The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 324

Together with Lu Wan, Zhang Heling was transferred to Liaodong.

Empress Zhang found that she had suddenly become a loner, how she fell into this situation, she still didn't fully understand.

Is Zhang Zhou tricking her?

Obviously Zhang Zhou is helping her with everything, and is still helping the Zhang family brothers. It is not to say that Zhang Zhou is related to this matter, but it can only be said that Zhang Zhou's appearance made the emperor no longer at the mercy of her alone. Many things seem to be accidental But it seems inevitable.

It's past noon today.

Xie Qian was recruited by the emperor, and followed Xiao Jing to Qianqing Palace. He didn't understand what the emperor asked him to do, and he was also curious why the emperor only recruited him this time and not Liu Jian and Li Dongyang.

"Eunuch Xiao, it shouldn't be a big deal, right?"

Along the way, Xie Qian was like a chatterbox, he tried his best to listen to Xiao Jing's mouth, so that he could prepare himself.

But Xiao Jing didn't seem to understand this very well.

They went to Qianqing Palace together, but saw Zhang Mao standing there.

"British Duke? What a coincidence." Xie Qian laughed.

Zhang Mao exchanged simple greetings with Xie Qian, and then they both looked at Xiao Jing, Zhang Mao asked, "Would you like to go in and communicate?"

Xiao Jing said: "There is one more person to wait."

"who?"

Xie Qian asked a question and found it was redundant.

Because he had already seen Zhang Zhou coming with the little eunuchs from the study room of the Supervisor of Rituals, he waved to them from afar.

When Zhang Zhou approached, Xie Qian frowned and looked at Zhang Zhou: "Are you there?"

The implication is that you are going to Liaodong?Or to carry out some secret big task?Even if you didn't go to the two, then you should still recuperate at home, right?

Zhang Zhou sighed: "Thank you for your relationship with the old man. My illness has improved a lot. It's nothing serious. I'll also come to the palace to help you."

"Ha ha."

Zhang Mao was laughing.

Xie Qian thought to himself, you kid is really self-indulgent, who cares about you?
To be concerned, is to be concerned about why you have not died of illness!
……

……

Inside the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Youtang sat there with a pretty good complexion, Zhang Zhou recovered from his illness and so did his illness.

When the four of them came in, Xie Qian found the biggest difference from the past. Xiao Jing didn't come in to communicate, but seemed to be summoned. The little eunuch who had sent a message to let them in earlier left afterward. At this time, only the four of them were left in the Qianqing Palace. people.

This structure...

It made Xie Qian a little confused.

"Sit." Zhu Youtang said.

Chairs were already prepared for them, and there was a table in front, but there were only three sets of tables and chairs, Xiao Jing was more like a servant being summoned in front of them.

After Zhang Mao, Zhang Zhou and Xie Qian took their seats, Zhu Youtang asked Xiao Jing to present the three transcribed battle reports in front of them.

"This is what I just learned. In the battle situation in the north of Jiliao, the little Tatar prince attacked the troops of the Taining Guard stationed in Wuning with 620 vanguard troops. He made a detour to the south and gradually pushed the three guards of Duoyan to the north. …The three guards of Duoyan assembled their troops and fought against the little prince of Tatar. The location of the battle was unknown, and the results of the battle were unknown, but then the three guards of Duoyan went south and approached Shenyang Zhongwei. At this time, they were more than [-] miles away from Shenyang Zhongwei..."

Xie Qian was listening to Xiao Jing's narration.

While reading the battle report at hand, he probably understood that this was a summary meeting about the war situation in the north.

But he looked at the time of submission of the memorial, and guessed that the news might have reached the capital ahead of time, and it did not come temporarily. Summon them to discuss with the inner court.

But they didn't look for Liu Jian, Ma Wensheng, or Li Dongyang, who is recognized as a resourceful minister.

This made Xie Qian puzzled.

Zhang Maodao: "Your Majesty, in the opinion of the veteran, the battle between Duoyan Sanwei and the little Tatar prince has come to an end. Duoyan Sanwei didn't even keep his own fief, so he basically lost. The number of people who migrated to the south is estimated to be small. , or send envoys to collect them."

Since the emperor asked them to come to the inner court and mentioned this matter, Zhang Mao put forward his opinions and suggestions there.

Xie Qian glanced at Zhang Mao, and said to himself that Zhang Banxian, who can pinch and count, hasn't spoken yet, why are you here to join in the fun?
When it comes to matters at the decision-making level, when will it be your Wu Xun's turn to mess around here?
Usually Xie Qian is still respectful to Zhang Mao, but when it comes to specific family and country affairs, the rivalry between civil servants and Wu Xun will not be eased because of personal friendship.

Zhu Youtang said: "I also thought so at the beginning, but after all, the specific results of the battle are still unknown, and the further movements of the little Tatar prince are also unknown at present. If the Tatars also guide their soldiers and swords, Daming Liaodong's defenses will suddenly become tense, and I can't make a decision, so I asked you to ask."

It sounds reasonable, and it was because the emperor was hesitant that he asked them to ask.

Xie Qian felt that there was something wrong with this statement... Didn't the emperor always only consult with Zhang Zhouzhou when he had something to do?Why did you find three ministers and one eunuch Bingbi at once?

As long as Dai Yi and the others were there, Xie Qian wouldn't think too much about it.

"You guys have any opinions, but it's okay to say." Zhu Youtang seemed to be very polite to them.

Xie Qian looked at Zhang Zhou first, and found that Zhang Zhou did not take the initiative to express his desire. He was probably also guessing, could it be that Zhang Zhou's predictions on certain matters did not conform to the direction of the war, and Zhang Bingkuan fell out of favor?
Xie Qian didn't have an answer in his mind, so he opened his mouth first: "Your Majesty, it's better to discuss such important matters in the court."

Zhu Youtang said: "Such important military affairs should be known to everyone in the government and the public, and even let the ministers and workers discuss in private?"

"This……"

Xie Qian hesitated for a while, as if the matter before him really didn't need to be known by the government and the public.

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "I want to come, Mr. Xie Ge means to invite Ma Shangshu, who has an understanding of the military situation, and Mr. Liu Ge and Li Ge, who are in control of the overall situation, to discuss together."

Xie Qian frowned and looked at Zhang Zhou.

Does this mean that Zhang Zhou knows himself better?

No.

What Zhang Zhou said was just the most simple truth.

Zhu Youtang nodded and said: "I should be like this in the first place, but there are so many things going on in the government and the public, and it shouldn't be because of the war that did not happen in the territory of Daming and has no direct relationship with Daming, so that the whole of Daming should worry about it. After all, court affairs should be the most important thing.”

When Xie Qian heard the words, he was thinking in his heart, even if the little Tatar prince wanted to annex Duoyan Sanwei, if it wasn't a court affairs of the Ming Dynasty, then what would it be?
Zhu Youtang continued: "In the past two years, there may be more and more military affairs in the north. If you often discuss with the elders and ministers in the inner court, it will also have an impact on the affairs of the court."

"And I can't just listen to Bingkuan all the time, but I also want to take the opinions of all the ministers and workers, so what I mean is to set up a special yamen in the next few years when it comes to the affairs of the border town. , the Supervisor of Rituals, the Minister of the Six Departments, the Martial Arts Hall, and the Dudu’s Mansion, each select one or more people to participate in the term.”

Zhu Youtang finally revealed the purpose of summoning several people today.

Xie Qian immediately objected: "Your Majesty, such a major matter should not be decided rashly."

Not to say objection, just to say that the decision was too hasty.

When you set up such a yamen, you simply want to empty the court cabinet and the six ministries. You don’t even have the patience to discuss it with the ministers. How can you convince the ministers of the government and the opposition?

Zhang Mao on the side straightened his back, and suddenly felt like he was running errands and talking, and he had become the core decision-maker.

Zhu Youtang said: "This yamen does not set up any public offices inside or outside the palace, but when there are border town affairs, I need to listen to opinions temporarily, and it does not involve reviewing any memorials. All affairs, including the proposals of the cabinet, the actions of the six ministries, etc., will not be affected. Do I need to seek the consent of others even to adopt your opinions?"

Xie Qian frowned.

What the emperor said was quite reasonable to him.

Recently, the emperor was very concerned about the affairs of the border towns, and even wanted to use this to build up the achievements of leveling the grasslands, raise military supplies in the northwest by himself, and even send people to manage Liaodong.

In this case, there is no big problem for the emperor to set up a temporary "advisory team".

Zhu Youtang continued: "I didn't look for the chief assistant of the cabinet, nor did I look for the six ministries and seven ministers, in order not to interfere with the operation of the court, and I can't use my personal likes and dislikes to affect the fate of the Ming Dynasty."

Xie Qian said: "But Your Majesty, when it comes to border town affairs, it is closely related to the operation of the imperial court."

Say it's okay, but how can it be okay?
Zhu Youtang asked back: "Then Mr. Xie Ge, do you think there is any other way to discuss this matter besides calling the Minister of Chinese and Military Affairs in the court to discuss it? I just want to ask for an opinion, and I need every Do you have to work hard every time?"

Xie Qian felt that he was a scholar and met a soldier this time, so he couldn't explain why.

"Moreover, what I mean is that all members in this yamen are not fixed, and there is no distinction between chief and last. Regardless of seniority, even if it is just a new scholar or a recruit, or even a commoner, his opinions will help Daming can be recruited to use troops in border towns."

"I will never give him a special official position. As long as the original yamen is busy with official duties, he can be replaced first, and those who make mistakes can also be replaced and dismissed. Who is temporarily recruited and supplemented depends entirely on the person's ability. Seniority and prestige in the DPRK and China are not taken into consideration."

"It will not be given a rank outside the ruling and opposition parties, nor will it be given power outside the ruling and opposition parties. It is only convenient for my inquiry and policy, and nothing else is involved."

Zhu Youtang expressed all his ideas at once.

Of course, all of this came from Zhang Zhou's suggestion.

Xie Qian glared at Zhang Zhou.

He seemed to understand why Zhang Zhou did this.

You civil servants, didn't you all say that I, Zhang, became the emperor's confidant alone, influenced the changes in the court affairs, and even "disasterd the court"?

You attack me not because what I do is beneficial to Daming, but because what I do is "unprecedented", isn't it?Then let this kind of unprecedented thing become a rule now, and I, Zhang, will no longer advise the emperor as an independent consultant, but let a group of people come to advise.

Of course, whoever the emperor listens to and doesn't listen to...it depends on whose opinion is better.

Once this kind of emperor's personal consultants are customized, wouldn't it be like the cabinet that the emperor has an additional military advisory team in addition to the plan?
Now it's just advising on the military and politics, what will it be in the future... or what is more important, that's another matter.

The rise of any new yamen was created to ensure the centralization of imperial power. In Zhang Zhou's view, it is true that the abolition of the prime minister and the emergence of the cabinet strengthened the centralization of imperial power, but it was obviously not enough.

If you want to strengthen it further, you need to have a yamen that balances the cabinet and the ceremonial supervisor... This yamen should not be composed of Zhang Zhouzhou alone, but it should look fair and just, adding a few more people, but for now He, Zhang Zhou, has the final say.

Xie Qian said: "Your Majesty, this matter should be discussed in the court hall."

Xie Qian is also gone.

If Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, and the six ministers of the court are all present, if they want to oppose it, they may be able to form a bond, but the four people in front of them...except for Zhang Zhou who is a civil servant in name, who will help him? Woolen cloth?
Xiao Jing and Zhang Mao seem to be looking forward to the emergence of such a new yamen to balance the power of the cabinet and the six ministries, right?
Zhu Youtang shook his head and said: "Thank you, Mr. Ge, let me say it again, if I ask anyone's opinion, I need to ask for the opinion of others, then it doesn't seem to make much sense whether I should be the king of Ming Dynasty or not. There is no need for me to ask. Therefore, I don't need to accept other people's opinions on this matter!"

The emperor's attitude was extremely firm.

"Okay." Zhu Youtang stopped discussing, "If you can't think about it any more, it's just that I choose different people to ask for opinions on military affairs every time in the inner court, or you think I only ask Bingkuan. It’s okay, then I won’t say anything more.”

Xie Qian smiled wryly.

Think about it too.

Now the emperor is still polite, saying that he will summon different people to ask for opinions.

If the emperor was a little more assertive and only called Zhang Zhou or Zhang Mao to ask questions in the future, what else could their civil servants do about it?

This is just that when the emperor encounters difficult matters, he finds someone to ask about the countermeasures. He said that he has no additional official position. Everything seems reasonable, and the emperor does not seem to have destroyed the original system.

"I have decided to temporarily call this yamen the Shangting Office. The so-called superiority is in my hearing, that's all." Zhu Youtang said.

Xie Qian hesitated for a moment, but finally lowered his head.

Even if he wants to object, he still seems weak today with his own strength. It's better to go back and discuss with Liu Jian and Li Dongyang, then secretly plan with the ministers of the court and China, and then entangle the officials and others to oppose it.

……

……

What the emperor asked next, and what he discussed with several people, didn't seem to be a big deal.

It is nothing more than a matter of strengthening the defense of Liaodong.

They will not send people to recruit Duoyan Sanwei, nor will they reach any consensus with the little Tatar prince, and the state of war will not be contacted.

Xie Qian discovered that this time the emperor seemed to come to ask them for their opinions, but he was actually informing them of the establishment of the so-called "Shang Ting Office". The news brought back, once again showed the estrangement between the monarch and his ministers.

When Xie Qian returned to the cabinet to be on duty, Zhang Zhou also went to the East Palace to meet Zhu Houzhao, while Zhang Mao and Xiao Jing went out of the palace together.

"The listening place?"

When Liu Jian and Li Dongyang learned about this from Xie Qian, they both frowned. They seemed to feel that the order of the court was likely to be broken.

Xie Qian sighed: "Your Majesty insists on this. Even people in the Governor's Mansion can participate in it. He also said that he will not participate in it with the chief assistant and the department hall, and it is no longer limited to whether he is from the pavilion. Although it is clearly stated, all questions are related to affairs. They are all related to border affairs, but there is no guarantee that they will not involve the dispatch of money and food, and what is more, even the Martial Arts Hall will ask someone to ask for advice... Sigh! I don’t know how to evaluate it.”

Liu Jian said with a gloomy expression, "Could it be that Eunuch Xiao and Duke Ying have no objection to this?"

Xie Qian said: "What opinions do they have? It is estimated that they have long expected this in their hearts."

"I don't think so." Li Dongyang said on the side, "This is obvious. Your Majesty wants to find a reasonable excuse for repeatedly asking Zhang Bingkuan alone. Except for Zhang Bingkuan, the rest of the people involved are just pretense. Could it be that the British public Waiting for others to not notice?"

Xie Qian asked: "So what if you realize it? Now that they have the opportunity to discuss matters with Zhang Bingkuan in the inner court, will it be worse than before?"

Immediately, Li Dongyang and Xie Qian looked at Liu Jian.

It seems that this matter will have a greater impact on Liu Jian.

As the chief assistant of the cabinet, Liu Jian himself exists as the foreman of the emperor's adviser. In the past, the emperor could not decide on any decision-making matters. Liu Jian basically made the final decision when he asked questions in the court. Now that there is a so-called listening office, then Liu Jian Jian only has the right to vote, and the right to preside over the court will be greatly weakened.

As for Li Dongyang and Xie Qian...

If one of the two enters the hearing office, perhaps the power will be strengthened.

Liu Jian said: "I just don't understand, why is Zhang Bingkuan doing this? Your Majesty, if you ask him alone, will it be more comfortable for him to do things than ask a few more people?"

In fact, Liu Jian didn't understand either.

The emperor wanted to ask Zhang Zhou's opinion alone. In fact, it was very difficult for ministers to object to this matter. At most, they would define Zhang Zhou as a courtier. Take Zhang Zhou as a close friend to attack him.

But because of this, the emperor adopted more opinions from others, which weakened Zhang Zhou's power, and Zhang Zhou felt like digging a hole and jumping on his own.

Li Dongyang asked: "So, from a certain point of view, this is also a good thing? Right?"

A new yamen was established, which balanced the power of the cabinet and Zhang Zhou, so that all affairs became traceable, and brought Zhang Zhou under the orthodox court system... Even if this system is only The newly established Shanghai Listening Office...

What Li Dongyang meant, we didn't lose, and Zhang Zhou didn't win either.

Everyone just takes a step back!
Liu Jian shook his head and said: "We still can't just sit back and watch these things happen. In name, there is no fixed position in the Supreme Court, and it's just a cover for the initial establishment. Who can say what will happen in the future? If ordinary people can participate in the court For major decisions, what do you want the court to do? What do you want me to do when we are struggling?"

"Ah."

Both Li Dongyang and Xie Qian were nodding.

It will take more than ten years of hard work for a cabinet minister to come out, and how many times of screening in the middle, if only the emperor's likes and dislikes can decide who participates in decision-making, then the court's system of selecting officials will be greatly reduced.

"To object." Li Dongyang set the tone for Liu Jian.

(End of this chapter)