The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"This is the charter decided upon by me and Yuan Shangshu after discussion. Your Majesty, please read it."

Standing under the imperial steps, Xu Jie respectfully held the memorial in his hands.

This memorial was written when he was in the Yamen of the Ministry of Rites. It was written by Yuan Wei, and the results of their discussions were written on it.

Although Yan Song is quite controversial among the government and the public and scholars, and Yan Shifan's reputation can be said to be a bad reputation, he is still a veteran of the three dynasties.

Yes, Yan Song was a Jinshi in the 18th year of Hongzhi. He lived through the Hongzhi, Zhengde and Jiajing dynasties. Isn't he a veteran of the three dynasties?

The old man, who is now eighty years old, is still working hard in the position of chief assistant.

In the eyes of outsiders who didn't know the inside story, Yan Song was greedy for power and refused to leave, but Emperor Jiajing knew in his heart that Yan Song had past intentions a few years ago, and that was when Yan Shifan was causing the most outrageous things outside. .

It's hard to say whether Yan Song's intention to leave was to retreat in order to keep his son, or whether he really wanted to resign and return south, but Emperor Jiajing decisively refused at that time.

Without him, there is no one in the court who is more obedient and able to stabilize the court situation than Yan Song.

Xu Jie is still far behind in terms of experience, and he does not have enough prestige to replace Yan Song.

Of course, the most important thing is that Yan Song is not obedient and sometimes makes some inappropriate noises.

However, after years of hard work, it seemed that Yan Song was pressing on me, and I finally got a little enlightened and knew who I should listen to and what I should do.

Huang Jin stepped forward and took the memorial from Xu Jie, returned to the emperor and presented it with both hands. Emperor Jiajing then reached out to take it and look through it.

Not long after, Emperor Jiajing finished reading the memorial in his hand, put it together on the imperial desk, and said, "It's appropriate. Your and Maozhong's proposal is very much to my liking."

After pondering for a moment, Emperor Jiajing spoke to Xu Jie again: "Just follow what Chen Zhong said, and he will give orders to sacrifice at three altars. There will be a division chief responsible for the funeral utensils. The Ministry of Rites and the Beijing Camp will send people to escort them back to Jiangxi."

"According to the order."

After receiving Emperor Jiajing's nod, Xu Jie hurriedly bowed and accepted the order.

"Huang Jin, ask someone to prepare the pen and ink. Let's draft the decree here. Mr. Xu Ge is here and he will draft it. You can use the seal to issue the rites directly."

Now that Emperor Jiajing has made a decision, he doesn't want to delay it. He waits for Xu Jie to return to the cabinet to draft the decree, then sends it to the inner court for approval, and then transfers it to the cabinet and the six departments to issue the decree. The process is too cumbersome to complete.

Soon, a chamberlain prepared a pen and paper, and Xu walked up the steps and wrote with a wave of his hand. Such a decree was naturally at hand for the cabinet bachelor, who was originally meant to do this job.

After the pen and ink were slightly dry, he handed it to Emperor Jiajing to look at it, nodded, and then Huang Jin sent someone to get the treasure seal to seal it.

Just when Xu Jie was about to resign and go back to the cabinet to handle official duties. After all, there was a funeral at Yan Song's house, and the chief assistant would not be on duty these days. The burden of the cabinet fell on his shoulders. However, before he could say anything, Emperor Jiajing He opened his mouth and said: "Since Nan Qiao died of illness and took office, so did Zha Bingyi. The positions of Shuntian Prefecture Yin and Taipusi Minister are still vacant. Are there any candidates for the cabinet?"

When Emperor Jiajing asked about this matter on this occasion, Xu Jie was shocked.

Both of these positions are of the third rank. The Ministry of Civil Affairs can recommend them but has no right to arrange them. If I ask the cabinet for their opinion, Yan Song definitely has no intention to consider this matter now. Could it be that His Majesty wants to...

Xu Jie thought so in his heart, but he still couldn't be too serious about what he said. He hurriedly bowed and replied: "Your Majesty, the cabinet had discussed Lord Cha's appointment, but there was no discussion about his successor."

"Taipu Temple is in charge of horse administration. It is a major military and state matter that cannot be delayed."

Emperor Jiajing said casually.

Xu Jie felt a little happy, but his face remained calm. He just looked like he was thinking, but soon his brows widened, as if he had thought of a candidate.

Emperor Jiajing was not in a hurry and just waited for Xu Jie to recommend him.

For some things, once you have made a decision, you must stick to it, but you must not be blind and plan slowly.

"Your Majesty, I recommend Admiral Huang Youtongzheng Wang Guoguang to be the Minister of Taipu Temple."

Xu Jie bowed his hands to Emperor Jiajing and said.

"reason?"

Emperor Jiajing was a little familiar with the name Wang Guoguang, as he seemed to have seen this name in that memorial not long ago.

"Wu Guoguang was a Jinshi in the 23rd year of Jiajing reign. He was first awarded the magistrate of Wujiang County, and later transferred to the ceremonial title. He was promoted to the head of the Ministry of War. Later, he served successively as the Wenxuan Lang of the Ministry of Personnel, the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Governor of Cangchang. He also served in the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs. experience.

As your Majesty said, the horse administration of Taipu Temple is a major military and state matter, and it also takes into account economic power. Wang Guoguang's evaluations in the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Households are all top-notch. I think Wang Guoguang can take up this position. "

Xu Jie took his time and explained to Emperor Jiajing that the reason for recommending Wang Guoguang was indeed suitable for the position of Taipusi Minister.

Taipusi Horse Management is not limited to providing war horses for the army, but also collects money from various places. These should be the expenses of local horse breeding. Because there are many complaints about private horse breeding, private horse breeding is directly cancelled. Instead, money is collected. Taipu Temple used the money to purchase horses from various places and handed them over to the Ministry of War. The remaining silver was deposited in Taipus Temple's Changying Treasury.

The experience of Guoguang's Ministry of War and Ministry of Households is indeed in line with the requirements of the position of Taipusi Minister. I don't believe that he will not be able to impress Emperor Jiajing.

Sure enough, Emperor Jiajing nodded slightly after listening to Xu Jie's description of Wang Guoguang's resume. There were not many officials in the court who had both military and financial skills.

"You go back and write a memorial and submit it."

Emperor Jiajing obviously agreed to Xu Jie's recommendation, but this was not as urgent as he said just now. He did not let Xu Jie write the memorial in Yongshou Palace, but went back to the cabinet to write it according to the procedure and then sent it to the Supervisor of Ceremonies.

"I will think about it when I go back. The position of Shuntian Fuyin cannot be left vacant. Officials must be arranged to take over as soon as possible."

When Xu Jie said goodbye and was about to leave, Emperor Jiajing said again.

Xu Jie left Xiyuan in a happy mood, but he did not go back to the cabinet directly. Instead, he went to the Liu Ke Gallery first, handed over the approved decree to Li Kedu, and then returned to the cabinet office.

As for the posthumous gift given to Yan Song's late wife, the Ouyang family, Liang Menglong would naturally not appreciate it. Moreover, although it was a bit over the limit, it was not excessive and was still within the acceptable range. At least there was a precedent in the previous dynasty.

Ouyang's family is imperial, so it is okay to send officials to escort the coffin.

Soon Liang Menglong personally supervised the process and quickly completed the process on the Li Ke's side, using the seal to personally send it to the cabinet and hand it over to Xu Jie.

Xu Jie did not dare to delay, so he immediately wrote a formal edict, and then sent someone to the palace to seal it, and sent someone to Yan's Mansion to issue the edict. When doing so, he also notified the Ministry of Rites, Taichang Temple, the Ministry of War, and the Beijing Camp to inform the funeral. The tools were sent to Yan Mansion together.

Xu Jie finished his errands in the cabinet, but he didn't feel tired at all. At this time, his spirit was still high.

After what happened in Yongshou Palace today, he was already sure that Emperor Jiajing was planning to replace Yan Song.

Although there were some signs before, Xu Jie was not sure, but when it came to choosing the minister of Taipusi, Emperor Jiajing did not wait for a few days to mention it when Yan Song returned to the ministry, but asked him to make the decision now. , it can be seen that the emperor has made up his mind.

Although the appointment and dismissal of an official seems to be just a matter of the emperor's imperial edict, for Yan Song, who has been in power for more than ten years, his disciples and former officials are all over the court, and many of them are still in leadership positions. This is why the Yan Party members relatively The reason why he does not have an advantage but has a strong say in the court.

But now, Emperor Jiajing's actions are obviously intended to gradually reduce the influence of the Yan family in the court. The most direct way is to replace officials bit by bit, quietly replacing the officials of the Yan family faction, and at the same time not allowing the Yan family to The promotion of officials greatly reduced Yan Song's influence in the court. From now on, no matter whether it is to become an official or something else, he will have many choices of methods.

However, Xu Jie had actually seen through Emperor Jiajing's plan in his heart. If he just wanted Yan Song to resign, there would be no need to do so many things.

Think about the rumors and things Yan Shifan did in official circles and among the people. If something is not done, it will be difficult to quell the complaints from the outside world.

Thinking of Yan Shifan, Xu Jie couldn't help but feel angry.

This person really doesn't give himself face.

Xu Jie and Yan Song were of the same generation, and Yan Song was very polite to him, but this was not the case at Yan Shifan's place. Taking advantage of Yan Song's relationship, he was quite rude to him.

However, Yan Shifan won't be able to be carefree for long. Maybe if Ding You leaves this time, he will never have the chance to return to the court. Even if he comes back, he may be captured by Yousi.

Xu Jie didn't believe that Emperor Jiajing would seize Yan Shifan's love or anything, and he wouldn't be afraid of being scolded to death if he didn't go back to observe mourning after his death.

As for Yan Song, the death of his wife is nothing, and he doesn't need to do anything.

However, Xu Jie didn't want to wait any longer. Since Emperor Jiajing had already planned to replace him, he shouldn't let nature take its course, but should do something to speed up the process.

When did you join the cabinet?

It seems to be the 31st year of Jiajing. It has been almost ten years in the blink of an eye. At that time, Yan Song was the first assistant and Lu Ben was the second assistant. Yan Song himself was just put into the cabinet to show off and balance the power of the court.

I won’t say who Lu Ben is, and the cabinet cannot be his monologue. Being called into the cabinet as Yan Song’s opponent not only shows his magnanimity, but also reassures Emperor Jiajing.

But this is not the way that person controls his subordinates.

In the court, there were always two groups, hostile to each other, but he commented on Zi from a high position and always controlled the overall situation.

Whoever you want to use, then move your elbow slightly to that side to help them suppress the other side.

However, I have waited for so long and finally have the opportunity to replace him. Once the Yan Clan collapses, which group of forces will Emperor Jiajing support to become my enemy?

After Xu Jie returned to the cabinet to deal with matters related to the Yan Mansion, he began to think wildly.

However, let's think about it, we can't delay getting down to business.

Ask the scribe to prepare pen and ink, and he will also write a memorial recommending Wang Guoguang as the Minister of Taipu Temple.

Zha Bingyi's transfer was inherently weird. He knew about it beforehand, but Yan Shifan was indeed in charge of it, but he knew there must be something fishy in it.

Now that we have the opportunity to stir up the scandal and let one of our own people take advantage of the situation, why not do it.

However, he has already promoted Wang Guoguang to the minister of Taipu Temple, and the remaining official position of Shuntian Prefecture Yin has to be given up.

Of course, the gift is not for Yan Song, but can be given to Prince Yu's Mansion.

By the way, there is also Wang Guoguang's previous position, general affairs envoy Si Youtongzheng admiral Huang Wei. In any case, it is a fourth-level official position. He was replaced by military attaché Huang Wei for recruitment.

Unconsciously, Xu Jie thought of Wei Guangde. This little guy would definitely be interested in this official position, because this official position is quite important for a family with hereditary military positions.

But it's useless to be interested. The little guy's rank cannot be raised all at once. Unless Emperor Jiajing appoints it, Yan Song will not object if he appoints it, nor will he object, and naturally there will be no more officials. Yes, but this is impossible.

When Xu Jie started to go on business again, the angels in the palace also entered the gate of Yan's mansion with the mourning tools prepared by the various yamen.

After Yan Song and Yan Shifan knelt down to receive the order, they naturally wanted to thank Emperor Jiajing for his kindness and consideration for the old minister.

The time was late, and Yan Song was delayed from entering the palace to express his gratitude after receiving the order. He only left a message to enter the palace early tomorrow morning to express his gratitude.

That night, Xu Jie contacted Gao Gong, and Yan Song was also discussing with Yan Shifan in the secret room of the mansion.

"Dad, I will go to the palace tomorrow to thank you. You must leave your son in the capital, otherwise I'm worried that Xu Huating will take the opportunity to do you harm."

Although he had just lost his mother, Yan Shifan was not too sad, but was thinking about the current situation of the court.

It can be said that in the past two years, especially after King Jing was confirmed as a vassal, he felt that things that used to be easy sometimes always went wrong. Although it could be done in the end, it was always a lot of trouble.

Also, some of the people below are starting to be a little bit obsessive. They obviously have the idea of ​​​​leaving their own big ship, but is it possible?

"You are just the minister of the Ministry of Industry. How could your Majesty take over this matter?"

Yan Song whispered.

"Everything depends on human effort. Mother is no longer here. Shouldn't the son stay with his father and fulfill his filial piety?"

Yan Shifan said immediately, even aware of his old father's thoughts, and said to Yan Song in an aggravated tone: "Father, do you think our family can really escape after your son returns to Jiangxi?

Will the court let me go?

That His Majesty is not as kind as you think, and he will not show mercy to our family.

If he really cared about his friendship with you, he wouldn't have forced you to stay and asked you to help look after Gu Jing's palace.

After all these years, can't you still see through his thoughts? "

Yan Shifan's sudden words made Yan Song turn to look at him, with some surprise on his face.

Yes, Yan Shifan never dared to speak in such a strong tone in front of his father, but now he can't care less.

Some things are fine if you have never done them, but if you have done them, you will have to pay the price sooner or later.

In the past few years, doesn’t Yan Shifan know how to restrain himself?

Seeing his father getting older, of course he understood, but he also knew that he couldn't stop.

If you take a gamble, you still have a chance to turn around, but if you retreat, you will be doomed.

If he had regrets, he shouldn't have come to the capital twenty years ago, otherwise he would never be in the current situation.

He and his father were both the abandoned sons who were prepared to be thrown out in the future to quell the grievances of the officials.

But before that, that person would not touch him, so he dared to act unscrupulously in this capital.

However, there will still be a showdown after all.

"What if you stay?"

Yan Song looked at Yan Shifan and asked in a low voice.