Since Shao An's visit to the prime minister, his mansion has often been crowded with people who have come to congratulate him. Anyone can see that it was instructed by the emperor, which shows the deep trust of the saint. People predict that sooner or later, Shao An's power will overshadow the princes and ministers of Chang'an, and eventually he will be in full swing and dominate the world.

Shao An listened to the congratulatory voices around him, whether sincere or false, but did not get lost in the glory, but was able to quickly analyze the current situation calmly and calmly.

There are congratulations, and there are naturally curses. As the emperor expected, because Shao An's qualifications were not enough to convince the public, the ministers complained in private. Fortunately, the emperor had foresight, and when he paid homage to the prime minister, he acted vigorously and resolutely and did not give everyone a chance to consider it. Otherwise, the twists and turns on the dragon case will definitely pile up now.

Because the ministers did not raise any objections to Shao Anwei during the court discussion, it would definitely not work if they objected now. The emperor thought that he could stop the mouths of the ministers now, but the ministers were so cunning that they came up with new tricks.

In the early dynasties, Dong Qiming, the left attendant of the Ministry of Rites, came out of the ranks, took out a chapter, and said: "The country is established, and every move must be lawful." Shangshu Province should be Xuanxiang, facing Ziyuan, so Liuqing is the official of the mouthpiece, and the Lang official should be the position of the stars. …… The minister asked for the restoration of the three-province system in the early Tang Dynasty. ”①

After saying so much, he had only one meaning, that is, to restore Shangshu and Menxia to contain Zhongshu Province and disperse the power of Zhongshu Order.

Historically, in the eleventh year of Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Zhongshu ordered Zhang Shuo to change the political affairs hall to "Zhongshu Menxia", so that Menxia Province was returned to Zhongshu Province, and the Zhongshu Menxia system was established. As for Shangshu Province, it has been gradually abandoned since the end of the Tang Dynasty and the fifth dynasty. Later, the founding emperor of this dynasty directly abolished the two provinces of Shangshu and Menxia, and led the six departments of Zhongshu Province to preside over the national government affairs, and the three-province system gradually developed into a three-province system.

This system has been in place for a long time, and now it is suddenly proposed to restore the three-province system, which is obviously aimed at Shao'an.

After listening to Dong Qiming's advice, the courtiers all secretly raised their eyes and glanced at Shao An, the new minister standing in the first row. It is absolutely impossible to delegate power, and if you consolidate power, the emperor will be jealous. Shao An's new official suffered this disaster not long after he took office, and everyone waited to see how he planned to deal with it.

Shao An was silent and braked quietly. Sun Yi knew that it was inconvenient for Shao An to speak at this moment, so he spoke for him: "It seems inappropriate for the subordinates and Shangshu to be abolished for a long time, and they are suddenly reestablished. ”

"The system of three provinces and six ministries began in the Sui Dynasty and was used in the Tang Dynasty. It is based on the decision-making of the province, the audit of the province, and the implementation of the province, and the three complement each other. And now there is only one province left, Zhongshu, which is in charge of finances and monopolizes power. Zhongshu Province can even directly command the prefectures, prefectures, and counties to carry out government decrees, and carry out affairs that were previously handled by the six departments of Shangshu. In the end, Dong Qiming asked Sun Yi excitedly, "May I ask Lord Sun if he is unwilling to restore the old system, what is his intention?" ”

This is a very sharp question, and if you don't answer it well, you may be killed. Sun Yi had no choice but to keep his mouth shut and return to his original position.

The hall suddenly fell into silence, Ni Hongyu looked at Shao An worriedly, and saw Shao An standing calmly as usual, without the slightest intention of saying anything, as if he was indifferent. Peng Yuanping and his boss Sun Yi glanced at each other, and Sun Yi shook his head slightly, indicating that he couldn't help.

When all the ministers were silent, Feng Che suddenly came out and said: "The integration of the three provinces is the trend of the times. During the Tang Dynasty, due to the separation of powers among the three provinces, they often pulled each other and prevaricated due to different political views. As a result, the decree will not work, and the delay will be stagnant. ”

Dong Qiming retorted: "The integration of the three provinces is also the integration of the three powers, and the power of the minister is too great, which endangers the monarch's power. If there is another person like Liao Hongxuan, what would it be like? ”

These words obviously refer to Sang scolding Huai, just to provoke Shao An to speak. However, Shao An still watched coldly and was not provoked. He knows too well the emperor's suspicious character, and at this time he is talking too much and making mistakes, and he can only respond to changes with the same.

Feng Che continued: "If you want to weaken the power of the prime minister, you can imitate the Han Dynasty to set up the left and right prime ministers, why set up two more provinces and increase redundancy? ”

Peng Yuanping further proposed: "What Master Feng said is reasonable. The minister believes that it is better to take the position of prime minister in his official residence and add 'Tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi' to the title. This is equivalent to the Tang Dynasty group system. As soon as this system is opened, then Sun Yi must be on the list, and he can also replace Sun Yi as the Shangshu.

As soon as this remark came out, Dong Qiming was in his arms. Even most of the officials in the palace were shining with golden eyes, showing eager expressions, hoping that their fellow countrymen and relatives would be able to ascend to the throne.

Suddenly, there was a chorus of seconding among the ministers, and the voices were repeated, wave after wave. And Shao An still didn't say a word.

Sun Yi looked sideways at Shao An, wondering why he hadn't fought back. saw that the corners of his lips were slightly hooked, and his expression was indifferent, as if he was confident, and he was not in a hurry at all.

While the ministers were talking endlessly, the emperor's face became colder and colder; It was not easy for him to control the party and the chaotic government, and if he agrees now, when the time comes, there will be a lot of struggle for power and profit, and there will definitely be another bloody storm in the court.

Seeing that the situation was turned to the side, the emperor made a final decision and said categorically: "Prime Minister, one person is enough!" ”

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Just after the Spring Festival, in the first year of Tai'an, Qianzhou ushered in several new prisoners. Unable to stand the heavy labor and harsh conditions here, they wanted to escape. However, the result was not satisfactory, everyone was arrested, and by the time they were returned, the escapees had been reduced to several cold corpses.

The chief placed the corpse in front of everyone and scolded proudly, "Do you still want to escape? That's what happens when you run away. Everyone who came here tried to escape, but none of them succeeded. There is only one kind of person who can leave, and that is the dead. ”

Seeing that many people couldn't help but tremble, the chief smiled even brighter, "You sinners, die, don't want to leave for the rest of your life." ”

It's a pity that he can't predict the future, he didn't expect that there is really one person who can leave this hell alive, and that is An'er.

However, at this moment, An'er could not predict his fate, he looked up at the gray sky, there was no hope, no future. Maybe my whole life has been buried here, beaten and toiled day after day, year after year.

The climate in the south is very different from that in the north, the climate in the north is dry, but the spring rain in the south is non-stop. Most of the prisoners were tired of the rain, they had no holidays, and even if it rained heavily, they had to work on the construction site in the rain. But An'er liked the rain, because the overseers had taken shelter from the rain, and they didn't have to worry about a whip flying behind them for no reason.

It was still drizzling on this day, and An'er was still silently doing hard labor. Suddenly, there was a commotion on the construction site, and the sound of messy footsteps came from far to near, and finally stopped beside An'er. An'er turned to them blankly, her stray hair hanging down, blocking his face.

An'er cut her hair, wiped the rain from her face, and finally saw who it was. Standing in front of him were the overseers who were hiding from the rain, and even the chief was there.

The chief looked at him with a complicated expression, "Liu An, follow me." ”

An'er was suspicious, but instinctively obeyed the order and walked out of the prison where he had been imprisoned for two years.

An'er followed the chief to the room where the overseer lived, and when she went in, she saw that a large bucket of warm water had been prepared, as well as soaphorn towels and other things. There was a set of clothes and trousers on the bed, and although it was gray and coarse cloth, it was very clean.

"Your body stinks to death, go wash it off, and there will be nobles who want to see you later." The chief ordered, and turned to go out.

An'er was taking a bath carelessly, while thinking about what the chief had just said. A burst of joy, a burst of doubt, and mixed feelings in my heart. He did not know who was going to see him; But one thing is clear, and that is that he was finally able to escape and regain his freedom.

After he washed and dressed, the chief took him to the only official office in Qianzhou. After entering the yamen, An Er looked around a little and saw that this house was so simple, it was very different from the government in the capital. When the two of them reached the gate of the main hall, the chief stopped, turned his head and commanded, "Kneel here." Then he went into the house himself to report it.

An'er knelt on the wet and cold ground, and after kneeling for a long time, someone suddenly came out of it, walked quickly to An'er, and said, "Hurry up, the old slave can't afford your kneel." ”

An Er raised her eyes, it turned out that the noble person was Chen Huaien in King An's mansion, Chen Gonggong.

An'er and Chen Huaien were old acquaintances, and the two used to work together on an errand by King An's side. Since King An went out in the nineteenth year of Yongkang, only An Er and Li Hongyi accompanied the army, and Chen Huaien stayed in the mansion. After An'er went into exile, it has been three years since the two met.

I haven't seen each other for three years, and when I see each other again, their faces have changed and their identities have changed. One is an exile sinner, and the other is a eunuch in charge of the palace.

An'er looked at Chen Huaien, who was wearing the uniform of the three-rank inner officer, and was shocked. You must know that Gonggong Chen used to be the eunuch in charge of King An's Mansion, and now he can enter the inner province, which means that King An is the emperor?

Gonggong Chen is also a delicate person, and when he saw An'er's surprised expression, he understood that he had guessed. Therefore, he said bluntly: "The prince ascended the throne at the end of last year, and this year is the first year of Tai'an." ”

"Tai'an?" An'er muttered and repeated.

He still remembers that when he entered the palace at the beginning of that year, when King An learned that there was a "An" in his name, he asked meaningfully: "Liu An?" Is it the 'An' that keeps to oneself, or the 'An' that is at peace with what happens? ”

The "An" in these two words is obviously the same word, why does King An have this question? At the age of twelve, he rolled his eyes and replied smartly: "It's the 'An' of Guotai Min'an." ”

In this way, he became attached to King An, all because of the word "An", and now the name of the year is the word "Tai'an", which makes An'er both frightened and moved.

"As soon as the prince ascended the throne, he gave amnesty to the world and sent an old slave to Qianzhou to pick you up." Gonggong Chen conveyed King An's words, "The prince asked you if you want to go back to Chang'an, or?" ”

"How can I have the face to go to see the prince?" An'er laughed at herself, "I want to go home." ”

"Home?" Gonggong Chen was puzzled, An'er had been in the palace for many years and had never mentioned his family. So he always thought that An'er was an orphan.

An'er nodded, "You can send me to Qin Huai." I've been away from home for years, and it's time to go back. ”

Along the way, An'er learned about the palace change from Chen Gonggong's intermittent description. Concubine Shu was martyred, the Jin king's party was brutally killed, and the prince's soldiers were defeated and died...... If it is really a day in the cave, it has been a thousand years in the world.

An'er listened quietly, and now he looked at the things of death and life very lightly, almost numb. Two years of exile wiped out all his aura and arrogance.

Chen Huaien has a deep understanding of An'er's changes. When I talked to him along the way, I often said ten sentences, and An'er only replied with one sentence, and the cleverness of the past seemed to disappear. Seeing An'er like this, Chen Huaien didn't feel good in his heart.

When he arrived in Qinhuai, Chen Huaien learned that An'er's family was actually the richest man in Qinhuai, the Hehe Shao Mansion. An'er looked up at the strict gate, and suddenly remembered that she was twelve years old and resolutely left home, with the momentum and dreams of her youth, abandoned her father's surname, changed her mother's surname from Shao An to Liu An. vowed to get ahead and break off with Shao Fuen.

But the reality is so cruel, not only did he fail to make a career, but he came back in disgrace.

Chen Huaien asked worriedly, "Do you want me to send you in?" ”

An'er shook her head, "What you should face is still to face yourself." ”

"You...... Do you have something to say to the old slave to the prince? ”

An'er lowered her head and pondered for a long time, then shook her head slightly, "No." ”

Chen Huaien sighed, said goodbye to An'er, and watched An'er walk towards the door step by step with heavy steps......

※※※※※

The emperor's tens of millions of sentences to the courtiers immediately silenced the noisy ministers in the court. Everyone looked at each other, but they didn't expect the emperor to favor Shao An so much, and he didn't even care about the threat to the monarchy.

Shao An looked up at the emperor, and it happened that the emperor also looked at Shao An, and their eyes collided in the air. Shao An couldn't help but think of the emperor's love for him when he was in King An's mansion. At the beginning of his ascension to the throne, when everything was complicated, he was still worried about his suffering in Qianzhou, and his cronies came to rescue him. After entering the office, the emperor tried his best to support him, Xuan Ma worshiped the prime minister, and gave him everything he could. How can such a great favor be repaid?

Shao An also didn't want the emperor to refute the face of the ministers and create a situation of hostility between the monarch and the ministers. He finally came out of the ranks, first thanked the emperor for his trust, and then changed the conversation, "Today, there is one Zhongshu Shilang in Zhongshu Province, and there are seven Zhongshu Sheren, and the personnel are far from enough. The minister is requested to appoint the Governor as the Deputy Minister. ”

The emperor knew that he was too impulsive just now, so he calmed down at the moment and muttered: "It is feasible, according to what Aiqing said, the governor will be appointed as the governor, and Sun Yi will be in charge." As for the post of secretary of the ministry, he was replaced by Peng Yuanping. ”

This kind of ending is something that no one expected. Sun Yi was surprised and excitedly kowtowed to thank him. Peng Yuanping's goal was finally achieved, but he didn't expect to rely on Shao An's help. Dong Qiming is very depressed, everyone knows that Sun Yi and Shao An are in a group, so on the surface, it seems that there is no division of power, but in essence, there seems to be no division.

After this incident, there was still intrigue in the court, and the sea was up and down. Only Shao An was in the phase, standing still.

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(1) From: Song Dynasty Wang Huaji "Clarification Strategy"

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At the end of the first volume, applause and flowers!!