The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 413

What they need is time. With just a few months of downtime, they can do a lot and place many people in positions of power.

Although the current situation in the court is not very clear, there are actually patterns to follow.

As the Grand Secretary, Yang Yiqing basically doesn't care about anything anymore. No matter what they do, Yang Yiqing will just turn a blind eye.

Within the cabinet, Yang Shen alone would not be a match for them. After all, Yang Shen was alone and currently only a lone minister. His influence mainly came from the support of the emperor and Zhou Chu.

Now that Zhou Chu is in trouble and seems unable to do anything in the short term, Yang Shen has lost most of his influence.

As for Han Jie, the Minister of Personnel, they didn't take him seriously at all. Xia Yan could easily control Han Jie, let alone the old foxes like Mao Ji and Xie Qian in the cabinet.

In Zhangjia Village, after receiving the imperial edict from the capital, Zhou Chu glanced at Chen Zhao beside him.

"Send someone to Suzhou Prefecture to tell Lord Yan to come here when he has time."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhao dared not delay and immediately sent a messenger on horseback to deliver a letter to Yan Song.

Upon receiving Chen Zhao's letter, Yan Song broke out in a cold sweat. He immediately realized a serious problem: since his reinstatement, he had been busy promoting the performance evaluation system and had not yet visited Lord Zhou.

Upon realizing this, Yan Song could no longer sit still. He dared not sit in the sedan chair anymore, and instead rode a fast horse, leading a group of guards, straight to Shaoxing.

At this moment, Yan Song dared not relax in the slightest. He knew very well that there were countless people in Jiangnan who wanted him dead.

There are several ways to stop the performance evaluation system, the most direct and effective of which is to kill Yan Song. This would greatly delay the implementation of the system, and once it is delayed, it is hard to say whether it can be implemented at all.

In officialdom, the worst thing is procrastination. Once it's dragged out, big problems can be turned into small ones, and small problems can be ignored.

However, Jiangnan Province today is not the same as it was a year ago. After Zhou Chu's purge a year ago, officials and gentry in Jiangnan Province are much more timid and no longer act as recklessly as before.

They wanted to take action against Yan Song, but they were afraid that if they actually killed Yan Song, they would face an even more intense purge from Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Zhou Chu is currently in Shaoxing, seemingly recuperating from his injuries. They are trying their best not to disturb him. Under these circumstances, even if someone wanted to take action against Yan Song, they would be stopped by others.

Yan Song rode at breakneck speed, not caring whether his horse was alive or dead. He even felt like his body was about to fall apart from the jolting. Finally, he arrived at the entrance of Zhangjia Village.

At this point, Yan Song's horse was already dehydrated from running at full power continuously. After Yan Song dismounted, the horse lay down on the ground, clearly beyond saving.

Yan Song couldn't care less about that now. He arrived at the village entrance and saw the Xuanwu Army on duty.

"My name is Yan Song, and I request an audience with Lord Zhou."

Yan Song endured the discomfort of his body, which felt like it was about to fall apart, and said.

Upon hearing this, the two Xuanwu soldiers guarding the village entrance exchanged a glance but did not immediately allow passage.

"Wait a moment, I'll go and inform them."

After speaking, one of the Xuanwu soldiers turned and entered Zhangjia Village.

Yan Song waited at the village entrance for a long time. His body was already feeling unwell from the long journey, but he stood there for almost half an hour before the Xuanwu Army soldiers who had gone in finally came out.

Zhou Chu deliberately wanted to put Yan Song out of the cold, not to show off his own power, but mainly to warn Yan Song and prevent him from becoming too arrogant in the future.

Moreover, given Zhou Chu's current status, he can't do many things as he pleases. For example, Yan Song didn't come to find him immediately after being released from prison. In Zhou Chu's personal opinion, this was nothing, since Yan Song was going to implement the performance evaluation system.

However, as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Zhou Chu's actions were inappropriate. Yan Song was promoted by Zhou Chu himself. If he did not respect Zhou Chu, it would be a very dangerous signal. What would others think and do after receiving this signal?

In officialdom, many things are not simple matters; they must be viewed in context. Therefore, how to do many things is often beyond one's control.

Even Zhou Chu can only act within the rules and to the fullest extent possible, without directly breaking the rules.

Whether it was using Japanese pirates or rebels, the bottom line was that they didn't want to directly break the rules and sever ties.

If you are in officialdom, you must abide by its rules, otherwise you will be ostracized by everyone.

Yan Song naturally understood this principle, so even though he stood for half an hour, sweating profusely, he did not complain at all. He could only hope that Lord Zhou could forgive him, otherwise even if Lord Zhou did not hold it against him, others would.

For example, Zhang Cong, who was also promoted by Zhou Chu, or Han Jie and Yang Shen in the capital.

Yan Song was already on the side of Zhou Chu and the emperor. If he lost the support of the officials on this side, his political future would be over.

Often, factions are formed unconsciously in this way. It's not that Zhou Chu didn't want to form factions, but factions backed by Zhou Chu simply didn't exist.

Upon hearing this, Yan Song breathed a sigh of relief and followed the Xuanwu Army into Zhangjia Village.

As soon as Yan Song entered Zhangjia Village, he saw a familiar figure, a chubby little man, who was none other than Yan Shifan, who had learned of his father's arrival.

"Dad, why are you here?"

Yan Shifan said with some surprise.

Yan Song looked at his son, who had become much darker and thinner, and a hint of heartache appeared in his eyes.

"I've come to report to Lord Zhou. I need to see Lord Zhou first, and I'll talk to you later."

Yan Song had no time to reminisce with Yan Shifan at this moment. He knew very well that he should go see Lord Zhou as soon as possible.

Yan Song jogged all the way to the courtyard where Zhou Chu was.

"My lord, I am late. I deserve to die."

Yan Song ran straight up to Zhou Chu, panting heavily.

He looked incredibly disheveled.

When Zhou Chu saw Yan Song's appearance, he couldn't help but find it amusing. Half an hour had passed, and Yan Song couldn't possibly be in such a sorry state. This appearance was just for his own benefit.

"Oh? What crime has Lord Yan committed?"

Zhou Chu raised an eyebrow.

“I have committed two crimes. First, it was my oversight that so many people in Jiangnan Province were able to attempt to assassinate you, sir. I deserve to die. Second, you pleaded with His Majesty on my behalf, and I was reinstated. However, after my release from prison, I did not come to visit you immediately. I am truly a despicable person.”

Yan Song said with great distress.

"Lord Yan, you are too kind. It's not that serious. You just don't take me seriously."

Zhou Chu looked at Yan Song with a smile on his face.

Yan Song was so frightened by these words that his hair stood on end.

"My lord, I would not dare. Even if you gave me a hundred lives, I would not dare to have such thoughts."

Yan Song was so frightened that he almost knelt down.