Zhu Qiyu, who was sitting on the throne, could naturally see the changes in the expressions of the ministers below.
He even saw clearly the subtle dispute between the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
The palace examination case involved a huge amount of money, and everyone wanted to profit from it. Dali Temple, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Personnel, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and even the cabinet all had their own agenda.
In addition, it is also related to the status of Qingliu, the clarification of the court atmosphere, and the stability of the political situation.
It can be said that as the emperor, Zhu Qiyu had much more concerns than the ministers below him.
But no matter what, things must be understood.
Looking at Chen Yi's heavy expression, Zhu Qiyu sighed. Immediately, he made a decision in his heart. After pondering for a moment, he continued to speak.
"The Imperial Examination case can be called the first case of imperial examination fraud in this dynasty since the Northern and Southern Examination Cases!"
"The assistant ministers of the cabinet colluded with the Imperial Academy scholars as the main conspirators. The other reviewers knew clearly that the violation was violated, but they still remained silent and regarded the country as if it were nothing."
"The atmosphere in the court is like this, which really makes me sad."
"In this matter, the Procuratorate is responsible for improper supervision, and the Ministry of Personnel is responsible for improper selection and unclear identification of people. They should be punished. Chen Yi, the censor of Zuodu, was fined half a year's salary, and Wang Wen, Shangshu of the Ministry of Personnel, was fined three months' salary.
As a punishment."
What most of the courtiers did not expect was that the emperor abandoned the half-finished palace examination and did not continue to talk about it. Instead, he took charge of the Ministry of Personnel and the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
To put it bluntly, the two old men were vying to admit their mistakes. Now, they were punished.
However, what surprised them was that although Wang Tianguan was punished more lightly, he seemed to be even more aggrieved. He glared at Chen Yi fiercely, and then the two of them stepped forward.
"I accept the order and thank you!"
At the same time, a group of big guys stared intently, but a strange color flashed in their eyes, as if they were remembering something...
Then, after the two men retreated, the emperor continued to speak without much hesitation.
"As for the remaining eight file readers, although they are not the main culprits, they are still guilty of dereliction of duty. Considering that they did not do it deliberately and there were no mistakes or omissions in the past, I will be lenient to them, but they must not be punished without punishment."
"The decree is passed that the cabinet ministers Zhu Jian and Prince Zhang will be removed from their titles as Shaoshi and Zhang Min. Their posts will remain unchanged and they will be demoted to the first rank. Their salary will be regarded as the third rank and they will still be dispatched by the cabinet. The rest of the file readers will also be demoted.
First class, he will not be promoted or transferred within three years to see the consequences. If he commits the crime again, he will be dealt with severely!"
Ah this...
A group of courtiers present were stunned. They did not expect that the emperor would deal with it this way, because there was really no such precedent before.
But after thinking about it, they finally understood.
The case this time involves too much. If the emperor really deals with it seriously, then there will probably be a vacuum in the entire court.
But it would be inappropriate not to dispose of it, so I could only think of a compromise.
Such a handling would not only teach these ministers a lesson, but also maintain the stability of the government and avoid causing problems in the operation of government affairs. It can be regarded as a method that has the best of both worlds.
However, many people still secretly feel a little regretful. After all, although the possibility is very small, if the emperor is really angry this time and demotes or even removes these ministers, then the vacant seats will be
A large number...
But now it seems that it may not be possible!
But no matter what, this matter has finally settled.
All the ministers present breathed a sigh of relief silently, feeling a little sore in their brains. What happened today was too twists and turns, and it was inevitable that they would have to review it carefully after they go back.
Logically speaking, what was discussed in the court today was the imperial examination fraud case. Now that this case has been resolved, it is time for the court to disperse.
However, the emperor unexpectedly mentioned another matter.
"You have worked hard at Dali Temple for a long time, but it can be considered a meritorious service. Du Siqing, Xiao Ban has now been dismissed from office and returned to his hometown. The post of Hanlin bachelor is vacant. Are you willing to take over?"
???
Du Ning looked at the emperor's gentle face and couldn't help but feel a little dazed.
What does this mean?
Not only Du Ning, but also other ministers were also very surprised.
Indeed, now that Xiao Tan has been officially dismissed from office and Wang Ao has handed over the errand of the Hanlin Academy, the imperial court must select an effective minister to take charge of the Hanlin Academy as soon as possible.
Du Ning comes from a clean background, has a good reputation, and has sufficient qualifications. In addition, he has handled such a case today. In theory, there is no problem for him to take over as Hanlin bachelor.
However, this is only theoretically speaking. If the emperor didn't ask, Du Ning would have a good chance of competing for this position. But when the emperor asked, people couldn't help but think too much.
Who is the emperor? The emperor who speaks the constitution and speaks the law!
His old man asked Du Ning to be transferred to the Hanlin Academy. It was a sign of God's grace. How had he ever heard that the emperor's order was still discussed?
So, the emperor doesn’t want Du Ning to take over?
The ministers below were speculating one after another, and all their eyes were turned to Du Ning.
At this moment, Du Ning's expression was also very complicated.
To answer or not to answer?
For him, the position of Hanlin Bachelor has extraordinary significance. It can be said that it entrusts his ideals since he entered the officialdom.
At first, he was almost dragged in by Jiang Yuan because of his position as Hanlin bachelor.
Although later, with Chen Xun's reminder, he finally saw through Jiang Yuan's sinister intentions, his desire for a Hanlin bachelor's degree did not weaken at all.
However, compared to Jiang Yuan, Du Ning can still maintain his integrity and will not engage in such behind-the-scenes tactics.
However, because of this, this opportunity is even more precious to him.
Now that the emperor has opened his mouth, it means that in a sense, the decision-making power is now in the hands of Du Ning.
No matter what the emperor's intention was for asking, as long as Du Ning spoke and followed up, then, under the current situation, it would be difficult for the emperor to refuse.
But if you miss this opportunity, it will not be easy to seek the position of Hanlin Bachelor.
You must know that with Xiao Tan, if there is another problem with the Hanlin bachelor in a short period of time, the court's face and the emperor's face will be lost.
Therefore, at this moment, Du Ning was struggling in his heart.
He looked up at his teacher Chen Xun, hoping to get some advice from him, but unfortunately, Chen Xun stood there, like a clay or wood sculpture, with no expression on his face.
So, after struggling for a moment, Du Ning sighed softly and stepped forward.
"Your Majesty has clearly learned that I have little talent and virtue, and I have been ordered by Your Majesty to personally review the palace examination case. Now that Bachelor Xiao has been dismissed from office and returned to his hometown, if I take over as a Hanlin bachelor, I may cause criticism from both the government and the public."
"Therefore, I ask Your Majesty to be considerate and select another worthy minister to be in charge of the Hanlin Academy."
After all, Du Ning was not a hesitant person. After making up his mind, his attitude became firm.
As soon as he opened his mouth, the reasons he gave were real. It was obvious that he was really refusing, not a false resignation.
Although many people had expected it, Du Ning's resolute attitude still aroused a low level of discussion in the court.
However, for Du Ning, after saying these words, not only did he not feel as regretful as he imagined, but he felt as if he had lost some baggage and felt a little relieved.
Moreover, I don't know if it was an illusion, but Du Ning always had a feeling that after he said these words, the emperor looked at him with a more approving look.
After pausing for a moment, the emperor glanced downwards, seeming to hesitate, and said.
"It is a good thing that the Qing family has this intention. However, everything in the court is complicated. Since the Qing family is the pillar of the family, we should not avoid it."
"A few days ago, I just received a memorial. Jin Shangshu encountered many difficulties in reorganizing the military settlements at the border. We need a capable minister to assist."
"I wonder if you would like to go to Du Qing's house?"
Asking again this time, it is obviously different from just now.
If there was a bit of temptation just now, then this time, it obviously has the smell of "entrusting an important task".
The rectification of the military garrison has been a major issue of the imperial court in recent times. For this matter, the emperor has put in countless efforts and even sent two ministers, Jin Lian and Yu Qian, who are at the level of six ministers, to directly go to the local areas to preside over one in the south and one in the north. This shows how powerful the emperor is.
Take this matter seriously.
At this time, letting Du Ning go to assist Jin Lian at least proved that in the heart of the emperor, Du Ning was already a minister who could be reused.
But anyone with a wink will no longer do what he wants at this time.
Du Ning is not stupid, so he naturally knows how to express his position now.
"Your Majesty has an order, and the court has an entrustment. I shall go through fire and water, even if I die!"
Seeing Du Ning's vow, the emperor did not continue to say more, but said.
"Du Qing is so courageous. However, even so, the position of Hanlin bachelor cannot be left for a long time. Do you have any recommendations for me?"
Although he was asking the ministers, intentionally or unintentionally, the emperor's eyes fell on Chen Xun.
Seeing this situation, Wang Tianguan curled his lips, but he didn't say anything.
At the same time, Chen Xun frowned slightly, as if he was thinking about something. After a while, he spoke.
"Your Majesty, I have a candidate who can take up this position!"
"who?"
The emperor's voice was calm and he asked questions.
While the officials were watching, Chen Xun said calmly.
"Yi Ming, the governor of Gansu Province, has both political integrity and talent, and outstanding literary talent. This time, the imperial court organized the army. Yi Ming has made great achievements. He also served as a bachelor at the Hanlin Academy and is familiar with the situation of the Hanlin Academy. Yi Ming came to take charge of the Hanlin Academy.
It’s most appropriate!”
Hearing this name, many ministers who have recently been promoted from local areas are a little unfamiliar with it.
However, the ministers who had entered the court a few years earlier could not help but narrow their eyes.
Lord Yi Ming indeed once served as a bachelor, but his more shining resume is actually his long history as a member of the Prince's Palace!
The emperor would never use nepotism when employing people, so basically all the subordinate officials in Prince Tan's Mansion were sent to the academy or even local areas for training.
Although Yi Ming was the chief historian of the palace, he was not given excessive preferential treatment. At first, he was only released as the prefect of Fengxiang.
However, after all, he was the Minister of the Dragon and the Holy Heart. In just over a year, he was promoted to the governor of Gansu. Although his official title was still lower, he was only given the title of the fourth-rank Youqian Duyu.
Shi, but the power in his hands is real.
Now, less than a year after he was transferred to the post of governor of Gansu, he was recommended by Chen Xun and transferred to the Imperial Academy.
This promotion speed...
Tsk tsk, a group of ministers who knew the inside story smacked their lips, and they could only say that Lord Yi was really lucky.
Yi Ming?
Zhu Qiyu's eyes flashed. Chen Xun's words were vague, but in fact, it was not a secret.
The biggest reason why Zhu Qiyu transferred Yi Ming to Gansu in the first place was that he learned about a series of crimes Ren Li had committed in Gansu.
So Yi Ming went there essentially to investigate Ren Li's case and collect evidence.
The reason why Jin Lian's arrival in Gansu went so smoothly was inseparable from Yi Ming's adequate preparations in advance.
However, later during the memorial, Jin Lian brought the matter up, but was suppressed by Zhu Qiyu, and his role in it was not displayed in the court.
But many important officials in the DPRK are aware of this.
Of course, the reason why Zhu Qiyu did this was not because he wanted to take credit for Yi Ming's work, but because of his status, there were some things that he couldn't bear.
There is nothing wrong with Ren Li. However, in addition to investigating the case of Ren Li in Gansu, Yi Ming also collected a lot of evidence that noble families invaded and occupied military villages. The most detailed one was also told to him by Zhu Qiyu personally, which is Yangwu
Hou Mansion.
Forget about other noble families, Keyang Wuhou Mansion is the husband's family of the eldest princess of Changde. Zhu Qiyu always has to be a little lenient towards them because of the eldest princess's face.
So, we can prevent them from knowing who can handle this matter best, so as to avoid trouble...
Having said that, now that Ren Li's case has come to an end, Yi Ming's mission has almost been completed. After more than two years of training abroad, it's almost time to call him back to Beijing.
Nodding slightly, Zhu Qiyu asked Wang Tianguan as usual.
"What do the officials think? Is there anything unsatisfactory in Yi Ming's evaluation in the past two years?"
Under this situation, the emperor obviously needed the endorsement of the officials.
Therefore, Wang Wen naturally didn't say anything more and just handed it over.
"Back to Your Majesty, Yi Ming's evaluations in the past two years have all been above average. The Ministry of Civil Affairs has already made plans to promote him at the end of the year. Now Chen Shangshu recommends him to be a Hanlin bachelor, and I think there is nothing wrong with him!"
A Hanlin bachelor can be said to be important, but it can also be said to be light. Without the halo bonus of Qingliu, he is actually just a fifth-rank official, but he is usually led by the Minister of Rites, so he can barely be regarded as a third-rank official.
With Chen Xun as the six ministers, the leader of Qingliu personally recommended it, and the officials also nodded, there would be no problem.
What's more, everyone who knows Yi Ming's origins knows the real reason for his promotion, so naturally no one will touch this bad luck.
So, the emperor nodded and said.
"In this case, we summon Gansu Governor Yi Ming back to Beijing and promote him to the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, in charge of the affairs of the Hanlin Academy!"
At this point, the emperor seemed to be hesitant, his eyes fixed on Chen Xun, with a somewhat inexplicable meaning, but at the end, his voice still dropped steadily.
"In addition, Du Ning, the minister of Dali Temple, was promoted to the position of censor of the right capital, to patrol Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Datong, and to assist Jin Lian, the Minister of Punishment, in rectifying the affairs of the border military settlements!"