Daming talker

Chapter 561 The Disaster Eliminator
At this time, seeing that the civil officials finally started arguing, the eunuch Chen Ju breathed a sigh of relief.

Otherwise, if he and the civil servants continued to argue, the trial would be aborted.

Whether from a technical or logical point of view, he really couldn't win the argument.

Looking at Zhao Zhigao who suddenly stood up, everyone had their own thoughts, constantly calculating and deducing in their hearts.

In fact, Old Man Zhao was not very used to being the center of attention, but he had to come forward.

I had previously thought that the road had already been paved by Lin Tailai, and with the help of Prime Minister Shen, I could make progress without doing anything.

But the political world is unpredictable. Prime Minister Shen, who was placed with high hopes, has given up and done nothing. So he has no choice but to step forward and fight for his future himself.

However, what Lin Tailai said was true. It was a good thing that he did not owe Prime Minister Shen any favor this time. Then he would not be controlled by others in the future.

When Zhao Zhigao heard Li Xianke, the Minister of Rites, answer "support", he immediately said: "Since you support Lin Jiuyuan, then you must also support Lin Jiuyuan's pardon and reinstatement, right?
Since we are talking about pardoning Lin Tailai, we cannot fail to mention the elder Wang Shanyin! After all, he was the first to propose to convict Lin Jiuyuan. "

The logical chain was very clear, and Li Xianke was temporarily speechless.

Zhao Zhigao then said to the crowd, "As for the disasters, in my opinion, they were also caused by Wang Shanyin!

After Wang Shanyin had accused Lin Tailai, several provinces began to report droughts; and after Wang Shanyin returned to the cabinet unscathed, the stars immediately fell!"

While everyone was still considering Zhao Zhigao's statement, Lin Tailai suddenly stood up again.

He argued: "These are just coincidences. Don't make too much of it, and there's no need to blame it all on Wang Sange Lao.

Otherwise, how can we explain the fact that Wang Er, the Second Lord, participated in the trial of my crime with Wang San and returned to the cabinet at the same time?"

In another corner, the second cabinet minister Wang Xijue said: "."

Thank you so much, Lin Tai, for coming and thinking of him at this time.

"Then I'll leave!" Wang Xijue made a prompt decision to leave this troubled place, and threatened: "I'll resign and apologize later!"

However, after taking two steps, Lord Wang Er suddenly could not move any further. A strong and powerful hand pressed firmly on his shoulder.

"Second Lord, don't leave! I have no other intentions!" Lin Tailai shouted, "I am just using you as an example."

Wang Xijue struggled secretly for a few times, but still couldn't leave, so he had to turn around and go back to the corner.

Zhao Zhigao glanced at Lin Tailai and said, "You are a person on trial. When no one is questioning you, what qualifications do you have to speak here?"

Lin Tailai retorted: "If you are discussing my guilt, I will naturally plead guilty and have nothing to say.

But you arbitrarily expanded the scope of the discussion and used the disaster to implicate others, so of course I have to say a few words."

After Lin Tailai's interruption, others finally reacted.

As for Wang Jiaping, the Qingliu forces must also be protected, otherwise he will have no support in the cabinet.

Li Xianke organized his words and said, "The reason why disasters occur is to warn the emperor to cultivate virtue. How can you attribute it to Wang Shanyin?"

This is the main approach currently used by the Qingliu forces to characterize the disaster, and it is impossible not to use it to satirize the emperor.

However, given the current political situation, this tone has some reservations.

It just said that "the emperor needs to cultivate virtue" instead of directly accusing the emperor of "losing virtue". He did not want to create a memorial of the same intensity as "The Memorial on Public Security" or "The Memorial on Wine, Sex, Money and Anger".

Zhao Zhigao retorted without hesitation: "Even if what you said is true, the disaster is to warn the emperor to cultivate virtue, it still has nothing to do with Wang Shanyin!
Lin Tailai met the emperor in the palace that day, and submitted a memorial a few days ago. Was what he said admonishing the emperor to cultivate his virtue?
So, did Wang Shanyin's accusation against Lin Tailai prevent Lin Tailai from advising the emperor to cultivate his virtue?

Is Wang Shanyin, who stopped Lin Tailai from advising the emperor to cultivate virtue, the source of the disaster warning?"

Li Xianke choked again. He proposed that "the emperor needs to cultivate virtue" in order to divert the issue of disasters away from Wang Jiaping.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Zhigao went around in circles and came up with a story that "Wang Jiaping stopped Lin Tailai from advising the emperor to cultivate virtue" and linked the disaster to Wang Jiaping.

It’s not that Li Xiankou is not as talented as Zhao Zhigao, it’s mainly because Lord Wang Jiaping has “original sin”.

Therefore, as long as the debate revolves around Wang Jiaping, the people on the Qingliu side are naturally at a disadvantage!

At this time, smart people have realized that technically only the victim Lin Tailai himself can truly exonerate the "murderer" Wang Jiaping.

Just as everyone thought of this, they saw Lin Tailai jumping out again as expected.

Then he shouted at Zhao Zhigao: "You are just making a fuss and forcing things! How did Wang Shanyin have anything to do with the disaster?
I, Lin Tailai, did advise the emperor to cultivate his virtue, and then I was punished.

But just because Wang Shanyin stopped me from advising the emperor to cultivate virtue, you can’t arbitrarily link Wang Shanyin with the disaster! "

The veteran bureaucrats present actually had a very deep understanding and knew that officialdom was a very magical place.

But everyone felt that today had simply refreshed the limit of magic!
The Qingliu forces are doing their best to protect Lin Tailai, while Lin Tailai is doing his best to protect Wang Jiaping!

Even if the Northern Barbarians invaded the city again, the two sides with such deep hatred would not be so united, right?

Zhao Zhigao seemed unaffected and said without giving in:
"No matter how you defend yourself, the fact is the fact! Didn't Wang Shanyin do something like that?"

Lin Tailai seemed to be extremely angry and argued loudly:

“So you just said that Wang Shanyin caused the disaster because he prevented me, Lin Tailai, from advising the emperor to cultivate virtue.

If we follow your logic, we might as well say that the disaster was caused because I, Lin Tailai, advised the Emperor to cultivate virtue and was expelled!
Compared to your roundabout way of blaming Wang Shanyin, this saves you a lot of trouble!"

Those who can stand here, even if we cannot say that they are the smartest people in the Ming Dynasty, can be considered a relatively smart group of people.

Lin Tailai's words echoed over and over in the minds of this group of smart people several times before they understood what Lin Tailai wanted to express.

Compared with "Wang Shanyin stopped Lin Tailai from advising the emperor to cultivate virtue", "Lin Tailai was expelled for advising the emperor to cultivate virtue" has a closer logical relationship with disasters and anomalies, at least saving one level.

Under normal circumstances, this might be considered as bragging, but in the context of "speaking without thinking in a fit of rage", it is not so abrupt.

While everyone was still racking their brains to interpret the answer, Lin Tailai turned to Wang Xijue and asked directly:

"Lord Wang Taicang! Now that I have finished speaking, do you agree or disagree?"

Wang Xijue muttered to himself that he called him "Second Lord Wang" when he was not needed just now, but now that he was needed, he started calling him "Lord Wang Taicang".

But Wang Xijue still respected the facts without hesitation and said, "I agree."

The reason is very simple. If Wang Jiaping was "convicted", how would Wang Xijue deal with it?

After all, Lin Tailai had just reminded him that Wang Xijue had done everything that Wang Jiaping had done, so protecting Wang Jiaping was protecting himself.

Without Prime Minister Shen, Wang Erge Lao would be the highest-ranking civil servant, so his statement carries a lot of weight.

After hearing Wang Xijue's answer, Lin Tailai boasted, "I said that compared to Wang Shanyin, I, Lin Tailai, am closer to disasters, and Wang Taicang agrees with me!" Then he quickly looked at Li Xianke and asked, "Do you agree, Li Shiyi?"

As the main force of the Qingliu forces today, Li Xianke's mind is now a mess.

He felt that he needed some time to sort it out carefully.

However, Lin Tailai's barrage of questions left him with little time to think carefully.

He just subconsciously repeated like a tape recorder: "The disaster is a warning to the emperor that he needs to cultivate virtue."

Zuo Qiandu Yushi Zhao Huan suddenly spoke up, "That's right, it's about cultivating virtue!
So Lin Tailai advised the emperor to cultivate his virtue, but Wang Jiaping stopped Lin Tailai from advising the emperor to cultivate his virtue!

Who do you support? Just now you said that you support Lin Tailai.

Everyone was a little surprised. Did Zhao Zhigao couldn't continue the performance, so he replaced him?
Come to think of it, Zhao Zhigao had been criticizing Wang Jiaping for being related to the disaster, so it was really difficult to force a change of direction.

So someone needs to be replaced to "support" Lin Tailai.

When did you, Zhao Huan, get involved with the "Lin Party"? Why wasn't there any news before?
But after a little thought, it probably makes sense. Zhao Huan is from Shandong and has a good relationship with Wang Situ, so "it's understandable."

Hearing Zhao Huan's question, Li Xianke still subconsciously said: "Of course I support Lin Tailai.

But when I say that the emperor cultivates virtue, I mean the cultivation of virtue itself, not the fact that Lin Tailai advised the emperor to cultivate virtue."

He just felt that he was completely confused and he didn't understand what he meant.

Anyway, we can't push Wang Jiaping into the fire pit again, right?

"That's it!" said Zuo Qiandu Yushi Zhao Huan: "Now that public opinion has come out, what else is there to argue about?"

Then Zhao Huan said to the eunuch Chen Ju, "Just now, Li Xianke, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Rites, and Zhong Yuzheng, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Rites, were against punishing Lin Tailai, and I second that!"

Eunuch Chen, who had been watching the excitement for a long time, finally had something to do. He asked Zhao Huan, "They are disobeying the order of the Ministry of Rites. Do you want to disobey the order too?"

Zhao Huan replied, "Just now, the court officials unanimously agreed that the cause of the disaster was that Lin Tailai advised the emperor to cultivate virtue and was expelled!
Therefore, Lin Tailai should not be convicted for his direct remonstrance this time, otherwise it may cause more disasters! "

Hmm? Eunuch Chen finally felt that he had regained consciousness and seemed to have seen the essence of the fog.

Most people have also realized by now that although they are both defending Lin Tailai, there is actually a fundamental difference!

Previously, the Qingliu forces defended Lin Tailai, using the same reasoning that "there is no guilt in speaking out."

But this time Zhao Huan defended Lin Tailai, saying that "it might bring disaster again."

One has no direct relationship with disasters, and the other has a direct relationship with disasters.

Forget it, life is full of confusion, so why bother to understand it so clearly?

If you come out as a "bad guy" at this time, you will offend many people including the emperor and the ministers. Why do you want to do something that will not please others?
Only Li Xianke struggled for a moment and wanted to say something, "Disasters or cultivating virtue."

Zhao Huan asked in return: "Don't you hope that Lin Tailai, who has repeatedly spoken out, will be pardoned?
He is Lin Tailai, and he is also Lin Tailai who has repeatedly advised the emperor to cultivate his virtues!
If you don't even save Lin Tailai, how can you advise the emperor to improve his moral character?"

Li Xianke: “.”

Now that things have come to this, there is nothing more to say!
At this point, everyone present had a clear understanding of the situation and Lin Tailai's intentions.

In the past half day, he talked about Lin Tailai's crimes and then talked about Wang San, and then talked about the characterization of disasters and then talked about Lin Tailai's crimes.

It seems to be a long rambling and finally returns to the starting point. In fact, it is a process of "brainwashing by public opinion".

To sum it up simply: first let everyone admit that Lin Tailai’s remarks are correct, and then for the sake of political correctness, Lin Tailai must be protected.

In order to protect Lin Tailai, they had to create public opinion to link the disaster with Lin Tailai.

Because as long as the disaster is related to Lin Tailai, the emperor will definitely be eager to pardon Lin Tailai in order to "eliminate the disaster".

Otherwise, the emperor would have to continue to "repent of his sins" and "cultivate his virtues."

In the process of creating public opinion, the two princes were used as scapegoats.

The six departments have important powers and responsibilities. They are responsible for supervising the execution of imperial edicts externally, and can return imperial edicts that are considered unreasonable internally, which is called "sealing and refuting".

The reason why the Ministry of Rites was the main force this time was because the emperor issued an edict to convict Lin Tailai, and the Ministry of Rites had certain qualifications to "resist the emperor's order."

Now even the Minister of Rites Li Xianke and the Minister of Censorship Zhong Yuzheng are silent, so others will have even less to say.

Eunuch Chen asked again: "Is this the public opinion? If there is no other discussion, I will reply in this way."

Lin Tailai jumped out again: "I have something else to say to Your Majesty!"

Eunuch Chen was very satisfied with today's results, and he believed that the emperor would also be very satisfied.

Therefore, Eunuch Chen now only wanted to return to the palace as soon as possible to "report the good news" and was unwilling to create any more complications.

If someone else wanted to say something at this time, it might just be a few words of gossip, but Lin Tailai was definitely looking for trouble.

Eunuch Chen didn't want to bother with Lin Tailai at first, but then he found that Lin Tailai was blocking the door of the east chamber and there was no way to get around him unless he jumped out of the window.

For the sake of the eunuch's reputation, Eunuch Chen did not choose to jump out of the window. He frowned and said, "It's getting late. If you have something to say, please speak up!"

Lin Tailai said: "Since my teacher left the court, the three cabinet ministers are all around 55 years old, and some were even younger when they entered the cabinet.

So the cabinet is really too young, not normal, and not mature enough. The cabinet of my Ming Dynasty has never been so young.

Things have been turbulent recently, the cabinet has been repeatedly shut down, and it has been unable to pacify the situation, and its performance is extremely poor, as can be seen from this.

Therefore, I dare to suggest that you select experienced people to supplement the cabinet!

It would be best if he was over 65 years old to balance the youth of other cabinet ministers.

By the way, it is also to deal with disasters and make some small changes to the inner court."

Everyone: "."

It sounds so damn reasonable that it is impossible to refute it.

Why can you, Lin Tailai, always find such a unique and tricky angle?
And the person who said this is the one who shoulders the responsibility of "eliminating disasters".

While thinking about it, he looked at the Minister of Personnel Yang Wei and the Left Vice Minister of Personnel Zhao Zhigao.

The so-called elders over 65 years old who are qualified to join the cabinet must be these two old men, right?

(End of this chapter)