"It's him …" Xu Qi'an suddenly realized and thought of the great scholar who freeloaded his poems.
He didn't know Yang Gong, but when it came to Recluse Zi Yang, he was well-known. This guy took advantage of the fact that he forgot the name of the farewell poem and forced the name of the poem after Erlang recited it.
It was simply shameless to the extreme.
Xu Qi'an later used poems to tease the three great scholars of the Academy and then freeloaded them with peace of mind. He was inspired by Recluse Zi Yang, and he didn't feel guilty at all.
In Jianghu, if you don't freeload, I'll freeload.
After hiring a carriage near the dock, Inspector Zhang sat inside and lifted the curtain of the window. He continued, "Recluse Zi Yang was the top scholar in the 14th year of Yuanjing. He retired the next year and taught in the Academy. He had students all over the world."
Xu Qi'an was surprised. "Retired the next year?"
The top scholar could enter the Hanlin Academy, and the Shu Jishi of the Hanlin Academy was called the Prime Minister. In other words, the top scholar could compete for the position of Prime Minister.
He retired the next year, which was a big loss!
"It's because of the internal strife in the court. Although the parties are fighting fiercely now, when facing the scholars of the Yunlu Academy, they are united against the outsiders." Inspector Zhang sighed.
"After Recluse Zi Yang became the top scholar, he was thrown into a corner and no one cared about him. He was depressed for a year and lingered in the Musical House every day. The next year, he resigned and went back to the Yunlu Academy to teach. "
"… I heard that he freeloaded for nearly a year." Xu Qi'an envied him from the bottom of his heart.
Inspector Zhang could only sigh at the fact that Recluse Zi Yang was being oppressed by the various factions in the imperial court.
Because Xu Qi'an had a little brother in the Yunlu Academy, he knew it clearly.
The fight for the national capital two hundred years ago made the royal family afraid and disgusted with the scholars of the Yunlu Academy. So the Second Sage Cheng rose and founded the Imperial College to replace the Yunlu Academy to send talents to the court.
It could be said that there was a conflict of interest between the two sides, as well as a struggle for orthodoxy. If the Yuanjing Emperor had not been obsessed with balance, Recluse Zi Yang would probably still be teaching in the Academy.
"Layman Zi Yang's talent and methods can be said to be first-rate in the present age. When he first arrived in Qing Province, he swept through the Administrative Envoy's yamen with thunderous force. Then, within a month, a total of 178 corrupt officials were removed from office and imprisoned, shaking the entire Qing Province bureaucracy." Imperial Inspector Zhang's tone was filled with admiration.
How could he be so reckless? Although it was said that a new official had to make drastic changes, a high-ranking official who was sent out of the capital should take his time even if he wanted to clean up the officialdom of Qing Province … How long had it been since Recluse Zi Yang accepted the appointment of the imperial court and became the administrative envoy of Qing Province?
Xu Qi'an was puzzled. Frowning, he asked, "Does the court allow him to make such a big move?"
Imperial Inspector Zhang smiled and said, "During the period of investigation, the parties in the court fought fiercely and could no longer cooperate. Also, there was Duke Wei's restraint …"
He gave Xu Qi'an a look that said "you understand" and continued, "Moreover, Recluse Zi Yang is a shrewd person. He got all the evidence that he needed to get, and he made the criminals spit out what he needed to say … Hmm, the scholars of Yunlu Academy are the best at reasoning, aren't they?"
The "reason" that His Excellency mentioned should be the reason of physics … Xu Qi'an understood tacitly. He looked at Imperial Inspector Zhang and smiled.
After arriving at the official courier station in Qing Province, Imperial Inspector Zhang specially brought Xu Qi'an to the Administrative Envoy's yamen to visit Recluse Zi Yang.
At this moment, Xu Qi'an already understood the reason why Imperial Inspector Zhang took the initiative to strike up a conversation. This experienced and capable Imperial Inspector was afraid that Recluse Zi Yang would not buy it, so he dragged him along.
After all, this Imperial Inspector was patrolling Yunzhou, not Qing Province.
With Xu Qi'an tagging along, Recluse Zi Yang would definitely give him face and agree to all his requests.
After entering the Administrative Envoy's Division, the officials led the group into the inner hall, where they were served tea and seated.
"The Administrative Envoy has gone to various yamens to inspect the matter of the Commandment Stele."
The person who received them was the Left Councilor of the Administrative Envoy's Division, a Secondary fourth-rank official.
Imperial Inspector Zhang muttered, "Is it the stone stele erected in the front yard?"
The Left Councilor smiled and nodded, "The Administrative Envoy wants to erect the Commandment Stele to warn all the officials in Qing Province that as officials, they should be honest and righteous, to benefit the people."
Imperial Inspector Zhang nodded, this was the aftermath of cleaning up the bureaucracy. "The Administrative Envoy has put a lot of thought into this, but why is there nothing on the Commandment Stele?"
The Left Councilor said helplessly, "The Administrative Envoy hasn't thought of what to carve, and has been worrying about this recently. He has asked us to brainstorm and provide inspiration, which has caused us to be exhausted. "
Recluse Zi Yang is very smart, knowing how to organize an essay contest … Xu Qi'an thought.
The Administrative Envoy was in charge of administrative matters, which was equivalent to a high-ranking official in Xu Qi'an's previous life.
Daibun's territory was divided into 16 prefectures. Xu Qi'an understood the prefectures as provinces, but not every prefecture was a province, there were also many small prefectures.
For example, Qing Province had more than ten prefectures under its jurisdiction, in addition to prefectures, counties, and so on.
…
At this time, the Administrative Envoy, Yang Gong, led a group of officials from Qing Province into the Qing Province yamen, the magistrate of the yamen humbly accompanying him on the side.
Yang Gong, dressed in a scarlet robe, stood in front of the Commandment Stele and nodded with satisfaction, "Sirs, do you have any suggestions regarding the inscription on the stele?"
In just a few short months, the scholarly aura of educating and educating people had gradually disappeared, replaced by the prestige of an official who governed a region.
"I think that we can engrave the Administrative Envoy's deeds of eliminating corrupt officials and upholding justice on the stele, as a warning to future generations," the Qing Province Magistrate bowed and said.
Yang Gong was a little tempted. In this way, the inscription on the stele would definitely be recorded in the local annals of Qing Province for future generations to sing.
But soon he rejected this suggestion, "It's not good to have too many inscriptions, otherwise it will be complicated and not eye-catching enough."
"Then let's engrave a poem," an official said subconsciously.
Then, he realized that everyone present was looking at him calmly …
The official laughed a few times and did not speak.
For a scholar who was well-versed in poetry and books, writing a poem was not difficult. Who didn't have a few works when they were young, but whether they could make it to the hall of elegance was another matter.
For this kind of poem to be engraved on the stele, not only must it be written well, but it must also serve as a warning to the future generations. It was not something that could be easily written.
During the discussion, an official from the Administrative Envoy came to the yamen on horseback and trotted in. He stood not far away, cupped his fists and said,
"Administrative Envoy, an Imperial Inspector has come to the capital and has already arrived at the Administrative Envoy's yamen."
Imperial Inspector? Did this year's Imperial Inspector come so quickly? The year of the Gengzi was the year of the Imperial Inspector. According to the usual practice, the Imperial Inspector in the capital should wait for the results of the Imperial Inspector in the capital before sending an Imperial Inspector down.
This involved the unspoken rules of the officialdom. The end of the Imperial Inspector in the capital also meant that the battle between the various parties had come to an end. The winner and the loser was already a foregone conclusion.
Only then would the Imperial Inspector be sent down to remove the officials from the loser's camp.
Yang Gong, who had received the letter a few days in advance, explained, "He's not here for Qingzhou. He's on his way to Yunzhou. He's just passing by our Qingzhou."
Yunzhou … All the officials had an understanding look on their faces.
Yang Gong looked at the official and said, "Tell the Imperial Inspector that I have important matters to attend to, so I won't be seeing him. If he has any needs, tell him to look for the Left and Right Counselors. "
Yang Gong was a great scholar from the Yunlu Academy. He did not have the same relationship with the officials in the imperial court, let alone any friendship. He was still distressed about the inscription on the stele and could not be bothered to deal with the unfamiliar Imperial Inspector.
"Yes!" The official responded first, then added, "The Imperial Inspector also asked me to pass a message to you."
Yang Gong and all the officials looked over.
The official said, "Copper-Gong Xu Qi'an will be accompanying him."
Who was Copper-Gong Xu Qi'an? All the officials did not react for a moment, but Yang Gong did. He had been paying attention to the movements in the capital and had kept in contact with the great scholars from the Yunlu Academy.
"Get up the sedan chair and return to the Administrative Office." Yang Gong's attitude changed 180 degrees. His tone was filled with urgency and joy.
"Get up the sedan chair quickly."
With that, he left the officials and walked straight out of the magistrate's office.
This … All the officials from the Qingzhou looked at each other blankly and looked at Yang Gong's back.
"Who is Copper-Gong Xu Qi'an? The name sounds familiar. "The magistrate of the Qingzhou frowned.
"Why don't we go to the Administrative Office to take a look and receive the Imperial Inspector from the capital?"
"That makes sense. Let's go."
The officials left the magistrate's office together. One by one, they set off towards the Administrative Office.
…
Xu Qi'an did not wait long at the Administrative Office. A man dressed in a scarlet robe came. He had a simple face and a goatee that was popular among middle-aged and old people. His eyes were bright and full of vigor. He looked dignified without being angry.
He was a man with an imposing manner.
There was a golden pheasant embroidered on his chest … He was a second-rank official. The Administrative Office seemed to be a second-rank official.
Xu Qi'an only recognized the clothes and not the person. He guessed that this imposing man in the scarlet robe should be the Administrative Office of the Qingzhou, the great scholar from the Yunlu Academy, Recluse Zi Yang, who had received his farewell poem for free.
After bowing to Imperial Inspector Zhang, Recluse Zi Yang turned his gaze to Xu Qi'an, who was dressed in black and had a magic gong tied to his chest. He examined him silently.
At this moment, he was not excited. There was a hint of dignity in his gentleness.
"Only he has a gong, so he must be Xu Cijiu's cousin … Based on appearance, the two brothers are not similar at all … Compared to Cijiu, there is a big gap …" Yang Gong smiled.
"Are you Xu Ningyan?"
Xu Qi'an quickly cupped his hands and said, "Yes, I am."
"Don't be reserved in front of me. You can call yourself a student." The smile on Yang Gong's face widened. He said, "You are indeed a talented man. You are not inferior to Cijiu."
"Recluse Zi Yang has good taste …" Xu Qi'an said happily, "You flatter me."
After some pleasantries, Yang Gong asked about the current situation in the capital city. Although he had learned a lot of inside information from the Academy.
Bringing Xu Ningyan to visit was indeed the right decision. Otherwise, the Administrative Office would not have such an attitude … Imperial Inspector Zhang sighed and said, "The situation in the capital city is chaotic. The factions are still fighting fiercely …"
Then, he talked about the Sampo Case to the Yunzhou case of the Minister of Works.
Recluse Zi Yang sneered as he listened, but he did not comment too much on the situation in the imperial court. The main reason was that Imperial Inspector Zhang was not one of his people. If only Xu Qi'an was here, he would have said it directly.
After dusk, Recluse Zi Yang invited Imperial Inspector Zhang to a banquet in an elegant courtyard. Jiang Lvzhong was also invited. In addition, there were also a group of senior officials such as the magistrate of Qingzhou.
The small courtyard was brightly lit. The curtains were lowered. The officials sat at the table, drinking and chatting merrily.
The band and dancers invited from the Musical House danced in the cold courtyard to entertain the adults.
In fact, the original Musical House was purely an entertainment department. It specialized in singing and dancing at official banquets. Later, it gradually evolved into an official brothel.
The young ladies were forced to run the business from performing to selling their bodies.
The central figures of the banquet were the Administrative Office Yang Gong and the Imperial Inspector Zhang Xingying. As for Jiang Lvzhong, although he was highly skilled in Jinluo, the night watchman and the civil officials were naturally hostile, so no one liked to talk to him.
Xu Qi'an originally thought that he was the same. He was happy to be leisurely and did not need to pay attention to the social activities in the official circle.
Unexpectedly, an official in a scarlet robe raised his cup to Xu Qi'an and said tentatively, "Is this little official the poet who wrote 'The sparse shadow slanting across the clear and shallow water, the faint fragrance floating in the moonlight at dusk'?"
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