The Heavens: From Knowing Whether You Rule the World

Chapter 74: The young minister’s article!

As the sun sets, the Ningyuanhou Mansion is bustling with guests.

Red lanterns are hung high and colorful flags are fluttering, creating a festive atmosphere.

Men of letters, and sons of nobles, came in an endless stream, either in sedan chairs or on horses.

The welcoming servants kept moving among the crowd, performing formalities and guiding the guests into the mansion.

If they met a distinguished guest, the servant would stride into the mansion and ask the elders of the Gu family or Gu Tingye to greet them personally.

Inside the mansion, pearl lamps were hung, the table was filled with delicacies, and fine wines were served like running water.

The young men in embroidered robes and jade belts and the noble ladies in silk and satin were whispering to each other and laughing.

The musician played melodious music in one corner, and the maids in colorful clothes danced to the music. Their graceful dance drew applause from the guests.

"Master Chu is here!"

For a moment, time seemed to have stopped in Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion. The noisy conversations disappeared, and all the female relatives and officials looked towards the direction of the mansion gate.

Gu Tingye, who had been entertaining Prince Huan and the sons of nobles from all sides, also quickly straightened his clothes and went outside to greet them.

"Zifeng, madam, please come in quickly."

Seeing everyone's attention, Gu Ting felt honored and walked forward to greet them with a happy face.

"congratulations!"

Chu Hong laughed and took out a piece of calligraphy from his sleeve. It was a poem.

Given Chu Hong's status, it would be a great honor for others to receive gifts such as money or jade bracelets as gifts in exchange for favors.

In fact, most of the time, it was his beloved wife Sheng Hualan and eldest son Chu Rui who went to do the socializing.

He is Chu Hong, but he is not just Chu Hong.

He is a cabinet minister, but he is more than just a cabinet minister.

It would not be a good thing if someone over-interpreted his personal connections and viewed them as a political signal.

Therefore, except for personal interactions at the level of the six ministers, he generally would not go in person.

You may not even go, and those who are qualified to have Chu Hong give gifts are even rarer.

Anyone who is worthy of him personally delivering something must not be short of money.

Bracelets and fans are generally of regular quality.

Calligraphy and poems are of the highest grade.

It is a consensus among writers all over the world that Chu Hong's articles are of very high quality.

Nearly eleven years is neither long nor short.

Chu Hong had only sent a handful of articles.

When I got married, I gave one copy to my brother-in-law Sheng Changbai.

When Prime Minister Fu Bi retired, he held a special party. The new Prime Minister Han Zhang also participated, creating a famous scene of the handover of power between the two prime ministers.

Chu Hong was very famous at the time, but he did not have much power, and his articles were not very impressive.

He took the opportunity to send two copies, one praising the achievements of Mr. Fu, and the other calligraphy congratulating his mentor on reaching the pinnacle of human officials.

The power was transferred between the two prime ministers, but the hot search was about Chu Hong.

It was a huge hit.

During the competition for the position of Prime Minister, Chu Hong dragged the Duke of Yingguo into the competition and later wrote an article to send to others.

After that, Chu Hong was sent to a remote place and governed the local government for six years.

Although there were many local officials, none of them was worthy of Chu Hong's writing.

Naturally, I didn't give away things like articles.

By the time he returned to Beijing, Chu Hong had already become a third-rank official, and people with an interest in him gradually noticed the extraordinary quality of his writing.

Regardless of whether it is well written or not, the quality is very high anyway, and only a high-ranking official can achieve it.

Almost a year after arriving in the capital, there was a dispute over the crown prince, and the new emperor ascended the throne to rescue him.

When King Huan was crowned king, Chu Hong sent an article praising him for his bravery and extraordinary achievements at such a young age.

Well...if the article written by the emperor when he ascended the throne counts, then the enthronement memorial is also one.

Not long ago, during the imperial examination of the new emperor, in order to win over the Duke of Yingzhou, the leading military commander in Bianliang, the new emperor granted a marriage between Uncle Shen and the Duke of Yingzhou's only daughter, Zhang Guifen. Chu Hong also submitted an article.

There are only a few of them.

Gone!

Regardless of how the article is written, I just want to ask you whether your quality is high?
Except for Sheng Changbai who is a relative, which one of the rest is not a first-class figure, which one is not a king, prince, general or minister?
Although no one said anything openly, everyone in Bianjing knew that Chu Hong's calligraphy would not be given away easily.

It can only be obtained by those who are not kings, nobles, or people with enormous power.

It is a consensus that Chu Hong does not send articles easily.

Of course, Chu Hong gradually became conscious of not sending calligraphy works as gifts.

After all, if you suddenly send a calligraphy to someone of a lower rank, the person who received the calligraphy would probably feel that their rank has been lowered, which would make them feel offended.

This time, it’s for Gu Tingye.

First of all, Gu Tingye is his good friend.

Secondly, Gu Tingye will soon become his brother-in-law.

Thirdly, Gu Tingye came to the king's rescue and followed him to the palace.

Generally speaking, there is nothing wrong with sending an article as a gift, at least it will not affect the quality of the article.

As Chu Hong expected, Gu Tingye quickly took it as soon as he saw it was an article, and he couldn't suppress the joy on his face.

"Hurry, hurry, please come in!"

Chu Hong walked inside, smiling and patting Gu Tingye's shoulder, "When you welcome the bride, Master Han, Minister Liu and others will come to drink a glass of wedding wine. Several other cabinet ministers will also come during that time period, probably a quarter of an hour earlier than Master Han."

Gu Tingye was delighted again, this was exactly the scene he had in mind.

Civil and military officials gathered together, and Lord Chu sent poems to add to the elegance.

The chef of the palace is nothing, this is the real pomp!
Chu Hong chuckled and walked slowly into the mansion with Gu Tingye. His wife Sheng Hualan took their eldest son Chu Rui to the female side. Even at a wedding banquet, attention must be paid to the separation of seats for men and women.

In other words, precisely because it is a wedding banquet, more attention should be paid to the differences between men and women.

As soon as Chu Hong walked into the mansion, the wives of the civil officials in Bianjing all looked around quietly, and the officials and their children stood up and saluted: "Lord Chu!"

Chu Hong immediately stopped and motioned for everyone to sit down, "Thank you so much, thank you so much."

King Huan stood up, walked forward and enthusiastically took Chu Hong's hand, "Cousin, you are Zhong Huai's good friend, and there are always rules for giving gifts. Can you see what I'm giving you?"

"Haha! There's nothing particular about it. I'm just short of money and have no choice but to do it."

Chu Hong smiled, looked at Zhao Ceying's curious eyes, and paused, "Zhong Huai and I have been friends for many years, and now he is married to Minglan, so naturally I will send him articles and poems."

Zhao Ceying looked as if it was true, and smiled at General Xiao Duan, the fierce general of Yuzhou, and said, "I told you that my cousin gave me calligraphy and paintings, but you didn't believe me."

General Duan touched his head and said, "Your Highness's calculation is really accurate."

Chu Hong shook his head and smiled, not taking the opportunity to get close to General Duan.

His position is much higher now. Except for some necessary close friends, he consciously avoids in-depth interactions with the military generals, and naturally he will not take the initiative to get close to them.

At least, in the reigns of his uncle and cousin, he would not act particularly strong.

What's more, for friends like military generals, having a large number of them doesn't mean anything.

Gu Tingye took out the poem from his arms with a look of joy, walked to the yard and recited with a smile: "'Die Meng Hua - I wrote a poem for Zhong Huai to send to him'..."

This poem was half original and half borrowed by Chu Hong. The artistic conception was quite good and the level was considered first-class. It mainly praised Gu Tingye's extraordinary bravery and loyalty to the emperor, which attracted cheers from everyone. Gu Tingye's face also turned red with joy and he never stopped smiling. This is the importance of style and reputation.

The same poem would certainly not have had such an effect if it was sung by King Huan. And if it had been sung by a Jinshi scholar, it would have been even less likely to have caused any stir.

After reading the poems, Chu Hong chatted with King Huan Zhao Ceying for a while. Just as Chu Hong was about to walk over to the civil servants to talk about love, romance, family and national affairs...

"The uncle of the king has arrived!"

"Hey, has General Shen arrived?"

Gu Tingye was a little surprised. The rise of Yuzhou and his gang was purely a spur-of-the-moment idea.

When the dynasty was rising, all the women of Yuzhou stayed in Yuzhou. Unexpectedly, the current queen was assassinated by the men of Prince Yan and Prince Yong.

The assassin did not know what Prince Huan's mother, Shen, looked like and only recognized her clothes. In order to save the current queen, Uncle Shen's wife, Da Zou, changed into Shen's clothes. Da Zou died for the current queen, and the queen thus escaped the disaster and was no longer assassinated.

Uncle Shen and Mrs. Zou had always been in love, and Mrs. Zou's death became a hurdle in his heart.

However, just because Shen Congxing has time to be sad doesn’t mean that others will be sad too.

It was inevitable for the New Emperor's Party to win over the Duke of England, and the best way was naturally marriage.

During the period when Chu Hong presided over the imperial examination, the emperor's uncle and Zhang Guifang were married by the new emperor.

As a result, Uncle Shen rarely appeared in public.

After a while, Gu Tingye brought Shen Congxing in.

"Haha! Ceying, Xiao Duan!"

"uncle!"

"General Shen!"

Shen Congxing looked obviously haggard, and it seemed that he had not yet recovered from the death of Mrs. Zou.

The marriage arranged by the new emperor did not seem to satisfy him.

Shen Congxing called out to someone he knew in a familiar voice. When he saw Chu Hong standing next to Zhao Ceying, he hesitated for a moment.

He and Chu Hong are really not familiar with each other.

Although one is the emperor's uncle and the other is the emperor's nephew.

However, he and Chu Hong are not really familiar with each other and they don’t have a close relationship.

One is from the queen’s family, and the other is from the emperor’s sister’s husband’s family.

It was impossible for Shen Congxing to visit his sister's husband's family often, and it was impossible for Chu Hong's mother to go back to her parents' home often, as Yuzhou and Yangzhou were far apart.

In other words, Chu Hong had never actually met Shen Congxing before the new emperor ascended the throne.

Chu Hong saw Shen Congxing's hesitation. He had no intention of having a deep relationship with Shen Congxing, so he nodded slightly and said, "Uncle of the King!"

Shen Congxing felt that this title was a bit distant, but there was nothing he could do. He immediately clasped his fists and saluted, "Chu...Lord!"

Chu Hong nodded slightly.

He immediately said goodbye to Zhao Ceying and prepared to join the literati.

At this time, thinking of something, he said, "The words and deeds of the uncle no longer represent himself. The Duke of Ying is an important minister of the country. There are some things that the uncle should be serious about. Otherwise, there are some things that I can bear and King Huan can bear, but the uncle may not be able to bear."

This statement has a bit of a warning tone, but Chu Hong is not afraid of offending anyone.

At least, he is not afraid of a brother-in-law who has no ability.

Although one is the emperor's uncle and the other is the emperor's nephew.

But his status was much higher than Shen Congxing's. It seemed that within the New Emperor Party, Shen Congxing was only a few places behind him.
But in this kind of top game, the difference in ranking can make a huge difference.

In terms of bloodline, Chu Hong has the emperor's bloodline, while Shen Congxing is connected to the queen.

Speaking from the perspective of civil and military affairs, Chu Hong is almost at the pinnacle of civil officials, while Shen Congxing is still far from the pinnacle of military officials, not to mention that civil officials are one level higher than military officials.

It seems that there is only a difference of a few positions, but if Chu Hong is really ruthless, he can control Shen Congxing with one hand.

This is the case during party strife, but it becomes more relaxed after the strife.

Chu Hong didn't want to interfere in Zhang Guifen's affairs.

This is a foregone conclusion, Zhang Guifen must be marrying the emperor's uncle.

When a new emperor ascends the throne, the most important thing is to win over veteran civil and military officials and stabilize the foundation of the country.

There is no doubt about the civil officials. Han Zhang, the head of all officials, is the teacher of Lord Chu, and Lord Chu will also be the head of all officials in the future. Naturally, there is not much resistance from the civil officials.

But it is different for military generals. The Duke of England, who is the chief of the military generals, is an old minister. The Duke of England has been passed down for three generations, and his status among the lords has always been extraordinary.

Wouldn't you want to win over such a person?
How can we win them over?

The most reliable method is marriage!
Otherwise, the new emperor would not trust a military commander whom he had never met before to lead the army. The Duke of England would also be uneasy in command of so many troops, fearing always that he would be liquidated.

Who will marry?

If you want to have a marriage, it must be solid, otherwise it is equivalent to no marriage.

The Duke of Ying's family would definitely send their only daughter Zhang Guifen to marry out, so who would the new emperor send out?

Who has the qualifications and who is qualified?

You need to have enough bloodline, enough qualifications, and enough official position.

No more than four people.

The new emperor took Zhang Guifen as his concubine, Prince Huan Zhao Ceying married Zhang Guifen as his principal wife, Chu Ge Lao married Zhang Guifen as his principal wife, and the king's uncle married Zhang Guifen as his principal wife.

Just these four.

Even Gu Tingye, who had been secretly supporting the emperor and saving him all the way, was not qualified.

Gu Tingye essentially belongs to the category of "minister". King Huan, Lord Chu, and the King's Uncle are all very close relatives. Although they are not kings, they are not ordinary "ministers" either.

The Emperor, Prince Huan, Lord Chu, and the King's Uncle, just these four people.

Chu Hong already has a wife, who is a scholar with a long career, so it is impossible for him to divorce her and marry another one; King Huan already has a wife; the new emperor is already old, and taking a concubine might ruin the girl's life.

In this case, the most suitable person is undoubtedly the king's uncle who had just lost his wife.

Although this uncle of the emperor did not behave like an uncle of the emperor at all, Chu Hong did not think highly of him.

But, he is indeed the right person.

Shen Congxing was a rough man after all, and he could hardly understand Chu Hong's unclear words, but Gu Tingye and Zhao Ceying were different.

There are some things they know.

At least, we can learn something from the fact that Shen Congxing rarely consummated his marriage with the girls from the Zhang family.

Chu Hong took a deep look at the somewhat confused Shen Congxing and said nothing more.

If the king's uncle really favors his concubine over his wife, he won't care anyway. The worst result is that the king's uncle will no longer exist.

With Gu Tingye in charge of the army, it makes no difference whether the king's uncle is there or not!
Watching his cousin slowly walking away, Zhao Ceying looked at his uncle, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

……

It wasn't long before this simple episode ended, and many high-ranking civil officials came to have a drink, and several cabinet ministers also came forward to greet Gu Tingye.

About a quarter of an hour later, the thin Han Zhang came to drink a glass of wine after being welcomed by Gu Tingye and Chu Hong.

Afterwards, accompanied by Chu Hong, he slowly left.

……

Ah! I failed the exam. When I heard the news, I was so depressed that I had no intention of writing anymore.

Alas, today's 4,000, everyone just bear with it. I will update when I go home on the 18th

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(End of this chapter)