There were two stone lions in front of the Zhou Residence. A large red lantern hung high above the door, illuminating the surroundings in a bright red color.
The door was tightly locked. Fang Yun walked to the door and knocked three times with a brass ring.
"Wait a moment." A person's voice came from inside. Soon after, the door opened and a middle-aged man in his forties appeared behind the door.
Fang Yun handed over the letter and said, "I am Fang Yun. This is a letter that Ji County's county magistrate Cai He asked me to deliver to Registrar Zhou. I was supposed to arrive a few days ago, but I was delayed by some matters and only arrived today. "
When the gatekeeper saw that Fang Yun was wearing a child's uniform, he immediately respectfully received the letter with both hands and said, "Please wait a moment, I will immediately deliver it to Master."
The gatekeeper was about to close the door, but after a moment of hesitation, he did not close it and hurriedly ran inside.
Fang Yun heard him whisper as he walked, "Fang Yun? I seem to have heard Master mention him before. "
Not long after, he heard a loud shout from inside, "Fang Shuangjia is here? This official is furious! "
When Fang Yun heard this, he knew that things were not good. Why was this person's firecracker smell so strong? Could it be that this person's relationship with Cai He was not good, or that something had happened?
Fang Yun gripped the thick piece of paper in his hand. After a moment of hesitation, he stood still.
Passing through the unlatched door, Fang Yun saw a middle-aged man in casual clothes striding over.
When the man saw Fang Yun, his expression changed. He did not know whether to laugh or cry as he said, "Fang Shuangjia, the imperial court is in a mess because of you. How can you be so calm?"
Fang Yun had a confused expression. The imperial court? The imperial court where the king of the capital summoned the officials? The officials were in a mess because of me? Is this fake?
When the man saw Fang Yun's expression, he was amused and said, "Don't just stand there. Come in and talk. You! "He shook his head as he spoke.
Fang Yun bowed and said, "Student Fang Yun greets Lord Zhou."
This sixth-rank official with real power did not have any official prestige. It was as if he was an elder meeting a junior. He patted Fang Yun's shoulder and smiled, "Since you're the Double Armor chosen by Cai He, then you're family. Don't be polite, come in and talk."
Fang Yun knew that a sixth-rank official would definitely not be so warm to someone he met for the first time. Something must have happened. Thus, he thanked him and said, "Lord Zhou, I have been busy these days and did not have any contact with the outside world. may I ask what happened?"
Registrar Zhou smiled and said, "What else could it be? Of course it's your poem. After Cai He got your Nation-Stabilizing Poem, she immediately sent a letter to His Excellency. After His Excellency read it, he slapped the table in praise and then sent it to the Sacred Institute and Minister of Wen. However, His Excellency immediately regretted it and should have sent it later. "
......
"The day was calm and peaceful. Something happened during the morning assembly the next day. The Grand Secretary of the academy requested for you to be conferred a title of nobility in the imperial court. He said that you were not only the first Double Armor Sage Scholar in the Jing Nation, but also the first Sage Scholar in the Jing Nation to publish articles in the 'Sacred Path'. You were also the first Sage Scholar in the Ten Nations to compose poems about Da Fu, Ming Zhou, and Nation Guarding poems. You were also the first person in the Ten Nations to publish three poems together in the 'Sacred Path'. You were also the only great talent in the Ten Nations who managed to shake the morale of the University. You have made great contributions to both Jingguo and the human race. You should be conferred the title of the Ninth County Earl. "
Fang Yun was shocked. In the Saint Origin World, although the titles and ranks were different, there was a corresponding relationship. The lowest rank was equivalent to the ninth rank, while the highest rank was equivalent to the first rank. The County Earl was equivalent to the sixth rank, which meant that if he was conferred the title of County Earl, County Magistrate Cai would have to bow and greet him.
If he could be conferred the title of County Earl, Fang Yun wouldn't have to be afraid of anything. His life would be much better in the future, and he wouldn't have to ask the Fang family to help him open a bookstore.
The Ninth County Earl meant that his descendants could inherit the title for nine generations. It was extremely prominent in the prefecture.
"But things didn't go well?" Fang Yun asked.
"The Left Prime Minister's people objected. The conferment of a title requires the recommendation of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel, and then the cabinet and the king decide. However, 90% of the people in the Ministry of Personnel are the Left Prime Minister's people, and the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War is also the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War. So, if the Left Prime Minister doesn't agree, no one can confer a title on you unless the Empress Dowager stands her ground. "
"Why did the Left Prime Minister stop me?" Fang Yun asked. The two of them walked into the main hall and sat down on both sides of a table.
Registrar Zhou looked at Fang Yun and said, "Of course the Left Prime Minister wouldn't come forward himself. The one who came forward was Assistant Minister Hong. His excuse was your poem 'The Twilight of the Year'. He said that you had to write this poem before you became a scholar. You don't have any experience in politics at such a young age. You won't be of much use in the future. "
"No one refuted this ridiculous reason?"
"Of course there were people who refuted. They said that you only wrote half of the poem in the exam room and then stopped. You only finished the poem when there was a writing space. You know when to advance and when to retreat. You know the rules. But neither side could convince the other. Some people praised your poem, but the Left Prime Minister's people said that it was just a small path. Some people said that you made the scholars of the enemy country waver, but they said that there was no evidence. Some people said that you should be rewarded for being able to write three poems at once. The Left Prime Minister's people said that you are too young. You shouldn't rush the seedlings to help them grow.
Fang Yun sneered and asked, "Did you hear any rumors? In my opinion, the Left Prime Minister doesn't have to target me because of a poem. "
Registrar Zhou pondered for a moment and said, "Then I'll tell you the truth. The Left Prime Minister won't target you because of a poem. But if you are the double armor chief of the County Magistrate Cai, and the County Magistrate Cai is the student of the Minister of Wen, and you have a high chance of becoming a scholar or even a great scholar, then he has enough reason to target you. Not to mention, you have a bad relationship with the famous Liu family. The news I got from the capital said that Liu Zizhi of the Liu family seemed to have some negative comments about you. Some of his words were close to slander. "
"What did he say?"
"He said that you are lazy and rely on women to support you. That's probably what he meant. In short, the capital has a bad reputation about you. "Registrar Zhou didn't say much.
Fang Yun's face was ashen. He said, "Does he think that just because he was born in a wealthy family, he can slander me and other poor people?"
"Ah, there's no other way. The Left Prime Minister has a lot of power. No one dares to offend the Liu family. I suspect that someone is deliberately talking about you in front of the Left Prime Minister. They are deliberately linking 'The Twilight of the Year' with him. So the Left Prime Minister won't personally target you. But if he doesn't say anything, it means that he has tacitly agreed to the attack on you. "
"What is the Empress Dowager's reaction?" Fang Yun asked.
"The Empress Dowager naturally wants to give you a title. But now that the Left Prime Minister has the upper hand, she can't offend the public. But your contributions can't run away. So the two sides will negotiate a result that is acceptable to both sides. "
Fang Yundao said, "You have a lot of experience in officialdom. Can you guess the final result?"
"Ai, in fact, many people can guess. It's not like this hasn't happened before."
"Please tell me." Fang Yundao said.
"First, they will give you some gold, silver, antiques or silk. Second, they will give your parents a posthumous title. Third, they will turn your contributions into literary merit. Once you become a Juren or Jinshi official, your rank will be directly raised. But as long as you don't become an official, your literary merit is just a piece of paper. "
Fang Yun asked, "Are the Left Prime Minister and the others not afraid that I will be continuously promoted after I become an official?"
Registrar Zhou said, "Once you are given a title, unless you commit a crime such as treason or treason, the Left Prime Minister can't punish you. But if you are just a civil official, the Left Prime Minister has countless ways to deal with you. Even if you become a Jinshi and become a fifth-ranked official, so what? The Ministry of Personnel is in the hands of the Left Prime Minister. He can easily send you to a cold yamen. Also, when will you become a Jinshi? Ten years or twenty years? "
Fang Yun didn't understand Jingguo officialdom. But after hearing Registrar Zhou's words, he suddenly understood. He completely understood the sinister intentions of the Left Prime Minister.
Fang Yun lowered his head and didn't speak. He was deep in thought. If even the civil officials couldn't defeat the Left Prime Minister, then he couldn't. His literary rank was too low, so he could only endure. But the Left Prime Minister could only influence his official rank, not his literary rank. There was no need to fear him. At most, he couldn't become a civil official. When his literary rank was higher, he would think of a way to get revenge. Instead of staying silent, it was better to use this opportunity to gain a good reputation and unite against the Left Prime Minister's people.
Not long after, Fang Yun raised his head and said, "Official Zhou, can you write a memorial to express my intentions to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager?"
"Of course." Registrar Zhou looked at Fang Yun curiously.
Fang Yun said righteously, "As a citizen of Jingguo, I naturally have to understand the difficulties of the officials in the imperial court. I took the initiative to ask that the merit be turned into a literary merit. I don't want to hurt my own people under the watchful eyes of the grassland barbarians. I am deeply grateful to the officials who asked for the title of nobility for me. If there is a chance, I will definitely thank them. But I am also deeply grateful to the officials who stopped me from getting the title of nobility. They are really serving the country, the public, and the human race. If there is a chance, I will thank them a hundred times more! "
Registrar Zhou was secretly shocked. He didn't expect a young scholar to speak so powerfully. He was surprised by his decisiveness and choice. Since he knew that he couldn't get the title, he took the initiative to give up and leave a good reputation. At the same time, he also ridiculed the Left Prime Minister's people for infighting at this time.
"Isn't this wording too direct?" Registrar Zhou naturally knew how Fang Yun would "thank them a hundred times more".
"Then I can't say that I, Fang Yun, will take back the merit that belongs to me at a speed that they can't even dream of. Then I will make them regret obstructing me!" Fang Yun said with slight anger.
Registrar Zhou sighed and said, "After all, you became famous at a young age. You have suffered such a great humiliation. Naturally, you have to pay back a tooth for a tooth. If you don't do anything, then it will be strange. How about this, I will write a memorial according to your original intention. But I will change the wording slightly. Of course, I won't lower your prestige. After all, you have done a good deed. "
Fang Yun took a deep breath and said, "Then I will thank Registrar Zhou first. Oh right, since I have written so many good poems, will the State Arts Institute give me a reward? How about a thousand taels of silver? "
Registrar Zhou laughed involuntarily and said, "You want double the reward?"
Fang Yun immediately said, "If the Arts Institute is having difficulties, then I won't force it. Recently, I have written two novels. I want to sell them to earn money to support my family. But publishing a book requires the approval of the Arts Institute. So I would like to ask for your convenience. In addition, if you like, you can write a preface for my novel. "
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