People in Hongwu, from heavenly master to emperor master

Chapter 168 Father, You Are Tricking Liu Ji
Zhang Yi has many secrets, and Liu Ji and Xu Cunren know it well.

One of the points that worries them is the so-called admission of mathematics into the imperial examination.

This incident has changed the pattern of imperial examinations since ancient times, and it is far more disturbing than the existence of Longhushan.

The emperor used the six arts of a gentleman as an excuse to force arithmetic into the imperial examination, but if others knew that it was Zhang Yi, or that Longhushan was behind it, it would definitely cause a huge backlash.

Maybe they can't change the emperor's mind, and it is the general trend to get into the imperial examination with mathematics.

But the dissatisfaction with Zhang Yi in these people's hearts will definitely turn into a cold murderous intent.

In Yingtian Mansion, once someone is watching, who knows where they can find a reason to attack you?
If one day you meet the emperor and you are in a bad mood, and someone happens to take you to Longhu Mountain, it will be very easy to kill someone.

Xu Cunren nodded silently.

That's what he's really worried about.

At that time, after Liu Bowen met Zhang Yi, he also took the initiative to mention to the emperor that he had concealed the author of "Twelve Volumes of Mathematics", out of the same worry!

"Zhang Yi doesn't understand the emperor, but you and I do. His majesty's will is not so easily influenced, so don't worry about it!
But since you said it, the old man will talk to those people, but I can't guarantee that I can suppress them..."

Liu Bowen's performance was already full of sincerity.

Even if it is him, it cannot be said that he can dominate the censor's thinking like Yushitai in everything, not to mention that Xu Cunren has suffered backlash from all officials because of his mathematics.

If the "Twelve Books of Mathematics" is exposed, Liu Bowen himself will suffer backlash.

It is very rare that he is willing to work for Zhang Yi.

"Thank you, I will bring Zhang Yi to the door to thank you in person later!"

"No need, if that kid doesn't piss me off, I'm just lucky..."

The two chatted for a while, and Xu Cunren said goodbye and left.

Liu Bowen sent the person to the door and watched his old friend go away.

"This turmoil should not expand any longer..."

He was about to ask the servant to close the door when a car slowly approached in the distance.

Liu Bowen saw the carriage and hurried out to meet it.

This is the carriage in the palace, so the emperor must have asked him for something.

"Lord Liu, Your Majesty would like to invite you into the palace!"

The prince brought the news of the emperor's summoning to Liu Bowen, and Liu Bowen took the order, and hurried back to change into his official uniform, and went to the palace to face the saint.

……

"Father, are you going to directly promote Yang Xian as the right minister of Zhongshu Province?"

The palace, the imperial study.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked Zhu Biao to help him draw up an imperial decree, but Zhu Biao was taken aback when he picked up the pen.

In a sense, the position of the right minister of the Zhongshu Province is a vacant position, so Li Shanchang actually controls the Zhongshu Province and is the No. 1 cabinet.

The reason is very simple. Right Prime Minister Xu Da led troops away all the year round. Although he was prime minister, he basically never performed his duties as a civil servant.

At present, there are still many such positions in Ming Dynasty. For example, the position of Yushi doctor is held by Tang He, but Tang He himself is a general, and he is always on the go. Yushitai is essentially Liu Bowen as the official.

From the perspective of seniority, Yang Xian is definitely not comparable to Li Shanchang. When he is mentioned, what is the father doing?
"I will test you to see if you can guess right?"

Zhu Biao lowered his head in thought, hesitating slightly:
"Yang Xian's loyalty is not a problem, he was a school inspector, father can trust him!

And he and Mrs. Liu got close.

Now the father wants to arrange people from the East Zhejiang School to Zhongshu Province to form a balance with Mr. Li? "

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said with a smile:
"You're half right, and the rest are outrageously wrong!

I really trust Yang Xian, but I use him not because of his trust, but because of his background! "

"Born, my son understands!"

Yang Xian is from Taiyuan, or in other words, he is from the north.

Under the background of bridging the north and the south, Zhu Yuanzhang urgently needs to change his previous mistakes and promote a group of northerners.

The most important thing in the emperor's mind is balance!

Just as the emperor intentionally or unintentionally used Liu Bowen to balance Li Shanchang's group of heroes, it was to prepare for the future.

But the balance between eastern Zhejiang and Huaixi is essentially a struggle within the South.

The balance between the north and the south is the top priority that the emperor should make up for.

Yang Xian is the new political leader elected by Zhu Yuanzhang, and the emperor has his own expectations in him.

He is loyal, even when he was working with Li Wenzhong, Yang Xian would never mind that he is Zhu Yuanzhang's nephew, he should report and criticize, this kind of energy that is not afraid of causing trouble is exactly what Lao Zhu wants.

That's why Lao Zhu arranged him into the Ministry of Education, just to train him.

In addition, Yang Xian's ability is not bad, which is one of the reasons why Lao Zhu trusts him.

At this time, the emperor wanted to train a leader of a northern faction, and he looked up at the court, and it seemed that he was the only one who was most suitable.

"Father, is this trying to train Lord Yang to be the leader of the northern faction?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded:
"At first, I wanted Yang Xian to practice in Zhongshu Province, and then make good use of him!

But Zhang Yi reminded me that I also feel that there are some things that should be prepared for a rainy day!
Although the southern court unified the north, I was the first, but since the Song Dynasty, the rise of the south has been unstoppable!

Regardless of culture and economy, the south has long surpassed the north by far. Where dragon energy is located, this gap will only grow bigger and bigger!

Moreover, my Ming Dynasty is the imperial court of the Southerners. If we don't pay attention to guide, the Southerner's power will grow, and sooner or later the balance specially created by the king will be broken!

The mistakes I made [before], I don't want to make them again! "

Zhu Biao was delighted. At least he guessed this part right. At this time, he continued to ask:
"Then father, what is the wrong part of my son's guess?"

Before Zhu Yuanzhang could speak, the eunuch reported outside.

"Your Majesty, Master Liu Ji Liu is here to see you!"

"Let Mr. Liu in!"

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and asked people to invite Liu Bowen quickly.

Liu Bowen entered the imperial study and knelt down on the ground:
"I have seen His Majesty, I have seen His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Mr. Liu, get up, come here, bring a chair for Mr. Liu..."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked someone to move the chair, and Liu Bowen knew that the emperor must have something important to discuss.

Sure enough, after sitting down, Lao Zhu said:
"Mr. Liu, I want to ask you something! I am going to go to Xu Da's aspect, and I have another appointment!

Zhongshu Sheng is the administrative center of Ming Dynasty, but Mr. Li is busy alone, and I am also worried about his health!
So I'm going to mention another person to be the right minister, what do you make up for me? "

Liu Bowen was shocked when he heard this.

At the same time, I have mixed feelings in my heart.

Xu Da's position was removed, which Liu Bowen had expected.

After all, he is a military commander, and he has occupied the position for a long time, but in fact, he has not played the role he should have.

But to add one more prime minister to Zhongshu Province, it is a proper distribution of Li Shanchang's power.

What made Liu Bowen a little uncomfortable was that the emperor never considered him entering the Zhongshu Province.

Although he had seen through this truth a long time ago, he still couldn't help feeling uncomfortable.

It is the highest ideal of a scholar to become a marquis and worship a minister. It is not impossible that he has not had this kind of fantasy in his heart.

"This matter should be done. Since Zhongshu Province has set up two phases, there is a reason for it. After all, General Xu's effort is above leading the army. The court should also change a civil servant to help Mr. Li!"

Liu Bowen's mind was lively, and when he mentioned the matter of the right minister of Zhongshu Province, the emperor didn't ask Li Shanchang but himself. There is something tricky here.

Undoubtedly, there is a high probability that the candidate for the emperor's promotion is not from Huaixi.

But who?

This question did not bother Liu Ji for too long, and Zhu Yuanzhang has already revealed the answer.

"I am going to promote Yang Xian as the right minister of Zhongshu Province, what do you think?"

"he?"

Old Liu's complexion changed drastically again, and Zhu Yuanzhang chose Yang Xian, which was somewhat beyond his expectations.

It's not that he thought Yang Xian had no future. When Zhu Yuanzhang placed Yang Xian in Zhongshu Province, he had already seen the emperor's intentions.

To monitor the Zhongshu Province and plant a nail in the Zhongshu Province, Yang Xian, who was born in a school, is the best candidate.

With this status, Yang Xian's future in Zhongshu Province will definitely not be bad.

But is it really appropriate for Lao Zhu to mention him when his qualifications are still young?

One must know that Yang Xian is only a political adviser now, and the emperor wanted to mention it, so he was promoted to the left and right ministers, and he was directly promoted to the right minister, which is too shocking!
Facing Zhu Yuanzhang's question, Liu Bowen became hesitant.

He has a very close relationship with Yang Xian, and Yang Xian is a member of the Eastern Zhejiang School in the eyes of outsiders.

Logically speaking, when Lao Zhu made this proposal, he should be overjoyed, but Liu Bowen himself was not happy.

Seeing his changing expression, the emperor hesitated for a long time, but did not urge him.

His half-smile look fell into Zhu Biao's eyes, and Zhu Biao also became confused.

Finally, after a fierce ideological struggle, Liu Bowen stood up and said:
"Chen, I think it's wrong!"

"what!"

Zhu Biao did not expect that Liu Bowen would oppose Yang Xian's becoming the prime minister of Zhongshu Province?

Obviously this is a good thing for him, right? No, is it because Mr. Liu is afraid that Yang Xian, the leader of the Eastern Zhejiang faction, will take him out of the picture after he becomes a power.

The confusion in the prince's eyes fell on Lao Zhu's eyes, but he smiled.

But he didn't linger on Zhu Biao much, he just asked Liu Bowen:
"why?"

Liu Bowen took a deep breath, bowed and said:

"Yang Xian doesn't have the measure of a prime minister. It's okay if he is a minister, but if he becomes a prime minister himself, he can't be reused!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the imperial study room was completely silent.

Zhu Biao was shocked. Mr. Liu and Yang Xian were very close at ordinary times, and the two often joined forces in the court for big and small matters.

Why would Mr. Liu say such things at such a critical moment?
He didn't understand, but the emperor seemed to have expected it long ago. Zhu Yuanzhang waited for Liu Bowen to finish speaking, and said:

"Then Mr. thinks, who else is qualified for the position of Prime Minister, and I think Mr. is also very suitable, if not..."

Liu Bowen panicked and knelt on the ground:

"I can't even do it, I just need to be a censor with my temperament, but this Minister of Zhongshu is definitely not up to the task!"

"Sir, you have underestimated yourself! Forget it, I will think about this matter again..."

Zhu Yuanzhang changed the subject naturally:
"By the way, the censors under your command have been restless recently. I have collected [-] or [-] memorials on the impeachment of Longhushan. They have nothing to do. Why don't they write memorials to me every day to force the palace?"

Liu Bowen said:

"It is within the responsibility of the censor to speak to the emperor, right or wrong is up to His Majesty to decide!

It can be said that if an official only knows how to observe words and looks, and seeks advantages and avoids disadvantages, it will not be a blessing for Ming Dynasty!
Moreover, although Weichen is the chief official of the Yushitai, but the upper-level Yushi doctor is restrained, and the lower Yushi does not all depend on Weichen's actions! "

There was nothing wrong with what he said.

The position of censor was originally set up to give advice to the emperor.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and asked:
"Then what do you think about Zhang Yi?"

Liu Bowen fell silent again. The emperor asked him to express his attitude, but this attitude was not easy to do.

"I believe that the censors' concerns are justified by the censors. The image of the Kong family is very important, and the identity of the Zhang family is also very sensitive. If there are any rumors in the market, it will be really bad for the Kong family. Those censors' resentment , but also to maintain the reputation of the Kong family!

In fact, I think that if His Majesty doesn't like their attitude, it's better to let the Kong family come out and clarify in person!
Isn't Kong Xixue coming soon? When the time comes...

The truth speaks for itself! "

Zhu Yuanzhang also found it funny when he saw him kick the ball to the Kong family, focusing on the non-stick of cause and effect.

Knowing that he probably won't get much benefit from Liu Bowen, he waved his hand and said:
"Okay, I understand, I will consider your thoughts, go back!"

"I retire!"

The emperor hurriedly summoned himself, asked a few words and let him go back.

In Lao Liu's heart, it seemed that he had already vaguely guessed something.

He lowered his head and walked out of the palace all the way.

It wasn't until he left the palace gate that he said to himself:

"Your Majesty's good tricks, the old man is still fooled!"

……

"Father, you..."

On the other side, Zhu Yuanzhang sent Liu Bowen away, and Zhu Biao really reacted at this time.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't feel offended by his fussy voice, but was very pleased:

"You finally got your head around it, and you understand what I'm thinking this time?"

Zhu Biao silently nodded and said:

"This time, my father is digging a hole for Mr. Liu. The purpose of my father's mention of Yang Xian is to create a new faction. Naturally, this faction cannot follow the example of Mr. Liu and attach itself to the Zhedong faction!
So the emperor wanted to use Yang Xian as the leader of the northern faction, the first thing was to separate him from Master Liu!

And Master Liu's evaluation of him today is probably the beginning of their split! "

Zhu Yuanzhang has emphasized many times that the most important thing in an emperor's mind is balance.

The king and his subjects depend on each other, and naturally stand on opposite sides.

The courtiers will continue to test the king's bottom line and take away his power bit by bit from the king.

Naturally, the king will also divide and separate his courtiers, lest they make themselves empty.

It's not about good or evil, likes.

The two words that Zhu Biao heard the most from Zhang Yi were standpoints!

Everyone has a position, the ass decides the head.

After experiencing a lot, he has matured a lot compared to before.

"It's just that I don't understand why Master Liu has such a good relationship with Yang Xian, but he still speaks ill of him in front of you?

Isn't this giving the emperor the handle? "

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a while, then said:
"Why did I put him in the position of Yushi Zhongcheng? It's the same reason why he chose to oppose Yang Xian as the left minister today!
Liu Bowen has many eyes, but he is different from others in essence, he can be regarded as an upright person! "

Zhu Biao: ...

Does the emperor's behavior count as bullying an honest person?

(End of this chapter)