Prime Minister

Chapter 45 [Life is often filled with sorrow]

Outside the Donghua Gate of the Imperial City.

More than ten high-ranking officials silently walked to this point.

The focus of everyone's attention was naturally on Xue Minglun, who was about to leave the court. Although it is common for officials to be forgotten after leaving the court, Xue Minglun still had powerful backers. Moreover, the Grand Secretary had been kept behind by the Emperor for a private audience. Therefore, no one would kick Xue Minglun when he was down. Instead, they all stepped forward to offer some words of comfort before boarding their respective carriages and leaving.

In contrast, Shen Wang and Xue Huai, not far away, appeared clearly distinct.

Shen Wang felt no guilt and naturally had no reason to be afraid to face Xue Minglun, but since he had personally exposed the other party's true colors this time, it would seem too hypocritical to step forward and comfort him now.

Xue Huai has already chosen his side, so why should he waver back and forth?

Better not to.

"Xue Huai, wait."

Xue Minglun's voice suddenly came. Xue Huai turned his head and saw that the important figures had already left, and only the former Minister of Works was standing in the same place, looking as if he had aged several years.

"Go ahead, I'll be waiting for you up there."

Shen Wang spoke gently, then strode toward the Shen family carriage in the distance.

Xue Huai composed himself and approached his uncle.

Xue Minglun scrutinized Xue Huai's calm and composed face and sighed, "Now, the Xue family of Hedong only has you as their sole heir in the central government."

Through this period of accumulation and learning, Xue Huai has come to understand that powerful clans are no longer as prosperous as they were during the Wei, Jin, Sui, and Tang dynasties. Even if they are not merely clinging to life, they are no longer able to exert much influence on the court situation.

Xue Minglun's words sound more like a lament of utter despair.

Xue Huai thought for a moment and said, "Uncle, ups and downs in officialdom are common. I hope you can take it easy."

Xue Minglun said with slight surprise, "I didn't expect you to still call me uncle."

Xue Huai asked, puzzled, "Why won't you?"

Looking into his clear and open eyes, Xue Minglun suddenly understood.

Previously, the two had different stances. One was a so-called backbone of the Ning Party, and the other was a disciple of the leader of the Qingliu faction. Xue Huai naturally had to keep his distance from him. Now that he has left the court and retired as a commoner, why should Xue Huai continue to be hostile to him?

The two originally had no deep-seated hatred for each other.

"You are very clear-headed."

Xue Minglun sighed with emotion, then chuckled self-deprecatingly, "It seems you have indeed matured a lot. I underestimated you before."

Xue Huai glanced at the deep archway of Donghua Gate in the distance and asked softly, "Why did you push your nephew to the Prince of Dai, Uncle?"

A moment of silence followed, broken only by the sound of the wind.

Xue Minglun stood with his hands behind his back and slowly said, "It is indeed taboo to be accommodating to both sides in officialdom, but that doesn't mean you should put all your eggs in one basket."

This sentence seems to mean something.

Xue Minglun continued, "I originally intended for you to establish a good relationship with the Prince of Dai's mansion, which would be very beneficial for your future. Perhaps you think that since the crown prince has already been chosen, what's the point of befriending the Prince of Dai? I can only tell you one thing: anything is possible before the dust settles, and sometimes a seemingly insignificant move can yield great rewards. Of course, it's too late to say all this now. You've shown the Prince of Dai no respect this time, and given his temperament, he will definitely not let this go."

Xue Huai remained calm. What he had witnessed at Taihu Tower that day had led him to foresee this outcome, which was why he had persuaded Shen Wang to directly target the Prince of Dai. He then calmly said, "Thank you for your advice, Uncle. I will act with caution."

Xue Minglun smiled and said, "His Majesty has confined the Prince of Dai to his residence for six months. At least you will be safe during these six months. Let your teacher help you and try to get you transferred to a post outside the capital within six months. Staying outside for three to five years before returning to the capital is a good thing for you."

This is a sincere suggestion from an elder.

Xue Huai said sincerely, "I've got it."

Xue Minglun looked at the two carriages across the street, his gaze falling on the Shen family's carriage, and said in a low voice, "Jing Che, you have a good teacher."

Xue Huai sensed a hidden meaning in his words, so he cautiously said, "I hope you will not hold a grudge against my master for what happened today."

"It's just begging for one's life; there's no question of holding a grudge."

Xue Minglun appeared quite nonchalant, then smiled and said, "I just feel that all of this came too suddenly, as if some unseen hand was stirring up trouble. Thinking back, when Gu Heng jumped out to accuse your father, this move was unexpected. It is true that the situation in the court is complex, but there are very few people who can understand the secrets of all parties. If Gu Heng hadn't stirred up trouble, His Majesty would not have investigated the Water Conservancy Bureau, and the investigation office would not have been established."

"I am completely convinced that I lost to your teacher; he was one step ahead of me."

"Your teacher has been lying low for many years, and when he finally makes his move, he can control the entire court of civil and military officials."

"It's really brilliant."

Xue Huai remained silent.

He could understand Xue Minglun's unspoken meaning: he was trying to subtly tell him that Shen Wang was very likely the one who set up the scheme behind Gu Heng.

In this way, the framing of the Xue family and his near-death experience on the banks of the Nine Bend River were all orchestrated by Shen Wang.

Xue Minglun smiled, raised his hand and patted Xue Huai's arm, saying, "I will be returning to my hometown in a few days. You don't need to see me off, so as not to cause unnecessary controversy and damage your reputation."

"Yes." Xue Huai bowed his head in response.

The two parted ways.

Xue Huai walked to the other side of the long street and boarded the carriage of the Shen family.

The wheels moved slowly, and the master and apprentice remained silent.

After a moment, Xue Huai looked at Shen Wang's kind face and said bluntly, "Teacher, Minister Xue told me to be wary of you."

Shen Wang asked with great interest, "What do you mean by that?"

Xue Huai then briefly recounted what had just happened, without deliberately concealing any details, especially Xue Minglun's last words, which were almost word for word.

Shen Wang remained calm and said indifferently, "Xue Yunxiang is far inferior to your father."

Xue Huai waited quietly for what was to come.

“How could he have no resentment towards me? It’s just that the pampered life he’s lived over the years has worn down his spirit, and even his revenge seems so petty.”

Shen Wang smiled slightly and then said, "According to his conjecture, I am a ruthless person who would sacrifice even the lives of his disciples and would not care about the reputation of the deceased. However, there are two key flaws in this. First, if I were the one who set up the scheme, how could I bypass the eyes and ears of the Jing'an Division and secretly drive a large number of people to set up a scheme in the Hanlin Academy and the Ministry of Works? You are a witness to this matter, so you should know that although the scheme is crude, the person behind it is very powerful."

Xue Huai nodded.

Up until this moment, he clearly trusted his mentor more, and making this clear to his face was a sign of that trust.

Shen Wang said calmly, "Secondly, if I were so ruthless, why would I choose today's occasion to expose the Ministry of Works' secrets, forcing His Majesty to take drastic measures? His Majesty will soon realize that I forcibly provoked his anger today, and I didn't have to be so direct. I could have used a roundabout method to present the Ministry of Works' crimes to His Majesty."

Xue Huai pondered for a moment, then said sincerely, "Thank you for your explanation, teacher."

Shen Wang said with relief, "I am very happy that you are willing to confide in your teacher."

A smile appeared on Xue Huai's face, but he quickly put the matter aside and asked with concern, "Teacher, this case should be closed now, right?"

"For now, that's true. We just need to clean up the mess left by the Ministry of Works. There shouldn't be any obstacles."

Shen Wang raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, saying gently, "Your performance this time was excellent, and you have already left a good impression on His Majesty. If nothing unexpected happens, you will receive the decree for promotion in a few days. According to His Majesty's habits over the years, you will most likely be promoted to Attendant Reader. With this merit as a foundation, it will be much easier for you to be sent to a post outside the capital next year."

"Speaker?"

"Xue Yunxiang was right just now. You've already been drawn into the vortex of power struggles at the central level. The risks for you far outweigh the benefits. After all, you're still young and it's impossible for you to rise to a high position overnight. Rather than getting entangled in this vortex, you'd be better off going to the provinces to gain more experience."

Shen Wang paused for a moment, then said with great expectation, "The path to the cabinet does not necessarily have to follow in the footsteps of predecessors. If you can achieve some political success in the local area, you will have a strong foundation to enter the central government in the future. In my opinion, this will be a trend in the future, and it will be difficult to enter the cabinet without experience in governing local areas."

Joining the cabinet?

Xue Huai hadn't thought that far ahead yet. The youngest cabinet minister in the more than 100-year history of the Great Yan was approaching forty years old, and he would only turn nineteen in two months. Who knew what changes would happen in the future?
He suppressed his thoughts and looked at the middle-aged man, saying, "What about you, teacher? You helped the court solve the Ministry of Works' chronic problems this time, so you should be able to advance further."

With only the master and disciple present, Shen Wang, without any ambiguity, calmly said, "Taking another step forward isn't difficult, but..."

"Is there something wrong?"

"hehe."

Shen Wang chuckled softly, but the laughter was somewhat heavy. He thought for a moment and said, "The Grand Secretary is angry, and His Majesty does not quite approve of the methods I used this time."

Xue Huai was about to ask more, but Shen Wang changed the subject, saying, "You don't need to worry about your teacher. The worst outcome is that I'll waste a year or two, which is not a big deal. On the contrary, you need to be extra careful from now on. After this case is over, stay in the Hanlin Academy and communicate with Headmaster Lin more often. This will be of great benefit to you."

"is teacher."

Xue Huai nodded in agreement.

The two chatted for a while longer before parting ways.

Three days later, Xue Huai finally understood why Shen Wang had hesitated to speak that day.

The imperial edict of conferment arrived as scheduled. Xue Huai was promoted to Hanlin Academy Reader by special decree for his two merits: exposing Gu Heng's false accusation and assisting in the investigation of the Ministry of Works' corruption case. In addition, due to the influence of his father Xue Mingzhang, he was promoted from the seventh rank to the sixth rank.

In addition, Yuan Cheng, Fang Jiming, Chen Zhi, Ge Cunyi, and others were each rewarded.

The most eye-catching change was Shen Wang's official position.

Following recommendation by the cabinet and approval by the emperor, Shen Wang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, was promoted to Minister of Works for his meritorious service.

Upon hearing this news, and recalling Shen Wang's calm and composed expression in the carriage that day, Xue Huai felt a chill run down his spine.

As he accepted the congratulations from his colleagues in the Hanlin Academy, he muttered to himself, "It is extremely difficult for the Minister of Works to enter the cabinet, and this Minister of Works is destined to offend many people. Is this the Grand Secretary's revenge and the Emperor's warning?"

Xue Huai wore a humble smile and chatted happily with his colleagues, but no one noticed the fleeting coldness in his eyes.

……

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(Many thanks to the generous donation from the generous patron "Just Coming to See"!)
(End of this chapter)