Regarding the news of Hu Zongxian's arrival in the capital, Yan Song was happy from the bottom of his heart, and there was no other feelings mixed with it.

The reason is very simple, Hu Zongxian was recommended by him Yan Song to serve in Zhejiang, and in this process, Hu Zongxian relied on his own talent to achieve the position of governor of Zhejiang and governor of Zhejiang step by step.

And Hu Zongxian is still one of the few people in the court who can directly present the song to His Majesty!

For so many years, the overall situation of the southeast coast to suppress the Japanese is all related to Hu Zongxian alone, and now, the troubles in the southeast coastal area of the Ming Dynasty have been eliminated, and Hu Zongxian's contributions are enough to go down in history!

Correspondingly, as the person who recommended Hu Zongxian to serve in Zhejiang, Yan Song also gained a lot of benefits in the process.

The greater Hu Zongxian's contributions, the more unshakable his Yan Song's status will be!

The current Yan Song even has a tendency to regard Hu Zongxian as the second political heir in addition to Yan Shifan!

Then, I saw Yan Song come back to his senses and said with emotion: "Alas, it's a pity, it's the old man's turn to be on duty tomorrow!" ”

After finishing his emotion, I saw Yan Song turn his gaze to the housekeeper and commanded: "After I get off duty tomorrow, I will send someone to invite Hu Zongxian to the house, understand?" ”

Seeing that Yan Song personally spoke and wanted to set up a banquet in the mansion to entertain Hu Zongxian, the housekeeper did not dare to be the slightest slack, so he immediately lowered his head and responded respectfully.

"Yes, sir!"

Hearing this, Yan Song glanced at the housekeeper, waved his hand, and commanded.

"Alright, if it's okay, you can leave!"

"Yes, sir, the little one will retire!"

After answering the call, the butler did not hesitate in the slightest, and immediately walked away.

……

The night passed in the blink of an eye, and early the next morning, before dawn, Hu Zongxian woke up early from the bed of the post station.

Today is the day when he goes to the Qianqing Palace to meet Jiajing, so there is no room for slackness!

After being served by the servants and dressed, Hu Zongxian got on a sedan chair and marched in the direction where the Forbidden City was located.

Because Hu Zongxian is no longer the governor of Zhejiang and the governor of Zhejiang, and he is about to meet Jiajing.

Therefore, he wore a crimson official uniform, with a black gauze hat, a crewneck shirt, and a belt, and embroidered with a small flower with a diameter of three inches.

The Forbidden City, outside the Qianqing Palace.

Hu Zongxian looked at the Qianqing Palace close at hand in front of him, and couldn't help but take a deep breath, and after calming down, he only heard a sharp voice.

"Xuanhu Zongxian is here!"

When Hu Zongxian heard this, he hurriedly suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, and entered the Qianqing Palace with a steady pace.

As soon as he entered the Qianqing Palace, Hu Zongxian knelt on the ground with a 'plop' and said in a deep voice.

"Weichen knocks to see Your Majesty, long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

"Excuse me, get up, come on, give Hu Aiqing a seat!"

Jiajing, who was sitting on the dragon chair, saw Hu Zongxian's arrival, his face was full of excitement that he couldn't hide, only to see him wave his hand and command.

As soon as Jiajing's words fell, a eunuch stepped forward, prepared a seat for Hu Zongxian, and thoughtfully added a cushion to it.

Seeing this, Hu Zongxian quickly reacted, arched his hand, and thanked Jiajing: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" ”

"Well, sit down!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

When Hu Zongxian heard this, he didn't excuse himself, and immediately sat down on the chair, looking like he was sitting upright.

After looking Hu Zongxian up and down, Jiajing raised his eyebrows and chose to go straight to the topic: "Hu Aiqing, do you remember what I said last time I was in the Heart Cultivation Palace?" ”

When Hu Zongxian heard this, he immediately fell into a memory, and immediately, he saw him pluck up his courage and said cautiously: "Your Majesty, Weichen remembers, you asked Weichen about the Japanese who are entrenched in the southeast coastal area, how long will it take to completely exterminate them!" ”

When Jiajing heard Hu Zongxian's words, he nodded and motioned for him to continue.

Hu Zongxian saw Jiajing's gaze fall on him, and after hesitating for a moment, he continued: "At the beginning, Weichen felt that it would take at least a year to completely exterminate the Japanese invaders!" ”

"But now it seems that it is clearly the shallowness of the micro-ministers, since the imperial court issued the order to lift the sea ban, the Japanese who were originally entrenched in the southeast coastal area have completely disappeared, all of this is the credit of Your Majesty, Your Majesty Shengming!"

When Hu Zongxian said this, he got up from his seat and bowed to Jiajing.

Jiajing, who was sitting on the dragon chair, heard this, and the expression on his face did not change much, only to see him glance at Hu Zongxian, and said impatiently.

"Okay, Hu Zongxian, I didn't call you over to listen to you pat me!"

"I said at the beginning that when you exterminate the Japanese in the southeast coastal area, you will be officially admitted to the cabinet, and now, I should also fulfill my promise!"

When Hu Zongxian heard Jiajing's words, his face showed panic, and then, he saw him kneeling on the ground, and couldn't help but excuse himself: "Your Majesty, you must not, please take back your order, the minister Hu Zongxian is only shallow in learning, how can he be worthy of such a heavy responsibility?" ”

"You must know that the elder is carrying hundreds of millions of people in the Ming Dynasty, and the minister Hu Zongxian knows ......."

Before Hu Zongxian's words were finished, he was coldly interrupted by Jiajing: "What, Hu Zongxian, is it possible, do you want me to take back my life?" ”

When Jiajing said this, he paused for a moment and looked in the direction where Hu Zongxian was.

At this time, Hu Zongxian only felt that Jiajing's scrutinizing gaze fell on him, as if he wanted to see through himself.

Then, I saw Jiajing retract his gaze, gently rubbed the dragon head carved on the dragon chair with his hand, and said unhurriedly.

"Hu Zongxian, I know what you are thinking, I think you already know about the incident that caused a stir in the capital a while ago, right?"

Seeing what he was thinking in his heart, he was broken by Jiajing's words, Hu Zongxian's face was full of surprise that he couldn't hide.

Just as he was about to explain, Jiajing's voice sounded again: "Okay, you don't have to blame yourself for this matter, it wasn't you Hu Zongxian who ordered Ma Ningyuan to mobilize the guards and trample on the seedlings!" ”

When Hu Zongxian heard this, he wanted to defend himself: "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, if you don't raise your godfather, you can't teach the teacher strictly, Ma Ningyuan is a student of Weichen, since he made a mistake, then Weichen, as his teacher, should also be punished!" ”

When Jiajing heard this, he looked directly into Hu Zongxian's eyes and said word by word: "Don't worry, when this matter is over, I will punish you!" ”

Then, I saw Jiajing withdraw his gaze from Hu Zongxian's body, and said slowly: "Hu Zongxian, I ask you, if the person who should be in power is not in power, then what will happen next?" ”

When Hu Zongxian heard Jiajing's words, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought, and Jiajing saw that Hu Zongxian couldn't give a response for a long time, so he shook his head imperceptibly and gave an answer.

"If those who should be in power are not in power, then those who should not be in power will be in power!"

"Think about it, if a group of insects are allowed to steal a high position, then in the future, will the people of my Ming Dynasty still have a peaceful birthday?"

Jiajing's words, like a bolt of lightning, dispelled all the confusion in Hu Zongxian's heart.

The expression on Hu Zongxian's face gradually became resolute, and immediately, he knelt on the ground with a 'plop', and was sincerely convinced.

"Your Majesty's words made Wechen enlightened, Wechen understood!"

Jiajing took in the expression on Hu Zongxian's face, nodded, looked at Lu Fang on the side, and ordered in a deep voice: "From now on, Hu Zongxian will be appointed as the secretary of the ministry, a scholar of the Middle Pole Palace, and enter the noon gate, and be worthy of Wenyuan Pavilion!" ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

When Lu Fang on the side heard this, there was no surprise on his face, he just leaned down and responded respectfully.

"Officials, Officials and Officials......"

Perhaps because this news was too impactful, Hu Zongxian didn't know how to react for a while, so he had to lower his head slightly and muttered to himself.

The reason why Hu Zongxian was so shocked was because the Ministry of Officials has been the head of the six departments since ancient times, and the Ministry of Officials is still known as the "Heavenly Official"!

It is firmly in charge of the personnel appointment of officials, and its power is extremely heavy, and all the appointment, evaluation, or dismissal of officials, big and small, must go through the hands of the officials!

It can be said that the post of secretary of the ministry is the most powerful official in the world except for the emperor and the cabinet, and no one dares to offend easily!

Then, I saw Hu Zongxian come back to his senses, looked in the direction where Jiajing was, and said with a prevarication: "Your Majesty...... Your Majesty, Weichen thinks that the ministry is still ...... The post of Shangshu ......"

Hearing this, Jiajing waved his hand, and interrupted: "Okay, there is no need to shirk anymore, I think you can afford this heavy responsibility!" ”

Seeing this situation, Hu Zongxian no longer shirked, and immediately knelt on the ground with a plop, and said in a deep voice: "Obey, Your Majesty!" ”

Seeing that Hu Zongxian had accepted this appointment, Jiajing couldn't help but feel in a good mood, and immediately, he glanced at Hu Zongxian and asked instead.

"Hu Zongxian, you have been the governor of Zhejiang for a few years, I want to hear from you about the situation of grassroots officials!"

Hu Zongxian heard Jiajing's words, and after thinking about it for a long time, he responded in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, when Weichen was appointed as the governor of Zhejiang, he found that the grassroots officials, laziness and laziness prevailed. ”

"As soon as some officials took office, they squeezed money from the people under various names to bribe their superiors and pave the way for promotion, and some officials saw that there was no hope for promotion, and even the promotion of the court was done by the county officials, drunk and dreaming all day long, lingering among the courtesans of the Qinglou!"

"But the vast majority of these officials are mediocre in ability and only want to live in peace, so things like wrongful judgments are not uncommon, and the people have no way to avenge their grievances, and finally have to break their teeth and swallow them in their stomachs!"

After listening to Hu Zongxian's narration, Jiajing also deeply agreed, nodded, and immediately spoke.

"Well, Hu Zongxian, the situation you just said is not much different from what I learned!"

"Before this, the imperial court had also carried out many campaigns to rectify the atmosphere, but this was like a gust of wind, after it blew, it was still what should be done, just how to treat the symptoms but not the root cause!"

"Therefore, I feel that it is necessary to establish a long-term system for the evaluation of officials, which I have named the examination method!"

"There is no punishment for the assessment, there is a reward for completing the goal, once every six months, three times the assessment, then go to its official position, the capable go up, and the mediocre go down!"

"In this way, we can avoid the occurrence of prevarication and delay as much as possible, and at the same time, we can also remove the group of moths from the officialdom of my Ming Dynasty!"

When Jiajing said this, he paused for a moment, then looked in the direction where Hu Zongxian was, and asked, "Hu Zongxian, what do you think?" ”

Seeing Jiajing's gaze fall on him, Hu Zongxian arched his hand and spoke without thinking.

"Your Majesty, Wei Chen thinks this method is very wonderful, and only by conducting regular evaluations of officials can we avoid situations like those mentioned by Wei Chen earlier!"

When Hu Zongxian said this, he turned his words, looked in the direction where Jiajing was, and then asked: "Weichen dares to ask Your Majesty, when do you plan to implement this set of examination methods?" ”

When Jiajing heard this, he waved his hand quite casually and responded: "It's not time yet, when the time comes, I will inform you!" ”

When Hu Zongxian heard this, his face was full of reverence, and he immediately lowered his head and responded in a deep voice: "Obey, Your Majesty!" ”

After that, I saw Jiajing withdraw his gaze from Hu Zongxian's body, raised his eyebrows, and asked: "Hu Zongxian, I remember, when you came, you lived in the post station, right?" ”

Hu Zongxian couldn't help but feel confused when he saw Jiajing suddenly mention this matter, and immediately, he lowered his head and responded respectfully: "That's right, Your Majesty, when Weichen came, he lived in the post station!" ”

After Jiajing learned the news from Hu Zongxian's mouth, he nodded, and immediately commanded: "In this way, I will give you a few more mansions and 50,000 taels of silver, and as for the slaves, you can figure it out yourself!" ”

"In addition, you have been traveling all the way, I will grant you another three days off, and when everything is ready, you can move in!"

When Hu Zongxian heard Jiajing's words, he wanted to excuse himself, but he arched his hand and said respectfully: "Your Majesty...... Your Majesty, Weichen was originally in the capital, and there is still a mansion left......"

When Jiajing heard this, he couldn't help but chuckle, and immediately responded: "Hu Zongxian, don't think that I don't know, when you left the capital, you had already sold that mansion!" ”

"That mansion is small and dilapidated, I'm afraid it doesn't quite match your identity as a minister, besides, the current land price in the capital is rising, and it is not something you can afford!"

Seeing that Jiajing had already said this, Hu Zongxian had no room for resignation, only to see him bow his head and respond gratefully.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"

"Alright, if it's okay, you can leave!"

When Jiajing heard this, he withdrew his gaze from Hu Zongxian's body, waved his hand, and commanded.

"Yes, Your Majesty, Weichen will retire!"

After Hu Zongxian bowed to Jiajing, he left the Qianqing Palace.

Lu Fang, who was waiting beside Jiajing, looked at the back of Hu Zongxian's departure, and couldn't help but sigh secretly: "Your Majesty is really lucky to Hu Zongxian!" ”

In Lu Fang's view, the greatest grace is not to let Hu Zongxian enter the cabinet and serve as the secretary of the ministry, but to allow Hu Zongxian to choose his own slaves, after all, the slaves in the families of many high-ranking officials in the capital are His Majesty's eyes.

From this little thing, it can be seen how much His Majesty trusts Hu Zongxian!

Just when Lu Fang was so emotional, he only heard Jiajing's voice, which sounded in his ears: "Lu Fang, you go to the cabinet in person and tell them the news!" ”

When Lu Fang heard Jiajing's words, he suddenly came back to his senses, lowered his head, and responded respectfully: "Obey, Your Majesty, the slave and maid will go now!" ”

……

Forbidden City, Cabinet.

The situation in the cabinet is still the same as usual, and everyone is methodically dealing with those notes sent by the officials.

Despite this, everyone's attention was not entirely focused on the notes that were sent.

After all, today is the day when Hu Zongxian meets His Majesty, and everyone is very curious about what kind of position Hu Zongxian will be granted by His Majesty.

I saw Xu Jie pick up the teacup on the side, take a sip, and then look at Yan Song with a smile on his face, and take the lead in provoking the topic.

"Elder Yan Ge, you really accepted a good student!"

When Xu Jie's words fell, Gao Gong on the side also followed up with a gentle statement: "Over the years, Hu Zongxian's contributions have long been obvious to all in the government and the opposition, and this time His Majesty will definitely entrust Hu Zongxian with a heavy responsibility!" ”

When Yan Song heard this, he unhurriedly put down the brush in his hand, stroked his beard, and said slowly: "This is all his own achievement, and it has nothing to do with me, a teacher, and besides, I, who is a teacher, have a lot of light from him!" ”

When Xu Jie heard Yan Song's words, the expression on his face did not change, and he couldn't help but complain secretly: "Hmph, this sentence is true, for so many years, if there was no Hu Zongxian, I am afraid that you would have been defeated long ago with the lack of virtue that you Yan Song did!" ”

Subsequently, I saw Xu Jie come back to his senses and look at Yan Song, and said with a compliment: "Where, where, Yan Ge's old wisdom is like a torch, and he accepted such a student as Hu Zongxian......"

At this moment, I only heard a rush of footsteps outside the cabinet, and after a while, I saw a Xu official hurriedly enter the cabinet.

After entering the cabinet, the official looked in the direction where Yan Song and Xu Jie were, lowered his head, and said respectfully.

"Old Yuge, Grandpa Lu is asking to see you outside!"

"Oh, Gonggong Lu is here, let him in!"

After Yan Song and Xu Jie learned the news from the mouth of the official, there was not much surprise on their faces, and after exchanging glances with each other, they immediately commanded.

After all, anyone with a discerning eye can see what the purpose of Lu Fang's trip is.

"Yes, Ge Lao!"

After answering the call, the official did not stop in the cabinet for the slightest, but left quickly.

Soon after this, I saw Lu Fang, who was full of smiles, and stepped into the cabinet.

When everyone saw Lu Fang coming, they got up from their seats, arched their hands to him, and said respectfully: "I've seen Grandpa Lu!" ”

When Lu Fang heard this, the smile on his face remained unchanged, he waved his hand, and then said: "You don't have to be so polite, our family came here this time to follow His Majesty's will, and there is news to tell you!" ”

Lu Fang's voice fell, and Yan Song and Xu Jie on the side seemed to have guessed something, so they were not too moved.

And the rest of Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, and Yan Shifan looked at Lu Fang expectantly.

Facing everyone's eyes, Lu Fang coughed lightly twice before he said: "Your Majesty said, from now on, Hu Zongxian will be the secretary of the Ministry of Officials, a scholar of the Middle Pole Palace, enter the noon gate, and be on the Wenyuan Pavilion!" ”

As soon as this news came out, everyone except Yan Song and Xu Jie had an expression of disbelief.

After all, Hu Zongxian is not only a secretary of the ministry, but also a cabinet elder, these two things, just taken out on weekdays, are enough to make hundreds of officials awe-inspired, but now, Hu Zongxian has both of these things!

It is no exaggeration to say that in the future, Hu Zongxian's status in the cabinet will be second only to the first assistant and the second assistant of the cabinet!

Although Hu Zongxian's status in the cabinet is very high, in front of him, there are five people: Yan Song, Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, and Yan Shifan.

"Fortunately, the cabinet is a place where seniority is discussed, only when the people in front of them fall or leave, and the people who come after have a chance to take office!"

Zhang Juzheng thought so, and the whole person couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

After Xu Jie, who was on the side, learned the news from Lu Fang's mouth, a dark and inexplicable look appeared on his face, and he lowered his head and said to himself silently.

"I see, all this is to pave the way for Hu Zongxian, only by getting Yan Shifan down from the position of the secretary of the ministry, can Hu Zongxian be able to ascend to the throne smoothly!"

"Could it be that from the very beginning, His Majesty has been planning this matter......"

Thinking like this, Xu Jie couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine, and a chilling feeling filled his whole body.

At this moment, only Lu Fang's voice was heard, and it sounded again in the cabinet: "Since the words have been brought, then our family will leave first!" ”

When Yan Song and the others heard Lu Fang's words, they suddenly came back to their senses, and then saluted him respectfully: "Father-in-law Lu go slowly!" ”

Hearing this, Lu Fang withdrew his gaze and responded imperceptibly, after that, Lu Fang did not stop in the cabinet for the slightest, but left directly.

After Lu Fang left the cabinet, he saw Xu Jie come back to his senses and meet Yan Song's eyes.

"Elder Yan Ge, it's better for the cabinet to announce this news!"

"Well, that's exactly what I mean!"

When Yan Song heard this, he withdrew his gaze from Xu Jie's body, nodded, and said in response.

Subsequently, I saw Yan Song spread out the pen and paper, and wrote the sentence that Lu Fang brought before, word for word: "From now on, Hu Zongxian will be the secretary of the ministry, the scholar of the Zhongji Palace, enter the noon gate, and be worthy of Wenyuan Pavilion!" ”

Yan Song's handwriting is fresh and elegant, pretentious, and very neat, even Xu Jie, who is on the side, can't help but admire.

Then, I saw Yan Song put the brush in his hand back in place, and after stopping to watch for a long time, he withdrew his gaze.

After the ink on the paper dried, I saw Yan Song call the officials and instructed: "Post it!" ”

"Obey, Yan Ge Lao!" (End of chapter)