Regarding the news that Hu Zongxian had arrived in the capital, Yan Song was happy from the bottom of his heart, and was not mixed with other emotions.
The reason is very simple. Hu Zongxian was recommended by Yan Song to serve in Zhejiang. In the process, Hu Zongxian relied on his own talents to gradually achieve the position of governor of Zhejiang and governor of Zhejiang.
Moreover, Hu Zongxian is one of the few people in the court who can directly present the memorial to His Majesty!
For so many years, the overall situation of suppressing Japanese pirates on the southeast coast has been tied to Hu Zongxian. Now, the Japanese pirates have been eliminated along the southeast coast of the Ming Dynasty. Hu Zongxian's contribution is enough to be recorded in the annals of history!
Correspondingly, as the person who originally recommended Hu Zongxian to take office in Zhejiang, Yan Song also received considerable benefits in the process.
The greater the contribution Hu Zongxian made, the more unshakable his Yan Song's position became!
Now Yan Song even has a tendency to regard Hu Zongxian as his second political heir besides Yan Shifan!
Later, Yan Song came back to his senses and said with emotion: "Oh, what a pity, it is my turn to be on duty tomorrow!"
After finishing his emotion, Yan Song turned his attention to the housekeeper and gave instructions: "After the shift is over tomorrow, I will send someone to invite Hu Zongxian to the house. Do you understand?"
When the housekeeper saw that Yan Song had personally announced that he would hold a banquet for Hu Zongxian at his house, he did not dare to show any slightness, so he immediately lowered his head and responded respectfully.
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing this, Yan Song glanced at the butler, waved his hand, and gave the order.
"Okay, if nothing happens, you can leave!"
"Yes, sir, I will resign now!"
After the butler responded, he immediately walked away without any hesitation.
…
The night passed in the blink of an eye. Early the next morning, before dawn, Hu Zongxian woke up from his bed at the inn early.
Today is the day when he goes to Qianqing Palace to meet Jiajing, so there is no room for neglect!
Under the service of his servants, after getting dressed, Hu Zongxian got on the sedan and headed towards the Forbidden City.
Because Hu Zongxian is no longer the governor of Zhejiang Province and the governor of Zhejiang Province, and is about to visit Jiajing.
Therefore, he wears a scarlet official uniform, which is custom-made with a black gauze hat, round-neck shirt, and belt, and is embroidered with the pattern of a small duke flower with a diameter of three inches.
The Forbidden City, outside the Qianqing Palace.
Hu Zongxian looked at the Qianqing Palace in front of him and couldn't help but take a deep breath. After calming down, he only heard a high-pitched voice.
"Xuan Hu Zongxian comes to see you!"
After hearing this, Hu Zongxian quickly suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his heart and entered the Qianqing Palace with a steady pace.
As soon as he entered the Qianqing Palace, Hu Zongxian knelt on the ground with a plop and said in a deep voice.
"I bow to your majesty, long live my emperor!"
"Without ceremony, please get up. Someone will come and give Hu Aiqing a seat!"
When Jiajing, who was sitting on the dragon chair, saw Hu Zongxian arriving, his face was filled with excitement that could not be concealed. He waved his hand and gave instructions.
As soon as Jiajing finished speaking, a eunuch came forward, prepared a seat for Hu Zongxian, and thoughtfully added soft cushions on it.
Seeing this situation, Hu Zongxian reacted quickly, cupped his hands, and thanked Jiajing: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"
"Well, sit down!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After hearing this, Hu Zongxian immediately sat down on the seat without refusing, looking upright.
After Jiajing looked Hu Zongxian up and down, he raised his eyebrows and chose to get straight to the point: "Hu Aiqing, do you still remember what I said when we were in the Yangxin Hall last time?"
After hearing this, Hu Zongxian suddenly fell into memories. Soon, he summoned up the courage and said cautiously: "Your Majesty, I remember that you asked me about the Japanese pirates entrenched in the southeastern coast. How much more time do you need?" It will take a long time to completely annihilate it!”
When Jiajing heard Hu Zongxian's words, he nodded and motioned for him to continue.
Hu Zongxian saw Jiajing's eyes falling on him. After hesitating for a moment, he continued: "At the beginning, Wei Chen thought that it would take at least a year to completely wipe out the Japanese pirates!"
"But now it seems that it is obvious that the humble minister is shallow. Since the imperial court issued the order to lift the maritime ban, the Japanese pirates who originally occupied the southeastern coast have completely disappeared. All of this is due to your majesty, your majesty is wise!"
When Hu Zongxian said this, he stood up from his seat and bowed to Jiajing.
When Jiajing, who was sitting on the dragon chair, heard this, his expression did not change much. He only glanced at Hu Zongxian and said impatiently.
"Okay, Hu Zongxian, I didn't call you here just to hear you flatter me!"
"I said at the beginning that when you wipe out the Japanese pirates along the southeast coast, I will let you officially join the cabinet. Now, I should fulfill my promise!"
When Hu Zongxian heard Jiajing's words, he looked horrified. Later, he saw him kneeling on the ground and couldn't help but refuse: "Your Majesty, it is absolutely impossible. Please take back your order. Your Majesty, Hu Zongxian, is not very talented and has little knowledge. How can he be worthy of this?" Important responsibility?"
"You know, Mr. Ge is carrying hundreds of millions of people in the Ming Dynasty. I, Hu Zongxian, know that..."
Before Hu Zongxian finished speaking, he was coldly interrupted by Jiajing: "Why, Hu Zongxian, is it possible that you want me to take back my life?"
When Jiajing said this, he paused for a moment and looked in the direction of Hu Zongxian.
At this time, Hu Zongxian felt that Jiajing's scrutinizing gaze fell on him, as if he wanted to see through him.
Then, I saw Jiajing retracting his gaze, gently stroking the dragon head carved on the dragon chair with his hand, and spoke slowly.
"Hu Zongxian, I know what you are thinking. You must already know about the incident that caused a commotion in the capital a while ago, right?"
Seeing that what he was thinking was revealed by Jiajing, Hu Zongxian's face was full of surprise that could not be concealed.
Just when he was about to explain, Jiajing's voice sounded again: "Okay, you don't have to feel guilty about this. It was not you, Hu Zongxian, who ordered Ma Ningyuan to mobilize the guards and trample the seedlings!"
When Hu Zongxian heard this, he wanted to defend himself: "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, it is the fault of a father who fails to teach, and it is the fault of a teacher who is not strict in teaching. Ma Ningyuan is Wei Chen's student. Since he has made a mistake, Wei Chen is his Teacher, you deserve to be punished!"
When Jiajing heard this, he looked directly into Hu Zongxian's eyes and said word by word: "Don't worry, I will punish you after this matter is over!"
Then, Jiajing looked away from Hu Zongxian and said slowly: "Hu Zongxian, I ask you, if the person who should be in power does not take power, what will happen next?"
When Hu Zongxian heard what Jiajing said, he couldn't help but fell into deep thought. Seeing that Hu Zongxian was unable to respond, Jiajing shook his head and gave the answer.
“If the people who should be in power don’t take power, then those who shouldn’t be in power will take over!”
"Think about it, if a group of insects are allowed to occupy high positions, will the people of Ming Dynasty still be able to live a peaceful life in the future?"
Jiajing's words were like a bolt of lightning, dispelling all the confusion in Hu Zongxian's heart.
The expression on Hu Zongxian's face gradually became resolute, and soon he fell to his knees on the ground with a thump, sincerely convinced.
"Your Majesty's words made Wei Chen enlightened. Wei Chen understands!"
Jiajing took in the expression on Hu Zongxian's face, nodded, looked at Lu Fang aside, and said in a deep voice: "From now on, Hu Zongxian will be appointed as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, a bachelor of Zhongji Palace, and will enter the Meridian Gate. Yuan Pavilion!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
Lu Fang on the side did not show any surprise when he heard this. He just leaned down and responded respectfully.
"Li, official minister..."
Perhaps because the news was so impactful, Hu Zongxian didn't know how to react for a while, so he had to lower his head slightly and murmured to himself.
The reason why Hu Zongxian was so shocked was because the Ministry of Personnel has been the head of the six departments since ancient times, and the Minister of Personnel is also known as the "Heavenly Official"!
It is firmly in charge of the personnel appointments of officials and has extremely powerful powers. All appointments, assessments, or dismissals of officials, large and small, must go through the hands of the Ministry of Personnel!
It can be said that, apart from the emperor and the cabinet, the position of Minister of Civil Affairs is the most powerful official in the world, and no one dares to offend him easily!
Afterwards, Hu Zongxian came back to his senses, looked in the direction of Jiajing, and declined: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I feel that the position of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel... is the position of Minister..."
Hearing this, Jiajing waved his hand and interrupted: "Okay, no need to refuse anymore, I think you can shoulder this important responsibility!"
Seeing this situation, Hu Zongxian no longer refused. He immediately knelt down on the ground with a thump and said in a deep voice: "I obey, Your Majesty!"
When Jiajing saw that Hu Zongxian accepted the appointment, he couldn't help but feel very good. Immediately, he glanced at Hu Zongxian and asked instead.
"Hu Zongxian, you have been the governor of Zhejiang for a few years. I want to hear from you about the situation of grassroots officials!"
After hearing Jiajing's words, Hu Zongxian thought about it for a long time before he responded in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, when I was appointed as the governor of Zhejiang, I discovered that among the grassroots officials, laziness and laziness prevailed. In addition, they also liked to talk loudly. , the trend of retreat is very strong!"
"As soon as some officials took office, they used various names to squeeze money from the people and use it to bribe their superiors to pave the way for promotion. Some officials saw that there was no hope of promotion. Even promotion to the court was not possible. All the work is done by the county magistrate, who spends his days drunk and dreaming, wandering among the brothels and prostitutes!"
"But the vast majority of them have mediocre abilities and just want to live a stable life. Therefore, things like wrongful convictions are common. People have no way to redress their grievances, and in the end they have to break their teeth and swallow them!"
After listening to Hu Zongxian's narration, Jiajing also expressed his deep agreement, nodded, and immediately spoke.
"Well, Hu Zongxian, the situation you just mentioned is almost the same as what I learned!"
"Before this, the imperial court has carried out many campaigns to rectify the atmosphere, but this is like a gust of wind. After it blows, it is still the same as it should be, treating the symptoms but not the root cause!"
"Therefore, I feel that it is necessary to establish a long-term system for the evaluation of officials, and I named it the Examination Method!"
"There are only punishments in the assessment. If you complete the target, there will be rewards. If you fail the assessment every six months, you will be removed from the official position. Those who are capable will be promoted, and those who are mediocre will be demoted!"
"In this way, we can avoid the situation of prevaricating and delaying things as much as possible, and at the same time, we can eliminate those worms from the officialdom of our Ming Dynasty!"
When Jiajing said this, he paused for a moment, then looked in the direction of Hu Zongxian and asked: "Hu Zongxian, what do you think?"
Seeing Jiajing's eyes falling on him, Hu Zongxian cupped his hands and responded without thinking.
"Your Majesty, I think this method is very wonderful. Only by conducting regular assessments of officials can we avoid situations like those mentioned by Wei Chen earlier!"
When Hu Zongxian said this, he changed the topic, looked in the direction of Jiajing, and then asked: "I dare to ask Your Majesty, when do you plan to implement this examination method?"
When Jiajing heard this, he waved his hand quite casually and responded: "Now is not the time. When the time comes, I will inform you!"
When Hu Zongxian heard this, his face was full of reverence. He immediately lowered his head and responded in a deep voice: "As you command, Your Majesty!"
After that, Jiajing looked away from Hu Zongxian, raised his eyebrows, and asked: "Hu Zongxian, I remember that when you came, you lived in the inn, right?"
When Hu Zongxian saw Jiajing suddenly mentioning this matter, he couldn't help but feel confused. Immediately, he lowered his head and responded respectfully: "Yes, Your Majesty, the minister was staying in the inn when he came here!"
After Jiajing learned the news from Hu Zongxian, he nodded and immediately gave instructions: "In this way, I will give you a few more mansions and fifty thousand taels of silver. As for the slaves, you can figure it out yourself. !”
"In addition, since you have been so tired all the way, I will grant you three more days of leave. When everything is ready, you can move in!"
When Hu Zongxian heard Jiajing's words, he wanted to refuse, but he cupped his hands and said respectfully: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I still have a mansion in the capital..."
When Jiajing heard this, he couldn't help but chuckle, and immediately responded: "Hu Zongxian, don't think that I don't know that you sold that mansion when you left the capital!"
"That mansion is small and dilapidated. I'm afraid it doesn't suit your status as Minister of Civil Affairs. Besides, the land prices in the capital are soaring right now, and you can't afford it!"
Seeing that Jiajing had already said this, Hu Zongxian had no room to refuse. He lowered his head and responded with tears in his eyes.
"Thank you for your grace!"
"Okay, if nothing happens, you can leave!"
When Jiajing heard this, he took his eyes away from Hu Zongxian, waved his hand, and gave the order.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will resign now!"
After Hu Zongxian bowed to Jiajing, he walked out of Qianqing Palace.
Lu Fang, who was waiting beside Jiajing, looked at Hu Zongxian's leaving figure and couldn't help but secretly sighed: "Your Majesty is really fond of Hu Zongxian!"
In Lu Fang's view, the greatest grace was not allowing Hu Zongxian to join the cabinet and serve as Minister of Civil Affairs, but allowing Hu Zongxian to choose his own servants. After all, the servants in the homes of many high-ranking officials in the capital were His Majesty's spies.
From this little thing, we can see how much His Majesty trusts Hu Zongxian!
Just as Lu Fang was feeling so emotional, Jiajing's voice rang in his ears: "Lü Fang, go to the cabinet in person and tell them the news!"
When Lu Fang heard Jiajing's words, she suddenly came back to her senses, lowered her head, and responded respectfully: "Yes, Your Majesty, I will go ahead now!"
…
Forbidden City, Cabinet.
The scene in the cabinet is still the same as usual, everyone is processing the memorials sent by the subordinate officials in an orderly manner.
Despite this, everyone's attention was not entirely focused on the memorials that were sent.
After all, today is the day when Hu Zongxian will meet His Majesty. Everyone is very curious as to what position Hu Zongxian will be awarded by His Majesty.
Xu Jie picked up the teacup on the side, took a sip, then looked at Yan Song with a smile on his face, and took the lead in provoking the topic.
"Mr. Yan Ge, you really have a good student!"
When Xu Jie's words fell, Gao Gong on the side also responded: "Over the years, Hu Zongxian's achievements have been obvious to all in the government and the public. Your Majesty will definitely entrust Hu Zongxian with important responsibilities this time." !”
Hearing this, Yan Song calmly put down the brush in his hand, stroked his beard, and said slowly: "These are all his own achievements and have nothing to do with me as a teacher. Moreover, I, as a teacher, also got involved." He has a lot of light!"
When Xu Jie heard Yan Song's words, the expression on his face did not change. He couldn't help but secretly complained: "Humph, this sentence is correct. If it weren't for Hu Zongxian over the years, just because of the immoral things you Yan Song has done, I'm afraid he would have been punished long ago. The fight is over!"
Then, Xu Jie came back to his senses, looked at Yan Song, and complimented him: "Where, where, Yan Ge's wise man accepted a student like Hu Zongxian..."
At this moment, a rush of footsteps was heard outside the cabinet, and not long after, a subordinate was seen hurriedly entering the cabinet.
After the subordinate official entered the cabinet, he looked in the direction of Yan Song and Xu Jie, lowered his head and said respectfully.
"Sir, Mr. Lu, Mr. Lu is outside asking for an audience!"
"Oh, Eunuch Lu is here, let him in!"
After Yan Song and Xu Jie learned the news from their subordinates, they did not show much surprise on their faces. After exchanging glances, they immediately gave instructions.
After all, anyone with a discerning eye can see the purpose of Lu Fang's trip.
"As you command, Mr. Ge!"
After the subordinate responded, he did not stop at the cabinet at all, but left quickly.
Soon after, Lu Fang, with a smile on his face, stepped into the cabinet.
Seeing Lu Fang's arrival, everyone stood up from their seats, bowed their hands to him, and said respectfully: "I've met Eunuch Lu!"
When Lu Fang heard this, the smile on her face did not change, she waved her hand, and immediately said: "You don't have to be so polite. Our family came here this time in compliance with His Majesty's order. We have news to tell you!"
After Lu Fang finished speaking, Yan Song and Xu Jie on the side seemed to have guessed something, so they were not too moved.
The remaining Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng and Yan Shifan looked at Lu Fang expectantly.
Facing everyone's gaze, Lu Fang coughed twice and then said eloquently: "Your Majesty said that from now on, Hu Zongxian will be appointed as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, a bachelor of the Zhongji Palace, and will enter the Meridian Gate to serve in the Wenyuan Pavilion! "
As soon as this news came out, everyone except Yan Song and Xu Jie had expressions of disbelief.
After all, Hu Zongxian is not only the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, but also the cabinet minister. These two things are enough to awe the officials if they are used alone. But now, Hu Zongxian has both of them at the same time!
It is no exaggeration to say that Hu Zongxian's status in the cabinet will be second only to the first minister and the second minister of the cabinet in the future!
Although Hu Zongxian had a high status in the cabinet, there were five people in front of him: Yan Song, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, and Yan Shifan.
"Fortunately, the cabinet is a place where people are ranked based on their seniority. Only when the people in front of them fail or leave, will the people who come after them have a chance to take over!"
Zhang Juzheng thought this and couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief.
After Xu Jie on the side learned the news from Lu Fang, a dark and inexplicable look appeared on his face. He lowered his head and muttered silently to himself.
"So that's it. All this is to pave the way for Hu Zongxian. Only by removing Yan Shifan from the position of Minister of Civil Affairs can Hu Zongxian successfully ascend to the throne!"
"Is it possible that His Majesty has been planning this from the beginning..."
Thinking this, Xu Jie couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine, and a shuddering feeling filled his whole body.
At this moment, Lu Fang's voice was heard in the cabinet again: "Since the words have been brought, let's leave first!"
When Yan Song and others heard what Lu Fang said, they suddenly came back to their senses, then they saluted respectfully and said: "Eunuch Lu, go slowly!"
Hearing this, Lu Fang withdrew her gaze and responded in a subtle way. After that, Lu Fang did not stop at the cabinet at all, but left directly.
After Lu Fang left the cabinet, Xu Jie came back to his senses and met Yan Song's eyes.
"Mr. Yan Ge, it is better for the cabinet to announce this news!"
"Well, that's exactly what I meant!"
Hearing this, Yan Song withdrew his gaze from Xu Jie, nodded, and spoke in agreement.
Then, Yan Song spread out his pen and paper and wrote down the sentence that Lu Fang brought before him, word for word: "From now on, Hu Zongxian will be appointed as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, a bachelor of Zhongji Palace, and will enter the Meridian Gate. Worthy of Wenyuan Pavilion!"
Yan Song's calligraphy was fresh and elegant, as graceful as a startling dragon, and so neat that even Xu Jie on the side couldn't help but admire it.
Afterwards, Yan Song was seen putting the brush in his hand back to its original position, and after stopping to watch for a long time, he looked back.
After the ink on the paper was dry, Yan Song called his subordinates and gave instructions: "Post it!"
"Follow your orders, Mr. Yan Ge!" (End of this chapter)
