Daming talker

Chapter 539: The Prime Minister's Sorrow

When Lin Tailai followed Shen Yongmao to Shen's residence, the Prime Minister had not yet returned home, so Lin Tailai sat in the front hall waiting.

It was not until dusk that Prime Minister Shen got off work and went home. The doorman came forward and reported to Prime Minister Shen: "Hanlin Lin Jiuyuan is already waiting in the front hall."

Prime Minister Shen asked casually, "How long did he wait?"

The doorman replied, "He waited a long time, about two hours."

Shen Shoufu: "."

Originally, he wanted to leave Lin Tailai alone for another hour or two to express his attitude towards training Lin Tailai, but he had already waited for two hours in advance!

If I continue to leave him alone for an hour or two, it will get out that I am considered a cruel person.

What a terrible feeling! It's as if my prediction was predicted!
Perhaps this is the officialdom, where psychological games are everywhere.

"Take him to the outer study!" After Prime Minister Shen prepared himself mentally, he instructed his entourage.

Then Lin Tailai came to the outer study room with familiarity. After paying his respects, he heard the Prime Minister scold:

"The doorman said that you waited here for two hours, which means you left the yamen just after noon!

Since you are receiving salary from the emperor, you should be diligent in your work! Why would you leave early after noon?"

Lin Tailai: "."

As the saying goes, as long as your leader really wants to make things difficult for you, he will always find an angle to exploit it.

Then Lin Tailai tentatively responded, "I came back with Shen Yongmao."

Your son also left early. Let’s see what you, the old Prime Minister, will say.
Prime Minister Shen shouted, "He made a mistake. As a friend, you should have advised him to stop it, instead of just tolerating it!"

All right, all right! Lin Tailai knew that he couldn't escape a verbal reprimand anyway, so he might as well lie down and let the ridicule continue.

After hearing the scolding, Lin Tailai planned to slip away.

Anyway, his purpose was just to go into Shen's mansion and make others think that the double killing of Zhao Yongxian and Sun Yu was instigated by the Prime Minister!

Of course, Prime Minister Shen also did not lose out, as he could use this opportunity to show his majesty to the outside world.

Zhao Yongxian took the position, replacing Xu Xianqing, a younger generation and fellow townsman of the Prime Minister. If Zhao Yongxian was allowed to sit in the position securely, where would the Prime Minister's face be?

Therefore, Lin Tailai's open entry into the Shen Mansion was a win-win situation for both parties.

It doesn’t matter what the conversation is about, just leave after you’re done chatting!

"Wait! There's no need to leave in such a hurry!" But Prime Minister Shen suddenly stopped Lin Tailai from saying goodbye.

Lin Tailai: “?”

Today's meeting is just a formality. Why are you taking it so seriously, old Prime Minister?

Then Prime Minister Shen sighed, "The likes of Zhao Yongxian and Sun Yu are just minor issues. The biggest problem now lies with the cabinet.

Your master Xu Guo has obviously drifted away from me, making my situation much more difficult than in previous years."

Lin Tailai could probably understand the meaning of this. Originally, Shen Shixing and Mr. Xu Guoxu had the same stance of maintaining the authority of the cabinet when fighting against the outer court, especially the Three Reds and the Qingliu forces, so they could be considered allies.

With the support of Teacher Xu, Prime Minister Shen can handle his duties in the cabinet with ease.

The key is that Xu Guo is a man of upright character. He likes to personally engage in arguments with censors in his capacity as a cabinet minister. This allows Prime Minister Shen to hide safely behind the scenes, saving him a lot of worry.

Now in the cabinet there are Wang Si and Wang Jiaping, two traitors who support the Qingliu forces, and Wang San and Wang Xijue, two smart guys who are indecisive and fickle.

If Xu Er and Xu Guo no longer support Prime Minister Shen, and even stand on the side of the traitor Wang Si and Wang Jiaping, Prime Minister Shen's life will definitely not be as good as in previous years.

This situation is somewhat similar to the "lame duck government" in later generations.

Of course, if the boss complains about the difficulties, anyone who takes it seriously and empathizes with him is a fool.

Lin Tailai's eyes sparkled with clarity, and he answered very simply:
"Senior Shen, there may be some misunderstanding between you and Teacher Xu. If you explain it carefully and talk it out, I think everything will be fine!"

Shit! Prime Minister Shen subconsciously picked up the copper paperweight on the table, but then gently put it down.

Why has Xu Guo been disloyal since last year? Doesn't Lin Tailai know what's going on? Why are you pretending to be innocent here?
Lin's two major crimes were: first, he had been attacking Yangzhou's salt industry for years, suppressing Huizhou's salt merchants, and encroaching on Mr. Xu's base!

Especially last year, when the fourth master Xu went to Yangzhou Salt Industry to set up his flag, he ran into Lin Tailai and got nothing!
Secondly, also last year, Mr. Xu’s fellow townsman and predecessor, Huizhou literary giant Wang Daokun, was labeled by you, Lin Tailai, as a member of a traitor group in the literary world and was expelled from the New Literary League!
So you, Lin Tailai, are the fuse that caused Xu State to become disloyal. Shen Shixing was just angered by Xu State because of you, Lin Tailai!

So Prime Minister Shen said to Lin Tai: "You have a responsibility on this issue, and you also have a responsibility to solve the problem."

Lin Tailai was shocked and replied, "What? Solved? I, Lin Tailai, have been studying since childhood and know loyalty and righteousness!"

Although I have different political views from Teacher Xu, I will never do anything that would betray my teacher and ancestors!"

Prime Minister Shen picked up the copper paperweight again, stared at the two big words "Control Anger" on the wall, and said:
"Xu Guo is your master after all. Can't you give in to him when it comes to fame and fortune?"

"How can I give in? How much should I give in?" Lin Tailai said doubtfully, "Why don't I take all this fame and fortune and devote myself to Teacher Xu wholeheartedly!

Anyway, Xu Ci Fu is my teacher, and it is only natural for a student to rely on his teacher. No one can find fault with me!"

"That's not necessary!" Prime Minister Shen quickly put down the copper paperweight. "Look at you, your temperament is extreme. Why are you so angry?"

Lin Tailai said quietly, "Although my business is very large, not a cent is superfluous. If someone can be rewarded without any merit, then how can I reward the merit?"

Prime Minister Shen always felt that there was something wrong with this sentence, but he had no evidence.

After Lin Tailai left, Shen Yongmao went back into the study and asked his father, "How did the conversation go?"

Prime Minister Shen sighed: "My fields are becoming overgrown with weeds, why don't I return home?"

Application: "."

Are you thinking of resigning again? You are already 56 years old, why are you in a bad mood again?
Prime Minister Shen shook his head, no one could understand his sadness.

The two main factions in the outer court, the Left Censor-in-Chief Wu Shilai and the Minister of Personnel Yang Wei, were both old and depressed, and the successor Xu Xianqing, who was highly expected, was not retained. Xu Guo, the assistant who had fought together for five or six years, gradually drifted away and went their separate ways.

I am exhausted. Even if I reorganize the political arena, it will just be another cycle.

At the same time, the emperor became increasingly difficult to serve. He hid in the deep palace and completely messed up court meetings, imperial lectures, ceremonies, etc.

As the Prime Minister, it is difficult to cope with the situation. It is not right to persuade strongly, nor is it right not to persuade.

Although Emperor Jiajing did not attend court and hid in the Renshou Palace in the Western Garden to practice Taoism, he at least had ministers on duty at the palace gate and could summon him to report to him at any time.

The person who is in a similar situation to the current Emperor Wanli is actually Emperor Chenghua.

But what reputation did the ministers of Emperor Chenghua leave behind? Paper-made three cabinet ministers and clay-made six ministers
If I, as the prime minister, just watch the emperor go through a mess and do nothing, how will future generations evaluate me?

Wouldn't it be the same as the three paper-made ministers of the Chenghua Dynasty if he accompanied the emperor in his corruption?
While the country's situation is still barely okay, it is a good strategy to retreat and leave as soon as possible to protect yourself.

Prime Minister Shen thought about his worries for a long time and indulged in his inner drama to his heart's content, when he suddenly felt that something was wrong.

He raised his head to look at Shen Yongmao, but saw that his eldest son was standing there quietly, with his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart.

"Why didn't you persuade me?" Prime Minister Shen asked doubtfully.

In the past, if I expressed my intention to resign and retire, the first person to get angry would definitely be Shen Yongmao.

This good son will definitely try his best to persuade himself to continue serving the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and continue to take on the difficult job of Prime Minister.

But today, the eldest son said nothing and had no reaction, which was very strange!
Shen Yongmao replied, "Regarding the issue of my father's retirement and even the issue of his treatment after retirement, it should be Lin Jiuyuan who should consider it. Why should I, a small official, worry about it?"

Of course, the key is that if my father really doesn't want to retire, then it doesn't seem to be a big deal for him to follow Lin Jiuyuan in his career.
That night, after Prime Minister Shen went to bed, Master Shen Yongmao quickly sent his trusted attendant to deliver a secret letter to Lin Tailai overnight.
There was only one sentence in the secret letter: "My fields are becoming overgrown with weeds, and I have to go home again!"

Lin Tailai understood immediately that Old Shen was too fragile and his thickness had not been cultivated to the highest level.

It seems that we need to fine-tune our thinking on personnel arrangements.

Although Zhao Yongxian and Sun Yu have become two pieces of trash, trash still has its role!
If used properly, it can also have huge positive effects!
At this time, gossip from the outer court also spread into the palace. Although Emperor Wanli stayed in the palace, he was not isolated from the outside world.

"In other words, Zhao Yongxian really broke off the engagement twelve years ago?" Emperor Wanli asked Sun Xian, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department and the governor of the Eastern Depot.

Mr. Sun replied, "It is true."

Emperor Wanli was, after all, a young man not even thirty years old, and he said with great interest:
"In vernacular novels, the one whose engagement is broken off will definitely work hard and at least pass the imperial examination! But this Wu Zhen is really not good enough, he can only be granted the title of a student of the Imperial Academy.

But why did Zhao Yongxian, who was so careful about his reputation, break off the engagement and leave himself open to suspicion? "

Sun Changgong said: "It is said that Zhao Yongxian was dismissed from office by the imperial court and was in a very sensitive period.

I don’t know why, but he was irritated by his in-laws at that time, and then he broke off the engagement in anger.”

Emperor Wanli asked again: "Outside the left gate of Chang'an, hundreds of military officers were unable to defeat Lin Tailai and his servants. Is this true or false?"

Sun Xian said: "The hundreds of military officers gathered temporarily and can be regarded as scattered soldiers. It is normal that they cannot defeat the united Lin Tailai and the servants."

Emperor Wanli said with some yearning: "If Lin Tailai and the unconvinced military officer were to lead hundreds of men each to fight in the inner training ground, I wonder who would win and who would lose."

At this time, Zhang Cheng, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, came in and heard this. He advised: "Your Majesty, do not treat your subjects as tools for your entertainment."

Only the senior Zhang Cheng dared to speak like this. Emperor Wanli put away his amusement and asked, "What's the matter?"

Zhang Cheng replied, "Recently, 22 memorials have been submitted to the emperor, all of which involve the foundation of the country."

Emperor Wanli covered his fat face and shouted as if in a stress reaction: "Here they go again! What are they going to say this time!"

Zhang Cheng replied: "There are two main points in the memorial. The first is that he doubts that the emperor is too cold to his elder brother."

If it were an ordinary eunuch, even if he was retelling the story, he wouldn't dare to say it so bluntly.

But Zhang Cheng is different. He has a lot of experience and dares to speak. He says whatever he wants.

"Asshole!" Emperor Wanli was furious. He slammed the table beside the couch and shouted, "How dare this fellow alienate my father and me!"

If you say that he is partial to his third brother, he would admit it in his heart, but if you say that he is cold and heartless to his eldest brother, he would not admit it!
He just didn't want his eldest brother to be the crown prince, it didn't mean there was no blood relationship at all!
Zhang Cheng did not express his opinion, and his main responsibility was not to express his opinion. He continued to report, "Secondly, the ministers reported that my eldest brother is already nine years old. Even if the Crown Prince is not appointed, he should be allowed to go out to study and receive early education."

The ministers requested that the eldest prince be allowed to go to school, which was a new trend.

But in the eyes of Emperor Wanli, the ministers were essentially just finding new topics to discuss regarding the country's foundation!

If the eldest prince is allowed to study, he must be given a teacher, right? If he is given a teacher, he will definitely protect the student, wouldn't that make him a group similar to the East Palace's staff? Wouldn't the eldest son be treated like the crown prince in a subtle way?

Emperor Wanli pondered for a while and suddenly thought of a question: what was the motive of these people suddenly focusing on hyping up the topic of national foundation?
Then he asked, "They have been quiet for a month or two since the New Year, why are they suddenly fighting again?"

Zhang Cheng expressed his own judgment: "It may be that some people have encountered bad luck recently and urgently need to divert the court's attention elsewhere."

Emperor Wanli thought about it doubtfully, and suddenly realized!
The person who has recently caused others to suffer a great loss is Lin Tailai, so some people, in order to avoid the limelight, use the issue of national capital to muddy the water!
Zhang Cheng advised: "Recently, there have been people making unwarranted speculations about the emperor's father-son relationship. We must take some action to set the record straight."

Zhang Cheng's original intention was to persuade Emperor Wanli to give his eldest son some preferential treatment or exposure in order to quell public opinion that the emperor was cold towards his eldest son.

For example, conferring a title on the eldest prince's biological mother, or letting the eldest prince go to school, or letting the eldest prince take the place of the emperor in some ceremonial occasions.

Emperor Wanli did not follow Zhang Cheng's idea and issued an edict: "Summon the ministers tomorrow and I will explain it myself!"

Zhang Cheng had no choice but to obey the emperor's orders.

Then Emperor Wanli remembered something and said, "Call Lin Tailai as well!"

Emperor Wanli had been away from the palace for a long time, and suddenly he issued an order to summon cabinet ministers for an audience. This surprised the grand secretaries, who kept guessing what the emperor was thinking.

Only Prime Minister Shen sighed and wondered why this script was becoming more and more like the paper-made script of the Third Cabinet Minister.
At that time, Emperor Chenghua had been in the deep palace for a long time, and his ministers strongly requested that the emperor meet with them.

Then Emperor Chenghua summoned the three ministers, but they didn't know what to say to the emperor, nor did they have the courage to correct the emperor's mistakes in person. They could only shout "Long live the emperor" and then leave.

Later, these three people were ridiculed as the three paper-made ministers!
Prime Minister Shen felt that his current situation was exactly like the time when the third cabinet minister was made of paper!
(End of this chapter)