Chapter 207 Li Gan's layout! The tip of the iceberg
Faced with the tense atmosphere among the ministers, Cai Jing just smiled softly, patted the table, and signaled everyone to calm down.
"Don't worry yet."
He stroked his beard with a smile and said: "Anyway, no matter who the deputy examiner is, they will all be selected from my six films. The meat will always rot in the pot. In fact, there is not much difference in who will be the deputy examiner."
The ministers secretly rolled their eyes. It's not big for you, but how can it not be big for others?
Cai Jing looked towards the direction of the Ministry of Rites and said with a smile: "Selecting deputy examiners for the general examination is the responsibility of the Ministry of Rites. The decision on who to choose depends mainly on the Ministry of Rites."
The ministers turned their attention to the Ministry of Rites.
Sima Guang seemed to have expected that Cai Jing would have such a skill, and said to Cai Jing bluntly: "Master Cai, the eldest uncle told me a while ago that the position of deputy examiner for the general examination depends on your orders."
The decision of the Ministry of Rites is naturally a lot of gain, but now it is also an errand that offends people. If you give it to this person, you will definitely offend that person.
What's more, Wang Mang knew Cai Jing's plan. If he really asked him to give Han Mulu the deputy examiner, wouldn't he offend both Lu Yin and Yan Lide?
Cai Jing was stunned when he heard this, and subconsciously stroked his beard.
Wang Mang did not say it in person, but said it through Sima Guang's mouth. This was to leave room for the two sides to avoid coming to Taiwan if there was a real conflict...
"Since Wang Zongbo has such an idea, I won't force it."
Cai Jing chuckled. He was not the kind of person who would get things done. Since Wang Mang wasn't happy, why bother?
Originally, he was a little reluctant to share this benefit, but since Wang Mang couldn't see through it and thought it was a hot potato, he was eager to get it back.
"Then let's discuss it together and see how the examiner should decide."
When the ministers heard this, they immediately understood what he meant.
discuss?
Everyone has different opinions, what can they come up with? At that time, Cai Jing can only say whatever he says.
The ministers had no other better idea, so they all nodded in agreement.
After such a small meeting today, everyone understood that the key lies in Mr. Cai Jingcai.
So in the following period, Cai Jing's house was even more bustling with people coming and going.
Li Qian had been wandering around the capital a lot in the past two days, and naturally he also saw the grand occasion at Cai Jing's house.
Although he didn't know what Cai Jing was planning, he felt a little nervous. Could it be that Cai Jing had any other options? How could he deal with the unsuccessful ministers?
But no matter what, he can only continue to wait now. The situation has been laid out and cannot be changed.
The only thing Li Qian can do is to let Lu Bu keep an eye on the movements in Cai Jing's house so that he can react if something unexpected happens...
In the blink of an eye, days flew by.
Today Li Qian is reviewing memorials with Wu Meiniang and Lu Pheasant in Dongnuan Pavilion.
On the first day of the dynasty that day, Li Qian sealed all the concubines in his harem, even the smallest ones were promoted one level up.
As for Wu Meiniang and Lu Fei, they stayed with Li Qian all day long. Li Qian was naturally not stingy and promoted them to the position of ninth concubine.
The two women were both fifth-level talents before, but now they were promoted to three levels in a row. Naturally, they were very happy. Their enthusiasm for work also increased, and they were even more obedient to Li Qian.
But today when I was approving the memorial, I received an uninvited guest.
"Your Majesty, Wu Shenglan, the right minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, would like to see you."
"Please come in."
Wu Meiniang and Lu Zhi consciously walked to the side room, and soon Wu Shenglan walked in quickly under the leadership of the old eunuch, and thoughtfully closed the study door for Li Qian.
"Your Majesty's dragon body is the lifeblood of the world. Now in the depth of winter, you must pay attention to keep warm and don't freeze."
The old eunuch squinted his eyes and glanced at him secretly. Seeing the thick eyebrows and big eyes of this boy, he didn't expect that he was quite good at sneaking into the camp.
Li Qian smiled and waved his hand: "I'm already doing well here. I can't freeze in winter or get hot in summer. Please sit down at Wu Qing's house."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Wu Shenglan cupped her hands, then sat on a low stool beside her, and said seriously: "Your Majesty, I have something to report when I come today."
How new is that, you still run to me when you have nothing to do?
Li Qian felt a burst of curse in his heart, but a hint of curiosity appeared on his face: "I wonder what it is?"
Wu Shenglan subconsciously wanted to look around to rule out anyone eavesdropping nearby, but the next moment she thought that she was in the study room of Dongnuan Pavilion, where could anyone eavesdrop?
"Your Majesty, Su Ling'a, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, and I discovered a conspiracy a few days ago. I feel that this move is against the laws of the imperial court. Su Ling'a may also be targeted by someone with ulterior motives, so I came to report to you. Your Majesty will report this matter."
Li Qian was stunned. Could it be that they discovered some conspiracy of Cai Jing?
However, although he was excited in his heart, he didn't show any signs of it on his face. He just straightened up slightly to express his importance: "What conspiracy?"
Wu Shenglan said immediately: "Your Majesty, the candidate for the deputy examiner of this examination seems to have been decided by someone already, and it is Han Mulu, the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue."
"Ah?" Li Qian was stunned for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully: "Ah~"
Could it be that what he told Guan Peng finally spread?
Wu Shenglan was a little confused by His Majesty the Emperor's two "ah" sounds. What did it mean? Doubt? Surprise or fright?
Li Qian looked at him with a strange expression: "Did you get the news from the Ministry of Household Affairs?"
Wu Shenglan was startled and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty really shines a candle for thousands of miles. Su Ling'a learned about this from Guan Peng, the left minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs."
As soon as Li Qian opened his mouth, he realized something was wrong.
His Majesty the Emperor was not surprised at all. It seemed that he knew about this in advance!
Moreover, we also knew that the news came from Guan Peng's mouth. Although the matter was not fully made clear, it was already obvious that it was "information obtained from the Ministry of Household Affairs".
It is definitely not possible for Han Mulu to complain about this matter. How careless does he have to be to do this? So it can only be another minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Guan Peng!
Wu Shenglan had no time to think carefully about how His Majesty the Emperor knew about this matter. His intuition told him that this matter was not simple.
Now that something was wrong, Wu Shenglan's thoughts about claiming credit suddenly became a lot less, and she subconsciously wanted to pluck herself and Su Ling'a out.
"Your Majesty, from what I have seen, Guan Peng and Han Mulu are in the same household, so there must be a conspiracy between them."
Wu Shenglan said seriously: "It's just that Guan Peng's plan was not kept secret, and Su Ling'a was brave enough to uncover their conspiracy, so I asked my ministers to report it secretly to His Majesty."
Okay, just now it was he and Su Ling'a who broke up the conspiracy together, but now it's Su Ling'a alone.
Li Qian secretly laughed in his heart, but on his face he shook his head and said helplessly: "I have my own plans regarding Guan Peng, so the Wu Qing family can rest assured."
Wu Shenglan lowered her head, her face full of embarrassment.
How could he not understand after hearing this?
Guan Peng must have had an affair with His Majesty the Emperor, but he didn't expect to come back after a long circle. The news he found out happened to be released by others. This matter is too disturbing...
Li Qian chuckled and said: "But the two Qing family members are really brave and loyal people, and their courage is commendable. You also know that I can't reward you for this kind of thing, I can only do it secretly..."
Wu Shenglan said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, this kind of thing is the duty of a minister, how can you ask for a reward?"
You've made such a mistake, and you've already burned a lot of incense without being scolded, so what kind of reward do you need?
But Li Qian shook his head with a smile: "Anyway, I have remembered the sincerity of the two Qings. You two are the real ones who can be used!"
Wu Shenglan smiled and nodded: "This is what I should do."
Li Qian could actually roughly calculate the day when they got the news, and if nothing else happened, it would be the court meeting on Zhengdan day.
Because apart from that time, Heshen's people and Yan Song's people had almost no interaction with each other.
But why did Li Qian just come here today to report what happened at the great court meeting?
As long as you make some guesses, it is not difficult to find that these ten days are exactly the time it takes to send letters from the capital to Xingyang and back again.
I came here after asking He Shen for instructions.
"Since His Majesty is already confident, it would be better for me not to stay here any longer, lest someone with intentions notice me and ruin His Majesty's plan..."
Wu Shenglan saw that Li Qian had not spoken for a long time and was about to leave.
"Wait a minute."
Li Qian opened his mouth to stop him. He had already arrived at his door. How could he make his trip in vain?
Wu Shenglan secretly thought something was wrong, but she couldn't leave at this time.
Li Qian stood up, with a somewhat thoughtful look on his face: "What the Vice Minister Guan Peng said may be just hearsay, and you cannot believe it in full."
"After all, everything has not been settled yet. If we go out and talk nonsense at this time, it will be suspected of false accusation and slander."
Wu Shenglan was stunned for a moment, raised her head and met His Majesty the Emperor's eyes, and then suddenly understood.
What kind of false accusations and slanders? Isn’t it just that people will stop doing it for fear of alerting others?
"I understand." Wu Shenglan immediately replied with his hands in hand.
Li Qian nodded: "Let's go to Wu Qing's family first. Don't be too public until the dust settles."
There was a trickle of sweat on Wu Shenglan's forehead, but she was still not too showy? You always don't know Guan Peng's big mouth...
"I understand." Wu Shenglan nodded again.
Li Qian then smiled and said: "In that case, I won't keep you any longer."
Wu Shenglan hurriedly bowed and saluted: "I take my leave." After saying that, he quickly left.
In fact, after coming out of Dongnuan Pavilion, he gradually calmed down as the cold wind blew.
At this time, I carefully thought back to the conversation in the study just now, especially the last few words of His Majesty the Emperor, and I suddenly came back to it.
Before the dust settles, don't make it "too public", which means you can make it public in a small way and spread the word in a small area.
And after the dust has settled, it needs to be spread properly, preferably letting everyone know about it.
Thinking about it, Wu Shenglan gradually felt a chill in her heart.
Although he vaguely felt that something was not quite right about His Majesty the Emperor's recent reaction, he never thought that the Emperor was really holding something back.
If the deputy examiner really falls into the hands of Han Mulu, and there is such a rumor...
At that time, if Yan Lide and Lu Yin know that they have worked so hard in vain, and they help count the money when they sell it, they may be tempted to eat Cai Jing...
Wu Shenglan turned back subconsciously, glanced at the majestic Ziwei Palace, and then continued walking south.
The second thing that frightened him the most was that His Majesty the Emperor had such a long-term plan, and at the expense of his own face, he humiliated himself in court again and again, in order to paralyze everyone and achieve his own goals...
It's very scary to think about it. It turns out that this person is not young and vigorous. What the courtiers see is just a layer of clothing and a means to achieve their goals.
But what frightened Wu Shenglan the most was Guan Peng.
The second-in-command of the Ministry of Finance, Yan Song's core confidant, is now being commanded by His Majesty the Emperor, and is spreading news under his instruction...
Wu Shenglan didn't know whether Guan Peng did it willingly and deliberately for him, or whether His Majesty the Emperor had arranged it so that Guan Peng had become his tool.
But no matter what the situation is, it shows the strength of His Majesty the Emperor...
Thinking in his mind, Wu Shenglan walked straight to Su Ling's house without stopping.
At that time, only he and his brother Wu Shengqin knew about Su Ling'a's affairs. Wu Shenglan naturally wanted to settle Su Ling'a's affairs first, and then go home to deal with his brother.
However, when she arrived at Su Ling'a's house, the news she received made Wu Shenglan dumbfounded.
"What? Did you say it??"
He stared at Su Ling'a in front of him in stunned silence.
"Don't be so loud!"
Su Ling'a was wearing a large black silk cotton robe, dressed like a silly landlord. Hearing this, he rolled his eyes: "What are you doing? Is this a big deal? Guan Peng is still walking around all day long.
They’re shouting!”
"you……"
Wu Shenglan was so angry that his teeth itched. When he was in Dong Nuan Pavilion just now, he still thought that Guan Peng was a big mouth.
Unexpectedly, there is a mouth here that is bigger and looser than Guan Peng's. What is the mouth of this horse? This is the waistband of cotton trousers!
Guan Peng at least abides by the bottom line. He knows how to sell his tricks, but when he comes here, he shows off everything?
"Who did you tell??"
Wu Shenglan gritted her teeth and stared at him. If Cai Jing and his gang knew, it would be the end!
If the plan fails, His Majesty the Emperor will definitely investigate afterwards!
If he really found out that he and others were responsible for the trouble, wouldn't he be in trouble later?
"I didn't tell anyone..."
Seeing Wu Shenglan like this, Su Ling'a also felt that something was wrong, and her voice became quieter and quieter: "I just went to Brother Lide's house for a banquet a few days ago, and I mentioned it to him..."
"Yan Lide..."
Wu Shenglan was stunned for a moment, staring at Su Ling'a closely: "What was his reaction at that time?"
Su Ling'a tried hard to recall: "I drank too much at that time, and I was talking too much and couldn't speak clearly. He also drank a lot at that time, so he didn't really believe what I said..."
Wu Shenglan subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
But then Su Ling'a frowned and said: "But his brother was there at the time, I don't know if he heard clearly..."
"His brother..." Wu Shenglan was silent and thought carefully.
Su Ling'a looked at him tentatively: "What's wrong with you today? Didn't you say you were going to the palace to be a saint? Why are you like this as soon as you come back?"