Cen Wenwen lowered his head, drank tea, and seemed unaware of the gazes around him. He seemed completely unmindful of Liu Jie's sudden appearance and aggressiveness.
Is it because the day when you will become an official is not far away and you don’t care about it?
Is it because he is old, frail and lacks energy, unable to do anything in the face of Liu Jie's sudden rise?
Or maybe Liu Jie's sudden rise today had his permission in advance?
…
The civil servants and military officers in the hall gathered together. Faced with this change that was likely to affect the power structure of the East Palace, they all remained silent, feeling as if they were in a stormy sea.
Even Li Chengqian looked at Liu Ji meaningfully.
He didn't care about Liu Jie's sudden rise and established a new branch. For the leader, the important thing is to maintain the balance of the power structure so that all parties are in a state of complementarity and mutual restraint. Only in this way can the stable implementation of the regime be ensured.
Highlighting the importance of the superior, as for who is restricting whom, it is not that important.
They are all loyal ministers. Even if the superior has his own likes and dislikes, he cannot favor one over the other. "Rewards and punishments are clear" and "a bowl of water is balanced" is what the superior should do.
Cen Wenwen was very old. If it hadn't been for this sudden mutiny, he would have already retired from office and returned home, enjoying the happiness of his family with his grandchildren. The power system he represented would have collapsed after he took office. Now Liu Jie has taken over.
, which can ensure the orderly transfer of power.
Use Liu Jie to check and balance Xiao Yu, and then use the civil service system represented by Liu Jie and Xiao Yu to check and balance the military represented by Fang Jun and Li Jing. These mutual constraints and a complete structure can ensure the stability of the power of the East Palace.
Of course, the premise of all this is that the East Palace can successfully survive the mutiny and that he, the prince, can ascend the throne...
…
Li Chengqian was not surprised when he heard Liu Jie's plea to take over the peace talks. The peace talks were fully promoted by the civil servants of the East Palace. If it could be completed in Liu Jie's hands, he would rise to power and be on an equal footing with Xiao Yu and Cen Wenwen without any objections.
.
Li Chengqian looked at Cen Wenwen and asked, "What advice does Zhongshu Ling have?"
He gave Cen Wenwen enough respect. After all, his identity, status, and qualifications were the first among civil servants, and he was on par with Xiao Yu. When faced with the challenge to his status by Liu Jie, a newly promoted minister, he defended him and did not want to let Cen Wenwen.
The text is too embarrassing.
Of course, if Cen Wenwen retreats bravely and is willing to give up all activities, that would be another matter...
Cen Wenwen put down the tea cup and said slowly: "I am old and frail, and my energy is low. I should have retired from official service at this moment. It was only because of the sudden rise of the rebels and the endangerment of the country that I plucked up the courage to help His Highness correct the chaos and safeguard Zhengshuo."
.As for the peace talks, it is indeed beyond our capabilities. Since the servant is not afraid of difficulties and has the courage to shoulder the heavy responsibility, I can only be happy."
The hall became increasingly silent.
Fang Jun was a little stunned and just wanted to shout "Good guy"!
In order to fight for power, that old guy Xiao Yu even gave up his face. He went into battle shirtless and became red-faced with the military. Now he dragged his old bones and took the risk to Tongguan to try to persuade Li Ji. But he hasn't come back yet and was suddenly killed.
Got a hard stab in the back.
Obviously, Cen Wenwen has reached a private agreement with Liu Jie, and Liu Jie will inherit Cen Wenwen's political resources and support him to become another major force comparable to Xiao Yu. At the same time, Liu Jie will accept Cen Wenwen's team.
The children of the clan protect these people.
A power change in the imperial court has been completed quietly without anyone noticing. When Xiao Yu returns to Chang'an, he will face the split civil service system and the challenge of Liu Jie, a newly promoted civil servant.
…
Fang Jun couldn't help but mourn for Xiao Yu.
Li Chengqian looked around at the civil servants and military officers in the hall. After a while, he nodded and said: "The servant has the courage to take on the responsibility and is loyal to the country. I am very pleased. I will leave the peace talks to the servant. I hope that the servant will work tirelessly and forge ahead. In the future,
The country will be stable, the country will be harmonious, and the achievements of the servants will be recorded in the annals of history and praised by all people."
Liu Ji bowed his hands to the ground and said: "Thank you for your trust, Your Highness. I will do my best and my heart will be ruined!"
After getting up, although he tried his best to suppress the excitement in his heart, the red glow on his face could not be concealed no matter what. He looked very satisfied and excited.
Every step of promotion in the civil service system is accompanied by treacherous calculations, especially when reaching the highest level above the court, where the right time, place, and people are indispensable. It is by no means a matter of merit alone. Now the situation in the East Palace seems to be
It is dangerous, but as long as peace talks are brokered and the status of the East Palace is stabilized, he, Liu Jie, will be promoted to the highest level of the civil service and become a big boss.
To take a step back, even if the rebels win in the end and the East Palace is destroyed, Liu Ji will have enough capital to fight against the Guanlong clan by virtue of his current status.
What's more, as long as he can promote peace talks, even Xiao Yu can't suppress him.
Li Ji, the leader of the prime ministers and assistants, is untouchable, but his status is aloof, and now that he is leading troops outside, his actions of watching the fire from across the bank must be deeply suspicious of the prince. If nothing unexpected happens, the day when the prince ascends the throne will be the time when Li Ji steps down.
At this time, Liu Jie can compete for the position of "below one person and above tens of thousands of people".
The pinnacle of life is just around the corner.
…
Fang Jun watched with cold eyes, watching the huge changes in the civil service system taking place before his eyes, then turned around and whispered to Ma Zhou beside him: "When did this guy get in touch with Cen Jingren?"
For a big boss of this status, he cherishes his political resources very much. Even if he retires, he will be prepared for his successor. He must not only rely on his successor to support his clan and children, but also let his successor accept his own.
Afterwards, the political resources are used up and wiped out, and the account is not acknowledged.
Therefore, this process is extremely long and cautious, and cannot be accomplished overnight, because when you step back, all the right to speak will be completely lost. If you meet someone who is not kind, you will suffer a big loss and there will be no place to make amends...
Ma Zhou shook his head and said calmly: "I never care about these things."
Fang Jun laughed.
If there really are "pure ministers" in history, Ma Zhou can probably be counted as one. This famous minister was not only "no party", but even "no friends". He never formed cliques and refused to be attached to anyone. He
It was His Majesty Li Er who made a simple move. The reason why he supports the East Palace now is because the prince has "great honor and righteousness", not because following the prince can achieve the feat of being a follower of the dragon.
Even though he was close to Fang Jun, he rarely had official contacts. He only had a few drinks in private and rarely talked about official matters.
All his mind is devoted to government affairs, he is not distracted, and he forgets to eat and sleep. He is truly a model of a famous minister...
Fang Jun reminded: "Although you have emerged from the mud and are untainted, as Jing Zhaoyin, if this peace negotiation succeeds and the court stabilizes, with your status, I am afraid there will be constant troubles."
The Jingzhao Mansion governs the important areas of the capital, and the area under its jurisdiction is the center of the empire's economy and taxation. Although it is only a governor, its official rank is from the second rank, which is the same level as the minister's left and right servants. He is a proper court boss. Note that he is regarded as a court boss.
Zhongshu Ling, Shizhong, and even the six ministers and the generals of the Sixteenth Guards, who are the prime ministers and assistants, are only of the third rank...
It is conceivable that if Liu Jie wants to completely control the court and fight against Xiao Yu, he must win over Ma Zhou, a high-ranking Jing Zhaoyin. But Ma Zhou disdains forming cliques, so he will definitely offend Liu Jie, and Liu Jie
Naturally, he tried to get Ma Zhou away and tried to take the position of Jing Zhaoyin himself, thus overpowering Xiao Yu.
Ma Zhou glanced at Fang Jun, frowned and said, "Why do I think you are gloating about others' misfortune?"
Then he said: "Are you really not worried about the current situation at all?"
It is said that his start of war has put the peace talks on the verge of collapse, making it difficult to continue. Once the peace talks completely collapse, what will follow will naturally be a resumption of fighting between the two sides. With the current strength of the East Palace, even if the Anxi Army can arrive in time, it will
It’s hard to say that victory is inevitable.
The situation is unpredictable.
Fang Jun raised his eyebrows and said: "Peace talks for the sake of peace talks will only make Guan Long push for more and be greedy. In the end, even if the peace talks are achieved, the majesty of the East Palace will be wiped out and most of the power will be given up. Even if His Highness ascends the throne in the future,
Faced with Guan Long's suppression, their prestige is completely lost. Only by beating Guan Long hard and painful will they sit down and negotiate honestly and not dare to make unreasonable demands. Whether it is Xiao Yu or Cen
Regardless of the text, everything is out of order at the moment. If they are allowed to lead the peace talks, the outcome is conceivable, and we cannot let them do whatever they want."
"hehe."
Ma Zhou sneered and said that Xiao Yu and Cen Wenwen were talking nonsense?
Who can be more foolish than you!
Then, he turned his head and looked around. Seeing that no one was paying attention to the two of them, he leaned forward slightly and asked Fang Jun in a low voice: "Why do I think you are not trying to increase the bargaining chip at all, but are completely rushing to stir up trouble?"