Chapter 525: Hidden Gao Gong

Everyone stood on the east side of Huiji Gate.

According to the time, Gao Gong and others had to go back to the cabinet to continue working, and the officials from the six ministries also had to return to their respective departments.

Gao Gong smiled.

Yan Song smiled, shook his head and said, "I am just a useless old man now. I am no longer able to handle the affairs of state. If you have nothing to do during your day off, please come to Changping for tea and talk about interesting stories from all over the country."

Gao Gong still had a smile on his face. He looked at Yan Song who was beginning to refuse him on the grounds of old age. His eyes were shining. "In that case, I will naturally drink this cup of tea from you, Grand Tutor, when I have time. However... His Highness has also entrusted the matter of drafting the will to you in public. This matter..."

Yan Song nodded with a smile: "Since it is something that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has instructed me to do, I will naturally do it. When I return home and take a short rest, in one or two hours at most, I will send someone to deliver the draft edict to Wenyuan Pavilion and hand it over to Su Qing."

In front of everyone.

Yan Song had no intention of entering Wenyuan Pavilion again.

Even if he accepted the task of redrafting the late emperor's will from the Crown Prince, he still had to go back to the palace to do it.

Gao Gong's smile became even more intense: "In that case, I will escort Yuan Fu out of the palace."

The Prime Minister did not care about the thoughts of other people present and sent Yan Song straight out of the palace.

Yuan Wei and others bowed and went back to the cabinet to handle their work.

Gao Gong accompanied Yan Song and others to the outside of Chengtian Gate before turning back.

There is only one Duanmen between Chengtianmen and Wumen.

There are towering palace walls on the east and west sides, and underneath the walls are deep red walls.

on the ground.

It is paved with white marble, fitting together perfectly.

Gao Gong, wearing a red robe and a dark black cloak, walked through the Duanmen Gate silently.

There is a long corridor in front of you.

And behind the palace gate.

Li Chunfang actually stood in the snow, silently watching Gao Gong who turned around and returned.

As soon as he saw Li Chunfang standing here, it was obvious that she was waiting for him.

Gao Gong was furious. He quickened his pace and walked forward. He looked around and then shouted in a low voice: "What are you going to do? What on earth are you going to do?"

The Prime Minister's face was full of anger and his eyes were shining.

If looks could kill, then his eyes at this moment would probably be able to skin Li Chunfang alive.

Li Chunfang just nodded and bowed, with a slight smile on his face as he lowered his head: "The Prime Minister also knows that since the fall of Lord Xu, the former Minister of Rites Yan Ne was also dismissed from office. The officials from the Qingliu and southeastern regions in the court have taken me as their leader."

The temples on both sides of the high arches were beating violently.

If it weren't for Li Chunfang's little tricks today, I wouldn't have been in such an embarrassing state in front of so many people.

"Humph!"

"So what? Don't I know that you are now the leader of the Qingliu Old Party in the court?"

No force in the court can truly disappear.

More often than not, it's just a change of appearance and name.

In the past, when Xu Jie was in power, people like Li Chunfang were called the clean stream.

With Xu Jie gone, and the court implementing new policies, the group led by Li Chunfang became members of the Qingliu Old Party.

Li Chunfang smiled and shook his head, saying, "Prince, you and I are both in the court, don't you understand that many times we cannot do what we want?"

Gao Gong frowned: "What do you mean by that?"

Li Chunfang laughed a few times.

"Yes, I did have some selfish motives behind the draft of the late emperor's will today. I also really wanted to use it to rescue my colleagues who were punished by the late emperor yesterday."

Gao Gong stared at Li Chunfang with gloomy eyes and snorted coldly: "I knew you had this in mind, but don't you know that such a clumsy handwriting can't be hidden from others?"

Li Chunfang sighed and bowed: "Prime Minister, you should understand that I am in a position to do this, and I have to do it, even if it may not succeed in the end..."

Gao Gong closed his mouth.

His gaze shifted from Li Chunfang to the snowflakes in the sky.

Li Chunfang whispered, "If I do it, it will naturally spread and other people will know about it. Then the success or failure of what I have done will not be up to me."

Gao Gong didn't say anything, but he understood what Li Chunfang said.

Rescuing the officials who were punished by the late emperor yesterday was the idea of ​​those people in the Qingliu Old Party. As the leader of the Old Party, Li Chunfang had to follow the wishes of these people and make changes in the will.

This is done regardless of success or failure.

Neither he nor Li Chunfang will be abandoned by the old party of the Qingliu movement.

Li Chunfang looked at Gao Gong who remained silent, then smiled and shook his head, saying, "Don't worry, Yuan Fu, since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asked us to submit a letter of resignation today, then someone must take responsibility for this matter."

Gao Gong immediately stopped and looked sideways at Li Chunfang.

Li Chunfang still shook his head and said, "My ancestors were all farmers, and my father didn't start studying until his time. I was born in the fifth year of Zhengde, and I passed the imperial examination in the tenth year of Jiajing. After that, I failed in the imperial examinations many times, and finally won the first place in the imperial examination in the twenty-sixth year of Jiajing. Since then, I am nearly sixty years old, and have been an official in the court for nearly twenty years. It can be said that I have done nothing. The disaster that has occurred this time cannot be borne by the prime minister, and Yuan Fanzhong and Zhao Mengjing who have nothing to do with this matter cannot be borne."

Gao Gong's eyes narrowed and his eyelids drooped: "Do you want to take responsibility for this?"

Li Chunfang sighed softly, then raised his head and smiled: "Don't worry, Prime Minister. I will submit a letter of resignation tomorrow and take all the mistakes and omissions of today's will on me. In this way, I can also leave and return to the countryside to be a free and easy person."

Gao Gong instinctively wanted to ask Li Chunfang to stay.

After all, Li Chunfang can now be regarded as the leader of the Qingliu Old Party. With him around, the old party in the court will have a clue, and they will have to find someone responsible if anything goes wrong.

And if Li Chunfang left.

It is still unknown how the old party in the court will develop.

But when he saw Li Chunfang's resolute expression, Gao Gong chose to swallow his words of retention.

Looking at Gao Gong's hesitant look, as if he wanted to say something but stopped.

Li Chunfang just smiled faintly, then shook his head and said, "In fact, the reason why the Prime Minister has cooperated with me recently is just because the Prime Minister has suddenly taken control of the central government, and the Yan family is very powerful in the court, so I need to cooperate with the Prime Minister in the central government."

As he spoke, Li Chunfang laughed at himself and shook his head.

His pace was not fast, but just right, only half a step behind Gao Gong.

Li Chunfang whispered, "The plan of the Yuanfu in the Central Government is probably to use the Jin people as his assistant. After all, the Minister of War Yang Bo has enough qualifications and experience to join the cabinet."

Gao Gong turned his head and glanced at Li Chunfang.

He actually has a clear understanding of this matter.

Gao Gong just smiled faintly and didn't say anything.

Li Chunfang smiled and said, "If Yang Bo is recommended by Yuanfu to join the cabinet, then all the people in Jin will be in Yuanfu's grasp. And Wang Chonggu, who has been working in the border areas for many years, can become Yuanfu's distant support outside the capital, and there are also those officials from Jin. Add to that the old friends that Yuanfu has cultivated over the years, and more than half of the central government will be in Yuanfu's hands."

"what do you want?"

Gao Gong asked silently.

As a cabinet minister and the leader of the Qingliu Old Party in the court, it is impossible that he would be ready to leave the court so simply without any regrets and without any demands.

Li Chunfang just laughed: "If it were someone else, they might say a few good words for their nephews and nieces, so as to help the younger generation. But my family is small, and most of my relatives and friends are just honest farmers, so there is no need to ask the prime minister for this matter."

Gao Gong nodded, motioning Li Chunfang to continue. "As for the gold, silver, and other material possessions, I have accumulated quite a bit over the years, enough to support my retirement in my hometown, and enough for my children and grandchildren to study for the imperial examinations. Even if they don't pass, at least they can become wealthy men."

Don't want power.

It doesn’t cost any money either.

Gao Gong narrowed his eyes, somewhat confused as to what Li Chunfang wanted.

Li Chunfang just smiled and said, "So... I don't want anything. I just want to resign and return home safely."

If these words hadn't been spoken right into my ears.

Gao Gong even doubted whether he had heard it wrongly.

Li Chunfang actually didn't want anything and just wanted to resign from his official position and return home.

Gao Gong was a little undecided for a moment, thinking hard, and said, "Tomorrow we will submit our resignation letter together, but Zishi will have to work harder in the court for a while, at least until everything in the capital is finished. Coincidentally, I estimate that by then it will be spring, and it will be a good time for Zishi to take a boat south to return home."

Now that the crown prince has not yet ascended the throne, it is impossible for anyone in the cabinet to resign.

Moreover, he also needed Li Chunfang to continue to stay in the core of the cabinet for a period of time so that he could successfully make Gao Yi's entry into the cabinet.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

As for Yang Bo?

I have never promised to get a cabinet minister for them, the Jin people!
As Li Chunfang said.

Among those who were born in Jin, there was Yang Bo, the Minister of War, in the court, and Wang Chonggu, the governor who guarded the nine frontiers. If a Jin person were allowed to get a position as a cabinet minister, wouldn't the people of Jin really rebel?

But I have never told this to anyone else.

Li Chunfang thought Gao Gong was talking about Yang Bo and asked her to help stand guard for the last time.

He smiled and bowed: "As Yuan Fu wishes, I will take a boat south to return home next spring, when the flowers are in bloom."

……

"Tan Lun is going to take over as the Governor-General of Zhejiang and concurrently the Governor of Yingtian and Zhejiang. His power will be even greater than Ru Zhen's in the past."

"Then, can Zhang Juzheng, the naval governor, still do his job calmly in Jiangnan?"

In the study of the Yan Mansion, Yan Song sat on the tiger-skin covered armchair, holding a hand warmer in his hand, and squinting his eyes, letting his great-grandson knock on his legs randomly.

In the study, Yan Shaoting sat aside drinking tea.

Xu Wei was standing behind the desk, holding an ink pen, writing the late emperor's will.

of course.

Left Vice Minister Yan Shifan is not here.

According to the Left Vice Minister, the will drafted today already had some bad signs, and he needed to go to the imperial prison in the capacity of the Ministry of Justice to see if he could dig out some more accomplices from the mouths of those criminal officials.

As long as Yan Shifan doesn't go to Nancheng to feast and have fun at this time, then there won't be any problem with what he does.

No one would think of calling the other person back.

Putting down the teacup, Yan Shaoting said, "My grandson thinks that Zhang Juzheng should stay in the southeast and continue to work for two years."

Yan Song raised his eyebrows and looked at his grandson.

At this time, Xu Wei had already handed the draft of his will, with the ink stains completely dried, to Yan Song.

"Grandmaster, please take a look at this draft edict. What do you think?"

Yan Song lowered his head and looked at the edict.

The original word "traitor" has been changed to "Xu Yan and others", and the content about promoting construction projects has also been deleted and changed to "Mir uses innovation in politics" to express the wisdom of the late emperor.

of course.

The words that had been used since the accession to the throne were no longer seen in the newly drafted edict, and were replaced by the words from forty years ago in Jiajing's reign.

After a quick glance, Yan Song nodded: "Let's decide on it and have someone send it to the cabinet as soon as possible."

Xu Wei nodded, turned and walked to the door, and the people waiting outside took the revised will and sent it to the cabinet.

Wait until Xu Wei turned around and returned to the study.

Yan Song had already said, "You want Zhang Juzheng to continue to stay in the southeast, but what about the capital? Previously, they submitted a petition to recommend Hu Zongxian and Guo Pu to join the cabinet, and the late emperor kept them. This was clearly intended for the crown prince to do so after he ascended the throne, in order to win over the people. I'm afraid there will be some struggle for the selection of new members of the central cabinet."

Yan Shaoting smiled and said, "Hu Butang was given a military order when the late emperor was still alive. Now that the Japanese threat in the southeast has been eliminated, he should have joined the cabinet. This is indisputable. As for Guo Pu... I don't think he can join the cabinet this time."

Yan Song narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly: "Does that mean Yang Bo will replace Guo Pu and enter the cabinet first?"

At this time, Yan Shaoting still shook his head.

He smiled and said, "It is impossible for Yang Bo to enter the cabinet."

Yan Song touched the tiger skin with his palm: "Is it because he is from the Jin Party?"

Yan Shaoting nodded: "Gao Gong wants to win over the Jin Party, but he will never sit idly by and watch the Jin Party members who already control the Nine Frontiers take another cabinet position from him. Because of this, my grandson thinks that the person Gao Gong really wants to push into the cabinet is the Minister of Rites Gao Yi!"

When Yan Song heard his grandson mention Gao Yi's name, he nodded.

Seeing the old man signaling for him to continue.

Yan Shaoting cleared his throat before continuing, "If my grandson's guess is correct, it won't be long before our Lord Li will have to resign and leave the court."

Yan Song glanced over.

Even Xu Wei looked at Yan Shaoting in confusion.

Yan Shaoting explained, "There has to be someone on the Crown Prince's side who takes the blame for today's will. This matter is probably related to Li Chunfang. Gao Gong would never protect him, even if it's to fight against our Yan family in the court."

Yan Song nodded silently, feeling satisfied.

Looking at his eldest grandson who was talking in front of him, Old Yan felt as if he was looking at a thriving talent that he had carefully nurtured.

Yan Shaoting continued, "Gao Gong may look rough, but he is as sophisticated as anyone. Li Chunfang resigned and returned home because of the mistakes in the will. Will the old party in the court suddenly lose its leader?"

Xu Wei's eyes lit up.

He whispered, "Gao Yi is from Zhejiang!"

Among the clear streams in the southeast, the heaviest ones are in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, followed by Huguang and Jiangxi.

This has been the case since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

If you really count, you can all trace it back to the wise Liu Bowen.

Of course, there is also Song Lian, who wrote the world-famous "Preface to Farewell to Ma Sheng of Dongyang".

Without exception, these people are from Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

Yan Shaoting nodded with a smile: "It is precisely because Gao Yi is from the southeast that after Li Chunfang left, the old party in the court would naturally follow him into the cabinet and attach themselves to him."

He narrowed his eyes silently.

Wait until then.

Gao Gong could control the Jin Party in one hand and the Qingliu Old Party in the other, thus occupying half of the court.

Perhaps in Gao Gong's opinion.

This kind of power is enough for him to revolutionize the world...

…………

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