Zhang Bi was resentful and spoke harshly. Xia Shoufu was not used to his "trouble" and immediately refuted loudly:
"Following precedent is indeed the safest way under normal circumstances! But it does not mean that everything must be followed. There are always special circumstances that require breaking convention!"
Zhang Bi knew that he could not decide anything, and did not want to continue the meaningless quarrel with Xia Yan, so he sent the final blow and said: "Breaking the convention? Do you think you are Qin Dewei?"
This sentence almost made Xia Shoufu vomit blood on the spot.
As we all know, among the officials in the imperial court, the one who broke the most conventions was Qin Dewei.
Xia Yan suddenly felt further that Qin Dewei's influence might be greater than he thought, not only the hard power of party members, but also the all-pervasive soft power. Zhang Bi's words just now showed that many ministers subconsciously believed that
,Qin Dewei has the qualifications to break conventions!
Yan Song next to him felt that it was unnecessary for Xia Yan to quarrel with Zhang Bi, who was lying on his back, so he quickly stuck to the topic and guided him:
"Qin Dewei can do such things as breaking conventions, so why can't Shoukui do it? If the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War do not allow the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian to be elected, what does Shoukui care about?"
Of course, Yan Song saw clearly. Qin Dewei took the initiative to raise the issue of successor to the court. It was obvious that he valued the position of governor of Zhejiang and Fujian very much and wanted to find someone of his own to take over.
As for Xia Yan, who was disgraced by the Qin Party a while ago, he urgently needed to regain his face and prove to the court that he was okay, so he didn't want Qin Dewei to get his wish.
This kind of tit-for-tat confrontation between Xia Yan and Qin Dewei certainly requires a lot of encouragement from Mr. Yan Ge!
The fiercer the fight between Xia Shoufu and Qin Zhongtang, the safer and more opportunities he, the veteran Yan Ge, will have!
After hearing Yan Song's question, Xia Yan replied: "I would like to state my interests directly to the emperor and recommend candidates, and ask the emperor to approve him!"
Of course, Yan Song welcomed Xia Yan's direct attack on Qin Dewei, and asked the question: "Is there anyone who can be chosen as the chief minister?"
Xia Yan frowned and thought for a moment, then said with a smile but not a smile: "I see that Mao Bowen, the Minister of Punishment, has always known the army and has gone to the south to lead the army. I think he can do it!"
Yan Song was speechless for a moment, Mao Bowen was a member of their strict party!
Just now, he had been inducing and intensifying the conflict between Xia Yan and Qin Dewei. Unexpectedly, Xia Yan would also try to get rid of Yan Dang.
After Xia Yan had a bloody encounter with Qin Dewei, he finally turned his attention to Yan Dang's position!
Among those who want to be strict with the party, there are two people who are most afraid of Xia Yan's return. One is Mao Bowen, the Minister of Justice, and the other is Fan Jizu, the left minister of the Ministry of War.
These two people were originally the backbone of the Xia Party. After Xia Yan was dismissed last time, these two people immediately jumped to the Strict Party camp. They are indeed "traitors".
Mr. Yan Ge was in a very conflicted mood. He had already expressed his surrender to Xia Shoufu, so he could not stop Xia Yan from tearing apart Yan's men, but he could not do nothing.
After thinking twice, Yan Song asked in the softest tone possible: "It's upside down, isn't it appropriate?"
The Shangshu is one of the seven or nine ministers of the imperial court. He is the core member of the inner circle and has a higher political status than the governor. In the custom of officialdom where people can move up and down, there has never been an operation where a minister sitting in the palace is transferred to the governor. This is inconceivable.
It's a kind of humiliation.
That's why Yan Song slightly questioned and said, "This is inappropriate." The two positions do not match.
Xia Shoufu half retorted and half sarcastically said: "Why is it inappropriate? The current governor of Zhejiang and Fujian is still appointed by a cabinet bachelor.
So, what’s the point of being aggrieved if a Minister of the Ministry of Justice is appointed as the Governor of Zhejiang and Fujian? If such a high-ranking official is not out of town, how can he convince the local government?”
Yan Song showed great concern again: "I'm afraid Mao Bowen can't stand such a call, and Shangshu firmly refuses to take over as governor of Zhejiang and Fujian."
Xia Yan said calmly: "Then it's up to you, Mr. Yan Ge, to convince Mao Bowen."
Yan Song was a little disgusted by this request.
You, Xia Yan, blatantly want to mess with Yan Dang, and you want Yan Song to appease Yan Dang. Is this something that anyone other than Qin Dewei can do? Do you think you are Qin Dewei?
Then Xia Yan added: "You have a message for Mao Bowen, as long as he is willing to go to Zhejiang and take office honestly, I will forget about it!"
It has to be said that Xia Shoufu still has some tricks. This condition is quite tempting for Mao Bowen, who is in panic all day long.
Xia Shoufu was thinking in his mind that if he took the opportunity to remove Mao Bowen from the court and take the position of Minister of the Ministry of Justice, it would be very cost-effective.
When the time comes, Zhang Jing, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, can be transferred back to serve as Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice and spread his power in the temple!
Originally, Xia Shoufu was very ambitious after his return and wanted to use the higher-status Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites as a breakthrough, but unfortunately he was blocked by the Qin Party without giving face.
Now we have no choice but to settle for the next best thing and suck the blood of the Strict Party.
Otherwise, the dignified chief assistant would not even have a minion in the six departments. What would be the use of such a chief assistant?
That night Yan Song quietly invited Mao Bowen to his home and informed Mao Bowen of Xia Yan's decision.
"I will never accept the appointment of Governor of Zhejiang and Fujian!" Mao Bowen's attitude was inexplicably fierce.
This makes Yan Song a little surprised. You, Mao Bowen, are also an old bureaucrat and have gone through a lot of ups and downs. Are you so excited?
Then I heard Mao Bowen say: "I don't want to follow Qin Dewei and take over as his governor!"
That’s it! Yan Song suddenly realized.
When Qin Dewei became the governor of Xuanda, it was Xia Yan who asked Mao Bowen to take over, which left a huge psychological shadow on Mao Bowen.
This time Qin Dewei resigned as governor of Zhejiang and Fujian, and Xia Yan asked Mao Bowen to take over.
From this perspective, it is indeed a bit humiliating. No wonder Mao Bowen's mentality exploded.
After Mao Bowen thought for a while, he said fiercely: "If I were asked to take over as the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian, I would rather resign completely and return to my hometown, and never be interested in worldly affairs from now on!"
This is what Yan Song least wants to see. If Mao Bowen completely retires, won't the Yan Party lose everything in vain? If he becomes the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian, he can still save some energy.
So Yan Song advised: "We are in the temple. We should take the overall situation into consideration and bear the humiliation. Why should we act on impulse? Is a trip to Zhejiang more terrifying than losing an official position?"
Mao Bowen felt deeply disappointed. He might have made the wrong choice at the crossroads of his life two years ago.
At that time, Xia Yan was dismissed. In order to protect himself, he had to choose between the two camps of the Yan Party and the Qin Party. As a result, after comprehensive comparison, he decisively chose the Yan Party.
Now that something happened and someone wanted to change his position, Yan Song would only advise himself to be patient, which would only make him endure the humiliation and bear the burden.
If it were Qin Dewei, how would he treat his party members? In fact, there is no need to think about this question, reality has already answered it.
So far, the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Rites are still in the hands of the Qin Party.
Even when the core person was not present, he directly attacked Xia Yan. I didn't hear anything about being patient and bearing the humiliation.
The more he thought about it, the more troubled he became. Mao Bowen was now certain that he had really chosen the wrong person!
If I were Qin Dewei's party member, I would never have suffered such a shame and humiliation!
When he thought of this, Mao Bowen suddenly felt blessed and said, "Let's wait and see what happens! Xia Shoufu's idea may not succeed. Qin Dewei will definitely stop him, so I won't move."
Yan Song: "..."
You, a backbone of the strict party, actually have so much confidence in Qin Dewei? Your thoughts are very dangerous. If you continue like this, you may develop into a slave with three surnames!
Mao Bowen did not wait too long as he said to wait and see what happens. In the past two days, Xia Yan went to see the eunuch Huang Jin to inquire about Emperor Jiajing's condition. He also chose an auspicious day when the emperor was in a good mood and came to Renshou Palace to see him.
It's not that Xia Yan is too cautious, but he deeply understands that if he wants to target Qin Dewei, he must use all the favorable conditions as much as possible, including the selection of auspicious days in the field of metaphysics.
As soon as we entered the main hall of Renshou Palace, we saw Tao Zhongwen, the national preceptor, telling Emperor Jiajing something, which seemed to be "Ancient History".
The reason why Emperor Jiajing only used Tao Taoist priest to come
It is said that Tao Zhongwen was able to mix Taoist theory into the content, which fascinated Emperor Jiajing.
Xia Yan frowned. Wasn't it a few pages of updates sent two days ago? Why hasn't it been finished yet?
At this time, Xia Shoufu did not know that Qin Dewei knew that after Emperor Jiajing began to listen to "Ancient Records", he used the e-mail system and privileges to send out secrets with updated chapters every one or two days.
Finally waited until Emperor Jiajing finished listening to Tao Zhongwen's speech
If we follow the counter-routine of 21st century Internet articles, Jie Jiao and Tongtian Cult Leader were relatively positive figures in most prehistoric times.
But Qin Dewei understands that this counter-routine is absolutely not feasible at the moment. Today's concepts emphasize the incompatibility of good and evil and loyalty and filial piety, so Chanjiao and Yuanshi Tianzun are the light of the right path.
Sure enough, Emperor Jiajing put himself into the role of Yuanshi Tianzun.
After expressing his opinions on the chapter, Emperor Jiajing turned to Xia Yan and asked, "What's the matter with you?"
Xia Yan did not rashly target Qin Dewei, but first said a few other things before speaking:
"As for the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian, I think it should continue to be established, but it cannot be established according to Qin Dewei's idea!"
Emperor Jiajing remained calm and asked again: "Why is this?"
Xia Yan took the opportunity to answer: "When Qin Dewei was guarding Zhejiang, he was domineering and committed many illegal and unjust things.
When Qin Dewei mentioned the matter of his successor, he was also worried that his deeds could no longer be concealed, so he wanted to choose someone to succeed him.
Although His Majesty was magnanimous and did not punish Qin Dewei, he should not be too lenient, so I think that a new governor of Zhejiang and Fujian should be selected to strike a balance."
What Xia Yan said made sense. Emperor Jiajing concentrated his energy and fell into deep thought, and asked casually: "Who do you want to use?"
"Mao Bowen of the Ministry of Punishment can do it," Xia Yan recommended.
At this moment, Eunuch Qin, the chief official of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, hurriedly walked in, holding a letter in his hand, and said to the Emperor Jiajing: "The local scholars in Ningbo have jointly impeached Qin Dewei and submitted a petition to His Majesty for his inspection!"
Just today, the General Administration Department received a "shattering" memorial, which immediately caused a huge explosion.
Four Ningbo scholars came forward to "report" to the court Qin Dewei's various illegal activities of organizing smuggling, extortionate extortion, and harming the local area.
There are several reasons why this memorial went viral. First, it was a memorial directly attacking Qin Zhongtang, so it was destined to attract attention.
Second, there is a huge identity contrast between the person who committed suicide and Qin Zhongtang who was attacked.
Everyone thought that Qin Zhongtang had already tidied up the grounds of Ningbo Mansion and made things peaceful. They didn't expect that such a group of scholars would come out to oppose Qin Zhongtang. Why is it not surprising?
Third, the timing of this "report letter" is very clever. It happens to be on the eve of Qin Zhongtang's resignation. This should not be a coincidence.
Sadly, no one cares about the authenticity of the contents of the memorial and whether it needs to be verified. Everyone's attention is focused on identity and motives.
In fact, the content of the memorial is not "unusual". At the court meeting not long ago, Xu Shian and Xu Qianhu revealed all the stories of Qin Zhongtang's persecution and money-making in front of all the court officials.
Due to the political correctness of the Ming Dynasty, these scholars who wrote letters to criticize important officials at the level of Prime Minister and Assistant Prime Minister would not receive any punishment from the court.
But everyone just can’t understand why these buddies thought that just writing a letter to report Qin Dewei would be useful? Or is there another mastermind and motive behind it?
Because this "report letter" involves the bachelor Qin Dewei, and the dignity of the bachelor is different from that of ordinary officials, and other yamen are not qualified to deal with it.
Therefore, this "report letter" was sent to the clerk's office of the Supervisor of Rites, and the emperor was asked to make a personal decision.
Emperor Jiajing quickly read the "Report Letter" and was disgusted with Eunuch Qin and asked: "Who is the backstage of these scholars?"
Eunuch Qin replied: "They don't have a backing. If they had a backing to guide them, they wouldn't be able to do anything."
So reckless."
Because he had no sense of security, Emperor Jiajing was very strict with superiors and subordinates as well as etiquette and order, so he resented these scholars for committing crimes below them and leapfrogging their superiors to accuse and report Qin Dewei.
Emperor Jiajing asked suspiciously: "Is there no female officials in the court to respond to them?"
Eunuch Qin replied in a flawless manner: "There are all loyal ministers in the imperial court, and there are no female ministers."
Emperor Jiajing seemed to have just remembered that Xia Shoufu was beside him, and handed the "report letter" to Xia Shoufu.
After Xia Yan browsed through it in a hurry, he discovered that the content of his slander against Qin Dewei was very similar to that of this "report letter".
It was in the "report letter" that he accused Qin Dewei of illegal activities of making money wantonly.
Emperor Jiajing snorted coldly and said, "I think Qin Dewei's worries are not unreasonable. His new policies need to be continued."
No one answered. Xia Shoufu heard it, but he didn't answer and tried not to speak.
Emperor Jiajing suddenly became angry and shouted to Xia Yan: "You can do it only when I say you can!"
If a balance is to be struck, then he, the emperor, must give the instructions first, and then others can do the work!
Rather than someone else making their own decisions first, making noise, and then forcing her to have a baby!
Xia Yan suddenly felt great resentment in her heart. It seemed that all conventional methods were useless.