Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 250 No matter who you are, it is easier to get things done if you have someone in the court
January 10

Yingtian Military Department Lobby
When Hongguang was still in power, the cabinet ministers would usually hold meetings in a small pavilion next to the imperial palace. However, since the current lord settled his family in the Ministry of War, this place has become the office of the cabinet ministers.

In this regard, not only did the newly appointed Minister of War Zhu Datian express strong opposition, but even the other ministers felt that it was against etiquette.

However, the attitudes of several cabinet ministers were extremely ambiguous, and Zhu Datian's opposition had no effect.

He actually understood the real reason why this happened.

What's going on is that with the completion of the reorganization of various departments, the control of the central government over the armies in Jiangsu and Zhejiang has been greatly strengthened, and I, who represent the central government in exercising this power, have a rather delicate relationship with several cabinet ministers.

Under such circumstances, several ministers were happy to place their offices directly in the Ministry of War so that they could exert some degree of influence on it.

In the eyes of others, Zhu Datian was a staunch eunuch party member, and Ma Shiying would have strongly opposed this.

However, his relationship with Ma Shiying was more of a personal one. When it came to official matters, they each had their own stances. It could even be said that when it came to Ruan Dacheng, Zhu Datian often stood on the opposite side of Ma Shiying. It would be a bit simplistic to describe their relationship as simply "comrades".

This statement may be difficult to understand, but at this point, personal interests are no longer limited to clan interests, local interests, and factional interests, but also involve departmental interests.

To a certain extent, departmental interests can even compete with other factors in determining individual behavior.

Of course, due to individual differences and specific circumstances, the importance of these interests will vary, but it cannot be denied that the internal logic that determines how people like Zhu Datian act is already quite complex, and it is not as simple as that of ordinary people.

Therefore, after realizing that his own power had been epically weakened due to the permanent residence of several ministers in the Ministry of War, Zhu Datian did not hesitate to offend several people and repeatedly asked them to move out.

Ma Shiying, the person who was supposed to speak for Zhu Datian, became silent when it came to this matter. Yuan Jixian, the elder who was supposed to be fair, maintained an extremely ambiguous attitude.

The arm can never twist the thigh.

Under such circumstances, Zhu Datian’s statement naturally would not have any effect.

Wait until His Royal Highness the Crown Prince comes back and see if you can still stay here!
Looking at the cabinet ministers who were sitting steadily in the lobby of the Ministry of War, and then looking at the ministers who had obvious mocking expressions on their faces, Zhu Datian had no other choice but to be mad in his heart.

"Zhu Butang is still lucky. He doesn't have to run back and forth like us when we have something to report."

After Ruan Dacheng finished speaking, everyone smiled kindly. Although the scene was harmonious, who didn't know that he was making fun of Zhu Datian for having his power taken away by such a little trick?
"Why not invite a few ministers to your Ministry of Justice?"

"Hey, how can my small place accommodate so many big Buddhas?"

When Zhu Dadian heard the words, he immediately felt angry, but before he could think of how to retort, he heard a noisy sound of footsteps.

"I've seen Mr. Ge."

Amid the greetings of the ministers, Qian Qianyi, Ma Shiying and Yuan Jixian walked into the hall one after another. After they sat down, Qian Qianyi waved his hand to indicate that everyone did not need to be so formal.

Although Zhu Cilang had not appointed a true prime minister, one of the other two had just returned to the central government, and the other had a history, so Mr. Qian naturally took on the duties of the prime minister.

"Now that you are here, let's get started."

As he spoke, Qian Qianyi glanced at the other two people, and after they all nodded, he said to the people in the hall: "Ministry of War, is the reorganization going smoothly?"

Humph! What do you not know about the Ministry of War? Do you still need me to report it specifically?

Although Zhu Datian was secretly dissatisfied, he still went through the formalities before speaking in a deep voice about the reorganization in general terms.

According to Zhu Cilang's original arrangement, the five imperial guards should be distributed to various places in Jiangsu and Zhejiang after reorganization to prepare for the Tartar attack.

But unexpectedly, the entire small court was extremely nervous and even dispatched troops to Suzhou, Songjiang and Wuhu. Except for some troubles caused by a few military generals, everything went smoothly. But just when everyone was relieved, a big incident broke out in southern Anhui.

It's ridiculous to say that.

These rebel armies were actually looking forward to the reorganization of the imperial court, but during this process, two rebel armies actually had an argument over the reorganization quota.

Within two days, before Jin Sheng could react, this small conflict evolved into an armed fight involving three or four rebel armies.

If everyone hadn't remembered that the people on the other side were their own people, and if they hadn't been afraid of the large army stationed in Wuhu, there's no telling how serious this chaos would have gotten.

The Ministry of War naturally demanded serious handling of this situation, but the local authorities dragged their feet and were slow to come to a conclusion.

Fortunately, the then cabinet minister Yuan Jixian had lived and fought in this area, and after he intervened, the matter was covered up in a muddled way.

In the end, the vanguard army led by Chang Guanlin was delayed in its journey southward due to this incident. They were able to set out only after the rest of the guards had been dispatched to their respective defense areas.

After Zhu Datian reported every matter related to the reorganization, the other ministers also reported the important matters within their own responsibilities.

It seems that the Minister of Revenue Zhang Guowei has mainly focused his energy on checking the warehouses in Jiangsu and Zhejiang; Yang Tinglin has screened the candidates for local officials previously agreed upon by the parties; Li Yongmao, who is in charge of the Ministry of Works, is still investigating the craftsmen who were transferred away privately by various parties, Ruan Dacheng, who is in charge of the Ministry of Justice, is responsible for investigating hoarding and price manipulation, and Liu Zongzhou, who is in charge of the Ministry of Rites, is making preparations in advance for His Highness to ascend the throne. The small court can be said to be running in an orderly manner.

The results of Zhang Guowei's screening were obvious. There were only more than 100,000 taels of silver and more than 200,000 shi of grain left in the local warehouses of Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

As for whether this was because the money was all taken away by the Tartars during the war, or because officials at all levels took the opportunity to cancel the accounts of previous years, their Ministry of Revenue had neither the ability nor the willingness to investigate.

However, Zhang Guowei's focus was not on these irreversible things. What he was most concerned about was whether the proceeds from Zhu Cilang's property confiscation should be included in the Ministry of Revenue's account or in the "Emperor's" treasury.

Faced with such questions, not only did the officials from various ministries unexpectedly stand on a united front, but even two of the three cabinet ministers believed that at least some of this income should be allocated to the Ministry of Revenue.

If Qian Qianyi, who was obsessed with the position of Prime Minister, had not stopped these people on the grounds that "Your Highness's opinion is needed on this matter", the money and grain would have been divided up immediately.

While Zhu Cilang was fighting outside, the ministers he promoted were thinking about dividing his "family property". In the eyes of ordinary people, such things were simply treasonous and unfilial.

But in reality, a reasonable and mature system should be like this, and everyone needs to act according to the designated path.

Take the Chuang army for example. After retreating to the two lakes, the Eastern Army led by Li Zicheng alone had nearly 300,000 troops. If they could really gain a foothold in Hunan, they would not be unable to compete with the Qing court.

However, this makeshift team was set up so hastily that there was no time to form proper regulations within it.

Under such circumstances, after Li Zicheng's unexpected death, this force, which still had considerable power, fell apart in less than a few months, which is really a cause for regret.

"Your Highness is not in the court during this period, so everyone has to take care of their own affairs." After each official reported on their own affairs, Qian Qianyi made a summary speech. However, it was not known whether this old man really wanted to share Zhu Cilang's worries or was taking the opportunity to criticize Zhu Datian who had some complaints. After everyone bowed and agreed, he said another sentence.

"Don't let the incident in southern Anhui distract His Highness from state affairs."

According to common sense, everyone should have dispersed after this point, but just as the ministers were waiting for the word "dispersed", they heard Qian Qianyi continue speaking.

"There is one more thing this time."

As soon as the words were spoken, all the officials present, except Ma and Yuan, looked solemn.

One thing.

If this matter only involves a certain department or several departments, then the officials should be kept. But now all the officials from various departments are present. If we say "one matter" at this time, doesn't it mean that this "one matter" involves everyone?

But what could be the matter that could involve all the departments?

"Your Highness has sent a letter asking us to discuss the reward for He Tengjiao's merits."

He Tengjiao?
Reward?

As the words spread, the solemnity on everyone's faces immediately turned into surprise and confusion.

In their opinion, He Tengjiao has not yet expressed his position on the Crown Prince's appointment as regent, so it is hard to say that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's visit is intended to send troops to Hunan.

It is not appropriate to mention rewards at this time.
"May I ask, Lord, where does this reward come from?"

"According to your Highness's letter, it was He Tengjiao who plotted to kill Li Zicheng."

Facing Yang Tinglin's questioning, Qian Qianyi stared at the beams of the lobby and his face turned slightly red, but the words he spoke were extremely firm.

However, when all the officials present heard these words, the atmosphere in the lobby of the Ministry of War immediately became extremely strange.

Although Yingtian had not received accurate information about Li Zicheng's life or death, everyone was sure that the bandit chief who had been causing trouble for many years was really dead. Otherwise, how could such a large army just surrender to He Tengjiao?

But if you say that Li Zicheng died as a result of He Tengjiao's plot, no one would believe it.

So the question is, why did Your Highness write such a letter?

Was he deceived by He Tengjiao, or did he have other ideas?

Thinking of this, the officials could not help but think rapidly in their hearts, and the huge hall immediately fell into silence.

Based on everyone's understanding of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, there is a possibility that he has been deceived, but the possibility is not very high.

But if Li Zicheng's death was really caused by He Tengjiao, then why would the remaining troops of the Chuang army go to Hunan?

Why did He Tengjiao delay in making a statement about His Highness's supervision of state affairs? Why did he leak the news only now?
As time went by, questions kept emerging in everyone's mind, and the atmosphere in the hall gradually became a little depressing.

Seeing this situation, Qian Qianyi did not urge them. He just stared at the beams as if checking whether there were thieves hiding there. Although Ma Shiying and Yuan Jixian were sitting upright, they were actually full of questions in their hearts.

Of course, Ma Shiying had been dealing with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for a little longer, and had seen much more tactics than Yuan Jixian.

Therefore, although he was somewhat confused about the situation, compared with others, he had long been certain that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was setting his sights on the remaining troops of the Chuang Army.

But how will this chess game be played?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but squint and glance at Qian Qianyi, and when he saw his indifferent look, he dropped his gaze directly to the ground.

"Three ministers, in my humble opinion, the killing of the bandit chief is a great achievement in revenge for the late emperor. We still need to check and confirm the details one by one before deciding on the reward."

Just when everyone was thinking about it in their hearts, Li Yongmao, who could be considered the most kind-hearted person in the hall, couldn't stand this kind of atmosphere anymore and took the initiative to speak to break the deadlock.

"The letter didn't mention the details, but since Your Highness has said so, then..." Qian Qianyi remained as he did before in response to Li Yongmao's words, but when he said the latter part, he suddenly paused, as if he had made up his mind before continuing: "Then let's just discuss the reward."

Among the people who initially followed His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Xu Yinjue was in charge of Jiang defense, Xu Yu joined the Supervisory Office, and Yue Qijie was preparing for an attack at the border between Zhejiang and Jiangxi. He was the only one left in the court.

Under such circumstances, although everyone in the court knew this gentleman to some extent, who could compare to him?
Of course, when he first received the letter, he was as confused as everyone else. But after only a few cups of tea, Qian Qianyi, who had watched the Crown Prince progress step by step to where he is today, suddenly realized.

Don’t think that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince always praises the late emperor, but in his heart everything is empty and the military power in his hands is the real thing.

With this understanding, the remaining reasoning will not be difficult.

The only army that could be related to Hunan, He Tengjiao, and Li Zicheng was the remnants of the Chuang army temporarily stationed in Hunan.

If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to gather this group of people, the biggest obstacle is the blood feud of the late emperor. As long as he can find a way to resolve it, then this huge force will naturally fall into His Royal Highness's hands.

As for who killed Li Zicheng,
Is it important?
As long as the bandit chief is dead, no matter he died at the hands of the Tartars or in the chaos of the army, Your Highness will claim that he died at the hands of He Tengjiao.

In this way, the blood feud of the late emperor would be avenged, and gathering the remaining troops of the rebel army would become a normal act of recruiting surrenders and rebellions, and would no longer have anything to do with things like filial piety.

But if something happens in the future, the person who leads it will be
Thinking of this, Qian Qianyi suddenly felt as if he had been tied with chains by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

But then again, Qian Qianyi was only half a step away from the position of Prime Minister at this time. Even if he knew that his actions had to follow the chain, how could he be willing to retreat?

Oh~~~~.

He sighed in his heart and was about to directly tell He Tengjiao about his reward, but at this moment an officer came running over. Seeing Qian Qianyi with a face full of lawsuits, the officer didn't even bother to greet him and leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"What?! Seriously?!"

It's a little early today

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(End of this chapter)