The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

The emperor didn't hear the voice, so he looked up and frowned: "Hmm?"

Wang Zhen handed the emperor the tea that had been tested for temperature, and nodded with a smile, "Yes, I will have someone draft an edict and send it to the cabinet right away."

The emperor saw that he looked happy and there was nothing unusual, so he also became happy: "Sir, Xue Xuan may have a bad temper, but he has good abilities and outstanding character. Sir, you should get along well with him in the future."

Wang Zhen smiled and nodded: "As long as he is wholeheartedly working for Your Majesty, even if I were to clean his boots and serve him tea, I would be happy to do so."

Emperor: "I knew it, sir, you are the most sensible."

Wang Zhen smiled.

Wang Zhen walked out of the hall gritted his teeth secretly. The uncle and nephew were really haunting him. One left, another came!
The cabinet didn't expect this either.

Thinking of the memorial Xue Shao had just submitted through Cao Jixiang, Chen Xun took the lead and said, "Xue Xuan is indeed suitable."

One cabinet minister expressed his opinion, and Yang Fu, as the Prime Minister, had a good relationship with Xue Xuan and would not object, so the other cabinet ministers agreed.

So the big seal was stamped and the job was done.

Chen Xun is a very interesting person. He is now planning to use Xue Shao and Pan Yun.

Especially Pan Yun, he had sent people to follow her ship trip this time. Although he was in the capital, he knew everything about Quanzhou.

So he put the sealed imperial edict on the desk of the Minister of Personnel Cao Nai and asked casually, "Is Pan Hong still patrolling the border in Datong?"

Cao Nai took the imperial edict and responded casually.

Chen Xun said: "Pan Hong is very capable. Since he went on tour, he has solved many problems for the border troops. Winter is coming soon. Why not summon him back to Beijing to discuss the affairs of the north?"

Cao Nai: "Pan Hong is from the Censorate. We need to talk to Wang Wen about this. However, Wang Wen is a petty person. He has always held a grudge against Pan Hong. Especially now that Xue Xuan is coming back, I'm afraid he will be even less willing to transfer Pan Hong back."

Chen Xun smiled and said, "If he doesn't want to be transferred, the Ministry of Personnel will just give Pan Hong a new official position."

Cao Nai: "...Is Minister Chen showing favoritism to Pan Hong?"

Chen Xun: "Your Majesty has ordered Yang Shan, the Minister of the Imperial Household, to go to Japan. He will depart from Tianjin soon. The lifting of the maritime ban is 70% certain. As long as Pan Yun's ship can bring back the first shipload of silver, it will be a done deal."

"Why should this matter be handed over to Pan Yun?"

Cao Nai wanted the imperial court to take charge of this matter. He said, "Pan Yun is a commoner. It is difficult to entrust the country's most important weapon to her..."

"This matter should not be postponed. It is best to hand it over to her. Apart from her, who else can mine silver before the imperial court signs a letter of credence with Japan? And who else is willing to hand over such overwhelming wealth to the imperial court?"

Cao Nai thought about it and it was true.

Apart from her, who else would have discovered the silver mountain and not mined it by themselves, but instead offered it as tribute to the imperial court, or even publicized it as a solution to the maritime ban, attracting countless people to mine?
Cao Nai lowered his eyes and thought: "What do you think, is she loyal or a traitor?"

Chen Xun said indifferently: "I don't care whether she is treacherous or loyal in her heart. I only look at what she does."

He said, "She has donated a lot of money and grain to help with the disaster relief in the south of the Yangtze River." Cao Nai shook his head and said, "She is so high-profile, obviously seeking fame, a sign of great treachery."

Chen Xun stroked his beard and looked around. Finding that no one was paying attention to them, he whispered to Cao Nai, "Prime Minister Yang told me before he died."

Cao Nai raised his head: "Hmm?"

"Pan Yun has no emperor or father in her heart, but she has the people in her heart, and she values ​​loyalty. She is not a traitor. As for you saying that she is greedy for fame..." Chen Xun paused and whispered, "I have visited several temples to inquire. She may be cultivating merits."

"What the hell?" Cao Nai was speechless, and then he realized that he had lost his composure and immediately calmed down: "You asked the monk about the Taoist's cultivation method?"

Chen Xun glanced at him and said, "You are surprised by what you have seen. Those who practice Taoism are well-informed. The monks can only know Taoists best. If I don't go to the temple to inquire, should I go to the Imperial Observatory to ask?

Yin Song from the Imperial Observatory is Pan Yun's senior brother. If I go there, he will get the news. What else can I find out?"

Chen Xun whispered, "This method was taught to me by Censor Xu. As expected, those monks only heard her style of doing things and guessed that she was cultivating merits and using the reputation of the mountain god to cultivate merits."

Cao Nai's focus was always different from others. His eyebrows jumped and he asked, "Which Censor Xu?"

"Xu Cheng from the Censorate has some talent in water management and is especially good at astronomy and geography, so he knows more."

Cao Nai, who was upright all his life, said: "...I know him. I heard that he often reads people's faces to ask for money. Minister Chen, you haven't asked him to read your face, have you?"

Chen Xun smiled at him awkwardly, covered his mouth with his hand and whispered: "Brother Cao, don't disbelieve it. Metaphysics has some explanations. Otherwise, why does the Imperial Observatory exist? Why is that Zhang family member in the depths of the palace here? At the beginning of the year, you were not here, and a monster attacked the capital at that time."

Cao Nai's face turned black, and he scolded in a low voice: "You are confused. Even if there are some strange things in this world, as an official appointed by the court, you should stay away from them. We can respect and fear them, but we cannot be close to them and trust them. You actually asked Xu Cheng to tell your fortune!"

Cao Nai felt that Xu Cheng was a bad person and seemed like a treacherous villain.

He said in a deep voice: "Even if you want to calculate, you should find someone from the Imperial Observatory. This is the right way. Xu Cheng is just an imperial censor. He has learned a little and is showing off everywhere. He has a bad character. You should stay away from him in the future."

Chen Xun thought he was overthinking and said with a smile, "It's just a casual chat. Anyway, you know why I called Pan Hong back to the capital, right? If we want to solve the maritime ban more quickly, Pan Yun's help is indispensable."

"Since you said Pan Yun is not a treacherous person and that she is spreading her fame for the sake of cultivation, why don't you tell her directly? I think if she knew that this would benefit the people, she would be willing to help the court."

"But it's not good to ask for help without any evidence," Chen Xun said, "You are using him while ostracizing his father. The environment in Datong is bad. Pan Hong has been in exile for several years and his health is not good. He has been exposed to the wind and sand outside for so long. It's time to call him back."

Cao Nai frowned.

Chen Xun whispered, "Pan Yun's brother was originally studying at the Imperial College. Some time ago, he was also squeezed out to study abroad during the Imperial College exam. I heard that he went to Datong. In this way, her two brothers were also squeezed out to Datong. If she knew about this, let alone whether she would help the court without any grudges, even the court would not be able to speak up."

You can't let people spend effort and money and still shed tears, right?

Chen Xun felt embarrassed just thinking about it.

Cao Nai finally let go and asked, "In your opinion, which position is suitable for Pan Hong?"

Since Chen Xun had requested someone, he naturally investigated the person thoroughly. He smiled and said, "Pan Hong is honest and upright, and is very good at criminal law. He should either be transferred to the Ministry of Justice or the Dali Temple, or sent to the Honglu Temple." (End of this chapter)