As the Prime Minister, Chen Tingjian focused most of his energy on state affairs, but on the evening of the last day of every month, he would call his three sons to his study and ask them about their performance as officials.
This day was no exception.
The little maid came to the west courtyard and delivered messages to the eldest master, the third master, and the prince consort in turn.
Chen Bochong was the first to arrive at the moon-shaped gate leading to the main courtyard in the west courtyard. Not long after, Chen Xiaozong also arrived.
The wind in the capital is very strong in winter. Even though the two brothers were dressed warmly, their faces exposed to the wind were almost blown stiff.
Chen Xiaozong stamped his feet, looked towards Siyitang and said, "Why is the fourth master so slow?"
Even if their yard was closer and they got the news first, the fourth brother shouldn't have delayed so long.
Chen Bozong was silent.
At this moment, a dark shadow suddenly appeared in the distant corridor. The two brothers looked over at the same time, and their handsome faces, which looked 50% similar, froze at the same time.
Chen Bochong was fine, but Chen Xiaozong's mouth twitched and he uttered an indistinct curse.
Chen Jingzong, wearing that elegant and luxurious fox fur cloak, came in front of his two brothers calmly and confidently.
Chen Bozong glanced at his brother, then turned and walked forward.
Chen Xiaozong walked side by side with his brother, and cast his eyes on the jet-black cloak several times. In the end, he couldn't help but said, "The princess treats you very well."
Chen Jingzong: "Why, you are the only ones who deserve the care and concern of the eldest and third sisters-in-law, but I am not worthy of the princess's care?"
Chen Xiaozong: "You are more worthy than anyone else."
Chen Bozong said without even turning his head: "The princess is kind to you, that's your blessing, but you shouldn't be too ostentatious."
Chen Jingzong: "Why would I show off? I only wear it on the road in the morning and evening. It's so black that passers-by would think there's no one on the horse."
Chen Xiaozong: "Aren't you wearing it today?"
Chen Jingzong: "I didn't go out."
Chen Xiaozong: "You also know that you are the least afraid of the cold among our family members. You have to dress like this for just a few steps. Are you deliberately showing off to us?"
Chen Jingzong: "If you are jealous, just say so. Next year, when the princess gives me a new one, I will give this one to you."
Chen Xiaozong really wanted to beat up his younger brother, but unfortunately, as his older brother, he could not get any advantage since his younger brother was seven or eight years old.
The two brothers were bickering on the way, but once they entered Chunhe Hall, they became as silent as Chen Bochong.
Chen Tingjian was in the study, and Sun came out of the main hall when she heard that her sons had arrived. Although they all lived in the same house, the sons were busy with their work and they didn't spend much time together.
When the curtain was raised, Sun first saw the fourth brother, who was the tallest and the most flamboyantly dressed.
With a chuckle, Sun covered her stomach and laughed. Her laughter became louder and louder, and she couldn't stop it.
The laughter reached the study room, and Chen Tingjian came out puzzled. He glanced at his three sons and finally stopped at the fourth one.
Chen Jingzong held his head high and chest puffed out.
Chen Tingjian snorted heavily and went back in.
"Mom, please stop laughing. Your health is important." Chen Xiaozong supported his mother, who was almost unable to stand, and advised helplessly. Chen Bochong simply stood in front of his mother to prevent her from looking at his fourth brother.
Sun laughed so hard that tears came out. The fourth brother's little thoughts were written all over his face. Using this method to fight with the old man was more interesting than any other play.
After laughing enough, Sun didn't say anything to her sons. She waved her hand and asked them to go to the study to see the old man, and then she went into the main room.
The three brothers walked to the door of the study, and there was another burst of laughter from the main room.
Chen Bozong and Chen Xiaozong looked at their younger brother at the same time, and the latter whispered, "Fourth brother can be considered to have dressed up to entertain his parents."
Chen Jingzong pushed him directly in.
There was a floor heating under the study, and it was warm. Under Chen Tingjian's sullen gaze, Chen Jingzong untied his cloak and hung it on a shelf beside him.
Chen Tingjian withdrew his gaze and pointed to the three chairs next to the desk, motioning for his sons to sit down.
According to the order of seniority, he started with Chen Bozong.
The Dali Temple was full of cases, often involving the crimes of some officials. Chen Jingzong leaned lazily against the back of his chair, closed his eyes and occasionally frowned.
After the autumn, Chen Xiaozong went to the Ministry of Revenue and worked as the head of the Shandong Qinglisi, a sixth-rank official. He had a better understanding of the tax accounts of various parts of Shandong.
When it got dark outside the window, Chen Tingjian finally asked his fourth son, "How is the training going over there?"
Chen Jingzong: "The competition will start in half a month. You will know whether it is good or not after you see it."
Chen Tingjian: "I'm asking if you are confident enough to not come in last again."
Chen Jingzong: "Then if I say I can get first place in positive numbers, will you believe it?"
Chen Tingjian: …
Chen Bozong was about to reprimand his brother on behalf of his father, but Chen Tingjian waved his hand and said, "Go back."
The three brothers left together.
After walking out of Chunhe Hall, Chen Bochong turned around, but before he could make eye contact with his younger brother, Chen Jingzong suddenly quickened his pace and left his brothers behind in the blink of an eye.
Chen Xiaozong: "He has no conscience. We always wait for him to come over, but he always leaves us behind and runs away."
Chen Bozong closed his mouth silently.
Siyi Hall.
Huayang sat on the couch in the second room, watching Chen Jingzong walk into the inner room wearing the cloak. After a while, he came out wearing only ordinary clothes, with a hint of smugness lingering between his brows.
She couldn't bear to watch it, and flipped through the book and said, "This is also worth showing off."
Chen Jingzong: "Just a cloak is nothing, the important thing is that it was given by you. The emperor gave the old man the cloak before, and he wears it as soon as winter comes. Isn't it also showing off?"
Hua Yang: "Father wants the emperor to know that he is always thinking of the emperor's grace. That is the way of a minister."
Chen Jingzong: "I also..."
.
The martial arts competitions of the twenty-six guards in the capital are always scheduled on the fifteenth day of the winter month.
The Ministry of War would send the list of names of each garrison to Emperor Jingshun three days in advance, and he would select ten people at random.
This selection method not only takes into account fairness, but also avoids each garrison from preparing those ten men before the battle with only three days of preparation time, thus being able to more realistically reflect the overall military strength of each garrison.
Imperial study.
The Minister of War was waiting respectfully on one side, and Eunuch Ma delivered the list of each garrison to the imperial desk one by one.
Emperor Jingshun took the red pen, turned a page, and circled the name of an ordinary soldier. It was very simple and did not require any thought.
Until Eunuch Ma put out the roster of Daxing Zuowei.
Daxing Zuowei, the garrison where my son-in-law is the commander!
Emperor Jingshun could not openly show favoritism and asked his son-in-law for a list of the ten strongest soldiers in advance. However, he felt that the general situation of some soldiers could be seen from their names.
His eyes quickly swept across the names, and Emperor Jingshun suddenly paused, then circled the one called "Gao Dazhuang".
The names of all the garrisons were circled. The Minister of War took the list away and sent his officials to write down the ten names selected from each garrison separately. One copy was presented to the emperor, one copy was kept by the Ministry of War, and one copy was sent to each of the twenty-six garrisons.
Chen Jingzong was sitting with his two commanders, Lu Chengliang and Ma Hong. When they learned that someone from the Ministry of War was coming, Lu Chengliang and Ma Hong were a little nervous.
Because Daxing Zuowei has always ranked last every year, the previous commanders have been transferred to local guard posts. If they rank last again this year, the prince consort will at most lose face, and the two of them may also be sent to local places by the emperor.
Soon, the list was handed to Chen Jingzong.
Chen Jingzong had been in the garrison for nearly five months, but it was impossible for him to know every one of the more than 5,000 soldiers.
Ma Hong, who came up behind him to watch, suddenly sighed.
Chen Jingzong: "What?"
Ma Hong pointed at a person on the list and said, "This Gao Da Zhuang, his name sounds intimidating, but he's actually not tall or strong, and he can't do anything."
Chen Jingzong: "It's so bad, I should have some impression of it."
Ma Hong: "You haven't seen him, because I transferred him to the kitchen a long time ago."
Chen Jingzong: …
Lu Chengliang: "I remember now. When Gao Dazhuang first came to the garrison, he was actually quite strong and sturdy. So even though he was a little short, the garrison still accepted him. He even made two contributions. But later he fell ill, and since then he has become thinner and has lost his strength."
Ma Hong shook his head. He didn't have the heart to kick Gao Dazhuang out just because he had made great contributions. He didn't expect that it would delay the competition.
Chen Jingzong: "Okay, call everyone over first."
After a cup of tea, nine soldiers came running and lined up outside.
Chen Jingzong walked out and saw that although these nine men were not the tallest and strongest soldiers in the garrison, they were all capable after five months of training.
"Why is Gao Dazhuang not here?"
Just as Chen Jingzong finished speaking, a man came running over.
Chen Jingzong narrowed his eyes slightly.
Gao Dazhuang was seven and a half feet tall, which was considered short among the twenty-six guards in the capital, but he was considered of medium height among ordinary people.
But Gao Dazhuang was too thin. When the north wind blew, his cloth clothes stuck to his back, leaving him a thin and weak frame in the middle, with empty space on both sides. People were worried that if the wind got stronger, he would be blown away!
While looking around, Gao Dazhuang was panting and standing at the last position of the nine people. He had just been kneading dough and his hands were all sticky with flour. Washing his hands took time.
Being in the garrison, all the soldiers knew how important the martial arts competition was. Gao Dazhuang looked at the commander of the prince consort opposite him, and then at the nine soldiers beside him. He lowered his head in shame and said with a red face: "Commander, why don't I report my illness and ask the emperor to choose another one."
There are ten people in each garrison, and there are more than two hundred people in twenty-six garrisons. It is not uncommon to encounter a sick person. This situation has happened in previous years.
Chen Jingzong looked at him and said in a cold voice: "I heard from Lord Ma that you were a big shot when you first entered the guard post. How come you got sick and lost all your strength and courage? You don't even dare to compete with others?"
This time, Gao Dazhuang's neck turned red and his vision became a little blurry.
The scenes of his former glory and achievements emerged in his mind, and he had to straighten his neck and raise his chin to hold the tears in his eyes.
He didn't want to be sick, didn't want to be just a cook, and didn't want to hold the garrison back, but there was nothing he could do since he had become like this!
The blood color on his face faded, and the howling north wind finally blew away his tears, which rolled down his pale and thin face.
Ma Hong turned his face away, unable to bear to look any longer.
Gao Dazhuang was only sour for a moment, and quickly wiped his face with his sleeves, then straightened his back, looked directly at Chen Jingzong and said: "Commander, rest assured, if you dare to let me play, I will fight for a good ranking at all costs!"
Chen Jingzong: "No one is asking you to fight to the death, just do your best. You can select people temporarily for the competition, but when you are really on the battlefield, the cook is also a soldier, and you have to kill the enemy when you need to. Whether you make merit or die in battle, you are still a hero protecting the country!"
Gao Dazhuang and the nine people around him looked stern and shouted in unison: "Yes!"
After the voice died down, Chen Jingzong said, "From now on, the ten of you will eat and live together. You should train as you normally would at this time. Bai Ri, Gao Dazhuang will also continue to work in the kitchen."
ten people:…
Ma Hong looked at Chen Jingzong in confusion: "Why don't we give them ten special training?"
Chen Jingzong: "What special training can enable them to go further in three days?"
Ma Hong scratched his head. He was still hoping that the prince consort would have some good ideas.
Lu Chengliang understood and said with a smile: "The commander has already told us to put in our efforts in peacetime, so these three days won't matter. Just keep a normal mind."
The other nine were fine, Gao Dazhuang tentatively said: "How about I do some special training? Maybe I can get stronger."
Chen Jingzong: "What's the point of being bigger? It's not worth it if your arms and legs get sore. You only have three days. Instead of wasting your time on areas where you are doomed to be inferior to others, you might as well figure out where you are worse than others."
Gao Dazhuang: …
Now, it seems that the only thing he can show off is his cooking skills. But what use are cooking skills in a competition
(End of this chapter)