When the drinkers saw that He Zhutou and the others were gone, their courage grew again, and when they heard what the shopkeeper Wu said, they all shouted hello. The storyteller was trembling and hesitant. In the end, the shopkeeper Wu added another fifty yuan, and only then did he grit his teeth, sit down again, and continue to talk about the book. It's just that the fear in my heart has not disappeared, and I can't help but lack confidence when I speak. When he said that Cheng Biting Jin was masked and robbed the Dharma Field, Cheng Biting Jin, who was originally arrogant and dry, was said to have a bit of the demeanor of Zhang Sheng of Cui Yingying at night. The drinkers were dissatisfied, and many people cheered.

After He Zhutou left, Li Qiufeng and Zhang Shi sat down again. The situation where Zhang Shisai gave He the head of silver, Yan Song and Xiao Dong could see it clearly. Xiao Dong sighed and said: "It seems that such a small official who has not entered the stream dares to be so arrogant, which shows how corrupt the officials of Liaodong have become." ”

Li Qiufeng and Zhang Shi both thought in their hearts, if these words came out of other people's mouths, there would naturally be nothing unusual. But along the way, your surname is Xiao, I don't know how much money you received from the shopkeeper Hu and others, and at this time, you pretended to be worried about the country and the people, which is really shameless.

Yan Song nodded and said, "The emperor wants me to understand the people's feelings, just to know the suffering of the people. When I return to the capital this time, I will definitely play according to the facts, and ask the emperor to send capable ministers to govern Liaodong. ”

Everyone gossiped for a while, and Yan Song said goodbye and left. Xiao Dong was about to get up to see him off, but Yan Song signaled with his eyes, asking him not to stir up the crowd, so as not to arouse suspicion. Xiao Dong had no choice but to sit still, watching Yan Song and the man in short clothes walk out of the tavern. After the two figures disappeared, Xiao Dong breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat on his forehead with his sleeve, and said, "I didn't expect Lord Yan to come to such a place where birds don't." Fortunately, we have no rudeness, otherwise it would be a great inconvenience. ”

Zhang Shi said with a smiling face: "The villain is shallow, but I heard that the sixth department of Nanjing is the Qingshui Yamen, and there is no power. Although this Lord Yan is the official secretary of Nanjing, in terms of power, compared with the official secretary of the capital, it is one in the sky and the other on the ground. Last year, when I went to Nanjing to run errands, I met a small official who guarded the eunuch yamen in Nanjing. He said that the officials of the six departments in Nanjing, large and small, were no different from those called Huazi, and some officials could not even eat enough. Lord Xiao, you are a big celebrity in the Firearms Bureau, and even the officials of the Sixth Department of the Capital rely on you a lot, why should you be so respectful to this Lord Yan?"

Xiao Dong snorted and said: "Zhang Yuanwai is a big businessman, and he only looks at officialdom in terms of business, but he has shortcomings. As an official, there are ups and downs, ups and downs in life, that is the most common thing. As long as a life is still alive, it cannot be said that there is no chance of a turnaround. It is because of those unparalleled officials, although we must be careful with them, but we can't do things absolutely, regardless of holding his thighs and disdainful of others. Everything must be left behind, so as not to arouse jealousy. As for those unlucky people who have been belittled or even convicted, they can't easily step on it. Maybe when they will be able to regain their power. ”

When Xiao Dong said this, he glanced at Zhang Shi, and said with a smile: "Zhang Yuanwai, you have to remember what I said." ”

Zhang Shi was bored, unhappy, but he didn't dare to offend Xiao Dong, so he had to laugh and say: "Yes, Lord Xiao's teachings, the villain must keep it in mind." ”

Xiao Dong said with a smile: "Outside of Zhang Yuan, although this Lord Yan is not famous at the moment, he must not be underestimated. When I was in the capital, I had heard of this person's name. He is a member of the second class in the eighteenth year of Hongzhi, and is the second in the second class. After the palace examination, he was elected as a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, and was later awarded the editor, and his career was bright. It was only later that he got a serious illness that almost killed him, and he had to retire and return to his hometown to recuperate. However, Ji people have their own natural appearance, and Lord Yan has lived in seclusion in his hometown for ten years, which is when Liu Jinquan dominates the world. If Lord Yan stayed in the capital, he would either obey Liu Jin and collude with Liu Jin, or turn against Liu Jin and fight against Liu Jin's party. If he obeys Liu Jin and becomes Liu Jin's disciple, Emperor Zhengde will kill Liu Jin in the future, and Lord Yan will inevitably eat melons, not to mention his reputation, but I am afraid that even the clansmen will be implicated. If he had fought against Liu Jin, Liu Jin would have been so powerful at that time that even the cabinet and the bigwigs of the six ministries would not dare to oppose Liu Jin. It was because he retired from his official position and returned to his hometown, recuperated for ten years, and happened to escape a catastrophe. ”

When Xiao Dong said this, Zhang Shi said with a smile: "How can there be such a coincidence in the world? The villain saw that this Lord Yan was extremely smart, and he thought that he had seen that there was a crisis in the imperial court back then, so he took advantage of his illness to return to his hometown and wait to see the changes in the political situation, so he escaped a ......catastrophe."

Before Zhang Shi's words fell, Xiao Dong "hummed", and said in a strange manner: "Zhang Yuanwai is high, Xiao admires." ”

Zhang Shi listened to Xiao Dong's stern tone, and his heart sank, and then he knew that he had spoken rashly and committed Xiao Dong's jealousy. He hurriedly said with a smiling face: "The villain is just guessing, how can he compare to Lord Xiao's eyes like a torch?"

Xiao Dong said: "Although Lord Yan is smart, but he was only in his thirties at that time, how can he see the complicated changes in the political situation? This serious illness is indeed undoubted, and I think it is God's deliberate care that has enabled him to avoid the catastrophe." Although Lord Yan lived in seclusion in Yuanzhou, Jiangxi, he also did something famous all over the world. At that time, Yao Tingyao, the prefect of Yuanzhou Prefecture, wanted to compile the Yuanzhou Mansion Chronicles, creating a grand event that will last forever. He had long heard that Lord Yan was proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics, and when he was starting to cultivate his aspirations, he personally visited Lord Yan, who was living in seclusion at home, and asked him to serve as the chief compiler of the Fu Zhi. It's just that soon Lord Yao committed an accident and abandoned his official position. Fortunately, Lord Xu Lian, who succeeded as the prefect of Yuanzhou, was also very enthusiastic about the compilation of the government chronicles, and after becoming the prefect, not only did not interrupt the compilation of the government chronicles, but allocated a lot of money, and still led a group of scholars and Confucians to work day and night. The year when Lord Yan became the chief compiler was the ninth year of Zhengde, which was the year of Jiaxu according to the heavenly stems and earthly branches. A few years ago, more than a dozen wealthy businessmen in Yuanzhou funded the re-engraving and publication of this Yuanzhou Mansion Chronicle, and officially named it "Zhengde Yuanzhou Mansion Chronicle". Although Lord Yan is in seclusion, with this chronicle, it can really be said that he is famous all over the world and praised by famous scholars. ”

Zhang Shi secretly thought to himself, Yan Song just compiled a government chronicle, what is the big deal? The bastard surnamed Xiao praised Yan Song, and nine times out of ten he was afraid of Yan Song's power. Looking at the appearance of this bastard, Yan Song must have a very powerful backstage in the imperial court, otherwise with his position as the secretary of the Nanjing Ministry of Justice, Xiao Dong would never care so much about this person.

Li Qiufeng has been silent, but seeing that Xiao Dong knows Yan Song's origin well, he is also shocked in his heart. He knew that the official records of a prefecture were extremely important, and most of them were written by local celebrities. Jiangxi Yuanzhou is very prosperous, and there have been many high-ranking officials and celebrities in all dynasties. Yan Song's ability to serve as the chief editor of Yuanzhou Mansion must have been respected by Yuanzhou scholars. Once the official chronicle is compiled, the surname of the person who compiled it will naturally be passed down to future generations. Yan Song has this talent, which is indeed admirable. It's just that Xiao Dong is so important to Yan Song, there must be another reason.

But he heard Xiao Dong continue: "After the fall of Liu Jin and his henchmen, Lord Yan's illness has also recovered, so he went north to the capital, officially reinstated, and still returned to serve in the Hanlin Academy. It's just that although Liu Jin's party fell, Qian Ning and Jiang Bin rose and took charge of the imperial court. Lord Yan is so smart that he knows that the capital is a tiger's den in Longtan and cannot be lived in for a long time. It was because of his activities that he left the capital and went to Nanjing Hanlin Academy to become a bachelor. Although Nanjing Hanlin Academy is the Qingshui Yamen, compared with the capital, there is no dispute between right and wrong, and it is a good place to do learning. Lord Yan is like a fish in water in Nanjing, and his fame is getting bigger and bigger. After the current emperor ascended the throne, he belittled the old ministers of Nanjing, and Lord Yan was promoted to the attendant of the Nanjing Hanlin Academy, acting in charge of the affairs of the court. However, after a few years, he was promoted to the priest of the country, which was a high-ranking official from the fourth grade. In the eleventh year of Jiajing, Yan Daren was promoted to the secretary of the Nanjing Ministry of Rites, and two years later he was reappointed as the secretary of the Nanjing Ministry of Rites. Since he ascended the throne from now on, there are not many court bigwigs who can rise to the top like Lord Yan. Although Lord Yan lived in Nanjing, his appreciation for him was already known to everyone in the imperial court. ”