Looking at His Majesty Dan's courtiers kneeling all over the ground, Emperor Jiajing was shocked and angry, but helpless. Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty deposed the hundred schools of thought and respected Confucianism alone, the subsequent dynasties have governed the country with Confucianism, and the rules and regulations of Confucianism not only restrict the officials and the people, but also restrict the monarch, so that the situation of mutual checks and balances between the king and the civil officials has gradually formed, especially in the Ming Dynasty, the civil politics has reached a peak.

Throughout the Ming Dynasty, except for Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di, two extremely powerful monarchs, there was really no emperor who could be arbitrary, and the early years of Jiajing were the strongest period of the civil and official group. Let's ask if even Emperor Jiajing himself is a member of the civil official group, can the strength of the civil official group not be strong?

Therefore, not to mention the number one official of the ministry, even a Qipin county order cannot be decided by Emperor Jiajing, and it must be approved by the cabinet and the ministry. Of course, if the officials nominated by the cabinet and the ministry are not nodding their heads, this is a mutually restrictive relationship.

Emperor Jiajing was full of guilt at the moment and was ready to compensate Xu Jin, so even if he saw so many court officials standing up against him, he still didn't intend to retreat, and his eyes coldly swept over Zhang Xuan, Gui Cao and other upstart factions, the meaning was obvious, that is, let Zhang Xuan and others stand up and support him.

Gui Cao's eyes dodged, not daring to touch Emperor Jiajing, and Zhang Xuan simply lowered his head to make a decision, although these two are political speculators, it does not mean that they do not cherish feathers, Xu Jin's age is hard, and he is indeed not suitable to serve as the head of the household department, and the opposition of more than half of the court officials is the best proof at present. Therefore, Zhang Xuan and Gui Cao will naturally not be stupid enough to stand up at this time and fight against most of the court officials, so not only will they not be benefited, but they will even be labeled as flatterers.

Emperor Jiajing couldn't help but be disappointed when he saw that Zhang Xuan and Gui Cao didn't stand up to support him, and anger loomed in his eyes.

Xu Jin naturally couldn't be silent anymore at this time, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the ministers are shallow in their talents and lack of qualifications, so it is indeed not suitable to serve as the secretary of the household department, and please ask the emperor to choose another meritorious." ”

Zhu Houxi was originally a very smart person, but he made the decision to let Xu Jin serve as the head of the household department for a while, and gradually calmed down at this time, and also understood that with Xu Jin's current age and qualifications, it was indeed difficult to convince the hundred officials, so he got off the donkey and said: "Xu Qing is too modest, let me ask me how many people in the Ming Dynasty are only eighteen years old, and they even have five yuan to explore flowers and the first." If even Xu Qing is considered to be a shallow learner, then how many of the court officials below are not shallow? ”

Xu Jin couldn't help but be speechless, you kid vented his dissatisfaction for a while, isn't this hatred for Gorra?

Sure enough, as soon as Zhu Houxi's words ended, the officials below were in a commotion, and some young officials glared at Xu Jin unconvinced.

At this time, I only heard Emperor Jiajing continue: "However, since Xu Qing is unwilling to serve as the head of the household department, then I am not strong, well, Xu Qing might as well recommend a suitable candidate." ”

As soon as these words came out, the eyes of all the officials suddenly looked at them in unison, especially Wang Jun, the secretary of the Nanjing household department, who stared at the boss with big eyes, and almost chiseled two big words "choose me" on his forehead.

Xu Jin said calmly: "Inspecting the hundred officials is the duty of the Ministry of Officials, who is more suitable to serve as the secretary of the Ministry of Households, the emperor should first inquire about the Ministry of Officials." ”

All the officials of the court breathed a sigh of relief when they heard the words, and Yang Dan, the secretary of the ministry, couldn't help but look at Xu Jin a lot, and secretly thought, this son knows how to advance and retreat, and he is even better at leading troops to fight.

Zhu Houxi saw that Xu Jin was unwilling to recommend candidates, so he had to look at Yang Dan, the secretary of the ministry, and said lightly: "Lord Yang thinks who is suitable to serve as the secretary of the household department?" ”

Yang Dan held the wat and said: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that Qin Jin, the left attendant of the household department, is stable and sophisticated, conscientious and conscientious, and the officials are evaluated every year, and they can temporarily replace the secretary of the household department." ”

Wang Jun, the secretary of the household department in Nanjing, thought that Yang Dan would recommend him, but he couldn't help but be disappointed when he heard this.

"The minister seconded the proposal!" Mao Cheng, who has always been active in the Ministry of Rites, immediately came out to express his approval.

"The minister seconded the proposal!"

"The minister seconded the proposal!"

Shi Xuan, a bachelor of Hanlin, Shi Jue, the left waiter of the Ministry of Industry, Shi Jitang, and the Zuo Du of the Imperial Palace, Jin Xianmin, etc., successively came out to express their approval.

Emperor Jiajing nodded, looked at Yang Tinghe, and said politely: "What does Mr. think?" ”

Shi Xuan and Mao Cheng are Yang Tinghe's left arm and right arm, an important candidate like Hubu Shangshu, without Yang Tinghe's consent, it is impossible for Shi Mao and the two to publicly express their position, so there is no need to ask, let Qin Jin take over as Hubu Shangshu, it must be Yang Tinghe's intention.

Sure enough, Yang Tinghe came out and said: "Your Majesty, the minister also thinks that Qin Shilang is the most suitable to temporarily replace the household department. ”

Yang Ge Lao's words, Nanjing Hubu Shangshu Wang Jun was completely out of play, and his face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

Zhu Houxi nodded, and asked the second assistant Fei Hong what he meant, the latter was a broad-minded moderate, and he had no intention of arguing with Yang Tinghe, and Qin Jin, the left servant of the household department, was indeed a suitable candidate, so he agreed.

Well, the two cabinet scholars who accompanied the chauffeur both passed, and there were so many heavyweight officials to support it, so Zhu Houxi had no choice but to say: "Then Qin Shilang will temporarily take over the post of Hubu Shangshu, and Xu Jin will replace Qin Jin as the left Shilang of the Hubu." ”

Zhu Houxi's first half of the sentence is fine, but as soon as the second half of the sentence came out, the audience suddenly fried again. The left servant of the household department is the second-in-command second only to the household department Shangshu, and the rank is the third grade, and Xu Jin is currently only the middle of the household department, the rank is the fifth grade, from the fifth rank to the third grade, which is equivalent to four levels in a row, which is faster than riding a rocket, where is the official willing to agree.

Hanlin Scholar Shi Xuan immediately jumped out like a monkey in the sky, and said loudly: "The minister is opposed, no matter how great Xu Jin's merits are, how can there be a reason to be promoted to four grades in a row, how can the court officials be privately taught by the emperor!" ”

Mao Cheng, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, walked out, and said with a straight beard: "The emperor favors Xu Jin, but he can't ignore the laws of the imperial court and promote four grades in a row, which is unheard of and difficult to convince the public." ”

"That's right, the ministers are not convinced!"

"Please ask the emperor to take back his fate!"

In an instant, His Majesty Dan knelt down a large number of court officials, and some guys with developed tear ducts even beat their chests and cried, as if the emperor gave Xu Jin four consecutive promotions, and the Ming Dynasty would be a country from now on.

Zhu Houxi was so angry that he patted the armrest of the throne and stood up, and hurriedly scolded angrily: "I want Xu Jin to temporarily act as the head of the household department to oppose you, and take Xu Jin's age and qualifications to talk about things." I now let Xu Jin serve as the left squire of the household department, and you still oppose it, and you also slander me for ignoring the laws of the imperial court. Outrageous! Outrageous! ”

Emperor Jiajing's anger instantly fell silent, and those guys who beat their chests and cried were so frightened that they closed their mouths.

Although Zhu Houxi has matured a lot in recent years, he is still a seventeen-year-old boy after all, and his temper has increased, like a wild horse that has taken off the reins, and he took off the curtain crown on his head and threw it on the throne.

The eunuchs were frightened, and Grandpa Bi screamed: "Ouch, my little ancestor! As he spoke, he flew up and picked up the curtain crown, and he was about to put it on Zhu Houxi.

Zhu Houxi impatiently pushed Bi Gonggong away, and angrily pointed at His Majesty Dan and the other officials and reprimanded: "What I said doesn't count, in the end I am the emperor, or you are the emperor, what kind of crown does this work love, who loves to wear it." ”

The hundred officials were so frightened that they all knelt on the ground and shouted: "The minister doesn't dare, the minister is afraid!" ”

"You are scared ......" Zhu Houxi held back the word "fart", and continued with an angry face: "Xu Qing was ordered to clear the fields in Zhejiang and Zhejiang, and the results were remarkable, which increased my Ming Dynasty's endowment by nearly 200,000 hectares; and put down the thieves who invaded my Ming Dynasty's thousands of miles of sea borders; The soldiers went out of the South Seas to restore the country of Manraka and raise the prestige of our Ming Dynasty; and brought back ten million taels of silver for the treasury. So much so and so on, the credits are too numerous to mention. If there are people among you who have also made such great achievements, let alone adding four official grades, even if they are five grades? ”

Just when the officials were reprimanded and scolded by Emperor Jiajing, Zhang Xuan stood up and said loudly: "The minister thinks that the emperor is reasonable, and Xu Ziqian, whether it is talent or merit, is enough to be qualified for the position of household servant." ”

I have to say that Zhang Xuan is indeed a political opportunist who is very good at seizing the opportunity, and he did not support Emperor Jiajing's appointment of Xu Jin as the head of the household department before, because he understood that it was impossible, and would rather risk provoking Emperor Jiajing than come forward.

But now Emperor Jiajing wants to appoint Xu Jin as the head of the household, and he does not hesitate to throw away the crown and get angry, it can be seen that the holy will is really very resolute, and the momentum of the ministers was intimidated by Emperor Jiajing, so Zhang Xuan immediately stepped forward and was the first to support Emperor Jiajing.

Sure enough, Zhang Xuan's "heroic" move instantly won the favor of Emperor Jiajing, and he cast an approving gaze at him. Seeing this, Gui Cao did not lag behind, and hurriedly stood up and said: "The minister seconded the proposal, Lord Xu's outstanding achievements are obvious to all, whether it is to promote the planting of sweet potatoes or clear the land, he has made remarkable achievements, and he is fully qualified for the position of the household servant." ”

"Your Majesty, the minister also thinks that Lord Xu is suitable to serve as a household attendant." Zhejiang Governor Xi Shu also stood up at this time, this is the governor of a province, a proper history of feudal territory, and a heavyweight.

Soon, a group of officials successively expressed their support for Xu Jin as the head of the household department, but most of them were upstarts.

At this time, Xia Yan also came out in the military department: "Your Majesty, last year, the minister was ordered to serve as the deputy envoy of the Qin Mission, and together with Lord Xu, he went south to patrol the land of Qingzhang in Zhizhejiang, and the minister knew best about Lord Xu Jin's ability and contributions. In the opinion of the minister, Lord Xu, whether it is ability or merit, is enough to be qualified for the position of the head of the household. ”

Zhu Houxi couldn't help but be overjoyed when he heard this, nodded and smiled: "Okay, I think so." ”

Xia Yan is an upright person who is not afraid of the powerful, and his reputation in the court has always been good.

Yang Tinghe couldn't help frowning, his original intention was to let Xu Jin serve as the right general secretary of the fourth grade, and the household servant of the third grade completely exceeded his bottom line, which he couldn't accept, so he glanced at Yang Dan, the secretary of the Ministry of Officials.

Yang Dan immediately understood, and said eloquently: "Your Majesty, regardless of whether Xu Ziqian's ability is enough to be competent, as far as his merits are concerned, it is a bit too much to be promoted to the fourth grade in a row, and it is difficult to convince the public." What's more, the emperor has already crowned the marquis, and even the three female dependents of Xu Ziqian's family have been sealed. The emperor's grace is so powerful that it is enough to envy others. If you upgrade four products in a row, how to convince hundreds of officials, please think twice! ”

Yang Dan's words were reasonable, and it was human nature to suffer from red eyes, so as soon as Yang Dan finished speaking, dozens of court officials immediately knelt down and said in unison: "Please think twice!" ”

As the so-called serious formality, there is still something to be done on the surface, Xu Jin also knelt down at this time and excused himself: "Your Majesty, Lord Yang is reasonable, and the emperor's grace inherited by the minister has been immense, and he is very panicked, and he asks the emperor to take back his life." ”

Zhu Houxi was already ashamed, and intended to compensate Xu Jin, just now he appointed Xu Jin as the head of the household department, if he didn't even succeed at this time, then where would his emperor's face go? So he said with a straight face: "Xu Qing, I appointed you as the head of the household department, not all because of commending your merits, but mainly because I fancy Xu Qing's talent." I appoint people on the basis of merit, what is wrong! ”

"Your Majesty. The minister thought that with Xu Ziqian's talent, serving as the waiter of the Ministry of Waiting, it was really a blessing for my Ming Dynasty. As the saying goes: the external move does not avoid hatred, the internal move does not avoid relatives, and the selection of talents should be eclectic, there is no need to be too rigid and rigid. ”

At this time, an official wearing a scarlet robe and a crown of seven beams on his head walked out from among the ministers, and spoke eloquently. Xu Jin raised his eyes and couldn't help but be slightly stunned, it turned out that this person was Wang Shouren, the secretary of the Nanjing Military Department.

Yang Dan frowned deeply, Wang Shouren was the secretary of the Nanjing Military Department, and his personal reputation was extremely high, so it was very bad to stand up and support Xu Jin at this time.

Zhu Houxi was overjoyed, after the governor of Zhejiang, Wang Shouren was the second heavyweight minister to express his support, and the weight and influence were even heavier.

Sure enough, Wang Shouren's statement immediately led to many court officials to express their support, including two Shangshu and three waiters, and even some of the officials who opposed it just now changed their attitudes, which is Lao Wang's influence.

"Your Majesty, the minister also thinks that Xu Ziqian is qualified for the position of household attendant." This time, it was Wang Jun, the head of the household department in Nanjing, who stood up to express his position.

Yang Tinghe, Mao Cheng, Shi Xuan and others all changed color, Shi Xuan was even more angry, and almost scolded Wang Jun for being a wall-riding faction at both ends of the first rat, but was stopped by Yang Tinghe with his eyes.

Wang Jun glanced at Yang Tinghe proudly, and the pleasure of revenge in his heart arose, just now Yang Tinghe and others did not support him as the head of the household, so he was not angry, so at this time, he decisively turned against each other, while currying favor with Emperor Jiajing, he also showed favor to the big celebrity Xu Jin.

Zhu Houxi's kid is a great joy, plus Wang Jun, there are four Shangshu in the six departments of Nanjing who express their support for themselves, this amount is enough, so he finally looked at Yang Tinghe and said politely: "What do you think, sir?" ”

Yang Tinghe sighed secretly, a sense of powerlessness arose, and he sadly found that not only was his influence on Emperor Jiajing weakening, but even his control over hundreds of officials was too bad as before.

Of course, this is also part of the reason for Xu Jin, the speed of this son's growth is too amazing, in just three years, he has become a new star in the political arena from a new science and technology scholar, and his influence in both military and political circles cannot be ignored.

Thinking that he had devoted himself to the foundation of the Ming Dynasty all these years, but was not understood by Emperor Jiajing, and was repeatedly reprimanded by Jiajing because of differences in the ceremony, Yang Tinghe was a little disheartened for a while, and said indifferently: "The emperor's sacred heart can be ruling, and the minister has no opinion." ”

As soon as Yang Tingsheng said this, Mao Cheng and the others felt frustrated, and a sense of frustration arose. The officials present had different expressions, and after today's court meeting, Yang Ge Lao's influence was afraid to decline further.

Since Fei Hong was Xu Jin's mentor and should avoid suspicion, Zhu Houxi did not ask Fei Ge Lao's opinion again, and immediately announced that the court push had been approved, and Qin Jin would temporarily replace the head of the household department, while Xu Jin would replace Qin Jin as the left attendant of the household department.

As a result, Xu Jin changed from the Hubu Lang to the second-in-command of the Hubu, and in three years, he was promoted from the sixth-grade Hanlin Xiu to the third-rank squire, which can only be described as riding a rocket. Of course, Xu Jin's contributions in the past three years are also staggering, although he is young, he is completely unworthy of this imperial grace.