My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 120 The country remains unchanged
It was naturally impossible for Shi Duchen and Yu Dayou to arrive in the capital so quickly as they had to escort the King of Liao and a group of witnesses and evidence.

Therefore, the first thing sent to the cabinet was the memorial that Shi Duchen ordered his men to send to the capital by express horse. The memorial detailed what happened in Jingzhou and attached some key witnesses and evidence, which was considered as a preliminary report to the emperor and the cabinet.

Friends who often serve as imperial envoys know that the most important thing to do a good job in this job is to ask for instructions and report more often.

Obviously, Shi Duchen was a qualified imperial envoy.

Prime Minister Li Chunfang finished reading first. He looked at Zhang Juzheng with a serious face, and then glanced at Gao Gong.

The downfall of the King of Liao must have been the work of Zhang Juzheng.

After a while, Gao Gong lured these powerful ministers to jump out, preparing to catch them all in one fell swoop during the next imperial inspection.

Compared with these disputes, the merger of Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng gave Li Chunfang more headaches.

When there is a conflict in the cabinet, he, as the prime minister, can play the decisive role.

But if there is harmony in the cabinet, and Gao and Zhang can always get things done in tacit understanding, then he, Li Chunfang, the Prime Minister, will really be like a clay statue, and no one will come to worship him anymore.

Of course, things did not reach this point. Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng were both people with their own political opinions. Their cooperation on these occasions could only be said to be a coincidence that the two had common interests.

Another key factor contributing to the current harmony in the cabinet is Su Ze.

Li Chunfang even had an illusion that since he took office, the cabinet had been pushed around by Su Ze.

Either he is wiping Su Ze's ass, or he is on his way to wiping Su Ze's ass.

Who is the Prime Minister?!
It is precisely because of Su Ze that the cabinet has been led astray and even forgot to fight among themselves!
Li Chunfang shook his head secretly, looking for an opportunity to win over Su Ze, and then find a way to divide the relationship between Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng.

As for the King of Liao?

Li Chunfang passed Shi Duchen's memorial to the other elders, and then said lightly:
"The King of Liao is plotting a rebellion by gathering people. Following the example set by the King of Ning, his crime should be punished and the Liao vassal state should be abolished."

Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, and Zhao Zhenji all nodded and said:

"Seconded."

In this way, the Liao clan, which had occupied Jingzhou for six generations and had as many royal family members as the Dai clan, was sentenced to death by the four cabinet ministers.

The verdict was different from that of King Dai because although King Dai was also a rebel, he did not dare to rebel openly and was preparing to surrender the city and flee to the grassland.

However, the King of Liao raised the banner, which was an open rebellion, and his political influence was a hundred times worse than that of the King of Dai.

The imperial power could tolerate the incompetence and stupidity of the royal family, but what it could not tolerate most was this kind of open rebellion.

When Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao rebelled, Wang Yangming led troops to suppress the rebellion, and Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty immediately led troops to "personally fight".

When they arrived in Zhuozhou, news of Wang Shouren's victory came, but Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty still insisted on marching south and asked Wang Yangming to hold a ceremony to surrender prisoners.

On his way back to the capital, Prince Ning was executed by order of Emperor Wuzong.

Now, regarding the case of Prince Liao, the cabinet's opinion is to handle it according to the standards of Prince Ning's case, which means that Prince Liao will have no way out.

However, the fate of the King of Liao did not mark the end of the Liao vassal case, and how to deal with the King of Liao was an undisputed issue.

What follows is the focus of this cabinet meeting.

Zhang Juzheng said:
"Now that the Liao expedition has concluded, we can summon them back to the capital."

Everyone nodded, and Zhang Juzheng continued:
"During the Liao King's rebellion, it was Deputy Envoy Shi Duchen who decisively intervened, and Deputy Commander of Huguang Yu Dayou who laid siege to the King's Palace. Both of them should be rewarded."

The cabinet ministers also nodded. The achievement of suppressing the rebellion was not small. Shi Duchen and Yu Dayou handled the situation perfectly. Meritorious officials should always be rewarded.

Reward merit with merit, this is a signal to the outside court that if you follow the elder, you will get meat to eat.

So what about those who oppose the elders?
Zhang Juzheng looked at Gao Gong and said:
"Those who have made contributions will be rewarded, and those who have not will be punished. Since the court has been turbulent this year, it is not appropriate to punish the remaining officials too harshly."

This time Li Chunfang frowned even more.

Of course Zhang Juzheng would not let these officials go.

Li Chunfang also placed his confidants in the Liao expedition delegation and was aware of the movements within the delegation.

Hong Chaoxuan was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice and was not from Huguang. He was lenient towards the King of Liao because of his personal political struggle, but it was absolutely impossible to get solid evidence that Hong Chaoxuan was colluding with the King of Liao.

After all, the King of Liao was a prince, and it was impossible to torture him into confessing and make him accuse an official of the vice minister level.

This is a huge violation of political consensus.

Therefore, even if Zhang Juzheng demanded accountability, the most that would be done to these officials would be an investigation and questioning, and they would be reinstated soon.

Even if Zhang Juzheng pursued Hong Chaoxuan too harshly, it would cause a backlash from both the government and the opposition.

Zhang Juzheng took the initiative to give in, which meant he handed the right of revenge to the Ministry of Personnel. Gao Gong would then liquidate these powerful officials during the imperial examination that would begin in February of the following year.

By then, these officials would be incompetent and would be dismissed for failing the imperial inspection.

Then the government and the opposition will not be able to gather together to voice opposition.

The political understanding between Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng was deeper than he thought. The two must have already made an exchange of interests for the Beijing Inspection, which was why Zhang Juzheng trusted Gao Gong so much.

As expected, Gao Gong quickly responded:
"However, officials who performed poorly during this Liaodong expedition will be included in this year's evaluation."

The imperial examination is conducted every six years, but the Ministry of Personnel also evaluates officials in Beijing every year.

The examination record is equivalent to the official's appointment file. Officials who perform poorly are included in the file, which is obviously a preparation for next year's imperial examination.

Although they knew about Gao and Zhang's plan, the six-yearly imperial inspection was originally the cabinet's purge of the former's remnants. During the last imperial inspection, the then Prime Minister Xu Jie had liquidated Yan Song's old party.

The current cabinet has finally waited for the imperial examination, so naturally they will not be lenient.

In this way, starting with the Liao Wang case, the fate of countless officials had been decided at this moment, and it ended with the cabinet returning with a full load.

The major issues have been settled, and the remaining details are not for the elders to discuss. The Ministry of Personnel and other relevant government offices will naturally do the corresponding work.

And those chosen by the Hong Dynasty who stood on the wrong side in the Liao Fan case were already politically doomed.

After the important matters were discussed, Li Chunfang said:
"I will personally comfort the officials who have been wronged in this Liao Wang case."

Hearing Li Chunfang's words, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng and Zhao Zhenji all frowned, but Li Chunfang was the chief minister of the cabinet, and since he did this, the other cabinet ministers could not express any objection.
-
History Museum, the system popped up the settlement report.

The Prince of Liao was escorted to the capital, and Emperor Longqing ordered him to be beheaded at Xishi, abolishing the Liao vassal state.

[This memorial does not affect the country's destiny, and the host's prestige increases by 200.]

It does not affect the country's destiny, which shows that the outcome of the Liao King case is doomed. Zhang Juzheng has prepared a backup plan to deal with the Liao King. Even if he does not use the system, the Liao King is doomed.

However, the increase in prestige was an unexpected surprise. It seemed that although the voice of protecting Liao was very loud in this Liao Fan case, most officials still supported the abolition of Liao Fan. By taking the lead this time, he actually earned the recognition of many silent officials.

This is probably the silent majority in officialdom.

Su Ze was very satisfied. The greater gain from this memorial was that it boosted the reputation of the elders. After all, he still had the main task of the Three-surnamed Slave to complete.

I have helped the cabinet so much, so I should probably be summoned by a cabinet minister next.

Is it Gao Gong or Zhang Juzheng?

Su Ze, who was determined to be a slave to three surnames, was greeted by an unexpected guest. "Prime Minister Li wants to see me?"

Su Ze didn't expect that the first person who wanted to see him was Li Chunfang, the chief minister of the cabinet who always had a weak presence.

Su Ze could only follow Li's entourage to Li Chunfang's house.

The mansion of the chief minister of the cabinet is very magnificent. Li Chunfang's mansion is the old residence of the former chief minister of the cabinet, Xu Jie. Before he resigned from his post, Xu Jie recommended Li Chunfang as his successor and transferred this mansion to Li Chunfang.

This also shows the personal relationship between Xu Jie and Li Chunfang.

Of course, the cabinet chief ministers are all political animals, and personal relationships are personal relationships. Xu Jie is already dead in politics, and Li Chunfang has never helped Xu Jie in official affairs.

When he stepped into the Li Mansion, it was just as Xu Wei had said. Li Chunfang was strict in governing the mansion, and all the servants did their work very carefully, not daring to make any mistakes.

This is in stark contrast to Li Chunfang's image as a good guy in the court.

The Prime Minister's mansion was larger than Zhang Juzheng's. Su Ze walked around an exquisite garden before arriving at Li Chunfang's study.

The attendant pushed open the door and motioned Su Ze to come in, only to see Li Chunfang sitting behind the desk, writing something on a piece of paper.

Seeing Su Ze come in, Li Chunfang put down her pen. Then the door of the study was closed and the servants of the Li Mansion left the study, giving the two a private space to chat.

Su Ze compared the three mansions he had visited in his mind. No matter whether it was Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, or Li Chunfang in front of him, no matter how big or small, their mansions were all in order, and the managers and servants in the mansions could perform their duties.

That’s right. If a senior cabinet official can’t even manage his own residence, then he can forget about managing the entire bureaucracy.

The ministers always have to meet guests at home and deal with some public and private affairs. If they don’t manage them strictly and leaks occur, their future will be ruined.

I just don't know whether the mansion was managed by the elders themselves or by the help of the virtuous wives at home.

Su Ze suddenly thought of his unmarried wife from the Zhao family, and he didn't know how good she was at managing the household.

Li Chunfang looked at Su Ze and said:
"You've been wronged in this Liao case, and if you need anything, you can talk to me."

Su Ze immediately understood that Li Chunfang was trying to give him a benefit in private!
In this Liao Wang case, Su Ze actually did not contribute much effort. The main people in charge were Shi Duchen and Yu Dayou.

Although he did not deal with the most cases, Su Ze still attracted a lot of hatred by dragging Luo Wanhua and Shen Yikuan to submit memorials every day, and was attacked the most severely by ministers and censors sent by ministries and agencies.

There is no merit, but there is hard work.

So Li Chunfang wanted to give himself benefits in private.

Of course, this privately did not mean that Li Chunfang wanted to reward Su Ze personally, but that he was making political promises to Su Ze and other meritorious officials on behalf of the cabinet.

As to whether these political promises can be fulfilled in the end, it depends on the performance of the parties involved.

But for most officials, being able to catch the attention of the cabinet ministers is already a great honor, let alone receiving political promises in person.

But that is for ordinary officials.

For Su Ze, these political promises are actually not as good as giving some direct benefits.

Do I, Su Ze, lack a future?
When Li Chunfang made some verbal polite remarks, Su Ze immediately said:
"Minister Li, the printing press has been running around day and night since the newspaper added more copies these days. Could the cabinet please add some staff to the Yuefu New Newspaper?"

Li Chunfang was stunned for a moment. She didn't expect Su Ze to talk about this right away?
I, the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, came to see you, but instead of talking about your future development, you talked about that crappy newspaper you run?
Although this newspaper is indeed quite nice.

Su Ze is indeed a naughty guy!

Li Chunfang said helplessly:

"Which hands have you taken a fancy to?"

Su Ze immediately took advantage of the situation and said:

"Master Prime Minister, I see there are quite a few book printers under the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Works. Let's assign them to the newspaper office."

Li Chunfang thought about it and realized that Su Ze was indeed very cunning. The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Works were the most aggressive among the ministries and academies in this dispute between the cabinet and the ministry. So as a punishment, taking away some of the officials and craftsmen belonging to the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Works could be regarded as a warning to the two ministries.

That's right, politics is a winner-takes-all game, and the winner will hit the loser hard.

"Tomorrow, submit a petition in the name of your newspaper, and the cabinet will discuss it first."

A petition is an official document submitted by Ming Dynasty institutions to their superiors.

After all, it is impossible for all matters to go through the emperor. For some simple administrative affairs, the head of the yamen submits a petition to the higher-level department, and the matter can be handled after approval by the higher-level department.

Su Ze's newspaper was of a relatively high rank, and its chief executive was Li Chunfang, the chief minister of the cabinet. So although Li Chunfang said that it was a matter of discussion with the cabinet, he actually agreed to Su Ze's request and agreed to increase the newspaper's staffing.

Su Ze said again:
"Master Prime Minister, the newspaper has worked hard these days. Could you please give me a reward?"

Regular rewards are equivalent to irregular bonuses. As the editor-in-chief of a newspaper, Su Ze naturally has to strive for benefits for his subordinates.

Seeing Su Ze being so aggressive, Li Chunfang could only say helplessly:

"You should also include it in the petition."

Su Ze said quickly:

"I am a clerk and craftsman in the newspaper office. I thank the Prime Minister for his grace!"

Li Chunfang summoned Su Ze, originally wanting to contact Su Ze and try to win him over.

But I didn't expect Su Ze to be so familiar. He came up to me and asked for money and people, and didn't consider himself an outsider at all!

Li Chunfang was ready to order the guests to leave when he heard Su Ze say:

"Master Prime Minister, I have a private matter."

"Private matter?"

Li Chunfang was stunned for a moment, and Su Ze continued:

"I would like to ask you to write an article."

Commissioned article?

Li Chunfang said angrily:

"You want me to write eight-part essays for the Yuefu New Newspaper?"

Su Ze said quickly:

"Calm down, Prime Minister. That's not what I meant."

"That is!?"

Su Ze said quickly:

"Your Excellency, as you know, Xu Wenchang is currently serving as a staff member in my residence. He once told me that Prime Minister Li has a large collection of books at home, including a comprehensive collection of operatic texts. Xu Wenchang's serialized plays in the 'Voice of the Opera' section of the fourth edition of the 'Yuefu New Newspaper' have now concluded, so I would like to ask Your Excellency to write an article to fill in the space first."

Su Ze pretended to be distressed and rubbed his hands and said:
"I really have no other choice. You are the CEO of the Yuefu New Newspaper, so I have come to you for help."

(End of this chapter)