grandma finds out, she will send someone to punish my concubine."

Shi Zhongkui smiled and said, "No matter how polite the old lady is, she can't take care of our family affairs for her husband. Besides, what can outsiders say if my husband says my wife is virtuous and courteous?"

Yingchun rolled Shi Zhongkui's eyes, but felt as happy as drinking honey.

Being dragged back to the bed by Shi Zhongkui, watching him help him cover himself with the quilt, his heart almost melted.

And it was true that Shi Zhongkui was tormenting him enough last night. Not long after Shi Zhongkui left, his body gradually warmed up and he began to feel sleepy.

Because Shi Zhongkui has been serving as an imperial envoy before, and because he has the status of practicing calligraphy, he can be exempted if he can, and it is actually the first time to participate in the court meeting.

When he arrived, the Meridian Gate was already full of people.

After seeing him, these first-rank, second-rank, and third-rank civil and military and princes couldn't help being curious.

Afterwards, some people thought that Shi Zhongkui's participation in the court meeting might just be looking for trouble.

But Shi Zhongkui would not fool himself into trouble.

After standing outside the hall for more than two hours, he heard the eunuch shouting "Retire without incident", then he stood up and shouted, "Chen Hanlin Academy Attendant Bachelor, Zhan Shifu Zuo Shuzi has something to play."

Although Shi Zhongkui was standing outside the hall, the emperor already knew that he was coming, and when he heard that it was him who was talking, he hurriedly said "Zhunzuo".

Seeing Shi Zhongkui walking quickly into the Golden Luan Hall, the emperor said first, "Shi Aiqing is the number one leader of the Six Yuan Dynasty throughout the ages, and also served as a bachelor in the Imperial Academy, enough to be my Ziwei Sheren."

Shi Zhongkui was stunned. Ziwei Sheren was actually Zhongshu Sheren. Although his official position was only from the seventh rank, he was responsible for writing imperial edicts, imperial edicts, silver books, iron certificates, etc.

The official position is not big, but the power is very big.

In name, he was just an edict, but he followed the emperor every day, and anyone with a little brain would not offend him.

That's why the Xue family was able to rank among the four major families in Jinling with their official status from the seventh rank.

Before Shi Zhongkui himself refused, someone stood up and opposed, and the words were fierce, and it was almost said that if Shi Zhongkui accepted it, he would be a lucky minister.

Shi Zhongkui himself actually didn't want to be by the emperor's side every day, besides a lot of bad things, what's more, he didn't want to be involved in court disputes.

When I had to take the Jinshi examination, in addition to enjoying the power brought by being an official, I wanted to protect myself more.

Now to get what you want, the goal is of course merit and enjoyment.

And I don't lack the opportunity to make meritorious service, "Your Majesty, here is a book about the trade between the dynasty and the grassland."

After finishing speaking, without waiting for the senior officials of the third rank and above present, the nobles of the clan and the emperor to open their mouths, they directly listed the information collected by the City God System and the Land God.

Some people heard the problem halfway through.

After all, compared to previous years, and the number of transactions with Grassland in the first half of this year, the number of transactions has dropped by 7 levels in the past half month, which is problematic no matter how you look at it.

But Shi Zhongkui didn't talk about sheepskins, mink skins, live sheep, timber and other goods, but just talked about medicinal materials, wolf hair pens and Dongzhu, which would be very interesting.

"Master Shi, do you mean that a big change happened on the grassland?"

These words seemed okay, but Shi Zhongkui knew that if he answered, he would definitely fall into the pit.

Not to mention where he got the information from, but he is neither the censor, nor the official of the Ministry of Rites and the Siyi Pavilion.Concerned about the affairs of other countries, to put it lightly is to meddle in their own business, but to say the most important, it has ulterior motives.

So Shi Zhongkui completely ignored the Beijing County King Shui Rong who spoke just now, and saluted the emperor, "Your Majesty, I am in charge of the Book Office of the Imperial Academy, and I am also the chief steward of the Imperial Academy.

There are fewer wolf hairs on the grassland, which will inevitably affect the history and book editing work of the Imperial Academy. I also ask Your Majesty to order a batch of wolf hair brushes from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

And the minister is also the left concubine of Zhan Shifu, and the crown prince has not yet been established, so he is naturally responsible for assisting the queen in all kinds of income in the palace.

In the past, Dongzhu and ginseng were purchased from the north. Since there are fewer Dongzhu and medicinal materials on the grassland, I suggest strengthening exchanges with the Korean court. "

The people present were almost shocked by Shi Zhongkui's words.

Shui Rong couldn't get angry even if he wanted to.

There are so many things I said before, just to find a batch of brushes from the emperor?
Also, sharing worries for the queen has nothing to do with you, the left concubine of Zhan Shifu.

But soon the censor came out and said, "The crown prince has not yet been established, according to the practice of previous dynasties and the precedent of this dynasty, Zhan Shifu is indeed responsible for sharing the worries of the empress.

After all, it is the queen's responsibility to raise and teach the prince.

Since the queen also wants to teach the princes, why not Zhan Shifu share the queen's worries? "

Not to mention ministers, even the emperor was stunned by this explanation.

Although the censor's rank is not high, but every court meeting, the officials of the censor and the six subjects are absolutely indispensable.

Everyone quickly realized that the Langhao, Dongzhu, medicinal materials, and assisting the queen were all excuses.

Shi Zhongkui was nothing more than reminding everyone that there was an accident on the grassland, but he was worried that someone would make trouble for him, and even use it to attack himself.

This is not the performance that a rookie in his 20s who has only been an official for three months should have. He is simply an old official who has been an official for many years.

Then someone sighed in his heart, it seems that people who can hit six yuan in a row are indeed much, much better than ordinary people.

Just this aspect of being a human being and being wise and protecting one's life will crush all Jinshi in Jinke.

The emperor asked a little funny, "Is it really just for this that Ai Qing went to court today?"

Shi Zhongkui immediately put on a surprised expression, "Your Majesty, I'm just a junior fifth-rank official who doesn't pay attention to his own duties, so is it possible that he has the right to take care of other things?

Besides, the queen empress is the head of the harem, not only helping His Majesty share the affairs of the harem, but also taking on the responsibility of raising and teaching the prince.

It is not an exaggeration to say that it is related to the fate of the Great Zhou, I really don't think it is a trivial matter. "

After finishing speaking, he rolled his eyes at Shui Rong who had just dug a hole for himself.

When Shi Zhongkui spoke, most of the ministers were looking at him, and of course they could notice his gaze.

Some were quick to smile, and some almost laughed outright.

When Shui Rong asked just now, he was clearly asking why Shi Zhongkui knew something had happened on the grassland, but secretly he meant to find fault.

Now Shi Zhongkui has found enough reasons to prove to himself that Lao Tzu can take care of him, which is like a slap in the face.

And helping the queen to share the affairs outside the palace, the queen will have more time to teach and raise the prince.

If Shui Rong dared to say 'no', someone would definitely have something wrong with him.

Not to mention that the censor in the palace stood up to speak for Shi Zhongkui today, all fools knew that there must be a group of people in the inspectorate who would help him.

Being targeted by a group of censors, Shui Rong will have a hard time in the future.

Although the emperor was very willing to see courtiers like Shui Rong and other four county kings with foreign surnames, he still had to protect the face of Shui Rong and others.

"Aiqing's loyalty is commendable, and I have approved what I have said. I will deepen the exchanges between the Ministry of Rites and the Guest Department of the Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple."

After finishing speaking, he looked at Shi Zhongkui and said, "If Aiqing has nothing else to do, feel free to report it to the Queen."

Shi Zhongkui smiled slightly, and immediately agreed, took three steps back, turned around and left.

After he left for a long time, the emperor realized that he was talking about making Shi Zhongkui Ziwei Sheren just now.

Now that he is gone, if he mentions it again, the firepower of those opposing courtiers will be directed at him.

He secretly scolded Shi Zhongkui for being slippery, but when he thought of Shi Zhongkui rushing to see the queen, it seemed that he was no worse than naming him Ziwei Sheren.

There is the Supreme Emperor pressing down on it, and there are many courtiers leaning on the Supreme Emperor in the court, so the relationship between the emperor and the queen is called a good one.

It's even a bit like a comrade-in-arms in the pit.

If Shi Zhongkui can help the queen, it will definitely be a good thing for the queen to manage the harem.

In addition, when Shi Zhongkui mentioned that he was the left concubine of Zhan Shifu, the emperor also fainted, and asked him to teach the prince's mind.

There must be nothing wrong with this guy's knowledge. What's more, Shi Zhongkui is astute enough and understands the principles of being wise and protecting one's life.

This kind of minister taught the prince, and the disciples he taught would not be righteous, but they would certainly not be foolishly used by others.

Of course, if the Supreme Emperor is not present, the emperor will not be concerned about keeping it.

But these years, the emperor was under heavy pressure, and he did have the worry that if one day he died of illness, leaving his youngest son unable to cope with the court situation, or even being replaced by the Supreme Emperor with other princes to ascend the throne.

But when he thought of Shi Zhongkui's reminder that there was a big change in the grassland, the emperor temporarily suppressed his thoughts.

Not to mention busy ordering people to investigate, even the Embroidered Clothes Guard dispatched several teams to leave the customs quickly.

When Shi Zhongkui went to see the queen, of course there were eunuchs watching, and then the news spread throughout the harem.

After Jia Yuanchun found out, it was a surprise and worry.

The joy is that once my brother-in-law is appreciated by the queen, my life in the harem will be much easier in the future.

The worry is that if the brother-in-law directly approaches the queen, then he will lose a boost.

But what everyone didn't expect was that the queen wanted to reward Shi Zhongkui, but this guy didn't appreciate it, and even scolded the queen.Hearing that the angry queen turned pale at the time.

But after being scolded, the queen had to get up and salute to admit her mistake.

Because what Shi Zhongkui was talking about was not about other things, but that the emperor was so diligent in governing, and there were more than 30 concubines in the harem, but the empress actually picked two talents for the emperor last month.

To be honest, Shi Zhongkui meant to be critical, not to choose a woman for the emperor, and some people would say that the empress is jealous.

Now that the emperor has chosen him, and if he is only talented, he will be lucky to see the emperor in a year or two.

But Shi Zhongkui used this point to scold the queen. Some people couldn't help but laugh at him as an invitation to gain a good reputation for himself.

But Shihlin and Yanguan would never say that. These officials who got promoted by swearing would only stand behind him and keep writing letters to find a sense of presence.

To some extent, officials represent Shilin.

Because in terms of swearing and finding fault, they are professional households.

No matter how good your knowledge is, if you can't scold others, you will lose the chance to speak.

Then it will be represented.

The reason why Shi Zhongkui did this was very simple, he was really afraid that the emperor would call him Ziwei Sheren.

The so-called companionship is like companionship, not just for fun.

I am even more afraid that the emperor will let himself teach the prince.Or one of his favorite princes.

Considering the risks, if you are depressed, you must fight hard.

But my own situation is just the opposite, so I must be safe.

After the emperor came to court, he heard that the empress had been scolded by his most valued courtier, so he hurried to Kunning Palace.

But when they arrived, they saw that the queen was not very angry, and even made people feel that the queen was regretting and regretting.

When the emperor asked curiously, he heard the queen say, "Your Majesty, the concubine must have followed Liu Yuangong's way, and was deceived by him, so that he was scolded and suffered a lot."

Xia Shouzhong subconsciously raised his head to look at the queen, he had suffered a lot from Shi Zhongkui before.

Unexpectedly, this guy even dared to plot against the Queen.

"Why is this?"

The queen said helplessly, "The concubine wanted to take advantage of the concubine Yuan's relationship to win over Shi Boqian to find a good teacher for the three princes. But I didn't expect that Liu Yuangong would talk well at the beginning, and before he left, he suddenly said something. It's not that he piles up courtiers and concubines.

Now that I think about it carefully, Duke Liu Yuan probably doesn't want to get involved in the affairs of the harem, let alone get in touch with the princes at this time. "

Hearing this, the emperor couldn't help laughing.

The queen's words could only be half believed at most, but Shi Zhongkui pissed off the queen this time, and the emperor didn't feel angry at all.

The authority of the master of the harem should indeed be maintained, but the queen must not be given too much power.

Even occasional courtiers scolding the queen can wake her up.

Besides, Shi Zhongkui's reason really made it impossible for him to fight back.

After all, the leader of Liuyuan, a model scholar in the world, said clearly that the emperor was diligent in governing. Before Shi Zhongkui did not lose his virtue, scholars all over the world could believe it or not.

"I don't know, the queen, in the hall today, my number one scholar blushed with embarrassment, but did he have any reason and way to refute it?"

Then he looked at Xia Shouzhong again, "Besides, Xia Bianbang has suffered losses several times, and he dare not pay back until now."

(End of this chapter)