Cui Yuan was the consort of Emperor Xianzong, the grandfather of Emperor Jiajing. He was not that close to Emperor Jiajing at first, but in the end he still became Emperor Jiajing's most trusted relative. He was named Marquis of Jingshan and was summoned to Wuyi Palace.
It can be seen from this that Cui Yuan's ability to deal with people is not only top-notch but also top-notch. He can even serve Emperor Jiajing well, so he must not be underestimated.
When Wang Tingxiang approached Cui Yuan, his competitor, about Li Jing's appointment as the co-camping officer, Cui Yuan kept pushing back and refused to give him any pleasant words.
Today Qin Dewei met Cui Yuan at the left gate of Chang'an and spoke directly in person.
Without saying a few words, Prince Consort Cui simply agreed: "Since Qin Xueshi has spoken in person, I will naturally sell Qin Xueshi's face! Needless to say, my cousin will withdraw this time, Qin Xueshi can rest assured!"
"
Even Qin Dewei was surprised by this level of comfort, he just thought Cui Yuan was a good person.
Consort Cui smiled and went to Renshou Palace in Xiyuan to express his gratitude.
This is called selling favors to key figures. Wang Tingxiang, who came to the favor before, is not the real owner. Selling face directly to Qin Dewei is the best way to maximize favors.
Qin Dewei also went to Xiyuan first to express his gratitude, but was blocked outside the gate of Renshou Palace, so he paid a symbolic bow to Renshou Palace, which was regarded as the courtesy of a monarch and his ministers.
Then Academician Qin returned to the east of the palace, along the Neijinshui River, passed through the square outside Fengtian Gate of the Shang Dynasty, and walked all the way to Zuoshun Gate.
Walking further inside Zuoshunmen, there is Wenhua Hall on the north side of the road and Wenyuan Pavilion on the south side of the road. This is the decision-making center of the Ming Dynasty for nearly a hundred years.
But from today on, the decision-making center has been temporarily transferred to Xiyuan. On the east side of the palace, only the young Crown Prince of the East Palace and Qin Dewei, who was ordered to stay at Wenyuan Pavilion, are left.
Qin Dewei looked at the sky and saw that it was getting late. There was not much time for him to continue to feel his feelings, so he strode to the south of the road and came to the courtyard gate of Wenyuan Pavilion.
This place was originally an important area of the cabinet, and outsiders were not easily allowed to trespass, but it was different today. Academician Qin entered easily. It was his first time here.
In other words, the three cabinet bachelors have already withdrawn, so this place can no longer be considered a cabinet and can only continue to be called Wenyuan Pavilion.
Qin Dewei inspected the place inside and out, and was deeply disappointed. The hardware facilities here were really not good enough.
Regardless of the size of their land, most of the other government offices in the capital have a gate, a front hall, a main hall, a left hall, a right hall, and ancillary buildings such as a dining hall and a secretary's hall.
The main building in front of us is Wenyuan Pavilion. Even if you are a bachelor, you have to work in Wenyuan Pavilion.
As for the interior of Wenyuan Pavilion, only the public hall is in the middle, and the rest are small single rooms, and the lighting is particularly poor. After all, this place was not designed for office use in the first place.
Then temporary sheds were built on both sides of the outside of Wenyuan Pavilion for people in the Zhongshu Building to work. They looked like illegal buildings.
Perhaps there was not enough space, so an additional East Pavilion was built at the east end of the courtyard, which has no architectural beauty.
Regarding his first impression of today’s visit to Wenyuan Pavilion, Bachelor Qin once wrote an essay, which is still circulating many years later:
"The layout of Wenyuan Pavilion in the palace is different from that of other government offices: there are several dark cubic rooms inside, and pens and ink are prepared on the table, so you can write at any time.
When the bachelors who entered Zhi went to work in the morning, they often took some time to light a few candles first.
I have been working as a bachelor in the palace cabinet since I was twenty-one years old. The Emperor said that I was too young and was afraid that I would not be able to participate in the maintenance of the machine, so I would just stay outside and do some work.
Although the people in Zhongshushe outside are easy to talk to, there are also quite a lot of them who are nagging and confused."
Now there is a man named Li from Laozhong Shushe who is accompanying Qin Dewei and introducing the story of Wenyuan Pavilion in a nonchalant manner.
After completing a circle, Li Sheren asked: "Where should the bachelor sit to take care of things?"
The main reason is that there is no precedent for Qin Dewei to enter Zhiwen Yuan Pavilion for a half-hearted person in the past hundred years. Li Sheren doesn't know how to arrange it in compliance with the rules, so he simply lets Qin Dewei make his own decision.
Qin Dewei's eyes moved to the hall in the middle of Wenyuan Pavilion, where the "Dacheng Holy Master" is enshrined.
Then, under the saint's tablet, there is a throne facing south, which was prepared for the emperor, but it has never been used in recent decades and has become a mere decoration.
Further down from the throne, there are several seats facing east and west for the use of ministers. This is where the bachelors usually meet for meetings.
Qin Dewei stood at the door of Wenyuan Pavilion, pointed to the middle hall and said: "Remove all the extra seats except the throne, and then set up a public eucalyptus and seats facing east and west. I will work in this hall from now on!"
"
Li Sheren was taken aback and advised: "This hall is where the elders gather to discuss matters."
Qin Dewei said impatiently: "The elders of the pavilion have all evacuated, and I am the only one left to stay in Wenyuan Pavilion. Why are there so many seats left? From now on, the main room of Wenyuan Pavilion will be the place where I work alone!"
Li Sheren groaned for a long time, not daring to disobey, so he could only obey.
Then Qin Dewei ordered: "Now you can gather all the people and come together to pay homage to me!"
When each pavilion elder moved to Wuyi Hall, he brought two personal followers from Zhongshushe as his entourage, and the rest basically stayed in Wenyuan Pavilion. In total, there were more than forty people.
Speaking of the cabinet edict and the imperial edict for the two-room secretary, it sounds very high-level. In fact, in terms of officialdom, it is essentially a miscellaneous official. Its nature is the same as that of other yamen, such as governor, secretary, and Kongmu.
There's not much difference like that.
It's just that the cabinet is a high-ranking place, so the miscellaneous officials used are also higher-ranking, even seventh-grade.
But miscellaneous officials are miscellaneous officials. The Shushe people in the cabinet can accumulate seniority and increase their ranks. It is not uncommon to be a fifth-grade or even third-grade Zhongshushe person. However, they are not allowed to transfer to the six departments of Kedao. Generally, they will be a Zhongshushe person for life.
Therefore, Shu Sheren and Qin Dewei in the cabinet are essentially people from two different worlds. The identity gap between them is insurmountable, and it is impossible to give the newcomer Qin Dewei a chance to show off.
After Academician Qin, who was ordered to enter Zhiwen Yuan Pavilion, gave the order, all the people in the study room in the two rooms came out and stood in the courtyard.
Qin Dewei stood at the door of Wenyuan Pavilion, facing everyone and said: "We don't have much time left today. I don't want to make a long speech. I just want to say one sentence here. Please remember it carefully!
From now on, there can only be one bachelor in Wenyuan Pavilion, and that is me, Qin Dewei!"
Therefore, this young and somewhat excessive new bachelor immediately left a very deep impression on all the Shushe people in the cabinet.
The hard-nosed Sheren, the smooth Prime Minister, and the cabinet ministers may come and go, in and out, but the Zhongshu Sheren often work for decades.
Many Lao She people have seen Yang Tinghe's strength, Zhang Fujing's harshness, and Xia Yan's tyranny, so they are well-informed.
But their eyes were opened today when they saw Qin Dewei directly occupying the main hall of Wenyuan Pavilion. You, Qin Dewei, are not an old bachelor of the genuine Pavilion, so you dare to be so unscrupulous?
Also, does Bachelor Qin never think about retreat? When the old bachelors of the pavilion move back to Wenyuan Pavilion, how will you, Qin Dewei, find yourself? Do you still have the nerve to occupy the middle hall to work?
How did they know that if Mr. Ge wanted to return to Wenyuan Pavilion in the physical sense, he would have to wait until Emperor Jiajing died?
After Qin Dewei finished speaking, he waved his hand and was about to let everyone disperse when suddenly a young man from the Middle School stood out.
Then he shouted to Qin Dewei: "Wait a minute! Your Majesty Guanyou has something else to say, but Bachelor Qin still has some omissions!"
Is this a prick who just relies on his background to commit suicide? Qin Dewei suddenly became inexplicably excited, "Very good, you successfully aroused my interest."
Among the scholars in the cabinet, there are many second-generation people with backgrounds. If they really can't pass the examination, they find connections to make up for their mistakes.
To be honest, Qin Dewei has never seen an idiot who jumped out to slap someone in the face since he was involved in the court.
And those people who were slapped in the face by themselves were actually motivated by profit, and in the end it evolved into giving them a slap in the face.
The young scholar named Fang You walked to the steps of Wenyuan Pavilion and continued to say to Qin Dewei: "I think that the title of Bachelor Qin is not very appropriate and must be improved!"
Even with Qin Dewei's wit, he was confused. What did this young scholar mean? Everyone in the court knew that he had two bachelors, and he was a veritable Qin bachelor. So what's the problem?
Then I heard Fang You continue to say: "In the future, Bachelor Qin will definitely be in Wenyuan Pavilion for a long time. However, the two bachelors of Qin Bachelor, one is an official in Hanyuan and the other is an official in Chunfang, neither of them belong to Wenyuan Pavilion!"
The following officials believe that if Qin Bachelor’s official duties are to be based on Wenyuan Pavilion in the future, it would not be appropriate to use bachelors from other government offices as titles!”
Qin Dewei also fell silent. What this person said seemed to be correct?
Then everyone else present was in a dilemma. If he didn't use "bachelor", how could he be called "bachelor"?
Do you want to be called Mr. Ge? But this is not allowed!
Under normal circumstances, all the bachelors who join the cabinet are respectfully called the cabinet ministers. But Qin Dewei, who joins the cabinet as a dabbler, is not a serious cabinet minister at all. He must not be called the cabinet minister with the same title as other bachelors, and must be distinguished.
Thinking of this, everyone couldn't help but complain.
This Fang You was so stuffed that he had nothing to do, so he just called Bachelor Qin to get it done. He insisted on being picky about something, and now he fell into a dilemma of etiquette!
But Fang You was confident, pointing to the main room in the middle of Wenyuan Pavilion, and loudly said to everyone: "In the official office outside, the chief official can be elegantly called the main hall, which means sitting in the main hall as a director!"
The Wenyuan Pavilion is the place where the emperor assists Bi. Although there cannot be official officials, the Qin scholar sits in the middle hall and takes care of things. It can be elegantly called the middle hall. It is the unique middle hall of our Ming Dynasty!"
Then Fang You immediately saluted Qin Dewei and said, "Your Majesty, I'll see Qin Zhongtang again!"
Qin Dewei was stunned. Zhongtang was a popular name for prime ministers and ministers in later generations. It was often seen in Qing palace dramas, but it is unclear when it started to spread.
Could it be that in this time and space, I am the one who pioneered the trend?
It was not that no one had flattered him before, but the strength of the Fang You in front of him still surpassed everyone else. Such a fresh and unique method of flattering him was simply unheard of.
Everyone was staring at Academician Qin closely at this moment, waiting to see how Academician Qin himself would react to the new title.
After Qin Dewei thought for a moment, he said to Fang You: "You are very serious. From now on, you will be my cabinet attendant!"
So the people in the study hall in the two rooms once again clasped their fists in greeting, and changed their words and shouted: "I have seen Qin Zhongtang!"
Now everyone knows what kind of character Qin Zhongtang is.
Shenshi is about to pass, and it is almost the time when the palace doors are closed, and people who work in the cabinet have to leave the palace. This time is also the peak period for major government offices to get off work.
Qin Dewei left the right gate of Chang'an, met Ma Er who had been waiting here in advance, then got on his horse and walked towards home.
For some reason, Qin Zhongtang felt as if many people were pointing fingers at him. It seemed that the news about his new appointment had gradually spread.
"Qin Dewei!" Suddenly someone yelled in the street!
Qin Zhongtang frowned, who was so rude and didn't even want to call him Zhongtang?
He turned around and looked, and saw an official sedan not far behind him. The curtain of the sedan had been opened, and a minister from the Ministry of Civil Service was sitting inside. His face was not good-looking.
Without hesitation, Qin Dewei clamped his legs around the horse's belly, accelerated the speed of the BMW under his crotch, and ran away from Xu Shangshu. The sedan chair could never catch up with the fast horse.
After returning home, Qin Zhongtang did not return to the main house, but came to the courtyard where the Li family stayed.
"It's done!" Qin Dewei said to Li Jing, but Li Jing was confused, "What's done?"
Only then did Qin Dewei remember that he had not revealed the details, so he explained a few words: "Before the southern tour, I said I would give you a big surprise, and now the big surprise is coming!"
Although Li Jing didn't know what the big surprise was, he could guess that what Qin Dewei could call a big surprise would definitely not be small.
Qin Dewei revealed the answer: "You will be appointed as a co-camping officer soon!"
Li Jing was immediately overjoyed. This surprise was bigger than he thought. He never expected that he would actually be able to join the camp.
While digesting the surprise, I wanted to thank you again and said: "How can I be so virtuous?"
Qin Dewei immediately interrupted Li Jing, "If one family doesn't talk to each other, you don't need to thank me. I do it for your sister's sake!"
Li Jing was a little silent. At this time, Qin Dewei suddenly mentioned his sister Li Shu. With Qin Dewei's mind, it was definitely not without purpose.
People in the frontier may not care so much about the defense of men and women, so Mrs. Li often hangs out with Qin Dewei, but she attaches great importance to status.
No matter how down-and-out the Li family is, they are still a family of military officers. They always feel uncomfortable letting their younger sisters work as concubines for others.
Thinking of his parents at home, Li Jing felt even more shameless. After spending a few years in the capital, he ended up sending his sister to the rich and powerful. How could it be that the news was passed back to his hometown?
Qin Dewei did not directly forcibly instruct Li Jing, but added: "When you finish gilding in the capital, I will definitely let you return to Liaodong within this year. By then, you will be a branch general! Not to mention honoring the ancestors, you will also be the lintel of the family."
The highest military position in Liaodong Town is the garrison commander, followed by the deputy commander, and the next lowest is the branch commander.
When Li Jing was in Liaodong before, he didn't even get a bad battalion officer like General Qian, but now he jumped up and was promoted several levels, and a branch commander was at his fingertips. It was like returning home in glory.
Qin Dewei said directly from his soul: "In this way, I can finally explain to my father, right? I think your father will not say anything more."
Li Jing gritted his teeth and replied: "Master Qin is a person in heaven. My sister-in-law has a deep love for Master Qin. From now on, I can only entrust you to Master Qin!"
Qin Dewei laughed and patted Li Jing: "I told you not to be so arrogant, we are all one family! If there is a chance in the future, I will recommend you to be the commander-in-chief, and then I will pursue the title of Lord!"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
I still don’t have time to add more updates. When baby No. 5 starts school, please stabilize the monthly vote list first!!