On the Avenue.

Chapter 310 The Ming Dynasty Paperhanger

The cabinet chief Zhang Fuzheng's smug expression froze on his face.

The scene before him was somewhat beyond his expectations.

In this competition for the number one scholar, it seemed like a competition between Chen Shi and the young master, and it seemed like Chen Tang was against the civil and military officials, but in fact, the one who controlled the situation was his prime minister Zhang Fuzheng!

He is the one who really controls the situation.

He openly supports Chen Shi and Chen Tang in their fight for the top spot, and inspires the courage of the young master to fight Chen Shi, thus facilitating this duel. Chen Shi and Chen Tang will not guard against him, allowing him to approach the Nine Palaces of the True King at any time.

At the same time, he urged the Ninth Palace to stop Chen Shi from killing the young master at the last moment, thus fulfilling the interests of the thirteen families.

In this way, no matter Chen Shifang, Gongzifang, or the Thirteen Aristocratic Families, they will all become timid because of his actions.

He is the backbone of this decisive battle, he is the pillar of the Ming Dynasty, and he is the elder who shoulders the responsibilities of fifty provinces in Xiniu and Xinzhou!
The former cabinet minister Yan Xianzhi resigned from the position of Prime Minister due to the arrival of Xiaowu, avoiding disaster and waiting for a comeback, and was eyeing the position of Prime Minister. Zhang Fu took over the position in times of crisis, but he lacked the qualifications, connections, and prestige of Yan Xianzhi, so it was not difficult for Yan Xianzhi to take back his position.

But in this competition for the top scholar, Zhang Fuzheng made it look like a piece of cake and controlled the three forces. All the civil and military officials, Chen Shi, and the young master had to look up to him!

His authority and prestige will inevitably reach its peak, and Yan Xianzhi will never be able to regain the position of Prime Minister!
The only problem now is that he couldn't control Chen Shi.

The young master is dead.

At the moment when Zhang Fu was urging the might of Zhongji Palace and shouting "Stop", Chen Shi destroyed the young master under the power of the Ten Absolute Formations!

Zhang Fuzheng felt like the sky was falling.

It is not easy for the thirteen families to assist a true king who can control the country. They carefully selected and cultivated them twenty or thirty years ago. Now, when it is time for them to bloom and bear fruit, they suddenly die.

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead and his heart felt cold.

His move seemed clever, and it still stabilized his position and enhanced his authority and prestige, but he knew that he had messed up.

At this time, the sky suddenly turned red, the two suns slowly closed their eyes, and the blazing flames in the eyes of the True God from outer space were squeezed out by his eyelids, forming a sea of ​​fire stretching for tens of thousands of miles in the sky eighty miles above Xiniu Xinzhou, burning fiercely like a sunset glow.

"It's getting dark a moment earlier!" The Wuguan Lingtailang from the Imperial Astronomical Observatory came hurriedly to report, which seemed to be a bad omen.

Although it was a hot summer day on May 26th, it did not feel scorching hot at all.

There was a magnificent chariot parked outside the Chenxi Teahouse on Wuchang Street, with all kinds of flying talismans painted on the body of the chariot. In addition to the traditional divine travel talismans and armor and horse talismans, there were also dragon, phoenix and thunder patterns. The canopy was also extremely luxurious, with pearls hanging from the garlands and painted with the sun, moon and stars.

The horses pulling the cart were also dragons. They were two dragon colts, blue-red in color, and had grown wings. They were extremely majestic.

When this creature runs, it will soar into the clouds and rush through the air, and it can easily travel thousands of miles a day.

Xiao Wangsun circled the chariot four or five times and left reluctantly.

In the teahouse, Yan Xianzhi and Zhang Fu were sitting face to face. The two old men looked at Xiao Wangsun who was dragged away by Jin Hongying, and did not speak for a long time.

After a long while, when the tea had cooled down, Zhang Fuzheng said slowly, "Lord Yan, I won this battle between you and me. Do you admit it?"

Yan Xianzhi used his magic power to warm the tea, picked up the teacup, and said solemnly: "Fu Zheng usually doesn't show off his talent, but I didn't expect that he has a lot of knowledge and is a hundred times better than me. I also didn't expect that you could move between the three forces with ease. If Chen Shi's last attack was not beyond your expectations, you would have won! I am not as good as you, and I lose with conviction! Let me toast to you!"

Zhang Fuzheng picked up the herbal tea and said with a smile: "It is enough for me to receive such praise from Brother Xianzhi in my life."

The two of them drank tea instead of wine.

Yan Xianzhi ordered the waiter to change a pot of hot tea and pour tea for Zhang Fuzheng, saying, "But, Chen Shi's killing of the young master is a matter of great concern. How to solve it later is a big problem that will test the ability of the Prime Minister. The Ming Dynasty is in tatters. If the Prime Minister of the Cabinet did not have the skills of a paperhanger, it would have collapsed long ago. Can Fuzheng teach me?"

Zhang Fuzheng said with a smile: "Brother Xianzhi has been a cabinet minister for so many years, he must have had a draft in mind. But since Brother Xianzhi asked, I will say something."

He paused and said, "The young master is dead, and the monkeys scatter when the tree falls. Everything is over and done with. Don't worry about him. The various forces that the young master has planted in the court and the local areas should be removed if necessary, and those that should be incorporated should be incorporated. After all, they are also a considerable fortune."

Yan Xianzhi nodded slightly.

Zhang Fuzheng continued, "Give Chen Shi the title of No. 1 Scholar, and don't punish him in any way. First, it demonstrates the justice of the court. Second, it shuts up Chen Shi and Chen Tang. Third, the Chen family has accumulated wealth for three generations. Although the family is small, its strength is comparable to that of the aristocratic families. The court must maintain a certain respect for powerful forces."

Yan Xianzhi said: "I'm afraid the rest of your followers won't give up."

"That's their business with Chen Shi, and has nothing to do with the court. The court is still mainly using a conciliatory approach towards Chen's father and son."

Zhang Fu was drinking tea and said, "As for the third one, it is about how to give an explanation to the Thirteenth Family for their hard work over the years. Those who caused this situation must face punishment."

Yan Xianzhi sighed: "This is the most difficult point."

Zhang Fuzheng nodded gently: "This is indeed difficult. Brother Xianzhi, this tea is on you."

Yan Xianzhi said: "I'll treat you."

Zhang Fuzheng stood up and walked down the teahouse, then stopped and turned back and said, "You didn't do anything, I did everything. I won everywhere, I was better than you, I can't understand it, I really can't understand it."

Yan Xianzhi smiled and said, "In the Ming Dynasty at this time, sometimes not doing anything means winning. But doing something is wrong and will lead to losing."

“Is it right to do nothing?”

Zhang Fuzheng shook his head and laughed, then turned and went downstairs.

Yan Xianzhi waited for a moment, came to the window, and looked down. He saw the coachman opening the door of the carriage and Zhang Fu walking in with a bent waist.

The carriage set off and left Xijing.

This morning, Zhang Fuzheng's resignation was submitted to the cabinet.

Zhang Fuzheng did everything and Yan Xianzhi did nothing, but Zhang Fuzheng made mistakes and had to give an explanation to the Thirteen Families and resign from the position of Prime Minister.

Yan Xianzhi once again became the prime minister.

When Yan Xian went downstairs, the storyteller in the teahouse was still telling the story of the battle between Chen Shi and the young master. He was crying and describing the top scholar Chen Shi as an unforgivable criminal with heinous crimes.

Yan Xianzhi stood in the crowd and listened for a while, then shook his head and thought, "What these ordinary people know is just superficial, one-sided, and emotional."

He walked out of the teahouse and slowly headed towards the inner city.

People on the streets were also talking about the battle between Chen Shi and the young master, and describing the incident of Chen Shi killing the young master in vivid detail, as if they had seen it with their own eyes.

All kinds of rumors are flying around, some are extremely absurd, while others are well analyzed.

"When people leave, the tea gets cold; when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. All these criticisms will be settled in a month. As for the common people, what should be done is still done. What is right and wrong has nothing to do with the daily necessities of life," he said silently in his heart.

He listened to people's discussions all the way, and the conversation became calmer when he entered the inner city. He came to Wenyuan Pavilion, entered the cabinet, and sat down.

At this moment, the other twelve ministers of the cabinet were already waiting for him, all eyes fixed on his face.

Yan Xianzhi smiled slightly and said, "Gentlemen, the title of the top scholar should be decided." "Lord, the matter of Chen Shi killing the young master..."

"In the competition for the top scholar in every generation, casualties are inevitable. This is an unfortunate event. The cabinet expresses condolences to Ren Mu's family, and the court should show some sympathy."

Yan Xianzhi said, "Also, Minister of War Ren Xiao lost his son and is heartbroken. He is also old, and the court should not delay his retirement. Let's persuade him to leave the court tomorrow morning."

The twelve ministers nodded silently.

Xia Canghai asked, "Then what about Lord Chen Tang? The Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is in charge of eight warehouses and four granaries. I'm afraid he has made a lot of money over the years, right?"

He couldn't help but feel a little indignant, and said: "Mr. Cui, the Minister of Revenue, is like a fool, and has no idea how much Chen Tang has embezzled!"

Cui Baihe, who was the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and also a cabinet minister, was in the Wenyuan Pavilion. Upon hearing this, his face turned red and he slammed the table in anger, saying, "Xia Canghai, you went to the Ministry of Revenue to be the Minister, but you were deceived by him like a fool! Who here doesn't think that Chen Tang is a loyal minister? Who doesn't think that he is a pillar of the country? Who discovered that he coveted the secrets of the thirty-seven talisman gods? You all think he is a great talent!"

Xia Canghai sneered, "He doesn't work under me, but under you! Your people have been so greedy that they have injured hundreds of civil and military officials. Even several ancestors were injured by him, and the ancestor of the Ma family even had his leg broken!"

Lord Ma Lishu was a little unhappy: "What do you mean the ancestor of the Ma family had his legs broken? The ancestor of the Li family didn't have his legs broken? The ancestor of the Li family was bullied by Chen Wu and was severely injured. Just when he was a little better, he was beaten by the white-clothed fairy and was seriously injured. Just when he was a little better, he was beaten by Chen Tang and was seriously injured again..."

Li Xiaoshuang, the Lord, slammed the table and said angrily, "Ma Lishu, what do you mean? The thirteen families are of the same blood. Which ancestor has not been beaten by Chen Wu? Which ancestor has not been beaten by the white-clothed fairy? If they had not left early, they would have been beaten by Chen Tang this time!"

……

The twelve ministers quarreled and almost came to a fight.

Yan Xianzhi let them quarrel, feeling quite helpless: "The Ming Dynasty paperhangers are only responsible for paperhanging."

When everyone was tired of arguing, Xia Canghai asked, "Lord, Chen Tang has committed many evil deeds and has been corrupt and perverted the law. How should we investigate and deal with him?"

"Investigate? Investigate what? Who will investigate?"

Yan Xianzhi spread his hands and said in astonishment, "If I don't investigate, who will? Lord Xia, you investigate? Or Lord Ma, you investigate? What's the big deal about embezzling a little money? Isn't the Ministry of Revenue still running well? Isn't the court still running well? Is it you, Lord Li, who has never been corrupt, or you, Lord Cui, who has never been corrupt? Or Lord Gao, Lord Fei?"

Everyone stopped talking.

Xia Canghai couldn't help but say, "We can't let him continue in this position. He has been the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue for so many years, and he has been able to embezzle thirty-seven Talisman Gods' Heavenly Secrets. If he continues to sit in this position, I dare not imagine how many Talisman Gods' Heavenly Secrets he can accumulate! Otherwise, let's demote him to a lower position?"

Yan Xianzhi shook his head and said, "You are not afraid of his family's thirty-seven talisman gods, but I am. Lord Chen Tang has worked diligently in the Ministry of Revenue and has made great contributions. How can he be demoted? He should be promoted! Why not promote him to Ronglu Doctor, a first-rank official? What do you think?"

The twelve ministers smiled knowingly and nodded in agreement.

This move is a promotion in name only and a demotion in reality.

The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was of the third rank, while Doctor Ronglu was of the first rank. It seemed that they were promoted twice, but the Right Vice Minister was in charge of eight warehouses and four granaries, while Doctor Ronglu had only the title but no real power. This meant that Chen Tang was sidelined after his promotion, and he could not access any resources.

"My Lord, what should we do with Chen Shi, the number one scholar? He must be given a position."

Cui Baihe said, "Chen Shi is currently serving as an ambassador at Guangjiku. In my opinion, he is not much better than his father. I'm afraid that Guangjiku has become Chen Zhuangyuan's insider trading."

Yan Xianzhi smiled and said, "Of course we should promote him. The ambassador is only a ninth-rank official. He should be promoted three levels first and go to the Hanlin Academy to be a historian and editor, so as to live up to his literary talent."

Everyone praised it as wonderful.

At this point, the cabinet has made its decision.

On the second day, the cabinet's decree was issued in the court. A large number of officials were dismissed from their posts or investigated. The Minister of War Ren Xiong also retired and returned to his hometown.

In addition, the Fuzheng Pavilion will be abolished and its officials will no longer be hired.

This incident caused an uproar in the government and the country.

In addition, Chen Tang's promotion also caused a lot of discussion.

The Thirteen Families were troubled by the Chen father and son, but Lord Yan took action and calmed down the storm easily, which is really admirable.

A few days later, the imperial court announced the results, and Chen Shi was the top scorer in the golden exam, and Zhang You was the second.

The third place winner caused quite a stir. She was a female Jinshi named Hu Feifei.

Because the children of the thirteen noble families suffered heavy losses, the children of other noble families could not beat Hu Feifei, and with the influence of the fox clan, the title of third place in the imperial examination inexplicably fell on Hu Feifei's head.

After the third place, there are the second and third place Jinshi.

Hundreds of people are listed on the gold list.

Two days later, the court arranged official positions for many Jinshi scholars, some of them were small officials in local areas or in Xijing.

Chen Shi was also demoted to a lower position as a historian in the Hanlin Academy, a sixth-rank position, which was already considered high, but it was also a sinecure and had no real power.

Chen Shi didn't care about it at all. He went to the Hanlin Academy to sign in, then went home to rest and enjoy his leisure time.

He got back Shiji Niangniang, the ginseng doll and other elixirs from Chen Tang, and also got back Xiaozhutian. Shiji Niangniang entered his small temple again, feeling very satisfied. But when she saw that there was a woman in white on her shrine in the temple, her face suddenly changed and she was about to get angry.

However, she felt the aura of this woman and suddenly became much calmer, sitting obediently on the third shrine.

Chen Shi was also a little surprised, thinking: "Has Empress Shiji changed her temper these days? She didn't even kick this female scholar out."

He was also a little surprised. This female scholar had been in a coma for a long time and had not woken up even after recuperating in his small temple for such a long time.

His primordial spirit sat on the central shrine, with the "female scholar" and Shiji Niangniang on his left and right. His true energy became extremely pure, and his Taoist body was naturally accomplished.

At this time, there was a commotion outside Chen's house. Chen Shi walked out to see that it was Hu Guanghan, Tian Yue'e and hundreds of other scholars who came to Chen's house to ask for a meeting.

Chen Shi hurriedly invited them into the Chen Mansion, but there were too many people and the Mansion was too small, so there was no room for everyone, so they could only talk on Qianyang Street.

"Teacher, I have been granted official positions and will be serving as officials in the local areas. Today I come to say goodbye to you, Master."

Everyone bowed down.

Chen Shi hurriedly supported them and said with a smile: "You and I are both candidates of the same imperial examination. How dare I be your mentor?"

He questioned these successful candidates one by one. They all held low official positions. Most of them were county magistrates or chief clerks in local counties. The better ones were judges, experience officials, and governors in prefectures. These were all positions that required them to do practical work, unlike his position as a historian which was so empty.

Chen Shi then asked them one by one whether they had any difficulties in their practice, answered them on the spot, and left behind long-distance sound transmission notes for everyone.

When it was time to say goodbye, everyone bowed together.

"Master, we have a long journey ahead of us, and we don't know whether we will live or die. I bid farewell to you today. I hope that one day I can come to you and ask for your guidance!"

(End of this chapter)