Chapter 2366 Baoyu’s awakening in Guizijuan, meeting of important ministers

Baoyu is no longer the same as before. He has experienced so many ups and downs in the past few years, which has made him realize that the Jia family is no longer the glorious era of the four kings and eight princes in the past.

Especially after the Nanjing Incident, my father was an official in Nanjing and was labeled as a traitor. His uncle collaborated with foreigners for smuggling and smuggling. Uncle Jing of Ningguo Mansion actually came back from the dead and established Nanjing. He and his father were "in the same palace as ministers", and they were also rebels against the party. , and my uncle directly raised the banner of rebellion.

The various changes that followed one after another overwhelmed him, and then a large family was thrown into prison, waiting to be executed.

At that time, the whole family was in panic all the time. The female relatives in the family were in tears, fearing that they would be thrown into the Jiaofang Department and become a brothel girl who could not be used by anyone. Fortunately, Brother Feng came to the rescue and the whole family was released on bail. .

Seeing how Sister Yun and Brother Rong's daughter-in-law from Ningguo Mansion were escorted into exile in Shaanxi, you will know how dangerous the current situation is. Princess Shui Zhen of the Shui family of the Prince of Beijing, the biological sister of the Prince of Beijing, and the Wang family of Dongping County Their legitimate daughters, all of whom were well-known nobles in the capital, were all sent to the borderlands of Shaanxi.

If it had not happened that Brother Feng had also gone to Shaanxi to serve as governor, I am afraid that they would have either died in a foreign land, or they would have become the playthings of those powerful warriors on the border.

Thinking of this, Baoyu shudders.

What should I do if my sisters, my mother, my aunts, and the maids around me in the mansion are all in this situation?

Watching them die miserably or taking off their clothes in front of those vulgar warriors? Then I really might as well just die.

So no matter what Brother Feng does, whether he marries his favorite sisters Bao and Lin, takes his second sister and Miaoyu as concubines, or even takes his third sister, fourth sister and sister Yun as concubines, Baoyu They all had to admit that without Feng Ziying, the fate of all of them would be extremely miserable, but he was powerless. He had to appreciate this kindness.

Not to mention that Brother Feng is currently busy looking for a way to enter the Hanlin Academy for himself.

It would have been fine if it was any other position, but going to the Hanlin Academy really hit the weakest point in Baoyu's heart.

 He can ignore everything, but he can never get rid of his inner identity as a scholar.

He knew that he could not study like Huan Laosan and Lang Geer, who studied hard at midnight and under the lights, so he would never have a share in the imperial examination.

The reputation of donating officials was too bad, and he would never be able to enter a prestigious place like the Hanlin Academy, so he never expected it.

At first, the family hoped to ask Brother Feng to put him into the clan's mansion to work on errands, and he was satisfied. But now when it was said that he could go to the Hanlin Academy, Baoyu felt like he was possessed by the devil after hearing the news.

He now thinks day and night about what he would do if he went to the Hanlin Academy. During this period, he even dreamed that he would enter the Hanlin Academy and join those famous scholars in the whole Zhou Dynasty, ask for their advice and learn from them, and communicate with them. What an honor it is to compile a history and discuss it together, and it can even be included in the family tree's glorious deeds.

Now Baoyu is looking forward to that moment with all his heart. He knows that he did not enter the Hanlin Academy for the right reasons, but that does not matter. After entering the Hanlin Academy, he can seek help from those famous scholars. He is really talking and laughing with great scholars. There are no white men in the business. With this qualification, he can go anywhere in the world, and the Niu family where his wife belongs no longer dares to underestimate him. He can also be proud and proud in front of the Niu family.

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"It's almost done." Chai Ke said calmly: "Miao Changqi has entered the city."

"Oh? Entering the city openly?" Feng Ziying raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Are you ready to sign?"

Chai Ke laughed dumbly and glanced at Feng Ziying, "Where did the signature come from? It's just a tacit understanding. When it comes to the same road, do you really think that Tang Mu, Zhu Gu and others have no tacit understanding with Ye Xiangxiang and the others?"

Feng Ziying's heart moved slightly, "It seems that I am still too naive. I really thought that I had to talk about everything clearly. It turns out that everyone has a tacit understanding."

"Haha, how is that possible?" Chai Ke shook his head, "Prince Yi Zhong may be able to win over Niu Jizong and Wang Ziteng, but Tang Mu, Zhu Gu and the others are the backbone of the Jiangnan side. Without them, what would the Jiangnan gentry be like? It may support Prince Yi Zhong to fight against the imperial court. In a sense, I feel that I am afraid that Prime Minister Ye and Prime Minister Fang are still adding fuel to the flames."

Feng Ziying really couldn’t believe it. Could it be that this was a double act?

The ministers in the cabinet and Tang Mu, Zhu Gu and others from the south of the Yangtze River joined forces to put on a show for Prince Yizhong, Emperor Yonglong and even the royal family?

Seeing the increasingly doubtful look in Feng Ziying's eyes, Chai Ke smiled and said, "It's not as exaggerated as you think. Tang Mi and others must still protect Prince Yi Zhong. At least Prince Yi Zhong will succeed to the throne, and his lineage will also There was a stalemate with the cabinet on ensuring the right to succeed.

 “Then King Shou, King Lu and the others...” This is the key.

"Stop it for the time being." Chai Ke paused, "The cabinet's intention is to confirm it at that time. It probably means that if there are no other unexpected events, Prince Yi Zhong, as the crown prince, will definitely succeed to the throne, but the cabinet does not rule out other possibilities." Chai Ke spread his hands, "For example, if the prince dies of illness, or if the prince's performance fails to satisfy the cabinet, then..."

"Then, everything is possible, and the decision-making power is still in the hands of the cabinet." Feng Ziying then asked: "Is that Tang Binyin joining the cabinet?"

"No, both Tang and Mi will join the cabinet, otherwise Prince Yi Zhong will not agree." Chai Ke sneered, "Ye Fang and the two have ignored us Huguang scholars. Dongxian is very angry, but the current situation requires Some people make sacrifices.”

If there are seven cabinet ministers, theoretically a Huguang scholar should be considered anyway, but now Guan Yingzhen is only given a minister of the Ministry of Rites as a consolation. Among the seven cabinet ministers, as many as five are Jiangnan scholars (Ye Xianggao, Fang Congzhe, Gu Bingqian, Tang Binyin, Miao Changqi) and two northern scholars (Qi Yongtai, Li Sancai).

Feng Ziying thought for a while and then understood, "Prince Yi Zhong is worried that something will happen if only one of Tang Mu and Tang Mi is in the cabinet, so he wants them to join the cabinet at the same time to avoid any accidents in the future?"

"Well, if you want to change the crown prince, the cabinet must support it unanimously. That's what Prince Yi Zhong thinks. The relationship between Tang and Mu is not good. He only needs to ensure that one of them is loyal to him and he can keep the crown prince's position." Chai Ke nodded.

Feng Ziying also sneered in return, "Can Prince Yi Zhong ensure that Tang Mu and the two are loyal to him? They are both Jiangnan scholars. In the face of the interests of scholars, I am afraid that Prince Yi Zhong will despair that he has been deceived."

Chai Ke also sneered slightly, "Who can tell clearly? Maybe Prince Yi Zhong can bribe some other cabinet minister? At least the three towns in Jiangnan are still there, maybe this is his reliance?"

"Reliance? If reliance is placed in the south of the Yangtze River, it is not a reliance, but a noose. If Prime Minister Ye and Fang can tolerate this, let alone others, even Tang Mi and others cannot accept it. Look, it will take one year at most. I can see the difference.”

Feng Ziying and Chai Ke both pursed their lips and smiled knowingly. In this case, let's continue watching. They both feel that they are sure to win, so let's see who has the last laugh.

As the important ministers arrived one after another, they gathered near Wenyuan Pavilion. Before the ministers arrived, everyone was used to discussing casually under the big locust tree outside Wenyuan Pavilion.

At present, there are four cabinet ministers, the so-called great scholars, seven ministers plus left and right ministers, twenty-one people, four censors of the Ducha Yuan and deputy censors of the capital, and one general envoy of the General Affairs Department. Among the five temples, only Dali The ministers of the two temples of Taichang Temple and Taichang Temple are the third grade, plus one of the Shuntian Prefecture Yin, which means that there are currently thirty-three important ministers in the capital.

The number is not small, but some candidates have not yet been filled. For example, the ministers of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Commerce are each short of one person, and the deputy imperial envoy of the Metropolitan Procuratorate is also short of one person. In addition, some are ill and some are sent abroad for business, so today The court meeting, or the meeting of important ministers due to the emperor's absence, actually had only twenty-six people.

For example, Liu Yisui, the Minister of Justice, was temporarily resting at home due to illness, and Sun Chengzong, the left minister of the Ministry of War, had not returned yet. Another minister of the Ministry of Commerce also went to Yuguan, and a right deputy imperial envoy from the Metropolitan Procuratorate went to Huguang. Haven't come back yet.

 The content of the meeting is also very simple, which is to report on the progress of the negotiations with Nanjing and to have a result.

“Chen Jixian, a rat, has colluded with Niu Jizong and Wang Ziteng. They have a tacit understanding for a long time. The court should have cut off his food and salary long ago..."

"It's useful for birds! Yangzhou is more prosperous than Suhu, and those salt merchants have thicker hairs than birds in the north. I really want to make that guy anxious. Isn't he the only one who can attack Yangzhou merchants?"

  There are still rough and arrogant people among civil servants who dare to speak nonsense.

"He will do it if he wants to. It's not the imperial court's responsibility anyway. Aren't they going to resist the imperial court sending people all the time? Chen Jixian has to do it. Now he's really going to suffer a loss. Who can blame him?"

"If you ask me, the imperial court should have ordered the Northwest Army to go south along Xuzhou and directly to Yangzhou. Niu Jizong and Sun Shaozu are basically household dogs. They only dare to guard Fengyang and Luzhou. How can they dare to go north?"

“Now it’s all an afterthought. Who was there to shout about Xu Xu? Whose idea was it to withdraw the Northern Front Army to Gyeonggi?”

"Oh, now we are going to settle an old score? Who was there to say that the grain supply was cut off? We were in a dilemma between Yanxu and Xu. We were running out of grain and grass. We might as well go to Tianjin Wei and transport grain supplies from the sea?"

"Absurd! At that time, the Jurchens in Liaodong were ready to move, and the Chahar people were attacking Ji Town. Who was slow and who was anxious? Can't you see it? If the Northern Front Army hadn't gone north, would Liaodong have had enough time? It's too short-sighted. Come and talk nonsense about military and national affairs!"

 (End of this chapter)