On the same day, after the next duty, Yan Shifan took a sedan chair and returned straight to Yan's mansion.

The scene at the gate of Yan's Mansion is even more depressed than before, if it was just Monroe in the past, then now it is impossible to avoid it.

In the eyes of those officials in the DPRK, Li Chunfang's entry into the cabinet was a signal from the emperor to the Chinese military officials of the DPRK.

That is, from now on, there will be no Yan Song, the first assistant of the cabinet, in the cabinet.

Right now, if anyone still doesn't know how to live or die on Yan Fu's body, they are killing themselves.

After getting off the sedan chair, Yan Shifan refused the support of the sedan chair driver, and then knocked on the door of the study with a worried face.

'Knock knock' only heard a knock on the door, and then, Yan Song's slightly alert voice came from the study: "Who?" ”

When Yan Shifan heard this, he immediately took a deep breath, and after calming down his good mood, he lowered his head and responded respectfully: "Father, the child is looking for you to discuss important matters!" ”

After learning that the person who came was Yan Shifan, Yan Song was obviously relieved, and his tone eased a lot: "Well, come in!" ”

After getting Yan Song's permission, Yan Shifan did not hesitate at all, and immediately pushed open the door of the study.

After Yan Shifan entered the study, he saw Yan Song glancing at him, pointing to the vacant seat on the side, and commanding, "Sit down!" ”

"Yes, Father!"

After responding, Yan Shifan did not make the slightest excuse, and immediately sat on the vacant seat on the side.

Not long after Yan Shifan sat down, he only heard Yan Song's voice without a trace of emotion: "What's wrong, what's wrong?" ”

When Yan Song's words fell, Yan Shifan had no intention of concealing it, and immediately said Li Chunfang's official entry into the cabinet, as well as his conjecture about this matter, without reservation.

Yan Shifan originally thought that Yan Song would be extremely depressed after learning about this.

Who knows, Yan Song looks like he doesn't care about himself, and even the expression on his face is no different from usual.

Seeing this, Yan Shifan couldn't help but have a look of hesitation on his face, and said cautiously: "Father...... Father, don't you think ......"

Before Yan Shifan's words were finished, he was interrupted by Yan Song's excited words: "This is obviously a good thing!" ”

Then, facing Yan Shifan's puzzled gaze, Yan Song followed up and explained: "You might as well think about it, in this way, won't no one pay attention to us?" ”

After listening to Yan Song's explanation, Yan Shifan's face showed an expression that seemed to understand but did not understand.

Yan Song took in the expression on Yan Shifan's face, and after a moment of silence, he ordered in a deep voice: "Okay, there is no need to say any more, immediately ask the housekeeper to prepare a generous gift, and then send it to Li Chunfang in the name of congratulations!" ”

When Yan Song said this, as if he suddenly remembered something, he withdrew his gaze from Yan Shifan's body, and then added: "No, you go in person!" ”

When Yan Shifan heard Yan Song's words, a trace of resistance flashed on his face.

The cabinet is a place where seniority is extremely important, and in Yan Shifan's view, Li Chunfang is just a newcomer to the cabinet, and he is far inferior to himself in terms of seniority, and can only be barely counted as a junior.

And now, as a senior, I want to put down my face and personally congratulate Li Chunfang, a junior?

After this, I saw Yan Shifan gather his mind, look in the direction where Yan Song was, and ask cautiously, "Father, ...... You're ......"

Yan Song saw what Yan Shifan was thinking at a glance, shook his head, and said unhurriedly: "Those who have become great things since ancient times, do not be informal, Yan Shifan, you give me a good memory, face is the most worthless thing in this world." ”

"Only in this way can Xu Jie let down his vigilance, and then catch him off guard."

When Yan Song said this, he subconsciously clenched his fists, and his face was full of inexplicable expressions.

Seeing that Yan Song had already said this, Yan Shifan couldn't say anything more, so he had to nod and say: "Thank you for your father's teachings, the child knows what to do!" ”

"Well, without further ado, let's go now!"

"Yes, father, the child will leave!"

After Yan Shifan finished speaking, he got up from the seat and said goodbye to Yan Song and left.

After Yan Shifan left the study, Yan Song got up from the chair tremblingly, and then came to the bookshelf on the side.

From an inconspicuous place at the bottom, the file that records the family behind Xu Jie, who disregarded the law and wantonly annexed land for the sake of disaster in the township, was carefully taken out.

After that, Yan Song sat down behind the bookcase, and took out the confessions of the "traitor" Huang Qing and the soldiers who had rebelled together.

Looking at the evidence placed on the bookcase, a trace of hesitation flashed on Yan Song's face, lowered his head, and said to himself silently.

"Hai Rui, Hai Rui, the government and the opposition say that you, the right capital of the Inspectorate, are honest and self-controlled, jealous and hateful, and there is no room for sand in your eyes, I don't know if you dare to investigate to the end when you face Xu Jie, the second assistant of the cabinet!"

"If you are afraid of Xu Jie's power and choose to compromise, I Yan Song can also understand, after all, it is human nature to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, and in the officialdom, you must be with the light."

"In short, my Yan Song's net worth and life are entrusted to you alone, the old man really hopes that there are Qing officials in this world."

When Yan Song thought of this, a slight mockery appeared on his face.

……

On the other side, Li Chunfang's mansion in the capital.

Since the news of Li Chunfang's official entry into the cabinet spread, there has been an endless stream of officials who have come to visit.

However, these people also know how to be measured, and after putting down the gifts and exchanging a few words, they said goodbye and left.

After all, it will be a long time to come, and there will be many days to deal with Li Chunfang, a scholar of the Ministry of Rites and a scholar of the Huagai Palace, so there is no need to show it too obviously, so as not to be self-defeating.

Although Li Chunfang has been immersed in officialdom for many years and is very comfortable in dealing with such a situation, after a long time, he still can't help but feel a little haggard.

After sending off a group of officials who came to visit, the housekeeper walked quickly in front of Li Chunfang, leaned down, and said respectfully: "Master, Elder Xu Ge, Elder Gao Ge, Elder Zhang Ge, and Elder Hu Ge all sent people to send gifts. ”

When Li Chunfang heard the housekeeper's words, she nodded imperceptibly, indicating that she already knew.

At this moment, I heard a rush of footsteps outside the door, and after a while, I saw the little guy in charge of the door, who walked into the room in a panic.

After entering the room, the little guy immediately looked in the direction where Li Chunfang was, leaned down, and respectfully reported: "Old ...... Master, little ...... Xiao Ge Lao personally brought gifts and came to congratulate! ”

"What!"

After learning the news from the little girl's mouth, Li Chunfang suddenly stood up from her seat, her face full of shock.

He never thought that Yan Shifan would come to congratulate him in person.

"It seems that the Yan family is really declining!"

After this, I saw Li Chunfang suppress all the chaotic thoughts in her heart, came back to her senses, and commanded in a deep voice: "What are you still doing in a daze, why don't you invite Xiaoge Lao in!" ”

"Yes, sir!"

Regarding Li Chunfang's words, the little guy naturally didn't dare to disobey the slightest, and after responding, he left the room quickly.

Then, under the guidance of the previous servant, Yan Shifan stepped into the room.

Seeing Yan Shifan's arrival, Li Chunfang hurriedly got up from the chair, and put on a flattered look, and stepped forward to greet him: "The arrival of the boss of the small pavilion really makes the cold house shine!" ”

"I take the liberty to come to the door to bother, and I hope that Lord Li will not blame me!"

At this time, Yan Shifan's face was full of a warm smile, and he arched his hand to Li Chunfang, and said respectfully.

"Little Pavilion Elder, please!"

"Hmm."

……

There is no impermeable wall in the world, and soon, the news that Yan Shifan personally came to the door to congratulate spread out.

This news has set off a lot of waves, and in the eyes of many officials, this is a symbol of the Yan family's declining day.

After all, this matter was unthinkable in the past.

Because of having a father who is the first assistant of the cabinet, Yan Shifan has always been unruly, no one in his eyes, and no one cares about him.

And now, not long after Li Chunfang entered the cabinet, Yan Shifan rushed to pull the relationship.

And this just exposes the essence of today's Yan family, which is strong on the outside and dry in the middle.

Next, it only takes a little "wind and wave" to make the Yan family, a once towering tree, collapse.

Some people can't help but sigh a little when they think of this, but more people are thinking about how to get a piece of the pie.

When Xu Jie's coming to power and liquidating the Yan Party is completed, there will definitely be a large number of official vacancies, and when the time comes, they will be able to go further.

At the same time, the high arch is located in the mansion of the capital.

After learning that Yan Shifan personally came to congratulate him, for the sake of safety, Gao Gong called Zhang Juzheng to discuss the next strategy.

In the room, Gao Gong picked up the teacup and took a sip, and then couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "I really didn't expect that such a high-minded and arrogant little pavilion old man would have such a day!" ”

Zhang Juzheng, who was on the side, heard Gao Gong's words, and he also had a lot of emotion, and said to himself: "The situation is stronger than people!" ”

When Zhang Juzheng said this, as if he suddenly remembered something, he looked in the direction where Gao Gong was, and then said, "Brother Su Qing, do you remember Liuxinju?" ”

When Gao Gong heard Zhang Juzheng's words, a trace of doubt flashed on his face, raised his eyebrows, and responded: "Well, this is natural, a while ago, due to newspaper publicity, Liuxinju's pickles were sold quite hot in the capital. ”

When Gao Gong's words fell, I saw Zhang Juzheng shake his head and said unhurriedly: "I heard that a few days ago, Boss Zhao of Liuxinju personally came to the door and sent twenty jars of good Liuxinju pickles to Xu Gelao. ”

"It's just that this Boss Zhao didn't even see Xu Ge's face, so he was invited out."

After listening to Zhang Juzheng's words, a trace of contempt flashed on Gao Gong's face, and he subconsciously commented: "Hmph, it's been a few days since the Yan family lost power, so I'm in a hurry to find a new backer for myself." ”

Gao Gongqin has been immersed in officialdom for many years, and naturally saw through the routine at a glance, in the final analysis, sending pickles is fake, and it is true to make a position clear.

Then, I saw Zhang Juzheng looking around, and said in a low voice: "Brother Su Qing, the case that happened in Songjiang Mansion not long ago, you must have heard of it, right?" ”

When Gao Gong heard Zhang Juzheng's words, the expression on his face suddenly became extremely serious, and then, he saw Gao Gong nodding and asking tentatively: "You mean, the case of guarding the Thousand Households?" ”

When Zhang Juzheng heard this, he nodded, and said gently: "Well, that's right, it's this case, Brother Su Qing, what do you think?" ”

As early as when he saw this case, Zhang Juzheng sensed that something was wrong.

The story of this case is too vague, and even the non-commissioned officers who killed the officers were labeled as co-widows.

The Japanese who were entrenched in the southeast coast of the Ming Dynasty earlier have long been wiped out by Hu Zongxian, where are the Japanese invaders?

Moreover, the place where this case happened happened to be in Xu Jie's hometown Songjiang Mansion.

Zhang Juzheng actually knew about the family behind Xu Jie.

At present, Zhang Juzheng mentioned this matter, not only to ask Gao Gong's opinion on this matter, but also to test Gao Gong's attitude towards this matter.

If Gao Gong pretended not to know, then Zhang Juzheng would not mention anything about this case.

Facing Zhang Juzheng's inquiring gaze, Gao Gong responded after pondering for a moment: "In my opinion, this case is mostly related to the family behind Xu Ge Lao!" ”

Zhang Juzheng obviously didn't expect Gao Gong to be so outspoken, and after being stunned for a long time, he reacted and looked in the direction where Gao Gong was located with a shocked face.

Then, I only heard Gao Gong's voice without a trace of emotion sounded again: "Xu Ge himself has always been self-denying and honest, but the family behind him is under his banner, disregarding the law, wantonly annexing land, causing public resentment to boil. ”

Gao Gong paused for a moment when he said this, and then continued to add: "The family behind Xu Ge Lao has annexed a large amount of land, including the land of the guard, so it is also known as "Xu Bancheng" in Songjiang Mansion! ”

"I think Xu Ge Lao should know about this, but he chose to let it go, after all, it was his own clan, and whoever came would not be able to do it!"

After Gao Gong finished speaking, his face was full of inexplicable looks, and he sighed helplessly.

After listening to Gao Gong's words, Zhang Juzheng on the side also felt the same way, and then said: "Alas, yes, after all, this is the family that raised himself!" ”

"At present, Xu Ge is in the limelight, and naturally no one in the DPRK and China dares to mention this case, and when the time passes, it will turn into a big thing and a small matter."

As soon as Zhang Juzheng's words fell, he saw Gao Gong shake his head, clenched his fists, and said with a firm face: "Since Xu Ge can't do it, let me Gao Gong come when the time comes!" ”

"In this way, we can also remove a great scourge for the local people!"

Hearing Gao Gong's words, Zhang Juzheng's pupils suddenly contracted, and his face was full of disbelief.

Just as he was about to say something, Gao Gong seemed to see what he was thinking, waved his hand, and said unhurriedly: "Anyway, this day will come sooner or later." ”

"In the cabinet, only those in front of you have fallen, or left, and those behind have a chance to take office, don't they?"

……

The night passed in the blink of an eye, and early the next morning, Xu Jie took a sedan chair and marched in the direction where the Forbidden City was located.

Regarding Yan Shifan's personal visit to congratulate him last night, Xu Jie naturally knew about it.

Xu Jie only felt extremely happy about this, because Yan Shifan's move showed that the Yan family had completely declined.

If this matter had been in the past, it would never have happened, and even Li Chunfang had to come to the door in person to visit Yan Song, the first assistant of the cabinet.

"After meeting the envoy sent by the Chahar Ministry, you can officially send a letter to Your Majesty and ask for the removal of Yan Song's cabinet from the position of chief assistant!"

Thinking that in a few days, he would be able to sit on the throne of the first assistant of the cabinet, Xu Jie's breathing became rapid.

Forbidden City, outside the Cabinet.

After the sedan chair stopped, I saw Xu Jie, supported by the sedan chair driver, and got down from the sedan chair.

As soon as Xu Jie got out of the sedan chair, a slightly unfamiliar voice came from behind him: "I've seen Xu Ge Lao!" ”

When Xu Jie heard this, he immediately stopped, followed the prestige, and saw that the person who came was Li Chunfang, and his face couldn't help but flash a hint of surprise.

Then, Xu Jie came back to his senses, and after bowing his head slightly, he followed Ying He and said, "Oh, it's Elder Li Ge, come over so early?" ”

When Li Chunfang heard Xu Jie's words, a look of humility appeared on her face at the right time, she leaned down, and said respectfully: "I can't do as much as Xu Ge Lao, Xu Ge Lao is well-dressed and fed, and the affairs of the imperial court are so hard, I admire it!" ”

Xu Jie seems to be very useful to Li Chunfang's words, since Yan Song told him that he was sick at home, Xu Jie seized the opportunity to come to the cabinet every day before dawn to deal with the backlog of government affairs.

After a long time, the government and the opposition were full of praise for Xu Jie, the second assistant of the cabinet.

After that, Xu Jie and Li Chunfang walked side by side, and chatted a few words of gossip from time to time.

Today's cabinet has undergone a slight change compared to the past, and there is an extra seat in the cabinet.

Perhaps seeing the uneasiness in Li Chunfang's heart, he saw Xu Jie pointing to a chair not far away, with a warm smile on his face, and then said, "This is your place in the future!" ”

"Thank you Xu Ge for your advice!"

When Li Chunfang heard Xu Jie's words, she hurriedly lowered her head and arched her hand to Xu Jie, to show her gratitude.

After Li Chunfang sat down in his seat, Xu Jie put a stack of notes that had already been processed in front of Li Chunfang, and commanded: "You take a look at these first, if there is anything you don't understand, just ask!" ”

"Thank you, Elder Xu Ge!"

Hearing Xu Jie's words, Li Chunfang's face was full of gratitude, leaned down, and said respectfully.

And Xu Jie didn't seem to care about this, just waved his hand, and then said: "Everyone is here like this, it's good to be familiar with it for a while." ”

After Li Chunfang responded, he was extraordinarily focused on browsing the processed notes.

Seeing that Li Chunfang was so focused, he saw Xu Jie stroke his beard, and a hint of approval flashed on his face.

With Li Chunfang's joining, in the next period of time, the burden on his body will finally be easier.

Just as Xu Jie was about to return to his position, his gaze inadvertently glanced over the chair that symbolized the head of the cabinet.

When he saw that chair, a trace of heat flashed in Xu Jie's eyes, and the scene after he sat on that chair had even appeared in his mind.

"Wait, the day is coming soon!"

After that, Xu Jie returned to his seat and methodically dealt with the backlog of notes.

……

In the evening, the Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.

At this time, I saw several eunuchs, each holding a stack of music sent from the celebrant eunuch, and entered the Qianqing Palace.

The leading eunuch, after entering the Qianqing Palace, looked in the direction where Jiajing was, and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, this is the music sent by the celebrant supervisor!" ”

"Well, I know, let's put it there first!"

Hearing this, Jiajing glanced over the eunuch's body, pointed to the bookcase not far in front of him, and commanded.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Hearing Jiajing's words, the eunuch didn't dare to slack off in the slightest, and immediately ordered the eunuchs to put down the song.

After the eunuchs said goodbye and left, Jiajing picked up a note and browsed it.

Then, I saw Jiajing turn around, look at Lu Fang on the side, and asked, "By the way, Lu Fang, there is nothing wrong with Li Chunfang today, right?" ”

When Lu Fang, who was waiting on the side, heard this, he immediately lowered his head and responded respectfully: "Your Majesty, according to the news that the slave maid received, there was nothing wrong with Lord Li's side. ”

"On the contrary, Lord Li quickly took charge of the affairs of the cabinet, and he handled the affairs of the cabinet very efficiently."

After learning the news from Lu Fang's mouth, Jiajing also relieved himself and began to browse through the notes that were sent to him one by one.

When Jiajing browsed most of the sparse notes piled up on the bookcase in front of him, he saw the guide eunuch quietly entering the Qianqing Palace.

After entering the Qianqing Palace, the guide eunuch subconsciously looked in the direction where Jiajing was, leaned down, and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, the British Duke is asking to see you outside!" ”

"Oh, English duke?"

When Jiajing heard this, a look of surprise flashed on his face.

Then, as if he had thought of something, Jiajing put aside the music in his hand, waved his hand, and commanded.

"Well, I know, let him in!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After receiving Jiajing's specific instructions, the guide eunuch did not hesitate at all, and after bowing to Jiajing, he walked out of the Qianqing Palace.

Regarding the purpose of Zhang Rong's trip, Jiajing also had a rough guess in his heart.

Not long ago, when I met Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou, and Zhu Xizhong who returned triumphantly.

Jiajing personally mentioned to them that when the time came, the imperial court would join forces with the Chahar tribe to attack the Tumut tribe that occupied the grassland.

Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Chengguo, successfully entered the court through a previous battle and became the Minister of Military Aircraft.

After the British Gong Zhang Rong, as one of the very few nobles of the Ming Dynasty who still retained military power, he was naturally not far behind.

(End of chapter)