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Chapter 636: Comfort (I)

Prime Minister Wang has been the Prime Minister of Daliang for more than 20 years. He has been arrogant and domineering, has made friends with his cronies, and has controlled the government and government affairs. He can't be said to be a good person, but his vision and perspective are far better than ordinary people, and he can bend and stretch. This gesture of concession has made him invincible.

No matter how many grudges there were in the past, Jiang Shaohua could not turn against each other and settle old scores after he ascended the throne. He also had to be grateful to Prime Minister Wang for resigning gracefully and giving up the position of Prime Minister.

This old fox!
Jiang Shaohua sneered in his heart, but a moving expression appeared on his face: "It's too early to say this now. Prime Minister, just rest and recover. Maybe in a year or two, you will be able to recover as before. The Daliang court cannot do without the Prime Minister."

This is a promise that Prime Minister Wang will retire with honor.

Smart people don't need to say everything. They only say three-tenths of the words, and the other seven-tenths is used to guess the other person's thoughts and understand each other.

Prime Minister Wang sighed again, "I am old, half buried in the earth, and I don't know when I will close my eyes and die. The Daliang court will have to rely on young people to support it in the future. It's a pity that Li Boyuan died tragically that day, and Zheng Chen is missing. After the princess ascends the throne, I am afraid there will be no one to use."

Jiang Shaohua smiled calmly: "Prime Minister, you are worrying too much. The whole court is full of loyal officials. And the prince is here, so how can there be no one available?"

This last sentence is the key point.

Prime Minister Wang did cheer up and acted modestly for his "good-for-nothing and rebellious son." In fact, he wanted to test the princess's opinion on what kind of official position she would give to Wang Jin.

Jiang Shaohua had already thought about it, and he said, "I came to the Wang family today on purpose, first, to visit the Prime Minister, and second, to discuss the way of employing people with the Prime Minister."

"Daliang has been hit by many misfortunes, and people are worried. We should not allow any more unrest in the officialdom, so as to avoid panic. I think that except for the necessary vacancies, the positions of other officials should not be changed. At least, they should not be changed within three years."

In other words, Jiang Shaohua did not plan to promote officials of the Nanyang Palace immediately after taking office. The important officials in the court did not have to worry about being dismissed in the short term. In this way, people's hearts could be at peace and the affairs of the court could be put into operation first.

As for whether they can keep their official positions in the future, that depends on the ability of the officials to do their work.

Prime Minister Wang secretly sighed in his heart. Just based on this extraordinary mind and far-sighted vision, Jiang Shaohua is qualified to sit on the throne.

"The princess is wise." Prime Minister Wang exclaimed in praise, "Governing a country is like cooking a small fish. You have to pay attention to the right timing. The princess has just ascended to a high position, and the most important thing is not to carry out drastic reforms, but to stabilize the hearts of the people in the court first."

Jiang Shaohua smiled slightly: "The Prime Minister also agrees, I feel much more at ease."

Then he talked about several important vacancies: "Among the six ministers, Minister Li has died, and the position of Minister of Rites is vacant. Minister Dong will fill this vacancy. What do you think, Prime Minister?"

Prime Minister Wang nodded slightly and said: "Minister Dong has served in the Ministry of Rites for many years. He is upright and well-versed in the affairs of the Ministry of Rites. It is most appropriate for him to be the Minister of Rites."

Next, it’s the selection of the Minister of War.

"Duke Anguo's right leg is injured. I'm afraid he will have a chronic disease and have difficulty walking." Jiang Shaohua said slowly: "Besides, Zheng Chen and Jiang Yi are accomplices and are still on the run. There is no news of their whereabouts. Even if Duke Anguo's leg injury is completely healed, it is not appropriate for him to be in charge of the Ministry of War."

Are they going to get rid of Zheng Chen and implicate the Zheng family? Prime Minister Wang's eyes flashed, and he looked at Jiang Shaohua deeply: "Duke Anguo is not a concern. After the princess ascends the throne, she can punish the Zheng family according to Daliang law. However, the princess also has to consider the Empress Dowager. The Zheng family is the Empress Dowager's family. If the princess is too harsh, I'm afraid the Empress Dowager will not agree."

Today in the Golden Palace, Empress Dowager Zheng firmly supported Prince Ping and fiercely opposed Jiang Shaohua's ascension to the throne. In the end, she was so angry that she fainted.

It can be said that Empress Dowager Zheng was the biggest stumbling block on Jiang Shaohua's road to the throne.

Now Jiang Shaohua is planning to take action against the Zheng family. What should he do if Empress Dowager Zheng gets really upset?
Jiang Shaohua and Prime Minister Wang looked at each other and said calmly, "Treason is a serious crime punishable by the execution of nine generations of the clan. The Gaoliang Palace and the Dongping Palace will all be executed. The Zheng family has a Zheng Chen, so they are lucky not to be implicated. If they still want to continue to enjoy glory in the court, they are too greedy."

In order to appease Empress Dowager Zheng, it would be fine not to touch the Zheng family for the time being, but the position of Minister of War of Duke Anguo must be handed over.

Prime Minister Wang could not help but sigh once again at the princess's sophisticated methods, and asked, "If Duke Anguo retires, who will the princess promote? Will she choose one of the two assistant ministers, or send someone else to take charge of the Ministry of War?"

"I am hesitating about this matter." Jiang Shaohua said humbly, "Please give me some advice, Prime Minister."

Prime Minister Wang hesitated for a moment and said, "Since the princess is cautious and does not want to start a war, then choose one of the two ministers to temporarily serve as the Minister of War. Minister Wang is familiar with the affairs of the Ministry of War, but his weakness is that he is impulsive and reckless. Minister Ding is also a veteran of the Ministry of War. He is cautious in his official duties and is not decisive enough when faced with major events. They both have their own strengths and weaknesses. It depends on the princess's wishes as to who to use."

Is there any need to think too much about this? Minister Wang is a member of the Prime Minister's party, and Minister Ding is neutral on the surface, but in fact he has dealings with the Nanyang Palace in secret. The Minister of War is such an important position, so of course the princess wants to use her own people.

Wang Jin, who was listening at the side, wanted to interrupt but held back.

Jiang Shaohua's answer was beyond Wang Jin's expectation: "Just choose Minister Wang!"

Wang Jin was stunned and subconsciously looked up at the princess.

Chen Changshi nodded secretly in his heart. The princess was retreating to advance. If Prime Minister Wang nodded, then the princess would be rewarding Wang Sheren with the position of Minister of War. Now it depends on whether Prime Minister Wang is willing to use this great favor on Minister Wang...

As expected, Prime Minister Wang was not so noble as to say this, and he immediately said, "I think that Minister Ding is more suitable."

Jiang Shaohua understood and smiled: "We will discuss this matter later."

Then, he casually mentioned the arrangement for Wang Jin: "Wang Sheren has been the Secretary of the Central Secretariat for three years and is familiar with government memorials. He will continue to handle documents in the Zhaohe Palace in the future, and his official position should be promoted. He will be made the Secretary of the Central Secretariat!"

The Zhongshu Sheren drafted imperial edicts and participated in confidential information. It was the position closest to the emperor. It was not enough to describe his lowly position but great power. He could be said to be the emperor's confidant.

When Emperor Taihe was alive, there were four Zhongshu Sheren, and there was no distinction between high and low. Now Jiang Shaohua raised Wang Jin by four levels at once, and Zhongshu Ling was a fifth-rank official position.

After working as the Minister of the Central Secretariat for a few years and accumulating some experience, one can be transferred to become a doctor of the Imperial Censorate or an official of one of the six ministries. This is a grand official career that the emperor favors.