The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 128 Concession and compromise! The Huguang Township Party fell victim!

Remove all official positions!
Get rid of all fame!
The whole family was exiled to Liaodong!

After hearing this decision, Zeng Jian felt as if he had been struck by lightning!
Being exiled to Liaodong is tantamount to slow death!
Liaodong is a border land in the Northeast, known as the "Northeast Tiger". The climate in Liaodong is very cold, with long winters and short summers, making it impossible to cultivate crops normally. Therefore, Liaodong is vast and sparsely populated, and is home to a large number of Mongolians. , Jurchens and other barbarians have become a place for the country to exile felons!

Zeng Jian never expected that the little emperor would be so ruthless!

He did not expect that the young emperor in front of him would not act according to common sense at all.

According to common sense, when an important minister like himself resigns, as the emperor, he should offer words to persuade him to stay. Then Zeng Jian can take advantage of the situation and make a request, asking the young emperor to forgive those fifty-six people. At the worst, someone wants to save his life and official position. body.

But the little emperor not only refused to retain him, but also wanted to exile his whole family. This was simply more uncomfortable than killing himself!
Zeng Jian didn't even expect that his move of retreating to advance was used in the wrong place. Compared with the late emperor, the little emperor was completely opposite to him!

In fact, Zeng Jian had done this many times.

For example, at that time, the late emperor received a lot of advice and summoned the ministers to return the weaving officials.

These weaving officials were the imperial merchants who set up bureaus in various places in Jiangning, Suzhou and Hangzhou to supply fabrics to the palace. They weaved various clothing materials and made silk and imperial silk ribbons for the emperor and the palace to offer sacrifices and awards. The Ming Dynasty installed one admiral and weaving eunuch in each of the three places.

After all, the situation has changed now. It is no longer a choice between restoring the "Da Ming Law" or choosing to sit back and watch the emperor remove his official title, but because of Zeng Jian's resignation, the little emperor must now be removed from his official title!
According to common sense, an official suddenly resigns without any valid reason. To put it bluntly, this person is indifferent to fame and wealth, regards fame and wealth as dirt, and is tired of the intrigues in officialdom, so he chooses to stick to his true feelings and resign and go into seclusion. For example, these are the famous hermits in history.

Liu Jian, Ma Wensheng and Zhang Fuhua were exchanging glances and exchanging opinions, hoping to reach an agreement to calm the anger in His Majesty the Emperor's heart.

"The evidence of those fifty-six people's crimes is conclusive. I will use the "Great Ming Law" to punish them severely, but you won't give in. I want to expel their fame, and you won't give in either!"

Yes, I’m scared, but it’s okay not to be scared!

Zeng Jian's thoughts were revealed and he was completely panicked. He knelt down on the ground without even daring to breathe.

The lieutenant-general Deng Rong requested to be sent again, but the late emperor was so soft-hearted that he agreed to it again. Zeng Jian and others strongly opposed it and even threatened to resign, so the late emperor ordered a one-third reduction.

Therefore, Zeng Jian immediately gave up and chose to kowtow and admit his mistake on the spot.

In this way, his image as a "Zhengchen" can be established. With this image of a Zhengchen, no matter what he does, he will be successful.

Zhengchen, this is the best sign and the most advantageous weapon for civil servants and gentry!
However, Zeng Jian never expected that his invincible image would become nothing in front of the little emperor.

He doesn't want to really involve his family, nor does he want to be expelled from his job, otherwise what's the point of living for this person?
Liu Jian, the chief minister of the cabinet, spoke hurriedly and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, Da Sikong has been too tired in recent days, so he speaks indiscriminately. He has no intention of despising the king. The country cannot be "crimined for words." The first of its kind!”

"What? You Zeng Jian can do it if you want to do it, and leave it behind if you don't want to do it? Or are you saying that you have no disadvantages in criticizing the emperor and betraying him, thinking that this method is also suitable for me? What is the use of me having a minister like you? Why does the court have the right to do it? Want to give preferential treatment to people like you?”

"Being convicted for my words?" the little emperor laughed angrily, "I have never been convicted for my words. What makes me angry is that you keep saying you are loyal to the emperor and patriotic, but when it comes to your own interests, what will happen to you? When things don’t go your way, I dare to resign directly!”

"It's even better now. The dignified minister of the Ministry of Industry and the second-rank official of the court are directly forcing him to resign and become an official!"

Once these weaving eunuchs were released, they became well-known as money-making tools for the imperial court. They made money and took bribes. The civil servants and gentry had always adopted a strict opposition to these eunuchs and eunuchs.

The little emperor's attitude and reaction far exceeded the expectations of a normal emperor.

All the court officials also looked at each other, not knowing how to speak.

To put it bluntly, this is Zeng Jian's way of being an official. Only by making a distinctive gesture can he deepen his impression in front of the emperor.

If he didn't bow his head, the angry little emperor would definitely plunge himself and his whole family into a state of eternal destruction.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. I deserve death for my crime. Please punish me!"

"I, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, am the king and father of your subjects. You are all my ministers. Can't the king and father teach his ministers a lesson?"

However, on the other hand, the ugly thing is that these officials simply do not care about the responsibilities of the official positions given by the court. Such people are purely irresponsible and purely selfish. Even more abominable than a vegetarian in a corpse position!
And now, this person is Zeng Jian, who was the minister of the Ministry of Industry and a second-rank minister in the court. No wonder the little emperor was so angry!

After all, the little emperor was right about this matter and said it to the extreme. It was because Zeng had learned that he deserved what he had done!

What kind of temper did the late Emperor have, and what kind of temper does His Majesty have today? Didn't you, Zeng Jian, even understand such a simple truth?
You are so fucking frustrated that you would do this Zhengchen trick!
The little emperor and the Zhongshan Hou are eager for you to jump out and beat you to death with a stick, then install their own people, and then command the Metropolitan Procuratorate to bloodbath the entire Ministry of Works!
what is this?
This is not only seeking death, but also dragging everyone along to be buried with him!

All the courtiers were secretly cursing that Zeng Jianzhen was nothing. He was so stubborn that he had to go crazy, pull out this trick, and hit the muzzle of the little emperor's gun!

Otherwise, Liu Jian, the chief minister of the cabinet just now, was ready to speak, to make a final decision and completely expose the matter. At worst, let those fifty-six people die, and no matter what, the little emperor could not be allowed to excommunicate scholars!

The result is now good. Because of this idiot Zeng Jian, the little emperor seized another great opportunity and directly extended the scope of dismissal to include people who resigned and took up official positions without any reason!

Zeng Jian, Zeng Jian, you really deserve to die!
Criticisms will be rebuked, but the solutions must still be resolved.

Now this matter is no longer a personal matter for Zeng Jian, but a matter related to the interests of the entire gentry group.

Once fame is abolished and becomes customization, the preferential treatment of scholars will be questionable. No one can guarantee whether the little emperor will directly strike it with his next sword!

The civil servants and gentry did not dare to gamble, so they were determined not to let the emperor remove Zeng Jian's reputation, and they must not set a precedent!

But, how to solve it?
All the court officials chose to remain silent, and their brains began to work crazily, hoping to find some "ancestral method" in their memories to deal with the crisis at hand!

Liu Jian couldn't help but sigh. He was the chief minister of the cabinet. Others could remain silent, but he couldn't. He had to speak up!
"Your Majesty, Da Sikong has devoted his whole life to serving the country. He has been serving as an official for decades and has been fulfilling his duties without any criticism!"

"If someone were to be expelled from his position and exiled to Liaodong just because he resigned to become an official, I am afraid that it would chill the hearts of scholars all over the world. In the past, Emperor Taizu Gao established the national policy of "nurturing and recruiting scholars" and personally said, "Education is the first priority in governing a country!"

"If your ministers make mistakes, Your Majesty, as a king and father, should educate them instead of punishing them severely. This will lead to the loss of benevolence and righteousness!"

The meaning of Liu Jian's words is very simple.

Both inside and outside the words were reminding the little emperor that it was almost done, but don't go too far.

Even Emperor Taizu Gao wanted to "raise scholars and acquire scholars." If you really do this to eliminate scholars' reputations and lose their hearts as scholars, how can the Ming Dynasty survive?
The last sentence means we are giving in. We admit that you are our king and father, but you cannot punish your ministers for their mistakes. You should be generous and kind and promote benevolence and righteousness, so that your ministers will be grateful to you, the king and father!
The little emperor still wanted to listen to what the old chief assistant said, but he chose to listen to half of it.

"Since Yuan Fu begs for mercy, I will spare you this time."

"But the death penalty can be avoided, but the living crime cannot be escaped. You have shown your arrogance and disobedience before. If you are not severely punished, I am afraid that all the officials in the world will be lazy in politics if they see it!"

"The system of Li Shanshou, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry in Nanjing, has ended a few days ago. You should take over as the Minister of the Ministry of Industry in Nanjing. Continue to be loyal to the country and promote Li Shan to be the Minister of the Ministry of Industry!"

Hearing this, Zeng Jian trembled, and in the end he could only kneel down to thank him. Although there is only a two-character difference between the two, Nanjing Minister of Industry and Industry, and Minister of Industry, their meanings are worlds apart!

Nanjing was the capital of the Ming Empire in the early years of the Ming Dynasty. After the capital was moved to Beijing during the Yongle period, Nanjing, as the capital, retained a set of central institutions corresponding to Beijing, such as the Six Ministries and the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Since then, the Ming Dynasty has formed a political system based on Beijing. center, the two-capital system with Nanjing as the economic center.

The characteristics of this two-capital system are: the emperor, cabinet bachelors and other decision-making figures are all in Beijing, and the six ministries and other yamen in Beijing are veritable central power agencies; most of the yamen in Nanjing have false titles, official duties are idle, and the officials who serve are called " "officials are hidden", but their status is generally not lower than that of corresponding Yamen officials in Beijing.

The institutions that really control the real power of the various ministries in Nanya are the Nanjing Counselor, the Minister of Military Affairs, the Nanjing garrison eunuch, and the Nanjing Military Affairs Admiral, which is a common pattern of checks and balances between civil servants, eunuchs, and military officials in the Ming Dynasty.

The Minister of War in Nanjing was the core figure. This position was not only the head of the civil servants, but also responsible for controlling military affairs in the capital. It can be said that he was the absolute powerful figure in the capital.

Next is the Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing. The Nanjing Household Department is responsible for collecting taxes and grains from Nanzhili and Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Huguang provinces. The taxes and grains paid by these four places accounted for almost half of the Ming Empire. They are also responsible for water transportation, national salt, and water transportation. The Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs has been responsible for this matter from the beginning to the end of the Ming Dynasty. The authority is not unimportant. This is the true meaning of Nanjing as the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

After all, the land south of the Yangtze River accounts for half of the Ming Dynasty's tax revenue. Even if the capital is moved to Beijing, Nanjing will still have to leave a court team responsible for collecting taxes from Southern Zhili.

However, other departments of Nanya Yamen, such as Zeng Jian, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry in Nanjing, are the real Qingshui Yamen. They have no real power at all and are basically there to support the elderly.

This also means that, if nothing unexpected happens, Zeng Jian, who has hated the emperor, will have his official career come to an end in this life!

However, he couldn't blame anyone. If he wanted to blame him, he could only blame himself for not being able to see the situation clearly. He insisted on stepping in to speak out for those fifty-six people, and even took the most extreme method of resigning to force them!
Zhu Houzhao has been with Tang Hao for so long, and he has long developed Tang Hao's violent temper. He is reckless if he refuses to take the hard and the soft. If you dare to ask for resignation, then I will destroy you!

What's more, the little emperor has long been determined to rectify the six ministries and clarify the administration of officials. As a result, you Zeng Jian hit the gunpoint yourself. What else is there to say? Go to Nanya to retire!

Zeng Jian stood up silently and then exited the Wenhua Hall.

At this point, he is no longer qualified to participate in the Wenhua Palace meeting.

Since then, following Liu Daxia, the Minister of War, and Tu Xun, the Imperial Censor, another central minister was knocked off his horse and expelled from the court!
The ministers looked at Zeng Jian's back, there was no pity in their eyes, but more anger.

Because even though Zeng Jian left with a pat on his back, they still have to face the censure of the little emperor!
Seeing that the heat was almost done, Tang Hao stood up and spoke again.

"Your Majesty, this wind must not rise!"

"I request you to formulate a regulation and publish it in your office. If any official resigns without any reason at will, he will be removed from his position and strictly investigated and held accountable. He will be convicted in accordance with the Ming Law according to the severity of his crime and severely punished!"

As soon as these words came out, the expressions of all the ministers changed.

Marquis of Zhongshan, Marquis of Zhongshan, you are truly "loyal to the public and to the country"!

If you get a chance, you really want to kill us!

It’s just a matter of being expelled from the party, but we also need to strictly investigate and hold them accountable. Why don’t you just kill us!
However, now that things have happened, the ministers have no reason to refute!

After all, the little emperor just let Zeng Jian go, and if he refutes it now, it would be a bit ungrateful!
Didn’t you see that His Majesty the Emperor was showing his fangs?

He will punish anyone who dares to show up!
Zhu Houzhao looked at Zhang Fuhua and said in a deep voice: "What does General Xian think of what the Marquis of Zhongshan said?"

Zhang Fuhua sighed secretly after hearing this, and then nodded to express his stance.

"What Marquis Tang said...can be done!"

"What do you think Yuansuke?"

"Old minister seconded the proposal!"

"Otsuka Zai?"

"Seconded!"

At this point, the three true kings nodded in agreement, and Tang Hao's proposal was passed smoothly.

This Di Bao is the Ming Dynasty version of the newspaper, but it is not for ordinary people to read, but for officials to let them understand the major policies of the imperial court!

As for the ordinary people and some stupid people in Guizhou, they just plow the fields and cultivate the land. What major policies do they understand?
Immediately, the little emperor brought up the old matter again.

"By the way, what should we do with those fifty-six thieves?"

This time, Liu Jian was really scared, and without hesitation, he said directly: "Everything will be dealt with according to the Ming Law!"

He was really afraid that another Zeng Jian and his ilk would appear, giving the little emperor the opportunity to continue beating up the civil servants and gentry!

Zhu Houzhao smiled and nodded when he heard this.

"Since Yuan Fu has spoken, let's do this!"

"Behead those who deserve to be beheaded, confiscate those who deserve to be deported, and those who should go to Qiongzhou, go to Qiongzhou. I don't want to hear of any accidents happening!"

Zhang Fuhua nodded hurriedly when he heard this.

"Your Majesty, don't worry, there will be no surprises!"

Since then, the court meeting has ended.

Originally, today's court meeting also included the salt policy reform proposed by Han Wen, the Minister of Household Affairs. However, there were drastic changes and no one dared to speak anymore.

Looking at today's court meeting, the Huguang Township Party has completely become a victim. Grand Sikong Zengjian was expelled from the court. The fifty-six Huguang Township Party members were crippled and no one had the chance to return to the court. .

The little emperor returned to the platform, and Tang Hao followed.

"What happened to Zeng Jian?"

"It's a deal, double happiness!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)