Jiuxi

Chapter 996 994 [Connection]

Xue Ruogu was 32 years old at the time.

He was the runner-up in the palace examination in the 11th year of Jianwu, and served successively as editor of the Hanlin Academy, left assistant of the Zuochunfang, and director of the Imperial College. His official rank is now fourth grade, which means he is only two steps away from a high position in the central government. If he is lucky, he can make the leap in one step.

In fact, it has been nine years since he passed the imperial examination. He has made very steady progress every three years. In the next examination, he will most likely be promoted to vice minister of a certain ministry, or an official in one of the nine temples and seven prisons. After one or two more terms of training, he may be sent to serve as a frontier official or be in charge of one of the six ministries. These are all extremely noble and stable paths to becoming a prime minister.

Of course, this does not mean that he can be appointed as prime minister smoothly. When he reaches the stage of a senior official, further progress requires not only ability but also enough luck.

After coming out of the Kong Mansion, Xue Ruogu boarded an ordinary carriage and said calmly, "Let's go to Anfufang in the East City."

"Yes, young master."

The driver understood and agreed.

Leaning against the wall of the carriage, Xue Ruogu closed his eyes slightly and fell into deep thought.

For some reason, he suddenly recalled that spring many years ago when his father solemnly asked him to socialize more with Lu Chen. He was a little disapproving at first, but later when Lu Chen returned to Beijing with his achievement of attacking Heluo, he realized how accurate his father's vision was.

But even his father probably didn't expect that the young and tough border army general would end up like this today.

"Father, do you regret your unconditional support and trust in him back then?"

Xue Ruogu murmured to himself with a calm expression, because he knew that this was a question that was destined to have no answer.

If Lu Chen had not turned the tide several times, Da Qi would have been torn apart by Jing State at the border and the country might have collapsed.

But from another perspective, the imperial court has never found a good way to check and balance Lu Chen, which has allowed him to reach the completely irrepressible position he has today.

But...over all these years, is it true that no one has been secretly deploying some tricks around Lu Chen?

Xue Ruogu pondered quietly, and after a while a name suddenly popped up in his mind.

"Master, we're here."

The coachman's voice outside the carriage interrupted Xue Ruogu's thoughts. He got off the carriage slowly and what came into his sight was an ordinary-looking house hidden among countless houses.

"You go back home. I'll go back later on my own."

Xue Ruogu gave an order and then walked into the house.

In the west wing, four men around 30 years old saw Xue Ruogu coming in and immediately stood up to greet him.

Xue Ruogu nodded in greeting, walked to the main seat and sat down, saying gently, "Please sit down."

The first person on the left seemed a little impatient and asked, "Brother Ziyuan, has the Grand Master agreed?"

This man's name was Sun Qi, courtesy name Zhongrong. He was 31 years old at the time and was currently serving as the Deputy Director of the Dali Temple.

The "Ziyuan" he mentioned was Xue Ruogu's courtesy name, and the Grand Master of the Imperial Household referred to the Minister of Rites Kong Yingdong.

Xue Ruogu said calmly: "The Grand Master has agreed. This time, the additional special examination will try to select scholars from the south of the Yangtze River, and will also select a small number of children from the aristocratic families in the north of the Yangtze River."

"it is good!"

Sun Qi's face was filled with excitement, and the other three also nodded.

The man sitting second from the right said, "The King of Qin has a good plan this time. On the one hand, he is using the name of the new policy to eliminate dissidents and cultivate his own party members, and on the other hand, he is using the money of the wealthy and powerful families to please the common people. Now, he wants to use this special examination to win over the hearts of the scholars. It can be said that he is killing three birds with one stone."

This man was handsome and the youngest, only 29 years old at the time. He was currently serving as the Right Councillor of the Ministry of Public Administration.

He was born into the Boyue Chen family. Although the Chen family ranked last among the nine great families in Jiangnan at that time, it did not mean that they were shallow. It was just because the previous generation of the Chen family did not have figures like Li Daoyan, Xue Nanting, Guo Congyi or even Ding Hui, so they did not have much say in the court.

They have a very good reputation among the people, and have spared no effort to benefit their hometown and support scholars. Through constant intermarriage, they have woven a vast network over the past 20 years.

For example, Chen Jing, whose courtesy name was Bochang, his mother was the legitimate daughter of the Wu family in Queshan.

Hearing Chen Jing's seemingly flattering but actually sarcastic words, the man sitting next to him sneered and said, "What does it matter if the calculations are very sophisticated? The selection of officials by the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan is in accordance with the court regulations. Even if the King of Qin has Liu Yuan and Ding Hui, two crazy dogs, in his hands, and they debate openly in the court, can they still do anything to the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan? The King of Qin has made all the calculations, but this time it is just a waste of time."

This man's temperament was different from the other four people in the room. Although he was dressed in casual clothes, one could still see a sharp edge between his eyebrows.

His name is Wang Hong, courtesy name Gongdu. He is 33 years old and currently serves as the deputy commander of the Left Guard of the Imperial Guards.

Sun Qi and Chen Jing smiled, and it was obvious that they agreed with Wang Hong's judgment.

Xue Ruogu calmly looked at the second man on the left who had been silent the whole time, and asked, "Brother Ji Hai, what do you think?"

Everyone quieted down after hearing this.

Brother Ji Hai said calmly: "My dear friends, I wonder if you have noticed that the King of Qin listed the increase in special examinations as the first of the eight new policies, which shows that he attaches great importance to this matter and may not have thought that someone would interfere. Even if the King of Qin had not thought about it beforehand, the Grand Master of the Clan could not have issued an imperial edict directly. He would have to report to the emperor first, and the King of Qin would most likely know about it in advance. When the time comes, he will send back the list submitted by the Ministry of Rites. Can the Grand Master of the Clan resist it?" This man was named Zuo Hao, with the courtesy name Ji Hai. He was 35 years old and held the position of Langzhong in the Ministry of Personnel's Selection Division.

There was silence.

Logically, the results of the imperial examination do not need to be reviewed by Lu Chen. The problem is that this is part of the new policy, which means that the results of the special examination must be notified to the Innovation Department in advance, and Lu Chen cannot be avoided.

As for whether Kong Yingdong has the courage to confront Lu Chen, these new officials in the room teased Lu Chen to the extreme, but they also knew that this would be really difficult for Kong Yingdong.

Xue Ruogu praised in his heart and said calmly: "Brother Ji Hai, do you have any good ideas?"

Zuo Hao pondered and said, "At present, it seems that there is no such thing. However, I don't think Brother Ziyuan will care too much about the success or failure of this matter, right?"

Xue Ruogu clapped his hands and laughed, "Brother Ji Hai is indeed very thoughtful."

Zuo Hao looked indifferent, while Sun Qi, Chen Jing and Wang Hong looked puzzled.

Xue Ruogu stopped keeping the secret and said frankly, "In fact, this matter is not complicated. If the King of Qin doesn't realize the mystery, then the hearts of the officials in the court will be at peace, because he doesn't understand the rules of officialdom and wants to force his way in. In the end, he can only go around in circles. At the same time, he can also provoke the resentment of the scholars in Jiangbei towards him. Admittedly, the probability of this optimal situation occurring is low. Even if the King of Qin reacts next, the situation is still in our favor."

"First, if Minister Kong and the officials in the court can be tough and reject the King of Qin's unreasonable demands, that would be the next best outcome. Second, the King of Qin would be furious and use the special examination to implicate the officials in the court and arrest and jail the officials of the Ministry of Rites and the scholars involved. He would definitely lose the support of the people, and at the same time, the prime ministers and ministers would see his true colors and no longer have illusions about him."

Xue Ruogu looked at everyone and smiled, and finally said: "No matter what King Qin chooses, we can achieve our goal in the end."

"good!"

A hint of satisfaction appeared on Chen Jing's handsome face.

Zuo Hao spoke again: "Brother Ziyuan, if you are involved in this, will you be in danger if the King of Qin loses his temper?"

The others also looked over with concern.

They are close in age to Xue Ruogu and have gradually come together over the past few years. Although everyone has different ambitions and ideals, at least in their attitudes and stances towards Lu Chen, they can be considered close friends who stand together through thick and thin.

Xue Ruogu said calmly, "The Grand Master of the Imperial Clan is aloof and aloof, how could he take advantage of a young man like me? I just provided him with a choice, and how it was implemented in the end has nothing to do with me. When it comes to such a major event of selecting talents for the country, what role can a small director of the Imperial College play? Besides, the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan is not someone who can be bullied. If the scholars from Jiangbei can really suppress the scholars from Jiangnan, I think he will not risk the world's disapproval."

Everyone nodded.

For this newly added special examination, the officials who set the questions and the examiners were all officials from Jiangnan. The scholars in Jiangbei had not participated in the formal imperial examinations in the past twenty years. In addition, they were under the oppression of the Jinglian people, with frequent wars and people living in poverty. How could they compare with the scholars in Jiangnan who were well-read in poetry and books?

After addressing everyone's concerns, Xue Ruogu continued, "Everyone, don't worry too much about the result of the Enke event. We have discussed this before. This is just to create some trouble for the King of Qin, so that he can focus most of his attention on the court struggle, so that we can plan the big event more calmly."

At this time, Chen Jing smiled and said, "With Brother Ziyuan in charge, we can be much more relaxed. By the way, Brother Ziyuan, that Qian Degao found me again, and he was evasive in his words, and seemed to be quite dissatisfied with the King of Qin. Do you want to bring him in?"

"Qian Rang? No rush. He and Jiang Hui have known each other for many years. Let's wait and see." Xue Ruogu said calmly, "Although we have contacted many people now, we must observe carefully to prevent the King of Qin's people from sneaking in."

Everyone nodded, and Sun Qi deliberately lowered his voice and asked, "Brother Ziyuan, is this really the intention of the palace?"

"You do not trust me?"

Xue Ruogu turned around and looked at him calmly.

Sun Qi felt quite pressured and quickly shook his head, "How could I not trust Brother Ziyuan? It's just..."

Seeing that he was hesitant to speak, Xue Ruogu said seriously: "I can tell you clearly once again that this is the Queen Mother's intention. Of course, when we really take action in the future, I will let you see the Queen Mother's token."

Sun Qi said solemnly: "Since it is the will of the saint, we should sacrifice our lives to eliminate traitors for the country!"

"Give up your life and forget your own, and kill the traitors for the country!"

The rest of them chanted in unison.

Xue Ruogu looked at them one by one. In fact, he knew that the four people present all had selfish motives. Sun Qi wanted to rise to prominence, Chen Jing was carrying the expectations of his family, Wang Hong wanted to fight for military power, and Zuo Hao wanted to leave his name in history. Everyone had his own considerations, and in the end, they all gathered around him.

In Xue Ruogu's opinion, being selfish is a good thing. People must have something to hold on to in order to achieve something. If one is a person who has a pure heart and few desires, he will not shed blood for this common goal.

As for himself...

Perhaps many people have forgotten that his previous official position was Zuo Shuzi of Zuo Chunfang. He was an official of the Eastern Palace appointed by Li Duan himself for Li Zongben, and was also the minister selected by Li Zongben to assist Li Daoming.

The emperor has power above him and loyalty is in his heart. How can he allow powerful ministers to covet the supreme throne?
Thinking of this, Xue Ruogu showed a look of indignation on his face, and said to the four people: "Everyone, let's discuss the details of that matter again..."

In the dim light, the expressions on the five people's faces changed as they talked.

Finally revealed his hideous face.

(End of this chapter)