As an official who was marginalized in the capital, Xu Guangqi was a very poor man, and his family was not wealthy.
Like his father, Xu Guangqi "was admitted to the highest level of the school at a young age and received a scholarship to the Imperial Academy. However, due to his poor family, he taught the children of the village."
It was naturally impossible for his family to buy a house in the capital. Living in the imperial capital was difficult, a common thing in any dynasty. It was not surprising that officials could not afford to buy a house in the capital.
However, Xu Guangqi had a place to live for a very simple reason: Emperor Zhu Youxiao rewarded him with a house.
Of course, it is not a mansion, but just a unique courtyard with three main rooms and two side rooms on the left and right. It is a standard courtyard.
This was quite good for Xu Guangqi. On weekdays, there were not many guests, so the stay was quite comfortable.
What he didn't expect was that there were guests at home today.
You know, even though he got promoted, his popularity was still not that good. He himself didn't like to curry favor with others and couldn't get along with many people, so basically there were no guests coming to visit him, only a few good friends would come to visit him occasionally.
Xu Guangqi was stunned when he heard that the visitor was Yu Maoheng, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.
How did this person find his way home?
You know, this person is a celebrity now.
Everyone is very clear about one thing: the person who is promoted by His Majesty at this time must be someone who is highly favored by His Majesty.
Many people were trying to curry favor with this rising official, but he seemed rather aloof and usually kept a low profile. Why did he come to his house this time?
Xu Guangqi was a little confused, but he couldn't just ignore him.
Soon the two met in the living room.
After some polite exchanges, tea was served and the two men sat down as host and guest.
Xu Guangqi looked at Yu Maoheng and really didn't know where to start. He had no idea what the other party was here for.
The most important thing is that I am not familiar with him and I can't even find a topic to talk about.
Yu Maoheng didn't care. He came here today just to build relationships. As long as he could build relationships, other things didn't matter.
Gently putting down the teacup in his hand, Yu Maoheng said, "Zixian, did you learn from Mr. Jiao Hong?"
Xu Guangqi was stunned when he heard Yu Maoheng's words.
Why are you asking about your teacher?
However, he nodded and slowly said, "Mr. Jiao Hong was my tutor during the provincial examination. He has taught me a lot through words and deeds over the years. He is indeed my teacher."
The meaning of his last sentence is very clear. I really regard Jiao Hong as my teacher, so you should be careful about what you say.
You should know that being a teacher is different from being a mentor in official circles.
The position of a seat master is more of a combination of interests in the officialdom, forming cliques with each other, and there are more things at the rules level.
But a true teacher deals more with the emotional aspect.
Xu Guangqi was emphasizing one point: Be careful with your words.
Yu Maoheng didn't take it seriously; he wasn't out to fight, so he smiled and said, "Mr. Jiao Hong was the top scholar in the 17th year of the Wanli reign. I once studied calligraphy with Mr. Dong Qichang. Although I didn't become his disciple, I always considered him my teacher."
When Xu Guangqi heard Yu Maoheng mention Dong Qichang, he was stunned.
You should know that Xu Guangqi was from Songjiang Prefecture, and he and Dong Qichang were fellow villagers, both from Huating County.
He never expected that Yu Maoheng would mention Dong Qichang, which surprised Xu Guangqi a little.
Yu Maoheng didn't seem to notice Xu Guangqi's surprise and continued, "Zixian, you are also from Songjiang Prefecture, right?"
Xu Guangqi nodded.
He was just being marginalized, not a fool. Xu Guangqi seemed to have understood why Yu Maoheng was here, and that he was trying to establish a relationship with him.
He was even more confused. What did this have to do with him?
Yu Maoheng was now a favorite of His Majesty, having just been promoted to Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. It must have been different now, with the Censorate in such disarray, and His Majesty letting him take over, what a huge trust this showed him.
No one believes that Yu Maoheng is not His Majesty's confidant.
In comparison, although he had also been promoted by His Majesty and was responsible for a lot of things, the actual situation was far from that. His Majesty did not think highly of him and did not appreciate him that much, so Yu Maoheng did not need to get close to him.
As the saying goes, when you give someone a gift, you must have something in mind, let alone someone with a higher status than you?
If someone in a higher position is close to you, be careful. It's not that he likes you as a person, nor does he want to associate with you.
He wouldn't have such an idea, he just wants you to do something bad, so you have to learn to be wary of him.
Once he seems particularly close to you, you'd better stay away from him; if you can't avoid him, then think of other ways to refuse him.
When good things happen, he won't think of you, nor will he get close to you. Instead, he will take credit for it and tell you: I have given you such a great benefit, you need to be grateful to me.
Only when the matter is particularly bad and no one is willing to do it, will he show his closeness to you and play the emotional card.
Xu Guangqi felt the same way now. He subconsciously leaned back in his chair and reached out to pick up the teacup.
Xu Guangqi took a sip and leaned back in his chair without saying anything.
Yu Maoheng didn't take it seriously, but continued with a smile, "So it seems we are close brothers. We weren't officials together before, so we were a little distant. From now on, we should be closer."
Xu Guangqi was confused after hearing this.
Are we a little distant?
We don't have any contact at all, okay?
What do you mean by close?
I just want to stay away from you now, okay?
However, Xu Guangqi had no way of humiliating the other party. After all, he was the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and a favorite of the emperor. What could he do?
Smiling at Yu Maoheng, Xu Guangqi said, "This is natural, this is natural."
Yu Maoheng disagreed with the perfunctory tone in Xu Guangqi's voice.
Just be perfunctory, it won't cost you anything. Relationships are like this, you can get closer by just moving around, all you need is an excuse.
As long as a relationship can be established, what kind of relationship it will become in the future depends on how they interact with each other on a daily basis.
Yu Maoheng smiled and said, "In fact, I have always been fascinated by Mr. Jiao's knowledge, but I have never had the opportunity. I heard that Zixian has inherited Mr. Jiao's true teachings. I wonder if we can discuss it together? In my free time, I would like to ask Zixian for advice more often."
You came to me for advice and mentioned your teacher?
Xu Guangqi seemed to know what the other party was here for.
This means that one wants to become a disciple of one's own teacher, or to change one's teacher.
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