Although Wang Xian's words were very difficult to listen to and very hurtful, Xu Liang thought about it carefully and had to admit that Huang Daozhou deviated too far from the center of the court, and it was very short when he was in the capital when he was cultivating the Hanlin Academy, so he really had no advantage.

The three of them talked while coming to the guest house, and after the banquet was dispersed, Xu Liang felt that he should still ask Xu Guangqi's opinion and seek his consent.

didn't go back to the Dongjiang Courtyard immediately, turned to Xu Ge's old house, and slammed the door to meet him.

Xu Ge was surprised when he saw Xu Liang coming, and met Xu Liang in the living room. After a polite exchange between the two sides, Xu Liang asked inquiringly: "Xia Guan heard that the elder of the pavilion also intends to compete for the position of the imperial history of the capital of the Imperial Inspectorate?" ”

When Xu Guangqi heard this, his eyebrows moved, he glanced up at Xu Liang, and said slowly: "Even Xu Liang knows about this." It can be seen that there are many pairs of eyes staring at the position of the imperial history of the capital. Thinking that Xu Liang must be his own person, he admitted: "The Metropolitan Procuratorate supervises illegal things inside and outside the court, and its power is very great. Don't hide it from Xu Liang, although the old man is now a cabinet scholar, his foundation in the court is the shallow among several scholars. If you can get the position of the imperial history of the capital, it will also be a great help to the old man. Well, speaking of which, I have to ask for your support. ”

Xu Liang nodded, pretending to be very enthusiastic and suggested, "Is there a suitable candidate in the heart of the elder of the pavilion?" ”

Xu Guangqi said: "Guangdong Senator Lord Zhao is a good friend of the old man when he was studying, this person entered the court earlier than me, and his qualifications are also very suitable for the position of imperial history of the capital. ”

When Xu Liang heard Xu Ge Lao say this, he knew that this Lord Zhao must be extremely satisfying to Xu Guangqi. originally wanted to follow Xu Guangqi's words and flatter a few more words, but I just thought of the intention of this time. Then he said slowly: "Actually, Xia Guan originally wanted to recommend Pingliang Tongzhi Huang Dao Zhou to the elder pavilion, since the elder has a candidate in his heart. That's it......"

Xu Guangqi's eyes tightened and looked at Xu Liang. After pondering for a long time, he said: "Huang Daozhou, this person is also a rare official, but it is not suitable to be placed in the Metropolitan Procuratorate. After a while, when the magistrate was adjusted, the old man tried his best to arrange another errand for Huang Daozhou. This time, Xu Liang also had to help the old man take down the imperial history. ”

The smile on Xu Liang's face remained unchanged, and he responded: "This is nature. The matter of the elder pavilion is the matter of my Xu Liang, and I will take care of it. ”

Since coming out of the Xu Mansion, Xu Liang felt gloomy. Xu Guangqi was the closest person to Xu Liang in the court. However, even Xu Ge Lao politely rejected himself, and Wang Yongguang, the secretary of the ministry, Xu Liang didn't even have to go.

Sullenly returning to the Dongjiang Courtyard, Feng Suqin, Lou Xian'er, Rou'er and a few other women were sitting around Dai Feng's concubine Zhen'er, discussing the experience of conceiving a child. Several people saw Xu Liang coming back from outside, and hurriedly got up to salute.

Xu Liang replied casually. Then he entered the study, walked to the Taishi chair behind the desk, sat down, and tilted his head. I closed my eyes and was still thinking about the imperial history of the capital.

Feng Suqin saw that Xu Liang's mood was wrong, so she walked in and came behind Xu Liang lightly. Reach out and rub Xu Liang's shoulder.

"What's wrong, Xianggong?" Feng Suqin asked.

Xu Liang's eyes were still closed. Said: "Some things in officialdom. Somewhat troublesome. ”

When Feng Suqin heard this, she said softly: "I don't understand the things in officialdom. But I see that Wang Qinian is clever, and when he is called, maybe he will have a solution after listening. ”

Xu Liang nodded slowly. So Feng Suqin ordered someone to go to the front yard to invite King Qinian of Guanglu Temple to come over.

"Lord, are you looking for me?" Wang Qinian's kung fu arrived in a while, and when he saw Xu Liang, he asked directly. When there were no outsiders, Wang Qinian always insisted on calling Liang the main father.

Xu Liang beckoned Wang Qinian to sit down, and then said his intention to push Huang Daozhou to the imperial history of the capital, and then mentioned the attitude of Wang Xian and Xu Guangqi.

Wang Qinian thought about it carefully and said, "Although the words of Lord Wang Xian of the Ministry of Officials are ugly, they are not wrong. Huang Daozhou does not have any special influence in the court, and it is indeed impossible for him to successfully become the imperial history of the capital, relying only on the support of the lord and you. ”

Xu Liang sighed: "I also know this, and because of this, I feel embarrassed." As he spoke, he looked at Wang Qinian expectantly and said, "Qinian, you have more experience as an official than me, think about it, is there any other better way?" ”

Wang Qinian paced in the room, thinking as he walked. After a few turns, Wang Qinian stopped, looked at Xu Liang, frowned and said: "This matter is too difficult, and the imperial history of the capital is a high-ranking official from the court of the fourth grade, and in the end, it must be approved by the cabinet vote." If you want Lord Huang to ascend to the throne smoothly, in addition to winning the support of the court lords, the lower officials can't think of any other good way. However, my lord, after thinking about it, we still have a certain advantage. ”

"Oh?" Xu Liang was overjoyed in his heart and asked, "What is the advantage, let's talk about it quickly." ”

Wang Qinian said: "There are only a few adults who can decide on the selection of the imperial history of the capital. Six Ministries and Nine Secretaries, Cabinet Ministers, His Majesty the Emperor. After the hard work of the lord in the past six months, at least Wang Yongguang, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, Li Tengfang, and the cabinet Xu Ge Lao are relatively friendly with the lord. Now Wang Shangshu and Xu Ge Lao have their own candidates, but Li Tengfang, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, does not, so we should win Li Shangshu over first. ”

Xu Liang nodded slowly when he heard this.

Seeing this, Wang Qinian was deeply encouraged, and then said: "As for Wang Shangshu and Xu Gelao, they insist on using their favorite candidates, and that's because both of them think that they are likely to win. If the lord can conceive and persuade them to be willing to give up their respective candidates and support the lord instead, then the certainty will be even greater. ”

Xu Liang thought for a while and sighed lightly: "How easy is it to make the ministers and cabinet scholars change their minds?" ”

"Not really." Wang Qinian said: "Wang Shangshu and Xu Ge Lao insisted, it was because they had not yet clearly realized the strength of their opponents. Who in the court doesn't know that the Metropolitan Procuratorate is the base camp of the Cabinet Cao Ge Lao, and Cao Ge Lao and the first assistant Zhou Yanru, and the cabinet minister Wen Tiren have always been very close, and the three of them are in the same breath, and Cao Ge Lao wants to keep his Metropolitan Procuratorate. Zhou Shoufu and Wen Ge Lao will definitely help each other. Thinking about it, the lord only needs to let Wang Shangshu and Xu Ge Lao realize that their opponents are the three elders. It would not be difficult to persuade them to change their minds. ”

Xu Liang was overjoyed when he heard this, and looked at Wang Qinian's eyes full of appreciation. stroked his palms and smiled: "Qi Nian is really a sharp-minded person!" With your analysis, I now have some confidence. ”

Wang Qinian smiled modestly and complimented: "The lord has praised it falsely, and the subordinate officials will only talk on paper, and whether they succeed or not depends on the lord to decide." ”

Feng Suqin, who was gently rubbing Xu Liang's shoulder, pouted her mouth and said angrily: "Okay, you two don't hold me up, I'll hold you, Lord Wang continued, I listen to it interesting." ”

Wang Qinian bowed to Feng Suqin. Then he said: "Actually, my lord, we have forgotten a very important person. ”

"Who?"

"Sun Chengzong, a scholar of Wuyingdian University." Wang Qinian said loudly.

"Elder Sun Ge?" Xu Liang frowned and said: "But Sun Ge Lao is not in Beijing, he is far away in Liaodong......"

Wang Qinian interrupted: "Lord, you also said that Sun Ge is in Liaodong. Liaodong is not the end of the world, and if you are fast, you will return to Beijing in three or four days. Although Sun Ge Lao is no longer acting as an agent for the affairs of the Ministry of War, he is still one of the cabinet ministers, and Sun Ge Lao still has the right to speak on the issue of the selection of the imperial history of the capital. The lord promised to support Liaodong with 100,000 taels of silver. Presumably, if you ask Sun Ge Lao to do a little favor, Sun Ge Lao should not refuse. ”

Xu Liang laughed: "Not bad." A month ago, Sun Chengzong and I formed a deep friendship over the recruitment of troops in the capital. He has also concluded a long-term partnership, which is a small favor, if he doesn't help. That's just not interesting. ”

Xu Liang promised to give Sun Ge Lao 100,000 taels of silver, but now he has only paid half of it. There are still fifty thousand taels to be paid in the next three years, in that sense. Xu Liang did have a long-term cooperative relationship with Sun Gelao.

When Wang Qinian and Feng Suqin heard this, they both smiled.

In this way, the people who can win over to support Huang Daozhou include two scholars in the cabinet, two scholars in the Ministry of Officials and two scholars in the Ministry of Rites, and the possibility of Huang Daozhou ascending to the throne is quite large. It's just ......" Wang Qinian hesitated, looked at Xu Liang, and said helplessly: "Despite the support of these people, Yudu Yushi is a high-ranking official of the fourth grade, and in the end, he has to let His Majesty the Emperor approve it." His Majesty has never even met Huang Daozhou, and it is not clear whether he has heard of it, so His Majesty wants His Majesty to agree to Huang Daozhou to serve as the imperial historian of the capital, but the lower officials have no way at all, so they can only resign themselves to fate. ”

When Xu Liang heard this, he couldn't help but sigh. The moon is the first to be near the water, and this is very reasonable. If Huang Daozhou was not an official in the remote Pingliang of Shaanxi, but an official in a certain department in the capital, and his name could appear from time to time in the folds that Emperor Chongzhen saw, then the possibility of him ascending to the throne was extremely great.

Now...... Chongzhen doesn't even know what the circumference of the ecliptic looks like!

Xu Liang and Wang Qinian looked at each other, both a little helpless, and the room was quiet for a while.

"Xianggong, Lord Wang," At this time, Feng Suqin stopped rubbing Xu Liang's shoulders, looked at the two of them, and said softly: "Listening to what you mean, it's nothing more than worrying that the current emperor doesn't look down on Huang Dao Zhou?" ”

When Xu Liang and Wang Qinian heard this, they both looked at Feng Suqin in surprise, and Xu Liang asked, "Suqin, do you have a way?" ”

Feng Suqin twisted her slender jade fingers and said, "The reason why Your Majesty is likely to veto Huang Daozhou is nothing more than that he has no impression of Lord Huang. Then let's try to make His Majesty have a deeper impression of the Zodiac Zhou. ”

When Xu Liang heard this, he couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly: "Su Qin said it lightly, and the selection of the imperial history of the capital has been settled in the past few days, and Your Majesty's impression of the Zodiac Zhou can be deepened overnight?" Even if it's temporary, it won't help. ”

Wang Qinian listened and nodded, obviously agreeing with Xu Liang's point of view.

Unexpectedly, Feng Suqin listened, but she didn't care, glanced at Xu Liang skillfully, and said quietly: "There are no absolutes in the world. The key to His Majesty's impression of the Zodiac Zhou lies in the person who mentioned the Zodiac Zhou in front of His Majesty. If it was you, or Wang Qinian, you ran to your majesty to evaluate how good Huang Daozhou was, then Emperor Chongzhen would probably forget it after hearing it, and it would have no effect at all. However, if you say it in front of Your Majesty, the effect will be different, for example, is it better for Xu Ge, the emperor of the Son of Heaven, to mention the Zodiac Zhou in front of His Majesty? ”

Xu Liang and Wang Qinian were stunned when they heard this, then they understood, looked at Feng Suqin, and said excitedly: "Suqin said well. Whoever mentions Zodiac Zhou to His Majesty, and how to mention him to have the best effect, we have to discuss these details. ”

So, Xu Liang pulled Wang Qinian and Feng Suqin to the table and sat down, and the three of them began to think about how to mention Zodiac Zhou to Emperor Chongzhen was the best.

After discussing for nearly two hours, Xu Liang made up his mind. The next day, he went to the morning court with dark circles under his eyes, and when he saw Wang Yongguang, the secretary of the ministry, he stepped forward and whispered: "Lord Shangshu, today's court meeting, please don't mention the matter of filling the vacancy in the imperial history of the capital for the time being. Xu Liang's voice was small, but it ensured that Wang Yongguang, the secretary of the ministry, could hear it clearly.

Wang Shangshu looked at Xu Liang in surprise. Xu Liang winked at him, pretended to be nothing, and walked to Li Tengfang, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites.

Xu Liang stood in the middle of the ministers in an orderly manner, acting as the most thorough spectator of each early dynasty, waiting for the end of the early dynasty, and when all the ministers walked away one after another, Xu Liang slowly swallowed out of the Jinluan Palace, discerned the next direction, and followed the whereabouts of the eunuch Wang Chengen of Bingbi, and trotted over.

ran all the way to the vicinity of the Yangxin Palace, only to see Wang Chengen and the two little eunuchs in front of him, Xu Liang immediately beckoned and shouted: "Princess, wait a minute." ”

Hearing this, Wang Chengen stopped and turned around, looked at Xu Liang who ran forward, and asked with a smile, "What is Lord Xu chasing after our family?" ”

Xu Liang said secretly: I can't see that although this prince walks without sound, he acts so quickly!

Xu Liang arched his hand, put on a sincere smile, and said with a smile: "My father-in-law is so fast, after the official dispersed the court, he followed his father-in-law's footsteps, and he didn't catch up until this time." ”

Wang Chengen smiled, glanced at the majestic palaces around him, and said with emotion: "If Lord Xu is like our family, he has to walk all the roads in this huge palace two or three times a day, presumably when the time comes, Lord Xu's walking speed will definitely not be slower than ours." Do you want to try it, Lord Xu? ”

Xu Liang waved his hand awkwardly and said, "Don't, I can't bear that hardship." ”

Wang Chengen laughed happily, and his laughter became smaller, so he looked directly at Xu Liang and asked, "You and I are not outsiders, Lord Xu called our family, if there is anything to say, Your Majesty is still waiting for our family to go in and wait in the Heart Cultivation Palace." ”

When Xu Liang heard this, he hurriedly straightened his expression, looked left and right, beckoned Wang Chengen to move over, and when Wang Chengen took two steps forward with a puzzled face, Xu Liang muttered in his ear. (To be continued.) )