unclear

Chapter 501 Strike while the iron is hot
"The examination is approaching, and I have read the list handed over by the cabinet. Three of them actually participated in the scandal. Now that time is running out, I will act arbitrarily. Bachelor Weng and Gao Aiqing are upright and upright officials. As the chief examiners, I will It’s more than appropriate. The examiners are selected by the Hanlin Academy and the Imperial Academy, so they can be considered to have given full play to their talents.”

After once again crushing the opponents' offensive with absolute superiority, the emperor's authority rose to an unprecedented height. He casually appointed the examiner and co-examiners who had always been competed by various factions in the court, and without permission. People dare to object.

"The National Examination is important, but the New Deal has made it even more important. In the five years of Guangdong and the three years of Fujian, land tax has increased instead of falling, and commercial taxes have been rising. Local farmers, craftsmen, merchants, and gentry have all benefited a lot, and promotion is imperative. .

This time I plan to use Zhili and Shandong as pilot areas to echo and exchange needs with the north and south of Guangdong, Fujian. Both provinces are areas with heavy population taxation. The new policy must be prudent, and experienced people should be chosen to preside over it. What do you think? "

Facing the reaction of the ministers, Hong Tao was quite satisfied. This is how things should be done. When they see benefits, they flock to each other and use all means to exclude each other. When they see difficulties, they push each other and hesitate to move forward. This makes it difficult for officials who are willing to do practical things and makes it difficult for those who are good at maneuvering. How can we get it? .

However, whether they are truly fearful, or whether they are superficially surrendered and harboring grudges, cannot be fully proven by just relying on the appointment of examiners for the general examination. Some surprising information is needed, such as the governance power of the two provinces.

It seemed that they were truly frightened. After hearing such a big change, more than a dozen important officials in the imperial court remained silent and gave up their power to the emperor. They just waited for the emperor to propose candidates and then nod in agreement.

"If we want to say we have rich experience, I think it must be Yuan Yingtai, Zuo Guangdou, and Ding Jisi." At this time, it depends on the chief minister of the cabinet, Ye Xianggao. In addition to leading the cabinet to connect the past and the next, he also has to make suggestions to the emperor without being able to do so. When people agree, help quietly.

"I would like to recommend myself and take charge of a province!" But something unexpected happened this time. Zhou Daodeng, the official minister, suddenly stood up and took the initiative to take on the important responsibility.

"Well, Zhou Shangshu holds a high position but is not attached to power. He is willing to go to the local area and do practical things. His courage and loyalty are commendable. I and you, the governor of Shandong and the prime minister of the province's government affairs, are awarded the honorary title of doctor."

The emperor was naturally overjoyed and not only praised him highly but also gave him special treatment. The Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is the second rank, while the Zuo Buzheng Envoy is only the second rank. He took the initiative to relieve the country's worries and as a result, his rank was lowered, and his salary and benefits also had to be lowered, which was obviously inappropriate.

How to do it? It doesn't matter, the ancient rulers have long noticed this problem, so they established another prose class system to provide assistance, specifically to deal with similar situations.

Dr. Ronglu is from the first rank. Although he has no actual position and is only a rank honor, he perfectly solves the legality of salary and benefits. At the same time, he can also clearly distinguish the priority in official interactions.

For example, if the emperor wants to appoint a confidant to inspect a certain province, but the position and rank of the confidant are not very high, then he can be appointed to the position of governor without a fixed rank, and then add a casual rank higher than Zuo Buzhengshi .

In this way, when it comes to the local level, functionally, it belongs to the central inspection team than the governor, and is half a level higher than the official. At the same time, the rank of the Sanjie is not lower than that of the Chief Envoy, which avoids the embarrassment of bureau-level cadres commanding department-level cadres. Easier to do your job. The six ministries and nine ministers and the cabinet bachelors had dry faces. In this way, Shandong's government affairs could go directly to Tianting without going through them, which was equivalent to being deprived of power in disguise.

But no one dared to raise objections face to face. Two ministers had just been killed and demoted, and the defense of the capital had been taken over by the Marine Corps. There were also Jin Yiwei wandering around the streets. The situation was already very clear. The imperial power is basically no longer under control. To act against the emperor at this juncture is to seek death.

"Zhou Aiqing, can you recommend a suitable candidate for the position of Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs?" But the emperor was still dissatisfied, and deprived the six ministers and nine ministers of the right to propose candidates, and directly asked Zhou Daodeng for his opinion.

"... Yang Lian, a doctor in the Literary and Selection Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, is dedicated to his duties, honest and upright, and could have taken over the post of Minister. However, his experience is still insufficient, and he has just been promoted to the right minister. Any further promotion will inevitably attract criticism. Your Majesty, please consider it as appropriate. ”

When Zhou Daodeng heard this, he almost stood up and cursed me. I risked my life and fortune to be the first person for you, but you, a dog emperor, still think that I didn't die fast enough. Dream on, we can’t take over this big shit basin. The candidate is given, but it’s up to you to decide whether it’s right or not!
"What you say makes sense... The Ministry of Personnel is the head of the six ministries and cannot be left without a master for a day... Let's remove the governor of Nanyang and call Yuan Yingtai to Beijing to serve as Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. What do you think?"

The emperor raised his eyelids when he heard this candidate, looked at Zhou Daodeng meaningfully, and pondered for a while. Just when everyone thought Zhou Daodeng was going to be unlucky, he suddenly clapped his hands, as if he had gained something by chance, and opened his mouth to propose a new candidate.

At this time, the six ministers and nine ministers, including several bachelors, discovered that the unlucky one was not Zhou Daodeng who suddenly hugged his thick legs, but himself. Letting Yuan Yingtai serve as Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs is not just a job issue, but a general trend.

The emperor was paving the way for more royalists to enter the court. But after understanding it, there is no way to object. In terms of qualifications, Yuan Yingtai was a Jinshi in the 23rd year of Wanli. He has served in many places and positions. He has rich political experience and outstanding political achievements.

In terms of merit, he cooperated with Jun Song to evacuate the border people from Liaodong and completed it very well. He still managed Guangdong brilliantly. The governor of Nanyang did an even better job. He never made any major mistakes in overseeing the military and political affairs of Guangdong and Fujian provinces. When it comes to the contribution of the New Deal, Li Zhi and Yuan Keli go hand in hand, and then it will be him, a proper backbone of the royalist faction.

"...Governor Yuan has worked hard for the New Deal for many years, and he deserves to be credited as such!" But no matter how bitter and uneasy he felt in his heart, Fang Congzhe, as a progressive academician, could not watch the emperor's nomination go unanswered. Let's continue filming, as long as Just don’t join the cabinet!
"I will obey the Holy Orders..." With a crotch puller, it became a luxury for others to resist silently, so they had no choice but to express their opinions one after another reluctantly.

"The problem in Shandong has been solved, and the state governments in Zhili must also dispatch capable officials. I can't think of too many candidates who are familiar with the New Deal and have experience. Don't rush this matter now. I will think more about it after you go back. Think about it: to promote talents for the country, we should not avoid being close or distant!”

The emperor didn't care whether he was willing or not, as long as he nodded. But in addition to selecting officials who will go to Shandong to preside over government affairs, there are still vacancies in another province. The emperor had no clear words on who should take on this important task, nor did he find someone to convey it on his behalf. Instead, he delayed the decision.

(End of this chapter)