At the end of Song Dynasty: I want to be the master of ZTE

Chapter 287 Li Wei
At the dock of Qinhuai River, Wen Tianxiang got off the boat, went straight to the emperor, bowed down and said: "My minister Wen Tianxiang pays homage to your majesty."

Zhao Shi received a courtesy, stepped forward to help Wen Tianxiang up, and said, "You are tired from traveling and traveling, please go back to the city to rest."

"Thank you for your Majesty's concern, I don't have to worry about it," Wen Tianxiang replied.

It was already July, the weather was hot, and traveling by car or boat was difficult, but Wen Tianxiang had no complaints.

Without mentioning his loyalty, it is impossible to complain if the emperor called him back to Beijing for promotion.

On the way, Wen Tianxiang asked: "Your Majesty, the central government is currently operating well, why do you suddenly want to set up a cabinet?"

"The affairs of the country are becoming more and more complicated, and the left and right prime ministers are dealing with many things day by day, so a cabinet is set up." Zhao Shi replied.

"Your Majesty wants to go on a personal expedition, and he is worried about the chaos of the court, so he set up an auxiliary government cabinet." Li Tingzhi said leisurely, mercilessly exposing the emperor's small thoughts.

"There is nothing wrong with it." The emperor was not ashamed at all, and said: "As long as the cabinet is functioning, even if the emperor is lazy and slack in politics, he can still ensure that the court will continue to operate, and there will be no next Jia Sidao."

After Duzong ascended the throne, he indulged in pleasure, and all government affairs were in the hands of Jia Sidao. However, in his later years, Jia Sidao had lost his enthusiasm. While he firmly controlled the government, he also indulged in pleasure. Could it be that the government was completely ruined?

The lessons learned are not far away and are very convincing.

Moreover, the emperor was full of considerations in setting up cabinet members. It was impossible for the next Jia Sidao to appear, so the political hall agreed.

There are nine assistants in government, the first assistant is the largest, number [-] is for the military, number [-] is for the clan, and numbers [-], [-] are promoted from the six ministers, the general manager of each road, and the chief of Yushitai.

As long as the nine people reach an agreement, officials of all sizes and below the second rank can be appointed and removed.

As long as the people below the deputy general manager and minister are kept intact, the country's operations will not stagnate.

Because the cabinet can decide on internal and external matters, vote if there are differences, the minority obeys the majority, and no abstention is allowed.

According to the plan, Li Tingzhi is the first assistant, Wang Yinglin is the fifth, and Wen Tianxiang, Chen Gangzhong, Chen Wenlong, and Liu Fu are the assistants No. [-] respectively.

Representing the military in the cabinet were Lu Xiufu and Miao Zaicheng, both of whom still served as Privy Council members.

The representative of the clan is Zhao Jirui. Whether he has ability or not is not important. It mainly expresses the presence of imperial power.

Of course, there is another tacit meaning, that is, by adding nine top positions at once, the elderly can be better accommodated and newcomers can be promoted more easily.

Kill two birds with one stone.

After returning to the palace, the emperor gave a banquet and Wen Shou accompanied him. During this period, the emperor and his ministers naturally enjoyed each other.

At the same time, there was also a banquet in King Ning's palace.

Arriving in March, four months ago, Zhao Bing left all the government affairs to Zhang Zhensun and trained his own troops.

Originally, Ning State had three thousand soldiers, all under the jurisdiction of the commander Chen Yi. Zhao Bing inserted two thousand veteran troops into the army. After four months of training, he had complete control of the army.

On the main seat, Zhao Bing picked up the wine glass and said: "Ning Guo is what it is today, thanks to all of you. I would like to offer you a drink to express my gratitude."

"Your Majesty." Everyone agreed happily.

Three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

Zhang Zhensun said: "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

"It doesn't matter if the Prime Minister says so." Zhao Bing said with a smile.

"Your Majesty went south, and His Majesty was worried about the heat in Ning State, so he gave five thousand kilograms of saltpeter to make ice to cool down.

Ran Chen checked the inventory and found that [-] kilograms were missing. After tracing, they were all taken by Liu Chun.

Your Majesty, saltpeter is an important military weapon. It is a thing under the control of the state. It cannot be kept secretly without permission, let alone something given by your majesty.

I asked the king to send troops to search Liu Chun's residence, recover the saltpeter and punish him. "

"Your Majesty, you are wronged." Liu Chun came out to pay homage and said: "Making ice with saltpeter is inherently lossy, but I am not greedy for ink."

Many people stood up and spoke for Liu Chun.

"Your Majesty, Liu Chun has been working hard and has never made a mistake. It must be the Prime Minister who made a mistake." "Yes, the credit is meager and the hard work is a lot. Even if there are a few mistakes, it doesn't matter."

"Your Majesty, please don't chill this old minister's heart."

Liu Chun is one of the thirteen families. He is the transshipment envoy and is responsible for the storage and allocation of materials. The use and storage of saltpeter is also his responsibility.

To be honest, if he misappropriated it privately just for enjoyment, Zhao Bing would not pursue it.

It's hot in Ningguo, and everyone wants to cool down, so it's not something that can't be ignored.

But launching an attack today naturally has a purpose.

Zhang Zhensun said: "Nitrogen is the base of gunpowder. Gunpowder is also a sharp weapon on the battlefield. It can be used to assassinate Wang Jia. Please order a thorough investigation!"

"At this time, the Prime Minister will be in charge. Chen Yi will order five hundred soldiers to cooperate with the Prime Minister." Zhao Bing looked to the other side and said, "Wang Tao, mobilize ten gunmen to protect the Prime Minister."

"I obey the king's order." The three of them agreed, turned around and left.

Wang Tao is the guard captain assigned by the emperor to his younger brother. He only has one platoon under his command, but they are all the most elite fusiliers.

Ten gunmen were sent to Zhang Zhensun, indicating that King Ning was about to investigate.

Liu Chun panicked and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I am really unjust."

Zhao Bing said: "Since he was unjustly accused, we should investigate and prove his innocence."

"I'm afraid that someone will frame me, so I would like to ask for on-site supervision." Yu Tongqing, the new general manager of the palace, said.

He is the third son of Yu Rusi, who has always been talented. He worked in Ningguo for more than four years and took over after Yu Rusi died of illness.

"My uncle is interested, so he will take Liu Chun with him. If he is not discovered, even the Prime Minister will punish him." Zhao Bing said.

How could it not have been discovered?

As soon as he arrived in Ningguo, Zhao Bing felt that everyone respected him but did not take him seriously. If the influence of the Yu family was not trivial, his royal order would not be able to leave the palace.

Even so, Zhang Zhensun faced many obstacles when doing things. No matter how big or small, he had to be repeatedly supervised before he could get it done, and the results were unsatisfactory.

The Thirteenth Family gives money to others, and they are treating themselves as their masters.

Therefore, Liu Chun is a chicken, used to stand up.

When Zhang Zhensun came back with more than a thousand kilograms of saltpeter, Liu Chun was destined not to recover.

Liu Zheng, head of the Liu family and a member of the Ningguo household, joined the army and said, "Your Majesty, I am not strict in discipline, which is why I have made this mistake. Please forgive me."

"The forest is big and there are all kinds of birds, so what does it have to do with Hucao?" Zhao Bing waved his hand, looked at Zheng Xiao, a member of the Fa Cao army, and asked: "Fa Cao, how should we deal with it according to the laws of the country and the dynasty?"

Zheng Xiao became a lawyer because of his birth, but he is also proficient in the law, so he immediately replied: "Private possession of public property worth thousands, exile, steal imperial property, beheaded, and live in his family, private possession of salt, clan."

Nitrate and sulfur are just like armor and crossbows in the past. Those who hide them are regarded as treason and the punishment is particularly severe.

Zheng Xiao's sentence is absolutely legal.

"Your Majesty, you are wronged." Liu Chun wailed: "I only want the profit from selling ice, not for saltpeter. I have no second intention."

"Your Majesty, please follow the law." Zhang Zhensun bowed.

Liu Zheng was also panicked and said: "Your Majesty, this is his personal doing and has nothing to do with the Liu family. The Liu family is loyal, as can be seen from the sun and the moon. Please take a closer look, Your Majesty."

"I will naturally not doubt Liu's loyalty, but the law cannot be abolished..." Zhao Bing expressed that he was very embarrassed.

Yu Tongqing took the initiative to build a ladder, and said: "It's better to pardon the king, but the Liu family will repay with Ningguo's share of dividends, so it can be justified to report to the court."

"Hey, no..." When Zhao Bing was about to refuse, Liu Zheng had already agreed in a hurry.

His Liu family's background in the imperial court was not very good, and if things got really big, the whole family would have to get together.

(End of this chapter)