From Xuanfu to Beijing, the 800-mile journey can only take one day, but Hu Hui and others are going to deliver the decree and are not in a hurry. Besides, Mr. Hu is old and cannot withstand the bumps, so he takes his time. After walking for three days, we arrived at Xuanfu and stayed for most of the day. Then we packed up and headed back. We walked for another three or four days, and seven days passed in a flash.
In these seven days, the capital has been transformed!
The reason is none other than the "Invitation for the Prince to Leave the Cabinet" written by Shen Jing, the head of the Ministry of War.
The Crown Prince of the East Palace has always been regarded as the foundation of the country, and anything involving the Crown Prince is not a trivial matter. What's more, this memorial was written by Shen Jing, who was personally promoted by Wang Wen, the Minister of Civil Affairs.
The matter was so important that the cabinet did not dare to take charge. On the day after receiving the memorial, the first assistant Wang Ao and the second assistant Yu Shiyue went to the palace hand in hand to present themselves to the emperor.
As for the emperor’s attitude, of course...
Discuss with the court!
On this day, the sky was dim and the cold wind was howling.
It's been dry and cold in the capital this year. At this time last year, it had already snowed twice, but this year, there has been no rain.
Early in the morning, the elders got off the warm sedan at the palace gate and immediately put their hands in their sleeves.
The sky was getting brighter, the sun was rising, and the heavy palace door was slowly pushed open.
Go to the Imperial Palace of Wenhua and discuss with hundreds of officials!
After everyone had finished their salutes, a young official in a green robe and a plump figure slowly walked out from the end of the hall.
Shen Jing was born as a Jinshi in the first year of Zhengtong. He was a county magistrate at first. He was strong-willed and strict in conduct. Later, he was recommended by Wang Wen, the censor of Youdu, who patrolled Shaanxi Province. He transferred to the imperial court and became the censor in charge.
In the twelfth year, he patrolled Zhejiang and the civilians were in chaos. He was recommended by Wang Wen again and transferred to the Ministry of War as the sixth-rank chief.
In the fourteenth year of the civil war, hundreds of officials were in trouble. Wang Wen was recalled to the capital and took charge of the Ministry of Personnel. Shen Jing was transferred to the Ministry of Personnel, where he was assigned the position of a doctor.
There are four major Qing officials divisions under the Ministry of Personnel: literary selection, seal inspection, merit examination, and merit examination.
The Wenxuan Department is responsible for the promotion and transfer of officials, and has the most power. The second is the Examination Department, which is responsible for the examination and removal of officials.
Each of the four major officials of the Qing Dynasty has one of the fifth-rank officials, one of the fifth-rank ministers and one of the sixth-rank officials.
In the first year of Jingtai, the Ministry of Personnel launched an inspection in Beijing to conduct a major examination of officials. The person who assisted the Prime Minister in the inspection of Beijing was Shen Jing from the Examination Department of the Ministry of Personnel.
After the imperial examination was over, Shen Jing was promoted to the position of Yuan Wai Lang of the Examination Department due to his merit, and he was still in charge of the affairs of the doctor.
Nowadays, the Wenxuan Department, the Conferment Examination Department, and the Examination Department all have their own doctors. Only in the Examination Department, Shen Jing still acts as a Yuanwailang, which shows Wang Wen's preference for him.
Therefore, the political signal he conveyed during this meeting has to be thought-provoking.
Under the gaze of all the officials, Shen Jing stepped forward, stood steadily in the hall, took out the memorial that had been prepared from his sleeve, and said.
"The ministers, Shen Jingqi, reported to your majesty, please allow the East Palace to leave the cabinet."
The content of the memorial has already been disclosed to all the yamen, so all the elders in the palace are aware of it. At this moment, Shen Jing reads it again, firstly to warm up the atmosphere, and secondly to give everyone a time to sort out their thoughts.
"I heard that the Queen Mother wishes to educate the prince. Since ancient times, young children should be taught by famous teachers. The East Palace is the foundation of the country, so it should be even more important."
"It was too late for the Supreme Emperor's enlightenment. The former emperor entrusted Wang Zhen with several court affairs. He has been with him since childhood, both as a teacher and as a friend. In the end, it became a disaster. I stole it and thought it was a treasure in the East Palace. Don't be careless. Wang Zhen's disaster seal will be seen again. The prince grew up in the deep palace. , Listening to eunuchs is actually the way to get into trouble."
"The Holy Mother wanted to educate the prince, so His Majesty appointed the prince's Third Master and Third Young Master to protect the East Palace with his wings. This shows that Heaven's heart is safe and he attaches great importance to the treasure of the East Palace."
"The sage said that when heaven is about to give a great responsibility to this person, he must first work hard for his mind and body. The prince is important to the country, so he should study diligently. Donggong is still young, so Zhan Shifu can postpone it, but the education of Donggong cannot be ignored. More It cannot be entrusted to eunuchs."
"I have the courage to advise Your Majesty that you should use the Hanlin Academy and the cabinet's bachelors as lecturers to teach the prince. He has studied in the Imperial Academy and left the cabinet, and gradually learned government affairs. Only in this way can all the people of the world feel at ease."
The memorial is not long, but Shen Jing used a big killer weapon in this memorial, that is, the Supreme Emperor!
Everyone knows that Wang Zhenlai is in charge of the Emperor's education.
This person was originally a scholar who had failed many times. He taught in a private school for several years, and then through connections, he became an instructor at the county school. After staying for a few years, he decided to enter the palace and become a scholar. eunuch.
It should be said that although Wang Zhen's talent is not very good when it comes to scientific examinations, he is extremely good at observing people's emotions and thinking carefully.
Therefore, after entering the palace, he quickly gained the favor of the late emperor. Later, he was appointed as the bureau chief of the East Palace, responsible for serving the prince.
At that time, Dong Gong was still young and the late emperor was busy with work. Knowing that Wang Zhen had served as a county school instructor, he ordered him to be responsible for taking the prince to study and literacy.
Because of this, Wang Zhen was half a teacher to the Supreme Emperor.
Even though he was a eunuch, and strictly speaking, he did not really teach the Supreme Emperor about political affairs, but in private, the Supreme Emperor still insisted on calling Wang Zhen "sir".
Especially after the death of Empress Dowager Zhang, the Emperor did not shy away from this even in public.
The source of all this is because Wang Zhen has not only been a companion to the Supreme Emperor since childhood, but also can be regarded as the Supreme Emperor's teacher.
The courtiers can't control the former, because no matter what, the prince always needs someone to serve him, but the latter can be discussed!
Shen Jing's point of view is that in order to avoid the recurrence of Wang Zhen's disaster, from the beginning, the Imperial Academy and the cabinet bachelors should be responsible for educating the prince.
This view is supported by many people in the DPRK. After all, Wang Zhen’s shadow on everyone is indeed too deep.
However, it is not without its opponents!
After Shen Jing finished speaking, Dong Yi, a doctor in the Ceremony Department of the Ministry of Etiquette, came out and said.
"Your Majesty, I think it is inappropriate. The appointment of a cabinet in the East Palace is a major national event. In the old imperial system, the appointment of cabinets to open a government and the preparation of bureaucrats are closely related. Now Lord Shen invites a cabinet to leave the cabinet without preparing a government, which is against the etiquette system."
The appointment of a cabinet in the East Palace is an event of extremely strong political significance.
The reason is that leaving the palace to study means that the prince has to leave the harem and move into his own palace, which is the so-called East Palace.
The East Palace does not just mean moving to another place. As the residence of the prince, it not only has geographical significance, but also political significance.
Under the East Palace, there is a Zhan Shifu and a left and right Chunfang to assist the prince.
If we say that the Crown Prince's Third Master and the Crown Prince's Third Young Master are empty titles, they are more of a deterrent force. They are responsible for setting an example and guiding the Crown Prince on the right path, but they do not actually do specific things.
Then, Zhan Shifu and Zuo Chunfang are the political forces that truly belong to the prince. Their official offices are located next to the East Palace, and they will basically participate in all daily affairs.
From the perspective of etiquette, leaving the cabinet means establishing the East Palace, and the establishment of the East Palace itself includes Zhan Shifu and Youchunfang.
Therefore, Dong Yi, who was specifically responsible for the etiquette affairs of the Ministry of Rites, said that leaving the cabinet without preparing the government was an act that violated the etiquette system.
However, this was not a particularly tenable reason in the first place. After the words fell, Hanlin scholar Xiao Tan stood up and retorted.
"Leaving the cabinet without preparing a government is just a temporary measure. It is to cope with the opening of the East Palace, fearing that Wang Zhen will happen again. The prince is still young. If the appointment of officials is carried out according to the old method, the prince will not intervene in government affairs. It is just an empty title. In fact, it will be a waste of the court.
Manpower and material resources.”
There is no doubt that the Hanlin Academy and the cabinet will benefit the most from Shen Jing's proposal.
After all, although Wang Zhen was a disaster, it can also be seen that Master Meng has influence on the East Palace. If this influence is his own, it will definitely be a great good thing.
The cabinet holds an important position, and those currently speaking out for discussion are basically ministers from various ministries. Therefore, it is not appropriate for them, the bachelors, to end directly. It is most appropriate for the Hanlin Academy, which is noble but does not have much real power, to speak up.
And, more importantly, the best quality of Xiao Tan is that he is not greedy.
You must know that a large part of the appointments of Zhan Shifu and Zuo Chunfang are selected from the Hanlin Academy.
After all, all officials in the imperial court have their own responsibilities. Transferring too many people to the East Palace at once may cause chaos in government affairs.
However, the Hanlin Academy is different. It is a reserve place for officials. There are many Hanlins who are waiting for election. Moreover, because they have not really entered the court, their wealth is clean and there are not so many messy background relationships.
Therefore, generally speaking, the Hanlin Academy is the best choice for officials in the East Palace.
From this perspective, Xiao Tan should actually agree with Dong Yi.
But, he is not greedy!
Behind Shen Jing was Wang Wen, and behind Wang Wen was the Emperor. This was the same in Xiao Tan's mind as in Ming Jing's mind.
Nowadays, the relationship between the Tian family is very delicate, and the matter of the prince leaving the cabinet to prepare for an official position is even more sensitive.
Xiao Ban didn't know why the emperor chose to let Shen Jing take the lead at this time, but he knew that he wanted what he should get and don't get what he shouldn't.
Dong Yi thought for a moment and then retreated.
He is just a small fifth-grade doctor, and there is no need to compete with a Hanlin bachelor. Both of them are experts in etiquette. If we really want to argue, no one may be able to compete with the other.
What's more, Dong Yi didn't really intend to stop it. Such a big matter was something that he, a young doctor, could not decide. It was just out of duty that he had to say it.
With Xiao Tan's fate, this discussion was naturally elevated to the level of a minister.
After Dong Yi stepped down, the next person to step forward was Wang Yining, the Minister of Rites.
It's pitiful to say that the Ministry of Rites originally had the most complete system, with four doctors, two ministers, and a minister all in sufficient supply.
However, Li Xian was sent to greet the Emperor, Hu Hu was sent to greet the Emperor, Wang Yining...
He was left to preside over the daily affairs of the Ceremony Department.
The prince's leaving the palace was a grand ceremony, and Wang Yining couldn't hide even if he wanted to.
Otherwise, not to mention whether the old minister will blame him when he comes back, immediately after he goes to court, a censor will refer to him and say that his corpse is a vegetarian.
"Your Majesty, the prince's appointment is not a small matter. Immediately after the emperor returns to the court, the Ministry of Rites will have a big ceremony. After this year, it will be spring, which is also an important ceremony of the country. These important events cannot be ignored. The prince is still young at the moment, and there is a virgin in the palace.
The Empress Dowager taught me that I might as well postpone the matter of leaving the cabinet, but in my humble opinion, Your Majesty, please think again."
This seems very difficult to say, but in fact it is just that.
Who would have thought that the reason given by the dignified Minister of Etiquette was not that there was a problem with the etiquette system, but that the Etiquette Department was too busy?!
Moreover, some people echoed...
After Wang Yining finished speaking, Meng Jian, the Minister of Household Affairs, stood up reluctantly under the threat of his own minister's eyes and said.
"Your Majesty, I think what Wang Shilang said is true. The Ministry of Rites is organizing a lot of ceremonies this year. There will be spring next year, and each of them is a major event that costs money. What's more, the Ministry of Household Affairs has just allocated money to repair canals this year.
The rebellion in Miaoland has just been put down, so the subsequent rewards will also cost a lot of money."
"At this time, it is really difficult for the Ministry of Household Affairs to handle the ceremony for the prince to leave the cabinet. Your Majesty, you might as well postpone it for a year or two, and wait until the treasury is more abundant, then it will not be too late for the prince to leave the cabinet."
Well, the ministers thought that this Minister Meng had something new to say, but in the end, it was still the eternal theme of the Ministry of Finance.
Cry poor!
Anyway, when it comes to spending money, the Ministry of Revenue does not support it. Everyone is used to it, but in fact it is of no use. You still have to spend it.
The master on the throne really wants to spend money. Not even your minister, let alone a minister, can stop him...
After Meng Jian finished speaking, he waited for someone to refute or agree with him.
However, the court hall suddenly became quiet.
This made Meng Shilang feel a little embarrassed. Fortunately, this embarrassment did not last long. His Lord Shangshu quickly stepped forward to relieve him, saying.
"Your Majesty, the prince's appointment is both a state and family matter. In addition, the prince is young and weak, and it is difficult to support large-scale ceremonies. Therefore, I think that if it must be done, we might as well reduce the size of the Ministry of Rites and have it jointly financed by the national treasury and the internal treasury. Silver, complete the ceremony."
This sentence almost made Zhu Qiyu laugh angrily...
Well, as the Minister of Revenue, he really never misses any opportunity to ask for money.
However, Shen Yi's appearance actually announced that the court discussion had come to an end.
Ministers at the ministerial level do not express their opinions easily, but once they express their opinions, it is basically the final vote.
So, Zhu Qiyu asked.
"What do the gentlemen of the cabinet mean?"
During these days, Wang Ao's presence in the court was not high. After hearing this, he still maintained a calm expression and said.
"Reporting to your majesty, this matter involves the ministers of the cabinet, and it is not for the ministers to speak out. However, since your majesty asked, I have to answer. I think that the prince should not grow up in the palace and listen to the eunuchs."
"At the time of Taizu, Prince Yiwen traveled to various places and was known as a virtuous man. Taizong succeeded to the throne and conquered Mobei many times. The East Palace also supervised the country's administration. Needless to say, the late emperor grew up in the army and followed Emperor Taizong. Running around."
"The reason why the previous emperors of the Ming Dynasty were wise, powerful, and virtuous in all directions was all because when they were in hiding, they understood the people's sentiments, got involved in political affairs early, and were not confined to the deep palace."
"But the Supreme Emperor has been growing up in the palace since he was a child. He has never had the opportunity to travel around the world. As a result, the civil war caused great damage to the court and the turmoil of the country. Now that the young people in the East Palace are young, they cannot repeat the same mistakes. They should be taught from an early age to have the upper body and heavenly mind. , I’m going down to check on the people, this minister has a foolish opinion.”
These words were spoken openly, secretly, and even insulted the Emperor.
However, no one raised any objections throughout the court.
So, the emperor waited for a while and saw that the other ministers did not speak, so he said:
"In that case, let's start making arrangements for the appointment of a cabinet in the East Palace. The Hanlin Academy will work with the cabinet to select a list of tutors for the prince's enlightenment. The Ministry of Etiquette will do the hard work and draw up a ritual note. The Ministry of Household..."
The ministers clearly saw that the emperor's face was slightly helpless, he paused, and then said.
"It's not easy for the Ministry of Household Affairs either. All the expenses for the prince to leave the cabinet come from the inner treasury."
After the words fell, Shen Shangshu was overjoyed and bowed his head.
"Your Majesty, Holy Ming!"
With such a Qi Qing in the lead, a look of helplessness flashed across the faces of the other ministers, and they had no choice but to bow their heads.
"I obey the order..."
This chapter has been completed!