Gao Jizhi sat on the edge of the bed, wearing a leather robe, and turned his face towards the brazier on the ground, staring blankly towards the fire.

He just wanted to reach out and touch the tongs, when he suddenly heard a knock on the door, so he said lightly: "But Chen Shilang is here?" ”

"It's me," Comrade Chen leaned against the door, untied the fox first, and knocked his snow-stained boots on the threshold a few times before walking in, "I heard that the adults have something urgent to call." ”

"Close the door," Gao Jizhi plucked the charcoal with pliers, "sit down and I'll talk to you in detail." ”

Comrade Chen honestly closed the door and sat down on the chair in front of him.

Gao Shangshu slowly turned around: "You have been here for a few months, and you should know the customs of the imperial court. Before the end of the year, each ministry must play the situation of the year's governance one by one, comfort the temple, so that the peace is safe, and wait for the next year. But in recent years, crises have been lurking, and no matter how cautious we are, it is difficult to ensure that something goes wrong. Hubu Shangshu also sent someone to tell me last night that this year he is unable to make ends meet, and the deficit is huge, in addition to the accumulation in previous years, most of it has been used for disaster relief and resettlement of displaced people, and the local people are confused, and the taxes cannot be collected, and I hope we can make a cover for him. ”

Chen Tongpao said: "My ministry is the head of the six departments, and I should set an example." ”

"Yes, everyone wants to have a good year, and we are no exception," Gao Jizhi sighed, "This ministry has the future of thousands of people in control, and many people come here every year to pay their respects and beseek, how can I refuse them all?" Although he has the ambition to award officials, he is unable to do anything. But the black and white words are cold, and once you find that there is a difference in the performance appraisal, it will not end well. The appointment and dismissal of tens of millions of officials, how to deal with the imperial court? Not only for the sake of the household, but also for us, for the country, and for the people's will, we must persist in surviving this difficult period. ”

"Xia Guan has to add one thing," Comrade Chen shrank and spat out a few mouthfuls of white gas, "Ye Yongjia and other reformers have just been suppressed, and they must be unconvinced. If they are caught in the slightest bit, they will be put to death. ”

"This reminds me that I need to be on guard with all my might," Gao Jizhi glanced up at him and kicked the brazier gently, "When it's cold, you can roast the fire." ”

"The lower officials don't dare, the lower officials don't dare to ......" Chen Tongpao knew that he was going to give orders next, and hesitantly put his hand in front of the brazier.

"I have two things for you to do," Gao Shangshu saw that he had already prepared, so he didn't hide too much and went straight to the point, "The first thing is the most important, go to the household monk Liu Mian to sum it up and see how this matter is implemented; Then I took a trip to the Imperial History Observatory, and took the documents of this year's internal and external officials' performance appraisals, and asked the Imperial History Master to read them carefully, and try to hide those who are transferred differently and those who are appointed and dismissed in accordance with the rules, so that outsiders have no handle to find. Do you remember clearly? ”

"I remember it clearly. But that second thing ......"

"Oh, that Ye Yongjia came with you, right?" Gao Jizhi asked lightly.

Comrade Chen's face did not change, and he replied lightly: "He is in Nanjing, and the lower officials cannot compare with him." Although they said the same way, they had never met, so how could they climb high at that time. ”

"Aren't you also a prefect, how can you distinguish between superior and inferior?" A satisfied smile appeared on Gao Jizhi's face, "But you have to persuade him a few words, the country has no money and no food now, and all ministries and departments are tightening a string, and they really can't withstand such a toss." ”

"This person is stubborn, he doesn't understand our suffering, and what he says will only do bad things. It's better to be silent. ”

"Alas," Gao Jizhi shook his head, "this kind of character is the most troublesome. On weekdays, he pretends to be high, and he never forgives people, so he doesn't know how to act according to the truth. Whether it's 'whitewashing the peace' or other names, without us to maintain the hearts of the people, this huge Celestial Empire will really collapse. ”

"My lord's words are extreme, the people can carry the boat, and they can also overturn the boat."

"If they are allowed to overturn the boat and fall into the water, they will miss the good governance at this time," Gao Jizhi continued to sigh, "The so-called 'good medicine is good for the sick', they can survive the difficulties of today, and the days of prosperity will come, and we are also good for them." You can do it. ”

"Then the lower official is gone." Chen Tongpao made a gesture and put on the big coat again, and at this time he already felt warm on his body.

He went to the back room to get the official performance appraisal papers, walked through the snow with difficulty, avoided the cold wind, and got into the imperial history platform.

The former imperial history Xie Zanyi here was dismissed, and the new candidate was elected by the three provinces through consultation, named Ding Mingwei, who was originally promoted by the Liu Party, so he naturally had no opinions, and everything relied on Liu Zhennian's orders, so he was deeply trusted.

He saw the visit of his comrades and asked the reason urgently, so Chen put down the stack of documents and repeated Gao Jizhi's words.

"You're asking me to help you hide things?" Ding Mingwei muttered.

"This matter is related to six departments, and most of the people used by Liu Gong are also in this list," Chen Tongpao opened the document and pointed to the name in it, "You don't want to ...... Cause trouble to the country, right? ”

"Of course," Ding Mingwei stared at the list tightly, really shocked, "But this is a matter for the officials, you can modify it yourself, how can I help?" ”

"My lord, according to the method of investigation set by my court, the promotion and promotion of officials is in charge of the officials, and the verification is carried out by the Imperial Historical Observatory.

"This ......" Ding Mingwei couldn't shirk it, so he had to jump into the pit with them, "What does Chen Shilang want to do?" ”

"Adults flip through and see that there are abnormal transfers, but in the name of verification, all of them are modified to be legal and reasonable, so no one notices."

After Ding Mingwei heard this, he laughed a few times one after another, pressed his shoulder and said, "The waiter really has a good idea!" Give me this paperwork, and it will be as you say. ”

Comrade Chen thanked Master Ding, said a few good words repeatedly, and then left—less than half an hour.

He felt that the trip was going well, and thought that when he got to the household, it was just a few words. So he walked slowly and confidently to the yamen of the household.

He heard from the book office that Mr. Liu was still eating, so he waited in the second hall, only eating tea in the back room and baking the fire. Suddenly, he heard the words of outsiders outside the house, and hurriedly pushed the table open, went to the curtain and looked, and sure enough, a shadow came in.

The comrades thought it was Shangshu Liu Mian, and hurriedly picked up the curtain to greet him, but who knew that this person made him stunned - it was originally Jiewenwu of the military department.

The two looked at each other and smiled awkwardly at each other.

Chen ...... Chen Shilang," Jie Wenwu rubbed his hands and asked, "You also came to see Liu Hubu?" ”

"What's the matter with the military department?" Fellow Chen just made a move.

Jie Wenwu seemed to be speechless, and just as the two sides were silent, an old voice came from behind: "Both of you are here!" Maybe it's the same thing. ”