Daming talker

Chapter 667: Stable February and March
After hearing what Lin Tailai said, Shen Shixing didn't seem surprised. Perhaps he had begun to get used to this tone.

"I can't decide what Zhang Wei's plans are. Even if I want to help you, I'm powerless." Shen Shixing replied.

Lin Tailai was very surprised and asked, "Didn't you recommend Zhang Wei?"

If Shen Shixing had not recommended him twice in a row, Zhang Wei would still be squatting in his hometown.

Shen Shixing explained: "Although I recommended Zhang Wei, he really has no party to me and all his actions are still independent."

"Then why do you recommend Zhang Wei so strongly, senior?" Lin Tailai was even more puzzled.

Even though he was an "omniscient" time traveler, Mr. Lin really didn't understand why Shen Shixing recommended Zhang Wei. Even the butterfly effect couldn't interfere.

Shen Shixing looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar Changmen Gate in front of him and said leisurely: "Because the atmosphere in the poetry world has been weak in recent years, I have seen that only Zhang Wei is brave enough to take on responsibilities and dare to take on responsibilities, and it is definitely not for personal favors."

Mr. Lin was extremely surprised. "No way? Senior, are you still selfless?"

Shen Shixing: "."

There are other people around here, can't you, Lin Tailai, be more careful with your words?

On the other side, Zhu Geng just wanted to bury his head in the teacup and pretend that he heard nothing.

Perhaps because he was upset by what Lin Tai said, Shen Shixing also said in a somewhat intense tone:
"I think the cabinet must have strong personalities to support the cabinet's authority. Otherwise, the cabinet's power will be dispersed, and I don't want to see such a situation.

And Zhao Zhigao and his ilk are too weak! This is why I chose Zhang Wei, he can firmly maintain the cabinet power! "

It was rare to see Shen Shixing express his emotions so emotionally. Mr. Lin was stunned at first, then looked at Zhu Geng, the Lord Zhu, on the other side.

Then he added: "Zhao Zhigao and his ilk? It's not good to be so direct in front of others, right?
It seems that you really want to retire, and you are not pretending. You are starting to let yourself go when you speak."

Shen Shixing: "."

Zhu Ge Lao: “.”

What sin had I committed to deserve being involved in this conversation that neither side could afford to offend?

Anyway, Lin Tailai finally figured out why Shen Shixing recommended Zhang Wei - he had feelings for the cabinet and did not want to see the cabinet's power lost, so he recommended Zhang Wei, who had a strong personality, hoping to maintain the cabinet's centralization.

In the original history, it is true that after Shen Shixing, the cabinet began to go downhill rapidly under the impact of party struggles, and one crab was worse than the other.

"What do you think?" Shen Shixing asked again.

Lin Tailai answered without hesitation: "If I work in the outer court, I will hate the centralization of power in the cabinet! But if I join the cabinet, I will hate the outer court not being obedient!"

Then Lin Tailai turned to Zhu Geng and said, "Senior Shen can't help me, so I have to rely on myself.

You, Zhang Wei, and Li Chun are all from the same year, right? Who ranked the highest?"

Zhu Geng replied: "Li Chun is the first in the second class."

Lin Tailai asked again: "When the academy selected the scholars, who ranked the highest?"

Zhu Geng replied: "In that selection, Li Chun ranked fifth, the highest among the three of us."

Lin Tailai was a little helpless and asked again: "Who is the oldest?"

Zhu Geng replied: "Zhang Wei is fifty-nine years old, I am one year younger than Zhang Wei, and Li Chun is the youngest."

Mr. Lin's face suddenly turned bitter. "Your Excellency should seek help from someone else. I am powerless to help you."

The three of you are of the same year and entered the Hanlin Academy at the same time. If you want to choose one to be the deputy assistant, you can only compare other aspects.

The three things that officials compete for are seniority, whether they passed the imperial examination, their ranking, and their age. Zhu Geng has none of these! So what reason do you have to fight for the position of the second assistant?

Zhu Geng glanced at Shen Shixing, and simply let himself go, and said to Lin Tai: "You should not like to let Zhang Wei be the second assistant, right?

If Prime Minister Zhao makes a mistake or is attacked by censors and has to stay at home to avoid the spotlight, can you tolerate it if the person in charge of the cabinet is a dictatorial and strongman like Zhang Wei?"

So Mr. Lin fell into deep thought. This situation was quite annoying, so he had to find a way to help Zhu Geng.

Judging from historical experience, Zhu Geng and Zhao Zhigao have similar personalities and are much easier to control than Zhang Wei.

Shen Shixing wanted to say a few more words, but considering his retired status, he finally sighed and closed his mouth.

We took the boat into the city and then turned south along Wolong Street.

Shen Shixing looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar street scene and suddenly exclaimed, "It's already passed!"

The Shen Mansion is located roughly in the northeastern part of the city, but the boats are almost crossing the Yinma Bridge and are still heading south.

Lin Tailai said with great confidence: "No! We will hold a banquet at Canglang Pavilion today to welcome Senior Shen!"

Shen Shixing snorted coldly: "I haven't returned home yet!"

The attentive Mr. Lin replied, "It's okay. The family has been taken to Canglang Pavilion!"

Shen Shixing then deeply realized that this Suzhou City was no longer the Suzhou City he had been to before he went to Beijing for the imperial examination.

The changing flags on the city walls are truly the truth of all times.

The situation in the capital in February and March this year was generally calm, and it may be the most stable spring for the court in recent years.

There are probably three main reasons. The first is that there are many new people in the cabinet and they are all busy familiarizing themselves with the situation.

The second is that this year is a year of major examinations, with the provincial examination in February and the palace examination in March, and all aspects of the court have a consensus on the need for stability.

The third is that the Nine Yuan Immortals are not in the capital, and the court is missing half of the source of chaos. As for who the other half is, the ministers dare not say.

After finalizing the two tasks concerning Jiangnan’s taxes and grain and tracing back the officials responsible for enacting laws and regulations, another urgent issue was placed before the new cabinet team.

The examination will begin on the ninth day of February. Which minister will be the chief examiner?

In previous years, all the ministers would definitely want to go and would be happy to have two or three hundred disciples.

But given the situation this year, what those who have just taken office need most is to fight for and consolidate power, and no one wants to be the chief examiner.

He was already a newcomer, and then he was imprisoned in the Imperial Examination Hall for a month. When he came out, he couldn't even have a hot meal.

Zhang Wei and Li Chun in the cabinet unanimously proposed that the chief examiner should be rotated according to the ranking order of cabinet ministers, and Prime Minister Zhao happened to have never been the chief examiner, so he deserved it this time.

Zhao Zhigao was not stupid, and said angrily: "Are you serious? If I am locked up in the Imperial Examination Hall, is this appropriate?

By then, there will only be two of you newcomers in the cabinet who have only been in the cabinet for a few days. This is extremely irresponsible to the court! You haven't even mastered how to write a bill yet, right? "Zhang Wei and Li Chun looked at each other, and immediately recommended each other to send each other to the Imperial Academy first.

Among the two rivals vying for the position of Second Assistant Prime Minister, one is still on the way and the other has been locked up in the Imperial Court. Wouldn't I become the de facto Second Assistant Prime Minister this month?
It will be easier to "rectify the status" if you form the habit of facts first.

So Li Chun said, "Zhang Xinjian is old and virtuous, so he is suitable to be a role model for the candidates", and Zhang Wei said, "Li Fushun is well-educated and has excellent academic performance, so he is suitable to be a role model for the candidates."

In fact, the Prime Minister Zhao Zhigao didn't know who to suppress first. Zhang Wei had a strong style and attitude, and he also accepted part of Shen Shixing's inheritance, while Li Chun had the support of the Qingliu Party.

Finally, Zhao Zhigao slammed the table and said, "You two draw lots!"

As a result, Li Chun was punished by being the chief examiner. After reporting to the emperor, Li Chun was sent to the Imperial Examination Hall and locked up the next day, cursing.

After all, the exam would begin on February 9th, and it would be too late if the chief examiner did not go to the Imperial College. Fortunately, he was given one night to communicate with the outside world.

As we all know, after the Jiajing Dynasty, the imperial examination situation and the political situation were often closely related.

For example, in the last imperial examination, Xu Guo from Nanzhili was the chief examiner, and the first place in the examination was Lin Tailai, who was also from Nanzhili.

A huge butterfly effect has appeared in this time and space. The political situation is completely different from that of the 20th year of Wanli in original history, and the imperial examination has been affected accordingly.

The examination list was announced at the end of February. The first place winner was Han Yu from Puzhou, Shanxi. His father-in-law was the former Prime Minister Zhang Siwei.

Of course, Han Huiyuan's honor of getting the first place in the imperial examination had nothing to do with his late father-in-law Zhang Siwei, his brother-in-law Yang Junmin, his fellow provincial native Wang Jiaping and others, and even less to do with Li Chun, the chief examiner who recommended Wang Jiaping to join the cabinet.

In the palace examination in March, in the absence of the emperor, after fierce competition, the final rankings were announced.

The top scholar was Han Yu, the son-in-law of the former Prime Minister Zhang Siwei, the second place was Weng Zhengchun, and the third place was Gu Tianjun, the grandson of the former Prime Minister Gu Dingchen.

In addition, Gu Bingqian, a retainer of the Lin family and the "white-bearded prime minister" in history, finally passed the imperial examination after failing for more than ten years.

Gu Bingqian also risked his life this time. After accompanying Mr. Lin on his return home as a retainer last year, he almost never entered his home. In November, he immediately braved the cold winter weather to go north to take the exam.

Fortunately, hard work paid off and I finally passed the exam.

When the list of successful candidates in the Renchen Imperial Examination in the 20th year of Wanli's reign reached Suzhou, Mr. Lin was speechless.

The big hand messed up the chessboard randomly, and then he complained to Shen Shixing who was across the chessboard:

“I’ve said before that whenever I’m not in the capital, something goes wrong in the court, and you’re still not convinced, senior.

Look at this imperial examination, this guy named Han Yu actually won both the first place and the first place! It's really outrageous!
It is so rare for someone in my Ming Dynasty to win both the first place and the second place consecutively, how could it be possible that Han Yu just happened to be a coincidence?"

Shen Shixing: "."

Before you complain that it is outrageous that others won both the first place and the top place in the imperial examination, can you first think about why you are called the Nine Yuan True Immortal?

Mr. Lin said in a resounding voice: "I won the first place and the first place by my own ability! I have a clear conscience!"

Prime Minister Shen was actually unable to refute the word "depending on one's ability".

It is indeed all based on one's own abilities. The first place winner relies on the ability to play psychological games with the examiner Xu Guo, and the number one winner relies on the ability to deeply analyze other people's names.

Shen Shixing stared at the messed up chessboard again and said unhappily, "He's just a number one scholar, what impact can that have on you?
You can't be the first to win the title, so you can't stand others winning it too? Can't you just stand losing?"

Mr. Lin sighed, "Senior, you have retired and your sensitivity is gone.

Don't you realize that their Qingliu forces allowed Han Yu to win both the first place and the top place in the imperial examination, clearly in an attempt to deify him?
First, create a half-baked new god, and then you can boast about it and use it to compete with me, the Nine Yuan True Immortal, in terms of reputation. "

Shen Shixing said curiously, "You can always tell a person's position just by looking at their name. Do you really have some kind of physiognomy that can tell a person's position by looking at their name?"

"The secret of heaven cannot be leaked." said Mr. Lin.

In history, this Han Yu was a famous figure in the Donglin Party and had served as the Prime Minister.

This man was quite resilient. He lived until Li Zicheng captured his hometown of Puzhou. He was then forced to meet Li Zicheng and died of anger.

Then Mr. Lin said, "Let's not talk about him anymore. I'll talk about him after I return to Beijing."

Shen Shixing followed up the conversation and asked, "When will you return to Beijing?"

Lin Tailai said calmly: "It will be soon. Just wait for about four months, unless there is a major change in the court, such as the death of Wang Tianguan.

During this period, we need to properly arrange the preparations for sea trade, and the first batch of sea vessels will probably be tested in July or August."

Shen Shixing said with some envy: "As a court official, it is so rare to be able to rest in my hometown for half a year without mourning."

Mr. Lin laughed and said, "It is because I have made great contributions that it is difficult to reward me. How can the emperor be assured if I don't take a break?
Since there is no other suitable reward, let me give you more vacation time!"

After playing a draw with Shen Shixing, Lin Tailai felt that the time was right when he returned home, so he wrote a memorial in the name of the Communications Department of the Ministry of War.

"Japan has been in turmoil for a hundred years, but now it is almost unified. With 300,000 soldiers, it is difficult to reduce them, so it will definitely use foreign forces.

Therefore, the Japanese soldiers may take advantage of the east wind to cross the sea and invade Korea in April or May. Moreover, they are ambitious and greedy, and will try to use Korea as a springboard to attack the Ming Dynasty.

The Kingdom of Korea had not known how to fight for 200 years and was certainly unable to resist the Japanese army. The entire country fell in a short time.

If the Ming Dynasty takes into account the obligation of protecting its vassal state and the danger of one tooth being cut off from the other, it must rescue the Kingdom of Korea.

Now we can prepare early to avoid being caught off guard when something unexpected happens."

When this memorial was sent to the capital, it was considered incomprehensible and a bit sensational by most people.

Predicting "out of thin air" that a direction will be invaded by a powerful enemy, and then saying that preparations should be made early, this method looks like a scam no matter how you look at it.

It’s just that the swindlers are trying to cheat gold, silver and treasures, but this memorial is using “preparing for war” to cheat money, food and power?

Is it because Lin Tailai has been away from the court for several months and is afraid of being forgotten, so he is trying every means to make his presence felt?
The cabinet sent the memorial to the Ministry for discussion, and the Minister of War Ye Mengxiong replied: "First wait and see what happens, then send merchants to Japan to inquire. At the same time, accumulate food and grass in Liaodong."

However, Shi Xing, the left vice minister of the Ministry of War, who had been silent for half a year, made a separate memorial, accusing Lin Tailai of fabricating enemy forces out of greed for power and wealth.

Lu Guangzu, the Left Censor-in-Chief, who had just returned from "reflection behind closed doors" and was in urgent need of establishing his authority, impeached Lin Tailai for "having ulterior motives and plotting evil."

Lu Guangzu also mentioned an anecdote that before Zhao Kuangyin's Chenqiao mutiny, there was a false military intelligence of an enemy invasion.

Officials from the Ministry of Revenue, such as Yang Junmin and Sun Yu, submitted memorials one after another, stating that it had cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to pacify Ningxia last year, and that preparing for war this year would be a sheer waste of time and money and a drain on the national treasury.

Amidst the various discussions, Emperor Wanli was a little confused and consulted his Prime Minister Zhao Zhigao.

Prime Minister Zhao suggested that there was no need to make a decision hastily, but to keep the relevant memorials in the library and wait and see the results.

(End of this chapter)