Time passed day by day, and in a blink of an eye, it came to the seventh day of February in the first year of Jingtai, according to the practice of the previous imperial examination year, this day will announce two chief examiners who presided over the examination, as well as eighteen examiners who marked the papers.

Shen Yichen was in a separate face with the saint after the Zhengdan Dynasty meeting, and received a promise from Emperor Jingtai Zhu Qiyu that he would be appointed as one of the two chief examiners. It's just that there is no official appointment decree, everything is in suspense, and many times the sentence itself is a joke.

In the class room of Wenyuan Pavilion, Shen Yichen was paying close attention to the concerts of the state capitals in Beizhili to control the current trend of grain prices.

Although in the court meeting some time ago, Shen Yichen recommended Xu Youzhen as the waiter of the Ministry of Works, but far from quenching the thirst, the trend of soaring grain prices will not show any signs of relief before the summer harvest.

The price of grain in Beijing has risen from four dollars and one stone last month to seven dollars and one stone in just ten days. Many farmers in Beizhili have begun to eat the grain grown in spring ploughing when they have no choice.

If the grain is eaten, there are only two consequences, either the whole family starves to death, or they take out everything that can be valuable, such as their only remaining land and house, their wife, sons and daughters, and even sign a deed of sale.

Use these things as collateral to borrow grain from the landlord and squire to sow seeds, and then pay a large amount of money, and the sky-high interest that cannot be repaid in this life will not be repaid.

As long as the squire and landlord use the means properly, there is no need to do such acts as robbing and forcing the good to become prostitutes, etc., which have ruined their reputation, and the common people will take the initiative to "dedicate" everything they have.

If you have a milder attitude, or leak a little fur from your fingers, you may be able to get the title of a "benevolent" person. is a typical person who is sold, and you have to help the other party count the money.

This is why in the later period of the feudal dynasty, there will be various scenes of land annexation and poor livelihood. The ability of the landlord and gentry class to resist natural and man-made disasters is completely different from that of the common people, and they can use various legal means to take advantage of it, and eventually evolve into a situation of "people eating people".

"To the north, the rice grain in Jingshi has risen to seven dollars and one stone, and other places in Beizhili have even reached a maximum of one or two, so many people will not survive the summer harvest, and I don't know how many families will die."

"Otherwise, open the Jingshi granary and Tongzhou warehouse to put grain!"

Shang Chen's face was full of distress at the moment, since he became the head of the cabinet, he had hardly slept well in the face of various government affairs.

Who would have thought that in the prosperous era of the Ming Dynasty, which seemed to be a song and dance, it seemed to be in turmoil everywhere after the change of a civil fort, which completely shattered the impression of the royal road paradise that Shang Zhen had read in the sage books.

It turns out that the people are suffering like this!

Compared with the eagerness of the business, Shen Yichen seemed very calm, he had long realized that under the prosperous scene of the Ming Dynasty, it was actually a piece of decay, but it was just a fig leaf that was torn off by the first battle of Tumubao.

And unlike the business that has been studying academics in the Hanlin Academy since he joined the office, Shen Yichen has personally experienced the scene of the Yellow River bursting embankment in Shandong and the corpses are all over the field, so he naturally understands that eagerness is meaningless.

"No, the Jingshi granary and the Tongzhou warehouse bear the supply of hundreds of thousands of troops in the Jingshi at present. In addition, the northern tile spur department is about to move, and it must reserve enough military rations to rush to the border army, otherwise the consequences will be even more serious. ”

Shen Yichen directly vetoed the idea of opening a warehouse to release grain, the matter is prioritized, the current external troubles are far greater than the internal worries, if the border army can't bear the food, the fate of the entire northern land will only be more tragic than the famine!

"But the problem is that now the tile thorn has not committed the border, even if it is prevented, you can't watch the starvation everywhere in Beizhili, right?"

"There is also the Xuanda defense line that has been repaired by Liu An, and now it has restored seventy or eighty percent of the Fengsui border forts, and it is not easy for the Tartars to cross the defense line."

"To the north, you refused to open a warehouse to release grain, is it for the Liaodong Army to take the initiative to rush to the aid of the Tatar Department?"

After the Xuanfu reported the military situation of the transfer of the Tile Spur troops and horses, Shen Yichen had already convened a cabinet meeting through Chen Xun, the first assistant of the cabinet, mainly to make the Liaodong Army prepare to rush to the aid of the Tatar Department, and at the same time began to urgently raise military rations for the war.

After all, the soldiers and horses have not moved the grain and grass first, whether it is for Mongolia or for the Ming Dynasty, the decisive battle in Liaodong is logistics, and whoever can't hold it first will become the loser.

"That's right, I must ensure the supply of military food in Liaodong, and I can't let the soldiers go hungry!"

Regarding Shang's questioning, Shen Yichen admitted it unabashedly.

In the thirteenth year of orthodoxy, the battle of Yanghe, the battle of Harrier Ridge, and the battle of Tumubao, the Ming Dynasty lost not only the elite soldiers of the Beijing camp, but also a large number of excellent war horses, and lost the ability to take the initiative to attack Mobei in a short period of time.

The Tatar Ministry is now a relationship with the Ming Dynasty, and if the Watt Spur Department also completely unifies the Mongol tribes first, and even usurps the throne and becomes Khan, then his future strength will surpass the level before the Battle of Tumubao.

After all, the combat effectiveness of an army that is forbidden by order is far greater than that of a rabble with evil intentions!

Since there is no way to take the initiative to go on the Northern Expedition, then it can only passively protect the Tatar Department from being annexed, and the Liaodong Army is the only army of the Ming Dynasty outside the Great Wall.

Whoever has food and grass logistics can be shortage, and the grain and grass of the Liaodong Army must not be moved!

"To the north, I know that you are trying to prevent the tile thorn from becoming bigger, but for the dog-eat-dog between the Tartars, you will make the people of Daming cold and hungry, is it worth it?"

In Shang Chen's view, the way to be an official is to protect the people, not to seek hegemony and strategy. Even if the Tile Spur Department really annexed the Tatar Department, the result would be a defeat for both sides, as long as the Ming Dynasty could defend the Great Wall defense line with peace and security, why should they be afraid of the Tartar prisoners?

Shang Chen's thinking is not an exception, after the change of Tumubao, almost no one thought of revenge, is to level the tile and spur the ministers, to complete the feat of sealing the wolf Juxu, Yan Ran Le Shi!

They only thought about how to defend it, and began to focus on the large-scale construction of the Great Wall defense line, which was the Ming Great Wall that later generations could see.

But Shen Yichen is different, Huanghuang Daming has given up the Western Regions, the Hexi Corridor, the Nuer Gandu Division, the Annan Metropolitan Division, and the Mengyang Xuanwei Division, where else will the front go?

Could it be that he has been cowering in the territory of the Great Wall all his life, watching the Liaodong Dusi under the double-sided attack of the Mongols and the Jurchens, and once again giving up a large part of the country?

"It's worth it."

Shen Yichen didn't explain too much to Shang Chen, and was constantly compressed by foreign enemies to compress his living space and ambitions, so he would have the worry of losing his country.

Looking at Shen Yichen's resolute answer, Shang Yu didn't have much to say, he was not a person with a tough personality. It's just that when I turn my head and look at the concerts of the state capitals in various places, I can always think of the tragic situation of the people who are hungry and cold, and if they don't open the warehouse to release grain for emergency relief, I don't know how many people will starve to death on the streets.

"To the north, since it can't be open source for the time being, can you start from throttling?"

"The current Forbidden Army, Ban Army, Qinwang Army, and Southern Expeditionary Army of the Beijing Division are close to 400,000 soldiers and horses, and it is time for some of the soldiers to return to their original locations."

Regarding Shang Chen's suggestion, Shen Yichen showed a solemn expression on his face, in fact, he didn't think about this problem, but he didn't know where to start.

Theoretically, after the end of the defense battle of the Beijing Division, the Southern Expeditionary Army and the Qinwang Army should return to their hometowns, and the rotating squad troops should not be stationed in the Beijing Division for a long time. Under normal circumstances, there are only about 150,000 soldiers stationed in the capital of the Ming Emperor, which means that more than half of the soldiers must return to the original guard station.

But the problem is that the situation in Jingshi is not normal now!

Although Ming Yingzong Zhu Qizhen entered the South Palace and was de facto placed under house arrest, under the pressure of the Empress Dowager and the ministers of the court, Emperor Jingtai Zhu Qiyu did not dare to make things too ugly, and there were still courtiers who could get the opportunity to see.

Even the Empress Dowager Sun went to Nangong to meet her son in person, and no one dared to stop her.

This led to Zhu Qizhen's realization that he still had a large force of allegiance after experiencing the initial panic and helplessness, but the current emperor Zhu Qiyu looked at some foreign powerhouses and cadres, and even the nominal cronies Yu Qian and Yang Hong could not ensure 100% loyalty.

Let's not talk about regaining the throne and restoration, if you want to save your life in the South Palace, you must have the power to make Zhu Qiyu feel jealous, and you don't dare to "kill the king" easily.

There is no doubt that the Shenji Battalion controlled by Hou Liupu of Anyuan, and the Southern Expeditionary Army controlled by Wang Ji of Jingyuan Bo are the biggest bargaining chips for Zhu Qizhen to settle down in Beijing, and it is impossible for them to return to their original station no matter what.

In order to ensure that there was no crisis of mutiny, Emperor Jingtai Zhu Qiyu did not dare to force these two relatives to hand over their military power too aggressively. After all, they are different from Shen Yichen, who is a civilian official in charge of the army, and the military generals have a natural non-wartime commandery rationality, and many times the emperor cannot unscrupulously deprive the military power.

In other words, the problem that the emperor can't easily solve now, how can Shen Yichen persuade the Southern Expeditionary Army and the Qinwang Army from all over the country to leave Beijing?

"I'll find a way to discuss with Uncle Jing Yuan."

Shen Yichen still didn't say a word of rejection after all, pinning his hopes on Jingyuan Bo Wang Ji, who could understand the righteousness of his family and country, rather than being blindly loyal to the king.

Shang Shi naturally understood that under the current situation of the two emperors in Jingshi, it was not easy to get either side to give up military power. It's just that the entire cabinet, and even the entire cabinet, except for Shen Yichen, no one can do this!

Just when Shen Yichen and Shang Yu were discussing government affairs, Zhao Ranyuan, a member of the Zhongshu House, knocked on the door and walked in and said: "Shen Ge Lao, Shang Ge Lao, Wenyuan Pavilion has come to the Ministry of Rites to pass the decree, and he is also the leader of the Great Zongbo, it seems that there is a gist to announce." ”

The matter that can make Hu Hu, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, personally announce the decree, has undoubtedly reached the level of a military event.

Shen Yichen and Shang Yu didn't dare to slack off, and immediately walked out of the duty room to the hall of Wenyuan Pavilion, and at the same time, several other cabinet ministers also received the news conveyed by the officials, and hurried to the hall to meet the holy decree.

When Hu Hu saw the arrival of the ministers, he did not announce the decree as soon as possible, but instead worshiped the statue of Confucius in the main hall of Wenyuan Pavilion first.

It was only after the ritual was completed that he turned around, held the decree in his hand, and said in a majestic voice: "Cabinet officials take the order!" ”

"Greetings to the Holy Order!"

After that, Chen Xun, the first assistant of the cabinet, led all the ministers to bow down in front of the cicadal incense.

"Fengtian carries the emperor, and the edict says: The country is in the ministers of the auxiliary, the talent is good, the merits are determined, and the public opinion is ......"

Hu Hu first uttered a string of words of praise, which was equivalent to setting the tone for this holy decree, at least it had nothing to do with the punishment of the guilt.

"The world's scholars, looking forward to serving the country, serving the king, Shen Yichen, the squire of the military department and the scholar of Dongge University, and the young secretary of Dali Temple and the waiter of Hanlin said that Yang Hongze was the tribute of knowledge, and presided over the big test of the Ministry of Rites in his own year!"

When they heard the reading of the holy decree, the faces of all the ministers present were very exciting, and some were happy and some were worried.

Chen Xun, Miao Zhen, and Shen Yichen looked as usual, the first two had no entanglement of interests, and it didn't matter who served as the president of the examination. As for Shen Yichen, he was guaranteed by Emperor Jingtai Zhu Qiyu in advance, which is equivalent to spoilers, and naturally there are a few fewer surprises.

Gao Gu and Shang Yu were sincerely happy for Shen Yichen, and the president of the test had the status of a teacher, which meant that Shen Yichen would "start a sect" in the court in the future.

Only Yang Hongze and He Pingyan had diametrically opposite expressions. Yang Hongze's expression was pleasantly surprised, he thought that Shen Yichen had stepped in the air, coupled with He Pingyan's uncle's status as a heavenly official, as well as the reputation of the connections cultivated by the Gongxing Society, he would definitely not be able to compete for it.

As a result, I never expected that in the end, the title of president of the conference would fall on me.

On the contrary, He Pingyan's face was full of disbelief, even if Yang Hongze had the support of Hu Hu, the secretary of the Ministry of Etiquette, but he was a mere son of a poor family, how could he compete for himself as the president of the examination?

What happened behind the scenes, and why didn't my uncle fight for it?

What He Pingyan didn't know was that it was not that Wang Zhi, the official of the Ministry of Officials, did not help his nephew fight for it, but that Hu Hu had the support of the Xunqi group headed by Zhu Yi, and the other party could not compete at all.

You must know that Hu Hu has an in-law with the Chengguo Mansion, and Zhu Yi is his son-in-law. Now that Zhu Yong, the Duke of Chengguo, is guilty of taking the title, then the hope of reinstatement naturally falls on the eldest son.

No matter how different the concept is with Shen Yichen, as long as Zhu Yi can inherit the title smoothly, Hu Hu will be one of the gainers. At the same time, after experiencing Zhu Ji's treason with the enemy, Zhu Yi had to lower his head and take the initiative to seek the help of the civil official group led by his father-in-law, Hu Hui.

As for what kind of exchange of interests has been reached behind it, I am afraid that only they will know.

After the holy decree was read out, and everyone thanked the emperor, Hu Hu came to Shen Yichen's front and instructed: "Open a branch to take scholars, seek talents for the country, Shen Zhongtang takes on this important responsibility, and I hope not to live up to His Majesty's trust, and not to live up to the expectations of three thousand people." ”

"Don't worry, the cabinet should uphold fairness and clarity, and live up to the grace of the king!"

"That's good."

Hu Hu stretched out his hand and patted Shen Yichen's shoulder, looking like an elder comforting a junior.

However, just as the two sides were approaching, Hu Hu whispered: "Shen Zhongtang, there are currently some rumors about you in the palace, and I hope you will pay more attention." ”