Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 191 Lü Gongzhu's Scheme! (4k)

Ouyang Mansion.

Smoked tile pavilions and waterside terraces, with the cool, flowing stream.

On a small stone table, about ten feet long, were placed wheat milk, melons, fruits, and pastries. Ouyang Xiu, Lü Gongzhu, and Pang Yuanying sat side by side.

After downing a cup of wheat milk, Lü Gongzhu slowly said, "Just now, I went to the palace to pay my respects and presented a memorial of advice."

"Advice?"

Ouyang Xiu was taken aback, a premonition forming in his mind, and asked, "Jiang Zichuan?"

There are two main types of advice and remonstrance.

One approach is to advise the monarch to reflect on his own conduct, pointing out his moral failings and hoping that he will learn from them and correct his mistakes.

The main representative figure is Wei Zheng from the Tang Dynasty.

Another approach is to admonish the monarch to be self-aware and point out the monarch's negligence and mistakes.

In essence, it was about giving the emperor advice on governance through "admonition," and occasionally speaking ill of someone.

Having only recently arrived in the capital, Lü Gongzhu would certainly not offer advice on the emperor's private morality, nor is it likely that he would give the emperor any random suggestions on state affairs.

That most likely means they were talking badly about someone.

The Han and Pang factions have been at odds ever since the Han and Zhang factions occupied two cabinet seats.

If Lü Gongzhu were to speak ill of anyone, it would undoubtedly be either Han Zhigui or Jiang Zichuan.

"Uncle Yong truly deserves to be called a Grand Secretary."

Lu Gongzhu praised him and said calmly, "A memorial was submitted, entitled 'Ten Thoughts on Admonishing the Emperor to Guard Against Powerful Ministers'!"

Once the words were spoken, Ouyang Xiu understood and roughly grasped the contents of the memorial.

military power!

Jiang Zhao was in charge of 300,000 border troops and was in charge of all military and political affairs in Xihe and Shaanxi.

His teacher, Han Zhang, was the head of all officials.

Together, the two could even be considered half of "Huo Guang".

Recently, many censors have been trying to gain fame by submitting memorials, so it is not surprising that Lü Gongzhu used this as an opportunity to impeach them.

"What did the Emperor say?" Ouyang Xiu asked curiously.

The new emperor trusted Jiang Zhao greatly and did not believe that a memorial of advice would have any effect.

"Ugh!"

With a soft sigh, Lü Gongzhu shook his head: "Unmoved."

really!

Ouyang Xiu was not surprised.

"The Emperor was originally an unknown member of the imperial family from a remote place, and he was also a descendant of the founding emperor. If it weren't for Jiang Zichuan's secret method of establishing an heir, the Emperor would have had no chance of ascending the throne."

Not only that, Jiang Zichuan has also proven himself quite capable, and his contributions to the expansion of the frontier are considerable. It's no wonder he enjoys such trust," Ouyang Xiu commented.

Generations and versions of gods.

The same principle applies to the path of officialdom.

When Emperor Taizu was in power, Grand Tutor Zhao Pu was a scholar who used half of the Analects to govern the country and held power for nine years.

This only includes the time spent as prime minister. If we include the time spent serving as vice minister, minister, and grand secretary, it would easily be one or two decades, which is equivalent to being a core figure in the court for half his life.

When Emperor Taizong was in power, Lü Mengzheng was the son of Emperor Taizong. After only six years in office, he became the prime minister of the country.

During Emperor Zhenzong's reign, Wang Dan, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, was the son of Emperor Zhenzong.

This person held power for a short time, but remained in a high position for many years, and was even posthumously honored with the title "Wenzheng".

During the reign of the late emperor, Han Zhang was the son of the emperor and had been in power for ten years, making him a powerful prime minister.

If nothing unexpected happens, Jiang Zhao is very likely to be the chosen one in the next version.

Of course, being the "chosen one" in a version doesn't mean everything.

When it's time to demote someone, demote them just the same way!

Lu Gongzhu held the wheat porridge without saying a word.

The new emperor's reprimands were truly unsettling.

Going against the grain is not a pleasant experience.

He would not have opposed Jiang Zichuan unless he was forced to.

After about ten breaths, Lü Gongzhu concluded, "Fortunately, the Emperor's reaction was still within expectations."

"Are you really going to fight Jiang Zichuan?" Ouyang Xiu was surprised. He shook his head and said, "Why bother?"

With literary talent, one can govern the world; with military prowess, one can expand territory.

Taking down such a person is by no means easy.

There's no other reason than that the emperor would show favoritism!
Lu Gongzhu's expression was grave, and he did not respond.

Ouyang Xiu sighed and analyzed, "A third-rank official as the Vice Minister of War is already a powerful minister. Why bother fighting with Jiang Zichuan for a mere chance to enter the cabinet?"

"Jiang Zhao is a man who can govern the country and bring peace to the world through civil administration, and he can also conquer the world on horseback. The key is that the new emperor has the grace of restoring him to power."

"The new emperor has only recently ascended the throne, so he certainly hopes to have loyal and important ministers join the cabinet."

“You can’t compete with him!” Ouyang Xiu asserted.

High reputation, strong skills, deep experience, and outstanding achievements!
There was even a bias towards the new emperor.

Who could contend with such a minister?
It's not that there's no possibility of winning.

In fact, even the best characters in a patch can be nerfed one day.

With him weakened, the chances of defeating him are not low.

The problem is, who plays the meta hero during his power spike?
"Even if you can defeat Jiang Zichuan, and even if you manage to stall Jiang Zichuan's plans, you still won't be a chance to join the cabinet!"

“Uncle Hui! Be rational!” Ouyang Xiu said seriously.

Even the smartest person has moments of folly.

He was afraid that his friend had acted rashly and carelessly in a moment of madness.

After all, objective conditions did not allow Lü Gongzhu to enter the cabinet.

If nothing unexpected happens, Wang Yaochen will retire and return to his hometown after the New Year.

In just five or six months, Lü Gongzhu was only a third-rank official. Even if he were to ascend to higher ranks, he wouldn't be able to!

After a few moments of silence, Lü Gongzhu spoke.

"We have no choice but to fight!"

"I am not competing with the young Grand Secretary, but with the Han faction."

"The young Grand Secretary is merely the breakthrough point."

Lu Gongzhu smiled bitterly and sighed, "The two Grand Secretaries of the Han family lineage, once the New Year is over, Wang Yaochen will definitely retire, thus allowing the young Grand Secretary to enter the cabinet."

With the Junior Grand Secretary having served in the cabinet for several years, the Han faction's foundation is solidified, and the Grand Secretary will surely retire. At that time, it's likely he'll push Zhang Fangping into the cabinet.

“Jiang Zhao entered the cabinet once, and Zhang Fangping entered the cabinet once. These are two opportunities to vacate a chair. If we don’t take advantage of these opportunities to compete with them, over time, that chair will probably become a chair belonging to the Korean faction.”

"Now, Jiang Zichuan has established his power, and his disciples and former officials are all over the world."

"It's certainly not a good time to step forward now."

Lü Gongzhu sighed, "But if we don't stand up now, we may never have the chance to stand up again."

He expanded territories, earned a place in history, and had students and former officials all over the world.

Standing up and fighting Jiang Zhao right now is definitely not a good choice.

But he had no choice!
You can only force it!

After all, once you miss it, it could be as long as nine years.

If nothing unexpected happens, Jiang Zhao will occupy the chair that Wang Yaochen offered, while Zhang Fangping will occupy the chair that the eldest son offered.

The problem is that the eldest son can still work for at least three or four more years.

At that time, Zhang Fangping will hold his position for at least three years.

In other words, if we don't seize the opportunity to compete, once Jiang Zhao and Zhang Fangping both enter the cabinet, the chairs won't be available for at least six or seven years.

As of now, the chair of the Pang faction has been missing for two years.

If we lose another seven years, that will be nine years.

Nine years is too long!

The longer the chair is lost, the harder it is to get it back.

The last time someone lost their cabinet position for an extended period was during the line of Grand Chancellor Han.

Han Zhang was exiled for twelve years, and his cabinet seat was taken by someone else, but he eventually won it back.

But that's an exception.

Not everyone has Han Zhang's level of skill.

What if Pang's chair had been missing for nine years?
Lü Gongzhu shook his head.

He didn't think he could take it back!
"Rather than a check on the young Grand Secretary, it's more about accumulating strength at the border in order to compete with Zhang Fangping," Lu Gongzhu explained.

The young Grand Secretary entered the cabinet about a year later.

The time was too short, and the difficulty was a bit too great.

The real boundary was Zhang Fangping's entry into the cabinet, which was the chair that Han Da Xiang Gong relinquished upon his retirement.

If one could bring down the young Grand Secretary while serving as an official in the border region, that would be the best outcome.

If they can't remove the young Grand Secretary, then they'll remove Zhang Fangping instead.

In short, we cannot allow the Korean style to successfully inherit the chair style of the Pang style twice in a row.

That chair must belong to the Pang family.

"Controlling Jiang Zichuan is merely a means, not an end!"

Lu Gongzhu continued to explain: "If I were to enter the border to supervise the army under the guise of checks and balances, I would certainly be able to accumulate experience and prestige, promote my protégés and former officials, build up my foundation, and even take the opportunity to try to find fault with Zhang Fangping."

"My lineage can also increase its presence somewhat."

In officialdom, the worst thing is to be invisible.

Silently and without a trace, they slowly disappeared. This was the situation of Wang You's lineage twenty years ago.

The weak get weaker, and the strong get stronger.

His initiative to step forward was to elevate the presence of the Pang faction, to claim credit for the frontier, and to seize a share of the lucrative frontier territory.

Once you have the title of military supervisor, it's incredibly easy to place some people in your ranks.

Jiang Zichuan fought in the front, while Jiang Zichuan was able to continuously plant his cronies in the rear.

These are all the foundations that led to his entry into the cabinet!

Admittedly, this method is shameless.

But what do intellectuals care about saving face?
Ouyang Xiu suddenly realized.

The memorial he submitted spoke ill of Jiang Zichuan, and he was even willing to fight with Jiang Zichuan, all in essence because he wanted to enter the border and get a share of the spoils.

Oh no, I mean dividing the meat!
"What if it doesn't work?" Ouyang Xiu countered.

This approach is too risky.

"Do not."

Lu Gongzhu shook his head calmly: "I can do it."

"May I ask why?" Ouyang Xiu didn't understand why his friend had such great confidence.

Lu Gongzhu hesitated, then slowly uttered two words:
"A relative of the imperial family!"

Ouyang Xiu was taken aback.

"As far as I know, the Empress's elder brother, Gao Zunyu, has already entered the capital, and the Emperor's uncle, Shen Congxing, has also entered the capital."

"Cao Yi, the elder brother of the Empress Dowager, was a man of great talent and learning."

Lu Gongzhu said in a deep voice, "With this border war, several of the imperial relatives must also have the idea of ​​going to the border to serve the country. Especially the Empress's eldest brother, the Imperial Uncle Gao, who is ambitious and eager for glory!"

"Recently, many concubines have entered the palace, and their maternal families are of high status. The Empress, however, is the Emperor's first wife, and her maternal family consists of only minor officials of the fifth or sixth rank. I don't believe the Empress isn't anxious!"

Is the Queen entering the game?

Ouyang Xiu let out a long breath and uttered two words: "You've got guts!"

"At worst, things really can't go through with it."

With a flick of his sleeve, Lü Gongzhu displayed an air of authority, saying, "I don't believe the new emperor truly trusts Jiang Zichuan completely."

"The new emperor trusts Jiang Zichuan now because he has not yet fully seized power and his foundation is unstable, so he has no choice but to rely on him."

"But once the new emperor's foundation is solid, he will surely realize that the Korean faction has become too powerful."

"If I fail, I will be demoted, but I will certainly leave a deep impression on the new emperor."

"Being outspoken can also build a reputation among officials."

"The day the new emperor intends to check and balance the Han faction, that will be the time for me to be promoted again."

Of course, this is a last resort.

Rather than being slowly worn down like a frog in boiling water, it's better to make some noise so that one day it can rise again.

Ouyang Xiu's gaze flickered slightly.

The more one navigates the ups and downs of officialdom, the more one understands what Lü Gongzhu said.

In the world of officialdom, there are versions of the story of the son who was born into wealth.

However, this doesn't mean that the chosen version of a character never rises or falls.

Once a new emperor takes power, it would be a lie to say that he is not wary at all.

The difference lies in whether trust overshadows wariness or wariness outweighs trust.

"What does Uncle Hui want me to do?" Ouyang Xiu looked over.

Lu Gongzhu's special visit was certainly not just to share his plans.

"Report it to the emperor at the appropriate time!" Lü Gongzhu said decisively.

Ouyang Xiu joined the tour group, and in the future, more and more people will join the tour group in order to get some meat soup.

If the pressure becomes too great, the new emperor is very likely to compromise.

After a long silence, Ouyang Xiu nodded silently.

"Uncle Yong".

Having persuaded his friend, Lü Gongzhu rose and bowed, saying, "I am going to visit the Imperial Uncle Gao and the Imperial Uncle Cao."

Having said that, he turned around, flicked his sleeve, and strode away.

Kunning Palace.

The saying "Heaven and Earth are naturally peaceful and tranquil, and the value of Heaven and Earth lies in their unity" leads to the existence of the Qianqing and Kunning Palaces.

Among them, Qianqing Palace was the emperor's bedroom, and Kunning Palace was the empress's bedroom.

Since the passing of the late emperor, the Empress Dowager has been deeply grieved and moved to Fushou Palace in sorrow.

This Kunning Palace became the residence of Empress Gao.

At the head of the table, a three-foot-long piece of silk was used to wrap a child who was about one year old.

Empress Gao held her infant child in her arms, gently protecting him from time to time, fearing that the child might suffer any harm.

Recently, her child has inexplicably fallen ill, so she has no choice but to be careful.

The child was fast asleep. When Madam Gao beckoned, a nanny came forward and took the little prince in her arms.

"Has His Majesty recently favored any new concubines?" Gao asked.

The late emperor had no sons, and in his old age, no one was there to inherit the throne.

The new emperor, upon ascending the throne, undoubtedly placed great importance on the continuation of the imperial line, and thus took in a large number of concubines.

In just six months, there were already seven concubines.

As the empress, it would be a lie to say that Lady Gao had no objections whatsoever.

Previously, before Zhao Ceying ascended the throne, the two were husband and wife.

Even if he had concubines, there were only one or two.

Moreover, influenced by traditional customs, concubines often had no background.

Conversely, the matriarch and eldest daughter-in-law were a "suitable match" in terms of social standing.

In comparison, the concubine had no human rights whatsoever and dared not disobey the mistress in the slightest.

If the mistress of the house had a strong personality, she might even sell or beat her concubines to death.

But the imperial palace is different!
It is true that the empress was the emperor's wife.

But the imperial concubines were not necessarily in a weak position.

The bigger problem was that she, as empress, had no background.

In fact, the maternal clan's influence was far less than that of some of the concubines.

Before the new emperor ascended the throne, he was just a member of the imperial family from a remote area. The eldest daughter of a sixth-rank official was his wife, which was considered a good match in terms of social status.

After the new emperor ascended the throne, her father became a fifth-rank military commander.

The problem is that many of the concubines who entered the palace had powerful backgrounds, and the old man's father was just a fifth-rank military commander, which was nothing special.

Even more remarkably, some of these women were the legitimate daughters of noble families.

In comparison, the Empress's background was far inferior to that of the concubines!
How can this be used to control people?

Gao's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she looked very serious.

Those concubines really put a lot of pressure on her, making her feel an unspeakable sense of crisis!

But she didn't dare say anything.

If the empress were jealous, she would be impeached and killed, losing all her reputation.

"There are two new concubines, both of whom have been favored once and are said to have been given the title of 'Talented Lady'," the personal maid replied.

"Hmm." Gao nodded, trying her best not to show any joy or anger.

However, in the end, she was just the legitimate daughter of a fifth or sixth-rank military officer. She had never received the exclusive education of a "noble lady from a prestigious family," and her so-called "lack of joy and anger" was actually not well hidden.

The sound of light footsteps could be heard as Gao Shi walked with a furrowed brow and a somber expression.

In any case, we must find a way to make the mother tribe stand up straight.

Otherwise, she would not feel at ease sitting on the throne of empress.

After traveling for about half an hour, a eunuch from the Imperial Household Department reported:
"Your Majesty the Empress, the Imperial Uncle requests an audience."

"Big brother?"

Gao's eyes lit up.

It really means Cao Cao Cao Cao has arrived.

Her eldest brother was named Gao Zunyu, and he was an eighth-rank deputy lieutenant.

"Send someone to the side hall for a talk," Madam Gao hurriedly ordered.

Within the imperial palace, etiquette was extremely complicated. Even when relatives met, they had to be on a specific occasion and witnessed by eunuchs and palace maids before they could meet.

The reason for this is to avoid the practice of "borrowing sperm".

If royalty makes a fool of themselves, they will be remembered for all time.

Side hall.

With the curtain as the boundary, Empress Gao and Gao Zunyu met.

"Brother, what brings you to the palace?" Lady Gao asked.

The imperial harem was strictly controlled, so the shorter the meeting time, the better; everything had to be brief.

"Sister."

Gao Zunyu, with his stubble, stroked his beard and said, "Recently, there has been constant fighting on the border. Could you perhaps put in a good word for me with the Emperor and send another group of officials to the border so that I can also gain some merit?"

"this--"

Gao hesitated.

After a long pause, he still didn't refuse.

(End of this chapter)