Chapter One Hundred and Thirty: He De He Neng Wang Jian Zhai
In the brightly lit study, Chen Xun's face turned slightly red, but he still nodded honestly.
Once you have entered an official career, it is common sense to want to take a step forward, and there is nothing to be embarrassed about.
This time the emperor decided on the cabinet quota system at the court meeting.
The ranks of the two of them have also increased, and their false titles have been promoted from the third rank of minister to the second rank of minister.
Logically speaking, you should be satisfied.
But the emperor left a hook, pointing out that the cabinet was composed of assistants, with the bachelor of Hua Gaidian as the chief assistant and in charge of voting.
Although the rank is the same, a chief minister has already distinguished the difference between the chief minister and other cabinet ministers.
And because Wang Zhi was originally the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, under the unanimous insistence of the courtiers, he was not awarded the title of Bachelor of Huagaidian.
In other words, the emperor created the position of chief minister, but did not grant it to anyone.
This has to make Chen Xun ready to make a move...
"Shi Yong, there are only you and me here, I just want to say something that comes from my heart."
Chen Xun said with a sincere expression.
"Since Sanyang, the status of the cabinet in the court has been much lower than before. Now, although the emperor intends to reuse him, he may be showing favor to me because of his new position."
"If it hadn't been for this change, how could the imperial code have been easily tampered with?"
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If the first assistant is delayed, he will eventually be unable to compete with the six ministries. Once the crisis is over and the government is in peace, smoothness should be the main priority, and it is not appropriate to make major changes to the system."
"So at this time, as cabinet ministers, we, as cabinet ministers, should work together to stabilize the system. In this way, the cabinet inheritance will be orderly, which is a good thing. Does the world think so?"
The official position is exciting!
Faced with the opportunity to become the chief minister comparable to Qiqing, Chen Xun couldn't care less about the small rift with Gao Gu some time ago. The intention of wooing him was very obvious in his words.
Gao Gu is also a smart man, so he doesn't understand what Chen Xun means.
Although the emperor had the intention of re-employing him, the chief minister had not been confirmed for a day. The additional titles of the six ministers of the cabinet were just additional titles, and it was difficult to really compare with the six ministers in terms of status.
After all, the emperor has his say first, and the first assistant is in charge of voting and drafting, and other cabinet ministers assist.
Without a leader, you will always be inferior to others in the court.
Therefore, Chen Xun was advising him to take advantage of this opportunity to stabilize the foundation of the cabinet.
After all, now that we are facing a powerful enemy, many rules are not very strict.
Just like today's court meeting, if it were normal times, the status of the cabinet would not be so easy to raise.
If you don't have to fight and argue for ten days and a half, you can still succeed.
Chaos is the best opportunity to break old rules and establish new ones.
As long as at this time, one of the chief ministers of the cabinet can stand up and express his own voice on behalf of the cabinet in the military affairs of the court, then the status of the cabinet can be completely established.
Only after the war is over can the chief minister of the cabinet truly have a stable position comparable to that of the Seven Ministers.
If you miss this opportunity, it will be difficult to join the ranks of Qiqing!
Naturally, there are only two ministers in the cabinet now, and it seems that no new ministers will be added for a while.
After all, the emperor has set a threshold for entering the cabinet, and he is a third-grade official in the capital.
Because of the large number of vacancies created by the civil war, many senior officials inside and outside the capital were upgraded to fill the vacancies.
Nowadays, most of the third-grade actual positions in the Central Court are newly promoted.
Within a short period of time, it is not appropriate to be promoted to the cabinet and given the title of minister.
Therefore, if you want to choose the first assistant, you can choose it from among the cabinet ministers.
In terms of seniority, age, and political achievements, it is difficult for Gao Gu to compare with Chen Xun, a senior cabinet minister.
No wonder Chen Xun had this idea in his mind.
He can't just go to the emperor and say that I want to be the chief minister.
As the only cabinet minister, it is most appropriate for Takagu to say this...
However, looking at Chen Xun's expectant eyes, Gao Gu sighed and had to pour a basin of cold water on him.
"Brother Chen, it's impossible for me not to help you."
Chen Xun frowned and asked, "What does Shi Yong mean by this?"
Gao Gu said solemnly: "Brother Chen, have you ever thought about why Your Majesty appointed a chief assistant but did not grant him a chief assistant? Is it really because he was awarded the title of Heavenly Official first and it is not easy to grant it to someone else on the spot?"
Without waiting for Chen Xun to answer, Gao Gu asked and answered himself.
"No, at that time, the ministers established Chen and could not order the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel to join the cabinet, and they did not want the Heavenly Official to degrade himself and be dismissed from the post of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. If His Majesty really had this intention, he could directly appoint Brother Chen as the Secretary of the Huagaidian University.
scholar."
"After all, the position of Chief Assistant is a newly created position. There is no precedent for how to select and award it to the imperial court. What's more, the position of the cabinet has always been based on the holy will and does not need to go through the outer court. Moreover, the academicians of each palace have the same rank and are all assistant ministers.
It's just a matter of ranking, not even super promotion."
"Since Your Majesty has not selected a conferee, naturally he does not want to select one!"
"So even if I offer advice to the emperor, I'm afraid it won't be effective. Instead, it will make the emperor think that we are greedy."
Under the flickering candlelight, Chen Xun's face looked a little disappointed.
He naturally knew the reasons Gao Gu mentioned, but he was always unwilling to do so.
After thinking about it, Chen Xundao.
"It makes sense to say this, but it is not for worldly purposes. The emperor's move is obviously to re-employ my cabinet. In this case, with your majesty's wisdom and wisdom, you will not only do half of it. How can you explain this?"
Gao Gu sighed, this old friend of his was confused by his official position.
"Since Brother Chen is honest, I won't hold back."
"Your Majesty will naturally think carefully when doing things. When he appoints a chief minister and an assistant, he will leave the position vacant. Naturally, he already has a candidate in mind."
Chen Xun's face became even more ugly. He twirled his gray beard, pondered for a moment, and then asked.
"Anyone else?"
"Except for you and me, most of the officials who came from the Hanlin Academy in Beijing are not qualified enough. Who can be qualified to be the chief minister?"
It should be said that Chen Xun had been ups and downs in the court for so many years. If there was no hope at all, he would not be so excited.
It was precisely because he felt that this matter had great potential that he approached Gao Gu to discuss it.
The biggest reason why he was sure that he had a chance to become the first assistant was.
Those who were more senior than him in the Hanlin Academy all died in Tumubao!
Although in comparison, with his qualifications, he can barely reach the Qi Qing, but considering the current situation, it is not impossible.
Gao Gu said there were other candidates, but he had just mentally reviewed most of the officials in the capital and confirmed again that there was indeed no suitable person in the capital who could join the cabinet.
So Takagu sighed and said.
"Brother Chen, have you forgotten what the emperor said last time?"
Last time? Chen Xun squinted his eyes as he recalled it. After a while, he suddenly opened his eyes wide and twisted his eyebrows tightly together, saying.
"You mean, the emperor wants to select candidates from the ministry with local experience?"
Among the foreign dynasties, there were only a few who were born in the Hanlin Academy and could reach the third rank or above, and most of them had just filled their vacancies.
However, although there are still not many people who are not from the Imperial Academy, the scope of selection is much wider. Ministers of various ministries, ministers of various temples, and the left and right deputy imperial envoys of the capital procuratorate are all within this scope.
Even if it is to be transferred directly from the local area, it will be even more.
The chief envoys, governors, and governors from various places were not only captured in large numbers, but also several in one.
Chen Xun couldn't sit still anymore, stood up and said.
"But why?"
"Your Majesty has never been out of the capital in these years, let alone heard of any local officials. Is there no reason to abandon our attendants and withdraw from the outside world?"
Gao Gu shook his head and said.
"It is true that the emperor has never left the capital, nor has he had any contact with the local area, but brother Chen, don't forget that in the past few days, the emperor specially summoned a minister to the capital."
"After he came to Beijing, whenever there was a major military or state matter, the emperor would always ask him what he wanted. He even summoned him to the palace and had several secret talks. He said he meant "humerus". Couldn't Brother Chen see it?"
Chen Xun was stunned for a moment, then realized who he was talking about and asked.
"Wang Jianzhai?"
Takagu nodded.
Wang Wen, the censor of Youdu, had the courtesy name Qianzhi and the nickname Jianzhai.
Gao Gu said: "Qian Zhiben is the censor of Youdu. Outside of the governor, he is already a senior official of the second rank in terms of rank. If this accident had not happened, when his nine-year term is over, the Qingqing should have a place."
"When I was called to the capital this time, Your Majesty relied on me so much that I kept him with me at all times. If my prediction is correct, when Qian Zhi comes back from the border governor, the position of Chief Assistant is what Your Majesty has prepared for him as a reward for his service."
At this point, Gao Gu looked hesitant and lowered his voice.
"I even suspect that your Majesty's proposal of the cabinet at this moment may have something to do with Qianzhi."
Chen Xun sat on the chair, pondered for a moment, and finally sighed quietly.
"If that's the case, then how could Wang Jianzhai be so virtuous and capable that His Majesty would go to such great lengths for him and forcefully want to add another one to the seven ministers..."