"The Eight Wise Kings Receive the Order"

As Fei Sangui raised his voice again, Xiao Mo, Zhang Yansheng, and Zhang Qian, who had roughly guessed the content of the reward, all looked solemn, thinking about the upcoming changes and their respective countermeasures, frowning; And Wang Han, who vaguely guessed that there would be a change, was even more focused at this time and listened carefully. [No pop-up novel network]

On the contrary, the other civil and military officials in the main hall were still thinking about it, digesting the various shocks and shocks brought by Xiao Mo and Zhang Yansheng when they were entitled, but they didn't care about the reward given by Emperor Chu Ling to the Eight Sages King.

In their opinion, although the Eight Sages King is the most valued brother of Emperor Chu Ling, and he is wise and capable, known as a virtuous person, and now he has made great contributions, but his status as an imperial relative is his biggest limitation. The next reward is probably at most an upgrade of the honor guard of the halo book, and more money and assets will be rewarded.

In the Chu Dynasty, the emperor's courtiers guarded against the members of the imperial family and clan, not much lower than the precautions against foreign relatives and eunuchs, since Taizu was charged with the crime of chaotic government and power, after his three brothers were beheaded, in the past two hundred years, the imperial relatives of the Chu Dynasty have no examples of entering the court to take power.

In fact, even today's Eight Sages King, although he is already the most powerful prince of the Chu Dynasty for more than a hundred years, most of the time, he is only as a temporarily appointed angel with the right to investigate and inspect, and he will be withdrawn by Emperor Chu Ling immediately after the matter is over. It is almost impossible to further gain real power, according to the practice of the Chu Dynasty.

And all the turbulence begins in this calm and calm.

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With Fei Sangui's loud announcement, the Eight Sages King hung his head and stood out, so that people couldn't see his expression at the moment, but he just knelt silently in front of Emperor Chu Ling, and said in a deep voice: "Brother is here." ”

I only heard Fei Sangui raise his voice: "The Eight Sages Wang Tian Zheng, wise and heroic, known as a virtuous name, has made many meritorious contributions to the country over the years, and now in times of national disaster, he has raised the prestige of our country, killed countless enemies, and recruited all the tribes of the grassland to return to China...... He was given the rank of prince honor guard, with 120 Jinwu, 180 honor guards of the military department, and 300 of the Sixth Army [Note 1]...... Specially given purple gold fish bag, dragon pattern Ruyi, horse in the palace, and 50,000 silver coins. Eight hundred horses of Kampot and three imperial villages, Qin Zhi. ”

(Note 1: The "Lu Book" is the honor guard of the royal family and hundreds of officials, with many ranks and strict regulations, which is an important part of the officialdom class system in feudal society; "Jinwu", "Honor Guard of the Military Department", "Dragon Pier", and "Six Army" all refer to the level of honor guards, most of which are flag bearers, but they are only used for royal honor guards. ）

At the beginning, when Fei Sangui read out the various ceremonies of the Eight Sages King in the future, the civil and military officials were still smiling and listening, imagining in their hearts that the Eight Sages King would support and be majestic in the future in the last dynasty or when he sacrificed to the sky, although he was envious in his heart, he didn't care.

Although the Lu Book is an important symbol of status and status, which makes people envy and marvel, in the final analysis, it is just a flashy decoration, which is of great significance, but has no practical benefits, but will increase greatly - even after today's reward, the honor of the Eight Sage Kings is second only to Emperor Chu Ling.

However, when Fei Sangui read out the "Special Purple Gold Fish Bag and Dragon Pattern Ruyi", the expressions of the officials all changed greatly, looked at each other, looked at each other, and seemed to wonder if there was a problem with their ears.

When I saw that my colleagues around me were all on the same expression as me, I finally confirmed the health of my hearing, but there was a lot of confusion.

As mentioned above, in the Chu Dynasty, the so-called "purple gold fish bag" had a higher status than the "silver fish bag" and "goldfish bag", which was a symbol of entering the dynasty to participate in politics and take power and be a cabinet leader. Those who have always owned the "Purple Gold Fish Bag" have the lowest status and are also a favored and trusted head of the six departments.

And the status of "Dragon Pattern Ruyi" is even more than that of the "Purple Gold Fish Bag", and those who have "Dragon Pattern Ruyi" can not only meet the king without announcing it, but also have the right to investigate angels, which can be called all-weather and all-round imperial history - that is to say, the sphere of influence of the cabinet bosses, no matter what and when, he can intervene.

In this way, after having both, the Eight Sages King can not only enter the court to participate in politics, but also have unlimited power, although it seems that there is no specific real power, but all the affairs of the court will be under his influence, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he is the "Nie Zheng King" in the future - this is undoubtedly a great violation of the rights and interests of the elders of the various ministers.

And in this way, how can we calm down the officials?

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Sure enough, before the Eight Sages King received the decree, there were already ministers in the ranks, looking excited, kneeling down and shouting loudly: "Your Majesty must not violate the ancestral system with this decree, and ask Your Majesty to withdraw your will."

When the ministers looked at it, it was Wang Zhizhi, who knew the affairs of the Privy Council, the scholars, and one of the elders of the cabinet.

This pavilion elder is still Prime Minister Zhang Qian's uncle's generation, now in his seventies, is a core member of Zhang Qian's party, since entering the dynasty, has always advocated following the ancestral system, attaching importance to tradition, and knows Zhang Qian's scruples and attention to the Eight Sages King, at this time, but has become the vanguard of opposition to Emperor Chu Ling's will.

Or it was too excited, Xiao Mo looked up, but saw Wang Zhizhi's white beard fluttering and his body trembling between his words, and there was a lot of Emperor Chu Ling, but there was a rebuttal, and he was about to debate to the end.

Seeing that his will had just been announced, some important ministers opened their mouths to object, Emperor Chu Ling frowned, and just as he was about to refute, he saw Lin Shang, a member of the Privy Council, who signed the book, and said: "The minister seconded the proposal, although the Eight Sages King had made outstanding achievements, but the three brothers of Taizu premeditated to usurp the throne, and Taizu punished him by thunderous means, since then, for one hundred and sixty-six years, there has been no clan in our dynasty to participate in politics, and it has become a practice for many years, so I changed it rashly, and I ask Your Majesty to think twice."

Although Lin Shang is not listed among the elders, he is also an important minister in the court, and he is also the cousin of the privy envoy Wang Han, and now he is out to oppose it, but he is afraid that after the Eight Sages King enters the court, he will share Wang Han's power, and there is so much real power in the court, although there will be many contradictions in the cake between two people, it is better than three people.

Originally, Wang Zhizhi and Lin Shang, as the core figures of Zhang Qian and Wang Han, have always expressed their opinions on Zhang Qian and Wang Hanma, and they have always been under the guidance of Zhang Qian and Wang Han.

However, in fact, Zhang Qian and Wang Han at this time had quite complicated thoughts.

In the Chu Dynasty, the power of the courtiers was very great, and at some times it was already possible to compete with the imperial power, but the courtiers gained power mostly because of the emperor's favor - for Zhang Qian, he himself was the best embodiment of this contradictory cause and effect - he knew very well that as long as he opposed it, Emperor Chu Ling was likely to be forced to retract his order under the disobedience of his ministers; But he also knows very well that this will is likely to be the most serious and stubborn of Emperor Chu Ling since he ascended the throne, and if he refutes it, he will inevitably completely annoy Emperor Chu Ling and damage his favor in Emperor Chu Ling's heart. Therefore, even if he is as shrewd as Zhang Qian, it is not clear for a while whether he opposes the entry of the Eight Sages into the dynasty, and the gains and losses of interests after different decisions.

The reason for Wang Han's contradiction and hesitation is roughly the same as Zhang Qian's, and perhaps more complicated, after all, he is now on the verge of falling out of favor and losing power, and he is more worried about Emperor Chu Ling's opinion of him, and he has the words of "three families forming an alliance" that Xiao Mo had said before-although he understands that once the Eight Sages King enters the dynasty, his own losses will inevitably be more serious than that of Zhang Qian, who has a stable position.

Under such thoughts, unexpectedly, Zhang Qian and Wang Han, the two powerful ministers, remained silent by tacit understanding.

However, the other members of the two parties did not know what they thought, and when they saw Wang Zhizhi and Lin Shang opposing, they thought that it was Zhang Qian and Wang Han's meaning, so they even came out one after another and spoke enthusiastically.

"The minister seconded the proposal, please think twice"

"The minister seconded the proposal, and asked Your Majesty to think twice and take back the order."

"The minister seconded the proposal, and asked His Majesty to withdraw the order and award another reward."

However, in a moment, the members of Zhang Qian and Wang Han were all out of the ranks, and they knelt down to ask for their lives, Xiao Mo looked up, but saw that there were more than seventy or eighty percent of the officials in the Manchu Dynasty, and the great power of Zhang Qian and Wang Han was evident.

Looking at the changes in front of him coldly, Xiao Mo did not participate in it, for or against.

He could see that Emperor Chu Ling's determination when he made this will, no matter how the ministers objected, the entry of the Eight Sages King into the dynasty was already unstoppable, so he would not object; But when everyone is opposing, Xiao Mo will not rashly agree, thus standing on the opposite side of most people.

Seeing that Emperor Chu Ling's brows were furrowed even tighter, and anger flashed in his eyes, Xiao Mo secretly sighed lightly and shook his head: "Your Majesty is in a hurry this time, for such a sensitive matter, you should boil a frog in warm water, and hand over the power to the Eight Sages King little by little without attracting attention as much as possible, so that the ministers can slowly adapt to it...... Acting rashly like this and taking it for granted is not the way to achieve things. ”

Suddenly, Xiao Mo saw that Emperor Chu Ling was about to speak, but his expression changed.

I saw that in front of the ministers, an old man with a tall figure and a square face also knelt down at this time, raised his head and said slowly: "The minister seconded the proposal, and please think twice, don't make such a precedent, in case there will be changes in the future." ”

After the old man finished speaking, most of the few remaining officials also came out to ask for their lives.

It's a shame to say that Xiao Mo has just entered the court as a "three-yuan and first" A few days ago, he was already reprimanded and returned home, and his reputation between the government and the opposition was completely lost; The day after the recovery, he went to Shangyuan City to supervise the army, and there was no chance of entering the court. Therefore, I didn't know most of the officials in the DPRK and China, and I couldn't help but be curious when I saw that this old man could make Emperor Chu Ling change color and affect the attitude of the rest of the officials.

"Could it be that in the current court, in addition to Zhang Qian, Wang Han, and the Eight Sages King, there are other ministers who have such great influence?"

As if knowing Xiao Mo's doubts, Zhang Yansheng behind him leaned forward slightly, and whispered to Xiao Mo: "This old man is Taifu Lin Zhishi, and he is the leader of my Qingliu. ”

Hearing Zhang Yansheng's words, Xiao Mo nodded his thanks, and suddenly said in his heart, "It turned out to be Lin Zhishi, who 'resigned seven times a day and never formed a party', no wonder he has such an influence, which can not only affect the attitude of the remaining officials, but also make His Majesty change color." ”

Since the state power, there has been a "clear stream", these people may not have power, but they have always attached the most importance to their own right to speak and the rules in their own eyes, they are honest but boast of being high, they are upright but most of them are pedantic, they attach far more importance to reputation than power and money.

And this kind of people are often the most difficult to convince, because they rarely know the word "compromise".

As the leader of the Qingliu, Lin Zhishi, although his power is far less than that of Zhang Qian and Wang Han, his reputation among the people is not inferior to that of the two - once because Emperor Chu Ling refuted his opinion, and resigned seven times a day, the story of Emperor Chu Ling's refusal has been circulated among the people for many years; For many years, he has been advocating "not a group for a gentleman, not a party for a courtier", which has been supported by a number of Qingliu imperial histories, and has repeatedly impeached Zhang Qian and Wang Han for forming a party for personal gain, so that Zhang Qian, who has always been moody, can't help but angrily denounce him as "not a group but a group, not a party but a party".

Such a character will naturally have such an influence.

"It's just that such an upright person, when he offended His Majesty, Zhang Qian, and Wang Han, has stood tall for many years, not to mention, and it is also strange that a group of pretentious Qingliu are looking forward to themselves...... I'm afraid that either Emperor Chu Ling deliberately kept him because of some willingness, or he seems to be upright, but in fact he is a delicate character. ”

Noticing that Xiao Mo looked at Lin Zhishi thoughtfully, Zhang Yansheng had roughly guessed Xiao Mo's thoughts, but he chuckled: "Zirou should think about her next position at this time." ”

After hearing Zhang Yansheng's words, Xiao Mo was slightly stunned, looked around the left and right, but found that at this time, in addition to the military attaches of the General's Mansion and the old nobles who only came to watch and witness-the military attaches of the General's Mansion and the old nobles of the generals' mansion were only responsible for leading troops to fight and were not allowed to participate in politics, and the old nobles had always avoided such a sensitive topic-only four people did not express their opinions.

And these four people are Zhang Qian, Wang Han, Zhang Yansheng, and Xiao Mo himself.

In the "Jiying Palace", the ministers stand in two columns, the left column is the old nobles and the generals' generals, the right is the officials above the fourth rank in the court, and the officials in the right column are all out of the column and kneeling down to ask for their lives, the four people stand there, but it is particularly conspicuous.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emperor Chu Ling hadn't noticed this, and seeing that almost everyone was against his decision, he had always been peaceful, and he was already rarely angry.

He didn't question Wang Zhizhi and Lin Shang, who were the first to oppose him, but stared at Lin Zhishi tightly, and said angrily: "Lin Qing, I remember that you have always been friendly with the Eight Sages King, and you have praised the Eight Sages King in front of me many times, why are you even against me today?" ”

Although Lin Zhishi knelt, he still held his head high, and did not have the slightest fear of Emperor Chu Ling's angry reprimand, but became more and more angry: "Your Majesty, the old minister has always admired the personality and talent of the eighth prince, and said a big disrespectful remark, if the eighth prince is not in the royal family, the old minister will definitely agree with His Majesty's opinion, however, the eighth prince is a clan relative, but it is not good, this is a century-old practice, the reason Your Majesty knows it, and it cannot be changed."

Emperor Chu Ling laughed angrily: "In terms of meritorious service, over the years, under the accumulation, the whole dynasty is up and down, who can compare with my eighth brother?" In terms of ability, is there anything that the eighth brother has not done well over the years? In terms of talent, how many people in the world can stand side by side with him? When it comes to character actors, who doesn't know? Why are you against it? Do I know why? I don't know what you say."

Lin Zhishi said in a condensed voice: "Your Majesty, why do you knowingly ask? The merits, ability, talent, and conduct of the eight princes, the old ministers admire it more than anyone else, and the reason why they oppose it is only that they are not right about people, and that the clan relatives are not allowed to participate in politics, but it is a common practice, if the clan is in power, they are not afraid of their lack of ability, they are afraid that they will breed ambitions, and the greater the power, the more ambitious they are, and finally the disaster of the founding of the country will arise again...... The Eight Sages King naturally understands the person, but His Majesty may guarantee that after this case is opened, there will be someone from the clan and royal family in power in the future, who can be as loyal as the Eighth Prince? Although this matter is unfair to the Eighth Prince, it is a record for thousands of years, and I also ask Your Majesty to learn from it and take back the order."

After finishing speaking, Lin Zhishi bowed down to the Eight Sages King next to him and apologized: "The old minister is straightforward, but he is just talking about things, and if he offends, please don't blame the Eighth Prince." ”

The Eight Sages King still maintained the posture he had when he received the decree just now, and when he heard Lin Zhishi's apology, he sighed lightly and said, "Lin Gong is serious, you are dedicated to the public, how can this king be surprised?" ”

In this case, the Eight Sages King naturally couldn't express his anger, but this kind of conciliatory words embarrassed Emperor Chu Ling, who advocated letting the Eight Sages King enter the dynasty and take charge.

It's just that the old precedent of the founding of the Chu Dynasty is still there, and he was speechless for Lin Zhishi's rebuttal, and he just glared angrily for a while, not knowing how to respond.

On the other side, Xiao Mo shook his head slightly, and sighed secretly in his heart: "It is worthy of being a Qingliu leader who relies on his speech, the art of debate really has a means, not only to force His Majesty into a corner by apologizing to the Eight Sages King, but also to set a language trap in his speech, making it impossible for people to answer - whether to let the Eight Sages King enter the dynasty to govern the dynasty extends to the Thousands of Years, as long as His Majesty cannot guarantee the behavior of future generations, it cannot be refuted, but how can this kind of indescribable thing be guaranteed?" What a brilliant ......."

Just as Xiao Mo was thinking about it, Emperor Chu Ling, who was angry and had no way out, subconsciously looked at Zhang Qian - although he can be called the most talented emperor since ancient times, he has always been indifferent and not good at verbal debate, and he has always been Zhang Qian who has rescued him from such a scene over the years.

Emperor Chu Ling was not stupid, he had already thought of Zhang Qian's contradiction in a blink of an eye, and knew that he did not approve of letting the Eight Sages King enter the dynasty to take charge, but he didn't want to directly conflict with himself, and then thought of the opposition of Zhang Qian's party before, so he gave up such thoughts, and looked at Wang Han again.

However, at this moment, Wang Han's expression was as if he was made of a mold with Zhang Qian, as if he was pretending to sleep, as if he was secretly thinking, but he just didn't respond to Emperor Chu Ling's gaze, and then looked at the hundred officials kneeling behind the two, the members of Wang Han's party were not much less than the members of Zhang Qian's party, and they were also desperate.

The anger in his heart was even worse, but Emperor Chu Ling paid attention to Xiao Mo and Zhang Yansheng, who were at the back of the list of hundred officials, and a trace of joy suddenly flashed in his eyes.

He subconsciously ignored Zhang Yansheng, in the eyes of Emperor Chu Ling, Zhang Yansheng, as Zhang Qian's grandson, naturally held the same opinion as Zhang Qian, but Xiao Mo, as his "friend", and had always been friendly with the Eight Sages King, had been in favor of him before, so he should agree with his own ideas, right?

Noticing Emperor Chu Ling's gaze, Xiao Mo secretly sighed, he was in favor of the Eight Sages King entering the dynasty - even if he didn't consider his own interests, he didn't want to see Emperor Chu Ling so embarrassed. But I don't want to ride a horse like this and stand on the opposite side of everyone, after all, I am not on a stable footing, and I should not offend too many people, but at this time, it seems that it is impossible.

Sighing secretly, Xiao Mo nodded slightly at Emperor Chu Ling.

When Emperor Chu Ling saw Xiao Mo's response, a hint of joy flashed on his face—for Xiao Mo's confidence, no matter which aspect, perhaps he was more than Xiao Mo himself—so after reining in his emotions, he said, "Zhang Qian, Wang Han, Zirou, Zijia, why don't you four speak?" What do you think? Listen to me. ”

As expected by Emperor Chu Ling, Zhang Qian and Wang Han were still silent.

However, what Emperor Chu Ling didn't expect was that Zhang Yansheng was actually on the same page as Xiao Mo, and said at the same time: "The minister has something to say......

After the words sounded, Zhang Yansheng and Xiao Mo glanced at each other, and they both smiled awkwardly.

Emperor Chu Ling also shook his head with a smile, and after this incident, he seemed to be angry and calmed down a little, and said, "Zirou will say it first." ”

Xiao Mo nodded apologetically to Zhang Yansheng, and after seeing Zhang Yansheng shaking his head and saying that he didn't mind and retreated to his position, he said slowly: "Your Majesty, the minister has just been rewarded, and he has just entered the court, it stands to reason that at this time, he should focus on observation and learning, and should not speak casually, but after listening to Mrs. Lin's words just now, I was puzzled, can I let the minister ask?" ”

Seeing that Xiao Mo's expression was as calm as ever, and he seemed to be quite confident, Emperor Chu Ling couldn't help but be overjoyed, nodded and said: "It's okay, Zirou asks, if you think Lin Qing will definitely know everything." ”

At the same time, Lin Zhishi also looked back at Xiao Mo, his eyes were blazing, and a trace of solemnity flashed between his expression - after all, the shadow of a famous tree, although Xiao Mo was promoted because of the military, he had already entered the court as a person in the literary world. But after looking at Xiao Mo's eyes, he said slowly: "Xiao everyone...... Oh, Xiao Hanlin has something to ask, and the old man knows everything. ”

Xiao Mo nodded and said, "I still need the advice of my seniors." ”

After a pause, Xiao Mo was eyes condensed, the original modest and indifferent aura was a little less, but a little more aggressive, looked directly into Lin Zhishi's eyes, and said slowly: "I have heard the name of Lin's predecessors early, and the juniors have always admired the seniors' behavior, but what the seniors said just now, the juniors feel that it is inappropriate." Listening to what Fang Cai's predecessors said, the predecessors have always agreed with the character, ability, merit and talent of the Eight Sages King? ”

Lin Zhishi nodded and said, "That's the case." ”

"Then why don't you want to let the Eight Sages King enter the court to participate in politics?"

Xiao Mo asked again.

For some reason, Lin Zhishi always felt that Xiao Mo was setting a trap for himself between his words, just as he had just dealt with Emperor Chu Ling, but after thinking for a while, he organized some language before he said slowly: "The old man just said that the clan is in power, once ambition is born, chaos will inevitably arise. ”

Xiao Mo shook his head and said: "The predecessors were born as Confucianists, and they know very well that the first two sentences of the "Three Character Classic" are 'At the beginning of a person, nature is good', as long as you teach well, let the people of the clan know the heart of loyalty to the king......"

Hearing Xiao Mo's response, a trace of disappointment flashed in Emperor Chu Ling's eyes, but Lin Zhishi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, only feeling that he took Xiao Mo too seriously, but Zhang Yansheng, who was not paying attention to anyone, flashed a smile in his eyes, as if he knew Xiao Mo's intentions.

But seeing that Xiao Mo hadn't finished speaking, he was interrupted by Lin Zhishi: "Xiao Hanlin's words are wrong, 'the beginning of human nature is good', of course, it is the words of a sage, but it is only 'the beginning of man'......

"So the seniors think that the educational influence of the grandmaster is biased?"

Hearing Xiao Mo say this, Lin Zhishi said angrily: "Xiao Hanlin don't want to make a mistake and misinterpret the old man's meaning, the old man didn't say so, the old man just said it just in case."

Xiao Mo looked stunned, and asked again: "Then what does the predecessor mean that in the future, the descendants of the clan will be both good and evil?" ”

"That's right, the reason why the old man prevented the Eight Sages King from entering the dynasty is also to prevent the emergence of ambitious people in the future." After a pause, Lin Zhishi suddenly felt that it was inappropriate for him to say this, but he added: "Of course, not only the descendants of the clan will have good and evil, but also the children and grandchildren of the old man, and the old man will not be so arrogant as to think that his children and grandchildren will inevitably be perfect. Even in today's world, where is there not good and evil? Speaking of which, the education of the clan has always been in charge of the well-known Confucians, and there are more good than evil ......"

Xiao Mo suddenly chuckled and said leisurely: "In this case, I am a great Chu official, is there also good and evil?" There are blue skies and corrupt officials? Of course, the younger generation is not alluding to all colleagues, but just extending the meaning of the seniors, and please don't blame your colleagues."

As he spoke, Xiao Mo bowed and saluted around.

Lin Zhishi's face changed, and he suddenly didn't know how to answer.

He has always been good at verbal debate, and when he talks about this, he has understood Xiao Mo's strategy and wants to deny it, but he has always pretended to be a "clear stream", impeaching and impeaching the party and impeaching the corrupt all day long, how can he pull down his face and say "Da Chu is the master of the blue sky"?

Xiao Mo was unforgiving, and continued: "If what the predecessors said is true, according to the theory of the predecessors, since we are the courtiers who have good and evil, in order to endanger the future of the country and society, should we return the power in our hands to Your Majesty and submit our resignations collectively?" ”

Lin Zhishi's face changed again, and his face was already showing shame and anger: "Xiao Hanlin, don't misinterpret, the old man doesn't mean this at all?" Most of the officials in our DPRK and China are appointed only after the imperial examination, the assessment of the officials, and the inquiry of His Majesty, and although there are occasional corrupt officials, the probability has been greatly reduced. Those who can hold power, especially those who are in high positions, in the past two hundred years of my Great Chu, who is not a loyal and patriotic minister? ”

Xiao Mo shook his head with a smile and said, "Speaking of which, the talents of Zhang Qian, Zhang Cheng, and Wang Han's privy envoy have always been admired by the younger generations. ”

Hearing Xiao Mo's words, Lin Zhishi's face couldn't help but turn red, but he had just impeached Zhang Qian and Wang Han some time ago for "forming a party for personal gain, and in the long run, it is inevitable that the country will not be the country".

Xiao Mo shook his head, but suddenly smiled and said: "Although corrupt officials have been repeatedly banned since ancient times, the younger generation believes that among the colleagues in the palace, after many selections, which one is not extremely talented?" And who hasn't made countless contributions? Who is not a loyal and patriotic minister? ”

After a pause, Xiao Mo said leisurely: "However, since our ministers are also good and evil, and after passing the selection and meritorious service, they can be ranked in the court class, how can the people of the clan not?" The character, talent, merit, and ability of the Eight Sage Kings, the younger generations want to come, and most of your colleagues agree with them, didn't Senior Lin also say just now, do you admire the Eight Sages King the most? Since this is the case, everyone agrees, why can't the eighth prince enter the court to take charge of the government and share the worries of His Majesty? ”

Lin Zhishi said angrily: "How can this be generalized? The reason why the old man opposed the entry of the eighth prince into the dynasty was for the sake of thousands of years, in case those who were ambitious in later generations could not set this precedent. ”

Xiao Mo didn't give an inch: "Since this is the case, then the people of the clan in later generations, if they lack ability, conduct, and meritorious service, they are not allowed to enter the court, although the clan is noble, but if they want to enter the court to participate in politics, they will be regarded as ordinary officials, so as a practice, under our supervision, why should the predecessors worry?" ”

"If a person from the clan is in power and makes trouble, how can he be compared with ordinary officials?"

Xiao Mo sighed softly and said: "Our courtiers are here to share your majesty's worries and solve problems for the people. What's more, even if an ambitious clan appears in the future, and escapes the eyes of the saints and officials of later generations to enter the court and take power, as long as our courtiers are loyal and no one follows him, what can he do? Are our predecessors so unconfident in those who come after us? ”

Speaking of this, Xiao Mo didn't wait for Lin Zhishi to refute, and already bowed down to Emperor Chu Ling and said, "Your Majesty, the minister has finished asking." ”

Saying that, Xiao Mo had already retreated to his position.

And Emperor Chu Ling saw that Lin Zhishi was speechless, but laughed and said: "It's still Zirou insightful, and he said it well, a good sentence 'Although the clan is noble, if you want to enter the court and participate in politics, you will treat it as an ordinary official', and a good sentence 'If the clan is in power and makes chaos, and it can really succeed, the clan is guilty, and our officials are also guilty of the same crime, but our courtiers are not doing well, and the investigation is unknown'......"

After a pause, Emperor Chu Ling said loudly: "Having said that, I believe that if my descendants have the ability to share the king's worries, they will all be loyal and patriotic; Even if there are ambitious people, they will inevitably be prevented from discovering by my future courtiers; Even if there are clan relatives who have ambitions because of their power in the future, and rebel because of their ambitions, they will inevitably be quelled by my later courtiers; I have faith in them. If he succeeds in rebellion in the end and replaces him, it can only be a situation, that is, the hundred officials did not stop it but followed, which can only mean that the emperor of later generations is not enough to rule the world."

After hearing Emperor Chu Ling say this, all the officials, including Lin Zhishi, wanted to refute it, but when they thought of Xiao Mo's remarks just now, they didn't know how to refute it.

At this time, Emperor Chu Ling looked at Zhang Yansheng and said with a smile: "Zijia, don't you also have something to say?" Let's hear it. ”

Zhang Yansheng came out and said: "Your Majesty, the minister also agreed to the Eighth Prince's entry into the court to participate in politics, for roughly the same reason as Xiao Mo, but the minister has to add a few points. ”

Seeing that Zhang Yansheng also agreed, Emperor Chu Ling was even more happy, and nodded and said, "Say"

Zhang Yansheng said: "First of all, although there has been no clan to participate in politics in the past two hundred years, it has gradually formed a convention, but it is only a convention, not the ancestral system in the mouth of some colleagues. ”

Emperor Chu Ling was slightly stunned, but he was used to it and ignored this point for a while.

Although Taizu killed three rebellious brothers, he did not issue a similar decree in order not to chill his relatives, after all, he started with family power - although everyone knew that he did mean this, and strictly enforced this in the future administration.

"You go on."

Emperor Chu Ling nodded, selectively forgetting the similar advice of the first emperor when he died, and said to Zhang Yansheng.

"Second, the ancestor once said, 'All kinds of official positions, those who are capable live in them', since the eighth prince has such ability, he naturally cannot violate the ancestral system because of his clan status."

"Yes, go on"

Seeing Zhang Yansheng counterattacking the "convention" with the "ancestral system", Emperor Chu Ling was even happier.

Zhang Yansheng continued: "In addition, the minister thinks that the descendants of the clan, since they were born, their daily use, food, clothing, housing and transportation, in the final analysis, are all the country's silver, and most of them have been educated by famous people in the literary world since childhood. ”

After finishing speaking, Zhang Yansheng bowed again, and retreated to his position.

After hearing Zhang Yansheng's answer, Emperor Chu Ling was even more happy, looked around at the officials who were still kneeling in front of him above the main hall, and asked, "What else do you have to say?" ”

The hundred officials were silent for a while, and although they still objected, they could not find a strong rebuttal for a while.

At this moment, the privy envoy Wang Han suddenly came out of the ranks, bowed down and said: "The old minister agrees that Xiao Hanlin and Bachelor Zhang, the imperial court has always attached importance to talent and ability, rather than origin, since even those who have sinned against their ancestors can be hired in our court, how can we impose restrictions on the relatives of the clan?" ”

Seeing that Wang Han, a heavyweight minister, suddenly agreed, almost everyone was shocked.

Wang Han's henchmen are all over the world, although his power and ability are not as good as Zhang Qian, but he has the support of countless wealthy families in Beijing, and it is also deep-rooted.

Even Emperor Chu Ling was shocked when he saw Wang Han suddenly approve, and then he was overjoyed, knowing that the big thing had come to an end, and his original dissatisfaction and disgust towards Wang Han were also alleviated a little.

But Wang Han figured it out, if he objected, he would offend Emperor Chu Ling and the Eight Sages King at the same time, and perhaps he could also add Xiao Mo, who was receiving holy favor, which was absolutely infeasible for him who was in a precarious position of power.

On the contrary, if he agrees, not only can he please Emperor Chu Ling and make his position more stable, but the "three alliances" between him, the Eight Sages King and Xiao Mo that Xiao Mo said before can become a reality. At that time, although his power will inevitably be divided by the Eight Sages, it is much better than being idle at home.

What's more, once the "Three Alliances" come true, the weakness he was in when he fought against Zhang Qian in the past will inevitably be reversed, maybe he can still get Zhang Qian's sphere of influence as a supplement at that time, and his strength will not decrease but increase, so why not do it?

As for what kind of precedent the Eight Sages King will set after entering the dynasty and what kind of adverse effects it will have on future generations, Wang Han can't care about it.

Sure enough, after Wang Han suddenly spoke in favor, most of the members of Wang Han's party changed their positions after a short period of confusion.

Lin Shang, the first to speak out against the signing of the Privy Council, was the first to change his words, only to see him suddenly say: "Your Majesty, the minister originally thought that restricting the clansmen from entering the court would bring more benefits to the long-term peace and stability of my Dachu than to the disadvantages, but after hearing the words of Xiao Hanlin, Master Zhang and the privy envoy, he suddenly woke up and knew that the minister was originally shallow, but the minister was wrong, and asked His Majesty to surrender his guilt." ”

"The minister seconded the proposal, and the character and ability of the Eight Sages King can enter the court and participate in politics."

"Seconded by the Minister"

……

For a time, more than a quarter of the officials who had originally knelt down to ask for their lives began to change their tunes.

Emperor Chu Ling was more and more happy, and after nodding his head to Wang Han in appreciation, he turned to look at Zhang Qian.

After Zhang Qian hesitated for a moment, he secretly sighed in his heart, knowing that he was not prepared enough this time, and Zhang Yansheng's support for the Eight Sages King would inevitably lead to confusion in the minds of his own henchmen, and the general trend was gone.

He glared back at Zhang Yansheng, his expression was quite stern, but he found that Zhang Yansheng was talking to Xiao Mo quietly, his attention was not on his side, and he turned to show helplessness.

But when he turned around, Zhang Qian's expression had returned to his usual elegance, and he bowed to Emperor Chu Ling and said: "The ministers are contradictory in their hearts, and it is difficult to choose, but since Your Majesty supports the Eighth Prince's entry into the court, the ministers will naturally follow." ”

Then, in a moment, nearly half of the courtiers who asked for their lives changed their words.

The big thing has been decided.

"Lin Qing, do you have anything else to say?"

Emperor Chu Ling turned to Lin Zhishi.

Lin Zhishi looked at the ministers who had mostly dispersed behind him, his eyes showed a look of helplessness, and he glanced at Xiao Mo and Zhang Yansheng again, but he was quite stern, especially on Xiao Mo, who stayed for a long time.

After a long time, he said: "The old minister still insists that there is no precedent for the clan to enter the court and participate in politics."

However, at this time, he did not threaten to resign, probably knowing that even if he resigned, he would not be able to redeem Emperor Chu Ling's mind.

However, Emperor Chu Ling didn't care about his stubbornness, and the general trend was set.

"Eighth brother, what do you say?"

Emperor Chu Ling finally turned to the Eight Sages King, who was in the center of the storm, but had been silent.

I saw that the Eight Sages King looked calm as always, and said: "No matter what position the younger brother is in, he will definitely do his best to share the worries of the imperial brother, the imperial brother has a life, and the younger brother does not dare to resign."

Emperor Chu Ling laughed and said, "Then you still don't accept the order?" ”

"Brother's Command"

Seeing that everything had been decided, Emperor Chu Ling was in a good mood, greeted Fei Sangui beside him, whispered something, and saw Fei Sangui take a few steps forward, and raised his voice: "After the reward is completed, the ceremony of leaving a name in the palace, and all the ministers will be listed."

At the same time, the sound of the silk bamboo bell is great.

Xiao Mo, Zhang Yansheng, and the Eight Sages King had already been informed of the rules in advance, so they walked quickly to the front of the ministers and waited quietly