The sun was setting in the west. The setting sun was like a lively girl in love who saw her beloved lover around the corner. She immediately retracted her dazzling light and hid herself outside the palace wall, revealing only half of her blushing face, and became unusually gentle.
The Wanshou Palace is located in the Western Garden. The roof is covered with glazed tiles. Under the shining of the setting sun, the light is golden and from a distance, it looks like it is embedded in a golden ocean.
Although it was sunset, the light was still bright. However, several exquisite octagonal auspicious palace lanterns had been lit in the outer hall of the Wanshou Palace. Their shape was similar to the Changxin Palace lanterns, with palace maids kneeling and holding lanterns. However, the palace maids were carved more lifelike. The fuel used in the lanterns was a kind of royal animal fat mixed with kerosene fuel invented by Shen Kuo in the Northern Song Dynasty. It was smokeless and dust-free. Six luminous pearls were hung around each octagonal palace lantern, refracting light evenly, making the entire outer hall of the Wanshou Palace brightly lit.
The Ming Dynasty's Chief Minister Yan Song, the Second Chief Minister Xu Jie, Li Chunfang and others were in the brightly lit outer hall of the Wanshou Palace, and their mood gradually brightened.
They were all optimistic about the second Qingci presented, especially the Prime Minister Yan Song. His face, which had been serious and heavy all day, smoothed out, and he looked like the immortal of the South Pole, with a faint smile in his kindness.
Yan Song was very satisfied with the Qing Ci written by his son Yan Shifan. In Yan Song's opinion, this Qing Ci was excellent in both conception and literary talent. It was the best Qing Ci he had seen that day.
Xu Jie, Li Chunfang and others were also relatively optimistic.
"Huating, I think your second article has a very good idea and is three times better than the first one." Yan Song looked at Xu Jie with a smile and said, "I think you will win the emperor's favor this time."
"Thank you for your praise, Lord. In terms of conception and outline, your article is ingenious and ten times better than mine." Xu Jie smiled and shook his head, and in turn praised Yan Song's article highly.
After Xu Jie's speech, Li Chunfang and others also praised Yan Song's articles.
Yan Song smiled modestly and shook his head.
Yan Song was very confident about the articles he presented to the emperor. Most of his worries about Emperor Jiajing were gone, and he could focus on other things.
"Huating, I heard Wenhua mention it some time ago, saying that you intend to recommend Nie Bao to be recalled to the court to serve?" After talking for a while, Yan Song stroked his beard, squinted his eyes and asked Xu Jie, his tone casual, without any intention of accusing him.
"I'm just looking for an opportunity to talk to the elder about this." Xu Jie replied with a slight smile, while standing up and holding the teapot to fill Yan Song's cup with tea.
Yan Song held the teacup with one hand, watched Xu Jie pour the tea, nodded slightly, his face as kind as ever.
"Haha, I'm not afraid of being laughed at by the elder. Strictly speaking, I should call you Grand Tutor." After Xu Jie poured tea for Yan Song, he sat in front of Yan Song and said with a smile in a teasing tone.
"Oh?" Yan Song pretended to be confused.
"Your Excellency may not know that although Lord Nie Bao and I are not master and disciple in name, we are master and disciple in reality. When I was still young, I entered Huating County School, and the magistrate of Huating was Master Nie. Master Nie taught students like us in the county school many times, and I often asked Master Nie for advice and learned from him. I also heard Master Nie mention Your Excellency many times. Master Nie said that when he took the imperial examination in the twelfth year of Zhengde, the chief examiner was Your Excellency. The Lord Nie was Master Nie's tutor, and Master Nie was my teacher. Strictly speaking, shouldn't Xu Jie call Your Excellency the Grand Tutor, haha..." Xu Jie smiled and briefly reviewed the relationship between himself, Nie Bao and Yan Song, and then smiled and performed a student salute to Yan Song.
"Huating, you..." Yan Song smiled and shook his head. Xu Jie's humble attitude made Yan Song feel less resentful.
"How did Nie Bao mention me to you?" Yan Song asked.
Although Nie Bao was Yan Song's student, Yan Song actually did not like Nie Bao very much. The main reason was that Nie Bao was an upright person. When he was in the court, he did not like some officials and phenomena, and he impeached others at every turn, offending many people. On the one hand, he implicated Yan Song, and on the other hand, some of Yan Song's subordinates were also impeached by Nie Bao.
At first, Yan Song admired this student from his hometown and promoted him a lot. But gradually, he became disappointed with him and gradually lost interest in him.
"Teacher Nie said that he and the minister are from the same hometown, and he is also the minister's student. After passing the imperial examination, he was well taken care of by the minister." Xu Jie replied.
"You are confused. I am not a nepotist. I am just giving him some advice because he has some talent." Yan Song narrowed his eyes and pretended to scold him.
"Of course, I am not unaware of the character of the elder. I recommended Master Nie not because of such a relationship. It was mainly because of Master Nie's achievements. During his time as a minister, Master Nie made many contributions and achieved outstanding political achievements. Many officials in the court recommended Master Nie. Yu Zhende, a member of the Imperial Secretariat, recommended Master Nie three times. Eight other governors and inspectors who had visited the place where Master Nie was serving recommended Master Nie in the form of memorials. This is also what Meicun (Zhao Wenhua, the godson of Yan Song) told me. In addition, in the 21st year, the enemy chieftain Altan Khan in the north He led tens of thousands of northern barbarians to harass Shanxi. Wherever he passed, our border troops either fled or avoided fighting. The enemy chieftain Altan led his troops as if they were in an empty land. Even Datong, guarded by Lord Weng Wanda, avoided fighting. In the whole of Shanxi, only Pingyang Prefecture, where Master Nie was stationed, resisted the invasion of the enemy chieftain. The emperor has decreed that "all officials, regardless of their rank, should serve for six years, and those who are virtuous and outstanding will be promoted." The period for Master Nie's assessment has come, so I have such considerations and I am looking for an opportunity to ask the old man for a decision. "Xu Jie replied with a straight face.
Yan Song did not say anything, but picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea.
"Strictly speaking, it's not about recalling Master Nie back to the court, but about considering recommending Master Nie to be the governor of Shuntian," Xu Jie added.
"According to the rules, there is nothing wrong with that. However, Nie Bao is my student, and I cannot let people think that I am nepotism. You need to think carefully about it. Come to my house another day to discuss this matter." Yan Song nodded slightly and acknowledged Xu Jie's expression as he recommended Nie Bao.
"If you dare to disobey my order, you will probably take advantage of the elder's meal again." Xu Jie smiled and bowed in response, a gleam of light flashing in his eyes.
The matter was resolved satisfactorily. Yan Song and Xu Jie began to talk about other things in low voices and with laughter, occasionally whispering a few words with Li Chunfang and others.
Of course, while they were chatting and laughing, everyone was also paying attention to the movements in the inner hall from time to time, just like confident and excellent students who had handed in their papers and were waiting for the teacher to mark them and announce their results.
Yan Maoqing was the one who paid the most attentive attention to the movements in the inner hall among the crowd. However, he was not confident in the article he presented, but "confident" in the article presented by Zhu Ping'an. He knelt before the Buddha for three thousand years. Haha, Yan Maoqing could not be more confident in this "unprecedented and unparalleled" "eye-opening" masterpiece.