The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Chapter 409 Everyone knows

The smile on the emperor's face slowly faded, and everyone in the room stared at her with wide eyes.

Xue Shao was also surprised and hesitated to speak.

Cao Jixiang was the first to shout, "How dare you! Do you know who our young master is?"

Pan Yun said faintly: "I don't know."

Cao Jixiang was choked for a moment, then reacted and shouted, "If you don't know, don't talk nonsense. You can't even figure out who our master is, and you still have the guts to say... say such treasonous words."

Pan Jun complained in her heart: Judging from his unique voice and his words, if she and he were not in collusion, she would have suspected that he was giving her a hint.

but……

Pan Yun just didn't point out the emperor's identity.

Click it, then things won’t be fun anymore.

However, the emperor did not think there was anything wrong with Cao Jixiang's words, nor did he think that Pan Yun could guess that he was the emperor through these words.

His heart sank for a moment, and he immediately labeled Pan Yun a liar, and then he lost interest, "Then tell me, how did I lose my family business?"

He said, "My family business is huge, I won't lose it easily."

Pan Yun said contemptuously: "It is difficult to build a family business, but it is very easy to destroy it. Besides, is this so-called family business really the business of the young master alone?"

The smile on the emperor's face froze slightly.

"Can you manage your family business like an arm? Can your retainers think only of you and this family business without any selfish motives? And can you distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and choose to obey the words that are beneficial to the family business?"

The more Pan Yun spoke, the more serious the emperor's expression became.

"Is there no external enemy to your family business? Do you have the ability to defeat the external enemy and protect your family business?"

The emperor narrowed his eyes and stared at Pan Yun.

Pan Yun looked at him with piercing eyes, leaned forward, looked at him and asked word by word: "The most important thing is, do you really want to manage this family business, or do you put your own interests first?"

The emperor pursed his lips and said, "Naturally, the family business is the main thing."

Pan Yun looked at him steadily and said, "I hope you can always remember this sentence."

The emperor also stared at her, "Do you know who I am?"

"Alas, I am not very knowledgeable and cannot calculate things so accurately, so I don't know."

"Don't know?" The emperor stared at her and sneered, but he didn't expose her. "Then Taoist priest, please call me Master Zhu."

Pan Yun followed suit, "Master Zhu."

The atmosphere eased, and the anxious Prince Qing heaved a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to change the subject, the Emperor pointed at Prince Qing and said, "Do the math for him."

King Qing's heart was instantly lifted.

Pan Yun also went to see King Qing.

Unlike the emperor who could look her in the eye and even did not hide his curiosity and suspicion, Prince Qing seemed a little timid and flustered. He only looked at Pan Yun for a moment and then looked away, not daring to look her in the eye.

Pan Yun stared at him for a while and said, "Second Young Master is a man of great stature and talent. He will achieve great things in the future. I just want to advise you a little."

King Qing looked up at her curiously.

Pan Yun pondered for a moment and said, "A broad-minded person can not only forgive others, but also forgive himself."

King Qing was totally confused. He thought he was a broad-minded person and not narrow-minded. So why did the fortune-teller Taoist say that?
The emperor also frowned and said on behalf of King Qing: "My brother has a weak temper, but he has always been very broad-minded. I ask, little Taoist priest, do you know how to calculate?"

Her sometimes accurate and sometimes unaccurate nature makes him jump back and forth between belief and doubt. He must be very uncomfortable, okay?
Pan Yun smiled and said, "The eldest and second sons have a deep brotherly love. I hope that in the future, you two can always remember this. No matter when, you should think about each other and live up to this brotherly love."

The emperor glanced at his mild-tempered and timid brother, snorted and said, "You don't need to point it out. I only have this one brother, and I will treat him well."

Prince Qing looked at the emperor with a touched expression.

Pan Jun's eyes moved between the two of them, he smiled, and said nothing.

Xue Shao stared at Pan Yun, then lowered his eyes after a moment.

He couldn't figure it out, but he knew that Pan Yun must have figured out something, and it was definitely not what the emperor and Prince Qing understood.

Pan Yun held out his hand to the emperor. "It's settled. Two cents. Thank you for your patronage."

The emperor also took out two coins from his purse and placed them in her palm. Then he formally asked her name, "Who is your teacher?"

Pan Yun said: "I am Pan Sanzhu, a poor Taoist priest, and I learned from the mountain god of Sanqing Mountain."

"Mountain God?" The emperor became very excited and asked curiously, "Have you seen the Mountain God of Sanqing Mountain?"

Pan Yun nodded: "Of course I have."

The emperor looked doubtful, "Is it true?"

The emperor has always been skeptical about the stories of gods and ghosts. Of course, to the outside world, he has to appear to be a believer. After all, he has to believe in it to keep his position.

He is orthodox!
The Ming Dynasty was a dynasty that loved to produce auspicious signs, and basically every emperor had done such things.

That is why the emperor was very skeptical. After all, auspicious signs can be created;

But thinking of the Taoist priests enshrined in the palace, the emperor couldn't help but believe it a little.

So he was still very painful, constantly jumping back and forth between doubt and belief.

The emperor rolled his eyes and asked, "So your skills are from the Mountain God Sect?"

"No, my senior brother taught me."

The emperor lost interest for a moment, and then he remembered, "Sanqing Mountain? Who is Yin Song to you?"

"It's my second senior brother."

The emperor was silent.

Pan Jun didn't ask him how he knew Yin Song. She knew he was the emperor, he knew she knew, and she also knew he knew she knew, so asking some questions would seem stupid.

They both knew each other, but King Qing did not.

He was surprised and asked, "You are Yin Song's junior sister. Then who is more powerful, you or Yin Song?"

Pan Yun, for the sake of her second senior brother, said bluntly: "I am more powerful."

The emperor had thought of more things and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Could it be that Yin Song deliberately encouraged him to leave the palace?

No, he didn't tell Yin Song that he was going to go out and play with the second brother, and Yin Song didn't follow him, unless he could calculate something so accurately.

The emperor was skeptical.

If Yin Song had this ability, why would he just be a Xia Guanzheng?

The emperor suppressed his doubts and just in time the dishes were served, so the few of them stopped talking.

The table was instantly filled with delicious dishes. Pan Jun stopped talking and picked up his chopsticks and waited.

The emperor couldn't help but smile when he saw it.

She looks like a little girl this way.

The emperor picked up his chopsticks and signaled everyone to start eating.

The four of them were obviously food lovers, and their chopsticks never stopped eating. The emperor discovered that Pan Yun and Xue Shao looked even more relaxed than his second brother.

He had already experienced Pan Yun's courage, so he couldn't help but look at Xue Shao.

"What's your name?"

"My surname is Xue, and my given name is Shao," Xue Shao said with a faint smile, "Thank you Mr. Zhu for your expense today. This is the best meal I have had since I came to the capital."

"Looking at your clothes, you don't look like a poor person. Why do you need to buy and sell calligraphy and paintings to take the imperial examination?" The emperor frowned and said, "The spring examination is approaching. Aren't the candidates seizing the time to study and communicate?"

Pan Yun: "Like the examinees who are talking about poetry outside the private room right now?"

Emperor: "They are communicating and learning."

Pan Yun: "But in the Spring Examination, poetry accounts for a very small proportion. Isn't the most important eight-legged essay?"

Xue Shao also nodded: "Most of the candidates who have the potential to compete are seizing the time to study. Even if there are discussions, they will not come here, but will sit together in groups of three or two to discuss the articles with each other."

"Most of those who come here to discuss poetry are those who feel they will not pass the exam this time and come here to make friends."

The emperor frowned in confusion, "What's the point of making connections? Isn't the purpose of the imperial examination to pass the exam?"

"It is still very useful," Xue Shao said, "Few people can pass the imperial examination the first time, and it is even rarer to pass it twice. Therefore, many candidates who take the exam for the first time and feel that their knowledge is not as good as others will focus on developing their network of contacts."

“If they are lucky enough to have a famous teacher, or to have one or two good friends with whom they can exchange annotated books, their chances of passing the exam three years later will be much higher.”

"Or, if someone feels that they have no hope of passing the exam in this lifetime and does not want to take it again, this is also an opportunity. If they can make some connections, they can seek an official position as a juren, which is not a bad way out."

The emperor heard about these operations for the first time. He thought about it and said hesitantly, "Can a juren seek an official position? I remember there are many jinshi and officials who have returned from mourning waiting. How could it be their turn?"

Xue Shao: "Some county magistrates in poor places, where no one is willing to go, will select these candidates; and some county lieutenants and county magistrates, etc., although they are of the lowest rank and it is difficult to be promoted, it is also an opportunity."

"The chosen ones who passed the imperial examinations looked down on these places, and officials who had been officials but returned after leaving for various reasons looked down on them even more, so there was a precedent of selecting people as juren."

The emperor said: "That sounds good. Are these candidates willing to suffer?"

Xue Shao just smiled and said nothing.

Pan Yun pulled a goose leg and said, "Since there is a precedent, the Juren have the right to enter the official selection pond. A bunch of fish are thrown into the pond, and when the official is selected, they use a net to scoop them out of the pond. How do you know that the fish that is scooped up is not a Juren fish with bright clothes and special colors?"

King Qing was surprised: "The Taoist priest is saying that some candidates bribed officials in order to get a good official position?"

Pan Yun: "I thought this was normal, but seeing the second young master so surprised, do you two really not know?"

Prince Qing hurried to see the emperor.

Although he is a prince, he basically does not participate in state affairs. Until now, his biggest headache every day is still studying with the tutor and doing the homework.

So he really doesn't know.

The emperor said sullenly, "Is it the officials of the Ministry of Personnel who are accepting bribes?"

Pan Yun smiled and said, "More than money, there is power. Compared to money, I think they are more likely to succumb to power."

"Who has the power to make them obey?"

Pan Yun: "Of course it's Wang Zhen, the emperor's favorite and the father-in-law of most of the court officials."

Cao Jixiang's knees went weak and he almost fell to the ground. He hurried to see the emperor with a look of horror on his face.

Sure enough, he looked gloomy.

The emperor was indeed very displeased. He stared at Pan Yun with a sharp gaze and asked, "Who asked you to come?"

Pan Yun was also full, so he put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth and said, "Mr. Zhu, do you dare to go to a few places with me? Once you go, you will know who asked me to come."

Zhu Qi looked at her calmly, and after a moment he said, "Why not?"

"Your Majesty... Sir, no, this person seems to have bad intentions. Why don't we have someone arrest her and let Ma Shun interrogate her? You can ask her whatever you want to know."

Zhu Qizhen glanced at him, put down his chopsticks and stood up, "Let's go."

Pan Yun stood up carrying the banner and said, "Let's go."

Prince Qing looked confused. When Xue Shao stood up, he pulled him up, and the two of them followed behind silently.

As soon as the four of them came downstairs, the waiter immediately came up to greet them warmly, "Did you enjoy your meal, my dear guests?"

Pan Jun nodded: "Very good, the dishes are all delicious, especially the goose dish. Few people can cook goose so deliciously."

The waiter was very happy and said, "Thank you for your appreciation, I will give you three taels and four cents."

Pan Yun turned his head to look at Zhu Qizhen, and Zhu Qizhen also looked back.

Cao Jixiang immediately came up with his purse to pay the bill.

Zhu Qiyu was a step slower, but he did not argue with his brother. He followed behind with an anxious look on his face.

Xue Shao was puzzled, "What is the Second Young Master worried about?"

Zhu Qiyu: "My elder brother is of noble status. It's ok for me to take him to the main street for a stroll. If we take him to other places, what if he gets bumped into by someone?"

Although it was the emperor's brother who ran out of the palace to find him, it was he who brought the person to the main street.

Not to mention that he would be held responsible if something went wrong, even if nothing went wrong, he would be in trouble if the old ministers in the court found out.

He lowered his voice and said, "Xue Shao, this Pan Yun is too bold. Where is she going to take us?"

Xue Shao shook his head. He didn't know either.

Pan Yun led the emperor through many twists and turns and finally entered a district in the north of the city.

The people living in this area are of much higher status than those in the east of the city where middle and lower-ranking officials and gentry live together.

Generally, important officials and nobles of the court who were of the fifth rank and above lived in this area.

Oh, King Qing’s palace is also in this area.

It’s close to the imperial palace, so it’s convenient to enter and exit the palace.

Pan Yun carried the banner and led them into an alley with familiarity, and then from the alley to another alley.

Zhu Qiyu couldn't help but ask: "Why don't you take the main road, but go through the alley?"

The emperor also looked at Pan Yun.

Pan Yun hushed them, took them to the corner of the wall, and leaned out to look.

Cao Jixiang took the first look outside and felt relieved when he found no danger. However, when he saw the door that Pan Jun asked them to look at, his expression changed slightly and he turned around and gave her a meaningful look.

Zhu Qizhen stood behind and asked quickly, "What is it? Let me see."

Zhu Qizhen and his brother pulled Pan Yun aside and looked out, and saw that the alley outside the wall was full of people.

Everyone was holding a gift box in their hands and queuing up in an orderly manner to hand it in through the side door.

That’s right, the door in the alley is the side door of a house, usually used by servants to do shopping or for family members to go in and out on a daily basis.

Zhu Qizhen saw that the family had set up a table inside the door and was recording the gifts they received.

This place is far away, but their voices are loud. Zhu Qizhen heard a voice coming from inside the door, "Cao Qi from Fengyang, Nanzhili, sent 300 taels of silver and a golden Buddha..."

Zhu Qizhen listened for a while, frowning, "What kind of gift is his family accepting? A birthday gift? Or a wedding or funeral gift?"

(End of this chapter)