Although Emperor Jiajing woke up, he felt extremely anxious. Sometimes he even thought that it would be better not to wake up!
At first, he found that he could not move, and thought he had just woken up, feeling weak and numb and with blocked blood vessels.
But after a few days, he still couldn't move, and even the most basic sense of touch had not been restored. This made Emperor Jiaqi feel that the situation might not be that simple.
Emperor Jiajing was originally a man with strong self-esteem, and when he appeared in front of others in such a helpless manner that he was completely unable to take care of himself, he felt very ashamed and angry inside.
But he couldn't do without people to take care of him, so in the end he only fixed a few eunuchs and maidens to take turns to take care of him closely.
The guards of Emperor Jiajing were still Lu Bing, Xu Miaojing and other close associates, the Imperial Guard School. Emperor Jiajing refused to change any more people, otherwise more people would see his appearance.
In addition, the only people who could see Emperor Jiaqi were Empress Fang and the eunuchs in charge of rituals. If they wanted to convey the imperial edict to the outside world, they had to rely on these two people.
Then Emperor Jiajing issued a hush-hush order to those who could see him, strictly prohibiting anyone from telling anyone about his physical condition.
Although I knew that the effectiveness of this gag order was doubtful, it was good to deceive myself and others, at least to prevent public discussion.
Lu Binglu, the brother-in-law of Emperor Jiajing, commanded the troops to walk out of Renshou Palace, sighing as they walked.
He originally thought that if he could wait until the emperor woke up again, his spring would appear again, and then he would be "revived" by virtue of his relationship with the emperor.
Who would have thought that after the emperor woke up, he refused to see outsiders and continued to keep Lu Bing in Renshou Palace as a guard.
As a result, the good times were still lingering in Renshou Palace, and he could not go out to fight for power and gain, which was no different from when the emperor was in a coma.
When will this day end? When the emperor was in coma, there was still hope and hope, but now it seems that even hope is gone.
Fortunately, his biggest competitor, Xu Miaojing, was as unlucky as himself and was tied up in the Renshou Palace like an animal.
When Lu Bing walked outside the gate of Renshou Palace, he saw a figure that he hadn't seen for a long time but was very familiar to him. Who could he be if he wasn't Yuan Shou Fu Xia Yan?
"How are you always, Mr. Xia Ge?" Lu Bing said hello casually and then left.
He knew that Xia Yan must have just arrived in the capital and would come to see the emperor immediately, so he was afraid that he was not in the mood to chat with him.
In addition, Commander Lu had to sigh that Xia Yan returned to the capital so quickly. He thought it would take another half month for Xia Yan to arrive in the capital.
Lu Bing estimated that Xia Yan probably traveled day and night. He was really desperate for his life at the age of sixty. Of course, it is also possible that most of the road was waterway and there was no need to move on the boat.
Xia Yan didn't pay much attention to Lu Bing, and stood outside the palace gate waiting for him with deep thoughts. He didn't know how long it took before he saw the eunuch Huang Jin coming out of the palace.
"Has your Majesty announced my presence?" Xia Yan went up to greet him and asked.
Huang Jin shook his head and conveyed the imperial edict from Emperor Jiajing: "Xia Yan does not need to come to see you anymore. He will be reinstated to his original post, and he will be given the title of Young Master Huagaidian Bachelor. He will directly go to the cabinet tomorrow to be appointed as a direct official."
There are five titles for bachelors: Huagai Hall, Jinshen Hall, Wuying Hall, Wenyuan Pavilion, and Dong Pavilion.…
Before Xia Yan was dismissed last time, he was a bachelor of Jinshen Palace, but after the cabinet adjustment at the end of last year, Yan Song was also a bachelor of Jinshen Palace.
Now that Xia Yan is back, according to the usual practice, he will still be the first assistant, but he cannot be treated the same as Yan Song.
On the other hand, Emperor Jiajing re-promoted Xia Yan's official position to that of Yan Song, which also clearly indicated Xia Yan's intention to become the first assistant again.
Since Xia Yan could not meet in person and was promoted to an official position, he could only kneel three times and kowtow nine times to express his gratitude outside the gate of Renshou Palace, towards the north of the palace.
Before Xia Yan arrived in the capital, his original mansion was returned to him. After he came out of the palace, he returned to his old mansion.
At this time, people have been waiting in the study room at home for a long time. At such a sensitive time, someone who can sit directly in the study room of Xia Mansion and wait is definitely not an ordinary person.
This person is Feicai, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites
No. Zhongshi was also from Jiangxi. He was a contemporary of Xia Yan and Yan Song. He also had an important identity as the younger brother of the late former chief assistant Fei Hong.
With such an identity, Fei Cai is considered to have a transcendent status in the Jiangxi gang, and both Xia Yan and Yan Song have to give him some respect.
When Fei Cai saw Xia Yan coming back, he took the initiative to ask, "How is Brother Xia's situation when he enters the palace this time?"
Xia Yan also answered truthfully: "Although I haven't seen the Holy Lord yet, my affairs have been settled and I will return to Wenyuan Pavilion tomorrow."
Fei Cai smiled and said, "Congratulations to Brother Xia first!"
Then he reminded: "But the imperial court is different from the past. It is very different from when Brother Xia left, so Brother Xia still has to slowly adapt to it."
Xia Yan showed no fear at all, and said a little boldly: "You don't have to think about it to know that there must be a lot of things that are wrong and people are wrong. Just wait until I can clean up the situation again!"
However, Xia Yan is not a blind person, otherwise he wouldn't have been promoted from being a clerk to the chief assistant in just seven or eight years.
So he asked Fei Cai again: "Zhong Shi has been at court for the past two years and is familiar with the situation of the court. Is there anything you can teach me?"
Fei Lai thought for a while before replying: "For Brother Xia, the biggest situation is the cabinet system.
This group of cabinet ministers has established a collective decision-making system. If there is any undecided matter, all cabinet ministers will have one vote, and the one with the most votes wins."
Xia Yan immediately scolded: "It's simply ridiculous! If this is the case, doesn't it mean that there is no distinction between right and wrong, no matter right or wrong, as long as there are many people, black and white can be reversed?
The first assistant coordinates Ding Nai and coordinates everything. If he does not have the power to make decisions and the court shirks everything, what else can it accomplish?
When I report to the emperor and cancel this collective decision-making rule, everything will remain as usual↓
That’s it!
Fei Cai advised again: "After the emperor woke up, he must have known this rule, but he never stated that he wanted to change it.
If Brother Xia hurriedly petitions for power before the table is warmed, I'm afraid he will be suspicious in the eyes of the emperor."
Xia Yan thought about it again and realized that what Fei Cai said was indeed reasonable. After dealing with Emperor Jiajing for so many years, how could he still not understand Emperor Jiajing's suspicious and suspicious character?
Then I heard Fei Cai continue to say: "In my opinion, Brother Xia, please be patient and calm down for a while, and go to the cabinet first to see the situation before making a decision.
If the matter can be resolved without alarming the emperor, that would naturally be best. If it is still difficult to resolve, it would be more appropriate to wait for a while before reporting the matter than to report it now...
Moreover, there is Brother Yan in the cabinet, who can help Brother Xia regain control of the situation."
Xia Yan snorted coldly and interrupted Fei Cai: "Brother Zhong Shi, which brother Yan are you talking about? Why didn't I know there was such a person?"
Fei Cai smiled bitterly, "Brother Yan seems to have regrets."
Xia Yan pointed in the direction of the gate and said loudly: "If he had regrets, he should be outside the gate right now, standing from dawn to now just to see me!"
Fei Cai was also very distressed. The problem between the Jiangxi gang, Que Xia and Yan caused such internal strife.
If it weren't for the internal strife in Jiangxi, why would Yan Song try to win over the Zhejiang Party? You know, when it comes to imperial examinations, Jiangxi is no worse than Zhejiang, and even the overall power of the officialdom has been stronger than that of the Zhejiang Party in the past two decades.
Fei Cai, a person with a transcendent status, came to visit Xia Yan today, with the intention of making peace. If Xia Yan went crazy to retaliate against Yan Song and Yan Dang, the Jiangxi Gang would be the one who suffered the most in the end.
After thinking about it for a while, Fei Cai said carefully: "Brother Xia was dismissed from office, and it was not caused by Yan Jiexi. Why bother to hate Yan Jiexi?"
It was impossible for Xia Yan not to bear his grudge against Yan Song: "Although the direct reason for my dismissal from office was not Yan Song, before I was dismissed from office, the person who competed most fiercely with me in the cabinet for power and seriously distracted my energy was Yan Song!"
There are also some things that Xia Yan did not say directly. The real grudge is not just because Yan Song fought for power after joining the cabinet.
To a large extent, it was because, seventeen years before Jiajing, Yan Song was promoted by Xia Yanyi. He was promoted from a wine minister in the Imperial Academy to the Minister of Rites in a few years.
In Xia Yan's eyes, Yan Song was his younger brother and henchman, but not only did he no longer assist him, he even entered the cabinet to compete with him for power. How could this kind of "betrayal" not make Xia Yan angry and resentful?
There is no need to explain these meanings explicitly. Fei Cai can also understand Xia Yan's thoughts, but he can only try his best to resolve them.
Fei Cai carefully considered her words, and also took Xia Yan's face into account: "Yan Jiexi did something wrong, and I can't blame you, Brother Xia, but I can't blame Yan Jiexi entirely.
In the 17th year of Jiajing's reign, the emperor wanted to enter the temple to honor the emperor, but the officials thought it was against etiquette and were unwilling to agree.
The emperor had to ask all the ministers to express their stance. The first two people to bear the brunt were Qin Dewei and Yan Jiexi.
In the end, it was Qin Dewei who was superior in the battle of wits and forced Yan Jiexi into a situation where he was forced to express his consent.
At that time, Yan Jiexi had no other choice. Taking her reputation as a female official, she was the first to agree with the emperor. Then the emperor reciprocated the favor and directly appointed Yan Jiexi to the cabinet.
Later, Yan Jiexi couldn't help himself. He was manipulated by the emperor and had to do many things, including offending Brother Xia."
Xia Yan waved his hand impatiently, "No need to say any more, I don't want to mention this person again! Let's talk about the affairs of the Foreign Ministry. Is there anything we can start to sort out?"
Seeing that she could not persuade Xia Yan to forgive Yan Song, Fei Cai had no choice but to keep quiet temporarily to avoid making Xia Yan angry, which would be counterproductive.
He has a transcendent status and relies entirely on Xia Yan to give him face. If Xia Yan really doesn't give him face, he will have no choice but to do anything...
So Fei Cai could only follow Xia Yan's words and replied: "The ministry was originally as solid as an iron plate, but now it is starting to loosen. Brother Xia's return is a good time. As long as you grasp it, you can easily regain control." Court."
This is what Xia Yan is really interested in, "Tell me more about it!"
Fei Cai introduced it in detail: "The first is the Ministry of War. Wang Tingxiang has been seriously ill for two months and can't see things anymore. It's time to give up his position. Yan Jiexi also made an idea last month, but unfortunately he didn't succeed.
If the illness had not been serious for a long time, Wang Tingxiang could still delay his resignation, but it is unreasonable that Wang Tingxiang still refuses to resign after two months.
The second is the Ministry of Rites. Zhang Chao, the elder of the cabinet, is a bachelor and serves as the Minister of Rites. Although it can be an exception to take into account both internal and external aspects, it is not a long-term solution.
Therefore, Zhang Chao, out of emotion and reason, should give up the position of the Minister of Rites and Guanbu, so that one of the six departments would be free.
Isn't it enough that the vacancies of two ministers will serve as the handle of the three fires after Brother Xia returns to the court?"
Xia Yan nodded repeatedly. The candidates for the Ministry of War may still need to be carefully considered, but when it comes to the candidates for the new Minister of Rites, isn't Fe Cai the one in front of him?
The Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Rites was originally the second-in-command of the Ministry of Rites, so it was reasonable for him to be promoted to the position of Minister when the Minister was vacant.
Fei Cai didn't ask for an official position, and Xia Yan didn't promise anything, but there was a tacit understanding and everything was unspoken.
If Fei Cai didn't have this intention, why not go to Xia Mansion and wait for a long time? If it was just to talk to Xia Yan and Yan Song, it wouldn't be worth the trouble.
The next day, Xia Yan woke up early, washed up, and waited until it got dark before leaving the house and heading to the Forbidden City.
It was a very familiar road all the way, and he entered Zuoshun Gate and arrived at Wenyuan Pavilion. After receiving respectful greetings and salutes from Shushe and other passing officials along the way, Xia Yan truly felt , I really came back.
Standing outside the door of Wenyuan Pavilion, Xia Yan took a deep breath and strode closer to Wenyuan Pavilion under the watch of dozens of Zhongshushe people.
Then Xia Yan frowned, what's going on here? Why are all the office elders crowded in the central hall to work?
Zhongshu Sheren who followed Xia Yan explained: "Since Qin Zhongtang worked in Zhongtang, this has become popular in the cabinet."
At this time, Xia Yan was facing north, and the first seat on the right was empty. It seemed that it had just been cleaned up. Everything from the tables and chairs to the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone were brand new.
Xia Yan said unsatisfied: "Do I have to squeeze in here with my colleagues?"
Four people are already crowded enough. If one more person is added, the space inside the nave will be overwhelmed.
Zhongshu Sheren stopped talking, and he couldn't create space for Mr. Xia Ge, and he didn't have the ability to send other cabinet ministers elsewhere.
At this time, the other four cabinet ministers who had arrived early stood up together and saluted Xia Yan slightly as a greeting.
After Xia Yan returned the gift casually, he walked through the narrow aisle and walked to the newly placed table, but did not sit down. He turned to the other cabinet ministers and said, "I heard that the latest rule of the cabinet is a collective decision-making system?"
Yan Song, who was demoted from the first assistant to the second assistant, replied: "That's true."
Xia Yan didn't look at Yan Song at all, but stared at Zhang Chao, a bachelor of Wuyingdian and the Minister of Etiquette, and said, "If I think this collective decision-making system should be abolished, what do you think?"
Zhang Chao replied without thinking: "Then let's vote collectively and then report the results."
Xia Yan then looked at Yan Song and said calmly: "What do you think, Yan Jiexi?"
Yan Song also said succinctly: "Just vote according to the rules."
Yan Song's answer surprised Xia Yan. He was stunned for a moment before saying, "Then let me gain some experience and see how you vote."
