Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Concubine Wu's eyes lit up. If this plan succeeded, not to mention overthrowing Concubine Yuan, at least it would greatly reduce the emperor's favor towards her. If the emperor really wanted to balance the six palaces, there would be no one else to choose but herself.

What's more, the Jia family and the Queen are in the same boat. What will happen if Concubine Yuan becomes the Imperial Noble Concubine?

Now all he needed was a legitimate reason to overthrow Princess Yuan, and he could naturally take over as Vice Queen Jin Bao.

Yin smiled and said, "My sister entered the palace at the age of sixteen and has served Your Majesty for several years. She has been diligent and has never committed any offense. If I can advocate for it, your position should be promoted."

Concubine Zhou was overjoyed and said, "Since my sister has become the Imperial Concubine, I can make the decision on this little matter."

Concubine Wu sighed, "It's just that I can't talk about this matter, I'm afraid people will use it as a handle and it will be bad..."

Lady Zhou hurriedly said, "How can I trouble you with such a small matter? I should serve you like a dog or a horse."

Concubine Wu held her hand and said, "From now on, you and I will be like blood relatives, share happiness and never let each other down."

Lady Zhou was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes, and she sobbed, "I am so grateful for your kindness, sister. I am willing to serve you all my life, even if it means sacrificing my life for you. I only ask that you do not despise me for my humble origin, stupidity, and ugliness."

"Good sister."

"Good sister."

The two held hands and looked at each other with tears in their eyes, speechless and choked with emotion, but each had their own plans in mind.

"I'll give you a sweet date first, but when the matter is done, how can I let you live? Humph!"

"You fool, do you think that you can become the vice empress by overthrowing Princess Yuan? If Jia Cong and the queen take revenge, you will have to wait and see how many lives you have left."
-
After the court was dismissed that day, Beiman, the Right Censor of the Engineering Department, specially invited Fu Chengzhi and Wu Xiaolin, the new Jinshi who were selected to serve as censors in the Censorate, to Jiangyue Tower for tea.

The two young boys were new to officialdom and were unfamiliar with the city and the people. So when they were invited by their seniors, they naturally jumped at the invitation.

In the private room, the tea doctor ordered tea. Beiman said with a smile, "This tea is called Snow Ridge Red Plum. It is clear and fragrant, and is loved by the nobles in the capital. Can you two brothers come here to taste it?"

Fu Chengzhi was born in a poor family, and he blushed and shook his head. A cup of tea here costs at least one tael of silver, how could he afford it?

It is not easy to live in the capital. One can barely get by in the outer city by living frugally. Even if there is a little extra money, it has to be sent back home. How can one dare to go out for tea?

Wu Xiaolin also shook his head in shame. Although he came from the prosperous Jinling, his family could only barely make ends meet. The salary from the court was barely enough for food and accommodation. It would be better to eat two pounds of meat instead of having money for tea.

Beiman smiled and said, "As the sage said, a gentleman worries about the Way, not poverty, and seeks the Way, not food. My two brothers, there is no need to torment yourselves. As long as you follow the right path, why worry about not having a beautiful wife and a golden house?"

The two of them felt itchy after hearing this, and looked at each other, saying that officials in Beijing were of high status, but they didn't feel that at all.

The salary was limited, so buying a house in Beijing was out of the question. The only house that could be rented was a very ordinary small courtyard in the outer city. Often, there was not even meat to eat, and one had to get up early every day to go to the government office.

They wished they had done worse in the provincial and palace examinations so that they could be sent to a distant place and become a marquis of a hundred miles. At least they would not have to worry about having meat to eat, a house to live in, maids to serve them, or clerks and servants to order them around.

It's better than being a lone commander in the capital. Even the clerks, hangers-on and scribes in the courtyard are not easily offended. Who knows who is whom's relative or friend? It's really frustrating.

After hearing this, the greed in the two people's hearts was immediately aroused.

Fu Chengzhi hurriedly asked: "Brother Bei, please give me some advice."

"If I hear the truth in the morning, I can die in the evening." Wu Xiaolin also said.

Berman said: "A gentleman is modest but not quarrelsome, and he is a group but not a party. As the ancients said, people are divided into groups. Groups are the way."

Fu and Wu were slightly stunned, then they understood something and hurriedly said, "Brother Bei, please give me some advice."

"Do you two have a group?" Berman asked with a smile.

"We are strangers in this place and the place, so there is no need to form a group."

Beiman sighed and said, "Wasn't it the same for me ten years ago?

It's okay at the local level. People say that the county magistrate is the one who ruins the family and the prefectural governor is the one who wipes out the clan. But in our little piece of land, we are the boss. Who dares not to respect us?

But it's not possible in Beijing. This place is under the feet of the emperor, and there are so many wealthy and noble families. Not to mention if you have done anything wrong, even if you haven't done anything wrong, if you accidentally offend someone you can't afford to offend, not only will you lose your official position, you may even be in danger of your life.

You were lucky enough to have avoided any of the major cases like the empty warehouse case, the corruption case, and the treason case last year. Not to mention minor officials like you and me who are seventh rank, even the officials in purple robes must have killed countless people.

It is difficult to survive in the court on your own!"

"I heard that local officials have some kind of talisman to protect themselves. Does the city have one? Let's copy one and remember it so that we can protect ourselves in the future." Wu Xiaolin said hurriedly. He had heard his classmates mention it when he was in Nanjing.

Beiman smiled and said, "Brother, you are from the Southern Province. The most famous talisman for protecting officials there is Jia Bujia, which has white jade for the hall and gold for the horse."

Wu Xiaolin bowed and smiled, "Brother, you are well-informed and have a good memory. This is exactly what I am talking about, the Jia family of Rong and Ding mansions today."

Beiman nodded and said, "The situation in the local area is simpler. As long as we don't offend the wealthy families on the official protection talisman, we will be fine. But there is no such thing as an official protection talisman in the capital."

"Why is this?" they asked hurriedly.

"Think about it, how many dignitaries and nobles are there in the capital? How many of them are related to each other, have been friends for generations, and have students and old friends? Even if I wrote them all down for you, could you remember them all?"

The two shook their heads.

"That's it. Besides, our line of work is about offending people. If you don't offend people and want to be a good guy, how can you pass the annual examination? How can you protect yourself during the imperial examination?

Being criticized as "holding a position without doing anything and having too many people for the job" and dismissed from office was considered the lightest punishment.

If one is unlucky, he may be charged with the crime of "disregarding the emperor's grace and collecting empty salaries", and not only will he be dismissed from his post, but he may also be punished.

At that time, all the hard work of studying for more than ten years and going through all the hardships of the imperial examinations would be wasted. Isn't that unfair?"

The two nodded repeatedly, horrified in their hearts. They had not expected that the risk of being a Beijing official was so high. They hurriedly said, "I beg you to give me some advice, big brother."

"I dare not teach you, but I just want to say a few words to you because I like you two so much. I don't want you to repeat the mistakes I made."

Berman waved his hand and smiled, "If you want to talk about the way to be an official in the capital, it's just one word I just said, group.

If you have a good group, you will have the protection and support of the bigwigs in the court above, the support and care of colleagues and friends in the middle, and the service and support of wealthy families below. Isn't it happy?
Is it necessary to worry about having no meat to eat, no car to drive, no big house to live in, and no beautiful woman to sleep with?

It's ridiculous that I have studied the books of sages for more than 20 years, but only today I understand the true meaning of "A gentleman worries about the way, not poverty." The way is not in books, but only in the surroundings. "

The two of them felt hot and itchy in their hearts, but Berman kept them hanging, neither quenching their thirst nor scratching their itch, so they hurriedly asked, "Listening to your words is better than reading for ten years. How can I find a good group?"

Beiman drank his tea slowly and said with a smile, "Would you two like to join the group?"

"Yes, I have. I'm just afraid that without any introduction, I can't get in."

"Do you two know how many good groups there are in the court now?" Berman said with a smile.

"This... I heard that the new party's ministers are in control of the government, and Pei cannot stop them."

"I heard that Jiang Zhongtang is still strong as he ages, having survived three dynasties, and is an evergreen in the political arena."

"In addition, Guan Xiang is the leader of the Jiangnan Academy and has great prestige among scholars."

"There are four other princes who have been wealthy and powerful for generations. Now they are working in the Grand Council, advising on important military and national affairs." The two of them have been learning a lot these days, and have learned a little about the structure of the court through indirect means.

"You two brothers are really thoughtful and your words are true. But these adults are so high up in the clouds, how can we reach them?"

Berman laughed and said, "Besides, they may not really be of the same mind. If they board the wrong ship, they will end up like the prime ministers of the old party. They will not get any benefits, but will be ruined and their families will be destroyed. Isn't that very bad?"

"That's right, that's right. I wonder what group you belong to, elder brother? I am willing to follow you."

"I am the same, I hope you will not give up."

Seeing that the time was almost right, Beiman said, "My foolish brother was originally an eighth-rank official in the Ministry of Public Administration, with little power but many affairs to attend to, and no benefits.

As time flies and my spirit fades, I am unexpectedly favored by Minister Feng and promoted to the position of Right Censor of Engineering. Now my superiors also think highly of me, and my life is quite comfortable.

If you two are interested, I can recommend you. "

The two men looked at each other. They were naturally well-known for Feng Yuan's "reputation", but they heard that this fat guy had offended too many people, and there was no one in the court who didn't hate him. Although he was in a high position now, he was afraid that his end would be worrying.

He hesitated and said, "I have heard for a long time that Minister Feng likes to have verbal battles with important officials in the court in the Golden Palace. We are not good at speaking and I am afraid we can't help."

Berman was a shrewd man. He saw through their thoughts at a glance and said with a smile, "Are you two worried that the Great Situ has made too many enemies and will be retaliated against?"

The two of them laughed dryly and agreed.

"You are worrying about nothing. Don't you two know the relationship between the Grand Tutor and Prime Minister Jiang and Junior Guardian Jia?"

The two new officials looked confused and shook their heads.

Beiman smiled and said, "Prime Minister Jiang is in charge of the Ministry of Revenue. He values ​​his position and will not easily engage in verbal disputes with others, so it is natural for the Grand Tutor to do it for him. For many things that the Grand Tutor decides, Prime Minister Jiang never rejects them, and the two can complement each other.

As for Jia Shaobao, he has just mentioned the slogan "Jia is not fake", which is just a name created by the two old Ning and Rong masters in the past.

By now, Jia Shaobao is in charge of the Jia family, and it has long become "Jia is not fake, he holds a powerful army and is a royal consort." Looking around the court, even if there are a few princes, how dare they compete with Shaobao?

With Jiang Xiang and Jia Shaobao, two great trees, one civil and one military, are you still worried about not being able to enjoy the shade? "

The two men suddenly realized and nodded in agreement. Thinking of Jia Cong's rapid rise, his power, his dazzling brilliance, and his noble status, they immediately came up with an idea.

"Besides, I heard that the reason you two were able to succeed in the imperial examinations was because you met the noble Jia Shaobao who helped you, right?
If I could join his team, wouldn't it be just around the corner for me to rise to prominence in the future? I'm really envious of him. Why didn't I have such a good thing back then?"

Apparently, Beiman had done his homework and knew the story of Fu Chengzhi's exam card being hard to read after it got wet and Wu Xiaolin's writing brush being damaged.

The two men hurriedly bowed and said, "Brother is right. We are deeply grateful to you for your kindness. We would never repay you even if we died. We only regret that we are insignificant and cannot serve you.

Now that we have this opportunity, we swear to follow Shao Bao, Jiang Xiang and Feng Bu Tang until death, and ask brother to act as a matchmaker."

Beiman said with a smile: "Scholars like us are not like the bandits in the mountains who have to kill someone as a token of their loyalty to the gang.

Since I have this intention, I will host a party someday and introduce you to a few colleagues. From now on, we will help each other and become brothers."

"Thank you for your support, brother." The two said happily.

"You and I are of the same mind and have the same aspirations. Why are you being polite?"

Berman smiled and said, "As the sage said, wealth and honor gained through unjust means are like floating clouds to me. This is the principle of not taking ill-gotten gains, but it does not mean that a gentleman should suffer from hunger and cold.

As the saying goes, a gentleman loves money, but he gets it by the right way. Just now, I also said that if you follow the right way, money is just a thing outside of your body, not worth mentioning. "As he said this, he took out a few banknotes from his sleeve and handed them to the two of them.

"Please accept this gift, my two dear brothers. It will be my congratulations to you on your success. In the future, you can rent a nearby yard in the inner city so that you can avoid the trouble of going to the government office." Berman said with a smile.

When Fu Chengzhi and Wu Xiaolin saw it, they couldn't help swallowing their saliva. It turned out to be 500 taels of silver each.

"This... no merit, no reward. How can I accept such a gift from you, big brother?"

"Friends have the meaning of sharing money, what is it worth? You and I are friends, you can trust an orphan, you can trust a life a hundred miles away, what is the point of a small thing? Take it quickly.

If other colleagues ask about it in the future, and hear that you are still hanging out with the common people in the outer city, not only will I and you be embarrassed, but Minister Feng will also be embarrassed.

If outsiders see us, they will probably say that we are too thin-skinned and have no intention of helping others. Wouldn't that make people laugh at us?" said Berman.

The two of them accepted it, bowed and sighed: "Thank you, brother. I hope you can give me more advice in the future."

"It's not a big deal. We just have to follow your orders."

Berman said: "You two should know that in our line of work, officials are low-ranking but powerful, and we can make a small fortune, so we are valued by big people.

Moreover, the lower the official position, the less scruples he has and the more he dares to speak out. If he hears something, he will be free from guilt.

Even if we say something wrong, no one will care about us. Whoever dares to suppress us is blocking the way for speech. Who dares to bear this crime?

Therefore, many things that big shots are not convenient to show up in public are left to us to test." Berman said slowly.

The two looked at each other and knew that the job had come, so they said, "But the superiors have ordered us to serve."

Berman smiled and said, "You two brothers really got it straight. I have something to do and I need you to take the lead."

"But it doesn't matter."

"Impeach Shi Nai, the bowling marquis!"

Huh?! The two were shocked. They didn't expect that their first battle would be so dangerous. Although a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger, you can't really ask a calf to touch a tiger's butt.

"Brother, we don't even know the height, weight or body shape of this Bowling Marquis, how can we impeach him?"

"I heard that the four families of Jia, Shi, Wang, and Xue have been friends for a hundred years. If we move against the Shi family, wouldn't that be a great offense to Jia Shaobao?"

Seeing the two people's shocked and confused expressions, Berman enjoyed the sense of superiority brought by the information gap and said with a smile: "The court is so treacherous. They were as close as brothers yesterday, but turned into enemies yesterday. Today they are old friends, but they go their separate ways tomorrow. They are always together and apart. It is hard to tell who is friend or foe.

Besides, this is not something we should worry about. The higher-ups have their own plans, and we just need to follow their orders. Remember these four words, and you will have fewer worries and more benefits. "

"Yes, thank you for your guidance, brother. I don't know where to start?" the two said.

"It's all here. Take it back and have a look. Write a letter and submit it tomorrow." Berman took out two thick kraft paper envelopes from his arms, handed them to the two men and whispered.

"It's normal for you to be a little scared when you're new. As long as you win the first battle, your reputation will rise. Not only will your superiors see it, but the emperor will see it too.

Remember, the more official hats we take off, the higher our rank will be. "Beman said with a smile.

"Don't worry, you are just scouts in this battle. Go and explore the way. I will follow you. We have people above us, so don't worry."

"Yes." The two put the envelope in their arms. Since Brother Bei was not afraid of offending Jia Shaobao, he must have been instructed. What should we be afraid of? It seems that Shi Jia was disobedient and angered Jia Shaobao.

Thinking that they would face a tough opponent in the first battle and that they could "repay their benefactor" Jia Shaobao, the two men's anxieties were gone and they decided to go back and use all they had learned in their lives to investigate Shi Nai thoroughly so that they could show off in front of the "superiors". It would be best if they could become famous in one battle, and then they would be rich. (End of this chapter)