The Spring Festival in the capital seems to have the same format every year. For the people, it is a visit to relatives and friends, a temple fair, and lanterns; for officials, it is sweeping the streets, visiting doors and posting messages, and all the New Year greeting cards are flying in front of them.
Although the form doesn't change much, what keeps changing is the people. It can be said that "the flowers are similar every year, but the people are different every year."
After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, all government offices began to fully resume work, and all government affairs began to operate again.
On the seventeenth day of the first lunar month, Shen Shixing, Wang Xijue, and Wang Jiaping, three former cabinet ministers, unanimously submitted memorials and each recommended candidates for the new cabinet ministers.
Then the three former cabinet ministers set off to return home one after another, expressing their attitude of not being greedy for power.
The suspense that had kept the courtiers guessing for a month was revealed, and the members of the new cabinet team were settled.
Shen Shixing recommended Zhang Wei, the minister of the Ministry of Rites and the head of the Hanlin Academy, a man with a strong personality, shrewdness and courage.
Although many people guessed that Shen Shixing would recommend Zhang Wei, they still did not understand the reason and could not understand why Shen Shixing would recommend Zhang Wei.
The candidate recommended by Wang Xijue was Zhu Geng, the former minister of the Ministry of Rites and a scholar of the Hanlin Academy. This person lived in Dingyou in the 16th year of Wanli and has now ended his tenure.
This recommendation went beyond everyone's expectations. No one saw any connection between Zhu Geng and Wang Xijue, who were still living in their hometown in Shanyin County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province.
If we really want to talk about their relationship, Zhu Geng and his chief minister Zhao Zhigao may be closer. The two were from the same province and from the next door house. They entered the Hanlin Academy together and have similar personalities and temperaments.
As for the candidate recommended by Wang Jiaping, it was also surprising. It was Li Chun, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites.
This person does not have many distinctive characteristics. He is originally a centrist in his stance. Most of the time he follows the trend or follows the lead of his chief minister.
But last autumn, Li Chun offended Lin Tailai because he was absent from the literary conference.
At this time, Li Chun was suddenly recommended by Wang Jiaping. Everyone could guess that he was probably joining the Qingliu forces, but they didn't know how he was persuaded.
It can also be seen from this that the Qingliu Party members were weak in the circle of poets. Except for Shen Li, Liu Yukui, and Zhao Yongxian, who were all unsuitable, there were almost no available people.
After all, the Qingliu Party is a force that has risen in the past ten years, and the people who are now eligible to be elected to the cabinet must have been in the government for at least 20 years, and have already had their own strongholds and ideas.
Moreover, the anti-authority and do-it-yourself temperament of the Qingliu Party members are completely incompatible with the Ci Chen system that relies on high-level paths.
As for the previous popular candidate Zhao Yongxian, he fully implemented the law that if he is popular, he will die, and was bitten to death by Zhou Yingqiu, the Lin Sect's number one lackey.
Two days later, Emperor Wanli approved these three recommendations, so all the members of the new cabinet team were--Chief Assistant Zhao Zhigao, in no particular order Zhang Wei, Zhu Geng, and Li Chun.
Looking at this list, the courtiers were shocked to find that all these cabinet ministers were Jinshi in the second year of Longqing. They also remembered that Yu Shenxing from the Ministry of Revenue and Chen Yubi from the Ministry of Industry were also ministers who were admitted to the imperial examination in the second year of Longqing.
Unknowingly, the stage of the great era seemed to have changed again, and the characters who had passed the imperial examination in the Jiajing Dynasty had begun to completely withdraw from the stage.
Even these new cabinet ministers are all in the same year as Chief Assistant Zhao Zhigao. From seniority and seniority to prestige and ability, Chief Assistant Zhao has no obvious advantage.
I'm afraid that in the future, if Chief Assistant Zhao is in the cabinet, it will be difficult to maintain the same strength as the previous Chief Assistants.
Then another new question arises, who among the three newcomers will be the secondary assistant?
Otherwise, the overt and secret fighting in the court is like the waves of the sea, one wave after another, seemingly never ending.
Under normal circumstances, it is not a problem who will be the deputy assistant. The cabinet bachelors are ranked according to the order of entry into the cabinet. Whoever joins the cabinet first will be the deputy assistant.
But this time the situation is special. The cabinet has changed three people at the same time. Three new people have entered the cabinet at the same time. So who comes first and who comes last?
In fact, in terms of functions and power, under the current system, the first assistant is the only one among the cabinet ministers. The other cabinet ministers are similar. There is no essential difference in the power of the second assistant, the third assistant, and the fourth assistant.
So from a power point of view, it is not cost-effective to spend a huge amount of money to fight for the secondary assistant.
However, the second assistant has one big advantage, that is, he is the first candidate for the position of first assistant. In the event that the first assistant dies, is dismissed from office, or becomes an official, the second assistant can naturally take over as the first assistant.
Especially the current Zhao Shoufu is already sixty-eight years old, ah no, he will be sixty-nine after the New Year.
Therefore, everyone feels that the second assistant this time is very valuable! The probability of surviving Old Man Zhao and easily taking over as the first assistant is very high, and it is still worth fighting for.
Even if the elders themselves have no intention of competing for the second assistant, the group of relatives and friends behind them will push him to compete.
Of course, there is no rush. After all, although the first assistant is old, he is currently free of illness and disaster, and it does not look like he will die within a few months.
If you act too hastily, you may risk backlash from your chief assistant.
Zhang Wei, Zhu Geng, and Li Chun, three "newcomers" ranked in no particular order, faced this huge test just after entering the cabinet.
But Zhao Zhigao, the chief assistant, believes that he is the one facing the huge test!
Let’s break down who in the Ming dynasty was the most successful person. As soon as he became the chief minister, he faced a situation where a group of people “expected” him to die?
Lin Jiuyuan has encouraged himself, if you work for Daming Health for another ten years, you are nothing!
On the second day of February, Zhang Wei, recommended by Shen Shixing, and Li Chun, recommended by Wang Jiaping, entered the Wenyuan Pavilion to work. As for Zhu Geng, he was still on his way from Zhejiang.
They all first "entered the Wenyuan Pavilion and participated in machine maintenance", and had not yet received the official title of Grand Master of the Imperial Palace.
Because there are high and low rankings among the military ranks of Diange University. For example, Zhao Shoufu was unexpectedly promoted to the rank of Wenhuadian Grandmaster at the end of last year, so Wuyingdian Grandmaster would be the second assistant.
Now that the order of the newcomers has not been determined, it is naturally difficult to award them with the rank of sergeant in Diange University.
But Zhang Wei and Li Chun entered the middle hall of Wenyuan Pavilion and found that the chief assistant Zhao Zhigao had not arrived yet.
Logically speaking, today should be hosted by the Chief Assistant, and a meeting between new and old cabinet ministers should be held in the middle hall.
Communicate with each other and get familiar with each other, and then the new cabinet ministers will officially enter their roles and start handling official business.
But Zhang Wei and Li Chun waited all morning and did not see Zhao Zhigao.
The two newlyweds could not throw away and leave, nor could they start to take over official duties. They could only sit and wait uneasily in the middle hall. In the eyes of the people in the Zhongshushe, it seemed like the new daughter-in-law was being "kept at a distance" by her mother-in-law.
It wasn't until three o'clock in the morning that Zhao Shoufu arrived belatedly.
However, the chief assistant's attitude was very amiable and he took the initiative to apologize to the two newcomers and then sat down to talk.
Holding the teacup, Chief Zhaofu said calmly: "Both of you are already experienced veterans of the court, so there was no need for me to mention anything else.
But there are some things that I think still need to be reminded.”
Then Zhao Zhigao looked at Zhang Wei and said: "Let me talk about you first. Within a few months, the Shenwumen recommended you twice, first to the president of the Hanlin Academy and then to the cabinet.
But do you know that Lin Jiuyuan had other ideas at first and firmly opposed your taking charge of the Hanlin Academy in front of the Shen Wu Sect."
Zhang Wei's face was expressionless, and although he was slightly disturbed in his heart, he was not panicked. There are always opponents on any personnel issue, so there is no need to make a fuss.
Seeing Zhang Wei's lack of reaction, Zhao Zhigao continued: "Actually, there is a little episode about how you returned to the court. I wonder if you have heard of it.
Before Shen Wumen recommended you to return to the imperial court to take charge of the Hanlin Academy, I never told anyone.
But Lin Jiuyuan made a bet with Shen Wumen at that time. If Lin Jiuyuan could guess the candidate Shen Wumen had in mind, Shen Wumen would stop recommending people.
In the end, Lin Jiuyuan actually guessed you, but later Shen Wumen went back on his bet and recommended you even though he was against Lin Jiuyuan."
Zhang position: "."
A few months ago, I was just a low-key person living in my hometown. I didn't even expect that Shen Shixing would recommend me.
Moreover, he had never had contact with Lin Tailai before, nor had he been an official in the same court before, so there was no connection between them.
So how could Lin Tailai guess something that he didn't even expect about himself, a stranger?
Thinking of this, Zhang Wei suddenly shuddered. Could it be that Lin Tailai had been secretly staring at him in the past few years? Like a poisonous snake lying in the grass?
After all, before Zhao Zhigao, whom Lin Tailai strongly supported, entered the cabinet, he was considered a competitor.
Finally, Zhao Zhigao reminded him very kindly and sincerely: "At that time, Shen Wumen broke his word, which made Lin Jiuyuan very angry. No one can say whether he will express his anger.
As for Lin Jiuyuan's character, I believe you have heard a lot about it.
As a brother on the same list, I have to remind you not to take it lightly!"
Zhang position: "."
My dear eldest brother of the same year, is this a friendly reminder or a well-intentioned threat?
After reminding Zhang Wei, Zhao Zhigao looked at Li Chun again, sighed deeply and said:
"Your problem is more serious. At the Capital Literary Forum last autumn, you first agreed to attend, but then you were absent.
This made Lin Jiuyuan, who was at a low ebb at the time, very angry. You are probably still on Lin Jiuyuan's blacklist now.
As a brother on the same list, I have to remind you not to take it lightly!"
Li Chun: "."
Isn’t today a meeting between new and old cabinet ministers? But you, Zhao Shoufu, keep talking about Lin Tailai. What do you mean?
Do you have a guilty conscience? Do you have a guilty conscience? If you have the ability, don’t use Lin Jiuyuan to show your power!
Looking at Zhang Wei and Li Chunshan who dared to be angry but dare not speak out, Zhao Shoufu secretly gave himself a thumbs up.
The sage said that among three people, there must be a teacher like me. The tricks I learned from Zhou Yingqiu are indeed useful.
Zhou Yingqiu, a common man, could kill Zhao Yongxian, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, so could it be that Zhou Yingqiu himself was powerful?
These newcomers to the cabinet are all of the same age as me, and their resumes are richer than mine, which was a wandering man in the early years. As long as I use Lin Jiuyuan's name, can I still suppress them firmly?
It seems that being the first assistant is much simpler than previously imagined!
Thinking of this, Zhao Shoufu struck again while the iron was hot and said: "There are two relatively urgent matters at the beginning of the new year. We can discuss them now.
The first thing is that there have been multiple large-scale riots and tax resistance events in Songjiang Prefecture. If they are not dealt with in time, it will affect the shipment of grain this spring!
My opinion is that the culprit, Governor Yingtian Zhao Shenlu, should be removed, and another official should be selected nearby to calm the situation!"
Zhang Wei wanted to show off his shrewdness and asked: "I heard that the governor of Yingtian, Zhao Shenlu, only raised taxes in Suzhou. Why did the people of Songjiang Prefecture riot?"
Zhao Zhigao gave him a little face and replied: "Suzhou and Songjiang have always had a bitter relationship. It was probably the gathering of Governor Zhao in Suzhou that made the people of Songjiang Prefecture fearful."
Li Chun thought of his position and camp and had to question: "Isn't this explanation too far-fetched? Removing the governor for this would be too childish."
Zhao Zhigao snorted coldly: "What other explanation do you want? Why did Zhao Canlu, as the governor of the ten prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River, only increase taxes on Suzhou after taking office?
However, according to your suggestion, Zhao Shenlu can continue to stay in office. But according to Lin Tailai's intention, if the Songjiang Mansion's tax resistance crisis cannot be subsided within this month, whoever protects Zhao Shenlu in the court will be responsible!"
Li Chun: "."
It's just the first day of work at Wenyuan Pavilion. What responsibility can he bear?
Zhang Wei still wanted to struggle, so he suggested: "You can order Zhao Shenlu to perform meritorious service and go to Songjiang Mansion in person to calm the situation."
Zhao Shoufu said, "What a coincidence. Lin Tailai also suggested this. I didn't agree with it at first, but I didn't expect that you and Lin Tailai would coincide with each other."
Zhang position: "."
It’s really endless. Can you please stop mentioning this name? The chief minister of the cabinet is you, Zhao Zhigao, not Lin Tailai!
Zhao Shoufu said very generously: "Since you and Lin Jiuyuan both think so, then I will accept it with all humility! Let Zhao Canlu stay in office for one month and go to Songjiang Mansion to calm down the storm in person!"
Li Chun couldn't tell for a while. Is it better to stay on temporarily or to be dismissed directly?
Li Chun, who was not experienced enough, did not notice that Zhao Shoufu did not give Zhao Canlu any support at all, such as the deployment of battalions and other measures.
Zhao Shoufu also talked about the second more important matter, "Recently, various provincial officials have had problems one after another, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate issued proposals two years ago.
Zhan Yangpi, who currently presides over the affairs of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, has proposed that the inspection and appointment status of the provincial magistrates in the past three years should be reviewed and rectified."
Zhang Wei, who has a relatively strong personality, couldn't help but sarcastically said: "Does this matter have anything to do with Lin Jiuyuan?"
Zhao Zhigao replied seriously: "It does have something to do with it. After being inspired by Lin Jiuyuan, many officials in Henan, Huguang and other places woke up and took the initiative to expose the problem of the provincial officials to the court."
Li Chun still had to object: "How can we go back several years and revise the conclusion arbitrarily without clear necessity?"
Zhao Zhigao patiently explained a few more words: "In order to encourage them to actively fight against the derelict Feng Xianguan, Lin Jiuyuan also put in a lot of effort.
If the imperial court is indifferent to this situation, it will only waste Lin Jiuyuan's hard work and severely damage the morale of provincial officials."
Li Chun insisted: "If you want to investigate, officials will be panicked and unable to do their jobs with peace of mind!"
Zhao Zhigao said coldly: "Lin Jiuyuan's fellow villagers have a famous saying, if one family cries, how can one cry together!"
Li Chun: "."
Speaking of ancients, they are ancients, and those who ride horses emphasize that Lin Jiuyuan is an ancient from the same hometown!
Without the words "Lin Jiuyuan", wouldn't your first assistant be able to speak?
I want to resign on my first day at Wenyuange, what should I do?