Daming talker

Chapter 622 The Silent List (asking for monthly tickets!)

Although the morale of the court was unsettled and officials above the fourth rank were all thinking about how to move up to the next level, various tasks could not be neglected and had to be pushed forward.

The prisoner presentation ceremony was about to take place, and the Minister of Rites made the final two changes.

First, the cymbals were replaced with a new version jointly created by the literary community; second, Lin Tailai was asked to report to the emperor, as the original plan was for the Minister of War Wang Yi'e to do so.

With the court filled with many major interests to contend for, other court officials no longer had the energy to argue over the procedural issues of the prisoner presentation ceremony.

The Ministry of Personnel is going to hold another meeting today. With so many vacancies in high-level positions in the court, it would be strange if the Ministry of Personnel did not hold a meeting.

Wang Tianguan, who had just finished a literary conference, was finally able to devote all his energy to his work.

Before the meeting, Wang Tianguan met with Lin Tailai alone and advised again:

"If you have no other options, just kneel. Kneeling before the Prime Minister is not shameful. Perhaps all the Prime Minister wants is an attitude."

Lin Tailai couldn't help but ask, "How can you be a good minister of the Ministry of Personnel when you are so weak?
A Heavenly Official who doesn't dare to go against the Prime Minister is not a good Heavenly Official!"

In the history of the Ming Dynasty, there were so many ministers of the Ministry of Personnel who did not obey the cabinet. Why are you, Wang Shizhen, so cowardly?
Wang Tianguan quickly complained, "I have not been in the capital for thirty years and only entered the court last year, so my foundation in the court is weak.

Prime Minister Shen has been in the cabinet for more than ten years and has served as prime minister for eight years. His prestige in the court is far greater than mine.

It can be seen from this literary conference that people who were originally scheduled to attend, such as Li Chun, Shi Xing, Zhong Zhenji, Qi Baoshan and others, have disappeared one after another. Why?
Because they all felt that between the Prime Minister and me, the Prime Minister's emotions should be considered first.

After all, fighting in the officialdom is not about treating people to a meal or reciting poems. What can I use to compete with the Prime Minister?"

Lin Tailai suddenly felt like a useless piece of shit, but who could blame him for choosing the Minister of Personnel?

The weakness of the literary and artistic petty bourgeoisie is clearly visible in Wang Tianguan.

All we can say is that there are gains and losses. Lin Tailai said angrily: "Kneel! Kneel! Kneel in a few days!"

After everyone arrived, the meeting began. Wang Tianguan made a few simple remarks at the beginning:

"There are many vacancies in the court recently. Today, we will list the nominees for the vacancies and submit them to the court. Let's start with the Minister of Revenue."

The left assistant minister Liu Yukui recommended: "The right assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Yang Junmin, is capable of great use.

He once served as the governor of Fengyang and governor-general of the Grand Canal, a position that had the tradition of being promoted to the Minister of Revenue.

However, there was no vacant seat in the court, so Yang Junmin could only serve as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. It is only natural for him to be promoted to the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue now."

After Liu Yukui finished speaking, no one looked at Wang Tianguan, but at Lin Tailai, the doctor of the Ministry of Examination.

As everyone knows, Lin Tailai is Yang Junmin's old enemy.

The story about Lin Tailai "crossing the river in white clothes", sneaking into the Jiangbei Governor's Office and capturing Yang Junmin alive is still circulating today.

Under the gaze of everyone, Lin Kaogong looked at his nose with his eyes and at his heart with his nose, like a clay puppet, motionless.

This makes everyone very confused. Someone mentions your enemy, and you don't say anything?

A person who usually speaks most actively suddenly shuts up. There must be something wrong.

Is it because of Prime Minister Shen’s power and influence?

Although Wang Tianguan was staring at the Right Assistant Minister Wang Yongji, he seemed to be asking everyone, "Are there any other nominations?"

In recent times, Wang Yongji, who has been temporarily controlled by the Prime Minister, is probably equivalent to a mouthpiece.

Wang Yongji hesitated for a long time and finally came up with a name: "The Grand Tutor must be someone with great reputation. Shi Xing, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, has been in the court for more than 30 years and has a good reputation. He should be promoted to the Minister of Revenue."

Everyone was surprised to hear the name.

It is not surprising to see Shi Xing's name appear in the ministry's meeting. After all, he is a veteran Jinshi who won the title in the 38th year of Jiajing.

But Wang Yongji mentioned Shi Xing, which is very meaningful.

In particular, Shi Xing was very active in organizing the literary conference, but then disappeared on the same day, which was really impressive.

Thinking of this, everyone couldn't help but look at Lin Tailai again. But the only response was silence.

Since Lin Tailai did not comment on the candidate issue, Wang Tianguan did not express his opinion either.

Perhaps in Wang Tianguan's mind, this is a good idea, as it gives the Prime Minister some face and eases the situation.

Be a coward when you need to be a coward, and you will have a bright future if you can let go of things. There is really nothing to be worried about in life.

Then Wang Tianguan calmly continued to preside over the meeting: "The last nominee for the Minister of Works failed to pass the court recommendation, so we will continue to nominate this time."

Liu Yukui insisted: "I still think that Zeng Tongheng, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, is the most suitable.

If even the senior and long-serving Zeng Tongheng cannot be promoted to Minister of Works, how can we convince people?"

Wang Yongji questioned, "Last time, Zeng Tongheng was nominated, but he was not accepted by the court. Is it appropriate to nominate him again this time?"

Liu Yukui didn't waste any words and asked directly: "Who do you think is suitable?"

Wang Yongji then mentioned an expected name, "Zhou Cai, who was in charge of the construction of Shou Palace as the Minister of Works."

Lin Tailai still didn't say anything, so Wang Tianguan quickly continued: "All of them will be recommended to the court. Now I will nominate the Minister of the Dali Temple."

It was the Left Vice Minister Liu Yukui who spoke first and proposed a name that had not appeared for a long time.

"When Li Shida, the former Nanjing Minister of Personnel, was the imperial commissioner, he was dismissed for his improper handling of the Suzhou uprising.

At that time, he was not guilty and the punishment of dismissal from office was a bit too severe.

Now that four years have passed, we can be a little more lenient and demote Li Shida to the position of Dali Temple Minister."

Everyone looked at Lin Tailai again. He was the other party involved in Li Shida's dismissal from office.

However, Lin Tailai remained expressionless and said nothing.

Everyone thought secretly that it seemed that Lin Tailai really intended to remain silent today.

Wang Yongji then said as expected: "Qi Shichen, the Junior Minister of the Taichang Temple, is upright and does not follow others blindly. He can be promoted to the Minister of the Dali Temple."

Wang Tianguan was very efficient today and did not argue. "Li Shida and Qi Shichen should both be nominated in the court. Now nominate the Minister of the Imperial Household Department!"

Although the Minister of the Imperial Household was a second-tier official position, it was also a top-notch position among the second-tier positions and was worthy of discussion at the Ministry of Personnel.

This time, it was the Right Vice Minister Wang Yongji who spoke first: "Honglu Temple Minister He Yishang is old and virtuous, and has been upright all his life. He is very suitable to serve in the Imperial Household Department.

At the same time, it can be regarded as a reward, setting an example for the court and encouraging officials who are born as Juren. "

Everyone originally thought that Liu Yukui, the Left Vice Minister who had been nominated by the Qingliu faction, would not speak again this time.

After all, He Yishang was an old comrade-in-arms who had been imprisoned with Hai Rui. It was morally impossible for the Qingliu forces to deny people like Hai Rui and He Yishang.

But Liu Yukui still said: "Chen Younian, the governor of Jiangxi, is only a fourth-rank official now, which does not match his seniority. He can be promoted to the third-rank official of the Imperial Household Department."

Even Wang Tianguan, who has a good attitude, looked at you with a sidelong glance. You Qingliu forces are really too greedy.

After being beaten by the Prime Minister, is he planning to fight the Prime Minister to the end?
Finally, Wang Tianguan made a summary speech: "The nominations for the four principal positions are like this. After the captive offering ceremony, we will organize the nominations. The meeting is adjourned!" Others complained in their hearts that Wang Tianguan and Lin Kaogong had a highly consistent stance. Lin Kaogong did not speak, and Wang Tianguan followed suit.

This meeting of the Ministry of Personnel may have attracted the most attention, with almost all officials in the court paying attention.

After seeing the list of "Yang Junmin, Shi Xing, Zeng Tongheng, Zhou Cai, Li Shida, Qi Shichen, He Yishang, and Chen Younian", many people felt very strange.

Many people initially thought it was a fake list because most of the people on the list were either Lin Tailai’s old enemies or had recently offended Lin Tailai.

With Lin Tailai in the Ministry of Personnel, how could such a list be produced? Even if Lin Tailai was in a weak state, there was still Wang Tianguan.

After careful inquiries, they learned that Lin Tailai did not say a word from beginning to end during the meeting. The court officials all felt that this meeting was full of weirdness, but they could not tell why it was weird.

Earlier, it was Prime Minister Shen who got angry and attacked the Qingliu forces and Lin Tailai together.

Now, this list seems like a tacit understanding between Prime Minister Shen and the Qingliu forces to divide up the interests given up by the Lin Party after its strategic contraction.

Could it be that Lin Tailai’s foundation is weak and he can’t hold on any longer?
Anyway, those who were on the list felt hopeful but also uneasy.
Those who are not on the list are all looking forward to failing in the next court nomination so that they can start over.

When most of the court ministers were in a state of uncertainty, the ceremony of surrendering prisoners finally arrived.

This was a grand ceremony that took nearly a month to prepare, and the emperor attached great importance to it.

Although Emperor Wanli was obese and had difficulty walking, he basically gave up attending court.

But he was particularly enthusiastic about the prisoner presentation ceremony and attended it in person.

Perhaps deep down in Emperor Wanli's heart, he still had a certain desire for martial arts.

A few years ago, the young Wanli Emperor often ordered the eunuchs to wear armor and hold sharp weapons, and enthusiastically perform martial arts in the parade ground in the Western Garden, shaking the palace with noise, but he was persuaded to stop by the ministers.

On the day of the prisoner presentation ceremony, the weather was clear and the autumn air was crisp.

The ceremony was held at the Meridian Gate, so it is also called the Meridian Gate Prison Presentation.

Hundreds of musicians and dancers as well as hundreds of big generals who were responsible for setting the atmosphere and acting as background arrived at the scene in advance and waited quietly in fixed positions.

Civil and military officials dressed in formal attire walked into the venue in twos and threes, and lined up according to the rules of Eastern Civil and Western Military.

When Lin Tailai arrived, he was greeted with collective attention.

Everyone knows that this hero who won seven battles and was the first to break into the city is the protagonist of today's prisoner presentation ceremony.

Although Lin Jiuyuan has encountered great headwinds recently, his performance is not like that of a protagonist.

But at the prisoner presentation ceremony, no one could steal the limelight from the Nine Yuan True Immortal.

But that's it, all the credit will become a thing of the past, no one can rest on their laurels forever.

Lin Tailai was supposed to stand in front, waiting for the emperor to appear on the Five Phoenix Tower at the Meridian Gate, and then be responsible for reporting the victory to the emperor.

But Lin Tailai was no longer quiet at this time. He was moving around in the crowd, looking for his target with the eyes of an eagle.

Those who don’t know might think that Lin Tailai took on the job of the Censor of Rites.

Since the emperor stopped attending court, it was rare to have an occasion where all the main officials could be seen at once.

Lin Tailai passed the cabinet ministers and the chancellor and went straight to the row of vice ministers. He glanced back and forth between Shi Xing, the left vice minister of the Ministry of War, Li Chun, the right vice minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Zhong Zhengji, the right vice minister of the Ministry of Works.

Then Lin Tailai asked calmly: "Why did Shi Shao Sima, Li Shao Zong Bo, and Zhong Shao Sikong miss the literary conference a few days ago?

Shi Shao Sima, in particular, had been doing his best to organize the literary conference, but in the end he quietly retired after achieving his goal.

I was really embarrassed that they didn't even give me a chance to thank you."

Lin Tailai's tone was very serious, but everyone still thought it was sarcasm.

Shi Xing's expression was very unnatural, although his choice was not wrong, and it was not wrong in the eyes of most officials.

But it is indeed not justifiable morally. Even if he could become the Minister of Revenue, he would probably have another stain on his record.

Damn it, why did the literary conference have to be held a few days ago!

Why did so many storms happen in the court when the literary conference was held?
Otherwise, why would I be caught in a dilemma?

"Do you really want to be the Minister of Revenue?" Lin Tailai's tone suddenly became sharp.

Shi Xing had no choice but to answer: "I didn't mean to do that, but I have to listen to the emperor and the court."

Lin Tailai smiled and said, "Since we have gotten along well in the past, I am kindly warning you that it is not too late for you to resign now."

Shi Xing, feeling guilty, gritted his teeth and said, "Don't bother, Lord Jiuyuan."

This mentality is like that of a gambler who has placed a big bet. How can he possibly know how to stop?

Lin Tailai passed the position of the assistant minister and came to the position of the temple minister.

Lin Jiuyuan found Qi Shichen, the Junior Minister of the Imperial House of Rites and the Superintendent of the Four Barbarians Hall, and said, "You said you wasted several years, but I don't think it's true. Someone has nominated you for the Ministry of Personnel.

I won't waste any more time talking nonsense. Just resign. As for the post of Superintendent of the Four Barbarians' Hall, let me take over the post!"

Qi Shichen: “.”

Lin Jiuyuan turned around and saw He Yishang, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, and teased:

"Aren't you most worried about losing your reputation in your later years? Take my advice. It's still not too late to resign now."

Looking at Lin Tailai who was killing the enemies one by one according to the list, everyone thought that this was more like the Nine Yuan True Immortal in their understanding.

Arrogant, aggressive, simple and direct, and with a strong sense of output.

But why did Lin Tailai, who should have been weak, suddenly return to his true nature? What was his confidence?

Or did Lin Tailai want to cause trouble at the prisoner surrender ceremony?

But anyone with a little common sense can understand that causing trouble is absolutely stupid.

The emperor attached great importance to the ceremony of presenting prisoners. It can be said that the ceremony was held to satisfy the emperor's vanity.

Therefore, the emperor would not allow any accidents to happen at the ceremony, and would not allow anyone to ruin the mood.

If you, Lin Jiuyuan, regard the prisoner presentation ceremony as a stage for personal show, you are totally wrong.

When Lin Tailai was about to make a few speeches in public, Yu Shangshu from the Ministry of Rites waved his hand in front of him, signaling Lin Tailai to take his seat quickly.

Then the triumphant song was played and the ceremony began.

"The emperor uses powerful ministers, and the four barbarians all retreat and surrender. The generals take command and return to the temple. The king is mighty and gives him banners.

"In the autumn, he set out from Wuwei, and saw the victory letter flying seven times. The courtiers sang birthday songs to the ibis, and the generals accepted the grace and paid tribute to him."

(End of this chapter)