Chapter 212: The Father-in-law Relies on the Power of the Son-in-law

Chapter 212: The Father-in-law Relies on the Power of the Son-in-law

Chapter 212: The Father-in-law Relies on the Power of the Son-in-law
Western Garden, Taiye Lake.

The Prime Minister, the six ministers and other court officials arrived.

At this moment, the old emperor was fishing in Taiye Lake wearing a straw raincoat. The raincoat was very delicate, and the silk used was as valuable as gold.

It snowed heavily last night and the sky and the earth were all white.

"Thousands of mountains and birds flew extinct, and people disappeared in thousands of paths.

Boat PC World Weng, fishing alone trees and snow. "

Accompanied by a long sound of jade chimes, a setting poem came out.

All the ministers had solemn expressions. When the old emperor uttered the opening poem, it showed that he was really angry today.

Everyone needs to be careful and not get caught in a trap.

"Lord Zhang, please tell us about what happened this time." The old emperor threw the fishing rod aside and gave orders directly.

The ministers could see clearly that there was no hook on it.

The Prime Minister said calmly, "There was a mutiny in Yunzhou. The soldiers killed the governor, divided up the lieutenant general, and wanted to surrender to the northern barbarians."

All the officials pretended to be shocked. Liang Ge Lao exclaimed, "Impossible, absolutely impossible. Yunzhou is an important town in the Nine Frontiers. Everyone in the army has family grudges and national hatred against the Northern Tartars. How could they defect to the Northern Tartars?"

The other officials were speechless. There had been no reply to the military intelligence of Yunzhou for more than half a month. The court sent people to urge the official document, but there had been no response until today. Anyone with a little sensitivity should have known that something big had happened in Yunzhou.

Although the result is scary now, all the ministers are mentally prepared.

As for Lord Liang, it is obvious that he has no military acumen at all.

But soon someone came to their senses and realized that it was Lao Deng who was cunning.

This move shows Lao Liang's mediocrity and incompetence in military affairs. So when we need to solve the problem later, we can't ask Lao Liang, a military waste, for advice.

What's more, Lao Liang is the Minister of Rites and has nothing to do with military affairs.

It's like directly removing yourself from this matter.

The Prime Minister immediately rebuked him, "Minister Liang, military affairs are a matter of great importance to a country. They are a matter of life and death, a matter of survival and destruction. We must pay close attention to them. In the past half month, there have been memorials about the abnormality in Yunzhou. Minister Liang, are you not concerned about this at all?"

Good to step on!

All the ministers know that this is the Prime Minister pointing out that Liang Ge Lao's original job is the Minister of Rites, and Xiang Zhuang is dancing with a sword, aiming at Pei Gong.

The key point is that the Prime Minister's advice can be said to be a heavy sword without an edge, and great cleverness without skill. It not only stepped on Lord Liang, but also lightly reduced his responsibility.

Liang Ge Lao's job is the Minister of Rites, so it is understandable that he is not familiar with military intelligence. But military intelligence documents must go through the cabinet...

Then the Minister of War Hong Xuan came out and mentioned the shortcomings of the current cabinet's handling of military affairs. He also explained the importance of professional ability in the military.

The cabinet ministers have no knowledge of military affairs, but have to deal with military affairs. Even the slightest mistake will be extremely harmful to the country.

In fact, it is not that serious at all. Even if the minister does not understand, he has staff around him. Moreover, the general direction has been discussed and decided early on. If there is really any important military intelligence, can't we convene professional ministers to discuss it?

But who can blame Hong Xuan for not being a cabinet member even though he is the Minister of War?

The Cabinet is in charge of military affairs, what does the Ministry of War manage?
What's more, when the Grand Council was established, the Prime Minister was certainly the chief Grand Councilor, but how could the Minister of War be excluded from the Grand Council? He would definitely be the executive deputy chief Grand Councilor.

The Prime Minister is busy with all kinds of affairs every day, so how can he possibly devote too much energy to this aspect? Therefore, the power still falls into his hands.

This is more satisfying than being the lowest-ranking cabinet minister.

Minister Hong had obviously received advice from an expert and argued his case accordingly.

Regardless of whether things will be successful today, he has made a gesture, and the young and old men in the Ministry of War will know it. What minister doesn't like his subordinates to fight for power for their department?

This is also beneficial for Hong Xuan, who has just taken over as the Minister of War, to consolidate his power base.

After all, he had been an official in the six ministries for too short a time, and based on seniority, the Minister of War would not be at the top of the list when it came to entering the cabinet, except in special periods.

If we win this battle today, we will have at least ten years less to fight.

Minister Hong said a lot.

At this time, Wang Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue said: "Things have different priorities. The current plan is to send important officials of the court to control the border towns, find out the cause of the mutiny, prevent the situation from escalating, and quell the mutiny as soon as possible."

Lord Wang is now also a cabinet minister, and has a close relationship with Prince Yu. Naturally, he is not happy about the cabinet being divided into two parts.

But he didn't dare to stand up and oppose it openly, so he could only delay it for a while and wait for things to be resolved slowly.

Lord Hong is a newly promoted official of the Six Ministries. He is younger than many officials of the same rank and is in his prime. If he charges into battle today and is beaten back by Minister Wang with just a few words, will he still have any face?
"Wang Gelao is wrong. If the root of the problem is not solved, similar things will still require a large number of troops to be mobilized in the future. If a special military council is set up, once there are bad signs, the military council can quickly send people to deal with it, so as not to cause the big trouble today."

Lord Wang said in an ambiguous tone, "So, by establishing the Military Affairs Council, Lord Hong is sure that there will be no such major troubles in the future?"

Lord Hong said, "Lord Wang, please don't misinterpret my meaning. What I meant is that if the same thing happens, it is definitely better to have the Military Affairs Office than not to have it. If Lord Wang can't even see this clearly, then there is nothing we can say."

Among the six ministries, the Minister of Revenue is second only to the Ministry of Personnel. Although he has no direct subordinate relationship with the Ministry of War, he is also in a superior position.

Now that Lord Hong is standing firm against Lord Wang, the other ministers can't help but secretly praise Lord Hong, saying, "Well done."

Anyway, the louder they quarrel, the more others can stay out of it and even watch the fun.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say." A trembling old minister stepped out. It was the Minister of Personnel, Mr. Peng. He could be said to be the most senior person in the court after the retirement of Mr. Fang. Due to the special position of the Minister of Personnel, there has been no such thing as a Minister of Personnel entering the cabinet for decades.

In this dynasty, the cabinet is called the inner court, and the six ministries and nine ministers are the outer court.

The head of the inner court is the chief minister, while the head of the outer court is the minister of personnel.

Even though Shangshu Wang was the Minister of Revenue and had entered the cabinet, his influence in the outer court was no match for the Minister of Personnel.

Seeing such a senior official speak, even the old emperor had to treat it seriously.

And what Mr. Peng said next was even more shocking.

It turned out that the old man felt that he was too old to handle state affairs, so he requested to retire.

In fact, before this, Mr. Peng had requested to retire twice, and the emperor tried to retain him as usual.

Now is the third time.

According to the procedure, the third time should be allowed.

The ministers just didn't expect that Lord Peng would retire at this critical juncture.

However, what Lord Peng said also made sense. After the mutiny was suppressed, Yunzhou, as an important border town, the subsequent handling and arrangements of civil officials were very important matters.

He is old and has weak heart, and is afraid that he will not do his job well and will affect national affairs. Now he requests to retire in order to allow the court to send another young and capable official to take over as the Minister of Personnel.

According to convention, if the Minister of Personnel retires, those eligible to compete for the position of Minister of Personnel are the Left Vice Minister of Personnel, the Left Censor-in-Chief, and important officials such as the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Rites who are not in the cabinet.

The main competitors were the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the Left Censor-in-Chief.

In terms of official position, the Left Censor-in-Chief is naturally higher, and is on the same level as the Shangshu.

However, as the default minor official, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is still ranked higher in the sequence.

In addition, the Zuodu Yushi was in charge of the Inspectorate and was the head of the Qingliu, which meant he was the natural leader of the conservatives.

Once the position of the Minister of Personnel became vacant, things became even more serious than the Yunzhou mutiny.

After all, it is not uncommon for officers and soldiers to mutiny, and it all comes down to wanting pay.

The current Left Censor-in-Chief and the brother-in-law of Minister Wang of the Ministry of Revenue are related by marriage.

Seeing the other party desperately winking at him, Lao Wang immediately understood what the other party meant. He was also weighing the pros and cons. Among the candidates for the Minister of Personnel, it was obviously the most beneficial for him to have Zuodu Yushi Huo Jing take the position.

Moreover, the sworn brother of the current Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Lao Zhang, the Right Censor-in-Chief Wu, is Xu Qing's mentor. He and Xu Qing have been somewhat at odds with each other because of Prince Yu's affairs.

It is naturally better to let Old Huo take the position than to let Old Zhang take the position.

Here, the old emperor agreed to the request of the old man Peng from the Ministry of Personnel to retire. Minister Wang immediately jumped out and said that state affairs were more important. He decided to put aside the dispute with the Minister of War and was ready to immediately ask the Ministry of Revenue to cooperate in preparing money, food and military supplies, and recommended the Left Censor-in-Chief, an important official of the court, to resolve the Yunzhou mutiny.

Huo Jing had the credit for quelling the mutiny, so it was natural for him to take over the position of Minister of Personnel after his return.

Moreover, if we want to quell the mutiny, how can we succeed without the support of the Ministry of Revenue?

The struggle in the court is ultimately based on compromise.

Old Wang does not oppose the establishment of the Grand Council, and it is only right for the Prime Minister to take a step back and give up the position of Minister of Personnel.

The key point is that the Ministry of Revenue is still holding the key to quelling the mutiny.

The Prime Minister was upset when he saw his former ally defecting just as the reform was getting started. Although joining Prince Yu was the right choice for any senior official in the court, and the Ministry of Revenue supported other reform policies as before, he felt uncomfortable.

To do big things you must take power.

If you don't have the power, you will not be able to feel safe even if others help you.

Therefore, the position of Minister of Personnel must not fall into the hands of conservatives.

He said slowly: "I recommend one person who will definitely be able to quell this mutiny."

He slowly took out a memorial and, after the old emperor agreed, circulated it to everyone.

It was the memorial written by Feng Xifeng earlier, which warned Yunzhou of the mutiny and gave the corresponding solution. Even if it was just a paper talk, it was also thoroughly studied.

After watching it, everyone truly recognized Feng Xifeng's professional ability.

Zuodu Yushi Huo Jing was in the middle of the situation at the time and it was not easy for him to express his opinions.

Lord Wang could only bite the bullet and said, "Although Lord Feng has some experience in suppressing bandits, he has been an official for a short time, his rank is not high, and his prestige is not high. If he fails to pacify the bandits, it may harm national affairs."

The Prime Minister said, "Then give Feng Xifeng the title of Assistant Minister of the Military Affairs Council, and the Military Affairs Council will be responsible for this matter."

Lord Wang still argued, "Prince, Feng Xifeng does not have enough prestige after all. Please be cautious." At this time, Lord Peng, the Minister of Personnel who had decided to retire, suddenly laughed.

The old emperor: "What are you laughing at, Lord Peng?"

Old Master Peng quickly stepped out to apologize, and then said, "I think Feng Xifeng will be able to quell the mutiny when he goes to Yunzhou."

"Oh, why?" the old emperor asked with interest.

"Because his son-in-law is called Xu Qing."

As soon as these words were spoken, all the ministers fell silent.

Xu Qing, although he was only a top scholar, he had participated in many important events in the court recently, such as suppressing the pirates in Nanzhili, pacifying the sea disaster, and the mutiny in Dongshan Province...

This man's moves are always powerful and decisive, and he has never been defeated.

Only Lord Feng, who was the lowest-ranking official among all the officials, had a dark face. If the retiring Minister of Personnel hadn't said this, he would have definitely gone to someone to argue with him.

Who do you look down on?
The old emperor suddenly smiled, "Mr. Peng's words make sense. Then order Feng Xifeng to assist the military minister in the Military Affairs Office to control the three borders and quell the mutiny. As for the matter of the Minister of Personnel, we will discuss it after the end of the year."

The old emperor made the final decision, and no one else objected.

The Ministry of Revenue has money, but Xu Gongming has no money?
Yunzhou is also a place where coal mines are produced. As long as Old Feng brings the production technology and management rights of fairy coal with him, it will be like a blessing for everyone in Yunzhou.

This plan was also mentioned in Feng Xifeng's memorial.

...

...

After returning, the housekeeper came to greet the former Minister of Personnel, Mr. Peng, and after arriving at the study, he took out a contract document.

Old Master Peng took a look and patted his own arm with it, "It's all your fault. Why can't you control your hand!"

Then he picked up the contract document happily. With this contract in hand, plus the guarantee from Xu Gongming, the Peng family's wealth and prosperity for the next ten years was guaranteed.

As for what happens next?
Only God knows.

After all, people are forgotten when they leave. If he doesn't accept this wealth now, he won't have such a good opportunity in the future.

Minister Wang and Prince Yu would not offer such a high price to a minister of the Ministry of Personnel who is about to leave office.

Moreover, Lao Peng was an old bureaucrat. He had long guessed the old emperor's intentions. How could he offend the emperor at the critical juncture of leaving office?

The world still belongs to the old emperor. Trying to curry favor with Prince Yu too early will only disgust the old emperor.

At this moment, compared to the contract document in his hand regarding the exclusive franchise of Xianmei in his hometown, he was more envious of Feng Xifeng for having such a good son-in-law.

If he had Xu Gongming as his son-in-law, why would he worry that the Peng family would not be able to continue to prosper for decades?

Xu Gongming is different from other ministers who came from humble backgrounds. His power is based at the grassroots level. Even if he does not hold an official position, he still has great influence. The source of his power is different from that of the ministers at the core of the court.

Even more deeply rooted than a big family like Shangshu Wang's.

Unless Prince Yu came to power and implemented a ban on party members who came from the Fushe Society, or even suppressed all officials who came from Southern Zhili.

Otherwise, Xu Qing's foundation cannot be shaken.

...

...

Feng Xifeng was about to return home after leaving the court when the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Mr. Zhang, pulled him aside and said, "Qiu Yuan, come to my house for a drink."

Feng Xifeng was about to refuse, but when he heard that his son-in-law had also gone to Zhang's house, he had no choice but to comply.

Lord Zhang also broke out in a cold sweat. If he had not been well prepared and had not set up a match between Xu Gongming and Shangshu Peng many days in advance, he would have been in trouble today.

If Huo Jing really got the credit for quelling the mutiny, Minister Zhang's dream of becoming the Minister of Personnel would be completely shattered.

At this time, Lao Zhang no longer cared about concealing his relationship with Xu Qing, the father-in-law and son-in-law, and he had to make his position clear.

...

...

Zhang Mansion.

"Uncle Zhang, Lord Taishan, how are you?" Xu Qing greeted them.

The host and the guests took their seats.

Mr. Zhang: "My dear nephew, it's a good thing that you had foreshadowed me, otherwise I would have suffered a great loss this time."

He was just a matchmaker before, but he didn't expect that Xu Qing could really use Minister Peng to deliver a crucial blow and help him fill a big hole.

Xu Qing waved his hand: "I don't have that much ability. In fact, the Prime Minister will not agree to let Huo Jing take over as the Minister of Personnel, and your majesty also has the same intention. This move by this junior is nothing more than going with the flow."

"Having said that, if Minister Wang uses the Ministry of Personnel to ensure that Huo Jing goes to quell the mutiny, the Prime Minister will have to agree for the sake of the overall situation." Lord Zhang saw clearly that the affairs of the court were very complicated and that a single move would affect the entire body.

For the sake of the overall situation, sometimes tolerance and compromise are necessary.

Xu Qing is worthy of being the number one swordsman in the Dayu Dynasty. He is a fairy from the sky who can cut through the mess directly.

Xu Qing now opened up the Purple Mansion, and he was even more detached from the world, and he could do anything. He said, "I dare to say that instead of seeking the position of Minister of Personnel, it is better for you to seek the position of Minister of Revenue."

"Why?"

Although the Minister of Revenue is not bad, he is obviously not comparable to the Minister of Personnel.

As the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Mr. Zhang naturally has an obsession with the position of Minister of Personnel.

Xu Qing: "May I ask, sir, what is the most important thing in reforming the law?"

"Of course, it is to clarify the administration of officials." Minister Zhang stroked his beard and said.

Xu Qing: "That's why adults need to take a step back and see the bigger picture."

Lord Zhang was born in a poor family, and he has reached his current position not just by living off his wife, he is also a shrewd person, and he immediately realized the implication of Xu Qing's words.

As the reform becomes more and more in-depth, the responsibilities of the Minister of Personnel will become greater and greater.

In fact, it’s not that he couldn’t think of it, but that he couldn’t bear to do it.

With great responsibility comes great power.

With Lord Zhang's determination, he would not be shaken by Xu Qing's words. He said, "Gong Ming is right. I will think about it again."

He understood in an instant that although Huo Jing could not get the position of Minister of Personnel, since Minister Wang supported the establishment of the Grand Council, he would have to get something in return.

Could it be that the Prime Minister intends to ask Shangshu Wang to resign from the cabinet and take over as the Minister of Personnel?
Now that the Grand Council has been established, the power of the cabinet will naturally be reduced. Staying in the cabinet is obviously a bit useless. As a compromise, Shangshu Wang himself may not necessarily reject the idea of ​​quitting the cabinet and taking over as the Minister of Personnel.

Moreover, as a staunch supporter of Prince Yu, Shangshu Wang joined the Ministry of Personnel to help the Prime Minister clarify the administration of officials, which is obviously more effective than Minister Zhang.

Xu Gongming still sees things more clearly.

only……

Minister Zhang understood that officialdom was not about fighting and killing. Even though Shangshu Wang and the Prime Minister had different positions now, they could still cooperate on specific matters.

After all, people of the Dayu Dynasty liked to compromise.

What's more, Prince Yu also has the motivation to support the reform.

Because sooner or later the world will belong to him.

This is also the reason why Prince Yu hates Xu Qing, but sometimes has to support Xu Qing.

Therefore, when the matter of Xianmei came out, Prince Yu sent Shen Mo to submit a memorial to test the waters, and then he did not continue to make trouble.

The butt determines the head!
...

...

After eating and drinking, the father-in-law and son-in-law returned home together.

On the way, Lord Feng asked, "Gongming, is it true that Lord Zhang cannot be the Minister of Personnel?"

Xu Qing: "From the current situation, it is indeed impossible to go up. But if I take action, the result will be different."

Feng Xifeng's mouth twitched.

But to be honest, he had just gotten a good job thanks to his son-in-law's power, and he really didn't have the confidence to say anything in rebuttal.

"You're going to help him?"

"That depends on Mr. Zhang's attitude." Xu Qing smiled slightly.

Feng Xifeng was a little dazed when he heard this. When he looked at his son-in-law, it was as if he saw a dragon diving into the water, which might come out of the water at any time and call for wind and rain.

"Gongming, did you make any big gains in Wenyuan Pavilion?"

"Well, but..." Xu Qing was about to speak, when he suddenly looked up at the night sky. In the sky, in the Purple Star Astrology, a star suddenly lit up.

Feng Xifeng was well-educated and immediately exclaimed, "This is Wu Quxing."

The last time the star Wu Qu shot into the sky and shone brightly was a hundred years ago when the mountains and rivers were in ruins.

At that time, two Martial Saints emerged from the Dayu Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)