Chapter 167

"Uncle, your complexion is not good, let nephew prick a few needles."

"No need, no need! Uncle is really better! Really..."

"Uncle, don't be polite with nephew! This set of acupuncture methods is very mentally draining, but you care for nephew so much and want to give nephew so many gifts to establish a family business. Now that you are unwell, nephew performing acupuncture to remove the disease and serving medicine is what should be done!"

Wang Tai was stunned: "Gift... gifts?"

Wang Yang sighed: "Uncle's illness is still not good, and there are already signs of 'forgetfulness.' This is a sign of insufficient upper energy, excessive lower energy, solid stomach, and weak heart and lungs. Uncle, don't worry, nephew has been taught the secret technique of acupuncture by an expert, called 'Earth Fiend Acupuncture Method.' If you prick seventy-two needles, you will surely recover! It's just that you have to be wronged for a while, Uncle. Qingshan, come! Help me knock Uncle unconscious! Only in this way can you not move recklessly or generate thoughts when pricking needles. This is called 'spirit complete'."

Wang Tai immediately wanted to escape, but was held by the wrist by Wang Yang, his eyes firm: "Uncle, nephew must cure your illness! All consequences and criticisms will be borne by nephew alone!"

Wang Tai's hair stood on end: "Don't, don't, don't, don't!!!! Uncle remembered!!!! Really remembered!!! Gifts! Remembered!"

Wang Yang looked concerned and suspicious: "Uncle, you aren't hiding your illness because you are afraid nephew will be tired, are you? Since Uncle said you remembered, then tell me, how many boxes of gifts?"

"Twelve boxes!"

This damn little beast wants the gifts back after sending them, he doesn't suffer any loss at all!

Wang Yang shook his head and sighed: "It's twenty-two boxes."

"You!" Wang Tai was shocked. This little beast doesn't just want the things back, he wants to rob while the house is on fire? He is too ruthless!

"Uncle, you still didn't remember. Qingshan—"

Seeing Chen Qingshan walking over, Wang Tai immediately said: "Yes, yes, yes! It's twenty-two boxes! This time I remembered completely!!! Uncle has already prepared it!!! Take it together when you leave in a while!!!"

Wang Yang bowed in gratitude: "Uncle is sick to this point, and still remembers such small things. Meeting Uncle is like parting the clouds to see the blue sky!"

Wang Tai wanted to be angry but had no reason, wanted to cry but had no tears, just trembling all over with anger. To the bystanders, it looked like he was so moved that he was holding back tears.

All the students sighed, it is indeed the Langya Wang family! The style and education of a high family, the virtue is pure and thick! The uncle and nephew are so deep in affection, it is really moving!

At night, a carriage stopped in front of a remote civilian house.

Wang Tai got out of the carriage, his figure obscured by the carriage. He first knocked on the door five times quickly, paused, and then knocked three more times.

The door opened, but there was no one inside.

After Wang Tai entered the door, the door was quickly closed.

A man with an eye patch on his left eye flashed out from the right side and cupped his hands: "Lord Wang."

"How many people are on hand?" Wang Tai asked.

"Seventeen."

"Where?"

"Outside the city."

"What time can they be gathered?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"Good, gather people immediately and help me find someone."

"Find someone?"

Wang Tai gritted his teeth: "Yes! Find someone! Dig three feet into the ground, and you must find the person!"

Sparse stars with a faint moon, a few fireflies.

Le Zhan had just finished bathing, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, shaking a folding fan, and rushed into the bedroom excitedly: "Madam, I just got a good sentence while bathing!"

The maid was combing Madam Le's hair. Madam Le looked in the mirror and waved her hand, and the maids retreated from the room sensibly.

Le Zhan was a bit embarrassed: "I really got a good sentence, wait until I finish speaking before..."

"What are you thinking?!" Madam Le gave her husband a white look, "You sit here, I have something serious to tell you."

Le Zhan said proudly: "How is getting a good sentence not a serious matter?"

Madam Le's voice was faint: "If it can surpass 'Having become a pair of eyes, why resign to death,' then it is a serious matter."

Le Zhan was instantly extinguished.

Madam Le looked at her husband's discouraged appearance and smiled: "I have three things to tell you, let's talk about poetry after I finish."

"Alright! Madam, please speak!"

"First, your precious son beat the Sun family cousin, snatched his fighting cock, and then went to the West Fourth Gate, smashed the fighting cock hall with the Yin family's fifth son, and said 'he will pay for whatever he smashed.' Just now the Sun family sent a bill. Eighty thousand coins, the number is quite auspicious."

Madam Le said it lightly, while Le Zhan was furious, stood up with a swoosh: "Rebellious son! Someone! Get my rattan stick! If I don't beat him today—"

"What are you rushing for! Sit down first!" Madam Le finally pulled her husband back to his seat, "He has been beaten for so many years, and I haven't seen him make any progress!"

"Madam! You do it too this time! Let's beat him together!" Le Zhan was so angry that his chest heaved, and after thinking about it, he said: "It's easy to get messy if we beat him together! This time we will take turns beating him! We can take a break in the middle..."

"Alright, alright, just saying some unreliable things. I ask you, what do you really think about Gao'er's future?"

Le Zhan said angrily: "What future does this rebellious son have left?!"

Madam Le poured a cup of cold tea for her husband: "Don't be in a hurry to get angry. Let's talk about serious matters. There are only a few paths, recommending filial piety—"

Le Zhan sprayed a mouthful of tea: "Just him????? The biggest joke in the world!!!! If he dares to recommend filial piety, I will break his legs! No need for others to impeach me, our family will directly become a joke!"

Madam Le couldn't help but laugh when she thought of her son recommending filial piety, and wiped the tea from her husband's mouth with a handkerchief: "I didn't say let Gao'er recommend filial piety. First, he doesn't have that reputation, and second, filial piety also requires exams. Even if we push him up, Gao'er won't pass. Third, it's not like before now. Most of them are commoners taking the path of filial piety, and our Gao'er hasn't reached that step yet."

"Then you said recommend filial piety..."

"I'm calculating for you. Gao'er can't take the two paths of recommending filial piety and recommending scholars. Commandery school and National University go without saying. Sending him in is sending him in vain. As for the Ministry of Personnel selection, our family has no foundation in the capital, Gao'er has no reputation, no talent, is not filial or talented, and has no strategy, so he is basically out of luck. Then there are only two paths left, one is the public office recruitment, and the other is the state and commandery private recruitment. With our family's status and family background, Gao'er taking the state and commandery recruitment is no problem, being a commandery attendant (similar to municipal secretary), West Cao clerk (provincial administration department section chief), etc., is not difficult to handle."

"Doing whatever attendant clerk with his level is just muddling through. In the future, borrowing the family name, maybe he can muddle a registrar? If he muddles it, fine; if not, resign early, so as not to lose face!"

Madam Le frowned: "You underestimate Gao'er too much."

Le Zhan's eyes widened: "I underestimate? I overestimate, okay! My own son, others don't know, can I not know? He gets a headache when he reads, and he avoids poetry gatherings. But if he encounters a fight or trouble, he is the first to join in the fun! This is just evaluating him as a second-grade now. If it were in the Middle Dynasty (Jin), he wouldn't even qualify for the eighth grade!"

"I don't think so. Yes, our Gao'er is not that talented—"

"He has no talent, Madam! Absolutely none! Not a single bit!" Le Zhan beat his chest and stomped his feet, sighing repeatedly.

Madam Le gave her husband a look: "Fine! No talent! But those who have a future don't necessarily have to be talented. I think people are divided into two types, one is like Wang Yang, talented and unstoppable. This kind of person is like an awl in a bag, no matter where he is, he will show his talent sooner or later. The other is like our son, who seems to have no ability, but maybe he is a blessed person, happy all day without worrying, and less calculated and jealous..."

Le Zhan covered his face, wanting to cry: "The tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. It's not good. But if the wood is rusted through! It will fall down without the wind! This won't work either!"

"What rusted through! How can you talk about your son like that! Although Gao'er is not useful, he is warm-hearted, has no bad intentions, is straightforward, and is loyal. With this kind of character, if he makes the right friends, maybe he will have great luck. And he knows how to play..."

Le Zhan had an unbelievable expression: "Playing counts as an advantage?!"

"Of course it counts! Knowing how to play is a skill, it's easy to get close to people, the character is not bland, and he won't alienate friends. If he plays with the right partners, due to fate..." Madam Le's gaze condensed, "Who knows if he can soar into the sky?"

"What do you mean?" Le Zhan felt that his wife had something in her words.

——————

Note: The paths Madam Le counted for Xiao Pang are the basic ways to enter the officialdom in the Southern Dynasties. Except for a few special cases, they are basically included. In terms of type, they can be roughly divided into four types: one is central election, such as direct appointment by the Ministry of Personnel, which is the "Ministry of Personnel selection" Madam Le said; there are also National University strategy questions, appointment as doctor, official, or other official positions; the second is private office recruitment, including central and local office recruitment; the third is central and private joint election, such as recommending filial piety and scholars (local recommendation, central selection); the fourth is private official recommendation. The specific rise and fall of these four types in the Southern Dynasties actually reflect the struggle for personnel power and the change in value orientation.

For example, filial piety and scholars were originally important ways for the central government to select talents, which was the Han Dynasty's observation and recommendation. But after the aristocratic families monopolized the upward channel, they could enter the officialdom by family background, and filial piety and scholars became increasingly weak. However, since the Liu Song Dynasty, imperial power has revived, and filial piety and scholars have gradually risen and become standardized, and even filial piety requires exams to pass. And once imperial power shows signs of strength in personnel, aristocratic families will evolve countermeasures. It was mentioned in the notes before that officials are divided into clear and turbid, and observation and recommendation are the same. As time goes by, filial piety and scholars began to be eroded, and internal differentiation occurred. Scholars are not selected unless they are aristocratic families, while filial piety mostly accepts commoners. As for why aristocratic families do not monopolize filial piety, this reason is enough for the volume of a note, so I won't go into details.

PS: The update time is generally around 9:50 am. If the review doesn't pass, it may be later.