Chapter 10 Chapter 10: The Hidden Elite

In Yan Shifan's eyes, there are only three outstanding talents in the world, but it turns out that although this man is smart, he is not very good at numbers, because he only counted half of them correctly. Yang Bo, Lu Bing, and Yan Shifan are indeed outliers among all living beings. They are witty and calculating, and they can be called geniuses born in the world.But God really likes to be lively, just when Yan Shifan thought that the world was in his hands, God sent three other people to this play, three more terrifying people. According to Mr. Yan Shifan's logical numbering, the fourth person should belong to Xu Jie.After withstood countless tests, he already has the strength to compete in the world.But Yan Shifan didn't realize this. In his eyes, this little servant was just an insignificant person.

Xu Jie is still hiding himself, and when the time comes, he will take off his veil and give Yan Shifan a big surprise. The fifth person is called Gao Gong. If Yan Shifan only looked down on Xu Jie, then he might have never heard of the name Gao Gong. This is no wonder to him, because Gao Gong is so inconspicuous. Gao Gong, born in the seventh year of Zhengde (1512), from Xinzheng, Henan (now Xinzheng City, Henan), won the first place in the provincial examination in Henan Province in the seventh year of Jiajing (1528), passed the Jinshi examination in the 20th year of Jiajing (1541), and was assigned to the Imperial Academy .

And when Yan Shifan talked about the talents of the world, Mr. Gao Gong's professional title was only the editor of the Imperial Academy, and he was just a small copyist in the institution.Such a small role is naturally difficult for Yan Qicai to understand. However, he will eventually become a person who shakes the world. According to the laws of film and television dramas, the most powerful person always appears last, and this time is no exception, and the person who first discovered this genius was Xu Jie. After Xia Yan stepped down (he was not killed at the time), Xu Jie was in a miserable situation. People who had been respectful to him saw that he had no backing, so they showed the speed of flipping books back then, and turned against him.

In addition to the cold reception of his colleagues, Xu Jie also had bad luck in the official department. The new official minister Wen Yuan didn't like Xu Jie and always found fault with him. Xu Jie, who offended his boss and couldn't get along, had to find another way out. Fortunately, he had a good relationship with the big boss (he was good at writing Qingci), so the Emperor swiped his brush and arranged a new unit for him: "Go to the Hanlin Academy!" This decision changed the fate of countless people. At the end of the twenty-sixth year of Jiajing (1548), Xu Jie came to the Imperial Academy and became a bachelor in charge.His first mission was to educate the Shu Jishi who had just been admitted last year.

Shu Jishi is the elite of Ming Dynasty, and only those who have passed the first-class (three-person) and second-class first names in the imperial examination are eligible to join this honorable rank.The training of Shu Jishi is roughly equivalent to the current pre-job training. After graduation here, the students will enter the Hanlin Academy and become ordinary Hanlin officials. Of course, everything after that will depend on fate. If you have experienced several years to decades of fighting to the death and intrigue, you have not been decapitated, exiled, or demoted, and your face is getting thicker and your heart is getting thicker. Hei, you will most likely enter the cabinet and become the real ruler of this empire.

Generally speaking, the academicians of the Hanlin Academy don’t pay attention to the scholars. At most, they just meet when they enter the school, teach a few words, say something that everyone should study hard and make progress every day, and then pat their buttocks and leave. . But Xu Jie still maintains his traditional style. Although these newcomers have no background and are inconspicuous, he still finds time to talk one by one. Of course, his purpose is not just to encourage them to study hard. Whether there will be a few fierce people of the first and second ranks, it is better to establish a good relationship first.

It was in this series of conversations that he met the person who would accompany him for the rest of his life, struggle and live forever. Although Shu Jishi was already the elite among the elites, this man still left a deep impression on Xu Jie. Xu Jie was amazed by his conversation, knowledge, and unparalleled intelligence. "What's your name?" "Zhang Juzheng." Zhang Juzheng, I will write down this name. Xu Jie finished his conversation satisfactorily. There are still many years to come, and he has plenty of time to observe this young man seriously. Zhang Juzheng was the sixth person. At that time, he had not had the opportunity to participate in the competition on stage.

In this chaotic era, these six talents will be intertwined into a knot of death, using their wisdom and will to compete for the highest reward - power, and the loser will become a victim of the knot and be strangled mercilessly.Only the most talented, shrewd, cunning, and determined can end this brutal game and untie that knot. And this final victor will become the ruler of the Great Tomorrow. But having said that, at least at that time, the latter two were not counted on. Comrade Gao Gong was still working as his copyist, and student Zhang Juzheng was still studying hard in the training class.

So Xu Jie still can only rely on himself. Yan Song is a very vigilant person. He is very aware of the relationship between Xu Jie and Xia Yan. He is not defenseless against this person, but the problem is that this servant Xu does not seem to pose any threat to him. As a deputy minister, he can't say anything in front of the emperor, and he can't turn up the big waves. So the defense was the defense, he didn't take Xu Jie seriously. Yan Song's judgment is very accurate, the current Xu Jie is an out-and-out little man, even if you hand him a knife, he doesn't know where to start.

But the world is constantly changing. In the 29th year of Jiajing (1550), Xu Jie ushered in his first opportunity. Ironically, this opportunity was kindly offered by Mr. Qiu Luan in Yan Song's camp. Mongolia can be regarded as an old enemy of Ming Dynasty. It has been going back and forth for two hundred years. Both parties are full of energy. Things have changed over time, and the Oirats of the past have disappeared, replaced by Tatars, and after the little prince, the tribe has produced an excellent leader who is good at murder and arson--Alda. I won't say much about this brother's deeds, just know that this is a person who is very capable of killing, robbing, and destroying.

In June of the twenty-ninth year of Jiajing (1550), this man probably lacked something at home, so he led tens of thousands of cavalry to attack the Ming Dynasty. His goal was Datong. The Ming army couldn't resist the enemy, and the whole army was defeated. After some melee, the general Zhang Da was killed in battle, so Datong sent an emergency to the court. The commander is dead, and the snake has no head. Please send another one here immediately. The General Soldier of Datong is a very high-ranking official, equivalent to the commander of the frontier army. Normally, it is the blessing of the ancestors to be able to make up this officer, but at this juncture, it can only be said that the grave of the ancestors was buried in the wrong place. The Mongols are still outside the city. Even if they repel the enemy, they may not be successful, but if they lose the important city of Datong, they will be killed.Moreover, the sword has no eyes, and it doesn't recognize your official rank. As the commander-in-chief, unfortunately died in the country, it can only be counted as bad luck for you. This is the legendary scapegoat, and no one wants to bear it, but just when everyone shied away, Yan Song stood up and told everyone happily that he had a suitable candidate and he would definitely be able to defeat the enemy. The person he was talking about was Qiu Luan. To be honest, in this matter, Yan Song was also taken advantage of. He originally thought that after the famous general Qiu Luan, even if he was not as good as Zeng Mian, he would be somewhat inferior.So he recommended Qiu Luan, hoping that this person could make new achievements. But Mr. Qiu Luan is really rare. Although he has been a general for many years, he can't even do it for a while.Hearing that Yan Song had recommended him, it was like a thunderbolt, but the matter had come to this point, and if he didn't get in, Qiu Luan went to Datong bravely. It seems that General Qiu's luck was not bad, he just got to the place, he knew that I Da had finished the robbery, so he retreated.The elated Qiu Luan suddenly became energetic, and he immediately wrote a letter to the Ministry of War, expressing his deep sorrow that it is really a pity that he was not able to fight Alta and win glory for the country. It doesn't matter, Mr. Qiu Luan, there are always opportunities. In July, I answer again. In fact, it’s no wonder I answered that his tribe has no handicrafts or light industry, and he has no other way except robbing. Qiu Luan has turned his head back now. If he loses the battle, let alone his official position, his head will not be guaranteed, but he also knows very well that with his few brushes, it is tantamount to a dream to defeat I Da. But Qiu Luan is really a great person, he actually came up with a solution to the problem, not only can drive away I Da, but also don't need to go to war. Mr. Qiu is a person who understands the law of value. He clearly realized that I just wanted to grab something. As long as I give him money and let him return with satisfaction, everything will be fine. So in the middle of the night, he secretly sent an envoy to send a lot of money to I Da, hoping that he would take the money and leave without hindering himself from becoming an official. If you want to say that brother I Da is really good, he will do things with money, and immediately said, please don't worry, Zongbing Qiu, I will retreat the whole army. Qiu Luan was satisfied, so he didn't have to work hard, and even sent away the God of Plague, there was no better result. But Qiu Zongbing, who thought he was smart, overlooked the key point-I said that he was only retreating, not that he was going to retreat home. Not long after, Lieutenant General Datong reported that I had withdrawn.Qiu Luan was very happy, but before he was about to celebrate, he suddenly remembered something, so he asked one more question: "Where did I go after I retired?" "Jizhou." The subordinate replied. When these two words reached Qiu Luan's ears, he almost fainted on the spot: "The big thing is not good!" Jizhou is the gateway to Beijing. When I Da broke through Jizhou, broke through the wall and entered Changping (now Changping District, Beijing), he was surprised to find that his cavalry did not encounter any resistance, and food, property, and population were all in front of him. Waiting for him to loot. Naturally, he would not be polite. After robbing Changping, he fled to Miyun and Huairou, robbing all the way around the city of Beijing, and took a down-to-earth tour around Beijing. After killing and robbing enough, I answered but didn't leave.He stayed in Tongzhou, peeking at this majestic capital.Because he has been keenly aware that there seems to be some ulterior reason hidden behind the big show of weakness. In fact, things are not as complicated as I thought, and the reason is very simple - there are no soldiers. It's funny to say that the capital at that time was really empty. During the defense of Beijing a hundred years ago, under Yu Qian's suggestion, the three major battalions in the capital that had lost their combat effectiveness were transformed into twelve regiment battalions, and their strength was reduced to 140,000. . Ordinarily, this number is quite a lot, but when Ding Rukui, Minister of the Ministry of War, counted the number of people and prepared to fight, he was surprised to find that the so-called hundreds of thousands of troops were actually only more than 50,000 people! What's more troublesome is that many of them are old enough to enter a nursing home, just standing in the line with a spear to fill the number. In fact, Ding Rukui is not surprised. Such phenomena are quite normal. This is the legendary military's first stunt of corruption - eating empty quota. (Overreporting the number of people and falsely claiming wages) Mr. Ding is familiar with the unspoken rules, and he doesn't want to fight corruption, but the problem is, the enemy is at the door, and you have to find a way to send him away. Naturally, it was impossible for the emperor to give me any more gifts and let him go back to Datong. In desperation, Mr. Jiajing had no choice but to issue a general mobilization order, ordering the surrounding troops to come to serve the king. The first one to arrive was Qiu Luan, the chief soldier of Datong. He rushed here with all his might - he couldn't do without all his might, you know, the reason why the Emperor was so embarrassed and blocked in the city was entirely his fault.If you don't come here in time, it's hard to guarantee that my brother and the emperor will negotiate peacefully. When bargaining, such a sentence will not suddenly appear: When Qiu Zongbing talked to me, the price was... Qiu Luan, who was covered in cold sweat, rushed to Beijing with 20,000 cavalry. Jiajing was moved by his enthusiasm. Instead of doubting him, he told him with great trust: "The defense of the capital is in your hands." Now it's all over, Qiu Luan was in grief and anger, and was about to jump the moat, but was dragged back by his subordinates. Datong is already in such a mess, let alone the capital? At his wit's end, he thought over and over again, and found the old method again—negotiation. He sent someone out of the city privately again and found Alda. When the person came to explain his purpose, even Mr. Altar, who had been in the field for a long time, was surprised. He had just finished talking in Datong, and Qiu Zongbing came to the capital again, and he ran faster than himself. The speed is astonishing. Qiu Luan put forward a condition, as long as the city is not attacked, everything is negotiable. My answer is also unambiguous, it’s okay not to attack the city, just let me pay tribute. Although Qiu Luan has decided to do whatever it takes, this request is unacceptable to him. The so-called tribute is just a decent way to act recklessly and trample on the country's dignity. If you agree to this condition, I Da can send his envoys to Da Ming's territory to take the powerful and impose various harsh conditions. This is a matter of national image. In other words, even if you can afford money, you can't afford to lose people. Qiu Luan didn't dare to say anything, so he could only report to Jiajing immediately. The Taishang Laojun couldn't solve the Mongolian problem, so the Taoist priest Jiajing put on a yellow robe and held a cabinet meeting. Attendees included cabinet scholars Yan Song, Li Ben, Zhang Zhi, and Xu Jie, who was then Minister of Rites. The emperor was also panicked. He took the tribute letter sent by Ida and asked the ministers what to do. Li Ben didn't speak, and Zhang Zhi didn't speak, because it didn't count if they said anything in the cabinet. Yan Song, who was usually eloquent but kept his word, suddenly became dumb, and stood motionless on the spot without making a sound. But the emperor's salary is not for nothing, Jiajing directly asked Yan Song: "what should I do now?" Mr. Yan Song can neither run the army nor the country. His major is flattery and pranking. But he still said his "method": "This is just a bunch of hungry thieves. They will leave naturally after looting. The emperor doesn't have to worry." This is a very shameless answer. In Mr. Yan Song's logical system, the most important thing is to keep the official position and enjoy the wealth. As for the people outside the city, they will be robbed if they are robbed, and they will be killed if they are killed. Anyway, it has nothing to do with themselves. Xu Jie became angry. Leaving aside his personal grievances, he couldn't believe that this was actually the words of a court chief assistant. Although it was not his turn to speak here, he couldn't bear it anymore: "The enemy has already attacked the city, murdering and setting fire, committing all kinds of crimes, how can it be said that they are a group of hungry thieves!" Yan Song turned his head in surprise, looking at this unremarkable Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, he finally realized that he seemed to have underestimated this person's energy all this time. Jiajing, who was sitting on the throne, stood up suddenly. He looked at Xu Jie, nodded approvingly, then changed his face and stared coldly at Yan Song, who was greedy for life and afraid of death: "Where's the tribute I answered?" Yan Song hurriedly took out the document and prepared to submit it to the emperor. Jiajing waved his hand, he didn't intend to study the documents, he just asked one sentence: "What are you going to do?" Under Jiajing's staring eyes, Yan Song regained his composure, and he calmly replied: "This is a matter for the Ministry of Rites." The so-called matter of the Ministry of Rites is the matter of Xu Jie. In the eyes of ordinary people, this is just a statement to shirk responsibility, but in fact, this statement is extremely dangerous, with hidden murderous intentions.No matter how Xu Jie answered, he would be in trouble. My answer to paying tribute is, in the final analysis, a diplomatic issue. Although Yan Song pushed it to the Ministry of Rites, although it is not righteous, it is considered reasonable. If Xu Jie evades, the emperor will naturally not spare him. But if Xu Jie agrees with all his mouth, he will definitely face disaster, because the issue of paying tribute is also a very embarrassing political issue. Jiajing didn't want to agree at all. As soon as I answer, I will settle accounts after the fall, and naturally the death penalty is inevitable. Yan Song understood Jiajing's mind, he was quietly waiting for Xu Jie to fall into the trap. Xu Jie was stunned for a moment, and immediately answered without thinking: "This matter is the responsibility of my Ministry of Rites, and I am willing to bear it with all my strength!" However, before Yan Song smiled, Xu Jie said the second half of the sentence: "But the matter of paying tribute is a major national event, and everything is left to the emperor, and the Ministry of Rites will definitely follow the order!" Yan Song panicked for the first time. The Minister of Rites standing in front of him turned out to be a more cunning opponent than Xia Yan. Jiajing didn't have Yan Song's thoughts, he just wanted to solve the problem: "Is there anything you can do?" Xu Jie finally waited for the opportunity, and he began to talk eloquently: "From my point of view, the enemy army is approaching the city. With the current defense of the capital, we can neither fight nor defend." "so what should I do now?" "The only way at present is to delay the time, wait for the arrival of reinforcements, gather strength, and then launch a counterattack against me." Jiajing nodded happily, but also raised a practical question - how to delay time. Xu Jie smiled, picked up the Ida tribute document that had been cited as a shame, and confidently told the frightened emperor that the solution was in this tribute document. Diplomacy refers to the method of dealing with relations between countries, but it also has another popular interpretation - to say the dirtiest words in the most polite way. If the latter interpretation is the standard, then Xu Jie is an extremely brilliant diplomat. He keenly discovered a problem in the documents I answered—only Chinese, not Mongolian. According to the usual practice, diplomatic documents require two languages, but this is just a formality, and no one strictly abides by it. However, Daming decided to follow the procedure carefully this time, so the emissary of Alda learned that he wanted to bring back the tribute book and add the content in Mongolian. Hearing the envoy's words, I replied that my mind was a little confused. Although he is good at fighting, his ability to play politics is really far behind.After thinking about it, this dear friend doesn’t know what’s wrong with writing only in Chinese—can’t you understand it? Puzzled, I replied that I was afraid that I was uneducated, did not understand diplomatic etiquette, and would be teased by others, so I actually went to a group of people to handle official documents, but before his paperwork was completed, the new neighbors arrived. The troops from the North Zhili area who came to King Qin arrived in time, and the number of Ming troops outside the city had reached more than 80,000, and I Da finally realized that he had been fooled again. The Mongolian army, which had lost their vigor, was about to retreat. Anyway, they had robbed and killed enough, and they returned with a full reward. But Jiajing in the city was not a fool. Although he didn't understand military affairs, he was an extremely smart person. Changes in the situation could not escape his eyes, so he summoned Ding Rukui, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, and ordered him to prepare to launch a counterattack against the Tatar army. Ding Rukui accepted the order, but before launching a counterattack, he still had to visit Yan Song. In many books, Yan Song is described as a vicious character, he is more cunning than the bandits in the mountains, more cruel than the perverted murderer, everything from corruption and bribery, murder and arson to spitting, messing with men and women , can be described as the scum of scum. But if you analyze the historical data objectively, you will find that this man is actually a very timid person. The principle of his life is to hide as long as he can, and to push as long as he can. It has nothing to do with him, and he doesn't want to care about it. This kind of behavior is described in today's legal terms as "administrative omission", also known as occupying the latrine and not shitting, doing foreign work, and so on.Yan Song is such a person, he doesn't want to cause trouble, he doesn't want to take care of things, he only cares about his own interests.It should be said that he is indeed a timid person. But the timid Yan Song is still the scum of scum. Because it was his indifference and selfishness that made the government affairs slack in the court, the ministers' corpses were eaten without food, and the enemies were unscrupulous, burning, killing and looting-the emperor is practicing Taoism, and your chief assistant doesn't care, so who else cares? But Mr. Yan Song doesn't want to care, it doesn't mean he doesn't care, as long as it is related to his interests, he will never sit idly by. Ding Rukui understood this, he knew very well that if he acted without Mr. Yan's approval, Xia Yan would be a lesson from the past. He informed Yan Song of the emperor's decree and raised his own question: what should we do now? Yan Song thought for a moment, and then gave him an unexpected answer: "Don't launch a counterattack." Looking at the bewildered Minister of the Ministry of War, Yan Song explained his answer, an extremely shameless explanation: "If you launch a counterattack, you may lose the battle. If you lose the battle on the border, you can pretend to win the battle and report the merits. But at the feet of the emperor, if you fail, the emperor will know. After that, we will withdraw ourselves, and we will not take any responsibility." This is the philosophy of governing the country of the chief assistant of the cabinet of the Ming Empire. But Ding Rukui has been in the officialdom for many years after all, he is not so easy to be fooled, he is very clear that the emperor's order is to counterattack, if he acts according to Lord Yan's words, when the emperor pursues it, he will be beheaded. However, Yan Song patted his chest and assured him: "Don't worry, with me here, nothing will happen!" Ding Rukui went home to sleep in peace, he believed that Chief Yan would not fool him. Facts have proved that Mr. Yan Song's bond is indeed not worthless - it can be sold as waste paper for fifty cents a catty. In the next few days, the Altan army outside the city looted wantonly, and began to pack them, ready to take them away, and set fire to those who could not be taken away.And the garrison in the city not only did not go to the Mongols to settle the bill, but also did not dare to collect service fees, but just watched them walk away. An Da finally left, Jiajing was finally angry, and the Mongols walked away swaggeringly, just as they swaggered, they did not take away a cloud, but they took away property, food and countless Ming people. He urgently summoned Ding Rukui and asked him harshly: "Why don't you fight!?" Ding Rukui remained silent, this was his only choice, the matter has come to this point, even if he puts on Yan Song, he may not be exonerated, and he will lose all retreat, anyway, he can only trust Chief Yan. Jiajing, who didn't get an answer, was furious and ordered the Minister of the Ministry of War to be put in prison. Yan Shoufu seems to be very interesting. In prison, Ding Rukui kept receiving Yan Song's instructions to let him go to prison with peace of mind, and if he persists, there is a way. Ding Shangshu persevered in this way until he reached the execution ground. When the gleaming Ghost Head Saber shone in front of Master Shangshu, Ding Rukui realized that he was sold and was still counting the money for others. Up to now, he can only look up to the sky and shout: "Yan Song traitor, you fooled me!" (Song thief mistaken me) But after being reprimanded, he finally realized his crimes. His eyes were scorched and his life was devastated. Although Yan Song was the mastermind, he was also an accomplice. So he asked the last question to the people standing by: "Where is Wang Langzhong now?" The so-called Wang Langzhong is Wang Shangxue, the official secretary of the Ministry of War. As I said earlier, this official secretary is roughly equivalent to today's General Staff Department. Those who take leadership responsibility (the poorest and the busiest, and they have to take the blame, so no one goes). It should be said that Ding Rukui is quite interesting. He has repeatedly stated in prison that he did it by himself, and it has nothing to do with the department. So when he learned that Wang Shangxue had escaped death and was exiled into the army, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and left his last words: "Back then, Wang Langzhong had repeatedly advised me to fight, but I was wronged by Yan Song and didn't listen to his advice. This is my fault!" The turmoil in the twenty-ninth year of Jiajing (1550) ended with the sigh of Ding Rukui. In this catastrophe, Ming suffered a disastrous defeat. The capital was besieged for a week, and the suburbs of Beijing were in a mess. I answer Burning, killing and looting under Daming's eyes, no one can stop them. All things were lost, and all face was lost. This rare shame since the founding of the People's Republic of China was called the "Geng Shu Change" by later generations, and it was recorded in the annals of history forever. But amidst the wailing, something is quietly changing. Xu Jie is undoubtedly the winner. In times of crisis, he stepped forward and shouldered the heavy responsibility, which left a deep impression on Jiajing's heart. He, an unobtrusive supporting role, finally stepped into the center of the colorful stage. But along with the opportunity comes danger, because that miserable loser and coward has realized the horror of this rising political star, and in the days to come, he will go all out to kill this person who is enough to threaten him. Killed in the cradle. Although he is a coward when it comes to national affairs, as long as personal interests are involved, he will become braver than Mr. Zhao Zilong. Xu Jie, keep going. The further you go, the more you will feel the cruelty of this game. Waiting for you ahead are more cunning opponents and more insidious traps. Of course, apart from the subtle changes in the political situation, the Ming Dynasty was not without gains. After Ding Rukui's death, Wang Bangrui, the servant of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, temporarily acted as an agent for the Ministry of War and began to clean up the mess. In the work of sorting out the defense, he accidentally discovered that there was a book called "Preparation for Ida Strategies" which was widely circulated in the army. Wang Bangrui immediately called his subordinates: "Who is the author of this book, any official?" His subordinates told him that this person was a hereditary general who went to Beijing to take the Wu Jinshi examination, and because he was attacked by Alta, he joined the war temporarily. Wang Bangrui sighed unceasingly. After repeatedly reading the book and inquiring about the situation of this person, he wrote the following record in the archives of the Ministry of War: Qi Jiguang, a native of Dongmou, Shandong Province, was a hereditary commander of the Dengzhou Guard. He was young but intelligent, ambitious and good at riding and shooting.Comment: General talent. Since the "Gengshu Change", Xu Jie's life has become better and better. Although he did not enter the cabinet, he enjoyed the treatment of a cabinet member, was named the prince and Taibao (cong Yipin), and was often called to Xiyuan to accompany him. His Majesty the Emperor chatted and drank tea, and became a celebrity in the court. Xu Jie was a little carried away, the change of circumstances made him have an illusion, the favor of the emperor, the flattery of his colleagues, all these made him believe that victory seemed not far away. In fact, the real opportunity has not come, and his level is still too far behind. And the sudden blow that followed soon woke him up from his dream. This incident started with the dead. Not long ago, Empress Xiaolie died. Ordinarily, she died when she died. A memorial service was held to bury her. However, Mr. Jiajing became addicted to etiquette. The queen enters the ancestral temple (the special term for the temple). This violated the rules of etiquette. Mr. Xu Jie, who insisted on principles, immediately wrote a memorial, stating that the female queen could not enter the temple, but could only be placed in the Fengxian Hall. When Yan Song heard the news, he immediately clapped his hands and cheered, because he knew that Xu Jie was about to be unlucky. Yan Song was right, and Xu Jie quickly paid the price for his principles. Mr. Jiajing was furious, and immediately called Xu Jie in and scolded him angrily. If this scene were played on Xia Yan, the next scene would definitely be scolding. Mr. Xia has always been fearless, and fighting the emperor for the sake of principle is commonplace. Like Xia Yan, Xu Jie is also a person who sticks to principles, but this familiar scene did not appear. Xu Jie just lowered his head, listening to the emperor's unreasonable reprimand. I still remember that Xia Yan died like this.The scene where the head fell was reflected in front of his eyes. So, under Yan Song's staring eyes, Xu Jie made a decision: "The emperor is holy!" Sacrificing dignity is not enough. If you want to have the last laugh in this cruel game, you must also deviate from the principle, because the opponent in front of you is an unprincipled person. And the only way to defeat an unprincipled opponent is to give up all principles. It doesn't matter whether you call yourself the Zongmiao or the Jade Temple, even if you proclaim yourself the Jade Emperor, even if you put your own nurse and servants in the Zongmiao, I don't care. That is the price that must be paid until the time comes. Xu Jie sensed the imminent danger in time, agreed with the emperor's opinion, and escaped the catastrophe.However, he did not expect that an unintentional action of his had caused a catastrophe, and what was even more unfortunate was that Yan Song had already grasped this flaw. The day after that, Jiajing met Yan Song alone in Xiyuan.Consciously or unintentionally, the two parties started chatting, and after chatting, the topic turned to Xu Jie. Unexpectedly, when Yan Song talked about Xu Jie, he was full of praise, repeatedly praising him for being diligent in political affairs, working hard, and writing Qing Ci very well.What he said made Jiajing nod repeatedly. Of course, if you expect Mr. Yan Song to have a sudden mental disorder, that would be unrealistic, and the wonderful things will follow: "Xu Jie is indeed not lacking in talent," Yan Song sighed, and added the most crucial sentence: "It's just a little more double-minded." This is the highest state of swearing in the legend - boasting first and then scolding, and the combination of boasting and cursing. Jiajing put away his smile and nodded heavily, agreeing with Yan Song's opinion. There is a reason for this sentence. In February of the 30th year of Jiajing (1551), Xu Jie once wrote to the emperor, asking for the early establishment of the prince. This is not the first time he has written a proposal, there were several times before, but they were all suppressed by Jiajing.According to Xu Jie, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, it is necessary to establish a crown prince, and it is also out of etiquette. Of course, it also has hidden meanings: you practice alchemy and take alchemy every day, and one day you suddenly die of food poisoning, we have to make preparations. However, in Jiajing's view, this request has another meaning--I am not dead yet, and I am ready to start a new stove. In this way, the scheming Yan Song shattered Xu Jie's good image in the emperor's mind with just one sentence, causing him to sink to the bottom of the valley again. After that, the emperor's attitude towards Xu Jie became more and more indifferent, and he rarely called him into Xiyuan, and he no longer spoke kindly to each other. Although the emperor didn't make a clear statement, the keen Xu Jie still felt the alienation, and he didn't need to inquire, he knew it was Yan Song's fault. The sense of smell of colleagues is very sensitive. Xu Jie, who was in the rising stage of his career before, was a phoenix, but after Nirvana, he naturally became a pheasant.Everyone left one after another, and Xu Jie once again returned to the starting point of isolation and helplessness. The cruel facts educated Xu Jie, and he finally understood that although he was favored, his position in the emperor's heart was far inferior to that of Yan Song, and what he was going to challenge was the largest political group in the court - the Yan Party, with countless members. Qing's network and the help of Jin Yiwei.More importantly, in front of Yan Song, a political thick and black master, his skill is still far behind. But never mind, it's still too late, I'll start over. From then on, Xu Jie became more taciturn and stopped talking casually about government affairs, but Jiajing didn't seem to appreciate it and was still very indifferent to him, but Xu Jie didn't panic. After carefully analyzing the situation, he finally found a way to win . And this path was what the dead Xia Yan told him with his life. Jiajing, who was bewitched by Yan Song, was already tired of Xu Jie, but he didn't realize that the people around him had quietly changed their attitudes, and they often praised Xu Jie's talents (the left and right were mostly speakers). Over time, he gradually changed his attitude. opinion of this person. From a certain point of view, Xia Yan died at the hands of those eunuchs who were neglected by him, and Xu Jie will never make the same mistake again. In addition, the silent Xu Jie began to seriously write Qing Ci at home, focusing on writing well, and the satisfied Jiajing finally changed his attitude and often asked him to come to chat. On the other hand, Xu Jie always praised Yan Song regardless of whether he was in the past or behind, and he often came to contact him. Although the old fox Yan still regarded him as an opponent, Xu Jie's behavior was more or less Impressed him. After all, it's just a small role, so you don't need to spend much effort.Yan Song still believed in his own judgment. So after experiencing ups and downs, the court situation once again returned to calm, and the two sides were temporarily in a state of truce. However, behind the silence, Xu Jie is closely watching Yan Song's every move, going to court, retreating from court, socializing, and forming gangs.He patiently examined the various actions of this old Jianghu. While looking for flaws, he was also constantly learning the enemy's tactics and methods. In day after day of speculation and observation, Xu Jie gradually narrowed the gap between himself and his opponent, and he has become a resourceful and unfathomable figure. But forbearance and silence are not the goal, but the means. It will finally erupt at the last moment. Although Xu Jie has already paralyzed Yan Song and gained the emperor's trust, he is very clear that the current conditions are not enough to win. He must initiate the attack to gain more resources and a greater advantage. It's time to attack, but you can't startle the enemy with surprises, and you can't have a final showdown.All that's missing is a suitable target. After careful consideration, Xu Jie finally found the target. So after waiting for two years, Xu Jie broke the deathly tranquility and pointed his finger at the person who met the requirements——Chou Luan.