Optimus One Pillar of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 122

Coming out of the Longevity Palace where Emperor Jiajing lived, Xia Yan and three other cabinet bachelors came out.Amid the pleasant words of Yan Song, the chief minister of the cabinet, although they were unwilling to do so, they all smiled on their faces and praised the emperor's sage.Taking the overall interests into consideration, he signed his name on the cabinet vote, making the cabinet meeting hall peaceful.

To be honest, Xia Yan was the most unhappy with this personnel adjustment plan, because Wang Daoqiu, in just a few months, had reduced himself from the ever-promising chief minister of the cabinet to nothing now.

Although Xia Yan is still nominally the second assistant in the Ming cabinet, he has been disgraced time and time again due to several confrontations with Wang Daoqiu.Especially that time when Wang Daoqiu took him to the hall of Wuyi Hall to engage in those "performance arts" in front of a group of cabinet officials and humiliated him with those physical gestures. In the end, Wang Daoqiu Qiu is still fine.

In this way, it can be said that all the officials on duty in the cabinet have realized that Xia Yan is just a toothless tiger. Although he still looks scary, it is nothing remarkable.Especially what Wang Daoqiu did that day opened the imagination of all the officials on duty in the cabinet.Since others can do the right thing, why can't I?

Therefore, the current officials in the cabinet have no fear of Xia Yan, the second assistant.Even if they passed each other face to face, those officials treated Xia Yan as if they were nothing, neither saying hello nor being polite.He even deliberately found trouble at work and returned the documents Xia Yan had drafted and approved for various reasons.

It can be said that Xia Yan has no prestige in the cabinet now, and no one is afraid of him.Now that his mortal enemy Wang Daoqiu has taken over the personnel power of the empire, this does not mean that he has put shit in the face of his second assistant, allowing all officials to see his incompetence, Xia Yan, and making him Xia Yan once again Has it become an official joke?
Therefore, when Xia Yan signed the draft regarding personnel adjustments in the Ministry of Personnel, he was filled with rage. He really wanted to tear up the draft.But the situation is stronger than people!When you are not strong enough, you have to endure it!If you don't want to go back to the countryside to be a farmer and still want to continue to enjoy the pleasure of power, you should pretend to be a grandson in front of people you can't afford to offend, but you can't annoy the emperor.

So Xia Yan, who was unwilling to give up power and wanted to continue to hang out there, was the last one to sign the cabinet draft.The ticket will then be sent to the Supervisor of Ceremonies for approval, and finally announced to the court in the form of an imperial edict.Wang Daoqiu became the newly minted Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the Ming Dynasty.

After becoming the first deputy minister of the Ministry of Personnel of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Daoqiu was not busy reporting to the Ministry of Personnel. Anyway, Yu Maojian and Li Xiang still had to hand over their work in the Metropolitan Procuratorate and Dali Temple, so they could not go to work in the Ministry of Personnel so soon. .

After another day's work in Xiyuan, he and Lu Bing had an imperial meal at Emperor Jiajing's place in the evening. Wang Daoqiu got on the carriage arranged by the palace and went home to live.

After these few days of recuperation, Wang Daoqiu's body is fine, and he can walk without help.And with the pardon of more than 100 Qingliu officials, Wang Daoqiu has no possibility of being retaliated by their accomplices outside.So Wang Daoqiu bid farewell to Emperor Jiajing and went back to live in his own home.

The palace's carriage arrived at the gate of the Wang's house in the inner palace alley. As soon as Wang Daoqiu got off the carriage, he found that his home had undergone new changes. Two majestic large stone lions were erected at the door, as well as two royal guards in black flying fish uniforms. There was a guard at the door of his house with a knife.

The two Jinyi guards standing at Wang Daoqiu's door knew Wang Daoqiu.So when Wang Daoqiu got off the carriage, they immediately ran over and saluted with fists in their hands, introducing themselves that they were sent by Wei Li to protect Wang Daoqiu's family.

The two Jinyi guards were very discerning. When they saw Wang Daoqiu, they ran up to salute and say hello. On the contrary, it was the concierge introduced by Gao Yi. When he saw Wang Daoqiu, he seemed very embarrassed. He stood on the steps nervously, looking like he didn't know what to do. It looks good.

Seeing the nervousness of the concierge, Wang Daoqiu felt helpless. After encouraging and rewarding the two guards standing at the door of his house, Wang Daoqiu walked up the steps of his house, went up to his concierge and asked politely: "Old man, , I left in a hurry last time, and I didn’t even know your name, old man?”

"Oh, sir, my surname is Fan. I am the second in my family. On weekdays, the neighbors call me Fan Er." Upon hearing the question from Wang Daoqiu, his father, the concierge Fan Er hurriedly answered with his hands humbly.

Fan Er, if this name is to be passed down to future generations, it must be changed at the police station, otherwise I would be too embarrassed to go out and introduce myself to others.But zooming in on this day and age?It does not matter.

The little old man Fan Er is a bit of a dick, but he is honest, so Wang Daoqiu didn't change his mind just because of his dick.

So after knowing that his concierge was called Fan Er, Wang Daoqiu asked him: "Fan Bo, during these days when I'm not here, is everything going well at home?"

"Okay, Master, not long after you went out that day, Jinyiwei sent a group of people to live in the house. They said that Master, you were beaten at the gate of the palace. They also said that their associates might come to the house to cause trouble. By the way, sir, the officer who led the team from the Royal Guards that day also gave each of the four boys you brought back thirty lashes. Those four boys were also tough, and they knelt down and received thirty lashes. , didn’t say a word..."

Fan Er gave Wang Daoqiu a detailed report on everything that happened in the palace while Wang Daoqiu was recovering from his injuries in the past few days.Anyway, the general idea is that as soon as the incident happened that day, Jin Yiwei protected this place. Everyone in the house was fine, but everyone was worried about whether Wang Daoqiu's body had been damaged.

I know that everyone in the house is fine, and Gao Yi has just returned from his shift, so he should be eating now.Wang Daoqiu bid farewell to Fan Bo and went to the mansion.As soon as he entered the mansion, Wang Daoqiu met the four boys patrolling the courtyard. After encouraging them, Wang Daoqiu walked inside.

When I arrived at Gaoyi's residence, I saw Gaoyi's family having a meal.Seeing the family eating, Wang Daoqiu was not worried, so he thought of sneaking away first and coming to Gaoyi later.

But at this time, Gao Yi's eldest son saw Wang Daoqiu outside his house and yelled.After being reminded by his eldest son, Gao Yi turned around and saw Wang Daoqiu outside the house at this time.

So Gao Yi stood up and shouted loudly to Wang Daoqiu: "Brother Liangzhen, you are back, come in and sit down, come in and sit down."

Gao Yi had already greeted him, but Wang Daoqiu had no choice but to smile awkwardly as he walked in and said to Gao Yi: "Brother Zixiang and sister-in-law, you are just eating!"

"That's right, our Imperial Highness is on duty late, so this meal is a bit late. By the way, Brother Liangzhen, have you finished your meal?"

"Oh, I came back after having dinner in Xiyuan." "That's good, that's good. To be honest, brother Liangzhen, if brother Liangzhen hasn't eaten yet, I really don't have any food now." You can entertain my dear brother. My dear brother is not around these days, and it’s not easy for Sister Qiu to cook too much food. I only have enough to eat every day, so there really isn’t any extra.”

"Hey, Sister-in-law Qiu is like this. She is used to saving. Diligence and frugality are virtues, and I can't blame her harshly. To be honest, she is much better now. In the past, when I, Brother Shi Ting, and Brother Uncle first moved in, Sister-in-law Qiu Every time we cook, we can barely eat half full. Hahahaha!"

Saying that Mrs. Qiu was wrong, Wang Daoqiu entered Gaoyi's room.Seeing Wang Daoqiu come in, Gao Yi's wife Jiang quickly wished Wang Daoqiu a long blessing and said a few polite words, then she took her three children and carried bowls into the back room to eat.

After Mr. Jiang and the three children left, Gao Yi smiled and held his hands in his hands to Wang Daoqiu and congratulated him: "Congratulations, dear brother Liangzhen, you have only been in office for two months, and you are now the Second Rank Shizhong and the Left Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. You are welcome to The edict of Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs was drafted by me today! Congratulations!"

Gao Yi congratulated Wang Daoqiu, but his smile made Wang Daoqiu look a little lonely.This is normal when you think about it. Six years ago, Gaoyi entered the official career with the first place in the second class and fourth place in the overall list.His results in the palace examination back then were only three places behind Wang Daoqiu's, but now Wang Daoqiu has only been in office for two months, and he is a second-rank minister with real power.And he, Gao Yi, had struggled in the Hanlin Academy for six years, and just a few months ago he was promoted to the rank of Imperial Minister with no real power.This gap is so big that any normal person would want to scold him.

Understanding Gao Yi's disappointment, Wang Daoqiu also wanted to help his friend.So facing Gao Yi's very embarrassing congratulations, he said calmly: "Brother Zixiang has also studied government affairs in the Hanlin Academy for six years. I don't know if Brother Zixiang has the intention to leave the Hanlin Academy and go out to show his heart." Revenge?"

What does Wang Daoqiu mean by this?Now that Wang Daoqiugui is the first deputy minister of the Ministry of Personnel, it can be said that it is a piece of cake to arrange for Gao Yi to be promoted to an official position.

Do you really want to go out and become an official?Staying in the Hanlin Academy copying and writing every day was indeed a waste of time, but when he went out to become an official, Gao Yi felt that he might not be able to cope with the complex interpersonal relationships in the officialdom because of his temperament.

So after Gao Yi thought about Wang Daoqiu's words for a while, he said with some frustration: "To be honest, brother, Wei brother has been copying official documents in the Hanlin Academy every day for six years. Brother Wei has long been bored and wants to leave. But if the Hanlin Academy is not good, it is not good. It has no substantive work and power, and it seems very boring."

"But on the other hand, this is also its advantage. Because there are no substantial interests, his interpersonal relationships in the Hanlin Academy are relatively light, there are no fights, and everyone is a gentleman. To be honest, Brother Liangzhen, for Although I am tired of the boredom of the Hanlin Academy, I can't bear to live in peace and quiet there. I want to go out to serve as an official and express my revenge. But I am also afraid of the intrigues and life-and-death battles in the officialdom. Hey, Brother Liangzhen, it's hard for you!"

After saying these words, Gao Yi tragically drank the glass of wine in front of him. His appearance made Wang Daoqiu feel sad.

Gao Yi is telling the truth, he is such a person and has such a personality.This point will be explained by Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng's competition for the position of chief assistant at the turn of the Long-Wan period. His performance there can explain everything.

Knowing his friend's temperament, it would be really difficult for him to let him work as a local official or in one of the central government departments where the struggle for interests is fierce and interpersonal relationships are complicated.But as the saying goes, where there are challenges there are opportunities, and where there are big risks there are big gains?

Thinking of this, Wang Daoqiu decided to give Gao Yi a chance to challenge himself and let him choose by himself.So Wang Daoqiu said to Gao Yi: "Brother Zixiang, sometimes in life you have to push yourself. If you always put yourself in your comfort zone, how can you achieve great things? Come on, brother Zixiang, I will do it right away He is about to take office in the Ministry of Officials, and this time the Ministry of Officials was questioned at the same time as Xiong Shangshu and the two servants, and there were quite a few middle-level officials involved in the Ministry of Officials this time."

"After Yu Shangshu, Li Shilang and my younger brother take office, there will definitely be a major adjustment for the middle and lower-level officials in the Ministry of Personnel. Brother, you also know that the two middle-level positions in the Ministry of Personnel are the most important, and one is responsible for the promotion and transfer of officials. The Department of Literature and Selection, and the other is the Department of Examination and Examination, which is responsible for the evaluation of officials. These two positions are so important that even though it is only a fifth-grade errand, the appointment and dismissal of the chief officials of these two departments must be approved by the emperor himself. How? Brother Xiang, do you have the courage to challenge these two positions?"

The Ministry of Civil Service Literary Selection Department, the Ministry of Civil Service Examination Department, the Ministry of War Military Selection Department, and the Ministry of War Treasury Selection Department. These four positions were recognized by the Ming Dynasty as jobs that were easy to work but extremely powerful and could easily acquire a large amount of wealth.

The Literature and Selection Department of the Ministry of Personnel is responsible for the promotion and transfer of civil servants nationwide, and the Merit Assessment Department of the Ministry of Personnel is responsible for assessing the performance of civil servants nationwide.The Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War and the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War are responsible for the promotion and transfer of generals across the country.

Looking at the power of these four departments, you can understand how fat these four departments are.Therefore, when the chief officials of the Civil Affairs Department and the Civil Service Examination Department are fifth-rank doctors, they go down to the local areas. They serve the first- and second-rank governors and governors carefully, and they really cannot afford to offend them!

So now that Wang Daoqiu said that he, Gao Yi, might get those two seats, Gao Yi's hand holding the wine glass froze in mid-air.

After a long time, Gao Yi recovered from the shock, and said to Wang Daoqiu with a face full of question marks: "Xiang Liangzhen, the two positions of the Department of Literature Selection and the Department of Examination of the Ministry of Officials have always been the focus of attention. This may fall into the Are you doing this to a little Hanlin who has no family or any sect and is unknown to everyone?"

"Hahahaha, Brother Zixiang is worrying too much. Brother Zixiang has been in the Hanlin Academy for six years, and his conduct is good and honest. This is obvious to all. Brother Zixiang, you are qualified to select officials for the world. Moreover, the current Minister of Civil Affairs, Lord Yu, and Minister Li Sir, they are all well-known in the court as honest and fair people. So as long as the elder brother is willing, the younger brother is willing to recommend it to the emperor and Lord Yu on his behalf."

"This, this, this, this, can I do it?"

In fact, Wang Daoqiu said that he was willing to recommend him to the Literary Selection Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs or the Examination and Examination Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Gao Yi was ecstatic in his heart.After all, the temptation of those two positions was irresistible to the grassroots officials of the Ming Dynasty.However, out of the traditional behavior of traditional literati, Gao Yi was still modest towards Wang Daoqiu.

Seeing the joy and desire that could not be hidden in his eyes, Wang Daoqiu laughed "hahaha" a few times, slapped the table, and confidently promised Gaoyi: "Brother, just wait patiently." Good news."

Then he ignored Gao Yi's calls from behind, "Xian brother, let's discuss it again," "Xian brother, let's discuss it again," he waved his sleeves and walked away.

(End of this chapter)