Fang Fengnian, who was recuperating at home, was imprisoned by Dongchang. This matter is not a big deal, and many officials are paying attention to the follow-up of this matter.
Although Fang Fengnian died or not, it didn't matter much to them. But now, the timing is a bit special.
The royal horse supervisor, the eunuch Wang Zhixin, and the chief assistant Liu Yuliang all had their heads chopped off and hung there as a warning to those who came after them. There was a vague feeling that a storm was coming, and no matter what official he was, as long as he committed a crime and was caught by Dongchang, he would basically be doomed.
Regarding the possibility of such a situation, many officials had to remember that during the Tianqi Dynasty, Wei Zhongxian, who controlled the Dongchang, took advantage of the special features of the Dongchang to arrest and kill many people!
Therefore, in the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, it can be said that everyone is in danger. Some people were already thinking about hugging Cao Huachun's lap, while others began to join forces and try to fight Cao Huachun on the matter of Fang Feng Nian. Suddenly, a different kind of storm was about to come to the capital.
However, what they never expected was that before they could take action, Dongchang quickly released Fang Fengnian. In addition to checking for dirty silver, he was demoted seven levels in a row, from the second grade to the fifth grade. The magistrate of Dezhou Prefecture went to serve as an official in the ruins that were conquered by the Manchu and Qing troops.
Surprised, they quickly found out some details. For example, the emperor personally came to Dongchang Prison, so Fang Fengnian had this punishment, and it was not the crime of beheading as they had imagined.
If the senior officials of the inner and outer court had not been killed before, these officials would probably think that the punishment imposed by the other party was too severe. After all, it was only more than a thousand taels of dirty silver, but he was demoted so many levels and was punished as a parent officer in the ruins.
But at this time, they all felt relieved, thinking that this kind of punishment was a sign of mercy from the emperor!
For the same thing, different expectations lead to different results. And this was one of the purposes for Emperor Chongzhen to treat them differently.
Many officials went to express their condolences to Fang Fengnian. After all, he had just come out of Dongchang Prison. In the eyes of civil servants, this comes from honor.
In front of Fang Fengnian, they were all filled with indignation and denounced Dongchang and Cao Huachun. I originally thought that this would resonate with Fang Fengnian, but unexpectedly, Fang Fengnian's attitude was very cold, and he just said to them: "I have failed the holy grace, why should I complain? I have been an official for a long time, and I have forgotten my duty as an official. That’s it. You guys, you should learn from my mistakes, do your part well, and don’t let down the Holy Grace!”
In this world, there are few people who are willing to listen to such offensive words. On the contrary, it feels like a hot face is pressed against a cold butt, and they inevitably end up unhappy!
As a result, Liu Yuliang, the assistant minister of the cabinet, was killed, Fang Fengnian was demoted, and only Xue Guoguan and Yang Sichang were left in the cabinet. The Ming Empire has such a huge territory, and there are countless memorials every day. There are only two assistant ministers, which is really a bit few.
Of course, in the history of the Ming Dynasty, the two assistant ministers were not the least. At the end of Wanli, there was only one assistant minister, Ye Xianggao, who lasted for seven years and was known as the "Independent Prime Minister".
At this time, Emperor Chongzhen knew that news of the fall of Jinan would soon reach the capital, and the focus of the court would definitely be on this matter. Therefore, he hurriedly wanted to recruit some assistant ministers to handle the government affairs before the news reached the capital.
But what he didn't expect was that after urging him to do so, the Minister of Civil Affairs finally said with a grimace that there were no candidates to recommend.
For a moment, Emperor Chongzhen thought that the ministers were worried about being killed if they entered the cabinet. After all, the chief minister was beheaded and hung on the Zhengyang Gate. But after he came back to his senses, he felt that this was not the reason. After all, it was just a new year, so he let it go.
Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen was surprised and asked Tian Weijia, the Minister of Civil Affairs: "Why is there no list now? Counting the days, it has been several days, right?"
Tian Weijia's expression was a little embarrassed, and he replied helplessly: "The basic conditions for assistant ministers proposed by His Majesty may be a little vague. Officials are afraid that they do not meet the conditions and dare not apply, so we cannot give out the list of candidates!"
In fact, there are still people who want to be officials. But the Minister of Civil Affairs and the Chief Seal Officer of Kedao are afraid. If they are found to be unqualified by Dongchang and put on the list of candidates, they will be jointly and severally liable.
If things go by in the past, as long as we negotiate with the factory owner Cao Huachun, we might be able to make a lot of extra money. But now, Cao Huachun has changed his temper, and Dongchang is still extremely active. Several major cases have been discovered by Dongchang. The best ending was Fang Fengnian, who was demoted to seven levels in a row. In such a severe situation, they cannot afford the possible consequences.
Emperor Chongzhen was a little speechless when he heard his answer. Because he remembered very clearly that the basic conditions for the promotion of officials were: they must be honest and honest, have experience in local government, and have good political performance or above.
Logically speaking, this condition should be the most basic condition, and the requirements are clear at a glance, so there is no ambiguity, right?
Thinking of this, Emperor Chongzhen frowned and asked, "Tian Qing, please explain clearly. Is there anything vague about it?"
"This..." Tian Weijia was a little hesitant, but then he came to his senses and realized that such a hesitant answer would be disrespectful to the emperor. He quickly added, "I wonder how specific the integrity required by His Majesty is?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Emperor Chongzhen immediately understood what Wang Chengen had confessed before.
It seems that the Ming Dynasty was basically free of officials and corrupt! Seeing is believing!
Thinking of this, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but shake his head. On the other hand, it was also a blessing to rectify the factory guards, so that all officials would be afraid and not dare to do whatever they wanted. If there is no rectification, just like the original Emperor Chongzhen, who was deceived by foreign court officials in collusion with factory guards, it is estimated that he will only wake up to the moment before hanging, and then issue a desperate accusation that "the ministers misunderstood me".
If the government is so corrupt and the law does not punish the public, we can only consider following the practice of Hong Kong in later generations in cracking down on rogue police officers. But not now, but after the war.
Thinking of this, Emperor Chongzhen lost interest in continuing the conversation and waved Tian Weijia to retreat.
The layoff of personnel in the palace is still going on. After all, this is a major matter and cannot be solved at once. Emperor Chongzhen has also been worried about bank matters these days.
He discovered that in this era, the prototype of a bank already existed, but it was not only a bank and a bank, but also a pawn shop, and the interest rates were very high. According to the calculation of later generations, they are all usury. Once a national-level bank is established, the profits will definitely be considerable, but it will have conflicts of interest with existing practitioners.
But let's forget about this. Before the news comes from Jinan, at least put up a sign to avoid being affected by what happens next.
With this in mind, Emperor Chongzhen chose a confiscated shop and hung up a sign: Royal Bank of Ming Dynasty!
Well, Daming Royal Bank opened so quietly. In fact, there was nothing inside, just a sign.
However, the name was too big, "Royal of the Ming Dynasty". When you heard it, you knew it was from the palace. Someone naturally paid attention to it, but before they could figure out what was going on, Lu Xiangsheng's express delivery arrived in the capital.
