Zhang Heling and Lu Wan were transferred to Liaodong.
Empress Zhang found herself suddenly alone. How she ended up in this situation, she still doesn't understand.
Is Zhang Zhou tricking her?
Zhang Zhou was obviously helping her with everything, and was still helping the Zhang family brothers. It cannot be said that Zhang Zhou was involved in this matter. It can only be said that Zhang Zhou's appearance made the emperor no longer only at her mercy. Many things seemed to be accidental. But it seems inevitable.
It was past noon today.
Xie Qian was summoned by the emperor and followed Xiao Jing to Qianqing Palace. He didn't understand what the emperor asked him to do. He was also curious why the emperor only recruited him this time and not Liu Jian and Li Dongyang.
"Eunuch Xiao, it should be something that is not too urgent, right?"
Along the way, Xie Qian seemed to be a chatterbox, trying his best to get information from Xiao Jing's mouth to prepare himself.
But Xiao Jing didn't seem to understand this.
The two of them arrived in front of Qianqing Palace together, but saw Zhang Mao already standing there.
"Mr. British? What a coincidence." Xie Qian laughed.
Zhang Mao and Xie Qian exchanged brief greetings, and then both looked at Xiao Jing. Zhang Mao asked, "Do you want to go in and pass the news?"
Xiao Jing said: "There is still one more person to wait for."
"who?"
Xie Qian asked and found that it was redundant.
Because he had already seen Zhang Zhou coming with the young eunuch from the Li Supervisor's study room, and waved to them from afar.
When Zhang Zhou came closer, Xie Qian frowned and looked at Zhang Zhou: "Are you here?"
The implication is, are you going to Liaodong now? Or are you going to carry out some big secret mission? Even if you don't go to either of these two, then you should be recuperating at home, right?
Zhang Zhou sighed and said, "Thank you so much for your relationship with Mr. Ge. My illness has improved a lot. It's nothing. I came to the palace to help with the details."
"hehe."
Zhang Mao is smiling.
Xie Qian thought to himself, you are really a sentimental kid, who cares about you?
You should be concerned, and you should also be concerned about why you haven’t died of illness yet!
…
…
Inside the Qianqing Palace.
Zhu Youtang was sitting there, looking quite good. Zhang Zhou had recovered from his illness.
The four people came in, and Xie Qian found the biggest difference from before. Xiao Jing did not come in to communicate, but seemed to be summoned. The young eunuch who had previously sent a message to let them in then left. At this time, only the four of them were left in the Qianqing Palace. people.
This structure...
Xie Qian was a little confused.
"Sit down." Zhu Youtang said.
Chairs had been prepared for them early, and there was a table in front of them, but there were only three tables and chairs. Xiao Jing looked more like a servant being ordered around in front of them.
After Zhang Mao, Zhang Zhou and Xie Qian sat down, Zhu Youtang asked Xiao Jing to present the three transcribed battle reports in front of them.
"This is just obtained. The battle situation north of Jiliao. The little Tatar prince used 50,000 vanguard troops to attack the Taining Guards stationed in Wuning. He used this to detour to the south and gradually pushed the three Duoyan Guards northward. ... The three Duoyan guards gathered their troops and fought against the little Tartar prince. The location of the battle was unknown and the outcome of the battle was unknown. However, the three Duoyan guards then went south and approached Shenyang Zhongwei. At this time, they were more than 620 miles away from Shenyang Zhongwei..."
Xie Qian was listening to Xiao Jing's explanation in the narration.
While reading the battle report on hand, I roughly understood that this was a summary meeting about the war situation in the north.
However, he looked at the time of submission of the memorial and guessed that the news had probably reached the capital in advance. It did not come temporarily. Since it came in advance, it should be said in the court. But the emperor did not do this. Summon them to discuss with the inner court.
But they did not find Liu Jian, Ma Wensheng, or Li Dongyang, a minister who was recognized as a wise man.
This puzzled Xie Qian.
Zhang Maodao: "Your Majesty, in my opinion, the war between the three Duoyan guards and the little Tatar prince has come to an end. The three Duoyan guards didn't even hold on to their own fiefdom, so they basically lost. It is estimated that the number of people who moved south is not large. , or you can send envoys to collect them."
Since the emperor asked them to come to the inner court and mentioned this matter, Zhang Mao was there to offer his opinions and suggestions.
Xie Qian glanced at Zhang Mao and said to himself that Zhang Banxian, who can pinch and calculate, hasn't spoken yet, why are you joining in the fun here?
Regarding matters at the decision-making level, when will it be your turn, Wu Xun, to fool around here?
Normally, Xie Qian was quite respectful to Zhang Mao, but when it came to specific family and country affairs, the quarrel between civil servants and military officials would not be eased in any way because of their personal relationship.
Zhu Youtang said: "I thought so at first, but after all, the specific results of the battle are still unknown, and the further movements of the little Tatar prince are also unknown. If the Tatars also guide the Bingfeng sword, the Ming Dynasty Liaodong's defense will suddenly become tense, and I am unable to make a decision, so I came to you to ask."
It sounds reasonable. It was precisely because the emperor was hesitant that he came to ask them.
However, Xie Qian felt that there was something wrong with this statement... When the emperor had something to do, didn't he always consult only Zhang Zhou? Why did he also consult three ministers and the eunuch Bingbi, the chief of etiquette, at one time?
As long as Dai Yi and the others were there at this meeting, Xie Qian wouldn't think much about it.
"You gentlemen, if you have any opinions, it doesn't matter." Zhu Youtang seemed to be very polite to these people.
Xie Qian first looked at Zhang Zhou and found that Zhang Zhou did not take the initiative to express his desires. He was probably also guessing that Zhang Zhou's predictions on certain matters did not conform to the direction of the war. Zhang Bingkuan had fallen out of favor?
Xie Qian had no answer in his mind, so he spoke first: "Your Majesty, such important matters should be discussed in the imperial court."
Zhu Youtang said: "Such a major military matter should be made known to everyone in the government and the public, and even be discussed privately by all ministers?"
"this……"
Xie Qian hesitated for a moment, as if there was really no need to make the matter in front of him known to both the government and the public.
Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "I want to come. Mr. Xie Ge's intention is to invite Mr. Ma Shangshu, who knows the military affairs, and Mr. Liu Ge and Mr. Li Ge, who are in control of the overall situation, to come together and discuss it together."
Xie Qian frowned and looked at Zhang Zhou.
Does this mean Zhang Zhou understands himself better?
no.
What Zhang Zhou said is just the simplest truth.
Zhu Youtang nodded and said: "I should have been like this, but with so many things going on in the government and the public, I shouldn't have made the Ming Dynasty worry about wars that did not occur in the Ming Dynasty and were not directly related to the Ming Dynasty. After all, government affairs still have to be the top priority."
When Xie Qian heard this, he was thinking in his heart, if even the little Tatar prince's intention to annex the three guards of Duoyan is not considered a government affairs of the Ming Dynasty, then what is?
Zhu Youtang continued: "In the past two years, there may be more and more military affairs in the north. If the ministers and ministers often come to the inner court for discussions, it will also have an impact on the court affairs."
"And I can't always listen to Bingkuan alone. I also have to solicit the opinions of all ministers and workers. So what I want to do is to establish a special yamen in the next few years when it comes to border town affairs. From the cabinet , the Supervisor of Ceremonies, the Minister of the Six Ministries, the Yanwu Hall and the Governor's Mansion each select one or more people to participate in the mid-term."
Zhu Youtang finally revealed the purpose of summoning several people today.
Xie Qian immediately objected: "Your Majesty, such a major matter should not be decided rashly."
Not saying that I object to it, I just say that the decision is too hasty.
By establishing such an yamen, you are simply trying to sideline the imperial cabinet and the six ministries. In doing so, you don't even have the patience to discuss it with the ministers. How can you convince ministers from both the government and the public?
Zhang Mao on the side straightened his back, suddenly feeling like he had turned from an errand boy into a talker, and suddenly became a core decision-maker.
Zhu Youtang said: "This yamen does not set up any public offices inside or outside the palace. It is just that when there are border town affairs, I need to listen to opinions temporarily. It does not involve reviewing any memorials or any yamen in the court." Affairs, including the drafting of cabinet votes and the actions of the six ministries and departments, etc., will not be affected. Do I need to obtain the consent of others even to adopt your opinions?"
Xie Qian frowned.
What the emperor said sounded quite reasonable to him.
The emperor has recently been very concerned about the affairs of the border towns, and even wanted to use this to establish Pingping Grassland, raise military supplies in the northwest, and even sent people to explore Liaodong.
In this case, there is no big problem for the emperor to set up a temporary "advisory team".
Zhu Youtang continued: "I did not find the chief minister of the cabinet, nor did I find the six ministries and seven ministers, in order not to interfere with the operation of the court, and I cannot affect the national destiny of the Ming Dynasty with my personal likes and dislikes."
Xie Qian said: "But Your Majesty, when it comes to border town affairs, it is closely related to the operation of the imperial court."
They say it doesn't matter, but how can it not matter?
Zhu Youtang asked back: "Mr. Did you mobilize the troops and mobilize the masses every time?"
Xie Qian felt that this time he was a scholar meeting a soldier, and he couldn't explain why.
"Furthermore, what I mean is that all the members in this yamen are not fixed, and there is no distinction between the first and the last. Regardless of seniority, even if he is just a new scholar or an official, or even a commoner, his opinions will help If the Ming Dynasty uses troops in border towns, they can be recruited."
"I will never give him a special official position. As long as the original yamen is busy with official duties, he can be replaced first. If he makes a mistake, he can also be replaced and dismissed. Who can be recruited or supplemented temporarily depends on the person's ability. The qualifications and prestige of the DPRK and China are not considered."
"I will not give him a rank other than that of the government and the public, nor will I give him any power other than that of the government and the public. It will only be convenient for me to ask for advice and will not involve anything else."
Zhu Youtang expressed his thoughts all at once.
Of course, all of this came from Zhang Zhou’s suggestion.
Xie Qian stared at Zhang Zhou.
He seemed to understand why Zhang Zhou did what he did.
You civil servants, haven't you all said before that I, Mr. Zhang, have become the emperor's close fawn alone, influencing the changes in the affairs of the court, and even "causing chaos"?
You attack me not because what I do is beneficial to Ming Dynasty, but because what I do is "unprecedented", isn't it? Then let's turn this kind of unprecedented thing into a settled matter. I am going to Someone no longer advises the emperor as a single advisor, but a group of people advises him.
Of course, who the emperor listens to or not...then it depends on whose opinion is better.
Once the emperor's personal advisors are customized, wouldn't they be like the cabinet? In addition to the memorials and drafts, the emperor will have an additional military advisory team?
Now I am only advising on military affairs. What I will be advising on in the future... or whether it is more important or less important is another matter.
The rise of any new yamen was to ensure the concentration of imperial power. In Zhang Zhou's view, although the abolition of the prime minister and the emergence of the cabinet strengthened the concentration of imperial power, it was obviously not enough.
If you want to further strengthen it, you need to have a yamen that balances the cabinet and the ceremonial supervisor... This yamen should not be composed of Zhang Zhou alone, but should look fair and just, and add a few more people, but for now it is still
Zhang Zhou alone has the final say.
Xie Qian said: "Your Majesty, this matter should be discussed in the court hall."
Xie Qian was also at his wits end.
If Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and the Six Ministers of the Central Dynasty were here now, they might be able to form a tightrope if they wanted to oppose him, but these four people in front of him... besides Zhang Zhou, who is a nominal civil servant, who would help him?
Woolen cloth?
Xiao Jing and Zhang Mao seem to be eager for the emergence of such a new government office to balance the power of the cabinet and the six ministries, right?
Zhu Youtang shook his head and said: "Mr.
There is no need for me to ask. Therefore, I don’t need to adopt other people’s opinions on this matter!”
The emperor's attitude was extremely resolute.
"Okay." Zhu Youtang stopped discussing, "If you still can't think about it, just think that I choose different people to ask for opinions on military affairs in the inner court every time, or you think that I only ask Bingkuan.
Okay, then I won’t say anything more.”
Xie Qian smiled bitterly.
Think about it too.
Now the emperor is quite polite and says he will summon different people to ask for their opinions.
If the emperor is more arbitrary and only calls Zhang Zhou or Zhang Mao and others to ask questions in the future, what else can the civil servants do about this?
This is just the emperor looking for someone to ask for solutions when encountering difficult matters. He said that he did not have any additional official positions, everything seemed reasonable, and the emperor did not seem to undermine the original system.
"I have decided to temporarily call this yamen the Shangting Department. The so-called "Shangzhang Yu" is my listening place, that's all." Zhu Youtang said.
Xie Qian hesitated for a moment and finally lowered his head.
Even if he wants to object, he is still weak today with his personal power. It is better to wait until he goes back to discuss with Liu Jian and Li Dongyang, then secretly plots with the ministers of the DPRK, and then entangles officials and others to oppose it.
…
…
What the emperor asked next, and what several people discussed, seemed to be no big deal.
It just involves a matter of strengthening defense in Liaodong.
They will not send people to recruit the Duoyan Three Guards, nor will they reach any consensus with the little Tatar prince, and there will be no contact in a state of war.
Xie Qian discovered that this time the emperor seemed to be here to ask for their opinions, but in fact he was just to inform them of the establishment of the so-called "Shangting Department", and all he could do was to hold the establishment of the Shangting Department with great resentment.
The news he brought back with him once again showed the estrangement between the monarch and his ministers.
When Xie Qian returned to the cabinet for duty, Zhang Zhou also went to the East Palace to see Zhu Houzhao, and Zhang Mao left the palace with Xiao Jing.
"Listening place?"
When Liu Jian and Li Dongyang learned about this from Xie Qian, they both frowned. They seemed to feel that the order of the court was likely to be broken.
Xie Qian sighed: "Your Majesty insists on this. Even people from the governor's palace can participate in it. He also said that he will not participate in it as the chief assistant or the department, and it is no longer limited to whether he is from the palace. Although it is clearly stated that all inquiries about affairs
They all involve border affairs, but there is no guarantee that they won’t involve the allocation of money and food. What’s more, even the Yanwu Hall will find people to ask for advice... Sigh! I don’t know how to evaluate it.”
Liu Jian said with a cold face: "Do Eunuch Xiao and Eunuch Yingying have no objection to this?"
Xie Qian said: "What opinions can they have? I guess they have long expected this."
"I don't think so." Li Dongyang said on the side, "This is obvious. Your Majesty wants to find a reasonable excuse for repeatedly asking Zhang Bingkuan alone for advice. Except for Zhang Bingkuan, the other people involved are just a cover. Could it be that the British public
Didn't anyone notice it?"
Xie Qian asked: "So what if they notice it? Now that they have the opportunity to discuss matters with Zhang Bingkuan in the inner court, will it be worse than before?"
Then Li Dongyang and Xie Qian both looked at Liu Jian.
It seems that this incident will have a greater impact on Liu Jian.
As the chief minister of the cabinet, Liu Jian himself was the foreman of the emperor's advisers. In the past, the emperor could not decide any decisions. When asking questions in the court, Liu Jian basically had the final say. Now that there is the so-called listening office, then Liu Jian
Jian only has the power to vote, and his right to preside over the court will be greatly weakened.
As for Li Dongyang and Xie Qian...
If either of the two enters the Shangting place, perhaps the power will be strengthened.
Liu Jiandao: "I just don't understand, why is Zhang Bingkuan doing this? If your Majesty asks him one person, will he be more comfortable doing things than asking several people?"
In fact, Liu Jian didn't understand it either.
The emperor wanted to ask Zhang Zhou's opinion alone. In fact, it was difficult for the ministers to object to this matter. At most, they would define Zhang Zhou as a sycophant. But once the so-called Shangting Office was established and Zhang Zhou joined it, he could no longer
He used Zhang Zhou as a close friend to attack him.
However, the emperor also adopted the opinions of others, which weakened Zhang Zhou's power, and Zhang Zhou started to dig holes for himself.
Li Dongyang asked: "So, from a certain perspective, this is also a good thing? Right?"
A new yamen was established to balance the power of the cabinet, and at the same time balance the power of Zhang Zhou, making all affairs traceable, and bringing Zhang Zhou under the orthodox court system...even if this system is just
The newly established Shangting Department...
What Li Dongyang meant was that we didn't lose, and Zhang Zhou didn't win either.
Everyone just takes a step back!
Liu Jian shook his head and said: "We still can't just sit back and watch this happen. In name, there is no fixed position in the Shangting Department, and it is just a cover when it was first established. Who can say for sure what will happen in the future? If even ordinary people can participate in the court,
When it comes to making important decisions, what does the court need to do? What does it need us to do with difficulty and caution?"
"Um."
Li Dongyang and Xie Qian both nodded.
It takes more than ten years of hard work to become a cabinet minister, and there are many screenings in the process. If only the emperor's likes and dislikes can determine who participates in decision-making, then the court's system of selecting officials will be greatly compromised.
"Objection." Li Dongyang set the tone for Liu Jian.
