According to Xu Jie's original plan, he listened to Shen Mo's words and recommended Ouyang Bijin.

But the so-called 'friends' are a group composed of various interests. A person cannot be called a 'party', so Xu Dang does not refer to Xu Jie, but a collection of him and the gang behind him.

If you want to compete with the Yan Party, Xu Jie has to rely on the gang behind him, otherwise he will be alone, and the good tiger will not be able to stand up to the wolves...... Therefore, he must be careful not to distract people's hearts.

For the Xu Party, their people's hearts are to 'eliminate the Yan Party and replace it', and this goal is actually divided into two stages, first to eliminate the Yan Party, and then to replace it, which is obviously bitter first and then sweet.

In the first stage, everyone can unite in a noble spirit, even in a self-sacrificing attitude, with little personal demand, and all aimed at defeating the 'evil' enemy.

But when the second stage is reached, when it is replaced and the fruits of victory are shared, the original comradeship, the spirit of sacrifice, and obedience to the organization are all forgotten, and everyone is chattering about their own merits, stretching out their hands, lest they will lose a piece of pie, and they are eager to eat what others have changed.

For Xu Dang, who has been depressed for a long time, it has been a long, long time since he waited for a day! Although the incomparably powerful Yan Party has always taught the challengers painful lessons again and again, making them extremely cautious, when they learned that Yan Ge Lao knelt in the golden palace in the rain and kicked Yan Shifan out of the house, even the most conservative elements would boldly speak up...... It's dawn!

In addition, in order to suppress the Yan Party, boost morale, and win over the centrists, the Xu Party launched a vigorous psychological war, and for a time it seemed that there was a posture of 'rushing to the sky and incense through Chang'an, and the city was full of golden armor'...... It is not yet known whether the enemy will be hit or not, anyway, Xu Dang himself seems to be a little encouraged...... Too optimistic.

If you don't believe it, look at the Yamen of the Six Ministries, those who are beaming and full of light, must be Xu Dang, these people have straightened their waists and loud voices, and they will say 'a great change that has not been seen in 30 years', as if sharpening knives to pigs and sheep!

Not only are the middle- and lower-level officials generally optimistic, as if this mood has also infected the core figures, those stable high-ranking officials in the ministry, seeing that the situation is very good, their minds have also begun to liven up, and they have started to fight Xiao Jiujiu...... These people, most of them, are squires, right capital imperial historians, etc., all of them are deputies.

Deputy position, that is one of the most poignant professions in the world, eat the leftovers of the main job, not to mention the anger of the main job; The main job moves his mouth, the deputy has to break his leg, and the credit is still someone else's main job, of course, if it is messed up, then the black pot belongs to your deputy. Just like the concubines of big families, these waiters are very bright on the surface and bitter on the inside...... Also bullied and bullied his own deputy once?

Xu Jie understands this mood very well, because he is the biggest deputy in the world, and he has a deeper understanding of the bitterness of the deputy than anyone else!

So when Yan Ne found him, whispered, and begged bitterly, Xu Jie's original firm mind wavered...... Of course, Xu Jiesheng's surname is stable, and he will never be Meng Lang. He still patiently persuaded them, come and say that Fang Chang, don't fight this time.

But for a minister like Yan Ne, becoming a scholar of the Ministry of Rites, and then entering the cabinet as a minister, is the highest pursuit of his life, and this opportunity may be missed, and he will never meet it again, so he is bound to win. After listening to Xu Ge Lao's persuasion, he didn't answer immediately, but asked in a muffled voice, "Who is the Ge Lao going to choose?" ”

This kind of thing can't be hidden, so Xu Jie said honestly: "Ouyang will enter." ”

As soon as these words came out, five or six people in the room blew up at once, and said in disbelief: "We heard you right, right? Ge Lao actually asked us to nominate Yan Song's brother-in-law? ”

Xu Jie nodded and said with certainty: "Yes." He patiently explained to them, of course, using the theory of silence.

"No! Absolutely not! But those people couldn't listen at all, and they said loudly: "Ge Lao, how can you listen to a yellow-mouthed child? He just managed a few things by luck, but it doesn't mean that he is Zhuge reincarnated! Then he analyzed: "Ge Lao, you think, the last time the court pushed, we were only one vote behind, and now the Yan Party folded Wu Shan's vote, even if you look at the results last time, in the worst case, it should be even." ”

Xu Jie nodded, and listened to them continue to say loudly: "Unless the elder thinks that all our efforts during this period of time are all useless, and we haven't pulled a centrist for us, then what else is there to worry about?" ”

"Yes, Ge Lao! That Shen boy's idea is simply painful for relatives and fast for enemies, and it stinks! It stinks! They continued to persuade loudly: "If we promote Ouyang Bijin, in the eyes of the Yan Party, we are afraid of them and compromise!" On our side, that's a big blow! And those centrists are all grass on the wall, and now we are in a good situation, and it is the time when the wind blows the grass, but we come out like this. When people looked at it, it turned out that they were still afraid of the strict party, so let's continue to fight with the mud......"

Xu Jie began to waver a little, but he still said: "I am determined to win the Shangshu of the Ministry of Officials, if there is no trick to transfer the tiger from the mountain, how to take it?" ”

"The old man is confused......" Those people laughed: "The Yan Party has already fallen down the wall and everyone has pushed it, as long as we launch an offensive and impeach Ouyang Bijin, there will inevitably be countless people to follow up, and they can bury him with a concerto, and they can't get rid of Ouyang Bijin?" ”

"This is the first battle we have officially started with the Yan Party, and we must win it neatly! If you give Yan Song the Book of Rites, it will be an invincible and undefeated at most, how can we show our strength? How to crack down on the arrogance of the strict party? The harm is endless, ...... old man."

In the midst of everyone's opposition, Xu Jie finally changed his mind, not because of how reasonable their statement was, but because he saw the ** in the eyes of these people. He can't offend his own backbone in order to stick to the plan, that would be more than worth the loss.

After some consideration, Xu Jie agreed to their request, but with them for three chapters, if there was a tie between the two sides, he would recommend Ouyang Bijin instead...... According to the custom, if there is a tie, either it will be reported together and submitted to the Holy Judge, or one of the parties will be re-elected and voted again.

Everyone firmly believed that there would be no draw, so they accepted Xu Gelao's request.

But when the results came out, everyone in the Xu Party was stunned, and the people in the Yan Party were overjoyed, if it weren't for the fact that this was the Golden Palace of the Imperial Palace, I am afraid they would all be singing and dancing...... Xu Jie couldn't help but rub his eyes, took a deep breath, and counted the beans on the table carefully, one by one, but in the end, there were still sixteen mung beans, and he couldn't turn into one more.

At that moment, Xu Jie seemed to be a few years older, and couldn't help but look at Yan Song, only to see that Yan Ge was still sitting there like an old pine, and he couldn't see the clue at all; Looking at Yan Shifan again, the deliberate low-key has disappeared, replaced by an arrogant smile that he is all too familiar with, and the light of banter in his single eye seems to be saying...... You've been tricked, stupid!

In fact, he couldn't understand Yan Shifan's mood at the moment, starting from the Shuntian Township test, unlucky things happened one after another, he was trained by his father all day long, scolded by the emperor, suspected by the people below, ridiculed by the people of the Xu Party, and even kicked out of the house in the end!

In Yan Shifan's heart, there was already too much anger that needed to be vented, so when he saw Xu Jie's appearance, the pleasure that rose from the inside out was much stronger than the pleasure brought by ruining the women of the good family. It's just that he knows that in the corner of the main hall, there must be a eunuch from Jiajing who is watching everything here, and will report his words and deeds to the emperor.

Thinking of Jiajing's thunderous anger that day, Yan Shifan couldn't help but shudder, and when he put back his laughter, he almost held back his fart...... A gust of cold wind blew from outside the hall, and Shen Mo's body couldn't help but tremble, but he didn't notice it at all, because he was also immersed in a huge shock now - the Xu Dang people actually didn't count, or they forgot that Shen Mo didn't participate in the last court push, so if according to the results of the last time, except for one of the Yan Dang, they would definitely win this time.

In fact, Shen Mo thinks the same way...... But as soon as the results came out, sixteen to eighteen, Xu Dang still lost!

Excluding the low-level mistake of someone misplacing the beans, there is only one explanation - at least two of those who supported the Xu Party last time changed to support the Yan Party.

Whether it is the temporary work done by the Yan Party, or the fact that the two brothers are actually annihilated, it is enough for the Xu Party to drink a pot, and it will even cause suspicion between them, and they will be torn apart internally, and they will be self-defeating...... Is this Yan Shifan's counterattack? This dead fat man is too sharp, isn't he?

Glancing at Yan Shifan silently, and then at Xu Jie, he suddenly remembered a famous saying: 'If you are not afraid of a god-like opponent, you are afraid of a pig-like teammate!' Although he never underestimated Xu Ge Lao's ability, at least in this matter, Xu Jie was a real pig...... As soon as he thought of the election of the Ministry of Rites, it was the turn of Governor Su Song, Shen Mo's heart was even more frustrated, he had always been willing to take risks, several times against Yan Shifan, not in morality, nor to see that one-eyed dead fat man unpleasant, there is only one picture, that is, to get rid of the insatiable Yan Party bureaucrats, so that the city can develop and grow in a relaxed environment, that is his lofty goal, in the economic spark!

Anyone who gambles knows how it feels to lose after winning a night, it's a depression that can't be solved by hitting the south wall with your head! Now silently facing the ending of busy work, busy work, and an empty bamboo basket, the frustration in his heart is simply boundless, making his expression distorted.

At this time, the person on the side asked in a concerned whisper, "What's wrong?" The face is strange and scary. ”

Thanks to this sentence, Shen Mo suddenly came back to his senses, and smiled reluctantly: "It seems that I have a bad stomach......"

The people on the side were immediately relieved and sympathized: "You must hold back, otherwise you will make a fool of yourself." ”

Shen Mo nodded gratefully, and whispered, "I can hold it." He bowed his head and was silent, and the people on the side thought he was enduring it, and looked at him with concern, but he didn't say a word, lest it cause the sky to collapse.

Of course, things were not as dirty as he thought, and Shen was silent, and his body was fine, and his brain began to think of countermeasures. couldn't help but sigh secretly and said: "It's really a last resort, I can only make a move, let Xu Hai and them pretend to be pirates, and intercept and kill the new governor halfway...... But he also knows that this will not play a role at all, Daming is not short of people, let alone people who are officials, maybe Yan Shifan will thank the murderer and give him another chance to make money.

What the? You say come one to kill one, come two to kill a pair? Could it be that the imperial court is a pig? One time can be regarded as an accident, and the second time no one will definitely think so, and if the time comes to investigate and deal with it strictly, it will inevitably be revealed in his own arrangement in Suzhou, and it will be completely over.

Shen Mo felt this sorrow in his heart, and he even wanted to die headlong and clean up.

No matter how frustrated Xu Dang and Shen Mo were, Tingtui had to go on.

Yan Shifan finally couldn't help but say triumphantly: "Old Xu Ge, what are you waiting for?" Are you always uncomfortable, otherwise I can host it for you. ”

After all, Xu Jie has been in the rivers and lakes for a long time, even if there are occasional mistakes and occasional panic, he will not always be chaotic to the end. When he heard Yan Shifan's provocation, he suddenly regained his composure, and said with a faint smile: "The court must have a cabinet to preside, is this an iron rule, so Yan Butang's kindness, this official can only understand it." ”

Yan Shifan touched a soft nail that was not too big or small, but he didn't care at all, and said with a smile: "Okay, I'll go out and see your old host." "He's confident in the next result because he's in control...... Yan Dang stole the lord Weifu to self-dictate for 20 years, and the ministers in the court were basically promoted by them, although some later rebelled and threw themselves to Xu Jie's side, but there were more people who were loyal and loyal to the old and small elders.

Originally, these two groups of people were distinct, but from the thirty-fifth year of Jiajing, when Yan Ge Lao found that Xu Jie's tail was too big to be completely eradicated, he stopped his previous strategy and used the method of mixing sand to constantly order some henchmen who were more concealed or usually ambiguous, so that they could infiltrate the Xu Party.

Rao is surname Xu Jiesheng is cautious, but his thirst for power still made him relax his checks a little, and let some people with other plans join his team. Therefore, the previous court push, Yan Dang and Xu Dang were only one vote apart, in fact, it was just an illusion, on the one hand, it was used to paralyze Xu Jie, so that he could make wrong judgments, and on the other hand, it was also to paralyze Emperor Jiajing, so that he thought that Yan Dang did not have the power to tilt towards the government and the opposition, but was similar to Xu Dang, so he would naturally relax his vigilance.

As a result, when the Xu Party played a triumphant song and his own morale was sluggish, Yan Song finally used the dark line that had been in ambush for many years and reversed the situation in one fell swoop!

Judging from the hands of the old Yan Ge, Yan Shifan, who is known as the smartest person in the world, is far inferior to his father!

Xu Jie has no time to experience the opponent's high moves, and how to pass this level at this moment is the most important thing. But with the lesson of Fang Cai, he now knows very well that his original candidate can no longer be used, and he can only become the target of Yan Dang's attack after he is released.

Now that he thinks of Shen Mo's original words, he can't help but regret for a while-regret that he didn't listen to his humble words at the beginning! Xu Jie glanced at Shen Mo guiltily, and when he saw him lowering his head, he said even more guiltily in his heart: "He must be as depressed as me, right?" ’

At this moment, Shen Mo suddenly raised his head and glanced at Xu Jie, although it was only a glance, Xu Jie saw the light of hope in it.

At this time, Yan Shifan urged again, and Xu Jiexin said: "I can only let him be a dead horse doctor!" No matter what the result, I admit it, ...... and said with a smile: "Governor Su Song is in charge of the City Division, this kind of official is something that most officials have never experienced, so Yan Maoqing and Lord Yan will be bloodied and end in failure!" As he spoke, he glanced at Shen Mo and said: "If we like to put forward a candidate behind closed doors and in a daze, it will be difficult to escape the fate of failure at that time, and that is the sin of our courtiers." ”

I have already said that Yan Shifan's desire for the city is naturally bound to this Su Song governor. He couldn't listen to Xu Jie's tirade, if it was usual, he would have interrupted rudely. But Xu Jie's is the elder of the pavilion, and this is the golden palace, so he still has to respect it on the face, so he patiently said: "What does the elder mean?" ”

"Hehe, what does this official mean," Xu Jie glanced at Shen Mo again and said, "In this matter, you should still ask Lord Shen Mo, the founder of the City Ship Division, who was the governor of Su Song, to see if he has any good candidates." ”

"He ......" Yan Shifan glanced at Shen Mo, and said in his heart that he had already decided on the candidate anyway, and he also had the majority of votes, so what these people said was in vain. It's better to play a high-profile trick, so he nodded and said, "Okay." ”

(To be continued)