Fang Jie was a little absent-minded as he drank and chatted with a group of big shots. Because he was the protagonist today, he drank more than anyone else. Fortunately, he has become stronger and drunker these days. At least he didn't vomit on the ground in shame after being besieged.
It is not difficult to deal with this kind of social and entertainment occasions, and the basic skills of officialdom such as talking to people and talking to ghosts have also been used quite skillfully. No matter what the other party says, if you don't like what you hear, just laugh and listen without showing any disgust, and you won't annoy people if you repeat a reasonable sentence dozens of times.
While dealing with changing cups and cups, Fang Jie quickly filtered the information Zhuo Buyi had told him before in his mind. Although he has been in this world for more than sixteen years and has been in the imperial capital for nearly two years, he cannot be said to have a thorough understanding of the officialdom of the Sui Dynasty.
For example, the prince's attendants, in his impression, should be the children of noble families, who are similar in age to the prince, and study and play with the prince in the East Palace. While drinking, I suddenly remembered that in the history of the previous life, during the Tang Dynasty, there were also such kind of attendants, and the candidates were also young talents with good knowledge and character. However, the status of the attendant during the Tang Dynasty in the previous life was far less transcendent than the status of the attendant to the prince of the Sui Dynasty in this world.
If it is true as Zhuo Buyi said, then the so-called prince's attendants are actually the team of important court officials who will be used by the prince after he ascends the throne. After the prince's coming-of-age ceremony, his status as the prince's attendant became more and more distinguished. The Crown Prince's Young Master, the Crown Prince's Young Master, and the Crown Prince's Young Protector are all senior officials of the second rank. His position in the imperial court was very important.
These people will wait until the prince becomes the new emperor. They will become the backbone of the court, and because they have followed the prince from the beginning, their loyalty will be impeccable. But it's not surprising that Fang didn't understand this rule, because even in the Sui Dynasty, this kind of situation was rare.
Since the founding of the Sui Dynasty, there have only been two emperors who had only one son. One is Emperor Zhenzong, the only heir of the late emperor. Huai Qiugong was the prince's attendant when he was young.
According to the Sui emperor¡¯s practice of selecting successors, the prince will not be determined early. Before the old emperor dies, he selects the strongest and most stable person among his sons as his successor. Unless the emperor has only one son, the phenomenon of establishing a prince early will hardly occur.
The current emperor has only one son, Yang Chengqian.
¡°Moreover, the emperor had almost no fascination with women. The relationship between him and the queen was so strong that it was enviable. With so many concubines in the harem, few could get the emperor's blessing. Especially in the past two years, the emperor has almost reached the point where he is no longer lecherous. Except for a few concubines who found other ways to play music, chess, calligraphy, painting, or massages and could occasionally see the emperor, the other concubines stayed alone in their empty rooms for many years.
"In the past two years, because His Majesty had few heirs, the courtiers collectively petitioned the Emperor to draft women into the palace. Most of the young women who entered the palace still don't even know what the emperor looks like.
I don¡¯t like women, I don¡¯t like to travel around.
Emperor Tianyou of the Sui Dynasty was like a machine for handling national government affairs, and his daily life could be described as monotonous.
In other words, perhaps His Majesty only has this one son, so he established the crown prince early. Although many courtiers objected, the emperor was extremely determined. In this way, the staff in the East Palace will be fully replenished. It had been decades since the Sui Dynasty when a prince had attended him. Fang Jie wouldn't have known about these things if someone hadn't mentioned him.
Fang Jie always felt that it was a bit strange that the emperor established the prince so early and started building his own team of courtiers for the prince so early. Logically speaking, it shouldn't be a problem for the emperor to be the decision-maker for another twenty or thirty years. There is no need to worry about it for the sake of the prince.
¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because he drank too much, and the thoughts in Fang Jie¡¯s mind were very confused.
In the end, he could only barely stay awake under the influence of strong alcohol.
"I have already submitted a letter, and His Majesty has agreed."
Huaiqiugong, who had not drank much but had a flushed face, smiled and said: "Although His Majesty has repeatedly asked me to stay, I am too old. I am so old that I need help from others even when I walk. It is not good for me to occupy my position in the court. There is a saying that Being too old to die is a thief, and I don¡¯t want to be a thief While I can still move, I plan to go back to my hometown in Jiangnan to wipe the dust off the tombstones of the immortals, pull out the weeds on the tombs, and take a good look at my hometown. ¡±
He looked at Fang Jie and said with a smile: "Originally I wanted to leave alone, but since we are gathered together today, I will take advantage of Mr. Xiao Fang's honor and go south together with the imperial envoy's guard of honor."
"ah?"
Fang Jie was startled and subconsciously let out a low cry.
"How could it be possible, students students are flattered!"
Fang Jie said quickly: "I'm just a little surprised. Huai Lao, you are the pillar of the imperial court. It's a pity to retire and return home like this."
"People should serve their old age."
Huai Qiugong smiled: "In the blink of an eye, I have been away from Jiangnan for decades, and I don't know if the plants and trees in my hometown are still the same as before. It's time to go back while I can barely move around. I can't wait until I die. Turn into ashes and be carried back by others."
"Master Xiaofang, you still need to worry more about this journey."
Huai Qiugong drank all the wine in the cup and said a little apologetically: "I am too vain, so it would be a good thing to retire to the countryside. But I still feel like I was a teenager, and I always feel that it would be better to be more glorious when I return to my hometown. .That¡¯s why I rely on you, Mr. Xiao FangThank you very much.¡±
Fang explained: "Mrs. Huai is too polite. It's the student's responsibility."
As he answered, his mind was spinning rapidly.
What does Huai Qiu Gong mean? Why are you saying it now? Is it really just his own wish, or is it the emperor's arrangement? If it was the emperor's arrangement, why wasn't it stated in the decree? If it was the emperor's arrangement, what would Huai Qiugong want to say to himself if he followed him half the way?
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By the time the banquet dispersed, it was already dark. It's been a sensitive period lately, so people didn't dare to be too unbridled while drinking in the closed Mercury Building. They were talking and laughing, and no one mentioned Prince Yi's rebellion. The people who came today were just showing their good will and preparing to win over Fang Jie in advance, who was very likely to become an important minister around the prince in the future.
Since the emperor revealed this intention, he intended to promote Fang Jie. If you become someone close to the prince at such an early age, your future will naturally be unlimited.
If Fang Jie becomes an important figure like the Prince's Young Master or the Prince's Young Master, Fang Jie's status in the future court will naturally be self-evident. The emperor's arrangement was obviously for the prince's future consideration. Promote a group of young and promising officials first, who will become the backbone of the new emperor in the future.
Fang Jie stood at the door of Mercury Tower, sending the big shots onto the carriage one by one and waving goodbye. The corners of his mouth were almost cramped when he smiled, and his neck was so stiff and sore.
"Master Xiaofang"
Yang Yanhui, the Crown Prince of Xu County, seemed to be hesitant to speak before leaving. He quickly stuffed something into Fang Jie's hand while no one was paying attention, then clasped his fists and said, "In the future, I may need Master Xiao Fang to take care of me. Today. I am very happy to be able to meet you. I wish Master Xiaofang a smooth trip south and a speedy return to the imperial capital."
Fang Jie didn¡¯t know what he was putting into his hand, so he could only clasp his fists and say a few polite words in return. He could tell from Yang Yanhui's eyes that this young man must have something to say to him. But due to the large number of people, I have never been able to find an opportunity. When Fang Jie put him on the carriage, Yang Yanhui clasped his fists again and said, "You and I hit it off as soon as we met. It's better to get closer if we have the opportunity in the future. I knew you were a close friend as soon as I saw you, but I can't become cold after this goodbye." Friendship.¡±
Fang explained: "How could it be possible? I will still have to be cared for by the prince in the future."
Yang Yanhui looked at the others, and finally just shook his head and got into the carriage.
Fang Jie went back and personally helped Huai Qiugong get into the carriage. The two made an appointment to leave the city tomorrow, and Huai Qiugong left immediately. At this time, only Luo Weiran and Zhuo Buyi were left.
"You send Fang Jie back, I have to rush back to the palace."
Luo Weiran said something to Zhuo Buyi, then walked to Fang Jie, patted him on the shoulder and smiled: "Your future is getting brighter and brighter, I am very happy. As long as this trip to the southwest goes smoothly, the court will There is definitely a place for you here, very good!¡±
He said two nice sentences in a row, and it was obvious that he was not in a bad mood.
After a few more instructions, Luo Weiran said goodbye and left. Zhuo Buyi walked back with Fang Jie. Because Mercury Tower was not far from East 23rd Street, he didn't take a car.
"It is His Majesty's arrangement that Huai Lao travel with you."
Zhuo Buyi said as he walked.
Fang Jie nodded: "I can guessbut I still don't understand for a moment what the profound meaning of His Majesty's move is."
"It's nothing more than giving you some experience in being an official in the imperial court. Of course, you now know that Huai Lao was the prince's attendant at that time, and later became one of the few important ministers in the late emperor's dynasty. The late emperor also relied heavily on Huai Lao, Wen Wen You Huai Qiugong and Wu You Zhou Banchuan were the two most important people during the late emperor's time. Since His Majesty intends to let you serve as the prince's attendant, he arranges for Huai Lao to accompany you all the way, so he will naturally teach you.Things you need to know. "
"Why did Huai Lao suddenly retire?"
Fang Jie asked with some confusion.
"Prince Yi's rebellionthere are too many officials of the Ministry of Rites involved in it. Although Huai Lao is not among them, it is hard to escape the blame. After all, he is still the Minister of Rites. There are so many rebellious officials in the Ministry of Rites, so he naturally has no face anymore. Stay in the court. Your Majesty does not blame him for his loyalty, but he must realize that it is time to hand over the Ministry of Rites, and he can still save some dignity by retiring. "
Fang Jie suddenly realized.
The water in the imperial court is too deep, and nothing is without foundation.
"Fang Jie, now that you have emerged, you must be even more careful."
Zhuo Buyi said as he walked: "Although Prince Yi and his cronies were eradicated, the imperial court was also severely weakened. This is an opportunity for you, but you must think twice about every step you take. Sometimes encounters and traps are In the same place, it depends on whether you have the ability to step on the trap. "
"Thank you!"
Fang Jie solemnly cupped his fists and saluted.
"Don't thank me. I'm helping you for the sake of the Ouchi Guards Department. The Ouchi Guards Department is no longer what it used to be. Your Majesty letting Su Buwei directly take over the affairs of the love office is tantamount to slapping Ouchi. A resounding slap from everyone in the Guards. When you become the Prince's Attendant, you will become a very important person in the court. I will help you now, and you will help the Guards in the future."
Fang Jie smiled and said, "What you said is too direct."
Zhuo Buyi shrugged his shoulders: "That's why I don't want to be an official"
Fang Jie suddenly thought of Prince Xujun. He hesitated and said, "I always felt that Prince Xujun had something to say to me, but in the end he didn't say anything."
"It's not because of his father!"
Zhuo Buyi sighed: "Even if King Xujun is right, but the northwest battle is defeated, even if he comes back alive, he will not be able to get up again. Even if his title is not deprived, who in the palace of Xujun Prince can still hold his head high?" ? The prince is looking for you now just to make more friends in the future."
Fang Jie also sighed after hearing this: "If it hadn't been for Li Yuanshan's rebellion, Prince Xu would have been the greatest contributor to the Sui Dynasty in the past twenty years! He expanded the territory for two thousand miles and fought against Meng Yuan What a pity. The result! In the situation where Li Yuanshan and others tried to rebel, Prince Xu was able to take down the entire Mandu banner, and his military use was actually admirable."
"Time is destiny"
Zhuo Buyi shook his head: "From now on, the people in Prince Xujun's palace will be inferior to others. It's his fate. There's nothing we can do about it."