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

Chapter 670

"Gongjin, let's have a drink together, you and I."

Yang Yiqing picked up his wine glass and said with a big smile.

Yang Yiqing said it on purpose. By referring to them as father and son, he naturally placed himself in the position of Xia Yan's elder. Although there was nothing wrong with Yang Yiqing saying this at his age, they were, after all, colleagues and colleagues in the cabinet. Xia Yan was very unhappy to hear this.

Despite his displeasure, Xia Yan couldn't find any fault with Yang Yiqing, so he could only raise his glass and toast her.

The person who is most upset in the court or the cabinet right now is Xia Yan. He had originally hoped that he could be promoted after Yang Yiqing retired. But now, that old codger Yang Yiqing is really going to retire. It seems that he has no intention of retiring anytime soon.

This made Xia Yan even more anxious. Xia Yan knew very well that now was the best time for him to take the position. In the current cabinet, Yang Shen was not suitable to be the Grand Secretary, Jia Yong was going to retire, and even if someone was to take his place, they would not have enough qualifications and could not become the Grand Secretary in one leap.

If Yang Yiqing were to step down at this point, Xia Yan, who has served in the cabinet for many years and is known for his proper conduct, would most likely be promoted to the position of Grand Secretary.

However, Yang Yiqing changed his mind and decided not to retire, which gave Xia Yan a big headache. In the current court, his opportunities were becoming fewer and fewer, and he could feel that as time went by, he would become more and more marginalized. If he did not seize this opportunity, he did not know if he would have any chance in the future.

Do we really have to work with that crazy woman again?

Xia Yan couldn't help but recall a letter he had received some time ago. It was written by none other than the long-lost Wang Mingyue. Back then, after fleeing south, Wang Mingyue arrived at the Toungoo Dynasty next to Annam and met Prince Mang Ruyti of the Toungoo Dynasty.

Although Mang Rui Ti was only thirteen years old, he was ambitious. If you heard the name Mang Rui Ti, you would know that he would ascend the throne in three years and then continue to expand his territory.

With the financial support of Wang Mingyue, Mang Ruiti has gained a lot of political capital. Although he has not yet ascended the throne, he already has a great deal of influence in the Dongyu Dynasty. Even his father, the king, consults him on many matters.

Wang Mingyue transformed into Mang Ruiti's Crown Princess. Although there was a significant age difference between them, it didn't matter. What mattered was that Mang Ruiti clearly realized that Wang Mingyue was the woman who could help him.

Xia Yan never expected that the crazy woman who fled in panic back then would now become the Crown Princess of the Dongyu Dynasty. Although the Dongyu Dynasty was just a small country in his eyes, even the smallest country has all the necessary elements and has all the factors to start a war. Moreover, Xia Yan could see that both Mang Rui Ti and Wang Ming Yue were ambitious people who would definitely expand their territory in the future.

Xia Yan was initially worried that Wang Mingyue would retaliate against him, after all, he had once harbored murderous intentions towards her. Xia Yan did not believe that this woman was unaware of this, otherwise she would not have run away so quickly.

However, Wang Mingyue's words dispelled Xia Yan's doubts. Wang Mingyue said that her goal had changed. She wanted the Dongyu Dynasty to continue to expand, and it would be even better if she could take Annam. At that time, she could even intervene from the outside to help Xia Yan become the prime minister.

However, before that, Xia Yan needs to help them obtain enough resources for the Dongyu Dynasty to expand rapidly.

It would be a lie to say that Xia Yan wasn't tempted by the proposal, but he was only tempted at first. After all, Yang Yiqing was about to retire, and he could become the Grand Secretary if he just waited a little longer. Why should he cooperate with this crazy woman?

But things are different now. Xia Yan needs to think carefully about how to work together with Wang Mingyue from the inside out.

Inside the main hall, Zhou Chu raised his wine cup.

"Your Majesty, I would like to offer you a toast first."

After Zhou Chu finished speaking, he drank it all in one gulp. Jiajing, without any pretense, picked up his wine cup and emptied it.

"No wonder everyone says Chen Wang Niang is delicious. It is indeed a good wine, no worse than those famous wines."

Emperor Jiajing couldn't help but praise it.

Emperor Jiajing rarely drank alcohol, and even when he did, it was always famous wines. Although there were few famous wines in the Ming Dynasty, Jiajing never lacked them. Just the famous wines that Zhou Chu had confiscated from homes in Jiangnan and the capital were countless, and most of them were in Jiajing's private treasury.

Zhou Chu smiled upon hearing this, poured himself a glass of wine, and picked it up again.

“Uncle, I was sold to your family when I was not even ten years old. You treated me very well. It can be said that without you, there would be no Zhou Chu today. I toast you.”

Zhou Chu looked at Lu Song and said.

“Hengqi, you’re exaggerating. What we did for you back then was just a small favor, nothing to mention. If it weren’t for you, we probably wouldn’t have been able to endure those years in prison, especially Wenxin and his mother. Come to think of it, our family owes you so much. We should really have a drink together.”

As Lu Song spoke, he picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"Yes, Hengqi, if it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold on. When the Lu family suffered, all of their relatives and friends wanted to sever ties, but you were the only one who was still willing to care about us."

As she spoke, Madam Yang couldn't help but wipe away her tears, and then picked up her wine glass.

"Women are not supposed to drink alcohol, but I will make an exception today and have a drink with you."

As she spoke, Yang also drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing Lu Song and his wife like this, Zhou Chu poured himself two glasses of wine and drank them down.

"Teacher, there's no need for us to say more. We've already talked enough over drinks. Saying more would be pretentious; it's all in the alcohol."

Zhou Chu poured himself another cup and said to Tang Bohu.

Tang Bohu was fond of wine, so he naturally accepted all offers and drank it all in one gulp.

"We really shouldn't be so sentimental, let's get to work."

Tang Bohu laughed and scolded.