() ***
Qin Mu returned upstairs, thinking he had walked into the wrong room, and hesitated for a moment at the door. The little beauty in front of him had red lips and white teeth, a delicate figure, picturesque eyebrows and eyes, and a faint red mole between her eyebrows. Her black hair was not yet dry, and it was softly draped over her shoulders. Although she was not very old, she was naturally beautiful. I'm afraid she would be a disaster in the future... ... ... ... ... ..
Qin Mu couldn't help shaking his head to dispel his lust. He walked to the bed and sat down, then threatened fiercely: "Tell me, where are you from?" I guess the little beggar... ... ... ... ... well, even if the little beauty answered "Yaochi", he would believe it.
"I... ... ... ... ."
"If you dare to tell me a lie, I'll roast you and eat you!"
The little beauty glanced at him quickly with her bright eyes, then quickly lowered her head. Perhaps it had been too long since she had shown her true face to anyone, so her face was full of girlishness. She pinched the corner of her clothes with her fingers and stammered, "I... ... ... .slave... ... ... ... ...."
"Stop being a slave and talk to me, talk!" Qin Mu was like the King of Hell trying a case, with only a few little devils standing by his side.
"My hometown is Yueyang."
Well, it's from Hunan, and the waist is slender and light in the palm, no wonder. But the King of Hell is not so easy to perfunctory: "Tell me, how old are you this year?"
The little beauty glanced at him quickly again and answered hesitantly, "Fourteen."
"Why don't you say forty?"
"Ten ... ... ... ... thirteen."
"I'm not being honest anymore. I'm really roasting it and eating it."
"twelve."
Is it possible to squeeze toothpaste these days
The King of Hell almost fainted. In fact, it was easy to understand the little girl's little thoughts. She probably thought that falsifying her age would make people think she was more useful.
"Are you sure it's really Twelve? This is my last warning to you. If you don't behave yourself, don't blame me."
"It's really twelve. I didn't lie to you this time. I really didn't lie to you." The little girl finally realized that she was getting anxious.
Well, the so-called twelve is actually eleven. These days everyone counts their age in lunar calendar. If the actual age is eleven, Qin Mu feels it is barely credible.
"What's your name?"
"My surname is Yun, and my given name is... Someone told you my name."
"Yun Qiao? Xianyun Nongqiao, this name is not so-so. Tell me, how many years have you been away from home? Who is still home?" The King of Hell regretted it as soon as he asked. Sure enough, the little girl's eyes were misty in an instant, and tears fell straight down.
It is conceivable that if there were still people at home, how could a little girl of eleven or twelve years old come out alone to beg for a living
Over the years, bandits and thieves have been rampant, and there are countless homeless people like her. Judging from the fact that she has learned to protect herself in many details, she must have been begging for a long time.
The little girl cried more and more sadly, her tears fell like pearls from a broken string, and her whole body began to tremble. It was hard to imagine how much she had suffered before she met Qin Mu, and how she lived in uncertainty and fear.
Qin Mu stood up, stroked her little head and comforted her: "Qiao'er, don't be too sad, let it all pass. Remember this sentence, sometimes life makes us fall into the abyss, not to kill us, but to teach us to fly!"
**
After Hou Fangyu and Mao Xiang left the inn, they decided to go to Nanjing garrison eunuch Han Zanzhou at night to negotiate. Huichang is located at the junction of Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong provinces, a no-man's land. Moreover, this poor and remote county is now ravaged by bandits, and two consecutive county magistrates have died in office. The Ming Dynasty is now on fire and in a mess, and has no ability to take care of such a small county. The Ministry of Personnel has arranged several officials, all of whom would rather go home to farm than take up their posts.
Now the imperial court is increasingly relying on Jiangnan, and the power of Han Zanzhou, the eunuch guarding Nanjing, is naturally increasing. With Han Zanzhou's recommendation, it should not be difficult to give Qin Mu the title of Huichang County Magistrate.
Hou Fangyu also specially prepared some gifts before going to pay a visit to Han Zanzhou with Mao Xiang.
In the Ming Dynasty, the distinction between civil servants and eunuchs was clear on the surface, but it was often a life-and-death struggle.
In fact, the situation is far from that simple. The outer court holds the power of voting and administration, while the inner court holds the power of approval and has great supervisory power. It is true that the two sides check and balance each other and have conflicts of interest, which will inevitably lead to fierce struggle.
But when no one can do anything to anyone else, there will inevitably be compromises and exchanges of interests.
In order to achieve certain goals, many civil officials made friends with eunuchs. It is worth mentioning that the Nei Shu Tang in the palace was where young eunuchs learned to read and write. Most of the eunuchs in power came from the Nei Shu Tang, and those who taught in the Nei Shu Tang were civil officials from the Hanlin Academy. These civil officials and the eunuchs from the Nei Shu Tang naturally formed a teacher-student relationship, which laid a good foundation for their future "hooking up" inside and outside the palace.
Mao Xiang's father Mao Qizon had a good personal relationship with Han Zanzhou, so Fang Yu, the Marquis, asked Mao Xiang for help. Through Han Zanzhou, the "insider", he would undoubtedly be able to achieve his goal the fastest.
For the sake of Mao Qizong, Han Zanzhou did not act too arrogantly and quickly received the two of them. When paying his respects, Young Master Hou did not have the arrogance he had when he was giving orders and scolding the eunuch party at the symposium at Taoye Ferry. In front of Han Zanzhou, he was careful to put on a smile, like a turtle grandson. Hey, no wonder he would shave his head and run away to be a slave of the Qing Dynasty in the future. That's just the way he is.
Han Zanzhou was in his forties, with a slightly round face and a very friendly smile. He saw two people coming to see him for no reason and bringing a lot of gifts. Well, with Zhou Yanru dismissed from the post of Prime Minister of the Cabinet, the officials of the Fushe were demoted or exiled. These little bastards were not so arrogant anymore and knew how to respect others.
Han Zanzhou offered tea with a smile, then coughed twice and said, "As the saying goes, no one comes to visit without a reason. You came to visit me, you are not here to chat about family matters, are you? If you have something to say, just say it. I am in a hurry to go out for a banquet."
Mao Xiang was at a loss for words, but Hou Fangyu couldn't wait any longer. The gift had already been given, so was it given for nothing
He quickly forced out a bright smile and said, "Since Eunuch Han has something to do, I dare not delay him. Let me tell you straight away. Has Eunuch Han ever heard of Qin Mu?"
"Well, my beloved is a genius, why is he released every year? Hahahaha... Now I am ashamed of your presence. If you come, come near night. Who in Nanjing has not heard of Qin Mu?"
It was rare for Eunuch Han to be literary. To be honest, he liked Qian Wan's poem from the bottom of his heart and wanted to laugh every time he thought of it.
Hou Fangyu also smiled and said, "Eunuch Han, although Qin Mu failed three times in the exam, he is indeed talented. Today he sent out more than 20 excellent works, which can be said to be effortless and informal. What's more rare is that Qin Mu has a sincere heart to serve the country and has the talent to govern the country. When I was chatting with him, we talked about the rebellion of bandits in Huichang, Jiangxi, and the fact that many officials sent by the Ministry of Personnel did not dare to take up the post. Qin Mu slammed the table and stood up, indignant, and threatened that he only regretted not passing the exam, otherwise he would definitely ask to be sent to Huichang to wipe out the bandits in one fell swoop and bring peace to the area..."
Han Zanzhou interrupted Hou Fangyu disapprovingly and said, "It's just empty talk. He didn't pass the exam. I'm afraid if he did pass, he wouldn't want to go."
Hou Fangyu replied, "Eunuch Han, we have been talking with Qin Mu for a long time. He speaks with substance and logic in military and political affairs. He does not seem to be a person who talks big and empty. Today, we came here to ask you to help Qin Mu.
Qin Mu has been listed as a candidate in the Ministry of Personnel. You are deeply favored by the emperor, so it would be a piece of cake for you to let Qin Mu fill the vacancy in Huichang. Please think about it, the court is in a turbulent time. If Qin Mu is really talented and you have made a contribution in recommending him, when the emperor appreciates him in the future, you will definitely have contributed a lot.
Taking a step back, Huichang is a small county that no one wants to go to anyway, so why not let Qin Mu try? If Qin Mu is incompetent, the situation will not be worse than it is now, and it will not be a big loss for the father-in-law. This matter is beneficial to the father-in-law, and I hope the father-in-law can help him a little. "
Han Zanzhou couldn't help but nod slightly after hearing this. As the eunuch guarding Nanjing, he knew the situation in Huichang. This was indeed a small county where bandits were rampant and no one was willing to go there. It would be okay to let Qin Mu give it a try. If he really had great talent, his recommendation would be indispensable in the future.
He asked thoughtfully, "Why didn't Qin Mu come with you?"
"This... Eunuch, please understand. Qin Mu was injured in the head ten days ago and has not yet recovered. It is too rude to come to see you with the wound wrapped."
Han Zanzhou accepted Hou Fangyu's gift, and since this matter was nothing more than a piece of cake for him, he agreed: "Well, let's do this. Go back and ask Qin Mu to prepare. The imperial court will appoint him soon. Don't do anything weird when the time comes. If he shrinks back like the others and doesn't dare to take up the post, don't blame us for being rude."
"Thank you, eunuch. Thank you, eunuch. Don't worry, I will definitely convey your instructions to Qin Mu."
Hou Fangyu originally thought that he would have to work very hard to convince Han Zanzhou, but he did not expect things to go so smoothly. This was a real pleasant surprise for him.
Huichang is a good place, with many bandits. If Qin Mu were to go around the bandit's lair, I wouldn't believe he would come back alive.
***
ps: Just a quick question: Dear friends, have you collected it? Have you recommended it
Suddenly he yelled: Why don't you collect it? Why don't you recommend it? Am I not pitiful enough? Hehe... ..
.
;
...