Daming talker

Chapter 367 A memorial has just arrived (Part )

After the joint meeting of the three departments, Wang Situ had a clear idea, and the resentment caused by Shen Shoufu's failure dissipated a lot.

Of course, Wang Situ also had another purpose, which was to show his toughness as much as possible in aspects that did not involve fundamental interests.

In this chaotic and unclear situation, toughness is also a protective color that can reduce some troubles.

In fact, people like Wang Zhiyuan, the Minister of Hubu, Yang Wei, the Minister of Personnel, and Wu Shilai, the Yushi of Zuodu, had no room for advancement in the officialdom.

For them, even if the worst outcome occurs, they will be forced to resign. Anyway, my official position has come to an end, and I don’t have so many regrets about returning home to retire, so my mentality is relatively detached.

But for people like those who are stuck in official positions and have very ambitious Shen Shoufu party members, the current situation is very uncomfortable.

For example, Qi Shichen, who was responsible for the official affairs, and Ke Ting, the censor in charge, were both die-hard followers of Shen Shoufu, and they were also Shen Shoufu's "two generals" in Yanguan.

Now that their term in Kedao is coming to an end, they are in a critical period to jump out of Kedao and move up.

But at this point, Shen Shoufu failed, and one can imagine how depressed they were.

On this day, Qi and Ke came to the Ministry of Personnel to visit Yang Wei, the Heavenly Official of the Ministry of Personnel, on the grounds of discussing "Beijing inspection" affairs.

Yang Tianguan only said: "Two days later, in the East Chao Fang, we will gather the officials from the Ministry Hall and the Department of Science and Technology to discuss the process of the Beijing inspection."

The "Beijing Inspection" held every six years is definitely a major political event. Especially in recent years, every time the "Beijing Inspection" will become the focus of political struggle, and then there will always be a group of unlucky cannon fodder who will be "eliminated".

If it were replaced by a powerful official, one person would be able to make the final decision regarding the Beijing inspection process. However, Yang Tianguan was gentle by nature and did not want to provoke too much talk, so he gathered the courtiers for discussion.

Of course, Qi Shichen and Ke Ting came to see Yang Tianguan not just for Beijing inspection, but mainly to inquire about Shen Shoufu's movements.

After all, Yang Tianguan is Shen Shoufu's number one henchman and should know more inside information than the average person.

But Yang Tianguan couldn't say anything, so he just said a few words and sent the two of them away.

After leaving the official hall, Qi Shichen sighed: "The chief assistant cannot come out, and the heavenly officials cannot support them. What can we do?"

Ke Ting was also a little dissatisfied and said: "How can Tianguan not be tired and want to leave? It's just suffering for us people, who else can we rely on?"

The two of them were walking and talking when they suddenly saw Zhao Zhigao, the newly appointed right minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, who had a happy face and walked leisurely into the right hall of the Ministry of Civil Affairs with brisk steps.

The minister is in the main hall, the left minister is in the left hall, and the right minister is in the right hall. The layout of the six departments is generally like this.

Qi Shichen asked in surprise: "How can he be so comfortable?"

They all understood the situation of Zhao Zhigao. This man was transferred to the Ministry of Civil Affairs as the right minister under the leadership of Shen Shoufu, and he was not particularly popular.

So Qi Shichen couldn't understand why, under the current situation, Zhao Zhigao didn't have any negative emotions such as worry and anxiety at all?

Ke Ting said thoughtfully: "Since we are here at the Ministry of Civil Affairs today, we might as well pay a visit to Minister Zhao.

I think Minister Zhao has just stepped down as governor of Jiangnan and knows the situation in Suzhou very well. He may have some unique insights. "

Anyway, everyone has the word "Shen" engraved on their foreheads, so they don't need to be seen when walking around each other.

Zhao Zhigao, the right minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, was sitting in the court, drinking tea and reading the newspapers, feeling happy.

He had been wandering for half his life without meeting his master. He finally managed to get into the rank of Liubu Tang official when he was over sixty. He was in a good mood every day.

After just two sips of tea today, I heard a report from the doorman that Qi Shiyi and Ke Yushi were visiting together.

When he saw these two people coming in, Zhao Shilang thought of something and almost laughed out loud, but luckily he restrained himself.

He heard a story told by Lin Tailai. When Lin Tai came to the capital to take the martial arts test a year ago, the debate over the location of the imperial mausoleum reached a fever pitch.

At that time, the main commentators who charged for Shen Shoufu were Qi Shichen and Yushi Keting who were involved in the incident.

Qi Shichen tried his best to protect Dayu Mountain as a lucky place, so he was nicknamed Qi Baoshan, also called Baoshan for trouble.

But Ke Ting said in front of the emperor: "If there is a stone under the Dayu cave, I dare to take responsibility for it." He was nicknamed Shi Gandang, also called Gandang Censor.

But the two of them worked so hard, but it didn't have much effect.

In the end, it was Lin Tailai who instigated Li Rusong to write a memorial, directly ending the debate.

Zhao Zhigao invited the two of them to sit down while thinking about the past.

After a few words of greeting, Qi Shichen asked: "Shaozhongzai comes from Suzhou. I wonder what the customs are like in Suzhou now?"

Zhao Zhigao laughed dumbly and said: "It is not an exaggeration to say that Suzhou Prefecture is the first county in the world. How could you not have heard of such a famous place?"

Ke Ting was more straightforward, "We and Shaozukazai are of the same mind. Now the situation is unclear, so I dare to ask Shaozukazai for some guidance."

Zhao Zhigao pondered for a moment, and after thinking about it in his mind, he also answered:

"You say the situation is unclear, why don't I think so? Isn't it clear and obvious?"

Baoshan Guishi and Gandang Yushi looked at each other and came up with a common idea - this Zhao Shilang must have something!

Then I heard Zhao Zhigao say: "You should know that this storm originated in Suzhou City. The final outcome will also depend on the situation in Suzhou City."

Qi Shichen said worriedly: "What happened in Suzhou City is irreversible, right?"

The prefect is a member of the opponent's family, the governor is either a pig teammate or an undercover agent, and the imperial envoy is a member of the opponent's family. How can we win?

If the situation is easy, the first assistant will not be so discouraged that he will fail.

Minister Zhao shook his head: "You guys don't understand Suzhou, or in other words, no one in the court understands Suzhou.

Our opponent's daring to stir up trouble in Suzhou this time has truly angered someone. "

If you go into more detail, I won’t be able to tell others.

Anyway, Zhao Zhigao dared to conclude from two to three thousand miles away that Lin Tailai would be angered and would take cruel revenge.

Others may think that Lin Tailai was angered because of his instinct as a "Shen Party" member.

But only Zhao Zhigao knew best that Lin Tailai was angered mostly because he felt "offended."

Lin Tailai regards Suzhou City as his territory and base. A group of outsiders came to Suzhou City to cause trouble. In Lin Tailai's eyes, it was an infringement of his sovereignty.

Moreover, Lin Tailai's revenge was not so much about supporting the Shen family, but more about "declaring sovereignty" and "killing one to serve as an example to others."

Zhao Zhigao thought that he should also recruit some younger brothers, or that Lin Tailai should recruit some younger brothers.

Then he said to the two of them meaningfully: "If you believe me, then I can tell you that as long as Lin Tailai comes, the city of Suzhou will not be overturned!"

For those officials who caused trouble in Suzhou City, it would be the best outcome if they could safely resign and return to their hometowns. "

Unlike most of the superior courtiers, Zhao Zhigao not only saw Lin Tailai causing trouble with his own eyes, but also experienced it personally.

He simply didn't believe that just a few foreign officials could make a big difference in Suzhou City. Qi Shichen and Ke Ting were no strangers to the name Lin Tailai. After all, Lin Tailai was so shocked that he defeated all the invincible opponents in the capital a year ago, and they also knew that Lin Tailai was married to the Wang family, the Minister of Household Affairs.

After thinking twice, Qi Shichen added: "The imperial court is discussing whether Shen Jizi should be punished for allowing his slaves to seize property and kill people."

What he means is that he wants to express himself, but he needs to find an entry point.

In fact, people like them have no choice. Even if they want to surrender to the enemy, the enemy may not be willing to accept it, so they can only fight to the end.

Zhao Zhigao said disapprovingly: "Lin Tailai will take care of all the matters in Suzhou City. You don't need to do anything."

Then he added: "You might as well focus on Yangzhou. In the past two years, Lin Tailai's focus has actually been on Yangzhou, and he still needs some help.

Lin Tailai's brother-in-law, King Situ of the Ministry of Revenue, also lacked a spokesman to help him speak. "

The implication is that if you want to stand out, you might as well speak out more on the Yangzhou issue.

On the premise of not betraying Shen Shoufu, you can also get married with another Shantou household minister. Why not?

Qi Shichen and Ke Ting thanked each other: "Thank you very much, sir!"

Two days later, the Ministry of Civil Affairs convened a meeting of about 40 ministers and officials in the East Palace to discuss the process of "Beijing inspection".

Normally, in such a crowded conference, many lazy ministers would be absent, but this time the attendees were neat and orderly.

First, because the recent situation is quite delicate, the ministers do not want to be negligent; second, the "Beijing Procuratorate" is really sensitive, and the ministers want to see which direction the situation is.

When the emperor rarely went to court, this kind of court discussion where ministers gathered together was actually equivalent to the weathervane of the court.

Although the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty was characterized by the circulation of official documents and the system did not pay attention to face-to-face discussions, written communication obviously cannot completely replace face-to-face communication. This is human nature.

The ministers stood in the East Chamber in twos and threes, and Yang Wei, the Minister of Civil Affairs who presided over the meeting, had not yet spoken.

Suddenly Lu Guangzu, the Minister of Punishment, said to Wang Zhiyuan, the Minister of Hubu:

"Cai Shiding, the censor of salt inspection in the Huaihe River, reported in a memorial that Suzhou Wei Qianhu Lin Tailai had committed many crimes in Yangzhou City and requested the Ministry of Punishment to punish him according to law.

He also reported that the Suzhou Guards stationed troops in Shuicicang, Yangzhou, sincerely caused a local disaster, and requested the imperial court to abolish them.

What does Wang Situ think of the above two points? "

Lu Guangzu was a Jinshi in the 26th year of Jiajing, the same year as Zhang Juzheng, and he looked very much like a figure from the previous era.

In terms of qualifications, he is one of the best, and he is qualified to be the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. In the original history, he was indeed the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

However, Lu Shangshu has a very personal personality and has risen and fallen in the officialdom, so now he is just the Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment.

Wang Situ snorted coldly and made a calm judgment.

Bringing Cai Shiding's impeachment of Lin Tailai here is obviously aimed at himself, the Minister of Household Affairs, and he probably wants to use Lin Tailai to drag him into trouble?

There's nothing you can do about it, everything you do has a price. Since he had protected Lin Tailai from misbehaving in Yangzhou City, he would have to accept others using Lin Tailai as an excuse to attack him.

The one who stepped on the horse was obviously Shen Shoufu, so why did others continue to treat him so badly?

Do you regard yourself as the weak periphery of Shen Party and clean it up first as a courtesy?

Then Wang Situ looked at Wang Yi'e, Minister of the Ministry of War, "What does Grand Sima say about the Suzhou Guards' garrison at Shuicicang in Yangzhou?"

Wang Yi'e was originally the governor of Jiliao. He had just entered the court and succeeded Zhang Jiayin as Minister of War. Hearing this, he said in embarrassment:

"If the chief military officer thinks that the Suzhou guards are doing illegal things to harm the Yangzhou area, they can consider moving them away."

Many years ago, when Lu Guangzu was working in the Ministry of Personnel, he helped Wang Yi'e discuss his faults, so Wang Yi'e had to return the favor.

In fact, most people were surprised that Lu Guangzu, the Minister of Punishment, actually helped the Qingliu forces?

You know, a few years ago Lu Shangshu was besieged by Yan Guan and had to be dismissed from office for a period of time.

Especially when Cai Shiding also impeached Lu Shangshu, now Lu Shangshu is speaking for Cai Shiding, which is really "magnanimous".

Today is indeed not in vain. This is a very important trend.

Being squeezed by two ministers at the same time, Wang Situ, who wanted to be tough even if he wanted to be tough, also frowned, thinking about the deeper issues and how to deal with them.

At this moment, Qi Shichen jumped out of the official matter and said, "I have a question. The dispatch of censors such as Xunjianxunyan is really crucial. The general term is about one year to prevent the disadvantages of long-term appointment.

Cai Shiding, the salt patrol officer of Huaihe River and Huaihe River, seems to have been in office for nearly two years, which violates the rules. Why is this? "

Wang Situ was stunned, a little flattered.

He really didn't expect that Shen Shoufu's "royal thug" would jump out to speak for him, allowing him to enjoy the treatment of the first assistant.

After reacting, Wang Situ said to Wu Shi, the censor of Zuodu: "The foreign censors are all sent by the Metropolitan Procuratorate. What explanation does the Metropolitan Procuratorate give regarding Cai Shiding's term of office?"

Wu Shilai did not hesitate to sell Shi Xing, the censor of the left deputy capital: "It was deputy deputy Shi Xian who advocated for Cai Shiding to be postponed."

Shi Xing suddenly felt a pain in his balls. It was Wang Shizhen who wrote the letter, asking Cai Shiding to continue working.

As one of the "Five Continuing Sons" of the retro faction, he would certainly not go against the old alliance leader's proposal on such an inconsequential matter.

I didn't think it was a problem at the time, but I didn't expect that it would become a scapegoat.

Qi Shichen immediately said loudly: "Cai Shiding violated the rules and exceeded the deadline. His long term appointment will inevitably lead to emotional abuse. The court cannot accept his memorial!"

Another censor should be sent to Yangzhou immediately to replace Cai Shiding, and then the new censor should be asked to find out what Cai Shiding reported! "

Wang Situ nodded appreciatively. The chief assistant's "royal thug" was really useful. He also echoed: "Qi Shiyi is well-founded and well-founded!"

Chief Secretary Lu Guangzu shouted: "This is ridiculous! Is it because Cai Shiding broke the law by impeaching Lin Tailai that he should be dismissed from his position first and then investigated?

Then why not treat him equally and withdraw Lin Tailai at the same time?

Besides, it was not just the words of Cai Shiding and his family, but also salt merchants jointly submitted a letter to Mr. Xu Ge, accusing Lin Tailai of breaking the law, and Mr. Xu Ge had already forwarded the letter from the salt merchants to the Ministry of Punishment! "

Mr. Xu Ge was the second assistant to Xu Guo. He was a Huizhou merchant and was from the same hometown as many Yangzhou salt merchants.

Wang Situ also had a temper and said angrily on the spot: "If a joint report by just a few people can be used as evidence, then why should the court officials do anything?"

Lu Guangzu replied: "Although the joint prosecution is suspected of disrupting the judiciary, it reflects public opinion."

Suddenly, an official from the General Affairs Department came in, waved the chapter in his hand, and said: "A memorial has just arrived, sent from Yangzhou, and you should be aware of it.

More than a dozen people including Zhang Jiayin, the former Minister of War, Wang Shizhen, the right minister of the Nanjing Ministry of War, Wang Daokun, the former left minister of the Ministry of War, and Wu Guolun, the former left political advisor of Henan Province, jointly reported Cai Shiding, the salt censor of Huaihe and Huaihe Rivers, in Yangzhou City! "

When all the ministers heard this memorial, no matter what their position was, they were all confused at the moment. What the hell is going on?

How much fake wine did these semi-retired or retired literary figures drink, and why did they come together to report Cai Shiding?

Wang Situ, who was the first to come back to his senses, laughed a few times and said mockingly to Lu Guangzu:

"I dare to ask Da Sikou, who is the public opinion among a few salt merchants and a group of literary leaders?"

(End of this chapter)