In Nangong, Zhu Qizhen is sitting on the throne of Chonghua Hall.
In the palace, Zhu Jian was standing with his head bowed, speaking out exactly what he had just said to the emperor.
"The emperor really said that?"
"Exactly!"
Seeing the calm expression on the Supreme Emperor's face, Zhu Jian's thoughts were also a little far away.
It seems that since the He Wenyuan incident, the Supreme Emperor no longer concealed anything when he summoned ministers. Even civil servants like him and Xu Youzhen were the same.
What's even more strange is that the emperor, who was originally extremely sensitive to this kind of behavior, seemed to have suddenly figured it out and allowed the Supreme Emperor to summon the ministers as if he couldn't see anything.
Up and down the court, some ministers, mainly a group headed by a certain heavenly official, were very dissatisfied with this and made repeated remonstrances. However, the emperor only said that the heavenly family was in harmony and would not hinder the affairs of the court, and then refused to do so. Pay attention.
Later, when the Supreme Emperor found out about the incident, it is said that he just laughed it off and said nothing. This situation lasted for a while. From Zhu Jian's perspective, he always felt that something happened between Nangong and the Emperor. Unclear things.
However, it would be difficult for him to ask questions if the Emperor didn't say anything...
"Then what do you think about this?"
While he was thinking, a voice from above suddenly brought Zhu Jian back to his senses.
Hearing these words, he couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart. This Supreme Emperor and the Emperor are really brothers... The questions asked are the same!
However, even though he complained secretly, Zhu Jian was still very respectful on his face, he pondered for a moment and said.
"Your Majesty, when I gave you the report today, I had already made up my mind based on the emperor's intention. If the imperial edict is issued, I will naturally have to obey it. Therefore, I did not reject the matter."
"Moreover, if the contents of that memorial are true, Fujian's officialdom may be riddled with accumulated abuses, and it is indeed necessary for capable ministers to come and rectify it."
"Since the imperial court has given orders, I should obey them, but..."
After a slight pause, a trace of worry flashed across Zhu Jian's face, and he seemed to be hesitant as to whether he should say the next words. However, in the end, Zhu Jian still spoke.
"Recently, there has been a lot of discussion in the court about your Majesty's frequent summons of ministers. Many people say that your Majesty intends to interfere in the affairs of the court. I am afraid that the emperor's move is to deliberately transfer the ministers away from the capital. If I leave the capital, there will be treacherous ministers in the court who intend to seduce them. Your Majesty, if I embarrass Your Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince, no one can advise or dissuade you, so I have doubts in my heart."
This is not because Zhu Jian is arrogant, but to be honest, in today's court, he is the only civil servant who clearly stands on the side of the Supreme Emperor, and he is the only one with enough weight.
The rest either don't have enough official positions, or they are nobles from aristocratic families.
Regardless of his stance, Zhu Jian still had the desire to serve his country. The officialdom in Fujian had become so corrupt that he did have the intention to rectify it for the imperial court.
However, as he said, this is most likely the emperor's plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain. First, the emperor's trustworthy people will be transferred out of the capital one by one. Then, it is time to really target the emperor.
Don't forget, although everything is calm in the court now, after all, the He Wenyuan incident has just passed not long ago. Although Zhu Jian was not personally involved in the incident, even from the perspective of a bystander, he could see that, The matter of He Wenyuan is not simple.
Therefore, in Zhu Jian's view, today's court situation is really complicated. It will only be more complicated than before. It is just that it has shifted from overt conflicts to secret brewing. However, after a long time in officialdom, We all know that conflict is not terrible, but conflict that accumulates but does not break out is terrible, because once such a conflict breaks out, its intensity will inevitably be unparalleled.
However, in the face of Zhu Jian's worries, Zhu Qizhen seemed very calm and said.
"Since the Qing family has the heart to serve the country, why should we worry about him?"
"I am safe in the capital, and the emperor will not make any rash moves. The Qing family will just leave. However, I am afraid that there are many people involved in this case. Although there are state laws, the rectification of official circles must also take into account local stability."
"Those involved in the case should be investigated and dealt with as they should be investigated. However, if the circumstances are not serious, you might as well give them a chance to correct themselves. Since the court sent you there, I believe they will not bother with the details!"
As soon as these words came out, Zhu Jian was shocked at first, and soon he heard the deep meaning of the words.
The key point of this sentence lies in the second half, and the key point lies in the last sentence.
Cleaning up local officialdom for the imperial court is indeed an offending job, but at the same time, it is also a good opportunity to win people's hearts.
You must know that this case involves the serious crime of being a Japanese pirate. If it is handled impartially, there is a high probability that the person will be killed, or at the very least, he will be exiled.
But what if Zhu Jian raised his hand?
This case involves so many people, so it is normal to omit a few people, and it is understandable that the sentencing of some people is not so accurate.
Not to mention, even from the current point of view, some officials in the court are involved behind this case. If it is revealed, it will be a shock to the court. However, if it is pressed down, it may not be possible. It's not a perfect handle.
Just like the last sentence of the Supreme Emperor, although this case is big, the important thing is to clean up the officialdom in Fujian and eliminate the idea of these officials colluding with Japanese pirates. Therefore, it is enough to make a big enough noise, but no one may go into the specific details. Picketing, even if someone investigates again, as long as Zhu Jian is careful and leaves no evidence, then even if he is discovered, it will be nothing more than ineffectiveness at best and not a big deal.
But the benefits of doing so are obvious. Although the struggle between Nangong and the Emperor has turned from bright to dark, it has become more and more intense.
Judging from the situation during this period, Zhu Jian vaguely speculated that the reason why the emperor ignored the various actions of the Supreme Emperor was probably because he wanted to create a situation in the court. The Supreme Emperor was unwilling to live in Nangong and wanted to interfere in the government affairs. public opinion, thereby further weakening the Emperor's already limited power.
As for the reason why the Supreme Emperor followed the trend, Zhu Jian was still a little confused at first, but after hearing what he just said, he also had some understanding.
To put it bluntly, it may be the sequelae of He Wenyuan's incident some time ago, or it may be that the Supreme Emperor has had this idea for a long time, but the fact is that the Supreme Emperor no longer just wants to stay in Nangong, but wants to further cultivate power in the court.
Nowadays, although the two princes do not have much real power among the nobles, their prestige is still there after all. With them here, it is not difficult for the nobles to speak for the Supreme Emperor in the court. However, in the court, the nobles have nothing to do with it. He doesn't have much sense of existence, and looking at the civil servants in the court now, there are very few who are really on the side of the Supreme Emperor.
So for the Supreme Emperor, this is an excellent opportunity, but...
"Your Majesty, it is a serious crime to liaise with Japanese pirates. If I cannot investigate and deal with them impartially, I may be responsible for the failure of the country. Please tell me clearly!"
After struggling for a moment, Zhu Jian finally spoke.
Of course he understood what the Emperor meant and the current situation, but for him, doing so was indeed against his long-held principles.
Since joining the officialdom, Mr. Zhu is certainly not a naive boy who thinks that there is no dark side in officialdom. However, he may have done things against his will for the sake of profit, and also used tricks to further his official career. But this kind of favoritism and bending of the law The action is really...
Seeing Zhu Jian's expression, Zhu Qizhen was slightly surprised, but he quickly shook his head and said.
"The Qing family has a heart for the country. I naturally understand that if there is someone who is really connected with the Japanese pirates, I will naturally investigate and deal with it strictly. However, if there is someone who is deceived, I can't be unjust, can I?"
this……
Zhu Jian looked hesitant for a while, and then said after a moment.
"I understand!"
Afterwards, Zhu Jian resigned without saying any more.
After he left, Zhu Qizhen's brows slowly wrinkled, as if he was thinking about something.
After a moment, he asked Jiang Ping next to him.
"I remember that when Zhu Yi came to pay his respects last time, he mentioned that Zhang Shi was almost done with organizing the military government, right?"
Jiang Ping nodded and said.
"Your Majesty, yes."
Since these days, there has been much less resistance to Nangong's entry and exit, so the news has become more timely.
Since Zhu Qizhen intended to cultivate strength, he naturally paid close attention to the government affairs.
In particular, he originally thought that he could take this opportunity to put some people in charge of Zhang Xi's job of rectifying the military government. But unfortunately, perhaps because he failed to stop Zhang Xi from taking charge of the matter, the Metropolitan Procuratorate decided not to do anything about it. The entire reorganization process was closely watched.
Moreover, although Zhang Xi is in charge of this job, Wu Xing, Zhao Rong and others are also involved. Once Zhang Xi wants to do something small, he will immediately be used as a handle and be attacked in the court. .
Zhang Xi finally secured his position as the military governor. If he gets involved again because of this, it would be a loss that outweighs the gain.
Originally, we could take this opportunity to suppress the people placed by the emperor in the military mansion, but the problem is that this low-ranking officer who has only been on the throne for just a few years cannot be considered a high-ranking military minister placed by him. , it’s not that easy to move.
Therefore, in the end, all Zhang Min could do was to clean up some people who had long been dissatisfied with him in the process of rectifying the military government, and then sold them to some mansions for a few favors. He did not dare to do anything that went too far. .
In that case...
Zhu Qizhen pondered for a moment and said.
"Send a message to Zhang Shi and ask him to come to the palace tomorrow. By the way, call Xu Youzhen too!"
"According to the decree..."
…
"Let Zhang Xi enter the palace?"
Nowadays, Nangong and Qianqing Palace are basically well-known.
Zhu Qizhen knew that someone was watching him, but after finding out Zhu Qiyu's intentions, he didn't care about the surveillance.
Therefore, it is not so much that the surveillance on Nangong has weakened, but rather that both parties are maintaining a quite tacit understanding.
Just like now, the news about Jiang Ping had just spread to Nangong, and within half an hour, Shu Liang arrived at Qianqing Palace.
Shu Liang nodded and said.
"Yes, in addition to Governor Zhang, Master Xu will also be summoned!"
interesting……
Zhu Qiyu lightly knocked on the table in front of him, with a trace of amusement flashing in his eyes. It was understandable to ask Zhang Min to come over, but Xu Youzhen?
This brother of his, was he trying to confuse him? Or do you want to form some kind of tacit understanding with him?
"Your Majesty, Shen Shangshu of the Ministry of Household Affairs, Wang Shangshu of the Ministry of War, Zhang Shoufu of the Cabinet, and Yu Cifu are summoned outside the palace!"
After a while, Wynn stepped forward and whispered.
So, Zhu Qiyu recovered his mind and nodded.
"Let them come in..."
After receiving the order, Huaien retreated. After a while, he led several elders into the hall. With a glance, you could see that the expressions of these people were completely different.
The two cabinet ministers usually met many times, but their expressions were as usual. However, they were also a little confused about this sudden summons.
As for Wang Ao, as the former chief minister of the cabinet and the newly appointed Minister of War, he is obviously a little proud.
You know, although in recent days, there have been a lot of constraints, both overt and covert, but in general, Wang Ao's control of the Ministry of War has been relatively smooth.
On the one hand, this benefited from Wang Ao's experience accumulated in the cabinet in the past few years. On the other hand, it was also the cooperation of the few doctors left by Yu Qian.
However, they were just cooperating. After all, these people were not one of our own, and their temperaments and work habits really gave Wang Ao a headache.
As for Shen Yi, he didn't have any difficulties in this area, but... after staying with the emperor for a long time, Shen Shangshu could almost figure out the rules.
Such a separate summons, and also together with the newly appointed Minister of War...
well!
Of course, whatever Shen Shangshu's mood is, it does not prevent Zhu Qiyu from pressing him to do things.
After the salutes were completed, Zhu Qiyu got straight to the point.
"I summoned several members of your family here today for a certain matter!"
"Japanese invasions have been frequent in Fujian and other places recently. I have decided to send 30,000 Japanese troops to exterminate the Japanese pirates. I will set off after the Chinese New Year. I have called you here today to discuss this matter."
This was said cleanly and neatly. Although the word "discussion" was used, it was obviously not intended to be discussed.
As expected, as soon as he finished speaking, Shen Shangshu's face immediately fell, and he spoke first.
"Your Majesty, the drought in Jiangxi has just ended. According to reports from various places, there will be no snow this winter. There may still be disasters in Henan and other places next year. At this time, the court should rest with the people. How can we use troops?"
However, as soon as he finished speaking, he felt a gaze looking towards him. Zhu Qiyu looked at him calmly and said firmly.
"I have already decided on this matter!"
One sentence blocked the desire of others to speak, and then Zhu Qiyu continued.
"Of course I know that the national treasury is not sufficient now, and there may be disasters next year. However, the coastal areas have been suffering from Japanese pirates for a long time. What's more, in recent days, the behavior of these Japanese pirates has become more and more rampant, and they dare to come to the Daiwang Palace. If looting continues to be allowed, where will the imperial court’s face be?”
"Therefore, this matter cannot be delayed. After the Lunar New Year, the army must set off. I summoned all the ministers here today to discuss the matters related to the army's expedition. It is not to discuss whether to send troops!"
