The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 378
The day before Zhang Zhou returned to Beijing.

In the office of the Ministry of Officials, Xie Qian, as a special envoy of the cabinet, came to discuss with the outgoing Minister of the Ministry of Officials, Tu Yu, the results of the Beijing inspection of officials in Beijing that year.

What was said at the beginning was quite normal, and then Tu Yu took out a piece of paper from his arms and handed it to Xie Qian.

"This is?" Xie Qian didn't open it hastily, he didn't know what purpose Tu Yu gave him with this piece of paper, so he had to ask in advance.

Tu Yu said: "This is the current hall official of the six ministries, as well as the candidates discussed in the official ministries and various yamen offices, who will be changed before the end of the year. Because they have not been discussed by the court, they are not counted, and many of them are only candidates. plan. Yu Qiao, take a look."

Xie Qian frowned, and then opened it.

There are many people listed on a piece of paper, and the leader is the current official of the six Kadu procuratorates.

Tu Yu, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, Lin Han, the left servant, and Han Wen, the right servant.

Xu Qiong, Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, Fu Han, the left servant, and Zhang Sheng, the right servant.

Ma Wensheng, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, Zhang Zhou, the left servant, and Xiong Chong, the right servant.

Bai Ang, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishments, Tu Xun, the left servant, and He Jian, the right servant.

Zhou Jing, Minister of the Household Department, Xu Jin, the left servant, and Li Mengyang, the right servant.

Xu Guan, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, Zeng Jian, the left servant, and Shi Lin, the right servant.

Min Gui, the censor of the left capital of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and Qu Zhong, the censor of the right capital.

Xie Qian said: "Show me these things, what's the point?"

Tu Yu sighed: "Outside discussion, the six ministers to be replaced are the real topic."

Xie Qian looked back, but when he saw the list of official ministers, the most guessed one was Ni Yue, who was squeezed by Xu Qiong to become minister in Nanjing before, and now is still minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing.

Hubu Shangshu is Zhong Zhong.

The minister of the Ministry of Industry is Zeng Jian.

The minister of punishment is Min Gui.

The minister of the Ministry of War is still Ma Wensheng.

The Minister of Rites is Lin Han.

Zuodu Yushi is Dai Shan.

"Huh." Xie Qian smiled contemptuously, "If the position of Minister of the Imperial Court can be arranged in this way, then what's the use of court discussion? Why have all the six ministers changed, but the minister of the Ministry of War has not changed?"

Tu Yu asked: "Don't you think, Yu Qiao, that only when Ma Yingtu is still in the post of Minister of the Ministry of War can he be able to suppress that one?"

The so-called "that person" is naturally Zhang Zhou.

Xie Qian was also very clear about this.

If Ma Wen was promoted, or transferred to the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, the only way for the vacant Minister of the Ministry of War was to let Zhang Zhou go up to the top. The Ministry of War itself is the "hardest hit area" for the upstarts headed by Zhang Zhou.

"Your Majesty will not agree." Xie Qian almost threw the draft list in front of him on the table.

Tu Yu asked: "Is that because Zhang Bingkuan is not valued more? Or is it that some places were not arranged according to His Majesty's vision?"

Xie Qian's face was silent, and he said after a long while: "Let's talk about your majesty's call to Zhang Bingkuan first. Do you have to suppress him with a negative image? Couldn't you choose other ways, such as transferring him to Nanjing? Or, continue to let Zhang Bingkuan He supervised all places in the northwest? This official vacancy in the capital was not prepared for him."

"Yu Qiao, look at this again..."

When Tu Yu heard Xie Qian's words, it was equivalent to the cabinet's plan for Zhang Zhou's future career, so he took out the second thing.

Xie Qian was not polite this time, and opened it directly. After reading it, his expression changed greatly: "You guys..."

It is a memorial to the joint impeachment of Zhang Zhou.

The rhetoric is fierce, almost a "reversal of Zhang Zhang".

Tu Yu said calmly, "I'm about to leave the court soon, so I don't have to worry about it. Before I leave, I can still do something for the court. Even if I make a little noise, it can be considered as a courtier's way."

Xie Qian said angrily: "If you don't talk about it at other times, you have to wait until this year, until now, to make a sound? Do you think His Majesty can listen to it?"

Tu Yu said: "In the past two years, everyone has been waiting for the elders of the cabinet to take the lead to suppress Zhang Bingkuan's rise. Until the middle of last year, after Zhang Bingkuan passed the Jinshi examination, he was an official outside many times. All officials in the DPRK and China are waiting to interfere in the affairs of the DPRK and China, but until now, the cabinet has been slow to intervene, so it can only be initiated by the officials below."

"Humph!"

Xie Qian was very angry.

What Tu Yu said was clearly blaming the Iron Triangle of the cabinet for not suppressing Zhang Zhou enough, which made Zhang Zhou rise rapidly in the court, so that it was out of control.

Xie Qian said: "So now the court is afraid that after this group of old people go down this year, the newcomers will not be able to stop Zhang Bingkuan's power, and want to take this opportunity to suppress him?"

"Yeah." Tu Yu didn't hide it, and nodded directly, "We old people can't hold him down now, don't you expect those on the list who are only ministers and imperial censors to be able to deal with him in the future?" Will Zhang Bingkuan's favor have an impact? Zhang Bingkuan's harm is far greater than that of Li Guang, but no one dares to touch him until now. This is the tragedy of the Ming Dynasty."

"I can't succeed..." Xie Qian had an annoyed look on his face.

In the cabinet, he, Xie Qian, was the vanguard in resisting Zhang Zhou, but after the past two years, even he, Xie Qian, felt that it was not a good strategy to resist Zhang Zhou.

But it seems that the people below don't think so.

Tu Yu said: "In the past, the chances of success may not be great, but this time the government and the public are almost united, no matter whether it is the six ministries and five temples, as well as the Imperial Academy, the Metropolitan Procuratorate and other large and small yamen, almost everyone will be here. Signature in the joint name. Not to mention..."

"What do you want to say?" Xie Qian heard some clues.

In the past, they couldn't fight against Zhang Zhou, maybe the civil servants were not united enough, but this time it seemed that everyone who could be mobilized was mobilized.

"There are also people from the Governor's Mansion, as well as... the royal family, the suzerains and the princes and nobles." Tu Yu added.

The muscles on Xie Qian's face twitched a few times, and he said: "The people in the Dudu's Mansion are quite understanding, especially the British Duke. They know that Zhang Bingkuan's rise is of no benefit to them, but the suzerain... How is that possible?"

Tu Yu said with a smile: "It's Zhang Bingkuan's fault for wanting to attack Zong Fan! This news came from the palace, and it is very reliable. With the help of the palace, Yu Qiao, you think the government and the public are in the eyes. Your majesty, is it true that your majesty has missed the government in order to protect one person?"

Xie Qian was silent for a while.

Tu Fu said: "Your Majesty wants to govern the country with righteousness and integrity. If even the vassals and all the ministers in the court think that Zhang Bingkuan's advice through alchemy has endangered the Ming Dynasty, is it possible that Your Majesty does not care about the safety of the Ming Dynasty?"

"You guys are... you are forcing the palace." Xie Qian said viciously.

Tu Yu sighed: "Yu Qiao, there are some things I haven't told you yet. Have you never thought about who will join the cabinet after this year? Zhang Bingkuan is still a bachelor's student. His Majesty wants him to join the cabinet. You will be replaced soon. With him at the top, the cabinet will be replaced soon. Is this what you cabinet ministers want to see?"

Xie Qian remained silent.

Tu Yu said: "I didn't mention this matter to Xi Xian and Bin Zhi, but I told you first because I know that you have always had your own views on Zhang Bingkuan."

"You want to say that I am persistent and want to suppress Zhang Bingkuan, so do you think I am in the same party as you?" Xie Qian asked angrily.

"Don't you want to?" Tu Yu asked back.

Xie Qian patted the table and said: "Your Majesty's employing people is incomplete. In the past few years, there was Li Guang first and then Zhang Zhou. Both of them were close to sycophants and were favored, but Zhang Zhou was different from others. He was born as a Jinshi." , what he did did not go beyond the scope of civil servants, he made military exploits for Daming, and now he has not made any mistakes, but you want to force His Majesty to punish him with unanimous words, are you afraid of backlash?"

Speaking of this, Xie Qian suddenly seemed to realize that Tu Yu, who was about to step down as Minister of the Ministry of Officials, would care about these things?
It's really that I'm going to fuck off, and I don't care about other people's life or death.

"You just say, how many of the people who want to join the name are sincere? How many are coerced?" Xie Qian panted heavily, as if he was resentful.

Tu Yu looked very calm, and sighed: "This is the last chance, Yu Qiao."

Xie Qian had to remain silent again.

He seemed to understand that he couldn't persuade Tu Yu, nor could he persuade the civil servants Wu Xun and those imperial relatives behind him who wanted to pull Zhang Zhou off his horse.

Tu Yu said: "Even if this matter can be accomplished, it cannot put him to death."

"Huh!" Xie Qian snorted softly, as if to say, do you still know that there is no reason to kill Zhang Zhou now?
But I'm afraid that the matter will become a big mess at that time, and many people will classify Zhang Zhou as a treacherous and rebellious party, slander some reason for rebellion, and force the emperor to kill people.

"Now that he is the Duke of the state, and he still earned it with his military exploits, he was transferred to a local guard, and His Majesty promised that he would not be transferred to the capital for more than ten or twenty years. He exchanged more than a year of official experience for these, which is also his Good fortune, isn't it?" Tu Yu looked very confident, as if this thing would definitely happen.

Xie Qian said: "What if His Majesty disagrees?"

"It depends on man's will." Tu Yu probably meant that the government and the public should remonstrate to the end, "This is the last chance, Zhang Bingkuan's followers have begun to spread all over the Nine Borders, and his people are increasingly recognized by His Majesty and soldiers, even foreigners Everyone started to be afraid of him. Do you want to see him, Yu Qiao, within three to five years, use a military war to destroy the stability that Daming has gained in the past few decades?"

Xie Qian figured it out again.

The move by Tu Yu and the following ministers not only involved a power struggle, but also a battle for the future of Ming Dynasty's civil rule or martial arts.

Obviously, these ministers in the court, including those honored ministers who are just waiting to die, also hope that in the future, Ming Dynasty will continue to "conserve success" as it is today, and complete a "Hongzhi Zhongxing" that has jointly participated in the grand event and praised it. The crisis at home, and the rise of the grassland encountered by the Ming Dynasty for more than 100 years.

It's like watching others rise, but choosing to be a turtle.

But also to strangle Zhang Zhou in the cradle.

Even Xie Qian looked down on this group of people.

But when he thought about it again, what he did in the past seemed no better than Tu Yu and the others.

"Yu Qiao, I think it's best for you to tell Xixian and Binzhi. This matter must be led by the three of you, otherwise there will always be something missing if we work together as one." Tu Yu said.

Xie Qian said angrily: "Isn't it enough for you to take the lead?"

Tu Yu smiled and shook his head.

Xie Qian said: "I'm afraid that your Majesty will insist on refusing, and if Zhang Bingkuan uses cunning tactics, His Majesty will seize the opportunity to split up the vassal civil servants Wu Xun. If this fails, not only the court and Chinese officials will be severely punished Changes, some people will even be exiled, and the situation between the DPRK and China will even change drastically."

Tu Yu smiled and asked: "It depends on whether you three cabinet ministers will take the lead. The people below, they have nothing to lose, especially those who do not rely on Zhang Bingkuan. Their future is bleak. This move is right or wrong. No!"

Xie Qian raised his hand and said: "Needless to say, let's just let the cabinet not know about it, and I will discuss it after I go back."

……

……

Xie Qian's heart was surging.

Regardless of the fact that it was already sunset that day, he hurried to visit Liu Jian's mansion, but was told that Liu Jian was meeting visitors from the palace.

Xie Qian waited in Liu's residence for a while before letting Liu Jian out.

"It's Eunuch Xiao from the Supervisor of Ceremonies." Liu Jian said with a gloomy expression.

Xie Qian said: "He came...why?"

Liu Jian asked, "What did Chaozong tell you?"

As soon as Xie Qian heard this, he understood that Tu Yu was not "fighting alone" in this matter.

Under what circumstances could Tu Yu be able to contact the courtiers without skipping the cabinet, and even get the support of so many vassals, civil servants, and military officials?

There must be someone secretly coordinating.

And this person is obviously Daming's "Inner Prime Minister", the three members of the Supervisor of Ceremonies.

Xie Qian sat down with Liu Jian and roughly explained what Tu Yu said.

Liu Jian's face was gloomy, as if he was not surprised by Xie Qian's words at all, and finally Liu Jian said: "Now there is only one opportunity missing."

Xie Qian asked, "Then did you know about it before, or did you just learn about it?"

Liu Jian felt that he was being suspected by Xie Qian. He looked over and said, "I just learned the details. I was vaguely aware of it before, but I guess your Majesty cannot be unprepared. It's just that more and more people are contacting now, and even the people of the clan It’s going to be different when you get involved.”

"Do you have to go to such a field?" Xie Qian seemed very unwilling.

Liu Jian said: "Yu Qiao, don't you look down on Zhang Bingkuan the most?"

"That's..." Xie Qian's face became anxious, and he wanted to defend himself, but he said very annoyed, "I usually fight with him because I want him to return to the right path. Have you ever seen anyone who is open to others? Do you want to put him to death?"

Liu Jian smiled and said, "Has this kind of thing been rare since ancient times?"

Xie Qian shook his head and said, "But I'm not that kind of person."

"Hehe." Liu Jian was laughing again.

In the past, Daming had the most quarrels with Zhang Zhou in court, and even the courtiers thought it was Xie Qian, who was the sworn enemy of Zhang Zhou, but at this time, he seemed to be trying to protect Zhang Zhou, which made Liu Jian very interesting.

Liu Jian said with a smile: "Yu Qiao, you are sincere and support the younger generation a lot, but you talk too much and are easily disgusted by others. You have no malice towards Zhang Bingkuan in your heart. Do you think Zhang Bingkuan has a good attitude towards you? He Do you regard you as a mortal enemy that cannot be tolerated by two tigers?"

Xie Qian didn't answer.

He has little contact with Zhang Zhou, and he doesn't know much about Zhang Zhou's character.

Who knows if Zhang Zhou is a small-bellied person?
To think of a close friend who made his fortune by making friends with the emperor, but is still a tolerant and modest gentleman... Xie Qian pondered for a while, and it seemed that this was a bit too much for Zhang Zhou.

Liu Jiandao: "Based on what Eunuch Xiao said, there have been constant natural and man-made disasters in various parts of the Ming Dynasty in the past two years. It is the actions of His Majesty's favor and trust in traitors to talk about disasters. But Li Guang has passed away. Now who is the person who has the greatest influence on the court?" ?”

Xie Qian shook his head: "The theory of disasters and abnormalities is far-fetched."

"But Your Majesty believes it." Liu Jian replied directly.

Maybe you have forgotten how Zhang Bingkuan got his start?

Didn't he gain the emperor's absolute trust by relying on those catastrophic events?
Now let him taste the result of being backlashed by disaster.

Xie Qian asked: "So the opportunity in your mouth is to wait for another big disaster? Is someone setting fire in the palace? Or is it waiting for a civil epidemic? Or waiting for the floods in Jianghuai and other places before autumn , Drought?"

"Yu Qiao, calm down." Liu Jian felt that Xie Qian's reaction today was a little too aggressive.

Xie Qian didn't want to have a face-to-face conversation with Liu Jian.

He turned his head to the side and didn't even meet Liu Jian's eyes.

Liu Jian said: "Now the government and the opposition are at odds with Zhang Bingkuan. Could it be that at this time, you let the cabinet stay out of it?"

Xie Qian shook his head. He understood that even if the cabinet was coerced, he would still be involved.

This can reflect the leadership role of the cabinet.

"Even if you really think that Zhang Bingkuan is a talented person, you should give him some lessons and experiences. Now, in two years, he has become the Duke of the Ming Dynasty, and he even has to serve as an errand for the Imperial Academy and six departments. The qualification of the department hall is so smooth, isn't it afraid that he will pose a threat to Daming in the future?"

Liu Jian can be regarded as open and honest.

Let's not worry about whether those people took us with us when they were doing big things, or whether Zhang Bingkuan really did something wrong.

Let's just talk about this guy... It's been less than a year and a half since he passed the Jinshi exam, and he's already so awesome.

Is this a good thing for a young offspring?

No matter how capable he is, no matter how much the emperor trusts him, we will all admire his ability. Aren't we afraid that something "yellow robe added to the body" will happen in the future?

"Your Majesty's use of Zhang Bingkuan has reached the point where he is determined not to listen to other people's opinions. Whether it is for Daming, His Majesty, the government and the public, or even Zhang Bingkuan, this is not a good thing. This is the reason why the government and the public are united."

Liu Jian is explaining and paving the way for the joint impeachment of people from the ruling and opposition parties.

Xie Qian asked coldly: "What if Zhang Bingkuan counterattacks and he succeeds?"

Liu Jian said: "Then it is impossible for him to gain His Majesty's complete trust again. For his own selfishness, he opposes the civil and military vassals of the Manchu Dynasty. Does such a person still want to be favored by His Majesty? Wouldn't His Majesty be wary of him? "

Xie Qian frowned upon hearing this.

"Yu Qiao, if you think about it, you will understand. Regardless of success or failure, it is a warning to His Majesty. Even if Your Majesty doesn't understand it for a while, and thinks that I have failed the court, time will explain everything, and Your Majesty will understand that we are waiting for you." painstaking efforts."

Liu Jian said, "There is only one chance for this matter. Who knows what kind of errand is arranged in His Majesty's mind for Zhang Bingkuan to return to court this time?"

(End of this chapter)