Daming talker

Chapter 563: Zhao Si enters the cabinet! (Seeking monthly votes!)

Those who are familiar with Ming history know that the history of the civil service system in the mid-Ming Dynasty is, in a sense, the history of cabinet struggles.

The "Ge" refers to the inner cabinet, and the "Bu" refers to the six outer ministries, specifically represented by the Minister of Personnel. In the Ming Dynasty concept, the Ministry of Personnel was higher than the other five ministries.

The power struggle between the Minister of Personnel, the first person in the outer court, and the Cabinet lasted throughout the middle of the Ming Dynasty.

In the early years, the Minister of Personnel even had to compete with the Cabinet for a position in the court, and he believed that his rank was higher than that of the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet.

When the Minister of Personnel and the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet met on the street, whether it was necessary to give the Grand Secretary's sedan chair some space was also an etiquette issue that the Ming Dynasty repeatedly debated.

Of course, the overall trend is that the cabinet is becoming increasingly powerful, and the Minister of Personnel is becoming increasingly weaker.

But the Ministry of Personnel has always stood at the center of the political struggle and has never been absent.

A close look at Ming history will reveal that many political struggles took place against the backdrop of the “Beijing Inspection”.

The main government offices in charge of the Beijing inspection were the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate. They inspected Beijing officials every six years, and those who failed would be dismissed.

Until the emergence of non-traditional forces such as the Donglin Party and Jiu Qiansui, the cabinet disputes that had been hit by a dimensionality reduction attack became meaningless.

In the traditional concept of party struggle, the power of a prime minister mainly depends on whether he can control the Ministry of Personnel.

A prime minister who has little influence on the Ministry of Personnel is definitely a weak prime minister.

Therefore, the decision of Yang Wei, the usually obedient Minister of Personnel, to resign caused Prime Minister Shen to lose his temper.

Historically, not long after Yang Wei resigned, Shen Shixing also decisively left, but that was supposed to happen next year.

Lin Tailai originally thought that he would be left alone at the gate of Shen Mansion until noon.

As a result, not long after daybreak, he saw Shen Yongmao, the head of the Shen Mansion, coming over and leading him inside.

Lin Tailai could not help but sigh to Shen Yongmao: "Your father has lost the spirit of competition. It seems that there is something wrong with his thinking.
Your father entered the cabinet at the age of 45 and became the Prime Minister at the age of 49. After all, he was still too young, and his mental state of mind was not good enough. "

Application: "."

After arriving at the study, Lin Tailai said directly to Prime Minister Shen: "Although Yang Tianguan is gone, I am still here. Why do you have to give up on yourself, old senior?"

Yang Wei just came to say goodbye last night, but Lin Tailai, who was far away in Xizhimen, knew about it immediately and came to his house this morning to discuss the matter.

Prime Minister Shen was not surprised at this at all, it was simply because of his family's misfortune.

At this time, Prime Minister Shen glanced at Lin Tailai and asked, "Why? Do you also want to be a civil servant?"

Lin Tailai said a little embarrassedly: "If the senior can do it, I can give it a try."

Before he finished his cup of tea, Prime Minister Shen choked and said rudely, "If there is nothing else, please leave!"

Lin Tailai immediately got to the point: "Senior, do you really want to retire?"

Prime Minister Shen asked back: "Does it have anything to do with you?"

Lin Tailai replied, "I don't mean to stop you, but I just want to make preparations if you really want to retire."

Prime Minister Shen was a little surprised. Lin Tailai had changed. He didn't try to persuade him like he did the last time. Was he going to find another employer?

In the end, Prime Minister Shen couldn't help but be curious. "How are you going to prepare in advance?"

Lin Tailai answered very honestly: "If the old senior retires to the forest and springs, according to convention, the second cabinet minister Wang Xijue, no, the highly respected Wang Taicang will serve as the chief minister.

Then after I left Shen's house, I quickly went to Wang Taicang's house to repair the relationship.

Firstly, Wang Taicang came to power in a hurry and lacks a solid foundation, so he needs the support of a capable person like me; secondly, we are all from the same hometown in the greater Suzhou area, so who can Wang Taicang trust more? "

Prime Minister Shen felt a little sour and asked, "What happens next?"

“And then,” Lin Tailai continued after a brief thought, “Wang Taicang and you, old senior, are from the same hometown and on the same list. You were the top scorer and he was the second. Now you are both in the cabinet.

I heard that Wang Taicang has always been competitive in his heart. This time, when you, the senior, retired, he took over and finally caught up with you in the career comparison.

The dispute over the national foundation has been deadlocked for four years, and all parties are exhausted. What if the issue of the Eastern Palace is resolved in the next one or two years?
Then Wang Taicang will be the prime minister who can determine the fate of the country, while you, old senior, will be the one who cannot solve the problem and escapes from the battlefield.

By that time, Wang Taicang will definitely write to you whenever he has time, and will also record a lot of it in his private notes.

When the Eastern Palace ascends the throne in the future, he will definitely be extremely grateful to Wang Taicang, and he might even posthumously confer a rank on him. Anyway, he should be one level higher than you."

Shen Shixing: "."

Holy shit! The sight of Wang Er from Taicang, who had been suppressed by me for most of my life, suddenly riding on my head was so terrifying!

It doesn’t matter if you are doing worse than anyone else, but you can’t be worse than Wang Er, who is from the same hometown and on the same list!

"So could you please give me a definite answer, senior?" Lin Tailai asked back.

Shen Shixing said righteously: "I am still in good health and I am ready to be summoned by the emperor at any time to do my best for the country!"

Lin Tailai then advised: "Old senior, you can rest assured. Even if Yang Wei is gone, the Ministry of Personnel can still be reorganized like the cabinet, and we can just assign some obedient people together."

Shen Shixing sighed, "The Ministry of Personnel has always been the focus of the whole court. Whenever there is a political dispute, the Ministry of Personnel becomes the focus of the focus.

People without ability cannot stand in the Ministry of Personnel at all, and it is not enough to just be obedient."

At this point, Shen Shixing suddenly realized a problem, "Who do you mean to listen to?"

Lin Tailai laughed and said, "It's all the same, all the same, why bother about it so much."

When the court was recommending the old man to join the cabinet, one of the only two candidates, the Minister of Personnel Yang Wei, suddenly submitted a letter of resignation and resolutely packed his luggage to leave the capital, which immediately caused a shock in the court!

Although the court has been shaken too many times in the past two months, almost all the court officials have been numb.

However, Yang Tianguan's departure is still worth everyone's shock, after all, he is the Minister of Personnel with real power that can rival the cabinet.

No one knows what others are thinking, but the Qingliu forces are in a frenzy!
This is the most significant good news in the past two months, no, in the past two years!
The Ministry of Personnel immediately became the focus of the entire court, even more popular than the addition of cabinet ministers.

After all, there is no suspense about the issue of adding cabinet ministers. With Yang Wei gone, the only candidate left is Zhao Zhigao. What else is there to continue paying attention to?
On the contrary, the Ministry of Personnel is having a lot of fun now!
The Minister of Personnel has resigned, and the Left Vice Minister of Personnel is about to join the cabinet, so the two highest positions in the Ministry of Personnel are instantly vacant!

Two top-level critical positions were exposed at once. In this late spring season, almost all the officials in the court were collectively aroused!
Which second-rank official doesn’t dream of becoming the Minister of Personnel? Which third-rank official doesn’t covet the position of Left Vice Minister of Personnel?
If you can remain calm and not let your imagination run wild at this time, then you are not a human being.

Against this background, the 67-year-old Zhao Zhigao, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, entered the cabinet quietly and almost no one paid much attention to it.

On the towering Xizhimen Tower, the setting sun was bloodshot as the sun set in the west. A tall young man with knitted brows was concentrating on the manuscript on the desk, lost in deep thought.

Pang Bazong, like a servant, called out from a distance, "It's time for dinner!"

Lin Tailai, a soldier who was still on exile, turned a deaf ear to it, as if there were many difficult problems that required him to think about and make decisions.

General Pang came closer and asked curiously, "What on earth is Master Lin writing? Why is he putting so much thought into it?"

Lin Xiaobing replied solemnly, "I helped draft the edict of apology. I'm not very experienced yet and I'm not sure about a few points."

General Pang: “.”

Is this the answer that a mere fourth-rank commander like him, the Xizhimen commander, could hear?
Damn it! Why did I ask this question? And I got such a potentially fatal answer!
Suddenly, the left protector Zhang Wen came up the stairs to the top of the city wall and reported, "Today, the imperial edict has been delivered to Mr. Zhao, Lord Zhao of Lanxi!"

Lin Tailai picked up the manuscript on the table, stood up and said, "Let's go! Let's go to Zhao's house to give instructions and congratulate!"

Pang Bazong reminded him, "The new eunuch has already taken up his post. Master Lin is leaving his post without telling you?"

Lin Tailai said nonchalantly: "The government is short of money, so don't build a new Martyrs' Shrine."

After getting down from the city wall, Lin Tailai mounted his horse and rode for more than ten miles straight to Zhao Zhigao's mansion!
Old man Zhao will probably be entering the inner court tomorrow, so we must make arrangements tonight!
Suddenly, I saw an official sedan chair and ceremonial guards coming towards me. I saw from the ceremonial board that it was the Minister of Justice Lu Guangzu.

On the streets of the capital, there is a set of rules when encountering such things. Generally speaking, the common people give way to officials, and small officials give way to big officials.

But Lin Tailai was in a hurry to get on with his journey and ignored the avoidance rules. He just spurred his horse and whipped the whip, arrogantly rushing past the leader on the opposite side and passing by the sedan chair.

This made Lu Shangshu so angry that he flew into a rage and said to his friends at the banquet: "There are five kinds of people in the capital today who don't know their dignity, have no respect for the superior and the inferior, and don't avoid the sedan chair. They are beasts!

The first is a small eunuch, the second is an old woman, the third is a big elephant entering the court, the fourth is a scholar, and the fifth is Lin Tailai!"

Lin Tailai didn't know that he had become one of the "five black categories" until he arrived at Zhao Zhigao's mansion and then dismounted and entered.

Old man Zhao seemed to know that Lin Tailai would definitely come, so he sat in the front hall waiting.

After seeing Lin Tailai, he smiled bitterly and said, "Since the Grand Secretary became an assistant minister, I'm afraid there has never been such a deserted entry into the cabinet."

There was absolutely no attention paid to his entry into the cabinet this time, which made him feel disappointed.

On the one hand, because two large positions appeared in the Ministry of Personnel, the attention of all court officials was focused on the Ministry of Personnel.

On the other hand, most people may subconsciously feel that the 67-year-old new cabinet minister is just a transitional figure.

There is a high probability that it will not last long and will still be ranked at the bottom of the fourth place, so there is no need to pay too much attention to it.

Lin Tailai consoled him, "This just shows that you are what everyone expects. Everyone has already accepted it, so they are not surprised."

Who would have known that this old man could work for ten years without the support of time travelers?
As a young man of 23, following the 56-year-old Prime Minister, I have to provide psychological support for a 67-year-old man. It is tiring.

As he spoke, he casually glanced at the imperial edict for entering the cabinet to study it first.

After receiving this imperial edict, Zhao Zhigao, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel (actual position), became the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel (honorary title), concurrently the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, and was in charge of the Wenyuan Pavilion and the Ministry of Machinery.

"I felt relieved when I saw the three words 'Pre-Maintenance'." Lin Tailai said casually.

Zhao Zhigao: “?”

I don't understand what this means. Is there a cabinet minister who doesn't take care of the affairs of the cabinet?
"I don't mean anything else! It was just a slip of the tongue!" Lin Tai said, "From today on, you are the Fourth Elder, Zhao Si for short!"

Zhao Zhigao laughed a few times. In front of Lin Tailai, Zhao Zhigao did not put on airs at all.

Of course, this is also the quality that Lin Tailai appreciates most.

After congratulating him, Lin Tailai handed the manuscript in his arms to Zhao Zhigao and said, "I have already written the draft of the edict of apology for your sins. Please modify it and use it as you see fit. Just keep the main idea unchanged."

Zhao Zhigao was a little surprised. What else could be said in such an official document as the Edict of Criticism?

But he still took it. Maybe this was Lin Tailai's "loyalty test" and there was no need to cause trouble for himself.

After reading it, Zhao Zhigao said uncertainly, "Is it okay for me to write directly like this?"

Lin Tailai said calmly: "There's nothing wrong with it. The emperor just wants me to be in the limelight. It's okay!"

The next day, Zhao Zhigao got up early and seemed to be in high spirits.

No matter whether others pay attention to him or not, or despise him or not, he has entered the cabinet anyway! He can also be honored as the Prime Minister of Zhao!
Looking back five years ago, I was just a fifth-rank Hanlin who was sitting on the bench and living in Nanjing.

At that time, I would never have imagined that five years later, I would be able to enter the cabinet at the age of 67!

The course of history is important, but Lin Tailai’s efforts are more important.

After passing through Chang'an Right Gate, Chengtian Gate, Duanmen, Wumen, Huiji Gate, Neijiayuan Gate and Wenyuan Pavilion Gate, I finally entered the dark Wenyuan Pavilion.

Taking into account the fact that the emperor worked in the Wenhua Hall, Wenyuan Pavilion has an extremely rare layout of sitting south and facing north, with its main gate facing the Wenhua Hall in the north.

Therefore, the lighting in Wenyuan Pavilion is very poor and it is dim all year round, and candles often have to be lit during the day.

Because Shen Da was still at home, only two cabinet ministers, Wang Er and Wang San, were in the central hall to politely welcome their new colleague Zhao Si.

In fact, Zhao Zhigao still felt a little inferior when facing the cabinet ministers such as Shen Da, Wang Er and Wang San.

There are two factors in this. First, Zhao Zhigao passed the imperial examination at the age of 45, while others, such as Shen Da, entered the cabinet at the age of 45.
Although old man Zhao is the third place winner, which is commendable, Shen Da is the first place winner and Wang Er is the second place winner.
Secondly, although Zhao Zhigao was a Hanlin scholar, he failed most of the time and never served as a lecturer for Emperor Wanli, which was a big shortcoming.

Shen Da, Wang Er, and Wang San all served as lecturers when Emperor Wanli was young, and they crushed Zhao Zhigao in the contempt chain within the Hanlin Academy.

Others had frequently visited the inner court as lecturers more than a decade ago, but Zhao Zhigao entered for the first time when he was over sixty years old.

So after Zhao Si bowed to Wang Er and Wang San in the central hall of Wenyuan Pavilion, he still felt a little uneasy.

I was so nervous that I didn't know what to say for a moment, afraid of being looked down upon and laughed at.

He blurted out subconsciously: "Lin Tailai asked me to pass on a message. Don't interfere in the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel!"

Wang Er: “.”

Wang San: “.”

Damn it! You, an old man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, are really not a good person. You really look like a traitor sent by the Lin Party to infiltrate Wenyuan Pavilion!

(End of this chapter)