The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

On the first day of the twelfth lunar month, the good news about Ma Yi and Zhang Rui finally reached Datong.

And two days later, the good news arrived in the capital. At this time, most people in the court had forgotten that Ma Yi was still there. It seemed that the war that winter had already followed Cui Yuan and Zhu Feng. It ended with a victorious battle in the north of Jizhou.

No one expected that not only would the war be a continuation of the war, but a big one would come, and the contribution would be several times greater than that of Zhu Feng and Cui Yuan.

When the news reached the capital, it happened to be noon.

Zhu Youtang was eating. He had a poor appetite. Although his condition had improved greatly after Zhang Zhou returned to Beijing, the weakness of his body and bones was still there. When Chen Kuan brought the good news to him, At that time, Zhu Youtang just nodded slightly after reading it, showing a slightly pleased look.

Chen Kuan didn't quite understand it.

Overjoyed and sad? Or...is this His Majesty now accustomed to good news?

"Tell Bingkuan the news." Zhu Youtang had originally planned to put down his chopsticks and take a nap, but after reading the good news, he picked up his chopsticks again and asked the maid on the side to serve him a bowl of rice.

My appetite seems to be much better.

Chen Kuan said: "Yes."

Chen Kuan was about to retreat.

Zhu Youtang nuzzled his mouth and said: "Bring the good news, otherwise what are you going to say? Let Bingkuan know that we have won. Just say that Bingkuan will not let me down, and the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty will not let me down... It is not bright in the east. It’s bright in the west, now everything is bright!
"Your Majesty, do you want to inform all the officials in the court about this news earlier?" Chen Kuan asked.

Zhu Youtang said: "Tell them what to do? Can they help or share my worries? Every time it is not enough to cause trouble! You have reminded me! Tell Jin Yiwei that Xie Qian can be restored Taken back!"

"Your Majesty..." Chen Kuan obviously did not want to follow this order.

That was the emperor's husband. The emperor's reputation was already not very good when he sent the teacher to prison before. If he moved Xie to prison again this time, I'm afraid something would happen.

Zhu Youtang said: "As a ruler, you cannot decide things based on closeness or distance. Everything must be done according to the law. Others say that I am biased towards Bingkuan, but in fact, I am just helping. If Bingkuan does the right thing, I will reward him! If others do the wrong thing, I must punish them! This is the most basic justice in the world."

"Yes."

Chen Kuan was worried.

Your Majesty, you speak so lightly. When you thought that this battle would be futile, you wanted to directly promote Cai Guogong to the position of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Why didn't you think about "justice"?
The one who is gaining power now is Cai Guogong. When he wants to suppress the old faction of civil servants, does it involve justice?

Zhu Youtang took another bite of vegetables and said leisurely: "Suddenly, I feel that it is not that important whether I went to the grassland with Bingkuan at the beginning of the year! It has only been more than a year, and the Tatars are already in the sunset. Maybe they don't need to If I go there myself, Tatar will be completely dead."

Chen Kuan said: "Your Majesty, it is not appropriate to take risks."

Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "As a king, if I have to ask others to stand up for everything, won't I be laughed at by others? Bingkuan is also a mastermind of the world. Everything in this world depends on him. It's under control. With such a conspirator here, what should I be afraid of? Go ahead! There's no need to disturb me! I can have a good sleep."

……

……

It’s time to take a nap, continue taking a nap.

Taking a nap with good news, it seems that Zhu Youtang can sleep more soundly during this nap.

Chen Kuan personally visited Zhang Zhou's house with Li Zhang, Mou Bin and others, which was considered a courtesy. What he wanted was the kind of respectful attitude toward Zhang Zhou, which made Zhang Zhou feel that the Chief of Ceremonies and the whole court system, He also obeyed his words.

A bunch of people came, just to send a good news.

After Zhang Zhou sent people away, it was time for him to inspect his property, but Jiang Pingyu prepared some ginseng tea for him to replenish his body.

"It's no use." Zhang Zhou said.

Jiang Pingyu asked: "Are all those people in the palace gone?"

Even Jiang Pingyu could tell that the people who came were not serious officials, and everyone spoke in such a distinctive tone.

Zhang Zhou said: "Let's go! I'm here to deliver a memorial. It's a memorial to the victory of the Northwest. I am the Minister of the Ministry of War. Your Majesty was afraid that I would find out late and delay some arrangements, so he asked them to deliver it to me in person. Don't I have underestimated the previous few people, they are all capable of making all the changes in the court."

Jiang Pingyu nodded and said, "Same, Master."

Zhang Zhou smiled.

Although Jiang Pingyu is now staying at home, she has heard many of her husband's heroic deeds, which also made her realize that the muddled young man in the family was just a facade. It turned out that the dragon was hiding in the abyss. This is Zhang Zhou's true state.

Zhang Zhou came home in a hurry, and without saying a few words to Jiang Pingyu, he took Wang Mingshan out again.

……

……

The good news reached the capital.

But it was only circulated within the palace. People in the court vaguely knew that something might have happened in the northwest, but they didn't even know the good or bad news. Many people were also asking for news that day, but found that no news was revealed.

"Not unusual."

When Li Dongyang was about to return home, he passed by the Ministry of Officials, but after seeing Ma Wensheng, the two went up to chat for a few words, and Ma Wensheng commented directly.

Li Dongyang was about to ask what happened outside the palace again. Someone from the Xie Mansion came here to pass the news. When he saw Li Dongyang, he felt as if he had found a savior and said: "Old Li, something serious has happened. Jin Yiwei has come to the house. My master ...Again...wuwu."

By the end of the sentence, people were so anxious that they were about to cry.

Ma Wensheng asked hurriedly: "Jin Yiwei? They are not..."

While speaking, Ma Wensheng also turned his attention to Li Dongyang.

Li Dongyang took a breath and said: "Brother Tu, you may not know about something. When did it happen? Talk to me while walking."

Ma Wensheng asked hurriedly: "Binzhi, where are you going?"

"Ministry of Punishment." Li Dongyang said, "Yu Qiao has been in imperial prison once. If he goes to jail again, the Ministry of Punishment will have to come forward to inquire about the case! If the courtiers are kept in the dark about everything, then where is the court's law?"

"Actually, it's not necessary..."

Ma Wensheng wanted to give him a few words of advice.

But he found that Li Dongyang's steps were very long, and it was obvious that Li Dongyang did not intend to listen to his opinion.

Ma Wensheng couldn't help but sigh.

He also seemed to understand very well that as a veteran who was about to retire and a defeated general who had repeatedly defeated Zhang Zhou, what qualifications did he have to gain Li Dongyang's approval?
On the contrary, his compromises on some things in the past two years have made traditional civil servants overwhelmed in front of Zhang Zhou. This seems to be destined that he can only be a troublemaker in the court. When the time is right, , neither the emperor nor the traditional civil servants would protect him.

……

……

In Fusi, Beizhen. Xie Qian looked proud and proud as he was escorted to the court. He seemed to have expected that this might happen. After all, he was the second person to enter the palace. He was not worried. He just sat behind the desk in the court. Guo Ang said: "Your Excellency, what do you want me to do? Give me a good time."

Guo Ang said: "Don't you ask Mr. Xie Ge why you are here today?"

Xie Qian shook his head, closed his eyes again and said: "If you want to accuse him, there is no need to ask what happened. If Zhang Bingkuan is here, let him come out together. I would like to ask him for advice in person."

"Why did Cai Guogong come to my Jinyi Wei Gong's house? Mr. Xie Ge, please be patient. Someone from Dali Temple may come tonight, and someone will tell you about your case... Come, please send Mr. Xie Ge to him. 's residence."

Guo Ang also seemed very polite.

Last time I brought Xie Qian here, there was no use of punishment, and it still won't happen this time.

This time, just convict Xie Qian directly. Previously, it was decided to let Xie Qian return to his hometown. Now that there is good news in the northwest, Xie Qian will basically be released from exile as a guilty person, or he will be allowed to return to his hometown... It's all possible, and Jin Yiwei doesn't need to check.

This matter is also very simple for Jin Yiwei.

The facts of the case... don't matter.

It's all on the surface, and Xie Qian has never denied that he went to an official to impeach Wang Shouren. The matter of Xie Qian obstructing the Ministry of Revenue from allocating money and food to the northwest is also well-founded. It depends on what the emperor wants to do. punish.

When Xie Qian came back this time, at most he only changed his charges, from innocent to guilty, but it was still not the Jin Yiwei group who could decide Xie Qian's fate... After all, Xie Qian's official position was still too high. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the Jin Yiwei had not yet He had such great power to directly investigate Xie Qian for dereliction of duty and other crimes, so he just had to wait for the case to be finalized.

……

……

It was almost dark before Mou Bin returned to Beizhen Fusi from outside.

Guo Ang hurried over to ask for instructions.

Mou Bin said: "Has Dali Temple sent someone here?"

Guo Ang was startled and asked: "Didn't you say that we have to wait until later? I have never sent anyone to Dali Temple. I thought His Majesty would convey the decree."

Mou Bin rolled his sleeves and said: "What purpose does this have? You and I both know it well! That Xie Butang will not get good results this time! What he offended is not ordinary people."

Guo Ang said: "Yes. He has offended Cai Guogong, but there is no good fruit to be gained."

"You are wrong!" Mou Bin said, "It is Your Majesty who offended him, and it was Your Majesty who wanted to convict him. It was never Cai Guogong, and even Cai Guogong didn't bother to pay attention to his affairs. It's just that some people haven't realized it yet, and they always thought that what they did was wrong. Those who benefit the country and the people have never thought that his actions are causing trouble for the Ming Dynasty! If such a person is allowed to be in power, there will be more and more troubles in the future. "

"Trouble?" Guo Ang didn't seem to understand.

"Humph, he impeached Uncle Xin Xin for deploying troops to the British government, but it was this deployment of troops that led to this great victory. He impeached Duke Cai Guo for his nepotism, but he never thought that the people Cai Guo Gong used were different every time, and they were not the same. There is no distinction between closeness and distance... This kind of person is nominally trying to maintain court discipline, but judging from the results, he is fighting against dissent within the party! Your Majesty wants to convict him not because he cannot do things, but because he has no tolerance for others. amount.”

Mou Bin analyzed it for a while, and without waiting for Guo Ang to reply, he raised his hand and said: "Send the person to the sky prison."

Guo Ang asked: "Didn't I say before that we should be kind to you?"

"That was before!"

Mou Bin said, "It's different this time. He is a guilty person, so why should we support him? In a few days, probably years ago, his case will be settled! In addition to him, some people in the court , will also follow... Our Yamenmen will be busy before the end of the year. "

"busy……"

Guo Ang smiled.

Once Jin Yiwei gets busy, he will be in trouble, others will be afraid of Jin Yiwei, and Jin Yiwei will have more say in the court.

For Jin Yiwei, the busier the better.

"Don't think that this time I am trying to make trouble for you. On the contrary, if you are not careful, you will also be involved! Ma Yi... is just a general soldier under Uncle Xin Xin, but he can actually lead troops to raid the grassland... It’s really strange! Who would dare to believe this?”

Mou Bin was also amazed and walked towards the inner hall.

Guo Ang said: "Earlier Jianchang Bo sent someone..."

"Don't pay attention to Jianchang Bo. From now on, except when Cai Guogong comes with orders, just pretend that you don't hear what others say!" Mou Bin said.

"Yes Yes."

Mou Bin wiped away a cold sweat.

Before the rise of Zhang Zhou, the powerful officials that Jin Yiwei was most afraid of were the Zhang brothers, because they were two people that Jin Yiwei could not afford to offend.

Now, it seems that he still can't afford to offend him, but now he can ignore it. From now on, he can just follow Zhang Zhou's orders and be Zhang Zhou's lackey.

……

……

Li Dongyang walked from the Ministry of Personnel to the Ministry of Punishment, and then to Dali Temple. In the end, he had no choice but to turn back and go to Liu Jian's house.

And Liu Jian had just returned home.

"I heard about it."

Liu Jian asked his servants to prepare face wash. It was warm and still steaming, but his tone seemed very calm, "Maybe there is good news coming back from the northwest, and Yu Qiao's situation is worrying."

Li Dongyang said: "Good news from the northwest? British Duke?"

Liu Jiandao: "I don't know yet. After you left, I heard that His Majesty sent several memorials back and mentioned the details of Xin Xinbo's intention to drive the main force of the Tatar tribe to the west. Ma Yi also had a purpose in leading his troops to the west. and planned.”

"Hiding others' eyes and ears?" Li Dongyang looked unbelievable.

"Maybe." Liu Jian wiped his face and put the cloth aside, and someone immediately took it away.

When the two arrived at the main hall, Liu Jian took something out of his arms and gave it to Li Dongyang. Li Dongyang was even more unbelievable after reading it.

"This is the list of people who will join the cabinet that I have drawn up. After Yu Qiao retires, the cabinet will definitely need new people to come in. If it is according to His Majesty's wishes, the next people who will join the cabinet will definitely be people who have a close relationship with Zhang Bingkuan. , the only choice is to take action first," Liu Jian said calmly.

Li Dongyang felt very uncomfortable after hearing this.

Xie Qian had just been in trouble here. He had just dug a hole and stuffed people into it. He hadn't buried the soil yet. Liu Jian seemed to be unable to bear the urge to shovel the soil down first.

It's a bit like adding insult to injury.

Liu Jian also seemed to understand Li Dongyang's thoughts and said: "A small impatience will mess up a big plan. For the current plan, it is better to adopt the attitude of cutting off seats with Yu Qiao. Only in this way, your Majesty may be given a lighter sentence. I will wait for you." The more you care about it, the more your Majesty will insist on heavy punishment, I am afraid that when the time comes..."

Li Dongyang looked very sad and said: "Is it possible that another life will be lost?"

Liu Jian sighed: "In this place, if you are destined to go in, you may not be able to come out. Even if you are dead, who knows why? We are protecting Yu Qiao's life in disguise!" (End of Chapter)