To be honest, this was the first time for Feng Ziying to witness such a meeting of important ministers, and she found it very interesting.
I originally thought that they were all high-ranking ministers of the Great Zhou Dynasty. They were all leading scholars and dignified people. When talking and discussing, they should be polite and smile on their faces.
Even if there are different political opinions, it is just a verbal exchange, and everyone can maintain their own demeanor. Who would have thought that it would be like this?
The impassioned Sun Juxiang, the eloquent Huang Ruliang, the leisurely and indifferent Gao Panlong, the heroic Zhang Huaichang, the arrogant Chai Ke, the free and easy Guan Yingzhen, the experienced Qiao Yingjia, the leisurely Cui Jingrong, the humble and elegant Zhang Jingqiu, the gentle and elegant Gu Bingqian , it can be said that the demeanor and demeanor of everyone can be seen at a glance.
Although a junior like Feng Ziying is also a third-grade official, he can only listen to him with humility. Everyone is his elder teacher, and anyone can give him advice, so the best way at this time is to be full of enthusiasm. With a smile on your face, you raise your head and say yes, yes, and lower your head and say yes, yes, yes.
However, this dispute between the north and the south also exists among important ministers. Their attitudes towards the northern border towns, their views on taxation in the south of the Yangtze River, their willingness to trade with Southeast Asia, and the allocation of imperial examination quotas are all different, so these disputes will inevitably be brought into play. There are regional differences.
Fortunately, the four cabinet ministers appeared soon. When the group of people saw the arrival of the four cabinet elders, they all immediately stopped and followed the four people into the lobby of Wenyuan Pavilion.
The four cabinet ministers sat in rows, with Ye Xianggao sitting first on the left, Qi Yongtai next to him, Fang Congzhe sitting on the right, and Li Sancai next to him. Then there were four rows of seats lined up from near to far, all the way to the door. , Zhang Jingqiu, Huang Ruliang, Gu Bingqian, Zhang Huaichang, Cui Jingrong, Guan Yingzhen, and there was an empty seat in the middle, which was appointed by Liu Yibao, the Minister of Punishment.
Then there are the third-rank ministers, which are not so particular. They can choose to sit arbitrarily, either according to proximity, region, or just sitting alone. In short, it is eclectic.
Feng Ziying was sitting closest to the door. She had the least seniority. The person sitting opposite him was also an old acquaintance, Taichang Temple Minister Wu Daonan, his former old boss.
Originally, Wu Daonan was to be appointed as the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, but Gu Bingqian looked down on this talkative role and expressed his opposition. In the end, Wu Daonan had no choice but to go to Taichang Temple in despair. Of course, this was much better than being the governor of Shuntian Mansion.
Li Banghua, the current governor of Shuntian Prefecture, sits next to Wu Daonan.
The two former governors of Shuntian sat together, and it was not known whether they had anything in common. However, Feng Ziying knew that Li Banghua and Wu Daonan were both Jiangxi scholars. They were both natives and direct descendants of Ye Xianggao. , but Li Banghua's ability is much stronger than Wu Daonan's, and his reputation in Shuntian Mansion is pretty good.
Next to Feng Ziying is Cao Yubian, the minister of Dali Temple. He was transferred from the right minister of the Ministry of Rites. Feng Ziying is not familiar with him, but Cao Yubian is a Shanxi scholar and is very familiar with Qiao Yingjia, Han Zao and Sun Juxiang. Zheng Chongjian, Sun Chuanting, and Chen Qiyu all respected him, so Cao Yubian was no stranger to Feng Ziying.
"Brother Liang, are we going to finalize it today?" Feng Ziying glanced casually at her colleagues above who were still whispering. The four ministers were still talking, and the people below were even more lively.
"It should be so." Cao Yubian is a thin man with a gaunt face. He is a bit frighteningly thin, but he seems to be in good spirits: "If not, why call everyone together? I didn't see Daofu talking to Ye Xiang, Fang Xiang and Chengfeng. Are they planning something? It’s probably going to be announced soon.”
"Isn't this unnecessary? Since we have decided to negotiate in accordance with the cabinet's conditions, we can just announce it after the negotiations are completed. If both Prime Minister Ye and Mr. Qi Ge have no objections, what else is there to say?"
Feng Ziying's words made Cao Yubian glance at him. He probably felt that although Feng Ziying had a high reputation outside, she was still a newcomer to the court. He said calmly: "That's not necessarily the case. Although the general direction is set by the cabinet, but There are many specific details involved, and it is impossible to report to the cabinet at any time. Daofu also has to have some power to make changes when the situation arises, otherwise there will be no negotiation. As long as it is generally in line with the wishes of the court, Ye Xiang and Qi Ge Lao will not We are entangled in the details, but after all, we still have to report it so that everyone knows the details here.”
"Details?" Feng Ziying also noticed Cao Yubian's attitude toward her.
Du didn't take it seriously, "Brother Liang, what aspect does it involve? The selection of cabinet ministers, the Yichu system, or the three towns in the south of the Yangtze River?"
Although they are all Northern Scholars, not everyone is close to him. After all, at his age and being in the third rank, many people find it difficult to adapt, and even have some faint resistance and disgust. Feng Ziying herself knows this very well. .
Therefore, he was often very humble to the northern scholars who belonged to the inner circle, but he was more open-minded to the southern scholars.
Cao Yubian didn't expect Feng Ziying to be so sharp, but he thought highly of Feng Ziying.
It seems that this guy is sitting here today for a good reason. Cao Yubian from the Ministry of Justice and the Metropolitan Procuratorate has more dealings with him. Liu Yibao is not interested in this guy, but Qiao Yingjia and Han Jing do not like him. Of course, it goes without saying that Qiao Yingjia is his pick, but Han Yan is not someone who just follows what others say, and it seems that he still has some real stuff.
Cao Yubian has been paying close attention to the news of the White Lotus Sect, so he would like to find an opportunity to chat with him.
"I'm afraid there are both. If you gain something, you will lose something. If not, why compromise?" Cao Yubian shook his head.
"Brother Liang, don't worry. The initiative is on our side. Some people in Nanjing have too good ideas. Reality will educate them." Feng Ziying raised her head confidently. "Tang Mi and others are now of the same mind as Prince Yi Zhong, but in the future What happens after taking office? Prime Minister Ye Fang is also a scholar from Jiangnan, so we can continue to talk. If we talk within the cabinet, we can always find common ground, won’t everyone be happy?”
Feng Ziying's somewhat frivolous but confident posture not only made Cao Yubian raise his eyebrows, but also attracted a sideways glance from the person in front of him, Sun Juxiang.
"Ziying, you are full of confidence." Sun Juxiang turned his head and glanced at Feng Ziying.
"Brother Bofu, what do you think Tang Mu and the two are trying to do?" Feng Ziying said plausibly, "It's not that I hope to join the cabinet so that I can express my ambitions, but since I have joined the cabinet, I should naturally understand that the overall situation is the most important thing, and I can't be like this again. Who doesn’t know that it’s easier said than done to make random comments like those in the mountains and forests? In such a large country and country, with billions of people, they all have to control it with their hearts. They will understand the difficulty of governing the world, and they can also understand Ye Fang’s feelings. The suffering of duality.”
"What you said makes sense. I hope they both understand the general situation like this." Sun Juxiang curled his lips, obviously having a bad impression of Tang Mi and the other two.
"If it is true that people with different principles do not work together, then the ministers in the cabinet will naturally have their own ideas." Feng Ziying added.
Sun Juxiang and Cao Yubian neither spoke anymore, and both understood that this would need to go to a certain step before it would be triggered. It was too early to tell now.
As Ye Xiangqing cleared his throat, the hall immediately became quiet. Everyone was an important minister with status and culture, and they were very particular about all aspects of ethics and discipline.
"Everyone, I would like to invite you to come this time. Maybe you all know what is going on. We have discussed it with some of our colleagues here in the early stage, and some colleagues are still unclear, because it is not appropriate to expand the knowledge before the matter is agreed upon, so as not to cause problems. It is a pointless commotion, so we will inform you again when the process reaches a certain level, or when we are close to reaching an agreement. Please rest assured that Daofu personally came forward during this negotiation, and all the terms involved are to safeguard the dignity of the court and our fellow officials. The norms respected by people, but we must also admit that the current court is in difficulty, with external and internal troubles arising one after another. Sometimes compromises must be made to maintain the overall situation..."
Ye Xianggao's voice was a little low, but it was very penetrating in the hall. Almost everyone could clearly hear the pertinence of each of his words and understand the meaning.
Feng Ziying was also thinking that if she wanted to be the chief assistant, her voice would need to be honed and refined. The voices of Fang Congzhe and Li Sancai lacked some fire, but Master Qi's voice was strong and powerful, like gold and stone. With a little adjustment, it could still be heard. A bit of a chief assistant momentum.
"Daofu, please introduce the situation of your discussion over there." Back to the subject, Ye Xianggao handed the topic over to Li Sancai.
Li Sancai was from the north, but he had always been on good terms with scholars from the south of the Yangtze River. Even people like Tang Binyin, Miao Changqi, Zhu Guozhen, and Gu Tianjun were familiar with him. Qi Yongtai, Qiao Yingjia, Cui Jingrong, and others couldn't stand it, but I have to say that he is indeed the most suitable candidate for negotiation.
"……..., the negotiations are very difficult, and Nanjing’s requirements are very high, probably
They also feel that our court’s financial resources are insufficient and cannot last long. The court is indeed concerned about this, so it agreed to negotiate..."
Li Sancai didn't show off, and talked about the key points in a few concise sentences: "There is no need to talk about the non-controversial matters. There are some disputes about the specific size. Although it is basically agreed, we still need to inform you. First, The pile is the system for selecting cabinet ministers. If Tang and Mu are to join the cabinet, plus Liu Ji, the number of cabinet ministers in the future will be seven. However, this system cannot be continued forever. It still needs to be considered, whether it is five or six. Is there a fixed number? We can also discuss whether other places of domicile need to be clarified or should be agreed upon.
The first is the most critical issue. Seven cabinet ministers are too many for many people. Five people should be the most acceptable to everyone. However, the current situation is special and everyone can understand it. But will it be necessary in the future? Keep the seven ministers rule?
Also, is there a rule regarding the birthplace of cabinet ministers, or is it just a tacit understanding among everyone? Is it possible to change it under special circumstances?
Now, none of the seven cabinet ministers are scholars from outside Jiangnan and Beidi. This is obviously unreasonable. If it is changed to five cabinet ministers, how will the proportion of scholars in Jiangnan, Beidi, Huguang and other places be distributed?
