The painting boat on the Luoyang River is still singing tactfully, the sound of the piano is melodious, and the people are still discussing today's gossip in a low voice, and the lively places in the north and south cities have made more topics between buyers and sellers because of gossip, but the price of the transaction has not been affected, and the mutual benefit between merchants is still fair.

In short, except for some more gossip in the whole Luoyang City, there is no other change, everything is no different as usual, and the people who are separated from the court and political affairs by a world are still behind the lamp, and they begin to sit in the courtyard and chat about leisure, or sit on the couch and doze off, chasing mosquitoes.

The night of Luoyang City is in stark contrast between silence and liveliness, and some of the squares far away from the Luoyang River have long been dark, and occasionally there will be a few lights on the road between them.

The square area adjacent to the north and south cities and both sides of the Luoyang River is still a lively and extraordinary picture, the women who sing and dance and the talented people who chant poetry are still tirelessly active, and the bright lanterns shine on the slightly smoked and blurred faces, the relaxed and comfortable atmosphere tells an ordinary Luoyang night.

In contrast to the surrounding paintings, there are still Di Renjie, Li Qiao, Yao Chong, and Wang Xiaojie, each of whom is holding a thick pile of paper in their hands, which is densely filled with the names of more than 500 officials classified by Yao Chong, as well as their political achievements in the places where they are serving, as well as some conflicts or alliances of interests with the local people, families, and wealthy families.

"The first two are the information of some officials related to the Zheng family of Xingyang and the Boling Cui family, from the seventh grade to the fourth grade of officials at all levels, a total of 196 people, 157 people who are officials in various states and counties, 39 people who are officials in Luoyang and Chang'an counties, and the rest are officials or nobles related to other wealthy families, in short, among these more than 500 people, 447 people are recommended by the five surnames and seven wangs as officials, and the remaining 65 people are admitted through the imperial examination, but! These sixty-five people are all descendants of the five surnames and seven hopes, what do you say this means? At the end, Yao Chong took the paper in his hand and couldn't help laughing.

Even Yao Chong, who has always been slow and unhurried, has a relaxed joke, which is enough to think that the four of them are still quite satisfied with the effect of the storm that blew in Luoyang City today.

"What does this mean?" Wang Xiaojie took the lead in asking, as a scholar of the Criminal Department, he was born in the army, if he was given insight into the enemy's intentions to transfer troops on the battlefield, he would have some experience and experience, but if it comes to the power and conspiracy in the officialdom, Wang Xiaojie feels that he seems to know nothing, otherwise he would not have been forced to be appointed as the secretary of the Criminal Department by Li Hong at the beginning, and he would have been left behind and scolded at every court meeting.

Di Renjie stroked his beard, and after reading a few pages in his hand, he looked at Li Qiao and Yao Chong, who were not speaking, and directly ignored Wang Xiaojie's eyes and asked, and said with a smile: "It seems that these five surnames and seven hopes are not as self-proclaimed as they adhere to the nine-rank Zhongzheng system, for their own interests, for the long-term plans and glory of the family in the future, they are shouting and asking His Majesty to return to the nine-rank Zhongzheng system, and at the same time, they secretly order the descendants of their family to enter the official career through the imperial examination, obviously this is a backhand for them. Presumably, among the officials who did not participate in this death-defying direct advice, there are still many people from the noble family headed by the five surnames and Qiwang, right? ”

"What Master Di said is right, after a few days of sleepless reading and checking the information of officials at all levels of the Ministry of Officials, I found that it is indeed as Lord Di said, some officials who hold important positions in the imperial court, their background identity is indeed from the five surnames and seven hopes, but this time they risked death to give direct advice, but none of them participated, and these people are all the pillars of the Tang Dynasty, as well as the pillars of their respective families with high hopes." Yao Chong sighed, shook his head again and again, and sighed.

I have to say that the five surnames and seven wangs are shouting for the imperial court to return to the traditional nine-rank zhongzheng system in the selection of courtiers, and at the same time they are making great efforts to let their descendants and those who are highly expected by the family to participate in the imperial examination, and then this time they risked death and did not pull them in, treating them as family heirlooms.

"Such an intention, isn't it just to give them the noble family headed by the five surnames and Qiwang, leaving an important candidate to maintain the future glory of the family, such actions and behaviors are really contemptible." Li Qiao also shook his head helplessly, as a doctor of imperial history, he himself had heard a little about these things, and now he was made real by the secretary of the ministry, and his heart was full of disdain and contempt for those five surnames and seven hopes.

"Isn't this the sentence that Your Majesty often secretly scolds the five surnames and seven hopes? I want to be a bitch and I want to set up an archway, anyway, the benefits can't be taken advantage of, and the benefits must be given to them by His Majesty. Wang Xiaojie raised the teacup and drank it all, as if making a final summary.

Just when the four of them were sitting in the painting boat and fighting against the five surnames and seven hopes, and making meticulous and careful plans for the release of other noble gossip tomorrow, Li Hong took Hua Meng and Cheetah to walk slowly along the Luoyang River embankment where people came and went.

But before the three of them approached Di Renjie's four-man painting boat from the embankment of the Luoyang River, they were blocked by the guards hiding behind the willow trees on the embankment.

With a serious face and full of martial guards who are not allowed to enter, it is naturally impossible to know His Majesty today, but for the sake of Li Hong's wealth or nobility, as well as the majestic temperament faintly revealed on his body, he still politely invited them to board the painting boat from other river banks.

In the end, after Hua Meng took out a waist card, the guards respectfully sent them from here to the riverbank, and a leader of the city guards who was obviously responsible for protecting Di Renjie's four people immediately ran to Di Renjie and the painting boat where they were after saluting Li Hong respectfully.

There are not many guests on the small painting boat, but there are three cabins on the second floor, which are used for guests to talk and laugh with the women on the Luoyang River, and sing on the piano.

As for the first floor of the painting boat, it is arranged according to the general flower shop, in a small hall, there are still a few empty tables left at the moment, and the rest of the place is occupied by all the guests, either talking and laughing, or watching the woman on the bow of the boat facing the night breeze, her slender jade fingers fluttering on the strings, singing some operas that were later sung from the palace, and then shaking her head and shaking her head, immersed in the music or the sound of the piano, doing something of enjoyment.

As soon as Li Hong ascended to the second floor, he heard the door of a cabin creaking and being opened, and then he saw that in the innermost cabin on the second floor, Di Renjie, under the leadership of the guard, was about to come out of the cabin to greet him.

Sent away the martial guard, Di Renjie and Li Qiao and the others welcomed Li Hong into the room in a panic, and the four of them hurriedly cleaned up the scattered papers on the table of the Eight Immortals, as well as the pot of tea and four cups that they only asked for from this painting boat.

"The minister didn't know that His Majesty was coming, so he couldn't go to ......." Di Renjie and Li Qiao saluted Li Hong and said.

"Alright, there's no need for so much etiquette at this time." Li Hong waved his hand, and then Hua Meng and the cheetah sat down at the door, Wang Xiaojie hurriedly wiped the chair he was sitting on several times, and pulled it away for Li Hong to sit down.

"You four dignified court ministers, won't you ask for such a pot of tea when you come to this painting boat?" Li Hong pulled the teapot in the center of the tabletop, opened the lid and sniffed the tea inside, looked at the four teacups, and asked lightly: "You are such a picky guest, the owner of the painting boat even let you get on the boat?" And for several days on end, I left you with this most secluded cabin. ”

"Although the ministers ask for fewer things, they give more money for tea, so ...... So the owner of the boat didn't say much, but every time we didn't want a girl, we would always provoke a wave of stares and contempt from the old bustard, as if we had come to the boat to disturb her daughter's business. Wang Xiaojie smiled, looked at the smiles on the faces of Li Qiao and the others, and replied immediately.

"Nonsense, the daughter in the hands of the old bustard is to make money by singing with the guests, talking to relieve boredom, but you don't want any of them when you come here, you don't even want to play the piano to set off the atmosphere, if I am the old bustard, when you leave, I will kick you into the Luoyang River one by one, and you will delay her daughters to do business." Li Hong pointed to Hua Meng at the door again, Hua Meng immediately got up, gently opened the hatch and walked out.

After a while, after several people in the room sat down again, Hua Meng walked in with a woman holding a piano, followed by several guys, naturally holding some food boxes in their hands, which were full of various snacks and fruits.

"Just play your piano, and forget your ears and mouth downstairs, and the silver will not be less for you." Hua Meng whispered in the ear of the woman holding the piano, and then held the piano for the woman, walked to the place near the window, which was also the place where the woman of the painting boat played, put the piano down, and told it again with her eyes, before walking to the door and sitting down.

And Li Hong and the others, who were sitting at the table of the Eight Immortals, didn't even look at the woman after the woman came in, Li Hong, who had his back to the woman, looked at the crystal clear grapes, like emeralds, and then picked one off with his index finger and put it in his mouth.

"Don't worry, there are many people who want to harm me, but it will never be someone here who wants to harm me, not to mention that Hua Meng has been with me for so many years, is he a vegetarian?" Li Hong tasted the sweetness of the grapes, looked at the expressions of Di Renjie and the others, and gradually eased his nervous expression into a relaxed expression after he finished speaking.

After Li Hong finished speaking, the sound of the piano also seemed to have received an order, and the sound of Zheng began to echo softly in the room, because there was Hua Meng's advice just now, which saw the quirks of countless guests, so she only played the tune without opening her voice, but plucked the strings with her soft jade fingers, which added a touch of elegance to this room.