Chapter 396: Transactions in the Inner Court

Zhu Youtang’s new imperial concubine was admitted into the palace.

Temporarily live in Yong'an Palace in East Sixth Palace.

She was given the title "Xian Fei" early on. From this title, Empress Zhang felt a strong sense of jealousy. She is virtuous, but I am not virtuous, right?

When Concubine Xian entered the palace, because she had just given birth to a child, she could not have ventilation. She was only carried in in a closed phoenix and did not have to go to greet Empress Zhang. Originally, Empress Zhang wanted to visit the mother and son in person, but she was told that the emperor He has strictly ordered no one to come close, and there are even plans to move the mother and son out of the palace again.

Before, she would not enter the palace before giving birth to a child, but now she has entered the palace after giving birth and is preparing to move out. This even made Queen Zhang a little confused.

"Your Majesty, since this sister has entered the palace, why can't I let my concubine go and see her?" Empress Zhang raised the issue directly when Zhu Youtang went to Kunning Palace for lunch.

Zhu Youtang’s expression was somewhat unkind.

Because in the past few days, Empress Zhang seemed to have forgotten that she had a son. Empress Zhang still didn’t know about the disappearance of Zhu Houzhao. However, Empress Zhang only regarded him as a son and was grounded by her husband, so she didn’t ask anything about it. .

Zhu Youtang said coldly, "I'm afraid of causing trouble."

The word "making trouble" didn't explain the specific meaning, which made Empress Zhang feel that her husband was full of doubts about her. of.

This must be blamed on Zhu Youtang's poor growing environment. He lost his mother at a young age and grew up in fear. He was very afraid that the grudges and resentments of the previous generation in the inner palace would be extended to him. .

Empress Zhang now seemed to understand why Zhu Youtang first brought the "virtuous concubine" into the palace, and then arranged for her to be placed in a remote house. Avoid bloody disasters in the palace.

Empress Zhang said, "I want to give her some gifts to express my condolences."

Zhu Youtang shook his head and said, "Queen, you should have heard of many ancient palace battles. Things are going well, even if you have good intentions, you will be misunderstood by others, and some people will even take advantage of it, so you don't need to show anything, just get along normally."

"Send some condolences, and you will be misunderstood. Are you gossiping?" Queen Zhang looked displeased.

I, the Lord of the Sixth Palace, have already taken the initiative to show my kindness, but Your Majesty actually thinks that I am making trouble out of nothing. Is this a good intention and a donkey's liver and lungs?

Zhu Youtang did not answer.

After lunch, Zhu Youtang hurriedly left Kunning Palace.

Zhu Youtang went to Qianqing Palace. Before arriving at the palace, Xiao Jing and Chen Kuan were waiting.

Zhu Youtang ordered: "Listen carefully, if anyone brings gifts to Yong'an Palace, they will be rejected. All food and drinks must be inspected first. Recently, the imperial dining room must be reserved. If anyone sends unclean food inside, No matter who it is, it must be strictly investigated."

"Yes."

Xiao Jing was very confused when he heard this. Let him, the eunuch in charge of etiquette, handle this matter.

Chen Kuan interrupted and asked, "What if the Queen is sending gifts to Yong'an Palace"

Zhu Youtang stopped and stared at Chen Kuan, who quickly lowered his head.

"Everyone is the same, and the queen is no exception." Zhu Youtang said, "It's not that I suspect that someone wants to harm my concubine, but that I am afraid that someone will take the opportunity to cause trouble. In the palace, the queen has been harassed in the past There are many people who want to be punished, or who have a grudge against the new imperial concubine. People's hearts cannot stand scrutiny in the face of interests. Who can guarantee that the things sent in are good and will be good when used."

"Yes."

Chen Kuan responded quickly.

He actually understood it. In fact, he was still afraid that Queen Zhang would secretly harm the virtuous concubine and the young prince.

Zhu Youtang said, "I am not saying that I am just guarding against people in the palace. Who knows what the thoughts of people coming in from outside the palace are like?"

Originally Xiao Jing and Chen Kuandu regarded the emperor as a fool who could be easily deceived, and felt that the emperor had completely trusted the new imperial concubine.

But as soon as these words came out, Xiao Jing and Chen Kuan realized that the emperor's thoughts were also multi-layered.

From a logical point of view, this virtuous concubine and Empress Zhang had a "rivalry for harming her sister." Although her sister was not killed by Empress Zhang herself, she died because of Empress Zhang. If what Empress Zhang sent was fine, it was not uncommon for a Xian concubine to poison herself. In court struggles, there is no need to go to the Tang and Song dynasties for real cases. Just say that Wan Zhen'er committed miscarriage fraud. Things should be close at hand

Without mutual contact, there will be less entanglements, and there will be no suspicion of harming each other or framing each other.

This is what the emperor thought deeply about.

What I want is not nothing, but not giving you the opportunity to make something out of nothing.

In the Qianqing Palace.

The three cabinet members, as well as the newly appointed Minister of Rites Lin Han, and Minister of War Ma Wensheng, plus a British Duke Zhang Mao, were summoned.

Tables and chairs have been prepared for them early that day, and there will be a meeting about the inner court that day.

In addition to the cabinet, several people came in the name of the "Shangting Office". Lin Han entered the Shangting Office on Zhang Zhou's behalf, which meant that Lin Han was qualified to participate in the discussion in the name of the Minister of Rites. For important events, Zhang Mao and Ma Wen were promoted not because of their titles and official positions, but also because they were members of the Shangting Department.

"I would like to discuss with you the candidates for the Minister of Punishment and the Minister of Household Affairs."

After Zhu Youtang arrived at the Qianqing Palace, he made an opening statement, which immediately lifted the atmosphere. Tight.

Liu Jiandao said, "The choice of minister should be decided through court consultation."

Zhu Youtang seemed indifferent and said, "The inner court can also discuss it, so there is no need to go to great lengths. You guys Even though I can speak freely, I feel tired no matter what matters are discussed in court. If you have any candidates, please submit them together."

Zhu Youtang seems to have no energy.

After several exciting events such as hailstorms, earthquakes, and the birth of a son passed, his life fell into dullness. However, the prince was still missing at this time, which made him feel uncomfortable.He was exhausted.

Once something is brought up to the court, you will feel that the ministers are targeting him and Zhang Zhou. It is better to summon people to the inner court for a small circle meeting and resolve the matter satisfactorily. No need to argue anymore.

Lin Han, Ma Wensheng and Zhang Mao would not speak casually on this matter.

Even if they are qualified to make recommendations and recommend personnel, they still have to follow certain rules, that is, the cabinet will take the lead, unless Zhang Zhou is here at this time, and Zhang Zhou is allowed to speak, and Zhang Zhou is not there If so, they would rather do a good job at the executive level of the minister and hand over the decision-making and advisory powers to the cabinet.

Liu Jian said, "Your Majesty, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue has been recommended before, and the Ministry of Personnel has evaluated it over the years. It is most suitable for Youdu Yushi Ji Zhong to succeed Zhou Shangshu."

After Liu Jian finished speaking, he first observed After looking at the emperor's reaction and seeing that the emperor had no expression, he selected a candidate for another position, "The Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, the first choice is Tu Xun, the left minister of the Ministry of Punishment."

Zhong Zhong succeeded Zhou Jing, who was the previous It was agreed upon.

Tu Xun was temporarily pushed out because Min Gui, the censor of Zuodu, was convicted in a fight with Zhang Zhou and ordered to serve.

The Zuodu Censor cannot succeed Bai Ang, so it sounds reasonable to replace him with the Zuo Shilang of the headquarters.

"Yes." After hearing the two candidates, Zhu Youtang just nodded indifferently, and then said, "The qualifications are not enough."

Liu Jian asked, "Who is your Majesty talking about?" "

"Both of them are." Zhu Youtang said firmly, "It has been less than a year since Tu Xun took over as Zuo Shilang, and even though Zhan Zhong has experience in managing Datong's military pay, he has never made any great achievements. , I am not optimistic about the many financial matters that will be faced after being promoted to Minister of Household Affairs."

This made Liu Jian and the other three members of the cabinet very passive.

It was difficult for them to select the "suitable" person from the crowd. They were originally supposed to be successors, but if they were recommended by the court, they would be "popular". As a result, the inner court meeting was directly canceled. The emperor denied it.

It would be unrealistic for Liu Jian to find someone more suitable than them.

Unless the emperor intends to make an extraordinary promotion, it will involve party issues. Those who are qualified for extraordinary promotion must either be very close to Zhang Zhou, or at least be a neutral faction.

Zhu Youtang suddenly changed the subject and said, "The candidate for Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs has not been decided yet. What do you think about this matter?"

This time Li Dongyang said, "Should Promoted by Han Wen, the Right Minister."

"Not good." Zhu Youtang said, "I want to transfer Cheng Minzheng, a Hanlin scholar and in charge of the Nanjing Hanlin Academy, to return to Beijing and become the Left Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. No objection?"

The candidate was selected directly.

Cheng Minzheng returned to the court and became the Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Although Cheng Minzheng had been working in the Hanlin Academy, Zhanshifu and the Ministry of Rites before, it was not too much to be promoted to Zuo Shilang. After all, Cheng Minzheng's political qualifications And knowledge, as well as prestige in the court, are enough

It's just that his political leanings are not pure enough for anyone to take him seriously.

Seeing that several people present did not answer for a while, Zhu Youtang asked again, "Isn't he qualified enough?"

Li Dongyang first looked at Liu Jian and saw that Liu Jian didn't express anything, then he said "Bachelor Cheng's qualifications are sufficient."

Having said that.

However, because the Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, as the most prominent among the six ministers, was also used as a reserve position for the six ministers, the traditional civil servants wanted to give this position to Fu Han, who had not been promoted to the minister of rites.

Now Cheng Minzheng suddenly appears

In terms of qualifications, Cheng Minzheng is not inferior to Fu Han, but Cheng Minzheng is not as upright as Miao Hong

What if It would be embarrassing if Fu Han could not be promoted to the position of Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Personnel. There is currently no room for him in the six ministers. Should he be the minister of the Ministry of Punishment, the Ministry of Husbandry, and the Ministry of Works, or should he be the censor of the Zuodu?

As a result, at the age of sixty-six, Fu Han may not be able to survive for a few more years in the court.

If you want to be a minister, you can only go to Nanjing.

"That's good." Zhu Youtang said, "Cheng Minzheng has been the right minister of the Ministry of Rites for a long time, and it is reasonable to be promoted to the left minister. As for the censor of the left capital, I have thought about it before and think that Dai Shan, the Shangshu of the Nanjing Ministry of Punishment recommended by the court, is suitable. "

Dai Shan is the Shangshu of the Nanjing Ministry of Punishment. He has also made connections in the past few years because he has been in the prison system for half his life. Now Bai Ang and Min. Both Gui and Gui had retired, and it was not impossible for Dai Shan to move directly to the capital to become the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment. Letting him be the censor of Zuodu and in charge of the affairs of the Procuratorate would be the emperor's "reciprocation".

If you agree to let Cheng Minzheng return to the court as the Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, then I will agree to let Dai Shan be the censor of Zuodu, an equal exchange.

"As for the Minister of Punishment in Nanjing, let Tu Xun go." Zhu Youtang added.

In this way, the "first candidate" for the position of Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment was pushed to the position of Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment in Nanjing.

Sounds reasonable.

Since Tu Xun is not qualified enough to be the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, then go to Nanjing first and let him know how to arrange it in the future. If Tu Xun leaves, then whoever you recommend next will be worthy in terms of qualifications. After discussion, there is an explanation for who should be given the position of Minister of the Ministry of Punishment.

Zhu Youtang said, "Now that Bingkuan is the Minister of War in Nanjing and the Counselor of Military Affairs, I will not transfer him back to Beijing for the time being. The so-called temporary period will probably be this year. I think it is necessary to mention it to you. "

Liu Jian and others felt a little awkward.

This seemed to be an inoculation for them. In order to avoid making them think too much, the emperor did this to prepare for Zhang Zhou’s promotion to the Northern Six Ministers, so he told them that even if Zhang Zhou wanted to be a minister in the future , and not now, so the Minister of Punishment and the Minister of Hubu still have to be the people in the court today.

Liu Jian sighed, "If Min Gui becomes an official and Tu Xun is transferred to Nanjing as the Minister of Punishment, it will be difficult to find a replacement for the position of Minister of Punishment."

Zhu Youtang suddenly said, "Wang Shi, the minister of Dali Temple, has been in Dali Temple for many years and has a reputation for being an arbitrator in dealing with prison matters. Isn't he qualified to ask the Minister of Punishment?"

"Hmm"

Wang Shi’s theoretical ability is sufficient, but the problem is that Wang Shi is not very popular in the court. This is also related to the fact that he was mostly governor of various places and conquered the south and the north, which means that he is not orthodox. He was a Beijing official, and he didn't spend enough time in Beijing, and he didn't move his joints. Others knew too little about his political ideas, so they wouldn't consider him for promotion.

Historically, Wang Shi had the reputation of being "upright and forgiving" when he was an official. In the 13th year of Hongzhi, he was qualified to be promoted to the imperial censor of Zuodu. However, because of his shortcomings, he was preempted by Dai Shan. He was frustrated and resigned. The emperor only comforted him by giving him a position as the Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing. He was immediately appointed as the left deputy censor of the capital and the admiral of Guizhou military affairs, and sent him to conquer Guizhou's "Miru". chaos".

This situation is very similar to Wang Shouren in history.

No matter how high your ability is, the court officials will treat you as a foreign minister. There are dirty jobs for you in the local area. If you want to be a minister and the center of power, I am sorry. There are too few positions in the center of power in the capital, and you are not enough. grid.

Zhu Youtang said, "I can't think of any other more suitable candidate for the prison matter. Wang Shi has been in the position of Minister of Dali Temple for many years and has a spirit of advancement. I think he should He is qualified for this position."

This time, Liu Jian came forward to object, "Your Majesty, if the Minister of Dali Temple is promoted to the Minister of Punishment, I am afraid that it will be considered a step forward and inconsistent with the standards."

"Is there any agreement?" Zhu Youtang said, "I have to replace so many officials at once this year. It's actually quite a headache for me. It's rare that Wang Shi still has the heart to serve the court. I also want to give the officials in the court a warning." , Let them know that promotion is not based on seniority. The most important thing for promotion is quality and ability."

Implication is that Wang Shi is very capable and I am very optimistic about him.

Historically, it was precisely because of the emperor's appreciation of Wang Shi that he did not let Wang Shi become an official. Originally, given that Wang Shi was over sixty years old, even if he really wanted to beg his old age and return to his fields, the emperor would allow it. .

It may also be that Zhu Youtang wants to keep such a person who can do dirty work and call him at any time.

"If it weren't for Wang Shi, do you have any good candidates?" Zhu Youtang asked.

Liu Jian and others are all thinking.

The most suitable candidate, that is, Tu Xun, was not sent to Nanjing by you to be the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment

Now it is not Wang Shi, but him.

This is really a time to skip three powerful opponents, Min Gui, Tu Xun, and Dai Shan. Wang Shi originally struggled to be the censor of Zuodu, but now he is directly promoted to the emperor of the Ministry of Punishment. This appointment is a bit of a win-win. Meaning.

From now on, Wang Shi will not just obey orders and listen to the emperor's orders and do things well

"I second the proposal." Liu Jian gave up.

There is no discussion with the emperor.

Furthermore, the emperor actually followed rules. He first appointed Min Gui as official, Tu Xun as the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment in Nanjing, and Dai Shan as the Yushi of Zuodu. Then he talked about Wang Shi becoming the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment. First, arrange all the competitors who are stronger than Wang Shi, and then talk about how to arrange them. Before Wang Shi came up, he said that Wang Shi should be promoted to a higher level.

The opponents are all assigned, even if there are still opponents, In terms of qualifications and prestige, they are similar to him. It doesn't depend on who the emperor likes.

"If Wang Shi is the Minister of Punishment, then I will also recommend Zhong Zhong as the Minister of Hubu." He supported Zhong Zhong to be the Minister of Household Affairs, but suddenly changed his mind and thought that Zhong Zhong was suitable.

This also made several ministers present realize.

Actually, is this a court proposal?

This is a deal

You first agree to one of my employment candidates, and I will compromise and give you a little sweetener. In this way, each takes a step forward and each takes a step back, playing with balance.

"As for the Minister of War and the Minister of Industry, I think that the Ma Qing family and the Xu Qing family are still competent at present. If we want to discuss the replacement, we are not in a hurry. So we will not discuss it before winter. ." Zhu Youtang added.

This means that the ministers of the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Officials, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Ministry of Hubu, as well as the censor of Zuodu, were all changed at once, so there was no rush to move the ministers of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry. Two people.

But remembering that the emperor said before that there was no rush to recall Zhang Zhou to the capital years ago

Based on the political consciousness of these people, they can all think that in fact, the Minister of War is probably the one who gave Zhang Zhou Zhang Zhou kept it, and the fact that Ni Yue was the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was not liked by the emperor. It is very likely that Ni Yue would not be the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel for too long. This is actually related to Ma Wensheng's meritorious service.

Ma Wensheng is qualified to be promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, but the Minister of the Ministry of War left behind by Ma Wensheng seems to be definitely reserved for Zhang Zhou, so only when Zhang Zhou is promoted to Minister of the Ministry of War, Ma Wensheng can let go of the Ministry of War. The minister went to be the minister of the Ministry of official affairs.

Ma Wensheng said, "Your Majesty, there are tribal rebellions in Guangdong, Guangxi, Huguang and Guizhou, and the local military situation is tense. I would also like to ask Your Majesty to appoint military personnel to maintain local stability."

Pinglupp Ma Yi, the hero who assisted Wang Shouren in the Battle of Weininghai, was transferred to Guangdong and Guangxi as the chief military officer, but His personal ability itself is average.

Ma Wensheng said, "We should supervise and supervise military affairs."

"Do you have a candidate?" Zhu Youtang asked.

Ma Wensheng took the initiative to break the monopoly of the cabinet this time and said, "I recommend Liu Daxia, the former right minister of the Ministry of Revenue and censor of the right capital."

Zhu Youtang thought for a while and looked around at a few people. Later he said, "I will mention it again during the court discussion to see if the people in the DPRK have any opinions. If not, let him be used to improve the military affairs of Guangdong and Guangxi." Please remember to bookmark, the latest and fastest website without anti-theft and free reading