At the beginning, I became a county magistrate with greed of 500 million. The empress asked me to be

"During the time of the previous emperor, my father-in-law's name was Zhang Zelin. He was a top scholar in the imperial examination and was promoted by the previous emperor to the position of chief minister of the cabinet."

"After that, Zhao's father-in-law served as an official for 17 years, with great power in the court. Whether in terms of status, reputation, or influence, he was no less than the current Lord Xu."

"However, flowers do not stay red forever, and people do not stay good forever. In the 23rd year of the reign of the late emperor, he personally promoted a middle-aged official."

"That person started out as a seventh-rank county magistrate, but within the next five short years, he was promoted to fifth-rank prefect, fourth-rank prefect, third-rank provincial governor, and second-rank governor."

"He was later promoted to Governor-General of Henan and Shandong, and was given the title of Minister of War, ranking among the first-rank ministers of the court."

"So far, this man has grown from a seventh-rank county magistrate to the governor of Henan and Shandong in just five years! He has set a record for the fastest promotion in the history of the Daliang Dynasty!"

Having said that, Zhao Gongming paused and looked at Xia Yun from head to toe.

Hearing this, Xia Yun felt something in his heart and had some guesses about what Zhao Gongming was going to say next.

"This is not over yet. After that man was promoted to the Governor of Henan and Shandong, His Majesty personally appointed him again, appointing him as the Minister of War of the Imperial Court and the University of Wuying Palace, with a first-rank title!"

"Less than a year later, that person was transferred to the position of Minister of Personnel of the imperial court, concurrently serving as Grand Secretary of Wenhua Pavilion, and was given the title of Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince. It was also in this year that he became a member of the cabinet."

"In the blink of an eye, another two years passed. Finally, that person rose through the ranks in the cabinet and became the new Prime Minister!"

"In the following twenty years, that person eliminated all the influence of the former Prime Minister in the court, either by exiling him, handing him over to the Ministry of Justice for questioning, or sending him to serve as an official in other provinces."

"So far, that person has gained the power second only to one person in the Daliang Dynasty, and above ten thousand people!"

In less than two minutes, Zhao Gongming finished the story he wanted to tell.

"Master Xia, now you understand who that person is?"

After he finished speaking, Zhao Gongming looked at Xia Yun with a smile, and there was a very complicated light in his eyes.

After hearing this, Xia Yun remained silent for more than ten breaths before he opened his mouth to respond.

"Xu Jinsong."

Xia Yun whispered three words. He already understood the meaning of the story told by Zhao Gongming.

Yes, it is true that the empress is the actual leader of the Jiangnan Party officials.

But Xu Jinsong is already old, and one day, he will completely lose his ability to control a group of Jiangnan party officials.

By then, if Xu Jinsong could not control the situation, the court inside and outside would fall into chaos.

Therefore, the empress needs to cultivate a new minister before that, and gradually make the transition until he eventually becomes the new prime minister of the cabinet.

Just like what was done during the previous emperor’s time!

"Master Xia, whether you admit or not that you are His Majesty's confidant, the path you are taking now is the same path that Xu Jinsong took back then."

"Sooner or later, you will be in that position."

At this time, Xia Yun continued to hear Zhao Gongming's voice.

This time, Xia Yun rarely agreed with Zhao Gongming's statement in his heart.

Although he had never met the empress, in less than half a year, he was promoted from a seventh-rank county magistrate to a fourth-rank prefect, and then to a second-rank governor of Zhejiang.

This speed of promotion is second only to Xu Jinsong in the hundreds of years of history of the Daliang Dynasty.

At the same time, Xia Yun also thought of the conflict he had with King Zhao and King Mu before, in which he slaughtered thousands of people in one battle.

But what was strange was that afterwards the empress only fined herself three years' salary, and other than that, there was no other punishment.

Taking all these things into account, it is true that the empress seemed to have been tolerating him unconditionally!

"Master Zhao, why are you telling me all this tonight?"

After figuring out all the key points, Xia Yun's eyes revealed an extremely deep look and he met Zhao Gongming's eyes.

"Haha, Lord Xia is really smart!"

"If what I predicted is correct, the imperial court will be in endless turmoil in the coming years. I only hope that I can cooperate wholeheartedly with Lord Xia!"

Finally, at this moment, Zhao Gongming stated his purpose!

Everything he said to Xia Yun tonight was true, and was the result of his judgment based on the current situation inside and outside the court.

In his opinion, with the empress's promotion, sooner or later Xia Yun would become the prime minister of the cabinet.

And if he could form a party with Xia Yun in advance, then for decades to come, he, Zhao Gongming, would be able to stand firm both inside and outside the court.

There is even the possibility of going further!

Over the past few years, Xu Jinsong did not kill all the officials from the party of former Prime Minister Zhang Zelin.

But anyone who had anything to do with Zhang Zelin was expelled from the court.

Including him, Zhao Gongming.

This is also the reason why he sat in the position of Governor-General of Zhili for many years but was never able to make any further progress.

"Okay, I agree!"

After pondering for dozens of breaths, Xia Yun gave a resounding response.

To put it simply, Zhao Gongming's purpose is to join Xia Yun's camp in advance so as to gain more benefits in the future.

As for Xia Yun, if Zhao Gongming's guess is true, it will only benefit him and not harm him.

Even if Zhao Gongming's guess was wrong, he would not suffer any loss.

All in all, having a Zhili Governor like Zhao Gongming joining his camp will definitely be a great help to him!

"Master Xia, it's a deal!"

Seeing that Xia Yun agreed to his request to form a party, Zhao Gongming was overjoyed and immediately picked up the wine glass.

"Lord Zhao, it's a deal."

Xia Yun smiled slightly and then picked up the wine glass.

The next moment, the two of them drank the wine in their glasses at the same time, announcing that they had officially formed a party!

......

At the same time, inside the Imperial Palace.

The empress stood on a balcony, leaning on the railing, gazing into the distance.

In her pair of cold eyes, there was an extremely complicated look.

"The Tatars invaded in the north, Japanese pirates plagued the southeast, and the entire Jiangnan region suffered from famine. The people were living in poverty, and corruption was rampant among officials inside and outside the court."

"Father... What should Ling'er do?"

A soft murmur came from the empress's mouth, and only she could hear the words.

At this moment, even though she was the emperor of the Daliang Dynasty, a rare bit of girlishness appeared on her face.

She didn't want Daliang to perish in her hands, she wanted the country to last forever.

But now the situation of internal and external troubles is really making him feel very difficult.

Fortunately, with the Shenjiying and Shence Army left by the previous emperor, her throne was stable.

Suddenly, Xia Yun's figure appeared in the empress's mind.

"That guy...although his methods were a bit cruel, he was pretty good to the people."

Two days ago, the secret guards sent the comprehensive investigation results of Hangzhou back to the capital.

This also made him re-examine Xia Yun for the first time in his heart.