Yan Song was surprised and delighted in his heart, and couldn't help but say: "The old gentleman is so loving, Yan is ashamed." For such a major event in the court, let's not discuss it in vain. ”

Shou Nanshan laughed and said proudly: "Are you kid worried that the news will leak out, and he will be charged with the crime of 'discussing the affairs of the court in vain and plotting against him', and his good future will come to naught? As for this kid you brought, he still has to rely on you to make a fortune, so naturally he won't be embarrassed by you. So we don't have to hide what we are talking today. You can use the wine to prosper, and the old man chats about juvenile madness. Haha, haha. ”

Yan Song is such a smart person, if he has scruples, he will never dare to talk about the affairs of the court with a person he has met for the first time. It's just that at this time, he has already seen that Shou Nanshan has an extraordinary background, and he has the air of birth, and he is definitely not a person who is nostalgic for the red dust of the world. Befriending such characters, hiding and concealing, can only make the other party despised, and there is no benefit at all. And Zhang Yong and Li Qiufeng, who were sitting on the left and right of Shounan Mountain, looked ordinary and remained silent. However, the two of them looked calm, and they walked with Shou Nanshan, so they were naturally not laymen. The man he brought was keen on fame and fortune, and he was a helper he hired with a lot of money. It can be said that the net worth and life are all in his own hands, and naturally he will not spoil his good deeds. Hearing Shou Nanshan say this at this moment, Yan Song had no scruples in his heart, respectfully picked up a glass of wine, and said to Shou Nanshan: "Thanks to the favor of the old man, Yan is both shocked and ashamed. Today, with the old man's teachings, Yan has nothing to repay. I can only borrow flowers to offer Buddha, respect the old gentleman with a glass of wine, and talk about gratitude. ”

After Yan Song finished speaking, he drank all the wine in the cup. Previously, he only took a sip of wine every time, but at this time, he drank a glass, which was naturally a great respect for Shou Nanshan. Shou Nanshan smiled and took a drink. Yan Song had already held the wine jug in his hand, and after Shou Nanshan finished drinking, he personally poured a glass of wine for Shou Nanshan, and then sat back on the chair and said: "The old gentleman has seen extraordinary, and I have the honor to listen to the teachings today, so I feel that it is quite beneficial." If it is really as the old gentleman said, I am fortunate to be able to go to the capital as an official. I also asked the old gentleman to give me some advice on the skills of the official, and I am grateful. ”

Although Yan Song previously called Shou Nanshan "old gentleman", he has always been a junior and calls himself "Yan". It was only at this time that he changed his name and called himself "Zaixia". Li Qiufeng and Zhang Yong watched coldly, thinking in their hearts that this person saw the wind and steered, but he didn't show any traces. Only making friends with useful people is the means of the veteran of Huan Hai.

Shou Nanshan did not answer immediately, and used chopsticks to cut a braised lion's head in half, and then picked up half of it and put it in his mouth to chew. It wasn't until after swallowing the lion's head that he said to Yan Song with a smile: "It's not difficult for you to enter the cabinet. The difficult thing is that if you want to get out of the cabinet after entering the cabinet, it is not easy. ”

Yan Song thought that it was extremely difficult to enter the cabinet and become a cabinet scholar, so how could he talk about things after entering the cabinet now. After Yishou Nanshan finished speaking, Yan Song thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, "Unfathomable." ”

Shou Nanshan said with a smile: "If you want to enter the cabinet, someone must have someone to say good things for you in front of the emperor." You didn't show up before, how did the emperor know how many pounds and taels you had? If you want the emperor to pay attention, you have to rely on the strength of others. In the past two years, the emperor has also been secretly looking for capable ministers who can replace Zhang Xuan and Gui Cao. There is only one person who can do this great thing for him. ”

Shou Nanshan said this, paused slightly, and said to Yan Song with a smile: "Lord Yan, in your opinion, who will this person be?"

Yan Song groaned slightly, and then said with a little hesitation: "Could it be Lord Lu Binglu?"

Shou Nanshan saw that Yan Song deliberately made a hesitant appearance, knowing that he deliberately covered it up, and didn't want to appear too smart in front of him. It's just that he didn't want to expose Yan Song's thoughts, so he laughed and said, "Lord Yan really has a deep understanding of the political situation in the capital. Yes, if the emperor wants to find a capable minister who can replace Zhang Xuan and Gui Cao, he must listen to Lu Bing's opinion. Because the replacement of the cabinet scholars, who are the first-class ministers of the imperial court, will affect the whole body, and if it is not handled well, it is very easy to cause chaos. Lu Bing is Emperor Jiajing's number one confidant, and only if he does this, the emperor will not worry about the news leaking out. Although Lu Bing is not conspicuous in the court, it is because he knows how to advance and retreat, and he does not want to show his face. Lord Yan, if you want to enter the cabinet, you have to make friends with Lu Bing. Lu Bing is loyal to the emperor, because he knows that the glory and wealth of his generation, and even his net worth and life, are tied to the emperor. But after all, he is also an official, and anyone who is an official does not love money, otherwise he would not have to spend his efforts to seek an official position. Lord Yan, with his own talent, is enough to impress Lu Bing. If he gave gold and silver again, he would be even more sure that Lu Bing would say good things for Lord Yan in front of the emperor. ”

Yan Song arched his hand and said, "The old gentleman is right, keep in mind below." ”

Shou Nanshan glanced at Yan Song and said slowly: "Lord Yan, if you have a thousand taels of silver, how much will you give to Lu Bing?"

Yan Song was stunned, and he didn't know why Shou Nanshan had such a question. He pondered for a moment before he spoke: "Naturally, I will give all the 1,000 taels of silver to Lord Lu. ”

Shou Nanshan laughed and said, "Lord Yan, if you act like this, let alone entering the cabinet to worship the prime minister, even if you have a foothold in the capital, I am afraid that it will not be easy." ”

Yan Song was confused by Shou Nanshan's words, and secretly thought that I only had one thousand taels of silver, and I gave it all to Lu Bing, but you spoke like this, which made me very puzzled. I don't know if you're saying I'm sending too much or too little. If I say that I give too much, how can anyone who is an official suspect that he gives too many gifts? If I say that I give too little, I only have 1,000 taels of silver, and it is not enough to give it all away, so can I steal it and rob it?

Thinking of this, Yan Song said with some embarrassment: "I am stupid, please ask the old gentleman to make it clear." ”

Shou Nanshan smiled and said, "Lord Yan, if you have 1,000 taels of silver, you must give Lu Bing at least 3,000 taels of silver." ”

Yan Song's heart sank, and he glanced at Shou Nanshan, and then he said, "But where are you going to find the rest of the two thousand taels of silver?"

Shou Nanshan said: "What Lu Bing wants is not the other two thousand taels of silver, but whether you are loyal to him." Once you enter the cabinet to worship the prime minister, you will become a figure below one person and above tens of millions of people. But what kind of person is Lu Bing, how can he be willing to live under you? If you want Lu Bing to say good things for you in front of the emperor, you must let Lu Bing know that you are his man and will do his best to do things for him. Even if he only had 1,000 taels of silver, he would try to make up 3,000 taels of silver and give it to him. Lord Yan, you don't understand this truth, do you?"

Yan Song woke up like a dream, and arched his hand and said, "I see." After arriving in the capital, he immediately went to meet Lord Lu, and tried to make Lord Lu understand his intentions. ”

When he said this, he paused slightly, and then continued: "It's just that the old gentleman just said that it is not difficult to enter the cabinet, but the difficult thing is that it is extremely difficult to retreat after entering the cabinet. I don't know how to understand this?"

Shou Nanshan said with a smile: "Lord Yan, with your talent, resourcefulness, and experience, as long as you have Lu Bing's help, it will be easy to enter the cabinet." But have you ever thought about what you should do after you enter the cabinet? Don't forget that it has been a hundred years since Emperor Taizu abolished the position of prime minister and set up six ministries. And the fate of the cabinet scholars of the previous dynasties was not too good. Now this Jiajing Emperor is even more difficult to serve. Even Yang Tinghe, such a good character, ended up disgraced and couldn't die well. Your entry into the cabinet to pay respects to the prime minister is just the first step. If you want to have smooth sailing and keep your prosperity and wealth forever, you must think clearly about how you should act after entering the cabinet. ”

The more Yan Song listened, the more frightened he became, secretly thinking that he originally thought that this old man was just a great general, who had been an official in the capital for a long time, and had quite a lot of connections, so he could gain insight into the situation. Unexpectedly, this person knows people's hearts, is proficient in the art of emperors, and sees the political situation so clearly. I was only thinking about how to enter the cabinet, but I never thought about what to do after entering the cabinet. The fact is indeed as Shou Nanshan said, there are very few people in the cabinet who can die well. For example, Zhang Xuan and Gui Cao made great efforts for Emperor Jiajing, almost offended the entire officialdom, and they only served as cabinet scholars for six or seven years. Now that it is about to fall, the end will not be good. Even if you enter the cabinet, the so-called high place is not cold, if you don't plan early, once you offend Emperor Jiajing, I'm afraid that the end will not be as good as Zhang Xuan and Gui Cao.