On the tenth day of November, there was a meeting at the Wenhua Palace.
A group of courtiers held fluorene boards and divided into two groups.
On the imperial steps, the little emperor sat solemnly behind the imperial desk, reading the memorials.
Affected by the imperial examination of the chief minister's son in the past two days, the chief minister did not come to the court for discussion today.
But even if the victim is absent, the tense atmosphere in the DPRK caused by this incident has not diminished at all.
Everyone exchanged glances from time to time.
Occasionally, some people are eager to give it a try, but they endure it.
Zhu Yijun closed the memorial, looked around the imperial steps, and frowned: "What? When I was practicing virtue in the Wanshou Palace, all the ministers were as excited as bamboo shoots after the rain. Today I came to the court to inquire, and all the ministers were as silent as cicadas in winter.
?”
He looked at Chen Wude, who was on the right side of the military department, and slapped the memorial on the case: "Chen Qing, you scolded the most harshly, please tell me."
On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Juzheng made his official appointment as usual.
This is a normal thing. Logically speaking, it should stop at this time and either wait for the emperor or the two palaces to express their stance, or Zhang Jingxiu should stop taking the exam.
But everything turned out to be contrary to expectations, and the officials from the Sixth Subject and Thirteenth Path came after smelling the smell.
Either they impeached him or reprimanded him in court, they all said that the chief minister was retreating in order to advance, coercing the emperor by evading state affairs - if his son was not allowed to take the imperial examination, he would give up his career. Isn't this naked coercion?
It was also mentioned in a subtle way that there was a hidden danger in leaving major political affairs in the hands of cronies before the emperor took charge.
Among them, Chen Wude was the most scolded in the incident involving the right of the military department.
After the court meeting, this person wrote two memorials in a row, urging the emperor to put the overall situation of the two palaces first and invite the chief assistant back.
A letter was sent to the General Affairs Department and handed over to the two palaces, saying that now the new administration was in charge of the chief minister. If Zhang Juzheng was angry and abandoned state affairs, the emperor would still be responsible for the infamy in future generations. It should not be careless.
What's more, the only thing that governs the country is personnel and finance.
Nowadays, the officials and the household department only follow the lead of the chief minister and assistant. If the emperor and the two palaces act on their own initiative and accidentally offend the chief assistant, they are afraid that the election will turn the country's money upside down.
For the sake of national affairs and the overall situation, we might as well swallow our anger and respectfully invite Mr. Chief Assistant back.
It is a favor outside the system to allow the noble son of the chief minister to participate in the imperial examination. Compared with the overall situation of national affairs, even if it is appointed by the emperor, it is a favor at no cost.
In this way, the superficial harmony of the court can be maintained, wouldn't everyone be happy?
Pili Yangqiu in this memorial can be said to be at its peak.
As soon as Shufu came up, he was immediately beaten back by the two palaces and politely reminded him to pay attention to his ministerial decency.
As for why you are so polite...
Chen Wude is a virtuous person today.
In the fourth year of Longqing's reign, he used the solar eclipse to admonish the late emperor, advising "Your Majesty should reject everything and play it well, and act according to nature."
Then he directly launched a wave of anger at the late emperor, "Recently, the treasury has been empty for a long time, the people's livelihood is poor, and those in the Situ branch are in danger day by day. How can your majesty spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for fun?"
Then the familiar court officials were imprisoned and dismissed from office, and then resumed their duties after the death of the late emperor.
In addition, this man also spoke for Empress Dowager Chen who was thrown into the cold palace, and also helped Zhu Yijun leave the cabinet to study in the first place.
There is indeed hope for virtue.
It is not easy for the two palaces to scold directly, they can only comfort.
But people like Chen Wude have such political ideas that they simply can't listen to them.
The memorial was rejected by the two palaces, so he sent it to the Longevity Palace and begged the emperor to read it personally.
Similarly, the Six Subjects and Thirteen Daoists never lag behind others in dealing with such matters, and they all went to the Longevity Palace one after another, hoping that the emperor would pay attention to the abuses in the examination room.
Thus, this is the scene where today's court discussion and Zhu Yijun came forward to "justice".
Chen Wude was pointed out by the emperor in the matter of military affairs, and he was not afraid at all. In other words, he had been waiting for a long time.
"Your Majesty, I have only been reinstated this year. I have no friends in the court. I didn't know anything about the announcement in the city. I am not aware of the current disputes over the New Deal. I am just speaking out of my heart!"
Chen Wude looked firm and bowed to the emperor with his hands raised.
"Your Majesty, the children of the assistant ministers should not take the imperial examination! This is the fairness of the examination, please be clear to your majesty!"
Zhu Yijun looked at Chen Wude's expression and discerned this person's motives.
After a long while, he nodded slowly and noncommittally.
Then he looked at Hu Kezuo and asked Liu Buxi: "Liu Qing, you are the first to advocate it, so you should also say something."
Although it can be proven that the disclosure of the post had nothing to do with him, the memorial was always initiated by him.
Hearing this, Liu Buji walked out of the queue with some embarrassment, and hurriedly replied: "Your Majesty, I have already explained in the memorial that the scientific examination of the subordinates of the ministers violates the ancestral rules, violates the fairness of the examination, and harms the reputation of Yuan Fu.
.”
The Six Subjects and Thirteen Dao were a very special group in the Ming Dynasty.
Their ranks are not high. Among them, all the thirteen censors are only in the seventh rank.
But at the same time, this group of people holds a unique position in the central power system.
The noble status is often compared with that of his assistant ministers.
Being able to sit in the imperial council and participate in politics with a rank of seventh rank is a clear proof - "Only the assistant ministers can discuss the affairs of the world, and only the admonishment officials can speak. Although the admonishment officials are humble, they are equal to the assistant ministers."
This group of people has the complete power of court officials to set issues and influence decisions, and their power is not insignificant.
And if they are dissatisfied with an issue, their opposition votes are more direct than those of other officials.
That's impeachment!
From the gentry and the common people to the emperor himself, everything was within the scope of impeachment by this group of people - another term for the emperor was called regulation and admonishment.
As for what major omissions were made in the impeachment?
I'm sorry, but if I hear something about it, even if I made it up myself, I can still refer to it as "or say".
It can be said that while having extremely high powers, they also have unparalleled immunity from liability.
Disciplinary inspections are just that. Personnel appointments are also within the scope of authority of the Kedao Yanguan.
For example, Quanxuan "orders officials of the fifth rank and above in the capital to be in charge of affairs, ministers, censors, and all the officials they know, and appoint them to prefectures and counties."
Or it can be read as "The ministers have made their own statements, and it has been determined whether they will stay or leave. If an official has a legacy, he will give it to the official, and the censor will impeach him. This is called picking up the legacy."
Even the power to exempt from taxation is in accordance with the regulations of Feipao officials - "Fan Hanlin, those below the fifth rank of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and those in the sixth grade and thirteenth level. According to the fourth rank, they are exempted from the land of 5,350 acres."
We must have real power and have real power, and we must have nobility and nobility.
Coupled with the total number of these one hundred and fifty people, it is most appropriate to call him "Member of the Ming Dynasty".
As we all know, members' sense of presence, power, and even political achievements are almost all determined by the issues they set, and the same is true for politicians.
As far as Liu Buxi is concerned, he was a Jinshi in the second year of Longqing's reign and will be fifty years old in two years.
At a young age, if you want to make a name for yourself in your official career, there is nothing easier than getting a big one.
Issues related to the chief minister were thus brought to the table in a grand manner.
After Liu Buxi said this sentence, his subsequent thoughts gradually became clear.
His tone became calmer and his speaking speed gradually slowed down: "I know that Your Majesty is not happy with your Majesty's talk of meaningless things and empty talk."
"But this matter reported by me is a matter of fairness that concerns eight thousand people. It is an old matter that has been repeated for two hundred years in the country. It is an important matter for the country to mobilize talents and reserve talents, and to cultivate young people under the new policy. It is true and true. It is also an important matter.
Please give your Majesty a clear warning."
"I dare you to ask your Majesty to issue an edict prohibiting the scientific examinations of my subordinates!"
Zhu Yijun listened quietly to Liu Buxi's plea.
There are so many thoughts in my heart.
Things always have two sides.
The excellent quality of being able to reason with oneself is now gradually showing its shortcomings.
Are these officials dedicated to serving the public good?
Hard to say.
Otherwise, why didn’t anyone expose what happened during the previous official years?
You Liu Buji, a forty-year-old Jinshi, was admitted as a thirty-four-year-old and used this to make up for the good work in the job. Why is there no "great justice" in his heart?
But now, he still speaks out of fairness in the examination room.
He just made sure that the emperor was being reasonable and would not imitate Jie and Zhou and warm his subordinates' hearts with a firecracker.
Sure enough, everyone is responsible for their own workplace personality.
Zhu Yijun couldn't help but shook his head when he thought of this, and stretched out his hand to signal Liu Buxi to get up.
Then he turned to look at Ma Ziqiang, the Minister of Rites, who was standing at the third place in the class, with his head lowered and his head bowed. "Ma Qing, you are the eldest uncle and are in charge of the country's ritual system. How do you think you should deal with it?"
To be honest, this matter is not really difficult.
Whether it is to demote the official to suppress the public opinion, or to use Hai Rui's reputation to monitor the exams in a friendly manner and win the trust of the scholars.
It's not a big deal.
After all, Zhang Juzheng’s son had to take the exam for this subject in history, and there was also a lot of fuss. Didn’t he also take the exam in the end?
Even after the first assistant was Shen Shixing, Zhang Siwei's descendants followed him one after another.
So what if Shen Shixing was impeached? He was just demoted.
Things are not difficult to deal with.
But it's more than that.
The problem is that there are bad people among the ministers!
The memorial was obviously left unpublished by him, but it was copied into a public post and spread all over the city.
Zhang Jingxiu hadn't taken the exam yet, he just signed up and was immediately written into a memorial by Liu Buxi.
Especially Zhang Juzheng.
Nowadays, there is clearly no case of excessive power-taking in history. In order to avoid suspicion, even the Minister of Civil Affairs is still an empty frame, allowing the cabinet to remotely control the work of the minister.
But Zhang Juzheng still encountered the usual impeachments again and again.
In addition to the well-known reasons-the ministers are dissatisfied with the New Deal.
I'm afraid, it is more or less mixed with the cabinet-ministerial dispute that has lasted for nearly a hundred years!
From the dictatorship of the treacherous prime minister in the Jiajing Dynasty, to the power of the powerful assistants in the Longqing Dynasty, until now, the power of the cabinet can be said to be increasing day by day.
What followed was an inevitable struggle for power between the cabinet and the six ministries.
When Gao Yi thought of using Pan Jixun, he had to look at the face of Zhu Heng, the Minister of Industry.
Zhang Juzheng wanted the staff to cooperate with the cabinet, so he had to let Lu Shusheng, who was unwilling to take office, make a memorial.
If Zhu Yijun wanted to take control of the Beijing camp, he also had to leave the position of Assistant Minister of Rong Zheng and Minister of the Ministry of War vacant, and he also had to rely on Wang Chonggu's prestige to suppress the dissent of the Ministry of War.
When we first wanted to reform the vassal system, Zhang Siwei from the Ministry of Rites refused to agree, so it was difficult to make progress.
This is the size of six parts!
Even in history, a cabinet without the support of the emperor was completely at a disadvantage. The six ministries directly bypassed the cabinet in handling affairs, and even the emperor could be kept in the dark.
Now that everyone in the cabinet is gradually siding with the emperor, this cabinet dispute that has lasted for nearly a hundred years has become increasingly anxious.
So, these are bad times.
Intertwined with the dispute between the old and the new, the cabinet and ministry, the township and party, the north and the south, and the school of thought (Chapter 103 mentions Wang Yangming's entry into the Confucius Temple), the situation has become particularly complicated.
In this complex situation, distinguishing one's position is the most important thing.
After Zhu Yijun became the Minister of Rites, Ma Ziqiang frequently tested his attitude.
I just want to see where this person stands between the old and the new, in the cabinet, and in the township party.
Today is no exception.
Ma Ziqiang was called by the emperor and walked out without hesitation.
He first bowed, and then replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, I think Liu Gai is right in what he said. As an assistant minister, even unintentionally, I am afraid that sycophants will join in and shake the fairness of the examination."
Many of the court officials nodded.
Zhu Yijun looked at Ma Ziqiang with great interest, waiting for his next words.
I heard Ma Ziqiang pause for a moment, and then continued: "Not only the assistant ministers, but also the ministers and other six ministries, three courtyards and two temples, and the ministers of each ministry are equally powerful. They should also be subject to this restriction during their tenure, and no children or nephews are allowed.
refer to!"
As soon as he said this, all the officials praised him one after another and admired him deeply.
Only the officials from various departments twitched their eyelids and looked uncomfortable.
Ma Ziqiang took in everyone's expressions and couldn't help but snorted coldly.
The scope of the officials of various ministries is very large, including the six ministers, ministers, ministers of various temples, the directors of the Hanlin Academy, the two academies of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and even the governors, each one of them is counted.
What he said was a blatant expression of support and covert opposition.
joke.
His eldest son, Ma Yi, and his younger son, Ma Zhen, are about to take the Jinshi examination in the next two years.
He, Ma Ziqiang, was just a step away from his cabinet minister. What if he cheated his son?
To say the least, Wang Chonggu is still a party member of his family, and his two sons also need to be able to take the exam. As an uncle, he can't afford to hold back - he still hesitates when officials say that only the first assistant is banned from taking the exam.
When everyone has different expressions.
Wang Zhigao, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, suddenly said: "Now we are only talking about the heirs of the assistant ministers. Don't expand the scope indiscriminately."
"The scope of this ban is huge, and it would be unethical and unrealistic to implement it."
"If Uncle Zong wants to use this to object, he might as well object openly and appear magnanimous. You know, your Majesty doesn't like people who say nothing."
The Emperor's Boomerang is coming.
Everyone looked strange.
After hearing this, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but cough slightly and drew everyone's attention back.
He waved his hand and asked Ma Ziqiang to return to the train first.
Then he looked at Gao Yi, who was the foreman today: "Sir, you are Youkui. What do you think of this?"
In court discussions, those who should speak naturally have to express their opinions one by one.
Everyone looked towards Gao Yi.
Gao Yi quickly stepped out: "Your Majesty, I am an assistant minister, so I should avoid suspicion in this matter."
Having said that, he bowed down and prostrated.
At the same time, Qunfu Lu Tiaoyang and Wang Chonggu came out to bow to express their attitude.
This is also the reason why the three of them did not speak during the entire court meeting.
After Gao Yi took out the two colleagues, Gao Yi paused and then continued: "But since your Majesty asked... I have no brothers or nephews, so I am alone, so I just want to say a few words."
This is the invincible person.
Not only does he have no nephew, but he is also an old bachelor. It is obvious that he will not have any nephew in the future, which naturally eliminates the risk of boomerang.
It's no longer a problem, so there's nothing to avoid.
Zhu Yijun motioned to Gao Yi to continue.
Gao Yi coughed lightly and said slowly: "Your Majesty, what Liu Gai said is right. As your Majesty's assistant ministers, we will revolve around the sun and the moon, accompanying the stars."
"Whether it's the examiners, the classics, or the policy, they are all more or less influenced by us, and there is no guarantee that they will be without bias."
"For your reference, I don't dare to say that it is definitely fair."
"Especially for us to take advantage of His Majesty's power to hinder the fairness of the examination, which is really disloyal."
This was a fair statement, but all the ministers looked at Gao Yi quietly, waiting for the turning point.
As expected.
Gao Yi changed the topic and sighed: "But if my nephew is really talented, wants to take the imperial examination, and is a parent, how can he bear to ruin his future?"
"It is really difficult to have both monarch and minister, father and son."
"I only ask for His Majesty's Holy Judgment."
These words are not nonsense.
At least between the monarch and his ministers, another layer of father-son affection was added, and the human relationship gained a foothold.
The ministers had different expressions and had their own thoughts.
After everyone had expressed their stance, it was finally the emperor's turn to express his stance.
At this time, Zhu Yijun finally stopped ordering people to stand out.
He pondered for a long time.
He slowly opened his mouth and said, "I understand what you all mean."
This is where the conclusion is drawn.
All the ministers looked at it.
Suddenly the emperor sighed with emotion: "Now people inside and outside say that I ignore justice and wholeheartedly protect Yuan Fu."
"I will tell you what is on my mind today."
It doesn’t matter whether people believe it or not.
Zhu Yijun looked first at Liu Buxi, who initiated this matter: "Liu Qing, I know that you are not sincere in this memorial."
Liu Buxi's complexion suddenly changed, and he was about to go out to plead guilty.
Zhu Yijun raised his hand to stop him, and continued to say slowly: "Every official name comes from admonishment, and merit comes from committing crimes. This is a custom made by my ancestors, and I naturally know it."
As a disciplinary inspection department, KeDao has its own system of progressive aspects.
But at the same time, the two sides of things determine a good system, and there are limits to its proper functioning.
If there is no emperor who is good at accepting remonstrances, is independent of the aloofness of various factions, and has personal integrity to fulfill his duties, it will be difficult for the impeachment of officials to be effective, let alone consider the overall situation of the country and the dynasty.
Nowadays, the biggest problem for officials who care about merit and reputation is to impeach for the sake of impeachment.
This is also the reason why both Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, who are determined to do things, look down on the Six Subjects and Thirteen Dao - they talk nonsense and talk without meaning.
Although this is the case, the emperor's words are inevitably suspected of malicious speculation on his heart.
This is a symbol of lack of martial ethics.
Liu Buxi was shocked and frightened, and he was already sweating because he made a mistake in his bet.
The whole person stood frozen on the spot, not knowing how to place his hands.
Fortunately, at this time, Zhu Yijun changed the subject.
The little emperor said with a sincere face: "But you played it right, your words were meaningful, and they were relevant to the current situation. Even if you ignore the overall situation, it is still within your responsibility. I have no reason to criticize you."
Liu Buxi immediately let out a sigh of relief.
However, the emperor still could not accept the previous malicious speculation, so he had to bow and say nothing.
Zhu Yijun's tone became more and more emotional as he continued: "The ministers may have heard about it a long time ago. Zhang Jingxiu asked the Imperial College to take the exam the day before yesterday and requested that the exam be stopped."
He pointed at Tao Dalin, the wine-sacrificial winemaker, who was so lost in thought that he didn't seem to hear him.
The ministers also had no reaction to the speculation that the emperor had read the memorial.
Zhu Yijun didn't care about the reaction of the ministers and continued: "But Yuan Fu assisted in Bi's great government and contributed to the country. Whether he let Yuan Fu become an official or let his eldest son stop taking the exam, I couldn't bear it."
"I cannot agree to what Liu Qing is playing."
Liu Buxi and Chen Wude looked at each other, somewhat disappointed.
Wang Zhigao, the Minister of Punishment, shook his head slightly. The emperor's move would most likely be criticized by scholars, and it would also be a moderate blow to Zhang Juzheng's reputation.
Once the sun goes down, sooner or later it will be hard to get back.
At this time, Zhu Yijun looked at Chen Wude, who was on the right side of the military department: "Chen Qing, you spent extravagantly for the imperial examination and were demoted because of the imperial examination. I will reinstate you after I ascend the throne."
"You said that you were just speaking for justice when you attached Liu Qing's message. I believe it."
As soon as these words came out, Liu Buji's expression was inevitably filled with resentment. Why should he be treated differently?
Little did he know that the emperor's different treatment was due to the fact that Chen Wude was demoted for offending Zhang Juzheng. When the counterattack was over, the central general Chen Wude was reinstated, but he did not take office.
To put it bluntly, he may be an old-fashioned person, but he is probably not someone who seeks fame and fame.
Chen Wude didn't know the inside story. Hearing that the emperor believed that he was public-minded, he couldn't help but look complicated. He bowed to the emperor and said, "I am a despicable person. Thank you for your trust. I bow my head."
Zhu Yijun nodded and accepted the gift.
He continued: "You said this matter is against justice, and I agree."
"But I cannot do everything fairly and show no favoritism at all."
"Every minister of the fourth rank will be able to supervise the birth of his children. Even if he becomes an official, he will be exempted from paying thousands of acres of land. Even if he harms the people, he will at most be demoted and his position will be demoted. How can we talk about fairness?"
"Nowadays, it is difficult to have both ends. I put the overall situation first and do things that are fair and take my time."
"Can you understand, sir?"
To be honest, it is somewhat unfair for the second-ranking official in the imperial court to take the civil service examination - because Xu Guo has a strong accent and reads the test papers for the candidates, his ranking can be moved down, not to mention other factors? It is unreasonable for the chief minister's son to influence the examiners.
Something that can be avoided.
But the problem is, how can Zhu Yijun and He De guarantee absolute fairness?
To judge whether a team is good or not, it is not to see whether it is perfect, but to see whether it is full of spirit and whether it is striving to move forward.
If one group of people does better than another, that's enough. It's not too late to scold them whenever they go downhill.
Therefore, Zhu Yijun is not so idealistic and tries to give everyone justice.
I don’t know if Liu Buxi heard this or not.
But when Chen Wude heard the emperor's sincere words, he immediately became emotional and paused again and again.
For a moment, I was choked and unable to speak.
Zhu Yijun gently put him down and turned to look at Wang Zhigao: "Wang Qing, I know why you are angry, but in all fairness, can you really blame me for the reason?"
Wang Zhigao's knot has been discussed many times in private.
But he is just complaining about everything. In this case, there is no need to say too many good or bad things.
Today, Zhu Yijun openly stated that it was simply to force him to become an official.
Wang Zhigao accepted the emperor's words for no reason. He suddenly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and bowed down in front of him: "I invite you to become an official."
The emperor's words were too strong, and becoming an official was the last option.
Zhu Yijun nodded and told Shen Shixing: "The Ministry of Officials will recommend candidates."
Shen Shixing was in a daze for a moment before he came out to receive the order.
Everyone on the field looked at the emperor's actions and felt a little unprepared.
The power displayed in this understatement is really uncomfortable for people to react to!
For a moment, the officials were silent.
At this time, Zhu Yijun looked around at everyone.
He stood up slowly and said, "The news about the unveiling has been spread, and the scholars are clamoring for justice."
"Now I don't have the best of both worlds, so I have to control the situation and show mercy."
He looked down at everyone.
"From now on, there will be thirty-one officials of the fourth rank and above in the capital, and their sons and nephews will be considered, and the number of members will be increased according to the number of people."
"I will personally read the examination papers of my nephew who is an official in the current department."
Zhu Yijun looked at Ma Ziqiang: "Uncle Zong, are you OK?"
Ma Ziqiang realized it later and quickly bowed down: "Your Majesty, you are wise!"
Lu Tiaoyang and Wang Chonggu also breathed a sigh of relief. They looked at each other and said loudly: "Your Majesty is wise!"
As the three people bowed down, the ministers followed closely behind them: "Your Majesty is wise!"
Astonishingly, no one questioned the emperor's academic attainments in grading the papers.
Zhu Yijun glanced at everyone and nodded: "That's the end of this matter. You can continue to discuss the matter."
After saying that, he stepped down from the imperial desk and turned around to leave.
Seeing that he was about to enter the side hall, Zhu Yijun stopped again and turned around and said: "Now that the commander of the Imperial Guards is vacant, I have not asked anyone to find out who copied and spread the post."
"Everyone, please think more about state affairs when you are in trouble. I am very grateful."
These words fell into the ears of the officials.
They all fell down on the ground to apologize.
When he raised his head again, he saw that the emperor's figure had disappeared.
Chapter completed!