On this day, the autumn was very cool, the bright sun gradually emerged from the clouds, shooting down thousands of golden rays, Zhang Huaizong and Gu Zhengde stood side by side, and after muttering for a long time, Gu Zhengde couldn't help but ask.

"Is the elder really going to retire and return home?"

Hearing this, Zhang Huaizong's eyes moved slightly, and he looked up at the dazzling light on the top of the glazed tile, which made him can't help but empty his eyes, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes are old and helpless.

"When you advance, you advance, when you retreat, you retreat, Shaoting——"

The old Zhang Huaizong patted Gu Zhengde's hand holding him, and the smile on his lips looked a little desolate under this bright autumn day.

You should also remember that. ”

Gu Zhengde's eyes were slightly gloomy when he heard this, and he naturally knew the truth in Zhang Ge's old words.

"Now that I'm old, as Yan Weizhang's people said, my green words are no longer as good as his son Yan Houzhao, and even the government affairs in the cabinet are not as easy to handle as he is. ”

"Pavilion Elder—"

Seeing that Gu Zhengde wanted to speak and stopped, Zhang Huaizong waved his hand, and his voice gradually lowered a lot.

"Now in the cabinet, I am a useless old man, sometimes I look at a sparse performance, my eyes are spent, people are old, forgetfulness is great, and there are more and more typos in writing, and if this continues, I will not retreat, and then the bureau will push me to retreat. ”

Hearing the voice of Zhang Ge Lao beside him with a bit of twilight sadness, Gu Zhengde couldn't help but feel a little more sad, as Zhang Ge Lao said, now his emperor's favor is indeed not as good as before. Whether it is the words written that cannot be praised by His Majesty, or the occasional misspelling on the song and being angrily refuted, this is one shocking wake-up call after another.

But what is really alarming is that the day of the fire to the Fengxian Palace, the emperor summoned the cabinet overnight, it was early in the morning, because Zhang Ge was the oldest in the cabinet, to ask an old man over sixty years old to get up from the brocade quilt groggy, change into court clothes, and drive the chicken to enter the palace when the rooster has not yet crowed, it is indeed difficult to do something.

When people are old, their hands and feet will inevitably become sluggish, even if they are in a hurry, compared to Yan Weizhang, who slept in the room on duty that day, and ran to the Qianqing Palace panting with the tail of his clothes, Zhang Ge Lao was still a little late.

If you put it in the past, this is not a great fault, but that night before others stood firm, and the ceremony was still halfway through, in front of the cabinet and the six ministries, he was severely reprimanded by the emperor, Zhang Ge Lao knelt down tremblingly and admitted his mistake, and the next day he hurried to hand in the guilt, but he was still reprimanded by the emperor for arrogance and beat the guilt back.

In fact, Gu Zhengde and Zhang Huaizong both understood that the reason why the emperor was like this, although there were reasons why Yan Weizhang and his party were provoked by him, there was also a more important gap, that is, between Emperor Jianheng and Zhang Huaizong, as the gap between imperial power and relative power.

In the past, when Zhang Huaizong sat on the position of the first assistant, he worked diligently every day, and in the eyes of the emperor, he was naturally a rare able minister to govern the world, but the longer he stayed, the more stable Zhang Huaizong's position was sitting, and the more students he had under him, the more he was not liked by Emperor Jianheng, and most importantly, as the Emperor Jianheng of the Son of Heaven, naturally thought that he worked hard for the country, occasionally relaxed, and did what he liked.

But it turned out that under some kind of restraint from the cabinet, it seemed to have become a little annoying.

In the past, Emperor Jianheng wanted to build a few more Taoist temples in the palace to show his sincerity to Taoism, but was politely rejected by Zhang Huaizong, the first assistant, on the grounds that the treasury was insufficient, and in Zhang Huaizong's eyes, such things were the emperor's private affairs, not state affairs. (Note: It is the emperor's private money.) ）

Later, Emperor Jianheng felt that his robes of the Son of Heaven were old, and wanted to order the Suzhou Weaving Bureau to send more fine silk from the imperial tribute and make more than a dozen new clothes, but Zhang Huaizong asked the emperor to reduce the supply and demand of silk and satin.

These kinds of things began when Zhang Huaizong laid a solid foundation as the first assistant and made the emperor have to listen to advice, and it has continued to this day.

And the worst thing is not only this, but also that both sides of this contradiction do not see their own inappropriateness, Emperor Jianheng thinks that he is already the king of benevolence and righteousness, not obsessed with harem women, and is not greedy for money and pleasure, but after being tired of government affairs, it is inevitable that he wants to relax for a moment, cultivate the Tao, listen to the scriptures, compared to the construction of a large number of Taoist temples, what is it.

And all this in front of Zhang Huaizong, it is a matter of advice, if you build a Taoist temple, you will want to build ten more, make ten new clothes, and want to do twenty more, this is the nature of people who are greedy for enjoyment. However, Daxing has always been in the middle of internal and external troubles, there are Tatars in the north, there are Japanese in the south, and there are occasional rebellions in the country because of natural and man-made disasters.

At this time, whether it is the palace or the cabinet, or the courtiers and officials, they should tighten their clothes and food, as long as they ensure that the money can be paid on time and there are no worries about life, it should be enough.

It is precisely because of such a contradiction that the emperor's others naturally dare not persuade him, and no one has the courage to come to the emperor and say that you have to be thrifty.

However, in the past 20 years, Zhang Huaizong has always been unswerving, others think this is stubbornness, but Gu Zhengde knows that this is faith.

When a person believes in his life, even if he is a smooth person on weekdays, he will be unswervingly committed to it.

But it is precisely because of this belief that Emperor Jianheng and Zhang Huaizong, the first assistant, gradually went against each other, during which Yan Weizhang played another role, in the eyes of Emperor Jianheng, Yan Weizhang was the most intimate and obedient person.

He wants to cultivate Taoism, Yan Weizhang thinks that this is to respect the will of heaven, he wants to make new clothes, Yan Weizhang even said that he is too frugal on weekdays, and occasionally makes a few more new clothes, there is nothing to do.

Therefore, when Zhang Huaizong fell out of favor more and more, Yan Weizhang gradually won the emperor's heart, and gradually moved to the highest point of decision-making.

This has always been the principle of the Cabinet. Like two people pushing and grinding, when you retreat, it is the day when I lean forward.

"Your Majesty has approved my resignation, and at the end of the month, I will return to my hometown, but fortunately, now that the situation in the cabinet is stable, the situation in the court will also be stable. ”

Zhang Huaizong's voice interrupted Gu Zhengde's thoughts, and when he turned his head, Gu Zhengde was looking at Zhang Huaizong, and in this gaze, he saw the expectation and sincerity of the first assistant in front of him.

"Now I have introduced Tan Wuzhen and Li Yong into the cabinet, among these two, Tan Wuzhen is a capable person, and the two of you should have something to talk about. (Note: Tan Wuzhen studied in Guozijian, and Zhang Huaizong was a student of Zhang Huaizong when he served as Guozijian Priest Wine.) ）

Gu Zhengde heard Zhang Huaizong's serious instructions, and couldn't help but feel sad from it, so he had to bow his head and say: "Shaoting remembers." ”

Zhang Huaizong smiled expectantly when he heard this, and then took Gu Zhengde's hand and looked at the eaves in the sky and said, "Shaoting, the future work will be handed over to you." ”

Gu Zhengde couldn't help but be slightly shocked when he heard this, and his eyes went away, but Zhang Huaizong sighed with emotion: "After I leave, you don't have anything to do with me anymore, and our correspondence will be spared." ”

"Pavilion Elder—"

Zhang Huaizong waved his hand, blocked Gu Zhengde's words, paused abruptly, stopped there, held Gu Zhengde's hand tightly in his hand, and his eyes were full of trust and expectation.

"In the future, you will be the elder of Daxing, the second assistant under one person in the cabinet, I am just an old man in the wilderness, there should be no relationship between you and me, my expectations for you, you should understand, Tan Wuzhen is a capable person, and Xie Yun in the future is also a capable person, these capable people should go further under your guidance in the future, and support a piece of heaven for the people of Daxing. Shaoting, Guozi Priest Wine, Gao Ge Lao has done it, I have done it, Xu Yan has also done it, but it's a pity that Xu Yan has taken the wrong path, otherwise-" (Note: Guozi Supervisor Sacrificial Wine, palm teaches all beings.) ）

Seeing the flash of light in Zhang Huaizong's eyes, Gu Zhengde understood the meaning, or rather, when he came down from the letter of appointment, he understood the intention of this first assistant.

After the examination every three years, whether it is a person who can enter the Hanlin Academy, or a person who is transferred to the six departments, there are students of Guozijian.

"When you are full of peaches and plums in the future, if I am still there, you will bring a jar of good wine to Guixi and drink with me. (Note: Zhang Huaizong is a native of Guixi, Jiangxi.) ）

Hearing Zhang Huaizong's last sentence, although Gu Zhengde felt sad, he couldn't help but rise up with a pride and ambition that had never been extinguished.

Shaoting remembered the words of the elder pavilion. ”

Zhang Huaizong finally felt relieved when he heard this, nodded with a smile, and looked at the wild geese in the distance with Gu Zhengde, and his heart gradually fluctuated.

Gu Zhengde understands that when the peach and plum in Zhang Ge's mouth are all over the world, it will be the moment when he exists as the first assistant and his protégés are all over the court.

At this moment, in Gu Zhengde's heart, the gratitude to Zhang Huaizong has reached the extreme.

In the past, although it was the emperor who made an exception to allow him to enter the cabinet, it was the old man who taught and supported him so far. Now he is comfortable in the court, but the elder of the pavilion has gray sideburns.

And now, when he was leaving, Ge Lao entrusted him with an era, an era that belonged to him Gu Zhengde.