Fu Shanhe

Chapter 2: Night Banquet at the Marquis' Mansion
"Nephew meets uncle and aunt..."

Li Mu bowed respectfully.

In feudal dynasties, etiquette was of utmost importance. If one was disrespectful, one would be laughed at for being uneducated at best, and at worst one might lose one’s life.

Any extraordinary behavior that goes beyond the scope of the times is irresponsible to oneself.

“We are all family, no need to be polite!

Your uncle has been talking about it a lot these days.

Five years passed in the blink of an eye, and Mu'er had grown up.

Several of your cousins ​​are in Tonghe Academy and will not be back until the end of the month.

These two are your cousins, what are you standing there for? Come over and meet your cousins."

As soon as the Marquis's wife finished her words, an adult and a child came out and greeted her in unison, saying:
"Meet my cousin!"

The older cousin was seven years old and was a little shy and embarrassed.

My young cousin was only four years old. Her eyes kept rolling around and her face was full of curiosity.

"My two cousins ​​are well!"

After a brief greeting, the banquet began directly.

Feudal etiquette was everywhere, and only Li Mu and Zhenyuan Hou enjoyed the large table of food.

The women set up another table in the backyard.

……

"Mu'er, what do you think of the situation in the court?"

As soon as Zhenyuan Hou opened his mouth, Li Mu knew that the test had begun.

To serve in the imperial court, one may not have great abilities, but one must have good political vision.

The more political allies we are, the more we need to understand each other.

The destructive power of a stupid teammate is greater than that of thousands of enemy troops.

"chaos!

The factions in the court are complicated.

The Qingliu and the eunuch party were fighting each other fiercely, and the conservatives and the reformists were incompatible.

Below that are the Zhejiang Party, Chu Party, Jin Party, Qin Party, Lu Party, Hui Party, Liaodong Party, etc.

Almost all senior officials in the DPRK have multiple labels and their political stance may change at any time, making it difficult to accurately position them.

My nephew is far away in Hanzhong and cannot figure out the factions in the court.

However, the main contenders are civil officials and eunuchs. Our military generals have been weak for a long time and rarely participate in the fights between the various parties."

Li Mu replied frankly.

The situation in the Dayu Dynasty was as complicated as that in the late Ming Dynasty.

In many cases, an official's party affiliation is not decided by himself, but by his birth and position.

“To have this understanding, it seems that you have indeed grown.

The situation in Beijing is more complicated than you see.

Your Majesty wants to do too many things, and everyone can't keep up with the pace, which is why there is the current chaos.

But the starting point was good, it was just that I was young and hot-tempered, so I acted a little hastily."

Li Mu was startled by Marquis Zhenyuan's words. Although he seemed to be defending Emperor Tianyuan, his tone was actually filled with resentment.

Although the Dayu Dynasty was not guilty of speech, directly criticizing the emperor would still be a big trouble if it got out.

The reason he dared to speak out publicly was probably not only because of the alcohol, but also because his dissatisfaction had accumulated to the limit.

Thinking of the series of actions taken by Emperor Tianyuan after he ascended the throne, Li Mu instantly expressed his understanding.

After the current emperor ascended the throne, he could not wait to announce reforms and promulgate a series of policies.

"Removing redundant staff", "Reform of the royal family system", "Imposing mining taxes", "Reorganizing the Beijing military camp"...

Taken individually, each reform was of great significance to the Dayu Dynasty.

As nobles who were deeply tied to the imperial court, they least wanted to see the situation deteriorate and supported most of the reform measures.

At one time, Li Yuan was the backbone of the reformists until the emperor issued an order to "reorganize the Beijing camp" last year. At that time, Li Mu was still in Hanzhong to observe mourning and was not very familiar with the specific situation. Anyway, the final result was that the noble group suffered heavy losses.

In accordance with the emperor's will, the Beijing Camp, which was centered around the Twelve Regiments, was reduced by 30% and five military camps were formed by drawing elite troops from the Beijing Camp and border troops.

Simple military reorganization is not a big problem; the key contradiction lies in personnel appointments.

Most of the main generals of the Five Military Camps were promoted from border areas. The children of nobles only occupied marginal positions and were almost excluded from the center of power.

Even though the emperor tried to appease them afterwards, this kind of distrust still made the nobles feel disheartened.

There was a rift between the emperor and the nobles, so the civil service group would naturally not miss such a good opportunity.

A large amount of resources were tilted towards the five military camps, and the weight of the noble group, which already had limited say, in the court was further reduced.

As their core interests were damaged, the nobles who had originally firmly supported the emperor also subtly changed their positions.

“Uncle, please don’t worry.

This time I came to the capital just to perform my duties. Other matters have nothing to do with me.

Apart from waiting for the imperial court's appointment, the rest of the time I stay in the palace!"

Li Mu expressed his opinion immediately.

He didn't dare to answer questions involving the emperor's sensitive topics.

As one of the representatives of the noble group in the court, it’s okay for Marquis Zhenyuan to complain a few words after drinking, but that doesn’t mean that a small pawn like him can also comment on it.

"It's enough for you to know the pros and cons. You don't have to stay in the mansion all day.

It is still necessary to visit and maintain some relatives and friends, and not let the relationship fade.

Fellow villagers, please make selective visits based on the actual situation.

Now you are not an official appointed by the imperial court, so there is no need to be too shy about these normal interpersonal relationships.

The Commander of Hanzhong Guard had a good starting point, but his development was too limited and it was difficult to go further.

After some time, I will arrange for you to meet some powerful people among the nobles.

There are three vacancies for the rank of Qian Hu officer in the Wucheng Bing Ma Si, and His Majesty intends to conduct an open selection. I am going to recommend you to try out and then send you out in a few years."

Li Yuan said with a smile.

It can be seen that he is very satisfied with Li Mu's performance.

"Uncle, is this too much trouble for you?"

Li Mu said with an embarrassed look on his face.

In Hanzhong, he, as the commander of the guards, is a prominent figure and everyone has to give him some face.

The situation changed in Beijing. In this world full of powerful people, he was nothing.

Everyone wants to climb up the ladder, but one also has to consider the actual situation.

In his previous life, he was a 996 corporate slave and had very limited understanding of politics.

Watching from the outside, you may be able to analyze the pros and cons and see the truth, but once you get deep into the situation, it will be hard to say.

Even with the support of the Marquis's political resources, a nephew is not a son after all.

Providing an opportunity is fine, but expecting long-term political resource support is simply foolish.

The Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion has been passed down to the present day, with a large number of branches, large and small, and there are eight branches in the capital alone.

There are dozens of distant nephews like Li Mu, and it is impossible to take care of them all.

"I know you have concerns, don't worry too much, just listen to my arrangements!
Beijing is different from other places. Although the situation here is complicated, the platform is large enough and there are plenty of opportunities.

Twenty years of hard work in the local area is not as good as five years of hard work in Beijing.

Even if your official position does not change when you are sent to a remote place, the connections you make in Beijing can benefit you for life.

......"

Confirming that his uncle was serious, Li Mu had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​refusing.

It seems that the rank has been lowered, but officials in Beijing have always been more valuable than officials outside the capital, and vacancies in positions are even harder to find.

If you have such an opportunity outside, you would be hard-pressed to get it. It would be ungrateful to refuse it.

　The seedlings are out, please take care of them.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)