Jiuxi

Chapter 434 Chapter 432 [But I heard the sound of falling]

The wind is gentle and the sun is shining brightly.

Walking in the majestic palace, Li Bingxue was not interested in the surrounding scenery. She glanced at Lu Chen's face and whispered: "After this business trip, I hope your Majesty can allow you to rest for a while."

Lu Chen smiled and said, "I hope so. Speaking of which, when did you and your senior sister become so close? I didn't even notice."

Li Bingxue couldn't help but think of the time during the Northern Expedition when she led the Feiyu Battalion to aid Dingfeng Road and fought side by side with Lin Xi to stop the main cavalry of the Jing Army under Qing Yu Zhongwang.

That was the first time they got along without interference from outsiders, and observed each other without Lu Chen's influence.

The memory flashed through his mind. Li Bingxue raised his chin slightly and hummed softly: "This is a secret between me and Sister Lin. Of course I can't tell you."

"Okay, if you don't say it, don't say it."

Lu Chen is also free and easy.

Li Bingxue changed the topic and said, "Why did your Majesty summon me today? You are supposed to be the person in charge of tracking down the rebellious parties. His Majesty can just meet you alone."

When the two of them arrived at the East Nuan Pavilion of Wende Palace, they found out that the emperor not only summoned them today, but also that they were the last to arrive.

Li Duan then opened the file. There was no obvious anger on his face. As he read it, he said: "Wang Yan, Guo Congyi, Ning Yuanfu, Le Qinyi, and Hu Hai were executed in Lingchi, and all the men in the family were beheaded." , the woman sold the workshop and was punished with no family property. "

Thinking of this, he reminded: "No matter what happens later, don't get excited."

There are two round stools next to Zhang Xu, obviously reserved for Lu Chen and Li Bingxue.

Having a seat in front of the emperor has always been a reward from the king to his ministers. Lu Chen had only seen Li Daoyan receive this treatment before.

Lu Chen glanced at the eunuch leading the way and said softly: "Perhaps His Majesty wants to reward you and Fei Yuying in person."

"In addition, there are four sects, including the De'an Guo family, the Yongxin Wang family, the Changle Ning family, and the Xingshan Le family. It is not only necessary to check whether they are related to the rebellion in Beijing, but also to check whether they are related to the rebellion in Beijing, but also to investigate anyone who commits crimes, violates the law, and bullies good people. Illegal acts such as bullying, misappropriation of property, etc. must be severely investigated and dealt with. "

As usual, the emperor sat behind the imperial court. There were several important ministers in the palace, including Li Daoyan, Xue Nanting, Qin Zheng, Liu Shouguang, Zhang Xu, and Hanlin scholar Zhong Cheng.

Lu Chen and Li Bingxue responded in unison.

"Qin Zhiheng, Zheng Lianxing, Yan Huanming and other five hundred and ninety-four people were sentenced to death by hanging, and their relatives were not allowed to serve as officials for three generations."

He raised a thick file with both hands, and the eunuch Lu Shizhou quickly took it and placed it on the imperial desk respectfully.

"Thirty-seven people, including Chen Xuegao, Zuo Yushan, and Le Minghong, were beheaded, their homes were confiscated, and their families were exiled to Taiping Prefecture. They will never be employed."

"Yes, I know."

Lu Chen was not distracted, he stepped forward and saluted: "Your Majesty, the list of rebellious parties has been compiled here. Please take a look at it."

Entering the hall, Lu Chen looked at the scene in front of him, slightly surprised.

Li Duan glanced at the file in front of him, and then said gently: "Sit down."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Lu Chen felt a strange emotion in his heart. Although Lin Xi wouldn't mind it, according to the emperor's careful mind, and he knew that Lu Chen and Lin Xi were engaged, it stands to reason that he would not deliberately make a biased decision.

Li Bingxue nodded.

What was different from the past was that all the courtiers were sitting instead of standing. Although it was just an ordinary round stool, it was an extremely rare scene.

Li Bingxue frowned and said, "Then why didn't you summon Sister Lin? After all, the Seven-Star Army worked harder this time than Feiyu Camp."

"So be it."

Li Duan closed the file and his calm tone reached everyone's ears.

Today he did not consult these important ministers, and no one in the hall raised any objections.

Lu Chen's heart moved. Although the emperor did not say it clearly, it was foreseeable that the four sects would be stripped of their skins and would most likely decline from now on.

Of the nine great families in Jiangnan, four fell at once.

Everyone needed time to digest the profound meaning and impact of the emperor's actions, but Li Duan obviously would not give them time to think on this occasion, and continued: "I have already read the list drawn up by Prime Minister Li and Prime Minister Xue for vacancies in various ministries in the DPRK. , there is basically no problem, but there are still two ministers missing. "

Li Daoyan raised his eyebrows slightly and said respectfully: "This matter involves important responsibilities of the ministry, and it should be judged by His Majesty."

Li Duan said sincerely this time: "Prime Minister Li, there is no need to be too modest. I need your advice."

Li Daoyan pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Your Majesty, the position of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is very important and affects the stability of the court, so it cannot be ignored. After careful consideration, the veteran recommended Academician Zhong to be promoted to the position of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."

Hearing this, Lu Chen couldn't help but look at Zhong Cheng, a Hanlin scholar sitting opposite.

He is over forty years old, with a white face and short beard, gentle eyes, and a refined and scholarly air.

Hanlin bachelors are known as the prime ministers. Under normal procedures, they should first be transferred to the Minister of Rites, then the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and then they can be transferred to Zhongshu.

Li Daoyan's recommendation was reasonable and reasonable. Although it was a little premature, considering the current situation in the court, it was not too abrupt.

Li Duan did not look at Zhong Cheng, but looked at the old man intently for a few moments, then looked at Xue Nanting and asked, "What do you think of Xue Xiang?"

Xue Nanting replied calmly: "I agree with Prime Minister Li's recommendation."

Li Duan nodded, and then said to Zhong Cheng: "Zhong Ai Qing, I will leave the staff in your hands. I hope you can focus on state affairs and be diligent and self-reliant."

Zhong Cheng immediately stood up and saluted and said: "I have received the decree. Your Majesty earnestly advises me. I must bear it in mind." "As for the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, I have a candidate."

Li Duan looked around at everyone and then said: "Yin Jingqingshan of Yongjia Prefecture has been working hard for many years and has great political talents. It just so happens that Duke Jing highly praises him, so I have decided to promote him to the position of Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs. Do you have any objections? ?”

Of course no one had any objections.

On the night when the rebellion broke out, Jing Qingshan did not hesitate at all. He made his position known immediately and sent people around to summon forces to protect King Qin. Although his actions were not the decisive factor affecting the situation, this loyalty was very rare.

Clear rewards and punishments are the basic rules for the operation of the court.

Li Duan continued: "When the Zhongqing family takes over the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Hanlin Academy cannot be without a bachelor. I also have a candidate. You can check it out for details."

Li Daoyan suddenly raised his head and glanced at the emperor.

Sensing the complicated look in the old man's eyes, Li Duan slowed down and said: "Li Shizhi, the left minister of the Ministry of Punishment, has a good reputation for being an honest official. He is also good at annotating scriptures and exegesis, and his writing skills are well known to both the government and the public. I have decided that he will take over the Hanlin position. Bachelor's degree."

As soon as these words came out, everyone subconsciously looked at the old left prime minister.

From Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Justice to Bachelor of the Imperial Academy, the grade is average, but the way inside is extraordinary.

The Minister of Punishment does hold great power, but even if he is promoted to Minister of Punishment, he is often unable to participate in key decisions of the court.

In other words, under the premise that the two prime ministers were in power, only the Minister of Civil Affairs among the six ministers could squeeze into this core of power.

Although Hanlin Bachelor is a noble official position and cannot participate in the decision-making of important court affairs for the time being, it is the only way for Xuan Ma to become the prime minister.

Especially when the dynasty is in a stable state, there is no possibility of reaching the sky in one step. This procedure is indispensable. Zhong Cheng is an example of the first step.

Li Bingxue, who was sitting at the bottom, suddenly felt a little bored.

She knew that the emperor's arrangements must have deep meanings, and the people in the court must be thinking hard at this moment, but she was just not interested, and she even felt that it was not as good as practicing martial arts in the house.

Looking back, Lu Chen looked solemn, not much different from the others.

However, in Li Bingxue's opinion, Lu Chen was young, handsome, and quite eye-catching, so he was naturally different from those people.

The emperor's arrangement seemed abrupt, but everyone was not too surprised. They thought about it for a moment and then realized it.

Promoting Li Shizhi to a Hanlin bachelor's degree was, on the one hand, a reward for Zuo Xiang's consideration of the overall situation in the past two years and the Jinlin Li family's firm stance in this rebellion. On the other hand, this move was to appease the people of Jiangnan.

Although the four families of King Guo and Ningle will definitely be pulled out of their bones, the emperor understands that enough is enough.

This time he has taken back the power of the Beijing army and calmly deployed people in the court. The actual losses of the Jiangnan family are far more than just the fall of four families.

If the emperor does not appease appropriately, there will be no guarantee that there will be no unrest in the thirteen states south of the Yangtze River.

I believe that in addition to promoting Li Shizhi, the emperor will also have some other methods, such as throwing away some noble but powerless official positions, or lifting up other nobles and gently putting them down.

Everyone's eyes focused on Left Prime Minister Li Daoyan.

To their surprise, the old man stood up slowly and said: "Your Majesty, I should not have declined. However, it is rare for father and son to be officials in the same court, and it is even more inappropriate to hold power together. Thanks to your Majesty's favor, the Li family has grown up over the years. Like burning oil and blooming flowers, it can be said that wealth is the highest. I believe that prosperity must eventually decline. Greed is the root of disaster. Today, I have the audacity to ask your Majesty to take back his life. He is too talented and ignorant to take on such an important task. "

Li Duan looked at the old man steadily, and after a moment of silence, he nodded and said, "Xiang Li is upright and upright, and has the style of the ancients. This is a great blessing for the country. There is indeed something wrong with what I thought."

Li Daoyan knew very well that the emperor's arrangement was not malicious, but he also had difficulties.

Although Li Shizhi behaved very honestly during the rebellion, based on Li Daoyan's understanding of the eldest son, he stayed in the house honestly and ignored what was going on outside the window, which in itself was strange.

It's a pity that some things cannot be said directly. Firstly, Li Shizhi did not participate in the rebellion. Secondly, the things he did before were definitely not tolerated by the emperor. This is related to the fate of thousands of members of the Jinlin Li family.

With the overall situation of the court on one side and the rise and fall of the family on the other, the old man could only choose a compromise method of temporarily suppressing and making other arrangements.

"Old minister, I thank your majesty."

Others did not notice that the old man's tone was somewhat desolate at this moment.

Li Duanwen said: "Although this move is inappropriate, how can I turn a blind eye based on Li Shizhi's political achievements over the years? Well, after Chen Chun was appointed as the governor of Dingzhou, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites had been vacant, so he asked Li Shizhi to move to the left minister of the Ministry of Rites. Responsible for the examination ceremony in the spring of next year.”

In terms of actual power alone, the Ministry of Rites is relatively low among the six departments, but as mentioned before, if you want to enter the Zhongshu of Daqi, you have to go through the Hanlin Academy, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Officials, especially the latter two.

Li Shizhi's tone was still neutral this time, but anyone with a discerning eye knew that this was a reward from the emperor, not to mention that he could preside over the imperial examination, which was a job that countless civil servants dreamed of.

In the officialdom, the relationship between teachers and disciples has always been extremely strong.

Li Daoyan was slightly startled. He realized that the emperor was determined to appease the people of Jiangnan by favoring the Li family. This was an unavoidable will.

A faint smile appeared on Li Duan's face and he said: "Prime Minister Li, I have already given in. Don't continue to refuse."

"Old minister, I thank you for your grace."

Li Daoyan finally accepted this grace.

He slowly sat back on the round stool, his expression calm and unwavering.

The old man quickly accepted this reality. He had been an official for forty-one years and had experienced too many ups and downs to avoid chaos.

What's more, he is not helpless when it comes to the eldest son who is getting harder and harder to read his mind.

After all, there is the last resort.

(End of this chapter)