Although Empress Dowager Zhang showed his appreciation for Yang Tinghe everywhere, Yang Tinghe was not satisfied, because the most trustworthy minister in Empress Dowager Zhang's mind was always Xie Qian. After learning that the emperor was safe and sound, even Chen Xi had arrived in Lingqiu and might be detrimental to the emperor at any time.

Yang Tinghe wanted to do some earth-shaking things, but found it difficult, because his voice in the court was based on Xie Qian's failure to return to Beijing. Now Xie Qian's people have arrived at Juyongguan. Even if they have not officially returned to the governor of the court, their influence has come. Those who have been cooperating with Yang Tinghe before have begun to slander him, which roughly means that Yang Tinghe is not qualified to bypass Xie Qian's handling of the government affairs.

We cooperate with you for the sake of Xie Qian's face. If Xie Qian is not in the capital, you represent the interests of the cabinet and even the entire civil servant group. But if Xie Qian comes back, I'm sorry, you have to recognize your identity and status, and we can't follow your lead anymore.

When Yang Tinghe came out of the palace, he was very disappointed. He had no intention of going to the cabinet again, nor did he express his grievances to anyone, but chose to go home directly.

Yang Tinghe's ancestral home was Luling. In order to avoid the wars at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, his family moved to Xindu County, Chengdu Prefecture. He passed the provincial examination at the age of 12 and passed the imperial examination. At the age of 19, he passed the Jinshi and was awarded the Hanlin Prosecutor three years earlier than his father Yang Chun. Yang Tinghe worked in Hanyuan for many years and said that Chen Xi was the teacher of Emperor Zhengde. In fact, he had a deeper qualification. In the eighth year of Hongzhi, he served as Zuo Zhongyun on Zuochunfang of the Zhanshi Mansion, serving Zhu Houzhao, the then Prince of the Eastern Palace, and taught reading.

Unfortunately, my grandmother passed away at a critical moment. In the 12th year of Hongzhi, Yang Tinghe returned to his hometown to Ding You, so that all the limelight was taken away by Chen Xi, the top scorer in the palace examination this year.

After Yang Tinghe finished mourning in the 14th year of Hongzhi, he was revived by the court to participate in the compilation of the "Da Ming Hui Dian" and promoted to Zuo Chunfang as a Japanese lecturer, Yang Tinghe moved his entire family to the capital. Now, eight years have passed in a blink of an eye, and it can be regarded as falling leaves in the capital.

When Yang Tinghe returned to the mansion, he felt overwhelmed with his feelings. Just when he was about to go back to the study to handle the official business he brought back, he happened to meet his son Yang Shen.

This year is the third year of Zhengde. Yang Shen is already twenty-one years old and failed in the imperial examination at the beginning of the year.

According to historical records, Yang Shen participated in the examination in the third year of Zhengde. The examiner Wang Yang and Liang Chu listed Yang Shen's paper as the first in the first chapter of the paper, which was the Huiyuan of the Nanfang. Unexpectedly, the candle flower fell into the test paper and even the paper was burned, and he was defeated.

Whether this allusion is true is difficult to verify. After all, the examination requires copying. If the original text is burned down after the opening and setting the ranking, then the matter is too strange and it is impossible not to cause shock to the government and the public.

In this era when Shen Xi personally participated, Yang Shen did participate in the Ministry of Rites this year, but he failed like in history. You should know that Liu Jin's power has collapsed early, and his father Yang Tinghe has been in the cabinet for almost a year, so there is absolutely no injustice.

Yang Shen was studying at this time and was working hard for the examination three years later.

Among the three talented men of the Ming Dynasty, Yang Shen was recognized as the top scholar in talent and academic performance. In history, Yang Shen was the top scorer in the palace examination three years later.

This person is not only talented and knowledgeable, but also has a good strategy for governing the country. Unfortunately, in history, Yang Shen's official career was bumpy and he was always depressed and unsuccessful. Of course, the most important thing was that he was influenced by the "Great Ceremony" of the Jiajing Dynasty. Yang Tinghe and Yang Shen were both key figures of "Great Ceremony" and were hated by Emperor Jiajing. He was exiled to Yunnan until his death. The unsatisfactory officialdom achieved Yang Shen's peak literary attainments and became the most famous great scholar of the Ming Dynasty. Later, he was posthumously named "Wenxian" by Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty.

But with Shenxi pearls and jade in front of this time and space, it is another matter whether Yang Shen's sharpness will still be so strong.

Although Shen Xi is only making achievements in the officialdom and is far from being praised by the world in literature and ideological attainments, it is precisely because Chen Xi is in a high position that he has provided help for summarizing the development of the theory of mind science proposed by his predecessors. As a representative of the younger generation, Yang Shen highly praised Chen Xi's mind science.

Yang Shen had a good relationship with Xie Qian's son Xie Pi. Although Xie Pi had passed the imperial examination and served in Hanyuan, it did not affect their relationship. It was through Xie Pi that Yang Shen gradually came into contact with the theory of mind science. Yang Shen, who had a tendency to rebellious young, was greatly influenced by the mind science. However, in front of his father, Yang Shen did not dare to show his academic tendency. After all, his father was an official in the same dynasty as Chen Xi, and there seemed to be a certain rift. Xin Xue had just appeared in this era and was heresy and was not accepted by orthodox Confucianism. This also led to Xin Xue only circulating among young people and not becoming the mainstream of thought.

"Father."

When Yang Shen saw Yang Tinghe, he was slightly surprised and hurriedly saluted respectfully.

He no longer remembers when he met Yang Tinghe last time. After Yang Tinghe entered the pavilion, he also bought a small courtyard on Chang'an Street, just like Xie Qian. He usually stayed there and it was difficult to go home. Only in this way would Yang Shen often go to Yang Tinghe's study to see his father's usual reading notes and work notes, which was a useful supplement to his knowledge and political views.

Yang Tinghe frowned and asked, "Yunxiu, what are you doing here?"

Yang Shen bowed respectfully and said, "I'm reading some books here."

Yang Tinghe was a little angry at first, thinking that his son shouldn't have come to his study room, but after thinking about it carefully, he had only been home for a long time, and he left in a hurry every time, and he had no time to take care of his son's studies. In this way, it doesn't matter whether his son comes to the study room to study. After all, he didn't leave too important things in the study room. He believed that he was open and honest and had nothing to shame.

Yang Tinghe waved his hand: "If you have nothing to do, go back to your room to study first. For your father, you have to deal with some business."

As a father, Yang Ting likes to maintain his majesty, and speaking and doing things in front of his son would seem a little rigid. However, at this time, Yang Shen was obviously no longer the unreliable child in Yang Tinghe's impression, and he had the ability to enter the court to play.

Yang Shen asked curiously: "Father, I heard that Your Majesty is missing, and it seems that he has gone out for a trip. Minister Chen from the Ministry of War and Master Xie of the Cabinet have not returned now. The seal of the Sili Supervisor is vacant, and there is no one in the court to make a decision?"

When Yang Tinghe heard this, he looked at Yang Shen in surprise. He didn't quite understand why his son asked this. He shook his head and said, "Where did you hear these?"

"I heard of it in the market, and it is widely circulated among scholars. I had seen the second son of Xie Ge's hometown before, and he also said about it." Yang Shen said sincerely.

Yang Tinghe sighed slightly: "The things in the court have nothing to do with you. Your most important task now is to study hard and strive to get a degree in the future."

Yang Shen said: "My father is an official in the court and a central minister. It is also appropriate for the child to ask about some court affairs, so he should increase his experience... Father, the child is wondering whether Your Majesty's travel is related to the victory of the court in the battle against the Tatars, and whether Your Majesty and the lord and ministers of the Emperor Chen?"

"What did you say?" Yang Tinghe became more and more surprised.

Yang Shen said seriously: "The child believes that Your Majesty was in charge of the army but failed to set foot on the battlefield. Zhangjiakou fought against Di Yi without victory or defeat. Instead, Shangshu Chen won a great victory on the front battlefield and made unparalleled achievements. Even if Your Majesty is tolerant and generous, he still complains about this. Moreover, Shangshu Chen obviously has the suspicion of using Your Majesty to divert the attention of the Tatars... Throughout this battle, Shangshu Chen has been making a big fuss about His Majesty's trust..."

"Um."

After listening to Yang Shen's analysis, Yang Tinghe nodded, "What you said makes sense, but so what if that is the case?"

Yang Shen said: "Your Majesty is young now, and may be a little more playful, and no one can control it. It is when Mr. Xie and his father are more upright advisers. Shangshu Chen seems to have done some shortcomings in this regard. However, with Shangshu Chen's merits, it is completely fine to gain a foothold in the court. Now he is looking for Your Majesty, probably to compensate him and ease the confrontation between the monarch and the ministers."

Although Yang Shen did not pass the Jinshi exam, he often discussed knowledge and government affairs with a group of Jinshi and even Hanlin, so he felt that he had a deep understanding of affairs in the court. After seeing his father this time, he wanted to confirm whether his political understanding was correct in front of Yang Tinghe, because among the people he knew, Yang Tinghe was the one he admired since childhood and regarded as an idol.

Yang Tinghe shook his head slightly: "With cultivation, what you said is indeed a bit reasonable, but now the court is turbulent and the situation is changing rapidly, which is not something you can understand. Now your most important task is to study hard and not to be distracted from the affairs of the court... I hope that you can pass the Jinshi as soon as possible and bring glory to the Yang family. You, my father and I, my son, serve the court together."

After hearing his father's words, Yang Shen felt that he was completely perfunctory. This was not the answer he wanted to get. He immediately said: "My father, I can actually help you share your worries. If you have anything, you can tell me. I hope to fulfill my responsibilities as a son."

Yang Shen's words made Yang Tinghe somewhat relieved. After all, his son was filial to share his worries, but he still felt helpless and bitter, because he was not the one who could dominate everything in the court. Thinking of the helplessness when he went to see the empress dowager before, and the look of the empress dowager gradually becoming cold to him recently, he felt a sense of desolation from the bottom of his heart.

I think that I, Yang Jiefu, served the imperial court for so many years, would be fine if I was not as good as Master Xie. Now even Shen Zhihou can be above me. While caring about Your Majesty's safety, the Empress Dowager tolerate the threats brought to Your Majesty by Shen Zhihou, was just because of the merits made by Shen Zhihou?

Yang Tinghe said: "Your intention is appreciated by your father, but many things are not something you can deal with now, and you don't want to disturb your studies for your father."

"Father……"

Yang Shen also wanted to persist, to gain opportunities for himself to help, or to gain opportunities for himself to be exposed to deeper politics, to deal with current affairs, and to participate in national affairs.

Yang Tinghe impatiently raised his hand to interrupt Yang Shen's words and said solemnly: "In a few years, when you enter the court, you will discuss with you when you encounter something for your father, but it is definitely not now. A person's energy is limited after all. You should focus all your attention on your studies now, don't be distracted by others... For your father, you have some serious matters to deal with, so you can go down first."

Yang Shen was very disappointed, but he insisted on asking: "Sir, can the child come to your study in the future?"

Yang Tinghe looked up at Yang Shen, not quite understanding why Yang Shen liked to read books in his study. Logically speaking, Yang Shen should have been working hard in his own room for imperial examinations. He didn't know that this was actually a kind of atmosphere for the children of the government in the capital, especially those children of officials with extensive political resources, who all hoped to read some notes and manuscripts in the study of elders at home to improve their experiences.

Even if Yang Tinghe didn't understand, he was a kind father after all and did not want to undermine his son's enthusiasm. He nodded immediately and said, "You can come here, but as a father, do not delay your studies, and do not spend more than an hour here every time. Also, you should take on the responsibility of taking care of your family now. You have married and have children. The future rise and fall of the family requires you to work hard, and you will also shoulder the important task of benefiting the people of the world!"

"Abide by my father's teachings."

Yang Shen said respectfully, he felt that he was so lucky to be able to accept his father's teaching today.

In the past two years, he had too few opportunities to meet Yang Tinghe, let alone accept his father's guidance.

Yang Tinghe nodded again: "You have grown up and been for your elders. All your hopes are placed on you juniors. You are the most promising in the family. I hope you will not let down your father's expectations."

...

...

Yang Shen is indeed talented.

But Yang Shen is still unable to get Yang Tinghe's recognition because Yang Shen has not yet won the reputation of Jinshi and has not officially entered the court.

Yang Tinghe was not a conservative person. In history, Yang Tinghe basically had a greater reputation than a destruction. He did not lose his duty as a minister in the alternation between Zhengde and Jiajing dynasties. He maintained the stability of the Ming Dynasty and was a very critical figure. As for whether he deliberately encouraged Emperor Zhengde to have fun in what he did, or whether he maintained his loyalty and duty as a minister in the "Great Ceremony Discussion", these are not the key points in his life.

What people remember is that Yang Tinghe has made great achievements in history such as "calmness and importance", "replenishment and rescue", "safety and danger", and "repeated evil policies" that have ensured the stability of the Ming Dynasty.

But after Shen Xi appeared in this world, Yang Tinghe's life trajectory changed drastically.

The root of everything is that Yang Tinghe fell to the third place in the cabinet, which made him feel helpless. Coupled with the double pressure brought by Xie Qian and Shen Xi, he could not see the hope of making a comeback for a while, so he wanted to climb up, but he couldn't find a breakthrough, and his heart was full of confusion.

This place just received strong support from Empress Dowager Zhang, but because Xie Qian suddenly came back, the chance of his rise to power became slim again.

Yang Tinghe did not go to the government office in the Forbidden City that day, but chose to stay at home to work. He did not bring me memorials, but only brought back some official documents. These official documents themselves were not something that the cabinet should be in charge, but because there was a vacant voucher in the Sili Supervisor's printing, he could directly arrange the center and local governments to handle political affairs in addition to the power to sign the ticket.

Especially matters involving local natural disasters, as well as grain collection, scheduling, etc. in various parts of Jiangnan.

These things were originally done by the cabinet, the process of ceremonies and supervision was decided, and then sent to the six departments for processing. However, Yang Tinghe now does not like to be lazy and takes many things on himself. Then he plans the specific implementation process and then handes the matter over to a special department for processing.

"... Yang Yingning, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, is not here, so I should pay more attention to the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue; Shen Zhihou, the Minister of the Ministry of War, went to Lingqiu to welcome the lord, but did not come back. Although Lu Wan, the Left Minister, is in charge, the affairs of the Ministry of War cannot be handled by the people of the Ministry of War, and the cabinet must worry about it. The two Ministers of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel are now old and cannot handle too many things, especially the Minister of Rites has been sick and has been at home for many days. If I don't do anything, the court will be in trouble..."

Yang Tinghe has a strong sense of responsibility. Of course, to put it nicely, it is a sense of responsibility, but to put it badly, it is a desire for power.

At this time, Yang Tinghe tried his best to find an opportunity to prove his ability, so he tried his best to seize all resources to do things. However, because the cabinet itself did not have direct execution rights, he directly reached out to take the power of the six ministries first.

If the court had been operating normally in the past, he would have been unable to do this at all, but the problem is that many official positions in the court are now vacant.

Although the Northwest War did not directly mobilize the user department's money and food, due to long-term martial law and the interruption of trade between the North and the South, greatly damaged people's livelihood. The court's tax revenue was greatly affected and could only live a tight life.

Xie Qian did not come back, and Yang Tinghe's move was considered to be a "sharing" of the six ministries. He took things that belonged to the six ministries. Even if there were many arbitrary elements in it, it would at least make the six ministries feel much more relaxed, and no one was willing to disobey Yang Tinghe at this time.

Since you, Yang Tinghe, took the initiative to do it for us, we will take your affection and do your business as you told us.

But all of this is temporary. As for how Xie Qiang will be after he returns to the court, no one knows.

...

...

In Lingqiu County, Zhu Houzhao searched for two consecutive days, but no matter what, he did not find Shen Xi's whereabouts. Instead, he found out that Yang Yiqing and Zhu Hui were ordered to come to Lingqiu to suppress the bandits.

When Jiang Bin informed the latest information about Zijing Pass learned from the local government, Zhu Houzhao was furious: "What's going on? No one has been found yet? Could it be that Mr. Shen is no longer in Lingqiu, where will he go?"

Jiang Bin said embarrassedly: "Your Majesty, you have already asked about Master Jiao and Eunuch Zhang, and they can't tell me why. Now they are looking for it everywhere."

Zhu Houzhao was very anxious and stood up and paced back and forth, without any illness at all.

After a while, Zhu Houzhao stopped and muttered to himself annoyed: "In a few days, Yang Yiqing, Minister of Revenue, and Zhu Hui, Duke Baoguo, will be here. Should I leave or not?"

Jiang Bin heard it clearly, blinked and asked, "Where is Your Majesty going?"

"Is it going back to the capital?"

Zhu Houzhao shouted angrily, "Of course I'm going to continue to travel around the mountains and rivers, I don't want to be found by this group of people!"

Jiang Bin was stunned when he heard this: "I thought that Lord Shen would not come, and the effect would be the same if he had changed Lord Yang. Who knew that Your Majesty's thoughts were hard to understand... Could it be that Lord Shen could only come and persuade him if His Majesty wanted to return to the capital, and it would be useless if others persuaded him?"

Zhu Houzhao said in annoyance: "I have found all the places I can find in the city, but Mr. Shen still has no one. Then there is only one possibility, that is, Mr. Shen may no longer be in Lingqiu... Where has he been? Is there something important?"

Jiang Bin thought about it again: "This Lord Shen is obviously embarrassing Your Majesty. How could he leave as Your Majesty said that there is something important? What can be more important in this ghost place than seeing you?"

He originally wanted to criticize Chen Xi, but he knew that his level was too low and was far from competing with Chen Xi, so he could only be cautious in his words and actions and not make mistakes without reason.

Zhu Houzhao pondered for a long time and finally made up her mind: "In this way, let's continue to leave, let's pack up the things and leave early tomorrow morning. Anyway, I have been recovering in the past two days. At worst, I can change my place to rest... This time I must avoid all the pursuers and not let them know where I am going. Leave this matter to you."

Jiang Bin said in embarrassment: "Your Majesty, if it were before... this matter would not be difficult, but the situation is not good now. With your sudden departure in Weizhou, even if Commander Qian is incompetent, he will send someone to keep an eye on the place where His Majesty lives 24/7. In addition, Lord Shen is also in the city... It is not easy to sneak out of the city."
To be continued...