I studied in modern times

Chapter 825 Cai Jing: I want to be a good official!
In the side hall of Funing Palace, Zhao Xu ate his lunch slowly and leisurely.

On one side of the hall, Cai Jing was also lowering his head, eating the meal that was given to him.

Both the king and his minister remained silent and just ate quietly.

No words are spoken when eating, and no words are spoken when sleeping.

This is basic etiquette.

Fortunately, after Feng Jing's adjustment and reform, the imperial chefs in the palace now prepare meals that taste as good as the takeout from Sunjia Shaozhupu in Bianjing City.

You ask how Zhao Xu knew that?
Because he had eaten the takeaway from Sunjiashaozhupu!
Today's lunch, as usual, consists of three dishes and one soup. In addition, according to Zhao Xu's request, there is a combination of meat and vegetables, including meat, vegetables and river fish, and the soup is the Song Dynasty's special meat porridge soup.

This soup is considered the ancestor of modern Hu La Tang.

Add pepper to minced meat to remove the fishy smell and enhance the flavor, then mix in spices such as ginger and cinnamon.

The broth cooked in this way can refresh the mind, help digestion and sober up. The imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau said that it even has the health-preserving effect of soothing the liver and invigorating the spleen.

In terms of taste, it is not much different from the Hu La Tang that Zhao Xu has eaten in modern times. It may even taste better and be healthier.

After all, both meat and spices are purely natural, without any pollution or technological innovation.

Completely eat all the food in front of you.

Zhao Xu picked up the handkerchief, wiped his lips, and then looked at Cai Jing.

The meal he gave to Cai Jing also consisted of three dishes and one soup, but the standard was lowered.

For example, the meat porridge soup that Zhao Xu drank contained beef, while that of Cai Jing contained mutton.

It seems awkward, but it is politically correct.

When ministers dine with the emperor, of course they have to lower the standards.

This was not the first time Cai Jing had dined with Zhao Xu, so he knew the rules.

When Zhao Xu looked at him, all the food in front of him had been eaten.

Great disc action!

Seeing this, Zhao Xu asked, "Have you finished your meal?"

"Your Majesty, I have finished my meal!" Cai Jing wiped his lips and stood up to answer.

"Are you full?"

"Thank you for your care, Your Majesty. I am full now!"

"Good!" Zhao Xu nodded: "Then Cai Qing, please go with me to the Imperial Garden and talk about the affairs of Kaifeng Prefecture."

"promise!"

So Zhao Xu stood up, and accompanied by Feng Jing, who led the imperial guards, he led Cai Jing back to the imperial garden, and walked slowly along the corridor path formed by the green shade of trees.

Cai Jing followed closely behind Zhao Xu, with his head down, adapting to Zhao Xu's walking speed.

When they reached a swing woven with rattan in the middle corridor of the Imperial Garden, Zhao Xu waved his hand. Feng Jing understood what he meant and took his men to retreat around the swing.

Zhao Xu walked to the swing, sat on it, held onto the cane, and waved to Cai Jing: "Come closer and talk."

"promise!"

Cai Jing took two steps forward and stopped when he was three steps in front of Zhao Xu.

Zhao Xu looked at him and whispered, "I heard that some time ago, you signed a military order in front of Prime Minister Pu?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this is indeed the case!"

"In three months, we need to abolish the excessive tax in Kaifeng Prefecture, and rectify the clerks in the counties and towns within the prefecture..." Zhao Xu looked at him and said slowly, "My dear minister, you are under a lot of pressure!"

"I swear to die to spread your majesty's benevolent policies throughout Kaifeng Prefecture, so that the people of the prefecture will be blessed by your majesty's grace!" Cai Jing did not answer directly, but chose to bow.

Zhao Xu looked at Cai Jing who was lying in front of him, and said nothing more. He just nodded and said, "In that case, just go ahead and do it boldly!"

"I will fully support you so that you don't have to worry about anything!"

Cai Jing listened and bowed his head in gratitude, saying, "Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your grace. I will do my best to repay your majesty's trust!"

Thanks to Zhao Xu’s ancestors.

By now, the ministers of the Song Dynasty would be grateful as long as they could gain the trust of the emperor.

If one could be like Zhao Xu, he would be open-hearted to the ministers he appointed and even help them protect him from the wind and rain.

Then, the minister would be moved to tears!
Don’t think this is an exaggeration!
Quite the contrary, this is reality!
And reality is often more exaggerated than any novel or drama!
Because the reality is just a huge makeshift team!

Especially in the Song Dynasty!

Not to mention other things, how many loyal ministers did Ren Miao sell out just for the New Deals of Qingli?

However, everything has two sides!
Because Zhao Xu's ancestors, generation after generation, tirelessly sold ministers.

The ministers of the Song Dynasty have all been PUA'd. As long as the emperor gives them a certain degree of trust, they will automatically and consciously compare themselves with their predecessors who were sold out.

Then I came to the conclusion - 'I am really so happy'!
Even a pure political creature like Cai Jing was not immune to this.

Zhao Xu was enjoying the benefits of his ancestors with a clear conscience. Looking at Cai Jing who was grateful in front of him, he asked softly, "From what I have seen of Mr. Cai, I think you have already achieved your goal in governing the officials in the prefecture?"

Cai Jing bowed his head and kowtowed again: "Your Majesty, there is no greater wisdom than your majesty!"

"Yes!" Zhao Xu nodded: "Then let's do it!"

"Yes!" Cai Jing bowed again: "I will obey your command!"

The king and his minister did not discuss the details at all.

Each of them already knows the other's character.

Zhao Xu knew that Cai Jing was a purely political creature with no morals or stance at all.

As long as he can climb upwards, as long as he can make progress, he can become any shape!

Of course, because of Zhao Xu's preference, he could transform himself into the first minister in the Song Dynasty to advocate mercantilism!
At the very least, he can become the spokesperson for the merchant group in the court.

But Cai Jing knew that Zhao Xu never cared about the process, he only cared about the result!

As long as the result is right, no matter what the process is, it is all good.

If the result is wrong, it is useless no matter how right the process is!

At the same time, Emperor Zhao Xu's reputation is very good in Cai Jing's eyes!

Since he ascended the throne, anyone who worked for him would not be punished, even if they messed up.

Even if the crows of the Censorate keep biting him, he will firmly protect him to the end!
They even adopted the same posture as the Zhao officials in the past, protecting their relatives.

Typical examples are Qian Xie and Fan Bailu.

These two people are now regarded by the public opinion in the scholar-officials as - bastards! You betrayed the scholar-officials!

But Zhao Xu protected them all the way and helped them get promoted.

Qian Xie was appointed as a Hanlin scholar, while Fan Bailu became a Jieshi Zhong and was promoted to Longtu Pavilion Daizhi.

This is in stark contrast to the Zhao officials of the past!

Now, Cai Jing has been guaranteed by Zhao Xu.

He is naturally fearless!

……

After seeing Cai Jing off, Zhao Xu sat on the swing, closed his eyes, and swayed slowly. The summer noon breeze was a little hot.

After a while, Feng Jing stepped forward cautiously and asked, "Everyone, the weather is hot, do you want to go back to the palace?"

Zhao Xu shook his head: "I'll play for a while longer!"

Feng Jing immediately shut up and stood aside. After a long time, Zhao Xu got off the swing and told him, "Go back to the palace!"

"promise!"

Back in the study room of Funing Palace, Zhao Xu ordered people to open the doors and windows. Then he sat down at the desk and picked up Shi Deyi's report on the situations of the counties and towns in Kaifeng Prefecture that the patrol officers of the Investigation Division had investigated, visited and inquired about.

Nearly ten days had passed since Zhao Xu issued the decree to exempt the Kaifeng Prefecture from excessive taxes.

Kaifeng Prefecture posted the official notice and Zhao Xu's decree in all the county offices, towns and cities under its jurisdiction.

According to the reports of the patrol soldiers, in the first few days when the government orders and decrees were issued, the clerks in various places were indeed much more obedient.

Some people even actually carried out the government's orders.

But...soon, things began to change.

First, some clerks in less important counties and towns began to find excuses and reasons to extort money from traveling merchants.

When they found that these merchants dared not speak out and the government didn't seem to care.

These people are starting to get bolder!
Their behavior gradually became more outrageous.

Read more latest popular novels at 6.9*shuba!

By now, the Investigation Department reported that local clerks had already set up checkpoints again within the Kaifeng Prefecture.

This is easy to understand!
The world is huge, and eating is the biggest thing.

Live by the mountain, live by the water; live by the water, live by the water. The clerks in each town naturally make a living by relying on the local tax cards.

Extortion and blackmailing of traveling merchants is their biggest source of income.

Relying on this income, these people have been living a life of luxury.

Now, the court wants them to stop with just one order?

How can it be! ?
They will definitely find ways and use all means to go against the court!

So, all this is just Zhao Xu's imagination.

But the most interesting content in the report of the Investigation Bureau is not these.

Rather, it was the reaction from Kaifeng Prefecture led by Cai Jing.

There was no response!
In the past few days, some businessmen have filed complaints with the government.

When the local officials received the complaints, they did not dare to neglect them and reported them to Kaifeng Prefecture for approval.

And Cai Jing seemed to have not seen those reports.

This is so interesting!

Zhao Xu licked his tongue.

"It seems that Cai Jing doesn't want to give these clerks any chance to live!" Zhao Xu said softly.

There is a modern proverb: If God wants to destroy someone, he must first make him crazy.

The Art of War says: If you want to take it, you must first give it!
Zhao Xu recalled Cai Jing's behavior in front of him just now. He knew that Cai Jing was probably doing something like this.

Putting down the report in his hand, Zhao Xu turned to Feng Jing and instructed: "Feng Jing, go ask Shi Deyi to check whether Kaifeng Prefecture has held a large number of civil service examinations recently..."

As the Longfeibang imperial examination of the third year of Yuanyou approached, tribute students from all over the country and those students who had not been admitted by their own routes had no choice but to take the risk and go to Beijing to try their luck and see if they could be appreciated by important figures.

The number of students in the city of Bianjing was increasing day by day.

The corresponding thing is, of course, a sharp increase in rent!
The store and house business makes a lot of money!
In fact, most scholars are not rich people.

What's more, they have traveled thousands of miles to Beijing, so even if they have money, they can't bring much with them.

Therefore, those who come to Beijing in advance to prepare for the exam have to think about how to support themselves first after arriving in Beijing.

In order to have a place to live and three meals a day.

These people will have no choice.

In order to stay in Bianjing City, they were willing to do anything.

Not to mention taking the civil service exam.

In the past, there were even scholars who survived in the city of Bianliang by working as attendants or servants.

And these people are Cai Jing’s most useful cards now!

"No!" Feng Jing took the order and left.

……

Cai Jing rode a horse and returned to the Kaifeng government office surrounded by his followers.

His close confidant Zhou Bangyan had already brought his people to the government office, waiting in the command hall which was used exclusively for the Kaifeng prefect to hold meetings after leaving office.

Zhou Bangyan is a student of the Imperial College and also its leader. Now he is the principal of the Imperial College.

But starting this year, he spent less and less time in the Imperial College.

Because he got on Cai Jing's good side!
To be precise, he did not just cling to Cai Jing's patronage this year.

As early as the sixth year of Yuanfeng, he had already been appreciated by Cai Jing - at that time, Zhou Bangyan wrote the famous "Bianjing Fu".

The late emperor was delighted to see him and summoned him personally. He also ordered people to recite his "Fu of Bianjing" in the capital.

During this process, Zhou Bangyan met many people, including Cai Jing.

In the eighth year of Yuanfeng, the previous emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne. Cai Jing was given an important position because he had entered the new emperor's core circle.

Zhou Bangyan began to deliberately approach Cai Jing. Cai Jing also liked him very much and often met with him and chatted with him.

Zhou Bangyan was very happy, so he began to travel to Kaifeng Prefecture frequently.

Since the emperor visited the Imperial College last year, Lu Dian, who was in charge of the Imperial College, began to advocate that the students should participate more in politics and encouraged the top students to actively visit government offices to observe government affairs.

At the beginning of this year, Zhou Bangyan took the opportunity to come to Cai Jing in the name of observing politics.

"How about your Excellency entering the palace to meet the Emperor?" After entering the command hall, Zhou Bangyan closed the doors and windows, then bowed and asked.

Cai Jing sat down, drank a sip of tea, and said, "The Lord is a wise man, and has spoken with all his might. Please give me instructions and allow me to do what I see fit!"

Thinking back on what happened in the palace, Cai Jing couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

Although the young master is young, his shrewdness and thoughts are no less than those of an adult monarch. In some aspects, he is even more unpredictable than an adult monarch.

Fortunately, he always keeps his word.

Zhou Bangyan heard this and said happily: "Congratulations, Mr.

"With the young master's decree, there will be no more trouble for the Ming Mansion!"

Cai Jing nodded: "Good!"

"Meicheng can follow the previous deployment and launch slowly!"

Cai Jing raised his head, with a righteous look on his face: "This time, Meicheng and I will sweep away all the evildoers in Kaifeng Prefecture!"

"Give the people of Kaifeng a peaceful and prosperous world!"

"And give justice to the thousands of good and law-abiding merchants!"

As Cai Jing said this, he was full of pride!
He was even imagining that after this matter succeeded, the people would praise him, and people inside and outside Kaifeng would compare him to an honest and upright official like Bao Xiaosugong!

This made him feel ecstatic!
It also made him immersed in it and unable to extricate himself!

He recalled the time when he made all-out efforts to promote the Mulanpo project and was praised and eulogized by public opinion and the people all over the world.

That was the highlight of his life!

These are the good times that he still reminisces about!
Zhou Bangyan looked at Cai Jing's appearance and bowed without hesitation: "Student will obey the order of the governor!"

He knew that if this matter was accomplished, it would be equivalent to recommending a student to become an official, and he could get the treatment that only the top scholar could get!
(End of this chapter)