Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1478 Who could it be?
At 3:45 pm, a carriage slowly drove away from the palace.
Although it was the afternoon, the sky in Yijing in December was already somewhat dark. But even so, the coachman, Old Wang, still drove the carriage towards the Ministry of Personnel Yamen. As one of Gu Sansi's full-time coachmen, he knew very well that his master was always diligent in government affairs and usually returned home from the Yamen around the evening!

It’s only the afternoon now, it’s still very early!
However, when Old Wang was driving towards the Ministry of Personnel and wondering whether there would be any food in the canteen tonight, he heard Gu Sansi's somewhat tired voice in the carriage.

"Old Wang! I'm not going back to the government office! Go home!"

Old Wang was also very surprised when he heard this. He didn't know why Gu Sansi suddenly came home so early today. Although he was a little confused, he immediately responded:

"Okay! I'll turn around now!"

As the carriage turned around, Old Wang felt a little regretful. Compared to returning to the ancient mansion, he still preferred going to the Ministry of Personnel!

In the ancient mansion, Old Wang was just an ordinary coachman, nothing special, anyone could order him around.

But in the Ministry of Personnel, Old Wang was a close aide to the Minister of Personnel. Among the dozen or so coachmen in the Ministry of Personnel, he could be said to be the most powerful one. Even some minor clerks in the Ministry of Personnel had to be nice to Old Wang for the sake of the Minister's face.

Although this change in status does not bring many practical benefits, it still satisfies Old Wang's vanity.

In addition to satisfying his vanity, Gu Sansi worked in the Ministry of Personnel at night. Regardless of whether Gu Sansi ordered it or not, the Ministry of Personnel canteen would prepare meals to prevent Gu Sansi from being hungry and not having enough time to cook.

Gu Sansi sometimes eats and sometimes doesn’t. If Gu Sansi doesn’t eat, there is a certain chance that the meal will fall to Old Wangtou. If Gu Sansi eats, he can’t eat much, and the leftovers will belong to Old Wangtou...
Although it was just some leftovers, it was specially made for the Shangshu after all, so the standard was still very high. Not only did it contain fish and meat, but it was also delicious and fragrant, enough to give Old Wang a full meal!

But if he returns to the ancient mansion, Old Wang can only eat the food of the servants. Although he can be full, there is definitely no meat!
So if Old Wang could decide, he would definitely hope that Gu Sansi would go to work at the Ministry of Personnel instead of going home now!

But unfortunately, as a coachman, Old Wang could not decide anything. He could only obey Gu Sansi's arrangements and do whatever Gu Sansi asked him to do!
After an incense stick of time, Gu Sansi returned to the Gu Mansion. As soon as he entered the mansion, he went straight to the study and also instructed the servants to notify Zhang Teng to come to the study.

A moment later, a middle-aged man with a dark complexion and ordinary face entered the study and said to Gu Sansi who was writing furiously:
"Master, are you looking for me?"

Gu Sansi ignored Zhang Teng's question and continued to concentrate on writing at his desk. Seeing this, Zhang Teng hesitated for a moment and did not dare to speak again to disturb Gu Sansi.

Soon Gu Sansi stopped writing, put the letter into the envelope and sealed it with ink. After doing this, Gu Sansi looked up at Zhang Teng and said:
"I remember you are from Licheng, Qilu?"

Zhang Teng didn't know why his master suddenly mentioned this, but he nodded and said:
"My Lord, I am from Nanshi Township, Licheng, Qilu..."

Gu Sansi nodded slightly and said:

"Did you ask your wife for leave last month, saying you wanted to go back home to see your mother?"

Hearing what Gu Sansi said, Zhang Teng looked a little panicked, and quickly explained:

"Sir, my mother is sixty years old this year. Last month, someone from my hometown came to tell me that my mother was sick, so I wanted to go back to see her. I haven't been home for two years!"

"My lady won't let me go back, so I won't have this idea, sir!"

Seeing that Zhang Teng was about to continue speaking, Gu Sansi waved his hand to interrupt him and said:

"Zhang Teng, I know you are a filial person, so I approve of your fake status now!"

As soon as Gu Sansi finished speaking, Zhang Teng's eyes immediately lit up with surprise. He hadn't been home for two years and was already a little homesick. When he learned that his mother was sick last month, he immediately wanted to go home to see her!

But he is now a security guard in the ancient mansion, and if he wants to go home, he needs the consent of his wife Chen Wanting, but Chen Wanting flatly refused.

So Zhang Teng was also very helpless. When he thought about his mother who was sick at home and didn't know how her condition was, he felt heartbroken and didn't know what to do.

I never thought that things would take a turn for the better. The Shangshu Lord actually approved me to go back. Thinking of this, Zhang Teng immediately bowed excitedly and said:
"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir! I am grateful to you. After returning home to visit my mother, I will come back as soon as possible. It won't take too long..."

Gu Sansi waved his hand and said with a smile:

"Nothing! This is human nature!"

"You don't have to be too anxious. You haven't been home for two years. Since you're home this time, you might as well stay a little longer. There's no need to rush back. It's okay to come back after the Chinese New Year!"

"I'll ask the accountant to give you a red envelope. When you go home, buy some supplements for your mother to nourish her!"

Hearing what Gu Sansi said, Zhang Teng was somewhat flattered and said:

"Sir, how can I say this!" "It's nothing! You have been doing your duty in our family for the past two years. This is just a small token of my gratitude. Zhang Teng, don't refuse! Go home and have a good New Year!"

"Thank you very much, sir! I can never repay your kindness with my life!"

After laying the groundwork for the matter, Gu Sansi took out the letter he had just written and handed it to Zhang Teng, saying:
"I have a letter to send to Licheng. Please help me deliver the letter on your way home!"

"When you get to Licheng, go find Hu Dexing, the owner of Baishan Cloth Shop. You don't need to tell him too much and don't mention me. Just say it's a letter from Madam Chen of Yijing to him!"

"It's not a big deal, but it's urgent! When you get to Licheng, please help me deliver the letter."

After hearing Gu Sansi's instructions, Zhang Teng put the letter away without hesitation, and then said very seriously:

"Sir! I understand! When I get to Licheng, I will deliver the letter first and then go home!"

Gu Sansi nodded with satisfaction upon hearing this and said:

"Very good! I'll ask the mansion to prepare a horse for you, and you can ride there today!"

"Yes!"

As Zhang Teng took the order and left, Gu Sansi, who was alone in the study, sat on the chair a little tired. The letter had been sent out, and Zhang Teng went back to his hometown to visit his mother. This was a legitimate excuse and did not attract attention, so the matter should not be noticed!
Now Gu Sansi only hopes that his good senior brother can lay off employees as soon as possible and submit a new report after receiving the letter from his white gloves.

I have tried my best to buy him half a month. If Qilu can act fast enough, this matter can be resolved...
Now Gu Sansi has done everything he should do, and all that’s left is to rely on his senior brother Ma Runchuan!

Gu Sansi, sitting in the chair, shook his head, put the matter behind him, and then recalled the conversation with Ye Mingsheng in the imperial study an hour ago!

Recently, the court has been in turmoil due to the sudden death of Wang Xuecheng, the impact of the layoffs, and some other miscellaneous things! ~
But as far as the top management is concerned, there is not much fluctuation, and there are no rumors or signs!

So when Ye Mingsheng asked him today whether the court had any candidate who was qualified for the position of Shangshu, Gu Sansi was very shocked!
Because he didn't know what happened, when faced with Ye Mingsheng's question, Gu Sansi thought about it and gave a standard answer: Murong Yuliang!

As Gu Sansi expected, this answer was rejected by Ye Mingsheng. Then he proposed Zhao Wanxian, Ye Mingsheng's favorite, but was still rejected by Ye Mingsheng.

At this point, relying on the years of understanding between the monarch and his subjects, although Gu Sansi still didn't know what had happened, he could more or less guess Ye Mingsheng's psychology!
First of all, although he didn’t know which of the five ministers Ye Mingsheng wanted to replace, Gu Sansi was sure that this was not a sudden inquiry by Ye Mingsheng. Ye Mingsheng did have the idea of ​​replacing a minister...

It is for this reason that Ye Mingsheng considered the issue of successor, and Ye Mingsheng did consider Murong Yuliang and Chen Wanxian, otherwise His Majesty would not have answered so decisively without any hesitation!
After figuring out Ye Mingsheng's thoughts, Gu Sansi also reconsidered this issue. Because the five departments of Justice, Personnel, Rites, Works, and Revenue are each responsible for a field, so without knowing who Ye Mingsheng wants to replace, it would be very difficult for Gu Sansi to recommend a job!

So after thinking about it, Gu Sansi recommended two more candidates to Ye Mingsheng!
The first Minister of Personnel, Shen Changhong!

The second Yunbing Governor Ye Hao!

This time, Ye Mingsheng did not give a clear affirmative or negative answer, and the conversation between the two came to an end. After a while, Gu Sansi said goodbye and left!

In Gu Sansi's opinion, both Shen Changhong and Ye Hao have their own areas of expertise, but they also have their own shortcomings. There is no obvious difference between the two, so Gu Sansi doesn't know which one Ye Mingsheng will choose!
At the same time, compared to the candidate for the successor to the Shangshu, Gu Sansi is more concerned about who among the current five Shangshu will be taken down by Ye Mingsheng!
Based on his understanding of Ye Mingsheng, Gu Sansi first excluded himself. After all, Ye Mingsheng wanted to replace him, so he would not come back to ask himself who was suitable to be the Shangshu. He would go to Cui Shao to discuss it!
Although it is still unknown who Ye Mingsheng wants to replace, Gu Sansi feels that the possibility of Chen Fu is very small. After all, as a surrendered minister of Da Zhou, although Chen Fu is the Minister of Industry of Da Qian, he does not have much prestige in the court. He has never had much presence in the political struggle of Da Qian! He can even be described as a transparent person...

Chen Fu has been working silently in the Ministry of Works. Ye Mingsheng also appreciates Chen Fu's work and specially commended him last month. Therefore, Gu Sansi feels that Chen Fu's position as the Minister of Works is still very stable and there will be no changes in the short term!
After ruling out himself and Chen Fu, Gu Sansi believed that the person His Majesty wanted to replace would be one of Cui Shao, Li Jian, and Su Yi! ~
Among the three people, Gu Sansi first suspected Cui Shao!

After all, although Cui Shao was not the Prime Minister in name, he actually possessed the power of the Prime Minister. Not only was he the leading figure of the Liaoyang Gang, but the Cui faction under his command was the largest faction in the court. So from this perspective, Cui Shao was undoubtedly the most likely candidate!
But after Gu Sansi thought about it carefully, he felt that given Ye Mingsheng's personality, the possibility of Cui Shao being replaced was not high!
First of all, Cui Shao does have a high prestige in the court, and has many disciples and old friends, and may even pose some threat to Ye Mingsheng's imperial power!
But Cui Shao can be said to be a mature and prudent man. He has not been dazzled by his current power and made any unwise moves. On the contrary, he is now more low-key and rarely expresses his opinions on matters in the court.

Moreover, Daqian has just been established, and Ye Mingsheng’s reform measures are very large. The court needs a pillar-like figure to stabilize the situation and ensure that things will not go wrong. So under such circumstances, Gu Sansi believes that Ye Mingsheng can tolerate Cui Shao’s existence...
Gu Sansi thought that if Ye Mingsheng really wanted to replace Cui Shao, there was only one possibility!
This may be because Ye Mingsheng has health problems and cannot hold on for too long, so people like Cui Shao cannot be kept, in case he becomes more powerful than the monarch and becomes detrimental to the successor monarch!

However, Gu Sansi felt that this possibility was very small, although Ye Mingsheng had strictly ordered the medical school not to disclose his physical condition some time ago, which had caused some speculation and turmoil!

But judging from today's meeting with Ye Mingsheng, Gu Sansi felt that there was nothing wrong with Ye Mingsheng, and he was the same as always!

Moreover, Gu Sansi also heard that Ye Mingsheng had been running in the Imperial Garden recently. A person who runs every day does not look like someone who is terminally ill and needs to consider his funeral!

Therefore, Gu Sansi believed that Ye Mingsheng might have some minor health problems, but this problem should not be life-threatening at present, so there is no need to consider things like succession to the monarch after his death!

Considering all these circumstances, Gu Sansi believed that since Ye Mingsheng was fine, then Cui Shao would be fine too. Based on his understanding of Ye Mingsheng, Ye Mingsheng would most likely keep Cui Shao in the court for a while, allowing Cui Shao to continue to play an indispensable pillar role in the court!

Therefore, the minister who is replaced will most likely be one of the two, the Minister of Rites and the Minister of Punishments...

(Zhang Yuning is awesome!)
(End of this chapter)