In the next period of time, the wind direction up and down the government and the opposition was not bad from what Zhang Juzheng expected.

No one mentioned the matter of the Yuan family in Jiaxing anymore, and even in the six departments where the officials were located, because of the ranking, they were constantly attacking each other, and they fought openly and secretly.

Ouyang Yijing, as the leader of the officials, naturally ranked first in the criminal department where he was located.

But the rest of the people, in order to compete for a better ranking, played a dog brain.

And this also made Yan Song and Xu Jie's see an opportunity, after all, they had all suffered losses from Yanguan, especially Xu Jie.

So after a brief discussion, the two decided to temporarily put aside their previous suspicions, and take advantage of this matter to clean up the group of officials and separate them.

Under the secret instruction of Yan Song and Xu Jie, all kinds of news flew all over the capital, and the news of the ranking of relevant departments was one version today, and another version tomorrow.

And in this process, the internal struggle between the six branches has become more and more intense.

……

Beijing, Yanfu study.

At this moment, Yan Song was sitting behind the bookcase, browsing the books in front of him intently.

At this moment, I only heard a knock on the door, and then, I only heard Yan Shifan's voice sound outside the door: "Father, the child has something important to report!" ”

Hearing this, Yan Song took his attention away from the book in front of him, and then ordered, "Come in!" ”

The voice fell, only to hear a 'squeak', the door of the room was pushed open, and then, I saw Yan Shifan walking in.

After Yan Shifan entered the room, he did not hesitate at all, and immediately leaned down and saluted Yan Song respectfully: "The child has seen his father!" ”

When Yan Song heard Yan Shifan's words, he unhurriedly took off the reading glasses he was wearing.

Then, he looked in the direction where Yan Shifan was with cloudy eyes, and asked, "How are the things that have been explained to you?" ”

When Yan Shifan heard this, he didn't hide it in the slightest, and immediately said everything about the current situation: "Back to my father's words, the child has sent someone to keep an eye on that group of speech officials according to your instructions, as long as there is any wind and grass on their side, the child will get the news immediately!" ”

Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, Yan Shifan added a sentence next: "By the way, father, the child heard that recently, that group of speech officials seem to have quarreled more than once because of ranking, and even almost broke out into a conflict and a fight!" ”

When Yan Shifan said this, his face was full of schadenfreude.

Seeing this, Yan Song just glanced at Yan Shifan quite indifferently, and then spoke: "Okay, don't gloat, it's not the same here in the six departments, have you discussed what the results are?" ”

On the side of the six departments, in order to be able to determine the remaining rankings as soon as possible, at the suggestion of Yan Song Xu Jie, the six departments sent people to gather together to discuss the distribution of the remaining rankings.

When Yan Shifan heard Yan Song's words, the expression on his face instantly darkened.

Then, I saw him shake his head, and then said: "Back to my father, I didn't discuss any results, and no one wants to be in the last place!" ”

Yan Shifan seemed to be quite indignant about this, and after considering the sentence, he began to pour bitter water on Yan Song: "Father, do you know that although Li Chunfang is not obvious on weekdays, he is unforgiving, and even once joined forces with that Zhang Juzheng to sing a double reed!" ”

"It seems that only the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War are doing practical things, and the Ministry of Engineering of the child also presided over the repair of the embankments along the Yellow River this year?"

After that, I saw Yan Shifan pause for a moment, looked in the direction where Yan Song was, and looked distressed: "Father, if the Ministry of Engineering where the child is located is ranked last, it will be your face that will be lost at that time!" ”

When Yan Song heard this, the whole person was instantly furious, only to see him slam the table and reprimand: "You bastard, what nonsense, what do you mean to lose my face?" ”

"Look at the people you use, a good Ministry of Industry, you have made a miasma, and the government and the opposition are circulating, saying that the people of the Ministry of Industry are not very capable, but their temper is not small!"

After being reprimanded by Yan Song, Yan Shifan's whole person was a lot weaker, and immediately, I saw him muster up his courage and explain hard-headedly: "Father...... Father, it's not like that, it's mainly because the ideas put forward by those people are so ridiculous that they can't be realized, and whoever comes will ......"

Yan Song took in the expression on Yan Shifan's face, and after a moment of silence, he turned to speak: "Okay, I will find a way to do this!" ”

When Yan Shifan heard this, the whole person couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and then, I saw him come back to his senses, his face was full of excitement that could not be concealed, and he responded in a deep voice: "Yes, father!" ”

"Okay, if it's okay, you go down first!"

"Yes, father, the child will leave!"

When the words fell, I saw Yan Shifan bow to Yan Song, and then walked out of the study.

After that, I only heard a faint sigh from the study: "Alas, it's really not worry-free, if only I Yan Song had a son like Hu Zongxian!" ”

……

Since it was Yan Song and Xu Jie, they jointly proposed that the six departments should send people together to discuss the distribution of the remaining rankings.

Therefore, out of the need to avoid suspicion, Yan Song and Xu Jie did not participate in this discussion, and on the Hubu side, Gao Gong participated instead of Xu Jie.

At this moment, Xu Jie's mansion in the capital.

In the hall, Xu Jie is sitting in the main seat, and on the side is Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng, at this time, Gao Gong is reporting the results of this discussion to Xu Jie.

"Elder Xu Ge, no one is willing to give in this way, especially that Yan Shifan!"

Gao Gong seemed to be quite indignant about this, and after picking up the teacup on the table, taking a sip, he continued: "You know, there has been no achievement on the part of the Ministry of Industry this year, and even the embankment built by the imperial court at great cost along the Yellow River has also had problems......

Hearing this, Xu Jie shook his head, then turned his gaze to the direction where Gao Gong was, and said comfortingly: "Okay, now is not the time to talk about this, in short, it is already very good to be able to sit down and talk calmly!" ”

"If it doesn't work this time, next time, next time, if it doesn't work next time, as long as we can catch up with the end of the year, the rankings of each department will be determined!"

After listening to Xu Jie's consolation, Gao Gong nodded and said no more.

At this moment, I saw Zhang Juzheng on the side as if he had made up his mind, raised his head, looked in the direction where Xu Jie was, and then said: "Elder Xu Ge, just let the military department sacrifice it and come last!" ”

When Zhang Juzheng said this, he paused for a moment, and then continued to add: "If the cabinet really delays this matter until the end of the year, Your Majesty's side will not look good, it is nothing more than a question of how much to reward, or take into account the overall situation......

Gao Gong on the side obviously didn't expect Zhang Juzheng to say this, so he couldn't help but have a look of shock on his face.

Just when he wanted to say something, he only heard Xu Jie's voice sound: "No, no, everyone can see the merits of the military department this year, how can you back down without a bottom line?" ”

"Don't worry, I'll find a way in this regard, in short, the military department will definitely not be the last!"

Seeing Xu Jie's resolute attitude, Zhang Juzheng had no intention of insisting, so he had to nod yes.

And Zhang Juzheng's initiative to retreat made Xu Jie deeply gratified.

In Xu Jie's view, although this Zhang Juzheng has just entered the cabinet, he is capable and has a unique vision, and he is also quite sophisticated in terms of human feelings, and his future future must be immeasurable.

Thinking of this, Xu Jie's eyes looked at Zhang Juzheng with a look of satisfaction.

"Well, yes, it seems that next year's Enke, the position of the same examiner, I have to fight for Zhang Ju!"

Generally speaking, serving as an examiner for the imperial examination has great benefits.

Those students who pass the imperial examination and enter the official career will automatically become the examiner's protégé, and the relationship between them can barely be called teachers and students.

Those students who have just entered the career naturally have to seek backers for themselves in order to have a smooth career in their careers, and the examiner can take this opportunity to expand the power under his command in order to increase his reputation in the court.

It can be said that this is a great thing that is beneficial to both parties.

However, because the chief examiner of the last imperial examination accepted the candidates' money and secretly leaked the test questions, the matter was later revealed, and no one escaped from the chief examiner to the officials who inspected the examination room!

What's more, in the palace examination not long ago, there were candidates who openly opposed the policy of integrated grain payment by the court officials and gentry, which caused His Majesty to be angry.

All the candidates who participated in the palace examination that time were implicated, treated coldly by the imperial court, and sent to the corner, and their careers were completely hopeless.

Even those officials who participated in the marking of the examination papers were more or less implicated.

……

And the shortage of officials caused by this imperial examination will definitely be filled by Enke in the coming year.

Because of this, next year's Enke, although nominally called Enke, is actually no different from the normal imperial examination.

With the lessons of the past, those officials of the DPRK and China were apprehensive about this, and they did not dare to take risks anymore and easily get involved.

After all, when you get to that position, no one knows if you can withstand the temptation, and even if you can withstand the temptation, what if there are candidates who are not long-sighted and arbitrarily explain their thoughts on the examination paper and oppose the policies of the imperial court?

Instead of taking risks to go further, it is better to guard your own one-third of an acre of land, and the key is to keep the black yarn hat on your head.

If you don't seek merit, no fault is merit!

After that, I saw Xu Jie look in the direction where Zhang Juzheng was, and asked: "Enke of the imperial court next year, I plan to personally recommend you to His Majesty as the same examiner, I don't know what you think?" ”

After Xu Jie finished speaking, he stopped speaking and quietly waited for Zhang Juzheng's response.

Zhang Juzheng was shocked by this sudden surprise, and after a long time, he came back to his senses and replied respectfully: "Thank you Xu Ge for your support, I am willing to serve as the same examiner!" ”

Seeing that Zhang Juzheng had agreed to this, Xu Jie nodded, and then said: "Although the situation of this imperial examination has been going on recently, as long as you pay more attention, it will still be of great benefit to you!" ”

When Xu Jie said this, he paused, as if he suddenly thought of something, and continued to add.

"Li Chunfang is the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, and the champion of Jiajing for 26 years, he is honest and upright, next year's Enke, there should be no situation, you can rest assured!"

At this time, Zhang Juzheng's heart was not as calm as it seemed on the surface, because this was a good opportunity for him to cultivate his own power.

If he serves as the same examiner, he will have a more "teacher-student friendship" with those candidates who will take the exam in the coming year, and with this relationship, many things will be much easier.

After this, I saw Zhang Juzheng suppress all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, his face was full of gratitude, he got up from the seat, looked in the direction where Xu Jie was, leaned down, and saluted respectfully: "Thank you Xu Ge Lao!" ”

Xu Jie took in the gratitude on Zhang Juzheng's face, and his face was full of warm smiles.

At this time, Xu Jie, who was more and more satisfied with Zhang Juzheng's performance, saw him stroke his beard, and secretly sighed: "Well, yes, know how to advance and retreat, know gratitude, take into account the overall situation, and bring such juniors up, why don't I have a prosperous Ming Dynasty!" ”

After that, I saw Xu Jie come back to his senses, wave his hand, and said unhurriedly: "It's okay, it's just a trivial matter!" ”

Afterwards, everyone deliberated for a while, and then they left one after another.

After sitting in the sedan chair, the expression on Zhang Juzheng's face gradually calmed down.

Then, I saw him open the sedan curtain, looked at the scenery on both sides of the road, and said to himself silently: "I really didn't expect that there would be an unexpected gain!" ”

After knowing the emperor's intentions, Zhang Juzheng no longer paid attention to the ranking of the department.

In the final analysis, the fact that the cabinet took the lead, ranked according to the performance of various departments of the Ming Dynasty in a year, as well as the efficiency of work, and issued year-end bonuses, was just that the emperor wanted to take this opportunity to divert the attention of the government and the opposition.

Diverting the attention of civil and military officials from the matter of the Yuan family in Jiaxing, since then, it has been able to cover up the emperor's idea of clearing the acres of land and suppressing land annexation.

When the time is ripe, then suddenly attack and give those gentry landlords a fatal blow.

Moreover, Zhang Juzheng was very sure that the emperor already knew the various departments of the Ming Dynasty and had his own set of judgment methods.

Therefore, the ranking arranged by the cabinet is actually not very convincing, and the most important thing is to see whether the emperor recognizes it or not!

After thinking about this, Zhang Juzheng planned to take the initiative to stand up by himself and mention it to Xu Jie, so that the military department would be ranked last, so that he could not only gain Xu Jie's favor, but also end this dispute as soon as possible.

Who knows, but there was an unexpected harvest and a promise from Xu Jie.

Next, he can take the opportunity of serving as a fellow examiner to win over those candidates openly and cultivate his own power.

"Wait, this position of the first assistant of the cabinet will be my Zhang Juzheng sooner or later!"

After this, I saw Zhang Juzheng put down the sedan curtain, and his face was full of determination.

……

As Yan Shifan said before, at this time, the six departments were given to the matter, because of the ranking of the department, they fell into endless attacks.

And this made Ouyang Yijing, the leader of the speech official, quite a headache.

After all, those who can join the speech officials must have a different kind of persistence in some aspects, most of them are honest and self-controlled, speak up, and are not afraid of the powerful.

It can be said that the character and bones possessed by scholars have been well reflected in the bodies of some speech officials.

But again, they also have a fatal weakness, and that is a good name.

For these officials, the most coveted thing is nothing more than to present their interests in front of the emperor, and then crash to death on the pillar.

In the history books, he engraved his own name, leaving a clear name that was blunt and deadly, and then praised by future generations.

No matter how bad it is, he has to admonish him directly in person, angering the emperor, and then he was dismissed and returned to his hometown, writing books and sayings, such an ending is also favored by many officials.

At present, the emperor asked the cabinet to take the lead in issuing year-end bonuses according to the performance of various departments in a year and their efficiency.

For those officials, it is naturally very important to be able to get a good ranking, and maybe they can even get the attention of the emperor!

At this time, Hu Yingjia looked at the mansion close at hand in front of him, his face was full of confusion, he had been wandering around for a long time, but he had not made up his mind.

This mansion is where the famous criminal department gave Ouyang Yijing to live in the capital.

said that it was a mansion, but in fact, it was not much different from the ordinary people's homes, there was not much decoration at the door, only two small servants.

After hesitating for a long time, Hu Yingjia seemed to have made up his mind, only to see him clench his fists, walk to the little guy at the door, arch his hand, and then speak.

"This official is Hu Yingjia in the matter, and when he went in to report it, he said that there was something important to discuss!"

"Wait a minute, the little ones will go in and report!"

After Hu Yingjia revealed his identity, the little guy at the door didn't dare to slack off in the slightest, and even walked in quickly to report.

In the interval between the little maid entering the report, Hu Yingjia began to look at the mansion in front of him.

The red paint of the gate has long been mottled and peeled off, the bricks and tiles are also a little broken, even the corners of the wall have grown moss and vines, from the side door you can see a few green bamboos planted in the yard, the growth of green bamboo is very good, straight and abnormal.

"I really deserve to be Lord Ouyang, in this environment, I can be calm and willing, and fight against the insects in the court!"

Just as Hu Yingjia's thoughts were flying, he saw the little guy who had gone in to report before, walked in front of him, lowered his head, and said respectfully: "Master Hu, you can go in, my master is waiting for you inside!" ”

When Hu Yingjia heard this, after bowing his head slightly, he followed the footsteps of the little guy and entered the mansion.

……

After the little guy took Hu Yingjia to the study, he left directly.

Looking along Hu Yingjia's line of sight, he could also see Ouyang Yijing studying the book in his hand with great concentration.

Ouyang Yijing seemed to be quite happy about Hu Yingjia's arrival, and saw him put down the books in his hand and beckoned Hu Yingjia to sit down in the vacant seat on the side.

"The prayer is here, sit!"

After Ouyang Yijing finished speaking, he pointed to the vacant seat on the side, and Hu Yingjia did not have the slightest intention of refusing, and sat down directly on the seat.

After sitting down, Hu Yingjia suddenly realized that except for a few necessary furnishings in the study, the rest were very old and thin.

Soon after, a servant stepped forward and brought a bowl of hot tea for each of them.

Then, only Ouyang Yijing's voice sounded in Hu Yingjia's ears: "Is there something wrong with this visit?" ”

When Hu Yingjia heard this, he suddenly came back to his senses, and then, Hu Yingjia did not mean to hide it, and said the worries in his heart one by one.

"My lord, I always feel that the wind is not going in the right direction recently, and it seems that someone is behind it!"

"Since His Majesty announced that the cabinet will take the lead, according to the performance of various departments of the Ming Dynasty in a year, as well as the efficiency of work, to rank, and issue year-end bonuses, all kinds of news in the DPRK and China have emerged in endlessly!"

When Hu Yingjia said this, his face was full of coldness, and he continued: "Among them, the rankings related to my six subjects are one version a day, because of this matter, many colleagues have attacked each other and ridiculed each other, and even almost broke out into conflict several times!" ”

"I suspect that someone must want to take this opportunity to divide us so that we can take advantage of the fisherman!"

After listening to Hu Yingjia's conjecture, the expression on Ouyang Yijing's face became extremely solemn.

Then, after thinking about it for a long time, he spoke: "Well, this possibility is not ruled out, and besides, there are only two people in the court who have this ability to do this, Yan Song and Xu Jie!" ”

Facing Hu Yingjia's puzzled gaze, Ouyang Yijing continued to explain: "You know, last time we had a lot of enmity with Xu Jie, and that Yan Song was too, last time I personally asked His Majesty to postpone the examination against the Yu clan and the nobles, which should offend him!" ”

"This Yan Song, he only knows how to flatter His Majesty, and he doesn't have the temperament of a scholar, as long as it is what His Majesty orders, he will do it without thinking about it, but how much damage will this move cause to my Ming Shilin!"

"Your Majesty clearly wants to let the clan and the nobles return to the court, and as the head of the cabinet and the head of the civil officials, he doesn't dissuade him, but he helps His Majesty ......"

Ouyang Yijing seemed to be quite indignant about this, and his words were full of disdain and sarcasm for Yan Song.

In Ouyang Yijing's opinion, a courtier like Yan Song, who only knows how to flatter the emperor, is an out-and-out worm and a proper traitor!

He has long lost his original intention of being a scholar, and only thinks about how to keep his position as the first assistant of the cabinet.

Moreover, Yan Song also connived at his subordinates to be greedy for ink, which made the people complain and the people were not happy.

Hu Yingjia on the side couldn't help but show admiration on his face after listening to Ouyang Yijing's words.

You must know that he, Hu Yingjia, just had a conjecture in this regard, but Ouyang Yijing had already guessed the specific candidate after some analysis.

After that, I saw Hu Yingjia finish his tone, looked in the direction where Ouyang Yijing was with a worried face, and asked, "Then, what should we do next?" (End of chapter)