Returning to Zhangzhou, Hong Lisan introduced Governor Song to the memorial issued by Officer Lingchi, while he himself made a separate report, reporting to Niu Yuan the incident of the accidental attack, and impeaching Governor Song for his misconduct in commanding his subordinates, and for covering up his mistakes by blaming others, etc. It can almost lead to his dismissal.
Niu Yuan has been anxiously waiting for news from the south recently. When he saw the letter from Governor Song, his eyes lit up. Although he was a little confused about it, he felt that it was Hong Lizhen who had submitted the letter; but he still raised his hand and opened the memorial.
He even had no scruples and read loudly in front of the provincial officials: "Fujian Governor Song... reported: Yesterday, three Japanese warships arrived at Dongshan Island carrying artillery. However, due to a quarrel, an officer... " His voice became smaller and smaller. After reading this, he actually swallowed the words he was about to read back into his throat and tightened his lips. His majestic momentum suddenly weakened, and his eyes turned dull gray.
Seeing his sudden silence, all the confidants knew that the situation had changed, and no one dared to ask. They all shrank their necks, waiting for his upcoming rage.
But this time, Niu Yuan was not too angry. It's not because he suddenly became more stable, but because he understood in his heart that if such a serious incident occurred under his own policy leadership, the responsibility must not be escaped, and there was no strategy to deal with it. He had long forgotten the overwhelming power at that time, and now he only felt that he had fallen into an abyss of eternal destruction. Powerlessness and fear surrounded him, making him unable to even get angry.
"An officer mistook him for a bandit and ordered his subordinates to bombard him without permission. ... This criminal has been detained. Please treat him as guilty of treason." He finished what he had said word by word, and then folded it. The memorial was sparse and he looked at the crowd listlessly.
Everyone's expressions were so frightened that they dared not speak in front of Niu Yuan, for fear that a single slip of the tongue could lead to their own death. But they also knew that someone needed to come out to give Feng Xiang peace of mind at this time, so they all set their sights on one of the most famous figures.
That person was the newly promoted Yushi Zhongcheng Su Zongshan. Seeing such a situation, he was extremely horrified, but he couldn't bear the expectations of everyone, so he had to straighten his fat body and said: "Prime Minister, what responsibility can a mere border officer shoulder? Even if he does Lingchizhi, Punishment will not help, but it will only relieve the depression. For the sake of your Excellency, and also for the sake of the country, we need to dismiss several local officials resolutely, so that we can stop Youyou's mouth and appease the hearts of the people in the court."
"Of course I know that I need to find someone who can take the blame," Niu Yuan sighed, "but we still don't know what exactly is going on in the south and which officials made the big mistake."
"Feng Fengxiang, Hong Shenzheng's secret message!"
Niu Yuan was still hesitating. Hearing the news, it was as if he had received a life-saving straw. He stood up excitedly, his face flushed. But then thinking of the current situation, he felt lost again and sat down slowly: "Okay, bring it up. Bar."
He opened the seal of the memorial, read the contents quickly, and then smiled at Su Zhongcheng and said: "Look, we were just talking about the accusation, and Hong Lisan's impeachment came. He really saw it. Long-term! With him taking the lead, the next step will be easy. Send it to the Yushitai immediately and ask Lieutenant Gui to trouble you."
The accidental attack by a warship suddenly caused a sensation in the entire court. The opponents were overjoyed and did not seem to think that this was something worth mourning. Especially the 'main force' in the impeachment, headed by Zeng Liang, showed off their writing skills and frantically denounced Niu Yuan's new policy, attacking him who was already in danger. status; the supporters also changed their faces in an instant, impeaching and reviling, and openly boasting about their greatness of cutting off their robes and severing justice, calling on everyone to join them in admonishing for the great cause of the country. Those who had a close friendship with Liu Zhennian and others could not be so straightforward, so they had to take a leave of absence to recuperate and avoid the limelight for a while. They were envious of their current invincibility and hated that they had fawned over the wrong person in the past.
Niu Yuan tried his best to ignore the rumors and went to work in Zhongshu Province as usual, but there were still people making noise at the gate in groups, making him unable to sleep and restless. After suffering for several days, with the help of Yushitai, he finally announced the first step through the emperor's edict: he would transfer all the responsibilities to the governor of Fujian, saying that he "deliberately exaggerated the truth in order to shirk the responsibility of his subordinates." He borrowed the death penalty from others to cover up his negligence in his duties. Therefore, he was dismissed from his official position and escorted to Beijing immediately.
After all, there was the governor's personal memorial as evidence. This explanation could somewhat convince the public. However, Zeng Liang and others could not be satisfied with this. They continued to pursue and attack Niu Yuan, accusing Niu Yuan of being ignorant. Depose the officials involved in the incident to express gratitude to the world. In Niu Yuan's view, this goal is very clear: if they don't scrape a few pieces of flesh from themselves, they will not be finished.
But if he wants to make a comeback, he must make all kinds of humiliating compromises. Therefore, Niu Yuan deposed his confidant Hong Lizhen from the capital province and asked him to return to his hometown. He also selected two of the imperial censors, Su Zongshan and Gui Fu, to enter the Zhongshu Province. Su Zongshan was appointed to participate in politics, and Gui Fu was Quan Qi holds this position concurrently and is temporarily in charge for one year, and then a person recommended by hundreds of officials can take over.
Niu Yuan was fortunate that Su Zongshan's appointment did not receive much opposition. Although this thirty-eight-year-old newcomer to the officialdom was a close confidant of Feng Xiang and a full member of the Liu Party, he was smooth in dealing with things and had never done anything to offend anyone (also because he was not taken seriously by Liu Zhennian). (for reasons), so the courtiers had a good impression of him and approved of him becoming a provincial minister. As for Gui Fu, the ministers don't care much. This figure is just running errands for the Liu Party. He is like a puppet and has no independent opinion. He seems to be insignificant to the overall situation. What they pay attention to is the official who will take over this position next year. There are many people who covet power. A bloody battle is inevitable - Niu Yuan's special intention is something they never expected.
But Niu Yuan can't do anything now. His blind compromise has destroyed his majesty and he no longer has the power to influence the situation of the government. In view of such a mess, Niu Yuan had to turn to Liu Zhennian, an old man who had been out of the decision-making center for many years.
"Mr. Liu!" Niu Yuan, dressed in simple white clothes, knelt in front of Liu Zhennian, "The lower official is guilty, the lower official is guilty..."
"When you were determined to kill Yan Wen, did you ever think about today?" Liu Zhennian asked in a stern tone.
"I am wrong, deeply wrong. But people cannot be resurrected, so this burden can only be shouldered by you..." Niu Yuan wiped his tears and sniffed, "How many ministers are eyeing your position. , just for the sake of the world, come out and take charge again!"
