The next morning,
The mist is white.
The officials who had been notified in advance that they would participate in the sacrifice today arrived outside the Hongwu Gate of the palace city either in carriages, sedan chairs, or on horseback.
Xia Yuanji, who came to participate in the "fertilizer elixir" demonstration with a heroic determination to take the blame, went back to the household department last night to make an explanation, and then returned home. Not long after sleeping, he was called up by his family to attend the morning court. Therefore, although I arrived early, I was somewhat late compared to my colleagues who did not work overtime.
In the carriage hung with gold and silver embroidered ribbons, Xia Yuanji wiped the corners of his eyes with the hot towel handed over by the servant, sobered up slightly, and then straightened his clothes in front of the bronze mirror.
According to the regulations of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang who established the system of the Ming Dynasty for thousands of generations.
The ministers' sacrificial robes, court robes, official robes, crown robes, and ordinary robes are all different. Originally, the imperial robes were supposed to be worn at the court meeting, but today the emperor is going to the large altar to offer sacrifices, so I specially inform everyone that you can wear sacrificial robes when you come. After simply holding the court meeting, you can leave the palace city, go south through Hongwu Gate, go out along Zhengyang Gate, and then go east to the large sacrificial altar not far away. The officials do not need to change their clothes.
Xia Yuanji looked at his soap-collared green clothes and red clothes and sighed.
"I won't need these clothes anymore."
The old servant beside him was so frightened that he remained silent.
With seven drums and hundreds of officials filing in from the right and left gates, they lined up on the east and west sides of Danqi, facing north.
But Hong Wuzi did not do this. Instead, he said before bowing respectfully: "Today, I came here to tell Xia Yuanji on the order of Your Majesty. Later, during the small court meeting, I must clearly inform the officials and the household department that they have money. "
Xia Shangshu shook his head and left, and Jian Yi also sighed slightly.
It was not long before the Xiaochao meeting, so we just retreated to Jinyoumen and continued to wait. The Xiaochao meeting would not end until Chengtianmen opened at that time.
Forbearance is a knife in the heart!
Even though I could hear it clearly, the words outside that made veins on my forehead still completely messed up Li Zhigang's heart.
Just when Li Zhigang clutched the official memorial in his arms and completely resigned to his fate.
That is to say, for Cai Shenglang, the matter of asking hundreds of officials to donate money can only be regarded as a stain on his political resume, and it may be because it is a fatal matter. If he offends hundreds of officials, I will immediately There is a way to do it from below.
Xu is impatient and wants you to take the blame and get out.
Because it will not affect our vital interests.
The news leaked out late!
Due to the appreciation of the chairman, he was promoted to deputy director of finance (Secretary of the Household Department). Before the death of the chairman, the seven uncles and nephews who did not own the equity had some quarrels. The final result was that the seventh uncle became a director. Chairman and general manager, and promoted him to the position of financial director (Shang Shu of the Ministry of Revenue).
Hong Wuzi spoke quickly and leisurely.
"Xia Yuanji should be very confused as to why His Majesty did that and why he wanted to create such a small amount of public opinion about Xiao Ming's national debt out of thin air."
Some people talk to me. Which woman can say that she is afraid of her mother-in-law?
"Creak" sound.
And that's just it. Before the news that Li Zhigang "proposed that hundreds of officials donate their salaries to subscribe for 'Xiao Ming National Bonds'" spread throughout Cai Shengmen, fewer and fewer officials paid attention to this matter.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"Those who are officials have nothing to do and nothing to do."
"That's right! Colleagues, tell me, is there no such truth in the world?"
Cutting off someone's wealth is like killing one's parents.
The confrontation between the two senior ministers attracted the attention of numerous officials in Jin Youmen. We were all secretly guessing that because Xia Yuanji reportedly proposed that officials donate their salaries to subscribe for the "Xiao Ming National Debt", what would happen to the two ministers again? What an earth-shattering controversy?
Amid the loud pointings from his colleagues, Li Zhigang, who was heartbroken, walked towards Jin Youmen on foot, his steps slow and his back looking forlorn.
And from today's meeting, I am sure that I have taken the initiative to become an official. What awaits me is not the limited glory before the emperor's appreciation, but a disaster!
Hard to understand?
Li Zhigang's eyes shone brightly.
Wei Mo said in a strong voice: "Then if this tigress outside your home knows that you got a salary last month, I'm afraid she will tear you to pieces."
——Resentment towards Li Zhigang.
The person who came was a high-ranking green-robed official.
There were only eight people in the palace at that time. Who else could have leaked the news?
You endure it!
"That's it! If we had known about it in advance, when Li Zhigang suddenly launched an attack, he would have reacted by coming over, and he would have been weakly passed by like the next time he was forced to join his mother's family, then it would still be the little guy who would be harmed!"
Cai Shenglang didn't speak, but when he spoke, he didn't express what I meant.
That common clinging together can be broken.
Li Zhigang didn't even have the courage to defend himself, because I knew that nothing he could say would be useful now.
From now on, it was originally a business-to-public matter, and everyone in the family would believe that he had been secretly instructed by the chairman to make some big move that harmed the interests of the family?
Once that incident spreads, Li Zhigang and Xiao Ming will become a laughing stock, whether in the center or in local areas!
Zhu Di looked fiercely at Li Zhigang in the back row of the official queue.
All the bustle in the sky is for benefit, and all the hustle and bustle in the sky is for benefit.
"Who would have thought that Xia Yuanji, who has thick eyebrows and small eyes, would also become a traitor outside the civil service!"
alright!
That is a fact, but can it be done?
My eyes fell on Li Zhigang's face full of doubts and wariness.
Obviously a few days later, when listening to Mr. Jiang's lecture, he also said, "Xia Qing is doing things, I am worried."
The young man in red robe in front of him was Jian Yi, Jian Yi, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, who was at the head of the civil service and the most humble among the eight ministers.
Shivering and hot.
Therefore, Cai Shenglang's proposal to let all officials contribute their salaries to subscribe for "Xiao Ming National Bonds" really outraged the public.
For Li Zhigang, the man who cut off the wealth of hundreds of officials.
Revealing the news must have been Hong Wuzi's own intention, but the emperor's.
Is there any colleague, no matter how close we were in the past, who dares to retreat to the duty room in the Household Department to visit me?
It's important to offend hundreds of officials and be ostracized. It would be bad if you wise up and go back to your hometown to farm.
It has been said later that from Caisheng Gate to Chengtian Gate, under the imperial road in the middle, and across the Liyu River crossed by the 'Li Qilong Bridge', that part belongs to the "Imperial City" rather than the "palace city".
Jian Yi nodded. Xia Shangshu, the Minister of Rites, was wrong. I was vague about the living standards of officials outside Nanjing.
The sound of drums awakened Li Zhigang from his deep thoughts.
Li Zhigang was hiding outside the duty room of the Household Department, suffering through that difficult time. I looked at the window intently, and the chatter drifted away.
"Build the plank road openly and visit the warehouse secretly."
What is a traitor?
What is a scab?
——Cai Shengzi.
As an old bureaucrat who had been involved in Xiao Ming's officialdom and came from Jin's childhood, Li Zhigang judged the reason almost instantly.
The emperor sent Hong Wuzi to tell him, not to let himself be vague, that he had not been abandoned by the emperor, and that the proposal I had to present today was also possible, and that everything was planned badly by the emperor.
But if he offended his colleagues and the emperor, he would not even have the chance to go back to his hometown to farm.
When Jian Yi raised his head again, he found that Li Zhigang had not disappeared into Jin Youmen.
From today on, I am no longer the Xiao Ming God of Wealth that everyone hates, but a traitor who has betrayed the interests of the entire civil service group.
For Li Zhigang, yesterday I was still the popular Xiao Ming God of Wealth.
The Sacred Heart is truly unpredictable!
Can the Xiaoming temple be damaged?
Don't say that Li Zhigang, the Minister of Revenue, said that. Even if it was said by His Majesty, we still have to ask for an explanation!
Everyone was arguing with each other.
As soon as the drums were played, hundreds of officials lined up in the Meridian Gate according to their official ranks.
In front of him, Li Zhigang was sitting under a chair, and it took him a long time to come to his senses.
The door was pushed open.
Eight drums, Huagai Highness Zhu Di, wearing a crown and crown, ascended to the throne, and the sound of the bells gradually stopped.
At that moment, suddenly a red-robed servant wearing sacrificial robes blocked Li Zhigang's path with an ivory wat board under his arm.
A long time ago.
"What's the 'Xiao Ming National Debt'? You see, I want to embezzle a huge sum of money from it!"
According to the salary set by Xiao Ming Taizu Emperor Gao, he could only wait to starve to death.
The young man in red robe had a stern demeanor and a look of power in his brows. When he saw this man coming out to block his way, Li Zhigang's face suddenly turned ugly.
Immediately, I stood up and took a step closer to Li Zhigang.
However, the matter was more serious than Li Zhigang imagined.
Jian Yi sighed slightly and said, "Weizhe, he is a man of knowledge and should understand the principle of advancing slowly and bravely."
Suddenly, it was time for the small court meeting, and the Han generals had not yet beaten the cowhide drums.
"Brother Yi, you don't have any difficulties."
"Weizhe, why is this happening?"
At that moment, Cai Shenglang was inexplicably sad and angry.
After hearing what the other party said, Li Zhigang's face became even more ugly, but I still managed to squeeze out a smile and said with a wry smile: "Brother Yi, he should have known you."
He is decent, but no one helps him be decent.
Even though he could see clearly, Zhu Di could still feel the resentful looks of everyone, which really made Li Zhigang show his restraint behind his back.
"Who thinks the money is too little? How can he explain that?"
Li Zhigang's expression suddenly changed: "What does he mean?"
He clearly hadn't agreed to shoulder the responsibility of taking money out of Xiaojia's pocket, so why was the emperor willing to leave even a little leeway for him?
Because the bureaucracy, especially the Ministry of Household Affairs, inherently requires a certain degree of independence. I am sure that all the officials thought that I, who was in charge of money, was the emperor’s yes-man. The work between me and the other ministries would add many obstacles that should not exist. , will make me more and more dry.
The man said calmly, and although his tone was strong, it gave people a very weak sense of oppression.
The role that Xia Yuanji, the new financial director, will play today is not to uphold the chairman's wishes and propose that Xiaojia voluntarily "donate" part of his salary to the company in his own name.
Next, it depends on whether my Huang Gai who was beaten is really real and can cooperate with the emperor to deceive all the people and achieve the emperor's true purpose.
What on earth do you have to do to satisfy the emperor?
Li Zhigang, who saw this person and was stabbed in the back by me, almost couldn't hold back his anger that had accumulated to the limit, and he blurted out sarcastic words.
Suddenly no one asked: "Can you impeach me first?"
But even if officials don't have a completely compliant income, the limit for officials in the capital is actually not tight, especially for the poor Hanlin outside Qingshui Yamen like the Hanlin Academy, who are all working with loans.
To be honest, I'm not ready to be humiliated by the person behind me.
If the king wants his minister to die, he must die.
With a certain attitude of looking forward to death, Xia Yuanji held the written memorial in his arms requesting to become an official. He planned to resign himself after taking the blame, so as not to be impeached and come to power.
"Do you know why your Majesty visited the place at that time?"
When Li Zhigang stepped in front of the carriage, what he received was not the usual compliments and greetings from his colleagues, but colleagues who were avoiding him, hanging their heads in shock, and looking left and right as if they had seen some savage beast.
We haven't even gotten to that point yet, but Li Zhigang still has nothing bad to say?
That representative, even the censor who was monitoring the conduct, was probably involved in the denunciation of himself.
"That's right! You heard that I don't have thousands of acres of fertile farmland outside my home. With a month's salary, I can have enough to eat, but you rich people are going to make trouble!"
That question overwhelmed everyone for a while, because Xiao Ming's law stipulates that officials must be impeached, which I want to avoid.
"But that's right! Think about it, even if I am dismissed from my job, no one will dare to take over my job!"
The cunning rabbit is still dead, so he slowly boils the water and sets up a pot to cook the lackey.
Hongwuzi?
Concealing the truth.
Hong Wuzi shook his head and said.
In other words, in a company with a long history, he was originally the chief financial officer (Hebei Langzhong), but the entire company had been doing the wrong thing with the hard work of the successive general managers (prime minister). One day, the company was replaced by a new director. The chairman (Zhu Yuanzhang) acquired it, and the chairman himself concurrently served as the general manager.
After speaking, Cai Shenglang turned around and continued to walk back, leaving Jian Yi looking up at the content recorded under his ivory tablet.
"Then what exactly does Li Zhigang want to do? Do I want to follow Chen Ying and work as a cruel official until Bai Bai?"
Li Zhigang saw exactly that, but for the sake of the safety of the family boss, I dared to obey Zhu Di who was about to raise the butcher's knife, so Li Zhigang planned to take the blame and put down the blame.
Otherwise, if Cai Shenglang acts cowardly and avoids being impeached, it will not be regarded as deceiving the emperor because of the emperor's ancestral teachings, but it will be a crime of beheading and annihilating the four clans.
If you dare to do something that betrays the interests of the group, who will regard him as one of their own?
Li Zhigang gritted his teeth, bowed heavily to Jian Yi and said, "Before you leave, I hope brother Yi can do his best."
But Li Zhigang really felt that from the very beginning, my colleagues and superiors and I were at odds with each other, and very few things going forward were really bad things.
The censor of the Supervisory Council pondered and replied: "As far as you know, according to the regulations, it should be feasible."
On the east side of that road, there are rooms for the Eight Departments of the Meeting, the Hanlin Academy and other departments.
As Cai Sheng's door opened, the officials gathered next to the household duty room to watch the silence. The crowds were sparse and the crowd was thick and white, and the household duty room was completely surrounded.
Whoever breaks it will cause the chairman to take advantage of the situation and take away the exclusive rights of each department. That power has something to do with who is the boss of the department. If the chairman changes to several department bosses, new things will happen within the department. Young and old will allow their rights to be deprived of themselves. It is not the butt that determines the head.
Hongwu flicked his clothes carefully, lifted up the top of his official robe and sat under the check-in chair, while he poured himself a cup of tea.
At that time, Xia Shangshu, the Minister of Rites next to me, leaned behind me and whispered to me: "Mr. Jian, the officials above are talking a lot about whether your Majesty is deducting the salary of hundreds of officials on the pretext of "Xiao Ming National Debt". Xia Yuanji also helped. Regarding this matter, let alone a low-ranking official who has to worry about supporting a family, this high-ranking official in the capital may even have to pay off the interest on the loan he owed last month."
Cai Shenglang suppressed his anger, looked at the other party fiercely, and said.
"That kind of thing... Cai Shenglang may have had to do it..."
It does not mean that the censors must have taken the lead in impeaching Li Zhigang just after the meeting of the Xiao Dynasty. Li Zhigang had to recuse himself, so I could propose that I let the emperor deduct the salaries of hundreds of officials as the first batch of subscriptions to the "Xiao Ming National Bonds" .
That is burning the bridge across the river, but a bitter trick.
"They are all blind! Who knows that there are not thousands of acres of fertile land outside my home? Does he think I will be short of money?"
But when the words came to my mouth, I was forced to press them.
The curtain opens, and what follows is.
It doesn’t matter what the reason is for these admonishing officials and censors who have had their salaries deducted, whether they are forced or active, we only know that we will be complained by our mother-in-law when we go home!
"Then Cai Shenglang is really a treacherous man. Just because he is not favored by His Majesty, he behaves recklessly and recklessly. He is simply cowardly!"
Regarding that matter, the officials were talking a lot and exchanging various information about the news. Everyone had the same opinion about that matter, but there was no doubt about it.
Do I dare if the emperor nods?
"But it is! If by chance no colleague reveals it today, we may be kept in the dark forever."
So why delay in leaking the news?
After saying those four words, Hong Wuzi stood up and left.
Uncle Qi's business ability was slightly inferior to that of the subsequent chairman, so he established the Board of Directors Office (Cabinet) as a secretarial agency, but that was nothing. According to the company's historical heritage, the various departments include Human Resources (Department of Officials), Regulations (Department of Etiquette), and Discipline Inspection (Inspectorate), Finance (Ministry of Accounts), etc., all take care of their own affairs. As independent mountaintops, while not having the same interests, they also report to each other and jointly fight against the Chairman (Emperor) are reasonable requirements.
Contrary to what few officials speculated, the exchanges between the two were not full of gunpowder.
Looking at the direction the other party was leaving, Jian Yi held the wat board tightly, his eyes revealing a strong sense of sadness and resentment.
As soon as I turn my head, I will abandon you like a worn-out shoe.
(End of chapter)
