In the Liyang imperial court full of virtuous people, a huge uproar was raised. It came so quickly and violently that all of the Palace Grand Secretaries and the Six Ministries' assistant ministers were stupefied. Even though the current dynasty's Grand Secretary Zhang Julu had already made his decision, he still insisted on transferring Gu Jiantang, who was in charge of the military and political affairs of the Northern Region. He wanted to move this Empire's sharpest famous blade to West Chu's neck and cut the Gordian knot with a swift knife, and not the previously agreed upon Northern Pass. If it was only this, no one in the imperial court would dare to raise their voice to question it. These past few years, although Zhang Julu had slackened her control over the Five Ministries outside of the Ministry of War, she had always firmly grasped the channels of remonstrance and opinion in her hands. Therefore, even without the Grand Secretary personally making a move, these Imperial Censors who followed Zhang Julu's lead would be able to bite anyone to death. Fortunately, Grand Secretary Zhang Julu had never deliberately targeted anyone, but as long as Zhang Julu held this chess piece, even if he never made a move, no one in the imperial court would dare to act unbridled and unbridled. Unfortunately, at the end of the spring of the first year of Xiangfu, even though the channels of remonstrance were in Zhang Julu's hands, even though he had been unmatched in the imperial court for more than ten years, the Grand Secretary finally welcomed his first defeat. There was no other reason, because this time, his opponent was Tantanon, as well as the ministers behind Old Master Huan. There was the head of the Six Ministries' Ministry of Personnel's chief official Zhao Youling, the publicly recognized Prime Minister Yin Maochun, and even the newly appointed Minister of Rites Yuan Guo. There was also the Great General Zhao Kuang, who had yet to receive the order to attack West Chu, a large group of senior military officers led by Great General Zhao Kuang, as well as the Imperial Family's collateral relatives who had been suppressed by the green-eyed girl for more than ten years. What was strange was that these people indeed didn't have any prior agreement. After Huan Wen clearly pointed the spearhead at the Grand Secretary, they sent out memorials one after another, all of them believing that the 'northern gu, southern use' strategy was too rash, that a dying West Chu was far from enough to be mentioned on equal terms with Beimang's millions of soldiers. That day's court assembly, the undercurrents surged violently. Other than the Minister of Revenue Wang Xionggui who stood by his teacher's side without any suspense, almost everyone else chose to remain timid and silent, not daring to get involved in this most treacherous battle between immortals since the first year of Eternal Hui. The reason it was almost everyone was because other than Wang Xionggui, there was also Jin Lanting, who had recently been flushed with success, who unexpectedly followed Wang Xionggui and spoke out on Grand Secretary Zhang's behalf.
Those who were observant all saw that after the court assembly was withdrawn, Tantanon's gaze didn't stray, directly brushing past the Grand Secretary. Wang Xionggui, who was in a daze, followed behind the Eternal Hui Seat Master with an indifferent expression. On the contrary, it was Jin Right Chancellor, who had never taken the initiative to get close to the Grand Secretary, who walked with firm footsteps at Zhang Julu's side. Today's fluctuating court situation left the onlookers unable to take in all of it, yet they were also baffled. When the court assembly was withdrawn, they unexpectedly only heard the sound of pearls and jade being struck, not a single word of loud discussion or whispering. This was a strange scene rarely seen in the past twenty years of Liyang's court assembly. Zhang Julu slowly walked down the white jade steps. He didn't look at the young Right Chancellor at his side whose brows were tightly furrowed, quietly saying with a laugh, "Jin Third Young Master, this time I'm afraid you've made the wrong bet."
The bearded and ambitious Jin Lanting shook his head and said, "Junior didn't make a risky bet, purposely becoming the enemy of the entire court's civil and military officials, borrowing this opportunity to curry favor with Grand Secretary Sir. It's just that a real man has to do something, that's all. "
Zhang Julu smiled, slowed down his footsteps, and went straight to the point, "At first, I had the intention of pulling you into Zhang Lu, and then you could help me control the flow of that flowery speech. But later on, since His Majesty had a whole new level of respect for you, as a subject, I also didn't want to seize the monarch's beauty."
Unwilling, but not impossible.
Even the walls have ears, not to mention that they hadn't left the palace city yet. Not far from the two of them, there was no lack of civil and military officials who were walking slowly.
Zhang Julu said indifferently, "Looking at the history of the struggle between gentlemen and villains, most of the courtiers who had the reputation of being gentlemen lost miserably when they were alive. At most, after they died, they would be conferred a posthumous title by the next monarch. To the country and the people, they didn't benefit at all. This kind of empty reputation left in the annals of history, it's fine if we don't want it. Regarding the struggle between parties, there's no secret that can't be revealed. The more one cares about the common people, the more one needs to have a gentleman's party, and even more so, there needs to be a clever evil dog among the colleagues who can bark and bite. It's not like the whole group of people are there with their sleeves clean and only know how to act impulsively like scholars. In the end, it's nothing more than writing a few lonely grave poems on the way to being exiled and banished, which would make the later generation's scholars shed tears all over their lapels. It's quite boring. "
Jin Lanting smacked his lips and said self-mockingly, "Junior also can't escape from the same old pattern."
Zhang Julu turned around and patted Wang Xionggui's shoulder, "I'm not on duty today. You go sit at Zhang Lu's place. If a colleague asks, just say you don't know."
Wang Xionggui nodded and left with quick steps.
The purple-bearded, blue-eyed man who wielded the power of a dynasty walked leisurely with Jin Lanting. Together, they crossed the threshold of the palace. Zhang Julu suddenly smiled and said, "The first time I saw you, it reminded me of my own situation back then. I was also as flustered and helpless as you, feeling wronged in every way. However, to be honest, you're still much worse than I was back then. You're only slightly better than me at making rice paper. "
Jin Lanting smiled knowingly, "To be able to make the Grand Secretary willingly admit defeat and pay with his mouth, that's enough."
Jin Lanting wanted to say something but hesitated. Zhang Julu said indifferently, "Are you wondering why that old fellow fought with his own family?"
Even though Jin Lanting was a favored official of the Son of Heaven and a favorite by the Crown Prince's side, his future was destined to be bright, this Right Chancellor didn't dare to say half a word. He didn't even dare to make wild guesses.
Zhang Julu said, "Huan Wen and I both have a scale in our hearts. Neither of us has ever looked down on the restoration of West Chu. It's just that the weight of both ends of the scale has always been different these past few years. I value West Chu more than Beimang, while he values Beimang more than West Chu. He has his own plans and foresight. He insists on using Beiliang to exhaust Beimang's national strength. He's afraid that once Gu Jiantang goes south, Beimang, who has already decided to first swallow Beiliang and then attack Liyang, will change course and mistakenly believe that there's an opportunity to exploit. When the time comes, from Northern Pass all the way to this Great Peace City beneath our feet, smoke will be everywhere."
Zhang Julu pointed to the south. "Not only does the old fellow see the north, other than the stubborn Beiliang, Tantanon also sees the seemingly 'indecisive' Yan Imperial Dao, as well as those fallen Spring and Autumn Kingdoms that can't withstand the spring wind. His apprehensions are naturally understandable. I'm afraid that West Chu will become a quagmire and lead to the revival of the fallen Spring and Autumn Kingdoms. He's afraid that Beimang will go south from the east and cause the entire world to become a quagmire. Between him and I, it was a real gamble. Even if you stand at the center of the dynasty, you won't be able to see these things. This is because in the imperial court, everyone has their own plans. Martial artists want to be conferred the title of Marquis and General, while scholars want to be worshipped at Saint Zhang's temple after death. The reason I'm telling you these complaints is because you, Jin Lanting, are rarely muddle-headed and interesting. After all, it's not strange to be scolded by old man Huan, but it's rare to be beaten. "
Jin Lanting subconsciously touched the cheek that Tantanon had slapped. As if it was scalding, he quickly withdrew his hand.
Zhang Julu said softly, "Let's stop here."
Jin Lanting tactfully stopped in his tracks, only to hear the Grand Secretary say, "In the future, associate more with the new minister."
Jin Lanting was stunned. New minister? Was it Yuan Guo from the Ministry of Rites or Lu Baijie from the Ministry of War?
Or was it both?
Lu Baijie was Gangnam-do's Sword Immortal Tang Xi. Yuan Guo was a famous figure who could get along well with anyone and call them brothers. Neither of them cared much about winning or losing. They looked down on many things that others considered precious. In the imperial court, both of them had excellent reputations. They didn't make any enemies and didn't belong to any obvious factions. They were both once honored guests of Tantanon and had also been scolded by Tantanon. They'd met the Emperor, entered the Two Huts, and endured Huan Wen's scolding. If one wanted to become a powerful official in Liyang imperial court, they had to go through three big steps. These two ministers had obviously gone through them. The two returned to the "Zhao Family's Hero's Urn" outside the palace. Lu Baijie didn't immediately return to the unusually busy Ministry of War. Instead, she followed Yuan Guo to the Ministry of Rites, which had a very different atmosphere from the Ministry of War. In the yamen of the Ministry of Rites, where scholars and celebrities gathered, she even dared to tease her superior, the Minister. This was because when Yuan Guo, this old wine bug, took the initiative to bring a large chest, not containing books, but more than twenty bottles of Jiannan spring wine that the Emperor had bestowed upon him. As a result, the Emperor, who had graced the Ministry of Rites' official residence with his presence, bumped into him. Afterwards, the Emperor took the initiative and began to share the wine with the officials. The Emperor and the officials sat casually, slightly drunk and enjoying themselves. They didn't forget to rub salt into the wounds of the grief-stricken Minister Yuan. The Emperor laughed and said, "I took the initiative to help you build a relationship with the officials, so don't thank me. Remember to go back and get your salary, buy a few bottles of good wine and send it to the palace."
Now, everyone in the Ministry of Rites began to count on their fingers when they would receive their salary. They even jokingly asked the Minister if he needed them to help gather some money. Today, when they saw the Minister of War, if it was General Gu Jiantang, they would naturally feel their scalps go numb. If it was Chen Zhibao, they would retreat. However, since it was the elegant and elegant Tang Xi Sword Immortal, they all smiled and invited Minister Yuan to sit for a while. In any case, as long as the Ministry of Rites didn't have important festivals or ceremonies, it was the yamen that passed the most leisurely and carefree of the Six Ministries. Besides, to have a Minister like Yuan Guo, who treated himself and others with generosity, it was truly everyone's blessing. It was precisely because Yuan Guo had entered the Ministry of Rites that in the past, many officials of the Five Ministries who looked askance at the Ministry of Rites, whether they came to visit or went to the Ministry of Rites to ask for help, were more polite to the other party. In any case, for the famous people of the Ministry of Rites, this small amount of face was enough.
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