When Xu Ding left Renzheng Hall, the sun had already turned to the west.
The red sunshine shines on the earth, falling on the palace roofs with green glazed tiles, and the vermilion walls, doors, pillars, and windows. It also falls on the blue and green paintings with golden bucket cores on the forehead, shining out.
Dazzling light.
He stayed in the Renzheng Palace for too long, and it was almost time for the palace gate to close. The brigade of chamberlains were gathering from all over the palace towards the Renzheng Gate. The East Drum Tower generation that Xu Ding had just walked through was introspective and introspective.
Several side doors of the prison were being closed one after another, and there were sounds of pushing heavy palace doors everywhere.
Across the back door of Da'an Hall, Xu Ding could hear the guards of the brigade and the armed guards belonging to Shangshu's Military Department changing their defenses. The generals shouted orders loudly, and the sound of soldiers' boots stamping on the ground was heard.
Xu Ding is the newly appointed Minister Youcheng. In terms of official position, he is already the same as his father Xu Zhiguo, who was in charge of the government. As a prime minister, he can enter and leave the palace at will, and the situation in front of him seems to be no different from what he has seen in the past.
In the 28th year of Dading, Xu Ding was promoted to Jinshi and became an official, and it has been twenty-five years since. Starting from Emperor Shizong, known as Xiao Yao and Shun, he served four emperors. Because of his father Xu Chiguo and himself, his career had ups and downs three times.
.
Every time he was demoted, he would rise again. And every time he would rise again, the result would always be to continue to be demoted.
Most of the ministers of Qianji who served the Jin Kingdom were like this. Xu Zhiguo was like this, and Xu Ding himself was the same.
Every time there is trouble, the Jurchens always need a group of officials who can do the work to bear the hardships and bear the infamy. But when the matter comes to an end, the court will find an excuse to beat the people who did it to the end.
Satisfy the Jurchen nobles whose interests were touched.
This is an inevitable routine. No matter which emperor is on the throne or which Jurchen official is on the throne, it is the same choice.
On that day, in order to control the Yellow River, Xu Chiguo appointed countless Han officials at once, offending many nobles. As a result, his reputation was ruined in an instant.
However, Xu Ding was promoted due to an alliance with Tu Shanyi, and he went to Daxing Mansion at the critical moment when Zhongdu was under attack. He did many annoying things, such as forcing people to die for Kuosu, and selling noble officials.
By the way, he also advocated launching maritime trade with Ding Haijun, using the money and goods stored in Zhongdu to exchange Ding Haijun for grain smuggled from the Southern Song Dynasty at a high price.
These things cannot be said or even thought about in peacetime. But in critical moments, there must be manpower to do it against all opinions.
If Xu Ding did something, he would have to bear the consequences.
Since two months ago, there has been an undercurrent in the DPRK. Some Jurchens have written openly, accusing Xu Ding of violating the law and proposing that he be sent out to serve in the capital. Some even proposed that Xu Ding be arrested and imprisoned.
of.
The emperor actually followed the trend and issued an edict, appointing Xu Ding as the Xuanfu envoy to Hedong and the general manager of the military and horse capital of Hedong South Road.
What a joke. How old are you, are you still here to burn bridges?
Xu Ding immediately reported illness and rested at home for a month, but refused to accept the edict. Immediately, countless affairs inside and outside the capital were left unattended, and the city with a population of nearly one million was in chaos. Several soldiers and horses were unable to receive military pay and food.
The soldiers were furious and rioted.
Therefore, the emperor had to withdraw his previous appointment and instead appointed Xu Ding as Shangshu Youcheng, who was still aware of the affairs of Daxing Mansion.
Xu Ding became the prime minister of the dynasty and came to the palace much more frequently than before.
He felt more and more clearly that everything in front of him seemed to have not changed at all compared to the past, but in fact everything was very different.
Some of the usual tricks no longer work so well. Although the emperor tried to boost his power, he actually had little to do with his important ministers.
Especially in terms of civil servants, those in the Dajin court who were somewhat capable and capable of doing practical things were all Han'er.
Even if the emperor drives Xu Ding to Hedong, the only people who are qualified to succeed him are Gao Ruli, Zhang Xingxin, Wang Weihan and others, and perhaps Zhao Dingwen, the leader of the Qingliu literati. After all, there is no Jurchen.
After Tu Shanyi died of illness, there was no longer a prime minister among the Jurchens who could coordinate the affairs of the government and had sufficient political experience.
In this case, what is the point of expelling Xu Ding? Isn't it the same thing to change things?
This was one of the reasons why Xu Ding was able to insist on not taking up his position, but the emperor actually allowed it and even promoted him.
Xu Ding sat in the position of Shangshu Youcheng and had more responsibilities. He had to face the emperor who was fighting with his ministers all day long, he had to face all the leading generals, and he had to face the Mongols who could come back at any time.
, of course, we also have to face the financial constraints and the tragic situation of the local area being devastated.
In this complicated situation, if he wants to do anything, he must first ensure the stability of his power and position and suppress the nonsense of those Jurchens.
However, the political forces represented by Xu Ding are generally the ones left by his father, Xu Chiguo. They can do some practical things, but they are not very good at engaging in political struggles and court criticism. In this case, where can a stable power come from?
Coming?
For this reason, Xu Ding has always been a little anxious. There is still no solution to this problem.
Until today, Du Shisheng, an old client of Xu Chiguo, came to visit and provided him with a new choice, which was to reach a tacit understanding with Ding Haijun and join hands.
This was a really good choice. On that day, Prime Minister Shan Shan made the same choice, and then he was in power for a while, stabilizing the situation of the Kingdom of Jin in the most difficult situation.
Of course, Xu Ding was not as deeply rooted as Tu Shanyi, and he thought that he had no means to control Guo Ning. But he did not need to control Guo Ning. One of the two families was civil and military, one was internal and the other was external, and each had its own agenda.
We are supporting each other at the moment, but what happens in the future will be discussed later.
Xu Ding only needs the Jurchens in the court to think that he can influence or control Guo Ning.
Guo Ning's killing spree in Zhongdu that day has not yet been forgotten; and once the story of him transporting troops and horses by ship and crossing the sea to Liaodong to start the war is spread, many people will be wary of fear.
With Xu Ding having this ally, his opponents in the court would definitely be wary. At least, they would no longer dare to regard Xu Ding as a mere civil servant.
As long as the Jurchens are afraid, Xu Ding can scare them every day like Tu Danyi:
Did you see the tiger behind me? This is an evil tiger! Are you afraid of it?
Of course, the two families have rarely come together before. If they want to join forces, there must be a process of testing each other and contacting each other. Trust between the two parties cannot be established overnight. But since Du Shisheng came to me, why should I
Why don't you try it?
Xu Ding couldn't help but stroke his beard and sneered.
Speaking of which, this thing is really funny.
If Ding Haijun colluded with his close servants and deliberately took advantage of the local chaos to expand his power wantonly, the emperor's doubts and worries would be uncontrollable and he would go crazy.
But if Ding Haijun had colluded with the governor two months ago and was obsessed with selling horses to make money, even going so far as to violate court laws and grant official positions privately, the emperor felt relieved again.
Probably in the eyes of the emperor, it was better to plan to make money than to plan for expansion, and it was easier to accept colluding with the prime minister than colluding with the servants.
And when Xu Ding came forward to explain that Ding Haijun, who was planning to make money, was forced to get involved in the Northeast War, he himself was being forced to stay in the Northeast by the generals, and even his elite soldiers and generals were being dragged into the bitter cold of the Northeast.
Oh...the emperor's smile could hardly be suppressed.
That's all, the emperor has the emperor's position.
Xu Ding walked forward slowly and passed by Renzheng Gate.
The emperor stood at the height of the west pavilion of the Renzheng Hall and could clearly see many situations in the palace, such as provincial officials walking out with the guards and soldiers on duty, and night officials coming in from the Rihua Gate.
, check the talisman letters one by one.
When the officials saw Xu Ding passing by, they all bowed their heads.
It seems that news from the palace spreads quickly.
The newly appointed Minister You Cheng secretly sought an official position in Shangshu Province for Guo Ning, the military governor of the Navy. It seems that the relationship between the two parties is very close. In this case, Xu Ding's backbone is a little harder than before, and
The waist of the ministers is a bit soft.
As for the court's laws and regulations...sometimes, the laws and regulations are heaven; sometimes, the laws and regulations are nothing!
The emperor snorted angrily. After all, the huge Jin Kingdom had no other strong army capable of fighting except a Dinghai navy!
Shandong relies on the Ding Navy, and Liaodong also relies on the Ding Navy! Now, Xu Ding also relies on the Ding Navy!
It just so happens that this army and their leader Guo Ning are completely unreliable!