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Chapter 84 Windfall
It is obvious that the royal family is re-emphasizing the original conditions through this method. Whichever faction supports him will get more benefits, and whichever faction does not support will be suppressed.

Faced with this situation, conflicts arose within the officials of various factions. Some people felt that what the emperor was doing was unreasonable and must be resisted. Everyone had to unite to resist.Let’s see if the emperor dares to demote most of the officials, and if the Taizhou School alone can support such a huge empire.

Some people feel that there is no point in arguing with the emperor on this issue. Cutting down the vassals is not a bad thing anyway. It can save the country a lot of money every year, which is a good thing that benefits the country and the people in every aspect.

In the end, the latter opinion prevailed, or there were not many officials willing to give up their power for less important matters.As a result, officials from various factions expressed their support for the emperor's actions through various channels.

At this time, we have to talk about the speed of action of the Donglin Party. At first, they stood in a wait-and-see position like the Zhejiang Party, but once a unified opinion was formed internally, they could immediately press the entire army.

Not only has there been a big change in attitude, but also the greatest support has been given in practical actions.The momentum created it, and overnight it seemed that anyone who disagreed with the emperor's actions was a sinner of the Ming Empire.

On the other hand, the Zhejiang Party was a bit procrastinating. They wanted to bet but were afraid of losing, and refused to leave the gambling table. As a result, they dragged their feet and became the last ones to express their stance.In line with the principle of investing a lot and making a lot of profits, Hong Tao did not open his eyes just because Shen Yiguang was the chief minister of the cabinet. He divided the spoils with a stroke of his pen.

As for why Shen Yiguan resigned, this was not the emperor's intention, but the disappointment within the Zhejiang Party with its leader.In addition, other factions are adding insult to injury, finding out a bunch of old sesame seeds and rotten millet things to impeach, and they are going to beat the drum and beat them.

At this point, Shen Guangyuan had no choice but to resign. It was better to get a prince and a Taibao to go home than to be screwed and have nothing and a bad reputation.

This was something Hong Tao had not expected before. He neither disliked nor disliked Shen Yiguan. They mostly used each other, and it would be better if he stayed and left.

But it was an unexpected surprise to have the position of chief minister of the cabinet for no reason. Zhu Geng, who has no factional tendencies, was naturally the first choice. He is over 70 years old and not in good health. He may have to work hard one day.No matter who is talented or not, it is quite suitable to play a transitional role in the position of chief minister of the cabinet.

This appointment was not opposed by many officials. The reason was simple. Shen Li and Li Zhi were both in their 70s, older than Zhu Geng. Even if they became chief ministers, they would not be able to serve for a few years, which would be detrimental to the stability of the court.

The most important thing is that both of them represent a group of officials behind them. Whoever is allowed to go up will be resolutely resisted by the other faction. On the contrary, it is more in line with the current situation that no one moves.

And Ye Xianggao was too young and did not have a deep foundation in the court to convince the public.According to the original historical trend, this young official will gradually lean towards the Donglin Party.

But he may not be able to rely on him in this life. With the emperor's approval and support, his head is already filled with the label of the imperial party. His position is still so high that no faction dares to accept him easily.

"The three grand masters are already old, and it is a troubled time. I think it would be good to add two more grand masters to share the burden. It is up to you to propose the candidates, and I will make a decision after considering them."

Hong Tao was not disappointed that he did not get the position of chief minister. As long as he could take this opportunity to expand the size of the cabinet and reserve two younger bachelors, it would be a victory.If any one of Zhu Geng, Shen Li, or Li Zhi is physically unable to withstand it, someone of their own will immediately be able to do so.It’s just that the nomination cannot be made by oneself, that would be too obvious, and this job would have to fall on Li Zhi and Ye Xianggao.Anyway, all five cabinet members have the right to nominate, and each will propose candidates from their own faction.When the time comes, I will have to exchange interests again and give up a spot.

Jiao Hong, this is the candidate proposed by Li Zhi to join the cabinet.This man was born in Jiangning, his ancestral home is Rizhao, Shandong. He was the number one scholar in the 17th year of Wanli and was awarded the Imperial Academy for compilation.

Hong Tao knew this person and once went to the East Palace to give lectures. The overall evaluation was good.First of all, he is an old scholar, full of knowledge; secondly, he is a beginner, interested in many new things and willing to learn; finally, he is a thinker, with independent personality and ideas, and does not blindly follow ancient sages.

Jiao Hong once said when he was giving lectures that Taoists should wipe out the ancient people and carve out a world from their own chests.The general meaning is that the ancient theories are similar to the sacrificial mutton dogs. They were fabricated according to the needs of the time and cannot be completely believed.

This view is very close to Hong Tao's, so I remember it.However, Jiao Hong did not give many lectures. He was very busy with his work. He was studying history and writing books, and he had to serve as an examiner from time to time.

The reason why Li Zhi recommended Jiao Hong to the cabinet to fill the vacancy was because he could not avoid relatives by promoting talents, or he could use nepotism.The two of them are good friends and both are admirers of the Taizhou School.

Wu Daonan, this is the candidate proposed by Zhu Geng.This person's ancestral home is Chongren, Jiangxi. He was a Jinshi in the 17th year of Wanli. He is now the sixth rank lecturer of the Hanlin Academy. He served as the president of the Wu Jinshi Examination the year before last and the examiner of the Shuntian Township Examination last year.

Hong Tao was not familiar with this person, but Chen Ju knew something about it.He said that Wu Daonan has a good official reputation, he is relatively self-restrained, and he has some abilities.However, this person had frequent contacts with Ying Zhen, the official in charge of Hu Ke, Tian Shengjin, the censor of Youqiandu, Xu Shaoji, the minister of Hubu, and others.

Although these few are not high-ranking officials, they have a common title, Party of Chu!In other words, even if Wu Daonan is not the Chu party, he still has an unclear relationship with the Chu party.

Zhao Nanxing, this is the candidate proposed by Shen Li.His ancestral home is Gaoyi, Zhending Prefecture, Beizhili. He showed extraordinary talent and was called a child prodigy by the locals when he was nine years old.Facts have proved that this is not bragging. In the second year of Wanli, 24-year-old Zhao Nanxing became a Jinshi and was awarded the rank of Runing.

For this person, Hong Tao no longer has to go to Dongchang to ask for secret files. As long as he has a little knowledge of Ming history, he will not ignore this name. He is one of the backbones of the Donglin Party and plays a smaller role than ignoring Xiancheng.

Zhao Shiqing, this is the candidate proposed by Ye Xianggao.The courtesy name is Xiangxian, also known as Lanzhu, and he is from Licheng.He was a Jinshi in the fifth year of Longqing's reign and has been the Minister of Household Affairs for five years. He has a good official reputation and has no obvious relationship with any faction. He is temporarily considered a neutral faction.

Li Tingji, this is the candidate proposed by Shen Guanyin, the former chief minister of the cabinet who has retired from old age and returned to his hometown.That's right, even if he left, Hong Tao was kind enough to give him one last chance to serve the court, which was considered respect.

Similar to Li Zhi, Shen always favored virtuous people and never avoided relatives.Li Tingji is his protégé, a native of Jinjiang Fuqiao, Jinshi in the 11th year of Wanli, and currently serves as the Minister of Rites. Even if he is not the Zhejiang Party, no one will believe him.

(End of this chapter)