"The storm is coming? Haha, aren't you and I the storm in Chang'an City?"
A burst of hearty laughter came from outside the attic, and the two people were seen striding along the bluestone path one after another, followed by a group of panic-looking servants and maids of the Guo Mansion.
"My lord, my lord, the old prince has important matters to deal with in the palace, please stay!"
"Haha, there is nothing important to deal with. I have already heard the beautiful melody of the silk and bamboo orchestra. The army is about to go to war, and the old prince is hiding in the attic and not listening to what is going on outside the window. It is really eye-opening for me!" Chen Dong! He hurried up to the attic, put his shoes aside casually, and walked into the attic. His original angry look turned into a faint smile after seeing Guo Nan and his son.
But the middle-aged man who was originally following him was leaning against the door at this moment, holding a black long sword in his arms. The sword was three feet long, and there was a giant python tattooed on the scabbard in gold. The entire scabbard is wrapped tightly, making the viewer feel a strong sense of oppression, as if when the long sword is unsheathed, the giant python jumps up and chooses people to devour.
As soon as the middle-aged man stood at the door, the group of servants and maids did not dare to take another step forward. They could only look at Guo Nan in the room.
Guo Nan glanced at the group of servants and maids standing at the door tremblingly, and said, "Seeing this group of people reminds me of the scene I saw at Yumen Pass. By the way, you can find a place to sit down by yourself."
Chen Dong chuckled and looked at Guo Nan, but said nothing.
The dancing of the dancers on the stage seemed to have changed at this time, which made Guo Dalong become more and more immersed in watching it. He moved forward unconsciously, his eyes were dull, and he kept giggling, as if he had seen something particularly interesting. , making him completely unaware of Chen Dong and Guo Nan.
Guo Nan smiled and said, "What's the matter? The army is about to go out, and I think they will definitely return in triumph, so why not celebrate in advance at the mansion? Besides, today, the Xuanwu Army of the Emperor Zhou's personal guard sealed off the entire Chang'an City to welcome the Yan Guards out of the imperial mausoleum. , every household must stay at home and are not allowed to go to the streets. As a court official, I am bound to stay at home. I am curious about how you, Chen Dong, came to my place. Could it be that you took advantage of your authority and came here secretly? of."
The expressions on the two people's faces were gloomy, and the air in the room seemed to condense into water at this moment, causing the bead curtains that were originally swaying to make a sound to stop.
But the next moment, the two suddenly looked at each other and smiled, and the atmosphere in the room became lively again.
Chen Dong sat down next to Guo Nan and said with a smile, "You old man, you are already old, but you are still like other young guys, you are stubborn and hard-tempered, you have to argue for a reason in everything, you don't understand at all Assess the situation. It’s really a miracle that you can survive to this day in this officialdom!”
Guo Nan also smiled when he heard this, stroking a strand of white beard on his chin, with a look of reminiscence in his eyes, and said, "You, Chen Dong, are also a figure. You entered the palace during Wu Modi's imperial examination. At that time, there were There are several good talents, such as He Shengbai who ranked first in the literary examination, Qi Zixian under his command, and the owner of the Golden Python Sword following you. Unfortunately, Wu Modi was so popular at that time that you There is no chance to stand out!"
Chen Dong shook his head and said, "On the dance pavilion and the singing stage, the wind and rain are always blowing away. This happened more than ten years ago. You have also seen the situation of Mr. Wu Modi, the sharp-edged swordsman." It makes people worry about hurting themselves, so they will find the best scabbard to put it away."
"This is how you went from being a sixth-grade idler in Hanlin Academy to being in power today.
Prime Minister Zuo’s way of being an official? Guo Nan asked curiously.
Just a few days ago, an imperial edict came from the palace, allowing Chen Dong, who had been the Minister of Punishment for more than ten years, to serve as Prime Minister Zuo.
This strange decree almost confused the civil and military officials of the court. You must know that there was no distinction between left and right prime ministers in the original court position.
In the past, Wang Daofan had always held the position of prime minister, and he was the dominant one.
After Wang Daofan left, Guo Nan was appointed as acting prime minister. At this time, Zhou Ruoxiao did not cancel Guo Nan's position as acting prime minister. The meaning of this is intriguing.
Some people say that if there is a left prime minister, there will be a right prime minister. Zhou Ruoxiao meant that Guo Nan would be the right prime minister, and the two prime ministers would manage the officials together.
Others say that this is because Guo Nan and Chen Dong have been arguing because of their different ideas about the Zhou Mu matter. Zhou Ruoxiao wanted to check and balance the two, so he gave Chen Dong the position of Prime Minister Zuo to counter Guo Nan, the acting prime minister.
Some people also say that Zhou Ruoxiao supports Chen Dong's ideas and wants to use Chen Dong's hand to suppress Guo Nan.
…………
Various remarks were circulated throughout Chang'an, but none of these remarks could shake Chen Dong and Guo Nan's strong position in the court.
Chen Dong relied on his influence in the Ministry of Punishment for many years and his seniority. After the departure of He Shengbai, the minister of Dali Temple, Chen Dong successfully trained the new minister of Dali Temple as his own. Chen Dong developed vigorously in the three provinces and six ministries. power.
Guo Nan, on the other hand, relied on his past prestige in the military to recruit almost all the generals in the court under his command, and confronted Chen Dong's civil servant group.
"The golden mean means impartiality, and it is normal to have no fault or fault. I think this is how you, Chen Dong, have been in officialdom for the first half of your life!" Guo Nan commented.
Chen Dong smiled and said nothing, looking like he was willing to hear the details.
"At the age of twenty, I won a seat in the palace examination where all the elites gathered, and became the sixth grade academician of Hanlin Academy.
Just one year later, he was transferred to the Ministry of Punishment and served as the Warden Department of the Ministry of Punishment, with a rank of fifth rank.
Another year later, the Minister of Punishment retired from old age and returned to his hometown. The then Minister of Punishment promoted you to the position of Acting Minister of Punishment, and you received the same treatment as the Minister of Punishment.
A year later, the then Minister of the Ministry of Justice, He Shengbai, was investigated and beheaded for corruption. The affairs of the Ministry of Justice were divided between several ministers of the Ministry of Justice, and you were promoted from acting minister of the Ministry of Justice to a full official, rising to the third rank.
It must have been less than half a month later. Except for you, several ministers of the Ministry of Justice were investigated by He Shengbai and were involved in the millions of dollars embezzled by the Minister of the Ministry of Justice. You were the only one who stayed safe and innocent. White lotus, which is muddy but not stained, cleans the ripples but is not evil!
After that, the position of Minister of Punishment naturally fell into your hands.
It can be said that you are the fastest-promoted person I have ever seen in the officialdom over the years.
In less than four years, he went from a sixth-rank idle post to a first-rank minister of punishment. Even I feel ashamed! "
Guo Nan sighed with emotion, "Look at you now. In the position of Prime Minister Zuo, you are really below one person and above ten thousand people. Even Wu Modi, who ranked first in the martial arts examination in the palace examination, ranked first in the literary examination He Shengbai, who is one, is not as famous as you now!"
Chen Dong smiled again, with a hint of yearning in his tone, "The position of Prime Minister Zuo is just an empty shelf with no status. If there is a left, then there is a right. To be the prime minister, you have to be like Wang Daofan. One person. Sit in Chang'an and keep an eye on the governor of Jiuzhou!"
At this moment, in Guo Nan's eyes, Chen Dong still looked similar to the student who impassionedly recited his article in the Wenju Palace Examination, but his expression was completely different.
Guo Nan looked at Chen Dong with deep eyes and said, "After the Yan Guards left Chang'an this time, there will be no more Zhou Mu in the world."
Chen Dong smiled and said, "Do you know why I proposed to abolish state animal husbandry?"
Guo Nan shook his head. He really didn't know why Chen Dong proposed to abolish the state pastoral system when Zhou Ruoxiao ordered to send troops to conquer the six rebellious states.
Guo Nan really does not want the state pastoral system to be abolished. There are many reasons.
Chen Dong slowly stood up, the sun shone on him, and his tall back enveloped Guo Nan sitting on the ground in darkness.
Guo Nan suddenly remembered that Chen Dong seemed to be under forty years old, while he seemed to be over sixty years old.
"Before the human-monster war began, scattered human races formed nine large tribes on the Nine Provinces. The nine large tribes did not know each other and supported the strongest of each tribe as king.
And when the human-monster war ended, Kyushu was unified. An emperor appears above the nine kings. If the territory of the nine kings is Kyushu, then where is the emperor's territory? "
Chen Dong's words were like a stone hammer, hitting Guo Nan's heart hard, causing him to fall into a daze for a moment.
“Originally, when Emperor Jiang was alive, the Kyushu Prefects were still at peace, because Emperor Jiang gathered most of the troops in Kyushu, and coupled with Emperor Jiang’s powerful force to suppress them, the power of the Prefects did not expand too much.
However, when the news of Emperor Jiang's death came out, the state pastors quickly expanded their forces, just as the nine princes naturally obtained power from their dead father.
They all want to go back to the era before the Human-Monster War. At that time, there was no such thing as the Human Emperor above the heads of the Nine Kings! "
"Then what does this have to do with you?" Guo Nan asked.
Chen Dong smiled twice without looking back and said, "Of course it has something to do with me. What I want is the power of the former prime minister, one person is under one person and over ten thousand people! If these group of state herders can continue to live in Jiuzhou Above, then is the world still complete?
What's more, can't you still see what Emperor Zhou means? When the three states of Yu, Jing, and Yang declared rebellion in the three states of Yan, Qing, and Xu, they did not clearly express their attitude, but Emperor Zhou still included them in the rebel camp. This shows that Emperor Zhou did not care whether these people had any thoughts in their hearts. For him, anyone who is not on his side will be eliminated. Therefore, the value of these state herders is of no importance in his heart. Since there is no value, there is no need to take it seriously. Therefore, this state has no value. What is the use of the pastoral system? "
Guo Nan looked at Chen Dong's back, feeling a sense of fear in his heart for no reason. He suddenly realized that Chen Dong's back looked a little familiar.
"I have to say, after so many years, you have changed!" Guo Nan sighed and said.
"Oh? In your eyes, Guo Nan, what did I look like in the past and what do I look like now?" Chen Dong tilted his head slightly and said.
Guo Nan looked deeply at Chen Dong's profile, took a deep breath, and said, "I remember that day when you were admitted to the palace examination, you were a humble gentleman, as gentle as jade. Today, you are green-faced, fanged, and terrifying. , like..."
Chen Dong asked curiously, "What does it look like?"
Guo Nan took a deep breath again and said with a bit of difficulty, "Just like the Prime Minister back then..."
