Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 480 Pei Yuan's Little Willfulness

Pei Yuan briefly asked about the details and hurried to continue to improve his favorability.

It was already late, so Pei Yuan decided not to go anywhere else and had a banquet set up in the central Buddhist hall to entertain all the guests.

When many people saw the Buddha statue nearby, they were a little hesitant at first. However, when the abbot Zhixin heard about it, he smiled and said that there are also human affairs in the Buddha's kingdom.

The candidates still felt a little uneasy.

The burly Jinyiwei didn't care about these.

They usually ate and lived in the west courtyard, and often behaved in a vulgar manner, and had long been accustomed to these clay and wooden sculptures.

One by one, they put the long tables together and prepared the wine and food.

There was a kitchen in Zhihua Temple that could provide daily meals for more than 200 soldiers. During the time it took to chat, the meals were already on the table.

When the scholars looked at the table filled with chicken, duck, fish and meat, looked at Abbot Zhixin who was smiling and letting the little monk serve tea, and then looked at the Buddha statues and Bodhisattvas around, they suddenly understood something.

They are the elite among humans, and it only takes a moment for them to become disenchanted with religion.

Everyone's emotions have been up and down this day, so it's time to have a few drinks to calm their nerves.

As soon as Pei Yuan called out, many Shandong scholars consciously sat down as hosts, guests, and companions.

After yesterday's event, all the candidates knew that Pei Yuan could not drink much, so as the glasses clinked, they tacitly came up with a dazzling combination of drinks, which allowed Pei Yuan to feel fully involved without drinking too much.

Pei Yuan was very happy while being slightly tipsy.

Seeing the lively atmosphere and everyone calling each other brothers, he suddenly came to his senses.

The momentary emotional excitement might allow these scholars to sit together and drink with him, but after they pass the imperial examination and become Jinshi, will they still remember the drinking and heart-to-heart talks in the Buddhist temple?
They will naturally integrate into their respective circles, or even break up after choosing their own positions.

Should I use some kind of bond to solidify this relationship?

If we were to form sworn brothers like in "Water Margin", it would seem crude and childish.

So what should I do?

Pei Yuan was thinking about it, and suddenly something happened to him, and he stood up with the wine glass in his hand.

When the scholars who were drinking happily saw that Qianhu brother had something to say, they stopped laughing and looked at Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan glanced at everyone and said loudly under the influence of alcohol, "You are all candidates in this special examination. You are in your prime and have a bright future. This scene reminds me of a good story from the past."

Many people listened and asked questions with great interest.

Pei Yuan said, "Back when the Jiashen exam was held, there were some young people like this who were united in spirit and made the same list. Later, they drifted away and became officials in different places."

"Nearly forty years later, Wang Shi, the Minister of Finance of Nanjing, came to Beijing on official business and met with nine other Jinshi who had passed the same imperial examination in the Jiashen year. They were very happy and went to the home of Min Gui, the Minister of Justice, for a banquet."

"At that time, they were either cabinet ministers, or governors, or officials in various ministries."

As the candidates listened, they thought about the past and were filled with emotion.

They were at the age when they were eager to realize their ambitions, and yet they were standing at the crossroads of the imperial examination, which would determine their lives.

Isn’t the scene of good brothers meeting at the top after many years and becoming high-ranking officials in their respective departments the successful life they have imagined?

Then Pei Yuan continued, "Do you know who those ten people are?"

The candidates were all curious and asked at once, "Who are these seniors?"

Pei Yuan said, "The ten people present are the Minister of Revenue and Grand Secretary of Jinshen Palace Li Dongyang, the Left Imperial Envoy of the Metropolitan Censorate Dai Shan, the Minister of War Liu Daxia, the Minister of Punishment Min Gui, the Minister of Works Zeng Jian, the Nanjing Minister of Revenue Wang Shi, the Left Vice Minister of Personnel Jiao Fang, the Left Vice Minister of Revenue Chen Qing, the Right Vice Minister of Rites Xie Duo, and the Right Vice Minister of Works Zhang Da."

The newbies listened to that string of awe-inspiring names, envied those powerful officials, and felt itchy all over their bodies for a moment.

Pei Yuan added, "They had a great feast and were very happy. They specially asked a painter to draw a group portrait for them, which was called "The Ten Years of Jiashen", and each of them wrote a poem as a commemoration."

"Li Dongyang, the former chief minister of the cabinet, wrote a preface to the couplet in his own handwriting, saying, 'Now all the ten of us have official duties for state affairs, so the poem still has the meaning of being diligent in our duties in the midst of peace and prosperity.'"

“The demeanor of the older generation is something that people really yearn for.”

The candidates were all envious, and someone asked curiously, "How does Brother Qianhu know so much?"

Pei Yuan said modestly, "My wife's grandfather was one of the ten."

Everyone exclaimed, "I didn't expect my sister-in-law to have such a background."

It feels like a dreamlike legend shining into reality.

Jiao Yan'er's identity was somewhat special, so Pei Yuan didn't want to mention it too much. He just passed by and looked around, then said with emotion, "At this moment, you and I are meeting in white clothes. Who knows if we won't meet at the top at another time?"

Pei Yuan's encouragement made everyone's blood boil. If it weren't for their wrong identities, some people would almost ask Brother Qianhu whether he wanted to surrender.

Pei Yuan held up the wine glass and said, "I have a suggestion. Why don't we follow the example of our ancestors and find a painter to paint a picture to record the grand scene at this moment."

"If you become a university scholar, a governor, a minister, or... in the future, when we meet again, you can use this to remember our friendship today."

The scholars had already been so excited by what was said that their blood was boiling and their heads were overwhelmed, and they all applauded.

There are also some rational people who, after experiencing what happened today and seeing the dangerous and dangerous situations in the capital, don't think their future will be any better.

Just join in for fun.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Pei Yuan immediately arranged for Chen Xinjian to quickly invite the painter.

Chen Xinjian's family is from the old Jinyiwei, and their family has been in the East Factory for generations, so they have quite a wide network of contacts.

Pei Yuan talked to them for a while, and then Chen Xinjian brought in a painter who was said to be very talented to paint for them.

Everyone else knew that the protagonists were these twelve candidates, so they all made way for them.

Pei Yuan also stood up hypocritically, but was quickly stopped by the other candidates.

So, Pei Yuan sat in the middle of the long table, with his twelve younger brothers sitting on both sides.

Everyone had a bright smile on their face and was looking forward to the future.

By the next day, Pei Yuan had recovered from his drunkenness and slept until noon.

Pei Yuan rubbed his aching forehead and called for someone to come and serve him.

Immediately, the personal soldiers brought out washbasins and towels, and started preparing food.

Pei Yuan then realized that he had slept in Zhihua Temple last night. No wonder there was no maid to serve him.

After all, it was not home. Pei Yuan calmed down, washed his face with the cool well water in the basin, and dried it with a towel.

At this moment, Chen Xinjian also knew that Pei Yuan had woken up, so he hurried in to serve him and brought over a completely dried painting scroll.

"Captain, this was painted by the painter last night. If there is no problem, I will have it framed."

Pei Yuan unfolded it and saw that it described what happened at the dinner party yesterday.

Perhaps for the sake of realism, the painter even included the scene behind him. Pei Yuan sat in the middle, with Sakyamuni Buddha in the background behind him, and Mahavairocana and Indra standing on both sides. There were also faint shadows of thousands of Buddhas, as if on the wall.

Captain Pei was calm and composed, and the candidates were portrayed in various shapes and sizes, which was very vivid.

Just, just...

Pei Yuan counted the people and was silent for a moment.

Then he asked Chen Xinjian, "Where is Huo Tao? Why wasn't he with you yesterday?"

Chen Xinjian said, "Huo Tao had taken the test before and knew all these things. He saw that Zhang Song was not taking the easy way out, and he didn't want to offend Zhang Song, nor did he want to get involved, so he went to deal with the captain's younger brother, Ouyang Bijin."

"I heard that both of them admired each other's knowledge. This morning, Huo Tao went out to discuss literature with Ouyang Bijin again."

Pei Yuan had an idea in mind.

Huo Tao, a handsome man from Guangdong, was not short of money. He also had extensive experience in examinations, so he must have had some ideas about those unconventional tactics.

Huo Tao didn't want to become an accomplice and be ostracized by his peers in the future. He also didn't want to sabotage his senior colleague Zhang Song, so he could only go and play with Ouyang Bijin.

Pei Yuan sighed and asked Chen Xinjian, "Where is the painter from last night? Let's see if we can add one or two more people to the painting."

Chen Xinjian glanced at the packed composition and said tactfully, "I'm afraid it's difficult to add more people. Everyone is already seated, and one more person will have to stand. What will others think?"

Pei Yuan thought so too.

If they keep changing it and then don't admit it in the future, it will not be good.

Seeing Pei Yuan hesitate, Chen Xinjian asked, "How about I call Commander Lu to take a look?"

"What Commander Lu?" Pei Yuan was stunned, then his face changed and he looked at Chen Xinjian vigilantly.

This guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, I wonder if he's going to betray me?
Chen Xinjian said aggrievedly, "Don't think too much, I'm talking about the painter from yesterday. His name is Lu Ji, and he is the commander of the Jinyiwei appointed by the previous emperor. My family has some friendship with him, so we were able to invite him. The price is not cheap."

Lu Ji?

Pei Yuan took a breath of cold air.

Looking at the painting in my hand again, I can’t bear to add another stroke.

If this painting were to be preserved in later times, together with the scroll and the box, it could be exchanged for an equal weight of gold.

Pei Yuan hurriedly handed the painting to Chen Xinjian carefully, "Okay, okay, go frame it quickly, don't make any mistakes."

Chen Xinjian took the painting and was about to walk out when Pei Yuan stopped him and asked, "By the way, where did Xie Bin and the others go?"

Chen Xinjian heard Pei Yuan asking Xie Bin and the others, so he answered, "They drank quite a lot. After the captain went back, they asked for more wine. They should still be sleeping in the meditation room in the temple now."

Pei Yuan hummed, and after a moment's hesitation, he said to Chen Xinjian, "Put a longer backing paper in the frame. When those people are sober, you can take the painting to show them."

"After they have read it, let them write poems."

Chen Xinjian listened and was about to agree.

Pei Yuan looked at Chen Xinjian and said coldly in a calm tone, "If there is no poem, find a chance to kill him for me."

Chen Xinjian was startled when he heard this.

Pei Yuan continued, "If one person doesn't have a question, I'll kill him. If all twelve don't have a question, I'll kill them all. If this subject doesn't work, I can still wait."

Chen Xinjian listened to Pei Yuan's murderous words and quickly lowered his head, "I understand."

The coldness on Pei Yuan's face eased a little, and he said to Chen Xinjian in a gentle voice, "Do you know why I do this?"

Chen Xinjian quickly said, "I don't know."

Pei Yuan sighed and said, "Because you showed them too much before, I have to fill this gap for you. Go down and do your work."

After Pei Yuan was sweating profusely from the PUA of Chen Xinjian, he got up and ate something in a good mood.

He looked at the three memorials on his desk, picked them up and went to find Zhang Song.

Zhang Song was handling official business in the Zhenfu Room. His duties were similar to those of the imperial envoy. He also reviewed various documents and wrote a simple summary and posted it outside for Pei Yuan to handle.

Seeing Pei Yuan coming, Zhang Song quickly stood up.

Pei Yuan motioned Zhang Song to sit down, then threw the three memorials on his desk and said, "Go check these three things."

Zhang Song unfolded the memorial, read it for a few seconds, and then asked, "Are you going to deal with the Ministry of Rites or..."

Pei Yuan said, "Investigate it carefully. As long as the grains produced there are full and the ears are large, have someone fetch me one acre of grain around Jiahe, with its roots intact. I want to take a look myself."

After saying that, he made it clear, "It doesn't matter if the content of the memorial is exaggerated. What I want is the good food."

Pei Yuan didn't know much about agricultural science, and he didn't quite understand whether his half-baked knowledge would be useful.

He just instinctively felt that if the good grains from all over the place were planted together and then allowed to grow into better and stronger grains, it would work.

What is the standard for good food?

There are many seeds and the stems are short, it seems like this...

Even if it doesn't work once or twice, maybe it will work if you try a few more times.

As long as Pei Yuan could use the little power in his hands, he could easily find the best food in the world for him.

Pei Yuan looked at the three memorials and began to ponder.

Perhaps, it would be better to drive these local officials who like to create auspicious signs to this new track.

He looked at Zhang Song's desk and asked, "Where are the memorials I was supposed to send to the Ministry of Rites a few days ago?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Song quickly took it out from a box nearby and explained, "These documents from the Ministry of Rites need to be verified by our Qianhu Office. If we send them back directly, I'm afraid we will be criticized."

"Why not just let it go for a few days to prevent criticism?"

Pei Yuan smiled and said, "No need."

As he said this, he opened a book and saw the words "No substantive evidence" written on it, then he gestured to Zhang Song.

Zhang Song hurriedly handed over the pen, and Pei Yuan added, "Hopefully I can get promoted."

He opened another book and saw the comment "Evil words to confuse the people, what they said is not true", so he added, "To flatter the emperor and deceive the superiors is unbecoming of a minister."

Pei Yuan was a little willful and went through the steps one by one.

After making sure that all other tracks were blocked, he took out the three memorials and muttered, "We should have verified it first. You are lucky. Just consider it as buying horse bones for a huge sum of money."

Then he picked up his pen and wrote on the three memorials, "The good harvests are growing, and the prosperity is coming. The signs of peace are here. Not only is your majesty virtuous, but the prefectures and counties also nurture the people."

After finishing writing, Pei Yuan put the memorials together and said to Zhang Song, "I'll have someone send them to the Ministry of Rites later. If they have any questions, tell Mao Ji that I'm a bad person, always have been. Don't think I'm always easy to talk to."

(End of this chapter)