At night, snowflakes floated up in the sky. Sang Jun took a carriage to Yinghou's mansion in the center of Qili.

As the residence of the imperial prime minister and the residence of Yinghou, it is now the most important place in Chang'an City.

Not only are there too many guards, but there are many sentries.

The road in front of the mansion was widened hundreds of steps, forming a square.

Even though it was already night, there were still many officials waiting in line in front of the Prime Minister's mansion.

Moreover, most people can only be allowed to enter the Prime Minister's residence, give gifts, and get a few words from the Prime Minister's retainers.

Even so, those who line up here all night are still like crucian carp cars across the river.

Who said that the power of the Han Empire today is concentrated in the prime minister alone?

The so-called twelve ministers and officials are in charge of affairs, as long as the prime minister speaks, it will be a final decision!

The civil and military officials in the world have already expressed their position except the prime minister, and we do not recognize others.

Last year, Gongsun Yi, Hou of Xiangwu, passed away, and the position of Shaofu Qing was left empty.

According to the system formulated by the Prime Minister himself, if there is a lack of governance, three people must be nominated from qualified candidates to provide the election of two thousand stones in the world.

This is called retro, which follows the laws of the previous kings and recommends the wise and capable.

But facing the pie falling from Tianshan Mountain, the civil and military ministers all over the world said: We will not choose anyone except the person nominated by the Prime Minister.

When the prime minister heard this, he said he was sick and guarded his family.

It was not until the ministers came to visit each other again and again that they came out to look after the government.

He nominated the left supervisor of the Shaofu and general Ding Yan as the master craftsman.

So, in the vote that month, the candidates nominated by the Prime Minister received 99% of the votes.

The only vote to vote for other candidates comes from the Great Honglu Yu Jiyan.

But who doesn’t know that Yu Jiyan is the Prime Minister’s voice worm?

Therefore, it is no wonder that some people in the people say: The twelve rulers are just one minister.

As the son of the Grand Secretary and the old subordinate of the Prime Minister, Sang Jun naturally had preferential treatment.

As soon as he handed out the greeting letter, someone came out to greet him, and the one who came to welcome him was Tian Miao, the most beloved retainer next to the Prime Minister.

Today’s Tianmiao is not comparable to that of the city just now.

He was thirty years old, with long beards, wearing a Jinxian crown, a cotton coat, and a fox fur around his neck. He looked rich and had a majestic manner.

"Mr. Sang... The lord ordered me to ask you to wait in the side hall..." Tian Miao bowed to Sang Jun and said.

"The Prime Minister has a distinguished guest?" Sang Jun asked.

"The Linzi Hou is here..." Tian Miao did not hide it and said directly: "So, I can only let Gong Ming wait..."

Sang Jun listened and immediately expressed his understanding.

only……

"I heard that Linzi Hou has been recuperating in Ganquan Palace..." Sang Jun asked cautiously: "But what's the important thing?"

Xin Wuling, the Marquis of Linzi, is one of the twelve ministers who are in power today.

He is also the right-hand man of the current Chenggong's coup in recent years.

It’s a pity that he led his army south to suppress the rebellion, and was injured by the trap. He was also old, so he had been recuperating in Ganquan Palace since the fourth year of Yongshi.

The general of Beihai Tower Ship and the governor of the Beihai Governor's Office who he served as was actually just a name. The one who actually controlled Beihai Tower Ship and the governor of the Beihai Governor's Office was the Bie Jiao Gong Yu sent by the Prime Minister.

This new Fengling, which was the old year, is now the new generation who is most likely to be nominated for the ruling minister in the Han Dynasty in the future.

"It's not for his nephew Xin Qingji..." Tian Miao sighed: "The next generation of Xin's family in Longyou, except for the lieutenant of the Lou Ship, is not the only one who can do it..."

"Now, Captain Xin has lost news for several months, so Linzi Hou is of course anxious..."

"In the past few days, Linzi Hou has come to see the Prime Minister three times in a row..."

Sang Jun listened, thinking.

The Beihai Louchuan General's Mansion and the Beihai Governor's Mansion are actually one yamen and two-branded institutions.

This prime minister was founded in Korea in the first year of Yongshi. The official office in Liaodong was originally only a agency responsible for fishing and shipbuilding.

Later, in the second and third years of Yongshi, he gained the power to conquer Beihai and North Korea and rebellious officials from Liaodong.

In the fourth year of Yongshi, the ruling minister, Xin Wuling, was appointed as the commander, and the official office was upgraded to the level of the Nine Ministers, because in that year, the Prime Minister asked someone to bring the newly cast bronze cannons onto the ship's ship.

And in the following two years, dozens of giant ships that could carry at least thirty three-inch guns were developed, designed and manufactured, named gunboats.

And these gunboats are all assigned to the command of the Beihai Tower General.

Therefore, the Beihai Tower Ship General became the first official in the Han Dynasty to destroy the country by relying solely on warships.

Although Sang Jun has been away over the years, he also heard that the Prime Minister intends to separate the tower ship from the jurisdiction of the General's Office in the future, making it an independent operation and independent accounting institution.

In other words, in the future, the General of the Beihai Louchuan and the Governor of the Beihai Governor's Office, and even the newly-established Nanhai Louchuan General's Office, will have the possibility of becoming a new ruling minister.

Not replacement, but increase.

The number of ruling ministers was increased from the number of twelve to thirteen, fourteen or even more.

Naturally, the office of the building and ship office and marine affairs have become hot spots in the Han Dynasty.

Many students who graduated from the school had their heads sharpened and wanted to drill into the building. If they really couldn't do it, they sought the identity of a Chinese envoy, drove a small boat, sailed out of the sea, and found a place to make achievements.

From Funan to south, from Fusang to west, and even along the Black Water to east, deep into the barren ice fields.

The Xin Wuling family, as the first family to enjoy the sweetness, naturally refused to let go of this treasure land.

Therefore, last year, after the Prime Minister heard that a maritime merchant discovered the traces of the Xiongnu moving westward at the other end of the sea south of Funan, he ordered a captain gunboat from the Beihai Tower ship to explore the place directed by the maritime merchant.

Xin Qingji, the beloved nephew of Linzi Hou, recommended himself and volunteered to carry out this task.

After all, it is all for the family foundation.

However, the sea is full of wind and waves, and it is unpredictable. Even near the sea, there are examples of ships and people being killed by storms.

What's more, going to the sea of ​​thousands of miles?

"If Linzi Hou lost this nephew, I'm afraid that the Xin family in Longyou will have no successor..." Sang Jun sighed in his heart.

As one of the twelve consuls, Xin Wuling, the family of Linzi Hou, was naturally stripped of all the gossipers in the Han Dynasty.

Like his father Sang Hongyang, the Xin family in Longyou was also incompetent after Xin Wuling, and was unable to succeed.

Xin Wuling's seven sons, except for two concubines in Lingju and Hehuang Tuokening and farming, the other five sons were frequent visitors of the Tingwei Yamen, especially his eldest son, who was too naughty and was personally ordered by the prime minister to carry out the Liaodong investigation.

The only thing that can be used by the Xin family is Xin Qingji from the Lou Chuan Yamen.

Sang Jun had seen that young man, a few years younger than him, but he was quite alert. Even the Prime Minister liked him very much, often called him the word "彩" and wrote letters to encourage him to work hard for the country on the boat.

Thinking of this in mind, Sang Jun, under the guidance of Tian Miao, came to the side hall of Yinghou’s mansion.

Tian Miao ordered people to bring wine and summoned a team of Western Region singers to dance to relieve their boredom.

After a while, Sang Jun saw it and many people walked out of the main hall.

The figure of the prime minister is in the list.

Next to the prime minister, an elderly minister with a crutch kept bowing, which was Xin Wuling, the Marquis of Linzi.

Judging from his expression, the ruling man seemed very happy and laughed out loud from time to time.

When Sang Jun saw it, his heart moved. At this moment, Tian Miao also came to invite him to visit the Prime Minister.

So Sang Jun asked, "Duke Tian, ​​is there good news from Linzi Hou?"

"Yes!" Tian Miao also laughed: "The eight hundred miles of emergency report just sent from Fan Yu: The fleet sent by the Annan Protectorate Office met more than 30 treasure ships in Dulan that were ordered by the Chief Xin to transport treasures back... He said that the Chief was already poisoned and encountered the King of Huangzhi who was not a minister, killed the Han envoy and humiliated the emperor. The Chief of the Chief of the People's Republic of China for the Spring and Autumn Period, and used great punishment to destroy the city and kill the king, his country, and obtained the gold and silver hidden in his treasure house, so he ordered his people to return home... and even sent a chart..."

"Oh..." Sang Jun nodded: "That's good..."

But I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

Because, now, he has understood.

Today's Han Dynasty's power structure is gradually moving towards an era where the prime minister is the core and all ministers jointly uphold their rule.

Although the Prime Minister is just a word, the twelve ruling ministers are not much different.

Status, authority, and influence are all equivalent to those of the prime minister before Yanhe.

It even went wrong. After all, the emperor was the final judge back then, and no matter how the ministers did, they could only obey.

However, now, the ministers discuss politics and vote.

The Prime Minister never used his power to reject any collective resolution.

This means that the ruling minister has the same right to speak.

Therefore, the ruling minister has the absolute right to speak in his respective fields and affairs.

For example, the Tingwei is directly independent of all the official offices, and no one can interfere in the law enforcement and trial except the prime minister.

The same is true for the Grand Secretary and the Salt and Iron Bureau controlled by his father.
To be continued...