The three-year drought in Zhengde has spread to the beginning of the fourth year. This winter, there was little snowfall in many places in the north, and the weather was extremely cold.

In February, the spring cold is still severe, and the canal in the North Zhili section shows no sign of thawing.

Shen Rui, who was going to Shandong to take up his post, Dai Dabin, who was returning to the south for funeral, and Lin Fuyu, were both in a hurry and could not wait for the boat to leave, so they had to ride horses and carriages.

Shen Rui went to Dengzhou and was appointed as the magistrate of Dengzhou Prefecture.

Originally, officials in the capital had to be promoted to a higher level. Most of the magistrates in Dongsan Prefecture in Shandong were officials from the sixth rank who were sent to other places. The most common among them were doctors of the fifth rank, and there were also officials from the fifth rank, wailang, and even the sixth rank.

More than one person passed.

Therefore, Shen Rui became a fourth-rank magistrate as a fifth-rank official, which was a normal promotion in official rank.

What's abnormal is just the speed of promotion. It's only been two months since he reached the fifth level...

But there was no censor who jumped out to criticize the person involved in the matter.

All fools know that even if you are in the fifth rank, you are still the Secretary of General Affairs, a position that is worth a lot of money. If you move it from such an important place outside the yamen gate, let alone the fourth rank, even if you are given the third rank, you will mostly suffer.

Unless you are a feudal official, there is nothing better than being with the emperor.

Moreover, this place, Shandong, is now plagued by disasters and bandits. It is really a mess. It is a place that no one would like to go to.

Many people speculated that Shen Rui had fallen out of favor, or that the situation in the cabinet had changed. After all, there were two cabinet ministers standing behind Shen Rui.

Of course, there are some people with a keen sense of smell. Dengzhou is close to the sea. In the first two years, it was promised to repair ships to transport military supplies to Liaodong. Shen Rui was famous for his money-making skills. If the emperor was planning to open the sea, he asked Shen Rui to be the pioneer officer.

It's just that the risk of exploring the path is extremely high, and it's not easy for it to end well.

The collective silence of the officials was also due to the acquiescence of the big bosses in the cabinet who could instruct them on this matter.

*

Brother Shou talked with Shen Rui for a long time that day, sketching out the prospects of Dengzhou and even Shandong bit by bit. Although Shen Rui knew that it was easy to talk on paper and difficult to implement, there was still a small flame burning in his heart.

, making him eager to try and create a new world.

After coming out of the palace, Shen Rui naturally wanted to report the matter to his father-in-law, master and uncle, and also express his feelings.

Yang Tinghe felt quite complicated after receiving the news.

He also has high hopes for this son-in-law, and is even more optimistic about his son-in-law than his son.

Therefore, his career plan for Shen Rui is similar to that of many ministers in the cabinet, including the General Secretary of the Hanlin Academy and the Jiuqing Cabinet, one of the six ministries of Zhan Shifu.

Hongzhi, the elders of the Zhengde Dynasty, Liu Jian, Xie Qian, Li Dongyang, Wang Hua, Wang Hao, and himself all followed this route.

This is also the most normal and safe route for Wenchen to reach the summit.

Especially now that Shen Rui is doing very well in the General Affairs Department, has won the emperor's favor, has just been promoted, and has a bright future, so he is suddenly transferred out of the capital, and he can't help but be taken aback.

Shen Rui didn't leak a single word about Qiu Ju's false accusation. After all, he got the information through improper channels. He couldn't tell even his father-in-law about spying on the palace.

Therefore, Yang Tinghe never thought about whether the little emperor was suspicious of Shen Rui. He only thought that the little emperor trusted Shen Rui too much. When the treasury was empty and Zhao Hongpei was sent out to make money to no avail, he sent Zhao Hongpei, who had always had ideas, to

Shen Ruidi went to Shandong to try his luck.

"The emperor wants to train you. This is also the intention of the emperor's trust. In the past two years, the emperor has become more and more dignified, and the people around him who are useful are also put in the important yamen to train." Yang Tinghe said with emotion.

The so-called becoming more majestic does not mean that the little emperor has become more thoughtful and puts his own people in important places. Outsiders say that the little emperor is playful and ignores political affairs. Only close ministers like Yang Tinghe know that the little emperor has something in mind.

No one can be fooled.

Dengzhou port is really important, but right now Shandong...

Yang Tinghe sighed: "The situation in Shandong is really troublesome. I'm afraid it will cost you a lot to go there. You should also be more careful."

Shen Rui nodded and said: "My son-in-law can save it. I have read the reports from various places and found that there has been no disaster in Dengzhou. Since Dengzhou is close to the sea, there are always many ways to think of. In addition, the Lu family has been in Dengzhou for many years. My son-in-law is here."

It’s like picking up a ready bargain.”

Yang Tinghe sighed: "You are young after all, and you think simply. However, it is much cheaper to have the support of the local rich people. But you have to be extra cautious in doing things."

After thinking for a while, he said: "Cong Lan, Zuo Tongzheng, the first general secretary, is from Dengzhou Prefecture. Although he has gone to Yansui now, you should pay a visit to his house when he comes back. Cong from Shandong

The hairpins of the past dynasties are different from those of the Lu family."

Shen Rui hurriedly responded and talked about some temporary plans for Shandong.

Yang Tinghe gave him some advice, but at the same time he felt regretful. Although he had broadened his horizons by training in general affairs for three years abroad, he would have a better outlook on the overall situation in the future, and he would be able to understand the sufferings of the people better once he was in power, but after all, it is no better than in Beijing.

closer to the center of power.

And now in the cabinet, although Li Dongyang and Wang Hua are at odds, they are both old-school figures with deep roots in the court; Jiao Fang relied on Liu Jin and became arrogant for a while; Wang Hao now quite wants to retire, just wait and see, whichever side.

I don’t want to get involved; under such circumstances, Yang Tinghe is at a bit of a disadvantage.

His son, the number one scholar, is currently in the Hanlin Academy and is of no use to him, but this son-in-law, who is in an important position and has a royal family, is really a good helper for him.

But no matter what, since the little emperor had this intention, it was a foregone conclusion. He knew that with the character of the little emperor, it would be useless for him to keep his son-in-law.

Moreover, they are originally members of the imperial party, and they should just follow the instructions of the little emperor.

Yang Tinghe had no choice but to accept this result. While helping his son-in-law plan, he was also looking for a master for his son-in-law among his staff.

As for Wang Hua, since his son Wang Shouren went out to make great achievements, he did not think that staying in Beijing was the first priority.

After listening to what Shen Rui said, Wang Hua just twisted his beard and smiled and said: "You, your unwillingness to take a leisurely life is just like your teacher."

Shen Rui smiled and said: "I don't dare to compare with my mentor, but my grandson also wants to follow my example and build a career."

Although Wang Hua praised him, he also stared at him, his eyes full of meaning, "I have seen your palace test and asked questions, and I am fully aware of your ambitions. I only hope that you will remember what I said to you that day, and be careful with your words outside."

OK, but don’t rush forward just because you have the power. You need to know that slow things down.”

Shen Rui recalled the long conversation between Wang Hua and him after the palace examination, and he bowed deeply and said: "Master, don't worry, my grandson will not be greedy for merit and make progress, and strive to do things safely and perfectly."

Wang Hua nodded with relief and added: "Dengzhou is close to the sea and there are several rivers in the territory. You can go back and write to your teacher and ask him to send some people who know how to water to help you."

"Master really guessed his grandson thoroughly. This is what he planned." Shen Rui said with a smile.

Changshou and others were also gifted by Wang Shouren at the beginning. It can be said that Shen Rui's bodyguards were originally provided by these people.

Wang Shouren had commanded water battles in Taihu Lake, and now he was training as a navy master in Nanjing. Naturally, he would have guards who knew how to fight water battles. After Shen Rui had such a sweet experience, how could he not ask for help? He was also prepared to ask for more.

People are coming.

Wang Hua laughed and called him a clever devil, and said that he would also write letters to Wang Shouren and take the post road with the official documents, so that he could reach Nanjing faster.

Wang Hua only regrets that he has no old friends in Shandong. As for the staff, with Yang Ting and his father-in-law here, there is no need for others to intervene. After all, the staff master is also a close person of the chief officer, and Yang Tinghe is not in the same group as him, so Wang Hua consciously does not give any gifts.

The staff should avoid causing misunderstandings. If there is an eventuality in the future, the staff will be provoked by others. Not only is it not beautiful, but it will also cause trouble for Shen Rui.

My uncle Yang Zhen had also been released into exile in his early years, so he gave Shen Rui the most encouragement.

The two talked for a long time, and he taught Shen Rui many tips on being an official abroad.

Yang Zhen was not an ordinary person to be able to be promoted to the capital after serving in a prestigious position, and to be appointed minister of Dali Temple. Shen Rui naturally wrote down all of them.

Moreover, Yang Zhen also had a good friend who was from a prominent family in Shandong in the same year. Although he was an official in other places, his family was in Jinan Prefecture, and more than one member of the family was an official and was quite influential in the local area.

Yang Zhendao wrote a letter right away. The most important thing was to find two aides for Shen Rui who were well versed in the local officialdom of Shandong.

*

After such greetings, when the little emperor's order to send Shen Rui to Dengzhou was conveyed to the cabinet, both Wang Hua and Yang Tinghe remained silent and did not express their opinions at all.

It was Jiao Fang who was the first to stand up and applaud, saying that the emperor was wise and Shen Rui was a young and talented man who had repeatedly contributed to disaster relief, so he was the perfect candidate to be sent to Shandong.

For a moment, everyone in the cabinet looked at him with suspicion.

Jiao Fang was displeased with all the Jinshi who ranked ahead of Jiao Huangzhong in the Wuchen Branch because her son Jiao Huangzhong failed to enter the Three Tripods.

Although Jiaohuangzhong was directly given an official position, in the two projects of repairing the real records and building the Wanjuan Pavilion book collection, those who were promoted to important positions were either Li Dongyang or Yang Tinghe, and Jiaohuangzhong didn't even touch the edges.

.Looking back, I found that almost all those who were appointed officials at the same time as Jiao Huangzhong were higher in rank than him. He was still an idler in the Hanlin Academy from the seventh rank.

Jiao Fang almost wanted to scold him. Taking advantage of Liu Jin's opportunity to cause trouble in the Hanlin Academy, he did some dirty tricks to bring bad luck to Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe.

Therefore, when Jiao Fang jumped out and shouted hello for Yang Tinghe's son-in-law, it was definitely not a good thing.

Jiao Fang not only wanted to get rid of Yang Ting and a capable person, but actually did so under Liu Jin's instructions.

The other bosses didn't know that the little emperor had met Shen Rui, but Liu Jin knew about it. If the little emperor wanted to release Shen Ruiyuan, he wouldn't hide it from the ceremonial supervisor.

Liu Jin didn't like Shen Rui very much, but for Zhang Yong's sake and the fact that the Shen family had given him gifts, he didn't dislike him too much. In fact, he had recently been cleaning up the Hanlin Academy and flattening the outside.

Those rumors about forcibly recruiting a son-in-law, Dai Dabin, have no time to understand Shen Rui.

But he couldn't resist the fact that there were people around him who had intentions.

Qian Ning was the best at sneaking around. He had been with the young emperor for a long time and figured out the emperor's likes and dislikes, so he devoted himself to pleasing the little emperor. As expected, he became a popular person around the emperor.

But he became famous, and many people came to give him gifts and ask him to do things. Even the feudal king would give him generous gifts, which made him quite proud. However, he was just a jester-like figure in the end.

A little bit of real power.

Although he was the adopted son of a eunuch, he was not an eunuch after all. He could not live his whole life by making the little emperor happy, especially as the little emperor grew older and would one day lose interest in those children's things.

Qian Ning's top priority now is to get some real power errands done while he still has the Holy Family.

He was also surprised. Logically speaking, the emperor was very fond of him and would often discuss things without going behind his back. But when it came time to send out errands, Cai Liang would either be given an advantage or be given to Zhou Xian. None of the tasks were good.

fell on his head.
To be continued...