Daming talker

Chapter 557: The Court of the Emperors (asking for monthly tickets!)

The Secretary of the Central Secretariat quickly slipped away after reporting the disaster. He was also knowledgeable and was afraid of incurring the wrath of the elders, so he did not dare to stay.

The central hall of Wenyuan Pavilion became silent and the elders did not move, as if everything was frozen.

When there was a severe drought in several provinces, people could still say that it was not a disaster. However, there were falling stars in more than one place around the capital, and countless soldiers and civilians saw it with their own eyes. No one could say with a clear conscience that this was not a disaster.

What's even more ridiculous is that the star-falling phenomena all occurred around the capital, and there were more than one place! No matter how you interpret the disaster, you can't avoid the capital and the court!
Moreover, the areas suffering from severe drought are mostly in the northern provinces, not too far from the capital!
Prime Minister Shen was the first to come to his senses. He sighed deeply and said to the Second Prince:

"I will first serve my last shift, arrange disaster relief, and then submit my resignation."

This time, even he, the Prime Minister, had to submit a letter of resignation. He could not escape it, otherwise it would be like Zhang Juzheng's resignation.

It's really outrageous that a disaster would happen at this time! Is God blind?
How to interpret the disaster next is a mess!

When the two Wang Gelao heard the words “stand your last shift”, they felt very bitter.

I've only been back to work for half a day, and the meeting hasn't even finished yet, but I'm already leaving again. My seat isn't even warm yet!
At this moment, they suddenly understood "Records of the Grand Historian", especially the sentence "This is God's will, not the fault of war."

Logically speaking, an old politician should not have the emotion of "sympathy", but Prime Minister Shen still felt sympathy for his two colleagues named Wang.

Even though Wang Xijue had many ulterior motives, Wang Jiaping was a political enemy who tended to favor the Qingliu forces.

After all, the two of them have been having a really miserable time as cabinet ministers in the past two months!

I originally thought that the matter of them betraying Lin Tailai was over and over for the time being!
As a result, once the disaster occurred, their dark history of betraying Lin Tailai would definitely be brought up for criticism again!

This kind of mental torture of repeatedly whipping the wound might be worse than just walking away like Xu Guo did.

However, despite his sympathy, Prime Minister Shen could do nothing to help.

He could only comfort his two colleagues by saying, "Be at ease for now and wait for a few days. The emperor will surely comfort us and keep us here."

At this time, Prime Minister Shen suddenly remembered what Lin Tailai had said last month - my destiny is in my own hands.

What a little liar! Can this be called not being controlled by God? This is clearly God feeding us!

What are these ministers who took the overall situation into consideration, loved peace, and temporarily got rid of Lin Tailai in the eyes of God? Are they just clowns?
According to the system, the original copy of the urgent memorial on disasters sent over a distance of six hundred miles should be delivered to the emperor as soon as possible.

What the cabinet heard was just a simultaneous retelling so that it could respond in a timely manner.

So when the ministers were "standing their last shift", Emperor Wanli was also meeting with the eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department.

Emperor Wanli wanted to swear in public. He had only had peace for a few days, so how come another disaster happened?
Ever since the loyal and brave eunuch emerged from Xizhimen, thirteen people in the court were demoted and banned from speaking for a month. Public opinion then calmed down a little, but now I'm afraid it will stir up again.

To be honest, Emperor Wanli really hated disasters from the bottom of his heart.

Because in the eyes of his ministers, he, as an emperor, had too many problems.

Whenever a disaster occurred, the ministers would repeat these problems over and over again, which was really annoying.

A few years ago, he, the emperor, was fooled by his ministers and walked all the way from the palace to the Temple of Heaven in the outer city in order to pray for rain!
He was a fat man with difficulty walking! Do you know how uncomfortable he felt at that time?

Why did the emperor not leave the palace or attend court later? Every minister was responsible!
Which eunuch in the Imperial Household Department didn't know the emperor's thoughts? Zhang Cheng, the eunuch in charge of the seal, was the first to judge:
"Your Majesty, please be at ease. There shouldn't be too much trouble this time. Lin Tailai will probably have to shield you from criticism."

The meaning is very clear. The interpretation of disasters can be entirely attributed to Lin Tailai.

It was because a large group of people in the imperial court tacitly agreed to expel the Nine Yuan Auspicious Omens that triggered a warning from heaven!
Anyway, it was not because the emperor was lazy, did not attend court, skipped classes, favored only one concubine in the harem, was stubborn and refused to accept advice, did not appoint a crown prince, and did not allow the eldest son to go to school.

Emperor Wanli said worriedly: "When there is a lot of discussion outside, people often have different opinions. In the end, it all depends on how loud their voices are.

Lin Tailai is just a newcomer to the court, so weak, helpless and pitiful. What should he do if he can't win the argument with those old officials in the court?"

The eunuchs: “.”

Weak, helpless and pitiful? Your Majesty, are you sure you are describing Lin Tailai?

Chen Ju, the fourth eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, suggested: "There is a letter from the Northern Tartars that was forwarded from Xuanfu Town and has not been made public.

The general meaning of the text is that Madam Zhongshun Sanniang requested that the exiled criminal Lin Tailai be rewarded and given to her as her attendant.

Although the content is absurd, this letter can be sent out immediately, bypassing the cabinet and the six departments, so that the court officials can discuss it. "

The eunuchs laughed softly, this idea was really too mean.

Emperor Wanli was a little surprised. He really couldn't have imagined that Chen Ju, who was usually taciturn, had such a sinister side.

At lunch time, Chen Younian, a Langzhong from the Ministry of Personnel's Selection Department, came to the home of Zhao Nanxing, who had been demoted to the Director of the Ministry of Examinations, and had some wine with him.

Although I drink to keep myself company, I would be more depressed if I didn't drink.

Chen Younian advised Zhao Nanxing: "Don't worry too much about rank. In the eyes of our peers, why would we judge people by their rank?
Besides, I am your brother in the Ministry of Literature, are you still worried that you won't be able to get promoted in the future?"

Zhao Nanxing said uncomfortably: "I am not depressed because of my rank, but because I watched the upright people in the court suffer heavy losses, and I was powerless to do anything."

Thirteen people were demoted and then forced to reflect on their actions for a month.

Although there are dozens of members in the Qingliu faction, they cannot squander money like this.

Chen Younian sighed, "My fellow comrades can no longer afford the loss, so we can only endure it this time.

Don't stand out now, just rest and recuperate, restore morale, and wait for the future!"

Zhao Nanxing slammed the table in excitement and said, "The ancients knew that it takes three years to accumulate wealth and three years to learn lessons!
As long as the faith of the gentlemen in the court remains unshakable, evil will prevail over good in the end, and justice will prevail!

But while you are recuperating, you must not forget to do your best to suppress Lin Tailai and prevent him from getting rid of his status as a criminal soldier!"

When the two were encouraging each other, Jiang Shixin, the head of the Ministry of Personnel, suddenly rushed in and shouted, "Two seniors! Something happened!"

Chen Younian replied: "No matter what happens, we will pretend we didn't see it and keep a low profile."

Jiang Shixin then added: "It's a disaster!"

Chen Younian waved his hands and said with certainty: "Regarding the severe drought in several provinces this time, we absolutely do not recognize it as a disaster!"

Jiang Shixin said hurriedly: "There is the latest news from the Tongzhengsi! There are more than one falling stars around the capital, especially in Xuanfu!

How can we ignore such a thing? How can we not admit that it is a disaster? "

Chen Younian: "."

Zhao Nanxing: “.” The characters of their Qingliu faction are all upright gentlemen, and they usually visit the emperor to gain some reputation.

This time, with severe drought in several provinces and disasters such as falling stars, it is time to take positive action.

If they keep a low profile in order to recuperate, and dare not jump out to make a fuss or provoke the emperor, wouldn't their upright personality collapse?
"It's bad! If it's Lin Tailai this time, it will be even more troublesome!" Zhao Nanxing suddenly reacted first, "All the people involved in exiling Lin Tailai and banishing Lin Tailai to Xuanfu will probably have to go through the process again!"

Chen Younian responded subconsciously, "Fortunately, when the palace first issued an order to punish Lin Tailai, I had already launched a petition to protest, so I should be able to get away with it."

Zhao Nanxing: "."

Isn't there a mismatch between your tone of being grateful for having "helped" Lin Tailai and your political stance against Lin Tailai?

Chen Younian quickly tried to make amends and said to Zhao Nanxing, "It doesn't matter to you. After all, you were punished to reflect on yourself behind closed doors, so you don't have to speak out."

Zhao Nanxing: "."

It seems that this logic is correct, and I can indeed reasonably avoid this disaster.

After all, I have been "banned", maybe this is what they call "Misfortunes often bring blessings"?
There is no other way but to make those colleagues who have not been banned suffer.

The disaster information transmitted from the Ministry of Public Security swept through all the government offices like a hurricane.

All officials could not help but sigh that in the face of natural disasters, human power is so insignificant and peace is so fragile.

Everyone guessed that the court was going to be in chaos again, but no one knew where it would start.

The next day, the three cabinet ministers collectively resigned, submitted their resignation letters to the emperor, and then went home.

The emperor then issued an edict, seeking frank opinions on matters of disaster and anomaly.

The above are the routines that must be used every time, which can be said to be "standard actions" and are completely within everyone's expectations.

However, there was something new this time. The emperor also sent a letter from the Northern Barbarians to various ministries and agencies, allowing court officials to discuss it.

After reading the contents of the letter, officials from various ministries and agencies were once again confused. Madam Zhongshun and Lin Jiuyuan, you guys are not trying to avoid people, right?

So they all submitted petitions, saying that Lin Tailai was a man who was unique in the history of the Central Plains and had won the title of Nine Top Talents in Civil and Military Affairs, so how could he be given to a foreign country?

Is there any need to discuss this kind of thing? Haven’t you seen that the celestial phenomena have begun to warn people recently? What does the falling star in Xuanfu mean? Isn’t it obvious enough?

Of course, there were also many upright ministers who completely refused to accept the emperor's guidance of public opinion.

He insisted on submitting a memorial to the emperor, saying that the disaster was caused by the emperor's recent misconduct.
So before Emperor Wanli could relax for a few days, he had to go back to his wonderful life of reading many memorials of remonstrance every day.

After submitting his resignation letter, Prime Minister Shen could finally sleep in at home and enjoy his life.

He had been working alone for some time and was really exhausted. This time, after it was his turn to submit his resignation, he could finally have a little time to relax.

Of course, the political situation is constantly turbulent, so we still need to keep collecting information from outside.

There is no need to worry about this, as his followers and sons will naturally bring him news from the outside world.

That night, Shen Yongmao returned home and reported to Prime Minister Shen: "There are some new rumors today, and I think it is necessary for father to know."

Prime Minister Shen asked casually, "What's the rumor? Who's in trouble again?"

Shen Yongmao replied: "Someone said today that the letter from the Northern Barbarians was absurd and that the court should just reject it directly and there was no need to issue a notice for discussion.

But why was this letter not dealt with before, and why did the emperor bypass the cabinet and the six departments and send this letter directly to various ministries and agencies?
This situation shows that there are traitors in the inner court, and someone wants to agree to the request of Mrs. Zhongshun of the Northern Tartars and send Lin Tailai to the Northern Tartars!"

Prime Minister Shen was not surprised at all, and sighed, "I had expected such rumors to appear.

The purpose of the emperor issuing this letter was to divert public opinion.

Poor Wang Er from Taicang and Wang San from Shanyin, they are going to suffer again.

No, they are helping you share your worries. This is what they mean by "serving the emperor is like serving a tiger."

After all, these two people had betrayed Lin Jiuyuan before. If there were rumors that Lin Jiuyuan was sent to a foreign country, these two people would definitely be suspected again."

Shen Yongmao also sighed repeatedly that the emperor's imperial technique of using the cabinet ministers as scapegoats was almost catching up with Lin Jiuyuan's.

The next day, Shen Yongmao went to the Ministry of War to work. Near noon, he suddenly heard the latest news.

The emperor responded to the resignations of the grand secretaries and issued an edict to retain Wang Xijue and Wang Jiaping, but he kept the resignation of Prime Minister Shen in his possession.

The meaning of this is that the court officials are requested to understand and act on their own!

Holy shit! Uncle Shen was horrified, and subconsciously shouted in his heart, my father is in danger!

During such a sensitive period, the emperor asked Wang Xijue and Wang Jiaping to go back to work, but ignored his own father. What does this mean?
The art of the emperor is so terrifying! Using the Prime Minister as a tool, this is as terrifying as Lin Tai!
Uncle Shen had no mood to go to work and hurried back home.

But he saw that his father, the Prime Minister, was also confused and sat in the study muttering to himself.

The old bureaucrat surnamed Shen had previously been very confident that he would be the one to be retained, and the two kings would be the targets thrown out.

Who would have thought that the opposite was true.

Now Shen Shixing was not sure what the emperor was thinking.

Could it be that he feels that the two Wangs are not important enough, so he wants to create more explosive topics and lead public opinion to doubt himself?
Or is he dissatisfied with his own ambiguous attitude on the issue of national foundation and is thinking of taking the opportunity to replace the Prime Minister?

Or is it a warning to yourself?
Shen Yongmao shouted loudly: "I told you not to negotiate peace with them without Lin Tailai's approval!

They sent Lin Tailai to the border town, you shouldn't have just ignored it!

Lin Tailai also hinted that if he was sent away, he might accidentally hurt you, but you refused to believe it!
I have also advised you that you would rather be Emperor Xian of Han than Emperor Gaozong of Song!
If you don't listen to your eldest son, you will suffer the consequences! I knew something was going to happen, and it did!"

"Stop talking nonsense! If you have nothing to say, get out!" Shen Shixing just felt that the chatter was noisy and was annoyed and drove the person away.

Shen Yongmao replied, "The best plan now is to send a message to Xuanfu as fast as possible, asking the envoy to take Lin Jiuyuan back to Beijing as soon as possible!"

Shen Shixing, who had always been mysterious in front of his son, felt embarrassed and said angrily, "Can you please stop being so superstitious about Lin Jiuyuan?"

Shen Yongmao retorted, "The star-falling disaster has already happened, and we are not allowed to be superstitious? Father, go and tell the heavens!"

(End of this chapter)