The Red Mansions

Chapter 883 Follow the old wisdom of the emperor!
Shenjing City, the gate of the city

The Yang family's carriage drove out of the city gate and arrived outside the city.

Yang Guochang was dressed in casual clothes at the moment, sitting on the carriage, looking at the endless fields through the bamboo curtain, and some unmelted snow foam could be seen sporadically on the wheat fields.

"Father, Lord Qi and Lord Liu are here to see you off." Yang Sihong, who was riding on a maroon horse, said loudly.

The son of Yang Shoufu has a sad face and no joy at all. He was the son of Shoufu a month ago, but now he is just a commoner. The change in mentality brought about by the gap in status can be imagined.

Yang Guochang turned his mind around, raised the curtain and looked to the left of the road, and saw Qi Kun, Guozijian Jijiu Liu Yuzhong, and Hu Yi, who was given by the Rites, all dressed in casual clothes, waiting respectfully.

Yang Guochang moved the curtain, and with Yang Sihong's support, the cold winter wind was blowing his gray beard, his eyes were filled with emotion, and he said, "Yan Xuan."

Qi Kun looked at the white-haired old man, approached him, bowed his hands, and said, "Master En."

The Guozijian sacrificed wine to Liu Yuzhong, and Hu Yi bowed his hands in salute to the ritual department.

Yang Guochang looked at a few people, and said with emotion: "I don't want Yang to have been in an ups and downs for decades, and now that he has returned to his hometown, he can still have a few friends to see him off."

"The mountain is high and the road is far away, take care of your kindness." Qi Kun looked at the old man with complicated eyes and said.

Liu Yuzhong also said: "Mr. Ge has returned to his hometown, and the journey has been safe and smooth."

Yang Guochang waved his hand and said, "I'm already a grassroots man, not a cabinet minister. Is there any wine to see me off?"

Qi Kun ordered the servants to bring water and wine, and the wine jug and wine cup on the wooden plate were all available.

Then the servants on the side brought several glasses of water and wine, which were already filled.

Seeing sentimentality in Yang Guochang's eyes, he held up the wine cup, drank it in one gulp, a blush appeared on his old cheeks, and said, "Yan Xuan, go back."

Originally, he seemed to have a lot to say, but at this time, everything he said was filled with resentment, so he remained silent.

Qi Kun said: "Enxiang, take care all the way."

"Take care." Liu Yuzhong and Hu Yi also said one after another.

"Master, the King of Chu is here." At this time, the servant whispered.

Qi Kun looked closely, and saw dozens of cavalry surrounded by the King of Chu, Chen Qin, on the official road, and called out, "But Mr. Yang Ge is in front of you?"

Yang Guochang stared at him and said, "King Chu."

The king of Chu looked at the white-haired old man, he couldn't help but sighed in his heart, and said: "Xiang Yang has served the emperor for more than [-] years, Xiao Wang should offer a glass of water and wine, and practice for Mr. Yang Ge. "

But I thought of Liao Xian's advice from the bottom of my heart. Although I took some risks today, it was easy to win the favor of Shilin. Old Yang Ge has been managing the household affairs for nearly [-] years. He met His Highness when he was in the Yongwang Mansion. Now It's nothing to send each other off.

As for whether the Holy Majesty in the palace will be displeased by this?
The Son of Heaven is by no means so narrow-minded, and it is normal for officials who return to their hometowns after leaving their posts, and to meet each other on the left and right, to offer a glass of water and wine.

Moreover, since the emperor decided to examine the conduct and talents of the scholars, his mentality would change.

There was a trace of surprise in Yang Guochang's old eyes, and then he regained his composure and said, "Thank you, King Chu."

After serving a glass of water and wine, it seemed to confirm King Chu's conjecture that there was a commotion from the direction of the city gate, and more than ten horses came riding fast.

"Old Yang Ge, there is an oracle from the Holy Spirit."

Under the retinue of a group of internal guards, Dai Quan, the minister of the Daming Palace, drove his horse to the front, got off the horse, and said with a smile: "The Holy Majesty said that at the end of the year and the twelfth lunar month, it is very cold, and this cloak is for Yang Ge to wear on the old road. , it is also good for keeping out the cold and sheltering from the wind.”

As he spoke, he delivered a blue fox fur cloak.

Yang Guochang's heart was shaken when he heard the words, he looked towards the direction of Shenjing, and said with tears running down his face: "Old minister, thank you for your grace, Long live, long live, long live."

Before Yang Guochang knelt down, Dai Quan had already helped him up, and said with a smile, "Mr. Yang Ge, the ground is muddy. Your Majesty said that there is no need to salute."

Yang Guochang took the cloak from Dai Quan, and said: "I also invite Eunuch Dai, the old minister has lost his body, and pray for my great Han Jiangshan community."

Dai Quan said with a smile: "Don't worry, Mr. Yang Ge, this servant will definitely bring it."

After finishing talking, Yang Guochang got into the carriage with the support of Yang Sihong, and escorted by a group of servants, the team drove away.

King Chu's eyes were fixed, and he was relieved.

Liao Xian and Feng Ci looked at each other, secretly thinking that it was true.

Once Yang Guochang left, the power of the Qi Party was greatly reduced, and the emperor accepted the hearts of the people, thinking that it would be used as a check and balance in the future.

Dai Quan glanced at the King of Chu, but didn't look too much, but looked at Qi Kun, and said, "Old Man Qi, Your Majesty summoned the old man to enter the palace."

When Qi Kun heard the words, his face was slightly startled, and he cupped his hands and said: "My minister obeys the order."

While talking, he went to the palace with Dai Quan.

Qijun Palace
In the southwestern courtyard, in a study room, the king of Qi County, Chen Cheng, sat crowded in a chair, looked at a monk not far away, and said with emotion: "Now that Mr. Yang left, the household department now only has one cabinet minister. , Father wants to transfer me to be the servant of the storehouse. I originally escorted and took care of the grain, which belonged to my own duties, so I didn't have much joy, but the king of Chu is in charge of the military department, which is really worrying."

Dou Rong said in relief: "Your Majesty, don't worry about King Chu. The Zhen family in Jiangnan has fallen, and King Chu has nothing to rely on."

Chen Cheng was silent for a moment, looked at Jia Yucun, and asked, "What do you think, Mr. Yucun?"

Jia Yucun said: "My lord, the Ministry of Households is no different than other places. It is responsible for the world's money, food and expenditure. In the future, it will be important to use soldiers against captives. The students think this is the meaning of the sage's regard for the lord."

It's a bit ironic to say that among those present, Jia Yucun, who is now the master of the Qi Palace, is the highest-born, serious and two-list Jinshi.

Because Jinshi would not easily join the vassal.

Chen Cheng thought about it, looked at the middle-aged scholar in his early thirties with a fair complexion, and asked, "Brother Wang, what do you think?"

He is Chen Hong, the eldest son of King Zhongshun. At the beginning, King Zhongshun was abolished as a commoner because of the case of the imperial tomb.

Chen Hong put down the teacup, looked up calmly, and asked, "Did Brother Qi ask about Yuan Fu's vacancy, or do the feudal clans sit in the government office and watch things?"

Chen Cheng thought for a while and asked, "Now that Mr. Yang Ge has resigned and the government is in turmoil, who do you think will be the minister of the household department? Who will be the chief assistant of the cabinet."

Without hesitation, Chen Hong said firmly, "The Minister of the Household Department should be Qi Kun."

"Could it be that old Qi Ge took over as chief assistant?" Chen Cheng said in surprise.

"The first assistant should be Han Huang." Seeing Chen Cheng's puzzled face, Chen Hong explained: "Let's not say that he is the second assistant of the cabinet. The northern provinces are plagued by natural disasters, and the imperial court uses the southeast to support the world. The people in the southeast have long been resentful. If it weren't for this autumn, the chaos in Henan will be pacified by the Marquis of Yongning, and the southeast will be in chaos. This move by the sage is calming the people in the southeast. "

King Qi frowned and said, "How do you say?"

Chen Hongdao: "If there is chaos in the Central Plains, and the Jurchens start in the southeast with pirates, I am afraid that the whole world will be difficult to deal with. Doesn't the prince feel that this is the benefit of the Marquis of Yongning?"

If you want to defeat the enemy, you must first face up to the strength of the enemy.

King Qi was silent for a while, and then asked: "Cifu, who do you think can take over?"

Chen Hongdao: "There is still a cabinet minister in the north, who should be the second assistant. Only in this way can we support the Marquis of Yongning to fight against the captives, and the Zhejiang Party has been at odds with the Marquis of Yongning because of the Jiangnan incident. The Holy One uses the Zhejiang Party to counter the Marquis of Yongning and the Chu Party. , This is the court situation for next year."

Chen Cheng suddenly brightened up, and said, "Listening to my elder brother's words, it's really like clearing the clouds and seeing the fog."

Chen Hongdao: "Your Highness is actually a fan of the authorities. Today, Your Highness should actually go see Yang Guochang off. When His Highness watched politics, he was in the Ministry of Household Affairs, and he has taught him a lot."

King Qi said: "This...Gu is also worried that the father will be offended."

"It's nothing." Chen Hong said in a low voice.

Chen Cheng said: "Now the emperor has summoned me and other feudal vassals to sit in the yamen, what do you think it is for?"

Chen Hong put down the teacup and said, "Your Highness should also have guessed, the Holy Majesty already has the heart to reserve."

Chen Cheng's eyes lit up, and he said, "Where do you come from, brother?"

This cousin in front of me is very resourceful. When the father came to live on the throne, this emperor brother was one of the few resourceful people who could see through the puzzle, and he was more accurate in guessing the father's thoughts.

Chen Hongdao: "The holy dragon is not hesitant, and he will naturally consider the affairs behind him, so he asked the feudal vassals to speed up their observation of politics in order to check their conduct and talents. Show your talents, but in the next one or two years, the big politics will be on the sidelines, and...the side affairs will be handled by the Marquis of Yongning, and the relationship between the King of Wei and the King of Chu and the Marquis of Yongning will be much closer, so he will be ahead of His Highness."

Chen Cheng said: "I have had a grudge with the Marquis of Yongning for a long time, Uncle Wang has suffered a lot in front of this kid before."

Chen Hong nodded, with a calm tone, and said: "I have also asked about the festivities between my father and the Marquis of Yongning before, and the Marquis of Yongning can use the downcast Wu Xun's children as a military opportunity, so don't underestimate him. contempt."

Chen Cheng said coldly: "It's not that the Marquis of Yongning has to do the side affairs, the Prince of Nan'an and other martial arts are also dissatisfied with the child."

Chen Hong shook his head, and said, "But no one has made meritorious deeds like the Marquis of Yongning."

Chen Cheng said angrily: "Why does elder brother always speak for children?"

Chen Hongdao: "Up to now, does your Highness still think that this person is powerful? He recently resigned from the position of Military Commander of the Five Cities, and King Wei was promoted to be the Military Commander of the Five Cities. If Marquis Yongning fully supports King Wei in the future, will His Highness fight back?" Power?"

Chen Cheng paused for a moment, speechless for a while.

Listening to the conversation between the two, Jia Yucun was secretly amazed that this son of a loyal and obedient king was indeed a resourceful man.

Chen Hong said: "Your Highness, there is no need to be depressed. Although this person is powerful, he is only one person. He started from recklessness and offended many people. Now he just lacks an opportunity."

The so-called, along the way, no one to support, blood and tears every step of the way, is bound to be jealous.

"Opportunity?"

"One is the defeat of the army, and the other is the struggle between civil and military affairs. The military and state affairs are dangerous and unpredictable. Once the army is defeated, your body and name will be destroyed." Chen Hong said.

Chen Cheng said: "But children are still a little capable in fighting."

"Victory can't escape suspicion." Chen Hong said with a flat face, and said: "Compared to dealing with Yongninghou, His Highness should think about how to regain the holy family and restore the title of prince."

When it came to the end, there was a chill in his heart. Not only did he want to restore the title of Prince, but also...

The father is the eldest son of the emperor, that position should belong to the father in the first place, and the fourth uncle has used so many tricks, is he really sitting on the golden throne with peace of mind?
Hearing this, Chen Cheng quickly asked, "How can I restore the title of prince? I also ask my brother for advice."

Chen Hongdao: "First do well the errands assigned by the Holy Majesty, and neither take the initiative to befriend or offend the Marquis of Yongning, but lie dormant in secret, hide your strength and bide your time, and wait for the opportunity."

Chen Cheng frowned, with a hesitant look on his face.

During this period of time, he was almost dormant quietly, but the child's arrogance became more and more arrogant, from the earl to the marquis...is this okay?
King Qi said: "I'm so disgusted by my father and emperor, can my brother do anything?"

"It's been a long time since the Sanhe gang in Dongcheng in the past. The holy family can't be obtained suddenly. If your highness does things with sincerity, when the two kings of Wei and Chu lose their sacred hearts, the holy family may not be irreversible. If it can't be done, they can only follow the old wisdom of the emperor. " Chen Hong was silent for a moment, and a stern look flashed in his eyes.

King Qi was startled when he heard this, his eyes moved slightly.

Follow the wisdom of the emperor...

Submissive on the outside but vicious on the inside, this is his royal father!

In fact, it is generally better to slander others than to improve yourself. As long as you blacken, stink, and bring down your competitors, the rest of you will be able to succeed.

"Seizing the heirloom is not a one-time achievement, Your Highness, please be patient. King Wei has just left the palace, and he may not be immune to mistakes in the future. King Chu can let it go. The most urgent thing is to deal with King Wei with all his strength, and make him see evil as his sage." Chen Hong said in a low voice.

How tragic was Longzhi's seizure of the heirloom back then?Who hasn't done a few good things?
Then you do one thing, and I do one thing, which means that everyone didn’t do it. If you didn’t guess right today, you will be disappointed in you, and you will be disappointed in him tomorrow.

Finally, something miraculous happened, and everyone stood on the same starting line again.

At this moment, Jia Yucun looked at the middle-aged county king quietly, feeling inexplicably horrified.

The King of Zhongshun seems to know the emperor very well, and he is more scheming than King Zhongshun.

And Dou Rong, Monk Huitong, and Xu Shaozhen were even more silent.

He secretly said in his heart that he is indeed a person who has experienced all the political turmoil during the Longzhi period, and he has a deep understanding of the emperor's thoughts, which is difficult for others to match.

"How will King Wei deal with it?" Chen Cheng squeezed his hands and said with burning eyes.

"The princes of the past dynasties stood up early, forging ahead and promising, but the emperor is like a thorn in the back, hiding clumsily and keeping upright, then the talent is insufficient, but there are only a few successors." Chen Hong was silent for a moment, his eyes flashed coldly, and said: "And the king of Wei is a man. , there are two concubines in the palace, and Song's relatives outside, who are married to Nan'an County King, and want to hook up with Yongning Hou. After a long time, the Holy Majesty is the hero. Once the body is recuperated, it will inevitably be suspicious, and the father and son will be suspicious, and disasters will arise of their own accord. .”

The premise is that the emperor's body will last another three to five years.

This means that the pyramid of power is very crowded. If the emperor feels that he does not have a few years to live, then there is no doubt that he will start thinking about establishing a heir.

But after recovering, I saw that I could live another 20 years. At that time, I began to suppress the feudal lords, just like before before I vomited blood and fainted, all my sons were suppressed and couldn’t move. Cut who.

But after he has no confidence in his own body, a qualified emperor must inspect and train his successors for the sake of the country and society.

The excitement in King Qi County's eyes surged, and he said with emotion: "What brother said is right."

It's so late to meet each other.

Daming Palace, Hanyuan Hall, Inner Study Room

Emperor Chongping sat on the chair behind the mahogany imperial case, looked at Qi Kun across a book case, was silent for a moment, and said, "Yang Qing is gone?"

"Returning to the Holy Lord, we have already set off to return home." Qi Kun clasped his hands in response.

Emperor Chongping's face paused, and he muttered: "Qi Qing, after Yang Qing left, there is no one in charge of the Ministry of Household Affairs. Qi Qing has made great contributions in promoting the new system of salt law. I have moved Qi Qing to be Minister of the Household Department with a special decree."

When Qi Kun heard this, his face paused, and he cupped his hands and said, "The minister leads the order."

Emperor Chongping asked: "How about the finances and taxes of the Ministry of Households this year? Can the money and food reserves be repaid?"

Qi Kun said: "Returning to the Holy One, this year in the north there was a drought and then a flood, and the grain harvests in many places were poor. Because of the war in the Central Plains, the nine sides allocated, but fortunately, 150 million grains were sent to the capital in Taicang, Luoyang, Henan, and the sweet potato harvest was good. The warehouses are rarely rich in money and food."

In other words, all of this is directly or indirectly related to Jia Heng, whether it is daring to be the first to seize Henan Weizheng Erfan, releasing Luoyang Taicang grain and fodder to relieve the crisis in Shenjing, or going south to control rivers and patrol salt, establish a new system of salt law, and collect Salt, profit, tax, and silver are harvested from the national treasury, and almost all the places they pass by should be in four words-capable ministers and officials!
So Qi Kun agreed with Emperor Chongping to grant Jia Heng the title of first-class marquis, and he was convinced.

Emperor Chongping said: "Next year, silver will be used in various places. According to Ziyu's estimation, there may be a big war, and there will be no shortage of money and food."

Now is indeed the best year.

Qi Kun said: "Your Majesty, there are still two missing officials in the Household Department. I am afraid that one person will not be able to control the overall situation."

In fact, this is also a test, how the emperor will arrange them and all the members of the party after the position of chief assistant is gone.

The chief assistant did not dare to expect extravagantly, the position of the assistant...

After all, his time in the cabinet was too short, but if the Minister of the Household Department is not the second assistant, it can't be justified?
Emperor Chongping paused, and said: "I have already found a good helper for Qi Qing, and Qi Qing will recommend another official to report to me for selection."

Lin Ruhai, the censor of Yanyan, has already gone to Beijing to report on his duties, and was transferred to the left servant of the household department, and then asked Qi Kun to recommend another person to be a director.

Qi Kun didn't test out the emperor's mind, so he could only say yes, thinking about who to recommend in his mind.

Wei Boyang, the former warehouse servant, was also on the list of promotions, and Peng Ye was still in Henan, so there was no need to return to Beijing, so he promoted several doctors from the household department.

It's not worth transferring people from local Futai and Fanjian.

After Qi Kun resigned, Emperor Chongping's face was as dark as water, and he looked into the distance with deep eyes, continuing to think about the layout of the court in the next year.

Qi Kun was in charge of the household department, assisted by Lin Ruhai. Lin Ruhai was a handyman in his early years and was also an in-law of the Jia family, so that the household department would have no money or food in the war against the captives in the future.

Since Han Huang is the head and assistant, he can no longer be the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and even the two ministers of the Ministry of Officials will be replaced by new ones.

That being the case, I already have a rough candidate in mind.

Yao Yu, the servant of the Ministry of Rites, was born in Hanlin and Xuedao. Although he is a scholar, he is not a member of the Zhejiang Party. He is upright and upright.

As for the second assistant of the cabinet, Li Zan served as a reward for his years of service in Beiping and rectification of border affairs.

In this way, the chief assistant of the cabinet Han Huang is in charge of the Ministry of Rites, the second cabinet assistant Li Zan is in charge of the military department, cabinet member Qi Kun is in charge of money and food, and cabinet member Zhao Mo is in charge of punishment.

But the Zhejiang Party is still powerful... At that time, Ziyu suppressed the scholars in the southeast because of border affairs.

Emperor Chongping thought about rebalancing the court situation, and returned to the desk to sit down again.

It can be said that today's emperor's thinking is almost the same as that deduced by Zhongshun County King Chen Hong, because this in itself is the inevitable trend of the situation.

The scholars in the southeast have waited for so long, and it is impossible not to put them in the position of chief assistant, and only if they are placed in the position of chief assistant, they will be able to take the trouble in the future.

(End of this chapter)