At noon on the 29th, after the grand dinner, the officials began to enjoy the longest vacation of the year, and they would not return to the Yakai seal until after the fifteenth day of the next year.

There are exceptions, the cabinet, as the head of the departments, will hold out until Chinese New Year's Eve, first, the last report of the various mén must be finally put together, second, to prepare for the beginning of the next year, third, to show the cabinet's dedication to duty.

If you don't have a holiday at the peak, you will be very pressured on the people below. Those who are outside the palace can say that they don't look at each other, and it doesn't hurt to rest for a day first. However, the six section corridors that fought against the cabinet did not dare to withdraw first, and they had to wait until the seal was pasted on the meeting, and those section chiefs and staff members could scatter as birds and beasts.

In the past, every year on Chinese New Year's Eve, the people in the Six Science Corridor were bored and had nothing to do, so they waited for the cabinet people to come out. Therefore, in the past, when they were serious about things, they would also rarely laugh, chat, and even play a few horse hangings in a relaxed manner. For many years, every year, it has become a routine.

However, this Chinese New Year's Eve in the first year of Longqing is very different.

In the middle of the six sections, under the leadership of their respective section chiefs, they were sitting in the hall of the science corridor. All of them have a seriousness on their faces, which is incompatible with the festive atmosphere. No one spoke, and the hall was silent, except for the hand of the Western clock in the corner, and the hands were clicking and turning.

It wasn't until the pointer pointed to a quarter past eight that the clerk gave Xin self-cultivation in the matter, put on a warm hat and got up and said, "Let's go." So the other five section chiefs and dozens of section members followed him out of the hall and lined up from Guiji Mén to Huiji Mén to attend a special meeting convened by the Cabinet.

According to the practice handed down from the previous dynasties, twice a month on the first and fifteenth days of the new year, the six departments had to go to the cabinet and the auxiliary ministers to meet with each other, which was called the meeting,...... It's a regular meeting to exchange voices. First, it was the first time that the meeting was held at the wrong time for the "meeting of the Chinese New Year's Eve": second, Li Chūnfang, deputy assistant to the cabinet, and Chen Yiqin, cabinet member, were not in the cabinet, and the former occasionally felt the wind and cold, and the latter took leave to go home for the New Year, and only the first assistant Xu Jie, and cabinet member Zhang Juzheng attended.

Xin Zixiu and his group sat down in the cabinet room, and only then did they know that Li Chūnfang and Chen Yiqin would not attend, and they couldn't help but be more sure that this meeting would not be as simple as a regular meeting. It should be like what some people say, yes, mobilization meeting,、, oath meeting,!

Everyone couldn't help but think in their hearts, "These days I often talk about those topics: this time the government is turbulent, it seems that the public opinion is difficult, but in fact, someone is pushing behind it, and wants to bī Xu Ge Lao's palace." ,, it's just that someone is making a big fuss about Hu Zongxian's death, and wants to welcome the surname Gao back"

, the remnants of the high party, the thief's heart is not dead, this is to take revenge on Xu Ge Lao! Revenge on us."

Finally, the buzz in the house gradually rose, and the people in the matter were sad and majestic, but they talked movingly: , I am afraid that this time it will be bigger than the beginning of the year, and Xu Ge Lao can't take it lightly."

, Xu Ge Lao has always loved us, and the government and the opposition have long regarded us as Xu Ge Lao's people! Once we want to let the surname Gao come back, we will be miserable."

, the colleagues of the Metropolitan Procuratorate are already broken, if we don't fight back, who will defend Xu Ge Lao? ”

All this was seen in the eyes of Zhang Juzheng, who was standing behind the screen, "Seeing that the people were really disturbed by the rumors they spread, they did not lose their fighting spirit."

couldn't help nodding secretly, and quietly withdrew from the courtroom.

He walked down the corridor and came to the outside of the first assistant duty room, and gently knocked on Mén and said, "Master, everyone is here." ”

Xu Jie, who was in the room, did not respond immediately, but wrote the complete paragraph of the resignation letter. He gently put down his pen, blew off the ink, put it back into the chōu drawer, and fastened it with a handful of jīng zhi xiǎo. Only then did he say in a deep voice: "Here it is." ”

"Yuan Weng has arrived!" The mouth of the mén of the Si Naolang passed through.

The officials immediately fell silent, stood up, and saluted together. I saw that Xu Ge Lao, who was not tall, had a fair face, and was slightly sad, "In the company of Zhang Ge Lao, who was in the wind, he slowly walked into the courtroom.

Xu Jie waved his hand to signal everyone to sit down, and he also sat in the empty master's seat in the middle. The officials peeked at it, and saw the ordinary and amiable Xu Ge Lao, there was no trace of a smile on his face at the moment, and the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes were as dense as spider's webs and the two profound decrees that were around his mouth, all revealing a solemn worry............ This also confirms their suspicions.

Zhang Juzheng also sat down on the edge of Xu Jie, stroked his neatly maintained beard, and said in his opening remarks: "I can hear the chatter in the corridor just now, why did we become silent as soon as we came?" ”

Xin Zixiu was the first of the six subjects, and when he heard the words, he replied respectfully: "The lower officials are just discussing the current situation." ”

"Oh......" This time it was Xu Ge Lao who spoke, and he looked at Xin Zixiu and said, "I want to listen to Section Chief Xin's opinion." ”

"Yuan Weng, don't pretend to be relaxed!" Xin Zixiu is actually a nursery, and when he heard this, he said angrily: "Now the wind of the court and the field is sinister, and its intentions are even more sinister, and it has ruined your reputation!" I empathize with your situation, students, etc., and I can't wait to kill those who are secretly luàn to solve the worries of teachers! "He is a Bingchen Kejinshi, so he can be called that.

Xu Jie was a little unhappy when he heard it, although he wanted to say this, but if he said it without any foreshadowing, the effect would be much worse, but he was obviously too worried. The rumors spread by Zhang Juzheng have an excellent effect, as soon as they heard that Gao Gong was making trouble in secret, the officials didn't need to mobilize at all, even if they fought hard, they couldn't let Gao Suqing come back!

"Yes, Yuan Weng, we are deeply favored by the emperor and take charge of Tianxian on our behalf! When encountering people who are defeated in the government and form a party, they must take the case and make a direct admonition, which is not only a responsibility, but also a morality, otherwise, it will make the world laugh! In the other case, Wang Yue said loudly, and many officials also shouted.

Seeing that the morale was available, Xu Jie's old man was very relieved, raised his hands and pressed down slightly, so that the restless officials quieted down, and then said slowly: "You are so anxious for justice and righteousness, and you are desperate for yourself, the old man is very moved............ said with emotion: "The six science corridors are all good, in the past two hundred years, I don't know how many things have been given, in order to maintain the law of the dynasty, for Jun Yaoshun, and for the head of heaven and earth!" and was dismissed, sentenced, "and even killed" by the cane...... It is no exaggeration to say, "You are the backbone of the imperial court, the conscience of the Ming Dynasty!" ”

Being held by Xu Jie like this makes things even hotter, and they will not hesitate to let them die at this time.

"Yuan Weng is right...... If it weren't for you, I'm afraid that the Yan Party would still be raging now, and those loyal people would still steal high positions and harm the people, and I would not be able to talk about the new policy of Longqing in the Ming Dynasty. Zhang Juzheng took over the conversation and continued to say: "Section Chief Xin is also right, now the government and the opposition are up and down, the wind is high and urgent, and it seems to be the desire of the people." But in fact, there are some people with ulterior motives, who fan yīn wind and light ghost fires there, lest the world will not be luàn! As he spoke, his voice became jī ang and said, "This is a countercurrent that is vainly trying to bring disaster to the court, to bring down the cabinet, and to step down!" You are the mainstay of my Ming Dynasty, and now the court needs you, the cabinet needs you, and the Yuan Weng needs you. ”

His affectionate speech made the officials completely enthusiastic, and they couldn't help but get up and petition: ": Kong said Chengren, Meng said to take righteousness, we are all on the orders of Yuan Weng!" ”

"Good ......", Xu Jie was also infected by them, and his mood was obviously high: "I came to you today to discuss this matter. In fact, before, Chief Xin said to the old man that he wanted to go to the book, "The old man considered the situation at that time, and let them wait and see for a few days." Now it seems that if you don't do it again, it will be a big deal," ......, gentlemen, for the sake of the stability of the court situation, and for the smooth implementation of the Longqing New Deal, I have to worry you again. ”

"We will impeach the old thief of the high arch, and we will not let him succeed!" To the people in the matter.

"You have misunderstood, impeachment, must be ironclad." Zhang Ju said without changing his face: "Gao Suqing is a rural villager, thousands of miles away from the capital, and there is no conclusive evidence, so it is impossible for the emperor and the government and the opposition to believe in impeachment rashly. ”

"So how do we go about it?" The officials asked, "There must be a goal." ”

"Now I'm in the light" and the enemy is in the dark. The art of war is cloudy, first be invincible, and then try to win the battle. Zhang Juzheng said in a deep voice: "We will not attack anyone for the time being" but to call together to end the chaos and stabilize the situation. ”

"End the chaos and stabilize the situation?" The officials said.

"Yes, if the other party wants to muddy the water, we need to clear the source!" Zhang Juzheng struck with both hands and said: "As long as you end the chaos as soon as possible and let the water in the pool clear, those reluctant people will have nowhere to hide and become the target of the public!" ”

It turned out that it was not an impeachment, and the officials were disappointed when they heard the words, and then they felt very relaxed, after all, they didn't play with their lives during the New Year, and they put on some high-sounding playbooks, which were both decent and safe, so why not?

"Don't take it lightly." Zhang Juzheng said earnestly: "This kind of music is not easy to write, and we must show the momentum of good and evil." Let the people of the world know that whoever dares to destroy the stable situation, and who dares to plot to make a luàn, is the public enemy of the imperial court, and everyone will fight against it! ”

"Let them see that we are united as one, we hate the same enemy, and we will never let a little charm destroy the hard-won good situation!" Xin Zixiu stood up and shouted a slogan: "The congratulatory watch to the emperor has not been sent yet, so let's go back and rewrite it!" ”

"There's no need to rush." Elder Xu Ge finally smiled and said, "Today is the thirtieth year of the Chinese New Year's Eve, so let's not block the emperor." ”

"To Jun Yaoshun, there is no time to delay!" He said with high morale: "What's more, it's not troublesome to change!" ”

"It's better to pay attention to the tone." Xu Jie advised: "When the New Year is auspicious, if you go too far, let's leave it for the New Year." ”

"Yes......" responded to the incident in unison, and they all went back to the Ya Correction Notebook.

At the end of the meeting, the matter was all **, Xu Jie showed a tired look again, Zhang Juzheng poured tea for him, and said softly: "Master, in addition to these things, I have also contacted dozens of officials at all levels. With so many people writing together, it will definitely form a limelight that suppresses them. ”

"I hope so...... Xu Jie nodded and said slowly: "Wang Tingxiang's death, although no one wants to see it, but at least it has helped us out of the siege." "As soon as Wang Tingxiang died, it created an opportunity for the case to be closed immediately, although he couldn't close the case as soon as he died on the front foot. But the news from Old Man Chen came that the emperor had long been tired of this lengthy torture and desperate to put an end to it.

Xu Jie has already passed down the word, and all the procedures must be completed in the first month of the next year to end this speechless immortal case. He continued: "The old Luàn Siding, this is what everyone expects, at this time, the hundred officials have written to ask for stability and not toss, and I think the emperor will also approve of it......", "After a pause, I will resign." ”

"The teacher is ......," Zhang Juzheng said in surprise.

"Don't worry." Xu Jieyi waved his hand and said: "The old man hasn't gotten out yet, he just wants to shout pain to the emperor and put some pressure on him." Saying róuróu's own sun, he said, "In this way, this period will almost survive." ”

"Is Chen Hong reliable?" Zhang Juzheng immediately realized that if Xu Jie played retreat as advance, the old eunuch would be a key person.

"It's not a big problem...... Xu Jie said with some uncertainty: "I tried him twice, and the results were not bad." Said with a confident smile: "Don't worry, even if he doesn't help me speak, the emperor won't be a teacher!" ”

"It's ......better not to play with fire as much as possible", Zhang Juzheng is like a different person and has become extremely cautious.

Xu Jie only said that he was scared, nodded disapprerovingly, and stopped talking.

Every year on New Year's Day, officials in Beijing have to present congratulatory watches to the emperor, and this year will be no exception.

However, this year, the congratulatory watch was delivered late enough, until the sky was dark, and the cabinet pushed a xiǎo cart and sent thousands of congratulatory watches from the hundreds of officials in Beijing to the celebrant supervisor.

The celebrant and eunuch naturally didn't have a good face and said: "Why is it so late, this is starting to be whipped!" ”

"What's the way to send it late?" Si Zhilang said helplessly, in fact, he was also depressed, all these congratulatory watches were checked one by one, and he was disgusted and wanted to vomit, and now it is a miracle that he can send them.

During the Chinese New Year, the eunuch didn't want to make trouble, muttered a few words, then accepted the congratulatory watch and pushed the xiǎo car inside.

Inside, the master of ceremonies, Bingbi Shi's father-in-law, was also anxious, and urged: "When is this, send it to the emperor quickly." The eunuchs hurriedly packed the greetings into trays covered with yellow cloth. The father-in-law Shi also came up to help, the black light was blind, no one saw it, he secretly put a notebook hidden in his sleeve on the tray.