When they broke up, Shen Mo asked Gao Gong to take a basket of flowers back, and Lao Gao smiled and said: "We don't want it, we can't eat or drink, it's strange to occupy space there." ”

"*** can be pleasurable." smiled silently: "It will also add fun to you and your old sister-in-law." ”

"Dare to arrange me!" Gao Gong laughed and scolded, but still took a pot of red pomegranates, and after this afternoon, the relationship between the two seemed to be closer.

Shen Mo also went home, Ruohan was a little unhappy, but when she saw her husband coming back with a large bouquet of flowers, she suddenly lost her anger and no longer investigated why he left the child and went to play alone.

Watching his wife happily fiddling with those ***, he said silently that he was fortunate to be chatting with the flower seller today, and if he had been selling thirteen incense all afternoon, he wouldn't be able to explain it when he came back.

The second day is the sixth day of the new year, and on this day every year, it is Xu Jie's protégés, and on the day of the gathering at the master's house, Shen Mo has never been absent as long as he is in Beijing. But every year on this occasion, it is a tune of singing praises and competing for sycophants, and now as a minister, if you go to follow the crowd, it will inevitably make people look down on you; But if you are a maverick and stingy with rhetoric, you will be considered to be rampant, which is really embarrassing. But if you don't go, you will inevitably be boycotted by a group of Xu Party members, and you will also give Xu Jie the truth to deal with himself.

In any case, I still have to go this way, after all, the names of teachers and students are there, and a little superficial talk can't hurt me.

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The next day, Shen Mo did not leave early, but only went out after the hour, and when he arrived in front of Xu Jie's house, he saw that the alley was full of all kinds of cars...... As soon as he got off the sedan chair, he saw that Li Chunfang and Zhang Juzheng were almost on their feet. The higher the rank, the later it arrives, although this kind of bad officialdom is ridiculous, but everyone consciously abides by it.

As soon as the three university scholars got out of the sedan chair, a doorman hurriedly informed Xu Fan in the doorman's room, saying, "The three Zhongtang have arrived at the door, and the uncle hurry up to greet them!" Xu Fan greeted the guests on behalf of his father, but he was also a third-grade official, how could ordinary guests work for him, they were all directly led in by the door. He drank tea in the concierge to keep warm, and only important guests would go out to greet them.

Hearing that the main master was finally here, Xu Fan was so happy that he jumped up, and as soon as he pushed the door out, he saw that the three of them were already standing at the gate, and hurriedly smiled and said: "The three middle halls have arrived, please go up to the room and sit down, you guys will have a good banquet here!" At this time, the officials in the house also heard it and came out to welcome it.

Today's weather is fine, and at noon the head can't wear a big coat, so it is a simple walk to get off the sedan chair with three people. I saw Zhang Juzheng wearing a very well-fitting wide-sleeved Yuanqing silk straight jacket, the clothing was thin and soft and very falling, at first glance, it was a high-quality silk product, and a very precious dark green jade belt with rice grits was tied around his waist, and he was hung with dark green Hetian jade pendant. But with his majestic expression and deep eyes, he looks like a great person. But he doesn't like to talk much, except for a few words with the same year, the rest of the people say hello, and they just nod.

In comparison, Shen Mo's dress is much simpler, just a moon-white robe, without any decoration, but he is better than the elegance, warm as jade, words and deeds are as warm as a spring breeze, while laughing and talking to Xu Fan, while greeting the officials around him, everyone feels that he has taken special care of himself, and the feeling of being valued rises in his heart.

If Zhang Juzheng is as dazzling as a diamond, people dare not force them to look up, they can only look up; Silence is like Wen Yu, never dazzling, but no one can take away his divine light, making people willing to be close to him and willing to treat him as their own.

"I haven't given the teacher a New Year's greeting, how can I have the face to sit at the table?" Compared with the two proud sons of the sky, Li Chunfang, who is like an old pedant, is a little inconspicuous. But among the three, he was still the main one, and said to Xu Fan: "Quickly lead us to the teacher." ”

Xu Fan hurriedly led the three of them to the back hall. As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xu Jie wearing a dark blue five-bat shirt holding a longevity pattern, sitting in the hall with a smile, and the three of them hurriedly bowed down and said, "The student has given the teacher a New Year's greeting." And he kowtowed on the futon.

"Hurry up, it's all in the middle hall, and it will be exempt in the future......" Xu Jie got up with a smile, signaled to accept only half of them, and said: "They are all in a hurry, let's sit down quickly." So the three of them hugged Xu Jie, and came to the main hall.

All the students in the hall hurriedly got up to greet each other, and when they saw that the main owner had arrived, Xu Fan slapped his hand and called the housekeeper and said, "Open the table!" ”

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Although many officials in the court and the central government saluted Xu Jie's disciples, Xu Jie's official disciples were only Ding Weike in the 26th year of Jiajing and Bingchen Branch in the 35th year of Jiajing, and he served as the chief examiner of these two subjects. But I don't know if he is talented in education, or he is lucky, but these two subjects are full of talents, and one subject can top several subjects of others.

For example, Ding Weike's has cabinet scholars Li Chunfang and Zhang Juzheng; Yin Shizhan, the left attendant of the Ministry of Officials; Li Youzi, the right waiter of the Ministry of Works; Dali Temple Qing Yang Yushu; Yudu Yushi Lingyunyi, Di Sibin, Cao He, Huang Yuanbai; The famous Yang Jisheng, the leader of the literary world Wang Shizhen, the governor of Shaanxi Yang Wei, the governor of Jiangxi Yin Zhengmao and so on...... Although the rest of the people are slightly inferior, most of them are at the level of Langzhong and the prefect. It can be said that it is necessary to have literature, martial arts, fame, power and power, and has been hidden as the backbone of the Xu Party.

Bingchen's is not bad, there are cabinet scholars silent; the left and right deputy capitals of the Imperial Procuratorate, Lin Run and Zou Yinglong; Guozi priest wine Xu Wei; Zhan Shifu Shao Zhan Shi Zhu Da Shou; Sun Yan, governor of Shandong; Jiangxi Inspector Tao Dalin; Fujian Deputy Envoy Sun Ling; Great Confucian Geng orientation and so on...... The rest of the slightly inferior ones are mostly in the fifth or sixth grade. Although overall, it is generally not as high as the former, but when you take into account the time factor, the progress is faster.

The people who came to the mansion today are sixty or seventy people who are officials in Beijing, and the Xu Mansion is not big, and only five tables can be placed in the main hall, and the remaining four tables can only be placed in the left and right ear rooms. The seats are arranged every year, and when the people in the house welcome the guests, they will inform the table number, so as to save the mother-in-law and mother-in-law from pushing each other. But there are changes every year, some people move forward, some people go back, which will not only consider the factors of the existing status, but also reflect the changes in the position of the protégés in the hearts of the masters, so the latter are all worried and timid, and can only double the flattery of the master, and strive to get it back in the next year. The people who advance in the seat are all happy, and they are even more grateful to the teacher, so they naturally have to redouble their performance and strive to go further.

With a simple seating table, the students were controlled between applause, and Xu Jie's hand was perfect, but it was inevitable that there was some false authority and Wei Fu was self-dedicated, which was contrary to the 'three returns' he advocated.

However, in officialdom, it has always been said that one thing is done another, and if you are serious, you will lose......

The seating arrangement this time is also really interesting. There were eight people at the main table, in addition to Xu Jie and the three ministers, there were also Yin Shizhan, Wang Shizhen, Li Youzi, and Xu Wei...... Originally, if Lin Run and Zou Yinglong came, at least Li Youzi would not be able to go to the main table, but Jingcha was imminent, and as the chief inspector officials, the two naturally wanted to avoid suspicion, so they came to pay their respects to the New Year a day in advance, so they did not participate in today's party.

In this way, there are two Bingchen families on the table, but there are five Ding Weikes, and Wang Shizhen and Xu Weineng are here, which just symbolizes Xu Jie's respect for the literary world, and has nothing to do with ***. So a one-to-four situation was formed - one for silence, four for Ding Weike.

The main table is the embodiment of the overall situation of the main hall, and Ding Weike is four times that of Bingchenke. In the auricles on both sides, it is naturally all the Bingchen family. It is said that this is understandable, because after all, there is a difference of nine years between the two, and Ding Weike's predecessors are all seniors. But Shen Mo clearly remembered that when he participated last time three years ago, Zhu Dashou could still be at the main table, and Bingchenke in the main hall was still one-third of Ding Weike; Why is it that after three years, the gap between the two subjects has become smaller and smaller, but the seats are generally behind?

This is by no means accidental, but a strong *** hint, and the silent gaze looked at Zhang Juzheng opposite. Sensing that he was looking at himself, Zhang Juzheng picked up his wine glass and saluted Shen Mo. He smiled silently and had a glass with him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a simple toast, Xu Jie let the students feel free. Everyone is in the same door, the atmosphere is more relaxed than ordinary officialdom gatherings, and although they are officials in the same capital, many people rarely meet several times a year. So the staggering of the plan, some shouted five and drank six, some exchanged ears, some laughed and joked, and some toasted, and gradually became lively.

After eating the students' toasts, Xu Jie's face was already full of red, he usually doesn't drink, but every year today he makes an exception, because he is happy! Looking at the tall feet full of people, how can I not give birth to the pleasure of 'the world's talents are in my hands', and at this moment I have endless pride in my heart, how not to borrow wine to lyrical.

However, he found that the main table may be because he is sitting, and he is probably a high authority, far less lively than the atmosphere at other tables, so he wanted to liven up the atmosphere, and happened to hear that there were students on the table next to him, saying that in recent years, it is no wonder that the craftsmanship has become more and more problematic. He smiled and said to everyone: "Speaking of which, this year is another big competition, and all the living beings are indispensable and torture, and the old man remembers a question a few years ago, which is very interesting." After a pause, he said: "Everyone here is either the champion or Hanlin, it is better to consult the details together and see how to solve the problem." ”

Everyone gladly complied.

"The topic is very simple, just four words 'Inoue Li'," Xu Jie said with a smile: "It's not difficult, but it's not easy to make new ideas." This is a sentence from "Mencius-Teng Wen Gongxia", not from the compulsory bibliography of the imperial examination.

Everyone was thinking about how to come up with a new one, so they heard Xu Wei laugh and said, "It's not difficult to come up with a new one." ”

"Oh, let's listen to the wonderful text of the editor." Xu Jie said happily.

"It's so broken—there is a plum on the well, like a peach instead of a peach, and it has a layer of hair missing; It looks like an apricot but not an apricot, and it has an extra ...... on it," Xu Wei shook his head and said. Before he finished speaking, he had already burst into laughter. Several people squirted out a mouthful of wine, and the placket was wet. I heard Xu Wei shake his head and continue: "...... The east wind blows and shakes, the west wind blows and moves, falling under the well railing, and looking at it, Li Yan ...... "As soon as the problem was solved, the people in the hall laughed."

"No wonder people say that Xu Wei is frivolous and profligate!" Wang Shizhen didn't smile, and said coldly, "The words of the sage, how can you arrange them at will?" "Why is everyone else laughing, but Wang Shizhen is the only one who wants to be disappointed? Speaking of which, it also involves a public case in the literary world. Why is Wang Shizhen known as the leader of the literary world, because he is not a person, but the head of the literary sect 'Jiajing Seven Sons Society'...... Everyone in this faction is a master of the literary world, and they are very famous, and they have the right to speak in the cultural circles.

However, its predecessor was only a few young officials of the Criminal Department, and the 'Poetry Society of the Criminal Department' was formed, with only a few people Li Panlong and Wang Shizhen, and it was not a climate for several years, and Wang and Li were very distressed about this. In the autumn of one year, the world-renowned poet Xie Zhen came to *** to avenge his friend Lu Nan, the famous poet...... Lu Nan offended the magistrate because of his poor etiquette, and was thrown into prison, and was planned to be punished with a big punishment. After Xie Zhen heard about Lu Nan's tragic situation, he took Lu Nan's writings to *** to ask for a meeting with dignitaries, and under Xie Zhen's true feelings, the "Criminal Department Poetry Society" also helped him run for Lu Nan and defend himself, and after some efforts, Lu Nan was finally released without charge.

Xie Zhen's move greatly increased his popularity, and people regarded him as Lu Zhonglian who shot books to save Liaocheng during the Warring States Period. Not only did the scholars compete to get to know Xie Zhen, but even the young people in the north also vied to tell him about his deeds. In order to use Xie Zhen's fame to develop the poetry club, Wang and Li invited the great poet to join the society, and Xie Zhen agreed because he owed them favors. As a result, in the following years, the Poetry Society of the Criminal Department grew rapidly, and soon, it was renamed the "Later Seven Sons Society", and the ambition to take over the banner of Li Mengyang and other "Former Seven Sons" was clearly revealed.

But when the Seven Sons Society developed, Wang Shizhen had a conflict with Xie Zhen, and finally removed him from the 'Seven Sons Society'. Wang Shizhen even openly commented that Xie's poems were 'ugly, vulgar, childish and dull, and couldn't understand a word', but he preferred to 'praise himself', and scolded him for 'why not take a self-portrait of himself', which is the scolding words in the proverb: why not soak your urine and take a look at your own face.

In Xie Zhen's view, the reason why the two sides are at loggerheads is because he once made frank criticisms of Zhuzi's poems, but Zhuzi refused to accept it and couldn't accept it. But in fact, this is mainly because Li Panlong and Wang Shizhen are gradually revealing their heads, their prestige is increasing, and several of them are from Jinshi, how can they tolerate Xie Zhen, who is clothy, becoming the leader of the poetry society?

This incident caused dissatisfaction among many people, the most fierce of which was another big name in the literary world, Xu Wei, who was deeply upset by Xie Zhen, and because of this, he despised Wang Shizhen and others, and then completely denied their literary achievements. Because Xu Wei's fame is too big and the article is too sharp, the reputation of Wang Shizhen and others is of course damaged. So this time the enemy was very red-eyed, and of course Wang Shizhen would not be angry with Xu Wei.

"Thin?" Seeing Wang Shizhen jump out, Xu Wei smiled coldly and said, "Composition is expensive, true and witty." I don't know what is wrong in solving the question? ”

Wang Shizhen pondered for a long time, but couldn't find fault with it, so she had to say with a calm face: "This kind of composition is too slight, I have a couplet, please be right." How could Xu Wei be afraid of him, and said with a smile: "Lead." ”

"Speaking of which, this Shanglian is an occasional thing, a few years ago, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Water and Officials went to the water, and fifty percent of the Terracotta Division sent personnel to participate in the reconstruction." Wang Shizhen said: "There is such a Shanglian 'water fire, holding Jinwu to build a large number of buildings', no one can come up, the literary chief is talented, it will be difficult for you." "This pair of five elements is complete, it is a rare absolute, all of you are masters here, you can't help but be full of interest, even Li Chunfang, Shen Mo, Zhang Juzheng a few, also frowned and thought about it, and said that this Shanglian is really difficult to be a person.

"It's not difficult," who knew that Xu Wei would have it soon, and smiled at Wang Shizhen: "The northerners are in the south, and the ruler is something." "Yes, it's really ingenious, everyone laughed again, but Wang Shizhen's face darkened, because his current official position is the middle of Shuntian Mansion......

"I'm reminded of another joke." Xu Wei got up and said to Xu Jie, who was smiling: "Master, there is a joke, do you want to listen to it?" ”

Although Xu Jie felt that Xu Wei was too wild, he felt that it was interesting to eat and drink today, and he smiled unevenly and said: "Don't scold people anymore!" ”

"Don't scold, don't scold." Xu Wei said: "Say that there are counterfeit things now, a few days ago I sent the family to buy a few thrushes, but a few days after I bought it, the bird actually lost color, take a closer look, it turned out that the bird dealer painted the house finch with paint fake." Under questioning, it turned out that it was my little guy who was greedy and cheap, so he was fooled. I scolded him, but he said, 'It doesn't matter if he's real or fake, it's all birds, it's the same ...... anyway.'

Hearing this, Wang Shizhen was already trembling with anger, and everyone present was still a little unclear, and asked what was wrong, and someone who understood whispered: "Wang Shizhen's younger brother is called Shimao......" "Oh...... Ah......" Everyone couldn't help laughing and sucking their intestines, but because of Wang Shizhen's face, they didn't laugh out loud, and the strange appearance of holding back laughter made Wang Shizhen even more stimulated, and said: "I know that you Xu Wenchang is used to these tricky and eccentric, but I am a scholar, and I read the articles of the saints, and I speak in a subtle way!" But it's not because of these tricky and weird things that make a name for yourself! The day after tomorrow, Lingji Palace will give a lecture, do you dare to argue with me on stage! It's up to you to win with gags! ”

"Why don't you dare?" Xu Wei sneered.