Seriously speaking, Wang Ao and Chen Xun have actually been feuding for a long time.
You know, before Wang Ao parachuted into the cabinet, Chen Xun was the second assistant in the cabinet. The position of the first assistant was still uncertain. Many people felt that Chen Xun had hope of becoming the first assistant. During that time, including Chen Xun himself
, is also actively striving to show his edge in the court.
But later Wang Wen and Wang Ao returned from Liaodong. Wang Wen took over Wang Zhi's position as Minister of Civil Affairs, while Wang Ao became the chief minister as soon as he entered the cabinet. From this perspective, Wang Ao blocked Chen Xun.
road.
From then on, the two became even more contradictory.
In the cabinet at that time, Chen Xun and Gao Gu's family were the dominant ones. Although there was a tendency to fight against each other, Wang Ao's arrival united them again.
Although Wang Ao was single and weak, as the chief assistant, he naturally would not be manipulated by others. The two sides went back and forth and fought openly and secretly for a long time.
Numerous troubles arose during the period, the most typical of which were the two incidents in which the Shangqingliu collective was isolated by Jingyan Shishang, and Wang Ao later joined forces with the Ministry of Personnel to introduce cabinet ministers.
The two sides were almost at loggerheads. In the end, the emperor personally came forward to mediate. On the one hand, he approved Wang Ao's memorial recommending cabinet ministers, and on the other hand, he ordered Chen Xun to be promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Industry. This turmoil finally subsided.
However, although things are calm on the surface, the differences between the two sides are definitely forged.
Of course, when they are at this point, personal grudges are certainly on one side, but there must be deeper reasons for the two sides to fight.
The reason is that from the beginning, Wang Ao and Chen Xun had constant conflicts. They seemed to be competing for control of the cabinet, but in reality, they were competing for control of Qingliu.
After all, the nature of the cabinet was special. At that time, the emperor's momentum to suppress Qingliu was not yet obvious. The Hanlin Qingliu Hua Xuan election made it especially convenient to transfer the cabinet.
As the chief assistant, Wang Ao will inevitably be gradually ignored if he cannot expand his influence in Qingliu.
But with his status, to occupy a place in Qingliu is equivalent to competing with Chen Xun and Gao Gu for position.
This is basically an irreconcilable conflict, so both sides dislike each other.
Of course, this contradiction was gradually diluted as the emperor broke the convention and promoted Xiao Tan, who was not from the Qingliu cabinet and had no close relationship with Wang Ao, to a Hanlin scholar.
However, downplaying does not mean disappearing. Although Wang Ao and Chen Xun rarely quarreled on weekdays, so many people have forgotten that such a fierce conflict had occurred between them, Wang Ao has never forgotten it.
Therefore, he has always been wary of Jiang Yuan's surrender.
Especially when it came to the palace examination, he was always uneasy. However, it was a pity that, like Xiao Wei, Wang Ao could not withstand the temptation of interests and let Jiang Yuan go.
In fact, after the emperor's thunderous anger, Wang Ao realized that he might have made a big mistake, so he has always been worried about it.
However, this day finally came.
With his eyes fixed on Chen Xun, Wang Ao's face turned gloomy.
As expected, these people from a clean background are very good at political warfare.
The current situation is already very clear. Chen Xun probably spent more than a day or two preparing for this morning's court appearance.
From the time he let Dali Temple seize the power of the chief judge, to his falling out with Jiang Yuan at the court meeting and alienating himself, and then to trying to challenge him face to face again and again.
This old guy is indeed very scheming...
In this current situation, even if Wang Ao sees everything clearly, he can only protect himself first.
He knew that Chen Xun was behind this incident, but he knew even more clearly that the other party had already taken advantage of him.
Regardless of whether he could save himself in this court meeting, he had already lost.
Because he knew who was plotting against him, but he couldn't fight back.
Chen Xun and Jiang Yuan had a falling out before. No matter what, he couldn't get involved with Chen Xun. All he could do now was to protect himself.
But looking back at Chen Xun, no matter whether Jiang Yuan can defeat Wang Ao in the end, he is still invincible.
What a good idea!
With a sneer in his heart, Wang Ao took a long breath.
He remembered today's great gift.
Since Chen Xun can take such a long time to plan, why should he rush at this moment?
Moving his eyes away from Chen Xun and onto Jiang Yuan, a trace of pity flashed across Wang Ao's face. He really couldn't figure out this Jiang Yuan.
No wonder he was regarded as an outcast by Chen Xun early on.
In front of everyone, facing Jiang Yuan's accusation, Wang Ao, except for a slight change in his face, made no move, as if Jiang Yuan was not talking about him.
Until a moment later, the emperor asked,
"Chief Assistant, Jiang Yuan said that you were the mastermind behind the imperial examination fraud case. What do you have to say about this?"
The calm tone of this question seemed to be no different from the tone when he asked Jiang Yuan just now.
However, Wang Ao's reaction was completely different from that of the confused Jiang Yuan. He looked calm and took a step forward.
"Your Majesty, what Jiang Yuan said is just that trapped animals still fight and bite you randomly."
"It is a common practice to recommend cabinet ministers as examiners for imperial examinations. I have not exceeded the rules. After the imperial examination fraud case, it is an urgent matter for the Hanlin Academy to select common people. I recommend Jiang Yuan in accordance with your majesty's will. I believe that Jiang Yuan is pure and diligent.
, has always had no bad record, and as for the fact that I finally took charge of the affairs of the Hanlin Academy temporarily, I did not ask His Majesty for it."
"I don't know why Jiang Yuan wants to accuse me, but the imperial examination case has nothing to do with me. Please tell me clearly!"
After all, as the chief minister of the cabinet, Wang Ao also has his own determination.
Before Chen Xun made his move, he would feel uneasy, but in fact, after the other party made his move, he calmed down.
He is not a clean figure like Jiang Yuan, who regards his reputation as his life.
The reason why Wang Ao was able to become the chief minister of the cabinet was not because of his connections or qualifications, but because he actually guarded the border with a sword. He went to Liaodong with Wang Wen as an envoy and persuaded Totuo Buhua to withdraw his troops, which established a turning point in the entire War in Oara.
If you want to bring him down, just rely on Jiang Yuan's heart-breaking words without any evidence?
Too naive!
Chen Xun did not want to go into battle himself, but wanted to design a plan to push Jiang Yuan to a dead end. This was because he was not absolutely sure.
Therefore, in the entire chess game, Jiang Yuan is the only abandoned piece.
Why did Chen Xun plan to deal with Wang Ao for so long, but on the other hand, was Wang Ao really unprepared?
There is no strong argument in these words. The core meaning is just one sentence... This matter has nothing to do with me!
But on the contrary, this attitude made the officials become hesitant and began to wonder if Jiang Yuan was struggling to death and biting randomly...
Seeing this situation, Jiang Yuan was also a little flustered.
He knew very well that his accusation was actually, as Wang Ao said, an attempt to bite. In this case, the more intense Wang Ao's reaction was, the more guilty he appeared to be, but the calmer he was, the more Jiang Yuan appeared.
Like a clown.
However, at this point, he had no other choice but to bite Wang Ao tightly, and with a sudden change of heart, Jiang Yuan said.
"Your Majesty, it is true that I am obsessed with the palace examination case. However, how can an ordinary minister have the guts to deceive the emperor?"
"Without the hint from the Chief Assistant, I would definitely not dare to do this. Please give me a clear warning, Your Majesty!"
This is heartbreaking!
There is no evidence, only inference, and the purpose is to stir up doubt in everyone's mind.
However, this method is not really difficult for Wang Ao to deal with.
Of course, facing Jiang Yuan's continuous attacks, Wang Ao obviously could no longer cope with the attitude just now, so he turned to Jiang Yuan and asked.
"Mr. Jiangge, I kept saying that I was the one who suggested that you cheated in the palace examination. So I want to ask you, why did you listen to what I said?"
"Your Majesty has already said that there are no superiors or subordinates in the cabinet. They are all auxiliary ministers. The first and second auxiliaries are called assistants, but they have different powers. Since you know that I have the intention to manipulate the palace examination for personal gain, why didn't you tell your majesty?"
"This... this is of course because you control the cabinet and use your vote-sharing power to restrict me, so I..."
Jiang Yuan's forehead was constantly sweating, and his speech was a little incoherent.
Of course he could hear the purpose of Wang Ao's words, because the real answers to these two questions were very simple.
That is because Jiang Yuan himself wanted to expand his power and get the job of being the director of the Hanlin Academy.
But can this be said?
Of course not!
Once he admitted this, he became a complete villain in the eyes of the courtiers.
Now he has no evidence. If the officials have such an impression on him, then his accusation will naturally lose any credibility.
Therefore, he could only come up with this excuse, but the problem is that only the truth is impeccable, and as long as it is a lie, there will inevitably be flaws.
Before Jiang Yuan could finish speaking, Wang Ao snorted coldly, interrupted him, and said.
"What Mr. Jiang Ge means is that in the cabinet, I already have the power to control the sky with one hand and have unparalleled power. Can I order the cabinet ministers at will? Just with the mere power of voting?"
Jiang Yuan was speechless after asking in one sentence.
After saying that sentence just now, he also realized the problem.
It is true that the right to split votes is unique to the chief minister, but to say that he can completely control the cabinet with this point is to underestimate the institutional role of the cabinet.
Different from other yamen, the cabinet ministers are independent and have the power to vote independently, submit memorials independently, and even draft imperial edicts independently in accordance with the superior's wishes.
The right to split votes can only determine what matters they deal with on a daily basis, and it is impossible to pose a substantial threat to a cabinet minister.
Seeing Jiang Yuan speechless, Wang Ao shook his head and ignored him. He turned around and wanted to finalize the matter. However, as soon as he turned around and before he could speak, he heard a voice coming from behind him.
"Lord Chief Assistant, isn't there any?"
As soon as this voice came out, it immediately caused a wave of waves in the court. Obviously, many ministers were also very surprised by his appearance.
Wang Ao frowned and turned to look at the person who spoke, feeling awe-inspiring in his heart.
"Your Majesty, I am impeaching Wang Ao, the chief minister of the cabinet. He bullied ministers and abused his power. As a minister of the cabinet, he did not know how to maintain peace both internally and externally. Instead, he repeatedly stirred up conflicts in the court. He has failed your majesty's great trust. I sincerely ask your majesty to choose another good minister to take charge of the chief minister.
position!"
The ministers looked at the minister who had been silent for a long time in the court with different expressions.
Zhu Jian!
No one thought that he would intervene at this moment...
Wang Ao stared at Zhu Jian closely, and then he looked at Chen Xun and Du Ning who were standing aside. Seeing that they didn't look surprised, he knew that he had underestimated the leader of Qingliu.
Since he chose to launch an attack today, how could he only rely on Jiang Yuan?
"Your Majesty clearly knows that the cabinet has been formulated for a long time, and each minister has the right to vote to prevent tyranny. However, since Wang Ao became the chief minister, he has used the name of cabinet council to take charge of major affairs inside and outside the court, even though he is called cabinet minister.
However, in fact, the power of the cabinet ministers to vote for it has been stolen. This is one of them."
"After joining the cabinet, Wang Ao did not think of serving the country with all his loyalty. Instead, he formed cliques and eliminated dissidents. He had many conflicts with Chen Xun, his former assistant, and Gao Gu, his former cabinet minister. Jiang Ge Lao, Zhang Ge Lao and other ministers entered the cabinet.
After becoming a cabinet minister, he used his power to split votes to divide and suppress."
"Anyone who agrees with Wang Ao at the cabinet meeting will get the key government affairs of the court when the votes are divided. Anyone who disagrees with them will be left out in the cold. This status quo will not last forever."
"All the ministers in the current cabinet are as afraid of the king as a tiger. This generation only knows how to wield power. How can it be called the chief minister? Your Majesty, please tell me clearly!"
As soon as these words came out, all the ministers present immediately started talking.
Even Wang Ao clenched his fists!
So, is this the real killing move?
Unlike Jiang Yuan, Wang Ao did not really intervene in the palace examination case. Although Wang Ao finally got the power to take charge of the Hanlin Academy, as Wang Ao himself said, this job was given to him by the emperor.
Yes, he didn't ask for it himself.
If we follow the normal steps, Jiang Yuan should be the one who wins in the end.
Therefore, it is not particularly difficult for Wang Ao to clear himself of suspicion in the imperial examination case.
However, who would have thought that Chen Xun's real plot against him was not to manipulate the imperial examination, but to suppress ministers, control the cabinet, and monopolize power.
After all, Wang Ao is the chief minister of the cabinet. The former's crime is too big. Jiang Yuan accuses him in this situation without any evidence, which is really unconvincing. All he hopes is that the emperor can be suspicious, so Wang Ao has been
All calm.
However, now that Zhu Jian has stepped forward, the situation has immediately changed.
In the palace examination case, even if Jiang Yuan's accusations were proven, Wang Ao only hinted that who was really responsible needs to be discussed. What's more, under the current circumstances, it is simply not true.
However, Zhu Jian's impeachment was different.
Not all of what he said was true, but at least it was true and false.
Wang Ao never thought of deliberately squeezing out cabinet ministers, but there is no doubt that as the chief minister, he was promoted directly from the local government and entered the cabinet directly. In order to maintain his authority, he must use some means.
Cabinet meetings are his most important means of controlling the cabinet!
Now, Zhu Jian insists that he has seized the voting rights from other cabinet ministers through cabinet discussions. He cannot be right, but he cannot be wrong either.
In addition, the previous fights between him and Chen Xun, Gao Gu and others were indeed very loud.
More importantly, although he did not deliberately suppress his cabinet ministers, sometimes it was inevitable to do something to smooth things over.
Just like Zhu Jian who is standing up now, he failed in the previous fight with Yu Shiyue. It is not an exaggeration to say that everyone in the cabinet was ostracized even though everyone shouted for beatings.
Under such circumstances, it is definitely impossible for Wang Ao to get close to him, so it is not surprising that he would use his vote-sharing power to sideline him.
However, under the current situation, his previous actions have turned into examples for Zhu Jian to impeach him!