Idle courtiers

Chapter 469 The Deal Under the Table
It was getting dark and the snow was getting tighter.In the wind, white debris flew.

In ancient times, a curfew was enforced, and everyone had to go home at night and not stay on the street, otherwise they would be caught by soldiers patrolling the street and thrown into prison.

The capital is at the foot of the emperor, the first good area, and the management is even stricter.On the street are not only the men and horses of Jinyiwei and Wucheng Bingbing Masi, but also the government servants of Shuntianfu and Wanping Daxing counties.

Zhou Nan was interrogated several times, and every time someone found him, he took out a customs defense diploma and handed it over, saying politely: "Yang Dexing, a Fusi Lishi in Xianan Town, has official duties."

In this way, the other party waved politely and let them go.

Jinyiwei is divided into two township divisions, the north and the south. The north office handles cases, and the south office is a discipline inspection agency.

For the convenience of walking outside, Zhou Nan also found someone to get one to carry with her.

Yu Er glanced at Zhou Nan in surprise, you are obviously Zhou Sheren, why did you become a Jinyiwei, and you are still a strong fighter with sesame seeds and mung beans.

He's an honest guy who doesn't like to talk, and doesn't want to ask.

In a short while, the two arrived at Yan Na's Shangshu Mansion.

Zhou Nan stepped forward and said to a porter, "Yang Dexing, a powerful man in Xiananya, has something to see Mr. Wang Jianze, and please inform him."

Wang Jianze was the Master Wang who had a drink with him in "Bamboo House" that day.

The prime minister's family is a seventh-rank official, and the Shangshu's family must be an eighth-rank official.The porter saw that it was just a small warrior, not even an official, and he didn't bother to pay attention, he waved his hand and said: "Go, go, Mr. Wang doesn't have time to see you."

Zhou Nan said gently: "Can I make it easier for you?" Then he put a piece of silver into the porter's hand.

But seeing that the door bag that Zhou Nan handed over was not small, Menzi's expression softened a little, and he said, "Mr. Wang probably has already rested, I'm afraid he won't see you."

Zhou Nan smiled and handed over another piece of silver: "Just say that I, Yang Dexing, had a drink with him in "Zhuli Pavilion", and I came to find him to play with him today. It's just dark, so why don't you sleep, get up and continue eating."

"Okay, I'll try it!"

Not long after, I saw Master Wang walking out with dim eyes and unhappy face.Seeing Zhou Nan, I was shocked: "Zhou..."

Zhou Nan didn't wait for him to call out his name, and interrupted him with a smile: "Zhou Quan? The people who come here are all customers. They just open their mouths, smile when they meet, and don't think about it afterwards. When people leave, the tea will be cold. What's the matter?" Comprehensive or not? Your Yan family has a very high family status, which is not the way to treat guests. I, Yang Dexing, almost couldn't step through this threshold."

Seeing that Zhou Nan used a fake name, Master Wang is such a shrewd person, so he naturally knew that he had no deep meaning in what he said, so he stepped forward and took his hand and said with a smile: "Brother Yang, I was thinking of you when we parted. I was thinking about when to meet you again, but I didn't want you to come directly to me. That's okay, I still have a jug of good wine in my house, let's drink it!"

Zhou Nan told Yu Er to wait in the gatehouse, and followed Master Wang to the depths of the mansion.

Seeing that there was no one around, Master Wang asked suspiciously: "Zhou Sheren came here in the middle of the night, but he asked to see Da Zongbo for the matter of Qingzhou, so he could give his name as much as he wanted, so why?"

Zhou Nan: "It's Qingzhou's matter that I'm asking to see Da Zongbo. I'm a close minister of the emperor, but it's inconvenient for me to communicate with officials from other courts."

As Yan Na's confidant and think-tank, Master Wang naturally knew that the Qingzhou matter did not seem to be a big deal, but Shang Shu had other deep meanings.Hearing what Zhou Nan said, one knew that Zhou Sheren already knew the hidden meaning behind it.

They are all members of the core decision-making level from a high position, so naturally they can't hide it from him.

Master Wang's eyelids twitched, he gritted his teeth and said, "Uncle Da Zong has already fallen asleep, but don't worry, just follow me."

After Zhou Nan sat in a jingshe for a while, Yan Na put on his clothes and came over.

In the middle of the night, he was woken up by his master, his face was full of tiredness.

Zhou Nan hurriedly bowed his hands and saluted: "My lower official, Zhou Nan, pays respects to Uncle Da Zong."

Yan Na gave a hand: "You don't need to be polite, please sit down. I asked my staff to contact you that day, and I expected that you would come to look for the old man, but I didn't want to choose it at night."

Zhou Nan smiled and said, "The lower official just came from the prime minister's residence."

Yan Na cheered up, and said: "The old man is in a daze right now, please allow me to rest for a while." He sat on the chair and broke the thick tea and drank it.

After drinking, he straightened his face and asked, "What did the chief minister say about the Qingzhou matter?"

Zhou Nan: "Shoufu said that the virtue of a gentleman will be slaughtered in the fifth generation. Our dynasty has been founded for a hundred years, and the government has accumulated a lot of abuses. It has reached the point where it cannot be reformed. Now, the promise of a big Ming Dynasty seems to be full of diseases. The old man, if he blindly seeks stability, using some tonics such as licorice, Chuanbei, ginseng, etc., is just barely hanging his life. If you want to make innovations, you have to use strong medicine, and you have to take risks when necessary."

Yan Ne: "Shoufu really said that?"

Zhou Nan nodded affirmatively: "Shoufu's opinion is that we might as well use the Qingzhou incident as an opportunity to let everyone discuss it. The so-called, the truth cannot be debated. He also admires Da Zongbo's courage to sacrifice his life for the common people, and is willing to help. "

Yan Na was full of excitement, and said again: "I really can't see that Mr. Xu Ge has such ambitions. This old man is really surprised! I can't afford his approval."

Zhou Nan: "However, there is still a key point in this matter."

Yan Ne: "What's the key?"

Zhou Nan: "All things need to be done by someone in the end. The chief minister wants to know who is willing to take up this important task? This is a lot of infamy, and maybe it will end in pieces!"

Yan Na: "Although there are tens of millions of people, I will go!"

Zhou Nan didn't speak any more, and bowed deeply.

Yan Ne: "Come here, send Mr. Yang off."

"No, I'll go by myself."

When Zhou Nan left, Yan Na stared at the falling snow in the yard with his hands behind his back.

Master Wang came over: "Dong Weng, just now I couldn't understand what Zhou Sheren said to you. It seems that I didn't talk about Qingzhou."

Yan Ne: "Congratulations old man?"

Master Wang was confused: "Where does joy come from?"

Yan Na: "The old man will join the cabinet soon. After the new year is over, it will be around March."

"Ah!" Master Wang was full of surprises, and said in a low voice: "Congratulations, Uncle Da Zong, this happened so suddenly, why didn't I hear any news beforehand? Dong Weng had a hard time hiding it from me."

"Why, are you blaming the old man?" Yan Na turned to look at Master Wang.

Master Wang, as Yan Na's confidant and chief think tank, he doesn't know anything about such a big matter, if there is no resentment in his heart, it is a lie: "I dare not."

Yan Na: "Actually, I just found out about it just now."

"This……"

Yan Shangshu: "Just now Zhou Nan came to talk to me on behalf of Xu Shoufu, and expressed three attitudes."

Master Wang: "Also ask for advice."

Yan Na: "First, the cabinet can support the Qingzhou matter, and second, the matter must be made bigger. Qingzhou alone is meaningless. If you want to promote it, you can spread it to the whole world and implement a unified whip."

"Ah!" Master Wang was left speechless.

Yan Na: "Thirdly, reform must be reformed, but the chief assistant doesn't want to do it by himself, so I have to let the old man take the lead."

Master Wang thought for a while and nodded: "That's right, Shoufu has always been a slippery person, but he is unwilling to make him take responsibility. Besides, the job of Zaifu is to reconcile yin and yang, there can be no own position."

He then said with a smile: "It seems that Xu Shoufu wants to support Dong Weng's entry into the cabinet and preside over future reforms and reforms. That's fine, Uncle Da Zong can show his ambitions."

"Yeah, after studying for a lifetime and being an official for a lifetime, who doesn't want to realize the ambition in his chest, and the ultimate goal of cultivating Qi Zhiping is not to create peace for all generations." Yan Na fell on the snow again: "Actually, this There is nothing worth congratulating. Reform and reform have always been on known and unknown routes. Frost Sword? But, the opportunity has come, how can we miss it."

"Those who reformed in the past dynasties and never died, the one who died may be the enemy or you. But what does it matter. Grit your teeth and stomp your feet. Only in this way can you have no regrets in this life!"

His eyes were full of sparkles.

In fact, in the real history, Yan Na also entered the cabinet in the early years of Longqing, and made some reform measures together with Xu Jie and Gao Gong. As people of insight, Xu, Gao, and Yan were all aware of the country's The financial system has reached a point where it cannot be reformed.

It's just that Zhang Juzheng, who later came to power, took more radical measures.

When later generations mentioned that period of history, they only remembered Zhang Taiyue.

Long Wan's great reform, Long Wan Long Wan, in fact, this major reform from the Longqing Dynasty to Wanli was not the credit of Zhang Juzheng alone.

This is why Zhou Nan chose Yan Na.

Although the struggle among civil officials in the Jialong Wan Dynasty and the Three Dynasties was fierce, the style of scholars was not as corrupt as in the reign of Chongzhen.The scholar-bureaucrats also had political ideals and wanted to do things for the country and the nation.

In an instant, Yan Na had the solemnity of a martyr, and also a kind of impassioned excitement: "This post of cabinet minister, I swear that I will definitely get it."

Now that the master has made a decision, the people below will naturally be responsible for the specific implementation.Master Wang said: "I have another question."

Yan Ne: "Say it."

Master Wang: "How important is the position of cabinet minister, Xu Shoufu agreed to you so easily, and used all his strength to fight for Dong Weng. What does he want?"

Yan Na: "In the spring of February next year, according to the imperial examination system, the old man, as the minister of the Ministry of Rites, will be the grand master of the examination. After the examination, he will probably be able to join the cabinet."

Master Wang's heart is clear: It really is a political transaction, it's the best of both worlds, it's perfect!Just now Zhou Nan and Uncle Da Zong reached such a great tacit understanding with a few simple words, no wonder Zhou Sheren wanted to visit late at night under anonymity, this matter was really thoughtful.

Yes, Zhou Nan is now the banner of the Xu family. After the retirement of the first assistant in the future, he will fully accept the old Xu's political legacy and support the facade of the Songjiang Xu family.But Zhou Sheren has a huge shortcoming - he is not a Jinshi - and his future achievements are also limited.

If he won the Jinshi this time, and even sent him directly to the Hanlin Academy, what kind of favor would that be.

In exchange for Da Zongbo to flex his muscles in the political arena in the future, it is worth it!
(End of this chapter)