Pan Ruzhen's low and powerful words made Zuo Guangdou a little stunned.
When did this countryman like me become so confident and high-spirited?
Although he and Pan Ruzhen were familiar with each other when they were young. After all, they were both well-known scholars in the county at that time and had many contacts. However, after Pan Ruzhen passed the Jinshi examination in the 21st year of Yuanxi, the contact between the two gradually began. not enough.
Pan Ruzhen was only a top three Jinshi. After the end of Guanzheng, he went directly to the local government and has been running around in Shaanxi Province.
And he was a second-level Jinshi, and then became a Shujishi, and stayed in the court. Although there were still letters exchanged over the years, the friendship has faded a lot.
It wasn't until Pan Ruzhen returned to the court and became the Right Minister of the Ministry of Industry that the exchanges between the two sides began to become closer. There were really not many fellow countrymen of the same age, seniority and title in the court, especially those from the same county. There were only a handful of them, so Zuo Guang Fighting is still more important.
However, having more contacts does not mean that we are on the same page.
Pan Ruzhen followed Feng Keng's path, and Feng Keng was considered his candidate. Zuo Guangdou also knew this very well.
Zuo Guangdou, the Feng clan that was gradually taking shape in the court, also saw it. As the deputy capital minister, he had views on this situation with strong factional overtones, but he also knew that it could not be avoided.
Whether it is Feng Clan (Feng Party), Beidi Clan (Northern Party), Jiangnan Clan (Southern Party) or Huguang Clan (Chu Party), they all exist objectively. Isn’t it true that I am also classified as Jiangnan Clique? (Southern Party) lineage?
However, what is special about the Feng Clan (Feng Party) is that it is a faction formed with Feng Keng as the core, and it is not divided by region.
Geng Ruzhen was from Feng Keng's hometown and both came from Dongchang Prefecture in Shandong Province. He was from Henan when he practiced state affairs, but Fu Shi was from Jinling, Nanzhi, and Pan Ruzhen was from Tongcheng, Anqing, Nanzhi, his hometown. It can be said that they are both from the north and the south, but there is one thing. It is centered around Feng Keng and is basically formed in daily study and life.
Except for Feng Ziying, who was a classmate of Qingtan Academy in practicing state affairs, the other three people became familiar with and united with Feng Ziying at work after becoming an official. Geng Ruxi was the one who gave Geng Ruchi a lot of advice when he was still in the Hanlin Academy during the Bozhou Rebellion, and Fu Shi was Feng Ziying's subordinate when he was in Shuntian Prefecture, and Pan Ruzhen was appreciated and promoted by Feng Ziying when he was on patrol in Shaanxi.
Zuo Guangdou actually appreciates this kind of like-minded relationship formed in daily work. In contrast, he doesn't like the kind of faction that doesn't care about ideals but only looks at the region. But sometimes he can't get rid of this. kind of bondage.
Pan Ruzhen has worked in the local area for many years and has a pragmatic style. Zuo Guangdou appreciates this, but Zuo Guangdou does not agree with Pan Ruzhen's attachment to Feng Keng personally.
Although he also admitted that Feng Keng's talents in the current cabinet were far better than those of Gu Guanqiao and others, his seniority and age were another major obstacle.
Where in the world is there a thirty-year-old prime minister?
Is it really going to be the first time that the world is created from this great Zhou Dynasty?
After taking a look at Pan Ruzhen, Zuo Guangdou was already a little shaken. He was not the kind of rigid person. He was already a little tired of voting for Gu Bingqian before. He was also very dissatisfied with this situation. But if Feng Keng really wants to rise to the top, he can do it. What?
If Feng Keng is really elected as the chief minister, can he shoulder the burden of such a large empire?
He needs to think about it.
Zuo Guangdou is also very aware of his influence among Jiangnan scholars. Although the older generation such as Li Banghua and Zhu Guozhen have higher seniority than him, among the young and middle-aged scholars, he is outstanding. Huang Zunsu has been outstanding in recent years. He has a vague attitude, but it is still worse than himself.
If you vote for Feng Keng, once elected, it means that you will also support Feng Keng's policies. However, some of Feng Keng's ideas and views are actually known to everyone. He strives to promote industrial and commercial development internally and expand territory externally. Encourage land reclamation and relocation, and promote the implementation of the examination law in governance. Zuo Guangdou still feels that some measures are too radical.
He hesitated.
Seemingly aware of Zuo Guangdou's thoughts, Pan Ruzhen further said: "It's better to do something than to watch. If we make a mistake, we can sum up our experience and start over again. But how will you know what's right or wrong if you don't do it? Do you just wait and see?" Then, good things will happen to us? The Zhou Dynasty is so big that it deserves some fallacies and setbacks. But if we don’t do it and stagnate, the situation around us is changing, and we will be like sailing against the current. If we don’t make progress, we will Retreat."
These words touched Zuo Guangdou's mood. He nodded slightly but said nothing.
Pan Ruzhen also knew that Zuo Guangdou's character could not be moved by a few words. It was difficult to change the things he believed in. If his own words could touch him, even if he achieved his goal, he would not say more.
The tea time passed quickly, and when Feng Ziying stood in front of the hall again and announced the start of the second round of voting, everyone had the jade gui in their hands again.
First, we started voting on Guan Yingzhen. Now there is only one jade bottle and one jade plate left on the bill. You can still abstain from voting, but the choice to vote in favor becomes one, which is equivalent to a vote of confidence. .
The procedure is completed quickly.
You can get an idea just by looking at the jade number in the prediction.
Guan Yingzhen's face was a little gloomy. Although he didn't know who voted for him and who didn't, he could tell from the number of jade guis in the jade plate that he could not pass half, although it had increased significantly compared to the previous round. .
As expected, when the votes were counted, there were only two strokes between the three straight characters, which was thirteen votes.
In addition to Feng Ziying’s five votes, there was another person who changed his mind from the previous round. Guan Yingzhen remembered that it was Wu Daonan.
I’m not sure what Wu Daonan meant by changing his mind at this time. Was he expressing his dissatisfaction with Gu Bingqian?
Your career as the first assistant has been cut off. Should you stop your official career and step down from power, or should you continue to persevere shamelessly and see the consequences?
Judging from my age, I am only in my early fifties. It would be a pity to retire at this time. However, if I do not retire, my reputation will be damaged. If I refuse to retreat, I may be charged with delaying the development of Huguang scholars in the court.
This is all secondary. The key is that the next few people’s choices between Qiao Yingjia and Gu Bingqian are even more difficult.
Should we continue to abstain, or should we support someone?
If you want to support, who should you support?
Now that he has failed as the first assistant, should he still restrain others from voting?
Guan Yingzhen was hesitant, while Chai Ke, Yang Lian, Xiong Tingbi, Yang He and others also felt heavy.
The way for Huguang scholars to be the first assistant has been cut off. The remaining two people, whether Gu Bingqian or Qiao Yingjia, are not a good choice. Where should they go?
After announcing the results of the second round of voting for the first place, Feng Ziying also very wisely announced that after taking a break to burn incense, the second round of voting for the second place would start. This also gave the Huguang scholars an opportunity to make a new choice.
However, Feng Ziying knew very well that neither Qiao Yingjia nor Gu Bingqian would be able to win the approval of these Huguang scholars.
Looking at the important ministers from Huguang who gathered around him, Guan Yingzhen hesitated for a moment and then sighed softly: "We will no longer agree on this follow-up vote. Everything will be decided by individuals according to their own wishes..."
Chai Ke and others also looked at each other, but soon accepted the suggestion. Since it had failed, let's just do whatever they want now.
Soon it will be the second round of voting, Gu Bingqian.
"Xiong Tingbi, the left minister of the Ministry of War, voted in favor,..., Guo Zhengyu, the right minister of the Ministry of Commerce, voted in favor,..."
Only two Huguang scholars changed their attitude. Xiong Tingbi and Guo Zhengyu voted for Gu Bingqian.
But Gu Bingqian's face was still as gloomy as water, and the number of abstentions or objections was as high as 22. He only received 18 votes, five of which came from the Feng family. Feng Ziying also fulfilled his promise.
But this is still not enough. He is still two votes short of the 20 votes he needs to obtain the majority of the votes he needs. He is defeated!
Now it’s Qiao Yingjia’s turn.
Qiao Yingjia received twelve votes in the first round. Among the six Huguang scholars, except for Guo Zhengyu and Xiong Tingbi who voted for Gu Bingqian, the remaining four are theoretically likely to vote for Qiao Yingjia. Even Guo Zhengyu and Xiong Tingbi, who have already voted for Gu Bingqian, can change their minds. Cast Qiao Yingjia.
Of course, this possibility is very small. In the eyes of the public, this kind of speculation will be despised and its reputation will be very bad.
The exception is Feng's five votes. In the first round of voting, Feng's five votes indicate that he will not support this pattern, but in the second round he will support it. No matter who is elected, this will definitely be the case. Attitudes will not change.
If this is the case, if Qiao Yingjia can get five votes from Feng, he will already have seventeen votes. If all the Huguang scholars vote for him, then he will get twenty-one votes, and he will be elected with a majority.
In other words, if two or three scholars from Huguang voted for him, and if one or two of the three scholars from Lingnan and Southwest China changed their minds and voted for him, he would still have a chance of winning with a majority.
Gu Bingqian felt lost, had he failed?
But Li Banghua and Zhu Guozhen both looked solemn and whispered to each other.
Not necessarily.
Feng Ziying looked calm and announced the start of the second round of voting for the third place.
The ending came soon, and Qiao Yingjia turned pale.
Seventeen votes!
Even one vote less than Gu Bingqian!
Except for Feng’s five votes, he failed to win even one vote among other abstentions!
Gu Bingqian, who was already depressed, suddenly became radiant and suddenly became energetic again.
He did not expect such a change. He did not expect that the other four Huguang scholars did not give Qiao Yingjia a vote, and the three Lingnan and Southwest ministers also did not give him a vote.
Dismal Ruos!
What does this result mean? It means that no one can be born, and it also means that I can continue to serve as the chief minister in the name of the acting chief minister of the caretaker cabinet, and I can still govern!
For a time, Gu Bingqian was very satisfied and looked around proudly. (End of chapter)