King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 721 Zhu and Zhao have suffered for a long time

Looking at the draft in front of him, Chen Jinyun fell into deep thought.

The three grand secretaries of the cabinet were respectively given the titles of Grand Secretary of Wenhua Palace, Wuying Palace and Wenyuan Pavilion.

Chen Jinyun was the Grand Secretary of Wuying Palace, which is what people call the "Second Assistant".

However, the difference between "First Assistant" and "Second Assistant" is as vast as heaven and earth, especially when First Assistant Zhao Yushan is deeply trusted by the emperor.

As the second assistant, he only handled the court affairs, and his say in some major policy issues was pitifully small.

Of course, he is a cabinet minister after all, so his say depends on who he is compared with. Anyway, he is much stronger than the heads of the six ministries.

Being in his position, he naturally has a very thorough understanding of things.

He knew very well that this memorial was ostensibly an impeachment of Wang Pei'an, but was actually directed at Zhu Jinghong.

What he knew even more clearly was that although this memorial was signed by a single person, there must be a group of people behind it, and they had prepared all kinds of tricks to launch trouble.

If he suppressed this matter, those people would definitely attack him, and the same result would occur if he directly rejected it.

Chen Jinyun knew very well how powerful those censors were.

Of course, what he was afraid of was not these people, but the Crown Prince or Prince Rui behind them, or both.

Because he disliked Zhu Jinghong, after seeing the impeachment letter, Chen Jinyun wrote down the draft without thinking much.

Objectively speaking, whether asking the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate to investigate or suspending Wang Pei'an pending investigation, is in line with the usual practice of handling current affairs.

However, Chen Jinyun was extremely cautious and was still worried about getting into trouble, especially being coerced by those below him and forced to become the "leader" of this matter.

He had also risen through the ranks from the Hanlin Academy, the Imperial Censorate, and a provincial governor, so he knew all the tricks of the people below him.

Looking back on the matter at this moment, he wanted to tear up the ticket.

But after thinking about it, he felt that this was not appropriate. Firstly, it would offend the Crown Prince Rui Wang, and secondly, it was not in line with his wishes.

It didn't matter to him who succeeded the Crown Prince Rui, but it couldn't be Zhu Jinghong.

The reason is that Chen Jinyun has long known that Zhu Jinghong himself supports Zhao Yushan.

The so-called support here does not mean supporting Zhao Yushan as the prime minister, but because Zhu Jinghong supports the policy of land surveying.

Support doesn’t really matter. The most important thing about Zhu Jinghong’s rise to power is that he really has the ability to push this matter forward.

Zhao Yushan's family has so much land, he may be a man of high moral character, but his colleagues and fellow townsmen, his students and old friends, his family members... these people are unwilling to survey the land, and they all point to him to fight against the "harsh rule."

Since this matter cannot be suppressed, nor can it be openly supported, he can only choose to compromise.

After putting away the draft, folding it and hiding it in his sleeve, Chen Jinyun took the memorial out of the duty room and came to the duty room on the other side.

Inside was Zheng Zhiqing, the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion, also known as one of the "Three Assistants" in the world.

"Brother Zheng, what are you busy with?"

Sanfu Zheng Zhiqing was reading the memorial. In addition to assigning tasks through votes, the elders also had to supervise the assigned tasks at all times.

Some things can be done quickly, but some things may take ten days or even longer to be effective, so someone needs to keep them under control.

"Alas... the Ministry of Industry has completed the production of last month's ammunition. A few days ago, they said that several workshops were broken and are being repaired..."

Zheng Zhiqing kept talking, he looked easy-going and calm, and even had a non-confrontational attitude.

After listening to Zheng Zhiqing, Chen Jinyun walked forward, sat on the guest chair, and said, "When the war starts, there will be more things to do!"

The news from the northwest has not yet been reported back, and they don’t know that the war has broken out, so Chen Jinyun said this.

"Yeah... the Ministry of Industry's affairs are indeed complicated and tedious!"

"Besides that, there was a drought in Hebei this year, and the corruption case in Zhending Prefecture has now implicated someone else..."

Seeing Zheng Zhiqing talking endlessly, Chen Jinyun didn't want to waste any more time, so he interrupted and said, "Brother Zheng, officials' illegal behavior has always been common since ancient times, and they can be punished according to the law..."

Putting the impeachment certificate on the coffee table beside him, Chen Jinyun straightened his red robe and said, "Today's incident is different from the others!"

"Really?" Zheng Zhiqing's expression remained unchanged.

"Someone is impeaching Deputy Imperial Envoy Wang Pei'an!"

As he said this, Chen Jinyun carefully observed Zheng Zhiqing, trying to see how his expression changed.

Although Zheng Zhiqing has always been indifferent, Chen Jinyun still has reason to suspect that he may have known about it in advance or even be the driving force behind it.

Zheng Zhiqing looked shocked and could not see any flaws, so Chen Jinyun temporarily put aside his suspicions.

"Is this true?" Zheng Zhiqing asked.

Picking up the impeachment certificate again, Chen Jinyun stood up and walked towards Zheng Zhiqing, who also stood up from behind the desk to greet him.

After receiving the report, Zheng Zhiqing opened it and quickly understood the whole story, including the things behind the incident.

At this moment, he frowned and thought hard, but he was not thinking about the impeachment, but the purpose of Chen Jinyun coming to him.

Walking to where Chen Jinyun had just sat, Zheng Zhiqing "inadvertently" put the impeachment letter back on the coffee table, and then paced back and forth several times before saying, "Mr. Chen, this matter is strange, you must handle it with caution!"

Hearing the implication of Zheng Zhiqing's words, Chen Jinyun would not let him go easily, and immediately replied: "It's really strange, so I can't make up my mind... I came to discuss it with you!"

"Well, this matter..."

After a moment of hesitation, Zheng Zhiqing replied: "It's not difficult. To put it bluntly, it's impeaching officials for illegal activities!"

"Lord Chen has been in the cabinet for many years and has gone through all those storms, but he still can't handle these things!"

"It's really a lot of trouble for me to deal with this matter. I need Brother Chen's help!"

At this point, Zheng Zhiqing happened to walk to the desk and picked up a report, which was about the Yunnan Provincial Government's request for grain transfer.

But before he could open his mouth, Chen Jinyun took over and said, "Brother Zheng, Wang Pei'an is also the chief historian of the Prince of Xiang's palace. Now the Prince of Xiang is leading 200,000 elite troops outside. This is a very serious matter!"

Hearing what Chen Jinyun said, Zheng Zhiqing's face turned ugly, because the latter had crossed the line.

After sitting back at the desk, Zheng Zhiqing picked up the report and looked at it, then asked slowly, "So... Elder Chen, what do you think should be done with this matter?"

Understanding Zheng Zhiqing’s dissatisfaction, Chen Jinyun was not annoyed at all. He knew that his “persistent” behavior was abominable.

"The war in the northwest concerns the safety of the court. Impeaching Wang Pei'an is one thing, but it also involves the father of the concubine selected by the royal palace. This matter is serious... I think it should be discussed by the cabinet!"

"Mr. Zheng...what do you think?"

After pondering for a while and weighing the pros and cons, Zheng Zhiqing regained his indifferent smile and said, "What Brother Chen said... is about being mature and planning for the country!"

Chen Jinyun also laughed, and the two of them picked up their teacups and tasted the fragrant tea together.

Since it is a cabinet discussion, we have to invite Prime Minister Zhao Yushan, who is on leave at home today.

The fact that Zhao Yushan was dragged into the matter and caused a public discussion within the cabinet was tantamount to making the matter a bigger deal.

If Chen Jinyun did this alone, the responsibility would be too great, so he wanted to drag Zheng Zhiqing along.

And if the two of them decide to hold a public discussion, then no one will have to take responsibility, after all, this matter is indeed of great importance.

Half an hour later, Zhao Yushan came to the cabinet and read the memorial from Zhai Yongxian, the military official.

Zhao Yushan is also an old hand, so he naturally understands the intentions of the two people in front of him and why they called him here.

He is a man who gets things done. Compared with Chen and Zheng, he is more responsible.

So after he read it, he first glanced at Chen and Zheng, and then picked up his pen and started writing: "This case is to be transferred to the Gansu Provincial Procuratorate for investigation!"

Picking up the pen, Zhao Yushan said, "You two...sign!"

Chen and Zheng originally wanted to make Zhao Yushan feel awkward, forcing him to sign the draft that was strictly checked, and then make him offend the emperor and Zhu Jinghong. Seeing Zhao Yushan drafting the draft so straightforwardly, Chen and Zheng were stunned, and then they hurried forward to see what was written on the cabinet ticket.

After reading the content, the two of them were even more surprised. Isn't this guy afraid of offending his colleagues in the court?
But if you think about it carefully, Zhao Yushan has already been hated by his political enemies for what he is doing now, so why would he care about what these people think at this moment?

While lamenting Zhao Yushan's lack of moral integrity, Chen and Zheng also had to think about another question: how should this matter end?

Should we really let the Gansu Provincial Procuratorate investigate? If so, the matter may end up being left unresolved.

But now Zhao Yushan is the Prime Minister, and since he has given his opinion on the draft, Chen and Zheng can only sign it.

Because if they come out to make accusations, they will be regarded as flag bearers by the people below, and then they will have no choice but to charge into battle.

"Since the elder has signed, I will sign too!"

After Chen Jinyun answered, he started writing on the cabinet ticket.

"Second...Chen Jinyun!"

Chen Jinyun wrote five words, and the two words "seconding" were the most exquisite, highlighting that it was Zhao Yushan who drafted the vote.

Of course Zheng Zhiqing followed suit and signed his name.

With a slight smile, Zhao Yushan replied, "Transfer it to the Imperial Household Department!"

So, the matter seemed to be resolved, but the three people present knew that it would not end so easily.

The memorial was intended to be sent to the Silijian. The eunuch Dai Quan, who was on duty, knew that it was of great importance, so he took the memorial to Zhu Xianming.

After taking a look at it, Zhu Xianming ordered Dai Quan to approve it with his seal and directly forward the memorial to the six departments for signature. Normally, it would be transferred to the Ministry of Justice and then to the Gansu Censorate.

However, when it came to the Criminal Department, the draft was unsurprisingly rejected by the Imperial Household Department, and then things became very embarrassing.

Soon, the contents of the impeachment and the cabinet's draft spread among officials. In the afternoon, dozens of memorials were sent to the Ministry of Public Administration, impeaching the cabinet for shielding and condoning the crime.

The focus of the impeachment is Zhao Yushan himself.

At the same time, impeachments against Wang Pei'an continued, and for a time Zhao Yushan and Wang Pei'an were pushed to the forefront.

In addition, there had been rumors that Zhu Jinghong wanted to increase his military power, so he pulled Zhao Yushan and Wang Pei'an in, and a group that controlled military and political power was formed.

However, all these memorials were kept by the emperor, which only aroused further indignation among the people.

People in the court and the country have suffered from Zhu and Zhao for a long time, and a larger storm is brewing.

The news of the impeachment reached Prince Xiang's mansion in the afternoon.

Because of the rumors during this period, Baochai was already in a heavy mood. She had just adjusted her mood in the morning, but she didn't expect to encounter such a thing again.

But she quickly accepted the reality, because after Zhu Jinghong left, she had been prepared to respond at any time.

In Tongxin Hall, she summoned the two eunuchs in charge of the palace.

"Deng An, go to the Northern City Thousand Households Office and find Chen Yuntai... Ask him to find out who is behind this!"

"Yes!"

"Zhang Ping'an, go to the Wang family and find out what's going on with Qin Ye."

"Yes!"

This is called being prepared for both situations. You have to find out not only who is causing the trouble, but also the real situation.

After the two men left, Baochai returned to her desk and started writing on the letter paper.

If there was a major change in the court, she would naturally inform Zhu Jinghong.

But before she finished writing, she heard voices outside, and even crying.

"Who's out there?"

A few breaths later, Wen Xing came to report: "Your Majesty, Consort Qin is here and wants to apologize to you!"

Sighing, Baochai was about to ask Keqing to go back, but she thought that doing so would make her suspicious, so she asked Wenxing to invite her in.

After a while, Keqing entered the inner hall, wiped her tears and knelt in front of Baochai.

"Princess, because of my father, I have caused trouble for the palace... Please punish me, Your Majesty!"

Sighing, Baochai said, "I haven't done anything wrong to you, why are you looking for trouble?"

Keqing continued, "I know that the princess is magnanimous, but since I have committed a crime, I should take the initiative to plead guilty and accept the punishment. How can I sit back and wait for disaster to happen?"

Looking at her number one supporter in the palace, Baochai stood up, walked to Keqing, bent down and helped her up.

"Okay... don't worry too much about this. Those people are just using your father to make trouble. If not this incident, there are other things. You are just unlucky to have run into them!"

Taking out a handkerchief and wiping away Keqing's tears, Baochai said in a calm tone with a faint smile: "Don't cry... Go back first, don't take this matter to heart!"

"But……"

Keqing wanted to say more, but was interrupted by Baochai: "No buts, if you delay my business here, you will be guilty!"

"Chen and concubine dare not!"

After saying this, Keqing carefully left the hall. At this time, Daiyu and Yang Jingting were waiting outside.

"What does the princess say?" Yang Jingting asked.

"Princess, let me rest assured, don't worry about this time!"

Yang Jingting nodded and replied, "That's what I told you... This matter has nothing to do with you, so you don't have to worry!"

"Ok!"

At this time, Daiyu interrupted and said, "Sister Keqing, please go back first. Don't let the child wait for you for too long!"

Knowing that the two had come to the palace for business, Ke Qing did not dare to delay them. She bowed to the two concubines and left.

Then the two of them asked someone to report, and Wen Xing came out soon after to invite them.

"You two ladies, please!"

When the two of them entered the hall, Baochai had already arrived at the reception room and had ordered someone to serve tea.

Seeing this, Yang Jingting smiled and said, "Princess, you are calm in the face of adversity. This makes me feel at ease!"

Looking up and glancing at her, Baochai smiled and said, "It has already happened. We can only deal with it if it comes. We can't take care of other things!"

Sitting on the chair on the left side, Yang Jingting replied: "The innocent are innocent. Our palace is aboveboard and we don't have to worry about outsiders gossiping about us!"

Daiyu sat on the right side. She held up her teacup and did not speak in a hurry.

"That's the truth!"

Yang Jingting continued, "Princess, how about tomorrow...I will go talk to my aunt about this matter and let her clear our name!"

"This……"

After hesitating for a few breaths, Baochai put down the teacup and said seriously, "Let's talk about it in a few days. It's not that bad yet!"

At this time, Baochai looked at Daiyu and asked, "Why didn't Sister Lin say a word?"

Daiyu replied: "Since Sister Bao is so calm, I know that the matter is under control. There is nothing more to say!"

Baochai laughed and said, "You are really good at avoiding idleness!"

(End of this chapter)