My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 45: First criticize Ni Zhengping, then teach Kong Wenju

After visiting the unfinished Xudu Palace, Zhuge Jin and Chen Dengxin strolled through several streets and came to the former county prison, now the Yizhou County Residence.

On the way, they also passed by a government office where officials and ministers worked, which showed that this place was very close to the political center of Xudu. No wonder people who came to Xudu to seek official positions and fame would gather around this area.

It is estimated that before the imperial examinations in the Sui and Tang dynasties, scholars went to Beijing to seek investment from dignitaries to gain fame, and the atmosphere was also like this.

After arriving at the Yizhou County Residence, Zhuge Jin’s first impression was “crowded”.

Since people from Yizhou would not come to the court, all the people living here were wandering scholars who had no official positions and could not obtain the status of regular envoys, and they came from all states.

It’s just like in the 80s, if you went out without a letter of introduction, you couldn’t stay in state-owned guesthouses and had to squeeze into small shops that didn’t require letters of introduction.

Zhuge Jin spent a little money and ordered some wine and meat in the wine house attached to the Yizhou County Residence. He also listened to other people's gossip to see if there were any people who were unsuccessful in their pursuit of an official position.

However, it is not easy to meet celebrities after all. Zhuge Jin chatted with a few of them casually and treated them to wine and meat, but it turned out that the people he met were people he had never heard of before.

Even for such an unknown person, when Zhuge Jin tried to win him over by pretending that "my uncle is an official in Yuzhang, in charge of a county, and needs talented people to recruit subordinates", the other party would often roll his eyes at him, then quickly finish his meal, wipe his mouth and leave.

"Today I know how much benefit Cao Cao has gained from serving the emperor. Many people who seek official positions would rather wait indefinitely in Xudu than go to the local areas to serve as county officials first."

After being fed some free food and wine, Zhuge Jin complained to Chen Deng while shaking his head helplessly when the freeloader left.

Chen Deng said as if it was a matter of course: "This is Xudu! The people who come here have very clear purposes. Even if you use the name of Lord Xuande to recruit people, you may not be able to win over talents, not to mention that your uncle, the governor of Yuzhang... seems to have not been appointed yet."

Zhuge Jin had no way of responding, so he could only drink his wine in silence.

If his uncle was actually granted the title of Yuzhang prefect, would he still need to come to the court for activities?
Just as the two of them were recognizing the situation and thinking over a drink, there was a sudden commotion at the gate of the Yizhou County Residence.

A man holding a talisman came in from outside, shouting loudly, and then the crowd rushed over to watch, and then surrounded several of them to congratulate them.

Zhuge Jin was also a little curious, but didn't want to join in the fun, so he glanced around the tavern and saw a square-faced middle-aged man in his early thirties sitting across two tables on the left, still drinking very calmly.

Zhuge Jin guessed that this person must be a familiar customer, so he was not surprised. He took the wine pot and went forward to ask for advice, and even filled the other person's cup:
"May I ask what your name is, brother? Do you know what has happened over there? I am Zhuge Jin from Langya, I am new here and not familiar with the ways of the world."

The square-faced middle-aged man looked up at him and raised his wine glass. "I am Du Ji from Jingzhao. Since you came to Xudu to seek an official position, how come you don't even recognize the person who came just now? That was Geng Ji, a clerk in the Ministry of Personnel. It must be that among the people seeking an official position here, someone was appreciated by Lord Xun and was finally recommended for the position."

Not long after Du Ji finished speaking, the crowd blocking the entrance of the county residence gradually dispersed and everyone came back to sit down.

Afterwards, Zhuge Jin heard some casual conversations from others.

"I didn't expect that the imperial court would now focus on cultivating land and encouraging agriculture. There is really no fixed method for employing people."

"Yes, I heard that the prime minister was worried about the shortage of food and grass in the surrounding areas of Xu County, which had just been promoted to the capital. He adopted Zao Zhi and Han Hao's proposal to establish military farms, and promoted Ren Jun to the position of General of Agriculture the day before yesterday. Today, he promoted the county official Mao Jie to the position of Governor of the county, and promoted the commoner Guo Yuan to the position of Commandant of Military Farms. This is really crazy about money and food."

When Zhuge Jin heard these complaints, he thought to himself that this should be a precursor to Cao Cao's "order to recruit people based on talent only". In order to recruit all kinds of practical economic talents and overcome the financial crisis, this led to dissatisfaction among those "learned and famous scholars" who only talked about the classics.

These had nothing to do with Zhuge Jin, but he remembered that the old man Du Ji, with whom he had just chatted, should also have some pragmatic talents, and had once served as Gongcao of Jingzhao Yin during Li Jue's regime.

Zhuge Jin then reminded him, "Brother Du, I see that your resume is similar to that of Mao Jie. Why don't you follow his example and let Geng Caoyuan of the Shangshutai know about your abilities and recommend you to Lord Xun?"

Du Ji had never met him before, and they were just acquaintances over a glass of wine. He did not want to have any deep conversations, so he said righteously: "I don't want to do such tricks!"

After saying that, he paid the bill and went back to the house.

Zhuge Jin didn't know that Du Ji had already made friends with Geng Ji, but he was deliberately playing the long game and didn't express his intention to seek an official position to Geng Ji, because he knew that Geng Ji and his boss Xun Yu were neighbors and lived very close to each other.

Du Ji has been visiting Geng Ji's house every night recently, bringing good wine and good food, and inviting Geng Ji to eat and drink while talking loudly, waiting for Xun Yu next door to hear his high-sounding talk and come to visit him.

How can being reported to Xun Yu by Geng Ji and being discovered by Xun Yu himself be of the same level!

……

However, not all of the job seekers in Yizhou County who were proud of their talents had the shrewdness and skills of Du Ji, nor did they all have the luck of Mao Jie and Guo Yuan.

Today's round of recruitment and recommendation was like a stone thrown into a pond, making those who were trying to maintain their patience and calm become more and more impatient.

The two lucky ones, Mao Jie and Guo Yuan, were like two thorns in the hearts of others who were not recruited.

Just when Zhuge Jin and Chen Deng felt that they had drunk enough and it was time to pay the bill and close the stall, they suddenly heard a man at a table at the door slamming the table in anger and shouting, "Humph, Xun Wenruo is blind and doesn't recognize a great sage! He is just a good-looking guy who can only attend funerals, answer gifts, and recite poems!"

But after this man finished cursing, others did not argue with him. Instead, they paid their bills one after another and ignored him, as if they were avoiding the plague god.

Even the well-informed Chen Deng was surprised and couldn't help asking the people at the next table, "Who is this? Xun Yu is now in charge of the power of recommending and recruiting people, and someone dares to insult Xun Yu as well?"

Zhuge Jin felt that the insults were familiar, and couldn't help but whisper to himself: "Could it be Ni Heng?"

Seeing that Zhuge Jin had guessed it, the guests at the next table chimed in:
"Isn't it this fellow? My dear brother, you have just come to Xudu, and you have heard of his bad reputation? This man wanted the nobles in the court to ask him to be an official, but after several months of failure, he cursed the chief minister and said that all the ministers in the court were stupid and blind. Just because this man has some talent, the ministers are unwilling to be on the same level as him."

After the guests at the next table finished speaking, they didn't seem to want to cause any more trouble, so they just paid for their drinks and left.

When Zhuge Jin heard that it was indeed Ni Heng, he teased Chen Deng:
"Brother Yuanlong, you said that Ni Heng is so hated by everyone and avoided as much as possible. If we refute him thoroughly and spread it to Xun Yu's ears, will he be received in advance? Maybe we can complete the mission of Lord Xuande and Lu Bu earlier."

Chen Deng looked like he was enjoying a good show, and he calmly reminded, "I heard that Ni Heng, Kong Wenju, and Yang Dezu have a good relationship. If you embarrass him too much, won't it hurt Kong Wenju's face?"

Zhuge Jin nodded: "That's true. Kong Wenju is close to Emperor Xuande after all. For his sake, let's let this crazy man go."

The two people's conversation was not loud, but it was not too quiet either. It was mainly because there were too many people in the wine house and it was noisy, so if they spoke softly, it would be difficult to hear.

But at this moment, most of the people had left for fear of causing trouble, and the tavern was quieter than before.

Zhuge Jin and Chen Deng were still talking at the same volume, and Ni Heng was a man with very sensitive ears, and when he heard the words, he immediately felt a surge of anger rising up.

The main reason is that he is used to being scolded behind his back, so he pays special attention to whether anyone says bad things about him.

Ni Heng rushed to Zhuge Jin's desk with a wine jug in hand and pointed at him:

"You are such a lunatic, talking about others behind their backs is simply shameless! You flatterers, are you trying to snitch and curry favor with Xun Yu and Sima Lang? I am not afraid of you!"

Zhuge Jin didn't want to cause trouble, but since Ni Heng was involved, he knew that Ni Heng had no background and only a big mouth, so of course he was not afraid of trouble.

Zhuge Jin brushed his clothes leisurely and said calmly, "We are talking about our own things, what does it have to do with you? We are from Xuzhou to pay homage to the emperor, not to seek official positions and benefits. Why should I flatter you! Your Excellency is so upright, why do you have to linger in Xudu every day, even your business cards are worn out, and you are still reluctant to leave."

There is an anecdote about Ni Heng in history, saying that he "secretly kept a business card in his heart", that is, he secretly kept a wooden business card and wanted to deliver it after arriving in Xudu. However, because no one wanted to find him for work, the business card was kept for too long and the writing was worn out.

It is just like job seekers in later generations who submit the same resume over and over again, until all the words are worn out but still haven’t sent it out.

Ni Heng has only been in Xudu for two months, and the words on his business card have not been worn off.

But Zhuge Jin's words immediately made the other drinkers who had not yet left burst into laughter.

Everyone is eager to see the joke of this hypocrite who wants to seek an official position and at the same time wants to put on airs and make those in power beg him for mercy.

Ni Heng became more and more angry when he saw the crowd making a fuss. But the other party revealed his identity and said he was not seeking an official position. This person's position was also more noble than Ni Heng.

Ni Heng lost his composure and shouted in a rage, "Who said I was reluctant to leave? I didn't come to Xu County to seek an official position! Only dogs seek an official position! Although you are not seeking an official position for yourself, you are definitely seeking an official position for your superior! You are the parasite!

This kind of corrupt and incompetent court, with no morals and no order, is like a bunch of rotten wood serving as an official and beasts eating salary! I would not even take the position if it was given to me for free!"

Zhuge Jin didn't want to have a formal debate with the other party because he knew that this guy would definitely be unreasonable and would change the subject once he couldn't win the argument.

Moreover, the other party is not afraid of wearing shoes even if he is barefoot. It would be too embarrassing to debate on the topic chosen by him.

So he decided to seize an obvious loophole in the other party's words and quickly criticize him without giving him a chance to talk nonsense:

"The loss of morals and conduct, the disorder between the upper and lower levels? You dare to criticize the current court in this way. Do you miss the time when Dong Yu and Kuai Si were in power? Or do you think there is another wise ruler in the world?"

Ni Heng was stunned, but he didn't dare to give the other party an opportunity to say something even more outrageous.

He just wanted to say that Cao Cao could not distinguish between the wise and the foolish, but he never intended to say that Dong Zhuo, Li Jue and others were better than Cao Cao. He even less dared to say that Yuan Shu, who was now taking in the other generals who had returned from the east and were expelled by Cao Cao, was better than Cao Cao.

Zhuge Jin took advantage of his silence and pressed the issue again: "You are only good at destroying and not building. You are nothing but a useless person! You are just a frog in a well. You don't even know what 'virtue' is. How dare you claim that the court has lost its virtue and corrupted its conduct? If you don't agree, can you answer my question? How do you explain the 'virtue' in 'the world is ruled by the virtuous'?"

(End of this chapter)