Although the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War were neighbors, they were not that close. To the officials of the Ministry of Rites, this was a blessing in disguise. Otherwise, if a dispute arose and a scholar met a soldier, one would use his mouth to reason and the other would use his fists to reason. Naturally, the latter would be more "reasonable." As for the Ministry of War, these officials of the Ministry of Rites, who were of different ranks but were all scholars, were a bunch of embroidered pillows who were tired of looking at and could not even be beaten up to show their ability. Thus, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites had always been the two yamens that did not have anything to do with each other. However, with the decline of the two ministries and the rise of the other, the uncouth officials of the Ministry of War, who were used to only looking at the Ministry of Appointments, could not help but feel depressed. Similarly, in a few short years, three ministers had left. The Ministry of War had Gu Jiantang, Chen Zhibao, and Lu Baijie. The Ministry of Rites had Li Gubai, Lu Daolin, and Yuan Guo. However, the trend in the next few years was obvious. Even the position of minister in the Ministry of War was empty. Try the Ministry of Rites. If Sima Puhua suddenly died one day, wouldn't there be a powerful official to propose a candidate in the court the next day? What made the Ministry of War even more depressed was that the Left Assistant Minister Xu Gong was not even in the capital. He had been directly sent to Liaodong by the Emperor! Only the Right Assistant Minister, Tang Tieshuang, who had been transferred from a local area, was left. He was an outsider who had never been an official in the capital. How could he make ends meet in the capital, where the roots were intertwined? In addition, even the people of the capital knew that Tang Tieshuang was Old Minister Gu's trusted subordinate. The previous minister, Lu Baijie, did not have the Emperor's wishes. Although it was said to be a transfer, it was clearly a demotion to the Guangling Circuit. It was not even the common promotion of an official outside the capital. Without a leader, the Ministry of War already had difficulty raising its head in the court. For the time being, the leader could not even protect himself. How could he obtain any benefits for his subordinates? The unfavorable situation of the Guangling Circuit added fuel to the fire.
The officials of the Ministry of War had become cowards overnight.
These days were really f * cking torturous.
In this dangerous situation, Gao Tingshu and Kong Zhenrong, the two juniors who had gone against the current, were the center of attention. Of these two young people who had risen to fame, Gao Tingshu was even more unrestrained and unrestrained. He was a scholar who had been born in the first grade. With the help of Jin Lanting and the others, his reputation for poetry gradually spread throughout the court. Previously, when the great pillar of the country, Gu Jiantang, returned to the capital and came to visit the Ministry of War yamen, the scene of Gao Tingshu talking and laughing in front of the two ministers, Gu Jiantang and Lu Zhenrong, was still vivid in people's minds. Gao Tingshu's meteoric rise was without a doubt. Now, it all depended on how many years he needed to accumulate his reputation and which new pavilion he would use as the next step to jump over the dragon's gate. Compared to Gao Tingshu, the taciturn Kong Zhenrong was much more low-key. However, it was said that this young man from Beiliang was close to a certain prince in his early years. Even if he was not a hidden dragon, he was still a young dragon that should not be underestimated. Furthermore, Kong Zhenrong and Yan Chiji were known to have an iron relationship. Huang Menlang was the Emperor's brother-in-law.
Unlike the other five ministries where the left and right assistant ministers did not live in the same room, the two assistant ministers of the Ministry of War had always lived in the same room. Even during Gu Lu's time, Minister Gu himself was no exception. Later on, when Chen Zhibao became the Minister of Shangshu, he had his own courtyard. Xu Gong and Tang Tieshuang's two desks were on the left and right of the Ministry of War's main hall, facing each other. Right Assistant Minister Tang Tieshuang was sitting behind the desk on the west side, dealing with government affairs. Occasionally, he would look up at the sky, ignoring the whispers of the many officials in the hall. The mobilization of the seven thousand soldiers of the three battalions of the Jingji Western Army was personally decided by Tang Tieshuang. Now that the young King had swaggered into the capital, Anxi General Zhao Gui and Hu Qi Officer Chi Changgong's men had become comical figures escorting the King. Not only would Tang Tieshuang quickly become the laughingstock of the officialdom, but the entire Ministry of War would also become a disgrace. One could completely imagine the strange looks of the officials in the morning court tomorrow.
As for the actual situation of the war in Liang Mang, if Right Assistant Minister Tang Tieshuang did not open his mouth, no one dared to talk about it. When it came to important matters of the military, in public, it was better to obediently practice silent meditation.
Under the lead of a manager of the Department of Martial Selection, a few unfamiliar faces appeared in the main hall of the Ministry of War. Each of them walked like dragons and tigers. Even if they set foot on the Ministry of War's important grounds, they did not feel uncomfortable.
Tang Tieshuang, who had the nickname of Cold Face King of Hell, smiled for the first time. He got up and strode toward those people. Without the need for introductions, he punched a burly man in the chest and laughed, "Old Dong, you guys, if you don't want to come, then don't come at all. If you want to come, then just come in a group. Did you guys make an appointment?"
Those people were not wearing official robes. The middle-aged man called Old Dong by the Right Assistant Minister curled his lips, "I know you are a poor ghost. If we came one by one to find you, can you afford to treat us to wine?"
A burly man next to the man surnamed Dong joked, "Assistant Minister, your Ministry of War's yamen is really hard to enter. It's like guarding against thieves …"
Tang Tieshuang glared at the man who spoke without thinking, and then smiled, "Let's talk outside. I'll take you guys around."
The officials in the room were all confused. They had never heard of the Ministry of War's transfer order to promote people from the Liao Border Army to become officials in the capital.
The assistant minister of the Department of Carriage, Kong Zhenrong, was not working in the main hall of the Ministry of War. He just happened to be looking for a doctor to report on a military matter. After seeing this scene, he was only a little surprised, but he did not think too much about it. He waited for Assistant Minister Tang to take his people away before walking out of the hall.
Suddenly being called, Kong Zhenrong stopped and turned his head to look. It was Gao Tingshu, who had just been promoted from manager of the Department of Martial Selection to assistant minister. The two of them had never interacted before. Kong Zhenrong did not know what this person of the same age who was more famous than many assistant ministers in the capital wanted. He asked calmly, "Sir Gao, is something the matter?"
The imposing Gao Tingshu smiled and said, "I heard that Brother Kong likes to collect military books. Not long ago, I happened to pick up a copy of the Tiger Seal Classic. Frankly speaking, if I had to part with it and give it to Brother Kong, I would be very reluctant. However, if Brother Kong could borrow it for a year or so, I would still be very happy."
If it had been when he had just left Beiliang and entered the capital, Kong Zhenrong would have punched him without a word. If it had been one or two years ago, Kong Zhenrong would not have let the second place scholar finish speaking and immediately turned around. But now, Kong Zhenrong calmly waited for Gao Tingshu to finish speaking. He shook his head and said with a smile, "I am a coarse and boorish man, but I have been in the capital for a long time. I have heard that between scholars, 'borrowing a book is like giving a wife, giving a book is like giving a concubine. Therefore, books can be given, but books cannot be borrowed.' What, does Brother Gao want to break the rules?"
Gao Tingshu was stunned for a moment and then laughed heartily. "Brother Kong is really a wonderful person. Fine, fine. If you want to give me a book, then I will give you a book. I will also puff myself up at my own cost. Tomorrow, I will personally bring the book to Brother Kong's house. I hope Brother Kong will reward me with a few cups of wine for the sake of my sacrifice."
Kong Zhenrong grinned and said, "Reciting poems and couplets is killing me. As for drinking wine, I am good at it. I am only afraid that Brother Gao's alcohol tolerance is average and it will not be enough for you to enjoy yourself."
Gao Tingshu laughed loudly.
Gao Tingshu had no intention of leaving immediately. Instead, he walked with Kong Zhenrong and said in a low voice, "Brother Kong, do you know the identities of those three people?"
Kong Zhenrong shook his head.
Gao Tingshu moved closer and his voice was also lower. "I know a little and have guessed a little."
Kong Zhenrong said softly, "I would like to hear the details."
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