Zhao Jiu ultimately refrained from losing his temper at the newly appointed Jinshi scholars. At his core and on the surface, he still valued reason… Moreover, he had just shared his innermost thoughts with Yue Fei and Zhang Rong, clarifying that while the matter originated from a son-in-law selection, the potential underlying conflict lay in the separation of civil and military affairs.

How could he possibly vent his anger on someone who was, rare as it was, even younger than himself?

From this perspective, Zhao Guan Jia seemed to understand the importance of things.

Therefore, Yu Yunwen not only avoided a scolding but also escaped being beheaded outside the Great Xiangguo Temple. Instead, under the watchful eyes of a commanding officer with real power, he found himself enjoying the breeze in the courtyard with the Emperor and two Jiedushi (military governors), sipping on a new beverage developed by the Great Xiangguo Temple. The Emperor called it "Iced Rock Sugar Pear Throat Soother" and used the opportunity to make some small talk.

At this time, due to the presence of the Emperor, everyone was somewhat cautious in their speech. Only the new Jinshi, still young and hailing from Sichuan for the first time, and also experiencing his first taste of Iced Rock Sugar Pear, seemed unusually excited and candid, speaking his mind without reservation.

One could only say that he was, after all, young.

However, communication was both necessary and effective. Since both sides were so aware of the bigger picture, things became much easier to handle.

Finally, under the Emperor's repeated hints and questioning, it was confirmed that the new Jinshi's "parents' orders" were not an excuse. He seemed genuinely to be a "mama's boy." Consequently, it was decided to have him stay there overnight and stage a polite and respectful scene at the gate of the Great Xiangguo Temple the next day, after which everyone would leave, never to bother each other again.

Zhao Guan Jia didn't linger either. After instructing the monks of the Great Xiangguo Temple to prepare some "Iced Rock Sugar Pears" to take back to the palace, he directly took his leave.

The day passed without incident. The next day, thanks to Yu Yunwen's "safe retreat," the matter seemed to fade away, adding only a bit of comic relief to this year's extremely successful imperial examination. It certainly didn't create the earth-shattering sensation that Hu Quan's article had.

However, it was on this very day that the young Emperor suddenly claimed illness and failed to appear at the Qionglin Banquet, which he was supposed to host.

Initially, the chief ministers didn't pay much attention, assuming that the Emperor was simply having another bout of illness… of course, this "illness" referred to a mental one. He had experienced it once before during the sacrifices at the Eight Mausoleums of Luoyang; it was a recurring problem.

After all, Zhao Guan Jia was just a young man in his early twenties. It was normal for him to feel unhappy sometimes and have minor disagreements with his ministers. He would get over it in a few days, wouldn't he?

However, another day passed. On the fourteenth day of the eighth month, the newly appointed Jinshi were to be officially granted their positions. Zhao Guan Jia remained holed up in the Yanfu Palace, only sending out two slips of paper through the Grand Supervisor Lan Gui.

One slip instructed the various military commissioners to return to their respective defense zones after the Mid-Autumn Festival and to be cautious about the autumn defenses… which was entirely appropriate. The other slip was a special decree appointing Hu Quan as a Compiler of the Privy Council and Yu Yunwen and Hu Hong as Recording Officers… he didn't even interfere with the appointments of the Zhuangyuan (top scorer) and the two Bangyan (second and third top scorers).

At this point, the chief ministers of the Department of State Affairs and the Privy Council learned from Lan Gui that Zhao Guan Jia was truly ill, having been listless for two consecutive days, even abandoning archery and calligraphy.

This finally alarmed the chief ministers… With the heir gone, Zhao Guan Jia was, after all, the only remaining direct descendant. Although it was just a minor illness, what if it lingered? Moreover, now that the imperial examination was over, the military commissioners were about to take their posts, and tomorrow, the fifteenth day of the eighth month, was the Mid-Autumn Festival, after which would be the so-called "post-autumn" period, when they should be especially vigilant to defend against the Jin. How could they not take precautions?

Therefore, the First Minister Lu Haowen and the three chief ministers, after a brief discussion in the Capital Hall diagonally across from the Xuande Tower, immediately jointly submitted a memorial, citing the wartime autumn defenses and the Nanyang incident as precedents, hoping to reinstate the former custom of chief ministers taking turns guarding the palace at night.

Upon receiving the memorial, Zhao Jiu immediately dispatched Lan Gui from the palace to respond, saying that the three chief ministers had to handle military and state affairs in the Department of State Affairs and the Privy Council and would also have to take turns guarding the palace every three days, which would be too much of a burden… If there was an issue, they might as well have the Six Ministers rotate to guard the palace.

This statement was somewhat absurd!

Political traditions and the political power structure were in place. The chief ministers were, after all, chief ministers, while the ministers were just ministers. If there was a truly important matter, even six ministers plus a censor-in-chief wouldn't be as useful as one prime minister.

The chief ministers had the power to deliberate on state affairs and make decisions at crucial moments. Moreover, the court and the country recognized these decisions. In contrast, the censor-in-chief was only called a "half-prime minister" because they had a certain right to criticize and restrain the chief ministers. The Six Ministers were even more irrelevant.

The matter was of great importance, so the three chief ministers quickly jointly submitted a hastily written memorial, directly pointing out the Emperor's error and asking Lan Da Guan to return it.

Zhao Guan Jia acknowledged his mistake and immediately sent Lan Da Guan back again, agreeing to the chief ministers' suggestion of rotating to guard the palace. However, the Emperor also pointed out that they could appropriately add a Deputy Commissioner of the Privy Council to alleviate the burden.

This time, because he was ill, he wouldn't directly nominate someone but asked the chief ministers, along with the important officials of the Department of State Affairs and the Privy Council, to immediately discuss and decide on a suitable candidate… but they had to be quick because tomorrow was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and then it would be "post-autumn."

Hearing this, the chief ministers understood that the Emperor might be truly unwell, but he was also feigning illness.

However, understanding this, the three ministers were unlikely to give up this opportunity… because it was about recommending a chief minister.

Politics was about personnel, and this was the highest level of personnel matter, whether it was public or private, it concerned the fundamental.

However, the matter ultimately had to be approved by Zhao Guan Jia, so they had to do their best to recommend someone from their own ranks who could be recognized by the Emperor or, rather, find someone they most approved of within the Emperor's ranks.

In short, that was the idea.

"What a pity."

Tomorrow was the Mid-Autumn Festival, but the Privy Councilor Wang Boyan sat alone in his study, staring at a blank memorial draft all night, rarely moving. This also forced his newly engaged son-in-law Zhao Boyao and his son Wang Yi to sit idly by for half a day, without enjoying any family time.

"If Your Excellency truly has no candidate, why not do a favor or find someone the Emperor likes most to recommend?" Zhao Boyao, who had already been appointed as the Vice Prefect of Ruzhou, hesitated for a moment and cautiously suggested. Because they hadn't formally married yet, he was only engaged, so the new Zhuangyuan respectfully addressed his future father-in-law as "Your Excellency."

"That's not what I mean."

Wang Boyan sighed deeply. "After the Kang Li and Huang Qianshan case, I have been able to remain in the Privy Council for so long, which is already a great favor from the Emperor. How could I still deliberately seek my own influence, angering the Emperor and my colleagues? It's just that I suddenly remembered someone, and it's such a pity, so I sighed..."

Zhao Boyao naturally didn't understand, but Wang Yi's heart stirred, and then he realized, "Father, are you regretting your senior apprentice?"

"Yes, if your senior apprentice were here, his qualifications, knowledge, ability, and character would all be a good opportunity to promote a prime minister..." Wang Boyan nodded slightly, then stroked his beard and shook his head. "I still remember when I was young and my family was poor, I was favored by Magistrate Wang from my hometown. He built an academy in the county, specifically asking me, who was preparing for the examination, to go to the academy so that I could supplement my family's income. Your senior apprentice happened to be Magistrate Wang's nephew, so he was specially brought to the small academy to study with me. At that time, some people sighed that this small courtyard would produce two prime ministers in the future... Now, I have become a prime minister, but your senior apprentice is still lingering in the north, suffering who knows what kind of hardship?"

Zhao Boyao was puzzled for a moment, so he looked at his brother-in-law.

Wang Yi was straightforward: "This person is Qin Hui, Qin Hui Zhi, the leading advocate of war during the Jingkang period, the Censor-in-Chief... During the Jingkang Incident, in order to uphold his integrity as an official, he was taken prisoner by the Jin army."

Speaking of this, Wang Yi paused slightly and added, "I don't know about other things, but at least when I was redeemed by my father last year, he and many ministers and noble children who accompanied the two Emperors on their northern journey were all missing."

Zhao Boyao was already filled with respect.

This was of course the case... You see, during the Jingkang Shame, those taken north were not just the two Emperors and the imperial family, many noble children and ministers in Dongjing were also taken prisoner by the Jin.

And these were all implicitly recognized as models of integrity.

Otherwise?

Should they be treated as Song traitors?

Those captured ministers, some of the more intense ones who knew what the Jin people were like, certainly ended their lives early, such as Liu Ge's father, Liu Ge, the Chief Drafter of the Privy Council; some initially held a glimmer of hope, but chose to die violently after being deceived in the Jin camp, such as Li Ruoshui, the brother of the Hanlin Academician Li Ruopo; but those who upheld their integrity and followed the two Emperors to the north were undoubtedly loyal ministers!

If these weren't considered loyal ministers, then what about Zhang Shuye, who died in Baigou after being captured? How would he be defined?

Did it mean that only those who died before crossing the national border were loyal and martyred ministers, and those who died after crossing, or those who never died, were Song traitors?

Those who stayed behind didn't have the face to say such things.

Moreover, Qin Hui was a recognized leader of the pro-war faction before he left. When the Jin army demanded ceding territory, the chief ministers couldn't reach a consensus, so Emperor Yuan Sheng asked the officials in the capital to gather and discuss publicly. Qin Hui and more than thirty others firmly opposed, while Fan Zongyin, the Drafter of the Secretariat who was now sitting safely in the capital and seemed to have a bright future, and more than seventy others agreed.

Afterwards, Qin Hui was promoted to Censor-in-Chief, further solidifying his position as the leader of the pro-war young and middle-aged faction.

That wasn't all. After the Jingkang Incident occurred and the two Emperors were detained in the Jin camp, Ma Shen (now the Pacification Commissioner of Hubei), who was just a censor under Qin Hui, initiated a joint request from many loyal ministers, asking the Jin to release the Zhao Song clan and still have the Zhao family as emperor. The leaders were Qin Hui and Zhang Shuye.

This was an even greater achievement and evidence of loyalty.

It could be said that as long as there was no news of his surrender, he would be a model for all the young scholars in the country.

Returning to the present, Wang Boyan thought of his beloved disciple suffering in the north, and he thought of how upright he was during the Jingkang period, and he almost shed tears... If this person were here, why would the Emperor attract the likes of Zhang Jun and Hu Yin as confidants, and why would he struggle so hard without allies?

Even the overall situation of the country would be three points better, right?

However, wasn't the person not back yet? Wasn't his life or death unknown?

But no matter what, he had to do something, so after sighing and mourning for a long time, Privy Councilor Wang finally calmed down and prepared a list of candidates... He picked up a pen and wrote many names on a blank sheet of paper in front of him.

The first was Chen Gui, the Minister of War and Prefect of Kaifeng;

The second was Li Guang, the Censor-in-Chief;

The third was Zhu Shengfei, the Minister of Rites;

The fourth was Wang Shu, the new Minister of Justice, who had returned from the Guanzhong region;

The fifth was Zhang Jun, the former Censor-in-Chief and the current Transportation Commissioner of the five routes in Sichuan and Shaanxi;

The sixth was Zhao Ding, the Transportation Commissioner of Lianghuai;

The seventh was Ma Shen, the Pacification Commissioner of Hubei;

The eighth was Lin Qi, the Minister of Revenue;

The ninth was Liang Yangzu, the Transport Commissioner of Jiangnan, who oversaw the tea and salt affairs in the southeast;

The tenth was Lin Jingmo, the Hanlin Academician;

The eleventh was Fan Zongyin, a senior Drafter of the Secretariat;

The twelfth was Liu Ziyu, a senior official of the Privy Council, who led the Directorate of Personnel and was the Chief Drafter;

The thirteenth was Yan Xiaozhong, the Prefect of Nanyang;

The fourteenth was the veteran general Lu Qin, Yue Fei's former commander and Zong Ze's former subordinate...

After exhausting his thoughts and writing down the names, Wang Boyan discussed with his son and son-in-law, saying a name and discussing its shortcomings. If it was truly unsuitable, they would remove the name... His son and son-in-law naturally understood what he meant.

"What about Minister Chen?" Wang Boyan asked solemnly, pointing to the first name. "This person is the Six Ministers with the highest military achievements, his ability to understand military affairs is unparalleled among the important ministers, and he is also a confidant of the Emperor."

"He has too many concurrent positions." Wang Yi said seriously. "Minister of War and Prefect of Kaifeng, the former is in charge of logistics, military supplies, and armaments, and the latter is in charge of the defense of the capital. These are important responsibilities that cannot be easily relinquished at this time. If he takes these two positions as a Privy Councilor, he would have too much authority."

Wang Boyan nodded slowly, and he knew that his son also had something unsaid... that was, if Chen Gui took these two concurrent positions as the Deputy Commissioner of the Privy Council, then even if he didn't have Lu Yihao's personality, he would have Lu Yihao's actual power. Wouldn't he, Wang Xiang Gong, be bullied again in the Privy Council?

"Prefect Chen is a Mingfa graduate, and..." The new Zhuangyuan also carefully offered some opinions, but as soon as he said one reason, his father-in-law had already acted.

"I almost forgot about this." Wang Boyan raised his hand and pointed at Chen Gui's name. "Mingfa is really too low."

Zhao Boyao and Wang Yi nodded in unison... During the Song Dynasty, the Mingfa科 (Law) only tested forty articles of Mo Yi (explaining the meaning of a text) and a bit of the minor classics. Its status was the lowest of all the subjects. Although Chen Gui was a civil official, his status in the imperial examinations was probably even lower than Qu Duan's. It was only the times that made him a hero. Otherwise, the Minister of War and Prefect of Kaifeng would only have been a magistrate for his entire life.

In a word, it was a fatal flaw!

"What about Censor Li?" Wang Boyan continued to ask without looking up.

"Li Tai had just been promoted to Censor." Wang Yi smiled wryly. "Moreover, this person is a close confidant of Li Gang. After Li Gang resigned, appointing Li Guang as Censor-in-Chief and Li Gang's third brother, Li Jing, as a Censor, is already a great comfort and magnanimity from the Emperor towards the Li Gang faction... How could they possibly take another step forward?"

"That's right." Wang Boyan also laughed. "Not to mention that it is already benevolent and righteous of the Emperor to allow the Li Gang faction to hold this position, how could Prime Minister Lu (Lu Haowen) and Envoy Lu (Lu Yihao) tolerate these people taking a further step? For the same reason, Minister Lin Qi's position will not be considered."

As he spoke, Wang Privy Councilor pointed at Li Guang's name and directly drew a horizontal line under Lin Qi's name.

At the same time, the new Zhuangyuan finally understood why his father-in-law had asked him to sit here and wither... This was clearly to give him a lesson before he took office, to clarify some situations. His brother-in-law, because he had been captured by the Jin and secretly redeemed by his father-in-law, would be difficult to be re-appointed in the short term and would probably be dedicated to assisting his father-in-law, so he came specifically to explain things to him.

At this thought, Zhao Boyao couldn't help but sit up straight.

"What about Zhu Shengfei?" Wang Boyan continued to ask impatiently.

"Minister Zhu is a good candidate, but unfortunately, he is a person in Envoy Lu's inner circle." Wang Yi blurted out. "This is the only concern."

Wang Boyan nodded, drew a circle around Zhu Shengfei's name, and then continued to ask: "What about Minister of Justice Wang Shu?"

"His qualifications and status are sufficient, but he is a defeated general, and he has also just taken office... It is a pity about the previous Minister of Justice, Quan Bangyan, but there is no way to deal with mourning leave, and there is no time."

Wang Boyan's expression remained unchanged, he just pointed at Wang Shu's name, and then calmly asked again:

"Zhang Jun and Zhao Ding, is there a possibility?"

"These two will be appointed prime ministers sooner or later, but it is definitely too late right now." Wang Yi said quickly. "After the Mid-Autumn Festival, we will probably have to pay close attention to the Jin's movements. The various commissioners, marshals, and prefects are unlikely to be considered by the Emperor."

Wang Boyan nodded, drew horizontal lines under the names of Zhang Jun, Zhao Ding, Ma Shen, Liang Yangzu, and Yan Xiaozhong in one breath, and then asked:

"What about Lin Jingmo?"

"He is slightly young, but that is the only issue." Wang Yi answered fluently.

Privy Councilor Wang nodded repeatedly, but then drew a circle around the name of the young Lin Xue Shi, and at the same time drew a horizontal line under the names of Fan Zongyin and Liu Ziyu:

"Among the few junior and younger officials in the capital, if Lin Xue Shi is not feasible, then no one else is."

The new Zhuangyuan and his brother-in-law both nodded heavily in unison.

"Lu Qin..." Wang Boyan looked at the last name, and as soon as he said it, he couldn't help but laugh and actively crossed out the name. "It's not to that point yet, but it should be written out and then crossed out."

The two sitting beside him were silent.

"So, it's between Minister Zhu and Xue Shi Lin?" Wang Yi asked softly.

Wang Boyan looked at the list and nodded.

Wang Yi was also relieved for a moment: "Two people are enough. Since Father has no intention, just write both of their names and send them up, and let the Emperor choose himself."

Wang Boyan nodded again, but did not move his pen for a long time.

After a long while, he said frankly: "If that were the case, why would the Emperor drag it out until today to ask? If he favored these two, he would have directly appointed them when Envoy Lu went south."

Speaking of this, to the slight surprise and shock of Wang Yi and Zhao Boyao, Privy Councilor Wang actually crossed out both the young Lin Xue Shi and Zhu Shengfei, and found another piece of paper, rewriting the names of Li Guang, Chen Gui, and Wang Shu.

Not only that, but Wang Boyan actually asked the two juniors seriously: "Have Censor Li, Minister Chen, or Minister Wang had any impropriety recently? Or have they had any small flaws in private, or have there been any omissions in their actions?"

Zhao Boyao hesitated, but still opened his mouth under the encouraging gazes of his father-in-law and brother-in-law: "Your Excellency, I wanted to say just now that Minister Chen has encountered a case recently."

"...?"

"Wang Zhi, a native of De'an Prefecture, a direct descendant of the literary giant Ouyang Xiu, and the son-in-law of the former Prime Minister Zeng Bu, recently accused Minister Chen, saying that Minister Chen, who was the Prefect of De'an at the time, took away 40,000 volumes of his books in the chaos under the pretext of avoiding disaster, and has not returned them to this day. He could no longer bear it, so he appealed to the Ministry of Justice... Wang Shu, who had just arrived, simply sent a letter to mediate, but Chen Gui claimed that the 40,000 volumes of books were all lost in De'an Prefecture and Nanyang Prefecture." Zhao Boyao quickly said carefully. "This matter was much discussed before, but it was disrupted by the murder of Wang Xie, and it was temporarily suppressed... Everyone knows that Chen Gui stole Wang's 40,000 volumes of books."

"My son also knows about this matter." Wang Yi also pondered. "It is said that in private, Chen Gui also scolded, saying that Wang Zhi was incompetent, and that 40,000 volumes of books were just gathering dust in the Wang family, and that they would only be useful in his hands... People in the capital are discussing that Chen Gui used trickery to seize them, and that he really stole 40,000 volumes of books, and that he lacks the capacity."

Wang Boyan was stunned for a long time, but suddenly sneered: "How can you say it's stealing when it comes to scholars? Moreover, even if it's not enough to be a Deputy Commissioner of the Privy Council, can't he be a Signatory Official of the Privy Council?"

After speaking, the Xi Fu prime minister directly opened the memorial and carefully filled in Chen Gui, the Minister of War from the Mingfa 科 who had done thievery, on the recommendation letter that had already been written.

After writing, Wang Xiang Gong felt relieved.

At this time, Wang Yi was already contemplating, but the new Zhuangyuan couldn't bear it in a daze: "Was the Emperor's original intention to have Your Excellency and the two from the Department of State Affairs vouch together and recommend Minister Chen?"

"That's right, but it's not just that." Wang Boyan turned to face his son-in-law, stroked his beard and sighed. "Based on the Emperor's current power, he would have promoted him if he really wanted to. The fact that he went around in a circle and asked us to recommend him cannot be explained by just saying he wants to cherish his feathers."

"Please enlighten me, Your Excellency." Zhao Boyao became more earnest.

"I dare to guess that the Emperor should have originally hesitated between Quan Bangyan and Chen Gui, and since Quan Shang Shu is in mourning, then Chen Shang Shu should have been decided, and he will be in charge of the defense of Tokyo." Wang Boyan said seriously. "As for this arrangement, it is because there have been no wars in the capital for seven or eight months, and people are thinking about peace, and the Emperor is afraid that we will insist on precedents and rules, but neglect the overall military situation, so he made a point of going around in a circle to remind us... I say, three points of the Emperor's illness are due to Chen Shang Shu not cultivating himself and giving people a handle for nothing, but seven points are due to the revival of old customs in the court, forgetting that the Jin are coming. Shi Yan (Zhao Boyao's courtesy name)!"

"Your subordinate is here." Zhao Boyao was startled.

"When you go to Ruzhou this time, you must not talk about empty customs and ceremonies, but prioritize the overall situation of resisting the Jin in everything... If there is anything inappropriate, I hope you can learn from my student Qin Hui and be a person of integrity!" Wang Boyan reminded heavily. "Don't forget that you are the first Zhuangyuan personally appointed by the Emperor since he ascended the throne, and you are also a member of the imperial family! National hatred and family hatred are all in one thought!"

Zhao Boyao stood up solemnly and gave a respectful salute.

At almost the same time, in the Department of State Affairs Prime Minister's residence, Prime Minister Lu Haowen, sitting alone in his study, looked at the words Chen Gui circled again and again in front of him, and also sighed slightly, and then began to write a letter of recommendation.

The next day, the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the Mid-Autumn Festival, the three chief ministers each submitted memorials, citing the Jin's possible southward invasion after autumn, the complex military affairs in the capital, and the vacancy in the Privy Council, each recommending candidates to guard the Privy Council... Prime Minister Lu Haowen of the Department of State Affairs and Deputy Commissioner of the Privy Council Wang Boyan both exclusively recommended Minister of War and Prefect of Kaifeng Chen Gui, and Vice Prime Minister Xu Jingheng of the Department of State Affairs jointly recommended Hanlin Academician Lin Jingmo, Minister of Rites Zhu Shengfei, and Minister of War Chen Gui.

The Emperor, who was still ill, followed the popular opinion, saying that the will of the people could not be violated and that military affairs were serious, and directly issued an edict, taking Chen Gui as the Signatory Official of the Privy Council, and reinstating the old example of Nanyang, implementing martial law throughout the city, moving the Department of State Affairs and the Privy Council to the Chongwen Hall in the palace, and having the chief ministers rotate to guard the palace at night to be consulted.

That afternoon, the Department of State Affairs and the Privy Council each issued signed orders, which were issued to the whole city through the Kaifeng Prefecture... The Department of State Affairs advised civilians, women and children that if they had relatives to rely on in the south, they might as well leave the capital, but young and strong military dependents had to have an approval from the Kaifeng Prefecture and were not allowed to leave at will, and were not allowed to carry military supplies and provisions; the Privy Council announced that all industries in the city would be incorporated into military control immediately, and if there was a military need, demolition of houses and requisitioning would not be resisted, and all the young and strong men in the city would be registered for call-up!

With the edicts and orders issued, the whole city was shocked. The population of Tokyo, which had been expanding, suddenly stagnated, and even showed a backflow... In a trance, the prosperity of the previous half year was like a mirage.

The next day, after the military commissioners of the various routes bid farewell to the Emperor, who had somewhat recovered in the Yanfu Palace, they each led their personal soldiers and left Tokyo City in full armor, and returned to their respective defense zones.

The state of war preparedness was no longer concealed.