In the flower hall of the Chen Mansion, Du Ning finally calmed down a lot after Chen Xun's advice. However, after thinking for a moment, he was still a little worried and asked.
"Teacher, having said that, Wang Jiugao is the chief minister of the cabinet after all. Even if he is also in charge of the Imperial Academy this time as a test by the emperor, in the end, he will benefit from taking this job."
"When the time comes, even if the emperor is dissatisfied, I'm afraid he won't be able to do anything to him for no reason, right?"
After all, Du Ning still cares about the Hanlin Academy.
Of course he knew that if Wang Ao took over this job, it would be a hot potato. However, although the potato was hot, it could fill his stomach.
After all, it was Jiang Yuan who came forward in this matter. Even if Wang Ao was behind the scenes, given his status, he might not be able to do anything to him.
Du Ning has been in the court for so long, and he is still certain about the emperor's character. He is broad-minded and considers the overall situation. He only relies on his talents and virtues, not his personal likes and dislikes.
Therefore, even if he offended the emperor this time, as long as his master came out of Wuming, Du Ning believed that the emperor would not do anything to Wang Ao. At most, he would only lose some impression points.
From this perspective, Du Ning felt that Wang Ao might not be clear about the emperor's intention, and this choice might not be a decision he made after weighing the two aspects.
Seeing that his disciple was still so dedicated to the Hanlin Academy, Chen Xun couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but he concealed it well. He sighed softly and spoke.
"Zong Mi, do you know where I went when I came back so late today?"
Du Ning blinked, not understanding why the topic suddenly came here, but he still shook his head honestly.
So, Chen Xun looked at him thoughtfully and spoke softly.
"I first went to the Xiao Mansion to visit Xiao Hao, and then went to Mr. Chen's home."
Du Ning was stunned for a moment, then a hint of shame appeared on his face.
He somewhat understood what the teacher meant.
Sure enough, seeing his look like this, Chen Xun's face gradually darkened, but he still said.
"Zong Mi, do you know what was the most correct thing you did in court today?"
Du Ning looked at the teacher's face and went through the entire morning process in his mind. After hesitating for a moment, Fang answered cautiously.
"Is it... that the students insisted on investigating the matter against all the opinions before the news about Academician Xiao's pulse cutting came?"
This is not difficult to guess, because throughout the whole process of the morning court, Chen Xun did not give him any hints. Only when the situation was unfavorable, he would not hesitate to move out the Nanbei Bang case and insist on investigating clearly. At that time, I saw the teacher’s satisfied look.
So naturally, if the teacher asks the question now, it will not be for any other reason.
Seeing that his disciple was not hopeless, Chen Xun's face became a little warmer and he spoke.
"Yes, that's right!"
As he spoke, Chen Xun's face became serious and he continued.
"Zong Mi, everyone has the desire to be an official. However, if you want to achieve the position of Qi Qing, you cannot just have the desire to be an official."
"It took me twenty years to understand this. Now I'm telling you, I don't want you to take these detours again."
"Especially...under the current rule of His Majesty, this is especially important!"
At this point, even as Chen Xun, his words became cautious. After all, this was a private discussion about the emperor.
However, after all, Du Ning is his most valued disciple, and he is also the current Qingliu lineage, and the one who has the best chance of stepping into the Qingqing threshold after him.
Therefore, there were some things that had to be said. Originally, Jiang Yuan also had to say it, but now, it was obvious that Jiang Yuan had no chance to hear these words.
"Nowadays, most people in the court think that the emperor is very resourceful, manipulative, and good at taking advantage of the situation. But in fact, Zong Mi, the emperor is actually the most virtuous person!"
Du Ning was stunned for a moment, not understanding.
This cannot be blamed on Du Siqing. Since the emperor ascended the throne, his image in the court has been that of a sage and a wise judge at best, but at worst, as Chen Xun said, he is good at taking advantage of the situation and achieving his own goals through various forces. Governance strategy.
From the initial command of the Battle of Oara, to the subsequent reception of the Emperor, to the current military affairs and other government affairs, if you take a closer look, you will find that in every major policy of the imperial court, whether he is a supporter or an opponent, the emperor can play a role Use different functions to achieve the purpose you want.
Such a monarch is indeed wise and wise, and in the eyes of all the people in the world, he is indeed a good emperor who is kind and wise. However, as a minister, serving such an emperor is not an easy task.
In addition, there is another point that the emperor has been criticized by the court, that is, his work on the issue of Nangong is not perfect.
It is true that the emperor was very considerate in the etiquette, treatment, and even all aspects of treating the emperor, wherever the common people could see it.
However, in some places that will not be known to the people, such as "small oversights" in some rituals, such as the vague hostility between Qianqing Palace and Nangong Palace, it can never be concealed, or in other words , these "little details" that will not affect the awe of the Tian family's authority among all the people in the world, the emperor has no intention of covering up.
From this perspective, the ministers in the court have a strong balance in their hearts. It is true that the emperor has the overall situation in mind and puts the country and the country first in everything. However, it is true that the emperor is an emperor who abides by etiquette and laws and puts morality first. I'm afraid I have to put a small question mark.
Chen Xun obviously saw what Du Ning was thinking, so he explained further.
"Zong Mi, don't be fooled by the various rumors in the court. Many things must be judged carefully. If you think about it carefully, among the many things that happened in the past, among the people who were dealt with, which one was not with evil intentions and was limited by A person who is scheming, who does everything for personal gain and has no benefit to the court?"
"On the contrary, for people in the imperial court who can uphold the integrity and serve the overall interests, even if their stance is different from that of the emperor, or even offend him repeatedly, has your majesty ever been cruel to you?"
Du Ning calmed down and thought carefully about what had happened over the past year, and found that he really couldn't find any reason to refute the teacher's words.
In the more than a year since the emperor ascended the throne, many major events have occurred. Many people were exiled, beheaded, and deposed. However, these punishments ranged from light to severe.
Those with severe punishments, such as Luo Tong, who resold ordnance and instigated the seizure of troops, Wang Ji, who hesitated to move forward and threatened the bandits' self-esteem, and Zhang Fu, who did not hesitate to betray the border defenses in order to ambush and kill Xi Ning... These people will not end well!
The emperor was ruthless when dealing with these people. No matter whether they were civil servants or generals, from noble families, or had military meritorious titles, no matter how powerful they were in the government, or how many people interceded, he would not be accommodating at all.
However, for example, Xue Xuan strongly advocated the return of the Supreme Emperor, and even did not hesitate to admit his guilt in the court, but the emperor only allowed him to return home. Another example is Peng Shi, Shang Ren and others, who impeached the Jingchao in the court and openly blocked it. When the emperor was in charge of the government, the emperor only reprimanded Chu Jing, and did not do anything too serious.
If it is just to see whether they are on the same side as the Emperor, or whether what they do is in line with the Emperor's wishes, then obviously the fate of these people will not be like this.
Looking at Du Ning's thoughtful expression, Chen Xun knew that he had figured this out, so he continued.
"Zong Mi, you have made it to where you are today with sufficient talents, abilities, and connections. However, if you want to cross this last step, you still need to be able to understand the true truth of this court."
"To put it bluntly, although our seven ministers are not prime ministers and assistants, we should have the ambition of prime ministers and assistants. When we reach this point, we need to focus on the overall situation of the court. Of course, we must fight for the gains and losses of every city, place, and thing. But if you still only put this in your eyes, you will fall into the inferior position and be unqualified for your actual virtue."
"Being able to take without taking away, and giving in when necessary is the true way to govern. Only by being able to do this can you truly step into the ranks of the Seven Ministers. Do you understand?"
In fact, if Yu Shiyue were here, he would have reacted immediately. What Chen Xun said at this moment was exactly the same as what Yu Qian said.
As the saying goes, keep your body upright, speak uprightly, do right things, and follow the right path!
If your heart is straight, the emperor will tolerate you no matter where you stand. If your intentions are selfish, you can't escape the emperor's grasp even if you use all kinds of means.
However, this truth still sounded vague to Du Ning. At best, he could only understand...
"Teacher, what you mean is that students should do what they are doing right now, do what they should do, don't pursue too much pursuit of career advancement, be careful not to rush and be patient, put the court first in everything, and then wait for the opportunity?"
That's true, but...
Chen Xun sighed. After hearing these words, he knew that his disciple still failed to truly understand the true meaning of what he said.
Therefore, there are some things that cannot be taught by teachers. However, fortunately, Du Ning is still young and will gradually be able to understand it in the future. It is not too late.
After thinking about this, Chen Xun nodded slightly and stopped saying these vague-sounding words. Instead, he turned back to the specific matters and spoke.
"As I said before, there is no need to fight for the position of director of the Hanlin Academy. However, we have to fight for it. Since Wang Jiugao has accepted this job, he must deal with the consequences."
"Although the emperor gave him this job, the imperial examination is not over yet. Whether he swallowed this hot potato to fill his stomach or whether it caused a mouthful of bubbles is still unknown."
"And the key to this matter is..."
Du Ning finally clarified his thoughts, squinted his eyes, and spoke.
"Scholar Xiao!"
It should be said that Chen Xun’s suggestions are still useful.
After suppressing his impetuous mood, Du Ning calmed down and immediately focused on the key points.
"Teacher, what was written in the suicide note written by Academician Xiao?"
Today in the palace, Shu Liang directly submitted the suicide note left by Xiao Hao to the emperor's desk. Therefore, until now, even the Dali Temple and the Metropolitan Procuratorate, who are responsible for the investigation, do not know what is written in the suicide note. What.
Although the contents of this suicide note may not be used as ironclad evidence, it is definitely a good breakthrough.
After all, as of now, only Xiao Tan and Jiang Yuan, who are actually involved in it, may know the inside story behind the imperial examination.
And if Xiao Tan cut his pulse this time not just for show, but because he really couldn't bear the humiliation and wanted to die, then his suicide note would definitely reveal something.
Of course, perhaps considering his posthumous name, what is written in it may not be entirely true, nor may it be objective and fair. However, for Du Ning, who has been reviewing cases all year round, what he fears most is not the clues that are difficult to distinguish between true and false, but the fact that there are no clues at all. .
As long as Xiao Tan is willing to reveal the inside story, then even if it is a lie, the truth must be mixed with it. If you catch a thread, you will have a chance to restore the whole thing.
Now, as the emperor has not announced the contents of his suicide note, the only person who knows what is written in it is Xiao Tan himself.
Moreover, because the letter of suicide has been handed over to the emperor's desk, if Xiao Tan did not tell the truth, then Du Ning could immediately know the authenticity as long as he reported his words as they were.
Therefore, after thinking about this, Du Ning immediately became solemn and looked at his teacher expectantly.
However, this time, Chen Xun gently shook his head and said.
"Xiao Yi hasn't woken up yet. After discovering that Xiao Yi had cut his pulse, the Xiao family immediately hired the best doctor in the city. The bandage was timely and the diagnosis was accurate. After the palace doctor went there, there was no other better way. I just used more expensive medicinal materials based on His Majesty’s will.”
"However, the good news is that Xiao Tan's life should be saved. If nothing happens, he will wake up within three to five days."
After hearing this, Du Ning couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but he quickly adjusted and said.
"Teacher Lao came here, and the students felt very ashamed. Please rest assured, teacher, after returning today, the students will pay close attention to the movements of the Xiao Mansion. When Academician Xiao wakes up and the situation is stable, the students will immediately go to him to ask about the matter. go through."
Chen Xun nodded. He was still confident about Du Ning. Although he was a student from Qingliu, he was very talented in Xing Ming. Otherwise, he would not be able to sit firmly in the position of Dali Temple Minister. Steady.
However, his eyes flickered, and Chen Xun looked at Du Ning, but continued to speak.
"Well, after this incident, Xiao Tan's mentality must have changed. When you ask, pay attention to your tone and attitude. It should not be difficult to find out the information you want."
“However, I’m not without gains from this trip.”
A flash of light flashed in Du Ning's eyes. He remembered the conversation between the two just now and couldn't help but ask.
"Teacher means, over there in the East Factory..."
Chen Xun nodded slightly and said.
"Although Xiao Tan didn't wake up, I took advantage of the opportunity to visit and chatted with the old man of the Xiao family. According to him, when Xiao Tan had an accident, they didn't think about going to Dongchang, and they didn't even care about it. He wrote a letter of suicide and hurriedly went to find the doctor."
"I don't know if it was a coincidence or not, but at that time, the doctor who usually diagnoses the Xiao family was called to Eunuch Shu's residence, saying that he wanted to diagnose dizziness."
"That's why the Xiao family gave chase. As a result, Eunuch Shu did let him go, but he also followed him, and then there was the matter of Eunuch Shu hurriedly taking the suicide note to the palace to report."
Du Ning frowned. Just listening to it, it was indeed too much of a coincidence, but it seemed like it couldn't explain anything.
Obviously, Chen Xun also saw what he was thinking, so he snorted and reminded him.
"Zong Mi, it is not your responsibility to care about what Dongchang does, and you should not get involved. You know that this matter is related to Dongchang, and you may be able to use it in front of Xiao Tan, but don't provoke Shu Liang, this person , not easy to mess with!”
This was the first time that Du Ning saw such solemn instructions from his teacher. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded and said.
"yes……"
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