British government.
It's May, the weather has already warmed up, the sun is hanging high above the head, and the cicadas on the trees keep chirping, which is annoying.
Zhang Min had just had lunch and was a little sleepy, so he asked someone to beat up all the cicadas outside and planned to take a nap.
However, just as he undressed his coat under the concubine's service, the housekeeper knocked on the door and whispered.
"Second Master, Duke Cheng Guo is here. He said he has something urgent to discuss with you."
Hearing this, Zhang Min was slightly unhappy, but Zhu Yi's visit at this time must have something important indeed.
So, he had to change his clothes again, and then came to the flower hall.
Zhu Yi had already been welcomed in, but she did not sit down in the hall. Instead, she stood in the hall with her hands behind her hands, looking quite uneasy.
Entering the hall, the two of them each bowed. Zhang Min had just sat down, but before he could sit firmly, Zhu Yi from the opposite side said in a hurry.
"Second Master, there is news!"
Zhang Min was stunned for a moment before he realized what Zhu Yi was talking about. At that moment, he couldn't sit still. He suddenly stood up from his chair, took two steps forward, and asked.
"Really? But why haven't I heard the news before?"
Relatively speaking, although Zhu Yi looked happy, she was much calmer and nodded.
"The imperial edict has been issued and there will be no mistakes."
As he spoke, he sighed and said.
"We still misjudged the current emperor. We originally thought that such a big matter would have to be discussed by the court. But who would have thought that His Majesty did not even pass the court discussion and directly issued an edict."
"It is said that several cabinet ministers went to the palace to ask for an audience on the spot. As a result, they were all rejected. Immediately after the news spread, important ministers from various ministries also rushed to the palace. The first one to arrive was Yu Qian from the Ministry of War. !”
"Okay, okay, okay..."
Zhang Xi rubbed his hands, and immediately, before he had time to say more, he shouted outside.
"Prepare the car, I want to enter the palace."
After the servants outside hurriedly went to prepare, he calmed down slightly, turned to Zhu Yi and said.
"My lord, why don't you go and watch such a wonderful show?"
Zhu Yi obviously understood what Zhang Shi meant, nodded with a smile and said.
"Let's go together naturally..."
At the same time, outside Donghua Gate, several sedan chairs were parked not far away, and seven or eight ministers in scarlet robes stood outside the palace gate, gathering in twos and threes, whispering something, but without exception, they His brows were all furrowed.
Not long after, Wang Ao and several cabinet ministers hurried out. As soon as their figures appeared, they were immediately surrounded.
Yu Qian was the first to speak and asked directly.
"Everyone, what's going on? Why is it that the establishment of an imperial palace is such a big deal, and the imperial edict has been issued without any court discussion?"
Wang Ao also smiled bitterly and said.
"Don't be anxious, Shaobao. We know that this matter is important. However, His Majesty has spoken so and the Holy Will has been decided. Do you want us to resist the decree?"
With that said, the Chief Assistant told the whole story of what happened today.
It should be said that the process of the matter was relatively simple. After the morning court, the emperor suddenly sent Wynn to the cabinet to deliver the decree. The content was very simple, only two short sentences.
"...As requested by the kings, the Imperial Village was ordered to be established under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Household Affairs. The hidden military fields, private fields, and official fields inspected by the previous court were handed over to the Imperial Village for management according to the fish scale atlas. The departments should not delay... …”
Although the words were brief, the information revealed in them undoubtedly caused shock throughout the court.
The first person to raise objections was the Ministry of Rites. After Wang Ao finished speaking, Hu Hui from the Ministry of Rites asked immediately.
"Invited by the kings? When did it happen? Why didn't the Ministry of Rites receive the memorial?"
The affairs of the clan have always been under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites. Although the clan mansion has been re-established, its jurisdiction is limited to clan affairs, and it must be coordinated with the Ministry of Rites. Most of the officials are seconded by officials from the Ministry of Rites. past.
According to the previous practice, the memorials, seals, and congratulatory notes from the kings requesting for titles, names, marriages, etc. must first be sent to the Ministry of Rites, and then handed over to the Ministry of Rites for forwarding.
But this time around the so-called Huangzhuang, although there were rumors in the capital, the ministers in the court were always present. The reason was that there was no news from the Ministry of Rites.
But now, the emperor suddenly issued an edict, clearly stating that it was requested by the kings, so the Ministry of Rites naturally wanted to question it first.
After hearing this, Wang Ao smiled bitterly and said.
"I also asked Eunuch Huai about this matter, and he said that it was submitted directly by His Majesty when he summoned the kings a few days ago. It did not go through the General Affairs Department or the Ministry of Rites, but there was an attachment from Prince Min. , it must have been handed over by the clan’s mansion.”
Hu Xi's face became more and more ugly. Looking at the old man's appearance, he knew that he was very angry.
This explanation seems to make sense, but in fact it has a big problem. The imperial court has its own regulations on memorials. It does not mean that kings cannot submit memorials, but that they cannot submit them in this form and go beyond all the yamen. The most typical result of sending it directly to the emperor is that as now, such a big matter as the Imperial Village is decided directly by the ministers without any news or discussion in advance.
Moreover, the Zongren's Office is responsible for the clan affairs, but the Imperial Village involves military garrison and official fields, which are obviously state affairs. As a rule, the Zongren's Office has no right to submit such memorials, not to mention that it also involves the interference of feudal kings in politics. The problem.
In short, there are already a lot of problems exposed by this incident on the Ministry of Rites alone, not to mention other specific problems.
Hu Xi stopped talking, but with this look, it was obvious that he was not giving up. It seemed that the old man was planning to argue in front of the emperor.
Following closely behind, it was Yu Qian who asked again. Unlike Hu Hui who focused on the vassal king, his energy was more focused on the matter itself.
Although he had already seen the imperial edict, after hearing the original words of the oral edict, he thought for a moment and continued.
"Since it was written by all the kings, where is the memorial?"
"The imperial edict only states that imperial estates will be established in various places, and orders that the military, official, and private lands that have been recovered this time will be returned to the imperial estates. How to implement it specifically is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Household Affairs, so who will manage it specifically? Why does the imperial edict vaguely include the intention of involving the vassal king?"
"What are the specific regulations, and how will the feudal king report it? Is there any news?"
This series of questions made Wang Ao feel a little dizzy.
Seeing this situation, Yu Shiyue on the side came to the rescue and said.
"Yu Shaobao, the cabinet is only responsible for drafting decrees. The kings' memorials are still in the palace, and we have not seen them."
After the words fell, Yu Qian's face looked a little ugly and he said directly.
"For such a big matter, we should at least go to the palace to meet His Majesty, understand it carefully and discuss it before making a final decision. Since we haven't even seen the memorial and don't understand anything, how can the cabinet just rely on oral instructions and rashly draft a decree?"
"If something goes wrong, who will be responsible?"
What he said did not save any face for Yu Shiyue, an old friend, and he almost said that the cabinet position was a vegetarian.
Yu Shiyue was choked and could not speak. However, Wang Wen on the side couldn't stand it anymore and said.
"What does Yu Shaobao mean by this?"
"The cabinet is a government office prepared for consultation, and it is not under Zhongshu's sect. What do you mean by rashly formulating decrees based only on oral instructions?"
"The Chief Assistant has just said that after receiving the decree, all the ministers in the cabinet have invited him to see me, but His Majesty did not see him."
"Under such circumstances, is it possible that you want the cabinet to resist the decree and refuse to enact it?"
"But……"
Yu Qian scratched his neck and was about to argue, but saw Wynn leading a group of people out of the palace gate in a hurry.
As a result, all the important ministers who had been having a vague dispute fell silent and waited for Wynn's explanation.
In this kind of scene, even with Huaien's status, one needs to be careful. You know, although there were only six important ministers who came first.
But as time went by, more and more ministers gathered outside the palace gate, watching from a distance, wanting to see the outcome of this matter.
Hurrying up to the ministers, Wynn looked a little embarrassed, but he still spoke.
"My lords, Your Majesty felt dizzy when he woke up this morning. The imperial doctor is currently undergoing treatment and has no time to summon you. If you have any questions, please let us know in the morning the day after tomorrow."
As soon as these words came out, there was a sudden uproar in the room, and all the important ministers were also stunned, but soon they frowned.
The emperor would never get sick sooner or later, but he fell ill at this time. This was clearly avoiding them.
Morning meeting the day after tomorrow?
How can this be done? The imperial edict has been issued. The longer the delay, the smaller the chance of recovery. No, I must see His Majesty today.
The ministers looked at each other and unanimously agreed, and then Yu Qian stepped forward and spoke.
"Eunuch Huai, please report to Your Majesty that I am here to discuss the establishment of the Imperial Mansion. This matter involves great importance and involves national affairs and cannot be ignored. Therefore, I sincerely request Your Majesty to allow us to have an audience."
"this……"
Huaien looked at Yu Qian with a rather embarrassed expression on his face and said.
"Yu Shaobao, it's not that our family refuses to report it, it's just that His Majesty has given instructions. The Dragon Body is sick and doesn't want to see anyone. No matter how big the national affairs are, it can't be more important than the health of His Majesty's Holy Body. Since Your Majesty has said it, you can do it later. We’ll talk about it in the morning, so please come back.”
Although these words were euphemistic, the meaning was very clear, so the faces of the ministers present suddenly became a little ugly.
Seeing this situation, Wang Ao stepped forward again and said.
"Eunuch Huai, since His Majesty is in ill health, it is natural for us to go to the palace to pay our respects. I would like to ask you to inform me again, otherwise you see this..."
As he spoke, the chief minister glanced at the dark-faced Yu Qian next to him, feeling a little embarrassed as well.
That means it’s not easy to appease here either…
Wynn is naturally a person who knows how to observe words and emotions. Looking at this scene, he hesitated for a moment and finally said.
"That's alright, let's go and report it again, my lords, please wait for now."
After saying that, Wynn turned around and entered the palace.
With this incident, the original disputes among the important ministers also calmed down slightly, and everyone's emotions gradually stabilized.
Seeing this situation, Wang Ao took Yu Shiyue to the side, pouted in the direction where Wynn left, and said with a sad face.
"Yu Cifu, what do you think?"
Yu Shiyue knew that he was asking about the emperor's decree. He frowned and pondered for a moment.
"Although I didn't listen to His Majesty's oral instructions in person, judging from this situation, it is indeed His Majesty's intention. Wynn is not so bold."
The implication is that the possibility of falsely spreading the imperial edict can basically be ruled out.
Wang Ao nodded, agreed, and said.
"That's right, the palace guards, the royal guards, and the east factory haven't moved, so there shouldn't be any problems. If you put it that way, it means that His Majesty deliberately avoided seeing us."
Hearing this, Yu Shiyue was a little silent and then said.
"Now it seems that it should be so. The Imperial Village matter is of great importance. His Majesty issued the edict rashly. It is impossible not to foresee the consequences. Since Your Majesty did so, he must not want to conflict with the courtiers at this time, and..."
As he spoke, the Cifu glanced at a few people on the side, and finally landed on a certain Hube Shangshu who was always shrinking behind.
Wang Ao followed his gaze, his eyes flashed, and he said.
"Did you see it too?"
Yu Shiyue nodded slightly, then Wang Ao sighed and said.
"Your Majesty has always been prudent in his actions. This matter is related to national affairs. Your Majesty has not passed the court consultation, so he must be sure that it can be implemented despite the court consultation. Now, although the military camp is completed, it is still in the hands of the Ministry of Household Affairs. As long as the Ministry of Household Affairs is willing to cooperate, It’ll be no big deal.”
"Now that the imperial edict is issued, all the ministries are surprised. But the household ministry that is most involved has never said a word. This shows that Shangshu Shen may have known the inside story for a long time."
Of course Chen Yi knew the inside story, but at this moment, he was also worried.
Before, he had been wondering why the emperor was not in a hurry about such a big matter. It is important to know that if such a big matter is put into court discussion, it is impossible to achieve a result without arguing for ten days and a half. of.
However, now that the kings have left Beijing and returned to the vassal territory, they will definitely start to work on this matter. At that time, if the local officials do not receive the edict and do not cooperate, trouble will inevitably occur, so he has been thinking, What is the emperor's plan?
When the emperor summoned the clan for discussions several times before and ignored all the ministers except him, Shen Yi actually had a premonition. However, he did not expect that His Majesty would play such a big role this time.
For such an important matter, the decree was issued directly without court discussion, which was beyond everyone's expectations.
As a result, the pressure on Shen Shangshu increased. His original idea was to stay above the court's discussion, neither support nor oppose, and then leave the job of offending the emperor to other ministers, such as a certain impatient Yu. Let Shaobao do it, so no matter what the outcome is, it will have nothing to do with him. At most, it will only cause people to talk about his lack of responsibility.
But as soon as the emperor did this, the pressure was all on him. It was okay just now, but this time everyone calmed down. In just a short moment, Shen Yi felt several thoughtful eyes sweeping over him.
The ministers present are all smart people. They understand that the Emperor, His Majesty, may be impulsive, but he will never do anything that is uncertain.
Since he issued the decree without going through the court discussion, it shows that he has the confidence to accomplish the matter without going through the court discussion, and this confidence can only come from the full support of the Ministry of Revenue...
