The predecessor who was scumbag by me was the emperor

The night at the Four Seas Bookstore is also lively, but this kind of bustle is different from the bustle on the street just now. There is a space next to the bookshelves on the first floor for poor students to read. Although there are many people, it is quiet. The private room on the second floor A group of romantic and elegant scholars gather together to talk about the past and the present, or rack their brains to write a strange article through the ages and send it to the scholar's mansion so that it can be selected and published in the newspaper.

When Shen Jia came up with Zhao Ting, a rich man in brocade clothes laughed while holding a poem he had just finished writing, and immediately stuffed it into an envelope, wrote the address and name, and let the boy send it for submission.

"This time I will definitely be chosen!" The rich man said confidently.

"Mr. Pei, you have said this several times, and I have seen your name appearing in the newspapers."

The rich man surnamed Pei put his hands on his hips, raised his chin and said proudly: "That's because I guessed the wrong topic every time. These few issues of newspapers are either related to war or people's livelihood. Could it be that my masterpiece is not as good as that of newspapers?" on those?"

The students at the same table laughed loudly, "Mr. Pei, we have never seen your masterpiece before, and we don't know whether it is the bright moon in the sky or the soil on the ground. Why don't we take it out and have a taste. If it is so good, Let's go to respond to Mr. Wu together, and say that the old man's selection of manuscripts is unfair."

"Cough... this is not very good, Master Wu may not be able to make the decision, this must be requested by the court, otherwise why can the works of the idlers fit the theme so well every time?"

"Brother Pei wants to say, Mr. Wu missed the question for the idler, right? If so, then it's not surprising that his work was selected."

Mr. Pei's eyes lit up, "Yes, it must be like this. Who knows who the idler is? Maybe it's someone from the imperial court."

It is not a secret that Shen Jia used this number to publish works in the court, but the ministers would not deliberately publicize it for him, and no one among the common people knew that this person was Shen Jia.

Some people also said contemptuously: "You are deceiving yourself and others. Is it difficult to admit that others are better than you? Even if you miss the question, can you write better works than idlers?"

Everyone laughed again. Nowadays, there is a wave of literary craze among folk scholars. Countless people will read the articles and poems published in each issue of the newspaper, and then follow the trend to write more works. Even brothels and brothels can read every day. A new song was born.

Then some people saw the business opportunity, selected some of the best masterpieces and bound them into a collection, and then published them for sale. The business was surprisingly good.

Zhao Ting glanced at Shen Jia, he knew who the idler was, and asked in a low voice, "Why didn't Mr. Shen tell others that he is an idler?"

"It's not a secret, they'll know about it after a while." Shen Jia didn't intend to use this to make a name for himself. Those poems were all copied by him, and they were not original. He just chose suitable poems for the current situation to inspire the public. .

The shopkeeper chased upstairs, carefully accompanied the smiling face, and said: "Master Shen came here by accident, my master is not in the shop."

Shen Jia didn't mind, but asked curiously: "I thought your master lived in the bookstore all year round, where did he go?"

"Today is the anniversary of the old lady's death. I'm afraid the master is going to pay her respects."

"So that's the case, it's just a coincidence that we came here." Shen Jia asked Zhao Ting if he wanted to stay and discuss with this group of students or go back.

Zhao Ting also wanted to get acquainted with some students outside the imperial court and see how they study on weekdays, but after listening to the conversations of those inside just now, he felt that it was very false and it was not worth wasting time.

"Go back, Mr. Shen, is he willing to enter the palace with me?"

Zhao Ting sent out the invitation, Shen Jia thought that Zhao Zhang should still be in the palace at this time, so he agreed, when they went downstairs they met a group of students, Shen Jia didn't take it to heart, someone called him: "Master Shen. "

Shen Jia followed the sound and recognized a few people, they were just a few of the group of students whom he had seen at the back mountain of Xiangguo Temple, one of them was called Bai Yan, who was extremely handsome and stood out from the group of people.

Shen Jia nodded towards them, intentionally or unintentionally kept Zhao Ting behind him, so that no one would recognize him, he asked with a smile: "Are you also here to talk to the bookstore?"

Bai Yan stepped forward to salute, and replied: "Exactly, today's newspaper is on the market. I chose this place to read together. If Mr. Shen has time, can you leave some pointers?"

Shen Jia did not agree, "I still have something to do and I have to leave first, but if you have any questions about the knowledge in the newspaper, you can write a letter and put it in the mailbox, and someone will answer your questions for you."

"Really?" Everyone didn't know that the mailbox had such a function, and they were very happy at the moment. Some people took out the small notebooks they carried with them, and it seemed that they had accumulated a lot of previous questions.

"Since Mr. Shen has something to do, I won't bother you, but I still want to thank you for the few suggestions you gave last time, which are very useful." Bai Yan thanked him solemnly. He has passed the provincial examination this time. He is also very confident about next year's test.

"It's good if it's useful. It seems that you did well in the exam this time, so I wish you all good grades next spring, and you will be officials in the same court as soon as possible."

"Students must do their best!" The students were full of enthusiasm, and they wished they could go back and read at night with the lights on, just to stand with Shen Jia next year.

Shen Jia bid farewell and left. Zhao Ting was short and had been standing behind him just now. Now he turned and left, and everyone saw his back.

Bai Yan stared at the back for a while, feeling a little familiar.

Seeing him in a daze, his companion asked, "Brother Bai Yan, it's time for us to go upstairs."

Bai Yan came back to his senses and asked his friend beside him, "Who was that child just now?"

"How do I know that?" My friend joked with a smile: "Brother Bai Yan is suddenly interested in a child. Those who can go out with Mr. Shen must be relatives of his family. I heard that Mr. Shen's nephew is almost At this age, it should be him."

Bai Yan nodded, thinking about it, this is the only answer. As for the familiarity, it's just a back view, and children should look about the same.

Zhao Ting waited for the carriage to ask Shen Jia: "Master Shen knows Xu Shoufu's grandson?"

Shen Jia was stunned, and asked, "Which one?"

"Xu Baiyan."

"It's him? I didn't know his identity before, and he doesn't look very similar to Xu Shoufu."

Zhao Ting also met this person at the palace banquet, and he was very impressed, because he played a good piano, if he didn't have time to learn the piano, he would definitely call him into the palace to be his wife.

"He is a student of this year. If there are no mistakes, his name will definitely be on the gold list next year. I don't know how the emperor will arrange him." Shen Jia has a good impression of Bai Yan, after all, He is well behaved, has a good temperament, and is also polite, and he does not have the arrogance of a wealthy family, and is very different from Xu Shoufu's old fox temperament.

Zhao Ting didn't care about this. Anyway, he knew that Xu Shoufu would not be able to be a high-ranking official above the fifth rank if Xu Shoufu was in the court. This is the rule of all dynasties.

However, considering his age, he might not be able to hold on for a few more years. He didn't know who the next chief assistant would be. He glanced at Shen Jia, and in his heart, he felt that Shen Jia's talent and character were enough to take on this important task. Too bad it's too young.

On the way back, Zhao Ting brought Uncle Huang a gift, which he learned from Shen Jia. During the days when he went to the Shen Mansion, as long as there were children at home, Shen Jia would bring back some small things from outside, sometimes only a few pennies Little things, but that caring is the most moving, so every time he leaves the palace, he will remember to bring something back to the emperor.

After entering the palace, Zhao Zhang was still busy in the imperial study. When he saw Shen Jia and Zhao Ting coming back together, he suddenly felt that if the two of them had a child, this would probably be the most normal picture of a family of three, right?

The two saluted, and Zhao Ting sent the flower basket in his hand to the case. He bought it from a young girl for five copper coins. The flower basket was made of bamboo with ordinary craftsmanship. It took too long to pick them, and even ordinary people might not notice such things, let alone emperors.

Zhao Zhang picked it up and watched it for a while, then asked him, "Can I get something from going out of the palace today?"

Zhao Ting had already prepared the manuscript, and began to talk eloquently, from the time he saw the newsstand, to the student gathering in the bookstore, and finally said: "If everyone can read and write, then our Dajin will be a truly powerful country." , my nephew has a suggestion, I don't know if it will work."

"Tell me about it." Zhao Zhang encouraged.

"Master Shen said that if we want all the people to go to school, we need the imperial court to establish free schools in various places so that all school-age children can afford to go to school, but my nephew knows that this cannot be done, so can we build a few schools in Chang'an City? School, recruiting people with lofty ideals to teach children for free? I see those students reciting poems every day, commenting on other people's works, or drinking with prostitutes, it is better to spend the good time educating future generations, as long as they give some appropriate rewards, There must be someone willing to come forward."

It was the first time for Zhao Zhang to look at Zhao Ting with the eyes of an adult. Although Shen Jia suggested this idea, Zhao Ting could think of this very well, and he has the people in his heart, which is also the most valuable quality of a ruler.

"It's not difficult to build a school, and it's not difficult to recruit students to teach for free. The hard part is how to persevere. Since it is free teaching, it is not an obligation. No one will do good things for free for years. I can't do it anymore."

After hearing this, Shen Jia sighed, and asked the uncle and nephew: "It's really unrealistic to set up an office-funded school in Quandajin, but it's only in Chang'an City, and the finances of Shuntian Mansion should be enough to pay the teacher's salary, right? This is a good thing, do you want to be so picky?"

"Don't worry about scarcity but inequality. If only the office fee school in Chang'an City, will the people in other places feel that the court is unfair?"

Shen Jia walked to the side and sat down, and said coldly: "What's so unfair about it, if they have the ability, they will also start up the economy. As long as they can afford the money, they can also follow the example of Shuntianfu to build a public school."

Chang'an City gathered businessmen from all over the north and south, and the business was prosperous, so naturally they didn't have to worry about the teacher's salary, but in some places the poor couldn't even afford food, so it was naturally impossible to afford public schools.

Shen Jia never thought that in this age, there are conditions to reach the level of compulsory education, but if one can develop one, what's wrong with being able to train a few talents?

After hearing this, Zhao Zhang said with emotion: "Once again, I regret that I didn't let you go to Shuntian Mansion to be the governor. I always feel that you are a bit overqualified to be a small doctor in the household department."

Shen Jiacai ignored him, anyway, he was just suggesting this matter, he didn't care whether it could be done or not.

Zhao Zhang also knew that he didn't like to be in the limelight, and when the news spread that he was an idler, Shen Jia's reputation among the people would also increase.

"Don't let Mr. Cao hear your words, and you won't be afraid of hurting your subjects' hearts."

"Cao Ruiwen's talent is still in judging cases. It is a bit difficult for him to deal with these folk trivial matters, or there are many things he can't think of."

Shen Jia has also heard that Cao Ruiwen has sentenced all the cases that have been backlogged for many years in only two months since he took office, and he has also set things right for several wrong and unjust cases. , Cao Ruiwenming is already a qualified Shuntian governor on the face of it.

Zhao Ting was driven back to sleep after not staying for long. As soon as he left, Shen Jia went straight to the dragon chair, sat beside Zhao Zhang, and helped him finish the remaining memorials.

Because there was a war in the northwest, Zhao Zhang had to deal with a lot of important matters, such as food and grass, military expenditure, and war conditions. Everything had to be carefully considered, and the officials under him would never be allowed to cheat and enrich their own pockets.

"Fortunately, several million taels of dirty silver were brought back from Yu's house this year. Otherwise, once the war starts, the military expenditure will be stretched." Shen Jia finally understood why Emperor Yongzheng relied on ransacking his home to fill the emptiness after reviewing a grain expenditure. The national treasury is gone, this method is really convenient and quick to get money.

Zhao Zhang put the reviewed memorial aside, took out the latest issue of the newspaper, led Shen Jia by the hand into the apse, changed his clothes and read the newspaper together with Shen Jia lying on the bed.

Every issue of the newspaper would be reviewed by him in advance to avoid content that the emperor didn't want to see, but Zhao Zhang might not have time to read it, so sometimes he would wait until the publication was printed to see the results.

Zhao Zhang stuffed the newspaper to Shen Jia and asked him to read it. Shen Jia's voice was clear and pleasant. Zhao Zhang liked this kind of fun since he was a waiter and read it, and he enjoyed it as a kind of relaxation.

"I thought you were joking when you said you were going to solicit military expenses from wealthy businessmen and dignitaries, but I didn't expect you to actually post it in the newspaper. Would it make a big splash? And based on what I know about you, you need to raise donations for war, Natural disasters and man-made disasters will definitely be raised in the future, so will they feel that the court is too useless?"

Shen Jia leaned on him and said: "The gap between the rich and the poor in society is so large, what's the problem with asking rich people for help when you have difficulties? And it's their voluntary behavior. The court didn't force them. You see, Boss Wei donated 1 Ten thousand taels, if people donate willingly, other people follow suit, or for the sake of good reputation, shouldn't it be right?"

Zhao Zhang couldn't quite understand Shen Jia's idea of ​​poverty alleviation, so he frowned and asked, "If a wealthy family has money, it doesn't have to be used to subsidize the court, right? If there are too many times, it will definitely make people feel bored."

Shen Jia explained: "If the amount of money raised this time is enough, it can be saved for the next time, and there are already examples of rich people voluntarily helping the poor. Doing good deeds has become something that is known to the whole people, you must think that this is a big deal, but why don’t people know that people have done good deeds?”

"But more people do good deeds not because of kindness, but because of fame."

"What's the difference? They really gave money and helped others. This is a good deed." Shen Jia said firmly.

Zhao Zhang thought for a while, and felt that there was nothing wrong with Shen Jia's words, he just had never heard such remarks, "You are right, should a special yamen be set up to handle this matter?"

"Naturally, it's best to choose a few selfless officials. The official positions don't need to be too big, and then assign a few shrewd accountants. Tell them that the income and expenditure of each period must be announced in the newspaper. If anyone dares to embezzle the charity All payments will be dealt with severely!"

Zhao Zhang naturally agrees with this point. People are willing to pay for good deeds, but in the end they will be corrupted by the moths of the court. Is it tolerable or unbearable?

Shen Jia didn't think of telling Zhao Zhang about the accountant's stay until before going to bed, but he didn't need to say more, Zhao Zhang knew it well.

The next morning, Shen Jia went directly from the palace, and the well-informed ministers naturally stayed in the palace until last night, but this time it was Prince Rui's people, so they couldn't say anything.

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager's Qianqiu Banquet is about to come. This year is a full birthday, so no matter what, it should be a big event. I implore the Emperor to welcome the Empress Dowager back to the palace." Minister of Rites Chu Rongwei said.

Since the Empress Dowager went to the palace to escape the heat in early summer, she later said that she was unwell and not suitable for hard work, so she was recuperating in the palace. When winter came, the imperial doctor suggested that the Empress Dowager should continue to cultivate in the palace, so as not to suddenly change the environment and feel uncomfortable.

All the officials didn't know how the Queen Mother was doing, anyway, it had nothing to do with everyone, and everyone knew that the Emperor and the Queen Mother had conflicts because of the Pu family's affairs, so it would be better if the Queen Mother didn't return to the palace.

But Chu Rongwei did not forget that the emperor is an example for the world. No matter how he usually ignores it, he still has to celebrate his biological mother's birthday, otherwise it would be too unfilial.

Minister of the Ministry of War thought for a while, and felt that the emperor definitely did not want to see the queen mother, but it was impossible to see the queen mother, so he could only share the emperor's worries from other aspects.

"Your Majesty, the war in the northwest is urgent, and I think the war should be the most important thing. Although the Empress Dowager's Qianqiu Banquet is important, it should be kept simple to avoid extravagance and waste."

"Your Majesty, doing a big job does not mean extravagance and waste. It is also what the courtiers should do to celebrate the Queen Mother's birthday. How can we keep things simple?" Chu Rongwei insisted. , how could he give up.

During this period of time, because of the Northwest War, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Households became the favorites of the emperor. The emperor summoned them every day. Even the Ministry of Industry won the sacred heart for being able to make new tools. They will not do anything , the emperor will forget that there are still people from the Ministry of Rites in the court.

Moreover, the emperor's neglect of the empress dowager up to this point is not in line with the etiquette, but no one dares to say it.

It's not that Zhao Zhang doesn't care about his mother, it's just that the conflict between the two is deep, and it can't be resolved in a year or so. All the things he sent to the palace were returned by the mother. In the past six months, the two have almost zero communication.

"Needless to say, this year is the Queen Mother's whole birthday, so it is going to be a big event no matter what. The Ministry of Rituals will start preparations. On the day of the Queen Mother's birthday, all ministers will be invited to a banquet. All officials of the fourth rank and above can bring their family members into the palace to have a banquet. One day, the whole world will be amnesty at the same time, those who have been imprisoned for less than three years can be released from prison, those who are under five years can be exempted from prison for two years, and on the day of the birthday banquet, the people are allowed to celebrate the Queen Mother's birthday outside the palace gate."

Zhao Zhang took another look at Chu Rongwei. It seemed that in a few years, the Ministry of Rites could change people. Chu Rongwei's selfishness became more and more serious, even because he wanted to appoint Zhao Ting as the prince, he kept making small moves.

There is nothing to talk about this topic for the time being, Chu Rongwei said again: "Your Majesty, I want to impeach Wu Haiqing, a scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion, for accepting bribes and asking for money from the people in the name of the Northwest War. This will not only tarnish the reputation of the imperial court. , It will also make the donors think that the court is not doing anything, and looking at it from a distance, it will also make the people lose confidence in the Northwest War."

Wu Haiqing didn't go to court very much since he started working on a newspaper. In his opinion, going to court is a waste of time. He might as well read a few more manuscripts, so he didn't have the opportunity to refute Minister Chu in person.

But Minister of the Ministry of War stood up and said: "I think this move is very good. After these few issues of newspapers, the common people already know that the war is closely related to them. The soldiers are fighting on the battlefield, and they are praying in the rear. If they have money, they will give money. Make a strong effort to make this war a major event that the whole people care about, so that the hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the northwest can work harder, and now they have repelled the enemy for dozens of miles, and victory is in sight."

"Since victory is in sight, there is no need to waste people and money, lest the people misunderstand that the court is using this to make money."

"Chu Rongwei, you!...Are you deliberately going against my military department?"

"How dare you? It's just telling the truth."

The two quarreled, and the other officials listened numbly, not intending to help anyone.

When the two were exhausted from the quarrel, Zhao Zhang said: "The two ministers despised the court, and each fined him half a year's salary. Du Fucheng, declare the decree!"

Director Du stood up, spread out the imperial decree, and read in a high voice: "I am very pleased to know that the people have raised cotton clothes and military rations for the Northwest and voluntarily donated money. Today, a new charity office has been established under the household department to be responsible for the collection of donations." With Zhi, Shen Jia will take care of this matter, and it should be carefully reviewed once a month, and the donated money must be used for the benefit of the country and the people, so order Shen Langzhong to be crowned as the crown prince's young Fu... hereby!"

Shen Jia guessed in advance that this matter would fall on her own head, but she didn't know that Zhao Zhang would give him the title of Young Fu. Although it was a false title, the grade was not low, so it was considered a promotion.

All the ministers didn't realize it all at once. They had never heard that a special yamen should be set up for donations. Would it be necessary to collect donations from time to time in the future?

As court officials, they naturally paid for it, no matter how much they wanted, but if they had to spend every time, they would not be happy.

But now that the war is over, it is definitely not easy to say this, since the emperor wants Shen Jia to hold several positions, they have nothing to object to, the able ones should work harder.

However, Zhou Shangshu's expression turned ugly, and the elders laughed inwardly when they saw this, Zhou Qing might feel very uncomfortable.

"I thank the lord Rong En, and I will live up to everyone's expectations. I will use the donations for the blade. I also welcome supervision from all walks of life!"