Three years ago, the time interval between Fang Yingwu's appointment as the magistrate and Liu Mianding's departure from Beijing was very short, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it was the front and back.

But now, three years later, Fang Yingwu has been inspected for half a month, and Liu Mian, who has theoretically completed the period of compliance, has not yet returned to Beijing

This made Fang Yingwu muttered in his heart, I don't know what the hell Lao Taishan is doing? An official fan like Liu Mian should return to the capital as soon as possible after the expiration of the defense period, and he didn't even want to leave at the beginning.

If Liu Mian didn't return to Beijing, Fang Yingwu could only spend time first, and he spent half a month without incident. Taking advantage of the good spring, I visited several scenic spots with my two concubines and my son in a row.

Just when it was almost exhausted, Liu Mian finally came late. On this day, Fang Yingwu returned home from Xishan and received a report that Liu Mian would arrive in Beijing about tomorrow.

Most of the people who came from the southeast took the canal and entered Beijing from Chongwenmen, but Liu Mian was a native of Baoding Prefecture, which was 300 miles south of Beijing, and there was no need to pass the Guò Canal by land, and it was more convenient to enter the city from Xuanwumen.

So early the next morning, Fang Yingwu and his eldest brother came to wait outside the Xuanwu Gate. However, there is never a shortage of people to welcome cabinet scholars like Liu Mian, especially the bachelors who are very likely to be second-class after returning to the dynasty, so at this time, there is not only one Fang Yingwu outside the Xuanwu Gate, but at least twenty or thirty other people and so on.

By noon, a long convoy appeared in front of everyone. A housekeeper came to everyone first, hugged his fists and saluted: "My lord thank you for welcoming you from afar, so I will not accept it here, and first write down my name and thank you in a letter." ”

Everyone humbled together. What etiquette is not polite, the identity of the cabinet scholar is naturally what he says.

Fang Yingwu didn't say anything. It's just that I complained in my heart that Lao Taishan actually played a deep and low-key game, shouldn't he meet everyone in a high-profile here. Announcing the return of the king?

Under the gesture of the housekeeper, Fang Yingwu naturally did not scatter as a bird or beast, and slowly followed behind the Liu family's convoy, and unconsciously mixed in.

Others may not be able to see the clues, but Fang Yingwu always feels strange, and he doesn't know what tricks Lao Taishan wants to play. When he was pondering, Leng Buding's head was smashed again, and then he saw a peach pit rolling on the ground.

Fang Yingwu raised his head angrily, but saw a fresh, fluent, smiling and beautiful face flashing from the front carriage window.

But Fang Yingwu knows. She must still be peeking through the cracks, raising two fingers and shaking them at the carriage, and then faintly heard a burst of cheerful laughter coming from the carriage. Fang Yingwu couldn't help but sigh, after so many years, the little lady of the Liu family is still so naughty.

After entering the city, the convoy went straight to Liu's house, and someone had already cleaned it in advance, and the owners of the Liu family could move in when they arrived. The female dependents got out of the car and went directly to the inner courtyard to settle down, and Fang Yingwu was invited to the study.

It didn't take long. Liu Mian Shi Ran came in, Fang Yingwu hurriedly stepped forward to salute, and then looked at it a few times, there was no change from before. But if you look closely. Old Taishan's thin face seemed to be a little rounder, which couldn't help but make Fang Yingwu very suspicious, did he strictly follow the etiquette system and keep filial piety?

I think so. But the greeting in his mouth still said: "I haven't seen you for a long time, the old Taishan has been cleared!" ”

Liu Ji waved his hand. casually asked a few words about Fang Yingwu's current situation, and Weng and his son-in-law greeted each other. And so a quarter of an hour passed. Fang Yingwu couldn't help it first, and said: "The term of office of the junior son-in-law is about to expire, and he has completed the examination in the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and he is about to go to the Ministry of Officials." For a while, there is a sense of unpredictability, can Lao Taishan point out the maze? ”

Fang Yingwu's words are very straightforward to outsiders, but to Liu Mian, who is so familiar that he dares to talk about anything, it is relatively obscure.

Liu Ji stroked his beard and said: "The imperial court has its own law of rewarding merit and punishing evil, and it is clear and clear, what confusion do you have?" ”

Fang Yingwu was stunned, what are you pretending to be confused about? Then he said: "The little son-in-law and Lao Taishan are not officials of the Ministry of Heaven and are not people in the same way, and there may be unexpected changes during this period." ”

"As long as you sit up straight, act rightly, report to the society when you are in office, and have a clear conscience when you retreat, why worry about no future? Believe in the justice of the imperial court! ”

Why doesn't this old Taishan say serious things today? Fang Yingwu said: "There are always injustices in the world, and so is the election of officials. ”

Liu Mian said: "That is, you haven't done well enough, introspect a lot!" If you are perfect, impeccable, and a model for all officials, who can stop your future? ”

Fang Yingwu was dumbfounded, if these words came out of his father's mouth, it would not be strange at all, but the person in front of him who opened his mouth and closed his mouth to introspect was Lao Taishan Liu Mian, not his own father Fang Qingzhi!

Fang Yingwu quickly reviewed the history books in his mind, and suddenly woke up. It is recorded in the history books that in the later period of Liu Mian's reign, there was indeed a strange phenomenon of changing himself and pretending to change his past wrongs.

Judging from this situation, Lao Taishan has been away from the temple for three years, and other people's impression of him will probably become slightly rusty, does Lao Taishan want to use this opportunity to reshape his image?

But with his own understanding of Liu Mian and the records of historical records, he can assert that this old Taishan does not look like a prince when he wears a dragon robe! Everyone else can see through it too.

The country is easy to change, the nature is difficult to change, the nature of the old Taishan is like that, how far can it be pretended? With Lao Taishan's insight into human nature and world affairs, how could he be so confused? However, Fang Yingwu thought about it in line with the idea of "Liu Mian will not make mistakes", and suddenly became enlightened again

This is a worse era, the cabinet is full of rotten people, as long as his old Taishan becomes the less rotten one, it is enough to win the support of some non-extreme Qingliu.

Even if there are major changes in the future, it is impossible for the cabinet to change all at once, there must always be a transition time and transitional people, and Liu Mian is still inseparable. Compared with Wan An, who has no discipline and integrity, and Liu Jue, who is too fierce with the party, Liu Mian does not seem so bad.

Liu Ji suddenly smiled slightly, waved his hand and said: "You can rest assured, with your current reputation and morale, Yin Min of the Ministry of Officials will not be so easy to make up his mind to openly suppress you, and it will definitely not be too ugly, the old man doesn't understand what you are worried about." ”

Fang Yingwu asked rhetorically: "If it's ugly, then what's good?" ”

Liu Ji also asked rhetorically: "You are only twenty-two years old, how about how many years to endure it?" Can't you afford to wait? It's like what if you didn't win the first prize? According to the old man, you are not worried about the bad situation, but you are too greedy and always want to get the best treatment?

Do you want to take advantage of this promotion opportunity to transfer back to Hanlin or Kedao? I haven't seen you for three years, and your self-cultivation has not made any progress, which is really easy to change and difficult to change! How can there be so many good things in the world! ”

Damn, it's been seen through again! Fang Yingwu wiped his sweat, Lao Taishan didn't care if he pretended to be stupid on the surface or not, it was good that the shrewdness in his stomach was still there, otherwise how could he play with others in the cabinet?

Liu Mian finally mentioned: "Taoli is self-contained, even if the old man is silent, who can not know that you are the old husband and son-in-law?"

If you are at a disadvantage, the old man has to help speak, but you are at an advantage recently, why should the old man talk more? Sometimes, speaking out is a bad thing.

So do you understand? It's their officials who are bothering you right now, not just you! ”

Fang Yingwu could only say: "What Lao Taishan said is very true, and the son-in-law knows." ”

Then he said goodbye, after all, he came to "greet" today, and after the greeting, it would be over, and it was not appropriate to stay in Liu's Mansion for a long time. After all, the Liu family still has to be cleaned up, and it is inconvenient for him, an outsider who has not yet officially married, to be present.

However, when Fang Yingwu left, Liu Ji suddenly said to himself in confusion: "It seems that I forgot what I wanted to say just now?" is old, old, I really can't disobey the old. ”

Fang Yingwu left Liu's Mansion and suddenly had doubts when he walked to the street, "When Fang just talked to Lao Taishan, it seemed that he forgot to talk about something important, why can't he remember it?" It's weird, too. ”

In fact, for two bureaucrats, one old and one young, when talking about important officialdom, it is understandable that they forget about marriage for a while because they are too physically and mentally involved (to be continued......