Ningguo Mansion, outer study room
On a chair made of black pear wood, Han Hui was dressed in a scholar's gown, holding a tea cup and sipping tea with his head down. Suddenly he heard footsteps, raised his eyes, stood up, and called out: "Zi Yu. "
Jia Heng stepped into the study, smiled and said: "Zisheng, I haven't seen you for a while. What have you been busy with recently?"
Han Hui smiled and said: "In preparation for the exam next spring, the old man issued a lockdown order, so I can only study behind closed doors at home. If it hadn't been for your post, I really wouldn't have been able to come here."
Before coming, his father had warned him to find out why Jia Ziyu called him here.
Jia Heng called Han Hui to sit down again and said: "With Brother Zisheng's talents, next year in the competition year, he will be named on the gold list and win the title of Toad Palace."
"I don't dare to say that. There are talented people and strangers in the world like crucian carp crossing the river. I am ashamed to say that I didn't pass any of the last subjects." Han Hui said, laughing at himself and said: "In the next spring, I will lose my reputation again." , I’m afraid my father won’t even recognize my son, who has such dull qualifications.”
Han Huang, whose ancestral home is in Hangzhou, has been a famous official for generations and has been a good scholar for several generations.
Jia Heng smiled and said: "Your family has inherited poetry and calligraphy. I heard that my uncle won the Jinshi at the age of twenty, right? Maybe it is my uncle who uses himself to judge others. I don't know."
This is a joke.
"No, my father thought that everyone was like him and was good at the art of making eight-legged stockings. In fact, if it weren't for the sake of becoming an official, I wouldn't have the intention to learn this." Han Hui also said with a smile.
As Jia Heng gains more and more power, the relationship between the two becomes somewhat subtle. Now that they are joking together, they feel more close to each other.
After the two exchanged pleasantries, a servant outside served them tea and then discussed the court affairs.
Han Hui said: "Now that the Gongling case has been settled, people in the capital have become more stable. It seems that it was Ziyu who was in charge of Jinyi Mansion and took charge of the case. Otherwise, according to the early years, everyone would be involved in the case. In the case, I don’t know how many innocent people will be implicated in the case.”
In the prison, Jinyi Mansion often has the final say on how many people there are in Luo Zhi. If the commander of Jinyi has a bad heart, he may even take the opportunity to make money and do evil.
Jia Heng looked slightly solemn and said: "I am just dealing with it impartially. Such a series of accusations and killings will not only undermine the law of the court, but also seriously harm the peace of heaven. What's more, now that all the ministers in the court are seeking stability, they want to Take heart, even if you are purging officials, you should have real evidence, otherwise injustice will spread and people will be dissatisfied, which will be a disaster rather than a blessing for the country."
Listening to the young man's generosity, Han Hui felt a little emotional and praised: "Although Ziyu is a martial artist, he has already shown the appearance of a famous minister."
Such a commander in royal robes really does bad things, but does not end well.
This is what his father said before, such a young man is not blinded by the desire for power, otherwise it will not be easy for him to have a good death in the future if he is a political enemy.
Jia Heng shook his head and said: "The Holy One is also magnanimous and wise, and will not execute punishments out of anger."
"However, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Household Affairs have been a bit unruly recently. They dare to do anything, and Prince Zhongshun's Palace is even more audacious. Now that the punishment has been answered, it is also very satisfying." Han Hui nodded and said, observing Jia Seeing the expression on Heng's face, his eyes were calm, and he secretly thought that he was worthy of being a military minister with Privy Wen, and the depth of the city was completely different from that of a young man.
After thinking about it, he tried again: "Now the Ministry of Works is short of staff, and my father is still worried about this matter. All of a sudden, most of the Ministry of Works is involved in this case, and there is also a big plan of the Beijing Procuratorate. In the past few days, there has been a lot of discussion with the Metropolitan Procuratorate. There have been disputes, and now there has been a dispute between the ministries and the academies.”
When Jia Heng heard this, his heart moved slightly, and he secretly thought that Xu Lu, the censor of Zuodu, had a dispute with the Ministry of Civil Affairs over the Beijing inspection.
Jia Heng nodded and said: "Old Han Ge selects officials and promotes talents for the country. Mr. Xu is upright. Both of them are selfless. Even if they are fighting, it is for official business."
It is normal for the ministries and academies to fight against each other when it comes to the capital's plans.
Han Hui nodded and did not dwell on the matter. Instead, he said, "Zi Yue, your father-in-law, is in the Ministry of Industry now, right? I just heard from the people in the Tan Mansion that Ziyu, my father-in-law, is here today?"
He thought to himself, could it be that his father was trying to push Qin Ye?
With this thought, my heart moved slightly, and I suddenly understood.
That's right, otherwise he wouldn't have sent a greeting card to him, so mysteriously that half of the divine capital city is running for it.
I don't know how many officials are worried about the vacancy of two ministers from the Ministry of Industry.
It’s just that my father should have a favorite candidate in mind.
Jia Heng said: "My father-in-law, he has been an official in the Ministry of Industry for decades, but he is just an official and is not allowed to be like Pan Lu. For this reason, he has been working as a subordinate for many years, so that now he is over sixty years old and is still a doctor in the same department. "
"The hard work has paid off. Now that the Ministry of Industry has a vacancy, it's just the right time." Han Hui whispered.
Jia Heng pondered for a moment and said: "This still depends on the wishes of the court and the courtiers. However, the second master of Xifu has been serving as a foreign minister in the Ministry of Industry for more than ten years. After completing several terms, he is not allowed to be promoted. I also find it very strange. .”
The reason why Jia Zheng was not promoted was not surprising to him at all. He was from a benevolent official background and did not have many means. It was not to say that Jia Zheng was in the emperor's heart. Could it be that he was just hanging around in the Ministry of Works?
When Han Hui heard this, he was slightly surprised and asked with a blank look on his face: "Is this the political master of Xifu that Ziyu is talking about?"
After pondering for a moment, he said: "Mr. Zheng was originally a fifth-grade official, but now the Ministry of Industry is short of manpower. It shouldn't be difficult to be promoted to a first-level doctor, or to be sent out to inspect the affairs, right?"
There seems to be no need to look for his father for such matters, because according to the normal process of promotion, he can eventually be promoted to a doctor in the First Division as he wishes.
Jia Heng nodded and said: "It's not difficult to be appointed to a foreign post. However, Mrs. Rongguo has a son of the political master by her side, and she still has to serve in the high court, so it is difficult to seek a foreign post."
Speaking of this, he pondered for a moment and said: "I thought that the post of General Secretary You Tongzheng has been vacant for more than half a year. Mr. Zheng originally served in the Ministry of Works and only served in the Ministry of Industry. That’s what you mean, right?”
At this time, there is no need to hide it.
Until this moment, Han Hui's eyes were focused, and he suddenly understood what the young man in front of him meant.
It turned out that he was running for Jia Zheng to be transferred to the General Affairs Department, Youtongzheng.
The general affairs department is on the right, and this is indeed a good position. It is the fourth rank, and compared to the six yamen, it is inconspicuous. It has been promoted to three levels at once.
Because once an official in the capital is promoted to the rank of fifth-grade doctor, he has already reached the bottom. He is either transferred to the temple supervisor, or is sent out to serve as a prefect, or to participate in the affairs of the vassal. The latter is more common and can be regarded as a normal transfer.
In fact, according to later statistics, in the Ming Dynasty, doctors became chief ministers and counselors (383 cases), deputy envoys (309 cases), chief secretaries participated in politics (304 cases), chief ministers (158 cases), and prefects (147 cases). , Minister of the Six Ministries (53 cases), Chief Envoy (37 cases), Taichang Shaoqing (52 cases), General Secretary of General Affairs (24 cases), and others will not be listed.
These include upgrades to one level, two levels, and three levels.
For example, Qin Ye, who has been entrenched as a doctor in the First Division of the Ministry of Industry for more than ten years and cannot move, is an abnormal phenomenon.
Most of the transfers of Jia Zhengyuan and foreign ministers were to serve as ministers (310 cases), chief ministers and counselors (129 cases), doctor (47 cases), deputy envoys (34 cases), and chief ministers (30 cases). ), Guanglu Shaoqing (5 cases), other officials (69 cases).
There are also some who have been upgraded to one level, and some to three levels. Although there are few, there are not none.
To be promoted from a Yuanwailang to the General Affairs Department seems to be a certain degree of over-promotion. However, in view of the special situation of the Ministry of Industry being swept away, and Jia Zheng's "nail house" spirit in the Ministry of Industry for more than ten years, the order Officials who are not allowed to be transferred after serving several terms are promoted three levels to General Affairs Secretary You Tongzheng. Although it is an excessive promotion, it is reasonable.
Then again, if the transfer process was normal, there would be no need for Jia Heng to seek Han Huang's activities and accept his favor.
Han Hui nodded and said, "Don't worry, Ziyu, I will talk to my father about this matter."
Jia Heng said solemnly: "Then Lao Zi will be promoted to brother."
Jia Zheng's promotion was good. Han Huang, an official in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, strongly recommended him. In addition, Jia Zheng's previous clean style in the Ministry of Works made it a natural progression for him to be transferred to Youtongzheng.
After that, the two talked for a while, and Han Hui didn't linger much. He said goodbye to Jia Heng and went to report to his father Han Huang.
Speaking of which, this was the first time Jia Heng greeted Han Huang.
…
…
Korean house, study room
It was in the evening, the sun was setting in the west, and the golden afterglow fell into the study through the carved windows, illuminating the exquisite and elegant study brightly and transparently.
Han Huang and Yan Hong sat opposite each other across a lacquered wood coffee table with a chess piece on it. The two were clearly talking with their hands, and at the same time they were waiting for their son Han Hui to return from Ningguo Mansion.
Although the wording in Jia Heng's greeting card was cryptic, people like Han Huang, who knew the elegant meaning of the string song after hearing it, immediately understood its meaning.
Nowadays, there is a shortage of officials in the Ministry of Industry. Jia Zheng of Rongguo Mansion and Qin Ye, Jia Heng's father-in-law, are both serving in the Ministry of Industry. They will be transferred and transferred at once. It is difficult for military generals to interfere in civilian affairs, so they can only find civilian officials to operate from them.
"Brother, is this Jia Ziyu also staring at the two ministers' missing children?" Yan Hong pinched a white chess piece and placed it on the chess surface, frowning and asked.
Yan Hong couldn't help but murmur that there was a vacancy in the Ministry of Works right now, so everyone was busy.
"It's hard to say." Han Huang was dressed in a scholar's robe, with an elegant face and a short beard under his chin. He picked up the tureen teacup on the small table beside him, lowered his head and took a sip, and said slowly: "His father-in-law Qin Ye and Jia Cunzhou of Rongguo Mansion , all serve in the Ministry of Industry, and they are the only ones involved in the Gongling corruption case. They were suppressed by Pan and Lu earlier, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate sent people to verify this. Now the test of the unjustly accused person is still in the examination of the merit department. Leave it alone, Jia Cunzhou has learned about this matter, and it will be a matter of course for him to be promoted to a doctor. As for Qin Ye, who was originally a doctor, there is no chance."
"Then Qin Ye is not from Kejia, and it is true that he is old. How can he find important officials in the ministry?" Yan Hong put down the chess piece and said with a frown.
Han Huang said: "Today, there is no strict rule in employing people. Among the four doctors of the Ministry of Industry, only Qin Ye is said to be clean and honest. He should be promoted to the third level and moved to participate in politics or envoy to other provinces to show that the selection and employment of people are fair. But Qin Ye After all, if you are a little older, you may not be able to do it. It is not impossible to become a minister of the headquarters and become an official in three to five years."
According to the Han Hui Dian, officials should become official at the age of seventy.
Qin Ye got Qin Zhong when he was fifty years old. Now Qin Zhong is eleven, and Qin Ye is only about sixty-four or five years old.
Yan Hong pondered for a moment and said: "Now that this is the case, Jia Ziyu's intention is clearly revealed. If he asks his brother to help the court recommend his father-in-law as an official of the Ministry of Industry, how should he deal with it? Should he still agree to it? Can’t do it?”
The Zhejiang Party also has its own people to recommend.
Han Huang looked solemn and said: "I am also thinking about this matter. Is it too selfish to push our people up now?"
Yan Hong's expression changed slightly and he said, "Brother, why do you think so? The Ministry of Works created a mess for Pan and Lu. If our people were in charge of the Ministry of Works, how could there be such a mess?"
As he said this, he was suddenly startled and asked, "Brother, you are not going to recommend Qin Ye, are you? Is it too much to sell this favor to Jia Ziyu?"
If the leader of the Zhejiang Party is recommended by the Heavenly Official of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, one of the two ministers will definitely be chosen.
Han Huang did not answer, but pondered for a moment and asked: "What do you think the emperor did when he left Zhao Yunsong in the Ministry of Works?"
Yan Hong thought for a moment and said: "As Jia Ziyu said, Zhao Yi was not involved in the case. Moreover, the Gongling case has caused prisons again, bloodshed, and people are in panic. This move by the Holy One may be to appease the officials in the DPRK."
"This is one of the ways to soothe people's hearts." Han Huang lay under his eyebrows, his eyes shining brightly, as if there were gleams of wisdom, and he said: "I'm afraid that the Holy One is also balancing the situation of the court, and doesn't want to cause the two parties to fight again. Delaying important affairs."
If Zhao Yi leaves, the Ministry of Industry will lose two ministers, and the Ministry of Etiquette will no longer be vacant. At that time, the competition between the two parties for a minister will inevitably set off a greater political trend.
Yan Hong suppressed the surprise in his heart and asked with stern eyes: "What do you mean, brother?"
"I'm wondering if I should not participate in this promotion?" Han Huang shook his head and said with a faint look.
When Yan Hong heard this, the chess piece in his hand suddenly fell on the chessboard with a "click" sound, which made Han Huang frown.
Yan Hong calmed down and said in a low voice: "My brother is a heavenly official in the Ministry of Civil Affairs and is in charge of affairs. No matter what, the emperor will definitely ask my brother for his opinion. How could my brother have such an idea?"
"What I mean is that this time the nomination should be based on a public spirit, and the candidates should be elected to the appointment of talents. In order to avoid suspicion, they should avoid our Zhejiang people." Han Huang frowned and said in a low voice.
As he said that, he stretched out his hand to gather the chess pieces.
"Brother, this..." Yan Hong hesitated for a moment, then changed his words and persuaded: "But Qi Dang will not give up. Besides, Brother Yongchang has been looking forward to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a long time. If God does not take it, he will be blamed for it. , If you don’t welcome it when the time comes, you will suffer disaster! Moreover, if you stop eating because of choking, you are afraid that people’s hearts will wander, which will be detrimental to the overall situation.”
Guo Yongchang is the Minister of Taichang Temple and a member of the Zhejiang Party. This time he is planning to be promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Industry, and he is considered a candidate recommended by the Zhejiang Party.
Han Huang was silent for a while and sighed: "Yes."
This is the helplessness of being the leader of a faction. If his subordinates want to move up, there is nothing to stop them.
But as Han Huang tried to figure out his intentions, he vaguely felt that it would be difficult to get his hands into the Ministry of Industry until he became the chief assistant.
And if you are the chief assistant, the first thing you should do is to ask yourself to step down from the official position.
In fact, at the beginning, Han Huang served as a cabinet member and also headed the Ministry of Personnel, which was the emperor's method to appease the people in southeastern Zhejiang. Later, he became the second assistant in the cabinet, which was a carrot dangled in front of the people of Zhejiang.
"Brother, you have to give it a try. Besides, the Ministry of Industry is short of two people. No matter how bad things happen, it will still be like a cabinet story." Yan Hong persuaded him again.
He felt that his brother had not been aggressive enough since he was appointed as a cabinet minister from Zhejiang.
Han Huang picked up the tea cup and took a sip. He paused and said, "Then give it a try. I'm afraid the holy will is not waiting for me."
People in official circles have no choice but to do what they want. If he doesn't take action this time, the people below him will have doubts. If he fails, it will be the general trend and they will not resent him.
But once the hearts of the people are scattered, it will be difficult to lead the team. Even if you know you can't do it, you still have to try.
At this moment, the servant outside shouted loudly: "Master, the young master is back."
Han Huang put down the teacup in his hand and called, "Let him come in."
After a while, Han Hui walked into the study, bowed respectfully to Han Huang and Yan Hong and said, "Father, uncle."
Han Huang nodded and motioned Han Hui to sit down on the chair beside him.
"What did Jia Ziyu say?" Han Huang asked.
Han Hui briefly recounted what happened and said: "What Jia Ziyu means is that Jia Cunzhou of Rongguo Mansion can be transferred to the General Affairs Department Youtongzheng."
"Jia Zheng?" Han Huang frowned, guessing in his mind.
Yan Hong smiled and said: "General Affairs Secretary You Tongzheng has really good eyesight. He is of the fourth rank."
"Jia Cunzhou has been doing nothing in the Ministry of Industry for many years and has no actual achievements. Fortunately, he keeps to himself. It would be appropriate to go to the General Administration Department and there will be no mistakes." Han Huang thought for a moment and nodded.
He is the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, so he naturally has some understanding of Jia Zheng's character.
Yan Hong frowned and asked, "Brother, are you going to help him?"
"It's hard for me to open my mouth for once." Han Huang pondered for a moment, looked far away, and whispered: "Besides, the matter of defeating Yang cannot be separated from him."
The Zhejiang Party and the Qi Party have been fighting for many years, but it is hard for him to go into battle without a shirt. Previously, it was Jia Heng, a young nobleman, who opened the situation. Now that such a military officer is dissatisfied with Yang Guochang, it will undoubtedly show that the Qi Party is not straight.
"We'll have a discussion with the Examination Department tomorrow." Han Huang suddenly said.
Yan Hong murmured: "It seems that Jia Ziyu has not thought about letting Qin Ye fill the gap. After all, he is old."
He originally thought he was here for the position of Minister of Industry, but now he found out that it was not the case.
Han Huang said: "Not sure, maybe he found someone else."
Yan Hong thought for a moment, frowned, and said: "Brother, if he seeks officials for his own family members, he is not afraid of the Holy One..."
"It's nothing. We don't avoid relatives when we promote talents. How many more years can Qin Ye be an official when he is over sixty years old? Besides, he is in charge of the heavy troops in the capital, but he has no desires or desires, which makes people doubtful." Han Huang looked at him Deeply, whispered.
There is really no dispute, which makes people doubt that the intention is too big.
Yan Hong couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy in his heart, and said in a complex tone: "Brother said it like this, if someone recommends it, is it really possible for Qin Ye to be appointed as a minister?"
"It's hard to say. After all, we still have to look at the Sacred Heart." Han Huang sighed and whispered.
Not far away, Han Hui, who was sitting there, listened to what his father said, his expression changed, and he was thinking in his mind.
(End of chapter)
