The atmosphere in the central command became tense again, as if the air itself had frozen. The rustling sound of sweeping outside sounded like a knife to the five people.

He Yin said, “According to this standard, the most suitable candidate for the Great Jing Dynasty is Elder Mu Shanyue, but unfortunately Elder Mu has already retired. So, according to Elder Mu’s standards, Dongfang Jun is obviously not suitable. As for Li Shu, I was young when he was an official in Changsui and I was not familiar with him, but I once went to Yanchuan City and received His Majesty’s decree to learn about the officials of the Six Ministries in the secondary capital.”

"Li Shu is a man of great talent, excelling in both poetry and calligraphy, and also knowledgeable in painting."

"As for character, I'll only mention one thing." He Yin looked at Yuan Li, unfazed by his cold gaze, and said loudly, "When His Majesty sent me to investigate the Six Ministries in the secondary capital, you all know why—it was simply to see if they had any connections with the Right Chancellor's residence. My investigation revealed that not only the Six Ministries in the secondary capital, but almost all the officials of the Yan Chuan Prefectural Government and the Central Government Office had visited the Right Chancellor's residence. However, the Right Chancellor and his wife had strictly ordered that no one be allowed to enter. It was only by refusing them entry that His Majesty's suspicions were dispelled."

"But this is the attitude of the Right Chancellor."

"Li Shu never visited him. Apart from composing poems, he did not have much interaction with other officials in Yanchuan."

"Therefore, I think Li Shu is a suitable candidate."

Chen Changyun said sourly, "Is the Imperial Brother-in-law voting for Marquis Qingdong?"

He Yin glared at Chen Changyun and said sternly, "Minister Chen, you should be careful with your words!"

Chen Changyun said, "What's wrong with me? Aren't I just telling the truth?"

He Yin stood up and said, "I am the Minister of Justice of the Great Jing Dynasty and a minister of the Central Secretariat, not the emperor's brother-in-law! Besides, I voted for Li Shu, not the Marquis of Qingdong!"

"What's the rush..."

Yuan Li raised his hand to interrupt Chen Changyun: "Minister He has always been fair and impartial, which even His Majesty has praised. Moreover, Minister He's remarks just now were reasonable and well-founded. Voting for Li Shu is truly fair."

He Yin bowed to Yuan Li before sitting down.

"So now it's a tie again."

Yuan Li looked at Wen Hu, smiled slightly, and said, "Lord Sha County, thank you for your trouble."

Upon hearing this, Wen Hu slowly stood up, placed his hands on his knees, and bowed to the four ministers in turn before saying, "Since the vote for this decision has fallen into my hands again, I will say something before voting. Everyone has their own considerations and stance when voting, and my stance is His Majesty's."

“After my uncle’s incident, you all know that I am His Majesty’s loyal subject. So I can only think about which one would be more beneficial to His Majesty as the chief examiner. Li Shu was reinstated from Yanchuan City, while Dongfang Jun was a trusted person of the late Emperor and was in charge of all matters concerning the royal family and relatives. Naturally, he was closer to His Majesty.”

"That's why I voted for Dongfangjun."

Yuan Li nodded in satisfaction and said, "Thank you."

Xu Shouli closed his eyes, a bad feeling rising in his heart.

Could it be that Wen Hu has also sided with Yuan Li?

There are only five people in the Central Secretariat. If Chen Changyun and Wen Hu both become part of the Prince Xin's faction, then the Central Secretariat will become the Prince Xin's personal fiefdom.

Looking at the entire Dajing, it will now be the Prince of Xin's domain.

If the Prince Xin Party were to grow stronger, it would be even more terrifying than the once all-powerful Left Prime Minister's Office.

Could the emperor not have thought of this?

Xu Shouli and He Yin exchanged a glance, and Xu Shouli also saw worry in He Yin's eyes.

Chen Changyun looked at Xu Shouli smugly and said, "Why is Marquis Qingdong so quiet this time? Won't you say a few words?"

"You despicable person!" Xu Shouli cursed directly.

Chen Changyun appeared indifferent and said, "In front of the Marquis, of course I can only be a lowly person."

"Minister Chen, please stop teasing the Marquis. We are all working together to better govern Dajing, there's no need to get emotional."

Yuan Li slowly stood up and said, "Two important matters have been settled today. Everyone, please go back and rest!"

"Your Highness, please wait a moment." Wen Hu did not sit down after voting, and said, "His Majesty asked me to pass on a message to you."

Yuan Li was stunned for a moment, then quickly stepped forward and was about to bow.

Wen Hu held Yuan Li's hand and said, "It's not an imperial edict, but I'm here to deliver a message to you."

"Lord of Sha County, please speak."

"His Majesty said he had said he wanted to rest, but recently he has been helping your Central Secretariat with a lot of government affairs, and he is really tired. His Majesty should rest well, and in the future, don't bother him with anything that is not extremely important. When he is too busy, let me give you some ideas and we can discuss them together."

Yuan Li clasped his hands in a fist salute to Wen Hu and smiled, saying, "The Central Secretariat is currently very busy. With the assistance of Marquis Shaxian, we will surely achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Xu Shouli, He Yin, and Chen Changyun kept their eyes down, pondering the emperor's intentions.

Previously, the Minister of Personnel only had the right to vote, not the right to participate in deliberations. Now, with this change, although the Minister of Personnel's official position is still that of a bodyguard in the Central Secretariat, he is actually the fifth Minister of Personnel.

Wen Hu returned Yuan Li's greeting and smiled, "Since His Majesty has asked me to discuss matters with you, I happen to have some things I'd like to discuss with you."

"Please sit down." Yuan Li gestured and walked back to the chair to sit down.

After Wen Hu sat down, he said, "You were just discussing disaster relief, people's livelihood, the imperial examination, and personnel matters. I have some business and economic matters that I would like to ask you about."

Yuan Li said, "Lord of Sha County, please speak."

Wen Hu said, "Princess Qingling's marriage to the Right Chancellor's youngest son failed, and the court lost control of the Right Chancellor's residence. Now Zhao Cheng's business is booming and has too great a momentum. It has already covered Shangyang County and Xuzhong County to the west, and even reached the three counties of Nanzhou in the south. I believe it will not be long before it spreads to the entire territory of Nanzhou."

“This momentum…” Wen Hu glanced at everyone and said, “Don’t you all think it’s too terrifying?”

Yuan Li asked, "What are your thoughts, Marquis of Sha County?"

Wen Hu said, "His Majesty approved the trade between Zhao Cheng and Southern Zhou, and we cannot stop it. But we absolutely cannot allow Zhao Cheng to open up the mainland of Da Jing again."

Yuan Li said, "As far as I know, His Majesty and Zhao Cheng had a private agreement that he would only be in charge of the three prefectures of Jingdong, Jiangyang and Yunjing. As for Xuzhong Prefecture, it was only because of me that he was granted the prefecture."

"What about Shangyang County?"

Wen Hu immediately retorted, "This was neither given the green light by Your Highness nor permitted by His Majesty, yet he still did it."

Yuan Li said, "Zhao Cheng has businesses in both Yanchuan City and Changsui City, and Shangyang County is located between the two capitals. With caravans coming and going, it is inevitable that it will be covered."

“But His Majesty acquiesced, and that’s what I find terrifying.”

Wen Hu's expression turned serious, and he said sternly, "Zhao Cheng is extremely good at winning people's hearts. He sent money to His Majesty to build the Imperial Palace, and he constantly flattered His Majesty by relying on his relationship with the Princess. If His Majesty softens his heart one day and grants him another prefecture, and then grants him one after another, then all the money in the entire Great Jing will belong to Zhao Cheng."

Yuan Li said somewhat uncertainly, "Your Majesty... surely not?"