The ministers and ministers of each of the six ministries of the DPRK were waiting in the palace for the report of the northwest war.
Zhu Youtang also stayed in the Qianqing Palace, not going anywhere, and concentrated on waiting for the battle report.
But in fact, even Zhu Youtang himself knew that this was just to teach those ministers some "lessons", letting them know that as an emperor, he cares about state affairs every day and pays attention to the changes in the military situation across the nine borders. Worrying about the results returned, that kind of restless mood.
Outside the palace, an impeachment campaign against Zhang Zhou was brewing.
This time, there are no longer the eunuchs, eunuchs, cabinet elders, ministers and others who come out to play the leading role. Instead, it is entirely the Yanguan of Kedao who is in charge. The leader is Lu Heng, who has just been promoted to the position of Hu Kedu for less than a year.
Lu Heng has been serving in Kedaozhong since he was a Jinshi in middle school. He worked in the military department for more than ten years. Last year, Lu Heng was assigned to Shizhong in Hukedu. Luang was hated by others because he participated in the impeachment of a minister. He was dismissed from his post and sent to the Jinyi Guard Prison. Later, he was transferred Magistrate of Puqi County in Huguang, Luang resigned in anger and returned to his hometown.
Now Lu Heng will inherit the ambition of his predecessor and continue to target injustices in the DPRK. This time he is targeting Zhang Zhou, who has "brought disaster to the country and the people."
Lu Heng found Zuodu Yushi Daishan, hoping that Daishan would take the lead in this matter.
Dai Shan just came to the capital from Nanjing and took office not long ago. He obviously did not want to wade into troubled waters. He said: "Yongtai, you are a little reckless to do this. Your Majesty has made it clear that you are not allowed to involve Duke Lai with unprovoked matters. Now Duke Lai is In Yingtian Mansion, can you say that this matter is directly related to him?"
Although Dai Shan was recommended by the traditional faction, he knew that he was not qualified enough.
I think of Wang Shi, who jumped directly from the minister of Dali Temple to the minister of the Ministry of punishment. No one else cares about this kind of thing. You, Lu Heng, came to me. You clearly saw that I was easy to be "manipulated"?
Lu Heng said: "Your Majesty will not allow Zhang Zhou to be involved in disasters, but the current battle in the north involves the safety of six thousand soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. As I know, there have been rumors in the Ministry of War that this matter was planned by Zhang Zhou himself. If If such reckless advances are not stopped, no one is held accountable, or the culprits are not punished, I am afraid it will become even more difficult to put an end to it."
"Ahem."
Dai Shan coughed twice.
Hearing Lu Heng call Zhang Zhou by his first name, he knew that in the eyes of traditional officials like Lu Heng, Zhang Zhou was not a "near-sycophant" at all.
The old minister of the Chaozhong Pavilion may have some conflicts of interest with Zhang Zhouxu, and may even like to take a step back.
However, censors usually have nothing to say in their eyes. They are even more indignant about injustice and use it as a standard for their conduct in life, just like after Rouen was imprisoned, assigned to the magistrate of Puqi County, and returned to his hometown after becoming an official. He won a huge reputation, and now the officials of the Department of Science and Technology follow Rouen as an example, and there is a trend of direct admonishment.
Dai Shan said: "Whoever said it is who you go to. Ma Shangshu of the Ministry of War or Zhou Shangshu of the Ministry of Husbandry can do it. As for others, it is really difficult to present this matter before there is no result. This is not someone else after all. responsibilities.”
Your department's spokesperson is responsible for impeaching ministers. Why do you have to find a "senior official" to take the lead for you?
You are the one who takes the lead when it comes to saying good things, but you are asking us to be used as a shield when it comes to saying bad things?
Since you are looking for it, then you can go to someone who is about to retire, such as Ma Wensheng or Zhou Jing. If that doesn’t work, you can also go to Xu Guan, the minister of the Ministry of Industry. Anyway, these three are recognized to be leaving the court soon. They are about to leave the court. I didn’t have so many worries before I left. As a newly appointed censor of Zuodu, why should I fight with Zhang Bingkuan over a fruitless matter?
Lu Heng asked coldly: "Don't Mr. Dai even have basic responsibilities? I really misjudged you! Farewell!"
If I don't stand up, you'll belittle me?
You won't add me to the impeachment list later, right?
Even though Dai Shan felt that it was inappropriate to reject a Huke so directly, he still held back. In his heart, he still understood that "the overall situation is the most important". At this time, there was no point in competing with Lu Heng.
…
…
Lu Heng did not find Dai Shan as the chief co-signer, and he did not find anyone else.
Because in the opinion of a stubborn Yanguan like Lu Heng, the Six Ministries of the Chao Zhong were actually rotten. If the other six Ministries and Seven Ministers were useful, Zhang Zhou would not become more and more powerful. Only Dai Shan was a newcomer. Maybe we can "save" it. Otherwise, we should go to Ni Yue, the newly appointed Minister of Civil Affairs... But to go directly to Ni Yue is too big a jump. Lu Heng doesn't have that much time, so he might as well go back and win over him directly. A group of knowledgeable speakers.
In order to avoid insufficient co-branding efforts.
He also found many people in the Hanlin Academy who were dissatisfied with Zhang Zhou. In total, there were nearly thirty people who signed the petition, which immediately increased the intensity.
This time it is not the high-level officials who want to participate in the impeachment of Zhang Zhou, but our middle and lower-level officials. We all represent the Qingliu of the Ming Dynasty.
Even if Zhang Zhou cannot be brought down, at least if we step in, we can make Zhang Zhou a notorious figure in the Qing Dynasty and make it difficult for him to survive among ordinary scholars... Of course, this is just the wishful thinking of Lu Heng and others. If they If you go down the class, you will know that Zhang Zhou's reputation among ordinary scholars is no longer limited to a sycophant.
The debate between Neo-Confucianism and Psychology has reached a fever pitch, and everyone is busy discussing the orthodoxy of Psychology. Who has time to elaborate on Zhang Zhouren's case of being a sycophantic minister of the left?
As the chief co-signer, Lu Heng wrote the memorial and submitted it to the General Affairs Department on the same day. The newly appointed General Affairs Secretary Shen Lu read it and was shocked.
The previous general envoy to the head of state was appointed to the official position, which only happened in the past two days. Because Yuan Shouzhi was from a traditional faction and had an upright temper, and because he was always in poor health, it took a long time for his request to be appointed to the official position. However, the previous Zuo Tongzheng and Shen Lu naturally took over as Tongzheng envoy and became the Yintai of the Ming Dynasty.
As the general envoy, Shen Lu had no power to refute memorials other than those with specifications and responsibilities.
In other words, as long as Lu Heng could do the memorial to impeach Zhang Zhou, and there were no obvious grammatical and formatting errors in his memorial, Shen Lu could not refuse to rewrite it. But it can only be reported truthfully. In addition to submitting it to the Supervisor of Ceremonies, it must also be reported to the cabinet, so that the cabinet can know about it.
…
…
The impeachment memorial first arrived at the cabinet.
Because it involves Zhang Zhou, it is a sensitive issue, and the memorial was also placed on it. When Liu Jian received the memorial from Zhongshushe, he knew that the court official was once again attacking Zhang Zhou.
After Liu Jian read it, he did not comment, but handed it to Xie Qian, meaning that you should give your opinion first.
Xie Qian took it carefully, but read the content in a few glances. The topics they talked about were all commonplace topics. Xie Qian didn't need to read them word for word to know the nature of those officials.
"There is nothing wrong with rejecting this memorial!" Xie Qian commented.
"Why?" Liu Jian asked.
Xie Qian pointed to the above content and said: "Zhang Bingkuan is in Nanjing now to serve as Nanjing's military counselor. It is not his responsibility to use troops in the north. If this dispatch of troops is inappropriate, it should also be the responsibility of the Ministry of War."
Liu Jiandao: "You know, that's not the case."
Xie Qian smiled and said: "As the Minister of War, Ma Futu knew about it when the Ming Dynasty sent troops. However, it was not until Wang Bo'an sent troops a few days later and was summoned by His Majesty's inner court that he refuted it. This is actually the failure of the Minister of War." Responsibility, if those people in Kedao can be smarter and use the impeachment plan to accuse Sang and Huai directly at Zhang Bingkuan, who planned this matter, it may be more effective than it is now."
"Um."
Liu Jian nodded and agreed with Xie Qian's words.
If you want to impeach Zhang Zhou as an official, you should not be so direct, because once Wang Shouren is defeated, the emperor will definitely not admit that Zhang Zhou planned the whole thing. Slandering my Bingkuan with gossipy things will make you, a group of public officials, miserable.
To participate in impeachment.
Ma Wensheng should be trampled to death. Why did Ma Wensheng jump out to confront Zhang Zhou head-on? Was it because Ma Wensheng felt that he, the Minister of War, was being ignored?
In other words, did Ma Wensheng know that the Ministry of War would bear great responsibility after the failure of this battle?
Although Ma Wensheng's motives for doing this are complicated, and it cannot be said that he was completely against Zhang Zhou, if Ma Wensheng had not been forced to a dead end, the emperor would not have realized how much impact this incident had on the order of the court. , they would not pay more attention to the matter of participating in the impeachment of Zhang Zhou.
Liu Jiandao: "This memorial has been submitted to the Supervisor of Ceremonies, and I guess His Majesty has also seen it."
Meaning, rejection is impossible.
As the general envoy, Shen Lu did not reject it from his point of view, so what ended up with us was just a copy, that is, Guan Bai's share. The original copy is still with the Supervisor of Ceremonies, unless Xiao Jing is asked to give it to him. This memorial was sent back... but it was no longer reasonable. It was tantamount to a secret operation between the cabinet and the Supervisor of Ceremonies, which was not advisable.
Xie Qian smiled and said: "If there is no result, you can definitely remind the Supervisor of Ceremonies and postpone it for a while. If there is a great victory in the grassland, Your Majesty will be happy and will not care about such things. If you fail, then bring it up. Or it may have a certain effect.”
You can mention it.
But it must not be mentioned now.
The emperor is still waiting anxiously for the battle report, but the censor here is the first to participate in the impeachment? ! Doesn't this add fuel to the emperor's anxious mood?
When the results of Wang Shouren's war came back, the emperor felt a big stone in his heart. No matter whether he won or lost, this memorial also had room for negotiation.
Xie Qian added: "I also can't figure it out. Don't those people in Kedao understand the joint principles? At such an uncertain time, what is the purpose of having to rush to write such a memorial of impeachment? ?”
Liu Jiandao: "Perhaps we used too much in terms of results before, which messed up the original rules of the court."
He didn't say it clearly, but Xie Qian knew it well.
The rule of the Ming Dynasty is that the rules cannot be broken.
Don't judge success or failure based on the results after breaking the rules.
In the past, the emperor also excessively "judged heroes based on success or failure", emphasizing correct results but ignoring correct procedures.
If the result is correct, it is often the result that we, the high-level civil servants, use it as an excuse to allow each other to take a step back.
But those middle and lower-level censors and officials don't care about that much.
They only know that the rules have been disrupted. No matter whether the result is victory or defeat, they have broken the rules of the Ming Dynasty. They use one person's will to decide major affairs in the court and ignore the importance of court discussions... Wouldn't this mean that one person will appear? The concept of a prime minister who is above ten thousand people?
The Ming Dynasty deposed the prime minister in order to ensure the supremacy of imperial power and the power of ministers to participate in and discuss political affairs. However, having Zhang Zhou as the uncrowned prime minister was obviously unacceptable to middle- and lower-level officials.
No matter whether he wins or loses, we just want to nail Zhang Zhou to the pillar of shame for breaking the rules.
"Haha." Xie Qian said with a bitter smile, "Yeah, it seems that rules have never been easy to use from Li Guang to Zhang Bingkuan. Unfortunately, it is not easy to change everything and restore the old system. .How to determine the voting plan?"
The question was thrown back to Liu Jian.
Liu Jian looked at the memorial and said, "Let's think about it again."
Obviously, Liu Jian also understood that the emperor was now overly pursuing results and no longer cared about procedures and processes. He understood some things in his heart, but could not explain them clearly to the emperor.
The cabinet's right to speak seems to be irrelevant.
…
…
On the side of the Supervisor of Ceremonies.
After Xiao Jing handed over the memorial from Chen Kuan and saw the impeachment memorial by Lu Heng and others, he knew that this memorial came at an inappropriate time without Liu Jian and others reminding him.
Knowing that the memorial should be submitted as soon as possible, Xiao Jing still chose to postpone it first.
There is no need to delay for a few days, maybe one or two hours, or just a cup of tea, and the news of success or failure will come?
But Xiao Jing never imagined that even if this memorial never passed through Li Rong's hands, with Li Rong's caution, he learned the news from the General Affairs Secretary. The biggest difference between him and Xiao Jing and others , if there is any important matter, he must report it to the emperor as soon as possible... and this is why the emperor transferred him back to the Supervisor of Ceremonies.
In the Qianqing Palace.
Li Rong mentioned this matter to the emperor when he presented the emperor with other memorials written by the emperor.
Zhu Youtang slapped the table and said, "Why don't you see the performance?"
Li Rong said: "Maybe Eunuch Xiao feels that this memorial should have results before asking for instructions. I don't want to cause any trouble to His Majesty."
As Li Rong said, Zhu Youtang knew that the Yushi Yanguan was again jointly participating in the impeachment of Zhang Zhou. This time, he was not impeaching Zhang Zhou based on disasters but ready-made things. He was indeed panicked.
Thinking about it this way, it seems that what Xiao Jing did can be explained, but he was still doing it under the guise of doing good for me?
"What do you think?" Zhu Youtang asked.
Li Rong replied cautiously: "I know that your Majesty has a verbal agreement with Ma Bu Tang of the Ministry of War."
"Um."
Zhu Youtang nodded.
We have already negotiated with Ma Wensheng. If Wang Shouren can win on the grassland and escape unscathed, the result does not need to be too exaggerated. Zhang Zhou can be transferred back to the capital as Minister of War.
If Wang Shouren loses, Zhang Zhou may have to stay in Nanjing for the next two years and will not be able to return to the capital for a while.
Zhu Youtang didn't think that Wang Shouren would be stuck in the grassland and never return. In addition, Ma Wen was a lot older. Before retiring, he paved a way for Zhang Zhou to succeed Zhang Zhou as Minister of War. Even this path was not feasible. The road was smooth, but if the emperor insulted Ma Wensheng, it would not be in line with Zhu Youtang's generous and benevolent character.
If Wang Shouren was really defeated, it would not be unacceptable to Zhu Youtang to let Zhang Zhou continue to practice outside while the Ming Dynasty was preparing for the war for two years.
Seeing that Zhu Youtang gave an affirmative answer, Li Rong continued: "Then this memorial can be used as a certificate to question the officials."
"Elaborate!" It was rare for Zhu Youtang to hear the pertinent opinions of a "fair" person like Li Rong, or someone who was biased towards him, so he was naturally very interested.
Li Rongdao: "Your Majesty can completely leave this memorial unpublished. It is a good report, and it can be used to beat the officials, and it can be used as a manifestation of Lai Guogong's meritorious service. It is a form of request for credit. Defeat, This will be used to decide whether Duke Lai will stay in Nanjing..."
"That's right." Zhu Youtang said, "If Wang Shouren wins, I will use this to ask for credit for Bingkuan. If he loses, then let Bingkuan guard the Nanjing garrison and serve as the military affairs counselor of the Nanjing Ministry of War. Nanjing is ready."
Li Rong also just came back a few days ago.
It was also the first time that he truly witnessed the emperor's almost absolute "trust" in Zhang Zhou.
If he wins, Zhang Zhou will be transferred back to serve as Minister of War. If he loses, he will be appointed as Minister of War and Honored Minister of Defense in Nanjing. Zhang Zhou will be responsible for the military affairs of Nanjing, and all the Dukes of Cheng and Wei will stand aside.
Anyway, Zhang Zhou is not at a loss at all. Anyway, the Ming Dynasty belongs to Zhu Youtang, so he can decide whatever he wants.
"You think it's not possible?" Zhu Youtang couldn't help asking when he saw the hesitation on Li Rong's face.
Li Rongdao said: "There are precedents of Xingji Marquis and Jingyuan Marquis to serve as honorary ministers and ministers of the Ministry of War, so it must be possible."
The emperor didn't break the rules either.
At that time, Wang Ji also served as Jing Yuan Bo and Yang Shan as Xing Ji Bo. After the Suimen Incident, he concurrently served as the Minister of the Ministry of War and the Minister of Rites. It was not the first time for a person with a title to concurrently serve as the Minister of the Ministry of Rites. It was not the first time for Emperor Hongzhi to make a choice in an extraordinary period. Even if the minister refutes it, It doesn't seem to have any direct meaning.
"Okay, then the matter is settled." Zhu Youtang made the decision directly without seeing the memorial.
Li Rong asked for instructions: "Should I inform Eunuch Xiao and ask him to send me the memorial?"
Even though Li Rong has higher qualifications than Xiao Jing, he is still only the chief Bingbi, and Xiao Jing is his nominal boss, so he has to speak for Xiao Jing.
Zhu Youtang said: "There is no need to tell him. I don't know what he has been thinking in the past two years. He often leaves courtiers to do things. I know that he may have good intentions out of not wanting the Ming Dynasty to be destroyed by traitors, but Bingkuan He is not an ordinary close minister. I trust him not only because of his ability, but also because I believe he can bring me things that others cannot give."
Even though the emperor knew that Xiao Jing was a bit "evil", he was kind-hearted and did not criticize him harshly.
This is where Zhu Youtang is reasonable.
Even if Zhu Youtang trusted Zhang Zhou again, he did not completely abandon the civil servants and those who were against Zhang Zhou, but allowed them to form a delicate balance.
"Moreover." Zhu Youtang added, "Bingkuan is not only a minister to me, but also my friend. He is sincere and sincere. As a lonely man like me, I have Bingkuan who can help me with my court affairs and private affairs. Very relieved."
"yes."
While Li Rong saluted respectfully, he seemed to understand a lot of things in his heart.
Including Xiao Jing's irregularities in his work, his re-appointment, and the resistance of civil servants to Zhang Zhou... they all have roots.
(End of chapter)
