The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 453 The Facade
The capital at the end of the year seemed very peaceful.

After Zhang Zhou was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of War, the ministers were only uncomfortable at first, feeling that Zhang Zhou's appearance had broken the system of seniority and seniority in the officialdom.

But after Zhang Zhou was promoted to minister, he didn't care about most things in the court, which made the ministers feel that Zhang Zhou's aggressiveness didn't seem to be that strong. Zhang Zhou didn't seem to have directly provoked any fierce conflicts with them on the one-acre three-point land in the mansion.

The ninth day of the first lunar month.

On this day, Zhu Youtang summoned three members of the cabinet in the inner court, but did not meet Zhang Zhou.

At the first meeting after the year, Zhu Youtang mentioned to the three cabinet members that one more person should be added to the cabinet, but it was only in the discussion stage, and he wanted to hear the opinions of Liu Jian and the three cabinet members.

Standing next to him is Li Rong, although today's Li Rong is just the eunuch Bingbi, but because he is the admiral of Dongchang and his seniority in the palace is so high, he has vaguely become the most trusted eunuch around the emperor .

"...Your Majesty's intention is to share some of the pressure for the three elders. Who to use depends on the recommendation of the three elders and the ministers of Hanyuan. Your Majesty will consider it as appropriate."

When Li Rong said this, he would turn it a little bit more tactfully.

The three of Liu Jian felt that the emperor wanted to push Wang Jia into the cabinet, and even if it wasn't Wang Jia, it might be Cheng Minzheng.

The emperor said that he wanted to discuss with them, but he just put his words in a more beautiful way.

Liu Jian said: "Your Majesty, the old minister is too old to be competent for the errands in the cabinet. Please allow the old minister to return to his hometown to take care of his old age."

Resigning when something happens is not only the habit of the three members of the cabinet, but also the ministers of the DPRK and China.

From the middle of the Ming Dynasty, officials, especially those who were at the level of Zhengqing and Shilang, generally resigned even if they were appointed officials. After making mistakes, they were rarely directly investigated and questioned. Until the Jiajing period, this kind of "harmony" between monarchs and ministers continued can be maintained.

It has become a custom for ministers to resign when they are impeached by others, in order not to embarrass the emperor, it seems to be testing the emperor's intentions, but also to find a way for himself.

Zhu Youtang said: "There are some bad rumors out there, saying that I only want to appoint close sycophants, especially the matter of using Bingkuan, I don't know what those people's intentions are, even the vassals are following Booing. I said earlier that I will use whoever is capable, and Bingkuan's meritorious deeds should be obvious to all, right?"

Liu Jian said: "The veteran didn't intend to target anyone, it's just that the veteran is old and frail..."

Zhu Youtang waved his hand and said: "There is no need to say your resignation. If Mr. Liu Ge is really sick and unable to bear the court affairs, I will allow you to return to your hometown and reward you more. Thank you for what you have done to the court. There are so many things. But now is not the time to back off. If there is one more cabinet minister, I will not listen to the opinions of anyone other than Er Deng and Han Yuan... Take your heart back and just express your position. See if there is a need for more, or If it is added to anyone, I will accept it."

……

……

The three members of the cabinet thought there was some other major matter, but the inner court summoned them and only said that they would increase the number of cabinet ministers.

Moreover, the emperor seemed to care about them very much and did not intend to force them.

After the three of them returned to the cabinet to be on duty, Xie Qian sat by the stove, clamped a piece of new-style honeycomb coal into the iron stove with iron tongs, and said with a smile: "This thing really works, it won't go out no matter how you burn it! Really! warm."

Liu Jian said: "If you have anything, just say it."

Xie Qian smiled without saying a word.

Li Dongyang seemed to be adding for Xie Qian: "Your Majesty said that he would listen to the opinions of the ministers of Hanyuan, but Zhang Bingkuan is also a minister of Hanyuan."

In one sentence, it seems to point out the most critical point of the problem.

Zhang Zhou is still a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy. If the emperor proposes to find someone to join the cabinet, instead of Wang Jia and Cheng Minzheng, it is likely that he wants Zhang Zhou to "hold several positions". Anyway, Zhang Zhou has already served as a Hanlin before. The position of a bachelor, turning a Hanlin bachelor into a "big bachelor", doesn't seem to have changed much.

The listening place is also the entry value, and the cabinet is also the entry value. Which value is not the value?

After thinking for a long time, Liu Jian said with emotion: "Will Your Majesty be so biased towards Zhang Bingkuan?"

The implication is that we are all guarding against Wang Jia, Cheng Minzheng, and preventing others from seeing Zhang Zhou's rise and moving closer to Zhang Zhou's camp.

Now you actually think that the emperor wants Zhang Zhou to join the cabinet?
Then why does His Majesty still show such an obedient side?Isn't it good to say it directly?
Xie Qian rubbed his hands in front of the stove and said, "I think what Binzhi means is that His Majesty will listen to Zhang Bingkuan's opinion on who to choose. It doesn't necessarily mean that Zhang Bingkuan will join the cabinet, right?"

"Yes." Li Dongyang nodded.

Liu Jian did not explicitly say that Zhang Zhou was to join the cabinet, saying that the emperor was biased, or it could be said that the emperor believed too much in Zhang Zhou's opinions.

Xie Qian said again: "Zhang Bingkuan prophesied that there would be an earthquake in Shaanxi. It seemed to be quite serious. It has been eight or nine days, but there is still no movement?"

Li Dongyang said: "If it happens in Shaanxi, or if it takes two or three days to sort out the disaster, it will be reported in detail. It is estimated that it will come in two or three days. Your Majesty did not make a big announcement about this matter, but he does not know the local authorities. How to deal with it, if you come and go again, I am afraid that the folks will respect Zhang Bingkuan even more."

Xie Qian smiled and said: "That's right, it's still true. If he really wants to make use of the topic of disasters and surprises in the future to make something out of nothing, who can question it? Didn't it mean that the Zhang family from Longhushan will enter Beijing? Why is there no news?"

"almost."

Liu Jian sat down, and on his desk, there were still many memorials waiting to be drafted.

But he seemed unable to calm down, he said: "Bin Zhi, if you have free time these two days, go to Hanyuan for a walk, and tell your majesty that you intend to nominate someone to join the cabinet, and let Hanyuan discuss the candidate for the cabinet first. The three of us don't make any comments, and everything follows the mainstream opinion. Whoever they recommend, we will play with His Majesty, which is the best."

The emperor said to listen to our opinions.

We don't express our opinions either, we just convey Your Majesty's intentions, and let the members of the Imperial Academy system discuss on their own to see who is more "virtuous and respected".

Xie Qian said, "Aren't you afraid of hearing about candidates we don't want to hear?"

Liu Jian sighed: "I'm afraid that these candidates are exactly what your Majesty wants, so it's better to let the officials of the Imperial Academy agree. If the situation is beyond your control, why force it?"

We have already handed over everything to "public opinion". If the Imperial Academy is to elect people we don't want to hear, it means that the purpose of the emperor and Zhang Zhou has been achieved. Their infiltration of our private land, that is, the Imperial Academy system, It's reached the point where we can't pick a single person we like.

What's the point?
It was as if lying flat, waiting for the heavy fire from political enemies.

Li Dongyang said: "I don't think so, I have my own opinion."

……

……

Zhang Zhou has been very relaxed recently.

During this period of time after the year, although the affairs of the Ministry of War are quite busy, Xiong Chong and Xiong Xiu have handled things properly. The Audit Office is currently only responsible for border military affairs. One is Wang Qiong, the left servant of the household department, and the other is Zhu Hui, the Duke of Baoguo. The two of them don't need to go in and out of the palace often.

Wang Qiong's value was put forward by the emperor, while Zhu Hui was "selected" by the governor's mansion. It was originally Zhang Mao's value, but Zhang Mao liked to rely on the old and sell the old when he was fine, let alone the emperor. , even the officials looked at him a bit disliked, so in the unnamed recommendation from the Dudu Mansion, in the end it was Zhu Hui who was better.

And from the matter of electing Zhu Hui to the listening office, it also set a precedent for "secret ballot".

It roughly means that those who are qualified to nominate do not need to let others know who you are nominating, and there is no need to announce the number of votes for each person when the final votes are counted. The emperor is the referee, which can be regarded as the greatest guarantee of fairness.

Zhang Mao originally thought that no matter how slack he was, others would still regard him as the number one military meritorious service. As a result, he failed in the election among honorable ministers, so he was naturally upset.

He was depressed at home for several days, and many people visited his house after the Chinese New Year, but he turned him away.

"Father, after the Shangyuan Festival, my son will enter the martial arts hall to study further. What do you want my son to do?"

Zhang Rui seems to be a healthy person recently, and he has done a good job in the recovery training of attacking horses, riding and shooting. This time, he is the first batch of students to enroll in the martial arts hall.

In addition to Zhang Rui, Zhang Rui's son Zhang Lun was also there.

The father and son are going to study in the martial arts hall together.

Zhang Mao said angrily: "If this goes on like this, all the prestige of my Zhang family will be lost. Are you here to learn real skills and make great achievements in the future, or are you here to form cliques?"

Zhang Rui said: "I don't quite understand what my father means."

Zhang Mao said angrily: "If you also belong to Zhang Bingkuan, then our Zhang family will be completely finished!"

One sentence exposed old man Zhang's true state of mind.

He now regards Zhang Zhou as an enemy... It is no longer like when Zhang Zhou just rose up, he still wanted to use his reputation and connections to win Zhang Zhou, and he could even get along with Zhang Zhou on an equal footing, and even detained Jiang Dezhong and other means to force him to Zhang Zhou cooperated with him.

"Father, why don't you go?" Zhang Rui asked for instructions.

"If you don't go, will the result be better?" Zhang Mao sat there, as if he was sulking, "Is it because I have no one in the Zhang family? Or is it because Zhang Bingkuan has risen too fast? Is he jealous of his father? Now Even the soldiers in the Beijing camp are alienated from their father... When is it the turn of the Baoguo Duke to be on duty?"

Only then did Zhang Rui understand.

The fact that my father was so self-pitying was because Zhu Hui robbed him of his job at the Auditor's Office.

From Zhang Rui's point of view, maybe Zhang Mao thought that even if there was Zhang Bingkuan, at least in the Governor's Mansion, Zhang Mao was the most respected in terms of morality...but this time he was beaten in the face by reality.

It seems that the entire Governor's Mansion took the opportunity to express their previous dissatisfaction with the British Duke at once.

Zhang Rui said: "If my father intends to serve the imperial court, he should propose to His Majesty, and he can recommend himself."

"I don't have that face for my father." Zhang Mao said, "This is the end of the matter, you can continue to study martial arts. You have to remember, if you can't learn and come back, then the British Duke's appearance may not be preserved! If there is any matter of rushing into the battle, you But there must be no excuses..."

When Zhang Rui heard it, father, you are so cowardly, you actually encouraged your son to be cannon fodder?

Zhang Maodao: "There is no other way to be a father. After you practice in the Martial Arts Hall, I will help you find a military post in a border town in front of His Majesty for your father, so that you have the opportunity to practice! But I am afraid of Zhang Bingkuan." Get in the way..."

"Father, Cai Guogong should not be like this." Zhang Rui still trusts Zhang Zhou.

"Believe in your father and me, or outsiders?" Zhang Mao was also annoyed.

I said Zhang Bingkuan is a bad guy, but you still treat him as a good guy?Turn your elbows out?

Zhang Rui could only lower his head.

"Damn it." Zhang Mao lost his restraint, and scolded directly, "What is Zhang Bingkuan! Even if he doesn't let you have the opportunity to make achievements, I will let you go to war with Wang Bo'an... nothing else, I'm in court like this For many years, I have sought for my son a leading position in the vanguard, is it not enough? Can Your Majesty not give such a face?"

Only then did Zhang Rui know that his father, for the sake of the British government's appearance, actually wanted him to go to the front line, even to die.

Zhang Rui is also pondering.

Father, what kind of blow did you encounter?Am I not your biological son?So much... You are going to kill me!

……

……

Li Dongyang went to the Hanlin Academy.

He went to meet a person, Wang Hua, who had just been promoted by the emperor to be a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy.

Wang Hua's promotion is all due to his son Wang Shouren's achievements in the Northwest... Many people think so, although the words are ugly, but Wang Hua doesn't care, just like what he taught Wang Shouren back then...Go your own way , let others talk.

"Your Majesty wants to transfer someone to the cabinet, Dehui, who do you think has the qualifications?" Li Dongyang said bluntly.

You recommend someone to me.

Wang Hua was beating a drum in his heart.

He is very clear that in the Hanlin Academy system, there are many people who are higher than Wang Hua in terms of qualifications. Let alone Wang Jia, Jiao Fang, and Li Jie, let alone the rising stars, Yang Tinghe and Liang Chu, who have previously won the three cabinet members. After all, when there was a vacancy for Hanlin scholars before, Liu Jian and the others recommended Yang Tinghe and Liang Chu first.

If you add Zhang Yuanzhen and Zhang Zhou, Wang Hua knows very well that he is close to No.10 in terms of status among those who have not entered the cabinet in the Imperial Academy...

Choose someone to join the cabinet, is it my turn?
Take it a step further, you Li Dongyang is asking for a candidate, as for asking me?
Wang Hua said: "Wang Jizhi has given lectures in the East Palace for more than a year, and served as the foreman when speaking on the feast day. With his talent, it is most suitable for him to join the cabinet to assist the Prime Minister in matters of court affairs."

Since I, Mr. Wang, know that your ulterior motives are not in drinking, then I will recommend the most suitable candidate in my opinion.

Anyway, I'm not afraid of being retaliated against.

And the Wang Jia he recommended... is obviously the unpopular candidate that Liu Jian and the others mentioned before.

Li Dongyang smiled and said: "Why does Dehui want to belittle himself? Your son has not long been in the court, and he has already taken charge of military affairs. If you join the cabinet, you can help father and son inside and outside, which can be described as a good story in the court. So...you are better than anyone else They are all suitable for the cabinet!"

(End of this chapter)