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

"Well, in addition to this, many old ministers left behind by the previous emperor are also considered a party in the court, such as the Chief Censor of the Supervisory Office and his subordinates, who have the power to supervise officials throughout the country."

"Those old guys are a bit difficult to deal with, but fortunately they usually enforce the law. As long as you are an honest official, they won't cause trouble for you."

Xiao Yan continued speaking and talked about the Supervisory Office.

Xia Yun remembered that Chen Ming, who had been sent to Hangzhou by the imperial court, was the Censor-in-Chief of this Supervisory Office.

Indeed, judging from his impression of Chen Ming alone, he was indeed a good official who was dedicated to enforcing the law.

"However, there are exceptions among the old ministers who stayed from the previous emperor's dynasty."

"The Mu Palace you offended yesterday, as well as several other palaces of different surnames in the capital, are all hereditary bastards. They are not good people nowadays. You need to be more careful."

As soon as Xiao Yan talked about Prince Mu's Palace, an expression of disgust that was hard to conceal appeared on his face.

"Among the six ministries of the court, apart from those three, the Minister of War can be regarded as an honest and upright minister. As for the two old guys in the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Rites, they are both double-dealers. It is best not to have any dealings with them."

"Other ministers in the court are also forming cliques among themselves. Although I have been in the court for a long time, I am not omniscient. But if you encounter any trouble, you can always inform me."

Xiao Yan finished speaking in one breath, and he seemed to be relieved of a heavy burden.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for telling me the truth!"

Xia Yun immediately clasped his fists and showed gratitude on his face.

Although he had the power, he did not care much about the factional disputes in the court.

But in the final analysis, it is a favor after all.

It is still a favor that is almost free of charge.

In his understanding, half of the people in the court today are from the Jiangnan Party.

Xu Jinsong, the chief minister of the current cabinet, is also the minister of the Ministry of Personnel of the imperial court. Most of the people he has promoted and employed over the years are his own people.

Suddenly, Xia Yun focused his attention on Xiao Yan.

"Which faction does the prince belong to?"

Xia Yun asked half-jokingly.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan was not annoyed, but instead showed an unfathomable smile on his face.

"As for me, I have no party or faction, but if anyone wants to overthrow the court and Daliang, they are my enemy."

Xiao Yan laughed.

"That's right."

Xia Yun then raised his glass and toasted Xiao Yan again.

……

The banquet at the palace lasted until noon.

Xia Yun and Xiao Yan had a great time drinking at the table.

Originally, Xiao Yan wanted Xia Yun to stay in the palace, so that he could ensure Xia Yun's safety.

However, his proposal was rejected by Xia Yun.

The reason is very simple. Xia Yun is naturally free and easy, and he has quite a few people under him.

It would be inconvenient to live in the palace.

As the scorching sun at noon gradually faded, Xia Yun and his party left the Ninth Prince's Palace.

When we returned to Fenglai Inn, the innkeeper was immediately filled with surprise.

"Governor, why are you back?"

The innkeeper asked.

"I live here, so I have to come back naturally. Could it be that the shopkeeper wants to drive us away?"

Xia Yun laughed.

"What are you talking about, sir? It is our honor to have you stay at our inn. Come on, prepare some sobering tea for you!"

The innkeeper was overjoyed.

Although this is in the capital, it is a small inn like this one, and on weekdays, very few dignitaries come here.

Now the whole city knows that the Governor of Zhejiang lives here, so naturally he hopes that Xia Yun can stay a few more days.

After a while, Xia Yun and his group went upstairs, followed by several inn waiters who brought them sobering tea.

In the room, Xia Yun, who had an amazing alcohol tolerance, remained conscious.

As for Xu Wan'er, she didn't drink much during the banquet, but she ate a lot.

At this moment, Xia Yun stood by the window, looking down at the street below, and saw many pedestrians coming and going.

In his impression, the flow of people on this street yesterday was obviously less than half of today.

interesting!

The corners of Xia Yun's mouth curled up slightly in a playful arc.

Even the number of street vendors has doubled compared to yesterday, but the movements of some of the vendors look very amateurish.

Even at this moment, Xia Yun clearly saw that a vegetable vendor gave the wrong amount when giving change to someone.

This caused the man who was buying groceries to curse constantly.

There is also a small meal with pancakes.

When scooping the batter from the wooden barrel, the batter was not controlled well enough and it even flowed directly from the stove to the ground.

Xia Yun couldn't help laughing when seeing the funny scenes.

There was no doubt that these people were sent to monitor him.

But Xia Yun didn't care about it.

In less than half a day, the news that the Ninth Prince Xiao Yan invited him to the palace for a drink would once again spread throughout Beijing.

To some extent, this may also be a means of protection for Xiao Yan.

By then everyone will know that Xia Yun is the Ninth Prince's guest, and some people with ulterior motives will restrain themselves.

"Sir, the Ninth Prince Xiao Yan is indeed the son of the late emperor and the uncle of the current emperor. He commands the entire imperial guards of the capital, and his military power is higher than that of Prince Mu's mansion."

"Speaking of which, there is a folk rumor that when the late emperor was about to die, he intended to pass the throne to his ninth brother, but was rejected by the Ninth Prince Xiao Yan."

Xu Wan'er, standing aside, finally had the opportunity to express her understanding of the Ninth Prince Xiao Yan.

Hearing this, Xia Yun's face showed a rare look of surprise.

He knew very little about the affairs of the capital, but he did not expect that the Ninth Prince actually commanded the entire Imperial Guard.

No wonder Lei Zhenning entrusted his safety in the capital to Xiao Yan.

Now it seems that his trip to the capital city has given him an extra layer of protection.

"Sir, what should we do next? When should we report to the Ministry of Personnel?"

Xu Wan'er suddenly asked.

"Not urgent."

Xia Yun immediately shook his head.

Now he has plenty of time and doesn't mind waiting any longer. He wants to see who else will show up in the inn!

Time flies and evening arrives.

The sky was filled with red clouds, the evening breeze was blowing gently, and the sunset sunlight illuminated the entire capital city, creating a unique beauty.

"Your Excellency, there is an official outside who claims to be your old friend and wants to see you."

In the room, Xia Yun heard the voice of the innkeeper outside the door.

After thinking for a moment, Xia Yun immediately guessed who was coming, and a smile naturally appeared on his face.

"Ask him to come up!"

Xia Yun responded.

After a while, a middle-aged man in a blue official robe pushed open the door of Xia Yun's room.