Although the people of the imperial court are in a state of flux, and officials of the fourth rank and above are all thinking about how to get to the next level, all work cannot be neglected and must continue to be pushed forward.
The prisoner presentation ceremony was about to begin, and the final two changes were made by the Minister of Rites.
The first was to replace the cymbals played with a new version jointly created by the literary circles; the second was to change Lin Tailai to report to the emperor. The original plan was to have Wang Yi'e, the Minister of War, report to the emperor.
In a context where the court was filled with many important interests that needed to be fought for, other court officials no longer had any more thoughts to argue over the procedural issues of the prisoner presentation ceremony.
In the Ministry of Personnel, another ministry meeting will be held today. There are so many vacancies at the top levels of the imperial court, so it would be strange that the Ministry of Personnel would not hold a meeting.
Wang Tianguan, who had just finished the literary conference, was finally able to devote all his energy to work.
Before the ministry meeting, Wang Tianguan bumped heads with Lin Tailai alone and advised again:
"If there is no other way, just kneel down. There is no shame in kneeling down to the chief minister. Maybe what the chief minister wants is just an attitude."
Lin Tailai couldn't help but asked: "How can you be a good official minister if you are so weak?
A heavenly official who dares not confront his chief minister is not a good heavenly official!"
In the history of the Ming Dynasty, there were so many officials and ministers who were dissatisfied with the cabinet. Why are you, Wang Shizhen, so cowardly?
Wang Tianguan quickly replied bitterly: "I have not been in the capital for thirty years, and I only entered the court last year. My foundation in the court is weak.
And Shen, the first assistant, has been in the cabinet for more than ten years and has been the first assistant for eight years. His prestige in the court is far greater than mine.
It can be seen from this literary conference that Li Chun, Shi Xing, Zhong Zhenji, Qi Baoshan and others who were originally scheduled to attend disappeared one after another. Why?
Because they all felt that between the chief assistant and me, the chief assistant’s emotions should be given priority.
After all, officialdom battles are not about treating guests to dinner, reciting poems and writing lyrics, so why should I compete with the chief minister?"
Lin Tailai suddenly felt that he was stuck in the mud, but who would let him choose this as the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs?
The weakness of the literary and artistic petty bourgeoisie is clearly visible in Wang Tianguan.
It can only be said that there are gains and losses. Lin Tailai said angrily: "Kneel down! Kneel down! Kneel down in a few days!"
After everyone arrived, the ministry meeting began. Wang Tianguan said a few words at the beginning:
"Recently, there have been many vacancies for official positions in the imperial court. Today we will list the nominations for the vacant official positions and then recommend them to the court. Let's start with the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs."
Liu Yukui, the left minister, recommended: "Yang Junmin, the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue, is of great use.
He once served as the governor of Fengyang and the governor of water transportation. This position has the custom of being promoted to the minister of household affairs.
It’s just that there are no empty seats in the court, so Yang Junmin has been forced to be the right minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs. Now it is logical to fill in the post of minister.”
After Liu Yukui finished speaking, everyone did not look at Wang Tianguan, but they all looked at Lin Tailai, the doctor of the examination department.
As we all know, Lin Tailai is Yang Junmin's old enemy.
The story about Lin Tailai "crossing the river in white", sneaking into the Jiangbei Procuratorate and capturing Yang Junmin alive is still circulating today.
In the eyes of everyone, Lin Kaogong looked at his nose, his nose and his heart, as if he were a clay puppet motionless.
This makes everyone very strange. Someone nominates your enemy, but you don't even say a few words?
If a person who usually speaks the most actively suddenly shuts up, there must be something going on.
Is it because of the power and influence of Shen Shoufu?
Although Wang Tianguan was looking at Wang Yongji, the right servant, he seemed to be asking everyone: "Are there any other nominations?"
In the recent period, Wang Yongji, who has been temporarily controlled by the chief assistant, is probably equivalent to a sounding board.
Wang Yongji struggled for a long time and came up with a name: "Da Situ must be a person with a great reputation. Shi Xing, the left minister of the Ministry of War, has been in the court for more than 30 years and has a good reputation. He should be promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs."
Everyone was surprised when they heard the name.
It's not surprising that Shi Xing's name appeared in the ministry meeting. After all, this was a veteran Jinshi who had been in Jiajing for thirty-eight years.
But Wang Yongji nominated Shi Xing, which is very meaningful.
In particular, it is really impressive that Shi Xing was very active in organizing the Literary Forum and then disappeared on the same day.
Thinking of this, everyone couldn't help but look at Lin Tailai again. But the only response was silence.
Lin Tailai did not speak on the selection issue, and Wang Tianguan also did not take a position.
Probably in Wang Tianguan's mind, this was a good idea. It would give him face and ease the situation.
If you need to be timid, just be timid. If you take a closer look, the sea and the sky will be brighter. There is really nothing you can't imagine in this world.
Then Wang Tianguan continued to preside calmly: "The last nomination by the Minister of Industry and Industry failed to pass, so we will continue to nominate this time."
Liu Yukui insisted: "I still think Zeng Tongheng, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, is the most suitable.
If even the veteran Zeng Tongheng cannot be promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Industry, how can he be convinced?"
Wang Yongji questioned: "The last time I nominated Zeng Tongheng, the recommendation failed. Is it appropriate to nominate him this time?"
Liu Yukui didn't waste any time and said directly: "Then who do you think is suitable?"
Wang Yongji then mentioned an expected name, "Zhou Cai, who built the Governor's Shougong with the title of Minister of the Ministry of Industry."
Lin Tailai still didn't say anything, so Wang Tianguan quickly continued: "Just go to the court for recommendation. Now I will nominate the Minister of Dali Temple."
It was Liu Yukui, the left minister, who spoke first and proposed a name that had not appeared for a long time.
"When Li Shida, the former Minister of Civil Affairs in Nanjing, was an imperial envoy, he was dismissed from office for improper handling of the Suzhou civil uprising.
At that time, the crime was not originally on him, and the punishment of dismissal from office was a bit too severe.
Now that four years have passed, we can be a little more lenient and demote Li Shida to the rank of Minister of Dali Temple."
Everyone once again looked at Lin Tailai, who was another party involved in Li Shida's dismissal from office.
However, Lin Tailai remained expressionless and said nothing.
Everyone secretly thought, it seems that Lin Tailai really plans to remain silent today.
Next, Wang Yongji said as expected: "Qi Shichen, the young minister of Taichang Temple, is an upright man and does not blindly obey when things happen. He can be promoted to the minister of Dali Temple."
Wang Tianguan was very efficient today and did not make any arguments. "Li Shida and Qi Shichen still went to the court together to nominate Taipusi Qing!"
Although Taipusi Qing is a second-tier official position, he is also a top-notch second-tier official and deserves to be discussed in the Ministry of Personnel meetings.
This time, it was Wang Yongji, the right minister, who spoke first: "Why is the Minister of Honglu Temple so old and virtuous, and has an upright life, that he is very suitable to serve in Taipu Temple.
At the same time, it can be regarded as a commendation, setting an example for the court and inspiring officials with good backgrounds."
Originally, everyone thought that Zuo Shilang Liu Yukui, who had been nominated on behalf of the Qingliu forces today, would not speak again this time.
After all, He Yishang is an old comrade who was imprisoned with Hai Rui. It is morally impossible for the Qingliu forces to deny people like Hai Rui and He Yishang.
But Liu Yukui still said: "Chen Younian, the governor of Jiangxi, is currently only in the fourth rank, which does not match his seniority. He can be promoted to the rank of Taipusi Minister in the third rank."
Even Wang Tianguan, who has a good attitude, looks a little sideways, you Qingliu forces are just a little too greedy.
After being beaten by the first assistant, are you planning to fight to the end with the first assistant?
Finally, Wang Tianguan made a concluding speech: "That's it for the nominations of the four official positions. After the prisoner presentation ceremony, we will organize the nomination and adjourn the meeting!"
Others complained in their hearts that the positions of Wang Tianguan and Lin Kaogong were very consistent. Lin Kaogong did not speak, and Wang Tianguan also did not express his position.
This meeting of the Ministry of Civil Affairs may have attracted the most attention, with almost all officials in the imperial court paying attention.
After seeing the list of "Yang Junmin, Shi Xing, Zeng Tongheng, Zhou Cai, Li Shida, Qi Shichen, He Yishang, Chen Younian", many people felt very strange.
Many people thought it was a fake list at first because most of the people on the list were either Lin Tailai's old enemies or had recently offended Lin Tailai.
With Lin Tailai in the official department, how could such a list be produced? Even if Lin Tailai is in a weak state, there is still Wang Tianguan.
After careful inquiry, they learned that Lin Tailai said nothing during the meeting from beginning to end. The courtiers all felt that the meeting was full of weirdness, but they couldn't explain why it was weird.
Previously, Shen Shoufu went berserk and suppressed the Qingliu forces and Lin Tailai to fight together.
The current list seems to have a tacit understanding between Shen Shoufu and the Qingliu forces, working together to divide the benefits given up by the Lin Party's strategic contraction.
Could it be that Lin Tailai has a weak foundation and cannot bear it first?
Anyway, those who are on the list feel uneasy and uneasy despite gaining hope;
People who are not on the list are looking forward to the next time the nomination fails and they can start over.
While most of the court ministers were uncertain, the prisoner presentation ceremony finally came.
This is a grand ceremony that has been prepared for nearly a month, mainly because the emperor attaches great importance to it.
Although Emperor Wanli was fat and had inconvenient legs and feet, he basically gave up going to court.
But he was particularly enthusiastic about the prisoner dedication ceremony and participated in it personally.
Maybe deep down in Emperor Wanli's heart, he still had a yearning for martial arts.
A few years ago, the young Emperor Wanli often ordered his eunuchs to wear armor and perform martial arts performances in Xiyuan with great enthusiasm, which shocked the palace, but he was forcibly persuaded by the ministers.
On the day of the prisoner presentation, the weather was sunny and the autumn air was crisp.
The ceremony was held at the Meridian Gate, so it was also called the Meridian Gate Prisoner Presentation.
Hundreds of dancers and hundreds of Han generals, who were responsible for adding to the atmosphere and serving as background, arrived at the scene in advance and waited quietly at fixed positions.
Civil and military officials dressed in formal attire walked into the arena in twos and threes, following the rules of Eastern and Western martial arts.
When Lin Tailai arrived, he received the collective attention.
Everyone knows that this hero who won seven battles and seven victories and conquered the city first is the protagonist of today's prisoner gift.
Although Lin Jiuyuan has encountered big headwinds recently, his performance is not like the protagonist.
But in the prisoner presentation ceremony, no one could steal the limelight from this Nine-Yuan True Immortal.
But that's it, all the credit will become a thing of the past, and no one can rest on the credit book forever.
Lin Tailai should have stood in front, waiting for the emperor to appear on the Wufeng Tower of the Meridian Gate, and then be responsible for reporting the victory to the emperor.
But Lin Tailai was no longer quiet at this time, wandering around in the crowd, looking for the target with eagle eyes.
Those who didn't know, thought that Lin Tailai took on the job of correcting ritual censor.
Since the emperor stopped attending court, it has been rare to see all the major officials at once.
Lin Tailai passed by the cabinet ministers and ministers and went directly to the row of ministers. He glanced back and forth between Shi Xing, the left minister of the Ministry of War, Li Chun, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Zhong Zhenji, the right minister of the Ministry of Industry.
Then Lin Tailai asked calmly: "Why were Shi Shao Sima, Li Shao Zongbo, and Zhong Shao Sikong absent from the literary conference a few days ago?
Especially Shi Shaosima, who has been working hard to organize literary conferences, but in the end he quietly retired after success.
You didn't even give me a chance to thank you, which really makes me feel so embarrassed."
Lin Tailai's tone was very serious, but everyone still thought it was sarcasm.
Shi Xing's face looked very unnatural. Although his choice was not wrong, it was not wrong in the eyes of most officials.
But it is really not justified morally. Even if I can become the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, I am afraid that there will be one more stain on my body.
Damn it, why was the literary conference held a few days ago!
Why did so many ups and downs happen in the imperial court just when the literary conference was being held?
Otherwise, why would I not be human on both sides?
"You really want to be the Minister of Household Affairs?" Lin Tailai's tone suddenly became sharp.
Shi Xing had to answer: "It was unintentional, but I have to listen to the emperor and the court."
Lin Tailai smiled and said: "For the sake of our good relationship in the past, I would like to warn you that it is not too late for you to resign now."
Shi Xing, who felt wronged, gritted his teeth and said, "I don't need to worry about it, Lord Jiuyuan."
This mentality is like that of a gambler who has placed a heavy bet. How can he know how to stop?
Lin Tailai crossed over to the class of ministers and came to the class of temple ministers.
After finding the Taichang Temple Shaoqing and the Admiral Qi Shichen of the Siyi Palace, Lin Jiuyuan said: "You said you wasted a few years, but I don't think it is true. Someone has helped you nominate the official.
Without further ado, you can resign. As for the job of Admiral Seiyi Pavilion, let me take care of it concurrently!"
Qi Shichen: "."
Lin Jiuyuan turned around and saw He Yishang, the minister of Honglu Temple, and said jokingly:
"Aren't you most worried about losing your security at the end of the holiday? Listen to my advice, it's still barely enough time to resign."
Looking at Lin Tailai, who was attacking his enemies one by one according to the list, everyone thought, this is more like the Nine Yuan True Immortal in their minds.
Arrogant, domineering, aggressive, simple and direct, and output in front of others.
But why did Lin Tailai, who was supposed to be weak, suddenly return to his true nature? What confidence does he have?
Or is it that Lin Tailai wants to cause trouble at the prisoner presentation ceremony?
But anyone with a little bit of brain can figure out that it is absolutely stupid to make trouble.
The emperor attached great importance to the prisoner presentation ceremony. It can be said that the prisoner presentation ceremony was held to satisfy the emperor's vanity.
Therefore, the emperor will not allow any accidents to occur during the ceremony, nor will he allow anyone to ruin the mood.
If you, Lin Jiuyuan, regard the prisoner presentation ceremony as a personal show stage, you would be totally wrong.
When Lin Tailai was about to make a speech in front of the public, Yu Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites waved his hand in front, signaling Lin Tailai to hurry up and take his place.
Immediately, the triumphal song began, and the ceremony began.
"The emperor appointed tiger ministers, and all the barbarians were led by General Yi, who returned to the temple and commanded them. The king's gods gave him banners.
Taking advantage of the autumn to bring out the might of the army, I will see Jie Shu fly in the air. The ministers will celebrate their birthdays by singing the ibis song, and the generals will express their gratitude and worship in their brocade robes."