Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 19: Wen Tiren Forms a Clique

Zhu Changgan concentrated, and a message prompt that only he could see appeared again.

"Name: Zhu Changgan"

"Main quest: Save the Ming Dynasty Completion: 9/10000"

"The Ming Dynasty's national fortune value: -10029, (the people are living in dire straits, the national fortune is negative, and natural and man-made disasters continue.)"

"The Ming Dynasty has lasted for 1 days"

「Life bonus: 1 day」

「Funding reward: 27397.26 yuan」

The main line progress bar moved up one point again, which also confirmed the correctness of this route.

"Your Majesty, the eunuch is late. This is a gunpowder depot. It is too dangerous for you to come here."

Just at this moment, Cao Huachun finally arrived.

Then he looked at Liu Cixi, Fang Erbai and others lying on the ground, his face turned ugly, and he knelt down and said: "Your Majesty, this person was also recommended by the eunuchs... Please punish him, Your Majesty."

Zhu Changgan looked at Cao Huachun and said, "Eunuch Cao is indeed guilty of not investigating. Both Wang Zhixin and Liu Cixi have made mistakes again and again."

"It's okay once or twice, but not three times. I hope you can check the Silijian and other departments. If this happens again, I will forgive our friendship and allow you to retire and return home."

"I, the eunuch, thank you!" Cao Huachun knelt down, his face turning blue and purple.

During these days, Cao Huachun submitted several memorials in succession, requesting to retire and return home.

On the one hand, it was because of his age, and on the other hand, the relationships in the court were becoming more and more complicated, and he did not want to be involved.

But now... the Imperial Household Department under his charge has been encountering problems one after another. How can he have the nerve to return home in glory before things are properly dealt with?

Retiring to one's hometown after completing one's mission and returning to one's hometown in disgrace after having been convicted of a crime are two completely different things.

"Get up!" Zhu Changgan looked at Cao Huachun, "Lord Cao, I originally wanted to let you return to your hometown to retire, but now the situation is so complicated, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to work for me for a few more days!"

"Your Majesty, I am... ashamed!" Cao Huachun blushed and wished he could throw his head to the ground.

There is a saying that goes "It is better to waste time than to use it well".

It means that it is better to employ people who have made mistakes so that they can make up for their mistakes than to employ people who have made achievements.

Similarly, there is also a saying: It is better to share faults than achievements.

Cao Huachun was a man who cared a lot about his reputation. He had an excellent reputation during his many years in the court.

He had always wanted to resign and return to his hometown to retire. No matter how much the emperor tried to persuade him to stay or reward him, he was unwilling to stay. This could only be his fault.

You made a mistake, and you have the nerve to just leave like that?

Cao Huachun ordered Liu Cixi and Fang Erbai to be dragged away. "I will definitely give your Majesty a satisfactory answer!"

Even without the emperor saying anything, he would have confiscated the property of Liu Ci Xi and Fang Er Bai.

"Lord Cao, I want to upgrade the Armoury Bureau to the Armoury Department, and have it managed by me personally. What do you think?"

司，
Below the six ministries, but above the bureau.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, there were 24 departments under the Six Ministries. In the Ming Dynasty, the 24 departments were gone, but the use of the "Abolition of Departments" was no longer used.

For example, the "three-department joint trial" that has been used refers to the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Dali Temple as the three judicial departments. When encountering major cases, the case-handling departments under the three departments will jointly try the case.

Although there is only a difference of one level, there is a world of difference between them.

There was no need to go through the Imperial Household Department anymore, as it could be directly managed by the emperor.

This is also done to improve the treatment of scientists from all over the country. Geniuses are often somewhat eccentric.

If they are allowed to work under eunuchs, they might quit their jobs on the same day.

"But according to His Majesty's orders."

"Pass on my decree. The Armour Bureau will be promoted to the Armour Department. All the official positions and salaries of all the staff will be raised one level." Zhu Changgan asked Wang Chengen to gather all the existing staff of the Armour Bureau.

Announced this matter.

The craftsmen in the Armory Bureau were originally trembling with fear, but upon hearing this they all raised their heads and became ecstatic.

Everyone's official position and salary were promoted by one level, which was a great joy for them.

Although the Armory Bureau was lucrative, none of the profits went to the craftsmen.

Not only that, they were also exploited by Liu Ci Xi, Fang Erbai and others, and their families were already struggling to make ends meet. Now that the emperor personally said that he would promote their positions and salaries, how could they not be surprised?

"That's great, thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Long live thanks!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty..."

Everyone was whispering to each other, looking delighted.

"Don't be too happy yet." Zhu Changgan motioned for everyone to be quiet. "I have one more thing to announce. The Armory will set up an assessment, and the craftsmen will have to take the assessment before they can take up their posts."

"Those whose skills are not up to standard will not be hired."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the craftsmen present were all different. Some were full of confidence and extremely excited, while others were timid.

"In addition, the Armory will also need to recruit a large number of craftsmen."

"Anyone who recommends one craftsman who passes the assessment will be rewarded with ten taels of silver. Anyone who recommends two craftsmen who pass the assessment will be rewarded with twenty taels of silver, and so on."

hiss~
Everyone was envious. To be honest, they only earned a dozen taels of silver throughout the year. To be able to earn ten taels by introducing one person was truly exciting.

But some people also murmured: "With so much money, is there any money left in the treasury?"

"Yes, I heard that there is no money in the treasury."

"Yesterday I heard that the nobles and civil and military officials donated money..."

Wang Chengen shouted sternly, "How dare you! Do you think you can interfere in front of His Majesty?"

"Drag out the people who just spoke and beat them to death!"

Everyone immediately knelt on the ground, trembling.

Chongzhen was too far away to hear clearly, so he asked Wang Chengen, "What are they talking about?"

"Your Majesty..." Wang Chengen spoke out what several people had said.

"No problem!" Zhu Changgan stopped Wang Chengen, "I understand your concerns. I can tell you clearly that the money will come from my treasury."

"I just received six million taels of silver yesterday. What are you worried about?"

……

When Zhu Changgan returned to the Qianqing Palace, the eunuch had already brought him a pile of memorials.

"Your Majesty, this is a memorial submitted by all the civil officials in the court."

"Wang Chengen, come and read to me!" After running for a whole morning, Zhu Changgan couldn't help feeling a little tired. He picked up the tea and drank several sips.

Wang Chengen began to read: "The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Kong Zhenyun, wrote this: Qian Qianyi was treacherous and plotted to cultivate thousands of miles of fertile land and forcibly abducted women..."

After one article, he picked up another one, "Guanglu Qing Zhou Zhifa wrote this in a respectful manner: Qian Qianyi formed a clique and spread strange theories in the Jiangnan area all day long, slandering the government..."

While Wang Chengen was reading, Zhu Changgan felt a little sleepy and almost fell asleep while sitting on the throne.

but on the other hand,
In the Prince's Palace of Xiangyang, Chongzhen listened extremely attentively.

"Impeach Qian Qianyi?"

"Impeach Qian Qianyi again?"

"Or impeach Qian Qianyi?"

Chongzhen frowned, why are all the memorials impeaching Qian Qianyi? Recalling that Wen Tiren had impeached Qian Qianyi before, and the conflict between Qian Qianyi and Wen Tiren, his mind buzzed, and he stood up suddenly, "Wen Tiren is forming a clique!"

At this moment, he finally realized that a "faction" headed by Wen Tihen had formed within the court.

Chongzhen trembled slightly, "Wen Tihen...actually formed a clique?"

Every prime minister before him, except Wen Tihen, served for less than a year.

The only person he trusted was Wen Tiren.

It has been eight years since June of the third year of Chongzhen, when he entered the cabinet as the Minister of Rites and concurrently the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion.

Looking back on the past, every time Wen Tiren wanted to recommend someone, it was someone else who proposed the idea and he would then support it.

If someone wants to frame someone, he will pretend to be magnanimous and kind after someone else suggests it, and then use the other party's behavior that is taboo to divert attention.

Yao Ximeng, Wen Zhenmeng, Zheng Yu were expelled from the court one after another... For eight years, Chongzhen did not realize it and was fooled for eight years.

Suddenly, Chongzhen stood there in a daze, his eyes suddenly fixed and stared wide.

From this incident, he felt that Zhu Changgan seemed to have known about Wen Tihen's clique for a long time?
Otherwise, what did Zhu Changgan mean by asking Wen Tihen to thoroughly investigate the Qian Qianyi case?
Qian Qianyi had already lost power, so how could he be impeached all of a sudden? And he was impeached by so many people, if he had to say that he had a grudge against someone?
Then the only possibility is Wen Tiren.

"Why not remove him? Instead, you are encouraging Wen Tiren?"

At this moment, Chongzhen's mind was spinning like a top, but he was getting more and more dizzy and couldn't make sense of anything.

At this moment, the maid Hong Tao knocked on the door, "Prince, it's time for lunch."

"I...I don't want to eat."

Hong Tao bit her red lips, her face flushed, her face turned pale, her ears and neck turned red, "Prince, you said that this morning."

"What did you say?"

"The prince said that if we skip lunch and develop health problems, then the Ming Dynasty will be truly hopeless."

Chongzhen stared at the maid in amazement. The muscles at the corners of his mouth twitched several times before he gritted his teeth and said, "Put down the lunch. I... I will eat it myself."

"Yes!"

After the maid left, Chongzhen picked up the bowl and chopsticks and cleared away all the food on the table like a gust of wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

Then concentrate again and listen to the sound from the main body.

……

Within the palace,

Zhu Changgan also started to enjoy lunch. This time he directly gathered Queen Zhou, Concubine Tian, ​​Concubine Yuan and others together.

The whole family should be neat and tidy.

Queen Zhou is only 27 years old this year, at the prime of her life.

She was wearing a white gauze dress with a red crotch and a red vest lining. The inside and outside complemented each other so well that Zhu Changgan couldn't help but admire her. Was this really for the sake of frugality?
The same was true of Concubine Tian, ​​but she had a cold face, a slender figure, was taciturn, had a pair of slender hands, and was especially good at playing the piano.

Concubine Yuan was round and plump, and the most charming.

pity……

"Your Majesty, I have discussed with Concubine Tian, ​​Concubine Yuan and others, and we will start the selection after Qingming Festival."

"It's according to the Queen's wishes." Zhu Changgan said to Zhu Cijiong with a smile: "Come, come to me, I will perform a magic trick for you."

"What is magic?"

"I will show you the Three Immortals Returning to the Cave."

After Zhu Cixiong came over, Zhu Changgan picked up a few bowls on the table, and then brought over three meatballs.

"The empty bowl is covered. Look at my hand. There's nothing in it. I'll pick up this meatball, cover it with this one, and then cover it with this one... Pick up this one, watch it, and go in."

“How many balls are there in this?”

"two!"

Zhu Changgan turned over the bowl, and Zhu Cijiong burst into laughter, "Two."

But Zhu Changgan covered the two meatballs, pointed to another bowl, and said, "Go in!"

“How many are in this bowl now?”

"It's still two!"

When Zhu Changgan turned over the bowl, not only Zhu Cijiong, but even Queen Zhou and Wang Chengen were stunned, their eyes wide open in surprise, because there were actually three at the bottom of the bowl.

Queen Zhou covered her mouth and said, "Your Majesty...you are..."

Zhu Changgan had almost finished eating, so he stood up and said with a smile, "It's just a little trick, don't take it seriously."

"Wang Chengen, accompany me to help digest the food."

"..." Wang Chengen was still looking at the bowl and meatballs on the table before leaving. As if he understood what Wang Chengen meant, Zhu Cijiong directly picked up a meatball and stuffed it into his mouth. He took a few bites and swallowed it. "It's true."

Queen Zhou looked at the emperor's back and murmured, "Your Majesty... seems different from before?"

"Yes, His Majesty seems to be very different in the past two days." Concubine Yuan stiffened her neck and looked at the emperor's back.

Even Concubine Tian, ​​who was usually the least talkative, nodded and said, "Yesterday, Your Majesty actually wanted to hear me play the piano."

For more than ten years, since Chongzhen ascended the throne, he has never heard Concubine Tian play the piano again.

……

royal garden,
The emperor was walking in front and Wang Chengen was following behind, shaking his head. He really couldn't figure out how the meatball got in.

It was not until he bumped into the person in front of him that he suddenly realized that the emperor had stopped.

"Your Majesty, this eunuch is outrageous. Please punish him, Your Majesty."

Zhu Changgan waved his hand, "How is Luo Yangxing doing?"

"According to the information sent by Eunuch Cao, eight families have already approached Luo Yangxing. Here is the list." Wang Chengen handed over the list. "Luo Yangxing's concubines have also been found out. In addition, his house and land in his hometown have been recorded."

"Eight already in the morning?" Zhu Changgan smiled faintly, "Not too many, it seems that some people are still waiting and watching."

"Let Eunuch Cao add fuel to the fire."

"Add fuel to the fire?" Wang Chengen was confused.

"Let the cabinet draft an edict to promote Luo Yangxing to the position of Left Commander-in-Chief and Prince Taifu." Zhu Changgan said calmly.

Luo Yangxing only got the title of Prince Taifu in the last two years of Chongzhen's reign, and I will give it to him now.

Anyway, you are already a grasshopper in autumn. I will give you some color and make you glorious. It depends on whether those people can resist the temptation.

……

Prince Xiang's Mansion,
Chongzhen was listening to some list and other things, and since he didn't know what Cao Huachun had done, he only understood half of it.

But when he heard that Zhu Changgan directly promoted Luo Yangxing to the position of Prince Taifu, his face suddenly turned ugly and he even spit out the water he had just drunk.

"Why does he deserve to be appointed as the Crown Prince's tutor?"

Luo Yangxing was only a third-rank official now, but he was promoted to the first-rank official in one go.
Although there is no actual scope of authority, the person who is promoted to this level must have extremely high achievements and status.

It would be fine if he was a civil official in the court, but Luo Yangxing was just an Imperial Guard, and he was promoted to the top in an instant. What rewards would he get in the future?
"How can this be? How can this be?"

"Wouldn't such a promotion give the court officials a reason to attack him?"

Chongzhen slammed his hands on the table, shaking the dishes and chopsticks. "This is not a rectification of the Jinyiwei, this is simply a random act!"

"How can there be royal dignity if you are inconsistent?"

He stood up and turned around like an ant on a hot pot, but there was nothing he could do.

(End of this chapter)