From April to June every year, it is a good day when the grass grows and the orioles fly and the flowers bloom, and even the sunshine is full of warmth and joy. This is also the time when local officials from all over Kyushu, who have expired their terms, come to Beijing to report on their duties. When officials' performance is evaluated and appointments are re-issued, officials in various high-level mansions come and go every day, either taking this opportunity to win over courtiers or collecting useful information for themselves, and they are very busy.

As soon as the sky turned white, a long queue started to form in front of the official department, from the closed vermilion gate of the official department to the street entrance. Some lucky people had just finished reporting on their duties, but in three to five days, there would be better ones. The official position fell to him, and some people who were not lucky enough to wait for three to five months may not be able to wait for a better future.

Just when everyone was bustling and looking forward to it, a long-bearded man walked out. He had some light lines on his face. He looked very kind. He smiled and saluted everyone who was waiting: "Hello brother Nian, hello brother Nian, hello brother Nian, eh, yes, yes, the appointment has been made, I have to take the first step."

"Brother Nian has got a good job." Some people rushed over eagerly, asking with smiles on their faces, hoping to find out some way out so that they could make early plans for the next day.

"I heard that Brother Nian is going to Yuzhou as an errand."

"Yuzhou, Yuzhou is a good place. Brother Nian is so lucky."

"Yes, yes, I'm going to Yuzhou for work. Yes, Yuzhou is a good place." The long-bearded man held his hands and laughed all the way, and finally squeezed out of the crowd with difficulty.

The long-bearded man raised his eyes and saw the thin man looking at each other from a distance away from the crowd. He hurriedly pushed aside the crowd and walked over quickly, with a smile on his face and a look of sadness on his face: "Brother Xuan, there is good news today."

The thin man cupped his hands, forced a smile, and shook his head slightly: "Not yet, brother has some errands."

The long-bearded man leaned forward slightly, as if he was relieved, but also a little frustrated and unwilling: "It's not an honorable job, it's just to go to Yuzhou to be a county magistrate."

The thin man comforted him softly: "Yuzhou is also a prosperous place. My brother has a bright future and will surely prosper in the future."

"Xuandi has made outstanding achievements in office and will have a good future. Don't be discouraged." The long-bearded man patted his shoulder, walked sideways, and took out a blue floral cotton bag from his sleeve. , quietly handed it to the thin man's hand: "This little money is not much, you keep it, and you can make more money later."

"No, no, no, brother doesn't have much money. I have received too many favors from him along the way, and I will never be able to collect this money." The face of the thin man changed slightly, feeling grateful and indebted at the same time, and he waved the money away. go back.

The long-bearded man weighed the money and joked: "Why, brother Xuan is afraid that the money came from something shady and that your hands will be dirty."

The thin man was moved in his heart and smiled as brightly as a cymbidium: "Brother, you are joking. It is because you have always been honest and honest. It is not easy to save this money, so I will never get it."

The long-bearded man smiled nonchalantly, quietly stuffed the money into his arms, and lowered his voice and said: "As a brother, I am alone. If one person has enough to eat and the whole family is not hungry, no matter how poor he is, it will always be better than you."

The lean man declined again: "If you can't do it, please don't make things difficult for me."

The long-bearded man concentrated his attention and advised softly: "Brother Xuan, the threshold of the official office is high, and everything needs to be taken care of from top to bottom. You have always been poor, so you can't keep working like this. Besides, if you can afford to wait, your Majesty can wait."

I'm sorry."

Yes, my mother followed him all the way to Beijing to report on his work. It was just a tiring journey. After entering Beijing, she lived a relaxed life for a day, and she had to devote herself to being a cook in a mountain house in the imperial city.

, working hard every day to earn some money to live by, the thin man looked really distressed, so he no longer refused, and handed over his hand with great gratitude: "Brother, you are so kind, I will repay you in the future."

The long-bearded man felt relieved. He brushed off the dust on the thin man's half-worn gray round-neck robe, took a step closer and whispered softly: "Brother Xuan, you have an upright temperament. You must be careful in the future, but you can't

It's a shame to suffer from the previous secret loss. You are different from Brother Wei. Brother Wei is a person who is half buried in the loess. He only wants to be stable for the rest of his life. Yuzhou is also a good place to go. Brother Xuan, you have great ambitions and were born to climb the mountain.

My dear Prime Minister, you are still young, so you must not act rashly in the future. Also, I paid half a month more for the inn room for my brother, so that Brother Xuan and your father can live in peace of mind."

"I've written it down, brother, don't worry." The thin man's eyes were bright, and there was something crystal clear under his eyes. He reluctantly held it back, knowing that the mountains and rivers ahead were high and the road ahead was bumpy and unpredictable. I'm afraid it would be difficult no matter how difficult it was.

See you. The wind suddenly picked up, ruffling a pool of green water, and the willow shades hung softly and green in the vast smoke. The thin man raised his hand and folded the slender willow branches, and slowly placed them in the hands of the long-bearded man.

The green water is floating in the air, sending people away in a hurry.

For some people, this work report may be a feast of honor and return to their hometown, while for others, it is a migration of joys and sorrows.

The long-bearded man patted him on the shoulder, the fine lines at the corners of his eyes opened like water ripples, and laughed loudly: "I don't know when we can see each other again. Brother Xuan, if you become prosperous in the future, don't forget to treat me to him."

liquor."

The shadow of the sun moves quietly, illuminating the tall and broad sycamore trees, casting a dark green light full of shade in front of the official department. Occasionally, one or two gusts of wind pass by, bringing the faint fragrance of the four seasons osmanthus.

Willows were planted in the water, while sycamores and osmanthus trees were planted all over the other side. Taking advantage of the good intentions of the phoenix phoenix trees and the new nobles in the officialdom, the flowers bloomed and the leaves fell several times. Some people truly became new rich people, and some also attracted golden phoenixes.

However, more people are ups and downs in the official world. If they are not careful, they will choke and sink to the bottom, and it will be difficult to stand up again.

The wheels rolled over the narrow bluestone alley, and a gray carriage, the most common in Qingzhou City, stopped at the street corner. Du Heng raised his whip, stood in front of the car with his feet raised, and looked among the crowd for a long time. Finally, he saw what was coming.

The person he was looking for said in a deep voice without looking back: "Master, he is here."

The man's voice was cold and low: "He has been in Beijing for a while, but he is unlucky. His appointment has not been received yet."

Du Heng pondered for a while, counted the days on his fingers, his voice was slightly cold, and a cool breeze swept over the hot summer: "Isn't that right? After entering Beijing, his mother went to Jushanfang to work as a cook, and she went to work on the first day.

When he met the greedy and lustful Guanzhong, who was filial and protective of his mother, there was a conflict between words. If someone hadn't stopped him, he would have demolished Guanzhong and beat Guanzhong severely."

The man's long sigh was like the fragrant and green wind on the street, swirling for a long time: "A mere chief is like a fish in a moat. There are countless of them. Guanzhong really thinks that he is a dish, and the villain is so determined."

Woke up."

Du Heng's eyes flashed and he nodded deeply: "It's a pity that he is a little-known local official. He offended Guan Zhong, and the Wan Min Biao in Jingzhou became a piece of waste paper."

"Man, if you are too honest, you are stupid. He is honest and loves to get into trouble. He only knows how to fight head-on. He doesn't know how to turn and maneuver. He digs holes and jumps by himself. He also thinks that others are too slow to bury them. If no one pulls him,

He would have been swallowed alive long ago, with not even the bones and dregs left." The man's voice was still cold and cold, without any warmth or ripples after he was used to seeing the injustice in the world.

"Master is saying that today's officialdom is not entirely determined by political performance." Du Heng felt regretful and couldn't help sighing.

The car was covered with soft cushions, and the lotus-colored satin was embroidered with a dark lotus pattern. He gently stroked it, and the dense texture irritated his hands, causing slight pain in his palms. The man rubbed the cushions silently for a long time.

Cai Ruchang said: "This situation did not happen in a day. Naturally, it cannot be accomplished overnight. We can only proceed slowly. What matters now is the matter of Yongzhou."

Du Heng collected his thoughts and replied in a deep voice: "In the past six months, His Majesty often left the palace incognito and wandered around Ningxiang Pavilion. Naturally, he often saw the tragic scene of hordes of Yongzhou disaster victims pouring into Qingzhou City, and Ningxiang was in

Your Majesty has also heard a lot of whispers in his ears, and coupled with His Royal Highness King Wu’s conclusive remarks on the case, I am afraid that Your Majesty has already become suspicious of the Yongzhou incident."

The man's eyes were shining and he sighed like the wind: "Yesterday, His Majesty and His Royal Highness discussed the matter of sending people to Yongzhou to investigate the case. Yongzhou Jiezi escaped half a month ago with a bunch of correspondence and account books. Yongzhou Mansion will not let it go.

His, of course, his sins are so serious that death would not be a pity, but if he dies, the Yongzhou incident will become a real death case. It must be ended early, and changes will occur later."

Du Heng bowed and said: "Here, my subordinates will do it now."

The man's fingertips were as white as gel, without a trace of blood. He lifted the corner of the curtain, handed out neatly folded sheets of tissue paper, and said softly: "Give this to the prince personally, and ask His Highness to make a decision. In addition, with his

My mother's past identity is now working in Gushanfang, so I'm afraid she will get involved in the dispute. Du Heng, please arrange for people to protect mother and son. From the day he goes to Yongzhou on business, his mother's life and fortune will be handed over to her.

It's in your hands, remember, don't make any mistakes."

Du Heng lowered his head and waved his palm quietly, and a gray light jumped out from his palm, as bright as a firefly.

An imperceptible breeze passed by from nowhere. The faint light swayed slightly in the wind, and slowly became a little bigger, like a small candle stub, burning awkwardly in the palm of his hand. He softly uttered "Go"

"The word", that little bit of light was faint and dark, and quickly disappeared into the ground.

After a moment of silence, the car curtain opened a crack and he looked around. No one noticed the person and the car in the corner. The man dodged and jumped out of the car. He was hidden in the shadows beside the car, his eyes bright.

Hui looked at Du Heng and said, "Go ahead."

Du Heng knew that the people in the car were weak and it would be difficult to walk such a long way, so he smiled and said: "This place is very far from our house. If the master wears out the soles of his shoes when he walks back, he will have to spend money to buy new ones."

Shoes, then the gain outweighs the loss."

The man smiled with a smile on his face, his brows as bright as spring: "What do you mean, buying me a new pair of shoes means the gain outweighs the loss. You really haven't learned anything else. Su Zi's stingyness has taught you a lot."

Du Heng touched the purse that was mostly deflated around his waist, pursed his lips and smiled: "Okay, okay, what the master said is, why don't the master wait for a while in the car, wait for the subordinate to finish the work, and accompany the master to buy the last episode and watch the last chapter

of jade.”
Chapter completed!