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

Chapter 447 Sorry, I am the Left Censor-in-Chief!

After Yang Tinghe finished speaking, he glanced at Sun Jiao.

"What does the Ministry of Revenue think?"

Sun Jiao was not embarrassed at all by Wang Qiong's slap in the face. Instead, he said magnanimously, "Of course, this is great. I am in the capital, and I can only get some reports from the local areas. Maybe there are some places that I have been deceived by others."

"For me personally, of course I prefer to trust my colleagues."

"If the truth is uncovered, I will have the courage to correct my mistakes."

Yang Tinghe nodded, and after asking the head of the Ministry of Revenue, he asked the six departments responsible for supervision, "What do the six departments think?"

Li Shishi next to him was stunned.

He is the Left Censor-in-Chief, the head of the censors.

Why don't you ask the Censorate for its opinion instead of going straight to the Six Ministries?
I am number two and he is number seven.

The vicious dogs from the six departments nearby seemed to have forgotten the scene of wanting to bite Wang Qiong just now, and they all generously expressed their trust in Wang Qiong. Only an able official like Wang Qiong could come up with a convincing result.

Yang Tinghe wanted to ask someone else.

The officials couldn't wait to say, "Agree! Agree!"

A treacherous minister who whispers to the emperor should not appear at this meeting.

As for Wang Qiong himself, his expression was extremely ugly.

The promotion in the Censorate is like honey to some people, but poison to others.

Yang Tan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, made such a big mistake in supervising the transportation of grain and fodder this time, he will definitely be fired.

Lu Wan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, will surely be promoted due to his great contributions in suppressing the rebellion.

In this way, Wang Qiong, who successfully cleaned up the mess of the Ministry of Revenue and demonstrated his military strategy, has two positions for advancement.

One was to directly replace Yang Tan as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and the other was to wait for Lu Wan to move to the Ministry of War and serve as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

If he has further meritorious service, or if someone above the Seven Ministers moves to another position, then promotion to Shangshu to become one of the Great Seven Ministers will be a foregone conclusion.

But at this juncture, giving him the title of Censor-in-Chief is a signal that he will be released.

He will soon be promoted to the position of Left Vice Minister, becoming a half-step Grand Minister. Why would he be released to the outside? !
These guys all spoke very well, and they both believed and supported it.

But Wang Qiong had a strong premonition that once he left the capital, it would be difficult to come back.

When he was in Nanjing, he was promoted to the position of Chief Censor, and if he made a move, he would be put in office. But now that he is in Beijing, if he makes another move, he will be fired.

After all, there is a real precedent right in front of Wang Qiong!

That was Cong Lan, the previous Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

After being promoted to the position of Chief Censor, Cong Lan, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was sent out to inspect relief work in Zhili, Henan and other places. After that, Cong Lan had been wandering around, inspecting here today and there tomorrow.

This man was very aggressive, and it happened that there were rebellions everywhere. During the years he was on patrol, he basically went from one battlefield to another, from one victory to another.

The airborne censors can fly all over the country and make the rebels cry out in pain.

But he is the Minister of Revenue! Ministry of Revenue! Who the hell is the Minister of Revenue fighting all over the map? !

By the way, he was the one who put down the rebellion of Zhao Jinglong, the King of Song of the White Lotus Sect in Henan.

By the time Cong Lan had no more places to patrol and returned from Fengyang, the Ministry of Personnel had no choice but to tell Cong Lan the truth: there was no vacancy and she should just wait.

Why is there no missing?

Because the one who came from Nanjing to replace his position was Wang Qiong!

Is this example vivid?
It’s so damn vivid!
What Wang Qiong didn't know was that later on, Cong Lan's important experience as the Minister of Public Administration came in handy.

As mentioned before, the Tongzhengsi system has a secret way to transfer jobs to major positions and military posts.

When the Mongolian prince invaded the border in large numbers in the eighth year of Zhengde, Cong Lan successfully started his secret career transfer to the Tongzhengsi system.

He was first ordered to patrol the border, then he was in charge of the military affairs of Xuan, Da and Shandong, and controlled the five armies and made great military achievements.

Yang Tinghe did not ask Wang Qiong for his opinion, but directly asked the emperor, "What do you think, Your Majesty?"

Zhu Houzhao threw Wang Qiong out originally intending to find something for the civil officials to do, as bait, to cover up his army's Ming Dynasty route.

But unexpectedly, Wang Qiong was driven out of the court as soon as he was thrown out.

This counterattack came so fast and fiercely that it even reminded Zhu Houzhao of the feeling of powerlessness when he was unable to protect Liu Jin.

He subconsciously looked at the ministers, trying to find out if there were any who could support him, and asked calmly, "Do all the ministers think so?"

Just as everyone was about to respond in unison, someone stepped out from the crowd and stood in front, "This old minister thinks this is a good idea!"

Everyone looked and saw that it was the Left Censor-in-Chief Li Shishi.

So everyone was speechless. Why are you here again?
It's just that everyone wanted to exclude Li Shishi and were unwilling to build momentum for him, so there was an odd moment of calm in the scene.

Zhu Houzhao was puzzled. He saw that Li Shishi's jumping out caused a lull in the atmosphere, and thought that there was a turn for the better, so he asked, "What's the good thing?"

But Li Shishi said, "Fortunately, the ruler is wise and the ministers are virtuous, and fortunately, Minister Sun said that just now."

Everyone was confused about Li Shishi's intentions and waited for him to explain.

Then Li Shishi continued, "I just heard Minister Sun say that it is better to let the court suffer than to let the people suffer. I agree with that."

"Nowadays, all ministries and agencies are overstaffed, with some having hundreds and some having thousands. They are a waste of the people's money, and we should cut them off to improve overall efficiency and reduce government expenditures."

"Minister Wang had mentioned this matter in a letter before, and the cabinet had also drafted a bill, with the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate supervising it. I think we should take advantage of this opportunity to push this matter forward together."

As Li Shishi spoke, Yang Tinghe felt more and more uneasy.

Li Shishi's action of taking the initiative to mention Enke just now can also be interpreted as greed for merit and reckless advance.

After all, it was Li Shishi who pushed forward the Enke matter with all his strength.

These are the peaches he planted.

Li Shishi picked it himself. Although everyone was unhappy that they didn't get any, they could only communicate with him after the meeting to find out his intentions.

However, it was decided long ago that Lu Wan would be appointed as the Left Censor-in-Chief and then start cleaning up the remnants of Liu Jin.

This would not only put an end to Liu Jin's chaotic politics, but also ensure that Lu Wan, the newly emerged one of the Seven Ministers, could not escape the control of the Qingliu.

After all, a person who has wielded a knife against his accomplices can no longer gain the trust of others, and no one will dare to join forces with such a person again.

Li Shishi suddenly jumped out at this time and talked about eliminating redundant officials, improving national efficiency and reducing expenditures. It was obvious that he was acting alone and out of control.

Yang Tinghe was alert and immediately interrupted, "The court is discussing sending Wang Qiong to inspect various prefectures and provide relief to refugees. Don't change the subject."

He reminded her with a hint of threat, "Besides, this imperial examination is not something you should be considering, right?"

After Li Shishi knew that he had been tricked, he had already become hostile to Yang Tinghe and the others. Upon hearing this, he immediately responded sharply, "How can this have nothing to do with me? I am the Left Censor-in-Chief!"

Li Shishi pronounced the four words "Left Censor-in-Chief" very clearly. Yang Tinghe frowned and looked at Li Shishi sternly.

He never expected that Li Shishi would betray him at such a critical moment. While Yang Tinghe was thinking quickly about how to respond.

Then Li Shishi raised his voice and asked Yang Yiqing, "What does Yang Tianguan think?"

Since the two started arguing, Yang Yiqing has been thinking about the impact of Li Shishi's sudden move and calculating the pros and cons.

The Ministry of Personnel is mainly responsible for personnel work, and its power is mainly reflected in the appointment and removal of officials.

Originally, large-scale dismissals and appointments, such as cleaning up the civil service, were a time for the officials of the Ministry of Personnel to flex their muscles.

However, it is easy to offend people by investigating officials in Beijing.

Unless you have a specific purpose in mind, this can be a huge hassle.

In the original history, the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate, despite the ridicule of the people of the world, came up with a list of five temporary workers.

The reason for this is that if we really investigate it seriously, the consequences will be more serious than being laughed at by the whole world.

According to the plan of the clean civil servants of this time and space, this matter should be accomplished by Yang Yiqing and Lu Wan.

Lu Wan went on a killing spree and acted as this knife.

But what if the other person is Li Shishi?

Yang Yiqing thought about that possibility and was actually somewhat moved.

Putting aside other things, just looking at the attitudes of Li Shishi and Yang Tinghe just now, the two are definitely not the same kind of people.

Coincidentally, Yang Yiqing and Yang Tinghe are now in serious conflict, and they are not the same kind of people.

If two people who dislike Yang Tinghe join forces, then, then there may not be a need to hunt down the remaining followers of Liu Jin!
As for how Lu Wan is settled, what does that have to do with him?
Yang Yiqing quickly weighed the pros and cons, and then he heard Li Shishi ask again, "What do you think, Yang Tianguan?"

Yang Yiqing said calmly, "This is something that we both have to do, and we really shouldn't delay it any further."

When Yang Yiqing said this, many officials who knew the inside story were shocked and began to discuss in low voices.

Jin Gui, who was half a cabinet member and was facing the test of the organization, was the first to step forward and rebuked Li Shishi, "The court had already publicly agreed to let you be the Minister of Rites and Lu Wan replace the Left Censor-in-Chief. It was also because of this that the ministers tacitly agreed to your promotion of the imperial examination. How could you be so greedy for power and go back on your words without any credibility?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shishi sneered without any politeness, "The emperor has already made a clear decision on the matter of the imperial examination, and I have also been fined for exceeding my authority and speaking out."

"At that time, the six departments of the Ministry of Justice had no doubts about the punishment, and I accepted it calmly."

"It can be seen that I mentioned this matter in my capacity as the Left Censor-in-Chief, and you all agreed with it."

"I have not abused the title of Minister of Rites, so how can I be said to have betrayed the public opinion of the court?"

"Moreover, for three generations, only Hanlin scholars can be appointed as the Minister of Rites. How can I, Li Shishi, not know my own importance?"

"Mr. Jin is a Hanlin scholar, why didn't he learn so much?"

When Jin Gui saw Li Shishi pointed out the trick on the spot, his face flushed and he retreated.

After all, no matter what the under-the-table plots are, as long as they are put on the table, they must be followed according to the rules on the table.

Cleaning up redundant officials was the job that Yang Tinghe had originally intended to throw at Yang Yiqing, so naturally there was no way to take it back now.

Now that Yang Yiqing has a traitorous partner in Li Shishi, he has hope of counterattacking Yang Tinghe, and he will not miss the opportunity to strike at Yang Tinghe's followers.

Jin Gui thought that he could not make it, and looked towards the Sixth Department with expectant eyes.

As a result, the officials who had been so fierce when dealing with Li Shishi just now were crowded there obediently and clearly, and no one dared to look Jin Gui in the eye.

Jin Gui cursed inwardly, knowing that he could not count on these people.

The person taking the lead now is the super boss, Yang Yiqing, the official of the Ministry of Personnel. Does the Six Departments dare to provoke him?
Moreover, Li Shishi's betrayal meant that a series of plans had failed. There was no unified thinking on the follow-up matters, so even if they wanted to launch a hasty attack, they had no direction.

Zhu Houzhao, who was sitting high in the palace, naturally also discovered the open and secret struggles below.

Although Wang Qiong was no longer a chess piece, the conflict between Yang Yiqing and Yang Tinghe seemed to be exposed.

This is not bad either!
Zhu Houzhao then quickly issued an edict, ordering the Minister of Personnel Yang Yiqing to cooperate with the Left Censor-in-Chief Li Shishi to complete the investigation of all ministries and agencies of the court as soon as possible.

The ticket for this matter has already been printed and no formalities are required.

The two men stepped out and responded in unison.

Yang Tinghe's expression was calm, and it was hard to tell what he was saying at first.

However, Sun Jiao was very persistent and stepped forward, insisting on asking about Wang Qiong's trip to the local area to provide relief to the people.

Zhu Houzhao was somewhat unhappy that Wang Qiong was eliminated so quickly, but thinking of what happened today between Yang Yiqing and Yang Tinghe, he did not want to create any more trouble, so he issued an edict to approve it.

The result of this court meeting was so explosive that it quickly became a hot topic.

When Pei Yuan found out about this, he flew into a rage and was so angry that he wanted to kill Zhu Houzhao's mother!

He even cursed in front of Chen Xinjian without disguising, "What a fool, why can't you change your bad habits?!"

Chen Xinjian's eyelids twitched when he heard this, and he quickly asked his confidant to guard the gate.

How could Pei Yuan not guess that Zhu Houzhao was planning to sell Wang Qiong as bait?

When the bastard Zhu Houzhao faced him, he also used this kind of trick and wanted to use Zhang Rong to play a prank on him.

Unfortunately, he didn't expect that Pei Yuan was even more daring than he thought!

And that Zhang Rong actually had the bad record of spying on the emperor's intentions!
At that time, Zhu Houzhao was in a mess, and Pei Yuan managed to get away with it, but this time Brother Wang Qiong was betrayed.

Pei Yuan thought that this dog emperor had disrupted his plans in the court, and he could not help but yell at Chen Xinjian again, "Come and explain it to me!"

"When he holds court, he can easily gather dozens or even hundreds of the smartest people in the world. Why does that guy always try to solve problems with his clever tricks?"

"I dare not say a single word to Fei Hong, the most honest man in the cabinet!"

"What does he think?"

Chen Xinjian hesitated, "Me?"

Pei Yuan was angry again, "What do you mean?"

Seeing that Chen Xinjian didn't say anything, Pei Yuan was still angry.

When Zhu Houzhao deliberately manipulated the Liang Ci case, Pei Yuan reminded him that compared with his superb political skills, what the people of the world wanted to see more was his fairness and sincerity.

If he, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, thinks that justice can give way to power, then there will be no justice in the world.

Pei Yuan remembered that he also told Zhu Houzhao that if he governed the country in a way that disappointed the people of the world, then the people of the world would no longer have him as the emperor in their hearts.

Pei Yuan felt that the sincere words he had said to Zhu Houzhao before were simply thrown away.

Brother Wang must be feeling empty and uncomfortable right now.

Wang Qiong...

Thinking of this, Pei Yuan quickly instructed Chen Xinjian, "Hurry up, go to Minister Wang's residence and deliver the invitation. I want to visit him tonight."

(End of this chapter)