Chapter 206: Foolish Person
"Xu Jie suddenly showed up and is against Jiang Qingzhi. Yuan Fu, why do I feel like he is trying to be nice to us?"
In the duty room, Cui Yuan drank tea and said comfortably.
Yan Song was reviewing memorials to the emperor, and Yan Shifan was playing with a cat.
Yan Song raised his head, rubbed his eyes, and said, "Xu Jie is a low-key person, a dog that bites people doesn't bark!"
Yan Shifan held the cat in his arms and said disdainfully, "Old Xu always thinks he can get by without any obstacles by keeping a low profile, but Dad has been keeping an eye on him for the past few years."
"However, I heard that Your Majesty wants to increase the number of prime ministers." Cui Yuan said, looking a little disappointed.
The officialdom of the Former Han Dynasty had no rules, and relatives of the emperor could rule the country, so that relatives of the emperor could cause trouble. After the Former Han Dynasty, the Former Tang Dynasty was also like this, so coups became commonplace.
By the early Song Dynasty, the emperor and his ministers reached a consensus to prevent fire, theft and relatives by marriage, so the path for relatives by marriage to enter politics was completely cut off.
The same was true in the Ming Dynasty. Cui Yuan was able to participate in court affairs as a son-in-law of the emperor, but his identity was very embarrassing... He was not a prime minister, not an important official, but just a close official on duty in the Western Garden.
"Xu Jie has hope." Yan Shifan stroked Mao'er's back. Mao'er's back smoothly collapsed and straightened up following his hand...
"If Xu Jie enters the cabinet, it will be no problem for the Prime Minister to suppress him." Cui Yuan said, "But since he is against Jiang Qingzhi this time, isn't he afraid that the bastard will turn against him?"
……
"You underestimate Jiang Qingzhi. This is just a difference in political views. If he turns against me because of this, he will be seen as domineering in the eyes of people all over the world." Xu Jie said gently.
"But isn't this man domineering?" Zhou Xia got a glimpse of Jiang Qingzhi's views through the debate and was quite dissatisfied. "This man is sharp and murderous. Building a Jingguan outside Datong is shocking. I bet he will be dissatisfied with the minister because of this and will be hostile to him from now on."
"Minister."
The door is coming.
"What's the matter?"
Xu Jie asked.
"Someone from Lord Wei's mansion wants to see you."
"Yes, please."
"Yes."
After the doorman left, Zhou Xia sneered, "Look, here it comes."
The man was a guard. He came in and said, "My uncle invited Minister Xu to watch a play later."
"What drama?"
……
“This is a slap in the face!”
Chen Pin sat on the threshold and said to his followers, "The Emperor of Ming kept killing the Khan's envoys because he wanted to show his supreme majesty by slapping the Khan in the face. But looking at the helplessness of the nine Ming borders in the face of the Khan's cavalry, you can see that this is just a show of strength but a weakness."
The attendant squatted on the side, "How will the Emperor Ming deal with us?"
Chen Pin said calmly: "Before I went on this mission, I had already put life and death aside."
Knock knock knock!
Someone knocked on the door. The follower's heart tightened and he walked over slowly, as if he was going to die.
The door opened, and outside was a minor official from the Honglu Temple. He pointed inside and said, "My Lord, Chen Pin is inside."
Uncle?
Chen Pin narrowed his eyes and looked outside the door, thinking of the arrow that shot and killed his follower outside the Datong General's Mansion.
"Thank you." A familiar voice came, and Chen Pin slowly stood up.
Jiang Qingzhi walked in and saw that Chen Pin had lost a lot of weight, so he asked, "Are you used to being here?"
"I'm a prisoner. There's nothing to be unaccustomed to."
"I didn't expect to see this kind of scene when we met again after we parted at Datong." Jiang Qingzhi waved his hand, "Bring some wine and food, Mr. Chen and I will drink to our heart's content today."
Chen Pin's body trembled slightly, then he smiled and said, "Beheading wine?"
Jiang Qingzhi stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the yard in silence.
The follower's legs went weak, and he knelt down and cried, "I shouldn't have come, I shouldn't have come!"
……
"Where?"
Hanlin Academy, Xu Jie asked.
"The place where the envoy of Altan was imprisoned."
The guard smiled and said, "My uncle said that Minister Xu doesn't have to go."
——No, you don’t have to go from now on.
This is a choice.
The first time you, Xu Jie, showed up, you gave me, Jiang Qingzhi, a heavy blow. Are you going to stand on Yan Song's side?
If so, you don't have to come.
Zhou Xia sneered, "This is coercion!"
Xu Jie attacked first, and Jiang Qingzhi counterattacked. Should he take it?
If you don't accept him, you will have an additional opponent before he even enters the cabinet.
Xu Jie said calmly: "It just so happens that I want to watch a play recently."
……
The food and wine were placed in the yard.
The wind is light today, so I put a charcoal basin under the table to keep people warm.
The wine is good and the food is good.
Chen Pin felt that this was a beheading wine, so he drank the whole cup.
Outside the gate, in a carriage, Hu Zongxian and Xu Wei were also drinking.
"My Lord, this is a brilliant move. Chen Pin thought it was a beheading wine and drank all the wine." Hu Zongxian raised his cup and took a sip. Seeing that Xu Wei had already drank several cups in a row, he couldn't help but sigh, "Drink slower."
"When drinking, one should enjoy it." Xu Wei picked up the wine jug and drank it all in one gulp.
This guy is always so rude... Hu Zongxian complained in his heart, but he squinted his eyes, looking very comfortable.
The officialdom is ruthless and every step is thrilling. Hu Zongxian has long been accustomed to being wary of outsiders. As time goes by, his nerves are tense for too long, and his energy is dissipated too much, leading to exhaustion.
And Xu Wei was the only person who could make him completely relax.
Xu Wei put down the wine pot and burped wantonly, "Many times people are not afraid of death, but when they are about to die, their minds change."
"I'm scared to death." Hu Zongxian laughed.
"People are fickle." Xu Wei said, "I bet if Chen Pin's wife and children were here, he would kneel down and cry, begging for his life."
"Master Bo asked us to wait for Xu Jie, but why hasn't he come yet?" Hu Zongxian lifted the curtain and looked into the alley, only to see two guards. He lowered the curtain, "Xu Jie's memorial was not well timed, and it seemed like he was trying to please Yan Song."
Xu Wei sneered, "He seems to be explaining his position, but he has been dormant for many years. Why didn't he make any move before, but showed up when Lord Bo suggested to relax relations with the Altan tribe?
What position? He is just worried that he will be sidelined or even suppressed by Yan Song and others if he enters the cabinet, so he is just pretending to oppose the Lord. "Villain!"
"Hey! Xu Jie is no mean man." Hu Zongxian said, "Back then he also..."
"Keep going! Talk! Don't stop." Xu Wei said sarcastically, "Times have changed, let alone people. You only saw that he has been dormant for many years, so you think he is still the Xu Jie of the past."
"He has dealt a heavy blow to you." Hu Zongxian said calmly, "You are not the kind of person who would not fight back when being beaten. But are you sure? Don't let Xu Jie make fun of you."
Xu Wei picked up a piece of pig's ear and put it in his mouth, chewing it with a loud sound, and swallowed it with a mouthful of wine. "Although the Marquis is not yet twenty years old, but I have to say that you, Old Hu, are far inferior to him in understanding people's hearts."
"You won't feel comfortable if you don't stab me for a day?" Hu Zongxian said dissatisfiedly.
"Haha! That's because I think highly of you, Old Hu." Xu Wei laughed and said seriously, "My Lord has been advocating communication with the Altan tribe. This is a big plan."
"Oh!" Hu Zongxian's heart trembled, "Tell me."
"No more wine." Xu Wei looked at the empty wine glass.
Damn it!
Hu Zongxian looked at him hatefully, but facing such a bad friend, he had no choice but to condescend to pour wine for him.
"The wine poured by Old Hu is so fragrant." Xu Wei sipped the wine with a smile, until Hu Zongxian pretended to hit him with the wine pot, then he slowly said: "After I entered the Earl's house, I have been watching the Earl's words and deeds with a cold eye. It was not until recently that I discovered that some of the Earl's actions contained deep meanings."
"Say it."
"First, he defeated two generals under Altan Khan in Datong, boosting the morale of the nine frontiers. Then he fought against the Yan Party in the court, and refused to retreat. What do you see from this step by step, first military and then civil?"
Xu Wei looked at Hu Zongxian and without waiting for him to speak, he continued, "My uncle once said, to resist foreign aggression..."
"We must first stabilize the country!" Hu Zongxian was reminded of this and instantly thought of many things. "My uncle often said that underneath the so-called peaceful and prosperous Ming Dynasty, there is not only an undercurrent surging, but a huge undercurrent rolling."
"If we want to change all this, we have to be ruthless." Xu Wei said, "But once we are ruthless, will those people just give up and surrender?"
"They will fight back!"
"If the external enemies are eyeing us covetously, this will be a situation of internal and external troubles. My uncle once said that he never looked down upon the integrity of the scholars and officials. I heard something in his words."
Xu Wei played with his wine glass, his eyes contemptuous, "If we really want to change everything in the country, once Altan is ready to act, tell me, will those scholars whose interests have been harmed..."
Hu Zongxian pointed to the north, "You mean... they will collude with Altan? Do they dare?"
"Old Hu, you are such a boring person to be honest." Xu Wei sighed, "I stand with Lord Bo this time. If that time really comes... do you still remember the former Song Dynasty? When the Jin army arrived at the gates of Bianjing, what did those prime ministers do? They gave all the emperor, princess... and money to the Jin army. Old Hu, in the eyes of the literati, there is only yourself."
"What benefits will a change of dynasty bring to them?" Hu Zongxian was a typical scholar-official, but he could not understand this idea.
"Change of dynasty?" Xu Wei sneered, "Remember when the Ming Dynasty was first established, Emperor Taizu was eager to recruit talents, but what did those scholars say?"
Hu Zongxian murmured, "A lowly person like you is worthy of serving us?"
"We should follow the orthodox. What do they mean by orthodox? The Mongols, the foreign race!" Xu Wei laughed, "A bunch of bastards, they will follow whoever gives them benefits. Who cares if they are foreign races or barbarians?"
There were footsteps outside, and a guard approached, "Gentlemen, Xu Jie is here."
The two got out of the car and greeted Xu Jie.
"Where is Lord Chang Wei?" Xu Jie asked.
Zhou Xia said, "He invited the Minister to watch a play. What play was it?"
"It's inside, but there's no need to go in." Xu Wei said, "Just listen."
"Watching a play instead of listening to a play?" Xu Jie nodded, "Alright."
Hu Zongxian looked at Xu Jie and thought that the most important argument for Xu's opposition to communicating with Altan this time was that killing Altan's envoy would boost people's morale.
And the conversation inside was a counterattack.
Uncle, don't fail!
Jiang Qingzhi's voice came from inside.
"...Do you know why I didn't kill you?"
Bah!
There was a sound of porcelain falling to the ground.
Xu Jie put his hands behind his back and frowned, wondering why he was asking this.
"No... won't kill me?" Chen Pin's voice was filled with great surprise.
The so-called fearlessness of death is just a breath of air at the moment. When that breath is gone, who will not be afraid of death?
"You thought it was a beheading wine?"
Jiang Qingzhi smiled.
Outside, Xu Jie frowned, "The Ministry of Rites still has official business to attend to. How long will it take for Chang Wei Bo to come?"
This person is quite rude... Xu Wei sneered, "It won't take too long, and I won't let Minister Xu down."
Xu Jie smiled slightly, "Okay."
"You are just an envoy. His Majesty Altan has killed many envoys. You are not a big deal." Jiang Qingzhi chuckled and said, "It is your luck that I didn't kill you this time."
Chen Pin was panting, the ecstasy of escaping death made him forget everything, but he couldn't help asking: "Why don't you kill me?"
"It's because your majesty has received news that Altan is using the Ming's killing of envoys to rally the scattered people under his command. The more he kills, the more Altan's tribe will unite against the common enemy."
"Altan Khan has conquered many tribes and people over the years, but although they have been united, they are still independent, which has caused Altan Khan's tribe to suffer from internal troubles." Jiang Qingzhi said with a smile, "When there are internal conflicts, they are turned to external conflicts. This method has been used in the Central Plains for many years. I didn't expect Altan Khan to learn it."
Outside the door, Xu Jie narrowed his eyes and Zhou Xia clenched his fists.
This is the most critical moment.
If Chen Pin denies it, then Jiang Qingzhi made a wrong judgment. What about opening up the communication channels with Altan Khan's tribe? Go to hell!
Yan Song and others will certainly take the opportunity to attack him.
Xu Jie will also use this incident to successfully appear before entering the cabinet and secretly show his goodwill to Yan Song.
It was so quiet outside that you could hear a pin drop.
There was silence for a moment.
Then Chen Pin laughed bitterly and sighed:
"Has the Emperor finally understood?"
A hint of sadness flashed across Xu Jie's eyes.
Zhou Xia stood there blankly.
He murmured, "So, it's true!"
(End of this chapter)
