"Whoever proposes proposals for Jincheng is always a minister." [Zijingguan]
Weiyang Palace, Shangshu Terrace.
Hurrying through the Jianli Gate, the first thing Wu Shuo did after entering Zhongtai, full of resentment, was to find trouble with the man with whom he had a rivalry, Shangshu Lang Feng Shuo.
"All the ministers are discussing something that has not yet been decided, but you, a mere minister, dare to go to Shu to report something. Do you still have me in your eyes?" Wu Shuo wanted to argue with the emperor just now, trying to defend himself.
Wu Shuo wanted to fight for more rights for himself and the Chancellor, but Dong Cheng was better off and blocked his mouth with Feng Shuo's memorial. This made Wu Shuo want to persist, but he could only show that he had ulterior motives, but Feng Shuo didn't.
It is selfless: "It is really an act of flattery!"
When Shangshu servant She Xunyu heard what was happening next door, he quickly got up and rushed over. When he saw the angry Wu Shuo, he looked at the people around him, frowned slightly, and said softly: "Everyone, please go your own way."
Bar."
"Stay here!" Wu Shuo did not give Xun Yu any face this time. As a minister, not to mention his personal character, his authority in Zhongtai is still very great. Wu Shuo left all the ministers and ministers behind
The ministers pointed at Feng Shuo and briefly explained what had just happened: "Feng Lang alone proposed to the emperor and the princes of the Chengming Palace to divide the power of drafting imperial edicts on the central stage and leave it to others. Such public loyalty
, it is really beyond our reach, he just acted alone and did it without authorization, which made us look clumsy!"
When thinking about the situation just now, doesn't Wu Shuo feel that he is no longer a human being inside and out? And in front of the emperor and those people, it was revealed that he has been in the minister's desk for many years and can't even control a minister. Is this going to spread?
!
"Is there such a thing?" Guo Pu, Minister of the Ministry of Justice, his Adam's apple rolled up and down, as if there was phlegm in his throat, and he said vaguely: "Although it is your own words, even though you are speaking to His Majesty, you also represent
I am the Chancellor. Although you have catered to your Majesty's wishes, where do you put me?"
Guo Pu was the oldest at the Chancellor's desk. He had white beard and hair. He had always been quiet and conservative and rarely had accidents. Now Feng Shuo's move was really inappropriate. He was patronizing himself and did not consider the situation of his colleagues at all. Guo Pu
Only then did he come forward to criticize a few words.
"I'm really ashamed to cause you all more worries." Feng Shuo said this, but he didn't mean to admit his mistake on his face. He raised his head and glanced at Wu Shuo, then quickly lowered his head: "Powers are easier, in ancient times.
Yes, we ministers should be dedicated to the interests of the country. Today, there are many things in China and Taiwan, and everyone has their own responsibilities. It is really inconvenient to write edicts again, which will only cause criticism at home and abroad. Your Majesty is one of the few ancient rulers who have a clear understanding of the separation of powers.
Harmony depends on one mind, especially what we can say? If we reject the proposal because we do not give up the right to draft the edict, can we still act with an impartial heart in the future?"
"What a fallacy!" Wu Shuo snorted disdainfully from his nose and said, "Now people know that you are devoted to public service, but we have become power-hungry villains!"
His words implicitly tied him to other ministers, and isolated Feng Shuo from his opposition.
"Mr. Feng's move, although he is a man of disgrace, regardless of whether it is right or wrong, can be regarded as serving the public. It is enough for Mr. Wu to rebuke him. Don't get angry, otherwise it will be spread to other dynasties, and we will not look good on our faces.
Xun Yu said softly, as if he wanted to smooth things over.
Wu Shuo understood what the other party meant. Feng Shuo had already reported to Tianting and the emperor knew that it would be inappropriate for him to use his status as minister to intimidate and punish him. But others may not understand Feng Shuo's intention. He
But he couldn't understand more clearly that he had done this a long time ago to cater to his superiors and go against public opinion. It was precisely because he catered to powerful officials everywhere and was able to do things effectively that he was able to rise from a humble position to a high-ranking official.
Shangshu Ling. Precisely because he took this path, he was wary of his successors.
"Hmph." Wu Shuo glanced at Feng Shuo with an unkind expression, and did not pursue the matter any further. Instead, he said: "Since we are talking about this today, let's talk about it! We have drafted countless edicts for the country.
Writing an edict is not as simple as writing an article. The wording is strict or not, the writing rules are familiar, the rules and regulations are familiar, the local customs, and even the birthplaces and experiences of the officials and soldiers in the world are all clear. It can be said that if you look at the imperial court, there is no one like him.
I, the Minister, and the Minister are more suitable for this task."
Guo Pu and others looked at each other and nodded hesitantly. In fact, the most they could do was nod. If they really wanted them to unanimously express their opposition to the emperor's weakening of the power of China and Taiwan, as far as Guo Pu was concerned, they still
Don't dare to rashly gather momentum to express your position, otherwise it will really become a greed for power.
"This matter... Your Majesty naturally has his long-term considerations." Fu Xun, the Minister of Civil Affairs, said: "If it is cheap, what else can we say about this matter? If it is not beneficial to the court, we will naturally go to Shu to give advice. It's just...
..." He looked around at the people present and said slowly: "Now that the matter has been brought to the Chengming Palace, there is an edict in front of me. I have thought about it carefully and I don't think it is inappropriate, and I don't know if there is anything that cannot be argued about?
"
"Fu Gongti." Wu Shuo looked at him with some dissatisfaction, and took a step forward slightly, as if he wanted to force him: "The Ministry of Personnel supervises the ministers, and all the officials in the counties and counties are responsible for annual plans, exams, and recommendations.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs has a huge jurisdiction over the investigation, planning and testing of new talents, and so on. If they lose this power, who will respect the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the authority of Zhongtai based solely on official documents?"
Fu Xun was unmoved. He shook his head and said, "According to your Majesty's special edict, our ministers are already two thousand stone officials. They are better than the governors of the same county, but they are still inferior to all the ministers, let alone the three princes. How can we get the edict?"
Is it just this authority to take exams for all the officials and subordinates in the world? Even if we don’t have this power, who among the officials and subordinates would dare not to take the exams seriously?”
His words undoubtedly awakened everyone. It is true that the powers in the hands of each minister today are much greater than before. The outer dynasty governs the people, and the inner dynasty governs the officials. Whether it is the Ministry of Personnel, the branch department, the Ministry of War, or others, the outer dynasty governs the people.
Who is not in awe of the relevant ministers and subordinates? Are they just in awe of the authority attached to drafting edicts? Nowadays, with the expansion of the powers of the Chancellor, in the eyes of smart people, the power of drafting edicts has become useless.
He was too busy with official affairs, so even if he kept it in his hands, it would only be written by those low-status ministers. What's the use of keeping it? On the contrary, it would arouse the emperor's suspicion and become a means of criticism by foreign officials.
It would be great if we could take this opportunity to put it aside. Of course, it would be even better if the emperor could further standardize the powers of the Chancery and strictly determine the criteria for governing officials in the inner dynasty.
Wu Shuo was helpless. He had forgotten that the Fu family in the North had always been favored by the emperor. How could he worry about the loss of power? But he really sensed the crisis from this incident and understood that the emperor seemed to be not only targeting the Shangshutai this time, but also very seriously.
It was possible that he was targeted. Wu Shuo had no choice but to look at Xun Yu for help, hoping that he would stand up and say a few words for him.
But Xun Yu did not stand on his side, but remained silent.
Seeing this, Feng Shuo, who knew he had offended the public, seized the last chance and said: "The matter has come to an end. I just say it was unintentional. Thanks to the emperor's wisdom, we will just obey the edict."
"You do know how to say these things. If that's the case, why did you go to court without permission and embarrass us?" Wu Shuo said angrily.
"We are also working for the imperial court and giving advice to the emperor. Do we have to distinguish between what we can say and what we cannot say?" The person who spoke was Liu Ba, the doctor who kept the Shang Shu.
When Wu Shuo saw that even a minister who had only been in the office for less than a year dared to refute him, he couldn't help but feel extremely angry. He waved his sleeves fiercely and turned around to leave: "That's all, let you do it!"