Uncle from a poor family - Chapter 736 Sit firmly on the Diaoyutai
Uncle from a poor family
Chapter 736 Sit firmly on the DiaoyutaiChapter 736 Sit firmly on the Diaoyutai
Inside the Piantou Pass.
Zhu Yong learned about the difficult situation Li Zisheng was facing from family letters from the capital and reports from spies on express horses, and was surprised for a moment.
It’s not that he was shocked by the Ming court’s bad attitude towards meritorious officials. After all, during the Chenghua period, the group of civil officials in the court spared no effort in attacking Wang Yue and almost wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.
He was just curious. It was obvious that Li Zisheng, a meritorious official, had a powerful backer behind him. Given Zhang Luan's position in the court, he could still be attacked like this, and the attack was extremely steady, accurate and ruthless, directly making Li Zisheng bankrupt and destroying his reputation. It was too unbelievable.
At this time, Zhu Yong very much hoped to return to Beijing as soon as possible to observe the political direction of the court closely so as to take a timely position. The only thing he could do now was to curry favor with Tan Chang.
After this cooperation, Zhu Yong feels that his future and Qin Chang's are deeply bound together.
"Eunuch Qin, the news we have heard so far is that Minister Li will return to Beijing to accept questioning from the court, and he will also have to give up all his property, that is, all the money he earned from selling official positions and titles, to be used as a warehouse." Zhu Yong was also very curious when he said this.
How much silver does Li Zisheng have?
I'm afraid few people know this!However, based on the strength Zhang Luan demonstrated in his previous attempts to raise money and grain, many people speculated that Zhang Luan's so-called raising of money and grain was actually supported by Li Zisheng behind the scenes.
All the money and grain collected were provided by Li Zisheng alone.
Qin Chang had a calm look on his face. He was holding a painting that he had found from somewhere. While admiring it, he asked, "Duke Baoguo, how much silver have you given to Li Zisheng?"
"No...never."
Zhu Yong answered hesitantly.
Qin Chang was a little surprised. He looked over curiously and asked, "Almost everyone in the court has given money to Li Zisheng. During the time of the late emperor, you were the top minister in the Beijing camp. Why didn't you try to curry favor with this former top minister of the Ming Dynasty? It's not good to not tell the truth in front of me."
Zhu Yong apologized with a smile, "I just said I didn't give money, but I didn't say I didn't give other things. If I gave money directly... how conspicuous would that be? It would be easily discovered, and when the censors impeached me, I wouldn't even have a chance to explain... In fact, many payments were directly deducted from the account, and they didn't need to be handled at all."
"hehe."
Qin Chang smiled in relief and said, "You are telling the truth. Do the people in the court really have so much evidence to prove that Minister Li embezzled millions of taels of silver?
"Li Zisheng's methods of greed for money are indeed varied, and even Liang Fang couldn't do anything to him. But as far as I know, most of the money went into the inner treasury for the late emperor to use...
"After all these years, how much can he keep? Let me guess... Even if he is down and out now, he should have at least 200,000 or 300,000 taels of silver on hand, right?"
Zhu Yong asked: "Do we need to report this matter?"
"What?"
Qin Chang frowned and asked, "Do you want to turn yourself in and tell His Majesty how much money Li Zi Province has embezzled from you? Do you want to add insult to injury or dig a hole for yourself to jump into?"
"What I mean is that everyone in the court is reflecting on their own actions now. Some things will be discovered sooner or later. If we keep it secret, will we be…"
Zhu Yong was also afraid.
He originally thought that with his good relationship with Zhang Luan and Li Zisheng, plus the eunuch Tan Chang from the Imperial Household Department in front of him, he should be able to live a good life in the next few years.
Moreover, after he passed away, there should be no problem for his son to inherit the title, and the Zhu family could continue to maintain their special status in the Beijing camp and compete with the British Duke family.
But right now, the wind direction is clearly a little off.
Who made you, Zhang Luan, a powerful figure in the court, claim to be sick and stay at home all the time, like a defeated rooster?Then there was Li Zisheng's sudden fall from grace...
The lecturers of the Eastern Palace, headed by Xu Pu, took every step carefully and, with the help of a group of veteran officials such as Wang Shu and Ma Wensheng, they won victory after victory in the struggle with Zhang Luan and Li Zisheng. Even the emperor seemed unable to resist the surging public opinion and had to investigate and punish Li Zisheng!
Qin Chang shook his head and chuckled: "You are a meritorious official who is away from home, but you are so concerned about the disputes in the court? Could it be that you are not willing to be just a meritorious official who obeys others' orders, and you want to seek something else?"
"Eunuch, please stop laughing. I don't have the courage to do that."
Zhu Yong was so frightened that his face turned pale and he hurriedly argued for himself.
Qin Chang said, "Master, you are a smart man. We have always known that you must have a purpose for coming here today. Do you mean to help Li Zisheng achieve fame? To help him make plans behind the scenes?"
Zhu Yong originally had a mean face, but after hearing this, he knew that Qin Chang could have the status he has today, and he must not be someone who can be deceived by just a few words from him.
Zhu Yong sighed and said, "Now it seems that it is difficult to change one's position. After all, the battle of Pianguan was led by Li Zhongcheng. Even if we don't get to eat the meat, the remaining soup..."
"Okay, it's good to have this awareness."
Qin Chang said with a smile, "Listen to the orders from above and take all the prisoners to the capital, including the tribesmen we brought back earlier. Isn't it just to show up for Li Zisheng? You have to know that up to now, Zhang Guozhang has not made any move!"After a military parade, the people in the court changed their target and could only attack Li Zisheng, but could not kill him all. Doesn't this further prove that the people in the court have run out of tricks?"
Zhu Yong asked in surprise: "So...Eunuch, do you mean that Zhang Guozhang is still in control?"
"hehe."
Qin Chang smiled and asked, "Do I need to say this? Have you ever seen anyone who can lead a war in the northwest without leaving his house, who can make the people in the court fight each other while he himself sits on the Diaoyutai? You can't deny this Zhang Guozhang."
Zhu Yong was also thinking about it.
It seems that you, Qin Chang, were also sent out to do hard work because you offended Zhang Laizhan, right? You, Qin Chang, were originally a supporter of Huai En, and you were in the same boat with Huai En, right? How come now... you have learned to judge the situation?"What if the higher-ups blame us..."
Zhu Yong didn't seem to want to get involved.
Tan Chang sneered and asked, "Who will blame? Your Majesty? Or Zhang Guozhang? Or those people in the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War?"
Zhu Yong said with a bitter face: "I am afraid that someone will settle the score with me later."
Qin Chang sighed, "I heard that Wang Weining, who used to have a close relationship with you, has now returned to the capital. Do you think he has met Zhang Guozhang? If His Majesty has any military operations in the northwest in the future, will he use him or you?"
"I am far less capable than Lord Weining, and I dare not compete with him."
Zhu Yong is quite self-aware.
Forget about fighting with Zhang Mao, after all, they are both military heroes. Even if Zhu Yong is very ambitious, he is still far behind a great man like Wang Yue.
The fact that Wang Yue was a Jinshi and had once served as the Minister of War of the Ming Dynasty shows that his vision is completely incomparable.
Qin Chang said: "Then you have to be more humble than Wang Weining and be better at currying favor with the Zhang family, so that you can have the opportunity to lead the army alone and continue to make military achievements in the northwest. Right now is the time when the grassland is in short supply. If we can raid Weininghai again, it may be effective. Of course, whether we can win the favor of His Majesty depends entirely on our ability!"
……
……
Zhu Yong roughly understood what Qin Chang meant.
If you want to achieve great things, you have to know how to flatter.
If he wants to be the emperor's top henchman in the army, he must first please Zhang Luan and Li Zisheng... Only in this way can he make up for his lack of qualifications.
Zhu Yong thought about it and felt that Qin Chang's reminder was from the bottom of his heart.
It is totally unacceptable to say that Qin Chang still regards Zhang Luan as a political opponent and schemes against him all the time.
Because Huai'en had gone down, there were very few people in the court who could confront Zhang Luan head-on. They would probably be Wang Shu and Xu Pu. As for Liu Ji... what level was he at?No one in the army could compete with Zhang Luan.
Zhu Yong immediately called his son Zhu Hui over: "... You take people and escort the Tatar captives to the capital immediately. Seal the heads of the people captured earlier with lime and send them to the capital as well. Remember to go into the city with Li Zisheng and let the people of the city watch and pay their respects." Zhu Hui hesitated and said, "Father, does this mean that we have to stand on the side of Li Zisheng from now on? He may not make it this time!"
Obviously, Zhu Hui does not want to take sides before the political direction in the DPRK becomes clear.
The emperor has the East Palace Lecture Room as his governing team. Now he has a bunch of veteran ministers there and looks very powerful.
Do we have to choose to stand on the side of Zhang Luan and Li Zisheng, two close ministers of the emperor with very obvious flaws?
The Hongzhi Dynasty was different from the Chenghua Dynasty. It was no longer a time when foreign relatives and treacherous officials could do whatever they wanted, so it was never too cautious.
"You are short-sighted, are you planning to disobey military orders?"
Zhu Yong glared at his son and rebuked him, "Our family considers the issue from the military's perspective. We have won military merits and we have shown them without reservation. Is this a matter of siding with or targeting someone? If the people in the court insist on thinking that we are on Li Zisheng's side, then let them think so! Justice is in the hearts of the people."
"Father, please calm down."
Zhu Hui said with a bitter face, "I will take them there right away. But the Tatar prince's envoys have not yet left the border. If we take them away like this, will it be..."
"Not afraid!"
Zhu Yong said, "The little Tatar prince will most likely leave from Datong, and he will not come to Pianguan again when he leaves! The Tatars originally stationed north of Pianguan have been evacuating in the past two days! You won't encounter any trouble along the way. The only people you have to be careful of... are your own people!"
Zhu Hui thought, this is called "the only thing you need to be careful about"?"Perhaps someone will notice the intention of Zhang Guozhang and intercept you halfway, or prevent you from passing through. Just show the aura of the prince of the Duke's Mansion, and no one can stop you on your way back to the capital! You are acting on the emperor's orders, and no one else's orders will work except the imperial edict!"
"I understand, son. This is to help Li Zisheng save face and help him get through the crisis! Don't worry, father, I will take care of the family matters."
……
……
Cabinet value.
Liu Ji has been very anxious these days because the emperor said that as long as the northwest can achieve victory against the Tatars, Zhang Luan will be allowed to join the cabinet.
And now it seems that the only thing that can prevent him from entering the cabinet is Zhang Luan's illness. It seems that as long as Zhang Luan recovers, he will be able to enter the cabinet and replace him.
"Is this how you do things? You only deal with Li Zisheng? And you only ask him to return the money? What nonsense?"
When Liu Ji saw Xu Pu coming back and learned that the Hanlin Academy had not taken any action specifically against Zhang Luan recently, he could not help but yell at him angrily.
Xu Pu explained, "There are many things that have been delayed in the cabinet. The Imperial Household Department has expressed dissatisfaction and urgently needs more staff... The proposal to increase the number of cabinet ministers was reported to His Majesty before Eunuch Huai was ill. His Majesty's meaning is also very clear. He must wait for Zhang Laizhan to enter the cabinet before discussing the rest of the matter."
Liu Ji sneered and said, "Once Zhang Laizhan enters the cabinet, you and I will have no room to survive. Just wait and see, His Majesty will make him the Prime Minister."
"not necessarily."
Xu Pu shook his head. "Zhang Laizhan has opposed Your Majesty's promotion of him to the cabinet several times. If he really wanted to pursue fame and fortune, he would never... repeatedly reject Your Majesty's kindness like he is now, and he is also passive in his attitude towards court affairs. The impeachment of Li Zisheng is still in progress. When he returns to Beijing, more people will file memorials to impeach him! If you pull out the radish, you will also get mud. Maybe there will be surprises by then!"
……
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Qianqing Palace.
Qin Ji presented a list to Zhu Youtang, and then stood respectfully aside waiting for instructions.
The list contained the candidates recommended by the Hanlin Academy to join the cabinet. Zhang Luan's name was not on the list. Instead, the person at the very front was Liu Jian, followed by Li Dongyang and Xie Qian.
Zhu Youtang asked, "Why is my father-in-law not among them?"
Qin Ji said, "Your Majesty, since Zhang Guozhang has not appeared in the Hanyuan since the beginning of the year, and he is not a Jinshi, the people in the court must be cautious when recommending candidates for the cabinet, and should not break the rules casually."
This is to tell the emperor.
You think your father-in-law is awesome, he can do anything and succeed, some people in the court may be afraid of your father-in-law's power, or a little close to him. But in principle, Zhang Luan should not be in the cabinet, because he is just a student, and he has only been in the court for a few years. In terms of background and qualifications, which one is right?Tan Ji said again: "Right now, the Hanyuan is compiling the records of the late emperor. Right now, they are in need of people, so we dare not easily break the order."
Zhu Youtang frowned and asked, "Now is the time to recruit people, shouldn't we let my father-in-law join the cabinet? Earlier, we summoned people from the Nanjing Hanlin Academy to go north, but now you say you want to increase the number of people in the Hanlin Academy? Where exactly will we increase them from?"
Qin Ji said: "In reply to your Majesty, I have asked Lord Xu before. Lord Xu suggested that we select a group of Shujishi from the Jinshi candidates of the past few years to serve in the imperial court."
"Is Hanyuan so short-handed?"
Zhu Youtang frowned even more tightly.
When his old father was still alive, the Eastern Palace still had the task of teaching him, and there was no shortage of people. On the contrary, there were enough people to keep sending people out.
Now that he is the emperor, the Hanlin Academy has only added the task of compiling the "Veritable Records of Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty", but it keeps complaining about being short of staff?The emperor didn't understand the reason.
Qin Ji knew it very well.
Because Xu Pu and others wanted to build up their own power.
After all, the last time the Imperial Academy was selected, Zhu Jianshen was still alive. At that time, the Hanlin system was firmly controlled by Wan'an and Liu Ji. The people selected were based on their preferred standards, and most of them relied on flattery and gifts to get to their positions.
Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, why don’t he take advantage of the opportunity of compiling the official records to bring up a group of people who were once eliminated and who they think are both capable and trustworthy to take their places?
Tan Ji said: "Then Your Majesty, do you want to listen to Lord Xu's opinion?"
Zhu Youtang did not comment. He re-examined the list of recommended cabinet ministers, then turned to look at Qin Ji and instructed: "My father-in-law's condition has improved recently and he can see guests. You can ask him when you have time. If he asks for more staff, then do so. Otherwise... just maintain the current status quo."
"Too."
Qin Ji nodded and said, "Even if Hanyuan wants to increase its staff, it should listen to Zhang Guozhang's opinion. Zhang Guozhang is good at judging people."
"Oh."
After Qin Ji's tactful reminder, Zhu Youtang probably understood what was going on.
It turns out that it involves the issue of cultivating one's own people.
The officials selected by Xu Pu to enter the Hanlin Academy can make him satisfied... Correspondingly, it depends on whether Zhang Luan has any candidates he likes.
"My dear, next time you have something to say, just tell me directly."
Zhu Youtang sighed, "No need to avoid it."
"I am not avoiding it. When I have free time, I will definitely ask Zhang Guozhang for his opinion." Qin Ji felt a lot of pressure.
His character is there.
Unlike Huai En, he is not capable and decisive in doing things.
Qin Ji is a person who bullies the weak and fears the strong. He has been cautious all his life. Now that he is assisting the emperor and will soon be in charge of the Imperial Household Department, he still maintains his previous cautious style of doing things.
(End of this chapter)