I thought that I would go to the northern half of the alley early the next morning to visit Ji Hanlin, but it turned out that the yellow calendar was exactly the twentieth day of the lunar month, and it was just in time for the seals of the yamen.

The children ran to several nearby yamen to see the excitement, chasing and playing while singing: "In the wax moon, the whole year." After the seal, the official business is over".

Han Xiufeng has been idle in the yamen gang for so many years, and knows that the "seal" and the "opening of the seal" in the coming year are not trivial matters, and each yamen must hold a grand ceremony, the yamen must put up lanterns inside and out, the officials and lords must change into official uniforms and salute, and after the seal is sealed, firecrackers will be set off, and even a big feast will be held.

Qian Junchen didn't eat breakfast and was in a hurry to go to the Ministry of Rites, and he knew that Master Ji had to go to the Hanlin Academy early.

I can't see Master Ji when I go to the northern half of the alley, it's better to bake the fire in the house on such a cold day, Pan Er put down the freshly dried shoes, and asked curiously: "Fourth brother, the yamen is sealed today, when will the seal be opened?" ”

Han Xiufeng looked at the book that Second Master Fei was pulling in the hall, and said absentmindedly: "It will be sealed for a month, and it will not be printed until the twentieth day of the first month." ”

"Isn't it every year that it's time to seal?"

"This is not true, when the seal is sealed, when the seal is opened, the Qin Tianjian who is in charge of the celestial phenomena must choose an auspicious day, and after the emperor is played, he will issue all official offices to obey it. However, the time is not much different, and the seals are one of the three days of the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first days of the lunar month every year. The opening of the seal is one of the three days of the 19th, 20th, and 21st day of the first month of the coming year. ”

Pan Er asked in surprise: "The old man doesn't have to be promoted to the hall for a whole month, what don't you have to do?" ”

Han Xiufeng put down the book and said with a smile: "Yes, otherwise it can be called a seal." ”

"What if something happens?"

"I'll wait until next year when the printing opens."

"What if you die, if you die?" Pan Er asked.

Han Xiufeng couldn't help but think of the days in Ba County, and couldn't help laughing: "There is no way to kill someone, there was a murder case in our Ba County during the Chinese New Year before, and the bitter lord sued the county government and begged the eldest lord to open the coffin for an autopsy, but the official seal of the eldest lord was sealed, so he had to wait for more than ten days, and then let Zhuzi and his father go to the autopsy when the seal was opened." ”

"But this is the capital, not Ba County. If there are 100,000 urgent major events, such as the military situation of bandits and bandits in Guangxi, will it be difficult for the imperial court to wait until the next year to open the seal? ”

"This is not true, each yamen will leave some blank official documents with a big seal before sealing, and fill in the 100,000 urgent matters. The reason why the murder I just mentioned dragged on for more than ten days before the autopsy was because the county magistrate who had just taken office was not very good at being an official, and the few masters who helped him make up his mind saw that they were going to take leave and return to their hometowns for the Chinese New Year. Han Xiufeng paused, and then said: "However, most of the yamen are not doing anything during the sealing period, let alone what can happen during the New Year." ”

"It's good to be an official, you don't have to do anything for a whole month, and you still receive it." Pan Er sighed.

Han Xiufeng nodded, pointed to the book on the table and said: "It is said that everything is inferior, only reading is high, what is the purpose of studying, in the final analysis, it is still to be an official." ”

"It's good to be an official, but you can't be an official like Master Ji and Master Qian."

"You can't talk nonsense, you can't compare Master Ji with Qian Junchen."

"What's the difference," mentioning this, Pan Er asked again: "Fourth brother, there is something I have never been able to understand, Master Ji is just from the seventh grade, this official not only has no oil and water, but also has no money Junchen's official size." When it came to Master Ji, Qian Junchen didn't dare to say anything. ”

Han Xiufeng said with a smile: "Of course it's different, Qian Junchen was born as a Jinshi, and Master Ji was not only born as a Jinshi, but also selected a scholar from the Hanlin Academy, and when the museum was disbanded, he was left in the Hanlin Academy for review, and he was a serious Hanlin master." ”

"Fourth brother, I know that Master Hanlin is noble, but he doesn't have any oil and water!"

"You know what, no oil and water doesn't mean no future! You don't want to think about what kind of place the Hanlin Academy is, it's the place of 'Minister'. Regardless of the previous dynasty or the national dynasty, non-Hanlin is not allowed to enter the cabinet, which means that if you want to be a scholar, you must be a Hanlin. Han Xiufeng took a sip of tea, and then said: "If Master Ji can stay in the hall in the big exam every three years, then he can be promoted in the Hanlin Academy, and the future is bright." ”

Pan Er asked curiously: "Fourth brother, how many years has Master Qian been doing this review?" ”

"I've heard from the second master for two years."

"There will be a big exam in another year, if he can stay in the museum, he will be promoted, and what will he be promoted?"

"If you can stay in the museum, you can move and repair, and then you can read or lecture on the six grades, and then you will be able to study and lecture from the five grades, and then the bachelors who will do the five grades will also have other errands, walk in the south study, walk in the study room, and even walk in the military aircraft, and some can talk about living and paying attention to officials every day. Anyway, if you do that job, you are a close minister of the Son of Heaven, and you can often see the emperor, and you can often deal with important ministers in the court, and relatives of the emperor, do you think there is a future? ”

Only then did Pan Er know why Qian Junchen, Fei Erye and others were looking at Master Ji first, and he was stunned for a while.

Han Xiufeng smiled and continued: "However, there is a shortage of officials in the Hanlin Academy, and there are many Hanlin who only know how to study but do not understand the sophistication of human affairs, and they can't be promoted to officials, so they spend their lives in the Hanlin Academy. But as long as you are shrewd, you will not be poor for a lifetime, and you can go to the provinces to do one or even several township examinations, or go to the provinces to be a school administrator. These are all fat shortages, even if they only serve one term, there are thousands or even tens of thousands of taels of silver. If it is as promising as being released, the Jinshi will be a 'tiger class' that will be filled when it is vacant, and it is impossible for Hanlin to be released without a shortage. They are not only officials but also a kind of experience, if they have been prefects and prefects, their future careers will be smoother. ”

"I really don't know Taishan, it turns out that Master Ji is so powerful!"

"I just knew." Han Xiufeng patted him on the arm and got down to business: "Brother Pan, you watch the house at night, and let the big head go to the northern half of the alley with me." The big head has a lot of strength, so he can pick up more things and send half of the New Year's goods they gave to Master Ji yesterday. ”

"Okay, it should be delivered."

"Also, you go to the car dealer later, and tell the car dealer that we are going to use the car on the twenty-eighth day of the lunar month. Don't be reluctant to pay for it, hire a better car, hire three. ”

"Hire three cars and pick up Master Ji, Master Wang and Master Jiang on the twenty-eighth day of the lunar month?"

"The road in the capital is not easy to walk, so of course you have to pick up and drop off when you invite people to come to the group worship."

"I have to pick up and drop off, and I have to talk to the car dealer early. Otherwise, when the family closes their doors and goes home for the New Year on the 28th of the lunar month, they can't hire a car if they want to. ”

Han Xiufeng nodded, and then said: "It's a big New Year, there are so many people, I plan to invite their families together." In two days, I have to vacate the east wing, clean up well, and set up a table for the female dependents. ”

"Fourth brother, it's easy to set up a banquet, but whoever serves the ladies when they come, I and Datou will definitely not be able to."

"I've thought about this for a long time, there are two daughters in the shopkeeper's house, so I turned around and said to the shopkeeper and asked his daughters to help. There is no shame in the waiter's wife, he will not miss such a good opportunity, and he will definitely agree. ”