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

Chapter 431 The Imperial Household Department has become a clean stream!
Just as Pei Yuan was admiring Bi Zhen's manifesto, the contents of this proclamation began to spread to various government offices in the court.

The attitude of Bi Zhen, the eunuch guarding Shandong, surprised many people.

Because in the current political composition, the eunuch party is bad enough, let alone the eunuchs themselves?

The fact that this eunuch came out and called himself a "virtuous eunuch" is questionable, but the person this eunuch wanted to save is a typical clean person!
The people in the Provincial Administration Office have a complex composition and we will not mention them here.

The Censors and Governors-General are all part of the Censorate system.

That's pure blood.

Therefore, the story of the eunuch saving the censor seems very magical and unclear.

Just as the civil officials were watching and discussing, they generally believed that although the eunuch was not very good, Bi Zhen was still okay.

Suddenly some special characters caught their eyes.

"Wait! Eunuch?"

"Eunuch?!!!"

Many people were stunned as if they were struck by lightning.

This was like a cannon shot into the toilet, which directly made all the civil servants in the court feel sick and numb.

You have to know that most of the scholars in the court came from the imperial examination system, and it was normal for them to read ten lines at a glance.

Because the civil servants read too quickly, by the time they realized what they had read, it was too late.

By the time they reacted and looked again at the line "The country has supported eunuchs for a hundred years, and they are dying for their loyalty and righteousness today", the civil servants in the court either scratched their hair frantically, or frantically touched the goose bumps on their bodies, or moved their toes in their official boots!

What did this horse show me?!

What kind of fucking thing is called a fucking eunuch? !

This is simply like being force-fed shit!

That bastard Bi Zhen is forcing shit on the civil servants!

Is there no one to take care of this?
What about the Ming Dynasty Law?

If this item is not available, then just write it now!
For a time, public opinion in the entire capital began to spread explosively.

You have to know that those who are unhappy with these pretentious people in the Qingliu are not just military officers, nobles, and common people. Even those who have been roughly classified as turbid and miscellaneous in the civil service system have been unhappy with these pretentious people for a long time.

Bi Zhen's memorial made them feel as refreshed as if they had eaten ginseng fruit.

Damn it, according to Bi Zhen’s logic, those Qingliu people are just virtuous eunuchs with good looks.

Are you pretending to be me all day long?

So everyone discussed the matter excitedly and felt disgusted with those clean-minded people.

It’s just that everyone can talk and laugh, but some people take it seriously.

Bi Zhen's proclamation immediately infuriated the eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department.

Although Bi Zhen didn't get along well with them, the eunuchs guarding the inner province were all affiliated with the Silijian, so they were all their own people.

If one of our own people becomes so famous, it is equivalent to me becoming so famous myself.

What's more, what he said was so good.

The concept of "eunuch" boldly proposed by Bi Zhen simply summarizes the soul.

Moreover, the current public opinion also greatly inspired the eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department.

These eunuchs who were able to enter the Imperial Household Department were completely different from other eunuchs.

They all learned the knowledge of sages in the inner study. Leaving aside Ji Ji, how big is the difference between them and the scholars sitting in the court outside?
Many eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department have been influenced by public opinion and have begun to subconsciously compare themselves to other positions, to see which one can match the Hanlin Bachelor, which one can match the Zuodu Censor, and which one can match the Dushi Zhong.

This ideological awakening instantly divided the inner court into pure eunuchs, turbid eunuchs and miscellaneous eunuchs.

The Qingliu eunuchs are naturally those who have qualifications in the Neishutang and help His Majesty to manage government affairs in the Silijian, such as the Silijian Seal-holder, the Pen-holder, the Suitang, the Left and Right Junior Supervisors, the Left and Right Supervisors, the Dianbu, and the Fengyu.

The first eunuchs to be affected were the governors, managers and supervisors of the East and West Factories, as well as the eunuchs of all ranks in the Imperial Stables.

As for the miscellaneous eunuchs, they were those in the Imperial Household Department, the Internal Affairs Department, and the Imperial Kitchen Department.

If the Silijian is in charge of the Eastern Depot and also serves as the governor, it is called a clean and dirty position. If the governor of other academies holds the position, it can be called a miscellaneous and dirty position.

This made Zhang Rui, who had just been promoted to the governor of the East Factory, very unhappy.

Originally, as the governor of the East Factory, he ranked fourth in the inner court in terms of actual power.

He was second only to the seal-holder and the pen-holder of the Imperial Household Department, and the governor of the Western Factory.

Now, those damn guys in the Imperial Household Department have become the clean stream!
Even the ordinary eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department felt a sense of superiority when they saw Zhang Rui.

nausea!

spit!
If we say that Bi Zhen's memorial brought only ideological shock to the vast majority of civil and military officials and eunuchs in the inner court.

But for the few people who can truly understand the power of this article, it is enough to make them feel as if the sky is falling.

The most representative figure here is He Jian, one of the Seven Ministers and the Minister of War who played a dominant role in this great deliberation!
Because among the two people that Bi Zhen specifically pointed out, Baoding Governor Xiao Chong was a fellow villager of Yang Tinghe; Shandong Governor Bian Xian was a disciple of Yang Yiqing.

To put it simply, the person that the old leader Li Dongyang wants to deal with has a very close relationship with the current prime minister of the cabinet and the official of the Ministry of Personnel.

Once this case returned to the public eye.

Then the one being roasted on the fire must be He Jian!
This is because, if Bi Zhen succeeded in overturning the verdicts for Shandong Governor Bian Xian and Baoding Governor Xiao Chong, then there would immediately be two more Right Deputy Censors in the court who would regard He Jian as their mortal enemy and would definitely seek revenge.

But if He Jian tried hard to suppress and prevent Bi Zhen from overturning the verdict, then He Jian would offend the two most powerful factions among the civil servants at the same time.

When his old leader Li Dongyang was around, He Jian didn't need to think so much.

But now that the old leader Li Dongyang is gone and the Bazhou rebellion has been put down, the original political ecology is about to return to its original track.

Even if He Jian admitted defeat and let Bian Xian and Xiao Chong return to the court, after this incident, how would Yang Tinghe and Yang Yiqing view him?

And judging from the current situation.

The chances of Shandong Governor Bian Xian and Baoding Governor Xiao Chong overturning the verdict are very great.

Thanks to the foreshadowing of the previous great discussion, the government and the public have clearly realized that this time, the rebellion in Bazhou not only has a large number of people, but also has stronger combat power than the northern barbarians, and it is not so easy to resolve.

Bi Zhen's clear analysis made it clear to everyone in the world that relying on those few soldiers in the government office was simply like a mantis trying to stop a chariot when facing the 100,000-strong Bazhou Army.

In order to curry favor with his children's in-laws, Li Dongyang ordered severe punishment for Shandong officials. This was a completely foolish and reckless order.

The Minister of War He Jian not only failed to stop Li Dongyang's disorderly orders, but also expanded them beyond Shandong to officials at the prefecture and county levels.

It was precisely these unreasonable and chaotic orders that forced many unarmed county officials to sacrifice their lives in the face of the Bazhou bandit army.

If we look into it carefully, the losses caused and the lives of officials lost in vain would be a fatal bill.

He Jian looked at the copy in his hand with cold hands and feet, and even the ridicule and taunts of the military officials around him towards the "clean stream" and "eunuchs" seemed to be unheard. He clearly realized that his political crisis had arrived!
Bi Zhen's manifesto, which is full of justice and positive energy, is aimed at getting rid of him!
And he, He Jian, is not alone.

Behind him is Li Dongyang and the remaining faction of Li Dongyang.

Once the matter involves He Jian, a large part of the entire court may collapse.

He Jian tried hard to fold the copy in his hand, but his cold hands were shaking and he failed several times.

At about the same time, the Cabinet Chief Minister Yang Tinghe and the Ministry of Personnel's Heavenly Official Yang Yiqing also handed over the documents in their hands, with no change on their calm faces.

A turbulent day passed.

He Jian hurried to Li Dongyang's house at night.

Ever since Li Dongyang suffered a stroke, he has rarely paid attention to the affairs of the court.

After listening to He Jian's analysis, he forced himself to sit up and say something, but he mumbled for a while and then he started to lose energy.

He Jian left in disappointment and became more and more afraid of what would happen in the future.

Li Dongyang had already retired due to illness, and he was not deeply involved at the time, so he had enough confidence to protect himself.

But He Jian, who was in charge of the execution, was different.

Not only was the blame on him, but he also exaggerated the blame because of his temper.

A few days later, as Bi Zhen posted the criticisms in the book, they were severely interpreted by everyone.

Everyone's attention finally focused on the case related to this incident.

Originally, many people had already realized that this case involved several bigwigs and tried to downplay the impact of the incident.

However, unexpectedly, the Imperial Household Department seemed to have taken an aphrodisiac and was extremely active in pushing for a retrial of the case.

This made the Censorate disgusted again.

The fact that Bi Zhen, the eunuch in charge of the garrison, jumped out to speak up for the two Right Deputy Censors was enough to embarrass them.

Now the Silijian's attitude of being of one family made them feel even more uncomfortable.

If the Imperial Household Department really took control of the matter and successfully overturned the verdict, wouldn't they and their entire Censorate become a laughing stock among the people of the world?
Even if the Censorate has to bite the bullet, it must take the initiative in this matter!

Moreover, Bi Zhen explained the matter very clearly. Everyone has their own opinion on whether Bian Xian and Xiao Chong were wronged or not.

If it weren't for the fear of his old leader Li Dongyang and the Kong family in Shandong, the censor would have rolled up his sleeves and started fighting long ago.

Now, those guys from the Imperial Household Department have come here openly to show their comrades in arms.

As for what they were trying to do, the censors were not willing to point it out to them.

Therefore, before the great discussion on merit was completely concluded, Zhu Houzhao and his group of adopted sons were on high alert. As a result, the attention of most people in the court was diverted to the "Xiao Chong and Bian Xian case."

With the help of the powerful censors and the eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department who finally realized that they were the clean stream, the whole matter was soon brought to the attention of Zhu Houzhao.

Zhu Houzhao couldn't see the pros and cons of this for a while, so he decided to go through the procedures first and observe the various forces involved.

As a result, this major case that attracted much attention was transferred to the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, and the Censorate for joint trial.

Logically speaking, when the case came to the Third Law Court, they should have launched a thorough investigation into the matter.

However, the nominal informant Bi Zhen had not yet arrived, and the officials who knew the intricacies of the matter made excuses and said they wanted to wait for Bi Zhen, the key figure.

What no one expected was that Bi Zhen fell seriously ill at the post station outside the city before he could even enter the capital.

This scene seemed somewhat familiar to the civil and military officials who had just experienced it, and it had a strong sense of being a script.

Zhu Houzhao, who was concerned about this matter, asked the imperial physician to go and treat the patient.

The last time the imperial physician examined Gu Dayong, he determined that Gu Dayong's life was in danger.

Who would have thought that a few days later, Gu Dayong returned to Shandong all talking and laughing.

This time, the imperial physician came to treat Bi Zhen, using all his life's knowledge, observing, smelling, asking and palpating, and then he gave a very firm conclusion, "This time there is really no hope for him."

As a result, without this key witness who had been in Shandong for many years, the case came to a temporary standstill.

However, this stagnation is not good news for He Jian.

Perhaps it was because the direction of public opinion in the court was becoming increasingly clear. Yang Tinghe and Yang Yiqing, who had previously avoided suspicion, both expressed their support for overturning the verdict on different occasions.

This was almost the last straw that broke the camel's back for He Jian.

He Jian's waiting only made him endure more anxiety.

Once Xiao Chong and Bian Xian come back, and let these two right deputy censors return to the Censorate which is responsible for investigating and prosecuting officials, then it may be a luxury for He Jian, who is one of the Seven Ministers, to land safely if he has made a serious mistake.

Just when He Jian was unable to sleep or eat due to anxiety, a servant came in to report that a captain of the Imperial Guard was outside asking to see him.

He Jian heard this and said bluntly, "No!"

After the doorman left, he came back in and said nervously, "The captain of the Imperial Guard said he could help the Grand Marshal solve the current problem."

He Jian wanted to laugh after hearing this. He looked at the man with sharp eyes and asked bluntly, "How much money did you take from him?"

The gatekeeper was panicked by the question.

He Jian said sternly, "Speak."

The doorman had no choice but to nervously take out a small silver coin from his sleeve.

He Jian didn't bother to pay attention and said directly, "Get out and stop bothering me."

The doorman appeared at the door with a bad face and said rudely to the Jinyiwei at the door, "The Grand Marshal will not see guests."

The Jinyiwei waiting for a reply at the door was naturally Pei Yuan's confidant Chen Xinjian.

He asked two more questions, and then went to the shade not far away and said to Pei Yuan who was waiting there lazily, "Captain, He Jian still doesn't see you."

Pei Yuan wiped his sweat and said, "Tsk, this old man has character."

Chen Xinjian slandered, "Last time this old man refused to see me, and he refused to see me this time. Otherwise, the commander should just ignore him and let him be beaten to death."

Pei Yuan stood up and stretched his waist lazily.

"Just dry bones in a grave."

"Forcing He Jian into a desperate situation is just one part of my plan. Taking away his Minister of War is just a matter of convenience for this captain."

"He is not my target this time."

Pei Yuan patted the dust off his butt, took another look at He Jian's house, and said casually, "Let's go. Since it's not easy to see the Grand Marshal, let the Grand Marshal come to see me."

(End of this chapter)