Zhong Nan doesn't go to work in the office of the Ministry of War, it doesn't mean that he doesn't just ask about political affairs. In addition to Xu Wanzhou's military intelligence room, which will help him collect all kinds of news from the government and the opposition, he himself will also pay attention to the relevant political situation.

Recently, two things have happened in the imperial court related to Zhong Nan, and they are not trivial.

The first thing was the "sequelae" of the dynasty on the first day of the first day of May -- when the first minister of the cabinet, Lord Shin Shixing, was forced to step down.

The specific process is also very dramatic.

Lord Shoufu was already very old, and when he attended the dinner party in Zhongnan's mansion, he was kidnapped by the bandits of the White Lotus Sect, and although he finally returned home safely, his body and bones could not withstand it.

After a few days of rest, Shen Shixing returned to work in the cabinet, but on the fifth day of the fifth month of May, he suddenly felt unwell, and was diagnosed by the imperial doctor that he was infected with wind and cold, and he was old, and his resistance was not as good as before, so he fell ill. Seeing this, the emperor gave Shen Shixing a few more days of vacation, and made it clear that it was best to come back when he was in good health.

As soon as Shen Shixing returned home, the workload of the cabinet was much larger, and Xu Guo, Wang Jiaping, and Zhao Zhigao were very busy. At this time, Zhang Youde, the director of the Ministry of Works, didn't know which tendon was wrong, and actually begged the emperor not to let Lu Hongchun's blood be shed in vain, and he should immediately canonize the emperor's eldest son Zhu Changluo as the crown prince.

What's even more fatal is that in addition to his own name, Zhang Youde's recital book is also stamped with Shen Shixing's seal.

When the emperor saw this recital, he was furious. On the morning of the first day of the fifth month, he had already compromised, but Zhang Youde had to continue playing at this time. Zhu Yijun felt that his authority was being despised, and not only dismissed Zhang Youde, but also called Shen Shixing into the palace and scolded him.

Shen Shixing felt that he was very wronged, and in the two days that Zhang Youde was sparse, he was recuperating at home and never went out at all. He explained to the emperor for a long time, and also said that he didn't actually want to put pressure on the emperor on the matter of establishing the crown prince, and the emperor could make his own decisions. As for the recital of Zhang Youde and others, the emperor doesn't need to pay too much attention to it, and it will naturally be gone after a while.

It stands to reason that Shen Shixing's behavior of "harmony and mud" this time should only be known to Zhu Yijun and him, as well as a very small number of eunuchs on duty, but I don't know who released the news and made all this public.

This can poke the hornet's nest, and the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty blamed the Shoufu Lord and the rat at both ends.

first impeached Shen Shixing for agreeing with the ministers' proposal to appoint Zhu Changluo as the crown prince, but behind the scenes, he catered to the emperor's wishes and delayed the canonization in order to invite the emperor.

Then, Huang Zhengbin, the secretary of the cabinet, went up and impeached Shen Shixing for crowding out and framing colleagues.

After Zhu Yijun saw the recital of the two, not only did he not punish Shen Shixing, but dismissed Luo Daqiu and Huang Zhengbin.

The mood of the ministers was even more angry, they felt that the emperor was acting in Bao Shen Shixing, because Shen Shixing was actually on Zhu Yijun's side in the matter of establishing the crown prince. As a result, more people joined the ranks of the impeachment of Lord Shoufu, including some heavyweights, such as Cao Weiying, the head of the official speech.

Seeing that this fire was burning more and more, and there was no non-stop posture, Shen Shixing took the initiative to submit his resignation to the emperor to avoid a tragic end. Zhu Yijun also knew that at this time, only the other party could calm the anger of the government and the opposition, so after he kept it for a while, he allowed Shen Shixing to return to his hometown.

To add insult to injury, the second assistant Xu Guo saw the end of Shen Shixing and also resigned. The cabinet, which was originally understaffed, suddenly only left Wang Jiaping and Zhao Zhigao, and Shen Shixing's Ministry of Rites and Xu Guo's positions of Ministry of Household Affairs were also vacant, which greatly affected the operation of the imperial court.

When Zhong Nan understood the ins and outs of the incident, he fell into a long silent contemplation. In his opinion, the role of Shen Shixing was far more important than what the Manchu civil and military believed at this time.

How to say it, Emperor Wanli has just stepped from the shadow of Zhang Juzheng to the front of the stage to take power, and he is bound to use various things to establish the majesty of imperial power. Only like Shen Shixing, who is "exquisite" and "left and right", like the lubricant in the engine, will not let the machine break down.

Although some people in later generations criticized Shen Shixing for being incapable and only knowing "and thin mud", after really working with him, Zhong Nan discovered the other party's cleverness.

Shen Shixing was able to stand out and win the champion in the Jinshi team of nearly 300 people, and then was reused by Zhang Juzheng, his own talent is beyond doubt. At the same time, his personal morality can also stand the test, at least without obvious character flaws.

Shen Shixing had the experience of Zhang Juzheng, so he naturally didn't dare to act like Zhang Na anymore, and he also realized: A person like Zhang Juzheng can't change the shortcomings of the Ming Dynasty, so how can a person like him who has neither background nor net worth do it? What's more, at this time, the empire can no longer withstand his toss, and promoting mutual trust and harmony between civil officials is the right way.

On the day that Lord Shoufu left Beijing, Zhong Nan went to see him off. I saw Shen Shixing, who had taken off his court clothes, was not much different from an ordinary old man at this time, and he was the same drooping old man.

Zhong Nan felt a little sad, "Shen Ge Lao, I'm sorry, I ......." Zhong Nan actually wanted to say that he didn't support Shen Shixing, and he felt a little guilty, but he choked up as he spoke.

Shen Shixing knew that he could come to see him off today, and it was definitely his best friend, but he didn't expect Zhong Nan to come before. And looking at Zhong Nan's performance, his feelings are sincere, he is not acting, he is also emotional.

"Zichu, I don't blame you, it's God's will!"

"Elder Shen Ge, they don't understand you, I can understand you. Our Ming Dynasty is already very rotten, if we can't balance the emperor and the ministers, it will definitely make the country chaotic! Zhong Nan also opened the skylight, planning to say everything.

"Haha...... I really didn't expect that at the beginning of the year, you could actually appreciate the good intentions of the old man, and it was not in vain that we were ministers of the same dynasty! ”

There were not many people who came to see him off today, except for the unexpected Zhong Nan, and most of the rest were Shen Shixing's old protégés. Xu Guo also resigned together, and they were all fellow villagers, so they made an appointment to return to their hometowns together.

"Zhong Shilang, we can be regarded as a fateful friendship, right?" Xu Guo quipped on the side.

"That's nature. In fact, if you really want to talk about it, the two elders were forced to leave Beijing this time, and it is somewhat related to that kidnapping, if it weren't for the kidnappers who left the root of the disease on Shen Gelao's body, it is likely that there would be no such things afterward! Zhong Nam was very guilty.

"Zichu, it really has nothing to do with you, and you don't have to blame yourself too much." Shen Shixing also saw it, "Thinking about my life, I am worthy of heaven and earth, and worthy of the emperor and the people, even if I leave the scene now, what's the big deal." ”

"It's just that after Xu Ge and I left, Zichu, if you can trust the old man, I hope to help take care of them."

Shen Shixing pointed to the officials who came to see him off, most of them were middle and low-level officials of the fifth or sixth grade, Zhong Nan was not familiar with them, but out of trust and respect for Shen Shixing, he still solemnly agreed, "As long as your colleagues don't think that I am still young, I should advance and retreat with everyone." ”

"Good, good!" Shen Shixing laughed heartily, "After being rescued from the kidnappers, I also told Xu Ge Lao that Zichu is by no means a fish in the pond, and his final achievements are by no means comparable to mediocre people like me." Now it seems that it did not disappoint me! ”

"Shen Ge Lao praised it, there are still many places for me to learn!" Zhong Nam was a little embarrassed to be praised.

"Okay, okay, it's still raining, Xu Ge and I will leave early, you don't need to send it anymore, let's all go back." Shen Shixing issued a send-off order.

Zhong Nan and the four officials failed to beat Shen and Xu, so they had to watch the two get into the carriage of the post station and gradually move away.

When he couldn't see the figure clearly, Zhong Nan turned around and beckoned Shen Shixing's four descendants.

"If you have time, I'd like to invite you to sit down and get to know each other, I don't know if it's okay?"

The four of them were overjoyed, and they were still worried about whether Lord Shilang agreed to take them in to take care of Shen Shixing's face, but now it seems that the other party is indeed sincere.

Zhong Nan found a high-grade teahouse, and when the guys were done, he asked Hu Huanshan to wait at the door of the private room, and only the five of them were left in the house.

After a brief introduction, Zhong Nan had some basic understanding of these four people. Three of the four people served in the Sixth Ministry, including Tang Leping in the Ministry of Rites, Zhu Wei in the Ministry of Officials, and Jin Shicheng, a member of the Household Department, and one was Ye Xianggao, a waiter in the Hanlin Academy, all of whom were officials of the fifth or sixth grades.

Since he had never dealt with each other before, Zhong Nan did not have the slightest understanding of the four of them, and he still needed to observe more. Today's conversation in the teahouse can barely be regarded as a preliminary contact, and as for a deeper understanding, it will take time.

After drinking the tea, Zhong Nan personally sent the four people away, and then returned to Zhong Mansion separately. On the way, he made a simple comment on the four of them: Tang Leping is an old-school literati bureaucrat, Zhu Wei is a little cautious, and Jin Shicheng is cautious; As for Ye Xianggao, Zhong Nan has the best impression of him, because Ye Xianggao is not only knowledgeable, but also cheerful and upright, and he has a temper with him.

Zhong Nan does not doubt the personal character of these four people. First, he believes that Shen Shixing's ability to see people will not be too bad, and secondly, because when he drank tea before, he quietly did a few small tests - they are all small tricks used in HR interviews in later generations, which are used to observe the character of people who meet for the first time, which is the best choice. In these quiet tests, the four performed well, and all passed smoothly.

PS: The VIP chapter will start tomorrow, I hope all readers will continue to support!