Promotion Letter for the Chief Executive

Wen Chengbi's husband, Jing Ming, met several times when Ping An was in Jiangnan.Although not much contact, but impressive.

From Ping An's point of view, this is a figure who seems to have lived in the Wei and Jin Dynasties.Casually, at ease, doing her own way, and naturally with a literary attitude, knowledgeable, has her own unique views on many things, and doesn't care much about things outside her body.

In fact, Ping An is skeptical about whether such a person can manage his marriage well.But Wen Chengbi got along well with him, and later Ping An figured it out.In fact, Wen Chengbi himself has a different temperament from secular women, and only with his style of acting can he not care about it.

These two lives in this era, it seems that only each other can fit with them.

We haven't seen each other for a few years now, but the two still look very affectionate. Wen Chengbi has completely lost the charm of a girl and turned into a mature charm. Obviously, life after marriage is very nourishing.

"It seems that you are doing well." When Jing Ming met Zhao Can, Ping An was talking to Wen Chengbi from behind.

He didn't know why when he arranged this way, he felt for a moment that two families met, the hostesses went to talk about business outside, and the hostesses sat in the back talking about family affairs.Although this idea was suppressed by Ping An as soon as it appeared, he was still very embarrassed, so he didn't ask Wen Chengbi more about his life.

After the greetings were over, he said, "I didn't expect you to be the ones coming."

"I said I would come." Wen Chengbi said, "You are all in the capital, and the things you have made recently seem to be very interesting. After I heard about it, I wanted to come a long time ago. It's just that my grandfather didn't allow me. This time, Mr. Xu said that you need someone who is proficient in mountains and rivers and geography, so I recommended myself for Jing Ming. He has traveled to many places before, and he has read all the books at home, so he must be qualified for the job."

"Of course I'm assured of Jingming's knowledge." Pingan said, "But there's one thing I have to say first. Because I'm a teacher of martial arts, I'm afraid the students may not be as refined and reasonable as literati. Be prepared, don't be intimidated."

"He doesn't like those red tapes either." Wen Chengbi said, "I used to plan to join the army, but unfortunately my family didn't allow it. Now I can be a gentleman to the soldiers, which is my long-cherished wish."

"That's good."

After talking about this matter, Wen Chengbi looked Pingan up and down, "I think you're doing well in Beijing, don't you?"

The meaning in these words was too obvious, Ping An raised his eyebrows slightly, "What do you want to say?"

"You and that..." Wen Chengbi looked in the direction of Benchu ​​Hall, "Who are you...?"

Peaceful but silent.The matter between him and Zhao Can should not be mentioned casually, but Wen Chengbi knew about it by accident, and Ping An had no intention of hiding it.But it is absolutely impossible for him to talk about this topic.Otherwise, he would really think that this is a conversation between the two hostesses, which always revolves around the short content of the parents.

Not long after Jingming's arrival, Feng Yutang finally convinced Di Xin, so martial arts had two teachers, and finally set up the basic shelf.

Time passed by in a blink of an eye, and in the blink of an eye, it was Zhao Can's birthday.

Now Zhao Can's birthday is not as deserted as before.

Now that he is the emperor, his birthday has become the Qianyuan Festival. According to the old practice, the whole capital will be lively.Although Zhao Can didn't intend to make a big fuss this year because the late emperor's funeral had not yet passed, he was the emperor after all, and even if it was "simplified", the ceremony was much more cumbersome than before.

Beginning in October, birthday memorials from all over the country flew to the capital like flakes.Ping An took the little eunuch who was in charge of ceremonies to sort out two full sacks of papers, all of which were meaningless.

Although Zhao Can knew a lot before, it was just a concept after all, without a clear understanding.This time Ping An made such a move, and he was also taken aback, "Why are there so many?"

"This is still 'simplification'," Ping An said. "If it is not simple, maybe it will be doubled. Just looking at these memorials, I thought that the officials of Dachu had nothing else to do It’s over. Besides, is Da Chu’s paper very cheap?”

Although his tone was mocking, it did point out the crux of the matter.Officials spend their energy on writing such fancy congratulatory messages, so it is naturally difficult for them to take care of their responsibilities.In addition, the paper used to write the memorial was reimbursed by the imperial court. At first glance, it seemed that it would not be used much, but if you think about coming here every New Year's day, the accumulated amount for the whole year may be a very huge number.

It's fine if it's used in other places, but it's used here to celebrate Zhao Can's birthday.

Zhao Can thought about it with a sullen face, and ordered people to carry the two sacks up the next morning and put them in front of the courtiers.

"I know all of you gentlemen's thoughts, but I am ashamed of wasting pen and ink in such a waste of time! If these paper and ink can be used elsewhere, I don't know how many lives and people it can benefit. Every time I think about it, I feel terrified. I am so ashamed." Zhao Can sighed.

The emperor said so, what else can the ministers do?This can't be the emperor's fault, it's all their fault.

So one by one came out to comfort Zhao Can, one said that everyone was happy, and the other said it was inappropriate to waste so much money, Zhao Can then turned his face and said, "I tossed and turned last night, thought for a long time, and decided to go on. You must be frugal, and if you don’t have any content like this, you are not allowed to submit the birthday book, and those who violate it will be fined with copper. What do you think?"

"Your Majesty Shengming!"

In fact, for the vast majority of ministers, this change just made them a little uncomfortable, but it also saved a lot of effort, which was considered a good thing.As long as people have practical things to do, they will not be afraid of this.Only those who have no skills and write extravagant articles in the hope of getting ahead will be dissatisfied.

But how could Zhao Can care about such a person if he was not satisfied?

After that, Ping An discovered a very miraculous thing. After there was no invitation to An, the memorials sent to Zhao Can every day became much thinner. ——Please An Zhezi, although there is no content, it is presented directly to the emperor after all, and it is not easy to stop it at the Zhengshitang, so they simply sent it all over.It occupies more than half of the daily memorials.

Now even Zhao Can felt much more relaxed.

Probably because of Zhao Can's tough attitude, the officials understood that his so-called "simplification of everything" was not just a talk, and there was no intention of holding a banquet in the palace, so everyone had to present the birthday gift they had prepared. Put it away again.

When it came to the Qianyuan Festival, Zhao Can was just bowed down by the officials in the early court, there was no lively ceremony or banquet, and it just passed by.Instead, at night, he set up wine with Ping and talked for a while around the fire.

Soon after the Qianyuan Festival, the first snow fell in the capital.

Ping An is still not used to the winter in Dachu.In the past, the conditions were limited and he could only make do with it, that's all. He wouldn't show this kind of incompatibility.Now that Zhao Can is enthroned, although there are still so many things to do, after all, there is still a lot of time, and the standard of living is not the same as in the past, so Ping An no longer tosses himself.

Because the usual residence is with Zhao Can, it is inconvenient for others to come and discuss things, so Ping An asked Zhao Can for the side hall on the west side of the original hall, opened another door, and remodeled the whole house, burning earth dragons and kangs , the whole room is warm and cozy, the inside is used for living, and the outside is used for business affairs.

Because he didn't want to go out to face the bone-chilling wind, he stayed in the house every day and didn't go out with Zhao Can.Everyone who wants to find him has to come here by himself.

The strange thing is that none of the people who deal with Ping An feel that this is wrong.

Zhao Can was not satisfied at first, but after two or three visits, he resolutely abandoned his dragon bed and moved his living place here, which made Ping An very helpless.

"I came here originally to avoid you. If you are always here, others will not be at ease when they come." He complained to Zhao Can, "Don't you want me to find another place to do business?"

"No need." Zhao Can said, "I go out in the morning and come back at night, and I'm not there during the day, so it won't affect you. Besides, after winter, I don't think you have much to do."

On the contrary, everything that needs to be arranged has been almost arranged. As for other things, according to Ping An's vision, they will not start until next year.

The reason for this is mainly because it is still the 25th year of Xiping. Although Zhao Can has ascended the throne, the reign name has not been changed. It seems that the influence of the former emperor is still there, and many things are not so appropriate to sit on.The yuan will be changed next year, and after this ceremony, the courtiers will have a mentality of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, and it will be easier for Zhao Can to accept what he does next time.

Speaking of this, Ping An couldn't help asking, "Have you thought about your year name?"

Generally speaking, the Ministry of Rites would select more than a dozen year names with good connotations, and then hand them over to Qin Tianjian to calculate good or bad luck, and finally send them to Zhao Can to let him choose one.However, if Zhao Can wanted to, he could make the designation independently, and let Qin Tianjian make the calculations.

——Of course, since it was hand-picked by the imperial pen, there will be no bad luck.

Ping An felt that Zhao Can should be able to designate it himself, so he asked this question.

"Think it over." Zhao Can walked to the table, picked up a pen and wrote two words, and handed it to Ping An, "What do you think?"

Ping An glanced at the word "Anping" written on the paper, and twitched the corners of his mouth, "Is it appropriate for you to do this?" Others may not be able to see it, but can he still not understand it?This is obviously to reverse his name.I won't talk about being lazy, in case people see it, it's even less like it.

Zhao Can smiled faintly, sat down and leaned on Ping An, "There is nothing inappropriate. Are these two words bad?"

Ping An convinced him, "It's good, but it doesn't work. Change it."

"No change."

"Are you afraid that others won't see the tricks in it?" Ping An asked helplessly.

In fact, no matter how low-key Ping An is, after so long, the ministers are not blind, and they still can't see the relationship between him and Zhao Can.It's just that it doesn't seem to be a big problem so far, so no one has said anything about it.But if Zhao Can insisted on going his own way, it might not be so.

When literati scolded people, that was cruel and poisonous, and Ping An didn't think he would like that kind of situation.

"Even if they don't do this, they can still see it." Zhao Can was also a little helpless, he felt that Ping An was too idealistic, "Even if I don't say it now, I will never marry a wife or take a concubine in the future. An unbearable day."

At that time, they will not let him go just because he is safe and low-key, nor will they show mercy just because they were safe before.So the end result is the same.

That being the case, why force yourself to be patient?

What's more, the reason why Zhao Can wanted to be emperor wholeheartedly at the beginning, wasn't it for this kind of freedom?

Pingan sighed, "Well, what you said makes sense. If that's the case, then it's up to you." He was supposed to be a deviant person, but he lived a lifetime of conformity.What's the harm in being crazy with Zhao Can now?

When Xiping's 25 years came to an end, many people realized what would happen after this year.

As the saying goes, there is one emperor and one courtier.Although the people standing in the court hall are veterans who have made many contributions to the court, and they have lived peacefully with Zhao Can in the past year, but in fact, everyone knows very well that this peace is only temporary .By next spring, there will be huge changes in the court.

In this series of events, although the change of the year name was the trigger, it actually did not attract much attention. ——Zhao Can said it coolly, but in fact, in this matter, how could it be possible for Ping An to meet those criticisms?

Compared to such a trivial matter as the year number being someone's name reversed, everyone is more concerned about whether their own future can be preserved.After all, only after gaining a firm foothold in the court, can we talk about other things.

As for this matter, although many ministers believed that they had made enough preparations, the facts proved that when the matter came, all the preparations were still slightly insufficient.

After announcing the imperial decree to change the year name, Zhao Can immediately made another unexpected decree—to ask the ministers to discuss with the court and select a person to be added to the political affairs hall.

After Xu You returned to Jiangnan, a seat in the Political Affairs Hall became vacant.The former deputy prime minister, Wu Xuzhi, became the prime minister, but he himself is not the kind of character who can stay in the field. Although he has good ability, he is only suitable as a deputy, and it is difficult to occupy a dominant position in the political affairs hall.

In addition, the other governors have their own problems, and it is difficult for Du He to be the central figure.

This is also one of the reasons why the series of things Zhao Can did before did not meet resistance from the courtiers.After all, it is difficult to concentrate the power of the prime minister, so naturally it cannot play a role in checking and balancing the imperial power.

Although this seems to be beneficial to him, in fact Zhao Can doesn't think so.If Xiangquan is vacant for a long time, it is likely to cause an imbalance, and the final result is not what he wants to see.So the plan for now is of course to add another person to the political affairs hall and gain a dominant position.

Naturally, it is best for this person to agree with Zhao Can's policies and changes.

Although this was actually what the courtiers wanted, it was indeed unexpected that Zhao Can issued the imperial edict, and it was at this time.After all, the New Year's Day court meeting usually commands and promulgates some decrees, such as amnesty for the world, promotion of officials and titles, and so on.

Zhao Can's unconventional behavior really caught everyone by surprise.

In the current court, there are actually some "green and yellow" people.Because during the reign of the first emperor, there were no outstanding talents, so in fact, those who controlled the court were the people left by Emperor Xuanzong, such as Xu You and He Youjun.Although they are no longer in the court, there is still no one who can succeed them.

Those who are qualified have no ability, and those who are capable have insufficient qualifications...so that among the people who were finally pushed out by Ting, several of them were purely made up.

Among these people, although Feng Zhang entered the court for a short time, but because of his reputation spread all over the world, and after entering the court, his ability was obvious to all, so he became the most suitable candidate.So in the end, Zhao Can selected Feng Zhang, the Minister of Education, into the Political Affairs Hall.

This result was somewhat unexpected.

However, because it was a candidate selected by the court, although the courtiers were a little confused, they couldn't tell what was wrong.After all, Zhao Can followed the procedure, and the person was elected by everyone.

But soon, everyone discovered Zhao Can's intentions.Because after entering the Zhengshitang, Feng Zhang and Zhao Can cooperated tacitly, and quickly took full control of the Zhengshitang.This kind of resolute method is shocking, but at the same time, it also established Zhao Can's own authority in the hearts of the courtiers.

His style is completely different from that of the first emperor. Although he is young, he must not be underestimated.

For the vast majority of courtiers, it is actually a good thing that the emperor is strong and capable.It is much better to follow such an emperor than to follow an emperor who has no ability and only sticks to success.To learn literary and martial arts, goods and the emperor's family, it is also a pleasure for the buyer to know the goods!

But for another small group of people, Zhao Can's arbitrary and arbitrary will inevitably affect the power in their hands.They prefer that the emperor doesn't care about anything and let them do whatever they want.This change is naturally very bad for them.

But no matter what the courtiers thought, the matter was a foregone conclusion, and they could only adapt to Zhao Can's style.

The first two months of the first year of Anping passed quickly amidst this kind of mutual adaptation.After entering March, the matter of Chunwei became the focus of everyone's attention.This is the first scientific examination after the new emperor ascended the throne. The selected Jinshi are destined to become the mainstay of the Anping period in the future, because they are more affected by the new policy and are more likely to be trusted and relied on by the new emperor.

A total of more than 300 students were selected in this subject, among which three were in the first class, 110 were in the second class, and the rest were only in the third class.

What really surprised the courtiers was the process of releasing officials afterwards. It stands to reason that except for the first three and the top ten of the second class who can stay in the capital, the rest will be transferred to a county, or for the next county. Ling, or as the magistrate of Shangxian county, and then slowly work through the qualifications according to the process of transferring to an official.

Among these people, there will not be more than 20 people who can stand out and return to the capital, become a high-ranking official, or even enter a high-level official who has crossed the fifth rank, and become an important minister in the court.And among these [-] people, there are only one or two, or maybe none, who are able to ascend the court to pay homage to the prime minister, enter the political affairs hall, and serve as the king's assistant.

However, this year, in addition to the first 13 people who stayed in Beijing, four more people were elected to the secretariat of Benchu ​​Palace.

What exactly this "secretary office" does was hardly understood at first.But no matter what, the words "Benchu ​​Temple" in front of it are enough to show that this location is special.

Why is the Hanlin Academy so expensive?It is nothing more than because he is not involved in common affairs and is a close minister of the emperor.But this secretariat looks much closer than the Imperial Academy.

So this news has been announced, which has aroused discussion among this group of Jinshi.The four lucky ones who were selected received countless envious and jealous looks.

But when it became clear that this was the institution established after the reorganization of the Supervisor of Rituals, and half of its members were eunuchs, the previous envy and jealousy turned into sour words.Literati, everything is inferior, let alone a servant with a physical disability?Although they are still jealous of this position, it does not prevent them from saying a few acid words to Lucky.

Even the four lucky candidates had mixed feelings.It would be false to say that you are unhappy, but if you are in that position, if you don't grasp it well, you will easily become a lucky person, criticized by others, and think that your virtue is at a disadvantage.

For the time being, Ping An can't take care of the psychological problems of these new colleagues. He is seeing Zhang Dongyuan off.

After the reorganization of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, he will be the leader, and there will be new regulations for his duties.So Zhang Dongyuan took advantage of the situation and resigned from his position as the palm seal eunuch, and he was going to leave the palace and go home to take care of himself.

The promotion work of new grain varieties that he was in charge of before had earned him enough reputation, and he did not hesitate to reward him when he left Zhao Can this time, so he didn't feel any disappointment, and he still looked high-spirited.

"Director Zhang will be free from now on. If there is anything I don't understand, I will ask you for advice. Then don't shut me out!" Ping An said with a smile.

Zhang Dongyuan naturally didn't think that he really needed to ask him for advice, it was just a polite word.From the bottom of his heart, he has very complicated feelings about Ping An, because of Ping An's existence, he, the head of the imperial court, has lost a lot of color, but it is also because of Ping An that he can reach this step safely and return to his old age with glory.

So he smiled and said, "Naturally, you just come, I have prepared a banquet for you."