In the carriage, the candlelight jumped, bursting into a bright spark.

The smell of smoke suddenly became a little heavy, making the already somewhat closed carriage look more and more like a moving coffin. Cui Xiang, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, hurriedly stood up and used silver scissors to cut the candles on the beeswax, but he forgot how tall he had grown, and his head hit the roof of the carriage with a "bang", and in an instant, the Venus in front of him was chaotic.

"You put it there, I'll come!" The tanuki girl rolled her eyes and ordered angrily.

"It's okay, it's okay!" Cui Xiang shook his head with a smile, and continued to trim the candle flowers with scissors, and the bleak taste flashed in his eyes.

How dare he bother the tanuki? The other party is Princess Taiping's personal maid! And he, the book of the Tang Rite Department? Forget it, God knows what kind of skin is covered under the robe of the official secretary of the Ministry of Rites?!

The tanuki is right, as long as the eldest princess sees something, sooner or later its owner will walk up to the eldest princess and take the initiative to beg the eldest princess to accept it. Cui Xiang himself has had such an experience, and he still can't forget it.

At that time, he was only twenty-five years old, and he was ranked among the Tanhua in the Jinshi examination, and soon, he became the imperial history of the Great Zhou. And his father, who was already the official of the Great Zhou at that time, and his younger brother Cui Mi, also supervised the imperial history. Every time there is a court meeting, the father and son are in the column at the same time, and they are in the limelight for a while. (Note: Great Zhou, the country name of Wu Zetian when he was the empress.) The imperial history belongs to the official of speech, so it is not limited by rank, and can participate in the Chang Dynasty. ）

However, suddenly one day, the father and son were involved in Qi Lianyao's conspiracy at the same time, and they were imprisoned in a daze. The entire Boling Cui family has also become the object of strict defense by the local government, and it may fall into a catastrophe at any time.

Heaven is pitiful, that Qi Lianyao is just a local record to join the army, and he is not even qualified to enter the gate of the Cui family. How could it be possible for the three of Cui's father and son to serve him at the same time? This person became the emperor, how could he be more than the Great Zhou Golden Wheel Holy Spirit Emperor who gave the father, son and son? (Note: The Golden Wheel Holy Spirit Emperor, Wu Zetian's name when he was the empress.) ）

Seeing that the co-defendants were all exterminated one by one, the father and son could only hug their heads and cry in prison. At this moment, the Great Zhou Jinlun Holy Spirit Emperor suddenly revisited his eyes, saw the loyalty of the father and son, and ordered them to be released from prison and reinstated.

Cui Xiang originally thought that being able to get out of trouble was the blessing of his ancestors and ancestors in the sky. However, after returning home, he was told by the elders of the clan that the reason why the Golden Wheel Holy Spirit Emperor opened the net was because the emperor's favorite daughter, Princess Taiping, cherished her talent and specially made a statement in front of the emperor to clear the wrongs for the father and son.

The next day, Cui Xiang held the "Luqi" piano used by Sima Xiangru and came to thank Princess Taiping for saving her life.

On the lower side of "Luqi", although there is the name of the piano written by Sima Xiangru himself, in fact, because of the long age of the piano, it is no longer playable. But after Princess Taiping saw it, she was still very happy. actually came forward to set up a wine banquet in person, and in an instant, Cui Xiang was flattered. (Note: Lu Qi, one of the four famous pianos in ancient times, Sima Xiangru piano was used by Zhuo Wenjun.) ）

Flattered, he drank a few more glasses. After a few more drinks, he opened his heart. After opening his heart, he talked to the princess more and more speculatively. And the princess also became beautiful in his drunken eyes.

That night, the candlelight was like wine, and the beauty was picturesque.

That night, there was no love for children, only the hero's shortness of breath, and a bush of cardamom bloomed in front of Tanhualang's eyes.

When Cui Xiang finally realized where he was again, it was already the third day of the second day. Princess Taiping left "Lu Qi", but did not leave him, the owner of the piano. Then, his official fortunes began to prosper. In just ten years, without any special contributions, he was promoted from serving the imperial history to Shangshu.

During this period, Princess Taiping summoned him many times, and he also took the initiative to ask to see the princess many times. Every time, Princess Taiping will assign him some tasks, and if he completes it well, she will give him or the Cui family some "rewards". If he does not do well, or does not do it well, soon, punishment will fall on him or his family.

Most of the time, he does his job well and does his best. Therefore, most princesses summoned him, and during the process of his request to see the princess, he would be given a feast, and then he would get drunk and unconscious.

However, since the day he first met the princess, Cui Xiang has never stayed overnight in Pingkangfang. Even if you drink with your best friend until the middle of the night and can't get home before curfew, at most you just let the bustard open a room for you and fall asleep. Friends say that he is clean and self-conscious, or pretending to be high. Only he knew that whenever he saw those Qinglou women offering themselves pillows with charming faces, he couldn't wait to grab the sword and wipe it on his neck.

The woman in the Qinglou recommended a pillow seat, and the picture showed the copper coins in his carriage and the silver beans in his purse. And he gave the princess a "bed", and the picture was the power of the princess. Both sides are the same people, the difference is that in addition to her beautiful body, the Qinglou woman can also play the piano and sing and dance. And he, in addition to being good-looking, can also play the piano, write poems and do fu!

"Shangshu, the Yanshoufang Courtyard has arrived!" Outside the carriage, the voice of the guard Cui Xuan suddenly came, and in an instant, Cui Xuan woke up from his memories.

"Got it, drive the carriage straight in!" Quickly put down the scissors, Cui Xiang beat his spirits, and put a smile on his face to Aunt Tanuki, "It's here, you ...... today"

"When your carriage leaves, I will take the car through the side door and return to the eldest princess's mansion to pay the order!" Tanuki smiled at him, the covers on her teeth and fingers flickering with cold light.

However, at the moment when the wheels stopped. Suddenly, however, she had a humble face. got up and grabbed Cui Xiang's arm, and shouted timidly: "Lang Jun, concubine, you get out of the car." Lang Jun is tired! The concubine will go to the kitchen immediately and prepare a supper for you! ”

"No need, the old man still has something to do today!" Cui Xiang also quickly became the secretary of the Tang Dynasty's Ministry of Rites again, with a straight face, and ordered loudly, "You go down to rest by yourself, and the old man will go back to Yongxingfang!" Cui Sheng, open the door, and send the raccoon girl out of the car. ”

"Yes!" Outside the carriage, someone responded loudly. Immediately, the car door was gently opened, and the sunlight illuminated the majesty on Cui Xiang's face and the softness on the face of the tanuki.

"Master, the concubine will get out of the car, rest early after the master goes back!" Like the outer chamber of an ordinary official, the tanuki girl held the qin, saluted Cui Xiang, and slowly stepped out of the carriage. Every step is like a breeze blowing willows.

"Hmm!" Cui Xiang snorted coldly, put his hands behind his head, and slowly closed his eyes, "Go home!" ”

"Yes!" The entourage agreed, and closed the car door again. The carriage started slowly, and soon it was driving up the long street outside the square again. The horseshoe slammed against the stone slabs on the ground with a series of crisp sounds.

Raising his hand violently to open the curtain of the car, Cui Xiang greedily admired the bustling scenery outside the window. On the long street, people come and go, men and women, all sprinkled with the afterglow of the sunset.

"Ahh He sneezed suddenly, and tears instantly flowed all over his face. Cui Xiang hurriedly raised his hand and quickly pulled up the curtain again.

After walking in the dark for a long time, he found that he was not very used to the sunlight outside.

…………………………

The wheels slowly stopped at the door of Zhang Qian's house, the door was pushed open, and Lang He Zhizhang, the secretary of the Tang Dynasty, supervised the work of the Publishing Bureau, jumped out of the simple blue lacquer carriage.

"He Shushu, are you old? Please inside, please hurry inside. Ren Quan, who was chatting with people at the door, was quick to see, rushed forward, and grabbed He Zhizhang's arm.

"Butler Ren doesn't have to be polite!" He Zhizhang did not follow his movements, but stood firm, smiled and arched his hand, "I heard that the young eunuch's leg is difficult to heal, He specially came to visit. Please also ask the housekeeper to pass it on on your behalf. ”

"Broken, broken!" Ren Quan was taken aback, and hurriedly jumped half a foot away, bent down and saluted He Zhizhang, "You are always the elder of my family's owner, when you come, it is the glory that makes Zhuangzi shine." The owner of my family has already instructed that you, Imperial Doctor Sun and Zhang Duwei, do not need to pass it on, and invite them directly into the main hall for tea. ”

After that, lest He Zhizhang continue to be polite to him, he hurriedly made a bitter face and asked in a low voice, "Don't be angry, otherwise, the owner of my family doesn't know, and he must think that those of us who are making trouble are deliberately making trouble." You always hurry inside, Steward Cui, quickly send someone to open the main door, and then go to inform the owner. ”

"Got it!" Steward Cui agreed loudly, and pushed the main door wide open with his own hands. Then the two legs stepped out of the gust of wind and went straight to the backyard study.

Other Zhuang Ding and servants stepped forward one after another, opening the way and supporting him, and together with Ren Quan, they welcomed He Zhizhang into the courtyard, and everyone had a fake pride on their faces.

It's only been a few days, and the owner of his own village has become He Zhuangyuan's top boss. And when He Zhuangyuan came to the door for the first time, everyone still felt that their owner had gone out of shit luck! If it goes on like this, the owner of his own village may add the words "Tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi" before the title. At that time, the whole family will be able to walk sideways outside. (Note: The same book is a mission.) In Datang, it is to exercise the function of prime minister with the original official position. In this way, many prime ministers can be appointed and they will be able to check and balance each other. Wei Zheng took the position of secretary and chief supervisor, and served as the secretary of the same book)

was proud, but he saw that his own Zhuang was dying, and he had already stepped forward quickly, and from a distance, he rushed to He Zhizhang and shook his head: "Senior, this little bit is a little injured, why do you bother you again!" The younger generation is planning to wait for the leg to be raised, and then come to the door to give you a New Year's gift! ”

"Young eunuch don't have to be polite!" He Zhizhang was so uncomfortable that he quickly got rid of the crowd of servants and family members, and dodged sideways. Immediately, he solemnly returned the same courtesy, "The young eunuch has been given a lord, and He should have come to congratulate him a long time ago." It's just that things have been complicated lately......"

Only halfway through the polite words, his arm was firmly held by Zhang Qian. Looking at the latter again, his face was slightly red, and he shook his head again and again with beads of sweat, "Senior, when you first came to my house, I was still a grass people, but I didn't call you a doctor too often!" If it makes you feel alive because you have been promoted, the younger generation would rather resign than be this young eunuch! ”

"Then what's the matter, wouldn't He have to be blocked by Long Weng and Shi Weng blocking the door and scolding a dog blood spray?!" He Zhizhang shook his head and smiled, his face no longer young was full of embarrassment.

As early as a few days ago, he took the initiative to ask Ying to contact Zhang Qian on behalf of Rulin. However, after returning to his home, the more he thought about it, the more awkward he felt. Especially after learning that Zhang Qian was appointed as a secretary and a young eunuch from the fourth grade, he was even more deterred by looking at the door of the Zhang family.

What embarrassed him was not only Zhang Qian, who happened to be his top boss. is the position of this secretary and young eunuch, which happens to be the result of repeated deliberations and compromises between him and a group of Confucian celebrities.

Although this position sounds very good, and it looks like a bright future on the surface, in fact, since the anniversary of the Tang Dynasty Gaozong, the various positions of the secretary and supervisor have become the honorable places for the high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty. Except for him, He Zhizhang, who was born to study and be obsessed, the rest of the people who came to serve as secretaries and supervisors were either old and frail, or they had lost their position in the political struggle and needed to step aside to make room for others. (Note: This is a historical fact, and the secretary and supervisor have always been jokingly called the prime minister's ward.) ）

In other words, the position of secretary and young eunuch seems to be both clean and expensive. In fact, the weight of speaking in the court is far inferior to other Cong Sipin. The power in his hands is limited to collecting and sorting out various books for the state, organizing people to observe celestial phenomena and revising the calendar, and he is basically not qualified to interfere in various national affairs. (Note: In fact, he is the deputy director of Datang Books)

After the results of the minister's deliberation came out, Bi Gou went to shoot Xiao Zhizhong to the right servant on the same day to express his opposition. Zhang Shuo also once proposed that he give up the position of the chief supervisor of the ordnance supervisor and give it to Zhang Qian. However, other Confucian celebrities were stubborn in the name of Zhang Qian's youth and lack of training. And the reactions of Zong Chuke and Ji Chu Ne also need to be balanced. Therefore, the opposition of Bi Gou and Zhang Shuo naturally became ineffective, and Zhang Qian made a mistake and became his He Zhizhang's top boss.

"Senior, I'm telling the truth. I don't read much, and to be this secretary and young eunuch was originally to catch ducks on the shelves! When there was no place to put his hands and feet, He Zhizhang's ears heard Zhang Qian's voice again, and every word was extremely solemn. If even my seniors are separated from me, how can this young eunuch be able to do long? It's better to take the initiative to resign as soon as possible, so as not to make mistakes in the future and make a mess! ”

These words are indeed from the bottom of the heart, and people cannot help but be moved when they hear them.

As the saying goes, where there are people, there is fighting, even if it is the Qingshui Yamen. And Zhang Qiantang Datang, who has no family backing and lacks sufficient experience in the ups and downs of the Huan Sea, the faster he rises, the less stable his position is.

In the Ordnance Prison, he relied on his amazing ability to make weapons and the support of the main supervisor Zhang Shuo, and he was still comfortable as a young prisoner. When he went to work as a young eunuch in the secretary's prison, if even He Zhizhang became a stranger, I am afraid that the end would either be that he would take the initiative to step aside, or he would accidentally fall into the trap set by others, and then be degraded for thousands of miles with a lot of trouble.

"Don't talk nonsense, how can the old man not help you?!" Immediately, He Zhizhang no longer ignored the embarrassment, blushed, and solemnly promised, "Also, the old man came to you this time, firstly, to visit the patient, and secondly, to discuss with you the personnel arrangements in the Writings Department." As long as you use good people, you won't have to worry about being unstable in the secretarial prison! ”

"Please also ask the seniors to give advice!" Hearing this, Zhang Qian immediately let go of the other party's arm, took half a step back, and knocked on the bricks.

That He Zhizhang was originally a free and easy person. Before, I just felt ashamed because of guilt in my heart. At this moment, he found that he could make up for it in another way, so he immediately untied the knot in his heart and returned the salute with a smile, "The old man will definitely do his best, as long as you don't think the old man is verbose." ”

After that, I suddenly found that I seemed to have fallen for Zhang Qian. His expression was stunned. Immediately, he shook his head with a smile and walked side by side with Zhang Qian to the main hall.

He is an old man who loves books and is obsessed with books, and he is a good drinker, so he doesn't like to compete with others by nature. Therefore, after so many years as a champion, the official fortune has not been very prosperous. However, he has incomparably rich experience in being an official and doing things. Therefore, after letting go of the knot, every suggestion to Zhang Qian was on the point.

In his old man's opinion, the secretary supervisor, the department that is most prone to leakage, is the Hun Tian Prison. Not only is the "Lin De Calendar" formulated by Abbot Li Chunfeng many years ago in urgent need of revision, but other astrological and astronomical observation instruments are also in urgent need of supplementation. However, because Hun Tianjian has just made a big mistake, he will definitely be personally stared at by the secretary and supervisor Wei Juyuan next. The new head of the Heavenly Prison, Jia Ye Zhizhong, is also a careful person. Therefore, there is no need for Zhang Qian, the young eunuch, to worry about anything.

What Zhang Qian really needs to spend effort to straighten out is the current writing bureau where He Zhizhang is the author. Because it is a clear water yamen, it is difficult to get through, so the staff of the Writings Bureau was originally not very complete. Recently, Hun Tianjian was cleaned up because of an accident, and a group of backbones were recently transferred from the Writings Bureau to fill the vacancy, which led to the increasing withering of talents in the Writings Bureau.

Therefore, after Zhang Qian, a young eunuch, took office, he first found a way to fill the official positions of the Writings Bureau with people, which was the first priority. As long as you use people properly, even if it is difficult to show the performance of the Ordnance Supervisor, you will not be easily picked out by the superiors.

Besides, it's a matter of money. The secretary and supervisor are a Qingshui yamen, and they have no say in national affairs. Natural appropriations are less. And most of the money had to be used on the side of the Hun Tianjian, which made the daily expenses of the Writers Bureau even more stretched. If Zhang Qian and his boss invite enough funds for the Writing Bureau, he will naturally let all his subordinates return to their hearts. If the Bureau of Writings is allowed to remain poor, even if the low-level officials are all poor and happy, and need to reorganize the archived classics every year, I am afraid they will "refuse to agree".

"Lack of money for the Writings Bureau?" Zhang Qian originally nodded again and again when he heard this, but suddenly, he turned his head and looked at He Zhizhang in a daze, his face full of disbelief.

According to the introduction of the old man He, this Datang Secretary supervises the Books Bureau, which is simply the General Administration of Publishing and the General Administration of Books in another time and space. naturally has a monopoly position, and still guards a mountain of books, but it makes the days tinkling. How incompetent is the young eunuch who was originally in charge of the Writings Bureau?

"How can there be no shortage, the annual allocation of the household department is a fixed number during the Wude years. And how can the prices of goods in the Wude period be compared with now? He Zhizhang was slightly stunned when asked, and blurted out the words of explanation, "And in the early years, the collection of books was mainly bamboo slips, and many of them were solitary. In the last 20 years, the climate has been humid, and bamboo slips are very susceptible to rot and mold. Every year, it is necessary to copy and sort out the library by library, so as to prevent the classics from being cut off from circulation......"

"Why don't you reprint the lone book into paper and give it to the merchant to sell? In this way, the Bureau of Writings can obtain money, and the solitary book is no longer the only one. Zhang Qian shook his head and interrupted in a low voice.

"Some people have tried, but the cost is too high, and there are few people who buy it." He Zhizhang thought about it, and shook his head: "Copying a book, not counting the loss of paper and ink, will cost at least twenty wen ...... just labor."

"Can't you print it?" Zhang Qian was flustered again, and asked hesitantly, "Engraving printing, someone should know how to do it, right?" ”

He didn't know the level of development of printing in the Tang Dynasty, but judging from the few volumes of poetry he had bought, engraving printing had been widely used among the people. There is no reason, Datang officials don't know anything about this technology.

"That's more expensive!" When it came to his own responsibilities, He Zhizhang didn't think about it, so he quickly gave an answer, "It's okay to print Buddhist scriptures." Letters are plentiful, and they sell quickly. Printing books, especially ancient texts. There aren't many people in the world who can understand it. That is, a famous family, will buy some to pass on to their children and grandchildren. If you copy it by hand, if you're lucky, you can get back to the book. Engraving printing, you will definitely not even be able to recover the wood money! ”

"That's right, senior, I have a solution!" Finally returned to the field he was best at, Zhang Qian suddenly smiled, "Don't worry, seniors, after the New Year, I will go to the Writings Bureau to ensure that it is no longer the Qingshui Yamen!" ”

"Is there a way to use Zhaozhen?" He Zhizhang couldn't believe his ears, grabbed Zhang Qian's sleeve, and got to the bottom of it, "Hurry up and take it out." Don't wait until the end of the year. I, a writer, although I have not been in office for a few days, my beard is about to fall off, just to get money in time. ”

"There is a way, but it's a little troublesome, and you still need seniors, Uncle Zhang, Wang Han, Wang Zhilian, Zhang Xu, Wei Dao, and Mu Nanfeng to cooperate together!" Zhang Qian pondered for a moment, and slowly listed a long list of names that he remembered at the Chrysanthemum Poetry Conference.

He Zhizhang said that he would promote his own people and enrich the Bureau of Writings. But if there is no real credit and reason, he will casually stuff acquaintances into the book bureau, and it will definitely be easy to get caught. However, there is no problem in organizing a group of people to do a big thing for the Bureau of Works. When the big things are done, there will naturally be a reason to keep everyone in the Bureau of Writings to fill various positions.

"Well said, well said. Except for Zhang Shiweng's side, the others, the old man will summon it for you tomorrow! He Zhizhang originally liked to recommend talents, and when he heard Zhang Qian's use, they were all the best of the younger generation, so he immediately didn't have the words to agree. Immediately, he was itchy again, pulled the other party's sleeve, and urged in a low voice again, "What is the solution?" With Zhao, others say that you have the ability to turn stones into gold. ”

Zhang Qian refused to answer, and continued to smile and slowly arranged: "Then bother the seniors, invite them to come to my house for a banquet the day after tomorrow." First, thank you for coming to visit me some time ago when I was recuperating from my injuries. Second, I have something I need to ask you for. If it is done well, it will not only be a book bureau, but it will also be rich in the future. In the future, wherever there is a book in the world, everyone's name and surname will not be left behind! ”