The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chen Kuan spoke calmly. Although his heart was leaning towards the civil servants, he had to keep in step with the emperor on major issues of right and wrong.

In addition, what he said, and how he dealt with Xie Qian, sounded condescending and inhumane to Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and others.

"Isn't it too hasty to convict the cabinet bachelor based on the above documents and the two memorials from the Yanwu Hall about Tingju?" Li Dongyang argued, "Shouldn't we wait until the next year? Let’s discuss it again, argue with the superiors, and give Xie Qian some opportunities to defend himself?”

Chen Kuan smiled and waved his hand and said: "Mr. Li Ge, our family understands what you mean, and I believe His Majesty also understands. Even if you are unwilling to do so, don't you think that this is the best ending in front of you? Do you have to? If the fuss continues, I'm afraid it will be... ugh!"

I'm not even embarrassed to say that you are making such a fuss today. It seems that you are fighting for Xie Qian, but it is closer to putting Xie Qian on the fire.

The final result was that, instead of pulling Zhang Zhou down, you would have trapped yourselves in it, and by the way, Xie Qian would have been tortured to death.

"That's all." Chen Kuan saw that Li Dongyang and Liu Jian didn't want to answer him, so he politely said, "Today is a day when everything is peaceful. I hope you don't cause anything bad. , after all, there is harmony between the government and the public. Sometimes... our family really hopes that it would be good if things were the same as before. But even then, the situation will change, people's hearts will change, and His Majesty's expectations for the future of Ming Dynasty will also change. The courtiers should be able to change according to the opportunity, so why should they stick to their laurels?"

Liu Jiandao: "According to Eunuch Chen, the Ming Dynasty was incomplete in the past?"

"Our family has no such intention." Chen Kuan also felt a little ashamed.

I remind you tactfully that you should act according to the situation and build a good relationship with the emperor first. Why can't you listen?

Are you going to hold on to my last sentence and question whether I am against you?

But on the contrary, my position is similar or even the same as yours.

Probably... I am not a comrade in your eyes, so you just don't believe me.

……

……

Chen Kuan would not argue too much with Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and others. Before he left, he politely went over to say hello to a few people, and officials from the DPRK and the Central Committee also went to salute and greet him.

After Chen Kuan left, people at the scene also began to leave in scattered pieces. Some people came to give Liu Jian a final speech before leaving. They were probably waiting for Liu Jian to persuade them to stay. If Liu Jianfei said that he would stick to it today , the people who came were probably ready to advance and retreat together with Liu Jian.

But Liu Jian saw this posture and knew that he could not continue today.

"Didn't you say there was a banquet?" Lin Han came over with a smile and said, "It's rare to come here today, so you shouldn't leave in a hurry."

When Liu Jian heard these words, he would feel a little harsh.

Cheng Minzheng came over and said: "Lin Butang, you don't really think that this palace banquet is so easy to eat, do you? With the etiquette in place, there is probably no way out in the next step. Sometimes you should just accept it as soon as you can. Everyone, What do you think?"

Just say that the emperor is doing courtesy first and then fighting.

It is said that there is a banquet today, but in fact it is no different from issuing an eviction order.

In the eyes of the emperor, those who stay for the banquet are not good people, but those who are dismissed on the spot are truly good ministers.

Today is a big festival, whose purpose is to come to the palace to eat the banquet? If this is really the goal, with so many ministers in the DPRK and China having to come or not, we won't be the only ones here.

Ma Wensheng sighed: "Speaking of which, it's just that few people from the Sixth Division came. Why are there so many people from the Sixth Division who didn't come today?"

Li Dongyang said: "Most of them haven't arrived yet."

"Haha." Ma Wensheng smiled bitterly.

In the eyes of these veterans, the mainstay of the court and the hope for the future must be those officials who dare to give direct advice, that is, people from the Sixth Section to the Ministry of Affairs and the Metropolitan Procuratorate, but today it seems that they have all made appointments , I don’t come whether I should or not, there’s no reason.

Some yamen, such as Honglu Temple, had no one present.

And the general affairs envoy Shen Lu, who was originally best at establishing diplomatic relations on such festive occasions, was not present today.

Li Dongyang's eyes also fell on Liu Jianjian, probably asking Liu Jian if this was the end of today's matter?

After Liu Jian hesitated, he looked in the direction of the palace entrance and felt a great sense of frustration. Finally, he shook his head and said, "Just think of it for Yu Qiao..."

His hand was still clutching the joint memorial in his arms that he had not punched, and he sighed helplessly.

Ma Wensheng said: "In that case, it's time to go back earlier today. Recently, each government office should leave people on duty. If something happens, they can deal with it earlier. Let's go, let's go!"

Originally, Ma Wensheng was not as stubborn as Liu Jian on this matter, so it was most appropriate for him to initiate it as the Minister of Personnel, and then for him to dismiss the people as the Minister of Personnel.

……

……

Liu Jian and Li Dongyang left the palace gate on foot. Although there was an official sedan there, they did not want to ride on it.

This time, Liu Jian became much older, and his mentality also changed. He also staggered slightly when walking, and even his steps seemed so weak.

"Yu Qiao was sent out as an official. Where do you think he will go?"

Li Dongyang seemed to ask questions knowingly.

Liu Jian did not answer, as if this was not his concern at all.

Li Dongyang said: "What happened this time will distract people, and something must be done. But I don't know if Zhang Bingkuan will come back soon after the new year. If not, some things can still be done."

Liu Jian still didn't answer.

Li Dongyang sighed: "What happened today was originally for the final fight. This has hurt the hearts of people in the court and should not be let go like this."

"What do you think should be done?"

Of course Liu Jian knew that the people were distracted and the team was even more difficult to lead.

But the problem is, he doesn't have a good idea himself.

Originally, the civil servants advanced and retreated together to fight the emperor to the death, but now no one listened to him.

Li Dongyang said: "If everyone comes in an orderly manner today, even if it is His Majesty's intention, and Chen Kuan comes forward in person, we are not afraid, but under the circumstances at that time, we have to choose to avoid it. This is for the future, It is also to protect those who should be protected in front of you, from Yu Qiao to the officials who speak out in the court, your Majesty is sending these people to prison, which is actually to shake the mountain and shake the tiger. "

Liu Jian continued to look gloomy.

It's not that he doesn't want to comment, but he is tired. Today's events have hit him too hard.

"If the situation continues in the coming year, I'm afraid it won't be long before people from the official department to all the yamen in the court will start to move closer to Zhang Bingkuan. Then, Zhang Bingkuan can be the leader of the court alone. At the moment, he still has He is worried, but by then, who in the DPRK will rival him?" Li Dongyang continued to express his opinion. Liu Jiandao: "Binzhi, don't you think that maybe others can do what you and I can't do?"

Li Dongyang frowned and said, "What do you mean by this...?"

"Alas!" Liu Jian sighed, "From what happened today, I suddenly realized that if we are alone, I am afraid that we will only be led by the nose by some people in the court in the future, and His Majesty will not listen to advice."

Li Dongyang said: "Didn't I say that as long as Zhang Bingkuan makes a mistake, as long as there is a rift between him and His Majesty, everything will fall into place?"

Liu Jiandao: "When do you think Zhang Bingkuan will make such a mistake?"

"This……"

Li Dongyang couldn't answer.

"Besides, even if he waits until he makes a mistake, when will it be? Since ancient times, the powerful ministers who have always stood firm, or those who are treacherous and harming the country, can they be resolved and eradicated with just a little suspicion? Without external force? , I’m afraid this matter is waiting in vain.”

Liu Jian seemed to have a long-term vision, at least to Li Dongyang's ears.

Zhang Zhou cannot be expected to take the initiative to make mistakes. This time can be regarded as their initiative in adversity. Although they failed, they can learn from it.

That's probably what it means.

Liu Jiandao: "The separation of people in the court is related to my failure to act. From the beginning of Zhang Bingkuan's entry into the court, all we could think about was that he would check and balance Li Guang and others. When he truly becomes another Li Guang, we will also We can only hope for the next person to check and balance him. If this continues, I am afraid that there will always be powerful ministers in the government and the public. "

"It's not right to say... I'm afraid." Li Dongyang actually wanted to correct Liu Jian.

Although it is debatable to say that Zhang Zhou is a traitor, from our standpoint, we should classify him as such.

But if we want to classify Zhang Zhou as a powerful minister, where does his power lie?

It was more about the emperor's trust in Zhang Zhou. Zhang Zhou was just doing things again and again, but he didn't say that he did so many things to control the government and not give others a way to survive. This was still different from ordinary powerful officials.

"Have you seen Jie Fu recently?" Liu Jian suddenly asked.

"Yes." Li Dongyang nodded, "I've seen it before. When asked about matters in the government and the public, his views are still very unique. Among the many people in Hanyuan, he and Wang Jizhi are the most capable, and it is only a matter of time before Wang Jizhi joins the cabinet. If Yang Jiefu enters the cabinet, I'm afraid there will be people who are dissatisfied. After all, there are several people who are above Jiefu in terms of qualifications."

Yang Jiefu, also known as Yang Tinghe.

In history, the reason why Yang Tinghe was able to rise and become a powerful official was that he was chosen as his successor by people from Li Dongyang's faction from the perspective of inheritance.

Liu Jian is also very optimistic about Yang Tinghe.

Liu Jiandao: "Three years ago when Jiefu returned to his hometown, he had no direct conflict with Zhang Bingkuan. Among so many people in the court, I think he can best demonstrate the integrity of a civil official. Since we cannot shake His Majesty's blind faith in Zhang Bingkuan from the front, we Just do what needs to be done.”

Do the inheritance things well.

This is a reminder to Li Dongyang to avoid his sharp edge for the time being and cultivate his own people first, and then use some external forces to "kill" Zhang Zhou.

Li Dongyang asked: "What about Yu Qiao..."

"It's over." Although Liu Jian was very reluctant, he still had no choice but to say it, "Since so many people came in front of the palace gate today, you should have known this would be the result. Your Majesty did not close his eyes and listen, but instead It is a good thing that we are very clear about our intentions. This at least shows that if Zhang Bingkuan is doing something that is harmful to the country and the people, His Majesty will immediately notice and respond. "

Li Dongyang said: "I hope so."

He was embarrassed to say that the emperor's observation of court affairs was biased.

When it comes to traditional civil servants, the emperor knows about it immediately and can respond in time.

But regarding Zhang Zhou, I don’t even know if anyone dared to tell the emperor. Even if someone told him, the emperor would guard against Zhang Zhou just like he did with civil servants?

If powerful officials were so easy to deal with, it wouldn't be a situation where the government and the public would be at a loss every time a treacherous official appears.

"Go back," Liu Jian said. "Don't go anywhere or see anyone these days. It's time to sort out your thoughts. In the next one or two years, our road will become increasingly bumpy and difficult to walk."

……

……

Li Dongyang was also emotionally affected by Liu Jian, and returned home a little depressed.

But I saw that my son and daughter were arranging a celebration for their family. There was a festive banquet at home that day. Many of Li Dongyang’s disciples and former officials would come to visit. For Li Dongyang, who was good at making friends with young people in the court, this was almost an annual Spring Festival repertoire. .

"Withdraw!" Li Dongyang said unceremoniously to Li Zhaoxian.

Li Zhaoxian was a little surprised and said: "Father, many people have already sent in greetings and said they would come today. What are you..."

Li Dongyang said: "If you are asked to withdraw, do they want to give me face or my official position?"

Li Zhaoxian looked somewhat embarrassed.

You were the one who made preparations, and you were the one who made retreat. Now you are blaming me?
They are not here to visit me. Why should I warm you up here?
Just when Li Zhaoxian was silent and was about to bow and leave, Li Dongyang asked: "Have anyone from the Kong family been here recently?"

"I came here once a year ago." Li Zhaoxian thought for a while and replied, "But my father has said before that he will draw a clear line with the Kong family recently. After all, my younger sister no longer has anything to do with them, so this matter still needs to be avoided. But my father "My sister's marriage has been delayed, aren't you paying attention?"

"It has nothing to do with you." Li Dongyang just asked the Kong family, but he didn't expect his son to talk about Li Jue's marriage.

This made Li Dongyang very angry.

The marriage between his daughter and Kong Wenshao, the son of the Kong family, was broken off. It seemed that the family had taken advantage of it. After all, it was the emperor who canceled it.

But from the perspective of the world's scholars, Li Dongyang has failed the Kong family in this matter... They originally wanted to gain status in the court by marrying you, Li Dongyang, but you disliked them at first, and finally put the marriage aside If you cancel it, doesn't it mean that you don't take the Kong family seriously?
The Kong family...that's the Kong family...a model for scholars in all dynasties.

No matter what mistakes others make, they are also from the Kong family.

Li Zhaoxian said: "Recently, I have been wanting to go to Beijing to practice, but my father doesn't agree."

"The child is still young..." Li Dongyang said.

Having said this, Li Dongyang's mood relaxed a little. After all, Li Zhaoxian had a son. He was only a few months old and was still a son. He, Li Dongyang, could also be considered a father.

But because of this, he felt that his son should give him more grandchildren, so he felt free to let his son go out to get se.

"Don't go anywhere. When I become a father, I will arrange a future for you." Li Dongyang said, "You only look like a man when you have a family!" (End of Chapter)