The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chen Kuan and Wei Bin returned to the supervisor's room. Wei Bin couldn't help but stepped forward and asked in a low voice: "Who is this Li Shishi?"

Chen Kuan said: "Who is he? Do you need to ask our family? Just ask anyone about his origins and you will know."

"Alas!" Wei Bin sighed, "Then what is his background? Or what are his political achievements? How can he be so appreciated by His Majesty? He has no background and no backing... Your Majesty will promote him here, is it him? What kind of promise of service did you secretly give to Mr. Cai?"

Speaking of this, Wei Bin's eyes even glowed.

More than a year ago, Li Shishi was just a little-known local official, but he was repeatedly appreciated and promoted by the emperor without showing any prominence. This made Wei Bin puzzled.

Chen Kuan thought about it for a while and said with a thoughtful look on his face: "To be honest, our family didn't understand it either. Previously, when Yu Chao Shang seemed to be on the side of the old members of the cabinet, he seemed to be doing a disservice to others. The British prince was stranded in the northwest. Didn't it seem that he might have received secret instructions from some people? Now it's more like a reward for him."

Wei Bin said: "Then what is his background?"

Chen Kuandao: "What is certain is that he is not a member of Cai Guogong, and it seems that he was not promoted by His Majesty before. Before that, he was only close to Mr. Li Ge, and he was promoted by Mr. Li Ge. As for why he was able to gain such appreciation from His Majesty in such a short period of time, we don’t know.”

Wei Bin asked tentatively: "He has no background and no backing, but in just a few years, he jumped from the vassal to the minister... maybe half a step away, but you know the responsibilities of the admiral Yizhou Shanchang, But one of the positions that Your Majesty values ​​the most, previously only Tang Yin, who was confirmed to be from the same family as Cai Guogong, was eligible to take it, so can we too..."

"You mean..."

Chen Kuan looked over sideways, "Tread on him? Or give him a hand?"

Wei Bin said: "I'm afraid I can't step on someone that Your Majesty admires? If I try to pull him, I'm afraid that Li Shishi's attitude is unclear and he may not be sincere to me."

As soon as these words came out, Chen Kuan fell into thinking for a long time.

An official without a strong background does not seem to be perfect, and there are areas worth recruiting, but more importantly, he has the support of the officials in the DPRK. At present, the Chief of Ceremonies is weak, so he directly goes to the DPRK to win over the minister-level officials. Obviously not, so it would be better to start with these ministers or quasi-shangshu.

In the past, officials at the level of ministers and ministers were very certain in their political stances, and it was rare that Li Shishi's stance seemed to be wavering.

Wei Bin said again: "But as you said, Eunuch Chen, he is very close to Mr. Li Ge. I am afraid that he was arranged by His Majesty to balance the relationship between the two parties. Maybe he will not join anyone in order to have both sides."

Chen Kuan said with a cold face: "With the current situation in the court, the result of trying to get everyone to do what you want is to be a weakling, and you will not be able to please both. If there is no one who can help you when something goes wrong, how can you be qualified to gain a foothold in this court? Even if someone like Lin Shangshu from the Ministry of Rites obviously doesn’t help each other, isn’t he still relying on being Cai Guogong’s in-law?”

Wei Bin said: "With your Majesty's wishes, Ma Bu Tang from the Ministry of Personnel is about to come down. Who will pick him up?"

"do not know."

Chen Kuan replied somewhat impatiently, "It may be the person from the Ministry of War, or it may be the person from the Ministry of Rites. In any case, the appointment and dismissal assessment of officials in the world may have fallen into the hands of Cai Guogong. Can we, the internal officials, be able to do so in the future?" It’s harder to say both words than before!”

……

……

Liu Yu was transferred to the Yamen of the Ministry of Justice, but Xie Qian's case has not yet come to a conclusion.

Taking advantage of the convenience of going to the Ministry of Justice to inquire about Liu Yu's case, Li Dongyang also approached Li Shishi alone to inquire about the visit to Beizhen Fusi.

"Fortunately."

Li Shishi said, "This matter will not be delayed. It is estimated that it will be decided at the end of the year or the beginning of the year. Commander Mou also got some wind, saying that Lao Xie Ge will be exiled to Yongping Mansion, and it is not that he will reduce his position to serve the people. Or I will go over to deal with some local government affairs.”

Li Dongyang frowned and said, "Is what Mou Bin said credible?"

To Li Dongyang, Li Shishi's "gossip" was too much. Every time he talked to you, you brought up some hearsay. It sounded like that, but it didn't satisfy Li Dongyang.

As an assistant minister in the cabinet, what I want is solid information, not guesswork.

Li Shishi seemed to like to inquire about gossip and used it as the basis for his appointment in the court. He also said: "Commander Mou may be transferred to the army, and the errands of Jinyiwei may be handed over to people from Cai Guogong's faction. , or the commander of the second line of Weining Hou Mansion. If Commander Hui Mu is not sure, he will not spread rumors casually. "

Li Dongyang frowned.

I asked you if the last piece of gossip was reliable, and you came up with several more.

Li Shishi didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with this. He stood up and went to the case table, took out something and handed it to Li Dongyang and said: "The Ministry of Punishment has expressed its position and will support Brother Yu Qiao on this matter. If there is a chance, Yu Brother Qiao will definitely be treated well when he arrives at the Criminal Department, and he will never suffer the slightest hardship. If you, Mr. Ge, have anything to convey to Brother Yu Qiao, just say hello to me and I will find a way to pass it on. "

At this point, Li Shishi still seemed very loyal. He just patted his chest and told Li Dongyang, "If you have any trouble, come to me and I will definitely solve it for you."

Li Dongyang looked somewhat unkind and said coldly: "Did you know that you are about to be transferred from the Criminal Department?"

"What?" Li Shishi was somewhat surprised.

It was also gossip, but Li Shishi seemed to have never heard of anything that related to him, and he believed in this gossip and felt that Li Dongyang would not deceive him.

"I can't say who revealed it, but at least you won't be in charge of the Ministry of Justice for too long. I want to ask you, do you want to go to the important town of Jiubian to be the censor Zhongcheng, or stay in the capital and take care of things safely? Prison and other matters?" Li Dongyang seemed to be asking for Li Shishi's opinion.

Li Shishi asked: "Is this a choice?"

Li Dongyang said: "I hope you go to the northwest, the farther west the better. After a few years of experience, when you come back, you will be very different from today."

Li Shishi waved his hands hurriedly and said, "I am too old to do anything."

Obviously Li Shishi didn't want to go to the northwest to be governor. Even if he was offered the post of governor, he was not willing to go. After all, at this time, the governor of Ming Dynasty was not like the governor in the future. He had absolutely guaranteed power. If he became the governor now, It is more of a temporary official position. The post will be cancelled, and there may not be any actual vacant positions for him when he returns to the capital.

And Li Shishi didn't think that if he went to the northwest to be a governor, he would be promoted to minister when he came back.

Even if he wants to be a minister, he will probably be transferred to Nanjing.

Li Dongyang said: "If you don't want to go to the border town and still want to get promoted, Nanjing is a good place to go."

"Ok?"

Li Shishi didn't quite understand what Li Dongyang meant.

Li Dongyang's tone was still cold as he said: "There are ready-made opportunities, or there is still room for you to choose. After the New Year, after the transfer order is issued, there may be no choice."

Li Shishi's eyes seemed to be somewhat grateful, and he quickly raised his hands and said: "Thank you, Mr. Li Ge, for coming to tell me. If I had the choice, I would rather go to Nanjing, but... I haven't made any achievements in Beijing, and I can't be of any help. Really Yes...I am ashamed." Li Dongyang said: "Since you are interested, then I will help you. As for the matter of the Beijing Central Criminal Department, who will do anything different? Please wait for the joint report. You should also stay away from Yu Qiao's case. I have to ask again. During the transition period, there may be some turmoil in the palaces of the DPRK. Please remember that you can advance and retreat within certain limits. "

It's not very clear.

But Li Shishi understood as soon as he heard it. Li Dongyang was telling him that he must obey the command in everything he did, especially to stand on the right side.

The so-called "du" means obeying orders rather than making your own decisions. As long as you are willing to submit, you are on the side of the traditional civil servants, and the traditional civil servants will find ways to protect your career.

……

……

At Ma Wensheng's house.

An important guest came that night, the chief assistant Liu Jian. Liu Jian came as a private person, but actually came to talk to Ma Wensheng about his stay.

Rumors began to spread throughout the court that Ma Wensheng was going to serve as an official since the beginning of autumn, and by the end of the year it was almost certain that he was gone.

Ma Wensheng said: "I am old and frail, and my eyesight is dim. I have been imprisoned by ginseng for a long time. Why do I still linger on it? It's time for me to pack up my bones and choose a geomantic treasure land for myself."

"When?" Liu Jian asked.

Ma Wensheng glanced at Liu Jian, probably saying, when will I leave, why do you ask me? Don't you know better than me?

"It has probably been decided, or before the Lantern Festival, some people estimate that Zhang Bingkuan will return to Beijing by then, or make way for him." Ma Wensheng sighed.

"Ah."

Liu Jian just nodded.

There was no retention, advice, or words of comfort, which seemed to prove that Liu Jian learned the news earlier than Ma Wensheng.

Ma Wensheng said: "I have said hello before, asking the Ministry of Civil Affairs to recommend more senior and more stable veterans when hiring people in Nanjing, especially those who have not had any experience as officials in the towns and provinces in the northern border. It is best to recommend some Hanlin officials. A minister from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. I checked the details and gave him a list."

Liu Jiandao: "We don't want to involve people on the border. This is also to prevent these people from getting involved in the struggle between the old and new forces."

Ma Wensheng smiled and said: "You have to separate the factions so clearly? Forget it. I have handled cases, but there are a few people who are somewhat involved with Zhang Bingkuan, or they are also useful talents, but I don't know whether they should be promoted more. Also , it is related to the internal affairs of the Hanlin Academy, especially... the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Cabinet, I don’t know what to choose? "

This is to remind Liu Jian not to always think about placing so-called "own people" in outside positions.

There are also many officials in the current civil service system of the Cabinet, the Ministry of Rites, and the Hanlin Academy. When there is a big change, there will be very little room for the Ministry of Personnel to intervene. You have to think carefully about who will check and balance Zhang Zhou in the future.

Now that all these old guys are here, there is nothing they can do against Zhang Zhou. When all the old guys retreat, how can they challenge Zhang Zhou?
"Yu Qiao's future is unclear." Liu Jian said, "The cabinet may need to add more candidates. Your Majesty's choice must be Wang Jizhi or Zhang Bingkuan. In my opinion, Yang Jiefu and Liang Shuhou must be promoted. As for other people, it may be difficult to succeed."

"What about the others?" Ma Wensheng asked.

Liu Jiandao: "There are also people like Zhang Yuanzhen and Jiao Fang in the Ministry of Rites. There are quite a few people in the Imperial Academy who can be on the stage."

Ma Wensheng shook his head and said: "If they rely on them to contain Zhang Bingkuan, I'm afraid it will be in vain. Maybe it is just like when Li Yi gained power, he had to wait for him to make mistakes by himself. Alas, how is this possible? Your Majesty is now in his prime, and this faith I’m afraid it won’t fade for decades, and by then we’ll have already passed away. If we wait a few years, who will still remember us?”

Liu Jian looked very gloomy and said: "Since we know that Zhang Bingkuan may make trouble in the next few decades, we should try our best to block the escape route while we old bones are still strong, at least to prevent him from causing wanton troubles. . It’s you who want to retreat today, and we will be the ones retreating from now on. Are you determined to block the retreat?”

This is like reminding Ma Wensheng that it's time for you to show your loyalty and show your ability.

Don't always talk about abiding by the rules. The biggest rule now is to arrange the people we need into the right positions. In the future, this official department will probably be in Zhang Zhou's pocket. It will be difficult to arrange anyone into the right positions. .

And if someone from Zhang Zhou's faction is at the helm, then if others want to be promoted in the future, they will fawn over Zhang Zhou, and they will also unconsciously cater to Zhang Zhou in terms of political stance.

Today our traditional civil servants are still the mainstream in the imperial court.

Who will be the mainstream in the future is uncertain.

Ma Wensheng nodded and said: "We are making arrangements. This group of people may be able to catch up before the new year. After the new year, we will just leave it to fate."

Liu Jiandao: "Too pessimistic."

Ma Wensheng presented the last roster again and said: "From what I have observed, this is a place where the political performance is pretty good, and the available ones are at least from Jinshi background. Even if you can't be promoted this time, Mr. Liu Ge at least knows what to do. "

Ma Wensheng is not completely at the mercy of Liu Jian.

If I use the people you recommend, I should also pay attention to the people I admire.

Traditional civil servants seem to be a faction, but they still need to be distinguished internally. After Ma Wensheng retires, Nian Yi, the Xiang Party and the like who are close to him will also need strong backers.

This is called benefit exchange.

Liu Jiandao: "As long as you are devoted to the imperial court, you will naturally be able to use it in the future. As the new year is approaching, you must pay attention and hurry up."

When Liu Jian opened the roster, he saw that the person at the top of the list was Liu Daxia, the current governor of Xuanfu.

"Shi Yong?" Liu Jian would naturally question.

Because according to the recommendation to avoid officials with northwest resume, Liu Daxia did not meet the criteria.

Nominally, Liu Daxia was still a subordinate of Wang Shouren, the commander-in-chief of Xuanda. Even if he stayed out of the mire, he would have fallen into the mire of northwest military politics.

Ma Wensheng sighed: "In the future, the person who is determined to keep the court clean may be Shi Yong. I don't want to think about anyone else except Shi Yong. If it is really not needed, he should at least be promoted to a minister, or be sent to Nanjing in the future. go."

Ma Wensheng spoke sincerely.

Just say that the successor I am looking for is Liu Daxia.

Even if you don't plan to recommend him to be the Minister of the Ministry of Hubu or the Minister of War, don't treat him badly. Don't let me down to help you today. (End of chapter)