The Bookish Scholar of the Red Mansion

The sky is bright today and the waves are sparkling. However, after seeing this kind of scenery too many times, Chen Heng would not find it novel. After all, all kinds of scenery are ordinary in Jiangnan.

He carefully looked at the crowd around him. This perspective of you are watching the scenery from the bridge, and the people watching the scenery are watching you upstairs is very fascinating and interesting.

The spring breeze urged the passengers off, as the two official ships got closer and closer. Chen Heng obviously noticed the change in everyone's expressions. In the queue of officials on the left, most of the people were solemn and calm. Only at the end of the team, a few people with lower official positions could be seen whispering.

In the team of scholars on the right, everyone looked a little excited. Last month we bid farewell to Mei Xuezheng, and this month we ushered in a new academic administration.

This was related to the examiners of the scientific examinations of the students. Many people deliberately raised their heads and chests, trying to make their already low figures more conspicuous in the crowd.

Their mood reminded Chen Heng of the time when certain leaders visited the school in his previous life. I am the one who serves as the backdrop, but I don’t have the good luck to go up and lay flowers.

Chen Heng narrowed his eyes and looked at Lin Ruhai at the front. The wind in the river was blowing in and out, blowing the sleeves of crimson official robes fluttering. Lin Ruhai, who is nearly fifty years old, is when a man is at his most stable and mature.

In addition, he holds great power and is calm and calm in commanding a powerful place. What's more, his temperament is as mellow as a jar of aged wine. Seeing Uncle Lin standing there silently, Chen Heng suddenly thought of a question.

Yangzhou's academic administration is only the fifth rank, and Uncle Lin is the prefect of the fourth rank. To paraphrase later generations of Internet literature, this is the half-step XX position. Why would a prefect with such status stand here to welcome a scholar?

Gudong.

The sound of the ship docking lifted the spirits of those waiting there. Chen Heng was not immune to this and looked ahead with all his concentration. On the official ship that docked first, Yangzhou Xuezheng, dressed in a blue official robe, walked proudly across the wooden boards laid by the boatman.

Even though they were so far apart, Chen Heng could still see the pride in the other person's body. It had nothing to do with his facial expression, but a feeling emanating from his gestures.

Xuezheng's hands were placed one after the other until he reached Magistrate Lin's side before he cupped his hands. Chen Heng was too far away and had not practiced the magical skill of being able to hear mosquitoes falling within a hundred steps, so it was naturally impossible for him to hear clearly what they were saying.

He simply looked at the two people in everyone's spotlight from the far corner. One was wearing a straight fourth-grade scarlet robe, with a pair of flying cloud geese embroidered on the patch. His expression was calm, and he even nodded a little, making it look like he was not close. Not alienated either.

The other wears a genuine fifth-grade green robe with a pair of white pheasants embroidered on the patch. Even though I was quite proud before, now I have to take the initiative to say hello to senior officials, nodding my head from time to time to add persuasiveness to my words.

But there is only one level of difference, temperament and situation are one in heaven and one on earth. It makes me want to go up and listen to their conversation.

Chen Heng stood there, probably too bored, so he continued to think wildly. Dayong's official robes were made according to the Ming Dynasty, and those above the fourth rank wore scarlet robes. The pattern of buzi on the chest is used to distinguish specific official ranks.

For example, the crane of the first rank of civil servants, the golden pheasant of the second rank, and the peacock of the third rank. Apart from anything else, the aesthetics of official uniforms in the Ming Dynasty really fit in with the public's aesthetics, and were no less impressive than those of the Song Dynasty.

Finally, the two official ships on the dock completed the exchange. Xuezheng, who was standing behind Lin Ruhai at some point, took one step ahead and greeted the people coming from the official boat.

Chen Heng took a look and saw, my dear, this person is also in a scarlet robe, and the pattern on the patch is actually a pair of peacocks.

Such a person is a real giant in Yangzhou, and he can already remove half a step from half a step of XX.

There are knowledgeable people among the students who have begun to whisper and guess the identity of the visitor. Among them, Xue Biao had the most news. He stood beside Chen Heng, directly in his friend's ear, and whispered: It's the new Jinling prefect—Tian An.

Chen Heng was shocked, he didn't expect it to be this person. The identity of the man in green robe is also self-evident. It must be Li Bian mentioned by Mei Xuezheng.

Before he had time to think about it, the teams on both sides took a few steps forward. When Tian An stood still, most of them bowed and saluted, and said in unison: Welcome to Mr. Futai.

Yeah. Tian An nodded towards everyone.

But even if they took a few steps closer, no one could hear their conversation. One could only watch Li Bian Zai sandwiched between the two Fei robes, interjecting excitedly.

Tian An's arrival seemed to give him more confidence to speak. Li Bian mostly spoke to Tian An, while Lin Ruhai's expression was normal, with a half-smiling expression on his face.

By now, Chen Heng was not unaware that the court was divided into two factions: the Supreme Emperor and the Emperor. They were probably a few big shots who took their public image into consideration and even if they belonged to different political parties, they communicated very harmoniously in public.

Chen Heng looked to his left and towards Jia Yucun, whom he cared about most. Jia Yucun in the crowd lowered his eyebrows and looked solemnly, unlike some of his colleagues who stretched their necks impatiently.

In my impression, this position should have belonged to Jia Yucun, which was the official position run by the Jia and Wang families for him. Now that the crimson official robe he got has gone away, he can only wear the seventh-grade blue robe. I don't know if he would resent himself if he knew about it.

Chen Heng laughed, but was suddenly startled by the movement in the distance. Amid the murmurs of the crowd, he eagerly turned his head and looked at Uncle Lin's place.

I saw that among the three people who were originally in a harmonious atmosphere, they didn't know what happened, and they had an argument in front of everyone. By now, the cause was no longer important. Chen Heng only saw Lin Ruhai's expression becoming tense and ugly, while Tian An seemed to be still talking about something, pointing one hand at Li Bian and then at the student.

At this time, everyone could see something strange and wanted to join in the fun. Everyone stood on tiptoe as hard as they could, as if they wanted to hear something in the wind.

But this debate came to an abrupt end very quickly. In the end, Lin Ruhai didn't have time to let everyone watch the show. He raised his hand, said something, turned around and left.

The officials of the government office froze at that time. According to the plan, the government office was holding a banquet in the restaurant to entertain Tian and Li. Tian An didn't seem to expect that Lin Ruhai would dare to deny him face in public.

Lin Ruhai... He pointed at the departing figure, his tone was anxious and a bit unkind.

Oh, I just remembered something. Lin Ruhai stopped. As a prefect, if his name was called out in public, if he didn't respond, would the surname of Yangzhou City be Lin or Tian in the future?

He turned around, looked at the two people behind him, and then said to the government officials and Yangzhou students, I remember that we in Jiangsu don't have a second-grade governor.

The prefect of Jinling was a special case in the previous Ming Dynasty, and his position belonged to the third rank. But in the Yong Dynasty, it was generally only between the third and fourth grades. Officials should be treated with discretion based on their official position before they perform their duties.

As for the Shuntian Mansion at the emperor's feet, there is no need to take care of it so much, it is all in the third grade. Ranked first among all the prefects in the world. Above him is the second-grade governor, who is already a frontier official through and through, which can be described as terrifying.

I also want to inspect the river embankment to prevent waterlogging this year. The relevant officials will accompany me, and others will accompany the magistrate to receive guests.

After Lin Ruhai finished speaking, he walked away without stopping. The government officials were not as nimble as him. They only trotted out and followed Lin Ruhai's footsteps smartly.

Others, led by Zhizhou Zhang Shangxian, continued to receive Tian and Li.

Seeing a ghost, Chen Heng noticed that Jia Yucun was also among the leaving team. Isn't he in charge of salt? What does the river embankment matter have to do with him?

What happens next has nothing to do with Chen Heng and others. After witnessing the excitement, these students had nothing to say, but their faces were all very excited. I believe that when they return, the excitement on the pier will soon spread throughout the city.

…………

…………

After dinner in the evening, Chen Heng studied at home as usual. On his desk, there are also many homeworks written in the afternoon, including his own homework, and the homework of Qian Dayou and others.

Most of the content is related to arithmetic, which Chen Heng thinks is a good score-getter. As for Chen Heng's talent in this area, even Jin Shenzhi, who taught this course, was full of praise.

Chen Heng naturally hopes that he can plucking the green seedlings around him before the hospital examination in June. But arithmetic is a thing that you can master if you know it, and you can't teach it if you can't. It's really hard to teach.

After correcting the exercises of Xue Biao, Qian Dayou, and Jiang Yuanbai, Chen Heng used the extremely intuitive scoring system of later generations to evaluate their scores this time: 75, 61, and 45.

Jiang Yuanbai, wait for me tomorrow. Chen Heng burst into tears for a moment. His friend didn't listen at all to what he was taught in the afternoon. With a brain like Jiang Yuanbai's, could he really learn to paint from Master Xu? The stinky chess basket can't help but criticize in his heart.

Second brother, have some tea.

Xinda opened the door and brought the freshly brewed tea to Chen Heng. These things are all bargains picked up from my second uncle's shop. The free stuff tasted delicious to Chen Heng when he drank it.

Now that he was done with his business, Chen Heng drank tea and decided to go downstairs and walk in the yard. The atmosphere of early spring is getting stronger in the air, and in the middle of the night, the fragrance is already wafting from the darkness.

Sitting for a long time is harmful to the body. When Chen Heng takes a walk in the courtyard, he will deliberately raise his arms and turn his neck. Xinda was so familiar with his brother's behavior that he turned a blind eye to it. It's just that he thought these actions were too funny, and he verbally rejected Chen Heng's professor's kindness.

Since the little brother doesn't know the goods, Chen Heng will not force him. After moving around, he took a stroll in the courtyard. At this time, the elders in the family were staying in their respective houses. Even though your family is not around, you can still feel the warmth.

Looking at the candlelight coming from Chen Qingyue and Chen Yin's room, he knew that these two boys were still reviewing their homework. Chen Heng nodded. The Chen family should have such hard work.

What do you think about what happened this morning? Chen Heng asked Xinda, who was someone he relied on and was close to. Just like Lin Ruhai taught him, Chen Heng would often ask what the other party meant.

There are inquiries, comparisons, and guidance.

Xinda turned his head and looked at the bright moon in the sky. He was seriously recalling the scene during the day. Although he was not in the queues of the two parties, he was among the onlookers outside the police officers, so he naturally watched the excitement.

I just feel that Mr. Lin's life will not be easy in the future. Xinda gave the answer after thinking about it. His relationship with the Lin family is not as close as that of Chen Heng, so naturally he does not dare to call him uncle.

Chen Heng nodded and asked, Don't you find it strange?

Weird? Xinda blinked and smiled, What are you talking about, second brother? My younger brother is surprised. It turns out that officials are just like us common people, quarreling with red faces and red ears.

Chen Heng also smiled and said: They all have to eat, drink water, and eat whole grains. Do you still think they are immortals in the sky? He shook his head and did not continue to comment on the matter. He started to stand with his hands on his hands and stood on the side of the yard. Take a walk and think.

There are two things he still can't figure out. The first is what exactly they talked about that caused Uncle Lin, who had always been well-behaved, to sneer in public. Secondly, does Uncle Lin gain anything by doing this?

Chen Heng didn't believe that someone like Lin Ruhai would get carried away and do such a mindless thing in public.

People have different temperaments, and people like Uncle Lin may suffer from over-calculation or under-calculation.

But to say that he tore apart Yangzhou and Jinling in public because he couldn't stand a few sarcastic words from Magistrate Tian was not in line with his temperament to act after making a decision.

You must know that when Chen Heng was taking classes at Lin Ruhai's place, the first lesson was about the humiliation of Han Xin's crotch.

A man who can endure what ordinary people cannot endure and can do things that ordinary people cannot do is a true man. ’

Would Lin Ruhai, who teaches juniors like this, really lose his temper in public?

Chen Heng was thinking about it and suddenly remembered a question he had thought about before.

Why did Jia Yucun, who had no official position, become the prefect of Jinling under the operation of the Jia and Wang families? He is no longer Wu Xia Amon, and he has a little understanding of the official promotion system.

The distance from a commoner to a scarlet robe is something that most people cannot cross in their lifetime. That's it, I'm talking about those talented people who passed the Jinshi examination!

So why does Jia Yucun? Is it based on the power of the Jia and Wang families? But judging from Jia Yucun's behavior towards the Jia family afterwards, it is obviously not that simple. If he betrays his benefactor in the officialdom, then who would dare to trust him?

Chen Heng once speculated that Jia Yucun was a secret agent sent by the emperor. Through the hands of Lin Ruhai, he came into the sight of the Jia and Wang families, and then defected to the faction of the Supreme Emperor.

The party struggle in the court is so fierce that only when several parties reach a tacit understanding and work together in the open and in the dark can Jia Yucun be transformed into a scarlet robe.

So for the people on your Majesty's side, which one is more important, the person Jia Yucun, or the position of the prefect of Jinling?

Could it be that without Jia Yucun, His Majesty would just sit back and watch the prefect of Jinling fall into the hands of the Supreme Emperor? ? ?

Thinking of this, Chen Heng suddenly broke into a cold sweat. A thought just flashed through his mind, could this Tian An also be from the emperor?

If so, Uncle Lin's behavior is traceable and profitable.

After all, Jinling is the headquarters of the Supreme Emperor, and the ancestral residences of several great nobles in the court are all set up here.

Apart from other things, if you take advantage of this place, you can connect Suzhou and Hangzhou and other places in a direct line, and you can secretly collect evidence of the noble family's crimes.

This this……

Chen Heng was flustered by his guess, thanks to Lin Ruhai's long-term teachings and his own smart thinking. It was as if a dark door opened in front of him, allowing him to peek into part of the reality of officialdom.

Xinda saw something unusual in Chen Heng's expression and couldn't help but asked with concern: Second brother, what's wrong?

Chen Heng quickly shook his head and said with an awkward smile: It's okay, ha, ha, ha, I just remembered that Sister Lin's birthday is coming, and I miss her a little.

The fewer people who know about this kind of thing, the better. He didn't dare to tell Xinda at all, not because of distrust, but out of mutual protection.

Besides, he wasn't completely sure, so he just bet that he was the right one.

Chen Heng shook his head, and now he had no intention of continuing to walk. He just turned around and hurried back to his room to read a book to calm down his messy mood.

Ah, here I come, here I come. By the way, Tian and Li, brothers, can you think of an idiom?

Hahahahaha! I hope you enjoy reading the book