Chapter 11: Appointing the Worthy

  A poem sung on the river, shocked Tang Weihua and Chen Yunsheng into silence. They looked again and again at the text, which read: "Inspired by wine, my brush dances with the five sacred mountains; My poem is finished, I smile proudly, looking down on the vast expanse of water. Fame, wealth, and glory will last forever, And even the Han River should flow northwest."

  What a magnificent and domineering aura, it doesn't seem to be from an 8-year-old child at all, but rather from the hand of a master who has experienced countless things.

  After a long time, Chen Yunsheng grasped Tang Weixi's hand and said: "Dehua brother! This child must be able to save me!"

  Tang Weixi also came back to his senses and looked at his good friend who was in a state of madness, then glanced at his son beside him, as if he was still savoring the moment.

  "Xun'er, you go back to your mother's place first," Tang Weixi ordered immediately.

  Lin Yuxun heard this and nodded slightly, before leaving, she couldn't help but glance at the poem on the table, then walked out.

  "Dehua brother! This child..."

  Tang Weixi waved his hand to interrupt his friend's chatter and said, "Alright, what's your idea?"

  He was quite curious about Chen Yunshang's excitement and wondered what he meant.

  "Dehua brother, promote the virtuous and dismiss the wicked! Promote the virtuous and dismiss the wicked!"

  Chen Yunsheng was so excited that he spoke without thinking, and his words were unclear. But as soon as these three words came out, Tang Guan and his son's eyelids twitched at the same time.

  Although the use of cruel officials to kill bureaucrats continued after today, it is strange that they also sought talents eagerly. Not only did they hold the largest-scale imperial examination in history, but they also promulgated a proposal called "Holding Xianling" to promote talents.

  After understanding the history of later generations, Tang Guan is even clearer that the officials of the Tang Dynasty are divided into nine products and twenty-nine levels. The fifth product is called Tonggui, and the third product is called Qinguo. These are all the thresholds for scholars on the official road, because once they reach it, they will enjoy many privileges, so they have always been tightly controlled in the hands of those in power and will not be easily granted.

  And this decree of recommendation is another way to become an official outside of the imperial examination system, from high-ranking officials to ordinary people, all can recommend themselves. That's why there is a popular saying now: "Supplementing the shortage with carloads, picking up leftovers by the peck, pushing and shoving to become a Shiyushi, struggling free to become a Langlang."

  What does this song sing about? It is meant to satirize the current emperor's abuse of officials, where anyone can be appointed as an official just by recommending themselves, resulting in too many officials and not enough positions, so new offices were created such as "Supplemental Official", "Collector of Leftover Grain", "Imperial Censor", and "Proofreader" which can be filled one cartload at a time, one peck at a time, with the numbers being countless.

  Tang Guan remained silent and still, waiting for what came next. Tang Wei Xi furrowed his brow as if thinking of something.

  "If I were to offer my talent for curing diseases to the Emperor, I would certainly be exempt from the post of Governor of Huainan! Let me stay in Chang'an!" Chen Yunshang finally said what he had been wanting to say. The imperial edict appointing officials is divided into three six nine grades, it's called "the big waves wash away the sand", you come to take office, I give you an official position, if you can't do well and want to leave, that's not possible, if things go wrong, you'll lose your head.

  On the other hand, once a person with real ability is promoted, not only does he get a high official position, but also the person who recommended him can gain fame by association.

  "It won't do! The Emperor is still young, even if you were to recommend him, no one would believe it." After a moment's thought, Tang Weixi shook his head and said. He understood what his old friend was thinking - he wanted to use Tang Guanqi's talent to win the favor of the Empress Dowager, this wasn't something to be taken lightly.

  "Dehua brother! I'm begging you! Considering our many years of friendship!" Chen Yunsheng actually had no great ambitions, and since he started his official career, he had been stuck in the same place. Seeing that he had been serving as a stable county magistrate for so long, it was clear that he didn't want to go to the tense Huainan Road to take office.

  It's worth considering what Tang Wei Xi said, and after taking a look at Tang Guan, who was only about half his height, he also subtly shook his head. This kind of talent is simply unbelievable.

  Tang Weixi looked at his old friend's anxious appearance and couldn't help but hesitate, also feeling a little moved. He turned his head to Tang Guan again and asked seriously: "Guan'er, I'm asking you again, did you really write this poem yourself?"

  "Search through the Book of Songs and the elegant writings, as long as Your Honor can find one article similar to mine, I, Gong, am willing to accept punishment." Tang Guan saw that Tang Wei was still hesitant and directly spoke out in jest, "Li Bai and Bai Juyi haven't even been born yet, how could there be 'plagiarism'?"

  Tang Weixi nodded slightly and looked at the poems on the table with a serious gaze. After a long while, he rolled up the two volumes of poetry and handed them to Chen Yusheng.

  Chen Yunsheng's face lit up with joy, and he took it without hesitation, looking like he had obtained a treasure. But then he hesitated and asked: "Dehua brother, are you really willing to let me present this to the Empress?"

  Tang Wei's face, which had already shown a resolute color, hesitated again, as if struggling intensely. Tang Guan silently stared at the two of them, and in his heart, he probably understood something too. Although he didn't recognize the Chen Yunsheng in front of him, judging from this appearance, he should be Father's friend, and was going to recommend himself through the appointment of a worthy candidate.

  At this thought, Tang Guan was overjoyed in his heart and shamelessly thought: "The regret of your unappreciated talents, I'll make up for it all!"

  "How confident are you?" Tang Weixi finally asked after a long time.

  Chen Yunsheng couldn't help but hesitate, thought for a moment and said: "Eighty percent"

  "Return it to me!" Tang Wei was overjoyed and directly wanted to snatch the poem from Chen Yunshang's arms.

  Chen Yunsheng hastily dodged and said: "Wait"

  He said, then opened the scroll again, carefully staring at the poem on it, and his face gradually became excited again: "At this age, with such a poem! Perfect score!"

  Tang Weixi's heart was also burning with excitement. He never thought that his foolish son would be like a descending Wenqu star at this time, and his performance was so unbelievable.

  He didn't know that there were even more incredible things about Tang Guan that hadn't happened yet. If he knew that his son could now recite Confucian classics fluently and was familiar with geography, he would probably send Tang Guan straight to the pigpen.

  That's not a prodigy, that's a monster. In fact, Tang Wei Xi was able to make up his mind to let Chen Yun Sheng go to the capital to present poetry and essays, which already showed great determination. As the saying goes, "the tall tree in the forest will be blown down by the wind". Tang Guan is young and doesn't say whether he succeeds or not, but once this poem reaches that person's eyes, I'm afraid that no matter whether it's good or bad, his son's reputation as a genius will be hard to shake off.

  "Dehua brother! Is that settled then?" In Chen Yunsheng's view, this matter was a hundred benefits and no harm. At most, people would criticize Tang Guan for being too young, thinking the thing wasn't real, and he could continue to serve in Huainan Dao. But after all, the child wasn't his own, and who knew if his father was worried and afraid of accidents.

  Chen Yunsheng carefully held the scroll, his gaze towards Tang Guan also became fervent, with a hint of reverence, "This child will surely become a great talent in the future". Almost everyone who had seen Tang Guan's quick wit and reading skills shared this evaluation, except for that Mr. Guanshi who was driven away by anger.

  Tang Weihua nodded slightly and also came down resolutely. When one's mind is indecisive, it will be in disarray. He immediately consulted with Chen Yusheng again in a low voice for a few sentences, but Tang Guan couldn't hear clearly anymore.

  "Is it that easy? I thought I had to go to the capital for the exam too, but it turns out a special envoy was sent. Since you like running errands so much, I won't be polite!" The two adults pushed and shoved each other, and after some discussion, Chen Yunsheng finally left amidst Tang Weixi's farewell.

  No one noticed that Tang Guan, who had been silent all along, had a strange smile on his face. It has to be said that Tang Guan's ability to indulge in fantasies was quite impressive. Before he knew it, scenes of being promoted to high office, becoming a first-rank official, marrying a foreign princess, and reaching the pinnacle of life flashed through his mind. He felt a little excited at the thought, and saliva flowed involuntarily from the corner of his mouth.

  "Crown!" A loud shout brought Tang Crown back to reality, and he found Tang Wei Xi standing in front of him, unaware when he had returned.

  "The child is..." Tang Guan wiped the corner of his mouth and said.

  "Guān er, you'll be nine years old after the New Year"

  Yes

  Tang Guanjing waited for the next move, but Tang Weixi didn't say a word, frowning and thinking deeply about something.

  Tang Guan stepped forward and asked, "Father, who was that uncle just now?"

  "Oh, that's your Uncle Chen, he's ill, come over"

  "Oh" Tang Guan heard this and tried to move away, but was pulled into a hug by Tang Wei Xi.

  Now he is a half-grown child, Tang Wei Xi has always been strict with the children and rarely had such an intimate moment.

  "When you're sick, tell Dad, after you get better, are those things available just by thinking about them?"

  Tang Guan's eyes rolled around, knowing that even if the ancients were devout Buddhists or believers in gods, they would still be unable to resist asking questions when faced with such an inexplicable event. Even if Tang Guan wasn't a fool before, writing such a poem at this time was quite bizarre.

  "Yes, after recovering from the illness, I feel like there's a lot more to life and I can read books much faster." Tang Guan immediately went along with it, without any sense of guilt.

  Tang Weixi had a fat face full of smiles, and the more he thought that his son was truly destined for greatness, and those flattering words were really true! Heaven will entrust great responsibilities!

  "Ancestors bless us! Ancestors bless us!" Tang Weixi clasped his hands together and muttered to the ceiling.

  Looking at Tang Wei Xi's appearance, Tang Guan slightly shook his head. He had only slightly infringed on the copyright, yet he was shocked to be considered a genius. If he were to reveal his true abilities, it would not be difficult for him to rise to fame, but further development would require careful consideration.

  "Father, why did Chen Bo take away my poem?" Tang Guan asked Tang Weixi with a pretended innocent tone.

  Tang Weixi heard this and first let out a soft sigh, then said: "Qubing, do you want to be an official, a high-ranking one?"

  "Take office?" Tang Guan pretended to understand but actually thought: "Isn't that a useless thing to say?"

  "It's like that majestic guy riding a tall horse, when he says something, everyone will listen."

  Tang Weixi saw that his son was clever, but still had a child's temperament and didn't understand what an official was. But then he thought, if Tang Guan doesn't know what an official is, how could he have written such arrogant and disdainful poems? For a moment, he felt that his son seemed somewhat strange, but couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

  "Qù bìng xiǎng zuò guān, zuò guān le néng hé xūn ér mèi mèi zài yī qǐ ma?"

  Translation: "After getting rid of the disease, I want to be an official. After becoming an official, can I be with Xun'er sister together?"

  "If you become an official, not only can you be with Xun'er, but the higher your position, the more people you can be with."

  "No wonder people in the future all go to take the civil service exam, it's been taught like this for thousands of years." Tang Guan had a moment of silent ridicule in his heart, and he stopped being cute, just smiled and nodded, looking forward even more to when Chen Bo would bring himself good news.

  Tang Weixi's next muttering made Tang Guanshi stunned, "Yunsheng is going thousands of miles away, and it will take hundreds of days to come back. This winter is really cold."

  Tang Weixi muttered to himself as if no one was around, seemingly hinting at something.

  "Over a hundred days... what the, are you crawling there? The Grand Canal of Beijing and Hangzhou?" Tang Guan couldn't help but choke upon hearing this time, the TV screen flashed once, and the person was already there. In another flash, the imperial edict arrived.

  Unfortunately, this is not a TV series, Tang Guan muttered a few words in her heart and had to put it aside for the time being.

  ，！