Chapter 685 784 Cabinet Affairs

Chapter 685 784 Cabinet Affairs

After seeing off the two of them, Wei Guangde sat down to rest and realized later that it seemed that after entering the cabinet, his job was to bargain with the six ministries and localities because of money.

When the local government reported various difficulties and wanted to withhold the money that should have been sent to the warehouse, what he did in the cabinet was to either reject it or deduct it.

There was a rebellion in a certain place, and the Ministry of War was considering where to deploy troops to support it. Then the Ministry of Household Affairs ran out of money. The cabinet convened the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs to discuss and communicate with each other, and free up money to solve the problem.

I feel like being a cabinet minister is similar to being the head of a commercial bank.

Real government affairs are all handled by the six ministries. The only things that cannot be handled are projects involving inter-ministerial and monetary matters. Each ministry dare not make the decision without authorization, so they are handed over to the cabinet.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde suddenly felt bored.

On the next day, not long after Wei Guangde arrived at the cabinet, he saw a new memo from the Ministry of Revenue, which reaffirmed the amount of tax-free farmland for the family of Xunqi in full compliance with Emperor Longqing's requirements. Afterwards, not only the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and the left and right ministers signed, There is also the signature of the Tuntian Censor.

Wei Guangde did not hesitate to post a note and approved the memorial.

Put the finished memorial aside as the first memorial handed in today.

However, he did not read the others immediately. Instead, he sat and thought for a while, then took out a piece of paper and spread it on the desk, picked up the pen and started writing.

This is a memorandum intended to be submitted to Emperor Longqing, who intends to recommend the deputy general of the Shenji Battalion to Prime Minister Ji Chang as the Commander-in-Chief of Baoding Training.

They only have the right to train troops, but not the right to command.

The purpose is naturally to enable Qi Jiguang to select and deploy soldiers from the garrison stations around the capital such as Jizhou, Tianjin and Baoding to prepare for the grand parade to be held next year.

The men and horses in the Beijing camp are not good enough, and Wei Guangde still doesn't believe that the surrounding guards can't get enough people.

Previously, I wanted to increase the number of people in Jiubian's important towns, but think about it. It seems easy to open your mouth, but adding thousands or tens of thousands of people to eat, drink, and eat is a huge expense.

Whether this money is paid out locally or from the court, I am afraid that it will cause many people to file memorials and comment on it, which is really troublesome.

It is better to replenish the troops nearby and avoid many troubles.

Wei Guangde wrote his memorial and put it aside to dry, and then started to deal with other official documents.

In a mansion in Jiangling Mansion, Huguang, Hong Chaoxuan, the left minister of the Ministry of Punishment, Cheng Yao, the commander of the Jinyiwei, and Shi Duchen, the deputy envoy of the Huguang Prosecutor's Office, were all present.

In addition, Huguang officials unanimously said that King Zhu Xian of the Liao Dynasty had the intention of treason on the grounds that he had set up the imperial edict.

Because Zhu Xian was involved in too many crimes, Hong Chaoxuan was very cautious and recommended Dong Wencai, the right counselor of the Chief Secretary of Henan Province, and Wu Daozhi, the deputy envoy of the Shandong Public Security Bureau, to join the investigation.

In more than a month, it was basically confirmed that the thirteen charges involving the King of Liao that were impeached by Chen Sheng and Gao Guang were true.

However, there was considerable dispute between Hong Chaoxuan and Shi Duchen as to whether the Liao king's erection of the imperial edict was a rebellion or something else.

In fact, the officials involved in the trial all knew clearly. They had all seen King Zhu Xian of the Liao Dynasty, so they naturally knew what kind of person he was.

They would definitely not believe that such a loser wanted to rebel.

However, the stakes of rebellion are huge.

To put it bluntly, whether the King of Liao rebels or not is not decided by them, but by the person in the Forbidden City in the capital.

Even if the King of Liao had no intention of rebellion, Shi Duchen reported the King of Liao's decree. If the emperor believed it, then the King of Liao would be a true rebel.

Therefore, there were many concerns. At this time, the three people including Cheng Yaoxiang, the commander of the Imperial Guards, Dong Wencai, the right counselor of the Henan Chief Secretary, and Wu Daozhi, the deputy envoy of the Shandong Procuratorate, sat silently. The only sound in the room was the debate between Hong Chaoxuan and Shi Duchen.

Moreover, the Huguang officials all speak for themselves, which in itself speaks volumes. There is a feeling behind the matter that it is not that simple.

In the Ming Dynasty, the civil service group was never monolithic, so the unity shown by Huguang officials at this time was really puzzling to outsiders like them.

Even if King Zhu Xian of Liao had done all his evil deeds, under the current situation, as long as the investigation was reported, the capital would not be able to fail to respond.

Under normal circumstances, Zhu Xian's title cannot be preserved, and the King of Liao must be replaced.

The deposed King of Liao was just a commoner, and even the jade certificate and gold book would be taken back, and it would be impossible to cause trouble again.

But looking at the posture of the Huguang officials, they wanted to punish the King of Liao to death. As an outsider and an official in the same dynasty, he was naturally unwilling to cause conflicts with so many Huguang officials.

The King of Liao was no longer qualified to let them waste their words on his behalf.

"I insist on my opinion regarding the King of Liao's edict. The King of Liao did not rebel. He just wanted to use this method to prove his innocence. There is no need to pursue this matter.

I was ordered to investigate the lawless affairs of the King of Liao, so I acted upright and stood upright, not afraid of being framed by villains. "

Hong Chaoxuan insisted on reporting Shi Duchen to the King of Liao for rebellion, and at the same time attacked him personally, suspecting that he had received a heavy gift from the King of Liao's palace, so he had no choice but to answer this.

"Master Hong, you are an envoy. You can cover the sky with one hand, but don't forget that there is a bright universe above the sky.

I will definitely not pay dividends in this matter. Even if your Excellency insists, I will truthfully report the matter of King Liao's edict. It depends on your majesty and what the princes of the Manchu Dynasty think of it. "

Shi Duchen still insisted on this matter, which made Hong Chaoxuan frown.

Although he felt that he was fairly fair in dealing with the King of Liao, it was hard to say what the emperor thought about the King of Liao's erection of the banner.

What is Dahu?

Dahu is a large flag used in the military or at important ceremonies. It is usually used to command the army and boost morale.

The holder of the Great Banner must be an emperor or a general. Although the King of Liao was also qualified to hold it, with the Emperor of Heaven at the court, the King of Liao who erected the Great Banner really had the intention of treason.

If it was a matter of solar terms, it would be easy for the King of Liao to erect the banner, but it happened to be done when the imperial envoy was ordered to investigate.

"Three gentlemen, do you also think that Liao Wang Dazhi intends to rebel?"

Knowing that he had nothing to do with Shi Duchen, Hong Chaoxuan turned his attention to Cheng Yaoxiang, Dong Wencai and Wu Daozhi, hoping that they could support him.

However, he was obviously wrong.

Cheng Yaoxiang was a royal guard and was naturally sensitive to the crime of rebellion.

If the King of Liao just behaved inappropriately, he would not actually get much credit, but if he was involved in rebellion, it would seem that he would get a lot of credit.

However, it was not convenient for him to say it clearly, so when asked by Hong Chaoxuan, he just smiled and said: "Just report it truthfully. As for erecting the big banner, let the King of Liao explain it to the emperor himself."

Dong Wencai and Wu Daozhi have also made up their minds not to go against their colleagues in Huguang. Since they have united to defeat the King of Liao, they can do whatever they want.

During this time, they also heard a lot of things in Jiangling. The most popular one was the grudge between Zhang Juzheng, the elder of the court, and the King of Liao. They knew that Zhang Juzheng's grandfather died because he was drunk by the King of Liao. of.

Thinking about the actions of Huguang officials, they thought that there might be some influence from the capital city.

Although Cheng Yaoxiang is a hawk, the meaning behind his words is very obvious. It is best to report this matter to the emperor.

Report to the emperor, then what is the point of everyone discussing here whether to report the Liao King's rebellion as a crime in the memorial?

Even if he didn't mention this in his memorial, Cheng Yao would definitely report it to the emperor after he returned to the capital.

In their opinion, as a doubt point, it is enough to record it in detail in the memorial. As for whether it is considered treason, let Emperor Longqing decide.

Therefore, Dong Wencai and Wu Daozhi also supported the suggestion in the memorial that the King of Liao was suspected of treason, and would erect a large banner as evidence to report to the court.

The decision-making power of the memorial rests with Hong Chao. He originally handled the case from a practical point of view, but he couldn't stand Shi Duchen's approach of seeking to incriminate others.

But now, the other three people are obviously not on his side, even though he is the highest ranking among everyone here and is still a Beijing official.

The guard that had been loosened just now stabilized again in an instant. He felt that it would be too embarrassing to admit defeat like this.

"I also know what you mean, so I also reported the matter of the Liao Prince's Mansion in the memorial. However, I still don't agree with this alone to conclude that the Liao King has the intention of treason, so I don't include it in the memorial. This will be mentioned.”

Although Hong Chaoxuan made some concessions, he still would not write everything according to their wishes.

As for how the adults in Beijing will view this matter, it has nothing to do with him.

"Master Hong, when the King of Liao raised the banner, he was disobedient. What if he didn't intend to rebel? I really don't know why you are so partial to the King of Liao. I will report this matter to the court later and tell the story of Jingzhou."

Shi Duchen seemed to be encouraged by the words of Dong Wencai and Wu Daozhi, and said without any appreciation for Hong Chaoxuan's concessions.

"As I said, I have a clear conscience. If you have any dissatisfaction, you can report it to the public. The princes in the court will naturally distinguish right from wrong."

Hong Chaoxuan became irritated by Shi Duchen's pressing step by step, so he just said lightly.

After that, Hong Chaoxuan revised the memorial and added it to the Dabu. Dong Wencai and Wu Daozhi both smiled and stroked their beards to express their satisfaction. Prime Minister Cheng Yao's face was calm and there was no trace of fluctuation. Only Shi Duchen was still very dissatisfied.

On the same day, the officials left the main hall and went back to the courtyard to rest. While Hong Chaoxuan was still polishing and copying the memorial in the study, Shi Duchen sent someone out of the imperial envoy's office.

On the second day, two fast horses, one behind the other, left Jiangling Mansion and headed for the capital.

"Shaloan, your majesty has already approved the report from the Ministry of Household Affairs, so you can draft the decree and send it to the Director of Ceremonies and the Sixth Section for distribution."

Li Chunfang was in the room, and Wei Guangde took the memorial returned from the palace from Li Chunfang.

"Okay, I'll ask Mr. Li Ge to correct me later after I draft the decree."

Wei Guangde held the memorial in his hand and said respectfully to Li Chunfang.

"Oh, and this is your previous memorial recommending Qi Jiguang as the Governor-General of Jichang and Baoding Military Training. His Majesty also approved it."

Li Chunfang picked up the memorial below and said again. She also stretched out her hand and handed it over as she spoke.

Wei Guangde hurriedly took it and took a look.

"Shandai, His Majesty has entrusted you with the preparation of the Grand Parade. You recommended Qi Jiguang to be responsible for the military training around the capital. Is it really that the capital camp cannot be used for its full purpose?"

Li Chunfang suddenly asked.

"Li Shoufu, Shandai knows what you mean. To tell you the truth, if Shilang Tan and Qi Jiguang hadn't come to me to complain, I wouldn't have believed that the capital camp had become so corrupt.

According to what they said, most of the 890,000 or 90,000 troops remaining in the capital were old, weak and remnant soldiers, and the remaining half were veterans and oilmen who were simply unusable.

It would be fine if they were just used as a guard of ceremony, but it is absolutely impossible to use them as a ceremony for the Grand Parade.

There are only more than 10,000 people in the Beijing camp still available. Even if we recall those thousands of soldiers and horses from the border towns, we can barely make up 20,000 people. How can we show the power of our Ming army? "

Wei Guangde sighed and said.

This was said by Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang, and of course it cannot be false. Li Chunfang would know it as long as he sent someone to investigate carefully, so there was no need to hide it.

"I have thought about it before, sending more troops from the border towns back to Beijing to participate in the parade to build momentum, but mobilizing nearly 10,000 troops would be a huge effort. If we need to increase troops, even if the Ministry of Revenue can afford it, the safety of Jiubian will be at risk. will be affected.

These are the elites from each town, and they are the mobile forces to defend against raids by cavalry. If the deployment to participate in the parade really leads to a border crisis, it will not be worth the gain.

That’s why I decided to visit the three health centers in Jizhen, Changping and Baoding around Gyeonggi Province.

It had already been decided that Tan Lun would be the governor of Ji Liao. Taking this opportunity, Tan Shilang could also see what his men would look like in the future, and also asked Qi Jiguang to help train the troops. "

As soon as Wei Guangde finished speaking, Li Chunfang smiled and said, "I know what you mean. This is also for the sake of the court."

Wei Guangde nodded slightly when he heard this to show his gratitude.

"Another thing is that Huguang reported that he had left dirty money as a fine to provide disaster relief. At that time, you and Yin Shizhen both said that this behavior was unacceptable.

Of course, I know that what you are thinking about is that the money in the imperial court's hands is in decline, and there is an urgent need for money to be shipped from various places to the capital to meet the urgent need.

However, similar reports were issued in Jiangxi and Shandong later, and the cabinet votes were all halved. "

Li Chunfang suddenly paused when he said this. Wei Guangde knew that Li Chunfang was blaming Xiao Jiujiu for beating each other, which meant that he was using his power to overwhelm others.

Seeing the uncertainty on Wei Guangde's face, Li Chunfang remained silent. After Wei Guangde's expression softened slightly, he spoke: "We all work together in the cabinet, so it's better to understand each other on some matters.

There should be regulations for the memorials issued by the cabinet. For example, in the past two years, there have been frequent disasters in Huguang, Jiangxi and other places. It would also be good for the local government to request that some money be reserved for emergencies. "

"The lesson learned by the Chief Assistant is that we did not consider this matter at the beginning. Huguang should also decide according to the halving method. Only in this way can it appear that the cabinet is acting fairly."

Wei Guangde knew that Li Chunfang wanted to create a harmonious cabinet and did not want to see internal fighting due to some of their respective interests.

There were already signs of such a scene happening, so he decided to intervene decisively and mediate in private.

“It’s best for Shandai to think like this.”

Li Chunfang clapped her hands and said with a smile, "I will ask my uncle to come over later to explain the memorial. I will also tell you about it. The memorial in Huguang is still with me. When the time comes, the memorial will be drafted again and submitted."

"This matter is entirely up to the adults. Loans are meaningless."

Wei Guangde bowed and replied.

Although there are currently several people in the cabinet, the Yu-Zhuan clique has an absolute advantage, but just now, Wei Guangde suddenly realized that if the Yu-Zhuan clique was too strong in the cabinet, although it would indeed help Emperor Longqing implement his decree, it would not be able to influence Chen , Yin and himself, it is by no means a good thing.

Maybe, the three of them would have a bad reputation in the court.

At that moment, Wei Guangde knew that he still had to maintain Li Chunfang's absolute dominance in the cabinet, so that if the sky fell, there would be someone to stand up.