Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 331 Filling the gap of no military honors under Pei Qianhu
The location of the Tongzhengsi Yamen was to the north of the Jinyiwei Yamen. It was surrounded by a circle of big brothers and five gangs, namely the Rear Army Governor's Office, the Central Army Governor's Office, the Left Army Governor's Office, the Right Army Governor's Office, and the Front Army Governor's Office.

Things like the Six Ministries, the Hanlin Academy, the Honglu Temple, and the Imperial Observatory, all these literary and elegant ones are just across the street.

Pei Yuan had a life-or-death friendship with the boss of the Central Military Governor's Office, and he almost single-handedly facilitated the purge of the Jinyiwei. His relationship with the two major yamen was harmonious and good.

Therefore, even if he was bored, he did not dare to wander around outside the Ministry of Public Security, for fear that he would encounter people he disliked and be beaten up.

Captain Pei is a respectable man and would not bring disgrace upon himself.

The Tongzhengsi is now basically an idle government office. After losing the right to speak in the court, their only job left is to summarize and refine the central ideas.

Not to mention the cabinet's control over them.

As mentioned before, Neishutang and Shushufang, one is the mother of Silijian, and the other is the father of Silijian.

This secretariat had an important responsibility, which was to be in charge of the documents submitted daily by the Ministry of Public Administration and to be responsible for the communication between the emperor and his ministers.

Just think about it, isn't this secretariat very similar to the Tongzhengsi before the cabinet intervention?
Then what’s the use of the Tongzhengsi?

However, even so, Captain Pei still waited politely in the Tongzhengsi.

There is no other reason.

Although the Tongzhengsi is no longer effective, it does not mean that the officials working in it are no longer effective.

For example, the current Tongzhengshi Ding Feng, was formerly the right deputy censor-in-chief of the Nanjing Censorate, who was in charge of Nanjing's grain reserves. He was transferred to the position of Tongzhengshi a few days ago.

He later became the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and the Commander-in-Chief of Xuanda Military Affairs.

Lin Tingyu, the Right Tongzheng of the Tongzhengsi, will be promoted to the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, Governor of Baoding and other prefectures, and concurrently the Commander-in-Chief of Zijing Pass by the end of the year.

Another example is Cong Lan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and Right Censor-in-Chief, who was directly responsible for the encirclement and suppression of the rebellion of the White Lotus Demon Zhao Jinglong, and had previously served as the Minister of Public Security.

After he stepped down from the position of Tongzhengshi, he was directly transferred to supervise the grain storage in the three towns of Ningxia, Yansui and Gansu as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and Right Censor-in-Chief.

The former Minister of Public Administration, Li Hao, is now serving as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

Wang Yunfeng, the Right Assistant Minister of the Nanjing Tongzhengsi, has now been appointed as the Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate and has been sent to supervise Xuanfu.

Therefore, during the Zhengde period, the Tongzhengsi government office had an invisible but unwritten way of promotion.

That is to turn to military affairs, to Xuanda and the three borders.

Many officials here, even if they did not enter the Ministry of War directly, were working in other ministries such as the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, doing part-time jobs such as supervising grain supply, conducting inspections, and purchasing forts.

Let’s take a look at the imperial edict that Zhu Houzhao solemnly issued last year, which required the strengthening of the powers of the Tongzhengsi.

Let’s take a look at the historical development in the next few years as Zhu Houzhao was enthusiastic about border affairs and stationed in Xuanfu.

Pei Yuan had almost no doubt that this marginalized Tongzhengsi Yamen was the political team that Zhu Houzhao attached great importance to.

It was also his breakthrough in the political situation.

Without the support of this series of civil and military officials in the border towns, would Zhu Houzhao have to run off to the north to play in the mud in a few years?

In other words, Pei Yuan, as a time traveler, knew Zhu Houzhao's methods.

If it were an official of this era, who would have dared to think that the emperor would take the initiative to leave the capital and establish a second central government on the border?
So now, no matter whether it is the cabinet or the seven ministers, no one pays attention to these changes in the Ministry of Public Security.

Being transferred to a border town, isn't that a demotion for those upright people?

Of the frontier poems they learned since childhood, except for those few idiots, at least half of them were about writing "I miss my mother" while crying.

However, for Pei Yuan, who knew the subsequent historical development, these guys were definitely worth associating with.

At least before Zhu Houzhao was dissolved, most officials here had a strong upward trend.

In addition to these reasons, Pei Yuan was very enthusiastic about the Tongzhengsi because his older brother, Wang Chang, the Prince's Guardian and Minister of War, was also a Tongzhengshi.

After all the calculations, these old guys may call me Captain Pei outside and say I will ignore you. But now behind closed doors, all the future assistant ministers, governors, and governors-general, don't you have to call me good brother?

Pei Yuan imagined it silently for a while, but in the end he didn't dare to reveal this relationship now.

Before Wang Chang stepped down as the Minister of War, the danger alert was not lifted. He had to wait until his appointment as the Governor of Shandong was confirmed and everyone saw that he had left the village safely. Only then could they slowly build up a good relationship.

That's the reality of politics.

The Tongzhengsi Yamen is both busy and idle.

It is busy because many clerks have to organize and copy memorials, and it is idle because officials with ranks are not interested in this work and are each busy with their own affairs.

There was only one Left Councillor named Wei Ne. It was not known whether he had a special desire to spy or was just bored, but every time the clerks prepared a memorial, he would take it and read it with great interest.

The other officials of the Ministry of Public Administration turned a blind eye to this and seemed to be keeping their distance from it.

Pei Yuan sat on the bench in the corner for a while, bored, and couldn't help but look at the old man a few more times.

Actually, if you think about it, as long as you keep a calm mind, working in the Ministry of Public Security is not bad.

Various national affairs are available there every day and can be viewed at will. What’s the difference between this and checking the headlines on your phone while working?
It is hard to say whether the intelligence from various places is true or not, but the content is definitely very rich.

Perhaps he noticed that Pei Yuan was looking at him from time to time, Wei Ne looked at Pei Yuan and asked directly, "Who are you?"

Pei Yuan politely stepped forward and introduced himself, "I am Pei Yuan, a captain of the Imperial Guard. I have just submitted a memorial and am waiting for a reply from the court."

The Captain of the Imperial Guard and the Left Councillor of the Ministry of Public Administration are both of the fifth rank, and theoretically of the same level. However, those who understand know that given the national conditions of the Ming Dynasty, they have to use their humble position at this time.

Wei Ne looked at Pei Yuan, put his hands behind his back and put the memorial behind his back, and asked curiously, "Then don't you know who I am?"

Pei Yuan didn't understand why the old man asked this question, so he answered, "I just heard a few words. Some people called you Zuo Canjun, and some people called you by your name."

Wei Ne laughed when he heard this, "Since you know who I am, why don't you avoid suspicion?"

Pei Yuan looked at Wei Ne in confusion. It seemed that only Ding Feng and Lin Tingyu were worth paying attention to in the Ministry of Public Administration. You were just an ordinary NPC. Could there be any plot about you?
Pei Yuan saw that Wei Ne was not doing well, and was not afraid of offending him, so he answered honestly, "I am not very knowledgeable, and I don't know the style of the Left Councillor."

Weiner laughed and said, "That sounds good."

He added, "I won't implicate you either. I am a member of Liu Jin's eunuch party, and I have a name and surname."

"Last year, the Censorate was already preparing to impeach me. I have already resigned from my post as the Secretary of State for Political Affairs and am now waiting for that blow."

"I didn't expect the Bazhou bandits to be so powerful. Lu Wan has a large army, which makes everyone feel very difficult. That's why I have survived until today."

Wei Ne looked at Pei Yuan jokingly, "So, this old man is going to teach you a lesson. Don't be so curious in the officialdom. If others don't dare to provoke you, you'd better pretend that you didn't see it."

Pei Yuan said "Oh".

Wei Ne originally planned to continue reading the memorial, but seeing Pei Yuan's mediocre reaction, he still felt that something was missing.

The last person asked about him out of curiosity, but his running shoes fell off.

Wei Ne put the memorial behind him again and asked curiously, "Don't you have anything to say?"

Pei Yuan thought for a moment and answered simply, "You did surprise me a little."

"Unexpected?" Wei Ne was a little surprised by these two words. How could an evaluation be an accident?

Pei Yuan thought for a moment and replied, "I didn't expect that you are so ordinary, yet so confident."

"What?!" Wei Ne was immediately furious, puffing his beard and glaring, "I am a member of Liu Jin's eunuch faction that everyone avoids."

After experiencing the confusion in the first few months, seeing that others were afraid of him and avoided him, and no one dared to provoke him, has become a way for Wei Ne to relieve his stress.

But who is Pei Yuan? He is the good brother of Wang Chang, the secret contact of Liu Jin's eunuch party, a close ally of the two admirals Gu Dayong and Qiu Ju, and a composite eunuch party member who has a life-and-death friendship with Xiao Jing's nephew Xiao Yan.

What kind of cutie are you?

Seeing Pei Yuan's ordinary look, Wei Ne became a little angry.

He calmly pointed out his eunuch party credentials and said, "Do you know why the Censorate is so eager to hold me accountable?"

"That's because I am a close friend of Jiao Huangzhong, the son of Jiao Fang, the leader of the eunuch party."

"Back then, the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief Zhang Nai offended Liu Jin, and Liu Jin demoted him to Nanjing as the Right Censor-in-Chief. Jiao Huangzhong wanted to forcibly buy Zhang Nai's residence and asked me to help. I couldn't refuse, so I accompanied Jiao Huangzhong on the trip."

"Zhang Nai refused to agree, and Jiao Fang was angry. He found out Zhang Nai's mistakes when he was the governor of Liaodong and dismissed him from his post."

"Because of this incident, I was criticized by the officials in the court and regarded as a die-hard eunuch party member."

"I also know that what I did was not very decent, so the censor intends to impeach me. I have nothing to say in defense, so I will just leave it to fate."

After hearing this, Pei Yuan thought to himself, wow, this is really unkind of you.

Jiao Huangzhong is a bully who takes advantage of others' misfortune, and you are his lackey who follows him to do evil!

And you're being so secretive about it.

But what is there for you, a lackey in the midst of a yellow fire, to be proud of?
Pei Yuan saw that Wei Ne did not continue to speak, and subconsciously asked, "That's it?"

There was a hint of surprise on his face, hiding the confusion in his words.

Wei Ne shook his body after hearing this.

Although I don't want to be purged as a eunuch party member, I didn't expect that even after accepting the reality and admitting that I am a eunuch party, I would still be dissed like this.

Wei Ne said with a sullen face, "Young man, do you understand the value of this in the eunuch party?"

Pei Yuan said, "I understand."

"Do you understand?" Wei Ne said disdainfully.

Pei Yuan told the truth, "Because I am Jiao Huangzhong's son-in-law."

Wei Ne was just about to talk to this young Jinyiwei about the turbulent political struggles in the fifth year of Zhengde when he was caught off guard and confronted with the whole thing.

Wait until you come to your senses.

The old man was so shocked that he couldn't speak clearly. "Who are you?"

Then, he immediately retorted, “Why haven’t I heard that Jiao Huangzhong’s daughter got married, nor have I heard that he has such a son-in-law?”

Pei Yuan replied, "Because this thousand households are taking a concubine, not marrying her formally."

Wei Ne was immediately furious, "Nonsense! How could the granddaughter of Grand Secretary Jiao Fang be someone's concubine?"

Pei Yuan spread his hands, "My concubine serves me day and night, it can't be fake, right?"

Seeing Pei Yuan so confident, Wei Ne stopped looking at the memorial and threw it on the table before leaving in a hurry.

Before leaving, he turned back and shouted, "Don't go! Don't go!"

Pei Yuan remembered that Jiao Huangzhong was currently active in Beijing, plotting to rehabilitate Jiao Fang, and couldn't help but wonder if this guy was going to find Jiao Huangzhong to verify the matter.

Pei Yuan hasn’t figured out how to face Jiao Huangzhong yet.

Jiao Huangzhong was stripped of his official position and is now in a state of disgrace. He will soon be driven out of the capital, but Pei Yuan does not feel that much for him.

It’s just that Jiao Huangzhong’s character is hard to describe. Pei Yuan neither looks down on this man nor wants to make things too difficult for the little beauty.

Whether those historical records are true or false is not worth discussing. Just from what Wei Ne said just now, the two men who went to forcibly buy the yard of a fallen official are not good people.

Although Pei Yuan was not a good person, his character issues did not prevent him from being despised by the world.

Pei Yuan casually glanced at the memorial that Wei Ne threw down, and was about to look away subconsciously when he was suddenly attracted by a few lines of words on it.

"There was a man named Li Wu, whose real name was Fu Da. He was a member of the evil monks Wang Liang and Li Yue. Wang Liang used prophecies to lead the Maitreya followers to rebel and led the little prince of the Tatars to invade the border. When the plot failed, Fu Da was exiled to Shanhaiguan..."

Pei Yuan subconsciously wanted to open the memorial and read the rest of it.

As soon as his fingers placed on the memorial, he heard someone cough.

Pei Yuan's eyes quickly swept over the busy officials and clerks of the Ministry of Public Administration, and he quickly withdrew his hand.

Li Fuda...

Pei Yuan couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

This guy is the current leader of the Maitreya Sect. In his early years, he followed the evil monks Wang Liang and Li Yue to rebel. He also wanted to be an insider to open the border and let the little prince of Daru invade.

At that time, Li Fuda was just a gangster and was sentenced to exile.

Later, he escaped from exile and reorganized the Maitreya sect. He claimed to be the reincarnation of Maitreya and recruited a large number of followers. Last year, he gathered thousands of followers and killed people in Shanxi.

Because the main military forces in the north were withdrawn to encircle and suppress the rebels in Bazhou, many cities could only defend themselves, and Li Fuda's strength became increasingly stronger.

According to history, he should have said "I have a great destiny and should be in charge of the world" this year.

Li Fuda's abilities are mediocre, probably about the same level as Zhao Jinglong, the King of Song of the White Lotus Sect.

His luck was not very good. When he rebelled, the Bazhou army was destroyed and the troops from all over the country withdrew their camps and returned to their garrisons.

Moreover, this guy probably listened to too many storytellings and thought that Guanzhong was a good place with its strategic location and strong defenses.

Qin Shihuang relied on this place to unify the world, Emperor Gaozu of Han also used it as a rear base to fight against Xiang Yu, not to mention Emperor Taizong of Tang.

So, why can't I do it?
So he decisively decided to blockade Guanzhong first, and then he rushed to Tongguan.

As expected, the one who was beaten cried for his mother.

If we were to say that based on these alone, what Li Fuda brought to the Ming Dynasty might have been just a mediocre episode.

But later on, his actions became very cool.

As soon as he saw that the situation on the battlefield was not good, the Maitreya leader simply ran away with the money.

Then he spent money to buy himself the identity of a craftsman, and then used the means of yellow and white alchemy to drag Wuding Hou Guo Xun into the water!

After developing Guo Xun into a peripheral member of the Maitreya Sect, Li Fuda used this relationship and spent 480 taels to donate a commander to himself.

And there is a real shortage!
——Commander of Taiyuan Guard!
Thinking of this, Pei Yuan looked at the memorial greedily, and really wanted to open it to see how far the Maitreya leader's career had progressed.

Pei Yuan had no interest in this guy.

The prey he had his eyes on was the subsequent big speculator, Wuding Hou Guo Xun!
You have to know that there are only three military families who have truly accompanied the Ming Dynasty since the Hongwu period!
Pei Yuan had Cheng Leixiang's Tianjin Guard on standby in the vicinity, and along the Grand Canal, there was Xuzhou Zuowei providing support from afar.

Once Luojiao in Shandong is well developed and has laid a solid mass foundation, it will be able to attack or defend.

Next, as long as he interferes with the Imperial Examination and slowly invades the Ministry of Public Administration, he can also sow trouble in the civil service system.

However, the gap of no military merit under Pei Qianhu's command needs to be filled urgently!

(End of this chapter)