"Feng Mingwen is still too young." Zhang Xingcai said hesitantly, "Even in the army, I'm afraid he won't be able to convince the veteran generals."
"Not to mention recording the affairs of the minister and taking charge of the affairs of the court. I'm afraid there will be many veterans who will object."
After a pause, Zhang Xingcai sighed inwardly when he saw that the emperor was a little confused:
Your Majesty is still too kind-hearted.
"Your Majesty, please think about it. Li Zhengfang is the assistant minister, and he has not been able to be appointed minister. However, Feng Mingwen, who is young and lacks qualifications, has suddenly become the head of the important ministers."
"How many people will criticize him? This will not only make people think that His Majesty is nepotistic, but it will also be harmful to Feng Mingwen's reputation."
"Therefore, we should not let Feng Mingwen record the ministerial affairs easily before the time comes."
After hearing this, Adou felt that the queen's words were very reasonable, nodded, and then said with a little regret:
"Feng Mingwen has extraordinary talents, and his ability to manage the army and the people is impressive. I never thought that his lack of achievements at this young age would become a shackle for him. It is a pity."
The queen's eyes flashed, then she touched her big belly and smiled slightly:
"Don't worry, Feng Mingwen is still young and there will be opportunities in the future."
Adou didn't hear the underlying meaning of the Queen's words. He thought about it honestly and remembered that Feng Mingwen was only as old as himself.
Then he said in agreement:
"What the Queen said is true. He is still young and will have many opportunities in the future."
As soon as these words came out, Adou's brows wrinkled a little:
"Li Zhengfang is not trustworthy, and Feng Mingwen is too young. According to the Queen's opinion, who will record the affairs of the minister in this court?"
Zhang Xingcai seemed to have expected it, and asked confidently:
"Why does someone have to record the affairs of the minister?"
When Adou heard the Queen's question, he was speechless. After a while, he said calmly:
"If no one records the affairs of the minister, what should happen to the affairs of the minister's desk?"
"The minister's order can handle all matters at the minister's desk. If your majesty is afraid that the minister's order will not be able to convince the public, you can let Feng Mingwen use his other duties to also handle the affairs of the minister's office."
"Ping Shang Shu Shi?"
"That's right. Feng Mingwen is not qualified enough to be a minister, but if he is allowed to be a minister and participate in confidential matters, there is nothing wrong with it."
Recording Shangshu affairs and plain Shangshu affairs are not the same thing.
Lu Shangshushi refers to commanding the Shangshutai, and the nominal head of the Shangshutai, Shangshu Ling, must also be subordinate to him. At the same time, he has the final authority to interpret all decisions made by the Shangshutai.
Pingshangshushi refers to participating in the government affairs of the Shangshutai. They can make suggestions for various decisions of the Shangshutai, but they cannot decide the final decision of the Shangshutai.
It can be said that although the status of Ping Shangshu Shi is also very high, it lacks one of the most critical rights than Lu Shangshu Shi.
Leaving aside other positions, in terms of handling the government affairs of Shangshutai alone, Shangshu Shi and Shangshu Ling are almost on the same level.
When Adou heard the Queen's arrangements for Feng Mingwen, he couldn't help but praise loudly:
"The queen still has a way!"
Then he continued to frown: "But there is still no suitable candidate for the person who records the affairs of the minister..."
The queen touched her forehead and sighed:
"Your Majesty, just let Jiang Wan and Feng Mingwen handle all matters at the Chancery through consultation. If there are any differences, Your Majesty can decide on his own."
"So, what's the difference if there are no records of ministerial affairs?"
Hearing the Queen's words, Adou was immediately shocked:
"Is this okay?"
"Why not?" The queen looked at the emperor with eyes like candles, and said quietly, "Is it possible that your majesty is afraid that you will have to deal with too many political affairs in the future and will have no time to play?"
Adou was shocked, waved his hands repeatedly, and said:
"Nothing, nothing! How could I have such thoughts?"
The Queen said earnestly:
"Your Majesty, my father-in-law has passed away. No one can protect us from the wind and rain in the future. In this world, we have to rely on ourselves."
When he mentioned his father-in-law, A Dou felt a little guilty on his face:
"How could I not know what the queen said? My prime minister has already done half of the work for me in restoring the Han Dynasty and returning it to the old capital. I will not disappoint the late emperor and my prime minister with the remaining half."
"The late emperor and my father-in-law knew each other well, and they will be happy for your majesty."
Adou didn't know whether the late emperor and his father-in-law were unhappy, but at this moment, when the little fat man remembered that his father-in-law had passed away, his heart was filled with sadness.
The next day, the emperor ascended to the court and issued an edict to inform his ministers that the prime minister had died of illness in Chang'an.
At the same time, an edict was issued. From the emperor down, all the officials in the court, all dressed in plain clothes, mourned for three days and cried to the north.
When the news reached Jincheng, the people of Shu shed tears and called out to the prime minister in sorrow.
Just when the whole country of the Han Dynasty was immersed in sorrow, some people were secretly happy, thinking that the opportunity had come.
Jincheng, Hussar General's Mansion.
"General, we have a visitor."
Li Ping, who has been idle for a long time, is dressed in plain clothes and has a sad look on his face.
He took the greeting card from the servant's hand, opened it and saw that the guest's name was written with the four characters "Guanghan Li Miao".
He couldn't help but say "Hey":
"What does Li Hannan mean by coming to the door at this time?"
"Does the general want to see him?"
"Where are the others?"
"Still guarding outside the mansion."
Li Ping looked at the dark night outside. At such a sensitive moment and taking advantage of the weather, this person might have ulterior motives for coming.
He waved his hand and threw the greeting card on the table: "Gone!"
"promise."
Just as the servant was about to turn around, Li Ping unexpectedly thought of something. He picked up the greeting card again and pondered for a while:
"Forget it, let him come in."
After a while, Li Miao entered the living room under the leadership of his servants.
Before he could see Li Ping sitting in the master's seat, he bent down deeply:
"Li Miao pays homage to the Central Protector."
Although the Hussars General is an important general, in fact, the identity that Li Ping valued most was the position of the Central Protector who unified the Chinese and foreign militaries.
Li Miao's name clearly meant that he had done his homework before coming here.
Li Ping had no intention of getting up, but just extended his hand to lead him:
"Li Jun, please sit down."
Li Miao quickly thanked him and then sat on it.
After the servants served tea, Li Ping asked: "I don't know why I'm here late at night, but what's the important matter?"
At this moment, Li Miao raised his head and looked at Li Ping.
A slightly chilly wind blew in from the cracks in the door and window of the living room, causing the flames of the burning candles to beat wildly.
Let the candle light be bright for a while and dim for a while.
Li Miao could not clearly see Li Ping's true expression.
He only saw the other person sitting there with his knees on his hands and his back still straight, like a hill.
The whole person looked solemn, tough, and proud.
The candlelight cast his shadow on the wall, twisting like a ghost.
Li Miao swallowed a mouthful of saliva with a flattering smile on his face:
"The Central Protector, Miao came here this time just to congratulate the Central Protector."
"Congratulations?" Li Ping said with a strange look on his face, "The Prime Minister passed away and the whole country was grieving. How can I be happy?"
"It is precisely because Zhuge Liang is dead that there is a happy event!"
Li Miao stretched his neck and approached Li Ping:
"The late emperor Baidi Cheng entrusted him with Zhuge Liang and the Central Protector to assist the emperor. However, the Zhuge family wanted to monopolize power, so they formed cliques and eliminated dissidents."
"If there is a way, many people can win gold, and three people can become tigers. Moreover, the emperor is young, unable to distinguish right from wrong, and easily believes in slander. Zhongdu Protector Kong has the name of assisting the government, but has no actual ability to assist the government."
"Although I am unknown, I am deeply indignant at what happened to the Central Protector. Fortunately, God has eyes. Zhuge Liang died of illness. All the ministers in the court, regardless of their high status, have no fault of the Central Protector."
"Nowadays, the government and the public are in turmoil, and people are uneasy. Everyone looks up to Venerable Delongwang to preside over the overall situation. If at this time, the Central Protector stands up to calm people's hearts and calm both the inside and outside."
"Then the emperor will be happy and all the ministers will support him. This can be said to be a minister assisting the government."
Li Miao talked for a long time, but felt a little dry in the mouth. He took the opportunity to drink tea and secretly observed Li Ping.
Unexpectedly, Li Ping still sat upright and did not move. The flickering candlelight could not illuminate the exact expression on his face.
But when Li Miao looked at the decoration in the living room, he felt extremely confident.
Not to mention other things, just these candles, even rich people would not dare to burn them like this on weekdays.
That is to say, Li Ping relied on his son Li Feng to have a great relationship in the Xinghan Society, so he had the means to get so many candles to use as candles.
It can be seen that Li Ping's extravagant style has never changed over the years.
If he is really willing to listen to Zhuge Liang, he should at least change his style a little and become simple and honest, shouldn't he?
He was thinking secretly when he heard Li Ping's deep voice:
"Li Jun said that he was an unknown person, but he was too humble. When the late emperor came to Yizhou, Li Jun rebuked the late emperor for breach of trust in front of all the ministers when he was celebrating."
"He even dared to say that if he had enough strength, he would help Liu Jiyu. His boldness shocked everyone. What does it mean to be unknown?"
Li Miao quickly raised his hands and said with a smile:
"Zhongdu Protector has won the prize."
Rebuking Liu Bei face to face for betraying his trust and still surviving was one of the most proud things in his life.
Li Ping said it to his face at this time, which really scratched Li Miao's itch.
But I heard Li Ping ask:
"Li Jun is so brave. Dare you ask me what I should do to convince the emperor to restore me to my old position and to assist the government again?"
When Li Miao heard this, he was immediately overjoyed and said secretly that it was just as I expected. The Protector had long wanted to come back.
So he quickly replied:
"Miao is not talented. I thought about it briefly before I came here. I just have an idea. If it can be used by the Central Capital Protector, it will be an honor."
"There is no need to be modest, Mr. Li, but please come."
Li Miao cleared his throat and said:
"Lü Lu (the nephew of Empress Lu, who took charge of the imperial army after her death), Huo Yu (son of Huo Guang) may not have rebellious intentions, and Xiaoxuan (Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty) is not a good king who kills his ministers."
"Why did the emperor and his ministers fight against each other later? It was just because the ministers were afraid of the king's pressure and the king was afraid of the ministers' hopes, so the king and his ministers were suspicious of each other."
“Zhuge Liang is the ‘father-in-law’ of the Son of Heaven. He can command the entire country’s military forces with just one man. He looks down upon us like a wolf and a tiger. Doesn’t that make the monarch always afraid of him?”
"There is a saying that 'the five great elements are not around'. Anyone who is a loyal minister has to be deeply worried about the danger of the emperor! Today, Liang passed away, and we are secretly happy because the whole family is intact."
Even though Li Ping could keep his composure, he couldn't help but take a breath after hearing Li Miao's words.
Li Miao can be described as a sinister and vicious villain!
The so-called Zhengdan rebuked the late emperor. If Zhuge Liang had not interceded afterwards, he would have been imprisoned and executed by Yousi.
Regardless of whether Zhuge Liang is what he said, he should not be the first to say such words when the opponent's body is still cold.
This person's character is truly cold and heartless.
His words really moved the emperor, and if such a big crime was suppressed, then Zhuge's family might have to be executed.
What kind of hatred does Li Miao have with Zhuge Kongming?
The living room was quiet for a long time.
Li Pingcai asked in an erratic voice:
"I remember that Li Jun is from Guanghan in Sichuan, right?"
Li Miao was a little confused as to why Li Ping didn't answer what he said and instead asked this question:
"Return to the Central Protectorate, that's right."
"Guanghan is where the Li family's ancestral home is, right? Back then, the Li family's three dragons were famous throughout Shu. The Li family really had many talents back then."
No wonder Li Miao worked so hard to discredit Zhuge Kongming.
Over the years, the Li family clan house has really turned into a real business of cultivating and studying family heirlooms.
Even apart from farming, I can hardly sustain my studies.
The foundation is almost gone, how can you not hate it?
Li Ping looked at Li Miao steadily:
"I remember that one of the three dragons of the Li family was your younger brother. Why not Mr. Li?"
Hearing this, Li Miao's face immediately turned purple.
When the Li family in Guanghan was most prosperous in the past few years, it was known as the Three Dragons of the Li family.
But there is no Li Miao among them, but there is Li Miao's younger brother. The reason is that he has an arrogant character, speaks uncontrollably, and has no moral character.
Li Ping's mention of this matter was tantamount to poking the deepest scar in Li Miao's heart.
"Zhongdu Protector, what do you mean by this?!"
Li Miao couldn't bear it. He stood up suddenly and asked angrily.
"What I mean is, let you go!"
Li Ping also stood up suddenly and said sternly:
"You idiot! What are all these things! Is the matter between me and Kong Ming something you and other pigs can't comment on?"
Whether they fight or hate, Kong Ming and himself are both auxiliary ministers entrusted by the late emperor.
Whoever loses and who wins is a fight between two tigers.
Even if he loses power again, he will still be a defeated mountain tiger. How can he associate with a pig like Li Miao?
To treat Li Ping in such a bad light is simply too much!
Li Miao ran away from Li's house with his head in his arms. Li Ping sat on the chair blankly, his back, which was originally as straight as a mountain, suddenly collapsed.
"You're gone, Kong Ming, you're really gone!"
Li Ping murmured to himself, the look on his face was both sad and angry.
"How could you just leave like that?"
His voice gradually became shriller, "If you leave, who in the world will still know me? Who can still use me!"
"Kong Ming, you can't be so unreasonable. You are obviously younger than me, how could you leave before me?"
As he spoke, Li Ping clenched his fist and slammed it on the desk, causing the tea cup to jump up with a bang, and the spilled tea wet the table.
Li Ping shed tears, gritted his teeth, and his face became distorted:
"Without Kong Ming in the world, Li Zhengfang has no hope in this life! I hate him!"