When Zhang Jingbang returned to his mansion, he was still dizzy.
Am I not the Prime Minister?
Just one word from the emperor... and he will be abolished?
Zhang Jingbang simply couldn't accept this fact.
Because...it seems a bit too childish!
You must know that although the Qi Dynasty has always had precedents for deposing prime ministers, there was often a specific process.
First, the news spread, and people could feel that the emperor's mind had changed and he had the idea of changing the prime minister; second, the censors or officials from all walks of life heard the news and began to besiege and impeach; third, everyone in the court was extremely noisy. After the opening of diplomatic relations, all parties expressed their opinions one after another, and the emperor tried to deflect from them, gradually establishing a favorable atmosphere for abolishing the Prime Minister. Finally, it was logical to find a suitable reason to abolish the Prime Minister.
Moreover, deposing a prime minister often does not mean directly dismissing him from office. After all, those who can become prime ministers are all important officials in the court. Unless the emperor hates him deeply and wants to get rid of him quickly, otherwise he will basically be demoted or delegated to a lower level. Go up somewhere, away from the center of power.
In short, this set of rules is basically the unspoken rules of the Qi Dynasty's officialdom, and there are very few people who do not act according to this set of rules.
Therefore, when the scholar-bureaucrats attack each other, they will leave some room for each other, so as not to kill each other completely. After all, there are times when you gain power and times when you lose power. You have to think about what will happen after you are down.
However, today’s officials don’t care about this at all!
Was there any news beforehand? No, Zhang Jingbang didn't think the emperor wanted to abolish him at all.
Are there any censors and officials from all walks of life who took action to impeach him? No, the relationship between the courtier and Zhang Jingbang is quite good.
Was there a quarrel in the court? No, the emperor immediately deposed him with just one word, without even giving the ministers time to react!
There were no previous three steps, and he jumped directly to the last step. No wonder Zhang Jingbang felt like he was living in a dream, and it is still difficult to accept this fact.
At this time, seven or eight ministers, including Wang Shiyong, the Minister of Civil Affairs, gathered together in his mansion.
Wang Shiyong said with a bitter face: "Xiang Zhang, what should we do?"
Zhang Jingbang felt a little pain in his head: "Don't call me Prime Minister Zhang, I am no longer Prime Minister..."
The reason why these ministers came to Zhang Jingbang was obviously confused by the combination of punches the emperor performed in the Jinluan Palace today.
On the one hand, as people in the bureaucracy, they were relatively close to Zhang Jingbang, and they wanted to express their condolences after such a big event happened; but the more important reason was that they were not concerned about the emperor's desire to get rid of Enyin. I was panicking but unwilling to give in, so I wanted to come and discuss a countermeasure.
Although Zhang Jingbang is no longer Prime Minister, such a thing as fame still exists.
Just like Cai Yuanchang or Tong Daofu, the powerful ministers of Qi Huizong's dynasty, although they retired for a while, they still had many official contacts, and they still had a strong influence on the government.
There are disciples and former officials all over the world, forming an intricate network of relationships, and the people in the network are all powerful regardless of whether they are in office or not.
Zhang Jingbang's power at this time was certainly not as powerful as Cai Yuanchang or Tong Daofu, but after all, he was the shortest general and the last person to serve as a prime minister.
"Xiang Zhang... you are well-informed. Please tell me what the official's last words in court today meant..." an official said tremblingly.
In the court today, the emperor said his last words: "Who told you that there must be a prime minister in the court?"
This sentence made all the officials in the court confused.
What's the meaning? No Prime Minister?
Then where should we send the official documents from the six ministries? Who will do the things that the Prime Minister originally had to do?
Isn’t this treating major political affairs as child’s play?
Zhang Jingbang looked at him blankly, his meaning was very clear.
You ask me, who am I asking?
How the hell would I know!
But Zhang Jingbang has seen the world after all. He thought for a moment and then asked: "So after the official family dispersed, did they say anything more? Did they take any special actions?"
An official thought for a while: "The official seems to be saying that all the memorials from Zhongshu's family and the Privy Council will be sent to his palace..."
As soon as these words came out, everyone took a deep breath.
They are not stupid and know exactly what this means.
Judging from the official's attitude, is it possible that he wants to do it all by himself?
The original process was for the prime minister to handle various government affairs. Although the emperor could also intervene, he generally would not do it himself.
But now, the Prime Minister is gone, and all the memorials that the Prime Minister was responsible for reviewing have been sent to the palace. Isn't this signal obvious?
The emperor wants to roll up his sleeves and do it himself!
Then, it is estimated that there will be no need for any more rulers in the future.
An official reacted and said with a pale face: "Prime Minister Zhang, how can an official do this? You have to find a way!"
Zhang Jingbang said angrily: "What can I do!"
Other officials said one after another: "There must be a way even if there is no way! Prime Minister Zhang, if what the officials want to do is really accomplished, will there be any place for us in this huge capital?"
Other officials are also very anxious, because this is by no means Zhang Jingbang's problem alone.
On the surface, Zhang Jingbang suffered the greatest loss as he was directly dismissed from office as Prime Minister. But other officials actually also suffered hidden losses.
Because the power of the Prime Minister has been abolished, which is a common loss for all civil servants!
These civil servants also hope that they can achieve the position of ruler in the future. Although there is no hope now, they still have plenty of time. Who can say for sure what will happen in the future?
But if the officials really abolish the position of Prime Minister, then they will never have the chance to become Prime Minister again.
Another official said: "Prime Minister Zhang, Wang Shangshu. We have to find a way to deal with Enyin! The rules set by the Taizu of this dynasty for us ministers cannot be broken just like this!"
Other officials also responded: "Yes, we have to find a way to deal with Enyin!"
They all looked at Wang Shiyong: "Wang Shangshu, you must resist this matter! We must not push back the cancellation of Enyin, otherwise will I still have a good life in the future?"
Wang Shiyong almost rolled his eyes in anger: "Colleagues, do you think too highly of me? Can I handle this alone?"
He was also speechless, but you said it so lightly!
Everyone can see that the official family has left the matter of eradicating Enyin to the Ministry of Personnel. If he, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, refuses to do it, then this policy will indeed not be implemented in a short period of time.
But, are you stupid officials?
What if he just killed me because of my incompetence and replaced me with someone else?
You haven't lost anything, but I'm going to lose my head!
Other officials were still reluctant: "Wang Shangshu! This matter is by no means your business alone, but is closely related to the officials in the court! We cannot let our descendants suffer all for the sake of your temporary safety! Why? There is no compromise on this matter because of the plan for future generations!"
Wang Shiyong's face turned black with anger. He wanted to say, "You can do it!"
Why don't you take the position of Minister of Civil Affairs?
Wang Shiyong is not very courageous. In other words, he was very bold in oppressing the people, but he did not have the courage to confront the emperor.
Otherwise, he would not have been so keen on searching for women in the city and giving them to the golden people.
At this time, after the new official ascended the throne, he had already killed one prime minister and deposed another. Is he crazy? He still dares to go against the official?
Therefore, despite all kinds of persuasion by these ministers, Wang Shiyong shook his head like a rattle and disagreed with everything.
Finally, it was Zhang Jingbang who spoke.
"Okay, everyone, please stop arguing!
"I think there should be room for change in this matter."
The ministers asked: "How come there is still room for change? Please tell me, Mr. Zhang!"
Zhang Jingbang sighed softly: "Although today's officials have a posture of abolishing the prime minister and having to personally handle all government affairs, in my opinion, this is impossible after all.
"How complicated is the government affairs of the imperial court?
“According to the original situation, in addition to the six ministries, Yushitai and other agencies having to perform their respective duties, at least two to three ministers are needed to handle these government affairs.
"Although the officials are showing an indifferent attitude at this time and want to take all government affairs into their own hands, how can the officials do the work of three people by themselves?
“Besides, it’s still the work of three prime ministers!
“Therefore, within three days, the official palace must be filled with piles of memorials and various affairs are seriously backlogged.
"When the court meets, you can logically ask the officials to elect a new prime minister.
"When the officials see the complexity of government affairs in the DPRK, they will naturally have the idea of retreating. When the time comes, you can find ways to bargain and negotiate terms with the officials on matters such as favor, and you will be more likely to succeed."
The ministers suddenly nodded: "That's it! Prime Minister Zhang has to figure it out!"
"Why didn't I think of such a simple truth before? Sure enough, I was still fooled by this new official."
"Yes, although this new official is a good fighter, he still has little experience in running a country. This gesture is probably just to establish his authority, and it cannot continue like this."
"In the end, most of the time, everyone will take a step back, and the officials will take a smooth handover and establish authority. We will restrain ourselves a little, but the interests will not be harmed, so it will be over."
As soon as these words came out, these ministers felt a lot more at ease.
It makes sense for them to think so.
After all, from their perspective, there was no way this King Yun could depose the Prime Minister.
Who is King Yun?
Maybe he is very smart and can get the first prize in the exam; maybe he is very talented in military affairs and can command the Western Army.
But why can he do the work of three governors by himself?
You know, there are many geniuses such as Zhuangyuan Gong among the prime ministers, and they have all stepped up from official positions at all levels, and their ability to handle government affairs is extremely strong.
It takes two or three people like this to handle the government affairs of the DPRK and China. It's often not easy.
Why is King Yun so powerful?
Firstly, he has no experience in governing at the grassroots level, secondly, he does not have such strong and extraordinary energy, and thirdly, he does not have the need to do everything himself.
Therefore, everyone came to a conclusion.
The reason why this new official pretended to abolish Zaizhi was actually not that he really wanted to abolish Zaizhi, but that he wanted to use this to negotiate terms with the officials.
First, he should adopt the posture of "None of you are irreplaceable" to establish authority among the ministers and prevent himself from being unable to comply with the government orders in the future. When the ministers know that they are wrong and give in, he will then follow the rules logically. Distribute these things.
After all this trouble, the ministers became more obedient, and the officials themselves did not really have to work so hard.
Well, it seems that this is indeed a good strategy, and it should also be the only possibility.
But once this strategy is seen through by the ministers, it will be another matter.
These ministers began to consider, since it is impossible for officials to really handle all government affairs themselves, and officials are not really dispensable, do we only need to do a little face-saving work?
There is no need to be intimidated by the officials and hand over all the core interests directly, right?
After figuring this out, these officials all let out a sigh of relief and thanked Zhang Jingbang for pointing this out.
"Zhang Xiang is indeed a clairvoyant! Listening to your words is worth ten years of reading!"
"Prime Minister Zhang will definitely make a comeback in the future. I am eagerly looking forward to it!"
"Everyone, you will come to visit Prime Minister Zhang's house often in the future. We will also be indispensable from Prime Minister Zhang's advice in the future."
"Then I'll take my leave first!"
They all retired contentedly.
However, Wang Shiyong did not think the same as them.
"It's none of my business. Of course these people can stand and talk without hurting their backs... But I am the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs! The officials handed over the matter of eradicating Enyin to me by name!
"If this matter is not implemented effectively, they will naturally be happy to see it succeed, but the officials are really angry with shame. I am afraid I will die...
"No matter what they think, I still have to deal with Enyin's matter as soon as possible..."
Wang Shiyong chose to follow his heart again.
After all, his position is different from others, and his many years of survival experience have made him keenly aware of something. He always feels that at this time... it is more important to save the dog's life.
…
A few days later.
Xingbu Yamen.
Wang Shiyong looked at the memorandum sent back in his hand, his face a little unhappy.
In the past few days, he has been promoting the plan to eliminate Enyin.
The officials had given him a very clear plan, and even if Wang Shiyong wanted to manipulate it, he would have no chance. However, he, the Minister of Staff, still had to continuously report the various advancement processes and details of this plan.
There is a department in the Ministry of Personnel that is specifically responsible for Enyin, that is, the Conferment Verification Department, which includes matters such as titles, worldly positions, Enyin, Nanyin, and requests for titles. Wang Shiyong stares below and above every day.
Every time a memorial is submitted, it will be sent back soon.
As for the memorials sent back, the emperor's opinions on how to deal with them were basically written down, and there was no room for vague operations or disagreements.
Although Wang Shiyong was in the Libu Yamen, he had also heard about things outside.
When the officials in the court believed that the emperor would never be able to review so many memorials by himself, the emperor immediately took action.
First, all the memorials originally belonging to the two prime ministers were moved into the palace, and then a few students from the Imperial Academy who had no actual positions but were excellent in both talent and learning were selected.
Imperial students had a strong presence in the history of the Qi Dynasty, especially during the Jingping Revolution.
The ones who petitioned for the execution of the six thieves before were the imperial students in the capital.
The talent selection system of the Qi Dynasty was not limited to the imperial examination. The imperial examination is a talent selection system that all civilians can participate in. It can be said that it is a big wave. Only those who pass the imperial examination have the opportunity to officially enter the officialdom. However, candidates and scholars are often only selected when the country needs it. Temporary substitute.
As for Taixue, it is equivalent to "recommended students" from local official schools to the central government. As long as you pass the entrance examination and earn enough credits in school, you can still be granted a Jinshi status and become an official even if you don't have to take the imperial examination.
Of course, Tai students can also choose to take the imperial examination and become an official based on their true abilities. This kind of people are considered to be outstanding people who have higher requirements for themselves.
At that time, Wang Wenchuan carried out a series of reforms in Taixue, and also went to Taixue and other places to give lectures, which was very popular among students.
In short, Taixue basically fully bears some of the expenses of Taixue students and will send these students to the country to become talents. It is a large-scale talent reserve base.
But...the former emperors of the Qi Dynasty did not care much about the attitude of the imperial students.
Take Qi Yingzong as an example.
At that time, the imperial students in the capital collectively petitioned for the execution of the six thieves and even held a large demonstration. Qi Yingzong just took advantage of the situation and killed the six thieves. On the surface, it was to anger the common people, but in fact, it was to take the power of the government back into his own hands.
But for those Tai students who petitioned, none of them were really reused.
Because to Qi Yingzong, these imperial students are like the angry young people of later generations. They have read books, know the righteousness, and can represent public opinion to a certain extent. But let them become officials in the DPRK? Sorry, they are too far apart.
Obviously, for the emperor, it was easier for the officials who had invaded the officialdom for a long time to use it.
Therefore, the importance that emperors of the past dynasties attached to Taixue was often superficial, and no one really considered promoting Taixue to any official position with real power.
And this official at this time...
They actually selected a few outstanding students from the Imperial College and let them work in the palace directly!
Of course, the palace must be the outer palace where ministers conduct daily affairs, and it is impossible to go to the harem.
But what does this mean?
It is said that today's officials ask these imperial students to read the memorial, study it carefully, and then give him a very concise oral report. Afterwards, the official gave an oral reply, and these imperial students directly wrote the red papers, considered the wording and details, and finally distributed them.
After this incident spread, the ministers in the court could not help but panic again.
Is it possible that the emperor can really handle all these political affairs by himself?
Originally it was really impossible for one person to review hundreds of memorials, but what if we had the help of these imperial students?
However, they panicked for a while at first, but after carefully calculating the number of memorials, they felt relieved again.
There are more than 100 memorials written every day, and the number of things mentioned in the memorials reaches more than 300!
Based on the calculation that each memorial has 1,000 words, each day’s memorial must have 100,000 words.
Even if the emperor asked these imperial students to screen them first, summarize them concisely and then report them, and then dictate them himself and let the imperial students write down their writings, this would still be a terrible workload.
After Baiguan's research, he came to the conclusion that the Guan family might be able to persist for two or three days, but it would definitely not last long!
Because when dealing with these memorials, you can’t just write “I understand” casually.
The emperor must clearly distinguish what is important and what is not important, otherwise he risks being ignored.
When the ministers find that the emperor cannot distinguish between important and unimportant things, they will start to think wrongly.
Even if the emperor can persist for a day or two, what about a month? What about a year? What about ten years?
Do you, as the emperor, never take a day off?
In short, the officials felt that it was absolutely impossible for the emperor to persist. Even if he could persist for ten days and a half, the subsequent processing efficiency would drop rapidly, and his physical and mental strength would not be able to keep up.
If you persist, victory will still belong to the officials.
But Wang Shiyong, who served as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, felt more and more that something was wrong.
Because judging from the memorials the emperor reviewed for him, this young official not only did not faint from exhaustion, but his mind was very clear!
All the little thoughts in Wang Shiyong's memorial were ruthlessly exposed, and the emperor ordered him to obey the instructions honestly and not to play tricks. Moreover, every reply was concise and pointed to the point. It was even handled more smoothly than when there was a boss.
Wang Shiyong became more and more frightened.
He was vaguely aware of the danger involved.
If for the emperor, no one among the ministers, including the Prime Minister, is irreplaceable...
So, what can he do?
…
Wende Hall next to Chui Gong Hall.
This place was originally a place where the emperor would stop and rest before going to court and retreating from court every day, but it seemed very lively at this time.
Several imperial students were arranged to sit on couches here and were reading through the piles of memorials.
And every time they finished reading a batch of memorials and thoroughly understood what was said in the memorials, they would take turns coming to Fan Cun and briefly report to him the contents of the memorials.
Fan Cun, on the other hand, followed Taizu Sheng's suggestion and gave them verbal approval, and then they went back to comment on the memorial.
At the beginning, of course Fan Cun and Sheng Taizu also wanted to see whether these people could accurately express what they meant after wearing red. Are there any distortions or modifications made due to ability or motivation?
The first discovery is just a warning, but the second discovery will lead to punishment, and the third discovery will require a replacement.
After about two days of rectification, these Tai students finally basically adapted to the whole process and stabilized.
This is normal, because after all, Taipei students are a group of very talented people. Even if they don't understand government affairs, they are still fully capable of doing a job of communicating and spreading publicity.
In fact, the work they were doing at this time was similar to that of the Bingbi eunuchs in the Dasheng Dynasty, all to share the workload with the emperor.
Although Sheng Taizu was diligent and well-known as a model worker, many memorials are eloquent and have many words but it is difficult to get to the point. If you read them all by yourself, a lot of time will be wasted.
So, let these students come to help.
As long as it is used properly, the efficiency of handling political affairs can be greatly improved.
Of course, Sheng Taizu could not completely trust these people. Not only did he randomly select some memorials for spot checks every day, but he also explained to them the subsequent accountability system. If any imperial student fails to truthfully convey the meaning of the memorial, misinterprets it, or fails to wear red according to the emperor's wishes, he will be punished, and in the most serious case, he will be beheaded.
Under the combination of kindness and power, these imperial students did a very good job.
If we use a modern situation as an analogy, it would be to select some of the best students from the top universities in the country and take up positions in government departments.
Although these imperial students actively wanted to participate in political affairs, no emperor ever really gave them this opportunity.
But now, not only can they enter the palace and review memorials for the emperor, they can also communicate with the emperor face to face.
What a great grace is this?
In the past, this was simply unthinkable.
Therefore, each of these imperial students was very active, almost like Taizu Sheng, who could not wait to spend sleep and food to review these memorials.
During this process, Taizu Sheng was also watching the performance of these students.
Among them, those who can do practical things and perform well in handling government affairs can be written down.
Which official will be disobedient by then? It's easy to say, just click it off and let these imperial students get on top of it.
After this operation, Fan Cun firmly held the power of the government in his own hands through the official plug-in of Sheng Taizu.
After ensuring the stability of the court, the natural next step is to build a prison.
…
In the next few days, various major cases began to surface.
Under Fan Cun's instruction, the Yushitai went full force and continuously impeached various officials for corruption and bending the law.
Fan Cun, on the other hand, waved his hand and investigated everything thoroughly!
Of course, in addition to these prisons, he also added some personal preferences.
For example, some officials clearly seem to be uncooperative. Catch them!
There are also some officials who are not good people when they hear their names. Catch them!
Among them, Qin Huizhi, who was serving as the censor Zhongcheng at this time, was also included.
Fan Cun had been holding back for several days, and now he could finally take action. He immediately arrested Qin Huizhi and replaced him with someone else to serve as the censor Zhongcheng.
Of course, it is easy to find dirty information about some officials, but not so easy to find about other officials.
After all, the Wude Division at this time was still not very qualified as a spy agency. Compared with the Jinyiwei and Dongxi Factory of the Dasheng Dynasty, their business capabilities were far behind.
So, we have to think of other ways.
Fortunately, even in the Qi Dynasty, the emperor had many ways to kill a minister.
Those who robbed gold, silver, wealth, silk, and women for the Jin people during the Jingping Incident will be punished.
Those who do things poorly and implement many measures too slowly will be punished.
After searching around for a while, Fan Cun discovered that Qin Huizhi at this time really didn't have much dirty information.
At this time, Qin Huizhi was a villain who acted according to the circumstances, but he wanted to provide clear evidence of corruption and bending the law, or was he acting like a dog for the golden man? Not really yet.
He did these things only after he was kidnapped to the Kingdom of Jin after the Jingping Incident.
In the end, Fan Cun became numb and simply waved his hand: "Then just make a decision that is unwarranted!"
Anyway, if you say you betray the country, you are betraying the country, but if you sell it in the future timeline, you are not selling it? Must be dealt with!
As for Wang Shiyong, the Minister of Personnel, he did get rid of Enyin in a down-to-earth manner.
Fan Cun had no intention of letting him go. After all, he had helped the Jin people rob many women in the city, which aroused great public resentment.
But because he is still sensible, I will keep him for the time being and settle the scores later.
A large number of officials were dragged directly to the streets to parade.
Those who have committed more serious crimes will be executed directly in front of the people of the capital; those who have committed relatively minor crimes will either be dismissed from their posts or have their property confiscated. In short, just deal with them vigorously.
And every time when they were questioned, the supervisor would recite the crimes of these officials loudly in front of the people, one by one, in a clear and coherent manner.
Fan Cun also paid special attention to Qin Huizhi. He must give me a reason to kill him!
Such unreasonable behavior naturally triggered huge protests from officials.
How could the emperor do this?
Do you still want to share the ancestral precept of sharing the world with the scholar-bureaucrats?
The officials in the DPRK were worried and in danger. Naturally, they made waves of protests one after another.
Fan Cun's answer was also quite straightforward.
Guilty, go to jail!
Not guilty, just ignore it!
If you ignore him and still force him to do it, then he will be dismissed from the official position and you can go and have fun wherever you like.
Anyway, the government can run smoothly no matter who is missing, so why bother looking at the faces of the officials?
At first, almost all officials were protesting.
Not long after, as a large number of officials were imprisoned, some officials realized that something was wrong and wisely shut up.
After some time, more and more officials realized that "the times have changed."
They found that although there were some vacancies in various departments, these vacancies were quickly filled by the emperor with some imperial students. Moreover, even if some positions are vacant, these departments are still operating normally and are not paralyzed at all.
What's more, the people in the capital not only did not stand with them in this situation, but instead clapped their hands and applauded...
Every time an official was questioned and beheaded, there was a sea of people on three floors inside and three outside.
Every time the prison officer read out a crime, some people would shout: "He deserves to be killed!"
When the heads of these officials fall to the ground, many people will still shout, "The officials are wise."
No matter how you look at it, today's officials don't seem to have lost the support of the people...
Obviously, the so-called public opinion of the scholar-bureaucrats was often just an excuse to deceive the emperor. They are just using various public opinions to achieve their goals.
And once the emperor also mastered this method and played it more smoothly than them, the so-called public opinion of the officials suddenly became difficult to use.
Therefore, even if they wanted to use this point to dissuade them, they couldn't say it at all.
Under the circumstances, the entire court went through a round of blood changes from top to bottom at an extremely fast speed.
A series of measures, including the elimination of Enyin, were also implemented quickly.
Of course, it won't happen overnight, but for the most part things are on the right track.
After a lot of trouble, Fan Cun finally breathed a sigh of relief.
In the previous copy of Sheng Taizu, he did not play the role of Sheng Taizu as the emperor, so he missed the part of reviewing the memorial.
But now, he finally realized how terrible Sheng Taizu's model worker status was.
In short, in this short period of less than half a month, things in the DPRK have been basically sorted out.
Next, it’s time to deal with the golden man outside the city!
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