Chapter 479: Contagious unease
The state minister Yankang has been a little restless these days. The emperor has been stationed in his majesty for nine days, but he has not mentioned Huang Pu's referendum on the enemy, nor did he attack the "framer" Lu Dapeng, as if he had forgotten the whole thing. This is not like the emperor's usual behavior.
Yan Kang called his son Yan Pengshi.
Yan Pengshi came back with the emperor in the Suwei Army. When he left home, he was full of confidence and felt that he would definitely become the new general of the navy, but he turned out to be just an ordinary general, which made him both disappointed. And ashamed.
Seeing his son's listless appearance, Yan Kang lowered his face and shouted, "There are no dead people at home, what kind of face are you showing?"
Yan Pengshi said with a wry smile: "Father, how can I laugh? The emperor appointed three people as generals of the navy at the gate of the East China Sea, and I don't even have the qualifications for the candidacy, this is not... this is not a public slap in my face. A slap?"
"That's the emperor, you have to bear it with a smile if you are hit in the face."
Yan Pengshi laughed even more embarrassingly, "I can't laugh? Anyway, I'm not the only one who was beaten in the face. Huangpu voted for the enemy, the emperor's face..."
"Shut up." Yan Kang said angrily, and walked to the door to take a look. Although he was at home, he didn't dare to be careless. "I shouldn't have agreed to this matter in the first place. If I got rid of Huang Pugong earlier, it would be less troublesome."
"Don't teach the emperor a lesson..." Master Yan Peng suppressed his anger and softened his tone: "Someone has to let the emperor understand that the generals he chose are unreliable. And where is the trouble? Everything is in the plan, the emperor can't see it. Weakness. Lu Dapeng won't go back on it, will he?"
"He doesn't dare." Yan Kang was very sure of the people of his own country. After thinking about it for a while, he said, "You go to the Minister of War Zhang Shilang to have a look. I can't go to see him now."
"What's the tone?" Although Yan Pengshi was lost, he didn't think there would be any danger.
"Talk to him casually, remember what he said, and come back and tell me." Yan Kang looked at his handsome son and shook his head secretly in his heart. His son is smart enough, but he has been in Donghai for too long, and he has long been used to being alone. The expensive capital of the city is bound to run into walls everywhere. If I had known this, I should have sent my son to the capital for training early in the morning.
"Okay." Yan Pengshi reluctantly agreed, thinking about it.
As soon as the emperor arrived, Zhang Qing, the servant of the Ministry of War, became one of the accompanying officials. Like other officials, he lived near the temporary palace and was always there. It was not easy for Yan Kang to visit in public, but Yan Peng, the general of Su Wei, could. Come in and out freely, without attention.
The Ministry of War has been relatively busy recently, but Yan Pengshi managed to meet Zhang Qing successfully.
The Yan and Zhang families are considered family friends, and their relationship is extraordinary. Zhang Qing took Yan Pengshi to his residence, ordered tea in the living room, and said with a smile, "I've been really busy recently, my nephew has been back for a few days, and we will I didn't get a chance to meet."
"Yeah." Master Yan Peng was perfunctory. As soon as the servant left, he put down the teacup and asked with a frown, "Master Zhang, don't blame me for being outspoken. When the emperor chose a naval general, why did the Ministry of War refuse to recommend me? The emperor also If you don't agree to say it again, at least it will make my face feel better."
Zhang Qing said with a smile: "It turns out that the nephew was annoyed by this matter. You have to be considerate, the Ministry of War also has difficulties, knowing that His Majesty is in a fit of anger, how can he stroke the tiger's whiskers? Besides, if the nephew is recommended but not selected, it will be even more embarrassing. The nephew of the world is a talented person, and it will be of great use in the future, so why rush it for a while?"
The Minister of War is not a minor official, so Yan Pengshi didn't dare to show too much, and nodded reluctantly, "Master Zhang is right, I just... ah, I can't swallow this breath. By the way, Master Zhang, what's going on with Your Majesty? Thinking? It won't be an accident, right?"
"No." Zhang Qing shook his head with a smile, "His Majesty is obviously going to issue an edict on the last day of his appointment, not to give the following a chance to argue, that's fine, it will save a lot of trouble. Nephew, don't worry, go back and tell your father, Everything is under control, once Lu Duwei pleads guilty, everything will be fine, and the Ministry of War will take care of the rest."
Master Yan Peng cupped his hands, "Thank you very much, the Yan family will not forget the kindness of the adults."
Zhang Qing personally sent Yan Pengshi to the door of the room, watching the back of his nephew go away, the smile on his face slowly disappeared, and he muttered: "The emperor can't swallow the breath... The Yan family is seeking death. way."
Zhang Qingyuan did not appear so calm, the emperor did not move for a long time, and he was also very flustered. After seeing Master Yan Peng, he sent someone to ask Nan Zhijin from the Censor Desk, claiming that there was a small problem with the document and needed to be checked. .
Nan Zhijin arrived soon, Zhang Qing stared at him and didn't say a word for a long time.
"My lord, is there something wrong with me?" Nan Zhijin spoke first.
There were no outsiders in the room, Zhang Qing frowned slightly, "I can still see Brother Nan being free. I'm... both relieved and puzzled."
Nan Zhijin smiled, "It's enough to be pleased, why bother?"
Zhang Qing shook his head, "It's not over yet, so I have to wonder. A recent incident made me very uneasy."
"What's the matter?"
"It's unexpected. Jin Chunzhong, who was beside His Majesty, suddenly went to Lake County for some unknown reason, and went around the city to inquire about the situation."
"Jin Xuanyi is one of His Majesty's most trusted minions, and it is his duty to search for information. According to the information I have received, he may be looking for the family members who often served Yang Feng in the past, and His Majesty is very concerned about this eunuch. "
"In this way, it's not a big deal, but a hero from Hu County, sigh, is actually an idiot. He would have misunderstood and thought he was getting attention, and even took the initiative to buy Jin Chunzhong."
Nan Zhijin asked: "A hero in Hu County, I'm afraid, what does it have to do with the Ministry of War and the imperial court?"
"This person has a lot of friends with officials in the DPRK and China, and he likes to brag. I'm afraid that he is talking nonsense. Jin Chunzhong will take it seriously, tell your Majesty, and His Majesty will take it seriously, then it will be troublesome."
Nan Zhijin also frowned, "Has Jin Chunzhong been bought off?"
Zhang Qing nodded, "At first, he didn't want to, but he still didn't pass the Beauty Pass. He collected 100,000 taels of silver and took away a concubine. Jin Chunzhong is the son of Hou Guiyi, so of course he likes these."
"Your Excellency has seen Jin Chunzhong?" Nan Zhijin asked flatly.
"I saw you yesterday."
"What do you think of him?"
"It's okay, Xungui children, because my sister is a concubine who is not in the book, I am a little proud. I have seen such people a lot, and they are very easy to deal with, but they have a big appetite and make a lot of requests." Zhang Qing felt No problem, the more Jin Chunzhong asked for, the more assured he was.
Nan Zhijin also nodded, "Then there's nothing to worry about, just wait patiently."
"The Yan family is a little restless." Zhang Qing said.
"What did they hear?"
"No, His Majesty hasn't acted for a long time. They are worried about Ye Changmeng." Zhang Qing stared at Nan Zhijin again. "To be honest, even I am a little worried. Master Nan is well-informed. What exactly does His Majesty think?"
"Instead of guessing what Your Majesty thinks, it is better to try to figure out what Your Majesty is like. His Majesty is suspicious by nature, and he is very happy. When he is not very sure, he is easily reluctant to act.
Zhang Qing said in surprise: "Is Your Majesty afraid that someone will rebel? This...Is it impossible."
"Your Majesty re-emerges from the army, I believe in soldiers more than in the imperial court. Since your Majesty came to the East China Sea, most of what you have done is related to military affairs. It is nothing more than to be at ease. We all feel that there will be no such thing as rebellion again, Your Majesty. Not necessarily."
Zhang Qing let out a sigh of relief, feeling that Nan Zhijin was right, "If that's the case, then I'm relieved."
Nan Zhijin bowed his hands and said goodbye, "Even if we say goodbye again, Master Zhang, please don't look for me again, in case it attracts suspicion, which is not good for you."
After relaxing, Zhang Qing's attitude eased a lot, got up and said: "Brother Nan, don't be surprised, tomorrow is the last day of His Majesty's presence in the Majesty, there should be results, I will not trouble Brother Nan again."
Nan Zhijin left and persuaded Zhang Qing, but he began to feel uneasy. This kind of uneasiness had already occurred, and now it is getting stronger and stronger, especially the matter of Jin Chunzhong, which made him see a great threat.
After many years as a middle-aged scholar, Nan Zhijin has heard about some illegal actions of various ministries, but he never asks, thinking that this is part of the inherent rules of the court, but he knows that the emperor, especially the current emperor, is very concerned about this. Some rules will never be accepted.
He knew even more that Jin Chunzhong didn't seem like someone who would be bought off.
He didn't go back to his residence, and went straight to see Qu Zixi, the censor of the right patrol.
Qu Zixi was processing the official document and asked without looking up, "Is something wrong?"
Nan Zhijin waited for a while and said, "It's fine."
Qu Zixi raised his head.
One is a young, powerful and rising high-ranking official in the DPRK, and the other is a little official who is old but unwilling to admit defeat. At this time, like a street gangster doing nothing wrong, they look at each other coldly, trying to figure out the details of the other party. , decide whether to take action.
"Master Qu has said it?" Nan Zhijin asked.
Qu Zixi didn't answer, annoyed that he couldn't keep a secret, but he's really not good at such things.
"The court is about to blow blood and rain, is this what Lord Qu wants to see?"
Qu Zixi leaned forward, "The court, the court, do you only have the court in your heart, but not the world? Nan Zhijin, the corruption of the court is deeper than I expected. If you know about it, you're acting for a tiger. If you don't know it, you're ignorant. Ignorance. I decided to stand by Your Majesty, and even if I don't get the support of the officials, I will fight to the end."
Nan Zhijin listened calmly, and suddenly smiled, "Master Qu is the prime minister your Majesty needs, and you will do it for a long time."
Qu Zixi disgusted to be manipulated like this again, and stood up and said, "You are wrong, I have already made a request to Your Majesty, and I have obtained consent. I will stay at the Censor's Desk and supervise the officials for His Majesty. As for the Prime Minister, His Majesty will decide otherwise. choose someone else."
Nan Zhijin's expression changed slightly, and then he shook his head, "It's only for now. Your Majesty will choose from time to time, but Lord Qu will still be chosen."
"Do you still think you understand His Majesty's mind?" Qu Zixi shook his head sympathetically, "His Majesty will surprise you."
Nan Zhijin was silent, but his expression showed that he still believed that everything was as expected.
Qu Zixi didn't want to say more, so he raised his head and said: "Master Nan, please come back, you are the censor, do your own work first, and the censor station will be very busy for a long time to come. You will too."
Nan Zhijin was stunned by the words of the Censor of the Right Inspection. He was ready to go to justice, how could there be a "long period of time"?