Feast of Rebirth

Spring is getting stronger.The results of the assessment by the Ministry of Officials were coming soon, and Yun Congfeng became more leisurely, so he waited for the results of the assessment to be released, packed his luggage and prepared to return to the capital.

The notification was issued, and the result was as expected.Grade A, he was promoted to the second-class Qingping Envoy of the Qingping Division in the capital.

Qingping envoys are divided into three classes, and the status of second-class Qingping envoys is not low.In this regard, Zhai Wenxing must have put in a lot of effort. When he returns to the capital, he must catch up with others. It is also necessary to prepare some small gifts to express his feelings. What to give...

Yun Congfeng thought about it, and decided to send some special products from Quhui County. Brother Zhai Wenxing's family has never seen anything before, so just send some special products to express his affection.

Hu Yan helped with packing and booking a carriage. When he was about to leave, Hu Yan suddenly remembered something and reminded him with a smirk: "Did you forget something?"

Yun Congfeng thought about it, and felt that he had almost cleaned up: "No, there are more?"

"You're gone, won't you treat your colleagues to a meal?"

Yun Congfeng shuddered all over: "No more?"

"Why not? Anyway, I'm a colleague, and I've worked with you for a while, isn't it interesting?"

"No... I don't want to..." Yun Congfeng refused from the bottom of his heart, and he had an idea in an instant: "But in this kind of thing, it's usually colleagues who join the table to invite people who are going to leave?"

Hu Yan knew that he was arguing, but still teased: "I think you just don't want to invite me, so don't make so many excuses."

Yun Congfeng shrugged his shoulders and smashed the jar: "I haven't met a few times, let alone said a few words, and I can't call them all by name, forget it."

Hu Yan no longer entangled with this matter, but advised him to rest early and get up early tomorrow morning.

Returning to the capital, the flow of people in the capital seems to be more, Chi Nu has been watching the Home Inn, the revenue has not changed.The two rested for a day first, and Yun Congfeng took the documents approved by the Ministry of Officials to the academy to report the graduation, and the academy immediately went to the Qingping Department to report and buy all kinds of necessities, tossing for a while.

"In two days, I will be able to live in the official residence." Yun Congfeng sat on the bed, took off his shoes, "I won't live here from now on."

"Oh."

Yun Congfeng thought for a while: "Thank you for helping me for so long."

"Ah."

……

The atmosphere became weird and stiff, Hu Yan closed the window and told him to take a rest early after packing up his things, then turned and left.

Yun Congfeng scratched his head, as if he felt something was wrong, but he didn't want to understand.

The next day, he moved his luggage to the official building, and after laying out his belongings, he began to work formally. As a newcomer on the first day, his boss did not have many tasks assigned to him, and there were many people who were almost as idle as him, so they just chatted like this up.

In the beginning, it was inevitable to flatter each other. After exchanging names, the more they talked, the more speculative they became.Everyone is similar in age and knowledge, so it is easy to chat together and share their knowledge.Yun Congfeng seldom talked, and mostly acted as a bystander, listening to their nonsense, and learned a lot about the officialdom in the capital.

Suddenly someone said: "The emperor is going to hold an audition again."

Immediately, someone joked: "Why, Lingmei looks like a fairy?"

"Don't talk nonsense, I don't have a younger sister." The man waved his hand, half amused and half excited, and said, "You all know the Shi family, right?"

"Ah? What happened to his house?"

"It is said that the master of the Shi family spent a lot of money in order for his daughter to be selected. He has dealt with all the cards in the palace. It may cost 10,000+ taels of silver in a single pass."

"Hey, isn't this Shi family already established and settled down? Apart from the empty name of a marquis, how can there be so much money?"

"I don't know where he got so much money. It's just that his painstaking efforts may be in vain. Those eunuchs collect money to do things, and their mouths are not reliable. The news is spreading like crazy." The man said jokingly, "It's time to watch another good show!"

One person continued: "What's the use of being elected? Which concubine in the palace today can compare with Concubine Xu?"

"You can't say that. Concubine Xu has enjoyed the honor and favor for so many years. The Holy Majesty must be a little tired. Otherwise, what would you do if you reopen the draft? As long as you enter the palace and become a concubine, you will have the chance to ascend to heaven. For the Shi family, this is the only one." life-saving straw."

Everyone nodded, thinking it was reasonable.Yun Congfeng, who had been listening silently, asked, "Dare to ask that daughter of the Shi family, but is her name Shi Anzhi?"

When he asked this question, everyone immediately looked at him strangely: "Exactly, why..." They laughed softly.

Yun Congfeng understood what they meant, and explained helplessly: "I only handled a case about the Shi family before, so it sounds familiar, so let me ask you a question."

Everyone stopped entangled in this issue, and instead discussed the family related to the draft. Once the draft starts, I don’t know how many ladies will be sent to the palace. If the lady has a heart, it will be a tragedy. .

Yun Congfeng's thoughts drifted back to other places: the case of the Shi family may be more complicated than he imagined.

At first it was thought that Ji Hong just went crazy and killed by mistake, but now it seems that her sister Shi Anzhi has a terrible suspicion: she deliberately sent her sister to Ji's house to stimulate Ji Hong to kill.

In this way, the master of the Shi family may also participate in it, it depends on his aura of looking for last Ji's family, the thunder is loud and the rain is little, has he already acquiesced to the fact?Anyway, Shi Tinglan was going to leave sooner or later, she exchanged her life for money, and raised funds to bet on Shi Anzhi's head, hoping that Shi Anzhi alone would gain enlightenment and the whole family would ascend to heaven—it was indeed a good deal.

Yun Congfeng suddenly understood why Master Shi would spend a lot of money to bribe the palace people: Because Shi Anzhi is not perfect, it is reasonable to say that the threshold cannot be crossed, but money can make ghosts grind, Master Shi did his best just to hide the truth. , Desperate!

This chess move is extremely dangerous, if it is found out, it must be a serious crime of deceiving the emperor.Now that Feng Sheng came out first, Yun Congfeng wanted not to get involved.Now that he is a newcomer, it is a bit unrealistic to rush to investigate the case with his superiors. Why don't we wait and see, if the Shi family's mistakes are exposed, it would be better.

"Brother Yun, brother Yun?"

"Huh? I'm listening."

"Nonsense, your eyes are wandering." The person who spoke was also a newly promoted second-class envoy of the Qing Dynasty, named Quan Hongfang, who was quite old, and he was very discerning from the ground.He heard that Yun Congfeng was a student from Guihai Academy, he respected Yun Congfeng very much, and talked a lot.

Yun Congfeng smiled embarrassingly, and raised his own opinion following the topic they had just talked about—he was not completely distracted, but he still heard a few words. When he said it, Quan Hongfang couldn't help being a little surprised, but Even more admiration.

Several people chatted, chatting addictively.For some reason, he started yelling to go to Yiyue Pavilion at night, "Are you going?"

"Of course it's a fun place." The man blinked narrowly, and Yun Congfeng understood, at first he subconsciously wanted to refuse, but by accident, he changed his words: "Then... I'll go and have a look."

The man smiled understandingly: "It's nothing serious, around a quarter of the clock in the evening, do you have time?"

"If Lai doesn't let me be on duty, of course I can."

"Then it's settled."

Everyone was exhausted talking and went back to their respective posts to work.After Yun Congfeng finished handling the affairs at hand, he went out for a stroll, returned to the official building, sat by the bed for a while, got up and sat at the desk after a while, and touched the books he had laid out the day before yesterday—it always felt empty.

Something is missing.

Yun Congfeng read the book for a while, and the night came through the window little by little. He lit a lamp and drove the night out, but the feeling of loneliness came to his heart again.

An indescribable sense of irritability.

He forced himself to calm down, wrote a picture, looked at the scale of the copper leak in the corner, the time was up in a flash, and immediately set off for the Yiyue Hall.

Yiyue Pavilion is not far from the official building, and you can see its signboard after walking for half an hour.The words on the signboard are in Chinese regular script, and the level is not bad. Yun Congfeng couldn't help but stop to watch and ponder for a while. At this moment, the sister who was standing at the door with heavy make-up warmly greeted her: "Officer, come in and play."

"I'm here to find my friend." Before Yun Congfeng could finish his sentence, the sister immediately answered, "Is it the Master of Qingping Division, right? Hey, my family knew that the official is very heroic and must be very human, as expected. Big shot. Come, come, I know your friend very well, I will take you to meet him." He took his arm and dragged him inside.

Yun Congfeng was inexplicably embarrassed, and let her lead him upstairs to the flower room. Seeing some familiar people sitting at the banquet, he immediately broke free and greeted them, "It's so early."

"It's not early, it's not early. It's about to start. Brother Chengan and the others went out to buy stewed meat, and they will be back in a while." Qing Pingsi's deputy, Xie Gaoyun said.

"Can't someone else buy braised meat? Do you have to go there yourself?" Yun Congfeng sat down, and the maid beside him poured wine for him attentively, but he refused: "No drink, is there any tea?"

The maid answered the offer to serve tea, Xie Gaoyun said: "Hey, Brother Chengan said that he is familiar with the owner of the stewed meat shop, and he can get more if he goes there himself. Brother Chengan is quite good at living in this respect."

Yun Congfeng smiled: "Brother Cheng'an has also worked hard for his appetite."

"Hey, don't talk too far. When they come back, they have to have a good drink."

... Yun Congfeng showed a look of embarrassment.

He knew that coming out to participate in these things and drinking would be doomed.

After a while, Zhao Chengan, who went out to buy braised pork, came back with a proud expression on his face, urging everyone to try it.Others were seated one after another, and the actors and actresses who sang and played also adjusted the strings and drums, and the leader gave an order, blowing, blowing and beating, giving the illusion of "bells ringing and eating food".

It is inevitable to have young women to accompany him. Yun Congfeng has a sullen face and feels depressed all over his body.Yun Congfeng moved his chopsticks a few times, and his tense nerves gradually relaxed. Everyone is a person who knows etiquette, and no one insists on forcing him.

After three songs, three rounds of wine.Soon someone got drunk, Zhao Chengan stood up and said drunkenly: "Where is Xiaoyue? Tell her to come and accompany me!"

The sister who served Zhao Cheng'an apologized and said with a smile: "Master Zhao, it's unfortunate that Miss Xiaoyue has gone to serve others, and she can't get away."

Zhao Chengan was annoyed all of a sudden: "Anyone else? Who else? I've been to the Yiyue Hall so many times, who doesn't know that Xiaoyue is taken over by me!"

The woman apologized again and again: "I'm sorry, Mr. Zhao, today's class is very strong, and Miss Xiaoyue is appointed to accompany me. It's not that my mother doesn't know, but there's nothing I can do about it."

Zhao Chengan was even annoyed when he heard that, he slapped the table and yelled and jumped his feet: "Who is so majestic? See if I don't beat him to death! I want Xiaoyue! Call Xiaoyue to come over!"

The people on the side felt that what Zhao Chengan said was inappropriate, and pulled him: "Brother Chengan, calm down! What if you yell like this and let others hear you?! Hey, tell me quickly, who is Miss Xiaoyue accompanying?" ?”

The accompanying woman panicked, and the old lady ran over after hearing the news, apologizing repeatedly: "Master Zhao, I'm really sorry, it's the officials from the Ministry of Officials and Dali Temple who want to take the moon... very big, Zhao Lord, I will give you half of the drink price today, so you can drink, eat and have fun, don't provoke those two, okay? You have to think about your own future."