If it was Chen Chun and Chen Yushi's own behavior, it might be a random act by a young man; but if he acted according to the guidance of the Qin-style note, there must be something deeper.
Therefore, everyone did not dare to talk nonsense and collectively fell into deep thought. Why did Chen Yushi point out in public that Yan Song had "evidence of Zhai Shoufu's imperial examination fraud" in his hands?
As for Zhai Shoufu, who was at the center of the topic, when he saw Zhang Chao, a bachelor and minister of the Ministry of Etiquette, coming forward, he originally thought that he was shamelessly refusing to resign. Finally, the Qin party came to rescue him.
But in the blink of an eye, Chen Chun of the Qin Party jumped out again and attacked him with a more specific "imperial examination fraud".
This made Zhai Luan have to think about it after he got angry again.
Chen Chun took advantage of others' "daze" to quickly pick up the fallen note and put it back into his sleeve as if nothing had happened.
After looking around again, Chen Yushi still said loudly to Zhai Shoufu: "Xiaoguan once again persuaded Mr. Zhai Ge to think twice! Not everyone is like Xiaguan, who treats others with a loyal heart! If Mr. Zhai Ge persists in his stubbornness, he may
What a disaster!"
Everyone still didn't react for a while. Let's look at your performance just now, Chen Chun. How loyal was it?
But to the ears of the person involved, Zhai Shoufu, it seemed to have a different connotation. It seemed to imply something. Did it mean that someone was disloyal?
The host Xu Tianguan probably felt that everyone had enough time to think, so he started over and asked Yan Song: "Chen Chun said that Mr. Yan Ge has evidence in his hands, is it true or false?"
Yan Song hadn't figured out Chen Chun's intention yet, and didn't know how to answer for a while, whether he should admit or deny.
At this time, the person involved, Zhai Luan, stood up and said to Xu Tianguan: "There is no need to continue questioning! According to what Chen Yushi said, I took the initiative to resign to resolve the dispute in the court!"
When everyone heard this, most of them felt relieved. Zhai Shoufu knew that it would be easier to resign on his own initiative.
The biggest crux of this "political crisis" is that Chief Assistant Zhai Luan refuses to resign voluntarily and insists on staying in his position.
Now that Zhai Luan has resigned, more than half of the stalemate has been resolved. All that's left is to go through the process. Mr. Yan Ge is promoted to the position of first assistant, and another bachelor is added.
Immediately some people found it funny. The Yan Party struggled for a long time, but in the end Zhai was persuaded to quit by the Qin Party.
If this can be called "performance", does it mean that most of it must be attributed to Chen Chun, who only said a few words?
Of course, none of the senior officials present were stupid. After laughing, they all suddenly came to their senses.
Why did Chen Chun first raise the issue of "imperial examination fraud" and then "kindly" tell Zhai Shoufu that Mr. Yan Ge had evidence?
What Chen Chun really means is to tell Mr. Zhai that if you don't resign, Mr. Yan Ge will use evidence to arrest you, and you are likely to become a prisoner!
Rather than that, it is better to resign and settle down with dignity!
According to the official rule of not engaging in political pursuits, voluntary resignation means the end of all causes and effects and the cancellation of all charges.
As the person involved, Zhai Shoufu was the first to understand this meaning, which is why he suddenly resigned from his post after a sudden change in his demeanor.
Most of the bystanders woke up relatively late and thought more clearly at this time. They could only lament that the calculations of the people in the temple were so unpredictable.
Was it the Qin party that persuaded Zhai Shoufu to leave, or was it the Yan party that forced Zhai Shoufu away?
But no matter what, most of them were really lonely. Before they could understand the situation, the matter was over.
There is still a mystery that has not been answered. What is the Qin Party trying to do? What benefits can it gain?
Even Yan Song didn't think about this problem, but he couldn't think about it anymore.
Anyway, for him, as long as Zhai Luan resigns, it will not be a bad thing. The position of chief minister is already close to Chi Chi!
The meeting will continue, and the next agenda will be even more important, the election of a new grand master, and the emergence of a new chief minister.
Zhang Chao said to the host Xu Tianguan: "It is still difficult to do things first and easy later. There is no need to discuss the matter of the first assistant in a hurry. We should first ask you to nominate a new bachelor!"
Yan Song was very anxious, but he could not refute Zhang Chao.
Even as the only candidate for chief minister, according to political ethics, he cannot publicly show such "enthusiasm."
Therefore, we can only suppress our emotions and finalize the candidates for the new bachelor's degree first.
Originally Xu Tianguan was the first choice for the new bachelor's degree, but just now Xu Tianguan made it clear that he was unwilling to join the cabinet, so he had to recommend another candidate.
The Qin party quickly proposed a candidate, who was Zhang Bi, the former Zhan Shifu of Zhan Shifu and the current left minister of the Ministry of Rites. He seemed to be well prepared.
It was Chen Chun and Chen Yushi who spoke again: "Hanyuan CI ministers are accustomed to be listed in order of seniority. Zhang Shaozong has been in CI for a long time and has been diligent in studying. He should be in charge of a big job."
Zhang Bi was a very senior Ci minister. When Qin Dewei had just passed the Jinshi examination and entered the officialdom, Zhang Bi was already a Zhanshi of the third rank.
And after all these years, Zhang Bi only became the third-rank Zuo Shilang.
According to the rules of Ci Lin, Zhang Bi's qualifications are almost complete, and he is the kind of person who should join the cabinet if he has the opportunity.
The Qin Party's nomination of Zhang Bi is both reasonable and reasonable. It is completely out of public interest and cannot be criticized.
But the villains don't think so, and only look at the essence through the phenomenon - Zhang Bi is the leader of the scholars in Huguang, and the Qin Party wants to win over the forces in Huguang and increase its own thickness to fight against Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Min.
In fact, no one knows that the true intention of the leader of the Qin Party is to seize Zhang Juzheng firmly and let Zhang Juzheng go to the mines a few years later to take the blame.
However, Party Yan obviously could not give up the opportunity and proposed another candidate, Zhang Bangqi, the auxiliary minister of Zhan Shifu and the boss of the Zhejiang Party.
This was completely expected by everyone. Anyone who has a little knowledge of the political situation can guess that the Yan Party will definitely recommend Zhang Bangqi.
The reasons for being strict with the Party are also very good. The prince is now supervising the country. As the top official of the East Palace Prince and the auxiliary minister, how can Zhang Bangqi not join the cabinet?
Neither candidate has an overwhelming advantage, so the two sides immediately start fighting again. Even neutral people have their own opinions.
When the two sides were in a stalemate, Zhang Chao said to Yan Song: "Don't be too greedy!"
In name, to avoid suspicion, neither of the two cabinet ministers can come forward to recommend candidates, so they cannot participate directly and can only play tricks on each other.
Zhang Chao's sentence is a mockery of Yan Song. He wants to be the first assistant and nominate a new bachelor. He is too greedy.
Without Qin Dewei in the court, even quarreling would be so boring, and it would be a waste of time to argue for a long time without any results.
Many people looked at Chen Chun in unison, at least he had several large notes hidden in his sleeves.
As expected, Chen Chun took out the note and flipped it through, then raised his head and said: "Theoretically there is no quota for the number of cabinet members. If there is no dispute over the recommended candidates, then all of them can be included in the cabinet!"
Everyone: "..."
This suggestion sounds a bit tacky and doesn’t seem like someone’s style!
But if you think about it more carefully, it is not impossible. Although the number of cabinets is usually three, this is a habit and has not formed a fixed system.
One more or one less will not have much impact. Now that the two sides are in a stalemate, it seems like a happy outcome for both parties to join the cabinet.
Yan Song was anxious to talk about the matter of the chief assistant, and a little out of bounds took the lead in expressing his stance: "That's it!"
No one in the Qin Party objected, so the final result was that Zhang Bi and Zhang Bangqi were elected to the cabinet at the same time by the ministers.
I don’t know what the Qin party was thinking, but Yan Song didn’t care at all when they put Zhang Bi, an opponent of his party, into the cabinet.
He will soon ascend to the position of chief minister and completely dominate the cabinet! By then, the other cabinet ministers will be just decorations, and what's the use of having one more Zhang Bi!
Xu Tianguan had nothing to do with himself today, so he could watch calmly.
He had a hunch that although Yan Song seemed to be a sure shot as the first assistant, the biggest disturbance today might be about to happen.
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It seems that the Qin Party has been brewing something without saying anything.
While thinking about it, Xu Tianguan continued to preside: "It is the right of the king to appoint the chief assistant, and it cannot be done by a minister!
Therefore, the new chief minister cannot be recommended by the ministers. The auxiliary ministers should go to meet the Queen Mother, be appointed by the queen mother, and then come back to announce it."
There is nothing wrong with this statement, and it is considered the best alternative under the current situation. Anyway, it is just a formality, and the new first assistant must be Yan Song.
"Wait! I have something to say!" Chen Chun and Chen Yushi bravely stood up again. "What the Heavenly Official said is true, it is the right of the king to appoint the chief minister.
But now that the emperor is not hesitant, then simply don’t set up a chief assistant anymore, and why bother alarming the old queen!"
What kind of heresy is this! Mr. Yan Ge was shocked and angry, and subconsciously yelled: "Ignorant boy! How is it possible that there is no chief minister!"
Chen Chun retorted to Yan Song: "When our ancestors first used cabinet ministers in the past, there was no chief cabinet minister. From this, it can be seen that the chief minister is not a must."
Anyone who is familiar with the Ming Dynasty's cabinet system knows that the chief minister is a process from scratch, from weak to strong. More than a hundred years ago, there was no essential difference between the chief minister and other cabinet ministers, and later he became stronger and stronger.
Chen Yushi continued to say to Yan Song: "I also want to ask, now that the emperor is ill and cannot afford it, and Mr. Yan Ge only wants to be the first assistant to take power, what is his intention?"
Yan Song was unable to answer this question. It could be said that it was impossible to answer, and it was impossible for him to say in public that I didn't want to be the chief minister.
At this time, Zhang Chao took over again and advised Yan Song earnestly: "Now that your Majesty is unable to take matters seriously, ministers should pay special attention to avoiding suspicion, so as not to be ridiculed for their reckless actions!"
Old Yan Ge is so angry that he just wants to curse. The person who really looks like Mang Cao is your good disciple! The one with the surname Yan is still lacking in rank!
The biggest problem with Mr. Yan Ge at present is that as the actual only candidate for the first assistant position, he has a natural moral disadvantage on the issue of first assistant position and cannot be compared to others.
Moreover, Yan Song had never thought about the issue of not having a chief minister and was unprepared for this.
So I could only let others express my opinion on my behalf, so Zhang Bangqi, the newly minted bachelor, said:
"The chief minister is the leader of the cabinet and has an indispensable role. Without the chief minister, wouldn't the cabinet be in chaos and disorganized?
Let’s not mention anything else, let’s just talk about the flow of government affairs. If there is no chief minister, who in the cabinet will be in charge of issuing and receiving votes? Is it possible that everyone should do their own thing?”
Chen Chun took out the note and looked at it for a few more times, then raised his head and answered with a straight chest: "You can imitate the ancient times of great harmony and learn to use the skills of the ancestors!"
This tune was so loud that it caught everyone off guard.
Chen Chun quickly added: "I also have a suggestion for this, which is called the collective decision-making method, which comes from ancient governance!
If there is no chief minister and the cabinet ministers have different attitudes towards something, let the cabinet ministers vote!
Fewer people obey more people, so that collective decisions can be passed easily and quickly, and this is the truly fair way!"
"Excellent!" Zhang Chao praised loudly, "If Your Majesty is not awake, no one can make arbitrary decisions, and ministers dare not be completely expert, this method may be able to make up for it!
In this way, before His Majesty wakes up, there is really no need to set up the chief assistant who is in danger of taking over the power.
I, Zhang Chao, am willing to support this method, and to show my sincerity, I, Zhang Chao, as a cabinet minister, am willing to swear an oath that I will never become the chief minister!"
Yan Song: "..."
You, Zhang Chao, would not have been the first assistant today! Unless the Queen Mother had a fit and called your name!
Then Zhang Chao asked Zhang Bi, who had just been elected, "What do you think?"
Zhang Bi quickly followed suit and said: "I, Zhang Bi, am also willing to swear an oath that I will never become the chief minister before Your Majesty wakes up!"
A "junior" in the cabinet like him had no hope of becoming a chief minister, so he could make an oath easily and casually.
The situation changed a bit quickly. While everyone was stunned, they went to see Yan Song and Zhang Bangqi.
In the end, Zhang Bangqi couldn't stand other people's eyes and had to say: "I, Zhang Bangqi, am also willing to swear an oath that before His Majesty wakes up, I will never become the chief minister!"
Zhang Bangqi was nominally an official of the East Palace and a prince, so it was impossible for him to be the first assistant.
Among the grand bachelors and quasi-majors present now, Yan Song is the only one who has not taken the oath.
Mr. Yan Ge said immediately and wisely: "Don't think too much! This method is simply not feasible now!
Nowadays, there are four cabinet ministers, and the voting results are often two versus two. How to distinguish the minority from the majority?"
Chen Chun and Chen Yushi were surprised and said: "How come there are only four cabinet ministers? There is also a fifth person, Qin Zhongtang, who is now in Zhejiang!"
Yan Song: "..."
I heard about this bastard Qin Dewei again! He should have been alert earlier! This bastard is the best at system design!
Just now, I was only thinking about being the chief assistant, and I lacked sensitivity to the clues of the Qin Party, so I kept letting the Qin Party go!
Everyone was surprised. They didn't expect that after all the layers of confusion, the answer to the mystery that emerged was Qin Dewei!
If the collective resolution law is really implemented, it will definitely always be the two votes of Yan Song and Zhang Bangqi, and the two votes of Zhang Chao and Zhang Bi.
Then the key vote that determined the final result turned out to be Qin Dewei from Zhejiang!
Yan Song couldn't bear it and said angrily: "Absolutely not feasible! Isn't it a joke for people who are three thousand miles away to participate in the decision-making of the central committee?"
Zhang Chao made another suggestion: "Why don't you let the Military Aircraft Department count as one vote? After all, they are all in the center, and they are also related to normal government affairs."
Yan Song still objected: "It's not feasible! The cabinet is the cabinet, how can we tolerate the intervention of the Military Aircraft Department?"
Zhang Chao was also angry: "This won't work, that won't work either. Can you, Mr. Yan Ge, tell me what's feasible?"
Someone from the Qin Party in the crowd shouted: "As long as Mr. Yan Ge cannot be the chief minister!"
Others said: "Maybe the two methods can be used in parallel, and the chief minister still needs to be established, but the cabinet collective decision-making method can also be implemented! Everyone gets what they need!"
Yan Song was furious again. Can this man still be called the first assistant? Isn't this a step back a hundred years?