The location of the cabinet is not very magnificent. It is located in Wenyuan Pavilion in the east of the Forbidden City. It is the shabbiest place in the palace.
Normally, this place wouldn't be very lively. Apart from a few cabinet members, there were only minor officials hurriedly passing by delivering various memorials. However, at this time, the cabinet was bustling with people.
In addition to the three people in the cabinet, the six ministers, ministers, and censors of the capital all gathered here, and the sky was full of excitement.
"Sir, Chief Assistant, please say something!"
"He Wang Zhi is so brave, but a newly established West Factory dares to act so arrogantly and arrest our colleagues arbitrarily. Is there any law of the king! Is there any law of the Ming Dynasty!"
In the first lunar month not long ago, Wang Zhi was officially appointed by Emperor Chenghua as the eunuch in charge of the Royal Horse Supervisor and the admiral of the West Police Factory, gaining even more terrifying power than that of the East Factory.
Factory Governor Wang Zhi had just taken office. As if to demonstrate the prestige of Xichang, he arrested a series of officials and imprisoned them. This instantly aroused the anger of hundreds of officials. Many officials gathered in the cabinet to express their dissatisfaction to the cabinet ministers.
"Yang Shiwei, the head of the Ministry of War, Zuo Tongzheng Fang Xian, the general envoy, Yue Zhang, a doctor in the Ministry of Rites, Wu Qing, a doctor in the Criminal Ministry, Liu Fu, the chief envoy of Zhejiang, and Huang Ben, the censor... were all killed by him! Your Majesty just let Wang Zhi hear the case Breaking the prison, how dare he do this!"
"Forget it about others. Mr. Liu Fu and Liu are the chief envoys of Zhejiang Province. He, Wang Zhi, also went directly to the prison of Xichang. Who gave him the power?"
"Secret orders, secret orders, everything you do, you say you have a secret order. What kind of secret order did this guy follow from His Majesty? How dare you arrest even a second-rank official???"
Someone shouted angrily.
This is the crux of the matter.
The Chief Secretary of Zhejiang is a second-rank official and the leader of local government affairs. There are only fourteen Chief Secretaries in the world today, which shows how powerful he is.
When these people return to the capital, they can immediately become ministers, or at worst ministers.
Such a high-ranking official was arrested as soon as Xichang said he wanted to be arrested, and he was immediately thrown into jail without even a formal document.
Officials of third rank and above, even Jinyiwei and Dongchang, must obtain the emperor's order before they can take people. Why does Wang Zhi have him? ? ?
"Sir, let's write a letter to impeach Wang Zhi together and ask His Majesty to shut down the West Factory!"
"Yes, it is enough to have an east factory. If you add a west factory, the trouble of eunuchs and chaos in government is really just around the corner!"
There was constant commotion all around, but Yan Jingxiu still sat firmly on the chair, his eyes were deep and he didn't know what he was thinking.
Seven years have clearly left traces on his body. His hair and beard have turned completely white, and he looks much older. However, his seven years as chief assistant also made his temperament more majestic and his manners graceful.
He took a sip of tea and made a gesture, and seeing his gesture, the cabinet ministers quickly fell silent.
At this time, he said calmly:
"Impeachment is useless. Do you really think that His Majesty does not know what Wang Zhi did? From the time when Ambassador Liu was arrested, it was certain that His Majesty's connivance was behind all this."
"Your Majesty, he no longer trusts Dongchang, so he must establish another one."
The ministers exchanged glances with each other.
The people present were all big bosses, people who had climbed to the pinnacle of power. Everything was unspoken, and they were naturally able to understand what was being said.
The power of the cabinet is growing day by day. His Majesty indulges Wang Zhi. Although there are reasons for favoring him, I am afraid that the more important reason is to rely on him to control the outside of the palace and achieve the purpose of balancing with the civil servant group. Dongchang has a close relationship with the outer court. , no longer trusted by the emperor.
Moreover, in the case of demon Li Zilong not long ago, neither Dongchang nor Jinyiwei raised any warning, which made Emperor Chenghua sure that they were two teams of trash.
The combination of the two led to Wang Zhi's establishment of the West Factory.
"But if all ministers advance and retreat together, Your Majesty will not risk the disapproval of the world." Someone said.
"Yes, I can indeed force His Majesty to shut down the West Factory by submitting a letter. But will Wang Zhi fall out of favor? No. In this case, it will be a matter of time before the West Factory is revived." Yan Jingxiu replied:
"So, it's just useless to go to court to force the palace."
In the original history, Shang Ren and Xiang Zhong used their official positions to compete with each other. The result was that the West Factory was closed for only a month and then reopened immediately. As a result, four big officials from the imperial court became official. It can be seen that Chenghua's favor towards Wang Zhi.
"Alas..." He sighed softly and stood up holding on to the armrest:
"I'll go talk to him."
"Wang Zhi is so domineering. Sir, if you talk to him, can you make him stop?" Someone questioned:
"Sir, I'm worried that not only will you not be able to convince him, but you will be humiliated by him!"
Yan Jingxiu smiled and did not answer his words.
It is naturally difficult to convince someone like Wang Zhi with words alone, but Yan Jingxiu has never stood alone in this court!
…
In a quiet room in a teahouse, two people were sitting opposite each other. One of them looked to be only eighteen or nineteen years old, with a handsome face but no beard, while the other had a somewhat old figure.
It was Wang Zhi and Yan Jingxiu.
Naturally, he happily accepted the invitation from the chief minister of the cabinet. He was also curious about what the leader of the civil service group wanted to say to him.
The two sides chatted for a few words and then got down to business.
Yan Jingxiu took a sip of tea and said softly:
"The eunuch has arrested several officials, many of whom are high-ranking and middle-ranking officials. They are already important ministers in the court. Xichang's prestige has been demonstrated. However, the eunuch went too far regarding the matter of Chief Minister Liu."
"Your Majesty ordered the eunuchs to clean up the corrupt officials in the court, and I agree with it, but Mr. Liu has no bad deeds, and he has far exceeded the limit from the second grade. Now that the government and the public are afraid, the eunuch's goal has been achieved, so it is better to stop in time For the best.”
"You need to know that the ministers... are very angry!"
Wang Zhi heard the threatening meaning in Yan Jingxiu's words, but he said without fear:
"I have the power to act expeditiously according to the secret order. Even if you are a second-rank official, I have the right to arrest you. There is no need for the chief assistant to worry about this."
Yan Jingxiu didn't get angry when he listened to Wang Zhi's unkind words. He never thought that if he surrendered in just a few sentences, to make Xichang so prestigious, the other party must have some tricks, but it wouldn't be just a few words. A person who is frightened in just one sentence.
He fiddled with the burning incense on the table and said softly:
"Eunuch, it's better to keep a low profile... You need to know that people are doing it and God is watching..."
"Anyone who commits many injustices will be punished by God."
Reaching out his hand, Yan Jingxiu pointed at his brain, with awe in his voice:
"Our souls are well protected in the body. Lone souls and wild ghosts cannot invade. But if we meet the immortals who have obtained it, they want to penetrate into the soul and leave some thoughts, or even directly kill the person. It is just a move. Things that move your fingers..."
Wang Zhi was stunned for a moment, and then he couldn't help but smile:
"I know that everyone in the Yan family generally believes in King Jingping and believes in destiny. Even the few officials in the court often go to pay homage to him in his ancestral hall in the capital."
"But you, the chief minister of the cabinet and the high officials of the imperial court, actually believe in ghosts and gods. This is ridiculous!"
"Are you trying to say that if I do this again, you will invite the soul of Prince Jingping to kill me?"
He couldn't help but laugh at Yan Jingxiu in front of him.
Thanks to "Lianyan Qianxiao" for the reward, thank you!
(End of chapter)
