When they heard the prince's order for Fang Zheng to confiscate their homes, Zhang Sizhi and Yao Minggong felt like five thunderbolts struck their heads. Their bodies immediately stiffened, and their minds suddenly began to wander. They were stunned for a moment before they came to their senses and hurriedly knelt down to beg for mercy.
If his house is confiscated and his head is stolen, everything will be over. Decades of hard work will be in vain. All the agencies will be exhausted and intrigues will end in vain. This is a reality that cannot be accepted no matter what.
No matter how high the price, Zhang Sizhi and Yao Minggong were unwilling to repeat the mistakes of Li Juesi and Chen Biqian. Because these two people openly contradicted the prince and disobeyed the holy will, they ended up extremely miserable. They also opened the door for all officials since the prince took charge of the country. First of all.
Not long after he became the Minister of Rites, he entered the cabinet. It was a good time with unlimited glory. Today, they suffered a sudden disaster. They both felt regretful at once. It was also because they were accustomed to being greedy that they had the greed to deprive the Qin army of food and grass. They should never have done so. So!
I knew that Sun Chuanting was a popular person around the prince, but I didn't know why. I was so obsessed at the time that I dared to take risks for a mere few hundred taels of silver. Whenever I recalled this experience, I wanted to slap myself in the face.
To embezzle a small amount of silver, the Minister of Rites can do it completely without leaving any trace. The specific matter can be handled by just a word of mouth or even a look, and the people below will understand it. If the superiors investigate, they can only catch a few soldiers and generals.
But once the prince is furious and wants to investigate and prosecute officials of the third grade, is relevant evidence needed? No need at all!
As long as Dongchang and Jinyiwei search the suspected official's residence, they can find whatever evidence the prince wants.
It’s okay to say that jewelry, calligraphy and paintings are small in size, but antiques and silver have to be packaged in the car. If they don’t have time to transport them away, they will be stolen by factory guards.
"Your Highness, spare your life, I deserve death!"
"I beg Your Highness to show mercy, and I will definitely repay Your Highness with forgiveness!"
With the precedent of their colleagues, Zhang Sizhi and Yao Minggong knew that they would fight to the end with the little prince, and there would be only one result.
Because in the face of the evidence found from his own home, any sophistry is feeble.
With Yang Shicong's story yesterday, they no longer dare to rack their brains to find a cheap excuse.
Yaoji drooped his eyelids and looked at the two ministers who were kowtowing and praying as if they were watching a play. He lectured: "I have tolerated your disobedient words over and over again, but in exchange for them, you have been punished again and again. You are getting worse and worse, acting in the opposite direction, as if you can't show how capable you are if you don't compete with me at court. In addition to boasting and using power for personal gain, what else can you do? I want you to serve as ministers in the cabinet, that is I'm giving you a chance, but you are seeking death! If you don't go against me for a day, you will feel uncomfortable all over. If you don't take bribes for a day, you will feel that you are at a loss. In this case, I will help you today! It turns out that I I don’t want to seduce you, you have to force me to do this, very good, very good! Someone, drag these two beasts down!"
I've tolerated you for three days, so why don't you do it? I'm so shameless, and I'm going to do things that are getting more and more outrageous, as if I don't exist.
Defeat me fiercely at the court meeting, embezzle the money of the court, and even spare the food for the army. In the whole world, except for usurping the throne of a certain dynasty, there is nothing you dare not do.
I spent money to raise a bunch of dogs, but in the end, the dogs actually learned to open the refrigerator and get food by themselves. After eating and drinking, they showed innocent and funny expressions like Erha...
By the way, Erha is the right word to describe them. They are Pixiu and they never have enough to drink!
As soon as Zhang Sizhi saw that two fierce-looking Jin Yiwei had come up and grabbed his arms, he was about to take advantage of the situation and move away. Knowing that the opportunity to argue was fleeting, he quickly became wise and shouted loudly: "Your Highness, spare your life. The reason why I dare to take ink and reward the army with silver is, All because the chief assistant asked for a bribe!"
Urgent treatment requires strong medicine, but at this point, he cannot save himself without biting out a bigger moth. Xue Guoguan is his life-saving straw. No matter whether he can catch it or not, he has to try.
Xue Guoguan was shocked when he heard this. He had indeed accepted Zhang Sizhi's benefits before, but he never expected that this guy would drag him along as a backer when he was about to die. He immediately scolded: "You are talking nonsense and deliberately framed me. Drag him quickly." Let’s go, lest anyone contaminate the saint!”
If this means that the prince is moved, then what's the point? Dozens of members of my family will be buried with this white-eyed wolf, and I will definitely not let him get what he wants!
Very good, the cabinet members started to bite each other, Yaoji immediately waved his hand and said: "Wait a minute, Zhang Aiqing, you said that the chief minister accepted bribes, do you have proof?"
How could such a thing leave evidence? The most important rule of officialdom is not to give the other party any clues. Naturally, Xue Guoguan could only make a verbal guarantee when collecting cash.
Zhang Sizhi understood that the prince wanted to get evidence, even if it was just fictitious evidence, so he suddenly had an idea and said frankly: "Your Highness, the chief assistant received five thousand taels of silver from me, and the bottom layer of silver has the word 'Gong' engraved on it!"
The meaning is very clear, that is, the money sent by Zhang Sizhi. Whether this is the case, a search in the past will reveal the truth.
Even if the chief minister's family is not the most prosperous, after so many years of accumulation, he must be among the best among the courtiers.
Xue Guoguan didn't want to be dragged down by this idiot, so he argued eloquently: "Your Highness, this is a myth. You must not listen to the villain's slander!"
Xue Guoguan was well aware of Zhang Sizhi's tricks. As long as the prince ordered his house to be searched, no matter whether he found the silver with the word "gong" engraved on it or not, he would be ruined when faced with the wealth of the family that could not be reasonably explained.
Zhang Sizhi seemed to feel that the prince was still hesitating, so he added fuel to the fire and said: "Your Highness, the chief minister's purchase and sale of officials has clearly marked the price. If the guilty minister enters the cabinet, he must be given five thousand taels of silver. This fact can be proved by heaven and earth. Yao Ming Gong also agreed. However, in addition to the guilty minister, this is also true for Chen Yan and Wei Zhaocheng. As far as the guilty minister knows, Chen Xinjia, the Minister of the Ministry of War, and Tian Weijia, the right minister of the Ministry of Personnel, also sent money to the chief minister!"
I'm going to be killed, and I won't make it easy for you. One chief assistant is nothing, I'm going to drag you all down, and we're all going to die together!
Well, now, among the officials of the third rank and above who can participate in the court meeting, only Zhong Qian, the censor of the Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Zhen Shu, the minister of the Ministry of punishment, Li Daiwen, the minister of the Ministry of household affairs, and Chen Xiangming, the left minister of the Ministry of household affairs, have not been affected. The rest have not been affected. became a suspect.
After dealing with the five people bitten by the "ugly monster", Yaoji wanted to know how many civil servants would still be standing in the Huangji Palace tomorrow...
Three days, just three days, I demolished the upper structure left by the scapegoat to pieces!
"Your Highness, I am wronged!"
"Your Highness, I am innocent!"
"Your Highness, Zhang Sizhi is really a black sheep!"
"Your Highness, don't listen to his nonsense!"
The four people who were newly bitten all had frightened and frightened expressions on their faces, but they soon became calm again. They eloquently stated that they were innocent, and sternly accused Zhang Sizhi of spitting blood and that he should be sent to prison as soon as possible to be executed.
A dead Taoist friend is not a poor Taoist. It is better to die alone than for all of us to die. These four colleagues do not want to go to hell with Zhang Sizhi and Yao Ming. If this is the case, there may be a four-on-two situation on the road... …
"Your Highness, I believe that Zhang Sizhi's words are true, and I was also asked by the chief assistant for five thousand taels of silver!"
There are enemies and allies. Yao Minggong is now a locust tied to the same rope as Zhang Sizhi. If Zhang Sizhi dies, he will also die. On the contrary, there may be a chance to reverse the situation.
Yao Minggong believed that as long as he clung to the chief minister first, made the prince feel that the matter was of great concern, and minimized the big issue for the sake of the court's face, he would have won half the battle.
When Emperor Chongzhen was on the throne, this move would definitely win, because the emperor was not only timid and fearful, but also extremely face-conscious. If he had acted vigorously and resolutely, the entire officialdom would have been completely renewed.
This incident was the "Han Yiliang Incident" that happened not long after Chongzhen took the throne!
Han Yiliang was originally a seventh-rank minor official. Because he told the truth to the emperor, he was promoted to the fourth-rank Youqiandu Yushi, responsible for punishing corruption and recovering stolen money.
When this guy got excited, he told the truth, saying that the trend of buying and selling officials had spread all over the Ming Dynasty, and he had already refused a gift of 500 taels of silver in January.
This made Chongzhen very excited and asked him to tell the name of the donor, so that he could have a good start in his campaign to eliminate the borers.
Han Yiliang already knew that what he said was wrong, and he was determined not to make the same mistake again. Even with the support of the emperor, he did not dare to make an enemy of the entire officialdom, not to mention that the emperor had just become the unification and had no experience in governing.
Wang Yongguang, who was the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel at the time, took the opportunity to say that "a minister should tell everything he knows" and asked Han Yiliang to hand over the evidence in his hand.
This move can be described as extremely destructive, because Han Yiliang has no evidence at all, and according to the "Da Ming Law", those who falsely accuse him of corruption will be charged with corruption!
Facing a group of sanctimonious predators, Han Yiliang, who was isolated and helpless, knew that he could not argue. Even if the emperor questioned him in public, he could only remain silent.
Feeling that he had been fooled, the dumper deprived Han Yiliang of his official position in anger and asked him to go back to his hometown in Shaanxi to farm. Not long after, Han Yiliang died of depression.
This incident also serves as a reminder to honest officials all over the world not to tell the truth to the brain-dead emperor easily, otherwise everyone will attack him in groups, and the consequences will be very serious. This person is an example.
Since the "Han Yiliang Incident", the imperial court has never carried out any action to clean up the moths. The original intention of the blame-shifting father "civilians do not love money and generals are not afraid of death" has become a topic of conversation among Ming officials after dinner.
Faced with the aggressive braid, Donglin officials repeatedly reiterated that the court could not increase commercial taxes, leaving Emperor Chongzhen with neither the ability to increase his annual income nor the money to appease the northwest. He had no ambitions, but caused numerous changes.
"Yao Minggong! If you have no evidence, you are slandering me. This crime cannot be forgiven!"
There was one more witness. Now, even though Xue Guoguan was cunning, he was a little uneasy. The chief assistant, who was identified by two cabinet members, was a bit dangerous in the eyes of the prince.
Depending on the situation, these two beasts Zhang and Yao are going to fight him to the death, but as the first assistant, who can he bite?
If the two succeed in risking their lives to instigate the prince, their family will face disaster, the building will collapse, and the eggs will definitely not be left intact, so they must come up with a countermeasure immediately.
Fortunately, Chen Yan, Wei Zhaocheng, Chen Xinjia, and Tian Weijia all sided with Xue Guoguan because they did not want to be bitten by two mad dogs, and tried their best to work together to clear away the blame for the false accusation.
But the final decision-making power belongs only to the prince, and all sophistry can only be used as a reference for the prince.
Watching the two groups of dogs biting each other for a while, Yaoji clasped his hands behind his back and smiled evilly: "Nowadays, the national crisis is facing us, Taicang is in trouble, but there is not even a single official in the court who has taken the initiative to donate money. These officials obviously have a lot of wealth, but they still have nothing to lose, and they are facing a sudden turn of events. I still choose to watch the overall situation with a cold eye! When I mentioned the increase in salary, my eyes lit up and I was very excited. It can be said that big money must be made, and small money must be made. Ten thousand taels is not too little, and one million taels is not too much! Officials do not want to serve the court, but instead work hard to make money. Under the whole world, there are countless ministers who have perished. If things go on like this, how can our Ming Dynasty survive? Dear dear ministers who are making money every day, what do you think?"
The blame-shifting father who only listened to others and believed in others were a perfect match for these bullies, and within five years the empire collapsed.
I was considered a passerby who came in halfway to steal the show, so I felt a little sorry for interrupting their good deeds...
Whoever can catch these words and make the prince take back his life will have the talent to deceive the emperor, at least no worse than Wen Tiren.
The chief assistant, minister, and minister who were bickering with each other did not dare to offend the prince rashly. It was one thing for colleagues to attack each other, but it was another thing to stroke the prince's objections.
The seven senior officials were choked into silence by the prince, and they all immediately stopped. They secretly speculated in their hearts what the prince's comments meant and whether they could be spared.
The personal experience of some people shows that the prince is not a willful emperor. The usual methods used in the past will not work on the prince at all, and the caster will suffer from them.
The prince is a brat, thoughtful and good at sophistry. If he doesn't take extraordinary measures to attract his attention, the possibility of impressing him is slim.
As the chief assistant, Xue Guoguan would naturally be the first to be condemned if the Holy Emperor was angry.
Originally, everyone might be able to find a way to survive by brainstorming.
But in front of the prince, they couldn't get together to discuss countermeasures.
Trying to think of a solution on your own is not only time-consuming, but also may not work.
More importantly, there may only be one chance.
Zhang Sizhi seized the opportunity, hit the mark, and indeed diverted the prince's attention.
Although it did not turn the crisis around, it made the water even more turbid, and more or less achieved some of its goals.
Xue Guoguan also guessed one of the goals of this little friend, which was to delay time!
The longer time drags on, the harder it will be for the prince to make a decision. If he can work behind the scenes, he might actually be able to come back to life.
Looking at Zhang Sizhi's ugly face, Xue Guoguan couldn't help but see fire in his eyes and gnashed his teeth in hatred.
At this point, there are only two outcomes for the chief assistant.
First, Zhang and Yao must die, but others will be spared.
Secondly, everyone was treated lightly by His Highness the Crown Prince.
There was a third option, but he absolutely didn't want to think about it.
In comparison, the former is more difficult to achieve, but it is more satisfying.
It's a pity that Xue Guoguan has been an official for a long time and still can't guess what the prince's final decision will be...
