Why did the emperor rebel?

"I have already read the memorandum requested by the Ministry of Officials to Jingcha. However, I mentioned the regulations of Jingcha to you last time. I wonder what your thoughts are now?"

Sure enough, after arranging the disaster relief, the emperor looked at the other people and asked.

In fact, this is not an accident. Since the last earthquake in the capital, Qin Tianjian issued a warning that within a few years, there will be one after another catastrophe.

At that time, this statement was only circulated among the upper echelons, and many ministers disagreed with it, thinking that it was a lie to confuse the public.

However, as this statement spread later, more and more facts proved that what Qin Tianjian said was very likely to be true.

From last year's drought to this year's snowstorm and drought, many ministers in the court have begun to think about how to deal with it once what Qin Tianjian said is true, and the next few years will still be a year of catastrophe.

This is also the reason why many ministers in the DPRK have been playing, asking to stop all unurgent projects and wars, and to recuperate.

This is a long-proven and effective method.

The reason why increasing income and reducing expenditure can be juxtaposed is that most of the time, the two can achieve the same effect.

No matter whether it is eating enough food or saving money, in short, if you save a little here and a little there, you can basically save it. After all, no matter how big the disaster is, it is only a part of the place. It is absolutely impossible for the entire Ming Dynasty to have no crops. .

As long as the household department can withstand the pressure and the court can avoid major construction projects, no matter how serious the disaster is, it can be overcome.

However, obviously, the Son of Heaven is not satisfied with this solution. Since saving money is not enough, then we can only open source.

Judging from the current situation, the emperor is eyeing these ministers in the court...

Everyone present looked at Wang Wen who was at the side, only to find that this old man had no intention of standing out this time.

On the contrary, it was Shen Shangshu from the household department, with a slightly tangled expression, and then said.

"Your Majesty, I believe that since ancient times, the government of the government has never been more important than the administration of officials. If the administration of officials is clear, the court will be peaceful, and if the administration of officials is not peaceful, the society will be ruined. At that time, the Ministry of Officials took the lead, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate assisted, and it was effective, and this time the Beijing Procuratorate can also follow suit."

As soon as this remark came out, everyone was a little surprised.

It's not that Shen Yi said anything new, but that this proposal came from a minister like Shen Yi who has always kept his mouth shut about matters other than those in charge, which is really a bit unusual.

Looking at Wang Wen again, his face was quite complicated, and then the emperor asked.

"How do the officials feel?"

"Returning to Your Majesty, I think what Shen Shangshu said is reasonable."

Just such a sentence, Wang Wen has nothing to say.

Seeing this situation, the two ministers of the cabinet couldn't sit still for a while. Those present, Shen Yi and Wang Wen, both expressed their approval. Although Jin Lian didn't say anything, this matter is obviously beneficial to the Ministry of Punishment. , if nothing unexpected happens, Jin Lian will not object, if they don't speak again, I'm afraid this matter will pass without any surprise.

But don't forget, last year's big plan, the court has arrested many officials, if this is done again in Beijing, how great is it?

At that moment, Zhang Min spoke first and said.

"Your Majesty, it is certainly a good thing to clarify the administration of officials, but the court is now in the midst of employing people, and such a big fight will probably make the people of the court panic."

Afterwards, Yu Shiyue followed suit.

"That's right, Your Majesty, the disaster situation in various places is serious now. In my opinion, we should focus on disaster relief with all our strength. If we rectify the administration of officials at this moment, it will definitely affect the disaster relief in various places. Please think twice, Your Majesty."

The attitudes of the two were quite consistent. Seeing this situation, Jin Lian on the side spoke, saying.

"I'm afraid you two don't know that the reason why His Majesty wants to rectify the administration of officials in Beijing this time is actually because, in the plan last year, many officials confessed that they had bribed many officials in the DPRK and other officials. A number of illegal incidents have also implicated some officials in the court, so His Majesty wants to use the Jingchao to deal with these cases together, not to make a big fuss."

As soon as these words came out, Zhang Min and the two were surprised, but their hearts sank.

Sure enough, the Criminal Ministry also had this attitude.

At this time, the emperor also spoke.

"What you mean, I already know that whether it's disaster relief or government affairs, the court needs to employ people, but it can't just let those who disregard the law get away with it."

Seeing this situation, Zhang Min frowned and was about to speak, but the emperor said again.

"However, what the two gentlemen of the cabinet said is not unreasonable. Therefore, after discussing with the heavenly officials, I plan to temporarily postpone the Beijing inspection for half a year."

Snooze?

Now, not only the two members of the cabinet, but even Shen Yi and Jin Lian felt a little surprised. Only Wang Wen looked like an old god.

Generally speaking, the Jingcha starts from May or June until the end of the year, and assesses the top and bottom officials under the jurisdiction of the capital from various aspects.

Not to mention why it was delayed, just talking about this time is very intriguing. Why is it half a year?

You must know that the reason why the Jingcha starts in the middle of the year is firstly because the Ministry of Officials needs to carry out various preparations half a year in advance, and secondly because it has always been the practice to finish handling the government affairs of the year at the end of the year.

What's the matter with the delay of half a year? This has always been the case, and there is no reason for Beijing to investigate at the beginning of the year. Isn't this making people have a bad time for years?

And, more importantly, their intuition told them that the emperor would not give up so easily after making such a big detour.

Sure enough, right after, the emperor opened his mouth and said.

"As you all heard just now, the main reason for rectifying the administration of officials this time is that some of the cases involved in the grand plan involved some officials in Beijing. loan."

"So, these six months are for the Ministry of Punishment!"

Ah this...

The elders immediately shifted their eyes to Jin Lian who was at the side, but this elder was expressionless at the moment, unable to see anything.

Afterwards, Zhu Qiyu continued.

"Today, [-]% of the officials involved in the big plan have been interrogated, and their confessions have been submitted. The remaining [-]%, although the case has not been closed, the trial has almost been completed."

"So next, I plan to let the Ministry of Punishment be responsible, and Jin Yiwei will assist in the investigation, and continue to track down other officials involved in the confessions of these prisoners."

"For half a year, these cases will be investigated one by one, and then the Beijing investigation will be carried out!"

Sure enough, they knew that it was not that simple.

The emperor didn't give up on rectifying the administration of officials, he just wanted to divide this matter into two steps, first investigate the officials involved in the case found by the Ministry of Punishment, and then continue the Beijing investigation.

"As for the specific regulations of Jingcha..."

The emperor's eyes fell on Wang Wen beside him, so after entering the palace, the minister of the official department who had been silent all this time finally opened his mouth and said.

"According to His Majesty, this Beijing inspection is different from the past, and will last from the beginning of the year to the end of the year."

As soon as Wang Wen opened his mouth, it was a shocking sentence.

ok...

Sure enough, they had underestimated the emperor's determination too much before, and the pattern has not yet been opened. Jingchao is usually from the middle of the year to the end of the year, and it is of course inappropriate to move it to the beginning of the year to the middle of the year. good.

However, what Wang Wen said next caught the eyes of the few people present.

"The reason for such an arrangement is mainly because many officials from Beijing and China will inevitably be involved in the investigation of the case by the Ministry of Criminal Justice. Therefore, in addition to evaluating the officials from Beijing and China, this Beijing inspection also has to evaluate the vacant Beijing officials. Filling in the gaps, therefore, takes longer."

If you want to say this, everyone will not be sleepy.

After Wang Wen's words fell, all the ministers present had a thoughtful look in their eyes, and their original opposing attitude gradually softened.

To put it bluntly, in the officialdom, many times, everyone's position is flexible and changeable. The main point is to see whether it is profitable or not.

Now, the emperor has obviously made up his mind to investigate these cases, and then use the confiscated silver to make up for the shortfall in the court's disaster relief.

Therefore, this is already an irreversible matter. Since this is the case, then, we can only think about how to obtain greater benefits in this matter.

From another point of view, this may not be an opportunity to redefine the forces in the court.

In today's court, although the emperor has long made a decree not to form a party, it is unavoidable to support and hand over each other in the officialdom.

In many cases, the prestige and status of the court also depend on the contacts in the officialdom. Even if they have reached the core level like these important officials in the palace, there are many things, and it is always difficult to come forward in person.

Therefore, it is also very important for someone below to be able to do things for them, and to be able to speak for them in the court.

From this point of view, the action of the Ministry of Criminal Justice this time, and even the future Jingcha, may not be a great opportunity.

Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu also showed a smile on his face.

Therefore, the best way to deal with the affairs of the court is not to use authority blindly to be tough, but to coerce and lure them together.

Seeing that everyone had no opinion, Zhu Qiyu nodded and said.

"That's it for this matter. Tomorrow morning, I will announce this matter at the court and order all the yamen to cooperate."

The implication is that how to appease the ministers in the morning is up to the few of you present.

"The minister obeys the order..."

Regarding this point, few people are obviously not surprised. After all, such a big matter cannot be completed with the next decree. It must go through court discussions. The attitude towards this is very important.

The next day, the sun rose as usual, and the officials arrived at the Jinshui River early as usual. With the sound of heavy bells, the gate of the palace opened wide, and the morning court officially began.

Not surprisingly, the first time the decree was announced, it aroused discussions among the ministers, and afterward, many ministers stood up to oppose it.

However, unlike when a group of important ministers told the truth in private, the reasons of these ministers sounded much more grandiose.

What are "criminal officials chasing and biting at will", "there are treacherous ministers in the court who bewitched your majesty, and made a big deal about punishment and prison", "under the rule of the Holy Son of Heaven, the government is clear and bright, why is the government dirty".

There are many such things, but it is a pity that since this matter was announced in the form of an imperial decree, it naturally means that there is no room for negotiation.

Soon, several ministers from the Ministry of Officials, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Ministry of Households stood up and silenced other voices.

Several other important ministers followed closely and also expressed their agreement. It is worth noting that this time, the deputy prince of the Metropolitan Procuratorate unexpectedly remained silent and did not stand up to show his existence. This feeling surprised many ministers.

However, in any case, this matter is a foregone conclusion. Even if some people are dissatisfied, they cannot change it, so they can only think about what to do next.

At night, in Chen Xun's mansion.

"Master Chen, this is exactly what happened, please ask Master Chen to save me...

Looking at the student in front of him, a trace of bitterness flashed across Chen Xun's face.

When Wang Xuan approached him back then, he already felt that something was wrong, but he never expected that this would be the result.

That Ji Tong who is still in prison, the reason why Wang Xuan tried his best to protect him was not because of friendship, but because the grain that Ji Tong embezzled from the Changping warehouse was sold to the local grain merchants for three years. One-fifth of the profit was sent to the capital for management, and it was Wang Xuan who ran for him.

Naturally, a considerable part of the stolen money went into Wang Xuan's pocket.

"Go back, I can't help you."

Lowering his hands weakly, Chen Xun shook his head, as if he had aged a lot.

"Your Majesty has made up his mind, and the Ministry of Punishment will never show mercy this time. Since you dare to commit such a thing, when it comes to an end, you will naturally be able to escape the responsibility."

"teacher!"

Wang Xuan yelled with an ugly face, but Chen Xun didn't want to hear him say a word, so he waved his hand and asked the butler to see the guests off.

Seeing this situation, Wang Xuan didn't want to continue talking, cupped his hands with a sullen face, turned around and left the Chen residence.

After leaving the mansion and getting into the sedan chair, Wang Xuan did not go home immediately, but stopped in front of a small alley in front of the Chen Mansion, and then got into a carriage.

In the carriage, Xu Youzhen, who was wearing a Confucian shirt, was sitting with a smile on her face. When she saw Wang Xuan getting into the carriage, she frowned and said.

"I said earlier, it's useless for you to go to Master Chen. His character is not someone who is willing to stand up for us. Otherwise, when Shang Lu and others were demoted from Beijing, you thought it was because he was far away. In the local area, is there no way to stop it?"

Hearing Xu Youzhen's words, Wang Xuan, who had an ugly expression, became even more gloomy, said.

"Brother Xu is right, I was too naive."

"Since he is so heartless, then don't blame me for disregarding the relationship between teachers and students..."

"It should be so!"

Seeing this situation, Xu Youzhen clasped her hands together and said with a smile.

Under the deep night, countless waves are brewing, but I don't know how many people will be involved in it...