At this point, the attitudes of both parties are already obvious.
When it comes to selecting the host to organize the military camp, what the two of them can agree on is that military ministers cannot. This is why they only mentioned civil servants when they were discussing just now. When it comes to the imperial court, the two of them must work together. .
However, apart from the military officials, whether it was the Ministry of War, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, or the Ministry of Punishment that was in charge, both sides were unwilling to give in.
Under the premise of excluding military ministers, whose hands this job falls into will probably depend on which of them has higher means in front of the emperor.
However, on the way out of the cabinet and into the palace together, Yu Shiyue still had a smile on his face, but he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
He knew that from the beginning of this round, he was already at a disadvantage.
Wang Ao used the power of splitting votes to create a false scene in front of him, so that he ignored the signs of disputes within the civil servants that he should have noticed long ago, and focused all his attention on the nobles.
Then he waited for work and waited for him to come to the door. Now that he took the initiative to ask Wang Ao for help, he lowered his head first.
At the same time, he wanted to help the Ministry of War get this job. This purpose has been clearly discovered by Wang Ao. However, he does not know whether Wang Ao prefers the Metropolitan Procuratorate or the Ministry of Criminal Justice. This is not clear. When he spoke in front of the emperor, he was even more at a disadvantage.
It seems that after these two years of training, the chief assistant has indeed become more and more proficient in his methods. Of course, more importantly, he is on the right path.
In the past, Wang Ao worked hard to expand his network of contacts in the court and gain greater influence. For this reason, he was almost taken advantage of by Jiang Yuan and capsized in the gutter.
But he ignored that the special nature of the cabinet determined that as the chief minister of the cabinet, he did not need to have broad connections to have absolute influence on the DPRK.
Because the cabinet belongs to the system of group assistants, no matter how extensive his connections are, it is impossible to be as good as the connections of several cabinet ministers combined in the court. Of course, if he really achieves this, then he should be worried What matters is not whether the position of chief minister can be secured, but what should be worried about is how far away from the imperial edict is.
So in fact, it is difficult to say whether the emperor was so aggressive in the case of the last imperial examination or not as a warning to Wang Ao.
Of course, regardless of whether it is a warning or not, Wang Ao is a smart man after all. He has kept a low profile for a long time since the imperial examination case. In comparison, Yu Shiyue, the second assistant, has the status bonus of Zhan Shi of the Prince's Mansion. In the court, The influence was even stronger, so much so that although Yu Shiyue himself was always careful, he was still inevitably a little careless and despised Wang Ao.
Now it seems that the Chief Assistant has not been idle during this period. At least judging from today's events, he has gradually understood what methods the Chief Assistant should use.
To put it bluntly, the job of the cabinet is to assist King Bi, to coordinate the internal and external affairs. That is why there are so many cabinet ministers. Although the cabinet is a group of assistants, and each cabinet minister is of the same rank, when the chief minister faces other cabinet ministers, , which naturally has advantages.
As the chief minister, Wang Ao does not need to be very powerful. He only needs to make good use of the power of the cabinet ministers in the court to achieve the purpose of harmonizing the internal and external affairs of the cabinet, which is already considered competent.
As for the specific method, the emperor had already made it clear when he promoted the cabinet. The chief minister could suppress other cabinet ministers when they were of the same rank. The biggest weapon was the right to share votes.
In the past, Wang Ao also used the right to divide votes, but more often, he divided government affairs into superficial priorities and assigned them to different ministers. Just like Zhu Jian, after the last incident, he was assigned all Some government affairs are difficult and trivial to handle, and it is easy to make mistakes, but it is not easy to excel.
When Jiang Yuan was still there, Wang Ao would assign some important government affairs to him intentionally or unintentionally, but after all, this was the most superficial way of using it, and people would know the intention at a glance.
And what happened today made Yu Shiyue realize how to use this voting power...
However, even if you can see it, it is of no use.
This is why Yu Shiyue believes that Wang Ao is finally on the right track. Using the right to share votes to suppress cabinet ministers is within the powers of the chief minister. Therefore, Wang Ao is not afraid of others seeing it, because even if they see it, unless they see it, Drive him out of the position of chief assistant, otherwise, this will be impossible to change.
Since it cannot be changed, letting cabinet ministers like Yu Shiyue see his methods will actually serve as a deterrent.
After letting out a breath, Yu Shiyue became alert. During this period, he had indeed been a little too slack. It seems that from now on, whether in the cabinet or above the government, he will have to pay more attention to his conduct...
With this thought in mind, the two of them went outside the Wenhua Palace together. However, what surprised them was that after they had submitted the post for a long time, there was still no movement.
After taking a look at the sky, the two of them couldn't help but feel a little strange. According to the time, it should be the time when the emperor was dealing with government affairs. Why...
"Your Majesty has returned to the harem?"
Just as they were wondering, the eunuch who had just been sent to deliver the post came back and told them that His Majesty the Emperor was not in the Wenhua Palace, but had returned to the harem.
But this news made Wang Ao even more confused. What was the emperor doing when he returned to the harem in broad daylight?
Wang Ao frowned and said.
"Didn't you tell His Majesty that we have urgent government affairs and need to present them to Your Majesty?"
"As you said, His Majesty said, let the two elders wait."
The waiter's respectful reply made Wang Ao's expression even worse.
Even if something happens in the harem, can it be more important than the government affairs of the court?
Suddenly, Wang Ao made up his mind to wait for the emperor to come back and try to persuade him no matter what. However, what he didn't notice was that Yu Shiyue on the side was stunned for a moment after hearing the news, and then seemed to think of something. His expression suddenly became a little exciting.
After hesitating for a moment, Yu Shiyue asked tentatively, regardless of Wang Ao's expression.
"All matters in the harem are handled by the Queen."
"I wonder what kind of trouble has occurred. Even the Queen cannot handle it. Your Majesty needs to handle it personally?"
As soon as these words came out, Wang Ao's face also changed. He seemed to have realized something, and his eyes immediately focused on the chamberlain who came to report the news.
As expected, after hearing this question, the chamberlain shook his head and said.
"Don't worry, gentlemen, there is no trouble in the harem. It's just that the Queen suddenly suffered from abdominal pain this morning and is now in labor. Your Majesty is currently in Kunning Palace, so you two need to wait a moment."
Although they had expected it, when they actually heard the news, the two of them were still shocked. After reacting, their expressions became a little complicated.
"Thank you, father-in-law, for letting me know. I'll just wait here."
After sending away the chamberlain who came to report the news, the two of them fell silent in unison, but they didn't know what they were thinking in their hearts...
Of course, at this time, Zhu Qiyu had no intention of caring about what the two old guys were thinking. All his thoughts were focused on the tightly closed door of the Nuan Pavilion in front of him.
When a woman gives birth, she has always passed through the gate of hell. Although this is Wang's third child, Zhu Qiyu still can't help but worry.
This birth started in the early morning, and it has been more than two hours now. As soon as Zhu Qiyu got the news, he put down everything at hand and rushed to Kunning Palace.
It should be said that compared to the whole night when Sister Yun was born last time, these two hours now are nothing at all. However, looking at the palace maids coming in and out from time to time from the side door, he still couldn't help but feel sad. Some anxiety.
However, no matter how anxious he was at this time, he had no choice but to wait quietly outside. However, after all, he was in a very agitated mood at the moment. Seeing the emperor like this, all the entourage around him were not at all proud. Dare to come out.
Several doors seem to separate two worlds.
It was very busy inside, with the low-pitched screams of women giving birth, the footsteps of women and maids coming and going, and the sounds of various objects colliding together, all intertwined and noisy.
It was quiet outside, without a sound, and there was even a tense atmosphere.
"The Queen Mother has arrived..."
A shout from outside broke the tranquility in the palace. Soon, Wu's figure appeared outside. Seeing this, Zhu Qiyu calmed down a little and went to greet her.
"I've met my mother-in-law!"
"how's it going?"
Wu raised her hand to avoid his courtesy, walked inside, and asked.
Then, a trace of worry flashed across Zhu Qiyu's face and he said.
"Dong Yuan's envoy said it's nothing serious, but the time is running out and there's been no movement inside..."
Seeing Zhu Qiyu's slightly anxious look, Wu sighed inwardly, her face became slightly stern, and she said.
"You have several children, why are you still so unsteady? Sit down!"
This tone was somewhat familiar, and Zhu Qiyu suddenly recalled some not-so-good memories. Could it be that Wu came here to persuade him to leave?
Zhu Qiyu frowned, made up his mind, and said.
"Mother and concubine..."
"You can wait here if you want, but it will only do bad things if you are not stable!"
However, as soon as she started speaking, she was interrupted by Mrs. Wu, her face darkened and her voice was slightly stern, she said.
"sit down!"
Zhu Qiyu thought for a while, and then sat down beside him according to his temper.
Seeing this situation, Wu decided to do something right.
"The queen is giving birth, and the harem is already chaotic. At this time, you are also in a panic. How can the people below not panic?"
"Look at the people in this palace. Who wouldn't be afraid to see you like this?"
"If something goes wrong while doing things, who will be responsible?"
"Contain your emperor's momentum and wait patiently!"
After being scolded, Zhu Qiyu calmed down, glanced at the trembling palace maid beside him, took a deep breath, waved his hand, and said.
"Wynn stays, others can go about their own business, there is no need to serve here!"
As a result, the palace ladies and chamberlains on the side quickly retreated as if they had been granted amnesty. After a moment, only Huai En and a few chamberlains were left waiting beside Zhu Qiyu.
At the same time, whether it was a psychological effect or not, Zhu Qiyu himself felt that the ladies coming in and out of the palace seemed much more relaxed.
He raised his head and glanced at Wu, and met Wu's eyes, so he spoke.
"Thank you, mother-in-law..."
There are some words that need not be said in detail. Mother and son naturally understand that the little knot that has been difficult to untie before seems to be gradually dissolving at this moment.
Wu glanced at him lightly, but didn't say much. She turned the beads in her hand gently, looked at Nuange beside her, and said calmly.
"Wait, then……"
In this way, almost another hour passed, and as the sun had passed noon, a baby's cry finally came from the Nuan Pavilion.
Although it was not loud among the noisy Nuan Pavilion, Zhu Qiyu still caught it immediately.
At that moment, he finally couldn't hold it in any longer, stood up, and quickly arrived at the door of Nuange. After a while, the doors were pushed open, and several women walked out carefully holding a little guy in their arms, saying
.
"Congratulations to your majesty, congratulations to your majesty. Mother and son are safe. You are a prince!"
At this moment, the world seemed to be quiet. Zhu Qiyu stared at the infant child in front of him, and the only sound in his ears was his not-so-loud cry.
He gently stretched out his hand to hug her, but when he reached halfway, he took it back. He just touched his little face carefully through the swaddling clothes and said.
"Okay, okay, okay, great."
After taking a long breath, Zhu Qiyu finally calmed down his mind, looked into the Nuan Pavilion, and said as he stepped forward.
"How is the Queen doing?"
However, as soon as he lifted his feet, he was stopped by Liu Huan standing at the door and said.
"Your Majesty, everything is fine, your Majesty is just a little exhausted. There is too much blood inside now and it is quite messy. Please wait until the slaves have tidied up before inviting Your Majesty in."
"I'll just go in and take a look..."
Zhu Qiyu kept walking, trying to get past him, but Liu Huan did not give way. He stretched out his hand to block the front and said.
"Your Majesty, this is what my mother ordered me to do before I gave birth."
As he spoke, Liu Huan looked at Wu, who was also walking towards this side, intentionally or unintentionally, and continued.
"Please don't embarrass me."
Seeing that he could not sneak in, Zhu Qiyu felt a little regretful. He glanced inside worriedly, but did not continue to break in.
At the same time, Mrs. Wu also came to the child. When she heard the mother-in-law on the side reported that she was a prince, her face suddenly became filled with joy, she clasped her hands together and said.
"God bless the Ming Dynasty, God bless the Ming Dynasty..."
Zhu Qiyu didn't speak, but focused his attention on the little child in front of him again. After all this tossing, the little kid seemed a little tired, and he clenched his two little fists and fell asleep.
Looking at the little baby who gradually became quiet, Zhu Qiyu's lips raised a smile. However, only for a moment, he didn't know what he thought of, and his expression suddenly became a little complicated. Then he turned around and gave instructions.
"Wynn, go out and deliver the message..."
"When the prince is born, everyone celebrates it. He is exempted from court for three days. All taxes for this year are exempted in all parts of the capital. Ministers of the third rank and above in the court are all given a piece of brocade and fifty taels of silver. Female officials and eunuchs in the palace, regardless of their rank, are all given silver. Twelve, any palace maid who is over twenty-five will be released and allowed to return home and get married on her own!"