Whether to welcome the emperor to obtain the righteous title of first assistant, but to risk that the foundation of his rule will be shaken, or to resist the emperor to consolidate his foundation, there is a risk of losing the most important position of first assistant.

This is really a dilemma, and it is really too difficult for Shen Yiyi, stumped him.

At this moment, Shen Cheng looked at Zhao Zhigao, looking at the big Buddha who was closing his eyes and pretending to be asleep, somehow, he suddenly envied this big Buddha that he once despised infinitely.

Of course, this Buddha has no rights, it is easy to bully, but this Buddha will not be involved in this terrible whirlpool, in such a cabinet, he can actually ensure that his whole body retreats, what kind of great wisdom and great means is this?

Although this old man has no power, he is safe!

And what about yourself?

Shen has always sighed a little about his choice and the future he will face, and at the same time, he knows very well that this is a road of no return, for himself who has been caught in the whirlpool, if he does not hold the rudder of the only ship and become the helmsman, then he may be kicked down the whirlpool by others, and the end will be miserable.

This is a path from which there is no turning back.

Shaking his head, Shen consistently threw out some emotions that he shouldn't have, and calmly began to think about his gains and losses.

If you welcome the emperor, then it is obvious that you will get the emperor's favor, and the emperor's goal has been achieved, so he will naturally hand over the position of the first assistant to himself, and he will have a righteous reputation and can do a lot of things, which is inevitable.

But at the same time, once the news spreads that he is not fighting for the king, the blow to his reputation is quite serious.

The literati of the Ming Dynasty have regarded such a rebellious thing as resisting the emperor's will as a golden rule, as political correctness, and in the era of declining imperial power, their own practice is tantamount to looking for scolding.

Xu Zuo and others were in charge of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and were already very resentful of themselves because they were affected in the storm of the strict investigation of the Jin Party, and they were looking for an excuse to attack themselves.

Once they are caught in pigtails by these mouth cannons, they can scold themselves from life to death, from the Ming Dynasty to future generations for countless years, and future generations will definitely know that they are a "despicable and shameless villain" who flatters the king.

This is the power of moral attack, and the real reason why countless people with lofty ideals have died throughout the ages, not because of their crimes, but because of morality, and because of the moral offensive of countless ignorant people who have been blinded and unaware.

Shen has never been a man with lofty ideals, but he also wants fame, he needs fame as one of the important parts of the foundation of his governance, if he loses his reputation, after becoming the first assistant, the road to go will undoubtedly be much more difficult.

But on second thought, if you can't even do Shousuke, what's the point of being famous? Don't you still have to go down the old road of Zhang, because you want to be famous and want to be the first assistant and offend the emperor, and because you want to be the first assistant to please the emperor, in the end, the two sides are not pleased, and the death is ugly.

Zhang Wei is a lesson from his past, and he can't forget him.

If you don't have a good reputation, you may face all kinds of criticism after becoming the first assistant, and the foundation of the ruling will be unstable.

If you can't become the first assistant, everything is nonsense.

These two thoughts kept lingering in Shen Yi's mind.

Suddenly, Shen Yi thought of a question.

Isn't Xiao Ruxun's problem still unsolved?

Even if he welcomes the king at this moment, it does not mean that there is no chance to save his reputation, because what Xiao Ruxun wants to do is to do it against all the literati, and he will inevitably become a thorn in the side of the literati, even now, there are already many people who are dissatisfied with Xiao Ruxun's approach.

Xiao Ruxun wants to get rid of him, and it must be himself who gets rid of him.

In order to get rid of Xiao Ruxun, he had to be the first assistant, and in order to be the first assistant, he had to curry favor with the emperor, and paralyzed Xiao Ruxun with the title of the Duke of Qin, making him arrogant, and taking advantage of his unpreparedness to get rid of him in one fell swoop.

The image of a man who endures humiliation and is determined to get rid of traitors is fabricated, and the image of a prime minister who is trying to turn the tide and save the tide is in front of him.

All problems are solved.

Shen's heart suddenly relaxed a lot.

So, in front of everyone, Shen always showed a tangled expression of inner hesitation and struggle.

"In this case, the old minister just obeys the order."

Shen Cheng's voice was very low.

Zhao Zhigao's breathing stagnated, and soon returned to normal.

Shen Li looked at Shen Cheng with incredible eyes.

The six bigwigs also looked at Shen Cheng with very confused eyes.

Shen Ge Lao, do you really want to be the first assistant and don't even want to do the festival? Are you going to be courteous? Do you know what kind of consequences and troubles your decision will bring you? Do you really want fame?

"Elder Ge! Do you want to continue to discuss this matter? This is not a trivial matter, and it is not a matter of rashness! ”

Zhao Shiqing hurriedly persuaded Shen Zhengyi.

"Yes, Elder Ge, you really have to be cautious in this matter, how can the title of Duke of Qin be awarded to a courtier with a foreign surname? This is completely out of order! ”

Cai Guozhen also followed up to persuade.

"From the perspective of etiquette, this matter is completely the will of His Majesty, Qin is the title of the emperor, even if it is granted, it can only be awarded to the clan, Xiao Zhennan's foreign surname is a courtier, and any other prince can be awarded, but it cannot be awarded to the Duke of Qin! The old man will never agree to this! ”

Yu Jideng opposed Shen Cheng in the name of the Ministry of Rites.

Shi Xing and Song Yingchang looked at each other, and the entanglement of the expressions on their faces could also understand each other.

Shi Xing arched his hand: "Pavilion Elder, Xiao Zhennan's contribution is indeed great, but the title of Duke of Qin is too sensitive to be awarded to foreign ministers, this matter, it is better to be cautious and discuss it again, right?" ”

Song Yingchang also arched his hand: "Once this matter spreads, people all over the world will talk about it, and I don't know what trouble will happen. ”

Everyone's objections became clearer and clearer, which made Shen always feel a little proud.

He sighed sadly and shook his head.

"If you think about it again, what else can you do? It has been ten years since the establishment of the crown prince, and the prince can wait for ten years, but can a meritorious soldier wait for ten years? Triumph is just around the corner, if I continue to think twice, how should the generals and soldiers view the imperial court? Doesn't this chill the hearts of heroes? ”

Zhao Shiqing hurriedly said: "Pavilion Elder, I'm not not rewarding, the specifications of the reward must be in accordance with the rules of the dynasty, and it cannot be exceeded, Xiao Zhennan can be crowned the Duke of the Kingdom, but not the Duke of Qin!" ”

Shen always had a sad face.

"But Your Majesty, he wants the Duke of Qin, ......"

What can I do?

PS: I wish you all a happy and safe New Year, and a prosperous Year of the Dog!