The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 43 The Old Fox Li Shanchang
The next day, ten maids entered the palace to help Zhu Xiong Ying change clothes and wash up. Before long, he was dressed neatly.

"Your Highness, something happened this morning."

Yu Huatian stepped forward and spoke softly.

"Ok?"

Zhu Xiong Ying paused slightly, glanced at Yu Hua Tian, ​​and asked, "What happened?"

Yu Huatian said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, the Western Depot is monitoring all civil and military officials in accordance with Your Highness's orders."

“Last night, a man from the Korean government visited the residence late at night and stayed there for a long time.”

"They left at dawn, exiting through the east gate of Yingtian Prefecture."

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard checked the official register and verified the portrait, and found that this person was Qian Yongqin, the prefect of Songjiang Prefecture."

"The scouts sensed something amiss, so they secretly followed and awaited His Highness's orders."

The order to monitor all officials was secretly given by Zhu Xiong Ying.

Although it has not been long and has not yet been able to directly infiltrate the residences of officials, those who come and go still pay special attention to it.

Moreover, this matter involves Li Shanchang, the current Left Chancellor of the Ming Dynasty's Secretariat, so the Western Depot's spies are naturally even more cautious.

Use money diligently.

Zhu Xiong Ying frowned slightly, pondering for a moment.

According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, officials were not allowed to leave their jurisdictions without imperial decree or edict unless there was an emergency.

Qian Yongqin's actions undoubtedly violated the law, and he would be demoted at best, and dismissed from office at worst.

but
Zhu Xiong Ying has a clearer understanding of Qian Yong Qin.

The Qian family of Jiangsu are descendants of Qian Liu, who lived during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang. They are a long-established aristocratic family in Jiangnan and even possess a "golden token of immunity from death" from the Tang Dynasty.

They were a truly wealthy family whose prosperity had lasted from their ancestors until the Ming Dynasty.

Later, Qian Yongqin embezzled public funds, but his own imperial grandfather, in order to show that the Ming Dynasty was a continuation of the style of the Han and Tang Dynasties, pardoned him from the death penalty.

Now that he has secretly gone to Yingtian Prefecture and even paid a visit to the Left Chancellor Li Shanchang, what is his intention?

Furthermore, are you really not afraid that this matter will be discovered and you will be dismissed from your post?
Zhu Xiong Ying paced back and forth, frowning, feeling as if she had forgotten something.

suddenly,

Zhu Xiong Ying suddenly remembered something and immediately turned to look at Yu Huatian: "Instruct the hawk spies of the West Depot to capture Qian Yongqin immediately."

"However, do not reveal your identity; pretend to be a bandit."

"This matter must not be discovered by anyone!"

Yu Huatian respectfully accepted the order: "Yes!"

Immediately, he walked out of the palace and whispered instructions to a spy from the Western Depot.

Zhu Xiong Ying chuckled to himself, thinking to himself, 'How could I have forgotten the unspoken rules of officialdom in the early Ming Dynasty?'

"A blank seal! This is one of the four famous cases of the Hongwu era!"

To be honest, the unspoken rule of leaving the seal blank in officialdom does have its reasons for existing.

Because during the Hongwu era, most of the taxes were in the form of grain.

Grain transportation and tax verification naturally involve losses. As a result, the accounts cannot be reconciled with those of the Ministry of Revenue, and rejections and resubmissions are common occurrences.

Officials in Jiangsu and Zhejiang are alright, since they are relatively close; it's just a matter of trouble.

However, the people in Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Shaanxi were truly suffering terribly. In order to save trouble, the Ministry of Revenue inherited the Yuan Dynasty tradition and prepared blank official documents for emergencies.

The Ministry of Revenue did this, and naturally, the officials below followed suit on a regular basis.

The prefect overworked himself last night and is not up today, so we'll have some officials temporarily fill in for him.

Unexpectedly, Qian Yongqin actually showed up at our door.

"Go up!"

Zhu Xiong Ying's lips curled up slightly.

Now that the blank seal case has been presented to us, wouldn't it be a waste not to take advantage of this golden opportunity?
Inside the Fengtian Hall, Li Shanchang suddenly felt a chill.

He felt a little uneasy under Zhu Xiong Ying's gaze. "Is there anything important today?"

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled and, following custom, began to speak.

Li Shanchang stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, the Ministry of Justice has already verified that Yang Xian was guilty of a crime and should be executed."

"However,"

"The land of Yangzhou has just been revived, and the people have begun to cultivate the land in peace."

“The vacancy of the prefectural governor’s position will inevitably affect the people.”

"Your Highness, I humbly request that the Secretariat select a prefect from other regions whose political achievements are outstanding and transfer him to Yangzhou."

Upon hearing this, many officials nodded slightly.

Li Xiang truly lived up to his reputation as a wise and experienced strategist.

Yangzhou, bordering Yingtian, is a land that has been shaped by the dragon.

Now that the country has just been revived, the position of prefect cannot remain vacant for too long.

If he were promoted by a lower-ranking official, it might slow down Yangzhou's development. A lateral transfer would be more appropriate.

After all, Yangzhou is a place where a lateral transfer is indeed a promotion, and I believe there will be no complaints.

Although Li Shanchang's expression was calm, the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

His memorial just now was also extremely cunning.

He clearly had already decided to transfer Qian Yongqin, the prefect of Songjiang Prefecture, but he didn't say so at the moment, instead using the Central Secretariat as a pretext.

In this way, the relationship between himself and Qian Yongqin would be concealed.

Even if court officials suspected that he was going to place his own people in Yangzhou, they would only assume that this person was recognized by the Central Secretariat.

Zhu Xiong Ying hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded: "What Prime Minister Li says is quite right."

"My grandfather also highly values ​​Yangzhou."

"Since ancient times, its reputation for bringing both fame and benefits has been well-known, which shows its importance."

"In that case, may I ask who Prime Minister Li wishes to appoint?"

"I am not very familiar with local officials, so I must ask Prime Minister Li to make the decision!"

Upon hearing this question, Li Shanchang's expression faltered slightly.

He never expected that Zhu Xiong Ying would ask him directly.
Isn't this just putting himself in the spotlight, clearly telling the court officials that Li Shanchang intends to place his cronies in the important city of Yangzhou?

Upon hearing this, many officials immediately looked somewhat embarrassed.

The prime minister is already the head of all officials; it would be unfair for him to extend his authority to local areas.

But since His Highness the Crown Prince had already let Prime Minister Li make the decision, they couldn't very well say anything!

Li Shanchang's eyes twitched, and he said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, I have not yet decided on a candidate."

"This matter can only be decided after the Central Secretariat discusses and evaluates the performance of the officials."

"The position of Prefect of Yangzhou is extremely important, and we cannot make hasty judgments."

"After I leave the court, I will convene a meeting of the officials of the Secretariat to discuss matters, and then submit the list of candidates to Your Highness for your decision."

Would a cunning old fox like Li Shanchang let Zhu Xiong Ying trick him so easily? He immediately started making excuses!

If you ask me to decide, then it still needs to be discussed and decided by the Secretariat!

In any case, Li Shanchang insisted on one point: if I, Li Shanchang, want to take action as the prefect of Yangzhou, it will be in the name of the Central Secretariat, and none of you will dare to interfere!
Upon hearing this, Xu Da glanced sideways at Li Shanchang and naturally understood what the old fox was up to.

Wanting both tangible benefits and a lack of self-respect is utterly shameless.

Upon hearing Li Shanchang's words, Zhu Xiong Ying suddenly feigned sudden realization: "So Li doesn't know much about local officials either!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shanchang's lips twitched!
As the head of all officials, how could I not know about local officials!
however,
Before he could argue, another voice rang out from the platform:
"If Prime Minister Li doesn't understand local officials, then going to the Secretariat for discussion will yield the same result."

"Since that's the case, then I'll decide."

"How about Qian Yongqin, the prefect of Songjiang Prefecture? That name sounds like it's going to bring in money! If we put him in Yangzhou, the common people will definitely make money!"

(End of this chapter)