Chapter eight hundred and thirty first foreign war is not a foreigner
After stabilizing Queen Fang's side at Renshou Palace, several ministers headed east back to Wenhua Palace. Although running back and forth was fortunate but helpless.
After returning to the Wenhua Hall, I found that the situation inside was a little different from before. The person sitting in the middle on the throne was no longer the prince, but the Queen Mother Zhang.
The crown prince was under the throne, facing east and west with the ministers.
This scene looks very asymmetrical. There is only the crown prince on one side and a group of ministers on the other side. In this way, the prince occupies half of the space and the ministers can only occupy the other half.
But there is nothing we can do. According to etiquette, we can only stand like this. Fortunately, the court ceremony has ended, and some unimportant ministers have been "exited", so only half of the space is enough.
Everyone secretly looked up at the Queen Mother Zhang on the throne, and found that the old lady had an angry look on her face, and she was obviously very angry.
Everyone can understand this. We all heard just now that the palace people were causing trouble in Ciqing Palace and some were beating people with sticks. No matter who it was, they would be furious.
And we can also guess that Queen Mother Zhang was so angry because of the "attack" that she ran over to seek "support".
The old queen mother probably had no choice. It seemed that no one in the palace was "obedient", so she came here to seek support from the courtiers.
But to be honest, most courtiers are not very interested in the troubles in the palace. They regard the problems in the palace as if they were "dog eat dog".
As long as it does not affect the stability of the country and the power of the court, no minister is willing to interfere with the affairs of the palace.
Seeing the auxiliary minister returning from Renshou Palace, Queen Mother Zhang's emotions that had been brewing for a long time finally broke out:
"Yesterday, the Ai family responded to the request of the courtiers and came forward to guard the prince. Today, there are unscrupulous palace slaves who gathered in Ciqing Palace to stir up chaos. It is simply appalling!
This is not only an insult to the family, but also a blatant insult to the court’s dignity!”
Empress Dowager Zhang lost her temper first, possibly to arouse sympathy, but facing a group of bureaucratic machines, it was not considered a success.
All the ministers and old gods were there, and they symbolically followed the chief minister and said a few words of advice, "Your Majesty, please calm down."
What should I say about this? You, Queen Mother, have just regained power, and you want to launch brutal revenge immediately. You cannot blame others for the backlash.
Now that you, the old man, have come here to ask the minister for help, it means that you, the old man, also understand that you do not have many supporters in the palace.
Then Queen Mother Zhang revealed the real purpose: "There must be someone organizing and organizing this matter. We must investigate to the end and find the real culprit!"
Everyone understood that Empress Dowager Zhang wanted to use the power of civil servants to exert pressure on the forces in the palace.
But the ministers were still there, and no one came out enthusiastically and loudly in support.
There are two reasons. The first is what I just said. Ministers from outside the court are generally not interested in the troubles in the palace. It is both laborious and thankless.
To put it even more extreme, even if you, the Empress Dowager Zhang, are gone, just replacing her with someone else, what fundamental impact will it have on the country's government affairs?
The second is that from the perspective of overall stability, it is better not to study this matter in such detail.
During the Hongzhi and Zhengde dynasties, you, Queen Mother Zhang, were the master of the harem, and everyone in the palace belonged to you. But now that Emperor Jiajing has been on the throne for twenty years, everyone in the palace has long since changed.
Because of the previous attitude of Emperor Jiajing, it can be said that all the people in the palace who can be on the stage now are anti-Empress Dowager Zhang, and there are no supporters of Empress Dowager Zhang at all.
In this situation where "the palace is full of enemies", if you, Queen Mother Zhang, still want to investigate to the end and dig deeper, it will inevitably cause great chaos.
If there is chaos in the palace, it will definitely bring trouble to the court and make it difficult for them to live in peace, so why bother?
Life is rarely full of mistakes. When you should make mistakes, it’s better to make mistakes!
Not every political scandal needs to be investigated, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many mysteries left in the history books!
In fact, the eunuchs from the Supervisor of Ceremonies were also present, but they also had a tacit understanding and remained silent. Most of them are Emperor Jiajing's subordinates, so you, Queen Mother Zhang, don't take yourself too seriously.
Empress Dowager Zhang looked at the ministers who were pretending to be deaf and mute, and felt trembling with anger.
The biggest mistake she made in her life was that she chose the wrong person twenty years ago. As a result, today there is not even a single person with a righteous heart!
Because those who still have justice in their hearts have been kicked out of the court one after another in the past twenty years!
Now the people filling the court are all Jiajing men, Qingcige elders and the like!
Just when the Empress Dowager Zhang was cynical, a minister in a very senior position suddenly stood up and said loudly: "The Empress Dowager was humiliated, and I feel the same way. How can we condone it? We should get to the bottom of it and find out the culprit!"
Finally hearing the voice she wanted to hear, Empress Dowager Zhang happily followed the voice and saw that the speaker was a certain Jiajing man...
The other ministers were all astonished. Did you, Qin Dewei, really take the wrong medicine?
Yesterday, Empress Dowager Zhang broke her promise to you, Qin Dewei, and almost excluded you from the position of assistant to the government. Why did you start licking her again today?
Although Queen Mother Zhang also felt that this matter might not be reliable, there was really no one else to talk to her, so she could only follow Qin Dewei's words and ask: "How to trace it?"
Qin Dewei said to him: "It is very inconvenient for foreign ministers to deal with the affairs of the palace, so we can only appoint internal supervisors to investigate!"
Empress Dowager Zhang was very dissatisfied with this answer. It was too false, too unrealistic, and had no actual content.
So Queen Mother Zhang pressed her and asked: "Tell me who should be responsible for this!"
When everyone thought that Qin Dewei was still hot and would continue to practice Tai Chi, Qin Dewei glanced at the eunuchs in charge of rituals and said, "Since the empress asked me to recommend candidates, I will boldly recommend Bao Zhong!"
Empress Dowager Zhang secretly rejoiced, this was what she had been waiting for, this was the only way to put pressure on her!
Nowadays, among the eunuchs of the Bureau of Ceremonies, except for the eunuch Qin Fuqin who focuses more on the East Factory, Bao Zhong can be regarded as the senior eunuch second only to the palm print Zhang Zuo.
In other words, if Zhang Zuo dies, the person who can take over the position of Chief of Ceremonies is theoretically either Qin Fu or Bao Zhong. Since Bao Zhong was also from Prince Xing's palace, he is more likely than Qin Fu.
Suddenly hearing Qin Dewei's roll call, Eunuch Bao politely declined: "I have been in charge of the clerk's office of the Clerk of Ceremonies, and I am responsible for literary matters. I am not familiar with the practical affairs of the palace, so I am afraid that I will not be able to take up this position."
In his understanding, the current situation is complicated and chaotic, and the emperor, the biggest backer, is unconscious. The best way to protect yourself is to be cautious and wise, and it is better not to do such things as wading into muddy waters.
Qin Dewei did not get into too much entanglement with Eunuch Bao, and directly said: "This matter is of great importance, and Da Yun must be responsible.
Since Eunuch Bao is cautious, please ask Eunuch Qin to come forward!"
Eunuch Qin was slightly surprised. This little bastard suddenly attacked the scene without even mentioning the script?
To answer or not to answer, that is a question? In just a short moment, Eunuch Qin flashed through several analyzes and decided to accept it for the time being.
But before everyone could react, and before Eunuch Qin could speak out, Eunuch No. 1, the Chief of Ceremonies Zhang Zuo spoke:
"Qin Zhongtang also said just now that this matter is of great importance, so it is best for us, the Supervisor of Ceremonies, to be responsible for investigating it!"
After everyone listened to Zhang Zuo's words, they immediately felt that the words "we are the Supervisor of Ceremonies" had a profound meaning, just like "I am waiting for the ministers" in the mouth of Yan Ge.
Eunuch Qin nominally held the title of Eunuch Bingbi, the Supervisor of Ceremonies, but his main assignment was in Dongchang. When Zhang Zuo said "we are the Supervisor of Ceremonies", he implicitly excluded Eunuch Qin.
In fact, Eunuch Zhang's original intention was to just find any eunuch who could get on the stage, conduct a symbolic check and that would be it. It didn't matter who was responsible, since there would be no results anyway.
Moreover, Eunuch Zhang didn't want any consequences. If he was asked about the abuse of Empress Dowager Zhang in the past few years, and then went into more detail, then he, the chief minister of etiquette, might be asked to take responsibility for it.
All in all, no matter who is responsible for the investigation, it will probably be fruitless, but if Eunuch Qin is responsible for the investigation, it is a different matter!
Eunuch Qin, who is in charge of the East Factory, is definitely capable of doing whatever he wants! And Eunuch Qin doesn't want to deal with him!
That's why Zhang Zuo rushed to the front and took over the affairs, ostensibly representing the "Supervisor of Ceremonies". In fact, he would rather take care of the matter himself than leave it to Eunuch Qin.
Eunuch Qin was just about to speak back, but he saw that everyone's eyes were drifting towards Qin Dewei, and no one was looking at him...
Qin Dewei lived up to expectations and asked directly, "Eunuch Zhang, are you sure you want to be responsible for the attack on Ciqing Palace?"
This is the first time that others have heard the word "strike", and they don't know how Qin Dewei came up with it.
Eunuch Zhang sneered: "The Chief of Ceremonies helps the Royal Prime Minister with the affairs of the palace, why can't he interfere in it? As the Chief of Ceremonies, I am responsible for investigating, why not?"
Qin Dewei immediately criticized: "I have to say, Eunuch Zhang, you are in the wrong position and have completely lost your principles!"
Zhang Zuo, as the chief minister of etiquette, has a status equivalent to that of the chief minister of the foreign dynasty. He immediately reprimanded: "A dog can't spit out ivory from its mouth. If you have nothing to say, just shut up!"
Qin Dewei first cupped his hands in a certain direction, and then said: "The emperor's bones... ah no, the body can't be found. Although the murderer was caught on the spot, he has not yet been interrogated, convicted and executed!
And these matters should be directly responsible for you, the Chief of Ceremonies!
The emperor's affairs are the most important things, so the emperor's affairs can only be taken care of by you, the Chief of Ceremonies, and no one else is qualified!
But you, Zhang Zuo, don't want to repay Jun's kindness. You just want to be distracted and responsible for handling the affairs of the Queen Mother! Isn't this a wrong position and a loss of principle?
I just want to ask, does Zhang Zuo still have the emperor in his heart?"
Zhang Zuo: "..."
Due to institutional reasons, the great eunuchs in the palace have their own system and rarely have the opportunity to "communicate" face-to-face with Qin Dewei.
Seeing the number one figure in the eunuch circle, Eunuch Zhang Zuozhang was speechless by Qin Dewei. The other civil servants were just watching the fun.
There are also civil servants who are not afraid of big troubles and secretly encourage Qin Dewei. You Qin Dewei can't be an expert in civil war and an outsider in foreign war, right?
But he heard Qin Dewei add: "Your behavior is just like those ministers who tried to escape from Wuyi Palace. It is really ungrateful and unclear!"
Mr. Yan Ge: "..."
It was a bit cold for a while, and then Eunuch Qin slowly stood up and said to Zhang Zuo with a big-picture view:
"Master Zhang, you are the Chief of Ceremonies. You have to take on more important responsibilities. You must go to the emperor's side. I'll help you share some other small things."
Eunuch Zhang really wanted to ask, is there anything to investigate about the emperor being assassinated by a palace maid?
The murderer has been captured, and the motive is very clear. The interrogation is just a formality, and then the queen and queen mother are reported to them, and they are all executed in the end!
But the clearer things are, the less operational value they have! Only things that can be done in secret can have room for manipulation!
For example, the case of the Empress Dowager Ciqing Palace being attacked is more imaginative if you use your brain than the case of the Emperor being assassinated by a palace maid.
Thinking of this, Eunuch Zhang glared at Bao Zhong fiercely, why did you refuse just now? If you agreed, how could you let Eunuch Qin take advantage of it?
Qin Dewei pretended to be impatient and said: "Okay, okay, I don't know how many things the court still needs to discuss, so don't waste too much time on one thing.
The matter of investigating the attack on Ciqing Palace has been decided, and Eunuch Qin will be responsible for it!"
Many officials saw this scene and couldn't help but secretly admire Qin Dewei. Qin Zhongtang's foreign battle was also very powerful, and even the eunuch could manipulate it.
He actually arranged work for the great eunuchs in public in the palace, and all these great eunuchs had no choice but to do it in the end. And because of professional needs, Eunuch Qin of Dongchang, who had always been rude to ministers, actually obeyed.
Moreover, Qin Zhongtang's arrangement was worthy of the Queen Mother. Otherwise, if the sills of Ciqing Palace hit the eucalyptus, they would be kicked with a ball for who knows how long.
At this time, Tu Qiao, the censor of Zuodu, stood up and said to the Queen Mother: "I hope your Majesty will be calm and calm. There are many aspects in the palace that have not been sorted out, so it is easy to cause chaos.
The top priority is not only to track down the various palace affairs, but also to draw up all the rules and form customization, and then we can have a circle!"
Before the Queen Mother could respond, Qin Zhongtang asked in surprise: "What rules do you, Tu Zongxian, want to establish for the palace?"
Tu Qiao ignored Qin Dewei, a dog like him who couldn't spit out ivory words, and continued: "I have thought about it carefully and there are probably three top priorities.
Article 1: Who should take charge of the palace affairs? I heard that Qin Dewei just proposed that the empress give up the palace affairs and hand them over to Queen Fang. I would like to ask the empress to clarify whether this is a rule."
Upon hearing this, Queen Mother Zhang's expression changed a little.
Tu Qiao continued: "Article 2, although the auxiliary minister has a name, there should be specific regulations on how to assist the government. In addition, where the auxiliary minister should join the government, please clarify as soon as possible.
Article 3: The prince is benevolent and filial by nature, and now the emperor is not sure whether he should move to Wuyi Palace or serve the emperor nearby to show his filial piety."
Although Tu Zongxian's three instructions were clearly addressed to the Queen Mother, everyone still looked at Qin Zhongtang...
In any case, you can't go wrong by taking a look at Qin Zhongtang's reaction first.
Anyway, this was the case in the Ming Dynasty. No matter how powerful you were, there would always be someone targeting you. This is called "smooth communication".
Neither Qin Zhongtang nor Yange Lao can stop it.
Qin Dewei looked at the six-year-old crown prince on the other side and said loudly: "Donggong is still young and weak, so he must not stay in court for too long!
It has been too long since early morning today. I, Qin Dewei, am worried about the fatigue and damage to the body of the East Palace, so I boldly ask you to leave here!
Otherwise, if there is a slight mistake, the country’s foundation will be shaken! Who can bear this responsibility!”
Everyone: "..."
Qin Zhongtang is not an expert in foreign wars, and he is even less expert in civil wars.
The first court meeting of the Crown Prince was forcibly stopped by Qin Zhongtang, as if nothing important was discussed in the court meeting.