March is coming to an end and April is approaching. The spring breeze is blowing and the willows are green and the flowers are red.
Days like this are not only suitable for outings, but also suitable for entertaining guests. Wu Dui, the new Minister of War, invited people to have a casual meal today.
Wu Dui's treat was not at an outside restaurant or inn, but at his own home. He used to be an official in the capital and served as the head of the Ministry of War, so he had a residence in the capital. However, that was more than ten years ago, so the residence was small and old. After returning to Beijing to serve as a soldier, Wu Dui disposed of his old house and bought a new one. The area was twice as large, but it was only medium-sized.
Although the area was not large, the new home was tidy, so he entertained Gao Jingjing here.
When Gao pragmatically arrived, he first asked Cao Ke to inform him and handed him two hundred taels of congratulatory gifts, which was regarded as congratulations to Wu Dui for moving his army to the right and relocating. Wu Dui went out to welcome him in person, opened the middle door wide and invited Gao Pingshi to enter.
The banquet has been set. It is indeed just an ordinary family banquet, with about ten dishes and a small pot of wine.
"Congratulations, Shixiong, for being the sixth champion in high school and the leader of this court." Wu Dui is already fifty-five this year, but as a rule, the nephew of his mentor is called Shixiong, so he calls Gao Pragmatic his Shixiong.
"It's just a fluke. Senior brother, don't praise me." Gao Pingshi smiled and raised his glass. "I would like to give a toast to senior brother. Senior brother has been promoted to a soldier. From now on, he will be the leader of the ministry. One day he will be promoted to the cabinet and he will be the prime minister." It’s not far off.”
Wu Dui had a drink with him and said with a smile, "It's an unexpected joy that Dui is here today. How can I dare to think of him as Prime Minister? But you, my dear brother, are in the emperor's heart. Maybe after ten years in the Yutang, you can go straight to the forbidden house. Who can compare to you?"
Gao Pingshi laughed and said, "Senior brother is joking, how can it be so easy? Senior brother just told me to seek truth."
"It may be impossible for others, but it may not be impossible for you." Wu Dui nodded and said with a smile, "Seek truth and rebuild the Ming Dynasty Huidian as the Chief Compiler and Compiler. If you succeed, you will be transferred to at least two levels. "
Gao pragmatically smiled and said nothing.
Wu Dui put down his wine glass and sighed slightly, "Yours is higher than others. When you, the number one scholar, entered the Yutang, you directly graduated from the sixth grade of compilation. The first level of transfer is to serve as an attendant and serve as a lecturer. The transfer to the second level is That is the identity of a bachelor who serves as a student and a bachelor who serves as a lecturer."
Gao Pragmatic laughed and said, "How can it be so smooth? I don't know how long it will take to compile this code."
Wu Dui also laughed, but his smile was very mysterious. He coughed lightly and said in a low voice, "Isn't the compilation of Huidian almost completed? Now it's just a matter of refining it and correcting mistakes. Although it is also very troublesome, it is always There is a framework to rely on. If you want it to be fast, it will be fast. If you want to be slow, the power of review lies with the cabinet. In the end, whether to punish Zang or not depends on the emperor's word."
Gao pragmatic understood what Wu Dui meant. It simply meant that the compilation of the Ming Dynasty Code had actually completed the overall framework. Now the main task was to check for omissions and fill in the vacancies. The cabinet had the final say as to what level of checking for omissions and filling in the vacancies would be considered qualified. , the final decision lies with the emperor.
Probably in Wu Dui's view, it is unlikely that the cabinet will target Gao Pragmatic, and it will probably be easy to release, and it is even less likely for the emperor. Therefore, when the compilation is completed is actually decided by the Hanlin Academy itself, and Gao Wuzhen is now the director-general of the reconstruction. He said that after retaking it, he would finish retaking it, and after completing it, he would be directly promoted to two levels. This is simply the rhythm of the superiors trying to give him a promotion in various ways.
But Gao Pangshi knew that this matter was not that simple. The Gao Party was indeed dominant in the cabinet, but Shen Shixing and Yu Youding were assistant ministers after all, not just two wooden stakes. In addition to Guo Pu's nominal president, the Ming Dynasty Huidian actually stood by reason. It is said that the three vice presidents Shen Shixing, Yu Youding, and Xu Guo are really responsible.
Xu Guo has known Gao Pragmatic for ten years. He was Gao Pragmatic's senior brother and the lecturer at the Wenhua Hall back then. He might not be too harsh, but Shen Shixing and Yu Youding were different.
The two of them are assistant ministers of the same Xinxue lineage. Although both of them are known for their gentleness and stability in both the government and the public, Gao Pragmatic's meeting with the General Secretary has too many traces of artificial promotion, which may not make them feel disgusted. , Gao Pragmatic would not be surprised if the two of them want to interfere with it.
The situation on Zhu Yijun's side is a little more stable, but Gao pragmatically knows that Zhu Yijun does not really have personal power now, and Empress Dowager Li has a great influence on him.
Of course, Empress Dowager Li does not directly interfere with government affairs, but she has a habit of deciding how to deal with all government affairs according to the cabinet. If the cabinet unanimously agrees, Empress Dowager Li will definitely let the emperor handle it according to the cabinet's wishes. If the cabinet gets into quarrels and chaos, Empress Dowager Li will I will ask the emperor to wait and talk.
Gao Pragmatic estimated that it might be the events of that year that made Queen Mother Li feel that she did not have the ability to make decisions on government affairs, so everything depended on the decision of the cabinet. If the cabinet is arguing for a while, then put the matter aside for a while and wait until they can understand the matter.
Actually, this idea is not bad, at least he is very self-aware. Just like the late emperor Mu Zong, Emperor Longqing basically only focused on personnel matters, leaving other specific government affairs to capable people. He used Gao Gong to adhere to this idea.
Perhaps Queen Mother Li finally figured it out later.
So looking back, that is to say, the key to everything still lies in what the cabinet thinks. If there is no big accident, the cabinet should not hold back Gao Pragmatic. But if there is an accident, for example, if the compilation is really a mess, Shen Shixing and Yu Youding If you can't stand it and insist on making a fuss, then this matter will be delayed.
In addition, there is another point that Gao Pragmatic has not figured out until now, which is who Chen Siyu is, or which side he is on.
It stands to reason that he was a Jinshi in the 44th year of Jiajing, and his master should be Gao Gong. However, Gao Pragmatic had not had much dealings with Chen Siyu before, and Gao Gong rarely mentioned this person. Gao Pragmatic estimates that Chen Siyu may have been selected by the deputy chief examiner Hu Zhengmeng, or even by a certain economics teacher.
Mainly because at that time, Chen Siyu's results in both the joint examination and the palace examination were outside the top 200. This result was really not that good, but he was still talented and learned after all, so he was later selected by the Imperial Academy and entered the Hanlin Academy and became a shujishi. He just climbed up from the Hanlin Academy step by step.
In other words, although his teacher must be regarded as Gao Gong, Gao Gong may not have taken him seriously at first. Gao Gong had too many disciples and disciples, and it was impossible for them all to attach great importance to him, except for Chen Ju. The county magistrate from his hometown was also Gao Gong's disciple. During the Chinese New Year, he went to visit Gao Gong, but he couldn't even see his master. Only Gao Pragmatic received Gao Gong on his behalf.
That one is still in Gao Gong's point. It can be seen that Gao Gong has too many disciples, but those who can receive his care are still limited. The other students are great because they enjoy a little fame and the privilege of writing letters to Gao Gong.
Therefore, Gao Wuzhen is a little worried now. This Chief Chen, especially because he was ignored by Gao Gong, always wants to take revenge. Otherwise, why would he forcefully push himself out?
Of course, if you want to take this opportunity to become an important figure in the party, it cannot be said to be completely impossible.
Anyway, we need to observe again to be sure.
Gao pragmatic sighed and said, "Now that the matter of revising the code is like this, I am afraid that it will be too public. Then it may become the target of public criticism. From the elders to the scribes, everyone will focus on the code. If there is any omission, you may be impeached."
Wu Dui laughed, shook his head and said, "I don't know why you are so cautious, Qiuzhen. If I were you, I wouldn't care about those gossips at all. I would just complete the compilation, Qiuzhen. You have to know, even if someone wants to find you." But there are more people who want you to be well. The faster you go, the happier these people will be. Just do your best and don’t be afraid of anything else."
Gao Pragmatic's heart moved, and he suddenly understood what Wu Dui meant.
"Thank you, senior brother, for your guidance. I will start concentrating on practicing scriptures tomorrow."
Wu Dui smiled and nodded.
