The second day of the first lunar month arrived soon, and the temperature was still very low. Although there was no snow, the north wind was still bitter and stinging on the face.

After Wu Haogu got up early in the morning to worship his father Wu Cheng, he stood alone in the yard and looked at the room where Ximen Qing was hesitating. While thinking about whether to knock on the door, his apprentice Mi Youren hurriedly came in from outside and saw Wu Haogu in the yard, and hurriedly stepped forward to salute.

Wu Haogu asked him: "Why are you free to come here today? Do you have no relatives in your family want to leave?"

Mi Youren said: "Where are the relatives in my family who are important to Mr. Cai? Did the teacher forget to visit Mr. Cai's mansion today? By the way, teacher, did you receive good things yesterday?"

"I received a picture of "Shi Lu Tie" by Mr. Fan Wenzheng," Wu Haogu said, "By the way, you have a junior sister and junior brother."

"Fan Wenzheng's copybook is a good thing..." Mi Youren smiled and said, "Who are my junior sister and younger brother?"

Wu Haogu said: "Your junior sister is Du Yongde's granddaughter, and he also gave her "Shilutie"."

"Du...Du Wenyu?" Mi Youren looked at the teacher with an exaggerated expression, "Teacher, she is a famous beauty and talented woman!"

Wu Haogu looked at him and said seriously: "What my teacher values ​​is her talent. As for the beauty... I didn't pay attention to it."

Mi Youren smiled and didn't say anything.

Wu Haogu said again: "Your junior brother is Zhang Zeduan, and his courtesy name is Zhengdao. He is no worse than yours. He will definitely have a great future in the future." He paused, "He was recommended by Master Gou to be a teacher. He will move to the teacher in a few days. I will introduce you to you later."

"Oh." Mi Youren nodded and said, "I feel relieved if I have my junior brother who can accompany the teacher north."

"Xiaomi official, it's not only your junior brother who is heading north with your master, but also me."

This was Ximen Qing's voice. As soon as he finished speaking, the door of the room where Ximen Qing lived was pushed open, and he saw Ximen Qing dressed as a scholar coming out of the room.

Mi Youren was stunned, "Ximen Da..."

"Xiao Yi!" Wu Haogu hurriedly interrupted Mi Youren, "It's Ximen Xiao Yi."

"Brother Xiao Yi." Mi Youren saluted, then looked at Ximen Qing, and looked at Wu Haogu with admiration.

With Wu Haogu's identity and property, marrying Ximen Qing is not a skill, but it is really a great skill to let a woman like Ximen Qing "run" over here.

"Yuanhui, Xiaoyi, wait for me for a while." Wu Haogu called out, then turned around and entered the house, took the scroll of "Shilu Tie" and handed it to Mi Youren, "Look at it."

Wu Haogu’s appreciation of calligraphy and calligraphy is not as good as Mi Youren, so he wants Mi Youren to pass it first.

"It's the original work." Mi Youren nodded, put the copybook in hand and returned it to Wu Haogu. "Teacher, with this copybook, Mr. Cai will definitely let you take the official north."

In fact, Wu Haogu has made great contributions now (painting "The Photos of Empress Dowager Xiaoliang"), and it is also appropriate to be given an official. However, this matter was not done through the Painting Academy. Liang Shicheng could not ask for me for Wu Haogu, so it was proposed by Cai Jing, who was directly responsible for the matter. Cai Jing still didn't mention it, it was between the two...

"Okay, then go to the Cai Shishi Mansion." Wu Haogu looked back at Ximen Qing, "Xiao Yi, are you going together?"

Ximen Qing nodded, "It's good, but it's not convenient for me to meet Mr. Cai."

Cai Jing has seen countless people, but Ximen Qing’s gender cannot be hidden from his eyes. In order to avoid embarrassment, Ximen Qing did not want to meet him.

"Okay, let's go out now," Wuhao Gu Road, "I'll find some food on the way to get the breakfast done."

Cai Jing's mansion is also in the west wing of Kaifeng Prefecture, not far from Wuhaogu's residence, it is a very grand mansion.

When Wu Haogu and Mi Youren and Ximen Qing arrived, more than ten horses had been tied to the rows of horse-tie stones at the gate of Cai Mansion, and many men dressed as grooms and servants were waiting by the horses. These were obviously the mounts of officials who came to visit Cai Jing. Unlike later TV series Bao Qingtian was traveling in a large sedan chair, all kinds of green sky in the Northern Song Dynasty were usually riding horses, because sedan chairs were just tools for transportation for emperors and concubines, and others were not qualified to enjoy them. Unless they were old and weak or sick ministers, the emperor would be allowed to sit in a sedan chair.

There are no officials who come to flatter Cai Jing today who are so old and virtuous, so there are only horses in front of the Cai Mansion, and no sedan chairs.

Cai Jing's flattery is not just a matter of patting, and he has to queue up. Wu Haogu handed over a name, a gift list and a red envelope at the concierge of Cai's mansion, and was taken to a ear room to wait. There were more than a dozen people waiting in the ear room. They should be all sesame mung bean officials who came to the door to flatter. Wu Haogu suddenly felt like he was queuing up with a number in the bank in the later generations. I don't know when I could call myself? I don't know if there is a VIP number in line to queuing up for flattery?

Wu Haogu and Mi Youren looked at each other, then found a chair in the corner to sit down, while Ximen Qing pretended to be Wu Haogu's follower and stood behind him.

Just next to Wu Haogu and Mi Youren, there was a man wearing a blue Confucian uniform. He was very young, about twenty-four or twenty-five years old. He was very elegant and sat upright on a chair and waited.

The man recognized Mi Youren, and was stunned when he saw him sitting beside him, and asked in a low voice: "Brother Yuanhui, are you here too?"

Mi Youren smiled and said, "Brother Mengheng is here, will you come?" As he said that, he pointed to Wu Haogu, "This is Wu Chongdao, and today I am accompanying my master to visit Mr. Cai."

"Wu Chongdao? The first person in the painting?"

"That's right." Wu Haogu bowed.

Mi Youren pointed to the Confucian scholar and said to Wu Haogu: "Teacher, this is Bai Mengheng, Zhengzhou Sihu joined the army, Zuo Wenlinlang."

Bai Mengheng's "Mengheng" is the name of the font. This person's big name is Bai Shizhong. He was also an important official of the two dynasties of Huizong and Qinzong in history, but he is still an unknown small official now.

The Sihu Army is a small official who is in charge of household registration, taxation, warehouse payment and other matters. He is generally awarded a new Jinshi, while Zuo Wenlinlang is actually Wenlinlang. Adding the word "zuo" only means that the person who is awarded this official is a Jinshi hero.

The Song Dynasty once twice added "left" and "right" to the ranks of some low-level civil officials to distinguish their origins. However, when people introduced and called each other, they often hid "right" and highlighted "left". For example, Chen Youwen's Wenlinlang is "right", but no one would call him Chen Youwenlin, and usually he was called Chen Wenlin. Because it was embarrassing to have no Jinshi in the officialdom, there was no need to highlight it.

"Look for a long time, long time." Wu Haogu bowed to Bai Shizhong.

Bai Shizhong also politely returned a gift, and then sat down on the chair, not with Wu Haogu. Mi Youren said anything else, his brows were slightly frowning, as if he was a little nervous.

Wu Haogu guessed that this person must be the first time he came to flatter Cai Jing, and was worried that the gift was too thin and that he could not flatter him... It was not easy for officials who were not wealthy and had not gained wealth.

...

"Oh? Wu Dalang and Mi Yuanhui are here?"

Cai Jing had just finished washing up and was sitting in the inner hall eating crab roe buns. The crab roe buns from the Cai family are very particular, and the crab roe they use is purchased from Pingjiang Army. Every August and September, they are cooked with crabs from Yangcheng Lake in Pingjiang Army. They take out crab paste and cook them in lard, then can seal them, and transport them to Kaifeng Prefecture. Because the journey is long and the production process is exquisite, the price of a can of crab roe in Kaifeng Prefecture ranges from dozens of roe buns, which is very expensive. As for the historical books in later generations, the cost of each crab roe steamed buns from Cai Jing's family is 1,300. That is nonsense. Cai Jing is a corrupt official and not a sucker. The money he has greedy for his hard work can make the people below be deceived like this?

"Father, this is a gift list." Cai You presented the gift list given by Wu Haogu in both hands.

However, Cai Jing didn't answer. He pinched a crab roe bun on his hands, and was gnawing with relish.

"What a good thing?" Cai Jing asked.

"It's Fan Wenzheng's "Shi Lu Tie"."

"Shi Lu Tie?" Cai Jing raised his eyebrows and smiled, "It's really a good thing, ask them to come and see you."

"Come now?" Cai You looked at his father eating buns and asked in uncertainty.

When flattering, we have to say that we will come first and then? Wu Haogu and Mi Youren have just arrived, and there are dozens of sesame and mung bean officials waiting in front of them. Why did they let them go to the lineup? Speaking of which, Mi Youren and Wu Haogu are not officials yet.

"Just now," Cai Jing smiled and ordered the servants who were serving him, "add three pairs of bowls and chopsticks, and steam three baskets of crab roe buns... You'er, you can accompany you together."

This is to have breakfast with Wu Haogu and Mi Youren. How great is this to be? Moreover, they are both civilians and have no official status.

Cai You asked, "Father, is that too much?"

Cai Jing glanced at his son and sneered: "You can't just look at the present. Wu Dalang and Mi Yuanhui are now commoners, but they are friends of Duan's commoners. Once Duan ascends the throne in the future, these two people may be able to join the two palaces."

"Recommended to join the second government?" Cai You took a breath, "Will you have such an official career?"

Cai Jing smiled: "King Duan is not like the current emperor. It is reasonable to use his friends' personal relationships. Therefore, these two people will be of great use in the future. We treat them now and can invoke them with them in the future. Go and invite them to me."

After hearing his father's analysis, Cai You was immediately overjoyed because the father and son had already flattered His Highness Duan!
Chapter completed!