The struggle for the throne among nine princes—I really don't want to be the crown prince.

Chapter 560 Your Majesty, This Old Minister Misses You

Standing in the imperial court, listening to Tong Guowei's righteous and stern reply, Zhang Ying felt extremely relieved.

It's just like drinking a bowl of ice-cold plum juice on a sweltering summer day—it's refreshing, invigorating, and the feeling travels from your throat to the soles of your feet!
Zhang Ying had never thought highly of Tong Guowei.

In his eyes, this maternal uncle of Emperor Qianxi was only able to maintain his superior position by relying on the glittering nepotism of "his sister being the Empress Dowager"!

Pshaw, if I had been born into a better family, I, Zhang Ying, could have become the emperor's uncle. Then I, Zhang Ying, would be the Grand Secretary and the chief minister standing at the top of the civil service!
How could Tong Guowei possibly have the audacity to flaunt his position without any self-awareness?
What a pity! His own father was useless; he didn't give him a sister who could become an empress dowager.

This "dream of becoming the emperor's brother-in-law" has been completely shattered!

But today the sun really rose in the west.

Tong Guowei, that old fox, unexpectedly vented Zhang Ying's pent-up anger with his words.

He could understand the Crown Prince wielding a large sword and slashing wildly. After all, everyone had joined forces to try and overpower the Crown Prince, so it was normal for him to retaliate.

No matter how much they fight back, they can't just cut off the future of my Zhang family's eldest son, who is considered a "scholar descended from heaven"!
Zhang Ying had long ago paved the way for her most intelligent son's meteoric rise:
If I pass the imperial examination this year and achieve a rank of second-class or higher, I will be sent to the Hanlin Academy to gain experience and hone my skills for a few years.

Before retiring and returning to his hometown, he will arrange for a high-level position, such as "Walking Scholar of the Southern Study".

Don't be fooled by this unassuming name, which sounds like a menial job. As long as you secure this position, your son can stay under Emperor Qianxi's nose every day and easily gain favor with the emperor.

And what happened? The Crown Prince sliced ​​them all up with a single stroke!

At present, if the Qianxi Emperor wants his son to participate in the imperial examination again, it would be impossible unless the Qianxi Emperor himself speaks up.

Would the Emperor risk offending the Crown Prince for the sake of Zhang Ying's son? Zhang Ying wasn't so sure!

So as soon as Tong Guowei finished speaking, he disregarded his usual "mature and prudent" demeanor and stepped forward: "Your Highness, I completely agree with what Prime Minister Tong said!"

"If the imperial court hadn't enacted the law of 'investigating back three years,' Shen Zhuowang wouldn't have had such audacity!"

After saying this, Zhang Ying felt much better.

Hmph, you still have the nerve to ask why? Isn't it because you, the Crown Prince, made a rash decision and set the rules yourself that caused this trouble!
Shen Ye glanced at Zhang Ying and thought to himself: Has this girl taken the wrong medicine today, or is she addicted to roasting people?

He spoke slowly:
"What Prime Minister Tong and Prime Minister Zhang said makes some sense. Shen Zhuowang thinks he's enforcing the imperial laws, which is why he acts so recklessly. However..."

He deliberately dragged out his words:
"That's not the main reason. The main reason is probably that he thinks there won't be any problems after this!"

"Why did he think there would be no future trouble? Because he was convinced that the Censorate would never impeach him!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Tingjing became somewhat uneasy.

What's wrong? Is the Crown Prince trying to provoke me again?
No, no, if this keeps burning up, I'm afraid I'll have to "go home and rest" with Ma Qi!

That would be a huge problem!

He quickly cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, although the Censorate can report on matters based on what is heard, the world is so vast that it is truly difficult for us to be able to see everything clearly!"

Shen Ye waved his hand: "Lord Chen, I don't blame you. After all, you have limited manpower!"

Before Chen Tingjing could breathe a sigh of relief, Shen Ye continued:
"Therefore! For the sake of peace and tranquility for all the people, and to ensure that our imperial laws and regulations do not go astray and become a winding mountain road, we must establish a system that makes all officials keep a tight rein on their duties and maintain a sense of awe!"

"We can't let ordinary people be like Shen Zhuowang, with nowhere to seek redress for their grievances and having no choice but to come and bang on the petition drum, can we?"

"This is a lesson we must learn!"

Tong Guowei, Zhang Ying, and the others' expressions changed drastically.

The previous "three-year retrospective investigation of social security management" had already been a thorn in their side, so what was the Crown Prince up to now?

It's like a wild horse that's broken free of its reins; this approach is just too unruly!
Is this an attempt to rectify official corruption?

If we really want to take drastic measures to reform the bureaucracy, like scraping the bone to remove poison, then it would be better to continue torturing public security and governance!

At least these older folks generally wouldn't get into fights themselves, nor would they do anything reckless in the streets...

Several senior officials exchanged quick glances, and Tong Guowei immediately stepped forward:

"Your Highness, the imperial court already has a system for evaluating officials in the capital and for investigating local officials; the system is quite sound!"

“Last year’s inspection in the capital also punished more than a dozen incompetent officials.”

"I believe that as long as we grasp these two things firmly and effectively, the government will naturally be clean and efficient!"

Seeing Tong Guowei eagerly jump out to cut him off, Shen Ye laughed:

"Prime Minister Tong, haven't the imperial inspections been strict enough?"

"But look, isn't the Dengwen Drum still being pounded so loudly it shakes the heavens?"

"What does this show? It shows that our esteemed officials lack a certain degree of genuine reverence for the imperial laws and the imperial court!"

He waved his sleeve:

"Therefore, in order to ensure that all officials can examine their conscience, consider the consequences, and have more reverence before taking any action!"

"I have decided that the Bureau of Clean Governance and Uprightness will take the lead in establishing a 'Listening Group' by randomly selecting personnel from the Hanlin Academy, the Imperial Household Department, and the Censorate!" "The task of the Listening Group is to go to various places to listen to the opinions of officials and the people, and to collect the opinions of gentry and commoners on the government."

"The problems collected will be reported to the Integrity and Cleanliness Department, and then handled in a unified manner according to their respective jurisdictions."

The Listening Wind Group?!

Your Highness, you're really full of tricks! What are you up to this time?
The hearts of all the officials sank: The Crown Prince has put another tight rein on us!
Bigwigs like Tong Guowei aren't too afraid, but what about their subordinates?
Immediately, discussions arose throughout the imperial court.

"Your Highness, I believe it is inappropriate to establish the so-called Listening Wind Group at this time!"

Xu Chunping, the Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy, was the first to jump out.

With an air of righteous indignation, he said, "The imperial court already has the Censorate. The Listening Group set up by the Crown Prince has the same duties as it, which is a pure waste of manpower and resources!"

"I believe it is completely unnecessary!"

Shen Ye glanced at him casually: "Scholar Xu, I was just announcing a decision, not asking for your opinion."

"Furthermore, the Listening Wind Group is different from the Censorate!"

“The censors dispatched by the Censorate to various places are stationed there for a long time, while the Listening Team is only stationed there for a short period of time for inspection.”

"Furthermore, listening to all sides leads to clarity. The Listening Team only collects materials and does not make any decisions."

"So, don't confuse the two."

After speaking, Shen Ye didn't even glance at Xu Chunping's flushed face, and directly called out:
"Zhen Yan, you are in charge of the Feng Qing Qi Zheng Division. After court, draft a plan for listening to the winds."

"Send out the first Listening Team within five days!"

Zhen Yan thought his department was about to run out of work, but unexpectedly, today, a huge windfall fell from the sky!

The Listening Group, though nominally only "listening" and not "judging," can cause headaches for anyone, from the governor-general to the county magistrate, as long as they record something and pass it up.

Tong Guowei heard everything clearly from below, and his teeth ached. After much hesitation, he finally mustered the courage to step forward:
“Your Highness, I understand your original intention in establishing the Listening Wind Group. It is excellent, but... but there are over a thousand counties in the court. How can the court’s Listening Wind Group possibly cover them all?”

"I fear they'll run themselves ragged before they even hear the wind. Therefore, I urge Your Highness to reconsider establishing a Wind-Listening Group!"

Shen Ye seemed to have anticipated this, and said calmly:
"Prime Minister Tong is overthinking it! The imperial court's Listening Group only investigates government offices of officials of the third rank and above; this is called 'focusing on the big picture and letting the small ones go.' As for the prefectures and counties, the provincial governors and viceroys themselves will send people to take charge!"

"If a high-ranking official wants to understand the overall situation, he must have some informants, right? Otherwise, there will be a recurrence of the tragic situation where Shen Zhuowang had no way to seek justice."

Having said that, he turned his gaze to Chen Tingjing:
"Lord Chen, what's going on with your Censorate? You keep so many censors, claiming to be the emperor's eyes and ears."

"And what happened? With impaired hearing and eyesight, how could someone possibly make people cry all the way up to the petitioning drum?"

"You, the Left Censor-in-Chief, shouldn't you go back and think carefully about what exactly is wrong with the Censorate?"

Chen Tingjing felt a surge of anger rising within him:

Isn't the Crown Prince clearly trying to shut me up? But even though I understand, I can't say a word back.

Finally, he could only grit his teeth, cup his hands, and say, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty is terrified! I will definitely investigate thoroughly when I get back and find out exactly where the mistake was!"

"Hmm, good to know. The Censorate bears heavy responsibilities; you'd better take care of yourself." Shen Ye, satisfied with his warning, waved his hand dismissively. "Court adjourned!"

Wei Zhu shouted "Dismiss the court!" but all the civil and military officials looked solemn and none of them moved.

The Crown Prince abolished the "three-year retrospective investigation of public security," so they can be considered to have won this round.

But neither Tong Guowei nor any of the other officials could laugh.

Local officials, in particular, were filled with unease.

The Crown Prince's "Listening to the Wind" group may seem like they don't care about anything, but if they actually come, how could they not find some fault with them?

What if, by some accident, someone overhears your little secret... that would be a real problem!
"Tell me, aren't you just asking for trouble?" Yarjiang complained to Tong Guowei as he walked out.

The two were usually allies, but today's outcome has even made this prince and minister of the inner court uneasy.

If the investigation team finds his government office, his petty outrageous acts won't stand up to scrutiny!

Tong Guowei was also feeling aggrieved: not only had he lost a capable man, Ma Qi, but he had also ruined Zhang Ying's son's promising future.

Although he felt a little pleased to see Zhang Ying get the short end of the stick, overall, they didn't gain any advantage at all in this court assembly!

Ultimately, besides the fact that the Crown Prince was prepared in advance, wasn't it also because the Emperor was not around and no one could keep this man in check?

Your Majesty... when will you return? This old minister misses you!
Just then, someone said to Zhang Ying, "Lord Zhang, you must quickly submit a memorial to His Majesty regarding your son's matter!"

"His Majesty, mindful of your hard work and great contributions, will surely lift this restriction."

After a moment's hesitation, Tong Guowei stepped forward and said to Zhang Ying, "Prime Minister Zhang, if necessary, I am willing to submit a joint memorial with you."

Zhang Ying frowned: Of course he wanted his son to participate in the imperial examination, but this would have serious consequences!
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(End of this chapter)