The emperor directly ordered the imperial censor of Zuodu to be imprisoned... This decision was made without external factors and was simply due to internal fighting among the courtiers.
None of the ministers at the scene came out to intercede when the emperor was angry. Not that they thought it was appropriate, but it only meant that the situation at hand was very dangerous.
A hailstorm... no one really thinks it can kill Zhang Zhou, but it can at least bring Zhang Zhou into disrepute and make the emperor alienate Zhang Zhou... But just because this hailstorm was calculated in advance by Zhang Zhou , and went through a "different process", which made the minister completely passive.
After Min Gui was taken down, Zhu Youtang still stood there, with a sullen look on his face and said: "I used to read history books, and the history is so vast. Whenever there is a party dispute between ministers in the past, I feel very sad every time I see it. , a Wutai poetry case was just a few specious poems, but it almost cost a generation of famous Confucians their lives, and it also ruined their career."
"But I am also glad that this will not happen in the Ming Dynasty, but under my rule. But I never thought that in the party struggles recorded in the history books, they would fight each other to the point of life and death, not for reasons of right and wrong, but only for party positions. , unexpectedly appeared in front of me. They are all loyal ministers to the court, why are they incompatible with each other? I am very sad. "
The ministers present were thinking in their hearts after hearing this.
Can this be compared with the Song Dynasty? Zhang Bingkuan in front of him still wants to compare himself to Su Dongpo? An alchemist is an alchemist...
Everyone had something in mind, but because the emperor was still angry, he couldn't say anything in defense.
But those who are interested can also hear some "clues".
The emperor said "all are loyal ministers to the court", as if to say, in my eyes, both Min Gui and Zhang Zhou are loyal ministers... This at least shows that in the eyes of the emperor, there is still room for change in this matter.
Zhu Youtang suddenly looked at Liu Jian and said: "Mr. Liu Ge, how do you think I can handle this matter so that you can stop being aggressive?"
When Liu Jian saw this scene, he actually wanted to give up a long time ago.
The feud with the emperor was so incompatible that he was really licking the blood from the knife's edge. Now he has already folded Min Gui into it... Min Gui is recognized as the person who will succeed Bai Ang as the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment. After this incident, even if Min Gui can obey the imperial edict, After being released from prison, it is estimated that the official career is basically over. For traditional factions, even the spheres of influence may need to be re-divided.
Liu Jiandao: "I don't have any good ideas."
Zhu Youtang said: "I have approved Bingkuan's memorial requesting to return to his hometown to visit relatives. He will return to his hometown for three months. During this period, except for his title, he will not hold any position in the court, nor will anyone else. Among the capital, if another disaster occurs near the capital, will it have nothing to do with him?"
When I posed the question to everyone present, there was always someone as stubborn as Min Gui who wanted to step out and crush Zhang Zhou to death.
This time Zhu Youtang also changed his strategy and only asked Liu Jian.
As the chief assistant, Liu Jian, no matter how resolute his attitude is, understands the principle of retreating in the face of major events. Only by making concessions can he maintain the harmony on face.
And what the emperor gave Liu Jian himself was not a problem.
Liu Jiandao: "If Lai Guogong leaves the capital and returns to his hometown, he should not be involved in any disasters in the capital."
"Okay. I will grant him leave so that he can return to his hometown in glory. I will return the farm and house prepared for him in Nanjing City. By the way, I also want him to go to the south of the Yangtze River for me to understand the people's sentiments."
At this point, Zhu Youtang's face became very stern, "My dear friends, I have something to say first. If there are still disasters in the capital in the future, no matter whether it is in the past or in the future, any disasters must not be directed at Bingkuan. It's involved, because it doesn't matter whether I use him or not. On the contrary, because of his presence, he can predict future disasters in advance, so I and the people can take precautions."
"Even if some of the skills he used are beyond the reach of human beings and are just the magic tricks you call them, they are good deeds if they can serve the country and the people."
Liu Jian bowed his hand and returned to the court.
The emperor's words also mean that today's matter is finalized.
Losing a Min Gui seems to be the emperor's victory, but in return, the emperor will also send Zhang Zhou back to Nanjing for three months... and make an agreement similar to a bet. If Zhang Zhou wins in the next three months, When Zhou was away from the capital, a big disaster still occurred in the capital. From then on, no one was allowed to use the disaster to attack Zhang Zhou.
Of course, if Zhang Zhou makes mistakes in the future in the military or as an official, you will attack if you should attack him. I am afraid that you will not even take the unusual path of impeaching Zhang Zhou.
The emperor seemed to know very well that it would be difficult for ministers to find fault with Zhang Zhou in serving as an official or leading troops, because Zhang Zhou had been almost impeccable as an official until now, except for those inexplicable metaphysics. It was the matter that troubled the emperor the most and bothered him the most.
…
…
The court meeting disbanded in bizarre circumstances.
Zhu Youtang left Fengtian Palace angrily, and all the ministers present breathed a sigh of relief...
Many people are also glad that the fire did not burn them.
"Mr. Liu Ge, what should we do? Mr. Min has spoken out for us no matter what. Now that he is taken to prison, I'm afraid he will suffer a lot of physical and mental suffering." A group of people came out of Fengtian Hall. Go to Liu Jian to intercede.
It seemed that he was also blaming him. Liu Jin was almost obeying the emperor's wishes before and couldn't even intercede for Min Gui.
Liu Jian didn't want to answer this kind of question.
Li Dongyang said: "It is His Majesty's will to issue a prison edict. You have also seen His Majesty's previous attitude. What does this have to do with us? If you want to blame, blame Zhang Bingkuan for his deceitful behavior. He clearly expected the hail disaster but did not report it himself. And informing Wu Hao, and using this to have people come to impeach him... What do you think of this in Your Majesty's heart?"
"That's right." Zhou Jing said with empathy, "If you calculate the hailstorm yourself and let others talk about it, you should just say that you don't want to fight with the officials in the court and want to return home early. Such weird remarks are to deceive the Holy Majesty. In addition, It’s so heartbreaking.”
Xie Qian squinted his eyes and said with a strange smile: "Zhou Butang, be careful what you say."
The emperor also said before that you should not engage in party fights based on your stance without talking about right and wrong. Now you, Zhou Jing, are violating the ban.
Bai Ang said angrily: "You are so young, and you are a top scholar, why can't you work hard? Even if you have gunpowder and new cannons, and the ability to run an army, you can still make progress step by step. He is so eager for quick success and instant benefit, but he is just a person who is just trying to gain fame and reputation. .”
Liu Jian saw everyone's criticism of Zhang Zhou and didn't take it seriously.
It's obvious.
Those who attacked Zhang Zhou more fiercely were the old ministers who were about to retire, and there was also... Min Gui, who had always disliked Zhang Zhou since Zhang Zhou entered the court, and because Min Gui was about to be promoted to Minister of Punishment, he wanted to Get rid of Zhang Zhou, a political enemy...
It seems that the emperor's perception is not wrong.
Or partisanship for the sake of partisanship.
Yuan Shouzhi, the envoy of general affairs, said: "What should we do then? Zhang Bingkuan has been back to his hometown for three months. If something happens during this period, wouldn't it mean that today's achievements have been undone?"
Xie Qian said: "I'm afraid it's not as simple as falling short of success!"
The implication is that Min Gui will be involved, and even Zhang Zhou will no longer be able to attack Zhang Zhou with disasters in the future. In the future, Zhang Zhou will stand firm in the court, and more and more people will rely on Zhang Zhou.
Yuan Shouzhi got angry and shouted: "The hail disaster he calculated is not considered a hail disaster? Don't you know why the heaven will bring hail disasters?"
Xu Qiong said: "You can't say that. If this hailstorm is really a warning sent by God, then why can't it be said that this disaster happened because everyone in the court wanted to impeach Zhang Bingkuan and God couldn't see it?"
Shen Lu also joined in and said, "That's right. For the common people, although there were some losses due to this hailstorm, it was still because the imperial court made a notice in advance that the suffering of the common people was greatly reduced. This has never happened before. Things that have happened. I dare to ask you, if you are ordinary people and you also rely on the sky for your livelihood, should you thank Duke Lai Guo, or hate him?"
"What do you mean?" Yuan Shouzhi and others glared at Shen Lu.
Both of them are general envoys, Yuan Shou is the senior official, so he is also questioning why his subordinates are facing him.
But Shen Lu was not afraid of this. He said: "Those who win the hearts of the people can also win the hearts of His Majesty. Don't you understand this?"
Bai Ang said: "How can Zhang Bingkuan, a man in power who relies on lies to confuse people, win the hearts and minds of the people?"
At this time, Xie Qian couldn't listen anymore. He sighed: "You should stop talking nonsense here. Go among the people and listen to what the people say. Don't be self-righteous."
"Mr. Xie Ge, what do you mean?" Bai Ang glared at Xie Qian.
Xie Qian thought about what he saw and heard in the market yesterday, and saw that the people were truly grateful for the court's kindness, especially the orderly scene when the hailstorm occurred. He couldn't help but sigh: "People's support is not something we can rely on." Hold on, the people only care about what they get, not what their position is. There are superstitious people everywhere in the market, otherwise who would tell this story about the disaster?"
The ministers present were silent.
It is precisely because ordinary people are superstitious that there is a market for so-called rumors about disasters. If they don't believe it, or there are many people who don't believe it, who will talk about the number of days and providence?
Xie Qian added: "But just because people in the market believe that they will see that Zhang Bingkuan has repeatedly met God's will and used it to bring some benefits to the Ming Dynasty and the people, they will naturally side with Zhang Bingkuan."
Yuan Shouzhi said angrily: "Is it Zhang Bingkuan who is responsible for managing the country and bringing peace to the people?"
Xie Qian couldn't stand listening.
He felt that these officials felt that the people's livelihood and contentment were brought about by them, not by the people's own efforts.
Civilian officials govern the country, but they always regard themselves as "parent officials" and even think that they are a kindness to the people, without considering what the people really need or who supports whom.
After all, Xie Qian was a relatively open-minded Confucian official. He said: "Zhang Bingkuan used things on the border to drive away the barbarians. Isn't that considered peace of mind? I changed the positions. I hope that like the past few years, I have to fight for those border affairs every day. Annoyed, or still like today?"
"do not talk."
Li Dongyang gave Xie Qian a hand.
Li Dongyang could see that what Xie Qian said had no market among the indignant civil servants.
to be honest.
Now is the time to talk about positions rather than right and wrong. They are all angry and think that Zhang Zhou is a traitor and traitor. Can these civil servants listen to reason?
There is no distinction between right and wrong in the matter of party and government.
"Mr. British, please say a few words." Xie Qian suddenly aimed at Zhang Mao, who was watching the excitement.
"Me?" Zhang Mao laughed, "I am old and frail, and it seems that I have been a little forgetful recently, but I don't know what you are talking about."
Yuan Shouzhi said: "What's wrong with the British government? It's not you who jointly participated in the concert? You were the one who used the hailstorm to impeach Zhang Bingkuan, right? You dare to say that you didn't know anything in advance?"
Zhang Mao said: "The conscience of heaven and earth, I just learned this news from Qin Tianjian, so I wanted to help you, so I took the risk and reported it. If you want to blame, you should blame the Qin Tianjian."
"Where is Qin Tian Jian Zheng?"
Only then did everyone remember that there was another "culprit" Wu Hao.
But after searching around, I found that Wu Hao was nowhere to be seen.
Wu Hao is not a fool. It was directly revealed in the court that it was Zhang Zhou who told him about the hailstorm. Not only did he become a spy, he was used by the emperor and Zhang Zhou, and because of this, he trapped the entire court. This also shows that he is very helpless. His ability... He wanted to find a way to get into the cracks at that time. Now that the court meeting is over, why doesn't he run away quickly?
"alright!"
When Liu Jian saw that Tu Fu wanted to come out and take charge of the overall situation, he realized that he could not allow the situation in front of him to develop.
Liu Jian shouted loudly, which was still very powerful. He said sternly: "Everyone, your Majesty also passed a disaster and asked Zhang Bingkuan to return to his hometown to visit his relatives. He also stated that if there is no disaster in the capital within three months, Zhang Bingkuan will not be used for the time being. What kind of result do you still want?"
The scene also became quiet.
"Now let's think about how to prevent human disasters from happening in the capital in the next three months." Liu Jian added.
"Where's the natural disaster?" Shen Lu asked.
Tu Tong finally said: "This thing about natural disasters, rain and snow or wind and hail, are they considered natural disasters?"
This is said... very well.
Even you, Tu Yu, don't think that the drastic change in weather is a disaster, so why did you use so much force when you impeached Zhang Zhou? What about double standards?
Xu Qiong couldn't stand listening, and rolled up his sleeves to leave, saying with a bit of mockery: "When it comes to dealing with political opponents, rain and hail are a disaster. I'm afraid that when it's my turn, even rain and hail will bring down the capital." No, I don’t take it seriously! Haha! I understand!”
They are all about to retire, and their words are so annoying.
The ministers present seemed to feel that in the past few years, and even in the entire Hongzhi Dynasty, no time when ministers discussed matters in private was more intense than today.
Today is a first of its kind.
Everyone spoke as if they had taken gunpowder. They wanted to use their mouths to talk to each other until blood spurted to death.
"Natural disasters." Tu Yu added, "As long as it does not involve major disasters or people's livelihood and stability, try to avoid it. There are strong winds and heavy rains. Don't you have any awareness of disaster prevention?"
Others also understood.
Xu Qiong was right before she left. In fact, it is a principle... We do not consider natural disasters to be natural disasters, but they are not.
Shen Lu smiled and said: "I'm afraid that just like the fire in Qingning Palace two years ago, God will rain down a thunder on you. No matter how well you prevent it, it will be in vain."
"you!"
Everyone stared at Shen Lu.
Shen Lu also laughed and left with a few people.
"Mr. Liu Ge, you see these people are becoming more and more ignorant of the rules." A spokesman came out and said, "I want to participate in the impeachment!"
Liu Jiandao: "Mind your own business and stop engaging in such quarrels. Your Majesty despises this the most right now! Even if a disaster does happen... we'll talk about it later! Who knows what caused this disaster?"
Everyone was surprised.
This was not what Liu Jian said in court before.
Liu Jian told Zhu Youtang that as long as Zhang Zhou left, even if there was a disaster in the capital, Zhang Zhou could not be blamed.
It was also approved by the emperor at that time.
Therefore, Tu Fu would analyze after the fact that as long as man-made disasters in the capital were not recognized as natural disasters in the next three months, Zhang Zhou's problems could be suppressed.
But now Liu Jian said that even if there is a disaster, we can still push Zhang Zhou through some weird angles... In short, we are in an invincible position.
…
…
The quarrel in the palace made Zhu Youtang feel mentally and physically exhausted.
Obviously he wanted to make some achievements, and the Ming Dynasty's national power was obviously booming. Zhang Zhou alone led the production of nearly half of the Ming Dynasty's coal and pig iron... By the way.
Zhu Youtang suddenly thought of this. When Zhang Zhou reported coal and steel output to him, he was excited for a while. He also planned to mention it to the minister to highlight Zhang Zhou's contribution. Forgot?
But then I thought...Zhang Zhou made such great contributions in the northwest and Liaodong battlefields, why wasn't he still ignored?
If you mention to the ministers that Zhang Zhou led the production of large amounts of coal and pig iron, it is estimated that those ministers will also impeach Zhang Zhou for "competing with the people", saying that Zhang Zhou used official weapons for personal use, and maybe they will also want to impeach Zhang Zhou for destroying farmland. …
There are so many reasons to attack someone.
"Your Majesty." Xiao Jing appeared in front of Zhu Youtang.
Zhu Youtang asked: "Are those people gone?"
Xiao Jing said: "Every minister has gone back to his residence."
Zhu Youtang hummed softly: "He doesn't want to do more for the court and the people, but only thinks about how to fight against political opponents. Instead, Bingkuan...has been lazy since he entered the court. He didn't go to court for a few days in total. In this way, he has become a thorn in others' eyes, and I really don't know who I should rely on."
Xiao Jing was slightly relieved after hearing this.
This also shows that the emperor realized that Zhang Zhou alone could not govern the country, so he reserved a certain amount of leeway for his ministers.
Then another person came in behind Xiao Jing, Yang Peng, the admiral of Dongchang.
Just when Xiao Jing thought that the emperor was going to ask Yang Peng about Min Gui, Yang Peng took the initiative to report: "Your Majesty, Duke Lai has packed everything and is preparing to leave for Nanjing this afternoon."
Zhu Youtang said: "Yes, he has to leave early, otherwise a disaster will come soon. If he leaves later, people will say it has something to do with him."
"Your Majesty, I wonder... what kind of disaster is this?" Xiao Jing was panicked.
Just when I thought I was going to breathe a sigh of relief, I sacrificed Min Gui to help everyone.
Only now do I know that the emperor had already planned a late move.
Zhu Youtang said: "I will tell you when it happens! I don't know who to trust now!"
(End of chapter)
