Chapter 31 On Stage
Its daybreak.
Except for the cabinet, all officials are working as usual.
Although the sudden change last night was like a knife hanging over their heads, which might fall today, and everyone of them was extremely panicked, they still had to do their duties at this moment.
Near noon, the sky, which had been clear for several days, darkened again, and the decree from Yuxi Palace was finally issued.
The cabinet is discussing politics at Yuxi Palace!
……
The sky was dotted with snowflakes that looked like grains of salt. At the gate of Xiyuan, Yan Song and Yan Shifan's sedan chairs landed.
"Dad, we're all here."
Yan Shifan, dressed in a red and white velvet robe, supported Yan Song, who was hunched over, and said.
Looking at Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng and other upright figures standing together in the distance, Yan Shifan curled his lips into a sneer.
At this moment, he felt quite proud.
"Let's go." Yan Song nodded, and with the support of Yan Shifan, he walked towards the gate of West Garden.
"Lord Yan." After seeing Yan Song and his son, Xu Jie and others stepped forward and greeted them symbolically.
However, at this moment, Qingliu no longer had the arrogance of the past. At least when facing Yan Song, they felt inferior.
They lost an off-site quiz!
Although the cost of losing had no direct relationship with this incident, it put them in a passive position.
"Shaohu, you, didn't sleep well?" Yan Song stepped forward and looked at Xu Jie, his words full of concern.
Xu Jie, whose courtesy name was Zisheng and pseudonym was Shaohu.
A person's "name" is usually given during a coming-of-age ceremony and used in social situations as a sign of politeness and respect.
A person's "zi" (character name) is often related to his or her name, and tends to be more formal and solemn.
The "number" is often a reflection of personal interests, ambitions or living environment, and has more personal color.
Yan Song called Xu Jie by his pseudonym instead of his given name, which was a common practice.
Generally speaking, even if two parties have hostile political views, they will address each other by their characters, which shows basic courtesy without being too intimate and maintains a certain sense of distance.
In order to maintain the dignity of officials in the same dynasty.
As for calling each other by their nickname, unless you are close friends or teachers and students, directly calling each other by their nickname may seem informal or even frivolous.
Especially the relationship between the Yan Party and the Qingliu, the irony of Yan Song using "nickname" to refer to Xu Jie was full of irony.
This is an indirect insult that implies that the other party pays more attention to personal sentiment rather than official ability.
In the past, Xu Jie didn't care about Yan Song's name.
What's the point of a temporary dispute over length? The one who laughs last is the real winner.
However, this time, when Xu Jie heard Yan Song address him, he had a different feeling.
"Thank you for your concern, Lord." Xu Jie bowed slightly to express his gratitude.
Yan Shifan had a sneer on his face as he looked at his old rivals present, feeling unprecedented joy in his heart.
However, these are just appetizers. He will soon tear off the underwear of these people in front of the emperor.
Moreover, this time he pulled Qingliu's underwear off and pointed at their noses and cursed them. Qingliu might even thank him.
His whole body was trembling slightly due to excitement.
"Lord Yan," Xu Jie looked up at Yan Song with an inexplicable look in his eyes, and then he bowed slightly, "Thank you, Lord Yan..."
"Shaohu, we are all officials in the same court, and we share the worries of His Majesty. It's too formal to say these things," Yan Song smiled and raised his hand to help Xu Jie up, then greeted everyone and said, "Come in."
Gao Gong clenched his fists and glared at Yan Song's back with hatred, feeling extremely aggrieved.
Zhao Zhenji beside him tugged at his sleeve, signaling him not to be impulsive. Zhang Juzheng lowered his head and followed behind Xu Jie.
A group of people came to Yuxi Palace slowly with strange thoughts in mind, and found that Lu Fang was not waiting.
There were only a few young eunuchs waiting under the palace.
Everyone had expected this situation, so it wasn't a surprise to them. They couldn't help but cheer themselves up.
Although I know that His Majesty will not leave the matter without room for maneuver, His Majesty's real purpose is to get money, and now all I need to do is save face and the matter will be over.
But they also know that it is not easy to do things beautifully and leave no room for criticism.
Would Your Majesty extort money from your subjects? No! So they must be willing to pay this money, with good reasons and evidence, so that no one can find fault with it.
The most direct and effective way is to let the Yan Party find fault.
Both Yan Song and Xu Jie understood this truth.
They all knew what the emperor wanted, so Xu Jie thanked Yan Song and Yan Song agreed.
This is a tacit understanding among officials.
Even between two rivals there should be this. If not, it means you still have room for cunning and tact.
But they all saw Yan Shifan's threat and bloodthirsty eyes, but what could they do?
Now, they need help!
In Yuxi Palace, the chief eunuchs in the main hall were already standing in an orderly manner, and Yan Song's seat at the top was still there.
Seeing this, everyone felt inexplicably at ease.
Even the Qingliu faction secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It must be said, it was quite ironic!
Yan Song was supported by Yan Shifan and sat down in his seat, while others also stood in their respective seats.
However, when passing by Chen Hong, both Yan Song and Xu Jie and other upright people cast a glance at him.
Chen Hong looked over without showing any weakness.
Last night, he arrested people from the Qingliu and Yan party factions, and had already prepared himself to be regarded as a thorn in the eyes of these people.
But so what? He was from the Imperial Household Department, he was a eunuch, he was the emperor's household slave, and he didn't rely on anyone else for food.
It is enough to just do the emperor's job well.
His biggest backer is the emperor, not the people in the court. He is not like Lu Fang, who can please everyone.
He, Chen Hong, disdains it!
"Haha." Yan Song hunched his body and sat down with a smile, as if he didn't care about Chen Hong's gaze at all.
Xu Jie, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, Zhao Zhenji and others just glanced at him and then ignored him.
Such behavior made Chen Hong's heart hurt again.
Why are these people still so arrogant? Don't they know how big a mistake they have made?
Today's imperial meeting is to settle accounts with them!
You guys are so proud of yourself, but once you are released from my Xichang prison, I wonder how long you can remain so proud!
In front of Qingliu, on the long desk, twelve stacks of memorials were neatly arranged.
There was nothing written on the covers of these memorials, but everyone already knew what was written on them.
In the side hall, in the monastery, Jiajing finished his meditation.
He raised his hand, picked up the bronze chime hammer, and swung it casually. There was a "clang" sound, and the bronze chime next to him began to buzz.
Hearing the voice, Lu Fang knew that it was time for him to start the show.
"My fellow ministers, I'm sure you've all heard about what happened last night," Lv Fang pointed at the memorial in front of them, "Take a look, and after you've read it, tell us what you think!"
There was a hint of coldness in Lu Fang's voice.
Now the "stage" has been set up, Lu Fang, the "host", has already opened the show, and the "actors" from all sides are about to begin their performances.
Yan Shifan rushed before Gao Gong and picked up the two memorials in front of him, handed one to Yan Song and kept the other in his own hand.
Seeing this scene, Gao Gong became furious again, but he had to endure his dissatisfaction and swallow his anger.
For a moment, the hall fell silent.
However, as they flipped through the memorials, everyone's expressions became solemn.
The only one who could keep a calm expression was Yan Song.
The elder minister sat by the fire, silently flipping through the memorial in his hand. It seemed that nothing could make him change color.
"Ha, ha ha..." As they watched, suddenly someone started laughing. Everyone looked up and saw Yan Shifan flipping through the memorial with a sneer on his face, saying:
"Okay, okay!" He angrily slammed the memorial on the table and shouted, "You are all beasts!"
"The Ming Dynasty was destroyed by you!"
The young cabinet minister Yan Shifan, like a tiger waiting for its prey, looked around at the group of upright officials with vicious eyes.
"You are deceiving God!" He opened his mouth and glared, wishing he could tear the person in front of him to pieces.
The roar was so loud that it echoed faintly in Yuxi Palace.
In an instant, the rules on the stage were overturned and loyalty and treachery were reversed.
"..."
(End of this chapter)
