Suizhou's errand was semi-public and semi-private, so he stayed at the inn alone and didn't bring his subordinates.
As soon as Tang Fan moved in, Yan Li and the others would naturally move in too.
Although it is close to the capital, it is not the capital after all. There are many empty rooms in the inn. Tang Fan doesn't need to squeeze a room with Suizhou like before. The bed is not big, and it is a bit difficult to sleep with two big men. Aggrieved, if you can live alone in a room, it is naturally the most ideal choice.
However, in order to facilitate the conversation with Suizhou Bingzhuye, Tang Fan still chose the room next to him.
The difference between the entourage and the master is that while Qian San'er was helping to pack the room and luggage, Master Tang could justifiably be lazy, carry a plate of food, and come to chat with Suizhou.
Even though he was named an earl, Suizhou still maintains his own living habits. Keeping simple and practical, never spends too much time on appearance decoration. Nowadays, it is popular in Beijing to use jade to tie a hairband to tie a bun. I didn't even see Sui Zhou's attire.
The most gorgeous and valuable thing in this room is probably the embroidered spring knife in the shark skin sheath that he put on the table.
At this moment, Sui Zhou was turning out from behind the screen, all wet, when he saw Tang Fan holding the oily meat patty in one hand, and touching his embroidered spring knife that drank countless blood in the other, and curiously studied the pattern on it.
This knife has accompanied him through countless difficulties and obstacles, hovering on the edge of life and death. Suizhou has deep feelings for it. Although it is not to the point of "people are with the sword, people are killed by the sword", but if it is someone else like this While eating and playing with this knife, Uncle Sui will definitely turn his face.
Of course there is one exception.
Suizhou glanced at what he was eating: "It's so late, and you still eat such greasy food, aren't you afraid of stomach upset?"
Tang Fan waved his hand: "It's alright, I'm tired of asking the guy to bring a pot of hot tea."
Suizhou was a little helpless: "I can't sleep after drinking tea, so I will come to trouble me again."
Tang Fan said with a smile: "If you can't sleep, I'll talk at night. I'm very happy to see you here. Even if I don't drink tea, I probably won't be able to sleep tonight."
Although he knew he was joking, Sui Zhou couldn't help but slightly raised the corners of his mouth, and joy spread from the bottom of his heart.
Tang Fan pushed the plate in front of him: "Try this, it is said to be a special meat patty from Xianghe County. I think it tastes good. The guy just asked the cook to make it, and it's still hot."
Sui Zhou was not a greedy person originally, but after getting along with this person for a long time, every time he heard his recommendation, he would habitually eat more.
This Xianghe Meatloaf was fried to golden brown on both sides, and the entrance was still a little crispy. It can be seen that the dough was rolled out very thinly, but the filling inside was full, and it was full of tender meat stuffing mixed with scallions in one bite.
In Tang Fan's opinion, the meat patties in this inn are better than the cooks of the He family, and it's not in vain for him to move here at night.
Soon, the guy brought the brewed tea as well. The tea was bought by Tang Fan outside. Naturally, there was no good tea in the inn.
After a cup of hot tea and a bite of crispy and tender meat patties, there are many people who are like this in life.
Of course, for a person like He Lin, even if he was allowed to live like this in his entire life, he would not like it.
The two ate meat patties and chatted by candlelight, which was not a good feeling.
Tang Fan was a little strange: "When I was dismissed last time, Your Majesty's impression of me must have been very bad. How could I have been promoted in just half a month? How did Wang Zhi do it?"
Suizhou said, "Because of your painting."
It turned out that after Wang Zhi returned to the capital, he first went to Wynn, recited what Tang Fan said, and then handed over Tang Fan's painting to Wynn, asking him to find a chance to take out this painting to help Tang Fan in the emperor Make a good impression in front of you.
Who in the world knows the emperor best
It's not the emperor's mother, the Queen Mother Zhou, but Concubine Wan, otherwise Concubine Wan would not be able to hold the emperor's heart firmly.
But in addition to Wan Guifei, these eunuchs who stayed by the emperor's side all day long.
There is no need for Wang Zhi to say more. Wynn quickly understood his thoughts and nodded to show that he would try his best.
After Wang Zhi handed over this matter to Wynn, he left the capital and went straight to Datong to continue his military career.
After a long conversation with Tang Fan, he had realized that he couldn't stay outside for too long, and he had to return to the capital as soon as possible, otherwise his painstakingly managed one-acre land would be handed over to others.
But the capital is not something he can return to if he wants to, at least he has to find a suitable time to bring it up.
Right now he has to continue to eat sand in Datong.
The words were divided into two parts. After listening to Wynn's advice, the prince found an opportunity to plead guilty to the emperor, saying that he should not set up an incense case in the palace to pay homage to his mother. Although he said that it was out of filial piety, it violated the rules of the palace. , should be punished.
He recalled the first time he saw his father. When it came to the emotional part, he couldn't help crying. The emperor was also reminded by him that he was not able to have a child because he had longed for a child for many years. The father and son cried together. It's raining and sunny, and it's over.
No matter what others think, the prince finally got through the current crisis temporarily.
Those who were looking forward to the bad luck of the prince, and those who were staring at him, originally thought that the prince was going to be finished this time, but they didn't expect that if everyone didn't pay attention, the prince even kept his crumbling position.
It seems to be the most clumsy method, but it is actually the most able to touch the emperor's tender intestines.
Tang Fan was right on one point. Emperor Chenghua was not a bad person. On the contrary, he was very soft-hearted.
Such a person can only move his emotions.
It is precisely because of this that Concubine Wan will be invincible.
No matter how many people around the prince plead for him, it is not as good as the prince going to the emperor himself.
When Wang Zhi told Tang Fan's words, Wynn didn't think that Wang Zhi's method would really work. He just wanted to give it a try and let the prince do what Tang Fan said.
Now it really works, and in return, of course, he has to fulfill his previous promise.
When the emperor was in a good mood one day and was painting with his brushes, Wynn chatted that he also had a painting friend. His paintings were not lofty in meaning, but there was always a liveliness in them, and he liked them very much.
Don't think that Emperor Chenghua was indifferent to everything, and he was mediocre in government affairs. In fact, he was a veritable master of calligraphy and painting. It is recognized by the ministers that if he is not an emperor one day, it is estimated that he can sell paintings for a living.
Emperor Chenghua was aroused by Wynn's words, and quickly asked him who that person was. Wynn sold him for a long time before telling him that the man was called Tang Fan.
Even if he was forgetful, the emperor still had some impressions of this name. After thinking for a while, he asked if it was the person who was dismissed from office last time.
Wynn said yes, and quickly pleaded guilty, saying that he knew the rules that internal officials could not communicate with foreign ministers. In the past, he only admired each other's paintings. Now that he knows that he has no official position, he can communicate with peace of mind.
Instead of blaming Wynn, Emperor Chenghua asked him to bring Tang Fan's paintings to himself.
As the eunuch of the Si Lijian and the eunuch of India, and from an official family, Wynn's vision is first-class, and those who can be praised by Wynn will naturally not be too bad. The emperor does not have many hobbies on weekdays, and this painting is one of them. One story, when I heard that Tang Fan's paintings were good, he was immediately itchy, and hurriedly urged Wynn to bring Tang Fan's new works in his collection to him for a review.
Only then did Wynn go back and take out the picture of "The Hen Taking Care of the Chicks" and present it to the emperor.
Because Tang Fan's painting time was limited at that time, he was in a hurry to write, and there must be some lack of finesse, but regardless of the use of color or meaning, it was just like Wynn said, showing a pair of vigor and vitality. The heart is warm, just in line with the emperor's appetite.
At this time, Wang Zhi's shrewdness can be seen.
At the beginning, he did not let Tang Fan paint paintings like Ling Shuang and Aoxue, precisely because the paintings of those styles had lofty meanings, but the plum blossoms and chrysanthemums were all literati expressing their lofty aspirations and extraordinary scenery.
If the emperor saw such content, he would definitely think that Tang Fan was still resentful about his dismissal from office.
But such a picture of "The Hen Cares for the Chicks" is different.
The fresh-colored wisteria is full of vitality. Although the hen has gone a little far, it still stops from time to time and looks back frequently, as if worried that the chick will not be able to keep up with her pace. As for the chick, he raised his head and looked at the wisteria flower hanging from the top of his head, trying hard to peck it, as if he wanted to taste how it tasted. His naive expression made one laugh.
At this time, Wynn sighed on the side: "The reason why the slaves and servants liked this painting is not for anything else, but because of the hen's nostalgia for the hen here, why isn't it His Majesty's love for the prince? Looking forward to it!"
When he saw the emperor's expression changing slightly, he knew that the other party was listening, and he smiled and said, "Although the slave servant has never been a father, he grew up under the guidance of his parents when he was a child. At that time, he was beaten by his father for truancy. Woolen cloth!"
Emperor Chenghua became interested: "You played truant when you were young?"
Wynn said with a smile: "Yes, at that time, there was a big drama in our hometown on the first day of the new year. The slave servant and a few friends made an appointment to go to the drama, so they pretended to be sick and played truant. As a result, when they returned home, they were caught by their father. , I was beaten so badly that I couldn't get out of bed for three months!"
Wynn's father was a minister of the third grade, the uncle was the prefect of Henan, and the elder brother was the minister of the Ministry of War. But it was because his clan brother often advised Xuanzong at that time not to waste his knowledge and hated by Emperor Xuanzong, which led the emperor to hold a grudge and personally interrogate him, asking him to admit his fault to himself.
As a result, Wynn's clan brother was also hard-bone. In front of the emperor, he insisted that he was not wrong, saying that the emperor should not give up writing for the sake of hunting. Xuanzong was furious, and immediately let people treat Wynn's clan brother. He was beaten to death with a stick.
Emperor Xuanzong did not relieve his hatred, so he confiscated the entire Dai family into a lowly rank.
Because Wynn was too young, he was directly charged into the palace and castrated to become an eunuch.
Emperor Chenghua knew about his past, and was very sorry for him: "If it weren't for your clan brother's accident, you wouldn't have to enter the palace at all. Speaking of which, it's true that grandfather has done a little too much! "
The emperor rarely said that he was wrong, even if he was wrong, he was right.
Not to mention the fault of ancestors, which is even rarer.
However, Emperor Chenghua was quite different from the previous emperors, speaking and doing things more like an ordinary person.
Therefore, although he has various shortcomings, as someone who has watched him grow up, Wynn prefers this soft-hearted and talkative emperor.
Because in his opinion, the Son of Heaven had advantages that his father and grandfather did not have.
That is kindness.
In comparison, Emperor Chenghua may be more like his great-grandfather, the Emperor Renzong who reigned for less than a year.
Hearing this sentence, Wynn's eyes were moist, but his face was light: "the past is over, slaves dare not talk about Emperor Xuanzong, but just want to tell His Majesty that parents in this world are both looking forward to their children's well-being, but also afraid Children learn badly. In this conflicted mood, it is inevitable that sometimes they will be punished more severely. But in the final analysis, father and son are father and son. Will look back at the chick."
If Emperor Chenghua felt something, he couldn't help nodding his head and sighed: "From the perspective of painting, a person who can draw such a painting will definitely not be bad. It seems that I removed him from the official position. A little sloppy."
Wynn hurriedly said: "Your Majesty Jinkouyu said, if you say he is wrong, he is wrong, how can you say it hastily! Thunder and rain, all are the kindness of the king. A qualified minister should not only think about being rewarded by the king or by the king. Instead, you should think about what you have done for the court and the people."
Emperor Chenghua glanced at him: "Okay, you old guy, you used to smash an inkstone platform in order to plead for a foreigner named Lin He, and now what are you pretending to be in front of me! Let me reward you in a roundabout way! Isn't the painting just to plead for that Tang Fan? It's because of your good-natured personality that people outside think you're easy to talk to, and all beg you!"
Wynn smiled apologetically: "Your Majesty misunderstood, this time is different, that Tang Fan really didn't let the servants come to intercede, it was the servants who couldn't bear it, just like your Majesty said, seeing pictures is like seeing people, servants look at his paintings , Although it is unbearable to be compared with Your Majesty, but in terms of interests, they are somewhat similar in purpose!"
Emperor Chenghua felt the same way. What he liked the most in his life was to live and mess around, and what he hated most was being forced to do something by others. If he could really see his heart through painting, this Tang Fan would really be with himself in some places. A bit like.
The emperor has too many people and things to deal with every day, and Tang Fan hasn't done anything that he hates deeply. He won't have much dissatisfaction with this person. Now, through this painting, the emperor can On the contrary, he had a lot of good impressions on Tang Fan.
It is precisely because they know the emperor too well that Wynn and Wang Zhi made the right move.
The emperor asked Wynn, "where is Tang Fan now?"
Wynn said: "I heard that he went to visit his married sister, but not in the capital."
The emperor smiled and said, "Well, last time, Guangchuan came here to wait all morning for that Tang Fan. I didn't even have the embarrassment to see him, and now I've given him an explanation. It seems like a lot of people have left?"
Wynn should be: "Meng Yangxu resigned, Mu Hongbo went to Nanjing, and Yan Xi was ousted."
Different from other departments, the Metropolitan Procuratorate has more staff than other departments because it has the responsibility of supervising hundreds of officials and reporting illegal activities. The number of supervising censors alone has reached 110, and the top positions are on the left. , The imperial envoys of the right capital, the imperial envoys of the left and right deputy capitals, and the imperial censors of the left and right capitals have no quota, which means that the number of personnel is not specified, and the emperor can decide according to specific needs. One on each side.
Later, because Emperor Taizu set up the Daoist Officials, the functions overlapped with the Duchayuan, but the Duchayuan was still one of the most important departments in the Ming Dynasty.
Emperor Chenghua asked, "Which yamen did Tang Fan work in before, I remember... He was impeached because he did a bad job in the Ministry of Punishment?"
Wynn said: "Your Majesty has a good memory. It is indeed from the Ministry of Punishment. At that time, someone impeached him for killing his subordinates during the handling of the case, but whether it was intentional or negligent remains to be discussed. "
Emperor Chenghua pondered: "Last time it was Yuan Weng who came to tell me about this matter, so it would not be appropriate for him to return to the Punishment Department, I have to give Yuan Weng a face... Let him go to the Duchayuan, Zuo Yudu Censor, is the fourth grade, not bad at all?"
Wynn smiled and said, "it's not bad, it's his creation!"
Emperor Chenghua was annoyed: "I am here for you and for Guangchuan's face, if others come to me, there is no such beautiful thing! I know that you are soft-hearted, but in the future, you should pay attention to yourself, don't ask anyone else. Come to the door and help everyone!"
He didn't know that there was another Wang Zhi in the middle, and the prince was involved. Wynn naturally wouldn't make extra troubles. He just pleaded guilty and coaxed the emperor to smile again.
The matter was settled like this, and Sui Zhou was summoned to the palace two days later to learn the news.
He was planning to intercede for Tang Fan after the emperor had calmed down for a while, but he didn't expect Wang Zhi and Wynn to move so quickly and do it quietly.
But in any case, if Tang Fan could have such an opportunity, Suizhou would only be happy for him.
After Suizhou finished speaking, he said to Tang Fan, "I know that you didn't kill Yin Yuanhua, but with Wan An, Liang Wenhua and others smearing them first, in the eyes of outsiders, the right and wrong of this matter are already confused. Instead of going back to the Punishment Department, it's better to go to the Metropolitan Procuratorate and start over."
Tang Fan said with a smile: "I understand, thank you, Guangchuan, in fact, I am so happy today, not only because I heard the good news you brought, but also because I can see you, and they say that there are four joys in life, and it's been a long time. If you meet nectar in a drought, you know it when you meet it in a foreign land, no, I will let the inn clerk instruct the cook to make two small dishes, and we have to drink two glasses tonight!"
Sui Zhou glanced at the empty plate: "Is it just that you want to eat?"
Master Tang, who was seen through, made the same innocent expression as He Cheng: "Nonsense!"
Suizhou: "I haven't seen you move a few chopsticks at the He's house tonight. Actually, those dishes are not too salty for me to eat."
Tang Fan finally found his bosom friend, and immediately vomited bitterly: "You don't know, I'm used to you and A-Dong making me a late-night snack when I'm at home, the cooks of the He family don't fire at night, and Xianghe County doesn't. The capital is so prosperous, the restaurants and restaurants closed early, so I don’t have a place to eat if I want to have a late night snack.”
He probably didn't realize that what he said was more coquettish than complaining, which made Suizhou feel helpless and amused, so he couldn't help reaching out and patted his head: "It's so late, the cook must have rested, I'll go. I'll make you two."
Tang Fan was a little embarrassed by this action, and thinking that he was about to have something good to eat, he couldn't help laughing: "How embarrassing, you just arrived today, so you have to be a cook, my sister knows for sure Say I don't care about you!"
Listening to Master Tang's hypocritical and hypocritical polite words, Uncle Sui rolled his eyes secretly, got up and walked towards the kitchen.
There were still a lot of ingredients left in the kitchen, so Suizhou asked Tang Fan to burn firewood first, while he washed and chopped vegetables, planning to get garlic eggplant and Kung Pao chicken. In order to eat early, Tang Fan approached the firewood burning with unprecedented enthusiasm and solemnity, and he didn't notice that there were a few sneaky eyes outside the door.
Seeing that Suizhou quickly turned around and found them, the three people headed by Yan Li quickly showed a flattering smile: "Brother, we didn't have enough to eat at night!"
Suizhou: "..."
———
As the saying goes, good things do not go out, and bad things travel thousands of miles. In fact, good things spread faster than anything else.
The news that Tang Fan was about to be promoted to the censor of Zuoqidu quickly spread throughout Xianghe County, and even the identity of Suizhou was exposed.
Tang Fan and Suizhou were so annoyed that they had to wrap up the inn, and let Yan Li and Gongsunyan stand at the door as door gods to block all the idlers.
However, Tang Fan could refuse to see other people, but he couldn't see the magistrate Weng.
Because the magistrate Weng is not only here to hug his thighs, but also for the Wei family's case.
Although Tang Fan has not officially taken office yet, but Suizhou came here with a will, and the appointment has already taken effect.
There was no progress in the Wei family's case, and the county magistrate Weng was annoyed by Wei Ce's inquiries every three days. It is a pity that he obviously wanted to find out the truth, but in Wei Ce's eyes, he just thought he accepted the Chai family. It's hard to be a good official who sees things clearly these days, and magistrate Weng has no choice but to come to Tang Fan for help.
Before Tang Fan did not have an official position, he still had some scruples, but now it is not ashamed to ask Shangguan for help.
Tang Fan asked him how the case was going.
The county magistrate Weng shook his head: "There is nothing to find out about the death of the Wei family child. You said that the Chai brothers and sisters, since they have already admitted to killing Wei Zhuniang, even if they admit to killing the Wei family child, it is actually the same The difference between one life and two lives, but they refused to admit it, there must be something strange about it, so the lower official refused to close the case, because he was afraid that Wei Ce would lose his patience and would cross Xianghe County and report to Shuntian Prefecture. !"
Tang Fan praised: "You have done a good job. Before the case is clear, it should be like this. Only if you are not shaken by external forces can you handle it fairly!"
Previously, the two were still friends of the same generation. When they met again, the magistrate Weng had to call himself a subordinate.
But this is the case in officialdom. The best ones come first. If you enter the officialdom with old qualifications, you may not necessarily be a high official. It can only mean that you have bad luck or poor ability.
From Tang Fan's point of view, among the people he's met, Weng County magistrate's ability is not bad, at least it can be regarded as medium-high, and there are principles. However, the official luck is very poor. sesame official.
Weng county magistrate smiled bitterly: "But this is not the way to go, Wei Ce has a reputation as a scholar, he has been in business for many years, and he has some contacts in the official circle. Hey, look at me as an official, obviously for the good of his Wei family, but he was so kind as a donkey liver and lungs, and he urged me to close the case!"
Tang Fan comforted him: "We don't ask him to understand, as long as we are worthy of the conscience of the world. You don't need to worry, the governor of Shuntian is my senior brother, I will tell him when I look back, and I won't hold you accountable. Guangyuan Brother, if you don’t make a sound, you will be a success, if you don’t fly, you will be a success. If you fly into the sky, the same is true for an official, but don’t be discouraged because of the difficulties in front of you!”
Weng county magistrate pondered that the newly appointed censor of Zuo Xiedu seemed to have faintly revealed his intention to support him, and could not help but be overjoyed.
He quickly got up and saluted: "It's really a blessing to have three lives cultivated when I have to meet an adult!"
Tang Fan lifted him up with a smile: "What about this, where the pearl will always shine, if you work hard, you will always see it from above, don't you think?"
Weng county magistrate nodded again and again, his face full of excitement.
After waking up, he finally didn't forget the business, and said hurriedly: "Sir, I don't know what instructions you have in this case?"
Tang Fan shook his head: "There are too few clues, and the immortals can't do anything. I'll go to Wei's house sometime. I'll talk to Wei Ce by the way, and ask him to be patient and considerate of you."
The magistrate Weng said gratefully: "If your lord is willing to come forward, it is the best. The lower official will send someone to inform Na Wei Ce."
The two made an appointment to go to Wei's house together, and the county magistrate Weng left first.
The inn clerk looked at Weng county magistrate who came with a frown, and left happily, unable to help but be amazed.
As for the He family, Mr. He originally had the idea that one day could be delayed, and he was going to take He Lin to apologize to Tang Fan himself. Thinking of letting go of his old face, Tang Fan should be embarrassed to ask for it again. His sister left the He family.
Who knew that before this person passed, He Lin came over by himself and offered to split the production and live separately.
Mr. He was startled and asked if he was having a convulsion.
You must know that He Lin didn't even agree with He Li before, but it was a bit strange that he suddenly changed his attitude.
However, He Lin didn't say a word, no matter how Mr. He cross-examined, he just didn't open his mouth, not to mention the humiliation in his heart.
This has to start from two days ago.
Although no one in the He family mentioned Tang Fan's promotion in front of him, He Lin was not a woman who didn't go out the door. He always went out, and he heard about it from outsiders.
At that time, his mood was not to mention more depressed, this one was frustrated again and again, and the other brother-in-law was going to be promoted.
People are more mad than people.
But his friends were still teasing him in front of him, saying that he would have a brother-in-law who would be a high official in the future, so he would not be afraid of being unable to raise his head in front of the rest of the He family.
Although He Lin understands that they may not know about Tang Yu's divorce from him, but every time he hears such a sentence, he feels like someone slapped him in the face, and it hurts.
Seeing that he was gloomy, his friend said that he would take him to a place where he could relieve his stress.
He Lin thought that they were going to take him to the brothel, so he frowned and refused, but his friend said no and dragged him.
When they got there, He Lin realized that they had brought themselves to the casino.
Looking at this lively and humiliating scene, He Lin was quite shameless at first.
But soon, after a few small wins, he gradually felt the excitement of gambling.
In particular, money came faster than anything else. As long as he won a few more times, he would no longer have to look at the small amount of money handed out every month.
As long as he thought that even if he failed the imperial examination, he would be rich and proud in front of his family, He Lin felt a burst of excitement. This feeling was no less than that he had read through a book of sages.
But after winning hundreds of taels in a row, his good luck seemed to run out, and He Lin began to lose money.
He was already addicted, of course he wasn't reconciled. Just like all gamblers in the world, everyone was thinking about turning over the book. With the idea of "I won't bet anymore if I win back the capital", He Lin put the capital together with him. All that was won was lost.
At this time, the people from the casino offered to lend him money, and said that because he was the son of the He family, and the He family had a great reputation in the county, the first three hundred taels borrowed would not charge him interest.
He Lin was already red-eyed at this time, hesitating for a while, but still gritted his teeth and borrowed the money.
As a result, once he borrowed it, he couldn't stop. If he won, he wanted to win again. If he lost, he wanted to win back. Before he knew it, when the person in the casino handed a stack of IOUs worth five thousand taels to him. , He Lin was completely dumbfounded.
Five thousand taels of silver is not a small amount, he must not have it himself.
But should he be asked to ask his father or his wife for it
He Lin felt that it would be better to kill him. Don't say that he has no face at that time, I am afraid that he will be regarded as a laughing stock in Xianghe County.
As a result, just after he said that asking for money was not fatal, the owner of the casino did not kill him, let alone beat him, but took him to someone.
Seeing the other party's face, He Lin was stunned for a moment, and then became furious: "You designed all this?!"