Daming talker

Chapter 632: The Man with Destiny

Shen Shixing did not want to discuss the promotion of poets with Lin Tailai, as this would make him feel that his dignity as the Grand Secretary and Prime Minister of the Cabinet was offended.

Therefore, Shen Shixing avoided talking about the selection of poets and instead changed the subject:
"I just heard you say that the Ministry of Personnel is planning to nominate the Minister of Works, Ye Mengxiong, to be the Minister of War?"

Lin Tailai was surprised: "No way? Didn't you just hear the news from me, old senior?

Logically speaking, the old man should be able to know the content of the Ministry of Personnel's meeting before sunset. Could it be that the cabinet is so closed-minded now?"

Shen Shixing looked up at the wall, on which were hung two large characters: "Control Anger", and then he said to Lin Tai:

"Don't interrupt me, I just want to discuss a few things with you in private.

It's fine if Ye Mengxiong goes to the Ministry of War, I have no objection. But why let Hanlin Academy President Chen Yubi go to the Ministry of Works?"

Lin Tailai asked back: "What do you mean, senior?"

"There are many people who are qualified to be the Minister of Works, but your Ministry of Personnel chose to nominate a Hanlin scholar. Doesn't this make it seem like there is no one in the court?

For example, Zhou Cai, who previously held the title of Minister of the Ministry of Processing and was in charge of the construction of the Governor's Palace, is also a good fit."

Lin Tailai also avoided the topic and only said: "The Ministry of Personnel has already reached a conclusion. There is no need to say more."

I just don't want to listen to your nagging, Prime Minister, so I hurried back to the Ministry of Personnel today to attend the meeting first to avoid being disturbed.

Now that the nomination results are out, I don’t want to listen to the Prime Minister’s nagging anymore.

Prime Minister Shen looked at Lin Tailai as if he was looking at an old-fashioned official from the Ministry of Personnel who was deliberately opposing the cabinet.

After a moment, Prime Minister Shen spoke again, "You have the final say on the nominations of the two ministers. Are you really so unwilling to give me face?"

Lin Tailai replied without a single mistake: "You are wrong, old man!

The nominations are not decided by me, but the most suitable candidates are recommended based on the actual situation. I hope the seniors will support me."

Shen Shoufu suddenly agreed and said, "Since you are so reasonable, then I will grant your wish."

Lin Tailai was a little surprised. Why did Prime Minister Shen give in so readily? He had originally expected that the fight would last for seven or eight rounds.

So Lin Tailai asked tentatively: "Then let's talk about the president of the Hanlin Academy?"

If Chen Yubei passed the imperial recommendation and went to work in the Ministry of Works, the position of President of the Hanlin Academy would be vacant, which is also a very critical position.

Prime Minister Shen pretended to be angry and slammed the table and scolded: "Don't push your luck!"

I have already given you, Lin Tailai, the position of Shangshu, and you still want to interfere in the selection of the president of the academy?

As expected! Lin Tailai realized that he had guessed correctly, and said with a smile:

"Why are you so sensitive, old man? The promotion of officials is decided by your cabinet, so what can I influence?
It's okay to talk a little bit first. I can also help you to make some suggestions. So who is your favorite candidate?"

Shen Shixing still insisted on his principle and said, "It has nothing to do with you."

"Forget it then." Lin Tailai stood up and said goodbye. "Since the old senior doesn't want to talk more, I won't force you. Let's say goodbye tonight. This can be regarded as an early farewell before returning home."

This time it was Shen Shixing's turn to be confused. Wasn't Lin Tailai a little too straightforward? Was Lin Tailai still Lin Tailai if he didn't cling to him?

Although he knew that Lin Tailai might be trying to pull him, Prime Minister Shen couldn't help but ask, "Are you leaving now?"

Lin Tailai replied, "I will be very busy these two days. In addition to preparing to leave Beijing, I also have to visit the old men in the court and collect some black materials from previous years for future use. Therefore, I may not have the leisure time to say goodbye to the old senior."

Prime Minister Shen asked inexplicably: "Whose dirty material is this?"

Lin Tailai answered very frankly: "The dirty information about Zhang Wei, the former Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and the instructor of the Imperial Academy."

Shit! Prime Minister Shen stood up suddenly, his originally amiable demeanor becoming a little distorted.

Even with Prime Minister Shen's character, his heart was already in turmoil at this moment!

"How did you think of Zhang Wei?" Prime Minister Shen asked without thinking.

It’s not that the Prime Minister couldn’t keep secrets, but that Lin Tailai’s performance was too shocking.

You have to know that this man named Zhang Wei has been resting at home for several years. He was not a particularly famous person before. Lin Tailai had never seen or known him.

At this time, Lin Tailai did not leave, but sat down again and said in surprise:

"Is Zhang Wei really the candidate that the senior likes? I just made a random guess, but I guessed it right?"

Shen Shixing: "."

I lost the tug of war tonight, completely. How can I win when Lin Tailai has figured out all my secrets?
In the court, there were not many people who were qualified to have in-depth conversations and exchange views frankly with Lin Tailai. Prime Minister Shen was one of them, and he did so many times.

So Prime Minister Shen had noticed it a long time ago, and Lin Tailai's knowledge was simply amazing.

From palace secrets from a hundred or eighty years ago to anecdotes of various contemporary celebrities, Lin Tailai's knowledge is astonishingly profound.

Prime Minister Shen has always believed that it might be that an old man who was knowledgeable and had transcended the times had passed on this knowledge to Lin Tailai, or that a senior eunuch in the palace had leaked the secret to Lin Tailai.

But Prime Minister Shen still didn't expect that Lin Tailai could guess what he was thinking without any reason!
You have to know that I have never mentioned to anyone the idea of ​​recommending Zhang Wei for the position. This secret is only known to me.

Moreover, Zhang Wei is not currently in the court and has no apparent relationship with him, so it is generally unheard of that he would nominate Zhang Wei.

So how did Lin Tailai guess it? It was so incredible that it seemed like he could read minds.

Shen Shixing calmed down and asked in a deep voice, "Why do you think I want to recommend Zhang Wei to come back and take charge of the Imperial Academy? In other words, why should I recommend Zhang Wei?"

Lin Tailai looked bewildered. "I don't know the reason either. I just made a random guess."

In the original history, in the 19th year of Wanli, the first minister Shen Shixing and the second minister Xu Guo both resigned due to the leak of secret memorials.

Then, without the court's recommendation, Shen Shixing directly recommended Zhao Zhigao and Zhang Wei to the emperor to fill the positions in the cabinet.

Based on this historical information, Lin Tailai could boldly guess that Shen Shixing had already taken a fancy to Zhang Wei and would definitely recommend Zhang Wei for the position if given the chance.

In this time and space, having lost Zhao Zhigao, Zhang Wei is probably the "only one" for Shen Shixing.

As for Shen Shixing's motive for recommending Zhang Wei, how could Lin Tailai know?

Those historical materials do not clearly describe the psychological activities of Prime Minister Shen. On the surface, Shen Shixing and Zhang Wei do not seem to have any special relationship.

Prime Minister Shen stared at Lin Tailai, whose face was full of confusion, and he still couldn't figure it out. Could it be that Lin Tailai was one of those people in history books who seemed to have a "fate"? Even if he was just making random guesses out of nothing, could he have guessed someone else's intentions?
Seeing that Prime Minister Shen remained silent for a long time, Lin Tailai asked eagerly, "Senior, can you explain why you recommended Zhang Wei?"

Shen Shixing: "."

Do you, Lin Tailai, have any sense of boundaries? Why do you even ask questions like this that try to pry into other people's mental activities?
After hesitating for a while, Prime Minister Shen finally gave a detailed answer. After all, no matter what, Zhang Wei could not avoid Lin Tailai in Ci Lin.

“There are two reasons. The first is that in recent years, due to the deliberate promotion of certain people, the factional struggles in the court have become increasingly fierce, and the emperor has many doubts about the factions in the court.

Therefore, appointing ministers like Zhang Wei who have been away from the court for a long time can more easily cater to the emperor's psychology and gain his support.

Second, after Zhang Jiangling, most of the people in the cabinet were restrained and dared not take on responsibilities.

Zhang Wei is a man of strong character and courageous in taking on responsibilities. The future cabinet needs people like him to take on important responsibilities."

Lin Tailai's curiosity and thirst for knowledge were satisfied, and he suddenly realized and said, "So that's it!"

Now Lin Tailai roughly understood Prime Minister Shen's thinking. He estimated that the Prime Minister wanted to restore Zhang first, and at the same time expected the Minister of Rites Luo Wanhua to die in the great catastrophe of the country during the winter solstice this year.

Then Zhang Wei replaced him as the Minister of Rites. After that, if any cabinet ministers, including the chief minister, passed away, Zhang Wei would continue to be nominated to replace him.

From this, we can see that Prime Minister Shen also foresaw the cruelty of the national catastrophe and made advance arrangements for it.

Finally, Lin Tailai promised: "If the seniors recommend Zhang Wei to be reinstated, I will never stop him!"

In exchange for Prime Minister Shen not causing trouble, the recommendation for the Minister of War would be more easily passed.

After the conversation, it was late at night and everyone was asleep, so Lin Tailai stood up again and said goodbye.

Before leaving, Shen Shixing asked, "What do you think will happen in the battle for the national foundation with the winter solstice as the node this year?"

Lin Tailai replied: "The emperor is losing patience and may directly force the ministers of the cabinet and the Ministry of Rites to express their views."

Shen Shixing asked again: "Is there any way to deal with it?"

After a moment of silence, Lin Tailai replied, "There is no solution."

Shen Shixing suddenly began to envy Lin Tailai, who was really too transcendent.

Five years ago, that is, in the 14th year of Wanli, when the dispute over the national foundation had not yet begun, Lin Tailai began to tirelessly make enemies with the Zheng family, and he had a lot of new and old grudges.

He even attracted Concubine Zheng to order the eunuchs to attack him, and was publicly scolded as "evil" by the third prince. This is what led to Lin Tailai's current transcendence.

Who could have imagined the situation today when Lin Tailai and the Zheng family were fighting five years ago? Could this also be destiny?
After seeing Lin Tailai off, Prime Minister Shen said to his eldest son Shen Yongmao with emotion: "Lin Jiuyuan seems to have a destiny."

Uncle Shen yawned lazily and said nonchalantly, "Father, you just found out? I saw it a long time ago."

For a period of time thereafter, the imperial court experienced another round of personnel reshuffle.

The Minister of War has been replaced! The Minister of Works has been replaced! The Right Vice Minister of Rites and President of the Hanlin Academy has been replaced!
Even the most dull-witted person would feel that the current situation of the imperial court was too unstable, as if it was about to collapse at any time.

From the 14th year of Wanli to the 18th year of Wanli, the court remained stable for several years, and the occasional replacement of a minister in a ministry or agency could not be considered a shock.

However, from last year to this year, in just over a year, all the seven ministers of the imperial court were replaced!

The Minister of Personnel was replaced by Wang Shizhen from Yang Wei, the Minister of Revenue was replaced by Yu Shenxing from Wang Zhiyuan, the Minister of Rites was replaced by Luo Wanhua from Yu Shenxing, the Minister of War was replaced by Ye Mengxiong from Wang Yi'e, the Minister of Punishments was replaced by Lu Guangzu from Sun Piyang, the Minister of Works was replaced by Song Xun from Chen Yubei, and the Left Censor-in-Chief was replaced by Lu Guangzu from Wu Shilai.

The head of the Hanlin Academy was replaced by Zhang Wei from Chen Yubei, and the chief minister of the Dali Temple was replaced by Zhou Ji from Zhou Cai.

The scale and intensity of such personnel changes is unprecedented, even when Zhang Juzheng was being liquidated.

But has the court stabilized? This winter, another great disaster is about to come, casting a shadow over the hearts of the court officials.

But all this has no direct relationship with Lin Tailai for the time being. He has already left the capital on a home visit leave and embarked on the journey back home.

Because he was worried about the canal freezing, Lin Tailai chose to travel by land this time. He took great pains to quickly pass through Northern Zhili near the capital and entered Henan.

This was probably because Northern Zhili was too close to the capital and was directly under the jurisdiction of the capital, so it was unable to fully develop its power.

Taking advantage of his position, Lin Tailai compiled a list of officials of rank four and above from various places along the way for reference.

The retainer Gu Bingqian also carefully looked through the rosters over and over again to help the owner find out the omissions and fill in the gaps.

When staying at Weihui that night, Gu Bingqian asked, "Who does the host want to see first?"

The journey was boring, so Lin Tailai tested Gu Bingqian by asking, "What's the situation in Henan? Who do you think we should see first?"

Although Gu Bingqian was known in history as the "Prime Minister with a White Beard", he was still the Prime Minister after all, and his basic skills in officialdom were still very good.

Hearing this, he replied: "Governor Zhou Shixuan had been at home for 17 years, and was reappointed as a secretary in the 12th year of Wanli, which was also the first year of Prime Minister Shen's full rule.

It took Zhou Shixuan only four years to become the governor of Henan. Judging from various signs, this person is definitely a member of Prime Minister Shen's party, otherwise he would not have been promoted so quickly. "

Lin Tailai said without any interest: "You can neither hit him nor take him back. This person is not interesting at all."

Gu Bingqian continued, "Zou Xuezhu, the Henan Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, is from Yuyao. The most important thing is that his wife's surname is Chen, so she should belong to the Qingliu faction."

Lin Tailai also agreed and said: "This man is not only from the same hometown as the Qingliu general and the original Wenxuanlang Chen Younian, but his wife actually has the same surname as Chen Younian.

How could there be such a coincidence? This person is probably a member of the Qingliu Party, a relative of Chen Younian. Let's see if there is a chance to deal with him."

Gu Bingqian responded: "As the saying goes, a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake. It is not easy to control the provincial governor, unless you can find someone from your own local area to help you."

Lin Tai said: "Isn't the purpose of my taking more detours to expand my influence and recruit people?

How can we find and develop our own people if we don’t stir up disputes and conflicts? As the saying goes, strong winds reveal strong grass, and fierce fires reveal true gold! "

Gu Bingqian: “.”

The master's realm is truly beyond reach.

Then Lin Tailai sighed, "I feel my foundation is getting weaker and weaker. If you randomly go through any province, you'll find that the governor is the Prime Minister's man, and the provincial governor is the man of the Qingliu faction!

But I have to try every possible way to recruit people, but I am not sure whether I can recruit people or not. "

Gu Bingqian consoled him by saying, "Whether it is Prime Minister Shin or the Qingliu faction, they have both been developing for about ten years.

After all, you have only been in the court for two years, so don't be too anxious."

(End of this chapter)