It's snowy and freezing outside, but inside the house is warm as spring and filled with fresh fragrance.
With the addition of chili pepper, the taste of hot pot is even better. Li Qing's lips are so spicy that it turns red. It's really enjoyable.
Yu Qian, who has always been serious about his words and expressions, was particularly happy today and raised his glasses frequently.
The two of them were eating and drinking, and it was already dusk before they knew it.
Li Qing, who was full of wine and food, stood up and said, "You don't need to think so much now. We'll talk about it after we send out the troops."
"Okay." Yu Qian stood up and said, "Slow down on the road."
"Ang, there's no need to send it off." Li Qing waved his hand and walked out.
"Mr. Li."
"What's the matter?" Li Qing turned around.
Yu Qian said thoughtfully: The Ministry of War is busy during this period. You should go to the Yamen more often and familiarize yourself with the affairs of the Ministry of War.
Then I thought about it, Li Qing had been the Minister of the Ministry of War and Supervisor of the Army for many years, and he knew far more about various matters of the Ministry of War than he did, so there was no need for further training.
"It's nothing, the road is slippery, be careful."
"Well, let's go."
Yu Qian looked at his leaving back and whispered to himself: "Yongqinghou is still the Yongqinghou."
~
Li Qing walked in the snow, and the wind and snow hit his face. Not only did he not feel cold, but he also felt cool and refreshing.
After eating and drinking, he didn't want to worry about other things. He hummed a little tune all the way and wandered back home.
Lying on the bed, kicking off my boots, I couldn't wait to fall asleep.
He likes to dream very much.
…
Li Qing was very laid-back. It felt so good not to go to work and still get paid. Except for occasionally going to the Yamen or going to the palace to chat with the little emperor, he stayed at home most of the time.
In a blink of an eye, it’s the end of the year.
On New Year's Eve, Li Qing pasted red Spring Festival couplets, hung up red lanterns, and built three snowmen, which was full of New Year flavor.
He stood in front of the snowman and said softly: "It's Chinese New Year."
New Year's Day.
The little emperor handed out red envelopes, and Li Qing received two taels of silver, which was like killing everyone.
Li Qing had a smile on his face and mmp in his heart.
~
After the annual vacation, the ministers went to work, the emperor came to court, and the huge machine of the Ming Dynasty resumed operation after a short rest.
On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the army set off for the expedition.
Zhu Qizhen stopped the court meeting and personally led hundreds of officials to see off the army. He paid special attention to this expedition.
This was the first time that the Zhengtong Dynasty sent troops, and it was also his first step in assuming military power.
Hu Hui took over Yang Shiqi's position and was the Minister of Rites and Cabinet Bachelor. His popularity once surpassed that of Yang Pu, the only remaining one among the three Yangs.
Many people came to him to talk about relationships and pay respects to the dock. Hu Hui was happy and miserable at the same time.
The choice of Minister of the Ministry of War was beyond the expectations of the ministers. Zhu Qizhen chose Wang Ji, the minister of the Ministry of Industry who had leapfrogged the court and challenged two ministers.
The situation in the DPRK returned to calm.
In a blink of an eye, the first month came out.
As winter turns to spring, the weather gradually warms up, and people seem to be less aggressive. The atmosphere of court meetings is harmonious, and the kings and ministers are capable. On the surface, the situation is looking good.
On this day, Li Qing came to Qianqing Palace.
"Your Majesty, do you have anything to do with me?"
"The army has been out for more than half a month, should we take action?" Zhu Qizhen asked.
"Okay." Li Qing nodded, "Give me two days."
"Okay, just two days." Zhu Qizhen said, "Don't be lazy. If you don't get it done in two days, I... will deduct your salary."
"..." Li Qing rolled his eyes: I don't have much money anyway, why should I be afraid of you?
Li'er was such a reasonable person, but Li Qing didn't want to get angry with a young man, so he went to Yu Qian first.
In the study room.
Li Qing briefly explained his plan and asked, "Do you have anything to add?"
Yu Qian thought about it again and again, and slowly shook his head: "Sir, the arrangement is very detailed, almost covering every aspect. I can't think of anything to change at the moment."
After a pause, he frowned and said, "But, is this really feasible?"
"There is a high probability that there will be no problem." Li Qing said with a smile, "Don't worry, this will not actually harm their interests. It may even be of some benefit to them. It is not difficult to implement."
Yu Qian said: "I'll bring it up!"
"Let me do it!" Li Qing said with a smile: "I'm only a seventh-grade official. At most, some people scold me for asking me to use my first name. But you are different. You and most civil servants don't deal with them. They treat people badly.
, they will naturally be resistant if you bring it up;
What's more, Zhang Fu is not in court now, so you'd better stay out of trouble."
Yu Qian nodded helplessly: "Sir, you said you wouldn't show up before, what's wrong now...?"
Li Qing smiled and said: "First of all, the last turmoil has passed. I have been silent for so long and have already faded out of their sight. Secondly... As the saying goes, you are not afraid of wearing shoes if you are barefoot. I am a seventh-level person, and there are others.
What’s there to worry about?”
After a pause, he said, "There will be a meeting tomorrow. Don't rush to agree. Let Yang Pu take the lead."
"Yang Pu?" Yu Qian was shocked, "Can he agree?"
"Why not?" Li Qing said with a smile: "If I do this, it will not harm his interests, and it will benefit the country and the people. Does he have any reason to object?"
Yu Qian shook his head: "That's not what I meant. What I meant is that Yang Pu also unites the front with you, sir?"
"He looked for me." Li Qing did not deny it.
"Why, did you..." Yu Qian asked, "Yang Pu is very human, how did you do it?"
Li Qing smiled and said, "His conscience has discovered it."
Yu Qian: "?"
Li Qing did not explain, "See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow." Yu Qian said with a smile, unable to hide the joy on his face: This evil recommendation system is finally going to be abolished.
Immediately, the joy on his face faded a little.
Can it be abolished so easily?
Does Mr. Li take things for granted?
——
Yang Mansion.
Li Qing and Yang Pu sat opposite each other. The servants brought tea to them and then withdrew knowingly, leaving the two of them alone.
"Li Du is here today to meet the old man for tea, right?" Yang Pu asked with a smile.
Li Qing got straight to the point: "I came to see the Grand Master to discuss the abolition of the recommendation system."
Yang Pu's eyes narrowed: What a loud tone.
He remained calm: "Why?"
"The recommendation system not only lowers the overall quality of officials, but also makes the court agencies bloated, not to mention huge financial expenditures, and the efficiency of work will be low." Li Qingdao: "As the saying goes, one monk carries water to eat, and two monks carry water to eat.
, the three monks have no water to eat.”
Yang Pu was noncommittal.
Li Qing continued: "It's all the same, from the court to the county government. Except for the difference in status, the essence of the circle is the same. The more people there are, the fiercer the fights. Therefore, there are many disadvantages to having too many officials."
Yang Pu pondered for a moment and nodded gently: "Li Du is really talented in this matter, but this matter is not easy."
"What, you don't have confidence?"
"Indeed." Yang Pu nodded honestly, "I am sure to help you as long as it does not violate their interests, but this matter..."
Li Qing asked: "Have you ever thought about what impact it would have on the people if there were a certain number of officials if this continued?
It is said to be a recommendation, but in fact it is no different from buying an official. Those people who spend money to buy an official do not want to recover the cost?
What will happen when more and more people join in and want to recover costs?
Academician Yang knows very well who this cost will fall on!"
Yang Pu was silent for a long time, then he sighed: "You are right, this recommendation system should be abolished."
After a pause, "What do you want me to do?"
Li Qing suddenly smiled, "It seems you really want to atone for your sins."
"?" Yang Pu was stunned, "Are you testing me?"
"For the bad things you did before, just tell me whether I should test it?" Li Qing said with a smile: "Don't blame it, don't blame it. If you really want to blame it, blame yourself."
Yang Pu was so angry that he twitched his beard and almost broke his guard: "If you fart, let it go."
"Rude." Li Qing muttered, cleared his throat, and said seriously: "It seems difficult, but in fact it is just that."
…
"How?" Li Qing asked.
"Wonderful!" Yang Pu exclaimed: "If you weren't so young, I would have suspected that you are a veteran who has been in the court for decades."
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed to him, "When are you going to propose it?"
"Morning morning!"
"I helped you with this." Yang Pu said with a smile: "It seems that my vision is really good, old man. You are really a very good person."
"I'm excellent, I know, but...why do you still boast about it?" Li Qing sneered, "Does this have anything to do with you?"
Yang Pu was embarrassed and said angrily: "Li Qing, after all, I am also your superior officer. How can you be so rude?"
"Look at you, where did the bachelor's belly go?"
"Go, go, I don't want to see you now." Yang Pu was so angry.
He has never seen such a dishonest and impudent person. If Li Qing hadn't had Li Qing's talents, he would definitely let Li Qing have a taste of his power.
"Look at how stingy you are." Li Qing muttered, and Shi Shiran left. Even after walking a long way, Yang Pu's voice could still be heard.
Li Qing curled his lips.
He just wanted to make Old Man Yang angry because he was being asked to do things unethically.
Yang Rong was already dead. He had no choice but to trick Yang Shiqi into resigning and returning to his hometown and marrying a son. Of course, Yang Ji deserved to die.
However, in comparison, Yang Pu was already very lucky.
…
The next day, morning.
Li Qing entered the palace with a pinch of salt and stood at the end, yawning boredly.
Half a quarter of an hour later, Zhu Qizhen stepped into the main hall.
After the great ceremony between the monarch and his ministers, the ministers returned to their seats and stood in place.
The boss is sitting and the workers are standing, and everything is harmonious.
Zhu Qizhen was busy too late last night, so he yawned and asked: "Do you have the original memorial?"
"I have my own notes!"
A sudden voice sounded.
The big guys turned around, but there were too many people and they didn't see who it was.
Zhu Qizhen perked up and sat up straight, "It's time to play, come forward to discuss it."
Li Qing left the mission and passed the officials to the imperial court.
"What is Li Qing's original performance?"
"I suggest that the recommendation system be abolished!" Li Qing went straight to the point.
As soon as these words came out, all the officials were in an uproar.
Guys, please stay calm, because someone will speak for them.
Sure enough, as soon as Li Qing finished speaking, the doctor from the Ministry of Industry stood up.
Yin and Yang said angrily: "If I remember correctly, Li Du was also elected to the court in the matter, right?"
"Yes, but is this different from my suggestion to abolish the recommendation?" Li Qing seemed surprised.
"You..." The doctor from the Ministry of Industry was speechless. He really didn't know how to respond to such a shameless person.
Li Qing added: "It is rude to interrupt others in the court. If Mr. Liu has different opinions, he should wait until I finish speaking."
The doctor from the Ministry of Industry said bitterly: "My surname is Wang."
"That's quite embarrassing." Li Qing was not embarrassed at all. He turned around and continued, "Your Majesty, since the introduction of the recommendation system, there have been more and more officials in the Ming Dynasty, which has placed a great burden on the national finances.
,
Moreover, many people have no real talent and learning, and their moral character is not up to par..."
Voices from the ministers: I have never seen such a shameless person!
Li Qing had just finished his speech, and the doctor from the Ministry of Industry who had just been criticized immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty, don't listen..."
"Mr. Liu, please wait a moment, I haven't finished speaking yet."
The doctor from the Ministry of Industry choked and stepped back helplessly. Then he remembered something and said angrily: "My surname is Wang."
"That's quite embarrassing." Li Qing nodded and continued: "Your Majesty, too many officials will not only increase the court's financial expenditure, but will also be detrimental to the officials and directors."
Yang Pu said casually, "Why is it difficult to get things done when there are so many people?"
"Power is dispersed, and it's easy to argue." Li Qing said, "Take the heads of the six departments as an example. There were only two in the Hongwu Dynasty, and only four in the Xuande Dynasty. How many are there now?"
"There are no fewer than nine people!" Zhu Qizhen said, "There are even thirteen people in the official department."
"Your Majesty, did you use so many people?" Li Qing asked.
"It's of no use at all." Zhu Qizhen shook his head.
"That's why I suggest abolishing it," Li Qing said.
Zhu Qizhen nodded lightly and looked at Guo Jing, "What do Guo Aiqing think?"
"Chen..." The officials had just been named, and Guo Jing had made too many enemies in the past few days, so he was under great pressure. "Chen thinks that what Li Duqi said in the matter makes sense."
"Your Majesty, I think... what Li Dugui said in the matter is absolutely correct." Yang Pu came out of the office and said loudly: "The imperial government is bloated, which is harmful to the government."
After a pause, "I suggest that officials who have been promoted to official positions can be eliminated to refine the officialdom."
"I second the proposal." Yu Qian followed closely, "Abolition of the recommendation system cannot be delayed without delay."
"Everyone." Yang Pu handed over his hands, "Everyone passed the imperial examination based on their ability, but since the introduction of the election system, how many more people have been added to each position?
Take...Mr. Liu, for example, how many Yuanwailang are there in the Ministry of Industry now?"
"Twelve." The doctor from the Ministry of Industry replied, and then added, "Master Yang, the subordinate's surname is Wang."
"That's quite embarrassing." Yang Pu continued, "Your Majesty, although those who have been recommended have good reputations, their talents are open to question;
The people who recommended them had good intentions, but overall, they did more harm than good."
If the recommendation system is abolished, those responsible cannot be held accountable, and if they are held accountable, it cannot be abolished. This is what Li Qing originally said, and Yang Pushen believes it.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Yu Qian went out to the class and said: "I second the proposal!"
He cupped his hands and said: "Those officials who relied on recommendation to become officials have no merit but hard work, and they should be treated well. I suggest that they return to their hometowns with honor after returning to their official positions."
The people recommended are either related to the big shots in the DPRK or have been given a lot of money.
As the saying goes: being short-handed and soft-spoken makes those people embarrassed and these big bosses lose face.
They may even confess them out of fear that they will be angry, and these big bosses will strongly oppose it.
In short, the recommender will not be held accountable, nor will the recommended person be held accountable, and some benefits will be given.
"I second the proposal!" The doctor from the Ministry of Industry, who was initially opposed to Li Qing, immediately changed his position when he saw that there was a big deal to be done.
He did this for a very simple reason.
There are too many officials at the same level as him, which has severely reduced the power in his hands. If those people can be eliminated, the power he can exercise will be greatly increased.
"I second the proposal."
"I second the proposal."
"I second the proposal."
…
In order to avoid suspicion, those who were recommended were not qualified to go to court. Originally, Li Qing was not qualified either. He was authorized by Zhu Qizhen.
This is why Li Qing said that it is not difficult to abolish the recommendation system.
Except for the six ministers, ministers, the left and right censors of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and several ministers in the cabinet, everyone else seconded the proposal.
Because many officials in the capital are recommended by these big bosses, what they infringe on is the interests of the people below.
Many of the following people recommend relatives and friends, but their abilities are limited, and the official positions of their relatives and friends are small and pitiful. In comparison, it is more beneficial to them to abolish the recommendation and eliminate the officials who were promoted through recommendation.
Anyway, I will not be held accountable, nor will my relatives and friends, so there is no need to object.
Li Qing glanced at the ministers, ministers, and censors, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "The overall situation has been decided!"