Chapter 56. Secret History of the Court.

Bao Jiehua, the word Liqun, a person from Huiji County, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, has been known as a prodigy since he was a child, and he is even more personable and handsome when he becomes an adult, and he is better than a woman, which is quite eye-catching. [Reading Network] is quite talented, and his erudition and strong memory, calligraphy, painting and singing are famous, even in the literary circle of the Chu Dynasty.

Three years ago, when he was only 17 years old, he had already obtained the Jinshi meritorious name, ranking 17th in the second class, and also caused a small sensation in the capital.

After the imperial examination, the officials valued his talent, and he also deliberately cultivated it, and let him be the master of Shangyuan City, and the official residence was from the eighth grade.

After Bao Jiehua arrived, he also made a lot of achievements during his tenure, with keen thinking, capable work, humility, and good at figuring out the thoughts of Shangguan.

Since Xiao Mo came to Shangyuan City to resist the barbarians, although this Bao Jiehua was in the rear and did not participate in the war, he also made a lot of contributions in collecting money, food, utensils, and people's power, pacifying the people's hearts and stabilizing order, etc., and helped Shangyuan City to guard Liu Xing a lot.

In fact, among the merit excerpts that Xiao Mo presented to Emperor Chu Ling this time, the name of "Bao Jiehua" is also ranked 21st among civil officials, and with his merits, the day of promotion is just around the corner, considering his age, it is not an exaggeration to say that his future is limitless.

It can be said that if it weren't for the fact that Xiao Mo and Zhang Yansheng have been too famous and too dazzling over the years, talents like Bao Jiehua have long been noticed by major forces.

It's a pity that no one is perfect, and although such a talented person is talented, there are also criticisms, and there are quite a few.

The most eye-catching thing is that although he has done a lot of practical things during his time as an official, his hands and feet have always been unclean, and he has done a lot of things over the years. The officialdom and people of Shangyuan City also have many rumors about this.

Although no one can grasp the empirical evidence, this Bao Jiehua likes to enjoy his temperament and has a luxurious style, and his ancestral property and the little money he has as an official are absolutely not enough.

Of course, for officials, this is not a big deal, as the so-called thousands of miles for officials are only for money, for officials to collect some kickbacks, embezzle money and food, in order to subsidize their own private needs, that is, officialdom practice, no wonder, as long as it is not too blatant or the amount is too large, everyone will turn a blind eye, after all, it is a good thing for you, I am good, everyone is good, unless it is a loss of power and the wall is pushed by everyone, otherwise no one will be embarrassed by this matter.

But this Bao Jiehua's mistake is that his talent is too outstanding in Shangyuan City, and he is too tactful in dealing with people.

It is precisely because of his outstanding talents that he is far superior to his peers, so no matter how tactful he is, he will inevitably be jealous of the villain.

It is precisely because he is quite tactful in dealing with people, so although he is left and right in the officialdom, so that every official has a good impression of him, but he will never easily take refuge in anyone, so although he is like a fish in water on weekdays, once he encounters something, everyone is busy taking care of himself, and a lonely person like him does not love grandpa and grandma does not love him.

Otherwise, with this Bao Hongjie's talent, how could he stay in the position of the master of Shangyuan City for three years without moving? There is nothing else, it is nothing more than that when the officials evaluated over the years, this Bao Hongjie, who was likable to everyone, was squeezed out by all the forces in Shangyuan City.

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In the room, San'er had already retreated, leaving only Prince Tahara, sitting in front of the window, reflecting the bright moon, silently thinking about everything San'er had reported just now.

Judging from the information reported by San'er, this Bao Jiehua can also be regarded as a rare talent, and it is a good thing to be included in the door, but with the respect of Prince Tianyuan, such a trivial matter does not need him to think about it at all, no matter how rare Bao Jiehua is, now he is just a sesame official from the eighth grade, if he wants to recruit subordinates, he can find a cronie to say hello, and he is already nine out of ten.

It's just that this handsome and woman-like Bao Jiehua is too much like a person. Tian Yuan couldn't help but recall the figure that seemed to be a fairy.

……

"Silver Princess...... Silver Princess......"

The past is unbearable, flowing quietly, always making the mood low, sensitive but still unconscious.

Concubine Yin, as the name suggests, she is the concubine of Emperor Chu Ling.

is also Tahara's first love.

At that time, Tian Yuan was a high-spirited crown prince, and she was a concubine who had only entered the palace and had been forgotten by Emperor Chu Ling.

One is a teenager who doesn't know the taste of sorrow, and the other is a girl who feels sorry for herself.

From the very beginning, the identities of the two people were doomed.

But the world is so happy to play with the world, even as a prince.

A chance encounter, Tian Yuan, who didn't know what it was, was deeply attracted by the silver concubine, and that kind of temperament that I saw with pity was something that Tian Yuan had never seen.

One is intentionally close, the other is lonely and lonely, and under the intersection, both of them have left each other's shadows in their hearts.

During that time, Tian Yuan began to visit his father and queen mother in the name of frequent visits to the palace, taking the opportunity to meet with the silver concubine, although he stopped at the ceremony and kept the festival, but he only secretly said a few words and secretly met his eyes, but it had already made the two of them inexplicably happy in their hearts, and the shadow of each other in their hearts could no longer linger.

But from the very beginning, it was a forbidden relationship, which was not tolerated by the world.

It's a pity that the first love is unforgettable, and the forbidden feelings are even more unforgettable, like a poppy-like temptation, which makes people unable to extricate themselves.

At that time, although Tian Yuan was already the crown prince, he was still young, and he had no scheming or power, but he rashly had a private meeting with Concubine Yin, thinking that he was unaware, but what he did, how could he hide it from Emperor Chu Ling?

Soon after, Emperor Chu Ling summoned Tian Yuan, saying that Concubine Yin was unladylike, befriending foreign ministers, interfering in government affairs, violating the legal system of the ancestors, and had given Bai Aya to kill herself.

Tian Yuan could never forget the look in Emperor Chu Ling's eyes when he looked at him at that time, which was full of warning.

Although it was not explicitly stated, the seventeen volumes of "Spring and Autumn Dew" (Note 1) given to Tian Yuan by Emperor Chu Ling already showed his attitude and meaning.

(Note 1: "Spring and Autumn Dew", written by Dong Zhongshu, in which the "Three Principles and Five Constants" system proposed by Confucius is improved.) Although it is rarely mentioned today, it was a must-read in ancient times. ）

Even now in retrospect, Tian Yuan was also in a cold sweat, fortunately at that time, his temperament was simple, and his feelings were pure, although he had a heart for each other, but he never carried out the affairs of men and women, otherwise it would not have been a simple suicide for the silver concubine at that time. I'm afraid that my position as the crown prince will also be lost.

Today, twenty years have passed in a flash, Tian Yuan is nearly forty years old, since he was allowed by Emperor Chu Ling to open a government at the age of thirty-three, Tian Yuan gradually has power, government affairs, and a wife and concubine, but there are always some times, the figure of the silver concubine will unexpectedly break into Tian Yuan's thoughts, and then another night of sleeplessness,

Purity, taboo, guilt.

Maybe Emperor Chu Ling had already forgotten the concubine who was given death by himself, but Tian Yuan knew that he would not be able to forget it in his life.

It was precisely because of this that he cared so much about that Bao Jiehua.

Although this Bao Jiehua is a man, between his eyebrows, he really looks like a silver concubine.

Thinking about the silver concubine was given to die twenty years ago, and this Bao Jiehua is now exactly twenty years old......

Could it be that the theory of reincarnation is true?

"It's just, Concubine Yin, why did you reincarnate as a man?"

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Just when Prince Tian Yuan was thinking about Bao Jiehua, Bao Jiehua was also in front of the prince's temporary mansion, lingering and hesitating.

He didn't know why Tahara Gui was the crown prince and why he was so out of shape when he saw him today, but he could detect that the prince looked at him with no malice.

For Bao Jiehua, no matter what the reason was, he finally left an impression in the heart of His Royal Highness the Prince.

So he came to the Prince's Mansion to further deepen this impression.

Yes, Bao Jiehua wants to take refuge under the Prince's Sect.

When Bao Jiehua was an official in Shangyuan City, he was both left and right and neutral, not because he didn't want to take refuge in a certain Shangguan, but because this Bao Jiehua was quite ambitious, and he knew very well that he was in the officialdom, once he took refuge in a certain faction, it would be difficult to break away from the relationship, and the success or failure of your faction would determine your success or failure.

Of course, once you take refuge in a certain force, the benefits are also great, at least there is more help when you encounter problems, and there are many shortcuts when you go up and down.

Therefore, it is not that Bao Jiehua does not want to join the officialdom faction, but he only wants to join the most powerful or promising faction.

Although the civil and military officials of Shangyuan City had many backers in the capital, and even many of them were from the disciples of powerful ministers like Zhang Qian and Wang Han -- of course, after the news of the barbarian invasion came, most of them found reasons to run away -- but most of these people's talents and minds made Bao Jiehua look down on them, and there were several layers of them separated from the powerful ministers of Zhang Qian and Wang Han who he really wanted to take refuge in.

Therefore, to this day, Bao Jiehua is still gangless and lonely.

A few years ago, the barbarians invaded, and Bao Jiehua, like other officials, wanted to find a reason to escape from his duties and avoid this war-torn place, but unfortunately there was no backer backstage, and he couldn't open the approval slip, so he could only continue to stay in Shangyuan City in fright, but he had already made up his mind in his heart that once the barbarians approached Shangyuan City, he would immediately say goodbye, hang up his crown, and escape from this place of life and death.

Compared with life, the rest is not taken care of.

Then, Xiao Mo came to Shangyuan City and rectified everything, but Bao Jiehua couldn't escape if he wanted to, so he could only accept his fate, and handle all kinds of affairs in the city for Xiao Mo with his heart, so that Xiao Mo could fight the barbarians without worries, so that he had a better chance of survival.

During that time, Liu Xingzhi was completely panicked in the face of the approach of the barbarians, and most of his duties were actually performed by Bao Jiehua.

When the war is over, Bao Jiehua knows that Xiao Mo has an unlimited future, and it is inevitable to go straight to the center and call him the prime minister in the future, which is his ideal backer, and he has the heart to take refuge, but his status is low, and there is no way out, at that time, Xiao Mo has countless affairs to deal with, how can he have the strength to see him?

As a result, Bao Jiehua tried everything to see Xiao Mo but failed, but let Liu Xingzhi, who was busy flattering Xiao Mo, know that he thought that Bao Jiehua wanted to share his own merits, and he was very displeased, and then he didn't mention it.

In fact, with Bao Jiehua's hard work in the battle of Shangyuan City, in Xiao Mo's meritorious service, he can definitely be ranked among the top five among civil officials.

Unfortunately, Bao Jiehua's usual neutrality and impartiality appeared again, and when the merit was rewarded after the war, although his name was the last meritorious excerpt, it was only ranked twenty-first.

Obviously, his credit was secretly stolen by Liu Xingzhi.

In fact, Xiao Mo was busy with war and negotiations at that time, and he had no time to take care of the rear, and he didn't know about Bao Jiehua's existence from beginning to end.

And most of the names in the merit excerpt were obtained from discussions and compromises with Zhang Yansheng and the Eight Sages King, among which the officials recommended by Xiao Mo, because Xiao Mo himself had no foundation, and most of them were recommended by Liu Xingzhi.

Bao Jiehua is not a person under Liu Xingzhi, and if he offends Liu Xingzhi unconsciously, he will naturally be excluded, and it is luck to be among them.

Today, Xiao Mo has returned to Beijing, and it is hopeless to take refuge directly, and after Bao Jiehua learned that his credit was stolen, he was angry and helpless, but he became more and more uneasy.

But because he found that after Xiao Mo left, the original factions in Shangyuan City began to slowly integrate under the deliberate actions of Liu Xingzhi and other senior officials.

Bao Jiehua knew that after the war, the civil and military officials of the entire Shangyuan City were now Xiao Mo's people, and the original factions were fighting each other, and they were no longer needed, and integration into one was also the proper meaning of the question.

But what made Bao Jiehua panic was that this integration operation had nothing to do with him.

In other words, although he didn't add factions in the past, he could still be left and right, but now when the entire Shangyuan City is from Xiao Momen, if he doesn't join, he will be incompatible with the entire Shangyuan City, and he deserves to be excluded.

It's a pity that I offended Liu Xingzhi unconsciously, and it was difficult to join again.

And just when Liu Xingzhi was helpless and panicked, Prince Tian Yuan appeared.

To Bao Jiehua's surprise, the prince actually cared a lot about him.

Bao Jiehua felt that his opportunity had come, and a brighter prospect than taking refuge in Xiao Mo appeared in front of him, and it was up to him to see if he could grasp it.

Therefore, Bao Jiehua appeared in front of the prince's temporary residence at this time, wanting to meet the prince in order to take refuge.

It's a pity that Bao Jiehua is still just a mere eighth-grade official, so where can he meet the prince at will?

Before he even passed the gatehouse, Bao Jiehua was kicked out. And the crown prince is quite strict, although Bao Jiehua wants to make the silver accommodate the doorman, the doorman not only does not dare to accept it at all, but is more and more unkind to Bao Jiehua.

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"Hey~ Is my Bao Jiehua's official fortune really so bad?"

After lingering in front of the Prince's temporary mansion for a long time, Bao Jiehua sighed, a little disheartened, and muttered to himself.

Seeing that the guards of the Prince's Mansion looked at him more and more unkindly, Bao Jiehua knew that he had been here for too long. If it continues, I'm afraid there will be no good results.

Shaking his head helplessly, Bao Jiehua was ready to leave.

However, at this moment, in front of the Prince's temporary residence, a slight commotion suddenly sounded.

Bao Jiehua turned his head to look, but a guard of the Prince's Mansion appeared in front of the door, although he was young, but the other guards of the Prince's Mansion respected him quite respectfully, and bowed down to say hello. The guard was obviously used to this, and didn't care, just whispered something to the guards' retinue.

Seeing this scene, Bao Jiehua's heart once again rekindled hope, and he was about to walk towards the guards of the prince's mansion.

Who knows, the guard of the Prince's Mansion was also stunned when he saw him, and actually walked towards Bao Jiehua.

"This lord is Lord Bao Jiehua Bao, the master of Shangyuan City, right?"

Before Bao Jiehua could speak, the guard had already asked first, and his tone was quite polite.

Bao Jiehua couldn't help but be flattered, and hurriedly responded: "It's Xia Guan, I didn't expect the envoy to know the official name of the Xia Guan, Xia Guan is really flattered, I don't know what to call the Shang Envoy?" ”

The guard smiled and shook his head: "My name is Liu Shankun, the third in the family, my friends call me Liu San'er, you can also call me Liu San'er." ”

The tone became more and more intimate, and Bao Jiehua became more and more confused about such closeness.

Just about to say something, Liu San'er had already asked again: "Are you here to ask to see His Royal Highness the Prince?" ”

Seeing that Bao Jiehua should be was, he was just about to say a few high-sounding words, but Liu San'er nodded and said, "Okay, I'll give you a briefing, see if the prince wants to see you, you wait here." ”

Saying that, Liu San'er had already turned around and left, but Bao Jiehua, who didn't expect Liu San'er to be so easy to speak, was stunned.

"Could it be that this Liu San'er is actually the noble person in my life?"

Bao Jiehua couldn't help but think.

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