To be honest, this was the first time for Feng Ziying to witness such a meeting of important ministers, and she found it very interesting.
I originally thought that they were all high-ranking ministers of the Great Zhou Dynasty. They were all leading scholars and dignified people. When talking and discussing, they should be polite and smiling.
Even if there are different political opinions, it is just a verbal exchange, and everyone can maintain their own demeanor. Who would have thought that it would be like this?
The impassioned Sun Juxiang, the eloquent Huang Ruliang, the leisurely and indifferent Gao Panlong, the heroic Zhang Huaichang, the arrogant Chai Ke, the free and easy Guan Yingzhen, the sophisticated Qiao Yingjia, the leisurely Cui Jingrong, the humble and elegant Zhang Jingqiu, the gentle and elegant Gu Bingqian
, it can be said that the demeanor and demeanor of everyone can be seen at a glance.
Although a junior like Feng Ziying is also a third-rank official, he can only listen to him with humility. Everyone is his elder teacher, and anyone can give him advice, so the best way at this time is to be full of enthusiasm.
With a smile on your face, you raise your head and say yes, yes, and lower your head and say yes, yes, yes.
However, this dispute between the north and the south also existed among important officials. Their attitudes towards the northern border towns, their views on taxation in the south of the Yangtze River, their willingness to trade with Southeast Asia, and the allocation of imperial examination quotas were all different, so these disputes were inevitably brought into play.
There are regional differences.
Fortunately, the four cabinet ministers appeared soon. When the group of people saw the arrival of the four cabinet elders, they all immediately stopped and followed the four people into the lobby of Wenyuan Pavilion.
The four cabinet ministers sat in rows, with Ye Xianggao sitting first on the left, Qi Yongtai next to him, Fang Congzhe sitting on the right, and Li Sancai next to him. Then there were four rows of seats lined up from near to far, all the way to the door.
, Zhang Jingqiu, Huang Ruliang, Gu Bingqian, Zhang Huaichang, Cui Jingrong, Guan Yingzhen, there is an empty position in the middle, which was left by Liu Yibao, the Minister of Punishment.
Then there are the third-rank ministers, which are not so particular. They can choose to sit arbitrarily, either according to proximity, location, or just sitting alone. In short, there is no strict rule.
Feng Ziying was sitting closest to the door. She had the least seniority among them. The person sitting opposite him was also an old acquaintance, Taichang Temple Minister Wu Daonan, his former old boss.
Originally, Wu Daonan was going to be appointed as the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, but Gu Bingqian looked down on this role of talker and expressed his opposition. In the end, Wu Daonan had no choice but to go to Taichang Temple in despair. Of course, this was much better than being the governor of Shuntian Mansion.
Li Banghua, the current governor of Suncheon, sits next to Oh Do-nam.
The two former governors of Shuntian sat together, and it was not known whether they had anything in common. However, Feng Ziying knew that Li Banghua and Wu Daonan were both Jiangxi scholars. Even though they were natives, they were both direct descendants of Ye Xianggao.
, but Li Banghua's abilities are much better than Wu Daonan's, and his reputation in Shuntianfu is pretty good.
Next to Feng Ziying is Cao Yubian, the minister of Dali Temple. He was transferred from the right minister of the Ministry of Rites. Feng Ziying is not familiar with him, but Cao Yubian is a Shanxi scholar and is familiar with Qiao Yingjia, Han Zao and Sun Juxiang.
Zheng Chongjian, Sun Chuanting, and Chen Qiyu all respected him, so Cao Yubian was no stranger to Feng Ziying.
"Brother Liang, are we going to finalize it today?" Feng Ziying glanced casually at her colleagues above who were still whispering. The four cabinet ministers were still talking, and the people below were even more lively.
"It should be so." Cao Yubian is a thin man with a gaunt face. He is a bit frighteningly thin, but he seems to be in good spirits: "If not, why call everyone together? I didn't see Daofu talking to Ye Xiang, Fang Xiang and Chengfeng.
Are they planning something? It's probably going to be announced soon."
"Isn't this unnecessary? Since we have decided to negotiate in accordance with the cabinet's conditions and announce the negotiations once they are completed, and Prime Minister Ye and Mr. Qi Ge have no objections, what else is there to say?"
Feng Ziying's words made Cao Yubian glance at him. He probably felt that although Feng Ziying had a good reputation outside, she was still a newcomer to the court. He said calmly: "That's not necessarily the case. Although the general direction is set by the cabinet, but
It involves many specific details, and it is impossible to report to the cabinet at any time. Daofu also has to have some power to make changes at a moment's notice, otherwise there will be no negotiation. As long as it is generally in line with the wishes of the court, it will be fine, and Ye Xiang and Qi Ge Lao will not
We are obsessed with the details, but after all, we still have to report it so that everyone knows the details here."
"Details?" Feng Ziying also noticed Cao Yubian's attitude toward her.
Du disagreed, "Brother Liang, what aspect does it involve? The selection of cabinet ministers, the Yichu system, or the three towns in the south of the Yangtze River?"
Although they are all northern scholars, not everyone is close to him. After all, at his age and being in the third rank, many people find it difficult to adapt, and even have some faint resistance and disgust. Feng Ziying herself knows this very well.
.
Therefore, he was often very humble to the northern scholars who belonged to the inner circle, but he was more open-minded to the southern scholars.
Cao Yubian didn't expect Feng Ziying to be so sharp, but he thought highly of Feng Ziying.
It seems that this guy sitting here today is not in vain. Cao Yubian from the Ministry of Justice and the Metropolitan Procuratorate has more dealings with him. Liu Yibao is not interested in this guy, but Qiao Yingjia and Han Jing do not like him.
Needless to say, Juekou, Qiao Yingjia is his pick, but Han Yan is not someone who just follows what others say, and it seems that he still has some real stuff.
Cao Yubian has been paying close attention to the news of the White Lotus Sect, so he would like to find an opportunity to chat with him.
"I'm afraid there are both. If you gain something, you will lose something. If not, why compromise?" Cao Yubian shook his head.
"Brother Liang, don't worry. The initiative is on our side. Some people in Nanjing have too good ideas. Reality will educate them." Feng Ziying raised her head confidently. "Tang Mi and others are now of the same mind as Prince Yi Zhong, but in the future
What happens after taking office? Prime Minister Ye Fang is also a scholar from Jiangnan, so we can continue to talk. We can talk within the cabinet. We can always find common ground and everyone will be happy, right?"
Feng Ziying's somewhat frivolous but confident posture not only made Cao Yubian raise his eyebrows, but also attracted a sideways glance from the person in front of him, Sun Juxiang.
"Ziying, you are full of confidence." Sun Juxiang turned his head and glanced at Feng Ziying.
"Brother Bofu, what do you think Tang Mu and the two are trying to do?" Feng Ziying said plausibly, "It's not that I hope to join the cabinet so that I can express my ambitions, but since I have joined the cabinet, I should naturally understand that the overall situation is the most important thing, and I can't be like this again.
Who doesn’t know that it’s easier said than done to make random comments like those in the mountains and forests? In such a large country and country, with billions of people, they have to control it with their hearts. They will understand the difficulty of governing the world, and they can also understand Ye Fang’s feelings.
The suffering of duality."
"What you said makes sense. I hope they both understand the general situation in the same way." Sun Juxiang curled his lips, obviously having a bad impression of Tang Mi and the other two.
"If it is true that people with different principles do not work together, then the ministers in the cabinet will naturally have their own ideas." Feng Ziying added.
Sun Juxiang and Cao Yubian neither spoke anymore, and both understood that this would need to go to a certain step before it would be triggered. It was too early to tell now.
As Ye Xiangqing cleared his throat, the hall immediately became quiet. Everyone was an important minister with status and culture, and they were very particular about all aspects of conduct.
"Everyone, I would like to invite you to come this time. Maybe you all know what is going on. We have discussed it with some of our colleagues here in the early stage. Some colleagues are still unclear, because it is not appropriate to expand the scope of knowledge before the matter is discussed, so as not to cause problems.
It is a pointless commotion, so we will inform you again when the process reaches a certain level, or when we are close to reaching an agreement. Please rest assured that Daofu personally came forward during this negotiation, and all the terms involved are to safeguard the dignity of the court and our fellow officials.
It is a norm respected by people, but we must also admit that the current court is in difficulty, with external and internal troubles recurring, and sometimes compromise is necessary to maintain the overall situation..."
Ye Xianggao's voice was a little low, but it was very penetrating in the hall. Almost everyone could clearly hear the pertinence of each of his words and understand the meaning.
Feng Ziying was also thinking that if she wanted to be the chief assistant, her voice would need to be honed and refined. The voices of Fang Congzhe and Li Sancai lacked some fire, but Master Qi's voice was strong and powerful, like gold and stone. With a little adjustment, it could still be heard.
He has a bit of a head-officer vibe.
"Daofu, please introduce the situation of the discussion over there." Back to the subject, Ye Xianggao handed over the topic to Li Sancai.
Li Sancai was from the north, but he had always been on good terms with scholars from the south of the Yangtze River. Even Tang Binyin, Miao Changqi, Zhu Guozhen, and Gu Tianjun were all familiar with him. Qi Yongtai, Qiao Yingjia, Cui Jingrong, and others couldn't stand it, but
I have to say that he is indeed the most suitable candidate for negotiation.
"……..., the negotiations are very difficult, and Nanjing’s requirements are very high, probably
We also feel that our imperial court has insufficient financial resources and cannot sustain itself for a long time. The imperial court is indeed concerned about this, so it agreed to negotiate..."
Li Sancai didn't show off, and talked about the key points in a few concise sentences: "There is no need to talk about the non-controversial matters. There are some disputes about the specific size. Although it is basically agreed, I still need to inform you. First,
The stake is the system for selecting cabinet ministers. If Tang and Mu are to join the cabinet, plus Liu Ji, the number of cabinet ministers in the future will be seven. However, this system will not continue forever. It still needs to be considered, whether it is five or six. Is there a fixed number?
We can also discuss whether other places of domicile need to be specified or should be agreed upon.
The first is the most critical issue. Seven cabinet ministers are too many for many people. Five people should be the most acceptable to everyone. However, the current situation is special and everyone can understand it. But will it be necessary in the future?
Keep the rule of seven cabinet ministers?
Also, is there a rule regarding the birthplace of a cabinet minister, or is it just a tacit understanding among everyone, and is it possible to make changes in special circumstances?
Now, none of the seven cabinet ministers has a scholar outside Jiangnan and Beidi. This is obviously unreasonable. If it is changed to five cabinet ministers, how will the proportion of scholars in Jiangnan, Beidi, Huguang and other places be distributed?