Xie Qian was filled with mixed feelings. Just as he didn't know how to deal with the current situation, the doorman suddenly arrived at the entrance of the study again.

Xie Qian glanced at the door and asked, "What's the matter?"

The concierge replied: "Master, someone has come from the palace."

Xie Qian looked a little surprised. Liu Daxia gently twisted his beard under his jaw and said, "Yu Qiao, it must be your Majesty who summoned you into the palace. If you propose to beg for the old man to return to the land at this time, I am afraid that no one in the court will take charge. This stable country will also have great variables... You must think twice before you act."

Xie Qian's face was pitch black. He didn't look at Liu Daxia, and he frowned and thought. He was about to step out to greet the envoy from the palace, but suddenly he remembered something and turned around and picked up the previous begging bones.

Liu Daxia didn't say much, and the two went to the gate of the mansion together and saw people coming from the palace.

Then Xie Qiong returned to the backyard to change into court clothes and went to the palace to meet the saint. Liu Daxia also returned to the Ministry of War to make arrangements.

...

...

In the Ganqing Palace, Zhu Houzhao sat upright. This was the first time he had met with a court official since he took power, and it was a well-known cabinet minister like Xie Qian.

Zhu Houzhao's purpose is very simple, which is to try to win over and let Xie Qian help him do things so that the court will not fall apart.

But in terms of the political system of the Ming Dynasty, even if the three major officials in the cabinet resigned, there would be no chaos. The army was firmly controlled by the emperor and nobles, and the six ministries and the various temples and yamen were each responsible. The many talents were that anyone could operate normally without the court.

"...Mr. Xie, I have always respected your character. You have worked diligently in the court for many years. I have also heard your lectures on the lectures every day. I am your student. I will rely more on Mr. in the future for the court..."

When he reached the point where everyone was betrayed, Zhu Houzhao's mouth was very sweet. He knew that if he showed his attitude to deal with Liu Jian and Li Dongyang, he would become completely alone. From his perspective, he preferred a minister like Xie Qian who was good at observing his words and expressions and well-founded in advance and retreat.

Liu Jian and Li Dongyang are meticulous in dealing with people, as if they are strict elders, which makes people feel scared at first glance. Xie Qian is very easy-going, smiling at any time, and doing things more smoothly.

Another point is that Xie Qian and Chen Xi are close, and Zhu Houzhao has always trusted Chen Xi very much. She loves the house and the underworld, and Zhu Houzhao's favorable feelings for Xie Qian have doubled.

Xie Qian was not used to Zhu Houzhao's bad habits, so he took out his begging bones and stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the old man is old and is unable to handle the affairs of the court. Please let the old man return to his hometown Yuyao and take care of his old age. From now on, he will not ask about the affairs of the court..."

Zhu Houzhao was originally full of expectations, but after hearing this, her face turned dark instantly.

If Xie Qian said this in front of the court officials, the naughty child would definitely agree directly. But now Xie Qian is resigning in a private situation. Even if he wants to agree in anger, after careful consideration, doing so will only make the court chaotic and useless for the overall situation.

Zhu Houzhao persuaded him earnestly: "Mr. Xie, why bother with you? Didn't you know how Master Liu and Grand Secretary Li treat you before? You are the auxiliary minister of the cabinet. When your father was alive, he said that Mr. Xie's abilities are among the best in the cabinet. His father never favors anyone. Even his father said that Mr. Xie was suppressed. Now I stand up for you, why did he resign?"

Xie Qian closed his eyes and lowered his head, not wanting to say anything.

The three major ministers of the cabinet have been together for more than 20 years and have worked together to create a situation of "Hongzhi Revival". They should have advanced and retreated together. In Xie Qian's mind, even if Liu Jian and Li Dongyang were sorry for him, as a whole, the cabinet involved the face of the civil servant group, he still had to retreat.

Dai Yi winked Zhu Houzhao next to him, but Zhu Houzhao ignored it and continued to persuade: "Mr. Xie, if you leave the court, then there will be no Grand Secretary on duty in the cabinet. You have to select a group of people again. If you lack ability, you may still make the court chaotic. Mr. Wang would like to think about it... It really doesn't work. Please stay in the court for a while and ask for resignation in the future. How about it?"

Zhu Houzhao also learned to compromise. He did not demand that Xie Qian always assist him and proposed a compromise plan.

Xie Qian insisted: "Your Majesty, the old minister is indeed old and cannot bear the hard work of the court. Even if he is willing to assist His Majesty, he will probably not be able to take this responsibility."

Zhu Houzhao's nose wrinkled, and even her forehead was trembling slightly, and she seemed to be very angry. Finally, he said, "Let's do this, Mr. Xie, you can go home to rest at any time like now. As long as you stay in the cabinet and be a nominal prime minister, there will be no problem, right?"

Xie Qian was quite surprised by the emperor's words.

Originally, in Xie Qian's opinion, the emperor was just a child, with immature thoughts and impulsive actions, and could not be regarded as a qualified monarch. But after listening to Zhu Houzhao's words, he suddenly realized that the naughty child had grown up, his speech was clear and organized, and he should not be underestimated.

The emperor did not blindly seek extravagance, but instead looked for steps step by step, not only setting up a ladder for himself, but also Xie Qian.

Seeing that Xie Qian was determined, Dai Yi quickly persuaded: "Master Xie, if you retreat from the court now, the court will be in chaos. You don't want the Ming Dynasty to change because of this, right? Your Majesty is helpless. When the court discusses, Mr. Liu, Mr. Li and others are really... not giving His Majesty the face..."

In the past, Dai Yi was determined to stand on the side of Liu Jian and Li Dongyang, but now the situation is different. Dai Yi saw that the emperor had gradually reversed the decline. In order to avoid Zhu Houzhao settled the score later, he could only speak bad words from the emperor's standpoint of Liu Jian and Li Dongyang.

Zhu Houzhao took the opportunity to say, "Mr. Xie, just think that I beg you, please be sure to stay in the court. This is also the instructions my father had given you before his death!"

Xie Qian's eyebrows were full of embarrassment, thinking: "If you stay in the court, you can become the chief minister you have always dreamed of, but why is it so difficult to make this choice? I am getting a status now, but I'm afraid I'm going to be despised by the world?"

Thinking of this, Xie Qian shook his head: "Please give the old minister some time to consider... I can't agree directly."

Zhu Houzhao was not so nervous when she heard this. As long as Xie Qian said he had to consider it, it meant that Xie Qian was still a minister of the cabinet. Xie Qian did not resign for a day and used the principle of seniority in the cabinet to judge seniority, then he would definitely be the chief minister.

Zhu Houzhao said: "Mr. Xie, now that Liu Shaofu and Grand Secretary Li have left the cabinet, I wonder who do you think is suitable for becoming the new Grand Secretary of the cabinet?"

Xie Qian was stunned. He suddenly realized that Zhu Houzhao wanted to cultivate his own power. Only by following the emperor's wishes could he ensure his position in the court. If he did not follow, he would be kicked out after the transition period. No matter how much Zhu Houzhao said he respected him at this time, in fact, the emperor's determination to establish a set of loyalty to him after he took power will not change.

Liu Daxia hoped that Xie Qian could provide advice to the emperor on the selection of cabinet, but Xie Qian did not want to take on this important task, because if he was not careful, he would be dismissed by the civil servant group.

Xie Qian said: "The old minister has no suitable person to choose and recommend."

Zhu Houzhao said earnestly: "Mr. Xie, I sincerely ask you... I also know that only ministers from Hanyuan are qualified to enter the cabinet. I feel that many people in the court can be competent for this position, such as Liang Xueshi, and... Chen Qing's family, who has just been transferred to the Three Borders, are also from Hanyuan, and I think he has outstanding abilities..."

Xie Qian was shocked when he heard this. He did not expect Zhu Houzhao to propose that Chen Xi enter the pavilion.

In the past, Xie Qian would definitely hope that Chen Xi would join the court as the cabinet minister, and now he is the chief assistant. Chen Xi would not only assist him in his work, but also successfully hand over the shift, which would be perfect.

But now, Xie Qian's mentality has changed: "The court is in turmoil now. If Chenxi's son enters the court and becomes the minister of the government, wouldn't he be even more disgusted by scholars? Is it hard to stand alone at the forefront of the storm. If Chenxi also returns to the court and enters the cabinet, wouldn't it be that yellow mud falls into his crotch? It's either shit or shit?"

Xie Qian hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I'm sorry that the old minister said frankly that Shen Zhihou was not over twenty years old. If he entered the cabinet at this time, how would so many division commanders in the court handle themselves? Even if he was selected from Liang Chu, Wang Jiao, Wang Hua, Yang Tinghe and others, he would not be able to recommend Shen Zhihou to the cabinet!"

Zhu Houzhao thought for a while and asked, "What Mr. Xie said makes sense. Now that the Shen Qing family is still rushing to the three sides, it is not so suitable to immediately transfer back to the capital. Maybe we can wait for the next day... Mr. Xie thinks how good the character and talent of Mr. Jiao Jiao are, and whether he can do a cabinet errand?"

When Xie Qian heard the name "Jiao Fang", he was stunned again.

From any perspective, Jiao Fang is not an ideal candidate for joining the cabinet. When he was young, he was known as "unlearning and ignorant" in the Hanlin Academy. He has a sinister personality and is very isolated in the Hanyuan. Therefore, the three bigwigs in the cabinet, including Xie Qian, never trained Jiao Fang as a candidate for joining the cabinet.

When Zhu Houzhao proposed the ideal candidate in his mind, Xie Qian felt a little "splied" and suddenly realized a difficult problem:

The emperor is likely to train some officials who have conflicts with Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and others to enter the cabinet to ensure that the subsequent operation of the cabinet is not affected by the previous cabinet.

Xie Qian was considered a cunning old fox among court officials. Zhu Houzhao only said one sentence, and he knew the emperor's heart, and immediately said:

"Your Majesty, according to the cabinet selection criteria, candidates need to be nominated by the Ministry of Personnel and submitted to Hanyuan and the cabinet for review. Finally, it was agreed at the court meeting to determine the candidates based on the number of supporters. If Your Majesty insists on recommending someone to the cabinet, but he is unpopular in the court, then it will be difficult for the cabinet votes to be recognized by the court officials in the future, which is inappropriate."

Zhu Houzhao frowned and said, "According to Mr. Xie's intention, does Mr. Jiao's ability not meets the recognition of the court officials?"

Xie Qian shook his head: "All cabinet ministers must pass the review. If only Your Majesty appointed someone to enter the cabinet, it would inevitably lead to dissatisfaction."

Xie Qian originally thought that Zhu Houzhao would not adopt his opinion, but he insisted on his own actions. However, Zhu Houzhao seemed very humble, and nodded, "Mr. Xie said this, I will consider it as appropriate and prepare a list of candidates for joining the cabinet..."
Chapter completed!