"Yes, the last general will definitely remember the warning of the elder Shen Ge!"

Looking at Wang Zheng's slightly excited face, Shen Yichen patted his arm again with a hint of a smile, and then walked into Donghua Gate.

It wasn't until Shen Yichen's back disappeared from sight that the palace guard guarding the door leaned over and said in an envious tone: "Wang Yishi, I didn't expect you to have a friendship with Shen Ge Lao, and I am afraid that you will have to rise to prominence in the future." ”

Listening to the words of his subordinates, Wang Zheng shook his head and said: "Ben Jiang never thought of being a sycophant Shen Pavilion Lao, but a civil and military minister of the Manchu Dynasty, and only in front of Shen Ge Lao can he feel that respect." ”

"It makes me feel like a brave general, not some janitor."

After that, Wang Zheng retracted his gaze, slowly returned to his post, and subconsciously straightened his back.

As the core department of the imperial court, Wenyuan Pavilion is still a busy scene even if there is no court meeting, dealing with the government affairs of various state capitals in the Ming Empire. Shen Yichen came to the attic, walked straight to Chen Xun's duty room, and visited the cabinet chief assistant first according to the custom.

In the third year of Jingtai, the phenomenon of ranking the cabinet according to seniority became more and more obvious, and Chen Xun was relied on by Zhu Qiyu, and publicly announced to the civil and military officials that "I am in charge of cabinet affairs".

Now Chen Xun not only has the honorific title of the name of Yuanfu, but also has the fact of being the first assistant in power!

He can already convene and preside over cabinet meetings at any time, and all major affairs must be decided by him before they can be presented to the emperor's imperial edict, which is only a clear ranking in etiquette and law from the status of "Shou Bingguojun" in history.

But even so, with the many disasters in the two capitals in recent years, the cabinet ministers Miao was negligent and impeached, and asked to tell the old man to return to his hometown. Chen Xun's qualifications have already opened a notch in the cabinet, and no one can match him, even if Gao Gu is still slightly inferior, let alone Shen Yichen and Shang Chen, these juniors.

Through the advice of the Zhongshu Sheren, Shen Yichen stepped into Chen Xun's duty room, but to his surprise, there were two relatively "unfamiliar" ministers in the house, namely Wang Yining, the left waiter of the Ministry of Rites, who had met in Andingmen, and He Wenyuan, the secretary of the Ministry of Officials, who had met at the celebration banquet.

When the two of them saw Shen Yichen coming, the expressions on their faces were also a little surprised, especially after a short day apart, Wang Yining found that Shen Yichen had changed into a second-grade golden chicken supplement, and his expression was a little unnatural.

After all, he is only a third-grade waiter of the Ministry of Rites, Shen Yichen is above him regardless of the time he entered the cabinet or his official rank, should he take the initiative to salute his juniors at an age, or wait for Shen Yichen to take the initiative to greet his seniors according to the rules of the Hanlin Academy?

However, his concerns were quickly dispelled, Shen Yichen has never had the habit of being arrogant, and is often used to saluting first and then soldiering. Seeing that these three people were here, he first arched his hand and said: "The younger generation has seen Yuan Fu, He Zhongtang, and Wang Zhongtang. ”

"Shen Zhongtang is polite, Andingmen did not have too many greetings, and he should be close to the ministers in the future."

Wang Yining first returned the courtesy, after all, Shen Yichen gave enough face, and the truth of courtesy and exchange still needs to be understood.

He Wenyuan on the other side only arched his hand with an indifferent expression, and there were no words in the process, it was obvious that the dispute between the two at the celebration banquet still existed.

Seeing He Wenyuan's appearance, Chen Xun, as an old fritter in the cabinet, naturally eased the atmosphere and said: "Everyone is a colleague in the cabinet, so naturally we are more close, why don't we wait for today's government affairs to finish the official and do the east, set up a table of banquets and invite you to wash the dust for the north, and drink a few glasses?" ”

"Okay, at the celebration banquet, the official was busy rewarding the three armies, and he hadn't been able to have a good time with Shen Zhongtang, so he just took advantage of the banquet set up by Yuan Fu to borrow flowers and offer Buddha."

Wang Yining immediately cooperated, after all, he was the eunuch Wang Chengyuan introduced into the cabinet, and there were deficiencies in natural procedural laws, so he could only handle things smoothly in all aspects without offending anyone.

However, He Wenyuan snorted coldly and said: "This official has participated in the celebration banquet of Shen Zhongtang, and this time I have thanked Yuanfu for his kindness, and there are still many local concerts in the duty room that need to be drafted, so I will retire first." ”

After saying that, He Wenyuan arched his hand to Chen Xun, and then left the duty room without looking back.

Faced with this scene, Chen Xun could only shake his head helplessly, and turned to Shen Yichen and said: "To the north, He Zhongtang supervised the background of the imperial history, his temperament is upright and serious, and he doesn't like colors, so you don't have to pay too much attention to it." ”

In fact, there is no need for Chen Xun to explain, for He Wenyuan's character, Shen Yichen still has some understanding of Liu Qiu's daughter after all. He belongs to the standard science and Confucianism template, adheres to the concept and integrity of his own identity, and easily does not return to compromise and bow to others.

Even if the other party is a powerful eunuch like Wang Zhen, or even if he disagrees with the emperor, he will still choose to speak upright, even if he loses his black hat.

This kind of person seems to be much more upright than Wang Zhen and other eunuchs, but in fact, the harm caused to the society is no less than that of traitors and villains, but many times they still occupy the moral high ground and cannot be blamed.

So Shen Yichen nodded indifferently and said, "Yes, the junior understands." ”

Seeing He Wenyuan walking away, Wang Yining realized that Shen Yichen must have some private words to discuss with Chen Xun when he returned from the frontier. So he also got up and said goodbye: "Yuanfu and Shen Zhongtang haven't seen each other for a long time, so if you want to talk about the old days, then the lower officials won't bother much, and retire first." ”

Hearing Wang Yining get up and say goodbye, Chen Xun did not keep but only said two polite words, he did have some words that he wanted to talk to Shen Yichen alone.

With the departure of He Wenyuan and Wang Yining, only Shen Yichen was left in the duty room, Chen Xun motioned for him to sit opposite him, and then said: "To the north, you have been out of the town for nearly two years, and you have made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty, and it is indeed hard. ”

"Where is Yuanfu, this is just the duty of an official."

"The court has changed a lot in the past two years, and you must have felt it when you returned to Beijing yesterday, but many things have changed forever, and since you have returned to the cabinet in the north, you have to prepare early."

When Chen Xun said this, Shen Yichen understood the point, so he asked: "The younger generation is stupid, and I also ask Yuanfu to teach you clearly." ”

Listening to Shen Yichen's modest words, Chen Xun smiled meaningfully: "If you can use the word stupid in your talent and learning to the north, then there is no smart person in the Manchu Dynasty." ”

"Since the words have come to this, the official will not hide it, the core changes of the imperial court in the past two years revolve around one thing, that is, Yi Chu!"

That's right, whether it is a cabinet minister like Wang Yining or an upstart like Shi Heng, the essence is that Emperor Jingtai Zhu Qiyu will enhance the control and discourse power of the court, and lay the foundation for Yi Chu.

】

Regarding the matter of "Easy Storage", Shen Yichen looked as usual without surprise, he just asked rhetorically: "What does Yuanfu think?" ”

In fact, what kind of line and attitude Chen Xun is, Shen Yichen knows it well, and the real reason why he asked this nonsense is to know whether Chen Xun said this from the admonition of his predecessors or from the emperor's entrustment!

"The order is in Lun first, if you want the stability of the country, you have to do it."

"Does Yuanfu want the younger generation to support Yichu?"

"It's not that I think, it's Your Majesty who thinks."

Chen Xun didn't play any dumb fans, and told Shen Yichen very bluntly that Emperor Jingtai Zhu Qiyu had decided to formally discuss the matter of Yi Chu and abolish Zhu Jianshen's status as the crown prince at the court meeting on the first day of the first month of March.

He has been waiting for this moment for three years, and now everything is ready, and only Shen Yichen, the shareholder, is required to ignite the fire.

"Xiaguan is deeply favored by the emperor, and he is a liver and brain."

Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Yichen expressed his attitude.

The reason is that in the matter of Yi Chu, Emperor Jingtai Zhu Qiyu did not ask himself personally, but asked Chen Xun to pass on the message, which in itself was a temptation of distrust.

After Zhu Qiyu's several checks and balances, Shen Yichen has long had no choice, rather than being indecisive in front of Chen Xun's "eyeliner", it is better to carry out the image of sworn allegiance to the end.

After all, hesitation means that loyalty is not absolute, and in the eyes of the emperor it is equivalent to absolute disloyalty!

"I have been out of town for two years in the north, and I still haven't fallen behind in this aspect of judging the situation, and I deserve to be the leader of my Ming Dynasty."

Chen Xun praised from the bottom of his heart, Shen Yichen's political sense and acumen are not at all like the level of a young official, and it is not an exaggeration to describe it with the words "old treacherous and cunning".

"Yuanfu is too praised, and the younger generation is ashamed."

"Haha, humble."

While Shen Yichen was discussing Yi Chu's standing in line, Yu Qian, who was in the yamen of the Ministry of War, was holding a book from Yang Ji, a scholar of the Ministry of War, with mixed emotions in his heart.

This letter from a subordinate of the Ministry of War is not a discussion of political affairs, but a letter of advice to Yu Qian, the chief officer of the Ministry of War. The core content is to oppose Yi Chu, accusing him of being an important minister of the court but "losing his voice and following the crowd" and failing to defend the etiquette and law.

One of the sentences: "The pillar of the public state is the reward of the palace officials without thinking about it, so what about the aftermath?" Almost pointed at Yu Qian's nose, saying that he was greedy for power and chose to protect himself.

Yu Qian is not a sleek person who is good at communicating, and he doesn't want to be involved in the struggle between the imperial power and the palace, he just wants to be a good official with peace of mind, and do something practical for the people of the world.

Just like a person in the rivers and lakes, he can't help himself, standing in the position of a very popular minister, Yu Qian will inevitably be involved in these power struggles. The consequence of silence was that in the eyes of the emperor, Yu Qian failed his favor and love, and did not clearly express his support for Yi Chu.

On the other hand, in the eyes of his subordinates and the court, Yu Qian is a person who sells his reputation and reputation, once he touches on an event that affects his power, he pretends to be deaf and dumb and loses his literati popularity, and he does not dare to stand up and set things right.

In the face of such a situation, Yu Qian couldn't say it, he didn't choose to be silent on the matter of Yi Chu because he was greedy for power, but on the contrary, he followed his heart, and under the influence of Confucian thinking, he opposed Zhu Qiyu and abolished the prince.

But at the height of absolute sanity, Yu Qian knew better that the emperor's temperament was destined not to give up Yi Chu, especially Zhu Qiyu was at the peak of the Spring and Autumn Period, and the courtiers could oppose it for a while, but they couldn't oppose it for a lifetime.

In the long run, there will be a split in the court, divided into two factions for their own political positions, constantly accusing and attacking dissident forces, and finally forming a de facto party to fight against differences, and infighting will continue to consume the national strength of the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, the Great Rites Discussion in later generations occurred in a scene that Yu Qian was worried about, and after several years of court fighting, the political and economic reforms were interrupted, and many real gossip officials were interrupted, making the political atmosphere of the court more and more decadent.

Yu Qian knew that Yi Chu would become inevitable, but his principle and heart made him unable to support it, so he could only stay out of it with silence. But now this letter, as well as the rumors that the court will announce Yi Chu on the same day, make it difficult for Yu Qian to be alone.

It's for or against, there's no middle ground to speak of!

Just when Yu Qian was in a dilemma, Liu Zhongshiki, the left attendant of the household department, happened to come over because of the issue of military salary, and saw him sitting at the table in a daze, holding the book tightly in his hands.

"Yu Shaobao, what happened?"

Liu Zhongfu can be regarded as Yu Qian's old friend, as early as during the orthodox dynasty, Wang Zhen took Yu Qian to ask for guilt, in addition to Shen Yichen's righteous insistence, he also took great risks to intercede, which led to Wang Zhen being degraded to a commoner.

Jingtai was reinstated as an official in the first year, and he was appointed as the left attendant of the household department and the prince's guest, and the two had a close relationship.

Liu Zhongfu's voice brought Yu Qian back to his senses, he hurriedly put down the book in his hand, and then replied casually: "It's nothing, I thought about the affairs of the army for a while, and I was a little absorbed in it." ”

In the face of Qian's answer, Liu Zhongfu shook his head and smiled: "I haven't been dizzy yet, the book clearly says that I oppose Yi Chu, and the gossip officials are making a statement to let you come out?" ”

Liu Zhongfu's inquiry made Yu Qian silent, and quibbling lies was not something he was good at.

Seeing this scene, Liu Zhongfu completely understood, he sighed and said: "Tingyi, your negative treatment of Yi Chu's matter has already caused His Majesty to displease. The recent edict of the East Palace and the government class to take the yamen as the second, is to treat you coldly and weaken. ”

"I heard that Your Majesty will also add the secretary of the military department, which will be served by Yiming, the former minister of the Qiandi, so it will be difficult for you to gain a foothold in the court in the future!"

Liu Zhongfu's "East Palace and Government Class is second to the Yamen", which means that the political treatment of the imperial court is ranked according to the status of the six yamen in the case of increasing the rank and level. You must know that after the war of the Jingshi guard, Yu Qian, who served as Shaobao, the prince and the prince, and the secretary of the military department, ranked first in the literary class.

After changing the ranking in this way, Yu Qian dropped to fourth place, behind Wang Zhi, Hu Hui, Chen Xun and others. In addition, "one book and two books" can be called a clear card to decompose the power of the ministry, and the use of the old ministers of the Qiandi to serve indicates that the emperor does not trust.

Officialdom standing in line has always been a science, which will determine the future fate of officials, and Yu Qian's passive response to this matter of Yi Chu is simply a taboo of the emperor, and if it continues like this, it will be far away from the core of the court, and even the center of power!

The admonition and warning of the old friend, Yu Qian didn't know the truth, but he shook his head with a wry smile and said: "Ziji (Liu Zhongfuzi), but I can't go against my heart to support His Majesty without abolishing the prince Yichu." ”

Yu Qian took Wen Tianxiang as his example, hung the portrait on his side for decades, and always adhered to the eight big characters "Rather be righteous and die, and be whole." ”

was also Yi Chu on the side, Yu Qian finally chose to oppose and stood on the opposite side of the emperor.