The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 564 My cousin is very honest

The cabinet is no longer an iron triangle. After the addition of Cheng Minzheng, the cabinet structure tends to be a three-to-one opposition.

Although Cheng Minzheng has little status in the cabinet and is ranked last, the problem is that he is Zhang Zhou's person, or in the eyes of the emperor, this person has different potential from the traditional three cabinet ministers. Then Cheng Minzheng is Without obtaining any real power, one must become a pivotal figure in the cabinet.

Because the emperor planned to let Cheng Minzheng work part-time as minister of the listening department.

After the meeting between Zhang Zhou and Zhu Youtang, someone from Dongchang would send the official documents that the emperor wanted to deal with with Zhang Zhou back to Zhang Zhou's residence...the regulations regarding official business not being taken out of the palace would be sent to the emperor. Basically, the rule here is that "the dead are alive", and the emperor didn't mind at all that Zhang Zhou would handle the affairs of the DPRK for him after he returned home.

Zhang Zhou went to the Wenhua Hall first, not to see Zhu Houzhao, but to wait for Cheng Minzheng's arrival in the side hall.

"Cai Guogong."

Cheng Minzheng was still busy with official duties in the cabinet. He was surprised to learn that Zhang Zhou came out from Gongyuan, because according to past practice, Zhang Zhou would not come out for two days. This time Zhang Zhou came out early.

After all, the Shuntianfu Provincial Examination results have not been released yet.

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Mr. Cheng Ge, please take a seat."

"I don't dare to take it seriously."

Cheng Minzheng used to be very dignified in front of others and would not lose face in front of Zhang Zhou, but for some reason, when he saw Zhang Zhou now, he always felt that he was a dwarf, and he couldn't help but show off his respectful energy. .

Can't stop it.

"Now that Bachelor Cheng has joined the cabinet, he is Your Majesty's loyal minister. We still want to listen to your teachings, so why don't we dare to do so?" Zhang Zhou smiled.

Anyway, there is no barrier between you and Cheng Minzheng. If you have anything to say, you can just say it.

Zhang Zhou also knew very well that this was a person who changed his "destiny" through his own appearance. He really saved a life. Cheng Minzheng was not grateful to him and sorry for the trouble he had given him before.

Cheng Minzheng sighed: "Cai Guogong is self-effacing. An ordinary person would have thought that you only gained His Majesty's trust by inviting favors. But I know that Cai Guogong is a man of true talent and learning, and he is a model for scholars in the world. "

"Mr. Cheng Ge, I don't dare to take your words seriously," Zhang Zhou said.

"Cai Guogong doesn't need to be modest, just say that I have been in the Hanlin Academy for so long, especially when I came back this time, I discovered Cai Guogong's talent in compiling books... It is really...unparalleled in the world. As far as I know, there are many classics about Cai Guogong I have never seen them before, and those orphan copies have never been in your hands, yet you are able to sort them out intact. You are truly..."

Cheng Minzheng's respect for Zhang Zhou is not just flattery.

With Cheng Minzheng's mentality, he really wanted to curry favor with Zhang Zhou, but Zhang Zhou also had to have something to convince him in order to convince him.

What Cheng Minzheng cares about is not Zhang Zhou's calculation of God's will, that has nothing to do with Cheng Minzheng.

What Cheng Minzheng was interested in was Zhang Zhou's ability in compiling classics. This was a "splendid sight" that Cheng Minzheng had not seen in the Hanlin Academy for decades. Zhang Zhou could actually compile the books first and then verify them, and then discovered ...Everything is correct. Cheng Minzheng could not figure out how Zhang Zhou did it.

That can only be understood as... Zhang Zhou has a "talent" that no one else in the world has.

Zhang Zhou said: "I have seen all the orphan copies before. Besides, it's just a book repair. Mr. Cheng Ge's attainments in this field should not be inferior to mine."

"Don't dare, don't dare."

Then the old man and the young man became polite to each other.

……

……

The two of them were in the Wenhua Hall, chatting for a long time.

Then Zhang Zhou also expressed his intention to come.

"Mr. Cheng Ge, it's like this. His Majesty has prepared for you to join the Shangting Department at the same time. In the cabinet, you are the only one who is on duty at the Shangting Department. Things are still not peaceful in the northwest. Someone may want to stay behind after nightfall. In two places, I will trouble you a lot."

Zhang Zhou only came to inform, but in fact he came to give Cheng Minzheng some "pointers."

After all, the Shangting Office was established at Zhang Zhou’s suggestion, and Zhu Youtang has always regarded Zhang Zhou as the chief minister of the Shangting Office. This means that Cheng Minzheng’s future appointments in the Shangting Office will be subordinated to Zhang Zhou. commanded.

Even if you are in the cabinet, you can be placed under Zhang Zhou.

Cheng Minzheng said: "The listening office... I wonder what your usual errands are?"

Without Zhang Zhou's guidance, Cheng Minzheng asked for advice on his own.

He hasn't fully figured out the errands of the cabinet yet, and the iron triangle of the cabinet has not delegated power to him. Now that he can concurrently serve as minister of the Supreme Court, the psychological burden on him is not that heavy.

If he continues to be idle in the cabinet, he will feel that he is meaningless in the government, and will want to leave early, and will also look for opportunities to resign.

Anyone else would definitely be reluctant to let go of his official position, but Cheng Minzheng is not an ordinary person. He has given up on his official position many times in his life. When it comes to being an official, Cheng Minzheng is not that obsessed.

Zhang Zhou said: "Actually, the errand of the Shangting Office is to organize and report the border affairs in various parts of the northwest. If there are urgent official documents, they must be dealt with as soon as possible... You can also regard the border affairs in the northwest as a The small court is divided into six departments."

"Six parts?"

Cheng Minzheng thought about it for a while.

You, Mr. Cai Guogong, have a very novel way of speaking.

"The appointment and dismissal of officials are the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel, the allocation of money and food from the Ministry of Revenue, and the construction of the Ministry of Works. These three items are most obviously reflected in the northwest frontier affairs. Needless to say, the affairs of the Ministry of War... that is a normal march... When generals are outside, there is generally no need to ask the court for instructions. They are more likely to report to the court after changes occur... And military matters involve the transparency of military affairs in the northwest, which is what the emperor and his ministers care about the most... But the court itself It doesn’t have much impact on it.”

Zhang Zhou's explanation also regarded the northwest border affairs as the affairs of the six ministries of the DPRK and Central Government.

Cheng Minzheng naturally understood, and he said: "If I think about it, the affairs of the Ministry of Household Affairs are naturally the most important, right?"

"Ah."

Zhang Zhou nodded and said, "Your Majesty will soon replace Mr. Qin's system with Wang Qiong, the left minister of the Ministry of Revenue, as the three-sided general system. And the left minister of the Ministry of Revenue will probably not let go of his errand, and Wang Qiong himself is a senior official. Listen to the minister, after he arrives in the northwest, he will continue to convey the needs of the three sides to the capital through official documents."

Cheng Minzheng thought about it and suddenly felt that he was just a handyman.

Although Zhang Zhou was the leader in the Shangting Department in the past, in actual operations, Wang Qiong was the leader.

And Wang Qiong himself was the left minister of the Ministry of Revenue. The emperor used Wang Qiong to oust the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Zhong Zhong. Now that Wang Qiong has arrived in the northwest, he is still the actual mastermind of the Ministry of Revenue. He, Cheng Minzheng, is in the capital. As a cabinet minister, he is equivalent to Under the control of Wang Qiong, he promoted the affairs of the Ministry of Household Affairs.

When Cheng Minzheng understood this, he also understood the emperor's "painstaking efforts".

Regarding the northwest frontier affairs, we should first start with the Ministry of Household Affairs, gradually tighten the financial power, and then gradually spread it to the remaining yamen of the six departments.

"Mr. Cheng Ge, most of the affairs of the Northwest Rites and Punishment Departments are only reported to the court after the fact. When you are in charge of the commission, you only need to sort out the important matters in the affairs and submit them to His Majesty. As for money and food, Regarding scheduling and other issues, we must also communicate well with the Ministry of Revenue. The right minister of the Ministry of Revenue is probably Lu Wan... You know he was once the governor of Liaodong, and now he is also responsible for the affairs of the Yanwu Hall."

"hehe."

Cheng Minzheng smiled. He really wants to say that all the feelings are yours?

The left minister of the household department is Wang Qiong. Even if Wang Qiong goes to the northwest, he will not change.

Lu Wan, on the other hand, is directly responsible for the affairs of the household department in the capital, and Cheng Minzheng is just a liaison figure.

It sounds a bit sad... But in terms of actual authority, he, Cheng Minzheng, still has the highest authority. After all, no matter how good Wang Qiong and Lu Wan are, there is no way for them to try to join the cabinet because they are not qualified to join the cabinet.

"The rest is to communicate more." Zhang Zhou said with a smile, "I also hope that through you, I can establish a good relationship with the cabinet. There shouldn't be any barriers between the Audit Office and the cabinet. After all, they all serve the imperial court."

"Yes Yes."

Cheng Minzheng also wanted to say that I am not very familiar with those in the cabinet.

Personal relationships are fine, but when it comes to official matters, they treat me like an outsider.

"Then there are the affairs of the Ministry of Industry. Now Tang Yin has gone to North Korea and will not be able to come back for a while. He will be responsible for the supply of coal and iron, as well as artillery casting and other matters in the future. This also requires communication... It is equivalent to saying that Bachelor Cheng is now mainly responsible for It's a matter for the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Works, especially when Tang Yin is away from Beijing, so you have to worry more."

After Zhang Zhou finished speaking, he stood up and left.

Cheng Minzheng asked: "That Bohu..."

When it comes to this person, Cheng Minzheng is a little helpless. Although he and Tang Yin did not have much involvement in the fraud case in the twelfth year of Hongzhi. After all, Tang Yin was not guilty, but he always felt that it was like the two of them. There is an extraordinary connection.

"He is in charge of foreign affairs in North Korea. The Ming Dynasty may not have cared much about this before." Zhang Zhou said, "But Mr. Cheng Ge, you also know that now that the Ming Dynasty has a strong military, in addition to taking care of border affairs, it should also Intervening more in the affairs of neighboring countries will show that our Ming sovereign state is responsible and responsible. Your Majesty wants Tang Yin to develop in this area first."

"Why is this?" Cheng Minzheng asked curiously.

Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "Didn't Scholar Cheng ever hear about what he did in Korea?"

"what?"

Cheng Minzheng was startled.

Thinking that Zhang Zhou had overturned the internal affairs of North Korea, overthrown a king who was an orthodox prince, and replaced him with a young king, this...fitted well with his status as a diplomat.

"Tang Yin, I can't comment on this person." Zhang Zhou said, "He is usually too laid-back and has a somewhat unruly personality. I have no idea what he is suitable for in the future. His Majesty is also inspecting him. If there is any errand, he will be the first to do it. Let him give it a try, maybe he can find a job that is more suitable for him."

Cheng Minzheng wanted to ask, what am I suitable for?

Zhang Zhou seemed to have guessed what Cheng Minzheng was thinking, and said with a smile: "It seems that Mr. Cheng Ge is an orthodox Hanlin bachelor, so he is very suitable for the current job. In the future, the communication between the cabinet and the Ministry of War will require more attention from Mr. Cheng Ge." Take the trouble.”

"Yes Yes."

Cheng Minzheng thought immediately.

Zhang Zhou had previously told him that his task was to communicate well with the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Works, and that he did not have the Ministry of War.

The meaning is a bit obvious. Doesn't it mean that Cheng Minzheng doesn't need to worry about the Ministry of War matters? Zhang Zhou can handle things well, so what if Cheng Minzheng has a high status? That's not something you can interfere with!

"If there is something I don't understand, I still need Duke Cai to give me more guidance. I'll learn as I go."

Cheng Minzheng suddenly became enlightened.

He understood that if he wanted to gain a firm foothold in the court, he had to listen to Zhang Zhou and handle the affairs of the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Works well, and then... he would do whatever Zhang Zhou asked him to do.

In other words, he was the one who helped Zhang Zhou.

As for the first assistant, second assistant, etc., those are not his superiors. He is only responsible to the emperor and Zhang Zhou.

……

……

Zhang Zhou can go home directly that day.

As soon as he arrived at the door of his house, he saw a carriage parked there. Zhang Zhou got off the carriage, and the two women on the carriage also got off and came over.

The leader was a middle-aged woman whom Zhang Zhou didn't recognize, and the one behind was the Caihuang family he had met before.

"Master, they have been waiting here for a long time." Liu Gui came over and said.

Zhang Zhou said: "I won't invite you in, I have something else to do."

Caihuang did not kneel down to Zhang Zhou in the street this time, but just bowed. The woman next to her came over, a little shy.

Immediately, Sun Shangqi also jumped out of the car. He first glared at the uninvited Caihuang family, and then introduced him to Zhang Zhou: "Master, this is your distant relative, Huangmen Feng Family."

"Oh, so she's my cousin? That's what she should be called, right? I don't know how to comment on this seniority."

Zhang Zhou laughed.

Distant relatives were just an excuse, and the Huang family was the link between him and the local officials in Yongping Prefecture.

Mrs. Feng grinned broadly and said, "How dare you condescend me, sir? You can call me whatever you want."

The accent in the north is very strong. It sounds like Zhang Zhou, a person from the south of the Yangtze River. The region and accent are very different. It would be difficult to connect the two people without verification that they are related to each other from the previous two generations. .

"Then let's call her Mrs. Huang." Zhang Zhou said, "I wonder what the reason for this visit is?"

"Just came to take a look..."

While Feng was speaking, she couldn't help but turn around and look at Caihuang. It was obvious that she had no experience in dealing with such a situation. Even though she was of "noble" origin and was related to Zhang Zhou, she had always been a doormat at home.

Zhang Zhou said: "Sun Qianhu, what's going on with Huang's case now?"

Sun Shangqi said: "Afterwards, Eunuch Li of Dongchang will personally send the case over to discuss with you. As I know from my humble position, although Mr. Huang has some connection with Tongfan's case, because the circumstances are minor, They were only fined 1,600 taels of silver, and the rest are expected to be released before the end of August."

"is it?"

When Mrs. Feng heard this, she looked very excited and said, "That means our family is fine, right?"

Ms. Caihuang hurriedly pulled off the second sister-in-law's clothes, saying that it was inappropriate for you to speak like this.

Feng didn't seem to notice it at all and said with a smile: "It's great to have a relative who is an official. Such a wealthy person can even pardon someone in his own family who has committed a crime. It's great, great. Sir, in the future, please If you have anything to do, just tell me. If I can't do it, let the head of the family do it for you. Your words will be in good hands after I keep it."

Zhang Zhou smiled.

As expected, he has little knowledge and no scheming. He is much better than the Caihuang family.

This cousin is more down-to-earth.

(End of this chapter)