Chapter 484 Inference of Candidates

Ganquan, the official residence of Zhongxiang.

Zhong Yao woke up from his sleep, did some simple chest expansion exercises, swung his arms, and walked out of the house.

Bathed in the golden sunlight, he couldn't help but squint.

He is on a business trip and needs to report in person, which is why he has stayed here until now.

He prefers life in Zhongxiang to Chang'an University Town.

Only by staying here can you obtain first-hand information and have the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction of close contact with the operation of power.

Besides, staying here means I don’t have to deal with disputes at home.

The family's living standards continued to decline, and the conflicts between wives and concubines became increasingly difficult to reconcile.

The key is that their own status has declined and they cannot suppress it.

On the contrary, staying in Ganquan for a longer period of time will help improve his status, which will benefit himself both internally and externally.

Just as he was stretching his body in the morning sun, the chief secretary Yang Guang walked into the courtyard holding a newly printed court bulletin. After seven or eight steps, he said, "Mingsir, this month's court bulletin has been published."

He stepped forward and handed over a volume, saying seriously, "It's just that the handwriting is not as good as the previous two editions."

Zhong Yao took it, spread it out, lowered his head and read, then walked back into the house, not surprised at all: "The Grand Marshal and Grand Historian Wen Gong are away, Zhang Chang's golden book only has 70% of the Grand Marshal's charm, so it's naturally not as good as before."

Looking at the printed words, Zhong Yao narrowed his eyes and said in a serious tone: "The carving is also very rough. It seems that the original carving master was around Sima, but I don't know who made it."

Good carving requires time to develop. In troubled times, it is difficult to make any decent progress just by relying on hobbies.

Therefore, Zhong Yao concluded that the carvers used by the shogunate should be the elderly who survived the previous period of turmoil.

After entering, the two of them sat down one after the other. Yang Guang also spread out the official newspaper in his hand and read it, saying, "The post of governor of Jingzhou is vacant. I heard that Dong Cao intends to recommend Jia Kui from Hedong to take the post."

"Jia Liangdao is indeed a pillar of talent."

Zhong Yao commented, "Liang Mao has returned from Liaodong. If the shogunate can ignore his background, he will be suitable for Jingzhou. These two are good at current affairs and capable, but unfortunately their backgrounds are not good enough."

Liang Mao was from Shanyang County, Yanzhou. He was intercepted by Gongsun Du when he was on his way to take up the post of governor of Lelang County. After Gongsun Du's death, Liang Mao and Bing Yuan and others, at the request of Gongsun Kang, traveled together with hundreds of families, passing through Youzhou, Dai County and Taiyuan and entering Guanzhong.

Yang Guang added: "There is another person who is also suitable for the position, that is Liang Xi from Chen State. However, many people from Chen State are disliked by the Grand Marshal. Although there is discussion about this person in the East Cao, Fu Gan rejected it."

Liang Xi was a native of Zhe County in the State of Chen. In the early years of Jian'an, he was recruited by Cao Cao's Sikong Mansion as a county magistrate. He served in various counties and made political achievements.

After the incident in Xudu, Liang Xi resigned from his official position and returned to his hometown, leading more than a hundred families of his clansmen and fellow villagers to Nanyang, and then took the Wuguan Road to enter Sanfu.

After hearing the news about Liang Xi, Zhong Yao asked, "Who recommended Liang Xi to Dong Cao?"

"He is from the same county as Yuan Yaoqing."

Yang Guang answered immediately, recalling seriously, "I heard that during the September Chrysanthemum Party, Yuan Yaoqing wanted to recommend Liang Xi to the Grand Marshal in person, and was willing to guarantee this person with his own family. If the Grand Marshal marries Cai, this matter may be accomplished."

"Yes, if this marriage is successful, Caixue will surely grow stronger."

Zhong Yao raised his hand and stroked his beard, then fell into deep thought: "If this matter is not settled for a long time, Jia Liangdao's appointment to Jingzhou will inevitably bring about unexpected changes."

Wei Duan, the governor of Liangzhou, basically did not govern Liangzhou. The shogunate appointed a subordinate to concurrently serve as the governor of Liangzhou. The same was true for Bingzhou and Yizhou. Jingzhou could also use a subordinate of the shogunate to serve as the governor of Jingzhou.

The emergence of this Jichujoji strengthened the shogunate's supervision over the states.

Liang Mao was from Shanyang, and behind him were Wang Can, Liu Qi and Yi Ji; behind Liang Xi were Yuan Huan, Cai Xue and his gang.

On the contrary, Jia Kui has a high chance of failing the election because of his unclear relationship with his own Sili Xiaowei Yamen and no powerful person willing to endorse him.

But Jia Kui is not without supporters. Wei Ji in the Shangshu Xingtai will support Jia Kui, a native of Hedong.

The shogunate was just beginning to form. At this time, we had to help our fellow villagers, as they were the most reliable allies. Zhong Yao could not help but reanalyze Black Bear's character. He was not very familiar with Liang Mao and Liang Xi, but he was familiar with Jia Kui.

After reading the court report, Yang Guang found that there was no big discrepancy between what happened in the past and what he remembered. He simply closed the court report and rolled it up again, and said, "Liang Mao is from Shanyang. If he were to lead Jingzhou, he would be from the same hometown as Liu Fubo, and he might be suspected by the shogunate."

"No, you don't know the Grand Marshal. The Grand Marshal trusts Liu Fubo very much. If Liu Fubo was not inconvenient to lead Jingzhou again, the post of governor would have been given to Liu Fubo long ago. With the Grand Marshal's ability, if Liu Fubo wrote a letter, he would not care about the post of governor."

This governor position was very important, symbolizing the representative of a state, and his status in the shogunate was second only to Wei Duan.

At least if there is any joint statement in the future, the ranking of the Jingzhou Governor will definitely be above the generals and county magistrates, and will only lag behind the titular generals and grand marshals.

Zhong Yao really wanted his men to fight for this valuable position, but there was only a small area left in Jingzhou and the power of this position was not great.

But his status is very high, and if he can get it, it will naturally greatly enhance his influence.

Things like influence depend on how others view him.

If he can secure a high post as a provincial governor for his old official, then there will be many people who will curry favor with him and surround him.

Moreover, that was Jingzhou. The four counties in southern Jingzhou were unstable, and military merit for conquering the four counties could be obtained at any time. This could be understood as a position for picking fruits.

Zhong Yao pondered for a long time and then asked, "How is Gao Rou doing recently?"

"Focus on learning, and don't worry about worldly affairs."

Yang Guang replied, and then said: "Among the three auxiliary officials, Fufeng Su Ze also entered the shogunate. This person may become an unexpected person."

There would be no problem at all if a person from Guanzhong were to govern Jingzhou.

As a member of the Hongnong Yang family, Yang Guang would naturally be happy to see Su Ze or the non-official Du Ji being reused.

This is something that can change the ranking of the shogunate's officials. If you fall behind by one step, you will fall behind step by step.

But the problem is also very bleak. There are no powerful families or influential families in Guanzhong anymore. Without their hidden households and loyal followers, their economic capabilities and military strength have been severely weakened.

The emergence of Chang'an University greatly weakened the influence of local scholars and celebrities.

Apart from anything else, Zhang Song has been very strong recently. His photographic memory makes him unique wherever he goes.

If it weren't for Zhang Song's ugly appearance, he would have definitely surpassed Wang Can quickly.

There were too many competitors, so Zhong Yao asked again: "What about the Fufeng She brothers?"

"They have been hiding from the chaos in Shu for a long time. Now that they have returned, they are not recognized by the people in the state."

Yang Guang paused and added, "There is also Pei Mao of Hedong. His son Pei Qian is quite trusted by the Grand Marshal, but the father and son fell out, so Pei Mao was appointed as the Shangshu Xingtai. Otherwise, with Pei Mao's merits and titles, he would be the number one person in the world."

Pei Mao had the military merit of killing three clans of Li Jue, and had the title of Marquis Ting recognized by the court of Xudu. He also served as the Minister of the Chancellery in his early years.

It was people like Pei Mao, Wei Ji and Hua Xin who had experience in the Secretariat who were able to form a prestigious Secretariat.

Upon hearing the news about Pei Mao, Zhong Yao immediately gave up the idea of ​​intervening.

Then he thought about it and asked, "What about Pei Qian? He has been in Jingzhou for a long time and is familiar with local affairs. He is also an old friend of Sima Zihua and Liu Fubo. If he is appointed as the governor of Jingzhou, he will be able to work together with Liu Fubo."

Yang Guang immediately shook his head: "I'm afraid that's not appropriate. Fu Xun's seizure of Liu Fuboji has already displeased the Grand Marshal, so how could he..."

Yang Guang raised his head and looked at Zhong Yao seriously. Zhong Yao smiled and said, "The Grand Marshal is also worried about the change in Jingzhou. He is not familiar with Liang Xi, Liang Mao and others. It seems that Pei Wen should be the one to do it."

Yang Guang nodded slightly upon hearing this: "That should be the case. I will find time to visit Pei Wenxing and make friends with him."

Zhong Yao smiled, rolled up the newspaper, stood up and went to the clothes rack to get his outer robe: "Let's go and have dinner together."

(End of this chapter)