Xie Qian said that he was going to Wenyuan Pavilion, but it was not.

Xie Qian's real purpose in entering the palace was to meet Empress Dowager Zhang. Zhang Yong accompanied him. Zhang Yong went to see Xie Qian on the order of Empress Dowager Zhang. After meeting, he took the opportunity to mention the candidates for the Sili Supervisor.

Xie Qian stepped up a few steps and crossed the Meridian Gate, and then saw Zhang Yong waiting next to the Jinshui Bridge.

When Zhang Yong saw Xie Qian coming, he seemed very concerned and hurried forward and asked, "Gei Master Xie, Shangshu Chen entered the palace before, but did he go to meet the saint?"

This question was nothing, but Xie Qian's face was not good-looking, and he just said "hmm" as an answer.

Zhang Yong said anxiously: "Your Majesty has discussed with Secretary Chen about the missing printing of the Secretariat? Master Xie Ge, what did you say to Secretary Chen?"

Xie Qian did not answer directly, glanced at Zhang Yong, and said coldly: "Does Shen Zhihou have more say in the selection of the Sili Supervisor's seal?"

Only then did Zhang Yong realize that he had not considered Xie Qian's feelings, and immediately smiled bitterly and apologized: "What did Mr. Xie say? I have always admired you. In theory, this matter... you have the right to speak."

Xie Qian sighed: "Oh, but now the situation is that Your Majesty turns a blind eye to me. When encountering things, he discusses with Shen Zhihou. It seems that Shen Zhihou has become the second Liu Jin. His Majesty and the court officials are always separated from each other. His Majesty has never asked me to communicate with him about the candidate for the Secretariat Supervisor!"

When Zhang Yong heard the complaints in Xie Qian's words, he knew that the prime minister had many ideas and did not dare to ask more questions.

Xie Qian waved his hand: "Let's go and see the Empress Dowager."

The two continued to head towards Yongshou Palace. They didn't say anything along the way. When they were about to arrive at the place, Xie Qian seemed to think: "Eunuch Zhang, who do you think can get the appreciation of your Majesty more from you and Zhang Yuan?"

Zhang Yong was not a foolish person. He immediately heard the signs and thought to himself: "Did Shen Zhihou recommend me and Zhang Yuan in front of His Majesty? Why is it that in his mind that I am equal to Zhang Yuan's rising star?"

In Zhang Yong's opinion, his relationship with Chen Xi is obviously much more reliable than between Zhang Yuan and Shen Xi. After all, he and Chen Xi fought south and north, and even during the Battle of Tumu Fort, Zhang Yong also guarded the trenches with Chen Xi and barely survived from death. This kind of friendship is not comparable to ordinary people.

Zhang Yongdao: "Of course, our family is more trusted than Zhang Yuan."

In this kind of thing, Zhang Yong had no intention of being humble, so he could just say whatever he thought.

In Zhang Yong's opinion, Zhang Yuan had never done anything that was beneficial to the court. He stayed in the capital, taking the title of an eunuch in charge of the imperial horse, but he did not do practical things. He relied on his closeness to Zhu Houzhao and was promoted step by step.

Xie Qian shook his head and said, "If you talk about credit, Eunuch Zhang is naturally much higher than Zhang Yuan, but if you talk about Your Majesty's trust, Eunuch Zhang may not be able to do it, right?"

The two were still walking, and while talking, Xie Qian glanced at Zhang Yong with an ambiguous look on his face.

Zhang Yong carefully verified: "Why did Master Xie suddenly mention Zhang Yuan? Could it be..."

Xie Qian smiled and said, "It was not Shen Zhihou who recommended you two in front of His Majesty, but His Majesty personally proposed that he would select the Secretariat and Supervisor's seal among you, so that he asked this question."

Zhang Yong was surprised, happy and sad.

What was shocking was that what I had always wanted to know before finally had an answer. Unfortunately, I didn’t know it from Chen Xi’s mouth, but only learned it from Xie Qian’s retelling. What was happy was that I had become a strong competitor to the eunuch in charge of the Sili Supervisor, and the only opponent was Zhang Yuan.

But he immediately became worried again. If he compared himself with others, he asked himself that he had great advantages, but Zhang Yuan's reputation and status in the palace were even higher than him. The point was that Zhang Yuan was a regular attendant from the Eastern Palace. Before Liu Jin took office, Zhang Yuan was in power. After Liu Jin fell, it seemed that it was natural for Zhang Yuan to take over as the Sili Supervisor to take charge of the seal.

Zhang Yongdao: "Is the news true?"

This is something that shouldn't be asked again. Xie Qian's face changed immediately after hearing this, and he said angrily: "Is it true? Go and ask Shen Zhihou, this is what he said to me!"

Zhang Yong immediately realized that he had made up his words and stopped saying anything. He lowered his head and thought, and the two of them slowed down a lot.

After a while, Zhang Yongcai asked, "If Your Majesty asked Master Xie, who do you think is more suitable between our family and Zhang Yuan?"

Xie Qian had a cunning smile on his face, "What do Eunuch Zhang think?"

Zhang Yuan shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Isn't Mr. Xie making things difficult for our family? How can we guess what you are thinking? Maybe Mr. Xie belongs to Zhang Yuan?"

Xie Qian said: "Don't say that Your Majesty hasn't asked me, even if I asked, my opinion is consistent. Both Eunuch Zhang did not meet the standards of the supervisor of the Ministry of Justice. I originally wanted to recommend Eunuch Xiao Jing and Xiao. I have told you about this before..."

"Isn't this your Majesty didn't mention Eunuch Xiao as a candidate?" Zhang Yong seemed very embarrassed.

Xie Qian shook his head and said, "Since I didn't mention it, my opinion is to remain neutral and no one supports it!"

...

...

When Xie Qian met Empress Dowager Zhang, what he said was nothing more than introducing the situation of Liu Jin and the eunuch party in the court.

Empress Dowager Zhang was in the deep palace and did not know much about the outside world. Xie Qian was the minister she trusted most in the mind of Empress Dowager Zhang. Many things that Zhang Yong could not explain clearly need Xie Qian to answer.

In Yongshou Palace, Empress Dowager Zhang sat on a warm seat and faced Xie Qian with a high and majesty.

Behind the screen behind Empress Dowager Zhang, there is another nobleman in the palace. This nobleman has been almost forgotten since he entered the palace. He is the most insignificant queen of the Ming Dynasty. Queen Xia, who has not yet been photographed with Zhu Hou.

After Xie Qian mentioned the general situation, Empress Dowager Zhang said: "It turns out that Liu Jin has done so many bad things. I originally thought he was a loyal minister."

Xie Qian wanted to say, where did the Empress Dowager tell that Liu Jin was a loyal minister?

But thinking of the royal family's trust in Liu Jin before, Xie Qian said no more. He knew very well that although Empress Dowager Zhang did not have much talent and ability, his knowledge was no worse than him. He was a woman who knew how to protect herself. From Emperor Hongzhi to Emperor Zhengde today, Empress Dowager Zhang lived a pampered life, and the Zhang family also received preferential treatment from the royal family, which was not unrelated to Empress Dowager Zhang's knowledge of the tact.

Empress Dowager Zhang clearly pretended to be confused.

Empress Dowager Zhang said: "This is done by Mr. Xie and Mr. Shen Shangshu, two families? Mr. Shen was already a loyal minister in the court when he was the late emperor. Now the emperor's trust in him is getting stronger. Mr. Xie has to teach him more often. He is young and energetic, and may do something wrong."

In the words, Empress Dowager Zhang carried some hint.

Xie Qian is a smart person and probably understands the implicit meaning of Empress Dowager Zhang. Perhaps Empress Dowager Zhang is the second most important thing to ask about dealing with the eunuch party, mainly to remind him of what he wants to remind him.

Xie Qian said respectfully: "What the Empress Dowager mentioned is that the old minister will definitely teach Shen Zhihou well. He has only been in the court for a few years, but he has gained the trust of the late emperor and His Majesty the present because he has accomplished several major events. He may have certain talents in leading troops to fight, but he seems to be too hasty in dealing with the court affairs..."

Empress Dowager Zhang smiled and nodded, "With Mr. Xie, the Ai family will not be too worried... Oh, by the way, if Mr. Xie has time, go to the Marquis of Shouning and Marquis of Jianchang. The two younger brothers of the Ai family usually admire Mr. Xie's talent and knowledge. You are both important officials of the court, so you should walk more."

As he said this, Xie Qian understood no matter how stupid Xie Qian was, he actually wanted to remind him to make Chen Xi honest and not to harm the interests of Zhang's relatives. He had to unanimously fight against the eunuch party to the outside world. Now the eunuch party has been eliminated, and the conflict between the foreign relatives and civil officials has also risen to the main contradiction in the court.

Xie Qian thought to himself: "The Empress Dowager summoned me to say this at this time, which means that the Empress Dowager was open and knew what happened in the court. He didn't say that he was completely closed to the outside world in the deep palace."

"I will naturally go to see the two uncles when I have time." Xie Qian was very polite in his words.

No matter how disgusted Xie Qian felt in his heart, there was one thing that he could not deny, that is, he admired Empress Dowager Zhang very much. In the past, Empress Dowager Zhang often helped, and Xie Qian was grateful and knew how important it was to have an empress dowager in the palace to support him.

...

...

Xie Qian met Empress Dowager Zhang in Yongshou Palace for about half an hour.

It was getting dark, and Empress Dowager Zhang wanted to keep Xie Qian for dinner, but Xie Qian insisted on saying goodbye. After all, Empress Dowager Zhang is considered an unknown person. No matter how open-minded Xie Qian is, he knows to avoid suspicion. Besides, he is going to talk to Chen Xi about something.

From beginning to end, Empress Xia did not walk out from behind the screen to speak, and even Empress Dowager Zhang did not mention Empress Xia’s listening.

When Xie Qiang left the palace, Zhang Yong also sent him off.

Zhang Yong already knew the situation, so when he gave it to the person, he didn't ask more about the candidate for the Sili Supervisor's seal, nor did he ask Xie Qian for help.

Xie Qiong left the palace and went straight to the Ministry of War. When he arrived at the place, he realized that Chen Xi had not come back at all.

Xie Qian was furious and cursed: "This kid is simply unaware of what I said. He took it as a wind in his ears. He forgot who promoted him from the Hanyuan..."

Xie Qian came out of the Ministry of War in annoyance, and did not plan to return to the mansion. He was preparing to go directly to Chen Mansion and catch Chen Xi.

Before he could get on the carriage, Xie Qian saw a familiar man standing in the distance. The man wanted to come over, but was stopped by Xie Qian's entourage... These days, Xie Qian was afraid of being retaliated by the remnants of the eunuch party, so he brought his entourage with him when he went in and out.

"Let him come over."

Xie Qian vaguely remembered that this person was a servant of the Shen family and had seen him when he visited Chen Mansion before.

The person who came was Zhu Hong. After greeting Xie Qian, he said, "Mr. Xie, my master sent a young man to leave a message to you, saying that he had gone to the military school. If Mr. Xie has something to do, just go there to find him."

Xie Qian said annoyedly: "I don't know how to pass the message early? I don't have to come out of the Ming Gate in this way..."

Because the Military Academy is not far from the Leopard House and is located in the east of the city, if Xie Qian comes out of Yongshou Palace and wants to go to the Military Academy, it is closer to Donghuamen. More importantly, Xie Qian is dissatisfied with Chen Xi's way of doing things.

Xie Qian took a carriage and rushed to the military school without stopping. When he got off the carriage, he had not stepped into the threshold. He saw Wang Lingzhi playing a big knife in the yard. Xie Qian had to stop in a hurry, thinking that Chen Xi was giving him a warning.

"Well?"

The huge military school courtyard was only Wang Lingzhi. When he saw Xie Qian visiting, he stopped quickly, but he was a little embarrassed for a moment and didn't know how to talk to Xie Qian.

After Xie Qian entered the door, he asked angrily: "Where is Shen Zhihou?"

Wang Lingzhi pointed to the side courtyard, Xie Qian snorted and headed towards the moon gate. After passing through a corridor, he saw Chen Xi talking to someone in front. When he walked closer, he realized that he was the new Minister of Justice He Jian.

However, after He Jian was dismissed by Liu Jin, he was stranded in the capital. This time he re-opened, and took office without any twists and turns.

If others had a certain gap with Chen Xi, He Jian might have been a subordinate of Chen Xi after all. When Chen Xi was the Minister of War, He Jian was the Right Minister of the Ministry of War. This time He Jian was re-appointed, and he intuitively was recommended by Chen Xi. In this way, He Jian would come to discuss with Chen Xi when he was involved in the affairs of the Ministry of Justice.

Because Xie Qian almost forcibly broke in and no one reported it in advance, Chen Xi and He Jian were still talking and did not notice anyone coming at all.

"Ahem"

Xie Qian found that Chen Xi and He Jian were talking and laughing, and felt even more angry. He stood in the distance and deliberately cleared his throat to let the two know that they were coming.

"Gei Master Xie?"

Chen Xi was not surprised when he saw Xie Qian. After all, he came to the military school because Xie Qian did not allow him to go home. He had nothing to do in the Ministry of War, so he simply went to the military school to take a look. Since he left Beijing, Liu Jin closed the military school, and all the teachers and students were dismissed. Chen Xi wanted to restore the school as soon as possible.

Seeing Xie Qian coming, He Jian hurriedly stepped forward and bowed: "Is Yu Qiao coming? I'm talking about you to Zhihou."

Although He Jian's status in the court was not as good as Xie Qian, he was older than Xie Qian and was six years earlier than Xie Qian's success. Therefore, He Jian did not regard Xie Qian as his boss, but also as a friend.

Xie Qian simply saw He Jian's favor, then glared at Chen Xi and asked, "Didn't you ask you to wait for me in the Ministry of War, why do you come here?"

Chen Xi saw that Xie Qian was not blaming him for meeting wherever he met, but he minded more that there was an "outsider" present, but Chen Xi had never made an appointment with He Jian at all. It was just that He Jian received an imperial edict on the same day that he was promoted to the Minister of Justice, so he went to the Ministry of Justice to handle a simple handover and searched for Chen Xi without stopping, and finally found the military school.

After all, Shen Xi is now the imperial envoy in charge of the Liu Jin case, and He Jian came to Chen Xi to ask about the specific situation of the case.

Chen Xidao: "If you have any trouble, you might as well go inside and talk."

"No need, it's the same here!" Xie Qian's tone was not kind.

When He Jian saw this attitude, the two old and young said something important, and it seemed a bit annoying here, so he asked tentatively: "Yu Qiao, do you want to talk to Zhihou, should I wait outside first?"
To be continued...