Chapter 205 Today's heroes are only the Prime Minister and Qing'er
Chapter 205 Today's heroes are only the Prime Minister and Qing'er (Subscribe)
Early the next morning, after the regular court session, Feng Xifeng, with dark circles under his eyes, told the Prime Minister in the cabinet that Xu Qing wanted to meet him.
Upon hearing this, the Prime Minister said calmly, "Tell him to come to Yanyue Hall to see me at night, and don't let anyone see him."
"Yes." Feng Xifeng responded, but hesitated to speak.
Prime Minister: "Qiu Yuan, what else do you want?"
Feng Xifeng: "Xu Gongming has been a bit crazy lately, so please don't spoil him too much, Prime Minister."
The Prime Minister smiled and said, "Young people, it's a good thing to be sharp. But Qiu Yuan, after entering the capital, you are not as sharp as before."
Feng Xifeng bowed in shame and said, "After entering the court, I realized how difficult it is to be a prime minister. Every move I make affects the lives of the people in the world. How can I act as I wish like a young man..."
He flattered her with a lot of flattery, and even the Prime Minister couldn't help but feel a little comfortable. He waved his hand: "Okay, the state affairs are heavy, and we need people like Qiu Yuan to worry about state affairs. You go down and do your work first."
"Yes." Feng Xifeng breathed a sigh of relief.
What he just said was what his son-in-law taught him, so he just did it regardless of what the result was.
...
...
Yanyue Hall, at this time the moon is above the courtyard.
The Prime Minister drank a sip of ginseng tea and continued to work energetically.
Suddenly, a cool breeze blew in.
The Prime Minister looked up and saw a young man in front of him.
He waved his hand and asked his attendants to step back.
"You're really good at sneaking in here by yourself." The Prime Minister looked at Xu Qing and smiled.
He now holds the power of Tai'a and rules the world, with an awe-inspiring majesty to everyone, but in front of Xu Qing, he acts like an elder and friend. If this were to get out, the rumors about him being a godson or an illegitimate child would definitely be confirmed.
An old man and a young boy were sitting by a table.
Xu Qing took out the wine pot and wine glass. The Prime Minister hesitated for a moment and motioned for Xu Qing to pour the wine. He had not drunk for a long time because of state affairs.
Even at your majesty's banquets, tea is often used instead of wine.
"Tell me, what's the matter?" The Prime Minister waited for Xu Qing to finish pouring the wine.
Xu Qing: "The Prime Minister should give my father-in-law a promotion."
The Prime Minister was stunned for a moment, then said in a cold voice: "Official positions and titles are state tools, how can they be given and taken privately?"
Xu Qing: "Don't forget, Yuan Fu, I will soon take part in the imperial examination. If I win the first place, I will be promoted to Hanlin Compiler, which is a sixth-rank official. Although my father-in-law is a secretary, he is only a seventh-rank official. How can this be good?"
The Prime Minister laughed and said, "Are you so sure that you can be the top scorer? You must know that the top ten rankings in the palace examination are decided by His Majesty. Do you want me to help you?"
Xu Qing: "Your Majesty, I can handle it myself. You don't need to worry about it."
Young people are full of energy!
The Prime Minister laughed angrily: "Then why did you ask His Majesty to promote Feng Xifeng? Why did you ask me?"
Xu Qing sighed: "Then I will go to see Your Majesty, please don't regret it."
The Prime Minister could not help but slam the table and said, "Xu Gongming, please stop being so presumptuous in front of me."
Xu Qing chuckled, took a sip of the Lingshen tea in the Prime Minister's teapot, and said, "Grandpa, you look anxious again. I just saw that you were too tired, so I joked with you, so you can relax."
He pretended to pinch the Prime Minister's shoulders to calm him down.
But the old man came straight up to me without any courtesy at all.
Xu Qing was embarrassed, so he had to use his master-level skills to randomly pinch the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister closed his eyes and enjoyed it for a while, then said, "Where do you think Feng Xifeng would be best to go next?"
Xu Qing took his hand back and took up the attitude of talking about business. He said: "The Six Departments' Censors are lowly and powerful. Even if my father-in-law is given the position of prefect of Zhili Prefecture, it is not as good as his current position as a Censor. In this way, the promotion is a promotion in name only and a demotion in reality. I am not worried that my father-in-law can't stand the gap, but I am worried that outsiders will say that you are mean."
The Prime Minister chuckled and said, "Who is this "outsider"? You might as well just say your name, Xu Gongming."
But what this kid said does make sense.
He was using Feng Xifeng just for his own good, and he promoted him. In a short period of time, who would be a more suitable candidate? Moreover, since he had Feng Xifeng in his hands, he could also use Xu Qing to do things for him.
It would be inappropriate for Xu Qing not to take part in the examination at this time. He had already been held back in one subject, so he couldn't continue to be held back.
The Prime Minister doesn’t think he has such a big face now.
It's true that there are fewer places to use Xu Qing now than before, but the problem is that if this kid does something bad, the destructive power will be much greater than before.
It can be said that Xu Qing’s current destructive ability is more troublesome than his ability to get things done.
In the past, if I was ruthless, I could have done without Xu Qing; now, can I prevent this kid from causing trouble?
Now that Xu Qing has taken the initiative to come to Beijing, to be honest, the court is relieved.
It's better for Xu Qing to be in the capital than in the countryside.
Choose the lesser of two evils!
The Prime Minister was thinking about a lot of things in an instant, and said, "You always have a lot of ideas, what do you think we should do?"
Xu Qing smiled slightly, "There is no suitable position. In fact, has the Prime Minister ever considered suggesting to Your Majesty that a position be created specifically for my father-in-law?"
The Prime Minister's face turned black, creating a position is not bad. You are so shameless, right?
He resisted the urge to beat Xu Qing up, and said patiently, "Tell me about it in detail."
Xu Qing then began to talk freely, expressing his inner thoughts.
After hearing this, the Prime Minister pondered and said, "You mean to set up a special military office to deal with border military affairs?"
Xu Qing: "This Military Affairs Office doesn't need to have a rank or salary, and people can hold concurrent posts directly. An old minister like the Prime Minister can directly serve as a military minister in the Military Affairs Office, and a middle- and lower-level official like my father-in-law can serve as an assistant military minister in the Military Affairs Office. As for the main position, it doesn't matter as long as the rank is high enough."
The first reaction of the Prime Minister was that this Military Affairs Office could divide the power of the Cabinet. Originally, all military affairs, no matter how big or small, had to be discussed by the Cabinet. Now, the Military Affairs Office could be used to divide this part of the power to the Military Affairs Office alone, and the other cabinet elders would have nothing to say.
Because the biggest beneficiary of this matter is Your Majesty.
Moreover, in the past, all border military intelligence had to be discussed by the cabinet, which was inefficient. Now, it can be handled by a minister specifically responsible for military affairs, which is naturally much more efficient.
The problem is that this matter undermines the power base of the cabinet.
As the chief minister of the cabinet, he can naturally become the chief military minister directly, but other military ministers cannot be appointed just by other ministers. It is entirely up to His Majesty to say so.
The benefits of separating the cabinet from military and political affairs to imperial power are self-evident.
Not to mention that His Majesty would agree to this matter, even Prince Yu would strongly support it. Even though Prince Yu disliked Xu Qing, he had to fully support Xu Qing's proposal at this moment.
If it were the previous cabinet, it would naturally oppose this matter.
The problem is that the Prime Minister had already dealt with the stubborn ministers in order to reform the government...
The Prime Minister looked at Xu Qing deeply and asked, "When you asked Feng Xifeng to be the military officer, did you think of this?"
Xu Qing swore and firmly denied it.
The Prime Minister wanted to complain, "Xu Gongming, if you have the guts, swear in the direction of Luo River," but he thought better of it.
There is no point in worrying about whether Xu Qing had planned this in advance.
It can be said that after the establishment of the Grand Council, it was natural for Feng Xifeng, as the seal-holding officer of the Military Department among the Six Departments, to enter the Grand Council and serve as an assistant minister of the Grand Council, because these were the things he was usually responsible for.
Moreover, if the Military Affairs Secretary does not enter the Grand Council in the future, wouldn’t that be equivalent to wasting half of his military skills?
The Prime Minister had long wanted to abolish the Six Censors, but there had never been a good opportunity.
Xu Qing was a ruthless guy. As soon as he arrived, he abolished half of the power of the military department among the six departments.
The Prime Minister thought about it and decided that he had to take the initiative to take the lead in setting up the Grand Council. Otherwise, if someone else came, they might think that the Prime Minister had lost the emperor’s trust, which would be the most fatal thing.
The Prime Minister suppressed his nausea and said, "Tell me the specific rules so that I can tell His Majesty."
Xu Qing: "The Prime Minister is in charge of the world's affairs. I am just talking nonsense. How can I interfere in other people's affairs?"
The Prime Minister thought to himself, haven’t you done enough that you step into other people’s business?
However, he also realized that Xu Qing did not understand the power structure of the court as clearly as he did. He had to handle this matter personally to avoid making mistakes.
He said: "It's easy to say, but it's difficult to do it."
Xu Qing: "If Yuan Fu has any difficult tasks, just let me take care of them."
The Prime Minister's mouth twitched, and then he said: "I do have something to tell you. Anyway, whether your father-in-law can enter the Military Affairs Office depends on your performance in the future."
Xu Qing: "Yuan Fu, what you said is really boring. I might as well go find Elder Liang."
"He dares." The Prime Minister's body trembled. He couldn't deal with Xu Qing, nor could he deal with Lao Liang.
Xu Qing coughed, "My boy, you have good intentions and are doing this out of public interest. Grandpa made it sound like a public tool of the court, but now it's a private transaction between you and me. I have nothing to fear from my own shadow, but I am worried that outsiders will use this matter to criticize you."
After a while, the Prime Minister said, "Speak human language."
Xu Qing: “…”
The old man and the young man immediately started to communicate in a collusive manner, discussing the distribution of benefits, and drank the wine that Xu Qing brought.
The Prime Minister had to admit that Xu Qing was indeed a genius.
Although the Grand Council was unfavorable to the cabinet, it was of great benefit to him now.
He had originally intended to strengthen the military, and now with the Grand Council, it would naturally be convenient for him to put aside the constraints of other cabinet ministers and make full use of his abilities.
As for the cabinet’s power being taken away in the future, it has nothing to do with him.
Xu Qing was drinking excitedly and patted the Prime Minister on the shoulder, "The only heroes in the world today are you and Qing'er, the rest are insignificant." The Prime Minister first nodded in agreement, then pushed Xu Qing with disgust, but instead of pushing him away, he was shocked by the other party's internal energy. Fortunately, he had some kung fu skills, which prevented his arms from being fractured, but his hands were numb for a long time.
Then Xu Qing left drunkenly.
The Prime Minister watched him leave, and after Xu Qing left, he ordered his attendants, "Quickly bring the medicinal wine."
I was stunned. He was still drinking after the person left.
The Prime Minister showed his palms, which were all swollen. His attendants were shocked and quickly brought over some medicinal wine, not daring to speak a word.
The Prime Minister applied the medicinal wine and whispered the word "disappear".
As if words were spoken, the swelling on his palm disappeared immediately.
He admired the moonlight for a while, and seeing that it was still early, he went back and continued to deal with government affairs.
...
...
Xu Qing went back to see Lao Feng drunk.
Old Feng sniffed it and found no scent of cosmetics, so he thought the boy was sensible. He then asked how the conversation between his son-in-law and the Prime Minister went.
Xu Qing first complained that he had vomited several times after drinking in order to get a job for Lao Feng.
Mr. Feng said, I don’t believe you at all.
Seeing that his acting skills did not fool Lao Feng, Xu Qing immediately told him the important parts of the story.
Feng Xifeng: "Military Affairs Office, it's hard for you to come up with this crazy idea."
Xu Qing: "It's easy to come up with ideas. I can think of them in a snap. I'm lucky now. I just happened to have the opportunity to do this. I tell you, don't eat idle meals when you enter the Military Affairs Office. You still need to help me keep an eye on my affairs."
Feng Xifeng: "What's your business, what's my business, I've always been fair-minded."
Xu Qing rolled his eyes, and then, regardless of his father-in-law's stubbornness, he continued, "I'm sorry to trouble Elder Liang about the matter of Feng Qingtian's daughter last time. I will treat Elder Liang to a meal tomorrow, and I'd like to trouble you to treat him for me."
Feng Xifeng: "You are using me as a broker, right?"
Xu Qing: "You are talking so much nonsense today, are you going?"
"Go." Feng Xifeng said unhappily.
Xu Qing smiled slightly: "I am doing this for your own good. Look at you, you are not good at socializing. This kind of thing still depends on me. I work so hard for your grandson and daughter. Don't you agree?"
When Feng Xifeng heard the word "grandson", he couldn't help but feel warm in his heart and said, "How do you know it must be a grandson and not a granddaughter? Have you thought of a name?"
Xu Qing: "No hurry, my career is developing too fast. If I think about it now, it might be outdated by then."
Anyway, either they are out of date or they are dead.
Xu Qing has no taboos now and is too lazy to engage in superstition at the last minute.
He was able to survive not because of a savior, but because of his own efforts and the bronze mirror.
Feng Xifeng thought that this kid was really arrogant and wanted to advise him, but considering that he had been promoted thanks to his son-in-law, he couldn't bring himself to complain.
Look at my brother-in-law who worked hard on his own and is now still suffering from malaria in Lingnan.
But my eldest brother-in-law always found joy in suffering. In his letters, he always said that the scenery and people of Lingnan were incomparable to the prosperous places like Jiangnan in China, and that they had a different flavor.
Feng Xifeng could only comfort and agree, and even express envy.
Then, brother-in-law Zhou became very excited and asked him if he wanted to come to Lingnan, which made Feng Xifeng unable to reply.
It’s not that he dislikes Lingnan, but now he holds an important position and cannot leave.
...
...
Capital city, Nanzhili Guild Hall.
"All members of the Fushe Beijing Branch respectfully welcome the chairman."
It is said that Yan Shan is a master at organizing. He is not idle in the Hanlin Academy now. He organizes together the young Jinshi and Juren from Nanzhili, and invites those who can join to join Fushe.
If there are some really stubborn people, we will let the members of the Fushe in Nanzhili go to their homes to visit them and ask about their well-being, young and old.
When he received the letter, he naturally joined obediently.
The purpose of our Xu Jieyuan in establishing the Fushe Society is to treat people with kindness.
If you refuse, won't you be like drinking the northwest cold wind?
It will never be like this.
Xu Jieyuan, that was timely rain, bringing warmth to people.
Xu Qing exchanged greetings with the backbone members of the Fushe in the capital, and then asked his entourage to distribute the local specialties brought from Nanzhili. Everyone was naturally happy.
Xu Qing and Yan Shan arrived at the back hall. Xu Qing patted Yan Shan on the shoulder and said, "Wei Zhong, you have worked hard these days."
Yan Shan: "It's my job. Thank you, Brother Gongming, for taking care of my mother."
When Yan Shan stayed in the capital, he thought Xu Qing would be suspicious of him. There was even news from home that his mother was seriously ill. It was Xu Qing who stepped in and invited Dan Xi Weng, a famous doctor from Yingtian Prefecture, to save his mother.
Otherwise, Yan Shan would have lost his loving mother and had to go home to mourn, which would have cut short his bright future. He had not yet established a firm foothold in the capital, and if he really went back to mourn, he would have to start over when he came back, which would have wasted some time at the beginning of his career.
It can also be seen from this incident that if Xu Qing was suspicious of Yan Shan, he could just stand by and watch. Even with Xu Qing's means, it would not be difficult for Yan's mother to die of illness without leaving any trace.
However, Xu Gongming, who has always been ruthless, did not do these things. Instead, when Yan Shan was used by the emperor to check and balance Xu Qing, he took action to save Yan Shan's career.
This surprised Yan Shan and also touched him.
In fact, something similar happened in the court recently.
Not long ago, Xu Qing's provincial examination teacher Shen Mo's adoptive father passed away. If Shen Mo had not changed his surname, he would have to go back to mourn. Even if Shen Mo was a top scholar, he would have to delay his official career for several years.
Now, Shen Mo is not affected by this. Moreover, his biological parents have passed away long ago. He can be said to be born with a holy body for official career, and there is no risk of sudden mourning.
I heard that after Shen Mo learned that his adoptive father had passed away, he vomited blood on the spot. He also understood how much his adoptive father loved him and wanted him to return to his ancestral home.
This was a hidden danger in his career that his adoptive father helped him avoid.
The Dingyou system is actually not very reasonable, but it is also a powerful tool for the court to prevent powerful officials from becoming powerful. Once this weak spot is found, it will be easy to deal with.
If you don't have this weakness, you are indeed lucky.
However, there is also a saying in the Qing Dynasty that if the emperor insists to stay, the candidate does not have to go back to mourn, but his reputation in the officialdom will be very bad.
This is also what the emperor wants to see.
Therefore, unless it is truly for national affairs, ministers will go back to mourn even if the emperor revokes their consent.
Last night, Xu Qing took the opportunity to raise his opinion to the Prime Minister while drinking, despite the fact that the Prime Minister's father was still alive.
Xu Qing suggested that the Prime Minister send Old Man Zhang to Mount Longhu to spend his remaining years in retirement, since he couldn't write two Zhang characters with one stroke anyway.
With the care of the old Taoist priest, even if the person is dead, he can be resurrected for a while.
So that no accidents happen and you won’t be caught off guard.
The Prime Minister did not agree on the spot, but he did not object either. He just said that Xu Qing did not need to worry about this matter.
Xu Qing then started talking about business with Yan Shan.
The development of Fushe's activities in the capital was just part of Xu Qing's plan. There was no reason for his father-in-law to give up his position as the Six Departments Censor.
Yan Shan has been in the Hanlin Academy for more than a year now. He has some experience and it is time for him to move to a new position.
"Brother Gongming, do you want me to take over Lord Feng's position as the Sixth Department Censor?" Yan Shan looked incredulous.
This story really sounds a bit far-fetched. But considering that it was Xu Qing who said it, Yan Shan couldn't help but feel full of expectations.
In this world, there is nothing that Xu Gongming cannot do, only things he wants to do and things he doesn't want to do.
This has been Yan Shan’s long-standing understanding.
This man is like a god.
"Why, Weizhong doesn't want to?"
"No, no, no, I just think it might be too difficult for you." Yan Shan was actually a little shy.
Xu Qing patted his little brother on the shoulder and said, "If Wei Zhong doesn't let me down, I won't let him down either. The position of Six Departments' Censor must be recommended by the imperial court. As long as you can secure the First and Second Assistants, and His Majesty appreciates you, it will be useless for others to oppose you. By the way, we have to make an effort on the Silijian side as well. That's it anyway."
Yan Shan didn't think Xu Qing was exaggerating at all. To this day, Xu Gongming still has such influence.
He came to the capital to take the imperial examination for the betterment of the imperial examination system.
Otherwise, if a top scholar could influence the affairs of the court, it would be a disgrace to all the officials in the court.
It was because the officials in the court needed Xu Gongming to participate in the joint examination and the palace examination, not because Xu Gongming needed these things to prove his authority.
He has the power, the people, and the territory.
If he is not given an official title, it will be a loss for the court.
(End of this chapter)