Chapter 519

Early in the morning, Ye Xiaotian sent Duo Ni to accompany his mother. He only went to the Ministry of Rites when the sun was high up in the sky.

In fact, when Ye Xiaotian was an ambassador in Jinling, he had studied the etiquette of the Great Ming Dynasty. However, memorizing it and actually doing it were two different things. Moreover, if he could only memorize it and never used it, it would take a long time to recall it. When he had an audience with the Emperor, he would not be allowed to think about it slowly. Therefore, it was necessary to practice it at the Ministry of Rites.

"You are Imperial Judge Ye? Aiya, aiya, it's an honor to meet you! "The manager of the Ministry of Rites, Tao Xixi, greeted Ye Xiaotian with a face full of smiles. Su Xuntian snickered and said, "What honor? Is Your Excellency famous in the capital?"

Li Qiuchi stepped on his toes without batting an eyelid, not saying a word.

Ye Xiaotian was very surprised. He had "received" more than one or two officials in the Heavenly Prison. From their words, he had long known the arrogance of the officials in the capital. Even the local high-ranking officials, when they came to the Six Ministries in the capital, had to smile obsequiously in front of the low-ranking officials who were five or six ranks lower than them. They did not dare to show anger even when they were scolded or treated coldly. He did not expect Manager Tao to be so polite.

Ye Xiaotian had a donkey's temper. If you respect me, I will return it tenfold. If you don't, I will be a stubborn donkey. Now that he was being polite, he immediately put on a smile and greeted, "This lowly official greets the manager!"

This manager was a sixth-rank official, the same rank as Dai Tongzhi. Ye Xiaotian was still a Imperial Judge, a seventh-rank official. He was two ranks lower than Ye Xiaotian, so he had to greet him first. Just as Ye Xiaotian bent down, Manager Tao helped him up. He laughed and said,

"Your Excellency Ye, don't be so polite! You left the capital as a prison guard. In just a few years, you have been promoted again and again. Now, you are about to become a local chieftain. You are a legend in the capital. You are even more enviable than those who were given the title of Marquis in ancient times. Hahaha … "

Manager Tao said and intimately held Ye Xiaotian's arm and said, "Come, come, come, let's go to the guest office. Don't worry. The ceremony of meeting the emperor is difficult, but it is also not difficult. I will explain it to you. You will be able to master it with a little practice."

Ye Xiaotian said, "Yes! Manager Tao. By the way, is the assistant minister of the Board of Rites still Lord Lin? "

Your Excellency Ye knows Your Excellency Lin? " Manager Tao said with surprise.

Ye Xiaotian smiled faintly and said mysteriously, "This … cough! "We have a relationship."

Manager Tao was in awe and quickly said, "So that's how it is. Does Sir want to visit Sir Lin first?"

Ye Xiaotian cupped his fists and said, "Thank you, Brother Tao!"

"You're welcome!" Manager Tao said with a smile, "Let's go, I'll take you there!"

The two talked and laughed along the way. Manager Tao did not have the airs of an official and was very courteous to him. When the two arrived at the assistant minister's office, they were already very familiar with each other. Manager Tao asked Ye Xiaotian to wait for a moment. He went forward and whispered a few words to the boy. The boy looked at Ye Xiaotian curiously, then turned and went into the room.

Ye Xiaotian did not want to see Assistant Minister Lin on a whim. He wanted to renew old friendship. As the saying goes, it is easy to be an official if you have connections in the court. All the famous chieftains in Guizhou have connections in the court. They may not be very close, but a generous gift is indispensable during the New Year.

Do not underestimate this relationship. It can play a big role at a critical moment. For example, the Yang family of Bozhou and the Song family of Shuidong often had disputes and even fought a few small-scale battles. However, both of them had connections in the imperial court. Even if some rumors reached the Emperor's ears, a minister would stand up and casually say, "It's just that the local people are swift and fierce, and the villagers gather together to fight. It's a common thing! They don't even care about their own chieftains. Your Majesty cares about the world. Why should you care about the disputes of a small group of people in a corner of the country? "Then he would turn a big problem into a small one and a small one into nothing.

Ye Xiaotian also wanted to cultivate his relationship in the court. It was too early to say that he was a spokesman for benefits. But as long as he had a good impression of him and was willing to put in a good word for him at the right time, it would be a good start.

He had no other connections in the capital. The only person he knew was Assistant Minister Lin. Assistant Minister Lin was not old. He was only in his forties. He still had a chance to go further and was worth investing in. So today, learning the etiquette of meeting the emperor was secondary. The most important thing was to get in touch with Assistant Minister Lin.

The manservant hurried out after a while. His demeanor was much more polite than before. "My family's assistant minister invites Lord Ye!" Ye Xiaotian straightened his clothes and nodded at Manager Tao. He followed the manservant in.

Assistant Minister Lin was standing behind the desk and splashing ink. As soon as Ye Xiaotian walked past the screen, Assistant Minister Lin put down his brush and raised his head with a smile. There was a large piece of Xuan paper on the desk. In reality, there was not a single drop of ink on it. Assistant Minister Lin was not writing calligraphy. He was welcoming Ye Xiaotian.

However, the difference in rank between the two was too great. Not to mention welcoming him, even standing up to welcome him would be a loss of face for Assistant Minister Lin. But when it came to actual power, even he would be jealous of this soon-to-be Chieftain Prefect. That was why he had painstakingly chosen this method. It would not lower his status, but it would also show respect to Ye Xiaotian.

Ye Xiaotian had been in the Heavenly Prison for imprisoning corrupt officials. He naturally knew these things. When his gaze fell on the paper, he understood Assistant Minister Lin's meaning.

Ye Xiaotian took three steps forward and was about to kneel. But his movements were not fast. Assistant Minister Lin, who had already walked around the desk, was walking forward. He took another three steps forward. When he knelt, his arms were caught by Assistant Minister Lin. "Dispense with the formalities, dispense with the formalities. Haha, Prefect Lin, it hasn't been that long since we parted in Hulu County. I didn't expect you to be promoted so smoothly. I think in a few years, I will have to pay my respects to you! "

Assistant Minister Lin jokingly helped Ye Xiaotian up and said, "Sit!"

Assistant Minister Lin turned around and sat down in the seat of honor. Only then did Ye Xiaotian sit down. He smiled and said, "After parting in Hulu County, this lowly official has missed Daren. Today, I have the opportunity to return to the capital and see Daren. I am very happy. "

Whether this was sincere or not, Assistant Minister Lin was still happy to hear it. Moreover, Assistant Minister Lin's career was on the rise and he needed to form his own faction. Although he had failed to recruit Ye Xiaotian, Ye Xiaotian was not the same as before. It was a good idea to befriend him and use him as a support. Therefore, Assistant Minister Lin was also very happy to hear that Ye Xiaotian had the intention to get close to him.

Manager Tao stood outside the door with nothing to do. He leaned against the red pillar and thought about something. The mission that Li Guojiu had given him was not serious, but the reward was to become a Minister of the Host and Guest Department. This risk was worth taking!

Although the Host and Guest Department's Minister was a fifth-rank official, he was a sixth-rank official. There was only a difference of three ranks. But this was the capital. Even climbing one rank was as difficult as ascending to the heavens. Every time there was a vacancy, you did not know how many people were eyeing it. Moreover, everyone had a backer and background. How could it be easy to rise?

Moreover, although it was only three ranks higher, the authority and treatment were very different. Above the Minister of the Host and Guest Department was the Assistant Minister. As long as he could stand in that position, he had the right to establish his own team. Not only could he choose an important official to rely on, but the important officials would also look for henchmen among the officials of his rank. How could he know if he could become an Assistant Minister or Minister in the future?

Get close to Ye Xiaotian and make him believe in him …

Thinking of the mission that Li Xuancheng had given him, Manager Tao's eyes narrowed slightly. His gaze was frighteningly deep.

… …

In the signing room, the guests and the host were enjoying themselves.

If one wanted to form a friendship with the other, there were some things and words that one had to say when the time was right. If one refused to leave and continued to talk endlessly, it would incur the other's disgust, and that would have the opposite effect. Thus, when Ye Xiaotian's humorous words caused Assistant Minister Lin to roar with laughter, he took the opportunity to stand and say, "Assistant Minister is busy with official business. This lowly official will not disturb you any longer. I will take my leave."

Assistant Minister Lin said with a face full of smiles, "Okay, you can go!"

Ye Xiaotian bowed and left. He had only taken two steps when he suddenly stopped. As if he had thought of something, he lightly slapped his forehead and turned around. "Sir, although you are in the prime of your life, you should still take care of your body. This official has a pair of toys to give to Sir. You can play with them when you are free. It is good for your body. "

As Ye Xiaotian spoke, he took out a pair of walnuts from his sleeve and held them in his hand. With a "dang dang", they gave off a crisp and pleasant sound of gold and jade. Assistant Minister Lin saw that the walnuts were vermillion red and crystal clear. It was obvious that they had been playing with them for many years. Although they were not worth much money, they were still rare objects. He received them with a smile.

The pair of walnuts were quite heavy in his hand. They were cool to the bone and as smooth as jade. As expected, they were top-notch toys made from playing with them. Ye Xiaotian cupped his hands towards Assistant Minister Lin before taking his leave.

Assistant Minister Lin rubbed the walnuts and sat down behind the table. His gaze lowered and he suddenly felt that something was wrong. He hurriedly brought the pair of walnuts closer to take a look and was immediately shocked. These were not walnuts made from playing with them. They were clearly carved from real red jade!

As the saying went, "Red jade is priceless!" This pair of red jade walnuts were not just red. They were as bright as cockscombs. They had a glossy luster and were extremely delicate and warm. Since ancient times, jade was divided into five colors. Red was the highest because the best red jade was the hardest to find.

This pair of jade walnuts …

Assistant Minister Lin weighed the pair of walnuts in his hand and quickly estimated their value. In the western part of the city where high officials and nobles gathered and every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, one could buy a mansion with five courtyards. At the same time, one could buy a hundred beautiful maids and pretty children. In addition, one could buy a thousand mu of fertile land in the suburbs of the capital.

Assistant Minister Lin immediately sucked in a breath of cold air. This future Chieftain Lord was too extravagant! He thought about how the walnuts that Ye Xiaotian had been playing with had actually clanked. Although red jade was the hardest, if he had used the slightest bit of strength, he would have knocked off the extremely realistic carvings. He had actually played with them as if they were real walnuts …

Assistant Minister Lin held the pair of walnuts in his hand and carefully did not dare to move them. If they fell to the ground, even if they were broken, a beautiful and charming young woman would disappear without a trace. How distressing!

Assistant Minister Lin hurriedly turned around and took out a box from the bookshelf behind him. That box originally contained a famous inkstone. Assistant Minister Lin held the walnuts in one hand and opened the box with the other. He poured the valuable inkstone on the table, not caring whether it was broken or not. He immediately pulled over the piece of rice paper and wrapped the walnuts tightly. He stuffed them into the box and then sat down as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

"This Ye Xiaotian is really considerate …"

Assistant Minister Lin caressed the lid of the box and smiled slightly.