--April 4, 23rd year of Hongwu, Prime Minister's Mansion--

It was noon, Ruan Shaozhou, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites who had participated in the morning court and dealt with affairs, hurriedly came to the Prime Minister's Mansion to meet his teacher Yin Gong.

These days, Duke Yin has gradually delegated the power of the prime minister, you must know that at the beginning, no matter what the six Shangshu want to play to the Son of Heaven, they must go through the prime minister's pass, but now whether it is the Son of Heaven or the Duke of Yin, they are deliberately reducing the power of the prime minister.

The reason is very simple, the Son of Heaven trusts Yin Gong very much, so in the past 30 years as the prime minister, the power of the prime minister is very high, and it can even be said that it is the general consul of the court, which is tacitly approved by the Son of Heaven.

But now, Duke Yin, getting older and older, is almost the time to retire and retire, so the Son of Heaven began to reduce the power of the prime minister, and slowly let the power of the prime minister to the six Shangshu, he can trust the Yin Gong who fought with him, but he can't trust others, lest one day after the Yin Gong resigns from the position of prime minister, the successor prime minister secretly steals the power of the court, which is not good for the royal family.

Therefore, during this period when the prime minister's authority has not been finalized, it doesn't matter if the Yin Gong basically doesn't go to the early dynasty, when he is in good health, he listens to the court meeting, quietly the depth of the officials, and then goes to the Son of Heaven's bedroom, plays chess with the Son of Heaven, and when his health is not very good, he stays in his prime minister's mansion, goes to the flower garden in the backyard to water the flowers, or goes to the pond in the courtyard to see the swimming fish in the pond, but it is also leisurely.

In fact, to be honest, Duke Yin wanted to resign from the position of prime minister early on and recommend his student Ruan Shaozhou, but unfortunately firstly, the crown prince Li Wei was also staring at the position of prime minister, and secondly, although Ruan Shaozhou was talented, he was too young after all, he was only thirty-seven years old.

Although when Duke Yin took over as prime minister, he was younger than Ruan Shaozhou, but in the final analysis, at this time and that time, after all, Duke Yingong relied on his deep relationship with the Son of Heaven at that time, which is like now, the princes are fighting openly and secretly, although Li Wei is the prince, but in the final analysis, it is not yet known who will kill the deer.

Therefore, Duke Yin is no longer in a hurry to push Ruan Shaozhou to the position of prime minister, and in addition, it is strictly forbidden for officials of the eldest grandson family to intervene in the battle of the princes, so as not to stand in the wrong position and be implicated from the dragon.

After all, this kind of thing, Yin Gong saw too much back then, he personally saw many virtuous ministers in the court, because they stood in the wrong queue and were demoted, and even caused the disaster of killing, although he and the current Son of Heaven have been gracious in every way, but in the end, there are still many people who have lost their lives, and even their families are ruined.

may be old, these years, Yin Gong sometimes thinks of his past, thinks of the hard years, and sometimes thinks of the courtiers who died because of him.

Once a son of heaven and a courtier......

Mrs. Yin Gong knows the blood and bitterness behind this sentence, although he was fortunate to be a minister of the dragon, but this does not guarantee that his children and grandchildren will also have this luck.

As long as the eldest grandson's family can be continued, they will be satisfied......

This is exactly what Yin Gong is thinking at the moment.

Smiling slightly, Yin Gong held a bucket in one hand and a ladle in the other, watering the flowers and plants in the garden while quietly listening to his students.

Suddenly, a hint of discoloration flashed in his eyes, he turned his head away, and said, "Is it on the fifth grade?" - Shaozhou, do you mean to say that His Majesty first embarrassed Xie An's little guy in every possible way, and then gave him an official rank on the fifth grade? ”

"Yes, Master," Ruan Shaozhou nodded, and said with a little smile, "On the fifth grade, Shaoqing of the Great Prison Temple!" ”

"Criminal Department...... Is it? Yin Gong pondered for a moment, and suddenly smiled, "It's really unexpected for the old man, the old man thought that His Majesty would give him a sixth- or seventh-grade official, but he didn't expect it to be the Shaoqing of the Great Prison Temple on the fifth grade...... Seventeen-year-old Shaoqing of the Great Prison Temple? Hehehe! ”

Ruan Shaozhou laughed a few times, and then said, "The student thinks that His Majesty has sent someone to investigate Xie An, and knows that this person is good at solving cases, so he is placed in the Great Prison Temple, which belongs to the Criminal Department!" ”

"It's not that simple," Yin Gong shook his head when he heard this, frowned and said, "You said, Your Majesty once told you that you accepted a good student?" ”

"Uh, yes, the student was puzzled at the time......"

"It's probably that the little girl in Xiangyu said something to Your Majesty, but Your Majesty really thought that the little guy was your student, so he was placed in the Criminal Department where the distribution of rights has not yet been determined, so that I can wait for a piece ......of the pie in the Criminal Department."

"Huh?" Ruan Shaozhou was stunned, and suddenly realized, "What does the master mean, does His Majesty intend to promote that kid?" It's like promoting Brother Zikang? The Zikang brother in his mouth refers to the only son of Duke Yin, the current head of the military department, Sun Jing.

Yin Gong smiled slightly when he heard this, and said lightly, "If it weren't for this, how could the old man's fool be promoted to the position of the squire of the military department?" ”

Hearing this, Ruan Shaozhou said sincerely, "The master is too strict with Brother Zikang, Brother Zikang is an upright person, and sincerity is a gentleman......

"Okay," Yin Gong shook his head when he heard this, put down the bucket and scoop in his hand, and said with a wry smile, "What is the temperament of the old man's son, will the old man not know?" If that fool is half as smart as you, the old man will be able to blind his eyes even if he closes his eyes at this moment! ”

"Where did the master speak...... Ruan Shaozhou couldn't cry or laugh.

"Okay, okay, let's not mention this matter for now," waving his hand, interrupting his student's words, Yin Gong raised his hand and stroked his white beard, and said with a chuckle, "That little guy, this time he really took advantage of me, I don't know if this kid knows ......"

"Well," Ruan Shaozhou smiled and said, "When the temple test came out that day, this son called me a teacher, claiming to be a student, and said that it was the teacher you taught him like this......

"Oh? Really? Yin Gong was stunned when he heard this, and then said with a smile, "It seems that this son also understands the sophistication of human feelings, Shaozhou, then you should accept him as a student, and promote him more, in the old man's opinion, although this son is smart, but after all, there are still many deficiencies......"

Ruan Shaozhou smiled when he heard this, and said, "I'm afraid that there is no need for students to come forward in this matter, and there is a better ...... beside this son."

Yin Gong was stunned, then nodded as if he suddenly realized, and said, "Yes, yes, yes!" - Speaking of which, this little guy is not simple, he can clean up Xiangyu's little girl and obey it, which is really unexpected by the old man......"

As if thinking of something, Ruan Shaozhou lowered his voice and said with a somewhat teasing smile, "The master seat is not ......"

Yin Gong smiled when he heard this, and said self-deprecatingly, "The old man doesn't have the guts, let Xiangyu's girl make her own ideas......"

"But the teacher, the student heard Xiangyu say that Xie An has a marriage contract with the Liangqiu family of Donggong Mansion, this is ......"

"The old man also heard about it...... The old man also knew that Nanguo Gong Lu Song and Lu Gongbo had also volunteered to help that kid in the palace test...... What a blessing that little guy is! - By the way, you don't have to mention the matter of Xiangyu to the old man's fool, if the fool asks, you will say that Xiangyu has been living in the old man's mansion these days, and he is very well-behaved, so as not to cause extraneous branches! ”

"Yes, teacher, the student remembers!"

Yin Gong nodded when he heard this, reached out and picked up the water scoop from the bucket, scooped a spoonful of water and poured it on the flowers.

"I don't know what that little guy is doing right now!"

"Probably celebrating with friends and family, right?" Ruan Shaozhou guessed.

"Huh!"

At the same time, as Ruan Shaozhou had guessed, Xie An was in his room in the Donggong Mansion, holding a banquet to celebrate.

He received the holy decree this morning, and after learning that the Emperor of the Great Zhou had awarded him the rank of the Great Prison Temple, he was overjoyed, and he couldn't believe his eyes.

After repeated confirmation, he hurriedly called someone to invite Li Shou and Wang Dan, plus Xiang Qing and Luo Chao, who temporarily served as his guards, plus the eldest grandson Xiangyu, who stayed in Donggong Mansion during this time, and Yiyi, with seven people with him, to drink and celebrate in his room.

Except for Yiyi, who was thin-skinned and a little unable to let go, and Luo Chao, who felt a little paralyzed and was not good at words, the rest of the people drank happily.

"I really can't imagine that you are already a high-ranking official on the fifth grade......" The wine was half drunk, and Li Shou still couldn't believe it.

"Is that fake?" Picking up the holy seal and shaking it in front of Li Shou, Xie An smiled and said, "Don't you salute this official yet?" ”

Li Shou was not annoyed when he heard this, and pouted and said, "Isn't it just a five-grade official?" When you see this king, don't you hurry to salute? ”

Looking at the two of them joking without respect, Wang Dan shook his head with a wry smile.

"Hey, Xie An, Master Xie, don't forget the little girl's credit!" It may be that seeing that Xie An only cared about laughing with Li Shou and neglected himself, the eldest grandson Xiangyu was a little dissatisfied.

"You've mentioned it more than a dozen times in one hour, can I forget?" Xie An pursed his lips angrily, but he still personally poured a glass of wine for the eldest grandson Xiangyu.

Seeing this, Xie An picked up the wine glass speechlessly, put it in her hand, and then said angrily, "Do you want to feed you?" ”

The eldest grandson Xiangyu giggled, blinked, and pretended to be worried, "Is this good?" Carrying a dancing sister on her back......"

Glancing at Xie An and the eldest grandson Xiangyu's seemingly ** actions, Xiang Qing coughed, and suddenly changed the topic and said, "So, my brother is going to take office another day?" What is there...... What a big ......"

"Great Prison Temple!" Listening to Xiang Qing's big tongue caused by drunkenness, Luo Chao shook his head and reminded expressionlessly.

"I ...... I know! Glancing at Luo Chao in annoyance, Xiang Qing moved the stool, hugged Xie An, and said, "Third brother respects you...... Cup! After that, he drank it all, then smacked his lips, looked around with some dissatisfaction, and said, "It's not interesting to drink like this, why don't we go to Baihualou on Chaoyang Street to drink again?" ”

Yi Yi's face turned red when she heard this, she knew what kind of place it was just by hearing the name, and seeing that Xie An seemed to be a little impatient, she hurriedly said, "An, no!" - Mademoiselle forbids you to go to that kind of place......"

When Xie An heard this, he immediately thought of Liang Qiuwu's gloomy face that day, and shrank his head with palpitations, not daring to have the slightest crooked thought.

On the contrary, Li Shou was interested, and said puzzledly, "Why can't you go?" This Baihualou is a restaurant, right? I've heard that there is a kind of wine called Baihua ......."

"Ahem!" Beside Li Shou, Wang Dan coughed, pulled Li Shou's clothes, and reminded in a low voice, "This hundred flowers are not the other hundred flowers, what Vice General Xiang said is the Qinglou, Your Highness ......"

Li Shou's face turned slightly red when he heard this, and he pretended to pour wine to hide his embarrassment.

Not long after, Liang Qiuwu returned to the house from the barracks, and when he saw the smell of alcohol in Xie An's room, he frowned slightly, but he didn't say anything.

Seeing Liang Qiu Wu coming back, Xiang Qing, who was sitting on Xie An's left side, hurriedly gave up his seat and invited Liang Qiu Wu to sit down.

After sitting in the seat, Liang Qiuwu originally wanted to replace wine with tea, after all, she rarely drinks alcohol on weekdays, not to mention that her husband is already a little drunk now, as a wife, she has the responsibility to take care of her husband, so as not to get drunk together and make people laugh.

However, under Xie An's persuasion, she had to drink a few glasses, after all, Xie An was her husband, and in front of others, she would give Xie An this face if she said anything about Liangqiu Dance.

Originally, according to Xie An's temperament, he also planned to show the official position he had just obtained in front of his wife, but when he thought of Liang Qiuwu's official position from the second grade, Xie An felt that it was better to give up.

I have to say that when Xie An learned about the official rank of Liangqiu Dance from the mouth of the eldest grandson Xiangyu, he was really shocked, although he had already known that Liangqiu Dance's official position was extremely high, but he never imagined that it was from the second rank, compared with Xie An's current official rank on the fifth grade, don't look at it is only six or seven orders higher, but if there is no special contribution, like Liangqiu Dance, it will not take long to become a second-grade important minister, which is really rare in the world.

Of course, speaking of which, there are few high-ranking officials like Xie An who have not yet been weakened and have been seated in the fifth grade, throughout the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

After drinking until late at night, except for Luo Chao, Yiyi, and Wang Dan, who barely drank much, the rest were almost drunk, and even Liangqiu Wu felt a little dizzy.

called the maids in the house to clean up, and seeing that it was getting late, Liang Qiuwu prepared a wing room for Li Shou and Wang Dan, and invited them to stay in the house for a night, and then helped the drunk Xie An to his boudoir.

As for Xiang Qing and Luo Chao, they originally had their own rooms in Donggong Mansion, and after the celebration banquet, they went back to their rooms to rest.

Yiyi was also dragged away by the eldest grandson Xiangyu, speaking of which, she has been sleeping on the same couch with the eldest grandson Xiangyu for the past few days, after all, the latter can't be idle, and she always has to talk to her for a while before going to bed, otherwise she won't be able to sleep, and she is very willful.

Helping Xie An to the couch in his room, Liang Qiuwu poured him a cup of tea to sober up, because she still had something to say to Xie An.

"Ann, the day before yesterday, you were so rude to Uncle Lu! -- This time, you are in danger, and you are still the Shaoqing of the Great Prison Temple, all rely on the archives and documents prepared for you by Uncle Lu that day, and this favor needs to be remembered. You will only take office in two days, so take the opportunity to take a free time, and tomorrow you and I will go to the Nanguo Mansion...... I know you haven't slept yet! ”

Being debunked by Liang Qiuwu and pretending to be asleep, Xie An sighed helplessly, and said hesitantly, "Do you have to go?" ”

After all, after getting along with Xie An for so many days, Liang Qiuwu gradually figured out his temper, and did not force him to obey as he did at the beginning, but said lightly, "The grace of a meal must be repaid, isn't it your principle of dealing with the world?" ”

“…… All right! Xie An sighed slightly, and suddenly, when he caught a glimpse of Liang Qiu Wu beside the couch taking off his clothes, looking at her delicate body, he couldn't help swallowing his saliva, and his previous drunkenness suddenly woke up.

Perhaps noticing Xie An's unscrupulous greedy gaze, Liang Qiuwu turned his head and looked at him inexplicably, but saw him raise his hand and put on a posture, pretending to say, "Tide! That female general, can you dare to fight with General Ben for 300 rounds? ”

Even Liang Qiu Wu was amused by Xie An, glanced at him angrily, and blew out the candlestick next to the couch.

“…… Not serious! - What kind of general are you? ”

Feeling Liang Qiuwu's fiery delicate body leaning over, Xie An licked his lips and said, "Then it's right to say this official, right?" - That female general, do you dare to fight this official for 300 rounds? If you are afraid, surrender early! ”

Liang Qiuwu was angry and funny when he heard this, raised his hand and wrapped his arms around Xie An's neck, and took Xie An's words very rarely.

"Knowing my name as Yan Hu Ji, and daring to provoke me Liang Qiu Wu, you are really bold......

"While you're talking nonsense, this official has already broken through the city gate......"

"Hmm......"

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