Generally speaking, it is very unlikely that the two contenders for cabinet positions, Xie Minhong and Zheng Shou, would meet face to face. However, a few officials passing by today were surprised to see that they not only met, but also chatted.
Compared with the tall and lanky Xie Minhong, "Nine-Headed Bird" Zheng Shou is almost half a head shorter than him, but he has his own advantages - he is six years older than Xie Minhong, has more experience in the officialdom and has deeper connections.
Zheng Shou joined the Ministry of Civil Affairs twice, first as the head of the Guangnan Division and the Henan Division, then after working in the Ministry of Works and then as the Right Assistant Minister, he was very familiar with the situation of the officials above and below him, and he could understand it clearly. This is what Xie Minhong, who has been in Zhongshu Province, lacks.
Therefore, most of Xie Minhong's guests were middle- and lower-level bureaucrats, while those who came to give gifts to Zheng Shou during his birthday were mainly middle- and upper-level officials.
In addition, he also has a younger brother, Zheng Yan, who serves as the ambassador to southern Sichuan. One of the two brothers is a third-rank official and the other is a junior third-rank brother, which makes people have to pay attention to the strength of the Zheng family. .
In Zheng Shou's words, he is a slow-tempered person who never takes his time. Even if big things happen to him, he will still talk about it without changing his face and his heart will not beat. This is called Qi-nurturing Kung Fu.
In his opinion, Xie Minhong deliberately imitated himself in this aspect, but he only learned the superficial knowledge and lacked the essence. After more than 20 years as an official, Zheng Shou had already seen through many things.
As a leader of officials in Huguang and Sichuan and Shu (i.e. Sichuan-Chu clan), he has experienced two generations of kings and knows that the king's heart is unpredictable. He knew that Xie Minhong always felt that His Majesty was young, which Zheng Shou strongly disagreed with.
The master should not be taken lightly, and the king should not be deceived. This is his principle as a human being, and it is also the basic point for him to be cautious and protect himself. He can never exceed it!
In terms of appearance, Zheng Shou also thinks that his square face is more blessed than Xie Minhong's long face. He is always kind and gentle, does not fight with others, nor is he condescending to others, nor does he think that he is smart enough to do tricks like Xie Minhong does. People applauded.
This is what Zheng Shou looks down on Xie Minhong. Although he admits that this person is smart, he also insists that intelligence can easily be misled by cleverness, but it is not yet time for backlash. Self-denial and self-discipline are the right path in officialdom.
Such two people who admire each other but have completely different views and styles are like two pieces of flint with different colors. Fortunately, one is in Liubu and the other is in Zhongshu. They can maintain a sense of distance if they don't meet often. Once they meet, they may Sparks will fly.
What will they talk about when they come together, and what will be the result? The officials stayed away from each other, glanced at them from time to time, quickened their pace, and passed quickly through the corridors under the courtyard walls on both sides as silently as possible.
This small courtyard belongs to the General Affairs Department, with the Zhongshu Province in the north and the Sixth Ministry in the south, so these two people must have wanted to talk to each other, and they met here unexpectedly.
There is a plum tree in the corner of the courtyard. It is no longer the fruit-bearing season, and the leaves on the branches have been dyed with the yellowish brown of autumn. It is a perfect contrast to the sparse leaves on the purple trellis in the diagonal corner and the vines that once grew freely. strips, aggravating the bleakness brought about by the season.
"When did Cong'an (characterized by Xie Minhong) hear about this?" Zheng Shou asked with a smile.
"It's just that we are brothers with Tonglan (Zheng Shou)." Xie Minhong smiled bitterly. The emperor's appointment of the new cabinet this time was completely arbitrary, and he issued the decree without consulting too many courtiers.
"Don't think that Zhongshu knows everything. Look, there are ready-made examples. We didn't know about this beforehand."
Zheng Shou believed that he was telling the truth. According to common practice, the appointment and removal of the cabinet should be recommended to the emperor after discussion by all cabinet members. However, in fact, as long as ministers are of third rank or above and have the title of bachelor, they can become cabinet members after being appointed by the emperor.
Moreover, this kind of decree is not within the authority of the Sixth Section to refute it (appointment and dismissal decrees for officials below the third rank need to be reviewed by the Ministry of Justice). The cabinet involves colleagues, and generally as long as their character is decent, they will not block it.
So... this sudden willful decree was sent out. It wasn't until Xingrensi received the decree from Huangmen and sent people to the cabinet and the Zhongshu Province to inform them separately that everyone heard about Mr. Ji's retirement application. Approved, let Gu Lin hand it over to him.
"This is both sudden and subtle."
When Zheng Shou heard this, he glanced at the tall man's back shoulder and said calmly: "
Your Majesty's Sacred Heart, I heard that Congxie burst into tears after receiving the decree. It is a great honor to be given money to return home, not to mention to return the favor to the two sons, which is rare in this dynasty! "
"Your Majesty has finally grown up and started to make his own decisions!"
Zheng Shou's steps faltered for a moment: "Cong'an, it's better not to say such things in the future!"
"Haha, what are you afraid of, brother Tonglan? Are you afraid that the emperor will give you such a favor?"
"Oh, you are just too sharp." Zheng Shou shook his head: "Not to mention this, I have a doubt in my heart that is difficult to explain, so I came to see you. I want to ask Xie Cong'an, the wisest person in the world, to help me solve my doubts. I don't know if you can give me some advice. ?」
"Hey! I don't dare, I don't dare. Sir, tell me, what makes you so uneasy?" Xie Minhong deliberately teased, Zheng Shou rolled his eyes but ignored him.
"Have you ever thought from Encore that His Majesty would promote Omori (Guru Lin) to the position of Minister of the Ministry of War?"
"Omori is thirty-eight years old, and it's not surprising that Tan Hwa Lang is now in charge of the Ministry of War.
What's more, he had performed very well in putting down the Dongman rebellion in Guangxi, preparing for the Japanese war, and recovering the Hami Guards. Behind him was Tonghuihou's father, who was a general. It was conceivable that he would come to take charge of the Ministry of War. Xie Minhong replied.
"But, why not Fan Dayuan?"
"Old Fan? If he leaves the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion and goes to the Ministry of War, who will take over from him? Besides, the imperial court will not agree to a military general taking over the Ministry of War, and no one will agree to it if the military becomes bigger!" Xie Minhong glanced at Zheng attentively. life:
"I know what you mean. These two people were recommended to Your Majesty by Hou Youan (named Hou Xie) to succeed him in the cabinet. None of us expected that your Majesty would choose them to replace Ji Congxie (named Ji Guoliang). .”
"Yes, a southerner left but a northerner came in. Oh, is it okay for me to say this?"
Xie Minhong smiled: "It can be said that although Tonghuihou's ancestral home is in the south, he himself was born in the north, so his son should naturally be considered a northerner."
"So the current cabinet can be regarded as the fourth in the north and the first in the south?"
"Yes, Mr. Han's family is in Baling, which is just south of the Yangtze River. It is barely the only remaining fruit of the southerners, and the warriors seem to have an extra card."
"Your Majesty, this move is very powerful, Cong'an, you have to be careful."
"Huh?" Xie Minhong turned around: "Why me?"
"It seems that His Majesty is not interested in people from Jiangnan recently." Zheng Shou replied with a mysterious smile: "The reason is very simple. There are too many incidents in Jiangnan." Apart from the gangsters in Jiangxi, the customs tax and bank theft case in Zhejiang, South Zhili The capsizing of domestic grain transport ships was a matter of great embarrassment to the court.
Xie Minhong narrowed his eyes: "Mr. Zheng, you mean... the Ministry of Household Affairs?"
"I didn't say anything. Please don't make blind guesses." Zheng Shou waved his hand to distance himself.
"Of course, Master didn't say anything." Xie Minhong walked a few steps and suddenly asked, "Why isn't Mr. Zheng worried about himself?"
"If you have no desires, you will be strong. I don't have such extravagant wishes." Zheng Shou smiled: "Since you are close to the central government, you are a close minister of the emperor. It is only a matter of time before you enter the cabinet, but the opportunity is not very good at the moment, or it is not very favorable.
I would like to advise you that you should not force anything, and it is only right to go with the flow. Nowadays, the emperor has suffered many troubles in the south. More importantly, Ji Congxie has mishandled the situation and lost his teacher and humiliated the country. Therefore, the emperor uses him as a weapon to show everyone.
Young people see things in black and white, and naturally find it uncomfortable to look after ministers from Jiangnan, let alone put them in the cabinet. At this time, it is best to take a step back. It would be unwise to confront His Majesty. "
"So Brother Tonglan wants Jiangnan to retreat and give this opportunity to Chuanchu?"
"Haha, I don't have this intention. I will have my own judgment on how to arrange it later. How can we make rash assumptions?"
Xie Minhong sneered. He believed that Zheng Shou was trying to persuade him to see the situation clearly and withdraw voluntarily, but he did not want to do this.
The meaning of Zheng Shou's words just now was very clear. The Minister of Household Affairs should be another guy responsible for the recent cases in Jiangnan, so Cui Junyong is in doubt. "But... there is another possibility." Xie Minhong murmured.
Zheng Shou stopped and said, "You are
You mean, Taige? "Xie Minhong closed his eyes gently. Zheng Shou twirled his beard and thought about it and shook his head: "I think this is possible, but it won't be realized in the near future."
"Why?"
Zheng Shou glanced around and said with a smile: "This yard is too small, why don't we go for a walk outside?"
Xie Minhong immediately understood what he meant: "That's fine."
The two of them came out side by side and walked west along Cross East Street. The southeastern part of the palace is the office space of the chief officials of the three provinces and six ministries and the storage place for documents and files.
To the northwest of Cross Street is the Menxia Province; to the northeast is the Cabinet (equivalent to the Shangshu Province, but with greater power) and the Zhongshu Province;
On the north side of the southwest are the Qintian Prison, Xingrensi and Imperial Hospital, and on the south side are the Rites, Works and Punishments;
On the north side of the southeast are the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the General Administration Department and the Imperial Household. On the south side are the officials, soldiers and households.
The appearance of the two of them made more officials who were coming and going look sideways. They didn't know which cloud had blocked the sun today. They walked to the opposite side and quickly stepped aside, and then continued on their way without looking back while wondering.
"Your Majesty has already moved one person. If he moves another one in the near future, it will only be a deputy prime minister." Zheng Shou said softly: "Although he is young, you can't underestimate him, not to mention that the Queen Mother is standing behind him." Hearing that the Queen Mother At the word "two words", Xie Minhong's shoulders moved.
"If His Majesty were to change his first assistant, if both phases were to change and he had both the first assistant and the first assistant, the world would be shocked. This is currently unfavorable to the court. Even if His Majesty really wants to change his first assistant, he must be patient and find a more suitable opportunity. .”
"Brother Tonglan, if only the appearance is changed, among the three of Han, Hou and Cui, which one do you think is the most likely to be Cui?"
"Why, don't Cong'an think so?"
"Couldn't it be Han or Hou?"
"Mr. Han is prudent and upright. Your Majesty will not remove this pillar easily. However, there are rumors that Gong Han plans to resign from the post of minister. Have you heard from Anke?"
Xie Minhong was startled, and then understood the mystery: "Mr. Han is going to take over the position of second assistant of Gong Cui?"
"Not only that, the Minister of Civil Affairs and the Minister are both from Jinghu, which is somewhat inappropriate."
"Congratulations to Mr. Zheng, you will probably take over the position of Minister, right?"
Zheng Shou smiled and did not answer the topic: "Then it is obvious that His Majesty's spear is aimed at Cui. Is this inference okay?"
"So, Cui can't stay in the cabinet no matter what?" Xie Minhong sighed: "But even if Cui is ousted, what does it have to do with me? I'm just making wedding clothes for others!"
"It is reasonable for Choi to step down and replace him with a southerner."
"You just said that His Majesty's recent visit to me and other Jiangnan people doesn't please you." Xie Minhong reminded him of the inconsistency in his words.
"Indeed." Zheng Shou nodded: "But if this position is replaced by a northerner, then the southerner will not be able to stand up within a few years! And with Mr. Han here, the most I can do is take his position as an official, no. Maybe I'll compete for the deputy prime minister again.
The rest is either to find another candidate and bring it to His Majesty's eyes. If there is a ready-made one, then I can only help you work hard to get the position. ” He said that he had already reached the center of the cross street, then stopped and turned to Xie Minhong:
"I just tried to persuade you because I wanted to try Cong An's idea. But I see that you are still determined to win the position of deputy prime minister. Forget it, I will help you fight for it!"
"Brother Tonglan, aren't you afraid of offending His Majesty?"
"I'm afraid, but I'm even more afraid that from now on the north and the south will become the same!"
"Then how does Brother Tonglan plan to help me?"
"Please come forward and explain to Your Majesty the importance of balancing the North and the South." Zheng Shou smiled, looked at the frowning Xie Minhong and said, "Don't worry, I won't do anything wrong. The Queen Mother understands the affairs of the North and the South best today. Be the first person!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly heard a rumbling sound, and someone shouted: "Two adults, get out of the way, the carriage is coming!" Before he could understand what was going on, two guards with big muscles and round waists rushed over and pulled them away. Pull aside.
"Drive, drive!" A carriage rushed past them at lightning speed.
"W-Who is so bold as to ride in the palace? Go and kill the coachman!
"Xie Minhong's official robe was torn open at the shoulders, and he roared angrily.
"S-Sir, please don't shout, that's the holy chariot!" The panting Eunuch Liu stopped to catch his breath and said to the two of them, "Your majesty, your majesty, is trying out the treasure car that was sent as a tribute from Jiangxi!"
"Ah?" The two of them were shocked: "Is Your Majesty in the car?"
"Yes!"
Xie Minhong blushed and was about to say something when he heard another "rumbling" sound. The carriage came out of Cross South Street again, turned a corner, and continued towards Tianjie.
"Bastard! How dare you put His Majesty in danger? If anything happens, how many heads in your Liu family can be chopped off?" Zheng Shou also got angry and pointed at Eunuch Liu and cursed.
Eunuch Liu was as tired as a dog after chasing him here. He had no time to discern the whole story, so he had to turn around and run back with his men.
"Oh, Your Majesty is so childish. How can such a thing be used as a joke?" In a hurry, Zheng Shou forgot his own rules and actually called Zhao Tuo a child.
Zhao Tuo really likes this car that he paid tribute to Zhao Chongbi!
The low chassis with doors on both sides and a quarter of the wheel height is not only convenient for getting on and off the vehicle, but the lower center of gravity also brings safety. Not only can people sit on it, but their calves can be placed naturally on the floor, which is higher than the traditional chassis on the axle. The way is also more comfortable.
The four corners of the car are suspended by springs and leather strips, and the leather strips are softly suspended between the four corners of the chassis and the front and rear axles, so that the whole vehicle does not experience too many bumps even on the stone road while traveling.
Most of the wooden parts inside the carriage are made of painted mahogany, and the beautiful wood grains glow under the seven layers of clear lacquer.
The leather-wrapped seats are lined with brown cushions and multiple layers of linen and wool fabrics. Not only are they elastic and breathable, but the water-waxed leather also exudes a charming reddish-brown luster.
Especially in the doors and portholes, there is a wonderful thing called glass that is as transparent as crystal and is sandwiched between two layers of wooden strips, allowing people in the car to see the outside scenery.
For example, just now, the emperor caught a glimpse of two opponents, Xie Minhong and Zheng Shou, from the carriage. They actually stood together and watched the carriage pass by in shock.
The carriage went straight to the base of the palace city wall, then nimbly turned a corner and drove into the fire-proof corridor outside the imperial palace and household walls.
A group of imperial soldiers patrolling the city stared dumbly at the oncoming carriage, and found Liu Funian sitting next to the coachman. The leading captain suddenly understood and immediately gave way and saluted, and the soldiers quickly followed suit.
"Is it easy for this car to turn?" The emperor immediately discovered the situation.
Sitting sideways on the opposite side was Zhang Ping, a pedestrian who was escorting the car back to pay the order. He was restrained by a leather safety belt (which Li Dan asked to wear, and the leather belt was worn cross-body to prevent safety problems when driving at high speeds), so he had to Sideways (because he heard that it was going to be a tribute to the palace, Li Dan wrote to Chen Sanwen to modify it. One of the items was to dismantle the front row of the double row seats opposite and change it into two side-facing parking spaces facing each other for the companions of the chamberlains or palace attendants. When riding, the seat comfort and specifications are reduced accordingly.) Answer:
"Your Majesty, this is the advantage of this four-wheeled carriage. It has a special steering mechanism. When the front wheels turn, the rear wheels also turn. Therefore, it is extremely agile and convenient when turning in streets and mountain curves.
It is said that Lord Li relied on this car to travel on the mountain road and unexpectedly arrived at the back of the bandit army attacking Fengqiguan, defeated the bandit army and rescued the soldiers guarding the pass. "
"But he was using a truck at that time, right?"
"Your Majesty, I have seen a truck like that. It is one foot two feet long, about six feet wide, and the height of the carriage is five feet six minutes.
The old car had a wooden keel and could carry up to forty stones. The new car has been replaced with an iron keel and iron wheels. It can carry up to sixty stones and is drawn by five horses. Zhang Ping bowed and answered.
"I see, no wonder he can do things that others can't do." Zhao Tuo smiled.
Zhang Ping replied: "Although Mr. Li is young, his knowledge is so vast and far-reaching that it would put even a small minister to shame. He often said: If you want to accomplish something, you must first craft the tools."
He also said: The difference between humans and beasts is that humans can make and use tools to save effort and time in doing things. In this way, humans can defeat beasts and enemies. "
"If you want to accomplish something, you must first craft the tools." Zhao Tuo repeated. He turned his head and looked at the size of the carriage through the glass.
I felt that the driver had slowed down the car. Then he pulled Yingluo beside him.
The pair of small bells above the coachman's head rang. Liu Funian opened the window and asked, "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
"Hurry up, let's turn back to Cross Street, and then go back to Taipu Temple from Tian Street!"
Then Xie and Zheng saw the carriage rumbling past again, and Eunuch Liu had to lead a group of people to run back to catch up with the holy driver.
