Referring to what Zhang Juzheng said yesterday, Shen Mo had already guessed the meaning of Gao Gong in a flashing mind...... This old man is taking the opportunity to test himself and see if he is up to the people above... For example, Jiajing, Yan Song, Xu Jie... What is the relationship, and see what level of response you will give to his indirect wooing.

Thinking of this, Shen Mo smiled and said, "I believe you have already held the wisdom bead, and asking me is just to test me, right?" ’

"The old man is genuinely seeking advice." Gao Gong shook his head.

"Then I'll get the axe in the class," Shen Mo said softly, "The safest choice for adults is to follow the crowd." ”

"Go with the flow?" Gao Gong frowned, "Doesn't sound like a good idea. ”

"It's not rough." Shen Mo smiled faintly and said: "You are the teacher of Prince Yu, there is nothing wrong with being conservative, so as not to be contacted indiscriminately and cause trouble to Lord Yu." ”

I don't know this truth, and I haven't done it all these years. But he still felt uncomfortable, because Shen Mo said it well, and he didn't hear any clues from it. I had to ask again: "Then which side do you expect to win?" ”

Silent and unfathomable smiled: "The first to win and then lose, the first to lose and then to win." ”

"What do you mean?" Gao Gong glared and said, "Make it clear, don't hit the front machine." ”

"I don't understand that." Shen Mo spread his hands and said, "I have to wait until the time to see the difference." ”

He talked about it, and Gao Gong couldn't ask any more, so he had to say: "You go back first, and we'll talk about it after the court meeting." ”

Silently got up, bowed his hand, and left the high-arched duty room.

The next day, Shen Mo and Zhang Ju were not qualified to participate, so the two of them sat on duty in the Guozijian, because the priest was not there, so they could naturally be casual. Zhang Juzheng ran to the silent public room, where he sat restlessly, sighed for a long time, shook silently and dizzy, and couldn't work well.

endured and endured, but still couldn't hold back, he had to put down the book, looked at Zhang Juzheng and said: "I said Brother Taiyue, you have been spinning like a spinning top for half an hour, aren't you dizzy?" ”

"It's only been half an hour?" Zhang Juzheng was surprised: "Why does time pass so slowly?" ”

"If you care, it's messy." Shen Mo smiled and said, "Sit down and drink some water, relax, don't be so nervous." ”

"It's none of your business, of course you're not nervous." Zhang Juzheng sat in front of Shen Mo and said, "You don't know at all, Zhao Butang's status on the teacher's side is not an exaggeration. ”

"The pillar is Xu Ge's old self, and Zhao Butang can't afford it." Shen Mo said lightly.

Zhang Juzheng couldn't deny it, so he had to sneer: "Anyway, it's the most important, if he is really taken down, who will fight against the Yan Party in the future?" It's time to return to the situation of one dominance again. ”

"You have brains, and others have brains." Shen Mo said meaningfully: "So for us, considering these issues is like worrying about the sky, it is better to discuss and discuss how to grasp the teaching quality of Guozijian." ”

Zhang Juzheng was stunned when he heard this, and said after a pause: "Jiangnan, what do you mean ......?"

"Call me clumsy, or call him by his name." Shen Mo frowned.

"Hehe, it seems that you are not very satisfied with this number." Zhang Juzheng said with a smile: "Actually, I think it's very good, elegant and elegant." ”

"It's a good number, but I don't like to be imposed." Shen Mo said lightly: "People are under the roof and have to bow their heads, but it doesn't mean that I am happy to accept it." ”

"You have something to say." Zhang Juzheng said with a straight face when he heard this.

"You misunderstood me." Shen Mo smiled and said: "Brother Taiyue, you and I are like-minded and conspire together, and you are working together and putting your heart into your heart, not Piri Yangqiu and insinuating, so you must have misunderstood me." ”

After listening to Shen Mo's words, Zhang Juzheng's face was hot, there is a way that the drum does not need a heavy hammer, he can't hear the silent 'insinuation', he is clearly euphemistically accusing himself, and he played tricks on him the day before yesterday.

I didn't expect Shen Mo to be able to see the end, Zhang Juzheng said in his heart that he couldn't play tricks with him in the future, and he didn't want to lose this comrade-in-arms, so he said: "Humble words, I confess to you, some of the words that day were indeed asked by Gao Suqing to ask you." ”

"Oh, really?" Silent pretended to be stupid.

Zhang Juzheng knew that he was pretending to be stupid in order not to embarrass himself too much, so he became more and more reluctant and said: "Because I am his double subordinate, I have to act according to orders, but I just relayed his question, and I didn't say a word to persuade you, because I don't want to be treated as a lobbyist by you." Saying that, he looked at him fixedly and said, "What I value most is the relationship between the two of us...... Have you forgotten how many times I reminded you? ”

Shen Mo couldn't push him too hard, otherwise it would backfire, so he nodded and said, "I believe in Brother Taiyue, I believe it now, and I will believe it in the future." "I just didn't say 'I used to believe.'"

Zhang Juzheng also nodded heavily, and said emotionally: "Humble words, I will not live up to you." ”

The relationship between the two seems to be better than before...... It's just that no one believes it, and what the other party says is all sincere, and it is impossible to give the other party the truth. I don't know what is true or false, so I can only guess and live by.

Picking away the thorns in his heart, he said to Zhang Juzheng in a 'serious voice': "Instead of worrying about those who don't, let's sum up, how to do a good job in the affairs of the Guozijian, so that the prisoners can gain something." ”

"There are still two months to go to the township test, and it's only getting it now, isn't it too late." Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said, "And Gao Suqing won't let you touch his heart." ”

"There are not only those who choose tribute in the Guozi Prison." Shen Mo smiled and said: "There are also those Engong and Shigong, these people are not the treasures of the tall people." ”

It's not just a baby, it's just garbage in the eyes of the high arch. Zhang Juzheng said: "Rotten wood can't be carved, humble words." "In the mainstream view, only those jinshi with great prospects are worth investing in, and although these prisoners are also qualified to be officials, they can only be petty officials, and there is no need to waste energy on them.

Shen Mo smiled and said: "Let's practice hands, as soon as we come up and take the seedlings to open the knife, we can't afford to miss anything." ”

Zhang Juzheng thought about it, so he no longer objected.

The two discussed, and the time passed quickly, and in a blink of an eye, at noon, Gao Gong came back, and when he saw the joy on his face, he knew that something good had happened.

Perhaps because he felt that this was not very solemn, Gao Gong tried his best to make his expression serious, and said to the two subordinates who greeted him: "Jiangnan, you come here." ”

"Yes." Silently ignoring Zhang Juzheng's narrow gaze, he followed Gao Gong into his public room.

Gao Gong put his official hat on the table, and while untying his official robe, he said: "I have been well-dressed all morning, but I am hot, rude, and rude." As he spoke, he took off his official uniform, threw it on the chair, wore only a white gauze mono, picked up a towel, soaked it in the basin, and wiped his face a lot.

It was comfortable enough, so he put down the towel, looked at Shen Mo and said, "Sit down, we northerners are not as particular as you southerners, how to be comfortable." ”

Shen Mo smiled and said: "When it gets hot, there is no distinction between the north and the south, and it is inevitable that the princes and grandsons will be shirtless." ”

"Haha...... That's the reason, those southerners always laugh at me for being rude, I think they don't eat the fireworks of the world. Gao Gong sat beside Shen Mo, picked up the big pu fan, and fanned the wind while snorting, while looking at Shen Mo and said, "Jiangnan, you are extraordinary." ”

"What do you mean, sir?" Shen Mo smiled and said: "Xiaguan has a small nose and small eyes, where does it look extraordinary." ”

"At today's court meeting, I really let you talk about it." Gao Gong said: "Sure enough, the first to win and then lose, the first to lose and then to win!" ”

"Oh?" Shen Mo asked, "Then who won first?" ”

"Listen to me tell you slowly......" Gao Gong's thoughts returned to the court this morning...... On the main hall of Yuxi Palace, Yan Song Xu stepped on the left and right, leading the six departments and nine qing, dozens of officials above the fourth grade, kneeling down towards the dragon chair in the north, and shouting 'Long live, long ......live, long live, long live'

After three bows and nine bows, Li Fang, the celebrant dressed in a big red python coat and full of pale hair, said loudly: "Flat." ”

The officials got up and returned to their positions, only Yan Song and Fang Yu had embroidered piers to sit on, and the rest could only stand on their own, even Xu Ge Lao was no exception.

After everyone stood still, Li Fang set his eyes on the yellow veil on the right side of the main hall, and everyone's eyes secretly looked at the veil.

After a while, a melodious jade chime sound came from behind the veil, and Li Fang said loudly: "Your Majesty has a will, if you have something to do, you will play it early, and you will disperse if you have nothing to do!" ”

It was easy for everyone to catch Jiajing for a while, how could this make him run away, Wu Peng, the secretary of the ministry, hurriedly came out and said: "Your Majesty, the minister has something to do." ”

'Bell ......' sounded, and Li Fang said, "Speak." ”

"Yes." Wu Peng said: "Weichen checked the roster of 100 officials, and He Ao, the secretary of the Criminal Department, has been on sick leave for more than a year, which makes a book equal to an empty hanging. According to the rules, they should be dismissed as 'sick and old and unusable', and another person should be selected for appointment. ”

Li Fang asked, "What does Elder Yan Ge think?" This is actually asked on behalf of Jiajing, and every time he repeats the same words, Jiajing is too lazy to say it.

"Back to Your Majesty." Yan Song helped the embroidered pier and slowly got up and said: "He Ao is indeed a capable official, but it is a pity that he has been lingering on the sickbed for many years, and he has been recuperating for ten months in a year, just like Wu Yibu said, a book is almost empty, and it is indeed not a way to do it for a long time. ”

After listening to Yan Song's words, Li Fang asked Xu Jie again: "Elder Xu Ge, what do you think?" ”

Xu Jie hurriedly arched his hand and said: "Back to Your Majesty, the minister thinks that what Wu Butang said is right, and what Yan Ge Lao said is even more right, this position of secretary of the Criminal Department should indeed be reconsidered." "He Ao's retirement was a matter of course, and even he himself handed over several retirement excerpts, but the emperor kept it.

Seeing that the three important ministers spoke in unison, Li Fang glanced at the rest of the officials and asked, "What do you think?" None of them said anything, so Li Fang stopped looking at them and set her eyes on the veil.

After a while, he heard the sound of a chime on the ground of the 'bell', and Li Fang immediately dragged out his voice and said, "Quasi-play!" ”

As for the candidate for succession, it is customary to recommend the first assistant, and Yan Song really 'does not avoid relatives', and recommended the second-in-command of the Criminal Department, and He Bin, the left waiter, succeeded him.

"Elder Xu Ge, do you have a candidate?" Li Fang asked softly.

Xu Jie said in a similar way: "Back to Your Majesty, the minister recommends Taichang Temple Qing Yan Ne, this person is fair and strict, familiar with legislation, and is competent enough." ”

"Is there anyone else?" Li Fang asked everyone, all the officials were dumb, they knew that it was for nothing that they recommended it, and when they were going to push it, it was still the Yan Party and the Xu Party who had the final say.

Then there is the red bean and mung bean competition. Zhang Siwei and Xu Wei took red beans and mung beans and gave each adult a ...... Of course, Xu Ge Lao and Yan Ge Lao each have two grains. Wu Peng, the secretary of the ministry, said: "The red bean represents He Bin, and the mung bean represents Yan Ne, let's start." Xu Wei was holding a clay pot. Walk in front of the adults - each adult reaches into the jar and puts down a bean, and no one looks at red or green.

After turning around, Xu Wei handed the clay pot to Wu Peng, and Wu Peng took it to Yan Ge Lao, Xu Ge Lao, and Li Fang, and the four of them counted together.

There were a total of thirty-six beans, counting and counting, and in the end, He Bin won 20 to 16.

As soon as the results came out, everyone in the Yan Party was triumphant, and the faces of Xu Jie's faction suddenly became ugly. Although Yan Ge Lao didn't smile, he also glanced at Xu Jie seemingly inadvertently, as if to say, Xiao'er, fight with me, and it's a little tender.

Xu Jie lowered his head and retreated to the court to stand, as if he was not shocked, but there was a drum in his heart...... The dispute over the Shangshu of the Criminal Department is actually insignificant in terms of the strength of the two sides, but it is a rehearsal of the contest between the two sides...... Thirty-six beans, in addition to his double share with Yan Song, a total of thirty-two, representing the thirty-two high-ranking officials above the main hall, of which there are eleven people from his faction, fifteen people from Yan Song's faction, and six people from neutral...... At least on the surface. If you want to be undefeated, you will need to enlist the support of at least five neutrals. This seems a little difficult, but it is not impossible, because Xu Jie believes that those six neutrals have a greater bad feeling towards Yan Ge Lao than towards themselves.

In fact, he has personally visited these six officials and received their personal assurances, so he has the confidence to stand here and fight with Yan Dang.

But the result came out, and he only had the support of fourteen people. There were five or five points in the neutral camp, and six people completely canceled it out, so it all depends on the original strength comparison of the two sides, so that they were originally at a disadvantage, but the result is still at a disadvantage, and nothing has changed.

"This is really a foot high, a foot high...... Xu Jie's heart swelled with a wave of frustration, and he was also pessimistic about the situation behind him.

Whether he wants it or not, the court meeting will continue, and after passing this bone, Li Fang asked again: "What else is going on?" ”

"Your Majesty, the minister has the ......" Xu Lun, the secretary of the military department, said tremblingly, he was already sixty-five, and his health was not good, but he didn't have to sit on the embroidery pier, and his eyes were dizzy from being tired, and he stood there swaying, as if he was going to fall down at any time.

Emperor Jiajing behind the curtain finally spoke: "Move a stool for the Xu Army." ”

Chen Hong, who was standing next to Li Fang, hurriedly moved the embroidery pier behind Xu Lun and said, "Xu Bingbu, please take a seat." ”

Xu Lun thanked him for a long time in fear, and then put his little butt on the stool, as if he was afraid that he would be paralyzed. Seeing that all the adults were looking at him, he was a little confused and said, "What do you think I am doing?" Immediately everyone burst into laughter.

With this smile, Xu Lun was even more confused, and asked Fang Blunt beside him: "Fang Butang, what's wrong?" ”

Fang Yu couldn't help but laugh and said, "Xu Butang, don't you have a book?" "My heart said that I was in my seventies, and I wasn't forgetful, but you lost your memory first.

"Oh, yes, yes, yes." Xu Lun hurriedly helped Xiudun to get up and said, "Your Majesty, now that the war situation in the south is a little settled, the imperial court should turn its attention back to the north a little." Said with a sad face: "Because of the strategy of attacking the south and defending the north over the years, the Mongols have become more and more arrogant, and they can cross the Great Wall almost every year and approach the capital. ”

All the ministers nodded when they heard this, but Jiajing behind the curtain did not move at all, and after a long time, Li Fang finally said: "What does Yan Ge think of it?" He understood the emperor's intentions, and knew that this Dao monarch was most afraid of trouble, even if he knew that this was the case, he was not willing to toss, so he had to let Yan Ge Lao carry a black pot for the emperor.

Yan Song squinted his eyes and said slowly: "Relying on the emperor's Shengming leadership and everyone's hard work, the most difficult day has finally passed." He unhurriedly set the tone for the matter, and then continued: "The past few years have been really bitter, the great earthquake that has never been seen in ancient times, the drought in the north for many years, and the overwhelming Japanese and Tartar, to be honest, I don't know how I survived. ”

Everyone didn't know what he was doing with this stubble, so they could only listen quietly.

(To be continued)