novelraw Chapter 435
Chapter 435
"What happened?" Yan Zheng strode in. Chu Ruoyan had Yulu hand him a letter. "The old man sent this over, take a look."
Yan Zheng opened it and saw flamboyant handwriting: Little girl, help!!! Your brother is going to beat your dad to death, no, your dad is going to beat your brother to death, no, no, no, they are about to beat each other to death!!!
Yan Zheng's brow twitched, and he cursed Yun Lang a thousand times in his heart.
He was sent back to save his nephew, but instead, he started fighting with his own father!
However, if he had the free time to fight, did that mean the two children's conditions had stabilized?
"Yan Zheng, my second brother already hated him to death because of my mother's matter. Coupled with my eldest brother's accident this time, I'm afraid the two sides have reached a point where they cannot coexist. I have to go back..." The little lady grabbed his arm and explained softly, hoping this emperor would let her go back. Unexpectedly, Yan Zheng didn't stop her at all. "Alright, I'll go prepare."
Chu Ruoyan nodded, then quickly reacted, "Prepare? Prepare what? You are going to come along?"
Yan Zheng said as a matter of course, "Otherwise? I won't be at ease if you go alone."
Chu Ruoyan's mouth twitched slightly, "But government affairs..."
"Isn't uncle here? Don't worry, I will arrange it well."
After saying that, he went to the imperial study and called back Cao Yang, whom he had just let go.
Cao Yang listened to him expressionlessly, then bowed deeply to the ground, "Your Majesty, see how much this old minister's head is worth, just chop it off and find someone else more capable!"
Yan Zheng didn't change his expression or skip a heartbeat, "Uncle is too modest. Uncle alone is worth a thousand troops, and you still have to sit in the position of the head of the Grand Secretariat."
Cao Yang sneered in his heart. Now he's calling him uncle again?
Too bad he wasn't buying it!
"Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, and a hundred things are waiting to be done. Not to mention the distant future, there's the upcoming autumn imperial examination, the Ministry of Personnel's official evaluations, the Ministry of Revenue's silver allocation, and the recently reported Yellow River flood disaster relief. Do you think this old minister has three heads and six arms to handle all this?"
The more Cao Yang spoke, the greater his resentment grew. Although the new emperor was diligent, he couldn't withstand the tide of affairs coming in. These days, the Grand Secretariat was working around the clock, and he had already received several resignation letters!
The emperor wanted to run away at this time? No way!
Yan Zheng quietly waited for him to finish venting before having a eunuch send over a cup of tea.
Cao Yang didn't want to take it at first, but thinking that he was working himself to the bone for him, why shouldn't he?
So he tilted his head and drank it all in one gulp, then listened to the emperor speak slowly, "I know that uncle and all the ministers have worked hard these days. How about this, leave the Ministry of Personnel's evaluations to Gu Sun, let Ji Yao handle the Ministry of Revenue's silver allocation, and as for the Yellow River flood, I already have a candidate. Only the autumn examination concerns the destiny of the nation, so uncle will still have to work hard and handle it personally."
The tea Cao Yang had just swallowed choked in his throat.
This emperor, he arranged everything he just mentioned in such a short time?
At this time, Yin Shun came in and said, "Your Majesty, Prefect Pei is here."
Yan Zheng made a gesture, and Yin Shun announced loudly, "Summon Pei Yu for an audience!"
A moment later, Pei Yu, dressed in plain clothes and holding his black gauze hat and official seal, walked in. "Your Majesty, the guilty minister Pei Yu has come specifically to bid farewell to Your Majesty!"
He knelt down and said in a deep voice, "The Pei clan formed factions for personal gain. Fortunately, Your Majesty is merciful and only banished the entire clan back to Yuzhou. But this guilty minister is also surnamed Pei after all, and it is hard to escape the guilt of implication. I hereby return my official seal and hope Your Majesty will grant my request!"
Yan Zheng raised an eyebrow. "Resigning at this time, aren't you afraid of the Pei clan's revenge?"
Pei Yu's face sank. How could he not be afraid?
Having been in the Pei family for so many years, he knew the family's methods too well. But since things had come to this, he could no longer stay in the capital, otherwise it would implicate Wanxin's reputation, and then even death would not be enough to atone for it!
Yan Zheng seemed to see through his thoughts and said leisurely, "Second sister-in-law was taken back by the Li family. It is said that the night she returned, she knelt in the ancestral hall for a whole night."
"What?" Pei Yu looked up in shock, then realized he had lost his composure and lowered his head. "Your Majesty, what this guilty minister means is, the Li clan is royal family after all, why would the Li family dare, dare..."
"Why wouldn't they dare? Those are second sister-in-law's parents after all. Could it be that I should intervene in other people's family affairs?" Yan Zheng looked as if he was staying out of it, making Pei Yu clench his fists.
He originally thought Wanxin would live well with the royal family's protection, but now it seemed not necessarily so!
Yan Zheng chuckled lightly. "How about it? Do you still want to resign now?"
Pei Yu lowered his head in silence. Yin Shun stepped forward with a smile. "Lord Pei, with the Yellow River flood, who knows how many people have been displaced. The Emperor wants to send you to provide disaster relief, so that when you return, you can justifiably enter the Six Ministries..."
"The Six Ministries?" Pei Yu suddenly looked up, his eyes full of astonishment. "Your Majesty, you mean to?"
"Hasn't Pei Ji been banished? It just so happens that the position of Minister of War is vacant. As long as you perform well in disaster relief, I will appoint you." Every word Yan Zheng said was painting a huge, tempting picture.
Minister of the Six Ministries, a first-rank official, was an irresistible temptation for every courtier.
Moreover, only by sitting in this position could he protect Wanxin!
Pei Yu hesitated for a moment, then kowtowed heavily. "This minister thanks Your Majesty for not abandoning me! I am willing to pledge my loyalty to the death, with absolutely no second thoughts!"
Yan Zheng nodded, dismissed him, and then looked at Cao Yang.
The latter let out a long sigh. "Your Majesty's skill in managing people, this old minister is ashamed of being inferior."
First intimidation, then temptation with benefits, grasping people's thoughts perfectly. Who wouldn't work their lives away for him?
A hint of a smile appeared on the corners of Yan Zheng's lips. "So to speak, uncle has agreed?"
"If this old minister doesn't agree, Your Majesty would probably make an issue out of my wife, right?" Cao Yang smiled without mirth.
Yan Zheng had a look of the Chief Grand Secretary knows me well. "Uncle is absolutely right. If I cannot leave, then I can only send a trustworthy person to accompany the Empress. Calculating back and forth, only aunt is up to the task."
Cao Yang had simply never seen such a shameless person, able to make threatening words sound so pleasant!
Sure enough, this couple was here to be his bane!
"Fine, since Your Majesty has ordered, this old minister can only obey! However, I would also like to ask Your Majesty for a person."
"Who?"
"The Vice Governor of Shuntian Prefecture, Su Tingyun."
As soon as this name came out, the smile on the emperor's face suddenly vanished. Cao Yang finally felt the pleasure of clawing back a victory, and said loudly, "Your Majesty, this young man is a talent. During his time in Shuntian Prefecture, he ranked first in the evaluations every year, and is the best candidate to enter the Grand Secretariat. This old minister is bold to ask Your Majesty to put aside past grievances and heavily rely on him, which would also relieve my Grand Secretariat's worry of having no one to use!"
After speaking, he gave a deep bow, making Yan Zheng's teeth itch with anger.
This uncle was doing it on purpose, right?
Knowing full well that this brat coveted Ayan, it was already not easy to let him stay in the capital, and he actually wanted him to enter the Grand Secretariat?
But Cao Yang just wouldn't get up, as if he was determined to challenge him...
The emperor narrowed his eyes, and after a long while said, "Summon Su Tingyun to see me!"
Su Residence.
Su Tingyun was dead drunk, leaning over the desk and splashing ink with his brush.
He was extremely good at painting portraits, but at this moment, he didn't dare to paint even a single trace of that person, and could only paint the dog she kept by her side.
So when Yin Shun went to read the imperial decree, he saw Fubao fluttering all over the room, either pouncing or lying down, in charming postures, which frightened a chill up his spine...
Could it be that this Vice Governor Su had gone mad?