In the cabinet cafeteria, the atmosphere was strange and tense.

Chen Yiqin had a temper after all, and couldn't help but ask stiffly: "It seems that Mr. Gao is sitting in the wrong seat?"

"Did you sit in the wrong place?" Gao Gong said as if it was a matter of course: "I remember that I was the deputy assistant two years ago."

"This..." Chen Yiqin's anger was immediately choked, and he said in a muffled voice: "The rules are not like this."

"How could that be?" Gao Gong looked at him strangely and said, "In the eleventh year of Jiajing, Zhang Wenzhong retired and became prime minister again the following year. Ten years later, Xia Guixi was dismissed and retired, and ten years later he was reinstated as prime minister as well. What kind of rule is this?"

"This, this..." Chen Yiqin's face flushed red and he couldn't speak. He couldn't say that it was the late emperor who did it, right?

"Mr. Chen, please take a seat." Seeing that Chen Yiqin was about to explode, Li Chunfang didn't bother to smooth things over and said to Gao Gong with a smile, "Come to think of it, Mr. Gao was ranked above me at that time. I think I should make way for him. Why don't you take a seat?"

As he said this, he made a gesture to stand up.

Zhao Zhenji also held the table with both hands, preparing to stand up.

Gao Gong just looked at Li Chunfang with a half-smile, and told him with his eyes that he knew exactly who had been preventing him from being reinstated!

Li Chunfang's face gradually turned red, not because of anger, but because of shame. The Prime Minister was so afraid of a cabinet member who had just been reinstated, which really brought shame to all the Prime Ministers in history.

But fear is fear. His legs felt weak and he couldn't stand up.

At this time Gao Gong spoke, and he only smiled faintly and said: "Prime Minister, you are joking. I was only a deputy prime minister at the beginning. It is a fluke that I am reinstated now. I have never coveted the position of prime minister."

In fact, the main reason was that he was already a minister of heaven, and it would be too shocking for him to be the prime minister at the same time. At least before he had a firm foothold, it was unwise to plot for the position of prime minister.

"It's okay. Mr. Gao is highly respected and I am willing to give up this position." Li Chunfang forced a smile.

"Do you want me to be attacked by those guys with bad intentions?" Gao Gong snorted and sneered: "Humph, I've been chased away once, I don't want to lose face again!"

"Ha, that's not true..." Li Chunfang stopped talking when he saw this. On the one hand, he was afraid, but the key point was that when he heard Gao Gong say in person that he didn't want to take his position as the Prime Minister, he suddenly lost his desire to share the same hatred with the enemy.

Since the Prime Minister did not stand up, Zhao Zhenji, a new cabinet member, naturally had to sit down again obediently.

Only Chen Yiqin was left there, unable to sit or walk.

If you sit down, you will suffer humiliation and become a laughing stock.

Leaving would mean leaving the cabinet forever.

He even thought of the only way to die, which was the hardest thing in the world. What kind of death was he choosing?

In the end, the dignity of the scholar-officials prevailed. He bowed to Gao Gong and sneered, "Lao Ge Lao, Gao Ci Fu, I wish you great success and assist His Majesty for a thousand years!"

Zhang Juzheng almost couldn't hold back his laughter. The one who lives for a thousand years is a turtle...

Since Gao Gong had already achieved his goal, he did not bother to argue, and nodded with a smile: "Thank you for your good words."

"Hmph!" Seeing that his plan to quarrel with him and vent his anger was useless, Chen Yiqin could only turn away.

"Mr. Songgu, don't be impulsive." Seeing Chen Yiqin actually wanted to leave, Li Chunfang was very anxious. Without this buffer, wouldn't he be pressed closely by Gao Gong? Who could withstand this?

He quickly stood up and called him, "Let's talk nicely."

"Mr. Songgu, please stay." Zhao Zhenji and Zhang Juzheng, who were sitting at the door, hurriedly stood up to pull Chen Yiqin.

Chen Yiqin couldn't help but pause. If he didn't take this step, he would not be able to face back if he stayed in the cabinet for the rest of his life.

"Mr. Chen, please have your meal before you leave. The food in the cabinet is quite good. I see you have become fat as a ball in the past two years." Since Gao Gong had already offended him, he naturally wanted to drive him out of the cabinet to avoid future annoyance.

Chen Yiqin's old face turned red. He knew that Gao Gong was accusing him of just eating and not working.

Li Chunfang also blushed, and he had gained a lot of weight.

"Lord Xinzheng, please stop talking. Lord Songgu is just bloated." Zhang Juzheng hurriedly advised, "The decline of state affairs in recent years is not entirely our fault."

"Let go!" Chen Yiqin was furious when he heard this, and shook off Zhang Juzheng's hand and said, "Zhang Taiyue, you don't have to be so sarcastic here! I know you've been looking forward to it day and night, and finally you have someone to back you up. Let me tell you, with Gao Huzi's intolerable character, he will fall out with you sooner or later!"

As he said this, he pulled Zhao Zhenji's hand away and said, "Dazhou, I'm sorry for pulling you into the fire pit."

Finally, he looked at Li Chunfang again, shook his head, and sighed, "I will submit my resignation letter tomorrow. I can't accompany Yuan Fu to the end."

After saying this, he went downstairs proudly regardless of everyone's attempts to stop him.

Naturally, I can’t help but sing:

"I feel ashamed of my incompetence, who can bow down to the dust?

If you can go to the green mountains, you can go back; if you can get an official position, you can come back naturally! "

The Si Zhilang and Sheren in the cafeteria downstairs stared in amazement as Chen Yiqin walked down the stairs and went straight out of the cafeteria.

"What? From what I heard, Lord Chen is going to resign?" People were discussing in a low voice:

"Lord Gao is too aggressive. He chased the deputy minister away as soon as he came back..."

Everyone couldn't help but feel horrified, thinking that as soon as Gao Huzi came back, the cabinet would enter a turbulent period again.

~~

The grazing session ended abruptly that afternoon.

As soon as he returned to the cabinet meeting hall, Gao Gong sat down in Chen Yiqin's seat and began to perform his duties as the deputy assistant. He was in charge of this matter when he left, and continued to do it when he came back, and it was a seamless connection. It can be seen to what extent the government has been stagnant in the past two years.

Li Chunfang and Zhao Zhenji wailed in their hearts upon seeing this. Alas, this time Lord Chen would never come back.

But then again, although Gao Huzi was overbearing, he was also extremely capable. In one afternoon, he had dealt with all the state affairs that Chen Yiqin had accumulated and handed them over to the Prime Minister for review.

"So fast?" Li Chunfang put on his reading glasses in surprise.

"Why not?" Gao Gong looked at Li Chunfang with an expression that showed that people's abilities could not be generalized. He said, "In the past, our Emperor Taizu approved a thousand memorials a day. We have so many Grand Secretaries, but the memorials are still piled up like a mountain. No wonder the state affairs are getting worse and worse."

"Hey, how can a minister be compared with Taizu..." Li Chunfang felt bored and quickly turned his attention back to the memorial.

According to the rules, the chief minister was in charge of cabinet affairs and the drafting of bills, and other cabinet ministers were not allowed to comment. Even since the Jiajing period, when the government affairs were handed over to cabinet ministers, all the drafts needed the chief minister to decide whether to approve them and finally sign them. Therefore, the power of the chief minister was far greater than that of the second minister and ordinary cabinet members.

However, it also depends on who the first and second assistants are.

Li Chunfang read several drafts and raised several objections, but Gao Gong rejected them in a neither soft nor hard way. He had no choice but to give in.

It was not until Li Chunfang saw the draft of the "Memorial on the Current Situation of Jiaolai Canal" submitted by the Ministry of Industry that his face finally changed.

"Since the Jiaolai River cannot be opened, the Ministry of Revenue should promptly arrange for the grain to be transported by sea."

In just one sentence, the debate over the canal transportation that had been a hot topic in the court was brought to a conclusion...

"Well, this, there was quite a big debate in the court last time about this matter. How can the cabinet decide it with just one word?" Li Chunfang picked up the handkerchief on the table and wiped the sweat off his face. He couldn't tell whether it was from hot sweat or cold sweat.

"How can it be decided in one word? Hasn't Zhu Bu Tang already obtained the results of his investigation?" Gao Gong stretched out his thick finger and pointed at the Ministry of Works' report on the table, saying: "There is a watershed across the Jiaolai River. The sea tides at both ends invade the river mouth, bringing a huge amount of silt and sand. Moreover, even if the cost of maintenance is ignored, the annual transportation capacity will not exceed 200,000 shi!"

"Really? So little?" Li Chunfang was also surprised.

"Are you kidding me?!" Gao Gong suddenly raised his voice, puffed his beard and glared, "Whoever came up with this stupid idea, I must fire that bastard!"

"Uh..." Li Chunfang was sure that he was sweating coldly.

"Besides, how to transport the grain has always been decided by the cabinet. Why should it be put on the court? Isn't that like being drunk and crazy - looking for trouble?" Gao Gong stroked his beard and said, "Could it be that the grain transported from the sea is too choking? The soldiers and civilians can't eat it?"

Li Chunfang was speechless and kept wiping his sweat.

Zhao Zhenji had no choice but to chime in, "What the Lord of Xinzheng said is not wrong, but the canal transport is the livelihood of millions of canal workers, so we can't just talk about it in itself."

"What bullshit, the livelihood of millions of canal workers depends on it, that's nonsense!" Gao Gong waved his hand disdainfully and said, "If those canal workers really want to keep their jobs, they should quickly find a way to repair the canal and restore canal transportation!"

"But the problem with the canal lies in the Yellow River. How can we build the canal if we can't repair the Yellow River?" Zhao Zhenji frowned and said, "The river government and the grain transport government have always been at odds, and coordination is very difficult. When to resume grain transport, does the grain transport people have the final say?"

"This is easy. Let the Minister of Waterways also serve as the Governor of the Grain Transport Department. Wouldn't it be easier to coordinate if they become one family?" Gao Gong waved his hand and said, "I think we can discuss this matter during the next court meeting."

Zhao Zhenji was speechless. Although Gao Gong's words were vulgar, every word hit the point and was irrefutable.

Li Chunfang's eyes lit up when he heard this. Although Lao Gao was a little too thick and annoying, this method was indeed a good one. This way, he wouldn't have to worry about coordinating river transportation all day.

"And wasn't the sea transportation of grain clearly stated? When the grain transportation is restored, they can only transport 100,000 shi a year. The public instrument is in my hands, so why should I be afraid that they will go back on their word? What is the intention of those who oppose such a thoughtful plan?"

"I'm afraid that by then, I won't be able to come back..." Li Chunfang whispered, "The cost of sea transportation is too low. As time goes by, more and more people will oppose water transport. Even if the canal is opened, it will be useless."

"If people agree, then we can continue shipping. There's no reason for the court to keep sacrificing the people and supporting those parasites!" Gao Gong snorted coldly, "For many years, those parasites have been holding the canal in check, and the court can't move or change them. Whenever they do, they threaten to paralyze the canal and cause the canal workers to rebel, forcing the court to make concessions again and again. This time we should force them. At that time, should we reform the canal and reduce fees, or learn from others to engage in shipping? No matter which choice we make, it's better than just sucking blood like now!"

"Even if there are unexpected situations, we will talk about it when the time comes. Don't do anything just because you are afraid of something!" Gao Gong said, holding his hands on the desk of the Prime Minister, looking at Li Chunfang with disdain, "I have said what I want to say. What do you think, Prime Minister?"

"Yes, that makes sense..." Li Chunfang felt creepy when he was looked at.

"Okay, then please sign your name!" Gao Gong picked up the brush and almost stuffed it into Li Chunfang's hand.

Li Chunfang had no choice but to sign his name as the issuer...