The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Fengtianmen, court meeting.

The morning court started relatively late that day, also because Zhu Youtang had been very slack on court affairs recently. Zhang Zhou was not in the capital, so Zhu Youtang didn't even think about dealing with government affairs. His mind was probably wandering to the battlefields in various border towns.

Although there was no news from any of the border towns that was particularly exciting to him, this battle was like fighting mosquitoes with anti-aircraft cannons, only hearing movement but not gaining anything.

At the court meeting, Zhu Youtang stated that Wang Qiong would be transferred to replace Qin Hong. The candidate would be nominated by the emperor himself. Unlike in the past, the tripartite system was recommended by ministers and discussed by the court. This time, the emperor seemed to have made the decision early in the morning. He made the final decision without giving the minister a chance to refute.

There are still many people in the court who have opinions on this matter.

With Ma Wensheng as the leader, the ministers naturally had to resist when the emperor recommended the officials of border towns. The person recommended by Ma Wensheng was none other than Liu Daxia, the governor of Xuanfu. This was Ma Wensheng's first choice among the governors of border towns. The most promising one.

Zhu Youtang said: "Someone still needs to take care of the food, grass and baggage of the Xuanfu, especially those who are familiar with the affairs of the household department, so they should retain their original posts. I think that after Wang Qing's family moved to the three sides, the person above him would be in charge. For errands, someone needs to come forward to take over. In addition to Bingkuan, there are also a few people who need to be recommended to the top, so you should discuss it more."

It seems that the emperor gave the ministers a chance, but in fact he didn't give them the slightest chance. Even the officials in the court who were inexperienced in the world knew that the emperor had already decided on the candidates for the high-ranking officials, and the ministers could not recommend anything. It's a cover.

Liu Jian came out and said: "Your Majesty, the war in the northwest is still ongoing. Should we wait until it calms down before talking about changing the commander?"

Zhu Youtang said: "Qin Hong has resigned not once or twice, and at his age, it takes a lot of effort to lead such a war. Do I not trust him? Now I have made arrangements for him to leave later. On his way back to the DPRK, I will also treat him courteously, why not?"

Liu Jian then asked for instructions: "If Qin Hong is not qualified to handle the military affairs of the three sides of the general system, he should return to his fields instead of returning to the court."

When these words came out, Zhu Youtang was also a little surprised.

He thought that Liu Jian was fighting for Qin Hong, but now he, as an emperor, felt that Liu Jian felt that Qin Hong was not a traditional civil servant. This was because he was afraid that when he returned to the dynasty, he would seize the division of traditional civil servants' power, so he wanted Qin Hong to If you drive him out once, you'll be done with it.

"Qin Hong has dedicated his life to the imperial court for many years. I chose him when the northwest magistrate was vacant, and he fulfilled his duties. Although he did not appear in person in the previous battles, he was behind the scenes, and his military exploits should be there. He will share his share and return to the court to assist me, which can be regarded as my appointment of merit, and I don't think there is any problem with this."

Zhu Youtang explained why he wanted to continue using Qin Hong.

Liu Jian did not fight anymore, but wisely retreated to the court.

Zhu Youtang saw that Liu Jian had no further objections. In addition, he had basically confirmed that Wang Qiong would be the president of the three sides. After all, the people in each side were following his emperor's vision. In the past, these divisions of power had been It was the civil servants who were discussing internally, and he, the emperor, was more of a bystander.

But it's different now. When the emperor becomes emperor, he only uses the people he wants to use, or in other words, they are all Zhang Zhou's people, which is in his interest.

There is a sense of security that military power is firmly in hand.

"Retreat from the court. I've been feeling unwell these past few days. If I can't come, I'll ask someone to notify me in advance. I've been feeling physically and mentally exhausted recently." Zhu Youtang didn't seem to be sick yet. He actually asked for sick leave for himself in the court hall. .

If things were different in the past, the minister would definitely come out and say something about governing the country diligently, or conversely, tell you to take better care of yourself.

But at this moment, the minister seems to be choosing neither.

Xie Qian seemed not to have heard the emperor's words. Even when the emperor made it clear that he wanted to retire and take sick leave, he still came out to slander the emperor. He said: "Your Majesty, there are many matters concerning the Ministry of War now that the Minister is not in Beijing. If there is a delay, I would like to ask the Minister of War to recall him to the capital as soon as possible."

Zhu Youtang said: "Xie Qing's family, are you serious?"

Xie Qian was also startled and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, I naturally speak from the bottom of my heart. There should be no slack in the affairs of the DPRK."

Zhu Youtang frowned and said: "Bingkuan's errands in Yongping Mansion have not been completed yet, so let him stay for a few more days without having to work too hard. Let's do this for now."

After saying this, the emperor stood up and left without waiting for any further feedback from the ministers.

All the ministers hurriedly saluted and sent him off respectfully.

……

……

The meeting ended.

Originally, there was not much serious matter in the court meeting that day. It was just to draft a candidate for the trilateral general system. It was not too abrupt to let Wang Qiong go. After all, Wang Qiong's ability was recognized by most people.

It's just that the ministers seemed a little confused as to why the cabinet represented by Liu Jian and Xie Qian, who were also the leaders of the civil service, actually made two uncharacteristic decisions in the court, but the emperor did not adopt them twice.

One is Qin Hong's return to the dynasty, and the other is Zhang Zhou's return to the dynasty.

After the court meeting, some people wanted to take advantage of the way out of the palace to go and talk to the cabinet people. Naturally, they wanted to ask Xie Qian, who was usually more talkative.

But this time Xie Qian also kept his secrets secret and waved his hands in silence, as if he had nothing to discuss with the people present.

When they returned to the cabinet for duty, the three cabinet members seemed to be relieved. They sat down to discuss the gains and losses in the court, or the "test results".

Li Dongyang concluded: "His Majesty seems to be particularly resistant to us talking about border affairs. However, it seems that His Majesty will basically not accept anything we propose, and will do the opposite."

Xie Qian said with a smile: "Who said otherwise? His Majesty originally expected Zhang Bingkuan to return to the court, but as soon as we said we hoped he would come back soon, His Majesty immediately offered to let him stay in Yongping Mansion for a few more days. This is not clearly related to us. To play devil’s advocate?”

"Be careful!" Liu Jian warned with a sullen face.

What is your identity? Why do you think the emperor is deliberately targeting you?

It's disrespectful for you to say this.

Xie Qian seemed to have an indifferent look on his face and said with a smile: "Then in the future, can we deliberately say the opposite on some things like today?"

Li Dongyang said: "Once or twice is okay, haven't you seen that so many people are confused about our attitude after the dissolution of the court? However, what we proposed does not go beyond the fundamentals of court order, nor is it It's pointless, sometimes... maybe you can really think about it."

Within a reasonable range, the emperor's resistance to civil servants was used to say some irony to achieve his own goals.

Liu Jian seemed to be annoyed by the optimism of Li Dongyang and Xie Qian. He said: "Now that you have lost His Majesty's absolute trust, in your opinion, this has become something that can be exploited?"

Now Li Dongyang and Xie Qian were speechless.

We are civil servants, or top civil servants, so unpopular with the emperor. The emperor will contradict us for everything we say, but we still want to use this matter to make a fuss?

Let’s talk about the issue of being thick-skinned first. Let’s talk about the right to speak among civil servants in the future. It will definitely be greatly reduced.

How can we lead this team?
Liu Jiandao: "Have you not noticed that His Majesty has not mentioned anything about the new cabinet candidates recently?"

Xie Qian didn't understand why Liu Jian mentioned this.

Li Dongyang was thinking sharply. He nodded and said: "That's right. It seems that we should take the initiative to propose new candidates for the cabinet. This can not only show His Majesty that we have no intention of being self-willed, but also ease the relationship with His Majesty. Kill two birds with one stone.”

While showing that we are not obsessed with power, we also made peace with the emperor and maintained a harmonious relationship.

It seems that adding a cabinet minister who is not our direct lineage will lead to a loss of power. However, if the new cabinet minister is originally ranked last, his influence on the court will be very limited, but it will make the emperor feel that we have already Divide out the sphere of influence of your own iron plate, and let the emperor put down his utmost vigilance towards us.

Xie Qian said with some annoyance: "It's all because of Zhang Bingkuan's rise in the past two years, which also forces us to do things that go against our true intentions."

Li Dongyang said: "Yu Qiao, your idea is a bit dangerous. The selection of the cabinet is originally decided by His Majesty. After the 11th year of Hongzhi, although the three of us have performed our duties, many times the cabinet will slack off in official duties due to lack of manpower. The establishment of the Shangting Office is a supplement to this. If His Majesty proposes another candidate for the Shangting Office, why don't we also promote the new people who join the cabinet?"

"That's not..." Xie Qian was about to complain, but restrained himself and looked back at Liu Jian.

What Xie Qian didn't finish talking about was probably "raising tigers will lead to disaster".

Let him join the cabinet. The cabinet is ranked fourth and has little influence. However, if we insist on letting this cabinet minister enter the hearing room, then the weight of his words in the court will be high. It is tantamount to saying that we have cultivated him. There is a big hidden danger.

Li Dongyang shook his head and said: "Now we are asking His Majesty to set the rules for the Superior Court of Justice, just like the rules set when the cabinet was established. The cabinet ministers will also be responsible for the errands of the Supreme Court Office. This will also allow us to know the situation there at any time. , at the same time, those who join the cabinet in the future will be on duty in the Shangting Department, which is considered to be a training for people. Anyone who will be a secondary assistant in the future can also have the qualifications to join the Shangting Department. So which one comes first, the Shangting Department or the cabinet? ?”

When Li Dongyang said this, Liu Jian just listened and did not object.

Apparently, the two had discussed this matter early in the morning, but Xie Qian didn't know about it.

Xie Qian understood immediately. Now he was going to take advantage of the emperor to find someone he trusted, such as Wang Hao, and when he joined the cabinet, he would recommend this person to the Shangting Department to set a "rule" , that is, the person with the lowest ranking as a cabinet minister, who also holds the errands of the listening office.

This ensures to the greatest extent that there is no separation between the cabinet and the department, so as to ensure the reputation and status of the cabinet ministers in the government.

Xie Qian said: "The implication is that even if it damages the current situation, it will not be hesitated?"

Li Dongyang sighed: "There is really no need to fight between morale. Everything must be maintained to maintain the stability of the court. The most important thing about this order is not our attitude. It still depends on His Majesty's attitude. How can we make progress if we don't retreat?" Woolen cloth?"

"Ugh!"

Xie Qian is usually optimistic and cheerful, but now he seems to feel a great sense of mission.

That is an insistence on traditional civil servants presiding over court affairs, or an insistence on the concept of Confucian officials governing the country.

In the end, Xie Qian just nodded in agreement.

Originally, the planning of this matter did not go through him. He was just the last person in the cabinet to know about it. Now, for the benefit of the overall situation, he can only sacrifice his personal interests... This matter has the greatest impact on the people in the cabinet. Probably he was Xie Qian.

He is ranked third in the cabinet, and now he is the fourth, who directly concurrently serves as the minister of the Department of Supervision, so his status may not be as good as that of the new cabinet member.

Even after Liu Jian and Li Dongyang retire in the future, he may not be able to become the chief assistant. He may have to retire with him, because no matter in terms of qualifications or reputation, he Xie Qian may have to carry the shoes of this "junior". Really Just find someone to sit on your head and shit on.

……

……

After the three cabinet members agreed on the strategy, they immediately submitted a petition for instructions, proposing that the emperor's court should discuss new candidates for the cabinet.

Inside the Qianqing Palace.

Xiao Jing stood respectfully beside the desk, waiting for the emperor to finish reviewing the cabinet report.

Zhu Youtang said: "Why are you asking me to return to my hometown now? Didn't I say that? With the contribution that Mr. Liu Ge and the others have made to the court and their abilities, I will not let them Back home.”

Although in his heart, Zhu Youtang had classified himself and Zhang Zhou into the same party and opposed the civil servants in the court, Zhu Youtang has always been generous and kind, and he had a respect for the traditional civil servants. He also knew that the current mainstream of the court The forces all support and respect the three people in the cabinet, so he will maintain the status quo and gradually bring up Zhang Zhou's people on this basis.

Xiao Jing tried not to mention his own opinions as much as possible, and just expressed his attitude according to the words of Liu Jian and the others: "Your Majesty, according to what the elders of Liu Ge said, their abilities are now limited, especially for military matters. There are not many places that can help, and given the current situation in the court, we should cultivate more young people."

"Young and strong faction. Since ancient times, when there are young and strong factions in the court to assist the government, there will be chaos."

When Zhu Youtang said this, he seemed to think of something and changed the topic, "Except Bingkuan."

Xiao Jing said: "Then we should add one or two bachelors to the cabinet as agreed before to share the pressure with Mr. Liu Ge and others."

Zhu Youtang nodded, put down the memorial, and said with regret: "It seems that this is the only way. If there is one more person, I want Wang Hao to join the cabinet. If there are two people...another candidate You need to think about it.”

The compromise plan of Liu Jian and the others was actually to add a new cabinet minister, who would also serve as the minister of the Supreme Court.

But for Zhu Youtang, adding one more cabinet minister is obviously not enough to satisfy him. If he wants to add two more cabinet ministers, he can revitalize the stagnant cabinet. In this way, even if one or two cabinet ministers step down, the skeleton of the cabinet will still be there. .

Xiao Jing understood the meaning as soon as he heard it. The emperor was a little dissatisfied with the current situation of the iron triangle in the cabinet.

It can only be said that he has been enduring it and has not proposed a change. Now that the cabinet has taken the initiative to propose this matter, the emperor must be more ruthless in reform and arrange more people of his choice to preside over the affairs of the court. This can also be regarded as the emperor's demonstration. Another way of imperial power.

Xiao Jing took the opportunity to say: "Your Majesty, this servant is also a little unable to do what he wants now..."

"What do you mean?" Zhu Youtang frowned, "Even you say such depressing words?"

Xiao Jing said: "Your Majesty, it seems to me that since the cabinet is about to add new people, if the Chief of Ceremonies does not make some changes, not only will the courtiers gossip, but also there will be some trouble in the handling of court affairs. Your Majesty should also take this opportunity to We have also made some changes to the Supervisor of Ceremonies.”

"It seems...it's time."

After hearing Xie Qian's words, Zhu Youtang seemed to be somewhat satisfied with Xie Qian's attitude.

You old boy has finally figured it out. You know that you are not capable enough, right?
It's no use just trying to be a good old man, and your "niceness" is aimed at traditional civil servants. To put it bluntly, you value etiquette more than traditional Confucian officials, but you have objections to my reform of government affairs. That's all With such an attitude, how can you expect to do great things for me?
"I have to think about how to adapt it." Zhu Youtang said, "I think that if the cabinet wants to add ministers, Bingkuan can consider it."

"Ok?"

Although Xie Qian was mentally prepared, he was still shocked after hearing Zhu Youtang's words.

Zhang Zhou was already the Minister of the Ministry of War and Duke of Cai. He also had the title of Zuo Dudu in the Dudu Mansion. This meant that he was responsible for government and military affairs and was responsible for both the Ministry of War and the Dudu Mansion. This was equivalent to mobilizing and commanding the troops himself. In this way, the emperor still Not satisfied, Zhang Zhou will be allowed to join the cabinet as a bachelor again if he accepts his admission...

If this is the case, then Zhang Zhou should have the power that everyone has dreamed of since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, right?
Zhu Youtang said: "If he joins the cabinet, he doesn't have to be on duty in the cabinet every day. Just like now, he can make a name for himself and make some preparations for the future."

Although the emperor did not clearly say what he was preparing for the future, Xiao Jing seemed to understand.

As long as Zhang Zhou joins the cabinet behind the iron triangle in the cabinet, then after the three old guys retire, Zhang Zhou can legitimately become the chief minister. Who will come to oppose Zhang Zhou then!Zhang Zhouzhen was not only a thorn in the side of traditional civil servants, but also became the leader of traditional civil servants. At that time, the scholars below probably would not think about how to belittle Zhang Zhou, but should think about how to write some articles to praise Zhang Zhou's abilities. .

And this was exactly the result the emperor sought.

Xiao Jing said: "Your Majesty, Cai Guogong holds many positions now. Even if he has outstanding abilities, I am afraid it will be difficult for him to succeed in this matter."

Zhu Youtang smiled and said, "Why do you think I keep letting him keep the Hanlin Academy job?"

Xiao Jing was speechless for a moment.

But he was extremely shocked.

The emotional emperor has been preparing for this day for a long time... It's no wonder that the emperor has always wanted to let Wang Hao enter the cabinet, but has not done so yet.

It's just that...

The emperor had been waiting for Zhang Zhou.

Zhang Zhou now holds so many positions, and the emperor still reserves a part-time job for him as a bachelor's student, and does not require him to work as an errand in the Hanlin Academy. Isn't this obvious... The emperor wanted Zhang Zhou to join the cabinet, and he wanted Zhang Zhou to be a civil servant The leader?

It has been planned for a long time. (End of chapter)