The Jinxiu River in the east corner of Chongwenmen is not far from the observatory, where there is a depression of water, the east and west are the embankment, and the high acacia weeping willow is widely planted on the bank. The water surface is full of reeds, there are fish and birds below, the clear water is clear, and the dust is rare. The north and south are the gardens of the dignitaries, there are trees, water, pavilions and corridors, winding paths are secluded, it is a famous scenic spot in Beijing.

After the East Palace came out, several Confucian literati came to the Jinxiu River. These Confucian literati are all ordinary people, they are all court officials, including Yang Sichang, the director of the Fujian Department of the Ministry of Households.

Yang Sichang is a native of Wuling, Huguang, this person is a young man, Wanli 34 years old 18 years old in the middle of the lift, four years later, that is, at the age of 22 in one fell swoop Jinshi and first, successively served as a professor of Hangzhou Fuxue, Nanjing Guozijian Doctor, after the Ministry of Officials a paper order to be reappointed as the head of the Fujian Department of the Ministry of Households, so as to enter the ranks of Beijing officials from the local one.

Although he is only a small principal, he is not yet 30 years old, and his future is bright.

Yang Sichang came to this Jinxiu River to meet the appointment of his friend Hong Chengchou, the director of the Jiangxi Qing Officials Division of the Criminal Department.

That Hong Chengchou is a native of Nan'an, Fujian, this person is also a young talent, the year before last when Wanli forty-three years, 23-year-old Hong Chengchou went to the province to participate in the township test, for the nineteenth Chinese style of the Yi Mao Branch.

Last year, he went to Beijing to take the examination, and Lianjie Dengke, the fourteenth place in the second class of the Bingchen Branch Palace, was born as a Jinshi, and was awarded the director of the Jiangxi Qing Officials Division of the Criminal Department.

Yang Sichang and Hong Chengchou don't know each other, but they both live in Xijo Hutong, and they can meet every day, plus they are of the same age, and they have become friends over time, but if they have nothing to do, they always have to find a place to drink two glasses of wine.

Invited by friends, Yang Sichang would not refuse, hired a carriage and horse and went straight to Jinxiu River. When I arrived at the place, I saw Hong Chengchou and a few people standing in a pavilion looking forward to it.

Seeing Yang Sichang's carriage and horse from a distance, Hong Chengchou immediately greeted him from the pavilion, and a hearty laugh floated in: "Brother Wen, why are you so slow, tell us to wait." ”

"Okay, you Hengjiu, you didn't send someone to inform me earlier, but now you think I'm late."

Yang Sichang jumped out of the carriage with a smile, and after giving a salute, his eyes fell on the few people behind Hong Chengchou, one of them surprised him, who was it not the same year that the palace tried to spend money on Qianyi? The other three faces were all raw, and he didn't know them.

Hong Chengchou said with a smile: "Tanhualang doesn't need me to introduce it again, right?" ”

Yang Sichang smiled and stepped forward to salute Qian Qianyi. Qian Qianyi nodded and returned the salute with a smile.

Hong Chengchou pointed to the man with the longest beard and the oldest among the people: "This is Lord Miaochang of the Hanlin Academy!" ”

"It turned out to be Xixi Miao at that time, and I looked up for a long time!"

Yang Sichang was busy making gifts, and his heart moved, because this Miao Changqi was a student of Ye Xianggao, the former first assistant and head of Donglin, and he had a lot of weight in the Donglin Party.

"Weak but not weak, looking at the ability to be literate and martial, admire and admire!" Miao Changqi also returned the salute with a smile, which is true, although Yang Sichang is the head of the household, his face is resolute and very general-like.

Hong Chengchou introduced three other people to Yang Sichang, namely Zou Zhilin, the director of the Ministry of Industry, Li Binggong, the head of Guanglu Temple, and Mao Shilong, the criminal department.

Zou Zhilin is not small, this person is the 34th year of Wanli Nanjing Township trial solution Yuan, and Yang Sichang is the same Wanli 38 years of Dengjinshi, belongs to the same year, he is now the head of the Ministry of Industry.

However, although it was the same year, Zou Zhilin and Yang Sichang did not have a close relationship, and the two did not have much contact, but they had a very good relationship with Qian Qianyi, the Tanhualang in the same year.

Li Binggong is a Jinshi in the 34th year of Wanli, and Mao Shilong, like Hong Chengchou, is a Jinshi in the 44th year of Wanli.

Among them, Li Binggong is a friend of Hong Chengchou, Mao Shilong is a colleague of Hong Chengchou, and Na Miao Changqi is a friend of Mao Shilong and Li Binggong. Qian Qianyi and Zou Zhilin are friends of Miao Changqi again.

They were able to gather here, but they responded to the call for friends.

Everyone has no relationship with Yang Sichang, only knows that he is currently the head of the household department, so they don't know much about him, and they are just polite to him in front of Hong Chengchou.

In particular, Qian Qianyi believed that he was a flower explorer in the same year, and he was appointed as the editor of the Hanlin Academy, and he was a candidate for cabinet ministers in the future, so he was not enthusiastic about Yang Sichang, who was just a small principal, even if the other party's father was Yang He, the right attendant of the Ministry of War.

Yang Sichang is also a very powerful person, he turned a blind eye to it, and was polite to everyone one by one, and then looked at Hong Chengchou quietly, not understanding why he asked these people to be here.

Although the weather is sultry, the Jinxiu River is really a cool and good place, and Hong Chengchou is not in a hurry to explain to Yang Sichang, he only smiled and took his hand and beckoned everyone to take a walk along the river.

Everyone did not object, and a few people walked along the embankment by the Jinxiu River, and along the way, Hong Chengchou looked for some interesting things from time to time, and a few people talked harmoniously.

Yang Sichang didn't know much because he was with everyone and didn't know the details of everyone, so he didn't say much, and only occasionally smiled and echoed two sentences.

When he walked to a beautiful embankment, looking at the water scene in the distance, Zou Zhilin suddenly said to Miao Changqi with some resentment: "The Ministry originally asked me to transfer me to the Department of Literature and Anthology, and I don't want to have another rumor that the candidate is that Zhang Fengxiang, if this is the case, it will be too much of a bully." ”

Miao Changqi smiled secretly in his heart, this Zou Zhilin is actually a member of the Zhejiang Party, and when he heard that there was a vacancy in the Ministry of Officials, he tried his best to move around, and prepared three gifts for the cabinet minister Fang Congzhe, the official department Shangshu Zheng Jizhi and the real power figure of the Qi Party.

According to Zou Zhilin himself, Fang Congzhe accepted his gift and did not have much objection to his request, after all, they are all comrades of the same party, and the post of Wailang, a member of the Wenxuan Division, is vacant, who will it be given if it is not given to the comrades of the party?

Although Zheng Jizhi did not express his position immediately after accepting the gift, as long as the Qi Party did not object, the Chu Party would not offend the Zhejiang Party and the Qi Party.

Who would have thought that there was a rumor on the side of the Ministry of Officials yesterday, saying that most of the positions of Wenxuan Shilang fell on the head of Zhang Fengxiang, the director of the Wenxuan Division, which is called how Zou Zhilin was willing, and he didn't think about why he couldn't do it, but immediately wanted to catch the line of Miao Changqi through his friend and Donglin Party member Qian Qianyi to see if he could borrow strength from the Donglin Party. It's really not good, it's okay for him Zou Zhilin to change to the façade, and he can't be bullied for nothing.

Miao Changqi also has his own abacus, Wang Wenyan predicted earlier that the post of Wen Xuan Shi Lang of the Ministry of Officials would not be done well and would provoke internal strife within the three parties, but now it seems that it may come true.

Therefore, if a good student uses this Zou Zhilin, if he can't really use his strength to weaken the three parties and split them, then it will be much easier to deal with.

"It's just a rumor, not necessarily true. Brother Chenhu doesn't have to worry, although you and I are not in the same party, but Brother Chenhu's ability is obvious to all, so how can Zhang Fengxiang compare with you? Qian Qianyi said with a smile under Miao Changqi's eyes.

Miao Changqi said meaningfully: "Wait, don't worry, they really don't need you, they also have no eyes, the door of our party is open to Brother Chenhu." ”

Zou Zhilin didn't squeak after hearing this, whether he switched to Donglin or not, he had already thought about it.

"Have you heard that the East Palace has sent an edict that it has nothing to do with Concubine Zheng?" Mao Shilong, who had not spoken much, suddenly spoke.

Hong Chengchou nodded and said: "Everyone knows about this matter, who in the capital doesn't know?" ”

Miao Changqi turned his gaze to Yang Sichang: "I don't know what Brother Wen has to say about this matter?" ”

Yang Sichang groaned slightly, and said: "This is a major matter of the imperial court, and it is not a matter of charge in the lower parts, and it is not a true opinion, so it is better to listen to a few people." ”

Hearing him say this, Miao Changqi showed uncertainty on his face, and said lightly: "Lord Yang is humble. ”

When Hong Chengchou saw it, he shook his head secretly, and was quite dissatisfied with Miao Changqi's attitude. But the other party is a Donglin cadre, and it is not easy to offend.

The person invited to this gathering today is actually not what he Hong Chengchou meant, but it is this Miao Chang period who brought it up.

Judging from the people present, Miao Changqi and Qian Qianyi are both members of the Donglin Party, Zou Zhilin is a member of the Zhejiang Party, and the rest of them have no party.

This is very strange, and Hong Chengchou doesn't know what kind of medicine is sold in the gourd of the Miao Chang period.

According to his temperament, Hong Hengjiu only drank two cups with Yang Sichang, who had a similar temperament, and he was happy after a while, but he really didn't want to get involved in the messy things of the party dispute.

Li Binggong pretended not to know, smiled and said nothing, only looking at the scenery in the distance.

"Brother Yan Yanxian, you are from the Criminal Department, what do you think of this?" Miao Changqi asked Hong Chengchou again.

Hong Chengchou smiled bitterly and laughed at himself: "Brother Miao, don't ask me, you also know that I don't like to quarrel in the next place, and isn't such a big matter decided by the three law divisions, what is the truth, how can I handle it well." ”

Hearing this, Miao Changqi frowned slightly, and didn't ask any more, turned his eyes to Mao Shilong behind him, and said: "Master Mao, you are in the criminal department, and the criminal is now in the custody of your criminal department, according to you, is that Zhang Cha a madman, or is there someone behind it?" ”

"Well..."

Mao Shilong hesitated for a moment, but said: "Judging from the results of the two trials so far, it should be true that Zhang Cha is a madman, so his madness should not be true... Nowadays, I am only worried that some people are afraid that the court will not be chaotic, and they want to use the mouth of a madman to kill the innocent in order to achieve ulterior purposes. ”

As soon as these words came out, Miao Changqi and Qian Qianyi's faces suddenly became ugly, because as far as they knew, although this Mao Shilong was not a member of the Donglin Party, one of the Jinshi had worshiped Donglin Academy before, so strictly speaking, this Lord Mao was the Donglin lineage, but why did the words have the meaning of implicitly attacking Donglin.

Mao Shilong didn't say anything more, he had already expressed his attitude, if Miao Changqi knew in his heart, he shouldn't mention this matter in front of him again.

There is one thing that Miao Changqi didn't know, that is, although Mao Shilong was a jinshi in the middle of last year, he had participated in a study class in the Jiangnan Maritime Special Zone before that, and his team leader at that time was Huang Zunsu, who was rated as the best student by Wei Liangchen, the commander of the maritime eunuch and the lieutenant of Jiangnan Town.

"If you insist on being a good official, you will definitely be opposed by bad officials, who will unite against you and isolate you until you are forced out of officialdom.

So what to do?

If the bad officials oppose it, this official won't do it?

No!

Only when you unite and twist into a rope, rely on each other, help each other, and form a force, a force that makes bad officials fearful, can you make this good official feel at ease and do it in a down-to-earth manner! ”

Mao Shilong has always remembered what Father-in-law Wei said at the teacher-student conference.

Only by twisting into a rope can a force be formed, and a power that makes bad officials fearful!

This power is the tacit consensus of the members of the study class - the Wei Party.

Or rather, it is called a eunuch.