Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 880 0875 [The new prime minister is a ruthless voting machine]

The second secret report was quickly sent to the capital.

It was sent by Gong Xiu, the commander of the Jiangxi capital, and it was written by him himself, without any scribes polishing it or ghostwriting it.

"Your Majesty, I am really not greedy for anything. I just accepted the gift. When I held a sixtieth birthday party, many people came to give gifts, some of them were old subordinates. It would be shameful not to accept them. Later, someone asked for help, and I thought it was nothing. It's a big deal, so I just said hello a few times..."

"What I want is not money, what I want is face. Before I joined the army with His Majesty, I was a gold miner, and my family still has some savings. I am not a womanizer, I just like to drink a few sips of wine, and I like to have sex before going out. Embraced..."

"Those bastards often invite me to drink, and after drinking, I agree to help them do things. I regret it when I wake up, but we are friends and old subordinates, and it's hard to fall out with them..."

"This time the incident is too big. Those birdies from Xie Dan want to cover it up with me. How can they cover it up? The garrison of Ji'an Prefecture suppressed the chaos and won the battle. They want to be rewarded. Documents to report victory I have been suppressing it for more than half a month since it was sent to me. The more I think about it, the more scared I become..."

"I am guilty. I have received many gifts and occupied more than a thousand acres of land. I can confiscate my home, exile, or behead me."

"But I have six sons. Four of them followed His Majesty in the army in Hanzhong, and one son served as a soldier in the first year of Hongwu. Up to now, one is dead and the other is disabled. They are all good men loyal to Your Majesty. Please spare my sons... …”

"Xie Dan and the others usually look like upright officials, and they are very capable in their political affairs. I really didn't know that they were doing random things when they were sharing their land, and it was only when they caused a civil uprising that I felt something was wrong..."

After reading the secret message sent by Gong Xiu, Ju Ming was angry and helpless.

Gong Xiu himself will conduct a strict investigation and impose whatever sentence he wants.

Gong Xiu was a bandit who dug waste gold mines in the mountains of Yangzhou. He brought his four sons and hundreds of young men to join the Zhu family's rebel army as soon as possible. After the fifth son came of age, he also joined the army to fight for the Ming Dynasty.

In Gong Xiu's inherent concept, his loyalty, his commitment, and his face are greater than national and military laws.

"Gong Xiu was so smart back then, with brains and means. Why has he become stupid now?" Ju Ming sighed as he lay on the chair.

Ju Ming took this secret note and threw it to Zhu Guoxiang who came back from Dongxi Garden to relax.

Because both of them knew that the chief envoy Xie Dan was Zhai Ruwen's in-law. Therefore, I was afraid that formal documents would be blocked if they were sent to the central government, and I was even worried that Zhai Ruwen was the mastermind behind it.

"He is lying flat in his position, and it is difficult for him to continue to be promoted. All he cares about is face and loyalty. He also feels that the court has always been indebted to him, so naturally he does not take the national law in his eyes, and even has the mentality of deliberately trampling on the law..."

People are in high spirits during happy events, and Liu Yao seems to be ten years younger.

Gong Xiu's sons, if there are no problems after the investigation, they will be exempted from the imperial examination. If there is a crime, the sentence will be whatever is appropriate.

The prefect of Ji'an and the commander of the Jiangxi capital did not follow the formal procedures when reporting the matter, but chose to report secretly.

Five of his sons joined the army and died on the battlefield.

But because of his loyalty and good face, he forgot his last name after a few sips of wine. After he sobered up, he knew he shouldn't, but he had already made a promise, so he was embarrassed to go back on it.

Ju Ming was very sad: "To be irresponsible, with his qualifications and military exploits, as long as he doesn't mess around in the army, who the hell will check him? Even if it's accepting gifts and occupying land, as long as he doesn't do anything too outrageous , the censor must have turned a blind eye. But this bastard still suppressed the victory document from the Ji'an garrison for more than half a month, so he wrote a secret letter to expose the matter. He had the intention to deceive the court from the beginning!"

This bastard is not committing crimes for money or power.

……

Zhu Guoxiang read the secret report carefully and said: "It's too big. He is older and made mistakes when leading troops, so he quit the front-line troops. With such deep qualifications and so many military exploits, he only got one. Commander and Earl, he must have resentment in his heart."

There is another point that Ju Ming did not directly explain, which is also the main reason for Zhai Ruwen to retire.

After much deliberation, Ju Ming still made up his mind and treated the Gong family and his son with some leniency.

If you dare to write a letter and surrender, then there will definitely be no big problem. In other words, it will not distort the facts excessively, because the court will definitely investigate the case thoroughly.

He is a true hero of Conglong and belongs to the loyal family!

He still dresses extremely simply, and has two sets of official uniforms that he has kept for several years. He even wears them with patches.

Liu Yao couldn't wait to move into the Prime Minister's official residence. He only had an old wife, an old concubine, and a few servants who had been with him for many years to take care of him.

Each meal is strictly rationed and cannot include too much meat. Vegetarian meals are usually the main meal.

Liu Yao called all his wives, concubines, and servants: "As Prime Minister now, I should set an example. You should not show off when you go out, and do not use your power to bully others. Even if you are bumped into by traffickers and lackeys, you should treat them kindly. All visitors who come to visit you should politely decline. You can’t even accept gifts. Do you understand?”

"I understand." The wife, concubine, and slave responded quickly.

Liu Yao also wrote letters to his children and grandchildren scattered abroad, warning them not to take bribes and bend the law, but to work diligently and loyally for the country.

That night, he also began to write the "Liu Family Instructions" to teach his children and grandchildren the principles of life and work.

At the second watch of writing, Liu Yan happily went to bed.

I couldn't sleep because I was so excited, thinking about when to retire.

He was old and had no other pursuits. He considered becoming an official on the first day he became prime minister. It's definitely not possible to resign immediately, that would be a slap in the emperor's face!
After thinking carefully, Liu Yan decided to apply for medical leave after working for another six months. After three applications and three resignations, it is estimated that he will be prime minister for a total of eight or nine months.

He didn't bother to cultivate cronies to avoid causing trouble.

Of course, after being an official for so many years, I still have basic abilities.

Officially taking office the next day, Liu Yan moved into the Prime Minister's Office and handled various government affairs in an orderly manner.

Moreover, he also knows how to delegate power and let other cabinet ministers do more work. I am only responsible for reviewing, checking and making decisions. I generally do not overturn the opinions of cabinet ministers. If the differences are too big, I will summon the cabinet ministers to vote to resolve the matter.

Harmony, so harmonious!
Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the most harmonious cabinet appeared.

Gradually, Liu Yao got a nickname: Clay Sculpture Prime Minister.

After Zhu Ming understood the situation, he wanted to kick him away. I have seen officials lying down, but I have never seen a prime minister lying down like this!
You know, when Liu Yao was young, he was known for his "uprightness".

Liu Yao first opposed the indiscriminate issuance of iron money and offended Tong Guan to death because Tong Guan was using iron money to pay the Western Army.

After being demoted and transferred three times in a row, Liu Yao, as the governor of the state, successfully suppressed the Hebei bandit Zhang Yan. The Shengjie army came to quell the chaos, but because they missed the battle, they directly killed hundreds of villagers and took credit.

The Shengjie Army is Tong Guan's private army and can go anywhere.

Liu Yao ignored all that and ordered the execution of the generals who had harmed the villagers. However, he was impeached and demoted by Tong Guan again.

Such a man who is upright and unafraid of power actually becomes a prime minister when he is old and just wants to work in peace and stability until he retires.

Calling Liu Yao alone, Ju Ming praised him: "Since Liu Qing became Prime Minister, everything has been in order. I am very pleased."

Liu Yao smiled and replied: "This is all the result of all the ministers in the pavilion."

After praising, it’s time to criticize.

Ju Ming said: "Several assistant ministers were quite distressed. Some unimportant government affairs were also summoned by Liu Qing to discuss voting. At the most frequent time, the cabinet voted four times a day, and nothing important happened that day. Of course, it is necessary to be careful and cautious. Okay, but I’m afraid it will slow down the efficiency of the cabinet’s work.”

The smile on Liu Yao's face froze, and he bowed in fear: "I have not thought carefully and betrayed His Majesty's trust. I must correct it!"

Liu Yan did correct it.

He brought together divergent government affairs and convened a cabinet vote before leaving get off work. The ministers do not need to run back and forth repeatedly, they can vote one by one at once, and then hand over the votes to the emperor the next day.

When Zhu Ming learned the details, he couldn't laugh or cry.

Can't Liu Yanzhen handle those government affairs that require voting alone?

No.

This guy is afraid of something going wrong and doesn't want to take responsibility. So I pulled the cabinet ministers to vote together, and everyone shared the blame for whatever consequences occurred.

It's time for the cabinet to get off work again. Cabinet ministers voted to handle seven government affairs today.

Yes, after the correction, the number of votes increased.

Anyway, there is no need to run back and forth. Just take advantage of the fact that you are about to get off work and finish the submission in one go. You can submit more times without wasting time.

Qian Chen left the voting venue, looked at Liu Yao's busy figure, shook his head and sighed: "This Prime Minister Liu is really hard to describe!"

"He was very daring when he was young," Li Hanzhang suddenly asked, "Do you think we will become like this when we grow old?"

Qian Chen said: "Probably not. What does it mean for him to be the prime minister? He is just like the clay Bodhisattva in the temple."

Li Hanzhang said: "This person probably won't be able to work for a long time. He may have already thought about retiring. He handles government affairs like this, so trouble won't stick to him. Also, people in the cabinet dislike him and make His Majesty very dissatisfied. I'll wait for a few more months." Resigning, everyone hopes that he will leave quickly and return to his hometown in glory. "

"He can be considered...a very wise person." Qian Chen tried hard to think of an adjective.

Li Hanzhang sighed: "More than wisdom? He has become mature with age. When he returns to his hometown after serving as an official, he will hold literary conferences every now and then, and invite fellow scholars to write articles to brag about him. If he is praised as honest and selfless, and does not care about power and wealth, he will definitely be well-known in the world from now on. . By the way, he was not afraid of power when he was young. This can be a great tribute. A hundred years later, he will become a role model for officials and scholars. "

"Hahahaha!"

Qian Chen couldn't help laughing: "I'm really convinced. Prime Minister Liu has great wisdom. It's a pity that we can't learn this skill."

But Li Hanzhang said with a serious expression: "He can do this because he has the confidence. He walks upright and sits upright. He was upright when he was young. When he is old, he is as honest as water. Anyone who can be as good as a man and an official can be found all over the world. How many can you find?”

Qian Chen also put away his smile, nodded and said, "Indeed."

(End of this chapter)