Daming talker

Chapter 607 Everyone is in a meeting

The next morning, Sun Yong, the junior supervisor of the Secretariat of the Imperial Household Department, stood under the porch of Huiji Gate and looked up at the sky.

The weather today is very sunny, and it seems to have some autumn air. It is a good day.

Of course, Eunuch Sun’s mission here was not to observe the celestial phenomena, but to collect memorials from ministers on behalf of the emperor and the Imperial Household Department.

Then most of the memorials were thrown to the cabinet first, and a few particularly sensitive ones were taken to the Imperial Household Department.

The essence of Eunuch Sun's job is actually to go through a process, which seems redundant but has indispensable procedural significance.

Because he accepted memorials on behalf of the imperial power, and then sent them to the cabinet for drafting on behalf of the imperial power.

If there was no procedure by Eunuch Sun, and memorials were submitted directly to the cabinet, wouldn't it be the ministers submitting memorials directly to the cabinet?
Every day, the Ministry of Public Administration would collect memorials from home and abroad and send them to Huiji Gate. Sometimes ministers would go to Huiji Gate in person to submit memorials.

A long-time attendant gently nudged Eunuch Sun, who was studying the celestial phenomena, and reminded him, "Lin Jiuyuan is here!"

Eunuch Sun shuddered and immediately looked warily at Lin Tailai who was walking slowly from the Meridian Gate.

Lin Tailai was not a minister on duty in the inner court, and his only purpose of coming here was definitely to submit a memorial.

The memorials of such people must be given the highest level of attention and cannot be neglected in the slightest.

Lin Tailai greeted him and handed the memorial in his hand forward, "Good morning, Eunuch Sun! This is the memorial I want to submit today!"

Sun Yong stared at Lin Tailai's memorial and his face twitched.

I don't know exactly how many copies there are of these memorials, but they are about half a foot high.
Which good person would submit a memorial as long as half a foot in one go?

Eunuch Sun said tentatively, "Emperor Taizu Gao has instructed that memorials should be straightforward and to the point, and no empty words are allowed."

Lin Tailai laughed heartily and said, "All my memorials are about things, but I just have a lot of things to say. I am definitely not deliberately piling up things."

Eunuch Sun asked again, "What's the matter?"

Lin Tailai said loudly: "When Lu Guangzu was impeached as the Minister of Justice, the case files were stuck and the prisoners were detained!

Impeaching Yu Zhan, the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Examination, for favoritism and helping Lu Guangzu to get away with the Manchu examination!

Impeach the Minister of Works Song Xun for using the emperor's favor and power to seek fame and reputation when building the Shou Palace!

Impeach the Minister of the Imperial Household, Ai Mu, for being old and incompetent, and lacking in talent and ability!

There were also eight censors impeached for colluding with foreign countries, teaming up with pirates, joining the traitor Haobai, and deliberately slandering ministers and generals who went on the expedition!
We also impeach ministers like Sun Piyang and Yang Junmin for being idle and doing nothing!"

Holy shit! Eunuch Sun was really shocked. Regardless of the content of Lin Tailai's memorial, its explosiveness was comparable to Hai Rui's "Memorial on Public Security"!

It is impossible for the secretarial office to reject the ministers' memorials. So even though Eunuch Sun knew it was a big bomb, he still accepted it and held it in his hands.

According to the rules, explosive memorials like this should be quickly handed over to the Imperial Household Department and then presented to the emperor for his review first.

So Sun Yong did not hesitate and told the others to stay at Huiji Gate. He personally carried Lin Tailai to present the memorial and quickly ran to the Yangxin Palace, where many eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department stayed on a daily basis.

Zhang Cheng, the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department, was talking to the eunuch Chen Ju. After reading Lin Tailai's memorial, he did not dare to delay and stood up to present it to Emperor Wanli.

But Chen Ju stopped Zhang Cheng and suggested: "Don't take these memorials directly to the emperor, but send them to the cabinet first and let the cabinet draft the bills."

Zhang Cheng thought about it and nodded, "That makes sense."

If this kind of memorial went directly to the emperor, wouldn't it pose a problem for him?
The essential job of the Imperial Household Department was to help the emperor solve his problems, not to cause him trouble.

Then Zhang Cheng told Sun Yong: "Send these to the cabinet first, just like any other memorials!"

At this time, all the elders gathered in the central hall of Wenyuan Pavilion for a meeting.

Prime Minister Shen Shixing looked at the other three Grand Secretaries and said, "Regarding the rewards for the Ningxia expedition, there is no time to lose. We must discuss it as soon as possible and implement it as soon as possible."

The Third Chamberlain Wang Jiaping said dissatisfiedly: "The rewards should be implemented as soon as possible to reward the meritorious service!

Otherwise, some people would rely on their achievements of winning seven battles and defeating the enemy every day to do whatever they want outside!"

The fourth cabinet minister, Zhao Zhigao, immediately defended himself, saying, "After all, he was a hero who fought bravely on the battlefield and killed enemies for his country. He needed to relax after the war, so it was understandable that he was a little out of line. Why should Wang Shanyin be so harsh on him?"

Wang San retorted: "Relying on merit, showing off one's power everywhere and wantonly using violence, is this considered slightly out of line?"

Zhao Si also responded sharply: "It's really not a big deal, Wang Shanyin, you are really making a fuss out of nothing.

If we deliberately deny a hero because of a small problem, who would be willing to make contributions? "

Wang San couldn't help but sneered, "In places like the Censorate and the Ministry of Personnel, they openly beat people up, and sent servants to set up gates at the Hanlin Academy. Do you think this is a small matter?"

Zhao Si looked confused, "I haven't heard of him doing these things."

Wang San said sarcastically: "You pretended not to have heard of such a loud news. How is it different from covering your ears and stealing a bell?
The Cabinet is not the place for madness and nonsense.”

Zhao Si said very seriously and firmly: "I can guarantee that Dayun has never done such things as beating people in the Censorate and the Ministry of Personnel!"

Wang San was stunned, "Da Yun?"

Zhao Si asked in surprise, "The hero you just mentioned who won seven battles and seven victories and defeated the enemy on the city walls, wasn't it Gansu Town Lieutenant General Dayun?"

Holy shit! The second assistant, Wang Xijue, was originally drinking tea and watching the play. When he heard this, he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of tea.

It turns out that the hero of seven victories in seven battles was not just Lin Tailai, but also Dayun who had always been by Lin Tailai's side!
Even when climbing the city wall was very risky, Dayun was the second one to do so, following right after Lin Tailai.

Bang! Wang San was so angry that he slammed the table and was about to say something.

But then the Prime Minister Shen Shixing shouted, "Stop joking around! Let's talk about the important business of rewarding the generals first!"

If we were to discuss Lin Tailai, I'm afraid it would take us a whole morning to finish, so let's just start with the easy ones and then move on to the difficult ones.

The rewards for the generals who participated in the war were easily decided. The former deputy general was promoted to general, and the former general was promoted to a higher rank.

For example, Ma Gui was finally promoted to the position of general that he had always dreamed of, and Li Rusong, who was originally at the level of general, was promoted from the first-rank governor-general to the first-rank left governor-general.

Li Rusong had reached the top of his career as a military officer.

Add to that his father Li Chengliang who had guarded Liaodong for twenty years and his brother Li Rubai who served as deputy general in Jizhen, it is no wonder that some people say that the Li family has too much military power and that the family is surrounded by the capital, posing a high potential risk.

Prime Minister Shen shook his head. He knew that someone would surely impeach Li Chengliang soon, but he really couldn't continue to shield him this time. It was also for Li Chengliang's own good.

After talking about the generals, Wang San, who had been holding back, quickly suggested:

"The Ministry of Personnel's Seal Examination Office submitted a memorial suggesting that Lin Tailai should be granted a higher title for his meritorious service.

The title is proposed to be Earl of Ningxia or Earl of Shuofang, and I agree with this very much. "

After Wang Sanjiaping put forward this proposal, Shen Da, Wang Er and Zhao Si fell into silence and did not say anything for a long time.

So far, Lin Tailai has not made any clear statement on the title, either publicly or privately.

Therefore, no matter Shen Da and Zhao Si, who are close to Lin Tailai, or the smart Wang Er, none of them can guess Lin Tailai's thoughts, so they don't know how to express their opinions.

Under normal circumstances, those who are granted a title are considered military officers and nobles.

As for the civil servants, even if their future is not completely cut off, at least it is difficult for them to make any progress.

When standing in the imperial court, they could only stand in the west row, facing the officials in the east row - if there were any imperial court meetings in the future. Moreover, there were many important court meetings, and the nobles would not be invited to participate in the decision-making.

Therefore, in the current context where civil officials hold real political power, giving up one's future in the civil service system is tantamount to giving up the power to govern.

But being granted a title is not without its benefits. The glory of being honored for generations and sharing the same fate with the country is something that not everyone can resist.

The descendants of civil officials may not necessarily hold high positions, and it is common for their families to decline after two or three generations.

But the earl’s descendants must still be earls, and as long as the Ming Dynasty exists, the family’s wealth and prosperity can be guaranteed.

Moreover, the earl is more "transcendent" than the civil officials. He may not be able to climb up in the civil official system, and may fall even if he climbs up.

Anyway, both options have their own advantages, and no one can be sure what Lin Tailai will choose.

Zhao Zhigao sighed secretly. Lin Tailai had never expressed his thoughts clearly, and he had no idea how to express his opinion.

Although I tried to delay the pace by making jokes, it was impossible to delay it forever.

At this time, a secretary from the Secretariat came to report that Sun Yong, the junior supervisor of the secretariat, had come to deliver a memorial.

Seeing Sun Yong walking into Wenyuan Pavilion, Prime Minister Shen asked in confusion, "There are only so few memorials today?"

The number of memorials is usually in the three digits, but why is the memorial in Sun Yong's hand only half a foot high today?
Sun Yong smiled bitterly and said, "These are just Lin Tailai's memorials. Do you think they are not enough, Prime Minister?"

The elders: “.”

Maybe it was an auditory hallucination, I heard the sound of thunder.

Although I haven’t read the contents of the memorials yet, I know from experience that these memorials are not good things!

While they were still discussing how to arrange for Lin Tailai, Lin Tailai actually took the initiative to overturn the table!
Shen Shoufu suddenly shouted: "Close the door!"

The Zhongshu Sheren who was on duty outside the door was very quick and efficient and quickly closed the door of Wenyuan Pavilion.

Sun Yong, who came to deliver a memorial, almost bumped into the tightly closed door panel as soon as he turned around.

"?" Sun Yong looked at Prime Minister Shen in confusion.

Prime Minister Shen pointed to the memorial on the table and said to Sun Yong in a friendly manner:
"Master Sun! Don't leave in such a hurry. These memorials are probably very sensitive, and it is not convenient for us, the outsiders, to deal with them.

I also hope that Sun Shaojian will take these memorials away and send them directly to the Silijian, and ask the eunuchs to present them to the emperor for his judgment."

Sun Yong: “.”

You haven't even opened them to read them, yet you know these memorials are "inconvenient"?

"I sent these memorials to the cabinet as Grand Eunuch intended," Sun Yong explained.

The elders briefly flipped through the memorial, so Shen Shixing said, "Now that the cabinet has read it, you can return the memorial to the eunuchs."

Sun Yong felt that his job as a tool responsible for delivering memorials was too difficult.

Bureaucracy permeates the palace, and when faced with difficulties, they just pass the buck. The worst thing is that you are the one passing the buck!

As a person with countless bad precedents, Lin Tailai's every move after returning to Beijing was carefully studied.

Not only was the meeting held in Wenyuan Pavilion, but people also held small meetings in other places to target Lin Tailai.

After the Left Censor-in-Chief Lu Guangzu arrived at the Censorate, he immediately convened a meeting of a group of key censors to study and deploy the next step of the political struggle.

Mr. Lu pointed out: "Lin Tailai's crazy performance yesterday shows that he wants to further seize power by virtue of his achievements!
We must be highly vigilant to this trend and take the most effective measures to curb Lin Tailai's rampant momentum!"

All the imperial censors said in unison: "What the chief censor said is absolutely right!"

Lu Guangzu nodded with satisfaction, and then continued: "Next, there are three predetermined directions!

The first direction is to re-raise the issue of national foundation and create a new climax!
The emperor promised during the disaster last spring that he would appoint a crown prince this winter solstice!

Now that autumn is approaching, we should start preparing for the ceremony of establishing the Eastern Palace in advance!
Is there anyone willing to use the most radical words to petition for the establishment of the Crown Prince?"

Before Lu Guangzu finished speaking, an imperial censor named Feng Congwu stepped forward and said passionately, "I am willing!"

Another imperial censor also stood up and shouted, "I am willing too!"

"Great! Very good!" Lu Guangzu motioned for the two to sit down, and then continued: "Second direction, who is willing to come forward and strongly attack Prime Minister Shen Shixing? I have listed more than a dozen charges, which are enough!"

Before Lu Guangzu finished speaking, three or four more imperial censors stood up and said loudly, "We are willing."

"Very good! Great!" Lu Guangzu encouraged him a few more times, and finally said: "The third direction is to attack Lin Tailai! We will talk about the techniques and intentions behind this later."

Lu Guangzu's voice fell, fell twice, fell three times
Still no one stood up, and the scene became a little awkward.

Lu Guangzu: "."

Is this still the upright comrade he knows who is not afraid of violence and is indomitable?
Where is your passion? Where is your courage?

Everyone was helpless. When Lin Tailai was not in the capital, impeachment might not be a big deal for fun.

But now Lin Tailai has returned to the capital, and is clearly in a violent state. What is the difference between impeaching Lin Tailai and touching a tiger's butt?
Finally, Lu Guangzu set his sights on two people, two old censors who had been in decadence for two years.

One is called Qian Yiben and the other is called He Zhuo.

Two years ago, Luo Yuren submitted a memorial entitled "Memorial on Wine, Sex, Money and Anger", which angered the emperor.

Qian Yiben tried to rescue Luo Yuren during the court trial, but was slapped in the face by Lin Tailai using "Jin Ping Mei".

Later, He Zhuo defended Qian Yiben at the imperial court meeting. As a result, He Zhuo was awarded the honor of presenting and explaining "Jin Ping Mei" to the emperor.

Later, Qian Yiben was released after his fellow townsman, the scholar Wu Zhengzhi, bribed Lin Tailai with a painting of Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains.

From then on, two key censors, Qian Yiben and He Zhuo, both fell into disgrace and remained silent for two years.

Looking at Mr. Lu's earnest gaze, Qian Yiben stood up and said through gritted teeth, "I will be responsible for impeaching and attacking Lin Tailai!"

"Great!" Everyone applauded Qian Yiben.

Brother Qian's spirit of self-sacrifice is truly great!

Qian Yiben smiled bitterly in his heart, thinking that he was not that great.

Because he was confident that he could escape from Lin Tailai unscathed no matter what!

So although it seems like he is in danger, he is actually not in any danger!

The other He Zhuo suddenly stood up and shouted, "I am willing to go with Qian Yiben to fight the enemy!"

Warm applause rang out again. People who are brave enough to sacrifice themselves will always be welcomed!
Qian Yiben sighed to his fellow sufferer He Zhuo, saying that he was confident that he could get away with it safely, so why were you doing this, Brother He?

He Zhuo looked at Qian Yiben and nodded firmly.

Brother Qian! If you are in danger, I have a magic weapon in my hand and will definitely save you!

(End of this chapter)