The Minister of the Central Secretariat nodded to his daughter and pretended not to hear Su Juan's words.
"The Wuyuan Marquis's family is simple, with only the grandfather and grandson. I have never heard of them interacting with any relatives or friends, and they are not familiar with the King of Han. Because he is old, he has been living in the mansion."
Su Juan immediately understood, [So, it is impossible for the King of Han to recommend such a person to serve as the Zhongzheng official. This can only be the old emperor's own intention. As far as the current court situation is concerned, Wu Yuanhou is indeed the most suitable candidate. ]
[As for the other 18 vice-chairmen, they all have other conflicts of interest to varying degrees, and it seems that it is not just about party disputes.]
The Minister of the Central Secretariat did not expect that a little girl like Su Juan could understand so much, and he immediately admired her even more.
Liu Miaoqing couldn't help but re-examine Su Juan carefully. She never knew that she could analyze the court affairs so clearly. She used to be very lazy and only wanted to finish her official duties and then go back home to lie down, but now she has begun to care about the Zhongzheng evaluation.
Look at the time, she would normally be asleep.
This is very different from the people after divorce. Their heart is completely focused on state affairs.
For some reason, Liu Miaoqing felt a little relieved when she saw the changes in Su Juan.
...
Just as Su Juan and Duke Ping had worried, King Han and Song Qianfan did take action.
Many of the eighteen vice-ministers had private dealings with the King of Han.
The Minister of Personnel repeatedly assured Song Qianfan that he had made arrangements and that when the time came to finally grant official positions, he would promote more of the retainers in Prince Jing's Mansion.
After Pingbo Hou returned home, he seemed to have lost his soul. He was absent-minded during the meal and kept thinking about what Pingguo Gong had said.
Seeing that her husband was absent-minded, the Marquise of Pingbo did not ask any questions. She knew nothing about the affairs of the court anyway, so she just picked up some food for him.
However, Liu Xuan noticed that Pingbo Hou was worried, so after dinner, he followed Pingbo Hou to the study to discuss matters.
"Father, I wonder if I can share your worries?"
Ping Bohou looked at his son in front of him and sighed slightly, "Today, Duke Ping invited me to his house to discuss matters, intending to win me over to participate in the party struggle."
Liu Xuan was slightly stunned. "But the Duke of Pingguo's Mansion has always been neutral between Prince Heng and Prince Han, and has never had any dealings with Prince Jing, let alone helping Prince Jing. Could it be..."
Ping Bohou nodded slightly, "It's just that the princess has passed away, and the one we found is the daughter of the deceased princess."
Liu Xuan had not expected that with Prince Heng losing power, he thought the next situation would be between Prince Han and Prince Jing. However, at this time, the Duke's Mansion actually found His Majesty's children who were living abroad.
"Father is hesitating?"
Ping Bohou nodded, "After all, the girl is living outside and has a foreign surname. Even if she changes her surname back to your majesty's, she will inevitably be criticized and questioned... Besides, my Liu family has never dared to get involved in these things."
Party strife is so dangerous. If you make a mistake at one step, all steps will be wrong.
Liu Xuan already knew that his father's biggest concern was the entire Liu family.
In fact, even if the girl is living outside, she is the true blood of His Majesty and the only offspring, so she must be recognized. Moreover, there is precedent of crown princess in the Great Jin Dynasty. The previous emperor was a girl, and even His Majesty often sighs at the achievements of the previous emperor.
It can be seen that in the eyes of His Majesty, there is no difference between men and women.
"Father, why are you still hesitating?" Liu Xuan asked. If you are worried about the Liu family, just refuse. The Duke is not the kind of person who would force you to do something.
Ping Bohou sighed, "Now our Liu family seems to be still prosperous, but in fact it is not as good as before. A few years ago, we offended the King of Han, and later offended the Prince of Jing. No matter which of these two gets the world in the future, it will not benefit our Liu family. If we start to care about it, I am afraid that the Liu family will not even be able to protect itself."
Moreover, now, he has a hard time taking a step in the court. It is hard to imagine that even if the king does not care, once he, the Marquis of Pingbo, is away from the court, what awaits the Liu family is probably a reduction in salary and demotion.
Even if Pingbo Hou didn't say these, Liu Xuan knew them.
The current situation of the Liu family seems to be prosperous, but in fact it is all supported by the Marquis Pingbo and the past glory.
If the Liu family does not find a way out of the current situation, it will be difficult for them to survive for another hundred years.
Liu Xuan had already made up his mind, "Father, have you ever seen that girl? What is her character like?"
Ping Bohou's head was full of confusion when he thought of Su Juan. "She is a good girl, capable, smart, and of good character. She hates evil, but she is a little noisy and can't keep things to herself. She is in the officialdom and is easy to offend people."
"From what my father said, this girl has good character and talent. If she can be as virtuous as the late emperor, it might be worth a try."
"In fact, if you want to compete for the throne, as long as you have good character, even if you can't hide your secrets and offend people, what is there to be afraid of?"
"Besides, he is the future crown prince, who has always been admired by others. Why should he be afraid of his subjects?"
Then I am afraid that this minister is not a loyal minister.
Since it's a gamble anyway, instead of betting on the minds of King Han and King Jing, why not give it a try in this chaotic situation?
Pingbo Hou was slightly stunned. Yes, what his son said made sense. So far, Su Juan had offended those who were corrupt and had evil intentions. They either lost their jobs or were demoted and sent away. Even Prince Heng would find it difficult to return to Beijing.
People of integrity like the Minister of the Central Secretariat, the Duke of Ping, the Minister of State Mo, and even myself, have always gotten along well with her, and there is no need for them to guess what she is thinking.
Even the Minister of Rites never took his anger out on Su Juan when his granddaughter had a dispute with her. Su Juan was always respectful to the Minister of Rites afterwards. On several morning court sessions, whenever the Minister of Rites impeached someone, Su Juan would praise him, which showed that she had a broad mind.
If such a simple-minded person could be assisted by a wise man, wouldn't he be more reliable than the deep-minded King Han or King Jing?
After Liu Xuan's analysis, Pingbo Hou's original concerns were mostly dispelled. Looking at his son in front of him, he felt more and more that these three years had wasted him.
He patted Liu Xuan on the shoulder and said, "You are the one who was selected as the rank official this time. Your father has high expectations for you. I hope that my son can also serve the court next year. You and I, father and son, can support the Liu family together."
Liu Xuan was slightly stunned. His usually gentle and calm face flashed a trace of surprise at this moment. "Father means...if I pass the Zhongzheng assessment this time, you want me to enter the government?"
Pingbo Hou nodded, "You are right. No one can truly protect themselves in a chaotic situation. Rather than gambling on the heart and mercy of the future king, it is better to join the game and give it a try."
His Liu family no longer wants to be trapped in this situation and be afraid to act. The past ten years have been too cowardly.
Pingbo Hou thought for a moment and gave two instructions, "You should not go to Jingyuan anymore recently. You should spend more time with Xie Xun, Su Juan and Miss Liu."
Liu Xuan nodded, "Son, I understand."
Needless to say, Xie Xun was the Minister of the Central Secretariat because His Majesty was very fond of and tolerant of Su Juan, and he also wanted to get close to her.
Even though he had made up his mind, Pingbo Hou still asked Liu Xuan, "Party struggles are dangerous. In the future, they will inevitably confront the forces of King Jing and King Han. Is my son afraid?"
Liu Xuan was still the gentle, kind, elegant and steady person he had always been, but his words were more righteous and awe-inspiring. "As long as you are upright in your heart and can serve the court, and the one you are assisting is the heir of the current emperor, what should your son be afraid of?"