Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 431: Get off the bus (for the Bubble Blowing Tiger SL leader)

It was another morning court day. In the waiting courtyard, the ministers waiting to attend the court were sitting down.

Basically, they sat together according to their official rank.

Because of different levels, those of lower status will feel uncomfortable if they try to squeeze in.

Moreover, everyone was at a different level and the topics of conversation were of different levels, so he couldn't keep up with the conversation.

Two days earlier, Zhang Jun recommended the Attendant Censor Zhu Zhuo to the emperor as the new Chief Censor.

He was a man of integrity who had never been moved by Qin Hui. He was a man of great integrity among the censors.

The new Censorate has integrated the Imperial Censorate, but the entire reform has just begun.

At the beginning of the reform, the original Chief Censor Sui Xiaofeng was removed and replaced by someone who dared to take on responsibilities.

The important topic today is to determine the prime minister and deputy prime minister, and to add a deputy prime minister.

The government is planning to promote Chen Kangbo, the Jinshi of the third year of Xuanhe and currently the prefect of Hanzhou, to return to Beijing to be the Vice Minister of Rites. After a transition period, he will be promoted to the position of Can-chancellor.

Shen Gai and Wei Liangchen were promoted to prime minister and deputy prime minister.

Such a major personnel transfer could not be discussed immediately at the court meeting, and the emperor and the prime ministers had already communicated about it privately.

Chen Kangbo and Wei Liangchen were both Jinshi in the third year of Xuanhe, and they were classmates.

Moreover, Wei Liangchen and Chen Kangbo had a good personal relationship and Wei Liangchen knew Chen Kangbo quite well.

Seeing that Shen Gai and Tang Situi still had doubts, Wei Liangchen said, "Mr. Shen, Mr. Tang, I know Chang Qing (Chen Kangbo) quite well.

This person is calm, dignified, intelligent and never speaks rashly. He can be considered dignified and steady, with the style of a prime minister.

Didn't the emperor first let him return to Beijing to serve as the Minister of Rites? When he returns, you two gentlemen will have a chance to meet him and you will know that what Wei said is true."

Shen Gai nodded and said, "Since Chen Changqing is not directly appointed as the prime minister, we don't need to continue arguing with the emperor. There are rumors among the people that the emperor and the prime minister are not in harmony. We should pay more attention to it."

Tang Situi was the youngest and had the least experience, so he naturally agreed.

He bowed to the two and smiled, "Congratulations to the two gentlemen. Today you are the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Song Dynasty."

Shen Gai waved his hand and said with a faint smile: "I am old now. After reaching the highest position in the government, the only thing I should consider is how to retire after my success.

For the prime minister, this achievement is nothing more than assisting the emperor above, serving all things below, comforting the four barbarians outside, being close to the people at home, and making the ministers perform their duties. "

Shen Gai sighed softly and said, "I hope that there will be a day when we can retire after accomplishing our mission. I hope that we will not fail the emperor's grace while serving as prime minister and leave a bad name for future generations."

Wei Liangchen and Tang Situi nodded in unison after hearing this.

The higher they get, the more lonely they feel.

Especially for this young official, it is good to be enterprising, but he is too eager to succeed, which is not a good sign.

As prime ministers, even if they knew that this would displease the emperor, they had to stick to their original intentions and fulfill their responsibilities to assist the emperor.

I hope that when the day comes when they “retire with honor”, ​​the officials will be able to become mature and steady.

Tang Situi was still young, less than 40 years old, and was a very young prime minister. He still had a long career ahead of him. Not wanting to make the two old prime ministers sentimental and sigh, he changed the topic to a lighter one.

Tang Situi said with a smile: "Yang Yuan should have arrived at Lin'an Prefecture to take up his post, right? Prime Minister Wei's plan is really brilliant."

Wei Liangchen glanced at Tang Shitui and was slightly surprised.

After all, there was a twenty-year age difference between the two of them. Shen Gai could see that his intention was not unusual, and Tang Shitui could also see it, which made him look up to him.

Wei Liangchen smiled and said, "King Jin is sticking to the bottom line of 'the top scholar should not leave the capital', and Mr. Shen doesn't want to break the rules, so I have to use this compromise method.

Otherwise, the emperor has just ascended the throne, and we have been in office for a short time. If the emperor and the prime minister quarrel all the time, it will not be good for the country. "

Shen Gai laughed and said, "Both of you have played Beast Chess, right?"

It is said that Beast Fighting Chess originated in the Warring States Period, but it was not until the Song Dynasty that the rules were truly formed and it became popular.

Wei Liangchen and Tang Situi also played this game in their childhood.

Now, after hearing what Shen Gai said, the two ministers smiled.

Tang Situi said: "Elephants eat lions, lions eat tigers, tigers eat leopards... cats eat mice, mice eat elephants."

Wei Liangchen said: "Yang Yuan, the rat, can restrain our Xiang (Xiang), but a small cat can restrain his rat!"

Tang Situi said: "If he doesn't know how to restrain himself, his glory will end when he goes to Lin'an Prefecture."

Shen Gai said slowly, "The ancients said: Intelligence is unlucky with age, and great talent is unlucky with longevity. Why is that? Is it really a punishment from heaven?"

Shen Gai shook his head: "It's just that I have become an ordinary person with extraordinary talents. If I can't behave like an ordinary person, I will be lonely and will inevitably be criticized by thousands of people."

Wei Liangchen said calmly: "As prime ministers, we shouldn't bother with him. Let Qiao Zhen, the cat, temper the sharpness of Yang Yuan, the mouse."

……

Yang Yuan rode an ox cart and went to the Lin'an government office with a servant.

The servant's name is Liu Dazhuang.

Liu Dazhuang is twelve years old, but he is not strong at all. He looks quiet and delicate. He blushes easily and is very shy.

In the words of his aunt Liu the Matchmaker, this child can't even fart even after three kicks.

Matchmaker Liu knew that the number one scholar had become an official and would need a servant to serve him tea and messages, so she recommended her nephew to him with a lecherous look on her face.

Although the engagement between Yang Yuan and Lu Xi was a natural outcome, asking Liu the matchmaker to help them was just a necessary procedure and it cannot be attributed to her as the one who brought them together.

However, it's just hiring a servant to serve you, and it's enough if you like the child.

Besides, the child is still young. He has been with me since he was young. After using me for a long time, he will become loyal to me. He is someone I can use for the rest of my life.

Therefore, Yang Yuan gave this favor.

Ever since Yang Yuan became the top scorer in the imperial examination, he has been very successful and has attracted much attention wherever he goes.

However, he did not get carried away by this.

After all, I have lived two lives.

After learning that he was going to take up a post in Lin'an Prefecture, Yang Yuan carefully thought about how to get along with his superiors and colleagues after taking office.

No matter how capable a person is, if he becomes the enemy of the whole world, he will not go far.

Yang Yuan had previously made a contribution as a newly-minted Jinshi in the Golden Palace, in which he spoke out on behalf of Yue Fei, which was a plus for him.

When rumors that the Jin army was about to march south spread everywhere and the government and the public were shaken, he, as the newly crowned top scholar, wrote a letter to the court. That was a scholar's concern for state affairs and there was nothing wrong with his words.

But next, he will officially enter the system. If he continues to behave strangely, disrespect his superiors, or collude with his colleagues, it won't be long before he becomes a public enemy in the officialdom.

This has nothing to do with his political stance. Even those who share the same political stance with him will not tolerate his rebelliousness.

How can a rebellious person be listed among the civilized people?
A full valley always bends, and a wise man is always gentle. If someone is always sharp-tongued and self-righteous like Yang Xiu, his end will be miserable.

Especially since he has already been in the limelight enough.

At this time, I'm afraid even the prime ministers are watching the performance of this new official.

He needs to keep a low profile!
……

When the car arrived at the government office, Yang Yuan ordered from inside the car: "Da Zhuang, announce the entrance."

"Ai!"

Liu Dazhuang agreed, jumped off the carriage, walked to the door, and with a slightly flushed face, he bowed to the doorman and said, "The new Tongpan Yang Yuan has arrived. Please let the official know about this, Master Prefect."

Everyone in Lin'an Prefecture knew that Yang Yuan would take office today, and immediately an official responded and went in to report.

Then, another official came out and invited the emperor to enter the palace through the side door without steps and drove all the way to the ceremonial gate.

Qiao Zhen, Yan Ding, Liu Yiguan, Zhang Mi, as well as dozens of officials from the entire government, including the judges, prosecutors, military secretaries, and military officers from the six ministries, welcomed them under the eaves of the ceremonial gate.

Seeing the car stop, Qiao Zhen laughed and said, "Yang Jianzhou, from now on you and I will be colleagues. Qiao is very happy."

The curtain of the sedan chair was lifted, and Yang Yuan came out wearing a brand new bright red official robe and a black gauze hat.

Da Zhuang put the footstool in place, and Yang Yuan stepped down, his black hat not shaking, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, he bowed deeply.

"Thank you, prefect and the other gentlemen, for welcoming me. I am very honored."

Qiao Zhen smiled and came forward with a cheerful face, introducing the officials to Yang Yuan.

Among the prefect's three deputies, Liu Yiguan was originally a judicial military officer and was now promoted to Tongpan.

He and Yang Yuan had known each other for a long time because they had worked together to "find the cat" for Qin Hui.

Needless to say, Zhang Mi's disgusting nickname "buttocks-touching hand" came from Yang Yuan.

Zhang Mi had always wanted to give Yang Yuan a nickname to annoy him, but she just couldn't think of a suitable one.

Now that they were serving in the same government office again, Zhang Mi just bowed to Yang Yuan with a forced smile and said nothing.

As for Yan Ding, he is the Tongpan of the Southern Hall whom Yang Yuan will take over.

Yan Tongpan was old, in poor health and often fell ill, so he was transferred to the Imperial College.

Yan Tongpan was reluctant to give up his more powerful position as the Tongpan of Lin'an Prefecture. However, his performance in the imperial examinations was always between "average" and "average-low". He was almost dismissed and had no courage to fight back, so he had to give up his position.

When Yang Yuan passed the imperial examination and became the top scorer, Yan Ding and Qiao Zhen went to visit him. They never expected that he would be replaced by Yang Yuan today, and their mood was extremely complicated.

Although he also knew that Yang Yuan's appointment as the Tongpan of Lin'an Prefecture was not decided by himself, he could not muster much enthusiasm.

In order to welcome Yang Yuan today, Qiao Zhen organized a "grand ceremony".

"Pai Ya" is equivalent to the grand court meeting of the imperial court. All officials, big and small, in the yamen must participate, and the yamen runners stand in line, making the event grand and warm.

Qiao Zhen opened the central door and welcomed Yang Yuan into the hall. Under the main seat of the prefect, there were four seats for assistant judges.

One of the seats was the seat of Yan Ding, the Tongpan of the Southern Hall who was about to step down, and the other was the seat of Yang Yuan, the new Tongpan.

Among the four seats, Yang Yuan's seat is the last.

So, from now on he will be the "Fourth Brother of Lin'an".

Yang Yuan handed over his "official certificate" and "letter of appointment" to be examined in public by Qiao Zhen and the three judges. Then he was invited to take a seat, and the officials of the Lin'an Prefecture and the various departments were asked to pay him a formal visit and recognize his superior.

As for the appearance and official positions of these officers, it was impossible for Yang Yuan to remember them all at once, so he just accepted and returned the gifts.

Then, Qiao Zhen asked everyone to leave and invited the new judge to come into the second hall to sit down and drink tea, and the atmosphere became relaxed.

After everyone had some business exaggerations, Qiao Zhen said, "Yan Jianzhou will go to the Imperial College to take up another noble post. Yang Jianzhou will take over Yan Jianzhou's position. Liu Jianzhou, you will go to the South Hall with Yan and Yang and be in charge of the transfer."

Qiao Zhen knew that Yang Yuan and Zhang Mi did not get along, and was afraid that the two would cause trouble again, so she asked Liu Yiguan to "supervise the handover."

Liu Yiguan agreed, then he, Yan Ding, and Yang Yuan said goodbye to Qiao Zhen and went to the South Hall together.

This handover of officials is not just the handover of the seal; that is just a ceremony and not important at all.

What is important is that the predecessor and successor need to check all the accounts, unfinished business, and public property owned by the department, and both parties sign for the handover, and the successor officially takes over.

In other words, what is really important is the handover of people, money, materials and events.

These matters were actually quite complicated. When Yang Yuan took office in the morning, the office ceremony took only half an hour, and the rest of his time was spent on these details.

Mr. Qiao sat in the hall and breathed a sigh of relief. He became nervous when he saw Yang Yuan.

Fortunately, Yang Yuan knew the importance of the matter, and today's reception went very smoothly.

I hope everything goes well in Lin'an Prefecture and everyone can be harmonious.

Mr. Qiao went to the East Market to relieve himself. When he came out after washing his hands, he saw Yu Jiguang coming.

Qiao Zhen said, "General Yu, go and book a restaurant and set up a banquet. This afternoon, our government will hold a farewell party for Judge Yan and a welcoming party for Judge Yang. You should also join us."

Yu Jiguang agreed, went to the bathroom first, and then booked a hotel near the government office.

Qiao Zhen returned to the second hall and just took a sip of the new tea when Song Yasi rushed in: "Prefect, Prefect, something terrible has happened."

Qiao Zhen shivered with fright and the tea scalded her hand.

Qiao Zhen reluctantly put the teacup back on the table, then stood up and shook his hands, asking angrily, "What is Yang Yuan going to do now?"

Song Yasi was stunned: "Huh? You already know about this, Prefect?"

Qiao Zhen said angrily: "What do I know? I just know! I don't know! Tell me now!"

The dark-faced Song Yashi was a little confused by what Master Qiao said. He calmed down and answered, "President Yan 'handed over the deal', but President Yang refused to 'take it'. President Liu was unable to persuade him, so he fainted out of anger. Public prosecutors Yang and Liu are trying to save him."

After hearing this, Mr. Qiao felt dizzy and staggered back a step.

Ya Shi Song quickly stepped forward and supported him.

Qiao Zhen did not even ask why Yan Ding and Yang Yuan were arguing over the handover, and immediately asked, "Has Judge Zhang known about this?"

Song Yasi said, "I have not informed Zhang Tongpan yet. Shall I go and tell Zhang Tongpan now?"

"No, go to the South Hall and guard it. Don't let the news of Judge Yan fainting from anger spread, especially Judge Zhang. Go quickly."

Song Ya Shi agreed and left at the drop of a hat.

Qiao Zhen raised his head and looked at the roof at a 45-degree angle. He let out a long sigh and then walked towards the South Hall with heavy steps.

His back was indescribably desolate.

(End of this chapter)