Drunk in the brothel, Haishi.
The famous scholars in Jinxia City gathered together again, but this time they were not in the mood to recite poems and have fun, but were arguing over Liu Ruyan's running away.
"Is it ridiculous for a poor man to become a lecturer in a school?" Mr. Chen repeatedly knocked on the table and said, "When I heard about this news, I thought there was something wrong with my ears!"
"This is simply immoral and unsightly!" Someone immediately echoed, "Does she think she is a young lady with an innocent background?"
"The problem is only with the Secretariat. They actually agreed to this job."
"Could it be that the person responsible for the review leaked their eyes?"
"According to Brother Zhou, as soon as the woman left, people from the Privy Council came to warn her. How could she not know the details of Liu Ruyan!"
Perhaps to show favor to Zhou Sheng, or perhaps because they felt the same way, no one spoke up for Qing Guanren. The disputes all focused on whether Liu Ruyan was more ignorant, or whether the Secretariat was acting more absurdly.
But there is no doubt about one thing.
Being a teacher is something that scholars like them are qualified to do. Looking at all the private schools and schools in Shenzhou, which gentleman or wife is not at least a scholar
Now this decent status that everyone envied has been desecrated by a prostitute. Even if the other party is a shepherd, he is still the lowest status person.
This means that there is a big problem in Jinxia City.
"We can't remain silent any longer!" shouted a fat young man wearing a gold silk robe, and it was obvious from a glance that he came from a wealthy family. "We must drive that woman out of the school and clear her roots, so that she can be worthy of the righteousness of a scholar!"
"Young Master Hu put it simply. If the Wang family is still there, we might be able to instigate the Second Young Master Wang to do something, and directly tie up Liu Ruyan and teach him a lesson. Now that we are going to drive him away, what can you do to drive him away? We can't Come up by yourself?"
"So what if I'm on my own? In ancient times, there were civil servants who spilled blood in the court as examples, but now there's Jinxia, a talented man who is making a difference! If we succeed, we will definitely become famous! In fact, I have already figured out Liu Ruyan's route home. "
After hearing these words, everyone looked at him.
Mr. Hu coughed twice quickly, "I didn't follow you, I just looked for someone... Well, I looked for someone to inquire."
"Zhou Sheng, what do you think?" Mr. Chen asked Zhou Dacai, who had been silent.
"The Liu Ruyan incident... is just a pretext." Zhou Sheng exhaled and then said in a deep voice, "This matter can't just focus on a brothel woman, we have to look at the overall situation."
"Big picture? What do you mean?"
"As far as I know, when the Secretariat recruits reserve officials, it may not have the intention of including scholars from the beginning."
There was a burst of excitement in the wing room.
"This...isn't possible?"
"I also found it incredible, so I asked a few more people - that is, those classmates who were not sure about the provincial examination and the general examination and planned to make a living first." Zhou Sheng said methodically, "But the result was surprising. Their foundation He was obviously much better than his competitors, but they were all rejected by the review. The only one who was selected for the training class was a boy from the Huo family in the south of the city. Because he failed to make the list for two consecutive provincial examinations, he simply did not mention this part of his experience. "
"Looking at it individually, you might not think it's anything. After all, these people's abilities are limited. It takes more than ten years to take the provincial examination. It's normal for them to be screened out. But if you look at the people recruited by the Secretariat together, , the situation is worth speculating on. I guess that as long as you mention that you have participated in the imperial examination, you may fail the review. "
Everyone seemed to be listening to a fantasy.
From the county government down to the six ministries, the entire Qi State was run with the support of scholars. This is not surprising, after all, the ancients have long said that books are like medicine, and good reading can cure stupidity. Compared with those ignorant people who have not yet developed their intelligence, they are all people who have seen the big world from books. They know how high the sky is and how vast the earth is. Their abilities and knowledge are far better than those of the street vendors. Because of this, the country cannot do without them.
If you want to get a good name, no matter where you go, you won't be treated politely. Even if you can't become an official, you will still be the first to be invited by wealthy families. It’s okay if you don’t want to fawn over, but you actually want to exclude scholars from the Secretariat? This is not even stupid, it is simply ridiculous!
"That's unreasonable!" Mr. Chen said through gritted teeth after a long time, "Isn't there anyone taking care of this matter?"
"Manage? What to care for? As long as they are not named in the staff department, the chief officer can recruit adjutants according to his own wishes." Zhou Sheng snorted coldly, "What's more, Mr. Xia is still the Prime Minister of the Privy Council. He is free to select any one. It is impossible for the court to hold anyone accountable for this. This matter... ultimately we have to rely on ourselves."
"Brother Zhou, do you have an idea?" Everyone couldn't help but feel refreshed.
If it was the idea of a great scholar of Zhou Dynasty, it would definitely not be as crude and vulgar as Master Hu.
It was hard for him to think of kidnapping a shepherd on the street on the way.
"The Secretariat is in the spotlight now, which is why the school is able to confuse people." Zhou Sheng looked around and said slowly, "To curb this matter, we still have to start with the key of 'fame'. Our power lies in our pens , rather than the sword, as long as we can expose the opponent's scam and let everyone see the true level of the school, whether it is the Privy Council or the Secretariat, sooner or later it will become the target of public rejection."
"Just tell me what everyone should do!"
———
As soon as they heard about the fight, everyone in the wing couldn't help but feel their blood boiling.
"First of all, I heard that there are auditorium seats on the first day of class in the school. These days, everyone is asking each other to find connections. We must win at least one." Zhou Sheng raised his first finger, "Obviously Xia Fan wants to pass the auditorium. way to expand our influence, but it’s also a great opportunity for us to fight back.”
"Enlightenment is nothing more than starting from those few classic texts. I believe you all have memorized them by heart. After all, Liu Ruyan is a woman and has never participated in the imperial examination. Whether it is lectures or interpretations, it is impossible to be flawless. When the observer brings back what she taught, we can prescribe the right medicine, find out the flaws, and then attack them!"
"So that's it," Mr. Chen said thoughtfully, "as long as the scholars in the city point out that what she said is wrong, the people will also become suspicious. Together with this suspicion, whether the school can take on the role of enlightenment will be put in doubt. On the table, no matter what the outcome is, it will weaken the reputation of the Secretariat."
"That's right." Zhou Sheng held out a second finger, "Then let's direct the fire to Liu Ruyan's identity - she is just a brothel girl, how can He De sit on top of the school and mislead the disciples in front of everyone? Neither She has no ability but no qualifications, and the Secretariat cannot protect her to the end amid all the doubts."
"As for the third point..." He paused, "We can spread the rumor that she had an affair with Xia Fan. Otherwise, how can we explain how someone like her was elected as the school's wife? There must be something fishy about it."
"This is a heart-wrenching plan!" Mr. Hu clapped his hands and applauded, "As everyone knows, Xia Fan's ability to climb to this position mainly depends on the appreciation and promotion of Her Highness the Princess, and Princess Ning is a woman after all. Who cares? When I hear that my right-hand subordinate is having an affair with another brothel bitch, I always feel a little uncomfortable."
"But... aren't you going to take her as your concubine?" Some people asked curiously.
"These are two different things." Zhou Sheng said expressionlessly, "I can't possibly delay my responsibility to rectify the source because of my own personal affairs, right?"
"Well said, he is indeed a great talent in Zhou Dynasty!"
"At this point, the matter is basically settled. After the rumors spread, Xia Fan will definitely clear up the relationship. The best expectation is that Fu Cheng will send a scapegoat to admit his mistake and re-elect the wife; the worst expectation is that Liu will be replaced. Ruyan has faded out of public view and will no longer be used."
"This is a good idea, let's implement it!"
"I agree."
"I agree too!"
Everyone responded one after another.
Zhou Sheng secretly clenched his fists - after Liu Ruyan was kicked out of the affairs bureau, he must let the other party know the consequences of betraying him!