Summon players, rebuild Dawei

Although he was disturbed by Xie Yin's words, Jiang Shu's attention was diverted when he saw the people who came to the banquet when it was time for the dinner.

There were quite a few new faces at the banquet tonight, all of them were descendants of the gentry in Xunzhou, some were from Xingjun and Yanqiao, and some came from further afield.

The young gentlemen all dressed up to attend, even in such a cold weather, they still wore crowns and light furs, trying to leave a deep first impression on the envoy.

In the past, when Jiang Shu held banquets in the government, he was usually more down-to-earth, and he would not ask the officials to dress so grandly. The main purpose of everyone having a meal was to have fun. Today, because of these "pretentiously dressed" gentry, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly became a little different.

I don't know if it was Jiang Shu's delusion, but he always felt that some people's words and deeds during the gift introduction were very unnatural, a little pretentious, as if they were deliberately showing their appearance and conversation.

Especially a child surnamed Han, wearing a lavender robe, with powdered makeup on his face, and gorgeous silk flowers on his hair.

It's not that he shouldn't be dressed up so grandly, it's just that the makeup is too thick and the matching looks uncoordinated.

When Jiang Shu saw him at first glance, she even felt a little hot-eyed, and quickly turned her head to stare at Xie Min next to him, and then felt that her eyes were much more comfortable.

Most of the families behind these gentry lords sent people here last year, but basically it was just a gift, but this year they sent their young children here in person.

They would not have made such a coincidence that they came to the door one after another on the first day of the new year, most of them were waiting in Miryang a few days in advance, they would rather celebrate the new year in other places than come to congratulate on an auspicious day.

Jiang Shu knew the purpose of these people, because of the war in the north and the chaos of the imperial court, the Zhongzheng assessment in Xunzhou had not been held seriously for several years.

The official selection system is chaotic. Those with high family backgrounds can still rely on their connections to enter the government. For the lowly families, there is no one to rate them, and they can't find other ways out, so they can only find ways to seek the appreciation of high officials.

Jiang Shu didn't have a good impression of the children of these aristocratic families. Some of them might indeed have talents, but he always felt that their attitude towards the world was also a very important criterion for selecting officials.

The current situation is not what it used to be. The imperial court in the southern region is divided into two, and the government and the public are in chaos. Under such a clear chaos, whoever really has the heart to make contributions will not care about the family background. If there is a real talent For practical studies, you can learn from Lu Qing, recommend yourself before throwing away your family background, or else, take the county school exam, and you can also rely on your strength to advance.

These people are stubborn, pretending to be deaf and dumb to the turbulent current situation, and still proud of it, still want to rely on their background, appearance, and gifts to others to take up official positions. People with such thoughts, even if they do When you become an official, most of them are idlers and idlers.

Of course, they grew up in this era, and their class consciousness has solidified, which is difficult to reverse in a short period of time, Jiang Shu can understand.

He knew that there must be some people who hesitated in their hearts, just out of self-esteem, or because they were coerced by family values, they couldn't let go of their family status, and took the same exam as the poor family, so they could only resent themselves and resent their time. At the same time, I was idle at home waiting for a turning point.

This deep-rooted way of thinking cannot be changed for a while, and can only rely on time to slowly and deeply affect it.

In fact, the people who came here, they gave up waiting for Zhongzheng's assessment, and instead walked in front of him, who is obviously more inclined to appoint poor scholars, it means that the families behind these people have felt the crisis of being abandoned by the times. is changing.

Therefore, Jiang Shu is also willing to give them a chance.

In the middle of the banquet, he specifically mentioned: "There is a lot of chaos in the southern region, the selection and evaluation of officials has not been carried out for a long time, and the vacancies in various government offices are not appropriate after all...

"For this reason, I also thought about it a lot. After discussing with the staff, I finally made a decision. In May of this year, an additional exam will be held in Miryang. Only the nobles will be recruited, and people will be awarded positions based on their grades."

The gentry gentlemen who came to the banquet, seeing that the envoy always treated them with a serious look, thought that the purpose of this trip was to spoil the soup, and they were a little depressed while eating the food and wine.

Hearing these words suddenly at this time, everyone's expressions suddenly became clear.

Although it was different from what was planned at the beginning and failed to win the favor and appreciation of the envoy at the banquet, at least things have turned around.

Only the gentry participated in the exam, which was equivalent to separating them from those of the common people, and still maintained their class status.

All of a sudden, the gentry present became active.

They took it for granted that the exam for the gentry was an easier and simpler Zhongzheng evaluation, but they all ignored that Jiang Shu did not mention the content of the exam and the admission criteria.

Taking advantage of the rising atmosphere, Jiang Shu revealed: "Xiangxu Branch School, which is under construction, will also add a new school this year, which will only enroll the children of noble officials. If you have children of the right age in your family, you can also come to study at that time .”

When everyone heard this, they became even more excited.

The addition of a school dedicated to cultivating the juniors of the gentry shows that Shi Jun intends to win over the power of the gentry in the future!

If we can seize this opportunity and ride the wind, not to mention anything else, as long as Jiang Shu is still in charge of Xunzhou for a day, at least the juniors who come out of the academy will definitely not have to worry about their future.

Thinking of this, all the gentry present were very happy, they all got up and applauded: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Jiang Shu smiled and nodded.

I thought in my heart, no matter whether he is a nobleman or a commoner, anyway, he will be sent to school to receive a few years of quality education without distinction, and after he comes out, he will be a positive and good young man in society.

The change of concept begins to cultivate from the next generation!

·

After the dinner party, it was already dusk.

After drinking some wine at the banquet, Jiang Shu felt a little tired, returned to the back house, took a shower and washed, and when she changed into pajamas and came out, she saw Xie Min in snow-white clothes sitting by the candle lamp and playing the piano.

His thin and wide sleeves and dress spread out like layers of petals in the banquet, his black hair was half up, and on his thick black hair was inserted the peony flower hairpin that he gave him.

The big silk peonies glow brilliantly under the light, making the already unparalleled beauty even more charming.

Jiang Shu was stunned for a moment, and asked, "Why did you take out this white peony root?"

Xie Min didn't answer, but stroking the black body of the qin with his fingers, he asked: "There are many talented people at the banquet tonight, who is your lord interested in?"

Jiang Shu knew that he was teasing herself as soon as he heard it, glanced at the flower hairpin on his head, and thought of the flamboyant boy surnamed Han, couldn't help laughing and shaking his head: "Don't make trouble, the whole banquet, what I am most interested in is is you."

As he spoke, he sat down on the cushion on the opposite side, propped his chin with one hand, looked at him with his head tilted, raised his eyebrows and asked, "Master Xie, are you still playing tonight?"

Hearing his question, Xie Yin casually plucked the strings with his fingertips, making a "clank" sound.

Jiang Shu's eyes fell on his pale and slender fingers that were not lacking in strength.

Seeing the fingertips skillfully rubbing the ticks on the strings, for some reason, the conversation caused by lip balm in the daytime suddenly appeared in his mind, and he was a little distracted for a while.

Realizing what she was thinking, Jiang Shu frowned slightly, and gently pressed the hot earlobe with the tip of her left finger resting on her chin.

He thought to himself, under such an elegant and ethereal sound of the piano, he still couldn't calm down, only thinking about those frivolous things, he is really not alone!

As if aware of what he was thinking, Xie Min stopped playing and asked, "Are you sleepy?"

"It's okay." Jiang Shu raised his eyes to answer, and his eyes suddenly shifted from the moonlight-like quiet eyes of the other party to the beautifully curved pale pink lips.

Pretty, want to kiss.

As soon as he had this thought, he saw the person in front of him approaching suddenly, and then, a light kiss was printed on his lips, and a faint fragrance hit him.

Xie Min stepped back a little, his eyelashes drooping, his thin lips pursed lightly, looking a bit glamorous, like a white rose blooming on a winter night.

But Jiang Shu knew that the petals of this rose were soft, warm and sweet.

When the four eyes were relatively few, he couldn't help but press the back of the other's neck, raised his head and kissed back.

Whether it's shyness or anxiety, all emotions seem to be contagious. The two touched each other's cheeks, regardless of the sound of their arms pressing on the strings, and a warm flame ignited in their chests.

After a while, Jiang Shu stopped and asked, "Where's your secret palace recipe?"

After speaking, Jiang Shu saw the other party smiled briefly, and he blushed for no reason, wondering if he was acting too anxious.

In order to cover up this shyness, he purposely defended himself solemnly: "What are you laughing at, this is a common thing in the world, there is nothing to hide."

Xie Yin stared at his exceptionally clear eyebrows and eyes under the light, restrained his smile and said: "My lord's words are true, I don't know what's interesting, and I need my lord to teach me more from now on."

Advise a ghost!

Jiang Shu finally found out that this person is clearly familiar with everything, but he likes to pretend that he doesn't understand, and deliberately say some thought-provoking words, just to see his fun.

If you want to fight back, you have to be thicker and more shameless than the opponent, but Jiang Shucha has this kind of cheekiness. Every time he meets Xie Min, his three views will involuntarily follow the opponent's facial features.

He thought for a while, Xie Min had already got up and brought a small celadon jar.

Lifting off the silk cloth on the top, the surface of the grease melted slightly under the roasting of the lamp, and a rich aroma mixed with wood and medicinal materials wafted out.

The fragrance is really quite strong...

Jiang Shuxin said, when he thought of where the things inside would be used, he couldn't help feeling nervous again.

Xie Yin looked at him warmly, and asked, "It's late, do you want to go to bed?"

Jiang Shu raised her head to meet his gaze, and replied without thinking, "Okay."

·

The servants in the house had already been cleared out by the knowledgeable Xu Haiqing, the door was closed tightly, and only a few air gaps were opened by the window.

The night was dewy, and there was a rustling sound in the silence like the rustling of fallen leaves in the night wind.

The breeze blows the curtains, and the incense burns by the fireplace.

The light white smoke of the incense rises slowly, mixing with the aroma of the melted fat, forming a thick and somewhat suffocating warmth.

Both of them felt as if they were soaking in hot water full of flower petals.

Jiang Shu caressed his hair, took off the white peony flower hairpin, and the black hair immediately fell down heavily and slid across his elbows coolly.

The long black and smooth hair glowed mesmerizingly in the dim candlelight.

Suddenly, Jiang Shu sensed something was wrong, stopped the other party's movements and asked, "Wait a minute, don't you want to try it?"

"My lord is full of opportunities every day, so I should serve you." Xie Min replied as a matter of course.

Jiang Shu stared at him silently for a while, then relaxed her strength, and lay on her back on the soft pillow.

Compromising in my heart, I said: Well, although it is somewhat different from what he thought, as long as it is Xie Min, the others don't matter.

As the winter night deepens, a cold wind blows outside the window, whistling in bursts, making the dew condensed on the window lattice tremble continuously.

The candles in the room were all extinguished at some point, leaving only one beside the bed, shining with a dim and lazy light.

The firelight was filtered softly by the light gauze, and circles of colorful light spots were reflected on the shaking silk bed curtain. In a trance, it seemed to be transformed into the morning stars reflected on the sea.

The star shadows are flowing vigorously, blooming unreal colors like a dream version, rippling round after round...

Jiang Shu felt that she was about to be dazzled by the constant flow of starlight above her head.

Gradually, all the light in the field of vision gathered into one point, turning into a dazzling white light, like the bright moonlight sinking into the sea.

As if his eyes had been stabbed by the dazzling light, he couldn't help closing his eyes tightly and hugging the other's neck, breathing hard.

The silent atmosphere lasted for a long time, Jiang Shu opened her wet eyes, and murmured in a daze: "I just... seem to embrace the bright moon."

A smile spread across Xie Min's lips, while stroking his hair, he placed a kiss on the center of his brow, and responded in a low voice: "I also hugged Jiaoyun."