Daming talker

Chapter 366 We still have to rely on Lin Tailai

The political atmosphere in the capital this spring is a little strange, and there are signs of it starting from New Year's Day.

In theory, there are several types of court meetings throughout the year, including regular court meetings that should be held every day, major court meetings on the first day of each month, and larger court meetings on important festivals.

Among so many court meetings, the New Year's Day meeting at the beginning of the first year is definitely the most important one.

But in this New Year's Day dynasty in the fifteenth year of Wanli, the emperor was absent from the New Year's Day dynasty since the Jiajing Dynasty. This was the first time that the emperor was absent from the New Year's Day dynasty.

In February or March, the farce from Suzhou disrupted the court.

First, the second son of Shen Shoufu took the land and house by force and caused death. He was investigated and punished by the upright Suzhou Prefecture Magistrate Shi, who wanted to convict him.

The last person who dared to treat the chief minister's own son in this way in the chief minister's hometown is no longer known from which dynasty and generation.

Then Governor Li, who had a close relationship with the chief minister and was always regarded as a member of the chief minister's party, directly accused the prefect Shi of embezzling five thousand taels from the Wu County treasury.

In the eyes of "discerning people", Governor Li's behavior is frame-up and persecution.

In fact, framing and persecution are not big problems, but the biggest problem is that it is too naked and ugly, so it triggers public outrage.

Immediately, Shen Shoufu was attacked by the expected group, but Shen Shoufu's reaction was also very abnormal. He stayed at home and thanked guests behind closed doors. There was nothing else.

In the past, there were many cases where cabinet academicians were impeached, but they would always argue, either by making excuses on their own, or by instructing their party members to speak out and engage in public opinion confrontation with the enemy.

But Shen Shoufu said nothing this time, without any excuse. After directly signing the resignation letter, he gave up his job and went home to stay behind closed doors.

Even the Qingliu forces who launched the encirclement and suppression were very surprised when they saw the non-resistance reaction of the chief minister.

So a kind of discussion began to spread inside and outside the court. Is Shen Shoufu really thinking of resigning? Even without logic, from a probability perspective, this possibility is very high.

Counting from the fall of Yan Song, it has been about twenty-five years. During this period, only the most special Zhang Juzheng worked for more than ten years.

In the remaining fifteen years or so, five chief assistants, Xu Jie, Li Chunfang, Gao Gong, Zhang Siwei, and Shen Shixing, were replaced, and no one could rule for a long time.

Now Shen Shixing has been the first assistant for four years. From a probability point of view, maybe the court will really change the first assistant again.

Shen Shoufu's stay is directly related to the overall structure of the court. Many people want to see Shen Shoufu, but Shen Shoufu is determined not to see the visitor.

The only person in the court who could see Shen Shoufu was probably Shen Yongmao, the head of the Vehicle and Driving Department of the Ministry of War, because his most important identity was Shen Shoufu's eldest son.

Shen Shoufu can shut everyone out, but he can't let his son go home.

Shen Yongmao also wanted to know his father's thoughts very much. After all, he was still young and wanted to make a difference. And whether his father stays or goes will determine his future posture in the court.

After three days of observation, he found that his father was indeed closed to outsiders. Shen Yongmao took advantage of the evening greetings and asked directly: "What is father thinking about?"

Shen Shixing sighed: "What I think is that if you win the first prize and become the first assistant, there will be no regrets on the road to fame."

Shen Yongmao, who was scolded by his own father Versailles, continued: "My father is in his prime and can still achieve greater achievements."

Shen Shixing was less than fifty when he became the first assistant, and he is only 53 years old this year. He is quite young for the position of first assistant, and Shen Shixing is also in good health.

Shen Shoufu asked rhetorically: "No matter how great your achievements are, can they still be greater than Zhang Jiangling?"

This rhetorical question left Shen Yongmao speechless and speechless.

As the son of the chief minister, Shen Yongmao is the most sensitive to external attitudes.

Therefore, Shen Yongmao knows very well that from a purely power perspective, his father has not entered a downward trajectory at this time. It can even be said that he is at his most prosperous period since he entered politics.

Last year, thanks to Tuolin Tailai, he killed Xin Zixiu, the censor of Zuodu who belonged to the Qingliu force.

The newly appointed censor of Zuodu, Wu Shilai, was the same as Yang Wei, the minister of official affairs, who only followed orders.

Now my father is equivalent to mastering the two most special roles among the Seven Ministers of the Outer Dynasty, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the Yushi of Zuodu, one for personnel and one for supervision.

The last person who could control the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Yushi of Zuodu at the same time was Zhang Juzheng.

Shen Yongmao dared to say that his father's power had not declined and he was fully capable of resisting the joint siege from several parties.

Not to mention, there is a peripheral ally like the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue who can cooperate. Who is afraid of whom in a real fight?

But the problem is, if the father doesn’t want to do it anymore and always wants to retreat, what can be done?

What Shen Yongmao could think of, others could naturally think of. At first, many people thought Shen Shoufu was showing weakness on purpose.

Later, when the imperial court selected people as imperial envoys, Shen Shoufu still did not make any move.

As a result, the Qingliu forces easily recommended Li Shida, the censor of Zuodu in Nanjing, to go to Suzhou to investigate the issues of Governor Li and Prefect Shi.

As for the results of the investigation, it is self-evident, and everyone feels that they already know it in advance!

This was like a signal, and the court bureaucrats immediately felt that Shen Shoufu was really messed up.

"Irresponsible, irresponsible!" Wang Zhiyuan, the Minister of Household Affairs, said angrily.

As a very enterprising person, Wang Situ really couldn't stand Shen Shoufu's messy behavior.

"The nature of these southerners is so weak!" Wang Situ was so angry that he even fired the map cannon.

He was angry for no reason. Last year, he and Shen Shoufu got closer because of Lin Tailai.

But if Shen Shoufu is dismissed from office like this, hostile forces will come up again. Then wouldn't his closeness to Shen Shoufu this year be in vain?

Also, if he, Wang Zhiyuan, is qualified to join the cabinet, it would not be impossible for Shen Shoufu to put him into the cabinet at the cost of resigning, but he is not from the Imperial Academy and is not qualified to join the cabinet!

Of course, Wang Situ only cursed at home and did not express his stance in public.

Wang Zhiyou, a member of the Ministry of Etiquette, and Wang Xiang, a censor of Jiangxi Province, looked at each other with their faces covered. Is the second brother (second uncle) so angry?

The prosperity of their Wang family does not rely on the support of Shen Shoufu. Even if Shen Shoufu dismisses his official position and leaves, it will not lead to the collapse of the Wang family?

Wang Situ said unhappily: "You don't know that tomorrow the officials of the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Industry will discuss the matter of building the imperial mausoleum!"

Suddenly it sounded like it was hard to understand why Wang Situ was upset. Isn't this kind of meeting normal in the court?

Wang Shiwu, who rushed over to watch the excitement, heard this and said leisurely: "I met these two people from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works. My second brother will have a hard time tomorrow."

Wang Zhiyou and Wang Xiangmeng got this reminder and suddenly realized.

Shen Li, the Minister of Rites, is a leader of the Qingliu forces. There is no need to introduce too much others;

Although Yu Shenxing, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, was from Shandong, he was not from the same family as the Wang family and was closer to Qingliu. He was born as a Hanlin emperor and had a perfect resume. He was just short of joining the cabinet. He was in urgent need of someone to vacate his position. Zhao Yongxian, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, is famous all over the world for his cured meat. He has been the fifth son of the retro-style school for two consecutive generations in the literary world. He is the leader of the forces that started in opposition to Zhang Juzheng and is currently also opposing the cabinet.

Song Hu, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, received a consolation prize last year after he failed to compete with Wang Situ for the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs. The Minister of the Ministry of Works, Shen Li, the Minister of Rites, was a fellow countryman.

Zeng Tongheng, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, had a younger brother named Zeng Qianheng, who impeached Shen Shoufu.

When Wang Situ goes to a meeting tomorrow, he will face such a group of people. Either he was against the cabinet and Shen Shixing, or he was an enemy of Wang Situ.

In the current situation where Chief Executive Shen is in a bad mood and all the other forces are excited to the point of climax, you can imagine how sad tomorrow's meeting will be.

Wang Situ, a minister who had just gotten close to Shen Shoufu, was in the same situation at the meeting as someone who "joined the national army in 1949" in later generations. At the very least, he would be laughed at by a group.

"I even want to be like the first assistant and pretend that I can't get out of my illness!" Wang Situ said helplessly.

But Wang Shiwu came up with an idea and said: "Second brother, don't worry about it! At the meeting tomorrow, no matter what others say that doesn't sit well with you, just mention Lin Jun and fight back. You will definitely not lose in the scene."

Wang Situ: "."

Shen Shoufu is no longer reliable. If he wants to earn back his face, he still has to rely on Lin Tailai?

Building the imperial mausoleum is not only an engineering issue, it is also a matter of etiquette and law, and it is also a financial issue. That is why this joint meeting of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Industry was held.

The meeting location was located in the government office of the Ministry of Industry, which has the lowest status. After all, the main business entity of project construction is the Ministry of Industry.

In the joint meeting of various ministries, where quarrels and excuses were the norm, a harmonious and joyful atmosphere was rare today.

Only Shangshu of the Ministry of Finance had a long face and was out of tune with the surrounding environment.

Shen Li, the Minister of Rites, glanced at Wang Situ for a few times and said tentatively: "I heard that Suzhou Wei Qianhu Lin Tailai repeatedly made troubles in salt industry affairs, causing the Salt Patrol Cai Yushi to suffer so much that he repeatedly complained to the court?

And Wang Situ is in charge of the household department and is in charge of the salt law in the world. He can't just sit back and ignore such chaos. "

As the Minister of Rites and directly involved in the affairs of the Ministry of Household Affairs, Shen Li would never have done such a disgraceful thing if it were not for the current special circumstances.

He probably also wanted to pass the stress test and check Wang Situ's status.

Wang Situ responded without raising his eyelids: "The last censor who complained like this in Yangzhou seems to be one of your disciples? He has been sent to Guangxi by Lin Tailai to work as a postmaster."

Shen Li chuckled a few times, and then said: "Wang Situ's words are too much. He has no ministerial character. Could it be that he has been in a bad mood recently?"

Wang Situ lowered his head and sipped tea: "Master Shen should be able to understand my recent mood.

It's as if you, Shen Shangshu, felt in the Wenhua Palace last year, watching the former Zuodu censor Xin Zixiu being dismissed from office by the emperor.

By the way, Xin Zixiu was dismissed from office because Lin Tailai wrote a memorial in defense of his mutiny. Do you think it's a pity or not? "

Shen Li: "."

The most tragic failure of the Qingliu forces was the inexplicable dismissal of their biggest ally, Zuodu Censor Xin Zixiu, from office, which directly disrupted all plans.

According to the regulations of the Ming Dynasty, a "Beijing Inspection" was conducted every six years to inspect all Beijing officials and eliminate unqualified officials.

Originally this was a supervisory system, but in recent years it has begun to evolve into a tool for party struggle, and the fifteenth year of Wanli was the year of "Beijing Supervision".

The "Beijing Cha" was jointly chaired by the Minister of Civil Affairs and the Yushi of Zuodu. Originally, if Xin Zixiu was still the Yushi of Zuodu, the Qingliu forces would not be so panicked.

But last year Xin Zixiu was dismissed from office, and the position of censor of Zuodu was replaced by Wu Shilai, who took orders from the chief assistant. So this time the two chief officials of the "Beijing Cha" were all Shen chief assistants!

Therefore, the Qingliu forces rushed to launch an attack on Shen Shoufu in the early spring of this year. In fact, the direct reason was that Xin Zixiu, the censor of Zuodu, was dismissed from office.

To this day, whenever he thinks of Xin Zixiu's dismissal from office, Shen Shangshu still feels so heartbroken that he doesn't want to speak.

Now he only hopes that Li Shida, the censor of Zuodu in Nanjing, can successfully transfer to the capital as the censor of Zuodu after completing his performance in Suzhou.

Among the people present, the person most unhappy with Wang Situ should be Song Hui, Minister of Industry. If Wang Situ hadn't been lucky last year, the position of Minister of Household Affairs would definitely have gone to Song Hui.

Seeing that his fellow countryman Shen Shangshu was being criticized, Song Hu couldn't help but said: "Ever since Wang Situ took charge of the Ministry of Household Affairs, Yangzhou has been in chaos. It really reminded me of a saying, "If you celebrate your father's death, Lu will continue to suffer."

Wang Situ said in surprise: "The situation in Yangzhou is great, where is the chaos?

Even if mutinies always occur, even if large-scale rebellions occur frequently, it does not affect the court's money and food.

Although Lin Tailai forced you to work as a foreman in the Ministry of Works last year, you can't make random alarmist remarks just because you hate Lin Tailai. "

Song Qi: "."

foreman? foreman? foreman?

Zhao Yongxian, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, also looked at Wang Situ with displeasure, "Shen Shangshu is right, Wang Situ, you have no ministerial character, and it is really unworthy to humiliate your colleagues with your words!"

Wang Situ looked up at Zhao Yongxian and responded: "I heard that the retro school has launched three generations of five sons in the past thirty years, and you, Zhao Shilang, have succeeded two generations in a row, and you are unmatched in the limelight."

Speaking of this, it is indeed something that Zhao Yongxian is very proud of.

He had two major achievements in his life. The first was that he was imprisoned in the fifth year of Wanli for opposing Zhang Juzheng and seizing his love. The second was that he was listed among the five sons of the retro school for two consecutive terms.

"Hahahaha!" Wang Situ burst out laughing: "But all of you retro faction were almost defeated by Lin Tailai!

I heard that at this Yangzhou Literary Conference, it was Lin Tailai who showed mercy, allowing the retro group to survive and not be wiped out!

You are also from Jiangnan. Your hometown is gone, but you are still proudly holding the banner of the retro style in the capital. Thinking about it makes me laugh. "

Zhao Yongxian: "."

If you, Wang Situ, are a man, can you stop mentioning Lin Tailai today?

"That's enough!" Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Industry once said to Heng to help him: "Today you are here to discuss the construction of the imperial mausoleum, not to have a verbal dispute!"

“Last year, when His Majesty was indecisive about choosing a site for the imperial mausoleum, it was Lin Tailai and Governor Li Rusong who jointly submitted a letter, which was adopted by His Majesty!

At that time, as the official of the Ministry of Industry in charge of the imperial mausoleum affairs, your former minister, why didn't you have the awareness and luck of Lin Tailai?

If you had been more alert at that time, would you have allowed Song Hui, who came from Nanjing, to occupy the position of Minister of the Ministry of Industry? "

Zeng Tongheng: "."

　Don't ask, it's just Kavin's idea. After all, a new plot is about to start. . . Make up tomorrow

　　

　

(End of this chapter)