The cold wind in the capital in the moon is howling, and although the heavy snow has rarely stopped this morning, the snow nearly a foot deep still makes the street quite deserted. This is already the case in the capital, let alone outside the city, and anyone who can avoid traveling will never be happy to go out.

However, outside today's Yongding Gate, there are a large number of officials braving the biting cold wind, and they are listed on the side of the road according to the rank of the official. Looking at that number, people who don't know may think that the emperor who drove the expedition in person has returned to Beijing in triumph, so they have to mobilize those pro-army of the Son of Heaven wearing flying fish robes and embroidered spring knives on their waists to maintain order.

But then again, so many officials gathered here, not to mention that Jinyiwei must have secretly hidden a large number of people nearby just in case, even if it is from the Dongchang side, it is necessary to come and inspect at any time.

But these officials have no fear today, and they are not afraid of these eagles and dogs reporting at all, just because they are not greeting anyone else, it is the emperor and former scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion Gao Gong Gao Suqing, who is "named as a monarch and a minister, and is like father and son"!

What's more, except for Zhao Zhenji, who "occasionally felt unwell" a few days ago, saying that he went to Yuquan Mountain to recuperate for a few days, the three scholars in Beijing, led by the first assistant Li Chunfang, have all come. Since they are led by the chief assistant, what is it strange that these ministry officials come together? Don't you see, even the Metropolitan Procuratorate, which has always had a tense relationship with Gao Gong, has a lot of people here?

In the hustle and bustle, a team of carriages appeared at the end of the official road under the escort of dozens of soldiers, and the flag on behalf of the Son of Heaven fluttered in the cold wind. ”

At that time, Li Chunfang, the first assistant, was born as a champion, although he was extremely mild, but he also paid attention to appearance, and when he saw that the high-arched carriage and horse were coming, he hurriedly reshaped his appearance. In addition to his slightly dark complexion, this Qingzi Prime Minister is also clear-eyed. He is fifty-nine years old this year, and he is already close to the age of six, three years older than Gao Gong. However, Gao Gong is a Jinshi in Jiajing's 20 years, but Li Chunfang is the champion of Jiajing's 26 years.

As soon as they saw the first assistant's action, all the officials also tidied up their appearance. The one on Li Chunfang's left, handsome and outstanding, looks thirty years old, has a bearing of more than fifty years, is so handsome and steady, who is she? As for the one on Li Chunfang's right, it is Chen Yiqin, who is the same emperor as Gao Gong, this duke is fifty-eight years old this year, but his body and bones seem to be very good, standing with his hands in the cold wind, his face is as usual.

It is also strange to say, Li Chunfang, the chief of the hundred officials and the first assistant, seems to be more earnest than Zhang Juzheng and Chen Yiqin on both sides of him, and the high-arched carriage is still a mile away from this side, so he loudly beckoned the officials to stand in turn, and then personally led the way forward.

When Chen Yiqin saw this, his face was a little ugly, and he snorted lightly. Li Chunfang was as unmoved as her ears were, and she still left in a hurry. Chen Yiqin tilted his head slightly, glanced at Zhang Juzheng, and didn't know what was expressed in his gaze.

Zhang Juzheng smiled and said softly: "Songgu Gong [Note: Chen Yiqin is Songgu.] ] and Zhong Xuan Gong [Note: High arch number Zhong Xuan. Although it was the same year of Jiajing's 20th year of Xin Chou's gold list, after all, Zhongxuan Gong entered the cabinet first...... As for Shoufu, he and I are both Jinshi in the twenty-sixth year of Jiajing, and in front of Zhongxuangong, he is the last to learn and the last to advance, and he takes the initiative to welcome him, which is also reasonable. Besides, the emperor has been looking forward to the return of Zhongxuan Gong to Beijing for a long time, which can really be regarded as looking forward to the autumn water. ”

I have to mention here that when Zhang Juzheng took the exam, although the masters were Sun Chengen and Zhang Zhi, because he took the "Book of Rites", Chen Yiqin, who read the "Book of Rites" test paper at that time, was one of his room teachers [Note: the other room master is Wu Weiyue]. The first place in the first class of Jinshi in that subject is Li Chunfang, the first assistant today. This subject is very good, and the celebrities in the same department include Yin Shidan, Wang Shizhen, Wang Daokun, Wang Zongmao, Wu Baipeng, Liu Yingjie, Wang Xun, Yin Zhengmao, Ling Yunyi, Lu Guangzu, Yang Wei, Song Yiwang, Xu Yan, Yang Jisheng, etc. Counting it up, there are not only first-class prime ministers, first-class literati, but also meritorious commanders in the frontier and loyal ministers who impeach Quan Yu, and they are really very talented.

In the Ming officialdom, age is not considered seniority, and whoever enters the cabinet first is counted - of course, whoever enters the cabinet first is also counted. Therefore, Zhang Juzheng, who is forty-four years old, and Li Chunfang, who is about to be sixty, are the same year; As the first assistant, Li Chunfang, who is nearly sixty years old, is backward in front of Gao Gong and Chen Yiqin, who are both younger than him. As for Zhang Juzheng, who thinks that he is late in school in front of Gao and Chen, it doesn't matter, because he is a few years late except for the middle school, after all, he was born late, and there is really no need to be embarrassed.

Zhang Juzheng brought out these two items, even though Chen Yiqin was still unhappy in his heart, he could only accept his dissatisfaction, and followed stupidly, and had to laugh at himself in his mouth: "Hey! I want to take care of my old face with Brother Taiyue, Gao Suqing was born in Jinshi back then, and I Chen was only born in the same Jinshi, he was only edited by the Jishi Scattered Museum, and my Shuji Scattered Pavilion only did a review, and it was a first-class worse since it came, but it couldn't compare to him, it couldn't compare to him! ”

In fact, although Chen Yiqin's temper is not too good, but people are not stupid after all, he knows that as far as Zhang Juzheng's words just now are concerned, in fact, the front is all nonsense, these brothers have been dealing with each other for a year or two, who still doesn't know whose qualifications? Only the meaning of the last sentence is really important - the situation here today, the emperor is looking at it, what kind of face to give someone Gao at this time is equivalent to giving the emperor what kind of face.

What kind of face is good for the emperor?

Cabinet ministers are not officials, or even ordinary civil ministers, is it a joke to give the emperor a face? I don't want to think about what kind of life the ministers lived when the emperor was still there two years ago! That's really staring at the emperor's face all day long, for fear that he will lose his eyes! Although he is benevolent and generous, he Lao Chen is indeed one of the emperors, but the emperor and the emperor are also close to each other, if you want to say who is the number one emperor in the eyes of today, the first loyal minister in the world, and the first good minister, there is definitely only one candidate: Gao Gong! What are the rest of the people...... Please, yes, yes, go there and get in line.

As soon as the three of them moved, the officials of the Sixth Ministry, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the Hanlin Academy, and other officials in Beijing saw that the three pavilion elders had already stepped forward together, and no matter what they felt in their hearts, they had no choice but to follow up. In fact, there is nothing to think about, since you have come, what kind of posture do you have to handle? Anyway, the three key people who have a deep grudge against Gao Gong are now settled, and they have nothing to do with themselves:

First of all, Xu Jie, who was barely considered a successful retirement, as the "mastermind" of the "inverted arch" of the year, not long after driving away the high arch, he resigned and returned to the field, and now he has already returned to his hometown in Songjiang to enjoy his old age. Moreover, Boss Xu has the hope of the sea, even if he retires to the countryside, his every move is also the world's attention, and it is not a joke to deal with him, even if Gao Gong returns to Beijing strongly, everyone estimates it in their hearts, and thinks that it should not do anything to Xu Huating.

Then there are the two cadres who were crucial in the last time they took down the high arch: Hu Yingjia and Ouyang Yijing.

Hu Yingjia impeached Yang Bo for belittled the official for personal anger and shielded his fellow villagers, which led to a series of variables, and finally Gao Gong was forced to retreat by Xu Jie's coercion of Yanlu, and Hu Yingjia himself was transferred to Jianning to promote the official at that time. After Gao Gong went, he was promoted from the official of Zhengqipin Jianning to the left senator of the political envoy from Sipinhu in one fell swoop, which was definitely a spring breeze. However, it is said that after he learned the news of Gao Gong's reinstatement, he had already played overnight and resigned from all official positions, but due to the tight time, he has not received a reply for the time being.

If it is forgivable that Hu Yingjia was frightened by Gao Gongqifu and immediately resigned, then Ouyang Yijing, who is known as "scolding God", can only be laughed at.

This benevolent brother originally had a distinguished record: he had previously impeached more than 20 civil and military officials above the third rank, as well as one marquis and two earls, and the result of these people was: "all of them are dismissed", so they are privately called "scolding God".

And Ouyang Yijing's biggest achievement occurred in the Jingcha turmoil in the first month of the first year of Longqing. At that time, Yang Bo was impeached by Hu Yingjia for "shielding Shanxi officials", which officially triggered a struggle between the Xu Party and the Gao Party. Ouyang Yijing, who scolded the god, was obviously not a person who was willing to be silent, of course he wanted to participate in it, not only participated, but also compared Gao Gong to Cai Jing, the traitor of the Northern Song Dynasty, and even threatened when it was rumored that Hu Yingjia was going to be deposed, "Deposing Yingjia is not as good as deposing a minister." As a result, he successfully forced Gao Gong back, and then impeached and dismissed Gao Gong's disciple Qi Kang, achieving a seemingly brilliant victory for Xu Jie's party.

Who knows, Gao Gong, who was defeated by the "turbulent public opinion", can actually recover, which completely shocked Ouyang Scolding God, who had previously opened the invincible mode. Ouyang Yijing is like an egg whose shell has been broken, and the yolk has flowed all over the ground - he, like Hu Yingjia, resigned and returned to his hometown on the day he learned the news, and he was a hundred times more decisive than Senator Hu: he didn't wait for a reply, and went straight away. I don't know that before I got halfway, this big bull man actually died of fear - this death is a little embarrassing, after all, the high arch didn't say anything, didn't do anything, you always scared yourself to death, and the courage was a little ugly.

Of course, if you look at this thing the other way around, it can scare the opponent into resignation and death, and the prestige of the high school can also be seen. The only thing to worry about is whether this prestige is good or bad, it is a little difficult to say.