All the officials gradually gathered in the palace. The prince was accustomed to such scenes, so he just waited quietly without counting the specific number of people. But when everyone stood in line and saw that no one was coming outside the door, they realized that one person was missing.
"Who hasn't arrived yet?" the prince asked, rolling his sleeves.
Su Zongshan glanced around with his eyes, then raised his hands and replied: "Your Highness, for some reason, Ye Bingbu has not arrived yet."
The prince looked displeased: "Even if Ye Yongjia doesn't come, he should still hand over the memorial and state the reasons. What's the point of being absent for no reason? Go to the Ministry of War to ask questions!"
So he summoned a young eunuch and went to the Ministry of War to inquire about the news. After a while, he came back with a report and knelt down and said: "I went to the Ministry of War. Only Cai Shilang came out to answer, saying that Ye Shangshu suddenly felt dizzy. I'm feeling weak, so I'll rest in the study for the time being. After a while, I regain my energy, and I'll come to discuss it. There is a report written by Minister Cai as evidence."
"Your Highness, don't listen to the Ministry of War's prevarications," Zeng Liangyi said with emotion, "Ye Yongjia has not suffered from any serious illness recently and is in very good health. How could he suddenly faint? He asked the eunuch to come into the house for a visit, but nothing happened. Only then will I be convinced by the deception."
The prince was about to nod when he saw Chen Tongpao busy and said: "Xianzhi is too reckless. If he becomes suspicious because of this, he must raise his posture and fight openly, which will be really detrimental to the overall situation of the government. It's better. Everyone, calm down and wait."
After listening to the suggestions from both sides, the prince looked confused and became more and more undecided. Unexpectedly, the Hunan people came to disturb his mood and spoke loudly: "Your Highness, the recommendation cannot be delayed. If we insist on maintaining peace among the people, If it's too serious, then it's a big mistake! If he doesn't come, forget it, let's discuss ours!"
"Okay, okay," the prince rubbed his temples, and then waved his hands gently to calm the discussion, "what you all said is reasonable. However, Ye Yongjia is an important minister of the country after all and is indispensable. You should wait patiently for him. But you must not change the date for this matter. If you don't come for a long time, you will be recommended!"
Cui Yi rushed back to Zhongshu Province after Ye Yongjia's order. He saw Hu Chonglian sitting in the room with a normal expression. Although he was angry, he was not in the mood to argue with him now. He stepped forward and asked hurriedly: "Master Hu, that secretary Are you here again?"
"No," Hu Chonglian stroked his beard leisurely and glanced at him slightly, "Didn't I tell him to rest? It's such a nice weather, so he probably fell asleep."
"Please take a few more steps and follow me to find this person," Cui Yi bowed several times and begged, "Mr. Ye has accepted my sure-fire plan. As long as you are of one mind with me, say If you move him, you will be able to get the election done!"
"That person is actually Prime Minister Su's confidant," Hu Chonglian said thoughtfully, "It's just..."
"Don't say 'just'," Cui Yi grabbed him, "If this matter doesn't work out, Mr. Ye will really lose his job, who will take care of your affairs back then?"
Hu Chonglian had no choice but to comply, and followed him out of the guest room, all the way to the provincial lobby. Seeing that the armchairs on all sides were empty, he followed him into the back room, and there was nothing there. Cui Yi was anxious until he went through every room and finally looked at the bookstore in the inner study. He was lying down with his clothes on, but fortunately he didn't fall asleep.
"You two...what's the matter?" The clerk quickly sat up and put on the official uniform on the bedside.
"I... No, it's Mr. Ye," Cui Yi said irritably, unable to speak clearly, and started gesturing with his hands, "Sir, Mr. Ye has something extremely urgent that I want you to tell Prime Minister Su!"
The clerk was a little confused: "Sir, Mr. Su is discussing something in the main hall, how can I tell him?"
"But this matter cannot be delayed!" Cui Yi gritted his teeth, "As long as you are willing to run to the main hall and report a message, I will give you any amount of money!"
The clerk got out of bed and bowed quickly: "You two are distinguished guests, and you are here under the orders of the ministers. How dare I ask for bribes and cause trouble for myself? Please tell me!"
"Go and say this to Prime Minister Su: 'The chamberlain has been urgently seeking documents recently. Ye Bingbu is not going to give them all. Instead, he is willing to help you and the Ministry of Industry clear away the embezzlement of ICBC in the past. However, you need to elect Ming Huiguang as the provincial minister. , just as a reward. At present, the Ministry of Industry has already sent its doctor Hu Chonglian to persuade you, and I hope you will agree! If it can be done, Cui will be grateful!"
"If it's something that needs to be repaid, I don't dare to say it to the Prime Minister." Although Cui Yi spoke quickly, the secretary heard clearly, so he was more cautious, "If I say it, not only will he not be able to He will agree, but he will also blame me for preventing him from coming to power. I understand your hardships, and you should also think about my future."
Cui Yi pointed at Hu Chonglian: "Isn't this the person I just mentioned? If you don't know the situation and have doubts, you can ask him!"
Hu Chonglian then smiled and said: "Secretary Office, I've met you a few times, but you still don't trust me? Who among the people around Prime Minister Su doesn't get along well with Hu? Niu Yuan almost beheaded me at that time , it was also thanks to Lord Su's collusion with Mr. Chen that I escaped the disaster. Since he was kind to me, how could I repay him with kindness? What's more, in the ICBC case, the Prime Minister and I were implicated. If you kill him, you will harm yourself!"
Of course the secretary knew about his relationship with Su Zongshan, and when he saw him speaking so emotionally, he couldn't help but feel shaken and started to pace. Cui Yi stared at him, his heart almost in his throat.
"I..." The clerk suddenly stopped. Cui Yi looked at him and slowly opened his mouth, "Let's go now."
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Cui Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief, and his voice couldn't help but rise higher - for a moment, it was as if all the sweet, sour, bitter and spicy tastes flowed through his throat.
The clerk said "I don't dare" twice, then said goodbye to the two of them, put on his official uniform, and walked out. The two of them walked him straight to the door of the provincial capital before giving up.
"What time is it?" Cui Yi raised his head and glanced at the sky. The sun had already reached the roof of the palace in the distance and seemed to be slowly setting.
"The clock was repaired just now. I took a look and it was almost a quarter of an hour."
"Shen, Shen's moment..." Cui Yi shuddered all over, and he thought silently in his heart, "It seems to be much later than I thought... If it passes four or five moments, the courtiers' waiting may be the limit. ...There is not enough time.”
"The second quarter of Shenshi!"
When the secretary of the Zhongshu Province passed the palace gate, he heard the eunuch shout like this. But his mind was filled with what Cui Yi had told him, and he didn't care about it. He quickly climbed up the steps, and only deliberately slowed down when he saw the officials in the palace.
