After the handover with Sun Yongcheng, Liu Mingcheng had already rushed to the capital as quickly as possible. He first went to the Ministry of Officials and handed over his papers, and then found an inn to live in. He stayed alone in the room, still uneasy, not knowing which yamen he would serve. "Now that Yao Zuoxiang has transferred me back to the capital, he will definitely be of great use." Because he had to wait for Yao Zuoxiang's summons, he didn't go out for several days, and his mood couldn't help but start to burn. In the end, he was still a little impatient and asked people to send a secret letter to the Tongren Guild.

At nightfall the next day, a stranger knocked on Liu Mingcheng's room.

Liu Mingcheng, who was in a trance, asked, "Who knocked on the door?" ”

A middle-aged man with a deep voice replied: "Master Liu, my old friends and colleagues from more than ten years ago came to visit. Have you ever rested? ”

Liu Mingcheng was overjoyed in his heart, pressed the joy on his face, and pretended to be relaxed and said: "It turned out to be an old friend visiting, please wait." With that, he opened the door and let the man into the room with kindness.

The people who came were not polite, and after bowing to each other, they sat down and whispered: "Lord Liu, the student is Guo Bingyan of the West Seat of the Prime Minister's Mansion, and he will also handle some clerical exchanges on behalf of the Prime Minister on weekdays. This time, it is inconvenient for Xiangye to travel, so the student is entrusted by Xiangye to come to meet you. ”

Liu Mingcheng waved his hand again and again, and said with a smile: "How dare you, Mr. has to see more teachings." Mr. has been following Xiangye all the year round, and his knowledge must be far beyond ours, so please don't hesitate to give advice! ”

Guo Bingyan stroked his beard and replied pretending to be reserved: "Where, where." Mr. Liu has been serving as an official abroad for a long time, and both his official experience and personal cultivation are far greater than those of students. ”

Liu Mingcheng has been in officialdom for more than 20 years, and he has long become a human spirit. When he saw the other party's posture, he knew it in his heart, and his tone was more respectful and uplifting, which really made the other party speak more openly.

After the two touted each other for a while, they began to get to the point. Guo Bingyan took a sip of tea and said leisurely: "Lord Liu, do you know why you were transferred to the capital this time?" ”

Liu Mingcheng arched his hand to the upper right, and then said: "The student can be transferred to the capital this time, and it depends on the support of the prime minister. This kind of kindness is unforgettable. It's a pity that the students' abilities are shallow and their knowledge is humble, so that their status and reputation are not obvious, and they can't share the troubles for Xiangye, which is really hateful. After speaking, he hammered his right palm with some chagrin.

Because he has been handling affairs for Yao Zuoxiang for a long time and receiving some officials, Guo Bingyan, who has long been clear about the psychology of officials seeking officials, smiled and said silently, and did not answer directly, but said: "Lord Liu, what you said is only one of them, and there are other reasons that you don't know very well. ”

Although Liu Mingcheng heard some rumors, he really didn't know much about the details, so he asked: "I would like to hear the details." Please let me know. ”

Guo Bingyan picked up the teacup and blew the tea leaves floating on the tea, and took a few sips leisurely. He quite enjoyed the stares that others looked up at him, so he took a few breaths before continuing: "Although Xiangye has been secretly operating to transfer Lord Liu to the capital and bring him as a helper, he suffers from not having a suitable opportunity. This time, Sun Yongcheng, the former right-hand capital, asked for an edict to urge King Jing to leave Beijing and return to the station, which angered the emperor and was transferred to Yangzhou. Therefore, according to Xiang Ye's speculation, it is very likely that Lord Liu will be transferred to the Metropolitan Procuratorate to take over as the Imperial History of the Right Command. ”

Liu Mingcheng was even happier in his heart, although on the bright side, the imperial history of the right capital and the prefect of Yangzhou were both four-rank officials, but one was in the court class, and the other could only be trapped in the place, and he could not speak the same day at all. The duty of the imperial history is to hear about it, as long as a few officials who are not big or small are brought down after a while, the official reputation and reputation will be there, then it is just around the corner to be promoted again. "Thank you, Mr. Guo, for informing me."

Guo Bingyan was not polite, but continued: "Xiangye hopes that you can really understand the meaning, and know what you can touch and what you can't touch." Sun Yongcheng was transferred to Yangzhou because of King Jing's matter, so it is better for Lord Liu not to touch this matter. As for other things, Lord Liu can deal with them after thinking about it on his own, and he doesn't have to tell Xiangye everything. Xiang Ye has to recuperate behind closed doors these days, and it is not suitable to see guests. ”

Liu Mingcheng smiled and said solemnly: "Thank you Mr. Guo for informing!" Students save weight and weight, and they won't cause trouble for Xiangye. After a slight hesitation, he continued to ask: "Mr. Guo, I have been serving as an official in other places, and I don't know much about the situation in the capital. Therefore, in order to avoid misjudging the situation, I would like to take the liberty of asking, what is the situation in the court now? ”

Guo Bingyan also put away the relaxed look on his face, and then said: "The situation in the court is more delicate now. On the one hand, the civil and military officials were already dissatisfied with King Jing's long-term stay in the capital, and repeatedly asked the emperor to urge King Jing to leave Beijing, but the emperor did not respond either because of brotherhood or because of the pressure of the queen mother. Sun Yongcheng's matter is just a flashpoint, and it is estimated that there will be people who will continue to play in the near future, among which the imperial history of the Metropolitan Procuratorate is the most likely. Therefore, Xiang Ye hopes that after you enter the Metropolitan Procuratorate, you can be cautious in your words and deeds, talk less, see more and do more, and don't get involved in this matter. Otherwise, the situation will be very troublesome. On the other hand, the emperor recalled Xia Guoyuan and Xia Ge Lao back to the capital, which you also know, trying to divide Ye Nanqing's power. Ye Nanqing didn't dare to show weakness, the two had a conflict in the court a few days ago, but they were pressed down by the emperor. However, in this case, there is no way to avoid conflict. The Metropolitan Procuratorate has always belonged to Ye Nanqing's territory, and the left and right imperial histories are the only ones who look ahead. So, after you go in, you have to be more careful, so as not to be used as a gun. ”

Liu Mingcheng frowned unconsciously. Although it had been predicted for a long time, after all, his mentor Xia Guoyuan had been in the field for many years and then reactivated, which was originally an abnormal phenomenon. But he didn't expect the form in the court to be so intricate, it seemed to be like a dry firewood stack, and it would ignite when it was ignited. However, he still thanked: "Thank you Mr. Guo for telling me, I will be careful in the future." I wonder if Xiangye has any other instructions? ”

"Xiangye has nothing else to do." After speaking, Guo Bingyan put down the teacup and got up to leave.

Seeing this, Liu Mingcheng hurriedly said, "Mr. Guo stays." I came to Beijing in a hurry from Yangzhou, but I didn't bring anything to honor my grandfather. Here are some souvenirs, please bring them to Xiangye. A little care, not a respect. ”

Guo Bingyan saw it, and the smile on his face was a little more. "Then I'll thank Master Liu on behalf of the Prime Minister." As he spoke, he took over two quaint boxes that resembled the four treasures of the study. When he was about to open the door, he turned around and said, "Lord Liu, after you enter the Metropolitan Procuratorate, you can do something appropriately, but you have to handle the scale well." I heard that Zuo Yushi may be empty in a few days. ”

"Thank you, Mr. Guo!"