prosperous age

Chapter 685 Chapter 784 Cabinet Affairs

After sending the two away, Wei Guangde only realized later when he sat down to rest. It seemed that after entering the cabinet, his job was to bargain with the Sixth Ministry and the local government for money.

The local government reported various difficulties and wanted to withhold the money that should have been sent to Taicang. What he did in the cabinet was to either reject it or deduct it.

There was a rebellion in a certain place, and the Ministry of War was considering where to send troops to support it. Then, the Ministry of Finance had no money. The cabinet called the heads of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Accounts to discuss and communicate, and moved money to solve the problem.

I feel that being a cabinet minister is similar to a big shopkeeper of a commercial bank.

The real government affairs are all handled by the six ministries. The only things that cannot be handled are those involving cross-ministerial and financial projects. The ministries dare not make decisions without authorization, so they will be handed over to the cabinet.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde suddenly felt boring.

On the second day, not long after Wei Guangde arrived in the cabinet, he saw the new memorandum handed over by the Ministry of Household Affairs. He completely re-approved the amount of tax-free farmland for the families of honored relatives in accordance with Emperor Longqing's requirements. There is also the signature of Tuntian Yushi.

Without hesitation, Wei Guangde posted a draft note and passed the memorial.

Put aside the finished memorial, as the first memorial handed in today.

However, he didn't immediately re-read the rest. Instead, he sat and thought for a while, then took out a piece of paper and laid it on the desk, picked up a pen and began to write.

This is a memorial that he intends to submit to Emperor Longqing, who intends to recommend the vice-general of the Shenji Battalion to be the prime minister, Chang Chang, the military training commander of Baoding.

They only have the right to train troops, but not the right to command.

The purpose, of course, is to allow Qi Jiguang to select and transfer soldiers from guards around the capital such as Jizhou, Tianjin, and Baoding to prepare for the grand parade next year.

The Beijing camp is not enough, and Wei Guangde still doesn't believe that the surrounding guards can't gather people.

I wanted to increase the number of people in the important towns on the Nine Frontiers before, but when I think about it, it seems easy to open my mouth, but it is not a small expense to add thousands or tens of thousands of people to eat and drink.

Regardless of whether this money is paid out by the local government or the court, I am afraid that it will provoke many people to report, which is really troublesome.

It's better to replenish the troops nearby, so as to avoid many troubles.

Wei Guangde wrote his memorials and put them aside to dry before he began to deal with other official documents.

In a mansion in the Jiangling Mansion in Huguang, Hong Chaoxuan, the left servant of the Criminal Department, Cheng Yaoxiang, the commander of the Jinyiwei, and Shi Duchen, the deputy envoy of the Procuratorate of Huguang, were all present.

In addition, because of the unanimous opinion of Huguang officials, Liao King Zhu Xian erected a banner as an excuse, saying that he had the intention of treason.

Because Zhu Xian was involved in too many crimes, Hong Chaoxuan was very cautious and recommended Dong Wencai, the Right Counselor of the Chief Secretary of Henan Province, and Wu Daozhi, the deputy envoy of the Procuratorate Department of Shandong Province, to join in the investigation together.

After more than a month, it can basically be confirmed that the thirteen crimes impeached by Chen Xing and Gao Guangxian involving King Liao are true.

However, there was quite a dispute between Hong Chaoxuan and Shi Duchen as to whether King Liao's erection of the banner was a rebellion or something else.

In fact, the officials who participated in the trial knew in their hearts that Liao King Zhu Xian and the others had seen it before, so they naturally knew what kind of guy he was.

If it is said that such a rich man is going to rebel, they will definitely not believe it.

However, rebellion matters a lot.

To put it bluntly, whether King Liao rebelled or not is not up to them, but the one in the Forbidden City in the capital.

Even if the King of Liao had no intention of rebelling, but Shi Duchen reported the matter of the King of Liao erecting the flag, if the emperor believed it, then the King of Liao was really a traitor.

Therefore, there were many worries. At this time, Cheng Yaoxiang, the commander of Jinyiwei, Dong Wencai, the right counselor of the Henan chief secretary, and Wu Daozhi, the deputy envoy of the Shandong inspection department, sat silently at the side, and only Hong Chaoxuan and Shi Duchen were debating in the room.

What's more, the Huguang officials are unanimous, which in itself speaks volumes. It doesn't feel that simple behind the matter.

In the Ming Dynasty, the civil official group was never monolithic, so the unity shown by Huguang officials at this time really puzzled them outsiders.

Even if Zhu Xian, king of Liao, did all kinds of evil things, in the current situation, as long as the investigation case is reported, it is impossible for the capital to not respond.

Under normal circumstances, Zhu Xian's title cannot be kept, and the king of Liao must be replaced.

The deposed king of Liao was just a commoner, and even the gold book of the jade certificate would be taken back, and it was no longer possible to make trouble.

It can be seen from the posture of Huguang officials that this is to punish the Liao king to death. As an outsider and an official of the same dynasty, he is naturally unwilling to have conflicts with so many Huguang officials.

King Liao is no longer qualified to let them waste their saliva on his behalf.

"The king of Liao erected the flag, I insist on my opinion, the king of Liao did not rebel, he just wanted to use this method to plead his innocence, there is no need to pursue this matter.

This official is ordered to investigate the illegal affairs of the Liao king, and he acts upright and stands upright, not afraid of being framed by villains. "

Hong Chaoxuan had no choice but to answer Shi Duchen's insistence on reporting the Liao king's rebellion, while at the same time personally attacking him, suspecting that he had received a heavy gift from the Liao king's mansion.

"Master Hong, you are an envoy, you can cover the sky with one hand, but don't forget that there is a bright universe above the blue sky.

I will definitely not pay any dividends on this matter. Even if my lord insists, I will truthfully report the Liao king's erection of the flag. It depends on your Majesty and how the princes of the Manchu Dynasty treat it. "

Shi Duchen still insisted on this matter, making Hong Chaoxuan frown.

Although he felt that he was fair in dealing with King Liao, it was hard to say what the emperor thought about King Liao's erection of the banner.

What is a big banner?
The big banner is a big banner in the army or at important ceremonies, and is usually used to command the army and boost morale.

The holder of the big banner must be an emperor or a general. Although the Liao king is also eligible to hold it, but with the Emperor of Heaven in the court, the Liao king erected the big banner, which really means rebellion.

If it is about the solar terms, it is okay for the king of Liao to erect the big flag, but it happened when the imperial envoy was ordered to investigate.

"Three adults, do you also think that Liao King Dazhu intends to rebel?"

Knowing that he couldn't get along with Shi Duchen, Hong Chaoxuan shifted his attention to Cheng Yaoxiang, Dong Wencai and Wu Daozhi, hoping that they could support him.

However, he was obviously wrong.

Cheng Yaoxiang is Jin Yiwei, and he is naturally sensitive to the crime of rebellion.

If the king of Liao just behaved disorderly, he would not have much credit for him, but if there is a rebellion involved, it seems that he has a lot of credit.

However, it was inconvenient for him to speak clearly, so he just smiled and said to Hong Chaoxuan's question: "It's good to report the report truthfully, and let King Liao explain to the emperor himself about erecting the banner."

And Dong Wencai and Wu Daozhi have also made up their minds not to fight against their colleagues in Huguang. Since they are united to fight the Liao King, let them do whatever they want.

They also heard a lot of things in Jiangling during this period, among which the most popular one was the grievance between Zhang Juzheng, the elder of the imperial court, and the king of Liao. They knew that the grandfather of Zhang Ge was drunk to death by the king of Liao of.

Reminiscent of the actions of Huguang officials, they thought that they might have the shadow of the capital.

Although Cheng Yaoxiang was an eagle and dog, the meaning of his words was obvious, and it was best to report this matter to the emperor.

Report it to the emperor, so what's the point of everyone discussing whether to report the Liao king's rebellion as a crime in the memorial?
Even if he didn't mention it in the memorial, Cheng Yao would definitely report it to the emperor after he returned to the capital.

From their point of view, as a suspicious point, it is good to record it in detail in the memorial. As for whether it counts as treason, let Emperor Longqing decide.

Therefore, Dong Wencai and Wu Daozhi also supported the suggestion in the memorial that the Liao king was suspected of treason, and reported the erection of the banner as evidence to the court.

Hong Chao's decision-making power rests with Hong Chao's players. He originally handled the case with a view of seeking truth from facts.

But now, the other three obviously don't stand by him, even though he is the highest rank among all the people present, he is still a Beijing official.

The defense that had been a little loose just now stabilized again in an instant, and he felt that it would be too embarrassing to admit defeat like this.

"I also know what you mean, so I reported the big banner of the Liao Palace in the memorial, but I still don't agree with it, so I don't agree with it in the memorial. It will be mentioned."

Although Hong Chaoxuan made some concessions, he still wouldn't write everything according to their wishes.

As for how the adults in Beijing will view this matter, it has nothing to do with him.

"Lord Hong, the king of Liao erected the big flag to disobey his ministers, what is it not for the purpose of rebellion? I really don't know why you are so partial to the king of Liao. I will report this matter to the court later and tell about the affairs of Jingzhou."

Shi Duchen seemed to be encouraged by the words of Dong Wencai and Wu Daozhi, and he said that he didn't appreciate Hong Chaoxuan's concession at all.

"It's still the same thing. I have a clear conscience. If you are dissatisfied, you can report it. The court princes will naturally distinguish right from wrong."

Hong Chaoxuan became annoyed by Shi Duchen's pressing step by step, but said lightly.

Afterwards, Hong Chaoxuan revised the memorabilia and added Dazhu. Dong Wencai and Wu Daozhi both smiled and stroked their beards to express their satisfaction. Cheng Yaoxiang's face was calm, and there was no fluctuation at all. Only Shi Duchen was still very dissatisfied.

On that day, when the officials left the main hall and went back to their courtyards to rest, and Hong Chaoxuan was still in the study room polishing and transcribing the memorial, Shi Duchen sent someone out of the imperial envoy.

On the second day, the two fast horses left Jiangling Mansion and headed for the capital.

"Shandai, His Majesty has already approved the Zhuangtian matter reported by the Ministry of Household Affairs. You can draft the decree and send it to the Supervisor of Rites and the Sixth Division for distribution."

When Li Chunfang was on duty, Wei Guangde received the memorial from Li Chunfang from the palace.

"Okay, after drafting the decree later, I would like to ask Mr. Li Ge to correct me."

Holding the memorial in his hand, Wei Guangde said respectfully to Li Chunfang.

"Oh, there's also this one. It's the memorial to you recommending Qi Jiguang to be the governor of Jichang and Baoding for military training. His Majesty also approved it."

Li Chunfang picked up the following memorial and said again, reaching out and handing it over while speaking.

Wei Guangde hastily took it over and glanced at it.

"Shan Loan, His Majesty entrusted you with the preparation of the parade ceremony. You recommended Qi Jiguang to be in charge of the military training around the capital. Is it true that the capital camp is useless?"

Li Chunfang asked suddenly.

"Li Shoufu, Shandai knows what you mean, and to tell you the truth, if Tan Shilang and Qi Jiguang hadn't come to me to complain, I wouldn't have believed that the capital camp had been corrupted to this point.

According to what they said, of the 9 or [-] troops remaining in the capital, old, weak and remnant soldiers accounted for more than half, and the remaining half were old soldiers who were unusable at all.

If it is only used as a ceremonial guard, it is okay, but it is absolutely impossible to use them for the ceremony of the grand parade.

Only more than 2 people in the Beijing camp can still be used. Even if the thousands of soldiers and horses are recalled from the border town, it is barely [-] people. "

Wei Guangde said with a sigh.

This is what Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang said. Of course, it cannot be faked. Li Chunfang will know as long as she sends someone down to investigate carefully. There is no need to hide it.

"Before I also thought about sending more troops from the border towns back to Beijing to participate in the grand parade, but it would take a lot of trouble to mobilize nearly [-] people. If there are more troops, even if the household department can afford it, the safety of the nine borders will be feared." will be affected.

These people who were transferred were all the elites of the towns, and they were the mobile forces to defend against the raids of the captive cavalry. If they were transferred to participate in the grand parade and caused a border crisis, the gain would not be worth the loss.

That's why I decided to go to the guards in Jizhen, Changping and Baoding around Gyeonggi.

It had already been decided that Tan Lun would be the governor of Ji Liao. Taking this opportunity, Tan Shilang could also see what his men would look like in the future, and also asked Qi Jiguang to help train the troops. "

As soon as Wei Guangde finished speaking, Li Chunfang smiled and said, "I know what you mean, it's also for the sake of the imperial court."

Wei Guangde nodded slightly to show his gratitude.

"There is another matter, that is, before Huguang Zuo left dirty money and fined money for disaster relief, you and Yin Shizhen both said that this behavior was not allowed.

Of course, I know that what you are thinking about is that the money in the hands of the imperial court is gone, and there is an urgent need to transport the money from all over the country to the capital to solve the urgent need.

But after that, Jiangxi and Shandong had similar reports, and the cabinet votes were proposed to be halved. "

Li Chunfang's words stopped abruptly at this point, Wei Guangde knew that Li Chunfang was blaming them for fighting each other, and it meant to use power to overwhelm others.

Seeing Wei Guangde's uncertain face, Li Chunfang remained silent, and waited until Wei Guangde's expression calmed down before speaking: "We all work together in the cabinet, and it's better to be considerate of some things.

The memorial issued by the cabinet should be regulated. For example, disasters have occurred frequently in Huguang, Jiangxi and other places in the past two years. It is also good for local governments to ask for some money to be reserved for emergencies. "

"What Master Shoufu taught me is that I really didn't think about this matter at the beginning, and Huguang should also be determined according to the method of halving, so that it can appear that the cabinet is acting fairly."

Wei Guangde knew that Li Chunfang wanted to make the cabinet look peaceful, and he didn't want to see internal struggles because of their respective interests.

Now there are signs of such a scene, so he chose to intervene decisively and reconcile one or two in private.

“It’s best for Shandai to think like this.”

Li Chunfang clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Later, I'll call Uncle Da to come over and explain the memorial, and I'll tell you about it together. The Huguang memorial is still with me, and it will be drafted again at that time."

"This matter is entirely up to the adults to decide, and good loans are meaningless."

Wei Guangde answered with a bow.

Although there are a few members in the cabinet now, the Yuzhen faction has already taken the absolute advantage, but just now, Wei Guangde suddenly realized that if the Yuzhen faction is too strong in the cabinet, although it will indeed help Emperor Longqing implement his own government orders, but Chen For Yin, Yin and himself, it was by no means a good thing.

Maybe, the reputation of the three of them in the court will be rotten.

At that moment, Wei Guangde knew that it was still necessary to maintain Li Chunfang's absolute dominance in the cabinet, so that only when the sky fell could someone stand up.

(End of this chapter)