Thief Emperor

Chapter 1105 Central Government Succession
This problem has troubled Minister Xu for twenty years.

Back then, he was clearly the top scholar in the Jinling Literary Gathering, and after winning the title, he was immediately appointed by Li Yun as the Prefect of Hezhou.

His starting point in officialdom was already the end point for many others.

Over the past twenty years, he has served in various official positions. Although his promotions have not been particularly rapid, they have been relatively smooth. He rose from a local official to the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and then to the Minister of Justice. Now, he is about to become the Prime Minister as the Minister of Justice.

Such a resume is solid, without any problems, and quite impressive.

But for the past twenty years, there has been one person who has kept him in the shadows.

That is... Yao Zhongyao in the middle!

Yao Juzhong was clearly a "Jinling Jinshi" from the same cohort as him, but after passing the exam, he stayed in Jinling, supposedly working in the government office as an assistant to the then Prefect Du.

However, this "assistant" person inexplicably became one of the de facto prime ministers of the entire Jiangdong Group within a few years, and after the founding of the country, he directly became the second prime minister.

Even, even... a few years ago, Yao Shen, the eldest son of this Minister Yao who entered officialdom through hereditary privilege, became the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and served as Xu Kun's deputy.

This speed of advancement, along with his resume, far surpasses that of Xu Kun.

This left him with a lingering sense of frustration.

Now, he is finally about to enter the Hall of State Affairs and become prime minister. After more than ten years of hard work, at least in theory, he is finally on the same level as Yao Zhong. Even though there is still a big gap between their status in the Hall of State Affairs and in the court, Xu Kun can finally ask this question now.

Who was the champion of the Jinling Literary Gathering back then?

If he is the top leader, why is his treatment so drastically different?

Was it simply because he was too young at the time?

After hearing this question, Prime Minister Du remained silent for a long time before sighing, "This is a question that Houde should ask His Majesty."

Minister Xu looked up at Du Qian, cupped his hands and said, "Prime Minister Du, I have been holding this question in my heart for many years. You are naturally aware of the inside story. If you are unwilling to tell me, I will go to see His Majesty when I have an audience with him."

Minister Du shook his head slightly: "Why be so serious?"

"Back then, you were only in your early twenties, and now you're in your forties. At this age, you're considered young to become prime minister."

"I understand."

Xu Shangshu paused for a moment, then continued, "If all the Jinshi graduates from Jinling in the same cohort were like me, taking twenty years to enter the Hall of State Affairs, then I would have no problem at all."

Prime Minister Du sighed, pointed to the chair in front of him, and gestured for Minister Xu to sit down. After Xu Kun sat down, he looked at the Minister of Justice and said, "Back then, during the Jinling Literary Gathering, Jiangdong was short of people, and I was indeed short of helpers. Otherwise, His Majesty, who was nominally still a subject of Zhou at that time, would not have been able to openly hold the Jinling Literary Gathering."

"If you see this point."

Minister Xu's gaze narrowed slightly: "If I see this, may I also remain by Prime Minister Du's side?"

Perhaps.

After a moment's hesitation, Prime Minister Du said, "However, if you and Prime Minister Yao had stayed by my side and assisted me, neither of you would have been the champion of that literary gathering."

"The champion of that literary gathering will surely become the prefect of the state. Can Houde understand this?"

Minister Xu thought about it carefully, and then said, "You still haven't answered me who was the champion in that year's competition."

"I have already said."

Du Qian said with a smile, "Since you have been appointed as the governor of Hezhou, you will naturally be the top candidate in that term. There is no dispute about that. Even if Yao Juzhong were to his face, he would not deny it."

"There is much to learn in this interplay of reality and illusion."

Minister Xu took a deep breath and said, "If the difference is so great just because it's just the empty title of champion, then this empty title is far too valuable."

Prime Minister Du stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "You were too young back then. Now you have twenty years of experience in the local government and the imperial court. This may not be a bad thing. Your future will be even brighter."

He said calmly, "After you became prime minister, you were the youngest among the several prime ministers of the Central Secretariat."

Prime Minister Guo You is over fifty years old this year.

Of the first batch of prime ministers of the Zhangwu dynasty, Tao Wenyuan was already bedridden, Xu Ang was a lone minister, and Yao Zhong…

I'm already old.

The second batch of the Council of State will be established soon, with Du Qian naturally at the core. However, it will probably not be long before the other four prime ministers are all replaced.

You should know that Master Xu is not young anymore. When His Majesty the Emperor rescued him in Haiyan County, he was already over thirty years old, and now he is nearly sixty.

Du Xiangong's words made his meaning quite clear: he meant that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Xu Kun would achieve great things later in life and might even take over the position of Grand Secretary from Du Xiangong.

Such a lucrative opportunity was irresistible to everyone. Even Minister Xu began to stammer as he spoke. Minister Du patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Go back and prepare. The imperial edict should be issued in the next few days. Organize the important matters of the Ministry of Justice. After the court recommendation process, a new Minister of Justice will take over your duties."

"Then, Houde, come to the Secretariat to report for duty." Xu Kun bowed his head and replied, "Yes," then asked, "Am I taking over the duties from Minister Tao?"

Prime Minister Du shook his head slightly.

"Prime Minister Tao is unlikely to resign; you will have your own job in the future."

Xu Kun responded and stepped out of Prime Minister Du's office. Not long after he left, he saw Prime Minister Yao walking towards him. Prime Minister Yao seemed to be waiting for him. When he saw him come out, he smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Congratulations, Houde."

Minister Xu returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Prime Minister Yao already knows?"

"This morning, Minister Du gave me a heads-up."

Yao Zhong looked at Xu Kun and sighed, "Twenty years have passed. Looking back, it all seems like a dream. I am now very old, but my virtue and demeanor remain unchanged."

Minister Xu shook his head and said, "Back then at the Jinling Literary Gathering, Prime Minister Yao was on the street advising fellow candidates to give up the exam."

"Looking back on this matter afterward, I realize that I am far inferior to Prime Minister Yao."

Yao stepped forward, tugged at Minister Xu's sleeve, and said with a smile, "I come from a poor family. I had been poor for half my life, but I wanted to get ahead. There was really no other way."

"We are both from Jiangdong. From now on, in the Hall of State Affairs, we will look after each other and help each other out."

Just as Minister Xu was about to speak, a young man dressed in purple strolled over and asked with a smile, "What are you two talking about?"

Xu and Yao immediately bowed and greeted, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

At this moment, the Crown Prince was dressed in purple robes and wore a golden crown. Having participated in politics for several years, he had already developed a regal air.

He raised his hand, gesturing for the two to stand up, then looked at Xu Kun and said with a smile, "It's rare to see Minister Xu come to the Secretariat."

"Perfect timing. I have some questions about a few documents from the Ministry of Justice, and I was just about to call over the head of the Ministry of Justice to inquire about them. Since Minister Xu is here, why don't you come and sit with me?"

This was official business, and there was no way to refuse. Minister Xu could only lower his head and say, "Yes, Your Highness."

His Highness the Crown Prince nodded slightly to Yao Juzhong, then smiled and said, "Let's go then, to my office."

"Yes."

Seeing Xu Kun being taken away by His Highness the Crown Prince, Minister Yao paused for only a moment before approaching Minister Du with his hands clasped together. He said with a smile, "Your Highness is becoming increasingly diligent in your duties."

Du Xiangong looked up at Yao Zhong and said quietly, "This is a good thing."

"It's a good thing."

Minister Yao coughed and asked, "Minister Du, do you have a candidate for the position of Commissioner of the Three Departments of Longyou Circuit?"

Du Xiangong looked up at him and said in a daze, "Brother Juzhong, you have someone in mind?"

Yao Zhong nodded and said, "I want my son to serve as the Provincial Governor of Longyou Circuit."

Du Xiangong was somewhat surprised and said, "That's a remote border region. You'll suffer a lot if you go there."

"If I remember correctly, even if your son isn't promoted to Vice Minister of the Six Ministries next year, he'll be perfectly capable of becoming a Director of the Six Ministries."

"He needs to experience some hardship and do something practical."

Yao Xiangong said in a low voice, "Otherwise, we won't be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility in the future."

He looked at Du Qian and sighed, "My health is deteriorating day by day, and I have a large family to support."

"We need to cultivate a pillar of strength."

Du Xiangong was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Brother Juzhong, you truly have discerning eyes."

"His Majesty values ​​the Longyou Circuit highly. If you do a good job as the Provincial Governor, you'll be very successful."

"Your son has a bright future ahead of him."

Yao Xiangong said quietly, "If he doesn't do a good job, his official career is over."

After a brief consideration, Prime Minister Du nodded.

"Very well, then we will select your son to go to Longyou Road. In a few days, the Ministry of Personnel will draft a report and submit it."

Yao Xiangong bowed in greeting.

"Thank you, Prime Minister Du."

(End of this chapter)