The name of Palace Banquet sounds good, but in fact it is not delicious.
It’s not that the chefs in the palace are poor at their craftsmanship, but it’s such a cold day that the food delivered from the palace is basically cold.
No matter how delicious the dish is, it will lose its original flavor if it is heated repeatedly.
However, at this moment, no matter how delicious the food is placed in front of you, the two elders may not be in the mood to taste it.
The news brought by Cheng Jing had so many hidden meanings that both of them had to think about it carefully.
So, in the public room of the cabinet, the two cabinet ministers sat opposite each other, picking up the food in front of them with chopsticks and bringing it to their mouths, but neither of them said a word.
Just like that, he finished his lunch quietly, and when the chamberlain who had brought the palace banquet left, Chen Xun pointed to his public room and said.
“Shi Yong, would you like to come to my place and have a cup of tea?”
Gao Gu nodded, so the two of them got up, went to the public room where Chen Xun handled government affairs, and took their seats.
The small stove in the public room was burning brightly, and wisps of white heat escaped from the hot tea cup and rose up, making the room a little more lively.
Chen Xun had already regained his composure, took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, put the tea cup on the table, and said softly.
"Shiyong, I'm afraid things are going to change today..."
Gao Gu also said with emotion on his face.
"Yes, once this edict is issued, it will definitely cause a great turmoil in the court. Your Majesty, you really love Wang Jianzhai!"
Compared to Gao Gu's pure envy, Chen Xun looked a little ugly and said calmly.
"That's not necessarily true. Is it so easy to win the position of Heavenly Official and the head of a hundred officials?"
Since that night, when he realized that the emperor had specially prepared the position of chief minister for Wang Wen, he had a bad impression of the old man.
Although it is Wang Ao who has taken over as the chief minister now, as soon as the emperor's edict came out, its intention was already clear.
Obviously, the emperor believed that a mere chief assistant was no longer enough to repay Wang Wen's contribution...
Combining the implications of this edict, the two of them could easily deduce that the emperor was eyeing the Minister of Civil Affairs, the leader of the hundred officials!
Wang Wen’s official position is that of the censor of Youdu.
Generally speaking, this official position will not be awarded individually. This is the practice of the imperial court.
Official positions with the word "right" are often awarded in vain, and will be followed by dispatches. For example, Wang Wen's previous title was "Youdu Censor, Admiral Bauhinia, Minister of Military Affairs".
But now, the army has returned to its divisions, Admiral Wang Wen's mission to supervise military affairs has ended, and the flags and flags ordered by the king have been returned to the Ministry of War.
According to common sense, it is normal for the imperial court to either be promoted or to be assigned other errands.
After all, when he reaches his level, the next step up is Qi Qing.
However, Qiqing is a carrot and a pit, and you have to wait for the opportunity.
Wang Wen has made great achievements this time. It can only be said that among the candidates for ministers, his priority is relatively high.
But now, Wang Ao, whose merits are not as good as Wang Wen, has been awarded the position of chief assistant, but Wang Wen is still vacant.
Either Wang Wen offended the emperor, or there was a better reward position waiting for him later.
It is definitely impossible to offend the Emperor. Anyone with eyes can see that the Emperor has great trust in Wang Wen.
Then, we can only wait for the opportunity.
Not only that, there is an obvious signal in this imperial edict, which is to grant the title of "young master"!
In the civil service hierarchy of the Ming Dynasty, the second-level minister was already the pinnacle of actual duties.
Further up, there are three orphans from the first rank, that is, Shaoshi, Shaofu, and Shaobao, to the three masters of the first rank, that is, Taishi, Taifu, and Taibao.
Besides these, there are the Prince's Third Master of the second rank, that is, the Prince's Young Master, the Prince's Shaofu, and the Prince's Shaobao, and the Prince's Third Master of the first rank, as well as the Crown Prince's Grand Master, the Crown Prince's Tutor, and the Prince's Taibao.
These twelve official positions, although occasionally awarded to relatives, generally speaking, symbolize the highest status of civil servants.
Hence, it will not be granted easily.
Among the officials currently serving in the dynasty, Wang Zhizhi, the Minister of Personnel, conferred the title of Taibao to the Crown Prince, Hu Xi, the Minister of Rites, conferred the title of Shaofu, and Yu Qian, the Minister of War, conferred the title of Shaobao, all of which are of the same rank.
On the surface, this makes no difference, but in reality.
Although these three official positions have the same rank, they are still ranked according to their status by convention.
Taking Sangu as an example, a young master is more important than a young master, and a young master is more important than a young master.
Generally speaking, the Three Dukes are more important than the Three Gus, the Three Gus are more important than the Prince's Third Master, and the Prince's Third Master is more important than the Prince's Third Young Master.
So in fact, the current Tianguan boss is a head lower than Hu Hui and Yu Qian in terms of rank.
This is something abnormal!
The Minister of Civil Affairs ranks first among the officials. This is not only reflected in the actual power, but also in all aspects such as grade and status.
You must know that those above the imperial class are positioned according to their rank.
Only those with the highest status and rank are qualified to stand at the forefront of the courtiers.
In the past, because the war had just ended, and Yu Qian and Hu Hu were both among the Seven Ministers, the courtiers did not pay much attention to this matter.
But now, it is no coincidence that the emperor gave Wang Wen, a minister who was not a minister of the seventh rank, the title of young master.
If this minister who has been given the rank of young master happens to have no assignments and is waiting for promotion, then it is basically a sure thing.
Gao Gu glanced at the sullen Chen Xun and said.
“Since the emperor is interested, it must not be difficult to accomplish this. After all, Lord Tianguan has long wanted to leave. However, it is one thing for the emperor to love you, but it is not easy to hold a stable position.”
Chen Xun raised his eyebrows, looked at Gao Gu with a little more amusement, and asked.
“What does Shiyong mean?”
Facing Chen Xun’s gaze, Gao Gu was very calm and said.
“The cabinet is newly established. Although there are widespread rumors among the courtiers that the chief assistant has the power of seven ministers, these are just temporary rumors. The cabinet always needs to do something if it wants to gain a firm foothold in the court."
"If I remember correctly, next year will be the year of the imperial inspection. When the old heavenly official is in charge, there will naturally be less mistakes. However, if the official department is replaced by someone for the sake of the court, we should keep an eye on it more."
Chen Xun was silent, but his mood was obviously not calm.
The meaning of Gao Gu’s words is already very obvious.
When a new cabinet is established, it needs a major event to prove its strength and establish its status.
Jingcha is a good opportunity!
But this is a big deal and must be considered clearly.
After pondering for a moment, Chen Xundao.
"This matter cannot be decided by you and me. It must be done with all the strength of the cabinet in order to be useful!"
Gao Gu said: "This is natural. The position of chief minister has been established, so naturally he should contribute to the cabinet."
However, Chen Xun shook his head and said.
"More than that, the cabinet is limited to six people. Now that the war has ended, the positions of the remaining three assistant ministers have been vacant for a long time. It may be inappropriate. We need to take this opportunity to organize the cabinet personnel so that we can have the power to plot the capital.
"
Takagu thought for a moment and nodded in approval.
But immediately, he saw a trace of worry on Chen Xun's face and said.
“The emperor has established cabinet positions. It is not difficult to handle this matter, but we need to worry about it. The emperor trusts Wang Jianzhai. If the cabinet deliberately targets him, the emperor will probably be dissatisfied, right?”
Gao Gu has obviously thought about this issue. After pondering for a moment, Gao Gu said.
"The second assistant is too worried. From what I see, the emperor is a man of rules. Although we are planning for the cabinet, we are not unknown. If Wang Jianzhai has enough prestige and ability to manage the capital properly, we will naturally stop our activities."
"But if he is at fault, we are also planning for the country and sharing the king's worries. Even if the emperor prefers Wang Jianzhai, he will not abandon the official position for personal reasons, let alone have any thoughts about you and me."
“In court disputes, as long as there is no subterfuge and there is no need for subterfuge, it is enough. No matter how much the emperor loves Wang Jianzhai, it is impossible for him to block all the open and secret arrows.”
“Besides, since Wang Jianzhai wants to ascend to the throne, he must be responsible. Therefore, I feel that the emperor will not interfere in this matter.”
Chen Xun nodded in approval and said.
"In this case, all that remains is the attitude of the newly promoted chief minister..."
Speaking, Chen Xun couldn't help but feel a trace of disappointment flashing across his face.
"If nothing else happens, after this edict is passed, we will have one more colleague tomorrow and the day after..."