Chapter 206: Emperor Wanshou summons you
Chapter 206: Emperor Wanshou summons you (Subscribe)
cabinet.
Feng Xifeng entered Liang Ge Lao's duty room and told him the purpose of his visit.
Elder Liang stroked his beard and said, "Qiu Yuan, as the saying goes, three days is an invitation, two days is a call, and one day is a reminder. Xu Gongming asked you to invite me to a banquet today, which is not in accordance with etiquette."
After all, he is the Minister of Rites, so he is meticulous about etiquette.
Feng Xifeng remembered Xu Qing's explanation and explained, "That kid said that if the elder wanted to let outsiders know that you are very close to him, he would be happy to do so."
Elder Liang's face froze.
Who would be willing to have close contact with this little plague god in public?
He then pretended to be angry and scolded Feng Xifeng, then muttered to himself that he was going to go tonight to investigate the atmosphere of the capital's romantic scene...
Feng Xifeng understood and immediately apologized and left.
...
...
Pine and Bamboo House.
"Mr. Liang, it's better to meet by chance than to invite you. Why don't you come in and have a drink?" Yan Shan said nervously.
Liang looked around, stroked his beard and said, "It turns out to be Yan Bianxiu from the Hanlin Academy. We are from the same hometown of Nanzhili. Since we have met..."
After some polite words, he asked his entourage to wait outside and entered the number one box.
When I entered, I saw that the monkey Xu Qing was indeed waiting there.
When we go out, we are all fellow Nanzhili people, so we should stick together.
It is impossible not to hold it in the arms. In the current Southeast Maritime Trade system, the Liang family has privately received a lot of benefits from Xu Qing.
If Old Liang were to become enemies with Xu Qing, he would probably not even be able to enter the Liang family's ancestral tomb after his death.
This kid is so bad!
Elder Liang said amiably, "I was wondering why I heard a bird chirping when I went out today. It turned out to be a phoenix. I am destined to meet you, Xu Gongming, the phoenix."
Xu Qing smiled, exchanged some pleasantries, and then the host and the guest took their seats.
"What does Gongming want to see me for? If it's about that concubine, I'm ashamed that I can't help." Liang Ge Lao blushed a little. He took the money but didn't do the job. It was still his Ministry of Rites' business.
If you go out and ask around, you will find that Lord Liang cares most about his reputation in his life, and this incident is indeed a professional stain.
Xu Qing didn't care at all and said, "If it weren't for the elder cabinet's consideration, the girl would have suffered a lot. As for not being able to withdraw from the election, it was also God's will. This time, I came here to ask you something. Are you interested in the position of Prime Minister?"
Xu Qing's words were earth-shattering.
As soon as Lord Liang picked up the cup, it fell to the ground.
Fortunately, he did not follow the agreement of smashing the cup as a signal, otherwise it would have been a big joke.
Lao Liang didn't say anything for a long time.
The main reason was that this wave was too scary. If he spoke, his voice would definitely tremble. This guy was not sent by Zhang Tai'a to test him.
Bitter!
It took Liang Ge Lao a while to recover and he laughed, "Gong Ming, you are always making fun of me."
Xu Qing: "Zhang Tai'a is from Chu, so Chu people are naturally in power in the court. Thirty percent of the world's wealth is in the hands of Wu people. I am speaking up for the elder, please don't be offended."
Lord Liang thought to himself, this brat is even starting a regional party.
However, the Wu Party and the Chu Party did exist to some extent in the court.
Even within the regional party, many factions have emerged.
When you are out, it is natural to stick together.
If you don't hug, people will exclude you.
Yan Shan now relies on Xu Qing's power and wealth to enjoy great prestige among the new generation of Wu people in the capital, and the Fushe branch in the capital is thriving.
After Lao Liang passed the imperial examination, it took him more than ten years to achieve the enlightenment of Yan Shan and make so many friends.
Look at where others started, and then look at where you started.
It has to be said that the world is changing too fast. Young people are awakening too early, which puts a lot of pressure on the old people.
Liang Ge Lao's heart moved, "Gong Ming, we are from the same hometown. Didn't your great grandfather ask you to test me just now?"
Xu Qing quickly swore and said that if he lied, he would not be able to pass the exam and get the top score in this subject.
Elder Liang waved his hand, "You are too kind. I believe you."
What a bullshit oath! It's too sincere!
Liang Ge Lao complained in his heart, and then continued: "Is Gongming sure to win the top prize in this subject?"
He was the Minister of Rites and most likely the chief examiner of the imperial examination.
When he thought of this, Lord Liang thought to himself, if someone found out that he had met Xu Qing in private and spread rumors about him, wouldn't he be unable to clear himself even if he jumped into the Yellow River?
Xu Qing looked at Elder Liang and smiled, "Don't worry, Elder. I'm just going to see who dares to make up rumors about me."
Elder Liang immediately understood that this was Xu Qing's trick. "This guy is used to calling the shots in the southeast, but now he is in the capital. Why is he so arrogant? Where does he get the confidence from?"
Liang Ge Lao is an old fox after all, and he figured it out immediately. This is the confidence given by the Prime Minister.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, wondering which unlucky guy would jump out and get into the trap.
wrong.
He thought of something else and asked, "If someone uses this to criticize me, I will definitely take the initiative to give up the position of chief examiner of this examination. Doesn't the Prime Minister intend to let me be the chief examiner of the examination?"
Being the chief examiner of the imperial examination was a good opportunity to gain official capital. In the previous exam, Liang Ge Lao was not the chief examiner, so based on his seniority and status, the probability of his turn was very high.
If he lost the position of chief examiner of the imperial examination because of Xu Qing, it would definitely be a huge loss for Lord Liang.
Is it...
He remembered Xu Qing asking him if he wanted to be Prime Minister, and he couldn't help but feel excited. Could this be the compensation?
That's too big.
Xu Qing: "Minister Wang of the Ministry of Revenue is also from our Nanzhili, and he has been very close to Prince Yu recently."
Elder Liang is indeed a very experienced man. "Alas, Lord Yu is still too impatient."
He knew in his heart that if Prince Yu was interested, then the examiner of this imperial examination would not fall on him no matter what. The only difference was the reason.
If you think about it more deeply, although he is the second assistant, the second assistant in the national dynasty has no official status. It is just that according to convention, Liang Ge Lao's seniority is ranked just after the first assistant. If the first assistant is gone, Liang Ge Lao should indeed take over, but this is not a matter of course.
With the support of Prince Yu, it is not impossible for Shangshu Wang to become the Prime Minister, surpassing Liang Gelao. Moreover, this guy is more than ten years younger than Liang Gelao.
If Minister Wang really takes the throne, Lord Liang will never be able to become the Prime Minister in his lifetime.
Moreover, due to his seniority, Lord Liang might be forced to retire to save face for everyone.
In this officialdom, it is not possible not to take sides. It is like sailing against the current. If you don't move forward, you will move backward.
Xu Qing: "We Wu people are currently lacking a prestigious senior official as a leader. I personally support the elder to be the leader of our Wu people."
Elder Liang said quickly, "What Wu Party, what Chu Party? There is only one party in the court, and we are all the Emperor's Party. But we Wu people should really get to know each other more."
Shangshu Wang is one of the four major families in Nanzhili. The Wang family has great influence in the officialdom, and now they are trying to curry favor with Prince Yu. If they are interested in the Prime Minister, Liang Gelao will fight for it with his head.
But with Xu Qing's support, it's a different story.
Xu Qing's qualifications are there, and it is impossible for him to directly compete with Shangshu Wang for the position of Prime Minister. Liang Ge Lao is the most suitable person to act as his agent.
As for the Prime Minister, he is naturally happy to see the internal strife among the wealthy Wu people, and this is also what Your Majesty wants to see.
Elder Liang knew clearly that if he could not see the situation clearly this time and tried to please both sides, he would be kicked out.
He is still strong and vigorous, able to have sex with two women at night and have sex twice, but he doesn't want to retire so early.
Xu Qing knew that even if Liang Ge Lao didn't cause trouble, he had to be tempted now, because if he didn't, he would be out. After he dealt with Liang Ge Lao, he had an explanation to the Prime Minister, and then he talked about Yan Shan's matter.
Yan Shan accompanied him. He thought that the official was there to help him get a promotion today, but he didn't expect that his official position was just a snack after dinner and was not even worth mentioning.
You have to be the host.
He had no room to perform at this banquet, but he also saw that the host was still the same host, and could influence the world situation with just a few words.
The elder is nothing.
He is nothing more than a puppet in the hands of the boss.
After careful consideration, Yan Shan realized that the style of the sitting hall was just like that of the Prime Minister, or even the one in Wanshou Palace.
Not only does this plan exist, but we also have the strength to participate in it.
Because behind the leader is a group of people, a group of upstarts who benefited from the political reforms and maritime trade.
Compared with the loose alliances of other factions in the court, the ties between the sitting leader and a group of people behind him are not too strong.
The longer the time goes, the closer the connection will be, and more and more people will join in.
For the sitting leader, as long as time is long enough, sooner or later this community of interests will become a behemoth that even the imperial court cannot shake.
Because at that time they would be the backbone of the court's power structure, the most indispensable part.
If he were in Prince Yu's position, he would indeed not have room for a sitting official after ascending the throne.
Minister Wang approached Prince Yu because he saw this point. If he could defeat the chief minister with the help of Prince Yu, the Wang family would be able to replace the chief minister and become the new leader of these vested interests, making the Wang family the undisputed number one family and even recreating the power of the top families in the Middle Ages. In addition, some people in the Wang family also cooperated with Xu Qing in business.
Even if you fail, you are still part of the vested interests, the only difference is that you won't be the one who divides the money at the table.
In fact, Yan Shan saw the whole process of Xu Qing's rise, but even if he witnessed the whole process, if he were to replace Xu Qing and do it step by step, he would not be able to achieve the same level as Xu Qing. He would probably die suddenly at some juncture.
This is a destiny.
Xu Qing himself also thinks so. His success is certainly due to cheating, but it is also due to destiny.
There is an element of luck in each of the key steps.
But throughout history, all the founding emperors have been blessed with the mandate of heaven.
Xu Qing hasn't summoned the meteorite yet.
For a person to be successful, both strength and luck are indispensable.
In Xu Qing's personal opinion, materialism is about recognizing objective facts and laws, and luck also exists objectively.
After a few rounds of drinking, Xu Qing asked Yan Shan to see Liang off, but he did not go in person. Now the two of them were working together privately, and they were not yet at the point of being in a love affair.
After he walked out, Feng Qingtian came to his side and Xu Qing took out a token.
"Take this thing to the Ministry of Rites tomorrow, and someone will take you to see your daughter. You only have a quarter of an hour." Xu Qing reminded.
Feng Qingtianhu's eyes were filled with tears and he was about to kowtow.
The imperial city is as deep as the sea. After entering the palace, many beauties will hardly see their families again in their entire lives.
There is a poem from the previous dynasty that says, "Three thousand miles away from my homeland, twenty years in the deep palace."
Xu Qing supported him and said, "If there is a chance, I will help Brother Feng rescue her and reunite with you. Now, the timing is not right, so please be patient, Brother Feng."
Feng Qingtian: "My Lord, your kindness is so great that I can never repay you even if I work like a slave."
Xu Qing: "Brother Feng, it's too formal for you to tell me this. We are all cultivators, there's no need to follow the rules of the officialdom. When we are friends, the most important thing is that we have similar interests, and don't worry about other formalities."
Feng Qingtian nodded silently.
Xu Qing didn't say much.
Although the alliance with Liang Ge Lao this time was prompted by the Prime Minister, it was also a move that he had to make. It was naturally impossible for him to enter the cabinet now, so he had to have an agent.
After investigation, only Lord Liang is the most suitable.
On the other hand, the Prime Minister's control over the Ministry of Revenue is not as strong as before, because Shangshu Wang has defected to Prince Yu.
Speaking of which, Shangshu Wang was promoted to the position of Minister of Revenue with the support of the Prime Minister, but he did not expect that he would be backstabbed so soon.
But from the perspective of Shangshu Wang, the Prime Minister has too much power and will inevitably be checked. If he doesn't defect, someone else will, so it's better for him to do it himself.
Anyway, he was just trying to seize power, not to sabotage the reform.
The Prime Minister certainly disagreed with this view. The current reform was only superficial. The current good situation was due to the profits from maritime trade. The problem was that the profits from maritime trade were only temporary, and no one could predict the future situation. Only by in-depth reform of the system could some fundamental problems of the Dayu Dynasty be solved, thus prolonging the life of the dynasty.
If the fundamental problem is not solved, the benefits of maritime trade will soon fall into the hands of the gentry and nobles.
Just like the land occupation system implemented by Sima Jin, it was indeed very effective at the beginning and the people benefited from it, but after more than ten years, the land occupation system no longer worked.
The chief minister originally thought that he could only be a paperhanger, but the appearance of Xu Qing gave him the motivation and confidence to go further.
Xu Qing didn't care. Since the Prime Minister was willing to give it a try, he was willing to support him.
Even if you fail, you can still gain valuable experience through practice.
On this point, he and the Prime Minister have a common language.
When doing things, success doesn't have to be mine, as long as I can get started.
Humankind has never lacked intelligent and talented people. With the accumulation of wisdom from generation to generation and the summing up of gains and losses, one can naturally spiral upward.
Even the Qing Dynasty in his previous life had made progress and contributions in some aspects.
Of course, you deserve to be scolded.
Having been blessed by this world, if you can accept praise, you should also accept insults.
To bear the disgrace and misfortune of the country is something that one must endure because of one's position, and it is not determined by one's own will.
The evaluation of merits and demerits is the business of future generations.
As a man of the time, Xu Qing can only do what he can. Maybe he will do it very poorly, or even go backwards in history in some places, but he is still willing to do more.
In this world, there are too many people who would rather do nothing than make mistakes. Since he can live another life in this world, even if it is very short, he wants to be a different person.
After all, who hasn’t thought about being the protagonist of the world?
Just go for it if you have the chance.
...
...
"The west wind is blowing hard, geese are calling in the sky, and the moon is shining brightly in the frosty morning... The long road ahead is as hard as iron, but now I can start over again..." Xu Qing walked and sang as he returned to Feng's house.
Feng Qingtian listened to this poem and felt that its heroic spirit was even greater than that of Su Shi and Xin Qiji.
His favorite scholar in his life was Jiaxuan.
The Zhuang-year-old banner holds the ten thousand husbands, and the brocade rides across the river early.Yan Bing babbled with silver beard at night, Han Jian Chao Fei Jin servant aunt.
Although it can't be reached, my heart yearns for it.
After Xu Qing finished singing a song, he smiled at Feng Qingtian and said, "Brother Feng, the capital city is said to be a den of dragons and tigers, deep and unfathomable, and full of dangers. But you hold a sword and I hold a knife, so there is no place in the world that we cannot go to."
Feng Qingtian couldn't help but feel heroic: "Wherever you want to go, I will follow you until death."
Xu Qing leisurely returned to Feng's house. Old Feng said, "I was just about to go out to look for you. Just now, a eunuch from the Wanshou Palace brought you a handwritten note with the word 'good luck' written on it."
"lucky?"
Feng Xifeng: "I guess the Emperor Wanshou wants you to visit him in the Wanshou Palace on the nearest auspicious day."
Xu Qing naturally believed in his father-in-law's judgment. He asked, "Which day is the nearest auspicious day?"
"Three days later."
Xu Qing smiled and said, "Three days is enough for an invitation. It seems this is not a Hongmen Banquet."
Feng Xifeng: "When you see His Majesty, don't talk nonsense."
Xu Qing: "Don't worry, sir. His Majesty is going to use me and won't do anything to me. Of course, I'm not stupid."
Feng Xifeng: "I know you are a flexible person, but I am afraid that you are getting too arrogant now."
Xu Qing: "Yes, I will follow your instructions."
Feng Xifeng stopped talking, lest his son-in-law blame him for nagging. Is he getting old? He has been a bit nagging lately. Thinking that his grandson will be born next year, his heart is suddenly filled with infinite expectations.
With the next generation, there is hope.
It’s not that I’m thinking about my grandson becoming successful, but having this thought in my mind always makes me feel different.
Xu Gongming, on the other hand, is still so lively. In the capital, there are dangerous places and dangers everywhere, which can be said to be a battlefield of life and death, but this kid is actually strolling leisurely as before.
I really can't figure him out.
How could he know that his son-in-law might be a short-lived person.
In fact, even if he knew, Feng Xifeng would not object as long as Feng Wu was willing.
...
...
Xu Qing returned to his bedroom to cultivate his soul.
He did not rush to leave his body because the dynasty's fortune in the capital was extremely strong. Even if his soul left his body now, it would be greatly suppressed.
However, once wearing the Purple Emperor Dragon Armor, this suppression will be much smaller than that of many Taoist masters.
Even so, Xu Qing would not easily expose the Purple Emperor Dragon Armor.
In addition, after being hit by the Black Mountain Old Demon's Xuanyin Gangsha, Xu Qing realized even more clearly how powerful the Purple Emperor Dragon Armor's protective effect on the soul is.
I have been consciously deepening my practice of this magical power.
In the capital, Xu Qing clearly felt that the speed of practicing the Purple Emperor Dragon Armor had increased.
It seems that compared to Yingtian Prefecture, the now-famous capital of Dayu provides a really great boost to the cultivation of this magical power.
But next time he was going to meet the old emperor, he would have to put aside all these magical skills.
At the same time, Xu Qing always paid attention to the changes in the lucky little dragon. If anything went wrong, he would have to run away.
Keeping the green hills, you don’t have to worry about having no firewood.
Don't take any chances.
After midnight, Xu Qing began to practice the Golden Light Mantra, and his master-level Qi and blood continued to deepen. When the sky was bright, Xu Qing opened his mouth and sucked a wisp of purple air into his abdomen.
This night's practice is considered complete.
(End of this chapter)