Throughout the morning, all the officials in the Ministry of Justice were busy. Only Yang Fan, the official in charge of the 'small Ministry of Justice', was lying in bed.
Under Doctor Chen's orders, Luo Ling tiptoed into Yang Fan's office and went behind the screen. He saw that Yang Fan had the quilt draped over his body and was already fast asleep.
Luo Ling couldn't help but snicker as he stood by the bed. Then he stepped forward and gently patted Yang Fan's shoulder, calling out, "Doctor? Yang Langzhong? "
"Oh?"
Yang Fan opened his eyes. His gaze flickered for a moment before it immediately became clear and fixed on Luo Ling's face.
Yang Fan's eyes were very bright. In the dim light of the inner room, they were even more penetrating. Luo Ling felt as if he had been stabbed. He unconsciously took a step back before bowing and saying, "Doctor Chen invites Yang Langzhong over for lunch."
Yang Fan turned over and sat up. He put on his official boots, straightened his clothes, and followed Luo Ling out.
Yang Fan wasn't pretending. He had really fallen asleep just now. He was lying there alone thinking about his matters, and his tiredness unconsciously came over him.
On one hand, it was because he had slept late last night with Xiao Man. On the other hand, it was the influence of the season. As the saying goes, 'tired in spring and tired in autumn'. Right now, it was the beginning of autumn. With nothing to do, he naturally felt tired.
Although he didn't sleep for long, he was full of energy. When he arrived under the sweet-scented osmanthus tree in the courtyard, he felt the fresh air. Yang Fan couldn't help but straighten his back and stretch his body. He heard the joints in his body crack like soybeans being fried in an iron wok.
Luo Ling was secretly speechless, "This person's body is very strong. No wonder he was born a general."
Then he thought of Princess Taiping. Luo Ling couldn't help but feel a trace of warmth in his heart, "No wonder he was favored by Her Royal Highness. It turns out … heh heh!"
Because it was almost noon, it was almost time for lunch, so the people from the various yamen and departments had already consciously stopped coming over at this time. Doctor Chen's spacious office was much more deserted.
As soon as Yang Fan entered the suite, he saw that there were only two secretaries in the outer room, copying something, and no one else.
Yang Fan followed Luo Ling into the inner room. He saw a tall stack of documents on the table, like a crooked city wall, more than two chi high. Doctor Chen was bent over the table, writing at a rapid pace. From the top of the table, one could only see his slightly shaking head.
Hearing that Yang Fan had arrived, Chen Dong raised his head and laughed. He put down his pen and walked out from behind the table. As he rubbed his shoulders, he smiled and said attentively, "Yang Langzhong, please take a seat. How do you feel about the Ministry of Justice?"
"You and I are colleagues," Yang Fan said with a laugh, "From now on we are going to work together for a long time, why are you being so polite? Yang Fan's courtesy name is Yuanfang. Brother Chen can just call me by my courtesy name. That way, it will appear more intimate. "
Yang Fan's courtesy name was given to him by Di Renjie, but the two later 'parted ways' and the coronation ceremony was not held for him. Most of Yang Fan's close acquaintances were from the military. These people rarely learned the ways of the literati. Those close to him only called him Erlang according to his family's ranking. Therefore, ever since he reached the crown, this was the first time he used this courtesy name.
Chen Dong's rank was three ranks lower than Yang Fan, and his position was half a rank lower than Yang Fan. Originally, he didn't have the right to call him by his courtesy name, but he inadvertently neglected this point. Chen Dong gladly agreed to Yang Fan's request and exchanged courtesy names with Yang Fan. It turned out that Chen Dong's courtesy name was Shuzhi, which was quite elegant.
Chen Dong invited him to sit down and pointed to the mountain of official letters and official documents on the table. He shook his head in distress and said, "Alas, this Ministry of Justice is really busy. Yuanfang, you see, I haven't even raised my head this morning, but there are still so many official documents that I haven't dealt with yet. Now that Yuanfang is here, I have much less to worry about. "
Yang Fan said with a smile, "I am ashamed to say this. I have just come to the Ministry of Justice to report and have yet to become familiar with my colleagues. I am even more unfamiliar with matters, so it is difficult for me to share Brother Shuzhi's burden. Brother Shuzhi … it is better for the capable to do more work!"
Chen Dong sighed with a smile and waved his hand, changing the topic. He said, "Yuanfang, if you have nothing to do, why don't you take a stroll around? After a few days, you will become familiar with your colleagues in the Ministry of Justice."
The two of them chatted happily and harmoniously. Chen Dong didn't seem to feel that there was anything wrong with him not handing over any matters after Yang Fan, the chief official, had arrived. Yang Fan also didn't seem to feel that there was anything wrong with this.
The two of them laughed and chatted about some very unimportant topics until it was time to replenish their energy. Chen Dong stood up and said, "It's about time. Let's go eat."
Yang Fan walked out side by side with him. Chen Dong pointed as he walked, explaining to Yang Fan which departments were in the various courtyards along the way. In reality, there were signs hanging on the doors of the courtyards. Even if he didn't say it, Yang Fan could still understand them. However, he would slightly explain the name of the chief official and his personal evaluation of the chief official. This was not written on the signs.
At this time, the officials of the various yamens also came out and gradually joined them.
Chen Dong's face was beaming with happiness. Sometimes he greeted one, sometimes he joked with another. When these officials saw Chen Dong, most of them were also very friendly. However, everyone seemed to have overlooked the existence of Yang Fan. Even the officials and vice chancellors who had met Yang Fan at the office of the Assistant Minister of Justice this morning seemed to completely treat him as a stranger.
Seeing this scene, Yang Fan very consciously treated himself as air. He didn't say a word and maintained a harmless smile on his face. His expression was bashful, just like when he was stared at by the young ladies at the Xiuwen workshop.
Seeing Yang Fan's reaction, when some people looked at him again, there was a kind of disdain in their eyes. Yang Fan didn't seem to notice it at all. On the contrary, he smiled even more happily.
The place where the Ministry of Justice handled lunch was called the Public Kitchen. It was also known as the "Unit Canteen" in later generations.
Speaking of which, this "Unit Canteen" had been first established by Li Shiming.
Li Shiming had once discovered that because the morning court session was too early, some officials didn't have time to eat. Some people would buy food on the way and chew on it while standing at the palace gate. This was truly a loss of the dignity of an official, so he prepared breakfast for the officials in the corridors of the throne room. This method was naturally very popular with the officials.
In the past, when officials ate lunch, they would have to rely on their families to prepare it for them or bring a lunchbox with them in the morning. Officials with poorer backgrounds would save on lunch, while those with wealthier backgrounds would choose to go out to eat at a restaurant.
One could imagine that because everyone ate at different times and for different lengths of time, there was no way to unify the office hours in the afternoon. Now that the Emperor had invented the public breakfast, his subordinates began to imitate him. As a result, free lunches were introduced to the other government offices and local yamens, and from then on, lunches were custom-made.
Yang Fan used to be in the army and was used to working for the government. He didn't know that the provision of lunches in the yamen was a new rule in the current dynasty, so he didn't find it strange that the yamen provided lunches.
He followed Chen Dong into the main hall of the Public Kitchen and saw that it was neatly arranged with many small tables. Behind each table was a couch.
In accordance with the ancient customs, the system of separate meals was practiced. As soon as they entered the Public Kitchen, everyone walked to their seats. Yang Fan followed Chen Dong to the seats at the very top, which were also the cleanest, and the kitchen servants served their meals.
Everyone had a plate filled with all kinds of dishes. There was also a wooden rice bucket and a white tin wine pot. The food was very sumptuous. According to the standard of the fourth to fifth grade, there were seven plates of dishes, two liters of fine rice or two liters of noodles, three portions of mutton, and two portions of melons and fruits for digestion. What surprised Yang Fan was that there was actually one and a half liters of fine wine. When Yang Fan was in the Imperial Army, he definitely didn't eat as sumptuous as this. It was even more impossible for him to drink wine.
The people eating here were all arranged according to the order of their official rank. Everyone had a couch in front of them. Yang Fan didn't see the Assistant Minister. It seemed that this principal official had special privileges. Someone would naturally send the food to his office, or perhaps he had been invited to a restaurant.
Yang Fan looked around and saw that the dishes on the tables of the Assistant Minister, Assistant Minister, and Assistant Minister were a little less than theirs. There was also no wine on the tables. This hierarchy was also reflected at the dining table.
The officials from the four departments of the Ministry of Justice had all arrived. Yang Fan had already met them at Assistant Minister Cui's place in the morning. At this time, after exchanging a few pleasantries, they all took their seats. Chen Dong and Assistant Minister Yan Xiaojun sat opposite each other. Duguan Minister Sun Yuxuan and Assistant Minister Pi Erding sat opposite each other. Yang Fan's seat was empty, but opposite him was a pillar in the hall.
There was a great deal of knowledge at the dining table.
After experiencing the scheming and scheming scenes of the Wu family banquets, Yang Fan had a deep understanding of this point. At the same time, he believed that an occasion like the public kitchen, where one meal a day was not a temporary gathering, people would be more relaxed. They would not pay attention to disguising their usual habits. Thus, at such an occasion, he could see many more things.
As Yang Fan ate, he observed the two Assistant Ministers and the four managers of his department. After looking seriously for a while, he withdrew his gaze and looked at the four officials, including the Right Minister of his department.
Very quickly, he tasted something unusual.
Chen Dong and Assistant Minister Yan Xiaojun seemed to get along well. The two of them chatted and laughed the most at the dining table, and the time they chatted was also the longest. Duguan Minister Sun Yuxuan and Assistant Minister Pi Erding were closer. The two of them chatted and laughed without restraint, and the number of times they communicated with each other was also the most.
Coincidentally, Chen Dong and Yan Xiaojun sat across from each other. Sun Yuxuan and Pi Erding also sat across from each other. Clearly, this kind of seating arrangement was closely related to the close relationship they usually had.
Working in the same yamen and working under the same roof, as long as one's temperament and temperament were compatible, they would naturally be closer at the dining table. After eating and leaving, the two of them might not necessarily be like-minded friends. Of course, Yang Fan would not conclude based on this that they belonged to the same faction.
However, although those who were affectionate at the dining table might not be friends, those who were cold to each other and didn't even bother to talk to each other were definitely not friends! Thus, Yang Fan could basically confirm that the Ministry of Justice and the Simen yamens had a closer relationship, and the Duguan Minister had a more amicable relationship with the Ministry of Justice.
It was impossible for Yang Fan to immediately analyze everything. Right now, he was going to fight for power with Chen Dong. Yan Xiaojun, who had the closest relationship with Chen Dong, was naturally excluded. If nothing unexpected happened, the first official of the same rank he had to fight for would be either Pi Erding or Sun Yuxuan.
Very quickly, Yang Fan's attention fell on Sun Yuxuan.
The Imperial Physician Sun Yuxuan was a drunkard! A drunkard was a drunkard, but Sun Yuxuan was not the kind of drunkard who was bloated, delirious, and had a bright red brandy nose. This person had a plump physique and could be said to be dignified.
The court had four standards for selecting officials: body, speech, calligraphy, and judgment. The first was the physique and appearance. How could Sun Yuxuan's appearance be lacking? After Wu Zetian came to power, the nobles of Shandong and Guanlong successively became her enemies. Most of the scholars came from these two great powers. Although Wu Zetian strengthened the imperial examinations and tried to select talents from the commoners to fight against them, the selection process was too long.
Every year, only ten to twenty Jinshi would be selected. Among them, the nobles would take up more than half the quota. How many descendants of the commoners could she actually promote?
In desperation, she could only "not stick to one pattern." As long as they were loyal to her and had some tricks up their sleeves, even if they were illiterate, she would still promote them. This was why there were illiterate judges like Lai Junchen and Hou Sizhi.
But even though these illiterate judges were illiterate, they still met the standards in terms of appearance. For example, Lai Junchen was more than just meeting the standards. He was simply a handsome man. His complexion was like jade, and he was extraordinarily handsome. Although it was only a golden exterior, it was very pleasing to the eye.
This Sun Yuxuan was an extremely handsome man. Although he was around forty years old, his physique was still strong. His facial features were neat, and the beard on his chin was very neatly trimmed. It was just that this person was extremely fond of wine. As long as he had a cup in his hand, he could feel the world around him. He didn't need to use any strength at all. That one and a half liters of fine wine was completely drunk by him. After that, he could only look enviously at the wine jugs on other people's tables.
On the fourth time he looked at Yang Fan's untouched wine jug, Yang Fan smiled. He suddenly picked up the wine jug and stood up.
Yang Fan was a new official. Although the other doctors were chatting and laughing, other than being friendly with Yang Fan at the beginning, they purposely left him to the side. In reality, they had always been paying attention to his actions. As soon as Yang Fan stood up, several gazes fell on him at the same time.
Yang Fan walked in front of Sun Yuxuan and put down the wine jug. He said with a smile, "When I was in the army, General Ye Huli often told me that people who love wine are always straightforward and broad-minded. I have observed Brother Sun's speech and behavior, and it is indeed as General Ye Huli said. This jug of wine, I will give it to Brother Sun. "
Sun Yuxuan was startled and hurriedly declined, "That's not right, that's not right. Everyone's wine has their own rules. How can I take Yang Langzhong's good wine?"
Yang Fan smiled and said, "Although I came from the army, I have no tolerance for alcohol. As soon as the wine touches my lips, I will be drunk. When I wake up the next day, I will have a splitting headache. So I don't dare to touch this wine. Since Brother Sun loves wine, this wine should belong to Brother Sun. Otherwise, wouldn't it be benefiting those cooks? "
Sun Yuxuan's tolerance for alcohol was very high. A jug of wine was just enough to arouse his alcohol bug. If there was no good wine to accompany the meal, even the dishes would be tasteless to him. Hearing Yang Fan say this, he no longer refused. He only laughed and accepted the wine jug, saying, "If that's the case, then many thanks to Yang Langzhong."
Yang Fan smiled and said, "Brother Sun is too polite. This wine must be prepared for every meal. When I get back, I will inform the cooks. This one and a half liters of wine will be given to Brother Sun every day."
Sun Yuxuan was all smiles when he heard this and repeatedly thanked him. Without waiting for Yang Fan to return to his seat, he grabbed the wine jug and took a big gulp.
Chen Dong watched from the side. He slowly picked up a mouthful of stewed mutton and stuffed it into his mouth. Then he took a small sip of wine. A trace of disdain escaped from the corner of his lips, "So this person is not blindly ignorant. It's just that … in this yamen, even a minor ninth-rank official is as slippery as a loach. What a naive kid to think that he can bribe a doctor with just a jug of wine. "
Of course, Yang Fan did not think that he could bribe Sun Yuxuan with this.
This jug of wine itself was meaningless, but what about a jug of wine every day?
Sun Yuxuan had eaten his wine. At the very least, he had to be more polite to him. He was not the only one who was paying attention to every movement at the dining table. The minor officials below him were paying even more attention. Just a few polite exchanges were enough to send a message to the officials below: He, Yang Langzhong, was not isolated by everyone.
The committee counsellors who were close by could hear their words, see their actions and understand all the details. But the officials who were further away could only see their actions and expressions, and could not hear what they were saying. What about the officials further away, the officials in charge, the officers in charge and the officers in charge?
The dissemination of information in the officialdom had an effect of exaggeration. Moreover, this was a performance that looked like flowers through the fog.
If he wanted to break the ice, he had to at least let the cold wind die down. Before counterattacking, he had to first weaken the power that the other party had deliberately created.
…
After eating lunch, they returned to the Judicial Department's courtyard. Luo Ling moved a few benches and placed them under the cassia tree. Yang Fan and Chen Dong sat on the benches and arranged themselves for a while. Ben and the two deputy counsellors, Zuo Yuanqing and Cao Qigen, also came to this courtyard and sat down to chat. Not long after, two of the four officials also came to join in the fun.
Everyone gathered together and chatted happily. However, they maintained absolute respect for the two doctors in their speech and actions. Anyone who saw them would think that they were a harmonious and close group. No one would be able to tell that Yang Fan, this official, was a mere figurehead, the one who had been pushed aside.
This was especially the case for Judicial Sector's Manager Feng Xihui, who flattered and fawned over Yang Fan, flattering him like a tide, recounting Yang Fan's glorious deeds of defeating the inner court and defeating Tufan with great familiarity. The words of praise were mushy to the point where even Yang Fan felt goosebumps rise all over his body, yet his expression didn't change, remaining calm and composed.
A person who could flatter to such a shocking and earth-shattering degree could truly be considered a talent.
However, when the afternoon bell rang, the officials seemed to have received a signal. They all got up and hurried back to their own offices. The courtyard immediately became as empty as a field.
Among the long benches that were still warm from the officials' buttocks, Yang Fan stood quietly for a while. Suddenly, he smiled mysteriously. He put his hands behind his back and staggered back to his somewhat frighteningly empty office.
Chief Attendant Luo Ling, who had been hiding behind the door of Doctor Chen's office, watching for any activity outside, smiled craftily. Only then did he come out to tidy up the benches.
Yang Fan had slept in the morning and did not feel sleepy in the afternoon. However, sitting alone in the empty room with nothing to do, he assumed that no one would come in for the entire afternoon. So, he sat cross-legged behind the desk, closed his eyes, and began to practice his breathing.
After an hour, Yang Fan's breathing suddenly stopped and he entered the Embryonic Breathing realm. His mind looked inside and focused on his dantian. After an unknown amount of time, Yang Fan awoke from the Embryonic Breathing realm. When he suddenly opened his eyes, he could not help but startle the person in front of him, causing him to scream and fall to the ground.
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