The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 632: Waiting is also a gamble

Household Department.

Ji Zhong, the Minister of Household Affairs, received the palace emissary, the eunuch Wei Bin, the eunuch Bingbi, and the cabinet representative Li Dongyang.

"The total amount is one hundred and seventy-six thousand, four hundred and twenty-six taels. Eunuch Wei, have you seen it? If there is no problem, the Ministry of Accounts will truthfully fill in the report in the report, and the accounts related to the river work will be settled here."

Ji Zhong looked very cautious.

Matters that both the Superintendent of Ceremonies and the Cabinet were concerned about were matters that the Emperor personally dealt with. As the Minister of Household Affairs, he must of course be cautious in handling such matters.

Wei Bin smiled and said: "The accounts are correct! Last year, Hegong transferred the money from the inner government. Now that the autumn grain has been put into the warehouse, it should be returned. Mr. Li Ge, is it okay?"

Li Dongyang looked gloomy.

Li Dongyang used the emperor's personal purse, but Li Dongyang actually didn't want to pay it back, especially since the money used was brought back by Zhang Zhou's ship sent overseas to plunder, and it was considered an "windfall." As a result, the emperor took all of this windfall for himself. Didn't you mention that if you take some of it and transfer it to the river worker, you actually want to ask for it back?

Did the emperor regard the court as his own?
Or do all emperors make such a clear distinction between public and private affairs?
Ji Zhongyuanzhang said: "The accounts were settled early in the morning. Your Majesty has reiterated it several times in court. Your Majesty has not been in court recently, but things should still be carried out according to precedent. After the beginning of spring, there may be some changes in the river construction of the Yellow River. Please take a look at the expenses, Eunuch Wei..."

Wei Bin looked unhappy and said: "If you have a river worker, do you need to find the inner government? The inner government has a lot of money recently, but the expenses of the inner government are not small. Just fighting in the northwest will cost a lot. This part of the advance payment Shouldn't we think carefully about it when we go back?"

"Haha, these are all public accounts, there is nothing to settle. Eunuch Wei, you must know that His Majesty has not mentioned this in advance, and I, the Minister of Household Affairs, cannot make decisions privately."

Of course Zhong Zhong knew that this account could not be settled.

If you count it all, the emperor and Zhang Zhou were basically responsible for the basic logistics supplies during the wars in the past few years. The money and food allocated by the court were not even as much as in previous years when there was no war.

To put it bluntly, the war between the nine sides in the past two years has been fought in the personal pockets of Zhu Youtang and Zhang Zhou. If you think about it, the little money and food from the Hubu Jingcang may not be enough to compensate.

"If there's nothing else, let's leave first. Minister Yi, I see that your place is quite quiet. The Chinese New Year is coming soon, so the year-end liquidation should be done well, and all the accounts that should not be brought to the next year should also be cleared. ...I heard that there are still accounts for Southern Shipbuilding that have not been finalized.”

"It's being tried. I guess... it won't take long for the matter to be settled."

Ji Zhong continued to push the blame.

It's said to be fast, but if big guys like Li Dongyang don't nod, the trial may take three to five to seven years, and then nothing will happen, and Zhang Zhou will have to spend money to build ships.

Do you want the court to pay for it? Beautiful thought!
……

……

Wei Bin came out of the Hubu Yamen, and Zhong Zhong wanted to see him off, but Li Dongyang deliberately stopped him.

Zhong Zhong understood that Li Dongyang had something to say to Wei Bin, so he had the sense not to disturb him.

Li Dongyang accompanied Wei Bin out of the door and suddenly asked: "Eunuch Wei, Xie Yuqiao was sent to prison before and came out without being interrogated. I heard that he has already submitted a petition to resign. Why hasn't it been approved yet? Could it be that... this matter is still unresolved. Is there room for change?”

Wei Bin smiled and said: "Mr. Li Ge is very anxious to ask Mr. Xie Ge to leave the court?"

Li Dongyang sighed: "Being a minister in the same palace has a sense of friendship after all. Yu Qiao has been working very hard in the past few years. I just want an answer to what he wants to do now."

"Not urgent."

Wei Bin put the list that Zhong Zhong had given him into his arms and said nonchalantly, "I'm not going to publish the memorial at the moment, and I'm not in a hurry."

Li Dongyang couldn't help but frown.

Now that the emperor has made it clear that he wants to drive Xie Qian out of the court, why is he still "reluctant to leave"?
Are you pretending until now just to show off the deep love between the king and his subjects?

It would be better to be straightforward and let Xie Qian leave the court, which would be more pleasant.

Wei Bin's face seemed to have some deep meaning, and he smiled and said: "There is still a result that has not reached the capital, so we have to wait for a few days. Maybe Mr. Xie Ge... still has room for maneuver? Haha, who can say for sure? "

"What's the result?"

Originally, Li Dongyang had no hope for Xie Qian to stay in the court, but after hearing Wei Bin's words, he became slightly excited.

After all, Cui Yuan and Zhu Feng have already won the battle. According to the current progress, Xie Qian cannot be retained.

Li Dongyang was thinking quickly, and he was also thinking that if the emperor was waiting for news about Cui Yuan and Zhu Feng's successful withdrawal of troops, that means... the emperor probably knew that it would not be easy for these two guys to lead troops back to the Ming Dynasty, or that their own side The losses were also huge, and it was likely that the merits outweighed the faults.

Probably only in this case can Mr. Xie Qiange retain his official position.

But what Wei Bin said was obviously not this. Wei Bin said: "Wait a little longer, it will probably happen in the past few days. Mr. Li Ge, there are some things we want to remind you... You must keep a low profile recently." , Don’t rush into anything.”

Li Dongyang continued to frown.

These words seemed to be a warning to himself, an unwarranted warning that made it difficult for him to speculate.

It seems that what you Wei Bin said is straightforward and good, but why does it sound like you are just talking nonsense?

……

……

Li Dongyang returned to the cabinet for duty and saw Liu Jian, but Cheng Minzheng was still missing.

Liu Jian immediately asked about Li Dongyang's meeting with Wei Bin, and Li Dongyang immediately informed him of their conversation.

Liu Jiandao: "Binzhi, what do you think?"

Li Dongyang said: "I thought about it all the way. Either Zhu Zhijie and Cui Maoren encountered some trouble on their way back to the army, or the soldiers were damaged too much in the ice and snow, or there were false reports of military exploits, etc. We need to investigate carefully. ”

"wrong."

Liu Jian shook his head and said, "You are too optimistic."

Li Dongyang sighed: "Other than that, I can't imagine what news His Majesty is still waiting for."

Liu Jian handed something to Li Dongyang. After Li Dongyang read it, he found that it was Zhang Maoshen's memorial to impeach Ma Yi, and his eyes suddenly showed a look of surprise.

Now that Zhang Mao was not thinking well, he took the initiative to join forces and wanted to use the power of civil servants to defeat Zhang Zhou and Wang Shouren. This was obviously a good thing.

If even Zhang Mao participated in the impeachment of Ma Yi, then it would be reasonable for Xie Qian to find someone to participate in the impeachment of Wang Shouren.

After all, even Zhang Mao, who was favored by Wang Shouren for deploying troops, didn't appreciate it. Even Zhang Mao felt that Wang Shouren had broken the rules. So what was Xie Qian's fault?

Liu Jiandao: "Have you not noticed that until now, there is no news about the six thousand knights sent by Ma Yi?"

"This……"

Li Dongyang's expression tightened.

Liu Jian sighed: "I was thinking before that such a war has ended, and when it's time to discuss merits and get rewards, even those who are at fault should be judged and punished! But Your Majesty is not in a hurry, it is very possible Still waiting for the outcome of this battle.”

Li Dongyang asked: "Even Wang Bo'an returned without success, and now we have to focus on Ma Yi, will it be..."

"Do you think he is not qualified?" Liu Jian asked. "Yes." Li Dongyang also nodded bluntly, "What kind of identity is Ma Yi? He is just a general from a military family. In terms of credit, he only achieved a little success along with Wang Boan, and he can't even balance the merits and demerits. For a person like this, What will happen if he leads the troops out of the border alone? Maybe the Tatars will not take the initiative to challenge him? "

Liu Jian looked up at the window and said quietly: "I thought so too before, but there are some things that are just a little unusual. Just like before the good news about Cui Yuan and Zhu Feng came, they also disappeared without anyone. Remember they are the same. And Binzhi, don’t you think that Bo’an’s entry into the grassland was too hasty this time, unlike his previous style?”

"Huh?" Li Dongyang thought deeply.

Liu Jiandao: "Eunuch Wei's sudden words make me wonder, maybe His Majesty has listened to some of Zhang Bingkuan's suggestions and may have to wait for the outcome of the war here."

Li Dongyang suddenly became nervous and said with a hint of panic: "Then if Ma Yi leads the troops to victory, the result will be different..."

He hasn't finished speaking yet, but he's already making it clear.

If Ma Yi wins the battle and Wang Shouren mobilizes Ma Yi to send troops, it will become a strategic arrangement. Then Xie Qian, who participated in the impeachment, will bear a huge responsibility, which cannot be solved by resigning and returning to his hometown. .

Liu Jian stared at the past and said: "There are disasters, but there are also opportunities, right? If Ma Yi's group of people broke off on the grassland, Yu Qiao would have reminded him in time, but someone with good intentions would have stopped him... Look at the British public's "What do you think?"

Li Dongyang picked up Zhang Maoshen impeachment's memorial again, but he didn't understand it for a while.

Liu Jiandao: "Zhang Tingmian can be considered an old fox. If he didn't know some inside information, he wouldn't have rashly come forward to participate in the impeachment."

Li Dongyang felt relieved a little and asked: "Zhongtang is saying that Zhang Tingmian learned that Ma Yi's leadership had gone awry, so he wanted to end the relationship as soon as possible?"

"Yeah." Liu Jian nodded, "Other than that, I can't think of a reason for him to do this. He is in Ningxia, and he is very close to Ma Yi and his group. It is not surprising that he learned the news a few days earlier. And reporting the outcome of the war has nothing to do with him. He wanted to distance himself from Ma Yi so early, and even entered into confrontation, or he knew that Ma Yi would lose this battle. "

Li Dongyang re-examined the memorial in front of him.

But he didn't seem as optimistic as Liu Jian.

Zhang Mao seems to be an old fox, but there are times when he is not smart enough to do things.

If Zhang Mao was really a smart fox, how could he be pressed so hard by Zhang Zhou when he was in control of the capital and finally reached the private plot of Zhang Mao's family? Now you can’t even protect the power of the admiral in the capital?
Li Dongyang has always looked down on Zhang Mao, but he just kept it nice for the sake of face.

Liu Jiandao: "Wait. As Eunuch Wei said, if you wait a few more days, I believe there will be results. Yu Qiao's last chance is here... There will be retreat as well as advancement. While waiting, it is also a gamble, and now it is also There is no better solution.”

……

……

At night, inside the theater.

The theater was not open to the public that day, and there were no opera singers on the stage, but it was still brightly lit. Zhang Zhou was meeting guests together that day, all of whom he had rarely met in the past.

For example...

Jiang Dezhong.

After Zhang Zhou returned to Beijing, Jiang Dezhong met with his son-in-law for the first time. He directly brought the account books for that year and told Zhang Zhou how much money he had earned and how much money he wanted to divide.

"I'm going back to Nanjing." Jiang Dezhong came to say goodbye to Zhang Zhou.

Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "What, do you want to go back to Nanjing to raise cattle?"

"what?"

Jiang Dezhong first thought this was some new opportunity to make a fortune, but then he realized that his son-in-law was making fun of him, and his face turned red instantly.

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "You should free up the mines in the north. If you keep occupying them, there will be trouble. Don't get involved in the trafficking and procurement matters of Beijing. In addition, you should not get involved in the procurement of shipbuilding in the south."

Jiang Dezhong was a little unhappy when he heard this and said: "If you don't even touch it, where will the money come from?"

"What do you want so much money for? What you should seek now is the advancement of the children of the clan, let them take the imperial examination, and let them contribute to the Tribute Academy." Zhang Zhou said.

"Yes, yes, yes, if they come out of Gongyuan, can they... be released from official positions?" Jiang Dezhong's eyes were bright again.

Zhang Zhou said: "It depends on their ability. Shipbuilding, mining, ports, border administration, whether it is Xishan, Datong, Yongping Prefecture, or Haining around the capital, they all need people to do the work. If they are really capable, I will arrange for them to go there."

"This... doesn't seem like being an official."

When Jiang Dezhong heard this, he seemed to be doing odd jobs, not like an official.

In the minds of traditional literati, only by being a serious official with a fixed rank can one serve the court and stand out.

Zhang Zhou didn't bother to explain to Jiang Dezhong this time.

"Master, the guests have arrived." Liu Gui's voice sounded from outside.

This also means that the meeting between Zhang Zhou and Jiang Dezhong is over. Jiang Dezhong did not get the resources he wanted in the limited time he could see Zhang Zhou.

"please!"

"Don't……"

Before Jiang Dezhong could object, the door opened and Liu Gui brought people in as if to chase away the guests.

And Zhang Zhou also left the door directly.

It's not good to chase people away, so just leave by yourself, or at worst, change to a private room to meet the guests.

If you, Jiang Dezhong, don't want to leave, you can stay. Anyway, if you stay as long as you want, no one will talk to you anymore.

……

……

The people Zhang Zhou wanted to meet this time were Ning Tong and Zhu Chen.

One is Zhu Feng's ex-wife, and the other is Zhu Feng's current wife. When they were waiting for Zhang Zhou, they didn't even know the identity of the other party, and it was hard to ask out of love.

When Zhang Zhou entered the private room, he also brought Chen's daughter with him. This girl was known to both Ning Tong and Zhu Chen.

"you……"

Ning Tong originally wanted to show off her status as the eldest lady, but she thought that with outsiders present, Zhang Zhou might not give her too much face.

Zhang Zhou first greeted Zhu Chen and said, "Mrs. Anbianhou, it's been a long time."

Ning Tong wanted to say, are you making fun of me?
When he discovered that Zhang Zhou was targeting the woman beside him, she suddenly realized that this was the real Mrs. Anbian Hou, and she was not at all.

Then Ning Tong turned pale for a moment and deliberately avoided Zhang Zhou's eyes, not even wanting to say hello to Zhang Zhou.

It seems that she is also trying to avoid others knowing who she is.

(End of this chapter)