The days when I ransacked the house in Jinyiwei

Chapter 337 Chang Feng manipulates the appointment and removal of cabinet members

Three months later, the third year of Zhengde, the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Chang Feng sat by the Yongding River, fishing for tortoises with his son Chang Ponu.

It was August, the sky was high and the clouds were clear. Chang Feng is in a good mood. However, the bastards in Yongding River are not living up to their expectations, and they will live and die without biting the hook.

Chang Po Nu's place is also not open.

A grasshopper jumped on Chang Feng's leg. Chang Feng flicked it gently, and the grasshopper jumped away immediately.

Chang Feng smiled and said: "If the bastard doesn't take the bait, the grasshopper will fool around. Just go ahead and make trouble. It's already autumn, how many more days can you still dance around?"

Chang Ponu asked: "Dad, are you talking about grasshopper or Eunuch Liu?"

Chang Feng said: "They are all."

At this moment, You Jingwu came on horseback. He dismounted and shouted: "Father, something big has happened!"

Chang Feng asked: "What's the big deal? Is there any change in the Tatars, or did Liu Jin kill another minister or minister?"

You Jingwu said: "None of them. The stepmother has already prepared the soup in the kitchen, and is just waiting for your son to be put into the pot. She said that if you can't bring the son back, she will ask the servant to go to the vegetable market to buy it."

Chang Feng patted the grass next to him: "Jingwu, sit down. I still have a pole here. The three of us, father and son, will set the hook together. I don't believe there is no stupid bastard who will bite the hook."

The father and son sat down. Chang Ponu and You Jingwu were in their prime. Chang Feng, who is forty-four years old, has gray hair, sagging skin, and crow's feet have climbed to the corners of his eyes.

According to later statistics, the average life span of the Ming Dynasty was forty-one years. Chang Feng is considered a middle-aged person who is running toward an old man in his fifties.

You Jingwu held up his fishing rod and said, "Father, Liu Jin allowed the Shandong eunuch to impose an additional fishing tax in Jiaodong. The fishermen in Jiaodong are miserable, and 70% of their harvest will be taken away by the officials at all levels."

"There is news from our eyes and ears in Jiaodong. It is said that the fishermen's hearts are floating. If this continues, either there will be a civil uprising in Jiaodong. Or these fishermen will flee to the sea and join the Japanese pirates!"

Chang Feng tightened the fishing rod in his hand: "I know."

You Jingwu added: "In addition, the eunuchs in charge of salt tea in Sichuan regarded the salt wells and tea mountains in Shu as their own vegetable gardens. They embezzled more than 600,000 taels of salt tax silver and tea tax silver a year. Of which, 300,000 taels were stolen. The two have been transported to Beijing and sent to Eunuch Liu's house."

"They did not shy away from embezzlement and secretly dividing national funds. Instead of asking Shanxi merchants to convert money into banknotes, they openly used carts to bring cash in cash to Beijing."

Chang Feng nodded: "Yes, I understand."

You Jingwu said again: "Liu Jin has recently reached out to Zhang Yong's Beijing camp. He wants his brother Liu Jingxiang to take charge of the Siyong camp. Liu Jingxiang is a farmer, so he doesn't know how to lead troops."

Chang Feng interrupted You Jingwu: "Okay, don't talk anymore. You have half a day's leisure in Fusheng. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Ming Dynasty will not survive without our father and son for one day!"

At this moment, Changfeng’s fishing rod trembled slightly.

The mouth of the tortoise is small, and the hook used to catch the tortoise is a specially made small hook. The fish cannot be caught.

Chang Feng was overjoyed: "Bite, bite! The bastard is finally here!"

The thing under the water is very powerful, and Chang Feng slipped away a stick of incense before he dared to lift the pole.

The fish comes out of the water - where is the tortoise? But it was a big carp weighing five kilograms.

Chang Feng was confused: "It's weird, such a small hook can't catch the fish's mouth at all!"

He tried his best to drag the carp onto the case. After taking a closer look, he laughed and said: "This carp is quite unlucky. You see, it didn't bite the hook at all. It must have been wandering near the hook and accidentally caught the fish eye on the hook."

"This is really Mr. Chang's fishing for a bastard, and the carp took the bait. What a good sign!"

Chang Ponu grabbed a towel in his hand and held down the jumping carp: "Hey, we won't drink tortoise soup tonight. Let's drink carp soup."

Chang Feng said: "Curian carp soup, carp meat. Braised carp or sweet and sour carp is better. Let's go home."

In the evening, the three of them returned home. Chang Tian's family also came.

The family was enjoying themselves happily, having a reunion dinner in the courtyard and admiring the moon.

Chang Tian said inadvertently: "My adoptive father is currently expanding the house."

Chang Tian never calls Liu Jin by his name, but calls him adoptive father. She had no father since she was a child, only her brother. Liu Jin exchanged sincerity for sincerity, and Chang Tian also sincerely regarded him as his father.

Chang Feng frowned: "Oh? Is this the case?"

Chang Tian said: "Well, it seems to cost hundreds of thousands of taels of silver."

Chang Feng smiled and said: "Eunuch Liu has great power in the government and the public. Expanding the residence will naturally cost money like water."

Willow branches on the moon. In-law Li Dongyang came to Changfeng's mansion. After some pleasantries, the two came to the study to talk in secret.

Li Dongyang said: "Two of the three people in the cabinet are Liu Jin's party members. I, the chief minister, can't support myself alone."

"The most troublesome thing is that since Yang Tinghe was demoted to Nanjing, the drafting of the edict has been controlled by Liu Jin. He can fake the imperial edict as much as he wants."

"We have to find a way to get Yang Tinghe back to the cabinet."

Chang Feng said: "There used to be a saying among the Jinyi Guards that protecting people is harder than killing people. To protect Yang Tinghe and return to Beijing to resume his duties, we have to take a long-term approach."

Li Dongyang sighed: "Do you know what is the most ridiculous fake edict that Liu Jin has made recently?"

Chang Feng asked: "What?"

Li Dongyang replied: "Send one hundred thousand taels of internal treasury silver to Liu Jin to expand Liu Jin's mansion."

Liu Jin is greedy enough. Chang Feng estimated that the money he had earned from corruption and bribery in the past three years was at least several million taels, or even close to ten million taels.

He spent hundreds of thousands of taels to repair the house, but he was not willing to pay all of it out of his own pocket. I want to defeat the emperor's inner treasury with one hundred thousand taels of autumn wind.

Chang Feng stood up and said, "Mansion, the way to get Yang Tinghe to return to Beijing and reinstate him may come from Liu Jin's mansion."

"I have to find someone to help me with this matter."

Li Dongyang asked quickly: "Oh? Who should I ask for help?"

Chang Feng smiled slightly: "The secret of heaven must not be leaked."

After leaving the study, Chang Feng found You Jingwu: "You have to do one thing. Find a way to get the style map of Liu Jin's mansion."

Style drawing is the ancient name for architectural design drawing.

You Jingwu said: "This is not difficult. The style map of Liu Jin's mansion is not a secret."

Chang Feng said: "It's best to get it within three days."

You Jingwu nodded: "Sure."

Chang Feng called Liu Xiaoyan aside again: "The moon on the fifteenth day is sixteen rounds. Tonight we will admire the moon, and tomorrow night we will also admire the moon. Tomorrow morning you will go to Kunning Palace and give some mooncakes to Queen Xia. dessert."

"You told her so."

Four days later, on August 19th, night.

Queen Xia stayed with Emperor Zhengde in Kunning Palace.

The emperors of the Zhu family are all lovers. For example, although Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang had three palaces and six courtyards, he only doted on his wife in need, Queen Ma. Queen Ma passed away, and Grandpa Taizu left her a strand of black hair. When Taizu was old, he could only sleep peacefully by holding Queen Ma's black hair.

Taizong Zhu Di only favored his queen Xu Miaoyun. Xu Miaoyun deserves to be the daughter of Xu Da. During the most dangerous period of the Jingnan Campaign, she withstood Li Jinglong's siege and defended the city of Beiping on behalf of King Yan who had gone to Daning to "deceive" his troops. The two are also a couple in need.

Emperor Xianzong Zhu Jianshen only doted on Concubine Wan Gui.

Xiaozong Zhu Youtang only doted on Queen Qian, and even for her, he pioneered monogamy among ancient emperors.

Although Emperor Zhengde was a prostitute in his wilderness, he kept countless beauties in his leopard room. From time to time, accompanied by Jiang Bin, he would go out of the palace to visit brothels and play with Datong aunties and Yangzhou thin horses. But emotionally, he only belongs to one person, Queen Xia. The two emperors and empresses worked hard for the Ming Dynasty for more than a dozen times.

Therefore, men should maintain their health. It’s easy and fast to use too much.

Queen Xia looked disappointed. Any woman would be disappointed if this kind of thing happened to her.

Emperor Zhengde quickly coaxed him: "I have been too tired these days. I can't help you tonight, my dear Dongyue."

Queen Xia asked: "What has the emperor been busy with these days? Are you so tired?"

Emperor Zhengde said: "Let's go to the outskirts of Beijing for military training! Jiang Bin said that with my current ability, I can be a cavalry commander commanding eight thousand troops."

Queen Xia said: "The emperor is busy practicing military affairs all day long, so he doesn't care about the ridiculous things done by the people around him?"

Emperor Zhengde asked: "Oh? Who did something ridiculous?"

Queen Xia stood up: "Your Majesty, Liu Jin has recently overhauled his mansion. Do you know about this?"

Emperor Zhengde said: "I seem to have heard Jiang Bin say that."

Queen Xia added: "For this expansion, he has changed his hall into a smaller version of the Fengtian Hall, with cornices and brackets, five spines and six beasts. What does he want to do? Want to be the emperor?"

These words were naturally spoken by Chang Feng on Queen Xia's instructions.

Chang Feng had already seen through Emperor Zhengde's thoughts. Emperor Zhengde regarded Liu Jin as a piggy bank and a tool to suppress civil servants.

There is a skill in speaking ill of Liu Jin in front of Emperor Zhengde. If you say that Liu Jin is corrupt, how many taels of silver have he embezzled recently? Emperor Zhengde will never care.

The meat is rotten in the pot. No matter how much money Liu Jin is greedy for, it won't be mine in the end?

If you say that Liu Jin has recently persecuted many civil servants to death. Emperor Zhengde might have applauded him and said, "The persecution was well done." What he asked Liu Jin to do was to suppress civil servants.

There was only one thing that Emperor Zhengde could not tolerate. That means having a disobedient heart!

Queen Xia took out a diagram of Liu Jin's renovation of the mansion: "Look at the hall behind the central axis. Does it look like the Fengtian Palace? Looking further back, does it look like the Qianqing Palace?"

"And here? From the picture, it looks similar to the Leopard Room. Is it possible that Liu Jin wants to imitate the emperor and get thousands of beauties to put here? He doesn't even have one!"

The style map was actually modified by Chang Feng by someone special. The proportions of the houses have been changed. It looks a bit like the layout of a royal palace.

After all, His Majesty the Emperor is not a builder who builds houses. He has two swords for one. It looks a bit similar, and Queen Xia is fanning the flames. Of course he believed it.

Emperor Zhengde slapped his thigh: "You are deceiving the heavens! What is Liu Jin going to do? Are you going to rebel? I gave him the power. Does he really think he is establishing an emperor?"

Emperor Zhengde had actually heard of Liu Jin's nickname of "Emperor Li".

Jiang Bin and Queen Xia are both Chang Feng people. If you have nothing to do, just say bad things about Liu Jin in front of Emperor Zhengde.

Queen Xia said: "If we talk about rebellion, Liu Jin will not do it. All the soldiers and horses of the Beijing camp are in Zhang Yong's hands. Why does he rebel? But his disobedience is real."

"In my opinion, the emperor needs to find someone to check and balance him."

Emperor Zhengde asked: "Who?"

Queen Xia replied: "Yang Tinghe."

Yang Tinghe was demoted to Nanjing by Liu Jin. Emperor Zhengde felt like he was aware of the situation, but pretended to be deaf and dumb, pretending that he didn't know about it.

Queen Xia added: "Yang Tinghe was born as the head of the Ministry of Rites. At the very least, when he returned to the capital, he could order Liu Jin to stop repairing the mansion on the grounds of etiquette!"

"Oh, by the way, there is one more thing. I remember that Yang Tinghe used to be in charge of drafting imperial edicts in the cabinet, right?"

Emperor Zhengde nodded: "Yes."

Queen Xia said: "He went to Nanjing, and the drafting of the edict was left to Liu Jin. Hey, Your Majesty, guess what?"

Emperor Zhengde asked: "What's wrong?"

Queen Xia said: "When he built the mansion, he went so far as to fake the imperial edict and took 100,000 taels of silver from the internal transport warehouse in the name of the emperor! Isn't this poaching the emperor's corner and taking advantage of the emperor's wool?"

Emperor Zhengde was furious: "Liu Jin is so audacious! That's all my money in the inner transport warehouse! My money! A stinky eunuch wants the emperor to pay for repairing a mansion? Is this the right thing in the world?"

Queen Xia said: "So. If Yang Tinghe returns to Beijing and continues to take care of the drafting of the edict, Liu Jin's squandering of the emperor's money will never happen again."

Emperor Zhengde suddenly stared into Queen Xia's eyes: "Tell me, who taught you these words?"

Queen Xia didn't hide it at all: "Chang Feng asked our imperial aunt to enter the palace because it was the concubine who taught me."

Emperor Zhengde smiled slightly: "This old guy Chang Feng has been reduced to a small household in Dongchang, but he can still control the appointment and dismissal of cabinet ministers."

"That's all, I will fulfill Chang Feng's wish. Let Yang Tinghe return to Beijing."

Morning next day.

Chang Feng, the person in charge of thousands of households in Dongchang, didn't even have court clothes, so he was not qualified to participate in the Imperial Gate discussion.

Chang Ponu and Huang Yuan were eligible to participate in the early dynasty. One of the two is the Minister of Taichang Temple, the head of Xiaojiuqing, and the other was promoted by Liu Jin two months ago to be the Left Minister of the Ministry of Rites and a reserve cabinet member.

Emperor Zhengde coughed.

Liu Jin sang: "Discuss!"

Emperor Zhengde suddenly said: "Hey, why don't you see Yang Tinghe?"

Emperor Zhengde's words made Liu Jin freeze on the spot. He thought to himself: Your Majesty, what do you mean? Yang Tinghe has been away to Nanjing for half a year. You have been indifferent for the past six months and have already acquiesced to this fait accompli. Why did you suddenly ask about Yang Tinghe today? Aren't you asking knowingly?

Emperor Zhengde asked: "Where are Liu Jin and Yang Tinghe?"

Liu Jin said: "Your Majesty, you know that Yang Tinghe has been transferred to Nanjing and served as Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing."

Emperor Zhengde began to perform: "I don't know! When was he transferred?"

This is a standard emperor's trick - telling lies with open eyes. How could the emperor not know that a cabinet minister had disappeared for half a year?

Liu Jin said: "I was transferred half a year ago."

Emperor Zhengde pretended to be confused: "I seem to remember that Yang Tinghe has already joined the cabinet. How can there be any reason for cabinet ministers to serve in Nanjing?"

Liu Jin understood that Emperor Zhengde was pretending to be an idiot this morning in order to lure Yang Tinghe back to Beijing.

Emperor Zhengde looked at his chief minister Li Dongyang again: "Mr. Li, the Ming Dynasty has established a cabinet since the Yongle Dynasty. Is there any precedent for cabinet ministers to serve abroad?"

Li Dongyang replied: "There is no precedent."

Emperor Zhengde said seriously: "I have three virtues: diligence, frugality, and dare not be the first in the world!"

As soon as these words came out, Liu Jin's hair stood on end!

A few months ago, in order to promote Huang Yuan to the position of left minister of the Ministry of Rites, Liu Jin once said boldly to Jiao Fang: "I have three virtues: diligence, frugality, and the courage to be the first in the world!"

Is the emperor talking about me? Did the emperor know about my drunken remarks that night? Is there someone from the emperor with me?

Emperor Zhengde said again: "Since there is no precedent in the ancestral law, let Yang Tinghe return to the capital immediately and join the cabinet to participate in military affairs. Ah, you should take charge of drafting the edict for me!"

Chang Feng used a style thunder map and a mouth from his adoptive daughter Queen Xia to directly let Yang Tinghe return to the capital.

Just as Emperor Zhengde said last night. Even though Chang Feng is just a small Dongchang Qianhu, he can still control the appointment and dismissal of the imperial court.

Firstly, it was because the forty-four-year-old Chang Feng had become an old fox in official circles and could guess Emperor Zhengde's thoughts thoroughly.

The second reason is because he made arrangements in advance three years ago to help his adopted daughter ascend the throne of the queen. If you have a big backer in the harem, you will be even more powerful in whatever you do.

(End of this chapter)