On this day, Shen Yi, Shen Zhongcheng, the Prime Minister of Shandong Province, who had not returned to the provincial capital for a long time, generously treated his subordinates in Jinan to a meal, and it was in the top restaurant in Shandong. The meal cost almost two hundred taels of silver. .
After drinking and eating, Mr. Shen and Mr. Zhang returned to the governor's office together. Shen Zhongcheng personally made Zhang Fantai a cup of strong tea to relieve his hangover. After the two had a cup, Zhang Jian drank it all and asked : "The war in the north should be clear now, right?"
Mr. Shen nodded silently and said, "The situation is very good, but the fight didn't go as I wanted."
Zhang Jian was a little curious and asked: "How do you say it?"
Shen Yi rolled his eyes at him: "Isn't it because you have no money and food in the rear?"
"If we have enough money and food, I will be cruel now and directly send troops to surround Yandu. Then I can show off the evil spirit I did more than seventy years ago. It's better now. This way, slowly pushing north, Zhu Li's main force can calmly withdraw outside the pass. go."
Zhang Jian smiled and said: "It is already very good to be able to win and take back our hometown. Let alone the distance, who would have thought of today five years ago?"
"I can."
Shen Yi answered confidently.
Zhang Jian said helplessly: "Yes, Shen Zhongcheng, you still have far-reaching thoughts."
Mr. Shen took a sip of tea and said slowly: "Whether or not these old grudges are avenged actually doesn't matter to me. After all, my family has lived in the south for a long time and I was not an expatriate who moved south back then."
He paused and sighed: "I'm just afraid that if I'm beaten like this today, some people in the court will point their fingers at me in the future and scold me for indulging the barbarians and supporting the bandits."
This was a bit sensitive. It would have been difficult to say it out unless it was one of his own. Zhang Fantai, who was half drunk, woke up almost immediately. He raised his head and looked at Shen Yi. He didn't speak for a long time. After a while, Zhang Jiancai clenched his fist and said in a low voice: "The current situation is like this. Zi Heng can do this, he is already a genius that has not been seen in thousands of years. If anyone dares to talk like this in the court in the future, no one else will tell him." I, Zhang, am the first one who cannot tolerate him!"
He paused and continued: "Furthermore, the entire battle situation has been recorded in Zhongshu, and the five prime ministers are also witnesses. No one can blame Ziheng for this!"
Mr. Shen smiled: "Which of the prime ministers is not in his twilight years? Even Uncle Zhao is already over sixty years old this year."
When Shen Yi first entered Jiankang in the fifth year of Hongde, Zhao Changping had just turned fifty and was a young man in the court. But now, it is already the eighteenth year of Hongde, and Zhao Changping, the original minister, is already sixty-four years old. Already.
Although this age is not too old for a prime minister, for people of this era, he is already a rare elder.
"In the future, a new generation will replace the old ones."
Mr. Shen said in a determined tone: "Someone will definitely talk about this matter, and someone will definitely use this matter to criticize me."
Zhang Fantai stretched out his hand and scratched his head, and then became a little annoyed: "People who don't do things have all kinds of troubles, but those who don't do anything can easily criticize others!"
Shen Yi patted Zhang Jian on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Senior brother, don't worry, this is not a big deal to me. It's just a verbal dispute at most, nothing to do with it."
"I'm just talking to you, senior brother, and I won't mention it to anyone else."
Zhang Fantai sighed silently.
"Most people who are successful will have some troubles like this. For example, as a brother, although I haven't done much in Shandong, there are still people saying behind my back that I am dictatorial, saying that I..."
"Using the position of chief executive to take charge of the affairs of the governor."
Mr. Shen burst into laughter: "There is no trace of me as the governor. I won't come to Jinan a few times throughout the year. If senior brother can't do the governor's job, I will really have a headache."
"OK OK."
Shen Yi added a cup of tea to Zhang Jian, poured another cup for himself, and laughed softly: "Brother has already done a great job in the governance of Shandong. Let us brothers work together to complete the matter of conferring Zen in Mount Tai. When the time comes, senior brother will have another one." Credit.”
"In the future, when my senior brother takes over from Uncle Zhao, I hope that my senior brother will take good care of me."
Zhang Jian rolled her eyes at Shen Yi: "Talk nonsense again."
"Why is this nonsense?"
Mr. Shen smiled and said: "Sooner or later, I will be relieved of my duties as governor. After I leave office, your Majesty can't find a second candidate besides senior brother. Senior brother will be qualified to be the prime minister after serving as governor for three years."
"What's so strange about worshiping the prime minister at the age of forty?"
Zhang Jian lowered his head to drink tea and said calmly: "My eldest father asked me to work in the local area for another ten years. I will not consider the matter of Zhongshu now."
Mr. Shen said in a leisurely tone: "It has been too long since the old Prime Minister left office. The old Chen in the early years is very different from the current Chen. The officials of this province in Shandong will all be my senior's disciples and former officials in the future, which is enough to support my senior to become the prime minister."
"Both master and disciple entered the meeting hall and passed it on to future generations. It is also a good story."
Zhang Jian looked at Shen Yi, but still resisted the temptation, shook his head and said: "Don't coax me, I still want to be an official in a down-to-earth manner."
Lord Shen laughed loudly: "When I meet Your Majesty, I must praise my senior brother in front of Your Majesty."
Zhang Fantai was thoughtful and asked: "When will Your Majesty arrive in Shandong?"
Mr. Shen lowered his head and calculated: "It will take about ten days and a half, but the first stop will definitely not be Jinan, but Qufu, Yanzhou."
Zhang Jian nodded silently: "In the past few days, I have finished handling the matters at hand, and we will go to Qufu to meet him together."
Shen Zhongcheng shook his head and said: "You and I are officials of the provincial government, and we should greet you at the border of Shandong Province."
Zhang Fantai was stunned for a moment, then sighed: "Then we have to go out a few days earlier. I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep these days."
…………
In mid-July, the emperor's chariot arrived at the border of Shandong.
Shen Yi, Zhang Jian and other important officials from the governor's yamen and the third division's yamen were waiting ten miles away from the border of Yutai Province to welcome the Holy Master.
When the emperor's chariot came closer and closer on the official road, Shen Yi, Zhang Jian and others rushed to greet it. Then all the officials from Shandong knelt on both sides of the road. Zhang Jian and Shen Yi Kowtow and salute before the emperor's dragon chariot.
"I am the governor of Shandong, Shen Yi."
"I am the chief envoy to Shandong, Zhang Jian."
"Kowtow to Your Majesty."
The dragon chariot stopped, and His Majesty the Emperor opened the curtain. He first looked at Shen Yi, and before getting off the carriage, he glared at Sun Jin next to him: "Why don't you go help Shen Qing up?"
This is where Sun Jin is inferior to Gao Ming. He is far less discerning than Gao Ming. If Eunuch Gao was accompanying him at this moment, Gao Ming would have already stepped forward to help the person without the emperor having to say anything.
Sun Jin responded quickly, stepped forward quickly, and helped Shen Yi up. While supporting him, he said: "Master Hou, get up quickly, get up quickly."
When Mr. Shen stood up, His Majesty the Emperor had already stepped forward quickly. He held Shen Yi's sleeves with both hands, with a smile on his face: "I have missed Qing Shen for a long time."
"After more than half a year of separation, Shen Qing gave me countless good news."
His Majesty the Emperor said sincerely: "The so-called ministers of humerus should be ministers like Shen Qing."
Shen Yi bowed slightly and said respectfully: "Your Majesty has given me too much praise. Now that the Northern Expedition has not been completed, all my achievements are still in vain and have never come true. Your Majesty does not deserve such praise."
The emperor pulled Shen Yi's sleeve and said with a smile: "That's it for now, I'm satisfied."
After saying that, he looked back at the driver behind him and said to Sun Jin: "Go, let the two of them get out of the car and walk around to meet people."
Sun Jin quickly lowered his head and quickly came to the car behind the emperor. He invited two children to get out. The older of these two children was only eight or nine years old, and the younger was six or seven years old. Shen Yi had seen both of them before.
But unlike the last time, this time when the two children saw Shen Yi, without saying a word, they simply knelt down on the ground and kowtowed to Shen Yi.
"Meet uncle."
"Meet uncle."
Mr. Shen froze on the spot at first, and then hurriedly stepped forward to help him.
"Your Highnesses, get up quickly, get up quickly."
I recommend a new book by an old friend and author, from the Chongzhen Dynasty. Friends who are interested can check it out!