The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 142 The Heavenly Official and the Chief Assistant! Liu Xixian’s request!

The official office of the Ministry of Personnel.

The Ministry of Personnel is the head of the Six Ministries. Especially in the 13th year of Hongwu, after Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang deposed the prime minister system, the Six Ministries directly obeyed the emperor and their status rose rapidly. Among them, the power and responsibility of the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel were greatly improved, and it truly became the central power. one of the core.

After repeated adjustments, the Ministry of Personnel was set up with a minister and a minister each, who were in charge of the government orders for the selection and examination of officials in the world, and had four subordinate departments. The Li Division and the Si Xun Division are the Ji Xun Qing Li Division, and the Kao Gong Division is the Kao Gong Qing Li Division. There is one doctor each of the four divisions, one Yuan Wai Lang, and one in charge. There is one capital official, six Ling Shi, and twelve Dian Li.

Because he is in charge of the government's decree on the selection and examination of officials in the world, the Ministry of Personnel ranks first among the six departments. The Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is honored as "Otsuka Zai", also known as "Tianguan"!
Master Tianguan has the highest status and power among the six central ministries.

In terms of personnel appointments and removals, and the selection of officials, the Minister of Civil Affairs had a great say, and even the emperor could not bypass their decisions.

The approval of the Minister of Personnel is the key to the proper appointment of officials, otherwise their status will become very embarrassing.

Especially after the Civil War, the civil servants and gentry controlled the government, forming the Wenhua Palace court system, and the power of the Ministry of Personnel was further enhanced.

For example, the "Ting Tui" system for important ministers in the court consists of six ministers, the capital censor, six subjects, the minister of general administration, the minister of Dali, and the censor in charge. Shangshu presided over.

In short, if the Minister of Civil Affairs thinks that you are a good person and a talented official, then you can be promoted. But if Lord Tianguan thinks that you are not good, then you will really have no hope of promotion!

"Jizhi, what do you think of Tang Hao, the Marquis of Zhongshan?"

At this point, Ma Wensheng was also amazed.

"Xu Jin seems to be refuting Tang Hao's sending troops, but in fact he is trying to expose the navy's corruption in public!"

After a brief silence, Jizhi tentatively spoke.

In fact, he still respected Liu Jian, the chief assistant of the cabinet, so he didn't feel comfortable opening his mouth.

"So, Tang Hao's second step didn't succeed either!"

"At first he looked angry and wanted to take advantage of this to raise troops to go on an expedition against Japan. After being unanimously opposed by the ministers, he took the second step."

Jizhi said calmly: "From the beginning, his purpose was not to send troops to the Japanese country, because he knew in his heart that the civil servants and gentry would never agree!"

"Everyone knows the truth about the case of the Japanese deputy envoy, and there is no theory of assassinating Marquis Zhongshan."

The second step also failed.

After hearing these words, Ma Wensheng showed a happy smile on his face.

Ma Wen was promoted to be the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. He had been in charge of the Ministry of Personnel for many years and was a veteran of the Five Dynasties. Naturally, he dared to criticize Liu Jian, the chief minister of the cabinet, but he could not help him.

As Ma Wensheng spoke, the chess piece in his hand fell down.

"Tang Hou's goal has been achieved!"

"Because no one wants to see the Navy rebuilt, whether it is for selfish reasons or for the Ming Dynasty."

"Then the third step began. Ashikaga Yoshivi, the Japanese ambassador, personally requested the Ming Dynasty to send troops, and he also used the name of justice!"

"It's just because of the suppression of me and Liu Xixian that in the end the matter was defined as angel mediation instead of sending troops for an expedition. There were certain restrictions on the number of people, and Tang Hou would not be given the opportunity to personally lead the troops to fight. It seems that Tang Hao is like something None of the goals were achieved..."

"We, the Marquis of Zhongshan, followed Xu Jin's words and asked His Majesty the Emperor to devote resources to rebuilding the Navy. Naturally, this again encountered fierce opposition from the civil servants and gentry!"

"In order to facilitate the success of this matter, Marquis Tang and the Japanese envoy even built a Shijian silver mine with hundreds of millions of silver hidden in it. I don't know how many civil servants and gentry were affected by their selfish motives. Therefore, in the end, the Ming Dynasty became public and private. I need to send someone to Japan to check it out!”

"Then Marquis Zhongshan began his performance."

"This second step is taken by the new Minister of War, Grand Sima Xu."

"This time, even the civil servants and gentry could not object, because the righteousness is there, and the Ming Dynasty, as the kingdom of heaven, cannot ignore the vassal states, not to mention that people have already come to ask for help, so no matter what , I have to send someone over to take a look.”

Master Tianguan suddenly asked, and the official Zi Jizhi was startled, but the chess piece in his hand still fell.

Ma Wensheng looked at the younger official opposite, and Jizhi fell into deep thought after hearing this.

"Therefore, Marquis Tang first made rude demands one after another, which aroused fierce opposition from civil servants and gentry, but in the end he reduced these demands to a certain extent, thus achieving his goal."

"Jizhi, is this really the case?"

"However, this Marquis of Zhongshan has always been ruthless in his actions. I don't know what means he used to force the Japanese country to make Ashikaga Yoshimi turn to him. He even dared to openly give him Tang Hao perjury!"

Ma Wensheng smiled, and then his expression became serious again.

"The Ming Dynasty's national power has been declining since the civil war, and it has reached the point where the people are exhausted. Let alone rebuilding the navy, it is extremely difficult for the Ming Dynasty to be able to stabilize the supply of military expenditures on all sides and maintain the normal operation of the court."

"In today's court meeting, the Marquis of Zhongshan has shown his ambition."

Jizhi never spoke.

"The northern pirates are the real serious problem, and the Japanese pirates are just a scabies disease. This is an indisputable fact!"

"For example, even if the number of troops is limited, one or two thousand soldiers are sent out. After these two thousand soldiers go to the Japanese country, the civil servants and gentry will not know what they will do. Only Tang Hou and... Your Majesty knows, so their goal was achieved!"

"Although I don't like Liu Xixian (Liu Jian), I have to admit that Liu Xixian has done a good job these years. At least he did not let the Ming Dynasty continue to deteriorate. At least he finally stabilized the Ming Dynasty!"

"For example, the Navy. Marquis Tang knew that civil servants and gentry would never agree to pour resources into the Navy. He must also know that the current national strength of the Ming Dynasty cannot do this, so he went round and round and finally proposed to repair and maintain those wars. Ships, and the civil servants and gentry did not object. After all, what they thought was that if the Japanese country really had such a huge silver mine with more than 100 million in silver, warships would definitely be needed to transport the silver back, so Tang Hou’s proposal was also passed. "

Jizhi listened patiently and never stopped the game.

"no!"

Just like Liu Daxia's in-law Wang Yan, because of the grievances between Liu Daxia and Ma Wensheng, he was suppressed by Ma Wensheng and was not allowed to advance even half a step throughout his life. This is the authority of Master Tianguan!
At this moment, in the Tianguan duty room, Ma Wensheng was playing chess with a resolute-looking official.

"Sir, Tang Hou...did you really do something wrong?"

As soon as these words came out, even Tianguan Ma Wensheng was a little surprised. He took a deep look at the person in front of him, then laughed and shook his head.

"Jizhi, Jizhi, your current thoughts are very dangerous!"

This son is worthy of being the talented official he values ​​the most. His intelligence and talent are enough to become his successor, Ma Wensheng, and the next Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Lord Tianguan!
"In fact, the winner of today's court discussion is not the civil servants and gentry, but the Marquis Tang and His Majesty the Emperor!"

As soon as Jizhi finished speaking, a burst of applause suddenly sounded at the door.

"Jizhi, Jizhi, you really have the talent of being a prime minister!"

Hearing this voice, Ma Wensheng's face instantly turned cold.

Jizhi stood up hurriedly and bowed to salute the visitor.

"The lower official, Wang Hao, has met Master Yuan Fu!"

Wang Hao, courtesy name Jizhi, was born in Suzhou, Nanzhili. He studied with his father since he was a child. He was extremely intelligent. He could read classics and history at the age of eight and write poetry at the age of twelve. At the age of sixteen, he followed his father to the capital and studied in the Imperial College. As soon as his article came out, all the students in the Imperial Academy rushed to praise him. Ye Sheng, the minister, and Chen Xuan, the imperial censor of Tixue, were surprised and called him "a scholar in the world."

In the tenth year of Chenghua, Wang Hao won the first place "Jie Yuan" in the rural examination. In the eleventh year of Chenghua, he won the first place "Hui Yuan" in the examination of the Ministry of Rites, the third place in the imperial examination, and was awarded the title of Imperial Editor , became famous all over the world for a while.

In the first year of Zhengde, the mourning system for Wang Jiaoshou's father ended. He was recommended by Ma Wensheng, the Heavenly Official, and was appointed Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Because Ma Wensheng was too old, his ears were hard to use, and his eyes were blurred, so most of the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel were handled by Wang Hao.

He is Ma Wensheng's chosen successor, the next Lord Tianguan!
"No courtesy!" Liu Jian stepped forward to help Wang Yao up, and then said warmly: "Jizhi, are you used to working in this official department?"

"Then Li Dongyang has been ill at home for a long time, and I guess he doesn't have much time. How about I report to Your Majesty and recommend you to the cabinet..."

"Liu Jian!" Master Tianguan was angry, "I'm not dead yet!"

"You are poaching me in front of me. Are you impatient with Liu Jian?"

"Master Tianguan, why should you be angry? It's all for His Majesty's errands. Everything is done the same everywhere!" Liu Jian chuckled and sat down, but no longer mentioned the matter of transferring Wang Hao to the cabinet.

Some things may be a joke if you say them once, but if you say them twice and three times, they are serious.

Ma Wensheng is right, he is not dead yet, don't try to anger a heavenly official.

Seeing the two giants confronting each other, Wang Hao wisely prepared to turn around and leave.

As for the matter of joining the cabinet mentioned by Master Yuan Fu just now, Wang Hao had no worries in his heart.

Entering the cabinet and staying in the civil service represent two different paths.

Maybe after joining the cabinet, you can be called "Xiang" in private, but when it comes to real power, none of the temple supervisors of the Ming Dynasty can compare with the Ministry of Personnel!

However, just as he was about to leave, Ma Wensheng spoke coldly.

"No need to leave, just listen from the side!"

"Listen more to these, it will be useful for you to take charge of the staff in the future!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Hao stepped forward and closed the door, then stood respectfully behind Ma Wensheng.

Seeing this, Liu Jian smiled and said nothing. He knew very well that this was Ma Wensheng's counterattack and wanted to prove Wang Hao's choice.

But these are not important. What is really important is the next meeting.

Liu Jian picked up Wang Hao's black stones, made his own moves, and continued the mess.

"Master Tianguan, how are you these days?"

"Haha!" Ma Wensheng sneered, "What? I wish I would die quickly so that your cabinet can take over the power, right?"

"Hey, I'm not going to die, so I'm going to hold on with gritted teeth, and I'll piss you off like a common man!"

When we communicate in private behind closed doors, there are no worries in our words.

What's more, Ma Wensheng has always had a hot temper and acted vigorously. He couldn't stand Liu Jian himself, so how could he give him a good look?

In fact, the grievances between Ma Wensheng and Liu Jian were mainly due to the expansion of cabinet power.

Since the cabinet has the power to vote, its power has been increasing day by day. In addition, some people have deliberately cultivated party members, so that the current cabinet has a vague tendency to surpass the six ministries!

It is precisely because of this that before Emperor Hongzhi died, he pulled Ma Wensheng and asked him to keep the Ministry of Personnel. As long as Ma Wensheng was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, he would never become a vassal of the cabinet!
In addition, that is the grudge between Ma Wensheng and Liu Daxia, Li Dongyang and other Huguang Township Party members.

To sum it up, there is just one sentence: the party is united and opposed and rejects those who are different!

Master Yuan Fu was struck by a wave of yin and yang, but he didn't get angry, and instead signaled to Ma Wensheng.

"With Lord Tianguan's words, Xixian feels more at ease."

Ma Wensheng dropped a white stone, but was startled when he heard this, and then frowned.

"Liu Jian, what exactly do you want to say? Don't fight with me here!"

"If you have something to say, just say it and then get out. This official department is not your place, Liu Jian!"

Liu Jian sighed after hearing this and suppressed the smile on his face.

"Otsuka Zai, you must be aware of the series of things that have happened in the court recently!"

"It is true that Marquis Tang is helping His Majesty take back his authority. Marquis Tang is indeed enriching the country and strengthening the army, but they have a problem... they have taken too big a step!"

Liu Jian spoke solemnly: "Suppress the Huguang Township Party and expel Liu Daxia, Xiong Xiu and others from the court!"

"Then he attacked the Metropolitan Procuratorate, expelled Tu Xun from the court, rectified the Metropolitan Procuratorate, gave the Metropolitan Procuratorate the power of investigation, separated the public prosecutors from the civil servants and gentry, and forced these public prosecutors to turn to His Majesty. Become the sword in His Majesty’s hand!”

"Then the Sixth Ministry, the first blow of the New Deal, fell on the Ministry of War. A large number of Huguang native party members were dismissed from their posts and investigated, and even completely abolished!"

"Then came the Ministry of Works, and even now Marquis Tang still wants the navy..."

Having said this, Liu Jian's face turned very ugly.

He does not object to Tang Hao helping the young emperor regain the imperial power, nor does he object to Tang Hao enriching the country and strengthening the army, but the problem is that such a large-scale struggle for power will only make the foundation of the court unstable, and will only make everyone feel insecure and uneasy !

Tang Hao and the little emperor were too impatient and did not even consider the feelings of the civil servants and gentry!

Especially today, Tang Hao actually wanted the court to pour resources into the Navy. This undoubtedly touched the back of the civil servants and gentry!

You dare to rebuild the Navy today, dare to open the sea and lift the ban tomorrow, and dare to lead the Navy to the Western Ocean!
Who will agree?

Who would put aside their vested interests?

Tang Hao's impetuous behavior will only aggravate the conflict between the emperor and his ministers!

Ma Wensheng also understands this truth.

He knew better than anyone what Zheng He's voyages to the West meant.

"Then what do you want to do?"

"The Ministry of Personnel is the head of the six departments!" Liu Jian looked at Ma Wensheng and said solemnly: "The sword of this New Deal must not fall on the head of the Ministry of Personnel, at least not now!"

"It will take at least three years. After three years, I will return to my hometown and return the cabinet to Your Majesty. I will return the government to Your Majesty. Please take charge of it!"

"But within these three years, the New Deal must not be implemented, otherwise the Ming Dynasty will be in chaos, and the first to bear the brunt will be the officials!"

"Lord Tianguan, for the sake of our country, Xixian dares to ask you to hold on for another three years!"

Liu Jian expressed his request sincerely, and Ma Wensheng was speechless after hearing this.

After a long time, he finally sighed.

"Liu Xixian, doesn't it feel like being an official? Hahaha!"

"Three years, just three years. Even if I die, I will die again in three years!"

After getting this exact answer, Liu Jian finally showed a smile on his face.

As long as Ma Wensheng is in charge of the official department, no one can touch the official department, including Tang Hao and the little emperor!

But this smile is full of bitterness.

Xunli, it’s really hard to do!

"Otsuka Zai, Xixian won this game!"

Liu Jian said these words and then left with a smile.

When Ma Wensheng looked at the chessboard, he saw five black stones connected in a line, and then... nothing happened.

"What did you win?"

"Backgammon!"

"???"

(End of this chapter)