Chapter 322: Turning Into Spring Mud to Protect Flowers

The capital city is very expensive, and the only place suitable for fish farming is Beihaizi in Rizhongfang, but it has long been a private forbidden area for the powerful circles in the capital.

Not to mention that Zhang Sui was born in an ordinary military household, even Qian Fu, who was born in a prominent family in Jiangnan, could not afford a fish pond, let alone place the grass carp there to feed it within the stipulated time of one day.

That's right, this is actually a dead end. The best way is not to find a fish pond, but to use connections to foster grass carp in the pond of the powerful family.

Zhang Sui felt Qian Fu's contemptuous attitude and didn't want to say more. Now he was even more unwilling to answer the question of the runner-up.

At this time, Liu Jin appeared in front of the guardrail of Tingchao Pavilion again, but he said seriously: "Your Majesty is here, please greet me, everyone!"

"Your Majesty, I respectfully greet you!" Liu Cunye, a Hanlin editor, and twelve other officials learned that His Majesty was already in Tingchao Pavilion, and they immediately greeted him in a proper manner.

This Tingchao Pavilion is an ideal place for leisure. You can enjoy the surrounding scenery and take a rest here.

Since he did not plan to meet in front of the pavilion, Zhu Youtang continued to sit on the second floor drinking tea and enjoying the scenery, and Liu Jin stood in front of the guardrail to pass on the message.

Liu Jin cleared his throat and said straight to the point: "Last March, your majesty summoned you adults to come here to participate in the Xiaochuanlu. Now that the one-year period has come, your majesty specially summoned you adults to bring fish back to see your results!"

Hanlin editor Liu Cunye swallowed his saliva and couldn't help but feel nervous.

He enjoyed the glorious treatment of the champion for a whole year, and his life was as comfortable as he wanted. He had forgotten about the Xiaochuanlu a few months ago, but he didn't expect that it would come.

"Your Majesty, I have an unwelcome request!" Hanlin editor Qian Fu's eyes turned, but he suddenly stood up and asked.

Liu Jin glanced at Zhu Youtang, and then asked: "What's the matter?"

"Your Majesty, I had the honor of attending the New Year's Day grand court meeting for the first time this year. At that time, I was inspired to write a good poem, so I wanted to take this opportunity to present it to Your Majesty." Qian Fu seemed to have been prepared, and took out the poem from his sleeve.

Liu Cunye and Jin Gui's eyes flashed with jealousy. Although Qian Fu had always looked down on others, his poetic talent was indeed unmatched.

Now Qian Fu took this opportunity to present a poem, undoubtedly wanting to impress the emperor with his talent and win the favor of His Majesty.

Zhu Youtang knew that Qian Fu was indeed a rare poet, so he said to Liu Jin lightly: "Present it!"

He temporarily followed the phoenix to the purple palace, and the nine-story side music played the auspicious day.

The dragon tower is high and the stars are close, and the phoenix calendar is issued for the first time.

The dawn gradually divides the three palaces, and the bell sound spreads into thousands of families.

I, a humble minister, am blessed with the grace of the emperor and wish to follow the example of the emperor.

…

The poem was quickly sent to the emperor, and then Liu Jin recited it on the spot.

The "铓行" in this poem refers to the procession of court officials, from the initial audience with the team to the sound of music, and then according to Qian Fu's thoughts and ideas, the emperor's majesty was cleverly demonstrated by singing praises to Fengtian Gate, and finally Qian Fu's loyalty was expressed.

"Great!"

After listening to the content of this poem, Xu Hong and others also cast admiring eyes at Qian Fu in front of them.

Zhang Sui saw the complacent Qian Fu in his eyes, but shook his head gently. Although Qian Fu in front of him was very talented, he did not suit his appetite, and this poem had no practical value.

"Please comment on your majesty!" Qian Fu was very satisfied with his masterpiece, so he made a confident request.

Zhu Youtang took the poem sent by Liu Jin, but changed the subject: "Qian Editor, I heard that your grass carp has entered your stomach?"

"Your Majesty, it is true... it is true! The grass carp cannot be kept alive in the bathtub. I think that things should be used to their full potential. Instead of watching the fish die, it is better to make soup for drinking. I specially wrote a poem for the grass carp at that time, and I also want to present the grass carp poem to Your Majesty!" Qian Fu saw that he was going around to the most embarrassing thing, and immediately threw out the words he had prepared.

Liu Jin glanced at Qian Fu who took out the poem, and said lightly: "Qian Editor, there is no need to present the poem, you should reflect on yourself first!"

Ah?

Qian Fu had already taken out most of the grass carp poem. He thought that he had handled the grass carp so freely, and maybe he could get the emperor's favor, but he found that it was not the case at all, and he was dumbfounded.

Xu Hong and others breathed a sigh of relief. Although they all admired Qian Fu's talent, cooking grass carp directly into soup was simply a disregard for the emperor's authority.

Now that he was treated like this by His Majesty, it was a great relief.

Zhu Youtang glanced at Qian Fu's poem and said lightly: "Qian Fu, I won't comment on this poem. I am a little poetic today, so I will give you a poem!"

"Poetry? The emperor writes poetry?"

"Do you Zhu family members have the gene for poetry?"

"No matter how bad it is, you must not laugh out loud!"

...

Qian Fu was very frustrated just now, but when he heard that Zhu Youtang not only refused to comment on his masterpiece, but also wanted to write a poem, he felt a strong disdain in his heart.

Zhang Sui and Xu Hong looked at each other, and then looked up at the second floor, with more worries in their hearts. After all, there was really no poet emperor in the Ming Dynasty, and what he wrote was just doggerel.

Zhu Youtang took the tea handed over by Han Youying, looked to the horizon and recited: "The sun is setting in the daytime in the majestic sorrow of separation, and the east point of the whip is the end of the world. Falling red is not a heartless thing, it turns into spring mud to protect the flowers."

In just twenty-eight characters, it shows the poet's broad mind and reveals a rare value of life. It has the capacity of thoughts and emotions to encompass the world. It can be called the masterpiece of Ding'an poetry.

Zhu Youtang originally did not want to be so high-profile. This masterpiece, which can be called Ding'an's poem, is too dazzling, but it is very appropriate at this moment.

Snapped!

Qian Fu, who was waiting to watch the show just now, seemed to have been slapped suddenly, with even echoes, and he himself looked up at Tingchao Pavilion in disbelief.

this……

Zhang Sui and Xu Hong were equally shocked and looked at each other in surprise.

The man in the front is full of pride, but in the back, "Falling red is not a heartless thing, it turns into spring mud to protect flowers" is a higher level, and the implication is even more profound.

Han Youying, who was making tea, opened her lips slightly, and was shocked by this man again.

Zhu Youtang's original intention was not to show off his talents, but to give some people a piece of advice, so he gave Liu Jin a look to indicate for him to continue.

But now that things have happened, Zhu Youtang may have to be known as a poet in addition to his reputation as a tyrant.

"Your Majesty, I have been cared for by my mother since I was a child. I have always stretched out my hands for clothes, opened my mouth for food, and never touched the spring water with my fingers. Last year, I suddenly needed to take care of grass carp. Although I immediately wrote a book and went home to ask about the method of raising fish, the grass carp did not grow out of ten. Riji is dead, please punish me!" Liu Cunye didn't have as many twists and turns as Qian Fu, so he chose to plead guilty directly.

Zhang Sui glanced at Liu Cunye who was kneeling in front of him. Although he didn't have any ill intentions toward Liu Cunye, he didn't have much favorable impression either.

Liu Jin had received Zhu Youtang's clear instructions, so he announced calmly: "Liu Xiuzhan, you have failed His Majesty's trust. Now you should reflect on it!"

"I accept the decree!" Liu Cunye felt that his reasons were very sufficient and that reflection was just a process, so he immediately bowed politely.

At this time, everyone's eyes fell on Jin Gui, the man who discovered the beauty. Although Jin Gui was the lowest ranked among the three, he became the prime minister who was initially optimistic.

Jin Gui was born into a prominent family in the south of the Yangtze River. His father had experience in Wenzhou Prefecture. He studied under Yang Yiqing. He came into contact with officialdom earlier than ordinary people and was well versed in the rules of the officialdom game.

Now only twenty-six years old, it can be said that he has achieved success at a young age. Because he is a well-rounded person, he is highly regarded by his fellow Hanlin scholar Cheng Minzheng.

Unlike the previous top picks and second picks, the wooden basin in his hand was filled with clear water, and a vigorous-looking grass carp was swimming in it, but he had successfully raised the grass carp until now.

"I and my servants took turns taking care of it. Fortunately, I fulfilled my mission. Now please return the grass carp to its original owner!" Jin Gui stepped forward and knelt down, and said in a very loud and authentic voice.

The eyes of Qian Fu and Liu Cunye were full of confusion and jealousy. Now that Jin Gui has successfully returned the grass carp, not only does he not need to reflect, but he is also likely to be rewarded.

Today was Zhang Yong's turn, so he immediately led two eunuchs forward.

Huh?

When Xu Hong and others saw a young eunuch taking out an album to compare with Grass Carp, they seemed to have suddenly thought of something and silently exchanged glances.

"It seems that some people are smart, but they are mistaken by their cleverness!"

"how do I say this?"

"As long as you wait, this young man's fate will be even worse!"

…

Zhang Sui and Xu Hong stood side by side. After seeing the little eunuch hurried upstairs, he expressed his stance very firmly.

Jin Gui naturally saw this strange move in his eyes and also realized that he had made a mistake. A large amount of sweat suddenly appeared on his forehead.

"Editor Jin, this is not a small crime to deceive the emperor. Are you sure that the grass carp you brought back was not killed by Li Daitao?" Liu Jin suddenly asked seriously.

Jin Gui suddenly felt a huge pressure, but he knew that this would be a major political adventure. While the rewards for success are huge, the costs of failure are equally heavy. This is a dilemma.

"Jin Gui, you'd better admit it, you can't survive in the bathtub!" Qian Gui had already reacted and said with contempt.

Jin Gui glared at Qian Gui bitterly, and reported honestly: "Your Majesty, after I entered the Hanlin Academy, I did not dare to relax for a moment, so I studied classics and history. The grass carp was mainly taken care of by the servants. However, in my free time, I , he will take good care of the grass carp and does not find any stiffness in Li Daitao. Your Majesty, please take a closer look."

Xu Hong and Zhang Sui looked at each other, but shook their heads gently, knowing clearly that the shrewd Tanhua Lang passed the responsibility to his servant.

"Editor Jin, do you really think that His Majesty can be deceived by you? According to Jin Yiwei's investigation, your servant has changed eight fishes one after another! If you don't notice one, you can be forgiven, but if you don't notice eight, it's obviously a mistake. You are deliberately conniving and pretending that you don't know anything about it!" Liu Jin looked down at the clever Tanhua Lang in a condescending manner.

Jin Gui suddenly sweated profusely and hurriedly admitted his mistake: "Your Majesty, I did make an oversight. Please punish me!"

Xu Hong and others raised their heads one after another, but they were curious about how His Majesty would deal with these three first-class scholars.

"I have selected three Jinshi candidates in the first class of the imperial examination. I thought I had found talented people, but what you did disappointed me! Since you broke your promise to me, you can no longer stay in the Hanlin Academy. Liu Cunye will be sent to Xingguo County Magistrate, Qian Fu will be sent to Qiongzhou Prefecture Procurator, and Jin Gui will be demoted to Leizhou Prefecture Warehouse Ambassador!" Zhu Youtang took a sip of tea and sent down thunderbolts.

Ah?

Qian Fu and Liu Cunye were stunned. They were directly demoted to Procurator and County Magistrate. They never expected that they would be punished so severely today.

Impossible!

Jin Gui stared in disbelief. He was the most promising prime minister just now, but now he has followed in the footsteps of Yang Tinghe and fallen to a small ninth-rank warehouse ambassador.

The three Hanlin officials were originally prime ministers of a country, and they were also the first batch of Hanlin officials in the Hongzhi Dynasty. However, now they have all been demoted and fell from the sky to the ground.

Although Zhang Sui, Xu Hong and others were surprised, they also felt that Zhu Youtang's approach was very wise, and they realized the true intention of the poem.

Fallen petals are not heartless, they turn into spring mud to protect flowers!

This poem is obviously for the demoted Liu Cunye and others, but I don't know if they can understand your majesty's intentions, and your majesty's talent is really scary.

"Your Majesty, I have failed your majesty's trust, please punish me!"

"Your Majesty, I am guilty, this fish has been replaced!"

"Your Majesty, I am fortunate to have fulfilled my mission, and now I will return the grass carp to its original owner!"

...

After Liu Cunye and the other three were convicted, the nine people behind them expressed their opinions one after another, but some were happy and some were sad.

There were only four people who could really return the property to its original owner. In addition to Zhang Sui and Xu Hong, the other two were Yu Ming, the head of the Ministry of Works, and Qian Sen, the head of the Ministry of Revenue.

"Zhang Tai and the other two, although you didn't answer the questions of His Majesty, you sent the grass carp back to Taiye Lake in time. If you don't make mistakes in the three-year assessment, you can be promoted to the next level!" Liu Jin announced the order.

Zhang Tai and the other three thought they would be punished, but they didn't expect to be rewarded. They immediately said respectfully: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Xu Hong, Yu Ming, Qian Sen, you three have kept your promise to the monarch, so you are promoted to the next level!" Liu Jin announced again.

Xu Hong and the other three were suddenly ecstatic, and immediately said in a proper manner: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. Long live the emperor!"

"Zhang Sui!"

"I'm here!"

"You have raised the grass carp fat, which is the best among the twelve people. Last year, you also made contributions to the Carp Valley. Now you have been promoted to the Governor of Luzon. I hope you can continue to relieve the worries of His Majesty!" Liu Jin took a deep look at the unremarkable Zhang Sui and rewarded him.

Governor of Luzon?

Everyone present was shocked and looked at Zhang Sui in disbelief.

He was promoted from a small censor to the Governor of Luzon. Although the Governor of Luzon was in Southeast Asia and the area under his jurisdiction did not belong to the territory of the Ming Dynasty, his status had actually risen.