The Langhao pen was dipped in ink. Yan Zhenqing moved the pen quickly and wrote a few words about promoting talents for the country, waiting for Guo Ziyi to say his name.
"Du has a neighbor."
The brush stopped, and Yan Zhenqing was a little surprised.
This expression fell into Chen Xilie's eyes, and Chen Xilie couldn't help but secretly wonder: Guo Ziyi didn't agree with Yan Zhenqing in advance? From this point of view, there is still a chance to object.
"Hahaha, Mr. Guo is joking. Du has a neighbor who is mediocre, how can he worship the prime minister?"
Chen Xilie waved his hand pretending to be relaxed, trying to treat today's political meeting meeting as a casual conversation rather than turning it into a memorial.
Otherwise, if the prime ministers and your highnesses submit memorials, the matter will be irreversible.
On the other hand, he was also a little confused, because he knew that Guo Ziyi was not from Xue Bai's family, so how could he suddenly come to work so hard for Xue Bai today? And it was still such an important matter, so he was not afraid of Xue Bai's arbitrariness?
"Don't be impatient, just listen to me and continue."
Guo Ziyi paused for a while before speaking slowly and gave another name.
"Li Xian."
Hearing the name, Yan Zhenqing nodded, while Chen Xilie's eyes looked thoughtful.
Who is Li Xian? A minister of the royal family, the great-great-grandson of Emperor Taizong, and the third son of King Xin'an.
He expressed condolences to Hedong, and agreed with Xue Bai to send troops to support Hebei. Later, he was transferred back to Chang'an to serve as the Zhaoyin of the capital. He offended Yang Guozhong and was demoted. It can be said that his official career was bumpy, but he is still considered the most outstanding among today's clan ministers.
one person.
It is worth mentioning that Li Xian, the current transshipment envoy of Henan Province, is Li Xian's brother.
Generally speaking, this is a man who has a good relationship with Xue Bai, is loyal to the clan, is an upright and virtuous man, and is a prime minister candidate that all parties can be satisfied with.
"Li Xian can be the servant of the sect and work with Ping Zhang." Guo Ziyi said, "What do you think?"
Chen Xilie quickly calculated. If so, among the five prime ministers, he and Wei Jiansu are united, and Yan Zhenqing and Du Youlin are in the same party. If there is an unresolved matter, they will each have to win over Li Xian's support.
Fair enough.
This was certainly not as good as the current three-man rule, but it was not a result he could not accept. Therefore, he did not answer immediately, wanting to see the attitude of others.
"Can."
Yan Zhenqing's way of expressing his position was very simple. He directly wrote the names of Du Youlin and Li Xian on the memorial.
Chen Xilie thought to himself, what's the point of just writing it? This memorial may not be able to pass Zhongshu's disciples.
It depends on what conditions can be negotiated.
"There is one more person."
However, unexpectedly, the next moment, Guo Ziyi reported another person's name.
"Li Mi."
"What?" Chen Xilie was the most surprised.
What surprised him was not that someone recommended Li Mi to become prime minister. Although Li Mi was young, he was indeed qualified. There was nothing surprising about this.
The problem is the number of people.
Although there is no fixed number of prime ministers, there are usually three or five. The number of prime ministers was exactly five. Add one more to make six, which seems a bit redundant.
This kind of redundancy does not have any regulations, it is just an intuition. Chen Xilie intuitively felt that the prince wanted to establish five prime ministers.
"Can."
Yan Zhenqing did not hesitate and continued to write Li Mi's name.
Chen Xilie looked at this scene and made up his mind. He would never agree. With Li Bi in the room, the political hall would be too crowded and could not accommodate so many people.
"Thank you Mr. Guo for your recommendation. They are all good candidates for prime minister."
Yan Zhenqing wrote the memorial and read it again. He felt that even if Du Youlin was a little mediocre, the prime minister's team was still very good.
He took out his official seal and stamped it solemnly.
Seeing this, Guo Ziyi took out his official seal with a smile, breathed a sigh of relief, and stamped it on this memorial.
Chen Xilie's eyelids twitched and he stroked his beard and said, "Excuse me, I'm afraid it's inappropriate."
Guo Ziyi smiled and asked, "What's wrong?"
Chen Xilie thought for a while and did not talk about the most mediocre Du Youlin to avoid a direct conflict with Xue Bai. Instead, he pointed at Li Mi's name and said that Li Mi had participated in the Zhongwang Rebellion and was a guilty minister, so he was not qualified to be the prime minister.
.
Guo Ziyi then said that he didn't know something. Li Mi assisted His Highness in suppressing the rebellion, and also worked in Fanyang and made meritorious service to the country.
Chen Xilie also said that Li Mi was still young and needed more training, and there were already many prime ministers in the court, so it would be too late for Li Mi to become prime minister in the future.
By this time, he was able to accept Du Youlin and Li Xian becoming prime ministers.
However, Yan Zhenqing and Guo Ziyi, one of whom was strong-tempered and the other calm and intimidating, made it difficult for him to reject the memorial, so he had no choice but to look at Wei Jiansu.
After several visits, I finally hired some helpers, and it was time for them to come into play.
Wei Jiansu was also looking at Chen Xilie, and the two looked at each other.
Afterwards, Wei Jiansu nodded, took out his seal from his sleeve, and slapped it on Yan Zhenqing's memorial.
"you!"
Chen Xilie stood up suddenly and stared at this scene in disbelief.
"you?"
"We are all old." Wei Jiansu patted Chen Xilie on the back and said, "We have to make way for these young capable ministers."
"Give Way?"
Chen Xilie captured the key words keenly.
They are all people who have been fighting for power all their lives. Why didn't he understand Wei Jiansu's thoughts? He said that "we" gave way, but in fact he wanted Chen Xilie to give way.
In this way, if the addition of Li Bi makes the prime minister's team redundant, as long as Chen Xilie is subtracted, it will be just right?
"No."
Chen Xilie finally realized it.
From the beginning, Wei Jiansu was not on his side, but with Guo Ziyi. They were not Xue Bai's people, but neutral factions in the court, who believed that Li Xian and Li Mi should worship him.
It is worth changing to Du Youlin to worship the prime minister.
Even if he loses a senior minister like him, he will not hesitate to do so.
Simply put, he was abandoned by them.
"I will not agree to this memorial!" Chen Xilie was furious, "I am the prime minister, and it was I who suggested that His Highness should supervise the country!"
"Mr. Chen." Wei Jiansu sighed and said, "Your Highness oversees the country, which is what the subjects hope for. How can it be attributed to you alone?"
This was what Chen Xilie had said to persuade Wei Jiansu before. Now that the exact words were returned, Chen Xilie felt unspeakably bitter.
In short, the matter was no longer up to him.
After Xue Bai has finished the memorial, the next step is to kick him out.
~~
Xuanzheng Hall.
Xue Bai, who was busy, looked a little ruthless.
Chen Xilie has completely recovered to the weakness and incompetence he had when he was under Li Linfu.
"Your Highness, I have hard work without merit!"
"Get up and talk."
"Even if I didn't work hard, I still have a friendship with His Highness!" Chen Xilie refused to get up and prostrated on the ground. With tears in his eyes, he added: "When Your Highness first entered the official career, his first official position was in the Secretariat Department. The veteran said:
Your Highness is extremely affectionate and kind."
"I remember."
Xue Bai's eyes always fell on the document, not looking at Chen Xilie, but his tone was still very warm, and he said: "I just remember my fate with you. Now you are still a high-ranking official, and I didn't say that I would punish you. Why do you do this?
?”
"What I want is not for a high-ranking official to show my nobility, but for me to be able to contribute to His Highness..."
"Still pretending?"
Xue Bai's tone was stern.
There was no one else in the hall, so he was not polite to Chen Xilie and said directly: "What you want is not contribution, but power. But do you have the ability and courage?"
"Your Highness, I am extremely loyal."
"Enough!" Xue Bai scolded: "If you keep chattering any more, you will show your ugly face."
His tone was fierce, and he suddenly had a killing intent.
Chen Xilie was frightened, his face turned pale, and then he became depressed.
In fact, he also knew that he had gained too many things beyond his ability in his life as a high-ranking official. The reason why he was obsessed with power and position was simply because he had endured it for too long in those years and it had become an obsession in his heart.
"Old minister, beg for bones." Chen Xilie muttered in despair.
Xue Bai finally put down the document in his hand and helped him up personally.
Chen Xilie seemed to have taken good care of himself over the years, and his face looked rosy. But with this support, Xue Bai could feel that his body was withered, and he was getting old after all.
"I can see your qualifications and your hard work. But what the Tang Dynasty needs right now is not a conciliatory prime minister, but hard-working officials who are enterprising and determined. Make room for them... and support them."
"
Chen Xilie burst into tears when he heard the word "Rongyang".
He really couldn't let go of the power field, wishing he could hold on to power until his death. But now when he saw Xue Bai's eyes, the last bit of hope he had been holding on to was dissipated.
But in the end, he still held Xue Bai's hand tightly and warned him again.
"The old minister is in Chang'an. If your highness can find him of any use, he will be ready for orders at any time."
Just listening to this sentence is somewhat touching.
Looking back on their relationship over the years, Xue Bai inevitably felt a little emotional and nodded.
Just a few days later, he issued an edict to appoint Chen Xilie as the Crown Prince's Grand Master, and granted him the title Duke Xu.
Chen Xilie cried bitterly again, but he also knew in his heart that he was lucky to meet Xue Bai in this life. Otherwise, he might not be able to turn disaster into good fortune after repeated chaos.
Afterwards, Xue Bai frequently mobilized a group of officials.
Xue Bai replaced Du Youlin with Yuan Zai to stay in Luoyang, and recalled Du Youlin.
In fact, he originally wanted to send Yuan Zai to Luoyang, but he felt that Yuan Zai was too impatient, so he demoted him and punished him. Now that he had learned a lesson, he re-employed him.
In addition, he sent Li Qijun, Cen Shen, Pei Chen and other outstanding young officials to Hebei to serve as field envoys to various states, and sent people to pick up Li Mi. Li Mi was the one who made the strategy, and he hoped that the officials he selected could do a good job.
Implement Hebei's military settlement strategy.
In this way, within two months, the team of prime ministers after Xue Bai was in charge of supervising the country was assembled.
Wei Jiansu, Yan Zhenqing, Du Youlin, Li Xian, and Li Mi. Among them, Wei Jiansu moved to serve in the middle and was called the left prime minister, and Yan Zhenqing was appointed as the secretary of the middle and was called the right prime minister.
From this series of appointments, it seems that the neutral faction gained the most by taking two positions. But Xue Bai also felt that he had won and won many good ministers.
If you ignore Du Youlin, they are all famous officials in the world...
~~
The weather was getting hotter, so it was rare for Du Wulang to enter the palace to see Xue Bai.
Others say he is unsatisfactory and is still only a minor official like Dali's judge. But if you don't look at his connections and just talk about his age and qualifications, he is actually very advanced.
In the side hall of Xuanzheng Hall, Du Wulang sat directly on the ground as soon as he entered, with his arms and legs spread out. He was probably the most relaxed person who had ever been here.
He didn't care whether Xue Bai was busy or not, he was just talking to himself.
"I didn't expect that I would also become a prime minister's son. In the early years, if you only looked at my grandpa's appearance, who would have thought?"
"Your grandfather can be a good prime minister." Xue Bai said.
Although the whole court said that Du Youlin was the only mediocre among the five prime ministers, and all he could do was to agree with Yan Zhenqing and safeguard Xue Bai's interests, Xue Bai actually had high hopes for him.
After all, Du Youlin is not just one person, but Du Si, the Du Jin sisters, and maybe Du Wulang are behind him. The Du sisters control Xue Bai's power among the people and should not be underestimated.
In addition, Du Youlin acted cautiously, walking on thin ice and rarely made mistakes.
"Okay." Du Wulang didn't have much confidence in his grandfather, and said, "As long as people don't compare me with other prime ministers."
Recently, there are always voices saying that Du Youlin is the most mediocre, and his son is also the most mediocre among all the prime ministers, which makes Du Wulang quite helpless.
"Coming to you is to give you a chance to make a splash."
"I really don't want it." Du Wulang sighed: "You want me to do something again?"
He has done a lot of things for Xue Bai, and they are often big things. Unfortunately, they are all Xue Bai's personal affairs, and there is no obvious credit. Of course, he doesn't care about these, he is just lazy.
"Cui Youfu proposed to abolish the opera performers, but I think it would be a pity to abolish them. Moreover, most of these people are unsophisticated and will be difficult to find a way out. They may starve to death on the streets or be bullied."
Xue Bai spoke slowly, but only Du Wulang dared to interrupt him and said: "I know that you and Liyuan still have a deep relationship."
"You know more."
"hey-hey."
"I intend to let the troupe and the troupe run independently and be responsible for their own profits and losses. But these people who engage in singing, dancing and art are not good at business, so I will leave this matter to you."
Du Wulang thought for a moment, then sighed and said, "Think about the past, every performance at the Long Live Qianqiu Festival brought out the atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty. Will we not see this again in the future?"
Xue Bai had only been thinking about advocating frugality and cutting expenses in every possible way recently, but hearing this comment was new and he couldn't help but glance at him.
Du Wulang said: "Of course I know that the sensuality of dogs and horses is not good. I mean those performances, dancing horses and holding cups, showing the splendor of the prosperous age... What a pity."
"The country is poor and the people are exhausted. There is nothing we can do about it."
Xue Bai said, changed the subject and said: "The prosperity of the prosperous age will definitely happen again."
"good."
Du Wulang actually wanted to say, "This is what I want when I become an official," but he also knew himself and swallowed his words immediately.
"Since you feel sorry for those performances, just finish your errand."
As he said that, Xue Bai threw away several documents, including a personal petition. Seeing that he had been promoted, Du Wulang first picked up the petition and took a look, but he was asked to concurrently serve as Tai Le Cheng.
Both Wang Wei and Xue Bai had held the official position of Tai Le Cheng. However, if the pear garden and the teaching workshop were run independently, they actually had little to do with Taichang Temple. Giving Du Wulang a concurrent official position was nothing more than more background in this area.
"This official is good and free." Du Wulang said, "Why don't you give me my job as a Dali judge again? I'm really not suitable to send people to prison. I..."
He still wanted to chat, but Xue Bai waved his hand and said: "Time is up, step back."
"Ha, you and I still have time."
Du Wulang was speechless and stood up to leave.
As soon as he walked out of the side hall, he put away his relaxed and casual attitude, straightened his back, and looked solemn, just like all the officials who were sitting upright. It could be said that he was lost in the crowd, or seemed a little less energetic than the others.
The eunuch then entered the Xuanzheng Hall, turned over the hourglass on the case, and brought an official to see him.
Most of the people Xue Bai wants to see every day are arranged in advance and in good order.
"Your Highness."
"Sit down." Xue Bai said, "National affairs are the most important thing, so there is no need to pay too much attention to it."
This time it was the newly promoted prime minister Li Xian.
In terms of seniority, Li Xian was one generation older, but Xue Bai said he didn't pay attention to it, so he didn't pay attention to this generation.
Xue Bai doesn't pay attention to seniority in many things.
"I have returned to the court for a long time, and now that I have been promoted by His Highness, I must devote myself to it with all my heart."
Li Xian bowed first and then sat down, his back straight and only touching the chair a little.
This is a man who is young and powerful and has a strong and enterprising style.
"I invite you to come, for two things." Xue Bai said: "First, I intend to reduce the power of the Jiedushi envoys in various places. The method has been established, such as the previous restructuring of Henan Province, which divided its power and responsibilities into four.
Later, we looked for opportunities to decentralize power to various states and counties. However, the situation in each place was different. The reduction of vassal vassals was a serious matter and required strong orders..."
Li Xian listened very carefully.
He is a member of the clan and has a strong personality, so he is indeed the most suitable person to preside over this matter.
Xue Bai also emphasized that he did not want to cause trouble by cutting down the vassal vassal, or affect the border defense, so Li Xian needed to make long-term preparations and explore the details of each vassal town, the thoughts of each military commander, and the loyalty of his generals.
Available, which ones are rebellious.
As the two of them talked about this, the hourglass on the table beside them also leaked sand little by little, gradually reaching the bottom.
There was no one waiting in the palace, so Xue Bai glanced at the hourglass and turned it over himself.
By the time they finally reached preliminary talks about reducing the vassal status, the hourglass had turned five times.
Compared with Du Wulang, Xue Bai's emphasis on Li Xian is obviously very different.
After discussing the matter of reducing the vassal state, there is still a second matter to discuss.
"The second one is Jing Zhaoyin. The previous Jing Zhaoyin was a mediocre person selected by Dou Wenyang. He escaped and disappeared during the Yongwang Rebellion. Now, all affairs in Chang'an are temporarily managed by Yan Gong. Do you have any recommendations?
?”
Jing Zhaoyin is a very important position, which is related to the stability of the capital. Xue Bai must have a confidant. Therefore, Li Xian did not expect that he would ask himself, so he was very surprised and quickly promised that he would consider it carefully.
Regardless of whether he can choose a suitable person, Xue Bai's question had an immediate effect, which was to instantly bring him closer to Li Xian.
Li Xian felt Xue Bai's trust, and his eyes suddenly changed.
The hourglass on the side was drained again. This time Xue Bai did not turn it around again, but said a few words other than official business.
"I am young and ill-informed, and I suddenly rose to a high position. There are various opinions in the court, some doubt my identity, some question my loyalty, and even worse, they slander me with some baseless and shocking rumors. But I have no respect for the Tang Dynasty.
His loyalty can be learned from heaven and earth.”
After hearing this, Li Xian knew it was time to express himself and said: "Others may have doubts about His Highness's identity, but I can be sure."
It was Li Xian who discovered Xue Bai's identity and his intention to usurp the country from Yang Guanghui's mouth in Hedong.
At that time, the emperor's grandson did not have a bright future, but was facing a death penalty. Moreover, Xue Bai had not taken the initiative to claim it at that time. Therefore, Li Xian did not question Xue Bai's identity from the beginning.
From the perspective of a clan, since Xue Bai is a descendant of the Li Tang royal family, it doesn't matter whether he is seeking to usurp the throne or not. He is eager to have a clan member who can revitalize the country to succeed him.
Xue Bai's trust in him today also strengthened his trust in Xue Bai.
At least for now, Li Xian's position is leaning towards Xue Bai's side.
~~
Du Wulang accepted the errand, but showed no signs of showing off at all. After leaving the palace, he went to find Du Jin, intending to ask her how to handle the errand.
He first went to Fenghui Bank in Dongshi, but found out that Du Jin was not there and asked Qushui, and then he learned a piece of news.
"Er Niang recently bought a new property, and today has passed."
"where?"
"Pingkangfang."
Hearing these three words, the first thing Du Wulang thought of was Pingkangfang Sanqu, and he couldn't help but ask: "What? Could it be that the second sister bought several brothels?"
"Where did Wulang think he was?" Qu Shui said, "He looked honest in the past, but he turned out to be a regular customer of Fengyuechang."
"I?"
Du Wulang felt that he had been wronged, but he was too lazy to say more about this matter. After thinking about it again, he immediately guessed what kind of property Du Jin had purchased.
"You're not talking about the Right Prime Minister's Mansion, are you?"
Only then did Qu Shui look at him with admiration and asked, "Wu Lang actually knows this too?"
This was a bit belittling, but Du Wulang was not angry and even made a joke.
"After all, he is a son of the Prime Minister. He is smart and follows my grandfather."
Qu Shui couldn't help but pursed his lips and smiled, and told him this matter in detail.
Li Linfu's house in Pingkangfang occupies nearly a quarter of a square, but it was not that big at first, and was gradually expanded to occupy the surrounding houses.
Previously, this house was bought by a relative of Dou Wenyang. After the Yongwang Rebellion, someone persuaded Du Wulang to take possession of it, but later it fell into the hands of Siqi King Li Zhen.
Li Zhen originally planned to move there, but recently the imperial court issued an edict prohibiting the trend of comparison in the capital.
This edict is also a reminder. If someone doesn't listen, the court has many ways to deal with it. For example, Lu Qi implemented the intervening tax in Shu County.
Li Zhen heard rumors that the treasury was empty and the court was preparing to implement intermittent taxes. Once this happened, the big house in Pingkangfang would become a hot potato. He wanted to sell it, but no one dared to take it.
In desperation, Li Zhen had to split the huge mansion into several separate houses for sale.
Li Linfu's son Li Xiu had returned to the capital and bought the backyard where he used to live.
Du Jin, on the other hand, bought the area where Li Linfu used to meet with officials and deal with state affairs. The reason was no other than that it was the center of power of the Tang Dynasty...
After hearing this, Du Wulang couldn't help but sigh: "I'm really wise. I didn't listen to some flattery before buying that big house."
Qushui could only agree: "Yes, Wulang is as wise as he is foolish."
"Great wisdom is great wisdom, why should you be stupid?" Du Wulang said, "Then I have to go to Pingkangfang to find the second sister."
"The second mother may not be here, maybe she went to the palace to do some good things."
"Where's the eldest sister?"
"Went to Yuzhen Temple to talk to Li Qiniang about Pingkangfang House?"
"Hey, hasn't she moved into the Taoist Temple in the palace yet?"
"There's no way you are in such a hurry. If you make people gossip, it must be later. In the name of the Crown Princess, please invite Tong Kongzi to enter the palace."
Qu Shui's eyes lit up when he talked about these scandals and anecdotes, but Du Wulang was not a talkative person and immediately changed the topic back.
"Then I'd better take a trip to Pingkangfang."
"If Wu Lang is undecided about something, you can ask Madam Daxi. She will be here today."
"All right."
Du Wulang went to see Da Xi Yingying, and when he mentioned the word "liyuan", she knew his purpose.
"It's a good thing that Wu Lang came to ask me about this, otherwise your second sister would probably not give you a good look."
"Why?" Du Wulang was puzzled.
"There are rumors that His Highness is having an affair with Concubine Yang, and it is you, Wu Lang, who is helping to cover it up. Is this true? Otherwise, why would His Highness give the pear garden to you?"
Du Wulang rolled his eyes and immediately realized that he had found the wrong person. He should not ask Du Jin for advice, but should go to the Yang family.
But his face showed no signs of it, and he said: "How can I accomplish such a big thing? The rumors are all false. I don't even know how to run a troupe, so I have to rely on you to give me an idea."
"Wulang is really good at talking, okay, I'll give you some ideas..."