Shen Shixing met Zhang Siwei's gaze.
Now that we have decided to fight for power, there is no need to hide anything.
Zhang Siwei later revealed that he took sick leave.
He knew that Shen Shixing and other ministers must have been summoned to the front and rear of the imperial court because of the rebellion that night by the imperial censor Fugu Yang Zhao and others. They reached an agreement, and then they suddenly stopped being complacent and united to oust his chief minister. .
But unless Zhang Siwei really dares to express his true opinions directly to the emperor and tear off his true mask, he will have no choice but to be a paper lake chief assistant who can only pass words and nod.
But Zhang Siwei actually has his own opinions. In fact, he doesn't want to be a vegetarian, and he actually has a great desire for power.
However, the emperor's attitude prevented him from using the help of the ministers to eliminate the reformist ministers and civil servants left behind by Zhang Juzheng. Second, he did not dare to directly disobey his superiors and failed to accumulate prestige among the opposition civil servants. As a result, he is now isolated. very.
Zhang Siwei also knew that the emperor must hate him, otherwise he would not blame him in the name of showing mercy and forgiving the civil servants who knelt down and begged for mercy.
Therefore, Zhang Siwei chose to take sick leave to avoid being an eyesore in front of the emperor and making the emperor hate him even more.
But Zhang Siwei did not directly resign.
Because he couldn't let Shen Shixing get the first assistant position easily for nothing, he had to let Shen Shixing show his favor to him first.
"Wu County is hateful!"
However, Zhang Siwei couldn't help but grit his teeth even though it was already evening when he thought about Shen Shixing's actions in front of the emperor today, deliberately damaging the majesty of his chief minister in order to find out His Majesty's intentions.
Zhang Siwei couldn't help but tell Cheng Jiu: "Send a letter to the second master and ask him to arrange people to go to Nanjing to build momentum. Tell him that Shen Shixing wants to be the second in Jiangling and exclude dissidents!"
Cheng Jiu raised his hands and said yes.
Zhang Siwei felt much better after giving such instructions.
At this time, because Zhu Yijun had approved the treatment of the unofficial officials and the civil servants who pleaded for mercy, and showed some kindness, he did not use the imperial staff to humiliate and kill the ministers, but just exiled them, and even asked the meritorious ones to continue to be sent overseas to serve. Therefore, soon after, many officials and intercessors in prison received the decree and learned the original intention of the cabinet.
For a time, these officials all looked like they were mourning for their heirs or their faces were full of grief and anger.
"Did I go to one Jiangling and come to several Jianglings?!"
"They are even crueler officials than Jiang Ling!"
Wang Shixing, an official who had neglected his duties and caused the local government to be corrupted. He was favored by the imperial edict and was only assigned to teach in Hirado, Japan. Wang Shixing spoke indignantly at this time.
"The original draft of the cabinet was originally for a hundred imperial staffs. My brother is a minister in the Imperial Palace, so he saw the original draft."
At this time, Song Yingchang, who was about to return to Beijing and be promoted to the military department, started talking to Wang Shixing.
"Your Majesty is benevolent! The cabinet officials are hateful!"
Yan Xi, who was in charge of Li Ke, came over and said something.
"In the military department, Xia Yongchang performed too few civil and military affairs, and his examination results were rated as mediocre, and he was transferred to a casual position!"
"Li Fen didn't do anything in the engineering field, and she didn't even do anything in the civil service field. She was judged lazy after passing the exam and was dismissed from office!"
"In the case of Li Ke, Wang Zun was late for the Beizhili Township Examination during his inspection and mistakenly brought the Zhujuan that had been ranked. He was judged to be careless in the examination and was fined for half a year!"
…
The cabinet continues to pass the examination, and all mistakes, big and small, will be strictly investigated.
The strict examination of the cabinet has indeed brought the Sixth Section back to the state of Zhang Juzheng. He has to conscientiously complete the government affairs of the Audit Department and pay attention to the national economy and people's livelihood, instead of focusing all his energy on fighting people.
In particular, people's livelihood problems must continue to be paid attention to in the six subjects.
Because according to the examination method formulated by Hai Rui, a certain proportion of the six subjects must also report on people's livelihood hardships in order to be rated as excellent or qualified.
But before passing the rigorous examination, no one in the six subjects has the motivation to speak for the people. After all, it is not beneficial to the people and will offend the dignitaries.
Therefore, officials from the Sixth Section are now continuing to pay attention to the sufferings of the people.
Once the six subjects become serious, the department will have to follow suit.
Li Sancai, a member of the Ministry of Household Affairs, was called into the duty room by Zhang Xueyan that day and said: "The amount of the Ministry of Household Affairs Bureau's scientific counselor, the amount you supervised at the Tianjin granary this year is not the same as the amount turned in. There is a shortage of 12,600 shi. Why?" What's going on?"
Li Sancai couldn't help feeling a chill down his back after hearing this.
"say!"
Zhang Xueyan shouted.
Li Sancai hurriedly handed over his hand and said, "Sir Nong Rongzhen, maybe there is something wrong with the audit by the Hu Ke. Please give me some time and I will definitely give you the reason."
"How much time do you plan to ask me to give you?"
Zhang Xueyan asked.
Li Sancai said: "This..."
"Everything must have a time. This is stipulated by the examination law. If you don't complete it within the specified time, the Department of Home Affairs will consider you as unofficial."
Zhang Xueyan said.
"Three days!"
Li Sancai replied.
Zhang Xueyan nodded.
Li Sancai, on the other hand, returned home with a sullen face, and immediately called his servants and ordered: "Immediately transport 12,600 shi of grain from home to the granary in Tianjin, and tell Ambassador Liu who is in charge of the granary to create a new register and submit it." .”
After Li Sancai gave the order, he went to find Gu Xiancheng, a member of the civil service department: "Why are all the people in the household department admonishing Duke Xiao? It's so unkind?"
"The root cause is that I passed the six subjects in the cabinet's strict examination."
"Everything has returned to the era of powerful people and harsh treatment of officials."
"I am also very overworked right now. The teaching posts in the twenty-three counties were rejected because I didn't select people in time. I can't even think of getting a top grade this year! I guess I won't be able to get the chance to be a doctor this year either. Get to me!”
"If I had known earlier, I shouldn't have taken advantage of the Sixth Section's impeachment of Otsuka Zai to hint that Otsuka Zai recommended me as a minister. I might as well have completed the government affairs in hand honestly!"
"It's just that who would have thought this would happen!"
Gu Xiancheng said: "I don't have much time to talk to you. I have to hurry up and report the birthplaces of the candidates for election as well as the local academic evaluation status!"
Li Sancai nodded: "I don't know if Wang Taicang has gone to talk to the others in Shenwu County. Such harsh government is really making life difficult for officials! There is no spirit of tolerance and clarity!"
Here, Wang Xijue found Shen Shixing and Yu Youding not long after Gu Xiancheng and others met him, and said: "I came to the Second Duke to seek peace on behalf of the younger generation. Now that the examination is so strict, it will be hard to make a living in the official position." , is it really the wish of the two gentlemen?"
"What's wrong with following the imperial decree and passing the examination to establish the outline of the law, without making any excuses or subterfuges, and ensuring that officials are governed cleanly?"
Yu Youding asked.
"I didn't say it was wrong!"
"It is even believed that strengthening the power of the cabinet can effectively curb eunuchs, harem relatives, etc. Officials make things happen."
"But governing the country with benevolence and harmonizing the top and bottom is the normal way for the king and his ministers to live in harmony and work together."
"If things continue like this, I'm afraid it will trigger a big change!"
"After all, the Grand Master has been in charge of the country for ten years, which has made the officials of the world unbearable. He only thinks that the emperor has been taught the right way and will be kind to the world sooner or later, so he has endured so far."
"You and I can humiliate ourselves for the sake of the country, but not everyone is willing to do so. People have public and private interests, and there are still more people who only follow their own desires."
Wang Xijue spoke.
With that said, Wang Xijue said: "What they mean is that they still hope to abolish the examination, be lenient on government and be cautious about punishment. They hope that the cabinet will take into account the friendship between scholars and agree to abolish it, and that they and other former Imperial Masters will no longer look down upon the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty!"
"Moderation should be done, but it cannot be done at the expense of the country's interests, and it cannot be done in a way that corrupts the country's administration!"
Shen Shixing started talking at this time.
Yu Youding also nodded: "That's right! What's more, we can't just allow them to criticize, and not allow the ruling ministers to clean up the court for the country. What's more, the old people of the Grand Master are now afraid of being liquidated along with the Grand Master. How can they give up easily and correct themselves? It’s in vain that we have to make things right first, now is not the time.”
】
Wang Xijue nodded: "We need to fight each other fifty times. Only when both parties know the pain, can't stand the current system, and are willing to talk about it."
"But when will it happen?"
"When the world no longer criticizes the Grand Master, when the world recognizes the Grand Master's merits and virtues, and even accepts the Grand Master's way of governing the country as the right way!"
"Now it is only recognized by His Majesty and the ministers of the DPRK."
"So it's too late to talk about peace between the two sides."
Shen Shixing said at this time.
