Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 322 My Phoenix
With Huo Tao's level of "first in the provincial examination and fourth in the palace examination", he was still a little confused by Pei Yuan's nonsensical words.

After all, some things really exceed the imagination of "first in the provincial examination and fourth in the palace examination".

Huo Tao's approach was to take the initiative by relying on subsequent changes in the political situation.

Taking advantage of Liang Chu's declining popularity, he instigated those scholars who had not yet understood the situation and the censors to sentence Liang Cixi to death.

By then, Liang Chu will certainly bear a grudge, and neither the emperor nor the cabinet will dare to employ Liang Chu again.

In this way, Pei Yuan and Huo Tao would no longer have to face Liang Chu, a powerful enemy.

As for how the emperor is going to balance the cabinet and how Yang Tinghe is going to secure his position as prime minister, what does that have to do with them?
Seeing that Huo Tao had such a bad character, Pei Yuan also felt a sense of sympathy for him.

After they parted, Pei Yuan couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for talent, thinking, "In this case, why not go meet Tian Fu again and see what my Fengchu has to say?"

So he went out and asked Chen Toutie to lead the way to the courtyard where Tian Fu rented.

Yun Buxian was right next to him.

He and his father had already sent a secret letter to Nanjing, and when Captain Han replied, the matter could no longer be concealed.

Yun Buxian naturally couldn't let Pei Yuan go again when he knew that Tian Fu was up to something.

Otherwise, it won’t make sense to Captain Han.

Yun Buxian quickly advised, "Captain, I think the land tax is weird and I'm afraid it's not a good idea. It's getting late now, why don't you go now?"

Pei Yuan then noticed that it was getting dark.

He was so focused on meeting Tian Fu that he almost forgot about going to see General Song.

Thinking of this, Pei Qianhu couldn't help but sigh, and said with self-importance, "Confucius once said, 'I have never seen anyone who loves virtue as much as he loves beauty.' I never thought that a mere Pei Yuan like me could achieve this."

What else is there to say? No matter what he says tonight, he has to go and see Tian Fu first.

When Pei Yuan gave out rewards before, he had already paid back all the money he borrowed from Puxian Temple. Now his special passive has become "I would rather let the world down than let the world let me down."

However, Pei Yuan was not worried. When he was in the Da Ci'en Temple, he did not beat Liang Ci'e to death in public, but let the Liang family take him away.

As long as Tian Fu was smart enough, he would realize that he could escape from his tricks.

Pei Yuan didn't believe in Tian Fu and dared to try again.

So Pei Yuan ignored everyone's advice and insisted on going to Tianfu.

Fortunately, Sikong Sui brought people here, and the strength here was greatly expanded.

In addition, the atmosphere in the capital is tense now, and the remaining followers of Zhang Rong may not dare to commit crimes in defiance of the law, so others did not try to persuade them much.

Yun Bushian is a person of little influence, and his position is now quite awkward because he was sitting on the fence and failed to point out the problem in time last time.

Pei Yuan came to Tian Fu's house in high spirits.

When Tian Fu saw Pei Yuan, he was only slightly surprised, then he smiled and said, "Isn't this Pei Yishi?"

Pei Yuan laughed, "I am a rough man, if I hadn't been touched by Brother Tian, ​​I wouldn't have been able to do that."

Tian Fu's heart tightened when he heard this, and his usually calm face immediately became a little unnatural.

He pondered and said nothing, observing Pei Yuan's expression.

Pei Yuan just made a slight gesture and had no intention of launching an attack to accuse Tian Fu, which made Tian Fu a little confused. Did Pei Yuan discover his method or was his words unintentional?

This time Pei Yuan still brought wine and food, but Pei Yuan had already eaten a lot before, so he simply didn't touch his chopsticks. He just poured a glass of warm wine to help stimulate the conversation.

Pei Yuan smiled at Tian Fu and said, "This time, I am still coming from Huo Tao. I underestimated him at first, but I didn't expect that we would talk in depth this time. After asking him questions, I found that his every move is actually very methodical. I am impressed by him."

Tian Fu didn't dare to mess around this time. He followed Pei Yuan's words and smiled, "The last time Pei Qianhu and Huo Tao didn't drink to their heart's content, but this time they can finally have a heart-to-heart talk."

Pei Yuan laughed and said with a hint of meaning, "Because I beat Huo Tao."

After hearing this, Tian Fu fell silent again.

But Pei Yuan didn't say it clearly, so he didn't know what to say.

Pei Yuan had a high opinion of Tian Fu last time. Although this guy was only ranked tenth in the second class of the next subject, he was more mature and well-rounded than Huo Tao in all aspects.

Pei Yuan underestimated Huo Tao last time, so what about Tian Fu, who he thought highly of...

Could it be even stronger than Pei Yuan thought?
Seeing that Tian Fu remained silent, Pei Yuan did not want to scare away a man who ranked 13th in the country, so he took the initiative to bring up the topic, "Brother Tian, ​​do you know what Huo Tao said this time?"

Upon hearing this, Tian Fu said calmly, "I'd like to hear the details."

Pei Yuan smiled and said, "Huo Tao told me that if Li Dongyang retires and Liang Chu stays at home to avoid punishment, then the court will most likely form a 'Yang Tinghe-Fei Hong' cabinet."

"Yang Tinghe has a strong personality, while Fei Hong has a gentle personality. At that time, it may form a situation where Yang Tinghe makes the final decision and Fei Hong follows his own rules. The emperor will certainly not sit idly by and watch such a cabinet form. Moreover, with only two people, it is easy for them to monopolize power, and the government and the public will also be dissatisfied."

Tian Fu took the initiative to answer, "If that's the case, then I think we need to add a Grand Secretary to the cabinet."

Pei Yuan saw Tian Fu carefully expressing his friendliness, so he smiled and said, "Of course."

"However, Huo Tao said that if a Grand Secretary is to be appointed to the cabinet, it can only be Yang Yiqing. But Yang Yiqing has a strong character, not inferior to Yang Tinghe. Yang Tinghe has just taken over as the chief minister of the cabinet, and his prestige has not yet been established. It is impossible for him to tolerate such a Grand Secretary to be appointed."

"Plus, Zhang Rong's matter involves Zhang Yong..."

Pei Yuan paused and did not elaborate on the rest of the words.

"In short, Huo Tao believes that in order to avoid this situation, the emperor and the court will most likely take action to protect Liang Chu."

Tian Fu carefully continued the conversation and nodded, "Mr. Huo is indeed very knowledgeable."

Pei Yuan did not betray Huo Tao's consciousness at all, and continued, "Huo Tao said that Liang Chu must have seen this step, so he deliberately avoided Liang Ci's case and stayed at home. If the court wants to use Liang Chu, it must be nominally closed in Liang Ci's case."

"And there is no need to guess. With Liang Chu taking the initiative, this result will definitely be in Liang Ci's favor."

Tian Fu looked thoughtful again and said, "That makes sense."

Pei Yuan continued to betray Huo Tao, "Huo Tao said that if that were the case, it would not be a good outcome for us. So he took advantage of the fact that Li Dongyang was still around and the government and the public were not aware of the situation, and frequently instigated scholars to take the opportunity to push for the verdict of Liang Ci's case."

"Once Liang Ci'an is sentenced to death, it will also mark the end of Liang Chu's political career."

Tian Fu asked in surprise, "If this is the case, the 'Yang Tinghe-Fei Hong' cabinet will still be formed, and I'm afraid it will not change the situation much."

Hearing this, Pei Yuan sighed and said, "That's what you said to him at that time. Who would have thought that Huo Tao would be so shameless and say that it's better for me to die than for my fellow Taoist to die. This is simply absurd."

Upon hearing this, Tian Fu twirled his beard lightly and said, "Mr. Huo, what you said..." He spoke slowly, his eyes still observing Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan was puzzled when he saw Tian Fuguang not using his skills. Then he said, "You are short-sighted."

Tian Fu's hand, which was slowly twirling his beard, then sped up. "The captain is right. Huo Tao is indeed short-sighted. His method can certainly force Liang Chu to have no chance of recovery, but the court's troubles are there. Huo Tao can certainly avoid them, but what about those that cannot be avoided?"

"If the emperor or the cabinet gets angry, will Huo Tao tell them that he has escaped? This has nothing to do with him?"

"If he doesn't leave a way out for others, can he really retreat himself?"

Pei Yuan looked at Tian Fu, and this time he was the one who fell silent.

He had already figured out why Tian Fu was there just now, just swaying forward without using any skills.

It turned out that he was waiting for Pei Yuan to make a clearer statement.

If Tian Fu was just trying to curry favor, Pei Yuan would not look down on him. After all, everyone has to humble themselves sometimes.

However, the fact that Tian Fu was swaying forward while waiting for Pei Yuan to express his opinion made Pei Yuan suddenly realize a terrible fact.

In other words, no matter what statement Pei Yuan makes, Tian Fu can respond immediately!

This means that when Pei Yuan finished telling him those things, Tian Fu had already clearly seen through the twists and turns and had sufficient response plans in his mind.

Therefore, he was in full control and allowed Pei Yuan to express his opinion.

Come on, I'll take over.

This guy whom I thought highly of...is actually even higher than I thought.

Pei Yuan straightened his posture slightly and asked Tian Fu, "Then why did Brother Tian teach me?"

Tian Fu heard this and said hurriedly, "I dare not, I dare not."

As if he was afraid that Pei Yuan would misunderstand that he was unwilling to help, he quickly added, "It's just a few superficial opinions."

Pei Yuan pretended to listen attentively.

Tian Fu twisted his beard subconsciously and said, "Actually, this is not difficult. We just need to change someone to join the cabinet."

Pei Yuan thought of what Huo Tao said and reminded him, "But Yang Yiqing is the best candidate for the cabinet in terms of both prestige and ability. If we don't let him join the cabinet but let someone else join, how can we convince the public?"

Tian Fu smiled and said, "But Yang Yiqing joining the cabinet can't solve the problem, right? So, we have to first find a candidate to join the cabinet who can solve the problem, and then consider getting rid of Yang Yiqing."

Pei Yuan was sweating and tried to persuade him, "Not really, not really. We'll discuss Yang Yiqing's matter later."

Yang Yiqing has a good reputation.

The key point is that even though Zhang Yong is in trouble now, he will rise again in two years.

If Yang Yiqing is overthrown now, when Zhang Yong makes a comeback in the future, Yang Yiqing will definitely come back with a strong attitude like a "young man who has broken off an engagement" to slap Pei Qianhu in the face.

Not really, not really!

When Tian Fu saw Pei Yuan's rejection, he paused and asked Pei Yuan, "What did Tian say just now?"

Pei Yuan was puzzled, so he replied, "Brother Tian said, 'First find a candidate to join the cabinet who can solve the problem, and then consider getting rid of Yang Yiqing.'"

Tian Fu fell silent again, but finally he could no longer suppress his desire for stability and quietly resorted to the tactics of a strategist who was always talking nonsense.

His eyes were fixed on Pei Yuan. "What Tian said just now was, 'First find a candidate for the cabinet who can solve the problem, and then try to send him to the cabinet.'"

Pei Yuan slapped his head when he heard this and laughed, "I see, why did I say something a little weird? It turns out I remembered it wrong."

Pei Yuan then asked Tian Fu, "Then I wonder what kind of person, Brother Tian, ​​thinks can solve the problem?"

Tian Fu smiled when he heard this and said, "It depends on how Captain Pei views this issue. Is the problem that Captain Pei wants to solve the court's problem? Or is it the problem of Liang Chu?"

Pei Yuan already knew that Tian Fu was completely in line with him, so he didn't dare to say anything wrong for fear of misleading this guy.

So he said honestly, "I just want to solve the dilemma that Liang Chu brought to the court and the emperor. As for how the cabinet can satisfy both the emperor and Yang Tinghe, it is not something I should consider."

Tian Fu immediately laughed and said, "Isn't this very simple and clear?"

Seeing Pei Yuan puzzled, Tian Fu explained, "Since the cabinet situation cannot be separated from Liang Chu, can't we just find a person similar to Liang Chu to fill the position?"

Pei Yuan was stunned after hearing this, and it took him a long while before he felt as if something had awakened him from a dream.

That's true. As long as there is a Liang Chu substitute, this dead end can be completely resolved.

Pei Yuan asked, "Is there such a person?"

Tian Fu smiled and said, "Isn't Jin Gui, the Minister of Rites, quite suitable? He is a Hanlin scholar and the Minister of Rites. As the person in charge of the Hanlin Academy, he already has the power to enter the cabinet to issue imperial edicts. As long as he is given the title of Grand Secretary, he can be added to the cabinet naturally."

"Jin Gui ranked first in the provincial examination, second in the metropolitan examination, and third in the palace examination. After entering the Hanlin Academy, he served as a Hanlin scholar for many years. His qualifications are impeccable."

Pei Yuan asked in confusion, "Since this person exists, why didn't Huo Tao mention it to me?"

Tian Fu answered confidently, "It's not hard to guess. There are only two reasons. First, Yang Yiqing is indeed very prestigious and is the most suitable person. Second, Jin Gui has a stain on him and is easily criticized by the government and the public."

Pei Yuan thought that these Jianzhengxia knew a lot. He smiled and said, "Brother Tian is well-informed. I just don't know what the dirt is?"

Tian Fu smiled bitterly and said, "Even if others are not aware of this stain, people like me and Huo Tao must know it."

He then explained, "The exam that just ended last year was conducted by Jin Gui, but it was reported that his servant cheated and leaked the exam questions, which caused an uproar afterwards. Many people asked Jin Gui to resign and wait for the chance to participate. Tian was a candidate in that exam in the sixth year of Zhengde, so how could he not know about it?"

Pei Yuan thought to himself, this is indeed a big deal.

The imperial examination was related to the future and destiny of countless people and was definitely a high-voltage line in the feudal era. If the matter could be kept secret, it would be fine, but if it was exposed, it would be a big trouble.

Pei Yuan said, "I see. With this stain, I'm afraid the court won't let him join the cabinet."

Tian Fu laughed and said, "The reason why Tian thinks he has hope is because at a certain time, his stain is no longer a stain."

"Even if everyone in the world uses this excuse to criticize Jin Gui, Yang Tinghe will not object."

Pei Yuan was surprised and asked, "Why is that so?"

Tian Fu smiled and twirled his beard, "Because Yang Tinghe's son, Yang Shen, was the top scorer in that subject last year. How could Yang Tinghe tolerate a stain in that subject?"

"So even if everyone is talking nonsense, Yang Tinghe will not use this excuse to block Jin Gui from joining the cabinet!"

(End of this chapter)