"The public protection of reputation is better than fame. Good at hiding swords and retreating bravely when opportunities arise." [Jiehuan Yuan Gong Biography]
After discussing what to do, the time was almost up. Dong Cheng was the first to retire and return home, followed closely by Sikong Shi Sun Rui and Situ Ma Rixi, who walked side by side to the Jianli Gate near the Shangshu Terrace.
, a car was parked somewhere, ready to take them out of the palace.
Two old men of about the same age walked slowly in the palace corridor, with the setting sun following behind them, dyeing their path a bright and warm orange-red with its afterglow. The two looked at their elongated shadows on the ground, taking each step.
One step is like walking on their heels.
"Do you know what I hate most about Jia Xu?" Ma Rixi asked softly.
"Jia Xu has a gloomy temperament and doesn't like to interact with others. Since he entered the court for more than a year, he has only been surrounded by cronies like Wang Yi and Zhang Ji." Shisun Rui couldn't help but think of Jia Xu's deep and calm eyes, and said: "He is a solitary man.
Lonely fox."
"Yes, this person is not from the same group as us after all." After Ma Rixi finished speaking, he couldn't help complaining: "When he was at the Chancellery, the policy director repeatedly contradicted us.
Iron Zhiyi impeached him, why did you recommend him to the chancellery just now? Moreover, you did not remind me in advance, but you made me embarrassed for a while. In the eyes of outsiders, it seems that we are not in harmony with each other."
Shisun Rui glanced at Ma Rixi and saw that he was serious. He sneered in his heart, but on the surface he didn't agree. He said: "There was no chance to discuss in advance just now. Why don't we rely on our talents and express our opinions?"
You obviously took the opportunity to make me look embarrassed, but you blamed me instead?
Ma Rixi was unhappy, held back his anger, and said with a forced smile: "Then why did you recommend Jia Xu to take over the position left by Wu Shuo and let him be the Third Duke Cao Shangshu? The Third Duke Cao Shangshu took the exam for state and county affairs at the end of the year. Now,
At the end of the year, the best plans in various counties and counties will be evaluated by the Third Duke Cao first. The position is very important, how can you hand it over to him?"
"That's not necessarily the case." Shisun Rui said calmly: "Let me ask you, your Majesty does not consult the ministers when something happens, but instead meets with six hundred stone officials privately. Is this the decency of the court?"
"Of course not!" Ma Rixi said righteously, his back couldn't help but straighten back, and the shadow on the ground immediately shifted a bit.
"This is not only unbecoming of the imperial court, but also shows that your Majesty does not trust us as ministers. According to common sense, if you do not trust your ministers, we should not be greedy for power, but should resign on our own and ask your Majesty to find someone else." Scholars and Suns
Rui Youyou said.
"But if you wait like this to force the palace, even if His Majesty finally gives in to stay, there will be another rift between the monarch and his ministers, and the chancellery will become more and more neglected." Ma Rixi shook his head in denial without thinking: "At least protest first.
, if the defense fails, it is not too late to ask for dismissal. However, other people may not be willing to advance and retreat at the same pace as me."
He was actually wrong. Now the emperor has repeatedly bypassed the chancellor's desk to make decisions, which has greatly violated the interests of the prime ministers who govern the central government. Moreover, the emperor's actions are obviously because he cannot trust Ma Rixi and the others. Since you don't believe it
Minister, as long as the minister has some integrity, he will take the initiative to resign. How can he continue to be humiliated? And if Ma Rixi really threatens him with this, the emperor may not really compromise, at least he will restrain himself in the future and act like a showman when things happen.
He did not want to bear the bad reputation of asking ministers for their opinions and alienating wise ministers and celebrities.
But Ma Rixi couldn't guess the emperor's attitude at first. The rumors that Wang Bin planned to fight with each other during the court meeting still scare him; secondly, he was reluctant to risk his name and wealth, even if he won this time.
Is it possible that he can keep suppressing the emperor? Although he is a person who regards honor and power as his life, he is too weak to fight, so he knows that there is a quick-effective way, but he does not dare to confront the emperor head-on.
I can sulk there.
From this point of view, he is a little less courageous than Wang Yun.
The two could not reach an agreement on this point, which made Sun Rui, a scholar who wanted to retreat in order to advance and forced the emperor to back down because two important ministers of the Three Dukes resigned, find it difficult to stand alone. I am afraid that your majesty has already seen that Ma Rixi's methods are limited to a few tricks.
, he is a useless showman, and he will never dare to resign rashly, so he is so confident.
It's a pity that Sun Rui, a fellow scholar, was ignored.
Shi Sunrui was furious for a moment. He stood there, looked sideways at Ma Rixi and said, "You have the honor to stay in the court, but I don't! Tomorrow I will beg your Majesty for his body and return to my hometown, and you can continue to be your Situ.
Let’s record the affairs of the minister.”
"If you leave, then how can I have the dignity to stay?" After Shisun Rui took the initiative to resign, if Ma Rixi did not follow suit, he would be criticized and said that he was greedy for power. But in this way, Ma Rixi would be criticized.
Rihui would inevitably resign together with Shisun Rui for the sake of honor, but this was contrary to his original intention. He was a little dissatisfied and said: "You are forcing me to advance and retreat with you."
Behind him, Chang Sui saw that the two of them were walking and chatting quite harmoniously. Suddenly, there was a tense confrontation. The pressure of the two important ministers, one tall and one thin, made Chang Sui behind him stand far away from each other.
I didn't dare to come and talk to him.
Shisun Rui thought to himself, is it right to advance and retreat with you? He was worried that this was the palace road in Weiyang Palace, so he did not quarrel with Ma Rixi in public, so he had to put down his posture and pull away.
Ma Rixi's sleeves made him turn around and continue walking with her: "Uncle Weng!"
He said sincerely: "Just listen to my advice once. How could I have missed it? This time we are just resigning, and it will only make things difficult for Your Majesty. If you really want to preserve the dignity of the emperor and the ministers in discussing matters, and keep you and me as ministers."
The minister in charge should have the power and reputation, and while you and I are retreating, we must let him in."
"He?" Ma Rixi was still angry, but at this time his attention was attracted by Shisun Rui's words, and his expression brightened slightly: "Jia Xu?"
"Although Jia Xu is highly appreciated by His Majesty, his foundation is shallow. Looking at the government, the public, and even the world's scholars, it is clear at a glance which one is more important than Jia Xu." Scholar Sun Rui said confidently: "To protect the elder or to protect the child.
, I expect His Majesty to be wise and able to weigh the pros and cons, and it will not be difficult to make a decision."
Shisun Rui wanted the emperor to make a choice, whether to ask Jia Xu to join the ministers and throw them aside and play in a small circle in the future; or to retain them and declare that the emperor and the ministers should discuss state affairs in a decent manner.
Of course, Emperor Jia Xu would not be able to admit his mistake when he placed the responsibility of having private discussions with his subordinates on him.
"But if you do this, it is still suspected of forcing the palace." Ma Rixi knew that it was highly likely to succeed, but he was still worried: "Don't you know what kind of temper your Majesty is? Why was the prince's master deposed?
Don’t you know that Dong Yuangong didn’t even have a posthumous title after he committed suicide?”
"Ministers of the imperial court, if the emperor has a fault, he will be justified and not spared. How can he care about his own safety out of pity for his reputation?" Shisun Rui said without hesitation: "Besides, if you don't force me once, how can you prevent your majesty from despising us in the future?
Minister?"
This was originally a protest by the central minister who refused to be far away from the center of power and marginalized, but Shisun Rui said it with such righteous words. Ma Rixi looked at Shisun Rui with his round eyes wide open in anger, his eyes resolute, and his thin body but awe-inspiring.
It was so powerful that he was speechless for a moment.
Shisun Rui saw that Ma Rixi had not spoken for a long time, and saw that the Jianli Gate was getting closer and closer. It would be difficult to talk when they went out later and were riding in carriages driven by the palace attendants, so he slowly slowed down and spoke politely.
He advised: "Your Majesty should not make a foolish move for the sake of Jia Xu. In my opinion, he will definitely keep us and reaffirm the dignity of the court affairs, and then let Jia Xu join the minister's desk. This can be said to have the best of both worlds."
"
As long as Jia Xu enters the Secretariat, the emperor will not be able to avoid the Secretariat when discussing affairs with Xun You and Jia Xu. Scholar Sun Rui can use this to bind them and Jia Xu into a whole, thereby ensuring that the Secretariat and the recording
The power of the ministers should not be weakened. This was Shi Sunrui's original intention, to advance before retreating, and then take the initiative to compromise with the emperor and adopt a compromise method. This not only gave the emperor face, but also preserved the reputation of his own group.
With such power, it’s no wonder that Yang Zan was in awe of him as soon as he recommended Jia Xu.
"I hope so." Ma Rixi sighed suddenly. Although he didn't say it clearly, his tone already indicated that he and Shi Sun Rui were advancing and retreating together. He looked straight ahead, and his eyes couldn't help but move down, falling on the shadows of the two people.
.
As soon as Shisun Rui breathed a sigh of relief, he heard Ma Rixi continue to say: "It turned out to be Jia Xu's advantage."
"Really?" Shisun Rui responded casually. He looked at the two people's stooped and thin shadows on the ground, and his tone suddenly became extremely friendly: "Uncle Weng."
He called Ma Rixi's cousin and asked with emotion: "Do you think we can catch up with the shadow like this?"
"How can we catch up?" Ma Rixi glanced at the intertwined shadows of the two people.
"Wherever we go, the shadow follows us. It is our follower, sometimes forward, sometimes behind, sometimes left, sometimes right." For some reason, Shisun Rui suddenly talked with great interest about an ordinary thing in life.
Little things: "In order to prevent the shadows that follow us from getting ahead of us, we have to keep walking towards the light. As long as we walk towards the light, the shadows will always be behind us."
The two of them walked to Jianli Gate. Shisun Rui stopped beside the car, looked at Ma Rixi who looked thoughtful, and finally said: "Uncle Weng, if you don't understand yet, you are destined to be beaten by the people around you.