Xue Shao deliberately waited in the official office for a while, and Yao Yuanchong came back from the palace when it was time to hold the lamp. He was accompanied by an old man with a gray beard but a very strong spirit.

"Shangshu hasn't left yet? Just right! Yao Yuanchong saw Xue Shao and hurriedly said, "My subordinates are preparing to take this old gentleman to your mansion to look for you." ”

When the old man came in, Xue Shao smelled the smell of medicine, and asked, "The old gentleman is a doctor?" ”

"Decay exactly."

Yao Yuanchong stepped forward and said, "The Queen Mother heard that you were sick, so she specially sent this old gentleman Zhuge to treat you. Old Mr. Zhuge is an official who worships the pharmacy and is now specially designed for the treatment of the Queen Mother and His Majesty, and can be said to be the chief imperial doctor in the palace. ”

Xue Shao blinked, "Empress Dowager Lao is bothered, I'm fine, I'm a little tired." Fang has just rested in the official office for a day, and he has recovered as before-it is difficult for the old man, so he has gone in vain. ”

Imperial Doctor Zhuge asked calmly, "Don't you really need to look at the horse?" ”

"Not really."

"That being the case, the old man has taken his leave."

Xue Shao asked Wang Yu to send off the guests, and when he left, he didn't forget to seal a red envelope for the old man. The chief imperial doctor in the palace, how can he let people run for nothing!

Of course, Yao Yuanchong also knew that Xue Shao was not seriously ill, but he also knew that it was not superfluous for him to take Zhuge Imperial Doctor to run for nothing. Because he seemed to smell a trace of strange smell, between the queen mother and the concubine, it seemed to ......

"Yuanzhi, I have something to ask you. Have a seat. ”

Yao Yuanchong hurriedly sat down, "Shangshu, please speak." ”

"What was discussed at today's court meeting, and it was disbanded so late?" Xue Shao asked.

Yao Yuanchong frowned and pondered for a moment, and said, "There are a lot of things to discuss today. The main thing is to discuss the imperial examination, the spring and the palace examination. ”

"The palace test?"

Yao Yuanchong nodded, "The Queen Mother said today, about thirty years ago, the first emperor once held a imperial examination in the main hall and personally supervised the selection of talents. She believes that this is an excellent initiative, which is very conducive to the selection of talented people hidden in the people, especially those who are from humble backgrounds and have nowhere to put public papers, it is difficult to enter the spring examination room, and it is difficult to stand out in the whole life but they are really talented. Therefore, she is ready to bring up the old story again and stick to it as a special talent selection system. ”

Xue Shao nodded silently, thinking that one of the biggest highlights in Wu Zetian's ruling career was that she broke the old gate valve employment system and recruited children from poor families to enter the court as officials. This is of great significance to her, because the Li Tang royal family has been operating for so many years, relying on the full support of various political gates, including the Fenyin Xue clan. Over the years since Li Tang founded the country, the Xue family has produced many prime ministers and ministers, and of course there has been more than one concubine.

If Wu Zetian wants to further strengthen his power, he must break through the monopoly of politics and power by these gatekeepers - it is definitely the best way to promote talented children of the poor family to become officials in the court. These people have no background and no foundation in the court, and they have received Wu Zetian's common sense and promotion grace, and they will inevitably do their best.

While Xue Shao was thinking, Yao Yuanchong kept looking at his face with anxiety. Xue Shao came back to his senses and glared at him, "What are you always looking at me for?" ”

Yao Yuanchong smiled awkwardly and said in a low voice: "The palace examination will bypass the selection of the imperial examination and the six departments of the three provinces and all the review procedures, and the person who is the first will be crowned on the spot." In this way, the official scrolls recommended by the minister and the Yin En feudal officials of the famous eunuchs will inevitably be greatly impacted......"

"You're trying to say that as a member of the Fenyin Xue Clan, I should oppose the palace test, right?" Xue Shao took the initiative to say it.

Yao Yuanchong nodded with a wry smile, "My subordinates still remember that it was Shangshu who persuaded his subordinates to devote themselves to studying books and participating in scientific expeditions. And the public scroll of his subordinates was thrown under the door of Xue Kegou, the head of the household at that time. The subordinates can have today, all thanks to the book. Thinking about it carefully, the subordinates were also very disgusted with the current scientific examination and selection system. But why is it that now, Empress Dowager Wu is going to make an exception to take the palace test among the children of the poor family, which is exactly what I desperately wanted at the beginning, but why am I not happy at all? ”

Xue Shao smiled, "Because you are no longer the son of a poor family who has no way to submit the scroll, but someone is looking for you to cast the scroll." ”

Yao Yuanchong's face suddenly turned red, and he nodded again and again.

"Yuanzhi, from the perspective of interests, I may be opposed to the palace test. But from the point of view of justice, the temple examination is actually a good thing. Xue Shao said, "Although I am also a noble child myself, I relied on my bloodline and background to get into the office and promotion. But I have always known very well in my heart that there are many noble children who have no talent and no virtue, but they have become great officials by virtue of the grace of their ancestors. There are many such officials, and it is inevitable that the good and the bad will be uneven. Recently, many corrupt and incompetent officials have been deposed. Can't you see it? ”

Yao Yuanchong took a slight breath of cool air, tacitly glanced at Xue Shao, and nodded.

Recently, the people in the Imperial Observatory and the Pastoral Institute have been very busy, so busy that the capital is full of white terror, and the world is so busy that the world is panicked. Although they eliminated many opponents of Empress Dowager Wu, they did picket and deal with a lot of corrupt officials. Although this kind of "purging of officials" served the political struggle, it was mainly aimed at the bureaucratic system and did not cause much trouble to the common people. Moreover, it is true that a large number of corrupt officials have been investigated and punished recently, and it is also an indisputable fact that the people applaud.

"What do you think?" Xue Shao wanted to ask about Yao Yuanchong's attitude.

Yao Yuanchong thought for a while and said: "My subordinates think that the rectification of the government that Empress Dowager Wu is currently implementing is biased, but at the same time it is also effective. Now she wants to carry out the palace examination, so it is not difficult to see that she wants to select as many outstanding talents as possible to serve the country, so as to achieve a situation of elite governance. ”

"If you have this awareness, that's right." Xue Shao said seriously, "Although people don't kill the heavens and the earth for themselves, we can't always think about our own interests as officials in the court, so we can rest on our laurels and stick to the rules." The palace test that the Queen Mother wants to carry out and the martial arts that I advocate are all new things, and they will be strongly opposed at first. But in the long run, both are good initiatives that really benefit the country and the people. ”

"Yes." Yao Yuanchong nodded approvingly, "The same is to achieve the purpose of elite governance!" ”

Xue Shao smiled and nodded, "Yuanzhi, now we can all be regarded as important ministers of the court." We must not become a stubborn and old-fashioned corrupt force that obstructs the progress of history for the sake of our own interests. Although such a conservative force will appear very strong in the short term, in the long run, such stubbornness and decay will definitely be eliminated and replaced. The end must be miserable. ”

"Reading history books to clarify the will, what the book says is in line with the royal way, and the subordinates are carefully taught." Yao Yuanchong bowed his hands, but inexplicably felt a heartbeat...... Was he hinting that I should not get too close to those Li Tang's royal family and old guarded ministers, so as not to get burned?

"The palace test, I strongly support and support it." Xue Shao made a conclusion, and then said, "Is there anything else?" ”

"Oh, there is!" Yao Yuanchong hurriedly said, "There is another major matter, which has been debated for a long time. Above the court, there was even a quarrel for a while. ”

Xue Shaoyi frowned, "What's the matter?" ”

"It's just that someone wrote a book to impeach, saying......" Yao Yuanchong hesitated.

Xue Shao was impatient, "If you don't want to say it, others will tell me." ”

"Impeach you!"

Xue Shao smiled indifferently, "This thing is not new at all, I have to be impeached ten times or eight times a year - what is the matter this time?" ”

"This impeachment is not about you personally, but about the current state of non-conformity." Yao Yuanchong said, "That is to say, as the secretary of the Ministry of War, you are not only in charge of the general and military affairs of the whole country, but also the general of the army, and you also hold the purple gold fish talisman. This is absolutely not in keeping with our military system. ”

"Whoever he is, this time he got the impeachment right." Xue Shao nodded and said: "According to my military system, if you want to mobilize soldiers and horses, you must first issue a holy decree from the Zhongshu Sect and issue it to the military department, and the military department can issue a troop transfer talisman. The Commander of the Marching Path must hold both the Decree and the Talisman in order to mobilize the troops. Moreover, after the battle, the soldiers will be returned to the court and scattered in the house, and the military talismans will also be handed back to the military department for safekeeping. ”

"Exactly." Yao Yuanchong said, "But now that Shangshu you have mastered the Supreme Military Order Purple Gold Fish Talisman that can directly represent the Holy Decree, and at the same time, you also have the right to command the Luoshui Army and the Imperial Forest Army, and even the military department cannot form any restraint on you." So ......"

Xue Shao smiled indifferently, "I want to ask, who impeached?" ”

"Song Jing." Yao Yuanchong sighed with a wry smile, "This kid is really a stinky and hard stone, and today in the court, he even quarreled with the Empress Dowager Wu on the basis of reason." Empress Dowager Wu said that Xue Zizhen was a top priority, and it was also an expedient measure, so it was necessary to be flexible. But Song Jing just doesn't change, he just wants to desperately adhere to his principles. In the end, he still didn't win or lose, no one could convince him, and no one could take him. Empress Dowager Wu was so angry that her face turned red, but Song Jing still stubbornly refused to give an inch. You said...... This, this! ”

"This silly boy!" Xue Shao shook his head with a smile, and said in his heart Song Jing, Song Jing, although you impeached me this time out of a public heart to maintain the system, it is a legitimate reason. But you seem to have been shot again—someone is trying to remove my military power!

"Is there anything else?" Xue Shao asked.

Yao Yuanchong let out a long sigh, "Yes—it's still related to you." ”

Xue Shao smiled, "It seems that it is a wise choice for me not to go to the court today." Those people may not really jump out in front of me. ”

"Yes, definitely." Yao Yuanchong swore and said, "That person is unusual, he is like a hunting dog that is absolutely loyal to his master, he will bite whoever the master asks him to bite, where will he care about the identity of the person who bites?" ”

Xue Shao smiled, "Is there a cool official to impeach me?" ”

"Supervise the imperial history, come to Zixun." Yao Yuanchong frowned, lowered his voice a little and said, "He impeached you, as an official of the outer court, but privately colluded with the palace concubine Shangguan Wan'er, this is a violation of palace rules and humiliation of the first emperor." In addition, you are in charge of the military power and collude with the inner court, so there is another trumped-up crime of 'supporting the army'. ”

"Huh!" Xue Shao was very unsurprised but smiled, "If I'm not mistaken, this dog seems to have been raised by Wu Chenghe, right?" He is now following Suo Yuanli on an errand in the pastoral home, so people call him 'shepherd dog'? ”

Yao Yuanchong smiled bitterly, "Shangshu, you can still laugh at such a big event?" ”

Xue Shao laughed and walked out.

Yao Yuanchong asked in surprise, "Where is Shangshu going?" ”

"Of course, I voluntarily surrendered and went to the pastoral hospital to be tried!!"