When Xia Yan returned to Wenyuan Pavilion from Xiyuan, others could tell the result just by looking at Xia Yan's face without asking.
Zhang Bi shook his head and simply left early so as not to cause any problems if he was in the hall with Xia Yan who was in a bad mood.
Xia Shoufu's mentality was about to explode. Now that Qin Dewei was three thousand miles away, he was still at a disadvantage. If he waited for Qin Dewei to come back, how could he still imagine the situation?
In this way, only Xia Shoufu and Mr. Yan Ge were left in the middle hall of Wenyuan Pavilion, which made it easier for the two of them to talk without worrying about others hearing them.
After Yan Song thought for a moment, he took the initiative to persuade Xia Yan: "If the emperor hadn't woken up and Empress Dowager Zhang had not died last year, there might have been an opportunity to suppress Qin Dewei.
Now that the emperor is awake and surrounded by people who are leaning towards Qin Dewei, it will be very difficult to criticize Qin Dewei.
Therefore, the chief assistant does not need to worry about this, as the saying goes, victory or defeat is a common thing for military strategists!"
Xia Yan really grasped the key point and asked: "The emperor is surrounded by people who are inclined to Qin Dewei? Is that true?"
Yan Song explained in detail: "The first one is the eunuch Qin Fu. In the past two years, he and Qin Dewei have become closer and closer. They have shown the same progress and retreat in many things. In my opinion, they are almost the same party."
Xia Yan had been away from the imperial court for two years and lacked an intuitive feeling about the performance of the Qin eunuchs during these two years. But based on what he heard and witnessed after returning, he believed in Yan Song's judgment.
Otherwise, if Qin Dewei was not in the capital, how could he directly stop Tao Xiangu from entering the palace? If Qin Dewei had no chance to come forward, how could he create the greatest conflict between the emperor and Qin Dewei?
I don’t know if there is another butterfly effect in history. Originally, Li Chunfang was the number one scholar in the 26th year of Jiajing. That subject was also the golden generation in the history of the Ming Dynasty’s imperial examinations, including Zhang Juzheng and many others.
Four people: "."
Originally, Qin Dewei had been thinking about whether to become the examiner for the 26th year of Jiajing and accept all the golden generation as disciples.
Wherever there are people, there must be uneven interests, and other people around the emperor may not be willing to accept Qin Dewei. If Shoukui wants to compete with Qin Dewei, he must make friends with these people as soon as possible."
Yan Song replied: "Tao Zhenren's daughter married Qin Dewei's brother-in-law in the early years. I heard that another granddaughter is practicing in Qin's family temple. I don't believe that Tao Zhenren will not be attracted to Qin Dewei."
Everything I do is Xiao Gui and Cao Sui's errands, and I will live in your shadow for the rest of my life."
And because I bribed the inn officials in advance, I got more detailed information.
Xia Yan relied on his own integrity and disdained the idea of making friends with people like chamberlains, so he didn't think about these issues in a systematic way.
Zeng Mian rubbed his forehead and said helplessly: "The four of you should follow the headquarters. The headquarters can at least save your lives!"
Without Xia Yan's interference, the new governor of Zhejiang and Fujian was successfully elected, and then quickly set off south.
"The second one is Tao Zhenren, the national master. According to my observation, he also has a very close relationship with Qin Dewei." Yan Song continued.
The governor looked to be in his forties, in the prime of life, and his attitude was very kind. The four young people felt encouraged in their hearts.
Then he continued: "There is also Queen Fang, who is from Jiangning County, Nanjing City, as is Qin Dewei. Do you think she will move towards Qin Dewei?"
At this time, the coldness of late autumn was beginning to set in. Qin Zhongtang, who had just entered the city, sent Miss Li home first while he went into the palace to meet the emperor.
In fact, these are absolute taboos in the Ming Dynasty officialdom. I dare not say that no one has ever done it, but it is true that very, very few people do it.
Qin Guozuo, the most noble son in contemporary Nanjing, is eight years old. He heard that he was coveted by Duke Wei and wanted to get married.
Seeing his stepfather's normal expression, Qin Zhongtang said dissatisfiedly: "What? You're not happy to get such a good job?"
Xia Yan accepted Yan Song's explanation and said casually: "I'll think about it again!"
Given Emperor Jiajing's egocentric and mean and narrow-minded character, as long as Qin Dewei dared to prevent Tao Xiangu from entering the palace, the emperor would definitely be angered.
If he could give points, he felt that his answer could score at least 90 points.
Unexpectedly, Li Chunfang took the exam in advance, so just let it happen. It is estimated that Zhang Juzheng will also take the exam by then. Maybe the golden generation will arrive in the 23rd year of Jiajing in advance.
Damn it! This is like leaving the dragon pond and entering the tiger's den! Is there any place in the world for you!
Also, Mr. Governor, why is your surname Zeng? It confuses them all!
How does a father succeed his son? Is politics so dark? Is the officialdom so corrupt? Is the world so corrupt?
Xia Shoufu was so angry that he had "unconventional" thoughts, but he was too embarrassed to say it directly, so he pretended to talk to himself and led Yan Song to continue talking.
The governor said in surprise: "Are you really willing to follow our headquarters to Ningbo?"
Xia Yan was slightly surprised, "Is this true?"
Zeng Hou's father said in a low mood: "If you have been to Liaodong, I will be the governor of Liaodong. If you have been to Zhejiang, I will be the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian."
Yang Chengmin, on behalf of the four people, replied with a sense of proportion: "We have offended Qin Zhongtang, and we are still unable to return home. I boldly ask the old manufacturer to escort us back home."
The governor smiled bitterly: "To be honest, I am the father of Qin Dewei!"
Yan Song was stunned for a moment. That's not what he meant by "abnormal methods of uniting party members and opposing dissenters". You, Xia Yan, still want to play such a trick?
The four local scholars in Ningbo City who jointly reported Qin Dewei followed Yan Shifan's advice and quickly fled Ningbo City for personal safety after writing a letter to report.
With the emperor's nature, he will definitely be tempted! At that time, Qin Dewei will definitely feel resentful, and if he dares to stop it, something big will happen."
The governor asked: "You are here seeking an audience, why are you here?"
Xia Yan snorted coldly and said, "Since you have such a method, why didn't you use it earlier? Are you telling me this now because you want to use me as a gun?"
Yan Song doesn't think this is a problem: "Even if Qin Dewei doesn't stop him, he will still feel resentful and achieve the same goal of alienation.
If these are all coincidences, it would be too coincidental; if these are man-made arrangements, it would be terrible.
"Do we really need to use means other than the temple?" Xia Shoufu seemed to be thinking to himself.
Yang Chengmin replied: "Please take me under your wing!"
There is a sense of tragedy in resisting evil forces and suffering persecution. Perhaps after this fermentation, their reputation will rapidly expand in the future!
Shouldn't we think about it in advance now? What should their four-person group be called by then? Party of Four?
Then the four people went north along the canal to Suzhou, where they stayed and "hided". As long as the new governor went south along the canal from the capital to Zhejiang, he would definitely pass through Suzhou.
Under normal circumstances, officials will not show rejection and will give them a courtesy reception.
Also, what if Yan Song, who knew the inside story, was stabbed in the back?
Fortunately, there is no rush now. Even if he really plans to use this method, he will have to wait until Qin Dewei returns to the capital to achieve the best results.
After hearing Yan Song say it again, he subconsciously asked: "Is this a coincidence or a layout?"
"Everything depends on man-made efforts." Yan Song said mysteriously: "In the past two years, I have tried my best to inquire about the deeds of people around Qin Dewei, hoping to find something that can be used."
Another month later, in October of the 21st year of Jiajing, Qin Zhongtang returned to the capital.
This time was no exception. The four people who escaped from Ningbo were successfully brought before the new governor.
This crooked way is not so fun. If it is exposed, it will definitely cause an uproar and may even bring disrepute.
As long as you tell the emperor that Qin Dewei is dissatisfied, the emperor will definitely be suspicious of Qin Dewei. What else is scary about Qin Dewei?
Even when the party struggle was at its most intense, there was no mention of kidnapping, assassination, or targeting family members.
The four of them paid their respects together and said, "Students Yang Chengmin, Lu Mengguan, Zhang Shide, and Tu Ludao have met the old Taiwan maker!"
With such a successor, Qin Zhongtang can leave Zhejiang with a little peace of mind. He no longer has to worry about people leaving and all the new policies being abandoned halfway.
The canal is outside the city of Suzhou, so the governor who was passing by did not enter the city. He stopped elegantly at the Fengqiao Mansion beside the canal, whereupon the four scholars immediately submitted a letter asking for an audience.
Qin Zhongtang also had a small idea, which was to nip the trouble in the bud and ask his father-in-law to stay away from the damn northwest, completely get rid of the original historical trajectory, and live a good life!
After spending three days together and completing the handover, Qin Zhongtang left.
Xia Yan urged impatiently: "There's no need to show off, just tell me quickly!"
Sure enough, it was an "abnormal method", completely breaking out of the routine of ordinary court disputes. Although it was not kidnapping or assassination, it was still targeted at family members.
Yan Song smiled bitterly and said: "First of all, I don't dare to try this method easily, for fear of retaliation, and fear that I will fall in front of Qin Dewei before I see him fall.
Li Chunfang, who works as a tutor in the Qin Mansion, wants to try a new life, and revealed her idea of taking the Jinshi examination for her next subject.
Xia Yan has a rather impatient personality, so making friends with those people requires long-term efforts, and it is difficult to achieve results in the short term.
Having thus mastered the "big killer", Xia Shoufu temporarily ceased his activities. Before Qin Dewei returned to the capital, he just handled official duties normally and no longer deliberately targeted the Qin Party.
And anyone with a little life experience knows that the more evil the method, the greater the backlash it may cause.
Then Yan Song expressed his thoughts: "We can focus on driving a wedge between the emperor and Qin Dewei first, provoking conflicts between the emperor and Qin Dewei, and stop insisting on fighting with Qin Dewei in the court."
On the way to the capital, Qin Zhongtang took another detour and returned to Nanjing to visit his uncle and eldest son Qin Guozuo.
Xia Yan was speechless for a long time. Unexpectedly, Yan Song actually said something, and it seemed that he had revealed something at the bottom of the box.
Scholars these days also have a special way of meeting high-ranking officials. These four people come from official families, are relatives of current high-ranking officials, and are scholars from the governor's future residence. Of course, they are qualified to jointly request an audience.
Yan Song replied: "Whether it's a coincidence or a layout, it doesn't matter anymore. The situation around the emperor has become like this. But there are other people around the emperor, such as Huang Jin, Lu Bing and others, as well as other Taoist priests.
Whether or not to use such a bottom-line fighting strategy really requires careful consideration.
You can bribe a Taoist priest who can get close to the emperor, and advise the emperor that you can ask Tao Xiangu, who is proficient in the dual cultivation of the Tao, to assist the emperor in practicing the Holy Body, and maybe he can fully recover as soon as possible.
Yan Song told the truth: "Your Majesty still has trust in Qin Dewei, so in a short period of time, it is difficult for the normal methods of party unity and opposition in the court to succeed."
Secondly, the emperor has been in a coma for most of the past year, so this method is completely useless."
When the emperor wants face, Qin Dewei can make him face; when the emperor wants money, Qin Dewei can make him money; and Qin Dewei can solve many troubles encountered by the court.
Besides, with Qin Dewei’s character, he definitely cannot sit idly by and take some action.”
This place is outside the jurisdiction of Qin Dewei and is relatively safe. Moreover, Suzhou City is densely populated and has large population movements, making it easy to hide its whereabouts.
This time Zeng's father also brought Qin Zhongtang's biological mother, Zhou, to take office. After all, Zhou was more adaptable to the climate of Zhejiang than the capital.
At this time, they did not feel bleak because they had left their hometown, but were full of expectations for the future.
The four scholars waited for nearly two months, from summer to autumn, before they found out that the new governor of Zhejiang and Fujian had arrived in Jiangnan.
After Yan Song hesitated for a moment, he finally said it: "I heard a secret from the old Taoist priest of Xianling Palace. Tao Zhenren's Taoist nun's granddaughter who practices in Qin Mansion is said to be the most proficient in the dual cultivation of Yin and Yang. I also heard that this woman has an affair with Qin Dewei
Very close relationship.
This analysis coincided with Xia Yan's thoughts. Xia Shoufu now also felt a huge sense of powerlessness, feeling that all the available methods seemed to have failed.
Xia Yan sighed, what is easier said than done? With the emperor's current level of trust in Qin Dewei, this is difficult to do.
The so-called means outside the temple are nothing more than assassination, kidnapping, and even involving family members.
In September, when the autumn wind was bleak, Qin Zhongtang saw off Lu Bo, who was going to Japan to carry out his first raid in Dinghaiwei, and received the news of Zeng's stepfather's arrival.
Qin Zhongtang thought in a funny way, if he became the examiner, would Li Chunfang, who was the same generation as his stepfather, kneel down or not?
However, Qin Zhongtang did not reveal his intention to be an examiner. He was afraid that Li Chunfang would not take the exam if he knew about it, so he would give him a surprise then.
As for Qin Dewei’s kidnapping of Mr. Yan Ge’s son Yan Shifan, that’s because Yan Shifan himself is a member of the officialdom!
After Xia Yan came to his senses, he questioned: "Will Qin Dewei stop him? If he does nothing, wouldn't it be in vain?"
Qin Dewei could do almost anything except not allowing the emperor to achieve immortality, so what could he do to drive a wedge between the emperor and Qin Dewei?
He waited until he met the emperor before returning home to show that he put his country before his family. In his attitude towards the emperor, Qin Zhongtang was very cautious and rarely made mistakes.
After passing through Chengtian Gate and Duanmen, he arrived outside the Meridian Gate. Qin Dewei caught a glimpse of the Dongchao Room and saw some officials standing outside the door.
Judging from experience, this is where the ministers are holding a court meeting. Thinking of this, Qin Dewei turned around and walked towards the east room.
Since we bumped into each other along the way, let's see the "old friends" first, and at the same time make a formal appearance after returning to the court.