Chapter 990 The audacity to become the duke of the country
Watching Zhang Shi and Zhu Yi singing in harmony in the palace, they pointed their finger at the military mansion.
All the important ministers present could not help but frown.
Above the court, accidents are never scary. What is truly scary is the unknown.
The art of war emphasizes knowing yourself and the enemy, and winning every battle. This is an unchanging truth when applied in the political field.
Let alone Zhang Xi, although the British government has been making small moves in secret, they rarely stand directly on the stage, but Zhu Yi is the most die-hard emperor in the court today.
At this time, two people jumping out together, does it mean that the British government has planned to end it personally?
Putting this aside and simply looking at the content of their report, there is no doubt that the purpose of reorganizing the military government at this time was to prevent the emperor from mobilizing troops.
But what is the reason?
The bosses don't believe it when it comes to being selfless and thinking about the country. Based on the character of these nobles, they will sacrifice their opportunities to improve their status in the court for the sake of the country. Don't be kidding, it would be almost the same if they replaced Yu Shaobao.
So, is it to go against the emperor?
This possibility is relatively high. After all, although the family is now harmonious on the surface, secretly, the Supreme Emperor and the Emperor have been at odds with each other.
However, if it was just to oppose the emperor, Chen Mao, Zhu Yi, and even Jiao Jing could do the job, so why did Zhang Min come forward in person?
The elders frowned and thought, with doubts flashing in their eyes from time to time.
However, Zhang Xi and Zhu Yi stood where they were, facing everyone's looks, but they did not feel uncomfortable at all, and they did not continue to speak.
At this time, the emperor finally finished reading the memorial submitted by Zhang Shi. However, what surprised all the ministers was that after reading it, the always decisive emperor frowned deeply.
Putting down the memorial, a look of hesitation flashed across the emperor's face, but in the end, the old man just said:
"This matter is postponed for discussion. We will be here early in the morning and withdraw from the court!"
Ah this...
After the words fell, many ministers present could not help but look shocked.
You must know that the early court is the place where government affairs are discussed. Therefore, normal affairs, even if they are submitted temporarily like Zhang Xi, under normal circumstances, if the matter is not major, then the court will handle it. Even if the matter involves enough,
Then, a copy of the memorial should be sent out and then be discussed at the next court meeting.
However, now Zhang Xi has submitted the memorial to the morning court, but not only has the emperor not made any statement, he has not even announced the specific content.
What does this mean?
Looking at each other, the elders all frowned, and looked at Zhang and Xi with a little more caution.
It seems that what Zhang Xi reported this time is indeed not simple.
The emperor's behavior like this can only show that the content of this memorial is of great importance, and it is the kind of thing that will cause an uproar once it is announced. Because of this, the emperor is hesitant as to whether it should be announced.
Everyone followed the rituals. After the emperor left, the palace suddenly became lively. The civil servants and military officials were talking a lot, especially the military officials. Many people gathered towards Zhang Shi and Zhu Yi.
In contrast, on the side of the civil servants, a group of important ministers were discussing something in low voices, but they all stood still in tacit agreement, as if waiting for something.
So, after a while, Wynn came out from behind, flicked the fly whisk in his hand, and the hall quickly became quiet, and then he spoke.
"His Majesty issued an oral decree, announcing that Duke Zhu Yi, Duke Li Xian of Feng State, Marquis of Ningyang Chen Mao, Jingyuan Bo Fan Guang, Xincheng Bo Zhao Rong, Official Secretary Wang Wen, Zuo Du Yushi Chen Yi, Huagai Palace
Wang Ao, the great scholar, Yu Shiyue, the great scholar of Jinshen Palace, Li Shi, the minister of the Ministry of War, Xiang Wenyao, the commander-in-chief Tongzhi Wuxing, Zhang Shi, Wang Qin and others came to see you at Wuying Palace."
Seeing this situation, the ministers present who had not yet left all looked as if this was indeed the case.
Zhang Shi had two purposes for submitting this memorial to his superior in the morning. One was, of course, to avoid going through the General Affairs Department, the Cabinet and other yamen, and go directly to the imperial court. In this way, the specific content of the memorial could be kept secret. The other was,
It is to let all the ministers know the existence of this memorial. In this way, the emperor can suppress it for a short time, but he cannot suppress it forever. At least, the contents will be known to the ministers sooner or later.
Therefore, this matter must be dealt with as soon as possible. Even if it is just to simply set a direction, a decision must be made whether to press it and not mention it, or to discuss it openly.
It is inconvenient for the court to say, so naturally, it is a matter of course to convene important ministers for a discussion.
However, the list summoned this time is really intriguing. It is almost equally divided between civil and military ministers, and there are even more military ministers...
After the emperor's decree was given, naturally everyone did not dare to delay and immediately set off for Wuying Palace.
Not long after, everyone arrived at the Wuying Hall and stood up in civil and military groups. Then, the emperor walked out of the back hall and sat down on the throne.
"See Your Majesty!"
"Get flat."
The number of people summoned this time was not large, but not too small, so the part of giving seats was omitted. The emperor waved his hand for everyone to stand up, and then took out the memorial just now and asked people to pass it down and said.
"Your Majesty, you should have guessed that the reason why I have called you here is because during the morning court meeting, the Commander-in-Chief also learned about Zhang Shi's memorial. This memorial is of great importance, so I feel that we need to discuss it in advance. Your Majesty, now
Everyone is here, let’s take a look.”
So, a chamberlain handed the memorial down, and these ministers circulated it one by one.
After reading it, many ministers couldn't help but take a breath of cold air, and then their eyes turned to Zhang Xi who was standing beside him.
This Mr. Zhang, is he crazy?
The content of the memorial is almost the same as what Zhang Shi said in the palace. However, the problem is that this memorial lists many illegal acts of military officials.
Corruption and dereliction of duty, empty pay, bullying of the people, officials and soldiers, deception of superiors and subordinates, and malpractice for personal gain. Each and every crime was clearly written.
More importantly, there are a lot of people on the list. They are mainly concentrated in the military government, and some are also concentrated in the Beijing camp. Their official positions range from the second-grade governor Qian Shi to ordinary Beijing camp generals. There are dozens of them.
.
No wonder the emperor looked so ugly in the court.
If such a large group of people really exploded in the court, there is no doubt that it would cause an uproar.
After everyone had circulated the memorial, the memorial returned to the imperial desk. The emperor's eyes also fell on Zhang Shi, who had a calm face, and asked.
"Zhang Tongzhi, in this memorial of yours, the person impeached is widely implicated. If it is true, then the whole military government will be wiped out. Now that all the important ministers and dignitaries related to military affairs in the DPRK are here, I only want to ask you,
Is there any evidence for these things reported?"
As a result, everyone's eyes were focused on Zhang Shi.
You must know that in this memorial, although Zhang Mian listed the list and charges, he did not mention the specific circumstances in one stroke.
However, since Zhang Xi dared to hand it over, he must be sure of it.
The British government has been in charge of the military government for many years, and no one can underestimate the heritage it has accumulated.
And these are Zhang Xi’s confidence!
Zhang Xi stepped forward and bowed, then spoke.
"Your Majesty has clearly learned that the military government has been suffering from long-standing malpractices and the atmosphere at the top and bottom is not correct. Judging from the period when I was transferred to the military government, there are few people who can survive the mud. Most of the people listed in the memorial have evidence.
, but it’s not yet irrefutable proof.”
"However, the matter is of great importance. If we continue to investigate, it will definitely arouse the vigilance of this generation. Therefore, I can only report it first and wait for His Majesty to make a decision before making the next plan."
What this said is somewhat intriguing.
The implication is that of course there is evidence, but it is not certain whether he can be convicted.
As expected, after hearing this, the emperor also frowned and said displeased.
"So, Zhang Tongzhi, what you are saying is that these people you are impeaching have no concrete evidence to prove their crimes. In other words, there may be injustice among them?"
There was a hint of questioning in the tone of these words.
However, Zhang Shi did not look nervous due to the pressure from the emperor, and just bowed again.
"Your Majesty is wise, it is indeed possible. However, as a minister of the military government, I know clearly that there is a conspiracy between the upper and lower levels in the military government. Although there is no evidence, I dare not hide it or not report it."
"I know that this move is a bit reckless and may wrong the minister. However, I also think that with your majesty's holy wisdom, I will never blame my family just because of my words. I will definitely have someone investigate it in detail."
"If it is proven after the investigation that what I reported was wrong, then at least it will prove that everyone in the military government has clarified it, and your Majesty can trust the military affairs with everyone in the military government. This minister will feel at ease even if he is punished by the court for what he reported is untrue.
"
"If there is any misfortune and the court investigates and proves that what I have said is true, it can also make up for it and rectify the military government to avoid catastrophic disasters in the future."
"So, after saying so much, Zhang Tongzhi is just suspicious, right?"
The emperor still frowned and asked.
"Because of your mere suspicion, you asked me to go to war and conduct a thorough investigation of the military government. Doesn't Tong Zhang think it's a bit ridiculous?"
These words obviously had a bit of reprimand in them.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Yi from the side followed closely and stepped forward.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that Zhang Tongzhi also has a heart for the country. I feel that there is no ground for it. Zhang Tongzhi also said something just now. It is not that there is no evidence, but there is no ironclad evidence. I believe that as long as we study carefully, we will be able to find out.
.”
"If after investigation, it is confirmed that Zhang Tongzhi is unfounded, then it will not be too late to blame him. After all, the military government is closely related. Since there is suspicion, it should be investigated. Otherwise, I am worried that if things go on like this, some trouble will happen."
If Zhang Xi's words just now were somewhat restrained, then the hidden meaning of Zhu Yi's words is very obvious.
He repeatedly emphasized that if things go on like this, disaster will happen. It seems like he is just worried, but in fact, if you think about it more deeply, it is actually more like a threat.
After all, the military government is the territory of nobles, especially with the status of the Chengguo Duke and the British Duke, they must hold many unknown secrets in their hands.
At this point, it is obvious that the British government wants to expose these things. In this case, if the emperor insists on refusing, then it is impossible to say through which channels these criminal evidence will flow out.
When the time comes, the matter will cause a stir and become a scandal throughout the court, and I'm afraid it won't look good on the emperor's face...
Obviously, the emperor also heard the meaning of these words, his face suddenly darkened, he coldly put the memorandum on the imperial desk and said.
"The two ministers are really ministers who plan for the country, and they are very prepared for a rainy day. If I guessed correctly, the two ministers should say that this matter is of great importance and needs to be presided over by a capable minister."
"However, now that the military government is empty, Changping Marquis Yang Hong has left the capital, and in the Five Army Governor's Mansion, only the Central Army Governor's Mansion and the Rear Army Governor's Mansion have palm seal officers. Therefore, if we want to thoroughly investigate and rectify the military government, we need to promote military officials first.
, serve as the chief seal officer of each military government, right?"
After the words fell, Zhang Xi and Zhu Yi, who had always been extremely calm, showed a hint of embarrassment on their faces. Apparently, they had spoken to their minds.
At the same time, all the ministers present couldn't help but look at each other, and they all saw the wry smile on each other's faces.
They had thought of this just now, but what they didn't expect was that the emperor made it clear directly.
It seems that the behavior of these two people really made the emperor angry...
However, again, many times in the court, words are not made clear in order to leave room for both parties. More importantly, no matter whether they are made clear or not, they cannot change the attitudes of both parties, so it is better to leave a gap for both parties.
face.
It's the same now. The emperor was so angry that he put everything on the table, but this did not help solve the problem.
After a brief moment of embarrassment, Zhu Yi stepped forward as if he didn't hear the mockery in the emperor's words.
"Your Majesty is wise, the reason why people in the military government dare to engage in favoritism, malpractice, and corruption is because the official in charge of the military government has been vacant for a long time. Now the atmosphere of the military government has become turbid. Therefore, I believe that capable military ministers should be selected to serve in the military government.
Commander-in-Chief, conduct a thorough inspection of the military government to correct military discipline!"
After saying this, all the ministers present couldn't help but shed a cold sweat for Zhu Yi.
This Duke is really... very courageous!
As expected, after hearing what he said, the emperor was surprised at first, and then the veins on his forehead jumped faintly, and he was obviously very angry.
However, I have to say that the emperor is the emperor after all. In just a short moment, the emperor's face quickly calmed down, and he sneered and asked.
"well said!"
"Then, who does Duke Cheng Guo think can serve as the chief seal officer of the military government?"
This question was so chilling that the ministers on the side felt a chill on their backs just listening to it.
However, I don't know if it was because he relied on the support of the Supreme Emperor, but Zhu Yi still had no fear on his face. Despite the emperor's almost angry gaze, he calmly raised his hands and said.
"Back to Your Majesty, I believe that the Commander-in-Chief, Zhang Shi, has a clean and upright style of conduct, has a reputation, and is qualified for the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Military Government..."
