Chapter 141

In a room in Xiangxue Building, beautiful singing came.

"May I ask where the flute is blowing towards the purple smoke, once learned to dance through the fragrant years. Can become a pair of eyes—"

Slap!

A white porcelain wine cup smashed on the ground, fragments splashed, scaring the singing girls behind the screen.

"Get out, all get out."

Liu Cheng squeezed out a few cold words from his teeth, his breathing gradually becoming heavy, as if he was trying to suppress something.

The singing girls were trembling, not knowing where they had offended this guest at all.

Yan Youcheng stood up and waved to the singing girls: "Get out, get out!"

After the girls exited and closed the door, Yan Youcheng looked at Liu Cheng's haggard and gloomy face, and smiled harmoniously: "Let's have a good gathering today, don't get angry for irrelevant people."

Since Liu Cheng lost the ox cart, he had been staying behind closed doors, not speaking or laughing, locking himself in the room all day, not only not seeing outsiders, but even not wanting to see servants. If his brother hadn't been persuading him for days, painstakingly comforting him, and finding ways to open his heart, he wouldn't have agreed to eat wine with Yan Youcheng today.

He wanted to go out to relax and vent the bitterness in his heart, who knew that this singing girl happened to sing Wang Yang's poem, violating Liu Cheng's taboo.

Actually, it wasn't a coincidence, it was just that after the Wang banquet, the Liu family didn't dare to mention Wang Yang's name, and Liu Cheng didn't go out, so he didn't know that Wang Yang's two poems had spread throughout Jingzhou City, and now eight out of ten singing girls could sing these two new poems, and guests loved to listen to them. People in the wine building didn't know Liu Cheng, so how would they know what should be sung and what shouldn't be sung!

Liu Cheng kept a straight face, wiped his hands with a white silk handkerchief, then threw the handkerchief on the table and said: "I'm going back."

"Don't! Let's go to Xishazhou for a turn after eating! My brother sent someone a few days ago, I have to return to Jiankang next month, and I haven't been to Xishazhou yet!"

"If you want to go, go yourself, I'm going back to the mansion."

"How about going to Furongli to play? My treat!"

Liu Cheng was expressionless: "Are you meeting me for the first time?"

Yan Youcheng smiled: "I'm just thinking of letting you vent."

"Get out. I have no interest in the lower nine streams."

"Appreciating music and dancing, discussing poetry and essays, singing long songs to gallop literary thoughts, venting blocks to swing the collar and bosom, this is what is called venting. Where did you think it went?"

Liu Cheng kept a straight face and didn't answer.

Yan Youcheng hurriedly pulled him, he was Liu Cheng's good friend, and didn't want to see Liu Cheng depressed. Secondly, he was entrusted by Director Liu Tan Tan, so he made jokes just to adjust Liu Cheng's mood, but it was completely useless. Liu Cheng didn't even laugh once throughout the whole process, as if he had lost the ability to laugh.

Seeing Liu Cheng going home again, he had to change his strategy: "How about this, you accompany me for one last round, after drinking the last round, let's go together!"

Liu Cheng then sat back in his seat.

Yan Youcheng drank a sip of wine slowly, stole a look at Liu Cheng's expression, brewed and said: "I'll ask you a question, you are not allowed to be angry."

Liu Cheng had a dark face, not responding.

"Is it because Lady Xie Si Lady Xie Niangzi is close to Wang Yang, so..."

Liu Cheng stood up with a whoosh, his face like ice: "What does she have to do with me? She loves to be close to whoever she wants, I'm too lazy to pay attention! I don't even look at her!"

Yes, she doesn't look at you either...

"Wenshen brother, sit down, sit down, look at you, what are you in a hurry for! Sit down first!"

Yan Youcheng finally pulled Liu Cheng back to the seat, his tone sincere:

"We brothers have been friends for a long time, you don't have to hide it from me, I can probably guess your thoughts. You came to Jingzhou, although it is to visit your brother, but actually there is also the reason of Si Lady Xie Niangzi—"

Not only is there the reason of Si Lady Xie Niangzi, I think you are following Si Lady Xie Niangzi! What visiting brother, not visiting early or late, but you started to visit as soon as Si Lady Xie Niangzi went to Jingzhou.

Although thinking so, Yan Youcheng knew that Liu Cheng was very face-conscious, so he changed to a more tactful way of saying it.

Liu Cheng sneered disdainfully: "Ha! You are really whimsical! I came to Jingzhou only for my brother, no other reason, you can actually pull it to Lady Xie Lady Xie Xinghan? It's ridiculous! Ridiculous, really too ridiculous..."

"Fine, fine, you don't have to be ridiculous. I'll tell you one thing, that Wang Yang can't have anything with Lady Xie Lady Xie Niangzi. Yes, he is a Langya Wang, but a Langya Wang family, mixed into the local county school as a student, you can imagine his family situation. I heard that he has been buying silk everywhere recently, doing some robes and coats, and also made a... what did he invent that word... right, bidding... gathered a room full of merchants selling cloth and cutting clothes..."

As soon as this topic was brought up, Liu Cheng seemed to be ignited instantly, patting the table in anger:

"Whose business is not entrusted to servants, and tasked to the group? But Wang Yang actually handles it himself, studying its way! He lost all the face of the Wang family! As a scholar, mixed with merchants! Seeking only profit, tarnishing the flow! Such a person is actually invited by the Prince of Badong to the banquet as a guest of honor! And Lu Huan, Xu Bozhen, were actually deceived by him! Now you should be able to see his true face! What academic classics, are all disguises to deceive the world. Talking about Confucian righteousness, but actually doing the lowly business of accumulating goods and chasing profit, a hypocrite..."

Even Lu Huan and Xu Bozhen's affairs you know, didn't you say you were behind closed doors? Who told you! Still quite concerned... But this sourness is too obvious, although using the end industry is a loss of reputation, but saying hypocrite is a bit too much...

However, Yan Youcheng didn't refute, and continued to persuade:

"So, it's true that he has talent, but so what? What is Lady Xie Lady Xie Niangzi's status? The daughter of the Secretary of the Secretariat, a proper daughter of a prime minister, as for Wang Yang's family within three generations, I'm afraid there isn't even a county governor. Although the Wang and Lady Xie families are equal in status, the two families don't match at all, how could they get together! It's just that they knew each other early, and because of the county school, they are close, as for thinking about other things, it's overthinking. You are making unnecessary anger."

What Yan Youcheng really wanted to say was that Liu Cheng was eating flying vinegar unnecessarily, but at this time the metaphorical meaning of "eating vinegar" had not been invented.

Liu Cheng's face cleared slightly, his tone softened a bit, and he said in a deep voice:

"I hate Wang Yang, and it has nothing to do with Lady Xie Lady Xie Niangzi. Wang Yang, this person, is light, impetuous, flattering, and acts for profit. Plus his scheming is deep, his words are false and eloquent, this is a sign of a great villain! It would be better if he didn't have talent, if he had talent, it would be even more of a disaster!"

Yan Youcheng couldn't listen anymore:

"Wenshen brother, it's not that I'm talking about you, people like us are all going to be officials and prime ministers in the future, I won't say it. My family talks about status, talks about family background, can't compare with your Hedong Liu family. Speaking of officialdom, the highest official in my family for five generations is only a Cavalry Attendant, I will be lucky if I can mix into a regular official of the Ministry of Personnel in the future! If by chance, I hit the jackpot, and after death, I am posthumously awarded a Grand Master, that is honoring the ancestors!

But you are different!

You should be granted an official position this October, right. The starting point is at least a government office. More than two or three years, it is estimated that you can be promoted to the Left Assistant of the Ministry of Personnel. My brother has to bow when he sees you. So you, Young Master Liu, are really a person who can be a minister and prime minister in the future!

Then your vessel... is it a bit small?

What kind of person is Wang Yang? Has bloodline, has talent, has potential, what is missing is power and opportunity. If I were like you, qualified to be a banker, I would definitely win him over and let him be used by me!

You are good, competing with him for length. Isn't this lowering your own status?

This is like Guan Yu being unable to sit still when he heard that Ma Chao came to surrender, wanting to compare, so Wu Hou replied 'Qing, Peng's followers, should drive and compete with Yide'. That is to say, with Ma Chao's status, if he wants to compare, he should compare with Zhang Fei, and he is not yet as unparalleled as Guan Yunchang!

Wang Yang's situation is also like this. No matter how high his talent is, no matter how good his bloodline is, he is just an empty shell, his starting point is here, and he can't compare with you. If you can win him over, turn enemies into friends, won't he be used by your Liu family in the future?

Of course, your foundation is too shallow now, it's difficult to accept Wang Yang. But you can accept him for your father! With the foundation of the Duke, accept him as a student, won't he be grateful?! If he is really smooth in his official career in the future, he can also become an arm for your Liu family!

Besides, if you really accept Wang Yang, what will people say?

Wang Yang offended you, but you didn't care about the past and promoted the old enemy. Who won't say that you, Young Master Liu, are open-minded and generous?

Duke Huan of Qi could use Guan Zhong, Qi Xi could recommend Jie Hu, can't you, Liu Wenshen, use him, Wang Zhiyan?!

Maybe it can be recorded in history books in the future and become a beautiful story!"

Yan Youcheng was entrusted by Director Liu Tan Tan to open up Liu Cheng, but Director Liu Tan Tan's original intention was just to let Yan Youcheng accompany Liu Cheng out to stroll, thinking that if his brother went out more, maybe he would let go slowly.

But Director Liu Tan Tan never thought that this Yan Youcheng would take a different path and directly give his brother a brand new idea!

——————

Note: The path of official transfer is a very interesting question. The law will not clearly stipulate the specific promotion path of a certain official, but in fact, there are many rules and conventions that follow each other. This is a structural existence hidden in the operation of the official system.

For example, why did Yan Youcheng say that Liu Cheng could soon be promoted to the Left Assistant of the Ministry of Personnel (can be simply understood as the Secretary-General in charge of supervision in a certain hospital), because in the Southern Dynasties, if you hold an important position in a real-power government office, it is easy to be promoted to the Left Assistant of the Ministry of Personnel.

But it is very difficult to be promoted directly from the Ministry of Personnel to the Left Assistant (although it is a transfer of the same system). The Ministry of Personnel usually has to go out for a turn before returning to the Ministry of Personnel to be the Left Assistant. Once promoted directly from the Ministry of Personnel to the Left Assistant, it is called "super-transfer" or "super-worship". After being promoted to the Left Assistant, he will usually be transferred to the Gate Province to be a Huangmen Attendant, or be a Censor-in-Chief (can be simply understood as the head of a certain supervision department), and with the qualifications of a Huangmen Attendant or a Secretariat Attendant, he can go to be the Ministry of Personnel Attendant who is fought for by many people and holds personnel power (similar to the deputy head of a certain organization department).

Don't worry, these hidden rules of officialdom will be outlined bit by bit in the future.