Capital City, Cabinet.
The boy had already burned the fire vigorously, and the flames in the stove were constantly jumping, bringing waves of warmth.
It's just the beginning of spring, and the weather hasn't completely warmed up yet.
The cabinet ministers are all elderly, so their bodies and bones are naturally not as good as those of young people.
Usually in summer, the cabinet room will be equipped with ice cubes for winter storage.
When winter comes, the smokeless charcoal in the cabinet will naturally be burning brightly.
At this time, Zhang Julu, the first minister of the cabinet, the second minister of the cabinet, and a group of ministers were working in the cabinet.
The reign of Emperor Taizu, the founder of the Dasheng Dynasty, and the previous dynasties.
The Central Plains dynasty basically adopted the prime minister system. The prime minister had real power and decision-making power. The prime minister could set up subordinates in the government to form his own set of consultative and executive bodies.
Contrary to the prime minister system, the cabinet system is a group decision-making body that is also a consultative and executive body.
Later, in order to centralize imperial power, the founding Emperor Taizu directly abolished the prime minister.
At this point, all major government affairs in the country were decided by Taizu of the Ming Dynasty.
Although Emperor Taizu was an energetic man, he reviewed an average of more than 200 memorials and handled more than 400 state affairs every day within eight days.
But even so, Emperor Taizu still felt deeply powerless, so he set up Diange University as an attendant advisor to help him handle numerous government affairs.
These academics rarely participated in political affairs, and all major events were still personally presided over by Emperor Taizu.
When Chengzu came to power, he selected officials from the Hanlin Academy as bachelors of the Imperial Palace, and joined the Wenyuan Pavilion in the palace to serve the emperor, and began to participate in the decision-making of confidential affairs. This is how the "cabinet" emerged.
Later, the status of the cabinet increased day by day, and the bachelors had the power to draft the emperor's memorials to the ministers, and the chief assistant who presided over the cabinet affairs had more power than the ministers.
The current chief minister of the cabinet, Zhang Julu, can be said to have overwhelming power over all ministers, and has become a de facto prime minister.
During this period, all power was vested in the hands of the cabinet, and the six ministries almost became subordinate agencies of the cabinet. Academicians could write memorials and act in the name of the emperor.
Of course, the chief minister of the Dasheng Dynasty cabinet was not the de facto prime minister, because the Dasheng Dynasty cabinet was never a statutory central-level administrative agency or decision-making agency, but an internal servant agency that provided advisors to the emperor.
The promotion and demotion of cabinet ministers is decided by the emperor, and the size of their powers is determined by the emperor's will. Whether the proposal is adopted ultimately depends on the emperor's approval.
Therefore, the power of cabinet ministers is closely related to the emperor.
In addition, cabinet ministers are also important figures in maintaining the relationship between courtiers and the royal family.
For the emperor's decrees to be issued and implemented smoothly, cabinet ministers played an extremely important role.
This is also the case with Zhang Julu. Even if the little emperor wants to easily remove his mentor Zhang Julu, it is actually a very difficult thing to do.
As a result, the power of the chief and assistant ministers of the Dasheng Kingdom reached its peak.
"Lord Chief Assistant, this is the memorial from Gongyuan!"
The person who helped the chief assistant was from the Hanlin Academy.
This person was the top candidate in the imperial examination, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, and a candidate for the prime minister.
Letting them serve as assistants to cabinet ministers in the cabinet is also to familiarize them with the operations of the cabinet.
Be prepared for possible cabinet entry in the future.
After hearing what this person said, Zhang Julu nodded and said: "I understand, please put the memorial here!"
"yes!"
The man bowed respectfully to Zhang Julu, the chief minister of the cabinet, and then slowly withdrew.
After Zhang Julu approved the other memorials, he called the eunuch on duty to hand these memorials to the young emperor.
Only then did Zhang Julu have time to pick up the booklet left by the No. 1 scholar just now.
"It turns out it's the New Science Scholars who are causing trouble again?"
"Since ancient times, there has been no trivial matter in the imperial examination. This matter should be taken seriously!"
Just when Zhang Julu was about to give instructions on this note, he seemed to suddenly think of something, and the brush in his hand paused for a moment.
"Hey, this person's name looks so familiar!"
"Huang Tinghui!"
"I seem to have heard this person's name from Mingyang. He is a young guy with great talent!"
Zhang Julu is busy with everything, so naturally he will not keep the name Huang Tinghui firmly in his heart.
But he was more or less impressed by Huang Tinghui.
Recalling this, Zhang Julu immediately remembered who Huang Tinghui was.
"wrong!"
"According to what Mingyang and the others said, this person is top-notch in terms of knowledge, literary talent, and practical knowledge of the world!"
"He seems to be Duke Jie Yuang of Jiangzhe Prefecture again. How could such a talented person cheat in the imperial examination to pass the examination?"
Zhang Julu judged others by himself. He did not think that such a smart person, who had great confidence in passing the imperial examination, would cheat in the imperial examination to achieve his own goals.
In this case, it would be difficult to leave the matter to the relevant departments for investigation and handling.
After all, even if Huang Tinghui and Tang Zihu are innocent, if this matter becomes a big deal, it will be bad for their reputations.
Zhang Julu is a thoughtful person, and he feels that it would be better if this matter is left to the little emperor to handle.
How could a person like Zhang Julu not know the little emperor's character?
As for some of the things the little emperor did, Zhang Julu mostly turned a blind eye.
Of course he knew that there was a celebrity around the little emperor, and Zhang Derong, the deputy director of the East Factory, had paid a sum of money to the emperor as a tribute. The source of the money seemed to be related to Huang Tinghui.
In this case, it was beyond Zhang Julu's control what choices the little emperor made.
After all, in a sense, this boy named Huang can be regarded as the emperor of the day.
The double-entry accounting method, if calculated carefully, was also Huang Tinghui's gift to the little emperor.
The young emperor attached great importance to this imperial examination.
Presumably, the little emperor can thoroughly investigate this matter, which will also allow this person to serve the little emperor more attentively.
After all, Zhang Julu is the little emperor’s teacher.
He also knew that he might not be able to serve as the chief minister of the cabinet for much longer.
But worrying about the country and its people is what wise men like Zhang Julu have been thinking about throughout their lives.
Zhang Julu naturally believed in Wang Mingyang's words.
And if this talented little guy wants to develop smoothly in the future, getting the emperor's appreciation and even becoming the emperor's intimate person will be the biggest gain.
That's why Zhang Julu decided to hand over the matter directly to the little emperor.
It can be regarded as another line between Huang Tinghui and the little emperor.
If Huang Tinghui can get through this matter safely, he will have an advantage in the next palace examination.
As the saying goes, "Misfortune lies on the back of good fortune, and good fortune lies on the back of misfortune." This is the truth.
I saw Zhang Julu casually making a few notes on this memorial, and then he placed this memorial on top of a large pile of memorials.
When the time was right, he asked the young eunuch guarding the door to deliver the memorial to the palace.
…
"Xiao Ningzi, the weather has become warmer recently!"
"Is there anything new and interesting for the town to see?"
The little emperor, who was lying on the chair, looked at his most favored eunuch in boredom and said.
"His Majesty!"
"Recently, a stone came out of the Huguang area. The stone is so wonderful, it's like an immortal guiding the way."
"They say this stone was left by the gods!"
"The local magistrate brought this stone to the palace and wanted your Majesty to take a look at it!"
"This thing is very novel!"
The big eunuch smiled and said to the little emperor.
The stone he mentioned was discovered by the general magistrate of Huguang Prefecture. I don't know whether it is true or not.
After all, the general magistrate of Huguang Mansion had paid him a lot of money, so of course he had to say more good things about that person in front of the little emperor.
"It's a stone and it's auspicious!"
"It's so boring!" What people didn't expect was that this time the little emperor didn't follow this trick.
He actually complained about the same old tricks.
Xiangrui, also known as "Fu Rui", refers to auspicious signs.
It is considered by Confucianism to be a natural phenomenon that expresses God's will and is beneficial to humans.
For example, colorful clouds appear, the wind and rain are favorable, double ears of grass grow, sweet springs emerge from the ground, strange birds and animals appear, etc.
In order to please the emperor, some officials tried to please some powerful ministers.
Often some so-called auspicious things are artificially created, just to deceive the emperor and make the powerful ministers happy.
It is said that when King Wu of Zhou attacked the Shang Dynasty, a white fish jumped into the boat, and flames fell on King Wu's roof, and then turned into a bird.
These auspicious signs were considered to be symbols of God’s appointment of King Wu as the Son of Heaven.
As for Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, it is said that when he was emperor, the five planets appeared in the sky in a row, and there were many other auspicious signs.
Since then, almost every emperor who ascended the throne has had some auspicious signs.
Officials, mainly Confucian scholars, also regarded the discovery of auspiciousness as a manifestation of their political achievements and reported to the emperor. Therefore, many cases of fraud occurred.
It was obvious that the little emperor was already a little numb to this kind of auspicious act.
Zhang Derong had always been attentive to the little emperor's actions, and he understood from the impatient look on the little emperor's face.
The opportunity he had been waiting for finally arrived.
"Your Majesty, I have recently acquired a gadget from Westerners!"
"This gadget is extremely delicate and very fun!"
"I heard that it can also exercise people's brain power, making people think more quickly."
"If Your Majesty wants to try it, I will send it to Your Majesty!"
Hearing what Zhang Derong said, the little emperor immediately became interested.
"oh?"
"What a good thing, bring it up quickly, get it up quickly!"
"Give me a look!"
Although the current little emperor is approaching the age of taking charge, he is still a child in the final analysis.
The child still couldn't get rid of his temperament. After hearing that there were interesting things, he immediately asked Zhang Derong to send them over.
Zhang Derong was also prepared for this.
After all, Zhang Derong followed the little emperor and knew the little emperor's temperament very well.
If you can't decide what the little emperor likes, then how can Zhang Derong compare with the other great eunuchs?
"Your Majesty, please wait a moment!"
After saying that, Zhang Derong asked someone to bring up the stuff he had prepared.
It turns out that gadget turned out to be a Rubik's Cube.
Speaking of this Rubik's Cube, it was Huang Tinghui who brought it to the capital.
Zhang Derong naturally tried his best to please the little emperor.
But there are only so many things, how can you always please the little emperor?
At this time, several of Huang Tinghui's ideas came to the fore.
Huang Tinghui originally prepared playing cards, but he thought that the little emperor was already fooling around enough if he was given playing cards.
Will this little emperor be allowed to become a gambler in the future?
As the saying goes: What goes up leads to results.
If the things that the little emperor did were known by his subjects.
Then the whole social atmosphere will be completely corrupted.
Huang Tinghui didn't want to bear this crime. Even if it happened in the future, it shouldn't be now.
So after much deliberation, Huang Tinghui gave Zhang Derong a Rubik's Cube and asked Zhang Derong to use it to please the little emperor.
After handing the Rubik's Cube to the little emperor, Zhang Derong said a few words to the little emperor again.
The little emperor began to fiddle with it.
This novel thing really aroused the little emperor's great interest.
The little emperor fiddled with this thing to the point where he "no longer thinks about tea or rice."
Seeing this scene, the eunuch who was ranked one or two above the little emperor gritted his teeth.
Looking in the direction of Zhang Derong was even more full of jealousy.
I don’t know how long I played until my stomach started growling.
The little emperor then remembered that he hadn't eaten yet.
He could only eat a few hasty bites of rice before he remembered the real thing.
At this time, what was on the little emperor's desk was the memorial sent from the cabinet.
"So many memorials are really a headache!"
Even though he said this, the little emperor also knew that it was his right to review these memorials.
If you give up this power, wouldn't it be equivalent to giving your power away to others?
Although the little emperor said he was greedy for money and playful, he still understood this truth.
Soon, the little emperor began to review the memorial.
"Huh!"
"I seem to have heard of this person!" When the little emperor saw the name written on the first memorial, he said in surprise.
"Xiao Dezi?" the little emperor called to Zhang Derong, who was standing not far from him.
"Your Majesty, the young one is here!" Zhang Derong responded immediately.
"Look at this memorial. Does this person's name look familiar?"
With the little emperor's tacit approval, Zhang Derong dared to go over and take a look or two.
"ah?"
"Your Majesty, isn't this person the creator of the double-entry accounting method that I presented to you?"
"Your Majesty, this man is extremely talented. I heard that he later won the Jieyuan position in the provincial examination!"
"Such a talented person would not cheat in the imperial examination!"
"With his talent, he can definitely pass the exam. He can do it without taking shortcuts."
Seeing Huang Tinghui's name appear on the memorial, Zhang Derong was severely shocked.
However, he quickly concealed some of his unnecessary emotions, and then said this to the little emperor.
"Of course I know this person's talent. He is a rare talent!"
"Now this matter looks extremely strange!"
"It's so weird!"
The little emperor frowned tightly and said to Zhang Derong.
From Zhang Derong's words, the little emperor had long known that the considerable annual income in his private treasury was inextricably linked to a man named Huang Tinghui.
Now this person's name actually appears on the memorial, and he has even been implicated in serious matters such as imperial examination fraud.
The little emperor was naturally a little unhappy.
"Your Majesty, I think this kind of thing should be investigated strictly!" Zhang Derong immediately understood the little emperor's thoughts and said to the little emperor.
"oh?"
"Strict investigation, if this matter is true?"
"Then didn't this person violate the royal law?" the little emperor looked into Zhang Derong's eyes and asked.
"Your Majesty, this matter is related to the imperial examination that you attach so much importance to!"
"We have to investigate strictly. Only when the imperial examination is stable can the scholars from all over the world submit to Your Majesty."
Zhang Derong said to the little emperor without a trace of partiality.
"What if the problem with this person is really found?" the little emperor asked again.
"His Majesty!"
"This person is extremely talented, and there is no way he could commit such stupid things as cheating on the imperial examination because of a small gain."
"If he really did it, it will be irrefutable. Your Majesty will deal with him according to the laws of the imperial court, which will also wake up the world's scholars!"
"If there is no problem with this person, then other people are framing this person and slandering him!"
"This is also a case of some people challenging the imperial examination system of our country, Da Sheng, and provoking His Majesty's majesty!"
"In this case, we must investigate thoroughly!"
"So as not to tarnish some people's reputation and let some people take advantage of it!"
What Zhang Derong said was so precise and impartial that even the little emperor unconsciously nodded his head in agreement.
However, Zhang Derong and Huang Tinghui have a pretty good relationship, and they have exchanged a lot of letters over the years.
Of course he knew Huang Tinghui's personality and personality. With Huang Tinghui's personality and personality, he would not commit fraud in the imperial examination.
In this case, someone must be making false accusations and framing Huang Tinghui.
Zhang Derong spoke so deadly words in order to let Huang Tinghui get rid of this inexplicable crime as soon as possible.
What if Huang Tinghui really had no brains and participated in stupid things like imperial examination fraud?
Then Huang Tinghui is not qualified to be his "friend" Zhang Derong, and all the consequences will be Huang Tinghui's own fault.
It has nothing to do with Zhang Derong.
"Well, Xiao Dezi!"
"You are right, this matter must be investigated thoroughly!"
"I also want to know who is right and who is wrong. If Huang Tinghui is really committing fraud, I will never let him go."
"But if someone is causing trouble and trying to benefit themselves from the imperial examination!"
"There is no room for sand in my eyes, and those people should be punished!"
The little emperor said bitterly. At this time, he already had a hint of an emperor's attitude.
"Xiao Dezi, I'll leave this matter to you!"
"Your Dongchang must give me a clear answer in the shortest possible time!"
"Do you understand?" The little emperor directly threw this question to Zhang Derong.
Zhang Derong was not surprised by the little emperor's decision. He immediately kowtowed to the little emperor and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"
After receiving the order from the little emperor, Zhang Derong supervised the case non-stop.
However, Huang Tinghui and Tang Zihu are currently the main suspects, and it is naturally impossible for Zhang Derong to have contact with Huang Tinghui and Tang Zihu.
Otherwise, the rumors of those scholars will definitely pour dirty water on themselves.
If that's the case, Huang Tinghui didn't eat even a bit of meat, but he got into trouble.
Zhang Derong would naturally not do such a thing.
He only wanted to investigate the case and find out the ins and outs of the whole matter.
The task was quickly assigned, and Zhang Derong didn't even need to distract himself too much. He only needed his men to verify some things.
As for what Zhang Derong wanted, it was just an answer.
As long as he got the answer, he could immediately report the matter to the little emperor.
This errand was successfully completed.
Working in the vanguard is indeed synonymous with efficiency.
In just a few days, they had already compiled the information they had investigated.
Everything was just as Zhang Derong thought. During this period of time, Huang Tinghui and Tang Zihu did not visit the residence of the examiner at all.
As for the examiner of the general examination, he has been staying in the palace some time ago to teach some royal families how to read and write.
After the young emperor appointed him as the examiner of the examination, he even lived directly in the Gongyuan.
Except for some examiners, it is difficult for anyone to see the shadow of Pan Zhengguo, a former bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, let alone get the test questions from Pan Zhengguo, a former bachelor of the Hanlin Academy and the examiner of this examination.
All the evidence points to one point, that is, someone deliberately framed Huang Tinghui and Tang Zihu, and deliberately framed Pan Zhengguo, a former Hanlin Academy bachelor and the examiner of this examination.
After getting the exact and reliable information, the Imperial Guard stopped pretending.
They don't operate like a criminal department. They are neither efficient nor restricted by rules.
There were even some scholars who had just been caught by the imperial guards in the cell where the imperial guards were. The imperial guards did nothing, and the scholars directly confessed everything they knew.
Also, these weak scholars were unscrupulous when they made trouble, but when they saw the gloomy torture instruments in the Imperial Guard Prison, and there is a saying in the Imperial Guard that everyone who enters the Imperial Guard is "standing."
He walked in while lying down and was carried out while lying down."
Not to mention any torture tools, as long as the imperial guards coaxed them, some scholars would reveal everything because they could not bear the pressure.
After an interrogation by the Royal Guards, all clues pointed to a Juren named Ruan Dacheng.
Ruan Dacheng, who spread the rumors, never thought in his wildest dreams that the Royal Guards would actually intervene in this matter.
And he actually followed some rumors and found him directly.
That day, Ruan Dacheng just took a shower.
The inn where he was staying was surrounded by a group of royal guards.
The aggressive guard even kicked his door down and pinned him down on the table.
Ruan Dacheng yelled crazily, "I am the Duke of Juren!"
But the leading imperial guard sneered a few times, and said to Ruan Dacheng: "The one I arrested is you, the Juren Gong!"
…
Chapter completed!