Cai Que suddenly asked this question, and the official looked at Yuan Jiang's panic expression for a moment, and immediately thought a little.
When he learned that the Third Division was burned down, he was very shocked and angry, but after being the emperor for so long, he naturally waited for a reaction. Was he being tricked?
When Cai Que mentioned this, the officials immediately realized that the matter might not be as simple as expected.
However, there was no sign of suspicion on the official side. From last night's fire, to Cai Ting's urging that non-Privy Council members should not mobilize troops to fight the fire, to Zhang Dun's sudden appearance at the scene of the fire, the Accounting Department of the Third Division suddenly appeared just as he was about to audit the accounts.
Fire, is it really such a coincidence?
In the past few years, the emperor and the emperor have become increasingly sophisticated, and their ability to judge and manage affairs has also improved a lot.
After Yuan Jiang finished speaking, he saw that Han Jiang was already halfway out of the job. He was already planning to admit his mistake to the emperor and take the whole incident of the fire in the Third Division on himself.
Seeing Han Jiang like this, Lu Huiqing was slightly happy. As long as Han Jiang could be implicated in this matter and go out, then as the second-ranking official in Zhongshu, he could be successfully replaced as prime minister. Zhao Wen might not be able to do so, but the History Museum
The problem of appearance is not big.
The position of prime minister was what Lu Huiqing had always dreamed of.
Just when Han Jiang was halfway out of the room, Zhang Yue, who was standing behind Han Jiang, suddenly jumped over him and said: "Your Majesty, I moved the Accounting Department of the Third Division into the Third Division to facilitate the inspection of past accumulated records.
The accounts for the year ended up being stacked too much in the warehouse because I went through too many old files or cleared out some accounts that should have been burned by moths and fires.”
"It caused the fire in the third division. I cannot absolve myself of the blame for this. I beg your Majesty to take heavy responsibility!"
Zhang Yue's seemingly meaningless yet meaningful words made the ministers understand the fishiness and fishiness in it as soon as they heard it.
However, such a matter cannot be put on the table without evidence, and it can easily be dismissed.
Deng Wan, the censor Zhongcheng, was motionless at the moment and had no intention of standing up to speak for Lu Huiqing. In the past, he was the vanguard of the new party.
But another censor, Deng Runfu, couldn't bear it and said: "A fire is a dereliction of duty. Is there any other reason to evade it? It is known that accounts that have been decayed for many years are prone to fires, so why not take precautions early and only notice it later."
Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty, I was negligent. I did not expect that there would be a fire in the Third Division. I did not prepare for this in advance. I am willing to bear the responsibility for the fire in the Third Division together with Yuan Jiang.
Please also ask Your Majesty to issue an edict."
Zhang Yue's move was equivalent to taking all the responsibility for Han Jiang on himself.
Han Jiang glanced at Zhang Yue with great emotion, but he thought to himself, how could Zhang Yue carry such a huge responsibility on his own? Just as he was about to say something to take responsibility, he felt his wrist being pulled.
Han Jiang was stunned for a moment, turned around and saw that it was Wu Chong who stopped him.
Seeing this, Han Jiang showed a look of helplessness, but still retreated to the class.
Seeing Han Jiang return to the class, Lu Huiqing felt a pity in his heart, but thought that if he brought down Zhang Yue, he would also break Han Jiang's arm. He left the class and said: "Zhang Duanming, why do you need to share the blame with others? As far as I know, you have been with me these days."
There should be no time to stand aside when discussing the exemption law."
The officials were a little suspicious of Lu Huiqing, but when he heard what the other party said, they suddenly became confused. However, the officials could see that Zhang Yue's involvement in this matter was a bit far-fetched, but the burning of the Third Division was such a big deal, as long as he was involved, he would not be able to escape.
.
At this time, someone said: "The person in charge of the Accounting Department of the Third Division is Zuolang Su Zhe."
The official's eyes narrowed and he asked, "Where is Su Che?"
After a while, an official said weakly: "Your Majesty, after the fire, Su Che tried his best to put out the fire and protect the manager's books, but was finally attacked by the fire poison and collapsed and fell unconscious!"
After hearing this, Zhang Yue thought, if something happened to Su Che, how would he explain it to Su Shi?
Zhang Yue couldn't help but feel guilty. If he had known this, he shouldn't have involved Su Che in this matter.
When Lu Huiqing heard that Su Che had collapsed and was unconscious, he thought, "This is the best, and death would be better."
The official said: "Okay, all officials involved in this matter will be dismissed from their posts and go abroad!"
But see the thunder falling!
In addition to Han Jiang, the three envoys below Yuan Jiang, the deputy envoy of Yantie, the deputy envoy of Hubu, the deputy envoy of Duzhi, the judge of Yantie Song Di, Zhang Yue and Su Zhe were all dismissed from their posts.
At the same time, all Mabusi officials who failed to rescue were dismissed from their posts.
Zhang Dun was the only one who was greatly praised for his contribution to putting out the fire.
Zhang Yue was caught in the whirlpool, as he was dismissed from his position as the Accountant of the Third Division. He, Yuan Jiang and others were about to go out.
Zhang Yue walked out of the main hall and saw that Yuan Jiang had regained his relaxed look and was talking to Lu Huiqing, Deng Wan and Cai Ting.
Zhang Yue glanced at him from afar, then walked away.
He immediately rushed to visit Su Che.
Su Che is settling in at Su Mansion.
When they arrived at Su Che's house, they saw Su Che's wife Shi and several of Su Che's children lying beside Su Che's bed crying.
When Mr. Shi saw Zhang Yue arriving here, he was busy paying homage to him.
Zhang Yue knew that although the Shi family was from an ordinary background, he was also generous and well-managed. Su Zhe had no romantic brothers, no concubines, and only had a wife. Perhaps because of this, Zhang Yue and Su Zhe became more attached to each other.
But when Shi Shi sent his children away, he bowed to Zhang Yue in front of Su Che's bed and said, "The official said just before he fell into coma that if something unexpected happens to him, he will give this to Zhang Yue and say that he can
This will surely bring justice to him."
Zhang Yue took a piece of paper, glanced at it and put it in the center of the boot page. He said, Su Che almost died because of this piece of paper.
Zhang Yue thought to himself that fortunately he did not relax his inspection of Lu Huiqing's accounts because of his pretense of suing for peace.
Su Zhe also first reviewed the old accounts of Sinong Temple over the years, and found some clues, so he kept the evidence... However, he did not expect the enemy's ferocity. Yuan Jiang, the envoy of the Third Division, actually set fire to the Third Division himself.
.
Thinking of this, Su Zhe woke up on the couch and shouted: "Is it Zhang... Duan Ming?"
Zhang Yue was immediately overjoyed and held Su Che's hand and said, "Ziyou, it's my fault that brought you here."
Su Zhe said feebly: "Ziyou deeply regretted not being able to repay Mr. Zhang, but fortunately he did not disgrace his life, and the real evidence was found here. But Thief Lu is extremely cunning, and now he is in power. Even with this evidence, I am afraid he will not be able to defeat him for a while."
The Lord can keep this as a clue, as Thief Lu is a person, this thing will come in handy sooner or later."
"Actually, it was Su who was negligent this time. The old officials in the Third Division were the ones behind the scenes. They had been worried about Su checking his accounts before, so they sent people to report the matter several times and even bribed him with heavy sums of money. But Su
But he didn’t accept it.”
Zhang Yue suddenly realized that everything was clear in his heart. The Third Division is known as the world of public servants.
In other words, the real power is not in the hands of officials, but in the hands of the officials in the yamen, that is, the public servants.
When officials below reported accounts, if there was any discrepancy in money, they had to give the official a benefit. This is the so-called Song Dynasty that "anything that matters in the world can't be done without money."
That is to say, everything you do requires money. If you watch Water Margin, you will know that when things pass through the hands of public officials, they must be rewarded with benefits, otherwise they will use their legal power to harm you.
And the Third Division is where the world's money comes in and out, and it goes without saying that there are tricks in it. Han Jiang has to live within his means and re-audit the past accounts, which will inevitably involve a lot of old accounts, so everyone in the Third Division is in danger.
Because officials can leave after working for a year and a half at most, even if they are unclear about what they have to say, it can still be discussed, and those petty officials have worked for more than ten years and have collected money for so many years, and they do not have the talisman of a civilian official.
, once found out, it will be a capital crime.
Why was there no problem with auditing in the past? Because in the past, the third department audited itself, but now Han Jiang has set up an accounting department of the third department to audit from the outside, and he has used Su Che, who is not good at doing the audit...
In the end, Lu Huiqing took advantage of the situation and took advantage of the matter...
That night Han Jiang's confidant Zhang Duan came to look for Zhang Yue and brought a handwritten letter from Han Jiang. There were only a few words on it, regretting not listening to your words.
Zhang Yue was speechless about Han Jiang's letter. What's the point of talking about it now?
When he first advised Han Jiang to fight for "state power" with Lu Huiqing, he didn't listen. Later, when he advised Han Jiang to protect Feng Jing, he didn't listen either. Now he thinks that setting up a third accounting department can strangle Lu Huiqing.
When Huiqing had his throat, the other party struck first.
It's too late to say anything now.
Now that she had taken all the blame for him, what was the use of Han Jiang expressing guilt to herself.
The next day's political affairs hall meeting, Han Jiang excused his absence, and Lu Huiqing presided over it. Compared with previous political affairs hall meetings, there was one less Feng Jing and one more Zhang Dun.
Because of Zhang Dun's meritorious service in putting out the fire, the emperor had ordered him to send three envoys to replace Yuan Jiang who was dismissed due to the fire. Lu Huiqing asked Zhang Dun to attend the political affairs hall meeting as the third envoy.
Today, Lu Huiqing is sitting where Han Jiang used to sit. In the past, when Han Jiang was away, Lu Huiqing would not dare to sit in this position. Lu Huiqing was particularly imposing and looked at everyone with cold eyes.
An attitude of humility.
Because Wang Gui, who participated in politics in Feng Jing, left, he was even more isolated and alone. He even bowed to Lu Huiqing to please him. Even Zhang Yue, who was sitting in the audience, secretly felt embarrassed for his teacher.
However, Wang Gui didn't realize it at all, and looked at Lu Huiqing, who was much younger than him, with a smile on his face and a compliment in his eyes.
A fire in Sansi changed everything.
Zhang Yue sat aside and watched Lu Huiqing preside over the meeting with an unquestionable tone.
Lu Huiqing was first indignant about the burning of the Third Division: "This time the Third Division burned 1,800 houses, almost all the eucalyptus slips, and lost millions of goods. The Third Division now has no choice but to work in Shangshu Province. The imperial court
It is planned to transfer wood from the Xihe River to rebuild the Third Division, which is another first-class expenditure. The emperor was furious about this, so he issued an edict to severely punish it."
"The Third Secretary Quan, a Hanlin bachelor and a bachelor's degree student, Yuan Jiangluo, a bachelor's degree student, dismissed the third secretariat, the deputy salt and iron envoy, Zhang Wenzhi, a doctor in the Ministry of Hubu, was the judge of Guozhou, and Li Duanqing, a doctor in the Jinbu, was the general judge of the army, and
One official was demoted; the deputy envoy of the Ministry of Hubu, Jia Changheng, Taichang Shaoqing, the deputy envoy of Duzhi, Sun Tan, the doctor of the Ministry of Punishment, and the remaining 12 judges, prosecutors, prosecutors, and court officials were all reassigned and fined thirty coppers.
Jin; Song Di, the chief minister of the imperial court, supervised the three ministers, and Li Shiliang, the head of the inner chamber, and seized two officials and restrained him. Su Zhe, the Zuo Lang, seized one official and restrained him. Do you have any objections? "
As expected, Lu Huiqing conducted a major shake-up of all the forces in the three divisions.
Lu Huiqing is really cruel and ruthless.
At this moment, Zhang Yue suddenly remembered a sentence that was circulated on the Internet in later generations.
Never doubt the cruelty of political struggle, never underestimate the shamelessness of intellectuals, and never forget the ignorance of the people.
Now Zhang Yue fully agrees with the first two sentences, and this time he finally paid enough tuition.
After the Zhengshitang meeting, Lu Huiqing said to Zhang Yue: "Stay here!"
Zhang Yue stayed behind, and he and Lu Huiqing were the only two people left in the hall. All the minor officials on the side also left.
Lu Huiqing smiled at Zhang Yue, but this smile was a little different from the previous smile that looked humble and had a hint of unruliness. Today, Lu Huiqing's smile seemed a little inquiring, as if he was assessing the damage caused to him this time.
How many.
Zhang Yue spread his hands to Lu Huiqing and said with a smile: "Brother Jifu, it was your clever move and you won."
Lu Huiqing smiled and then said seriously: "I don't understand what Du Zhi said."
Zhang Yue smiled when he heard this, and then said: "Brother Jifu, where do you plan to help me arrange my trip this time?"
Lu Huiqing smiled and said: "Duzhi, you and I have known each other for many years. I will speak for you when it comes to the government. You can just stay in Beijing. I will need more help from you in the future."
Zhang Yue said: "Brother Jifu, what are you talking about? If I stay in Jingli, you may not be able to sleep well at night!"
Lu Huiqing smiled and said: "Du Zhi, you are really good at joking. Since you plan to go out to relax, you can come back in a few days. In addition to several prefectures in the world, if you want to know any state, I will arrange it for you.
That’s it.”
For example, at the level of Jiangning Prefecture and Daming Prefecture, only Prime Ministers Wang Anshi and Han Jiang can concurrently serve as magistrates or magistrates when they are abroad.
At the level of Zhang Yue, it is almost as good as participating in political affairs. The states below the government can choose at will.
Zhang Yue smiled and said: "That's easy to handle. What do you think of me returning to Jianzhou to know the state?"
After saying this, Zhang Yue and Lu Huiqing looked at each other and laughed.
Lu Huiqing smiled and said: "I really admire Duzhi for having the leisure to joke at this time. It seems that you will be back soon."
Zhang Yue said: "It doesn't matter whether you come back or not. Let me ask Brother Jifu, what do you think about the reform of the exemption law that you and I discussed before?"
Lu Huiqing lowered her face and said: "I never compromise my words when doing things because of people. In less than a month, the exemption law will be changed, and everything will be as you and I discussed before."
Zhang Yue was delighted when he heard this. He thought Lu Huiqing would default on the bill.
"That's great. Zhang thanked Mr. Lu on behalf of those poor people."
Lu Huiqing sneered and said: "Who do you think Lu is? Am I a person who breaks my word? Besides, it was you who pushed for this matter. When the time comes, in front of the officials, Lu will be fully aware of your achievements."
stated.”
Zhang Yue said with a smile: "It doesn't matter if you have merit or not. The law of exemption from service was originally established by me and Han Gong, but now everyone thinks it belongs to Wang Xianggong and Lu Gong, what can I say?"
Lu Huiqing was a little unhappy when he heard this and said: "Du, now you and I won't say these unhappy words."
"I leave you here today to say a few words from the bottom of my heart. Over the years, Lu has offended too many people. I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to secure his position. He may even not be able to go out safely in a few days. Or maybe it's just as you said.
You can’t even tell if you eat a sword.”
Speaking of this, Lu Huiqing let out a long sigh.
Zhang Yue said: "Brother Jifu, you are also participating in politics now, why do you have to say such depressing words?"
Lu Huiqing said: "Du Zhi, I regard you as a confidant and someone I can talk to you about. I want to say a few words from the bottom of my heart to you. But what do you mean by laughing at Lu this time?"
A close friend? A close friend who I will send you thousands of miles away?
"Brother Jifu's words are serious, that's all you say. The word "confidant" is beyond the reach of Zhang. However, there is a saying that you should never have friends in the future. I believe Brother Jifu will definitely find friends on the road."
Lu Huiqing laughed and said: "Du Zhi, you and Zi Hou are really brothers, and you always say that you will never forgive others. But Zi Hou, haha..."
Lu Huiqing glanced at Zhang Yue, and the implication seemed to be that Zhang Dun and I are of the same mind, but our friendship with you is deeper.
Having said this, Lu Huiqing clasped his hands behind his back and walked slowly in the hall: "But having said that, after Lu, you are the only one in the world who can be regarded as a prime minister, Zihou is the other, and your nephew is also the only one.
"
Zhang Yue thought of this and said: "Brother Jifu, please don't involve my nephew in your affairs."
Lu Huiqing said: "Let's face it, Lu is not an unreasonable person. Don't tell me whether I am willing or not? If Zihou knew that I had this intention, he would not forgive me."
Zhang Yue nodded.
After a pause, Lu Huiqing said: "But having said that, do you know that since the Duke of Xi became the prime minister, our Fujian people Xuan Ma worshiped the prime minister, and there was an endless stream of officials and political participants. Why is this?"
Zhang Yue said: "Taizu said that he was not allowed to use Southerners as prime ministers. After Wang Qinruo and the Duke of Xi, of course Southerners were more appreciated by the emperor."
Lu Huiqing said: "Yes, the so-called ability to know the emperor's will is the only reason why Lu is more conceited than you and Mr. Han."
"In the final analysis, neither you nor Mr. Han can take the path that the emperor wants to take in his heart. Only Lu can take it!"
Zhang Yue secretly laughed, Lu Huiqing's words sounded similar to Li Shizhong's words, "Your Majesty, who else would you rather me?"
Zhang Yue said with a smile: "Listening to your words is really better than ten years of reading. Zhang has been taught a lesson. How will Brother Jifu take this path in the future? Zhang is really willing to wait and see, so I bid farewell!"
Lu Huiqing nodded after hearing this and personally escorted Zhang Yue out of the political hall. In the eyes of the court officials and outsiders, the two said goodbye like good friends.
Before leaving, Lu Huiqing said to Zhang Yue: "Duzhi, you and I only have political opinions, but it does not hinder personal relations. If Lu cannot continue on this road in the future, it is time for you to come and do it."
.”
"But if I see with my own eyes that all these years of hard work have been changed by you, it would be better for Lu to die!"
Zhang Yue said: "Brother Jifu, what are you talking about? Didn't you just change the exemption law? If this day comes, you and I will discuss the issue of "national affairs" together. "
Lu Huiqing smiled and shook his head and said, "I'm afraid this day may not come to an end."
The two bowed to each other and then said goodbye.
At this moment, in the palace, the emperor, who was feeling a little chilly, looked at Li Xian, who had just returned to Beijing from Xihe to report on his duties, and said: "You will slowly tell me about Xihe's affairs in the future."
"There must be something fishy about the fire in the Third Division. The first thing you have to do after returning to Beijing is to lead the Imperial City Division to investigate the matter."
"I want to take down the real culprit!"
"promise!"
Li Xian agreed immediately.
PS: Historically, the fire of the Third Division's Accounting Department occurred before the establishment of the Accounting Department of the Third Division. Some people suspect that the New Party deliberately planned this fire, completely abolished the power of the Third Division, and changed a group of people from top to bottom, so that the financial department
From then on, the power belonged to Zhongshu.
Yuan Jiang and Song Di were punished very lightly afterwards, and this book has adapted them.
