Autumn is hazy, and in a blink of an eye, the fallen leaves have filled most of the capital, and at this time, a figure in the distance is hurriedly walking towards the side of the house. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

"Zirui, you're finally here..."Xia Yan, who was pacing in the room, saw Peng Yue coming in, and hurriedly greeted him, "The southbound thing, but it went well?" ”

"It's just to support the coffin and accompany it, what's going on or not..."Maybe he was a little tired along the way, Peng Yue pulled over a stool and sat down while responding, "I don't know if Lord Xia asked me to come here today, but what's the urgency?" ”

"It's not Guo Xun's business yet..."Xia Yan sighed dejectedly, "Why do you say that the emperor gave him the position of Duke of Yiguo?" How can the position of a prince be granted so easily? What credit does he Guo Xun have..."

Xia Yan complained all the time, but saw that Peng Yue was silent on the side, so he stopped talking.

"Zirui, did you say that the emperor granted Guo Xunyi the position of Guogong, is there any other reason?" After Xia Yan complained, he began to think about "business" and consider his own vital interests.

"You don't have to worry about this, the emperor's move shouldn't be because of you..."Peng Yue knew that Xia Yan was worried that Zhu Houxi would confer the title of Guo Xunyi Guogong, and he had the idea of suppressing himself, so he was a little anxious in his heart, the title of "Guogong" was a false title, and it was not a position of real power, so the emperor definitely didn't have any intention of suppressing Heng, besides, half of the position of Guogong was for the reputation of his Guo family, if it wasn't for this kind of honor, how could he get the title of Guogong? Therefore, Lord Xia should not worry about this matter. ”

"But the emperor also gave him the title of Taishi, I really don't understand why the emperor has such favor for him..."Xia Yan said with a frown.

"The reason, it should be that a variety of factors happen to coincide...", Peng Yue smiled lightly, "It's also his Guo Xun's luck..."

"How many factors can there be?" Xia Yan smiled contemptuously, "It's not because Guo Xun compiled some "Biography of Heroes", which created momentum for his ancestor Guo Ying to shoot Chen Youliang to death, which affected the emperor, not only won the honor of his ancestor Guo Ying worthy of the Taizu Temple, but also... He also took advantage of the opportunity..."

"That's a big reason... But there are other reasons..."Peng Yue looked at Peng Yue with a smile, "You should also know the news of Zhang Fujing's new death two days ago, right?" ”

"Of course I know, the emperor rewarded his family with so many things..."Xia Yan smiled bitterly, "But why did you suddenly mention this matter?" This and Guo Xun... Oh..."

"Lord Xia, don't forget that when the Great Rites were discussed, Guo Xun and Zhang Fujing stood firmly on the same front..."Peng Yue said meaningfully, "Now that Zhang Fujing is a new pawn, it is estimated that the emperor has remembered the past of the Rites Discussion again, and this Zhang Fujing has no chance to accept the reward, so... The emperor gave this reward to Guo Xunbei... If you don't believe what I said, then think about Huo Tao, the emperor is electing officials in the East Palace for the past two days, you must know that Huo Tao's health has not been good, but the emperor still let him take charge of the affairs of the Zhan Mansion with the official titles of Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites and Prince Shaobao, I guess... I guess it's because of the old things... As I said, Your Majesty... Love and miss the old love..."Peng Yue thought about it, but he still didn't repeat Zhu Houxi as a person, and remembered that it was a play and this kind of thing to say.

"This Huo Tao, when the emperor put him in charge of Zhan Shifu, he still insisted on not accepting it, saying that the minister didn't know how to be polite when he was enthroned, and intended to cultivate power, don't think I can't hear that he is referring to Sang and scolding Huai, hum!" Xia Yan said indignantly.

"Lord Xia doesn't have to be angry, Huo Tao did this, it also means that he is poor in donkey skills, since he can do this kind of useless at all, just purely as a venting move, why do you care? You're right? Peng Yue said with a smile, his facial expression was also very calm.

"You're right..."Xia Yan smiled lightly, "Is there any other reason for that?" ”

"I guess there's another reason, but I'm not sure..."Peng Yue put his hand on the table and leaned forward, "Two days ago, Duan Chaoyong presented 10,000 taels of silver to the emperor, saying that it was just refined, and Duan Chaoyong's affairs have been connected by Guo Xun now, so I guess the emperor may also be grateful to Guo Xun because of this incident..."

"Huh? Didn't you say that it was absolutely impossible for a spell to turn ordinary artifacts into gold and silver? How could it be now..."Xia Yan's tone was a little impatient, and even his body involuntarily straightened up.

"Don't worry, there is definitely no magic in this world to turn ordinary artifacts into gold and silver..."Peng Yue looked relaxed, "The reason why this situation occurs, there are only two explanations, one is that Duan Chao used to deceive the emperor by teaming up with Guo Xun, and the other is that Duan Chaoyong deceived both the emperor and Guo Xun..."

"Impossible, Guo Xun is not so bold, nor is he so stupid, he will not join forces to deceive the emperor with a Taoist priest!" Xia Yan waved his hand and said firmly.

"I think so too..."Peng Yue smiled lightly and said in a low voice, "Then in this case, there is only one possibility, that is, Duan Chaoyong deceived both the emperor and Guo Xun, but in any case, there is only one result, when this matter is revealed, Duan Chaoyong will suffer a catastrophe, and Guo Xun will also be unlucky..."

"Are you really sure?" Xia Yan looked at Peng Yue with a puzzled look.

"Of course I'm sure, Lord Xia can rest assured about this matter." Perhaps to reassure Xia Yan, Peng Yue deliberately put on an unusually serious attitude, "And it can also be seen that Guo Xun is difficult to achieve great things, he could have relied on his hereditary status to live a good life, coupled with the emperor's favor accumulated during the Great Rites Discussion, he will definitely be rich and noble for life, but he refuses to do so, always thinking of the emperor's favor, and now he has come up with a way to use Taoist priests, but he listened to the absurd statement of turning ordinary utensils into gold and silver, and was fooled by a Taoist priest. And now it's becoming more and more arrogant and domineering, and I don't know how to converge, I see... His good days are coming to an end..."

"What you said does make sense..."Xia Yan lowered his head, as if he was pondering something, "but the title that the emperor bestowed on him is inappropriate..."

"Lord Xia doesn't have to worry about this..."Peng Yue knew that Xia Yan was actually uncomfortable because Guo Xun was awarded the title of Guogong and pressed himself, but he was not very easy to say anything about this kind of thing, who made Xia Yan so famous? And Xia Yan is not from a high background, so he has always been dissatisfied with a big family like Guo Xun, and now Guo Xun has obtained the title of "Guogong", which Xia Yan cannot get in his life, Xia Yan is of course unhappy, "Guo Xun has been arrogant since he was named the Duke of Yi, and he is so arrogant, it won't be long before he will make some unwise moves." Wait, although the title of Duke of Yi Guo is very useful to him now, he will soon be on the road to perdition because of this title..."

"I hope so..."Xia Yan took a sip of tea and didn't say much.

"By the way, Lord Xia, I came here this time, and I also have some things I want to discuss with you..."Peng Yue saw that Xia Yan was not very interested, so he didn't dwell on this topic more, but just diverted the topic.

"By the way, you haven't said anything yet..."Xia Yan smiled and put the teacup on the table, "After the dispersal of the dynasty yesterday, you said that you had a lot of ideas when you went south with the emperor, so you might as well say it here, this time period... There aren't many people..."

"That's it..."Peng Yue looked around, there was really no one, so he leaned down and whispered to Xia Yan, "This time I went south with the emperor, I also have a purpose, that is, to investigate the issue of private trade along the coast, and now this matter has almost been paved, I mentioned this matter to you before the southern tour, and now I want to put this matter into practice immediately..."

"Well, when the emperor went on his southern tour, I had already done almost everything you mentioned..."Xia Yan sighed lightly, "But you also know that there are many things that I can't do at all, so the specific situation of this matter has to be left to the emperor to decide, but I think it's okay to propose it now..."

"It's not impossible, it's imperative." Peng Yue looked at Xia Yan and said word by word, "Now that group of southeastern officials is almost unable to suppress it, since the opening of the City Shipping Division, their smuggling trade has been affected too much, if this private trade is not settled, it is estimated that the Municipal Shipping Division will be shut down by them in a hurry." ”

"And..."Peng Yue sighed lightly, "And I'm afraid that if I mention it later, it won't be easy for the emperor to make sense, you know... Recently, the emperor has been obsessed with cultivation, and if this matter is delayed any longer, who knows what will go wrong... Actually, I know I'm not fully prepared right now, but I can't help it..."

"Well, your analysis is reasonable, we have been preparing in private for so long, if we give up halfway, it would be a pity..."Xia Yan leaned forward to Peng Yue as he spoke, "Those speech officials you mentioned, I have already drawn up a list of their "mistakes" during the emperor's southern tour and presented them to the emperor, the emperor will not be soft on these officials, it is estimated that in the next few days, they should be transferred to the outside and demoted, so these officials should have no chance to object..."

"So good... If they don't do this, it is estimated that their strong opposition will be a big resistance..."Peng Yue smiled bitterly, "But this is not a long-term solution, it is just a temporary solution, they will not oppose it now, it is difficult to guarantee that they will not oppose it in the future, but this expedient measure has to be done, otherwise it will not even be able to open this head..."

"However, Zirui..."Xia Yan's eyes when he looked at Peng Yue also became a little hesitant, "There are some ministers, I can't easily ask the emperor to transfer them or something, and it is difficult for the emperor to agree, after all, in this way, I will not only offend those ministers, but also meet the emperor, which is different from transferring those officials..."

"It's okay, just let them stay in the court, in fact, the key to whether this matter works or not depends on the emperor's intentions, you also know, with the temper of the saint, if he wants to do it, no one dares to say it... And the place that can impress the emperor is profit, as long as the profit of the opening trade is guaranteed to be enough, then the emperor has no reason to disagree..."Peng Yue's fingers were clasped on the table, and his brain was also thinking quickly.

"And your newspaper should have played a role..."Xia Yan said with a smile, "I went to a restaurant for dinner a few days ago, and I heard someone talking about trade in private, it seems that we have the upper hand in terms of public opinion..."

"These are all small points, in fact, they can play a very small role..."Peng Yue said casually, "When will the imperial court really seek advice in the mountains and fields, and the people still want to reduce taxes..."

"Don't underestimate these things, they can actually play some role..."Xia Yan said in a low voice, "By the way, you have carefully considered the specific measures for opening private trade, the method you said last time was too rough, if you really do it, you still have to be more detailed..."

"I naturally remember this, I went south with the emperor this time, the main purpose is to study the affairs of the city, after the burial of the Empress Dowager Zhangsheng, I specially invited the emperor to go to Zhejiang from Anlu, so the time to come back is also a little late..."Peng Yue said this, his eyes were a little happy, "To be honest, the city is running well now, after all, it has been implemented for so long before, and the experience is quite rich, and now the people in charge of this matter are all officials who have done in the city and the department before, which can be described as familiar. Following the regulations of the city, I have formulated detailed strategic measures, Lord Xia can take a look at it first, if you feel that it is not suitable, we can also change it, but in terms of personnel, I have not yet selected, although this is important, but I really can't determine so many people for a while..."

"There is no need to worry about the personnel..."Xia Yan smiled lightly, "Even if this kind of thing is planned by you, it still depends on the emperor's will in the end, it is useless for us to worry about this..."

"That being said, we must be cautious in the selection of personnel, after all, if you are not careful in the selection of people, the harm will be endless..."

"That's right... If it really doesn't work, let's transfer some officials from Caoyun's side first..."Xia Yan's face was solemn, as if he was also thinking about something, "Yes, let's do it first, after all, you can't be too anxious about opening a private mouth, you mean to open one or two mouths to experiment first, and accumulate more experience, so there are not too many officials needed for the time being, and it must be too late to transfer from Caoyun..."

"Then let's do it first, there's no better way..."Peng Yue smiled indifferently, "By the way, there is another big thing, which almost made me forget..."

"What's the matter?"

"Lord Xia, do you remember the person I recommended to you before?" Peng Yue saw that Xia Yan had doubts on his face, and he didn't want to sell more guanzi, "It's Xu Jie, the Xu Jie, who was punished to Yanping Mansion in the tenth year of Jiajing for resisting Zhang Fujing, I mentioned it to you before, but you said that you wanted him to experience it locally, and you also said that it would be inconvenient to recall him to the imperial court before..."

"Oh... I remember this person..."Xia Yan really remembered this person, because in the war in the tenth year of Jiajing, he also chose to retreat. He sincerely admired Xu Jie, a warrior, and he also paid silent attention to this person, he did not complain in the position of the governor of Yanping Mansion in Fujian, and his political achievements were excellent. Later, he was transferred to Huguang and Huangzhou Tongzhi, Zhejiang Xuezheng, and Jiangxi Deputy Envoy, all of which were the same.

However, Xia Yan knew that with this person's upright and unyielding character, he would inevitably suffer losses in the imperial court, so he also wanted to train him with the intention of cultivating him, and also wanted him to have more experience in the local area.

Of course, when Peng Yue suggested to Xia Yan that Xu Jie be promoted back to the imperial court, the reason why Xia Yan refused was because of Zhu Houxi. At the beginning, Xu Jie's offense against Zhang Fujing was particularly great, so Zhang Fujing was angry, and he didn't know how many bad things he said about Xu Jie's in front of Zhu Houxi, so angry that Zhu Houyi set up a sign in the palace, which read, "Xu Jie's villain, never use". Xia Yan couldn't figure out Zhu Houxi's attitude towards this matter, so he didn't dare to reuse Xu Jie, but Xia Yan had the heart to cultivate him, so he kept letting him be promoted in the local area.

"Lord Xia, now that the crown prince has come out of the cabinet to stand on his own, I don't need to say the importance of selecting officials in the East Palace..."Peng Yue saw Xia Yan's expression a little hesitant, and he was also a little anxious in his heart, "Now that the Zhan Mansion has been supervised by Huo Tao, we must take this opportunity to install more trustworthy people in the East Palace, the Zhao Shichun, Tang Shunzhi and others you selected are indeed of great use, but Xu Jie's character is also loyal and resolute, and he was also a hand-picked Tanhualang when he first joined the office, not only that, Xu Jie's original depreciation can be said to have ruined his future, but in the past few years, I have been taken care of by you." , his career... It's also going well, if you take this opportunity to promote him to the imperial court, this kindness, he will never forget..."

"I also know this, and I also have the heart to promote him, but I don't know where the emperor is..."Xia Yan's fingers slowly tapped on the list, as if he was thinking very seriously.

"Lord Xia, it's been several years since the emperor erected the sign, and it is estimated that the emperor himself has forgotten about this matter..."Peng Yue said with a smile, "That sign has already been taken away by the people who cleaned the palace, you can rest assured... And I assure you, Xu Jie, this person, will definitely make great achievements in the future! ”

"Then it's as you said..."Xia Yan looked at Peng Yue with a smile, and then solemnly wrote Xu Jie's name on the list, just as he wrote Peng Yue's name many years ago.

"So I'm here to thank Lord Xu Jie..."Peng Yue smiled and saluted Xia Yan, "Ling'er has always been uncomfortable these days, I'm a little worried, I want to go home first to take a look, if Lord Xia has nothing to do, Zirui will leave..."