Wu Mansion, Flower Hall, happy and harmonious.

Xiao Jinian and others arrived one after another, a group of people drank tea and chatted here, and some people even put on a chessboard to play against each other. Because he was in Wu Mansion this time, although Yang Futian proposed to fight the horse hanging, no one dared to respond.

The court was very calm during this time, and everyone's topic quickly moved away from government affairs, but talked about their own daily affairs. For example, Yang Futian's fear of internal tragedy, Zhang Wei's daughter Zhang Rui's marriage and choice of mate, and Xiao Jinian's favor for the top brand of Rejuvenation Building.

They get together at least once or twice a month, and they have long been familiar with each other, and they are no longer simply political allies, and they have formed a strong friendship with each other.

In the political ecology of the Ming Dynasty, the friendship in the same year is sometimes worse than that of fellow villagers, and the future of a certain branch of Jinshi who can form a group will often go further, and there is even a feat of three ministers and one assistant.

Lin Haoran didn't get too involved in these homely chats, but he had other plans in his heart, and took the initiative to find Zhou Youqing, the head of the ministry, and followed him to talk about the personnel topics of the ministry.

The Ministry of Officials has always been the most influential yamen in Jingcha, but the Ministry of Officials is not Guo Pu's yamen alone after all, there are also Li Chunfang, the left waiter, and Hu Song, the right waiter.

Whether it is in the court or in a yamen, eating alone has always been criticized. Guo Pu can eat meat, but Li Chunfang, Hu Song and others undoubtedly still have to get a bite of soup.

Zhou Youqing is also a very observant person, when even every official in the Ministry of Officials said it as it was, and finally seriously put forward his thoughts: "Senior brother, Li Shilang's bearing is extraordinary, and Guo Butang also dares to argue with reason, you can win him over!" ”

"But I don't know if there is no chance, I want to meet him?" Lin Haoran's heart moved, and he immediately asked seriously.

Zhou Youqing thought for a while, and said with bright eyes: "On the eighth day of the first month of this month, Li Shilang will participate in the wedding banquet of Chen Langzhong of the Ministry of Industry, if you also come to attend the wedding banquet of Chen Langzhong, it will be a good opportunity to meet!" ”

Li Chunfang's identity is here, so he naturally wants to be ranked as the chief, and Lin Haoran is now also the Shuntian Mansion Yin of the third grade, so he will naturally arrange to be at the same table with Li Chunfang.

Both of them went to the banquet together, which would undoubtedly be a "coincidence".

"Okay, I remember that Chen Langzhong also submitted me a post!" Lin Haoran was overjoyed in his heart and immediately decided.

Li Chunfang, the champion of Jiajing in the twenty-sixth year and the first. Because of his good writing of green words and Jiajing's appreciation, he was unusually replaced, and last year he was appointed as the right waiter of the Ministry of Rites, and now he is promoted to the left waiter of the Ministry of Officials.

This kind of minister in an important position, plus he is still young, it is inevitable that he will enter the cabinet to worship the prime minister one day. And Lin Haoran knew that Li Chunfang would have the opportunity to be the first assistant in the future.

If he can really win him over, he will undoubtedly be an ideal political ally.

It was at this time that the housekeeper came to the flower hall and said to Lin Haoran that Wu Shan asked him to go to the study.

Lin Haoran greeted everyone and followed the housekeeper in the direction of the study.

Yang Futian and others have long been accustomed to this, not to mention that Lin Haoran is already the Shuntian Mansion Yin of the third grade, Lin Haoran is also the most talented one of their protégés, and he is also the son-in-law of their teacher, so he is naturally closer.

Lin Haoran entered the study and found that Wu Shan was entertaining guests, a little old man with an extraordinary bearing.

"The son-in-law has seen the father-in-law!"

"I've seen the boss in my late life!"

Lin Haoran first saluted Wu Shan, and then saluted the unidentified little old man.

The identity of the little old man who can appear here is naturally extraordinary, but he is not any court tycoon that Lin Haoran knows, and he is inevitably a little curious about the identity of this little old man.

The little old man was not tall and fair-skinned, and smiled at Lin Haoran.

Wu Shan nodded slightly, raised his hand and pointed to the little old man next to him and formally introduced: "Ruoyu, this is Zhang Yongming, the new secretary of the Criminal Department, and he is the same Jinshi as me!" ”

"It turned out to be Zhang Butang, and the lower official was rude just now!" Lin Haoran suddenly realized that he was busy making a confession.

Zhang Yongming was a jinshi in Jiajing for 14 years, transferred from the county to the official system, and later transferred to the local post, and the official went to Shanxi Zuobu Political History, and at the end of last year, he became the governor of Henan, and now he has replaced the criminal department book left by Cai Yuncheng.

The most important factor in Zhang Yongming's ability to return to the center of power in the capital from an expatriate Beijing official as the secretary of the criminal department is undoubtedly the operation of Guo Pu, the secretary of the ministry.

After counting the time, Zhang Yongming should indeed rush back to the capital from Henan, but he didn't want to appear in his father-in-law's study today.

"Brother Jing, you really found a good son-in-law!" Zhang Yongming looked at Wu Shan enviously, and then stroked his beard and praised Lin Haoran: "When the old man was in Shanxi, he heard the name of Lin Wenkui, and today I saw that it was really a dragon among people!" ”

"Zhang Butang praised it falsely!" Lin Haoran responded modestly.

Wu Shan's expression was as serious as ever, and he said to Lin Haoran lightly: "Sit down!" ”

Lin Haoran saluted Zhang Yongming, and then sat down at the tea table, his mind was also running rapidly. But I don't know if my father-in-law wants to introduce me to Zhang Yongming, or if I have something to discuss with me.

"The old man has heard that you are a master of solving cases, so please come over, but in fact, there is something to ask for!" Zhang Yongming looked at Lin Haoran and said straight to the point.

Lin Haoran realized that it was Zhang Yongming who took the initiative to get to know him, and immediately responded: "Don't dare!" Zhang Shangshu has any orders, even if he asks, the kid doesn't dare to disobey! ”

Although the status of the criminal department is not low, in the current environment of the party's unity and disagreement, it is already at the end of the six departments, and even the status has to be ranked behind the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

It's just that Zhang Yongming is the official of the second grade after all, and he is a friend of Wu Shan in the same year, Lin Haoran has to be inferior, and he must maintain a respect for this criminal department secretary.

"The old man has just been appointed as the secretary of the Criminal Department, and I want to ask you for a lesson or two!" Zhang Yongming looked up at Lin Haoran's eyes and said with a slight smile.

When Lin Haoran heard that it was this kind of retreat, he exchanged glances with Wu Shan, and immediately understood that this criminal department scholar was false, and in essence, he deliberately called him over to talk, so as to deepen the relationship between the two parties.

Although Zhang Yongming took Guo Pu's line, Wu Shan was also his friend in the same year, and Wu Shan also had the grace of promoting him as the left attendant of the ministry. Whether it was for the kindness and affection of the past, or because he wanted to step on two boats, he had reason to be closer to Wu Shan.

Officialdom is complicated by this, no one actually has an absolute circle, and there will be different degrees of intersection with other circles.

Like Zhou Youqing, the head of the Ministry of Officials just now, he is an authentic Jiangxi native, and the fat shortage that he was able to be assigned to the head of the Ministry of Officials back then was not the result of him taking the road of Yanfu.