At the Six Bu Bridges after the Lin'an court meeting, Liu Zheng and Xie Shenfu looked solemn and walked side by side. Not far behind him was Zheng Qingzhi, who was betrayed. Since his son was attacked, Zheng Qingzhi began to look confused and absent-minded and decadent. He seemed to have grown older ten or twenty years old, and his head was even more dazzling than his white hair.

"What's the point of staying at Master?" Xie Shenfu asked frowned. Zheng Qingzhi's visit to propose marriages because he had been missing these days. Although his ears were much quieter, since he learned that the reason why Zheng Qingzhi no longer came to propose marriages was because his son encountered an unexpected accident, he still felt a little sympathetic to Zheng Qingzhi.

After the court came down, the officials came and went back and forth not far from the two. After watching Shi Miyuan leave with everyone's salute, Liu Zheng frowned and sighed slightly, "Today, the censor in the court impeachment of Zheng Qing by the censor is enough to see that Zheng Qingzhi is now out of the way. But I don't know... Lord Xie can now be between Zheng Qingzhi..."

"The lower official has never agreed to this marriage. The lower official understands the meaning of Liu Qiao. Is it because he is afraid that the lower official will be implicated by Zheng Qingzhi?" Xie Shenfu said as he looked at Liu Zheng, who was a little uncomfortable to speak.

"Yes, this is exactly one of the reasons why I am worried. But since there is no relationship between Lord Xie and Zheng Qing, Liu is relieved. As the saying goes, "Don't make plans for each other, and now Shi Miyuan is the left prime minister. Zheng Qing's affairs will not be passed on to the emperor at all. Obviously, Shi Miyuan alone has to make a decision. Therefore, Lord Xie should be careful these days, and don't be careless." Liu Zheng said with some worries.

Since the Supreme Emperor ascended the throne, the power of the court has gradually passed from the emperor to the powerful ministers, and it has been much more serious than at any time back then.

Whether during the reign of Emperor Gaozong or the early and mid-term periods of Emperor Xiaozong, although the left and right ministers were in power over the court, they still had to act according to the will of the emperor. The court ministers could not really hide the truth.

However, since Emperor Xiaozong ignored the government's affairs because of Emperor Gaozong's death, the power in the hands of the Emperor Song Dynasty began to be gradually accepted by the court. After the current Supreme Emperor Zhao Dun was appointed as the lord of the world, coupled with the interfering in the affairs of the Empress Dowager Li Fengniang, the power in the court has actually been mostly controlled by the left prime minister. The right prime minister's assignment looks more like a auxiliary minister under the left prime minister, and he basically has no right to speak, let alone make decisions.

Now that Shi Miyuan has become the Left Prime Minister, he has ushered in a vacuum of power in the new king's succession, so the current Shi Miyuan has much greater power in his hands after becoming the Left Prime Minister than any previous Left Prime Minister.

Xinjun was young and had a lot of things to learn, which made Shi Miyuan almost have no resistance to suppressing Zheng Qing.

"Mr. Liu means... Zheng Qingzhi is really..." Xie Shenfu originally wanted to protect Zheng Qingzhi, but looking at Liu Zheng's solemn expression, it was obvious that Liu Zheng was too willing but not enough now.

Liu Zheng sighed to the sky: "I am afraid that Zheng Qing's incident is powerless to turn things around. Since Zhu Xi was dismissed, Zheng Qingzhi's only reliance has been cut off. Without those who can pass on the preacher to the emperor, Shi Miyuan has no need to worry about it. What's more......"

Liu Zheng looked a little hesitant, but after pausing, he said: "Mr. Li Lifang, the Minister of Justice, came to visit Liu Mou yesterday. Although he didn't say anything, he could hear Liu Mou inside and outside. Lord Li is interested now..." Liu Zheng looked around the two of them, and saw that no one was paying attention to them, so it was inevitable that Zheng Qingzhi was dismissed and exiled."

Xie Shenfu's right eyelid twitched several times unconsciously, and his heart suddenly became tight: "Can't it be that the emperor agreed to Shi Miyuan impeach Zheng Qingzhi..."

"It's not good to say it now, but based on Lord Li's words yesterday, it can be guessed that the Empress Dowager had agreed to Lord Li's transfer to the Minister of Revenue, so the emperor's intention became insignificant. But..." Liu Zheng's brow was even more worried and continued helplessly: "Now what Liu is worried about is not Zheng Qingzhi's safety. There are only a few people in the court who can come to a safe landing in the court. Zheng Qingzhi has been immersed in the court for many years, and probably expected that one day he would end up like this. But what Liu was worried about is... Did Lord Li reach a tacit understanding with Shi Miyuan when he asked to send the Ministry of Revenue this time?"

Xie Shenfu's right eyelid twitched a few times again, and instantly understood that what Liu Zheng was really worried about was: he was worried that Li Lifang and Shi Miyuan had reached a certain deal.

For Shi Miyuan, although he had full power to deal with Zheng Qing, he could not report to the emperor, but Zheng Qingzhi was not a fourth-rank official and a fifth-rank official after all, after all, a prestigious minister in the court. In the end, no matter what crime he was woven for Zheng Qingzhi, it would need to be approved by the Censorate, the Ministry of Justice and Dali Temple.

Needless to say, the Censorate has been firmly held by Shi Miyuan for so many years, and over the years, it has been the best sword for Shi Miyuan to eliminate dissidents. Anyone who dares to oppose Shi Miyuan in the court who dares to fight against him will surely fly the memorials and waving like snowflakes to the emperor the next day, or arrive at the disciples of the Secretariat.

Since Emperor Gaozong, the Song court has once again restored the system of two ministers under the Secretariat to govern the court. During the reign of Emperor Xiaozong, a real and thorough reform began to gradually form a broad road that was paved with power specifically for powerful ministers to monopolize power.

The three major Song courts of the Shangshu Province, the Zhongshu Province, and the Shizhong of the Menxia Province were completely removed from the court, thus fundamentally promoting the system of the three provinces combined into one, and the six ministries were directly controlled by the left and right ministers.

Ye Qing once served as a brief Privy Council envoy, but because of Ye Qing's achievements in the Northern Expedition, he was envied by others, which essentially combined the three provinces into one. At the same time, the real power and function of the Privy Council were removed. As the Ministry of War performed the real power of the Privy Council, Ping Zhang's military and national affairs fell on the left and right ministers.

Even if the prime minister commands the six ministries and also serves as a major military and national affairs, in fact, what is created is military affairs.

The power began to gradually become monopolized by one person.

Although Shi Miyuan has not yet fully straightened out the division of forces in the court, the court reforms since Emperor Xiaozong have actually paved a "broad way" for the real powerful ministers in the future.

History continues to move forward according to its own trajectory, and it is precisely because of Ye Qing's sudden emergence in the northern part and his tight grip on the Ministry of War that this trend has been curbed. But in fact, at this time, a situation of military and political struggles and annexation of each other was still formed.

The Ministry of War, Ministry of Justice, and Dali Temple have always had a very close relationship with Ye Qing. Whether in the court today or in the court when Ye Qing was in Lin'an, the Ministry of War, Ministry of Justice, and Dali Temple were all led by Ye Qing. This is not a secret in the eyes of Xie Shenfu and Liu Zheng, as well as other officials.

But now Li Lifang, the Minister of Justice, wants to be appointed as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. In this way, it will naturally leave a gap for the Minister of Justice for others to compete for. This has to make Liu Zheng wonder whether this is a transaction between Ye Qing and Shi Miyuan secretly, or is it Ye Qing intends to take advantage of the opportunity to seize the revenge of the Ministry of Revenue from Shi Miyuan.

"If Zheng Qingzhi was dismissed, the Ministry of Justice would not have much control over it, right? The one who finally played a decisive role would probably be Dali Temple..." Xie Shenfu said thinking.

"Yes, the attitude of Dali Temple is very important, but the attitude of the Ministry of Justice cannot be ignored. But... How could Ye Qing give up his control of Dali Temple so easily? With Dali Temple in hand, his actions in the north will be much more convenient. No matter how Shi Miyuan impeached him, as long as Dali Temple has remained indifferent, then Ye Qing can be at peace in the north. Over the years, the confident queen of Dali Temple has never changed hands and has always been firmly controlled by Ye Qing. This is his amulet in the court.

It is easy to abandon. But the Ministry of Justice is no longer so important. After all, the court has just agreed to rebuild Kaifeng and the palace, so the Ministry of Revenue is particularly important to Ye Qing in the north, so it is not impossible to abandon the Ministry of Revenue for the Ministry of Revenue. It is also in line with the interests of Shi Miyuan who wants to monopolize the power. After all, once the Ministry of Justice is in hand, it will be much easier for him to suppress his dissidents in the court." Liu Zheng said and told him, afraid that Xie Shenfu would not be able to understand the complex interest relationship.

"Why did Ye Qing do this?" Xie Shenfu still has no good impression of Ye Qing. Even though Ye Qing had rescued the father and son, he was very appreciated by his precious granddaughter.

"According to my guess, Ye Qing had no choice but to do so. He was in the north after all. With the death of Emperor Xiaozong last year, the abdication of the Supreme Emperor and the succession of the new king, Ye Qing, who was far away in the north, naturally hoped to take this opportunity to lead the reconstruction of Kaifeng Prefecture and the imperial palace, so as to leave the impression of a loyal minister in front of the new king. Don't forget how bad the relationship between Ye Qing and the imperial court is. Over the years, there have been disagreements. Either the court is worried that he will become independent in the north, or he is worried that the court will design him again. In short, I think that if Lord Li Lifang wants to dispatch someone, he will definitely have nothing to do with Ye Qing in the north." Liu Zheng said seriously and solemnly.

Although Xie Shenfu is pedantic, it does not mean that he is very stupid. Looking at Liu Zheng’s serious and solemn face, hesitated and asked: “So Liu Xiang wants to… While they were using the six ministries of the court as private yamen to trade, they took advantage of the opportunity to seek the Ministry of Justice? Ministry of Revenue?”

Liu Zheng nodded seriously and then took a deep breath. At this moment, Liu Zheng felt a little nervous. Now, as the right prime minister, he was as dangerous as if he was snatching food from the mouths of Shi Miyuan and Ye Qing. If he was not careful, he might face revenge and attack like a storm.

"The Ministry of Revenue is naturally undesirable. The consequences of offending Li Lifang are probably not as easy as offending Shi Miyuan. Ye Qing's result is much easier, and the relationship between the Emperor and Li Lifang is quite close. This will only make us lose more than we lose. But the Ministry of Justice is different. Since Li Lifang visited me yesterday, it is not certain that there is an opportunity to take advantage of it. We can make use of this period of time..." Liu Xiang stared at Xie Shenfu and said.

Xie Shenfu looked at Liu Zheng's gaze and vaguely guessed the purpose of Liu Zheng's down court to leave him.

Since the Ministry of Justice is vacant, if you want to make up for the vacancy, you must have the best candidate. Obviously, now in Liu Zheng's eyes, Xie Shenfu is the best candidate for the Minister of Justice.

"Not bad..." Xie Shenfu nodded subconsciously and followed Liu Zheng's thinking direction: "Mr. Li Lifang visited Liu Qiao yesterday, and even suggested that Liu Qiao wanted to be transferred to the Ministry of Revenue. So can it be explained that this is Li Lifang intentionally? Is he intentionally reminding Liu Qiao that the Ministry of Justice should pay attention to the lack of Liu Qiao?"

"Yes, your thoughts coincide with Liu's idea. After Li Lifang left yesterday, I guessed that Lord Li was specifically reminding me that I could fight for the vacancy of the Ministry of Justice." Liu Zheng said seriously.

"But Shi Miyuan decided not to sit idly by. Perhaps he could not refuse and prevent Li Lifang from being appointed as Minister of Revenue, but if the gap in the Ministry of Justice was made to watch others fill it, it would be impossible. Moreover, this matter still needs to be examined by the Ministry of Personnel. The position and attitude of the Ministry of Personnel must be clear in his heart, right?" Xie Shenfu felt a little desperate in his heart. The Ministry of Personnel was the starting point for Shi Miyuan to truly gain a foothold in the court and have a place, just like Ye Qing's control over Dali Temple and the Ministry of War.

"As long as Lord Xie is willing, as long as Lord Li is willing to help, there is no chance of winning this matter." Liu Zheng looked at Xie Shenfu who wanted to give up and said with some emotion: "Ye and Shi are obsessed with profit. Ye Qing is a meritorious person, and Shi Miyuan is a wealth. No matter who it is, they are not a pillar of our dynasty who can rely on. Ye Qing has always had the possibility of owning troops. Shi Miyuan still has the greed to empty the treasury for his own use. The treacherous treasury in the court is the only one. The new king is still young and cannot see through the ambitions of powerful ministers. How can we watch the court be ignored by the traitors and sluts?"

Just when Liu Zheng persuaded Xie Shenfu, Li Lifang, who was also behind the court, but was contrary to the ministers, walked into the Cining Hall where the Empress Dowager was led by Qingqiu.

.

Although the emperor still has no queen, Li Fengniang is quite understanding and moved from the two palaces of Renming and Ciyuan where the empress is located to the two palaces of Ciming and Cining where the empress should be.

As Zhao Kuo has been serving as the new king for most of the year, although there was still a big storm in the court because of the dismissal of Zhu Xi and others, it was a trivial matter that did not affect the country in the court after all, so Li Fengniang did not take it very seriously.

Now, Li Fengniang has neither long-term nor immediate worries. Li Fengniang, who is in a very good mood, lives more and more leisurely and happy. In addition, the lack of the slander Ye Qing sways in front of her eyes. After missing a bit of heartache, Li Fengniang is now growing up against the trend, and her whole body looks younger and more charming.

Even Li Lifang, who had not seen the Empress Dowager in just half a month, couldn't help but feel his eyes lit up when he saw the Empress Dowager's first glance, which was a little stunning at Li Fengniang's beauty and more noble temperament at this time.

"Why are you here? You, the Minister of Justice, suffered a loss after taking Deng Youlong, but why is it still so heartless? Could it be that the emperor will worry about you?" The matter of Deng Youlong, the former Minister of Justice, was a pain in Li Lifang. Because Deng Youlong was secretly attracted by Han Tuozhou, Li Lifang has always been a little dull, and it has become a manifestation of incompetence for Li Fengniang.

"I am here to see the Empress Dowager today. It was the last time I happened..." Li Lifang had no face in front of Li Fengniang, so the sarcasm in Li Fengniang's words was nothing but a brain, and he only said what he asked for.

"What's the good thing about the Ministry of Revenue? Why do you have to go to the Ministry of Revenue for an appointment? Who is Zheng Qingzhi? Who is his party member? Do you think that Zheng Qingzhi was dismissed and the Ministry of Revenue is a comfortable yamen? Who knows what kind of Ministry of Revenue will be left after Zheng Qingzhi left? How many Shi Miyuan's confidants are there? Do you know all of these? If you go to the Ministry of Revenue and find that it is better than when you are in the Ministry of Justice, it will be too late to regret it at that time." Li Fengniang sighed, put down the scissors in her hand, and carefully examined the potted plant she had just trimmed and said.

"Don't I still want to honor our Li family? My father was just the Duke of the County Duke back then, and this was only obtained for the sake of your Empress Dowager. Now that Kuo'er succeeds to the throne, I naturally cannot make things difficult for Kuo'er to promote his title for no reason, right? Now that the court wants to rebuild Kaifeng and the palace, the Ministry of Revenue will naturally become a person who can make contributions..." Li Lifang admired the newly trimmed potted plant, but was extremely interested in the pair of scissors next to him.

Li Fengniang is not a frugal person, but he is not a person who likes extravagance. What Li Lifang has always not understood is that Li Fengniang, who is not nostalgic for anything, cherishes the pair of scissors next to her hand very much.

"Since you want to make meritorious service, wouldn't it be better for you to go to the Ministry of Works?" Li Fengniang gave Li Lifang a blank look, picked up the scissors that had been around for a few years again, and wiped them carefully.

"What does this pair of scissors mean to you? No matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like a priceless treasure, it will make you cherish it so much..." Li Lifang ignored Li Fengniang's retort, and instead asked more and more interested in the pair of scissors.

However, Li Lifang only said half of his words, and immediately welcomed Li Fengniang's two sharp gazes. So Lord Li, who wanted to send to the Ministry of Revenue, immediately shut up tactfully, but he was still guessing why the scissors were so important to Li Fengniang.

"It was Ye Qing who encouraged you to go to the Ministry of Revenue?" Li Fengniang stared at Li Lifang tightly, but her eyes gradually became softer. She casually stored the scissors in her hand into a wooden box far more than before the scissors.

"No, it's me..." Li Lifang denied, not to mention that he didn't think he was confused by Ye Qing.

"No? It's strange." Li Fengniang said disdainfully: "The court agreed to Ye Qing's request to rebuild Kaifeng and the palace, and then you immediately ran over to seek the invitation of the Minister of Revenue. This would be strange if it wasn't for Ye Qing's inspiration."

After saying that, looking at Li Lifang who was silent, Li Fengniang sighed softly and said indifferently: "After so many years, you have been playing with Ye Qing in the palm of your hand. You don't know at all. What he asked you to do, you will do whatever you want. Do you really think that the Minister of Revenue is so good? Zheng Qingzhi has served as Minister of Revenue for many years because of Shi Miyuan's support. Although Zheng Qingzhi and Shi Miyuan have turned against each other now,... If Shi Miyuan's confidant took over Zheng Qingzhi's dispatch, anyone who went to Minister of Revenue would have been undermined by officials such as the ministers below. Have you really thought about it? Or have you prepared to fight with those subordinates? Can you fight Shi Miyuan and his followers alone? "

"Even if I can't fight, aren't you going to help me make an idea behind my back?" Li Lifang said with a little embarrassed expression.

After all, Li Fengniang's words always reminded him of Deng Youlong's incident. He served as the Minister of Justice for many years but never realized that the confidant he trusted was actually Han Tuozhou's confidant.

Now if Li Lifang really goes to the Ministry of Revenue and goes to an unfamiliar yamen, he is really not sure that he can take charge of the Ministry of Revenue in a short period of time.

However, for Li Lifang, he felt that it would be enough to be optimistic about the money in the Ministry of Revenue books. As for the rest, he didn't care at all. Of course, he didn't care about the money. As long as he could be able to make contributions to the rebuilding of Kaifeng Prefecture and the palace in the past few years, he could make contributions to the title by rebuilding Kaifeng Prefecture and the Imperial Palace.

"If I make an idea for you, I'm afraid it will cause criticism in the court. At that time...ah...you go back for now, I'll think about it before answering you." Li Fengniang said with some confusion.

Let Li Lifang's title go further, and Li Fengniang naturally wanted to do so, but the current situation obviously did not allow her to promote Li Lifang to such a title for no reason. If it is beneficial to the user department and the springboard for reconstruction of Kaifeng Mansion, the idea is certainly good, but once implemented, the risk will be too great.
Chapter completed!