Shenjing City, city gate
The Yang family's carriage rolled out of the city gate and arrived outside the city.
Yang Guochang was wearing casual clothes at the moment, sitting upright on the carriage, looking through the bamboo curtain at the endless fields. Some undissolved snow foam could be seen scattered above the wheat fields.
"Father, Mr. Qi and Mr. Liu are here to see us off." Yang Sihong, riding on a maroon horse, said loudly.
The face of the young master of Yang's chief assistant was sad, and he was not happy at all. A few months ago, he was the chief assistant of the young master, but now he is just a commoner. The change in mentality brought about by the gap in status can be imagined.
Yang Guochang turned around and raised the curtain to look to the left of the road. He saw Qi Kun and Liu Yuzhong who were offering wine at the Imperial Academy, as well as Hu Yi from the Etiquette Department. They were all dressed in casual clothes and waiting respectfully.
Yang Guochang lifted the curtain, and with Yang Sihong's support, the cold winter wind blew his gray beard, his eyes were filled with emotion, and he said, "Excuse me."
Qi Kun looked at the white-haired old man, stepped forward, bowed his hands and said, "Thank you."
When Liu Yu was offering wine in the Imperial College, Hu Yi from the Etiquette Department bowed his hands one after another.
Yang Guochang looked at the few people and said with emotion: "I don't want Yang to have a career that has been up and down for decades. Now that he has returned to his hometown after serving as an official, he still has a few friends to see him off."
"The mountains are high and the roads are far, please take care of me." Qi Kun looked at the old man with complicated eyes and said.
Liu Yuzhong also said: "Mr. Ge returns to his hometown now and has a safe and smooth journey."
Yang Guochang waved his hand and said: "I am a commoner and no longer a cabinet minister. Can I have a farewell drink?"
Qi Kun ordered the servants to bring water and wine. There were wine bottles and wine glasses on the wooden tray.
Then the servant on the side brought several glasses of water and wine, which were already filled.
Yang Guochang saw feelings in his eyes, raised the wine cup, drank it all in one gulp, a blush appeared on his old cheeks, and said, "Yan Xuan, go back."
Originally, it seemed that he had a lot to say, but now everything he said was filled with resentment, and instead he remained silent.
Qi Kun said: "En Xiang, take care of yourself along the way."
"Take care." Liu Yuzhong and Hu Yi also said.
"Master, King Chu is here." At this time, the servant whispered.
Qi Kun raised his eyes and saw that on the official road, dozens of horsemen surrounded the King of Chu, Chen Qin, approaching, calling out: "But Mr. Yang Ge is in front of you?"
Yang Guochang stared at him and said, "King Chu."
The King of Chu looked at the white-haired old man, feeling a sigh of relief in his heart, and said: "Xiang Yang has served my father for more than thirty years. The young king should offer a glass of water and wine to practice for Mr. Yang Ge. "
In the bottom of my heart, I remembered Liao Xian's advice just now. Although I took a certain risk today, it was easy to win Shilin's favor. Mr. Yang Ge had been managing the financial planning of the household department for nearly 20 years. He had known His Highness since they were in Prince Yong's Mansion. Now, It's nothing to send each other off.
As for whether the Holy One in the palace would be displeased by this?
The emperor is by no means so narrow-minded, and it is normal for officials to offer a glass of water and wine when they meet each other after serving their official duties.
Moreover, since the emperor decided to examine the conduct and talents of all the disciples, his mentality would definitely change.
There was a hint of surprise in Yang Guochang's old eyes. He soon regained his composure and said, "Thank you, King Chu."
After a glass of water and wine was served, it seemed to confirm King Chu's guess. There was a commotion from the direction of the city gate, and more than ten people on fast horses came.
"Mr. Yang Ge, there is an edict from the Holy One."
The Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty, Dai Quan, accompanied by a group of internal guards, drove his horse to the front, turned over and dismounted, and said with a smile: "The Holy Master said that at the end of the twelfth lunar month, the weather is freezing, so this big cloak is worn by Yangge on the old road. , it’s also good for keeping out the cold and wind.”
With that said, he delivered a blue fox fur cloak and left.
When Yang Guochang heard this, his heart was shaken. He looked in the direction of Shenjing and said with tears: "Old minister, thank you for your kindness, long live long live."
Before Yang Guochang knelt down, Dai Quan had already helped him up and said with a smile: "Mr. Yang Ge, the ground is muddy. The Holy Father said there is no need to perform a grand ceremony."
Yang Guochang took the big cloak from Dai Quan and said: "Please, Eunuch Dai, I will leave this broken body and pray for my great country, country and country."
Dai Quan smiled and said: "Don't worry, Mr. Yangge, I will definitely bring this to you."
After talking, Yang Guochang got into the carriage with the help of Yang Sihong, and escorted by a group of servants, the convoy drove away.
King Chu's eyes narrowed and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Liao Xian and Feng Ci looked at each other and secretly thought that it was true.
After Yang Guochang left, the Qi Party's power was greatly reduced, and the emperor gathered the hearts of the Qi people to use it as a check and balance in the future.
Dai Quan glanced at the King of Chu, but did not take a second look. Instead, he looked at Qi Kun and said, "Mr. Qi Ge, Your Majesty summons Mr. Ge to enter the palace."
When Qi Kun heard this, his face was slightly startled, he cupped his hands and said, "I obey the order."
While talking, he and Dai Quan went to the palace garden together.
Prince Qi's Mansion
In the southwest courtyard, in a study room, Chen Cheng, Prince of Qi County, squeezed into a chair, looked at a monk not far away, and said with emotion: "With the departure of Mr. Yang, the Ministry of Household Affairs now only has one cabinet minister and director. "My father wants to transfer me to the position of Minister of Cangchang. I have been responsible for escorting and receiving grains, which is my own duty, so I am not very happy about it. However, the King of Chu actually takes charge of the Ministry of War, which is really worrying."
Dou Rong comforted him: "Your Majesty, don't worry about King Chu. The Zhen family in Jiangnan has fallen, and King Chu has no one to rely on anymore."
Chen Cheng was silent for a moment, then looked at Jia Yucun and asked, "What do you think, Mr. Yucun?"
Jia Yucun said: "Your Majesty, the household department is no better than the others. It is responsible for the world's money and food expenditure. It will also be used in the future to use troops against the captives. The students think this is the Lord's high regard for the prince."
It's ironic to say that among those present was Jia Yucun, who was currently the chief secretary of Prince Qi's Mansion and had the highest background and was a two-ranked Jinshi.
Because Jinshi would not take refuge in the feudal king easily.
Chen Cheng thought for a moment, looked at the fair-skinned middle-aged scholar in his early thirties, and asked, "Brother Wang, what do you think?"
The man was Chen Hong, the eldest son of King Zhongshun. When King Zhongshun was deposed as a commoner due to the Imperial Mausoleum case, the emperor showed his favor and allowed Chen Hong to inherit the title, but his title was forever reduced to that of a county king.
Chen Hong put down the teacup, raised his eyes calmly, and asked: "Is Brother Qi Wang asking about the vacancy of Yuan Fu, or is it that the vassals are sitting in the yamen to take care of things?"
Chen Cheng thought for a while and asked: "Now that Mr. Yang Ge has resigned and the government is in turmoil, who does my brother think can be the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs? Who can be the Chief Assistant of the Cabinet."
Chen Hong said without hesitation: "The Minister of Hubu should be Qi Kun without a doubt."
"Did Mr. Qi Ge take over as the chief assistant?" Chen Cheng said in surprise.
"The first assistant should be Han Huang." Seeing the confusion on Chen Cheng's face, Chen Hong explained: "Let's not say that he is the second assistant of the cabinet. As a rule, he should be the chief minister of all officials. Since the early years of Chongping, The northern provinces suffered from continuous natural disasters, and the imperial court used the southeast to support the world. People in the southeast had long been resentful. If it hadn't been for this autumn, when the Yongning Marquis pacified the chaos in Henan and the bandits from the southeast, the world would have been in chaos. The emperor's move is calming the people in the southeast. "
King Qi frowned and said, "How do you say that?"
Chen Hong said: "If there is chaos in the Central Plains and the Jurchens start as sea pirates in the southeast, I am afraid that the whole world will be difficult to control. Don't you think that the Yongning Marquis is beneficial?"
If you want to defeat your enemy, you must first face up to how powerful the enemy is.
King Qi was silent for a moment, and then asked: "Second Assistant, who do you think my brother can take over?"
Chen Hong said: "There is another cabinet minister in the north who should be a secondary assistant. Only in this way can we support the Marquis of Yongning to fight against the enemy. The Zhejiang Party is constantly at odds with the Marquis of Yongning due to the affairs in the south of the Yangtze River. Your Majesty uses the Zhejiang Party to compete with the Marquis of Yongning and the Chu Party." , this is what will happen next year.”
Chen Cheng's eyes suddenly brightened and he said, "Listening to my brother's words is like seeing the fog through clouds."
Chen Hong said: "Your Highness is actually a fan of the authorities. Today, Your Highness should actually go and see Yang Guochang. Your Highness was at the Ministry of Household Affairs when he was watching the government, and he was a great teacher."
King Qi said: "This... I am also worried that my father will be offended."
"It's nothing." Chen Hong whispered.
Chen Cheng said: "Now that my father has summoned us and other vassals to sit in the government office and look after matters, what do you think your brother is doing?"
Chen Hong put down the teacup and said, "His Highness must have guessed that the Holy One has already planned to establish a crown prince."
Chen Cheng's eyes lit up and he said, "Brother, where do these words come from?"
The cousin in front of me was extremely resourceful. When my father ascended the throne, this royal brother was one of the few resourceful people who could see through the puzzle, and he could understand his father's thoughts relatively accurately.
Chen Hong said: "The Holy Dragon Body is not hesitant, and he will naturally consider what happens after his death, so he asks the vassals to quickly observe the government to check their character and talents. Whether it is the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Households, or the Military and Horse Department of the Five Cities, the vassals always Use your talents, but in the next one or two years all major affairs will be on the side, and... side affairs are handled by Marquis Yongning. The relationship between the King of Wei and the King of Chu is much closer to Marquis Yongning, so he is ahead of His Highness."
Chen Cheng said: "I have a long-standing grudge with that Yongning Marquis. Uncle Wang has suffered a lot in front of this kid before."
Chen Hong nodded, with a calm tone, and said: "My father had an affair with Marquis Yongning before. I also asked Marquis Yongning whether he could use a descendant of the down-and-out martial arts as a military machine. It should not be underestimated. My father had treated him with contempt before. .”
Chen Cheng said coldly: "It's not that Marquis Yongning is responsible for side affairs. The Prince of Nan'an County and other military honors are also dissatisfied with my son."
Chen Hong shook his head and said, "But no one has made meritorious deeds as repeatedly as Marquis Yongning."
Chen Cheng said angrily: "Brother, why do you always speak for children?"
Chen Hong said: "Now that things have happened, your Highness still doesn't think this person is powerful? He recently resigned from the post of the Military and Horse Director of the Five Cities, and the King of Wei was promoted to the Military and Horse Director of the Five Cities. If the Marquis of Yongning fully supports the King of Wei in the future, will His Highness be able to fight back? Power?"
Chen Cheng's expression paused and he was speechless for a moment.
Jia Yucun listened to the conversation between the two and secretly marveled that the son of the loyal and obedient king was indeed a wise man.
Chen Hong said: "Your Highness, there is no need to be depressed. Although this person is powerful, he is only one person. He started from scratch and offended many people. Now he just lacks an opportunity."
As the saying goes, if there is no one to support you along the way, and there will be blood and tears every step of the way, you will inevitably hate evil as much as hatred.
"Opportunity?"
"The first is a military defeat, and the second is a civil-military struggle. Military and national affairs are dangerous and unpredictable. Once the army is defeated, both your body and your name will be destroyed." Chen Hong said.
Chen Cheng said: "But I still have some ability in fighting."
"Even if you win, you can't escape suspicion." Chen Hong said calmly, "Compared with dealing with Marquis Yongning, His Highness's top priority should be thinking about how to regain the Holy Family and restore the title of Prince."
At the end of the sentence, a cold feeling surged in his heart. Not only did he want to restore the title of prince, he also wanted to...
The father is the eldest son of the emperor, and that position should have belonged to the father in the first place. After the fourth uncle has resorted to so many tricks, is it really possible for him to sit on the throne with such peace of mind?
When Chen Cheng heard this, he quickly asked: "How can I restore the title of prince? Please ask my brother for advice."
Chen Hong said: "First of all, we must complete the errands assigned by the Holy Lord. We will neither take the initiative to befriend nor offend the Marquis of Yongning. We will lurk secretly, hide our capabilities and bide our time, waiting for the opportunity."
Chen Cheng frowned and looked hesitant.
During this period of time, he was mostly dormant, but the boy's arrogance became more and more arrogant. From earl to marquis... Is this okay?
King Qi said: "I am now despised by my father. Is there anything I can do, brother?"
"It has been a long time since the Sanhe Gang incident in Dongcheng. The Holy Family cannot be obtained suddenly. If Your Highness serves his duties with sincerity, when the two kings of Wei and Chu lose their Sacred Heart, the Holy Family may not be irreplaceable. If it really doesn't work, in the future we can only follow the Emperor's wisdom. ." Chen Hong was silent for a moment, and a stern look flashed in his eyes.
When King Qi heard this, he was startled and his eyes moved slightly.
Follow the emperor's old wisdom...
Submissive on the outside but ruthless in reality, this is his father!
In fact, the general idea is that instead of improving oneself, it is better to denigrate others. As long as the competitors are blackened, disgraced, and brought down, then oneself can succeed.
"Seizing the rightful son is not achieved overnight. Your Highness, please be patient. King Wei has just left the palace and may not make mistakes in the future. King Chu can let him go. The top priority is to deal with King Wei with all his strength and make him see evil in His Majesty." Chen Hong whispered.
How tragic was Longzhi's seizure of the throne? Who hasn’t done a few satisfying things?
Then you do one thing and I do one thing, which means that no one has done anything. If they didn’t guess their thoughts correctly today, they will be disappointed with you, and they will be disappointed with him tomorrow.
Finally, something magical happened, and everyone was on the same starting line again.
At this moment, Jia Yucun looked at the middle-aged prince with a faint look, feeling inexplicably horrified.
Prince Zhongshun seemed to know the emperor very well and was even more scheming than Prince Zhongshun.
Dou Rong, Monk Huitong, and Xu Shaozhen were even more silent.
He secretly thought that he was indeed a person who had experienced all the political turmoil during the Longzhi period. He had a deep understanding of the emperor's thoughts, which was difficult for others to match.
"How do you deal with King Wei?" Chen Cheng squeezed his hands and said with stern eyes.
"Princes of all dynasties have been established early and have made great achievements. However, the emperor is like a thorn in the back, hiding his weakness and keeping upright. His talents are insufficient, and his successors are... very few." Chen Hong was silent for a moment, with a cold look in his eyes, and said: "And the king of Wei is a person. , there are two concubines in the palace, and a relative of the Song family outside, who is married to the prince of Nan'an County, and wants to hook up with the Marquis of Yongning. As time goes by, the Holy Lord becomes the hero. Once the body is recuperated, he will inevitably be suspicious, and the father and son will be suspicious, and trouble will arise. .”
The premise is that the emperor's health will last another three to five years.
This is because the pyramid of power is very crowded. If the emperor feels that he does not have a few years to live, then there is no doubt that he will start to consider establishing a legitimate son.
But after I regained my composure, I saw that I could live another ten or twenty years. At that time, I began to suppress the vassals. Just like before, before I vomited blood and fainted, all the sons were suppressed and could not move. The East Palace was not erected. Who would take the lead? Just cut whoever you want.
But after losing confidence in his own body and bones, a qualified emperor must examine and train successors for the sake of the country and the country.
Prince Qi's eyes were filled with excitement, and he said with emotion: "Brother is right."
It's such a late meeting.
Daming Palace, Hanyuan Hall, inner study room
Emperor Chongping sat on the chair behind the mahogany desk, looked at Qi Kun across a desk, was silent for a moment, and said, "Yang Qing is gone?"
"Your Majesty, I have already set off to return home." Qi Kun responded with cupped hands.
Emperor Chongping paused for a moment and said in deep thought: "Qi Qing, after Yang Qing left, there is no one in charge of the Ministry of Household Affairs. Qi Qing previously promoted the new salt method, so I have specially moved Qi Qing to be the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs."
When Qi Kun heard this, his expression paused, he cupped his hands and said, "I accept the order."
Emperor Chongping asked: "How is the fiscal revenue of the Ministry of Revenue this year? Are the money and grain reserves still sufficient?"
Qi Kun said: "Going back to your Majesty, this year there was drought and then floods in the north, and the grain harvests in many places were poor. Due to the war in the Central Plains, the nine sides were mobilized. Fortunately, Taicang, Luoyang, Henan, delivered 1.5 million grains to the capital, and there was a good harvest of sweet potatoes. , it is rare for money and food in the household warehouse to be abundant."
Speaking of which, all of this is directly or indirectly related to Jia Heng, whether he dared to be the first to inspect the Wei and Zheng dynasties in Henan, to remove grain from Taicang in Luoyang to relieve the crisis in Shenjing, or to go south to regulate rivers, patrol salt, create new salt regulations, and collect Salt, profits, taxes and silver bring a good harvest to the state treasury. Almost everywhere he goes, there are four words - capable ministers and officials!
Therefore, when Qi Kun initially agreed with Emperor Chongping to confer the title of first-class marquis to Jia Heng, he was convinced.
Emperor Chongping said: "Next year, silver will be used everywhere. According to Ziyu's estimation, there may be a war, and there will be no shortage of money and food."
Now is truly the best year.
Qi Kun said: "Your Majesty, there are still two people missing from the Ministry of Household Hall. I am afraid that one person will not be able to handle the overall situation."
In fact, this is also a test. After the position of chief minister is gone, how will the emperor arrange all the members of the party.
The first assistant did not dare to hope that the position of assistant...
After all, his time in the cabinet was too short, but it doesn't make sense for him not to be the minister of household affairs as a secondary assistant?
Emperor Chongping paused and said, "I have found a good helper for Qi Qing. Qi Qing will recommend another official for me to choose."
Lin Ruhai, the censor of the Salt Patrol, had already gone to Beijing to report on his duties and was transferred to the position of Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and asked Qi Kun to recommend someone to serve as its director.
Qi Kun did not try to find out the emperor's thoughts, so he could only say yes. His mind was spinning, and he was secretly thinking about who to recommend.
Wei Boyang, the former minister of Cangchang, was also promoted, and Peng Ye was still in Henan, so there was no need to return to Beijing, so he promoted several doctors from the household department.
It is not worth transferring people from local Futai and vassal states.
After Qi Kun resigned, Emperor Chongping's face was as dark as water, his deep eyes looked into the distance, and he continued to think about the arrangements for the court in the coming years.
Qi Kun was in charge of the household department, and he was assisted by Lin Ruhai. Lin Ruhai was a simple man in his early years and was an in-law of the Jia family, so that the household department would be able to provide no money or food for future wars against the captives.
Since Han Huang was the chief assistant, he could no longer serve as Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Even the two ministers of the Ministry of Personnel had to be replaced. The heavenly officials of the Ministry of Personnel would no longer enter the cabinet as was the case in the Taizong Dynasty, which would have the effect of clamping down and restricting things.
In this case, I already have a rough candidate in mind.
Yao Yu, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, was born in the Han Dynasty and learned Taoism. Although he was a wise man, he was not a member of the Zhejiang Party.
As for the Second Assistant to the Cabinet, Li Zan was appointed to reward him for his long service in being in charge of Peiping and rectifying border affairs.
In this way, Han Huang, the chief assistant of the cabinet, was in charge of the ceremony department, Li Zan, the second assistant of the cabinet, was in charge of the military department, Qi Kun, the cabinet member, was in charge of money and food, and Zhao Mo, the cabinet member, was in charge of punishment.
But the Zhejiang Party was still strong... At that time, Ziyu suppressed the scholars in the southeast due to border affairs.
Emperor Chongping was thinking about rebalancing the situation in the court, and returned to his desk to sit down.
It can be said that what the emperor thinks today is almost the same as what Chen Hong, the prince of Zhongshun County, deduced, because this in itself is the inevitable direction of the situation.
The Southeastern scholars have been waiting for so long. It is impossible not to put them in the position of first and second auxiliary. Moreover, only by putting them in the first and second auxiliary position will they be able to withstand disasters in the future.
(End of chapter)
