prosperous age

Chapter 438 Chapter 437 Chance to Stay
"This is the charter that I negotiated with Yuan Shangshu. Please read it, Your Majesty."

Standing under the imperial steps, Xu Jie respectfully held up Zou Chen with both hands.

This memorial was written when he was in the yamen of the Ministry of Rites. Yuan Wei wrote it, and wrote all the results of their discussions on it.

Although Yan Song was quite controversial among the ruling and opposition parties and scholars, and Yan Shifan's reputation could be said to be a stinky street, he was still a veteran of the three dynasties anyway.

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

The 80-year-old old man is still working hard in the position of chief assistant.

From the outside, people who don't know the inside story, Yan Song is greedy for power and refuses to leave, but Emperor Jiajing knew in his heart that Yan Song had intended to go there a few years ago, and that was when Yan Shifan made the most outrageous troubles outside .

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

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

Xu Jie still lacked a lot of experience, and he didn't have enough prestige to replace Yan Song.

Of course, the most important thing is that he is not as obedient as Yan Song, and sometimes he has to make some untimely sounds.

However, after several years of hard work, it seems that with Yan Song on top of him, he finally got a little enlightened, knowing who to listen to and what to do.

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

Not long after, Emperor Jiajing read the memorial in his hand, put it together on the imperial book case, "It's appropriate, the proposal you and Maozhong made is very much in line with my wishes."

After pondering for a while, Emperor Jiajing spoke to Xu Jie again: "Just according to what the Zou Chen said, the three altars will be given sacrifices, and there will be divisions to manage the funeral. The Ministry of Rites and the Jingying will send people to escort them back to Jiangxi."

"According to the order."

Received Emperor Jiajing's nod, Xu Jie hastily bowed to receive the order.

"Huang Jin, ask people to prepare pens and inks. The decree should be drafted here. Mr. Xu Ge is here, and he will draft it. You use the seal and send it directly to the etiquette department."

Since Emperor Jiajing had made a decision, he didn't want to procrastinate. He waited for Xu Jie to return to the cabinet to draft an order, then sent it to the inner court for approval, and then transferred to the cabinet and the six departments to issue the order. The procedure was too cumbersome.

Soon, a servant prepared a pen and paper, and Xu Jie stepped forward to write it with a stroke of the pen. Such a decree was naturally within reach for a cabinet scholar, who was supposed to do this job.

After the pen and ink were dry, I handed it to Emperor Jiajing for a look, nodded, and then Huang Jin sent someone to fetch the seal and seal it on.

Just when Xu Jie wanted to resign from the cabinet to handle official duties, after all Yan Song’s family had a funeral, the chief assistant would not be on duty these days, and the burden of the cabinet fell on his shoulders, but before he could speak, the Emperor Jiajing He opened his mouth and said, "Since Nan Qiao died of illness in office, so did Cha Bingyi. The positions of Governor of Shuntian and Minister of Taipusi are still vacant. Is there anyone for the cabinet?"

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

These two positions are both third-rank. The Ministry of Officials can recommend them but has no right to arrange them. Ask the cabinet for opinions. Now Yan Song must not be thinking about this matter. Could it be that His Majesty wants to.
Xu Jie thought so in his heart, but he still couldn't speak too seriously, and hurriedly bowed and replied: "Your Majesty, there was a discussion in the cabinet about the appointment of Mr. Zha, but there was no discussion about the successor."

"The Taipu Temple is in charge of Ma Zheng, and it is a military and state affairs that cannot be delayed."

Emperor Jiajing said casually.

Xu Jie was a little happy in his heart, but his face was still calm, just thinking, but soon his brows relaxed, as if thinking about the candidate.

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

Some things, now that you have made a decision, you must stick to it, but you must not be blind, you have to plan slowly.

"Your Majesty, I have recommended Wang Guoguang, the admiral of Huang You Tongzheng, as Minister of the 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 if he had seen this name in the memorial not long ago.

"Wang Guoguang is a Jinshi in the 23rd year of Jiajing. He was first granted the county magistrate of Wujiang, later transferred to Yifeng, and was promoted to the head of the Ministry of War.

As His Majesty said, Taipusi's horse administration is a major military and state affairs, and it also takes into account economic power. Wang Guoguang's evaluations in the Ministry of War, Ministry of Officials, and Ministry of Households are all top-notch, and the minister believes that Wang Guoguang can take up this post. "

Xu Jie took no time to explain to Emperor Jiajing the reason for recommending Wang Guoguang, which was indeed in line with the position of Minister of the Imperial Palace.

Taipusi horse administration is not limited to providing war horses for the army, but also the money collected from various places. These should be the cost of local horse raising. Because there are many complaints about folk horse raising, they directly cancel the folk horse raising and change to collect money. The Taipu Temple used the money to buy horses and hand them over to the Ministry of War, and the remaining silver was deposited in the Changying Treasury of the Taipu Temple.

The experience of Wang Guoguang's Ministry of War and Ministry of Households indeed met the requirements of the position of Minister of Taipusi, and he could not impress Emperor Jiajing if he didn't believe it.

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

"Go back and write a memorial and hand it over."

Emperor Jiajing obviously agreed to Xu Jie's recommendation, but this was not as urgent as he said just now. Instead of asking Xu Jie to write the memoir in Yongshou Palace, he returned to the cabinet to write it according to the procedure and then sent it to the Supervisor of Ceremonies.

"Go back and think about it when the time comes. The position of Governor of Shuntian Prefecture cannot be vacant, and an official must be arranged to take over as soon as possible."

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

Xu Jie left Xiyuan in a happy mood, but instead of going back directly to the cabinet, he went to the Sixth Branch Gallery first, and handed over the already approved decree to Li Kedu to Liang Menglong before returning to the cabinet office.

Regarding the posthumous gift to Yan Song's deceased wife Ouyang, Liang Menglong naturally would not be ignorant of flattery, not to mention that although it was somewhat over the limit but not too much, it was still within the acceptable range, at least there were precedents in the previous dynasty.

Ouyang's order is imperial, and it is also possible to send officials to escort the coffin.

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

Xu Jie did not dare to procrastinate, and immediately wrote the official imperial decree, and then sent someone to the palace to use the seal, and sent someone to the Yan Mansion to issue the decree. They were sent to Yanfu together.

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

With what happened in the Yongshou Palace today, he was certain that Emperor Jiajing was planning to replace Yan Song.

Although there were some signs before, Xu Jie was not very sure, but Emperor Jiajing did not wait a few days for the candidate for Taipusi, and asked Yan Song to make a decision when he returned to the board of directors. , It can be seen that the emperor's determination has been made.

Although the appointment and removal of an official seems to be just a matter of the emperor's imperial decree, but for Yan Song, who has been in power for more than ten years, his disciples and old officials are all over the court, and many of them are still in leadership positions. It is not dominant, but the reason why the right to speak in the court is very important.

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 the officials of the Yan family's faction in a quiet manner, and at the same time not let Yan The position of an official in the department greatly reduced Yan Song's influence in the court. After that, no matter whether it was to become an official or what, he could have many choices in means.

However, Xu Jie had actually seen through Emperor Jiajing's plan in his heart. If he only wanted to let Yan Song resign, why would he need to do so many things.

Think about the rumors and things that Yan Shifan has done in the officialdom and among the people. If you don't do something, it will be difficult to quell the complaints from the outside world.

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

This person really doesn't give himself face.

Xu Jie and Yan Song were considered to be of the same generation, and Yan Song treated him with courtesy, but when it came to Yan Shifan's place, it was completely different, relying on Yan Song's relationship, he was quite rude to him.

But Yan Shifan will not be unrestrained for a long time, maybe this time Ding You leaves, there will be no chance to return to the court, even if he does come back, he is afraid that he will be arrested by Yousi.

Xu Jie didn't believe that Emperor Jiajing would take Yan Shifan's feelings for him. He didn't go back to keep his filial piety after his mother died, and he wasn't afraid of being sprayed to death.

As for Yan Song, dead wife is nothing, he doesn't need to do anything.

However, Xu Jie didn't want to wait any longer. Since Emperor Jiajing had plans to change people, he shouldn't just let things happen. Instead, he should do something to speed up the process.

When did you join the cabinet?

It seems to be the 31st year of Jiajing, and it will be almost ten years in a blink of an eye. At that time, Yan Song was the first assistant, and Lu Ben was the second assistant.

I don’t need to say who Lu Ben is. Naturally, the cabinet cannot become his monopoly. As Yan Song’s opponent, being called into the cabinet will not only show his magnanimity, but also reassure Emperor Jiajing.

But this, is it not the way of that person's control.

In the court, there are always two groups, and they are hostile to each other. He commented on the disciples from above and always controlled the overall situation.

If you want to use someone, turn your elbow slightly to that side to help them suppress the other side.

However, after waiting for so long, I finally have the opportunity to replace it. Once the Yan faction collapses, which group of forces will Emperor Jiajing support to fight against me?
After Xu Jie returned to the cabinet and finished dealing with matters related to the Yan Mansion, he suddenly started thinking wildly.

However, if you want to go back and think about it, you can't delay the business.

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

Cha Bingyi's transfer was inherently weird, he knew it beforehand, but it was indeed handled by Yan Shifan, but he knew there must be something tricky about it.

Now that he has the opportunity to mess up this matter, and take advantage of the opportunity to put his own person in the position, why not do it.

However, Wang Guoguang has been promoted to Minister of the Imperial Palace on his side, and the remaining official position of Shuntian Fu Yin has to be released.

Rang, naturally not to Yan Song's people, but to Prince Yu's Mansion.

By the way, there is also Wang Guoguang's previous position, Tongzheng Shiyou Tongzheng Admiral Transcript Huang, anyway, it is a genuine fourth-rank official position, grasping the reason for the succession of Record Military Officer Huang Wei to recruit for election.

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 to a hereditary military family.

But it's useless to be interested. The little guy's grade cannot be raised all at once. Unless Emperor Jiajing appoints him, Yan Song will not object, and he will not object. Naturally, there will be no more officials. , but it's impossible.

When Xu Jie started to go on business again, the angels in the palace also entered the gate of Yan Mansion with the funeral utensils prepared by each yamen.

After Yan Song and Yan Shifan knelt down to accept the decree, they naturally still had to thank Emperor Jiajing for his kindness and sympathy for the veterans.

The time was late, and Yan Song's matter of entering the palace to thank him after receiving the order was also delayed, but he only left the words of entering the palace to thank him tomorrow morning.

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

"Father, enter 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 a bad job."

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

It can be said that in the past two years, especially after King Jing was determined to be a vassal, he felt that things that were easy in the past sometimes had to go wrong. Although it could be done in the end, it was still a lot of trouble.

Also, some of the people below have also begun to act a little bit obediently, obviously they have the idea of ​​leaving this big ship of their own, but is it possible?

"You are just the minister of the Ministry of Industry, how could His Majesty take away your love for this matter?"

Yan Song said in a low voice.

"It's up to man, the mother is gone, shouldn't the son stay by his father's side to fulfill his filial piety?"

But Yan Shifan said immediately, even aware of his old father's thoughts, and said to Yan Song with a more serious tone: "Father, do you think our family can really get away when our son returns to Jiangxi?
Will the imperial court let me wait?

That His Majesty is not as merciful as you think, let alone show mercy to our subordinates.

If he really cared about his relationship with you, he wouldn't force you to stay back then, and asked you to help take care of Prince Gu Jing's mansion.

After so many years, can't you see through his thoughts? "

Yan Shifan's sudden words made Yan Song turn his head to look at him with a little surprise on his face.

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

Some things, if you have never done it, it is okay to say, but if you do it, you will have to pay the price sooner or later.

In recent years, doesn't Yan Shifan know that he should restrain himself?

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

If you take a gamble, you still have a chance to stand up, but if you retreat, you will never be able to recover.

If you want to say regret, then he shouldn't have come to the capital 20 years ago, otherwise he would definitely not be in the current situation.

He, and his father, are all the abandoned sons who are going to be thrown out in the future to appease the grievances of the officials.

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

However, in the end there is still a showdown.

"So what if you stay?"

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

(End of this chapter)