In the study, there is no lamp, everything is quiet. Through the moonlight outside the window, you can see a person sitting on the official hat chair in front of the desk. It is Liu Ce. At this time, he has his head raised, his breathing is low, and he is closing his eyes. Eyes deep in thought.
The chaos in the court did not disturb his mind. In fact, the court was always under his control. Even if it was Zhang Wencheng's incident this time, Chen Yuan had already spied on the imperial examination case. He only It's not about selling Zhang Wen as a scapegoat.
Zhang Gui committed the scandal of kidnapping Princess Jinghe, and actually used Le Geer, in the name of the Liu family. The dignity of the royal family cannot be desecrated. In recent years, the Zhang family has become more and more powerful, and they have become less and less aware of the rules.
He just gave a little guidance, so when Chen Yuan impeached Zhang Wencheng, everything was over.
He was worried about the situation in the northwest. He had been an official for half his life. He knew the Shi family very well, so that was the day when all the Shi family members were killed or injured in that war.
But since the war ten years ago, the situation has gradually become out of his control.
The Shi family was dead and disabled. Only Shi Tingyu, who was studying in the capital, escaped. The civil and military officials in the dynasty thought that the Northwest King, who had guarded the northwest for hundreds of years, would collapse. Unexpectedly, Shi Tingyu stood up at this time. Come out, take up the main task, and lead the Northwest Army.
He actually succeeded.
In the battle of Wangyue City, he not only defended the northwest, but also killed the enemy's leader, the father of Ashena who returned to the capital, with one arrow.
The sudden appearance of Shi Tingyu was something that no one expected. Before that, everyone in the capital knew that Shi Tingyu was just a chess piece sent by the Shi family to show their loyalty. An ordinary young man. He has average abilities and pretty good looks, but he is still a playboy who spends all day doing nothing with Shen Che and Bai Yehan.
Among the three of them, Bai Yehan is not as talented and knowledgeable as Shen Che, and his status is not as good as Shen Che. Shen Che likes to cause trouble, while Bai Yehan is good at making plans. But he is the most capable one, a martial artist who doesn't like to use his brain. Among all those of the same age in the capital, Almost all the children of the aristocratic family had eaten from his fist.
However, such a person who only knows how to use his fists seems to have changed after he went to the northwest. He has a cunning mind and can always win by surprise when leading troops in battle...
Could it be that these are all false impressions he made deliberately in the capital...
Nowadays, the situation in the northwest is weird. The secret letters coming back one after another are normal, but they make him feel uneasy. He can't actually see whether the calm situation is real or fake? Or is Shi Tingyu up to something?
He didn't believe the secret letter Liu Gan sent back. Liu Fu could trust his son instinctively, but he didn't. He stood at a high place, commanded the overall situation, and could always smell something different in ordinary events. This was His instincts have made him invincible for many years as an official.
Shi Tingyu must be causing trouble.
Liu Ce spread his thoughts and kept thinking about the situation in the northwest. Where has the situation reached now? What is Shi Tingyu doing again? What will he do? What should I do?
It's a pity that the people he arranged to join the Northwest Army were purged one by one by Shi Tingyu. Shi Tingyu guarded Wangyue City and strictly guarded against correspondence. Everyone who came and went was only eighteen generations old. , ordinary letters cannot be sent out at all.
Just as he was thinking about it, the door creaked open, and Liu Fu walked in with almost no sound. The moonlight filtered in through the glazed window. Even if there was no light, he felt as if he was walking on flat ground for a short distance.
"Master, it's all done. I sent three men and horses to go there separately and have already set off." Liu Fu said, his voice soft in the dark night.
Liu Ce did not speak immediately and remained calm. Seeing his master's appearance, Liu Fu did not dare to disturb him anymore. He just stood there with his head lowered and waited. He felt sad and fearful at the same time. The master no longer trusted Qian'er. Now, he doesn't know whether Gan'er is dead or alive. Liu Zhong has been deposed, so he only has one son, Gan'er.
Now this son is about to be abandoned by his master.
After a long time, Liu Ce finally spoke: "Has Zhang Wencheng been here?"
Liu Fu raised his head and reported back: "I've been here, I sent him away."
He felt even more sad. The master would never care about a useless dog, even if the dog was his son.
"Go and tell him that if you want the Zhang family to be safe, you should shut up." Liu Ce said, without opening his eyes, but took out a jade ring: "Send someone to give it to him." Ji Lang, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, sent it over, he knows what to do."
"Yes, I take my orders." Liu Fu bent down, took the jade ring with both hands, and bowed out.
In the room, deathly silence returned.
The next day, Zhang Wencheng hanged himself in the study room at home. A letter of confession was left in the study room, admitting all the crimes he had committed.
Zhang Wencheng confessed and committed suicide, and the case of leaking the imperial examination questions came to an end. With his death, the court no longer pursued the case, and specially allowed the Zhang family to return to their hometown with Zhang Wencheng's official coffin for burial.
In this way, the Zhang family withdrew from the big stage in Beijing.
Go quietly.
A few days later, news came back to the capital that the boat Zhang Gui was on had an accident at sea. Zhang Gui drowned. When he was rescued, he was already dead and followed his father.
Zhang Gui's death did not cause any disturbance in the capital, because there were more concerning topics in the capital.
Zhang Wencheng confessed and committed suicide, and the number of ministers in the cabinet increased from eight to seven, leaving a vacancy. This position naturally had to be filled.
Therefore, many people in the court paid attention to this vacant seat, because it was related to their own vital interests. Once they entered the cabinet, they entered the center of power.
It is of great benefit to both the individual and the family.
After entering the cabinet, you are in charge of the world's documents. All memorials submitted have to go through the cabinet. I want to ask you whether this power is great.
Nowadays, many people have intentions, and many are making secret moves. Among them, those who are most likely to be in the cabinet include Bai Zuye, the father of Bai Yehan, Zhao He, the Minister of War, and Ji Lang, the Minister of Household Affairs...
The Bai family, Prince Luo's Mansion and the descendants are all related by marriage and have a close relationship, so they have a great advantage in joining the cabinet; however, the Minister of War was recommended by Liu Ce, and the Minister of Hubu has been working hard since taking office, loving his post and protecting the country...
In short, each has its own advantages, and everything is just waiting for the emperor to decide.
Xiao Ming and Jiang Sihai also discussed who could enter the cabinet. In Xiao Ming's view, the advantage of the Bai family would not be a convenience for entering the cabinet. The Minister of War was recommended by Liu Ce, and Chen Yuan's faction would definitely do their best to oppose it. .
The person most likely to take over the cabinet is Ji Lang, who has no relatives or faction.
As expected, at the great court meeting three days later, Ji Lang was personally appointed as the Cabinet Elder by the emperor, took charge of the cabinet, and became the eighth assistant minister.
On the second day after the court meeting, Bai Yehan came to the door in person and welcomed Bai Xiaoyu back home with great sincerity.
"There hasn't been any light rain these days, and my mother misses her very much, but the family can't be quiet either. A few days ago, Aunt Xuan at home suddenly contracted a serious illness, and she didn't expect to pass away in a few days. The sudden incident made my mother feel sad and sad, and she went to see her again in person. Taking care of Aunt Xuan's death was a waste of time. I wanted to send someone to take Xiao Yu back, but Sixth Sister became ill with longing for Aunt Xuan's death, so her mother had to take care of her herself. It's been a while, but today I was asked to come and take Xiaoyu home to express my condolences for missing him."
After Bai Yehan finished speaking, he suddenly turned his eyes elsewhere. Aunt Xuan was indeed gone, but there was a reason why he couldn't speak.
