Chapter 806: Xie's daughter grows up
The light outside the hall was not very hot, but it shone through the hollow carved silk and wooden windows, falling spots into the room.
There are three people in the hall.
Luo Xian had one hand behind his back and the other hand was clenched into a fist and slightly bent, as if in deep thought. He clenched his fist very tightly, and veins bulged on the back of his bony hand. It was obvious that he was struggling.
Xie An held the teacup in his hand, turned his head with a look of surprise, as if he was a little surprised.
A few steps behind him stood a young girl with delicate features, a lively look, skin as white as snow, a slender waist, and was as smart and beautiful as a valley in a bamboo forest.
Behind the screen behind the girl, several young men poked their heads out, their eyes full of curiosity.
Xie An placed the teacup in his hand on the table, a faint smile appeared on his face, but he did not speak.
Luo Xianzhi bowed meticulously and asked softly, "Which noble lady of the Xie family is here?"
Luo Xianzhi was asking, but he wasn't really asking.
Judging from her age and Xie An's reaction, it must be his fiancée, Xie Daoyuan, who was known for her talent in writing poems about snow.
Xie Daoyun responded politely, "May the Duke of the County be blessed with good health and happiness."
The reason why Luo Xianzhi's father, Luo Youzhi, arranged his marriage with Xie Daoyuan was because of the story of Yongxue.
At that time, Luo Youzhi was a guest at Xie An's house. He witnessed with his own eyes the quick wit of the young Xie Daoyun, and was delighted for a moment. He specially tested her and found that Xie Daoyun was quite eloquent and had clear thinking, so he was even more surprised. He also saw that Xie Daoyun was very beautiful, and her parents and elders, as well as the Xie family, were all elegant and romantic people. He thought that Xie Daoyun would definitely be a beauty when she grew up.
Luo Youzhi's traditional instinct suddenly took over, and he made an appointment with Xie An and Xie Yi on the spot to arrange a marriage between Luo Xianzhi and Xie Daoyuan.
The Xie family was a prosperous family, and Xie Daoyuan was favored by them. Xie Yi and Xie An both wanted to find a suitable husband for Xie Daoyuan. If someone else proposed marriage, Xie Daoyuan would still be young, and the two would definitely refuse.
But the one who proposed marriage was Luo Youzhi.
Since the Bang Zhou era, the Luo family has almost never failed in their marriage arrangements.
This is probably because people in the world always like to demand a good match between the two families, but this requirement is nothing to the Luo family.
As the most powerful family in Jiangzuo, Xie family would naturally not obey Luo Youzhi's power, but, that is Luo family!
Gusu Luo family.
A famous family in Jiangzuo, without mentioning the word "Luo", since Luo Chu, Duke of Yuzhang, it has always been one of the top two famous families in Jiangzuo, and the first after the Xiao family in Daliang. Among all the families in Gaia, in the era of Luo You, it can almost be said that Xiao and Luo shared the world!
Especially in today's world when the direct lineage is not prominent and the Ying Marquis is in decline, there is no doubt that the Gusu Luo family is the most powerful family in the world, and the Luo family's support for the Xie family is really hard to repay.
Luo You played an indispensable role in the rise of a second-rate aristocratic family to the first-rate one in Jiangzuo.
After all, this Duke of Gusu has changed the way of governing by following the circumstances since the Duke of Yuzhang, Luo Chu. Luo Youzhi's strong character can be seen from his words, which gives a feeling that those who obey me will prosper, and those who disobey me will perish.
Those who were hostile to Luo Youzhi were exiled, while those like Xie, who were close to the Luo family, saw their power and prestige grow rapidly.
Even without considering all this, the Luo family's reputation as being more precious than gold is enough to make people excited.
Luo Xianzhi looked at Xie Daoyuan, and Xie Daoyuan looked at Luo Xianzhi.
Luo Xianzhi knew who she was.
Xie Daoyuan knew that Luo Xianzhi knew who she was.
Xie An knew that Luo Xianzhi and Xie Daoyuan both knew who the other was.
So he smiled slowly and said softly: "My dear nephew, this is my elder brother's daughter, named Taoyuan, with the courtesy name Daoyun and the nickname Lingjiang. She is your fiancée.
I originally wanted to marry you after you came of age, but if you want to serve as an official in the court, you can start a family and build a career.
As the old saying goes, if you don't have a family, how can you start a career? If it's not a big deal, then choose an auspicious time to get married."
If she were an ordinary woman, she might feel a little shy when facing her fiancé, but Xie Daoyuan was an exception.
In addition to her extremely beautiful appearance, her personality is really not like that of a woman. She has the romantic and unrestrained temperament of the scholars in Jiangzuo and is a very open-minded person.
When she met her fiancé for the first time, she looked at Luo Xianzhi carefully and seriously.
Just now, behind the screen, she had looked at Luo Xianzhi many times, but all of them were from the side, but now she was facing Luo Xianzhi.
I just felt that Luo Xianzhi, who was approaching, was very elegant, with a kind of flavor of traditional Central Plains scholar-officials. He was very different from the Jiangzuo scholars who worshipped Taoism and Buddhism, were attached to mountains and rivers, and were unrestrained and free.
Xie Daoyuan has always liked heroes, the kind of heroes who can stand tall and proud.
This has to do with her living environment.
The Xie family, whether it is her father Xie Yi, uncle Xie An, or brothers of the same generation, are all talented people.
There are many talented people in these two generations of the Xie family.
It seems to be like this for every family when it rises, and a golden generation such as the Eight Dragons of the Xun Family will emerge.
Xie Daoyuan had lived in an environment full of talented people since she was a child, so she had high demands on this.
After Xie An finished speaking, Xie Daoyun bowed again. Luo Xianzhi naturally had no reason to refuse, so he replied to Xie An: "Taifu, what you said makes sense. After I leave your house, I will write a letter to Gusu and ask mother to prepare it."
Xie An dispersed all the Xie family members who accompanied Xie Daoyuan to visit her brother-in-law Luo Xianzhi from behind the screen.
Xie Daoyuan sat opposite Luo Xianzhi.
Luo Xianzhi raised his teacup to Xie Daoyun and said, "What Daoyun just said makes a lot of sense.
I was the one who was obsessed with appearance before.
I have just been thinking that I should face the challenge head-on and not watch my father's 18 years of hard work go to waste.
The next day I reported to Your Majesty and accepted the position of Shangshu Ling.
As long as Your Majesty does not grant me a high position as one of the Three Dukes, or a position as the Minister of the Chancellery, I am still within my acceptable range."
Luo Xianzhi's tone contained a hint of reluctance.
Xie An in the hall raised his glass, feeling quite speechless.
That was the Shangshu Ling of Liang State. Although his rank was not as high as that of his Three Dukes and Grand Tutors, his power was incomparable.
Taifu is just an honorary title.
The only advantage was that with the title of one of the Three Dukes, the emperor could give Xie An any official position without causing any turmoil in the officialdom.
As early as the Later Han Dynasty, the three ministers who were not in charge of the Shangshu affairs were already inferior to the Shangshu Ling.
In the entire Liang State today, the power of the Shangshu Ling without any other titles can definitely be ranked among the top ten.
If one has the rank of Kaifu Yitong Sansi, his status will directly jump to the top three.
In the Chu State era which was completely controlled by the gentry, this was possible for the nine noble families as long as the timing was right.
But now it’s Liang State!
And it was the Liang State that Luo Youzhi had governed for eighteen years!
Even the children of noble families could not rise to the top overnight and had to hold some low-ranking official positions. The difference between them and the poor families was that these noble positions were usually related to literature, history or the military, and if such positions were related, they could be promoted quickly.
Luo Xianzhi rose to high status as soon as he started his official career.
It is foreseeable that this is not the end of Xiao Yan's favor for him, but the beginning. He will rise to the highest position and have power over the State of Liang at an unimaginable speed.
Even the Xie family, the most prestigious family in Jiangzuo, could never reach this level.
However, there was a hint of helplessness in Luo Xianzhi's words.
Anyone in Xie An's position would probably find it difficult to calm down with such complicated thoughts.
What made Xie An even more speechless was that he could actually understand Luo Xianzhi's feelings.
Because the former Duke of Gusu, Luo Youzhi, was also like this. What he did was not just for the moment, but for the long term.
This seems to be a governing instinct of those who come from the Luo family. They strictly abide by the established political rules, and at the same time severely crack down on those who break the rules.
Extremely conservative.
Extremely radical.
These two contradictory characteristics are concentrated in Luo, thus creating many of his unique political views.
However, Xie Daoyuan heard Luo Xianzhi's determination from his words: either don't do it, or do it to the utmost.
Xie An's wife came into the hall and called Xie An away with an excuse. Suddenly, only Luo Xianzhi and Xie Daoyuan were left in the hall.
If we were to say what the biggest difference was in Ji Zhao's time, it was probably the social status of women. Although women were subordinate to men in terms of social productivity, the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues did not rule the world because Dong Zhongshu was severely attacked by Luo Shi.
Also, due to the high status of Empress Gao, daughter of the Luo family, and Ji Lingjun, society was lenient towards women. At least, it was not the case that women were not allowed to meet outsiders and had to talk behind a curtain.
It was fine when Xie An was around, but after he left, there were only two of them left. It was the first time for Luo Xianzhi and Xie Daoyuan to encounter such a situation, and they both felt a little embarrassed.
The two were silent for a moment, and almost at the same time reached out for tea, trying to ease the awkwardness. After catching a glimpse of each other's actions out of the corner of their eyes, they felt even more embarrassed and retracted their hands at the same time.
Xie Daoyun smiled and said with her hands covering her mouth: "My dear, are you good at drinking and writing poems?"
The most famous Qushui Liushang activity in Jiangzuo is drinking and composing poetry. So Xie Daoyuan asked this question, and once the conversation started, the awkward atmosphere was immediately dispelled.
Luo Xianzhi smiled and said, "I seldom drink, and I seldom write poetry. My father inherited the art of governing the country, and I also have great ambitions, to bring peace to the world. I only have a basic understanding of poetry, wine, prose and prose."
Xie Daoyun's eyes lit up when he heard this and he praised her: "My dear, what you said is very true. Nowadays, scholars in Jiangzuo, especially those from powerful families, all like fame and noble positions, but they don't know that they are just rootless duckweed.
My dear, you have great ambitions, and I am very happy about that.
However, we cannot let go of the ways of the world and human nature. Since you have just entered the court, the various gates in Jiangzuo will surely pay close attention to you and examine you.
My dear, you have come from Gusu and have not been to Jianye for a long time. I am sure it is difficult for you to see your families. I have heard that when the Duke of Yuzhang County came to Jiangdong, the families in Jiangdong entertained him with wine cups and winding streams. Now that my dear has just arrived in Jianye, I should invite all the families to congratulate you together.
I wonder what you think, my dear?"
Xie Daoyuan was good at the skills that were now praised by the aristocratic families, but she did not admire them, especially since the members of the Xie family had real talents and knowledge, some were able to command the army on horseback, and some were able to pacify the people on foot, and none of them were boastful people.
The husband she wanted was naturally such a hero. She wanted to hold a grand banquet with flowing wine and winding water for Luo Xianzhi in Jianye to announce his arrival to the whole Jianye.
Luo Xianzhi hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Is this Dao Yunni's intention or Taifu's?"
The two people's intentions are very different. If it is Taifu Xie's intention, it means that after the death of Luo Youzhi, the father of Luo Xianzhi, a group of Luo Youzhi's old subordinates headed by Xie, that is, a group of old subordinates who have lost the trust of the emperor, have the idea of recovering. They want to unite around Luo Xianzhi and then take charge of the affairs of Liang again.
If this was Xie Daoyuan's intention, then Luo Xianzhi would have to ask why she did this. A simple welcome would not warrant such a big fuss, especially since once Luo Xianzhi accepted the position of Shangshu Ling, he would soon become the target of public criticism in Liang's political arena.
Xie Daoyuan's eyes were bright, she looked at Luo Xianzhi with sparkling eyes and said: "I have never discussed this matter with my uncle, but this is what my uncle wants to do. I feel that when people walk in the sky, people will look up to them, and when people walk on the ground, people will look down on them.
If you want to do great things, you have to stand high enough, just like the former Duke of the County. If you are criticized because of your position as the Minister of the Chancellery, and this affects your great cause, wouldn't that be a fault?
Stand before the crowd and tell them clearly that you are different from everyone else. Make them obey your authority and follow your influence. When you are in the court, you will have a great reputation. A great reputation will lead to great achievements, great prestige, and noble display. "
Xie Daoyuan's voice was deafening. Her reason was simple. She wanted Luo Xianzhi to become famous directly. Not only the Luo family, not only the son of the former prime minister, but also his own fame in Jiangzuo. He wanted all the scholars in Jiangzuo to recognize that he was the best in the world.
This is the most direct way to increase your reputation, and you can do it directly in front of a group of the most prestigious aristocratic families in Jiangzuo. As long as you can succeed, your reputation will rise to the peak.
At present, when the customs of the late Han Dynasty have not completely disappeared, this method is still quite useful. In this era where reputation is extremely important, reputation can really make a living.
Xie Daoyun added: "Since you have already decided to accept the position of Shangshu Ling, then using this method should not be a big deal.
As long as the end result is good, why should we care about the means? "
Luo Xianzhi looked at Xie Daoyun who was talking eloquently, and said with a slight sigh: "Young lady is really a heroine. In such a short time, she made me break several rules in a row."
Xie Daoyun smiled and covered her mouth slightly, "I am just proposing some methods. If you follow this method, you will be under great pressure in the future."
Yes.
This method of cultivating reputation was also rejected by Luo Youzhi. What he liked were officials who had been trained from the grassroots level, rather than those who were suddenly promoted after boasting.
Xie Daoyuan proposed this method, which was a gamble that Luo Xianzhi would be able to be in charge of government affairs for many years. In this way, although Luo Xianzhi became an official through this old-fashioned method, he could turn around and block it directly.
Don't let others go down this path.
Demolish the bridge after crossing it.
How could Luo Xianzhi not sigh?
————
Xie Taoyuan, courtesy name Daoyun and nickname Lingjiang, was a native of Chen County. At the end of the Han Dynasty, he fled to Wu County to avoid the chaos, which was later called Gusu. Liang State prospered. His father and uncle were both high-ranking officials, and their names spread all over Jiangzuo. Daoyun was quite beautiful, had literary talent, and was good at poetry and prose. She was a woman who was called a queen and assisted the emperor. She was a famous woman and a leader in Jiangzuo. —— "Nanshi·Biographies of Extraordinary Women"
(End of this chapter)
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