Xiao Yu gave His Majesty Li Er a multiple-choice question, but it was actually a trap. No matter which way His Majesty Li Er chose, he would suffer losses. It's just that His Majesty Li Er seems to be rough and heroic and not good at calculation, but he is the best among ancient and modern emperors in playing political tricks. How can he let Xiao Yu get what he wants?
What's more, he is the emperor, he has the initiative at all times, and he can go astray without following the rules...
His Majesty Li Er took a sip of tea and ignored the posthumous title. Instead, he changed the topic and said: "The king of Jiangxia County is a descendant of the clan. His leadership of the civil service yamen has caused dissatisfaction among many officials in the court, so I want to use him as his commander." After guarding the right camp, I will assist the Duke of Wei to act as the Sixth Commander of the East Palace. As for the position of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, I prefer Zhang Xingcheng to take it. What do you think?"
Xiao Yu was a little stunned by His Majesty Li Er's false shot, and hurriedly said: "He is the head of the six departments of the Ministry of Personnel. The power is too heavy to be granted lightly. I hope your Majesty will think twice. It is best to convene the ministers for discussion. If nothing happens, more power will be given." It will not be too late to appoint the right candidate."
At present, the powerful families in Shandong and Jiangnan are united and entering the court in large numbers when Guan Long withdraws from the court and leaves many key departments. This is a trend that His Majesty Li Er cannot stop, unless he is willing to re-enable Guan Long Xungui, or even He did not hesitate to completely anger the powerful families in both places, leading to political instability and war.
But there will naturally be competition between the powerful families in the two places. There are only so many positions in the court, and the powers vary, and everyone wants to have the upper hand.
If a "heavenly official" position such as the Minister of Personnel fell into the hands of a Shandong family, they could easily arrange for Shandong's descendants to enter various key departments, and their power would flourish. However, the Jiangnan gentry were too passive.
Obviously, His Majesty Li Er is issuing a warning: Be more honest with me, otherwise you will have to walk around without food...
And this matter is not impossible to happen. Since His Majesty Li Er has seized Fang Jun's military power, sooner or later he will attack the Sixth Army of the East Palace. It is also reasonable to let Li Daozong command the Youtun Guards to monitor and restrict Li Jing.
Of course, it is debatable who should be given the position of Minister of Civil Affairs...
Xiao Yu has lost his temper. It doesn't matter how clever this move is by His Majesty Li Er. However, the imperial power dominates the world. Unless he rebels, how can he resist?
After pondering for a while, he said: "Your Majesty Qiangang is arbitrary. The matter of Yi Chu is imperative. The veterans and the Qingliu and Jiangnan disciples in the court all support it fully."
Although I am convinced in my heart, facing a hero like His Majesty Li Er, it is not enough to just be soft. You should show toughness at the right time to make him have some scruples, so that he will not act unscrupulously.
Yi Chu can do it, but the interests of the Jiangnan nobles must be protected, otherwise the entire Jiangnan will have objections.
His Majesty Li Er looked at Xiao Yu with sharp eyes. He looked at the latter with a chill in his heart, and then he suddenly smiled: "Since entering the Tang Dynasty, the Jiangnan gentry have been obedient and loyal under your leadership. In the previous Eastern Expeditions, they even provided money and people." I remember it clearly in my heart that I will work hard, and I will definitely live up to the support of all the kings. The cultural land in the south of the Yangtze River and the beautiful scenery of the four seasons are the heart of the empire. I hope the Duke of Song Dynasty will take care of it for me."
A good emperor must know how to compromise appropriately under the advantage of advantages. Being tough will lead to betrayal and alienation, which is the path to self-destruction. The truth that is tough is easy to break has never been easy through the ages, as the saying goes, "the right way can help many people".
What is "Tao"?
Above the court, "Tao" refers to interests, the interests of the king, the interests of ministers, and the interests of the people... How to weigh the pros and cons among various interests and take both left and right into consideration is the most important criterion for measuring whether an emperor is qualified. .
The world has never been ruled by one family and one surname.
*****
It was raining heavily and the sky was dark.
Zhang Xingcheng walked into the study room of Duke Lu's Mansion, took off his raincoat and shoes, stepped on the floor with his bare feet, and came to Cheng Yaojin. The two of them saluted each other, then knelt down and sat on the floor by the window.
A few exquisite side dishes and a jug of fine wine were placed on the low carved lacquer table.
Cheng Yaojin held a pot and poured wine, and said: "How is the situation outside the city?"
Zhang Xingcheng held the glass in both hands, toasted Cheng Yaojin, drank it in one gulp, and said after drinking the glass: "It's not bad. The British Duke just went back to his hometown and then left the city to sit in the east of Ba River. Some of the Eastern Expedition troops came from the local area." The transferred troops have begun to distribute supplies, money and food, and repatriate them to their original places. The number of troops is decreasing day by day. Only the 'rescue team' of Youtunwei is extremely active, wandering around Guanzhong to rescue the affected people, which cost Fang Jun a 'ten thousand'. The people in Guanzhong are grateful for the nickname "Buddha born in the family".
The rescue team bears the name "Royal" in name, but everyone knows that this is Fang Jun's consistent operation.
In the name of "royal", you can pull the banner of tiger skinning and occupy the rightful position, and then you will naturally get twice the result with half the effort.
This move indeed made Zhang Xingcheng admire him. The whole of Chang'an was in chaos due to the dispute over the reserve position, and even the central court was paralyzed for several months. However, Fang Jun still sent soldiers and spared no expense and food to rescue the people affected by the disaster, and countless people survived.
Nowadays, it is known as "the court is full of justice", and the court is full of honest and capable officials, but how many people can have Fang Jun's ambition and ambition?
It is enough to make all the kings in the court ashamed.
Cheng Yaojin also took a sip of wine, nodded in approval and said, "Although Fang Er is a tough guy, he is much more pure. He is willing to do practical things, far better than those people who talk about morality."
He was as happy as if his nephew had done something good.
Zhang Xingcheng naturally knew that Cheng Yaojin and Fang Jun had a very good relationship, and they always treated each other as sons and nephews. He smiled and said: "This kind of rescue model, coupled with the previous 'emergency disaster relief yamen', can become a permanent system of the court. Lu Guogong might as well submit a letter Your Majesty, you may receive recognition."
Intrigue and intrigue in the court is the norm, and it has been the case in all dynasties. But in the official career, in the final analysis, one has to rely on political achievements to speak for themselves. Isn't this obvious political achievements? Others have already done it, you just need to raise your hand and agree, and you can get some political achievements.
Therefore, the wisest way in the officialdom is to flatter yourself, and be more generous to those who work under your opponents. Anyway, the political achievements they have done must be attributed to you, the boss...
Cheng Yaojin held the pot and poured the wine. He did not continue the conversation, but changed the topic and said: "My virtuous brother has been in office for a long time, and it is time to return to the court. It is the time when he is young and strong, and it coincides with the middle of the court." If the situation changes, something will definitely happen.”
Zhang Xingcheng smiled bitterly: "My younger brother has little talent and little knowledge, so he had to become an official and return home to study poetry and books. Besides, although there are great changes in the government, there are always carrots and pitfalls. Where can I find a suitable position for my younger brother?"
Cheng Yaojin took a sip of wine, took a mouthful of steamed crucian carp, and said casually, "How about the position of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel?"
Zhang Xingcheng was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said: "Don't joke, Duke Lu. The king of Jiangxia County is highly valued and trusted by your majesty. How can the Minister of Personnel appoint someone else? Besides, it's not my younger brother's turn."
Although he shoulders the responsibility of liaison with the outside world of the Shandong family, he seems to have an important position, and he can be regarded as an outstanding person among the children of Shandong. However, he is too young and is not taken seriously within the Shandong family where seniority is serious. Furthermore, the Zhongshan Zhang family is in Shandong Being a small family in an aristocratic family, they tend to step forward when they are doing their best, but they tend to stay behind when it comes to judging their merits and giving rewards.
Where could someone get such a prestigious position as Minister of Civil Affairs?
Cheng Yaojin shook his head, spat out the fish bones in his mouth, and said: "It is precisely because His Majesty has great faith in the Prince of Jiangxia that the position of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel will not allow the Prince of Jiangxia to sit for a long time, because compared to the Ministry of Personnel, the Sixth Rate of the East Palace This is His Majesty's biggest concern... What's more, His Majesty's power and strategizing skills are at their peak. How can you not know the principle that if you want to take something first, you must give it first? He will definitely offer a position with enough weight to let Shandong and Jiangnan On the one hand, the competition between the clans and clans hurts the harmony, but if it can cause a rift between the clans in the two places, wouldn't that be just what you want?"
Having followed His Majesty Li Er for so many years, he certainly understands His Majesty Li Er's power, but because of this, he is quite familiar with His Majesty Li Er's acting style.
"Two peaches kill three men" is a bit exaggerated, but if you throw out a bone and two powerful people from Shandong and Jiangnan compete for it, it is easy.
Zhang Xingcheng thought for a while, suppressed the longing in his heart, shook his head and sighed: "Of course, I don't dare to hope too much."
Cheng Yaojin gave him some advice: "Of course we can't rely on those old guys from Shandong. They are buried up to their necks in loess and they have been completely confused for a long time. You might as well pay a visit to Fang Jun... Don't look at Fang Jun being seized by Guo now. , but when it comes to influence on the DPRK, it has not been weakened much. At least as long as he offers you the position of Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Xiao Yu and Cen Wenwen will not dare to agree, otherwise they will make him angry. Well, let’s just lead the subordinate officials of the East Palace to support the Guanlong clan, and everyone will have a headache.”
Yi Chu has become a foregone conclusion, so where the officials of the East Palace will go in the future will naturally become a matter of concern to the court. With Fang Jun's prestige within the East Palace faction, no matter which side he wants to stand on, those East Palace subordinate officials will attach themselves to Ji Wei without hesitation and regard him as their leader.
The intrigues and conflicts between the various factions are in line with the emperor's balancing act. This is what His Majesty Li Er wants to see, so now all factions are trying their best to win over Fang Jun.
At this time, Fang Jun wanted a position as Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Even if those people were reluctant to give up, how could they dare to refuse?
Zhang Xingcheng hesitated.
That was the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, which was far more prominent and more powerful than the previous official position he held. Who could be indifferent to this?
He hesitated and said: "But since then, isn't it possible that we have completely fallen out with the Shandong family?"
Cheng Yaojin said curiously: "It won't cause any trouble if you obey me, but what can you get? As long as you sit firmly in the position of Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, those old people have no time to win over you, so how can they fall out with you? They are full of morality. The article is actually the most shameless, after all these years I have seen through it."
Seeing Zhang Xingcheng hesitate and grit his teeth before making up his mind, he also breathed a sigh of relief.
Although His Majesty's plan to sow discord is clever, it is too easy to offend others when implemented. I have betrayed the Shandong family and obeyed Your Majesty's will. I still have to be humble. If someone finds out, he will be blamed...
(End of chapter)
