He Wenyuan and Wang Yining, the cabinet minister, were both officials who were specially promoted in order to control the right to speak in the court during this special period after the abolition of Emperor Jingtai, but there are still essential differences between the two of them.

Wang Yining relied on the aid of eunuchs to enter the cabinet, and naturally had political incorrectness in the civil official group, and once he lost the backer of the eunuch, he would become the object of contempt by everyone.

Fortunately, Wang Yining has entered the cabinet, and Shen Yichen, as the first assistant of the cabinet, only looks at his ability, not his background. If he were to serve as an official like the Six Departments of Shangshu, it is estimated that he would not even be able to command his own subordinates, and he would become a complete puppet boss.

He Wenyuan is diametrically opposed, he is a science and Taoist official, and in his early years, he made a name for himself as a member of the civil official group. It's just that in the sixth year of orthodoxy, because he opposed the Luchuan Battle with Liu Qiu, he offended the eunuch Wang Zhen and the Xunqi group, so he was forced to return to his hometown.

But offending the deeds of the eunuch was a great loss in his career, but he won great prestige in the clear stream. This is why, he was used by Emperor Jingtai to return to the dynasty, and he was directly able to serve as a "heavenly official" position like the official department, and he was also given the title of "Prince Taibao" in the same file as Shen Yichen.

Originally, if this trend continued, when Hu Hu, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, returned to his hometown, then the leader of the civil official group was basically He Wenyuan.

It's a pity that people are not as good as heaven, who would have expected that Emperor Jingtai Zhu Qiyu would have a short life and an heir, once a son of heaven and a courtier, He Wenyuan did not have any advantage in front of the new emperor, and in addition to his prestige after returning to his hometown for so many years, in fact, he did not create any foundation in the court.

After all, the imperial examination system of the Ming Dynasty was doomed, and only officials who had served as the president of the examination and obtained the status of "seat teacher" were qualified to gather their protégés and former officials to become the elders of the court.

He Wenyuan has not had any real power in the past two years, except for his face and prestige, and now the defection of the radical young Zhuang officials in the civilian clique has made him finally see a glimmer of opportunity to become the head of the hundred officials.

If Hu Hu doesn't have the ambition to suppress the ministers, and he is still bright, then it is better to abdicate and make way for Xian, and lead the civil official group to restore the rules of the court!

He Wenyuan's sarcasm made Hu Hui's face ugly, he knew that the object was prepared to provoke trouble, but he didn't expect it to be so faceless.

"As long as it is beneficial to the country and the people, why not cherish each other?"

Kicking his nose in the face like this, Hu Hu replied a little angrily.

"I don't know anything, how can I judge the benefits of the country and the people?"

"It's all up to you!"

If you can't explain it, then you don't explain it at all, Hu Hu is a veteran of the Seven Dynasties, and the Three Dynasties are entrusted with a lonely minister, and his identity, status, and qualifications are all above He Wenyuan.

If you want to do something and befriend someone, do you still need to get your approval?

When He Wenyuan served as the supervisor of the imperial history, he won the title of "Iron Mask Imperial History", and he dared to hard-top Wang Zhen, and it can be seen from the side that this person has a tough personality.

Ordinary people are vaguely angry when they see Hu Hu, and it is estimated that the questioning will stop at the point, especially at the level of important ministers in the cabinet, the two sides bow their heads and don't look up, so why make the scene particularly ugly.

But He Wenyuan didn't intend to save face, and still said strongly: "Today, Shen Yichen promulgated the examination law, making the cabinet override the six ministries and control hundreds of officials, and tomorrow he will be able to further exclude dissidents and act arbitrarily." ”

"In front of the court, Wang Zhen brought disaster to the country and the people, and then Shi Heng forced the palace to rebel, do you still want to see a Shen Yichen cover the sky with one hand?"

"Uncle Zong's sentence is all based on his own heart, please forgive the official for not agreeing, the court can't let Shen Gongbao act recklessly!"

As soon as the words fell, almost more than half of the officials present applauded and praised them on the spot. He Wenyuan simply said what was in his heart, who knows whether Shen Yichen's sole power is for the country and the people, or for his own selfish interests.

Even if he has said that, Shen Yichen can uphold the righteousness of the public heart today, and then enjoy the pleasure brought by the peak of power in the future, can he still maintain his original intention?

In history, there are many people who are wise and martial in the first half of their lives, and mediocre and unscrupulous people in the second half of their lives, even the emperor is no exception, what guarantee does Hu Hu take to guarantee that Shen Yichen will not become the next one?

"He Shang's brilliant words are really deafening, and I have to guard against it!"

"Uncle Zong, although we don't know what Shen Gongbao talked about with you, we can't pin our expectations on self-discipline, the way to run the court lies in balance, this is an eternal truth."

"The lower officials have the courage to speak, Shen Yichen is by no means a good person, and he will definitely have a big deal in the follow-up after he suddenly promulgated the examination law. If we do not vigorously oppose it today, we will have no strength to fight it in the future. ”

"This official seconded Otsuka's words, family and country affairs cannot be upheld for personal personal relations, and I also ask the great uncle to speak up to His Majesty!"

The opposition of you and me is endless, this kind of scene is completely beyond Hu Hui's control, he thought that he would let Shen Yichen govern, and he would definitely suffer a certain amount of criticism.

But Hu Hu did not expect that the opposition would be so fierce that he seemed to have betrayed his relatives.

To be honest, this is the difference between status and vision, and the different ways of thinking from different standpoints. Hu Hui Hongwu was born in the eighth year, and he was nearly eighty years old in the second year of Ming Liang, and he was already called an old birthday star in the feudal era.

The precipitation brought about by his life experience, and he felt that he could accept things that would damage his interests, which was absolutely intolerable among the radical young Zhuang officials. After all, you Hu Hu is already a very popular minister, and then you will die to the top of the "three divisions", and the emperor will give you a nickname that starts with the word "Wen".

As soon as Shen Yichen's examination law is promulgated, resources will inevitably be tilted towards Shen Party officials, which is equivalent to hopeless promotion.

To put it bluntly, such a fierce opposition to "forcing the palace", saying that the world is empty for the sake of the family and the country, and the words are all isms, but in the heart they are actually business.

No matter how Hu Hu explains, it is impossible to convince today's group of traditional civil officials that when he cannot represent the interests of the group to which he belongs, then he has to be replaced by someone else!

Hu Hui naturally understands the reason, but the last line of defense in his heart is the successor he has cultivated. Seeing that in the face of the angry scene, Yang Hongze stood up and said: "Master, no matter what kind of lofty goals Shen Gongbao has, so that you can choose to compromise and cooperate. ”

"But the direction of the Ming Dynasty cannot be pinned on individuals, only the combination of etiquette and law is the long-term way to govern the country, and the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty must stand up against it!"

Yang Hongze had a look on his face at the moment, solemn with a trace of pain, and stood up against Hu Hu's compromise and concession, in fact, he thought and struggled for a long time in his heart. After all, one side is the teacher who cultivates himself, and the other side is the concept of studying hard for so many years.

As a traditional science literati, Yang Hongze follows a rigid etiquette and law, and does not tolerate all kinds of reforms. Many times before, there was no dispute of ideas, and he could cooperate with Shen Yichen to stabilize the situation with his public heart and righteousness.

But now Shen Yichen's actions have made him feel that power is becoming more and more concentrated, and coupled with the hints of his mentor Hu Hui, it is almost certain that the other party is preparing an earth-shaking plan.

Yang Hongze believes that the current court politics is in the best stage, and the border is stable, and the people can recuperate. If Shen Yichen continues to toss like this, it can be foreseen that the internal factions will continue to fight and attack, and the external troops will be fighting endlessly.

The core idea of the "royal road" of traditional scholars is that the ruler should prepare the supreme virtue of the saint internally, and if he applies it externally, it is the government of the king. It is obvious that Shen Yichen's approach is to take a diametrically opposite "domineering".

When there was a conflict between the concept of lifelong belief and kindness, Yang Hongze initially chose to become a "defender" and stood on the opposite side of Hu Hui.

Listening to the objections of the students, Hu Hu's eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly, looking at Yang Hongze, the emotions in his heart could be described as mixed.

As a teacher who has been cultivated by himself, he is very aware of Yang Hongze's character, and it was precisely because Hu Hu took a fancy to him that he would never be in the same stream as Shen Yichen, so he was selected as his successor in the officialdom.

As a result, Yang Hongze was also based on this, but he became against himself.

"Uncle Zong, there is a lot of help for the righteous and little help for the unjust, even Yang Zhongtang does not agree with the appeasement of Shen Yichen, do you still plan to watch him develop and bring disaster to the country and the people?"

He Wenyuan is also an old fritter in officialdom, and from the subtle change in the expression on Hu Hui's face, he immediately noticed that the other party was hit directly by his disciple's words. Strike while the iron is hot, today is either to force Hu Hu, the old fox, out of the mountain, and let him stand up and fight Shen Yichen in the ring.

Either he is forced to abdicate, and the position of civil leader should be occupied by a capable person, He Wenyuan believes that the court, under his own leadership, will be able to clear the clouds and see the light of day!

"Uncle Zong, you can't be indecisive anymore, time waits for no one."

The political envoy Le Yun immediately cooperated, he knew that Hu Hu was at the critical point of decision.

"Uncle Zong, please come forward and help the country!"

Yu Shiyue, the head of the household, bowed and put pressure on Hu Hu.

"Please also ask the great uncle to help the Jiangshan Sheji!"

The officials of the civil official group present stood up and bowed to Hu Hui one after another, even He Wenyuan, who wanted to replace him.

Looking at the colleagues in front of him who were "forcing the palace", Hu Hui's arm didn't know whether it was because of excitement or eagerness, and he subconsciously trembled slightly.

After a short silence, Hu Hu stood up and replied to everyone: "This official already knows in his heart, and he will give you an explanation, please go back for the time being." ”

Please?

Faced with Hu Hui's answer, He Wenyuan is not satisfied now, he is worried that this is the other party's delaying plan.

But Hu Hui's qualifications and prestige for so many years were there, and most of the officials present were happy, and they didn't believe that the dignified uncle would do something that he didn't believe in his words. Since it is said that it will give everyone an explanation, then it will inevitably be consistent with words and deeds.

"We thank the Great Sect Uncle for turning the tide!"

It was a unanimous bow and thanks, and the officials bowed their hands one after another, seeing this kind of scene, He Wenyuan knew that he could not force it, in a sense, the goal was half achieved, and then it was up to Shen Yichen to deal with it.

Watching the figures of the officials disappear from view, Hu Hu staggered to the Taishi chair as if his strength had been drained. Seeing the appearance of the head of the house, the close staff and the old servant hurriedly rushed over, held him up, and eagerly inquired about his physical condition.

After all, Hu Hu is nearly eighty years old, and it is normal for there to be three long and two short things under emotional excitement.

Faced with the concerned inquiries of the staff and the old servant, Hu Hu only turned pale and waved his hand and replied: "Don't get in the way, help the old man to the study, I will go up to Your Majesty." ”

"Master, it's late at night now, why rush for a while, let's quickly call the doctor to come and show you."

"No, help me to the study!"

Hu Hu replied strongly, even with a little anger in his tone, seeing that the head of the family was so resolute, the staff and the old servant did not dare to disobey, so they could only stagger him to the study, and then prepare pen, ink, paper and inkstone.

Trembling and picking up the brush, Hu Hu looked at the blank rice paper in front of him, a line of old tears slipped from the corners of his eyes, and then secretly put down the pen.

In the early morning of the next day, Shen Yichen went to Wenyuan Pavilion in a carriage as usual, but he saw Zhao Hongjie with a solemn expression in the palace, he hurriedly leaned over and said, "Xiangbei, something went wrong last night, and now Your Majesty urgently summons you." ”

Since Shen Yichen served as the emperor's teacher, his relationship with Emperor Zhu Jianqing of Mingliang has gradually become acquainted, and he basically goes to the Qianqing Palace every three or five times to give lectures.

However, in most cases, Shen Yichen did not talk about the content of the traditional Four Books and Five Classics, but on the contrary, some interesting facts about astronomy and geography, as well as the five lakes and seas, which opened up a whole new world for Emperor Ming Liang.

As for the affairs of the court, it is basically handled by Shen Yichen, except for the occasional report on the scene at important court meetings. After all, Emperor Mingliang, who was only six years old, was placed in the later generations, and he was just entering elementary school, even if the education of children in the palace was relatively advanced, it was still impossible to deal with complex government affairs.

Today's sudden summoning is indeed a bit extraordinary, so Shen Yichen asked, "What went wrong last night?" ”

"The civil officials of the imperial court gathered at the mansion of the great uncle, and early in the morning he presented a letter of recital, bypassing the general administration and the cabinet, and sent it directly to His Majesty's imperial eucalyptus. Except for Cao Jixiang and His Majesty, the content is unknown to others, and I guess it is related to the examination law promulgated by you. ”

Has Hu Hu still been pushed out?

Hearing this news, Shen Yichen was not much surprised, since he was the leader of the civilian official group, Hu Hu represented not only himself, but the entire interest group. Regardless of what he really thinks in his heart, when the whole interest group agrees, then he must stand up and speak out.

"I see."

Shen Yichen nodded, then changed his direction and prepared to go to the Qianqing Palace first.

"To the north, do you want me to do anything to prepare?"

Seeing Shen Yichen's light appearance, Zhao Hongjie was a little nervous and planned to keep his back hand.

"What to prepare, whoever opposes it will be arrested and imprisoned?"

Shen Yichen smiled, then shook his head and said, "I'm not a lone man and a thief, and the great uncle is also not a barbarous person, and covering his mouth can't stop the mouths of the people." ”

"Now is just the beginning, there are still many difficulties and obstacles in the future, although tens of millions of people are still going!"