novelcrest Chapter 4728 Suspicion
Chapter 4728 Suspicion
Chapter 4728 Suspicion
Power needs to be checked and balanced, so under normal circumstances, there will be all kinds of dirty tricks between the chief official and his deputy in any government office. It is both a subordinate relationship and an antagonistic relationship. This is determined by status. After all, the power is limited and the benefits are limited. No subordinate is willing to have all the benefits monopolized by the chief official, and the chief official will not allow his subordinates to interfere with his power and interests.
Once a tacit understanding is reached between the chief officer and his deputy of a certain government office, the government office will inevitably redistribute power, and one of the chief officer and the deputy will inevitably be transferred. After the new person is parachuted in, the pattern of opposition will be re-established.
The so-called "unity of mind" is absolutely impossible to appear in a government office. Even if it exists, it is just a superficial effort. No one will give in secretly...
But the current situation in the Shangshu Province has broken the tradition and convention of open and secret struggles in the government offices, and the chief official and his deputies are now in perfect harmony.
Although Fang Jun's current official position is Shangshu You Pushe, it is more of an honorary title than a real position, because the emperor has never given him actual management scope and authority, so according to common sense, he does not need to work in the Shangshu Province.
However, the emperor strictly ordered Fang Jun to report for duty every day and not to leave his post without reason.
Having no formal work arrangements but still having to report to the yamen every day is a humiliation for any official. It is common in officialdom to flatter the popular and suppress the corrupt. One can imagine what kind of situation such an official would suffer in the yamen. Most people could not stand the suppression and exclusion from their superiors and the ridicule and mockery from their colleagues.
But Fang Jun is not an ordinary person after all.
He would report for duty at the yamen every day, and then sneak out of the yamen and the imperial city to have breakfast at the breakfast shops at the entrances of the east and west markets. He would stroll in the market for a while with his hands behind his back to digest the food, and then return to the duty room of the Shangshu Province to read a book, take a nap, or brew a pot of tea and sip it slowly. It would usually be noon by then.
The Shangshu Province has its own dining hall. Because it is located in the Taiji Palace, the chefs in charge are all imperial chefs with extremely high skills. However, Fang Jun does not eat in the dining hall. At this time every day, servants will deliver food boxes to the outside of Chengtian Gate, and eunuchs will deliver the food boxes to the Shangshu Province. Fang Jun will enjoy lunch in his own duty room.
The first few days were fine, as everyone was too afraid of this idiot and avoided him as much as possible and no one dared to get close to him. But after a few days, Li Ji gave up eating in the cafeteria and went directly to Fang Jun's duty room. The two big men of the Shangshu Province were in the same room and ate in harmony.
For a time, everyone in the yamen was silent. After all, it was no secret that the two had been confronting each other in the "committee" of the Ministry of War. They were afraid that the two would fight in the yamen of the Shangshu Province.
Although Li Ji, the Minister of the Left and the Duke of Ying, was a nobleman during the Zhenguan Period and a veteran general, he was never known for his military prowess. In terms of military prowess, he was ranked at the bottom of the list. However, Fang Jun was known as the "bravest of the three armies". He had amazing physical strength and was the best of the three armies. He was also young and strong, and at the peak of his powers. He was also a foolish person. Once a conflict occurred, the Duke of Ying, who usually had a long beard and looked like an immortal, would be beaten up, making the Ministry of the Secretariat a laughing stock among the three ministries, six departments, and nine temples...
However, contrary to everyone's expectations, the two of them enjoyed the delicious food prepared by Fang's chef in the duty room, laughing and talking cheerfully from time to time, and were surprisingly harmonious. Moreover, after each meal, Fang Jun would personally make tea, and then sip it slowly while talking and laughing.
Is “hypocrisy” the way top bosses get along with each other?
No matter how fiercely they fight for interests and power, they can hide everything and chat and laugh freely when they meet?
……
Fang Jun had just eaten Hu Bing and drank Lao Zao in the East Market today. The fusion of the Han and Hu eating styles has a unique flavor. He felt a little full, so he walked around the East Market for a while to digest the food. He returned to the Secretariat to boil water and planned to make a pot of tea and read a book, when he received the news that the emperor had summoned him.
He could only put the kettle aside and told the clerk to watch the red clay stove. Before leaving, he turned to Li Ji's duty room and said to Li Ji, who was buried in paperwork, "Don't go to the canteen at noon. The chef at home has made crystal pork elbow and stir-fried sea cucumber with green onions. I also asked them to bring a pot of Jiangnan rice wine. You can have a drink then."
Li Ji didn't even raise his head, but waved his hands to indicate that he already knew and told him to get out.
Fang Jun did not take it as an offense. He turned around and walked out of the Secretariat with a smile and went straight to the Wude Hall.
"I heard that you were on duty at the Shangshu Province recently and got along well with Lord Ying?"
As soon as he entered the door, Li Chengqian asked with a smile.
Fang Jun greeted Xiao Yu first, then sat down and answered Li Chengqian: "When I was young, I was arrogant and unruly. I left people with the impression that I didn't know the importance of things. I was often ridiculed. Now that I am older, I naturally have to be more stable and pay attention to creating harmony, friendship and unity with my comrades around me."
Li Chengqian smiled and said to Xiao Yu, "Thinking back then, even my father was troubled by 'Bangchui', he has now started to cultivate his character. This is cause for celebration."
Xiao Yu nodded with a smile, ignoring the slightly strange atmosphere between the monarch and his subject. He looked at Fang Jun and said, "I retired and returned to my hometown, but I found that it was not as comfortable and leisurely as I imagined. It was probably because I had been in the official career for a lifetime and developed a life of hard work. I always felt that I would feel more comfortable if I had something to do. So I rashly returned to Beijing and intended to go to the academy to teach and educate people. I don't ask for any official position, but only to realize my childhood dream of teaching students to read history and write poems. I wonder if there is a place for me in the academy?"
Fang Junqi said, "The academy is the academy of the empire. The chief priest of the academy has always been the emperor. Previously it was Emperor Taizong, and now it is Your Majesty. Lord Xiao wants to teach in the academy, so he should ask Your Majesty for the final decision. You shouldn't ask me whether to approve or reject. Lord Xiao has returned to Jiangnan. Could it be that he has become senile and confused? It seems that Jiangnan may not be as beautiful and talented as the rumors say."
The meaning is very clear: It is the emperor's right to keep you or not. Why do you have to ask me what I mean? You came back to alienate the relationship between the emperor and his subjects. You are too mean, old man...
Xiao Yu smiled without saying anything, like a kind old man with a pure and innocent heart.
Fang Jun looked at Li Chengqian. His Majesty touched his nose in embarrassment and talked about something else: "Mr. Xiao is a great scholar in the world and has a great reputation in Jiangnan. It is a blessing for all students to be able to teach in the academy. Let's do it this way. After Erlang goes to the academy, get a duty room for Mr. Xiao. The furnishings and treatment must be top-notch. If there is nothing good in the academy, report it to me. I will ask Wang De to find some good things in the warehouse. Make sure to properly accommodate Mr. Xiao. Don't dare to be negligent in the slightest."
Fang Jun nodded in agreement. Since you can make the decision, why did you let Xiao Yu ask me for my opinion? Fortunately, you didn't ask me in person if I had any opinions, otherwise I would have prepared a reply for you, and I don't care if you are the emperor or not...
……
The two came out of the Wude Hall, and Fang Jun instructed the eunuch beside him: "Serve Duke Song to the academy, and you go find Li Jingxuan and tell him that it was my order, asking him to properly place Duke Song, and there must be no mistakes."
"Yes." The eunuch responded quickly.
Fang Jun said to Xiao Yu, "I am still on duty here and dare not leave my post without permission. You can go to the academy first and Li Jingxuan will take care of everything. If there is anything inappropriate, you can send someone to inform me. As for the subjects you teach, you can discuss it with Li Jingxuan and you don't have to inform me."
It was natural that he would be more than happy to have such a prestigious former prime minister and great scholar from Jiangnan teach in the academy. As for Xiao Yu's real purpose, he did not care, whether he wanted to live in Chang'an and draw a clear line between himself and the Jiangnan gentry, or had other intentions in intervening in the academy.
To this day, the academy has long been firmly in his control, and it is definitely not something that can be easily shaken by Xiao Yu alone...
Xiao Yu didn't seem to feel Fang Jun's impoliteness, and nodded with a smile: "Then I will go ahead and familiarize myself with the academy's rules for the time being, and then discuss the specific details of the teaching later."
"Then I will take my leave now. I have been out for quite a long time. I am afraid that the censor who is inspecting the officials on duty will make trouble for me. It is almost noon, and Lord Ying is waiting for me to have lunch together. I apologize for the impoliteness."
"Erlang, you can go by yourself. Although I have retired, I have lived in Chang'an for decades. This is also my home."
"That's good. Goodbye."
"Please do as you please, Jilang."
Watching Fang Jun's back disappear around the corner of the palace wall, Xiao Yu looked up at the familiar scenery and buildings around him and snorted, "After all, we are relatives by marriage. Why don't you invite me to eat with you? What an impolite brat."
After muttering something, he put his hands behind his back and, led by the eunuch, walked out of the Taiji Palace and headed straight for the East City Academy.
……
"Xiao Yu returned to Beijing to teach at the academy?"
After lunch, while drinking tea in the duty room, Fang Jun casually mentioned Xiao Yu's return to Beijing, which aroused Li Ji's suspicion.
"Although the old man has retired, he is still as sinister and vicious as ever. He has already tried to sow discord in front of Your Majesty without even meeting her."
Fang Jun poured tea into the cup with a smile.
Li Ji took a sip of tea, glanced at Fang Jun, and said calmly: "At our level, things like sowing discord are all exposed, because everyone can see through it and it's not so easy to be fooled, so it can only be used as an open conspiracy. But because of this, once a thorn is planted in the heart, even if you know it's a strategy to sow discord, you will often fall into it."
You know clearly that he is trying to sow discord between you, but every word he says can penetrate your heart. This is the horror of open conspiracy.
Fang Jun paused as he held the teacup in his hand, and said hesitantly, "Your Majesty, will you fall into my trap?"
Li Ji put down his teacup and said slowly, "Whether His Majesty fell into the trap does not depend on what Xiao Yu said, but on whether he thinks that your influence in the academy is too great, so great that the students only recognize you as the actual controller of the academy, but not him as the nominal supreme leader... Boy, it would have been fine if you squeezed out Chu Suiliang, but you shouldn't have sent Xu Jingzong to the Ministry of Rites. If Xu Jingzong, a smooth-talking person, continued to control the academy, you wouldn't have been so prominent, and even if something unexpected happened, there would be someone who could stop you."
After a pause, he continued, "… human hearts are the most uncontrollable things. Sometimes, once a trace of suspicion arises, it will grow wildly. Even though you know it is wrong, the more you want to suppress it, the more you cannot suppress it. No one's heart is truly bright and clear, and no trust can be pure and flawless. You have to be careful."
Fang Jun was shocked.