Xu Ping followed, and when he saw Lu Yijian standing, he handed over the letter from his sleeve, and said: "Today, the lights in Kaifeng City are lit and fireworks are set off. As a result, it was found that there was a collusion between the intermediary shop and the public officials in the service who disobeyed the order to exchange tea for tea, and the judge Han Zong wrote a pleadings here. ”

Lu Yijian took the pleadings from Xu Ping's sleeve and received it directly from his sleeve, and he didn't open it to watch, but asked casually: "Which minister of the court is involved in that Jiaoyin shop?" ”

"Zhongshu Zhang Xianggong, Xuanhui Yuan Yang Taiwei."

Lu Yijian listened to Xu Ping's words, was stunned for a moment, the expression on his face remained unchanged, and asked, "Is it deeply involved?" ”

Xu Ping sighed: "There are two supervisors in the shop who are the cadres of the two of them, this is nothing, but the owner of the shop directly has the two of them, I'm afraid——"

Lu Yijian nodded, signaling Xu Ping not to say any more.

How many years has he been in charge of the government, how could Lu Yijian not know the way for the powerful ministers in the court to collect money, even in his own family, there are many cadres who run businesses outside. At this time, people have long been accustomed to this kind of thing, and it is better to go out to do business and accumulate wealth than to directly embezzle and accept bribes, at least to look good, of course, the premise is not to be caught.

Not to mention the minister's family, even ordinary people know that money is easy to depreciate when placed at home, and those who have a little spare money at home are released to borrow to earn interest, or invest in various businesses. This is the social custom at this time, and it is especially serious here in Kaifeng Mansion, that is, there are many shops on the street outside, and there are several shares in it.

However, officials are not ordinary people in the end, as long as their positions are related, the business they participate in is almost inseparable from the abuse of power for personal gain, but the degree is different. In order to avoid suspicion, they all participate in the name of the cadre, and they only share the profits with the cadre. The two families like Zhang Shixun and Yang Chongxun were directly involved in their own names, and they could only blame themselves for being careless.

Yang Chongxun is a military minister who has always been known for his greed for money. Especially when Emperor Zhenzong was critically ill, he accused Kou Zhun and Zhou Huaizheng of conspiring to use the crown prince to supervise the country and serve Zhenzong as the emperor. This incident established Empress Dowager Liu's status as a curtain to listen to politics and helped her survive the biggest crisis. When Empress Dowager Liu was in power, she was deeply appreciated, and she had no scruples about doing things, and she made sense to do this kind of thing.

Zhang Shixun has always been quite cautious in doing things, and he really doesn't know what to say when this kind of thing comes out.

Speaking of which, it may still be related to Zhang Shixun's personal experience. His family's foundation in the capital is too shallow, he has no experience in financial management, and he doesn't have too many ways, and the people in the family follow Yang Chongxun's family to act, and there is this fatal flaw.

Zhang Shixun's parents died early, and he was raised by his aunt, and when he grew up, his aunt was like his mother. In his early years, his family was poor, he studied at the foot of Wudang Mountain, was taught by Zhang Shu in Songyang, and at the age of 28, he was a first-class jinshi in Chunhua for three years, and Ding Wei and Wang Qinruo were the same year.

However, that year, there were 313 first-class jinshi, and there were 302 first-class jinshi, and the other dozen or so people were all second-class, which could demoralize the other jinshi to death.

Zhang Shixun actually ranked 260, and his official career in his early years was not smooth, and he was an official for more than 20 years in his fifties before he came to the book Zuolang, Shao Wuzhi County. Compared with the official awarded by Xu Ping No. 1 Middle School, this official is only one level higher than Xu Ping's general as a prisoner, and the dispatch is not as good as Xu Ping's Dazhou general judgment, and the officials for more than 20 years are simply in vain.

It was also at that time that Zhang Shixun met his nobleman, and when he returned to the dynasty to report on his work, he visited Yang Yi, a bachelor of Hanlin, and got the acquaintance of the interview, and recommended him as the supervisor of the imperial history. Since then, he has soared to the sky, and it only took ten years to become a ruler.

Zhang Shixun's experience fully illustrates that in this era, even if he was born as a jinshi, there are people in the court who are good officials, otherwise he may be transferred back and forth as state and county officials for the rest of his life, and he will be a sixth or seventh grade official for a lifetime. Zhang Shixun can have today's status, first of all, of course, his ability is not bad, and then he is blessed to live long enough. Not everyone can survive until they are in their fifties and have enough life to change their fate, even officials, many people do not live to this age.

It is precisely because of such a bumpy experience that although Zhang Shixun has been the supreme ruler several times, his family still has no foundation in the capital, so he makes this kind of joke.

Lu Yijian accepted Xu Ping's pleadings, and was about to go back, but before leaving, he suddenly got upset and turned around and asked Xu Ping: "The minister's family is implicated in this kind of lawlessness, and the court can't turn a blind eye, what do you think should be done?" ”

Xu Ping said respectfully: "What is the identity of the lower official? Where would you dare to talk about such a thing! However, in the eyes of the lower officials, although Zhang Xianggong and Yang Taiwei have the same thing, their feelings are different, and they should still be treated separately. ”

Lu Yijian nodded, didn't say anything more, and returned to his seat.

Xu Ping sighed, this hot potato can be regarded as thrown out, and how Lu Yijian decided has nothing to do with himself and the third division. The third division just did its duty, at least on the surface, and didn't think about who to fix.

Moreover, Han Zong, who went to do things specifically this time, is not an ordinary identity, and the court can deal with it without scrupling Kou Xuan, the third envoy, but not with him.

Han Zong's father, Han Yi, served as the Imperial History Zhongcheng at this time, and was in charge of the Taiwan Constitution, which was not comparable to ordinary ministers. More importantly, Han Zong's mother is the eldest daughter of Wang Dan, the prime minister of the previous dynasty, although the Wang family is not as good as Lu Yijian's Lu family at this time, it is not far behind.

Han Yi is the same as Zhang Shixun, Zhongjinshi was a poor bastard before, and he went to the capital with Li Ruogu to take the Jinshi examination, and the combined property of the two was only a mat and a blanket, cut half of one person, and barely spent the night at night. When he went out to visit relatives and friends during the day, he went to someone Han Yi knew, Li Ruogu pretended to be a servant, and when he went to someone Li Ruogu knew, it was the other way around.

After winning the Jinshi, Wang Dan appreciated Han Yi, and despite the opposition of his family, he married his eldest daughter who had not been married because the criteria for choosing a mate were too strict. Han Yi is widowed and remarried, and his ex-wife already has a son, so although Han Zong is not Han Yi's eldest son, he is Wang Dan's first grandson, and his identity is no better than that of ordinary people.

Officialdom is full of relatives and relatives, sometimes it is useless, and sometimes it is very useful.

Seeing Lu Yijian leaving, Xu Ping saw that the order of the ministers at the banquet was out of order at this time, so he prepared to go back to his seat.

At this time, Zhao Yuanyan, the eighth king on the front throne, saw Xu Ping and shouted loudly: "Yongning Hou, you come close, I have something to say to you!" ”

Zhao Yuanyan had a noble status at this time, and his grace was incomparable, and he even brought the two most standard equipment of the former courtiers, the praise and worship of the unknown and the sword covering the palace. However, he only has a ceremonial name and does not participate in political affairs.

On this occasion, everyone watched, Xu Ping didn't want to make trouble, but now he was named but had no choice but to step forward. When he arrived at the seat, he gave a deep salute: "Xiaguan Xu Ping has seen King Jing." ”

Zhao Yuanyan said: "I heard that you have good wine hidden at home, and outsiders don't sell it to them when they are free, yes or no?" ”

Xu Ping said: "It's all outsiders chewing their tongues, my family has opened a wine shop for many years, and there are some good wines." However, that is just a longer age, and there is not much difference from the wine sold in the store. ”

Zhao Yuanyan narrowed his eyes and said, "What you said is true or false, but it is not so sincere." My child often goes to your house as a guest, and every time he comes back, he says that he invites his wine to be very sweet, and brings a few bottles home during the New Year's Festival, and the taste is extraordinary. I drank all the bottles and went out to buy them, but I couldn't buy them anymore. When I asked, I found out that you had a good wine hidden at home and didn't sell it, so you enjoyed it yourself. ”

What can Xu Ping say? If you don't have a non-sale product, you won't be able to get the style. The so-called good wine that cannot be bought outside is nothing more than the fact that it has been preserved and aged little by little over the years, and the recent blending technology has become more and more mature, and the taste and aroma are becoming more and more outstanding. But this kind of thing can't be admitted openly, otherwise what if they all come to their own house to ask for wine?

Zhao Yuanyan has long been old and refined, where would he not know this truth? However, he still had to drink the wine, and said to Xu Ping: "No matter what good wine you have hidden at home, it is the kind that my children brought home years ago, and sell me dozens of bottles tomorrow!" ”

Xu Ping said: "Since the king likes it, I will go home tomorrow to check, if the amount is enough, someone will send it to the house." However, this wine has been aged for many years, and the quantity is really small. ”

"Your father and son don't like to drink, what's the use of saving? Where can you use such good wine to entertain guests! Just bring it to me to drink, and I can't afford your price in my house!" ”

Xu Ping could only vaguely agree.

In his previous life, Xu Ping heard a lot of stories about the Eight Sage Kings based on the Eight Great Kings, but when he really got in touch with them, he found that the real Eight Great Kings were far less cute than the Eight Sage Kings.

Zhao Yuanyan's fame and status naturally have nothing to say, even in Khitan, he can stop children from crying at night. But unlike the Eight Sages King in the play, who held a golden mace at every turn to beat the king and beat the traitorous ministers, Zhao Yuanyan basically didn't worry about political affairs, and it was precisely because he didn't worry about political affairs that he had his current reputation and status. If he really manages everything like the Eight Sages King in the play, he is estimated to have been removed from the prince and assigned to a remote small state.

The Song Dynasty looked at the emperor's position very closely, and the closer he was to the monarch, the more he couldn't manage things.

Zhao Yuanyan is very shrewd, the most obvious is that when the Empress Dowager Liu was in power, he knew that the Empress Dowager was not the emperor's biological mother, pretending to be crazy and stupid not to go to the palace, deliberately alienating the relationship. As soon as the Empress Dowager Liu died, Zhao Yuanyan immediately entered the palace and told the emperor Zhao Zhen that who his biological mother was, and the death was unknown, which almost caused the Liu family to let Zhao Zhen serve it in a pot.

The son Zhao Yunchu got close to Xu Ping's father Xu Zheng, and Zhao Yuanyan not only did not stop it, but also deliberately promoted this relationship. One is to use this opportunity to get closer to Li Yonghe's family, and the other is to be optimistic about Xu Ping's future.

Calling Xu Ping over to speak today naturally had this kind of careful thinking, showing that the relationship between the two families is not ordinary. Of course, he really wanted to drink the wine that the Xu family hid and didn't sell. As a prince, his talent cannot be used in state affairs, eating, drinking and having fun is the only choice, there is no good wine to drink, where can he endure it, and the good wine in the palace has to be drunk by him.

The annual expenses of King Jing's mansion are amazing, and the huge amount of money and the minister's money are not enough to cover the expenses, and he also borrows from the imperial treasury every year, and he does not repay the loans, and he saves a large amount for a few years so that the emperor is directly exempted. For the loan of Jingwangfu, the third division didn't know how much skin he had to do with Zhao Yuanyan, and in the end, the emperor took money from the inner treasury to pay it back.

With such eight kings, Xu Ping can only maintain a relationship that is as if he is leaving. (To be continued.) )