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Chapter 98 I Touched the Fish
In the summer of the second year of Jingyang, a big explosion suddenly occurred in the Royal Gunpowder Factory located in the southwest corner of the capital. The entire factory and thousands of kilograms of gunpowder in the warehouse were instantly reduced to nothing with the black smoke column rising into the sky. At the same time, the craftsmen, eunuchs, and residents were also taken away. Hundreds of lives of factory officials and nearby residents.

The shock wave of the explosion wiped out all the houses within a few hundred meters of the surrounding area. The specific number of casualties will have to wait for the final report from the Wucheng Soldiers, Guards, and Patrol Battalions.

However, the damage caused can be seen with the naked eye. The three main halls that were not completed were once again damaged. Most of the glazed tiles on the roof were knocked off and the scaffolding was tilted here and there.The most troublesome thing was that the emperor who was holding the lamp and approving the memorial in the Yangxin Hall was injured. His left foot was hit by a table. Fortunately, his bones were fine.

The civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty received a notice from the Supervisor of Ceremonies overnight to add a morning court tomorrow.Why should it be added? Everyone knows very well that if such a big accident occurs, the emperor will definitely have to launch an army to hold him accountable.

Why are you still sleeping? Think about it quickly.Those who are responsible should think about how to shirk the situation, and those who are irresponsible should think about whether they can take the opportunity to impeach political opponents. If a person cannot think of something, he will go to his colleagues to discuss it.

In the official language of the patrol battalion committee responsible for night patrols, I have never seen so many sedans running in the streets of the capital in the middle of the night since I was sensible. They were all carried by four people with silver tops, and there were at least fourth-rank officials or above sitting in them.

"Where is the Minister of the Ministry of Industry?" What he said was true. When the emperor came to court the next morning, he limped and stopped sitting on the throne. He stood on the red osmanthus with his arms crossed and his left foot on tiptoe, with a black face. When he opens his mouth, he roars, and the Tumo star is colorfully reflected by the morning glow. If he opens his mouth a little more, he can spit out a rainbow.

"The guilty minister Yao Jike, long live our emperor..." A thin old man with a white beard walked out of the official team on the left. He held the wat board in his hand and knelt down tremblingly, kowtowing.

"...I am very old. I have spent my whole life worrying about the imperial court and will inevitably make oversights. I will not pursue it any longer and go home to take care of myself!" Seeing this person's appearance, the emperor seemed to have lost his anger, his face was full of sadness, and he waved. Waving, he turned around and limped towards the throne.

"Thank you, guilty minister..." All civil and military officials in the court were silent, and not a single person came forward to intercede.

The Minister of Industry, Yao Jike, indeed had an unshirkable responsibility, and it was not an exaggeration to say that he was ordered to be imprisoned and interrogated strictly. After all, he hurt the emperor, and it is said that he even shocked the empress dowager.The emperor opened his mouth and dismissed the six ministers from their posts. It was not in compliance with the rules, but it was reasonable, and it was considered as an act of mercy outside the law. To continue to entangle him would be to harm Yao Jike.

With this very sad and depressing beginning, the content of the court meeting was not much better. The main topic was the explosion at Wang Gong Factory last night.All relevant departments described the incident from their own perspectives while carefully avoiding possible troubles, and the matter lasted less than an hour.

In the end, they didn't even understand how many people died, how many houses were destroyed, or how much damage was caused. The emperor was tired of sitting, and the ministers were tired of standing, and then the meeting was hastily dismissed.

Of course, the court meeting was never the place to solve specific problems. After the disbandment of the dynasty, the cabinet academicians and the ministers of the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Husbandry, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Ministry of War, as well as the censor of Zuodu, the minister of Dali Temple, and the envoy of general affairs were successively declared Entering the Yangxin Palace, together with the emperor, he started the court trial.

This form is often an emergency measure taken when major events occur in the country and there are vacancies among senior officials.The six ministers, together with the top leaders of the Duchayuan, Dali Temple, and General Affairs Department, called Jiuqing, sat together to discuss.

The emperor can participate or not. The nine ministers will recommend several plans or candidates on a certain issue or a certain vacancy, and the emperor will make the final decision. "Dear ministers, Wang Gongchang is an important weapon of the country. After such a huge change, no one can tell me how much we have lost, and no one can tell us when it will be restored. If a strong enemy comes to attack, can I just Can you sit here and wait?

Let’s talk about it, who will take over the position of Minister of the Ministry of Industry?How to deal with the aftermath?How should Wang Gong Factory recover?When will the earliest supply of Forbidden Army gunpowder be available? "

This time, Emperor Tingtui not only participated, but also took over the host position of Zhu Geng, the chief minister of the cabinet, and took the lead in expressing his attitude.Dissatisfied, very dissatisfied, very dissatisfied with the current work of the court!Then the tone of the meeting was set. The selected minister of the Ministry of Industry must be able to answer the three questions just raised.

"...Your Majesty, please calm down. I think the gunpowder factory is no longer suitable to be placed in the city. Can you choose a suitable place to build it again?"

Since the Minister of the Ministry of Industry was dismissed from his post, Liu Yuanlin, the left minister, and six cabinet bachelors were present in place of the Ministry of Industry. There were fifteen faces with fifteen expressions and fifteen mouths, but no one was willing to say anything first. In desperation, , Zhu Geng, the chief minister of the cabinet, could only offer some advice.

"Okay..." Unfortunately, this brick didn't seem to be very effective. The emperor rushed back expressionlessly and waved his hand. Wang An, who was holding the pamphlet and holding a pen, solved it with a few brushes, but the main problem remained the same.

"No one recommended it?" After half a stick of incense, no one proposed a candidate, and the emperor became a little impatient.

"..." The room was still silent. Let alone being impatient, no one was willing to come forward to recommend an official to take over the position of Minister of the Ministry of Industry, even if they got angry and pointed at their noses.It's not that I'm being passive or slacking off, or I'm resisting with silence, it's that I really can't afford to take the blame.

According to the official practice at this time, if an official made a relatively big mistake and was impeached, his recommender would also be impeached.Putting a big hat on someone who doesn't recognize people will make you feel disgusted for half a year at best, and bad luck with you at worst.

The most important thing is that the three questions raised by the emperor are too difficult to answer.I went to see the site of Wang Gong Factory last night. It was really completely blown up. There was nothing left except ruins.You have to spend money on the aftermath, and you have to figure out what standards are appropriate.Too much will lead to quarrels with the Ministry of Household Affairs, too little will cause public resentment, and everything is wrong.

In fact, this is still the easiest problem to solve, the next two are more difficult.Most of the skilled craftsmen in Wang Gong's factory were killed in the bombing. Houses are easy to build, but people are hard to find. Even if they can be collected from all over the country immediately, no one can say when they will be able to do so.There are not enough craftsmen, and no one can guarantee when production will be resumed, let alone provide the necessary forbidden troops.

This is obviously a big pit. At this time, whoever becomes the minister of the Ministry of Industry will have to become the emperor's punching bag. Instead of doing this, it is better to leave it empty. Anyway, it is not that there is no time. The court will still operate as usual. Without anyone, the sky will not fall.

"Since you ministers have no suitable candidate, I will replace you once more. How about Liu Yuanlin, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, be appointed as the minister of the Ministry of Industry?" Don't say anything. This is what Hong Tao wants.Without hesitation, he blurted out a candidate.

(End of this chapter)