A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 683 Desperate

Chang'an, Daozhengfang.

Hou Junji Mansion.

Shi Siming had been sitting in the front garden hall for a long time, and the pot of tea had already become cold.

No one paid any attention.

Shi Siming sat there uneasily. As soon as he came today, he felt that the atmosphere was not right. He was only greeted by a small steward, and the tea served was only high-quality tea.

He tasted it at once. This was high-quality Longquan jade from the Wu family. It only sold for a penny or a tael, and was generally used as tea for guests in small shops.

Wait,
Wait quietly,

I don’t know how long I have been waiting, but I don’t dare to neglect at all.

Finally, someone came in.

"The Prime Minister is free, come with me." A young maid came over and said,

Shi Siming hurriedly followed and went all the way to another courtyard and was led into the flower hall.

"The young man pays his respects to the Prime Minister."

Hou Junji looked up at him and said coldly, "Shi Siming, do you still remember what you told me when you came here last time?"

"The little one deserves to be damned, the little one is incompetent."

"Tell me, why is there no movement?"

"It's not that I'm not trying my best, but that Prime Minister Wu has already noticed it. I suspect that Prime Minister Wu is waiting for us to fall into a trap."

Hou Junji stared.

"You keep telling me this and that, and now this is the result?"

As he spoke, he picked up a scroll and shook it in his hand, "Do you know what this is?"

"This is the Sabao of the fifth rank in Shiliu that I got specially for you. If you get this petition, you will be the leader of the Sogdian merchant group in Chang'an, Sabao. The fifth rank of Shiren can be specially given to you. Scarlet Silver,"

Shi Siming couldn't help but widen his eyes when he looked at the scroll. He couldn't help but swallow his throat, and his heart was beating fiercely.

Chang'an Sabao.

Take the five qualities seriously,

Although this visual grade is still very different from the official grade of the imperial court, Shi Siming really wants to be the Chang'an Sabao.

Even if it is no longer comparable to the Wude Dynasty, the power of the capital city Sabao and the Zhuzhou Sabao during the Wude Dynasty was still very great. They were appointed by the court and could exercise power over Sogdian Hu within their jurisdiction. Even the Zhuzhou Sabao could The person who opened the mansion not only had three types of officials under him: Yuozheng, Shuaifu, and Fushi, but the Sabao Shuaifu was a military attache who could take charge of the Sogdian warriors. There were also military commanders, special generals, etc.

However, in the Zhenguan Dynasty, the court was now strict on the control of Sogdian Hu. Now, except for Liuhu Prefecture, which was under the Han governor, and had Sogdian Hu's Sabao with real power, the other places in the Tang Dynasty had only one Sabao. It's just a nominal title, at most equivalent to the head of the Sogdian Chamber of Commerce.

The Sogdian Hu in the interior now have no autonomy, and are all under the management of local governments. These Sabaos are responsible for assisting the government in managing the Sogdians, but they have no autonomy, let alone judicial power, taxation, and military control.

Chang'an Sabao also became the president of the Sogdian Hu merchants in Chang'an, but he was also the leader of the Sogdian Hu merchants after all. Shi Siming still wanted this official title awarded by the court, not to mention that he was a fifth-level official. Give him a scarlet robe and silver fish, and he immediately becomes much nobler.

Hou Junji shook his head and pressed the Chang'an security guard letter that Shi Siming was so excited about on the table, "I treat you well, and I went to great lengths to get you this security guard position, but you don't know how to cherish it at all. , you can't handle even the smallest things."

Shi Siming knelt down directly.

"Mr. Hou will give Xiao Xiao another chance,"

"Didn't you say that things can't be done?"

Shi Siming gritted his teeth, "In Sanyuan, I have already brought together several concubines of Wu Xiangguo's father and his brothers, and even established a relationship with the two young masters of Zhou Guogong's family."

He had sensed the danger keenly and suspected that Wu Huaiyu had been preparing to wait for them to cause trouble, so he did not move. But now that Hou Junji was angry and tempted by Chang'an Sabao, he decided to take the risk and try it. Even if Wu Huaiyu was prepared, then When he arrived, he pushed the Wu family to the front.

After hearing this, Hou Junji turned from anger to joy.

"This method has been available for a long time, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"You can handle it with confidence and boldness. The more noisy it is, the better. The truth is that I hope Wu Huaiyu will intervene. No matter how he controls it, I will have something to take advantage of."

With that said, Hou Junji handed him the petition and said, "Take it. From now on, you will be the Sabao of Chang'an. According to the rules, you can open a mansion and appoint your own Sabao officials. From now on, all the people in Chang'an will The Ao Temple and the Sogdian Hu merchants will all be managed by your assistance."

Wu Huaiyu tried the new method in Sanyuan, and it was done with great fanfare. The emperor praised it, but Hou Junji felt very uncomfortable.

Shi Siming happily took it and thanked him repeatedly.

"I heard that Hou Xiangguo is about to lead an army to the west?"

"You are well-informed. This matter is still under discussion and has not been decided yet." Hou Junji said, but he looked quite proud. He felt that the matter was close to home.

"Congratulations to Prime Minister Hou. When Prime Minister Hou goes on an expedition, I am willing to arrange for my son to be my guide."

"Well, we'll talk about it then. Go ahead and let me take care of things this time. I won't let you lose."

Shi Siming did not leave in a hurry, but took out the gift list that he had prepared long ago from his sleeve. There were beautiful jade from Khotan from the Western Regions, Persian Sassanid gold and silver coins, Gaochang white folded cloth and wine, Orchid beauty, and Pepper spices, as well as some farms, slaves from Gyeonggi, and famous Dawan horses sold from Kang.

This gift list is valuable, but this gift was not given by Shi Siming alone, but by many Sogdian Hu merchants, just to enjoy the shade under the big tree.

Hou Junji took the list and read it carefully, and was very satisfied with the gift.

······
South of the city, Qujiang.

Wu Huaiyu came to Qujiang after accompanying the children of Liyuan Shantang to see elephants, pandas, etc. at Wujia Zoo in Xuanyangfang.
Due to the expansion of the scale of the Wu family's clan academy and the increase in students, it moved to Qujiang, further south, where a new clan academy covering a large area was built and named Wu clan's Qujiang Academy.

Qujiang Academy is mainly composed of brothers from various houses of the Wu family in Bingzhou, and it also accepts some relatives and children who are close to the Wu family. In recent years, the Wu family has paid special attention to family studies, and Wu Huaiyu has invited many famous scholars. Even brothers such as Xueshi Wang and Brother Laiji came to the clan school as visiting professors and often gave lectures. Even great scholars from the Imperial College such as Kong Yingda and Lu Deming could occasionally be invited.
Coupled with the closed and strict boarding system of the Wu family, Qujiang Academy has now become a famous aristocratic school in Chang'an. The teaching conditions here are good and the teachers are strong. They not only teach classics and history, but also teach horse riding, driving, and archery. , music, fencing, painting, calligraphy, etc.,
The school adopts the promotion and supplementation method, which is divided into outer house, inner house and upper house. However, it is quite different from the three houses of the Imperial College.
Students must pass a placement test for admission and are divided into outer houses, inner houses and upper houses according to their scores. In fact, they are junior classes, intermediate classes and advanced classes.
After the classes are divided, each dormitory actually has a three-year academic system, and there is an exam every year. For example, those who pass the grade in the dormitory class after one year will be promoted to the second grade in the dormitory, and those who do not pass the grade will continue to study in the first grade in the dormitory. If it's really bad, you might be asked to quit.

The complete academic system of Qujiang Academy is nine years, with three houses, each lasting three years. Compared with many family private schools and family schools, it is just a pot of mess, and the current students of Wu's Qujiang Academy are There are many teachers, so it is impossible to teach both large and small students at the same time.

Not only must they be divided into classes, but also by age.

Even the courses are very different from those outside.

Over the past few years, the Wu family school has become quite famous. Not only the Wu family has sent their children, but also many relatives have come to join the school.

There is only one day off every ten days of the month and three days off per month. During the rest of the time, students are not allowed to leave the school, and they are not allowed to bring bookboys or servants into the school. This strict closed management is still recognized by many people, and they all hope that the children can learn well. thing.

Wu Huaiyu's third younger brother, chubby Wu Huailiang, studied in Class [-] of the inner house of Qujiang Academy. His classmates were Heiwa Hou Sansheng and Wu Maowu Sansi.

It has been quite hard for the little fat boy to study in the past few years. The school has closed teaching and only has one day off every ten days. There are only a few major holidays such as New Year's Day, Qingming, Winter Solstice, Mid-Autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, etc. The school will have holidays. Otherwise, you can only wait until the winter. It's summer vacation.

Winter and summer vacations are only one month each, and the upper and lower semesters are five months each.

Since the clan school moved to Qujiang, few Huaiyu came.

Today is not a holiday. When you walk into the school, you can hear the sound of reading aloud.
Before get out of class ended, Huaiyu walked around under the leadership of the school teacher. This school was a clan school, and the main sponsors were the samurai Xunwu Huaiyu and the others. However, there were also donations from many other nobles, most of whom had children studying here. Or someone with a good relationship with the Wu family.

The school not only covers a large campus area, but also has three thousand acres of academic land under its name, which were donated by the Wu family, other Wu family members, and the parents of other students.

The campus is large and well-built. It feels like a garden. Classrooms, dormitories, kitchens, restaurants, warehouses, etc. are divided very reasonably. There are many flowers, plants and trees in the school, and it is also very clean.

The students' three meals a day are very nutritious.

There is even a large library in the school, and there is also a grocery store on campus that supplies some daily necessities and school supplies.

There are large playgrounds, football fields and polo fields, as well as archery fields, racecourses, etc.
A rich school, aristocratic school, or ordinary school would not have polo classes, equestrian classes, archery classes, etc. The cost of raising a horse is much higher than the cost of raising a person.

I turned around and was quite satisfied.

There is also a forest of steles in the school, with many steles in it, such as the list of donations of money, grain, fields and materials over the years, the list of outstanding students in the annual student exams, and even some good poems and articles written by students will be engraved and retained. .

The bell rang, and the last class of the afternoon ended.

Students walked out of the classroom one after another,
The campus suddenly became noisy,

Students wearing school uniforms with white Confucian shirts are filled with youthful enthusiasm.

"Third brother, this."

"Second brother, why are you here?"

Wu Huailiang is no longer fat now, and has grown a lot taller. He looks a bit like Huaiyu. When brothers meet, they call each other brother. Wu Huailiang is very happy to see Huaiyu coming. His companions Hou Sansheng and Wu Sansi come to see the ceremony together. These two are older. The boy grew taller.

Everyone was patted on the shoulder a few times, and they were all very strong. It seemed that although the school was strict, several people did not delay their exercise while studying.

"I have grown taller again, and my beard has grown out a little. I am now half a young man." Huaiyu invited the three of them to eat together.

The food in the school cafeteria is pretty good. Staples and soups are provided free of charge, but you have to pay for the dishes. If you order one meat and two vegetarian dishes, it's actually not expensive, and even the monthly food subsidy is enough.

Of course, if you want to open a small stove and add some delicious food, you can do it, but you will have to pay extra for this.

"Whatever you want to eat, I'll treat you to it."

"Let's just get some food from the cafeteria. There is a polo match today. We have a polo team in Class A, Grade [-], and we have to play against Class B," Huai Liang said.

"How are you playing polo now?"

Huailiang said that he, Hou Sansheng and Wu Sansi are all the main players of the Neishe Grade [-] Class A polo team, and their polo skills are even among the best in the school.
Wu Huaiyu supports the fact that they like to play polo. They need to read books, but they can also learn music, chess, calligraphy, painting, horseback riding, fencing and even playing polo.
The ancients all talked about the six arts of a gentleman, so how could this noble boy just study behind closed doors like a boy from a poor family?

"Okay, eat whatever you want. I'll take a good look at your game later and give you some pointers."

Huai Liang, the little fat man who was no longer fat, said, "My second brother's polo team has won the Chang'an Polo League for three consecutive years. With my brother helping guide our class polo team, we will definitely be invincible." Maybe we can even compete with the polo team in the dormitory.”

"Invite all members of your class team to come and have dinner together, and I'll teach you some tricks for the polo match." Huaiyu said with a smile.
The little fat man immediately went with Heiwa and Wumao to call the people from the same class team to come over.

Looking at these energetic young people, they are so carefree and even a little enviable.

He felt that Huai Liang was doing really well in school now. Even Hei Wa, the former son of the Qu family of the Wu family, and Wumao, the former son of a slave of the Wu family, were now wearing Confucian shirts, but they could not see the slightest bit of their former humility. The faces of these two young men All youth and confidence.

I have to say that the atmosphere in this small closed environment in Qujiang Academy is quite good. Although there are aristocratic children here and some relatives who are affiliated with the school and have average family backgrounds, the relationship between everyone and classmates seems to be pretty good.

Even though they are all boys, I still feel a little regretful. After all, due to the limitations of the times, it is impossible for girls to study together. Even if it is a Duke's family, the most they can do is ask a teacher to educate their daughters at home.

After graduating from the third grade of the Wu clan's Qujiang Academy last year, many outstanding students were able to enter the Imperial College to study. Some even participated in the scientific examination directly after being recommended by the village tribute, and they won two of them.

The Imperial College is the highest institution of higher learning in the Tang Dynasty. It mainly recruits children of noble officials and officials. It also recruits some children of chiefs of the Fanhu tribe or children of nobles from vassal countries to study abroad. Of course, it also recruits some children of common people.

It’s just that the children of noble officials are admitted according to the official status of their fathers, ancestors and brothers. If the children of common people want to enter the Imperial Academy, they must have excellent academic performance and get a letter of recommendation. This letter of recommendation usually requires the recommendation of the state governor or a doctor of state studies. ,

Of course, officials of the third rank or above in the imperial court, or nobles such as princes, can also recommend outstanding students.

In the Tang Dynasty, there was no money to buy the qualifications of supervisors, so the status of imperial supervisors was still quite high. Not only could they be recommended to take the imperial examination, but they could also often become officials directly.

Nowadays, there is no difference between the outstanding students of Qujiang Academy and the students of the Imperial College, except that the Imperial College has a greater reputation and higher gold content.

After all, Qujiang Academy was still a private school, and its graduates did not have officially recognized qualifications. Wu Huaiyu thought that maybe it should be put into operation again to see if it could be officially certified by the court.

"Brother, I've called all the classmates from our team here. Please give us some tips." The little fat man came over with a group of classmates.

"Okay, I'll teach you a few tricks,"

(End of this chapter)