The end of March is the warmest time in Beijing.
The large transparent glass windows of Wuying Palace reflect sunlight onto the palace walls, making the Forbidden City shine brightly everywhere. Several ministers who did not come here often for meetings also felt warm in their hearts - at some point, the cold and solemn atmosphere in the Forbidden City gradually subsided, and many changes happened without them realizing it.
At this time, the new decoration in Wuying Hall has been completed. The original gloomy and empty main hall had wooden and glass doors to separate some independent rooms inside. The gold bricks on the floor have also been replaced by oily red teak floors.
Entering from the door on the left side of the hall, you first enter the aisle, which is lined with thick and exquisite carpets. Then you go around to the right along the aisle. There is a corridor about five feet wide in front of you and on the right side. On the door in the middle of the corridor on the right, there is a "Conference Room A" sign hanging horizontally. Under the sign, stood a hunched-over little eunuch, instructing the ministers to enter through this door.
Entering the conference room, there was still a large carpet in the center of the room. On the carpet, there were two semicircular tables about two feet long at both ends facing north and south. The flowers that were ordered at that time were inserted into a long table flower and placed in the middle of the table, filling the room with a faint fragrance.
Wang Xilie, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, who came here for the first time, was confused. He bowed and asked Lu Shusheng, the minister of the Ministry of rites, in a low voice: "When was this changed?"
Lu Shusheng squinted his eyes and replied in a low voice: "The work started last month. This is my first time since the modification was completed."
Wang Xilie saw that the oval side of the long table faced the door, and a three-step platform was made on the floor. The throne and the dragon table were placed on it one foot above the ground, and there were ocher-yellow gauze curtains tied up on the left and right. Apart from this, there were no other ritual decorations in the room. Opposite the throne, there are eight tall screens with cursive writing on them, blocking the main entrance of Wuying Palace.
There were two circles of armchairs placed around the table, with cushions thoughtfully placed on the chairs. On the table facing each chair in the front row, there is a teacup and a set of pen, ink, paper and inkstone.
Wang Xilie looked around and saw that the whole room was sparse and bright. All the carved beams and paintings in the previous palace and the decorations that mixed happiness, wealth, longevity and happiness were missing. The Minister of Rites, Zuo Shilang, who was used to attending court meetings in dark palaces, was stunned by this simple and bright conference room. His heart was in turmoil, and he didn't know what it was like.
He asked Lu Shusheng in a low voice: "What kind of etiquette is used for meetings here?" Lu Shusheng still squinted his eyes and said in a low voice: "The emperor is still sitting facing south. It should be no different from usual, right?" He said that he didn't say anything. Confidence.
While they were talking, Zhang Juzheng, Lu Tiaoyang, Wang Guoguang and two middle secretaries pushed the door in. Seeing everyone standing in the room, Zhang Juzheng said: "Everyone, please take a seat. The emperor will be here soon. Let's discuss it first." .”
After finishing speaking, Zhang Juzheng walked under the throne and sat on the first chair on the upper left side of the long table. Zhang Hong, the Superintendent of Ceremonies, sat opposite him. Lu Tiaoyang and Chen Ju followed and sat in rows facing each other. Zhang Jing and the two ceremonial supervisors Bingbi sat down next to Chen Ju.
Lu Shusheng saw that the court had promoted Wang Guoguang, the newly appointed cabinet minister, to sit down next to Lu Tiaoyang. He also found his own seat and sat next to Wang Guoguang. Wang Han, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Chen Zan, the newly promoted Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and Tan Lun, the Minister of the Ministry of War, followed him. Down.
Wang Xilie was a little confused again. He didn't know where to sit. Should he sit in the front row with these ministers? It seems that he is not qualified to sit on an equal footing, so he should sit behind his own minister, like a follower, and it is not dignified.
Just as he was hesitating, Guo Chaobin, the left minister of the Ministry of Revenue, went to sit next to Tan Lun first, but he deliberately separated two chairs.
Wang Xilie calmed down and sat between the two of them, next to Tan Lun. In just this moment, this old man had countless thoughts in his mind, and sweat started to form on his forehead.
When Zhang Juzheng saw everyone sitting down, he first took a sip of tea from his tea cup, and then motioned for everyone to drink some water as well.
Then he put down the tea cup, cleared his throat and said: "The victory in Liaodong has been confirmed. Let's discuss first what the regulations for this reward are. Who will say it first?" After speaking, he glanced around the people present.
Tan Lun, Minister of the Ministry of War, then said: "Let me talk about Li Chengliang first. According to the system of the country, those who kill enemy chiefs in formation should be rewarded with titles. Although the person killed this time was not a great Khan, and the quality was a bit worse, but one kill I captured two of them and captured one so that I could offer him as a prisoner. This is a great achievement. I thought Li Chengliang could be made a non-hereditary earl."
As he spoke, the Secretary of the Cabinet, who was sitting in the corner of the back row, wrote furiously to write down his words.
Tan Lun cleared his throat and said: "Li Chengliang's reward has been decided, and everything else is easy to handle. Just reward him in order of merit. There are ready-made examples of increased rewards for injured soldiers and pensions for dead soldiers."
All the ministers knew that today's topic mainly revolved around Li Chengliang's reward, and all their attention was focused on it. Wang Xilie was usually very concerned about honors and awards, but at this moment he was looking at the flowers spread out in the middle of the table, wandering in his thoughts and not knowing what to think.
Wang Han, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, waited for Tan Lun to finish, and then continued: "Li Chengliang became the deputy commander-in-chief in the first year of Longqing, and became the commander-in-chief in the fourth year of Longqing. In the fifth year of Longqing, he killed two Tuman ministers in Zhuoshan, and beheaded five At the 180th level, he was awarded the hereditary title of Thousand Households. Last year, he defeated the Tuman and Ulushan in Tieling and Liaohetao, and beheaded many people. It can be said that he never fights, and must defeat every battle. The Ministry of War has given him a record. I have accomplished great feats twice, but the imperial court has not yet awarded me a reward. Taking advantage of the great victory this time, making me an earl is not an excessive reward."
When Chen Zan, the Minister of Household Affairs, saw that Zhang Juzheng's cavalry wanted to knight Li Chengliang, he also cleared his throat and said: "Today, some officials said that Li Chengliang invaded the border with captives, causing the loss of Tianshui Fort and the tragic death of 1,200 soldiers and civilians. Massacre. Although it was a great victory in the end, the merits are merits and demerits are faults. If the imperial court approves the earl, the generals from all sides may imitate Li Chengliang's fighting methods, causing the people on the border to be in danger - this must not be ignored. "
After hearing this, Tan Lun looked angry and said: "It is difficult to guard against thieves for a thousand days! The border wall is not a copper wall or an iron wall. Breaking the border has always been inevitable. If the border people are captured and killed and the merits of the border generals are covered up, who will do it in the future? Contributing to the country? Chen Shangshu’s words are wrong!”
After hearing this, Lu Shusheng, the Minister of Rites, said: "Don't reward the imperial court indiscriminately. During the reign of Emperor Shizong, Qi Jiguang pacified the Japanese. How could his achievements be as good as those of Li Chengliang today? He also didn't get a title. In the future, when China became strong and peaceful, in the process of pacifying border affairs, he would not be able to control the Japanese. There are hundreds of them, and when the time comes, we will all be ennobled based on today’s example. How many will the court want to ennoble?”
The two ministers of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Husband opposed the title, while the two ministers of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel were in favor. They started to quarrel at the meeting. Oppositely, several ministers from the inner court stood on the dry bank to watch the excitement. Zhang Jing was rather narrow-minded, saying "Lu Shangshu is right" for a while, and "Wang Shangshu has a point" for a while, trying to stir up trouble.
Lu Tiaoyang listened for a while and saw that they were gradually turning their heads. He dug out all the old sesame seeds and rotten millet and started talking. He knocked on the table and said: "Let's calm down. There is no need to talk anymore. Let's note down the differences for the time being. I'll ask the saint later." Cut."
Wang Guoguang, a scholar of Dongge University, said: "Why don't you take a look at what Li Chengliang said in his memorial? Does he mean to be arrogant based on his merits? If so, the court should give him a warning and leave him some room for improvement. ; If not, the imperial court cannot chill the hearts of the heroes and generals."
After hearing what he said, the secretary of the cabinet distributed the transcript of Li Chengliang's memorial to everyone present. The cabinet and inner court officials Zhang Hong and Chen Ju had all seen it and were sitting quietly waiting. Others looked at Li Chengliang's memorial, in which he gave all the credit to the emperor's strategizing. The soldiers were brave and brave, and they took no credit at all.
There is a saying in the memorial: "With the emperor's plan, no matter who comes in this battle, as long as the soldiers who dare to fight are defeated, the great success will be achieved lightly. Cheng Liang is just a coincidence of the emperor, and I really don't dare to make the least contribution." When the two ministers of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Husband met, they were both shocked and speechless by the shameless flattery.
Wang Xilie had come to his senses at this time. After reading the memorial, he angrily said: "Such clever words are flattering to those above us! Moreover, the memorial contains the idea of advocating that the emperor resides in the ninth level and commands thousands of miles. This is the words of a sycophant who wants to destroy the country! You, etc. Don’t you see the old Song Dynasty formation diagram?”
