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

Chapter 506 Does it look like

Listening to Pei Yuan's calculations, Tan Tai Fang Tu gained a new understanding of the shamelessness of this bastard.

But he thought about Sikong Sui's words and rarely said anything. He just muttered, "That's your business. Why are you asking me?"

Then he seemed to have a good idea and said, "Just ask Captain Han."

Pei Yuan wanted to talk to Han Qianhu about this, but he had not yet figured out what Han Qianhu wanted and did not want to get involved in an unprepared exchange of interests.

Seeing that the old man was ignorant, Pei Yuan ignored him.

There may be another person who has a certain status and knows the details of the Qianhu Suo.

That is Yun Buxian’s father, Yun Weilin.

Yun Weilin once relied on the support of various Dharma kings and eunuchs and relatives in the capital, and had the intention of establishing his own regime and competing with the Qianhu Suo.

After Pei Yuan's powerful entry into Beijing, Yun Weilin saw the rise of Cheng Leixiang and chose to temporarily give in for the future of his son Yun Buxian.

It was not until Pei Yuan led the Jinyiwei into the residence of Grand Secretary Liang Chu like a madman, and dragged out the Grand Secretary's son Liang Ci'ou like a dog, and left him unharmed afterwards, that Yun Weilin completely gave up the idea of ​​competing with Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan didn't know about Yun Weilin's subsequent fence-sitting behavior, but he instinctively felt that a man who had been disloyal to Qianhu would not be able to keep any secrets.

Pei Yuan once again lowered his expectations of Tan Tai Fangtu. When he left, he was already thinking about whether he should replace the Thousand Households Office in Beijing with a new one to maintain the daily work.

The rain kept falling, so Pei Yuan was quite relaxed.

I walked through the corridor and was about to leave the courtyard with an umbrella.

But I saw a few scholars sitting opposite Yuchou.

From the sound, some people were arguing about whether or not to continue traveling in the rain.

Pei Yuan is now facing the possibility of cutting ties with the Qianhu Division. After silently counting his base, he discovered that those juren from Shandong and Liaodong, in whom he had invested the least energy, already accounted for a very important part of his true lineage.

Unconsciously, the base he built with low-level military men and eunuchs actually had the quality of a civil servant force.

He had previously thought that all this would only start after he became Zhang Lian's cheap son-in-law.

Thinking of this, Pei Yuan suddenly felt that those scholars were not so annoying.

He subconsciously slowed down his pace and after listening to a few words, he knew what was going on.

It turned out that these were all candidates who were planning to take the special examination.

But these guys who could only travel by horse obviously did not get Enko's news in the first place.

It is already the beginning of September. According to their current pace, even if they manage to make it to the capital, it will take until mid-September, when the imperial examination will begin.

Now looking at the heavy rain outside, there is no sign of stopping.

You can almost imagine how muddy the road will be.

Pei Yuan paused and listened for a few words, and roughly understood what they were arguing about.

It turned out that some of them planned to wait until the rain stopped and then take the imperial post boat to the north. To this end, they instigated others to visit the high-ranking officials in the post station who were qualified to requisition the post boat first.

Those who opposed it were not of high moral character, but they were worried that their schedule would be restricted by others and that any delay would result in them missing Enko's time.

However, it is obviously not realistic to ask high-ranking officials to accommodate their travel time.

Instead of doing this, it is better to take a gamble. Maybe the rain has not affected Linqing or Gaotang ahead. If we leave here as soon as possible, maybe the road to the north will be smooth.

The scholars who were arguing had already noticed Pei Yuan when he slowly approached with an umbrella.

Seeing Pei Yuan coming over, they all stood up with hope on their faces.

In an instant, Pei Yuan suddenly understood.

What an argument.

It turns out that he was just fishing like Jiang Taigong, waiting for someone to take the bait.

The people coming and going in this post station all have some official background. Maybe Pei Yuan was targeted as soon as he entered the yard.

Even the arguments just now might have been meant for him to hear.

But, this is really smart.

Helping scholars is a very important and righteous act in this era, and it is also something that can greatly enhance one's reputation.

Many people are also willing to create a good reputation as an official for this simple effort.

To a large extent, this is a matter of mutual consent.

Even someone like Pei Yuan would not refuse to have such a label.

All I can say is that this small group of people who can become the elites of this era are indeed extremely smart.

Pei Yuan thought it was something that could be done easily, so he smiled and stood under the eaves, asking them, "Are you all scholars going to Beijing to take the imperial examination?"

Although these scholars had something to ask of others, they were neither humble nor arrogant.

Select the oldest person, who is in his forties, to come out and answer.

Pei Yuanyi asked the name.

The old candidate replied, "Tang Gao, Tang Shouzhi."

Pei Yuan suddenly felt a little confused.

Isn’t this the number one scholar in the ninth year of Zhengde?
The Jiaxu Examination of the 9th year of the Zhengde reign is also called the Tanggao Examination, um...

Pei Yuan's expression became subtle.

Pei Yuan's instigation of Zhu Houzhao to hold the imperial examination this year may seem like a joke, but it is not.

Because according to real history, in the following ninth year of Zhengde, Li Duo, the Chief Censor, requested to recruit more Jinshi to fill the positions of prefecture and county officials. The Ministry of Rites then requested Zhu Houzhao to admit more Jinshi in the name of "special increase".

Zhu Houzhao replied that "this should not happen again", so a super imperial expedition year with 400 people was created.

Pei Yuan's suggestion of "Enke" is essentially in line with the pain points of this time period.

In other words, even without Pei Yuan’s suggestion, there would be a “special increase” in the next subject. Pei Yuan’s “entitlement” plan simply released this demand in advance.

Although the chief examiner of this year's special examination is still Grand Secretary Liang Chu, and the deputy examiner is still Hanlin Academy Academician Mao Cheng, there will be no change in ideological inclination, but after all, it is one subject split into two, which will still produce a subtle butterfly effect.

Hearing the name Tang Gao, Pei Yuan subconsciously asked the remaining people.

As a result, among the remaining few people, there was a man in his thirties named Huang Chu, and a man in his twenties named Cai Ang.

Pei Yuan couldn't help but gasp when he heard this.

The top scorer is Tang Gao! The second place is Huang Chu! The third place is Cai Ang!

I didn’t expect that this small post station would gather the top three winners of the ninth year of Zhengde.

Seeing Pei Yuan's moved expression, several people hurriedly told him that they were trapped by the wind and rain and had no time to go to Beijing for the exam.

Pei Yuan listened and pondered for a while, unable to make a decision.

Several candidates looked at each other when they saw this, but did not dare to urge him.

After a long while, Pei Yuan said to them, "Since you have come to me for help, there is no reason for me to hide my identity. You can listen to me before making a decision."

Pei Yuan slowly said under the doubtful gazes of several candidates, "I am Pei Yuan, the captain of the Jinyiwei of the Zhenxie Qianhu Office."

After saying that, Pei Yuan paused and observed the expressions of several people leisurely.

When they heard that Pei Yuan was a member of the Imperial Guard, the expressions of several candidates changed.

Pei Yuan subconsciously looked at Cai Ang first. This third place winner in the imperial examination was a man with a very flexible moral bottom line in history.

As a noble Hanlin poet, I will do whatever my boss wants.

When the locals presented white rabbits, he would write poems about white rabbits. When the locals presented white deer, he would write poems about auspicious deer. When beautiful clouds appeared in the sky, he would write poems about beautiful clouds.

He also participated in the "Veritable Records of Emperor Wuzong" obediently. After finishing the work, Tinghe patted his shoulder and Houcong also said "good".

If we talk about people who have no bottom line, this person has the worst.

Unexpectedly, Cai Ang looked around at everyone with his eyes rolling around, but said nothing.

Tang Gao said calmly, "I am a student who is eager to learn and take the imperial examination. I hope Captain Pei can help me."

Pei Yuan was not surprised to see that it was him.

Tang Gao's experience is somewhat similar to Zhang Cong's. He was also a young talent who failed in many examinations.

His family was poor, but because he had outstanding literary talent at a young age, he pinned all his hopes of turning his life around on the imperial examination.

But again, the imperial examination is not a test of mathematics, but a test of ideology and compatibility.

If you don’t meet the right examiner, it’s useless no matter how hard you try.

As a result, Tang Gao was defeated repeatedly and was mocked by local villagers with a doggerel poem: "Tang Gao from Huizhou is so good, he failed ten examinations in one autumn exam."

As Tang Gao became more angry, his character became even harder than iron.

He wrote on the wall of his study: "The more I study, the worse I get. What is Tang Gao's fate? The worse I get, the more I study. What is his fate like Tang Gao?"

Facing the ridicule of outsiders.

Tang Gao wrote a poem on a fan with a picture of a fisherman fishing, "Net after net, there will be one net to catch; I laugh at those who have no net, and sigh in vain by the abyss." It was with such tenacity that Tang Gao finally met the right person, passed the imperial examination, and was then selected as the top scholar by Zhu Houzhao.

Perhaps it was this experience that made Tang Gao realize the truth. After passing the imperial examination and becoming the top scholar, Tang Gao let go of the burden of fame and wrote a song called "Song of Admonition to the World" to encourage people not to be obsessed with it anymore.

When Pei Yuan saw Tang Gao speaking, he thought that your chance had finally come, so he smiled and said, "Okay."

Then his eyes turned to Cai Ang who was flexible at the baseline.

Seeing that someone had already taken the lead, Cai Ang naturally followed suit and said respectfully, "Then I'll trouble Captain Pei."

Pei Yuan then asked Huang Chu in the crowd, "What about you?"

The two people in front of him had already agreed, so Huang Chu naturally had no pressure and bowed, "Huang thanks Captain Pei."

The other people looked at Pei Yuan with more eagerness.

Just when they thought Pei Yuan was going to ask them some questions, they heard Pei Yuan say with a smile, "Okay, there are only three of you, one more is too many!"

Pei Yuan watched those expectant eyes turn into disappointment, and then those eyes fell on the three people, first with envy and jealousy, and then quickly turned into contempt.

The three of them obviously didn't expect Pei Yuan to do this and were all a little stunned.

Except for Tang Gao who looked tenacious, Cai Ang and Huang Chu both looked a little unnatural.

Cai Ang noticed the strange looks from those around him.

Already aware of my situation.

After all, the other party is a treacherous Jinyiwei.

Before he even started his official career, he had already received the favor of the treacherous Jinyiwei. If this were to be exposed later, it would definitely be a huge stain.

Cai Ang neither wanted to give up the imperial examination nor did he want to leave this black material behind. The only option now was to drag more people into it.

He quickly pleaded with Pei Yuan, "Captain Pei, these scholars are all our good friends, can you help us?"

Pei Yuan was too lazy to pay attention and didn't respond to the conversation at all. He just said to Tang Gao, who was leading the group, "When the rain stops and we can sail north, I will have my men notify you three."

Tang Gao was silent for a moment and nodded.

Seeing that Tang Gao was so knowledgeable, Pei Yuan gave them another hand and said, "When the boat is heading north, if the road conditions are a little better, I will have my strong soldiers change at the Water Horse Post and take you to the capital on fast horses."

After hearing Pei Yuan's words, not only Tang Gao, but also Huang Chu and Cai Ang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Pei Yuan tried his best to be a good person, and said calmly, "When we get there... I'm sure time will be tight, so we can arrange for you to stay at Zhihua Temple."

Tang Gao finally couldn't help but speak, and said sincerely, "Thank you, Captain Pei."

Pei Yuan said "hmm" and slowly left the backyard holding the bamboo umbrella.

He was just doing these three people a favor and didn't plan to spend too much time on them. After all, they didn't appear in the picture.

Moreover, given the personalities of these three people, it would be of no use even if he won them over.

Tang Gao had been paranoid for many years. When he was almost fifty, he passed the imperial examination and became the top scorer. He suddenly became clear-headed.

The highlight of Huang Chu’s life was this second place.

Even in the subsequent "Great Ceremony Debate", where no matter which side he took, he could have made a name for himself in history, he did not have the opportunity to take sides.

As for Cai Ang, he has become a soft literary jester.

Although these three are considered to be the top three, they are of no use to Pei Yuan.

At least he is still a long way behind Zhang Cong, Huo Tao, Tian Fu and Ouyang Bijin.

Pei Yuan returned to the front yard and felt a little bored for a while.

Watching the rain falling, slowly waiting until dusk.

Pei Yuan looked at the accumulated water and the humid weather in the yard and was too lazy to go to the front to eat. He just called a personal soldier and ordered a few random dishes.

After finishing his meal, Pei Yuan looked at the gradually darkening night and began to feel a sense of anticipation.

But until he felt a little sleepy and heard the sound of rain gradually subsided, Pei Yuan still didn't wait for Bai Yujing.

In the late night, when Pei Yuan was still in a daze, he heard the sound of the door latch.

His consciousness gradually regained, and then he hugged Bai Yujing who was rolling in his arms.

Pei Yuan fiddled with it for a while.

Thinking of the alluring thing he saw today, and also thinking of what happened yesterday, he was eager to pick up Bai Yujing again, wanting to do the same thing as yesterday.

Bai Yujing hugged Pei Yuan tightly and said softly, "Don't go."

"Hmm?" Pei Yuan turned around and asked in a nasal voice while slowly kissing Bai Yujing.

Bai Yujing also kissed Pei Yuan, and when she took a moment to catch her breath, she said briefly, "Don't open the window."

Pei Yuan kissed her neck and lingered for a while, "What's wrong?"

Bai Yujing seemed to feel that it was not enough, so she pressed Pei Yuan's head down again. After a while, she chuckled in Pei Yuan's ear as if she was saying something very exciting and bad, "She was angry yesterday."

Pei Yuan became a little excited after hearing this.

He turned over and straddled Bai Yujing, his eyes sparkling as he asked, "Did she see it?"

Bai Yujing felt Pei Yuan's enthusiasm and smiled secretly, avoiding the question, "She knows anyway."

Pei Yuan immediately became more enthusiastic.

Bai Yujing did not immediately satisfy Pei Yuan's request for sex, but smiled and bent her legs to dodge.

After a while, when Pei Yuan pounced on her, she tapped her toes lightly, reminding Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan thought of Bai Meiren’s most proud long legs and beautiful feet, then he pulled off her stockings and held them gently in his hands.

Bai Yujing chuckled and asked, "Are they similar?"

Pei Yuan was stunned for a moment before he realized that she was talking about Han Qianhu.

Han Qianhu's feet were white and a little thin, not as soft and plump as Bai Yujing's.

Although each has its own advantages, Pei Yuan still tactfully whispered, "It's better than yours."

Bai Yujing didn't pay attention to Pei Yuan's compliment, but smiled wickedly, "It's better if it looks like it."

Pei Yuan's heart moved, and he understood Bai Yujing's meaning. His emotions became even more heated. He held Bai Yujing's snow-white hands and couldn't help but exert a little force.

Bai Yujing gritted his teeth and endured it for a moment, then murmured, "Is it similar?"

In the dim room, Pei Yuan swallowed his slightly dry throat and said this time, "Like."

Bai Yujing broke free from Pei Yuan's hand, and placed her cool, snow-white feet on Pei Yuan's chest.

Pei Yuan reached out and held it again, and as Bai Yujing laughed softly, he rubbed her cheek greedily.

A night of confusion passed, and when Pei Yuan woke up again, there was still no one in the room.

Pei Yuan smelled the lingering fragrance in the bed and was reluctant to leave.

He couldn't help but think wildly that if Captain Han was willing to release the person, it would be nice to let this person, who was either Bai Yujing or Mei Qinniang, come to the capital to serve as a captain on duty.

Pei Yuan saw that it was bright outside, so he got out of bed, opened the window a little, and saw a ray of sunlight coming in.

After two consecutive days of heavy rain, the sky finally cleared up.

Perhaps because of the noise of the window being opened, footsteps soon approached the door, and Cen Meng's voice rang out, "Captain, are you awake? Should I bring the food in, or should we eat in the front hall?"

Pei Yuan didn't bother to answer this question, but asked, "The sky is clear now, what does Captain Han say?"

Cen Meng replied, "Captain Han has already asked the postmaster for a boat, but the sky has just cleared up and it has rained heavily in the past two days, so we need to confirm with the sluice gate. Even if we want to leave, it will be afternoon."

Pei Yuan asked, "Do we still want to take a boat?"

Cen Meng said, "Yes. The soil in this area is soft, and the official road ahead has always been poorly maintained, so the baggage can't move for a while. Cui Bohou and his men have fast horses, so they may set out a few days later. The rest of the baggage will be transported north by boat first."

Pei Yuan responded but didn't care much.

He got dressed and went out to eat by himself.

Halfway through the meal, the Jinyiwei called on the idle soldiers in the courtyard to load the ship.

After finding out that Captain Han had already gone to the dock to check, Pei Yuan ate a few bites and followed him.

From a distance, Pei Yuan saw Captain Han standing high on the dock, supervising the transportation of supplies onto the ship.

Pei Yuan looked around and went over to Han Qianhu and greeted him.

Captain Han glanced at Pei Yuan, nodded indifferently, and continued to watch his men loading the ship.

Pei Yuan looked normal, but his eyes glanced at Bai Yujing who was serving him.

Bai Yujing's mouth curled up slightly, and with his back to Han Qianhu, he smiled and lip-synced, "She's angry again."

Pei Yuan's heart was pounding and his mind was full of random thoughts.

Could it be that she also knew about yesterday's game?

(End of this chapter)