The Cabinet Room was strangely quiet at the moment.
Shoufu lowered his eyes and sipped the tea without saying a word, as if the tea leaves curled up in the tea cup were particularly fascinating.
Cifu Gu Yuncheng held a newspaper and read it very slowly. It seemed that every word in it contained infinite information.
The six ministers wanted to put their heads on the scroll.
The rest of the bachelors, one by one, seemed to be intoxicated with their own pens, and they were in such tacit understanding that they seemed to be aloof from the whole thing.
It wasn't until the third assistant Cen Minzhou came in from the outside with a complicated expression that he broke the inexplicable tranquility.
Cen Minzhou suddenly let dozens of eyes scan him. Even though he had been an official for most of his life, he was still startled.
Of course, one must have excellent psychological quality to be able to enter the cabinet. Although Cen Minzhou was a little confused, he did not show it and greeted everyone with a normal expression.
"Master He." Cen Minzhou calmed down after sitting down, and then greeted He Benchu, the Minister of Rites.
"Master Cen." He Benchu stood up quickly.
Unlike other members of the cabinet, the six ministers only return to their official offices to work in the afternoon. In the morning, as long as there are no court meetings, they will work in the Cabinet Office.
When it comes to office work, most of the time we are waiting for work guidance from the top three in the cabinet.
At this moment, Cen Minzhou called him, and the words "Cen Youniang ranked third" immediately appeared on He Benchu.
It is conceivable that the results of this child-student examination not only shocked his favorite protégé, Shuntian Prefecture Yin Chen Wen, but also left him with some sequelae as a teacher.
Now that it's time to prepare for the provincial examination, He Benchu can think of what Cen Minzhou wants to say without having to say anything.
It’s difficult!
He Benchu was in trouble.
As the Minister of Etiquette who still has some hope for a career rise, he still wants to be thoughtful and balanced when facing a boss who is like a good guy.
Even if you don't care about being his right-hand man, you can't offend him.
Especially after the first and second assistants remained silent about this imperial examination.
"Your command." The moment He Benchu stood up and answered, his thoughts were rushing, and he quickly added this sentence.
Cen Minzhou's hands in his sleeves wanted to clench into fists, but his face was warm and friendly: "Sit down, sit down, sit down and talk. I can't even talk about instructions, just a warning. Although we are far away from Qiuwei at this time, we should prepare in advance. . Different from the Tongsheng Examination, the Provincial Examination is a real talent show, and it cannot be too solemn.
Of course, I know that Mr. He has been in charge of several examinations, so this is the most appropriate thing to do. However, this is the first provincial examination that the girls have participated in, so it should be taken very seriously and should not be taken lightly. "
When He Benchu heard what he said, he felt a lot of "sure enough" in his heart.
"Your Majesty, please keep this in mind."
Although he found it difficult, He Benchu didn't have any objections. He looked like he was being taught and looked extremely respectful.
Cen Minzhou thought of Emperor Jinghe's order not long ago, and said with a smile: "Previously, the Holy Emperor ordered me to come up with a question. However, my little girl was ignorant and rashly signed up... To avoid suspicion, I recommend you, Mr. He, to be the question maker." , the Holy One has already approved it, I hope Sir He will not let down the Holy One’s love and care.”
He Benchang was shocked when he heard this.
He cupped his hands in the direction of the Lanzheng Hall, first thanked the Holy Grace, and then expressed his gratitude to Cen Minzhou, seemingly very excited.
Of course, he was actually really excited, not because he became the question examiner, but because he heard the implication of Cen Minzhou's words!
He actually doesn’t object to his youngest daughter’s scientific examination? !
Faced with this hint, He Benchu was so excited that he almost burst into tears.
Even though he had been working with officials for half his life and made himself smooth and shiny, he really couldn't withstand Cen Minzhou's previous encouragement.
On one side was the emperor who was looking at him with eager eyes, and on the other was the Shangguan who wanted to drag his daughter out of the examination room immediately. The battlefield was also chosen in the extremely untouchable imperial examination examination room, which made He Ben even want to give up his ambition to rise. , I wish I could resign immediately and go back to my hometown to enjoy peace and happiness.
A Cen Minzhou may not be so scary, but the first and second assistants above Cen Minzhou, and the great Confucian scholars standing behind Cen Minzhou, are a force that can compete with the emperor.
Standing in the middle of the whirlpool, He Benchu felt that the wind was high and the waves were strong, and he always felt the fear of being hit by waves.
And now, he could take a breath.
As long as he is given multiple-choice questions clearly, he can confidently say that he can completely grasp this kind of game that exists all the time.
He Ben came forward to express his gratitude to Cen Minzhou, but in his heart he was full of gratitude to Emperor Jinghe.
He knew very well that the only person who could make this third assistant think away in an instant was the emperor who had just called him away.
…
"There are no girls from the Yan family or the He family to take the exam, but Cen Minzhou's daughter is an excellent role model." Emperor Jinghe smiled at his second son who came out of the screen after Cen Minzhou left, and taught him unhurriedly.
The second prince Jiang Yucong also listened very carefully.
Since the election, his father often called him to the Lanzheng Hall alone, either to listen to politics behind the screen, or to take him to the side to teach him carefully.
He still remembered that a few days ago, his father personally narrated his grandfather's warning about the significance of holding the imperial examination for women.
Listening to the well-intentioned words recited by his father, Jiang Yucong gradually understood the significance of this unprecedented pioneering move to the royal family and the Jiang family. He also understood the need for his father to insist on such decrees.
"Father, you said before that Cen Sanfu's father and daughter are in the same court. I'm afraid that Cen Sanfu may not think so." Jiang Yucong felt that even if he is a monarch, he must convince his subordinates. "It is better to promise fame and fortune than to promise it." Great righteousness, fame and fortune can be moved, but great righteousness cannot be moved."
Emperor Jinghe was not surprised when he heard this. His son was too much of a gentleman.
"Son, do you know that a gentleman can bully someone?" Emperor Jinghe had already been prepared to teach slowly. After all, he had plenty of time.
After Emperor Jinghe finished asking, he said to himself without waiting for his second son's answer: "It's true that everything in the world is for profit, and all the hustle and bustle in the world is for profit. You must know that fame and fortune can drive away those who stick to righteousness." Very few.
Although it is said that everything in the world is the king's land, and the land is the king's ministers, but the emperor, the master of the world, cannot always use righteousness; therefore, the way of selecting talents and utilizing ministers has become a great science. "
"The game between the king and his ministers is only between advancement and retreat; the king is one party, but the ministers can be in several groups. Forming a party for selfish purposes is hateful but not terrible. What is terrible is the cooperation of the ministers. At that time, even if the king has good governance, he will have to retreat."
At this point, Emperor Jinghe did not continue to teach, but returned to talk about Cen Minzhou.
"Cen Minzhou is not incompetent, but he is too self-protective for the long term. Even if this person knows the righteousness and understands the righteousness, he will pretend to be deaf and dumb and turn a blind eye to the righteousness in order to protect himself."
(End of chapter)
