This sleeve is broken secretly

Chapter 87

After Shen Yu returned to the court, he continued to serve as the minister of the Ministry of Rites.The first thing he did after taking office was to start a drastic reform of the imperial examinations.In terms of examination content, the rote memorization of Mingjing courses was abolished, and poetry and fu were no longer examined. Instead, special examinations were conducted on the meaning of classics, current affairs policies, laws, and case resolutions, etc., to select practical talents.

He also went to Shuzheng Emperor Ning, intending to abolish the system of inspection and examination.According to the ancestral practice, the senior officials of the dynasty and the officials of the frontiers all have quotas to recommend the world's famous talents to the court. After these personnel pass the unified examination, the outstanding ones can be directly hired.In the past few dynasties, the system of procuratorial examinations did create a grand scene of "a group of scholars admire each other, and different people come out together". However, in the past hundred years, especially during the Hongwu period, cronyism, wealth, and power were the only things that were powerful and powerful. As a result of the government's control of the inspection and examination, many outstanding talents among ordinary Confucian scholars were rejected. The selected talents were divided into factions and colluded with each other before they entered the court, which directly led to the intensification of violence and the wider and wider The sect power struggle.

However, for many aristocratic families, the investigation system is a great opportunity for them to collect bribes and recruit disciples, so why would they sit and watch Shen Bing cut off their connections?Since the first day of Shen Yu's appointment, there have been consecutive impeachment memorials flying into the cabinet, but they were all strongly rejected by Emperor Zhengning.

Although the young and ambitious emperor, like Shen Bing, wanted to eradicate factional struggles and rectify the country's roots, he had no choice but to rush some things overnight.After discussing with Shen Yu, they could only temporarily put aside the idea of ​​abolishing the examination and examination system, and concentrate on promoting the reform of the imperial examination.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Finance is also looking for ways to replenish the national treasury.The mutual market with the grasslands once promoted the economic prosperity of the north, but now the grasslands in the north have been shrouded in chaotic infighting and war, and the people are destitute and displaced.Many refugees went south, how to resettle the refugees and solve the hidden dangers of public security that followed is another big problem.Although there is no war with the north now, and military supplies are not so strong for the time being, but there are water conservancy urgently waiting for money, we must find a way to fill the gap in the mutual market.

It was at this time that Xie Qin put forward the proposal of building ships and sailing, so as to spread the prestige of the dynasty.The shipping industry in this dynasty was already very prosperous, but it was mostly used for inland trade between the north and the south, and occasionally went to sea as a private fleet.Xie Jin proposed, why not change private to public, build a dock in the northwest, and develop the open sea trade route from north to south.Firstly, these docks can properly accommodate refugees going south; secondly, overseas trade can further promote commercial prosperity; thirdly, it is also helpful to make foreign friends and spread the grace of a great country far.

His proposal, in the eyes of many old-fashioned veterans, is tantamount to a rumor from heaven and earth.Those barbarian countries overseas are rough and uncivilized. How can they do business with these people?

But in Emperor Zhengning's view, Xie Ling's suggestion was really interesting.When he was still in the East Palace, he had met missionaries from the West and heard from them that there were vast lands and prosperous cultures in the south and west of the land of China. It would be a great thing to establish contacts with these peoples. pleasure.

All reforms and changes are progressing slowly through repeated disputes, discussions, consultations, and protests.But the people who were in the game at that time didn't know that they were gradually moving towards the prosperity of the dynasty with the drastic changes of the times.

Later history books referred to this century as "the prosperous age of Zhengning".During this period of time, the territory is peaceful and the people are well-being.Emperor Zhengning came to the throne when he was young, and he had no relatives to assist his ministers in politics, but he was assisted by good ministers, and carried out a series of reforms vigorously.Inside, there are prosperous imperial examinations, celebrities from all over the world come to court, hundreds of boats compete for the flow, and thousands of sails compete for sailing; outside, there is economic and trade prosperity, and caravans travel across the sea.Internal security and external prosperity have created a century of prosperity that is rare in a thousand years.

There was a poem later:

Recalling the heyday of Kaiyuan in the past, Xiaoyi still hides thousands of families.Rice is fat and corn is white, and both public and private warehouses are full.

There are no jackals and tigers on the roads of Kyushu, and the sunrise will not be auspicious when traveling far.Qiwan, Luxuan, and the trains are in frequent shifts, and men and women who farm and mulberry do not lose each other.

The sages in the palace played Cloud Gate, and friends all over the world were glued to each other.There has been no catastrophe for more than a hundred years, and the rituals and music of uncles and grandchildren are Xiao Helu.

What an enviable era it was!

----

However, people who are still in the early years of Zhengning do not know what kind of future they are heading towards.Shen Bian had just returned to court, and he was so busy every day that he didn't touch the ground, the paperwork he needed to read was piled high, and the candles burned every night until the dawn broke.

Although Xie Ling is also busy, he can't see Shen Bing ruining his body like this.He had only returned to Xie's house for a few days, and he couldn't help but move back to Shen Bing's house, deal with official duties with him every day, and then watched him wash up and go to bed early.

However, going on like this is not an option.Not to mention that every day Xie Ling and Shen Yan go to court together, which has caused a lot of criticism in the capital, but the pedantic and old-fashioned old man in the family can make Xie Ling's head three times bigger by talking about it every day lock up.

The nickname of the former "Little Overlord of the Capital City" did not come out of thin air. Whoever can give Mr. Xie a headache, he will definitely pay back.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival in Zhengning one year, Emperor Zhengning held a family banquet in the palace, and Xie Ling, the cousin of Concubine Xie, also went to the palace together.I don't know what he said to Emperor Zhengning or Concubine Xie at the banquet, but a few days after he came back, the eunuch in the palace knocked on the door of Xie's house carrying a long reward and holding the title deed.

The people in the courtyard of Xie's family knelt neatly, and listened to the Chief Internal Superintendent reciting Zhengning Emperor's command aloud with their ears stretched out. Everyone's expressions became more and more strange, and finally they couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

What did the emperor say?Concubine Xie made great contributions to organizing the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, and rewarded Xie Jiawen with a hundred silver ingots, several jewels, and another——a mansion?

No, how can there be such a rule?Isn't it the concubine's responsibility to organize the palace banquet? Even if it is really well done, it won't be rewarding a house?Even if this is a reward, it should be the concubine herself, how did it go to her natal family?

Everyone in the Xie family accepted the order with a blank expression, thanked them with a blank expression, and sent the inner eunuchs away with a blank expression, until Father Xie stood in the courtyard holding the land deed in his hand, his mind was still confused.

"No, no, no..." Father Xie frowned, and murmured, "After a great kindness, there must be a great responsibility. The emperor suddenly favors our family so much, something is wrong..."

Mother Xie clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest, doubting: "Could it be that the emperor thinks about our Jiaohan's good service, and wants to win him over—"

"If Jiaohan doesn't serve her well, our heads will be lost!"

"I didn't mean that, sir, think about the good—"

Xie Qin, who rarely went home recently, stood leisurely with his arms around his shoulders, listening to his parents' dispute for a long time, before he stepped forward unhurriedly and raised his hand to take away the land deed in Xie's father's hand.

Father Xie's hands were empty, and he turned around in a daze, only to see that the bastard had calmly folded up the land deed and put it in his arms. Finally, he raised his chin and smiled at the stunned parents: "I accept this."

"Bastard! Bring it back to me!" Seeing that he was still angry, Father Xie yelled angrily, "It's a gift from the emperor, how dare you—"

His words suddenly stopped.

Father Xie suddenly remembered that he had just glanced at the title deed hastily just now, the glimpse was inaccurate but vaguely remembered that the location of the property was——

"Master Shen..." Father Xie murmured, "This house is next to Shen's house. You! You deliberately asked the emperor to grant you this house, you—you—"

"Father, if you call Mr. Shen again, you will be away from home. You can just call him Liangqing." Xie Jin said with a smile on his lips, "Now that the emperor has granted the house, it would be really disrespectful if no one maintains it. Well, my son will take on this task sooner rather than later."

"...Thank you!!"

Father Xie's thunderous roar resounded in the sky above Xie's house, but Xie Ling, who was carrying the title deed, had already stepped out of the house and walked away.

This house was indeed selected by Xie Ling long ago, and this was the reason why he specially entered the palace on the Mid-Autumn Festival to ask Emperor Zhengning.Although Emperor Zhengning was surprised when he heard this, he readily agreed, and even specially instructed that the guard of honor must be in place when rewarding, and that he should give Xie Ling enough face.Now, because of Emperor Zhengning, Father Xie could no longer object to Xie Ling moving to the side of Shen's house.

The orientation of the two houses is really good. Although the gates of the two houses are on different streets, the backyards are closely connected, which can be described as private and intimate.Xie Ling only needs to walk out of the room, raise his leg and turn over the wall, and he can sneak into Mrs. Shen's bedroom in his family without anyone noticing.

When Shen Ting heard that Xie Ling was going to move to the side of Shen's house, he was both surprised and delighted.He also took time out of his busy schedule to find a good-looking camphor tree seedling and planted it in the atrium of the backyard of the new house.There is only one wall between this camphor tree and the laurel tree in his courtyard. Now his laurel tree has grown to the sky, with towering green crowns, branches, leaves and eaves. After more than ten years, this camphor tree will become a useful tree. At that time, the two trees will be able to grow together. Holding hands with green vines and green leaves across the wall.

After all, the two of them still have a lot of time for the rest of their lives to wait for the grand scene of the green leaves shaking the golden flakes and the lush greenery filling the courtyard.

Since Xie Ling moved to the next house, he seldom stayed overnight, and Shen Bing was finally able to sleep a few complete and leisurely sleeps.However, within a few days of this leisurely night, on a certain late autumn morning, Shen Bian, who was still in deep sleep, was disturbed in his dream by a disciple who sneaked into his tent.

"Liangqing...Liangqing...wake up."

Shen Bin originally slept very well, but he couldn't stand the calls in his ears like flies, so he reluctantly opened his eyes.Through the dim light, he saw a very familiar figure sitting sideways on his bed, holding the curtain with one hand, and gently shaking his shoulders with the other.

"Let it..." He sighed, and wanted to turn over in sleepiness, "What time is it now, can you let me sleep again?"

"I know, I know." Although Xie Qin's tone was gentle, he turned him over with his hands uncompromisingly, "I want to show you something, so you get up quickly."

Shen Bian was already drowsy, and when the weather turned cold, he yearned for the warmth of the quilt even more. At this moment, he was unwilling to open his eyes, tilted his head and was about to fall asleep directly.Seeing him like this, Xie Ling couldn't help laughing in a low voice, stretched out his hand into his loose skirt, and swam nimbly all the way down.

He came at night, his hands were very cold, at this moment when he stretched them out to Shen's skin that was warmed by the body temperature and the quilt, Shen's body shivered from the cold.I felt that cold and slender hand deftly turning around his collarbone and chest, and then drove straight in as if no one was there, and went straight down over the narrow waist all the way——

"Slow down!" Shen Yan said sharply.

He opened his eyes and pushed Xie Ling away forcefully, there was no trace of sleepiness on his face anymore.

"...Is it okay if I go!"

Xie Ling was mysterious, and insisted on refusing to say why he came to find Shen Bing so early.He just wrapped the cloak tightly around Shen Ji, put on the hood again, and led him out the door.

Sure enough, it was still pitch black outside, and the distant sky in the east had a thin and light cyan color, and it seemed that it was still some time before dawn.The autumn night's cool wind was already a little bit chilly. As soon as Shen Bian went out of the house and was blown by the pocket, he immediately became sober that he could no longer be sober.

"Xie Rangzhi, you'd better take me to do something serious."

Xie Ling laughed softly, and suddenly stretched out his hand to wrap around Shen Bing's waist, and jumped up to the eaves amidst his low cry: "There is no business, but there is a romantic thing...Let's go, son, let your husband I will take you to see the dim night scene of the capital city and the lights of thousands of houses."

Yinshi, also known as Pingdan, is the moment when day and night alternate.Most of the sky is still submerged in pitch black, the stars and the moon have gradually faded away, leaving only the extremely thick night to envelop the surrounding fields before dawn.Except for the corner of the east that is smudged into a light blue, everything in the world is still immersed in this last black sweetness and tranquility.

Xie Ling's body skills are excellent, he led Shen Yi through the city from the eaves of Wanjia, the two of them seemed to be riding the long wind blowing through the high platform Qiongyu, their figures were light and erratic, stepping on the back of a city, Leaving the grand scene of Shengjing in the boundary between light and darkness behind.

After a while, the two arrived under the east gate.The gatekeeper was a drowsy pawn, who blinked sleepily when he heard footsteps, and turned sideways with his halberd in his arms to get out of the way to the tower.

There was no one on the towering city tower, and the soldiers patrolling the city must have just left here.Xie Ling took Shen Bing's hand, came to the side of the battlements, gently hugged his waist from behind and said with a low smile: "How?"

Shen Yi raised his eyes to look, and here he could have a panoramic view of the four corners of the city.The farthest imperial city is like a sleeping ancient beast, silently and majestically entrenched in the center of all things. It seems to be a land creature that has squatted here for thousands of years. it lives.And the countless towers spread out in all directions are also bathed in this hazy morning and dusk.

The east and west of the city are residential houses, and they are still sleeping quietly at this hour, without any movement.Only the business district in the south of the city showed faint signs of activity.The restaurants and restaurants that woke up very early have already brought fresh vegetables and meat by carts and horses, and a thin layer of cooking smoke rose from the roof of the back kitchen.Several bands mixed in are particularly eye-catching. The tall red lanterns sway lazily in the night wind, and the singer who has not yet fallen asleep is humming a few scattered tunes hoarsely, which can be vaguely heard even in such a far place.

The air is filled with the scent of freesia, clove and calamus, the aftertaste of sachets left by princes and ladies.At this time, in the hazy and light dawn, it is like a line drawing, which is the background color of the flourishing scroll during the day.

This is the land where they met and became acquainted, and from this point spread out and stretch away, across mountains and rivers, across thousands of miles, the land they arrived at was the beautiful mountains and rivers that they will guard for the rest of their lives.

Shen Yan suddenly understood why Xie Ling brought him here.

The sky at this time is the age they live in.

The time to turn on the lanterns and travel at night has passed, the east is about to dawn, and Dai Qing paves the way, they throw down the lanterns, step over the rugged, and stride away to the distance.The surroundings are still hazy, and the early morning fog has not dissipated, but the time when the golden flowers are shining and the sun is holding the clouds is imminent, and it will come soon.They want to run, to chase, to stretch out their hands, to jump up and down towards the future that has already been set by the sun.

Shen Yan took a deep breath, and smiled softly: "The mountains and rivers are clear, and the city is about to be heavy."

"The world is vast, and the future is approaching." Xie Qin smiled, stretched out his arms to hold Shen Bing tightly, and put his chin on his shoulder.

They waited quietly.

Time passed silently, the thin black color gradually became lighter and brighter, and the goose egg green turned into sky white, and then it seemed that someone took a firelight from behind the sky, and the gilded and fiery morning light suddenly broke through the clouds , splashing a piece of light on the vast land.

In this grand sunrise, Shen Yi and Xie Ling did not look in the direction of the rising sun.They stood with their backs to the sun, looking at the bustling city, every inch was illuminated by the golden light, and they also watched their shadows cast on the battlements, gradually becoming one.

A long wind blows in front of them, raising their long hair, running through their wide sleeves, and going straight up to nine days.

The two of them, from the north and the south, meet here.They used to be surrounded by thousands of people but they were suddenly alone, and they were once in beautiful places but their sleeves were lonely. They were the brightest stars on the sky when the world looked up, but they were so dazzling because they were too dazzling. lonely.

They were supposed to be two lone stars where the king never saw the king, and the north and the south looked each other, until they met each other.

Since then, the troubles of the world have rushed away, and the entanglements of the past have settled down to the bottom. Thousands of people have come, and thousands of people have retreated.

From now on, it is their time.

Participating merchants come out together, and the sun and the moon shine together.

Qingmu Zhilan and hundreds of mountains are lush and lush, and the palace is full of gold and jade.

This beautiful country stretches away in their hands, and they have nothing to fear when they join hands side by side.