"That's really what the Book of Heaven says." Wang Yehao frowned.
"Exactly."
"That's difficult." Wang Yehao frowned and said, "Yuan Qiao (Wen Tiren) is bound to be punished. In order to prevent him and Zhou Yanru from entering the cabinet, Mr. Shouzhi (Qian Qianyi) created a feud. Although Shouzhi was forced After resigning and returning home, Yuan Qiao did not give up. Over the years, he has been secretly collecting Shou's shortcomings and preparing to give him a fatal blow. If it is as you said, there is a great opportunity this year, how can he let it go? "
"The students are also worried about this, so they come to ask the master."
"It's inappropriate, it's inappropriate." Wang Yehao shook his head repeatedly, "Yuan Qiao has been in the cabinet for seven years, and he can be said to be a simple person in the emperor's heart. Everything goes smoothly and everything goes as expected. No one in the court should look up to him! Although he claims to be 'the only one with a single destiny' ', In fact, there are party members in both the government and the public, and even the ministers in the cabinet dare not disobey his wishes. The government and the public call the emperor 'suffering from a plague'. Even if we try to persuade him, he will not believe it, and we are afraid that he will get burned."
"The master is right, but if Zheng Kun's proposal comes to fruition" Zhou Lezhi showed great worry on his face.
"That's what you're worried about, sir. But don't worry too much, sir." Wang Yehao said, "The fat man (Yang Sichang) summoned the right people in Qianqing Palace a few days ago. He said that when fighting outside, we must make peace inside. He strongly advocated that the rogue bandits should be suppressed first. , and later guarded the Donglu and Kun thieves. The emperor deeply agreed. It can be seen that the emperor has already had a holy judgment in his mind regarding Kun's peace negotiation."
"I'm afraid it's not reliable." Zhou Lezhi has never been an official, but his understanding of the emperor is not inferior to that of the old official in front of him. "The emperor has always been stubborn but not firm in his will. Once the peace talks are leaked, it will inevitably The court discussion is fierce, and given the emperor's character, he will start to suppress him again if he turns against him."
"Be careful what you say!" Wang Yehao lowered his voice, "Although we are talking in a secret room, we must be respectful to the emperor."
Zhou Lezhi responded with a half-smile: "Yes."
"However, what you said makes sense." Wang Yehao had been an official for many years, so he didn't know the emperor's personality. He pondered for a moment and said, "You must not go to Yuan Qiao to dissuade you. Otherwise, you will get burned. This person has a very bad reputation both inside and outside the court. We are not his party members and cannot do such a thing."
"If that's the case, I'm afraid that the peace plan" Zhou Lezhi looked worried.
"It doesn't matter." Wang Yehao said thoughtfully, "Since the emperor is determined to appoint the fat man to the Ministry of War, it means that he still has to 'settle down' his family first. Although peace cannot be reached, this suppression is probably just a story of false promises."
He then talked about Yang Sichang's recommendation that Xiong Wencan stay as governor of Guangdong and Guangxi.
"If we really want to carry out a painful suppression, there is absolutely no reason to let Xiong Wencan take the blame. As for Fu Zonglong, the emperor is just planning to give him a governor of southern Jiangxi. Following the example of Donglu and rogue bandits, the suppression of Kun spans several provinces. The commander-in-chief is either the commander-in-chief or the prime minister, so he can coordinate and direct the affairs. How can he be a governor?"
"So, the emperor is also telling a false story?"
"That's right! After all, the court discussions are fierce, and the emperor cannot help but be wary. Especially this bandit, who has been trapped in two provinces - although they are both frontier places, they still have chief secretaries. Officials from Guangdong in the DPRK are also not Young Master, now that Guangdong has been occupied for more than two years, the imperial court must have a gesture to appease him." Wang Yehao said, "In my opinion, the suppression of Kun is an arrow on the string, but the arrow is made of wood."
"It would be a great blessing if this is true!" Zhou Lezhi breathed a sigh of relief.
It is a pity to lose a battle, lose thousands of men and horses, and waste more than 100,000 silver. At least it will not hurt your muscles and bones.
"It's just that Xiong's heart is in danger!" Wang Yehao whispered, "This time the campaign failed, he will have to bear the blame for losing the responsibility of Guangdong and Guangxi."
"Where is Fu Zonglong?"
"This is someone the fat man is planning to use, and everything will be fine. If the fat man can pacify the bandits, and the next step is to pacify the thieves, he will definitely be used."
"This will put students at ease."
"Yes, Fushe is now very popular, and there are many scholars from Guangdong in it. If we insist on making peace, we are afraid that Fushe will be offended to death. Don't forget that we also have arrangements in Guangdong. If we really If they are offended, these arrangements will be useless."
"The master is right." Zhou Lezhi couldn't help but express his admiration.
"The only plan for now, I think, is to get along well with Fushe. Although Tianru is currently idle at home, his reputation in the government and the public is growing. If according to what the heavenly book says, he can restore Zhou Yanru to the prime minister. This person and Fushe The energy cannot be underestimated. Moreover, they are anti-Kun. If you can make good friends with them, it will be a great help to the great cause of anti-Kun in the future."
Zhou Lezhi naturally can only do it. After all, he was not familiar with the operations above the court, and it all depended on Mr. Wang's control.
"In that case, Zhang HanRegarding the matter, I can do some tricks to show my favor to Zhou Yanru. "He reminded.
"It goes without saying. Since the heavenly book says that Yuan Qiao will never have a chance to turn over, there is no need to worry." Wang Yehao said, "It's just that you said that Yizhai (Zhou Yanru) will not be long after he becomes prime minister"
"It won't be long before Yi Zhai is here, we'll see if he can agree with us." Zhou Lezhi said, "That's all the book of heaven can say."
Wang Yehao nodded and said, "You have to be careful these days."
"Thank you, sir."
"You ask me?" Leng Ningyun smiled, "Of course I agree."
When he spoke, he was in Delong's secret room, meeting with Xuanzang who came in disguise.
Although in theory he does not need to be on the front line in person, nor does he have to interview Leng Ningyun. But he still decided to take the risk and come to the capital. The first is to discuss the future layout of the Capital Station with Leng Ningyun, and the second is to get an on-the-spot understanding of the situation in the Capital.
"I thought you were going to continue to take advantage of him." Xu Xu said jokingly.
"I'm not that mean. I even hired the God of Wealth. My life was almost in danger" Leng Ningyun smiled, "But having said that, if he is still the top of Eunuch Yang's heart, I really have to consider it. But they have already If father and son turn against each other, Yang Tianliang will not be of much use anymore."
"That's what I think too." Xu Xu said, "Not only is this little Eunuch Yang greedy, but he is also so courageous. Keeping him here will definitely be a disaster."
"What are you going to do?"
"I have evidence in my hand that he intended to kill Eunuch Yang. Take it to Eunuch Yang Eunuch Yang will deal with him first!" Xu Xu said.
Leng Ningyun shook his head and said: "Although Yang Tianliang was merciless to his adoptive father, the two of them have severed their ties. But now Eunuch Yang has turned against the rat. Yang Tianliang is not an ordinary eunuch now. He can just say 'drag him out and beat him to death'. Not only does he have a job, but he also leaves It leads to Wang Zhixin. How dare Eunuch Yang touch him? If he insists on touching him, Wang Zhixin will take this opportunity to blackmail him, and he will have to bleed heavily to close the gap. He doesn't dare to do this."
"That means we can only take action."
"That's right. After all, Eunuch Yang is still valuable to us." Leng Ningyun said with a smile, "Just yesterday, he sent back another hundred thousand taels of silver."
"Good guy, these eunuchs are so shameless!"
"How about making money? It's not shabby." Leng Ningyun said with a smile, "Let's talk about the only way in the palace is him, so Eunuch Yang has to deal with it. For me, getting rid of Yang Tianliang is a good thing, otherwise Dealing with two fathers and sons at the same time - they are still suspicious of each other. This is difficult to handle. "
He took a sip of tea and continued: "Yang Tianliang is smart, capable, and greedy. He is a very troublesome customer. In contrast, Eunuch Yang is already old. Although he is an old fox, he also likes to listen to pleasant words. There is still something in him. It can squeeze out a lot of resources - I'm not just talking about money."
"You are talking about the relationship within the palace, right?"
"Yes, Chongzhen, like most emperors of the Ming Dynasty, trusted his domestic slaves more. Especially the group of eunuchs he brought from Prince Xin's mansion. Although Eunuch Yang is not his direct descendant, he has been quite involved in these years, and has worked closely with these eunuchs. We all have a good relationship. How else could you get me so many deposits?" Leng Ningyun said, "This is just a benefit. Needless to say, the benefits in terms of intelligence, the eunuch's news comes faster and more accurately. But I It felt like we were neglecting another aspect of the work of senior management."
"What?"
"Influence."
¡°Lobbying?¡±
"Exactly." Leng Ningyun nodded repeatedly, "Although officials and eunuchs are all 'death-worthy' and 'sacred wise', they all appear to be 'holy dictators', but in fact they all have their own ways to influence the court situation. This In fact, the eunuch's influence is not inferior to that of the cabinet. Let's take Wen Tiren, who is going to be unlucky this year. If Qian Qianyi hadn't written an inscription for Wang An, and Cao Huachun came to the rescue out of this affection, Qian Qianyi would probably As long as the number of people is not saved, Wen Tiren, the chief minister of the cabinet, can probably stay in office for a few more years."
"What kind of government situation do you want to influence through eunuchs?" Xu Xu smiled.
"It doesn't necessarily have to be through eunuchs," Leng Ningyun said a little excitedly at this moment, "There are also people who can cooperate among the ministers. We can now slowly cultivate agents."
"Agent, we want to overthrow the Ming Dynasty"
"Overthrowing the Ming Dynasty is a matter for later." Leng Ningyun said with a smile, "Aren't the lessons of Guangdong and Guangxi not enough? How much will it cost to rule directly? What if, I mean what if, the imperial court is willing to negotiate peace with us? Sign a trade deal with us Agreements and the like"
¡°Another five-port trade?¡±
"Don't you think this model is more cost-effective economically? It is also in line with the current financial situation of the Senate, which is about to go bankrupt."
"What a beautiful idea! Can Chongzhen agree?"
"Take your time!" Xu Xu said, "After the Manchus entered the customs, many bandits from all walks of life became the pillars of the imperial court. In the end, Emperor Yongli's empress dowager thought of asking for help from the Portuguese. As long as the time comes, what possibilities are there? There will be. Let's build a team of agents now, which will be very useful in the future."
Xu Xu thought for a while: "What you said makes sense. But it's not that simple. After all, most of the higher-ups still have a stereotype about us. They just think that we have strong ships and powerful guns and are good at doing business."?? "
"Don't you think this model is more cost-effective economically? It is also in line with the current financial situation of the Senate, which is about to go bankrupt."
"What a beautiful idea! Can Chongzhen agree?"
"Take your time!" Xu Xu said, "After the Manchus entered the customs, many bandits from all walks of life became the pillars of the imperial court. In the end, Emperor Yongli's empress dowager thought of asking for help from the Portuguese. As long as the time comes, what possibilities are there? There will be. Let's build a team of agents now, which will be very useful in the future."
Xu Xu thought for a while: "What you said makes sense. But it's not that simple. After all, most of the higher-ups still have a stereotype about us. They just think that we have strong ships and powerful guns and are good at doing business."