Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 416 Court Meeting
Grand Secretary Yu quickly composed himself and a faint smile appeared on his face. This smile was no different from usual, kind and unreadable.

He concealed his weakness and calmly returned the greetings to his colleagues.

"Lord Wang..."

"General Hu..."

"..."

However, while he was struggling with the crowd, he suddenly spotted Sheng Hong hiding in the crowd.

"Um?"

Because of Sheng Changquan, he couldn't help but pay more attention to Sheng Hong.

"It's funny!" Grand Secretary Yu said, "The temperaments of the Sheng family father and son are quite different."

"It seems that it's not just my Yu family that has sons who are unlike their fathers!"

However, Grand Secretary Yu felt a deep bitterness in his heart.

Other fathers and sons may not resemble each other, but the student surpasses the father, unlike the Yu family—

A tiger father and a dog son!

To be honest, Grand Secretary Yu was genuinely quite surprised by Sheng Hong's caution and Sheng Changquan's audacity.

The former had served as an official for many years and was always cautious and prudent. He never participated in factional disputes in the court and never argued with anyone. He was as smooth as dough, which left people speechless.

In Grand Secretary Yu's view, although Sheng Hong could avoid some risks in the court by doing this, he had basically ruined his official career. The best outcome for him would be to become a marginal figure, or even worse, he might be implicated and no one would stand up for him.

After all, the most important thing for an official is to know which side to take.

Of course, if you say you have super strong abilities, then no one can argue with that, but Sheng Hong is clearly not.

As for the latter, Grand Secretary Yu greatly admired it.

Although it is a major taboo for him to interfere in the matter of entering the cabinet before he has even officially entered officialdom, Sheng Changquan's methods are commendable. After all, one cannot succeed in the court without having the means to do so.

Moreover, Grand Secretary Yu could see that Sheng Changquan had concealed himself very well in this matter, and outsiders would hardly know his role in it, mostly treating him as a bystander.

Knowing Sheng Hong's temperament, Grand Secretary Yu remained silent. He simply nodded slightly to Sheng Hong as a gesture of respect before greeting the others.

However, everyone present was shrewd enough that Yu Ge Lao's slight pause immediately made them realize that Sheng Hong was different from others.

"Could it be that the Sheng family has some connection with Grand Secretary Yu?" Sheng Hong's colleagues began to speculate.

These people were all minor officials in the capital with low ranks. Seeing this scene, they naturally began to pay attention to Sheng Hong. After all, in their eyes, Sheng Hong had always been an honest and unassuming person, but they never expected that he would have this kind of background.

Of course, there were also people who knew the inside story, but they only thought it was because of the friendship between Old Madam Sheng and Old Madam Yu, unaware that Sheng Changquan also had some influence in it.

Sheng Hong, being perceptive, vaguely knew something about Sheng Changquan's actions. At this moment, he was also somewhat uneasy: "I wonder what that kid did? It's enough to make a big shot like Grand Secretary Yu take it to heart!"

"Could it be..."

Suddenly, Sheng Hong remembered Yu Yanran, the granddaughter of Grand Secretary Yu…

Sheng Hong shuddered instantly!
"Could it be that that young man is with Elder Yu's granddaughter..."

Sheng Hong was slightly stunned, unsure whether to be happy or worried.

Given Grand Secretary Yu's high status, his every move naturally had a significant impact.

Sure enough, Sheng Hong was only slightly distracted and slowed down his actions a beat. His superior, who used to look down on him, became polite at this moment.

"Jinxiu! What are you standing there for? Get up and go to court!"

Lord Wang, Sheng Hong's immediate superior, patted him on the shoulder and gave him a concerned reminder.

"Ah? Yes, sir!" Sheng Hong bowed reflexively and replied to Lord Wang. "Hey, look at what you're doing?"

Lord Wang grabbed Sheng Hong's hand and pulled him forward, saying, "We've worked together for so long, why are you still being so polite? Come on, let's catch up!"

After saying that, the two walked forward hand in hand like brothers.

……

A group of people, centered around Grand Secretary Yu, exchanged pleasantries as they walked forward.

In fact, it was only today that was special. All the civil and military officials knew that Grand Secretary Yu was about to retire, which is why they dared to be so unconcerned and surrounded him, walking into the main hall together.

In the past, they would never have dared to do this, after all, forming cliques for personal gain is a very serious crime!

But this time is different. After all, scholars value sentiment. At this moment, Grand Secretary Yu is like a blooming rose. This is his moment of "blooming"!
No matter what he did, everyone could forgive him, and people approached him because they "respected" his character.

This is a kind of romance unique to literati.

Of course, not everything can be forgiven. They can only do things that are outside the bounds of the law but not illegal. Otherwise, the law will teach them a lesson.

Getting back to the main point, after Grand Secretary Yu and the others entered the hall, everyone gradually quieted down and became still.

Inside the Wende Hall, officials were already seated.

Looking around, civil officials stood on the left and military generals on the right, the two sides clearly separated and not compatible.

The civil and military officials were each arranged in three columns, making it a number of two or three.

Among them, the three Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet were dressed in crimson and purple official robes and stood at the forefront of the civil officials. Among the military officers, the meritorious officers stood according to their respective ranks, with the Duke of Yingguo and the Duke of Jingguo at the very front, and next to them was the position of the Imperial Clan Chief.

As was customary, Grand Secretary Yu stepped forward and walked to the front of the civil officials. However, since he was the most senior today, when Grand Secretary Han saw him coming, he immediately took a step to the right, making way for the first person on the left. The second and third grand secretaries did the same, each taking one place in turn. The third grand secretary stepped back and stood in the second row.

Grand Secretary Yu bowed to them, and everyone returned the bow. However, before they could speak, a deep voice suddenly rang out in the hall.

"Go up!"

Although the voice came from a eunuch, it sounded deep and powerful, without the affected mannerisms of an ordinary eunuch.

That makes sense, though; in such a solemn and dignified place, how could there be such unpleasant sounds?

Upon hearing the words "attend court," the civil and military officials immediately knew that the Emperor had arrived. They quickly took their positions, straightened their backs, and bowed respectfully to the north. Regardless of whether there were still people on the dragon throne in front of them, they immediately greeted him with "May Your Majesty be well!"

After a long while, with everyone paying their respects, the official, dressed in a dragon robe, sat down steadily with the help of Eunuch Cui.

"Be flat!"

After he was seated, the Emperor glanced at Grand Secretary Yu, who was closest to him, and remained calm, simply gesturing for all the officials to rise.

"My lords, do you have any important matters to report today?"

After all the officials stood up straight, the emperor, as usual, gestured for them to report on official business.

"Return to Your Majesty..."

"..."

As the officials presented their reports, the Emperor and several senior ministers dealt with several very important official matters. After the last local matter was resolved, only one last matter remained, which was also the matter of greatest concern to everyone.

"Your Majesty, this old minister has something to say!"

Sensing that the time had come, Grand Secretary Yu stepped forward a few paces, walked to the center of the civil and military ranks, and began to speak.

"Oh?"

The Emperor glanced at Grand Secretary Yu without changing his expression and calmly asked, "Minister Yu, have you decided who you wish to recommend for the Grand Secretariat?"

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