In the Wenyuan Pavilion, Gu Bingqian, Zhu Guozhen, Han Yi and Sun Chengzong, the newly promoted pavilion elders, sat at a round table, and a set of antique tea sets were placed in front of them, and the green tea leaves in the transparent teacups were constantly sinking and floating with the rising mist.

Gu Bingqian made a gesture of invitation to everyone, picked up the teacup and took a sip of fragrant tea, and then said with a smile: "Over the past year or so, the affairs of the court have become more and more cumbersome, and the three old men have been struggling to support it.

Yu Chen (Han Yi) and Wen Ning (Zhu Guozhen) have been complaining to the old man, always saying that the old man should make suggestions to His Majesty and promote a few more ministers to the cabinet, but they don't know why the old man doesn't want someone to share the affairs of the cabinet, but His Majesty always said that there is no suitable candidate, and now that we have Kaiyang Gong, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief. ”

Looking at the smiling Gu Bingqian, Sun Chengzong smiled faintly, "The elder is polite, how cumbersome the affairs of the imperial court are, but you have been able to take care of it well all these years, it can be seen that Your Majesty's praise of you as a pillar of the imperial court is indeed worthy of the name, and you can still serve the imperial court for at least twenty years." ”

"Ahem, ahem, ahem......"

Gu Bingqian shook his head and was about to speak, but then he lowered his head and coughed violently, Han Yi on the side saw this and quickly patted him lightly on the back a few times, and after a while Gu Bingqian stopped coughing.

He laughed at himself helplessly: "Do you see that the old man can still serve His Majesty for twenty years?" ”

Sun Chengzong couldn't help but be dumbfounded, if he continued to talk about it, it would be a curse.

"The old man just passed his 80th birthday a few days ago, and he has reached his old age, if he doesn't stay attached to this position anymore, I'm afraid he will be scolded to death by the Manchu Dynasty."

Gu Bingqian's gaze swept around the faces of the three of them and said slowly.

"The old man still remembers that in the third year of the Apocalypse, His Majesty Longen promoted the old man to the East Pavilion University Scholar and the quasi-old man into the cabinet, and in the fifth year of the Apocalypse, he was promoted to the first assistant of the cabinet. At that time, the Ming Dynasty was full of holes, with endless party disputes and Jurchen Tartars making rebellion outside.

Although the old man has the heart to help the society, he has been suffering from the shortcomings of the Ming Dynasty for a long time, and he is really powerless. Until...... It wasn't until the past two years that Daming began to show signs of prosperity, and the old man was happy, even if he died, he had the face to see the emperor. ”

Speaking of this, Gu Bingqian's face was full of embarrassment, and there was silence in Wenyuan Pavilion, but Han Yi and Zhu Guozhen's faces were a little embarrassed.

Da Ming can have today's signs, thanks to whom they naturally know it, but as representatives of civil officials, they can never admit it, otherwise their face will not exist.

At this time, Gu Bingqian said to Sun Chengzong with a straight face: "Childish, in front of Yu Chen and Wen Ning today, the old man might as well talk about it." As an emperor, you are proficient in military affairs, and you are actually the best candidate for the next first assistant, I don't know what you think about the next situation of the Ming Dynasty, you might as well speak to us directly. ”

At first glance, when he heard Gu Bingqian's words, Sun Chengzong was shocked, and his first thought was that this old guy wanted to kill me.

How important is the position of the first assistant, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, is a guy with a very strong desire for power, and after becoming the emperor, he felt that the power of the prime minister could threaten his position, so he found a reason to abolish the position of prime minister, and made a six-part to come out, and picked up the affairs of the court and the middle of the country, and got up earlier than a chicken and slept later than a dog every day, but he was still happy to do it.

But when he died, his son Zhu Di ascended the throne. I had a headache with the basket of pieces to be dealt with every day, so I came up with a cabinet department, and at first the role of this cabinet was only equivalent to a secretary, helping to deal with some documents and so on every day.

But in the end, the descendants of the old Zhu family are weasel cubs, a litter is not as good as a litter, and the power of the cabinet has become bigger and bigger, and now the first assistant of the cabinet is equivalent to the existence of more than 10,000 people under one person. Many major events in the imperial court require the approval of the cabinet to be successfully promulgated and implemented, and it is also the ultimate dream of all civil officials to enter the cabinet.

Now Gu Bingqian actually said that the next generation of first assistant is none other than Sun Chengzong, how can this not surprise Sun Chengzong, you must know that the time when Han Yi and Zhu Guozhen entered the cabinet is still in front of him, aren't you pulling hatred for me.

What kind of person is Gu Bingqian, who has been an official for decades, and the whole person is about to become a refinement, and when he saw Sun Chengzong's face, he immediately knew what he thought.

He smiled faintly: "Duke Kaiyang doesn't have to worry too much, the old man is not killing you." Long before you returned to Beijing, the old man had mentioned it to Yu Chen and Wen Ning, and both of them thought that you were more suitable for this seat than them. ”

"Why is that?"

Sun Chengzong really couldn't figure it out, whether it was qualifications or ability, Han Yi and Zhu Guozhen were actually not inferior to him, not to mention that they entered the cabinet earlier than him, even if they were senior, they wouldn't be able to take their turn.

Seeing Sun Chengzong's eyes with doubts and even slight vigilance, Gu Bingqian snorted at Han Yi and Zhu Guozhen on the side.

Only then did Zhu Guozhen sigh lightly: "Elder Sun Ge doesn't have to doubt it, this is indeed the result of the discussion between the three of us. Haven't you noticed that Your Majesty's attitude towards our Wenchen has gradually changed over the years?

This year, His Majesty will open a Ming Royal Army Military Academy in the capital, and Jiang Ninghou will also open a Fujian Naval Academy in Fujian, and His Majesty will personally serve as the dean of the academy. ”

Han Yi continued: "If it was before, Your Majesty would have treated him as fooling around, but now it's different. With Jiang Ninghou here, I wonder if Daming is really going to change the sky. ”

By this time, if he still doesn't understand, it's time to go home and eat himself.

It's just that his face became even more ugly, and he said coldly: "So you will push the old man out and let the old man fight in the ring with His Majesty and Jiang Ninghou." ”

"It's not a fight, it's just to ease the relationship between the cabinet and His Majesty and Jiang Ninghou." Han Yi said seriously.

"It's not a secret, the old man and Wen Ning have had some conflicts with Jiang Ninghou several times in the past two years because of the affairs of the court, Jiang Ninghou's senses for the two of us are not very good, fortunately, the Duke of You'an is pressed, and His Majesty has not pursued it for the sake of Duke Yi'an's face.

After the arrival of the Duke of Yi'an, if either of us is promoted to the position of first assistant, if there is a conflict with Jiang Ninghou next time, Your Majesty will no longer protect us as before, and then the contradiction between the cabinet, the military attaché, and the inner court will no longer be suppressed, so there will be chaos.

You're different, you've fought side by side with Jiang Ninghou in Liaodong, and I've heard that the two of you have a good personal relationship, so if you serve as the first assistant, it will be of great benefit to the cabinet. ”

"Jiang Ninghou actually has so much energy, even you are so jealous of him?" Sun Chengzong still couldn't believe it.